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band director:
I need a pair of Conn sousaphone tuning bits...

me:
To the best of my knowledge, just about everyone is out of them. Conn-Selmer and the big parts jobber certainly don't have any. I know of one retailer who has them, they are a thousand miles from here, and (quite understandably) are charging premium prices.

band director:
...tomorrow.

me:
Well...

band director:
Do you - at least have ONE...??

me:
Not really, but I have the BACK end of a trashed Jupiter bit, and the FRONT-end of a trashed Conn bit. The Jupiter bits are silver-brazed (requires tremendous heat to free their components from each other (at JUST the right temperature range - in order to avoid literally burning it up) - and the Jupiter female connector is a FULL 1/16" LARGER than the insertion end of the Conn mouthpiece-receiving half, but ...OK...Let me see what I can do. IF (??) I can rig up ~A~ bit for you, you can HAVE it - but I'll need you to send someone to fetch it...

We do the best we can with what we’ve got...

Those who have not noticed that we are now very clearly a "third world country" must have all senses shut down. I am delighted that I can still buy the groceries I want, from a chain that only supplies certified organic produce and no GMO-fed animal products. I realize that could disappear at any time, because unfortunately none of it is produced locally, because we don't grow that stuff in the desert, pretty much.
I keep a pretty good stock of those things I find necessities for my health and welfare, including clean water, but realize there may be a time in the not distant future when I will have used those up out of inability to get them in the "market."

I would have probably been willing to run that bit over to that school, were it that the gasoline still only cost $3 for the round trip rather than 8.

Maybe if those dang kids would stop losing the bits every year...

The difference is that 2nd world countries just can't get them. We used to get them just fine, but our society is filled with apathy and a disposable/replaceable/not-my-problem mindset, and it's catching up to us quick.

I still see problem as parents. And probably their parents, which is pretty close to my generation. Wanted to give the kids everything they never had, and look at what we ended up with two generations later. Nobody can think, nobody can do arithmetic in his/her head, they don't even know what real food is, and -- etc.
I have become SUCH a curmudgeon and getting worse. I better just put the rocking chair on the porch and go sit in it.

Mary Ann wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 1:34 pm I still see problem as parents. And probably their parents, which is pretty close to my generation. Wanted to give the kids everything they never had, and look at what we ended up with two generations later. Nobody can think, nobody can do arithmetic in his/her head, they don't even know what real food is, and -- etc.
I have become SUCH a curmudgeon and getting worse. I better just put the rocking chair on the porch and go sit in it.

You nailed it. Got an extra rocking chair?
Ace

Mary Ann wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 1:34 pm I still see problem as parents. And probably their parents, which is pretty close to my generation. Wanted to give the kids everything they never had, and look at what we ended up with two generations later. Nobody can think, nobody can do arithmetic in his/her head, they don't even know what real food is, and -- etc.
I have become SUCH a curmudgeon and getting worse. I better just put the rocking chair on the porch and go sit in it.

You nailed it. Got an extra rocking chair?
Ace

We don't have sousaphone bits because of societal dysfunction? I am not that familiar with the industry, but it seems to me there might be a simpler explanation, that has to do more with corporate suits than parents.

I would add that the band directors, as the consumer of these items, would seem to bear some responsibility, to direct their purchases towards corporations that are more reliably responsive to their needs ... but I'm guessing the suits already won that one, by concentrating the industry so there's no significant choice in that direction.

I pulled up my rocking chair five and a half years ago, but I am nicer than most:

You don't HAVE to get off my lawn, but I'd appreciate it dearly if you would.

Someone I know was BOASTING on her LinkedIn page that she has accounting students do some coloring before class (to reduce students' stress)and uses origami and legos to teach cost accounting.
I can just imagine the coloring rooms at every major accounting firm during tax season.
"Higher" Education is a cesspool these days; I'm so glad I got out before they tried to make me use lego blocks to teach statistics.

donn wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 5:15 pm We don't have sousaphone bits because of societal dysfunction? I am not that familiar with the industry, but it seems to me there might be a simpler explanation, that has to do more with corporate suits than parents.

The problem is "farming out such an important component to a small shop with an aging owner", while ignoring the fact that - not only is that shop owner aging, but - there are some rumors of them retiring (and the manufacturer of most of the rest of the product shrugging their shoulders).

societal...?? ABSOLUTELY.

