09:38 – Lori arrived with our mail at 0840 this morning, which is an hour or more earlier than her usual time. When I commented that she was running early, she said she was running only half her route today, with her sub running the other half for her. She has to get back to her farm today in time to put up hay for her cattle.
The KFC secret blend of 11 herbs and spices has been all over the web for the last few days. Someone actually tried it and reported that indeed it appears to be the genuine recipe. Here it is, for future reference:
KFC secret blend of 11 herbs and spices
Mix the following spices with two cups of white flour:2/3 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp thyme
1/2 Tbsp basil
1/3 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp celery salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp dried mustard
4 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp white pepper
Barbara does fried chicken frequently. She coats the chicken with plain flour before frying it. I’m not sure what herbs and spices she adds to the flour, if any. I figured I’d make up a jar of this mix to try the next time she fries chicken.
I don’t even attempt to predict elections any more, but it looks to me like Trump has Clinton and the progs on the run. To say that Clinton is frail, sickly, and brain-damaged is only to state the obvious, but as usual the progs are furious at anyone who states the obvious.
As I said in the comments the other day, we’re Normals, and we can’t allow the progs to define the narrative. We have to keep hammering on the fact that we’re Normals and they’re not. We have to mock and ridicule them at every opportunity, and we have to speak out to let other Normals, who are in the large majority, know that they’re in fact Normal, while the progs, BLMers, muslims, and so on are simply gangsters and terrorist scum. In other words, we need to do everything we can to make sure that other Normals are not embarrassed or ashamed to be Normals and to know that not only are they not alone, but they are part of a very large majority.
I’m not sure I want to live in a world where there is no longer a secret recipe. What mysteries are left? The afterlife and aliens?
I made the mistake of buying some KFC a few weeks ago. Dry, overcooked, not as soaked-in-oil as usual. KFC was great 40 years ago.
I have a liberal Democrat friend in Florida who’d vote for Hillary even if she emptied a magazine at a Southern Baptist church meeting. No argument works with him.
Nothing’s like it used to be, thanks largely to the health nutters.
I’m old enough to remember when McDonald’s fries were fried in animal fat instead of vegetable oil. Hell, I’m old enough to remember when name-brand peanut butter actually had peanut oil in it. I think it was back in the 70’s when they started reclaiming the peanut oil for separate sale and substituted cheaper vegetable oil.
Hell, I’m even old enough to remember when vehicles had carburetors, distributors, condensers, and points. I remember a conversation I had with Mel Tappan in around 1978. He was bemoaning how complex cars had gotten, mostly because of all the emissions garbage cluttering things up. He remembered working on cars from the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, which he said could be repaired “with a hammer and a flat rock”.
Re: Clinton
I’m hoping she drops dead before election day. Of course, they’d probably just prop her up and let people vote for her anyway. Democrats are famous for dead voters. No reason they couldn’t extend that to dead candidates.
That’s what politics in the US has devolved into. Everyone blindly and vehemently supports their party’s candidate to a level akin to zealotry. No one can convince anyone of anything. Most of the “independents” and “moderates” aren’t really independent or moderate. They just claim that to avoid political conversations and having to publicly choose sides.
This is what happens in a 2-party system. You’re on this side or that side.
One party system, the incumbents. Professional politicians. Same goal, stay in office, get paid.
n
I always chuckle at all of the memes on social media about “Put Congress on minimum wage and make them have the Obamacare for health insurance and things would change real quick.” I’m always thinking to myself, “No, actually, they wouldn’t.” Most politicians, at the federal level, are independently wealthy. Their salary as President or Senators or whatever is a laughably small part of their annual income. They’re in it for the power, influence, and prestige. Not the money (though, those the aforementioned three things certainly do help one acquire more wealth).
Some lessons to be learned here:
“Woman sitting in car gets caught in the crossfire of terrifying machine gun shootout at Atlanta gas station
Incident occurred 8.30pm Sunday at a Texaco in Jonesboro
Driver of a black Dodge was threatened by a man with a gun
Driver then pulls out an AK pistol and threatens the man
The two exchange gunfire and a female passenger was hit in the shoulder
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3756442/Woman-sitting-car-gets-caught-crossfire-terrifying-machine-gun-shootout-Atlanta-gas-station.html”
Watch the video.
Pistolero brandishes, and driver says ‘that’s not a gun, THIS is a gun’ pulls out what looks like an AK pistol or folder…
Pistolero dives for cover, fumbles his draw, runs to front of car and opens fire. Driver returns fire, driver’s passenger catches one in the shoulder.
My thoughts. IF you are gonna brandish or threaten, you might as well draw. Either you are justified or not and the penalty is the same (this guy was NOT.)
Practice your draw! Practice from other than the low ready or standing square to the target.
Short rifle or pistol version is very effective self defense/ vehicle gun. Lots of rounds, visually intimidating.
Speaking of, the pistolero wasn’t so intimidated he couldn’t shoot. The threat isn’t enough. If the situation warrants drawing, it probably warrants shooting.
If I was on the jury, I’d call it a righteous self defense shooting (partly because he waited until fired on- but note that his wait allowed pistol boy to shoot the passenger) assuming no problems with the gun, or it’s ownership.
Note how fast it’s over. Seconds from confrontation to resolution. No tactical reload, no slow head scan and holster, and no solid stance.
On a more meta level, the driver MIGHT be engaged in fighting (mutual combat.) This depends on what was said and if the jury believes he could have just gotten in the car and driven away. If he was able, driving away was probably the best choice, but it looks like he’s got a passenger in the store, who he wouldn’t want to leave behind. He also might argue that he believed pistol boy would shoot him if he got in the car.
Anyway, real world. This was likely gang related, but look at just the physical actions. What would you do in a similar situation if pistol boy came up to you and demanded money? You got your wife in the car, and your teen son in the store….WWYD?
nick
@chad,
“Not the money (though, those the aforementioned three things certainly do help one acquire more wealth)”
Not the PAYCHECK, but the other money. Almost all of them are MUCH wealthier when they leave than when they came. Even without any actual prosecute-able corruption, they get ‘speaking fees’ and special interests buy 10000 copies of their book, they’re exempt from insider trading laws (iirc), and there are dozens of other ways for them to get paid. The paycheck is (as you say) nothing. The other stuff is the real payout.
nick
Well obviously I wouldn’t be in that store. Wrong neighborhood. Sho ain’t no Mr. Rogers.
Re: “working on cars from the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, which he said could be repaired “with a hammer and a flat rock”.
I recall my grandfather telling me how he repaired his model T on a lonely stretch of HW 66 in the 20s. The T lost its main bearing. He used a hammer, adjustable wrench, screwdriver, and pocket knife to cut his leather belt and use it to replace the main bearing well enough to get to Flagstaff. Don’t know if he used a rock too.
