Out-manned, out-gunned, and no longer willing to risk their lives against the drug cartel warriors.
The M3 blog translates news sources from south of the border, focusing on stories to do with illegal immigration and the drug cartels war.
It's sponsored by the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers.
Well worth following what they offer.
OS keeps asking the question: What happens when the headless bodies begin to pile up in Kansas City? When the deputies of Christian County, Kentucky decide they are out-gunned and can't survive in their jobs?
Why won't our government enforce the border, instead of suing states who attempt to deal with the fallout of its failure?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Passive Verbs, Active Verbs: Words Have Meaning, Unless...
...you're doing a story for NPR, and need to cover for the environmental Luddites.
For decades after World War II, the small town of Oakridge in the southern Cascade mountains of Oregon was a booming lumber town. But by the early 1990s, the lumber industry had collapsed, and Oakridge has struggled ever since, losing families and businesses.
So far, so good. Change happens. Industries come and go. Nobody's making horse buggies in great numbers anymore, for instance. So, we can use a passive form of 'collapse'. Rather like the Spanish reflexive verbs: 'se rompio'--it broke itself.
Then, a couple of paragraphs later, we discover the cause of the collapse!
There were lots of economic factors at play, but the death knell for lumber came in 1990 when the federal government listed the spotted owl as a threatened species and declared much of its habitat in the national forests off-limits to loggers.
The federal government, at the behest of environmental groups like Sierra Club, collapsed the economy of the area. That's what happened! All those people, surrounded by the riches of a forest that could allow them to prosper forever, with sane management, marooned in the name of the Spotted Owl.
The rest of the story talks about a town full of empty storefronts, depopulation, welfare dependency, food banks, and 350 miles of bike trails for visitors to ride. Retirement residences for the well-heeled. And oh-so-chic restaurants for them to dine in. And people on unemployment benefits moving in, because they are too far out of the way for the gubbermint to insist they seek work. And a former logger, now commuting 40 miles each way to do shift work at an ice-cream factory. And...and...and...
The story repeats again and again. The journalists describe this sort of travesty as if it appeared out of nowhere, using the passive verb. The people affected, living in poverty in a sea of wealth, know this is not the case.
OS drives through once-thriving small towns in his beloved South, and the story repeats again and again. Kentucky towns collapsed, because the gubbermint declared war on their way of life--tobacco--and nothing ever showed up to replace it. Tennessee and Alabama towns now dependent on income derived from industrial poultry farming, with periodic raids on the processing plants to clear the Mexicans out. Two hydro dams in Tennessee were stopped dead in their tracks in the past two decades, because the environmentalists found their own local versions of the Spotted Owl. That power is now needed, and the towns that could have benefited (not the least from the flood control) are shells, and poverty is just the normal state of being. But, the hiking trails, fly-fishing, and scenery are lovely. If you have the leisure time and resources to do that sort of thing. The forests are overrun with deer, because not enough people are hunting to control the herd. Check the fishing regulations of some states--enough to keep anyone home.
At least ten years behind schedule, State Route 840 is being completed around Nashville, tying East-West to the South without the terrifying drive through Nashville's snarl. It was held up, because one group decided that they should have the right to claim thousand-year-old Indian burial mounds as sacred, and another group wanted to be certain no exits would ever be built near their tony country estates. The taxpayers had to pay them off, and finally, finally the road is being paved. Just in time for the Great Recession. And who is going to invest into industrial facilities in all that industrial park acreage developed and set aside?
Jobs aren't created, because the gubbermint and their enviro/socialist allies, despite proclamations to the contrary, thinks of the businessman (and woman) as the enemy. At every turn, in every transaction or initiative, the gubbermint has its hand out, via a tax or regulation. Rational investors move production (and operations) overseas. We buy iPhones and other gadgets made by slave labor overseas, and carry them with us while we ride our trail bikes through the virgin forest, near the town full of impoverished descendants of the people who settled the area and made it flourish. The solidly-built houses and buildings of the remaining neighborhoods and Main Streets stand in testimony of what they accomplished, and what is being destroyed.
And, the poverty and cultural malaise quietly grow.
The passive verb is not appropriate to our situation.
This country made some terrible cultural decisions in the 1960s and 1970s, and they have come home to roost upon us. Until we begin to make some healthier decisions, in the active voice, the decline will continue.
OS now rails and works in the hopes that his grandchildren will prosper. It may almost be too late for his children.
Passivity, in any sense of the word, is not an option.
For decades after World War II, the small town of Oakridge in the southern Cascade mountains of Oregon was a booming lumber town. But by the early 1990s, the lumber industry had collapsed, and Oakridge has struggled ever since, losing families and businesses.
So far, so good. Change happens. Industries come and go. Nobody's making horse buggies in great numbers anymore, for instance. So, we can use a passive form of 'collapse'. Rather like the Spanish reflexive verbs: 'se rompio'--it broke itself.
Then, a couple of paragraphs later, we discover the cause of the collapse!
There were lots of economic factors at play, but the death knell for lumber came in 1990 when the federal government listed the spotted owl as a threatened species and declared much of its habitat in the national forests off-limits to loggers.
The federal government, at the behest of environmental groups like Sierra Club, collapsed the economy of the area. That's what happened! All those people, surrounded by the riches of a forest that could allow them to prosper forever, with sane management, marooned in the name of the Spotted Owl.
The rest of the story talks about a town full of empty storefronts, depopulation, welfare dependency, food banks, and 350 miles of bike trails for visitors to ride. Retirement residences for the well-heeled. And oh-so-chic restaurants for them to dine in. And people on unemployment benefits moving in, because they are too far out of the way for the gubbermint to insist they seek work. And a former logger, now commuting 40 miles each way to do shift work at an ice-cream factory. And...and...and...
The story repeats again and again. The journalists describe this sort of travesty as if it appeared out of nowhere, using the passive verb. The people affected, living in poverty in a sea of wealth, know this is not the case.
OS drives through once-thriving small towns in his beloved South, and the story repeats again and again. Kentucky towns collapsed, because the gubbermint declared war on their way of life--tobacco--and nothing ever showed up to replace it. Tennessee and Alabama towns now dependent on income derived from industrial poultry farming, with periodic raids on the processing plants to clear the Mexicans out. Two hydro dams in Tennessee were stopped dead in their tracks in the past two decades, because the environmentalists found their own local versions of the Spotted Owl. That power is now needed, and the towns that could have benefited (not the least from the flood control) are shells, and poverty is just the normal state of being. But, the hiking trails, fly-fishing, and scenery are lovely. If you have the leisure time and resources to do that sort of thing. The forests are overrun with deer, because not enough people are hunting to control the herd. Check the fishing regulations of some states--enough to keep anyone home.
At least ten years behind schedule, State Route 840 is being completed around Nashville, tying East-West to the South without the terrifying drive through Nashville's snarl. It was held up, because one group decided that they should have the right to claim thousand-year-old Indian burial mounds as sacred, and another group wanted to be certain no exits would ever be built near their tony country estates. The taxpayers had to pay them off, and finally, finally the road is being paved. Just in time for the Great Recession. And who is going to invest into industrial facilities in all that industrial park acreage developed and set aside?
