I like to play around with my video editing software. I film these clips in HD but in order to post a video of such length to this blog I have to dumb down the resolution to conform to file size restrictions. Very disappointing. What follows are some highlights of a few of my outdoor hiking adventures during the spring and summer of 2011. Harley, the black and grey dog is my regular hiking buddy. Abigail, the cream colored Carin Terrier is along as a rare treat, for her. Small as she is she's basically a pain in the ass because her terrier instincts kick in and she becomes an unruly wild dog.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Monday, August 8, 2011
Should you have an interest . . .
Yawn. A song I love, dedicated to all of my children and their children, who are featured in the video below. You Tube refused to post it due to copyright issues enforced by the owners of the song playing in the background. Their loss. Had I of never heard the song and stumbled across this video I would of searched for the song online and purchased it. It's beautiful. It's written and performed by Mark Knopfler & Emmy Lou Harris and can be found on their album, All The Road Running. On the right side of the control bar below the video window, click on 720 HD and watch it in full screen mode. Enjoy.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences
As always, click on image to enlarge.
- One million seconds will pass in the next 12 days.
- One billion seconds will take 32 years.
- One trillion seconds will pass in 31,688 years.
Want to read about Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
A Few Quotes Concerning Barley Wine
“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline… it helps if you have some kind of a football team or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.” – Frank Zappa
“Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.” – Dave Barry
“Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.” – Dave Barry
$100 Bill
It's a slow day in a little East Texas town. The sun is beating down, and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.
On this particular day a tourist drives through town. He stops at a small hotel and says he wants to inspect the rooms and pick one for the night. The manager explains that he does not have the time to accompany him during his inspection and thus requires a deposit before he will give up a key and allow free range. So in agreement, the tourist slaps a $100 bill on the counter.
As soon as the man walks upstairs, the hotelier grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel.
The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to reimburse his sales manager who puts up out of town suppliers in the local hotel while they are in town wheeling and dealing.
The sales manager rushes to the hotel and pays off his room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter.
At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill, says the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town. No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now out of debt and looks to the future with great optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is conducting business today.
Thanks for the enlightenment from my friend Andy
On this particular day a tourist drives through town. He stops at a small hotel and says he wants to inspect the rooms and pick one for the night. The manager explains that he does not have the time to accompany him during his inspection and thus requires a deposit before he will give up a key and allow free range. So in agreement, the tourist slaps a $100 bill on the counter.
As soon as the man walks upstairs, the hotelier grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel.
The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to reimburse his sales manager who puts up out of town suppliers in the local hotel while they are in town wheeling and dealing.
The sales manager rushes to the hotel and pays off his room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter.
At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the $100 bill, says the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town. No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now out of debt and looks to the future with great optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is conducting business today.
Thanks for the enlightenment from my friend Andy
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Einstein disguised as Robin Hood, with his memories packed in a trunk, passed this way an hour ago with his friend, a jealous Monk...
If this mesmerizing cornucopia of fantasy doesn't launch your flying carpet you must be either an accountant, a lawyer or a politician. I challenge you to find a more creative combination of words and phrases, and I'm betting somewhere within either Dylan speaks of you or you recognize yourself...
Desolation Row
Desolation Row
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sunday Morning Music
A couple of my favorite songs from one of my favorite song writers, John Prine. The first accompanied by Mac Wiseman...
The Other Side of No Where... Listen here
The Glory of True Love... Click to listen.
Tip: you can right click the links and "save as" to download these songs. Keep in mind however that I'm just lending you these songs. The next time I'm over for dinner I'll need them back.
The Other Side of No Where... Listen here
The Glory of True Love... Click to listen.
Tip: you can right click the links and "save as" to download these songs. Keep in mind however that I'm just lending you these songs. The next time I'm over for dinner I'll need them back.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Most Useless Machine Ever?
I don't think so. If only this could of been installed on Pandora's box...
Build instructions can be found for this device here.
Build instructions can be found for this device here.
A Snapshot of a Survivor
Most of us are undoubtedly familiar with the technique of self medication. At home it is the quintessential administration of mind altering substances used to make oneself feel better by getting drunk or high on alcohol, OTC or prescribed drugs, illegal controlled substances,
chocolates or cheese or spending endless hours playing mindless video games to the point that you, at the very least, numb the pain. It's a technique validated by the fact that if you are in a trauma unit in a hospital they hook you up to a bag of morphine and give you the button to control the flow.
Here's an excellent example of a person who has nailed the art of self induced resolute mental health therapy. I envy him/her for their emotional restraint as well as their ability to communicate with the written word and their artwork.