Most (and not just 51%) people who do plumbing/electrical/hvac/etc./etc./etc. (stuff that matters) are either well into their 50's or at-or-beyond retirement age.

I just watched a news video of a 4-star general being questioned about scholarship set-asides for some sort of gender. When questioned further, the 4-star general admitted that he had no idea what the gender-name defined, but only knew that money was being set aside for people of that specific gender name to go to school for free..."military"...?? "defense"...?? controlled spending...?? accountability...??

collapse...?? We're experiencing it. Band instruments - completely agree - don't matter. "Going to five large stores, today, and not finding ANY bleach for sale (along with several other basic consumables/foods/sundries) on any of their shelves..." (yeah...that strongly hints at an emerging collapse...along with the fact that - those whose eyes are open, and have the wherewithall - are leaving cities (or - at least - leaving farther-collapsed cities and migrating to cities in earlier stages of collapse.

those who can't/wont' see any of this: "three monkeys" cultists



=========================================

a movie made during the nuclear scare era - supposedly taking place just post WWIII...(a movie which most people view as nothing more than a "nuclear scare" movie), yet the story of the advancing radiation was actually symbolic...



...One of the submarine crewmen got off the submarine and went back into his highly-radioactive hometown (I'm thinking: NYC) looking for signs of life (as the sub had picked up a radio signal which later proved to be automated. He knew he would die if he stayed there, but realized that - regardless of how far he fled - the radioactivity (symbolic for societal collapse) would come soon, anyway...so he decided to stay there, and die sooner.

I do note that the person who thinks it is not societal seems to have left the country. Do I see a conflict here? "Nope, it's not bad, but I'm leaving for somewhere not at all like here." I could afford to go there too -- but I would rather stay and support the people where I am as much as possible. Stupid? Maybe, but not self-centered.

Yes

What I can make of that:

• There's a shortage of workers in the trades. Reasons for that are speculative, but I think if you look at apprenticeship data, it will show increase, so the situation could get better. The demographics don't seem super scary - people retiring today at 65 were born in '58, which I believe is toward the tail of any baby boom. (By the way, it's a fairly noticeable problem in Portugal, but maybe worse because the wages for labor of any kind are so much better in other parts of Europe, that the work force is off dealing with Switzerland et al.'s demographic problems.)
• Clorox is short because their computers were damaged in a "cyber attack."

bloke wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 5:31 pm The problem is "farming out such an important component to a small shop with an aging owner", while ignoring the fact that - not only is that shop owner aging, but - there are some rumors of them retiring (and the manufacturer of most of the rest of the product shrugging their shoulders).

If this means that Selmer or whatever they call themselves made some poor industrial decisions (their sousaphone bits are made by this small shop?) There's your suits. That's been bad for half a century - American industry was running itself into the ground by the '70s. It has nothing obvious to do with the demographic and other issues that are giving us trouble today.

It's nice in Portugal - mild, sunny weather, lots of fish, etc. If anyone's thinking that here's a part of the world that has been spared from the excessive generosity and tolerance that has spoiled the US - ha ha ha - it's Europe. I was looking at California, but property too expensive for me. And to be honest, sure, the political climate in the US is kind of appalling.

What did I say about "demographics"? (a word which hints at race)

Why must everything be assumed to be about race?

Industrial decline is - clearly - one of the main factors in social decline (as well as actual social security)...along with academia, media, officials and bureaucrats purveying nonsense - and too many people buying into the purveyed nonsense.

Western continental Europe - since the late 40's (ok...if you count the warmongering - the late teens and the early 40's as well) - has been propped up by the USA - via a virtually free defense...as well as some other countries elsewhere. This is partially what has lead to American bankruptcy (which is being wallpapered over with printing presses - until the day/minute/hour that dollars are no longer accepted by anyone), and a great deal of what has transformed so many western Europeans into Eloi. The word "unsustainable" comes to mind. It seems to me that those who only have a few years left to live - as well as those who've already completely lived their lives - are the really lucky ones.

I’m not quite here yet, but maybe one day, when I’ve run out of money and life seems hopeless.

I’d like my last words to be telling off a Commie!

bloke wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 9:06 am What did I say about "demographics"? (a word which hints at race)

Demographics hints at the baby boom. Many baby boomers recently retired. That has a lot to do with shortages of experienced trades workers etc.

not really..."baby boom" connotates across-the-board population growth