For the first time in five months, I found Clorox disinfecting wipes in a store. The shelf space for it had been barren all that time. Where there had once been hundreds available in Regular, Lemon, Sea Breeze, and Eau de Wombat for all I know, there had been none. But they finally got some in and six were available. I nabbed two, leaving the rest for the next people lucky enough to find some, the difference between prepping and hoarding.

Our electric oven/stove finally died. It had been sick for a while. The stove worked fine, but the oven was coming up to temp inconsistently. Sometimes just fine, others it would struggle for an hour to make it to 350°F. More than one technician worked on it. The second guy said parts were needed, three different circuit boards. Two were delivered a few days later, the third is no longer being made. When the two were installed, zap!, dead oven/stove. Old ones put back in, still dead. So the technicians who showed up to do their mojo on a sick but partially functioning patient ended up killing it. Let me speak to your manager…

We searched online and found several possible replacement appliances that had the functions we wanted, but all of them were currently out of stock. More in stock August 18! Is it just the particular items we were looking at, or are consumer durables like large appliances also experiencing supply chain issues? Right now we’re cooking with the grill on the back deck and a couple of electric griddles. First World problems.

The super geniuses in Washington DC are working on the next round of coronavirus relief/stimulus and, as usual, it’s a fustercluck. The Republicans just released their plan, which was immediately attacked by Republicans. They can’t even agree among themselves, let alone find common ground with Democrats. Pretty much everybody agrees that there should be another round of $1,200 checks: Trump, most Republicans in Congress (a few want a smaller amount or none at all), most Democrats (a few want a larger amount). A supermajority agrees on $1,200 but rather than passing that as a clean bill, it’s glommed onto a bigger package that they’ll fight over for weeks, as millions of people face eviction.

Coronavirus News and Analysis:

The New Normal: How Coronavirus Will Change The Next Five Years

A troubling pandemic thought: Are THESE the good old days?

…a not-too-distant future where we’ll all look back with nostalgia at 2020 as a time when most of us had plenty of food and wine, could get many of the goods and services we needed, and could work from home at jobs that still paid us. “These times we’re in right now — perilous as they are — will soon be looked back on fondly as ‘the good old days.’ Prepare accordingly,” tweeted Columbia University philosopher Rory Varrato.

Dollar’s Role as World Reserve Currency Is at Risk

The greenback faces several risks, including that the U.S. Federal Reserve may shift toward an ‘inflationary bias,’ a rise in political uncertainty and growing concerns surrounding another spike in coronavirus infections in the country… They added that the debt buildup as a result of the pandemic may lead to debasement fears.

The millions 'hanging by a thread' as coronavirus aid expires

We Are On Our Own In The Post-Covid World: It's time to be our own heroes, because those in charge sure won't be

…the very highest income earners have a lower effective tax rate than anybody else in the nation.  Billionaire Warren Buffett famously pays a lower rate than his secretary. Goldman Sachs bankers are taxed more favorably than their Uber drivers. Again, this isn’t happening by accident. And it reveals that, despite the fiction of fairness and freedom, America’s true values and priorities are aimed at funneling more and more of its wealth to in the pockets of an elite few. Said another way: The final looting operation has begun.

States are warning people about suspicious packages of seeds that appear to be from China

Masks May Reduce Viral Dose

Trump’s Private Army Is Scarier Than You Think

Anybody remember when Kodak was a film company?

^{Badge thanks to @arcange}