08:36 – Barbara is doing well. We’ll do some driving practice over the next few days. It wasn’t an issue when she had her left knee replaced in October 2011, but a right knee replacement can affect driving. As her physical therapist said, it’s not so much the ability to press the gas or brake pedal as the ability to switch rapidly between them. So we’ll start in an empty parking lot and work our way up to residential streets and then main drags.
I see that NBC News hopes to salvage its superstar. They’ve suspended Brian Williams for six months without pay, hoping that will be long enough for viewers to forget that Williams is apparently a pathological liar. If I were NBC News management, I’d assign Williams for the next six months as an embedded reporter with ISIS forces. The worst that could happen would be ISIS beheading Williams or burning him to death. That prospect shouldn’t scare Brian “Rambo” Williams, since he’s already been a big hero everywhere from the Middle East to New Orleans during Katrina.
12:03 – There are two AT&T cherry-picker trucks parked in front of our house right now, connecting fiber. We should be able to sign up for their gigabit service in the next month or two, if we decide to do so. I may instead just bludgeon TWC into discounting our current cable Internet service on a month-to-month basis. I figure it’s actually worth about a fifth of what we’re paying for it now.
16:27 – We just got back from the doctor, who approved Barbara to drive and to return to work Monday. She’s delighted, and I’m sure the people at her office will also be delighted. We’ll practice driving over the weekend so she can get used to working the brake and gas pedals with her knee, which is still not 100%. It probably won’t get back to 100% for at least six months and possibly a year. But everyone is happy, except Colin, who’s now used to her being home all day every day.
She’ll be getting back to work just as the cold weather returns. Temperatures are forecast to fall over the next several days. Monday’s high is to be below freezing and the low 14F (-10C).
I see that NBC News hopes to salvage its superstar. They’ve suspended Brian Williams for six months without pay, hoping that will be long enough for viewers to forget that Williams is apparently a pathological liar.
As far as I know, I have never seen him on TV and I didn’t know who he was until recently. TV news is designed to capture viewers for advertisers, not to actually report the truth. NBC does it with its leftist-statist lies, Fox does it with its right wing-statist lies. Why should anybody be surprised?
Rick in Portland
What Mr. Rick in Portland said; when you see their lips moving…
Whether “right” or “left” or “conservative” or “liberal.” Those words mean nothing anymore, and that’s probably deliberate, too. Debase the language, the currency, the education, and the culture, and this is what we have now.
Watch how the nooz media treats this story:
(a supposed atheist goes nuts and murders people!)
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/02/robert-farago/north-carolina-shooting-motivated-parking-dispute-not-religious-hatred/#more-349527
“Shock Poll: Fauxcahontas Leads Mrs. Inevitable in Iowa, New Hampshire”
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2015/02/11/shock_poll_fauxcahontas_leads_mrs_inevitable_in_iowa_new_hampshire
RBT: You’ve mentioned that the Mrs. has now had both knees replaced. What did she do to damage both of them so badly? Both my knees are more or less completely ruined, and the damage so extensive that conventional replacement isn’t going to be feasible.
“…Fauxcahontas Leads Mrs. Inevitable in Iowa, New Hampshire…”
Means nothing. Esp. this early. The Heroine of Tripoli and Benghazi is playing games; a bunch of Obola’s minions have gone over to her operation but she has a boat-load of potentially crippling baggage from decades, not least, Larry Klinton’s, esp. recently. They must be figuring they can overcome all that ’cause she has the white wimmenz vote totally locked up. But Granny Warren is gonna chip at that a little; she has the Prog vote, who are bummed about the Clintons and Obola (their commie stuff didn’t go far enough).
This should be about as interesting as a the Patriots beating on the Colts or whichever other NFL team again. They’ll run one of these witches against some typical Repub clown like Christie or the Jebster, while all right-thinking “conservatives” will be bummed it ain’t gonna be Perry or Walker.
None of this matters a whit; it’s a carnival sideshow; the rulers laugh at us openly now when we rush down to vote and exhort others to do likewise.
“the Mrs… both knees replaced. What did she do to damage both of them so badly?”
I bet it was because she thought exercise was good for her.
Or maybe she was just addicted, (natural endorphins/opiates/exercise high, you know) and couldn’t help herself.
“She’ll be getting back to work just as the cold weather returns. Temperatures are forecast to fall over the next several days. Monday’s high is to be below freezing and the low 14F (-10C).”
Oh joy, oh jubilation.
O frabjous day!
Callooh! Callay!
Driving on far below freezing, icy roads with dicky knee. I do hope she and everyone else can manage things conservatively.
Speaking of Dicky Knee, he was a radio and TV personality in Australia. Originally a disembodied personality on radio, he later became the embodiment of your typical TV personality’s off-sider puppet, the back of whose head would constantly pop up in frame, make a cheeky comment, and then duck back down out-of-picture again.
