Saturday - May 19, 2012

ORGANIC JERKS?

Sometime during the past week I happen to see but didn’t read, an article in the health section of our paper claiming that health food may not really be all that healthy.  But I wasn’t really interested and so ignored it but for the headline.
I try when possible not to over do the yummy stuff that has added to my girth. But that is I’m sorry to say, about as far as it goes.  All the stuff that is supposed to keep me healthy and fit does not taste nearly as good as the stuff that health nazis say is gonna do me in.  He writes as he enjoys a hot cup of PG-Tips xtra strong tea (with Jersey milk which has more cream in it then reg. milk. YUM!) and a strawberry crumpet loaded with real whipped cream.

Anyway, due to things that keep me much preoccupied here, I don’t check my email everyday. But I did this morning and was greeted by the following sent to us by Doc Jeff, and so thanks doc.

H/T Doc Jeff

Does organic food turn people into jerks?

By Diane Mapes

Renate Raymond has encountered her fair share of but a recent trip to a Seattle market left her feeling like she’d stumbled onto the set of Portlandia.

“I stopped at a market to get a fruit platter for a movie night with friends but I couldn’t find one so I asked the produce guy,” says the 40-year-old arts administrator from Seattle. “And he was like, ‘If you want fruit platters, go to Safeway. We’re organic.’ I finally bought a small cake and some strawberries and then at the check stand, the guy was like ‘You didn’t bring your own bag? I need to charge you if you didn’t bring your own bag.’ It was like a ‘Portlandia skit.’ They were so snotty and arrogant.”

As it turns out, new research has determined that a judgmental attitude may just go hand in hand with exposure to organic foods. In fact, a new study published this week in the journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science, has found that organic food may just make people act a bit like jerks.

“There’s a line of research showing that when people can pat themselves on the back for their moral behavior, they can become self-righteous,” says author Kendall Eskine, assistant professor of the department of psychological sciences at Loyola University in New Orleans. “I’ve noticed a lot of organic foods are marketed with moral terminology, like Honest Tea, and wondered if you exposed people to organic food, if it would make them pat themselves on the back for their moral and environmental choices. I wondered if they would be more altruistic or not.”

To find out, Eskine and his team divided 60 people into three groups. One group was shown pictures of clearly labeled organic food, like apples and spinach. Another group was shown comfort foods such as brownies and cookies. And a third group—the controls—were shown non-organic, non-comfort foods like rice, mustard and oatmeal. After viewing the pictures, each person was then asked to read a series of vignettes describing moral transgressions.

SOURCE

Some of you may have seen this on CNBC and so this is for those who didn’t as well as our foreign audience.
And btw .......  how’s this for silly and if anyone understands it, speak up.

I saw some bottled water with a label that read, drawn from organic land.  WTH?

Posted by peiper     on 05/19/2012 at 02:27 AM   
Filed Under: • Health and Safety • Miscellaneous • USA •  
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   Friday - May 18, 2012

Past The Tipping Point And Down The Slippery Slope

Lack of babies could mean the extinction of the Japanese people

Japan has a problem, a lack of children, and it seems likely there will be even fewer in the future.

Japanese researchers have now warned of a doomsday scenario if it carries on this way with the last child to be born there in 3011 and the Japanese people potentially disappearing a few generations later.

Academics from the city of Sendai, which was hit hard by last year’s tsunami, calculate there are now 16.6 million children under the age of 14 now in Japan.

And they say that number is shrinking at a disturbing rate of one every 100 seconds.

So if you do the mathematics, as they did, then the country will have no children within a millennium.

Another study recently showed Japan’s population is expected to fall a third from its current 127.7 million over the next century.

Government projections show the birth rate will hit just 1.35 children per woman within 50 years, well below the replacement rate.

Hmm, I wonder if this always happens when the standard of living gets too high? Or perhaps it always happens when the State gets too powerful, beneficent or not. When life is too easy, do people just stop trying? Or perhaps when the definition of “the good life” is set too high, they sacrifice their future to attain it? One thing I can say about the Japanese is that they don’t suffer a moment of “yellow guilt”. They believe in their own racial superiority but good. But we’re talking Japan now, so it will be for some really strange reason the rest of the world can’t even fathom.

The question everybody asks is why is there a lack of children?

