09:42 – It was 46.3F (8C) when I took Colin out around 0730 this morning, drizzling and breezy. That was probably our high temperature for the day, as snow/sleet showers are supposed to move in this afternoon. We’re to get one to three inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm) of accumulation.
Last night we had heavy rains, bright lightning, and loud thunder starting just before midnight and continuing periodically for a couple of hours. Colin was not amused. When he’s terrified, he jumps up on the bed and tries to force his way behind us and on top of us. I hate to yell at him when he’s already terrified, but at one point he was standing on my throat. Given his size, that’s no joke.
Barbara is cleaning house this morning and then building more chemistry kits. She heads down to Winston mid-morning tomorrow, by which time the worst of the snow/ice should be gone, and returns Saturday afternoon at some point.
We just started dinner in the slow cooker. Two cups of rice, five cups of chicken bouillon, a couple cans of cream of * soup, and several large chunks of chicken. I think the recipe says it’s sufficient to feed four to six people, so we’ll get at least two if not three meals out of it.
Barbara has been taking the Winston-Salem paper since she returned to Winston-Salem after grad school in 1978 or 1979. The WS Journal has the same problems as any other newspaper. Several days ago, they announced significant staff cuts due to declining circulation and advertising revenue. The paper also keeps getting small, both in page count and actual page size. This morning we got the first example of their new layout. Things have changed a lot. The editorial page, for example, used to be a double page spread at the end of the first section, with the back page of that section devoted to weather and similar items. The back page is the same as it was, but the editorial section is down to a single page instead of a two-page spread. No great loss, since the WSJ is a typical liberal/progressive rag. Their editorial staff has never met a government spending or social welfare program it didn’t endorse.
Oh, that science kit that I shipped to Canada on 3/22 and that somehow ended up in Paris, France has now finished its European vacation and is now back in Canada. It cleared Canadian customs (again) and is now in the hands of Canada Post. We’ve had several foreign shipments take odd detours along the way, but this is the first time we’ve had one detour to a different country.
FedEx showed up with a dozen cans of Keystone pork yesterday. Lynn had speculated in the comments about the number of cans that would be damaged. Of the 12 cans, 9 were pristine and 3 showed minor dings. Nothing serious. In fact, at first glance all 3 appeared pristine. It was only as I ran my fingers over them that I detected a slight dent in each. Nothing that would be unusual for cans on the shelves at the supermarket or Costco.
The 10 cans of Keystone beef chunks that I ordered at the same time are en-route and supposed to arrive today. The dozen cans of Keystone ground beef are supposed to arrive tomorrow in three (!) shipments, of 7, 4, and 1 cans.
* * * * *
I find it surprising how liberal that newspapers are today. Not because they disagree with my worldview, but in a sense of self preservation. People who still read the newspaper are by definition people who have not abandoned an old habit. Which is not my definition of the American right, but is the stereotypical leftist characterization of conservatives. Newspaper readers also tend to be older and at least have basic literacy skills.
I’m not criticizing newspaper readers, who are certainly better informed than those who rely on TV as their only news source or those who don’t pay attention to the news.
I pointed out to Mrs. OFD the other day that most of the nooz reports in our local rag originated with the WAPO, a CIA front organization and well-known as such. And as far as I’m concerned, that also goes for the Boston Glob and NYT. It’s truly amazing that all three are still afloat, one of those things that makes you go hmmmmmmm….
She’s also aware of how useless they all are from the way they covered the election last year but that hasn’t seemed to change the fem nooz sources up here; it’s still the MSM and FaceCrack memes and comments from “friends.”
I retired a little over a year ago after 33 years working for Dow Jones Co., the parent company of the WSJ. I worked in IT for all those years, mainly on systems that supported production of the WSJ and producing all the financial statistics printed in the WSJ, Barrons and the online website. It was a great company to work for, but ever since about the year 2000 is when you could see the decline set in. The layoffs started about then and slowly accelerated after that. By the time I left the company had shrunk significantly and major layoffs were happening at least twice a year. It was no longer a fun place to work, to say the least. There is clearly no future in printed newspapers and digital online papers cannot generate anywhere near the ad revenue the printed papers once did. The younger generations simply don’t read newspapers anymore.
