Category: Review

September 9, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:10

September 9, 2022 / bhayes952

This is the last chapter in part one of Atlas Shrugged. It is not quite numerically a third of the way through, but practically it is. Let us just say that the world is quickly losing it’s mind. By the end of the chapter, we see the beginning of the end.

As the story line goes, Dabny continues her search for the engineering brains behind the ‘perpetual motion machine’ or the motor that converts static electricity from the air into mechanical energy. Of course, the search is very difficult because the Twentieth Century Motor Company closed over ten years prior and anyone that is affiliated doesn’t want to talk about it.

Most of the chapter wanders around interviewing different characters who lament how their desire to make the world better ended in hard feelings and failed financial enterprises. We had the banker who loaned money without any credit check or collateral and lost everything. We had the owners who levelled the entire organization payroll structure to have the entire company vote on need based results and punitive for those who got less votes. The people involved with the enterprise for pure reasons like science left out of disgust. The people involved with the enterprise for social engineering failed miserably.

I guess where I want to go with this today is philosophy of the premise. What I mean is that making the world a better place is a laudable goal. But, logic must be applied to the methods. Ideologues that act without a solid premise are destined for failure and ridicule regardless of how equitable the changes might be.

Speaking of Ideologues, I would also say that perception of the surrounding world is skewed. If I believe that every person should be paid equally (or the same amount), then I am going to perceive anyone that runs a company against my beliefs as deficient. That may project as greedy or selfish or a workaholic or any number of adjectives negatively describing someone with opposing views as mine.

Additionally, in today’s fascist world I am going to use the means of the state to try and force my beliefs as policy or law. This leads us to a new dirty word, fair. If you are anything like me then then the connotation of the word fair is positive. As I do, I want to look deeper into the word.

I have thought about this quite a bit. Is fair a reality? What is fair and what does it really mean? On thinking deeper, something can only be fair when all parties agree. Just like in the book, losing your business to bad business practices is not un-fair it is your perception of the circumstances. I don’t think all would agree that it was un-fair, I sure don’t.

Other industrialist are doing a lot of whining about the fairness of Hank Reardon’s success and productivity. Subsequently, under the orders of Bureau of Economic Planning and National Resources railroads speeds are capped at sixty miles and hour and the maximum train length is limited to sixty cars and trains are required to operation the same number of trains in one state as adjacent states. In addition, no one metal company can produce quantities exceeding another. And finally, there is a 5% Value Added Tax to Colorado. This is all in attempt to have a fair marketplace.

End Your Programming Routine: The name of this chapter is Wyatt’s Torch. The reason being is that Ellis Wyatt, the oil baron and the reason the John Galt Line was built just gave an ‘F’-You to all the people demanding fairness. He set his facility on fire and gave up on drilling oil. Like the engineers, at some point you can’t fight these kind of battles head on. You have to regroup and take the fight in a different direction or front.

September 2, 2022 Atlas Shrugged 1:9

September 2, 2022 / bhayes952

I don’t want to come off sexist, but I will say it anyway. There are some elements of this book that read like a romance novel. It could be that this becomes important later, but it does seem a little dramatic and over the top. This chapter gets into that aspect quite deeply. That is all I am going to say about that.

It is human nature to feel vindicated having success when there were so many doubters. Dabny and Henry are riding high and begin having an affair and end up going go on vacation to Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Jim is low and I don’t think that he really knows why. I think that it is because situations are not really going his way and he knows that he is wrong. These are not really what I want to go into this week.

The real money in this chapter is a conversation between Mr. Mowen on Amalgamated Switch and Signal Company and an unnamed worker. Mr Mowen observed Quinn Ball Bearing Co. moving to Colorado from his office. There is some discussion of the Equalization of Opportunity bill and how they don’t agree with it and then there is this quote.

“I don’t see it. It is a backward, primitive, unenlightened place. They don’t even have a modern government. It’s the worst government in any state. The laziest. It does nothing – except keeping law courts and a police department. It doesn’t do anything for the people. It doesn’t help anybody. I don’t see why all of the best companies want to run there.” – Unnamed worker.

And there is your economics lesson for all time. Money goes where it is treated well. And where the money goes, so do the jobs and consequently so does the wealth. Have you ever observed an un-incorporated area growing rapidly? Who moves there and why is this happening? It is the upwardly mobile moving to a lower cost area. Housing costs and taxes drive the migration.

