From http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=60614
“The folks at the American Legion Post 124 in Westfield, Massachusetts write to tell us that they have the honor of laying Captain Richard W. Vincent, D Company, 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, United States Marine Corps to his final rest.
“Captain Vincent has been missing on the island of Tarawa since November 20, 1943. He was listed as KIA the following January and promoted posthumously from 1st Lieutenant.
“Back in December, Hondo reported that his earthly remains were finally identified on October 21st, 2014. The Adjutant of Post 124 writes to tell us that he’ll be laid to rest in his home town of Westfield MA on July 2, 2015 at the family plot in Pine Hill Cemetery with the Legion providing full military honors.”
Monday, June 29, 2015
The ‘rainbow White House’ most horrendous event of the weekend
Why “horrendous?” Because of the president's usual style over substance and because of idiot reaction.
“Senior White House official Betsey Stevenson, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, captured what looked like a sign from the heavens on Friday at 11 a.m. Stevenson snapped a photo of a rainbow that had appeared over the White House.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/26/a-double-rainbow-just-appeared-above-the-white-house/
(A sign from the heavens turned out to have been a week ago, but, hey, why let facts get in the way of a sign from heaven?)
“What a day! As millions of Americans celebrated on the streets and via social media, the White House was taking it one step further. Hours after the Supreme Court's historic ruling on gay marriage, President Barack Obama's home was illuminated in rainbow colors for the world to see.
"Earlier in the day, several brands also took part in the festivities. Companies like Kellogg's, Ben & Jerry's, Cheerios, Target, and Jell-O gave their support. Others also changed their logos to rainbow colors and tweeted #LoveWins."
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/white-house-does-rainbow-colors-after-gay-marriage-ruling-stars-react-2015276
“Senior White House official Betsey Stevenson, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, captured what looked like a sign from the heavens on Friday at 11 a.m. Stevenson snapped a photo of a rainbow that had appeared over the White House.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/26/a-double-rainbow-just-appeared-above-the-white-house/
(A sign from the heavens turned out to have been a week ago, but, hey, why let facts get in the way of a sign from heaven?)
“What a day! As millions of Americans celebrated on the streets and via social media, the White House was taking it one step further. Hours after the Supreme Court's historic ruling on gay marriage, President Barack Obama's home was illuminated in rainbow colors for the world to see.
"Earlier in the day, several brands also took part in the festivities. Companies like Kellogg's, Ben & Jerry's, Cheerios, Target, and Jell-O gave their support. Others also changed their logos to rainbow colors and tweeted #LoveWins."
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/white-house-does-rainbow-colors-after-gay-marriage-ruling-stars-react-2015276
I intended to stay away from this, because thinking about it hurts my brain
In the dark days of Nixon, during then times of Carter’s national malaise, even in the Clinton times, I decided the Republic will survive.
With the Supreme Court ruling that overrides state laws against homosexual marriage, I am not so certain.
From the minority:
“… the Court invalidates the marriage laws of more than half the States and orders the transformation of a social institution that has formed the basis of human society for millennia, for the Kalahari Bushmen and the Han Chinese, the Carthaginians and the Aztecs. Just who do we think we are?” – Justice Roberts
“It is striking how much of the majority’s reasoning would apply with equal force to the claim of a fundamental right to plural marriage. If ‘[t]here is dignity in the bond between two men or two women who seek to marry and in their autonomy to make such profound choices,’ ante, at 13, why would there be any less dignity in the bond between three people who, in exercising their autonomy, seek to make the profound choice to marry? If a same-sex couple has the constitutional right to marry because their children would otherwise ‘suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser,’ ante, at 15, why wouldn’t the same reasoning apply to a family of three or more persons raising children?” – Roberts
“Today’s decree says that my Ruler, and the Ruler of 320 million Americans coast-to-coast, is a majority of the nine lawyers on the Supreme Court.” – Justice Scalia
“In the American legal tradition, liberty has long been understood as individual freedom from governmental action, not as a right to a particular governmental entitlement.” – Justice Thomas
Justice Thomas stressed American history, about which far too many Americans know little, and intend to remain in a closet of ignorance.
The overriding that should have been:
“The question in these cases, however, is not what States should do about same-sex marriage but whether the Constitution answers that question for them. It does not. The Constitution leaves that question to be decided by the people of each State.” – Justice Alito
http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/06/supreme-court-ruling-gay-marriage-a-constitutional-right/
With the Supreme Court ruling that overrides state laws against homosexual marriage, I am not so certain.
From the minority:
“… the Court invalidates the marriage laws of more than half the States and orders the transformation of a social institution that has formed the basis of human society for millennia, for the Kalahari Bushmen and the Han Chinese, the Carthaginians and the Aztecs. Just who do we think we are?” – Justice Roberts
“It is striking how much of the majority’s reasoning would apply with equal force to the claim of a fundamental right to plural marriage. If ‘[t]here is dignity in the bond between two men or two women who seek to marry and in their autonomy to make such profound choices,’ ante, at 13, why would there be any less dignity in the bond between three people who, in exercising their autonomy, seek to make the profound choice to marry? If a same-sex couple has the constitutional right to marry because their children would otherwise ‘suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser,’ ante, at 15, why wouldn’t the same reasoning apply to a family of three or more persons raising children?” – Roberts
“Today’s decree says that my Ruler, and the Ruler of 320 million Americans coast-to-coast, is a majority of the nine lawyers on the Supreme Court.” – Justice Scalia
“In the American legal tradition, liberty has long been understood as individual freedom from governmental action, not as a right to a particular governmental entitlement.” – Justice Thomas
Justice Thomas stressed American history, about which far too many Americans know little, and intend to remain in a closet of ignorance.
The overriding that should have been:
“The question in these cases, however, is not what States should do about same-sex marriage but whether the Constitution answers that question for them. It does not. The Constitution leaves that question to be decided by the people of each State.” – Justice Alito
http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/06/supreme-court-ruling-gay-marriage-a-constitutional-right/
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Nicolaus, California, Zip 95659
On the Feather River, near Sutter’s Fort. In 1849, that meant something.
Population in 2010 – 211. Gold goes away, so do people. Three days from now, the official population will be 216.
http://california.hometownlocator.com/ca/sutter/nicolaus.cfm
Nicolaus has had its racial problems, so Wikipedia says.
“Nicolaus was once home to a significant Chinese American community, but it violently drove all its Chinese American residents out of town in March 1886. It was also home to a large mixed population of Maidu Indians and Hawaiians, or Kanakas which has since relocated to El Dorado County, California. The Hawaiians or Kanakas are descendants of workers brought over by John Sutter in 1839.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus,_California
Got enough cheerleaders?
http://s616.photobucket.com/user/EngQueen/media/nico_zps14af47b2.png.html
That photograph was on Google “images nicolaus ca” search.
A photographer identified these as “Abandoned rice dryers.”
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eyetwist/10964890576
I think putting wet rice in those would be a bad idea. Storage of dry rice or other grain, OK. But confined wet grain tends to heat as it dries and often causes fires.
There is all-season paint ball.
http://shootersallseasonpaintball.com/
http://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/95659/zip-code-95659.asp
says the current population is 604, down 98 from the 2010 population. You have to wonder how two sites can have a disparity of 400 people. Where did they go?
Population in 2010 – 211. Gold goes away, so do people. Three days from now, the official population will be 216.
http://california.hometownlocator.com/ca/sutter/nicolaus.cfm
Nicolaus has had its racial problems, so Wikipedia says.
“Nicolaus was once home to a significant Chinese American community, but it violently drove all its Chinese American residents out of town in March 1886. It was also home to a large mixed population of Maidu Indians and Hawaiians, or Kanakas which has since relocated to El Dorado County, California. The Hawaiians or Kanakas are descendants of workers brought over by John Sutter in 1839.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus,_California
Got enough cheerleaders?
http://s616.photobucket.com/user/EngQueen/media/nico_zps14af47b2.png.html
That photograph was on Google “images nicolaus ca” search.
A photographer identified these as “Abandoned rice dryers.”
https://www.flickr.com/photos/eyetwist/10964890576
I think putting wet rice in those would be a bad idea. Storage of dry rice or other grain, OK. But confined wet grain tends to heat as it dries and often causes fires.
There is all-season paint ball.
http://shootersallseasonpaintball.com/
http://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/95659/zip-code-95659.asp
says the current population is 604, down 98 from the 2010 population. You have to wonder how two sites can have a disparity of 400 people. Where did they go?
Archaeologists find likely site of 1315 Swiss-Austrian battle
Seven hundred years ago, soldiers commanded by Leopold I, duke of Austria, I invaded what is now Switzerland. The Swiss forces, outnumbered, used terrain and tactics in defeating the Austrians. Now, archaeologists say the site of the battle has been found.
The number of soldiers is disputed, as is common from most battles, with the Austrian army somewhere between 2,000 and 20,000, and the Swiss between 1,500 and 4,000.
What is not disputed is the Austrians moved on a narrow front between a steep slope and a swamp. Swiss on the high ground dropped rocks and logs onto the attackers. When the Austrians retreated, the Swiss, not familiar with the customs of war, “brutally butchered retreating troops and everyone unable to flee.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Morgarten
“In what is being hailed as a significant discovery, the find includes coins, knives, arrows and a cavalier’s spur in the Morgarten plain on the border of the cantons of Schwyz and Zug, the SDA news agency reported on Thursday.
“Among the objects found are 12 silver coins — Pfennigs — dating from 1275 to the start of the 14th century, which would be consistent with the 1315 battle date.
“Various arms dating from the 14th century were also found, including two knives, a knife scabbard and two arrows from a crossbow or bow.”
Archaeologists say the findings do not prove that the site is where the battle occurred, “but they appear to support that possibility.”
http://www.thelocal.ch/20150619/artifacts-found-on-700-year-old-swiss-battle-site
Some weapons:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=morgarten+battle+archaeological+images&view=detailv2&&&id=D301FF9382D2B2533BCF3D66A38AB7C120F4217E&selectedIndex=0&ccid=WmeVbiiU&simid=142823857210&thid=HS.142823857210&ajaxhist=0
Link at http://gatesofvienna.net/2015/06/gates-of-vienna-news-feed-6262015/#more-36665
The number of soldiers is disputed, as is common from most battles, with the Austrian army somewhere between 2,000 and 20,000, and the Swiss between 1,500 and 4,000.
What is not disputed is the Austrians moved on a narrow front between a steep slope and a swamp. Swiss on the high ground dropped rocks and logs onto the attackers. When the Austrians retreated, the Swiss, not familiar with the customs of war, “brutally butchered retreating troops and everyone unable to flee.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Morgarten
“In what is being hailed as a significant discovery, the find includes coins, knives, arrows and a cavalier’s spur in the Morgarten plain on the border of the cantons of Schwyz and Zug, the SDA news agency reported on Thursday.
“Among the objects found are 12 silver coins — Pfennigs — dating from 1275 to the start of the 14th century, which would be consistent with the 1315 battle date.
“Various arms dating from the 14th century were also found, including two knives, a knife scabbard and two arrows from a crossbow or bow.”
Archaeologists say the findings do not prove that the site is where the battle occurred, “but they appear to support that possibility.”
http://www.thelocal.ch/20150619/artifacts-found-on-700-year-old-swiss-battle-site
Some weapons:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=morgarten+battle+archaeological+images&view=detailv2&&&id=D301FF9382D2B2533BCF3D66A38AB7C120F4217E&selectedIndex=0&ccid=WmeVbiiU&simid=142823857210&thid=HS.142823857210&ajaxhist=0
Link at http://gatesofvienna.net/2015/06/gates-of-vienna-news-feed-6262015/#more-36665
A right is whatever someone wants or desires or lusts after
“We throw this term around like confetti these days, but I doubt the average liberal can define it. He thinks a right is some sort of cosmic force that guarantees him access to whatever he happens to want. He wants a phone, therefore he has a right to it. He wants a college education, therefore he has a right to it. He wants $15 an hour to sprinkle salt on fries at Wendy’s, therefore he has a right to it. He wants to have his romantic relationship with another man officially recognized by the State as a ‘marriage,’ therefore he has a right to it. And so on.”
http://www.floppingaces.net/most-wanted/gay-marriage-still-doesnt-exist-no-matter-what-the-supreme-court-says/
There was a TV commercial a couple of years ago, a woman talking about she could not afford a computer for her kid in elementary school, but now, because of some program (available by calling an 800 number), her son could get the computer he deserved.
Yes, deserved. Having a computer was his right. He deserved one. He was the same as other kids, whose parents could afford to buy computers. Everybody else has one, therefore I should have one, too. They are no better than I am.
The only reason a student deserves a computer is if the school requires each student to have one.
Was a time when other kids in class had big boxes of crayons, 24 and 36, 48 and 64 and more. I had a box of eight. I would have liked a bigger box, but I had what my parents could afford. On the first day of drawing and coloring, big box kids used burnt orange, sienna and other colors I had never heard of. Other kids used black, white, red, blue, green, yellow, purple and whatever the eighth color was.
Never did I think the school should have provided a big box of crayons to me.
http://www.floppingaces.net/most-wanted/gay-marriage-still-doesnt-exist-no-matter-what-the-supreme-court-says/
There was a TV commercial a couple of years ago, a woman talking about she could not afford a computer for her kid in elementary school, but now, because of some program (available by calling an 800 number), her son could get the computer he deserved.
Yes, deserved. Having a computer was his right. He deserved one. He was the same as other kids, whose parents could afford to buy computers. Everybody else has one, therefore I should have one, too. They are no better than I am.
The only reason a student deserves a computer is if the school requires each student to have one.
Was a time when other kids in class had big boxes of crayons, 24 and 36, 48 and 64 and more. I had a box of eight. I would have liked a bigger box, but I had what my parents could afford. On the first day of drawing and coloring, big box kids used burnt orange, sienna and other colors I had never heard of. Other kids used black, white, red, blue, green, yellow, purple and whatever the eighth color was.
Never did I think the school should have provided a big box of crayons to me.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Unusual grave marker
In Memory of
Robert Lafayette Bradford
1823 -- 1867
Lies buried 3 miles south of
App 500 ft east of hwy
135 on Franklin Farm
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ebenezer+texas&view=detailv2&&&id=FF2D9EC39A459999C86D1909CEB55FA1009013F9&selectedIndex=187&ccid=OAkWhTw9&simid=608056241741038555&thid=JN.6P7v8NTbwZgoLvKfagAVyA&ajaxhist=0
Robert Lafayette Bradford
1823 -- 1867
Lies buried 3 miles south of
App 500 ft east of hwy
135 on Franklin Farm
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ebenezer+texas&view=detailv2&&&id=FF2D9EC39A459999C86D1909CEB55FA1009013F9&selectedIndex=187&ccid=OAkWhTw9&simid=608056241741038555&thid=JN.6P7v8NTbwZgoLvKfagAVyA&ajaxhist=0
A little bit of laser to your brain …
… and away go troubles down the drain
It’s OK; it’s scientific psychosurgery.
“A brain surgeon begins an anterior cingulotomy by drilling a small hole into a patient’s skull. The surgeon then inserts a tiny blade, cutting a path through brain tissue, then inserts a probe past sensitive nerves and bundles of blood vessels until it reaches a specific cluster of neural connections, a kind of switchboard linking emotional triggers to cognitive tasks. With the probe in place, the surgeon fires up a laser, burning away tissue until the beam has hollowed out about half a teaspoon of grey matter.
“This is the shape of modern psychosurgery: Ablating parts of the brain to treat mental illnesses. Which might remind you of that maligned procedure, the lobotomy. But psychosurgeries are different. And not just because the ethics are better today; because the procedures actually work. Removing parts of a person’s brain is always a dicey proposition. But for people who are mentally ill, when pills and psychiatry offer no solace, the laser-tipped probe can be a welcome relief.”
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/laser-psychosurgery/
“… ethics are better today … the procedures actually work.”
Do we need to draw historical parallels to things that are “ethical” because they “actually work?”
Link at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/
It’s OK; it’s scientific psychosurgery.
“A brain surgeon begins an anterior cingulotomy by drilling a small hole into a patient’s skull. The surgeon then inserts a tiny blade, cutting a path through brain tissue, then inserts a probe past sensitive nerves and bundles of blood vessels until it reaches a specific cluster of neural connections, a kind of switchboard linking emotional triggers to cognitive tasks. With the probe in place, the surgeon fires up a laser, burning away tissue until the beam has hollowed out about half a teaspoon of grey matter.
“This is the shape of modern psychosurgery: Ablating parts of the brain to treat mental illnesses. Which might remind you of that maligned procedure, the lobotomy. But psychosurgeries are different. And not just because the ethics are better today; because the procedures actually work. Removing parts of a person’s brain is always a dicey proposition. But for people who are mentally ill, when pills and psychiatry offer no solace, the laser-tipped probe can be a welcome relief.”
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/laser-psychosurgery/
“… ethics are better today … the procedures actually work.”
Do we need to draw historical parallels to things that are “ethical” because they “actually work?”
Link at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/
Beemer, Nebraska, 68716
On US 275, northeast of the Elkhorn River. Farm land all around.
Here is a satellite image: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=68716
Swirls, the cluster of trees and small lake in the center of the picture indicate the Elkhorn has taken different routes over the years. Meanderings, sometimes violent, are not unusual for plains rivers.
Population as of five days from now: 1,018. Beemer has 829 families. Census information says there are 424 households, with an average size of 2.33. There are 291 family households, averaging 3 persons per household. (Data collectors and compilers like to put numbers into as many categories as possible, and then some more.)
http://nebraska.hometownlocator.com/zip-codes/data,zipcode,68716.cfm
(With a town named Beemer, searches turn up many hits for BMW sites.)
Here is a nice view from a hillside:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beemer,_Nebraska#/media/File:Beemer,_Nebraska_viewed_from_the_Indian_Trails_Golf_Course..jpg
The town is named after Allen D. Beemer, who moved to Nebraska from Pennsylvania during the government’s redistribution of Native American Indian land following the Civil War and parallel give-away of land to railroad companies. But, the redistribution was for the betterment of the collective, so it was OK.
