Why efforts to curtail global climate change are doomed from the start.

A recent article published on the CNN web page was written by a gentleman named Kumi Naidoo. Kumi is the executive director for the Greenpeace International and I found the article well written.

One point he makes is to state that “most scientists tell us that we must dramatically curb greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avert catastrophic climate change.” Truer words have never been spoken, however there exists a fly in the ointment of that statement. It has to do with people. Too darn many people.

Even if all the world’s leaders were to suddenly be smitten with the desire to completely curb the careless throwing of carbon into the air. Even if we were to plunge ourselves back into the Dark Ages by outlawing the use of gasoline, diesel and coal, there would still be a minor problem.

In case no one has noticed the world population is exploding. Just since 1960, a time many of us remember, it has grown from about 3 billion to something over 6.7 billion. Multiply that number by 900 grams. That’s roughly the amount of CO2 gas that each and every one of us emit per day, every day, 24/7. Then there’s the methane gas, but I think you get the picture.

Unless we do something to drastically reduce the total population, no amount of other corrective actions we take will amount to very much in the grand scheme of things.

Yes, Mr. Naidoo, this tired old planet needed amends made, but that time was decades ago. At current growth trends, we will have 8 billion or more souls on this planet by 2025 and it will keep going up more or less logarithmically from there. Worldwide CO2 levels, currently at an all time high of over 888 parts per million (the highest levels in over four hundred thousand years), will continue ever upwards until such time as the planet will elect to bring about a new balance. More than likely this will take the form of an ice age when melting ice caps breakdown and stop the thermohaline circulation belts in the oceans. Of course we just may all die of heat prostration in a runaway greenhouse scenario. Take your pick. Either way, the time for definitive action was long ago.

A yard cross? But of course!

It seems that that whenever America works its way through troubled times, there is also an attack on the Christians who call this country their home. Lately it's been a tiny fraction who call themselves atheists and who are now complaining that they are offended by anything display of religion in public places.

Christians have turned their cheeks for a very long time and the tendency has been to cow-toe to the demands of this infinitesimally small group of men and women. I think that time is perhaps now at and end.

I urge everyone, no matter what their faith, to exercise that faith both in private and in public. If the godless among us are insulted, that's just too bad. For my part, I plan to place a cross in my front yard and will gladly speak to any who will listen about my relationship with Jesus and the Holy Father. God bless any who take up His name in this time of troubled waters.

Lame duck session rams legislation through in spite of citizen desires!

Go figure this one out. After getting pretty much zero done all last year, the lame duck session is in full overdrive. Composed, in part, by people thrown out by the America voters,  it has managed to do it yet one more time. That is piss us Americans off.  For my part, I’m walking away from this year with an after-image of whining; slightly hysterical individuals who passed questionable legislation that would have been much better off waiting for January hearings and clearer minds. Now, as the year thankfully draws to a close, I've made a News Years resolution. That is, never to listen to anything any Democrat (and most Republicans) try to push down my throat. Some of these people are a complete disgrace to the Republic and 2012 cannot get here too soon for me. (Please vote in the next election and kick these son’s of bitches out of office and out of our lives)!

Also, hands off my internet please. Net Neutrality and subsequent control by the FCC is perhaps the worst idea to come out of the rear ends of legislators for some time. (Don't fix something that ain't broke stupid)! Hey! Here's a ground breaking idea! How about working on securing Americans more jobs, or even on reducing the debt. You know, the work we sent you folks to Capitol Hill to do in the first place! Alas, I'm afraid as a final movement (as in bowel), this group of wet ends will now fuck up the last bastion of a free internet market before retiring home for the Holidays. A place they can suck eggs and tell family members what a great job they did and maybe still have someone who'll believe them.

 

Meanwhile, the glowing embers of citizen anger will continue to burn quietly in the night.

 

The only consolation I will take with me into 2011 will be watching Obama scamper over and embrace the Republicans as though they were long lost brothers. Sorry Harry Reid, but politics demand he now discard the far left like a man who stops to scrap dog crap off a shoe. It's too bad, though, the smell will linger for some time.

Random thoughts for a December 19, 2010

On Climate change

I have been doing research on the potential for massive climate change and can confirm that there is evidence for said occurring for anyone with eyes. Graphs showing the abrupt rise of CO2, methane and world temperatures over the last 100 years is troubling to say the least. Yet, no one appears to want to confront the issue of overpopulation as a probable root cause. What it has taken plate tectonics millions of years to accomplish, is now being accelerated a thousand fold by the presence of over seven billion human beings.

Any graph of greenhouse gases that suddenly transits from a horizontal to a near vertical line is trouble. Portended therein are changes on such a scale, that there is little that can now be done by any one person or even a nation. Countries that have aligned themselves to the Kyto (or whatever it's called) accord are spinning their wheels if they think that anything can be done to change the course of this world. Maybe if we had unilaterally acted back in the seventies, things might have been different. Now, I feel it’s simply too late. And, since mankind has been not taken corrective action, it will be left up the Mother Nature to take them for us. More than likely, her fix will result in mass extinctions on a scale that is unimaginable and which will change the fate of humankind forever.

US and the Smart Treaty… not actually very smart!

While Obama’s heart may be in the right place in trusting others to bring our country to no harm, history does not support the concept. Giving up any defensive capability, no matter how small, is not a road I would like to travel at this time. There are just too many wild cards in the game. While I deplore the need to even have weapons of mass destruction anywhere on the face of this earth, I do understand and appreciate their value as deterrence.

Congress and the Lord of the Flies

After reading this classic, I was struck by the similarities that exist between a group of children who have be marooned on an island and recent goings on in the halls of congress. The only element that seems to be missing is the pig. Where’s the f’ing pig?

The Food Modernization Act

I absolutely love the cute names of recent legislation drafted by the far left. Actually, the Food Modernization Act, aka as S-510, is a total screwing of the American public. You could just as easily call it the Federal Masturbation Act for all the new government jobs and bureaucracy that would result from its passage. When the government gets involved, you can count on bad things happening. Even the FDA has never been a real shining star in my opinion. The fact that there have been no massive fatalities due to food poisoning has been due more to luck than to anything that this bureau has done.