As always, click on the photo to enlarge.
chocolates or cheese or spending endless hours playing mindless video games to the point that you, at the very least, numb the pain. It's a technique validated by the fact that if you are in a trauma unit in a hospital they hook you up to a bag of morphine and give you the button to control the flow.
Here's an excellent example of a person who has nailed the art of self induced resolute mental health therapy. I envy him/her for their emotional restraint as well as their ability to communicate with the written word and their artwork.
As always, click on the photo to enlarge.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Electric Drag Racing
This is a pretty fascinating article (and video) mostly for you guys. I have one question which doesn't seem to be brought up in this story and one comment.
What does this cost overall? How much was paid for the "just in time" delivered battery pack?
I remember in the early 90's asking a long time friend of mine who had become a successful artist what he had paid for his futuristic flatbed computerized image scanner. I was taken aback when he told me it cost him 10K! Last year, I purchased a far more advanced and compact model (in fact it was designed for "briefcase travel"), on sale for $19.95!!
That gives me hope that the costs for new Lithium battery packs will allow me to consider drag racing as a choice of new hobbies in my future.
Enjoy!
Thanks to my buddy DSG for this entertainment.
What does this cost overall? How much was paid for the "just in time" delivered battery pack?
I remember in the early 90's asking a long time friend of mine who had become a successful artist what he had paid for his futuristic flatbed computerized image scanner. I was taken aback when he told me it cost him 10K! Last year, I purchased a far more advanced and compact model (in fact it was designed for "briefcase travel"), on sale for $19.95!!
That gives me hope that the costs for new Lithium battery packs will allow me to consider drag racing as a choice of new hobbies in my future.
Enjoy!
Thanks to my buddy DSG for this entertainment.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
My 100 Year Old Ago Baptism
When I was eight years old I was informed I had reached the age of accountability and therefore needed to forge a contract with God which would make me responsible for all of my decisions and actions, especially those that were potentially damaging to myself and others, from that point forward, forever and ever. I remember walking through marbled halls and answering to men wearing starched white shirts held tightly around their necks with perfectly knotted ties wrapped in tailored jackets, sitting in very quiet rooms with high ceilings, behind large, ornate desks.
I was in agreement with and felt a bit honored by the whole ordeal, really. Most of my friends at the time were Catholic and had to make the same agreement when they were so young they couldn’t even walk or talk so I figured I was getting a pretty good deal. At the time I had a pretty good grasp of the concept of symbolism but I really didn’t understand why I had to be pushed to the bottom of a giant four foot deep ornate bath tub filled with cold water in order to seal the deal, twice. I thought maybe the twice part was because someone sensed I might be a bit of a problem in the future and they wanted to make sure I got the point.
I think most people who get baptized miss the fact that the Devil takes note of such an event. In my case the fact that the Devil was a witness to the whole ordeal kind of erased any questions I had in my mind as to, “Where’s the pen and paper, where do I sign?” I remember feeling that his attendance reinforced my very early recognition of the existence of good and evil. As it turned out, when all was said and done there was a pen and a piece of paper but I was never invited to sign it. I resolved the conflict in my mind with the understanding that my submission to my own near drowning was just as good, or perhaps even better than my signature.
My baptism influenced my life for the good and has a lot to do with where I am today. As I mentioned above it helped reinforce my understanding of the profound concept of good vs. evil, even at the tender age of eight years old.
What I had no concept of at the time was ever living to be 61 years old and the inevitable highs and lows that would occur in my life between then and now. I do remember when I turned ten years old I decided since I was born in 1950 I would think of my future life in terms of decades lived. Even so I had a very difficult time imagining 1970 and the year 2000 was but a futuristic fantasy filled with x-ray glasses, 3 dimensional, color TV and flying cars.
Please excuse my rambling. My point is, it’s 2012 and I’m still here and my baptism seems like it was 100 years ago.
- Me Self
I was in agreement with and felt a bit honored by the whole ordeal, really. Most of my friends at the time were Catholic and had to make the same agreement when they were so young they couldn’t even walk or talk so I figured I was getting a pretty good deal. At the time I had a pretty good grasp of the concept of symbolism but I really didn’t understand why I had to be pushed to the bottom of a giant four foot deep ornate bath tub filled with cold water in order to seal the deal, twice. I thought maybe the twice part was because someone sensed I might be a bit of a problem in the future and they wanted to make sure I got the point.