Wikipedia says: “The first century was marked by spurious growth …” What that is supposed to mean is anybody’s guess. “Spurious” means fake, bogus, counterfeit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beemer,_Nebraska
Cleveland Indians pitcher Mel Harder was born in Beemer, Oct. 15, 1909.
Here is a satellite image: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=68716
Swirls, the cluster of trees and small lake in the center of the picture indicate the Elkhorn has taken different routes over the years. Meanderings, sometimes violent, are not unusual for plains rivers.
Population as of five days from now: 1,018. Beemer has 829 families. Census information says there are 424 households, with an average size of 2.33. There are 291 family households, averaging 3 persons per household. (Data collectors and compilers like to put numbers into as many categories as possible, and then some more.)
http://nebraska.hometownlocator.com/zip-codes/data,zipcode,68716.cfm
(With a town named Beemer, searches turn up many hits for BMW sites.)
Here is a nice view from a hillside:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beemer,_Nebraska#/media/File:Beemer,_Nebraska_viewed_from_the_Indian_Trails_Golf_Course..jpg
The town is named after Allen D. Beemer, who moved to Nebraska from Pennsylvania during the government’s redistribution of Native American Indian land following the Civil War and parallel give-away of land to railroad companies. But, the redistribution was for the betterment of the collective, so it was OK.
Wikipedia says: “The first century was marked by spurious growth …” What that is supposed to mean is anybody’s guess. “Spurious” means fake, bogus, counterfeit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beemer,_Nebraska
Cleveland Indians pitcher Mel Harder was born in Beemer, Oct. 15, 1909.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
The real forever war
“After regila we had a week and a half of preparation for makim, cut short by the kidnapping/murder of three Israeli teens in the West Bank. A giant Operation launched by the IDF searched for the bodies while also arresting tons of Hamas authorities previously freed in the Gilad Shalit deal. In response to their arrested subordinates, Hamas launched a rocket-based offensive almost reaching Haifa and bombarding Israel with rockets since early July and continuing into today. After much threatening and warning, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, originally by sky, continuing into the sea. And finally by land.
“We arrived at the Makim Training Base two weeks early, preparing as fast as we could for our turn in the upcoming order to enter Gaza. Our mission was delayed several times, before finally being cancelled. Finally, a week later, we received a new one and entered Gaza. I was in Gaza for only three days before my grandpa passed away from Alzheimers and I was pulled out for his funeral. The following day, five of my friends who didn’t go into Gaza were shot and killed by Hamas terrorists infiltrating Israel through a tunnel.
“It’s important for me to note what the press doesn’t know… that Israel is being forced by worldwide pressure to operate more like bodyguards than soldiers. We have our hands tied by ceasefires that John Kerry insists on, sitting in Gaza and being told 'not to fire if you see a terrorist, unless he opens fire first.'
“As Tzuk Eitan is winding down were beginning our Commanders Course. Should be a good time compared to maslul in Golani.
“I hope to never forget my first and hopefully last friends to fall in combat. The news of their deaths reminded me why I’m here.”
Barkai Shor
Nadav Raymond
Erez Sagi
Daniel Khedri
Dor Dary
R.I.P.
https://lifeoftal.wordpress.com/
A place where a Jew may not carry a gun
Because I grew up in a primarily Jewish area I rarely saw anti semitism.
…
It was not till I moved to London when I saw how bad it could be. I guess I was pretty sheltered in Rochester, to say the least. But now, I see what is really happening. In London, there are constantly protests saying that Israel should be annihilated and that the Jews deserved to be killed, and things like that. There are swastikas as graffiti, and temples being shot down, all over Europe. And the worst part of that is, I am one of the people being targeted, because I am a Jew. All over the world Jews are being killed and not many people are doing anything to stop it. It scares me to think that this is the world we live in. It makes me so angry that people still haven’t figured out that we are all the same! People are killing over religion, land, skin color, and many other things that are just things.
I never thought I would ever have to say this/ feel this, but I am scared to be a Jew.
https://isabellaracalkins.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/i-am-a-jew/
(Well, Isabella, we are not “all the same.” There are countries and societies that wish to rid themselves of Jews and to make women wear potato sacks with veils. Yes, even a One Worlder like you, but then, that society would have already rid itself of Jews; therefore, you would not have to suffer the potato sack indignity.
(As my wife says, a country can be judged by the way it treats its Jews and its women.)
“We arrived at the Makim Training Base two weeks early, preparing as fast as we could for our turn in the upcoming order to enter Gaza. Our mission was delayed several times, before finally being cancelled. Finally, a week later, we received a new one and entered Gaza. I was in Gaza for only three days before my grandpa passed away from Alzheimers and I was pulled out for his funeral. The following day, five of my friends who didn’t go into Gaza were shot and killed by Hamas terrorists infiltrating Israel through a tunnel.
“It’s important for me to note what the press doesn’t know… that Israel is being forced by worldwide pressure to operate more like bodyguards than soldiers. We have our hands tied by ceasefires that John Kerry insists on, sitting in Gaza and being told 'not to fire if you see a terrorist, unless he opens fire first.'
“As Tzuk Eitan is winding down were beginning our Commanders Course. Should be a good time compared to maslul in Golani.
“I hope to never forget my first and hopefully last friends to fall in combat. The news of their deaths reminded me why I’m here.”
Barkai Shor
Nadav Raymond
Erez Sagi
Daniel Khedri
Dor Dary
R.I.P.
https://lifeoftal.wordpress.com/
A place where a Jew may not carry a gun
Because I grew up in a primarily Jewish area I rarely saw anti semitism.
…
It was not till I moved to London when I saw how bad it could be. I guess I was pretty sheltered in Rochester, to say the least. But now, I see what is really happening. In London, there are constantly protests saying that Israel should be annihilated and that the Jews deserved to be killed, and things like that. There are swastikas as graffiti, and temples being shot down, all over Europe. And the worst part of that is, I am one of the people being targeted, because I am a Jew. All over the world Jews are being killed and not many people are doing anything to stop it. It scares me to think that this is the world we live in. It makes me so angry that people still haven’t figured out that we are all the same! People are killing over religion, land, skin color, and many other things that are just things.
I never thought I would ever have to say this/ feel this, but I am scared to be a Jew.
https://isabellaracalkins.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/i-am-a-jew/
(Well, Isabella, we are not “all the same.” There are countries and societies that wish to rid themselves of Jews and to make women wear potato sacks with veils. Yes, even a One Worlder like you, but then, that society would have already rid itself of Jews; therefore, you would not have to suffer the potato sack indignity.
(As my wife says, a country can be judged by the way it treats its Jews and its women.)
No, no! You shouldn’t have that right!
Somewhere some shrieking non-thinkers are banking ideological funds because nine people were murdered at a church in South Carolina. Politicians jumped on the “Ban that flag!” bandwagon, and news organizations are whipping the horses over changing names of military posts and bases.
A Pentagon spokesman notes that the U.S. military has authority and responsibility for naming posts and bases.
"The services are ultimately responsible for naming their own military installations, and as of now, there are no current plans to change policies regarding how installations are named.”
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2015/06/25/Pentagon-No-discussion-on-changing-Confederate-military-base-names/9151435227552/?spt=hs&or=tn_us
That’s not right! That’s not fair! Names should reflect the Diversity of America, not some history.
The president must issue an executive order appointing a Base and Post Naming Board with authority to change names to Americans who struggled to achieve harmony through diversity. And the president must specify that no present or former military person may sit on the board.
A Pentagon spokesman notes that the U.S. military has authority and responsibility for naming posts and bases.
"The services are ultimately responsible for naming their own military installations, and as of now, there are no current plans to change policies regarding how installations are named.”
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2015/06/25/Pentagon-No-discussion-on-changing-Confederate-military-base-names/9151435227552/?spt=hs&or=tn_us
That’s not right! That’s not fair! Names should reflect the Diversity of America, not some history.
The president must issue an executive order appointing a Base and Post Naming Board with authority to change names to Americans who struggled to achieve harmony through diversity. And the president must specify that no present or former military person may sit on the board.
You don’t have a handicapped sticker? Now you do
MARINGA, Brazil, June 25 (UPI) -- A man who parked in a disability accessible space without a placard in Brazil returned to find his car covered in Post-it notes to form the wheelchair symbol.
A video posted to YouTube by Juliano Eduardo shows the car covered in blue and white sticky notes to draw the International Symbol of Access -- a stick figure in a wheelchair -- on the back and side of the vehicle after it was illegally parked in an accessible space in the city of Maringa.
The car's driver can be seen in the video working to hurriedly clear the small sheets of paper from the windshield so he can drive away while members of the public gawk, laugh and shout jeers at him. The spectators include a man who appears to be a traffic police officer.
The man eventually rolls down the driver's side window and speeds away, nearly getting into a collision while merging into traffic.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/06/25/Illegally-parked-car-covered-in-Post-its-to-draw-disability-symbol/9061435239733/?spt=hs&or=on
A video posted to YouTube by Juliano Eduardo shows the car covered in blue and white sticky notes to draw the International Symbol of Access -- a stick figure in a wheelchair -- on the back and side of the vehicle after it was illegally parked in an accessible space in the city of Maringa.
The car's driver can be seen in the video working to hurriedly clear the small sheets of paper from the windshield so he can drive away while members of the public gawk, laugh and shout jeers at him. The spectators include a man who appears to be a traffic police officer.
The man eventually rolls down the driver's side window and speeds away, nearly getting into a collision while merging into traffic.
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/06/25/Illegally-parked-car-covered-in-Post-its-to-draw-disability-symbol/9061435239733/?spt=hs&or=on
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Exploit this, dude
Caption with photograph of M16A1 plastic model:
“This product is for historic educational purposes only, and is not intended to glorify, nor exploit the horrors and atrocities of war.”
https://www.google.com/search?q=155832&biw=1280&bih=620&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yniLVf_vFsyx-QHA9IHYCQ&ved=0CDUQsAQ#imgrc=IHqOU9VMtH_OGM%253A%3BBrobzPip5I4AUM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.machinegun-figures.com%252Fim%252F061113_155832_624m3Vnc_imc40-MG.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.machinegun-figures.com%252Fproject-delta-b-52-1969-bullseye-p-11824%3B540%3B405
Photographs:
http://www.machinegun-figures.com/project-delta-b-52-1969-bullseye-p-11824
The action figure is priced at $109.29.
“This product is for historic educational purposes only, and is not intended to glorify, nor exploit the horrors and atrocities of war.”
https://www.google.com/search?q=155832&biw=1280&bih=620&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yniLVf_vFsyx-QHA9IHYCQ&ved=0CDUQsAQ#imgrc=IHqOU9VMtH_OGM%253A%3BBrobzPip5I4AUM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.machinegun-figures.com%252Fim%252F061113_155832_624m3Vnc_imc40-MG.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.machinegun-figures.com%252Fproject-delta-b-52-1969-bullseye-p-11824%3B540%3B405
Photographs:
http://www.machinegun-figures.com/project-delta-b-52-1969-bullseye-p-11824
The action figure is priced at $109.29.
Some things you can’t make up …
Other things you figure were made up because nobody, absolutely nobody, can be that stupid.
LIBERAL CHICK: ‘We Need to Take Down the George Jefferson Monument Because He Owned Slaves’
http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/liberal-chick-we-need-to-take-down-the-george-jefferson-monument-because-he-owned-slaves/#
Link at http://badblue.bitnamiapp.com/trendr8.htm
And http://directorblue.blogspot.com/
(Racicistic?)
LIBERAL CHICK: ‘We Need to Take Down the George Jefferson Monument Because He Owned Slaves’
http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/liberal-chick-we-need-to-take-down-the-george-jefferson-monument-because-he-owned-slaves/#
Link at http://badblue.bitnamiapp.com/trendr8.htm
And http://directorblue.blogspot.com/
(Racicistic?)
.303 Martini pistol
Why anyone would want this, even if it were real …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=351&v=zTvxFNRLbiw
Link at http://neveryetmelted.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=351&v=zTvxFNRLbiw
Link at http://neveryetmelted.com/
Do these people not watch the Military Channel?
Or view You Tube videos of “Ideas that sounded sort of good, but then came face-to-face with reality,” as in “Pointy bullets don’t care about your lab work.”
“Star Wars-style hoverbikes could be coming to the US military after engineers in the UK and US struck a deal with the US Department of Defense.
“The bikes have similar functionality to helicopters, but overcome some of the older technology's design limitations.
“The devices can be used in military as well as emergency and aid operations, the developers told the Reuters news agency.
“Further research and development will take place in Harford County, Maryland.
“The prototypes are reminiscent of the racers that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia used to zoom around the forest moon of Endor in the film Return of the Jedi.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33244861
(I don’t remember the fair princess on a hoverbike, but then she has to have equal time with the man dude.)
And so you understand the link between USA and the Really Bad Guys: “US army Nazi trial concept one man flying machine:”
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=army+one-man+hovercraft&qpvt=army+one-man+hovercraft&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=9B5DD98A9F16EF3E0A3B9B5DD98A9F16EF3E0A3B
“Star Wars-style hoverbikes could be coming to the US military after engineers in the UK and US struck a deal with the US Department of Defense.
“The bikes have similar functionality to helicopters, but overcome some of the older technology's design limitations.
“The devices can be used in military as well as emergency and aid operations, the developers told the Reuters news agency.
“Further research and development will take place in Harford County, Maryland.
“The prototypes are reminiscent of the racers that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia used to zoom around the forest moon of Endor in the film Return of the Jedi.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33244861
(I don’t remember the fair princess on a hoverbike, but then she has to have equal time with the man dude.)
And so you understand the link between USA and the Really Bad Guys: “US army Nazi trial concept one man flying machine:”
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=army+one-man+hovercraft&qpvt=army+one-man+hovercraft&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=9B5DD98A9F16EF3E0A3B9B5DD98A9F16EF3E0A3B
Hey, Pope! You really want to live in Rome w/o air conditioning?
Michelle Malkin says probably not.
“While the pontiff sanctimoniously attacks ‘those who are obsessed with maximizing profits,’ Carrier Corporation -- a $13 billion for-profit company with 43,000 employees worldwide (now a unit of U.S.-based United Technologies Corp.) -- ensures that the air in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel stays clean and cool.
“Last fall, Carrier unveiled a groundbreaking HVAC system for the Vatican to help preserve Michelangelo's masterpieces against pollution caused by the estimated six million visitors who descend on the Sistine Chapel every year to see its famous frescoes.”
http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2015/06/24/holy-hypocrisy-and-hot-air-n2016408?utm_source=BreakingOnTownhallWidget_4&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=BreakingOnTownhall
Okay, Malkin pushes her book Who Built That just a little, but both she and the pope are in the business of selling ideas. And in the present fight, she wins.
“While the pontiff sanctimoniously attacks ‘those who are obsessed with maximizing profits,’ Carrier Corporation -- a $13 billion for-profit company with 43,000 employees worldwide (now a unit of U.S.-based United Technologies Corp.) -- ensures that the air in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel stays clean and cool.
“Last fall, Carrier unveiled a groundbreaking HVAC system for the Vatican to help preserve Michelangelo's masterpieces against pollution caused by the estimated six million visitors who descend on the Sistine Chapel every year to see its famous frescoes.”
http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2015/06/24/holy-hypocrisy-and-hot-air-n2016408?utm_source=BreakingOnTownhallWidget_4&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=BreakingOnTownhall
Okay, Malkin pushes her book Who Built That just a little, but both she and the pope are in the business of selling ideas. And in the present fight, she wins.
Keene, N.Y., Zip Code 12942
12942 is a good set of numbers, containing 1492 and 1942.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and landed somewhere in the Bahamas. He reportedly said, “Miami it isn’t, but it will do for now.” He got back on his ship and told his crew, “Maybe we can find Boca Raton.” Unsuccessful in that endeavor, he eventually returned to Spain and told Isabella, “Retirement to Florida isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Besides, you have Majorca.”
In 1942, Germany/Japan/Italy lost World War II. Many more millions were to die before the Nazis gave up in May 1945 and Japan in September, but the war turned in 1942. Battles in Stalingrad, Midway, New Guinea and Guadalcanal all went against the Axis alliance.
Keene is in Essex County, in the far northeast area of New York. Here is a satellite image of the Keene area:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=12942
Population dropped from 670 in 2000 to 646 in 2010. As with most of the country, home costs have roller-coasted, $270,000 in 2009; $310,000 in 2011; $110,000 in 2012; and $210,000 in Fourth Quarter 2013.
Cost of living index is 101. Population race is pretty much white, 98.68% in 2000. http://www.city-data.com/zips/12942.html lists population as “100% rural.” Median age is 51.1. State median is 38.1. Median household income in 2011 was $10,000 less than the state median, but that $45,000 will buy a lot more in Keene than $55,000 will in NYC.
Forty-two households have one vehicle; 158 have two. Thirty-one residents are foreign-born, 65% from the Dominican Republic.
Here is the town’s web site: http://www.townofkeeneny.com/
Note “Municipal Burn Ban,” advising residents “NO BRUSH will be accepted at the transfer station AFTER Friday, June 28th, 2013.”
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and landed somewhere in the Bahamas. He reportedly said, “Miami it isn’t, but it will do for now.” He got back on his ship and told his crew, “Maybe we can find Boca Raton.” Unsuccessful in that endeavor, he eventually returned to Spain and told Isabella, “Retirement to Florida isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Besides, you have Majorca.”
In 1942, Germany/Japan/Italy lost World War II. Many more millions were to die before the Nazis gave up in May 1945 and Japan in September, but the war turned in 1942. Battles in Stalingrad, Midway, New Guinea and Guadalcanal all went against the Axis alliance.
Keene is in Essex County, in the far northeast area of New York. Here is a satellite image of the Keene area:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?zipcode=12942
Population dropped from 670 in 2000 to 646 in 2010. As with most of the country, home costs have roller-coasted, $270,000 in 2009; $310,000 in 2011; $110,000 in 2012; and $210,000 in Fourth Quarter 2013.