The answer seems to lie in several reasons.

One reason is the cost. Japan is an extremely expensive country and getting a child through college can wipe out a family’s finances.

But research shows it goes much deeper than that as the Japanese state does throw a lot of money at people with children.

Another argument is that there are more effeminate men now called “Herbivores” there who are either not interested in sex or women don’t find masculine enough.

Then some suggest many young Japanese people prefer “virtual” friends with a robot or on the internet, while others suggest their fascination with comics rather than relationships is the cause for a lack of babies.

A study was released earlier this year in which it showed Japan’s young people are shunning the idea of marriage and having children.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research study also showed one in four unmarried men and women in their 30s had never had sex, and most young women preferred being single.

It also showed over 60 percent of unmarried young men didn’t have a girlfriend, and nearly 50 percent of women of the same age weren’t dating.

If that wasn’t bad enough, young Japanese people are also, it seems, increasingly not interested in sex.

A survey by the Japan Family Planning Association found that 36 percent of males between 16 and 19 had “no interest” in sex.

Herbivores? Ouch. And half the youth don’t even want to get busy. How in hell can you be a teenage boy and have no interest in sex?? Good grief, IIRC that’s pretty much all teenagers think about. It’s in the genes to get her out of her jeans.

Another point that Steyn makes, one that’s pretty obvious when you think about it, is that the aging population is not helping. Too much health care? I can’t say, but with everyone living forever, there is no room opening up for the next generations, so they aren’t bothering to even have next generations. This is how a really large part of Europe is, and now it looks like Japan is in the same boat. Is it as if human beings subconsciously feel a population density pressure point, and don’t breed past that level? That would explain the Red State population growth here, at the expense of the Blue State coastal growth where populations are dozens of times denser. On the other hand, if such innate pressure sensitivity exists, it might be racially connected. China and India have insanely large populations, with more people per square mile than anywhere on earth, yet they continue to churn out the young. Ah, but the quality of life there isn’t all that great, nor is health care, nor is longevity. So those “switches” might override the density switch and keep them in “panic mode” breeding? I don’t know. Is there a sociologist/anthropologist in the house?

Japan’s population isn’t falling faster because people there are living longer.

Japan has a life expectancy of about 86 years for women and 79 for men at present, and the ages are expected to rise in the coming decades.

More than 20 percent of Japan’s people are aged 65 or over, one of the highest proportions of elderly in the world.

Japan’s graying population is a real problem for the country’s leaders as they need to ensure the dwindling numbers of workers can pay for all the care needed for the growing army of pensioners.

And the elderly have increasingly more economic clout with Japanese companies targeting them increasingly.

Like I said. And like Steyn said, maybe the real reason for the breeders not breeding is that they don’t want to raise children who are only going to be slaves to the geezer-state.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/18/2012 at 09:59 AM   
Filed Under: • CULTURE IN DECLINE • International •  
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THE TIPPING POINT …. CONTINUED

Yesterday, under the heading THE TIPPING POINT, Drew posted an article on demographics relating to the USA and our future. (I’m using ‘future’ lightly) Some many years ago, Time or possibly Newsweek, forget which, ran a story titled ‘The Browning of America’.  Must have been some 25 yrs ago.

Well, last week there was a small blurb in our papers relating to the muslim population of the USA. It said that the muslim population in the USA has doubled.  It did not mention in what time frame, nor did it give their numbers.  Hey, one is two too many.

H/T Right Side News

And that brings me to this. The link below has all of the article.

MUSLIM VOTERS CHANGE EUROPE

Muslims cast the deciding voted that thrust Hollande into the Elysée Palace. He also pledged to change French electoral laws so that Muslim residents without French citizenship would be allowed to vote in municipal elections as of 2014, enabling the Socialist Party to tighten its grip on political power.

An analysis of the voting patterns that barrelled François Hollande to victory on May 6 as the first Socialist president of France since 1995 shows that this overthrow was due in large measure to Muslims, who voted for him in overwhelming numbers.

The French vote marks the first time that Muslims have determined the outcome of a presidential election in a major western European country; it is a preview of things to come.

As the politically active Muslim population in France continues to swell, and as most Muslims vote for Socialist and leftwing parties, conservative parties will find it increasingly difficult to win future elections in France.

