Screw the world's financial markets falling apart, screw the value of the dollar being diluted by the elimination of negative consequences. I'm sick.
No, literally. I'll spare you a description of the symptoms but I'm getting better.
But not strong enough is the force with this one, to blog.
See you Thursday, sorry.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Obama: A Different Kind Of Politician.
You know, the kind who wouldn't try to shake down TV stations so they wouldn't run ads against him that were full of truth.
Like this one.
Good job Obama campaign, now more people will see that video, than would have if you had just shut up about it.
Oh, and way to respect the 1st Amendment, and the intelligence of the American voters.
...Again.
Like this one.
Good job Obama campaign, now more people will see that video, than would have if you had just shut up about it.
Oh, and way to respect the 1st Amendment, and the intelligence of the American voters.
...Again.
XM25: Do Want.
Did you ever feel the need to remove a defiladed or entrenched enemy 16 to 600 meters away, but they refused to poke their (rag)heads up for a clear shot? Then you need one of these. Found via at the home of the nice doggy
Good for a 25mm shell to airburst precisely over your target. Only $25k!
...but only if your name starts with "Department of", because it's from HK. Because you suck, and they hate you.
Good for a 25mm shell to airburst precisely over your target. Only $25k!
...but only if your name starts with "Department of", because it's from HK. Because you suck, and they hate you.
Have You Done Your Part?
I don't mean, have you kept current servicing your own personal debt.
I mean, have you called your Elected Heroes and told them to tell Sec. Paulson (D-ope) to go 'way.
I called my Congressman (McCaul, 1-202-225-2401) and told the intern "I'm agin' it" because the congress is the REACTIONary body.
I called my Senators (Cornyn 1-202-224-2934 and Hutchison 1-202-224-5922) and told them I was agin' printing money we don't have to bail out investors, and to encourage investors who actually have money to put it into banks, by getting rid of capital gains taxes, eliminating the difference between short & long term cap. gains taxes, and removing taxes on money in bank savings accounts. I went into more detail because senators like to have a finger in every pie, and when they run out of fingers they'll use their toes just so they can have their ideas interjected.
Go to the Congress and Senate websites and at least email them, if you don't want to call. At least to say, slow down and fix it right, instead of jumping in blindly to another trillion dollars' debt.
I mean, have you called your Elected Heroes and told them to tell Sec. Paulson (D-ope) to go 'way.
I called my Congressman (McCaul, 1-202-225-2401) and told the intern "I'm agin' it" because the congress is the REACTIONary body.
I called my Senators (Cornyn 1-202-224-2934 and Hutchison 1-202-224-5922) and told them I was agin' printing money we don't have to bail out investors, and to encourage investors who actually have money to put it into banks, by getting rid of capital gains taxes, eliminating the difference between short & long term cap. gains taxes, and removing taxes on money in bank savings accounts. I went into more detail because senators like to have a finger in every pie, and when they run out of fingers they'll use their toes just so they can have their ideas interjected.
Go to the Congress and Senate websites and at least email them, if you don't want to call. At least to say, slow down and fix it right, instead of jumping in blindly to another trillion dollars' debt.
The Only Living Ex-Marine Gets Sued!
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
You may have heard (how did he get to be a)Congressman Murtha bloviate from the floor about how it was cold-blooded murder, what happened in Haditha. You may not have heard that, after the Marines involved were acquitted and he was confronted, he refused to apologize.
You now know that he is being taken to court for defamy & slander. This ought to be good.
Too bad it won't be heard in court before the elections.
Found at the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler (link to the P-G, because the comments are NOT P.G. at the Rottweiler's site)
You may have heard (how did he get to be a)Congressman Murtha bloviate from the floor about how it was cold-blooded murder, what happened in Haditha. You may not have heard that, after the Marines involved were acquitted and he was confronted, he refused to apologize.
You now know that he is being taken to court for defamy & slander. This ought to be good.
Too bad it won't be heard in court before the elections.
Found at the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler (link to the P-G, because the comments are NOT P.G. at the Rottweiler's site)
Well, You Can Drill, But You Can't DIG!
The Democrats were forced by you to let the ban on offshore oil drilling expire. Now they are back at it, trying to extend the ban on exploring for oil shale.
So?
We're the Saudi Arabia of oil shale. And we have a legislative prohibition on going and getting the oil out of the shale. And now they're trying to extend the ban (again)(again). Nevermind that the world price of oil over $100/barrel is driving the price of gas over $4/gallon, and your wallet is feeling the pinch.
Democrats: for the working man!
Remember that when you vote for them in December.
*
*
*
*yes, there is an environmental concern. Are you more concerned about *maybe* contaminating drinking water, or your ability to pay your water bill? You can clean water. Heck, you can even take the water (duh) out of the ocean, drink it, clean it, and put it back. You can't burn water in your gas tank.
So?
We're the Saudi Arabia of oil shale. And we have a legislative prohibition on going and getting the oil out of the shale. And now they're trying to extend the ban (again)(again). Nevermind that the world price of oil over $100/barrel is driving the price of gas over $4/gallon, and your wallet is feeling the pinch.
Democrats: for the working man!
Remember that when you vote for them in December.
*
*
*
*yes, there is an environmental concern. Are you more concerned about *maybe* contaminating drinking water, or your ability to pay your water bill? You can clean water. Heck, you can even take the water (duh) out of the ocean, drink it, clean it, and put it back. You can't burn water in your gas tank.
Democrats Kill the $700B Housing Bailout: Not Enough Pork.
From hotair.com
I heard Laura Ingraham talking about it this morning, and was incredulous. Now, I'm still incredulous.
Nanci Pelosi has killed the $700B bailout deal. And said 'it's not my refusal to get on board, it's their refusal to give money to a group under investigation in a dozen states for voter registration fraud, that's part of this mess in the 1st place.'
That's right kiddies. Just like the immigration reform bill that would have given amnesty to illegal aliens who were gangbangers, the deeper you read into this one the worse it gets. THAT'S why they want to jam it down your throat too fast to taste it.
Instead of paying off the debt caused by the deal. Instead of paying down the national debt. Instead of paying off some of the budget deficit. Instead of giving some of the people's money BACK to the People, the Democrats involved want to give "no less than" 20% of any profit realized on the $700B you are about to spend, to community organization groups like ACORN (voter registration fraud, to get more democrat votes), The National Council of The Race (that would be the MEXICAN Race, in case you were wondering, also a Democrat supporting group)(la Raza is Spanish for the Race) etc.
And yet, they continue to be elected.
If you get upset about this sort of thing, and don't vote, slap yourself across the face for me. You are part of the problem.
P.S. Oh by the way, they were bold to do this, because they got some money for these groups out of the OTHER bailout that the President just pushed through. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile. Socialists and Muslim terrorists: No compromise, ever.
I heard Laura Ingraham talking about it this morning, and was incredulous. Now, I'm still incredulous.
Nanci Pelosi has killed the $700B bailout deal. And said 'it's not my refusal to get on board, it's their refusal to give money to a group under investigation in a dozen states for voter registration fraud, that's part of this mess in the 1st place.'
That's right kiddies. Just like the immigration reform bill that would have given amnesty to illegal aliens who were gangbangers, the deeper you read into this one the worse it gets. THAT'S why they want to jam it down your throat too fast to taste it.
Instead of paying off the debt caused by the deal. Instead of paying down the national debt. Instead of paying off some of the budget deficit. Instead of giving some of the people's money BACK to the People, the Democrats involved want to give "no less than" 20% of any profit realized on the $700B you are about to spend, to community organization groups like ACORN (voter registration fraud, to get more democrat votes), The National Council of The Race (that would be the MEXICAN Race, in case you were wondering, also a Democrat supporting group)(la Raza is Spanish for the Race) etc.
And yet, they continue to be elected.
If you get upset about this sort of thing, and don't vote, slap yourself across the face for me. You are part of the problem.
P.S. Oh by the way, they were bold to do this, because they got some money for these groups out of the OTHER bailout that the President just pushed through. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile. Socialists and Muslim terrorists: No compromise, ever.
Federal Law: Applies To New York Too.
Go figure. Via Uncle.
According to US Federal law, if you are not prohibited from having a gun
and you can have a gun in your car where you start
and you can have a gun in your car at your destination
you can travel interstate with your gun in your car, regardless of the laws in the states you pass through.
Except that NY doesn't like armed citizens. So instead of facing a minimum of a few years to a max of "seeing your kids grow up in pictures from the pen", this fellow hires a good law firm. The Federal Traveler's Defense works, and he gets off.
Hooray republicanism!
That is all.
According to US Federal law, if you are not prohibited from having a gun
and you can have a gun in your car where you start
and you can have a gun in your car at your destination
you can travel interstate with your gun in your car, regardless of the laws in the states you pass through.
Except that NY doesn't like armed citizens. So instead of facing a minimum of a few years to a max of "seeing your kids grow up in pictures from the pen", this fellow hires a good law firm. The Federal Traveler's Defense works, and he gets off.
Hooray republicanism!
That is all.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Housing Mess Completely Explained.
at The Smallest minority
There, now you understand it all.
don't forget to vote forme McPalin this November!
There, now you understand it all.
don't forget to vote for
So Iran Is Planning To Nuke Israel
Surprising not much of anyone who is paying attention, Ahmedinejad the Peaceful is talking about destroying Israel and annexing Iraq. Good. No problem.
Oh, wait.
Does anyone else see a problem with the next 2 sentences, and then the UN response?
“Over the next few weeks, the Iranian leadership could reach a determination whether Teheran would be ready for a total war,” the source said.
Yesterday Ahmadinejad said the U. S. is ruled by Zionist murderers, and again threatened Israel’s existence. The U. N. called his vile rhetoric as not helpful.
Not helpful. You know what is helpful? .338 Lapua. I know, we don't assassinate foreign dignitaries, right, right. Sometimes, I begin to wonder why not.
You know what total war is, folks? That's what we had in WWII. Nuclear and incendiary and HE bombs that destroy entire cities, women & children included. That means random strikes without provocation, looting, rapine, pillaging, etc. What we are doing in Iraq is NOT total war. The Rape of Nanking will illustrate what non-christian nations do during total war. You do NOT want to do that.
In unrelated news, hypocrisy.com is a source I never heard of before but they have interesting stories, so go read, but bring your BS meter (just in case).
Oh, wait.
Does anyone else see a problem with the next 2 sentences, and then the UN response?
“Over the next few weeks, the Iranian leadership could reach a determination whether Teheran would be ready for a total war,” the source said.
Yesterday Ahmadinejad said the U. S. is ruled by Zionist murderers, and again threatened Israel’s existence. The U. N. called his vile rhetoric as not helpful.
Not helpful. You know what is helpful? .338 Lapua. I know, we don't assassinate foreign dignitaries, right, right. Sometimes, I begin to wonder why not.
You know what total war is, folks? That's what we had in WWII. Nuclear and incendiary and HE bombs that destroy entire cities, women & children included. That means random strikes without provocation, looting, rapine, pillaging, etc. What we are doing in Iraq is NOT total war. The Rape of Nanking will illustrate what non-christian nations do during total war. You do NOT want to do that.
In unrelated news, hypocrisy.com is a source I never heard of before but they have interesting stories, so go read, but bring your BS meter (just in case).
"The Yankee hegemony is finished"
That's what Hugo Chavez said. You know what the bad part is? With the current testicle-free "leadership" in the USA, he's RIGHT. Look for the weak-kneed doves to allow this sort of thing to continue.
So Russia has sent the Peter the Great to Venezuela. Nothing to see here, move along. Nevermind that we've got the Commies sending a nuclear powered destroyer with 20 nuclear weapons and 500 antiaircraft missles to our back yard. Oh, and Admiral Chabanenko, an anti-submarine destroyer. Oh, and a pair of Tu-160 Blackjacks, supersonic nuclear-capable strategic bombers. And a thouand or so other troops.
These, you see, are being deployed for joint naval excercises with Venezela's navy. This is specifically NOT a threat to the USA, and also not a response to the US Navy sending warships into the fray when Russia invaded Georgia. Not a response to NATO bases near Russia, when Russia is giving NATO the finger. No, they are not waving their pee-pees back at us, in response to us waving our pee-pee at them. No, you see, they're conducting joint excercises.
Also not a threat: stationing the Blackjacks in cuba, less than 100 miles from you and me.
No people of the United States of America, Russia is our great friend, our ally, fully peaceful in their intention. Also you need their oil because YOU allowed theenvironmentalists socialists to prevent us using our own oil, or building refineries. When it comes to that, Russia is going to help Venezuela build refineries, so they won't need us to process their nasty heavy crude. Oh, you didn't know that we're pretty much the only country that processes Venezuela's crude oil? You didn't know that the money you pay to Citgo goes back to Venezuela? What do you think they're going to do, when they don't need to sell their oil to us anymore? You think they won't sell that gas to their marxist neighbors instead of us?
No, there is no problem here. No crisis, no looming cold war. What football teams are playing tonight, again?
*
*
*
Read up:
AFP
Yahoo! News
Debka file
Times Online
Hypocrisy
RIA Novosti
Stratfor
So Russia has sent the Peter the Great to Venezuela. Nothing to see here, move along. Nevermind that we've got the Commies sending a nuclear powered destroyer with 20 nuclear weapons and 500 antiaircraft missles to our back yard. Oh, and Admiral Chabanenko, an anti-submarine destroyer. Oh, and a pair of Tu-160 Blackjacks, supersonic nuclear-capable strategic bombers. And a thouand or so other troops.
These, you see, are being deployed for joint naval excercises with Venezela's navy. This is specifically NOT a threat to the USA, and also not a response to the US Navy sending warships into the fray when Russia invaded Georgia. Not a response to NATO bases near Russia, when Russia is giving NATO the finger. No, they are not waving their pee-pees back at us, in response to us waving our pee-pee at them. No, you see, they're conducting joint excercises.
Also not a threat: stationing the Blackjacks in cuba, less than 100 miles from you and me.
No people of the United States of America, Russia is our great friend, our ally, fully peaceful in their intention. Also you need their oil because YOU allowed the
No, there is no problem here. No crisis, no looming cold war. What football teams are playing tonight, again?
*
*
*
Read up:
AFP
Yahoo! News
Debka file
Times Online
Hypocrisy
RIA Novosti
Stratfor
Oops.
So our internet-based business has a server closet. Fed by a circuit breaker. That's on the same panel as our test equipment power.
So when our techs plug in a 12VDC device to 240VAC, and melt the thing internally, and trip the 100A breaker feeding the service panel, the server closet looses power. Great fun, since I'm not the IT guy running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
Yes, we have a honkin' big battery back-up, but when nobody knows where the breaker is (even though it's already been thrown, twice, before) that makes for some genuine IT guy sightings.
Good times. Way to wire your building, maintenance! That electrician? Yeah, he doesn't work here anymore.