Cost of living index is 101. Population race is pretty much white, 98.68% in 2000. http://www.city-data.com/zips/12942.html lists population as “100% rural.” Median age is 51.1. State median is 38.1. Median household income in 2011 was $10,000 less than the state median, but that $45,000 will buy a lot more in Keene than $55,000 will in NYC.
Forty-two households have one vehicle; 158 have two. Thirty-one residents are foreign-born, 65% from the Dominican Republic.
Here is the town’s web site: http://www.townofkeeneny.com/
Note “Municipal Burn Ban,” advising residents “NO BRUSH will be accepted at the transfer station AFTER Friday, June 28th, 2013.”
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Australian traffic accident kills dead Florida drug smuggler
“Death comes to everyone, even those — like Raymond Grady Stansel Jr. — who have been dead for 40 years. • His first passing was by far the more newsworthy. • It was 1974, and Florida's statewide grand jury had indicted Stansel for smuggling more than 12 tons of marijuana. Prosecutors described Stansel, then a 37-year-old fisherman and charter boat captain out of Tarpon Springs, as a "soldier of fortune.'' • When arrested that June, he had $25,000 in cash, receipts for two $25,000 Rolex watches, signed blank tourist visas that would allow him into Nicaragua at any time, unused checks on a Swiss bank account, flags from six countries and a passport indicating he had been in 12 in the preceding 30 days. • Stansel posted bail with a $500,000 cashier's check, surrendered his U.S. passport and left the Hillsborough County Jail to await a trial scheduled for Jan. 5, 1975, in Daytona Beach. • On the morning of Jan. 5, Stansel's attorney announced that he had disappeared in a scuba diving accident off Roatan, Honduras, on New Year's Eve. His body had not been recovered but airplanes were searching the shoreline. • Few believed the story. On the other hand, no one could find him.”
Then came that fateful day in late May when “Dennis Lafferty’s” pickup failed to make a curve on a road in Australia, but did not miss the tree.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/traffic-accident-in-australia-ends-40-year-old-mystery-in-florida/2234369
Story encountered at www.fark.com
Then came that fateful day in late May when “Dennis Lafferty’s” pickup failed to make a curve on a road in Australia, but did not miss the tree.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/traffic-accident-in-australia-ends-40-year-old-mystery-in-florida/2234369
Story encountered at www.fark.com
At the drive-in
Sunday night Priscilla and I went to the local drive-in and watched Jurassic World.
For those not old enough, a drive-in is an outdoor movie place where you park your car and watch a movie. There are speakers you hang on your window. The speakers have volume control.
The first drive-in movie theaters opened in the early 1930s in New Jersey and Texas. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were 4,000 drive-ins in the United States. In 2013, there were 189.
After returning to the car from the concession stand, I said to Priscilla, “This is likely to be the first drive-in movie we’ve ever watched all the way through.” During our dating days, whatever was showing on the screen we found nowhere nearly as interesting as each other.
“Star Wars,” she said.
“Before we had kids,” said.
“One on One,” she said. “Logan’s Run.”
Nope. The first was made in 1977 and the second two months before Michael was born. I knew she liked One on One and Logan’s Run. Maybe she doesn’t remember any drive-in movie we did not watch all the way through. To tell the truth, neither do I.
For those not old enough, a drive-in is an outdoor movie place where you park your car and watch a movie. There are speakers you hang on your window. The speakers have volume control.
The first drive-in movie theaters opened in the early 1930s in New Jersey and Texas. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were 4,000 drive-ins in the United States. In 2013, there were 189.
After returning to the car from the concession stand, I said to Priscilla, “This is likely to be the first drive-in movie we’ve ever watched all the way through.” During our dating days, whatever was showing on the screen we found nowhere nearly as interesting as each other.
“Star Wars,” she said.
“Before we had kids,” said.
“One on One,” she said. “Logan’s Run.”
Nope. The first was made in 1977 and the second two months before Michael was born. I knew she liked One on One and Logan’s Run. Maybe she doesn’t remember any drive-in movie we did not watch all the way through. To tell the truth, neither do I.
Every Christian ...
... should apply for a visa to Syria, Turkey or Jordan, buy a ticket, go to one of those countries and join an army fighting the Islamist State.
In the forefront should be the Roman pope; the Anglican archbishop; the archbishops of the Russian, Greek, Serbian and Armenian churches, as well as the president/chairman (whatever the title) of every Protestant and non-denominational church in the world.
In the forefront should be the Roman pope; the Anglican archbishop; the archbishops of the Russian, Greek, Serbian and Armenian churches, as well as the president/chairman (whatever the title) of every Protestant and non-denominational church in the world.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Titan has more oil than we can use
“Saturn's smoggy moon Titan has hundreds of times more natural gas and other liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, scientists said today.
“The hydrocarbons rain from the sky on the miserable moon, collecting in vast deposits that form lakes and dunes. This much was known. But now the stuff has been quantified using observations from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
…
“Several hundred lakes and seas have been observed, with each of several dozen estimated to contain more hydrocarbon liquid than Earth's oil and gas reserves, according to a NASA statement. The dark dunes that run along the equator contain a volume of organics several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves.”
http://www.space.com/4968-titan-oil-earth.html
OK. Now what?
“The hydrocarbons rain from the sky on the miserable moon, collecting in vast deposits that form lakes and dunes. This much was known. But now the stuff has been quantified using observations from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
…
“Several hundred lakes and seas have been observed, with each of several dozen estimated to contain more hydrocarbon liquid than Earth's oil and gas reserves, according to a NASA statement. The dark dunes that run along the equator contain a volume of organics several hundred times larger than Earth's coal reserves.”
http://www.space.com/4968-titan-oil-earth.html
OK. Now what?
Massacre at Slutsk
The first engagement studied in DA Pamphlet 20-269, Small Unit Actions During the German Campaign in Russia, occurs in the Izhora River Valley not far from Leningrad. The fighting was to keep supply lines open to Slutsk
A search on Slutsk showed that at the beginning of the 20th century, Jews made up almost 80 percent of the city’s 10,200 inhabitants. Likely, that percentage had not appreciably decreased when German soldiers arrived in late 1941.
On Oct. 27 and 28, four companies of SS Einsatzgruppen and Lithuanian allies murdered more than 4,000 Jews and Byelorussians.
Wilhelm Kube, Nazi commissioner general of Byelorussia, protested to Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS:
“The town was a picture of horror during the action. With indescribable brutality on the part of both the German police officers and particularly the Lithuanian partisans, the Jewish people, but also among them Belarusians, were taken out of their dwellings and herded together. Everywhere in the town shots were to be heard and in different streets the corpses of shot Jews accumulated. The Belarusians were in greatest distress to free themselves from the encirclement.
…
“I am submitting this report in duplicate so that one copy may be forwarded to the Reich Minister. Peace and order cannot be maintained in Belarus with methods of that sort. To bury seriously wounded people alive who worked their way out of their graves again is such a base and filthy act that the incidents as such should be reported to the Fuehrer and Reichsmarshal.”
Kube was an “old Nazi,” and not a defender of recognized subhumans, such as Jews, Slavs and Gypsies. The comical thing, as much as is possible in Nazi officials, is Kube’s belief that such murders, especially of Byelorussians, would stop if only Hitler and Himmler were informed.
Kube was killed in Minsk in 1943 when a bomb went off in his bed.
The reference to Kube’s letter is at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slutsk_Affair
A search on Slutsk showed that at the beginning of the 20th century, Jews made up almost 80 percent of the city’s 10,200 inhabitants. Likely, that percentage had not appreciably decreased when German soldiers arrived in late 1941.
On Oct. 27 and 28, four companies of SS Einsatzgruppen and Lithuanian allies murdered more than 4,000 Jews and Byelorussians.
Wilhelm Kube, Nazi commissioner general of Byelorussia, protested to Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS:
“The town was a picture of horror during the action. With indescribable brutality on the part of both the German police officers and particularly the Lithuanian partisans, the Jewish people, but also among them Belarusians, were taken out of their dwellings and herded together. Everywhere in the town shots were to be heard and in different streets the corpses of shot Jews accumulated. The Belarusians were in greatest distress to free themselves from the encirclement.
…
“I am submitting this report in duplicate so that one copy may be forwarded to the Reich Minister. Peace and order cannot be maintained in Belarus with methods of that sort. To bury seriously wounded people alive who worked their way out of their graves again is such a base and filthy act that the incidents as such should be reported to the Fuehrer and Reichsmarshal.”
Kube was an “old Nazi,” and not a defender of recognized subhumans, such as Jews, Slavs and Gypsies. The comical thing, as much as is possible in Nazi officials, is Kube’s belief that such murders, especially of Byelorussians, would stop if only Hitler and Himmler were informed.
Kube was killed in Minsk in 1943 when a bomb went off in his bed.
The reference to Kube’s letter is at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slutsk_Affair
Grammar and the number 122728
My present solitaire score.
PubChem CID: 122728; chemical formula: C36H38N2O6
No 0 wood joiner; Carrelli rettangolari vasi rotelle; an MLS house in Rapid City, S.D.; a National Bus listing.
Cat wall paper (the site has “wallpaper,” but that is a verb form, as in “We are going to wallpaper the guest room.” “Wall paper” is the stuff you glue on walls. A common usage now is combining words and using the resulting word wrong. “Backyard” is another one. “Backyard” is an adjective, as in “We are having a backyard barbecue.” People often use “backyard” as that place behind the house, as in “It is in the backyard.” The correct sentence is, “It is in the back yard.” People who misuse those words defend their usage by saying, “They know what I mean,” which is another way of saying, “I really do not give a damn what you think.” Well, it isn’t what I think. Rules of grammar are specific. Anyone who doesn’t “give a damn” about rules of grammar also believes he/she may follow only the rules he/she wishes to follow, and all other rules can just go to Hell. I would talk about the misuse of “may” when the correct word is “might,” but that would take away from our findings of the number 122728.)
Photographs of several aircraft crashes: https://www.google.com/search?q=122728&biw=1280&bih=620&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4SiIVeSHFNWiyATktrn4CQ&ved=0CDYQsAQ#imgrc=RXQ-vkCx1F_uJM%253A%3BUKEQt3fyj8a5IM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fxalimasn.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F12%252F122728-accident-d-avion-de-dj-am-et-travis-637x0-1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fxalimasn.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F12%252F%3B600%3B494
Someone named Paula Jai Parker; someone named Golden Brooks; an Adidas training party in Seoul; something about Chappaquiddick and Ted Kennedy (dead white dude who at one time was a person of alleged importance); a “Digital Probe Body Temperature Thermometer;” photograph of “King Hussein border crossing (Allenby).” [Was a time that bridge linking Israel to Transjordan was called the “Allenby Bridge.”] Old Grizzly’s Women’s Buzzy Boot.
Model numbers, style numbers, stock numbers … My Army serial number was replaced by my Social Security Number. I remember my serial number. It began RA, which meant Regular Army. Other designators of the time were: US, assigned to draftees; AR, for Army Reserves; and NG for National Guard.
PubChem CID: 122728; chemical formula: C36H38N2O6
No 0 wood joiner; Carrelli rettangolari vasi rotelle; an MLS house in Rapid City, S.D.; a National Bus listing.
Cat wall paper (the site has “wallpaper,” but that is a verb form, as in “We are going to wallpaper the guest room.” “Wall paper” is the stuff you glue on walls. A common usage now is combining words and using the resulting word wrong. “Backyard” is another one. “Backyard” is an adjective, as in “We are having a backyard barbecue.” People often use “backyard” as that place behind the house, as in “It is in the backyard.” The correct sentence is, “It is in the back yard.” People who misuse those words defend their usage by saying, “They know what I mean,” which is another way of saying, “I really do not give a damn what you think.” Well, it isn’t what I think. Rules of grammar are specific. Anyone who doesn’t “give a damn” about rules of grammar also believes he/she may follow only the rules he/she wishes to follow, and all other rules can just go to Hell. I would talk about the misuse of “may” when the correct word is “might,” but that would take away from our findings of the number 122728.)
Photographs of several aircraft crashes: https://www.google.com/search?q=122728&biw=1280&bih=620&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4SiIVeSHFNWiyATktrn4CQ&ved=0CDYQsAQ#imgrc=RXQ-vkCx1F_uJM%253A%3BUKEQt3fyj8a5IM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fxalimasn.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F12%252F122728-accident-d-avion-de-dj-am-et-travis-637x0-1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fxalimasn.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F12%252F%3B600%3B494
Someone named Paula Jai Parker; someone named Golden Brooks; an Adidas training party in Seoul; something about Chappaquiddick and Ted Kennedy (dead white dude who at one time was a person of alleged importance); a “Digital Probe Body Temperature Thermometer;” photograph of “King Hussein border crossing (Allenby).” [Was a time that bridge linking Israel to Transjordan was called the “Allenby Bridge.”] Old Grizzly’s Women’s Buzzy Boot.
Model numbers, style numbers, stock numbers … My Army serial number was replaced by my Social Security Number. I remember my serial number. It began RA, which meant Regular Army. Other designators of the time were: US, assigned to draftees; AR, for Army Reserves; and NG for National Guard.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
I look like what?
Clicked on a story about Chinese art and a New York Times ad popped up, informing me: “You look like someone who enjoys a good news story.”
Well, yeah, I … Wait. What? I look like … How the heck do you know what I look like? Wait. Why am I asking question to a web ad? I’m going to find the camera lens and tape over it. This is a new computer, and that message was the first indication I had … Of course somebody is watching, dipstick. You live in the NSA … UN … USA.
Well, yeah, I … Wait. What? I look like … How the heck do you know what I look like? Wait. Why am I asking question to a web ad? I’m going to find the camera lens and tape over it. This is a new computer, and that message was the first indication I had … Of course somebody is watching, dipstick. You live in the NSA … UN … USA.
Yeah, well, it's better than the TV stuff
Right now, with politicians braying and trumpeting and doing everything except their jobs, the news is not worth comment or link. Except for people being people.
Experts agree
Maybe sharks killed and partially ate a baby dolphin, maybe not.
http://www.livescience.com/51271-baby-dolphin-killed-by-sharks.html
"We don't like to think of cute, little marine mammals being consumed by big, mean sharks. But it happens all the time, and it doesn't make the ocean any scarier or less safe than it was before it happened." – Daniel Abel, professor of marine science.
Beach Crime Scene Investigation still working on evidence.
‘Cicadas Swarm Reporter Standing on Top of Tank’
It is not a tank, but, hey, why expect a reporter doing a story at Fort Riley, Kansas, to know any better? There might have been some black, dangerous looking assault rifles inside the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, though.
http://www.nbcmiami.com/video/#!/news/weird/Cicadas-Swarm-Reporter-Standing-on-Top-of-Tank/306917201
(She is pretty good eye candy, and soldiers appreciated her taking time to allow observation exercises.)
Bottom line – You will take SAT a second time
College Board’s statement to students whose SATs were lost:
“’We share the frustration of affected students and their families. Every effort is being made to locate the shipment. In the meantime, we are working to provide options to accommodate these students, including a makeup test day or transfer to a future test.’”
http://wavy.com/2015/05/28/va-students-forced-to-retake-sat-after-officials-lost-test/
Hey, College Board excuse writer: You do not “share the frustration.” You did not take the tests that were lost. You might be, and should be, embarrassed, but having a share in frustration you do not.
And that “provide options” is a PR way of saying, “You gonna take the test again.”
Experts agree
Maybe sharks killed and partially ate a baby dolphin, maybe not.
http://www.livescience.com/51271-baby-dolphin-killed-by-sharks.html
"We don't like to think of cute, little marine mammals being consumed by big, mean sharks. But it happens all the time, and it doesn't make the ocean any scarier or less safe than it was before it happened." – Daniel Abel, professor of marine science.
Beach Crime Scene Investigation still working on evidence.
‘Cicadas Swarm Reporter Standing on Top of Tank’
It is not a tank, but, hey, why expect a reporter doing a story at Fort Riley, Kansas, to know any better? There might have been some black, dangerous looking assault rifles inside the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, though.
http://www.nbcmiami.com/video/#!/news/weird/Cicadas-Swarm-Reporter-Standing-on-Top-of-Tank/306917201
(She is pretty good eye candy, and soldiers appreciated her taking time to allow observation exercises.)
Bottom line – You will take SAT a second time
College Board’s statement to students whose SATs were lost:
“’We share the frustration of affected students and their families. Every effort is being made to locate the shipment. In the meantime, we are working to provide options to accommodate these students, including a makeup test day or transfer to a future test.’”
http://wavy.com/2015/05/28/va-students-forced-to-retake-sat-after-officials-lost-test/
Hey, College Board excuse writer: You do not “share the frustration.” You did not take the tests that were lost. You might be, and should be, embarrassed, but having a share in frustration you do not.
And that “provide options” is a PR way of saying, “You gonna take the test again.”
Saturday, June 20, 2015
French minister back-pedals on Nutella
“Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal offered ‘a thousand apologies’ on Wednesday after her comments kicked off a storm in Italy."
…
“On French TV, she had said: ‘For example, we have to stop eating Nutella because of its palm oil, which is seeing trees getting replaced and causing considerable damage.’"
…
“Italian company Ferrero churns out 365,000 tonnes of the spread each year, but a lot of it doesn't have to travel far before it's eaten.
“Europeans love it, with the French second only to the Germans as the world's top consumers of the paste.”
http://www.thelocal.it/20150617/nutellagate-french-minister-grovels-to-italy
…
“On French TV, she had said: ‘For example, we have to stop eating Nutella because of its palm oil, which is seeing trees getting replaced and causing considerable damage.’"
…
“Italian company Ferrero churns out 365,000 tonnes of the spread each year, but a lot of it doesn't have to travel far before it's eaten.