By the same token, so does industry. I did a job in China back in 2009. This was making epoxy resins for carbon fiber layups (primarily building aerospace parts). The plant operators were Chemical Engineers with Master’s degrees and English almost as good as mine. The company was paying them about $20,000/year. Part of the reason this was being done in China is because the US equivalent would be paying operators $50,000/yr plus benefits, so say $75,000.

Of course not everything is perfect. For instance, a local pipe fitter was hired for the installation. When they finished, all of the piping sloped backward. This caused problems with the line contamination and dosing. So, the pipefitters had to redo the entire installation. That being said, it still cost less than doing it right in the first place.

Businesses are not stupid. If an advantage can be obtained by shifting operations for a better long term outlook then they will do so. It is the same reason the “Anti-Inflation Act of 2022” is going to fail. The government is pretending that putting price controls on pharmaceuticals is somehow going to reduce inflation. How will these companies respond? Move operations to a cheaper location i.e. China, distribute costs to non-listed products or cease production all together. I ask you, is this win-win or even lose-win?

In a free market, if consumers can’t afford an item, then it doesn’t get purchased. When something doesn’t get purchased, it eventually doesn’t get made. If I was pricing something, I would try to keep it at a razors edge of profit and market toleration of cost. Let us not fool ourselves, we do not have a free market. It is highly likely that the drug companies were in on the creation of the list of drugs where these price controls are instituted in the first place. For all I know, the maximum allowed price may be above the current cost and this could all be a sham.

End Your Programming Routine: The quote by the unknown worker resonates something that is so fundamentally wrong with today’s society. The greater society believes the government needs to do something about gun violence, climate change, social justice, inflation or Covid, None of these things drove the Pilgrims to come to America. None of those things are even thought of in the Constitution. My point being, we the people have absolved our self-responsibility and now believe it is the job of the government. Now, if we just elect the right people…

August 26, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:8

August 26, 2022 / bhayes952

This book is rapidly earning a spot on the reading list. I suppose you could say that I enjoy a story with a bunch of subversive subplots going on. I also appreciate a long and intricate story. If a book is going to be short like Animal Farm, it very well better get to the point and quickly. Animal Farm is going on the review list too, I have a couple others ahead of it first.

There is a lot going on in this chapter that is relevant to the current story lines in the plot. In fact, it is probably an end to the most controversial issues to date. I didn’t recognize that there were a lot of new concepts however. I am not sure where things are going from this chapter other than there is sure to be more interaction between Frank D’aconia, Jim Taggert, Dabny Taggert and Henry Reardon.

In the first, third of the chapter, we have the Equalization of Opportunity bill in action. Reardon ends up selling his different business interests to individual industrialists. Some of them are consolidating operations and others seem to be friends. It is clear that many industrialist are not happy with the status quo, but we get a glimpse into Reardon’s character. He will fight for his business in management and the marketplace but not in the political arena.

In the second, third we have more doubt on the John Galt Line. Dabny holds a press conference, concerning the near completion of the line. We have the same battle lines with the media saying it is going to be a disaster and the normal folks betting on success. The third, third of this chapter had the first run on the John Galt line. Of course it was successful, what did you think was going to happen?

So, lets talk about the media and misdirection or agenda pushing. Did anyone hear about the Inflation Reduction Act 2022? If you see the title, you would think that this is an attempt to actually reduce inflation. Despite the fact that the government is claiming there is no recession and inflation is minimal, why would we need to reduce inflation?

You can follow the link above to see what is actually in the bill (on a summary level). But, if you ignore the actual details and just look at the cost summary, you will see that this is touted as a deficit reduction. How is this actually done? Primarily there are some rebates that are terminated and taxes are raised on corporations.

Let us look into the bill for a minute. The ‘benefits’ of the bill are targeted toward climate change and health care rebates and changes. Now, if we take the name of the bill at it’s face value, how in the world are these things related to inflation reduction? I really don’t have the time and/or space to discuss how inflation works. But, simplifying inflation for a quick bite: inflation is driven by the federal reserve (non-governmental entity of member banks) increasing the money supply and this is done through fractional reserve banking. I hate to break this to you readers, but inflation is actually desired by the government because this is how the federal debt is financed. Older (more valuable) debt is payed with less valuable money.