So when our techs plug in a 12VDC device to 240VAC, and melt the thing internally, and trip the 100A breaker feeding the service panel, the server closet looses power. Great fun, since I'm not the IT guy running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
Yes, we have a honkin' big battery back-up, but when nobody knows where the breaker is (even though it's already been thrown, twice, before) that makes for some genuine IT guy sightings.
Good times. Way to wire your building, maintenance! That electrician? Yeah, he doesn't work here anymore.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
True Story, I Kid You Not.
This happened to a co-worker of a brother at my church. This brother affirms that it is true, and I'd be willing to visit violence on somebody who insisted on calling him a liar (he's old, but he packs heat, so I probably wouldn't have to).
A little girl walks into the shop and tells the man working inside that there's a man on the ground out back, choking.
He goes to investigate the report and finds the other man at the shop on the ground, choking. On his own blood. After falling off a ladder.
He's in hospital and at least not dead yet but the question arose:
Whose child was the girl? They went and looked at the security camera footage.
There was no girl.
I sh*t you not.
A little girl walks into the shop and tells the man working inside that there's a man on the ground out back, choking.
He goes to investigate the report and finds the other man at the shop on the ground, choking. On his own blood. After falling off a ladder.
He's in hospital and at least not dead yet but the question arose:
Whose child was the girl? They went and looked at the security camera footage.
There was no girl.
I sh*t you not.
Bane. Is. Dead.
If you didn't read Bane while he was alive, at least go and read the archives while they are up, to see what you missed.
Note: not for the faint of heart, closed-minded, or overly-prudish. If your laces are entirely straight, you will be offended.
He was sick for a while and apparently spent 3 days in the ICU, so if you've got more cash than, oh I dunno, me (see below) be a (pay)pal and go help out with the bills.
Note: not for the faint of heart, closed-minded, or overly-prudish. If your laces are entirely straight, you will be offended.
He was sick for a while and apparently spent 3 days in the ICU, so if you've got more cash than, oh I dunno, me (see below) be a (pay)pal and go help out with the bills.
Man It Sucks To Be Broke
Two years ago, right before my last job folded up and moved to Dallas, I was making $18.75/hr, plus 10% for working nights, plus $400/month for being on call. Oh, and every once in a while, I would get a customer cussing at me in the middle of the night over the phone because his equipment broke.
We had 2 kids then, gas was $1.80, milk was $3 and we had plenty and to spare. Paid down the credit card, even.
Now we've got 3 kids, gas is $3.50, milk is $5 and my work moved twice as far as it was when I started working there. I'm making a few hundred less a month, to boot.
If the Demicans hadn't cocked up the whole economy, and the Republicrats let them do it, we'd still have plenty. As it sits, we just got a fancy new car payment with higher insurance to go with it, and a big fat minimum on the credit card since we paid for #3's birth-bills on it when he showed up. Mind you, the minimum is STILL less than health insurance premiums would have been, if I had put him on the Plan from work. Our cereal comes in bags, and we buy everything generic and in bulk.
But tonight I had to tell somebody that I'd supply guns if he'd pay range fees and buy ammo.
If you can't even afford to take a new shooter out shooting on the house, that's frikken BUSTED and it STINKS.
&&&&&&&&&&
P.S. and my wife is pissed that she can't afford to drive to El Paso this weekend for her neice's birthday party. Yes, drive, because [deleted] the TSA and their fake-security power trippers.
We had 2 kids then, gas was $1.80, milk was $3 and we had plenty and to spare. Paid down the credit card, even.
Now we've got 3 kids, gas is $3.50, milk is $5 and my work moved twice as far as it was when I started working there. I'm making a few hundred less a month, to boot.
If the Demicans hadn't cocked up the whole economy, and the Republicrats let them do it, we'd still have plenty. As it sits, we just got a fancy new car payment with higher insurance to go with it, and a big fat minimum on the credit card since we paid for #3's birth-bills on it when he showed up. Mind you, the minimum is STILL less than health insurance premiums would have been, if I had put him on the Plan from work. Our cereal comes in bags, and we buy everything generic and in bulk.
But tonight I had to tell somebody that I'd supply guns if he'd pay range fees and buy ammo.
If you can't even afford to take a new shooter out shooting on the house, that's frikken BUSTED and it STINKS.
&&&&&&&&&&
P.S. and my wife is pissed that she can't afford to drive to El Paso this weekend for her neice's birthday party. Yes, drive, because [deleted] the TSA and their fake-security power trippers.
Road Rage: You're Doing It Wrong!
From the Times Online
Driver A is traveling down the motorway, and Driver B's car flies out from a sidestreet without stopping. Driver A is forced onto the verge, and flashes her lights. Driver B stops, Driver A stops in front of her. * Driver A starts to get out of her car, and Driver B Rams Driver A's car.
Rams the car so hard that Driver A gets a bump on the head, and Driver B's car still runs, and the doors open easily. Driver B mashes the gas pedal and the tyres spin until they disintegrate. The wheels dig 2' into the street, throwing sparks the whole time. Something under the bonnet ignites, and the car is in flames.
Passersby tell her to get out of the car. One man opens the door and tells Driver B that she needs to get out of the car, since it's on fire. Driver B shakes her fist in the man's face and tells him to F**k off.
Driver B stays in the car. The car burns down. She's burned to death by the time firefighters get the fire out.
oooooooooooooooooookay.
I can kind of see where they're coming from, but why didn't any 3 passersby collaborate and pull Driver B from the car forcibly? Fear of lawsuits? Apathy? I'm going to go with: they were Waiting for The Authorities like good Britons.
Just wow.
Serena Sutton-Smith, 54, Driver B, burnt to death, apparently off her meds or completely insane.
Paula Small, Driver A, cleared of any wrongdoing after the inquest.
Nicholas Willmore at least tried to alert the woman to her danger.
*NOTE: In some places in the US, this is grounds for a shooting so stopping is about the stupidest thing you could possibly do, for the aggressor or the victim in a road rage incident. Maybe some time I'll tell you the story about the guy who caught a full can of bear spray instead of a bullet...
Driver A is traveling down the motorway, and Driver B's car flies out from a sidestreet without stopping. Driver A is forced onto the verge, and flashes her lights. Driver B stops, Driver A stops in front of her. * Driver A starts to get out of her car, and Driver B Rams Driver A's car.
Rams the car so hard that Driver A gets a bump on the head, and Driver B's car still runs, and the doors open easily. Driver B mashes the gas pedal and the tyres spin until they disintegrate. The wheels dig 2' into the street, throwing sparks the whole time. Something under the bonnet ignites, and the car is in flames.
Passersby tell her to get out of the car. One man opens the door and tells Driver B that she needs to get out of the car, since it's on fire. Driver B shakes her fist in the man's face and tells him to F**k off.
Driver B stays in the car. The car burns down. She's burned to death by the time firefighters get the fire out.
oooooooooooooooooookay.
I can kind of see where they're coming from, but why didn't any 3 passersby collaborate and pull Driver B from the car forcibly? Fear of lawsuits? Apathy? I'm going to go with: they were Waiting for The Authorities like good Britons.
Just wow.
Serena Sutton-Smith, 54, Driver B, burnt to death, apparently off her meds or completely insane.
Paula Small, Driver A, cleared of any wrongdoing after the inquest.
Nicholas Willmore at least tried to alert the woman to her danger.
*NOTE: In some places in the US, this is grounds for a shooting so stopping is about the stupidest thing you could possibly do, for the aggressor or the victim in a road rage incident. Maybe some time I'll tell you the story about the guy who caught a full can of bear spray instead of a bullet...
I Sent This to My Representatives, What Did YOU Do?
Dear (insert my Elected Heroes Name Here),
The Congress and Senate are making serious moves towards spending most of a Billion dollars that the citizens of the country have not earned yet.
This will be added to my grandchildrens' tax bills
All to remove negative consequences from people who made bad decisions, BEFORE the consequences happen!
Why can't the banks be forced to do workouts on these bad loans
instead of forcing the taxpayers to pay for the loans? Since when is a new layer of government more efficient than having principal actors do their job?
Democrats in Congress got us all into this mess,
But it's getting hard to vote for Republicans, when the Republicans join with the Democrats in SOCIALISM to remove natural consequences from people who chose to do foolish things.
I thought you all WANTED to be re-elected?
The Congress and Senate are making serious moves towards spending most of a Billion dollars that the citizens of the country have not earned yet.
This will be added to my grandchildrens' tax bills
All to remove negative consequences from people who made bad decisions, BEFORE the consequences happen!
Why can't the banks be forced to do workouts on these bad loans
instead of forcing the taxpayers to pay for the loans? Since when is a new layer of government more efficient than having principal actors do their job?
Democrats in Congress got us all into this mess,
But it's getting hard to vote for Republicans, when the Republicans join with the Democrats in SOCIALISM to remove natural consequences from people who chose to do foolish things.
I thought you all WANTED to be re-elected?
And One More Thing...
Congress can take a paid vacation when you are sucking up high gas, grocery, etc. prices, no problem, that's something that they would have to be controversial w/ the environmentalists communists to fix
But when it comes to giving away a billion dollars that your children haven't even earned yet, to people who chose to make bad investments? BACK TO WORK WE GO!!!!!!
...Still no mention of using clean, environmentally responsible nuclear reactors to generate electricity on the cheap, and lower the price of everything else.
That's all. Just sayin'.
But when it comes to giving away a billion dollars that your children haven't even earned yet, to people who chose to make bad investments? BACK TO WORK WE GO!!!!!!
...Still no mention of using clean, environmentally responsible nuclear reactors to generate electricity on the cheap, and lower the price of everything else.
That's all. Just sayin'.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Pigeons: I Hate Them, But They Left!
I was going to start plunking the pigeons in the trees over my driveway.
My pellet rifles were both broken.
I fixed one, mounted the optics, and sighted it in.
And now the pigeons have flown. Not a one to be seen.
OK fine, I'll wash the cars & hose down the driveway, and hopefully they're gone for good. If not, I've got some match-grade .17 caliber love for them.
:)
My pellet rifles were both broken.
I fixed one, mounted the optics, and sighted it in.
And now the pigeons have flown. Not a one to be seen.
OK fine, I'll wash the cars & hose down the driveway, and hopefully they're gone for good. If not, I've got some match-grade .17 caliber love for them.
:)
What's The Big Rush All About, Anyway?
It took several years, decades even, to manufacture the current difficulties in the US credit markets.
So now all of a sudden within the space of a week and a half, we Must Do Something RIGHT NOW!!!!1!
Hold on there.
*
*
*
Why?
Who in the treasury department is going to make a billion dollars on this? Whose brother is going to avoid going to jail?
Why are we going to give a $700B get-out-of-bad-risk card to banks that are still in operation? The S&L scandals caused the S&Ls to go out of business, and then a year or 2 AFTER they sunk, we started dealing with the funny business. Not while the private businesses were still operating, helping them get out from under their own poor investments!
Why so fast? Why all of a sudden? Why right now? Is Sec. Paulson going to prison in a month if he doesn't stucco over it all?
What's the big deal about Doing Something RIGHT NOW?
And, why This? What, we can't have a week of brainstorming?
We can't require that these private businesses have a crash program of doing mortgage workouts before buying all the mortgages?
Why?
WHY?
So now all of a sudden within the space of a week and a half, we Must Do Something RIGHT NOW!!!!1!
Hold on there.
*
*
*
Why?
Who in the treasury department is going to make a billion dollars on this? Whose brother is going to avoid going to jail?
Why are we going to give a $700B get-out-of-bad-risk card to banks that are still in operation? The S&L scandals caused the S&Ls to go out of business, and then a year or 2 AFTER they sunk, we started dealing with the funny business. Not while the private businesses were still operating, helping them get out from under their own poor investments!
Why so fast? Why all of a sudden? Why right now? Is Sec. Paulson going to prison in a month if he doesn't stucco over it all?
What's the big deal about Doing Something RIGHT NOW?
And, why This? What, we can't have a week of brainstorming?
We can't require that these private businesses have a crash program of doing mortgage workouts before buying all the mortgages?
Why?
WHY?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Now The Government Is Making Money?
If you buy something for less than it's worth, you have made a good deal. You can sell it for a profit.
The AIG deal is potentially very profitable for US. Of course, being a Federally overseen deal, look for lots of fraud, waste, and abuse.
But now, we're going to spend the better part of a trillion dollars to buy up all the bad debt out there.
Consequences? What consequences? Hey, buddy, you need a loan?
I'm sure there is a way out of this mess where we didn't just lose $785B, but I bet we don't get it done properly.
Especially with Ms. Pelosi holding up progress nicely.
I have a headache.
********
Edit/Update: Now it comes out, the administration wants to include other sh*tty loans. Car loans, credit cards, etc.
Note to productive citizens: you keep pulling the wagon faster, we're just going to toss a few more tonnes of rocks on it. Nevermind the people looking on from the sidelines, they don't need to pull their wagons, just you do.
What a bunch of jerks. Maybe we need a good long depression to teach us what the [deleted] money is for. Of course, every time we have one, people look for more market regulation which is what got us in this fix in the first place. I guess if it fell down we'd probably go straight for socialism, since people won't pick up their own empty brass anymore.
What a mess. These people need to read their Bibles: Proverbs 22:7 says the borrower is servant to the lender. But then we're not training the children up in the way they should go these days, either, so how would anybody know what to do anymore?
The AIG deal is potentially very profitable for US. Of course, being a Federally overseen deal, look for lots of fraud, waste, and abuse.
But now, we're going to spend the better part of a trillion dollars to buy up all the bad debt out there.
Consequences? What consequences? Hey, buddy, you need a loan?
I'm sure there is a way out of this mess where we didn't just lose $785B, but I bet we don't get it done properly.
Especially with Ms. Pelosi holding up progress nicely.
I have a headache.
********
Edit/Update: Now it comes out, the administration wants to include other sh*tty loans. Car loans, credit cards, etc.
Note to productive citizens: you keep pulling the wagon faster, we're just going to toss a few more tonnes of rocks on it. Nevermind the people looking on from the sidelines, they don't need to pull their wagons, just you do.
What a bunch of jerks. Maybe we need a good long depression to teach us what the [deleted] money is for. Of course, every time we have one, people look for more market regulation which is what got us in this fix in the first place. I guess if it fell down we'd probably go straight for socialism, since people won't pick up their own empty brass anymore.
What a mess. These people need to read their Bibles: Proverbs 22:7 says the borrower is servant to the lender. But then we're not training the children up in the way they should go these days, either, so how would anybody know what to do anymore?
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Democrats: RACIST!
From Yahoo! News:
The first mainstream press outlet I've seen come right out and say it: If our man the obamessiah doesn't win the election, it's because of all those racist white democrats who just can't get over Barry's dark-skindednessness.
