28 February 07 - 08:45A Bone to Pick

Airing on the Discovery Channel on March 4 will be James Cameron's documentary regarding ossuaries (bone boxes) found in 1980 with inscriptions that say "Jesus son of Joseph," Two Marys, and another box with a "Son of Jesus" inscription.  This was actually found before the "James Brother of Jesus" bone box that was found in the 90's and for which a fraud trial is underway (I think).  Anyway, the James box was apparently a forgery and the Discovery Channel. In 2005, Israel charged five suspects with forgery in connection with that infamous bone box.

The story comes full circle.  When the James box was found this article mentions the previously discovered Jesus box.  Who knows what to believe.  The archeologists can't even figure it out.  Here is a 1996 article from AP with the reverse mention of the ossuaries. Apparently this is old news.

'Jesus' Casket Found In Israel

JERUSALEM - April 02, 1996 - AP Online Time - Deep in the warehouse of the Israel Antiquities Authority, on a dusty crowded shelf, is a box that is empty except for a great question that it holds.

The limestone box, catalogue No. 80.503, once contained human bones and is engraved in barely legible Hebrew: ''Jesus, son of Joseph.'' Officials allowed reporters to see it Tuesday, after researchers for the BBC stumbled on the ossuaries last month and speculated they may have been the caskets of Jesus Christ and his family.

The 2- by 1-foot box, called an ossuary, was found along with nine others including two bearing the names Mary and Joseph by Israeli archaeologists in a Jewish burial chamber in Jerusalem in 1980 and then packed away in the warehouse with hundreds of other caskets. The bones that were in the caskets were reburied.

The find ''will electrify the centuries-old debate: did Jesus' body really rise from the dead on Easter morning?'' BBC reporter Joan Bakewell wrote in The Sunday Times of London.

But Israeli archaeologists and Bible scholars said Tuesday that Christians have no reason to worry that one of the pillars of their faith Jesus' resurrection is about to crumble.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph were among the most common Jewish names in biblical times and that their appearance together in one place had little significance, they said.

Biblical scholar Father Jerome Murphy O'Connor of Jerusalem's Ecole Biblique said there was no way to prove that the ossuary had contained the bones of Christ.

But, he said, if such proof could be made, ''the consequences for the faith would be disastrous.''

The burial chamber was discovered in March 1980 during a salvage dig in the Armon Hanatziv area in southern Jerusalem before construction of a new neighborhood there.

Archaeologists found 10 ossuaries, bones included, in the underground central chamber and six niches, said archaeologist Zvi Greenhut of the Antiquities Authority.

Greenhut said the combination of the names Jesus, Mary and Joseph on the ossuaries did not prompt archaeologists at the time to probe further. ''The names are common names. There is nothing unique in the appearance of all names together,'' Greenhut said.

He said that among the about 1,000 ossuaries from biblical times unearthed in Jerusalem, six carry the inscription ''Yeshua,'' or Jesus. Of those, two are engraved with the words ''Jesus, son of Joseph.''

He said about 25 percent of the women's caskets bore some form of the name Mary and that Joseph was the second most common man's name of the period.

The BBC will screen its story on the ossuaries as part of its ''Heart of the Matter'' religious series on Easter Sunday.

Ray Bruce, director of the independent television company CCTV that produced the program, said a check of a catalogue of ossuaries found  that the names appeared only once in that combination.

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27 February 07 - 21:18An interesting day

Another extremely interesting day in the news.

A bomb goes off near Cheney, Jesus bones are found, Britney Spears spends hundreds of thousands of dollars for her "privacy," and . . . . .

Toyota is to build a new automobile plant in Tupelo, Mississippi. A new car plant? General Motors and Ford are closing plants and the Germans are trying as hard as they can to dump Chrysler. Hmmmmmmm.

Why is that?

Here is a thumbnail of Toyota.

