30 May 09 - 06:06Slot Car Christmas
As you look at the telescope, microscope and what not that I experienced in days gone by, lot me discuss slot cars. In the mid to late sixties my two brothers and I were heavily into slot cars. My parents picked up on our love for racing cars based on our crude gravity racetrack which we had built in our basement. We had made the track from a piece of plywood, and many roofing nails to create "tracks" down the slanted plywood track.
In the sixties slot cars were a big deal. There were little slot cars like we had (HO or 1/87th scale) and there were big ones. A slot car was an electric car that was guided by a pin in the front of the car with speed controlled by the electric current provided by the "driver" with an electric control. By controlling speed you could cause your car to move through the track at a better speed than your competitor.
The variables were the balance of the car, the performance of the car, the friction of the wheels, andthe ability to provide enough power through the control to keep your car at the bloody edge of a spinout.
We had control over all of these variable. We could select a body for our car that was well balanced, fiddle with our wheels to make our tires grip better, and practice the track with the control. This was not a video game, but mechanical cars being manipulated and physically enhanced by the "owner" of the car.
This loss of connection with actual physical contraptions and their control is a great loss for our society. (I could insert a dissertation on simulations of slot cars and how they compare to simulations of climate by my scientific hack peers, but I will not.)
These cars were physically handled, modified, and maintained. The cyber generation has lost this "hands on" touch with reality.
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29 May 09 - 06:06Shooting blanks
An 80 year old man was having his annual checkup and the doctor asked him how he was feeling.
"I've never been better!" the man boasted. "I've got an eighteen year old bride who's pregnant and having my child!"
The doctor was definately amused as the old boy punctuated his point by saying, "What do you think about that?"
The doctor looked the octogenarian in the eye and considered what he had been told for a moment.
In a measured tone the doctor finally asked, "Do you hunt?"
This took the older man back a bit, but he quickly answered in the affirmative.
"Then let me tell you a story," said the doctor. "I knew a guy who was an avid hunter. He never missed a season. But one day went out in a bit of a hurry and he accidentally grabbed his umbrella instead of his gun."
Without waiting for a reaction, the doctor continued, "Later that day, in the woods, a huge bear appeared in front of the hapless hunter! He raised up his umbrella, pointed it at the bear and squeezed the handle."
The older man was definately puzzled as the doctor posed the simple question, "And do you know what happened?"
Dumbfounded, the old man replied "No."
The doctor continued, "The bear dropped dead in front of him!"
"That's impossible!" exclaimed the old man. "Someone else must have shot that bear."
"That's pretty much what I'm getting at..." replied the doctor.
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27 May 09 - 22:41Presents of my Analog Christmas Past
News Quote, MercuryNews.com
PHILADELPHIA - 05/18/2009 - Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt urged University of Pennsylvania graduates to step away from the cyber world and make human connections.... "Turn off your computer.... off your phone and discover all that is human around us," Schmidt said. Article Link
When I first heard of this speech it made me start thinking about one of the things that strikes me about the world of today's children. I am especially thinking of children in well to do nations, children who get Christmas presents (or equivalent)m birthday presents, etc. In just my lifetime things have changed soooo much. It literally has been a change from analog to digital, and worse yet, a change from reality to simulation. (I could insert something about the ill thought out global warming situation here, but I won't.)
The world of my childhood was analog, mechanical, and probably at it's peak in terms of creativity and opportunity, at least in this country. As this applies to Christmas past, let me show you here the long and the short of Christmas presents of my childhood.
I had two brothers. Every year at Christmas we could each choose a single "big" gift from the Sears catalog that cost $10.00 or less. On Christmas morning we would likely get that gift and other smaller items, plus there was always something for all of us. Over those years as a child of the '50s and '60s I received two microscopes and a telescope. If I wanted to look at small things, I needed to learn to fix a slide and view it with my microscope. I learned to vary the light, top and bottom, and various other things including a dab of optics because the instruction manual always had that kind of information.