Jobs aren't created, because the gubbermint and their enviro/socialist allies, despite proclamations to the contrary, thinks of the businessman (and woman) as the enemy. At every turn, in every transaction or initiative, the gubbermint has its hand out, via a tax or regulation. Rational investors move production (and operations) overseas. We buy iPhones and other gadgets made by slave labor overseas, and carry them with us while we ride our trail bikes through the virgin forest, near the town full of impoverished descendants of the people who settled the area and made it flourish. The solidly-built houses and buildings of the remaining neighborhoods and Main Streets stand in testimony of what they accomplished, and what is being destroyed.
And, the poverty and cultural malaise quietly grow.
The passive verb is not appropriate to our situation.
This country made some terrible cultural decisions in the 1960s and 1970s, and they have come home to roost upon us. Until we begin to make some healthier decisions, in the active voice, the decline will continue.
OS now rails and works in the hopes that his grandchildren will prosper. It may almost be too late for his children.
Passivity, in any sense of the word, is not an option.
Friday Afternoon, Small-Town Tennessee, Hot Day In August
You know it's hot when you go to the bank to deposit a few checks, and the teller hands you a bottle of chilled water with your deposit slips, and invites you to sit down for a few minutes.
It's so hot (How hot is it?) that the local golf club has had to build temporary greens in two fairways, because the heat has destroyed the original greens. They heat up all day in the 100+ heat, the rain comes in the evening. Instead of watering the greens, the rain ends up boiling on the greens. OS played five holes, two with the temp greens, and a third that really should be taken out of play and repaired.
It's really hot. OS usually walks, come what may, but reason prevailed and he took a cart. Even riding, five holes in the heat was it, followed by a long cool shower before heading home. The starter will be turning away anyone who attempts to play without a cart tomorrow, even the teenagers who are too young to drive carts. It's that hot.
OS hates shopping at WalMart. Period. He'll duck in for dog food if he has to, when the seed-and-feed is closed, but that's about all he can tolerate. Blessedly, there are still small grocers and a 50's-era-by-golly men's shop on Main Street. OS ducked in to buy socks, and the salesman was gossiping with a gent who had to be at least 85 years old. He had tales to tell, especially about the bootlegger from the next county who publicly held court at the diner across the street.
The 8th District Republican primary candidates have all decided to publicly kiss and make up after weeks of circular firing squad stupidity, and visited downtown yesterday. Salesman reports there was a large crowd there to greet them. This is new behavior. Candidates have never paid more than token interest in this county, and Republicans have never drawn a crowd here. Hmmm...they turned out in 100 degree heat.
More Planet Knucklehead stuff today, but OS won't use this space to bellyache. It's the weekend.
It's so hot (How hot is it?) that the local golf club has had to build temporary greens in two fairways, because the heat has destroyed the original greens. They heat up all day in the 100+ heat, the rain comes in the evening. Instead of watering the greens, the rain ends up boiling on the greens. OS played five holes, two with the temp greens, and a third that really should be taken out of play and repaired.
It's really hot. OS usually walks, come what may, but reason prevailed and he took a cart. Even riding, five holes in the heat was it, followed by a long cool shower before heading home. The starter will be turning away anyone who attempts to play without a cart tomorrow, even the teenagers who are too young to drive carts. It's that hot.
OS hates shopping at WalMart. Period. He'll duck in for dog food if he has to, when the seed-and-feed is closed, but that's about all he can tolerate. Blessedly, there are still small grocers and a 50's-era-by-golly men's shop on Main Street. OS ducked in to buy socks, and the salesman was gossiping with a gent who had to be at least 85 years old. He had tales to tell, especially about the bootlegger from the next county who publicly held court at the diner across the street.
The 8th District Republican primary candidates have all decided to publicly kiss and make up after weeks of circular firing squad stupidity, and visited downtown yesterday. Salesman reports there was a large crowd there to greet them. This is new behavior. Candidates have never paid more than token interest in this county, and Republicans have never drawn a crowd here. Hmmm...they turned out in 100 degree heat.
More Planet Knucklehead stuff today, but OS won't use this space to bellyache. It's the weekend.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Germany Prospers, America Falters
Anyone wondering if The One's insane spending spree will work need look no further than Germany.
Angela Merkel let the US know she wasn't going to lead her country over the cliff, just 'cuz The Winner of The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize sez so.
They're on the rebound. We're not.
BTW, they didn't gut their educational system in the name of political correctness.
They don't punish success like we do.
They produce stuff, like actually design and make stuff. We don't seem to do that anymore.
They know socialism is an inherent failure--they need merely look at the devastation wrought in the former East Germany.
They also know that charismatic politicians from unknown backgrounds speaking in Messianic tones are really, really, REALLY not good for one's health.
We're just now learning that one...
Angela Merkel let the US know she wasn't going to lead her country over the cliff, just 'cuz The Winner of The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize sez so.
They're on the rebound. We're not.
BTW, they didn't gut their educational system in the name of political correctness.
They don't punish success like we do.
They produce stuff, like actually design and make stuff. We don't seem to do that anymore.
They know socialism is an inherent failure--they need merely look at the devastation wrought in the former East Germany.
They also know that charismatic politicians from unknown backgrounds speaking in Messianic tones are really, really, REALLY not good for one's health.
We're just now learning that one...
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: A Heroine For Our Age
Unlike most Fridays, this one will be wall-to-wall busy. OS does try to set aside the day for his two great passions, Mrs. OS and golf. Mrs. OS is away, the temps will top 100 degrees F, and OS is way behind on his work. He'll tell that story another day...
But, the day should not pass without sharing something that may contribute to the lives of his readers. OS views his hobby as a form of creative revenge upon the new barbarians who wish to kill off our culture.
So, a CBC interview with one of the bravest, most articulate women on the planet: Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She made a courageous and fateful decision in 1992 to escape the fate of an arranged marriage engineered by her Somali father. The rest is history.
The interview is 45 minutes long, in-depth, and well worth the time invested.
OS, if you haven't guessed, is a conservative, Christian, traditional sort of guy. But, he has a passion that young women not be boxed in, have their opportunities foreclosed, by the religious wackiness of parents. It's a real problem here in the South. It's eerie, listening to Ms. Ali, because what she describes from her Somali childhood is what OS encounters here. Fundamentalism kills--soul and body. Grace, love and faith foster life, and make all things possible. OS cites Paul's benediction at the close of Ephesians 2 as the very heart of the Christian message.
Look it up, if you feel so inspired.
Grab a cup of coffee, and give her a listen:
But, the day should not pass without sharing something that may contribute to the lives of his readers. OS views his hobby as a form of creative revenge upon the new barbarians who wish to kill off our culture.
So, a CBC interview with one of the bravest, most articulate women on the planet: Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She made a courageous and fateful decision in 1992 to escape the fate of an arranged marriage engineered by her Somali father. The rest is history.
The interview is 45 minutes long, in-depth, and well worth the time invested.
OS, if you haven't guessed, is a conservative, Christian, traditional sort of guy. But, he has a passion that young women not be boxed in, have their opportunities foreclosed, by the religious wackiness of parents. It's a real problem here in the South. It's eerie, listening to Ms. Ali, because what she describes from her Somali childhood is what OS encounters here. Fundamentalism kills--soul and body. Grace, love and faith foster life, and make all things possible. OS cites Paul's benediction at the close of Ephesians 2 as the very heart of the Christian message.
Look it up, if you feel so inspired.
Grab a cup of coffee, and give her a listen:
Planet Knucklehead, Chapter 3: Unite Union (UK) Votes To Strike Six Airports During Height Of Holiday Travel
3074 votes cast, potentially affecting the lives of millions around the world.
