A Day On Pizza Bike

Is there a Swiss Army Knife of motorcycles? If so, I want one.

The forecast for yesterday was spot on-
Mostly sunny, 92 degrees, relatively low humidity, chance of rain... almost non-existent.
I was looking at a day of driving here and there to cover necessary errands, culminating in attendance at a going-away party for a couple fellow workers. Sara Jean couldn't come along, so it was a good day to roll out the Italian Stallion and let its 90-degree V-Twin bark. At the end of the day I had spent over five hours in the saddle, covering a total of 210 miles.

Two days ago Sara Jean and I spent the afternoon touring the scenic countryside on the six-cylinder GoldWing. It was impossible to not compare the two machines.

The GoldWing is a two-wheeled automobile. Heavy and a handful at a walking pace, the heavy feeling disappears as soon as you can put your feet on the pegs. The full fairing protects you from the wind. The engine is butter-smooth and the exhaust note is nearly non-existent. The stereo has no noise to compete with, and AC/DC never sounded better on the newly installed rear speakers. The electronic cruise control works the same as it does in your car.
And there's the true comparison...
It's a wonderful ride. But is it motorcycling?

On the Guzzi my head is slightly above the windscreen and my face shield is exposed to the passing air. The wind doesn't batter my body, but I need to clean bug entrails from my face shield when I stop to refuel.
At idle the mirrors are useless...
Engine vibration makes them dance so badly you can't use 'em. That vibration mostly goes away above 2500 rpm...
MOSTLY.
There is always a slight buzz in the handgrips and footpegs. On Pizza Bike you can never forget there is a MOTOR on this motorcycle. It has a muted exhaust note... a pleasant staccato sound. Couple that with the fact that half my head is up in the breeze and you can see a stereo system would be useless on this bike.

At the end of the day when I finally swung my leg off the Guzzi I was a little sore and stiff in my saddle, but I had a smile on my face. And I can see why folks like Jay Leno and Billy Joel have a collection of motorcycles...
And the answer to my question at the start of this post is obvious.
No, there is no Swiss Army Knife of motorcycles. They are all compromises with different goals. GoldWings are called "slab burners" for a reason...
Heavy, comfortable, stable and quiet, the "two-wheeled car" description is exactly what they strive for. You're still "in the wind", but the rest of the experience is as car-like as Honda can make it.

The Guzzi is a motorcycle. It's crude in many ways, but the experience is much like riding a horse...
It snorts. It demands your constant attention. At the end of a ride you are saddle-sore. And if you're a true motorcyclist, like me, you'll have a smile on your face.

So how many motorcycles are needed to cover all the uses of that Swiss Army Knife?
For me, adding a couple more to the stable would do it.
I'd like a small, (250cc?) naked bike to use for zipping around town. (Maybe even one of these new scooters?) I'd like an enduro style motorcycle of 350cc's or so to use for off-roading. I think my bases could all be covered by those four bikes.
But I know that once I had those four I'd start thinking about refining each of the categories and there'd be a real temptation to add to the inventory. Licensing and insurance would be a problem for anyone without Jay Leno's income stream.

To my fellow cycle-crazo's out there...
What bikes would be in your perfect corral?

Compare and Contrast

Heh.
I searched all over for a photo of BOzo on a motorcycle.
No luck.

Brings To Mind An Old "Meat Loaf" Tune...

Tim, a HUGE Meat Loaf fan, will probably know which tune I'm thinkin' of right away.
(Photo borrowed from a flock of 'em over at BZ's Blog. If you can stand more, go check 'em out.)

Pay Me Now, Or Pay Me Later.

Predicting the end of the world is a big deal. When you wake up "the morning after", everyone is smirking at you.
Nevertheless, I'm going out on a limb with a big prediction of my own here, and please, smirk all you want when it's obvious I'm wrong.
But here's my prediction:

One way or another, in the next several months, this country is will undergo some BIG changes.

There was a special election held in New York State day before yesterday to fill the seat of that idiot (married) Congressman who put cheesecake photos of himself on the internet while trying to get a discrete partner to respond, then resigned when those photos were made public. Much of the discussion by candidates running to replace him revolved around medicare...
One of those candidates even had a deceptive video of a Paul Ryan look-alike pushing a wheelchair laden with grandma to the edge of a cliff, then dumping her over there. Congressman Ryan's plan will have absolutely no effect on anyone over age 55. This is the way politics is played today, and that video is a preview into how nasty the election of '12 is going to be.
That New York race was won by the candidate that ran those deceptive ads. So the medicare issue will, without question, be front and center during the coming presidential campaign. Look for democrats/liberals to fear-monger the issue to the max. And the saddest thing?
It won't make much difference who wins. The country is bankrupt. We are OUT OF MONEY. Changes are gonna come. In reference to the budget, the debt, and our economy, we can either try to "fly this aircraft until the wreckage comes to a complete, dead stop", or we can simply stand by as spectators and watch it fall apart.
Folks in New York have shown they are like drug addicts...
"I don't care that a disaster is coming, I WANT MY ENTITLEMENTS!"
And our elected officials, always campaigning to be re-elected, will take notice of results there and run their campaigns accordingly.
So we're doomed.
Are there any leaders left to stop this impending disaster?
Is the electorate intelligent enough to discern the truth when they hear it?
Is this New York election a good barometer of things to come? If it is, here's how I think things HAVE to unfold:

Our government will continue to print money like crazy in order to pay off our debts, thereby decreasing the value of existing dollars, and the price of everything we want/need will climb.
"Wheelbarrow full of greenbacks", meet "loaf of bread".

Back in the 80's I proudly discussed my financial retirement planning with a 20-years younger friend. Her comment at the time was, "What good is it to save a ton of money now when those funds won't maintain a normal standard of living then?"
At the time, I thought I was the smart one.
In retrospect...
[deep sigh.]

Which Of These Men Deserve Your Attention?

Hat tip- Clarice Feldman.

I Support Israel

I'm flabbergasted.
Is this president(?) just stupid, or did he do extremely poorly in his history courses?

He's meeting face-to-face today with the leader of Israel, a genuine war hero. It's truly my hope that when he emerges from that meeting he looks somewhat like the idiot pictured above, and claims he slipped and fell down the stairs.

Our leaders are living in Seinfeld's "Bizarro World".
(Sarah Silverman, please call me. I'd like to discuss your vote in the last presidential election.)

Where's Flightfire When You Need Him?

Obviously, I rub elbows with a lot of Doctors.
Three of 'em are what I would at least call "close associates"...
Two of 'em I'd actually call close friends.
All are disheartened with the Obama "Health care reform" system.
Two are retiring early, and the other would retire if it was financially feasible.
Thank you, Flightfire and Rodolfo, for your enthusiastic support of the destruction of our admittedly flawed, but wonderful health care system.
You've made your bed. Now lay in it.

