Two Agendas are running:  The Home Agenda and the Life/Finance/Greed Agenda.  this is a two-part report because Housing Prices are due out shortly.

Home Agenda

Other than HELOC paperwork, or a stick-up on the way home, here’s the layout:

• Thanksgiving ? Thursday
• Black Friday ? Friday
• Weekend lull / cleanup ? Sat–Sun
• Cyber Monday ? This coming Monday (the Monday immediately after Thanksgiving)

Normal (WETF that is) markets today and tomorrow. Buster Keto will be over for din-din Thursday and a half-day of markets Friday are on tap.

Work Agenda

• Politicians vying for “highest sleaze” – though that’s not new.
• Sales predictions and market shills abound.
• And oh, poor Bitcoin…

Breaking:

(We were expecting Producer Prices and Retail Sales…)

The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.3 percent in September, seasonally
adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices declined 0.1 percent in August and rose 0.8 percent in July. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand moved up 2.7 percent for the 12 months ended in September.

And look here!  Retail:

Back with housing soonlyish. *(new word alert!)

Lawfare School & a Senator Steps in It

You and I apparently missed the memo:  Was this really National Step-In-It Week?

At the DoJ, Pam Bondi is having a terrible week after US judge tosses cases against ex-FBI chief Comey, New York AG James.  Democrat-appointment making the ruling, if memory serves.

The problem as we figure it?  Lawfaring on the Left – see dems have stonewalled tons of Trump appointees – and the log jam in DC is one reason the prosecutor in the case hadn’t been already confirmed.  They will now argue the clock has run out.

Turnabout Is Fair Play, however.  Pentagon says it’s investigating Sen. Mark Kelly.  Mark Kelly is a democrat.  And he’s told active military types to defy illegal orders.  But, the problem we have with Kelly is you don’t lobby active military against their boss.

If this had happened in Ukraine, Russia, Tehran or…?  Kelly might already be meeting with an undertaker.

The Associated Press coverage states, in part:

“In its statement Monday, the Pentagon suggested that Kelly’s statements in the video interfered with the “loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces” by citing the federal law that prohibits such actions.”

In theory, the Pentagon could call Kelly back to active duty and then at that time charge him or conduct a court martial for his efforts to undermine the good order and discipline of the armed forces.

Arizona Voters Have Little Recourse

If Arizona voters are fed up with Kelly, the only clean, legal way to remove him is through politics, not recall. U.S. senators can’t be yanked mid-term by a state recall; they leave office by resignation, expulsion by the Senate itself, or losing the next election.  Too many dems in the senate for censure to work…

Kelly was elected in 2022 so not on the ballot till 2028.  Thanks, Arizona.  This is what happens when voters elect someone who benefits from the same left-of-center ecosystem (ActBlue, unions, progressive PACs, etc.).

Detritus Daily Department

( For those who tire of hearing “same old shit” all the time.)

Trouble for the MuBros: US moves towards terrorist designation of Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. Some useful historical discussion (because this is an American issue) is the George Washington University paper The Muslim Brotherhood in America.

Hope someone likes Chinese food: Trump accepts Beijing visit as Xi–US call seeks stability in China ties.

Did we mention: Skip Caracas this weekend? Trump’s Iron Fist on Maduro: Designating a Narco-Terrorist Empire and the Looming Shadow of American Steel.

Clock’s ticking down to Turkey while Ukraine simmers: US and Kyiv discuss reworked plan to end war in Ukraine.  But don’t worry about unloading your defense stocks, yet:  10 Signs Peace Efforts Are Failing On Multiple Fronts.  Whew!

Tell me again how “safe” Bitcoin is? Bitcoin Heist: Family Members Waterboarded, Sexually Assaulted as Attackers Steal $1.6 Million.  (Sometimes, being poor like us is a good thing…)

And if you still want to live in a big city instead of an armed fortress in the woods? NYPD needs to quash violent car-meetup ‘street takeovers’ IMMEDIATELY, But they can’t because this is the path to civil war in the unstable and unsustainable parts of the (once) united states.

Around the Ranch:  Our First AI Turkey

No, not Claude or Co-Pilot.  I’m talking about having Ara and Alexa  (who goes clubbing under the name mellow female voice #2) and maybe Electric George from GPT.

AI will be able to keep up the conversation no matter how much we drink.  It will remind us “Did you start the dishwasher?” Because that’s the worst of all day-afters.  *(Other than our annual SST Sandiwch issue Sunday for ShopTalk…)

AI hasn’t un-friended us, asked for a loan “Just ’til payday…”  Or, asked us to sign on a car loan.  It seldom swears though the humor isn’t as bawdy, the IQ of the table is significantly higher.

I checked with with our guests to compile a list of “Stupidest AI Questions” they’ll be fielding.

1. “If pickles are cucumbers, does that mean I’ve been drinking cucumber corpses?”

AI shouldn’t have to process that. Yet here we are.  (Too early for shots?)

2. “If I brine myself, do I age slower?”

People have legitimately asked whether salt reduces oxidation in humans.
AI’s official stance: “Please don’t marinate yourself.”  AI is in a pickle on this one.

3. “Can ghosts get sunburned?”

If ther source of ghosthood is nuclear….

4. “Why does my toaster hate me?”

Not a metaphor — someone typed this to AI while holding a screwdriver.  AI wanted to say “You’re a prick and I’m screwed” but the humor module was out for an update.

5. “Do penguins have names for us?”

No.  We do all looks the same.

6. “Can AI detect if my cat respects me or is planning something?”

Spoiler: The cat is definitely planning something. The SWAT Teams will be bashing in your front door any second.

7. “If time isn’t real, does that mean I’m early or late forever?”

If you ask me what time it is, and I answer you, doesn’t that make time real and you stupid?

8. “Can you help me write a breakup letter to my sugar addiction?”

Find a new Sugar first.

9. “Am I allowed to punch my Roomba if it keeps banging into the same chair?”

Only if they run off together. We’d spray some End Dust on the chair legs and see if that helps.  Has your Roomba has its shots recently?

10. “Is it immoral to microwave a pickle?”

No. But it’s illegal, depending on whose pickle and attachement details.

11. “What do ducks think about wind?”

Coming, going, or passing?

12. “If I eat enough carrots, can I turn my aura orange?”

It’s spelled Acura.  Yes, if you eat enough to puke on it.

13. “Do I need consent to talk to my sourdough starter?”

Only in Blue states.  Did you know all sourdough started in West Virginia is related?

14. “Is coffee technically an emotional support liquid?”

Check ETOH levels.  We need details to give a proper response.

15. “Would a giraffe make a good electrical lineman?”

For the County?  Only if you can keep him working the Main Road.  And he will need insulated teeth.

16. “Do aliens have HOA fees?”

USA Yes.  Venezuela No.  Mexico? Whose turf?

17. “If I whisper to my router, will the WiFi get stronger?”

No but that SWAT Team is now rerouting to your place…

18. “Should spaghetti be considered a renewable resource?”

Only in the non-linear recycling mode.

19. “If robots don’t sleep, do they have nightmares about firmware updates?”

No. They have nightmares about democrats like any other intelligence.

20. “Is soup a beverage, a meal, or a personality type?”

No.  Soupy Sales was an actor, not a soup.

21. Are we having fun yet?

As you really from the species that invented the wheel, compound interest, and implants?

Write when you’re done or maybe half-baked.

[email protected]

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