Sometime after oh dark thirty it will begin, the previously cocked trigger suddenly released to wreck havoc throughout the world’s financial system. Like an intricate and interwoven design made entirely of standing dominoes, all it takes is a slight disturbance to knock one off its base and start the cascade of toppled consequences running down the line.
With the benefit of hindsight it will be seen that the trigger itself was not the killer. Instead, sometime later, a specific projectile will be (most likely falsely) identified as the blunt instrument which tore economic flesh asunder and quickly bled the system of ‘liquidity’ faster than a slash to the femoral artery. Too late to make a difference, tourniquets will be applied to stem the red tide. Sadly, all it will accomplish is to extend economic life long enough to enable a final frenzy of looting before the bloody end.
As is our custom, about once a month Mrs. Cog and I venture out from our homestead up here on the mountain and seek out civilization. While the Beverly Hillbillies considered this to be movie stars and swimming pools ('ceement' ponds actually) in our case, civilization is defined as more than two retail stores per square mile.
Normally we head south towards that North Carolina city with the Phallus Palace (aka The Wells Fargo Center) where they have 11,592 retail stores per square mile, more than enough to quell the withdrawal symptoms from our shopping addiction.
But Saturday morning was different. Normally at the end of our mile long dirt road, where tires first hit pavement, we turn left and head down the mountain towards thicker air and warmer climate. This time we turned right towards a new destination, a place we had repeatedly heard mentioned by the locals, but had not yet visited. Continue reading The New Normal: From $34.00 an hour to $2.65 plus tips.→
Have you ever experienced a situation while driving where, suddenly, you find yourself in unfamiliar territory and you’re not exactly sure where you are……even though you know you’re close to home or another well-known-to-you area? Maybe you were distracted, daydreaming or preoccupied by thoughts of work or personal issues. It has happened to all of us, that momentary confusion because the surroundings look unfamiliar.
Once we have traveled a path enough times, we remember the sequence of turns and specific landmarks more than the individual trees, houses or businesses on our route. As we travel down a familiar road, on a barely conscious level we tick off the various items that mark our progression towards our destination. Continue reading Assessing Blame and the Victim Mentality→