Circling back to the media now. We have the useful idiots parroting all the great inflation reduction that we are going to see just like the media is publishing false information sourced by the State Science Institute in Atlas Shrugged . We are going to do that by raising taxes on the rich and giving money to people to buy electric cars, all the while the national debt is reduced. Huh, I can’t make the connection.

End Your Programming Routine: Pick your issue here. Trump has nuclear secrets at his home, the election was stolen, there is no inflation, stay home and save lives, two weeks to flatten the curve, get your vaccination to do your part… lies. I don’t like to talk about politics this definitively but if you are wrapped up in the BS that is being fed, then you are a drone. The government is going to do what they are going to do. We the people need to focus on things that matter to us. The political circus is still happening every day, don’t go.

August 24, 2022 – Review: Porter-Cable FR350B

August 24, 2022 / bhayes952

It’s been a long time since I did a proper review. Part of what holds me back is I want to get some use out of something before I give it a one day run and then write about it. For example, I have gotten enough use with my Crossman Optimus that I should be able to speak with some authority on that product. Ideally, I would also like some experience with multiple models as well so the review is not in a vacuum.

Before we get completely immersed in this review, I wanted to talk a little bit about the Porter-Cable brand. It wasn’t that long ago that Porter Cable was a premium brand. In 2004 Delta Machinery was acquired by Black & Decker (parent company of DeWalt as well) and it seems like it has been relegated to to value brand. For instance, the FR350B was about 50% cheaper than the comparable DeWalt nailer.

Truth be told, I really wanted to buy a 15 degree siding nailer but I simply couldn’t justify the $350-400 price tag for my one wall project. I probably should have bought it 2 years ago when I did my remodel job. At that time, I justified that I didn’t need to spend any additional money. When I did my office project, I decided to splurge and buy a framing nailer. I no longer needed to prove anything to anyone after my apartment remodel.

What I realized was that instead of buying a siding nailer, I could do the job with the framing nailer I already owned. There are shorter, thinner, ring shank and galvanized nails that would work just fine. My only real gripe is the plastic collation remains visible after driving the nail. Lap siding is covered by the overlapping the above course. For my project, I picked and scraped the worst offenders on the T1-11 but this would never do in a pay for, job situation. And that really has noting to do with the nailer itself.

This particular nailer is a 21 degree nailer which can shoot between 2 and 3 1/2 inch nails. It would appear that there are other nailers on the market that have a more severe angle (that is the angle of the magazine to the tool) which in theory allows more access in difficult or tighter situations. I think that the 21 degree angle is the most common. It comes with the hose connection already made and a rafter hook attached.

Make sure an know your application so that you can also get appropriate nails at the same time because those are not included. Manufacturers have come up with a color coded tag to match the proper nails to the nailer. In this case, mine has a maroon 21 degree tag on it that matches the label on the box of nails. The other way to match nails to the nailer is buy the same brand nails/nailer. This is not a guarantee but it is a way but it is much more likely.

	Score	Pros	Cons
Value	3	-50% less than competitors -Nails cost significantly less $40/1000 or roughly $2/lb vs. $6/lb loose -Comes without a specific case (to me that is a plus)	-Still Paid $180, that buys a lot of nails -In my frequency of projects, an unnecessary luxury
Quality	3	-Operated on two projects without misfire	-The way the air port ejects exhaust is often in the face. It is adjustable however it seems to be frequently in the wrong location -Mechanism seems bulkier than others I have handled -When nail magazine gets to about 5-7 remaining, needs to be reloaded to operate
Performance	5	-Much easier to work alone -Significantly faster than hand nailing -Can make nailing in tight or difficult positions possible	-Easier to make compounding mistakes -More difficult to tell if you missed the framing

It is not fair to review on speculation. However, I have gotten lots of comments on my nailer rebuild video that newer Porter-Cable nail guns will not last. I don’t know if that is true or not, but there has to be some kind of compromise for the price. I guess time will tell.

There are cheaper tools out there particularly online and at a national tool store we all know. To me, this was the lowest price point I was willing to go. I am a big believer in you get what you pay for. Often times, inexpensive items do the job for a while, but the value is in the durability like softer alloys, inferior batteries, no serviceable parts, etc.

