Happy St. Patrick's Day! As we look forward to drinking green beer later today, the Federal Reserve is bleeding green after cutting its emergency lending rate to financial houses over the weekend to try to prevent a total collapse of the system. This is ahead of tomorrow's Fed action when a further interest rate cut of 1/2-1% is expected. I don't know how much further the Fed can continue to cut interest rates to salvage this fiasco before they'll have to pay us to borrow this shit!It may soon be cheaper to hang $50 bills of General Grant in your den than what Home Depot wants for wall paper. Imagine just a week ago when investor's Bear Stearnes stock closed at over $68/share, $30/share last Friday, and is now going for $3.76 as I type this. But remember, economists are still debating if we're in a recession yet as the entire U.S. financial system is teetering on the edge of total collapse!
Which brings me to the point of sharing some pictures of a trip through the small community of Orogrande, New Mexico recently. I was extremely impressed by what I saw there and didn't know whether to feel badly for its residents or envy them. Perhaps if/when the economy's collapse finally comes, they won't realize it so much as the rest of us. The pictures will explain why.
Work at home business. (Business closed, home crumbling.)
Great fixer-upper but sadly, this one's not for sale!
One of the finer structures in town, built of solid rock. TV antennaon the left points towards town (El Paso, about 40 miles away. )
Mine tours and Bar-B-Que. When money becomes worthless, people willstill be able to enjoy a great bar-b-que after digging for precious metal
from the (now closed, soon to reopen) mine to pay for dinner.
Here's a great fixer-upper that can be had reasonably - only if you act soon! Withthe U.S. Dollar becoming more worthless by the day, the price demanded by seller rises
exponentially. (He may agree, in lieu of dollars, to accept Home Depot wallpaper instead.)
Orogrande has its own post office (on left)!
Home schooling, which will become increasingly more popular in Americawith the collapse of the education system and no money for teachers, has been
in vogue in Orogrande for years after the school closed down some decades ago.
The center of town, the My Place Bar, Tavern and Beer, Liquor Package Store.Having been in business for more than 40 years, the future looks bright as resi-
dents will undoubtedly try to drown out memories of a once prosperous America.
But for today, here's wishing all a very Happy Saint Patrick's where green is the color of the day in pub beers we'll drink and the dollars Wall Street's bleeding.
8 comments:
And, a happy saint paddy's day to you too! Don't drink too much of that green beer!
Thanks, eprof -- back atcha! Surprisingly, I had just opened a beer, read your message and remembered I had failed to add a drop or two of blue food coloring. (That's been remedied -- I'm now in the 'green'!)
Since we both have an interest in Mexico, et cetera, have you looked into the San Patricio Battalion? A bunch of Irish Catholics deserted the American Army and went over to the Mexican side in the war of 1846A very interesting tale. Check it out.
Very sad that the school, which did not look that old, had gone to pot. When the town's most successful biz is the selling of alcohol, it spells community apathy or death. Precursor for all consumer-driven america?
But hmmm, I liked the old solid rock bldg with inset wooden lintels. The windows are plum, so it hasn't settled. Wonder what it originally was -- a church maybe?
With apologies! Have been intending to respond to comments, but I've been down with a cold. The good news is, it's one that doesn't impede the ability to sleep. Bad news being, I am getting sooo much sleep. I can sleep anytime, at will. So I'm certainly getting lots and lots of rest. I'm sure I caught this from that weather system that blew thru here over the weekend, then on to Dallas yesterday, upper midwest and east today.
eprof: No, I am not familiar with the Irish battalion, but intend to look into it. Thanks!
So today, my NetFlix movie was due to arrive. I sure coulda used it this afternoon (instead I slept), But tonight I'll watch Cowboy del Amor. (We had our alt. mailman with late delivery today.)
Re the buildings in Orogrande, it's pretty obvious this town is past its prime. The "My Place" Tavern, D.K., was a place of intriguing coincidence. Going there in mid-60's one time while in Army (it was 20-25 mile drive thru the missile range where you could get a beer when they weren't selling any on base, me and a couple buddies, dressed in our fatigues, shot pool while listening to the Beach Boys sing "Fun, Fun, Fun" on the jukebox.
12-15 yrs. later, Mrs. Dada and I stopped in just to see how it had changed and when we walked in it was like stepping back in time, i.e., their were 3 GI's sipping beers, shooting pool as the jukebox was playing the Beachboys "Fun, Fun, Fun" on the jukebox.
I know those GI's were wondering why the hell I was staring at them so hard. I was just making sure one of them wasn't me ca. 1965! (I had some excellent advice for myself if one had been.)
Sorry about your cold, Dada. Get better soon. Resting is good; your body knows what you need. Vit C, too.
That was a very strange coincidence in the tavern. Fun to ponder what advice you would've given your 43-yr younger self. Buy microsoft? Stage butterfly ballot instruction in FL 2000?
Thanks, D.K. Already feeling better after another night's great sleep.
As to advice I would have offered myself had I been in some time warp, not sure what movie it was, but the advice given to a young family member was "remember one word -- GOOGLE!"
Yes, MSFT would've worked just fine as well.
hmmm, I think Microsoft would've worked better than Google because you'd have made your fortune earlier. Sounds like you've got your cold on the run!
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