The think tank Institute for Economics and Peace recently published the Global Peace Index 2017, which reveals the safest — as well as the most dangerous — countries in the world.

2017 Report: Safest countries in the world happen to be White + Japan
Sweden not on the list since mass immigrationhttps://t.co/6vFSKwqVDu

— Lana (@LanaLokteff) July 4, 2017

The report ranked 163 countries based on how peaceful they are. The rankings were determined by 23 factors, which included homicide rate, political terror, and deaths from internal conflict.

Overall, the report found that 93 countries have become more peaceful since last year, and that 68 countries have become less peaceful. Therefore, the world has become a marginally better place since 2016.

Of the 12 safest countries, eight are in Europe, with New Zealand (2nd), Canada (8th), Japan (11th), and Australia (12th) also making the list. The United Kingdom ranked 41st, while the United States ranked 114th, dropping 11 spots since last year.

Among the most dangerous countries were Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Here are the 12 safest countries in the world, along with their respective peace scores:

12. Australia – 1.425

11. Japan – 1.408

10. Ireland – 1.408

9. Switzerland – 1.373

8. Canada – 1.371

7. Slovenia – 1.364

6. Czech Republic – 1.360

5. Denmark – 1.337

4. Austria – 1.265

3. Portugal – 1.258

2. New Zealand – 1.241

1. Iceland – 1.11

The Project Gutenberg EBook of

The Little Gold Miners of the Sierras

and Other Stories, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: The Little Gold Miners of the Sierras and Other Stories Author: Various Release Date: May 5, 2007 [EBook #21340] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LITTLE GOLD MINERS OF *** Produced by Taavi Kalju, Janet Blenkinship and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

“COLOR! TWO COLORS! THREE, FOUR, FIVE—A DOZEN!”

THE LITTLE GOLD MINERS
OF THE SIERRAS

BY

JOAQUIN MILLER

AND OTHER STORIES

FULLY ILLUSTRATED

BOSTON
D. LOTHROP & COMPANY
FRANKLIN AND HAWLEY STREETS

Copyright, 1886,
by
D. Lothrop & Company.

CONTENTS.

[Pg 7]

THE LITTLE GOLD MINERS OF THE SIERRAS.

Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief. The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father’s favorite, and she was wild enough too. The youngest was Stumps. Poor, timid, starved Little Stumps! I never knew his real name. But he was the baby, and hardly yet out of petticoats. And he was very short in the legs, very short in the body, very short in the arms and neck; and so he was called Stumps because he looked it. In fact he seemed to[Pg 8] have stopped growing entirely. Oh, you don’t know how hard the old Plains were on everybody, when we crossed them in ox-wagons, and it took more than half a year to make the journey. The little children, those that did not die, turned brown like the Indians, in that long, dreadful journey of seven months, and stopped growing for a time.

For the first month or two after reaching the Sierras, old Mr. Keene limped about among the mines trying to learn the mystery of finding gold, and the art of digging. But at last, having grown strong enough, he went to work for wages, to get bread for his half-wild little ones, for they were destitute indeed.

Things seemed to move on well, then. Madge cooked the simple meals, and Little Stumps clung to her dress with his little pinched brown hand wherever she went, while Jim whooped it over the hills and chased jack-rabbits as if he were a greyhound. He would climb trees, too, like a squirrel. And, oh!—it was deplorable—but how he could swear!

At length some of the miners, seeing the boy must come to some bad end if not taken care of, put[Pg 9] their heads and their pockets together and sent the children to school. This school was a mile away over the beautiful brown hills, a long, pleasant walk under the green California oaks.

Well, Jim would take the little tin dinner bucket, and his slate, and all their books under his arm and go booming ahead about half a mile in advance, while Madge with brown Little Stumps clinging to her side like a burr, would come stepping along the trail under the oak-trees as fast as she could after him.

But if a jack-rabbit, or a deer, or a fox crossed Jim’s path, no matter how late it was, or how the teacher had threatened him, he would drop books, lunch, slate and all, and spitting on his hands and rolling up his sleeves, would bound away after it, yelling like a wild Indian. And some days, so fascinating was the chase, Jim did not appear at the schoolhouse at all; and of course Madge and Stumps played truant too. Sometimes a week together would pass and the Keene children would not be seen at the schoolhouse. Visits from the schoolmaster produced no lasting effect. The children would come for a day or two, then be seen no more. The school[Pg 10]master and their father at last had a serious talk about the matter.