Long dark unkempt hair. Peaked cap and loose turtle-neck pullover in a sort of dull, dingy almost-navy colour.
Who would ever have thought he’d enjoy a resurgence in Winston-Salem?
BTW, was out walking my regular two miles last night at 10pm and got to listen to two coyote packs hunting. One to the west of us and the other to the southeast. Made me fairly nervous since I do not walk armed. Well, not other than my 8 ounce flashlight. The wife scoffed at me and said that they would never come into an area with homes.
” The wife scoffed at me and said that they would never come into an area with homes.”
She is dead wrong on that score, and I hope not literally so. Coyotes in packs or singly will recon residential ‘hoods and they are extremely clever and slick buggers, not to be trifled with. Quite frankly I would also be nervous in that situation and question why you do not walk about armed when you’re out and about. It ain’t only four-legged critters you got to be nervous about. You’re in the great Lone Star State, after all, you know firearms, and you’ve had recent training. Why, why, why???
Also would make me a tad nervous knowing those buggers were on both sides of me; are they closing in??? By the way, they can run a lot faster than you, too.
I carry 7x24x365 except in the shower and even then it’s not that fah off-body. If I was in your coyote country and strolling about a couple miles away from the house, I’d have at least a .357 good to go. With the right ammo. We don’t want you to be crippled or killed out there, Mr. Lynn.
She’ll be getting back to work just as the cold weather returns. Temperatures are forecast to fall over the next several days. Monday’s high is to be below freezing and the low 14F (-10C).
Barbara is doing amazingly well. BTW, I value experience over reaction speed for any driving experience. My guess is that she will be driving slowly to give herself more time to react and get things properly in place. But all the other crazies on the road may negate that somewhat.
Our long range forecast here in the Land of Sugar is for a very cold session next week also. We may even see 20 F (highly unusual for us) according to a couple of the models. And the spring power plant maintenance season in Texas starts this Saturday.
Quite frankly I would also be nervous in that situation and question why you do not walk about armed when you’re out and about. It ain’t only four-legged critters you got to be nervous about. You’re in the great Lone Star State, after all, you know firearms, and you’ve had recent training. Why, why, why???
Because I do not have a CHL. But, I am considering getting one though. Especially since the FBI got my fingerprints last year.
Also, I am going to a convention in a Federal facility in Oklahoma in two weeks. I cannot even carry an unloaded weapon in my truck in their parking lot as it is a felony. CHL or no CHL, the feddies do not allow weapons, loaded or unloaded, on their properties. That includes Post Offices. Sounds like SCOTUS needs to be involved here.
Initial reviews of the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey say it sucks dead bunnies. I wonder how the libturd, no consequences, Hollyweird types will try to spin that. I’ve also read the book(s) sucked dead bunnies.
Our quiet little corner of WA State is about to become not so quiet. Or maybe not, I don’t think the Rev. Al Schlockton gets involved with these people.
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2015/02/11/3405116_man-shot-by-pasco-police-identified.html?rh=1
The article does have one glaring mistake as I can see: “Nearly 60 citizens converged…” that should be “…60 illegals…”. (Didn’t take them long to get professionally made signs made.)
We used to have a proud hard working assimilated Hispanic Community. It is just been during the last 6 years that we now have more gang-banging Hispanics (MS13 is big here now) than law abiding Hispanics.
If I hadn’t lost all of my firearms in the Hudson River, I’d ignore the prohibition on firearms in post offices and such. “Where arms are forbidden, it is well to be armed.” But that’s all hypothetical, as I lost all of my firearms in the Hudson River.
“Because I do not have a CHL. But, I am considering getting one though.”
Do so immediately. I had just assumed you already had one or didn’t need one there. Damn, son.
“I cannot even carry an unloaded weapon in my truck in their parking lot as it is a felony. CHL or no CHL, the feddies do not allow weapons…”
Fine, don’t carry there or have one in your truck there; that’s just one event and one situation. You might also, if you’re hardcore like some here, park your weapon in a temp storage locker prior to the convention and pick it up after. But at home on your walks, CARRY the weapon, son. You got the training and the knowledge, you’re OBLIGATED.
“It is just been during the last 6 years that we now have more gang-banging Hispanics (MS13 is big here now) than law abiding Hispanics.”
They shot the guy for throwing rocks at them? Jesus wept. If I’d shot every jerkoff back in my day who rushed me, threw something at me, came at me with a bat or club or car aerial, I’d be waist-deep in corpses. I guess it’s true, then; the default setting for cops now is lethal force; go from 0 to 90 immediately. Yes, I get it that rocks are dangerous and you can get badly hurt or killed by one. Still. We had less-than-lethal response training back then and even today I could take down some clown throwing rocks at me. Without blowing them away.