I think most people who get baptized miss the fact that the Devil takes note of such an event. In my case the fact that the Devil was a witness to the whole ordeal kind of erased any questions I had in my mind as to, “Where’s the pen and paper, where do I sign?” I remember feeling that his attendance reinforced my very early recognition of the existence of good and evil. As it turned out, when all was said and done there was a pen and a piece of paper but I was never invited to sign it. I resolved the conflict in my mind with the understanding that my submission to my own near drowning was just as good, or perhaps even better than my signature.
My baptism influenced my life for the good and has a lot to do with where I am today. As I mentioned above it helped reinforce my understanding of the profound concept of good vs. evil, even at the tender age of eight years old.
What I had no concept of at the time was ever living to be 61 years old and the inevitable highs and lows that would occur in my life between then and now. I do remember when I turned ten years old I decided since I was born in 1950 I would think of my future life in terms of decades lived. Even so I had a very difficult time imagining 1970 and the year 2000 was but a futuristic fantasy filled with x-ray glasses, 3 dimensional, color TV and flying cars.
Please excuse my rambling. My point is, it’s 2012 and I’m still here and my baptism seems like it was 100 years ago.
- Me Self
End of Year Observations and a bit of Advice
If you were, right now, on a ship in the middle of the ocean, with an unobstructed and undeniable view of black storm clouds in the direction of all horizons what would you do? With no knowledge of which clouds will intensify or dissipate if any, what would you do? My advice would be to simply prepare yourself for whatever you perceive is about to happen in the direction of your sails. Or if deemed necessary change directions and if you are not the captain of your ship, do whatever is in your power to convince your captain to change directions.
America is in a steep decline. Perhaps signaling a global decline? Our elected representatives who have taken an oath to uphold and defend our constitution apparently haven’t even read it or fail to comprehend its contents or meaning or outright defy it in opposition to their own corrupt interests. They no longer listen to their constituents through conventional means, i.e., telephone calls, letters or even email. I know, I’ve tried repeatedly over the past year. They conduct ‘town hall meetings’ as diatribes and lectures rather than listening to the voices of those they represent. The main stream media, paid for and acting as an arm of our corrupt representatives reports our voices as uneducated, ignorant, contrived, insincere, covertly organized, radical, ‘nut-winged’ and even militant.
America is in a steep decline. Perhaps signaling a global decline? Our elected representatives who have taken an oath to uphold and defend our constitution apparently haven’t even read it or fail to comprehend its contents or meaning or outright defy it in opposition to their own corrupt interests. They no longer listen to their constituents through conventional means, i.e., telephone calls, letters or even email. I know, I’ve tried repeatedly over the past year. They conduct ‘town hall meetings’ as diatribes and lectures rather than listening to the voices of those they represent. The main stream media, paid for and acting as an arm of our corrupt representatives reports our voices as uneducated, ignorant, contrived, insincere, covertly organized, radical, ‘nut-winged’ and even militant.
We the citizens of this great nation are allowing this decline to happen. Who among us has the time or inclination to take on and solve problems that exist beyond the realm of our own little microcosm of life; our families and our jobs?
Do I need to say it? Do you need to be shaken by the shoulders to understand that if you don’t start acting beyond the boundaries of your little world that you and your children are soon to be buried in an avalanche of domination trumping perhaps the very core of your own personal beliefs?
The New Electronic Grass Roots
The rise of the internet and the subsequent birth of social networking and the blogosphere is the greatest weapon in defense of freedom since the inception and execution of the Gutenberg press, guerilla warfare as invented by and executed by American Revolutionaries and the American invention of the Winchester repeater rifle. The internet is again, undeniably, an American invention born from the roots of freedom resulting in unlimited and unabated innovation. The blogosphere is exposing severely biased news organizations, corrupt governments, fatal propaganda and politicians and mainstream media outlets for what and who they are.
Plant Your Seeds
First and foremost, balance your life. Actually, tip the scales on the positive side. Live, laugh and love, enjoy your life to the fullest but create enough weight to throw on and tip the scales to balance out an unexpected crisis or disaster, upon a moments notice.
Prepare yourself physically and mentally if you possess the ability to do so. Teach your children first and foremost the principle of good vs. evil and hone not only their minds but also their bodies. Encourage and teach them the technology needed to preserve social networking and the blogosphere and encourage them to use such tools to spread the truth and goodness. Teach them a trade, to use their hands. Teach them to understand that those dark clouds on the horizon have the potential to not only cause a crippling technological breakdown but also the destruction of our physical infrastructure. Stock up and store those commodities that enable you to not only sustain but enjoy your life.
