Birthers and other stuff

Not much baseball practice, too much rain and cold. Nothing in the garden, muddy ground makes clods not planting hills.


We had global warming for a few days and then, alas, alas, it fled like Obama when he is expected to do the Presidential thing and make a decision.

And April isn't even here yet, but:

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
- - - T. S. Eliot "The Waste Land"

I have been mildly depressed, I think, from just watching the news. The Repubs and the Demos are arguing over the budget. Less than 1% cut??? Pulezzeeeeeeee.

And we discover, again, that the Left doesn't mind us expending our blood and treasure for "humanitarian" reasons.

I hate to tell them but people die. Some die after a long and happy life, others not so much. And since God has not given me the power to fix the world's problems, I try to be selective and advise our leaders to respond only to things that are in our National Interest.

Does Libya as a country fit? I don't think so.

But Libya's oil is in our national interest. Why? Because even though 98% of Libya’s oil has gone to Europe, if it is lost then Europe will move its purchasing power to Saudi Arabia and other places where we get oil and the price will just keep spiraling up.

That’s pretty basic stuff, eh?

But Obama doesn’t get it. Or else he does and doesn’t care. I have long been trying to figure out if Obama is evil and has a plan to destroy the country or if he is just incompetent and is letting the country be destroyed.

Of course it doesn’t make any difference. The country is being destroyed.

And the Repubs, those guys we elected to get us started drilling for oil here and cut the budget are arguing with the Democrats over less than chump change.

As I tell Senator Alexander and Corker’s staff people…. “Tell him to get off his behind and start doing something.”

Not that they will.

The hot water saga continues……

I discovered that the downstairs unit was leaking into the drain pain and from there thru a drain to under the house. No big deal.

Only the unit is in a closet under the stairs along with the cold air return on the downstairs heat/ac and there is no extra room. So I go looking for a 40 gallon unit that is no bigger than 45” tall and 22” in diameter. Not a lot of choices but Sears has one with reasonable specs. So I order same, pick it up in my trusty but elderly Ford Ranger, bring it home, unload it and notice that the box says that the height is 3.89’.

That’s 46.68 inches. 1.68 inches higher than will fit.

Hmmmmm. Go back and check the specs of the model ordered on the website. Sure enough, they say 44”. Dig around in the closet and figure out that I can move the drain pan three inches out from the sloped ceiling and it will then fit. But that means I will have to drill a new drain hold and move the drain…. Back under the floor to see what that will do. Discover that this will put the drain over a heat/ac duct so I will have to move it and extend the drain with an elbow… grumble grumble..

At this point decide to open the top of the box and measure the water heater…. And it measures 44”.

So the box was wrong. Thought maybe it meant box dimensions. Nope. They are 48 x 25….

All is well that ends well.

See? That would make a great reality TV show.

Mike L sent me this.

The Pharmacist's Monday Morning


Upon arriving home, a husband was met at the door by his sobbing wife. Tearfully she explained, "It's the druggist. He insulted me terribly this morning on the phone. I had to call multiple times before he would even answer the phone."

Immediately, the husband drove downtown to confront the druggist and demand an apology.


Before he could say more than a word or two, the druggist told him, "Now, just a minute, listen to my side of it. This morning the alarm failed to go off, so I was late getting up. I went without breakfast and hurried out to the car, just to realize that I'd locked the house with both house and car keys inside and had to break a window to get my keys.

"Then, driving a little too fast, I got a speeding ticket. Later, when I was about three blocks from the store, I had a flat tire."


"When I finally got to the store a bunch of people was waiting for me to open up. I got the store opened and started waiting on these people, all the time the darn phone was ringing off the hook."

He continued, "Then I had to break a roll of nickels against the cash register drawer to make change, and they spilled all over the floor. I had to get down on my hands and knees to pick up the nickels and the phone was still ringing. When I came up I cracked my head on the open cash drawer, which made me stagger back against a showcase with a bunch of perfume bottles on it. Half of them hit the floor and broke."


"Meanwhile, the phone is still ringing with no let up, and I finally got back to answer it. It was your wife. She wanted to know how to use a rectal thermometer.

And believe me mister, as God is my witness, all I did was tell her.”

Birthers and other stuff.

I love some of the stuff The Donald says. I mean bad hair do and all he is a treat to listen to because what he says has a bit of truth in it.

