Wednesday - August 19, 2020
Follow Me !
One of the benefits of our universally computer driven modern world is package tracking. Mated with theoretically optimized routes and warehousing, we now can get our deliveries much faster than in decades past. For the impatient, most of the deliver services allow you track your boxes or letters step by step as they wend their way in your direction. [ OTOH, this also allows you to watch the Post Office send your stuff all over the country willy-nilly, leave it at distribution centers for days or weeks at a time, and sometimes take days to move something just 7 miles from one center to the next, and then take a full week to deliver it a whole 42 miles away. Sorry, my pet peeve, after recently pulling my hair out when a letter took more than a month to get delivered. Just wait until the whole country tries to vote by mail this November. Guaranteed disaster. ]
Now UPS has brought out “Follow Me”, a real time, self-updating, GPS driven mapping application, that let’s you see the big brown truck driving all over with your package in it. Not sure if this is going to help or hurt, because most people won’t realize that there are 300 other boxes in that truck, and yours is almost guaranteed to be last in line. It was already a bit frustrating just following the data, watching my box go from Florida to Edison NJ in hardly over a day, but then on to Allentown PA, right past my home, and then have to go on to another truck to come back to NJ days later and to get delivered ... later today? Maybe. “Out for delivery” for 3 days? Oy vey.
Posted by Drew458
on 08/19/2020 at 09:22 AM
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Permalink • Monday - August 17, 2020
Very Funny Officer
So I got another ticket yesterday. Me and my red car manage to get pulled over a couple times a year. Yes, I’m an inveterate speeder, but I do it properly. I don’t tailgate, I don’t cut people off, I use my turn signals, I almost pass anyone on the right, and of course my car is in perfect working order and my papers are current. And I don’t go flying around corners on two wheels, or anything close to reckless driving. I’m just an impatient driver, like everyone else in the state.
In NJ, everyone speeds. Everyone. Nearly everywhere. The only place we make up for it is in those 25mph zones near schools, parks, and downtown. People generally do about 17 in those.
NJ has a scheme in place on the highways. They “let” you drive 65mph, but fines are doubled. Should there be a traffic cone by the side of the road, or a permanent sign saying that bit of highway is also a construction zone, fines are doubled again. So getting a speeding ticket on the highway can be a darn costly experience.
Generally, highway traffic moves at 75mph in good conditions, even in the slow lane, but on the weekends it flies. 85 is typical, 95 is not unheard of, with cars maybe two lengths apart traveling in packs.
And NJ keeps points for 5 years, with a big long list of how many points for whichever of the 65 or so moving violations they have. Get more than 6 in a 3 year period, and get an extra fine to pay. There are a fair number of 0 point offenses, but they are not on the list. Good luck trying to find them, although we all know that the seatbelt one and the red light camera one are no-pointers.
How many points are on your license? Like many other states, you have to pay the DMV to find this out. Gosh, wouldn’t you think that this would be part of their regular job? Available online for free, given that this is a microscopic database inquiry? Heck no.
But there’s a game involved. There are a good number of offenses that don’t have points. Just a fine. So most cops short circuit the plea bargaining process, and give you a break and just write you up for some 0 point offense. It puts donut money in their coffers, nobody wastes time going to court, an you just go online and pay the fine with your credit card.
So I got pulled over for doing 85 in a 65 zone on a demarcated highway. I wasn’t racing, or playing artful dodger, or zooming down the road alone. I was just cruising along with traffic. The Statey did his job in about 2 minutes and I was back on my way.
He wrote me up for the 0 point offense of Delaying Traffic.
Haha, very funny.
Posted by Drew458
on 08/17/2020 at 08:23 AM
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Permalink • Saturday - August 15, 2020
Rhubarb !!!
She came home from work with an armload of rhubarb that a coworker had brought in from their garden.
I haven’t had rhubarb in ... probably 45 years. Pretty sure my parents used to grow it in the vegetable garden, but that’s loooong ago in the past.
So we’re making strawberry rhubarb pie, and, since we have so much of the stuff, we’re making a strawberry rhubarb crumble as well. Both are a great excuse to get hold of some good vanilla ice cream.
Rhubarb has an unusual taste, but it’s one that I’ve always loved. Can’t wait to get to baking things up and trying them out. Might even have enough to send her to work Monday with another crumble.
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Oh goody, and I guess I’d better go look outside. Amazon says my copy of Law of Nations and John Locke’s Two Treaties of Government were delivered today. Along with my new Solo 2L hand sprayer, as the old one died after a decade of use.
Posted by Drew458
on 08/15/2020 at 05:41 PM
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Permalink • Wednesday - August 12, 2020
TLH? Typical Leftist Hypocrites
This sounds like it could be one of those urban legends.
How Dare You!!
An anonymous poster on Reddit’s “Am I the A--h---” subreddit said he started a meat-eating club at his job in response to a coworker’s vegan-only club.
He claimed that one of his colleagues started a vegan dinner club exclusively for their coworkers following a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian diet. Other coworkers “will not be able to join the club,” the poster said the group’s “statement of purpose” read.
In response, the poster claimed that he and some other meat-eating coworkers started a burger and steak club to go out and try new restaurants each week. They only allowed meat-eaters to join. However, members of the vegan club filed a complaint with the company’s human resources department.
Posted by Drew458
on 08/12/2020 at 11:20 AM
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Permalink • Monday - July 13, 2020
China Is Bugging Me Again
I’m really getting tired of this. First it was the brown marmorated stinkbug. Then it was the ash borer, which cost our condo park dozens of trees. Now it’s the spotted lanternfly. We’ve got so damn many of them I felt the need to look them up online.
And what a surprise, we’re under lockdown for this bug. Quarantine. Gee, wonderful. And their favorite tree to munch around here is the Eastern Black Walnut, one of which grows right over our patio. I call it the toilet tree, because all it does is drop shit on us all year long. Now there are so many of these bugs, which suck sap and pee out “honeydew” in copious quantities, that it feels like a light misty rain out there. And we’ve got dozens and dozens of the little black ones, dead, all over the patio.
Spotted Lanternflies Land in New Jersey
Invasive Pest Identified in Warren County [ and Hunterdon and half a dozen other counties in NJ ]Some people may think it is a moth but it’s really the Asian plant hopper known as the spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma deliculata (White) and is a member of the order Hemiptera, family Fulgoridae. In the USA, spotted lanternfly is an invasive species that could be very devastating to some New Jersey crops and hardwood trees.
This insect was accidentally introduced into Pennsylvania and was confirmed in the state in September 2014. At first it was only found in Berks County, however, today it has spread throughout Pennsylvania and to neighboring states, including New Jersey.
New Jersey populations were first detected in 2018 are currently primarily distributed along the state’s border with Pennsylvania. In response, the NJ Department of Agriculture has issued an eight-county quarantine. People and businesses travelling in and out of these counties (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Salem, Somerset, and Warren) should inspect vehicles for hitchhiking SLF and inspect outdoor items such as packing bins, firewood, paving stones, lawn equipment, etc. for egg masses (see checklist). Quarantine compliance will reduce the spread of SLF to new areas and counties thereby protect New Jersey resources including forests and agriculture.
https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/spottedlanternfly.html
I tipped off the condo association here, and submitted a report to the Ag Department at Rutgers. Hey, if they want to come and chop down that tree, fine by me. We hate it.
All 3 of these bugs first showed up in eastern PA. I wonder what massive Chinese import center is there?
China is asshoe.
Posted by Drew458
on 07/13/2020 at 06:00 PM
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Permalink • Tuesday - June 30, 2020
My Big Digital Day
UPDATE: HORRY CLAP what a difference!!!!
Installation was super easy. Put card in slot in PC, close cover, attach antenna, run the install CD. Instant improvement. Take a look at the settings, notice that the PC now has Wifi and Wifi2, turn Wifi off and Wifi2 on, and this sets the ASUS adapter as the default in the 5Ghz bandwidth. Signal is now at maximum strength, and internet speeds are insane. The Win 10 available networks thing is showing me 10 more networks than before; not mine, but that’s how good the antenna is. The graphics heavy blog Feral Irishman loads in an quarter second, FoxNews loads instantly.
I am a happy camper. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, all the bits and pieces have finally arrived, so I can attack the WiFi situation here.
It’s not a hard thing to do, but there are several steps that will turn into more effort than I’d like to do.
But first I have to go to the grocery store and get some cat kibble. We ran out last night, and heaven forbid that our two little carpet queens would have no choices for breakfast. They’ve already got some well moistened canned stuff, with some crushed Dr. Marty’s raw dried kibbs mixed in. But no, they want the hard crunchy bits. So they’re wrapping themselves around my legs, giving me the pathetic kitteh stink eye. So I have to hit the store.
After that I can get around to doing my own project. We live in a 3 level condo on the ground floor, built on concrete slab foundation. The place was built in the late ‘70s, so it doesn’t have a ton of power outlets, phone outlets, and cable outlets. The Wifi modem thing from Xfinity needs all three, because we have the “triple play” package that provides internet, cable TV, and landline telephone. The only place in the house that has those three outlets close together is the small bedroom upstairs. The only place we can fit the PC desk is downstairs. So the Wifi signal has to pass through 2 concrete slabs and through 4 walls to get to my PC. So it’s no wonder I only get a 1 bar signal strength. Worse, this cheapo new PC I bought has a built=in Wifi that only works on the 2.4Ghz bandwidth, which is the slow narrow one that is totally overburdened in my building. The newer 5Ghz band is much faster, much wider, and is used less here. At least that’s what the Wifi Analyzer app shows me.
So I figured a two prong solution would work best. First, move the modem as close as possible, and get some kind of high end Wifi card for the PC that can use the 5Ghz band. So I got a big long phone wire, an equally long RG6 coax cable with 4 layer shielding, a bunch of cable connectors both straight and 90 degrees. Then I found a top rated high speed adapter that has a remote four phase antenna. This will let me raise the antenna off the floor down here to about the same level as the modem upstairs, giving me a straight signal path that doesn’t have to go through concrete. Plus super strong antennas. Naturally, the wires on the adapter aren’t quite long enough, and they use the rare mini coax cable that’s not commonly available, so I’m SOL for making my own 4 channel extension cord from standard coax cable. Instead, I have to rearrange things so I can get the PC several feet off the floor, so I can put the antenna up on the bookcase here. I only need to get it up to shoulder height, which I think I can do by putting the printer table on the other side of the PC desk, putting my old PC case on that, and then the new PC on top of that. Because I can’t raise it up too far, because the keyboard, monitor, and mouse wires have to reach the desk. So a simple job of laying a couple of wires will turn into a couple hours of moving furniture and everything else around, plus the time spent installing the card and messing about with the setup. Nothing is ever easy, and everything is always an unexpected cascade of other crap you have to do first before you can do what you want.
And if all that doesn’t do it, I also picked up a 50 foot long Cat 8 network cable, so I can temporarily hardwire the PC to the damn modem. That will absolutely give me maximum connectivity speed, but I’ll have a wire running across the floors of the entire condo. Not an elegant solution, or even a particularly safe one with that kind of tripping hazard. Use it when I’m here all alone, and hope the kittehs don’t think it’s some kind of snake toy to play with and chew on.
Or I could just go buy a house with big bedrooms and loads of outlets so I could put the modem right next to my PC. That’ll do it. And I thought this approach was an expensive one!
Right. Must get kibble. Now. Or else.
Posted by Drew458
on 06/30/2020 at 08:18 AM
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Permalink • Friday - June 19, 2020
online again
yay I have internet again, at least for a little while. I don’t know what is going on with that. Whatever.
So today’s loaf has a bit of honey in it. My usual 4 flour sourdough. I fed the starter last night, saw that it was kind of dry so I added a bit extra water. Left it out overnight and it rose up so much it overflowed. And that’s after I disposed of a goodly amount of it. There’s always too much starter, that’s just how it is unless you bake 4 loaves a day. Um, no. I’m good for 1 a week, maybe. But we’re going visiting Sunday, and that means I’ll bring bread, so I always get the starter primed up a few days in advance, and make a test loaf just to make sure everything is proper. So far, so good. Dough came out a bit wet today, so at the 3rd folding I worked in a little extra flour. You get a feel for this stuff after a while, knowing when the dough is right, and not too wet or too dry.
So into the proofer, and let it ferment for 4 hours or so. Sourdough goes slow, but that’s where the flavor comes from.
The first of my tall lilies opened this morning in the lower garden. That’s my best plant too; it grows 4 feet tall and this year has a dozen blossoms. The lilies in the upper garden get more sun, so they’re open too, and a nice height, but they aren’t quite as hefty as this one plant. She’s a sturdy girl for sure.
Posted by Drew458
on 06/19/2020 at 12:12 PM
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Permalink • Saturday - May 30, 2020
And then a miracle occurred
Our condo sits just 20 feet from the edge of a steep ravine. The land falls off almost vertically, and drops 30 feet or so down into a gulley. It’s very naturally wooded down there, with loads of broken sharp branches, downed trees, a soggy slough from the little creek that goes through, etc. And it’s quite remote, even though it’s only a couple dozen yards from the road that runs behind us. If you fall down there and get hurt, you’re going to die, because no one will ever see you or hear your screaming.
This condo park was built in 1979. There’s never been a fence there, or even any significant brush that would keep anyone from falling over the edge. The landscape guys go zooming up and down the narrow bit of grass between our patio and the edge with their giant mowers. The winter before last some little kids were visiting the neighbors, and were out there sledding in the snow on those little round disc sled things. The ones you can’t steer or stop.
I’ve been after the Association to put in a fence since we bought this place almost 9 years ago. With the new manager, someone actually finally came out and took a look, and went “gosh, this is steep and could be dangerous.” No kidding. Anyway ... 6 months later, and I noticed mark-out paint on the grass the other day, and Friday, 3 of the landscape guys came with a truckfull of posts, and spent about 4 hours digging holes and putting it in.
It’s a split rail fence, parts direct from Lowe’s. It runs 7 sections, so it’s got to be at least 70 feet long. It looks a bit raw, but I’m glad it’s finally in. And now we’re buying potted plants to hang from the rails, and climbing flowering vines to cover it over. Just for a bit more privacy. And some more green.
And it might even make the deer take a different path. Assuming they don’t eat the thing.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/30/2020 at 09:54 PM
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Permalink • Thursday - May 28, 2020
yeah I built that
As part of the COVID re-opening paranoia, I have to sanitize the floors at the eye doctor’s offices where I work. Tile, linoleum, vinyl flooring, and carpet. One location is mostly hard vinyl flooring, the other location is more than 1000 sq ft of office carpet.
I bought a potent steam cleaning machine to do the job. This thing will strip paint and degrease engine blocks, clean years worth of soap scum out of your shower, scrub the BBQ until it looks new ... and also steam mop and sanitize hard floors. It comes with a couple dozen attachments including several sizes and styles of mop head. But none of these work on carpet, because the brushes and microfiber mops stick like glue to rugs. Way too much friction. And the 2 piece plastic wand is not built to be used like a shovel handle.
The Haan company sells a line of floor sanitizers, all of which cost at least double what the mcCullogh steamer I got the Doc to buy for me cost, and all their models provide a whole lot less steam, pressure, and run time. But one of their models has a carpet glide plate, and such a thing is not available for the McCullogh steamers. So I built my own.
At first I was going to glue up a few layers of foamboard - plastic cardboard - and hold that in place with some rubber bands. That idea didn’t work out. then I wondered if I could make a glide plate out of 1/4” plywood, but I’d have to find longer versions of the special screws they used that have that open thread to grip plastic parts. So that didn’t work. Then I figured I could make something out of some oak slats I’ve got out in the garage. That seemed about right, but while digging through the lumber pile I found some bullnose pine slats. Already rounded, so no grabbing the rugs. A little work with the saber saw, and a few seconds using my heavy duty craft stapler to attach them to the large brush accessory, and Wah Lah!! At least I hope.
I’ll try it out tonight. Hey, at least I can check the boxes that a floor sanitizing process is in place. I just hope I can do the job without soaking the carpets. This steam machine can throw a tremendous amount of steam. Holy cats.
Update: It works just fine. Smells a bit like hot wet wood after a bit (duh), but it didn’t fall apart, and I was able to quickly steam the carpets. Steaming the hard flooring with the large microfiber mop took me over an hour. Went through nearly a gallon of water; the advertised 120 minute run time per tank must only apply to light use at the lowest setting. Naturally. I was rather pleased to see that very little additional dirt came up. I’ve scrubbed the daylights out of that place since the pandemic started, and their new germaphobic continuous processes are keeping the place quite clean. Don’t tell anybody, but they hardly even need me at this point.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/28/2020 at 03:17 PM
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Permalink • Monday - May 25, 2020
The Dothraki Among Us
2 Dead, >5 Wounded At Giant SC Block Party
It must have been a great time
A South Carolina teenager was among two killed when gunfire erupted late Saturday at a block party that drew about 1,000 people despite the government’s warnings against large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, investigators said.
Jabbrie Brandon, 17, died at a hospital, while 21-year-old Curtis Lamont Bomar died at the scene just outside Jonesville, Fox Carolina reported, citing the county coroner.
At least five others were wounded at the party, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
Witnesses told authorities that the gunfire came from a car driving down the road, and people at the party returned fire, the station reported.
If you watched Game of Thrones you’ll remember the line from Danaerys’ wedding - “A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair”. Sometimes it seems to me that a certain element in our society feels the same way, and actually looks forward to random acts of murder at so many of their social gatherings. Concerts, sporting events, new sneaker releases, Black Friday sales, weddings, funerals, children’s birthday parties, and the especially ironic shootings at their Stop The Violence candlelight vigils. And now with the warmer weather, and the ending of some of the lock downs, they vent the pressure with firearms. I was a big fan of GoT, but the Dothraki were barbarians.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/25/2020 at 09:38 AM
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Permalink • Friday - May 22, 2020
Peiper, his wife, and Alderly
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
JRR Tolkien
Vilmar was kind enough to use some of his photographic skills to make good copies of the few pictures I got from their executor some time ago when he settled their estate. They’re gone a long time now, and probably so is the charming but decrepit little English bungalow they lived in on the outskirts of Winchester, out in the quiet farm lands. I always teased him that he was a hobbit living in the Shire, on a cowpath at the edge of the barrow downs. The house had no number, merely a name. Alderly. Their ancient [bronze age] gnarled and pollarded tree lined driveway-width street has been “discovered” and many of the old homes have been bought up and torn down to make way for modern McMansions. And so the past passes.
They never had chidren.
Peiper was my co-blogger here for years. We exchanged letters, emails, books, presents. We were both fascinated by tales of the old pirate days, and our friendship grew from there. We both loved to read, and the esoteric bits of history. I kept her well supplied with fancy chocolates and holiday goodies after he passed away, along with cards and letters on a regular basis.
I’m not sure of when this picture was from, one of their anniversaries I think, but it shows them both in good health and spirits. And that’s how I shall remember them. Peiper, JayD, Jay. His real name was Joel Diamond, and he and his wife Jennifer died a few years ago.
They were my best friends that I never met, and I only talked to her a few times. I don’t think I ever even talked to Jay, although I kept the phone message he left on our machine after hurricaine Sandy for many years. Digital brothers. She was the most charming woman I’ve ever spoken to. Ten minutes on the phone and it felt like we’d known each other our whole lives. I miss them both.
Click on the image of them for a larger version if you’d like.
UPDATE: Wardmama found a couple old emails they’d shared, and one had a picture of Peiper and “his” gold record. He was a country music DJ in Nashville for a good number of years.
It was the late Royce Kendall on the right, who made sure I was given a gold album (the record co. gave me a plaque for the single). It would never have occurred to me to think I had one coming, altho in all truth I was the one to get the ball rolling and was the first DJ to pull that song off the LP and play it as a single. Year is 76. Gosh.
Sure wish I could have my hair back if nothin’ else.
Peiper’s memory might be off a little bit. Looking into the discography of The Kendalls, a father and daughter singing duo, their big hit, was Heaven’s Just a Sin Away, gold record, Grammy winner, #1 on Billboard country tunes ... which came out in 1977.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/22/2020 at 08:27 AM
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Permalink • A Month Late And A Trillion Short
President Trump Orders US Flags To Half Mast For 3 Days For COVID Deaths
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he would order flags to fly at half-staff to memorialize Americans lost to the coronavirus.
“I will be lowering the flags on all Federal Buildings and National Monuments to half-staff over the next three days in memory of the Americans we have lost to the CoronaVirus,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
The president announced his decision after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asked Trump to mark the day when America reached the milestone of 100,000 deaths from the virus.
Pelosi and Schumer wrote in a letter to President Trump:
We will always carry their memory in our hearts. As we pay our respects to them, sadly, our country mourns the deaths of nearly 100,000 Americans from COVID-19. Our hearts are broken over this great loss and our prayers are with their families.
Currently the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States stands at 94,591 according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University.
The president said that the flags would fly at half-staff on Memorial Day to honor Americans who died serving in the U.S. military.
“On Monday, the flags will be at half-staff in honor of the men and women in our Military who have made the Ultimate Sacrifice for our Nation,” he wrote.
On the one hand, this is a fine, temporary gesture, coming just before Memorial Day when all the flags would be dipped in remembrance anyway.
On the other hand, while it may appear that he is making a bi-partisan gesture, he is being manipulated by Pelosi and Schumer, essentially admitting defeat. That’s not what he’s doing, but that’s how the MSM and millions of people will see it.