NotAHarley

You have the advantage of looking at the picture from the side. From the kitchen window of the condo we were just looking at the rear of the machine. It sure LOOKED like a Harley-Davidson...
Looked enough like one that my Harley-riding nephew thought it was one. And we wondered how it got parked that close without us taking notice.

After breakfast I went out to take a look. One of the first things I always look at is the final drive, and this one surprised me when I observed its drive-shaft...
It ain't a Harley.
The owner saw me admiring his bike and came out to chat.
"What's the displacement?"
"1300cc's. And if you didn't notice, it's a V-4."
I didn't notice.
Sure enough... four exhaust pipes. Water cooled. Shaft drive.
I wonder how smooth the darned engine is?
I can tell you this much...
If it had been a Harley, we almost certainly would have heard it pull in.

I feel a test-drive coming in my future.
(It's a Yamaha Royal Star Venture.)

Sold It.

(The bike in the photo is similar to the subject BMW of this post.)
My garage is too small. An old Corvette, a "Grasshopper" lawn mower, and four large motorcycles along the path make trying to get to the deep freezer a challenge.
A friend of a friend called about the BMW. He wants to do with it what I thought I might do...
Tweak it. It was fundamentally a solid bike. All it needed was some TLC.
So I sold it to him for a price that just covers my expenses.

But while I owned the bike I rode it a few hundred miles and learned some important stuff:
Two-cylinder motorcycles vibrate. Some vibrate a LOT, some not so badly.
The BMW surprised me. It vibrated a little, (not badly), between 2,000 and 2,700 rpm, then smoothed out to a barely noticeable hum. At 60 mph it ran like a sewing machine. I bought the bike to compare it with the Moto Guzzi, and the BMW comes out on top in the vibration category. (But it has less "personality" and isn't as visually appealing to me as "Pizza Bike").

So I'll keep the Guzzi. I now have the newer Goldwing tweaked to my satisfaction so it also will stay in the stable. The older 'Wing is next on the block.
And when it sells, I'll once again be checking eBay...
This time for a 650cc BMW airhead twin...
Perfect, I think, for my 32-mile ride to work!

"Blogger" and Murphy's Law

If it can happen, it will.
Those of you with your own "Blogger" blogs know, Blogger was having a convulsion yesterday.
My post about snorkeling in Destin disappeared completely for a while. Then when it returned, comments to that post were gone. I guess we should all be glad these things don't happen more often.
Still, it's irritating when things don't work the way they're supposed to, even infrequently.

Mask, Fins, Snorkel, And A Senior Citizen

I was a little bit excited. It seemed like such a good idea.

I got my "Basic Diver's Certification" back in 1979. At the time, I bought some of the finest diving equipment available...
Mask, swim fins, snorkel, dive boots, bouyancy compensator, dive knife. My Mom bought me a very expensive breathing regulator. I was new to the sport, but I sure looked the part of an expert. I then proceeded to make two fresh-water lake dives before life got too complicated to continue. My dive bag sat over there in the corner of the closet for over 30 years. From the balcony at Destin, several times I thought, "If I had my dive bag here I could take a look at what is beneath the surface of that beautiful water".
I remembered the bag this trip. I unpacked it and since the bag itself had a considerable layer of dust on it, put it in the washer, then carried the mask, fins, snorkel, and dive boots with me to the beach.

Farce.
That's what it was.
Did my feet grow? I couldn't get the booties on. By the time I finally DID get them on (15 minutes?) I was winded and worn out.
I caught my breath, walked to the water with mask/snorkel and fins, donned them, and waded in. The first wave hit me and knocked me down, filling my snorkel (and mouth) with salt water. I was still in shallow water so I stood up, cleared my snorkel, and promptly got knocked over by the next wave... same result.
I was out of breath again.

I finally got organized and started swimming away from the beach. Salt water is more bouyant than fresh water and I was bobbing on the surface like a styrofoam cup. It felt weird. I realized I was getting NO USE whatsoever from the fins, so I took them back to the shore and left them.
Back into the water, when I finally began to be able to move in the direction I wanted I'm lookin' at the sand about six feet beneath me...
Nothin'.
Bare, white, beautiful sand.
There was a little bit of seaweed in the water itself, but the visibility in the water was still greater than 30 feet. And the only thing I could see within sight distance was a couple brightly colored fish, each about 3 inches long.

Wait.
What's that?
Brown, and about the size of a tennis ball... a sponge. A REAL sponge. I grabbed it, made my way to shore, and presented my "treasure" to my wife.

When I got back to the condo I found the washer had destroyed my 30 year-old dive bag.
It was old.
So am I.
The dive bag got thrown in the trash.
But I'll be back.

Lawrence, You Ignorant Slut!

This is why I can no longer watch MSNBC.
If O'Donnell had a pair before this interview, he had to ask her to return them at the end of it.

NOT AGAIN! Yes, Again.

You may remember this post about destroying my datebook while we were in Mesa, Arizona.

Or this post about it happening again the very next year, while we were in Destin.

It's been three years. We're in Destin. But there IS a positive side to it this time...
It's early in the year. I'm only losing 4 months and a few days data.
Sigh.

Silver, 6 May, 2011

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
I must admit I am surprised. Is it a collapse in the market, or just a correction? Pick an expert, see what they have to say. Then pick another and get an opposing view.
I'm goin' with my gut.
Our government is still printing money. The world situation is not getting any more stable. I'm goin' with my gut and have a figure in mind where I'll once again be buying.
Or...
Everything is coming up roses. This administration has it under control and all will be well in just a few days.
Your choice.

"News Alert" And Vacations

Vacations are for re-creating. Sun, surf, beach, and walks along palm-lined streets. We had hoped to "get away" from the pressures of everyday while we were here.
And then Sunday night our son called and asked, "Are you watching the news?"

It's our own fault, of course.
If I really wanted to get away from it all, electronic devices would be OUT...
Cell phones, TV's, radios, laptops. To be perfectly oblivious you'd have to pre-buy all your staples and avoid going to any retail outlet to insure you wouldn't get a glimpse of a newspaper headline.
That's almost impossible these days unless you're vacationing in Northern Canada.

So Sunday night we got sucked in. I have no problem admitting I'm not at all confused about bin Laden's death... I'm elated. "He needed dyin'".
But the result has been entertaining, hasn't it, watching liberals trying to turn on a dime, hoping we'll all ignore past STUPID pronouncements.?
Is he really dead?
Should the photos be made public?
Are the internet photos faked?
What now, re: our relations with Pakistan?
Sigh.

I'm on vacation.
We're running errands and doing a few chores this morning, and intend to spend the afternoon on the beach.
Next time you see me you'll be knocked out by my gorgeous tan.

Abort! Abort! (A Coup D'etat?)

Wow.
Interesting stuff over at Andrea's
(Link fixed. Thanks.)

Isn't It Ironic?

Yes it is. Fitting too.
A man that would not eat crab, lobster, shrimp, and other "bottom feeding" sea life, is now providing sustenance for those very creatures.
Remember that the next time you eat at Red Lobster.

