Interesting, if you like reason

Sights that make you snarl....

Look, I know I spend too much time dwelling on the negative.

It's hard not to when the world seems to be populated with people who need 72 hours of proctology exams by rabid orangutans armed with dull shovels.

See thumper the wonder jerk there in the blue shirt? He initiated this particular post by tossing trash on the floor as he walked past us at Cabelas.

Look at this picture of the chaos left behind by uncaring semi-human scum masquerading as shoppers....

I know there is so much good in people.... but sometimes it's just buried too far under the crap to be worth digging it out.

Mr. blue shirt is a lawyer looking dude from New Yawk, by his accent. I hope the world treats him just slightly better than he treats the world.

Only.... slightly.

Why no posts lately?

I mentioned a few days back... that I might be slacking off on posting.
To explain in terms everyone can understand.....

I am a teacher, mostly of high school seniors. The first day of this school year was Monday four days past. All 52 (plus a few extra) of my darling angels arrived to a binder of work waiting at their assigned seat.

An example of what I demand of them.... and myself: They were to have handed me today two essays each on specific questions related to our program and their reasons for being there. 52 students handed me two pages of hand written essays each. I took a math class once, so I feel qualified to estimate I have on the desk in front of me 104 pages of essay to read in the next 48 hours.

104 hand written essays produced by teenage products of our modern educational system, which demands nothing nor expects anything of it's students.

In addition, 52 questionnaires, 52 facility maps, 52 safety diagrams.......

Tylenol and a diet Pepsi, please........

Some bright points..... I have read that our program was chosen because it has a reputation for being 'tough'. YES! Score one for the team!
I also read from a student that he has automotive experience because he's installed a "Cow induction hood" on his S-10 pickup truck.
Instantly a mental picture formed of this truck driving through pastures, sucking up poor unsuspecting bovines as it went. MOOOOooooo. I snorted coffee through my nose. That was interesting...

A not so bright point..... one of the 'adult' students (19 yo) foisted on us in a money making endeavor has managed (in a four day school week) to miss one day totally, arrive late twice, ask to leave early once and be denied, and just plain leave early today. All this while managing to produce no grade-able task work at all. Nice..... very nice...... such a great example of humanity for my real students. I suspect his financial aid will survive neither his attendance nor his grade. Momma ain't gonna be happy with him...... again.

It's 12:30 in the morning, I've put in about fifty hours in the last four days, and I'm going to join my lovely bride in repose.

Good night all, and don't worry about tomorrow. It'll be just fine.

Well, here's something to smile about

A Reuters article......

I have accounted for my share.... now how do we reach those few Americans who haven't gotten their piece of the pie?

This is.... disquieting.....

I'm not a big fan of protests, but I think I understand the right to do so is important.
It's about free speech and government control. A hall mark of a government that's no longer in the business of serving and protecting it's citizens is the destruction of free speech, especially protest speech.

The point at which a government decided it's citizens must be muzzled, that point is where revolutions often start.

Understanding that, the recent events in Canada are deeply troubling.
During some international meeting full of big wig hot air salesmen (politicians), there were peaceful protests planned. Seems the police decided these people should not be allowed to speak, and since they could not take action against peaceful protests, they tried to arrange a situation where they could take action.

It very much appears the police planted officers amongst the protesters with the intent of simulating violent actions, allowing the riot equipped officers to move in and crack some load mouthed civilian heads.... What fun!

I guess the police did not count on having their officers outed, on camera, for all the world to see, before they had a chance to start the violence. Watching the video, we see the unarmed protesters telling the scheming planted officers to put down the rocks they were holding.

This could have turned out far worse, I think.......

The actions themselves are very, very troubling. While I have little faith in any government to act with honor, this attempt to incite violence sets a very low point to the usually civil Canadian political scene.

Here's a site which discusses it, and here's the video taken at the scene.



The situation also points out the new era we live in, where official wrong doing is becoming very difficult to get away with. It's becoming an all or nothing deal..... either the system has free speech and a government that can't fart and get away with it, or it's China and they just shoot anyone who disagrees with the government in public.

"Whatcha making for lunch Dad"

Dad: "Today, I am making STUFF"
Kid: "Really? ..... MOM! Dad is making STUFF again!"
Mom: "Tell him not to ruin the pan!"

'Stuff' is a Dad code word for 'Experiment'.

Stuff usually turns out good, but it's never too predictable.

Today, stuff turned out to be:

A bed of golden hash browns with fresh ground pepper, upon which has been spooned BBQ beef salsa chili with bacon and red kidney beans.

I got a small plate full.

There is none left.

I guess stuff worked out Ok again.

Ok, last one..... How to break a tank, hard

BWahahahahahaha.......

Tanks!

Your welcome.....

What would you do?

I was reading through this mess..... mostly because I am tired, bored, and feel like something the dog dragged in. Probably allergies.

Anyway... the story struck a chord.

Long ago I made the decision to stop taking crap from all powerful schmucks and companies with no idea what consumer relations are about, let alone honesty.

What would you do if you were walking out of a store and somebody demanded to see a receipt? How about if one of the door alarm buzzers goes off?

My decision.... a polite request will be answered politely, and probably complied with as long as it's polite and respectful.

Impolite? Lack of respect? Demanding? Here we go!!!

I do not stop for door alarms, nor has anyone ever asked me too. Nobody has ever chased me out into a parking lot either. I have talked with store clerks who explain this simply..... the alarm is wrong 90% of the time,and they have no power to detain anyone anyway (nor desire).