The early cars often included a tool set that let you fix anything that could be fixed (or at least get to it and get it off.) IIRC the Ford kit had about 5 tools.
n
Out in rural Indiana, I once repaired a broken throttle control arm on the pickup truck we were driving with a wire hoop from a croquet set that was on a farmhouse porch…
n
My most treasured memories are the times my paternal grandfather taught me the old ways. Just some examples: (1) how to harness a brace of horses and plow a straight furrow, rake hay, and much more; (2) hand crank start an old IH diesel tractor (started on gas, shift to diesel); (3) fix virtually anything with baling wire, leather strap, and an adjustable wrench; (4) start, run, and move a steam traction engine…
I could go on all day. These skills are slowly fading from memory and while there are books that claim to show you how to do these things, without the nuances of being taught by an actual experienced person there is much that is lost.
@dkreck,
What if you were just driving thru and got a low gas light? Pull off the freeway and there you are… (who knows whats at the end of every offramp on your commute?)
n
(admittedly this is why I won’t drive thru some areas at night, if I have a breakdown, I’m in trouble.)
One of my favorite non-Normal Libturdians:
“Bill Nye: Climate change is the reason for Louisiana floods — and it’s going to happen again”
If tRump wins the election, Bill Nye “The Douchebag Guy” will claim Climate Ejaculation.
@nick
That’s what a cell phone and AAA are for. I don’t get below 1/4 tank. I pay attention to my gauges. (and my cars make funny noises and flash lights if you get too low on gas)
“King cobra on loose in Needville near public school”
http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/fortbend/news/article/King-Cobra-on-loose-in-Needville-9181932.php
This is about ten miles away from the home and office.
I saw the original of the KFC recipe. I think the only surprise is the dried mustard. Most of the rest was already known.
I didn’t remember the ginger, either. And I was surprised by the quantities, 3 to 4 tablespoons, of the last few ingredients.
it looks to me like Trump has Clinton and the progs on the run
They are running right into the White House. Trump is down by double digits in most of the swing states he needs. He’s way behind on money raising and he for sure isn’t dumping any of his own into the race – he’s not as rich as he says and what he has isn’t liquid. In fact, he seems to be using the campaign as a place to hire his kids and other family. He just now has done a few media buys, but the Clinton campaign has cancelled buys in some swing states because they are so far ahead.
Without a smoking gun showing up in the next batch of emails, she gets 37-38 states. The Republicans running for Senate will need to distance themselves to hold on to the majority – they have to do that to contain the damage. Also, they need to get ready to approve Obama’s appointment to the Supreme Court that’s stalled in the Senate, he’s less liberal than Ginsburg or Sotomayor, and less liberal than anyone Clinton will appoint. When she gets elected, they should approve ASAP. I hope all the usual vetting is going on quietly so that the hearings won’t take more than a day or two, then have the vote.
‘He was bemoaning how complex cars had gotten, mostly because of all the emissions garbage cluttering things up. He remembered working on cars from the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, which he said could be repaired “with a hammer and a flat rock”.’
Bikers I knew in Canberra said they preferred Harley Davidsons over Japanese and European bikes because they can fix them themselves at home. The others had to fixed at the dealership, at great cost. A family member’s KTM (Austria) bike had to sit in a repair shop for six weeks while parts were sent by sea to fix it (KTM didn’t allow air freight for some reason.) He had it back for a few weeks when something else broke. Another six weeks. He soon replaced it with a Jap bike.
Ah the “I can work on it myself” vs “Mine doesn’t need constant work” argument.
Better to step aside and say “whatever x is, it’s better if there is local support.”
n
“it looks to me like Trump has Clinton and the progs on the run
They are running right into the White House. Trump is down by double digits in most of the swing states he needs”
This is why I can’t make any sense of the election. The poll reporting I see has them pretty close to even one day, the next it’s big margins, but then even again. That much froth in the results with minor changes in the polling says to me that they are all unreliable and anyone making a prediction is mostly going on his own gut and prejudices… (oddly enough, there was a radio program last week that made that point, almost all the pundits were wrong about Trump, and looking back it’s mostly because of their personal prejudices.)
I think there are huge issues with polling methodology. There are huge issues with honesty in the polling (there are strong social factors mitigating against openly supporting Trump), and there are other reasons not to believe whatever the reporting source it.
I see a lot of support for Trump and I hear it too. Much of it is in the ‘no f’ing way will I vote for Hillary’ vein, and not a ringing endorsement of trump. But I also see and hear honest support for trump. Not support or hatred of ‘strawman trump’ but support for his stated policies and for his enthusiastic support of the idea that America is worth fighting for and that it was and can be great. I don’t see anyone except nevertrumpers , or cynical insiders, or empty headed celebrities supporting hillarity.
Then again, I’m mostly in a conservative state, surrounded by productive people. My wife’s FB is full of anti trump memes from her lefty friends in entertainment and academia. Oddly it’s NOT full of pro-hillarity memes.
nick
They are running right into the White House.
Another good aspect of tRump running. He could possibly finish off the Redumblican party and get us on the way to the revolution. What else will save us? Both party’s screw us over with constant spending and wars, welfare, immigration. I’ll be looking forward to the incoming CanklesBucks for “edumication”. Might as well reap as much tax dinero back as we can.
I read an article earlier about some Libturdian’s election model that predicted a tRump win. He threw his own model under the bus rather than say it was accurate. Perhaps that is an indication of all the polling and model variations. Prejudice.
I am no fan of the wealth accumulation machine that is Congress. However, what about the idiots in Congress like my former Representative? He’s been in Congress since before President Obama was elected and his net worth is less than my daughter’s college fund.
A few weeks ago, three was a “fun” vocabulary test posted here. There is one at http://vocabulary.ugent.be/ which is probably more valid and may help some research. I got 83%. My college student daughter got 76%.
Rick in Portland
Objective journalism is completely out the window…
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/08/business/balance-fairness-and-a-proudly-provocative-presidential-candidate.html
Hell, I’m old enough to remember when name-brand peanut butter actually had peanut oil in it. I think it was back in the 70’s when they started reclaiming the peanut oil for separate sale and substituted cheaper vegetable oil.
I have been buying “old fashioned” peanut butter for over forty years. All it has in it is peanuts and salt. It has to be stirred because the oil separates, but it doesn’t have any hydrogenated oils or sugar. When I was in college, Safeway sold cans of it about the same size as a 3 lb can coffee with about 7 lbs of peanut butter. It was cheap and I lived on it.
Rick in Portland
Rick, I got an 84%.
89%
Missed these real words: trousseaux, conducer, defalcate, orchardist, fraxinella, salmonellae, epidotic, and emic.
Didn’t tag any fake words. Cool test.
I said yes to 91% of the real words,
and yes to 0% of the nonwords.
Still don’t consider such tests particularly valid.
“Objective journalism is completely out the window…”
I thought cheeto-head’s questions and comments about nuke weapons were perfectly legit and a breath of fresh air, actually. If we ain’t ever gonna use ’em, why make more of them?
