Anon
Odd little bits of life pop up to remind us of earlier years. Today was a Facebook page of remembering a city I used to live in. About sixty years ago, plus a few years. I never respond to FB things as it is usually not worth it and what I add it just a bit of nothing. However, just now, there was a do you remember for something that was long after I left the city. I had several remembrances of times when I did go to that intersection of roads. At the time it was just a four lane and a two lane meeting at a traffic light.
Thinking back, I could smell and taste the French fries and hamburgers, sometimes when the tips were really big, a cheeseburger. At the time I was a newspaper delivery kid. I had a large route and I would wear out my bicycle tires, bearings and parts. This is when I learned the difference between professional and consumer (current terms). I wore out tires and bearings because of how much my bicycle was driven each day. My friends, without routes, did not have the same costs. I went to a bicycle shop on the corner of this intersection to buy parts and occasionally have “tune ups”. The owner showed me the bike I should have and how it could handle the load of the newspapers and the miles ridden every day.
I saved up and bought the bike. It made a difference and it taught me about the difference between price and everything else. A valuable lesson that I owe to someone who knew their products. This was important when I next moved into retail camera sales, but that is for another bit of my life.
Curious as to what the intersection looks like today, I pulled up your ubiquitous map system, Google Maps, to see the change. To my surprise, the bike shop is still there. Over sixty years and it is still in existence. Wow!!!! (yes, the extra ! are worth it) Very few mom and pop shops last this long. And, to my additional surprise the site of the original McDonald’s is still there. But it is now a Wendy’s. Back in the early 60’s a McDonald’s burger and fries was less than a dollar. My weekly income from the newspaper route was about fifteen dollars, depending on tips. (sometimes those dropped if I tossed a paper through some ones picture window or milk bottles). I was making “good” money for a thirteen-year-old.
It is fun thinking back to those years. Paperboys as we were called back then did a major service, we were professionals at a job. Do I lament the passing of this job to those who drive around and toss papers into the muck in a ditch? No. The world has changed. May we accept that life is dependent on Chinese electronic tablets rather than U.S. pulp newspapers now. But, making decisions for my work tools, bicycle, and my life expenses, a burger and fries, was way beyond that which more twelve and thirteen year old do, then and now.
BB, thank you thank you. not only for the goodly contribution of remembering old times but for stepping in just at the right time. got up late throwing the morning in a turmoil. nice to just sit back and reminisce with you about local mullet wrappers, 65 yo bicycle shops and such while i catch my breath.
Zelensky, Putin Could Hold Peace Talks to End Ukraine War in This Location (newsweek.com)
although he posed the possibility of meeting putin in israel, seems unlikely that zelenskyy would risk leaving the folks who’ve been inspired by his courageous daily broadcasts from a city under siege. also can’t see putin leaving the safety of his palatial bunker, particularly to an enemy of the enemy of his current friend iran.
and on another subject, toonsters are beginning to wake-up to the sweet smell of scam by big oil
back to trysts of terror, perhaps they can have a threesome in warsaw
Biden to visit Poland during Europe trip | TheHill
A companion piece to the Old Man’s western movie treatment of native Americans last night, from “Hombre” Great movie with crappy ending.
BB, thanks. In 1970 I bought my first real 10 speed – a Raleigh – after starting work as a summer boy in the steel mill my dad was an exec in. Place was Homewood Cycle then. It became Bob’s Bikes a few years later, but same place, same stuff. I happened past it for breakfast in a diner around the corner last summer and happy to say both of those places are still open and thriving.
Heat waves at both ends of the earth
Nice essay BB. Don’t forget McDonald’s breakfast, we had it delivered yesterday. Big breakfast with hotcakes. Delicious.
y’all remember the size of burgers back then? they’d be called “sliders” now probably… well, not the whataburger. that was huge for those days and gooood
BTW that Raleigh started a lifelong love of bicycles. I’ve only owned 2 road bikes since then – going from a 28 lb. Raleigh to a 22 lb. Botecchia 4 years later, working in a bike shop, avidly riding with friends and racing the odd local race. Still have that one in the garage, every component on it upgraded, different paint and semi repaired fork and frame after my former spouse attempted to drive into my mom’s carport with the bike on top of the car. The repairs were done at … wait for it … Bob’s Bikes. Replaced it about 15 years ago with a 20 lb. Botecchia, which has the same name but it’s Italian only in design and name. (Yup, made in China) still, a wonderful machine. Ah, memories. Thanks for directing me down that path.
something new in war weapons. hey, naftali, can you spare a few for volodymyr?
Israeli companies Steadicopter and Smart Shooter have unveiled an unmanned helicopter with precise hit capabilities. The Golden Eagle is based on the Black Eagle 50E drone from Steadicopter and incorporates AI-based technology. The AI-based technology enables superior situational awareness and autonomous multi-target classification and tracking. The SMASH Dragon, a remotely-operated robotic weaponry payload, locks on the target, tracks it and ensures precise target hit.
trevor on friday about deepfakes by right wingers
President Biden calls Vladimir Putin a war criminal, a deepfake circulates of President Zelenskyy urging Ukrainians to surrender, and the Kremlin orders Russian state TV to play Tucker Carlson. #DailyShow
BBronc… really nice post!
I was a papergirl way back when. I also made some money as a babysitter. By the age of 14, I had a nice little nest egg building. It does teach you life lessons.
