MORNING
Here's a photo with no purpose or connection to today except to get your attention. Hey, it was either that or the new drilling jig from Harbor Freight. There is a motive, mind you. This was a fashion when I was in high school, called "hotpants". Alas, the trend didn't last all that long, but it has come back every few years under a different name. Mostly, they are called shorts or cut-offs.
Nothing going on today, so let’s see what happens instead of nothing, we’re always good at that. And watch out, I feel like writing. Maybe I’ll write an essay today. I’ll write it if you’ll read it. I’ll start by tying up some loose ends over the last month.
I contacted the other people who auditioned for bass same day I did and none of them have heard back from the band, either. I kind of got the impression the band was rock-oriented and thought of country as a possibility only. They are likely history already. But one thing is certain, great as my last band was, I will never join such a band again. They were a team, and what could go wrong with that?
Nothing, as long as you understand that you are the lowest member on the team, that everything you suggest will be automatically rejected, and there is no chance the band will ever, ever play a tune that features the instrument you are playing. That kind of team.
And Nova. I’m pretty sure that is over unless somebody (not me) steps in and fills the leadership vacuum. I may attend the {fintank} seminar, but I’m not interested in discussion groups or committees. In response to a meet-up letter, I basically told them if I show up and it again turns out to be a feel-good group talking fringe issues and downloading code, I’ll just leave. I am truly appalled at the low quality of graduate over at Nova. They seem to take the most simplistic and negative view they can of everyone’s motives but their own. Education is supposed to trample that kind of attitude.
To be fair, I received a lengthy e-mail from the new organizer of the Nova group explaining that he originally had goals in common with the majority. But it was also obvious he didn’t want to step on any toes when the then-leader began steering matters a different direction. I’ll get back to you on that, but I essentially sent him a reply stating that he should take over the group and impart a strong sense of accomplishment. My reasoning is clear—most of the group wanted to build something and were not returning when they realized it was all talk.
More on the cPod. I have two choices, buy a new frame or modify the old. Either way, the new construct will burn up the cash I would normally have used for travel. And I would learn to weld, which I missed out on in high school a lot like other men missed out on science. You might say. What? Well, of course there is a huge difference—I can always learn welding.
There is a connection between this welding and Nova. Without tools and equipment, neither party gets anywhere. The guy I am nominating and supporting has done milling and joining work. Over here, we have built e-bikes and solar campers. There is a new term being bounced around for this leadership roll. “Incubator”. Yeah, I like that. My biggest caution remains that all the tools and facilities are privately owned. Nobody else has contributed a thing—and why should they?
Hence, we get back to last May when I proposed the group break into teams of two who are responsible for their own tools. I’m not lending any tools out until I know the other guy can use them right and (this is an important “and”) he has comparable value in tools to lend back in return. Except for that 3D printer, between the incubator and my club, we have most of the tools we need. What’s lacking is leadership. No matter what you call it.
NOON
I dunno, I guess I got hit by a lazy streak. I sat at home and read the beginnings of a biography on Charles Lindbergh, the aviator. The draw is not his exploits, but the fact that he was the first person to be made into an artificial hero by electronic media. Other fliers who crossed the ocean around the same time are unknown today because the news of their progress did not reach the masses until long after they landed. With Lindbergh, the crowds were already waiting, whipped into a frenzy.
I got through a few confusing chapters before I realized there was only a syllable’s difference between Charles Augustus Lindbergh and his father, a lawyer who sold magic potions on the side. This is the real Lindbergh by his airplane. He was vilified by the press, well actually, the Jewish-controlled American press, for noting, quite accurately, that the Nazi movement in Germany, for whatever else it did, was an astonishingly successful political experiment for recovery after a devastating war. See addendum.
I also found out the bakery people do not share my passion for raw fish. I don’t mean tuna. But I consume more fish raw than cooked fish, it is healthy food. My favorite is canned smoked fish, preferably cod, several times a week. You can find references in this blog to the fact over the years that if you do not eat raw fish, you are not getting enough iodine in your diet. Yes, I know about iodized salt, but should you be relying on eating salt for any basic nutrition needs? I didn’t think so.
Next, the motorcycle again, with the planned battery compartment. Once the old saddlebag was removed and it became easy to manhandle, it was not time at all to discover a way to fit the big battery in there. The mounting bolts and brackets, when turned “backwards” create just enough interior space for the parts. As a precaution, I will reinforced the plastic material. This is a savings, hence my justification for taking the day off.
I will also double up certain parts, for example the old spare jumper cables. They will form the basis of the umbilical cord instead of remaining coiled up inside the cPod hatch. I’ve further redesigned the battery posts to accept marine grade clips that are pretty darn solid compared to automotive models.
As a reminder to all, I restate that it is our policy to, whenever possible, boycott all companies and products who advertise on the Internet. We do not believe that any intelligent or sane person goes on-line to view unsolicited advertising. We do not believe the Internet benefits from control by advertisers. And we do not believe there are any worthwhile sites that would not exist except for advertising.