Next question: if we ARE gonna use ’em, I know several great candidates right now, off the top of my head. Have Trump’s people call my people.
Cheeto-Head vs. Cankles “election:” On the one hand I think that Mr. ech is correct about all the states, including swing states that she’s wrapped up already, plus the predictable Electoral College votes. OTOH, this is such a weird election and campaign and she’s obviously a medical basket case possessed by demons who are about to give up on her corpse any day now. Ten weeks. Hell, anything can happen.
So prep anyway for your individual and family circumstances in your particular AO and its proximity to major cities and/or crowd situations. What we all have in common is concern for the Grid staying up and any increases in goblin activity.
“Watch the video.”
Thanks for the comedy link; question: where are the machine guns? Fucking media losers can’t EVER get this chit right. Both weapons are semi-auto, BFD. Funny bits were the kid who runs out of the store BEHIND one of the active shooters, who is presumably taking fire in his direction; and after the whole thing, machine-gun boy and gf who’s just been shot, stroll on into the store to finish whatever they came there for, I guess, unless it’s to call the cops, which presumably they could do from one of their smartypants phones which everybody in the solar system has now.
More lessons: Don’t go to or hang around those kinds of places in those kinds of ‘hoods. Also, if you’re going to a machine-gun duel, bring a machine gun.
You said yes to 90% of the existing words.
You said yes to 0% of the nonwords.
I’ll try again later. At least I didn’t say yes to any fake words. There were words that I marked No that I wasn’t sure of.
And peanut butter … mom would buy the cheap stuff. Always. Oil in peanut butter? What a novel idea! School lunch was a bite of sandwich with a sip of milk so you could chew and swallow. Fun times.
This is why I can’t make any sense of the election. The poll reporting I see has them pretty close to even one day, the next it’s big margins, but then even again. That much froth in the results with minor changes in the polling says to me that they are all unreliable and anyone making a prediction is mostly going on his own gut and prejudices… (oddly enough, there was a radio program last week that made that point, almost all the pundits were wrong about Trump, and looking back it’s mostly because of their personal prejudices.)
Rush was saying this morning that the Reuters pollsters were having the poll taker decide for the “undecideds” after asking them a few questions.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2016/08/24/i_m_just_giving_you_the_lay_of_the_land_on_trump_but_i_m_not_suggesting_anything
There is a poll coming on November 8 that might be believable.
“On a Positive Note…”
http://blog.dilbert.com/post/149413206951/on-a-positive-note
“Clinton and Trump are the most disliked candidates for president that this country has ever seen. And yet, see what they have accomplished without even getting elected…”
“Hillary Clinton has already broken the ultimate glass ceiling. I see no discussion – in private or in public – about the role of her gender. Clinton did that for you and your daughters. She took gender off the table for the most important job in the land. It doesn’t matter who gets elected now. Clinton already made the gender sale. In 2016, nearly all American citizens believe a woman can, and will, be president. Because of Hillary Clinton. That’s a big deal.”
“Meanwhile, Donald Trump turned the GOP into a pro-LGBTQ organization. No one saw that coming. And I think it is sticking. That’s a big deal.”
83 and 0
3 of the real ones I missed had to do with language
a couple were animals or plants
3 were roots of words I know, but said no to because I suspected that they were ‘close enough to fool you’
n
which he said could be repaired “with a hammer and a flat rock”
I learned a little bit about car repair from my dad, and from my mom that if I could read I could figure out the rest.
He and I replaced the engine of my first car, then repaired the replacement engine when I blew a gasket. The first engine had to be replaced because I wanted to see if a ’78 Honda Civic hatchback could reach 100 mph (yes, eventually). I blew it up after repeating the experiment too many times. We replaced it with a larger engine from an Accord. Naturally I had to test the second engine as well…
I wasn’t bright.
It was great working on cars with him. I had a 1973 VW Squareback, automatic, for a few years. I did virtually all the work on it. I still have the set of wrenches my dad gave me 30 years ago. I treasure them and the memories they trigger.
My 4 year old daughter passes me tools when I’m working on stuff. We talk about tools and working with our hands. She likes watching skilled workmen like plumbers and mechanics.
I want her to grow up with as broad a set of skills as I can help her attain.
“There is a poll coming on November 8 that might be believable.”
Not in the least.
“…In 2016, nearly all American citizens believe a woman can, and will, be president. Because of Hillary Clinton. That’s a big deal.””
Not in my view. Who cares? It matters not a whit which psychopath has become the regime-designated National Administrator for an empire that is on the skids. Not their gender, race, ethnicity, religion or lack of one, or even what planet or dimension they’re really from. Ya gotta look at the REALLY big-deal picture here. Not at what various MSM pundits spew.
“… Donald Trump turned the GOP into a pro-LGBTQ organization. No one saw that coming. And I think it is sticking. That’s a big deal.””
It already was and Cheeto-Head had nuttin’ to do wid it. So the Party is pro-whatever for a miniscule percentage of the population. What does that matter to anyone, really?
I guess my 5 year old daughter has a little catching up to do.
I guess my 5 year old daughter has a little catching up to do.
It takes much longer to get the work done. Oil and weird dirt wind up in the oddest orifices. There may be a cut finger or bruised toe.
She doesn’t know the tool names quite yet but she’s learning.
She doesn’t mind getting dirty which I consider a win.
It makes her paternal grandmother very nervous that I do this. Grandma is concerned her granddaughter may get hurt.
Well, yes, but it won’t be serious (because I limit the risk), and then she’ll learn valuable information like don’t do it that way next time, and blood isn’t debilitating.
Our children are capable of so much more than our society expects of them.
@Jenny
+1,000
Our children are capable of so much more than our society expects of them.
Wow, so much truth in one little statement. My daughter is 29 and has been though so much pain that she now has pain lines in her face. But, I maintain she can do several things for herself and my wife severely disagrees.
Good news from my brother. His adopted daughter just started middle school. She decided to drop Orchestra, where she was to learn violin, for “Imagination Destination”. In that class, she will program computers, work with robots, etc. She is already very good at Minecraft and is in all AP classes.
She will take piano after school, which I think is better than a class in school.
I had a 1973 VW Squareback, automatic, for a few years.
One of my girlfriends in college had one of those in 1980. I opened up the rear bonnet once and looked at the engine. And rapidly closed it all back up again.
“… Donald Trump turned the GOP into a pro-LGBTQ organization. No one saw that coming. And I think it is sticking. That’s a big deal.””
It already was and Cheeto-Head had nuttin’ to do wid it. So the Party is pro-whatever for a miniscule percentage of the population. What does that matter to anyone, really?
Actually, I disagree with you here. The GOP was ready to make this change and Trump led the way there. If not for Trump, Jeb Bush would be ham footing his way all over to messing this up.