And yes… I used my Colombia bike and the bike shop where I bought it is still there also.
Man Who Survived Four Nazi Concentration Camps Killed in His Home By Russian Troops https://mediaite.com/a/qwfxd
BB
Great article and a delightful view of your early years.
I made a similar attempt with Google to find my first 30 years. Since most was set in CA, the majority have disappeared under the sands of time or altered by the ever encroaching cement.
today
https://youtu.be/PlPHbSm_Z6Y
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shared the sound of an air raid siren during a video address, as he appealed to western nations to keep economic sanctions against Russia in response to the war.
The russian knows there are no rules. the west tries to play by the rules, which circling back, leads to the one who knows there are no rules.,
Moscow Mitch……another one who knows that there are no rules. He’s busy trying to come up with a rule or two these days, but yeah, no.
from the “do as i say not as i do” file
the guardian
a response by josh badgley to olbermann’s tweet:
and
BiD, thanks for linking that variety story about KO. here’s an excerpt from the one from daily beast that KO referred to and says is more accurate than the other story in puck:
Biden is urging private sector US companies to harden their cyber defenses “immediately” based on “evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks.”
United States special forces (Delta Force and Navy SEALS, specifically), now on the ground advising Ukrainian forces
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/3/21/2087241/-Ukraine-update-Ukraine-is-on-the-counter-offensive-attacking-Russia-s-entire-NW-Kyiv-front
Riffing off Poobah’s 12:57 comment, I heard on my way back from my hearing this morning that Israel is not agreeing to give Ukraine Iron Dome missile defense technology that we gave to Israel, and would, I’m sure, replace in a heartbeat. Really, is that the case?.
Thank you all for the applause. I was thinking of the phrase “you can’t go home again” while I was searching the Google Map. So very true. But, you can think back to those times, and even make them a bit better if you want.
I would like to clarify a bit what I mean between professional and consumer products. In this little scribble I rode my bike, the original one my parents gave me, several miles each day, starting with the morning paper which filled saddle bags, a handle bar bag and one over my shoulder, on Sundays I would do that twice due to the size of the papers and fillers. Then there would be the usual Friday collecting payments. My route was one of the largest in the Detroit region. I also rode to school, about a mile each way, along with after school things. The heavy duty bikes of the era, late fifties and early sixties, were beasts, but, the next generation of lighter weight yet almost heavy duty bikes were out. My original bike split at the frame to fork making it unusable, so I walked it to the bike store and got the bad news that it was dead. I remember the one I bought was about seventy five dollars. That would be seven hundred dollars today. I paid cash. Pro gear can be costly, but it is designed for the job.
Just like RR did in building her bank roll, I did the paper route, worked at a veterinarian office, and baby sitting. Somewhere I still have my tax papers from back then. Paper delivery was, and still is, a profession. Saturday mornings we would meet with the handler to turn in our collections and get our pay. Afterwards we would go to a restaurant for breakfast, it was a morning paper so our work day started before five am. Oh, if we had people not paying we had to cover those until we got payment, something to harden a thirteen year old.
Pogo, Russia is Israel’s biggest supplier of oil and gas.
It’s astonishing how Western Europe, Israel, India, many others became so dependent on Russian oil and gas without a plan B. That’s really hampering things these days.
Obviously Israel cannot get their energy supply from Iran or Saudi Arabia, so they’re in a tough spot
Poobah, if things continue to heat up and Putin makes the grievous mistake of stepping into NATO dirt, Israel might need to pick a horse. Of course as you noted, replacing their source of oil and gas considering who they are surrounded by might be easier said than done.
A little bit of Lubbock history.
https://gothamist.com/news/activists-protest-russian-oil-tankers-as-they-idle-at-new-york-area-ports
“Members from Greenpeace boarded two small boats Sunday to confront the Minerva Virga, a massive tanker carrying crude oil from Russia, as it anchored off the coast of Rockaway. The vessel is among dozens of oil and gas tankers that have discharged Russian-linked fuel in the United States…”
“A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that their presence does not violate President Biden’s March 8 ban on Russian energy – which gave companies until April 22 to wind down deliveries.”
“We see the cycle of fossil fuel dependency and what it means for human rights abuses and ecological collapse,” said John Noel, a senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace.”
“Since Biden’s announcement, at least two tankers carrying hundreds of thousands of barrels of gasoline have discharged their product at New Jersey ports owned by Kinder Morgan, a Houston-based pipeline operator…”
“In recent weeks, tankers carrying Russian oil have encountered stiff resistance by dockworkers, who have refused to offload cargo in the United Kingdom, Canada, and along much of the West Coast of the U.S. It was unclear if similar efforts were planned for future discharges in the New York and New Jersey ports.”
“The sanctions have also created possible loopholes for exporters. Much of the crude oil that comes to the United States from Kazakhstan passes through a pipeline that connects to a Russian hub, where it is blended with a small amount of Russian oil…”
“While some buyers have reportedly avoided products from the pipeline, others, such as Chevron, have argued that oil originating in Kazakhstan does not violate the U.S. ban.”
I’m sorry but that’s conflating two issues – the cycle of fossil fuel dependency and the boycott of Russian oil. One involves a lengthy process and the other a rapid one. Our dependence on Russian oil and gas is a small percentage of our oil consumption and ending it immediately or over the next month won’t kill Russia’s carbon industry or move us to either energy independence or rapid conversion from fossil fuels.