According to a survey of 10,000 French voters conducted by the polling firm OpinionWay for the Paris-based newspaper Le Figaro, an extaordinary 93% of French Muslims voted for Hollande on May 6. By contrast, the poll shows that only 7% of French Muslims voted for the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy.

An estimated 2 million Muslims participated in the 2012 election, meaning that roughly 1.7 million Muslim votes went to Hollande rather than to Sarkozy. In the election as a whole, however, Hollande won over Sarkozy by only 1.1 million votes. This figure implies that Muslims cast the deciding votes that thrust Hollande into the Élysée Palace.

France, home to between five and six million Muslims, already has the largest Muslim population in the European Union, and those numbers are expected to increase exponentially in coming years. According to conservative estimates, the Muslim population is projected to exceed 10% of the overall French population within the next decade-and-a-half.

During the campaign, Hollande offered an amnesty to all of the estimated 400,000 illegal Muslim immigrants currently in France. He also pledged to change French electoral laws so that Muslim residents without French citizenship would be allowed to vote in municipal elections as of 2014. These measures, if implemented, would enable the Socialist Party tighten its grip on political power, both at the regional and national levels.

Muslims in France—and across Europe as a whole—tend to support the Socialists for a variety of demographic, socio-economic and ideological reasons.

Most Muslims in Europe live in lower-income households and experience higher levels of unemployment. As a result, Socialists and Muslims are locked into a politically advantageous power-dependence relationship, between the givers of social welfare benefits and the givers of votes. Not surprisingly, Socialists favor increased Muslim immigration, which in turn produces more voters for Socialist parties.

In the ideological sphere, Socialists and Muslims generally share a mutual antipathy for traditional Judeo-Christian values. Although many Muslims oppose the secular agenda of the Socialists, most Muslims wholeheartedly support Socialist multicultural dogma, which they are leveraging to promote the Islamization of Europe.

In foreign policymaking, Socialists and Muslims share a mutual disdain for the United States and Israel. Leftwing parties across Europe have turned anti-Zionism into a politically correct form of anti-Semitism. The increasingly hysterical anti-Israel rhetoric emanating from Socialist circles has contributed to a spike in anti-Semitic hate crimes across the continent; many of these crimes against Jews are being perpetrated by Muslims.

MORE TO READ HERE

Posted by peiper     on 05/18/2012 at 07:17 AM   
Filed Under: • International • muslims •  
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   Thursday - May 17, 2012

Chess Problem #237

I know, the chess problems have been conspicuous by their absence. But here’s a new one. And a difficult one. #237 is White to move. Theme is ‘overload’. I’ll quote:

Overloading involves the exploitation of an enemy unit which must protect at least two other important pieces (or squares). The object of the attacker is to force the overloaded defending piece to relinquish its necessary defensive functions.

White to move and win

Taken from Combination Challenge by Lou Hayes and USCF Senior Master John Hall (2520)
Graphics courtesy of Exachess.

Also, for any who are interested, I’ve posted another amusing game of mine. This was in the second round of the 1993 Gem City Open. My opponent out-rated me by 162 points. He should have kicked my @ss. Indeed he was kicking my @ss. I was down a Bishop and two pawns, but my 27th move really confused him, and I won. I still don’t know if my 27th move was brilliant, bluff, or a brilliant bluff. I do know that if I’d lost, I’d have annotated it as ??, as in losing move. As things turned out, I gave it a !? which is chessic for interesting.

Here’s the link: Christopher (1809) - Friedman (1971), 1993 Gem City Open, Rd. 2.

It’s a javascript animated link. You can play through it right on the webpage.

UPDATE: 5/22/12 Solution to #237. Yes, this is what the book gives.

1. Nxg6! hxg6
2. Rxe6 Qd7

if 2 … fxe6
3. Qxg6+ winning.

3. Rxg6+ Kh7
4. Ree6 Bf6

if 4 … fxe6
5. Rg7+ Kh8
6. Qg6 and wins

5. Rgxf6 Rg8
6. Bg5 Rg7
7. Rh6+ Kg8
8. Qh5 and White wins. 

Posted by Christopher     on 05/17/2012 at 09:43 PM   
Filed Under: • CHESS •  
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Wheeeee

Posted by Drew458     on 05/17/2012 at 12:52 PM   
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •  
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The Tipping Point

For the first time in history, there were more minority children born in the United States than white, according to 2011 census data released on Thursday.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 50.4 percent of children born in a 12-month period that ended last July were Hispanic, black, Asian American or from other minorities groups, while non-Hispanic whites accounted for 49.6 percent of all births in that span. In 2010, minority babies accounted for 49.5 percent of all births.