I looked at Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon, and the Sun. I learned about science by living it. Today, the life of our children seems to be cybercentric. Why figure out what and where the ecliptic is and learn to locate planets when all you need to do is Google the planet's name and see way better pictures of the planet than even the biggest telescope of the sixties produced. And, if I wanted to see those pictures I needed to go to the library and reference them in periodicals using a tool such as The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, an old time "search engine."
I might show you more of the wonders of my mid 20th century youth later. Christmas and birthday presents were definately more diverse, in a diverse sort of way. More later, have an analog day!
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25 May 09 - 00:51Three men blabbing
Dick Durbin is a senator from the state of Illinois. He is some kind of a US Senate big wheel based on the parliamentary structure of the senate. I honestly have not boned up on the way Washington works, I simply enjoy watching them do whatever it is they do there.
Newt Gingrich was a U.S. congressman from Georgia from 1979 to 1999. He was in various kinds of big wheel positions in the house parliamentary structure. Lately he is an author and political analyst.
I watched Dick and Newt today on Meet the Press. I rarely watch it, but since I recognized both men I did watch until they left the program as moderated by David Gregory, a graduate of the NBC today show who replaced Tim Russert after Tim's untimely death.
Each of these three men are leaders and role models for all of us in different ways and I have seen them many times. I agree and disagree with the ideas of each.
All I want to say is that I was impressed by the ability of these three men to carry on an open discourse on limited topics showing where they showed various divergent views in a civil and constructive manner. I thought Newt Gingrich showed intense concentration on the responses by his "adversary" (Dick Durbin) and responded in a very direct and informative way. I will say the same for Durbin, except that Dick was stuck with having to support active Democrat political events and Newt has the advantage of a sideline conservative position.
David Gregory seemed more interactive in his role as moderator. He still does not have the razor sharp instincts and encyclopedic knowledge of Tim Russert, and probably never will. He did, however, seem to be able to keep the ball in the air and that is really the name of the game.
As usual I turned it off when the round table of talking heads commenced their mindless babbling. The other three did not change my mind on the way to handle Muslim extremists and the resulting issues they are causing, but they did offer insights into differing views.
Thank you, gentlemen.
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23 May 09 - 06:06The healthy Diet
I just found this, is this really true? Or is it a joke.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
THE CONCLUSION IS OBVIOUS,
Speaking English apparently kills you.
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21 May 09 - 22:38Sunspot Data for You
This graph shows 400 years of sunspot activity. In fact, hidden here just for you is a spreadsheet with the latest sunspot data and a graph. Click on the icon on the right (the little sheet of paper) to get your spreadsheet.
Now for your homework. What short term climate period started during the "Maunder Minimum"?
I'll give you a hint. Things were cold then and the average number of sunspots for the last many months is around one a day. This should be a time for a bit of chilly weather. Let's see what happens....
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21 May 09 - 06:06A Woman's Testimonial to American Products
Dear Tide:
I am writing to say what an excellent product you have! I've used Tide all of my married life, as my Mom always told me Tide is the best. Now that I am in my fifties I find it even better! In fact, about a month ago, I spilled some red wine on my new white blouse.
My inconsiderate and uncaring husband started to belittle me about how clumsy I was, and generally started becoming a pain in the neck. One thing led to another and somehow I ended up with his blood on my new white blouse!
I grabbed my bottle of Tide with bleach alternative! To my surprise and satisfaction, all of the stains came out! In fact, the stains came out so well the detectives who came by yesterday told me that the DNA tests on my blouse were negative and then my attorney called and said that I was no longer considered a suspect in the disappearance of my husband.
What a relief! Going through menopause is bad enough without being a murder suspect! I thank you, once again, for having a great product.
Well, gotta go, have to write to the Hefty Bag people.
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20 May 09 - 22:05Climate and Weather, Together
When we think about the earth and the "average temperature" we need to realize that the temperature of the earth at any given time is an equilibrium condition. If you look at my simple diagram you can see that the earth's energy comes from the sun, that energy warms the earth and the atmosphere, and then escapes back into space.