“What can I do with him?” said Mr. Keene.

“You’ll have to put him to work,” said the schoolmaster. “Set him to hunting nuggets instead of bird’s-nests. I guess what the boy wants is some honest means of using his strength. He’s a good boy, Mr. Keene; don’t despair of him. Jim would be proud to be an ‘honest miner.’ Jim’s a good boy, Mr. Keene.”

“Well, then, thank you, Schoolmaster,” said Mr. Keene. “Jim’s a good boy; and Madge is good, Mr. Schoolmaster; and poor starved and stunted motherless Little Stumps, he is good as gold, Mr. Schoolmaster. And I want to be a mother to ’em—I want to be father and mother to ’em all, Mr. Schoolmaster. And I’ll follow your advice. I’ll put ’em all to work a-huntin’ for gold.”

The next day away up on the hillside under a pleasant oak, where the air was sweet and cool, and the ground soft and dotted over with flowers, the tender-hearted old man that wanted to be “father and mother both,” “located” a claim. The flowers[Pg 11] were kept fresh by a little stream of waste water from the ditch that girded the brow of the hill above. Here he set a sluice-box and put his three little miners at work with pick, pan and shovel. There he left them and limped back to his own place in the mine below.

And how they did work! And how pleasant it was here under the broad boughs of the oak, with the water rippling through the sluice on the soft, loose soil which they shoveled into the long sluice-box. They could see the mule-trains going and coming, and the clouds of dust far below which told them the stage was whirling up the valley. But Jim kept steadily on at his work day after day. Even though jack-rabbits and squirrels appeared on the very scene, he would not leave till, like the rest of the honest miners, he could shoulder his pick and pan and go down home with the setting sun.

Sometimes the men who had tried to keep the children at school, would come that way, and with a shy smile, talk very wisely about whether or not the new miners would “strike it” under the cool oak among the flowers on the hill. But Jim never[Pg 12] stopped to talk much. He dug and wrestled away, day after day, now up to his waist in the pit.

One Saturday evening the old man limped up the hillside to help the young miners “clean up.”

He sat down at the head of the sluice-box and gave directions how they should turn off the most of the water, wash down the “toilings” very low, lift up the “riffle,” brush down the “apron,” and finally set the pan in the lower end of the “sluice-toil” and pour in the quicksilver to gather up and hold the gold.

“What for you put your hand in de water for, papa?” queried Little Stumps, who had left off his work, which consisted mainly of pulling flowers and putting them in the sluice-box to see them float away. He was sitting by his father’s side, and he looked up in his face as he spoke.

“Hush, child,” said the old man softly, as he again dipped his thumb and finger in his vest pocket as if about to take snuff. But he did not take snuff. Again his hand was reached down to the rippling water at the head of the sluice-box. And this time curious but obedient Little Stumps was silent.

Suddenly there was a shout, such a shout from Jim[Pg 13] as the hills had not heard since he was a schoolboy.

He had found the “color.” “Two colors! three, four, five—a dozen!” The boy shouted like a Modoc, threw down the brush and scraper, and kissed his little sister over and over, and cried as he did so; then he whispered softly to her as he again took up his brush and scraper, that it was “for papa; all for poor papa; that he did not care for himself, but he did want to help poor, tired, and crippled papa.” But papa did not seem to be excited so very much.

The little miners were now continually wild with excitement. They were up and at work Monday morning at dawn. The men who were in the father’s tender secret, congratulated the children heartily and made them presents of several small nuggets to add to their little horde.

In this way they kept steadily at work for half the summer. All the gold was given to papa to keep. Papa weighed it each week, and I suppose secretly congratulated himself that he was getting back about as much as he put in.

Before quite the end of the third month, Jim struck a thin bed of blue gravel. The miners who[Pg 14] had been happily chuckling and laughing among themselves to think how they had managed to keep Jim out of mischief, began to look at each other and wonder how in the world blue gravel ever got up there on the hill. And in a few days more there was a well-defined bed of blue gravel, too; and not one of the miners could make it out.