Insecure People

You asked my wife, "Who does he think he is? Why would he think anyone would be interested in what he has to say on that blog?"

I'm puzzled as to how to react.
You come here a lot. You also were critical about my motorcycle purchases.
Yeah, it may seem crazy in some ways. Maybe I AM crazy. We'll see.

But I'm sure of one thing...
No one is forcing you, or anyone else for that matter, to come here and read my thoughts.
Yet, if you check my "profile", you'll find 14,000+ folks (agreeing or disagreeing) have been interested enough in what I say over the last six years to have a look-see at who I am and what I do. I know that doesn't answer your question. Maybe it puzzles you even more.

Do us all a favor pal...
Start your own blog. Let Sara Jean know about it. Then I can come read your thoughts and see what's goin' on in that sad head of yours. (And I promise when I come I'll have the stones to leave a comment now and then, too.)
Let's see if YOU can make it interesting for six years. (Or six months!)

I know exactly what is going on here...
And I feel pity for you.

I Gotta Win The Lottery

I'm at the dining room table where this blog was conceived.
Today, once again, we have sunshine, moderate temps., and a brisk refreshing breeze.
To my left I can see whitecaps breaking on what may be the white-est sand in the world.
To my right I can see a swimming pool with several people chatting with one another, lying in the sun, enjoying life.
Sara Jean, Lucy, Yogi, and me just finished walking two miles, and now she is on the beach with visiting family members.
I wanta do this full time.
This is near-heaven.

Leadership. Finally.

He took a risk.
He took a serious risk.
This obviously could have been a "Jimmy Carter" scale disaster, and I'm sure he weighed that possibility, then took the risk anyway.
But look at the results gained from taking this calculated risk.

Mr. Obama...
Good on ya.
More please.

Differing Perspectives

I tried like crazy to figure out how to get down here with the newer GoldWing.
None of our cars has a trailer hitch on it, so renting a trailer is out.
A call to Penske to check on a truck resulted in a price about half-again what I felt I could afford. (But they dropped their price trying like crazy to satisfy me, then called back to insure they had covered all the bases. Good on 'em.)

There was another possibility-
Rent a bike once we got here. The Harley Dealer over in Ft. Walton will rent us a bike similar to the one shown... $2,000 deposit, $300 for the weekend.
I swallowed hard... seemed a little steep to me.
Two Harley-riding family members from Chicago are here with us. They expressed surprise at how cheap that price was.

I'm once again reminded how "frugal" I am.
(Sour grapes anyway... I bet there are no bikes available this weekend with "Thunder on the beach" going on in Panama City!)

Destin. April/May 2011

We got a late start.
That's okay. I slept until Noon and actually prefer driving at night for reasons I've explained here before... less glare, less traffic, better long-distance AM radio reception.
No matter how often I tell myself I need to make a checklist so I'm sure I've got it ALL as we back out the drive, I still haven't done it. Thirty minutes down the road Sara Jean says, "OHMYGOSH. Did you bring the keys?"
Yeah, those I remembered. But I the farther I drove the more I remembered stuff that I DIDN'T remember... and my laptop was one of those things. So here I am trying to make stubby fingers work on this netbook. It's better than nuttin'...
Just.
Most of the rest of the stuff we forgot we can just buy here.

Even in the dark we could tell Alabama had been pummeled. Lots of trees down alongside the highway, some of which were so thick they just topped 'em out right next to the white line marking the lane limit. We stopped for gas shortly after we crossed the State line and the "Pay at the pump" function worked until I needed a receipt. I had to get my receipt from the cashier. She looked frazzled and said they had just gotten power restored the day before. (And she knows she is one of the lucky folks in her neighborhood.)

South of Birmingham, everything looked pretty normal in the darkness. We had not a drop of rain the entire 12 hours we were on the road. Sara Jean slept most of the way with the dogs keeping her lap warm. They wake only when I slow or they hear a turn signal clicking, looking around as if to say "Are we here yet?"

We rolled into Destin at 4 A.M.. I stopped at Wally World for "musts"... BEER, eggs, bread, milk, etc.. Early Saturday morning, the store was empty except for employees restocking, and after the Friday night madness there was a LOT of restocking going on.
We were on the balcony at 4:30. It was still dark... the stars were beautiful. Though we couldn't see it we could hear the surf crashing against the shore... something you can't always depend on along this beach... sometimes the Gulf is so calm here I refer to it as "Lake Destin".
Cold beer in hand, bride and pups alongside, bed downstairs calling... life is a good way to pass the time.

We woke at Noon to one of those days you dream about. BLUE blue sky, low 80 temps, and an offshore breeze to put a huge smile on your face. Back on the balcony with coffee in hand this time we noticed an abnormal number of bikes on the road. Cousin Bonnie FB's me that "Thunder on the beach" is happening at Panama City. Good.
It makes the parade more fun.

So we're safely here with a whole week left to unlax and enjoy. We're dashing over to Pensacola this afternoon to grab Mom and bring her back so she can sit on the balcony and watch her beloved Pelicans fly by in formation. The dogs like that... Mom's lap is as good as any out on the balcony.

The water is four colors of green, making the whitecaps look extraordinary.
We truly are blessed. Thank you Lord.

Wish you were here.

Southbound

At work as I type this, I'm getting excited...
No, not about the Royal Wedding!
When I leave work this morning I'll head home to grab a couple hours sleep.
Sara Jean IS watching the festivities in London, but will be going to work for a few hours this A.M. while I grab zzzzzz's.
When she gets home we'll pack the car, load up the dogs, and head South to Destin.
We'll be there through next weekend. Fresh seafood, beer, Margaritas, sunshine and surf are on the agenda.
We're also looking forward to meeting and dining with Bob at a restaurant where one of his friends is a culinary artist.

The forecast right now looks good. With all the rain we've experienced in the Midwest we're hoping for lots of sun.

Updates to come.

The Birth Certificate... More Questions Than Answers

So he released it.
Suuuuurrrrre he did.

First, let's review. Go here and compare.
My personal Birth Certificate looks almost exactly like the first example.
The "Certificate" just released looks NOTHING like the example shown, even though they should have been issued within a day of one another.
Why is that? Seriously.

What "Race" is African? Teresa Heinz-Kerry is "African". Think it says "African" in the "Race" block on her Birth Certificate?
(Caucasian, Negro, Asian, Native American, are "Races".)

And if this "No big deal at all" Birth Certificate turns out to be the genuine article, why were millions and millions of dollars spent to keep it secret?

I'd like answers. I bet we won't get 'em.
The Constitution of the United States is being torn apart, and many of us now think that's the purpose of this whole exercise.
It all STINKS.

Updated:
Shades of "Rathergate"?
Let the games begin!