Simple. If temperature is going up, then either more energy is reaching us from the sun or less energy is leaking out. If temperature goes down, less energy is arriving or more energy is leaving. It is this coming and going of energy that is the basis of the global warming discussions, and this is the last point where things are simple, because once we start looking at the mechanisms and reasons for the increase or decrease of total energy state of the atmosphere, things get complicated.
Things may be complicated, but we can still understand most of what goes on. The problem arises when scientists try to model what is happening. Let's go there first.
Two words, climate and weather, need to be examined.
Weather is what is happening in the atmosphere right damn now or within a short timeframe. We know from living on planet earth that weather changes by the minute sometimes. What combination of rainy, hot, cold, humid, or windy today, that is what we mean by weather. When we consider thetemperature part of the weather we usually get it in terms of the high and to low for the day.
Climate is the sum of the weathers over a long period of time. When we consider temperature om terms of climate, the temperature aspect of climate at the North Pole is cold all the time while the climate along the equator is hot all the time.
It is easy to see the climate at the extremes, but now let's go to Kansas. Here the temperature goes through an annual cycle. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. Not only that, but the weather from year to year varies. Some years are hotter, some cooler. The only way we can keep track is to keep records. Weather records in Kansas have been kept for about 150 years. The record high during this 150 years is 121°F (149°C), occuring near Alton on July 24, 1936. The record low was –40°F (–40°C), recorded at Lebanon on my birthdate (February 13) in. As you can see, it is a lot harder to define climate in Kansas.
Remember, the temperature is portion of the measure of atmospheric energy content. To change the temperature, energy must either leave or arrive. For day to day weather, this depends mostly on the season and is caused mainly by the amount of energy arriving. However, as you think of your own weather observations, you know there is a lot more to it.
Weather change is very hard to analyzes, and difficult to predict. To understand climate change involves the weather at the north pole, the equator, Kansas, and a whole lot more.
Keep thinking. If Al Gore can understand this as he says he does, you shouldn't have any trouble. Right?
I think we are going too fast, so we will talk about this more another day.
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18 May 09 - 13:17This doesn't seem right... and it's their data.
Quote from the NCAR website, that is "The National Center for Atmospheric Research" sponsered by NSF (National Science Foundation) You recall that the NSF is an independent US government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through research programs and education projects (they give them money).
Quote:
Climate of the future
Climate simulations at NCAR have shown that changes in the Sun's intensity explain less than a third of the global warm-up during the last century. The most likely explanation for a warming Earth is the greenhouse gases emitted when fossil fuels are burned. The effects of future climate change will be not a simple and uniform warming over the entire planet but far more varied, with some regions considerably hotter or cooler, or wetter or drier, than others.
Here are your tax dollars at work. I have taken a graph from the NCAR, an organization you and I pay for, and placed it with a statement from their website that I viewed on 5/17/09.
Perhaps in a later blog we can look into how these graphs are created, for now, just take the data (not the statement) from NCAR as factual. I do not think these people are deceitful, just confused.
Look at the graph. Read the statement and, wow, you really feel the sense of urgency, don't you. When you look at the graph without truely studying it, it appears that carbon dioxide and temperature levels are truely related and the graph is evidence. Be careful, you may be fooling yourself.
The perception is incorrect. Let's parse the graph. Forget about simulations, they are only as good as the understanding and ckill of the people writing them. Let's look at thousands of years of history, provided by the same people that are spending our tax dollars on apparently faulty climate modeling.
At the bottom of the article you see the same graph divided into sections with the graph truncated at the point of the present (the "extrapolated prediction" part of the graph is blanked out. By the way, history always provides better data than prediction. As I used to tell my physics students, interpolation is much more reliable than extrapolation. So let's interpolate.
Look below at the graph which is divided into regions. They are numbered 1 through 12.