“Europeans love it, with the French second only to the Germans as the world's top consumers of the paste.”
http://www.thelocal.it/20150617/nutellagate-french-minister-grovels-to-italy
Archaeological find: ‘None of us could believe our eyes’
“The urn was found when archaeology student Victor Palsted Bizoev was given the job of examining some shards in the soil surface. The shards turned out to stem from a larger urn lying top down. The urn may have been placed like that to protect the small jug beneath it.
“Against all odds, the little wine jug of light-coloured earthenware was completely intact, exactly as when it was put in the ground more than 1,000 years ago.”
http://sciencenordic.com/ancient-urn-hints-global-trade-network
Link at http://gatesofvienna.net/2015/06/gates-of-vienna-news-feed-6192015/#more-36612
“Against all odds, the little wine jug of light-coloured earthenware was completely intact, exactly as when it was put in the ground more than 1,000 years ago.”
http://sciencenordic.com/ancient-urn-hints-global-trade-network
Link at http://gatesofvienna.net/2015/06/gates-of-vienna-news-feed-6192015/#more-36612
It’s for the children
With bribery and payoff charges leveled against FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) officials, it might be only natural that news investigations would focus on other multi-million-dollar, international sports organizations and games.
For example, the United Nations Children’s Fund sponsors the European Games in Azerbaijan, and, according to Justin Burke of Eurasia Net, the UN organization has not exactly been over-cooperative on disclosing its professional relationship with the former Soviet republic.
“The financial particulars surrounding UNICEF’s sponsorship are murky while the ostensible benefits it is providing in connection with the games are vague,” Burke wrote in Friday’s edition at http://www.eurasianet.org/node/73951
UNICEF puts a bureaucratic-speak on its partnership in a country not known for adherence to civil rights for all its citizens.
“UNICEF makes decisions to partner with events on a case by case basis. Underlying all decisions is an assessment of how such partnerships can benefit the cause of children in an individual country or on a broader level,” Burke quotes UNICEF spokesman Kristen Elsby as saying.
Burke also says UNICEF’s Azerbaijan’s office has bookkeeping problems.
“A review of UNICEF’s Azerbaijan office, conducted in late 2014 by the agency’s Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI), identified numerous operational flaws, including poor strategic planning, inadequate project management, improper financial oversight and inaccurate reporting on project implementation. In addition, the review found that the Azerbaijan office had a $6 million ‘funding gap’ for its 2011-15 program period.
“Spot checks of financial transactions and donor reports found such activities were ‘inadequately documented,’ according to the OIAI report.”
When an agency’s own audit office questions operations and procedures, there must be more going on than what Elsby defended as “sport as a powerful enabler to foster social inclusion for all children in Azerbaijan.”
For example, the United Nations Children’s Fund sponsors the European Games in Azerbaijan, and, according to Justin Burke of Eurasia Net, the UN organization has not exactly been over-cooperative on disclosing its professional relationship with the former Soviet republic.
“The financial particulars surrounding UNICEF’s sponsorship are murky while the ostensible benefits it is providing in connection with the games are vague,” Burke wrote in Friday’s edition at http://www.eurasianet.org/node/73951
UNICEF puts a bureaucratic-speak on its partnership in a country not known for adherence to civil rights for all its citizens.
“UNICEF makes decisions to partner with events on a case by case basis. Underlying all decisions is an assessment of how such partnerships can benefit the cause of children in an individual country or on a broader level,” Burke quotes UNICEF spokesman Kristen Elsby as saying.
Burke also says UNICEF’s Azerbaijan’s office has bookkeeping problems.
“A review of UNICEF’s Azerbaijan office, conducted in late 2014 by the agency’s Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI), identified numerous operational flaws, including poor strategic planning, inadequate project management, improper financial oversight and inaccurate reporting on project implementation. In addition, the review found that the Azerbaijan office had a $6 million ‘funding gap’ for its 2011-15 program period.
“Spot checks of financial transactions and donor reports found such activities were ‘inadequately documented,’ according to the OIAI report.”
When an agency’s own audit office questions operations and procedures, there must be more going on than what Elsby defended as “sport as a powerful enabler to foster social inclusion for all children in Azerbaijan.”
Too big a number for a Zip Code
Solitaire score: 104216.
(The game does do cumulative score. I was wrong in an earlier post.)
Search of 104216 brings:
A type of sliced Tyson pepperoni.
A Bronze Age bone dagger.
Alien clip art.
A 48-inch media cabinet.
Sock liners.(Is that not a second pair of socks?)
A type of vacuum cleaner brush.
“Cardy Clamp in Mount Isa.”
2002-2004 Toyota Camry Duraflex Vortex Front Lip Under Spoiler Air Dam $294.
A style of eye glasses.
A style of limestone.
“Lockout/Tagout Training Kit” in Spanish.
William T. Sherman’s campaign hat. “While the hat was in the possession of Joseph Browne Gardner, he acknowledged that his children frequently played with it and that some of the damage evident here was due to that mishandling. This was part of his motivation in donating the hat to the Massachusetts MOLLUS Museum.”
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_T._Sherman's_campaign_hat_army.mil-2007-12-10-104216.jpg
(And we will leave with the destroyer of much of Georgia and South Carolina, and this note: W.T. Sherman and U.S. Grant were the first American generals to recognize and practice modern war, in which all citizens are participants.)
(The game does do cumulative score. I was wrong in an earlier post.)
Search of 104216 brings:
A type of sliced Tyson pepperoni.
A Bronze Age bone dagger.
Alien clip art.
A 48-inch media cabinet.
Sock liners.(Is that not a second pair of socks?)
A type of vacuum cleaner brush.
“Cardy Clamp in Mount Isa.”
2002-2004 Toyota Camry Duraflex Vortex Front Lip Under Spoiler Air Dam $294.
A style of eye glasses.
A style of limestone.
“Lockout/Tagout Training Kit” in Spanish.
William T. Sherman’s campaign hat. “While the hat was in the possession of Joseph Browne Gardner, he acknowledged that his children frequently played with it and that some of the damage evident here was due to that mishandling. This was part of his motivation in donating the hat to the Massachusetts MOLLUS Museum.”
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_T._Sherman's_campaign_hat_army.mil-2007-12-10-104216.jpg
(And we will leave with the destroyer of much of Georgia and South Carolina, and this note: W.T. Sherman and U.S. Grant were the first American generals to recognize and practice modern war, in which all citizens are participants.)
Friday, June 19, 2015
Other reasons to celebrate collapse of Soviet Union
World War II tanks recovered from rivers and swamps.
Valentine tank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YxcxQ9IUg0
Russian T70: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNcvlToTW-A
Russian KV1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_2vmMpHjXA
T34 w/German markings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXCf2RzJ8Fc
STuG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-UrieZwqeg
More on the German T34: http://www.rense.com/general75/germ2.htm
Would the USSR have allowed recovery of all these tanks and others? It didn’t.
Cleaning out tanks: Machine gun ammunition, check. Main gun rounds, check. Frag hand grenades. ... Wait. What?
Valentine tank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YxcxQ9IUg0
Russian T70: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNcvlToTW-A
Russian KV1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_2vmMpHjXA
T34 w/German markings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXCf2RzJ8Fc
STuG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-UrieZwqeg
More on the German T34: http://www.rense.com/general75/germ2.htm
Would the USSR have allowed recovery of all these tanks and others? It didn’t.
Cleaning out tanks: Machine gun ammunition, check. Main gun rounds, check. Frag hand grenades. ... Wait. What?
More critters
"I did not have my camera this day… darn. We were the 2nd Squadron Construction detail 1966-67 for Blackhorse, based at our lumber yard near the vehicle maintenance yard. Our 'carpenters' were demolishing a pallet floor of the HQ Troop, 2nd Squadron CO' s personal tent, when a hammer was snatched from a trooper’s hand as it swung beneath the floor. The trooper yelled and ran to the lumber yard for assistance. We [the yard crew] responded with some 2 by's and pried up the entire tent floor... Out came a KING cobra... It raised up and looked us eye to eye. Its head was 5' off the ground, so there was 10' on the ground! We started throwing 2by's at it, our only 'weapons'. Eventually we pinned it down with lumber and arriving troopers shot it. The arriving troopers then cut off its head. About then, the Regimental historian arrived and took official photos. We [the yard crew] just went back to work and the CO got a new, solid tent floor. Some wags suggested that we should have left the snake under the old floor!" – Dale Newcomb, G Troop.
"While point track one day, we knocked over a small tree. I could hear my gunners screaming at me and when I looked, they were pointing at the deck. I looked down and through one of the periscope holes in the side armor I saw a Mister No Shoulders coming through. He was not a happy camper. It was about 10-12 inches long, gray and his has all puffed up.
"I figured if you want it, Sucker, you can have it, and backed out of the TC hatch. The snake dropped inside the track about the time I was telling my driver to come on up to the top of the track.
"We did finally get rid of him, not sure if they killed him or just evicted him from the track." – Jack Morrison, A Troop and Air Cav Troop
Stories from 11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia web site.
"While point track one day, we knocked over a small tree. I could hear my gunners screaming at me and when I looked, they were pointing at the deck. I looked down and through one of the periscope holes in the side armor I saw a Mister No Shoulders coming through. He was not a happy camper. It was about 10-12 inches long, gray and his has all puffed up.
"I figured if you want it, Sucker, you can have it, and backed out of the TC hatch. The snake dropped inside the track about the time I was telling my driver to come on up to the top of the track.
"We did finally get rid of him, not sure if they killed him or just evicted him from the track." – Jack Morrison, A Troop and Air Cav Troop
Stories from 11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia web site.
Pandora, Texas, 78143, where everybody is married
Pandora is in Wilson County, southeast of San Antonio and a few miles east of Nixon. Eighty-five people live in Wilson – 66 white, 1 black, 37 Hispanic, 18 “other.” Perhaps the remaining 10 are from the space craft that crashed in Aurora in 1897. Aurora is a good ways north and west, but a group of aliens might decide a town named for a mythological character a better place to live than a town named after northern lights.
Pandora has 43 women and 42 men. Median age for women is 32.5; for men, 40.5. Average household value is $9,999 and average per household income is $18,333. That is what http://zipcode.org/78143 says, anyway. That income would mean an average of 100% of Pandora residents live below the poverty level.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnp07 says:
“Pandora is at the junction of U.S. Highway 87 and Farm Road 1107, twenty miles northeast of Floresville in eastern Wilson County. The area was probably first settled in the mid-nineteenth century. The town was established in the late 1890s as a stop on the San Antonio and Gulf Railroad. Wesley Irvin opened the first store there around 1900, and a post office was established in 1906. By 1914 the community had three general stores, two blacksmiths, a cotton gin, a druggist, a meat market, and a population of 100. Its population was reported as 200 in 1947. Afterward the number of residents slowly declined, and in 1990 the estimated population of Pandora was 125. The population remained the same in 2000.”
You would think somebody could count these days – the difference between 125 and 85. Or, maybe 40 people moved from Pandora in the last 15 years.
Here is a satellite image: https://www.google.com/maps/@29.2539442,-97.8395955,645m/data=!3m1!1e3 Lots of mesquite and scrub oak; lots of dry. What you expect near San Antonio.
All Pandora’s residents have a high school education; all are married. All residents work at home. http://www.city-data.com/zips/78143.html
Pandora has 43 women and 42 men. Median age for women is 32.5; for men, 40.5. Average household value is $9,999 and average per household income is $18,333. That is what http://zipcode.org/78143 says, anyway. That income would mean an average of 100% of Pandora residents live below the poverty level.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnp07 says:
“Pandora is at the junction of U.S. Highway 87 and Farm Road 1107, twenty miles northeast of Floresville in eastern Wilson County. The area was probably first settled in the mid-nineteenth century. The town was established in the late 1890s as a stop on the San Antonio and Gulf Railroad. Wesley Irvin opened the first store there around 1900, and a post office was established in 1906. By 1914 the community had three general stores, two blacksmiths, a cotton gin, a druggist, a meat market, and a population of 100. Its population was reported as 200 in 1947. Afterward the number of residents slowly declined, and in 1990 the estimated population of Pandora was 125. The population remained the same in 2000.”
You would think somebody could count these days – the difference between 125 and 85. Or, maybe 40 people moved from Pandora in the last 15 years.
Here is a satellite image: https://www.google.com/maps/@29.2539442,-97.8395955,645m/data=!3m1!1e3 Lots of mesquite and scrub oak; lots of dry. What you expect near San Antonio.
All Pandora’s residents have a high school education; all are married. All residents work at home. http://www.city-data.com/zips/78143.html
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Guillotine! Guillotine!
In the name of humanity, off with their heads!
“French Environment Minister Ségolène Royal has urged the public to stop eating the well known chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella), saying that it contributes to deforestation and damages the environment.
"’We have to replant a lot of trees because there is massive deforestation that also leads to global warming. We should stop eating Nutella, for example, because it's made with palm oil,’ Royal said in an interview late 15 July on the French television Canal+."
Of course, the manufacturer claims greenery, adherence to the Gospel of Gaia, and etc.
“The Italian chocolate group that makes Nutella, Ferrero, issued a statement on 16 June, saying that it was aware of the environmental stakes and had made commitments to source palm oil in a responsible manner.”
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/stop-eating-nutella-says-french-environment-minister-segolene-royal-1506513
Link at: http://www.weaselzippers.us/226729-french-government-warns-eating-nutella-causes-global-warming/
By way of: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/
(That “late 15 July” most likely is 15 June, unless the French have gone and changed the months, as they did following the 1789 disturbances.)
“French Environment Minister Ségolène Royal has urged the public to stop eating the well known chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella), saying that it contributes to deforestation and damages the environment.
"’We have to replant a lot of trees because there is massive deforestation that also leads to global warming. We should stop eating Nutella, for example, because it's made with palm oil,’ Royal said in an interview late 15 July on the French television Canal+."
Of course, the manufacturer claims greenery, adherence to the Gospel of Gaia, and etc.
“The Italian chocolate group that makes Nutella, Ferrero, issued a statement on 16 June, saying that it was aware of the environmental stakes and had made commitments to source palm oil in a responsible manner.”
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/stop-eating-nutella-says-french-environment-minister-segolene-royal-1506513
Link at: http://www.weaselzippers.us/226729-french-government-warns-eating-nutella-causes-global-warming/
By way of: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/
(That “late 15 July” most likely is 15 June, unless the French have gone and changed the months, as they did following the 1789 disturbances.)
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Saint Donatus, Iowa, 52071
March 2012 cost of living index, 80.9; U.S. average, 100.
How people get to work: drive alone, 4; carpool, 1. (How does one person carpool?)
Races in Zip Code 52071 – white, 9. No others listed.
Ancestry reported – German, 4; Irish, 1.
http://www.city-data.com/zips/52071.html
Population 140 in 2000 census; 135 by 2010 census.
Fifty-three households, six businesses employ 29 people. Annual payroll, $599,000.
http://www.uszipareacodes.com/zips/52071.html
Galena, Ill., is across the Mississippi River.
Here is a satellite view: https://www.google.com/maps/place/St+Donatus,+IA+52071/@42.3628707,-90.542606,1102m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x87e2d999ce5c6f0f:0xe6bc842329e38b10
Many small fields, cut by streams or gullies.
No families and 0.7% of the population is below the poverty level.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Donatus,_Iowa
The town has 18 original stone structures as built in the 1850s.
The then and the now:
“When Flemish missionary/explorer Father Louis Hennepin came through this area around 1680, the ground was littered with bones and skulls from a major battle between Native American nations; he called the area Tetes des Morts or heads of the dead, which is still around as the name of the township in which St. Donatus is located.
“Throughout its history, St. Donatus has remained a small village closely tied to the farm economy. Things aren’t much different today, although its impressive collection of 19th century Luxembourg architecture has earned the entire village a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.”
http://mississippivalleytraveler.com/st-donatus/
How people get to work: drive alone, 4; carpool, 1. (How does one person carpool?)
Races in Zip Code 52071 – white, 9. No others listed.
Ancestry reported – German, 4; Irish, 1.
http://www.city-data.com/zips/52071.html
Population 140 in 2000 census; 135 by 2010 census.
Fifty-three households, six businesses employ 29 people. Annual payroll, $599,000.
http://www.uszipareacodes.com/zips/52071.html
Galena, Ill., is across the Mississippi River.
Here is a satellite view: https://www.google.com/maps/place/St+Donatus,+IA+52071/@42.3628707,-90.542606,1102m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x87e2d999ce5c6f0f:0xe6bc842329e38b10
Many small fields, cut by streams or gullies.
No families and 0.7% of the population is below the poverty level.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Donatus,_Iowa
The town has 18 original stone structures as built in the 1850s.
The then and the now:
“When Flemish missionary/explorer Father Louis Hennepin came through this area around 1680, the ground was littered with bones and skulls from a major battle between Native American nations; he called the area Tetes des Morts or heads of the dead, which is still around as the name of the township in which St. Donatus is located.
“Throughout its history, St. Donatus has remained a small village closely tied to the farm economy. Things aren’t much different today, although its impressive collection of 19th century Luxembourg architecture has earned the entire village a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.”
http://mississippivalleytraveler.com/st-donatus/
If everybody can claim victimhood from being something else, what am I?
‘In which finally I discuss the hell of being born Trans Class’
By James Delingpole
“Trans Race” victim Rachel Dolezal has attracted much mockery from some quarters for claiming to be a black woman trapped in a white woman’s body.
All I can say is: she should be so lucky. I personally have spent my entire miserable life suffering from a far more painful, emotionally draining, and tragically irreversible handicap. It has ruined my career, it has blighted my children’s future, it is a constant source of disappointment to my wife and could well one day lead to a very ugly divorce. I’ve had difficulty talking about it before because it’s such a sore topic. But now, thanks to the brave example of Rachel Dolezal I have been shown the way.
Today, finally, I have plucked up the courage to speak out in the hope that fellow sufferers of this awful disability might finally be able to talk openly about the misery this tragic condition has brought upon them. Perhaps we could even form a campaign group and demand government compensation.
The problem is this: I was born Trans Class.
