Do you see those six joist hangers? Look at the three that have lost all of their protective zinc coating.
About five years ago I went on my first, and probably last, cruise. I was on the Norwegian Dawn that embarked from Boston
headed for Bermuda.
Late in the cruise on the way back to Boston, I attended a talk given by the ship's captain and his top two officers. When asked why crew members were painting parts of the ship's hull during the cruise, the captain replied in a thick Scandinavian accent, "The sea EATS iron and men."
How much of your high school chemistry do you recall? The
salts in seawater are very corrosive to steel and iron. Seawater that leaches copper from treated lumber creates a very powerful brew that rots unprotected iron.
How thick is the metal used to make joist hangers? How long have those joist hangers been rusting? What's the condition of the nails used to secure the hangers to the treated lumber? Do you think the joist hangers made today are better protected from corrosion than the ones made
thirty years ago? What about the fasteners used thirty years ago?
Sue was asking me to jump into the frey and pick a side.
Whose side would you be on? Would you hire the structural engineer Sue talked with to design something for you? Do you think the building inspector was being too tough? What about that local contractor? Would you hire him to build a deck for
you?
I responded to Sue within an hour. I let her know her situation was extremely dangerous. I pleaded with her to jump on a phone call with m. That call might cost each condo
owner $1. I pointed out my expert-witness experience letting her know that she, as president, was now in a precarious position.
Her decision would affect the health and well-being of other condo residents. She, as the condo president, was now aware of a life-safety situation and her failure to make the RIGHT DECISION could make her liable in
case someone gets hurt or dies in a deck collapse.
I never heard from Sue. I even emailed her back a second time suggesting she was about to make a serious mistake. No response...
Such a sad mistake.
If you live in Brewster, MA in a condo or know of someone who does, find out if it's the same condo
development as Sue's. If so, you, or that person, better take action.
I had a very similar situation unfold two years ago. I was hired by a small condo association in Portsmouth, NH just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Part of my inspection revealed rusted natural gas pipes under the exterior decks. The residents, even though they walked past them all the time going in and out of
the basement, were oblivious to the danger.
The exposed pipe threads, where metal has been cut away to create the threads, could have ruptured if they were bumped. This might allow gas to escape which then could seep into the building and explode.
The smart condo owners followed my
advice and painted the pipes within days. They also took action on all the other things that needed attention.
Sticky Burrs
Last week I made a mistake. In the last issue, I said the Federal Reserve was a private company. It is but it isn't - you'll discover more about this in a moment.
I mentioned the Fed after suggesting you gift real silver dollars as Christmas presents. I get mine from a small family business, Colorado Gold.
Here's what Jim sent. I think you'll agree that Jim takes issue with
me talking about how you're played all the time if you get your news from certain media outlets. I can tell you for a fact that many lie to you each day because the tell you half-truths:
"Tim, your note says explicitly that "The Federal Reserve is a private company". Many times, you also write that a half truth is a whole lie.
So, do a ChatGPT query (or Google query) and ask if the federal reserve is a private company. You'll find out that no, it is not. It was created by congress in 1913. It is not owned by anyone. It is directly accountable to congress. What about the federal reserve banks? They are quasi-private, but even they are not truly private companies. For example, although they have "stock" owners, those folks do not have the typical control over
the bank. Here's the source you should know: https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_14986.htm.
Consistency is required for truth to be truth. Do
you want to be a truth teller? Then, don't tell half-truths."
It's a damn good thing I was not drinking anything while reading Jim's email. I might have choked from laughing so hard. Let's unpack Jim's response.
I feel it's a very valuable teaching moment.
- Using Google or ChatGPT can be extremely dangerous. I
shared nearly a year ago how ChatGPT is extremely unreliable and it LIES. Go here and scroll down the page to see an example of how ChatGPT makes things up.
- Google does not put the best information for you at the top of its organic
search results. Google stuffs page-one search results with websites that align with its ideology. It places results in positions #1,2,& 3 that make the most money for its shareholders. WATCH THIS VIDEO to see how
Google is misleading (misinformation / disinformation) you every day about EVERYTHING.
- The Federal Reserve is a cartel of private banks that operates under the protection of the Federal Government. The government has given it a monopoly to create the USA's money supply.
- The Federal Reserve was created under extreme secrecy by the top bankers and power brokers. They met on Jekyll Island off the coast of
Georgia in the early 1900s. READ THIS BOOK to discover many facts about the Federal Reserve.
- The Federal Reserve is not a government agency.
- The Federal Reserve is not a private corporation - its' a
hybrid. WATCH THIS VIDEO to start to grasp what the Federal Reserve is, how it was created by private individuals in complete secrecy, and how you and I are being robbed by the Federal Reserve.
- For the love of God, if you want to
find out ALL THE FACTS - the WHOLE TRUTH as Jim lectures me about - the LAST PLACE to go to is the cartel! Go up and look at the URL that Jim suggested I visit. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!
If you want to understand how the Federal Reserve, in partnership with the Federal Government, is STEALING your money each year via an invisible insidious tax (inflation), I BEG YOU TO WATCH THIS VIDEO.
Merry
Christmas, Jim! Thanks for pointing out my mistake.