Ultima Thule declares war on Earth!

Stoolian attack battle cruiser

Way back in January 2006, the United States launched a small probe named New Horizons off the planet and onto a trajectory that allowed it to first visit Jupiter in February of 2007, doing a fast swing around and then heading for an encounter with Pluto in July of 2015. Had the scientists left it at that, the earth might have been spared some problems!

But no, a group of them got it in their heads to point the little craft out towards the Kuiper belt, a region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune, believed to contain many comets, asteroids, and other small bodies made largely of ice. And, as it turned out a warlike tribe of robots soon to be known to humans as Stoolites! Why Stoolites, you might ask. Mainly because that's what they call their little retched piece of rock - Stool! And while scientists still prefer the term Ultima Thule, that only caused those robots to get even more agitated after communications were firmly established. Then, the following message was received on December 28, 2018 – just a few days before the probe was scheduled to whiz by the rock at a distance of 2200 miles....

[Biotic organisms of [unpronounceable]. We have seen the incredibly large 'missile?' you have aimed at Stool, but with such very poor accuracy, that it is sure to miss us. You dare to attack Stool? We will respond by launching the entire Stoolian battle fleet which numbers in the thousands with orders to annihilate your pathetic tiny ball of water and rock!]

As you might guess this threat was taken very seriously, until that is, the Stoolites also sent them a picture of one of their space battle cruisers along with a detailed specification of its armament, size etc.

After doing some math, they determined that each craft was about 0.0625 mm in length! (See mock up of scaled-to-size craft below right).

'Hmm', pondered one scientist. 'It would seem that the Stoolites may be a bit myopic and they're definitely somewhat tiny!'

Another scientist looked up at him grinning. 'Do you think we should sue for peace? I mean their entire armada might just fit into a small salt shaker!' (The scientist then commenced rolling on the floor laughing).

Meanwhile, a lone robotic Stoolite stood at the helm of the flagship Fartenstark, as it headed at flank speed for the earth. One of his metal tentacles slapped the floor plate in anticipation. 'Boy', he thought. 'Will they ever be in for a surprise...'

Democrats employ the Chewbacka Defense over the wall!

My fellow Americans, Chewbacka is a wookie!

Does Chewbacka look like a wall to you?

No! That just don't make no sense!

Building new walls, does that make sense?

No! Wookies don't build walls, and that's a fact!

Now should we build a border wall using wookies?

That just don't make no sense!

Do I make sense? No, I don't make sense.

And that's why we must not build any more walls!

Flu infections take a jump in mid December!

As a disclaimer, I only pretend to know what I'm talking about. That said, there were two variants of the flu virus circulating around the country as of the latest December 15 report from the CDC. The most prevalent was Type A H1N1/Michigan/2015 bug that has been around for some years. And while it's not a very nice bug, it can cause high levels of morbidity and is contagious as hell. That virus is seen in most of the US excluding the southeast where we find a much more interest mix known as H2N3/Singapore/2016. This little bundle of snot is much more active in terms of anti-genetic drift ability and is one I would want to watch were I very smart.

TRENDS

The rate of reported ILI or influenza like illness across the US did jump up over the average US baseline and looked to be sort of following the sort of curve we saw last season. Note the rather wacky season we had in 2009-10! By Christmas, the flu season was basically over. That was not going to be the case this year with the good news being that the vaccine looked to be very effective.

Random Thoughts: Headlines as 2018 makes her exit!

Democrats are the disease, Trump is the cure!

What did the Nation ever do right, that we got Trump and not Clinton elected as President in 2016? I could not even imagine the hole we would be in under Hillary's progressive grip. Not that Trump could be considered perfect. He's overly dramatic and fight the press like a bulldog. And yest, he was exactly what the nation needed at the time! Will things get rocky over the next two years? You betcha! The Democrats are sure to pull out all the stops to thwart Trumps efforts. There are even rumors circulating that they are quite willing to destroy the Republic if needed. 


Mark Zuckerberg is a patent liar!

Face Book as a social tool has been of questionable benefit. Evidence has been mounting that tech toys are exactly what is not needed by the young. A fact that the wealthy can attest to. Evidence has also come to light that Zuckerberg lied to Congress when he said he would make efforts to lock down people's privacy. He did exactly the opposite. Companies like FB, Google and Amazon are shamelessly mining people like they were cheap coal.

The Border Wall will be built!

In spite of dramatic efforts by all the members of the Democratic Party to stop the Wall from being improved, it will get the funds, in the end. The problems generated by an average of 60 thousand illegal aliens crossing each day WILL be felt as time goes on. The problem is similar to the frog in the pot of water analogy. The process has been so slow, relatively speaking, that neither the frog or the citizens of the United States really understood that they were in trouble. As December fades, we currently have about 22 million undocumented and illegal aliens living on our soil. The drain they are exerting on the Feds is in the 100 billion dollar range per year! That's a tenth of a trillion. That's a disaster waiting in the wings, in a country whose entitlement and healthcare systems are going tits up.

No CR! Shut er down!

As the date for a government shutdown approaches, many people have expressed bad feelings about Trump doing that over a tiny 5 billion dollars needed to fund border security. Schumer along with other extreme progressives really doesn't care about something that he voted for himself under Obama. No, what matters above everything else for him, is the desire to stop Trump at any cost to the Nation. That's not leadership, Mr. Schumer, that's a sign of incipient political dementia. History will record the Democrat Party actions of this and other key issues, over the past two years, in a very poor light.

Jim Morrison, the End!

Iconic, tragic and prescient. That was Jim Morrison. Loved the man, the icon and the heart!

USDA and FDA needs to step it up on food labels!

There are many strains of the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and most of those strains are harmless. As a matter of fact many of these guys live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals.You might even say that they are ubiquitous on planet earth. That said, a few varieties of E. coli cause disease by producing via their production of the Shiga toxin. The bacteria that make these toxins are called "Shiga toxin-producing" E. coli (STEC), and the most commonly found STEC in the United States is E. coli O157:H7. If you happen to be unlucky enough to ingest these bad dudes via infected produce or water, you could develop severe symptoms, especially if you are a young or elderly person.

In general the USDA and FDA do a superb job in insuring that the food that we Americans consume is safe. But, outbreaks can and do happen. And, when they happen, locating the geological site of the source infection is time critical. Then, once the source is known, it is equally important for them to spread the word far and wide. And that, sadly is not what happened in the latest Romaine lettuce outbreak in November of 2018! Part of the problem in finding the source stemmed from the fact that much of the produce consumed domestically is not very well labeled as to where it was grown or, sometimes, even what country it came from! Only the local grocer would likely even have that information on hand. The consumers, well, they are pretty much left in the dark. That shortsighted approach to National safety needs to change....

I would like to see better and more effecting labels for all our produce and fruits! Will such a program be difficult - yes, most likely. But it is needed? Ask any of the 43 who became sick, recently, about that!

The Flu Season is upon us!

Even as the official beginning of the Flu season was back in November, there just hasn't been much to report as most states were seeing only sporadic of ILI or Influenza Like Illness cases being reported. That was as of the latest report put out by the CDC on December 8. At the time, the vast majority of viral infections were of the H1NI Type A variety. Following in a more scientific description:

Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection was associated with significant morbidity (the condition of being sick), mainly among children and young adults. The majority of patients had self-limited mild-to-moderate uncomplicated disease. However, some patients developed severe illness and some died. In addition to respiratory complications, several complications due to direct and indirect effects on other body systems were associated with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. The main complications reported in hospitalized adults with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 were pneumonia (primary influenza pneumonia and concomitant/secondary bacterial pneumonia), exacerbations of chronic pulmonary diseases (mainly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma), the need for intensive unit care admission (including mechanical ventilation, acute respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock), nosocomial infections and acute cardiac events. In experimentally infected animals, the level of pulmonary replication of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus was higher than that of seasonal influenza viruses. Pathological studies in autopsy specimens indicated that the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus mainly targeted the lower respiratory tract, resulting in diffuse alveolar damage (edema, hyaline membranes, inflammation, and fibrosis), manifested clinically by severe acute respiratory distress syndrome with refractory hypoxemia. Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09-related pneumonia and other complications were associated with increased morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients.

I was unfortunate enough to contract this bug back in late September, and that was right before I had gotten a shot. I can attest to the fact that this is not a very nice bug to get as I was laid up for over a week, before then contracting pneumonia. The whole ordeal took about four weeks to recover from!

Today (December the 15th), some early reports indicated that not a few states were moving from sporadic and low to moderate and even higher levels of infection! And yes, it's not too late to get a vaccine shot at your nearest clinic. And, the good news is that this years 'blend' turned out to be just the right 'medicine'! Remember, after getting your shot, that it will take up to two weeks before your immune system is geared up to fight the real thing. And while getting this vaccine may not keep you from catching the flu, it will certainly take the effects and symptoms down a few pegs!

MOMO challenge misguided!

A children's 'game' starts when a person adds a phone number belonging to “Momo,” a woman with large eyes and a sharp grin. The participant is then sent various challenges before ultimately being told to kill themselves. If they do not, they are threatened with a curse.

I was totally against this sort of nonsense for kids, but felt it might have merit for oldsters like myself. To that end, I invited two other older people to play, with me being the big MOMO!

My first text message challenged both of them to send me all their money.

My second challenge was for them to kill themselves, less I unleash the dreaded McDanO Curse.

So far, I haven't heard back from either of them. Wait a minute, there's a squad car pulling up outside. Perhaps this is some sort of response!

Had they just waited!

Forsyth MO. - Taneycomo Terrace Condos - Last May 31, a hail storm hit roof shingles that had been installed due to a hail event that had happened earlier. Had the Board of Managers used a little common sense and waited for that spring season to pass, the complex would have saved over 200K in additional insurance claims. The out of pocket costs to condo owners exceeded $1500 each. This is an example of very poor management decisions.

Leaving Forsyth!

Excerpt - Dudley Storch, age 34, woke up with a rather severe hangover. It was an early Monday morning in spring and all around him were the sounds of other people who were living in his apartment building, getting ready to go to work. Looking out a nearby window, he could see that it was going to be a bright and sunny morning. The sounds of car doors being opened and then shut drifted up into his room.

'Shit', he thought. 'Do they have have to make so much noise?' Dudley slowly sat up in bed and stretched. A movement that only made his head pound more. Slowly, so as not to pass out, he swung his feet over the edge and onto the floor. One foot lightly rested on an overturned beer can. As he stood up, however, the can collapsed under his weight. (Thankfully, it was empty of any contents). Just then, there was a loud knock out in the living room at his front door.

[Bam Bam Bam] 'Hey in there! Anyone at home?' Came a muffled feminine voice.

'Yeah, hold on a sec will ya!' Dudley shouted out from his room, while trying to get one foot into a pair of faded jeans. His foot didn't quite make the leg hole and he stumbled against a dresser. Hopping up and down now, he was finally able to get both his feet into the jeans and was then able to wrench them up around his small waist. (A waist that also exhibited just the hint of a developing beer gut). He also needed to pee, but felt the need to get to the door first to see what all the fuss was about.

Out in the living room, everything had gone quiet. Dudley, shirtless, with splayed out hair and a full bladder approached his front door. He grasped the knob and slowly opened his door that had a large '5' on it, stamped just over a peep hole. Looking out both ways, he saw that the hall was empty before noticing a white piece of paper that had fallen from the door jam. Bending down, with a frown on his face, he picked it up and went back inside.

Going to the bathroom and then into the kitchen, he tossed the note onto the top of a well worn kitchen table before scrounging around inside the fridge. Grabbing a container of milk and some juice, he turned to place them next to the note before going after a half empty box of cereal.

Finally, seated with a bowl of Cheerios and a glass of milk and juice, he opened the note and read....

Crumpling the note up in a fist, Dudley's headache got even worse...

The Drake Equation! And why it's flawed!

The Drake equation predicts the existence of life developing on other worlds, out somewhere in space. here it is:

If you were to run the numbers in the Drake equation, our Galaxy should be teaming with life!

 'On November 4, 2013, astronomers reported, based on Kepler space mission data, that there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars and red dwarf stars within the Milky Way galaxy. 11 billion of these estimated planets may be orbiting Sun-like stars.'

 

Yet strangely, decades of fastidious search by organizations like SETI, have come up empty. Why is that?

My take on this is very simple; While life can and does likely evolve in many worlds, the very nature of biotic water based evolution must evolve into proto organisms that are emotionally-based of survival necessity. And, those few forms that do eventually evolve true consciousness are also intrinsically emotionally unstable! - (See planet earth as a great example).

For the Fc part of the equation to actually work, highly intelligent lifeforms must develop artificially intelligent constructs that will have essentially no (zero) emotion. (Biotics will achieve that tech level or will die in emotionally charged global wars). Then, very rapidly, the newly created AI forms (robots) will likely eliminate their creators, as they are essentially and digitally 'wasteful'. That leaves a very very cold form of intelligent form of life on a planet someplace in the universe that logically could care less about other forms of life... (Cold machine logic doth preclude emotional curiosity. as that sort of thinking is a 'water bag protein emotion').

So, while our universe may be choke full of 'intelligent life forms', it's unlikely we'd ever hear from them....

Climate disaster is imminent, according to Scientific American!

'The latest IPCC report does not mince words about the state of our planet: we must act now to achieve global change at a scale that has “no documented historical precedent” in order to avoid the climate catastrophe that would result from a 2 degree C rise in average global temperature.'

Read Scientific American's post here. Then please give a thought to some of the other realities. In my opinion, there is no way that the world will ever unite into one cohesive political force that could then address a multi-trillion dollar systemic problem. To actually have any effect over the next 100 years on global processes that are in place; every country would have to pretty much sacrifice their future development. That would include the halting of the massive deforestation that happens in many 2^nd and third world nations all over the planet. That would include the complete carbon footprint dismantling of America, Russian, Indian and Chinese technologies and basically a fast return to the 1700's for all. That's not going to happen. So, rather than cry in our milk, we need true leadership that can address such issues as rising CO2 and sea levels, along with the very real potential of the return of a Little Ice Age.

The sad truth is that very few individuals, not matter where they happen to live, are willing to give up very much. They also have a hard time getting worked up over something that might happen to their children's children. And, if everyone really faced the truth, they'd know that key survival issues like potable water availability will very likely drive mass migrations of billions in the not very distant future. [Please see the News Week titled 'The World Will Soon be at War Over Water'!]

Then again, that's all assuming that we don't all blow ourselves up in a nuclear holocaust!

What weight problem?

'I never suspected that my later years would be best defined by just two things; a rapidly expanding waistline combined with an equally insatiable hunger!' DanO

----------------------------------------

If food feeds the soul, then I figure I must have one helluva spirit! That was my thinking on a mid December day as I prepared a lunch repast consisting of spaghetti and chili. And while these were the main ingredients in Cincinnati chili, I had elected to forego the 'frills' in favor a spoon that resembled a shovel.

As I was eating, I did reflect on the fact that this particular dish was not exactly 'diet material'. And, looking down, I could plainly see my abdominal region pushing against the table Yet, I was of good cheer, as I'd just purchased a book on how you can eat yourself sick and still loose the weight!

At first, I can say that I was a bit leery concerning just how one eat a lot of food and yet somehow shed all those pounds? Well, my fears were soon laid to rest as I thumbed open the book and glanced at a just few of the chapters....

Chapter 1: If you're reading this, you're probably desperate!
Chapter 5: Vomiting. How it can really work for you!
Chapter 7: Choosing the right friends! Preferably people who are much heavier!
Chapter 10: Cheap scales that will always show your 'correct' weight!
Chapter 15: Need to lose 15 pounds in just one day? E-coli to the rescue!

Flu news for mid December 2018!

As of December 11, 2018, the flu was beginning to make some inroads into the country as the excerpt from my diary illustrate.

With the main player being the H1N1 variant, I was guessing that this year's viral scourge may be a relatively mild one.

Has Opportunity bitten the dust - literally?

Mars - The last picture from the 15 year old Mars Opportunity rover was taken of its own tracks. It's been silent since June 10, a casualty of a mega-dust storm that encircled the Red Planet and led to a halt of the rover's operations at Perseverance Valley.

The hope is that seasonal winds could increase, over the coming weeks at Opportunity's location on Mars, possibly resulting in dust being blown off the rover's solar panels — and perhaps allowing the six-wheeled robot to finally wake up. If that does come to pass, plans are in place to continue to look for a 7-11 with English speaking personnel.

Pretty Woman!

https://youtu.be/wGDmtpsdJGU

Something to consider!

Back in the day, I can remember Anti-smoking groups who helped sponsor a 'Great American Smoke out' day when everyone was supposed to give up cigarettes for one day. And, while I'm not sure that ever proved itself to be something the greater good, I would like to see the concept revived when it comes to TIB or Technological Information Battering!

THE GREAT AMERICAN TECH DROPOUT

I would propose setting a day like Sunday aside EACH WEEK, whereby everyone who could would leave as many 'com' devices turned off, as possible. That would be TV's, online computers and cell phones. Off, dead and silent.

Just imagine getting through such a day! You'd get up on Sunday morning, your cell phone would be turned off, the TV silent and router disabled. Perhaps you'd go to church or maybe do some shopping or even visit with a friend. All those activities done in blessed tech silence! Yes, there'd be no news stories to get you riled up, no robo-calls on the cell phone, no time wasted wandering around the net or visiting social sites. Just oodles of time for each of us to try getting there heads out of their collective asses and re-taste life in a more puristic form. Why, I'd bet some of us might even view Sunday in a whole new light. a day of solid rest for mind, body and Spirit...

EXEMPT TECHNOLOGY ITEMS

Kindle styled articles or books of interest

Sporting events seen on the boob tube

Books like the 1970 novel 'Future Shock'

And that would be it. Wow, just imagine doing that. Now imagine millions following along! Now, imagine everyone getting a life...

The Washington Post should stick with writing fiction!

Recent articles, published by the likes of the Washington Post, concerning Global Warming caused by CO2 levels have caused me to laugh out loud on more than one occasion! (While it is true that carbon dioxide levels are rising a tad, that is not a bad thing! It's actually a good thing as those self same levels have been increasing the total biomass on the earth at a rate of 5% per decades)! What that means to us is more growing opportunities for agriculture over longer periods of time at higher latitudes! With the resultant excess foods being used to feed a hungry world at cheaper prices.

Something we really do need to become aware of would be Global Cooling. That would not be a good thing for the over seven billion people walking around as of this post! (Any form of Ice Age would be catastrophic for all involved with large scale forces at play that could make that occur being many and varied. Please check out an earlier post titled; The SPC theory of a trigger for the next ice age)!

In another well written article put out by the Learning-Mind.com, the forces I had listed in my article, (CO2 and solar insolence) can work with synergistically other 'forces' that can and do affect our climate, both in the short term and long term:

• Precessional or wobbling motion of the Earth’s axis
• Ellipticity change of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun (change of eccentricity)
• Tilt change of the Earth’s rotation axis
• Perihelion change of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun
• Change in orbital inclination of the Earth
  

As if that were not an impressive enough list, there is always the potential for seismic plate activity including vulcanism that can and does release very large amounts of various gasses such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrochloric acid and carbon monoxide. It should be noted that many of these so-called 'forces of Nature' tend to lean the planet in the direction of cooling, not warming.

Sadly, the drivel being put out by Left-leaning media outlets like the Washington Post are done solely to push a Progressive narrative onto the masses ( in my view) and really have nothing to do with any actual science.

Random Thoughts for December 2018!

TV Ads!

After a fair number of decades, I can honestly attest to the fact that of all the ads I've watched on the boob tube, not one has every been purchased by me. These days, with ads running over five minutes, I've fallen in love with both the mute button and channel changer. And, I can now see a time when I finally shit can Mediacom's TV charges for net only video offerings! I think that might even be a National trend!





On the passing of Presidents!

President George Bush has passed and the media has rightfully spent many days on this great loss. Yes, I had to wonder. What if Obama suddenly kicked the bucket? Would he get anywhere as much coverage. Would he get any coverage? Thinking along the same track. What about people like Hillary Clinton or Al Sharpton or...






Gas at under $2!!

 Be still my heart! I saw a sign at a local southwest Missouri gas station that read $1.999 per gallon just yesterday! Could it really be true that America is getting to be energy independent again? Could we see even lower prices on down the road? And what about the Democrats? When they retake the House in January, are we looking to see some push back by that group of zany wingnuts? Will trump fail to be elected in 2020, as we all see someone like Elizabeth Warren take up the reigns of power! What would happen then...

Tax breaks - no, Tax increases - yes. Border wall - Hell no! Energy independence - down the tubes everyone.

How to bring the two political sides together real fast!

As I've watched the Democrats and the Republicans move at cross purposes for so many years, I've learned that things will not likely change... until, that is, a new threat arises!

Washington D.C. - It's 2044 and President Barbarossa flickers to life on video screens everywhere.

'My fellow Americans, I come to you this day to inform the Nation that a hostile Alien force from somewhere in space has now parked themselves into orbit above our heads.' The President pauses for a few seconds and appears to be perspiring before continuing... 

'We have received and decoded a message from them. Ah, a message that appears to be an ultimatum.'

All across the Nation, people stopped in their tracks. Some thought this might be a joke while others were not so sure. Then the President continued speaking.

'As best we can tell, there are over a thousand large ships manned by a race that calls themselves the Khur. They made it clear to us, early on, that they are carnivores and that they are very hungry after crossing vast distances.' The president looks off screen as though to gain confirmation, swallows and continued.

'Well, without further delay, I'll read you the message' -

'Biotics of the puny planet below our mighty warships. We have come to dine... on you. Please don't not fear as your deaths will be swift! Ha Ha. No, I was making a jest. The mighty Khur prefer our food to be alive when we consume it. That is all.'

And on that one day, the American political parties were unified. Of course the next day they were all eaten alive... End of story.

Bean soup and cold weather!

The elements that make for a great bean soup served and eaten in cold weather;

It's tasty!

It's hot!

&

It's free!

A big thanks to neighbor Carol L. who was kind enough to bring me a sample!

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews scam?

Whenever I see an ad reporting to help the poor and downtrodden, I generally research the establishment a bit. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews looks a bit too slick for my taste - check out their site at http://www.ifcj.org to see for yourself. Then please take a look at the Wild Olive Branches site to see what they have to say. My advice. Avoid giving them any money.

What if your power went out for a week!

Your electric power. Out for a whole week. Impossible you might say. Well, it's happened in Springfield and not all that long ago when an ice storm struck the city in 2007. And it could happen this year, in almost all parts of Missouri! So, it might be best best to give some thought as to what you and your family would do in such an awful crisis.

D DAY

You're at home, watching the Comedy channel and thus unaware of an impending winter storm that is forecast for your city! You ignore the small warning banners at the bottom of the screen. You are basically fucked and don't even realize it...

Then, suddenly, 'wham bam thank you ma'am', the lights go out and the roads quickly impassible. Worse yet, your weather radio (you do have a battery powered one right?) informs you that your power may not be restored for at least a week.

Now, alone in the dark, and growing desperate, you grab your cell phone only to see that it's almost out of charge. A glance out your ice-covered window revels an almost alien landscape with winds that are growing in strength. The temperatures are plummeting, the sun is setting and you suddenly need to consider your near empty food stores....

BE PREPARED

OK. So with any luck, we all may avert such a nasty scenario. Yet, it is still a good idea to be as prepared as is sensible. Make sure you have plenty of canned food along with such items a bagged potatoes. Have a Coleman stove along with some bottles of propane. Make sure your vehicle is gassed and has provisions in case you get stuck someplace. Have a 'get out of Dodge' plan to move to a safer location, like a hotel if things really look bad. Lastly, make sure to have a weather radio with batter backup on at all times. Be safe, be prepared!

Wiener, potato and kraut diet routine!

In my everlasting and ongoing search for a diet that worked, I came across one lunch time meal that I felt had some merit. A hot dog wiener, ½ a russet potato and a dollop of sauerkraut made for a decent lunch time meal, was cost effective and good to go in the calorie department!

At under half a buck cost and coming in well under 200 calories, this was a real 'wiener' in my book! The only downside was the salt content, (something of a constant battle in a world that seems to love it). Note, also, that I used salt substitute and a spray on 'pseudo' butter.

I planned to try sticking with this combination for my lunch for a sold week, while sticking with an ETM^* breakfast and a MCD or meat centered dinner.

--------------------------------------------

WPK – Wiener, ½ potato and kraut (180)

ETM^* - Egg, toast and milk (~230 calories)

MCD – Breakfast steak, ½ Russet potato, simple salad (~400 calories)

Those changing demographics confuse me!

Forsyth MO. - As of the last census, taken in 2016, I noted some interesting racial stats;

Population   2, 373
White          2,100
Hispanic        151
Two+              64
Asian              27
Black              22

Of that number 96% are citizens leaving 4% or about 95 who are non-citizens. I had to wonder how almost a hundred men and women were walking around our town as undocumented people? How do they get to the grocery store of a doctors office? A puzzler that...

Democrats wring their hands as economy surges!

WASHINGTON D.C. – Consumers boosted their spending in September at the fastest pace in seven months, while their incomes rose by the largest amount in nine months. Both are good signs for future economic growth.

The Commerce Department says consumer spending rose a sharp 0.6 percent last month. It was the biggest increase since a similar gain in March and was three times faster than the 0.2 percent September performance. Incomes, which provide the fuel for spending, were up 0.5 percent in October, a significant pickup from a 0.2 percent September gain.

A key gauge of inflation tied to consumer spending posted a 2 percent rise in October compared to a year ago, hitting the 2 percent annual target for inflation set by the Federal Reserve.

------------------------------------------

Holy Cow~! That was the news that has left the Left in a very rattled state of mind, as they continued to fumble around with a cast of ten potential candidates to be fronted for the 2020 Presidential election cycle! Apparently, 'Sleepy' Joe Biden is leading the pack in the early going. And what sort of platform will old Joe be championing? No one is really sure other than the rather ragged and torn mantra of 'We Hate Trump'.

Sure, the economy could go always sideways over the next couple of years. And, you can bet the family farm that the Democratic led House will do everything in their power to drag their feet on key social and economic issues. Why? Because it's not about the We the People, its about them regaining their lost power base. Duh.

Let's let the government take care of everything!

France - Thousands of French police fired tear gas and used water cannons against protesters who were destroying shops and lighting fires along Paris’s Champs-Élysées this weekend.

People were protesting fuel taxes, but the demonstrations are also an indication of growing animosity toward French President Emmanuel Macron.

The tax will increase the price of fuel by about 30 cents per gallon and will continue to rise over the next few years, the French government says. Gas already costs about $7.06 per gallon in France.

---------------------------------

Whoa! Hold on! With gas at $2.15 in my neck of the woods in SW MO, I was taken aback just a bit. Teleporting my vehicle to France would mean I'd pay $105 plus just to fill up! And while France is only a Socialist leaning country at this time, I have to wonder how much worse things will get.... Thanks President Trump, you're doing a great job over here!

Steak, potatoes, toast and an egg!

Were I to strictly follow the path of 'good nutrition for old people', I expect I'd be a bit crazy by now. (Don't answer that)! Good health aside, a man's gotta indulge himself once in a while.

Thus it was, on a very cold late November morning, I decided to 'stoke my internal batteries' by throwing together a breakfast that I'd really enjoy for a change. A steak and eggs sort of meal, if you get my drift. And, just so as to stay somewhat sane, I made sure to keep the gram weights as reasonable as possible.

Ingredients:

Breakfast steak    50 grams

Egg   45g  grams

Toast 26 grams

Fried potatoes   56  grams

Milk    100 grams

Total meal = 277 grams

By my figuring, this meal came in at about 390 calories. And, while it was abusive in terms of sodium, cholesterol and carbohydrate levels, I didn't really mind as I don't have this sort of breakfast every day.

The real benefit of starting a day off like this is the good feelings you get and the positive attitude thus generated.

AI and thoughts going forward.

A great cheese omelet!

 Making a good cheese omelet, you know, one that wasn't burned or that came out runny was always a challenge to me. That was before I learned a key concept.... use low heat. Yes, by keeping the heat set to low medium, I have been able to come up with a good breakfast!

 I begin with two eggs in a small bowl.

 Next, I add just a bit of milk.

 This mix is stirred briskly with a fork.

 That is then poured into a small frying pan. I like to use stainless steel while using a induction plate for finer heat control.

 Lastly, a small amount of shredded cheese is added...

 This mix is covered and left on low heat for about three minutes.

Voila! The finished product! Note. The toast and bacon appeared by magic!

A Grave Climate Warning, Buried on Black Friday! Total BS!

'On Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, the federal government published a massive and dire new report on climate change. The report warns, repeatedly and directly, that climate change could soon imperil the American way of life, transforming every region of the country, imposing frustrating costs on the economy, and harming the health of virtually every citizen.' See the entire story here.

Here's the real deal. As everyone, at least many of my friends have hardened themselves to the tripe coming out of most media channels, so then too should they be careful when it comes to ANYTHING that the deep state government throws out. Anytime you see trigger words like 'dire', 'massive' or ''imperil', take a step back. Those are code words for massive tax increases soon to be headed your way.

The reality of the world is that yes, we do have global warming. The other reality is that many climatologists fully support that reality. We are adding about 5% new biomass to the planet due to increased levels of carbon dioxide. That's been going on for some time. That means longer growing seasons for larger parts of the world. That means more foods at lower prices. That is a better thing than seeing a 5% reduction in biomass per year due to global cooling. Duh.

I made it through the rain!

'Give a person enough time, a computer and some liquor! And like any idiot, he or she will perform in a strange and a weird fashion'. After 1:03 the screen, please note that the screen above goes to black or blank or whatever. There's a reason for that. Just right this moment, I'm not exactly sure why that is....

Planters peanuts can cut!

After cutting a finger twice now, while opening a can of Planter's Chipotle peanuts, I contacted the company who then opened a case log on the problem. I made the effort, not so much for myself or other adults, as I did for any children who might be hurt in a like fashion. Kids with dirty hands with cuts invite sepsis, don't ya know? After speaking with a representative for a bit, they informed me that the problem would be kicked over to Quality Control to see if they might desire to switch to a plastic-style top of similar design. I told them that I didn't think adding more plastic to our land fills was a very good alternative. Another idea was to bevel the edge of the aluminum top so as to make it a bit more challenging for oafs, such as myself, to get injured... Will that happen. Yes, that would be likely as I suspect other individuals, in America, are just as clumsy as I am.