Imagine how it feels to stare into your bathroom mirror every day and to see, reflected back, not the extravagantly be-sideburned, gimlet-eyed, red-cheeked aristocrat you know you really are, but just the pallid, gaunt features of a middle-middle-class nobody struggling to make a living, just like all the “little people”.
Imagine waking up, not in the four-poster-bed that has been in the family for generations and which it’s rumoured Anne Boleyn once slept in, but just a fairly ordinary pocket-sprung number you picked up ten years ago from a boring high street chain with some name like SlumberWorld or DreamLand or Bed-U-Like.
Imagine the stabbing agony you experience every day when you realise that nothing you ever do – NOTHING – is ever going to alter the fact that you will never have a foxhunt bearing your name (like the Duke of Beaufort does), that neither you nor in all likelihood your children, will ever inherit a 52 bedroom Baroque palace with 5,000 acres of parkland landscaped by Capability Brown and swarming with unusual-looking sheep, rare-breed cattle and exotic deer which your ancestor brought back from the Forbidden City in Peking.
Imagine the horror of knowing that instead of having your every whim catered for by a retinue of liveried servants – as is your natural birthright – you instead actually have to put your leaves into your teapot yourself, then pour boiling water on it from an electric kettle, then wait for it to brew for four minutes, then pour it out into a cup which isn’t made from antique finebone china but has Mr Silly on it and came from some unspeakable supermarket like Tesco, not to mention all the other crap that ordinary people have to do because they know no better and weren’t born Trans Class like you and are therefore more dumbly accepting of their lot…stuff like putting out the rubbish once a week for the binmen, and having to floss your teeth rather than getting your cheeky chambermaid Moll to do it and having to watch television rather than having your staff watch it for you and then give you a written summary in copperplate.
Imagine sticking both arms out every morning then remembering, with a shudder, that there is no valet to slip on your frock coat and that in fact all you’ve got is a bunch of Charles Tyrwhitt shirts and the same old pair of jeans which you’re going to have to put on yourself.
Imagine….well there’s really no point because you can’t bloody imagine. Unlike me – unless of course you are a fellow Trans Class victim – you won’t have sufficient intellectual refinement or imagination to imagine, because your proletarian brain won’t let you.
So since you lack the inability to imagine, I’ll just have to tell you.
I was born an 18th century Duke with a vast estate, a stable of two dozen hunters, a bevy of mistresses, a summer “nooky house”, more estates in the West Indies (where I can assure you that the workers are all very happy with their lot and address me cheerfully as “Massa Duke, Sir”), a beautiful if slightly remote wife who is related to the King, lots of paintings (especially of me) by Gainsborough and Reynolds, yet I am trapped in the body of a middle-class, middle-aged journalist in ugly, pointless, 21st century Britain.
And it is HELL, I tell you, hell.
That is why from now on, to help my cope with my disability, I shall expect to be addressed as “Your Grace”, be given the place of honour at those of your miserable dinner parties I deign to attend, and be treated at all times with deference bordering on worship.
Thank you, Rachel Dolezal for showing me the way. You may be a horrid wretched oik from the Colonies (job going on my West Indies estates, if you’re interested) but you have enabled me to become who I really am.
After all, it’s not the body you were born into that defines you. That’s just an oppressive social construct.
What truly defines you is how you feel so I’m going to say it proud and I’m going to say it loud:
I. AM. A. DUKE.
http://jamesdelingpole.com/2015/06/in-which-finally-i-discuss-the-hell-of-being-born-trans-class/
Link at http://neveryetmelted.com/2015/06/14/a-trans-class-victim-speaks-out/
From: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/
By James Delingpole
“Trans Race” victim Rachel Dolezal has attracted much mockery from some quarters for claiming to be a black woman trapped in a white woman’s body.
All I can say is: she should be so lucky. I personally have spent my entire miserable life suffering from a far more painful, emotionally draining, and tragically irreversible handicap. It has ruined my career, it has blighted my children’s future, it is a constant source of disappointment to my wife and could well one day lead to a very ugly divorce. I’ve had difficulty talking about it before because it’s such a sore topic. But now, thanks to the brave example of Rachel Dolezal I have been shown the way.
Today, finally, I have plucked up the courage to speak out in the hope that fellow sufferers of this awful disability might finally be able to talk openly about the misery this tragic condition has brought upon them. Perhaps we could even form a campaign group and demand government compensation.
The problem is this: I was born Trans Class.
Imagine how it feels to stare into your bathroom mirror every day and to see, reflected back, not the extravagantly be-sideburned, gimlet-eyed, red-cheeked aristocrat you know you really are, but just the pallid, gaunt features of a middle-middle-class nobody struggling to make a living, just like all the “little people”.
Imagine waking up, not in the four-poster-bed that has been in the family for generations and which it’s rumoured Anne Boleyn once slept in, but just a fairly ordinary pocket-sprung number you picked up ten years ago from a boring high street chain with some name like SlumberWorld or DreamLand or Bed-U-Like.
Imagine the stabbing agony you experience every day when you realise that nothing you ever do – NOTHING – is ever going to alter the fact that you will never have a foxhunt bearing your name (like the Duke of Beaufort does), that neither you nor in all likelihood your children, will ever inherit a 52 bedroom Baroque palace with 5,000 acres of parkland landscaped by Capability Brown and swarming with unusual-looking sheep, rare-breed cattle and exotic deer which your ancestor brought back from the Forbidden City in Peking.
Imagine the horror of knowing that instead of having your every whim catered for by a retinue of liveried servants – as is your natural birthright – you instead actually have to put your leaves into your teapot yourself, then pour boiling water on it from an electric kettle, then wait for it to brew for four minutes, then pour it out into a cup which isn’t made from antique finebone china but has Mr Silly on it and came from some unspeakable supermarket like Tesco, not to mention all the other crap that ordinary people have to do because they know no better and weren’t born Trans Class like you and are therefore more dumbly accepting of their lot…stuff like putting out the rubbish once a week for the binmen, and having to floss your teeth rather than getting your cheeky chambermaid Moll to do it and having to watch television rather than having your staff watch it for you and then give you a written summary in copperplate.
Imagine sticking both arms out every morning then remembering, with a shudder, that there is no valet to slip on your frock coat and that in fact all you’ve got is a bunch of Charles Tyrwhitt shirts and the same old pair of jeans which you’re going to have to put on yourself.
Imagine….well there’s really no point because you can’t bloody imagine. Unlike me – unless of course you are a fellow Trans Class victim – you won’t have sufficient intellectual refinement or imagination to imagine, because your proletarian brain won’t let you.
So since you lack the inability to imagine, I’ll just have to tell you.
I was born an 18th century Duke with a vast estate, a stable of two dozen hunters, a bevy of mistresses, a summer “nooky house”, more estates in the West Indies (where I can assure you that the workers are all very happy with their lot and address me cheerfully as “Massa Duke, Sir”), a beautiful if slightly remote wife who is related to the King, lots of paintings (especially of me) by Gainsborough and Reynolds, yet I am trapped in the body of a middle-class, middle-aged journalist in ugly, pointless, 21st century Britain.
And it is HELL, I tell you, hell.
That is why from now on, to help my cope with my disability, I shall expect to be addressed as “Your Grace”, be given the place of honour at those of your miserable dinner parties I deign to attend, and be treated at all times with deference bordering on worship.
Thank you, Rachel Dolezal for showing me the way. You may be a horrid wretched oik from the Colonies (job going on my West Indies estates, if you’re interested) but you have enabled me to become who I really am.
After all, it’s not the body you were born into that defines you. That’s just an oppressive social construct.
What truly defines you is how you feel so I’m going to say it proud and I’m going to say it loud:
I. AM. A. DUKE.
http://jamesdelingpole.com/2015/06/in-which-finally-i-discuss-the-hell-of-being-born-trans-class/
Link at http://neveryetmelted.com/2015/06/14/a-trans-class-victim-speaks-out/
From: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Critters
Encounters with indigenous wildlife while trying to fight a war.
“Was lifted into the Bong Son area, linking up with E/17 Cav (recon), was on point 200 meters W of E Troop, just began our walk and was trying to traverse around some wait-a-minute vines, turned as I was still in forward motion, smack, face-first into a bird-eating spider, scrambling around with 12-guage in hand, tripping on the tangle foot, only to jump up as our Team Leader was hurrying my way. He saw this creature growing out of my mug and slapped at it with his boony hat, cutting my eye lid, then impaling the creature with his K-Bar. It was pretty darn funny to everyone ‘cept me!” – Bill Cody
“They had this little terror over there called the Banded Krait. It had rings on it like a coral snake, but black and white. During my second tour I went down to take a shower and ran into another crew chief. I’m shaving and he killed a snake in the hooch that morning. “Ya, this little ‘grass’ snake was down by my flip flops so I just stepped on the little bugger and killed it.” I asked him what he did with it and went up to have a look. It was one of those kraits.” – Mark Crist
“I heard a story about a millipede that got to 8” and stung or bit. This guy had just finished a shower and was grabbing his fatigues to dress when this puppy fell out of the pile and ran up his arm toward his head and tried to duck inside his head. He swears that he heard that Mr. Mili favored the human ear canal. – Frank Wright
“A friend of one of my co-workers was an engineer up north, and he told the story about how one day he looked down at one of those centipedes climb up his boot, wondering what the heck it was. He found out right away when it bit right through the canvas. The result was excruciating pain and then the skin on his foot turned black. After a while it peeled off.” – Gary Rieth
Here is the thing about animal life in Vietnam – every creature is aggressive. Every one. There are no cuddly animals. All are in defensive mode if you get too close, or offensive mode if they are hungry. Every animal there will bite or sting.
“Was lifted into the Bong Son area, linking up with E/17 Cav (recon), was on point 200 meters W of E Troop, just began our walk and was trying to traverse around some wait-a-minute vines, turned as I was still in forward motion, smack, face-first into a bird-eating spider, scrambling around with 12-guage in hand, tripping on the tangle foot, only to jump up as our Team Leader was hurrying my way. He saw this creature growing out of my mug and slapped at it with his boony hat, cutting my eye lid, then impaling the creature with his K-Bar. It was pretty darn funny to everyone ‘cept me!” – Bill Cody
“They had this little terror over there called the Banded Krait. It had rings on it like a coral snake, but black and white. During my second tour I went down to take a shower and ran into another crew chief. I’m shaving and he killed a snake in the hooch that morning. “Ya, this little ‘grass’ snake was down by my flip flops so I just stepped on the little bugger and killed it.” I asked him what he did with it and went up to have a look. It was one of those kraits.” – Mark Crist
“I heard a story about a millipede that got to 8” and stung or bit. This guy had just finished a shower and was grabbing his fatigues to dress when this puppy fell out of the pile and ran up his arm toward his head and tried to duck inside his head. He swears that he heard that Mr. Mili favored the human ear canal. – Frank Wright
“A friend of one of my co-workers was an engineer up north, and he told the story about how one day he looked down at one of those centipedes climb up his boot, wondering what the heck it was. He found out right away when it bit right through the canvas. The result was excruciating pain and then the skin on his foot turned black. After a while it peeled off.” – Gary Rieth
Here is the thing about animal life in Vietnam – every creature is aggressive. Every one. There are no cuddly animals. All are in defensive mode if you get too close, or offensive mode if they are hungry. Every animal there will bite or sting.
Monday, June 15, 2015
San Pedro Mixtepec, Postal Code 71990
In far southwest Mexico, Jiuqiila District, Costa Region. The population in 2005 was 33,682. Forty percent of the municipal population was engaged in agriculture and 20 percent in animal husbandry.
“Tourism employs 20% of the population in the port and tourist center of Puerto Escondido and the nearby Bajos de Chila.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_Mixtepec,_Juquila
“Puerto Escondido is one of the most important tourist attractions on the Oaxacan coast. It caters to a more downscale and eclectic clientele than neighboring Huatulco, mostly surfers, backpackers and Mexican families. The main attractions are the beaches: Zicatela Beach hosts major surfing competitions, while other beaches have gentle waves.
West from the town is a large lagoon area popular for fishing and birdwatching.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Escondido,_Oaxaca
Here is a municipal gathering:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iFHR1RE548
Indigenous clothing meets American Idol or something.
Search for images brings some pictures of San Pedro, but most are of Puerto Escondido beaches and tourists. Also, there are pictures of bloody bodies, almost all from far northern Mexico, where indigenous persons interact with each other in competition for U.S. drug money.
“Tourism employs 20% of the population in the port and tourist center of Puerto Escondido and the nearby Bajos de Chila.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_Mixtepec,_Juquila
“Puerto Escondido is one of the most important tourist attractions on the Oaxacan coast. It caters to a more downscale and eclectic clientele than neighboring Huatulco, mostly surfers, backpackers and Mexican families. The main attractions are the beaches: Zicatela Beach hosts major surfing competitions, while other beaches have gentle waves.
West from the town is a large lagoon area popular for fishing and birdwatching.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Escondido,_Oaxaca
Here is a municipal gathering:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iFHR1RE548
Indigenous clothing meets American Idol or something.
Search for images brings some pictures of San Pedro, but most are of Puerto Escondido beaches and tourists. Also, there are pictures of bloody bodies, almost all from far northern Mexico, where indigenous persons interact with each other in competition for U.S. drug money.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Sometimes statistics just don’t make sense
Hilltop, West Virginia, 25855
Population 624 as of 2010 census.
For population 15 years and over in 25855:
Never married: 17.0%
Now married: 17.0%
Separated: 0.0%
Widowed: 51.1%
Divorced: 14.8%
Median resident age: 77.5
Residents living below poverty level in 2011: 59.6%.
Number of vehicles available in owner-occupied houses/condos:
• no vehicle: 0
• 1 vehicle: 14
• 2 vehicles: 0
• 3 vehicles: 0
• 4 vehicles: 0
• 5+ vehicles: 0
Means of transportation to work: Walked – 100%
Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 5.4%
Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 14.5%
http://www.city-data.com/zips/25855.html#ixzz3d4JdfR00
ATV videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVq_N_WpPr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-MbohbW_Dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwxc5wyDnVo
For all that smallness and oldness, there is T-Byrd’s Smokin BBQ:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/t-byrds-smokin-bbq-hilltop
Folks got to eat.
Population 624 as of 2010 census.
For population 15 years and over in 25855:
Never married: 17.0%
Now married: 17.0%
Separated: 0.0%
Widowed: 51.1%
Divorced: 14.8%
Median resident age: 77.5
Residents living below poverty level in 2011: 59.6%.
Number of vehicles available in owner-occupied houses/condos:
• no vehicle: 0
• 1 vehicle: 14
• 2 vehicles: 0
• 3 vehicles: 0
• 4 vehicles: 0
• 5+ vehicles: 0
Means of transportation to work: Walked – 100%
Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 5.4%
Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 14.5%
http://www.city-data.com/zips/25855.html#ixzz3d4JdfR00
ATV videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVq_N_WpPr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-MbohbW_Dg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwxc5wyDnVo
For all that smallness and oldness, there is T-Byrd’s Smokin BBQ:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/t-byrds-smokin-bbq-hilltop
Folks got to eat.
Broadway, Ohio, 43007
Population 48; diversity index 4; median household income $77,175; average household income, $79,584. Downtown has a post office and Old Stone Haus Tavern.
Here is a satellite view: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Broadway,+OH+43007/@40.3405968,-83.4129868,564m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x8838da73df536855:0xcac394087658cb46!5m1!1e4
Nice looking town.
The two bare places in the lower right are a baseball field and (probably) a softball field. The second does not have a fence.
Broadway is in Union County in west central Ohio. “Broadway was one of the last communities to be organized in Union County. It was laid out along the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, surrounded by giant forests which supplied the community with a great source of revenue. As of 1877, the community contained a spoke and hub factory, four dry goods and grocery stores, two drug stores, one grain warehouse, two blacksmith shops, one boot and shoe shop, a school-house, and a meeting house.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway,_Ohio
I do not know if “giant forests” still existed in Ohio in the 1870s, but whatever trees were there have certainly been cleared for farmland.
More than 3,200 Union County men served in the Civil War. Casualties totaled 1,035. MG Robert Sprague Beightler (1892-1978) was a Union County native. He commanded Ohio’s 37th Infantry Division throughout World War II. Rodger Young was with the 37th when he performed deeds that led to posthumous award of the Medal of Honor.
Here is a satellite view: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Broadway,+OH+43007/@40.3405968,-83.4129868,564m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x8838da73df536855:0xcac394087658cb46!5m1!1e4
Nice looking town.
The two bare places in the lower right are a baseball field and (probably) a softball field. The second does not have a fence.
Broadway is in Union County in west central Ohio. “Broadway was one of the last communities to be organized in Union County. It was laid out along the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, surrounded by giant forests which supplied the community with a great source of revenue. As of 1877, the community contained a spoke and hub factory, four dry goods and grocery stores, two drug stores, one grain warehouse, two blacksmith shops, one boot and shoe shop, a school-house, and a meeting house.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway,_Ohio
I do not know if “giant forests” still existed in Ohio in the 1870s, but whatever trees were there have certainly been cleared for farmland.
More than 3,200 Union County men served in the Civil War. Casualties totaled 1,035. MG Robert Sprague Beightler (1892-1978) was a Union County native. He commanded Ohio’s 37th Infantry Division throughout World War II. Rodger Young was with the 37th when he performed deeds that led to posthumous award of the Medal of Honor.
Water sports
My wife does water exercises for about an hour three days a week. Then when she comes home, she leads me through 30 or 40 minutes of exercises in the pool. I wear a life jacket. I float like a rock and, frankly, am quite frightened of going under. Scared spitless, in fact.
In early 1965 I spent 28 days on a troopship crossing the Pacific Ocean. I was not frightened at all. Two years ago, Kathleen, Priscilla and I were on a one-mast sailing boat on Tampa Bay for more than two hours, looking for, and actually seeing, dolphins. Not a problem.
But get me in wading water and the prospect of going under … Altogether different story.