Overall, minorities in the U.S. increased 1.9 percent to become 36.6 percent of the total U.S. population (114 million). But with the weak economy resulting in fewer Hispanics entering the U.S., demographers project that the tipping point when minorities become the majority in America may not happen as early as some predicted. After the 2010 census, experts suggested it could happen by 2040.

Maybe it’s time we all got past our colors and categories and just started being Americans. Unfortunately, very few people of any color or category know what ‘being Americans’ actually is supposed to mean.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/17/2012 at 12:45 PM   
Filed Under: • Racism and race relations •  
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senior sees off two thugs putting hurt on one.

Do not get a lot of stories like this so like to pass on.

Might seem a bit weird and maybe I have missed other examples but, over the last 6 months or so with other stories dealing with people who have fought back and been lucky, it just seems as though the majority of them have been older folk like this fellow, or else women and then no spring chickens either.

They picked on the wrong pensioner! Boxer, 77, who trained with Henry Cooper, beats up two club-wielding thugs after home attack

· Michael Mather dusted off his fighting skills to send to thugs packing
· He smashed the nose of one of the yobs after they ‘walloped’ him on head

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON
In his younger days, pensioner Michael Mather was used to sparring in the ring with boxing legend Henry Cooper.
But more recently he has dusted off his fighting skills to put up a fight against two brutal thugs who attacked him outside his home in Ilford, Essex.
The 77-year-old was hit on the head with a wooden club as they tried to force their way into his house while he loaded his car.
Proving he can still throw a good punch, Mr Mather hit one of them in the face and the pair, in their late teens, fled the scene.

Mr Mather spent his youth training with post-war heavyweight boxing icon Henry Cooper and East End gangsters, the Kray twins.
Mr Mather said: ‘One of the boys walloped me on the head with a two foot log and it started bleeding. I was so angry I swore at them and told them I was going to kill them.

‘They then tried to push past me to get into the house.
‘I went to hit one of the boys in the solar plexus with my left and then with my right hand hit him on the nose and it just burst which I do feel a bit guilty about.’
Mr Mather was on his way to referee a local football tournament when he was confronted by his attackers.
‘I was putting my ref’s gear into the car and I didn’t really notice the boys,’ he said. ‘I heard a voice saying “can I use your toilet mister?” but I told them it was out of order,’ he said.

They thugs insisted that Mr Mather let them into his house and attacked him from behind after he turned his back.
‘After I hit him the boys ran off,’ he added.
‘I assume it was the sight of me with blood over my face which was so thick I couldn’t see through my glasses.’
He was then taken to Queen’s Hospital, Romford.

He said: ‘When the nurse at the hospital was stitching my head back together all I could think about was getting to the football match as I didn’t want to let the boys down.

SOURCE

Posted by peiper     on 05/17/2012 at 11:37 AM   
Filed Under: • Battling Brits • Crime •  
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Last Dance

It’s the Last Dance for Donna Summer, 1948-2012

Yes, one of the few bright spots of disco is gone. 

Donna Summer—the Queen of Disco—died this morning after a battle with cancer ... TMZ has learned.

We’re told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63 years old.

Sources close to Summer tell us ... the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps.

My favorites were:

Love to Love You Baby
Hot Stuff
She Works Hard For The Money
I Feel Love
Plus, her version of MacArthur Park is my favorite version.

She had a lot more that were pretty good. I have her Greatest Hits on vinyl LP. It’s a two-record set.

UPDATE:

I just read her Wikipedia entry. I had no idea she started out singing background for Three Dog Night. That’s one of my favorite bands from my early teens. She is survived by her second husband and their two daughters, as well as a daughter from her first marriage.

Posted by Christopher     on 05/17/2012 at 12:00 PM   
Filed Under: • Celebrities •  
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   Wednesday - May 16, 2012

FOREIGN DOCTORS WITH MINIMUM LANGUAGE SKILLS

I’m not trying to compete with Drew for the prizewinning moonbat warning award, and while this may not beat his posting of that poor guy who got fired cos he turned in a found gun, this sure does come close if it doesn’t tie.

For some time now there has apparently been quite a problem with foreign doctors working in this country, whose English leaves much to be desired. In fact, there have been reports of doctors who hardly understood the language of the country they were attending to patients in.  There have been some disasters and a promise to do more to vet doctors from other countries more closely.  Now wouldn’t you think that should have been the rule from the get-go?
Hang there ... wait a minute.  This is gonna get sticky. Not so cut and dried as you may think. Remember, this isn’t the USA where we all speak Spanish.
Right. Not funny.

Here’s the headline.

Foreign doctors who can’t speak proper English to be struck off: NHS must check language skills

By JAMES CHAPMAN

Doctors will be struck off if they cannot speak proper English amid fears that patients’ lives are being put at risk, the Health Secretary will say today.

Hospitals and GPs’ surgeries will also be legally obliged to make sure foreign medics have a proper grasp of the language and the way the NHS works.

Andrew Lansley plans to change the rules so doctors found to fall short of the required standards can be permanently barred from practising in this country.

Under the existing system, as many as 23,000 doctors from Europe have registered to work in the NHS despite never having been asked if they can speak English properly.

This gets interesting right about here.

To comply with EU freedom-of-movement requirements, continental doctors and nurses are allowed to work without any formal NHS training.

They can be struck off only if they are found to have harmed patients.

What? So they get to work but the public has to be open to just one mistake. As in a deadly one? Like this?

In one notorious case, pensioner David Gray died after out-of-hours locum Dr Daniel Ubani gave him up to 20 times the recommended amount of diamorphine to treat pain in his kidneys.

The German doctor had failed an English test for one primary care trust, so simply applied to work at another.

(he was German like I’m a rocket scientist. He was NOT German. Does Ubani look like a German word or name? )

UNEDITED AND ALL OF STORY HERE

I only used that article to set the stage. This one is more recent and falls into another category.
Guy visits doctor who happens to be Spanish but.
no entiendo Inglés.  okay I exaggerated a bit the doc may have understood a little but not enough.
Because the doctor reported to authorities that the fellow, who was a bus driver, was also a drunk. But he made NO tests. Nice huh?
So now the patient is out of a job. 

A whole year of hell, thanks to a foreign doctor

By KELVIN MACKENZIE

Last week, I raised the uncomfortable issue of foreign doctors working in this country, and targeted the offensive behaviour of a Spanish consultant. I have since received, and investigated to my satisfaction, an even more shocking case.

Bus driver Kevin Jones, aged 53, turned up with his wife, Samantha, to see Dr Antonio Serrano, a Spaniard, at his surgery in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.

Mr Jones was suffering pain from swollen legs. Almost immediately, the doctor diagnosed gout and asked how much he drank. He said he might have a pint or two after work and if he went out with his wife and friends at the weekend, a couple of spirits.

When he discovered Mr Jones drove a bus for a living — and had done for 30 years — his attitude changed and, without any research into any kind of alcohol dependency — such as liver or blood tests — he said he would write to the DVLA to have his licence revoked.

Mr Jones told me: ‘This is where the language barrier hit home. He took it that I drank every night, and when I tried to explain, he wouldn’t listen and just spoke over me.’

Several days later, Dr Serrano wrote to the DVLA. Mr Jones asked to see another doctor at the surgery, who agreed to send Mr Jones for blood, liver and kidney tests over a six-week period, all of which showed that Mr Jones was not alcohol dependent.

By now, though, Mr Jones had been signed off sick by his employers, Countryliner.

Astonishingly, without asking for any evidence, the DVLA took the doctor’s word and revoked not only his bus driver’s licence but also his car and motorbike licence.

Mr Jones, who earned £17,000 a year, says: ‘It was a living hell. I could not persuade the DVLA that I was not alcohol dependent, and the only person who could get it revoked was Dr Serrano, who refused to do so.’

By July last year, Mr Jones resigned from the bus company while he battled to clear his name. He had seen other doctors who, although they could not rule out gout, said it was most likely he had arthritis.

READ THE REST OF IT HERE AND THE DOCTOR’S REPLY

Posted by peiper     on 05/16/2012 at 12:59 PM   
Filed Under: • Health-Medicine •  
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Palm Desert?

good grief I am homesik

freezing here and mostly cloudy

Posted by peiper     on 05/16/2012 at 12:57 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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No Bad Puns, No More SOJ

CBS Cancels “CSI: Miami”



Oh noes! No more Horatio Caine, no more of his not really witty puns, and no more of his neurotic constant removing of the famous SOJ (Sunglasses Of Justice) 30 times per episode. And after 10 solid years, no more episodes that feature the exact same plot line: At some fancy do for the young, rich, beautiful, and scantily clad, a gruesome murder occurs. With his god-like powers, the very first person Horatio talks to while removing the SOJ turns out to be the killer. But to get there, the CSI gang have to talk to 5 other suspects, all of whom lie to the police, then they have to suffer through 2 montages of them driving around the city and putting little bits into test tubes back at the lab. Then the key clue will arrive by an absolutely impossible manifestation of technology (see cartoon at left), the first witness will be brought back in for further questioning, and after being subjected to several awful Horatio quips will confess. Camera pans to scope the amazingly beautiful lady cops who come to work every day in 5” stilettos, skin tight pants, and well filled blouses open to their navels. End credits.

I won’t really miss it, though with it’s over-saturated colors and over-saturated bikinis, it was worth the occasional viewing with the sound off. And I do have a jones for Eva La Rue. Day-um. Drew like. Yum.




And now I finally get a chance to use these CSI graphics, which I’ve had sitting around on the PC for years now.

The “C.S.I.” franchise, probably the most lucrative television concept ever produced, has begun its inevitable departure from the television landscape with the news Sunday that CBS has cancelled the original spinoff, “C.S.I.: Miami.”

The crime drama, which lasted 10 seasons, most likely became the victim in this case because it was more expensive than its newer, and lower-rated, sister show, “C.S.I.: New York.” That drama is expected to be back on CBS’s schedule, which the network will announce Wednesday.

The original “C.S.I.,” set in Las Vegas and still the highest-rated of the three shows, is sure to return after a season in which it bounced back with Ted Danson as its latest star.

CBS released a statement about the decision to end the Miami show:

“C.S.I.: Miami” leaves an amazing television legacy — a signature look and style, global popularity and as a key player in CBS’s rise to the top over the past decade. We thank all the producers — led by Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and Ann Donahue — and its talented cast, led by David Caruso, for 10 outstanding seasons. Viewers around the world will continue to enjoy rebroadcasts of “C.S.I.: Miami” in syndication and on key digital platforms for many years to come.

“C.S.I.: Miami” was a top-rated show for most of its run and was one of the biggest sellers to international broadcasters around the world, generating hundreds of millions in revenue for CBS.

It also created one of the most imitated (and mocked) signature moments of recent television seasons: the ritual removal of the sunglasses by Mr. Caruso as he delivered an especially portentous line of dialogue.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/16/2012 at 11:51 AM   
Filed Under: • Television •  
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Common Sense? You’re Fired!

A Detroit groundskeeper, who turned in a loaded handgun he found hidden in weeds while working, was fired by the Wayne County Department of Public Services, MyFoxDetroit.com reports.

John Chevilott, who is just two years shy of retirement, found the loaded snub-nosed revolver on May 3 when he and his crew were mowing a lawn in Wayne County. Chevilott secured the gun, waiting for police to drive by so he could hand it over to them.

But, according to the station, the Detroit police never did pass by, so Chevilott finished his work that day, drove the gun home and later that same evening turned it into his local police department.

He says the cops ran the gun and discovered the weapon had been stolen from St. Clair Shores in 2005.

“They said I did the right thing getting it off the street,” Chevilott told MyFoxDetroit.com.

However, Chevilott’s superiors at the Wayne County Department of Public Services had a much different opinion. His foreman, who had knowledge of the situation, was suspended for 30 days, and after 23 years on the job, Chevilott was fired for violating department policies.

Department policy says no employee can have a gun on the job. Chevy countered that he didn’t bring a gun to work, he found the gun while on the job. As if that makes any difference. They fired him anyway. Chevilott says there is no existing policy on what to do if a firearm is found on the job. The landscaper’s union is filing a grievance. Good for them.