I have made the conscious decision that an impolite demand will be dealt with by an order to get out of my way. An improper response will be dealt with by calling the police. An attempt at physical restraint will be judged an assault and I will defend myself with appropriate force as necessary, while my cell phone is open and on-line with the 911 operator if I can help it.

I've thought this out in advance, so I don't have to be unprepared later.

Am I a nightmare to have as a consumer? Only for some very few retailers and services. Surprisingly few. Most places I deal with are happy to see me and I treat employees very well.

That's not to say I haven't reduced the stray K-mart manager to tears when needed, but it's actually very rare.

What about you?

This is interesting.........

Not a real big Jon Stewart fan, but this interview is interesting.


Found on Small Wars Journal..............

Ready..... I think

Today, spent the last of 26 unpaid hours getting my class space ready.

Ok, not unpaid, but certainly not contracted. I guess that makes them unpaid, but I lump it all in together. I am paid X per year to do X job to the best of my abilities. Maybe the union (strange allies) and the administration (axis of evil) had other words in mind when they haggled out the contract, but that's how I look at it. Not 'Good enough'..... but 'The best it I can do'.

Most of the other instructors see it that way as well. I wasn't alone in school yesterday and today. It was humming with teachers working 'for free', as it were.
Nobody said anything about that.... we were all focused like hounds on a scent.

I spent another 2.5 hours cleaning up after the 'adult' evening class instructor. 'Adult', as in probably potty trained, but just barely. He left several transmissions and most of a Toyota's engine guts laying across our work benches, with assorted puddles and piles strewn amongst, around, under, and on said car guts.

I dragged a big trash can over to the first bench, nosed it under the edge, and began a very satisfying arm sweep. I actually had the main bearing caps sliding over the bench, joining with timing parts and rocker arms, all headed for the dismal abyss. It was just so right..... and I was feeling a swell of manic joy as the parts journeyed to their new, and last, resting place.....

And..... I stopped.

I was trying so hard to be cruel, mean, and above all serve the cause of true justice. I have cleaned up this man's crap so often it's almost become an obsession. When I come in to school the days after his class, I allow extra time to document the damage, photograph the destruction, and clean up before my own students arrive. (School admin does nothing, even when faced with thousands in documented thefts).

All that..... and I could not trash the parts to the car. If I did that it would never go back together. I had no idea who's car it was, although I'm 96% sure it's his, (captain crap head). As satisfying and right it would be to trash the stuff he's once again left strewn across our carefully cleaned and maintained lab area, I could not. It would have been unprofessional, and a bad example to my students.

Damnation! Hellfire!

I boxed it up and placed it on shelves, marked as to contents. That did not feel satisfying.

I hope he leaves his car around, so I can shove a dead mackerel in a baggy under the back seat. THAT would be the right thing to do.

That fun aside, we are about ready. I wish I had taken photos.... the shop is beautiful, if a tech school lab can be called that. Everything looks as clean as you wished your favorite restaurant's kitchen was. The floor shines, after five rounds with a floor scrubbing machine and two rinse cycles. Each of the 52 student seats has a binder stuffed with work waiting.... each has a name card welcoming a student home. College level text books are piled, to be issued first day. Safety gear is binned, to be handed out the first hour. Signs are posted to guide lost students to their goal.....

We are ready.... and it all begins Monday. Nine months of carefully controlled headlong chaos. Nine months of working with 50+ high school seniors, each in their own world, each with different abilities, each their own learning modalities.

As another instructor put it.... some days we do it just to see the light bulbs.
The ones that go off inside the students eyes when they finally get it...

Do you know these men?

Well, do you know these men? The FBI would like to speak with them.

Now would be good.

Mention 'Washington Ferry' when you call them.

By the way.... the Washington state papers refused an FBI request to run the photo..... 'privacy concerns'.

Utter insanity with ties on.... Kid suspended for drawing a gun (as in crayons)

From the utterly brain dead files comes this recent story....

A thirteen year old boy is suspended from school for five days for drawing a doodle of a gun in class. The real kicker, and one that seems to keep getting dropped from the news stories..... it was during a school movie that showed.... GUNS.

I teach school, and have no problem understanding that folks who cinch up that tie real tight often loose brain cells to O2 deprivation, so maybe they will have some plausible defense when this reaches court. I fully expect the school district will get sued, and rightfully so.

If the district is like most, they will fight in court till they inevitably lose huge amounts of cash, which will get passed on to the tax payers, and will then offer up the teacher as weasel bait in a peace offering.

I have very little faith in most school administrators..... but this takes the cake.
I am all but speechless........ you can't make this crap up.

One article mentions the school admin now considers the case closed.....

BWAhahahahaha.... Sure.... Right.... they wish it was closed.

If I may be blunt... and I may.... Idiots like these cost tax payers fortunes and seriously hurt any chance of students getting a useful education.

It's sad to say, but I could sit here all night linking to articles about truly amazingly bad decisions by school administrations, and those are just the ones that make the news.

Parents, answer these questions honestly..... have you ever taken some time and closely looked at how your children's school is run? Have you ever attended a school board meeting? Have you ever dropped in unannounced and asked to observe you child in class? Have you ever really read the school rules?
Have you...... ever?

The fact that morons like this are in charge of schools should be no surprise. They slip in easily because people just can't be bothered to keep them out.