Like, why don’t we charge for being someone’s policeman?? You and I pay for protection with our taxes. Why should we be protecting the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and Iraq for free?

I mean look, we’re so far gone down the bankruptcy slide that we talking about cutting Medicare and Social Security. Who comes first? Our citizens or the world’s citizens??

Simplistic? Maybe the problem is that we have taken some simple concepts and made them complex. Maybe the problem we have now is the same problems the Catholic Church brought to its members for years when Mass was said in Latin to people who didn’t know Latin. Why? Because it was the Priests who would tell everyone what was meant. The masses were too dumb to understand complex issues.

Maybe it’s time we admit that nation building doesn’t work. Unless you’re willing to absolutely tear a society apart, as we did in Japan and Germany, it won’t work. You can’t bribe them into doing what you want. You have to convince them by proving that your way, which just kicked their butts into next year, is the right way.

Is that insane?

Well, let me tell you that one of the prime symptoms of insanity is for someone to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. And we’ve been dashing around the world ever since the Soviet Union collapsed looking for someone to save.

Hasn’t worked well. People don’t want saving. Time to let them go out on their own.

The other point The Donald made was the stupidity over Obama’s birth certificate. The guy hasn’t produced one. Some people think that’s important. But anyone who does is attacked as a racist, just as The Donald was on “The View.”

Well, The Donald does have a point. It only took him an hour to get his. Obama has had two plus years. That tells me that he doesn’t want to. Why? Don’t know and don’t care. Do I believe he was born in HI? Yes. All of this is just another way to draw attention and sympathy. Poor me. See how the Birthers treat me…. And I Am The Chosen One!

The only thing is, this isn’t new. Chester Arthur was accused of being born in Canada. Charles Hughes was declared to ineligible because his father was a British immigrant and Goldwater was born in a US territory before Arizona became a state.

At least he could get an original whine.



OnTwitter I am Lesabre1


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

How to speak Italian

I like this.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

How to correctly hold on in a moving train

Wow!

Hat tip to Bill T!

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

New Teacher

Former Infantry Sergeant having served his time with the Marine Corps took a new job as a school teacher.

Just before the school year started he injured his back. He was required
to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. Fortunately,
the cast fit under his shirt and wasn't even noticeable.

On the first day of class, he found himself assigned to the toughest
students in the school.

The smart aleck punks having already heard the new teacher was a former
Marine were leery of him and decided to see how tough he really was
before trying any pranks.

Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, the new teacher opened the
window wide and sat down at his desk.

When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took a stapler and stapled
the tie to his chest.

He had no trouble with discipline that year...

Hat tip to Jimmy M!

That reminds me of when I was an Instructor for a time during my Naval Aviation days. To get the class's attention I would take a small needle, but with some length, and slide it into the border of the chalk board. (Yes, in those days we had chalk.)

On the first day of a new class, after they were seated, I would go to the board and draw a large nail extending from the needle. I would then take my hat and hang it on the needle, which couldn't be seen by the students as it was now completely hidden.

I would then turn and say, "My chalk. My chalkboard. Any questions?"

Kinda set the tone.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

And then there was none

The above is a picture of Blue made several years ago. He loved nothing better than getting in the middle of whatever was being done on the table and then just laying down. Floral arrangements, newspapers, you name it and he was there.


He was a Persian blue of uncertain ancestry. He was one of a litter of nine born in a barn. His mother was large, the presumed daddy larger. So large he was called "Dog."

At Blue's prime he weighed 22 pounds and brooked no nonsense from Southern Belle, our Yorkie. However, he would, when in a good mood, engage in endless games of chase and hide and attack with her. And he sometimes brought field mice to be back door as his contribution to the household's upkeep. At times he would crouch motionless looking out the back door at the bird feeder as if he could somehow escape through the door and have a tasty cardinal or jay.

He enjoyed a good brushing and would lay motionless as he was brushed in a vain attempt at removing tangles from his fur. Ear and head scratching would sometimes be allowed and he made a good companion on drab winter days and cold winter nights.

Twelve years and 4 months into his thirteenth year he died of leukemia and I have buried him besides a favorite tree.

He paid for his keep by being him. I hope someone can say the same about me when my time comes.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

 "Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Sore muscles, Hot Water, McCarthy was right and Toffee shows off

Your muscles will tell you when you have done too much. And yesterday I did too much.