Prepare yourself physically and mentally if you possess the ability to do so. Teach your children first and foremost the principle of good vs. evil and hone not only their minds but also their bodies. Encourage and teach them the technology needed to preserve social networking and the blogosphere and encourage them to use such tools to spread the truth and goodness. Teach them a trade, to use their hands. Teach them to understand that those dark clouds on the horizon have the potential to not only cause a crippling technological breakdown but also the destruction of our physical infrastructure. Stock up and store those commodities that enable you to not only sustain but enjoy your life.
The Top Three Planetary Threats
- The resurgence of Communism – world domination via the ultimate control of the individual, their rights and their possessions, as sought by power hungry, ruthless dictators and megalomaniacs overcome with evil obsessions.
- The Myth of Global warming – The 'Green Movement' - a cleverly disguised, sinister, feel-good path to world domination.
- Radical Muslimism – An epidemical off-shoot of the Islamic religion who’s conversion methods include strong armed terrorist actions and threats offering you the opportunity to live a life defined by their leaders in lieu of having your head cut off, slowly, or having your body blown to smithereens while shopping for a piece of fruit in an open air market. Those who somehow escape the aforementioned stark consequences of non-conversion are subject to an excruciating and prolonged, extremely perverse form of guerilla warfare and/or persecution, humiliation or life long submission.
The Top Three Purveyors of the Worlds Most Dangerous Threats
- Barack "It's not my fault" Obama – the source of the virus that will ultimately, without intervention, weaken America to the point of collapse.
- Al Gore – the planetary bully who the world forfeited their lunch money to because no one had the balls to stand up to him.
- Mahmoud Ahmajinedad – the mass murderer whose precursor lunacy went unbelievably undetected and/or was deemed too crazy to believe.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Test your political I.Q.
Here. I got all 12 correct but lucked out on the question about how much Americans spend, comparatively, on health care costs.
- Thanks to my buddy Gus for passing this on.
- Thanks to my buddy Gus for passing this on.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Mr. Smarty Pants?
Well, I'd say so. Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. seems to have a reasonable grasp on the reality that surrounds us. (Warning: you must have at least a two year college degree to read these op-eds):
- Washington's Suicide Mission - Banks continue to fail at an alarming rate, the dollar is under assault, and Washington is looking at a future of trillion-dollar deficits. One might have guessed it would take a decade of Obamanomics to produce European welfare state levels of youth unemployment, but at 18.5% we're there.
- The Economic Uses of Al Gore - Notice, for instance, after a decade in which the earth appears to have stopped warming and even cooled, that global warming advocates have rushed to embrace a computer simulation that predicts this cooling (in retrospect, of course) and allows for indefinite future cooling, even while assuring that the world is destined to face disastrous warming anyway. Isn't this what forecasters of doom have done since time immemorial when their deadlines for doom haven't been met?
Religious Zealot; A Fanatical Partisan
I live in an area of the USA that is populated predominantly by people of the Mormon faith. They are good people in general yet they have a reputation for being a bit odd. Perhaps it is because of their strict moral code which includes everything from modest dress to abstaining from sexual encounters (until marriage) and avoiding all things addictive, including caffeine and alcohol. But it is primarily the behavior of the zealots in their sect who insist on their right to live a polygamist lifestyle that gives them a bad name.
I was raised in an area of the USA that was populated predominantly by people of the Catholic faith. As a non-Catholic I felt they were basically good people but considered them a bit odd. Their strict dogma (especially the birth control thing), rosary beads and hail Mary’s, dashboard Jesus statues, no meat on Friday and their Pope’s fancy robes and hats all seemed somewhat strange to me. Yet ultimately it was the 'forbidden' sex rule imposed upon their priests which led to their penchant for molesting little boys that gives them a bad name.
Later I lived in an area of the USA that was populated predominantly by people of the Baptist faith. As a non-Baptist I felt they were basically good people but considered them a bit odd. In general they seemed a little on the fanatical side. I’ll never forget the grand white tent revivals with their healing preachers and their honest-to-God holy-rollers, and the occasional snake handler. Yet ultimately it was their racial prejudice and their zealots in white sheets that gave them a bad name. The dress and actions of these zealots and their isolated incidents of violence were intentionally sensationalized so as to bring their beliefs to the attention of all.
They did some horrible things and as a result were abhorred by all outside of their ranks. Subsequently, most realized the error of their ways and sought more peaceful ways to convey their message.
Now I find myself living in a world overflowing with Muslims, which I find odd because I don’t know any Muslims. My perception however is that this particular group of people is overrun with zealots. Dangerous, deadly zealots.