And shame on PBS, “public” is a joke. They now have advertising crop up every few minutes during the body of the ad that cannot be turned off for at least five seconds. Encouraging such behavior can only lead in one direction—sooner or later they will find a way to charge you for what you don’t want. Like many, I’d rather not see the program at all rather than see the advertising. The Internet was a far better environment before it contained any advertising at all. Those who published did so for the right motives. Did you get that, Lilly drug company?
NIGHT
Like I said, I’ll write the epic if you’ll read it. I did research and reading tonight, mainly to keep current on things. I conclude that there has been, since around 1990, no real new money created in America. This explains why every new business since then is some kind of scam, Ponzi scheme, or bait and switch operation. Think about it. Everybody is absorbed trying to slice up the existing pie. Comcast and AT&T with their slippery contracts. Insurance plans that soak Medicare. The death of the product warranty and its replacement by the “service contract”.
Look what I found for $4.00. They are not Bushnell, but a nearly perfect Japanese copy with amazing optics. I, duh, forgot to take a before picture, so what you see here is after an hour’s restoral work. Most of it with good old 3-in-1 oil, which is no better or worse than any other light oil. No, it does not “attract dust”, that is just stupid old men talking. The oil is what causes the shiny parts in this photograph.
I found these binoculars at the Catholic thrift, covered in a greyish crust. It would appear they had been dropped into salt water and left there a long time. But not long enough to pit the metal. Only the baked finish was peeling. The mechanics and optics were in perfect condition. I will open up the casing after a day or two of oil treatment to remove any potential mold. Lucky me, or what?
Author’s note: I cannot find any brand name on it. Four dollars is not an unusual price these days, it is the quality that attracted me. I compared prices to other thrifts—and incidentally, the huge upsurge in thrifts now competing with eBay will continue to grow because the eBay/Paypal syndicate has become too corrupt. Note, if you care to read back, I was working on a similar “thrift store on-line business” at the time my second heart attack put me to a stop.
I further formulated a polite reply to Nova. Polite, in that once I read their proposals, I realized they had done little more than adopt the hints I’ve been dropping for months. You know how touchy I am about that. But what the heck. They even state they would like at least some portion of each meetup to be a mini-lecture and who do we know that is ready for that? The problem of tools and equipment remains, but any forward movement is welcome.
As the binoculars freed up from their luxury bath of oil, I turned them toward US1 in the distance. Even at this time of night, I could see all the going out of business signs.
ADDENDUM
Ah, the perpetual discussion of Israel and the Arabs. One nation against an entire nationality. And a difficult discussion it is, for so many people don’t have the facts. In fact, they have no facts at all. Let me state, I do not support Israel. But I agree with the fact that they did not steal any land. Once again, they bought it from the legitimate Arab owners. The people living there, the Palestinians, were tenant farmers. Tenants never own the land and it was never theirs to claim.
Having said that, there are severe political issues. I’ll try to summarize, which means cutting corners, but here is what my study has shown to be the roots of the present situation. During most of the history of Europe, Jews often were not citizens of the European countries where most Jews had immigrated. One of the safest and most tolerant places for Jews to settle was in Germany. They were professors and scientists and artists, best in the world. The last thing anybody could imagine was Germans hating Jews.
In fact, Jews were allowed a free hand and soon established one of the greatest banking concerns in history, the Red Shield, or in German “Rothschild”. But in other less tolerant countries, like Spain and Russia, there were often violent pogroms against the Jews, who did not assimilate into the surrounding societies. By the 1800s there emerged a movement called Zionism. The only way, said the Zionists, for the Jews to be safe was to have a state of their own.
Logical location of this state? Palestine. Who was in charge in Palestine? The British, and we know about the British and their secret dealings. Now comes the part hard to understand if you are biased, but here goes. By late 1916, Germany had essentially won the First World War. All their enemies were balking. France had mutinied, Russian soldiers revolted, England had a week’s supply of food, and the US was strongly pro-German at the time, with millions of its citizens from that country.
What changed? Well, as before, the Rothchild’s were lending money to both sides of the conflict. Britain was desperate for money to buy arms and food, and the Jews basically offered them a deal. If you give the Jews a homeland in Palestine after the war, the Jews will bring the USA into the war. Far-fetched? Not really. Then, as now, Jews controlled the media and the rest is history. Before long, the American press was firmly pro-British and the German became the rapacious Hun.
The Germans hardly knew what hit them. After the Armistice, they sent a delegation to the peace conference that was demanding unheard of reparations from Germany. There were a half-dozen major negotiators from each of the powers. At this point, the Germans still did not understand why the USA had come in against them. But then the Germans noticed at the conference, there were 114 Jewish delegates all demanding one thing—that England remove its restrictions on Palestinian immigration.
The Germans quickly put two and two together. The Jews living in Germany had just sold Germany down the river. They had abused their freedom and cost Germany the war. And suddenly, the returning veterans didn’t like Jews. And the Jews had nobody to blame but themselves. Germany almost immediately began a policy of expelling the Jews.
After that point, most people have some idea how well this little bit of treachery worked out for the Jews.
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