JustPlainBill at Substack,

after my latest:

Higher oil process “caused in part by WESTERN SANCTIONS RESPONDING TO Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” And whenever good regime stenographers mention “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” they always make certain to include the adjective “unprovoked.” As with all propaganda, repetition is essential.

Speaking of affordable accommodations in Asia, I can certainly vouch for Taipei. Just a few years ago, we negotiated a month-long stay at a tourist hotel for around $2K. It was well worth it, with all the modern amenities like wifi and a big screen TV, and the room rate included a very good free breakfast buffet every day. There is plenty to see, and street markets and food everywhere. (The night market in Shilin is amazing.) Public transportation is excellent and safe, and if you feel the need to get out of the crowded city for awhile, a short bus ride will take you up to wide open places like Yangming Mountain, along the north coast, or even farther if you are so inclined.

I assume that your interest in seeing those US cities you listed is motivated at least in part by a desire to see how much each has changed since your last visit. Here in California, most of the larger cities like LA, Fresno, Stockton, and SF have numerous areas littered with tents—they have literally become campgrounds. We make it to LA two or three times a year, and it seems like it is worse every time.

It is especially said to see Portland, which we visit once a year to see my daughter and our friends. We lived there in the mid-1990s, and when my work took me elsewhere, I was sorry to leave. But seeing what it has become since then is sad (to say the least), and I wouldn’t move back there now.

Even our modest California burg tucked in here on the coast hours away from major population centers has its cast of desperates. They are all camped out next to the highway along a drainage ditch that runs along the right-of-way. This is one relatively recent feature of the new America. It used to be necessary to drive into the seedier commercial districts near-the city center to survey this part of the population. Nowadays you don’t even have to leave the freeway. If you are anywhere near a populated area, you can see these campgrounds in every right-of-way and under every overpass. A couple of years ago, I even saw a major tent city plunked directly on the pavement on a fenced-off portion of a permanently unfinished highway transition ramp.

To close on a lighter note, that is quite a sidecar in your first photograph. If the owner built it himself, I’d say he’s quite a craftsman.