Here I figured Jpow & co. would ratchet it down 25 basis points with plenty of noise about how they might cut it further.... That explains why the indexes suddenly dipped yesterday.

Let it be a lesson, gentle reader: when it comes to economic predictions, Nostradamus I ain't. :-D

Almost done now...if the weather stays shitty for the rest of this week, which I'm guessing it will, then I'll finish this piece in a jiffy. (If it's nice outside & my body behaves itself, I'll work on the cane which is also almost done)

Last week I noticed the keyword was "Feather". Been into experimenting with nonstandard objects as art tools since early this year...I do happen to have a few feathers lying around. Inevitably I put two & two together & thought, why not?

Then, well...um....

...yeah.

Am pretty sure this wouldn't make it. It is objectively the shittiest painting I've done since I started using ink & brushes. That's a goose feather taped to the aesthetic atrocity.

Sorry, @Zilu7...I tried, dear. Not every experiment succeeds. I did learn a few things, though.

Edit: Looks like it made it in after all. Am scratching my head over this at the moment.

@TheMiamiDeSantos - since you're interested in the index:

as of just after 7:30 this morning

And for any fellow goldbugs in the audience:

The spot price was over $2,575/oz. as of about a half-hour ago. Source is investing.com (I have the app)

From the National Enquirer:

FLYING PLASTIC KAIJU

TERRORIZES SOUTHEASTERN US

Sam Harris has his drawbacks, but on this subject he got it right.

Say what you want about the attacks. You can claim it was all a false flag by a multi-level conspiracy involving the FBI/the CIA/State Dept./the Jews/the Bush II administration/Israel/lizard men/Martians/Jewish lizard men from Mars if you like. (I don't buy that) You can bring up US foreign policy & depending on what points you make, you might be right. I will readily admit that our government has not always treated other countries well...empire, &/or thwarting another imperial power as we did for decades, is always a dirty business. You could bring up other factors behind the attacks, too. And you may well be right on every reply you utter.

But none of the above changes the ultimate cause, the theological imperative that drove the 19 hijackers to do what they did. The rationale (if that is a suitable word) for it can be seen in their religion's founding scripture & the many commentaries on it, & on the founder's words & actions. The effects of that hostile memeplex can be found all over the Middle East, North Africa...& these days, throughout western Europe & sizable swathes of the United States.

I may do one or two pieces on this subject. Haven't decided yet...put it this way: if I do, they will draw on parts of a track record. For now I will only remember the dead, the planes hitting the towers & their subsequent collapse, the bombings in London & Paris...& October 7th, 2023.

Snapshot of a chat with one of my online buddies, from earlier this year:

His name & texts are left out for his privacy.

Yes, I really do work in this kind of environment. The patio is mostly made of old big-box store pine lumber that is slowly rotting, but it's the only workspace I have for wood projects. The railing is an advantage because it's just below shoulder height for me...most useful for building canes & other small objects that often require up-close vision & extensive use of hand tools.

If my cane projects don't interest you, fear not: more ink n' brush stuff will go up this Monday.

On a less serious note...

Right now I wish I had a boat... Even an aluminum 12-footer with an outboard motor would do.

A few more days of this nonsense & all the streets will be submerged.

If you live in the US & you have a weather app or watch any decent weather channel on YouRube, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Really want to get down to the property next week & do some work there.

Also, props to the fans who like my cane projects...all two of you! >|-D

This is why it ain't good whenever the entire market gets dominated by a handful of stocks--or a single stock, in this case. The Justice Dept. has initiated an antitrust investigation; as a result, NVDA lost over $250 million of market cap while the S&P & NASDAQ indexes plunged today. Bad juju.

Also an example of the old saying "never put all your eggs in one basket." There are no exceptions to the rule, ever.

It's even affected metal prices:

Gold went below $2,500/oz today. What a drop! It's still not bad given the last five years... If it drops to $2,400 or less, that may be time to buy.

Also - I need to buy some garlic...section & peel it, then toss the clove segments in the pickling jar.