Debt Rattle April 21 2022
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V.P.:
I guess that means no Ceasars or Russian salad dressing?
P.S. During my first trip to the USSR, in 1983, I stayed at Hammer’s Occidential hotel in Moscow, waiting for my KJB escort to my Siberian coal mine. The hotel had this rather fancy restaurant, actually the only restaurant, where one could get a bite to eat.
My main memory of this restaurant was it’s rather large and fancy red and gold ⁸leather bound menu of at least 20 pages, with each page at least 14″ long. I can say this was the most elaborate restaurant food menu I ever encountered in my 8 years of world travels.
Selecting what to eat was a very time consuming and exhausting affair. There were so many choices to choose from! After intially deciding what I wanted to eat, I motioned the waiter over, he appropriately dressed to the 9. For salad, I indicated my choice. The waiter sadly shook his head and said nyet. So quickly looking over the menu again, I selected a second salad choice. Nyet. A third salad pick. Nyet. A fourth choice. Nyet. A fifth choice. Nyet. No salad? Da.
Disappointed after having my worker’s paradise initial expectations set so high, I moved onto my main course pick. Nyet. A second choice. Nyet. A third choice. Nyet. A fourth. Nyet. A fifth. Nyet. O.K. I am a slow learner! Finally I said O.K. what do you have? The waiter pointed and I said Da!
Each time thereafter, the waiter, going through the motions, would handed me the world’s biggest empty restaurant menu! I simply then asked what did they have and ordered it!
Believer it or not, this remains one of many cherished and amusing highlights of my time in Russia! It was a worker’s paradise narrative that would repeat itself over and over again! It never failed to disappoint me!
A beautifully sad ballad of the Rus
Oh, the sons of the Prophet are hardy and grim
And quite unaccustomed to fear
But none were so reckless of life or of limb
As Abdulla Bulbul Ameer.
When they wanted a man to encourage the van
Or to harass the foe in the rear
Or to take a redoubt they would always send out
For Abdulla Bulbul Ameer.There are heroes in plenty, and well known to fame
In the ranks of the cold Northern Star,
But the bravest by far in the ranks of the Czar
Was Count Ivan Skavinsky Skivar.
He could imitate Toole, play Euchre and Pool
And perform on the Spanish guitar.
In fact quite the cream of the Muscovite team
Was Ivan Skavinsky Skivar.One morning the Russian had shouldered his gun
And assumed his most truculent sneer
And was walking down town when he happened to run
Into Abdulla Bulbul Ameer.
“Young man,” says Bulbul, “can your life be so dull
That you’re anxious to end your career?—
For, infidel, know—you have trod on the toe
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer”.“Take your ultimate look upon sunshine and brook,
Make your latest remarks on the war;
Which I mean to imply you’re going to die,
Mr. Count Cask-o-whisky Cigar.”
Said the Russian, “My friend, my remarks in the end
Would avail you but little, I fear,
For you’ll never survive to repeat them alive,
Mr. Abdulla Bulbul Ameer.”Then the bold Mameluke drew his trusty chiboque
And shouted “Il Allah Akbar”
And being intent upon slaughter, he went
For Ivan Skavinsky Skivar.
But just as his knife had abstracted his life
(In fact he was shouting “Huzza!”)
He felt himself struck by that subtle Calmuck,
Count Ivan Skavinsky Skivar.The Consul drove up in his red-crested fly
To give the survivor a cheer,
He arrived just in time to exchange a goodbye
With Abdulla Bulbul Ameer.
And Skobeleff, Gourko and Gorsechekoff too
Drove up on the Emperor’s car
But all they could do was cry “och-whilliloo!”
With Ivan Skavinsky Skivar.There’s a grave where the waves of the Blue Danube roll,
And on it in characters clear
Is: “Stranger, remember to pray for the soul
Of Abdulla Bulbul Ameer.”
A Muscovite maiden her vigil doth keep
By the light of the true lover’s star
And the name that she murmurs so sadly in sleep
Is Ivan Skavinsky Skivar.V Arnold asked:
Food prices are going bezerk in the USA…
I wonder how much of this is real versus a contrived crisis?Funny you should ask. I read this article a few hours ago and immediately started thinking Wall Street Insiders.
Several very large food processing plants in the US have blown up/burned down in the past few days
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