The really, seriously, overwhelmingly sad part of this.... so few parents actually care.

That rant all but over with, I'll say this, and not for fear of reprisal. (Shucks, reprisal from whom? Nobody reads this blog!) My own school admin is not entirely composed of idiots, morons, psychotics, and snakes. There are actually a few people there who give a (bleep) and try to do a good job for the students, and occasionally the faculty (even if by accident sometimes).

We've pulled kids back from the brink... many times. Sometimes the suits down front actually help. There are a lot of young people who lead better lives today because of the nine months they spent with us..... I believe that with all my heart.

Happy talk is now over, rant back on: The mouth breathers who suspended this boy need what should now happen to them. They need a year or two in court followed by public ridicule and a search for a new career.

I very much hope they get what they need, and I mean that in the nicest way.

This is SO wrong......

And I would probably sell my house to try it!

(Well, not sell.... but maybe rent out for a while...)

Trap shooting cars.

Just a quick note....

My web name reflects my profession, and school is back in session in a few days!

That means 70-80 hour weeks and not much time for blogging.

That said, I may find this to be an excellent way to vent, as so many do. On the other hand, I'll probably be so busy working for my kids that blogging will take a back seat.

We'll see!

My vague point here is..... if I'm not posting often, this is why. I did not fall off the planet..... just swamped with 52 sweet little angels and however many adult students they shove in my class this year.

That is all.....

And the Senator from Mexico rises in support of ......

Ok, one of my real crank-up issues are hypocrits. That is both good and bad. Good, because I can expect to be constantly inundated with excellent heart pumping emotional activity. Bad, because.... it will never end. Ever. Especially as long as politicians are around.

Today's little load of two faced merde comes by way of our southern neighbor.
Mexico's senate has declared us to be mean and cruel with regards to criminal's sneaking over our borders. You know, just plain nasty and unfriendly like.

They say our laws should not apply to Mexican criminals visiting our country without permission. They don't like our laws. Our laws are mean.

Hmm.... I have an idea! Lets just use Mexican immigration laws instead!

Oh, wait. It turns out that all those criminals sneaking over our border would also be criminals in Mexico for doing the same thing. In fact, Mexican law only allows a narrow spectrum of legal immigration, and common working people need not apply. They only want wealthy retired Americans, doctors, and rich investors. That's about it. All others need not bother. If the poor slobs do get caught sneaking into the wonderful land of dysentery....

Let's see..... how does Mexico treat those poor innocent folks sneaking into their country? Those hard working folks just looking a better life....

First offense: Two years in a Mexican prison, fines, and deportation.
Second offense: Ten years in prison, followed by beheading, which probably looks good after ten years in a Mexican prison.

Yup.... looks like the season for red faced cardio audio screaming at the computer screen will be a good one!!

Congressional approval ratings...... Oh My!

Ok, so I never paid too much attention to these polls. In fact, I never paid much attention to polls in any case. I always figured anyone bright enough to have a worthwhile opinion was probably too bright to talk to a pollster.

That said... Have you seen the 'polled' public opinion of congress?

Can you say..... tanksville?

Like one big collective raspberry to the bunch of political hacks working in the converted swamp called the District Of Columbia. Like someone just turned over the rock and found..... ewe.......


More striking to me, though is the chart showing Congress's approval rating over the last thirty years. Steadily under 50%. That means for over three decades the majority of Americans have not liked the job Congress is doing.

Frankly, If I spent any length of time at all doing something that the majority of my customers thought I really stank at, I'd find a new line of work.

It must take a very special kind of person to want that job......

Fred's laying it on the line again..... this time about gun control.

When have you read anything written by any of the current presidential candidates that tell you exactly what they think, without mincing words?

Anyone but 'Ol Fred Thompson, who writes his own essays and posts them on the internet for us to read. Honest, serious, and right to the point. No BS, no prevaricating, no political crap two facedness at all. Shucks, just the sight of something like this could make John Kerry throw up in fear. He better just turn his boat and run away now, before he gets all queasy.

This time Fred's talking about gun control. Are you listening yet?
......
...........
.......

How about now?
........
........
Read it yet?


I like what Fred's doing. He's not bothering with the media, who's approval ratings are lower than everybody else but Congress and the White House. Fred's going straight to the people and telling them exactly what he thinks.

Hillary's head would explode before she could pull this off, and Goul-iani's
wife would beat him senseless if he was this honest with the voters.

Sgt Yorks machine gun may be destroyed???

In a quandary only the taliban could understand, a real live solid piece of American history may end being destroyed due to America's gun laws.

One of the German machine guns captured by the real Alvin York was discovered by his home town library in their attic. When it comes to American history, this thing is isn't dripping with it, it's running off in torrents!

But.... due to the US gun laws that say most American law abiding citizens are too stupid and dangerous to own the same things that Teddy Kennedy's body guards carry on a daily basis, it may be destroyed.

I sure hope a museum can be found that will display it as it deserves.

Bloody well about time! X-prize competition for a 100 mpg car to reach market

Yes, I said... Bloody well about time.

I believe the best way to get something done, done right, and done fast is to make it a profitable activity. Then people will want to do it.

This is not rocket science.... this is something any parent of a two year old will understand.

A new X-prize has been announced. This one is for the development of a marketable car that gets an honest 100 mpg.

So far the drive to increase fuel economy in this country has been mostly stick, with damn little carrot. The stick being federal CAFE fuel mileage requirements imposed on the manufacturers. The carrot being market driven desire for an economical vehicle.