Point out that her “news” sources are produced by idiots, for idiots. This may not accomplish anything useful, but it’ll be good for a laugh.
Barbara has been taking the Winston-Salem paper since she returned to Winston-Salem after grad school in 1978 or 1979.
I assume you’re referring to the Winston-Salem Journal rather than the slughtly more widely known WSJ published in NY? The editorial pages in my copy of this morning’s Wall Street Journal occupy the same amount of space as they always have.
Yes, that would be the morning Winston-Salem Journal, which we’ve taken since we married in 1983, and which Barbara took as soon as she got back to WS from grad school and got her own apartment. And until it folded, we also took the afternoon Twin City Sentinel.
Waiting in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for the rubber chicken to be served. MrsAtoz is giving the luncheon keynote for SER.
I had to look that one up:
http://ser-national.org/who-we-are/
Sounds like community organisers!
Da, komrad. They pay well, too.
Actually they do good work. Not rabble rousers.
Great article some of you might find interesting – ‘ Thy Civil War is Here’
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266197/civil-war-here-daniel-greenfield
Don Rickles — Rest in Peace….condolences to family and friends.
Waiting in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for the rubber chicken to be served. MrsAtoz is giving the luncheon keynote for SER.
Are you sitting at the table in front of the podium ? If so, I hope that you were on your best behavior.
Or did they give you a seat in the kitchen ?
I am going to a gas producers midstream conference from Sunday until Wednesday. It is going to be interesting to see how many producers show up since the budgets have been so severely cut. It may be 90% vendors. We renamed ourselves to midstream since we are not upstream (wells and reservoirs) or downstream (chemical plants such as ethylene). These are my primary customers.
https://gpaconvention.org/
“Great article some of you might find interesting…”
Indeed. We are well on the way, sorta like the country was in the 1850s, only with more guns by orders of magnitude in private citizen hands. And LOTS of trained and experienced veterans, ten percent of whom are combat vets from various wars.
Good point on the contradictory orders going out, from the main two factions of the State and its minions. What will the troops and cops do? And then what will they do when the checks stop coming? Look at other places where that’s happened, or where the checks are so paltry as to in no way be able to compete with illegal activities. Like our failed state to the south.
Speaking of troubled countries; I saw that the so-called Progressives won in Romania recently and hope that our correspondent there, Eugen, is OK.
Or did they give you a seat in the kitchen ?
I sat at the front with a table of big shots. They served cheese lasagna, no tacos, so later we went to Wild Salsa on Main St. to get tacos and such.
SER had a STEM workshop where High School kids each got a drone, built it, programmed it, and raced around an indoor track with colored pylons. Cool. Plenty of workshops on the who, what, where, why and how to get a good paying job through education and elbow grease.
“Simply Genius” (from my aunt):
“I took down my Rebel flag (which you can’t buy on EBAY any more) and peeled the NRA sticker off my front window. I disconnected my home alarm system and quit the candy-ass Neighborhood Watch. I bought two Pakistani flags and put one at each corner of the front yard. Then I purchased the black flag of ISIS (which you CAN Buy on EBAY) and ran it up the flag pole.”
“Now the local police, sheriff, FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security, Secret Service and other agencies are all watching my house 24/7. I’ve NEVER felt safer and I’m saving $69.95 a month that ADT used to charge me.”
“Plus, I bought burkas for me to wear when I shop or travel. Everyone moves out of the way, and security can’t pat me down. If they say I’m a male wearing a burka, I just say I’m feeling like a woman today.”
Since we are in an austerity program, the wife and I just changed our convention hotel from the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk to the San Antonio La Quinta Riverwalk. A savings of $500 over three nights for a 1/2 block walk.
BTW, with Russian sale, our sales for the first quarter are 107% of 2016 sales.
Lynn, do you mean you’re at 107% of 1Q2016 sales or 107% of 2016 sales? Congrats if the former, holy shit!!! if the latter.
And I still can’t wrap my head around the concept of Russian customers paying for software, and the payment clearing and not being reversed. You know how sometimes something happens that’s exactly the opposite of all of your experience? Yah, exactly like that.
Lynn, do you mean you’re at 107% of 1Q2016 sales or 107% of 2016 sales?
Sorry, 107% of 1st Qtr 2016 sales. Yes, that would be freaking awesome to be at 107% of ALL of 2016 sales already.