One Saturday evening shortly after, as the old man weighed their gold he caught his breath, started, and stood up straight; straighter than he had stood since he crossed the Plains. Then he hastily left the cabin. He went up the hill to the children’s claim almost without limping. Then he took a pencil and an old piece of a letter, and wrote out a notice and tacked it up on the big oak-tree, claiming those mining claims according to miners’ law, for the three children. A couple of miners laughed as they went by in the twilight, to see what he was doing; and he laughed with them. But as he limped on down the hill he smiled.

That night as they sat at supper, he told the children that as they had been such faithful and industrious miners, he was going to give them each a[Pg 15] present, besides a little gold to spend as they pleased.

So he went up to the store and bought Jim a red shirt, long black and bright gum boots, a broad-brimmed hat, and a belt. He also bought each of the other children some pretty trappings, and gave each a dollar’s worth of gold dust. Madge and Stumps handed their gold back to “poor papa.” But Jim was crazy with excitement. He put on his new clothes and went forth to spend his dollar. And what do you suppose he bought? I hesitate to tell you. But what he bought was a pipe and a paper of tobacco!

That red shirt, that belt and broad-brimmed hat, together with the shiny top boots, had been too much for Jim’s balance. How could a man—he spoke of himself as a man now—how could a man be an “honest miner” and not smoke a pipe?

And now with his manly clothes and his manly pipe he was to be so happy! He had all that went to make up “the honest miner.” True, he did not let his father know about the pipe. He hid it under his pillow at night. He meant to have his first smoke at the sluice-box, as a miner should.

Monday morning he was up with the sun and[Pg 16] ready for his work. His father, who worked down the Gulch, had already gone before the children had finished their breakfast. So now Jim filled his brand-new pipe very leisurely; and with as much calm unconcern as if he had been smoking for forty years, he stopped to scratch a match on the door as he went out.

From under his broad hat he saw his little sister watching him, and he fairly swelled with importance as Stumps looked up at him with childish wonder. Leaving Madge to wash the few tin dishes and follow as she could with Little Stumps, he started on up the hill, pipe in mouth.

He met several miners, but he puffed away like a tug-boat against the tide, and went on. His bright new boots whetted and creaked together, the warm wind lifted the broad brim of his sombrero, and his bright new red shirt was really beautiful, with the green grass and oaks for a background—and so this brave young man climbed the hill to his mine. Ah, he was so happy! [Pg 17]

HE TOOK THE LIMP YOUNG MINER IN HIS ARMS.

Suddenly, as he approached the claim, his knees began to smite together, and he felt so weak he could[Pg 18] hardly drag one foot after the other. He threw down his pick; he began to tremble and spin around. The world seemed to be turning over and over, and he trying in vain to hold on to it. He jerked the pipe from his teeth, and throwing it down on the bank, he tumbled down too, and clutching at the grass with both hands tried hard, oh! so hard, to hold the world from slipping from under him.

“O, Jim, you are white as snow,” cried Madge as she came up.

“White as ‘er sunshine, an’ blue, an’ green too, sisser. Look at brurrer ‘all colors,'” piped Little Stumps pitifully.[Pg 19]

“O, Jim, Jim—brother Jim, what is the matter?” sobbed Madge.

“Sunstroke,” murmured the young man, smiling grimly, like a true Californian. “No; it is not sunstroke, it’s—it’s cholera,” he added in dismay over his falsehood.

Poor boy! he was sorry for this second lie too. He fairly groaned in agony of body and soul.

Oh, how he did hate that pipe! How he did want to get up and jump on it and smash it into a thousand[Pg 20] pieces! But he could not get up or turn around or move at all without betraying his unmanly secret.

A couple of miners came up, but Jim feebly begged them to go.

“Sunstroke,” whispered the sister.

“No; tolera,” piped poor Little Stumps.

“Get out! Leave me!” groaned the young red-shirted miner of the Sierras.

The biggest of the two miners bent over him a moment.

“Yas; it’s both,” he muttered. “Cholera-nicotine-fantum!” Then he looked at his partner and winked wickedly. Without a word, he took the limp young miner up in his arms and bore him down the hill to his father’s cabin, while Stumps and Madge ran along at either side, and tenderly and all the time kept asking what was good for “cholera.”

The other old “honest miner” lingered behind to pick up the baleful pipe which he knew was somewhere there; and when the little party was far enough down the hill, he took it up and buried it in his own capacious pocket with a half-sorrowful laugh. “Poor little miner,” he sighed.[Pg 21]

“Don’t ever swear any more, Windy,” pleaded the boy to the miner who had carried him down the hill, as he leaned over him, “and don’t never lie. I am going to die, Windy, and I should like to be good. Windy, it ain’t sunstroke, it’s”—

“Hush yer mouth,” growled Windy. “I know what ’tis! We’ve left it on the hill.”

The boy turned his face to the wall. The conviction was strong upon him that he was going to die. The world spun round now very, very fast indeed. Finally, half-rising in bed, he called Little Stumps to his side:

“Stumps, dear, good Little Stumps, if I die don’t you never, never try for to smoke; for that’s what’s the matter with me. No, Stumps—dear little brother Stumps—don’t you never try for to go the whole of the ‘honest miner,’ for it can’t be did by a boy! We’re nothing but boys, you and I, Stumps—Little Stumps.”

He sank back in bed and Little Stumps and his sister cried and cried, and kissed him and kissed him.

The miners who had gathered around loved him[Pg 22] now, every one, for daring to tell the truth and take the shame of his folly so bravely.

“I’m going to die, Windy,” groaned the boy.

Windy could stand no more of it. He took Jim’s hand with a cheery laugh. “Git well in half an hour,” said he, “now that you’ve out with the truth.”

And so he did. By the time his father came home he was sitting up; and he ate breakfast the next morning as if nothing had happened. But he never tried to smoke any more as long as he lived. And he never lied, and he never swore any more.

Oh, no! this Jim that I have been telling you of is “Moral Jim,” of the Sierras. The mine? Oh! I almost forgot. Well, that blue dirt was the old bed of the stream, and it was ten times richer than where the miners were all at work below. Struck it! I should say so! Ask any of the old Sierras miners about “The Children’s Claim,” if you want to hear just how rich they struck it.[

monica lewinski turns 44 this month!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XylQ92P11Lk

Booz, Tobacco, Nicotene and now Coffee. Everything will kill us, every damn thing.

Does anyone really want to live to be 100 and in diapers?

All I ask is that it happens quick regardless of age. 🙂

Heavy drinkers and smokers drink a lot of coffee and so do people who sit around all day. So what killed them their lifestyle or coffee? My Grandfather drank gallons of coffee and he was healthy right up to the day he died at 99. Mind you he worked hard all his life and was trim, Cheers.

I’m glad you found love again even though you will never stop loving her as it should be or say normal for a abnormal tragic situation.god did not mean for man to be alone. He left out women I think because it’s harder to let go I think.
Heres some important information on dementia, although there is different forms the only trial that ACTUALLY reversed it.

A lot of reading but here’s the start
The results for nine of the 10 patients reported in the paper suggest that memory loss may be reversed, and improvement sustained with this therapeutic program, said Bredesen. “This is the first successful demonstration,” he noted, but he cautioned that the results are anecdotal, and therefore a more extensive, controlled clinical trial is needed.
The downside to this program is its complexity. It is not easy to follow, with the burden falling on the patients and caregivers, and none of the patients were able to stick to the entire protocol. The significant diet and lifestyle changes, and multiple pills required each day, were the two most common complaints. The good news, though, said Bredesen, are the side effects: “It is noteworthy that the major side effect of this therapeutic system is improved health and an optimal body mass index, a stark contrast to the side effects of many drugs.”
Buck institute
http://www.buckinstitute.org/buck-news/Memory-loss-associated-with-Alzheimers-reversed

Anyone trading off anything ZeroHedge posts probably is going to have a problem. Bearish since the 09′ bottom and posting only negative articles will give you a certain clientele (idiots like me), but trading off their headlines will make you broke.

“FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY”

whatever claimed benefits…whatever paid for “scientific studies” they proffer…the benefits of coffee can be gained by much better means minus the detrimental effects of coffee–but that would require EFFORT on your part and a CHANGE of diet and lifestyle….there are many approaches–Public TV Dr. Furman has an excellent program–using Gary Nulls protocols–doing [like me] the macrobiotic diet–Dr Dean ornishes plan–go to the Hippocrates clinic in Cally-Fornia just to name a few—if u want to continue swilling coffee all day, go ahead.