Lets face it, look around the roads. There is only just so much market for economy. It's popular, but only so far. The market is still stronger for beastie vehicles and SUV's (myself included).

A project like this X-prize will get the minds humming and the inventive people moving. This is always a good thing for the human race.

Button battery hack.... BWahahahaahaha....

These things just get me SO going......
I love it when people figure these things out....



12 Volt Battery Hack! You'll Be Surprised... - video powered by Metacafe

Ok, I tried another stupid quiz. Embarassing....

Your knowledge of the Mosin Nagant is 55%!

Not bad, but you still have a ways to go. You should consider branching out into the less common models and variations.

Mosin Nagant Knowledge Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

I own a gun *because* I'm cililized

I know Marco the Munchkin Wrangler has had this published, and it's made the rounds of blogdom as well. That doesn't mean I shouldn't show my appreciation by mentioning it as well.

Excellent bit of reasoning, followed by an excellent bit of writing.

Well done!

Did E-bay set themselves up for a HUGE problem?

Now, my brain works in strange and unusual ways. Sometimes it's so brilliant, and works so quickly, that even I have no idea what I'm saying or why. On the other hand.... sometimes the 'ol brain box takes it's grand time mulling over a subject before the bulb dimly comes to life and the buzzer kinda rattles a sickly Bzzzz to let me know a message is waiting.

Thats what happened this morning as I was driving. I clearly heard the BZzzzzrt that signaled an incoming message.

Hmm..... Lets just open 'er up and see what's cooking!

As was mentioned here, and discussed over much of the blog-o-verse, Ebay has discontinued auctions on items they feel are socially unacceptable. At least, in the narrow region of the universe they call home. This has nothing to do with legality, just their company philosophy on social engineering and legal maneuvering for profits sake.

Now.... Da 'ol brain is trying to kick something they said back into my attention zone.

"After learning that some items purchased on eBay may have been used in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April 2007, we felt that revisiting our policies was not only necessary, but the right thing to do. After much consideration, the Trust & Safety policy team – along with our executive leaders at eBay Inc. – have made the decision to further restrict more of these items than federal and state regulations require."

Oh, I see.... Why didn't I think of that before...... "The right thing to do". That puts it in the realm of 'right' and 'wrong', and it says from their company view point that having these items sold on E-bay would be 'wrong' no matter how legal it is. All those hundreds of thousands of items auctioned in these categories were wrong to have been handled by E-bay. All the millions E-bay made providing the market place for these items was akin to blood money, as E-bay now says they were wrong to provide the venue.

That means..... Uh Oh...... This could go real bad in a real hurry for E-bay. I better go and make sure none of the funds we invest in own E-bay stock.

E-bay just stated they bear corporate responsibility for the items auctioned through their site. As soon as they say the company has some moral obligation to ban what's otherwise legal, then they have admitted a company obligation to look at EVERY item they sell from that stand point.

E-bay just took on responsibility for what is auctioned on their web site. They placed themselves in the loop as the moral arbiter of the marketplace they run. In terms of a flea market, they went from the owner of the parking lot to a partner in every sale.

E-bay just took moral responsibility for everything sold on E-bay, because they just made a moral judgment about one genre of legal items that have been sold on E-bay since it was first started. In for a inch, in for a mile!

I can just hear the legal eagles warming up their expense accounts now!

"Were your stolen belongings sold on E-bay?"
"Did you buy defective cat toys on E-bay"
"Have you ever bought anything at E-bay auction that didn't work right?!?"
"Have you been offended by the porn sold on E-bay?!?!?!"

"You may have money coming to you! Call Binkly, Binkly, and Screwem, attorneys at law and specialists in the new field of reaming E-bay for cash!"

Happiness is a pistol that shoots like this:

(click on photo to enlarge)

Load details and such can be found here at Carteach0.

124 grain Speer gold Dot at 1180 fps, all into two inches at 50 feet exactly to point of aim, from a carry pistol thats comfortable and reliable.

Plastic kinda grows on ya...

People talk about the right to self defense, and why it's important.

(I found the video on Xaviers blog..... good stuff)

Look, talking about the right to carry a weapon is a non-starter with folks who either don't care about owning guns, or are devout anti-rights nuts.

Talking about the right to self defense..... and then talking about the right to own a means of self defense..... almost everyone but the mentally disturbed can understand that.

They are doing something very cool at my club...

Click to enlarge the photograph

The folks at my shooting club are doing something very, very cool.

Now, this place has a number of pistol and rifle ranges, as well as archery ranges and course. It's nothing to see state troopers training on one range while Olympic hopefuls are practicing on another, and this
is a little country place.

One of the big deals at this club is trap shooting. Three multi station trap ranges under the lights, auto equipment, club meets, regular weekly night shoots.... just a real hoot. Myself, I occasionally go to the weekly night shoots, especially when school is in session and it's getting stressful. It's just so relaxing to forget about everything and concentrate on skills, especially when the deer come out and join us as they usually do. Funny thing that.... all this gun fire and the deer happily graze around us knowing they are perfectly safe.

I can't shoot trap this month, and maybe not next month as well.

Why?

The trap ranges are closed. They are removing all those years worth of lead shot. I'm Ok with that, I think it's a good idea. Keep the soil clean, and the water stays clean too. Living in farm lands as I do, everyone around here is especially aware of that, most aware being all the old time farmers who belong to this club.