Air travel already a horrible hassle?
'Screw you, mate, we're here to get ours.'
SO, if it's really that awful, why not seek your employment elsewhere? Betcha someone somewhere in the UK might be delighted to take over your job.
'Screw you, mate, we're here to get ours.'
But if you strike, family members miss weddings and funerals of those they love. Vital mail doesn't deliver. Businesses around the world that support families just like yours suffer. Somebody might just die if they don't make it to the right hospital because you snarled the world's air traffic. Does this not matter to you?
'Screw you, mate, we're here to get ours.'
Air travel already a horrible hassle?
'Screw you, mate, we're here to get ours.'
SO, if it's really that awful, why not seek your employment elsewhere? Betcha someone somewhere in the UK might be delighted to take over your job.
'Screw you, mate, we're here to get ours.'
But if you strike, family members miss weddings and funerals of those they love. Vital mail doesn't deliver. Businesses around the world that support families just like yours suffer. Somebody might just die if they don't make it to the right hospital because you snarled the world's air traffic. Does this not matter to you?
'Screw you, mate, we're here to get ours.'
What A Difference A Bit Of Bad (But True) Publicity Can Make: East Point Georgia, Day Duex
Yesterday, the crowd looked and acted like this:
Today, the PeopleWhoKowAboutSuchThings made sure the cameras were on hand to tell a different story:
Just move on, ya'll. Nothing to see here, 'cept thousands of people trying to get rent-subidized housing from Uncle Sam.
HT: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for both clips.
Today, the PeopleWhoKowAboutSuchThings made sure the cameras were on hand to tell a different story:
Just move on, ya'll. Nothing to see here, 'cept thousands of people trying to get rent-subidized housing from Uncle Sam.
HT: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for both clips.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Facts Are Stubborn Things: NPR Chronicles The Failure Of Obama's Economic Madness
There's much here to read, authored by Michael Barone, but the fact that National Public (all government spending is good/all Republicans are evil) Radio is releasing this story means the rats are fleeing the ship.
He opens his essay this way:
'The pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.'' Those were the carefully chosen words of the Federal Reserve Board after its meeting Tuesday. Translation into English: We wuz wrong.
So were a lot of people, including departing White House economics adviser Christina Romer, who wrote that the Obama Democrats' February 2009 stimulus package would hold unemployment below 8 percent.
It wasn't just administration spokesmen who expected a solid recovery. California economist Bill Watkins in New Geography recalls a conference last fall in which all the other economists presented rosy scenarios and only he forecast extended malaise. He was relieved that his colleagues didn't pelt him with tomatoes.
He goes on to quote a European author, Marc de Vos, about the failure of 'state capitalism'.
Can you imagine NPR including a quote such as this even six months ago?
Modesty, unfortunately, is not the dominant character trait of a president who predicted that his election would be seen as ''the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.''
But facts are stubborn things. The fact that the private-sector economy has not responded as administration economists expected and confidently predicted should be a wake-up call.
Facts are indeed, stubborn things. And one fact is that Himself will soon find Himself buck-nekkid while the chill winds blow.
Romer's gone, can't stomach having to lie anymore, and she's discredited already.
Not even NPR, dependent upon Federal dollars, will cover his behonkus anymore.
He opens his essay this way:
'The pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.'' Those were the carefully chosen words of the Federal Reserve Board after its meeting Tuesday. Translation into English: We wuz wrong.
So were a lot of people, including departing White House economics adviser Christina Romer, who wrote that the Obama Democrats' February 2009 stimulus package would hold unemployment below 8 percent.
It wasn't just administration spokesmen who expected a solid recovery. California economist Bill Watkins in New Geography recalls a conference last fall in which all the other economists presented rosy scenarios and only he forecast extended malaise. He was relieved that his colleagues didn't pelt him with tomatoes.
He goes on to quote a European author, Marc de Vos, about the failure of 'state capitalism'.
Can you imagine NPR including a quote such as this even six months ago?
Modesty, unfortunately, is not the dominant character trait of a president who predicted that his election would be seen as ''the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.''
But facts are stubborn things. The fact that the private-sector economy has not responded as administration economists expected and confidently predicted should be a wake-up call.
Facts are indeed, stubborn things. And one fact is that Himself will soon find Himself buck-nekkid while the chill winds blow.
Romer's gone, can't stomach having to lie anymore, and she's discredited already.
Not even NPR, dependent upon Federal dollars, will cover his behonkus anymore.
It Makes You Tear Your Hair Out: Gov. Phil Bredesen Of Tennessee
OS heard this snippet as he roused this morning, had to check to see if he heard correctly.
He did.
Bredesen is a businessman, who served two terms as Mayor of Nashville, cleaning up after the disastrous Bill Boner (who had served as a Democrat House Member, btw!) he then served two terms as governor, cleaning up after the disastrous Don Sundquist (who had served as a Republican House Member, btw!). Get the theme?
Bredesen is a boring guy who knows that words matter and math doesn't lie. OS has his differences with the governor, but that's ok. Phil Bredesen is sane, and while other states in the nation are burning to the ground, we're juggling and dipping into carefully set-aside cash reserves. The Rainy-Day Fund. Because rain happens.
From local NPR affilate WPLN:
Congress has passed a bill that is meant to restore the jobs of laid off teachers. But the state’s top officials are unsure if Tennessee will get much of the money.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates some 3,700 teaching jobs would be restored in Tennessee. While there have been some layoffs in local school districts, Tennessee has not resorted to mass teacher layoffs to balance the state budget, instead finding other areas to cut and dipping into reserves. Governor Phil Bredesen says it would have been nice to know this money might be out there back in January when the budget was getting hashed out.
“The whole notion of doing this in August, it’s the sort of thing that makes you tear your hair out.”
Bredesen says he will be “irritated” if Tennessee doesn’t qualify for some of the money, and hopes it can be used for other purposes. “State’s that have managed well,” he says, “shouldn’t be punished.” That’s the same sentiment that came from Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper, who was one of just three House Democrats to vote against the bill.
It's not about the health of the schools, Governor. It's about buying votes for Democrat House members from the teachers' unions. You're just experiencing a sane reaction to a federal government run by Chicago pols and idiots.
Congressman Cooper (D-TN5, Nashville) has credible opposition for the first time in years, so no way is he voting for this nonsense. Were his seat safe, he would have, make no mistake.
He did.
Bredesen is a businessman, who served two terms as Mayor of Nashville, cleaning up after the disastrous Bill Boner (who had served as a Democrat House Member, btw!) he then served two terms as governor, cleaning up after the disastrous Don Sundquist (who had served as a Republican House Member, btw!). Get the theme?
Bredesen is a boring guy who knows that words matter and math doesn't lie. OS has his differences with the governor, but that's ok. Phil Bredesen is sane, and while other states in the nation are burning to the ground, we're juggling and dipping into carefully set-aside cash reserves. The Rainy-Day Fund. Because rain happens.
From local NPR affilate WPLN:
Congress has passed a bill that is meant to restore the jobs of laid off teachers. But the state’s top officials are unsure if Tennessee will get much of the money.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates some 3,700 teaching jobs would be restored in Tennessee. While there have been some layoffs in local school districts, Tennessee has not resorted to mass teacher layoffs to balance the state budget, instead finding other areas to cut and dipping into reserves. Governor Phil Bredesen says it would have been nice to know this money might be out there back in January when the budget was getting hashed out.