Food production and control needs to stay at the local level if it is to be effective. State officials that live right in the community are a far better cry than some politician’s control off in Washington. Something that was recently enforced by the total incompetence of the Department of Energy and Minerals concerning its lack of oversight in the BP oil spill. Big government spells big problems and that’s a memo.

Mediacom, the new BP of America!

Speaking of people who don’t seem very well informed, I give you Mediacom. A CF service company that seems to experience equipment failure on a regular basis, but which rarely is able to inform its subscriber base as to the reasons why.

Earlier today a significant number of us subscribers were without cable TV, the internet or telephone for much of the day. If you call this Mediacom to complain, you first have to let them know that you speak English by selecting one on the dial, otherwise they go on in Spanish. How cute. Then you get to listen to a robot tell you that yes, there is an outage in your area. So sorry Charlie. Would you like to hear that message again?

When I was finally able to get a hold of a human being, he had no idea of what was going on or for how long, if ever, it would be before all or part of my service would be restored. Now, why is it that I pay hundreds of dollars a month to a company just to be told they don’t know squat about what’s going on inside the walls of their own establishment? Hey guys, I already get that crap from my government.

Random thought for December 15, 2010

New Heightened Terrorist Threats!

In a press release by the White House, Janet Igotnoclueio released a statement warning Americans to be on the watch for the latest in terrorist threats; cranium and colon bombs.

Apparently some smooth talking extremists have recruited dopey-eyed young idealists into volunteering for a full lobotomy procedure. The cranial cavity thus created will be stuffed with high explosives and electrodes planted in the basal ganglia will enable Jihadist leadership to control the person from afar via remote control. Expects are cautioning citizens to be wary of anyone walking around in a jerky manner who is also wearing a black mask. (Duh). Other living bombs, they caution will be much easier to spot as these may be men who have had a pound of explosives shoved up their rectums. Watch for anyone who walks funny and who shows a sense of profound urgency on their faces. Ignore the ones in suits. Those are Democrats.

The lame and getting lamer duck session!

What part of ‘you’re outta here’ do the recently ousted Representatives and Senators not get? Do everyone a favor and PLEASE JUST GO HOME. Ramming another trillion down the throats of Americans, giving Russia the upper hand on missile defense and passing crappy tax legislation (that all sides admit is crappy) is no way to run my country.

A recent Gallup pole shows congress enjoying an all time low approval rating of just 13%. What happens, I wonder, when get gets down to zero? Perhaps we'll find out!

The SPC theory of a trigger for the next ice age!

While standing outside fueling my car recently, someone at the next pump asked me if I thought we might have a hard winter. ‘Duh’, I thought. It was about twenty degrees that day in early December and winter hadn’t even officially arrived. But, his remark did cause me to think about the recent snowstorms that have occurred in the northern tier of states, especially in Wisconsin where the mercury has already dipped to zero a few times and Milwaukee just went through a blizzard. So, I responded with, ‘No, I don’t think so and neither does Al Gore’.

As I paid for my gas, I reflected on a personal theory of mine which I like to refer to as the SPC trigger, and whether there was any validity to a theory that it is not one but a combination of factors that can bring about sudden changes in the earth’s climate. The term SPC refers to solar output, precessional rotation of the earth, and Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Three major influences that can be game changers in the climate of earth.

Solar Output

Scientists have tracked the output of the sun for a long time and now know that it changes over time. This change is linked to sunspots which follow an eleven year cycle and which may be involved in longer cycles that are poorly understood. What is known is that the last ‘Little Ice Age’ occurred during a time of prolonged absence of sunspots in or around 1750. Refer to the Maunder Minimum for more information on this.

Earth’s Axial Precession

Axial precession is the movement of the rotational axis of an astronomical body, whereby the axis slowly traces out a cone. In the case of the Earth, this type of precession is also known as the precession of the equinoxes or precession of the equator. The Earth goes through one such complete precessional cycle in a period of approximately 23,000 years, during which the positions of stars as measured in the equatorial coordinate system will slowly change; the change is actually due to the change of the coordinates.

The change in the tilt of the sun over this period of time affects the total amount of energy that reaches and thus warms the earth. Due to this wobble, a climatically significant alteration can take place. When the axis is tilted towards Vega the positions of the Northern Hemisphere winter and summer solstices will coincide with the aphelion and perihelion, respectively. This means that the Northern Hemisphere will experience winter when the Earth is furthest from the Sun and summer when the Earth is closest to the Sun. This coincidence will result in greater seasonal contrasts.  At present, the Earth is at perihelion very close to the winter solstice.

CO2 Levels

CO2 has been shown to be directly tied to past ice ages in the sense that just before each one the earth recorded record high levels (see map). One theory reads as follows: ‘Many scientists fear that global warming could affect the deep ocean global conveyor belt. If global warming leads to increased rain, as some believe it might, the added fresh water could decrease the salinity levels at the poles. Melting ice, another possibility of global warming, would also decrease salinity levels. Regardless of the means, the end scenario is the same: Warmer, less dense water won't be dense enough to sink, and the global conveyor belt could stop -- having far-reaching and devastating consequences [source: NOAA: "Currents"].

Recently, the amount of CO2 in the air was measured at 387 parts per million (408.47 ppm as of Dec 2018), which is significantly higher (click on graph above) than previous levels were just prior to a major shift in global temperatures downwards.

Whatever happened to...

Random thoughts for December the 10th

What is wrong with the members of congress?

Do they not get it that the average American’s fuse is getting shorter all the time? Capitol Hill is looking more and more like a pile of back-biting, mindless morons who are more concerned with themselves and how they look than with doing the business they were elected to office to perform. I can guarantee that no matter what happens, the American people will suffer because of the complete incompetence by these men and women.

It’s time for everyone, no matter what platform they support, to send a message that come 2012, as many as is possible will be ousted from office. Support and elect only third party candidates.

The average age of a Wikileaks supporter is like 13!