So the plan to come home from church and start digging in the garden was trashed. My legs feel tight and sore and my arms weigh too much. So I worked on one of the outside security lights, to no avail. Then I decided to go under the house and open the air vents, turn on the deck's water faucet and give everything a look see.

Durn.

The drain from the downstairs water heater's safety pan, which exits under the house, was dripping water. A trip to the water heater confirmed that it was leaking. So the question now is, can I get it replaced before the leak becomes terminal?

Maybe I can sell the idea to the History Channel. "Poker Player's Hot Water Needs." "Maybe a Flash of Drip??"

I hang out on some newspaper forums. They are really the National Enquirer of forums. And while the average threads usually become "You're dumb. No you're dumb," after a few comments, occasionally you see some good writing and solid logic. And of course the always present claim that the Right is a McCarthyite. That is supposed to shut down all discussion.

Actually McCarthy's base claim, that there were communists in the government, was proven. Try reading "Venona, Decoding Soviet Espionage in America," by Hayes and Klehr, Yale University Press.

It is the story of how the NSA broke the Soviet's diplomatic code and didn't reveal it for years and years as it was an valuable tool. It was finally revealed, long after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when pushed by Senator Moynihan (Democrat) and fleshed out with KGB files from the old Soviet Union. It is full of names, dates, places, lists, etc. It is not a political book, and is somewhat dry reading unless you are interested in facts rather than political positions.

McCarthy's problem was the method he chose, and a desire by the establishment Republicans to not rock the "good ole boy" system. (Kinda reminds us of the present establishment Repubs and the Tea Party, eh?) Plus many Democrats, fearful of being saddled with the fact that this had happened on their watch, defended anyone named or investigated.

But we now know the government was filled with some spies, fellow travelers and useful idiots. Not unlike now, only now they are more open.

As part of my self imposed rest this afternoon I flipped over to TCM just as it was starting to broadcast Woody Allen's "Sleeper."

Allen doesn't score with the premise that he has been frozen for 200 years and is then brought back into a world he knows nothing about. But he does have a few good lines that are more satire than jokes. And it is amazing how much the government of 2173 reminds me of the various things the Left is doing only 38 years later.

Humor has never worked well in science fiction. Saving civilization is serious business, whether from aliens, climate change or Republicans.

There have been attempts, though mostly centered on fantasy rather than scifi. Charles Myers gave us:

Imagination

October 1954

Toffee existed in Marc Pillsworth's imagination but had a habit of becoming real and causing more problems for Pillsworth than she solved. Perhaps she served as the model for "I Dream of Genie."

Myers wrote 15 Toffee stories, most with the same plot line. The humor was more Genie than Groucho.

The kicker in all of this is that under his pen name of Henry Farrell he wrote "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane," the screenplay "Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte" and many other screen plays and novels. This is somewhat backward in that most authors used their pen names for pulp fiction and their real name for the slicks.

Imagination was founded in 1950 by Ray Palmer who had just started "Other Worlds." With issue #3 it was acquired by William Hamling who had been the editor of "Fantastic Adventures," the companion to "Amazing Stories" while Palmer had been its editor.

In September 1954 Hamling launched:

IT was, to my knowledge, the only scifi/fantasy magazine launched with the intent to feature "saucy" humorous fantasy fiction. Hamling gave up after 3 issues and the last 25 issues were standard space opera.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Baseball and robots and king sticks

Beezboll practice is too much for old men. Particularly when they want you to pitch batting practice.

Ouch. If it's bad tonight.... in the morning it will be a woweee.

And yes, I've done the hot shower and two Advils bit.

But I do love to watch the kids play. They hustle and slide and hit and pitch and throw.

I can remember doing that. Well, almost remember. Except we didn't have $60 gloves, $30 bats and at least 50 balls. And cleats? Ya gotta be kidding. If we had a ball with its original cover, a pair of tennis shoes and a bat that was only cracked (but taped carefully!) we felt great.

And we never had batting helmets. Didn't need'em. Well, I did hit Joe C in the head with the bat but it was an accident. No matter what his Mother thought. Besides, he walked a bit sideways even before the unfortunate event... err accident.