And I still can’t wrap my head around the concept of Russian customers paying for software, and the payment clearing and not being reversed. You know how sometimes something happens that’s exactly the opposite of all of your experience? Yah, exactly like that.
They tried to pull a fast one on us back in December and we called them on it. Then they got anxious and threw their money down in order to meet the sales that they made. If they did not supply the software then they could not sell software to the Russian government for two years. And yes, I am still worried about the sale coming back on us.
Great Lynn. We keep hearing the oilfields out here are getting better. If only Moonbeam and the other socialist running California don’t kill it. They’re trying.
Since we are in an austerity program, the wife and I just changed our convention hotel from the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk to the San Antonio La Quinta Riverwalk. A savings of $500 over three nights for a 1/2 block walk.
La Quinta also has free breakfast.
Except for Waffle House, I’m not a breakfast person, but it has become an issue since we had kids. Feeding them at a fancy hotel can run $60-70 for a few pancakes and a couple of eggs.
Plus, I bought burkas for me to wear when I shop or travel. Everyone moves out of the way, and security can’t pat me down. If they say I’m a male wearing a burka, I just say I’m feeling like a woman today.
I joke with my wife that she needs a burqini for travel (Google if you don’t know the term), especially on holiday weekends — send her down to the pool in the full outfit, wait 10 minutes, and then head down with the kids. No more crowding at the hot tub. Praise the prophet!
Since we are in an austerity program, the wife and I just changed our convention hotel from the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk to the San Antonio La Quinta Riverwalk. A savings of $500 over three nights for a 1/2 block walk.
La Quinta also has free breakfast.
And there is a Denny’s catty-corner to the La Quinta and the convention hotel. I love skipping breakfast and going straight to brunch.
If they say I’m a male wearing a burka, I just say I’m feeling like a woman today.
Don’t wear the burka if you’re a guy. The musloids will go berserk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WQeZ2EtEPk
The “Simply Genius” thing is perfect. For the increased LE protection alone, although I doubt that would occur for fear of “profiling.”
And OFD is a yuuuuuuuuge breakfast person; load me up, baby! Sausage, ham, bacon, eggs, French toast, johnnycakes, grits, omelets, fruit, etc., etc. I can eat what would be enough food for three people easily in the morning. Then I usually have a light lunch or snacks, and ditto a light supper. Keeps me going all day. With zero coffee or tea.
Congrats, Mr. Lynn, on that apparently solid Russian sale; like Mr. SteveF, I am gobsmacked.
Went and did the vets combat support group again today; a few war stories this time, and also our “feeeeeeelings” upon exiting that particular Theater and coming home. Our newest and youngest guy reports that he was on his way home via Kuwait and it was the most exciting and happiest day of his life, gonna go see his wife and kid, etc. No more waiting for the next bullet or IED to smack him. Then six months later it all fell apart, family, job, everything. A delayed PTSD reaction, of course. Some guys can keep going for decades with no reactions like that; stuff it all deep down inside and try to forget it. And every once in a while we’ll still get a WWII vet who’s hit the wall; retired for a long time with much time to think now that the family is all grown up and gone, etc.
But we’re now starting to see kids coming back, guys and gals, all effed up, more and more of them. From all the fucking wars that we stick our noses into around the world; and now we’re talking tough with Assad, assuming that was his chemical attack, and who really knows for sure? Possibly a black flag caper to get us involved; which the neocon assholes would love more than anything, another war somewhere, that neither they nor their kids go to.
Show me the solid evidence that Assad’s troops did that and not somebody else. If he goes, then Syria will end up like Libya and the other hadji failed states. And the remaining Christians will either be thrown out or murdered.
On the other side of the world we’re talking tough to the Pillsbury Dough Boy Maniac in North Korea, who will sooner or later be able to hit Japan, Hawaii, and the Aleutians with nukular warheads.
“The musloids will go berserk.”
Isn’t that their default setting anyway?
Fuck them.
Show me the solid evidence that Assad’s troops did that and not somebody else. If he goes, then Syria will end up like Libya and the other hadji failed states. And the remaining Christians will either be thrown out or murdered.
At our house, we’d rather see Trump err on the side of the Ophthalmic surgeon (Assad’s pre-dictator gig).
And there is a Denny’s catty-corner to the La Quinta and the convention hotel. I love skipping breakfast and going straight to brunch.
Skip Denny’s. There are so many better and affordable places to eat on the Riverwalk or nearby.
Find Schillos if you’re stuck for brunch place. Get the homemade root beer.
Show me the solid evidence that Assad’s troops did that and not somebody else. If he goes, then Syria will end up like Libya and the other hadji failed states. And the remaining Christians will either be thrown out or murdered.
Assad gone is the last thing that Israel wants. Then Syria will be just like Lebanon.
And it goes without saying that I am ready for the Christian persecution in the middle east to stop today.
On the other side of the world we’re talking tough to the Pillsbury Dough Boy Maniac in North Korea, who will sooner or later be able to hit Japan, Hawaii, and the Aleutians with nukular warheads.
You forgot hitting Kalifornia and Oregon. I have a bad feeling that it is sooner rather than later. I’m wondering if he bought some talent since he got two small satellites up in orbit.
The WD red 8 TB drive is coming down in price to $290 (was $306 earlier). I will grab one (or three) at $250 each.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-8TB-Hard-Disk-Drive/dp/B01BYLY4DM/
I keeping on hoping that WD is going to release a blue 8 TB drive.
“I’m wondering if he bought some talent since he got two small satellites up in orbit.”
Well, if he did, our intel services would probably be the last to know about it. Or they know about it and prefer to keep it under wraps for their own purposes, most likely an excuse for us to whack the NORKs before they whack us. Meanwhile tRump was meeting with the head Chicom today so one wonders if this topic came up and what the upshot was. Maybe there’ll be a tweet later…
…which I can’t say as I blame him, because the MSM is, like he said, the enemy. No doubt about it anymore; even Mrs. OFD is seeing the light somewhat now on that score, at least.
I’d say the NORKs are a substantial cause for worry as is the situation in Syria this week. I sure hope our current National Administrator makes the right choices.
Well, long day but a good solid forage at the surplus store.
Ended up with a nice Benchmade griptillion mini, exactly like the one I EDC but broke. $45 and worth every penny. Couple tiny gerbers for $3 each, and a nice older gerber folder (no clip) for $3.
Couple imported screwdrivers for $1 each, 4 giant ABC fire extinguishers for $5 each. I needed some cheap ones given my luck with burning vehicles. Even at Costco they’re $35 each.
6 @ 12 packs of industrial nine volt batteries, $6 total. If I used more 9v batteries, I’d have grabbed more.
Talked to a realtor about acreage in that part of the state. She gave me an idea of cost ($10k per acre) and said there was stuff available wooded, with water. Suggested where to look and see if I like what I see. It would be a retreat property, as our primary is gonna be close to the wife’s work for some time…
Had one of my wife’s relatives die in his sleep last night. Family is devastated. No indications or warnings. Tell them you love them every day, you might not get a ‘next time.’
nick
“Tell them you love them every day”
Yes. Yes. Yes.
And apparently we’re bombing Syria.
‘cuz that’s what we need right now.
n
Never heard of Schillos . But yeah, SA has lots of hole in the wall places to eat and they all make Denny’s taste like plastic.
Hey, hit the zoo while yer there.
I don’t pretend to know much of anything. But. How about telling the NORKS and everyone else to do what the hell they want…. BUT we are loaded and the computers buried a thousand feet below the ground are programed to blow yer asses up if you hit us.
Just an idea. Tossing it out there…
And really…. why F with the rest of the world when we have South America? Yeah, yeah, the natives may object. So what? We didn’t care while expanding west, did we?
I keeping on hoping that WD is going to release a blue 8 TB drive.
I’ve used WD Black in my home server for nearly a decade, but, when I did a swap out for size and warranty expiration recently, the latest 2 TB model ran hot with a lot of unnerving vibration.
I sent the drive back to Newegg for the same class/size from Seagate. Much quieter/cooler. We’ll see about longevity.
“I’m wondering if he bought some talent since he got two small satellites up in orbit.”
Well, if he did, our intel services would probably be the last to know about it. Or they know about it and prefer to keep it under wraps for their own purposes, most likely an excuse for us to whack the NORKs before they whack us.