I was shocked and amused to find out that most of Assange’s following are kids who are barely out of their diapers. The ringleader in the attacks was 16! As this group fades from the consciousness of the world, let it be a lesson to us all. Children will act like children and have no place in a world run by adults. Julian, I hope you find yourself a new boyfriend while in prison. You both can then explore the playground that is your body.

Iran denies woman sentenced to stoning was freed.

“Some Western media outlets claimed Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani had been released from prison,” Press TV said today on its English-language website. The reports are part of a “vast publicity campaign by Western media,” it said.

No, I have it on solid grounds that the hair-balled whack-jobs like those running the state TV station are generally too stoned out on heroin to be sure of much of anything. For my part, I hope she has escaped this Alice in Wonderland Gone Mad country. I also pray that Allah, in his infinite wisdom, does a number on the leadership there. Amen.

California is about to go down the tubes!

Hey everyone! You may want to grab a souvenir or two, before the United States is forced to sell this state of disaster off to China as a deposit on the interest we owe them. An insane 28 billion dollar budget shortfall will be well beyond the idiotic dreams of even the most staunch Democrat to patch over. This is one can, that if you tried to kick it down the street, would break your foot.

Obama’s good news department…

As the world and the United States heads into a very uncertain year I thought I would take a pause and look at all the things that did not happen in 2010.

California did not drop off into the sea, much to the chagrin of some. While it’s true that the state is currently drowning in debt, at least it has the support of millions of illegal aliens who are even now making a pilgrimage to their version of Mecca. Perhaps we can rename the state the Newer New Mexico. Just a thought.

Speaking of aliens, the Muslim Nation (God bless them) have also elected not to settle into America en mass at this time. They are too busy with Europe. Look for them in 2011-12.

Texas was unable to secede from the Union, at least on this go around. Now, it too, is saddled with debt to the tune of ten billion dollars (hey welcome to the crowd). Most of it spent while trying to fight a border war that should have been fought by Obama and his hemorrhoid buddies in government.

Dire warnings by the United States National Academy of Sciences that a sudden, unexpected climate change—on a scale that could cause widespread drought or plunge Earth into a deep freeze—have not occurred and they are puzzled.

A super volcano caldera that lies under a good part of Yellowstone Park in Wyoming is a time bomb that is also showing ‘significant activity’ in 2010. Should this baby decide to blow its top, scientists think that perhaps all of North America would be devastated followed by a pronounced deterioration of global climate. A situation which would endure for a few years following the eruption. This could result in the devastation of world agriculture, severe disruption of food supplies and mass starvation (imagine two billion starving Asians). These effects could be sufficiently severe to threaten the fabric of civilization as we know it. So, OK…that also did not happen. Barrack baby, you’re on a roll!


Lastly, there was no impact by any asteroid such as the one that exterminated most of the life on earth 540 million years ago. Should one occur in 2011, however, it is thought that even though man will not survive, the lowly cockroach may. Then, perhaps in a hundred million years, or so, this form of life might evolve to become a higher order of creature once again. Like say a congressman or attorney.

Man convicted of legal gun ownership!

EVERYTHING Brian Aitken was or had worked for was wiped away one winter afternoon after his mother called the police on him. Please read this article about a man convicted by the slack-jawed droolers that run the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the former superior court monkey of a judge who ignored his role as a judge and convicted this upstanding citizen to seven years in prison.

Thank God I do not live in New Jersey. Brian’s case is on appeal at this time.

Come January, will US citizens see some action from the House?

Republicans need to focus on just three issues when the new Congress convenes in January; 10% more jobs, one third smaller government and a drastic cut in spending. That’s it. That’s all I would like to see them accomplish. I think many American feel the same way.

What do I think is actually going to happen? A larger and larger bureaucracy, continued out of control spending and a dismal job market. That will be the reality I’m afraid. Anyone wanting to make a bet I’m wrong, please reply.

The shootist

North Korean leadership: A study in pigheaded stupidity.

Every time I come across something in the news concerning North Korea the content seems to always fall into one of two categories; 1) how gut-wretchedly poor a people are who live under a dictatorship and 2) pointless saber rattling by Kim Jon Il shortly before he begins his trip to the great beyond. Now things seem to be ratcheting up again.

What’s disturbing about this occasion is twofold; 1) the successor appears to be even more of a slack-jawed idiot than his dad and 2) I have a sneaking suspicion that China is actually pulling the strings here. It’s possible that they have in mind an invasion of the south and, if true, it could be a blessing in disguise.

Here’s the situation. Right now the north is banking on America backing down and doing nothing. Intel has it that our president is a thinker-ponderer kind of man who would be completely ineffective in a fast moving military situation. Finally, Kim Jon Il (and getting iller) may feel this could be his last chance to make a big splash before going out. War is definitely a possibility in the near term.

But here is the good news. North Korea is actually more of a shell government. A quick and decisive strike by South Korea in conjunction with her Allies could quickly bring down the North and mark the beginning point of re-unification of both countries. A situation that would be good for the US and her allies and really bad news for China. It would also send a very clear message to the rest of the world that we stand by our friends through thick and thin.

Beware: If you opt out of screening process, you may be fined!

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it can fine individuals up to $11,000 for walking away from the airport security process. But will it? People in government say the fine is mostly a deterrent so that terrorists cannot back out of a security check once it starts.
The TSA said it has yet to fine a traveler for not completing the screening process, though it has levied civil penalties against passengers who have brought dangerous items to the security checkpoint.
"While TSA has the legal authority to levy a civil penalty of up to $11,000 for individuals who choose not to complete the screening process, each case is determined on the individual circumstances of the situation," said Greg Soule, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration. Congress transferred the enforcement of civil aviation security to the TSA from the Federal Aviation Administration in November 2001, after the September 11 attacks.
The TSA's current civil penalty monetary guidelines, which became effective on August 20 last year, say the security administration can impose "civil monetary penalties…up to $10,000 per violation for surface transportation modes [for breaches of highway, pipeline, freight rail and mass transit security policies] and up to $11,000 per violation for all other persons…"

What's next? Cavity searches?

“Whenever an individual manages to circumvent the security system designed to protect our airports, airlines and the people who use them, we ask why our countermeasures failed. And yet the real problem lies in our determination to screen everybody in exactly the same way using technologies that are not fit for purpose.