Further update:
I've noticed in comments at other blogs that the "millions spent" to keep the birth certificate secret is being denied by some. I have to admit that I have parroted that, having seen it many times elsewhere. One thing is sure... it (the long form) could have been released long ago, but wasn't, because our President thought the issue was "stupid".
LTC Terry Lakin lost his career and went to prison because our President thought the issue was stupid?
Let me tell ya who I think is "stupid", uncaring, and playing with the lives of others!

Six Years of "Pitchpull"

After reading the blogs of others for a couple years, I overcame my anxiety and sorted through how to start a blog six years ago at a dining room table in Destin Florida, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. I named that liftoff "Pitchpull".
It's been an interesting trip for me. I thank those of you who come here often to catch up on my latest "mind-droppings", and to those of you who are motivated to leave comments about my posts and have discussions with other commenters, agree or disagree... I thank you even more.

When I started leaving my thoughts here I made the comment, "Those not reading Blogs don't know what's happening in the world." That statement was true then, and with our media choosing to report only the news that fits their agenda, it's true today.

Thank God for the internet.
Thank God for Blogs.
Since April 26th, 2005...
Thank you for stopping by.

Gators

FoxNews just interviewed a lady in Florida about the Alligator she found in her bathroom. During the interview they showed photos of the gator in front of her commode. He/she appeared to be about four feet long from tip of nose to tip of tail.
How the gator got into the house, let alone into her bathroom, I don't know.

But I was reminded of an incident from my past-
From 1970 until late '72 I was a Flight Commander in Savannah, Georgia, in charge of 15 Huey Flight Instructors who were teaching Vietnamese Air Cadets to fly. One of those instructors was a guy named Gil C., a "good 'ol boy" from North Carolina. Gil was exactly the sort of guy you wanted to drink beer with...
Happy. Ready for any adventure. Full of stories.

One Monday morning Gil came to work grinning like a possum eating briars. It was obvious Gil wanted the rest of us to ask why he was smiling.
A little background:
On the fourth hole of the Golf Course at Hunter Army Airfield there was a water hazard. An alligator about four feet in length resided at that water hazard. Apparently the caretakers of the course kept this gator well-fed, 'cause he spent most of his time on the water's bank, sunbathing.
Gil was an avid golfer.

So in answer to Gil's grin, we bit:
"Okay, what's goin' on? Why the big grin?"

"You know how they show on TV that if you roll a Gator onto its back and rub its belly it'll go to sleep? It's true!"

"Ohhhhkay.
That's good to know, Gil!"

He Is Risen!

When you feel your faith is not strong and you are ashamed of being weak, remember...
Peter, the rock on whom the Church was built, walked with him three years and saw him perform miracles with his own eyes, yet denied Jesus to save himself.
We are not perfect.
We are not expected to be perfect.
But we should continue to try to be like him.
Love him.
Love one another.
Thank you Lord for giving me life.

"Uncle Jack"

To "The Greatest Generation"...
Thank you. We cannot say it often enough.

Thanks Terry, for bringing this to our attention.

Mr. X

I always thought "Mr. X" was okay...
Sorta cool, but no big deal.
But someone played him in a recent TV release and that piqued my interest enough to go to imdb.com and learn some things about him. I was surprised, and have changed my mind about him.
Can you guess who he is?

-When he learned Bela Lugosi had died penniless, he quietly paid Lugosi's funeral expenses.
-Lee J. Cobb credits him with literally saving his life.
-After a traumatic incident in a telephone booth, he forever-after carried a roll of dimes in his pocket.
-He was only 5' 7" tall.

A flawed, but basically nice man.

A Silver Bubble?

A caring friend just sent me a cautionary email with an attached audio clip. The audio clip warned that we might be looking at a "parabolic rise" in the price of silver, and if that's the case, that would indicate a "bubble", and bubbles always collapse.
Yeah. I agree with that.
So what?

In that audio clip he refers to the Gold bubble that happened back in 1979, (which I was VERY aware of at the time and had discretionary funds I could have trebled my money on, had I acted on what my gut was telling me.)
But let's pursue this issue further-
Let's say you bought Gold at the absolute top of that "bubble"... around $825/oz or so if my memory serves me. Let's say you bought 10 ounces at that lofty price, shelling out $8250. What would that gold be worth today?
Gold closed Friday at $1504/oz, so your horrible 1979 purchase at the top of the bubble would now be worth $15,040. Not the greatest return on investment, but still, not a net loss. Many have done worse. Much worse.

And there's the point of one of the commercials we often see today-
"Gold has never been worth zero."
And never will be, either.

I often stress I'm obviously not an investment expert, and suggest you do your own research to learn what's best for you. But I also think we are looking at economic conditions that look a great deal like scenarios we've seen before in history, and you should be researching those too so you know what happened then and what is likely to happen in the not-too-distant future.

Gold and silver may be "in a bubble", and maybe my friend is right... maybe you would be better spending your hard-earned cash in other areas. I'd even agree with the purchase of some other, cheaper metals... brass, copper, and lead, combined in a certain way (if you know what I mean).
Shelter, food, water, and other "collapse" preparations could all be a smart way to spend your money.

And the important thing?
Like gold and silver, no matter what, those things will STILL have value and won't go to waste.
And if history repeats itself?
You'll be surviving while others aren't.

Be prepared, or be a victim.

Bike(s) Update:

A quick refresher for those just tuning in:
Late last summer I bought a Moto Guzzi SPIII thinking it would be good transportation for to and from work, and also (mistakenly) thinking my lovely bride would enjoy riding along with me.
I later found out she was frightened of riding any bike that had no backrest for her.
Oh well... I enjoy the Guzzi and have decided to keep it.
But to satisfy my wife's desires I searched the world over and found a nice '87 Honda Goldwing, which of course has the nice trunk/backrest and also came with an AM/FM stereo system.
The "Goldwing Surprise" came when I tried to maneuver the bike in tight spaces, particularly tight, inclined spaces. This two-wheeled automobile weighs almost 800 lbs., and if you're not real careful you can Chinese-handcuff yourself with it pretty easily...
Park it in such a way that you cannot move it until a good Samaritan comes along to lend a hand.

Back to the drawing board, I quickly realize I SHOULD have bought a slightly newer Goldwing...
I found an '89 model with all the bells and whistles... AM/FM Casette, CB radio, intercom, air compressor, electronic cruise control, AND... REVERSE!
Bike in neutral, pull a little lever on the left side from horizontal to vertical, push the "starter" button, and the starter motor backs the bike at a nice, controllable pace.
So I bought the '89, with the promise to my wife that we'd sell the '87 "in the Spring".
And I will.
I promise.
REALLY!

Then I made the mistake drug addicts make.
I went back to eBay for "just a little hit", to see where bike prices were heading.
And there it was-
A '79 BMW R100T in "fair" condition that no one seemed to be bidding on. I watched it for a couple days and still, no one was bidding on the poor thing. What could it hurt if I bid on it?
At this price, even if I end up owning it I can ride it a while, learn about BMW's, tinker with it a little, and maybe sell it at a profit
"in the Spring"!!
I bid on it.
I own it.