• Founded in 1933 by Kiichiro Toyoda
• One of the most successful and profitable Japanese companies
• Entered the luxury car arena with self made Lexus
• Toyota cars are considered the most reliable in the world
• Produced the Prius based on the hybrid fuel technology
• On track to become the world's largest automaker
• It is one of the Japanese "big three"
• Looking to build another HUGE plant in the United States

Let's look at the Japanese "Big Three"

Toyota is considered innovative not only for product but for production methods. The production methods are based on matching a wide range of solutions to the normal challanges of manufacturing. The company makes its cars all over the world.

Honda did not make cars before the 1960's and started out just ater WWII with a 2 stroke 50 cc motorcycles in 1946. They are innovative and have recently moved into the aviation market in 2004 with Honda Aero. They also make small engine devices like lawnmowers, generators, marine engines, and so on.

The Nissan of today started as Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in the 30's, although the the first Datsun was made in 1914. Nissan prides itself in it's people and its innovation. The first Datsun's imported pickups into the United States which were considered underpowered (because they were). They rectified the situation in a few short years and became the first Japanese company to make pickups in the United States.

Meanwhile, back in the States.....

The United States Big three are all in trouble, lack innovation and innovation culture, and suffer from what I consider to be the risk averse culture of MBA America. The MBA culture seems to think you can "cost reduce" your way to success. The Japanese are risk takers.

Charles Kettering (associated with GM in the first half of the last century) always said that if you make something people want they will beat a path to your door. That is what the Japanese do. Make what people want. Today that means making many short lines of car models for every kind of buyer, not trying to make the buyer fit your short line of car models.

Also note that Toyota is adding models and car brands while our boys in Detroit are cutting car brands. That is because the Detroit idea is to make one car and put different names on the car to make different brands. That quit working in the seventies. These guys need to learn to react in real time!!

(more)

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25 February 07 - 23:52My Dad and the Map (I just Found)

My Dad was born in 1920. This meant he became a young adult during the 30's.  He lived in rural North Dakota with his brother, mom, and dad.  His dad (my Grandpa) had a good job as a grain elevator manager and his uncle ran the family farm.  All of the family activity centered in a small town in Pembina County (Northern ND) where you walked to work and knew everyone.

The town doesn't even "have a name" in Google earth any more.  The last time I was there it was for a celebration for a Methodist church that my great grandfather had helped to found.  I looked to see that it is a vacant lot.  Also gone are the small group of businesses, my grandads house and the elavator he ran for his entire life.  Still there is the farmhouse where my Great Uncle Stanley (Dad's uncle) continued the operation of the family farm started by my great grandfather.  The railroad siding survives as does a larger more modern grain elevator and a smattering of other structures.

I just put a bid on for a road map from 1936. The automotive age was just coming to life and this would have been the year my Dad was 16 years old.  My Mom would have been 18 years old and just preparing to enter college in Illinois, but neither knew the other existed.  A quirk of fate and a war would bring them together 9 years in the future.

My Dad used to tell me many stories about his life which included the lives of those around him.  One topic of these stories was the automobile and the roads.  It was during the beginning of my Dad's lifetime that roads started to be numbered and roadmaps appeared.  The map I am buying will be a snapshot of the road system in North Dakota in the 30's.  At that time the railroads in the state were fully functional and you could choose among animal propulsion (usually horses), trains, or automobiles.  In fact for long distance travel animals were well on their way out, trains were going strong, and automobiles were used more for local travel than long hauls.  In fact it was only in the mid 1920's that the secretary of agriculture signed off on the numbering system for the federal highway system.

Enough blabbing, time for me to get off to other things.

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24 February 07 - 06:15Greenwood Plumbing and Heating

Years ago when I was in college I worked for a gentleman named Don Greenwood.  For me it was a wonderful experience, I learned a great deal about business and specifically, the plumbing business.

One thing that we looked forward to each week was the arrival of the salesman from the plumbing supplier.  He ALWAYS had a joke.  I found one of them today on a website.  I heard this joke 30 years ago (wow).  That makes me wonder if there are really any new jokes out there or are they all retreads.  Anyway, here is the joke (from the plumbing salesman)........... 

There were these twin sisters just turning one hundred years old at the local nursing home and the editor of the local rag told a photographer to get over there and take the pictures of these twin 100 year old biddies.