County bosses say Chevy was also terminated for insubordination. Well duh, of course he was. Probably because he told his pussified pencil pusher boss just what flavor of dumbshit he really was for making an issue of out this nothing situation. He was also fired for “unauthorized access to the road yard”, which means his bosses are ginning up every BS charge against the guy they can find, including being at the mower storage area when it wasn’t his official 10 minutes to be there. What a load of bullshit.

Want to play Guess The Truth? In his supervisor’s minds, he was supposed to race to the phone to dial his boss, who would instantly call 911, so the po-po could have a big gee-whiz, lock down the whole building or golf course or whatever it was that had grass too long, call in the bomb squad and the helicopters, and generally waste half a million or so of taxpayer money. Because ... it’s a gun!!! PANIC MODE ON!! Don’t make a decision, kick it upstairs, get everyone involved!! This could be the end of the world right now, so share the blame as wide as possible!! Plus, it would be the supervisor who got the official brass plated gold star attaboy that might get handed out.

Not.

Instead, the grass whacker picked up a bit of garbage, like any other garbage, and set it aside. Oh look, it’s a gun. Gosh. Hidden in the weeds. In Detroit. Oh lawdy, that ain’t nevah happened before, not never! Wrong. Realizing this was no more than a thin squirt’s worth of chicken shit, mower man put the thing in the mower’s toolbox and went back to work. Hey, if the cops came by, he’d give it to them. They didn’t, so he completed his job and clocked out. Might even have forgotten about it for a while.  Just another day on the ride behind.  Probably he went back to the yard after work, got the gun, and took it to the cops. Just another piece of trash taken off the streets. Such a non-big deal he didn’t even mention it. “Unauthorized access”? Dude, it’s HIS yard. He has the keys. He’s been doing the job since before the yard even existed. And he knew damn well that if he called the cops, he’d have to waste his whole evening waiting for them to show up, because they can smell chicken shit a mile away too. So not only did Chevilott do the right thing, he did it the right way, the way that caused the least susurrus for all parties involved.

Until his supervisor got the paperwork from the cops on Monday. And that wouldn’t have been a surprise if the guy had ever come around to check on the crews, or had shown the slightest interest in the daily affairs of his men. But no, not even a “hey, what’s new?” from that stuffed shirt. All he wants is the forms with all the boxes checked. That’s my guess, having worked this kind of job and had this kind of boss. They don’t want to hear from you for nothing. Chevi was on his own, all the time, and was expected to solve every daily problem himself, don’t bother me, until ex post facto the problems he solved were too big for his paygrade. Been there, done that, still have the shirt with the stains, quit the job.

So he gets canned for it ... after 23 years on the job. Most likely because he didn’t pitch a hoplophobic hissy sissy fit, applied a bit of common sense instead, and went about doing his job; his boss canned him because he’s reacting like a 15 year old girl “You didn’t callll me!” How dare Forest Gump have any intelligence or any ability to solve issues on his own. The nerve.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/16/2012 at 08:05 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Government •  
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how’s this for a do it yourself project?

Wow .... take a look at what this fellow has done.

Talk about a do it yourself project.  Brilliant.

It started with this.

An old (130 years) rail coach which wasn’t allowed to be moved. So, his ex FIL built a home around it and got this.

But apparently the coach his FIL bought needed lots of restoration and lots and lots of work. Which this man took on.

Is this the strangest home in Britain? The bungalow that’s built around a 130-year-old railway carriage

Jim Higgins’ ex father-in-law had to build around the carriage because bizarre planning rules said it had stood for so long it could not be moved

Mr Higgins is now restoring the former Great Western Railway carriage to possibly open to the public

By MATT BLAKE

When it comes to building a comfortable bungalow, Jim Higgins has got the inside track.

The retired transport manager, 60, has one of the most unique houses in Britain… because it is built around a real railway carriage.

The property in Ashton, Cornwall, is a fully functioning house but bizarrely has the fully restored 130-year-old Great Western Railway car within its walls.

Mr Higgins, 64, originally from Buckinghamshire took over the property from his former father-law Charles Allen who was forced to build it around the railway carriage because bizarre planning regulations meant the train could not be moved.

Mr Higgins said: ‘The railway carriage was lived in by a local woman Elizabeth Richards from 1930.