Research Showing Harmful Effects of Caffeine

1. More than 4 cups of coffee linked to early death. A Mayo Clinic partnered study found that men who drank more than four 8 fl.oz. cups of coffee had a 21% increase in all-cause mortality. However, those that reported that they consumed excessive amounts of caffeine were also likely to smoke and have poor fitness. Dr. Nancy Snyderman from NBC said there were a few discrepancies with the study, but stresses that moderation is still key. See Her Interview Here.
2. Caffeine consumption may raise blood pressure. Especially in those already suffering from hypertension and those who don’t normally consume caffeine. People with hypertension were given 250 mg of caffeine (about 2 coffees) and the data revealed that their blood pressure was elevated for about 2-3 hours after the caffeine. Src. A second study performed by The Mayo Clinicfound similar results from a 160 mg dose. All participants experienced a marked rise in blood pressure and it was the most pronounced in those that didn’t normally consume caffeine. Src.
3. Increased risk of heart attacks among young adults. A study conducted by Dr. Lucio Mos found that young adults who were diagnosed with mild hypertension had 4 times the risk of having a heart attack if they consumed the amount of caffeine equivalent to 4 cups of coffee.  More moderate consumption showed 3 times the risk. Src.
4. Caffeine linked to gout attacks. This study showed that people who binge on caffeinated beverages increase their risk for a gout flare-up. Src.
5. Breast Tissue Cysts In Women. One study showed that “Women who consumed 31–250 mg of caffeine/day had a 1.5-fold increase in the odds of developing fibrocystic breast diseaseand women who drank over 500 mg/day had a 2.3-fold increase in the odds of developing cysts. Src.
6. Caffeine could cause incontinence. A study out of the University of Alabama showed that women who consume a lot of caffeine are 70% more likely to develop incontinence. Src.
7. Caffeine may cause insomnia. Caffeine in a person’s system at bedtime can mimic the symptoms of insomnia. Src.
8. Caffeine can cause indigestion. People who consume caffeinated beverages often report an upset stomach or indigestion. This mainly occurs when the beverages are consumed on an empty stomach. Src.
9. Caffeine can cause headaches. While occasional doses of caffeine can relieve headache symptoms, the overuse of caffeine can cause headaches and lead to migraines. Src.
10. Caffeine could reduce fertility in women. A study from The University of Nevada School of Medicine showed that caffeine can reduce a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant by about 27%. Src.
11. Caffeine and Miscarriage Risk: In a recent study, both men and women who consumed at least two caffeinated beverages a day during the weeks prior to conception slightly increased the risks of a miscarriage. Src.
12. Caffeine may not be healthy for type 2 diabetics. A study conducted by the American Diabetes Association showed that caffeine impaired glucose metabolism in those with type 2 diabetes. Src.
13. Caffeine Overdose. While overdose is rare, it can lead to many adverse symptoms including death, especially in those with underlying medical conditions. Some have a lower tolerance for caffeine than others. Src.
14. Caffeine Allergies. Some people have over-sensitivity to the caffeine molecule, which causes allergic-like reactions in the body such as hives and pain. Although not a true allergy, many report very negative symptoms after consuming even the smallest amounts. Src.
15. Caffeine causes more forceful heart contractions. A recent study showed that immediately after energy drink consumption the heart produced more forceful contractions. It is unclear if this has any long-term health implications except for those with known health conditions. Src.
16. Worse Menopause Symptoms. A recent study published in The Journal of The North American Menopause Society showed that menopausal women who consumed caffeine had a greater degree of vasomotor symptoms. Src.
17. Caffeine consumption can lead to increased anxiety, depression and the need for anxiety medication. Src and Src. See also our article as to why caffeine causes anxiety and panic attacks.
18. Caffeine increases the amount of sugary beverages consumed by people, which contributes to obesity and diabetes. Src.
19. Caffeine inhibits collagen production in the skin. This effect is dose dependent, but really heavy caffeine consumers should be aware. The Study.
20. Caffeine interferes with ossification and could also lead to greater risk of bone fractures. This is dose dependent, but heavy caffeine consumers should take note. Study 1 (pdf) Study 2.
21. Caffeine Does Not Help With Prolonged Sleep Deprivation:This can lead to a false sense of security for those that have been sleep deprived for multiple days in a row and choose to get behind the wheel or do some other focus required task, thinking that as long as they have caffeine, they’ll be able to perform. Researchers from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine came to this conclusion after studying caffeine’s effects on their sleep deprived test subjects. Here’s the study in detail.
22. Caffeine May Impair Hearing Loss Recovery: For guinea pigs exposed to excessive levels of noise, caffeine was shown to delay the rate at which the guinea pigs recovered from noise-induced hearing loss. Here are the results of a recent study that investigated the problem. A correlation to humans is believed to exist but more research will be needed.

I wouldent describe businesses in “Mexico China or India as BAD Businesses”  because they cant pay for healthCare what I suggest is that we LEVEL the playing field .If you want to sell here and your costs are much lower for whatever reason,thats your business . I would purpose That an Import TAX be levied and that TAX be given to the same businesses that face the competition from the cheaper  imports to defray the costs of HealthCare in our  own country .But thats not what happens when Government gets involved. The Government keeps  the TAX and let our companies work at the disadvantage and then BLAME the Foreign country as unfair trade.!   The problem is here and with our own politicians keeping the money and redistributing it to buy votes instead of reducing the unfair HealthCare tax burdon on our companies.

Stop BIG company’s like  paid for HealthCare ,The BIG Corps get in cahoots with Government because that keeps small business from competing with them because they know it will bankrupt them, while big business are granted monopoly’s in effect with LAWS to protect them.

A better way to deal with this is to allow open enrollment to individuals to join any big business health plans they want with Government giving Individuals a free Health Care Credit Voucher .That can be used at any Corporation. Then the Corporations can use the additi0nal money to better Bargain with for lower prices .Then you get to keep a Free Market system and competition for the Voucher money. The import tax can also be used to compensate for the VOUCHER  costs.

Then stop all reporting of Pre existing Conditions ,thats a scam for insurance companies to charge higher Rates..Everybody has a pre existing condition if you ever went to a DR. They profile you as a Pre existing RISK. as a DIVIDE and conquer scam..Stop that nonsence ! Your Voucher should make NO mention of any such stuff.

Let me tell you a little story about Underbidding …I was a Franchisee in a Coffee & Donut business and also a BUYER of COFFEE on a Buying committee .One day we got a bid for Roasting coffee (contract manufacturing) for all Franchise & Company stores from Virginia to Louisianna .It was for millions of LBS of coffee per Month ,at out our meeting we awarded the contract to xyz corp in NJ for Roasting .They in turn normally would have signed Futures contracts for Future delivery to cover and Lock in the price and their Profit ..(Guaranteed Profit)However they the Roaster thought they knew more than the Buyers (Me and the Commette) and decided to wait because they thought the price would go lower and they could keep the difference .We were committed at the agreed upon price to buy.They were committed to sell at the agreed upon price ,so in effect they sold  “short” .Well they were wrong and the price went up and not down and now they were in the position to deliver at a price below what they pre sold to us at.So what did they do ..They bought a cheaper grade of Coffee from mexico ,roasted and delivered it to thousands of our stores ..Then the shit hit the FAN ..everybody including our retail customers knew something was wrong…”This is not our COFFEE” ,,so I sent samples to the TESTING LAB and they concurred it was not the agreed upon coffee contracted on. So we threaten ed the ROASTER “You will take back every lb of coffee in the stores and buy at whatever price it takes to deliver per contract specs. and compensate us for business losses we took from the sales of under speck coffee. ,or you will be BARRED forever from doing business with us again . We were among the biggest buyers in the Country !They did buy it all back and had to buy in the Market place enough to cover the contract at a loss to them of Millions of Dollars.  So thats what can happen when you under price your bid or substitute a lower grade that what was agreed upon.   The Market place has a way of dealing with  crooks ,business people are not Stupid..You will pay a Price./.We wanted them to make a profit and built it into the agreed upon price .But they got Greedy ..and took a Bath..

That was eleven years ago . For a year , I slept very little .

Then , a year and a half later I met a sweet and lovely Colombian lady and eventually married her . My Life became a Phoenix , rising again from the ashes of despair . Now I am faced with helping her cope with early onset dementia .

My prayers go up for your in-law relative . She sounds like a plucky and strong woman . That will help her to overcome her health challenges .