 

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year old alleged perpetrator of the Christmas Day attack, should have been identified as a potential threat to the flight both in Lagos and again in Amsterdam. Here was a passenger who had bought an expensive ticket in cash in a country different to that of his port of embarkation or his intended destination, was traveling without any checked luggage for a two-week trip over the Christmas period, and about whom some agencies, and his father, had security concerns. It’s not rocket science we need; it’s the deployment of common sense.

 

Regrettably, regulators are loath to implement international profiling standards that would screen different passengers in different ways, for fear of being branded politically incorrect. Profiling is a risk analysis of a person or situation carried out by a trained, streetwise workforce. In terms of passengers, the aim is to analyze their appearance and behavior, along with their travel documents, and determine to what extent they meet our expectations for international air travel. The key advantage of profiling is that it responds to future threats as well as to those of the past and enables us to then select the right technology to screen passengers with. We are not going to ask all passengers to undergo a through-body X-ray, however safe such technologies are, but we could use the technology to screen those we have concerns about.

 

Detractors of profiling claim that decisions will be racially motivated, that we will start picking on young Asian men and that all Muslim passengers will be treated unfairly. Yet, the best examples of profiling actually working have identified people who do not meet such a stereotype.  Anne-Marie Murphy, a pregnant Irish woman identified as a potential threat to an El Al flight in 1986, is the best example – and she certainly did not fit the terrorist stereotype. As a result the 1.5 kg Semtex-based device concealed in her bag was identified.

 

The limited degree of profiling that is currently done has been proven to work, when it is properly applied and enforced by trained staff. Richard Reid, the “shoe-bomber,” was identified as a possible threat on 21st December 2001 and refused boarding; he returned the next day and managed to board. The Chechen Black Widows responsible for the downing of two Russian airliners in 2004, each carrying explosive charges on (or possibly in) their bodies, were initially refused boarding. They paid bribes to be accepted, with tragic results.

 

It is up to  security trainers to ensure that profiling decisions are based on logic rather than race, religion or skin color. In any case, aviation security is about preventing perpetrators of all acts of unlawful interference with civil aviation, such as unruly passengers, criminals and asylum seekers, not only terrorists, from boarding aircraft. Employers, meanwhile, will have to ensure that the screeners they employ have the requisite skill-set with which to perform their duties.

Profiling is subjective and profilers are human beings subject to making errors of judgment. Indeed, Abdulmutallab had been through a degree of profiling in Amsterdam on Dec. 25; whoever failed to identify him must have been either in a Christmas frame of mind or incapable of identifying the most obvious of documentary signs. Accordingly, profiling is not a substitute for screening, rather a requisite addition to the security process.

 

With this in mind, we need a system whereby a human determines which screening methodology should be applied to each passenger. Most people who look and act the part, as most people do, of the ‘normal’ law-abiding traveler would be subjected to standard screening, ideally without even having to take off their shoes or belts or dispose of any liquids. Those passengers whose intent is indeterminate may face questioning or screening using millimeter wave-based solutions, whilst those who we have genuine concerns about could undergo passenger X-ray or even be denied boarding.

 

I despair when I read of the latest security measures implemented to supposedly safeguard aviation. Just because Abdulmutallab allegedly carried out his attack 20 minutes before landing (which I would say was incredibly poor planning and not the mark of a sophisticated terrorist), passengers on flights to the U.S. are no longer allowed to stand during the last hour of their flight; nor can they cover themselves with blankets or have access to their hand baggage in this period of the flight. Not only do these measures demonstrate that the authorities recognize that the current security system is incapable of detecting the 21st century terrorist on the ground, prior to departure, but they also provide the terrorist with yet another victory. What they want is to disrupt our daily lives and they are succeeding.

 

Now is the time for us to seize the opportunity and set about replacing our antiquated approach to aviation security. We must look to the future and start to consider the unthinkable – chemical or biological weapons attacks, internally-carried devices, and devices infiltrated onto aircraft by airport workers. To do this we must finally accept that profiling is the only solution that works.”

 

Philip Baum is the author of this piece and editor of Aviation Security International . He is also the managing director of Green Light Limited, an aviation security training and consultancy company based in London. The opinions expressed by him are fully supported by this blogger. The clock is ticking folks. It's time the US government got its head out of its ass. Or maybe you folks on Capitol Hill didn't get the recent message 'We the People' sent? Leadership by those who yell loudest will no longer cut it in America. We deserve and demand level headed, common sense approaches to the problems we face on this issue of terrorism. Put another way. We are just about out of tolerance for tolerance sake.

Random thoughts for November 8 2010

I have to assume Al-Awlaki is f’ing nuts!

I do know for a fact he is a dickless maggot. His only redeeming quality may be the price someone can get for the minerals in his body after it is cremated. While I love my fellow man, the key word is man. Al-Awlaki is not a man. He is so low on the evolutionary ladder that his kinship would be closer to that of mollusks. Other than that I have no problems with him. Hope they catch you soon you crawling snail.

Cold weather to let up for a few days!

So, I want everyone to run around outside like mad until it gets cold again. My garden is now completely decimated, but the good news is no more grass cutting for something like three or four months! Also, no bugs to worry about. That means I can get back out into the forest for a great hike without coming home covered in ticks. Nasty critters they are.

Obama is out of the country!

Is there anyway we can keep him out now that he’s gone? It’s not that I don’t love the dear man. He just seems to keep tripping over his own dick a little to often for my comfort. Perhaps he can help China the way he’s helped America. Now that would be fun to watch. While we’re at it let’s send over Reid and Pelosi. They could form the vanguard point team to bring free health care to 1.3 billion Chinese. Yeah, like that would work.

Valehdellaan - Katri Ylander with Let's Lie

Jenni Vartiainen - Ihmisten edessä w English Subtitles

OK, Jenni was a blast as I endeavored to learn the Finnish language, so very long ago. She thought I was orava (a total squirrel)! This video was filmed in Helsinki, (but not by me, I only translated it)! The translation was aided by two fine ladies of that state, Valura and Visa, both living in Espoo, at the time! Please sample this. Breath the political air and get back to me.

