Cold and damp, chance of rain. Friday was cold all day, and grey too. Not a nice day to be driving all over the place but better than pouring down rain…
I did make my pickups though. Among them, an inflatable stand up paddle board, and a “septic tank riser ring.” No idea what the septic tank part is, but it was cheap, it was the first septic tank part I’ve ever seen in the auctions, and I just bought property with a septic tank. Like the irrigation water pump, I figured that the way my life works, I should probably buy it when I see it. So I did. Got some double wall stove pipe too. That makes 3 or 4 stove pipe pieces so far, cap, pipe, heat exchanger box, and something else too. Again, my life works in a way that I felt like those things would be good to have. There is an outbuilding that I’d love to have a woodstove in for heat…
Today my non-prepping hobby has a repair class. I took it a couple of years ago, so this is a refresher, and a chance to get together with people. Meatspace baby.
Did not get to the store today. Did fill up the Ranger with gas. $3.20/gal at Shell. Not the cheapest store around, but wasn’t crazy expensive before this. Most of the signs I passed were $3.10/gal.
Lots of people aware of the world situation. Not many interested in going to Ukraine to fight .
The situation can change in a hurry. Keep your head on a swivel, and keep stacking.
n
I mainly drink tea as my preferred beverage at home, but tend to drink coffee 'latte' if out. The most common tea drunk in the UK I would define as 'Red Label', this is a blended style which is the main product of all major manufacturers. A problem I experience is finding a brand where the blend is consistent – I can buy a box this week and really appreciate the blend, a box the next week and be dissatisfied. Often the cheapest 'value line' supermarket tea can be excellent … and then the next time, yugh. So I flip around and experiment from time to time. Currently in my stock is Aldi Diplomat Red Label tea. The major brands are PG Tips (my choice of the majors), Tetley and Yorkshire Tea.
An ex colleague of mine of Indian (South Asian) descent always took the largest box of supermarket Red Label tea home to the USA whenever he visited.
Changing the subject. I went to a blues concert last night, full theater, around 400 people, average age probably about 70. I was delighted to note that only a handful of individuals were wearing face coverings, despite the stated preference of the venue. Lovely to see people's faces and smiles – perhaps 'old normal' is not too far away in Manchester.
41F and 92%RH this morning with a hint of sun coming up. Gotta get moving. Still have a couple of things to gather before heading out.
Enjoy the day.
n
"Old Normal" isn't coming back in Austin for a long time. The Texas Supreme Court is deliberating a case where the "Judges" (think county Mayor) want the power to impose mask mandates regardless of the Governor's orders on the matter. I believe a decision to allow an override of the Governor would result in immediate mandates in several counties around here, lasting until election day in November at a minimum.
The big concert venue in Austin has a mask mandate as well as a vaccine/test requirement.
Cue Phil Hartman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taJ4MFCxiuo
Substitute “wind power” for “monorail”.
At some point in the last 20 years, I remember a quote from T. Boone Pickens describing Texas as “The Saudi Arabia of wind.”
When this state bites on a boondoggle, it does it in a BIG way, whether the scam is wind power or $80 million high school football stadiums.
We keep PG Tips in the house here. It is our favorite for hot tea. I have Tetley in various flavored teas.
On the “plugs wants the Border Patrol to deploy to Ukraine”:
I’ve always joked, since I’m a retired “Regular” Army Officer, I serve at the pleasure of the President. The President can call any “Regular” milspec back to active duty. I can see the 2024 campaign:
HARRIS/plugs 2024 “Return to Active Duty or Return to Prison”
A good way to get rid of us older conservatives.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2022/02/23/face-tattoos-have-been-stigmatized-some-theyre-sacred/6814537001/?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Somehow I don’t think their goal is to normalize face tats for indigenous people. Unless a gang banger is now indigenous to the U.S.
After 21 years of "war" the public would need to be convinced of a direct threat.