Most of the exercises are done using a long foam thingy called a “noodle.” A noodle will keep you afloat if used correctly, my wife said, but I do not plan on testing the accuracy of her statement.
One set of exercises consists of sitting on the noodle and moving in different directions. The first day we exercised, my noodle did not want to cooperate. I am 69.5 years old and 6’ 1.5" tall. My legs do not move as far or as well as they did five years ago.
As I wrestled in the water, my wife said, “You need a bigger noodle.”
I said, “Everybody needs a bigger noodle.”
Humor while practically drowning. Ha-ha.
In early 1965 I spent 28 days on a troopship crossing the Pacific Ocean. I was not frightened at all. Two years ago, Kathleen, Priscilla and I were on a one-mast sailing boat on Tampa Bay for more than two hours, looking for, and actually seeing, dolphins. Not a problem.
But get me in wading water and the prospect of going under … Altogether different story.
Most of the exercises are done using a long foam thingy called a “noodle.” A noodle will keep you afloat if used correctly, my wife said, but I do not plan on testing the accuracy of her statement.
One set of exercises consists of sitting on the noodle and moving in different directions. The first day we exercised, my noodle did not want to cooperate. I am 69.5 years old and 6’ 1.5" tall. My legs do not move as far or as well as they did five years ago.
As I wrestled in the water, my wife said, “You need a bigger noodle.”
I said, “Everybody needs a bigger noodle.”
Humor while practically drowning. Ha-ha.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Russian tanks burning, burned, otherwise destroyed
The tag line is a bit snarky. “The Myth of the Mighty Russian Tank.”
Any tank can be taken out.
A few here were destroyed by U.S. tanks in Iraq, but most by far taken out by other Russian-made tanks or anti-tank weapons in wars between former Soviet republics or by Russian army in wars against break-away areas.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Russian+Traffic+Tank&Form=VQFRVP#view=detail&mid=C2B9CCE447EF273B7E86C2B9CCE447EF273B7E86
Any tank can be taken out.
A few here were destroyed by U.S. tanks in Iraq, but most by far taken out by other Russian-made tanks or anti-tank weapons in wars between former Soviet republics or by Russian army in wars against break-away areas.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Russian+Traffic+Tank&Form=VQFRVP#view=detail&mid=C2B9CCE447EF273B7E86C2B9CCE447EF273B7E86
Baseball
"Hell, if the game was half as complicated as some of these writers make out it as, a lot of us boys from the farm would never have been able to make a living at it." - Bucky Walters, 16-year major league player.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=waltebu01
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=waltebu01
Honaker, Va., 24260
New computer, starting over on Zip Codes and towns. This computer’s on-board solitaire does not have cumulative score, only a this-game-score and time bonus added. This morning’s score was 4260, a digit short of a Zip Code. So, I decided to add 1. But, 14260 is a segment of Buffalo, N.Y. So, add 2, giving the Zip Code for Honaker, Va.
Honaker is in southwest Virginia. Its population was 6,285 as of 1 July 2014. Its Diversity Index is 4. Yes, Virginia, there is a Diversity Index.
“The Diversity Index is a scale of 0 to 100 that represents the likleyhood** (sic) that two persons, chosen at random from the same area, belong to different race or ethnic groups. If an area's entire population belongs to one race AND one ethnic group, then the area has zero diversity. An area's diversity index increases to 100 when the population is evenly divided into two or more race/ethnic groups.
“Based on Census 2010 counts, the Diversity Index for the United States was 60.6 and it is expected to increase to 64.8 by July 1, 2018.”
http://virginia.hometownlocator.com/zip-codes/data,zipcode,24260.cfm
(**“likelihood” National organizations really should hire people who can spell.)
Honaker’s population is 98.83% white. “About 20.4% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.9% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honaker,_Virginia
The town qualifies as poor, or even “pore,” as we used to say, meaning underneath “poor.”
Honaker is the redbud capital of the world. A fire destroyed a downtown apartment building in May. Also in May, police arrested three people and cracked a pharmacy theft ring.
http://www.topix.com/city/honaker-va
A 1912 reunion of Honaker veterans of the Civil War:
https://www.google.com/search?q=honaker+va&biw=1280&bih=620&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CEAQsARqFQoTCPKIuJPpjMYCFYwJkgodOX8ApA&dpr=1.25#imgdii=XQtoD38aOTpyJM%3A%3BXQtoD38aOTpyJM%3A%3BK0fgs6wS7oeIYM%3A&imgrc=XQtoD38aOTpyJM%253A%3BE0TPTZ_S3micsM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.armed-guard.com%252Fkercsi2.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.armed-guard.com%252Fag51.html%3B500%3B385
Search for “images honaker va” will show pictures of laid-back people.
Honaker is in southwest Virginia. Its population was 6,285 as of 1 July 2014. Its Diversity Index is 4. Yes, Virginia, there is a Diversity Index.
“The Diversity Index is a scale of 0 to 100 that represents the likleyhood** (sic) that two persons, chosen at random from the same area, belong to different race or ethnic groups. If an area's entire population belongs to one race AND one ethnic group, then the area has zero diversity. An area's diversity index increases to 100 when the population is evenly divided into two or more race/ethnic groups.
“Based on Census 2010 counts, the Diversity Index for the United States was 60.6 and it is expected to increase to 64.8 by July 1, 2018.”
http://virginia.hometownlocator.com/zip-codes/data,zipcode,24260.cfm
(**“likelihood” National organizations really should hire people who can spell.)
Honaker’s population is 98.83% white. “About 20.4% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.9% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honaker,_Virginia
The town qualifies as poor, or even “pore,” as we used to say, meaning underneath “poor.”
Honaker is the redbud capital of the world. A fire destroyed a downtown apartment building in May. Also in May, police arrested three people and cracked a pharmacy theft ring.
http://www.topix.com/city/honaker-va
A 1912 reunion of Honaker veterans of the Civil War:
https://www.google.com/search?q=honaker+va&biw=1280&bih=620&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CEAQsARqFQoTCPKIuJPpjMYCFYwJkgodOX8ApA&dpr=1.25#imgdii=XQtoD38aOTpyJM%3A%3BXQtoD38aOTpyJM%3A%3BK0fgs6wS7oeIYM%3A&imgrc=XQtoD38aOTpyJM%253A%3BE0TPTZ_S3micsM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.armed-guard.com%252Fkercsi2.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.armed-guard.com%252Fag51.html%3B500%3B385
Search for “images honaker va” will show pictures of laid-back people.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Europe’s alien traffic much larger, more threatening than that of U.S.
“The tragic pictures and tales of capsizing smugglers’ boats and drowning people are deceptive. Most illegal immigrants manage to afford the expensive passage across the Mediterranean. It is worth the investment to escape the misery zones of Africa and Arabia for the welfare paradise of Europe. Television reports talk about war refugees and pregnant women, but the pictures show mostly young black Africans traveling north. There may be a few, individual, genuine, Geneva Convention-appropriate refugees among them. But the fact that these illegals pay thousands of francs to make the difficult passage suggests that this is more about escaping the general misery than fleeing imminent persecution.”
…
“Modern European asylum law is a product of the past century. It was instituted after the terrible human rights abuses of the Germans, the Russians and the Turks in two world wars. The idea was to guarantee supranational protection to people under threat because of their ethnicity, religion or politics. It was not established to facilitate mass migration or the lessening of population pressure in the most densely settled areas of Africa.”
http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/welt/4748669/Fluchtlinge_Grenzenloser-Leichtsinn (German)
Comment -- cold-hearted, which is better than soft-minded:
“The Islamic world and China seek to dominate the West.
Western rights, not ‘human rights,’ must guide our refugee policy.
Many if not the majority leaving the shores of Northern Africa & Middle Eastern countries are followers of the teachings of Islam-The West also has culturist rights. Muslim nations don’t take in Christian refugees nor China Muslim refugees-The best way to stop the growing tide of refugees is a zero-tolerance policy. Not a single boat load of refugee should step foot on western soil. They must be preemptively steered to a Muslim world member nation. The Western world must wholly reject Islamic immigration and agin western policise should work towards that which is good for the West not ‘humanity’. The tide of danger is sweeping across Europe.”
http://gatesofvienna.net/2015/06/refugees-boundlessly-reckless/#more-36539
…
“Modern European asylum law is a product of the past century. It was instituted after the terrible human rights abuses of the Germans, the Russians and the Turks in two world wars. The idea was to guarantee supranational protection to people under threat because of their ethnicity, religion or politics. It was not established to facilitate mass migration or the lessening of population pressure in the most densely settled areas of Africa.”
http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/welt/4748669/Fluchtlinge_Grenzenloser-Leichtsinn (German)
Comment -- cold-hearted, which is better than soft-minded:
“The Islamic world and China seek to dominate the West.
Western rights, not ‘human rights,’ must guide our refugee policy.
Many if not the majority leaving the shores of Northern Africa & Middle Eastern countries are followers of the teachings of Islam-The West also has culturist rights. Muslim nations don’t take in Christian refugees nor China Muslim refugees-The best way to stop the growing tide of refugees is a zero-tolerance policy. Not a single boat load of refugee should step foot on western soil. They must be preemptively steered to a Muslim world member nation. The Western world must wholly reject Islamic immigration and agin western policise should work towards that which is good for the West not ‘humanity’. The tide of danger is sweeping across Europe.”
http://gatesofvienna.net/2015/06/refugees-boundlessly-reckless/#more-36539
‘We're witnessing revival of slave trade in the 21st century’
Here is a shocker for some: What makes you think slavery ended in Muslim societies?
UN special representative Zainab Hawa Bangra on ISIS:
(CNN) Nothing prepared me for what I saw and heard when I visited refugees from the conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
As I traveled to Iraq and Syria, and to neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to meet with refugees and displaced women, I heard firsthand the horrifying stories of how they have been targeted in this conflict.
I was told, for example, how mothers with babies were separated out by members of ISIL (also known as ISIS) because it is the younger women who they want to take. I heard how these younger women are examined to see if they are virgins, and how the younger and prettier they are, the more likely they are to get taken to ISIL's headquarters in Raqqa. And I heard how the rest are taken to open markets, where they will end up being auctioned after being examined like cattle.
I was in the Middle East as the special representative of the secretary general on sexual violence in conflict, and while I had been monitoring the situation since the crisis began, this was the first time I was able to visit those who have been disproportionately affected by the conflict.
The refugees and displaced women and girls I met told me how sexual violence is being committed strategically, in a systematic manner, and with a high degree of sophistication by most of the parties to the conflicts. Indeed, as I moved from country to country, I came to the terrible conclusion that this is in essence a war on women and girls, a group that finds itself under assault every day, and every step of the way, whether it be in areas of active conflict, those under control of armed actors, or at checkpoints and border crossings.
But while it is true that most parties to the conflict are committing sexual violence, it is extremist groups like ISIL that have been particularly public and shameless in institutionalizing sexual violence and engaging in the brutalization of women and girls as a tactic of terror to advance their key strategic objectives.
For a start, it is clear that ISIL has been working to increase recruitment by promising male fighters access to women and girls. In addition, the group has been raising funds through the sale of women and girls in slave markets and through ransoms paid by relatives. And the group has also been using sexual violence to displace populations, while also using the threat of sexual violence to extract information for intelligence purposes.
Women and girls I spoke with described being treated as property to be owned and traded, or else as vessels for producing children for fighters. In ISIL strongholds in Syria and Iraq, Raqqa and Mosul, women and girls are held in houses and buildings before they are inspected, selected and sold in "bazaars" where prices can be negotiated. Simply put, we have been witnessing the revival of the slave trade in the 21st century.
What can and should we do? Such extreme violence requires political and security responses, but also legal and social response.
For a start, all parties to the conflicts, both state and nonstate actors, have an obligation under international humanitarian law to prevent and punish such crimes. Second, U.N. agencies need greater support to be able to provide the necessary assistance and to be able to respond to the needs of the affected population, particularly women and girls who are suffering even in the places where they are seeking refuge. The reality is that the humanitarian appeals dealing with the provision of services to sexual violence survivors are underfunded, and neighboring countries are now also under tremendous pressure. Greater support is therefore needed not only for programs for refugees, but also to support host communities of neighboring countries that have absorbed an estimated 80% of the refugees.
To address the transnational nature of ISIL, and the cross-border dimensions of the conflicts raging in the region, a concerted regional and international response is required, including improved information sharing across countries and a common counterterrorism response with women's protection and empowerment at its heart.
Such a response should also look at the root causes of violent extremism, something that we cannot ignore any longer. Preventing abuses will require deeper engagement with communities, including with traditional and religious leaders who can help break the silence surrounding sexual violence and ensure that it is the perpetrators who are shamed and stigmatized, not the victims. In fact, if there was a glimmer of hope during my visit, it was the statement issued by the supreme spiritual leader of the Yazidi community, who said that women and girls released from ISIL captivity should be embraced and reintegrated by their families and communities. Countering ISIL's violent ideology will mean accepting these women and girls -- and any children they may have -- in a spirit of tolerance, dignity and respect.
Ultimately, we cannot beat ISIL without understanding who they are, where they come from, and what their ideology is. The group presents a very formidable enemy, one that we must fight together.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/11/opinions/bangura-isis-treatment-women/?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion&iref=obnetwork
(In order to defeat ISIL, we need to understand “who they are” and “what their ideology is.” That is simple. They are fanatical Moslems whose ideology is the same as that of the Muslim Arabs who stormed from the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century and who in the next 900 years captured all of Christian Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans. They will make slaves – factual and/or economic -- of all who oppose them.
(Ms. Bangra fails to address the single method of keeping Islam from taking the world: Death.)
UN special representative Zainab Hawa Bangra on ISIS:
(CNN) Nothing prepared me for what I saw and heard when I visited refugees from the conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
As I traveled to Iraq and Syria, and to neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to meet with refugees and displaced women, I heard firsthand the horrifying stories of how they have been targeted in this conflict.
I was told, for example, how mothers with babies were separated out by members of ISIL (also known as ISIS) because it is the younger women who they want to take. I heard how these younger women are examined to see if they are virgins, and how the younger and prettier they are, the more likely they are to get taken to ISIL's headquarters in Raqqa. And I heard how the rest are taken to open markets, where they will end up being auctioned after being examined like cattle.
I was in the Middle East as the special representative of the secretary general on sexual violence in conflict, and while I had been monitoring the situation since the crisis began, this was the first time I was able to visit those who have been disproportionately affected by the conflict.
The refugees and displaced women and girls I met told me how sexual violence is being committed strategically, in a systematic manner, and with a high degree of sophistication by most of the parties to the conflicts. Indeed, as I moved from country to country, I came to the terrible conclusion that this is in essence a war on women and girls, a group that finds itself under assault every day, and every step of the way, whether it be in areas of active conflict, those under control of armed actors, or at checkpoints and border crossings.
But while it is true that most parties to the conflict are committing sexual violence, it is extremist groups like ISIL that have been particularly public and shameless in institutionalizing sexual violence and engaging in the brutalization of women and girls as a tactic of terror to advance their key strategic objectives.
For a start, it is clear that ISIL has been working to increase recruitment by promising male fighters access to women and girls. In addition, the group has been raising funds through the sale of women and girls in slave markets and through ransoms paid by relatives. And the group has also been using sexual violence to displace populations, while also using the threat of sexual violence to extract information for intelligence purposes.
Women and girls I spoke with described being treated as property to be owned and traded, or else as vessels for producing children for fighters. In ISIL strongholds in Syria and Iraq, Raqqa and Mosul, women and girls are held in houses and buildings before they are inspected, selected and sold in "bazaars" where prices can be negotiated. Simply put, we have been witnessing the revival of the slave trade in the 21st century.
What can and should we do? Such extreme violence requires political and security responses, but also legal and social response.
For a start, all parties to the conflicts, both state and nonstate actors, have an obligation under international humanitarian law to prevent and punish such crimes. Second, U.N. agencies need greater support to be able to provide the necessary assistance and to be able to respond to the needs of the affected population, particularly women and girls who are suffering even in the places where they are seeking refuge. The reality is that the humanitarian appeals dealing with the provision of services to sexual violence survivors are underfunded, and neighboring countries are now also under tremendous pressure. Greater support is therefore needed not only for programs for refugees, but also to support host communities of neighboring countries that have absorbed an estimated 80% of the refugees.
To address the transnational nature of ISIL, and the cross-border dimensions of the conflicts raging in the region, a concerted regional and international response is required, including improved information sharing across countries and a common counterterrorism response with women's protection and empowerment at its heart.
Such a response should also look at the root causes of violent extremism, something that we cannot ignore any longer. Preventing abuses will require deeper engagement with communities, including with traditional and religious leaders who can help break the silence surrounding sexual violence and ensure that it is the perpetrators who are shamed and stigmatized, not the victims. In fact, if there was a glimmer of hope during my visit, it was the statement issued by the supreme spiritual leader of the Yazidi community, who said that women and girls released from ISIL captivity should be embraced and reintegrated by their families and communities. Countering ISIL's violent ideology will mean accepting these women and girls -- and any children they may have -- in a spirit of tolerance, dignity and respect.
Ultimately, we cannot beat ISIL without understanding who they are, where they come from, and what their ideology is. The group presents a very formidable enemy, one that we must fight together.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/11/opinions/bangura-isis-treatment-women/?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion&iref=obnetwork
(In order to defeat ISIL, we need to understand “who they are” and “what their ideology is.” That is simple. They are fanatical Moslems whose ideology is the same as that of the Muslim Arabs who stormed from the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century and who in the next 900 years captured all of Christian Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans. They will make slaves – factual and/or economic -- of all who oppose them.
(Ms. Bangra fails to address the single method of keeping Islam from taking the world: Death.)
Liberals cannot understand sex
“Casual sex” I have long considered an impossibility. For most men and women. What occurs before, during and after the sexual act is far too emotional and intensely physical for the term “casual.”
You can have a casual drink or a casual walk or a casual joint, but, unless you are completely without normal human emotion, you cannot have “casual sex.”
Thus: Liberalism does not understand sex.