You know what happened? Somebody broke the black ice. When it began to appear as if there was a chance that Obama may actually stand a chance of losing, a democrat-woman (Gov. Sebelius) made a keen observation: “Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African American?” she said. “I think that is for a number of people difficult. I think we need to talk about the fact that that is a real issue.”
Yeah, most of us noticed. Most of us also noticed how the leadership of the Democrat party was needing a change of underwear whenever they would talk about how it was an historic thing and a Good Thing per se that we were going to have a (half-)black President. Quite a few of us even noticed that they were trying to cover their prejudices and White Guilt by voting for a (half-)Black Man, instead of a candidate for President. I know all the Democrat candidates sucked this year, but it's pretty obvious that most folks who voted for him got caught up by 1 of 3 things:
HopeChange! (the non-thinker says: "Change is good")
The Unknown (the non-thinker says: "we don't know him, but we know all the other guys are bums")
The Black (the black folks, 95% of them, say: he look like me imma vote 4 him!)(the white folk say: jolly-o, pip-pip, let's elect a black this time, muffy!)
When the radio and internet conservative reporters started to bring out Obama's past, some folks started to examine it. Some of the highlights were so bad that even the mainstream broadcast networks had to report it. That's why the polls started showing Captain Hopey Changey slipping as time went by. Also, a few black-americans caught some news when they were changing between The cRap Channel #1 and The cRap Channel #2, and caught on to the fact that he was only 1/2 black (not black enough) and raised by Rich White Folk (not black enough). Some even had the foolhardiness to go on the air and say what a lot of people were saying on the street: Halfrican.
Gov. Sebelius, and alphabet network reporters: we need to shut the [deleted] up about what color people are. I know maybe 3 people who care what color anybody is. Most Americans already are living up to MLK's dream. I married a born-in-Mexico Mexican. The white boy who works in the station in front of me is marrying a Fine Nubian Princess later this year. We exchange jokes all day long with our darker co-workers when they roll through our workspace. When our children go to the park and brown people are there, we tell them "go play" . . . almost as if nothing unusual were going on (duh.)
Aside from some morons who LIKE Obama because he's black, I don't know of anyone personally who cares either way what color he is.
You know why Obama will lose, if (God willing) he does?
BECAUSE HE'S AN AMERICAN CAPITALISM-HATING MARXIST!
And we shed a few million gallons of blood beating them back already. We don't like them. We like our government to leave us alone. We like to cling to our guns, god and religion, because it's not clinging it's a part of who we are. If you don't understand Americans, talk down to them, denigrate them, insult their intelligence, and generally make it known that you are better than and don't like them...
expect to lose the election.
And please, folks, when you hear the alphabet networks whining about Racism costing Obama the election, do the world a favor. Call and write them, and remind them that Marxism, not Racism, lost that election for Obama.
If JFK appeared on the scene as a Democrat, he would win in a landslide.
Too bad he would be the epitome of a modern Republican, but that's the topic of another posting.
The first mainstream press outlet I've seen come right out and say it: If our man the obamessiah doesn't win the election, it's because of all those racist white democrats who just can't get over Barry's dark-skindednessness.
You know what happened? Somebody broke the black ice. When it began to appear as if there was a chance that Obama may actually stand a chance of losing, a democrat-woman (Gov. Sebelius) made a keen observation: “Have any of you noticed that Barack Obama is part African American?” she said. “I think that is for a number of people difficult. I think we need to talk about the fact that that is a real issue.”
Yeah, most of us noticed. Most of us also noticed how the leadership of the Democrat party was needing a change of underwear whenever they would talk about how it was an historic thing and a Good Thing per se that we were going to have a (half-)black President. Quite a few of us even noticed that they were trying to cover their prejudices and White Guilt by voting for a (half-)Black Man, instead of a candidate for President. I know all the Democrat candidates sucked this year, but it's pretty obvious that most folks who voted for him got caught up by 1 of 3 things:
HopeChange! (the non-thinker says: "Change is good")
The Unknown (the non-thinker says: "we don't know him, but we know all the other guys are bums")
The Black (the black folks, 95% of them, say: he look like me imma vote 4 him!)(the white folk say: jolly-o, pip-pip, let's elect a black this time, muffy!)
When the radio and internet conservative reporters started to bring out Obama's past, some folks started to examine it. Some of the highlights were so bad that even the mainstream broadcast networks had to report it. That's why the polls started showing Captain Hopey Changey slipping as time went by. Also, a few black-americans caught some news when they were changing between The cRap Channel #1 and The cRap Channel #2, and caught on to the fact that he was only 1/2 black (not black enough) and raised by Rich White Folk (not black enough). Some even had the foolhardiness to go on the air and say what a lot of people were saying on the street: Halfrican.
Gov. Sebelius, and alphabet network reporters: we need to shut the [deleted] up about what color people are. I know maybe 3 people who care what color anybody is. Most Americans already are living up to MLK's dream. I married a born-in-Mexico Mexican. The white boy who works in the station in front of me is marrying a Fine Nubian Princess later this year. We exchange jokes all day long with our darker co-workers when they roll through our workspace. When our children go to the park and brown people are there, we tell them "go play" . . . almost as if nothing unusual were going on (duh.)
Aside from some morons who LIKE Obama because he's black, I don't know of anyone personally who cares either way what color he is.
You know why Obama will lose, if (God willing) he does?
BECAUSE HE'S AN AMERICAN CAPITALISM-HATING MARXIST!
And we shed a few million gallons of blood beating them back already. We don't like them. We like our government to leave us alone. We like to cling to our guns, god and religion, because it's not clinging it's a part of who we are. If you don't understand Americans, talk down to them, denigrate them, insult their intelligence, and generally make it known that you are better than and don't like them...
expect to lose the election.
And please, folks, when you hear the alphabet networks whining about Racism costing Obama the election, do the world a favor. Call and write them, and remind them that Marxism, not Racism, lost that election for Obama.
If JFK appeared on the scene as a Democrat, he would win in a landslide.
Too bad he would be the epitome of a modern Republican, but that's the topic of another posting.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Bold Leadership From Obama!
McCain comes out with an arguably bad idea to start a new governmental agency to monitor the housing market or some such. He's coming up with some CHANGE to help CHANGE things for the better.
Obama's economic policy ideas? Yeah, that's going to have to wait until after the Fed makes an announcement.
Way to be bold. Next time he gets off a teleprompter, ask him about it.
And be sure to count the "uh"s that come out of his mouth while he tries to not sound TOO much like a socialist.
Obama's economic policy ideas? Yeah, that's going to have to wait until after the Fed makes an announcement.
Way to be bold. Next time he gets off a teleprompter, ask him about it.
And be sure to count the "uh"s that come out of his mouth while he tries to not sound TOO much like a socialist.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
It Would All Be Rather Amusing
If it didn't mean the possible end of the world's sole remaining super power nation (us).
The chickens are indeed coming home to roost in the mortgage-backed securities world, and now finally the logical conclusion of the Democrats' attempt at social engineering by regulation of the free market are coming to light. Yes, that includes the racist pressure to make bad loans from groups like ACORN, back when it was being represented by a clean, articulate young man named Barry Obama (ahem, judgment, anyone?) The complete lack of accountability for making a very large number of very risky investments is also coming around to bite us in the tookus.
And Barney Frank, of all people, has the unmitigated GALL to say they need to regulate it MORE heavily? Isn't he the one who defaulted on, what, $60,000 or $80,000 in credit-card debt (and left YOU the loyal interest paying customer to pick up the tab)? We're supposed to listen to THIS joker on matters related to the national financial markets?
Hold on there!
It's like living in Bizarro-World! How do people like Pelosi and Frank and Obama and Clinton keep getting elected? ::shakes head:: I know it's the government we deserve, but it really hurts to see such a great nation going down in flames.
I just hope we Texians will band together and preserve our borders when the USA finally collapses under the weight of its own stupidity and immorality. We've got a lot going for us as a standalone nation. Maybe next time we'll keep out of pesky international alliances, unlike LAST time we were independent...
The chickens are indeed coming home to roost in the mortgage-backed securities world, and now finally the logical conclusion of the Democrats' attempt at social engineering by regulation of the free market are coming to light. Yes, that includes the racist pressure to make bad loans from groups like ACORN, back when it was being represented by a clean, articulate young man named Barry Obama (ahem, judgment, anyone?) The complete lack of accountability for making a very large number of very risky investments is also coming around to bite us in the tookus.
And Barney Frank, of all people, has the unmitigated GALL to say they need to regulate it MORE heavily? Isn't he the one who defaulted on, what, $60,000 or $80,000 in credit-card debt (and left YOU the loyal interest paying customer to pick up the tab)? We're supposed to listen to THIS joker on matters related to the national financial markets?
Hold on there!
It's like living in Bizarro-World! How do people like Pelosi and Frank and Obama and Clinton keep getting elected? ::shakes head:: I know it's the government we deserve, but it really hurts to see such a great nation going down in flames.
I just hope we Texians will band together and preserve our borders when the USA finally collapses under the weight of its own stupidity and immorality. We've got a lot going for us as a standalone nation. Maybe next time we'll keep out of pesky international alliances, unlike LAST time we were independent...
If You Stop Believing In God, You Don't Believe In Nothing
You believe in anything.
You know, like The Trees Care About What You Think.
These people need Jesus, and a good dose of Sanity.
I blame the liburruls and the gummint school system for this.
I also find it sad and funny at the same time. I LOL'd.
You know, like The Trees Care About What You Think.
These people need Jesus, and a good dose of Sanity.
I blame the liburruls and the gummint school system for this.
I also find it sad and funny at the same time. I LOL'd.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: Hypocrites!
The ATF has lost SCORES of firearms. 2 of them were recovered after being stolen and used in a crime, and fewer than half were even reported stolen, as required by BATFE regulations. Great job guys, it's good to know the "only ones" are really keeping their game tight.
You know, unlike some other people. Like the people at Red's Trading Post, who were very nearly driven out of business by the BATFE for not dotting their i's and crossing their T's, and having the audacity to post photographs of ATF inspectors doing normal things in public places, and reporting publicly available knowledge. I guess they would just storm in and shoot a gun store owner right in the face for losing 76 guns.
But for them?
My bet: maybe a slap on the wrist if that. Nobody jailed, fired, or resigning in shame. You know, just like after Ruby Ridge and Waco. After all, this is really the first time they have ever messed up even a little!
Hold on there.
This is part of the United States' Federal Gummint, paid for by your tax dollars, completely falling down on the job. Again.How much longer will this agency exist? How much longer will you suffer them to suck your tax dollars? I'm writing my Elected Heroes as soon as I get done with this posting... will you?
***
By the way, Col. Cooper was of the opinion that someone who wears a mask is ashamed of what he is doing, and if he has a gun, he is a legitimate target. Things that make you go, hmmm.
also
76 people died at Waco, for legal infractions involving paperwork and machinery. The same number of guns are currently being reported lost/stolen/missing from ATF hands. Poetic justice writ small.
You know, unlike some other people. Like the people at Red's Trading Post, who were very nearly driven out of business by the BATFE for not dotting their i's and crossing their T's, and having the audacity to post photographs of ATF inspectors doing normal things in public places, and reporting publicly available knowledge. I guess they would just storm in and shoot a gun store owner right in the face for losing 76 guns.
But for them?
My bet: maybe a slap on the wrist if that. Nobody jailed, fired, or resigning in shame. You know, just like after Ruby Ridge and Waco. After all, this is really the first time they have ever messed up even a little!
Hold on there.
This is part of the United States' Federal Gummint, paid for by your tax dollars, completely falling down on the job. Again.How much longer will this agency exist? How much longer will you suffer them to suck your tax dollars? I'm writing my Elected Heroes as soon as I get done with this posting... will you?
***
By the way, Col. Cooper was of the opinion that someone who wears a mask is ashamed of what he is doing, and if he has a gun, he is a legitimate target. Things that make you go, hmmm.
also
76 people died at Waco, for legal infractions involving paperwork and machinery. The same number of guns are currently being reported lost/stolen/missing from ATF hands. Poetic justice writ small.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Pigeons. I Hate Them.
When I was in the Navy, our squadron CO's were all too cheap to get nets for the hangar to cover the rafters, and the pigeons would defecate all over the floor, and airplanes, and maybe you, if you were unlucky. There I learned to refer to them as flying rats.
My wife never had to spend half-hours at a time swabbing up pigeon poo, so she never understood my dislike for them.
Now they have taken to roosting in the tree above our driveway, and the poo is piling up on the driveway, my parts car, and (importantly) her pretty new truck.
She now understands.
I plan to go out every morning before leaving for work with a pellet rifle, and eliminate as many as I can that way.
One of the old boys at work says if I bring them in the same day they are killed, he will cook and eat them. Ooookay. I am hopeful that he will have quite the repast.
My wife never had to spend half-hours at a time swabbing up pigeon poo, so she never understood my dislike for them.
Now they have taken to roosting in the tree above our driveway, and the poo is piling up on the driveway, my parts car, and (importantly) her pretty new truck.
She now understands.
I plan to go out every morning before leaving for work with a pellet rifle, and eliminate as many as I can that way.
One of the old boys at work says if I bring them in the same day they are killed, he will cook and eat them. Ooookay. I am hopeful that he will have quite the repast.
The Arabs Cutting Their Own Throats?
Saudi Arabia has the right idea. Lower prices are actually good for the supplier, if they want folks to keep using their product. The market is finally reacting to the what-used-to-be-outrageous-but-we-no-longer-have-any-rage-so-it's-just-really-high price of oil, and using less.
Clark Howard reports that oil demand is down 6% year-over-year since last June.
Also, road fatalities are down all over the place, 20% and more.
Elsewhere I have heard that the resale prices of full-sized SUVs are falling through the floor.
The reasons for these 3 factoids are related.
Young people are priced out of driving just for the heck of it. Young people are as high-risk as old people as far as the actuaries are concerned. Fewer young people on the road = fewer dead people on the road, and fewer gallons of gas consumed.
SUVs use more gas (duh) so they are up to 3 times more expensive to drive than small cars. The women who wanted an SUV to feel safe and sit up high are going to crossovers and small cars. The families are going to not-quite-fullsize minivans & crossovers. The ranchers (like my dad, with his ancient F-250) are stuck with something that will pull a horse trailer, and even the newer trucks are taking a little less diesel. Nobody wants a big truck right now, and they are getting parked. Teeny-tiny little cars that don't kill people when you run them down in one are getting to be much more popular.
I had heard that people were driving fewer miles, but 6% drop in the demand for oil over a whole year, in a time when the economy is growing? That's HUGE.
***
Oh wait, I've had an epiphany! The eeeeEEEeeevil amurikins are driving less and using less oil, and the global mean temperature is falling! Since correlation is causation, SUVs cause global warming! How OBVIOUS!
Clark Howard reports that oil demand is down 6% year-over-year since last June.
Also, road fatalities are down all over the place, 20% and more.
Elsewhere I have heard that the resale prices of full-sized SUVs are falling through the floor.
The reasons for these 3 factoids are related.
Young people are priced out of driving just for the heck of it. Young people are as high-risk as old people as far as the actuaries are concerned. Fewer young people on the road = fewer dead people on the road, and fewer gallons of gas consumed.
SUVs use more gas (duh) so they are up to 3 times more expensive to drive than small cars. The women who wanted an SUV to feel safe and sit up high are going to crossovers and small cars. The families are going to not-quite-fullsize minivans & crossovers. The ranchers (like my dad, with his ancient F-250) are stuck with something that will pull a horse trailer, and even the newer trucks are taking a little less diesel. Nobody wants a big truck right now, and they are getting parked. Teeny-tiny little cars that don't kill people when you run them down in one are getting to be much more popular.
I had heard that people were driving fewer miles, but 6% drop in the demand for oil over a whole year, in a time when the economy is growing? That's HUGE.
***
Oh wait, I've had an epiphany! The eeeeEEEeeevil amurikins are driving less and using less oil, and the global mean temperature is falling! Since correlation is causation, SUVs cause global warming! How OBVIOUS!
Monday, September 15, 2008
More News From The Place Where England Used To Be
From the Times online, via Blackfive. . .
In UK, you can now have justice served up according to the dictates of your religion. Yes, folks, the muslims have finally got their wish and you members of the Religion of Peace in UK can now go to a sharia court to get your disputes resolved. Technically, both parties have to agree to be bound, and it's legally binding arbitration. Practically, a battered wife or the daughter in an inheritance case just got screwed over royally by The Crown.
Whatever happened to the concept that Justice Cannot Be Dictated? Oh, that's right, it's not tooooooooolerant.
This is the conversation I had with a co-worker about this article on the company Instant Messenger service. Note the time stamps.
(17:15:42) VoteForDavid: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece
(17:17:08) Co-worker: they will rue the day . . .
(17:17:21) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:24) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:26) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:27) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:29) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:30) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:32) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:33) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:35) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:35) Co-worker: stfu
(17:17:42) VoteForDavid: UR INTOLERANT!!!!!1!
(17:17:48) Co-worker: and smelly
(17:17:51) VoteForDavid: See how the muslims do it?
(17:17:53) VoteForDavid: works great
What's next? If I make up a church like mohammed did, do I get to set up a binding arbitration court and screw over my family and countrymen like the islamists? How about the Jedi? That's a pretty fast-growing religion in UK. How about the satanists? How about the Anglicans? How about the Catholics? Oh wait, the Catholics did that and nobodyever expects the Spanish Inquisition! liked it very much.
In UK, you can now have justice served up according to the dictates of your religion. Yes, folks, the muslims have finally got their wish and you members of the Religion of Peace in UK can now go to a sharia court to get your disputes resolved. Technically, both parties have to agree to be bound, and it's legally binding arbitration. Practically, a battered wife or the daughter in an inheritance case just got screwed over royally by The Crown.
Whatever happened to the concept that Justice Cannot Be Dictated? Oh, that's right, it's not tooooooooolerant.
This is the conversation I had with a co-worker about this article on the company Instant Messenger service. Note the time stamps.
(17:15:42) VoteForDavid: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece
(17:17:08) Co-worker: they will rue the day . . .
(17:17:21) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:24) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:26) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:27) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:29) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:30) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:32) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:33) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:35) VoteForDavid: tolerance
(17:17:35) Co-worker: stfu
(17:17:42) VoteForDavid: UR INTOLERANT!!!!!1!
(17:17:48) Co-worker: and smelly
(17:17:51) VoteForDavid: See how the muslims do it?
(17:17:53) VoteForDavid: works great
What's next? If I make up a church like mohammed did, do I get to set up a binding arbitration court and screw over my family and countrymen like the islamists? How about the Jedi? That's a pretty fast-growing religion in UK. How about the satanists? How about the Anglicans? How about the Catholics? Oh wait, the Catholics did that and nobody
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Good Job, Democrats, The Economy May Collapse Yet!
From Yahoo! News:
So a few more people with increasingly deep pockets are finding out that our economy in the USA is basically a house of cards. And the wind is blowing through some houses that 'investors' thought they could flip, and 'sub-prime borrowers' thought they could afford.
As the pace of foreclosures of homes starts to slacken, and the values of 40% value-inflated homes have fallen 25%, the lenders who sucked up bad mortgage debt are apparently having a hard time swallowing 350 billion dollars in losses.
You have made bad loans, and operated day-to-day on short-term credit. The solution? MORE loans, and CHEAPER, with MORE types of collateral! Great. I didn't need that economy to be growing anyhow.
This is the leftists' in congress' fault, for forcing the lenders to make bad loans, don't forget. It may end up an actual recession by the end of the year. But since you still have some available credit on your card, it still looks like we may actually avoid a depression altogether.
This is a market correction. And it looks like it's a doozy. Look for pants-shitting hysterics on Monday from the press about how we are definitely headed for 1932 all over again. We aren't, but remember you heard you would hear it here, first.
Jesus loves you.
So a few more people with increasingly deep pockets are finding out that our economy in the USA is basically a house of cards. And the wind is blowing through some houses that 'investors' thought they could flip, and 'sub-prime borrowers' thought they could afford.
As the pace of foreclosures of homes starts to slacken, and the values of 40% value-inflated homes have fallen 25%, the lenders who sucked up bad mortgage debt are apparently having a hard time swallowing 350 billion dollars in losses.
You have made bad loans, and operated day-to-day on short-term credit. The solution? MORE loans, and CHEAPER, with MORE types of collateral! Great. I didn't need that economy to be growing anyhow.
This is the leftists' in congress' fault, for forcing the lenders to make bad loans, don't forget. It may end up an actual recession by the end of the year. But since you still have some available credit on your card, it still looks like we may actually avoid a depression altogether.
This is a market correction. And it looks like it's a doozy. Look for pants-shitting hysterics on Monday from the press about how we are definitely headed for 1932 all over again. We aren't, but remember you heard you would hear it here, first.
Jesus loves you.
Pseudoephedrine For Infants: The BEST (unless you are an idiot)
[edit-explanation:] the dosing schedule / dosage by weight information you want is at the bottom of the page. There is a little math involved. The top of this page is all ranting; feel free to scroll down.[/edit-explanation]
In 2005-2006, the world for Central Texans (highest allergy prescription rate in the country last I heard) and all those who ever suffered from a stuffy or runny nose, or sinus headache, changed forever. 3 children died. And somebody figured out that you can make illegal substances out of legal ones.
Congress decided to Do Something(!)
What they did would not have prevented those childrens' deaths, and it has probably never caused one gram fewer of methamphetamine to be manufactured in a speed-freak's basement. As with almost everything Congress can do, it only made life harder for the already-law-abiding, and the criminals and the criminally stupid will go on as if nothing much has happened.
Now, instead of going to the appropriate aisle in any store that sells medicine and buying it like any other helpful thing, you have to go to the pharmacy counter at a major retailer (if the pharmacy is open, if not tough cookies) and swipe somebody's driver's license in a scanner. No comment on the security of the system, which is somewhat like a colander for keeping water secure, but I digress.
To review: if you have sinus pressure, a sinus headache, a runny or stuffy nose, or itchy, watery eyes, you want an appropriate dose of pseudoephedrine, PERIOD.
If you take too much of any drug, you will get hurt. This is no exception. If you can't figure out how much of a drug you should give yourself you either a) went to government school, or b) are somewhere between a moron and and an idiot (literally). If you know how much to give yourself, but can't figure out how much to give to a child, you need to either a) consult a pediatrician or b) sit down with a pencil and figure it out, which should be free and cost about 3 minutes of your time.
For me, giving a small child a dose of medicine based on their weight is simple. For almost everyone, at least using the dose-by-age chart right on the bottle of medicine is simple. But at least 3 parents were thick enough to overdose their children on pseudoephedrine and kill them, in 2005. That's 3, out of probably a hundred million or more successful reliefs of miserable children by proper dosage of pseudoephedrine, including what I gave my own children. Thanks, and good job spoiling it for the rest of us. But this was just one shoe.
The other shoe dropped when the feds made it a slight hassle to acquire this, the most useful of all OTC cold remedies. Of course, introducing a minor obstacle for consumers eventually led to substitution with a medicine that basically doesn't work, and sales of the good stuff fell off a cliff, and the infants' and toddlers' packaged pseudoephedrine was pulled by the manufacturers,due to lack of profits for the safety of the children.
So now, instead of messing up the dose for an infant (do they get 1/2 or 12 droppers full?) we will have mouth-breathing parents out there (this is literal, not a pejorative, consider the topic of this essay) trying to figure out dosage for a 20lbs. person based on the dosage chart for a 100lbs person, with a wholly inadequate measurement system (how many times can you logically divide a tablespoon? milliliters, anyone?)
So, here's what you find when you google "pseudoephedrine for infants", basically verbatim, everywhere on the Internet:
You paid for all this, remember. Everything in brackets and all emphases are mine.
"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents not administer over-the-counter cough remedies to children under the age of 2 without first consulting a doctor.
"This recommendation was based on a 2005 investigation of the deaths of 3 infants who were 6 months old and younger, who died of a fever after consuming cough syrup containing pseudoephedrine. The investigation found that the infants had levels of the decongestant that was up to 14 times the recommended pseudoephedrine dosage for children between 2 and 12 years of age. "
"In January 2006, NAME, in collaboration with CDC, initiated an e-mail inquiry, requesting reports of deaths in infants aged other than those from media [read: the ones you saw on the news were the only ones] and published reports were identified. From these reports, CDC identified [only!] three cases of infant deaths in two states during 2005 that were determined by a medical examiner or coroner to have been caused by cough and cold medications
"The three infants ranged in age from 1 to 6 months; two were male. All three infants had what appeared to be high levels of pseudoephedrine (a nasal decongestant) in postmortem blood samples. The blood levels of pseudoephedrine ranged from 4,743 ng/mL to 7,100 ng/mL.† One infant (patient 2) had received both a prescription and an over-the-counter cough and cold combination medication at the same time; both medications contained pseudoephedrine"[!]
"In another action, the availability of pseudoephedrine-containing medications has been affected by the federal Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which was signed into law March 9, 2006 [thanks President Bush!]. This act bans over-the-counter sales (but permits behind-the-counter sales in limited amounts) of cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine, which can be used to make methamphetamine. Because of this act, pseudoephedrine has been removed as an ingredient in many cough and cold medications and replaced with other nasal decongestants. . . .As an alternative to pseudoephedrine and other nasal decongestants, caregivers might consider clearing nasal congestion in infants with a rubber suction bulb; secretions can be softened with saline nose drops or a cool-mist humidifier." [note: this (deleted) does NOT work for more than a few minutes, unless your goal is to have a screaming baby. Oh, and you can give them a bloody nose with the suction bulb]
"The dosages at which cough and cold preparations can cause illness or death in pediatric patients younger than 2 years of age are not known, and there are no specific dosage recommendations (i.e., approved by the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA]) for the symptomatic treatment of cold and cough for patients in this age group. (See Dosage and Administration: Dosage.) Because of the absence of dosage recommendations, limited published evidence of effectiveness, and risks for toxicity (including fatal overdosage), CDC and FDA state that parents and other caregivers should not administer cough and cold preparations to pediatric patients younger than 2 years of age without first consulting a clinician and should follow the clinician’s instructions precisely."
*
*
*
*
And finally, the money shot:
(I was actually looking for these data when I started out on the 'web tonight)
INFANTS' TYLENOL COLD PLUS COUGH (=the best medicine, EVAR, for minor nasal problems in infants)
Ingredients:
per 1.6ml (two dropperfuls)
* Pseudoephedrine 15mg (decongestant)
* Acetaminophen 160mg (fever reducer)
* Dextromethorphan 5mg (cough suppressant)
WHEN TO USE
Fever, aches, frequent cough, nasal congestion, mild runny nose (Day time).
It is safe to use in children six months and older for upper respiratory illness (such as colds and sinus infections). If your child has a lower respiratory tract illness (like pneumonia, bronchiolitis or asthma) you should ask your physician before using cold or cough remedies.
The chart that was on the side that was too difficult for "some people" to figure out:
Under six months: Consult physician
6-11 months (12-17 lbs): 0.8 ml every 4-6 hrs. (max 4 doses/day)
12-23 months (18-23 lbs): 1.2 ml (0.8 + 0.4ml) every 4-6 hrs. (max 4 doses/day)
2-3 years (24-35 lbs): 1.6 ml (0.8 + 0.8ml) every 4-6 hrs. (max 4 doses/day)
>35 pounds: Use Children's liquid
*
*
Okay, so let's say I have a 6 month-old infant with sinus drainage and a boogery nose. He weighs 20lbs. I go to the chart and find I should give him . . . carry the 2 . . . 1.2ml per dose, about every 6 hours.
Now thanks to your Elected Heroes in Congress, I have to do some advanced calculus and geometry to get the proper dose for my baby.
I have before me in my baby-smelling fingers a bottle of Non-Drowsy children's [sic] Sudafed Nasal Decongestant, 4fl. oz (118ml). I turn it over and let's see... children 2 to 6 years of age, 1 teaspoonful. here it is Drug Facts: Active ingredient in each 5 mL (1 teaspoonful) [there's a graduated beaker for dosing and it's marked in both so everybody is happy and warm and fuzzy when drugging up Jr.] sorry, where was I?
oh yes 5ml of this juice has Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg (Nasal decongestant).
Okay, where have I seen that number before? oh, wait, that's exactly the same dose as the wonderful-but-discontinued Infants Tylenol Cold Plus Cough, in 1.6ml (two droppersful)!
But I wanted 1.2ml of that stuff... so let me get the calculator out again...
5ml Sudafed = 1.6ml Tylenol (if that's all you can read out of this whole essay, please, go ask your doctor)
1.2/1.6=0.75. I want 0.75x the two droppersful dose. That's
5 * 0.75 = 3.75. 3.75ml of the Sudafed juice is the same as 1.5 droppers of the Tylenol juice.
Great, now I get to make my baby swallow almost 4ml of medicine instead of less than 1.5ml. Thanks, Congress!
In 2005-2006, the world for Central Texans (highest allergy prescription rate in the country last I heard) and all those who ever suffered from a stuffy or runny nose, or sinus headache, changed forever. 3 children died. And somebody figured out that you can make illegal substances out of legal ones.
Congress decided to Do Something(!)
What they did would not have prevented those childrens' deaths, and it has probably never caused one gram fewer of methamphetamine to be manufactured in a speed-freak's basement. As with almost everything Congress can do, it only made life harder for the already-law-abiding, and the criminals and the criminally stupid will go on as if nothing much has happened.
Now, instead of going to the appropriate aisle in any store that sells medicine and buying it like any other helpful thing, you have to go to the pharmacy counter at a major retailer (if the pharmacy is open, if not tough cookies) and swipe somebody's driver's license in a scanner. No comment on the security of the system, which is somewhat like a colander for keeping water secure, but I digress.
To review: if you have sinus pressure, a sinus headache, a runny or stuffy nose, or itchy, watery eyes, you want an appropriate dose of pseudoephedrine, PERIOD.
If you take too much of any drug, you will get hurt. This is no exception. If you can't figure out how much of a drug you should give yourself you either a) went to government school, or b) are somewhere between a moron and and an idiot (literally). If you know how much to give yourself, but can't figure out how much to give to a child, you need to either a) consult a pediatrician or b) sit down with a pencil and figure it out, which should be free and cost about 3 minutes of your time.
For me, giving a small child a dose of medicine based on their weight is simple. For almost everyone, at least using the dose-by-age chart right on the bottle of medicine is simple. But at least 3 parents were thick enough to overdose their children on pseudoephedrine and kill them, in 2005. That's 3, out of probably a hundred million or more successful reliefs of miserable children by proper dosage of pseudoephedrine, including what I gave my own children. Thanks, and good job spoiling it for the rest of us. But this was just one shoe.
The other shoe dropped when the feds made it a slight hassle to acquire this, the most useful of all OTC cold remedies. Of course, introducing a minor obstacle for consumers eventually led to substitution with a medicine that basically doesn't work, and sales of the good stuff fell off a cliff, and the infants' and toddlers' packaged pseudoephedrine was pulled by the manufacturers,
So now, instead of messing up the dose for an infant (do they get 1/2 or 12 droppers full?) we will have mouth-breathing parents out there (this is literal, not a pejorative, consider the topic of this essay) trying to figure out dosage for a 20lbs. person based on the dosage chart for a 100lbs person, with a wholly inadequate measurement system (how many times can you logically divide a tablespoon? milliliters, anyone?)
So, here's what you find when you google "pseudoephedrine for infants", basically verbatim, everywhere on the Internet:
You paid for all this, remember. Everything in brackets and all emphases are mine.
"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents not administer over-the-counter cough remedies to children under the age of 2 without first consulting a doctor.
"This recommendation was based on a 2005 investigation of the deaths of 3 infants who were 6 months old and younger, who died of a fever after consuming cough syrup containing pseudoephedrine. The investigation found that the infants had levels of the decongestant that was up to 14 times the recommended pseudoephedrine dosage for children between 2 and 12 years of age. "
"In January 2006, NAME, in collaboration with CDC, initiated an e-mail inquiry, requesting reports of deaths in infants aged other than those from media [read: the ones you saw on the news were the only ones] and published reports were identified. From these reports, CDC identified [only!] three cases of infant deaths in two states during 2005 that were determined by a medical examiner or coroner to have been caused by cough and cold medications
"The three infants ranged in age from 1 to 6 months; two were male. All three infants had what appeared to be high levels of pseudoephedrine (a nasal decongestant) in postmortem blood samples. The blood levels of pseudoephedrine ranged from 4,743 ng/mL to 7,100 ng/mL.† One infant (patient 2) had received both a prescription and an over-the-counter cough and cold combination medication at the same time; both medications contained pseudoephedrine"[!]
"In another action, the availability of pseudoephedrine-containing medications has been affected by the federal Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which was signed into law March 9, 2006 [thanks President Bush!]. This act bans over-the-counter sales (but permits behind-the-counter sales in limited amounts) of cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine, which can be used to make methamphetamine. Because of this act, pseudoephedrine has been removed as an ingredient in many cough and cold medications and replaced with other nasal decongestants. . . .As an alternative to pseudoephedrine and other nasal decongestants, caregivers might consider clearing nasal congestion in infants with a rubber suction bulb; secretions can be softened with saline nose drops or a cool-mist humidifier." [note: this (deleted) does NOT work for more than a few minutes, unless your goal is to have a screaming baby. Oh, and you can give them a bloody nose with the suction bulb]
"The dosages at which cough and cold preparations can cause illness or death in pediatric patients younger than 2 years of age are not known, and there are no specific dosage recommendations (i.e., approved by the US Food and Drug Administration [FDA]) for the symptomatic treatment of cold and cough for patients in this age group. (See Dosage and Administration: Dosage.) Because of the absence of dosage recommendations, limited published evidence of effectiveness, and risks for toxicity (including fatal overdosage), CDC and FDA state that parents and other caregivers should not administer cough and cold preparations to pediatric patients younger than 2 years of age without first consulting a clinician and should follow the clinician’s instructions precisely."
*
*
*
*
And finally, the money shot:
(I was actually looking for these data when I started out on the 'web tonight)
INFANTS' TYLENOL COLD PLUS COUGH (=the best medicine, EVAR, for minor nasal problems in infants)
Ingredients:
per 1.6ml (two dropperfuls)
* Pseudoephedrine 15mg (decongestant)
* Acetaminophen 160mg (fever reducer)
* Dextromethorphan 5mg (cough suppressant)
WHEN TO USE
Fever, aches, frequent cough, nasal congestion, mild runny nose (Day time).
It is safe to use in children six months and older for upper respiratory illness (such as colds and sinus infections). If your child has a lower respiratory tract illness (like pneumonia, bronchiolitis or asthma) you should ask your physician before using cold or cough remedies.
The chart that was on the side that was too difficult for "some people" to figure out:
Under six months: Consult physician
6-11 months (12-17 lbs): 0.8 ml every 4-6 hrs. (max 4 doses/day)
12-23 months (18-23 lbs): 1.2 ml (0.8 + 0.4ml) every 4-6 hrs. (max 4 doses/day)
2-3 years (24-35 lbs): 1.6 ml (0.8 + 0.8ml) every 4-6 hrs. (max 4 doses/day)
>35 pounds: Use Children's liquid
*
*
Okay, so let's say I have a 6 month-old infant with sinus drainage and a boogery nose. He weighs 20lbs. I go to the chart and find I should give him . . . carry the 2 . . . 1.2ml per dose, about every 6 hours.
Now thanks to your Elected Heroes in Congress, I have to do some advanced calculus and geometry to get the proper dose for my baby.
I have before me in my baby-smelling fingers a bottle of Non-Drowsy children's [sic] Sudafed Nasal Decongestant, 4fl. oz (118ml). I turn it over and let's see... children 2 to 6 years of age, 1 teaspoonful. here it is Drug Facts: Active ingredient in each 5 mL (1 teaspoonful) [there's a graduated beaker for dosing and it's marked in both so everybody is happy and warm and fuzzy when drugging up Jr.] sorry, where was I?
oh yes 5ml of this juice has Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg (Nasal decongestant).
Okay, where have I seen that number before? oh, wait, that's exactly the same dose as the wonderful-but-discontinued Infants Tylenol Cold Plus Cough, in 1.6ml (two droppersful)!
But I wanted 1.2ml of that stuff... so let me get the calculator out again...
5ml Sudafed = 1.6ml Tylenol (if that's all you can read out of this whole essay, please, go ask your doctor)
1.2/1.6=0.75. I want 0.75x the two droppersful dose. That's
5 * 0.75 = 3.75. 3.75ml of the Sudafed juice is the same as 1.5 droppers of the Tylenol juice.
Great, now I get to make my baby swallow almost 4ml of medicine instead of less than 1.5ml. Thanks, Congress!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
China: They Got Money, But They Ain't Got CLASS!
Hint: you will never be a true world-class economy until you:
Crack down on intellectual property theft
Stop forcing parents to abort their second and subsequent children
Start to give a [deleted] about the environment
Allow freedom of speech and oh yes also
Stop poisoning your baby food.
Good job, China, way to go on the Quality Control!
(from reuters, via WND)
Crack down on intellectual property theft
Stop forcing parents to abort their second and subsequent children
Start to give a [deleted] about the environment
Allow freedom of speech and oh yes also
Stop poisoning your baby food.
Good job, China, way to go on the Quality Control!
(from reuters, via WND)
Obama Campaign: Open Mouth, Insert Feet.
What, did you let Biden come up with that ad?
I had heard this "attack ad" on the Laura Ingraham Show going to work on Friday. The bulk of it was making fun of John McCain because he can't use a computer or send an email, and do we really need somebody like that as President?
I thought at the time it was stupid, a cheap shot at somebody who was past middle age when computers came out, and it was toeing the line of making fun of the aged.
Now it comes out that McCain can't use a computer, for the same reason he can't tie his own shoes or brush his hair: he was tortured in Vietnam, after being shot down and wounded the service of his country! He can't use his arms properly!
Good job Obama campaign. Not only are you making fun of someone for something they can't do but are actively trying to learn; you are also making fun of a disabled frikken Veteran, poking fun at the disability!
Veterans for Obama, consider: is this the sort of judgement you want from a commander-in-chief?
Light-weight, Empty Suit. How this is even polling as a close competition is beyond me. . . .
I had heard this "attack ad" on the Laura Ingraham Show going to work on Friday. The bulk of it was making fun of John McCain because he can't use a computer or send an email, and do we really need somebody like that as President?
I thought at the time it was stupid, a cheap shot at somebody who was past middle age when computers came out, and it was toeing the line of making fun of the aged.
Now it comes out that McCain can't use a computer, for the same reason he can't tie his own shoes or brush his hair: he was tortured in Vietnam, after being shot down and wounded the service of his country! He can't use his arms properly!
Good job Obama campaign. Not only are you making fun of someone for something they can't do but are actively trying to learn; you are also making fun of a disabled frikken Veteran, poking fun at the disability!
Veterans for Obama, consider: is this the sort of judgement you want from a commander-in-chief?
Light-weight, Empty Suit. How this is even polling as a close competition is beyond me. . . .
Friday, September 12, 2008
Medvedev Says: What Had Happened Was, That Uh, Hold On, Wait...
From The Telegraph
You see, officer, uh, what had really happened was that, um, they had attackded our for real Russican Citizens, and then what they had did was that uh, they had invaded & stuff, N thin, we like totally had to invade, 4 realz!
Uh, huh! that's why they brought to bear weapons prohibited by treaty and escalated what was already a border skirmish into outright war on 8/6. The events of 8/8 were Russia's 9/11? Excuse me, I think you are -let me pause to consider my diction- making [deleted] up to sound better to the people around the world that already like you, and those not paying close attention.
You know what? When you have an ethnic Russian majority in a province that wants to break away from Georgia, that's one thing. It is quite another when you start handing out Russian passports to the South Ossetians, and then say "well gOLLY! look there's RUSSIANS down there! And when the Georgians respond to an escalation to full war by (predictably) giving warfare back, then you can invade Ossetia and oh maybe a few other minor useless places like Poti, one of the more important warm water ports in the region, and say "gee, world, we were just defending our Russian brothers from those bad ol' Georgians who invaded their territory..." and then you kill off the non-ethnic-Russians in the disputed territory (ethnic cleansing? No, we needn't report on that!) Then you can act surprised and welcome South Ossetia in to join North Ossetia as a Russian territory. And maybe we'll talk about giving the port in Poti back later, eh?
**
**
Of course, it's entirely benign, and not troubling at all that in Sevastopol, Russia has started issuing the same Russian passports to ethnic Russian Ukranians in the Crimean port town where their fleet is based, and their lease is set to expire in 2017. No, there's nothing to be afraid of there, Ukraine! I mean, it's not like Russia is sinking Ukranian ships in the harbor or anything.
Blah blah, Russia, Ukraine, you know who's really screwed over in the Crimea? The Tatars. Thanks Soviets!
For the Americans: there are no lessons to be learned here, and it is not important that Mexico is handing out Mexican ID cards to anybody that wants one, in the USA, with basically no proof required. Nothing to see here either folks, move along!
You see, officer, uh, what had really happened was that, um, they had attackded our for real Russican Citizens, and then what they had did was that uh, they had invaded & stuff, N thin, we like totally had to invade, 4 realz!
Uh, huh! that's why they brought to bear weapons prohibited by treaty and escalated what was already a border skirmish into outright war on 8/6. The events of 8/8 were Russia's 9/11? Excuse me, I think you are -let me pause to consider my diction- making [deleted] up to sound better to the people around the world that already like you, and those not paying close attention.
You know what? When you have an ethnic Russian majority in a province that wants to break away from Georgia, that's one thing. It is quite another when you start handing out Russian passports to the South Ossetians, and then say "well gOLLY! look there's RUSSIANS down there! And when the Georgians respond to an escalation to full war by (predictably) giving warfare back, then you can invade Ossetia and oh maybe a few other minor useless places like Poti, one of the more important warm water ports in the region, and say "gee, world, we were just defending our Russian brothers from those bad ol' Georgians who invaded their territory..." and then you kill off the non-ethnic-Russians in the disputed territory (ethnic cleansing? No, we needn't report on that!) Then you can act surprised and welcome South Ossetia in to join North Ossetia as a Russian territory. And maybe we'll talk about giving the port in Poti back later, eh?
**
**
Of course, it's entirely benign, and not troubling at all that in Sevastopol, Russia has started issuing the same Russian passports to ethnic Russian Ukranians in the Crimean port town where their fleet is based, and their lease is set to expire in 2017. No, there's nothing to be afraid of there, Ukraine! I mean, it's not like Russia is sinking Ukranian ships in the harbor or anything.
Blah blah, Russia, Ukraine, you know who's really screwed over in the Crimea? The Tatars. Thanks Soviets!
For the Americans: there are no lessons to be learned here, and it is not important that Mexico is handing out Mexican ID cards to anybody that wants one, in the USA, with basically no proof required. Nothing to see here either folks, move along!
Saudi Arabia & OPEC No Longer Best Friends?
Saudi Arabian ministers were saying going in to the meeting that they didn't want to cut output. The other member states were seeing dollar $ign$ and didn't want to hear the Saudis speaking truth about high prices causing demand to fall off. OPEC says: we'll cut 500,000 barrels a day from our output! See if your prices fall then! Saudi Arabia says: Not so much! We'll BOOST ours 200,000 barrels a day; see if your demand falls then!
The Saudis have it right on this one, and once again are showing the world that they have more sense than the rest of the OPEC member states put together.
Here is a rule. A law, even. When price goes up, demand goes down. When price goes down, demand goes up. When demand goes up, price goes up, and vice versa. You may have heard of it, if someone besides a taxpayer paid for your education. Anywho, the Saudis think it's better to keep people buying at least the same amount of oil for 4x what they used to pay, than to have them paying 6x what they used to pay, but buying less and in a mood to develop alternative fuel sources.
You know how much E85 we'd be burning if oil were $20/barrel? NONE. You know how much oil shale and sand we and the Israelis would be getting ready to process? None. OPEC has been letting prices get so high that the number of miles driven in (of all places!) the United States has actually FALLEN year-over-year.
For some reason (coughleftismcoughdemocratbiascough) the mainstream press has decided to spike the heck out of this story, and the price of oil is holding steady in spite of a hurricane the size of the entire gulf putting oil rigs out of commission for. . . no reason, I guess.
This is apparently a developing story and breaking news. I listen to talk radio all day, with left-leaning news organizations saying the news during breaks and didn't hear about this at all. Some sort of a little breeze is blowing in the southern part of the country, apparently, and I guess that's all that's happening in the world today. ABC, NBC, FOX, hello? The future of the world's energy market, that's all! No need to pay attention to that?! I guess the AP must not have included "ZOMG BRITNEY SPEARS!!!1!" in the title when they put this on the wire. Oh, wait, they didn't put it up yet. I guess after AP picks it up this will be a story. ::shakes head::
Read up, and tell your friends. I read about this at Hyundai Aftermarket, a CAR forum. Great job scooping the little guys, media giants!
MSN Money has it.
the Telegraph has it (not on the front page).
Money Morning (who?) has it.
Saudi Arabia (the part that likes us, not the part that's trying to kill us): Thanks, how about a little more of that?
The Saudis have it right on this one, and once again are showing the world that they have more sense than the rest of the OPEC member states put together.
Here is a rule. A law, even. When price goes up, demand goes down. When price goes down, demand goes up. When demand goes up, price goes up, and vice versa. You may have heard of it, if someone besides a taxpayer paid for your education. Anywho, the Saudis think it's better to keep people buying at least the same amount of oil for 4x what they used to pay, than to have them paying 6x what they used to pay, but buying less and in a mood to develop alternative fuel sources.
You know how much E85 we'd be burning if oil were $20/barrel? NONE. You know how much oil shale and sand we and the Israelis would be getting ready to process? None. OPEC has been letting prices get so high that the number of miles driven in (of all places!) the United States has actually FALLEN year-over-year.
For some reason (coughleftismcoughdemocratbiascough) the mainstream press has decided to spike the heck out of this story, and the price of oil is holding steady in spite of a hurricane the size of the entire gulf putting oil rigs out of commission for. . . no reason, I guess.
This is apparently a developing story and breaking news. I listen to talk radio all day, with left-leaning news organizations saying the news during breaks and didn't hear about this at all. Some sort of a little breeze is blowing in the southern part of the country, apparently, and I guess that's all that's happening in the world today. ABC, NBC, FOX, hello? The future of the world's energy market, that's all! No need to pay attention to that?! I guess the AP must not have included "ZOMG BRITNEY SPEARS!!!1!" in the title when they put this on the wire. Oh, wait, they didn't put it up yet. I guess after AP picks it up this will be a story. ::shakes head::
Read up, and tell your friends. I read about this at Hyundai Aftermarket, a CAR forum. Great job scooping the little guys, media giants!
MSN Money has it.
the Telegraph has it (not on the front page).
Money Morning (who?) has it.
Saudi Arabia (the part that likes us, not the part that's trying to kill us): Thanks, how about a little more of that?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Young Black Queers: Getting Sick!
A new generation of queers is raising concern at the CDC. They are "catching HIV" at statistically higher levels than other MSMs There is an education campaign supposedly in the works. We may assume that it does not involve telling people that God said not to bugger each other, and that the Syndrome is very likely also a Punishment.
Yes I have skin made of Nomex. Why do you ask?
Look folks, Don't be queer, don't shoot up (especially with somebody else's dirty [deleted] needles), and don't be sleeping around with any john with a hairy [deleted] that you meet in the "men's" room. SHAZAM you will find 100% reduction in the number of new cases.
It's a behaviourally transmitted disease. If you'd do what God told you to do you wouldn't get it. That's all.
All this, totally aside from the controversy over whether there actually IS such at thing as HIV that causes AIDS (which is not a disease, hence the S in AIDS). To question the orthodoxy on this one is apparently like questioning if the earth truly is round. Oh well, at least the glowbull wormeners are losing ground in the 'the science is incontrovertible' territory.
Yes, queer. A plumber who tries to use only one gender of fittings and a dog with two heads and no tail is also queer. Let us please try to refrain from destroying the use of the perfectly good word for light-hearted and merry by letting the queers abscond with "gay" without a fight.
Yes I have skin made of Nomex. Why do you ask?
Look folks, Don't be queer, don't shoot up (especially with somebody else's dirty [deleted] needles), and don't be sleeping around with any john with a hairy [deleted] that you meet in the "men's" room. SHAZAM you will find 100% reduction in the number of new cases.
It's a behaviourally transmitted disease. If you'd do what God told you to do you wouldn't get it. That's all.
All this, totally aside from the controversy over whether there actually IS such at thing as HIV that causes AIDS (which is not a disease, hence the S in AIDS). To question the orthodoxy on this one is apparently like questioning if the earth truly is round. Oh well, at least the glowbull wormeners are losing ground in the 'the science is incontrovertible' territory.
Yes, queer. A plumber who tries to use only one gender of fittings and a dog with two heads and no tail is also queer. Let us please try to refrain from destroying the use of the perfectly good word for light-hearted and merry by letting the queers abscond with "gay" without a fight.
9/11: Where Were You?
I was working. That is to say, I was a Petty Officer Second Class in the U.S. Navy, stationed at AIMD NASNI, just off the coast of San Diego. I was walking down the hall and heard somebody saying something about a plane flying into the 1st tower. I thought to myself:
"What's the World Trade Center?"
Okay, so I had a bit less of a clue about some things then than I do now, cut me some slack.
I got into the shop and the radio was all about it. Then the second plane went in and I said "we're under attack". Then the first tower fell and the correspondent was telling the anchor about it. The anchor was like 'you mean, the top of the building fell', and the correspondent was like 'no, the whole thing just fell straight down.' and I couldn't quite parse what was happening, and neither could anyone else. We kept working and kept listening to the radio. Went home at the end of my shift.
The news was full of the images that would make the Republicans stay in power for a generation, so they don't show them anymore. I recorded it on a VHS tape. Including the first attack on Afghanistan. As it was getting closer to nightfall in Chula Vista, it was pitch black in (?) Kandahar, and there were missiles inbound.
The next few days had folks talking about Hussein probably being involved, until we heard about OBL claiming responsibility. I also remember hearing about the airplane in the Iraqi desert that the AQI types were using for training, and we knew about it. That story got spiked HARD.
Anyhow.
I went to work early the next day. 3 hours early. And I was stuck in traffic about 2 blocks from the base gate. They were taking 15 minutes per car, to let anybody get through security. Mirrors, dogs, open your trunk and stand by, etc. I would turn off my truck's engine and sit there for a few minutes, start, advance one spot, and shut off again. Got out and talked with the guy in traffic behind me for a while. 7 hours later, I got on base. They said if I'd called they would have sent me home if I could get out of traffic, but I was (and remain) cell phone-free, so I waited. I gave a few people a ride in my truck to get off base. By a few, I mean one in every seat and one riding in the cargo area, laying on the floor so the MPs wouldn't stop us for having someone back there with no seatbelt (or seat). Traffic got progressively better over the next few days but it never got back to as fast as it was, getting on base, for the duration of my enlistment.
Oh yeah, and my wife recorded over the video a couple of years later by accident. Doh.
"What's the World Trade Center?"
Okay, so I had a bit less of a clue about some things then than I do now, cut me some slack.
I got into the shop and the radio was all about it. Then the second plane went in and I said "we're under attack". Then the first tower fell and the correspondent was telling the anchor about it. The anchor was like 'you mean, the top of the building fell', and the correspondent was like 'no, the whole thing just fell straight down.' and I couldn't quite parse what was happening, and neither could anyone else. We kept working and kept listening to the radio. Went home at the end of my shift.
The news was full of the images that would make the Republicans stay in power for a generation, so they don't show them anymore. I recorded it on a VHS tape. Including the first attack on Afghanistan. As it was getting closer to nightfall in Chula Vista, it was pitch black in (?) Kandahar, and there were missiles inbound.
The next few days had folks talking about Hussein probably being involved, until we heard about OBL claiming responsibility. I also remember hearing about the airplane in the Iraqi desert that the AQI types were using for training, and we knew about it. That story got spiked HARD.
Anyhow.
I went to work early the next day. 3 hours early. And I was stuck in traffic about 2 blocks from the base gate. They were taking 15 minutes per car, to let anybody get through security. Mirrors, dogs, open your trunk and stand by, etc. I would turn off my truck's engine and sit there for a few minutes, start, advance one spot, and shut off again. Got out and talked with the guy in traffic behind me for a while. 7 hours later, I got on base. They said if I'd called they would have sent me home if I could get out of traffic, but I was (and remain) cell phone-free, so I waited. I gave a few people a ride in my truck to get off base. By a few, I mean one in every seat and one riding in the cargo area, laying on the floor so the MPs wouldn't stop us for having someone back there with no seatbelt (or seat). Traffic got progressively better over the next few days but it never got back to as fast as it was, getting on base, for the duration of my enlistment.
Oh yeah, and my wife recorded over the video a couple of years later by accident. Doh.
Nanci Pelosi is Actually Being Helpful!
She's preventing votes on any Energy Bills that include drilling on the continental shelf. I'm sure she feels like she is helping Mother, but that's only because she is apparently an idiot or something.
If you pass a bill that the weak-kneed republicans caved on and gave up drilling on 90% of the OCS, that's 90% that would be preserved. Dur.
Instead, you are going to kill it, and the legislative ban will expire, and drilling will be allowed by default, and you know what Ms. Speaker? It will be YOUR FAULT that the EeeeeeeEEEEeeevil OIL Companies are drilling all the evil icky stuff and killing the planet. Because you could have prevented most of it by DOING YOUR JOB.
Oh well, at least it looks like congressional inaction is going to free up an industry to start doing what it should have been doing since Clinton let them ban it, and the price of oil will plummet, followed by the price of gas.
So you see? By being a watermelon jerk, Nanci Pelosi is actually making it easier on your wallet. She's helping the economy by cutting off her nose to spite her face. Good Job, Democrats. I just hope they manage to NOT do anything for long enough that their ban expires, and then they'll look like fools for trying to regulate it again. Hopefully that, plus an election year winding up, will have us in cheaper oil here shortly. Let us pray to that end.
Congressional Gridlock: GOOD!
****
edit: as I was driving to work, it occurred to me that they want to regulate everything in your life, including where you get your energy, so badly they are willing to compromise even in the current political climate. I think I gave them too much credit there and I have since (see above) revised my opinion to "inaction through gross incompetence". Get out the vote? How about educate the voters and let the non-voters rot in their own stink!
If you pass a bill that the weak-kneed republicans caved on and gave up drilling on 90% of the OCS, that's 90% that would be preserved. Dur.
Instead, you are going to kill it, and the legislative ban will expire, and drilling will be allowed by default, and you know what Ms. Speaker? It will be YOUR FAULT that the EeeeeeeEEEEeeevil OIL Companies are drilling all the evil icky stuff and killing the planet. Because you could have prevented most of it by DOING YOUR JOB.
Oh well, at least it looks like congressional inaction is going to free up an industry to start doing what it should have been doing since Clinton let them ban it, and the price of oil will plummet, followed by the price of gas.
So you see? By being a watermelon jerk, Nanci Pelosi is actually making it easier on your wallet. She's helping the economy by cutting off her nose to spite her face. Good Job, Democrats. I just hope they manage to NOT do anything for long enough that their ban expires, and then they'll look like fools for trying to regulate it again. Hopefully that, plus an election year winding up, will have us in cheaper oil here shortly. Let us pray to that end.
Congressional Gridlock: GOOD!
****
edit: as I was driving to work, it occurred to me that they want to regulate everything in your life, including where you get your energy, so badly they are willing to compromise even in the current political climate. I think I gave them too much credit there and I have since (see above) revised my opinion to "inaction through gross incompetence". Get out the vote? How about educate the voters and let the non-voters rot in their own stink!
Remember 12/07? Remember 09/11 too.
The US is funny that way. Pick us off a few at a time on foreign soil, and we'll pretty much leave you alone.
Come here and kick us in the stones, though, and you can stand by to stand by.
You will recall that the last conflict started this way ended with us turning a couple of jap towns into glass factories, after killing more of them than I think they were entirely comfortable with, along with firebombing cities and destroying their economy. They are now our allies, by choice.
This time, we've more than taken our own back again already (in lives at any rate) and we're only a fair piece into it. We'll see where this war ends up, but I heard calls for turning the location of the black stone into a glass factory a long time ago.
Yes, the analogy is apt. If you disagree, you need to read Prophet of Doom, then review the recent history of offensive actions of muslims against the USA.
The only difference in this war is that the enemy has no home country. Note that they are still trying to turn the world into one.
Remember 9/11. As a day of anger and a call to arms for all men. If you weep for the dead, make sure you are a woman, or too young or old to fight. If you are of age, what are you doing for the cause? The yellow circle to the right of this post is no joke. At the very least make sure your neighbors remember properly.
Come here and kick us in the stones, though, and you can stand by to stand by.
You will recall that the last conflict started this way ended with us turning a couple of jap towns into glass factories, after killing more of them than I think they were entirely comfortable with, along with firebombing cities and destroying their economy. They are now our allies, by choice.
This time, we've more than taken our own back again already (in lives at any rate) and we're only a fair piece into it. We'll see where this war ends up, but I heard calls for turning the location of the black stone into a glass factory a long time ago.
Yes, the analogy is apt. If you disagree, you need to read Prophet of Doom, then review the recent history of offensive actions of muslims against the USA.
The only difference in this war is that the enemy has no home country. Note that they are still trying to turn the world into one.
Remember 9/11. As a day of anger and a call to arms for all men. If you weep for the dead, make sure you are a woman, or too young or old to fight. If you are of age, what are you doing for the cause? The yellow circle to the right of this post is no joke. At the very least make sure your neighbors remember properly.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Barack Hussein Obama: a Different Kind of Politician.
He always claimed to be a Different Kind of Politician™. Now we know how.
No, not the (1/2) black part.
No, not the inexperienced part.
No, not the socialist part.
No, not the crazywife part.
No, he is different with regards to his family. You see, they are worth more than your family. To the tune of tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars a year, to put guns around them for protection. (Oh, haha, what a good joke Senator.) But he would be just fine with 'reasonable restrictions' that prevent you having guns around your children for protection. Of course, having guns for protection is for the upper classes, not the rabble; let them have the police.
There, you see? Different. You could even say, he's More Equal than you are.
From the Dayton Daily News Via Uncle.
No, not the (1/2) black part.
No, not the inexperienced part.
No, not the socialist part.
No, not the crazywife part.
No, he is different with regards to his family. You see, they are worth more than your family. To the tune of tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars a year, to put guns around them for protection. (Oh, haha, what a good joke Senator.) But he would be just fine with 'reasonable restrictions' that prevent you having guns around your children for protection. Of course, having guns for protection is for the upper classes, not the rabble; let them have the police.
There, you see? Different. You could even say, he's More Equal than you are.
From the Dayton Daily News Via Uncle.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
I Love Microsoft.
Not.
It had been a while since I updated any software on my computer, and so I updated Spybot Search & Destroy (which you really should be running if you are not, by the way). While the new version of Spybot was checking for just under 300,000 Bad Things, I headed on over to Windows Update.
While waiting for 316MB of Windows XP Service Pack 3 to download, I decided to do a little homework and see if anyone had any problems installing it (yes, I do live under a rock, how did you know? ). I had expected the usual "my random strange configuration won't run right" you find after every major update.
What I didn't expect to find, and in retrospect it flew by under my radar because I was in the hospital for a week when #3 was born, was that XP SP3 automatically installed on some computers and oh by the way ho-hum
completely killed a jillion PCs running AMD processors. Hmm. Good thing I don't have my box set to auto-update eh. Okay, so it turned out not to be quite that bad and it was mostly with ASUS and HP equipment, but still.
Is it really too much to ask, that your computer wakes up in the morning after installing an update? Really?
I know, I know, blah blah Mac Linux Ubuntu pwns blah blah. I got the box I'm typing on for less than the hard drive in it cost at retail, and at that price, I'm not switching OSes just so I can be MS-free while I blog & check my e-mail, sorry.
Since this all happened in the first quarter of the year, and we're looking at the end of the year, and I haven't really done anything to this box in the interval, maybe it's time for another off-site backup refresh.
Oh well, at least with XP SP2 I haven't had to do the annual Nuke-and-Pave reinstallation ritual that windows 9x called for due to generally increasing crappiness over time.
No immediate threats found on Spybot, by the way. Thank God.
It had been a while since I updated any software on my computer, and so I updated Spybot Search & Destroy (which you really should be running if you are not, by the way). While the new version of Spybot was checking for just under 300,000 Bad Things, I headed on over to Windows Update.
While waiting for 316MB of Windows XP Service Pack 3 to download, I decided to do a little homework and see if anyone had any problems installing it (yes, I do live under a rock, how did you know? ). I had expected the usual "my random strange configuration won't run right" you find after every major update.
What I didn't expect to find, and in retrospect it flew by under my radar because I was in the hospital for a week when #3 was born, was that XP SP3 automatically installed on some computers and oh by the way ho-hum
completely killed a jillion PCs running AMD processors. Hmm. Good thing I don't have my box set to auto-update eh. Okay, so it turned out not to be quite that bad and it was mostly with ASUS and HP equipment, but still.
Is it really too much to ask, that your computer wakes up in the morning after installing an update? Really?
I know, I know, blah blah Mac Linux Ubuntu pwns blah blah. I got the box I'm typing on for less than the hard drive in it cost at retail, and at that price, I'm not switching OSes just so I can be MS-free while I blog & check my e-mail, sorry.
Since this all happened in the first quarter of the year, and we're looking at the end of the year, and I haven't really done anything to this box in the interval, maybe it's time for another off-site backup refresh.
Oh well, at least with XP SP2 I haven't had to do the annual Nuke-and-Pave reinstallation ritual that windows 9x called for due to generally increasing crappiness over time.
No immediate threats found on Spybot, by the way. Thank God.
Marvel Mystery Oil? WORKS.
A surprising number of visitors to my little corner of the Internet are google searching for Marvel Mystery Oil.
I have mentioned in passing before that I use it sometimes when changing my oil. I recently changed a camshaft in my engine and got to see what the top-end looks like after an oil change.
It looks like this in there.
Someone who uses dino-juice and presumably not MMO, shows this picture.
And the engine of yet another person who has changed their camshafts and taken pictures.
I have no idea what oils those people are running.
It looks like new in my engine, and I'm sure the Marvel Mystery Oil has a lot to do with that. Running a steady diet of synthetic helps too, as does flushing the oil every once in a while, but this is the cleanest "was running 1/2 hour ago" engine guts picture I've seen yet. It makes me happy and thanks to God, that it is also MY engine.
I have mentioned in passing before that I use it sometimes when changing my oil. I recently changed a camshaft in my engine and got to see what the top-end looks like after an oil change.
It looks like this in there.
Someone who uses dino-juice and presumably not MMO, shows this picture.
And the engine of yet another person who has changed their camshafts and taken pictures.
I have no idea what oils those people are running.
It looks like new in my engine, and I'm sure the Marvel Mystery Oil has a lot to do with that. Running a steady diet of synthetic helps too, as does flushing the oil every once in a while, but this is the cleanest "was running 1/2 hour ago" engine guts picture I've seen yet. It makes me happy and thanks to God, that it is also MY engine.
Global Warming Alarmism Replaced by Global Cooling Alarmism
From Newsmax (and I also heard it on the radio this morning):
The first half of this year has been cold. Last year was cold. To the sane thinker, this means Weather is happening.
To the one who only listens to the news on the radio between songs, or on the alphabet networks after supper, this is confusing.
I thought things were getting hotter! Now they are getting colder? What time is it? My show is almost on!
Follow your questions until you find out that the answer is not as cut-and-dry as you were told, and then try to make up your own mind.
Good luck.
The first half of this year has been cold. Last year was cold. To the sane thinker, this means Weather is happening.
To the one who only listens to the news on the radio between songs, or on the alphabet networks after supper, this is confusing.
I thought things were getting hotter! Now they are getting colder? What time is it? My show is almost on!
Follow your questions until you find out that the answer is not as cut-and-dry as you were told, and then try to make up your own mind.
Good luck.
Global Warming Will KILL ALL THE TREES!!!!1!
News, apparently, to some people who have never paid attention to coal mines (not news to the miners who don't count because they're not doctors or reporters):
from the Times Online
Boogity boogity magic BOOM and all of a sudden, there was an earthquake and the sea rushed in and filled the area with sediment, and perfectly preserved 10,000 hectares of forest by fossilization. To call that a bit of a stretch is an understatement.
They are ignoring a more plausible theorem because it doesn't fit into the humanist/evolutionist worldview.
Try this: before the Flood, the trees (and everything else) had a much broader range of the earth to grow on, because the global environment was healthier (maybe I'll talk about this in another post, later). So there was a forest in this place. Then the world was inundated, and this forest was covered with silt, and fossilized. Makes sense to someone not unwilling to believe what the Bible says is true. If the Bible can't be true, you come up with a whole forest subsumed in an earthquake and yet still standing, due -since this is the current bogeyman- to global warming.
Not.
Once again, science agrees with the Bible, if you will look at it from the proper perspective.
However, since the "experts" say different and nobody currently alive was there to see what happened to this forest, we will never know, and both sides will likely continue to believe what they did before, except for the soft-headed who will be persuaded due to the "experts" having Said So.
Of course, to present both theories in school for children to consider, would be a Bad Thing, right? I mean, right?
from the Times Online
Boogity boogity magic BOOM and all of a sudden, there was an earthquake and the sea rushed in and filled the area with sediment, and perfectly preserved 10,000 hectares of forest by fossilization. To call that a bit of a stretch is an understatement.
They are ignoring a more plausible theorem because it doesn't fit into the humanist/evolutionist worldview.
Try this: before the Flood, the trees (and everything else) had a much broader range of the earth to grow on, because the global environment was healthier (maybe I'll talk about this in another post, later). So there was a forest in this place. Then the world was inundated, and this forest was covered with silt, and fossilized. Makes sense to someone not unwilling to believe what the Bible says is true. If the Bible can't be true, you come up with a whole forest subsumed in an earthquake and yet still standing, due -since this is the current bogeyman- to global warming.
Not.
Once again, science agrees with the Bible, if you will look at it from the proper perspective.
However, since the "experts" say different and nobody currently alive was there to see what happened to this forest, we will never know, and both sides will likely continue to believe what they did before, except for the soft-headed who will be persuaded due to the "experts" having Said So.
Of course, to present both theories in school for children to consider, would be a Bad Thing, right? I mean, right?
Monday, September 8, 2008
Quick! Do Something Before It Happens!
The legislative ban on offshore oil drilling is set to expire (checks watch) this month.
So of course, we have to muscle in on your business and private lives, before the dramatically polarizing issue resolves itself.
I know it's a bit of a dumb question, but where is the mandate for this junk in my copy of the Constitution?
Just wondering.
So of course, we have to muscle in on your business and private lives, before the dramatically polarizing issue resolves itself.
I know it's a bit of a dumb question, but where is the mandate for this junk in my copy of the Constitution?
Just wondering.
Oh, I Didn't Consider This Mess:
A good point was raised at Shots Across the Bow:
What happens if Uncle calls your mortgage note?
What, you mean you didn't think the government would get into the business of owning your house?
Hm... looks like it may be time to line up a hundred thousand bux of low-interest credit cards and refinance. That'd work, until the credit card companies get swallowed up, too.
Oh well, I'm sure everything will be just fine! Hey what NFL teams are playing tonight? Did my netflix come in yet? ~or~ Hey, wall street is up 4%!
Bah! Humbug!
What happens if Uncle calls your mortgage note?
What, you mean you didn't think the government would get into the business of owning your house?
Hm... looks like it may be time to line up a hundred thousand bux of low-interest credit cards and refinance. That'd work, until the credit card companies get swallowed up, too.
Oh well, I'm sure everything will be just fine! Hey what NFL teams are playing tonight? Did my netflix come in yet? ~or~ Hey, wall street is up 4%!
Bah! Humbug!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Cousin Fannie, Cousin Freddy, Go Live With Uncle.
So the government (that would be you) has decided that taking on an additional few billion dollars of bad debt wouldn't hurt, since we're already anywhere from $4T to $90T in the hole, depending on how you count your debts. From Yahoo!.
Alrighty then, let's review, shall we?
1) Poor Poor Pitiful Poor People (whose lifestyles and bad money management choices made and kept them poor, by the way) can't get a loan for a house. Somehow, this is a Bad Thing and also Racist.
2) Democrats in Congress * muscle lenders into making loans that, according to the rules of common sense and good lending practices, will go bad in a few years.
3) "Investors" see that more people are buying real estate, and that (duh) prices are skyrocketing, and jump on the bandwagon. The amount of fraud involved in getting houses to flip for a quick profit is turning out to have been astonishingly high (25% and higher, some places, and that's just at the first reckoning, people that lied on applications about being able to afford it...folks who lied and said it was their main residence will be adding to this number).
4) The bad loans start to rot
5) The people with bad credit who didn't read their contracts, are astonished when their mortgage payments triple
6) Housing all of a sudden stops selling. People start getting foreclosed on in larger numbers for defaulting on loans. The vastly over-inflated price on "investment" homes falls dramatically.
7) "Investors" start walking away from their investment homes, in a national display of lack of honor that The Good People find breathtaking. Defaults on loans go even higher.
8) Mortgage based securities firms are in hard times, and one of the biggest goes pop.
9) People get distracted, the economy picks up a little
and now 10) The people who bought most of the crappy loans from banks who made crappy loans because they could sell them, facing dire financial straits, are taken over by the government.
So you are now going to be the one bailing out all the [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] people who bought houses they couldn't afford. What a bargain. When your taxes are higher next year, if you even pay attention to your return, remember this little boondoggle. And if you know someone who defaulted on the loan, borrow $5 from them so at least your share of their debt will come out of their own pocket.
Of course, they will have $5 to give you, because the things they really need, as well as the things they want, and the things that are nice to have and will be cluttering up their garages and storage facilities, are being financed at 15% interest on credit cards.
Next up: credit card companies in the same shape as mortgage companies. Coming soon to a real news agency near you!
If your panties are in a twist because I just stepped on your toes, keep reading. Everybody else have a nice day.
If you are buying things you don't need on credit, and can't afford the payments, you are a fool. If you are buying things you DO need on credit (gasoline, groceries), not only are you a fool, you are headed for a very ugly version of bankruptcy in the near future, and then you will be forced to figure out how to live within your means. If you find an even higher-interest-bearing credit source, you may be able to dig yourself a few layers deeper in debt before it happens, but it will happen.
UNLESS you ditch the expensive car and house you are struggling to pay for, and start living a lifestyle that your paycheck(s) will support, with enough left over after gas, groceries, and bills, to service your debt.
We are doing this right now in my home, and trust me it sucks but it's better than being out on the street, or living with your parents when you're 35 and married with kids.
If you can't figure it out on your own, you are NOT stupid. The government school system failed you, and you are figuring out how to swim after being kicked off the back of a ship in the middle of the ocean. Go to somebody like the Consumer Credit Counseling Service if you need some help getting started. If your counselor tries to get money from you, you went to the wrong place; it should be free
Which I know you like.
********
*Democrats, you know, the ones looking out for the working man? Yeah, remember this when you push the button for Democrats in the polling booth this December.
Alrighty then, let's review, shall we?
1) Poor Poor Pitiful Poor People (whose lifestyles and bad money management choices made and kept them poor, by the way) can't get a loan for a house. Somehow, this is a Bad Thing and also Racist.
2) Democrats in Congress * muscle lenders into making loans that, according to the rules of common sense and good lending practices, will go bad in a few years.
3) "Investors" see that more people are buying real estate, and that (duh) prices are skyrocketing, and jump on the bandwagon. The amount of fraud involved in getting houses to flip for a quick profit is turning out to have been astonishingly high (25% and higher, some places, and that's just at the first reckoning, people that lied on applications about being able to afford it...folks who lied and said it was their main residence will be adding to this number).
4) The bad loans start to rot
5) The people with bad credit who didn't read their contracts, are astonished when their mortgage payments triple
6) Housing all of a sudden stops selling. People start getting foreclosed on in larger numbers for defaulting on loans. The vastly over-inflated price on "investment" homes falls dramatically.
7) "Investors" start walking away from their investment homes, in a national display of lack of honor that The Good People find breathtaking. Defaults on loans go even higher.
8) Mortgage based securities firms are in hard times, and one of the biggest goes pop.
9) People get distracted, the economy picks up a little
and now 10) The people who bought most of the crappy loans from banks who made crappy loans because they could sell them, facing dire financial straits, are taken over by the government.
So you are now going to be the one bailing out all the [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] people who bought houses they couldn't afford. What a bargain. When your taxes are higher next year, if you even pay attention to your return, remember this little boondoggle. And if you know someone who defaulted on the loan, borrow $5 from them so at least your share of their debt will come out of their own pocket.
Of course, they will have $5 to give you, because the things they really need, as well as the things they want, and the things that are nice to have and will be cluttering up their garages and storage facilities, are being financed at 15% interest on credit cards.
