Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Oklahoma, Alley Oop and Stone Age archaeology

Dallas Frazier was born in Spiro, Okla. His parents moved to Bakersfield, Calif. Lots of Okie offspring in Bakersfield – Buck Owens, Merle Haggard – and a genre of music known as “the Bakersfield sound.” Frazier wrote “Alley Oop,” one of the best rock-era songs of pre-Beatles times. “Alley Oop” was recorded by studio musicians. Here is a link, if you are in the mood for silly, yet somehow meaningful, music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz6IpmmYSXA

Spiro is also near Spiro Mounds, one of North America’s most important archaeological sites, so Wikipedia says. It is the westernmost border of the Mississippian Culture.

Hmm. Boy born near Stone Age community later writes song about a Stone Age dude. Coincidence?

He shore is hip, ain’t he.


Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Things I would do if I lived 150 or 200 years ago

Run a freight business, with wagons and mules, maybe oxen.

Run a water-powered grist mill.

Own a few hundred acres with grass and run cattle.

Own and operate a small-town weekly newspaper.

Own and operate a general store.

Ride from town to town and see what was going on.

Stuff I’m getting tired of

I don’t know when it started. The earliest I remember was on Law and Order, when mean old Arthur Branch fired Serena Southerlyn, and Southerlyn’s first remark was: “Is it because I’m lesbian?”

What? What? Where did this come from?

See, the LGBQT-backers just drop that kind of thing on you. There is no previous indication of sodomite activity; just a sudden announcement.

And on Wheel of Fortune – yes, America’s game – when a woman contestant says she has been married for (__) years “to my lovely wife,” or a man contestant says he is married to “my wonderful husband.”

Last week on America’s Game, a contestant gave her job description as “erotic poet” and said she and her “wife” performed at women’s meetings and conventions.

Then, on NCIS New Orleans, two women FBI agents were in conversation, and one said, “Isn’t that why we broke up?”

What? Where did that come from? Again, no previous indication of sodomite activity, but writers/producers suddenly decide: “Hey – Let’s make a character lesbian! We don’t have one on the show. Everybody else has one.”

I guess I’ll just shuffle off to that Old Man Room, the one in my mind, where everybody is straight.

An amazing piece of stupid

Matthew Continetti, establishment conservative: “Many of the conservatives in Washington, D.C., myself included, arrived at their politics through study or experience at university, by encountering a great text, the coherence of natural law, the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, or the economics of Smith, Ricardo, Friedman, and Tullock.” – The Company Men

http://thezman.com/wordpress/

Few things are jaw-dropping stupid, but that conclusion certainly is. Calluses on hands? Not for him. A shovel handle? Ditto. Marching through dust, rain and snow? Oh, no! His take is scripted liberal/progressive – You street corner people are too dumb to know what is good for you.

Monday, December 26, 2016

Is Baghdad Bob working for Palestinian Authority?

2003 – Saddam Hussein’s press rep tells news there were no U.S. forces in Baghdad, but video shows tanks a few blocks away. A day later, he said U.S. forces were “dying by the thousands” on the walls of Baghdad.

2016 – A “confidant of PA President Mahmoud Abbas” says the PA is collecting names and photographs of “’hundreds’ of Israel Defense Forces” and will take names and pictures to the International Criminal Court in 2017.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-confidant-we-will-take-hundreds-of-idf-soldiers-to-icc-this-year/?utm_source=The+Times+of+Israel+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=b3eb157a86-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adb46cec92-b3eb157a86-55395173

“In 2017, we are going to The Hague,” said Nasser Laham, according to Channel 2.

“We have hundreds of pages of names of IDF officers. Every pilot and every officer and every soldier — we have his photo, we have his name, and we are waiting for him at The Hague.”

(Every pilot and every officer and every soldier. Hundreds of them. Yes, yes, yes. Hundreds, I tell you.)

A real Tasmanian devil

‘Runaway seal’ sounds funny, unless it’s your windshield the 500-pound animal is sitting on.

“Dubbed ‘Mr Lou-Seal’ the animal made its way into the suburb of Newstead earlier today, sitting on cars causing thousands of dollars of damage and nonchalantly lumbering through the leafy streets.”

http://www.news.com.au/national/tasmanian-police-are-hunting-down-a-seal-in-the-launceston-suburb-of-newstead/news-story/fa96c1a883e23c14c8b9c8fd9363c67b?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

Link at http://www.fark.com/



Saturday, December 24, 2016

So this ex-employee tries to rob his former boss in Mountain Pine, Ark.

The store owner had a shotgun; the robber fired a pistol.

"I told him 'Get down, drop the gun, everything,'" said Singh. "I gave him fair warning."

Singh took cover behind an aisle, after seeing the gunman was ignoring his commands. He said the two fired at each other. The suspects bullet hit the ceiling, but Singh's ...

"I shot him in his face," said Singh.

"It was pretty bad,' said Singh. "I couldn't believe somebody that I tried to help and they do me like this. It doesn't make sense."

He said Willis has a newborn and he would have helped him had he asked.

http://www.arkansasmatters.com/news/local-news/suspect-shot-in-face-while-trying-to-rob-garland-co-store/630200156

Link at http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=69534

Friday, December 23, 2016

My wife laughed at the way I load a clothes dryer

Tonight I found out why my method is the proper way.

http://taskandpurpose.com/5-military-habits-change-civilian-things/

If you were never in a branch that uses hand grenades as a normal business tool, you might not understand. You have my sympathy.

#4 Putting laundry into a front-loading dryer

“I don’t know about you, but my washer and dryer sit right next to each other, so I’m always loading my dryer from the side, and the dryer opening looks very much like a machine gun port on a bunker. So all of a sudden the commonplace act of putting wet clothes into the dryer turns into destroying an enemy bunker with a grenade. The process is simple: reach into the washing machine, grab a handful of wet laundry, take up a good covered and concealed position next to the dryer, peer around the side, visually inspect the opening of the dryer to ensure you have a clear shot, then extend your arm, toss the laundry into the dryer, and roll back and away from the dryer to ensure you’re not caught in your own blast. And my wife wonders why I take so long to do laundry.”

(I don’t roll away from the dryer, but I don’t stand in front while loading it, either.)

The barbarians are no longer at the gate

They are in the garden.

“Angela Merkel’s decision to import a million violent low-IQ barbarians is just the most egregious example of the reckless disregard for their duties by the German rulers and the indifference of the German people to it.” – ‘Europe’s Bloody Future”

http://thezman.com/wordpress/

Concerning the “low-IQ barbarians.” Those people, Z-Man has said before, result from marriage of first cousins. Forget Sunni-Shia dustups. Keeping things in the family is a long Arab tradition, become Muslim in Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other countries.

In a previous post, Z-Man mentioned IQ as an important part in a nation of successful governance by its citizens. People in Muslim Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and African nations, Z-Man said, do not have an average IQ sufficient for successful representative government.

Or: “(I)t seems like there is a point, somewhere around 97, above which a modern civilization can be maintained and below which things abruptly begin to fall apart.”

https://staffanspersonalityblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/the-iq-breaking-point-how-civilized-society-is-maintained-or-lost/

A thing to consider: It is incorrect to think those real or media-hyped refugees will become just like us. Incorrect and dangerous. It is wrong to think their children will become Western republican/democrats. See what France has wrought since its acceptance of Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians since the end of colonialism. See weekly headlines of murders in France.

We got out of Europe, and Europe is on the verge of collapse.

“For close to fifty years, Western Europe was America’s daycare center. Americans did all the heavy lifting with regard to the defense of Western Civilization both militarily and economically. European elites were allowed to play dress up and pretend to be in charge, but everyone knew the Americans were in charge. If something broke, America fixed it. If someone got an ouchy, America would salve their boo-boo. The Pax Americana allowed the West to remain in a state of perpetual adolescence.” (Z-Man link.)



Thursday, December 22, 2016

A ‘Yeah, but…’ headline

‘14-year-old shoots woman mistaken for animal in East Texas’

Rest of story: “Authorities found the woman’s car covered by a tarp and hidden in the backyard (sic) of the abandoned building. The woman did not have permission to be at the location and appeared to be burglarizing the house.”

http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/main-news/14-year-old-shoots-woman-mistaken-for-animal-in-east-texas/624561178

Link at http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=69493

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Navy makes ‘course correction’ on ratings

“Navy leaders are reversing their controversial decision to eliminate sailors’ ratings and will restore job titles across the fleet, according to a Navy message set for release Wednesday.

“Effective immediately, enlisted sailors will officially regain their ratings, the traditional job titles that have inspired a deep cultural loyalty and that have defined enlisted career tracks for generations, Navy officials said.



“Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, called it a ‘course correction’ and acknowledged the overwhelmingly negative reaction from the fleet was a key factor in the decision.

https://www.navytimes.com/articles/ratings-restored-effective-immediately-sailors-will-get-their-job-titles-back

Link at http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=69490

And: Navy’s top officer admits he misjudged backlash before dumping ratings. Same Navy Times link.

Maybe the admiral “misjudged backlash” because he never was a sailor, but a naval officer. “Course correction” is navalese for “I f’d up big time and have got to make it sound like I am a flexible leader.”


Monday, December 19, 2016

Chocolate war in Croatia

“The president of Croatia has issued a public apology for handing out packages of sweets that included Serbia-made chocolate to children in Dubrovnik, the ancient Adriatic Sea resort attacked and damaged by the Serb-led Yugoslav army in 1991.

“President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic’s made the apology under pressure from Croatian nationalists.