The Hispanic gangs are here in Vermont, too, just not quite up this far in any numbers; in certain areas of southern New England, though, they run entire ‘hoods that the cops won’t go in; they’ve ceded the territory. No, Sharpless and Jackwagon won’t be swanning on out there; they’re Hispanics. It doesn’t get any press but the Hispanic-Black violence and hate is growing in leaps and bounds in this country and has been for the last few years, an order of magnitude in potential open gang warfare. In the prisons the AN guys just stay aloof and enjoy the show.
“Initial reviews of the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey say it sucks dead bunnies. I wonder how the libturd, no consequences, Hollyweird types will try to spin that. I’ve also read the book(s) sucked dead bunnies.”
Haha. That book and flick are lightweight, softcore versions of the real BDSM world out there. I bet the freaks out in Hollyweird thought they were being wicked transgressive and cutting-edge and all that happy hoss shit. What a laff. The sniper flick blew it away, haha, get it?, blew it away! And that was another jingo piece of shit. You’d think someone of Eastwood’s character and skill, well, at least before he clearly went senile, could assemble a real and honest flick about the sniper thang. And that’s the last guy I would have picked for my “hero” in a movie about it. I guess they gotta feel like they’re making something up to date or whatever; I’d do one on Carlos Hathcock or the German, Finnish and Russian snipers of the Good War. Or hell, the Brit kid in Afghanistan.
“But that’s all hypothetical, as I lost all of my firearms in the Hudson River.”
Ditto. Except it was Lake Champlain.
I’d also, if I still had them, ignore the Canadian prohibitions.
We need to develop some prostheses for Champ so he/she/it can fetch all o’ them dropped weapons and use them. Take that, Nessie! The American monster will bust a cap on your ass!
“Because I do not have a CHL. But, I am considering getting one though.”
Do so immediately. I had just assumed you already had one or didn’t need one there.
Texas has always had open carry for long guns without a CHL. Open carry for short guns has been banned since 1865 or so. The Legislature is arguing about open carry for short weapons with a CHL and without a CHL right now. May or may not happen and certain members of the Leg are feeling threatened.
Texas also the castle doctrine which applies to home, vehicles, boats, your property, etc. Basically you can legally carry any loaded weapon in any of these situations. Does not apply to just walking about though.
So I guess that I will carry a rifle on my walks now. Maybe a shotgun. Not gonna happen! I am sure that one of my neighbors would call the cops and say that I am scaring them.
Nevada is “open carry” for handguns. But, if you carry, walking down the street, a handgun on your hip, the cops will harass you and probably kill you. Some guy tried a year or so ago. He was harassed by the cops, arrested, and released hours later, no charges ’cause he didn’t do anything wrong. Except tell the cops to fuck off.
Regarding the rock throwing, there were quite a number of witnesses who had their phones out. I looked at several of the videos, it appears the “victim” threw several rocks at the police and passers by. Two police officers were hit by the rocks so a taser was fired and had no effect (hopped up on meth?), the “victim turned and ran then took aim with another rock and the police used lethal force.
On his way to work my son has to pass by the area of the shooting. As he came home tonight there is a large number of streets blocked off and a large police presence (State, County, and all 3 of our Tri-Cities).
” Not gonna happen! I am sure that one of my neighbors would call the cops and say that I am scaring them.”
OK, here’s my advice: can’t carry a long gun on those walks. Don’t wanna carry a handgun illegally. Stop going on those walks. Period. That is all.
Even with that additional intel on the rock thrower? I still say lethal force was overboard. How many rocks can he throw before two or three cops swarm him from different angles? Sure, a cop gets struck in the attempt; now you have A&B w/dangerous weapon, etc., etc. No effect with taser? Don’t wanna get close and rush the bastard? Birdshot aimed at the pavement by his feet. Beanbags. Surely there are tools in the cruisers they could use before ratcheting up to riddling him like a Swiss cheese?
“As he came home tonight there is a large number of streets blocked off and a large police presence (State, County, and all 3 of our Tri-Cities).”
Sure, why not? Big stupid show of force, intimidate any potential unrest, mobs, etc. Or ignite one? Plus, it’s good training for the FNGs. Refresher for old farts. Mos def get multiple agencies involved, test out the comm ops. What a racket. Glad I got out thirty years ago before it got totally Mickey Mouse-insane.
Perhaps it is time Barbara tried left foot braking. Perhaps not, with her other temporary physical challenges. Here is a pretty good article explaining it:
http://jalopnik.com/why-you-should-brake-with-your-left-foot-434604934
I was taught this in Driver’s Ed waaay back, and have done it ever since. Note that under certain circumstances it is also desirable to use left foot braking with a manual transmission, but I think your cars are automatic.
