Cool morning followed by hot afternoon. Summer isn’t quite here, but it’s close. It’s still chilly and damp at night, and the fire is welcome.
Spent most of Saturday doing boat related things. Got a few very small things taken care of, and cooked a special dinner for D2’s birthday celebration. The two extra kids ate, but I don’t think they were really down for eating lamb rib chops. Pity because they were really good. W did the side dishes and they were all good too.
Today the family is headed home early while I stay to wrap up. I’ll also try to diagnose and fix the drive issue with my lawn tractor. If I get it fixed, I’ll mow before heading home.
Then it’s a week of doing home stuff which I can’t put off any more.
There’s always more to do. Don’t get complacent.
Stack.
nick
Trump’s gut had to be telling him something was off.
He was elected in 2020 to make a call when the time came and weather the reaction.
He dropped the ball.
More than anything, the images from Italy with the weird-a** Soviet-looking respitratory therapy equipment being used on early patients probably unnerved him more than Fauci’s lies.
Geesh, Europeans, yes you have “universal” care in your theme park countries, but when the SHTF, it is just as much about rationing as the so-called “unfair” system here in the US.
>>Yeah, I have been thinking about buying a few rolls of silver dollars.
@lynn, consider sticking with US ‘junk silver’ coins as they have no numismatic value to account for.
https://www.jmbullion.com/silver/junk-silver/
I have some of those.
How does the general populace know that they are real silver and not the newer fake coinage ?
nick flandrey says:
25 April 2025 at 13:05
How does the general population know that they can get stuff for their paper money??
They all act as if they can, and so they do.
If it comes to common usage, people will accept anything but the most obvious fakes. If it looks good, they’ll treat it as good.
That’s what I think anyway.
Under The Rule If Law, people will accept little pieces of paper and copper coins for real goods.
When the Rule Of Law goes away, people will be much more discriminating. See the ending of “Farnham’s Freehold” which describes life after a massive nuclear exchange. Which, we are playing with again.
Trump’s gut had to be telling him something was off.
He was elected in 2020 to make a call when the time came and weather the reaction.
Trump was elected in 2016 and 2024. In his first governence, Trump did not understand that government scientists are partisans and part of the Deep State. They are not concerned about the populace. Trump, and the populace, now understand this very well and now have little trust for government so-called scientists.
The populace is even tired of the so-called global warming XXXXXX XXXXXX Climate Disruption now.
Things would have to be bad for pictures Ben Franklin on little pieces of paper to stop being accepted for real goods.
You may need more of those pictures, however.
Trump is still listenting to those scientists. He has stated that he will only dial CAFE back to 38 MPG, which was expensive to reach and would never survive a Federal mandate of a return to 55 MPH speed limits.
Yup, California rivers, as well.
And there was a small hole in the outer shell of hub of our spare prop, that you could put a piece of safety line through, to keep from losing it on installation. I’m not sure if my father drilled it or if it came standard.
BTW, in a pinch you can use a bit of screwdriver shaft to replace a shear pin. Itks a pita to make with a boat tool kit, but it will get you home…
Neither of my boats had shear pins. The first boat with a stern drive the prop was installed on a spline shaft, the nut attached, and the safety tabs bent over. Hitting anything with the prop was generally severe damage to the prop. The blades are supposed to be soft enough to avoid damage to the gear train.
My second boat with a V-Drive, with the prop on a shaft extending from the bottom of the boat, there was again no shear pin. The prop was attached with a key in a slot on the shaft and the prop shaft. The propeller was some sort of brass/bronze metal mix. The blade was quite soft. Hitting a fish at speed would bend the blades. All designed to protect the V-Drive and gearbox from damage.
I bent that bronze blade hitting the bottom of the lake in regular lake bottom with no rocks. I used to make a yearly trip to the prop repair place where the blade would be straightened. It was just a matter of the start of the season, whether I had anything or not.
In both boats there was not changing of the prop in the water. Especially the V-Drive. I have towed people to their launch ramp who have lost props or had other failures. The general rule is the towee is supposed to offer money for the tow, the tower is supposed to refuse the money.