Region 1 - 160 to 148 thousand years ago (12 centuries). Carbon Dioxide is relatively constant and so is temperature at 5.8 C below current temperature. Probably an ice age.
Region 2- 148 to 132 thousand years ago (16 centuries). Carbon Dioxide is increasing and so it the temperature. Very convincing proof so far.
Region 3 - 132 to 116 thousand years ago (16 centuries). Damn, what happened here. 16,000 years of relatively constant CO2, actully trending a bit up and temperatures are falling, falling, falling. Lets move on.
Region 4 - 116 to 100 thousand years ago (16 centuries). Another "Aw Shit" for the CO2 crowd. CO2 drops and temperature rises. Better move on again.
Region 5 - 100 to 85 thousand years ago (15 centuries). A mixed result, but, in the latter portion of this period the CO2 and temperature both go down at the same time unless you consider the first part of the region. Maybe region 6 will be more supportive of the CO2 theory.
Region 6 - 85 to 69 thousand years ago (16 centuries). Crap, Carbon Dioxide goes up and temperature goes down. Lets move on.
Region 7 - 85 to 56 thosand years ago (9 centuries). There, like they've been telling us, temperature goes down when CO2 goes down and vica versa. More convincing proof of the CO2 theory!!!
Region 8 - 56 to 42 thoousand years ago (14 centuries). More solid proof for the CO2 cause of temperature change!!
Region 9 - 42 to 31 thousand years ago (11 centuries). Fiddlesticks temperature is constant around 4 C less than today and CO2 is going up. Better move on from here.
Region 10 - 31 to 17 thousand years ago (14 centuries). Woo hoo. Temperatures are going down as CO2 drops.
Region 11 - 10 to 17 thousand years ago (7 centuries). Yup CO2 up and so is temperature. Things are good.
Region 12 - The last 10 thousand years (10 centuries). Trouble here. CO2 is soaring and temperatures are going, gasp, down. That means we should include a simulation on the graph to give the impression what we are saying is already a fact. That's sorta like cooking the data, isn't it? Obama wants good science so he'll catch them at this trick, I know he will.
Conclusion: Climate change occurs over large timeframes. The last few years of temperature readings and CO2 correlations cannot be used as evidence something is coupled when the long term data, sadly, does not seem to show that to be true. Anthropomorphic Global Warming claims appear to be bad science. Perhaps if I had a government grant to study it, however, I might see evidence of a different kind. Or at least a bit of money could convince me to see it differently.
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17 May 09 - 06:0644 Years of NASA EVA
News Story Today
*****
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 16, 2009 (UPI) -- ...John Grunsfeld, the lead spacewalker in the shuttle Atlantis crew, opened up the Advanced Camera for Surveys and replaced four failed computer cards, Florida Today reported.
"The fourth card is out. Woo-hoo, " Grunsfeld announced.
"Somehow I don't think brain surgeons go 'woo-hoo' when they pull something out," a teammate inside the shuttle responded....
*****
Let me share with you. On June the third, 1965, I was a skinny young lad of fourteen years old. I would have just finished the eighth grade. I loved science and technology, and why not? Our previous president of that time, John Kennedy had challenged us, the citizens of the United States, to put a man on the moon before the decade was out. A stepwise program was developed involving the use of known rocket technology under Wernher von Braun (of V-2 rocket fame) to the development of entirely new technologies such as mini-computers. The computer in the Gemini (second generation American manned spaceship) was considered to be a marvel and it was showcased in the many news stories about the craft airing in the mid 60's. Integrated circuits were only in their sixth year in 1965, and transistor-transistor logic was in it's fourth year.
On that June third day, as summer vacation began almost 44 years ago, astronaut Ed White made history when he floated out of the his Gemini 4 capsule into the emptiness of space 180 miles above the earth's surface. This was the first NASA EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity)
Now Shuttle mission STS-125 (Space Transportation System is the shuttle's official name) is elevating the level of EVA to a new level as 
John Grunsfeld actually is repairing a piece of electronic equipment that was not designed to be repaired in space. Grunsfeld had to remove 36 small screws in order to replace the computer boards.