Now there are four motorcycles in my garage. Me and the shop are still tinkering with the newer 'Wing, so I'm not excited about marketing the older 'Wing until that tinkering is done. (And yes, Sara Jean LOVES riding the Goldwing and will come along anytime the weather is nice.)
I ride the Guzzi once a week or so to keep the machinery oiled and battery charged, and still enjoy its character.
The newer 'Wing is even heavier than the old one, so it's a moose to handle, even with Reverse. But I'm sure I'll get comfortable with it over time.

The BMW is now a source of concern.
Describing the bike as "Fair" was a fair way of describing it.
It has more than its fair share of problems...
The rear tire is dry-rotted and needs replacing. (The new one is at the shop waiting for me to bring the wheel over.)
The push rods leak a little oil, so like Harleys of old, it "marks" its territory when parked. (This problem is getting better as I ride the bike and the seals soften and do their job better.)
The speedometer works, but the odometer/tripmeter doesn't. (That's something the seller didn't tell me about, but he was a dealer and may never have ridden the bike.)

My concern?
I like the stupid thing.
A LOT.
Compared to the Guzzi it's smoother, quieter, more maneuverable, and I like the exhaust tone better.
And I've got to sell it?
Yeah, I've got to sell it.
Later...
After a little more tinkering.

Silver, 21 April 2011

Opened at $46/oz this morning.
Once again it's important to remember, this rise is NOT due to an increase in the value of silver.

Silver, 20 April 2011

The NY market closed above $45.00 per ounce today.
{Sigh.}

Silver, 19 April 2011

Today it broke through $44.00/oz, and for a while sold at $44.21, then backed away from that high. As I type this it is back above $44.00 at the spot market.

Meh. Then UP! Then Down.

"Your flight is a go. Heading of 331 degrees for 31 miles. Your patient is a 12 year old female currently being extricated."

We take off, make our initial call to dispatch, and get more information:
"Your patient is the unrestrained passenger of a car involved in a head-on collision. Your ground contact is *******410 on Fire/Mutual Aid."

In 18 minutes we are circling the scene. The ground folks have done a fantastic job setting up the LZ... it's a four-lane State Highway with a <- -> turn lane in the center. In our initial radio contact they warn me of wires to the West and South of my landing area. Our landing is normal, my crew walks our stretcher to the scene while I tidy up my paperwork, then disembark the aircraft to play tail-rotor guard. There is nice housing on both sides of the road here and all residents are standing outside their homes watching the activity.

In 8 minutes my crew is walking my way with our young patient securely strapped to the stretcher. We load her, button the aircraft up, and get underway.
My crew discusses the fact that one of her legs is shorter than the other and her foot on that leg is pointed in an odd angle, but other than that her injuries don't seem too serious.
Good.

We transport her to the Children's hospital. I take off to refuel, then return to retrieve my crew.
As we lift to return to our base my nurse says, "Well Greybeard, it's a good thing they called us. In the ER her blood pressure dropped and they rushed her to the operating room."

One of the reasons first responders will call us is due to an indicator called "Mechanism of injury", (referred to in the animation I posted a little while back). If it's apparent to them that forces in an accident are high enough that someone could be hurt seriously, they call us just to be safe. This little girl is now in trouble, but since someone was concerned about the forces involved in the accident, she will now be the recipient of the best possible care she can receive, and in a timely basis.
Great!

The rest of our shift is without disturbance.
At shift change the phone rang with an update-
She died...
A torn aorta.
The BEST from everyone just wasn't good enough.
Chatting with us as we loaded her and not in unbearable pain, even when we heard she had been rushed to the OR we had high hopes for her.
Now she's gone.

It's one thing for an adult to make the decision they won't "click" their seatbelt on.
It's another thing to not insure your children are safely buckled in.
I call that neglect.
And I hope our Law Enforcement personnel start holding negligent parents responsible, even when they're mourning the loss of their children.

If we truly want change, we have to DEMAND change.

Crazyqirl

Please take note-
Crzegrl.net is now FlightEMS.com
I've made the change to my blogroll.
Good luck and productive writing, Emily!

Question 67 & 68...

Birth records.
College records.
Harvard Law Review records.
Passport/Visa records.
Fraudulent Social Security account?

And now questions are popping up about Obama's Selective Service registration.
Still, we have no major news media coverage about all these questions.
Can you think of any logical reason for such a media blackout when there are so many unanswered questions about this guy?
I can.
And that fact should terrify everyone about the future of our land.
(Thanks Suzan.)

That "Natural Born Citizen" Thing? Not So Fast, Bunky !

So "Anon" says any citizen born in the U.S. is "Natural Born"?
Apparently there are some smart lefties beginning to realize that JUST AIN'T SO, and they want to change the wording of the Constitution so this Bozo can remain POTUS.
Keep diggin', Mr. Trump !
Interestinger and interestinger.

Silver, 15 April 2011

The spot market closed at $43/oz. this week.
We live in interesting times.

Silver, 14 April 2011

$42/oz. as I type this.

Will It Be Five, Or Fifteen?

Did you hear the President(?) outline yesterday how he's gonna save us?
I tried, and my reaction was EXACTLY the same as Vice President Biden and the gal seated immediately behind him.
We all went to sleep.

I don't know if I should continue to do this...
Is anyone paying attention?
The Bozama plan, apparently, is for more of the same...
We certainly don't want to bring "Change" to seniors and medicare/medicaid recipients, do we?
(Someone explain to me how we cut spending without cutting spending.)

So the only question experts now have is, "Will the collapse come in fifteen years, or sooner?"
But it's coming, and we all need to be reminded how dramatically our world will change.

And please tell me dear followers...
Do my reminders do any good, or are you tired of my drum pounding?

Birth Certificate/Certification of Live Birth

Yeah, here we go again.
For many reasons, I'm a "Birther" and proud to be called one.
Here's just one of 'em-

THIS is a Birth Certificate issued by one of the hospitals Bozama has claimed to have been born in, issued the day AFTER he supposedly was born there:








Now let's take another look at our President(?)'s "Birth Certificate":




A week ago I was listening to Andrea's "Blogtalk Radio" show and her guest was a self-described "ballsy" gal named Ann Barnhardt. I was impressed.
Researching Ann's blog I found a post with interesting comments concerning the "why's" for Obama's reticence to produce the genuine article, and wanted to link to her comments here. But there's no way to do that. When I wrote and asked her for permission to copy/paste her comments she told me her comments are "public domain"... copy freely. Here's Ann's reasoning why Obama is dragging his feet:

"...there are several things we can logically conclude:

1. The word "muslim" does not appear on Obama's BC assuming he was in fact born in Honolulu in August of 1961, because these certificates make no mention of religion at all. So that can't be the big secret.

2. Obama himself cannot be listed as either "caucasian" or "arab" because there is no field on the certificate for the race of the child. So that can't be the big secret, either, assuming Obama even has a Hawaii BC.