I don’t know of a good quantitative test, but most people have slightly different motor skills with each hand and each foot. In my case, I am better at braking an automobile with my left foot. No matter how much I practiced, I could not achieve as much control near lockup with my right foot. Of course, this is not so important with ABS.
One of my motorcycles has a left rear brake, and prefer it. I will admit that changing motorcycles with opposite foot controls does give me a short adaptation challenge, but not much. I don’t have any problem in a car.
Maybe a good way to start is while maneuvering in tight quarters. Using both feet simultaneously gives greater control. Also helps on slippery surfaces, but that is beyond the scope of this short discussion.
Some (really) older heavy equipment had rather odd control placement, including brakes. When I was a kid, I watched some really good operators, who probably were good in spite of their machine’s lousy controls.
I suspect there will be disagreement on this. Just my preference. Take a look at some of the comments at the end of the article.
Perhaps it is time Barbara tried left foot braking.
Bad idea in my opinion.
I suspect there will be disagreement on this.
You are correct. Here is my reasoning.
I see too many people who do left foot braking who get in the habit of resting their foot on the brake pedal. In newer vehicles this generally activates the braking circuits and causes the computer to activate the rear lights. Really annoying following someone, even up hill, with their brakes lights on. There is also the intermittent brake lights on, then off, then on. I get around those people as quickly as possible.
In addition when the brake circuits are activated the computer behaves differently regarding the traction and stability control and also inputs to the engine fuel system. You also are starting to have manufacturers modify the software such that when the brakes are activated fuel to the engine is cut to a minimum (runaway Toyota syndrome).
Lastly if your brakes do not have much slack in the system, which is typically with disc brakes, you run the risk of having the brakes drag. This wears out the brakes, may cause rotor overheating, and will markedly reduce fuel economy.
Best scenario is to keep your foot off the brake pedal entirely and the best way to accomplish that is to use the same foot for braking and gas. You can’t do both easily at the same time.
To each their own but I am not a fan of left foot braking unless your right leg is no longer functional.
As for the runaway Toyota syndrome, it has been proven that brakes can ALWAYS override the engine input. Even 450 HP Mustang engine output was overridden by the brakes. Brakes in today’s cars are very strong indeed. What is also not mentioned in the Toyota issue was there were no skid marks. With brakes fully applied the rear wheels will be locked, brakes pulsed, leaving telltale chirp marks. Such marks were never found indicating the brakes were never applied fully.
In one case the husband indicated that his wife was frantically calling him on the cell phone saying her car was out of control. In another story on the same incident he then claimed he had to throw dirt on the rotors to stop them from catching fire. How can he be on the cell phone with his wife and seconds later be throwing dirt on the rotors? Unless he was in the car in which case he would not be on the cell phone with his wife. He lied and so did his wife.
Rotors on fire? Oddly enough I’ve seen several brake fires (on trucks). Never were the rotors burning. Yes they can get red hot but steel tends not to burn.
Rotors on fire?
Indeed. That was sort of my thoughts when I read the story. The guy’s multiple stories were so inconsistent. The grease may burn, the tire may burn and I sure as hell would not be throwing dirt on any car fire. I would just walk away and let it burn. Cars ain’t worth risking your life.
He also stated that in the Lexus his wife was driving and was out of control, his wife was frantically pulling on the emergency brake. Yet on these vehicles the emergency (parking brake) is actually foot operated. I wonder what his wife was pulling on (keep it clean OFD!).
He was just trying to lay blame on someone else. His wife had her foot floored on the accelerator thinking it was the brake. He said it drove like that for several miles. If the brakes had truly been applied the rear wheels would have been scorched. If the brakes in any vehicle are fully applied no amount of engine power can overcome the braking force unless the brakes are overheated. Even then, had his wife been smart, she would have held in the start button until the engine died. That start button overrides any other vehicle commands.
Toyota proved the button works. Toyota proved turning the key to the off, but not locked position, will stop the engine. Toyota and other independent companies found that there was no way the throttle control could fail in a full throttle position. One company crossed a couple of wires, shorted another and said “see it can happen” even though the three events could not have happened in real life as one of the shorts required the throttle control to be physically removed.
But because of the lawyers, stupid jurors and bad publicity, Toyota, along with other manufacturers have modified the engine computer. Now if there is braking input the fuel flow and air flow is brought to a minimum regardless of other inputs. Braking is priority when dealing with fuel and air flow.
This is going to cause problems for left foot drivers that rest their foot on the brake activating the brake lights. And that is as it should be. Maybe now grandma Goldfarb will not have her brake lights on while traveling uphill.
I also know from experience in my recent crash (April 2014) that anytime the airbags are deployed the engine computer immediately ceases all input to the engine and locks the system down. The fuel flow, specifically the fuel pump, is permanently shut down until such time as the system is reset.
Well, people who rest either foot on the brake pedal are the same 1d10ts as those who rest their foot on the clutch pedal!