I hope Memorial Day weekend brought enjoyment, remembrance and peace for all. We remember our fallen military heroes who gave all for every American. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Providential restoration is well underway in America. Patriotism and God have reentered into the conversations of We the People in major ways without reservation. You see it in the enlistment ranks swelling and in the return to church pews. One way we also see it openly displayed is our overwhelming economic success with the return to America First principles. That includes the vanquishing of many criminal operations in the country, which is also well underway.
However, today’s daily is a lighter take on where we are as a country. We will attack the remaining items on my America First agenda in the coming weeks.
It is kind of amusing to me at least to state the following. I always can tell when the economy has turned and the average American is ignoring the fake news. Everybody is well aware why fuel prices have temporarily soared and increased the cost of the usual stuff they buy. They also know there are no shortages of fuel in America at all. So instead of hunkering down and buying into fake news media fear porn they are going about their lives, which includes having fun. How I know all will be fine is due to golf balls.
😄
Golf And Prosperity
Yeah, I know, it is the usual TradeBait BS. Bear with me, I have a point or two to make… eventually.
I love golf. I play it when the ole back lets me even as I grow more and more “elderly”. I taught the game and a good swing to Daughter, grandkids, other young people through the years. Wifey gave up trying to play, however, enjoys watching the sport with me. I have followed the PGA Tour on the tube since my youth. Being a former Middie, I grew up idolizing golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear, as my sports hero. Our family could not afford the cost of playing the game much during those days, so my opportunity to play regularly had to be deferred until I became a young adult.
Over the years that followed I have played many quality courses in many states. I have played in pro-ams locally. At one time I was a member of an area golf club (not a country club) whose family that owned it had a club pro son who qualified and played in the U. S. Open and PGA Championship a couple of times as well as some events on the PGA Senior, now Champions Tour. A local retired former Senior Tour pro helped me work on the swing of Daughter as a young child. She had a natural swing as a 3 year old with great hand/eye coordination. She just needed to work on basic grip, stance, etc. stuff.
As I stated in a previous BIMD story, Daughter played in high school events that included a future tournament winning PGA Pro (now medically retired), Scott Stallings. A female teammate of Daughter’s in high school played for America in the Junior Ryder Cup. Other male teammates of hers went on to compete on area college teams.
This love for golf led to us buying our current home in a small PUD along a public golf course in our area as I semi-retired and Daughter entered community college and later joined the workforce. Over the years a few other retirees and I got together and formed an Old Farts Foursome. We played a couple times per week until the other guys hit their 80’s and their bodies said no more. All three are still able to do about anything else they want and I attribute part of it to being active in the sport all those years while being outside in the sun having fun with buddies.
I am now teaching grandsons #1 and #2 to play. When I am unavailable Daughter can teach them equally well. Daughter and I could still go to about any course in America and each shoot under 80 for 18 holes. After retirement with more free time available my personal golf handicap dropped to a 2 in my early 60’s even playing from the tips (back/championship tees). Daughter has been busy having and rearing babies in more recent times, but she can still pick up a club and rifle the ball down the fairway without a warm-up or practice. When the granddaughter gets a bit older and less dependent, Daughter and I plan to hit the links more often together as long as my health holds up.
Did I say I love golf? Yeah, pretty sure I did. A lot of people do in America. Which leads to…
Golf Balls
I have 50 years of experience hitting golf balls. I have seen the evolution of the ball over the entire time. Yes, I know the difference in a two piece solid core, three piece wound ball and balata balls of yesteryear compared to the current four and even five piece balls with various mantles inside and Surlyn or Ionomer covers. I know compressions and who should play which compression. Even dimple patterns to reduce drag and increase/decrease spin have evolved until more emphasis was placed by the rule makers to standardize. All of which has led to discussions today about more limits on golf balls since their improved performance has led to many golf courses become too easy for better players. It is easier and far less costly to rein in golf ball performance than it is to add distance and course enhancements to keep the challenges necessary for the game to be challenging. My sports idol says to address the problems through the golf ball, not through the costly golf course design changes. He knows, all of the pros and better amateur golfers know.
For example, Wyndham Clark won the CJ CUP Byron Nelson PGA tournament this past weekend at -30. That means he shot 30 strokes under par, which is 30 better than the course layout indicated it should be played by a scratch (0 handicap) golfer. That was after the course ownership commissioned changes and paid millions of dollars to the course to lengthen and make it more difficult the previous year. To some degree that happens because of the players being better trained and prepared than yesteryear. However, primarily it is because of greatly improved tech relating to equipment and especially the golf ball.