After we tired of baseball we would often play "King Stick." This consisted of finding a stick of about 30 inches, sharpening the point and slinging it into the ground. Others would come and try knock yours over, or better yet, split it. There were certain rules and protocols that had to be followed. Any violation could result in direct retaliation of the pushing, shoving, fist slinging kind. Helped get us ready for growing up into the Cold War.

I once had a stick made out of an oak shipping crate that I found behind Holmes' funeral home. I worked for hours sharpening it and declared it was empowered with death rays from the casket it had been shipped in all the way from Memphis. Being oak it was super hard and was never defeated. But I lost it over the winter of 1950. Probably wound up as kindling for the Warm Morning stove that heated the house. But by spring we were into kites and tops and no one knew I had been disarmed.

After practice Grandson and I did the MacDonalds trick. A double quarter pounder and a big shake for him and a Big Mac for me and he ate half my fries. Greater love has no Grandfather than to give up half his fries to the boy who eats continually and anything left near him.

Grandfather is still in AARP. It's politics suck but it offers such wonderful fringe benefits. Among them is this list of the 10 worst places to retire. They are, from the awful to the bad:

Illinois, California, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Ohio, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Nevada.

Well, hellooooooo. As Brother Dave Gardner said, "You ever hear of anybody retiring Up North?"

I was surprised to see Nevada in the Top Worst Ten but the article says its real estate market is bad. Worst foreclosure rate in the nation. Uh.... I wonder if the author understands that you want to retire to a place where $200K will buy you 4000 sq feet in a gated community... Probably not.

Sarcasm aside.....

IF UT DOESN'T FIRE AD HAMILTON THERE IS NO JUSTICE!

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

And, of course, that comes from Issac Asimov who not only laid out future history for thousands of years, invented ethics for robots.

Now, if we could just adopt them for our politicians.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Getting ready for spring

I haven't written a thing here in 4 days. I think I'm suffering from news overload. The ME is collapsing, gasoline prices are climbing, Japan is deep trouble, the economy remains mired in a deep recession.... A man can only stand so much...

Think I will jet off to Rio..... and did I tell you about my Final 4 picks??

Wait! That's the Prez's thingee.

Can you imagine this shit? For a while I was trying to figure out if Obamie was evil or stupid. Now I know he is just an empty suit. Oh, I know he has enabled some evil people but he isn't. He is just stupidly empty.
Thankfully he will be gone... that is if the Repubs don't do something equally stupid.... Like nominating Romney..

Obama Party

79 degrees and lovely. Spent most of the day cleaning the front yard. Back and side tomorrow after ball practice. I actually broke a sweat and discovered I have too much belly fat.... despite all that treadmill work.
Perhaps the supper table work overcame the treadmill work.

Played some poker this week. Poor results. Flopped one set... of Aces and was beaten by a lady who called my raise and went heads up with a diamond draw... One of the Aces was a diamond. She couldn't beat 2 Aces. But she could beat my 3 Aces. Such is life in the fast lane.

I was just watching Haley Barbour on C-Span2 talking to Repubs in Iowa. Yeah. Friday night and I'm watching C-Span2. I have no life. Thank goodness I couldn't foresee this happening 30 years ago or I would have probably cut my throat... Well, not really but I feel the need for saying something dramatic.

He was just full of plain old commonsense stuff. But his best was a quote from Fred Smith, founder of FedEx. "The main thing to remember is to keep the main thing the main thing."

I like Barbour. He speaks Southern. And he has no chance at getting nominated. And that is a shame. A damn shame.

And if UT doesn't fire AD Hamilton then there is no justice in the world.

I like this from Mike L!

GENERAL PUBLIC NOTICE:
Please be advised I am sick to death of receiving questions about my dog who mauled 3 Muslims sitting on a rug next to my back wall, 6 illegal's wearing Obama T-shirts, 4 Democrats wearing Pelosi T-shirts, 2 rappers, 5 phone operators who asked me to press #1 for English, 9 teenagers with their pants hanging down past their cracks, 8 customer service desk people speaking in broken English, 10 flag burners, and a Pakistani taxi driver.
FOR THE LAST TIME ... MY DOG IS NOT FOR SALE !!!

Yeah, I know. Very unpc.

More political stuff.

The Repubs bragging about the spending cuts they have made reminds me of the old (vulgarity alert!) joke about the mouse that is riding on the rear of an elephant. They are having sex. At the conclusion the mouse asks:

"Did I hurt you, honey?"