So off to the nursing home goes the photographer.

Well, it turns out that one of the twins was hard of hearing and the other could hear quite well.

The photographer asked them to sit on the sofa.

The deaf one said to her twin, "WHAT DID HE SAY?"

He said, "WE GOTTA SIT OVER THERE ON THE SOFA!" said the other.

"Now get a little closer together," said the cameraman.

"WHAT DID HE SAY?"

"HE SAYS SQUEEZE TOGETHER A LITTLE." So they wiggled up close to each other.

"Just hold on for a bit longer, I've got to focus a little," said the photographer.

Yet again, "WHAT DID HE SAY?"

"HE SAYS HE'S GONNA FOCUS!"

With a surprised look the deaf twin shouted out, "OH MY GOD - BOTH OF US?"  

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22 February 07 - 08:30Tuesday Fat and other revelations

I learned a little today.

Today I was reflecting on an email my mother sent regarding the usual "this and that" in which she mentioned Ash Wednesday services.  During my lifetime Ash Wednesday has always a big Catholic event, but has always been a rather low key event for the Methodists. It is the beginning of the Lent period which is the runup for Easter.  I decided to look historically into Lent a bit closer and interestingly enough I find that I never made a few connections here.

I always knew that Mardi Gras occurred prior to Lent, but I never realized the festivities had a specific calander date for starting.  The annual Mardi Gras festivities start on January 6, but always end with "Fat Tuesday" which is 46 days prior to Easter.  That lands "Fat Tuesday" on the day before Ash Wednesday as pracitised in our neck of the woods where Lent is supposed to start 40 days before Easter, but they don't count Sundays.  Got that?

I also learn that "Mardi Gras" means "Tuesday Fat" in French, or so I am told.  Since other languages like to put their adjectives in strange places we have the words mixed around.

Lastly I read that ashes on the face are an ancient symbol of mourning similar to wearing black clothing, or a black armband as might also be worn today. I also read an explanation of Ash Wednesday on a couple of Catholic websites and didn't understand a word of their explanation which detailed all manner of Catholic events and such as background.  The article started out like this, "The Wednesday after Quinquagesima Sunday, which is the first day of the Lenten fast..."  Quinquagesima?  Drop that puppy into a spelling bee and you will clear the room in one round.  I can't even guess how to pronounce it.

Anyway, Ash Wednesday is a good time for reflection.  I would suggest we all take this opportunity to reflect on what is important in our lives.

I hope you learned a little, too.

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21 February 07 - 08:25KLIF to Broadcast from Iraq

One of the disappointments with media reporting of the news regarding Iraq is the lack of depth in the reporting.  It seems that all we are getting is reports of causualties which we could get from armed serviced websites.  This is lazy reporting at its laziest and partially so because it suits the media's anti-Bush agenda with almost no effort.

What of life in Iraq, the war in Iraq, and anything else Iraq?

Starting next week and continuing for at least two weeks thereafter, Michael Bolton of KLIF radio in Dallas will do his morning show direct from Iraq.  This show runs from  5 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays and is what I often listen to when driving to work.  I agree with Jeff a bit over half the time and always enjoy his viewpoint.

KLIF is a Dallas area AM radio station that broadcasts at 570 and 1300 on the AM band.  I don't know why they do that, but I figure it is so they can get better coverage someplace where the main dial location (570) doesn't come in. Some of you do not live in the Dallas area.  Not to worry if you have a reasonable internet connection and Windows Media Player (or equivalent).

You can listen to KLIF on your computer at  KLIF Radio Feed.

If you can't listen at the live timeslot, the station has podcasts available so you can listen any time.  Try the links that follow and you can hear what I listen to when I listen to the radio these days.  I will warn you that this is a FOX affiliate (O'Reilly is on during noon hour with a rather nice call in format(,

If you are a very liberal person this station will hurt your head.  Maybe not, but you have been warned.

As for me?  I am anxious to hear what is going on in Iraq and I hope it is more than just a daily chat with the troops. Next week we find out!

Here are the links:

KLIF Main Webpage

Jeff's KLIF Webpage

KLIF Radio Feed

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20 February 07 - 09:08Sue Cow - Fun for New Salem, ND

OK, here it is. And by the way, that's a picnic table there, just under the cow, to the right of the udder.  That gives you an idea how big she is.

I am guessing that by now you have probably Googled "New Salem North Dakota"  or "Cow New Salem" or something like that based on your aerial clues.  You probably have seen this picture.  It is a picture of Sue the fiberglass cow.  You should have been able to see her shadow in the blog yesterday.Sue was built in 1974 by the New Salem Lions Club for $40,000. She is 38 feet high, 50 feet long, and made of six tons of reinforced fiberglass.  Note that the buffalo is about 10 times heavier, but the cow is "bigger."  That means that you would only be 1/10 as flat after the cow falls on you as when the buffalo fell on you, right?  Or maybe it depends on the coefficient of flatness, which has yet to be discovered by science.  At any rate, don't try it (flattening with a huge animal, that is.).Anyway, Sue is supposed to be the largest Holstein cow in the world.  I would venture to wager she is probably the biggest cow, period.I am holding off on the udder jokes, but I am sure you can use your imagination.Here are a couple of interesting Sue Cow facts:1) Salem Sue is so large that it can be seen from over five miles away.
2) The same artist that created Salem Sue also constructed the World's Largest Catfish in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Now, to figure out who the artist is so I can get some of my own work commissioned.  Ok, his name is Dave Oswald.  No relation to Lee.

Later!!

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19 February 07 - 08:30What's for fun in sunny No Dak?

I saw this when it went up in 1974. When you live in North Dakota you have to make your own excitement. In North Dakota (and surrounding areas) large animal sculptures are one form of entertainment. They are entertaining to make and then you can look at them for almost ever!

This sculpture is the largest of North Dakota's "large animal sculptures." It is bigger than the buffalo in Jamestown, the catfish in Wahpeton, the bull in Pettibone, the turtles in Dunseith and Bottineau, and the walleye in Garrison. This sculpture is just plain big.

In the aerial provided by Google Earth you can see the object and its shadow. Note the car and the camper parked nearby. The shadow should give you a clue as to the animal. I'll tell you what it is tomorrow.

I went to college in Jamestown, North Dakota in the early 1970's. At that time the "big animal" of choice was the buffalo near the interstate hiqhway. The buffalo is enormous, made of concrete, and weighs weighs 60 tons or so. As far as I know this was the original "big animal" in North Dakota. Several times when I lived there we went out and "touched" the buffalo. It is a male, by the way. Also, as far as I know the buffalo does not have a name. It is simply called "the buffalo."

So what kind of animal lives down the road and is bigger than the buffalo (and the other big animals)? I'll let you in on it tomorrow. For now, you can see the shadow and the buffalo. That should be enough.

You can see aerial imagery at Terraserver. Google earth needs to be downloaded. The image you see in the picture is just to the west of the golf course which is just south of the highway. Got that?

Google Earth

Microsoft Terraserver

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18 February 07 - 12:00Britney Bounces off Rock Bottom

I was leaving a vendor the end of last week I was told that Britney Spears had pulled a new stunt. She was driven to a strip club, got out in a little red party dress, then went inside and traded outfits with the one of the strippers. Apparently she eventually left in her "new" outfit.

Wow, I thought, she has really done it this time. I couldn't wait to get home and read the newspaper to see if this was really true. I find out it has been widely reported, but is now old news. Britney has topped that one. She is going for the "bald" look.

I read with amazement that since bartering for stripper clothes Britney has had her head shaved and obtained cute little tattoos. Somewhere in amongst all this she also found time to check into and out of "rehab." Just when you think this girl has hit bottom, she drops another notch.

Perhaps now it is time for Britney is to "hook up" with Howard K. Stern. He has an opening since Anna died. Between the two of them those kids would certainly be raised right. Right?

Celebrity role models are certainly hard to find these days. I'm pretty sure, I don't need to keep Britney on my list of role models any more. Mr. Methadone (I mean Stern) should not be on the list either.

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13 February 07 - 22:01The New News Newseum

Although I often get grumpy with our current day news media, I do have to admit that without them it would not even be possible to get any window on the world.  Without the news services we would have to rely on hearsay, loose talk, and word of mouth.  At least the distortions of the news media are well known and consistent.

Soon a "News Museum" cleverly called the Newseum will open in Washington, D.C. near the Smithsonian.  the Newseum is huge.  Their website claims it will be 250,000 square feet and 7 floors of exhibits, many interactive.

I can thank my friend Sandra for this link.  The particular link she sent was to a web based exhibit of Pulitzer Prize photographs.  You can see them at www.newseum.org/pulitzer.  The short movie that goes with each tells the story of the picture by the photographer that took the award winning photo.I was not around during WWII, but most Americans have seen the famous flag raising picture taken on Mount Suribachi, the small volcanic "mountain" on Iwo Jima.  The story of the shot by photographer Joe Rosenthal reminds me of the stories my Dad told about the war.  Mostly the story was about the people, not the battle.  That is the story Joe tells about his picture.
I remember when Ronald Reagan was shot.  Here are the award winning pictures and the story by Ron Edmunds of the Associated Press.  He wasn't fully sure what had happened until after the pictures were already in the camera.

An then there is the "Pulitzer Baby," and the strange twist of fate surrounding the picture and circumstances. You'll need to find out about that by watching the movie yourself.

Thanks, Sandra.

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12 February 07 - 21:24Things Kids Might have Said

Here are some things that kids probably did not say verbatim, but I am sure they are close enough to things you have heard to make them interesting. I can remember getting plenty of things wrong when I was a tyke. Or is that Tike....

Anyway, these are clean enough to use almost anywhere. Some of them may have even been used in church!

Kid Funny 1

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, "Why are we expected to be quiet in church?"
To which One little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping?"

Kid Funny 2

A mother was making pancakes for her two young sons, Kevin and Ryan. The little boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
Seizing the opportunity for a moral lesson mom gently told them, "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
Kevin instantly turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!"

Kid Funny 3

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible, and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between the pages. "Momma, look what I found," the boy called out.
"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.
With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered: "I think it's Adam's suit!"

Kid Funny 4

The kindergarten teacher showed her class an American flag and asked, "What flag is this?"
A little girl called out, "That is the flag of our country."
"Very good," the teacher said. "And what is the name of our country?"
"'Tis of thee," the girl replied.

Kid Funny 5

Mom had invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?"
"Oh mommy, what will I say."
"Just say what you hear Mommy say," her Mommy answered.
Bowing her head the little girl said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

Kid Funny 6

A new neighbor asked the little girl next door if she had any brothers and sisters.
"No," she replied, "I'm the lonely child."

Kid Funny 7

A mother was telling her little girl about her own childhood. "I remember that we used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire that hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony and we picked wild raspberries in the woods."
The little girl was wide-eyed, as she listened to her Mom. At last the little girl said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

Kid Funny 8

Not knowing if her granddaughter had learned her colors, grandma decided to test her. She pointed at an item and asked, "What color it this?" The little girl told tell her and was correct. Grandma was impressed and asked the color question over and over while pointing at a number of different items. Each time the young girl answered correctly.
Finally the little girl became tired of the game and headed for the door saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these for yourself!"

Kid Funny 9

One day a man was driving with his four-year-old daughter and sounded his car horn by mistake.
Immediately he said, "I did that by accident."
His daughter replied, "I know that, Daddy."
Surprised he asked, "How did you know that?"
"Because you didn't say 'JERK' afterwards!"

Kid Funny 10

Grandma was impressed with little Julie's knowledge of the Bible until one day Julie asked her grandmother, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus; The Virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?".

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12 February 07 - 00:43Alive or Dead - Still a "Train Wreck"

If you are alive and breathing you are reading about Anna Nicole Smith. It's crazy! Living people and dead people all over the news and it can be confusing. Here is a short listing of the major players in Anna's final days and months.

Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, the new daughter whose paternity is a hot topic. So far five have their hats in the ring (as far as I can tell) for the honor of being baby Dannielynn's dad. They are (in order of increasing aliveness) J. Howard Marshall, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, G. Ben Thompson, Howard K. Stern, and Larry Birkhead. Come to think of it, this is also the order I would handicap them from least to most likely. Who are they?

J. Howard Marshall is the gazillionaire geezer she married in the 90's. It is actually Anna's sister who claims he is the dad thanks to frozen sperm which was apparently saved so Anna could pick a random time in the future to have his child. Prince Frederic Von Anhalt is the goofy 9th or 8th husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor. He purchased his princehood years ago (that's another story) and recently claimed he "would not kick Anna Nicole out of bed" when newsfolks tried to pin him down regarding his claim to paternity of Smith's daughter. Then there is G. Ben Thompson, a South Carolina property developer who claims that Smith tried to get him to put his name on Dannielynn's birth certificate.

The frontrunners are Larry Birkhead, the paparazzo who was Smith's boyfriend for two years and her attorney Howard K. Stern. Howard has his name on the birth certificate, but Birkhead is claiming paternity with a lawsuit of sorts. You may also remember Stern from the reality show that Anna did when she was large and in charge.

The others you have been reading about (other than cops, coroners, judges, publicists, lawyers who are not claiming paternity, etc.) would include Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken fry cook Billy Wayne Smith, who fathered her son Daniel Smith VIII. Anna Nicole Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur. Arthur says Anna Nicole's death was probably due to drugs. Laurie Payne, a woman who spent time with Anna Nicole during her pregnancy. Laurie claims Anna made phone calls and left instant messages that Larry Birkhead is the real father of her baby.

And then there is Donna Hogan, Anna's sister, who has written a book about Anna titled Train Wreck which is supposedly being rushed into print as you are reading this. And now Anna is gone; but, in death, she leaves a legacy of turmoil which was the hallmark of her life as well as her death.

It is hard to know exactly what to say here.

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10 February 07 - 13:03Anna Nicole - Dead at 39

Anna Dies

Its been quite a week.  I can't say this one surprised me, in fact, Anna always looks so drugged up I wonder if she even knows she is dead yet?

In the end it doesn't matter what killed her.  We know what it wasn't.  It wasn't old age, it wasn't cancer, or other natural causes.  Healthy 39 year old women don't just plop over dead.  Ones who use powerful drugs inappropriately, however, do.  

Anna Nicole Smith's death didn't really surprise me much.  I wouldn't have predicted it, but she had been asking for this for a long time.  If she wasn't using drugs and drug use wasn't something that contributed to her death, that will be a surprise.

The circumstance don't make this any less sad, however.  Early death is always a cause for sadness.  A 39 year old is not a prime candidate for the Grim Reaper, but our lives in this plane are so short that half a life is not much less than a full one when we compare our years to the infinite.

Rest in peace, troubled lady.

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09 February 07 - 22:28Clue - the Game

When I was younger we played a game called "Clue." In "Clue" you win by figuring out the name, place, and method of the fictional murder.  You finished your win by making a statement such as, "It was done by Colonel Mustard, in the kitchen, with the candlestick."  There was an assortment of weapons such as rope, gun, and so on.  I was reminded earlier this week of the game while reading about the news of the day.

The news could have read, "she was attacked by the astronaut in the garage with the pepper spray."  Of course it could have been the rubber hose, bb gun, mallet, or knife.

The event was obviously pre-meditated and carried out by a pretty, intelligent, and athletic astronaut.  Smarter than me, I might add.  I can't even figure out her attack equipment.  Frankly it has me a bit baffled.  What was Lisa Nowak planning?

I can figure out a little of what she must have had in mind.  The whole thing was planned in advance with a list and since we know she apparently made this list of required weapons and supplies for a specific plan, what was it?

Pepper spray
BB gun
Mallet
Wig
Trench coat
Make-up
Trash bags
Knife
Ammo 9
Rubber hose

Unless there is a more extended list, I think attempted murder is a bit of overkill.  The wig, trench coat, and make-up were for disguise.  The trash bags were to dispose of the items on the list after the event was complete.  The use of the pepper spray was to immobilize.  Now for the knife, ammo 9, bb gun, and rubber hose...

Did Lisa intend to tie her arch enemy up with the hose which she could trim with the knife and then shoot bb's at her rival while ranting and raving?

Time will tell, but this was only one of a long list of interesting news this year, in fact, this week!

Later!

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08 February 07 - 19:54Waterboy

Sometimes it doesn't pay to be nice.  A couple days ago a co-worker asked if I could help carry in water for the water cooler.  "Of course," I answer.  How can something like this go wrong?  Easy enough task, go outside, pick up jug, carry into office.  Easy.

I trot outside to the car where the water is waiting and once the trunk is open I pick up one of two jugs.  I was actually thinking of picking up both when my co-worker picked up the other and with the shutting of the truck we started back to the building.

Now for the special part.

I usually walk in the front door pretty much over the wheelchair ramp.  No curb for me.  Well guess what?  I am heading straight for the curb, not watching what I am doing and all the while carrying a five gallon jug of water (or whatever those things are).

The only thing I can say after tripping over the curb is, "I am sure glad the jug was plastic!"  The jug flew up and then down as I made a lazy arc into the sidewalk. 

Splut, crack, splash.

Lucky thing there were two jugs.  These jugs just can't take a fall as well as I can.

For those of you who cannot visualize how stupid I looked I have provided a picture.  Look at that and take it times ten.

Later.

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06 February 07 - 22:10Don't help people sit on their rears

This is one of those things that hit the blogs and land in my mailbox as a "true" newsarticle or, in this case, letter to the editor. In this case I really don't care if the letter is true because it is a bit thought provoking.

I have had a drug test for the past three jobs and everyone else has had to do the same, if they wanted a job at these places. This testing goes back to Ronald Reagan's time as President, I think. The thing is this, really, why can a person get welfare without a drug test? Or, in fact, can they?

I would presume they do some kind of background check since the government is really tuned in to the idea of protecting the taxpayers (when they aren't calling us rich).

Read this and see if it doesn't make you think.

"I have a question, not only for Douglas County, but for the entire state of Oregon. Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as they see fit. In order for me to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test, which I have no problem with.

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn?t one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check, because I have to pass one to go earn it for them?

Please understand, I have nothing against helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping somone sit on their butt. Could you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Leonard Wilson of Riddle"

Leonard, if you exist, leave us a comment!!

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05 February 07 - 23:41Rear View

I have had a lot of calls asking what the back of the "Union Suit" underwear looks like, so here it is.   As you may realize this is an artists conception, not a true photograph. I never wore any longjohns with the trap door, but I have always heard of them.  It is my understanding that these  general purpose under garments literally won the west.

I would like you to know, also, that if my butt were in the longies it would look a lot better than this sorry keister.  It seems a bit too meaty to me, but it is so hard to get an artist to get my conception exactly right, you know?

In reality, this was probably a very difficult piece of clothing to get along with.  Perhaps in the day of "dry" outhouse style toilets this worked, but I can see real possibilities of an accidental flop of the trap door into the water and potential for uncomfortable wetness.  Or worse yet, dragout!!

Be sure to keep those cards, letters, and phone calls coming as you clamor to get your dreams depicted on the blog. 

Later...

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04 February 07 - 20:08The Great White North

Where was Lincoln on Saturday, you are asking yourself? I was traveling to Canada, that's where. Not to travel in the summer when things are all nice and warm, no, that was not what I did. I went when it was the coldest damn day they have had yet this year.

The weather may have been cold, but the people sure are nice. Let's focus on the weather for a sentence or two. It was cold. In Canadian degrees (Celsius) it was -20 C which is just below zero in our "nonstandard" Fahrenhiet degrees when we arrived. It was colder when we left.