“Sex functions precisely to break down autonomy and overcome the overweening sovereignty of the self upon which consent is ultimately based. In a liberal framework, our freedom to engage in activities assumes that all activities are equal, as long as we have obtained consent when those activities involve others. But sex is not like other activities. Sex, unlike anything else we might do with another person, transcends the self while radically reorienting it within a new, shared context with our sexual partner. Consent assumes that sex will not do this, that sex will leave two people as fully autonomous after sex as they were before. But this is precisely the one thing that sex was designed not to do. Sex, even if entered into based on a free agreement between two autonomous people, by its very nature dismantles the autonomy upon which the consensual understanding of sex had been based.
“In the wake of this compromised autonomy, sexual partners, confronted with a transcended self but still working within the conceptual confines of leveling liberalism, may very rightly view this transcendence as a violation of their sexual integrity. This holds true even when the sexual encounter was freely and consensually entered into, and especially when the myriad other expectations attendant upon sex are left unfulfilled. These expectations of emotional and spiritual intimacy, including the promise of future growth as a couple and openness to new life through sex, have no place in the liberal understanding of sex. Thus, when these hopes are dashed, women, especially, see “consensual sex” as a misleading proposition. Their subsequent sense of violation feels very similar to the devastating effects of non-consensual sex. To be clear, sex without consent is rape. But the wasteland of the hook-up culture shows that merely granting and receiving consent do not safeguard against the manifold consequences of casual sex.”
“If we want to talk seriously about ending campus rape, we must get to the bottom of the liberalism that underpins consent discourse on campuses. By rescuing sex from liberalism, we can restore sex to its rightful place—not as bargained recreation between Lockean rights-bearers, but as the complete gift of mind, body, and soul to another person, and the reception of the complete gift of the other.”
(Of importance is this: “Thus, when these hopes are dashed, women, especially, see ‘consensual sex’ as a misleading proposition.” Search "mattress girl" for explanation.)
http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2015/06/11/man-the-conscious-little-rock/
Link at http://ace.mu.nu/
You can have a casual drink or a casual walk or a casual joint, but, unless you are completely without normal human emotion, you cannot have “casual sex.”
Thus: Liberalism does not understand sex.
“Sex functions precisely to break down autonomy and overcome the overweening sovereignty of the self upon which consent is ultimately based. In a liberal framework, our freedom to engage in activities assumes that all activities are equal, as long as we have obtained consent when those activities involve others. But sex is not like other activities. Sex, unlike anything else we might do with another person, transcends the self while radically reorienting it within a new, shared context with our sexual partner. Consent assumes that sex will not do this, that sex will leave two people as fully autonomous after sex as they were before. But this is precisely the one thing that sex was designed not to do. Sex, even if entered into based on a free agreement between two autonomous people, by its very nature dismantles the autonomy upon which the consensual understanding of sex had been based.
“In the wake of this compromised autonomy, sexual partners, confronted with a transcended self but still working within the conceptual confines of leveling liberalism, may very rightly view this transcendence as a violation of their sexual integrity. This holds true even when the sexual encounter was freely and consensually entered into, and especially when the myriad other expectations attendant upon sex are left unfulfilled. These expectations of emotional and spiritual intimacy, including the promise of future growth as a couple and openness to new life through sex, have no place in the liberal understanding of sex. Thus, when these hopes are dashed, women, especially, see “consensual sex” as a misleading proposition. Their subsequent sense of violation feels very similar to the devastating effects of non-consensual sex. To be clear, sex without consent is rape. But the wasteland of the hook-up culture shows that merely granting and receiving consent do not safeguard against the manifold consequences of casual sex.”
“If we want to talk seriously about ending campus rape, we must get to the bottom of the liberalism that underpins consent discourse on campuses. By rescuing sex from liberalism, we can restore sex to its rightful place—not as bargained recreation between Lockean rights-bearers, but as the complete gift of mind, body, and soul to another person, and the reception of the complete gift of the other.”
(Of importance is this: “Thus, when these hopes are dashed, women, especially, see ‘consensual sex’ as a misleading proposition.” Search "mattress girl" for explanation.)
http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2015/06/11/man-the-conscious-little-rock/
Link at http://ace.mu.nu/
Victim as cover for mental disorder
Politics becomes boring. The same people say the same things, day after day after day. Fox, CNN, HLN, CBS, BBC, Al Jazeera … Nothing changes.
People … Ah, yes, people. Funny creatures. Sometimes predictable, sometimes not.
And from TV and internet news, I wondered “Why do these people think they are victims? What do they think life should be?”
So, this:
“It’s not trauma; it’s narcissism. I am a psychotherapist. Real trauma survivors typically seek to avoid talking about their traumas and often have to be coaxed to go to psychotherapy. People who start campus crusades because they’re offended or their feelings are allegedly hurt probably have a different primary diagnosis.”
http://takimag.com/article/diagnosed_with_liberalism_gavin_mcinnes/print#ixzz3cr3kZFLo
That paragraph made me realize that it is from colleges where spring so many incidents of “I was offended” or “The words frightened me” or “His statement was racist.”
Young women and young men away from home, away from the hovering helicopter parents, never trained or allowed to make an independent decision, emotionally and intellectually pigeon-holed by smarter, more-degreed adults, adults who often have no experience of life outside higher education, but who do know they have great influence on those young minds … The whole concept of victimhood is narcissistic.
People … Ah, yes, people. Funny creatures. Sometimes predictable, sometimes not.
And from TV and internet news, I wondered “Why do these people think they are victims? What do they think life should be?”
So, this:
“It’s not trauma; it’s narcissism. I am a psychotherapist. Real trauma survivors typically seek to avoid talking about their traumas and often have to be coaxed to go to psychotherapy. People who start campus crusades because they’re offended or their feelings are allegedly hurt probably have a different primary diagnosis.”
http://takimag.com/article/diagnosed_with_liberalism_gavin_mcinnes/print#ixzz3cr3kZFLo
That paragraph made me realize that it is from colleges where spring so many incidents of “I was offended” or “The words frightened me” or “His statement was racist.”
Young women and young men away from home, away from the hovering helicopter parents, never trained or allowed to make an independent decision, emotionally and intellectually pigeon-holed by smarter, more-degreed adults, adults who often have no experience of life outside higher education, but who do know they have great influence on those young minds … The whole concept of victimhood is narcissistic.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Sarah A. Hoyt explains life and other stuff
(Note from SgtBob: Science fiction writings used to preach -- banned word -- that a future in which everyone shared and everyone was equally educated and employed and everyone made the same salary … Well, that would be like --not heaven, because there is a religious aspect to the word, not that there is anything wrong with religion, per se, but when people of religion start talking about how their religion is “better” than all other religions, well, that’s what starts wars and stuff. Oh, and competition. That starts wars and stuff, too. Anyway, science fiction writers now are divided between Social Justice Warriors and Sad Puppies -- or Rabid Puppies, as S.A. Hoyt mentions -- that world would be perfect. Or maybe not.)
Here are but two definitions from the SJW/SP front, and in American Society in general.
SJW – Social Justice Warrior, or Whiner, or Weenie, or Wacko. A person fixated on fighting perceived social ills and injustices, one who is determined to improve people’s lives even if it means making them miserable, oppressed, slaves of the benevolent agencies of the State. A proud supporter of Marxism “for the Children!”
Grey Goo – depressing, often painfully literary message fiction that (usually but not always) bashes men, the free-market, traditions, humans in general, science and the human spirit. Why science fiction has been in the doldrums for the past 15 years or so (see Human Wave below).
See entire list here:
http://accordingtohoyt.com/ath-faq-and-bbq/
Here are but two definitions from the SJW/SP front, and in American Society in general.
SJW – Social Justice Warrior, or Whiner, or Weenie, or Wacko. A person fixated on fighting perceived social ills and injustices, one who is determined to improve people’s lives even if it means making them miserable, oppressed, slaves of the benevolent agencies of the State. A proud supporter of Marxism “for the Children!”
Grey Goo – depressing, often painfully literary message fiction that (usually but not always) bashes men, the free-market, traditions, humans in general, science and the human spirit. Why science fiction has been in the doldrums for the past 15 years or so (see Human Wave below).
See entire list here:
http://accordingtohoyt.com/ath-faq-and-bbq/
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
They’re out of the gene pool and maybe even off the Chicago registered voter list
Two dedicated guys in Pakistan get into an argument. Push comes to shove, shove leads to one activating his Acme Suicide Bomber Vest.
“Police identified the two men as Ghulam Rasul and Muhammad Sultan, raiding their houses and apprehending several additional terror suspects in the ensuing investigation.”
http://bgr.com/2015/06/08/suicide-bombers-kill-themselves-fight/
Link at www.fark.com
“Police identified the two men as Ghulam Rasul and Muhammad Sultan, raiding their houses and apprehending several additional terror suspects in the ensuing investigation.”
http://bgr.com/2015/06/08/suicide-bombers-kill-themselves-fight/
Link at www.fark.com
Name that presidential candidate
Using now names to choose a president
(Note “choose” rather than “elect,” since the latter has such an old-fashioned, patriarchal, you know, sort of Constitutional sound, although “voting” would work, since that is what the viewing audience does for Dancing with the Stars and American Idol and other shows, so I have read.)
Previous presidents had such old fashioned names. GeWa, JoAd, ThJe. OK, the first two aren’t too bad, but how could anyone vote for ThJe? Is that pronounced “Thuge?”
Those were the first three. The remaining prezes: JaMa, JaMo, JoQuAd, AnJa, MaVaBu, WiHeHa, JoTy, JaPo, ZaTa, MiFi, FrPi, JaBu, AbLi, AnJa, UlGr, RuBHa, JaAGa, ChAAr, GrCl, BeHa, WiMc, ThRo, WiHoTa, WoWi, WaGaHa, CaCo, HeHo, FrDeRo, HaTr, DwDaEi, JoFiKe, LyBaJo, RiMiNi, GeFo, JiCa, RoRe, GeHeWaBu, WiCl, GeWaBu and BaHuOb.
Some might make MTV coverage or ESPN highlights.
Several would do as Star Wars characters,
Who do we have today? From the Dem side: HiRoCl, MaOm and LiCh.
Announced GOPers: BeCo, TeCr, CaFi, LiGr, MiHu, GePa, RaPa, RiPe, MaRu and RiSa.
I don’t know. We could use a JaLo or two.
(Note “choose” rather than “elect,” since the latter has such an old-fashioned, patriarchal, you know, sort of Constitutional sound, although “voting” would work, since that is what the viewing audience does for Dancing with the Stars and American Idol and other shows, so I have read.)
Previous presidents had such old fashioned names. GeWa, JoAd, ThJe. OK, the first two aren’t too bad, but how could anyone vote for ThJe? Is that pronounced “Thuge?”
Those were the first three. The remaining prezes: JaMa, JaMo, JoQuAd, AnJa, MaVaBu, WiHeHa, JoTy, JaPo, ZaTa, MiFi, FrPi, JaBu, AbLi, AnJa, UlGr, RuBHa, JaAGa, ChAAr, GrCl, BeHa, WiMc, ThRo, WiHoTa, WoWi, WaGaHa, CaCo, HeHo, FrDeRo, HaTr, DwDaEi, JoFiKe, LyBaJo, RiMiNi, GeFo, JiCa, RoRe, GeHeWaBu, WiCl, GeWaBu and BaHuOb.
Some might make MTV coverage or ESPN highlights.
Several would do as Star Wars characters,
Who do we have today? From the Dem side: HiRoCl, MaOm and LiCh.
Announced GOPers: BeCo, TeCr, CaFi, LiGr, MiHu, GePa, RaPa, RiPe, MaRu and RiSa.
I don’t know. We could use a JaLo or two.
Defeat ISIS? There’s an app for that
“Hundreds of Americans have gone to join ISIS in Syria, and U.S. officials are desperate to find new ways to blunt the group's recruitment efforts. Extremist recruiters are masters at social media while government officials are still learning to use those tools effectively. So the Obama administration has turned to a group of social media experts - millennials. …
“DINA TEMPLE-RASTON, BYLINE: The name of the initiative aimed at shaking ISIS's dominance in social media is called Peer 2 Peer: Challenging Extremism. It's premised on the idea that the best way to challenge terrorist groups is to deploy the very people they're trying to recruit - young people.”
http://www.npr.org/2015/06/05/412177020/white-house-invites-millennials-to-thwart-isis-recruitment-efforts?utm_content=buffer802f5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
On Monday, President Obama said the U.S. does not yet have a complete strategy for defeating ISIS. I guess we’re going to Tweet them to death through boredom.
https://ricochet.com/isis-our-non-strategy-and-our-too-calm-republican-candidates/
“DINA TEMPLE-RASTON, BYLINE: The name of the initiative aimed at shaking ISIS's dominance in social media is called Peer 2 Peer: Challenging Extremism. It's premised on the idea that the best way to challenge terrorist groups is to deploy the very people they're trying to recruit - young people.”
http://www.npr.org/2015/06/05/412177020/white-house-invites-millennials-to-thwart-isis-recruitment-efforts?utm_content=buffer802f5&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
On Monday, President Obama said the U.S. does not yet have a complete strategy for defeating ISIS. I guess we’re going to Tweet them to death through boredom.
https://ricochet.com/isis-our-non-strategy-and-our-too-calm-republican-candidates/
After a century of feminism, American women find:
“The role models for their daughters are lesbians and lunatics, but no one is allowed to mention that these women are lesbians and lunatics. They traded in one set of double standards for another set, the former being based in biology and the latter at odds with it.”
‘US Women Led by a Lesbian and a Lunatic’
(One each.)
http://thezman.com/wordpress/
‘US Women Led by a Lesbian and a Lunatic’
(One each.)
http://thezman.com/wordpress/
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
News
‘Real Housewives’ star will give up her Maserati. (Atlantic coast.)
‘Real Housewives’ star forced out of her home. (Pacific coast.)
‘Human Barbie’ feels degraded.
Lady Gaga pens essay.
‘Real Housewives’ star forced out of her home. (Pacific coast.)
‘Human Barbie’ feels degraded.
Lady Gaga pens essay.
Things I have learned about American society in the last few weeks
We all are:
Racist.
Sexual abusers.
Victims of sexual abuse.
Addicts.
The wrong gender.
Racist.
Sexual abusers.
Victims of sexual abuse.
Addicts.
The wrong gender.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Finding a story to fit a line
A couple of days ago I woke up with the last line of this entry in my mind, so I had to send the rummage scout into the far reaches to find a story to fit the line. Here it is:
Tom and Mary have been married 10 years. Mary is 29; Tom is 32. They have a 25-acre place about 12 miles outside town.
Mary works at a bank in town; Tom takes care of the small ranch, which has 10 head of cattle, three horses, four emu and four ostrich. Six months ago, Mary’s sister Melissa, 22, had a fight with her boyfriend and moved in with Mary and Tom – temporarily, Mary told Tom, and, “After all, we do have a guest room.”
For some time, Tom and Mary have been working on having a baby. They work diligently. They consulted a fertility expert, who helped them develop a system of tracking best times of possible fertility – time of the month and internal temperature and hormone levels and such. Mary’s employer is quite sympathetic and on days when the planets properly align, she allows Mary to hurry home and take care of business.
One such time arrived around 1 p.m. recently. Mary called Tom and told him she was on her way home. Tom said he had been working with the emu, but he had time for a shower before Mary arrived. Mary said it might be more conducive to realization of fertilization if Tom were in a “ready condition” when she arrived. Because of stress from work and responsibility in the fertilization process, Tom sometimes had difficulty remaining in the ready position.
This time, though, planetary alignment was good. Tom and Mary performed with due diligence and intensity. Twice.
When things were done, when our happy couple were somewhat relaxed, Mary said, “You were quite ready when I arrived.”
(And here is the line in my head when I woke up two days ago):
“It’s a good thing your sister is staying with us.”
Tom and Mary have been married 10 years. Mary is 29; Tom is 32. They have a 25-acre place about 12 miles outside town.
Mary works at a bank in town; Tom takes care of the small ranch, which has 10 head of cattle, three horses, four emu and four ostrich. Six months ago, Mary’s sister Melissa, 22, had a fight with her boyfriend and moved in with Mary and Tom – temporarily, Mary told Tom, and, “After all, we do have a guest room.”
For some time, Tom and Mary have been working on having a baby. They work diligently. They consulted a fertility expert, who helped them develop a system of tracking best times of possible fertility – time of the month and internal temperature and hormone levels and such. Mary’s employer is quite sympathetic and on days when the planets properly align, she allows Mary to hurry home and take care of business.
One such time arrived around 1 p.m. recently. Mary called Tom and told him she was on her way home. Tom said he had been working with the emu, but he had time for a shower before Mary arrived. Mary said it might be more conducive to realization of fertilization if Tom were in a “ready condition” when she arrived. Because of stress from work and responsibility in the fertilization process, Tom sometimes had difficulty remaining in the ready position.
This time, though, planetary alignment was good. Tom and Mary performed with due diligence and intensity. Twice.
When things were done, when our happy couple were somewhat relaxed, Mary said, “You were quite ready when I arrived.”
(And here is the line in my head when I woke up two days ago):
“It’s a good thing your sister is staying with us.”
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Red Army Choir 'Sweet Home Alabama'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrg0X9H6FGU
Never Yet Melted says Russians are most endearing when releasing their inner redneck.
Never Yet Melted says Russians are most endearing when releasing their inner redneck.
Before Isringhausen, teams took 1,156 players
Jason Isringhausen, right-handed pitcher, selected by the New York Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 draft. Number One that year was Brien Taylor. Number Five was Kenny Henderson. Number 15 was Tyrone Hill. None of those players got to The Show.
Isringhausen spent 16 years in the major leagues, had a won-loss record of 51-55; an ERA of 3.64; picked up 300 saves; pitched in two All Star games and a World Series; and made more than $55 million.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=isrinja01
Isringhausen spent 16 years in the major leagues, had a won-loss record of 51-55; an ERA of 3.64; picked up 300 saves; pitched in two All Star games and a World Series; and made more than $55 million.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=isrinja01
World War II bombs found in Calais
“Among the discoveries were two bombs, one of them booby-trapped, which were dropped by British aircraft during the war. Each weighs 227 kg.