Although this is amazing, I can tell you that the skinny young kid in 1965 imagined that in 44 years we would be repairing parts of our outpost on the moon as well as watching and listening to reports from the latest Mars mission on our spiffy new High Def televisions. Perhaps you young whippersnappers will be the ones to see that childhood dream of mine come true.
For now, this is as good as it gets. Imagine that, 36 little screws and four computer boards.
NASA Multimedia Pages
NASA Home Page
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16 May 09 - 01:17Obama is growing up
Recent News Quote from BBC (other news services share similar reports)
"Civil liberties groups have reacted angrily to US President Barack Obama's decision to revive military trials for some Guantanamo Bay detainees.
Mr Obama has previously denounced the Bush-era judicial system, but in a statement said new safeguards would ensure suspects got a fairer hearing."
If the civil liberties groups are howling, you must be thinking critically. Not that civil liberties groups are always wrong in their thinking, they are simply never balanced. Obama scores a win.
Now that he bears the responsibility, he must make the hard choices. And it appears he is.
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15 May 09 - 06:06The story of Carrie and Donald
Carrie Prejean has been gven the support she requires from Miss USA owner Donald Trump. Trump is not shy about being in the public eye and has always shown, in my opinion, a lot of the same common sense values I received growing up. The Donald indicated that the little gay guy, Perez Hilton, was probably guilty of self promotion, but also indicated he would love to have Mr. Hilton back as a judge. We'll see about that.
Mr. Trump had described this situation as a traumatic period of “abuse” for Carrie Prejean. Prejean believes marriage should be between one man and one woman. Carrie pointed out that Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton share that view. I believe that as well.
With that said, I do not claim to be at all an expert on human behavioral response systems, baseline normal behavior and the deviation required to call something abnormal, or or the basis for things being universally moral. I also believe that it is possible to respect people without agreeing with all of their differences between what they are and what I might consider normal. The gay guy might want to adopt a similar belief system, but if he did, he would find it impossible to be an activist, so, as Donald said, he is just "doing his thing."
(Yes, you are right, I did say I agree with Obama. I have no problem pointing out positions where I agree with him.)
Or where I don't.
Good luck, Carrie. Good luck, Donald. And I wish no ill will for Mr, Hilton, just wish he would step up and be professional when given a responsible position, but, hey, maybe that is not his "thing."
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14 May 09 - 06:06Government man speaks with forked tongue
I see Obama has figured out one glaring fact. Releasing documents that make us look stupid as a nation, in this case pictures from Abu Graib, is a bad idea. Good job, Mr. Obama. Too bad you didn't figure that out before you released documents to the world about the workings of the CIA. I'll bet Russians would not be so dumb as to release methods and procedures, either past or present, used by the KGB. That was stupid.
Now, a review ouf why Mr. Obama scares me. This is from his speech at graduation in at the Arizona State graduation exercises.
Wall Street Journal - May 13, 2009 - TEMPE, Ariz. – ... "Graduates, it is now abundantly clear that we need to start doing things a little differently," he said, bedecked in graduate robes. "As a nation, we'll need a fundamental change of perspective and attitude. It is clear that we need to build a new foundation – a stronger foundation – for our economy and our prosperity, rethinking how we grow our economy, how we use our energy, how we educate our children, and care for our sick, and treat our environment."
As I watch this man work hard to increase taxes and government, I leave you all with a warning. He means socialism. He means less respect for the individual and greater federal government control of your lives. This means reduction of opportunity and an increase in burden on the successful to aid the lazy, unlucky, and the stupid among us.
I am sorry, I do not trust this man. He may be "quality people" as described by Condoleeza Rice, but I am afraid he is a quality huckster.
Make up your own mind my friends, but I see a man working hard to find ways to control our lives and spend our money for us. Did you hear that Medicare will run out of money the same year I become eligible to retire? Social Security itself is not far behind. These types of poorly thought out government programs are the same type of thing that broke General Motors and Chrysler. They are Ponzi schemes, plain and simple and Obama wants more of it.
In my humble opinion.
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12 May 09 - 22:18Guts or Balls???
Jokey, jokey!!
We've all heard about people having
guts or
balls, this raises questions.
Is there really a distinction between the two?
If there is a difference, what is the difference between them?
The words are almost the same in meaning so it is difficult to exactly define the words in a manner which correctly describes the similarities and differences. The best way to understand the subtle difference is by means of examples. Here is an example of each
GUTS - Upon arriving home late after a night out with the guys you are met at the door by your wife with a broom. It would take real guts to ask, "Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?"
BALLS - Alternately, you come home after a late night out with the guys, smelling of perfume and beer, and there is lipstick on your collar. It would take real balls to slap your wife on the butt and say, "You're next, Chubby."
I hope this clears up any confusion.
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11 May 09 - 06:06Jungle Restaurant
This is a joke, son!
A cannibal came upon a restaurant operated by a fellow cannibal.
Feeling somewhat hungry, he walked in, sat down and looked at the menu.......
Raw Tourist: $5.00
Broiled Missionary: $10.00
Fried Explorer: $15.00
Baked Democrat or Grilled Republican: $100.00
The guy called his friend over and asked,
"Why such a huge price for the politicians?"
The cook replied, "Have you ever tried to clean one?
They're so full of crap, it takes all morning.
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09 May 09 - 06:06My New Future Car (Go Ford)
Ford wants parity with Chrysler deal Freep.com
By Brent Snavely • Freep.com • May 6, 2009 ... Ford announced plans to invest $550 million at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne....
Ford said it would achieve profitability at Michigan Assembly by investing heavily in a flexible manufacturing process, revamping its global supplier sourcing program and by adopting new local work rules with the UAW Local 900....
“We did not accept the notion that that you can’t build small cars profitably here in America,” Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said. Michigan Assembly is one of three North American plants Ford is renovating to build cars instead of trucks....
If this is true, the Ford Focus will be the first new car I have purchased since 1990, a Plymouth Voyager. I was impressed to see that Ford is planning to make small cars in the United States and I will be the first in line to get one. Henry Ford was the innovative leader in automotive manufacturing methods that created the mass produced affordable automobile we know today. Building on the success of Eli Whitney with interchangeable parts, Henry Ford created an organized linear assembly system known as the assembly line for his Model T.
As a scientist I understand the concept of feedback systems and damping of momentum within those systems. (I am suppressing the need to rant about the lack of science in the EPA.) In the world of leveraged-owner-opportunity-creater versus organized-trained-labor-recipient scenario of the automotive industry I must commend the Unions for realizing that they need to regress to allow the money machine to recover. This is typical of systems. In the automotive industry the unions allowed their greed to feed on the greed of the owners to keep the business rolling and ended up in a place where it was time to correct. Unfortunately this is the painful side of the pendulun swinging. The system is working, and it is comforting to see the economic system work without government intervention as in the throwing of Chrysler to the wolves. No more Chrysler products for me.
Go Ford!! I am off to your website to determine when I will be purchasing my new car.
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08 May 09 - 20:57An open letter to Obama
This came to me as an email..... I admit, I have been disappointed at the same things.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Mr. Obama:
I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.
You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America. You are responsible to the citizens of the United States. You are not responsible to the peoples of any other country on earth.
I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about if not the consideration of the peoples of Europe? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?
Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country? Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States? This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and the principles governing this country, at least until you came along, come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?
Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia. You don’t show Great Britain, our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia. How dare you, sir! How dare you!
You can’t find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don’t want to offend the Germans but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey. You offended our dead and every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What’s the matter with you?
I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.
You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it
What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members – on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You haven’t said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn’t!
Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million – not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven’t you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now.
I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you. I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.
Sincerely,
Real Americans
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07 May 09 - 06:06This doesn't seem right.....
How the world works lately...
If a man cuts his finger off while
Slicing salami at work,
He blames the restaurant.
If you smoke three packs a day
For 40 years and die of lung cancer,
Your family blames the
Tobacco company.
If your neighbor crashes
Into a tree while driving home drunk,
He blames the bartender.
If your grandchildren are
Brats without manners,
You blame television.
If your friend is shot by a
Deranged madman,
You blame the gun manufacturer.
And if a crazed person breaks
Into the cockpit and
Tries to kill the pilot at 35,000 feet,
And the passengers
Kill him instead,
The mother of the crazed deceased
Blames the airline.
I must have lived too long to
Understand the world
As it is anymore.
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05 May 09 - 22:05Please, Craig's List Only?
A recent lead to a story...
Authorities seek to crack down on Craigslist
By Alex Johnson
msnbc.com - May 5, 2009
Craigslist.com, the wildly popular online community and classified bazaar, is coming under intense pressure from law enforcement authorities to eliminate what they say are ads for illegal sexual activities...
Give me a break, let's really clean up you guys. I have in my hand a copy of the "Houston Press". When I lived in Dallas there was a similar rag called the "Dallas Observer". The reason I bring this up is because I am tired of political posturing with regard to the internet, when this crap is probably on a news stand right up the street from where those enforcement authorities work. These magazines are out in the open and anyone could pick one up at any time. Guaranteed.
As examples:
Full body massage by nice Chinese girl. $45/hr...
Asian Massage Villa...Well trained therapists...Shower available...Private location...
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We would expect the escort services to make house calls, that's what they do, and then there are the massage girls that make house calls (or so the ads say). Message girls seem to be predominantly Asian women.
And the other websites? Google "escort service" and see what you find. It's your pandering government officials at work.
Lincoln - default -
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04 May 09 - 21:51A divorce, happens all the time
Dear wife,
I'm writing you this letter to tell you that I'm leaving you forever. I've been a good man to you for 7 years and I have nothing to show for it. These last 2 weeks have been hell.
Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today and that was the last straw. Last week, you came home and didn't even notice I had a new haircut, had cooked your favorite meal and even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers.. You ate in 2 minutes, and went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps. You don't tell me you love me anymore; you don't want sex or anything that connects us as husband and wife. Either you're cheating on me or you don't love me anymore; whatever the case, I'm gone.
Signed,
Your Ex-Husband
P.S. Don't try to find me. Your SISTER and I are moving away to West Virginia together! Have a great life!
Dear Ex-Husband,
Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter.
It's true you and I have been married for 7 years, although a good man is a far cry from what you've been. I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining and griping. Too bad that doesn't work. I DID notice when you got a hair cut last week, but the 1st thing that came to mind was 'You look just like a girl!' Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can't say something nice, I didn't comment. And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with MY SISTER, because I stopped eating pork 7 years ago. About those new silk boxers: I turned away from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them, and I prayed it was a coincidence that my sister had just borrowed $50 from me that morning.
After all of this, I still loved you & felt we could work it out. So when I hit the lotto for 10 million dollars, I quit my job and bought us 2 tickets to Jamaica but when I got home you were gone. Everything happens for a reason, I guess.
I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won't get a dime from me.
So take care.
Signed,
Your Ex-Wife
P.S. I don't know if I ever told you this, but my sister Carla was born Carl. I hope that's not a problem.
Lincoln - default -
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03 May 09 - 22:46America, land of opportunity, land of the past
As I wait for the "Obama Porkulous Package" to kick in I started thinking about television in the 50's and 60's. That was the time when I grew up. These two decades had to be the best time to be an American, the best time to be a kid, and I grew up in the type of town many people can only dream of.
