Settled Science, Spin Doctor Edition

Changes in the sun’s energy output may have led to marked natural climate change in Europe over the last 1000 years, according to researchers at Cardiff University.

So reads the lead of an article appearing in Heritage Daily.

http://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/03/suns-energy-influences-1000-years-of-natural-climate-variability-in-north-atlantic/102395

Despite a reasoned report, they can’t resist inserting political correctness and environmental dogma, to wit.

Predictions suggest a prolonged period of low sun activity over the next few decades, but any associated natural temperature changes will be much smaller than those created by human carbon dioxide emissions, say researchers.

And.

The study concludes that although the temperature changes expected from future solar activity are much smaller than the warming from human carbon dioxide emissions, regional climate variability associated with the effects of solar output on the ocean and atmosphere should be taken into account when making future climate projections.

Settled science, my ass.

Single Issue Voter

Not living (or voting) in California makes me a spectator to the governor’s primary race. Thankfully, given this candidates proclamations.

Neel Kashkari said Wednesday that he owns four guns and supports gun rights but is "not running on an agenda of the Second Amendment," highlighting a contrast with Tim Donnelly, the other main Republican running for governor.

"If you're a single issue voter, and you just want someone to give you a full capacity assault rifle magazine, God bless you, you can go vote for somebody else," Kashkari told a group of college Republicans at California State University,Sacramento. "I'm not your guy”.

He goes on to say.

"I do know philosophically that I deeply believe in protecting my own gun rights, and that means protecting your gun rights," Kashkari said. "But I also believe that, you know, we need to be reasonable about things."

You can read the whole thing here.

http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/02/gun-owner-kashkari-says-hes-not-running-on-second-amendment-agenda.html

I will give him points for being forthright, but he would lose my vote.

Being called a “single issue voter” is a put down. Same as calling someone dumb, bigoted, low information, or dogmatic.

I’m solidly against murder, forcible rapes, and sex crimes against children, but relative indifferent about marijuana and under age tobacco use. Does this make me “single issue”? Or, am I even making a coherent point?

I found much to ponder in these two links.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/11/04/why-im-a-single-issue-voter/

http://www.lneilsmith.org/whyguns.html

I want to live as a free man, without the nagging class telling me what to do, what to think, what to believe, and how to behave. I want that for my children and grandchildren. If opposing those who mean to infringe on my life makes me a “single issue voter”, then I proudly say, “You damn right I am”.

Flight 370

This is the most sensible thing I've read.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03/mh370-electrical-fire/

Occam's razor, anyone?

The Grey Man - Vignettes-

Just finished the dead tree copy of Old NFO's book. What a great read! A story of good people doing good things. The depth of details is far beyond most anything I've read and leads me to think the author spends way more time listening than talking.  Do yourself a favor and get this book.

Four Seasons In 24 Hours

Yesterday I had the A/C going in the car. Today, full on Heat. Got to love a state where you can experience four seasons in 24 hours.

As per usual, looking at my fuel gauge yesterday, decided I could put off filling up. Clicked on the email this morning to find a stack of work, all marked urgent. Got to fill up in blowing (35 mph) sleet so I could drive to all the locations. Aarrg!

One high point yesterday was the delivery of Old NFO's book, The Grey Man. 

Maybe we will see Spring soon but I won't count on it. The worst blizzard I remember hit in April. It is all good. In this semi desert climate, water, unless it is a 1,000 year flood, is welcome.

Team Obama Cheerleaders aka MSNBC

Recently scrolling through MSNBC, their bias is so blatant they don’t even try to camouflage it. Slanted headlines, attacks on Republicans, and Tea Party smears were the only political stories. Not a single criticism of Obama and/or Democrats was evident.

So why am I even looking at MSNBC? A combination of laziness and deficient computer skills are the main culprits.

As a technological Latter Day Luddite, I resisted entering the digital age until 2003 when I bought a laptop. At the time I was organizing automobile off site sales. The details were complex, there was a need to communicate beyond just cell phones, and keeping track of costs was time consuming. Time was my most precious commodity. As an example, reviewing and approving advertising copy that needed to happen “Right Now”. The software was Windows XP, and I got an MSN email account which I still have.

I mainly use Google now as I have half assed mastered it and find it useful. Of course, this blog is on Google.

Once had Mozilla – Firefox as the dealership websites were maintained (?) on it. By personnel defaults, I ended up in charge of advertising and maintaining the sites. Didn’t find anything I liked, for myself, on Mozilla.

Some of the other news sources give me problems. Fox, for instance, loads my computer with so much advertising and tracking cookies I start getting screen freezes. After using it, I need to run an AVG utility to clean the computer.

Living in Colorado, our major newspaper is another Team Obama cheerleader. I refuse to subscribe to it, either digital or dead tree.

Still, the internet is beyond compare for inquiring minds. Almost worth learning new ^$*(& to use it.  Perhaps the biggest revelation is how dismal the Fourth Estate has become.

Idle Thoughts From An Undisciplined Mind

Dick Morris reports and videos I find interesting and informative. Don’t always agree with him, and, as we followers know, he can be spectacularly wrong.

He has recently been talking about Russia and Putin. His point is Russia’s financial health depends on energy exports; that it has little else going for it. He likens their economy to that of Saudi Arabia. He thinks Putin encourages international instability (keeps the pot boiling) to manipulate oil prices; to keep them high. That benefits Russia and him personally.

If we’ve learned anything from the history of the 20^th Century, it is that Russians, or Communists, are masters of espionage and recruitment to their causes. Doubt these skills, the dossiers, and people running them, just evaporated when the Soviet era collapsed.

Am I the only one who hears and sees similarities with the whole Progressive “climate change” shtick with the ferment encouraged by the old USSR?  The organized opposition to pipelines seems eerily similar to the 60’s anti war movement. SDS Weathermen become ELF? The current uproar about fracking seems to smell of ulterior motives. It is not in Russia’s interest for the USA to have strong energy independence, or, for that matter, a strong economy. 

The smart ass question, “How do you eat an elephant?” has the smart ass answer, “One bite at a time.” Seems as long as I can remember this country has been under attack, internally and externally. Some attacks are ideological. Many are venal. As an example, removal of the firewall between commercial and investment banks, and banks using “Stimulus” funds to by up whole industries. Still, the elephant keeps moving forward despite the rampant bites. By golly, this is still one hell of a country!

The easy part is pointing fingers and screaming, “Someone should do something.” The hardest part is coming up with, “Do what”?

My answer, in part, is using whatever miniscule impact my wallet has. As an example, I’ve used TurboTax for years. I like it, find it easy to use, and have never had any IRS problems. Now I’ve learned the parent company is Intuit, a company whose management has used their stockholders money to fund various Progressive causes. So, no more TurboTax. Likewise, for the same reason, I won’t buy insurance from Progressive or GIECO.

In addition, I do the usual; letters to Congresscritters and others, donations to organizations I believe in, voting, etc.

Does it have any impact on “the world”? Damned if I know. It does have a positive impact on my outlook. I won’t shut up, and I won’t be a passive sheeple. That makes me feel good.

Grandkids Fix After Action Report

Reader Alert. Very long winded post with mediocre photographs.

Back to base from visiting the grandkids. This was almost a time warp. Imagine a family home where the children act respectfully toward adults, have chores, do homework, meet standards of behavior, and remain mainly cheerful and happy. I’ve the highest respect for what my son and FDIL are accomplishing with their lives.  They do this while facing daunting challenges that would crush most people. It does my heart good to visit them. Of course, they do house the world’s cutest grandkids.

  

  Got to meet the newest addition.

 Who would adopt an eighteen year old cat whose owner died? Oh, how about two suckers? Poor cat. Goes from a one person home, to a pound, and then to a house with four kids, another cat, and two dogs. Resilient cat is Anne. She is whipping them all into shape.

Speaking of animals, I had to fight for a place to sleep.

Dugway, Utah is an interesting place. Some eighty five miles Southwest of Salt Lake City, it sits at the intersection of two dead end, two lane, and paved “highways”. In one direction, north, some twenty five miles away, is Interstate 80. The road is mainly straight and goes through Skull Valley. To the Northeast forty two miles is “town”, Tooele, Utah. The road over Johnson Pass is twisting, with numerous 20 mph curves. The area is all desert, some fairly high mountains, and salt flats. The five hundred or so people living at Dugway are military and dependents. By necessity, it is a very tight knit community. It is also the ultimate gated community, tightly fenced, one way in, with armed security. All visitors are screened. Every twenty feet on the fences are warning signs stating lethal force is an option. My son is hardcore OPSEC. He tells me the security at the town of Dugway is just the first level of security and, yes, they are deadly, repeat deadly, serious about security. It is not a good place to be an intruder. Nuff said.

Sunday we went shooting!  Son has a recently purchased Springfield XD-45 he is tuning and FDIL had her Browning .22. FDIL and my son agree she should be proficient with ALL the firearms they have, and she is. In truth, she can probably outshoot both of us.

Where they go is out in the desert in a bowl. The vehicle is out of sight from any roads and the high hills both muffle noise and provide good berms. Note to Old NFO. There is an easy 1,000 yard set up available; longer if you want.

Any trash and broken glass you see has been left by others. What we brought we packed out.

I enjoyed shooting the Springfield but would need a lot of dry firing to get a proper feel for the trigger safety. The weapon itself impressed me. My son did a lot of research before he settled on it. While staying true to my revolver preference, I can appreciate the piece. Fifteen rounds of .45 APC? Wow! What is amazing is how the piece balances in hand much the same whether fully loaded or empty.

Alas, as with all handguns, my chances of hitting the side of a barn would be greatly enhanced if I were in the barn. However, I wouldn’t want to be down range from my son or FDIL.

It was mainly a smooth trip. Some snow/sleet/rain going out and dry roads back. Did violate one of my rules and nearly paid for it. When your fuel gauge hits the half way mark, stop and fill. I literally coasted into the gas pump at Lyman, WY, after rocking the truck back and forth the last four miles to get the fuel left in the tank corners to the fuel pickup.  Put in 14.7 gallons. (Owners manual says it holds 13.8) I always zero my trip odometer when I fill up and have a good idea of my range. Just a backup to the fuel gauge. Works well if you remember you are driving well over the speed limit into a stiff headwind, then, not so much. Oh well, the blog title says it all.

On the way back, stopped to see a monument to financial chicanery, aka, the Ames Monument.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_Monument

Site is isolated now, as the railroad has been relocated, and Interstate 80 didn’t follow the Lincoln Highway route. Two things struck me. First, the “scrappers” haven’t got to the bronze at the site. Two, the area now hosts trophy houses of the Cheyenne moneyed classes. Something symbiotic about that.

The Pronghorns, survivors from the Pleistocene era, don’t seem to care.

While it was grand sleeping in my own bed, clicking on the computer and seeing the work that has stacked up isn’t. On the bright side, that will help fill the coffers depleted by the trip.

Grandkid Fix

Enjoying a couple of days with my youngest and his family. Great weather after the drive out.  Some range time yesterday. Back to base tomorrow. Longer blog entry with pictures will be up around Tuesday.

I hope all these Salt Lake City area drivers are right with the Lord, as so many drive like they are in a hurry to meet him.

Poor People and Their Poor Ways

Set out last Thursday to visit the grandkids, and, of course, youngest son (the Medic) and FDIL (favorite daughter in law). Made it 13 miles when the spark plug blew out of #1 cylinder. Should have known, bought the truck from an automotive school student. The good part was not having it happen in the middle of Wyoming along Interstate 80.

All fixed now, fresh oil change, new plugs, new distributor cap, and new rotor. The truck is running strong. Good tires, backed up with snow chains, and my winter survival gear is aboard. Plan to leave Thursday for a few days.

(Note to all burglars; the premise is still occupied by three adults and a mean dog. The two cats are not friendly, either)

Winter survival gear: Sleeping bag, foam pads, extra boots, extra clothes, the year around well stocked B.O.B., and food and water.

I’ve been accused of over thinking winter travel in Wyoming. Guilty as charged. I’ve been snowed on every month of the year in that state. My superstition is you will never need what you have with you, but you will need what you don’t have with you.

As my late maternal Grandfather was fond of saying, “I don’t care if you go naked, but take ALL your possibles.”

Lovely scenery.

http://www.wyoroad.info/highway/webcameras/I80ElkMtn/I80ElkMtnAll.html

http://www.wyoroad.info/highway/webcameras/I80Wamsutter/I80WamsutterAll.html

http://www.wyoroad.info/highway/webcameras/I80FirstDivide/I80FirstDivideAll.html

Light blogging and commenting after Wednesday unless I borrow a computer.