 The Lord God shouts for many decades, at a man who is half deaf. And not even his one good ear hears the truth he speaks very well....

So, for a few who follow. A side excursion to Thai music as the rabbit hole goes downwards...

Roviolla

Välitunnilla - Katri Ylander

On Slippage

So, who won? Or actually, who cares?

Now that that the 2010 midterm elections will soon be history, the question becomes…what next? After millions of dollars have been spent by candidates on both sides… after they’ve invested a yearof campaigning and speech making… so what? I’ll make you a bet here and now that not a thing will have changed. I’ll also bet that during all those campaigns that ran for House, Senate and other seats promises were made and strings were attached. Thirty days from now you won’t even be able to tell there was an election as both sides will be right back a each others throats in the halls of congress while the Republic sinks ever further in a mire of debt and failed promises. Actually, that’s not a bet, it’s a fact.

EZ Slow Cooker Porkchops!

Even though pork chop are now getting expensive (so, what isn’t). I made up this recipe to see if it would live up to the good reviews it had received. The only change I made from the original was to braise the chops on a hot grill outside. I like seeing the marks left on the meat rather than a slab of gray at meal time. Other than that, this meal takes just a few moments to prepare.

Ingredients:

4 pork chops (1/2" thick)
Salt & pepper
1 onions, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
3 banana peppers, cut in strips
1/8 c. water
1/4 c. catchup
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. I served this with a couple of cutup potatoes that spent a few moments in the microwave.  Good for a busy day. Serves 4.

On America and slippage!

In Stephen King’s wonderful novel ‘Black House’(the 2nd of a two book Talisman series), he discusses the concept of slippage. A quaint term used to describe the tendency for people who desperately want to hold onto at least an 'illusion of normality' even when that is no longer possible. Slippage is like standing in the house known as ‘Rose Red’. A dwelling that appears to be OK at first glance but which is, in point of fact, quite insane. Some of us can perceive slippage rather well. Others of us are totally blind to it. Blind that is, until the pressure of forces beyond our control crash down around our heads and thrust us into a new and sometimes disturbing reality.

Here in the United States slippage is going on in full force for those of us with clear and penetrating sight. You can see it in the eyes of the people on the streets around you. No one wants to look too closely at anything anymore. Rather they sidle up to it, preferring a quick glance from the corners of their eyes. After all, a mere glance affords one a good feeling of normality without having to risk the queasiness that might come with true vision . (Something that can be said to be especially valid for some politicians who stumble about the great halls of Congress). Those who regard these individuals, in just a cursory manner, can not ever see what they are really up to.

Yes, even with slippage seems to be now in full force, many of us walking the daily walk, never having to deal with the foul visual stench that has become much of our government....

Mr Steamy

Not sure how I feel about this product yet. There are apparently no complaints concerning it that I can find. In case you’re wondering, Mr. Steamy is a spiked rubber ball. It looks like a dog toy that you put water into and which is then tossed into the dryer along with your clothes to help make the come out smoother. It turns you dryer into a ‘wrinkle releasing machine’ according to the manufacturer! For $20 bucks and $7 in shipping you get two of these things along with a couple of bottles of ‘fresh shot’. Oh boy!

Hmm. While I’m not prepared to ‘dis’ the thing I do have to wonder. Aren’t your clothes already pretty wet when they go in the dryer in the first place? Also, how can steam be produced when the temperatures in the dryer would not get high enough to support it. Or do they? Perhaps Consumer Reports will to some testing on this device and then we’ll see.

Another reason not to watch CNN!

Editor's note: I had to reprint this piece that was on a CNN website as an example of the convoluted and backward thinking the likes of which are trampling American freedoms everywhere. This gentleman starts right off telling his readers that not only is Juan a racist but that he made a windfall by being one. I’m not sure what disgusts me more. Idiots like Arsalan Iftikhar or the fact that somewhere along the line he learned how to write. This editorial is loaded with pointless innuendo and remarks made by Mr. Williams that are presented either in part or taken completely out of context. I’ll say this one more time and I’ll say it very slowly so people like Arsalan can understand. Here in America, it’s perfectly OK to express an opinion. If Juan had been working for a privately owned company, then yes fire away, but Mr. Iftikhar, it is a fact that NPR is supported in part by public funds! That alone gives him the inalienable right to freely express an opinion without fear of retribution. A right that, sadly you do not share in your country of origin.

(CNN) -- Imagine for a moment that there was a prominent American conservative journalist who ignorantly disparaged an entire minority group on national television, got fired for it by the nation's largest public radio media organization and then still managed to pull down a $2 million payday with the television network where he made the remarks.
Man, it must be nice to be Juan Williams.
A quick recap: Williams, a National Public Radio "news analyst," appeared on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" on Monday to talk about Bill O'Reilly's recent remarks about Muslims on ABC's "The View;" the latter' shows co-hosts, Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, had walked off the television set in protest.

When asked what he thought about the incident, Williams responded: "Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. ...You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. ... But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."
When someone begins with the weak disclaimer that he is "not a bigot," you can probably bet the farm that he is about to say something pretty bigoted.

Soon after, Williams was terminated as an NPR news analyst -- a position he had held for 10 years -- for reasons that included his repeated opinion statements that have teetered on the brink of bigoted nonsense in the past.

For example, many African-Americans were rightfully shocked in January 2009 when Williams, who is black, said on Fox that the first lady "Michelle Obama, you know. ... She's got this Stokely Carmichael [of the black power movement] in a designer dress thing going. ..."

In her first interview after the firing, National Public Radio CEO Vivian Schiller told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "There have been several instances over the last couple of years where we have felt Juan has stepped over the line," she said, citing the Michelle Obama remark and others. "This isn't a case of one strike and you're out. ..."

Additionally, during this week's Fox appearance, Williams kept referring back to the September 11 attacks in describing his uneasiness about people in "Muslim garb."