I remember when the Clintstones looked the other way while (major campaign donor) Loral helped the ChiComs perfect their ICBM technology in the 90s.
Never heard of Schillos .
Shcillos has been around for 100 years. They’re not far from all the tourist spots, just down the street from the parking garage at the mall.
“And apparently we’re bombing Syria.”
Not too good, if true.
Alleged chemical/gas attack by Assad regime followed by alleged launch of 59 cruise missiles on targets in Syria by FUSA regime, and allegedly the Russians were not notified of the launch.
Are we fucking TRYING to kick off another fucking world war??
As another commenter said earlier on the WRS site, it’s too strange coming on the heels of Bannon being tossed under the bus. And him allegedly calling Kushner a “cuck” behind his back or something.
And it leads one to question as to what else the masters and lords are cooking up back here while we all look at whatever footage from Syria.?
”’Are we fucking TRYING to kick off another fucking world war??”’
What this “we” ??
Good question. I didn’t authorize anything. I doubt you did. But our wishes count for shit here in FUSA anyway.
I’ve read that the US notified Russia before launching, and did their best to avoid targeting Ruskies.
The Tomahawk strike was about 3:45 am, April 7, Homs time.
Corresponds to 8:45 pm, April 6, EDT.
I guess I’m not the only one. The number one hit for “cost of tomahawk missile” was several stories about the airstrike.
“Fifty-nine tomahawk missiles launched from an aircraft carrier hit their target. At $250,000 a piece, the attack cost the Defense Department $14,750,000.”
I’m glad we have so much money lying around….
In related, everyone of our enemies will get a nice bomb damage assessment and see what our “full might and fury” looks like. I’m guessing it’s not too impressive looking to the layman.
n
“Hey Achmed, $14 million dollars, 59 missiles, and it doesn’t look too different. Live goes on!”
“Cool, we shut down all air travel in the entire world with a half inch long razor blade. And changed the everyday lives of 330 million people for the price of a few airplane tickets. I wonder who’ll run out of money and men first?”
Looks like only half made it to target, doubling the cost per hit.
And for a bomb that can “fly thru a window” or “fly down a chimney” they couldn’t even fly under the revetment and kill a plane?
Place looks like every other dusty shithole over there. How would you even know there was an airstrike?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-07/first-images-aftermath-inefficient-us-missile-strikes-emerge
n
Could be it’s all for show and there is some sort of deeper game being played, but if so, it’s sending the wrong message to the strongman cultures of the middle east.
Better would have been 3 bombs that killed airplanes and nothing else.
n
(I was wondering if maybe a few of those tomahawks DID hit their targets, but they weren’t targeted on Hom. Since any fool can count launches…. Maybe it’s all a smokescreen. Watch for small articles with just a factual statement, “so and so no longer producing x” or something similar.)
Yeah, the Russians knew in advance, got all their people out and had drones watching the fireworks. Saw some video this morning from the Russian drones. Bad day for the Hezbola air force too.
What’s the difference in cost between a missile sitting in storage and one detonated?
$0
Depends if you keep a certain number in storage. Then your cost is the cost of a replacement.
n
WRT to Tomahawks: what we did (and I am in total agreement with) is get rid of some out-of-date/expired inventory. That failure rate is common for them. The guidance systems in those things is “delicate” and since it is mostly mechanical requires lots of routine maintenance and “lubrication”. Sorry skimmers, but us bubble-heads know how to care for those delicate babies, a PITA.
I do not care to start another war, but I believe Trump does not one either. So he is going to kick the bullies in the gonads as a fair warning. Kim Jong Un is going to feel our sting next, IMHO.
But where’s the fun? Of course there is a replacement cost but I’m guessing (just guessing) there are contracts for X amount each year. We’re talkin’ government here.
But where’s the fun? Of course there is a replacement cost but I’m guessing (just guessing) there are contracts for X amount each year. We’re talkin’ government here.
I have a friend working at the F-16 plant in Fort Worth. They make four F-16s every month just so they can. The USA government buys them for the USAF or distributes them to our “friends”. But they make four per month so they can make 400 per month if needed, just in case. Looks like they are transitioning to the F-35 and moving the F-16 manufacturing elsewhere.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/money/business/2017/03/22/report-lockheed-moving-f-16-production-greenville/99490046/