I even towed boats with my wave runner when I owned one. The disabled boat owner was skeptical it could be done. Not a problem as we were not traveling at high speed.
I really enjoyed both of my boats, owning each one for several years. The first boat was 140HP in-line 4 carbureted stern drive. The last boat was 340HP V-8 fuel injected V-Drive. I sometimes regret selling the boat but we were just not using it enough.
It helped that in my location there are several lakes. Long trips on the lakes and rivers feeding the lakes was trivial. 30 miles easily done. I have even locked through the Fort Loudon locks a few times. It is possible, 7 miles from house, to get on the Clinch River, travel to Little Emory, then the TN River, to Paducah, on to the Missouri River, then to the Mississippi River all the way to New Orleans. Several lock passages would be necessary as would significant planning for fuel and places to sleep.
73F, light overcast. People are up and moving.
W, D1, D2, and the 2 extra kids are heading home.
I’m staying to work.
But first coffee and breakfast…
n
There is a group of wave runner owners, last time I saw them about 20 riders and machines. They make a yearly trip on the Tennessee River from the start of the river all the way to the Missouri River. A journey of around 700+ miles. A couple of the riders have some sort of craft in tow that contains fuel and other supplies. I am guessing food and water in addition to the fuel. I saw them locking through the Fort Loudon Dam.
The trip takes them about 5 days of travel. There are logistics involved with the dam operations. The lock masters have to know a general arrival time so the locks can be prepared. Any large tug tows are delayed if necessary as small craft are not allowed in the locks with any barges or tugs.
When I locked down river I told the lock master my estimated time of return. When I came back I was within 5 minutes of my expected arrival time. The lock master had held an up river tow for a couple of hours waiting for my return. It was an 8 barge tow and each barge must be locked individually. It takes about an hour per barge. Makes sense when you consider the tug has to make 8 trips in and 8 trips out of the lock. Unhooking and securing each barge before collecting the next barge. Locking a large tow through the locks is not a fast process.
The lock cannot be operated at full flow with small craft as the flow of water is enough to possibly capsize small craft. The process is rather impressive in a small boat (23 foot). The immense size of the locks becomes apparent when the lock is at the lower discharge opening.
There was no fee for small private craft locking through the locks, owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Clarksville’e economy was definitely about the Army base, but small cruises go up and down the … Cumberland … ? … and the big hotel down by the water was undergoing rehab when I went up there two years ago.
I grew up near the confluence of the Missouri river and the Mississippi, and your path from the Clinch river to New Orleans doesn’t fit my sense of geography. There’s no path from East of the Mississippi to the Missouri without crossing the Mississippi.
The Missouri exists entirely North and West of St. Louis, and Paducah sits on the Ohio river. Which runs into the MIssissippi well South of the Missouri.
During a flight school break, a group of us pilot wannabes traveled from Fort Rucker down to the coast to dive. A relative of one of us took us out on his boat to an area called the blue fountain. We dived around a sunken bomber and gathered shovel nose crabs. On the way back, the prop came off. No spare, so we all geared up and found the prop, held it up and the relative reattached it.
You have to wait 48hrs to fly after diving according to Army regs, so we did it on a break.
I don’t dive anymore.
LOL! Party time:
Over 100 illegal migrants drop to the ground and are arrested as cops bust Colorado nightclub
Grrr. Get ‘em Homan. I bet most of not all of them are involved in some sort of organized crime.
I imagine that the dive tables are all built around a return to normal atmospheric pressure, and that flying involves lower than ground level pressures.
It would suck to get the bends at 30Kft…
n
Another one:
ICE makes insane number of illegal migrant arrests in one swoop during stunning blitzkrieg – read their shocking crimes
The LSM/PLTs/Dumbo’s are doubling down on the Hitler trope. Rachel Madcow is crying about the WI judge being arrested is because tRump didn’t like her. The judge was treated unfairly because they cuffed her. Guess what would happen if you or I are arrested? Nobody has ever heard of her. In that county, she didn’t even need a law degree. You run and win and you are a judge with lawyers arguing in front of you and you don’t have to know jack. Rule based on your feels.
Of course, all the Dumbo’s are screeching “this is how we become Nazi’s”. Like no judge has ever been arrested.