And inclusiveness in a political party is usually better than exclusiveness. Usually.
@ech
She will take piano after school, which I think is better than…
Agree 100%. It’s been my observation growing up surrounded by musicians, those that start with a melody instrument (like flute or violin) don’t seem to add chorded instruments (like guitar or piano). Versus those that started with a chorded instrument and added a wide range of melody instruments with apparent ease.
I started on flute and have really struggled to learn mandolin, guitar, piano. I can make a lot of racket but it’s a real stretch to term it music.
@lynn
and rapidly closed it all back up again
-laughing-
That was my expert mechanic fathers take on it. He refused to work on my squareback for the most part. I have very small hands which came in handy changing the d*mn spark plugs. Tight spaces.
I have replaced timing belts (might try it on the current DOHC)
and a clutch or two. Had some trouble with brake work but I
guess I eventually got it right. I recently replaced a fuel pump.
Not long ago I fixed a gnawed coil control circuit; the chewed
wire was a little hard to spot, but once I believed the OBD-2
diagnostic trouble code, it was merely tedious.
I won’t claim to have done any of this stuff well…
A modern “code reader” (which can be pretty cheap) is priceless
for at least getting an idea for what’s wrong, if only to second-
guess your mechanic.
I’ve got my Expedition at my mechanic right now, with about $3300 estimate so far.
Some of it I could have done myself, but there is suspension part replacement, and alignment in there. Basically brakes, shocks, tires, and a couple of front end ball joint type parts. The whole ‘wheels on the street’ part will be done and good for another 100k miles. As it happens, there’s money to do it, and some of it is LONG overdue. (Front tires are worn past the wear bars, shocks have been blown for 25k miles.) It’s a big whack all at once though.
I swore I’d never work on cars. My dad was always working on ours out in the dark and cold night. I hated helping him (despite being mechanically inclined.) I just wanted to read books, or mess with my electronics. I really didn’t want to get yelled at for not holding the light correctly. Now I’ve done some decent repairs on the vehicles. The things that are parts swaps are straightforward, with a lot of youtube videos for guidance. The stuff that is critical for safety I’d prefer to outsource to a pro. I’ve got a ton of projects stacked up, so not messing with the truck is very appealing ATM.
nick
I’ve had my 7yo help me assemble a porch swing, and we built a birdhouse like object entirely with simple hand tools. She’s got a set of real tools, in smaller sizes, and she likes to help daddy. The 5 yo likes to play with her dolls and figures. We’ll try the birdhouse with her this fall and see if she likes it.
Every girl should have an understanding of how the things around her work, and how to maintain them. (boys too) Even is she never does, having the knowledge empowers her to make better choices and protects from unscrupulous workers.
nick
These Iranian “vessels” should have received one across the bow and then been blown out of the water. This is a disgrace.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-military-idUSKCN10Z2OP
Don’t Tread On Me
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Naval_Jack_of_the_United_States.svg/2000px-Naval_Jack_of_the_United_States.svg.png
@nick
She’s got a set of real tools, in smaller sizes
Any recommendations? I’m looking forward to my daughters first set of tools.
I like how you parent, Nick. Nice job.
I’ve got that flag, prob not appropriate to fly on land….
n
On a completely unrelated note.
Any suggestions for mainframe training? I’m working my way thru Interskills offerings.
I could use a good resource (book or at own speed) for CA Top Secret. We’re running a z9 and moving to a z13 (I think)
Our CA products are antiquated so best to learn the new stuff since that’s where we are headed over the next few months.
Mainframe was an internal lateral transfer to accommodate a need for less stress and more stable environment. My huge car crash was two years ago tomorrow but has left its mark on how my brain works.
I’ve got 20+ years in IT, and have done a bit of everything (pulling cables, enough programming to be dangerous, multiple flavors of DBA, desktop, server, MS Windows predominately with Oracle, Mac and a touch of Linux…).
My learning speed is in the toilet post crash. Prefer materials that are written and with minimal ‘live action’.
Any suggestions?
Mainframe gig is (hopefully) just for a couple years while I finish getting my brain back in shape.
I’ve got my Expedition at my mechanic right now, with about $3300 estimate so far.
How many miles ? I hit 170K a month ago on my 2005 Expy EB and am still tooling down the road. I got my third set of plugs last year and got new heater doors (the motor arm ripped off one). My leather drivers seat has a couple of old age tears and so does the drivers side carpet. I need to get one of those all weather floor mats. I’m gonna need new tires soon as you can see the tread bars at 36K miles. Sam’s Club is getting ready for their semiannual $75 off on four Michelins so I will be spending $1,000 there soon ($215 each plus $15 each install plus tax + plus tax + plus tax).
I’ve got 20+ years in IT, and have done a bit of everything (pulling cables, enough programming to be dangerous, multiple flavors of DBA, desktop, server, MS Windows predominately with Oracle, Mac and a touch of Linux…).
I am a dangerous programmer. Just ask my employees and customers.
87%. Based on the other results reported here, OFD may not be the only hyperliterate reader of this blog! (FF is showing me a wavy red line beneath “hyperliterate”; hmmm ….)
I grew on a farm and learning how to repair equipment was mandatory. Equipment was usually simple to work on as most stuff was easily accessed. You could totally rebuild a tractor engine and only have to remove engine cover. Bailing wire, pliers, adjustable wrench, things could be done. Most difficult part some times was getting the bolts and nuts loose.
Just did a subbing job at the local middle school. It is obvious where the pussification of young males is occurring. All the teachers are female. Not that females don’t make excellent teachers, it is the social skills and role models that are missing. Anger between two males is handled by giving them sheets of paper and crayons so they can “color their emotions”. Seriously? Give them boxing gloves in the gym after school.
A few weeks ago, three was a “fun” vocabulary test posted here. There is one at http://vocabulary.ugent.be/ which is probably more valid and may help some research. I got 83%. My college student daughter got 76%.
73 and 7 for a net of 66%.
“This is fairly high level for a native speaker.”
Obviously I am not a special snowflake.
“…OFD may not be the only hyperliterate reader of this blog!”
Fah from it; there are others, plus the lurkers. We know who you are, too, because we’re Overlord Editors.
“Give them boxing gloves in the gym after school.”
You’re fired!
(macro-aggression, cis-hetero violent hostility, disparagement of the ruling matriarchy, etc., etc. man, so many thought-crimes here….)
@jenny, thanks! My wife and I are adherents of the ‘free range kids’ style, as much as we can be. We are both determined to give them as much of the kind of childhood we had as possible in this nanny age. After all, we think we turned out ok 😉
She’s got a little cloth tool bag, in pink ‘cuz she loves pink.
In it I’ve put small but real version of:
screwdrivers, flat and #2 phillips, stubby versions of same
small claw hammer
tape measure
6″ adjustable wrench
6″slip jaw pliers
tri-square (full size because the 6″ is harder to find, and it constantly falls out of the bag so 6 would be better.)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ebp1j81yrw7gzgo/20160824_173756.jpg?dl=0
Hand saws and drills I keep separately.
nick
added- there’s supposed to be a pencil in there too.