“But Serb politicians responded with anger to her gesture, calling for a boycott of Croatian goods in Serbia. Some even demanded cutting ties between the two neighboring countries.

“Grabar Kitarovic said she was ‘unpleasantly surprised’ to learn the packages distributed in Dubrovnik this week included the Serbian chocolate product after the children’s parents complained.

“’We will apologize to parents and replace the chocolate with Croatian products,’ Grabar Kitarovic said Wednesday.

http://www.ansa.it/nuova_europa/en/news/sections/news/2016/12/09/chocolate-bar-made-in-serbia-triggers-trouble-in-croatia_a731a725-7ea6-4494-be86-c54c9833ac71.html

Of course, it takes two to make a war, and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said: “I’m unaware that Croatia has declared war on us.”

Link at http://gatesofvienna.net/2016/12/gates-of-vienna-news-feed-12182016/#more-41734




Sunday, December 18, 2016

On a sign somewhere

Smoke Turkey Drumsticks
Smoke Turkey Wings
Smoke Cow Feet
Cow Something
Fresh Pork
Salt Pig Feet
Salt Pig Tail
Frozen Fish

(I’m guessing this is not a kosher market.)

http://www.engrish.com/wp-content/uploads//2016/12/cow-something.jpg

And here’s a KISS T-shirt with four guys from Liverpool.

http://www.engrish.com/wp-content/uploads//2016/12/cow-something.jpg




Saturday, December 17, 2016

Some ships at Tampa docked near cruise ship

ATC-25 – deck stripped, no equipment visible. Search says ATC-25 is a chemical tank barge, no power, built in 1981, registered in USA. Picture with tug Osprey, 2012, in Galveston, Texas:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1563414

USCG 556, in drydock – Joshua Appleby, a Keeper-class cutter, based out of St. Petersburg. Wikipedia link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Joshua_Appleby

American Victory – A Victory-class ship, laid down 30 March 1945, launched 24 May 1945, acquired by the U.S. 20 June 1945, out of service 1969. Now a museum in Port of Tampa. Between 1946 and 1966, American Victory spent 10 years in naval service and 10 years chartered to commercial carriers. The ship delivered cargo to Vietnam from 1966-69. She is one of three Victory-class ships still afloat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_American_Victory

In the interest of security

“Holland America Line

“Dear Guests(s),

“We would like to inform you that your luggage was identified by terminal security for an additional security check onboard therefore, we kindly ask you to proceed to Deck 1, midship, at your earliest convenience, in order for you to be present when we inspect your luggage. Your luggage will then be delivered to your stateroom shortly after.

“Kind regards,

“Guest Services
“ms Oosterdam”

(What it was, was a bottle of medicine. The cruise line has a rule on number of bottles of liquor that may be brought aboard; therefore, people sometimes try to sneak on more stuff. The letter was addressed to “Dear Guests(s), and there was no punctuation between “onboard” and “therefore.”)

Friday, December 16, 2016

Government replacing everything

Where innovation once led America, government now rules.

Modernized winter holiday songs

I saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus

Illegally Occupied Town of Bethlehem

Judenfrei Night

In the garden of the Hemingway House

He was a well-off man, financially. He had enough money for houses in several places – Florida, Arkansas, Idaho, Cuba, probably others.

Sitting on a bench outside the house, shaded by bamboo, I realized: He didn’t have as much stuff as a 2016 American who lives below the Federal Poverty Line.

Hemingway House, Key West, Florida

Nice place, well-equipped for its time. Pictures of Hemingway, with Ingrid Bergman, with a Cuban in October 1960, on his boat Pilar.

There were no pictures of Hemingway with a dead lion or big horn sheep or elk, or any other animal he was known to have killed on safari or hunting trip. No safari pictures at all, and only one of Hemingway with a big marlin.

Several years ago I saw a short film of Hemingway on safari – Hemingway and his gun bearer at the right-hand side, a black-maned lion charging in a full-out run, intent on killing Hemingway and the gun bearer. Hemingway tracked the lion, shot it at around 20 feet. The lion rolled over, dying close enough Hemingway leaned forward and put a just-in-case bullet into it.

Now that would have been a good thing to show to tourists.

Illusions at sea

Three lights hung in the dark ocean sky, two reds and a white, three inches above the eastern horizon. On a clock face, the reds would have been at one o’clock and four o’clock, the white at 10 o’clock. After I had watched for less than a minute, all three lights began descending, each taking a 45-degree dive toward the ocean. The lights continued to descend long after they should have disappeared. It is understandable, why there are reports of lights going into the ocean – the Underwater Unidentified Flying Objects.

But the lights I saw did not reach the ocean; they just kept descending.

Won’t you let me take you on a sea cruise

That’s what my wife said, sort of. Several months ago she informed me she and three other wives were booking a cruise, and did I want to go? Other husbands had agreed to accompany the wives.

My only other trip on a ship was in early spring, 1965, Oakland to the Republic of Korea, on a Navy troop ship. The trip was uneventful and rather enjoyable. I had no duties, other than keep my area clean (a canvas hammock) and shave every day, as any soldier should. The ship stopped in Pearl Harbor, Guam, Yokohama, Okinawa and then anchored off Inchon, where we soldiers boarded an LCI (Landing Craft Infantry) for the trip to shore. Pacific Ocean, warm weather, lie on deck – what’s not to like? The ship even had a library.

So, 51 (not far from 52) years later, civilian ship, Key West to somewhere in Honduras to somewhere in Guatemala to somewhere in Mexico and return to Tampa. Food was OK, for the most part. The weather was fine.

We got back this morning.

Overall thought, as written by Chuck Berry: I’m so glad I’m living in the USA.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

This should have made the list

of World’s Strangest Airports.

“Phuket International Airport (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานภูเก็ต) (IATA: HKT, ICAO: VTSP) is an international airport serving Phuket Province of Thailand. It is in the north of Phuket Island, 32 kilometres (20 mi) from the centre of Phuket City. … Phuket Island is a popular resort destination.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phuket_International_Airport

Bangkok, Phuket … What is one to make of Thailand?

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Cloud Chief, Okla., and Dale Mitchell

Dale Mitchell played major league ball from 1946-56, all but a few games for the Cleveland Indians. His last year in the majors, Mitchell played 38 games for the Indians and 19 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He hit .292 for Brooklyn, and played four games in the 1956 World Series. Mitchell was called out on strikes as the last out in Don Larsen’s no-hitter. Mitchell always said the pitch was a ball. Watching a film of the at-bat, I agree with Mitchell.

Mitchell’s lifetime batting average was .312. In the Indians’ 1948 championship year, Mitchell got 204 hits, then followed with 203 hits the next year.

Mitchell was born in Colony, Oklahoma. He grew up in Cloud Chief and is buried there.

Cloud Chief was county seat of Washita County. The town no longer exists. Here is a link to a picture of the court house in 1898.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Chief,_Oklahoma#/media/File:WashitaCoCourthouse1898.jpg

Men in the picture are digging a water well. Oil was still hiding beneath the surface in other parts of Oklahoma.

“The Cloud Chief public schools opened for the 1892-1893 school year. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a high school in 1938, which closed after the 1959-1960 school year. The high school was known as the Cloud Chief Warriors. The Cloud Chief post office closed on December 31, 1964. The town also lost its charter in 1964.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Chief,_Oklahoma

Mitchell played college ball at the University of Oklahoma. His career batting average was .467. His senior year, he hit .507.

“The L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park at the University of Oklahoma is named in his honor.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Mitchell_(baseball)


Robber: I got a gun. Clerk: So do I

“In Kansas City, Missouri, Tho Van Tran showed his gun to a convenience store clerk in an attempt to rob the store. The clerk had his own gun and shot Mr. Tran in the shoulder and held him down until the police arrived.”

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=69251

Cause and effect a Western concept

ISIS with RPG in an enclosed room.

http://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/terrorism/isis-fighter-no-rocket-scientist/4758591798001

RPG – Rocket Propelled Grenade.

An enemy of experts.

http://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/terrorism/tribute-to-terrorists-who-got-the-touch/3791251371001

Not.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

CNN anchor solidifies place as most stupid on TV news

And to hold that position is an achievement of supreme effort.

“By Douglas Ernst – The Washington Times – Tuesday, November 29, 2016

“A CNN host used a segment on Islamophobia on Monday to suggest American non-Muslims may want to start wearing hijabs.

“’New Day’ with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota featured a piece titled ‘The Trump transition: Fearful Muslim women take steps to be safe’ just hours before Abdul Razak Ali Artan, 20, attempted to use a vehicle and a butcher knife to kill Ohio State University students. The ill-timed story ended with Ms. Camerota discussing ways to ease the fears of Muslim Americans.

“’Maybe there will be a movement where people wear the head scarf in solidarity. You know, even if you’re not Muslim,’ Ms. Camerota said, The Daily Caller reported Tuesday. ‘Maybe it’s the way people shave their heads, you know, sometimes in solidarity with somebody who is going through something.’”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/nov/29/alisyn-camerota-cnn-host-suggests-americans-wear-h/

“…the way people shave their heads … sometimes in solidarity with somebody who is going through something.” Going through something. Like, maybe, cancer? This woman suggests President-Elect Donald Trump has made Muslim women as fearful as though they had cancer.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Update on 'Vlad the Impaler'

I read less than half the book. The saying is reinforced: You get what you pay for.

‘There are no more Italians’

More mosques in Italy?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e43_1479914309

Link at http://gatesofvienna.net/

A book about Vlad the Impaler has violence?