Nobody is above the law. Unless you are a Dumbo.
My wife’s feed must be full of stories about US citizens being deported.
She says there are “lots” of US citizens getting “rounded up” in “sweeps” that don’t have proof of citizenship with them (because we are not required to carry it) and that they don’t get hearings or even an agent to notify and claim their citizenship before being detained and deported.
I’ve seen one such story in my media.
I suspect propaganda but does anyone have any links or proofs?
n
I am thinking about trying Fedora, and I read this:
Pretty sure that guy also writes manuals for Chilton.
The only thing I read is some Dumbo claiming this. Non stop. It’s Hitlarian!
I finally got the Twins to apply for their Passports (the Disney Cruise might require them). We will all have them now and can’t emphasize enough to the kids to get one. Invaluable. Keep it current.
Gee, if you are around criminal activity, you might want to have goobermint ID on you. Saying you don’t have one or don’t have to present one won’t keep you from being arrested.
The Dumbo trope of “you can’t require ID to vote because not everyone can get one” is lame. It will not work anymore.
I suspect propaganda but does anyone have any links or proofs?
I’ve seen only the one in re Maryland family man and father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the poor, innocent wife-beater illegal alien with MS13 tattooed on this knuckles.
Gee, if you are around criminal activity, you might want to have goobermint ID on you. Saying you don’t have one or don’t have to present one won’t keep you from being arrested.
“My ID is on my phone, which I left at home/lost/whatever . . . “
The Supreme Court qualifications do not include a law degree or even for the nominee to be a practicing lawyer. IIRC, only two have ever served who lacked that background, however, since supervisig the clerks writing opinion which will stand up to scrutiny is a key part of the job.
At a minimum, reading with comprehension is required, and you’d be surprised at how rare that skill is among the general population, even with college degrees.
Not having been a judge at some point is more common. Hermione Granger Kagan was never a Judge.
@Nick: I wonder that too. If someone is Hispanic, and in the wrong place at the wrong time? I wonder what safeguards are in place.
Meanwhile, I wish they would start here. Our prisons are bursting, and nearly half are illegals who shouldn’t be here. More than half of the rest are “legal” asylum seekers and such.
Perhaps my estimation of police is wrong, but I can’t imagine an arrestee being denied the chance to say “Im an American” or “I have a green card” during the deportation process.
I suspect they take pains to identify the ones they arrest before deporting. I wouldn’t be surprised if the vast majority are already known to police anyway.
Indeed, you are correct. I had my rivers incorrect. It is the Ohio River where the Tennessee River meets in Paducah Kentucky.
My wife’s feed must be full of stories about US citizens being deported.
She says there are “lots” of US citizens getting “rounded up” in “sweeps” that don’t have proof of citizenship with them (because we are not required to carry it) and that they don’t get hearings or even an agent to notify and claim their citizenship before being detained and deported.
I’ve seen one such story in my media.
I suspect propaganda but does anyone have any links or proofs?
The feddies busted a marriage ring for illegals to citizens. That is how ICE arrests citizens in addition to harboring illegals.
https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/marriage-fraud-immigration-benefits-ice-indictments-baltimore-maryland
My wife’s feed must be full of stories about US citizens being deported.
She says there are “lots” of US citizens getting “rounded up” in “sweeps” that don’t have proof of citizenship with them (because we are not required to carry it) and that they don’t get hearings or even an agent to notify and claim their citizenship before being detained and deported.
I’ve seen one such story in my media.
I suspect propaganda but does anyone have any links or proofs?
Randall is complaining about a PHD student on a visa getting arrested for writing a pro Hamas article. Me, I say be careful when you are in somebody else’s country as a guest.
https://xkcd.com/3081/
Whiny git, mostly, when he writes about anything political. His belief in the global warming lie has made me wonder if anything else he writes is sensible.
As far as the PhD student, well, bye. There are plenty more where that one came from.
I suspect they take pains to identify the ones they arrest before deporting. I wouldn’t be surprised if the vast majority are already known to police anyway.
Especially the violent illegals. The police know them really well.