It seems like every time tourists are blown up in a resort hotel or a night club, every time an American embassy or military barrack or naval ship is bombed resulting in the death of young women and men, every time a suicide bomber shreds the flesh of innocent shoppers or worshipers in an open air market or mosque, every time a hijacked airplane is used in an unbelievable act of horror, every time a Dutch film maker is stabbed in the heart on a public street for expressing his beliefs, every time a writer or cartoonist is sentenced to death for his words or drawings… there seems to be behind it, the almighty Muslim God, Allah, who seems to trump all other Gods, and the Koran (Qur’an) which appears to me to be written under the guidance of the same entity who inspired the work, Mein Kampf.
I’m not reading about any Mormons or Catholics or Baptists or Protestants or Jehovah Witnesses or Seventh Day Adventists, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus or any other group of people murdering others in the name of their God, other than the exception of Muslims.
Can someone please explain this to me? Are there any moderate Muslims out there who do not believe in ‘death to the infidels’?
If so, why do we not hear your voice?
This latest incident at Fort Hood has once again been associated with a Muslim. Regardless, any individual who chooses to wantonly murder 13 individuals and wound another 31 in an attempt to end their lives deserves to have his life ended immediately and without mercy. The brave souls who confronted him and cut short his vicious and heinous act are hero's without question. Yet in a way they fell short for not treating their reaction as a mob execution and walking up to Nidal Malik Hasan's motionless body and pumping a few more bullets into his skull.
- 100% Me Self
I was raised in an area of the USA that was populated predominantly by people of the Catholic faith. As a non-Catholic I felt they were basically good people but considered them a bit odd. Their strict dogma (especially the birth control thing), rosary beads and hail Mary’s, dashboard Jesus statues, no meat on Friday and their Pope’s fancy robes and hats all seemed somewhat strange to me. Yet ultimately it was the 'forbidden' sex rule imposed upon their priests which led to their penchant for molesting little boys that gives them a bad name.
Later I lived in an area of the USA that was populated predominantly by people of the Baptist faith. As a non-Baptist I felt they were basically good people but considered them a bit odd. In general they seemed a little on the fanatical side. I’ll never forget the grand white tent revivals with their healing preachers and their honest-to-God holy-rollers, and the occasional snake handler. Yet ultimately it was their racial prejudice and their zealots in white sheets that gave them a bad name. The dress and actions of these zealots and their isolated incidents of violence were intentionally sensationalized so as to bring their beliefs to the attention of all.
They did some horrible things and as a result were abhorred by all outside of their ranks. Subsequently, most realized the error of their ways and sought more peaceful ways to convey their message.
Now I find myself living in a world overflowing with Muslims, which I find odd because I don’t know any Muslims. My perception however is that this particular group of people is overrun with zealots. Dangerous, deadly zealots.
It seems like every time tourists are blown up in a resort hotel or a night club, every time an American embassy or military barrack or naval ship is bombed resulting in the death of young women and men, every time a suicide bomber shreds the flesh of innocent shoppers or worshipers in an open air market or mosque, every time a hijacked airplane is used in an unbelievable act of horror, every time a Dutch film maker is stabbed in the heart on a public street for expressing his beliefs, every time a writer or cartoonist is sentenced to death for his words or drawings… there seems to be behind it, the almighty Muslim God, Allah, who seems to trump all other Gods, and the Koran (Qur’an) which appears to me to be written under the guidance of the same entity who inspired the work, Mein Kampf.
I’m not reading about any Mormons or Catholics or Baptists or Protestants or Jehovah Witnesses or Seventh Day Adventists, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus or any other group of people murdering others in the name of their God, other than the exception of Muslims.
Can someone please explain this to me? Are there any moderate Muslims out there who do not believe in ‘death to the infidels’?
If so, why do we not hear your voice?
This latest incident at Fort Hood has once again been associated with a Muslim. Regardless, any individual who chooses to wantonly murder 13 individuals and wound another 31 in an attempt to end their lives deserves to have his life ended immediately and without mercy. The brave souls who confronted him and cut short his vicious and heinous act are hero's without question. Yet in a way they fell short for not treating their reaction as a mob execution and walking up to Nidal Malik Hasan's motionless body and pumping a few more bullets into his skull.
- 100% Me Self
Saturday, November 7, 2009
I need more ZZ Top...
An interview with Billy Gibbons followed by a classic stage performance by the band.
If you're interested, this performance is even better. It's a little more polished of an act; smacks of perhaps, Las Vegas. NBC won't allow the embed code to be posted on YouTube so I can only provide the link.