End Your Programming Routine: The truth is, I really didn’t need this tool at the time I bought it and I didn’t need it here either. But, I have done this work several times and trying to do it by yourself is difficult. To top it off, it seems like some brands of nails don’t have as much integrity. With one brand of nail, I was bending and pulling 2 nails for every one that I got in. Also, hand nailing into Hardi siding is doubly difficult. I am positive that I will have other projects that I will use this for. However, sometimes the setup is not worth the effort, so keeping a hammer around and knowing how to use it can be a better and easier strategy.

August 23, 2022 – Self Reliance Magazine

August 23, 2022 / bhayes952

Let the cheapness flow. Last Tuesday, I wrote about Backwoods Home Magazine, today I am reviewing the companion publication. The story as I understand it was that the kids of the publisher started this magazine. I am presuming the strategy was to leverage the name of Backwoods Home to kickstart this one.

My interpretation of the mission statement is similar content, less controversial. Of course, less controversial is subjective. What is missing is content on firearms and politics. My one look at Backwoods Home, I saw some of those two but really very little; I would say two columns. Nevertheless, as promised it is not here.

Below is a look of the contents of Self-Reliance Magazine.

Tips on watering your Garden
The front porch concert
From tree to table: Harvesting black walnuts
The jitter free cafe (coffee substitutes)
How to build a bee house
11 building mistakes
Protecting canning jars during an earthquake
Natural Goat Horns
Homeschool vs. online school
Blueberries for all of us
Sew a ram apron
A primer on zippers
Grain Sack Totes
The complicated world of corn
Foraging farther off the grid
Making crock pot yogurt
Healthy, heart smart Greek cuisine
Six soulful smoothies

In many ways, I felt like I was reading an extension to Backwoods Home. Most of the subject matter was the same and even authors/columnist cross back and forth. I felt like Self-Reliance had additional food and crafts to make up for the content the parent publication has. It is probably subconscious because I knew this before I started but I felt like the the overall tone was subdued compared to Backwoods Home.

From this, I am interested in trying to make yogurt, I thought that there was some good advice to secure canning jars and the Ram apron was an eye opener. This is a device to prevent the ram from breading when it is the time of year. The zipper article offered some tips on mending and it confirmed some things that I thought I knew.

Maybe I shouldn’t admit this either but I have my eyes open for picking up a second hand sewing machine because it is so much easier and better than sewing by hand. I have sewed a number of patches on my kids Boy Scout Uniforms and it takes a long time. Ideally, they would show some initiative and do this themselves but I could see some value in mending myself.

End Your Programming Routine: I am strongly considering subscribing. If I do, there is a deal to get both in the same transaction which is what I will do. That being said, if I only could pick one it would be Backwoods Home over Self-Reliance. It just felt more like me. There are several publications that are pretty similar as well like Grit and Mother Earth News come to mind. The extra spicy Backwoods Home is a differentiator.

August 19, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:7

August 19, 2022 / bhayes952

This was a long chapter, over 50 pages. It was really a tale of two sides. The first being the State Science Institute denounces Reardon Metal, contractors/suppliers quit, unions refuse to work with it. The other was Dabny creates the John Galt Inc as own contracting company. Orders are exploding for Reardon metal because other suppliers have failed. So, in other words we have the state and media saying one thing and people doing the other… sound familiar?

Once again we hear another John Galt back story. This time he found the fountain of youth. It seems that John Galt is a mysterious character that no one really knows anything about. I know for a fact that we are going to continue to learn more about him but we will just have to wait for that to be revealed.

Also, another significant event happens, the Equalization of Opportunity bill passes. If you remember from last week, this is the statute that only allows a person to own one business. In theory, this is going to prevent industry vertical integration. With all of the supply chain issues, I am sure that this is going to have a negative effect on Reardon Metal.

The rest of this post I am going to focus on the smear campaign against Reardon Metal. There were lots of interesting quotes in the interaction between Dr. Robert Stadler of the State Science Institute and Dabny however, I chose these two. “Set science free of the rule of the dollar.” “And when we deal with people, considerations other than the truth enter the question.”