Removing the lead, that's cool. What's mega cool is what they are doing with it.
They are reclaiming it and almost all will go right back to be loaded in shotgun shells again! Without processing or smelting. Just sieve it and load 'er up.

Seems our soil is especially good, not being too acidic, and the years worth of shot is in excellent shape. A sample pulled gave an estimate of 100 tons to be recovered, with the club receiving 10% as their share. With the price of shot today thats a fair chunk of change in the bank.

One hundred tons of shot!!

Holy cow batman!

I hope to buy some myself and put it away. I load 12 gauge, but not much. Just enough so I can shoot trap when I want to without nailing the family budget for shells. More importantly, I cast my own bullets and lead shot is good stuff. Very hard, good quality, and ....

One hundred tons of shot!!

Ok, I'll play along...........

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.7
Mind:	7.9
Body:	6.4
Spirit:	8.8
Friends/Family:	6.9
Love:	9.1
Finance:	6.6
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Check out this cartoon....

Go here. Read this. Just trust me..... it's worth a few minutes.
I'm sure it won't be there forever.

Gun free Brits... now sending their kids to shool in BODY ARMOR because of violent attacks

Citizens in the lovely peaceful gun free isles of Britannia are now buying
their kids body armor clothing for school.

Now look... I'm not going to do this work for you. *I* had to do the research for a collage lecture, so *you* can do it too. It wasn't hard. Here's a few hints: Department of Justice, Crime statistics, Great Britain, Conviction rates, Violent crime rates, Gun crime rates.

Look them up yourself. Gun free Great Britain is not violence free, murder free, and certainly not gun free.

What it is free from is peace, prosperity, health, safety, and most forms of freedom...
At least in the cities.

Interested in free training at Front Site academy? Best jump quick!

Take a look at this if you have any interest in the front sight academy.
Offer ends sooon..... sooooooon..................

Why are people like this?

(rant mode on)

Recently we herded a pack of kids to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds ordnance museum.

This, by the way, is an exceedingly COOL place to spend some time!

Anyway, back to complaining about people....

Looking down from the balcony, I see two old farts doing a hands on with an antique mounted weapon.
Old farts, as in.... like me.

These guys should be able to read, and more importantly, understand why the signs are there.

Nope... arrogant elderly children who never bother with rules. Those are for OTHER people.

(rant mode off)

Note to self...

SELF! Listen up!
Take notes!

After working late, do NOT drink a pot of coffee while eating a hot fudge sundae, and expect to get any sleep at all.

Because, self, sometimes you are an idiot.

End of notes.

Smear Fred campaign begins, but lib lawyer gets his butt bit by backlash....

This is hilarious....
A Lib freak lawyer tries to do a net-smear on Fred Thompson.

The problem is, he tried to pee in the sandbox with kids brighter than him around. Everything he did, every slimy squirmy twist and turn.... all cataloged and archived.

The problem with being a scheming little scuz ball in todays world is that people will pay you way more attention than most mold can survive.

A little dose of sunlight, and the scum starts to melt away from the big pile of poo it formed on.

Ooops.....

I was wrong about Y2K

In 1997 we had a party at our house. It involved grilling food, drinking drink, and lots of talking with good friends. Some of those friends brought other friends.

I spent a short confused few minutes talking with one of those people.

In Vino Veritas, he passed on his conviction that he was going to make a fortune working for the company he was with, and soon. I asked why. His reply, in short cryptic terms that he would not explain: "Because we have the answer to the Y2K problem".

That was the first I ever heard the term 'Y2K', and it was a good year later that I found out what he meant, and what it meant. I spent a few days studying the problem in depth, as best I could, then I asked for help.

I got myself on some programmers forums and talked. I introduced myself, explained that in large scale computing I was an idiot, but otherwise not a fool. I explained that I have a family, children to care for, and needed to know if this was something I should be concerned about.

Well..... didn't that open the can 'o worms!

They told me, in no uncertain terms, exactly what the issues were. Not only told me, but shared prints of the code and examples of issues already showing up. They also shared their own work issues, the inside stories, their own preparations for trouble, their own plans. I contacted my own power utility and talked quietly to one of their technical people, that is, until I got a letter from the company saying it would be best if I did not call again, and they were committed that Y2K would not be a problem for them. The man I talked to.... said he wasn't allowed to talk to me any more.

Uh OH..........

From my view point, what could I do about this? I have a family to take care of. I prepared for the worst I could reasonably prepare for.

Nothing wild, nothing outlandish. We already live in the country on purpose. We made sure that water and food were not going to be issues. Not for several years if need be. That wasn't all that difficult for intelligent people, and it turns out that we prepared well enough that it's paid off over the years since 1999.999.

We ate the food, swim in our 'water storage device', and enjoy the new skills we learned. In fact, we leaned so much that now we are planning a 'zero energy load' home for our future.

Yup..... I did all this.... my family did all this... and some of my friends did all this. None of use regret it, for we didn't sell our souls to fear. We didn't stock up on MRE's and hide in a shack in the woods with an AR-15 and a dieing flashlight.

Now, although I don't regret our insurance one little bit, I will admit this. I was wrong about Y2K.

It's not that I made predictions of disaster. I simply said "My study shows that we are in danger of societal disaster, and insurance makes sense". Just like life insurance, car insurance, and locking up my power tools where the kids can't play with them.

Yup... I was wrong about Y2K it seems. But.... it now seems I was only wrong about the nature of the danger, not that we were in danger in the first place.