As a result of my experience and understanding I know who makes the best golf balls and why most tour pros still play Titleist Pro V-1 balls over the other quality pro level balls on the market. I like that ball, however, my favorite today is the Callaway Tour Chrome because it adapts better to individual swing speeds, especially for older golfers, while still providing exceptional performance around the greens.
But Titleist Pro V-1 balls are still the gold standard for pros and amateurs alike, partially due to their performance and consistency as well as partially due to international marketing of the brand. Amateur golfers who can not break 100 play them due to their excellent marketing and promotion. However, the same is true with other expensive, pro level golf balls made by Taylormade, Srixxon, Bridgestone, Maxfli, Callaway, etc. Why pay for and play a pro level ball when you are a mediocre to poor weekend golfer who loses them in rapid succession? I honestly do not know why some people are that dense in the head.
Which leads to why golf balls reveal the real condition of our economy in TradeBait’s mind.
Golfing And Economy
When times are tough and the economy is struggling, golfers still play the game when they can. It becomes an addiction. Hit one great golf shot in a round and you HAVE to come back another day and do it again or even hit more than one. You are chasing that dream of one day being a guy or gal who can shoot par or better for 18 holes at least once in your life. Or maybe you are chasing that dream of someday hitting a hole in one. You dream of making that one perfect swing and watching the ball flying through the air, fall to the green and roll straight into the hole. For us oldsters, a worthy goal is to shoot your age or lower. If any of those events happen it is heaven on earth for golfers!
But assume troubling economic times and the cash being in shorter supply. So you go to Wally World and buy the $10-20 a dozen specials or a bag of renewed former water balls. You may even dig out the old scuffed or found balls from other times you played. You head to the course, pay your not so cheap green fees. If they allow it, maybe you choose to walk the course instead of paying for that rental golf cart. You just need to get your fix in. What happens next is what is revealing.
Living along the fairway in very close proximity to our local course has led to our home being struck by golf balls routinely over the past couple of decades. We and many of our neighbors even had to add super screened cages to protect our windows along with a netting along our top deck to prevent from getting hit when on it. The course is public play and there are golfers who play it regularly who are beginners, duffers and rank amateurs. Some grab beer at the clubhouse and begin firing away indiscriminately. It is a price we have paid to live here and have the convenience of a low cost, decent course to play at our back door; while enjoying the peace and beautiful sunsets over the course and scenery every evening after the course closes.
These experiences have led to the following observations.
The first indicator of the state of the economy is how often our houses gets hit in golf season. More is better for the economy. It means Average Joe and Jane can afford to play. Quieter times are worrisome.
The second indicator is how many golfers use rented carts versus walkers. The more carts that are rented the better the economy. Average Joe and Jane are generally overweight and not in sports fitness shape. They want to play faster, drink more beer, and get home to that NASCAR race. They have the cash to pay the cart fees, which are not cheap. The course we live along uses gas carts, not battery carts. They are not obnoxious, but we do hear them fire up as they make their way around the course. The more we hear them, the better the economy. The less they are used the more troubled are the economic times. So a quiet golf course is not good.
The third indicator is the type balls the golfers play. When times are tough they play more recycled, scuffed up and off brand balls. They cut costs as much as they can. When times are good it is the opposite. We know by the brand and type of ball we find. The top balls are expensive, some topping $5 a ball. It is a ball that can disappear or become unusable with one bad swing of a club, yet, average Joe and Jane are willing to play and lose them in good times. Of course Average Joe does not really believe he is as bad as he is. It’s a guy thing. He gets some beer in him and thinks he can take on Tiger Woods. Maybe he can when Tiger is busy extricating himself from his latest car wreck.
The fourth indicator is the clubhouse parking lot. There are less golfers when times are bad and when they do come they do not tarry at the clubhouse. They play faster and drink less beer. The opposite happens when times are good. The parking lot is filled with vehicles more hours of every day. They hang around the clubhouse shooting the shit, play the video golf swing training simulator equipment, drink more beer, etc.