“US Attorney Goes After Propaganda Mill Wikipedia”
https://www.independentsentinel.com/us-attorney-goes-after-propaganda-mill-wikipedia/
“US Attorney Ed Martin is one of the highlights of this administration. Currently, he is pursuing the propaganda vehicle known as Wikipedia. It is propaganda for the far left and foreign enemies.”
“In the letter below, Martin states that Wikipedia, which operates via its fiscal sponsor, the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., is engaging in activities that violate Section 501(c)(3) of Title 26. As a nonprofit, it has obligations and fiduciary duties consistent with its tax-exempt status. Additionally, the public has a reasonable expectation of neutrality, transparency, and accountability.”
Yup.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
“This Scrappy Tesla Competitor Just Unveiled a $20,000 Electric Pickup”
https://www.inc.com/kristin-shaw/slate-scrappy-tesla-competitor-just-unveiled-a-20000-electric-pickup/91180755
“Chris Barman leads Slate, the Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup making an electric truck with roll-down windows and an approachable price tag.”
“Slate’s first truck is a two-seater with steel wheels, an HVAC system, and 1,400 pounds of payload in the bed. A five-seat SUV conversion kit is an option. It’s rear-wheel drive and expected to get 150 miles on one charge; an accessory battery pack boosts that range to 240 miles. It charges up with a Tesla Supercharger-style NACS port to 80 percent in about 30 minutes or can be recharged overnight on a household outlet.”
“The best feature of all may be the price tag, which Slate says will be under $20,000 for a base model after current federal incentives.”
It is fairly small so that cuts the weight which cuts the battery size. Still, $20K and it has a/c. This is what the Cybertruck should have been. Maybe Tesla can gin up a Cybertruck Junior.
Whiny git, mostly, when he writes about anything political. His belief in the global warming lie has made me wonder if anything else he writes is sensible.
Let us not forget the “Black Lives Matter” banner that, until fairly recently, adorned his site for years.
Girl power.
It’s easier to be “scrappy” when one of the richest men in the world is backing you.
One multibillionaire, JB, effing with another, EM, with some of his spare pocket change.
The Slate pickup has a decent appearance.
Based on the specs I would at least take a test drive.
The bit about the office chairs could have come right out of a “Legend of Jeff” story in the same business rags 25 years ago.
https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2025/04/27/2nd-suspect-nabbed-in-kristi-noem-robberypotentially-connected-to-an-organized-east-coast-robbery-ring-n2188395
If an illegal alien being repatriated escapes from a plane at 35,000 feet and disappears into the ocean…
Home. Fed. Ice creamed…
Tata can’t make a jeepney for the US market that meets safety standards for $20K and they’ve got lots of experience.
Slate say $20k WITH CURRENT US INCENTIVES. They must not be making any money at all on the base model. Maybe even losing money, hoping everyone upgrades. She mentions upgrades several times.
—
Roll down windows and no A/C went away because they can’t meet CAFE standards with the windows down. I guess that since an EV doesn’t need to make an MPG target, you can get the manual windows back.
The bit about modeling clay rings false. All the car companies are doing computer models. I built rooms for them to look at the models in full size and in 3D. They built the rooms because it’s cheaper than clay models. At the end of the day, it needs to be computer modeled anyway to get it manufactured.
And for pete’s sake, didn’t anyone consider the baggage that a word like “scrappy” has in the auto industry? Junk yards, “yep, it’scrappy”? scrap metal, crap metal….
n
———————–
I think I’m headed to bed.
n
@Ray…FYI
(N.B. mostly behind Medium’s paywall)
https://medium.com/swlh/apple-finally-got-a-permanent-replacement-for-adobe-photoshop-and-illustrator-452c696d4bcf
Slate say $20k WITH CURRENT US INCENTIVES. They must not be making any money at all on the base model. Maybe even losing money, hoping everyone upgrades. She mentions upgrades several times.
They will make it up on the volume. I did see where they expected 150,000+ annual sales.
A $20k no-frills utility truck? It will sell like hotcakes. They could achieve the same with a no-frills small car.
Because…Texas…
“A” for effort though.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/rigged-texas-lottery.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BE8.ii54.h0mlWdxy9f1i&smid=tw-share