3. I doubt that the father's field would say either "Frank Marshall Davis" or "Unknown" because the baby was named "Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.". If you're going to go to the lengths of naming a baby "Jr.", then there is no reason not to list "Sr." as the daddy - even if that is a lie. If you name the kid "Jr.", you're in for a penny, in for a pound. Again, this assumes Barry actually has a Hawaii BC.

So where does this leave us?

A. There is no Hawaii birth certificate because he wasn't born in Hawaii. Ann Dunham was present and enrolled at the University of Washington TWO WEEKS after Obama's alleged birth date. He could have been born just across the border in Canada, and then Granny Dunham registered his birth with the state of Hawaii, thus automatically generating the newspaper announcement. This would have been done to fraudulently obtain citizenship for Barry.

B. He could have been born months earlier. Given that Ann picked up, flew across the Pacific, enrolled and began attending classes at UW all before August 20, 1961, it seems a bit much to think that she did all this at the age of 18 with a tiny newborn baby.

C. Obama could have indeed been born in Kenya, and Granny Dunham submitted a false certificate of home birth to get him US citizenship, again, thus automatically generating the newspaper birth announcement.

D. When Obama was adopted by Lolo Soetoro in Indonesia, his original BC was altered to reflect the new name "Barry Soetoro" with Lolo listed as the father. If this is the case, Obama MUST be a dual citizen of Indonesia, because Indonesia required citizenship of adopted children. Also, unless Obama legally had his named changed back to "Barack Obama", his name today legally remains "Barry Soetoro". This would nullify every document he has signed. If you don't believe me, try signing this year's tax return with the name "Peaches McAwesome" and see if you don't get a visit from the IRS. Finally, and I think this is the monster issue, unless Barry formally rescinded his Indonesian citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, he is AT BEST a dual citizen of the US and Indonesia. If he presented himself as an Indonesian citizen after the age of 18 either to acquire college scholarships OR traveling under an Indonesian passport after the age of 18, then there is no way in God's Green Earth that he can be the President of the United States. No person who has EVER, under any circumstance, claimed citizenship to any country other than the United States as an adult be eligible for the Presidency. That's just common sense. The LEGAL standard per the Constitution is far, far more stringent than that. I realize that. I'm just talking about common sense. This is a no-brainer. Obama is a completely illegal usurper, a con artist, a liar, and he MUST be removed, not by impeachment, but by law enforcement. Impeachment only applies to legitimate sitting Presidents. Obama is neither legitimate, nor the President. He is a hostile invader and the enemy of this nation, its people and its Constitution. Barack and Michelle Obama SHOULD spend the rest of their lives being supported and secured by the tax dollars of the people of the United States of America . . . in lovely Florence, Colorado."

By the way, I'm adding Ann's site to my Blogroll and suggest you go there to see the video as she removes her "bacon bookmarks" from her copy of the Koran before she burns the pages that offend her.
Good stuff.

Free Speech?

We pretty much take it for granted, don't we?
As opposed to our friends in Canada or Great Britain, we can say what we want so long as we know it's not a lie. Heck, we can even freely lie so long as we're not damaging someone or some thing in the process of doing it.

But what would you do if you found your right to free speech was being restricted? Would you be outraged enough to take action, or would you shrug your shoulders and say, "Well, I'm just one person. What can I do?"

The possibility that our President(?) has been using another's Social Security account for years has really piqued my interest. I have known for some time that Snopes.com is very likely to provide cover for Obama specifically and democrats generally, so my first investigations always go to truthorfiction.com/. When I typed "John Paul Ludwig" into the search block there, I was greeted with a page that said "0 results". Interestingly, when I looked at the search block the spelling of the name I had typed had magically changed to "John Paul Ludvig". So, thinking I may have typed a "V" instead of a "W" I retyped the name, and got the same result.
Strange.

Oh well, when all else fails...
Over to Snopes.com and search for "John Paul Ludwig".
No results. And I find that very odd. Here we have a really hot issue...
If this story is true it means Barack Hussein Soetoro Obama has, for some reason, been committing fraud for years. (Another attempt to hide something? Why?)
If the story is NOT true, wouldn't you think the folks covering Bozama's butt would be ridiculing it and exposing it for the lie it is? (Oh wait. That birth certificate thing has cost 'em HOW MANY MILLIONS to cover up?)

There is something VERY very fishy going on here.
Where there's smoke there is fire, right?
But pay no attention to the man frantically pulling the levers and spinning the dials behind the curtain... he's of no consequence at all. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride folks!

Our free speech rights can be curtailed not only by denying us the right to say what we know to be true, they can also be denied us by limiting and editing the information made available to us all. Why can I not find anything about this John Ludwig/social security account issue? Why isn't some major media source pouncing on this like a starving dog on a ham bone?

I know why.
You do too.
And that knowledge should frighten us all.
But it doesn't, and the fact that we're all so willing to roll over and accept it saying "I'm just one person" frightens me to my core.
Are we that numb, addicted to free government cheese?

John Paul Ludwig !!

Google it.

Hat tip- Andrea!

I'm No Investing Expert.

...But for some reason, folks come to me with questions and I'm frequently shocked to find they are allocating their dollars in areas where they have NO knowledge.
After emphasizing the title of this post I ask these questions:
What is your risk tolerance?
Do you know the meaning of these basic terms:
-Volatility.
-Dollar cost averaging.
-Diversification.
-Rebalancing.

Get comfortable with those terms and you'll have a good start. And you shouldn't be investing in anything, not even the safest of Mutual Funds, until you understand those four terms.

This is the easiest to read, basic, enjoyable book I've read and recommend for folks to better understand the "what's and why's" of investing. The book will help you allocate your 401k and IRA money, but you should still be concentrating right now on the necessities:
Guns. Ammunition. Defendable shelter. Food. Water. Something to use as money when you're using greenbacks to start fires.

As I type this, silver is over $41/oz.
Even naysayers are beginning to take notice.
Be prepared, or be a victim.

9-11 Escort Ride

I didn't make it due to rain, but I'm glad these folks did.

O-Bonehead

With the dramatic increase in the price of gasoline you can no longer afford to fill your tank so you and your six kids can go to the rally for President(?) Obama?
How sad.
But wait! Mr. Awesome has a GREAT idea!
Go buy a new Hybrid Van!
Except there are a couple major problems there, aren't there?
-If ya can't afford to buy a tank of gas, how are you gonna afford to buy a new vehicle?
(Oh wait... since Congress pushed legislation through to make it possible for folks to buy houses they couldn't afford, maybe they could do the same for cars?! Yeah, that'll work.)

-When you show up at your local dealership and ask to see their latest and greatest 8-passenger hybrid Van, you'll get a blank stare in return...
There ain't such an animal.

But just remember... our President(?) is COOL, man!