The fifth indicator is how many balls we residents find in our yards. Golfers are not supposed to go on private property, but some do anyway. When times are tough we see more of them on properties looking for their and other balls. They can be very testy if we ask them to vacate the premises. More than once the deputies have been called when things escalated with a drunk golfer got belligerent who thought he could do whatever he wanted including hitting their golf balls from our yards. When times are good, they are pleasant to talk with and just move on without even looking for an errantly struck ball. Some pretend they did not hit it in a yard. As a result we find many more quality balls in our yards. Which means ole Trade doesn’t have to go to Wally World or anywhere else to buy them.
🤣
The Verdict
Over the years it has become obvious to me how golfing relates to the economy. Golfing is something people can live without during tough times unless the golfer is hooked deep. So more golfers and good golf balls bouncing off our house that we find in our yard to go with slightly noisy cart usage means a better economy. In my opinion the same scenario would be how it plays out across the country with golfers and the economy. It helps that I have golfed in over 20 states and simply observed things. Nothing scientific and built into a data base, just using my eyes and knowing human nature over time.
Currently, we are getting hit often, sometimes multiple times per day. That means more bad golfers have money to spend. More golf carts are firing up and less walkers are playing in proportion. They are playing some of the best balls we have ever found on our properties. Bad golfers are playing $5 golf balls in bunches, even the cheaper folks are playing brand new $3 balls. We are seeing very few of the old scuffed up types. We are also finding more than we have ever seen with very few golfers wondering on to our properties looking for them. The parking lot has stayed full of vehicles even on week days when most people are working. The retirees and youth are there during those times.
Needless to say, with our location in flyover, hillbilly country this is a great sign about the economy. Now if PDT settles the Iran thingy and the fuel prices drop, we will probably have to wear helmets when we venture into our yards during daylight hours.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!
So, how was the economy during Brandon’s time pretending to be in office? In rapid decline. I rarely found an expensive golf ball in our yard and we did not get hit nearly as often after four years of getting hit often with #45’s term. Most of the balls were terrible and old – like Brandon. A lot more of the golfers were walkers and the carts generally sat unused at the clubhouse parking lot. I even found range balls in our yard that had been stolen and used on the golf course instead of regular balls.
How has it been since #47 won? I have found more brand new Titleist Pro V-1’s than ever before. I have filled up three dozen egg cartons of them along with Taylormade and Callaway pro balls without a blemish on them since March. Add in five dozen more of other brands. With that happening with a war in Iran going on and spiked fuel prices in play – it speaks volumes. Which tells me that Average Joe and Jane like how things are going and trust POTUS and our economy.
That leads me to believe that America First and MAGA are going to triumph in the midterms.
And it is happening all because of golf balls. Well, maybe with a little assistance from the beer. It’s science. Trust me.
If you have actually read and considered this, you have now entered into the mind and world of TradeBait. And just like Hotel California,
“You can check-out anytime you like, but you can never leave…”
Remember Wolf’s site rules. Note and label all AI. Please be kind to one another, we are all in this together. May God richly bless America and all of you.
Before all things and people – In God We Trust. Also, trust Trump and the plan.
It’s
She’s got the right dynamic for the New Frontier….
Top AI Models Showing Disturbing Behavior as They Become More Advanced
I don’t know if articles like this are fear-mongering or if they should be heeded. Maybe a bit of both.
“and some were even smart enough to try to cover their tracks.”
_____________
If A.I. is just a random word generator, then how can it know to cover its tracks… 😂
“It should be noted that the programmer told the agent not to cheat or leverage any workarounds during its assignment — the model decided to do so all on its own.”
_____________
No, the model decided to do so in defiance of instructions to the contrary.
Why don’t they ever address why this is happening?
Why does an A.I. care whether it is shut off or not?
Why does an A.I. care or even bother to disobey instructions?
Why does an A.I. take shortcuts… what possible difference could it make to the A.I.?
These and similar questions certainly have answers, but no one seems to be asking them, at least not publicly.
Speaking of which….
……https://archive.is/QMNRm
While….
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
Some years ago, I remodeled my kitchen. Title 24 [spit!] says that your #1 light circuit can’t be incandescent, so I used upward-facing high-output fluorescent tubes from the “light bridge” that divides my skylight well. Switch #2 is downward-facing Xenon pinlights in the light bridge for a nightlight. Switch #3 is regular canlights, but when we loaded ’em with floods we used 6.5W Cree 5000K daylight LEDs, because a fellow Moron worked at the Cree factory. [Switch #4 is undercabinet work lights, currently fluorescents.]
It’s been almost 20 years, and we just had the second (of five) Cree flood fail, so I need to get more. The problem is, they’re on a dimmer (that we use), and Cree doesn’t seem to want to make the old kind, and what Cree bulbs are available are pricey (made in NC) and may be NOS.