Stocks Slammed As Trump Jr. Email ‘Confirms’ Russian Government Involvement

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-11/stocks-slammed-trump-jr-email-confirms-russian-government-involvement

the worst hour of the day…

Goose the stock market, bleed pm’s and shares…

IT JUST NEVER ENDS

Same thing in Manufacturing, Gresham’s law is a common sense principle stating that “bad businesses drives out the good ones”.  The bad ones are in China, Mexico Japan etc. Those businesses do NOT have to supply healthcare insurance. (its just another tax on US businesses)

Actually its

In economics, Gresham’s law is a monetary principle stating that “bad money drives out good”. For example, if there are two forms of commodity money in circulation, which are accepted by law as having similar face value, the more valuable commodity will disappear from circulation.

Nobody can tell me about businesses that should not be in business. I have a REAL good story about BEFOR 1975, the last job I  had when I punched a clock. His name was Herb Fisher, president of Logitech, Farmingdale L.I. This is a real good story, about SCUMBGS that don’t belong in business, and there are thousands of them out there. I’ll post when I get a chance.

I think you misunderstood me totally. I did not say a business owner should be told by others to shut down ..I said they should do everybody a favor and do it on their own. First of all I had my own business since 1975. We had one guy called Lindy Sheet metal fabricators. Purchasing agents always send out for three quotes. Lindy or George, would CONSTANTLY undercut everyones, and get the work.

After that he would not pay his vendors, or loans on his computerized equipment. He bankrupted at least three times that I know of going back to 1975. A few years ago he opened back up again, and already  I heard they repossessed  the $750k laser cutter. 🙂 Everybody in the sheet metal business knows about George. He’s a likable guy but he can’t make accurate quotes or doesn’t care.

One guy was telling me for a joke he quoted a job at just the material costs and did not get the job

but this little move higher is underwhelming as usual, especially considering the move lower in the USD.

As is always the case, elevator down, stairs up.

I dunno.   All I know is that “Drinking Coffee could lead to a longer life” … or, If you are a goldbug, longer suffering?  🙁

I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell Farmboy that he’s ‘cut off’, though!

I am mostly in agreement with you ..butttt the statement that struggling business should close down to make way for more profitable businesses is outrageous.Sometimes because of Government or illegal actions you are put in a situation where you become marginal ,and while you look for solutions its NOT someones decision to tell you you should shut down ..if that were the case NO business would survive .The Health care Mandates  are an outrageous demand on a small companies resources .Being in a competitive business it not for someone else to tell you what you should do with your investment and hard earned money to just give up .That is just about the worst statement concerning business I’ve ever heard  .Even large companies have events and situations change because of things beyond their control .Many recover because they rethink the situation and reinvest merge  or do whatever to survive.If the Government wants universal coverage they should do it ! with universal taxes or simply print the money and let inflation be the cost to everybody .It simply dosent work for them to Mandate what small business should do.

Obviously you have not been in business ,you have NO idea what its like to compete with your own government working against you .You are being very Cavalier with other peoples lives ,money and hardships .All I can say is go start your own business and see.

Go tell China or India to shut down until they provide Universal HealthCare ..see what they say ! WE had Universal HealthCare until the Government Mandated HOW to do it. What we have is MIddle men in the HealthCare business like (Blue Cross ) syphoning off 30 cents  of every dollar spent  while providing no Medical Services at all.

It should be a requirement that every politician be Mandated to have the same plan and pay out of their own POCKET not from TAXPAYERS to get a reality check.

Employer paid plans need to STOP ,its anti US business it gives foreigners a big competive ADVANTAGE ! and lets GOVERENMENT off the HOOK  for responsibilities .

Government is the PROBLEM>

with no rancor-I speak Spanish and, generally,  like the Latino people.

Please don’t beat me no mo

Heard this morning on Bloomberg she is going in front of congress to address (not wages or employment) but the overboard asset prices. Stocks Bonds and Real estate.

The recent Market Update I posted claimed a stock market decline would start this summer, possibly soon after July 4th weekend was the call. We shale see. Some people say we’re in a similar situation as 2 years before the March ’00 dot com bust.

Good luck, hopefully it pulls through for you.

At least silver isn’t getting crushed again today.