Book shopping, Eastern Europe, an interesting title: “Vlad the Impaler; Son of Dracul,” by Alan C. Baird.

Then I see this: WARNING: GRAPHIC TRANSGRESSIVE VIOLENCE.

Really? A book about Vlad the Impaler contains violence? An assumption: Any book with “Impaler” in the title probably has some graphic violence, even if quoted from historical documents.

What, I wondered, is “transgressive violence?” Normally, “trans” can refer to movement (transportation) or “on the other side of,” as in “Trans Caucasus.” These days, though, “trans” figures in lots of things – too many things. “Transsexual” or “Transgender” come to mind, since those are things of importance (according to news people) in the so essential, on-going debate and argument and etc. as to who uses which facility to stand or sit while peeing. (All part of the Progressive Social Justice War that one kind of genitalia is no more important than another kind, unless yours is of the kind designated male by the patriarchy, in which case you are doomed to the fires of Hell for having that kind, but if yours is of the kind designated female, then you are an angel of discretion and harbor no ill will toward any human. Or non-human. Or any other thing or molecule.)

A search shows “transgressive” in this case to be “Of or relating to a genre of fiction, filmmaking, or art characterized by graphic depictions of behavior that violate socially acceptable norms, often involving violence, drug use, and sexual deviancy.” That’s from the Free Dictionary.

Still, I wondered why anybody found it necessary to place a warning on a book about Vlad the Impaler. The book is 45 pages. It was free. There is the possibility of “You get what you pay for.”

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Jennie, Jennie, Jennie -- Arkansas

Three Jennies, three stories, and how “several hundred acres of swampland” became McCrory, Arkansas.

“Around 1840, a traveler riding through what is now Woodruff County stopped at a cabin in the woods to ask directions. A woman who gave her name as Jennie came to the door surrounded by children of every size. Later, the traveler jokingly said he had asked his way at Jennie's Colony, referring to the multitude of children. The name stuck and for many years after, the area was known as ‘Jennie's Colony.’

“Or so the story goes. Other sources assure us Jennie's Colony was named for Jennie Edmonds, an early settler of Woodruff County. Still others confidently state that Jennie's Colony got its name from Jennie Barnes, whose husband first settled there. Whatever the true story of Jennie's Colony may be, it is a fact that a part of the Colony later became the site of the town of McCrory.”

http://www.cityofmccrory.com/

By the 2010 census, McCrory’s population was 1,729. The largest population ever was 1,971 in the 1990 census. The 2015 population was estimated at 1,601. So, the town continues losing people.

McCrory is about 79.5% white, 19% black, and less than 1% Hispanic, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander and whatever other designations the government puts on people or someone puts on himself. The poverty rate is about 16.5% of families, 21% of the whole population, 28% of those under 18 and 19% over 65.

No doubt you have often asked, “How do I know if I am poor?” Well, the U.S. Census Bureau has a whole bunch of relatively well-paid bureaucrats to figure that for you.

“The U.S. Census Bureau determines poverty status by comparing pre-tax cash income against a threshold that is set at three times the cost of a minimum food diet in 1963, updated annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI; see the last section of this FAQ for an explanation of the CPI), and adjusted for family size, composition, and age of householder. ‘Family’ is defined by the official poverty measure as persons living together who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Thresholds do not vary geographically. The Census Bureau has created an infographic to explain ‘How Census Measures Poverty.’"

http://www.irp.wisc.edu/faqs/faq2.htm

There is a big, not-so-easy-to-read bar graph. Hey, I didn’t say the figuring-out made any sense, only that the Census Bureau pays a lot of people good money to figure out who is poor and who is not. Note: The bureaucrats are not.

Just a few miles down Highway 64 is Patterson, population 467 by the 2000 census. Demographic breakdown there shows: 90.3% black; 2.2% white; 1.3% native American; 1.7% Hispanic; and 1.7% other.

Patterson’s overall poverty rate is 31%, with 25% of families, 39% of those under 18 and 30% age 65 or older meeting the official Federal line.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

‘The End of the High Church’

“If you are a normal person, the mainline Protestant churches have nothing to offer but endless lectures about the joys of liberalism. It’s a familiar pattern. First the women take over, then the men leave, except for the guys willing to take orders from the gals. Then the normal women bolt. This boiling off of the sensible eventually leaves the crazies in charge of the organization. Before long the freak flag is hoisted and it is the bar in Star Wars. It’s the pattern we saw with Labour in Britain and the Democrats in the US.”

http://thezman.com/wordpress/

“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.” – 1 Corinthians 14.

God gave the land to Abraham’s descendants, through Isaac

“The Jews surely have a special claim on [Palestine]. They are the only people who have made a success of it during the past 3,000 years. They are the only people who have made its name immortal, and as a race, they have no other home. This was their first; this has been their only home; they have no other home. They found no home in Egypt or in Babylon. Since their long exile they have found no home as a people in any other land, and this is the time and opportunity for enabling them once more to recreate their lives as a separate people in their old home and to make their contribution to humanity as a separate people, having a habitation in the land which inspired their forefathers. Later on it might be too late.” – Former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, 1931.

http://www.mideastoutpost.com/archives/balfour-declaration-november-2016-richard-kemp.html

Link at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/

Why John is in Florida

After moving John here, Priscilla told John about his new Florida doctor and used the words “your old doctors in Texarkana.” From those words, John deduced:

All doctors in Texarkana are old and no longer doctor.

All hospitals in Texarkana closed because there are no more patients.

All graveyards in Texarkana got filled up with those people who used to be in hospitals, but they died.

Up North needs more Walmarts

Today, Priscilla took John and me to the blood-drawing place, preparatory to doctor appointments next week. For everybody who doesn’t know, John had his 60th birthday 16 days ago, but his mind never progressed past 6 or so.

Taking John anywhere is quite an enterprise. He uses a walker. His pace is near that of Tim Conway’s old man on the Carol Burnette Show – slower than slow.

Added to the enterprise, I have a right leg brace to make me take normal steps. My pace is faster than John’s, but not in the speedster range.

Added to that addition, Priscilla recently did something that caused pain in a foot, similar to a broken toe. Her pace has slowed somewhat during convalescence.

So … We park at the blood-drawing place, get John’s walker in position near the car door, get John standing and holding onto the walker. We move out – Priscila, followed by John doing the Tim Conway imitation, followed by me, with my cane providing balance.

We have to cross a parking lot street. And that is where I figured out that many people in Florida come from places that do not have a Walmart. At least the drivers never learned parking lot manners at a Walmart in Texas or Arkansas, where pedestrians have right of way over cars and trucks. Doesn’t matter if pedestrians stay in the marked walkways or not, everybody in a car at a Walmart in Texas and Arkansas knows people walking have right of way.

Here, not so much. Oh, you can step out in front of a slow moving car, but the likelihood of the car stopping is 60-40. The driver will go around you, or, seeing your intent, will speed up and get there first, in which case you will stop, rather than deliver a knee to a car door.

My assumption is, those drivers are from Northern climes, where reaching a point is more important than what happens between start place and the point.

What needs to happen is, Walmart should open more stores Up North and include experienced Texas and Arkansas drivers in the opening. We need to learn those people some manners.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Sitting on my desk …

… is about an inch of water in a plastic bottle labeled “Fiji” and the notation: “Natural artesian water.”

The label says the water was bottled at Yaqara, Vita Lavu, Fiji Islands.

If anyone wondered about the early 21st Century wealth of the world, the plastic bottle with an inch of water is proof. That is, a company can fill 500 ml bottles with water, ship the filled bottles to the U.S. and make money.

A note: Someone else bought the Fiji water and left it on my desk.

Of course, nothing is as it seems.

“Obama sips it. Paris Hilton loves it. Mary J. Blige won't sing without it. How did a plastic water bottle, imported from a military dictatorship thousands of miles away, become the epitome of cool?”

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle


A reason Trump won the election

Old-fashioned mainstream Republican party leaders and news points of view failed to realize their irrelevance, and by opposing Trump actually convinced people to vote for him. Here is an example:

http://www.redstate.com/

Includes a piece on “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.” It is easy to see how an irrelevant news opinion site thinks an immaterial TV program matters.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Wiseman, Arkansas

Wiseman is on the Strawberry River in Izard County.

Here is a satellite photograph: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.23497,-91.817087,695m/data=!3m1!1e3

There are some farm houses and outbuildings.

http://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/72587/ sums up a lot of areas of North Arkansas: “The people living in ZIP code 72587 are primarily white. The number of middle aged adults is extremely large while the number of seniors is extremely large. There are also a large number of single adults and a small number of single parents. The percentage of children under 18 living in the 72587 ZIP code is small compared to other areas of the country.”

Population of the Zip Code is 134, with a median household income of $36,618 and median home value of $86,500. Of those 134 residents, 70 are male and 64 are women. One is “Black or African American,” but the gender is not identified.

Forty-two percent of the homes are paid for; 32% are still under mortgage. Forty-one percent of the residents do not have a high school diploma; 59% are high school graduates.

https://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/72587/zip-code-72587.asp is at odds with the other link, stating the current population is 54, and the 2010 population was 134. If that’s the case, you wonder where the 80 people went. That’s the thing with government numbers – you never know which ones are correct. If any.

There is a cemetery: http://arkansasgravestones.org/cemetery.php?cemID=4009
There are veterans from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam as well as those who served in peacetime.

