Author: Kim du Toit

About Those Tariffs…

Business, Numbers & Statistics, Trumpism

…from a guy who’s had many years’ experience in the field:

“The tariffs are only in the cost of goods. They’re not on the retail price. So you put a tariff on the cost of the goods of 20%, it doesn’t mean the retail price goes up by 20%, not unless you can buy everything at a cost somewhere. Additionally, when they put tariffs on toys back in the first Trump administration, studies show 87% of the increase was borne by the Chinese manufacturers. China has a huge toy industry and they have everything to gain and nothing to lose by keeping the sale rather than have it moved to America, like a lot of it will do. Additionally, there are substitute products, you know, products that you can sell that are made in the U.S. instead of differences, promote those. And then, of course, there will be transfers, some sales to the U.S.”

“I think people are hysterical. It’s not nearly the magnitude of what they’re talking about.”

Yeah, of course.  Internet economists, mostly relying on journalists’ “expertise” for their prognoses… what could possibly go wrong?

Listen to the guys with experience.  Nine times out of ten, that experience will beat academic theory like an old carpet.

Unequal Treatment

Foreign Affairs, Qantas, Travels, Two-Minute Hate

I see that OzPM Anthony “Commie Rat” Albanese has invited President Trump to visit that mouse-infested shithole of a country.

Of course, the POTUS wouldn’t experience anything like the Kafka-esque nightmare of trying to visit Strylia that ensnares ordinary folks (like me) — no “visitor’s visa” necessary for him, oh no — and of course he has his own airliner to get there which means he doesn’t have to endure the total assholiness of Qantarse (see here and here, for just two reasons never to fly on their poxy airline).

I don’t see that there’s much benefit for Trump to go there, anyway — especially as their governing political party are a bunch of steaming Commies who make our Democrats look like ultra-capitalists by comparison.

Fukkem.

Quote Of The Day

QOTD, Travels

From SOTI:

“The secret to Paris is to go to any of the major sites, turn around, and walk 45 minutes in the opposite direction.  Paris becomes absolutely lovely.”

Couldn’t agree more.  One of the highlights of one of my trips to Paris was walking from the Louvre / Palais Royal to our apartment on the Place de la Bastille, all the way along the Rue de Rivoli / Rue Ste-Antoine.

Of course, the above were taken with Google maps, during the summer.  I was there in December, so the streets looked nothing like this. Here’s the Place de la Bastille as it actually was:
Yeah, something about “witch’s tit cold” comes to mind…

Random Totty

Gratuitous Chick Pics

Seems as though every time I post a pic of a slender women, there are a  jillion  couple of comments about feeding the poor starving girl a pasta dinner or two.

Well, today’s totty doesn’t need any of that.  Her name is Rasha Kirmani, and she’s apparently quite popular in India and online.  Enjoy.

Keeping It Dry

House & Home, The Gun Thing

I thought everyone knew this:

You’ve probably never given much thought to silica gel packets beyond noting that they’re a mild inconvenience. 

The tiny white packets are often included by brands in deliveries of shoes and bags – and we typically throw them out without a second thought upon arrival. 

But the silica gel packets contain tiny beans of solid silicon dioxide, a desiccant or drying agent, which means they can absorb up to 40 per cent of their weight in water. 

Silica gel can protect items from moisture and keep them dry, so can be a useful solution in areas such as the kitchen sink or bathroom cabinet to stave off mold.

Never mind that sink or bathroom nonsense;  I must have dozens of these scattered around in my gun safes and sundry gun bags, all collected from various packages and such.  Because:

 

…and I apologize most sincerely for any distress the above pictures may have caused.