Sorry about that. Now I will return to the clean cut old man you know me as.

But not all is bad. Now we find that lawyers can be replaced by computers.

And what's the results?

The computers seem to be good at their new jobs. Mr. Herr, the former chemical company lawyer, used e-discovery software to reanalyze work his company’s lawyers did in the 1980s and ’90s. His human colleagues had been only 60 percent accurate, he found.

NYTimes link

I opine that the computer will also give you more sympathy for its screw ups.

Computers have long been a staple of science fiction. Perhaps the most famous in the movies was Hal in 2001.

This, of course, is not a computer.

Startling Stories

March, 1951

This is obviously a girl, and any 13 year old who was not attracted to her but instead to a computer would obviously rule all of us 13 year olds who gazed longingly at her in March of 1951.

BTW - Leigh Brackett was married to Edmond Hamilton so I guess you can say this was a family affair issue.

And the artist was (Who else?) Earle Bergey who died in 1952. His style was distinctly lurid and he is known as the inventor of the brass bra. Perhaps he was who Howard Hughes was trying to imitate.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Bits and pieces 3-14-11

If it bleeds it leads. So we will be contiually harranged about what may happen at the nuclear power plants.

In the meantime our media will ignore the real interesting story of how well the Japanese people are dealing with this, and why they are doing so.

But then that would require real knowledge, introspection and study.

Something the press has never done well, if at all.

I worked for two very large Japanese corporations in the twilight of my career and what I discovered was that almost everything I had been told about the Japanese was not true. While they were polite, almost to a fault in some cases, they didn't suffer fools very well. And while they respected age, age was supposed to be able to demonstrate it deserved that respect. And while they were patient, they expected results based on what you you were willing to committ to.

Three very good "traits" if you ask me.

Over the 11 years since I left I have lost track of all of them. Several I know remained in the US. Others returned home. I pray they are all well.

In the meantime back in the Land of the Big Gedunk. (That's CONUS in Navy speak.)

The prols are becoming even more restless.

Source: TalkingPointsMemo.com

New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley on Friday tried to calm people's nerves about rising food prices by reminding them that other products -- like iPads -- are getting cheaper.

"Today you can buy an iPad 2 that costs the same as an iPad 1 that is twice as powerful," Dudley said in Queens, Reuters reports. "You have to look at the price of all things."

But better iPads don't put food on the table, audience members reminded him. "When was the last time, sir, that you went grocery shopping?" one person asked. And, perhaps most succinctly, another told him, "I can't eat an iPad."

Link

The article goes on to air the Fed's claim that we can expect a 4% food price hike this year.

Somebody is lying, or else they can't factor in a 75% run up in energy costs to the price of food. Somehow I think the former is the correct answer.

Returning to things more personal, as if the cost of eating could be less personal........

I have seen two old friends leave us behind in the past 6 weeks.

The herd thins.

And I listen more intently to any rustle in the weeds that surround the old body. "Here there be Tygers" is what they use to write at the edge of maps showing unknown lands. And we all have an unknown land in our future.

Where did the time go?

With all the wars and devastion going on I find it difficult to find a sci fi story that out does reality. Maybe one that has a story about how mankind will always forge ahead.

Planet Stories

September 1953

And that would be "The Ark of Mars," by Leigh Brackett. I have no memory of the story, but the theme was that mankind would overcome all problems. I think that is why I liked scifi. I was as poor as a church mouse and had to work to just have spending money.

But I knew I was going on to better things.

BTW - Brackett was also a screen writer. Next time AMC shows "Rio Bravo" look for her name in the credits at the end of the film.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Lest we forget

Four murdered in Israel.
OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Your tax dollars at work

Link

You gotta hand it to Big Business. They sure know how to work Big Government.

ATLANTA — The price of preventing preterm labor is about to go through the roof.

A drug for high-risk pregnant women has cost about $10 to $20 per injection. Next week, the price shoots up to $1,500 a dose, meaning the total cost during a pregnancy could be as much as $30,000.

That's because the drug, a form of progesterone given as a weekly shot, has been made cheaply for years, mixed in special pharmacies that custom-compound treatments that are not federally approved.

But recently, KV Pharmaceutical of suburban St.Louis won government approval to exclusively sell the drug, known as Makena (Mah-KEE'-Nah). The March of Dimes and many obstetricians supported that because it means quality will be more consistent and it will be easier to get.