Lawrence W. Moser is buried there. He was awarded the Silver Star while with the 6th Armored Division in World War II. Also, Staff Sgt. Boyd G. Smith, World War II, Korea and Vietnam with the Army Air Force and Air Force.



Burglar bites off homeowner’s ear, loses to knife

“Jimmy Nguyen broke into James Wiedman’s Lubbock, Texas home through a back window. During the resulting altercation, Nguyen bit off part of Wiedman’s ear in the struggle. Wiedman retaliated with a knife. When the police arrived, Nguyen was DRT (dead right there). Wiedman has been treated for his injuries.”

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=69118

Friday, November 25, 2016

'Sweet Home Alabama' shocks Brooklyn shoppers

“I suppose there had been music playing in the store, but I hadn’t noticed until a familiar guitar lick pierced the air and a soft voice said, ‘Turn it up.’

“… By the time Ronnie Van Zant’s drawl started in with ‘Big wheels keep on turnin’,’ everyone in the store was standing in shock. Brows were furrowed, people mumbled to each other. The song seemed to get louder as one of those New York moments happened, when everyone was thinking the exact the same thing.

“A woman in her fifties, wearing a Love Trump Hates button, turned to her Brooklyn-bearded husband and said loudly, ‘This is unbelievable!’ She found the nearest store clerk, a young woman in a green apron who was staring up at the ceiling, looking for the invisible speakers blaring this message from the other America. ‘This is so inappropriate,’ the woman said. ‘Can we turn this off?’”

http://thefederalist.com/2016/11/23/brooklyn-grocery-store-played-sweet-home-alabama-everyone-lost-minds/

Link at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/

(It’s easy to kick back, read stuff, and say, “Yeah, you people voted for Lefty Hillary, believed she was the Second Coming of Obama, maybe Husband Bill, whose portraits float above the Encyclopedia of Progressivism, thinking there would be a centerfold photo of The Great Progressive Prophets – Bill & Hillary, Barry & Michelle, with 8X10 color photographs of former President Kennedy and The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the paneled walls. And now you have met defeat, maybe even learned the way us Flyovers got educated in the School of Everyday Life, that Reality Sucks. Well, live with it.”)

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Photographs from Stalingrad in 1942 with Volgograd today

In early November 1942, invading Germans launched their final attack at Stalingrad. Seventy-four years and two days ago, the Red Army began its encirclement of the German Sixth Army.

http://mondbasis.com/stalingrad.html

Dobbin, Texas -- pop. 170 … or maybe 300

Dobbin is down by Houston and Sugar Land, not too far from Cut and Shoot. The town used to be known as Bobbin, but the name was changed in 1909.

“In 1965 Dobbin had a post-peeling plant. … In 2000 the town had seven businesses, including Mock's Feed Store and Grocery and Hoffart's Store; a post office; the Dobbin station of the Montgomery Fire Department; two churches; and a collection of dwellings. The population was still estimated at 170.”

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hld27

But -- “(S)ome estimates place that (population) figure at close to 300.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobbin,_Texas

(The “some estimates” are not identified. Just like a few censuses ago, Paris, Texas, didn’t like the official figure of a few short of 30,000, so the city conducted its own count. Lo and behold! A miracle! Local counters must have been more accurate, because the population now exceeded 30,000. Which, officially, the city has not yet reached.)

Pictures of buildings old and not so old:

http://www.texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/Dobbin-Texas.htm">http://www.texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/Dobbin-Texas.htm

Dobbin has a saloon and a barbecue joint. Of course it does; it’s in Texas.

Area-codes.com says Dobbin shares the same area code (936) as Bobbville. Google does not recognize Bobbville. For whatever that is worth. Julian Assange says Google has assets and freedom to spy that the CIA only dreams about, so maybe there isn’t a Bobbville.



Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Sgt. Andrey Timoshenkov saves Syrian civilians

“On June 19, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that on June 15, ‘Sergeant Andrey Leonidovich Timoshenkov stopped a car rigged with explosives by opening fire at it with small arms.’

“According to the Ministry, ‘Andrey was mortally wounded in the explosion of the vehicle driven by a suicide bomber.’"

http://russia-insider.com/en/russian-soldier-who-died-saving-syrians-car-bomb-honored-video/ri17688

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUhLL0XawRw

I’m not going to mention ***** ******

Other than “Organization says Trump racist, xenophobic, misogynistic,” stories about ***** ****** are about all you will see on TV news entertainment disguised as news.

All TV, print and internet news organizations sometime ago signed a secret agreement with advertisers, promising to run stories claiming ***** ****** is the “biggest shopping day of the year.” The first stories ran without fact checking by reporters. The press release arrived at the newsroom, the TV station/newspaper had already signed an agreement, so the story went on the air/into print.

As for me and my house, we refuse to buy from any business or listen to any stories about ***** ****** sales.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

F***heads

“If Trump wins, I’m going (somewhere).”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVNLH2Q8kMw

You’re not gone yet? Why are you not getting off an airplane in (somewhere)?

There is a real world, and then there is Sweden

‘A Swedish Woman Explains Why Sweden Has Virtually No Crime’

“In Sweden, it is forbidden by law to be a criminal.”

https://onsizzle.com/t/sweden

Meanwhile:

“Sweden let in a ton of migrants. Sweden let in migrants who commit crimes against the native people. Sweden won’t do anything out of fear of being labeled racist and xenophobic. Sweden has seen a drastic rise in the number of sexual assaults in the last year. Sweden has no backbone. Sweden is cucked. Don’t be like Sweden.”

Same link.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

What is going to happen

The people and networks that present their own decisions on what is news will not stop accusations of race, sexism and xenophobia.

No matter what President-Elect Donald Trump does or does not do, he will be wrong. People he appoints to head governmental agencies will be labeled racist, sexist and Islamaphobic.

Trump’s economic attempts will be protectionist and will lead to mass unemployment and monetary inflation.

Trump’s foreign policy attempts will lead the world to greater competition, which will lead to war with Some Other Country.

The news people will not STFU.

Our only choice is to stop listening. We get too much information, and our minds will go into overload, especially us of Les Deplorable class.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Obama passing torch to Merkel

“US President Barack Obama pays a farewell visit Thursday to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, widely seen as the new standard bearer of liberal democracy since the election of Donald Trump.”

http://www.thelocal.de/20161117/obama-to-pass-torch-to-merkel-on-farewell-visit

(What possibly could go wrong with that?)

And, Merkel announced that “US free trade deal is now dead,” given Trump’s opposition.

Trump isn’t the only one opposed to the deal.

“Exporters have been in favour of the deal as it promised lower tariffs, less red tape and a wider base of consumers for their goods. But in Europe, consumers feared it would ride roughshod over the EU's labour market and environmental standards, and would bring about more outsourcing which would lead to job losses.”

http://www.thelocal.de/20161117/merkel-admits-us-free-trade-deal-is-now-dead

‘Donald Trump will never be president’

A video of notable people proved wrong. Obama, Clinton, Clooney, late-night TV types ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT0Rjc6jKCg

Link at http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/he-will-never-be-president-video-compilation-top-liberals-and-msm/ri17589

“Russian Insider” has a great deal of propaganda, but wading through stuff sometimes exposes some pearls. Also, the number of stories saying John Bolton and Rudy Giuliani should not be in the Trump administration – Consider the source.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Guess who’s been with Lenin for 92 years

‘Portrait of Tsar Nicholas II found behind portrait of Lenin’

(Actually, Lenin was found behind the tsar, but why quibble?)

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Man’s gotta feed his chickens

But stealing is not the way.

‘Marielets kidnapped five sacks of wheat to feed chickens’

“Yesterday, on 8 November, the police received a report of theft in one of the villages in the Volga region - five sacks of wheat it had been stolen from a local warehouse. Loss discovered the organization of workers who belonged to the warehouse, they noticed that the window knocked plywood and identified shortage after scaling content. Damage was estimated at 1 000 125 rubles, the press service of the Mari police.

“In the course of investigative actions, it was found that during the theft is a 37-year-old unemployed villagers. He explained that he had committed the crime in order to feed the chickens.

“As a result, it brought a criminal case, and seized stolen wheat.”

http://yopress.ru/news/32278/marielets_poxitil_pyat_meshkov_pshenits_chtob_nako.html

(Here's an idea: Sell a couple of chickens and buy feed.)

Maybe those smart people in Clinton’s campaign made the ad

On TV a couple of days ago was an ad for American leadership or some such, but the ad stopped making sense when a Mini Cooper popped up as the focus. The narrator kept talking about American something and extolling the Mini, and then at the bottom of the ad was this: “European Model Shown.”

Podesta Group lobbied for Azerbaijan in U.S.

More of that stuff that should go away.

“For the past seven years, the Podesta Group, a high-powered Washington lobbying firm, has handled networking and image-building for Azerbaijan’s embassy in the United States. Azerbaijan ranks alongside Tajikistan as the third worst rights abuser in the former Soviet Union, behind Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, according to the watchdog group Freedom House.

“The Podesta Group’s chief executive officer is 73-year-old Tony Podesta, who has acted as a major fundraiser for the Clinton campaign. In addition, Podesta’s 67-year-old brother, John, serves as Clinton’s campaign chairman, and previously served as former president Bill Clinton’s chief of staff.”

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/81186

So the Podesta Group got a deal with the Azeri embassy around the time President Obama named Hillary Clinton secretary of state.

And those pesky emails just won’t go away.

“Emails allegedly hacked from John Podesta’s account and published by WikiLeaks show that the Clinton campaign debated the propriety of accepting donations raised by lobbyists, like the Podesta Group, which do work for foreign countries. The campaign ultimately decided to accept the donations.”