“The whole notion of doing this in August, it’s the sort of thing that makes you tear your hair out.”
Bredesen says he will be “irritated” if Tennessee doesn’t qualify for some of the money, and hopes it can be used for other purposes. “State’s that have managed well,” he says, “shouldn’t be punished.” That’s the same sentiment that came from Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper, who was one of just three House Democrats to vote against the bill.
It's not about the health of the schools, Governor. It's about buying votes for Democrat House members from the teachers' unions. You're just experiencing a sane reaction to a federal government run by Chicago pols and idiots.
Congressman Cooper (D-TN5, Nashville) has credible opposition for the first time in years, so no way is he voting for this nonsense. Were his seat safe, he would have, make no mistake.
Green Shoots Award: Santosh Ostwal, Master of Jugaad
From The Economist, an inspiring story of inspiration and perspiration.
SANTOSH OSTWAL, husband and father of two, lost his apartment in 2001 after quitting his job in Pune to solve an engineering problem he’d been thinking about for twenty years. Today his solution – a mobile-phone adaptation that triggers irrigation pumps remotely – is saving water in India and helping more than 10,000 farmers avoid several taxing, dangerous long walks a day.
[Mrs Ostwal employed] the Indian concept of jugaad, an inspired kind of duct-taped ingenuity that employs only the tools at hand.
In 1981 Mr Ostwal, then an adolescent, visited his family’s village near Pune during his summer vacation. Every midnight, his 82-year-old grandfather (who had lost a leg to gangrene and walked with a stick) would walk a mile to switch on the water-pump to ensure that his oranges were ready to ship the next morning. Since the water and electric supply were erratic (and allocated to the industrial belt during the daytime), he would make up to ten such trips a night. Mr Ostwal felt a deep desire to help his grandfather, but couldn’t do anything about it as a student.
Seven years later, after completing his engineering degree, he visited the village again. The problem had not gone away. He suggested to the farmers that a remotely controlled switch might make their lives easier, and was surprised to hear their reactions.
'I will tell you one wonderful thing. Farmers were not accepting this as a problem of theirs. They would tell me that this is routine work for us and our sons. Why do you worry so much? Walking a couple of miles daily is no big deal. What other work do we and our sons have? Let them work hard and appreciate the food that they get at the end of each day!'
He was aghast with the explanation but let it pass, since he had a far more measurable problem to deal with. He did a back-of-the-envelope calculation.
'There are 3.1 million official connections of water pump sets in Maharashtra alone. The all-India figure is more than 1 billion. While farmers didn’t mind too much with the drill of walking up to the farm to switch on their motor pump sets and then head back home, I found that there was a strong resistance to walk back all the way to the farm to switch off their pump sets. A lot of water and electricity would be wasted. A 5 HP motor which wastes 4 to 5 hours of water daily not only consumes upto 1000 litres per day, but also results in soil erosion which decreases the yield… And then in that 15 day period for me, I decided, ‘Yes. This is my career and I am going to make my career in irrigation automation. That’s all.’ This was in 1991.'
He started with a $2 alarm clock.
OS will rely upon you to read the story from there.
Mr. (and Mrs.) Ostwal not only overcame an engineering quandry, but a cultural one as well. They never gave up, and they did it for love of family and country. He still hasn't made any big bucks off it, but he will, or he will from the next brilliant solution. He by-golly deserves to, and to not be taxed into extinction for his pains!!
If OS may be now permitted to translate into his local dialect:
Ya'll, we need to be importing some of that jugaad from India, instead of our shirts and pants. Any wonder why our companies want to hire those folks over there, ya'll? We used to do this sort of stuff all the time! Now we act like we can't get anything done without the permission of ten committees and an Act of Congress!
Hell's-bells, ya'll, the spot I'm sitting in was howling wilderness 200 years ago, barely settled 100 years ago, and wasn't reached by electricity or phone until well into the 20th century! And I'm sitting here running my businesses off a laptop while I drink my coffee!
Send the Mexicans home, ya'll. Let's go to India and recruit us some engineers to remind us how to do that jugaad thang!
Whoooweeee! Give that couple The Green Shoots Award!
SANTOSH OSTWAL, husband and father of two, lost his apartment in 2001 after quitting his job in Pune to solve an engineering problem he’d been thinking about for twenty years. Today his solution – a mobile-phone adaptation that triggers irrigation pumps remotely – is saving water in India and helping more than 10,000 farmers avoid several taxing, dangerous long walks a day.
[Mrs Ostwal employed] the Indian concept of jugaad, an inspired kind of duct-taped ingenuity that employs only the tools at hand.
In 1981 Mr Ostwal, then an adolescent, visited his family’s village near Pune during his summer vacation. Every midnight, his 82-year-old grandfather (who had lost a leg to gangrene and walked with a stick) would walk a mile to switch on the water-pump to ensure that his oranges were ready to ship the next morning. Since the water and electric supply were erratic (and allocated to the industrial belt during the daytime), he would make up to ten such trips a night. Mr Ostwal felt a deep desire to help his grandfather, but couldn’t do anything about it as a student.
Seven years later, after completing his engineering degree, he visited the village again. The problem had not gone away. He suggested to the farmers that a remotely controlled switch might make their lives easier, and was surprised to hear their reactions.
'I will tell you one wonderful thing. Farmers were not accepting this as a problem of theirs. They would tell me that this is routine work for us and our sons. Why do you worry so much? Walking a couple of miles daily is no big deal. What other work do we and our sons have? Let them work hard and appreciate the food that they get at the end of each day!'
He was aghast with the explanation but let it pass, since he had a far more measurable problem to deal with. He did a back-of-the-envelope calculation.
'There are 3.1 million official connections of water pump sets in Maharashtra alone. The all-India figure is more than 1 billion. While farmers didn’t mind too much with the drill of walking up to the farm to switch on their motor pump sets and then head back home, I found that there was a strong resistance to walk back all the way to the farm to switch off their pump sets. A lot of water and electricity would be wasted. A 5 HP motor which wastes 4 to 5 hours of water daily not only consumes upto 1000 litres per day, but also results in soil erosion which decreases the yield… And then in that 15 day period for me, I decided, ‘Yes. This is my career and I am going to make my career in irrigation automation. That’s all.’ This was in 1991.'
He started with a $2 alarm clock.
OS will rely upon you to read the story from there.
Mr. (and Mrs.) Ostwal not only overcame an engineering quandry, but a cultural one as well. They never gave up, and they did it for love of family and country. He still hasn't made any big bucks off it, but he will, or he will from the next brilliant solution. He by-golly deserves to, and to not be taxed into extinction for his pains!!
If OS may be now permitted to translate into his local dialect:
Ya'll, we need to be importing some of that jugaad from India, instead of our shirts and pants. Any wonder why our companies want to hire those folks over there, ya'll? We used to do this sort of stuff all the time! Now we act like we can't get anything done without the permission of ten committees and an Act of Congress!
Hell's-bells, ya'll, the spot I'm sitting in was howling wilderness 200 years ago, barely settled 100 years ago, and wasn't reached by electricity or phone until well into the 20th century! And I'm sitting here running my businesses off a laptop while I drink my coffee!
Send the Mexicans home, ya'll. Let's go to India and recruit us some engineers to remind us how to do that jugaad thang!
Whoooweeee! Give that couple The Green Shoots Award!
Hope And Change Tour Arrives In East Point, Georgia: The Rent Voucher Mob
30,000 people in East Point, Georgia (an area of Atlanta) showed up Wednesday to pick up an application 'for a chance to receive a government-subsidized apartment', according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Washington Times provides narrative of the event:
EAST POINT, GA. — About 20 people were taken to area hospitals after pushing and shoving broke out Wednesday at a strip mall parking lot filled with thousands of people lined up for an application to get on a federal housing aid waiting list, authorities said.
By the time the East Point Housing Authority began handing out applications to apply for a voucher to get help paying rent, a crowd of 30,000 people — three times the number expected — had gathered. The line wrapped around the strip mall where the distribution was to take place, authorities said.
"It was chaotic," said longtime community activist Sharon Owens. "People were pushing and shoving, hollering and yelling."
Fire department Deputy Chief William Ware said 42 people were treated onsite, mostly for heat-related problems. None of the patients taken to the hospital was believed to be in critical condition, Ware said Wednesday afternoon.
Fire, police and emergency medical personnel had been on hand for several days, with cooling stations and medical triage centers to help people cope with temperatures that topped 90 degrees.
Police had "all hands on deck" to deal with the crowd but no arrests were made, said police Chief Leander Robinson, who said the situation was "probably as orderly as it could be," given the number of people.
Not to be deterred, they are lining up again this morning, and the Atlanta paper picks up the story for us:
East Point residents began lining up to turn in Section 8 housing applications before daybreak Thursday, a day after a crowd of 30,000 mobbed a shopping center to pick up the forms.
On Wednesday, 30,000 people suffered through hours in the hot sun, angry flare-ups in the crowd and lots of frustration and confusion for a chance to receive a government-subsidized apartment.
The massive event sometimes descended into a chaotic mob scene filled with anger and impatience. Some 62 people needed medical attention and 20 of them were transported to a hospital, authorities said. A baby went into a seizure in the heat and was stabilized at a hospital. People were removed on stretchers and when a throng of people who had been waiting hours in a line was told to move to another line, people started pushing, shoving and cursing, witnesses said.
Still, officials of East Point declared the day a success. Nobody was arrested and nobody was seriously injured, they said. It was an assessment roundly challenged by many of the people who had to go through it.
Ah, yes. The sweet smell of 'success'. Nothing quite like it.
Update, just in: Michelle sent greetings, saying she had meant to be there to help organize things, but something came up at the last minute.
The Washington Times provides narrative of the event:
EAST POINT, GA. — About 20 people were taken to area hospitals after pushing and shoving broke out Wednesday at a strip mall parking lot filled with thousands of people lined up for an application to get on a federal housing aid waiting list, authorities said.
By the time the East Point Housing Authority began handing out applications to apply for a voucher to get help paying rent, a crowd of 30,000 people — three times the number expected — had gathered. The line wrapped around the strip mall where the distribution was to take place, authorities said.
"It was chaotic," said longtime community activist Sharon Owens. "People were pushing and shoving, hollering and yelling."
Fire department Deputy Chief William Ware said 42 people were treated onsite, mostly for heat-related problems. None of the patients taken to the hospital was believed to be in critical condition, Ware said Wednesday afternoon.
Fire, police and emergency medical personnel had been on hand for several days, with cooling stations and medical triage centers to help people cope with temperatures that topped 90 degrees.
Police had "all hands on deck" to deal with the crowd but no arrests were made, said police Chief Leander Robinson, who said the situation was "probably as orderly as it could be," given the number of people.
Not to be deterred, they are lining up again this morning, and the Atlanta paper picks up the story for us:
East Point residents began lining up to turn in Section 8 housing applications before daybreak Thursday, a day after a crowd of 30,000 mobbed a shopping center to pick up the forms.
On Wednesday, 30,000 people suffered through hours in the hot sun, angry flare-ups in the crowd and lots of frustration and confusion for a chance to receive a government-subsidized apartment.
The massive event sometimes descended into a chaotic mob scene filled with anger and impatience. Some 62 people needed medical attention and 20 of them were transported to a hospital, authorities said. A baby went into a seizure in the heat and was stabilized at a hospital. People were removed on stretchers and when a throng of people who had been waiting hours in a line was told to move to another line, people started pushing, shoving and cursing, witnesses said.
Still, officials of East Point declared the day a success. Nobody was arrested and nobody was seriously injured, they said. It was an assessment roundly challenged by many of the people who had to go through it.
Ah, yes. The sweet smell of 'success'. Nothing quite like it.
Update, just in: Michelle sent greetings, saying she had meant to be there to help organize things, but something came up at the last minute.
Obama's Ramadan Greetings: Pat Austin In Shreveport Summarizes
Why any woman would embrace Islam, or stay in the room for ten minutes with anyone who does, puzzles OS. The jury returned to the box a long time ago, and tells us that women lose in any iteration of Islam.
Kinda gives perspective why Michelle-Ma-Belle is spending so much time in other locations, away from the family compound.
Well, anyway, The One had especially sweet things to say about the people who mutilate girls for learning how to read. And Pat Austin, a blogger in Shreveport, Louisiana, has some choice words in response. Follow the links she provides--they're ugly but illustrative.
Kinda gives perspective why Michelle-Ma-Belle is spending so much time in other locations, away from the family compound.
Well, anyway, The One had especially sweet things to say about the people who mutilate girls for learning how to read. And Pat Austin, a blogger in Shreveport, Louisiana, has some choice words in response. Follow the links she provides--they're ugly but illustrative.
Everyone Behaves Better When All Interests Align: BP's Recovery Fund
Details of the fund for Gulf Coast recovery now being released.
The money will come from BP's earnings from its Gulf of Mexico operations.
Appropriately so. And that arrangement will dissuade the more nutty types from attempting to destroy BP over this one incident. Which is what Himself had in mind all along.
All interests align, and everybody has to play by civilized rules.
Definitely, not the Chicago way. More the English way, actually.
BP really screwed the pooch in allowing the spill to happen, and in some of its subsequent responses. That does not give any US President or Congress the right to disembowel the entire enterprise.
The money will come from BP's earnings from its Gulf of Mexico operations.
Appropriately so. And that arrangement will dissuade the more nutty types from attempting to destroy BP over this one incident. Which is what Himself had in mind all along.
All interests align, and everybody has to play by civilized rules.
Definitely, not the Chicago way. More the English way, actually.
BP really screwed the pooch in allowing the spill to happen, and in some of its subsequent responses. That does not give any US President or Congress the right to disembowel the entire enterprise.
Sometimes, Only Laughter Will Do: Obama Joke Of The Day
Credit to Anabaptist for leaving this one to enjoy. It's a classic vaudeville-type of routine, but seems to never get stale.
It brought tears of laughter to Mrs. OS's eyes, which is a good thing.
So, here we go, joke of the day. If you enjoy it, pass it along to your friends:
Barack Obama met with the Queen of England.
He asked her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government?
Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," said the Queen, "the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people."
Obama frowned, and then asked, "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?" The Queen took a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy; you just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle." The Queen pushed a button on her intercom. "Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?"
Tony Blair walked into the room and said, "Yes, Maam?" The Queen smiled and said, "Answer me this please, Tony, your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"
Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answered, "That would be me."
Obama went back home to ask Joe Biden, his vice presidential choice the same question. "Joe, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?" "I'm not sure," said Biden. "Let me get back to you on that one.."
He went to his advisors and asked everyone, but none could give him an answer. Finally, he ended up in the men's room and recognized Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall Biden asked Powell, "Colin, can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?" Colin Powell yelled back, "That's easy, it's me!"
Biden smiled, and said, "Thanks!" Then, he went back to speak with Obama. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell!"
Obama got up, stomped over to Biden, and angrily yelled into his face, "No! you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"
It brought tears of laughter to Mrs. OS's eyes, which is a good thing.
So, here we go, joke of the day. If you enjoy it, pass it along to your friends:
Barack Obama met with the Queen of England.
He asked her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government?
Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," said the Queen, "the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people."
Obama frowned, and then asked, "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?" The Queen took a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy; you just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle." The Queen pushed a button on her intercom. "Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?"
Tony Blair walked into the room and said, "Yes, Maam?" The Queen smiled and said, "Answer me this please, Tony, your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"
Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answered, "That would be me."
Obama went back home to ask Joe Biden, his vice presidential choice the same question. "Joe, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?" "I'm not sure," said Biden. "Let me get back to you on that one.."
He went to his advisors and asked everyone, but none could give him an answer. Finally, he ended up in the men's room and recognized Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall Biden asked Powell, "Colin, can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?" Colin Powell yelled back, "That's easy, it's me!"
Biden smiled, and said, "Thanks!" Then, he went back to speak with Obama. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell!"
Obama got up, stomped over to Biden, and angrily yelled into his face, "No! you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Planet Knucklehead, Chapter 2: In Honor Of Our Public School System...
...the BBC provides coverage of the now nearly-famous sign painted on a road in North Carolina.
Makes OS just wanna stand up and cheer for Congress, as they helicopter drop 26 billion more dollars onto the education establishment in the states.
Never in history have we paid so much, and received so little. Even more wasteful than war, where at least our military blows the things up they aim at.
Life in the third world.
Makes OS just wanna stand up and cheer for Congress, as they helicopter drop 26 billion more dollars onto the education establishment in the states.
Never in history have we paid so much, and received so little. Even more wasteful than war, where at least our military blows the things up they aim at.
Life in the third world.
Sometimes, Only Laughter Will Do: Greg Gutfeld's Gay Bar for Moslems
Sometimes, the only effective response to evil stupidity is laughter.
Greg Gutfeld, instead of railing at the construction of a mosque at Ground Zero in York, has come up with a creative response.
I’m announcing tonight, that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also Islamic gay men. To best express my sincere desire for dialogue, the bar will be situated next to the mosque Park51, in an available commercial space.
Of course, the proposed names have come pouring in. A sampling of the choice ones includes:
30. Honor Drillings
29. Jihard
28. Filthy Omar’s Rusty Trombone
27. The Arabian Queen
26. Dune Biters
25. Goat's Night Off
24. The Pink Prophet
23. The Leather Burqa
22. Git Mo
21. Pig in a Poke
20. Sheiks & Freaks
19. Sodom and Gonorrhea
18. Osama Bin Dover
17. The Exploding Goat
16. Weapons of Ass Destruction
15. Alla Assbar
14. Anderson Cooper's Apartment
13. The Sticky Prophet
12. The Sphinxter
11. Grind Zero
10. Nuclear Fuel Rods
9. Hassan's TestostoRoom
8. Turbuns
7. Bunker Busters
6. The Tali-bone
5. Al-Jizzera
4. The Gaza Stripper
3. The Sandy Gerbil
2. The Camel’s Hump
1. Hide the Minaret
Numbers 14, 11, 8, 4 and 1 especially draw a giggle.
Greg Gutfeld, instead of railing at the construction of a mosque at Ground Zero in York, has come up with a creative response.
I’m announcing tonight, that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also Islamic gay men. To best express my sincere desire for dialogue, the bar will be situated next to the mosque Park51, in an available commercial space.
Of course, the proposed names have come pouring in. A sampling of the choice ones includes:
30. Honor Drillings
29. Jihard
28. Filthy Omar’s Rusty Trombone
27. The Arabian Queen
26. Dune Biters
25. Goat's Night Off
24. The Pink Prophet
23. The Leather Burqa
22. Git Mo
21. Pig in a Poke
20. Sheiks & Freaks
19. Sodom and Gonorrhea
18. Osama Bin Dover
17. The Exploding Goat
16. Weapons of Ass Destruction
15. Alla Assbar
14. Anderson Cooper's Apartment
13. The Sticky Prophet
12. The Sphinxter
11. Grind Zero
10. Nuclear Fuel Rods
9. Hassan's TestostoRoom
8. Turbuns
7. Bunker Busters
6. The Tali-bone
5. Al-Jizzera
4. The Gaza Stripper
3. The Sandy Gerbil
2. The Camel’s Hump
1. Hide the Minaret
Numbers 14, 11, 8, 4 and 1 especially draw a giggle.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Four Envelopes: Obama Still Running Against George Bush
Honest, can't make this stuff up.
There is an old joke about Nikita Kruschev, the Soviet leader of the 50's and 60's.
Stalin is on his deathbed, and writes four letters, seals each into its own envelope, labeled 1-2-3-4. He then writes a separate note, and seals it inside a large envelope along with the four letters. He gives it to Molotov, and says: 'Give this package to my eventual successor, and tell him to read the note as soon as he takes office.' That done, he dies.
Kruschev ascends to power, and is given the envelope. The note reads: Comrade! Crises are an inevitability of history. When you have a major crisis, open each letter in order, one letter per crisis. Good luck, comrade!
Kruschev stuffs the envelope in the drawer for safe-keeping. The wheat crop fails--a crisis. He opens the first envelope, and the letter says: Blame me!
The de-Stalinization campaign begins, and it works!
Next crisis arrives--next envelope: Blame the Chinese! Damn, it works!
Next crisis--envelope #3: Blame the Americans! Hot-damn, it really works! He goes to the UN, bangs the podium with his shoe, makes the cover of Time!
(By this time, Nikita's feeling pretty good about his job. It's a good gig, screwing up and getting to blame everybody else!)
Next crisis--envelope #4: Prepare four envelopes.
There is an old joke about Nikita Kruschev, the Soviet leader of the 50's and 60's.
Stalin is on his deathbed, and writes four letters, seals each into its own envelope, labeled 1-2-3-4. He then writes a separate note, and seals it inside a large envelope along with the four letters. He gives it to Molotov, and says: 'Give this package to my eventual successor, and tell him to read the note as soon as he takes office.' That done, he dies.
Kruschev ascends to power, and is given the envelope. The note reads: Comrade! Crises are an inevitability of history. When you have a major crisis, open each letter in order, one letter per crisis. Good luck, comrade!
Kruschev stuffs the envelope in the drawer for safe-keeping. The wheat crop fails--a crisis. He opens the first envelope, and the letter says: Blame me!
The de-Stalinization campaign begins, and it works!
Next crisis arrives--next envelope: Blame the Chinese! Damn, it works!
Next crisis--envelope #3: Blame the Americans! Hot-damn, it really works! He goes to the UN, bangs the podium with his shoe, makes the cover of Time!
(By this time, Nikita's feeling pretty good about his job. It's a good gig, screwing up and getting to blame everybody else!)
Next crisis--envelope #4: Prepare four envelopes.
James Corum On The Obama Defense Cuts
Quietly, the announcement was made. Secretary Gates announces, in time of war, that the US will be making deep cuts in defense spending.
OS keeps encountering articles from time to time, where people claim that Obama has an active agenda to kick the legs our from under the country. In general, OS dismissed that as tin-foil-hat chatter.