It seems that Y2K did strike, and in a totally missed sort of way. Missed, at least by me. It turns out that Y2K may be the cause behind some bogus computer data and models. Important NASA computer data and models. Important NASA computer data and models that all the climatologists use to make predictions.

Predictions like..... Global warming.

It appears that Global warming is a Y2K computer bug, and responsible for one of the largest global financial power grabs in human history.

I was wrong about the results of Y2K. I wasn't wrong to prepare. As our economy deals with the damage coming at us from the global warming gimme power crowd, those preparations just might come in handy.

Global warming has turned into the new religion for some people. Like their own Jihad, they pursue it with fervor and conviction. Facts are not part of the issue, and these new facts will not be tolerated since they counter the religious dogma.
People are bad. Nature is good. People should be punished. Someone needs to be in power and in control to administer the punishment in the proper way to the proper other people.

In the middle east people have been killing over religion for so long they have lost track of the history. The rest of the world regularly thrashes in blood over religion. I see no reason to be so arrogant as to assume we are immune.

Whether the global warming religion fades or explodes, I can't say. In either case, my duty is first to family. It's time to examine this latest threat in more detail.

Sigh....

(Updated info...)

I just thought I would add this to the discussion:
http://www.norcalblogs.com/watts/
For more information from the person who nailed the math and programming issues with NASA's data.

No surprise his own blog site is down and he reports on another's site.
I suppose it should be no surprise either that the hard line to the
system carrying real time temperature data from the test stations has suffered a 'problem' and that data is not available to the public at this time.

Lets hear it for President...... Goofy

"Hail to the chief" is running through my head every time I look at this photo of Mrs. Bill.

Played on Kazoo's of course.

Wonder if they found any monkeys?

The TSA is now searching bus riders in the Indy area.

I wonder if this is a strange bureaucratic way of
taking the heat off because they clean missed
a monkey under some schmucks hat at the Miami airport?

The TSA reduced my wife to tears over bringing a 6oz
rain stick onto a plane, but they can't find a live monkey.
I guess it was because they were busy harassing mothers
and babies and such, and the schmuck was bright enough
not to hide the monkey in his shoes.

Now they are searching bus passengers in a major city.

Guess we should count it as lucky they were able to identify
it as a bus stop, with actual buses and everything.

Oh man, I gotta try this!

Laser Flashlight Hack! - video powered by Metacafe

Progressive tax law explained at MY level....

Tax Law

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20."Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers?
How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33.
But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth ma n.
He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man.
"I only saved a dollar too.
It's unfair that he got back TEN times more than I!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man.
"Why should he get $10 back when I got only two?
The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison.
"We didn't get anything at all.
The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important.

They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Fred's talking again........and making sense again

Fred Thompson has a new post up on his blog.

Why do we never hear any of the other contestants
speaking about how good America is? When is the
last time we heard the words 'Pride' and 'American'
used in the same sentence by anyone on either
side of the aisle?

For that matter, when is the last time any of the
other contestant's had the guts to talk straight to
the American people, telling us what they really
think without a crowd of crapfly consultants telling
them they can and can't say?

Socialism at work....

Thanks to Kim for posting about this article.
It's an interesting read.

The basics are pretty simple. 4000 people a week
are lining up and paying $$ to leave Great Britain.
Leave, as in for good. Not a vacation but
completely leave as in take this country and shove it.

Great Britain's population is not shrinking by any
means. It's growing with poor immigrants seeking
lax social mores, vast handouts, and poor criminal
prosecution.

In other words, a population shift. The working
producers are leaving to make room for the
non-working leaches.

Maybe I'm just skeptical and cranky today....
Is this really the 'Great' Britain who's health
care, gun laws, and social welfare we are supposed
to be emulating?

Society shifting..........

Red and blue.... Red and blue.......
Repub or Demo, lib or consy,
rural or city, them vs us.

I was musing on the variations in our society.
Striking to me are the different attitudes that
seem so conflicted and irreconcilable.
Like oil and water, some things just don't mix
without trouble.

With all parties amenable to a live and let live
attitude, harmony can be attained. As soon as
one party decides their religion/plan/feelings/etc
must be enforced on all, then harmony is not on the
menu.

As I was considering the ramifications of this,
I remarked to myself: "Self, this is why all those
people came to America in the first place!"
Folks moved to these shores in an effort to get away
from those who would control them. They sought
freedom of thought, expression, worship, and everything
else that mattered to them. Most especially, they moved
here to be left alone.

Well, 'Self' responded with: "Yes, that's true Self, but
that can't happen again. There are no new frontiers
left on the planet. There's no place left to move to."

Hmmm.... Self has a good point. Moving to a new land
in search of freedom is a non-starter now. Short
of boldly going where no man has gone before, we are
stuck on this crowed planet, unable to really get away
from the wackos who dream of controlling their neighbors.

Naturally, Self wasn't finished. Next comes this: "Listen Self,
there is more to this. Just because there is no frontier
doesn't mean people won't strive to set themselves
apart. New nations are still being formed, although
it's a bloodier process since there's usually already
someone there living on the land."

Good point, as Self usually has. New 'areas' or nations are
still being formed as the teaming masses shift. The world
is not locked into it's form yet, by any means.

What about the people in this nation (Good 'ol USA!) who
are unhappy with their neighbors reaching into their
pockets and their lives, dictating how they
will live and love?