‘It was known as Lizzies Place to when she died in 1966.

‘It then stood empty for a number of years until my ex-father-in-law came down looking for somewhere to retire.

All the other photos are HERE and I think you might be impressed. 

Posted by peiper     on 05/16/2012 at 06:21 AM   
Filed Under: • OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT • planes, trains, tanks, ships, big machinery, and automobiles • Success Stories • Talented Ppl. • UK •  
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Europe’s mainland piracy attack will escalate conflict

This is a followup to the piracy post that was so well done by Drew yesterday.  I can’t match his droll comments so won’t do more then present what I found this morning for your consideration. 

Short of nuking Somalia as suggested by friend LyndonB with whom I agree fully, I don’t suppose the curse of these despicable sub humans will be solved very soon.  Instead we’ll see the possible arrest of a few who will ask for asylum in the west, probably the UK, and immediately sign up for benefits which is likely they’ll get.  It doesn’t seem to occur to the .... “arresting” personal we see in photos, that dead pirates do not return to ply their trade again.  I noticed a photo for example, of a boat full of these lice with arms raised and confronted by armed naval personal.  I wanted to shout at the guys with guns, open fire. Kill em. Then dump them in the ocean. Who the hell would know? But of course, you just know there would be one John Kerry in the group who would carry the tale back to shore with wringing hands and bleeding heart, thus insuring the prosecution/persecution of the good guys who pulled their triggers.

So then, this caught my attention this early morning.

Europe’s mainland piracy attack will escalate conflict

The midnight attack by a single helicopter firing its machine gun into half-a-dozen Somali pirate skiffs is some distance from the “shock and awe” that usually heralds the start of most campaigns.

By Mike Pflanz, Nairobi and Thomas Harding

But as innocuous as it might seem, the first act of aggression by the EU led naval force is likely lead to a greater escalation in a conflict that has so far avoided bloodshed.

By attacking the pirates’ infrastructure the EU NAVFOR (naval force) has signalled that it will give some teeth to the announcement made in March to strike at Somali land targets.

The arrival of the new French amphibious assault ship Dixmude, complete with its Tiger attack helicopters, will increase the likelihood of intensified attacks against the logistics chain and infrastructure of the pirate business.

EU military planners, based at the British headquarters in Northwood, will also have a clear idea of the best targets and will be assembling their forces to put in some hard strikes against the pirates before they can fully react. That would be the aspiration at least, if the force is going to show it has some backbone.

But filling a few wooden skiffs with bullet holes is hardly likely to send the pirates scuttling to the hills and will make not much of a dent against the multi-million pound trade.

At best it might disrupt the trade forcing the pirates to bring their boats further inland making it harder to launch hijackings at sea.

The pirates are also expected to make their boats far harder to detect, possibly placing them closer to civilians increasing the likelihood of casualties.
But after years of successful trade the treasure chests are full of dollars making it likely that the next time the EU launches a strike against the pirate havens they will be met with an arsenal of anti-aircraft guns and missiles.

If an aircraft is taken down or large numbers of Somalis are killed, it will mark a significant escalation and further intervention into the wider Somali conflict.
With the end of the Afghanistan coming slowly into view, it is likely that more resources will be freed up to strike against a thorn in the side of the international economy.

The only way piracy will be cured is by addressing the problems in Somalia itself. That could well lead to weapons and tactics being used that are some distance in sophistication from a mild dousing by a door mounted machine gun.

source

the next time the EU launches a strike against the pirate havens they will be met with an arsenal of anti-aircraft guns and missiles.

Well I certainly hope so because that might be the one thing that gets the powers that be off their backside and go in and destroy the roaches nest once and for all.  That is the only way to handle this problem. Not with foreign aid and religious missionaries and donations to help the poor starving etc. Destroy them totally. That’s the only acceptable answer.  We can only hope that this recent little foray will indeed escalate things.  What’s the point of having modern military resources, not to mention the high cost of maintaining them, if they are not to be used?  The mere fact that the west has them does not deter piracy. That’s because they are assured that deadly force won’t be used against them. So they can afford to be bold. Make less affordable and you solve the problem.

Posted by peiper     on 05/16/2012 at 04:41 AM   
Filed Under: • International • Pirates, aarrgh! •  
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