Otherwise, the protests would dwarf the ones that took place in the 60s.
Plus, those "warlords" looking for a "go" signal would start to do stupid things.
More anti-discrimination laws coming right up.
At the previous previous job, we weren't allowed to discuss the legal situation of the developer whom management hired *after* he was convicted of three counts of DUI manslaughter out in Marble Falls and forced to remain local while awaiting his sentencing.
While I don’t believe it is the case in Texas, in many states termination for discussing the mess would be “with cause” and void unemployment.
https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/viewDetail.action?sid=16623856
I'm sure management would hire him back when released. He kept his mouth shut, working every waking hour without complaint, and the bosses definitely had the power in that personnel scenario.
A model employee per Shakes the Clown, management’s management.
@Nick: A “riser ring” for a manhole is just a short extension to bring the cover to grade when a new layer of asphalt or concrete is added to a road. I imagine the septic tank ring has a similar purpose.
Generally there’s a specification to cover when it’s required for sewer, (you don’t want ground water or runoff infiltrating your system) though I’ve known contractors to try to cheat and “fair in” a two inch drop on a million dollar job rather than put in a $25 cast iron piece.
I wasn’t the roads inspector there, not my thing, but the guy that WAS the inspector on that job was truly pissed that the contractor would try to pull something like that, and rode their *ss for the rest of the contract.
@Greg Norton
Substitute “wind power” or "light rail" or "bullet train" for “monorail”.
Multi-billion dollar boondoggle with huge cost overruns was on at least one national news a month ago when the first problems occurred:
https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/condo-flood-swlrt/
"Independent contractor". Why no, just because the original construction is a century old and never had problems it does not mean that a huge tunnel a few feet away is causing problems.
In general I am not a fan of Florida's "Junior" US Senator, Rick Scott, but he was, in retrospect, the right person at the right time to sit in the Governor's Mansion when the bullet train boondoggle between Tampa and Orlando was advanced enough that exploratory drilling in the median of I-4 had started.
Scott ended the project and declined the Feds' money, saving Florida a lot of grief, but, at the time, a lot of people were very upset, most of whom would never get on a train terminating in the 'hood of Tampa but fascinated with the concept of the new shiny thing.
Scott narrowly won re-election afterwards and beat the current NASA administrator, Bill "Porkbarrel" Nelson by a similar slim margin to take the Senate seat.
Sports stadium also works as a substitute. In the 80s, many towns also bit on aquariums, convention centers, and performing arts halls. Tampa Bay went for *two* PACs within 30 minutes of each other, one pushed by the Republican Eckerd family as in Eckerd Drugs and another advanced by Republican Mayors of Tampa.
Whenever the NFL finally approves expanson to San Marcos, the stadium deal will probably be on the scale of the new facilities in LA, Las Vegas, and Atlanta.
Of course, the politicians here will probably go along without too many questions, even the Republicans. Coach Pop will bring a very nice wine to his box at the first game.
When it comes to HSR boondoggle California is number one! One hundred billion and climbing.
This morning, The Gecko delivered his annual Simple Homespun Wisdom Formerly Ghostwritten By Carol Loomis Of Fortune (TM), otherwise known as the Berkshire Hathaway Letter To Shareholders.
Kinda skimpy this year. A slam on trucks is among the highlights if you pay attention.
https://berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2021ltr.pdf
Since when does The Gecko care about America's carbon emissions? How much concrete is going into Charlie's dorm project?
Woodstock For Capitalists is back on in Omaha this year.
That is the project Florida turned down. A private rail effort proceeded instead, with service running from Orlando to Miami starting this year.
I doubt Tampa to Orlando will happen my lifetime, but that is a political problem, not a logistical issue.
>> We keep PG Tips in the house here. It is our favorite for hot tea. I have Tetley in various flavored teas.
Good ole-fashioned Lipton tea (mostly decaf) for me. Some fresh lemon juice juice and some Splenda and I'm happy. Never with milk. And never acquired a taste for coffee.