Next up: credit card companies in the same shape as mortgage companies. Coming soon to a real news agency near you!
If your panties are in a twist because I just stepped on your toes, keep reading. Everybody else have a nice day.
If you are buying things you don't need on credit, and can't afford the payments, you are a fool. If you are buying things you DO need on credit (gasoline, groceries), not only are you a fool, you are headed for a very ugly version of bankruptcy in the near future, and then you will be forced to figure out how to live within your means. If you find an even higher-interest-bearing credit source, you may be able to dig yourself a few layers deeper in debt before it happens, but it will happen.
UNLESS you ditch the expensive car and house you are struggling to pay for, and start living a lifestyle that your paycheck(s) will support, with enough left over after gas, groceries, and bills, to service your debt.
We are doing this right now in my home, and trust me it sucks but it's better than being out on the street, or living with your parents when you're 35 and married with kids.
If you can't figure it out on your own, you are NOT stupid. The government school system failed you, and you are figuring out how to swim after being kicked off the back of a ship in the middle of the ocean. Go to somebody like the Consumer Credit Counseling Service if you need some help getting started. If your counselor tries to get money from you, you went to the wrong place; it should be free
Which I know you like.
********
*Democrats, you know, the ones looking out for the working man? Yeah, remember this when you push the button for Democrats in the polling booth this December.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Hmmm, Maybe Chicago Should Ban Guns?
. . . oh, wait.
They tried that, and it resulted in twice as many shootings as in an active WAR ZONE!
Hm, then maybe they should be hard on the young black gang members who are shooting the other young black gang members in Chicago? No, that would be racist.
Oh well. I guess they should just make guns illegaler again. You know, since it's worked so well every OTHER time they've tried it.
. . . oh, wait.
********
No mention in this CBS 2 Chicago article how all these guns were probably 100% illegal in the first place, by the way.
Found via WND
They tried that, and it resulted in twice as many shootings as in an active WAR ZONE!
Hm, then maybe they should be hard on the young black gang members who are shooting the other young black gang members in Chicago? No, that would be racist.
Oh well. I guess they should just make guns illegaler again. You know, since it's worked so well every OTHER time they've tried it.
. . . oh, wait.
********
No mention in this CBS 2 Chicago article how all these guns were probably 100% illegal in the first place, by the way.
Found via WND
Should Have Held Out For A New House.
Carry your guns, people!
From The Advocate and WBRZ News 2 Louisiana: (via WND)
A man was out flexing his rights, and was arrested for it.
This is why we must flex our rights: so that we will educate the police (!) and our fellow citizens.
He is not an open-carry advocate (like some of us), but he does demand that his rights are respected.
Note: rights are against the government.
So now the local government has made a settlement with him that would buy a new motorcycle. If he contacted the right lawyers this could have gone to a very solid precedent, but I'm not going to question the man's actions when he was proven right by the city's settlement and did what he thought was the appropriate thing to do to end the matter.
Good for him for at least bringing suit. I wish more folks like him would. But if they were willing to settle for new-bike price settlement, how about new car or even new house? Maybe a fired policeman and mandatory training of the rest? Wow, monday-morning quarterbacking is easy.
Bill Lodge: it's a revolver, not a pistol. That's about the same amount of difference between a train and a bus. At least you almost described the caliber correctly, and managed to be fairly even-handed towards an upstanding gun-toting member of the community.
Mark Marchiafava: congratulations!
From The Advocate and WBRZ News 2 Louisiana: (via WND)
A man was out flexing his rights, and was arrested for it.
This is why we must flex our rights: so that we will educate the police (!) and our fellow citizens.
He is not an open-carry advocate (like some of us), but he does demand that his rights are respected.
Note: rights are against the government.
So now the local government has made a settlement with him that would buy a new motorcycle. If he contacted the right lawyers this could have gone to a very solid precedent, but I'm not going to question the man's actions when he was proven right by the city's settlement and did what he thought was the appropriate thing to do to end the matter.
Good for him for at least bringing suit. I wish more folks like him would. But if they were willing to settle for new-bike price settlement, how about new car or even new house? Maybe a fired policeman and mandatory training of the rest? Wow, monday-morning quarterbacking is easy.
Bill Lodge: it's a revolver, not a pistol. That's about the same amount of difference between a train and a bus. At least you almost described the caliber correctly, and managed to be fairly even-handed towards an upstanding gun-toting member of the community.
Mark Marchiafava: congratulations!
Great Success! Guns for Sailing!
Guns. For Sale. In Washington D.C. Craziness. I never thought I'd see the day.
story at WTOP, found at Say Uncle, and he found it at NRAILA.
story at WTOP, found at Say Uncle, and he found it at NRAILA.
He Was Only 6 Months Old . . .
. . . and he was putting forth a genuine belly-laugh.
It was great. Last night #1 was jumping up and down, squirming, and making various noises, and #3 was laughing about as hard as I've ever heard him laugh. Hearing the pure, innocent laughter of a baby is one of the requisite experiences for having led a full life.
It was great. Last night #1 was jumping up and down, squirming, and making various noises, and #3 was laughing about as hard as I've ever heard him laugh. Hearing the pure, innocent laughter of a baby is one of the requisite experiences for having led a full life.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Candlejack! Oh NO! I Said His Name!
I was trying to explain something to a co-worker and he had never heard of Candlej-
Cheney in Georgia.
From the International Herald Tribune (complete with commentary saying this may not be a good idea, given Cheney's past 'just words').
Vice President Cheney went to Georgia in person to pledge support for rebuilding
...
I would have thought we would help to rebuild AFTER Russia GTFO but I only have as much foreign policy experience as Barry Obama, so what do I know?
So we're going to give Georgia $1B. Any predictions on how much of that is stolen by the russians at their checkpoints?
By the way, if we as a nation could have mustered the political will to get our own natural resources instead of sucking on Russia's teat for the last few decades, we would be in a position to stomp on their balls and throw a few missiles when somebody invades our strategic allies. As it is, we are reduced to saying Pretty Please, with a stern frown on our face. Good job,socialists environmentalists.
Vice President Cheney went to Georgia in person to pledge support for rebuilding
...
I would have thought we would help to rebuild AFTER Russia GTFO but I only have as much foreign policy experience as Barry Obama, so what do I know?
So we're going to give Georgia $1B. Any predictions on how much of that is stolen by the russians at their checkpoints?
By the way, if we as a nation could have mustered the political will to get our own natural resources instead of sucking on Russia's teat for the last few decades, we would be in a position to stomp on their balls and throw a few missiles when somebody invades our strategic allies. As it is, we are reduced to saying Pretty Please, with a stern frown on our face. Good job,
Sons of Iraq: Arrest Not Recommended
The Iraqi government is trying to arrest the leaders of the Sons of Iraq. This is possibly a very Bad Idea. I can see trying to dissuade them from being all shooty by themselves, if security on the ground allows it, or maybe doing more to turn them into regular forces. But threatening arrest? Smells like the beginnings of a new class of enemy to me.
Right, so you don't know what I'm talking about. You didn't hear about that in between commercials whilst watching American Idle. Not even the network news had time to mention it. Background, more here.
Right, so you don't know what I'm talking about. You didn't hear about that in between commercials whilst watching American Idle. Not even the network news had time to mention it. Background, more here.
Pakistan: Maybe You Need To Do It Yourself, Then.
Apparently when we send a Predator or some other high-flier in to Pakistan to clean out the Trash, the Pakistani government can say some words of indignation and the locals will calm down. But we recently sent boots on the ground, killed people, and broke things. Almost as if we were fighting an enemy in a war or something.
This is "counterproductive" and we "should review" what we're up to. Right. Should we do a check-up from the neck-up and decide to replace a bunch of petty thugs running a bunch of hamlets in Pakistan with US military officers and turn it into a police state, ward of the USA? No? Then why don't you send a few downrange when you have some terrorists in-house, instead of getting all bent out of shape when we do it?
Ground assaults on nominally friendly countries' soil: because when it comes to the Religion of Peace, you need to keep your Peace Hand strong.
This is "counterproductive" and we "should review" what we're up to. Right. Should we do a check-up from the neck-up and decide to replace a bunch of petty thugs running a bunch of hamlets in Pakistan with US military officers and turn it into a police state, ward of the USA? No? Then why don't you send a few downrange when you have some terrorists in-house, instead of getting all bent out of shape when we do it?
Ground assaults on nominally friendly countries' soil: because when it comes to the Religion of Peace, you need to keep your Peace Hand strong.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sun Spots: Not So Much.
From
Daily Tech
For the first time in a hunner't years, there have been no sunspots for more than a month. Global Warming alarmists will surely fail to take note of "just words" like:
"According to Watts, the effect of sunspots on TSI (total solar irradiance) is negligible, but the reduction in the solar magnetosphere affects cloud formation here on Earth, which in turn modulates climate." (emphasis mine)
and
"Last year Svensmark's "SKY" experiment claimed to have proven that galactic cosmic rays -- which the sun's magnetic field partially shields the Earth from -- increase the formation of molecular clusters that promote cloud growth. Svensmark, who recently published a book on the theory, says the relationship is a larger factor in climate change than greenhouse gases." (emphasis mine, again)
Now, correlation is not causation (which won't shut Al Gore up for a second), but let's have a peek at a recent trend:
The end of a solar cycle, with the forecast number of spots being revised downward. Fewer sunspots are expected. Are you still with me?
The Maunder and Dalton Minima are associated with "little ice ages", with crop-damageing, famine-inducing COLD.
Global Warming believers: are you paying attention yet? It's not my SUV OR Al Gore's private jet, it's the SUN that heats our planet. When it backs off, you may want to consider investing in a winter clothing company.
Daily Tech
For the first time in a hunner't years, there have been no sunspots for more than a month. Global Warming alarmists will surely fail to take note of "just words" like:
"According to Watts, the effect of sunspots on TSI (total solar irradiance) is negligible, but the reduction in the solar magnetosphere affects cloud formation here on Earth, which in turn modulates climate." (emphasis mine)
and
"Last year Svensmark's "SKY" experiment claimed to have proven that galactic cosmic rays -- which the sun's magnetic field partially shields the Earth from -- increase the formation of molecular clusters that promote cloud growth. Svensmark, who recently published a book on the theory, says the relationship is a larger factor in climate change than greenhouse gases." (emphasis mine, again)
Now, correlation is not causation (which won't shut Al Gore up for a second), but let's have a peek at a recent trend:
The end of a solar cycle, with the forecast number of spots being revised downward. Fewer sunspots are expected. Are you still with me?
The Maunder and Dalton Minima are associated with "little ice ages", with crop-damageing, famine-inducing COLD.
Global Warming believers: are you paying attention yet? It's not my SUV OR Al Gore's private jet, it's the SUN that heats our planet. When it backs off, you may want to consider investing in a winter clothing company.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Minor News, Nothing Much Really. . .
So here's something I didn't notice blasted all over the alphabet networks (yet? we'll see, not holding my breath). Seems to me like this is a major advancement, but hey what do I know.
On Monday, U.S. commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police. The ceremony, including a parade on a freshly paved street, capped one of the most significant turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago."
Obama of course would have taken a different route, using "just words" to counteract the "just murder" being done to the Iraqi people and our fighting men. Remember that when you vote the Democrat ticket this December.
On Monday, U.S. commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police. The ceremony, including a parade on a freshly paved street, capped one of the most significant turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago."
Obama of course would have taken a different route, using "just words" to counteract the "just murder" being done to the Iraqi people and our fighting men. Remember that when you vote the Democrat ticket this December.
My Rights Are Better Than Your Rights!
That is to say: My right to be safe by being armed and able to defend myself, is superior to your 'right' to feel safe by not having anyone with icky guns waking around (unless they are The Police, an altogether different species of people and The Only Ones Professional Enuff).
Eh? From Sharp as a Marble, found while reading Says Uncle
Asked if it was wise to carry a gun near the Obama event, Noble said: "His rights don't trump mine."
You know, in the old Soviet Union, they used to persecute the accused (read: torture the innocent) because they protested their innocence. The logic was that they were doing a Bad Thing, speaking against the State... after all, hadn't the prosecutor gone to all this trouble to bring a case? Are you saying the prosecutor is WRONG? The detectives and arresting officers, all agents of the State, are WRONG? How dare you? Because they have gone to the trouble of bringing a case, you MUST be in the wrong!
Yeah, this guy got a little taste of that, after he crossed an invisible barrier laid down at somebody's arbitrary whim, BEFORE The Candidate showed up, to hand out informative literature. And got arrested and shackled for hours, and had a weeks' wages worth of property confiscated and not (yet?) returned.
As I said to a co-worker with whom I was discussing this mess: Do you still have rights if you get arrested every time you exercise them and get an apology and no formal charges afterwards?
Eh? From Sharp as a Marble, found while reading Says Uncle
Asked if it was wise to carry a gun near the Obama event, Noble said: "His rights don't trump mine."
You know, in the old Soviet Union, they used to persecute the accused (read: torture the innocent) because they protested their innocence. The logic was that they were doing a Bad Thing, speaking against the State... after all, hadn't the prosecutor gone to all this trouble to bring a case? Are you saying the prosecutor is WRONG? The detectives and arresting officers, all agents of the State, are WRONG? How dare you? Because they have gone to the trouble of bringing a case, you MUST be in the wrong!
Yeah, this guy got a little taste of that, after he crossed an invisible barrier laid down at somebody's arbitrary whim, BEFORE The Candidate showed up, to hand out informative literature. And got arrested and shackled for hours, and had a weeks' wages worth of property confiscated and not (yet?) returned.
As I said to a co-worker with whom I was discussing this mess: Do you still have rights if you get arrested every time you exercise them and get an apology and no formal charges afterwards?
CZ Firearms: If You Want One, Get It Here!
Larry Correia: Gun Dealer. Writer. Firearms Instructor. Accountant.
He's offering deals you won't find advertised on the air (literally) and if you are staying away from ANY CZ firearm, be it a handgun or long gun, ask him for a quote.
P.S. if I had any gun-buying money at all, I'd see how much he'd charge me for one of these:
If I didn't already have enough calibers in the arsenal and didn't mind one more, I might be inclined to go with one of these:
Aww heck, if I had the cash for it, I'd get both and just stock up in one more caliber. Go see how much he wants, you'll be pleasantly surprised I'm sure.
He's offering deals you won't find advertised on the air (literally) and if you are staying away from ANY CZ firearm, be it a handgun or long gun, ask him for a quote.
P.S. if I had any gun-buying money at all, I'd see how much he'd charge me for one of these:
If I didn't already have enough calibers in the arsenal and didn't mind one more, I might be inclined to go with one of these:
Aww heck, if I had the cash for it, I'd get both and just stock up in one more caliber. Go see how much he wants, you'll be pleasantly surprised I'm sure.