None of them anticipated the dramatic price hike, though — especially since most of the cost for development and research was shouldered by others in the past.

snip

But Snow and others said someone is going to have to pay the higher price. Some of the burden will fall on health insurance companies, which will have to raise premiums or other costs to their other customers. And some will fall on cash-strapped state Medicaid programs, which may be forced to stop paying for the drug or enroll fewer people.

"There's no question they can't afford this," said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

Salo and Snow said they do not know how many state Medicaid programs currently pay for Makena, which as a generic was recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Aetna will continue to pay for the drug, Armstrong said, but it will be an expensive pill to swallow. Aetna currently covers it for about 1,000 women a year, so the new federal endorsement is likely to cost an estimated $30 million more each year.

snip

Ther-Rx and its parent company became involved about three years ago and acquired rights to the drug from a Massachusetts company named Hologic Inc., said Divis, who is also Ther-Rx's president.

To get FDA approval, the company is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in additional research, including an international study involving 1,700 women, Divis said. The FDA last month signed off and gave Makena orphan drug status. That designation ensures Ther-Rx will be the sole source of the drug for seven years.

The March of Dimes, which gets hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from Ther-Rx, celebrated the approval in a press release, saying if all women eligible for the shots receive them, nearly 10,000 spontaneous premature births could be prevented each year.

"For the first time, we have an FDA-approved treatment to offer women who have delivered a baby too soon, giving them hope that their next child will have a better chance at a healthy start in life," said Dr. Alan Fleischman, the organization's medical director.

As for the cost, he said the drug maker's financial assistance program will ensure no eligible woman is denied the drug due to inability to pay.

Some doctors said they were happy getting the cheaper version from compounding pharmacies, and Aetna's Armstrong said she was unaware of any quality concerns.

Still, doctors will use the Ther-Rx brand, in part because of legal worries.

Not that they have a choice: Last month, KV sent cease-and-desist letters to compounding pharmacies, telling them they could face FDA enforcement actions if they kept making the drug.

So let me see. We had a generic that worked so the FDA created a non-generic by fiat and the price went out of sight.

And politicians actually wonder why we have no faith in the government.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

School on how to talk Italian

Hat tip to whoever sent me this.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

 "Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Back pain and cures

On Monday, March 6 approximately 11:30AM:

So there I was, minding my own business, when I went over to my desk drawer for some printer paper. Bent over same, opened drawer…. Almost couldn’t stand back up.

Intense pain in the lower back. Hobbled to the medicine cabinet, swallowed a muscle relaxer and two Advils, came back by the freezer got a cold pack, sat down, applied the pack and called the chiropractor.

Two hours later he pronounced a pinched nerve, “adjusted” the spine and relief was immediate if not complete. Two treatments later I am much better. In fact I plan on some light yard work tomorrow pending some warmer weather and dryer soil.

I bring this up because some people call chiropractors “quacks.”

And some are. And some doctors are.

It was in a John W. Campbell editorial in Astounding that I first read this concept.

If a person goes to a doctor and if the doctor, after due and necessary tests and examinations, announces that the person has an incurable disease, why would any reasonable person deny the supposed doomed person the right to try any cure available on the market?

I mean, what’s the down side? The person will die sooner? Waste their money?

Huh? It’s like if I fell off a 100 foot tower I shouldn’t flap my arms. It’s like the old joke.

An actor clutches his chest and collapses on the stage. A fellow actor looks at him, turns to the audience and says, “Is there a doctor in house?”

No one answers.

The actor again asks, “Is there a doctor in the house?”

From the back of the auditorium a little old Jewish lady calls out, “Give him an enema!

Stunned, the actor cries, “But Madam! This man has had a heart attack. What possible good will an enema do?”

“It won’t hurt,” came the calm reply.

You have to remember the same profession that says don’t try treatment X for the fatal disease because it hasn’t been approved is the same profession that once bled patients for pneumonia and fought against doctors washing their hands after handling corpses.

And to make things worse, modern day doctors have the government at their sides and looking over their shoulders.

Now remember, my point has to do with the patient FIRST being properly examined, tested and diagnosed with an incurable fatal disease. Why shouldn’t, as Campbell suggests in his editorial, “Louis Pasteur, Medical Quack,” Astounding Science Fiction, June 1964, the person then be permitted to find himself a Licensed Quack and try whatever he feels like trying?