ZZ Top has got to be one of the most original acts ever; unmatched by anyone and definitely the most bodacious 3 man rock band on the planet.
And then there's the following performance. It's over 8 minutes long and was back when the boys were young and very energetic. They hadn't pegged the act yet. Billy even looks a little Amish.
- Larry
If you're interested, this performance is even better. It's a little more polished of an act; smacks of perhaps, Las Vegas. NBC won't allow the embed code to be posted on YouTube so I can only provide the link.
ZZ Top has got to be one of the most original acts ever; unmatched by anyone and definitely the most bodacious 3 man rock band on the planet.
And then there's the following performance. It's over 8 minutes long and was back when the boys were young and very energetic. They hadn't pegged the act yet. Billy even looks a little Amish.
- Larry
An all too common wound...
I was five and you were six.
We rode on horses made of sticks.
You wore black and I wore white.
You would always win the fight.
Bang, bang you shot me down.
Bang, bang I hit the ground.
Bang, bang that awful sound.
Bang, bang… my baby shot me down.
Seasons came and changed the time.
When I grew up I called you mine.
You would always laugh and say,
Remember when we used to play?
Bang, bang I shot you down.
Bang, bang you hit the ground.
Bang, bang that awful sound.
Bang, bang… I used to shoot you down.
Music played and people sang.
Just for me the church bells rang.
Now you're gone I don't know why.
And to this day sometimes I cry.
You didn't even say goodbye,
You didn't take the time to lie…
Bang, bang.
Bang, bang you shot me down.
Bang, bang I hit the ground.
Bang, bang that awful sound.
Bang, bang… my baby shot me down.
- Some great lyrics written by Nancy Sinatra (modified from the original to be non-gender specific).
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Defination of Tyranny
In the Federalist 46, James Madison wrote: "The accumulation of all power, legislative, executive, and judiciary in the same hands... may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." THE VERY DEFINITION OF TYRANNY!
It is AMAZING that the political party pushing Obamacare cannot say what part of the Constitution grants Congress the power to force every American to buy health insurance. And WHY NOT? Because they HAVE NO AUTHORITY to do so. NONE of the enumerated powers afforded to Congress by the Constitution support them forcing an individual purchase mandate.
An individual political liberal idiot, Senator Baucus, when asked about their Constitutional authority to force this on Americans called it, "a novel question." GEE! YA THINK!? In reality, the forcing of a health care mandate on us is nothing more than a tyrannical enforcement of power, which is a view 180 degrees OUT of what the Framers’ vision of the our government's limited and enumerated powers.
If we allow this to happen what will stop them from forcing us to, say, buying ugly hybrids fit only for neutered liberal men to drive? We're too fat? Why, Congress can mandate that we join health care clubs, run by their buddies, to burn off the fat. We can even be fined for failing to lose the blubber! Not eating enough broccoli according to the Health Czar? Not a problem.
Our fine politicians can mandate that each of us must choke down a certain amount of broccoli each week or face a fine! They can even create a new bureaucratic office to ensure we're good little sheep and grazing on that broccoli. (Kickbacks from the broccoli farmers can go directly to the Congress) Talk about your "shovel-ready" jobs.
At the bottom line is that this behavior in BOTH Houses of Congress and in the White House, is seriously un-American, it bypasses State's Rights, it trashes the Constitution, and it ENDS individual liberty and many, many Americans are sick and damned tired of it!
- The 'Gunny'
It is AMAZING that the political party pushing Obamacare cannot say what part of the Constitution grants Congress the power to force every American to buy health insurance. And WHY NOT? Because they HAVE NO AUTHORITY to do so. NONE of the enumerated powers afforded to Congress by the Constitution support them forcing an individual purchase mandate.
An individual political liberal idiot, Senator Baucus, when asked about their Constitutional authority to force this on Americans called it, "a novel question." GEE! YA THINK!? In reality, the forcing of a health care mandate on us is nothing more than a tyrannical enforcement of power, which is a view 180 degrees OUT of what the Framers’ vision of the our government's limited and enumerated powers.
If we allow this to happen what will stop them from forcing us to, say, buying ugly hybrids fit only for neutered liberal men to drive? We're too fat? Why, Congress can mandate that we join health care clubs, run by their buddies, to burn off the fat. We can even be fined for failing to lose the blubber! Not eating enough broccoli according to the Health Czar? Not a problem.
Our fine politicians can mandate that each of us must choke down a certain amount of broccoli each week or face a fine! They can even create a new bureaucratic office to ensure we're good little sheep and grazing on that broccoli. (Kickbacks from the broccoli farmers can go directly to the Congress) Talk about your "shovel-ready" jobs.