Sadly, this is where he should lose any objective argument with any reasonable observer out there.
As a historical fact, neither the 19 hijackers from September 11 nor the failed "shoe bomber" nor the failed "underwear bomber" ever wore any "Muslim garb" when committing their criminal acts of terrorism on an airplane.

Once Williams made that factually wrong statement, he then no longer continued being a "news analyst"; he had crossed over the line into simply voicing his paranoid and irrational fears to the general public.
"Juan Williams is a news analyst; he is not a commentator and he is not a columnist," Schiller told an Atlanta Press Club luncheon Thursday. "We have relied on him over the years to give us perspective on the news, not to talk about his opinions."

She added, "NPR news analysts have a distinctive role and set of responsibilities. This is a very different role than that of a commentator or columnist. News analysts may not take personal public positions on controversial issues; doing so undermines their credibility as analysts, and that's what's happened in this situation. As you all well know, we offer views of all kinds on our air every day, but those views are expressed by those we interview -- not our reporters and analysts."

As someone who has been an on-air NPR commentator for more than three years now, I can understand the difference between a news analyst and a commentator.

Just as I support NPR's firing of Williams, I also publicly supported both the firing of CNN's Rick Sanchez and Helen Thomas' forced retirement from Hearst Newspapers for their own bizarrely bigoted statements about Jews and Israelis. Both crossed any reasonable line for an objective journalist.
Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com correctly points out: "The Helen Thomas/Rick Sanchez incidents -- and countless others -- demonstrate how unequal and imbalanced our standards have become in determining which group-based comments are acceptable and which ones are not. ... If we're going to fire or otherwise punish people for expressing prohibited ideas against various groups, it's long overdue that those standards be applied equally to anti-Muslim animus, now easily one of the most -- if not the single most -- pervasive, tolerated and dangerous forms of blatant bigotry in America."
The First Amendment of our beloved Constitution allows all people to express racist or bigoted thoughts. However, it does not mean that a reputable, mainstream media organization (such as NPR) must give these people a continued platform for those xenophobic views.
Fox News is a different story.

As prominent right-wing figures such as Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee publicly called for Congress officially to cut funding for NPR, Fox News Chief Executive Roger Ailes "handed Williams a new three-year contract Thursday morning," said the Los Angeles Times, "in a deal that amounts to nearly $2 million, a considerable bump up from his previous salary." He'll have a steady gig on the cable news network and a regular column on its website.

The sad moral of this story is that if you take a bigoted potshot against Muslims in the public media today, no need to worry. There is probably a certain "fair and balanced" news network that might have a $2 million check waiting for you.

Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of TheMuslimGuy.com and legal fellow for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington and all around moron.

Random Thoughts for October 22, 2010

Bill Clinton, you sure got that right!

In a recent speech President Clinton implored the Democratic crowd to vote in 2010 like they did in 2008! I’m assuming that he assumes the liberal left and unions like SEIU are happy with how things are going at home. Yes guys and girls just show up and vote Democratic if you’re happy! Me? No, can’t say I’m that happy.

The good ship NPR sinking? Or, is it just sunk?

After the media (meaning Fox and only Fox) got a hold of the of the news of Juan Williams firing from his ten year employment with the National Progressive Radio all hell has broken loose. Calls for the de-funding of NPR are now beginning to be heard allover the United States. For my part I would prefer to see the station relegated to the AM band. A band that is completely devoid of stations in my neck of the woods with the exception of one lone station that spends most of its air time describing ways to unclog a sink.

What! The pot bill now in trouble?

Just after I spent a boatload of money, sold my house and prepared to move to California I get the news that Proposition 19 may be in trouble. Hey youse guys, I was planning on helping the Unions organize the pot growers so that they also could be promised humongous pensions after only a few years of work. (As a union organizer, my pension plan would be assured while the rank and file could only hope it be so). But no. In what must be a temporary bout of common sense, the citizens of the Golden State are trending away from passing this bill. My gawd, what’s wrong with you folks? Even my buddy George Soros is for the legalization of drugs and as if I didn’t have to remind everyone, he knows what’s best for the world.

The real cost of ‘always on’ devices

I suspect that my home is pretty much representative of most out there. Like everyone, energy costs have been of increasing concern. A recent rate hike of 13.5% that took affect in September 2010 will mean an increase of about $13 per $100 billed. Some area residents were pissed off. Another increase of 9.2% is being asked for this coming June 2011 and that doesn’t count the possibility of two more increases due to ‘fuel cost’ sometime in the next year. Wow!

So, one of my projects was to take a close look at any devices in my house that are left on but not used, especially during the night time hours. I took an inventory and was really shocked to find such a large number of devices; backup media drives, power transformers, printers and even TV’s. One early morning when most everything was off, I thought, I discovered that my TED power monitor showing a steady power consumption rate of 0.546 kilowatts being consumed! After doing a little math, I came up with a whopping $23 in wasted energy costs per month. As my electric bills average out to about $120 per month, these little energy wasters were taking a 19% bite out of my wallet! The total per year was $276.00. I figured for that kind of money, my time would be well spent making a few simple changes.

My first thought was twofold. First, I need to figure out what really needed to be on all the time. This list included such items as my refrigerator, deep freeze and water heater. Items that could go on a timer would be basically all power transformers, TV’s, High Definition converter boxes and such. The list would also include a cluster of devices attached to my main computer including the cable modem, wireless hud server and backup drives. Then, I needed to go out and purchase a number of multiple outlets which could be connected to timers. Lot of work that.

My second thought was to integrate the household outlets into a master controller so that I could schedule when power would be supplied and when it would be not supplied. One unit that caught my eye was the Homemanageables home controller. For a few hundred dollars you can control and schedule turning appliances on and off via a pc or cell phone. For right now, I’ve decided to go after the heaviest power offenders with a couple of well placed timers and leave it at that. After monitoring these changes for a bit, I’ll see if I need to go up to next level.

Using space heaters to save on heating costs.

If you’re a person that hates paying high electric bills, then the later fall months are the best in that regard. I’ve been able to go for half of September and all of October so far with both the AC and furnace turned off. For those occasional cool mornings, I’ve bought a couple of space heaters which are doing a nice job so far. I have one in my bedroom and one in the living room. At this time, I’m turning them on manually but plan to get a couple of timers so they can be set to turn on at about 4AM.

The jury is still out as to how effective these devices are in reducing heating costs. To that end, I’m planning on performing a little bit of research this coming winter to find out. Right now I have two types of heater; a resistive element type and a ceramic heater. Within the next couple of weeks I plan on purchasing an oil filled radiator type to round out the selection. These will be strategically placed in the house and timed so they turn on early to bring select areas up to 72F. The central furnace will be set for 60F. I will then watch to see how much I suffer, and or, how much electricity is saved…or not. This effort will more than likely end up as a You Tube video at some point.

Terrorists on the move! Who really cares?

Yawn. Sorry, but after a decade of listening to the dire warnings of officials who themselves have no clue, I’ve pretty much given up on getting very alarmed. I mean when you consider that the elite of the terrorist movement are living in caves, it’s hard to get very concerned.

While these nimrods of negativism plot and plan the overthrow of the world for Allah, the rest of us need to concern ourselves with getting on day to day with our lives. There are plenty of adult concerns to go around and we will need the very smartest of our species to get through challenging times.The urchins who insist that the killing of innocent women and children are all part of God's plan need to better prepare for their own deaths. I seriously doubt that there will be many virgins where they are going. If it was not for the horror these sons of the jihad inflict, they would actually be funny in a sad sort of way.

Get the vote out!

“All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.”
T.E. Lawrence

By his own admission, President Obama has now realized 70% of the legislation he envisioned to change America. His next two years in office will be an effort to make sure these changes stay, whether Americans like it or not.

If you like what this man and what his congress has wrought then please vote on November the 2^nd. If you do not like the direction our country has taken, then make damn sure you vote on November the 2^nd.

River Run October 2010 Update

I thought it best to get as much walking in as possible before things get too cold. Even though the park is now officially in off season, the Core  of Engineers are allowing camping to go on without the amenities of trash pickup, electricity or water. Even so, there are plenty of RV’ers still hanging out and enjoying the last nice days of fall.

As I did my walk, I noticed that many of the sycamore trees which dominate the park are now beginning to turn color. I’m guessing that most of the trees will be bare by the end of the month. This is always a sad time, yet before you know it, Spring will come and all will be well with the world.

Random Thoughts for October 12, 2010

America – Will the country be shutdown sometime over the next couple of weeks as part of an engineered ‘Federal Emergency’? Call me paranoid, but that Progressive bunch in Washington must be getting desperate right about now!

China – And we do business with these knuckleheads? The recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo must have come as a real kick in the groin to the leadership in Beijing.  Here a man who has dedicated his entire life to the overthrown of that government. A crazed bureaucracy that stands alone in the world’s view. Wait! I take that back! It seems that Venezuela’s President Hugo Rafael Chávez has endorsed and stands by China and her suppression of her peoples.

Paladino – Say what you want to about this gay-bashing man’s kind of man. I personally think he is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise putrid state. I like his style, his candor and his truthfulness in stating what many people feel. We need more like him to step up to the plate and run for office!

Palin – As Sarah recently remarked tongue in cheek. “I can see November from my house.” She’s got to be one happy camper right now and yes, I do think she will run in 2012.

MSNBC - I would not think of leaving this blog without taking a parting shot at a media group that is so far to the left they could make Joseph Goebbels blush. Watching this group work reminds me of the movie made in Natzi Germany towards the end of the war titled "Theresienstadt".

Joe Blow and Unemployment. We need some change Obama!

Or perhaps a different president and a better Congress! The latest U.S. jobless rate was totally flat at 9.6% in September, but the government’s broader measure of unemployment rose even more to 17.1%, the highest rate since April and down just slightly from the October 2009 high of 17.4%.

Now as fall progresses and the day’s grow shorter, it may truly become the winter of our discontent.

Conserving heat during the coming winter months!

No doubt about it. With rising electric costs, now is a good time to look at way to save on your winter heating bills. Here are a few tips:

1)      Inspect you furnace system. Make sure it is clean and functioning properly. By just replacing the filters in a timely manner, you can save $60 a year.

2)      Check your heat registers and make sure they are clean. Close off any rooms that will not be occupied very often and consider a small space heater for the times you need to use them.

3)      If you have a fireplace, check and seal any cracks. Also make sure the damper is closed when it’s not in use.

4)      Move furniture slightly away from exterior walls. The added space will make the room seem warmer.

5)      Check your insulation, especially the floors if you do not have a basement. Apply as needed.

6)      Close off the attic, garage, basement, spare bedrooms and storage areas. Heat only those rooms that you use.

7)      Check to see if you qualify for any government assistance with your heating bills if you have a low income or are a senior citizen on a fixed income.

8)      Check for gaps around exterior doors and seal if needed.

9)      Make sure windows are tightly sealed and consider making inserts out of Styrofoam to seal some against the cold.

10)  Purchase energy efficient space heater(s). Lower the furnace setting and heat only the rooms you need to. This will be the subject of a blog later this week.

Thoughts about water and plastics

America’s crumbling water distribution system

Back in the mid 1800’s heavy cast iron pipes with a life expectancy of 125 years were being laid. Then, around twenty five years later a newer process was developed that resulted in thinner pipes at cheaper cost. These had a life span of about one hundred years. Fast forward another twenty-five years and yet even better manufacturing processes resulted in even thinner pipes with a lifespan figured at 75 years. As you might guess, the end of the usefulness curve for all these millions of miles of water pipe will be occurring shortly. Over the next twenty years, repair and replacement could easily run in the trillions of dollars. My question is, how many politicians have you heard talking about this issue? Maybe none or less? The problem is the pipes run underground and no elected official will benefit if a pipe is named after them. Water distribution issues have about as much popularity as a foot with a fungus infection and as a result nothing has been or is being done to head off what could easily blossom into a National disaster overnight. (Just think how your life would be effected if your water was cut off and then you were told you’d have to get it out of a nearby river or stream)? Think about this happening to a whole city! I bet some heads would role. But, that’s just what is happening even as I write this.