Could it be that the doctors are concerned over loss of income?

What you ask, “Don’t you know that doctors sit on the right hand side of God?”

“Yes,” I answer. “And right next to them is Airplane Pilots and the latest created sports deity.”

And I don’t want anyone to think that I do not respect Doctors. I do. They have all spent years learning and as a group are the most ethical around.

But they aren’t divine. And certainly the FDA is not.

How would you like to find out that in that double blind study that approved the cure that will save millions…. You have been the one taking the sugar pills.

And if you really want to get angry, think about that $90 million we are pissing away on those shits at NPR while the cancer research on DCA doesn’t happen.

Analog Science Fact Science Fiction

June 1964

Campbell was never thrilled with the magazine's name, "Astounding Science Fiction." He often used cover art to demphasize the "Astounding." During 1960 the name was gradually changed to "Analog Science Fact Science Fiction."

In March of 1963 he changed the format from pocket book size to the 8"x10.5" bedsheet size in an attempt to garner even more respectability and newsstand space. It didn't succeed and the cost made him revert back to the pocket book size in July '65.

As you can tell, this copy was stored flat for a considerable period without a protective cover. The resulting rubbing has created flaws in the cover and considerably reduced the value of an otherwise very nice copy.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Obama to Oil Speculators

Don't worry. I won't bother you.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

The ten states with the most and least vice

The List

Where was this list when I was young enough to care?

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Amazing from near the beginning to the beginning of the end

Amazing Stories May 1928

Volume 1 No 2

In the early days finding content was a problem. So Gernsback used Jules Verne, Edgar Allen Poe and H.G.Wells. I would guess that the actual word count, what the reader paid for, was around 125,000 words.

As the second ever issue of the first science fiction magazine, in very good condition, I estimate this copy would auction at around $2000 to $3000. If gasoline prices keep going up I may need to find me a rich Chinese to sell to.

Amazing Stories, November 2004

Issue No 605

Six hundred four issues, seventy two years 6 months and three generations later Amazing had been brought back by Paizo Publishing. Content was still a problem but Verne, Wells and Poe were just so out of it. In case you missed it, the cover had previously been used on "Rolling Stone." The magazine staggered on for four more issues and then passed from the scene.

It was time.


OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Creative writing class

Hat tip to Jimmy M!


OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

 "Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

The Ball Girl

If baseball comes, can fun be far behind?

The Grandson has his new cleats, new bat, new helmet. The ground is cold but there is a warm breeze blowing and God's promise to renew the land is on display.

Practice is as the weather permits and "digging one out of the dirt" is more like "digging one out of the mud" but it matters not. The ball hits the glove with a satisfying pop and when I actually make an almost athletic move and catch one I shouldn't he grins the grin of youth secure in the knowledge that he will never grow old.

If he but knew but he does not. And that is good. Too much foresight is a bad thing.

In the meantime I show him this video.

"Play like the Ball Girl," I tell him and someday you will roam the fields before thousands and sign autographs instead of buying tickets.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

 "Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Ted Nugent explains it

Hat tip to Mike L!
OnTwitter I am Lesabre1



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Old commercials and the Left and the Right

The facts are becoming increasingly plain. The Left elected a man they believed would help them and they were not wrong. While he has tried to present a moderate image, his actions have been to destroy our economy by outrageous programs that have pushed us deeply into debt and his desire to destroy relationships with our allies while kowtowing to the Muslim world has been evident since day one of his reign.

He lied about his desire to make us energy independent and has cancelled programs in oil shale, in which we lead the world, while denying/slowing drill for oil off our coasts. We are now in an energy crisis that could easily force us into a Great Depression of the '29 variety.

In the meantime we continue to see the Left do such things as try and outlaw such things as male circumcision. That this centuries old procedure is both a religious issue for Jews and a health issue for everyone

Self-described "civil rights advocates" say that a ballot proposition to ban circumcision is on track for gathering signatures, meaning that San Franciscans may vote on the measure this November.

The proposed law is being spearheaded by local resident Lloyd Schofield, according to the San Francisco Examiner.

Link

In the meantime the Left does not condemn the practice of female circumcision practiced by many Muslims.

Beyond that we see the imposition of censor by re-publishing old classics with words removed and replaced.