On the third hand, this is all “a day late and a dollar short” to me, as all the states around me have been flying the flag low for so long now. For a day or two, it’s a fine thing. For more than a month, it’s defeatism. yes, there has been the days set aside for police memorial, but most of this has been for coronavirus deaths. And that bugs me. All the other deaths from all the other illnesses, accidents, old age, etc, far outstrip the somewhat nebulous numbers of “covid caused, covid related, covid suspected” victims. It begins to feel like a con. Defeatism. Keep the sheep sad and they stay in line longer. And I’m getting damn sick and tired of that.
[ May 15 ] In Connecticut, state and U.S. flags are half staff indefinitely in recognition of all those whose lives were lost or affected by COVID-19.
...
Illinois has joined the states who are lowering their flags for the victims of COVID-19.
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In Massachusetts, flags at soldiers’ home facilities and veteran cemeteries began flying half-staff on April 19 until a date to be determined in respect of veterans and Soldiers’ Home residents who died from COVID-19.
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In Michigan, state and U.S. flags are flying half staff indefinitely, according to a proclamation that went into place on April 10.
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In New Jersey, all state flags and U.S. flags are being flown at half-staff indefinitely in memory of the people who have lost their lives to the coronavirus outbreak. The proclamation was placed by Gov. Philip D. Murphy on April 3 and is still ongoing
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In New York, all flags on state government buildings will fly at half-staff indefinitely while the state is “on pause” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on April 8.
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In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered that all commonwealth flags on commonwealth facilities, public buildings, and public grounds fly at half staff indefinitely in honor of the victims of the 2019 novel coronavirus. The proclamation was put into place on April 8.
A gesture overused loses meaning, impact, and importance. This extended “act of mourning” is no more than empty virtue signalling. This offends me, as a significant tradition is being besmirched. Watered down to nothing. And every one of the states doing it is run by Democrats.
Posted by Drew458
on 05/22/2020 at 07:54 AM
Filed Under: • CULTURE IN DECLINE • Daily Life • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Passing on, Death and Disaster • Pandemic Pandemonium •
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Permalink • Tuesday - April 28, 2020
just another day
Not too much to say. I didn’t follow the news much today other than that NYT Daily Briefing that shows up on my phone.
There was a neat story there about some lab in UK that’s going to start human trials for a COVID vaccine next month. Because, hey, they’ve got lots of financial backing right now, and it worked on a couple dozen monkeys. So let’s find 6000 uninfected people to dose and see what happens. Course, this place has not had success with their style of vaccines with malaria or MERS, but maybe the third time’s the charm. The Times worried that it might be hard for them to test if the pandemic has petered out by then. Gee thanks NYT.
The other interesting story there was the “great mystery” of why so few people have died from this disease in India. Let’s see ... lower life expectancy means there are fewer old folks around to start, almost nobody in India is well fed enough to be overweight, the place is a tropical Petri dish with almost as many endemic horrible diseases as Africa, at least half the country lives on chloroquine because of the malaria, few people go to hospitals and stay there long enough to die (they die at home), doctors and medical examiners keep lousy records, and immediate public cremation means there aren’t any bodies in morgues to study. Plus they don’t have money for all the test kits. So yeah, it’s a huge mystery.
I worked all day long, finishing up one office and getting mostly done with the second office. Patching and painting takes a long time. But today was my 5th trip in 9 days, and I’m getting tired of it. I’ll go back tomorrow or the day after to screw a chair rail to the wall and paint the other side of the lab door. Then it’s all done. Takes me longer to drive there and back than I have work to do, but you can’t rush spackle or paint.
And that’s another day in lockdown.
Oh yeah; we’re bing watching True Blood, a deep south vampire series. 70 episodes to go through. It was pretty good when we watched it when it was new. Here’s the video of the minor them music from the show. It’s kind of church music. A simple sad tune asking God for help and solace. Which the characters in the show really need as they go from one dark, gory, supernatural adventure to the next.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=myZ3_8gz63A#
Nope, haven’t figured out how to do embedded videos yet either. Sorry.
Posted by Drew458
on 04/28/2020 at 10:19 PM
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Permalink • Saturday - April 18, 2020
Money, yay!!
I have day or two of work! Doc needs his office repainted, floors polished, windows done. So I get to play Handy Andy for a bit, freshening the place up. Maybe he’s found a buyer for the franchise, or is trying to get another doctor involved now that he’s retired. Cool.
I don’t know if it’s a full 2 days of effort, but I should be able to get a couple hundred bucks out of it. Not that I really need the cash; but it’s nice to get out of this place and feel like a normal working stiff again, even if it’s just for a short while.
Posted by Drew458
on 04/18/2020 at 02:56 PM
Filed Under: • Daily Life •
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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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