Water Bottle Waste (WBW)

While the water distribution system crumbles underneath our feet, American’s are blithely adding millions of tons of waste daily to landfills. Empty plastic water bottles alone are added at the rate of 50 million per day! Other common items like beverage cans add another 200 million to the pile. TV dinners, even small ones as shown here contribute a third of their weight as landfill material. In addition, the plastic bottles and trays also consume million of gallons of oil to produce yearly. All of which ultimately contributes to toxic waste later on.

While much of the aluminum is thankfully recycled, the same cannot be said at this time for plastics. As a country and as a peoples, we must learn to conserve and to protect our environment if we hope to pass on a clean country to future generations.

Critique of Banquet’s Mexican Style Chicken Enchilada Meal!

Holy moley, today I’m going south of the border a do a a critique of the final TV dinner of the trio I bought for only .77¢ each. At the end of this blog, I will then rank each on taste, visual appeal and nutrition. Should be very interesting, so stay tuned.

Up to this point, I’ve survived eating both the Chicken Nuggets and Fries meal deal and the Spaghetti and Popcorn Chicken entrees. I feel that I have been objective and fair with both and I’m still living. But now, I am faced with a TV dinner where the chicken is actually hiding out somewhere in the package. I believe it’s in the Enchilada but can’t prove it. Thing is you could put almost any kind of meat in there and no one would be the wiser! People from Mexico routinely eat this stuff and just look at the guy in the picture above. Scary! If I ran into someone that looked like he does on the street I’d call 911. Anyone ever watch those old spaghetti westerns where they’d show a deserted Mexican town with just a dog or two slinking furtively from shadow to shadow. Ever wonder what they’re so afraid of? Hmm? Well, no matter where the source of the protein may come from, I have promised myself to partake of this meal objectively.

The instructions for this .77¢ wonder indicated that I should only just slit the film over the rice and then nuke it for two and a half minutes on high. Next, I was then to ‘spoon sauce over the enchilada and tamale’ (hey! Where did this come from?), and then to stir the rice! After replacing the film cover, I was then to nuke this for an additional 2 minutes.

While I waited for my ‘south of the border’ meal to cool. I checked out the nutritional label. For 238 grams of food I was taking in 280 calories, 790 milligrams of sodium and 45 grams of carbohydrates! Saturated fats were 2.5 grams. Once again, the sodium is through the roof!

In spite of everything, this was most assuredly the best of the sad litter. While it tasted very salty, I found the meal to be strangely satisfying. Maybe I’m falling under the Banquet spell! So what did I think about all three? Which one was best? Actually, they all failed with the exception that if I had no other choice I’d stick with the Mexicans. The Chicken and Fries and Spaghetti dish are just pure road kill.

Meal                                         Taste                         Appeal                 Nutrition
Chicken Nuggets & Fries         A dead Indian            N/A                      Don't ask
Spaghetti & Popcorn Chic        Fungus among us     Soiled shorts        Say what?
Mex Style Enchilada                 Livable                      Good smell          Too much Na          

Flu season 2010 starts off in strange fashion!

With the official start of the Flu season now just weeks away (October 15) here in the United States., reports by the CDC hint that something a little strange may be afoot. It seems the H1N1 virus that caused over fifteen thousand deaths in the States last season is nowhere to be found.  Only sporadic cases continue to crop up here and there. Typically, scientists would expect to see another wave of the so-called Swine Flu this winter. Instead, early reports are hinting at the re-emergence of an older strain known as H3N2. A strain of flu that has been around for some time and which was all but edged out of the way by the H1N1 variant. This could be relatively good news as this older strain is known to affect older people whereas the Swine Flu seemed to target the young, including teenagers.

While it is way to early to say that things may be ‘returning to normal’, this is still better news than what everyone had going into the 2009 season. The big question concerning many are exactly where has the H1N1 bad guy gone and will he stay there?

Critique of Banquet’s Spaghetti & Popcorn Chicken

Oh no, not another Banquet cheapo dinner review! Yes, you glutinous nabobs hiding out there in the blogosphere! Here's my unbiased lowdown on another buck a meal deal.

In case you might be wondering, yes, I am working my way through the entire line of .77¢ (now a buck with inflation) dinners offered by Banquet. A fine Omaha,Nebraska company that makes TV dinners for us downtrodden masses. This time I will be feasting on the Popcorn Chicken version with spaghetti instead of the ‘Nuggets and Fries’ deal from before.Note to self: these two meals are not similar. Each deserves a place of its own on the bottom of the culinary barrel.

Because I would be working with spaghetti instead of French fries, the directions were a little different. Instead of ripping off the entire film from the package as before (a true macho feeling for me), I was instructed to gently remove only the film from over the popcorn chicken. Then, surprisingly, they requested the chicken bits get the boot also! The spaghetti remained covered. Can you say gitzy? Not sure what I was supposed to do with the popcorn things. I just left them on a plate.

After nuking the package in the micro for a minute and a half at high, I got to… you guessed it, stir the spaghetti and was then instructed to replace the chicken whatchamacallits. The instructions called for another nuking lasting a minute and a half. I'm assuming this is to make sure everything is actually dead.

OK, the deed has been done. I let the meal sit for a minute. And, rather than eat directly from the tray, I elected to plate the meal like a chef would at some fancy restaurant. (Hey, fancy is as fancy does). That accomplished, I gripped my fork in Roman fashion and dug in like a gladiator.  Hmm, the chicken tasted a lot like the chicken in the Chicken Nuggets and Fries meal only they were smaller in this one. And they were really, really spongy and therefore really disappointing. It must be all that breading. (Note to self; send Banquet a heads up on their spongy breading).

Being a super culinary trooper, I made the effort to eat every bite. The spaghetti tasted just so-so. The chicken, however, was like gnawing on the severed toes of a not so fresh cadaver. Gag me. But, OK, let me get real. It was not really all that bad for a measly .77 centavos (or about a buck in 2015). And who cares that the calories peaked at 270 or the sodium at 470 milligrams or the saturated fat was an artery clogging 3.5 grams? Who cares? Wait! I think I'm getting heart palpitations... Score this one a 5 and please move on to something a little better.