A new US edition of Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is to be published with a notable language alteration: all instances of the offensive racial term "n...." are to be expunged.
The word occurs more than 200 times in Huckleberry Finn, first published in 1884, and its 1876 precursor, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which tell the story of the boys' adventures along the Mississippi river in the mid-19th century. In the new edition, the word will be replaced in each instance by "slave". The word "injun" will also be replaced in the text.

The new edition's Alabama-based publisher, NewSouth books, says the development is a "bold move compassionately advocated" by the book's editor, Twain scholar Dr Alan Gribben of Auburn University, Montgomery. It will have the effect, the publisher claims, of replacing "two hurtful epithets" in order to "counter the 'pre-emptive censorship' that Dr Gribben observes has caused these important works of literature to fall off curriculum lists worldwide."

I am totally in agreement that the N word should not be used in today's world. But this book is 131 years old and is a graphic example of what racism was and how blacks were treated. When you remove the language you remove the shock and effect of the book.

All because:

Gribben said he had decided on the move because over decades of teaching Twain, and reading sections of the text aloud, he had found himself recoiling from uttering the racial slurs in the words of the young protagonists. "The n-word possessed, then as now, demeaning implications more vile than almost any insult that can be applied to other racial groups," he said. "As a result, with every passing decade this affront appears to gain rather than lose its impact.

Link

Plainer. Our youngsters are too frail to read and understand the true evil of racism. They must be coddled, protected. The all powerful state will see that they aren't disturbed.

Right up until the end.

Pay no attention to the cover, the featured February 1951 story was Bradbury's "The Fireman." He later expanded it into the novel, "Fahrenheit 451," the temperature at which paper burns.

The story became a classic, beloved by the Left as an example of censorship, because firemen in this future world found and burned books because their contents disturbed people. It was waved at the Right every 10 seconds for years as an example of where Reagan was taking us.

But the truth is that it was not and is not only the "Right" it is also the "Left" who wants to control what we read and what we eat and what we say.

They have both become disgusting. The only difference between the Left and the Far Right is what they want to take from us.

BTW - This issue also had the second installment of Asimov's, "Tryann." If you are a scifi fan you know it as "The Stars Like Dust." It was also the first of his Empire Series which followed with "Currents of Space" and "Pebble in the Sky." And these morphed into The Foundation series.  There were giants writing back then.


OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day.

My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day.

He has his food prepared for him.

He can eat whenever he wants, 24/7/365.

His meals are provided at no cost to him.

He visits the Dr. once a year for his checkup, and again

during the year if any medical needs arise.

For this he pays nothing, and nothing is required of him.

He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than he needs,

but he is not required to do any upkeep. If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up.

He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep.

He receives these accommodations absolutely free.

He is living like a King, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever.

All of his costs are picked up by others who go out and earn a living every day.

I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick in the head.......

My dog is a POLITICIAN

Hat tip to Mike L!

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

How government employee unions work.

As I have noted,  my negative comments have been ONLY about government employee unions. I have no problem at all with private employee unions.

Why do I feel this way?

A union of government employees is just a method for the workers to bribe the managers at the expense of the taxpayers (employers).

It works like this.

a. Workers demand more money and benefits.

b. Managers agree to give it to them.

c. Taxpayer gives money to managers (politicians) because he is forced to pay taxes.

d. Managers give money to workers.

e. Workers gives part of the money back to the managers. (politicians)

Pretty neat. It is called "bribery."

In electronics this is known as positive feedback. And what it always causes is for the amplifier to break into oscillation and produce screeches, screams and howls.

To avoid this the gain of the amplifier is adjusted carefully. In some cases negative feedback is required to reduce the gain and prevent oscillation. That has not been done in the past.

Unfortunately for the unions the taxpayers have ran out of money for the politicians to take from them in taxes and have finally elected some officials with big enough balls to say, "No!"

The gain has been turned down and negative feedback is being applied.

Galaxy Science Fiction

April 1951

Over population and the results of government controls is another theme well explored by science fiction.

One of the more famous stories about this was published in the above magazine. "The Marching Morons," by C.M. Kornbluth foresees a world of 5 billion morons in which a few million elites are working to keep civilization and society functioning.

You can guess which group I identified with in 1951. As an elderly and more experienced person my support has switched.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt
"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson