Messing up the economy Donald style...

Was it that long ago back in June 1983 I took my Economics examination in three papers and from a week or two later had no lessons to attend until school was out for good?

We were in throws of major changes as banks and building societies started to do what had been each others bespoke activities, public sector businesses were being prepared for privatization and if they were not profitable, being shut down.

Globalization and trade liberalization were the new order of the day even on the financial markets because it was believed by all but the hard political left competition on a global scale lead to greater efficiency, lower prices and greater prosperity than shoring up anything any once country did where there was no competitive advantage in the same.

Now on Wednesday President Trump, leader of the country that really pushed that philosophy, signalled he was having none of it sticking protective tariffs from 10% to 34% beyond individual whole world tariffs on sectors such as Steel or Automobiles of some 25%

It is on the face of it fragrant violation of the rules of trade the WTO (World Trade Organization) expect of members that include the United States and is likely beyond legal action likely to result in retaliatory measures and a full blown trade war.

How ____ irresponsible in a time of global recession can you get when we need to grow the global economic cake, finding work for those without and getting major infrastructure works done to aid it in individual countries. 

And actually protectionism doesn't work. You just  waste your GDP sustaining inefficiencies.

Inappropriate Representives

 Well I will be off for the weekend so before I do we'd better get this post done I think.

Something that has concerned me for a good while in modern politics is the manner representatives communicate information to others

Instances that stick out in my mind were the Tameside Labour Whats App group that verbally insulted members of the public who complained about various policies that also included a Member of Parliament where no member ever questioned what was being said within that group.

It was as of they'd forgotten the responsibility that comes with political office and were just like students taking the mickey out of those they represent and ignorant that they had in effect published remarks which carry the same constraints in law as in publication such as a election leaflet.

Of course this week the totally bizarre world of Donald Trump's administration has been in the news again for using Signal, an app to discuss military action around the Somali coast as shipping makes its way towards the Suez Canal.

While the plans were not technically restricted in most circumstances given it was a live operation it would of been "Classified".

Apart from the odd idea to add a reporter to this group, one member was working in Moscow on talks  so would having this on end of his smartphone be great?

Even more troubling was the casual banality of the discussion that didn't show any awareness that you were committing U.S. forces lives  to actions that could result in loss of life, much of the comments being more suited to the chat room of a gaggle of kids playing war games.

Thirdly, government decisions are Confidential: I had to go on data handling courses to make sure I know the levels of confidentiality, how to carry documents, procedures if anything were lost and yes keeping your mouth shut yet they're just yapping away.

The numbers of times I see ministers here breaching the very guidance we were given and faced a "dressing down" for if we made a mistake is shocking.

Given the administrations reaction to this with flat out lies, you might wonder if that sign has any truth in it

Of retaping and a replacement

Following a little on from last week's post spring cleaning an area I have been dealing with is redoing a few older tapes as some of those older tapes had wear and other issues including being missing.

Simultaneous to that I had been sorting out the cd shelves moving some discs down here as I'm spending more time downstairs and in the instance of my REO Speedwagon cds there always was one whose sound I'd been never really impressed by.

Something went wrong with the mixing with this album as has flabby ill defined bass and muted top in places and the UK version of lp wasn't much good so was replaced by Dutch copy that used the American parts to make  the pressings that was much better.

By 1989 compact discs were very much a thing and I was buying cd copies of albums starting with those I originally bought on cassette and so when came to getting a couple of titles I had on record I had to wait to the summer before U.S. versions came out.

When it came to the puntastic You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish, the only copy I saw was the european copy that came out in the mid 80's.

That sounded nearly as bad as the first lp I had. Maybe it used the same source?

What until recently I didn't realize was there was a U.S. version  in that series I did get and I managed to track one down and it does sound much better.

Going for a moment back to cassettes the first cassettes I made of the lp only material were done of genuine BASF Chrome Super and later redone in late 1987 to Maxell XLII but those left the house in the late 1990's as they were superseded as I thought by MiniDiscs.

The tapes have been redone on Maxell XLII-S and UDII type two tapes minus noise reduction, the way back in the early 1980's I did them sounding really good.

The past never goes away, it just returns.

Spring clean

Well it was my birthday last week and actually I have found a few of my MIA kitty plushies from that rather intense, full on period in early 2023 and actually I've been pretty much busy with some spring cleaning here from packaging that was tossed and lost to items that simply re no longer wanted but taking up much needed space.

Then there's the seemed like a good idea 4 cd 8 album box set by sax player John Coltrane that just didn't sound so good so for my birthday that was replaced and some of the missing albums from that initial set added.

The five disc Rock and Roll cd set I bought in 1992 with vintage Wurlitzer Jukebox illustrations came to light so I replaced the cases for something slimmer and moved them downstairs so I can play them here where they would be appreciated rather more.

They just ended up partly covered by a wooden rack over the decades.

And actually it feels good to have gotten all this done!
 

New month and remaking something from the past

 It is a New month this entry and I might just say a new season too as I saw a robin on Wednesday afternoon putting in an appearance.

Things shooting up after the cold months always warms my insides up even in these rather worrying times.

 

One thing I did do this week was remake this pre-recorded tape that had got very stiff over the years so the first step was to find a great blank tape of the right length to use so opted for a early 90's still wrapped Maxell UD1-cd.

The tape basically is the same as the SX1 but in a see through shell but is a super ferric that will take high signal levels and is quite quiet when it comes to noise.

Actually it was one of the best tapes of the era IF you had a recorder that could fully exploit its potential which is where using the Aiwa three headed deck with fully adjustable sensitivity and bias settings acquired last year came into play.

Making sure the high notes were clear even with Dolby B type noise reduction in was easier to achieve as you could hear it in real time and setting the record level to peak at +6 kept noise right down and was close to the originals.

I did add the song Monochrome which was the b side of the single Big Apple on side one to even out the sides.

It turned out extremely well.

End of Winter edition

Well last day of Winter by some definitions and the build up towards the around the sun event in just over a weeks time and yesterday we had bumble bee being struck by heavy rain in midflight as he was buzzing between the hedge that separates our house from our neighbours for a good half hour at least before hand.

The daffodils are out here too, heralding the spring that is to come as are the snowdrops where actually we do have a famous Snowdrop Walk.

 

 We do have some unfinished business on this blog following being away until very late last week that I intend to catch up with but with sustaining a fall, I do have to be mindful of overdoing things and causing additional complications.

We're back!

 

 We're back even if the lower arm to just above the fingers is very bruised following the magic carpet incident at LG Camp when I went flying and few others fell down stairs which in view of the fact my BFF fell getting off a train, hurting her knee and taking a pair of tights to boot perhaps is suggesting we're great at falling and that being a bit wobbly on our feet.

I've always been a bit wobbly under paw from childhood to be honest with you.

But beyond that it was a great time that wasn't a sit indoors winter get together but something more active and outward directed as much as I'm reading my comics while I recover from the accident.

I had a Now Yearbook for 1998 waiting for me, a preorder to pay for and a record needing a good cleaning but holding promise beyond a few letters and that.