Hmm.... that set Self back a bit. Given no new frontiers,
could the USA be looking at a population shift
as people search for freedom inside our own shores?

Leave it to Self to come up with a cockamamie answer:
"Look Self, listen up dummie. It's already happening!
Do you remember the blue/red county voting map of
the 2004 elections?"

I will not be seen talking to myself in public again, so I just
nod and keep walking.

"Listen Self, you dummy. I know you can hear me. People
are already shifting to new lands. The red/blue map
proves it. That map shows a lot more than just whacky
voting swings. It also shows population shift.
Look what else the red/blue counties share!"

Drat.... a challenge to think, and me almost totally unarmed....

Ok, what else do the red/blue counties share?
Blue... Concentrated population, higher crime rates,
higher welfare rates, lower tax revenues, restricted civil
rights, violence towards opposing viewpoints,
class warfare, poor family structures... (Yuck).

Red..... well, less or none of the above. More freedom, better
recognition of civil rights, tough family structures, strong
work ethics, tolerance of personal differences.....

I guess Self has a point. The American people are already
separating themselves into different lands with different
purposes, and doing so with a minimum of blood shed.
So far. I say so far, because I don't think we as humans are
any different than we were in the 1600's, 1800's, 1900's, etc.
Always willing to kill a few million to make a point and get a
better spot at the table.

My own family is a tiny case in point. We moved to where
we live on purpose. We looked at the schools, taxes, laws,
and a host of other points before we bought our home.
Could we have moved to the nearby city? Sure.... and Lot's
of people do. They moved into the city for many of the
same reasons we avoid it like a disease.

Our nation has split into distinct lands. The melting pot has
tipped over and gone out of business. What spilled from
the kettle is coagulating back into separate elements,
apparently having never been truly mixed in the first place.

What does this mean?
Are there forces behind it?
Is it a natural progression?

A thought:
In difference is energy.
In energy is power.
In power is control.
Those who support difference are likely
in search of the power to control.


Well.... that's the end of thinking for this morning.
Family has found six reasons to interrupt and derail
the train of thought so far... I give in. Let the brain
cells go dormant again.

Guess the nation for ten points!

"Just because the number of reports to the police has gone down, it doesn't mean the problem is getting better. People are still getting killed," he says. "Gangstas rule in some areas. People round here know about them but they won't tell the police because of what might happen. There are so many weapons out there that people have started carrying guns personalised in different colours - just to be different."

Ok, For ten points..... Guess what nation this paragraph (and article) is speaking about!

Think: Utterly failed criminal justice system, exponentially rising violent crime, lowest conviction rates, lowest national level of crimes reported to police as compared to actually committed, and....... most stringent gun ownership prohibitions on law abiding citizens in the world.

The article in question.

Do people have a 'Right' to self defense?

This thought has been bouncing around the dusty corners of my brain:

Do people have a right to self defense?

If so, do they also have a right to own an effective means of self defense?

I'll save this question for the next time I get brain dead enough to try and debate an anti-rights activist. Should be interesting. This may just be a new tangent that wipes away a lot of arguments and BS.

Do people have a right to breath?
If so, do they have a right to keep their head above water?

Hard core civil rights data...

If you are a hard core civil rights
backer; I mean one who is true to the
basic precepts..... AND can stomach dry
writing..... AND like obscure facts.....
Then this article might interest you.

While an older piece, it concerns history.
History has no choice but to be older than
right now, that's why it's called history.

This article details the racist history on
gun control laws as well. Detail, as
in naming names.....

Whoops, here's another dry one. This article
has a lot of detail, along with legal case cites and such.
Oh goody, bed time reading!

Holy cow! This site is even called
"Black man with a gun" ! Wonder what it's about?

I suppose I could carry this on for pages, but if the
point isn't clear already, what would be the point?

These people are the future? Uh Oh........

Sometimes we run into situations that force thoughtfulness.

I avoid them, as they cause headaches, but the universe still shoves them right in front of me. Sigh.....

The woman who puts up with me, our youngest son, and I stopped in at the KFC in Ephrata, Pennsylvania a few days ago. Wifey just wanted some mashed potatoes for lunch, and making her happy is a worthwhile exercise. It always pays off.

As we got in line, the universe tossed one of those situation at me.... and I pulled out my camera in order to share here with my loyal readers.... reader..... Ok, to share just in case I ever get a reader.

We were the last three in a line of six people. There were cars in the drive thru line as well.

The young people manning the store seemed to think customers are a minor nuisance to be avoided if possible, and stayed gathered around their newspaper. Looking for new jobs perhaps? Chicken frying and customer waiting resumed when I was observed taking this photo.

These teenagers are the future of the world..... Or not. Should I be surprised at this level of dedication and work ethic? Somewhere down the line, in this picture, there is a long string of failures. I think..... but am I wrong?

Is this picture acceptable? Only my wife and I thought this was a situation lacking in something.... everyone else there just shuffled along like it was normal.
I sent the photo and description to KFC, asking if this was a normal situation we should expect at their store. No response at all... not a word. I guess it's normal if it's not even worth a comment from the company.

I have got to have a discussion with Mr. Universe.... enough of these quandaries!

Fred speaks his mind again.... refreshing!

Fred Thompson has graced us with another
short essay. More like an opinion really..

This time he talks about eminent domain
abuse by local governments.

Imagine that... a politician who thinks
people have a right to own property
without fear the government will steal
it for profit......

How bleepin unusual is that?
Why am I shocked??