The stubby screwdrivers are easier for her to use.
@lynn, I’ve got about 129k on it, 2008.
Former cop car, so the wear in the front end is likely to be from that. Or because I drove 20k miles with worn out shocks.
I’m hard on brakes, so 20k on brakes that were already in use is actually pretty good for me. I get less than 30k on pads in my Ranger pickup.
The front tires are bald, but the back still had plenty of life, IF I hadn’t run over a big metal chunk last week. So that’s 4 tires instead of 2… I’m going with heavy duty truck tires, but they’re still $185 each. Add in disposal, etc and it is almost a grand just in tires. A grand in shocks, a grand in front end parts, alignment, and brake pads all around, oil change and misc. It adds up quickly if you leave everything until the same visit 🙂
In the several years I’ve owned it, I haven’t put much into it after buying it and doing the immediate fixes. Other than the front end parts, it’s all routine maintenance.
nick
I’ve had to have the left front brake caliper replaced when it locked up in 2014. The wheel was so hot that it was smoking. And I had to have the right front halfshaft replaced. Not even sure why I have one since 2WD. I would say that maintenance on the Expy has been normal at worst. After, it spends most of its life in Houston and I drive it like I stole it. Not much of a road queen since it has only been to Oklahoma, Dallas, and New Orleans this year with about 10K miles since Jan 1. Been a great truck which I am planning to take to 200K miles.
73 and 7 for a net of 66%.
“This is fairly high level for a native speaker.”
Obviously I am not a special snowflake.
I just tried to “Press Yes or NO” to start the test and nothing happens (Chrome on Mac).
Just as well. While filling in the profile, under Gender, there is only Male and Female (and blank). This is a racyisss test skewed towards the White Man. I’ve reported the site to DA of the USA Lynch for punishment.
Let me try Safari.
you have to hit space to start the test….
second time thru I picked one wrong word and went from 90 to 87.
Mellior got me. I think maybe it was a name in a novel.
n
I used to do my own work. I owned several 1950’s and 1960’s four cylinder Volvos. I could remove the transmission without a transmission jack to change the clutch. I once replaced the pistons, rings and bearings on one with the engine still in the car. I even owned a Unisyn.
I don’t work on my cars much any more. I did recently use a $15 Bluetooth code reader to determine why the check engine light was on in our 1999 Subaru. It was a $14 sensor which took about 30 minutes to replace, including watching the YouTube video on replacing it. There’s not much I can service on our two Leafs.
I do work on my boat. ⛵
Rick in Portland
83% – 3% = 80%
Using Safari, I had to use the J and F keys to respond. Google must have blocking going on.
In Chrome, it just says “Press Yes or NO” with a big green block and big red block. Spacebar did nothing.
Maybe it’s Apple. Tim Cook doesn’t like the gender options.
In a two party system you have the government and the opposition. The key role of the opposition is to oppose the government. That is why in our Westminster system the leader of the opposition has the title: Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. I knew Harper has done when he accused the leader of the opposition of treason for not agreeing with the government.
From what I see, and can understand, the party that is not in power has little interest in actually challenging the actions of the government but rather jockeying to grab what it thinks its share of the spoils.
Having more than two parties will always make the problem more confusing. A minority senate or house of representatives might be interesting but since there is only one president you can’t really have a minority president.
Our children are capable of so much more than our society expects of them.
Or what our society will allow them to do.
When I was seventeen, my parents let me drive to New York City on my own. I went to visit a friend who was living there, illegally, at that time. The trip was uneventful, spent a great week in the city and my friend and I drove back. As I recall, I also came back with a couple of hundred dollars worth of parking tickets that I never paid. If someone tried that now, the parents would be jailed, the kid would be stopped at the border and the kid’s drivers licence wouldn’t be valid for a trip like that anyway.
Mind you, after having driven in New York, it’s an experience I have never wanted to repeat.
Rolf
“”While filling in the profile, under Gender, there is only Male and Female (and blank). This is a racyisss test skewed towards the White Man.””
I was able to skip the profile. Just hit whatever at the bottom of it…
(Firefox on Linux Mint.)
(Oops… that’s profiling info, too, I guess.)
“”She’s got a little cloth tool bag, in pink ‘cuz she loves pink.
In it I’ve put small but real version of:
screwdrivers, flat and #2 phillips, stubby versions of same
small claw hammer
tape measure
6″ adjustable wrench
6″slip jaw pliers
tri-square””
Yeah! I don’t have kids but my first reaction was small real tools,
not toys! Yeah! Measuring tools! Pink is a big plus, too.
All those tools can be useful for a lifetime.
Small versions can be just the thing, even for big hands.
And, as everybody keeps saying, skills are what really counts.
Rick said:
“”I don’t work on my cars much any more. I did recently use a $15 Bluetooth code reader to determine why the check engine light was on in our 1999 Subaru. It was a $14 sensor which took about 30 minutes to replace, including watching the YouTube video on replacing it.””
I have a simple plug-in code reader and a Bluetooth dongle to use with an old
Android phone (with no phone service). It’s worth $15~ to at least look at the
codes, which are pretty straightforward quite often. I understand that the
typical repair shop charge is $100 for one code pull, so do the math. Even if
you can’t handle the repair, you can at least verify any trust you have in your
shop.
Oh, some basic computer literacy is handy, too, though it’s entirely possible
that the typical repair shop guy has a lower computer skill level than the least
literate guy on here (probably me).
“Mind you, after having driven in New York, it’s an experience I have never wanted to repeat.”
Driving in NYC is for wimps. Try the advanced model in Boston. For the PhD level there is always Bangkok, Thailand. And may God have mercy on you. Or Buddha.
The NoSrcipt I have running on FF [Linux] didn’t want to open the vocabulary quiz, but Opera was happy to do so. 87% final grade, I assumed that acrocarcinoma was some exotic cancer I’m not familiar with.
And I don’t understand the fascination with keeping venomous reptiles at home. I’m glad there are people willing to keep them for scientific purposes; I even knew a man who did so. But it was at work, and they were very secured.
In local home IT nooz: Convinced the Spousal Unit that Microslop is not, and has not been, operating (get it, “operating,”? haha, sometimes I kill me.) in our best interests. The latest schtick they’re pulling with the updates policy and constant pressure to “upgrade” to 10 (of which we hear PLENTY of horror stories) and just their ATTITUDE has pissed me off to the “last straw” level.
She claims she just HAS to have Microslop Orifice Excel and Word for her records and her invoice and job stuff, so I advised her I can back up to the Present Minute all our important stuff and put it in a couple of different locations. At which point she has given the green light to put Linux Mint on here and I’ll run Crossover with it so she can have Office apps and files working. Already tested it all out on a Mint vm through VMware Workstation.
