Three story Monte is our game this Monday morning.

An explanation, if you’re not old enough to track:

“Three Card Monte is a confidence game, or scam, where a dealer (the con artist) uses sleight of hand to trick the player into guessing the location of a designated card, usually a “money card” like the Queen of Hearts, after they are mixed up face down. The game is rigged, and the player is virtually guaranteed to lose their bet.”

Except, of course, we have nothing but winners.

Powell Looms

I’ve been up for several hours now – looking for signs and portents on how the market will break (higher or lower) in the face of news events now – and next week when the Fed plays Rate Roulette.

Don’t mistake our view as “fortune-telling.”  Because this is Fortune telling: Stock market today: Dow futures turn higher ahead of a big week | Fortune.,

Meanwhile – with The Donald pointing in Powell’s direction over Federal Reserve HQ construction, the Developer in Chief is also playing Denier in Chief as “Trump disputes Wall Street Journal’s accusations.”  This time on Bessent and Powell, but last week’s Epstein birthday card-toon was a stinger, too.

What’s instructive to watch is how the heavy keel of money works to keep the American “ship of State” upright.  Sometimes the money moves first, other times the political parties move first.  In an ideal world, the checks would all clear and the way ahead would be clear.  But not so much.

Tomorrow it’s a banking conference for Powell.  Question is whether he will work in some justifications for the massive Fedquarters upgrades as HUD chief Turner blasts Powell for Fed renovations amid housing crisis.

With Powell at the open tomorrow (temporally, not literally – try to keep up) we expect a rally today, but it might be a “buy the rumor, sell the Fed box” set-up.

Another Cp0nspirary Proves Right?

We all remember how the Obama/Hillary intel sorts were widely reported to have engaged in a “soft coup” to keep Donald Trump out of office.  Dems are still citing Russiagate and pointing to “intel” – but now that [whole sorry mess] is about to be replayed again.  As Tulsi Gabbard: Intel Officials Hid Anti-Trump Coup by Obama Admin.

While we wait for the Monetizer-in-Chief to come out with the Women of Trump calendar, we expect blaming Obama (and his “intel” yes-sirs”) will play well and gain her favor with the Boss.  (We’re waiting for a re-issue of Trump vodka.)

Who, now that we think about it, doesn’t seem especially inclined to listen to anyone – except his own semi-random media sojourns into lah-lah land.  Which, in turn gets us to:

Shake, Rattle, and Stream

Ring of Fire Watch is underway:

We’re still in the July window where “seers” have a sense of a major Japan-area quake with massive damage and a view of a mountain (Fuji?) in the process.

While it ain’t no “cigar” it’s at least a scrounged-up ciggie-butt as we read Why Alaska’s recent 7.3 earthquake has caught the attention of scientists. That’s the blue-blob in the graphic right.

It’s not just Alaska, either.

Reader Hank was reporting lava flowing again not far from his home out on the Big Island of Howayah,”

And there are growing concerns that things ain’t normal in the Washington Cascades. There was a story last week (Earthquake swarm at Mount Rainier continues as more than 800 tremors rattle the catastrophic volcano) that should have west coast residents re-checking food and water supplies and updating their families on after-quake communications and meet-up plans.

For the Droller Scroller

Line ’em up, news-tender:

Here comes the hard-sell on climate: This is the summer of flooding across the US, and scientists know why. (Consider the source?)

Ready for another week of Teeter-Totter Trump Trade Talk (5T)? Howard Lutnick, commerce secretary, predicts action on trade talks before Aug. 1 tariff deadline.  OK, not much of a prediction given all the money on the table – someone will make a move on it.

Vaccine politics is still making waves: Moderna Spikevax-FDA Post Mortem byDr.Robert Malone is worth a read.  Especially if you believed the mainstream on this:  Update: Report of Robert Kennedy Jr. Firing Two Top HHS Officials Is Incorrect – Pro-Trump Official Resigned and Was Not Fired.

Jobs for non-Americans are still being handed out – making who great again? Agency Imports 85,000 White Collar Foreign Workers for U.S. Jobs.

Is someone expecting a sleeper-cell strike in South Florida? Army Special Operations Command Issues Terror Threat For Retired DoD Officials In Florida – Armed Forces Press

And a wrap up of “Look, Up in the Sky” items:

Warm-up for you?

Around the Ranch: Bio-Boozing (or Hooch-Hacking)

I’ve told you the story before – but it’s formative so a quick review.