Now, taking it one at a time. Once again, there is this higher level thought that science should be free from the influence of money. As an educated scientist, I can say that attitude is really still pervasive within the educational doctrine. It is not so much the case on the front of research. You see, it take money to perform ‘research’ and institutional budgets are not adequate. This means that industry is funding academic studies. At that point, the outcome is likely tainted because it is not an impartial hypothesis.

Stadler proclaims that the sole purpose of the Institute is to create cutting edge materials research i.e. invent new products. Since this is a publicly funded venture, he is concerned that his entity will be judged for little to no output. And to make matters worse, Reardon Metal is the technological biggest breakout in the current era. Therefore, slander on the metal is an attempt to save his own reputation. Aligned with him are all of the lazy industrialist that have a comfort in not having competition.

Like the Betamax/VHS debate of the mid-1980s, the best product (or truth) isn’t always important. Sometimes when something dominates the market, then it doesn’t matter if it is the best. This is not what Stadler was inferring with his statement. He was actually saying the opposite. It is OK to lie to the public when it is in their best interest.

I like to call that the ‘better-than-you liberal’. There is something about the arrogance of people that have this prevailing opinion that the ends justify the means. Whether it is a mask or vaccine judgement or you don’t announce your pronouns or you don’t have a Ukraine flag icon on your social media it has the feel of judgement to me. Remember, even if masks don’t decrease the risk of transmission, it can’t hurt to require people to wear them.

End Your Programming Routine: I am open to being wrong, but this is the behavior I have observed from the left side of the political spectrum. The difference with the right side is they are always saying “what you should do is…” or “they ought to…”. If you recall, I choose neither. I am perfectly OK that you think that you were born a cat or the earth is flat; I am not going to respect that but that is your right. Once again, examine the motivations of the source of data or opinions to get the appropriate understanding for yourself.

August 16, 2022 – Backwoods Home Magazine

August 16, 2022 / bhayes952

Among the podcasts I listen to, Backwoods Home Magazine (BHM) is an advertiser or vice versa. I have never really paid much attention to it. In fact, two or three years ago, the publisher actually retired and the magazine ceased to exist. One of the children started a sister publication called Self-Reliance magazine with the idea that some of the more ‘controversial’ content removed. That is any content on politics and firearms.

Then, another child of the publisher re-started Backwoods Home Magazine. As I understand, the magazine went from bi-monthly to quarterly. The only reason I paid any attention to it was that the magazine was based on the southern Oregon coast. Content comes from contributors across the country, but there is definitely some local effect to the entire magazine.

I started thinking to myself that I would be interested in checking it out so I picked up a copy. Tractor Supply carries a lot of different books and magazines in these types of topics. I had never even opened up a copy before and here is what I found.

At the risk of being boring, here is an abstract of the table of contents.

Realistic goals for a first-year homesteader
The return of victory gardens
Balancing homeshooling and homesteading
A method for washing hair off-grid
10 rabbit raising mistakes and how to avoid them
Bake your own dog treats
Grandma’s thrifty wartime recipes
Blackberry bonanza
Making and using an osier willow crayfish trap
Homemade insulation cutter
Crust crisis? (pies)
Depression era pies
The good, bad and the ugly of keeping a buck (goats)
Cross stitch your own Backwoods Home sampler
Homeschooling and the question of socialization
Build a clever under-the-bed storage drawer
Homesteading and the bird flue
Medical preparedness for nuclear war

What I started to realize is that this is the magazine version of AltF4.co. Sure, maybe the topic mix are not quite what I want to talk about. I actually read the articles on how to wash hair and cross-stitching with interest. I didn’t list the columns but they are along the lines of political editorials, firearms (from Massad Ayoob of all people) and Americana like poems, anecdotes, jokes and user submitted photos. Heck, maybe I should advertise or become a contributing author?

I also bought a copy of Self-Reliance magazine. That will be for another day. Like all periodicals, not everything was temporal or I see myself using the information. But, there was certainly enough variety and interest to make me want to see more. I suppose the focus on thrift, self reliance, tradition, cooking, using and preserving bounty, and variety is what appeals to me.

Before I purchased the magazines, I almost just subscribed. But then I thought maybe I only want one versus the other. How do I even know I want to when I have never even opened either? Reading the magazine, I learned that both publications moved from the coast to the town next door to the south. So, now they are less than twenty miles away.