And then there will be only one Windows machine here, her 7 laptop. Which she only uses when she goes on her assignments around the country.
Anyone here doing anything with Crossover on Linux?
I had to allow 3 or 4 levels of scripts ( with NoScript, temporarily! )
to run the quiz. I never know whether I’m doing this stuff correctly,
but I don’t seem to see ads and other drivel.
Same sites on the Chromebook (guest mode) get all sorts of flaming
screaming dancing spinning crap.
I tend to avoid the worst sites, I figure.
@spook, I should add that the tools were painted pink. They are not from a set of china crap aimed at women and made in pink. Those sets are usually full of really cheap crap.
The funniest thing is that all my working tools have been painted pink, so her tools look just like daddy’s. I found that if I painted my tools pink people stopped “borrowing” them out of my tool bags… and if they did, I could see them from across the shop.
No need for that at home, so my home tools are unadorned, but I’ve got a couple of cases full of pink tools. She will be able to graduate to full size tools, and they’ll still be pink 🙂
nick
Thought some of those looked painted…
Good job. Quality tools for a lifetime, as noted.
I had considered the “borrowing” prevention angle.
Any distinctive color would help for that, but pink
is sweet for sharing with your lovely (I’m sure) daughter.
She is gonna be amazingly competent with tools of all
kinds, pink or otherwise.
Thanks! I’m much cheered up… after some recent
issues with spoiled useless brats.
At which point she has given the green light to put Linux Mint on here and I’ll run Crossover with it so she can have Office apps and files working. Already tested it all out on a Mint vm through VMware Workstation.
My best wishes, buddy. Has she been trained on Linux? I hope there isn’t some quirky script in Office that Crossover chokes on. Perhaps borrow that armor Mr. Nick has for a codpiece.
A codpiece! Yes, now I know what was nibbling at my brain. Dang, if you’re gonna carry appendix style, that’s what you need in your shorts 🙂
n
” Has she been trained on Linux?”
Not “trained,” per se. But she’s had to take Linux netbooks or laptops with her on job trips when, shockingly, her Microslop devices failed or got broken somehow. And has been able to manage OK with the stuff she does, including LibreOffice, email, and web stuff. And the Linux distro she had on those backup machines was Mint, which I figure is probably the best option for someone who’s otherwise been using Windows/Office for many years, from XP on.
So we’ll have Office 2010 running via Crossover on Mint, plus Adobe Acrobat XI, and maybe one of the Quicken apps, unless I can avoid it and make something else work at least as good for running home and biz stuff here.
My new machine upstairs will have a huge monitor, an 8TB RAID1 setup, stereo sound system, and running NethServer 7 with CentOS 7. Leaving one other machine running Ubuntu Studio and the other with Qubes. Plus an HP Workstation lappy running OpenBSD.
“Perhaps borrow that armor Mr. Nick has for a codpiece.”
Not to put too fine a point on it, but there is no armor that fits. Seriously. Peeps in medieval times were a lot shorter than us. I used to laugh when visiting the old Higgins Armory Museum down in Worcester and seeing the suits of armor they had there. Any armor specially made that would fit guys my size or larger would become way too heavy and cumbersome. They even had armor for horses and dogs.
“…Dang, if you’re gonna carry appendix style…”
No way. Never. Dunno how guys do it. Plus it’s wicked uncomfortable for those of us sporting spare tires. Nope, I have 4PM OWB and spare mag/s at 8PM OWB. With Leatherman and tourniquet.
Reminds me; gotta get the car mount set up for various configs; if unsatisfactory w/Gum Creek, will be checking out two other options.
Wished I had a codpiece for the kicks I have gotten for years for
keeping a helpless old lady (to say nothing of myself) on line with
email and browsing with Linux.
I’m not a professional, so the fact that it all worked (no longer for
the old lady, now out of my realm) without Windows was simply
not a professional fact.
@rolf
Fantastic parents.
@nick
Thanks for the tool list and pic. I’m inspired. My daughters 5th birthday isn’t so far away.
I’m with you on the free range kid thing. I grew up roaming and heartily wish I could give her the same full degree of freedom. Our local woods are virtually over run with homeless camps and druggies. Makes me seriously ticked. I can think of multiple ways to take care of that but all would result in my incarceration.
My husband and I do our best. She’s definitely not hovered over or over-programmed, and gets precious little screen time.
We’re both on the wrong side of our forties and that heavily influences how we raise her.
“Our local woods are virtually over run with homeless camps and druggies.”
Remember what Smoky the Bear said and then there’s the fact that when lightning strikes, you can’t always be there to prevent them.
I don’t know the exact geography or your status/relationships with local AO neighbors and townspeople but it seems like that situation could be remedied without anyone going to jail. They present a threat to public safety and order, even if only a tiny minority ever become an active threat.
My siblings and I also grew up be-bopping all over the landscape with nary a worry, in small-town Maffachufetts in the 1950s and early 60s and that sort of freedom has been lost to us for a long time now and it really pisses me off no end.
On bicycle, probably with a fishing rod… or rarely with shotgun or archery
gear, I rambled around a lot during those same days.
Heard .22 bullets nearby, some careless shooter; I whistled, danger averted.
Sometimes with buddies, mostly alone, turned age 15 out there somewhere.
Still have an area where I can do most of that, when I have the energy…
with guns illegal there, mostly, though that just means that the scum (or
more likely careless) have guns.
I figure I can bluff the homeless and such, though I did have one guy
body-slam me (in a downtown situation that I can easily avoid since that
job is long gone)… I’m sympathetic for the homeless situation, but why
did this individual feel the need to slam me on the walk to my degrading
office job?
But I’m not sure how 15-y-o me, much less a little girl, could handle
things these days.
I drove in the Mordor area once. I finally found a place to park, and while walking to my destination passed the Metro Rail stop. As I recall, my destination was in the northern Virginia area. After that I always followed my rule for driving in Mordor. Don’t.
I would have a couple of these rainwater diverters in my inventory of stuff, but our downspouts are the oversize three inch by four inch type. Anyone know of a source for something similar for oversize downspouts?
It’s worth $15~ to at least look at the codes, which are pretty straightforward quite often. I understand that the typical repair shop charge is $100 for one code pull, so do the math
Autozone or Advance Auto will pull the codes for free.
@dave,
I just let mine run into the barrel. We get rain often enough that I’m not particularly worried about cleaning the roof into the barrel. If I was reliant on it for drinking, I might feel differently…
More interesting to me was the spigot with built in bulkhead fitting. It’s less than just the plastic bulkhead fitting at Home Depot. I might have to order a couple.
nick
“Higgins Armory Museum down in Worcester”
I remember going there. Fun. Most of the armor had a hole somewhere near the heart. Longbows, crossbows, and guns, oh my!