At the bottom line is that this behavior in BOTH Houses of Congress and in the White House, is seriously un-American, it bypasses State's Rights, it trashes the Constitution, and it ENDS individual liberty and many, many Americans are sick and damned tired of it!
- The 'Gunny'
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Basic Laws of The World Wide Web
Here's a few important laws you need to be aware of when surfing the web and especially when reading blogs:
- Skitt’s Law - Expressed as "any post correcting an error in another post will contain at least one error itself." It is an online version of the proofreading truism of Murphy’s Law, also known as Hartman's Law of Prescriptivist Retaliation: "any article or statement about correct grammar, punctuation, or spelling is bound to contain at least one eror."
- Pommer’s Law -Proposed by Rob Pommer on rationalwiki.com in 2007, this states: “A person's mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion.”
- The Law of Exclamation - First recorded in an article by Lori Robertson at FactCheck.org in 2008, this states: "The more exclamation points used in an email (or other posting), the more likely it is a complete lie. This is also true for excessive capital letters." It is reminiscent of the claim in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels that the more exclamation marks someone uses in writing, the more likely they are to be mentally unbalanced. According to Pratchett, five exclamation marks is an indicator of "someone who wears their underwear on the outside".
Thursday, October 22, 2009
They shoot bloggers don’t they?
I should shoot myself in the head for this post.
There’s nothing worse than being called a racist, except for maybe being called a pedophile or a sex offender.
Nobody wants to be called a racist.
Which is exactly why the minorities in this country use the accusation to promote their agenda and silence their opposition.
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton realized this a long time ago and have perfected and massaged the technique into very lucrative professions.
Yes it can be said that whites, of generations past, due primarily to a disparity of numbers between the races (people abuse people everywhere) have abused blacks. Yet no people anywhere have done more to lift up blacks than white America.
America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known, anywhere in the world, even today.
The pendulum swings? Who exactly are the racists in America today?
I’ll say it. Primarily the blacks, and many Hispanics are foolishly following suit.
The largest group of illegal immigrants that ‘get it’ and are thus capable of showing respect for independence and personal freedom while working their way out of the shadows are the Asians. Perhaps it is because no race has been slaughtered in more significant numbers by dictatorial and oppressive governments than the Asians.
I can honestly say I’ve never met an Asian I didn’t like. Both Blacks and Hispanics should take note.
On the other hand, as an innocent adolescent I lived in the south and learned first hand that there was a marked difference between regular black folks and niggers. Niggers gave all black folk a bad name. Same as trailer trash and ‘crackers’ gave white folk a bad name, as well as white whores and drunk Irish thugs and Italian gangsters gave their race or heritage a bad name. In fact, where I grew up there were white folks we called niggers.
Yet for the reason I state above you can’t call a nigger a nigger anymore. Go figure.
I lived in the south, and later lived in the San Francisco bay area. As a result I’ve know and been friends with a lot of black folk in my life. I liked most all of them, they added a new perspective to my life and thus enhanced it. They all had a sense of humor no matter their situation and they all loved life in general. Based entirely on my personal experience I view them to this day as great musicians, dancers, athletes and thinkers. And that’s saying something. Again, as the numbers go, I’ve met a lot more ignorant, bad, stupid white folk as I have black folk.
Top of my list of niggers:
Ever see one of those guys dance, make an athletic move, sing, play a musical instrument, display a sense of humor or even think? Me either.
I could go on but I’ve already said too much.
- Me Self
P.S. - For the record I do not know the etymology of the word “nigger” so I may be out of line here. On the other hand, maybe not. The meaning of words change from generation to generation.
I have a beautiful sand covered campground with an awesome natural rock fire pit on my property with a creek running on its edge and all of my daughter’s twenty-something friends refer to it as “sick” because... they love it.
Also, there's three sentences above I plagiarized from a Pat Buchanan op-ed because he said exactly what I was thinking.
There’s nothing worse than being called a racist, except for maybe being called a pedophile or a sex offender.
Nobody wants to be called a racist.
Which is exactly why the minorities in this country use the accusation to promote their agenda and silence their opposition.
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton realized this a long time ago and have perfected and massaged the technique into very lucrative professions.
Yes it can be said that whites, of generations past, due primarily to a disparity of numbers between the races (people abuse people everywhere) have abused blacks. Yet no people anywhere have done more to lift up blacks than white America.
America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known, anywhere in the world, even today.
The pendulum swings? Who exactly are the racists in America today?
I’ll say it. Primarily the blacks, and many Hispanics are foolishly following suit.