An aside-
I finally got angry enough to call my Congressman's office Friday to find out when he'll be in the area so I can talk with him personally. It would be understatement to say his subordinate who answered the phone was evasive.
"We're not sure when he'll be returning home."
Democrat Representatives are crapping their pants. We Tea Partiers have their FULL, UNDIVIDED attention, to say the least.

Call your Representative tomorrow morning.
Tell them how you feel about the ongoing budget fiasco.
Tell them how you feel about their slimy threats to stop paying our troops.
Tell them how you feel about Obamacare.
Tell them how you feel about THEM!
Tell them your vote in the next election is dependent on their taking their heads out of where it's dark, warm, moist, and terrible smelling.

To the 52% of you that voted for Hope and Change...
Where's the change?
Where's MY HOPE?!!

Trump- The Biggest "Scam" Ever?

(Link was broken. Now fixed.)

Eligibility requirements.
President of the United States?


"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

It all falls to this-
Will we, or will we not abide by the Constitution of the United States?
If it turns out this guy is the phony I think he is, undoing all this damage will tear this country apart.
Our "in the tank" Press Corps has failed us miserably.
And now that someone with money and power is actually looking into it, it's gonna get ugly in a hurry.

Mor-on AGW-

The earth is warming.
The earth is cooling.
This time, the earth is cooling...
(Until we once again have a month that is warmer than normal.)
Run for your lives!

Woof Woof

I want to speak Dog.

When I move, the dogs move.
Roofers pounding overhead, I came upstairs to avoid some of the noise. The dogs followed. Laptop in place, Lucy is snuggling against the warm air being expelled from its back while Yogi is lying with his back against my left thigh. Both are curled up asleep.
I felt a slight stirring against my thigh...
Yogi's nub of a tail was twitching.
Soon he was yipping...
Yip! Yip! Yip!... one yip per second, still sound asleep.
Lucy woke and looked at him, then at me.
"C'mon Luce... tell me what he's saying. Is he dreaming of chasing a rabbit? Is he dreaming about being mistreated by his former owner?"
I touch him, scratching behind his left ear, and the yipping stops.
He stretches his legs and yawns, then closes his eyes and begins his shallow, even breathing again.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know how they think...
What they smell...
What they see?

I'd give a nickel for that information.

Situational Awareness- Fail

Hat tip to my new friend Erik!

WAIT! I'm Watchin' You! STOP!

You're actually gonna EAT all those?!
How many eggs have you had this week?
Eight? You're kidding, right? EIGHT?!!
Well since you've already cooked 'em up we'll let ya eat 'em...
Waste not, want not, ya know?
SLAP!
Yeah, you deserved that! I saw you reaching across that table. Were you actually going to add salt to those?
You know better than that. They "taste better with salt" you say?
NO SALT!
Salt would make you retain fluids and would increase your blood pressure.
Toast?
You're not gonna butter that are ya?
There's already enough cholesterol in those eggs to float the Titanic!
No butter! And go easy on that strawberry jam too...
Lots of calories in that, for sure.

Okay, we've got the food under control,haven't we?
Let's have a look now at what type light bulbs are in the fixture illuminating this table!

Animal Lovers

Two farm boys from a VERY small community...
Eighteen and nineteen, they were raised together, worked together. Farm kids are strong, tough, and fit.
They were setting up an irrigation system, moving the pipe so it could later be fastened together. Lifting one of the lengths of pipe one of the boys noticed his end was heavier than normal. Upon investigating they found it contained a large raccoon. Was Rocky in trouble... wedged in there? Together they hoisted the 30-foot section of pipe to try to free the raccoon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Weather check for ***********."
"Yes, we can do that."
"Then you have a primary go for an electrocution."
Including walking to the aircraft and a quick once-around to check shore lines are detached and cowlings are all secure, I have the helicopter airborne in just under five minutes. It's a crystal clear night. When I have the aircraft pointed toward our destination we can clearly see the red lights of emergency vehicles converging on one spot from several points of the compass, from just over 30 miles distant.

"****3, I have coordinates when you're ready to copy."
"We don't need them dispatch. We have the scene in sight."
"Roger. Your patient is one of two victims, both electrocuted, both in full arrest. CPR is in progress. Your contact is **********. Contact them on Fire/Mutual Aid."
"Roger."

I make contact with the ground commander and he describes the LZ to include warning us about wires...
Those same wires the pipe made contact with when the boys lost control of the long piece of pipe they were balancing.
Adjacent to our LZ on the ground are four ambulances and six Police cruisers, all with lights flashing. The LZ is designated by four red strobelights set up in rectangular form just North of the ambulances. I circle the scene once to identify the wires and look for other obstructions, then turn on and adjust all my landing and search-lights and shoot my approach to the red strobes. The strobes are laid out in an open field with new shoots of wheat sprouting. With all the rain we've had lately I'm fearful my crew will have to drag our stretcher through mud to get to our patient.
"*********, I'd like to reposition the helicopter South of you on the farm road if that won't cause you any problems."
He repeats my request to insure he understands, then says he has no problem with the move.
I bring the helicopter to a high hover and reposition it 100 feet South where the dirt road is hard and dry and my crew has easy access to our patient. I land, bring the aircraft to flight idle, and make note of the landing time and new coordinates as my crew unloads the stretcher and walks to the scene.

I secure the aircraft controls and disembark the aircraft to preclude anyone from approaching too close. From my vantage point I can see two heads bobbing up and down, separated by about 20 feet...
Emergency personnel in the act of doing CPR.
It ain't like they show on TV or in the movies, folks...
Done properly, it can break ribs.

My paramedic approaches, our empty stretcher in tow.
"We're going to ********* County Hospital by ambulance."
It's difficult to do effective CPR in the back of the helicopter. The patients have a much better chance of survival if CPR continues in the ambulance.
We load the stretcher and I stand by to insure both ambulances are safely on the road to the local hospital, then take off and fly 8 minutes to the landing pad. I shut down and wait at the ER door, listening for the sound of the approaching ambulances. While I'm waiting, family members and friends, having heard about the incident, begin to arrive and stand waiting with me.

Both ambulances arrive. No one disembarks. Through the windows we can all see the motions of someone continuing CPR on both patients. Mournful wailing begins. When the crews finally get out and come up the ramp to the ER, CPR still in progress on both boys, the wailing worsens.

Ten minutes pass.
My crew comes out into the hallway, followed shortly by the ER Doctor.
He's declared both boys dead.
Local paramedics and EMT's who know these boys personally openly weep...
It's one of the disadvantages of living in these small communities... everyone knows everyone.

They were just trying to free a trapped raccoon, and now they're dead.
And I didn't even get a chance to try to help.
Life ain't fair.

Chaos In (and out) The House

Bedrooms and downstairs bathroom, repainted.
Upstairs bath repainted.
Every window in the house, replaced.
New ceramic tile in upstairs bath.
New (200 m.p.h.) toilet in upstairs bath.
New vanity, counter/sinktop in upstairs bath.
New (200 m.p.h.) toilet in downstairs bath as soon as work upstairs is complete.
New roof on house and outbuilding starts 6 April.