End Your Programming Routine: In the last couple months, my wife and I have had serious conversations about moving, particularly more rurally. That is always where I wanted to be but the familial issues have been making us consider proximity to the situation as well. Our kids have three years max in the current school system so that is our stage gate from making a real move. We have a some friends that are leaving next spring for retirement and their property is in the school district. We took a detailed tour of the shop, garden and home, just saying. I am keeping a close eye on state politics. Even though I am Oregon born and bred, I don’t like the way things are going so commitment is still in doubt that I will want to stay. BHM is the type of stuff I want to be doing when the nest empties.

August 12, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:6

August 12, 2022 / bhayes952

There was a lot going on in this chapter. As little as there was in the last, there was ten times as much in this one. It helps with the setting as the Reardon’s hold a cocktail party for their wedding anniversary. This was the perfect canvas for having all kinds of characters that may never be seen again in the book have impactful lines or reveal true colors.

I’m not going to try to keep things in chronological order today. I am going to use the different conversations to support what I see as the primary theme today. Before I get totally into it, there was one other thing that came up and that was an origin story of John Galt. Supposedly, he found Atlantis by sailing and he or his crew was never seen again.

Probably the most seminal moment in the chapter is the conversation between Henry Reardon and Frank D’aconia. The characters Frank, Dabny and Henry seems to be becoming a disrupters but more so Frank. He is stirring up the thought provoking insights like when he asked Henry “Why are you willing to carry them”? This is in context to the idea that there are the doers in life and then there are the non-doers (better phrasing than parasite?).

Among the conversations happing at the party, the political idea came up of the Equalization of Opportunity Bill. This is the idea that a person can only own one business so as to not become to rich, powerful or influential. The idea that there is a fragile balance between still having some degree of autonomy or freedom and too much is supported by this quote as well. “Property rights are only superstition. One holds property only by the courtesy of those who do not seize it.”

It is not just the economy discussions that lean toward communism. “Culture should be taken out of the hands of the dollar chasers. We need a national subsidy for literature.” Has anyone ever heard this argument for NPR? I have. When I was younger and a much different world, I used to sympathize more in this direction. Now that I am more mature, I feel like if people don’t value something enough to support directly, then is it really valuable? There are new and different ways today such as crowd funding and I am much more willing to let survival of the fittest prevail.

Earlier, when I talked over the division of doer and non-doers, this chapter gets into it with the Frank/Hank conversation. Frank is pointing out that Hank is killing himself to make a go with Reardon Metal while everyone else is whining about people becoming too rich. And yet, they are doing little to improve their own situation other that supporting laws that limit other’s potential.

While this was written almost 70 years ago, I feel like I could hear these conversations today. My observation is that we are lucky that position hasn’t fully taken hold. However, I predict that it is a matter of time. As an example in my lifetime I will use health insurance.

When I was really young, no one had health insurance. My dad got it added as a benefit when I was about four. Growing up and getting my first job, health insurance was a competitive requirement to attract employees. Almost fifteen years ago, it became a punitive requirement, have it or be fined. Even unemployed people have insurance through socialized medical programs. When we lay it all out, what we have effectively added was an abstracted layer between the patient and doctor. I defy you to prove that this is more effective treatment, more efficient process or even a better quality of standard.

Have we really achieved the care that we want by adding ‘insurance’? I think not. This entire charade has inflated the cost of care such that paying out of pocket is nearly un-achievable for all but the simplest of procedures leaving the companies dictating the care by proxy of affordability. What happens when the doers stop supporting the non-doers? Well, the non-doers force them to support them anyway through laws like healthcare.

End Your Programming Routine: As I eluded last week, there are those that see what is happening and those that do not. It seems that Frank and Dabny do not yet, do you? I am constantly amazed by the number of schemes or smoke and mirrors. You cannot tell me that the economy is burning in the background that everything is fine. What is the first step in correcting a problem? Admitting you have one.

August 9, 2022 – Salad Freak: Recipes to Feed a Healthy Obsession

August 9, 2022 / bhayes952

This is the August selection for the Left Coast Culinary Book Club. This book is a cookbook for Salads by Jess Damuck. Who is Jess Damuck? From what I read, she is a food stylist that primarily worked with Martha Stewart.