Saturday, November 12, 2016

EU types get knickers a’twist over Trump

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen: The election is a “huge shock” and might be the end of “Pax Americana.”

Sweden’s foreign minister: First Brexit and now Trump, “Looks like this will be the year of the double disaster of the West.”

French Ambassador to the United States Geraud Araud: “After Brexit and this election, everything from now on is possible. A world is collapsing before our eyes. Vertigo.”

A Finnish diplomat: “The West is no longer. The times of darkness have dawned.” (A bit mixing of metaphors there, but maybe it makes sense in Finnish.)

“Fierce Putin critic Garry Kasparov, meanwhile, is despondent. He wrote a book a while back called Winter is Coming, and last night he tweeted ‘Winter is here.’”

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/michael-j-totten/american-brexit?utm_source=World+Affairs+Newsletter&utm_campaign=016ee308f2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_11_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f83b38c5c7-016ee308f2-294583209

Those quoted are the same people who practically swooned, ladylike, at the name Barrack Obama, who scurried for photographs with PBUH, and who applauded his Nobel Peace Prize. Not mentioned are Serbs, Hungarians, Poles, Greeks and Montenegrins who every day face more “refugees” from Obama’s Syrian war.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Obama has done all the terrible things Democrats accuse Trump of planning

The best column so far from the election.

“…Obama has just about destroyed the Democratic Party. And most of the destruction predated Trump.”

http://stuartschneiderman.blogspot.com/

On Wednesday I said to my wife: “Democrats should congratulate Trump because now they have an opportunity to put their party back together.”

Today, a loser on TV got it all wrong

(Loser: Somebody who backed Clinton, or an establishment Republican of the Jeb Bush type.)

The loser, whose identity I missed because I clicked over from MLB channel, was talking about how Trump now would have his people contact the People Who Get Things Done in Washington.** The PWGTDiW are not members of Congress, not even appointed bureaucrats or heads of agencies, but persons of influence who work for big time CEOs. The loser indicated Trump’s people will work with the PWGTD people, and the transition from Obama’s regime to Trumps will be in the right hands.

The loser kind of missed the outcome of the election.

**Those are the loser’s words – The People Who Get Things Done in Washington.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Florida Highway Patrol cars …

… are black and tan. Is the force completely lacking of Irish?

Sage, Arkansas

Sage is in Izard County, southeast of Calico Rock and due south of Violet Hill. Bluegrass music-sounding names.

In the 2010 census, Izard County’s population was 13,696. The 2000 census population was 13,249. Of those, 96.4% were white. Poverty-wise, 13.6% of families and 17.2% of the total population lived below the official poverty line, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those older than 65.

Townships in Izard County include: Barren Fork, Big Spring, Drytown, Gid, Mill Creek, Mount Olive, New Hope, Pleasant Hill, Strawberry and Union. Wikipedia says: “Gid is the name of Gid Bruce. The community received its name in 1888 when promoters of a post office couldn't agree on a name, and so decided to name it for whomever walked in next.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gid,_Arkansas

Not far northeast of Sage is Melbourne Municipal-John E. Miller Field. Across LaCrosse Road from the airport is Coopers Hawk Golf Club. Zion is a few miles northwest of Sage.

zipcodedownload.com has Sage’s population at 278. Arkansas.hometownlocater says the population is 401. That site also says the town has 31 vacant housing units. Local.niche.com gives Sage an overall grade of C+, with C in nightlife and C- in “diversity.” Niche says the “Most Represented Ethnicity” is 100%. That means “White.” Nightlife? C+ on “Access to Bars”; C- on “Access to Restaurants”; and 0.0% “Millennial Newcomers.”

Small town, close to the Ozarks. Lots of pasture, woods, creeks and hills.

‘NeverTrump’ does not matter

And, except as narcissism, never did.

RedState, which once had some influence, but now does not see past a mirror: “Thus, Donald Trump must fail. He does not share my values. I want him to fail to achieve the things he supports, and those things he has said he wants to accomplish as President. I will not support him, I will not cooperate with him, and I will not submit to him.”

Dude. You don’t matter. You lost, just as surely as did Hillary Clinton. You lost. Get over yourself.

http://www.redstate.com/neil_stevens/2016/11/09/america-needs-now-donald-trump-fail/

For bitter crow, see also: http://neveryetmelted.com/

http://moonbattery.com/

And another NeverTrump magnificently wrong:

“President. Hillary Clinton, who would have lost to almost any other Republican, will likely win the Presidency 333 to 205.*

“I will go out on a limb and predict that this Hispanic turn-out coupled with the Trump Effect will give Hillary a narrow win in Arizona—the second time out of three that a Clinton wins Arizona. Virginia has become a long-shot for Republicans, and Pennsylvania effectively forfeited, and as goes Pennsylvania, goes the election. The Trump Effect may extend to North Carolina and Florida, which would result in Hillary gaining their 44 electoral votes. Arizona, North Carolina, and Florida are the most marginal states, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Republicans keep them; however, even with all three states, Trump will come up short. I am giving Ohio to Trump because his appeal to blue collar working class Whites without a higher education degree is real. It’ll be enough in Ohio, but not enough for Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan due to his disappeal amongst other groups needed to win. I’m also going to go out on a limb and give Trump Maine-2 for the same reason I am giving him Ohio.”

http://politicalhat.com/

Yeah, it was all those “blue collar working class Whites without a higher education degree” who gave Trump the win.

I am laughing. I am laughing and I am saying, “Told you so.”




Monday, November 7, 2016

Optimizing confusion

Purdue makes argument for majoring in sociology or communications or comparative world religions.

“EffiCuts: Optimizing Packet Classification for Memory and Throughput.”

In course description: “Packet Classification: find the highest priority rule that matches a network packet.”

http://www.slideserve.com/pomona/efficuts-optimizing-packet-classification-for-memory-and-throughput-1329367


Sunday, November 6, 2016

When horse meat is all you have …

In the late 1820s, Texas settler Noah Smithwick and three friends set out from Bell’s Landing with 1,000 pounds of illegal tobacco in 10 bales, planning on selling the contraband farther south. The government in Mexico City had declared coffee and tobacco contraband, with the government itself the only legal seller of both. The non-governmental market, therefore, was quite lucrative.

“The first town we struck on the Rio Grande was Laredo. Finding that some other trader had got in ahead of us and stocked the market, we proceeded on up the river to find fresh territory. On the way up one of those interminable Texas rains set in, and we were compelled to strike camp and cover up our tobacco. We ran out of food, and, there being no settlements near and no game but wild horses, the very thought of eating which sickened me, there was prospective famine, at least for me. The other boys had been in Texas long enough to get rid of any fastidious notions about clean and unclean beasts, so when provisions ran out they killed a mustang and were provisioned for a siege.” -- The Evolution of a State, Noah Smithwick.

On the third day of his self-imposed famine, Smithwick tried a bite of horse and decided survival overrode his, as he put it, “fastidious notions.”



High school and college women carrying guns in D.C.

‘Refining respectable feminine qualities’

Or, women’s rifle teams in D.C. high schools and George Washington University.

GWU’s women’s team took five national championships in the 1920s.

http://gwuarchives.tumblr.com/post/76646884811/the-unbeatable-team-gwu-womens-rifle-in-the

Photo of the 1925 women’s team:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/20597?size=_original#caption

I wonder what those high school and college girls would say if one of today's anti-Second Amendment types announced: "You don't need a gun. Guns kill people. Guns are dangerous. Only police and the military should carry guns."

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Meanwhile, at the Alamo

At some point, Davey Crockett and his buds from Tennessee realized they could not kill all the Mexican soldiers advancing toward the Alamo. They knew the end was near. Bravely, they loaded their muskets one more time and prepared to give their lives for the noble cause for which they had volunteered. As the Mexicans were steps away from consuming the faithful Tennessee Volunteers, one of Crockett's crew wisely opined...

"At least we won't have to go back through Arkansas to get home."


Another Texas joke

Saw a dog chasing a jackrabbit out in West Texas one day and it was so hot they both were walking.

Not a Texas joke

Headline I’ve never seen: Psychic wins lottery.

A Texan’s five major food groups

Steak, chicken fried steak, Mexican food, barbecue, tacos.

Texas jokes

Q: Why do University of Houston grads keep their diplomas on their dashboards? A: So they can park in handicap spaces.

Q: What do you call a good looking girl on the University of Houston campus? A: A visitor

Q: What does the average Texas Tech University student get on his SAT? A: Drool.

Q: Why did UT Austin disband its water polo team? A: All the horses drowned.

Q: Why did the UTEP grad cross the road? A: Better question: Why is he out of jail?

Q: What separates a good team from a great team? A: The Oklahoma-Texas border.

(That joke goes both ways … Like a lot of Sooners.)

Q: What do tornadoes and graduates from the University of Texas have in common? A: They both end up in trailer parks.

Friday, November 4, 2016

A couple of jokes

I have no home. I haven’t got control. I can’t see any escape.

I really need to get a new keyboard.

*************

I asked my North Korean friend what it’s like, living in Pyongyang. She said, “I can’t complain.”

Missed land deal

In Armstrong County, Texas, about 25 miles southeast of Amarillo. My wife grew up in the Panhandle, east of Amarillo. The land out there is great – rolling hills, grass in springtime, lots of red dirt, Palo Duro Canyon.

The land I missed out on is a bit more than 12,000 acres. Deer, stock tanks, fences, windmills. And a big thing – three miles of Prairie Dog Fork of the Red River runs through the center of the place.

Yep. Missed out.

The place sold for $8.2 million. I would have been a little more than short on available cash, and I’m not sure how much a bank would loan on income derived from Army retirement and Social Security.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Couldn't get a job with that art history degree? Sue the university

One of the better pieces of writing on college ridiculousness and Obama regime heavy-handedness.

http://takimag.com/article/why_im_suing_vanderbilt_university_joe_bob_briggs/print#axzz4OqVPRO3S

Comments section introduces “intellectual lesbians: they don’t know dick” and “homolectuals.”

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

A dumb quote from somebody who had a job when he wrote:

“To look for a job before looking deeply inward is likely to short-circuit the process of finding your calling.” – Somebody named Dan Miller.

When there was definite need for food, electricity, water, rent, college costs, and etc., “finding my calling” did not keep me from digging ditches and running a jack hammer. Whoever that Miller is, when was he looking at overdue bills?

A caller not paying attention

Almost all calls on the landline phone are telemarketers or of the related ilk. Rather than allow six or eight ringy dingies, I answer with either “Thank you for calling the Red Pony. How may I help you on this glorious (morning or afternoon)?” or “Socialist Workers Party. How may I direct your call?”

A few minutes ago I answered a call with “Socialist Workers Party.” In the background were noises from a dozen or more telephone workers. My caller said, “Hello, my name is Raymond. I am calling on behalf of the Republican Party. Have you and Priscilla taken the opportunity to vote?”

My thought: Dude, pay attention. I answered “Socialist Workers Party.” Did you not hear? Maybe he did, and maybe his West Indian background (evident from his accent) did not allow an unusual statement to interfere with his programmed spiel.

I replied, “No, we have not, but we will.”

“Thank you very much,” Raymond said, “and have a blessed day.”

Hey, it was a lot better than somebody trying to sell insurance.

Life as an elephant

Why not? Leaving baby status, graze on grass or leaves, drink water and take a shower, spray other elephants, roll in mud, look at lions and do a “Say what?” demeanor, eat more grass. Do it over and over again. Becoming top bull – Doesn’t get any better. Eventually, go off somewhere, lie down and say, “It’s been an OK life.”

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

If Dilbert says so, you can take it to the bank

“Russian hackers are better than we thought. They stole Clinton's emails from the NSA, put them on Huma's laptop, and pinned it on Weiner.” – Scott Adams.

http://ace.mu.nu/#366613

Why is he publisher of anything?

Rolling Stone boss: “We were the victim of one of these rare, once-in-a-lifetime things that nobody in journalism can protect themselves from.”

Your writers and editors could have ******* checked, *******!

Self-described “journalists” who cut corners and ignore basics just to get a hot story really piss me off.

http://nypost.com/2016/10/28/rolling-stone-publisher-apologizes-to-embattled-uva-dean/

And: “I’m very, very sorry. It was never meant to ever happen this way to you,” Wenner informed University of Virginia dean Nicole Eramo. Well, what *** **** did you think would happen when you published a made-up story?


Sunday, October 30, 2016

Iraqi girl tells soldiers: ‘I thought you would never come’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3863202/Miracle-Mosul-Emotional-moment-girl-10-tells-soldier-saved-clutches-barbaric-ISIS-fighters-thought-d-never-come.html


“TV cameramen captured the moment when little Aysha, wearing a sparkly T-shirt and pink leggings, was rescued by an armed military police unit that has been fighting alongside the Iraqi Army as they fight to regain territory from the murderous IS.

“Barely able to contain her emotions, clutching biscuits and bottled water handed to her by the soldiers, she poured out as if fearful she would not survive to tell the full horror of her ordeal: 'I'm so thankful to you. I thought you would never come for us. We have had no food or water for three days and it was just me and my mother, my father was taken and killed by the terrorists.

“'The IS men have taken away so many children from my village and we don't know what happened to them. Some of them died. The men made my mother give them her money and jewels and we have had nothing. Thank you, thank you. I would like to kiss your feet.'


“Instead the soldier beside her, in his armour-plated vest, affectionately leaned down to kiss the top of her head, then scooped her into his arms and carried her off to safety.”

Link at http://ace.mu.nu/#366583


The only thing owed me is pay for work done and sticking to the contract

By Gerald K. McOscar

“I've never envied the rich or thought they owed me anything.

“In the short list of unalienable rights, nowhere is it written that I have a claim to property of another. My moral code resists that idea, and the criminal code prohibits it.

“Moreover, if those on the higher rungs of the economic ladder owe me something, it follows that those on the lower rungs have a similar claim against me. My enlightened self-interest resists that idea.”

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/10/class_envy_and_entitlements_the_story_of_the_baker.html#ixzz4OZma2ThM

I never thought about that – “You owe me because you have more than I do.”

Nope.

Friday, October 28, 2016

2,700-year-old find disagrees with Wednesday’s UNESCO note

While UNESCO was deciding Jews have no claim to the Temple Mount:

“A rare, ancient papyrus dating to the First Temple Period — 2,700 years ago — has been found to bear the oldest known mention of Jerusalem in Hebrew.”



“The full text of the inscription reads: ‘From the female servant of the king, from Naharata (place near Jericho) two wineskins to Jerusalem.’”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/oldest-hebrew-mention-of-jerusalem-found-on-rare-papyrus-from-7th-century-bce/?utm_source=The+Times+of+Israel+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=69fccd2321-2016_10_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adb46cec92-69fccd2321-55395173

Meanwhile, back in anti-Jewish, pro-Muslim UN land:

“UNESCO adopts another resolution ignoring Jewish link to Temple Mount”

“In secret ballot, cultural body’s World Heritage Committee approves text using only the site’s Muslim name; 10 states vote in favor, 2 oppose, 8 abstain.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/unesco-adopts-another-resolution-erasing-jewish-link-to-temple-mount/?utm_source=The+Times+of+Israel+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=69fccd2321-2016_10_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adb46cec92-69fccd2321-55395173

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says UNESCO remains “a theater of the absurd.” He is being way too nice.


Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Misidentifying history big time

This link goes to an ancestry site.

https://www.accessgenealogy.com/america/governor-houston-trading-post-verdigris.htm

The headline at the site says: “Governor Houston at His Trading Post on the Verdigris.”

Just about any Texan will tell you the painting is of General Houston accepting the surrender of General Santa Ana following the Battle of San Jacinto. During the battle, Houston was wounded in the foot.

If the ancestry site is as accurate with ancestry records as it is in identifying a painting of a historical incident …

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Azerbaijan gives in to Turkish demands, seizes ‘prohibited books’

In Baku, houses of suspected supporters of Fethullah Gülen searched

In the villages of Sakhil and Lokbatan, during searches carried out in the houses of five supporters of preacher Fethullah Gülen, law enforcers discovered prohibited books. This was reported by the law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan.

Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who lives in the United States, is accused by the Turkish authorities of organization of an armed coup committed at night of July 16. Fethullah Gülen himself has declared that he denied those accusations. On August 15, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office declared that it instituted criminal proceedings against supporters of Fethullah Gülen in the country. According to the opposition, the law enforcement bodies use alleged connection with Fethullah Gülen as motives for arrests of activists.

In the village of Sakhil, during a search carried out in the house of Rizvan Gamidov, staff members of the Police Department for the Garadag District found 159 copies of books and 9 magazines, the promotion and dissemination of which were prohibited. In the village of Lokbatan, in the house of Ilkin Ibragimov, law enforcers found and seized 14 books, in the house of Samir Ibragimov 17 books, in the house of Terikhanym Ibragimova 10 books, and in the house of Gandab Guseinova 15 copies of books, the "APA" reports today with reference to the law enforcement bodies.

Source: http://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/37315/

© Caucasian Knot

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Vaughan and Bushnell Hammer Plant – Now Hiring

Tubalcain visits a hammer plant in Illinois and sees working people at work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMTYRjE71AE

Link at http://www.americandigest.org/

Nobody says where the steel is made. There are a couple of robots; no mention of where those were made.

I am certain there are people who would complain that workers were subjected to loud noises that might cause hearing loss.

It’s a forge and foundry! If a complainer can’t come up with a way of silent forging, then shut up.

Ace of Spades HQ calls it a ‘Bad Joke’

A vulture boards an airplane carrying two dead raccoons.

The stewardess looks at him and says:

"I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion is allowed per passenger."

http://ace.mu.nu/#366388

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Crybaby Blue Jays scalped, tomahawked, lanced, speared by that team from Cleveland

You lost! You lost, you lost, you lost!

Here is a good reason Canadian team should have been eliminated 4-0.

“Ontario court to consider application to stop Cleveland from wearing ‘offensive’ baseball jerseys in Toronto”

“Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
“Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016

“TORONTO — A prominent indigenous activist and architect is seeking a court ruling that would prevent the Cleveland Indians from wearing their regular jerseys, using their team name and displaying their logo when they play against the Blue Jays in Toronto this week.

“Douglas Cardinal, an officer of the Order of Canada, has filed applications to the Ontario Superior Court, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Canadian Human Rights Commission, arguing that the Cleveland Indians’ team name and mascot — Chief Wahoo, a cartoon man with red skin and a feather in his headband — are offensive and discriminatory.

“His application seeks an injunction against the team, Major League Baseball and Rogers Communications, which is broadcasting the American League Championship Series between the two teams.

“Rogers also owns the Blue Jays and the stadium they play in, the Rogers Centre.

“A hearing will be held Monday on the application at the Superior Court.

“It’s just the latest move in a push against the team’s name, as the United Church of Canada and the United Church of Christ have urged the team to change its name.”

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/news/canada/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ontario-court-to-consider-application-to-stop-cleveland-from-wearing-offensive-baseball-jerseys-in-toronto

Link at http://ace.mu.nu/


ISIS dudes really won’t trust their women now

SAS soldiers wearing voluminous burkas identify ISIS leader’s presence, transmit location to AWACS, get Hellfire missile from drone.

“The elite troopers even managed to hide assault weapons, grenades and ammo beneath their roomy ankle-length gowns in case they encountered armed resistance from Islamist militants.

“After making their way through the town they located the house of a senior terrorist chief and used a transmitted to relay its location and coordinates to a US Air Force AWAC mission control aircraft circling thousands of feet above.

“The American spy plane then passed the information onto a US Reaper drone, which seconds later fired a Hellfire missile into the building, vaporising the ISIS commander and several of his henchmen.

“When jihadi militants heard the explosion they rushed onto the streets and discovered the burka-clad troopers, who took down several jihadis during a fierce gun battle as they fought their way to safety.”

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=68503

Whole story: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/635517/Islamic-State-ISIS-SAS-burkas-raid-headquarters-Syria-Raqqa-jihadi-leader

Chuck, this is your cousin Marvin. Marvin Berry.

Chuck Berry turns 90; announces he’s cutting another album.

“Chuck” will be Mr. Berry’s first album in 38 years. Also of note, Mr. Berry dedicated the album to his wife, Themetta. The Berrys have been married 68 years.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chuck-berry-album-90th-birthday-rock-and-roll-a7367851.html

Link at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/

Obama wants more national landmarks for queers

“The federal government hopes to recognize more landmarks connected with the LGBTQ community, according to National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.

“Jarvis joined Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on a conference call to discuss the release of the National Park Foundation’s ‘LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History.’

“On June 24, President Obama recognized the Stonewall National Monument as the country’s first monument to honor the history of the LGBTQ community in American and the Henry Gerber House in Chicago was named a National Historic Landmark. Jarvis said there are more landmark designations planned in the future.”

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/2016/10/16/administration-wants-to-designate-more-lgbtq-landmarks/

(If you question the National Park Service publishing a study of queer history, then you are part of the homophobic problem.)

And if you do not agree with this as a government mission, you are definitely homophobic: “This is just the beginning of what we hope will be a groundswell effort for the public to further increase the number of LGBTQ identified sites and interpretations of LGBTQ people and related events at existing historical sites across the country,” he added.

Link at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/



Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Cossacks on motorcycles

“Russia’s Friends Form New ‘Cossack Army’ in Balkans”

“The solemn ceremony was presided over by Serbian Orthodox priest Momchilo Krivokapic and a phalanx of bikers from the pro-Kremlin Russian motorcycle gang Night Wolves -- whose leader, Aleksandr Zaldostanov, is close to President Vladimir Putin.”

The St. Sava Cossack Stanitsa “was formed in 2011 by the Russia-based Central Cossack Army, whose commander is appointed directly by Putin. The Serbian affiliate declares on its website that Western values are ‘distant and foreign’ to Serbs and that ‘Putin's Russia is like a beacon in the darkness surrounding the peoples of the Balkans.’"

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/80921

An internet quote

“Searching for a lost city is a particularly European obsession.” – Tahir Shah

Well, good for Europeans and their offspring.

That might not be as negative as I first thought.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Thank you, Leonard and Penny

In a book I am reading, the protagonist says, "Sometimes when you open the box, the cat is alive. Sometimes it's dead."

Leonard explained Schrodinger's Cat theory to Penny in an episode; otherwise when reading the main character's remark, I would have been like: "Whaaat? Where did a cat in a box come from? Did I miss something?" And then I would have been looking for previous mention of a cat in a box.

Liskov Substitution Principle

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but needs batteries, you probably have the wrong abstraction.

Or, in sciency talk:

“The Liskov Substitution Principle says that the object of a derived class should be able to replace an object of the base class without bringing any errors in the system or modifying the behavior of the base class.

“In short: if S is subset of T, an object of T could be replaced by object of S without impacting the program and bringing any error in the system. Let’s say you have a class Rectangle and another class Square. Square is as Rectangle, or in other words, it inherits the Rectangle class. So as the Liskov Substitution principle states, we should able to replace object of Rectangle by the object of Square without bringing any undesirable change or error in the system.”

http://www.infragistics.com/community/blogs/dhananjay_kumar/archive/2015/06/30/simplifying-the-liskov-substitution-principle-of-solid-in-c.aspx

(The duck/battery example makes more sense. Makes sense. Maybe. However, if the alleged duck needs batteries, how is one to know it quacks? Or is there an assumption someone has heard the alleged duck quack? Doesn't the hearing then override the stated "you probably have the wrong abstraction"?)

Neighborhood justice

“In Houston, Texas, 24-year-old Hashem Abu Amarah and 20-year-old Faisal Abu Amarah began assaulting people on the street because the folks had fingered the two for a burglary beef, but charges had been dismissed on the pair. The homeowner went inside his house and came back with a firearm and shot them both. Hashem Amarah was DRT and Faisal Amarah is in stable condition at the hospital.”

http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=68449


Thursday, October 13, 2016

Even more Florida efficiency

When driving home from the big dog park Sunday evening, my wife said, “I don’t want to cook tonight. How about KFC?” That sounded good to me. At the drive-through window, my wife gave my order. The order-taking person did not get it right. My wife tried again. Nope on the correct order. She said, “I’ll just come in and give the order.” She did and returned with a bag of KFC things.

On the way home, she said, “When I gave my order, the woman taking the order said they were out of chicken and I would have to wait 20 minutes.”

I said, “What? It’s a fried chicken place. How can they be out of chicken?

She shrugged and said, “That’s what she said. They were out of chicken.”

What the place was out of was normal pieces of chicken – legs, wings, thighs, etc. There was a sufficiency of tenders and popcorn chicken. But a two-piece meal? Didn’t have any. So, my wife got two small chicken sandwiches.

The next night, after our three-hour class at citizens police academy, we stopped at I Hop for 9 p.m. supper. I ordered classic breakfast crepes. The waiter left to turn in our order, but returned five minutes later and said, “We are out of crepes.” I thought: You’ve got milk and you have eggs. Make some crepes. I’ve made them at home; it’s not that difficult. I also thought: Your cook doesn’t know how to make crepes, or he/she is not allowed to. The things come in frozen, and somebody decides how many to thaw out. So, when that number is met, there are no more crepes available for serving.

I thought all that, but I did not say any of it, because I might embarrass or offend or piss off the cook, and that violates a rule of life – Don’t piss off the person cooking your food. So I changed my order.

Really, though. International House of Pancakes franchises do not make their own crepes? Do they make French toast or waffles or even pancakes, or do those arrive frozen?

How can a fried chicken franchise not have fried chicken? KFC. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Not Kentucky Maybe We Got Some Maybe We Don’t Fried Chicken.

And how is it an I Hop franchise cook is not allowed to make crepes?

This is America, by golly. We’re supposed to make stuff.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

And peace broke out all over the world

“The Department of State issued its ‘Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)’ on Oct. 5, and it’s been signed by 45 supporting nations. The declaration stipulates that the international community ‘must take appropriate transparency measures to ensure the responsible export and subsequent use of these systems.’”

http://breakingdefense.com/2016/10/states-new-armed-drone-policy-confuses-ends-with-means/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=35694125&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8p4EBsRk0Zlru6MSv2WRN2ufYtehbJOHlhG3OGzShqW0T2o-nEIZZ-QWDmZfzzZ1sndJ-EW5akp_RFlLHt-wrB9BqpZA&_hsmi=35694125


“Many U.S. allies such as Britain, Germany and Australia were among the countries that signed the declaration released by the U.S. State Department.

“France, Israel, Brazil, Russia and China, among other countries, did not sign …”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drones-idUSKCN1252IG

(Interesting that the U.S., which invades the air space of other countries and uses more drones to kill more people than all other users combined, comes up with an end-use piece of paper.)

Monday, October 10, 2016

Truth in a few words

‘The Return of the Mule’

“Watching one traitorous fink after another decry Trump’s locker room talk from a decade ago, I was reminded once again that these people were never on my side. It was always a con, a grift, to fool otherwise decent people into putting down their weapons and surrendering to the Left. Buckley-style conservatism, whatever it was, is now just a tool of the managerial class to clear the field for nation-wrecking policies to benefit the ruling elite at the expense of the middle class.

“Last night, I was reminded of why Trump was able to obliterate the GOP field despite being out spent a million-to-one. He is not a pussy. Any other Republican faced with the dirty trick pulled on Friday would have gone into the debate prepared to grovel and plead, begging for a second chance. It is not all all inconceivable that he would have offered to step aside. Trump went into the debate prepared to deliver a counter bunch designed to knock the old fat cow on her ass.”

http://thezman.com/wordpress/





Friday, October 7, 2016

Hurricane reporting

I am not making this up. This morning, glancing at a weather report to maybe see where the storm was, I saw instead a man who said Florida’s position relative to the present hurricane, lessens damage and loss of life. The bad part of the storm was several miles off shore, he said. He then drew a line on his weather map, stating “This is Florida. Now, if Florida were in this position …” He drew a diagonal line many miles east and across the storm path. “… then the damage would be greater.” Yep. And if there were no Florida, GA an SC would be facing a really big storm. And if common sense existed in weather reporting …


Mrs. Clinton pushes DOD, State to interview Chelsea BFF for contracts

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/clinton-sought-pentagon-state-department-contracts-chelseas-friend/?utm_source=Freedom%20Mail&utm_campaign=01e94e07cd-WFB_Morning_Beacon_10_06_1610_5_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b5e6e0e9ea-01e94e07cd-22381821

Mom has to help daughter’s friends, don’t you know.