@ray, that’s true, but my understanding is that some of the codes are nested and may not be accessible to cheaper readers, and subject to a large amount of interpretation.
They only do it for free if your check engine light is on. Mine wasn’t (suspected fuel injector issue) because the problem throws a code, but not a check engine light.
So, not a panacea but a good resource.
nick
the problem throws a code, but not a check engine light
Ah, I see. I thought you were talking about a CEL being on and thus needing a trip to the auto hospital.
Which code reader do you use?
I keep looking for one, but don’t have one yet. I take it to my mechanic since I’ll need an interpretation and (possibly) repair anyway. Having a relationship with a shop is important BEFORE you need a ton of work.
Like anything, the relationship helps with trust issues 🙂
n
I’m not ready to start collecting rainwater, I just want to be able to do it. For all I know it may be illegal in my area. I can run out and buy a couple of trash cans if my perception of the situation changes, but I can’t run out and buy a couple of those diverters at the last minute.
I want to be able to collect some rainwater and still divert what I don’t collect away from the house. So I would prefer not to just drain the downspout into a trash can.
Ah, 77%. There were some words in unfamiliar forms (underlain), where I figured I would be safe rather than sorry, and say they were not words.
No contractions today. Since yesterday, I cannot type quotes on my keyboard. The key works fine in Linux, so I assume this has to do with the International English keyboard under Windows. The quote key is used to apply umlauts to vowels. No info on the web, but I sure hope they fix it soon…
I keep looking for one, but don’t have one yet.
I was asking because I have seen the following which gets fairly good reviews. Less than $15.00 so not a lot to lose. I have not had the need for a code scanner as my vehicles make regular trips to the dealer and are well maintained. I have used the dealer for almost 30 years, purchased multiple vehicles, and trust them. Yeh, I may spend a little having them do the work but that trust is important. If the dealer says something needs to be done I trust them.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LHVOVK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001LHVOVK&linkCode=as2&tag=mcntobd2scanners-20&linkId=T3533SZDEHGAGLEW
The list of herbs and spices in KFC’s chicken would not be a bad list of stuff to keep on hand. The spices I would use that aren’t on that list would be chili powder, cumin, coriander and poultry seasoning. Although I would stockpile celery seed and garlic powder rather than the versions with salt already added. Not because I think salt is a bad thing, but because you can’t take it out. I always buy low sodium beef or chicken broth because I don’t have to worry about it getting too salty if I reduce it.
wow, I can’t imagine it getting much cheaper than that.
WRT KFC, I remember one of the “big book of secret info” books talking about the secret herbs and spices. Many times people have paid for analysis of the KFC chicken. The one I remember found only salt pepper flour and sugar. Nothing else. Even KFC says that what makes it special is the cooking method.
I occasionally make southern fried chicken in my cast iron. I don’t think there are any other spices in the flour, and it’s delicious. Takes a while, and it’s messy in the kitchen, so I don’t do it often. It also requires a fair bit of oil (which can be reused somewhat, but still adds up.)
nick
So I just ordered a Kill A Watt meter from Amazon, because I think that the one certainty is that environmentalists will win in their quest to drive up the price of electric power. Secondarily, I want to know how much electricity specific devices use so that I can make intelligent decisions about the purchase of a generator or solar power system for running minimal devices.
I could measure power consumption with my multimeter, but I don’t feel like doing that and it would be a real hassle. I’ll get more data with the Kill A Watt as well.
WRT the Original Recipe KFC: it’s not just those “11 herbs and spices” but frying in lard. (edit: rendered bacon fat is even better)
On a related topic WRT chili powder: be careful what you buy, most contain a whole lot of other stuff and you have no idea the heat level (there is also no consistency). Go to a real Mexican Food Store and buy the pure real stuff at the heat level you like.
Here are a couple of references:
http://www.marxpantry.com/chile-heat-scale
http://chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types.html#.V78D9a072TJ
(this is their old site with lots of information instead of pictures and bling)
@Dave
like that situation could be remedied without anyone going to jail. They present a threat to public safety and order
The problem used to be kept in check by brutal winter temperatures and scarce handouts from local agencies and government. Our winters are more temperate so fewer die of exposure. The city has been expanding homeless shelters and opportunities for meals. Theres much lamenting and hand wringing when one of these lost souls perishes from Spice, alcohol, exposure, or a murderous interaction from one of their own.
I don’t understand it. They assault people, strew their crap everywhere, are on most major intersections partying and drinking and begging.
City recently set up a site to report the camps. So the camps could be posted with eviction notices before getting cleaned up. So the savvy homeless just relocate. The cynic in me wonders if this won’t simply be used to take services to the homeless.
“Go to a real Mexican Food Store and buy the pure real stuff at the heat level you like.”
Yup. Mrs. OFD gets ours on her travels to TX, NM and AZ and grabs loads of it, which usually last us a while.
“They assault people, strew their crap everywhere, are on most major intersections partying and drinking and begging.”
The city, eh? Well, the city has a responsibility to maintain law and order and security for its lawful citizen-residents, too. It’s also the responsibility of the property owner. These peoples’ days of partying, trashing the landscape and living like Turd World savages won’t last much longer.
it’s not just those “11 herbs and spices” but frying in lard.
The real “secret” of KFC is frying in a pressure cooker.
Just noticed that a local chicken chain has gizzards on Tuesday!
To read engine codes I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NLQAHS
(current price is $22) and an app called Torque on my phone. Torque costs 5 or 6 bucks from Google Play… there is a free older version you try to see if it will work for you.
It’s been a well spent $30.
I did that trip to NYC in ’62. Here’s something that has bugged me for years. What was the minimum age for a driver’s licence in New York state at that time? The reason I ask is that the first place I always went to in NYC was the Museum of Natural History (and the Hayden Planetarium). I decided to get an audio guide and asked for a student rate since I was under eighteen. When asked for ID I gave them my driver’s licence since that was my only ID. The woman who was handling the rentals seemed be confused and asked how I could be a student (i.e. under eighteen) and have a driver’s licence. I pointed out that it was an Ontario licence and everything was fine. So, in 1962, what was the minimum age for a driver’s licence in New York State? I know that the drinking age was eighteen, the same as Quebec. If I wanted to drink (still illegally) I could go to Buffalo or stay at home. My parents let me drink at home from seventeen on. Ontario’s liquor laws were (and still somewhat) firmly rooted in the principles of temperance and pseudo-prohibition. My twenty-first birthday fell on a Sunday. I could not get a drink in any restaurant in Ontario!
My question remains, was I driving legally in New York State when I was seventeen?
“The real “secret” of KFC is frying in a pressure cooker.”
Yes, but, most of the fancy modern pressure cookers have seals that will melt if the hot oil gets on them. Also most fancy modern pressure cookers operate at lower pressures in the interest of “safety”.
So know your pressure cooker.
BTW, the reason for the Colonel using pressure to fry his chicken was for speed and not needing to train the “cooks” in the fine nuanced art of deep frying.
Well, the city has a responsibility to maintain law and order and security for its lawful citizen-residents, too.
Every now and then you come up with a real corker, Sir. Ha ha ha.
Illinois was (and probably still is) 15 yo for learner’s permit (must be accompanied by licensed driver, in the ’80s there was no age restriction) 16yo for full license.
Illinois raised the drinking age before I turned 18, but WI didn’t. First legal drink was in a mall in Milwaukee.
Lots of weird alcohol restrictions still out there. Indiana had no sale on Sunday, Arizona had no sale Sunday morning (which got changed for football in the bars), TX still has dry counties, and sales restrictions on Sunday, CT only sold liquor in “bottle shops”, and plenty of places will sell hard liquor in grocery stores, while others will not.
Quite the mess.
nick
Oregon you could get a permit 15, license at 16. However, if you lived on a farm you could get a farm drivers license at 14 that allowed you to drive an extremely limited number of miles from your farm, only two lane roads, and only in daylight. The idea was to allow young farm hands to operate some of the farming vehicles such as small trucks within the limits of the farm. I got one of those licenses. But Oregon no longer offers the licenses as the feds probably stepped in and a lot of the rural farm area has really developed with a lot of homes and more traffic.
One time I had to go to Rogue River to get something that was really needed. I was 15, at home alone. I had no legal driver’s license as that 15 miles was well outside the farm license limits. I did not want to bother the neighbors. So I took the tractor as I could legally operate that vehicle on the road. Fifteen mile trip each way in a vehicle that did about 13 MPH (it could go faster but the liquid solution in the tires would cling due to centrifugal force and the tractor would start wobbling badly). Took about 2.5 hours.
Re: liquor. That’s the beauty of leaving to the states that which is the states’ business.
I won’t complain. PA doesn’t have beer in the convenience store, nor does it offer liquor outside the state stores (recently renamed to “Wine & Spirits”). I have a friend that lives in a dry town, so he buys his kegs across the border in the next township.
I like it.
Dave wrote:
“As I recall, my destination was in the northern Virginia area. After that I always followed my rule for driving in Mordor. Don’t.”
Driving in Mordor, northern Va is for pussies. Try Paris! (Rome is worse, I’m told.)
Jenny wrote:
“Our local woods are virtually over run with homeless camps and druggies.”
You’re in Alaska, right? Doesn’t it get kinda cold there in winter? I wouldn’t care to be living in the woods in summer (mozzies) or winter (-100 degrees C temps.)
In South Australia I got my car licence at 16 (the minimum age) and bus and truck licences at 18. I think kids were allowed to drink at home (although my father tried to discourage me), otherwise you had to wait ’till you were 18.
The driving isn’t the problem in Mordor, it’s the parking. I wound up finding a nice, new shopping mall and parking in their garage. I have a knack for finding shopping malls. When relocating for my first job out of college, I checked into the hotel unloaded my luggage and drove to a shopping mall. Without consulting a map or asking for directions.
@Miles_Teg
You’re in Alaska, right
Yes, winter temps used to keep the homeless in check. Winters are milder than they were 20 years ago and there are more social services available supporting and enabling the lifestyle.
Anchorage has grown more liberal. The pendulum has been swinging back and forth during local elections. Our current mayor is a democrat. Before him we had two terms of a quasi republican, and before that two terms of a raging democrat (Begich).
Fairbanks is a different story. I wouldn’t mind living there but the job market is not great. Anchorage is mostly a good place to live and raise a family. I can’t think of another state I’d prefer to live. Our economy is going to tank soon. That’ll shake things up.
EVERY economy is going to tank soon.
Ah Anchorage… Being on the coast explains the “mild” weather. Growing up in Adelaide, I didn’t see snow until 1980 when I moved to Canberra. Even there it only lasted a few hours at best.
In regard to state booze laws; they were truly a mess in Nova Anglia thanks to old-timey “blue laws,” left over from my wunnerful Puritan ancestors. And they changed all the time as I was growing up and then later working as a police officer. Hard to keep track and a PITA.
EVERY economy is going to tank soon.
Are you talking financial armageddon where the EBT cards fail and the lower classes burn the world down ?
Or are you thinking that the current economic recession since 2008 is going deeper again ?
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts
Both, one sooner, one later.
EVERY economy is going to tank soon.
Are you talking financial armageddon where the EBT cards fail and the lower classes burn the world down ?
Or are you thinking that the current economic recession since 2008 is going deeper again ?
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts
Both, one sooner, one later.
The current economic recession is definitely heading deeper as more and more high paid white collar oil and natural gas workers are now getting the boot XXXXXX laid off here in Texas and around the world.
The EBT card failure is 20 years away with Trump as prez.
Or, the EBT card failure is 5 to 10 years away with Hillary. I actually think that we have a 50-50 chance of civil war with Hillary first. Nukes, who said nukes in the lower 48 ? Not me ! Hillary would never use nukes in a civil war, would she ?
I’m figuring on the EBT/ATM failures within the next year or two; they’ve already had at least one or two “dry runs” and peeps were getting antsy very quickly. Civil war, per se, won’t be kicking in for a while, more like your 5-10 years, with or without Cheeto-Head and/or Cankles.
Use of nukes domestically? I can imagine it being done with small-yield tactical nuke warheads on sites like “The American Redoubt” and/or parts of major cities that have gone completely out of control and are perceived as enough of a threat. In both cases, examples would have been made.
The resulting psychological trauma would have repercussions for lifetimes, if not for ever. Look what it did to the japanese warrior culture, and that was nuking by an enemy.
n
Our War of Southern Independence has had reverberations and repercussions for over 150 years now. Another civil war could make that one look like the teddy bears picnic at the beach, with levels of magnitude greater numbers, weapons and firepower. If some lunatic dipshit in Mordor decides to toss a nuke warhead somewhere within CONUS, yeah, that chit will last forever.
economy is going to tank soon
We haven’t felt the effects of the current recession as deeply as the lower 48 have. We’ve been coasting on oil and a previously large savings account. With the low oil prices, rapidly emptying savings account, and a lack of courage on the parts of our leaders, the sh*t is going to hit the fan HARD here soon. Not Armageddon hard, but hard like we haven’t seen since the 80’s.
parts of major cities that have gone completely out of control and are perceived as enough of a threat
I don’t suppose we could convince mordor to nuke mordor first.
@jenny, we’ve had over 300000 layoffs in oil and gas in the last year +.
That sh!t has HTF for a lot of people who I think are only just realizing it. We’ve been half joking that a whole bunch of ‘like new’ used pickups will be hitting the market soon. Well, Ford just announced some unbelievable deals on new trucks. They usually do that when there are too many good used trucks available. Maybe the time is here…
If so, things are about to go downhill rapidly even here in the Lonestar State.
nick