When I turned 16, I was an AM radio station transmitter engineer.  While my high school classmates were flipping burgers on the cheap, I was rolling in $10-bucks an hour,  Writing down a handful of transmitter numbers every half-hour at the local R&B daytimer on 1460 kHz.

This would be the equivalent of a high school senior making almost $100/hour today.  Seriously:  $10 in 1966 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $99.22 today, an increase of $89.22 over 59 years.

To make a long story longer, Pappy came down to my basement ham radio lab one day (senior year) and handed me a box of Optimo White Owl cigars and a fifth of Passport scotch.  He gave me polite (but firm) parental directions.

“Another high school-aged student died in a car crash down in Rainer Valley (of Seattle) last night.  Cops tell me it was beer and reckless driving.  Here’s a bottle of scotch. I don’t want you drinking and driving because too many kids get killed that way.  Drink at home, don’t drive.  And don’t work on high-voltages after even a sip, got it?”

I was blessed with a truly enlightened father.  And ever since that time, I have made it a point to hold out for quality in life.  Remembering my idea of quality and yours will be different, of course.

Which gets me to the Endodontist ‘re-check’ this week.  Because  my 45-minute drive up to Tyler, Texas will route me past Fat Dog liquor in Coffee City. Which means today I have time to carefully think-through my shopping list.

That’s where Hooch-Hacking and Bio-Boozing enters the discussion.  And my Ai stack was ready to pour me one:

“We’ve all heard the whispers from the wine aisle—“Red wine’s good for your heart,” they say, with a wink and a bottle of Pinot Noir. But is there really such a thing as a longevity-friendly libation? Turns out, yes…ish.

Red wine brings resveratrol to the table, a polyphenol tied to heart health and anti-aging pathways like sirtuin activation. (Sinclair, et al) In moderation (the original weasel word), it might just offer a tiny boost on the path to centenarian chic. But what about the rest of the bar?

Whisky fans point to peat and iodine content in a good Scotch, which may have mild antimicrobial and thyroid-tickling effects.

Tequila, oddly enough, has been linked to gut health thanks to agavins—non-digestible fibers that can feed good bacteria.

Even moderate beer drinkers may get a B-vitamin kick from unfiltered brews.

The caveat? These “benefits” vanish with excess. The key isn’t the booze—it’s the biochemistry ballet it sparks. One drink might signal repair; three signals detox.

The real takeaway? If you’re going to imbibe, do it with a biohacker’s eye: look for clean ingredients, skip the sugary mixers, hydrate like a camel, and maybe pair that Bordeaux with a cold plunge and some NAD+ boosters. In the end, the healthiest booze is the one you didn’t drink too much of. But if you’re playing the odds, red wine gets the resveratrol crown—just don’t expect it to reverse that triple cheeseburger.”

Since we already have resveratrol in our daily vitamin stacks, more red wine isn’t going to help.  Scotch, on the other hand with that gentle iodine bump, well.   But with hot weather (94F today) the idea of gin keeps circling in background…

“Gin doesn’t get the same anti-aging headlines as red wine or the smoky mystique of Scotch, but under the hood, it’s got a botanical soul. The core ingredient, juniper berries, packs antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatory compounds. Historically, juniper was even used medicinally—for digestion, arthritis, and urinary tract health. Some modern studies hint at mild antimicrobial and diuretic effects from its oils, which may support kidney health and reduce bloating.

Add to that the other herbal guests—angelica root, coriander, citrus peel—and you’ve got a distilled garden party. Some boutique gins are almost tinctures in disguise. Just be sure to pick a clean gin with minimal additives, and use tonic water with low or no sugar (or better yet, soda water and a squeeze of lime). Bonus? Compared to beer or sugary cocktails, gin has a lower glycemic footprint—less likely to spike blood sugar or mess with your fast.”

And is you find yourself humming “Ain’t no cure for the summertime booze” there’s always fall-back to shopping to stock the gourmet food liquid cooking agents.  (I assume you toss in a shot of Cointreau for de-glaze your picatta pans?).  Gin…hmm… anyone got a curry vibe gin?

“Turmeric-infused gins and vodkas are popping up, especially in the artisan wellness market. Add a hit of black pepper and ginger, and you’re halfway to sipping something that mimics golden curry notes—without needing naan on the side.”  (Naan is an unleavened flatbread – you’re supposed to know these things…)

Yes, Powell’s comments matter and sure, no surprise that the Big O didn’t want Big D in the Oval.  But life is more about pleasure in the summer.  We’re doing what we can to keep it that way.

ShopTalk Sunday is here if you missed it.

Write when you get rich,

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