It is now time to rethink, in the wake of Obama's war on the Gulf Coast economy, and now upon the military.
James Corum, as always, has cogent words to share, from long experience.
There is no military rationale for major cuts – this is 100 per cent politically driven cutting. The President wants to use the massive deficit he has created as an excuse to cut the vital infrastructure of US defense. He has endorsed a stimulus package that is really about bailing out bankrupt states and preserving state worker union jobs. So it’s not about saving money—it’s about cutting defence.
Given the international situation – a violent and volatile North Korea, trouble in Afghanistan, an Iran well on the way to nuclear weapons, the continued threat of Islamic radicalism – cutting some of the essential military infrastructure needed for training and preparedness is irresponsible.
There's a pattern here since the 70's. Carter enters office, slashes the military he so despises(the one that gave him his first career leg up, by the way), and very soon we are in a world of trouble. Reagan comes in, and restores it. The Soviet Union collapses, and the US kicks Hussein out of Kuwait. Clinton comes in, and the slashing begins. He bombs the Balkans from 20,000 feet, not willing to risk any casualties. By 2001, when we really need it, Bush finds himself hamstrung with a much reduced military, which he sends to war without a major expansion.
Now, Obama slashes further, while the dangers grow.
Gotta go. That tin-foil-hat in the back of OS's closet is stored behind the work boots, last he saw it.
OS keeps encountering articles from time to time, where people claim that Obama has an active agenda to kick the legs our from under the country. In general, OS dismissed that as tin-foil-hat chatter.
It is now time to rethink, in the wake of Obama's war on the Gulf Coast economy, and now upon the military.
James Corum, as always, has cogent words to share, from long experience.
There is no military rationale for major cuts – this is 100 per cent politically driven cutting. The President wants to use the massive deficit he has created as an excuse to cut the vital infrastructure of US defense. He has endorsed a stimulus package that is really about bailing out bankrupt states and preserving state worker union jobs. So it’s not about saving money—it’s about cutting defence.
Given the international situation – a violent and volatile North Korea, trouble in Afghanistan, an Iran well on the way to nuclear weapons, the continued threat of Islamic radicalism – cutting some of the essential military infrastructure needed for training and preparedness is irresponsible.
There's a pattern here since the 70's. Carter enters office, slashes the military he so despises(the one that gave him his first career leg up, by the way), and very soon we are in a world of trouble. Reagan comes in, and restores it. The Soviet Union collapses, and the US kicks Hussein out of Kuwait. Clinton comes in, and the slashing begins. He bombs the Balkans from 20,000 feet, not willing to risk any casualties. By 2001, when we really need it, Bush finds himself hamstrung with a much reduced military, which he sends to war without a major expansion.
Now, Obama slashes further, while the dangers grow.
Gotta go. That tin-foil-hat in the back of OS's closet is stored behind the work boots, last he saw it.
Planet Knucklehead
OS was visited by an insight sometime in the wee hours this morning. It came about as a result of a near-death experience the day previous.
The sainted Mrs. OS owns a Volvo station wagon, bought in the wake of her previous Volvo station wagon being used by a despairing nine-point buck who decided to end it all by walking in front her vehicle on the highway one late night. The buck died, and the occupants of the car walked away. World's best advertisement--survival.
Mrs. OS drives to Louisville about two weeks ago, and on the way discovers a major oil leak in the engine. Off to the mechanic it goes, only to find out that the problem is not desperate (like a head gasket job), and can be repaired. So, OS sez--repair it, we'll go up when it's finished, and I'll drive it back. No biggie.
OS drives said Volvo home, and 100 yards from the house, the car dies. Oil pressure light comes on, car will start, but car won't go past about 10 mph. He raises the hood, and there is oil everywhere in the engine compartment. He limps it home, calls his trusty local mechanic. Tow truck takes car, and the local mechanic looks it over.
One person who worked on it in Louisville had checked one hose leading to the turbo, perhaps to see if it was the source of the leak. Problem is, he didn't remember to tighten the clamp that held the hose in place. Hose pops off 100 yards from home, car dies. Home mechanic clamps hose in place, test drives it, charges $53 for his troubles, which OS gladly pays.
Had said hose popped off twenty minutes earlier, Mrs. OS would now be finalizing funeral plans for her husband, and no one would have ever known why that Volvo wagon suddenly stalled in front of that semi going 75 mph.
It was a near-death experience. OS nearly died because one knucklehead did not take the time to tighten one clamp. He's alive because a Volvo line worker did take the time to make sure the airbags were hooked up properly in 1992, on the previous Volvo.
Planet Knucklehead.
The second insight was: 'This feels familiar, this grinding sense of what's-going-to-fall-apart-next'. Last time he had it, he was living in a third world country. He coped with it, knowing he had his passport to a first-world country.
He doesn't have a passport out of the third-world country in which he now lives.
The sainted Mrs. OS owns a Volvo station wagon, bought in the wake of her previous Volvo station wagon being used by a despairing nine-point buck who decided to end it all by walking in front her vehicle on the highway one late night. The buck died, and the occupants of the car walked away. World's best advertisement--survival.
Mrs. OS drives to Louisville about two weeks ago, and on the way discovers a major oil leak in the engine. Off to the mechanic it goes, only to find out that the problem is not desperate (like a head gasket job), and can be repaired. So, OS sez--repair it, we'll go up when it's finished, and I'll drive it back. No biggie.
OS drives said Volvo home, and 100 yards from the house, the car dies. Oil pressure light comes on, car will start, but car won't go past about 10 mph. He raises the hood, and there is oil everywhere in the engine compartment. He limps it home, calls his trusty local mechanic. Tow truck takes car, and the local mechanic looks it over.
One person who worked on it in Louisville had checked one hose leading to the turbo, perhaps to see if it was the source of the leak. Problem is, he didn't remember to tighten the clamp that held the hose in place. Hose pops off 100 yards from home, car dies. Home mechanic clamps hose in place, test drives it, charges $53 for his troubles, which OS gladly pays.
Had said hose popped off twenty minutes earlier, Mrs. OS would now be finalizing funeral plans for her husband, and no one would have ever known why that Volvo wagon suddenly stalled in front of that semi going 75 mph.
It was a near-death experience. OS nearly died because one knucklehead did not take the time to tighten one clamp. He's alive because a Volvo line worker did take the time to make sure the airbags were hooked up properly in 1992, on the previous Volvo.
Planet Knucklehead.
The second insight was: 'This feels familiar, this grinding sense of what's-going-to-fall-apart-next'. Last time he had it, he was living in a third world country. He coped with it, knowing he had his passport to a first-world country.
He doesn't have a passport out of the third-world country in which he now lives.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Nashville, TN Market Home Sales Drop By 21% In July
15,172 homes on the market in July.
This in a region not nearly so badly affected by the downturn as many others.
Hand out the rally hats, ya'll. We gots us a recovery underway!
This in a region not nearly so badly affected by the downturn as many others.
Hand out the rally hats, ya'll. We gots us a recovery underway!
Thanks, Ya'll
Just passed 4K visits, 75 countries, 1848 cities.
It's an enjoyable hobby, especially knowing OS's screed actually is read from time to time.
It's an enjoyable hobby, especially knowing OS's screed actually is read from time to time.
JDA's Exactly On Point: Racing To The Bottom, Spending Like Madmen, No Teaching Or Learning
JDA does have a way with words.
