On-line shopping is doing to the mall what the mall did to Main Street

Killing it.

You'll recall the (muted) outcry when the mall was killing off Main Street.

On-line shopping has killed so many malls that the dead malls have their own website.

After all, who can resist buying that plastic made-in-China piece of shit at Amazon for $29 when it would have been $34 at Walmart?

Or $45 at Brewster's Hardware on Main Street.

We all want to save money, don't we?

Well, we're saving money in big fat bundles. Not only is Main Street shopping gone, the malls are on their way out too.

But we're saving money like crazy.

We'll save ourselves right into Armageddon... or at least Amazonageddon.

Farmageddon

I was having one of those "what-if" conversations with Junior tonight.

What if we attack Iran?

What if Iran manages to close off the Strait of Hormuz?

What if oil goes to $200 a barrel? Or $400?

Had to reassure the youngster that these scenarios wouldn't be the end of the world.

After all, not too far down the road, we've got our Amish friends.

Tough lot, those Amish.

Seem to fare out OK without the benefits of indoor plumbing or running water. Get their water from a hand-pump out in the yard. Head for the outhouse when they have to take a dump.

So when the infrastructure goes down due to the Persian nuke attack and the Strait of Hormuz blockage, what's it gonna mean to our Amish friends?

Nothing.

It will be business as usual.

No power in the power grid?

Well, since they're not hooked up to the power grid, it'll be business as usual.

No running water?

Say what?

No diesel available at the corner gas station?

These folks run their farms all year long without diesel.

So when all our cities are cast into anarchy by Persian perfidy, our Amish neighbors will just keep keeping on.

Oh, there will be one major difference; when none of the "modern" farmers can run their farms because the power grid is down and there is no diesel fuel available, the value of the stuff our Amish neighbors produce with their 19th century technology is going to go straight through the roof.

They'll be the future.

Gold spikes as Iran threatens Armageddon

Well, gold did have a bit of a spike today. Peter Munk's net worth probably went up a couple billion.

But mainly I was desperate to get "gold," "Iran" and "Armageddon" into the same title.

So gold is up. Iran hasn't really threatened anything, despite what you might read in the mainstream media, who are far more addicted to scary headlines than I am. Ya, they're gonna defend themselves, but big whoop, so would we.

Can you imagine the hoo-hah that would ensue if an Iranian aircraft carrier were patrolling Long Island Sound? There'd be soiled chairs all over the Fox Studio. Heck, we might even threaten to defend ourselves.

But they don't have an aircraft carrier. They don't have a nuke either...

BUT OH MY GOD THEY COULD BE JUST YEARS/MONTHS/MINUTES AWAY FROM ONE!!!