I'm tired of the semi-organized chaos.
I'm tired of "bang-boom-SLAM" while I should be sleeping in preparation for work.
All should be quiet around 9 April, hopefully.
(Unless SWMBO decides she hates the paint she just applied... then all bets are off.)
Please pray that she's happy! Happy! HAPPY!

Moodies

We've just taken notice of the HDNet channel on our satellite tv menu.
Sunday night is concert night. Last Sunday they broadcast a "Moody Blues" concert
and I Tivo'd it. We just watched that recording last night.

We've been Moody Blues fans for years...
Went to a Moody's concert some years ago and enjoyed it thoroughly.
It took just a few seconds viewing last night to notice a BIG change...
Flutist/vocalist Ray Thomas wasn't on stage. I was concerned about him and immediately got on the internet to find out why he was no longer part of the group. My fears were for nothing... Ray apparently got tired of touring and retired. Good for him.

Before starting the playback I had expressed doubts to Sara Jean-
"They'll still be able to make their guitars sing, but I wonder about their voices." Justin and John both have to be in their sixties, and we've all seen groups that try, and fail, to "hit the high stuff" and make us cringe. With a couple exceptions last night we needn't have worried. If anything, their guitar playing has improved with advancing years. The only time we noticed any problems with their singing was on a couple songs where the cadence was really fast and required a lot of "breath"...
They should have left those songs to the new, younger folks they've added as backup singers.

But 95% of the music was GREAT.
And when Graham Edge took center stage and introduced a song the M.B.'s put out on an album 41 years ago I asked Sara Jean-
"Most of this stuff is still wonderful and sends a chill down my spine. I wonder of any music produced today will still be played over 40 years from now?"

There's no answer to that question and I probably won't be alive myself to see.
But I do know this-
My son went to that M.B. concert with us willingly and still loves "classic rock". I think part of the reason music from that era was special is the result of events that were unfolding at that time... late '60's/early '70's.
With the world seemingly coming apart, will the music of today be similarly impacted and fondly remembered in forty years?

My big question?
Will children of today be listening to music done presently by folks like
Yusuf Islam, or music more akin to that done by Cat Stevens?

We live in interesting times.

"Your Tax Dollars At Work"

The title of this post is normally said in derision.
Not this time!
Go. Read.
Comment if you are so moved.

Bike Riding EMS Personnel, Take Note-

9 April is the date.
Ten A.M. is the time.
We'll stage at the designated area in Richmond Indiana, (in central Indiana on the Ohio State line).
The mission? To escort two beams from the World Trade Center Eastbound on Interstate 70 to Indianapolis so they can be made part of the memorial honoring fallen EMS, Law Enforcement, and other Public Service individuals.
This should be a MONSTER event. Weather dependent predictions are for as many as 10,000 riders to participate. Complete details, including the rider's waiver, (which, to save time, needs to be copied and filled out for submission prior to the ride), are available HERE.
Sara Jean and I plan to be there. If you'd like to attend, and need logistical help, (to include a place to roll out your sleeping gear), let me know and we'll work it out.
This should turn out to be a huge event for a great cause.
See ya there?

We Are Charlie Sheen

He's kinda off the radar screen now, temporarily I'm sure.
I'm hopeful we'll hear Charlie Sheen has come to his senses and entered a rehab program somewhere, (and stays until he is truly healed), but I seriously doubt that'll happen. Looking around at the way our world unfolds and applying those lessons to Charlie, what I suspect will happen is tragic...
An "Anna Nicole Smith" trainwreck.

But I was thinking this morning about how his disintegration is comparable to what we're seeing in the slow disintegration of our country. We're intoxicated to the point that our judgment is impaired and, depending on who you talk with, either CAN NOT or WILL NOT admit that we have a serious problem and we are slowly dying.
Charlie lies to himself and says "I'm different than everyone else. I'm completely in control. The rest of you are just stupid and beneath me. Leave me alone."
Isn't this analogous to what we see going on around us?

We're intoxicated in SO many ways...
We don't want to suffer the pain of cutting back on our "free government cheese", so we blithely deny we have a problem. We're now spending money our children's children's children will have to repay. Tomorrow we'll be spending the money our children's (4) will have to suffer to repay.
But we're different.
Don't bother me with your history lessons...
We have Tiger blood in our veins.

RIIIIIGHHHT!!!
Let me whisper in your ear:
History is a bitch. Be prepared.

Chicks Rock II

A young gal and her ax:

Ouch.

Yeah, this is funny.
But it also illustrates much of what is wrong with our EMS programs today, 'cause it's not far from the truth:

Agreed, Mr. President(?) !

Hopefully, Donald Trump's comments have increased awareness of this issue.



And have you noticed...
Rather than present facts, Obama supporters resort to ridicule when the "Natural Born Citizen" issue comes up.
Smokescreen.
Very curious, wouldn't you agree?

Yes, I'm proud to be a "Birther"!
H/T- Curmudgeonly and Skeptical

Aging. Resistance AIN'T Futile!

I got wrinkles.
I got sags.
My eyebrows are a rat's nest.
I got skin tags and "LRB's"... (little red bumps) poppin' up all over me.
My back frequently reminds me I'm no longer 23.
My ears and eyesight are headed to Cuba.
But the worst of it?
I'm finally resigned to regularly taking a medication...
If I don't, my heartburn makes all the above seem trivial.

Just shoot me.

24 March Silver Update

As I type this, silver is trading above $38.00 per ounce.
There's a reason for that.

Open Note To "Anonymous"-

Dear Anon-
I'll be happy to publish your vulgar, idiotic, democrat talking-point regurgitating, Obama apologist comments if you'll just let us know who you are and where we need to go to comment on YOUR blog. Otherwise, I'll just grin and push the "delete" button so that your nasty attempts at communicating disappear into the great electronic black hole.
(And I'm also aware that I'm touching a nerve when I continue to get these sorts of heated responses from the dark side!)

UPDATED-
This is the sore spot driving most of these crude comments.
(Read the comments there!)

Dodging The Question

Years ago...
They wanted to build a nuclear powerplant and the experts were making the talkradio rounds, trying to win friends and influence people. I called.
"How long will the waste from this plant be hazardous to human life?"
Jimmy Carter would have been proud. He totally avoided my question and answered one he imagined in his head.

When someone tries to tell you how wonderfully clean, cheap, and efficient nuke power is, try it yourself. Ask the "waste longevity" question.
The show they'll put on is better than anything Fred and Ginger ever did!

Out To Pasture?

This article indicates that the last of the two-blade Hueys will soon be removed from military service. I was under the impression that a few would serve in the Guard and Reserve systems for the next several years. Maybe they are converting many of them with new engines and rotor systems. But these days you hear that old "wop-wop-wop" sound less and less, and that makes the Viet Nam Veterans among us very sad.

Hat tip to The Old Man.

TRUMPED !

Finally...
Someone has the nerve to state the obvious-