Oh well, I say let them ruin the school system for cash, it's not like it could get any worse than it already is. American kids are lazy, fat and completely stupid. This is nothing new, I deal with college-educated people on a daily basis who cannot handle even the simplest task such as operating a telephone or writing an email that uses complete, coherent sentences.
In other words, we're doomed.
Of course, as a parent I realize that it is not up to my child's school to teach him but instead know that is my responsibility and school is little more than a playground for his social skills and preparation for a 9 - 5 when he gets older. It's free daycare for Mommy while she's out being a good little capitalist and every now and then he learns something useful to supplement what I've taught him. Too many parents are just as if not more lazy than their lazy ass idiot kids and assume it's up to the schools to do the educating. I guess in order to educate your children you have to have half a brain yourself so there goes that.
Oh well, I say let them ruin the school system for cash, it's not like it could get any worse than it already is. American kids are lazy, fat and completely stupid. This is nothing new, I deal with college-educated people on a daily basis who cannot handle even the simplest task such as operating a telephone or writing an email that uses complete, coherent sentences.
In other words, we're doomed.
Of course, as a parent I realize that it is not up to my child's school to teach him but instead know that is my responsibility and school is little more than a playground for his social skills and preparation for a 9 - 5 when he gets older. It's free daycare for Mommy while she's out being a good little capitalist and every now and then he learns something useful to supplement what I've taught him. Too many parents are just as if not more lazy than their lazy ass idiot kids and assume it's up to the schools to do the educating. I guess in order to educate your children you have to have half a brain yourself so there goes that.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Lessons Of Pixar
This from the HBR blogs, always a wealth of insight.
Quote of the day from this article:
"Success hides problems."
Of course. How obvious. Why don't more of us see those obvious things in front of us?
OS's first job out of college was with a successful small business, family owned, recently moved into a lovely building custom-built for them. Creative on top floor one side, admin top floor the other, production on the ground floor, and warehouse round back. It was cool to be there, and success was in the air.
Now the building stands empty. The company was bought for pennies just before bankruptcy.
A member of the family told OS the crucial anecdote:
On the day we dedicated that building, our CPA quietly told us that this building is not a monument to what we have achieved, but to what we would have to achieve going forward.
They were so happy about being successful, they never saw or dealt with the problems.
The next time OS had dealings with them, some ten years later, they were in total chaos, in the death spiral, never to recover.
Success hides problems.
Quote of the day from this article:
"Success hides problems."
Of course. How obvious. Why don't more of us see those obvious things in front of us?
OS's first job out of college was with a successful small business, family owned, recently moved into a lovely building custom-built for them. Creative on top floor one side, admin top floor the other, production on the ground floor, and warehouse round back. It was cool to be there, and success was in the air.
Now the building stands empty. The company was bought for pennies just before bankruptcy.
A member of the family told OS the crucial anecdote:
On the day we dedicated that building, our CPA quietly told us that this building is not a monument to what we have achieved, but to what we would have to achieve going forward.
They were so happy about being successful, they never saw or dealt with the problems.
The next time OS had dealings with them, some ten years later, they were in total chaos, in the death spiral, never to recover.
Success hides problems.
Lessons From The BP Oil Spill: The Rickover Lesson, And The Pitino Lesson
Some reasoned thoughts on the BP spill, and what can be learned from the experience.
James Hamilton, UC San Diego, shares the thoughts of Steven R. Kopits, an oil industry specialist. One of the points (all are cogent) is most interesting:
Do Send Field Managers to the 'Rickover School'. In an aggressive corporate culture seen in many oil majors, the ability of field managers to push back is critical. In such a situation, the most dangerous manager is one trying to dutifully comply with the mandates passed down from above. All field managers in the oil business (frankly, in the energy business) responsible for major at-risk activities, for example, the management of a refinery or an offshore drilling rig, need to know how to push back against management. The best I have ever met in this respect have been alumna of the nuclear fleet under Admiral Hyman Rickover. Rickover, considered the father of the US nuclear navy, left a legacy of technical achievements including the United States Navy's continuing record of zero reactor accidents. A key component of this legacy was the empowerment of subordinate officers and enlisted personnel to resist the unreasonable requests of senior officers. I don't know if this program is available commercially, but it wouldn't be too difficult to set up a school. Attendance should be mandatory.
Another lesson that can be taken away could be summarized by a quote recently attributed to Rick Pitino of the University of Louisville: 'If you tell the truth, your problems will become a part of the past. If you lie, they are a part of your future.' Rick should know, as he sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind in these past few years. Look it up, if you wish. Warning given, however: It is a seriously, seriously ugly and disturbing cautionary tale.
Kids, choose your heroes wisely. Rick shouldn't be on the list, at least not for a long time to come.
As ugly as it was, BP did the right thing by letting the world view that oil gushing from its well for all those weeks. It was bad news, but it was the truth. When they finally did cap it, after showing their failures in live video, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they had achieved the goal, ahead of the stated time-line. And now, the press is covering the clean-up, not the cover-up.
One of OS's acquaintances works in corporate PR. He's The Grim Reaper. If he shows up in your boardroom, your corporation is in very deep doo-doo. He gets called out 'when the knives are pulled', as he laconically says, with a quiet grin. OS calls upon his wisdom if he suspects things may go pear-shaped, before the knives come out.
Given what he's learned from The Grim Reaper over the years, BP made some very correct decisions in the midst of their deeply bone-headed ones.
James Hamilton, UC San Diego, shares the thoughts of Steven R. Kopits, an oil industry specialist. One of the points (all are cogent) is most interesting:
Do Send Field Managers to the 'Rickover School'. In an aggressive corporate culture seen in many oil majors, the ability of field managers to push back is critical. In such a situation, the most dangerous manager is one trying to dutifully comply with the mandates passed down from above. All field managers in the oil business (frankly, in the energy business) responsible for major at-risk activities, for example, the management of a refinery or an offshore drilling rig, need to know how to push back against management. The best I have ever met in this respect have been alumna of the nuclear fleet under Admiral Hyman Rickover. Rickover, considered the father of the US nuclear navy, left a legacy of technical achievements including the United States Navy's continuing record of zero reactor accidents. A key component of this legacy was the empowerment of subordinate officers and enlisted personnel to resist the unreasonable requests of senior officers. I don't know if this program is available commercially, but it wouldn't be too difficult to set up a school. Attendance should be mandatory.
Another lesson that can be taken away could be summarized by a quote recently attributed to Rick Pitino of the University of Louisville: 'If you tell the truth, your problems will become a part of the past. If you lie, they are a part of your future.' Rick should know, as he sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind in these past few years. Look it up, if you wish. Warning given, however: It is a seriously, seriously ugly and disturbing cautionary tale.
Kids, choose your heroes wisely. Rick shouldn't be on the list, at least not for a long time to come.
As ugly as it was, BP did the right thing by letting the world view that oil gushing from its well for all those weeks. It was bad news, but it was the truth. When they finally did cap it, after showing their failures in live video, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they had achieved the goal, ahead of the stated time-line. And now, the press is covering the clean-up, not the cover-up.
One of OS's acquaintances works in corporate PR. He's The Grim Reaper. If he shows up in your boardroom, your corporation is in very deep doo-doo. He gets called out 'when the knives are pulled', as he laconically says, with a quiet grin. OS calls upon his wisdom if he suspects things may go pear-shaped, before the knives come out.
Given what he's learned from The Grim Reaper over the years, BP made some very correct decisions in the midst of their deeply bone-headed ones.
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