“GOP judo move: Propose to take a huge number of Ukrainian refugees, maybe up to a million. Eastern Europeans overwhelmingly vote right wing. Would force the Democrats to oppose on purely political purposes. I am actually hoping we get past partisanship in foreign policy, but I have an inherently sneaky brain and it needs an outlet….”
https://instapundit.com/505550/
Might even start an airlift. However, some comments claim they might not respect our constitution. Maybe, but they would be a lot better than the current crop overrunning our border.
My best friend in HS had Ukrainian grandparents who came to this country in the 1920s. That whole family was the kind of folks all of us would like as neighbors and friends. I think a large portion of eastern European ordinary people are very good, and deserve more credit for the hardships they have endured in the 20th century.
The Most Regrettable Face Tattoos Ever
Estimate on ballot when stupidos voted it in….$30 billion.
Breaking Cat News: Security Detail
https://www.gocomics.com/breaking-cat-news/2022/02/26
That is a lot of security.
"Putin humiliated as Ukraine boasts of 3,500 killed and 200 captured – '100% under control'"
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1572251/vladimir-putin-russia-ukraine-invasion-war-humiliated-captured-kyiv
Russia may be winning the war but Ukraine is winning the war of words.
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
"Green Revolution? No Sanctions Planned for Russian Energy"
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/02/25/green-revolution-no-sanctions-planned-for-russian-energy/
"Self destructive Western climate policies have left major nations, including the USA, helplessly dependent on Russian energy, and unable to impose the one sanction which could financially cripple Putin’s Wehrmacht."
The only sanction that would work is to stop buying Russian oil and natural gas. And even then it would take a lot of time due to the amount of cash Russia has.
Ukraine invasion not doing well:
Elizabeth Campbell
@ECampbell360
"We have captured around 200 Russian soldiers, some around 19 years old. Not trained at all. Badly equipped." Ukraninan Major General Borys Kremenetsky says. "We allow them to call their parents. Parents completely surprised."
Trent Murray
@trent_murray
Significant: Polish PM says Orban told him Hungary now supports disconnecting Russia from SWIFT. They were one of the main holdouts in the EU.
Hans von der Burchard
@vonderburchard
Breaking: German government just decided to deliver 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 "Stinger" surface-to-air missiles from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine to support the country against Russian attack. "The weapons will be delivered to Ukraine as soon as possible," spox said.
https://hotair.com/allahpundit/2022/02/26/is-putin-trapped-n451480
Doh! They called Ray's Occult Books in New York City.
One day Ray will turn a profit.
Home from my class. Raining, overcast, still only 42F and dreary.
Had pizza, well, flatbread, for lunch. Pizza can not have bbq chicken chunks on it. Flatbread may. You have been notified.
n
https://hotair.com/allahpundit/2022/02/26/is-putin-trapped-n451480
Don't worry, Putin has plenty of caviar and vodka stashed away for hard times.
Like everyone else, Putin probably expected that the Americans would bail him out by now by extracting the Ukrainian president.
Instead, he’s facing dug in resistance and Germans sending the kind of anti-tank weapons explicitly designed to defend their territory from … Russian tanks!
Got popcorn?
I wonder, just how are the Germans going to get the missiles to the
Eastern FrontUkraine?Given what I've read about Germany's readiness, I don't think a bunch of containers filled with rocks will do Ukraine much good. If they can find them.
n
Through Poland. Just like zee old days.
I don't discount their ability to build things to kill Russians.
The frequent criticism of NATO for 30 years has been that the weapons systems the alliance orders are obsolete, designed to fight a land war in Central Europe and not much use in the "asymmetric" warfare of the 21st century.
The doors are creaking open on the warehouses outside Munich this weekend.
Sunday Sunday Sunday. Crazy Hans says "Everything must go.". His prices are *insane*.