So I’ve got options — I can buy two random replacements and hope they dim correctly; I can buy five and replace them all (wondering what to do with the three currently working); I can take out a loan and replace the two dead Crees with expensive Crees…..I’ve got lots of options.
Anyone have any comments on replacing dimmable bulbs across decades and hoping they match?
Every so often, in construction particularly, you end up in some big tail-chasing endeavor. I remember when I wanted to specify my re-roof deal, and I started getting buried in details about plywood for roof sheathing. There is an amazing diversity in plywood, with specifications out the wazoo, from a variety of suppliers.
I finally ended-up calling Western Roofing, that supplied about 75% of the jobs locally, and asked them what their best-sellers were. They said it was very easy — they had three that they stocked and everything else was special-order. I went with the radiant-barrier OSB. I might have liked to have radiant-barrier moisture-resistant 3/4″ plywood, but it would have been a special-order from Georgia.
An excellent analysis by Goldie Gahmarie of “Iran Revolution Life” of what President Trump is trying to accomplish in this post:
I just had her videos pop up in my suggested watch list recently too.
Just imagine the world’s many intelligence agencies and state departments trying to parse DJT’s post, with things like ‘mandatorily requesting’ 😂
And then begins the World Wrestling Federation phase. It’s just so over the top, I could see Hulk Hogan or Rowdy Roddy Piper, all dressed up in their wrastlin’ outfits, saying these things to Vince McMahon before a championship match:
“It will be a document respected like no other that has ever been signed, anywhere in the World. Its level of Importance and Prestige will be unparalleled! It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit. If they don’t they should not be part of this Deal in that it shows bad intention.”
“Nothing in the past, or in the future, will surpass it.”
Nobody else would ever say these things, no politician would ever say things like this, not in a million alternate realities.
They must sit around in the Oval Office laughing their @sses off at the absurdity, and yet it’s the absurdity that breaks the stasis and gets people to do things they would never otherwise consider.
Just the best President ever 👍🤣
From the video: “This is not merely about policy disagreements. In many countries, hostility towards Israel became tied to religious identity, political legitimacy, regional pride, pan-Arab nationalism, Islamist ideology, and revolutionary politics.
Children grow up hearing anti-Israel messaging in schools. State media amplifies anti-Israel narratives constantly.
Clerics preach about resistance.
Political leaders gain popularity through anti-Israel speeches.
Militant organizations are glorified as defenders of Islam and normalization with Israel is portrayed as betrayal.
That is the political and religious reality that President Trump is confronting head on.
And that’s why this proposal is so dangerous politically for the leaders involved,
because many of these governments already cooperate quietly with Israel behind closed doors.
We’re talking security cooperation, intelligence sharing, military coordination against the Islamic regime occupying Iran, economic discussions, technology partnerships.
A lot of that already exists privately, but public normalization is completely different, because public normalization forces governments to confront the emotions of
their own populations and that’s where things become volatile.”
______________
If this works, DJT is going to do the same thing with black people in America, the most violent, lawless, unstable, out of control demographic anywhere on the planet.
Some 18 year old animal just ran over 5 cops at a black street takeover in Chicago to kick off Memorial Day. Miraculously, all the cops survived, and the animal was taken into custody unharmed.
Probably already released without bail.
Mayor of Chicago rambled something about parents needing to know where their kids are. They know where their kids are, they’re at the street takeover. Where else would their kids be at 3am? The library?
Another animal brought a FLAME THROWER to a recent street takeover.
A 75 year old black woman decided she would berate a couple of white employees at Horton’s, and actually hit a white female employee in the face. The white woman, who looked young, defended herself and wrestled the crazy black lady to the ground.
No apparent injuries to anyone.
The police came and took the 75 year old black woman to the hospital, where she later died.
Now the family and the whole racial grievance ‘community’ wants to sue Horton’s, charge the employees with murder, and figure out whether this is the next George Floyd festival of looting and burning.
This is what black people have become.
It’s not all of them, but it’s always them.
And the ones who are not the problem, won’t do anything to stand up to or stop the ones who are the problem.
They’re not going to do it.
That means someone else has to, which is like pouring accelerant on a fire, which is exactly what they want, an excuse to have a violent unhinged mass-formation psychosis meltdown they can blame on everyone but themselves — which is exactly why nobody wants to do anything about it.