The largest group of illegal immigrants that ‘get it’ and are thus capable of showing respect for independence and personal freedom while working their way out of the shadows are the Asians. Perhaps it is because no race has been slaughtered in more significant numbers by dictatorial and oppressive governments than the Asians.
I can honestly say I’ve never met an Asian I didn’t like. Both Blacks and Hispanics should take note.
On the other hand, as an innocent adolescent I lived in the south and learned first hand that there was a marked difference between regular black folks and niggers. Niggers gave all black folk a bad name. Same as trailer trash and ‘crackers’ gave white folk a bad name, as well as white whores and drunk Irish thugs and Italian gangsters gave their race or heritage a bad name. In fact, where I grew up there were white folks we called niggers.
Yet for the reason I state above you can’t call a nigger a nigger anymore. Go figure.
I lived in the south, and later lived in the San Francisco bay area. As a result I’ve know and been friends with a lot of black folk in my life. I liked most all of them, they added a new perspective to my life and thus enhanced it. They all had a sense of humor no matter their situation and they all loved life in general. Based entirely on my personal experience I view them to this day as great musicians, dancers, athletes and thinkers. And that’s saying something. Again, as the numbers go, I’ve met a lot more ignorant, bad, stupid white folk as I have black folk.
Top of my list of niggers:
- The 'Reverend' Jeremiah Wright
- The 'Reverend' Al Sharpton
- The 'Reverend' Jesse Jackson
- The tax cheat Charlie Rangle
Ever see one of those guys dance, make an athletic move, sing, play a musical instrument, display a sense of humor or even think? Me either.
I could go on but I’ve already said too much.
- Me Self
P.S. - For the record I do not know the etymology of the word “nigger” so I may be out of line here. On the other hand, maybe not. The meaning of words change from generation to generation.
I have a beautiful sand covered campground with an awesome natural rock fire pit on my property with a creek running on its edge and all of my daughter’s twenty-something friends refer to it as “sick” because... they love it.
Also, there's three sentences above I plagiarized from a Pat Buchanan op-ed because he said exactly what I was thinking.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Why reading this blog improves your brain function...
Research has shown that mental stimulation similar to the stimulation that occurs in individuals who frequently use the Internet may affect the efficiency of cognitive processing and alter the way the brain encodes new information.
Mental Age Assessment
The following was developed as a mental age assessment by the School of Psychiatry at Harvard University. Take your time and see if you can read each line aloud without a mistake.
The average person over 40 years of age cannot do it!
1. This is this cat.
2. This is is cat.
3. This is how cat.
4. This is to cat.
5. This is keep cat.
6. This is an cat.
7. This is old cat.
8. This is fart cat.
9. This is busy cat.
10. This is for cat.
11. This is forty cat..
12. This is seconds cat.
Now, to reveal the true intent of this study go back and read the third word in each line from the top down.
- Thanks to my Uncle Lee for this enlightening bit of knowledge. Or maybe it was Gus. Crap, I can't remember.
The average person over 40 years of age cannot do it!
1. This is this cat.
2. This is is cat.
3. This is how cat.
4. This is to cat.
5. This is keep cat.
6. This is an cat.
7. This is old cat.
8. This is fart cat.
9. This is busy cat.
10. This is for cat.
11. This is forty cat..
12. This is seconds cat.
Now, to reveal the true intent of this study go back and read the third word in each line from the top down.
- Thanks to my Uncle Lee for this enlightening bit of knowledge. Or maybe it was Gus. Crap, I can't remember.
Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
- They once made a Chuck Norris toilet paper, but it wouldn't take shit from anybody.
- When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
- Chuck Norris knows where Carmen Sandiego is.
- If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
- Chuck Norris can touch MC Hammer.
- Chuck Norris invented water.
- Chuck Norris knows how much wood a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
- Chuck Norris CAN divide by zero.
- Chuck Norris never learns. He knows.
- Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.
- Chuck Norris can watch "60 Minutes" in 20 seconds.
- Chuck Norris let the dogs out.
- When Chuck Norris does a push-up, he doesn't just push himself up; he pushes the Earth down.
Traditional Americans Are Losing Their Nation
In their lifetimes, they have seen their Christian faith purged from the schools their taxes paid for, and mocked in movies and on TV. They have seen their factories shuttered in the thousands and their jobs outsourced in the millions to Mexico and China. They have seen trillions of tax dollars go for Great Society programs, but have seen no Great Society, only rising crime, illegitimacy, drug use and dropout rates.
- Pat Buchanan
- Pat Buchanan
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