Once again, this book is divided by seasons. The one thing that I thought was really brilliant was that there is a master list of ingredients broken into categories. Then, each salad draws on the ingredients in the category. So recipes are organized by ingredients in the category, with the assumption that (1. you are into salads) you have options if you are working from a standard pantry.

Because Jess is a food stylist, all of the photos are vibrant and look great. One of her technique suggestions was to use similar items in different shapes. Think carrots and parsnips. Think rounds and julienne. In my opinion, this is more of a presentation tip than a taste improvement.

This is about where the compliments end from me. I wasn’t present when the voting happened and I probably wouldn’t have protested anyway but I find it hard to get jazzed about salads. Jess uses a lot of jargon, techniques or ingredients that I have never heard of. When I last went to the store, I checked on a few of these things and nope, not there. So, unless you are growing yourself, good luck with duplicating.

Maybe it is because I already know this but she frequently uses a lot of combinations of textures such as leaves, nuts, cheese, proteins, etc. It therefore feels like most of the salads are a random catchment of ingredients than deliberate combinations. In the foreword, Martha Stewart says that her marker of a good cookbook makes her hungry. So far, I haven’t marked a single recipe yet.

Given that I think making a cookbook about salad new and fresh is going to be difficult, I think probably 10% of the recipes are a stretch. Here are two examples gazpacho and esquites (Mexican corn) that I wouldn’t call a salad at all. There are other things that are called salad but I would call sandwich spreads or toppings like arugula pizza or egg salad.

To be fair, I haven’t made anything out of it yet. If you remember last month, I have tried a couple more and was very pleased with Corned Beef Dinner for instance. So, maybe I will soften up. The truth is, I don’t see myself really making much. But, all it takes is a handful to be worth it. So, I owe it to the book club to try a few things.

End Your Programming Routine: What can I say? I am not looking forward to the next one either. It is about gluten free cooking. I am not really big on gluten anyway but I feel like trying to substitute never works well. I have to give Jess credit that she did something different. Just because I am not into it, doesn’t mean that this isn’t for someone.

August 5, 2022 – Atlas Shrugged 1:5

August 5, 2022 / bhayes952

Here we are, Happy Friday. I had a pretty good week working on my projects, reading my books and doing what I do. I can see the end of my siding project coming so I can turn around and look at what is next. There are several more outside things that need to get done, but summer is winding down fast.

This chapter felt a lot like filler. I know that it was character development giving Dabny and Frank D’Aconia’s back story. I think that it was largely free and a bit indulgent. But then again, I haven’t read the whole book so maybe it will be more significant down the line. However, there was something that came up on the back end.

“Now the planners are asking their people not to blame the government, but to blame the depravity of the rich”.

“The money will go into channels which will carry it, not to the most productive, but the most corrupt”.

What Frank is referring to in the two quotes above are the seizure of assets such as rails and mines in Mexico. When they seized the mines, they found out that they were not productive and they are trying to blame the industrialist (Frank). He further talks about the graft and shoddy practices that occurred in the startup of the mines. It is implied that this entire scenario is poetic justice for all of those that are motivated by greed and power.

What’s new here? Well nothing really but it is worth noting the story line and message are falling in line with what I was hoping the book would be. I also think that there is something else more subtle in these statements. There are always people that can see and know what is going on. It is a matter whether they actually have a platform or the resources to get the message out.

I was scanning through the AM dial last weekend. It’s been a long time since I had actually done that. One of the big stories over the weekend was that President Biden had Covid. Of course, that drudged up all kinds of opinions about the situation including the vaccine. One of the pieces was talking about the studies on the vaccine and the integrity of the data. Doctor after doctor on the show was talking about what a mess it was.

With that little detour, you can have the vision and the platform, but people still have to listen and believe. If red was black or two quarters of negative financial growth is not a recession and no longer believed to be true then the current definition of truth doesn’t even matter. Truth has to be a universally recognized.

End Your Programming Routine: It is a fine line between not revealing the plot and trying to explain the situation, especially when I haven’t read the book before so I am not sure where things are going. If you noticed that I started a little slow but I think that I have latched onto a formula. Assuming that there are concepts that worthy of me noting, I want to relate those concepts to current events or context. I think that is the way to make the abstract (or me reading a book) convey the things I have learned reading to writing. Hopefully, that translates.

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