I have relatives in Canada, the Armstrong's emigrated from the Winnipeg area, I once lived in North Dakota, and I really like the folks up there, but ... JEEPERS does it get cold. Lucky thing for me I was wearing my long john underwear. I used to thrive on long john underwear when I lived in North Dakota. There is nothing like it to keep you from loosing heat too quickly.That's something else I forgot about the cold up there. In Texas, you can dress for the cold. Putting on the proper jacket protects your body from the cold and you can stay outdoors indefinately.

Sub zero temperatures are different. When it's below zero cold you simply slow down the process of freezing to death. You go out in it and come in to warm up.Anyway, here's your information on Kindersly, Saskatchewan, Canada. The weather was nasty, but the people weren't.

The people we met were wonderful.

You gotta love it, eh?

www.kindersley.ca

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01 February 07 - 23:01Ethanol - To be Continued

I had promised to tell everyone what was happening with burning ethanol (E85) in my older car.  It was an interesting test and it seems that it was simple enough.  Here is what I found:

1) Burning E85 in the car had a noticeable effect on mileage.  There is less energy in the ethanol and this shows up in mileage.  The car has a computer which keeps track and, again, it was easy to see the mileage was lower.  I did not make any attempt to accuratly measure, but it seemed my mileage dropped from around 18 to 16 miles per gallon in town.

2) The E85 burned cleaner, or at least registered lower emissions on the standard emmissions tests given in the Dallas, Texas area.  My car failed its test with gasoline, but a tank of ethanol passed without difficulty.  This was not a scientific test as I do not know if the result was due to lower emissions or caused by variation in the measuring equipment because of the the different fuel.

3) The car ocasionally showed a flickering "check engine" light, but this was nothing permanent.  Even the occasional flicker went away after switching back to regular gas.

4) The engine seals suffered.  Eventually the crankcase seals started leaking a fairly significant amount of oil.  This was also easily reversed when I changed back to regular fuel with the addition of liquid seal conditioner to the oil for one oil change period.

Eventually all vehicles sold will be able to use different fuels (just as they do in Brazil) and the older cars will gradually disappear from common use (just like the cars that required "leaded" gasoline did.  If you look to the EPA you will find their typically conservative and somewhat idiotic stand that cars should not be converted.  If you decide to convert a car I would not discuss it with the EPA as they will not offer any useful guidance as to what to do.  (They never do as they have turned in environmental police.)
Modifications would include replacement of seals that are effected by ethanol, some minor tuning of the engine (in this day and a different programming of the chip), and an understanding that mileage will be about 15 to 20% lower.

These are not bad things, they are simply the result of dealing with an alternate fuel.  Surpriseingly the changes are really minor.  Think of what you would have to do to make a gas engine run on diesel, for example.

I am mulling further alternate fuel testing.

To be continued . . . .

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01 February 07 - 21:12The Age of Truth

I thought I might opine for a bit on my favorite dark force.....  Microsoft.  After literally spending billions of dollars (including lots of extra dollars) and years of time (including lots of extra time) Microsoft has come up with.....  Vista.

Being from Texas I rather liked the Longhorn working name, but now that it is released, Vista it is.

One would expect something really great after all of this development, something that makes your computer "sing."  Something that makes your life easy and your computer a delight to use.  The ultimate, the pinnacle, THE ZENITH of operating systems.

Maybe it is, but it wasn't written for your computer.  I have a friend who always gets the best and newest.  His computers are new and up to date and either the best on the market or close to it. He was one of the first to come home with two copies of Vista.  He had one copy each of the "Home Premium" edition and the "Business Edition."

Onto his spiffy laptop goes the "Home Premium" edition.  I asked for an opinion later, after a day of work.  The opinion came.  The computer runs slower and the features are interesting, but not worth the decrease in performance.

Early reports had warned for months not to buy a new computer unless the computer is "Vista Ready."  I decide that the reports are true.  The software is a resource hog and computers in use today are barely adequate to the task of operating under the weight of Vista's requirements.

Which begs the question.  What would have happened if they had released the software on time a year or two ago?  There wouldn't have been a computer around that would have been up to the task of being operated by Vista.

Everything has a lifespan.  In that lifespan is infancy, then youth, middle age, and so on.  It seems that Microsoft is starting to show its age.  Old age.

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