Even stranger... a politician who actually
tells us what he thinks without pulling
punches.

Ebay limits firearms related sales.....

Ebay just announced they will restrict the sale of just about anything firearms related through their auction site.

This, of course, is their corporate right. They could, if they wished, demand that only pink flamingo garden statuary be sold on their site. So be it.

What is REALLY cheap, downright loathsome, about their action is their stated reason. They say they feel it's the 'right thing to do' since something sold on E-bay was used in the Virginian Tech school murders.

E-bay has never in the past cared about right and wrong, and very little about legal and illegal for that matter. They care only about profits and business.
I have no problem with that attitude, but their two faced approach is pretty low.

Ebay's statement:

July 30, 2007 | 10:00AM PST/PT

Matt Halprin

Hello everyone…In mid-August, we will be updating our Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy to place more restrictions around gun-related items. Once these changes take effect, we will prohibit listings of any firearm part that is required for the firing of a gun. This includes items like bullet tips, brass casings and shells, barrels, slides, cylinders, magazines, firing pins, trigger assemblies, etc. Please read the Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy for more details on our current policy.

As you may know, eBay does not allow the listing of any items which are regulated by individual states or the federal government; however, there are still a large number of firearm-related parts that are legal and are widely available in retail stores. These items have also historically been allowed on eBay.

After learning that some items purchased on eBay may have been used in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April 2007, we felt that revisiting our policies was not only necessary, but the right thing to do. After much consideration, the Trust & Safety policy team – along with our executive leaders at eBay Inc. – have made the decision to further restrict more of these items than federal and state regulations require.

This new update continues to encourage safety among our community members and brings our policies in the U.S. and Canada in closer alignment with our existing policies in other markets around the globe.

Sincerely,

Matt Halprin
Vice President, Trust & Safety

Why should we obey the rules? They don't!

As a teacher, one of the biggest hurdles is
class discipline. Getting students to behave
well enough that education can go on, that
can be a difficult task.

Working with high school seniors, the old
statement "Because I told you so!" just
does not cut it. That's a sure fire way to
encourage rebellion.

Why? Because the students don't trust
us, that's why. They don't trust us as adults
or instructors to be fair, honest, or even handed.
They don't trust us to have their best interests
at heart.

The simple fact is, they are not really stupid, just
unchallenged. At the core most of them are able
to think just fine. They can tell when they are being
lied to just as well as you or I can. Better, in fact,
as they are more experienced than we old farts,
at least with being lied to.

Teenagers live their lives with double standards.
One for them, and one for the adults. Adults live this
way too but usually choose not to notice. If noticed, most
adults let it pass.

Teenagers still think 'Life is supposed to be fair'. and
they get angry and confused when it's not. Most
mature adults realize that life is not fair, it just 'is'.

A case in point from an adult viewpoint: A senior judge
was just caught at the Detroit airport trying to smuggle
a loaded weapon in her luggage. Judge Sylvia James
was released and probably will never be charged with
the federal offense she committed. Had that
been I, or anyone I know, we would still be in jail.
Is that 'fair'? Is that 'right'? Not by any means.
Is it the reality? Do I realize there are
multiple standards and multiple levels of law
enforcement in this nation? Yes, I do.

My realization that I live not under double standards,
but multiple levels of standards, (many for sale), does not
prevent my functioning in society because I don't
expect life to be fair. I know for a fact that most of the
police cars that pass me well in excess of the speed limit
are not on emergency missions. They drive fast and
illegally because they can. That's not fair, it just 'is'
what it is. I know for a fact my state's governor
will never be charged with the two dozen times
he was clocked going over 100 mph on the PA
turnpike. He's earned his nick name of
'Fast Eddie' Rendell. Is it fair he'll never be charged
while 175,000 other folks in this state got cited
for driving over the speed limit last year?
No.... it's not. It is what it is.

Closer to home.... in our own school, an edict
went out that food was allowed only in the cafeteria,
never in the classrooms. This was supposed to
fight mold, of all things. In a school with over five
hundred students and dozens of instructors and
staff, enforcing this was difficult, especially as
the school sells food in the cafeteria never meant
to be eaten there.

In a letter to the administrator, I asked how I was
supposed to explain and enforce this rule when
my students only had to walk into the
administration offices to see food laid out
on the tables and snack bowls on every desk?

Some people would think it common sense, but
the reality is the admin staff simply never thought
the rules applied to them. They marched to a
different standard. Just like the judge, just like
the governor, just like the police, just like
Congress, just like.......

I'm sure the point is clear.

How do I explain to my students why rules
should be followed? With two simple
points.....

1) Sometimes rules are made for good reasons.
Look for the reason, and obey the rule because it's
a good rule with a purpose, not just because some
two faced bozo tells you to. Be smart enough to see
the reason for the rule.

Like speed limits in town.... 35mph makes sense
when people are walking around and cars are pulling
out without looking. I drive 35mph in town
because it's makes sense, not because it's "Da LAWwww".

2) One day, you might be making all the rules, and for
reasons that make a lot of sense to you. Do you want
your rules to be followed or ignored? Start a trend.

Many of my students will one day own or run business's.
They know they will be making rules, or are at least hoping
they will. This makes sense to them.

How would you explain to a teenager why rules and laws
should be followed, when all around us the privileged,
the important, the wealthy, and the deranged are
held to no, or different, standards?

To quote a student of mine:
"Why should I follow the rules? The principle doesn't!"