Link at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

I-40 ruined kicks at Canute

Canute, Okla., is on Old U.S. Highway 66 in Washita County, in the West Central part of the state. Rock Island Railroad used to run through the town. Not too many small towns can lay claim to being part of two songs, even though Canute is never mentioned in either one.

The Rock Island Line

Well, the Rock Island Line she's a mighty good road
Rock Island Line it's the road to ride
Rock Island Line it's a mighty good road
Well if you ride it you got to ride it like you find it
Get your ticket at the station for the Rock Island Line.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1NHXL_enUS698US698&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lyrics%20rock%20island%20line

And, “Get your kicks on Route 66.”

When Interstate 40 came through that part of Oklahoma in 1970, highway planners gave Canute an exit, but it was hardly the same as traffic having to come through town.

Canute’s 2010 population was 541. The largest-ever population was 676 in 1980, 10 years after the interstate bypassed the town.

Demographics from the 2000 census of 424 people show 88.36% White, 7.63% Hispanic or Latino, 1.91% Native American, 0.57% African-American and 7.25% from Other Races.

Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base was 15 miles southeast of Canute, but the aircraft and people went somewhere else in the 1980s.

Estimated median household income in Canute is around $8,000 more than Oklahoma’s average, but estimated house or condo value is around $50,000 less. So says http://www.city-data.com/city/Canute-Oklahoma.html

Here is an overview of the Foss-Canute area: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ok-foss.html




Internet ad

"Used 1968 Volkswagen Beetle."

Darn. I was looking for a new one.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Colombian government: ‘We have a deal with FARC’

Voters: “No, you do not.”

Polls said peace measure would pass 2-1. Vote: 50.2% against, 49.8% for.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37537252

Like before the Brexit vote, polls had pro-Brussels bullies chanting, “We’re staying in the EU, we’re staying in the EU.”

Monday, October 3, 2016

California retailers will profit from plastic bag ban

Customers, not so much. Not at all.

By selling paper or reusable plastic bags to consumers, “retailers could gain an estimated $442 million in annual revenue from the sale of paper bags and reusable bags.”

http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/ba836.pdf

Under new “environmental” law, grocers may charge up to 10 cents per bag.

Link at www.ace.mu.nu

A story I will not read

‘Why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton,’ by LeBron James.

Not linking to it, either.

Why should I care -- Why should anybody care -- that a multi-multi-millionaire professional athlete backs a specific candidate? Jones must have needed some camera time. OMG! My face hasn't been on the news in such a long, long time!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

A headline you’re not likely to see in the U.S.

‘Horny arrested in Fresnillo’

Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 12:45 pm
STAFF / NTRZACATECAS.COM

Fresnillo.- Two minors were brought before the judge qualifier after they were found scantily clad inside the unit in which they were traveling.

Elements of the Municipal Public Security Bureau (DSPM) conducted a tour of surveillance and noticed that the glass of a vehicle were fogged, so down from the radio patrol to check the unit.

The vehicle was a Chevrolet, Chevy type, model 1999, silver, no license plates; inside minors having sex.

The unit and violators were available to the Qualifier judge on duty, who asked that they be brought to the parents to make a decision for their children moral offense committed.

The arrest took place at 19:35 hours on Sunday, on the Rio Lerma Street, Colonia Linda Vista.

http://ntrzacatecas.com/2016/09/27/detienen-a-calenturientos-en-fresnillo/

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

A possible book title

In 1923, the Texas Legislature ended hanging as the state’s method of execution, bringing Texas into civilized line with most other states. No longer would death sentences be carried out by hanging at the county seat where the crime occurred. Now, the state would electrocute its capital criminals.

Executed Today remarks:

“Denouncing countyseat [sic] executions as a barbaric relic of the frontier past, L.K. Irwin launched a one-man campaign to bring Texas in tune with the times. The state legislator converted many to his cause with the argument that public hangings harmed society almost as much as the condemned.

“Irwin insisted executions usually degenerated into bloodthirsty carnivals that did nothing to instill in spectators a respect for the law. All too often untrained local officials made the spectacle even more gruesome, when the drop failed to snap the victim’s neck. On those occasions, he slowly strangled in full view of females and impressionable children.

“In the 1923 session of the Lone Star legislature, Irwin introduced the Electric Chair Bill. In addition to doing away with the gallows, the proposal relieved county sheriffs of the responsibility of the carrying out death sentences.Future executions would be held behind closed-doors inside the Texas Department of Corrections.”

http://www.executedtoday.com/2010/08/31/1923-nathan-lee-angleton-last-public-hanging-in-texas/

In all that is a good title for a book: “In Full View of Females and Impressionable Children.” Maybe the book would be about politics.

Greenfield, Okla., population drop

Greenfield is in southern Blaine County, in West Central Oklahoma. Census numbers in 2000 showed 123 people. By 2010, that number had dropped by 30. The town’s all-time high was 233 in 1980.

2000 census shows 88.2% residents were White; 9.76% Native American; and 1.63% African-American. Twenty percent of families and 17.6% of total population lived below the poverty line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenfield,_Oklahoma

Hometown Locator says the July 1, 2016, population was 119. Greenfield has 71 housing units -- 46 owner-occupied, 8 renter-occupied, and 16 vacant. Average household size was 2.2, average family size at 3. In Oklahoma’s 632 ZIP codes, Greenfield’s 73043 ranks 596 in population.

Here is a satellite photograph: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.7304484,-98.3888596,4936m/data=!3m1!1e3

A few miles outside town there are quite a few oil wells.

All you have to do is convince people you are an artist

I stumbled across Leah Ceriello while searching for something else. In a January 2016 interview by Callie Garp, Ceriello talked about her art:

“I consider myself to be a cross disciplinary artist. I use durational performance, performance art walks, performative sculptural experiments, text, photographs, documents and other ephemera to explore time.

“Ever since I can remember– I’ve sort of been obsessed with the difference between perceived, or lived time that humans experience, versus deep geologic time– the time of mountains, and glaciers, and deserts, and stars.

“Recently, I’ve also begun to incorporate weaving, spinning, and natural dyeing into my practice– looking at techniques and methods that are sort of specific to humans pre industrialization. I like to think of my participation in these modes of working as sort of part of an unbroken line running throughout human history. Who knows how long humans have been spinning & weaving some sort of fiber into cloth, and then dyeing it– using very simple technology. I mean, the first spindles were literally rocks. Pretty amazing– in terms of multiple levels of time operating simultaneously.”

http://www.fabulouslyfeminist.com/eco-justice-art-ethics/

“Ceriello explores our place as the organic up against the inorganic, the human body as a temporary earthly placeholder acted upon.”

From a piece in another edition of “fabuously feminist**:”

“On October 15, 2014, Leah Ceriello presented a thirty-minute performative work utilizing her signature medium, geologic material (this time, 100 lb. of gravel) to address existence, mortality, and other aspects of the human condition.

“Upon entering the room, the artist was in place. Dressed in black, she lay prone on the mound of gravel in the center of the room, a single spotlight above her, arms outstretched with head, hands, and feet exposed. On approach, the installation appeared as a geographic place, an aerial view, thus distinguishing itself from the rest of the space.”

http://www.fabulouslyfeminist.com/leah-ceriello/

** “Art for Social & Eco Justice”

Art is a woman lying on a bed of gravel. Riiight.



’18 Things Feminism Has Destroyed’

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahjewell/things-feminism-has-killed?utm_term=.aw2LLq7Aa#.wu100YoJz

Link at http://ace.mu.nu/

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Williford, Arkansas – odd statistics

Williford is in Sharp County, northeast Arkansas, with a small area touching Missouri. The 2010 population was 75, up from the 2000 census count of 63.

Detailed 2000 numbers showed: 32 households, 18 families and 46 housing units. Racial makeup: 96.83% White; 3.17% two or more races.

Twenty-five percent of households had a child under 18; 43.8% of households were married couples living together. Forty percent were made up of individuals. Thirty percent of families and 29.6% of the total population lived below the poverty line, including 71.4% of those under 18. No one 65 or older was living in poverty.

The town has a couple of stone buildings; one is a library.

Here is a satellite view: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.2507463,-91.3609756,1622a,20y,3.75t/data=!3m1!1e3

In 1930, Williford’s population was 357.

“Williford is a small community located in the eastern part of Sharp County near the Spring River, one of Arkansas’s most popular streams for recreational floating. During the early twentieth century, it was one of the county’s largest and fastest-growing towns, but since then it has experienced a steady decline resulting in an almost nonexistent business district and a population of fewer than eighty citizens.

“By 1890, the town consisted of three general stores, a saloon, a cotton gin, a blacksmith shop, a one-room schoolhouse, a doctor’s office, and a post office. By the turn of the century, the population more than doubled. In 1907, a steel frame bridge was constructed across the Spring River, stimulating growth. The Sharp County Bank was established by 1911, and, in 1912, a ten-room hotel was opened for business. Finally, on December 8, 1914, the town was officially incorporated.”

In 2004 the local school district merged with Oak Ridge Central School to become Twin Rivers school system. Twin Rivers closed in 2010.

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5984#