"Supreme Court Must Curtail the EPA’s Regulatory Overreach Immediately" By Gregg Goodnight
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/02/24/supreme-court-must-curtail-the-epas-regulatory-overreach-immediately/
"It is imperative that the Supreme Court stop the regulatory abuses enabled by the gross error of the 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA. This ruling has been the pretext for a vast extension of regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that were never intended under the U.S. Constitution or the 1970 Clean Air act or authorized by subsequent amendments."
"Purporting to be protecting the globe from catastrophic warming, EPA has presumed authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Proposed regulations would control myriad details of our personal and economic lives. These would include the heating of homes, the extent and method of travel, the cost of purchases and the competitiveness of businesses. Government already is picking winners and losers among technologies, industries, and companies. This de facto extension of governmental power is nowhere to be found in the texts of the U.S. Constitution or Clean Air Act — and was clearly not the intent of their authors."
What he said.
Biden and EU use 'financial nuclear option' and REMOVE Russian banks from SWIFT network: Task force will target oligarchs and their 'yachts, luxury apartments and ability to send their kids to fancy colleges in the West'
–I guess we'll see if the groundwork they did after the last round of sanctions will pay off for them.
Western civilization was nice while it lasted.
n
"Biden is in Delaware this weekend."
https://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2022/02/26/is-the-top-republican-on-the-senate-intelligence-committee-trying-to-tell-us-something-about-putin-n451443
Don't wake him.
Biden and EU use 'financial nuclear option' and REMOVE Russian banks from SWIFT network: Task force will target oligarchs and their 'yachts, luxury apartments and ability to send their kids to fancy colleges in the West'
–I guess we'll see if the groundwork they did after the last round of sanctions will pay off for them.
Western civilization was nice while it lasted.
n
Let me play the devil's advocate. So if any country refuses to toe the line, we will now remove them from the SWIFT network. Once they have crossed the line, they will run across it repeatedly and at high speed.
Expect anyone who doesn't want the US and EU to control their ability to get paid to RUN to whatever the Russians and Chinese are calling their system… As soon as they demonstrate that it works, and is useful, it will expand like crazy. And then they'll wonder why they have to use the petrodollar at all….
n
That'll show 'em. Throw away liquor you've ALREADY paid for.
and in a few months when this is over, if civilization is still working, spend money to replace it because your patrons want vodka drinks.
Idiots.
n
Don't know who the popo are hoping to grab tonight, but they have a bunch of units dedicated to finding this one guy. They have a location staked out, someone getting video of the people he's hanging out with, and a GPS tracker on his vehicle.
From the vehicles in the group they could be street racers…
n
about 4 miles from me.
You know, if I wanted to move my big business out of the Houston Metropolitan area to El Campo, TX, this place would be perfect. 4,000 ft2 conditioned space and 6,000 ft2 enclosed space. I would take the master bedroom as my office. I would lose at least half of my employees as it is 53 miles away from the present office.
https://www.har.com/homedetail/2746-wilson-rd-el-campo-tx-77437/7343365
I would need to pave the road on the land. Gravel roads suck in the summer with all the dust.
I don’t know why it has an eight acre pond. That is is strange.
And here is the real map of the place.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/2746+Wilson+Rd,+El+Campo,+TX+77437/@29.2134798,-96.2992205,366m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!1m2!2m1!1shttps:%2F%2Fwww.har.com%2Fhomedetail%2F2746-wilson-rd-el-campo-tx-77437%2F7343365!3m4!1s0x864183b7df27446d:0x78d07f6f092a4904!8m2!3d29.2134947!4d-96.3012328
BTW, this is what we call in Texas a Barndominium. A metal barn with conditioned space and enclosed space. This one is huge, 10,000 ft2.
Wow, love that.
n
It has a reduced price! Maybe the pond is to water the road. Must cost a lot to heat and cool.
How the heck do you keep that stone shower clean?