“Construction teams working to upgrade the port last month also found 25 shells, said local official Denis Gaudin.
“Police have marked out a danger zone stretching 1.5 km, closing off the entry to France's busiest passenger port, which provides the main sea route to Britain for cars and transport vehicles.”
http://www.thelocal.fr/20150607/calais-port-closed-for-wwii-bomb-defusing
A day after D-Day celebrations
“Construction teams working to upgrade the port last month also found 25 shells, said local official Denis Gaudin.
“Police have marked out a danger zone stretching 1.5 km, closing off the entry to France's busiest passenger port, which provides the main sea route to Britain for cars and transport vehicles.”
http://www.thelocal.fr/20150607/calais-port-closed-for-wwii-bomb-defusing
A day after D-Day celebrations
Given Obama’s declaration he made the U.S. the most respected country in the world …
This was a few days ago, but bears repeating.
‘PM’s husband slams “do-nothing” Obama’
“We have never seen a time where we have such a risk adverse and timid global leadership - President Obama with his dogma of strategic patience, which to me just seems like an excuse to do nothing.” – Stephen Kinnock, Labour Party MP.
http://www.thelocal.dk/20150604/danish-pms-husband-slams-do-nothing-obama
Yeah, but then when a president does do something, somebody somewhere will accuse him of interfering in another country's politics.
‘PM’s husband slams “do-nothing” Obama’
“We have never seen a time where we have such a risk adverse and timid global leadership - President Obama with his dogma of strategic patience, which to me just seems like an excuse to do nothing.” – Stephen Kinnock, Labour Party MP.
http://www.thelocal.dk/20150604/danish-pms-husband-slams-do-nothing-obama
Yeah, but then when a president does do something, somebody somewhere will accuse him of interfering in another country's politics.
A headline you don’t see every day
‘Woman killed in hit-and-run after being shot in northeast Miami-Dade’
Family friend: “When I found out she got killed, I'm like, 'Wow, they die too young nowadays.'"
http://www.local10.com/news/woman-killed-in-hitandrun-after-being-shot/33436896
Family friend: “When I found out she got killed, I'm like, 'Wow, they die too young nowadays.'"
http://www.local10.com/news/woman-killed-in-hitandrun-after-being-shot/33436896
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Hello, folks. I’m Kim Jong Il
Here’s a video of my latest design, the award-winning Korea Car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM3UAnCH5IE
(Video is one Fearless Leader ago, but still worth some chuckles.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM3UAnCH5IE
(Video is one Fearless Leader ago, but still worth some chuckles.)
Gator guard part 2
The alligator popped up when the dogs were out late this afternoon.
“Is that it?” Priscilla said after we had had the dogs out about five minutes.
I looked around and saw only some floating green stuff, washed into the pond by last night’s rain.
“Over there,” she said, pointing.
I looked. Sure enough -- a large floating reptile. The alligator was showing the most of itself I had yet seen, half the snout and half its body above the surface. If its display was to get attention, it was successful.
We watched it move slowly from right to left. The five dogs were oblivious.
The alligator made a 60-degree turn toward us when about halfway across the pond. It was about 20 feet from shore.
“We’re going in,” Priscilla said. She gathered the dogs. I followed.
When we all were inside the lanai, I looked back at the pond. The alligator floated on the same course, about 10 feet from shore.
Adventures in Florida.
“Is that it?” Priscilla said after we had had the dogs out about five minutes.
I looked around and saw only some floating green stuff, washed into the pond by last night’s rain.
“Over there,” she said, pointing.
I looked. Sure enough -- a large floating reptile. The alligator was showing the most of itself I had yet seen, half the snout and half its body above the surface. If its display was to get attention, it was successful.
We watched it move slowly from right to left. The five dogs were oblivious.
The alligator made a 60-degree turn toward us when about halfway across the pond. It was about 20 feet from shore.
“We’re going in,” Priscilla said. She gathered the dogs. I followed.
When we all were inside the lanai, I looked back at the pond. The alligator floated on the same course, about 10 feet from shore.
Adventures in Florida.
Gator guard
Having an alligator in the pond out back is a neat thing, as long as alligator and human remember limitations and boundaries.
Having an alligator is not the same as having a lion. To start with, seldom does one find “a lion” in the wild, whereas alligators almost always travel in ones. A pride can be much more intrusive than a single big reptile.
Our alligator has, so far, stayed in its confines. The pond out back is around an acre and has sufficient fish and turtles to satisfy an alligator appetite.
The alligator, however, has made an appearance close to shore the last two times my wife and I kept our daughter’s three dogs. The youngest dog looks like a Dogo Argentino. It has all the colorations and weight and, therefore, is not a likely alligator meal, unless an alligator happened to be very hungry and aggressive. Our dogs are Standard poodles, 87 and 60 pounds.
The other two dogs are Pugs. Perfect alligator meals. Right weight for eating and right size for not putting up much of a fight if grabbed.
This morning, my wife said, “I am taking the dogs out back. I’ll keep the big ones on leashes and try to keep Lola and Jack (Pugs) away from the pond.”
Reading the unspoken request, I said, “Do you want me to stand gator guard?” She said that was a good idea,
I got my 5.5-foot walking stick and journeyed out back. I positioned about six feet from the water, a proper distance for one armed with a walking stick only slightly less than six feet long. The three big dogs were, of course, trying to go in three different directions. But they were leashed, and my wife is quite good at controlling leashed dogs.
The not-leashed Pugs went along the levee but did not venture near the water. That was good, because my legs no longer make quick turns or strides. A quick turn and attempted stride made at the same time will result in my body contacting whatever surface I am walking on. Thick grass makes a good landing surface, but if the alligator should burst from the water and land between the Pugs and me, its speed likely would be greater than mine.
Nothing untoward happened this morning. I expect only toward events when we take the dogs out.
But seeing snout and eyes just above the surface gives one pause.
Having an alligator is not the same as having a lion. To start with, seldom does one find “a lion” in the wild, whereas alligators almost always travel in ones. A pride can be much more intrusive than a single big reptile.
Our alligator has, so far, stayed in its confines. The pond out back is around an acre and has sufficient fish and turtles to satisfy an alligator appetite.
The alligator, however, has made an appearance close to shore the last two times my wife and I kept our daughter’s three dogs. The youngest dog looks like a Dogo Argentino. It has all the colorations and weight and, therefore, is not a likely alligator meal, unless an alligator happened to be very hungry and aggressive. Our dogs are Standard poodles, 87 and 60 pounds.
The other two dogs are Pugs. Perfect alligator meals. Right weight for eating and right size for not putting up much of a fight if grabbed.
This morning, my wife said, “I am taking the dogs out back. I’ll keep the big ones on leashes and try to keep Lola and Jack (Pugs) away from the pond.”
Reading the unspoken request, I said, “Do you want me to stand gator guard?” She said that was a good idea,
I got my 5.5-foot walking stick and journeyed out back. I positioned about six feet from the water, a proper distance for one armed with a walking stick only slightly less than six feet long. The three big dogs were, of course, trying to go in three different directions. But they were leashed, and my wife is quite good at controlling leashed dogs.
The not-leashed Pugs went along the levee but did not venture near the water. That was good, because my legs no longer make quick turns or strides. A quick turn and attempted stride made at the same time will result in my body contacting whatever surface I am walking on. Thick grass makes a good landing surface, but if the alligator should burst from the water and land between the Pugs and me, its speed likely would be greater than mine.
Nothing untoward happened this morning. I expect only toward events when we take the dogs out.
But seeing snout and eyes just above the surface gives one pause.
More proof journalists do not know the meaning of words
Teaser head at Brietbart: “Malala assassins acquitted.”
Assassin: “a person who kills someone (such as a famous or important person) usually for political reasons or for money : a person who assassinates someone.”
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassin
I’m pretty sure the girl is still alive.
Assassin: “a person who kills someone (such as a famous or important person) usually for political reasons or for money : a person who assassinates someone.”
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassin
I’m pretty sure the girl is still alive.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Ghetto Award
An eighth grade student in Sulphur Springs Middle School gets a “ghetto award,” and the school district has this to say:
"SSISD wants to apologize to anyone that was offended by this action."
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-middle-school-teachers-give-student-ghetto-award/ar-BBkJuFM?ocid=HPCDHP
That’s what is called an “apology” these days. “I apologize if you were offended by what I said.” I wasn’t wrong, it’s just that you were offended.
Schools and politicians do not know how to say, “We were wrong.” No. “We are sorry if you were offended.”
Hell, who wasn’t offended?
And, “anyone that.” Anyone is “who,” not “that.”
My family lived in Sulphur Springs for 25 years. If a student is of good deportment, attentive and keeps his grades up, teachers and administrators are OK. But the administration tries to run off students who have been determined “a problem child.” Priscilla and I had two of the first and one of the second, so we know how the Sulphur Springs School system works. The 8th grader’s mother was in my daughter’s class and in Priscilla’s Girl Scouts troop.
http://www.myssnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29438:teachers-ghetto-awards-spark-controversy-at-ssms&catid=93:local-news&Itemid=376
"SSISD wants to apologize to anyone that was offended by this action."
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-middle-school-teachers-give-student-ghetto-award/ar-BBkJuFM?ocid=HPCDHP
That’s what is called an “apology” these days. “I apologize if you were offended by what I said.” I wasn’t wrong, it’s just that you were offended.
Schools and politicians do not know how to say, “We were wrong.” No. “We are sorry if you were offended.”
Hell, who wasn’t offended?
And, “anyone that.” Anyone is “who,” not “that.”
My family lived in Sulphur Springs for 25 years. If a student is of good deportment, attentive and keeps his grades up, teachers and administrators are OK. But the administration tries to run off students who have been determined “a problem child.” Priscilla and I had two of the first and one of the second, so we know how the Sulphur Springs School system works. The 8th grader’s mother was in my daughter’s class and in Priscilla’s Girl Scouts troop.
http://www.myssnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29438:teachers-ghetto-awards-spark-controversy-at-ssms&catid=93:local-news&Itemid=376
Of Rangers and the New Religion
Once again, Z Man drives in the nail with accurate hammer strokes.
'The Mind of the Maniac'
Whenever controversy breaks out over some new Progressive lunacy, a daily occurrence of late, the normal community struggles to explain what is happening, without writing it off to insanity. Usually, the old tropes are deployed as a way of labeling it as nuts so everyone can move on. “Marxism!” “They just want power!” “It’s the radical Progressive agenda!” “The Chicago way!”
Frankly, I think the next person who mentions Saul Alinsky should be pushed up against the wall and shot. But, that’s why I refrain from watching Fox News or listening to talk radio. I know those people are, for the most part, on my side of the fight, but I just can’t take the repetition of catch phrases that has become what passes for Conservatism these days.
That aside, the more thoughtful outside the fever swamps struggle to come to grips with what’s going on. After all, the people hooting and bellowing about the use of pronouns with regards to Bruce Jenner seem like sensible people. They went to college. They have respectable jobs in the media. They function in their day-to-day lives without a custodian. How can they not see the madness of our age?
Take for example this story about Ranger School. The short version is, in the name of fairness, girls were allowed to enter Ranger School and all twenty washed out the first time. Eight were invited back and they washed out again. Three were invited to give it a third shot. Strongly hinted, but not explicitly said, is the plan to maybe lower the standards so the girls can pass and become Rangers.
The Rangers are the best of the best, and being a Ranger means passing a physical test that pushes body and mind to the breaking point. If women can’t do it, the argument goes, then they shouldn’t be Rangers.
But there is another opinion quietly being voiced as well: that Ranger School is more akin to a rite of passage – an opportunity for men to “thump their chest,” as one Ranger puts it – than a realistic preparation for leading in war. That women can actually make Ranger units more effective. And that the standards that keep them out are outdated.
This, of course, is an attempt to move the goal posts. Ranger school was designed to cull the weak from the strong, both physically and mentally, so the remainder is an elite corp (sic) of fighters. This is not unique to the US military or to modern militarizes. Germanic tribes utilized a form of special forces against the Roman Legions. The Spartans organized their society around segregating their elite warriors into special units.
The question, therefore, is why in the world would the military want to risk degrading these units in an effort to include women. You’ll note that it is just assumed that inclusion of women would make the units more effective. Nowhere will you find anyone providing a reason why that is so. It is just a given like the laws of thermodynamics or gravity.
The question remains. Why?
Normal people would look at this and conclude the obvious. That is, point of the spear soldiering is the most physically and mentally demanding thing a human can do. Men are larger, stronger and possess greater cardiovascular capacity so men will dominate women in the physical aspects. Men are also more aggressive and violent, characteristics that come in handy when trying to kill people.
The members of the New Religion, however, believe biology is an illusion and that sexes are an artifact from a bygone era. There are no “men” or “women” in a strict sense. People are “assigned” a sex at birth and that colors their development into what we think of as men and women. That’s why the “women” are failing Ranger School.
Further, perfect equality is the optimal result of humanity, the true nature of man. Therefore unequal results must mean we’re doing something wrong. Our society is arranged in an immoral or unjust way causing these variations in results. That’s key to understanding the worldview of these people. They have a mystical vision of the perfect human society, which drives them to keep rearranging things in order to achieve it.
That’s why Ranger School will eventually be turned into diversity seminar. It’s effectiveness as a fighting unit is of no concern to the New Religion. What is of ultimate concern, the all consuming concern, is that the unit is perfectly equal and there is no difference between the members, regardless of what “sex” they were assigned at birth. If it is impossible to achieve such a thing, then it must be destroyed. An offense to the great spirit cannot be tolerated.
That’s the other part of the New Religion. Their destruction of social institutions without the slightest idea of how to replace them is not nihilism. Much like fanatical Muslims, fanatical Progressives see the elimination of that which offends their beliefs as part of the march to perfection. The Mohammedan thinks that end is to dwell with Allah for eternity. Progressives see the end as the eschaton, which can only come about when the imperfections are removed.
http://thezman.com/wordpress/
'The Mind of the Maniac'
Whenever controversy breaks out over some new Progressive lunacy, a daily occurrence of late, the normal community struggles to explain what is happening, without writing it off to insanity. Usually, the old tropes are deployed as a way of labeling it as nuts so everyone can move on. “Marxism!” “They just want power!” “It’s the radical Progressive agenda!” “The Chicago way!”
Frankly, I think the next person who mentions Saul Alinsky should be pushed up against the wall and shot. But, that’s why I refrain from watching Fox News or listening to talk radio. I know those people are, for the most part, on my side of the fight, but I just can’t take the repetition of catch phrases that has become what passes for Conservatism these days.
That aside, the more thoughtful outside the fever swamps struggle to come to grips with what’s going on. After all, the people hooting and bellowing about the use of pronouns with regards to Bruce Jenner seem like sensible people. They went to college. They have respectable jobs in the media. They function in their day-to-day lives without a custodian. How can they not see the madness of our age?
Take for example this story about Ranger School. The short version is, in the name of fairness, girls were allowed to enter Ranger School and all twenty washed out the first time. Eight were invited back and they washed out again. Three were invited to give it a third shot. Strongly hinted, but not explicitly said, is the plan to maybe lower the standards so the girls can pass and become Rangers.
The Rangers are the best of the best, and being a Ranger means passing a physical test that pushes body and mind to the breaking point. If women can’t do it, the argument goes, then they shouldn’t be Rangers.
But there is another opinion quietly being voiced as well: that Ranger School is more akin to a rite of passage – an opportunity for men to “thump their chest,” as one Ranger puts it – than a realistic preparation for leading in war. That women can actually make Ranger units more effective. And that the standards that keep them out are outdated.
This, of course, is an attempt to move the goal posts. Ranger school was designed to cull the weak from the strong, both physically and mentally, so the remainder is an elite corp (sic) of fighters. This is not unique to the US military or to modern militarizes. Germanic tribes utilized a form of special forces against the Roman Legions. The Spartans organized their society around segregating their elite warriors into special units.
The question, therefore, is why in the world would the military want to risk degrading these units in an effort to include women. You’ll note that it is just assumed that inclusion of women would make the units more effective. Nowhere will you find anyone providing a reason why that is so. It is just a given like the laws of thermodynamics or gravity.
The question remains. Why?
Normal people would look at this and conclude the obvious. That is, point of the spear soldiering is the most physically and mentally demanding thing a human can do. Men are larger, stronger and possess greater cardiovascular capacity so men will dominate women in the physical aspects. Men are also more aggressive and violent, characteristics that come in handy when trying to kill people.
The members of the New Religion, however, believe biology is an illusion and that sexes are an artifact from a bygone era. There are no “men” or “women” in a strict sense. People are “assigned” a sex at birth and that colors their development into what we think of as men and women. That’s why the “women” are failing Ranger School.
Further, perfect equality is the optimal result of humanity, the true nature of man. Therefore unequal results must mean we’re doing something wrong. Our society is arranged in an immoral or unjust way causing these variations in results. That’s key to understanding the worldview of these people. They have a mystical vision of the perfect human society, which drives them to keep rearranging things in order to achieve it.
That’s why Ranger School will eventually be turned into diversity seminar. It’s effectiveness as a fighting unit is of no concern to the New Religion. What is of ultimate concern, the all consuming concern, is that the unit is perfectly equal and there is no difference between the members, regardless of what “sex” they were assigned at birth. If it is impossible to achieve such a thing, then it must be destroyed. An offense to the great spirit cannot be tolerated.
That’s the other part of the New Religion. Their destruction of social institutions without the slightest idea of how to replace them is not nihilism. Much like fanatical Muslims, fanatical Progressives see the elimination of that which offends their beliefs as part of the march to perfection. The Mohammedan thinks that end is to dwell with Allah for eternity. Progressives see the end as the eschaton, which can only come about when the imperfections are removed.
http://thezman.com/wordpress/
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