In the mid 1950's my Dad owned a furniture store and sold Zenith televisions. Since it was hard to sell televisions without speaking from experience, we had to have a television, and it looked like the set you see here. It was a cabinet model. My Grandparents had the same set in a "portable" which had controls and a screen that looked exactly the same, but came in a cubicle case with a useless handle on the top. They were required to get a TV stand for their television, but it was truely the same set.
All televisions sold in the 1950's and 1960's were made in the United States. They had brand names like Zenith, Curtis Mathes, RCA, Sylvania, Magnavox, GE, Philco, Admiral, Motorola, and who knows what else. Buying a television meant that you were buying a product made by an American in a factory in the United States that was unfettered by the EPA, OSHA, and other assorted agencies that are needed, but mismanaged by our government.
The same factories that made televisions often made television cameras, control room switchgear, and the companies employed American engineers, factory workers, production control workers, supervisors, managers, and so on. We were the leader in technology and intellectual expertise. We made things.
In the second picture you can see an ad for a remote control. We take them for granted today, but the television remote control was invented by an American engineer, Robert Adler, who worked his entire life at Zenith. It used sonic waves to communicate with the television. Adler began working for Zenith in 1941 and stayed on until a merger in 1999.
On that television set that my Dad brought home I started watching Captain Kangaroo, a version of Romper Room (starring my kindergarten teacher, Miss Shaw), Pinky Lee, Sky King, Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, Broken Arrow, Walt Disney Presents, and, if I was lucky, the evening variety shows with the likes of Jack Benny, Imogene Coca, Red Skelton, Bob Hope, and many more.
What's more, these television celebrities all had values that echoed what my parents taught me. My friends, there was good and there was evil, and good was what they taught me I wanted to be.
Lincoln - default -
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01 May 09 - 06:06Over-reacting, Our government at work
Fact 1) Math lovers, there are 109,956,000 people in the Mexican polulation. There are 304,060,000 in the United States. These numbers mean that there are three citizens in the US for each one in Mexico. Keep that in mind.
Fact 2) Typically, in a year's normal two flu seasons (one per hemisphere), there are between three and five million cases of severe illness and up to 500000 deaths
(Source: Wikipedia)
Fact 3) An estimated 100,000 hospitalizations and about 20,000 deaths occur each year from the flu or its complications.
(Source: Focus On The Flu - NIAID)
Fact 4) The first "SWINE FLU" occurred April 1 in a 4-year-old boy who lived near a pig farm in Perote, a town east of Mexico City. Since then maybe 165 Mexican people have died from the disease strain. One of them died in the United States.
Fact 5) I have heard the estimate that 33,000 people a year die from the flu in the United States. After a bit of research it turns out the number is anywhere between 20,000 and over 50,000 depending on how you count.
Fact 6) Any virus strain is more virulent when it first emerges and becomes less so as immune systems adapt.
With this in mind. . . .
Being as conservative I can (and I am conservative) that is 20,000 per year or 55 deaths per day, however, keep in mind that these deaths occur during "flu season" so during flu season the rate might be, three times that amount or 165 a day. So far the highest estimate in Mexico is around 165 deaths from the swine flu. Some estimates are much lower. That means that in the United States, in three average days, as many people died as the total death toll of Mexicans since April 1, or 30 days. Looking at the higher flu season rate that is a day's worth of flu season deaths.
The population of Mexico is 1/3 that of the United States. If 165 die a day in flu season here, 55 die per day in Mexico. Since April 1 we have seen an average of 6 deaths a day in Mexico from "SWINE FLU". It would appear that 49 died of other flu (on the average).
This said, what is the big deal? I'll ride any plane, any time, to Mexico, if the need or money arises to cover the expense of the trip. Biden has the same sense of reality as Al Gore. Hey guys, the sky is falling! Perhaps human caused global warming makes this new flu more DEADLY!!
Right.
Get a grip, America.
This is brought to you by the same folks that bring you "Human Caused" global warming. The news media and Washington beureaucrats with a few misguided locals thrown in.
Again, get a grip!
Lincoln - default -
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