I see hurricanes ablowin'. I think the end is almost here. Credence Clearwater Revival
Well, it's not that bad, but somewhere on our Atlantic Coast there is going to be a nasty little storm. Where is impossible to say right now because hurricanes are so unpredictable. It is a Category 4 at the moment. Generally these tings weaken as they approach land, but not always. Folks really don;t need to be concerned with that unless they are directly in the path of the eye wall/ That is usually a small area. Those in that area have a serious problem.
But that doesn't let others off the hook. You will have high winds and a ridiculous amount of rain If you are on the shore line or one of the little island along the coast, you need to leave now.
Everyone else in the area will have a rocky rode, but, if you use good sense, you will be fine. I have been through 7 hurricanes and 16 tropical storms, so let me give you a few helpful hints;
Make sure all of your cell phones are fully charged and use them sparingly. You will almost certainly lose your power. I have seen the power restored in 12 hours and I have seen it take 3 weeks
Fill as many containers as possible with water and pit as many as possible in your freezer. That will keep the fridge surprisingly cold for about a day.
Fill your bath tub and as many buckets as you can find with water. There are often water problems since, without power,city pump stations shut down. Some cities have enough generators but most don't. The tub and buckets won't be for drinking. They can be used to flush toilets and believe me, that comes in handy. Just take the lid off the tank, pour in the water and flush.
If you have a generator, great. Make sure you know how to use it and do not put it an enclosed area. Same with grills and camp stoves. Use them indoors and you will either burn your house down or die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Stay pit until the authorities say you can go out. After the storm, there will be many dangerous situations outside and emergency crews need clear roads. Don't get in the way.
You are going to have to learn patience. You will get power back when ypu get it. Getting angry does nothing. Be prepared. You may not get your cable or internet service for a good while. Nothing you can do about that.
Here is a tip you seldom hear. But a few cans of mosquito repellent. There will be standing water and that means that about a week later, there will be millions of the tiny blood suckers around and you are dinner.
The storm itself is a wonder to behold. Rarely do wee see the full power of Nature. The aftermath is a nightmare. Things are dirty, wet, smelly and dangerous. The areas hit will be changed and there is nothing you can do about it. If the storm does the unexpected, and turns out to sea, don't get angry at officials who launched emergency procedures. They cannot wait until the last minute. They do a reasonably good job . If it misses you, just be thankful. Stay safe and God Bless all of you.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Monday, September 10, 2018
Computer Madness
Let me quickly say that I love my computer. I don't want it to get mad at me and it is a bit cranky today. Actually, it is not the computer, it is the whole internet issue.
I gave just spent almost 2 hours getting my email. I only bothered because I am expecting something important. I kept losing connections and very bizarre things. It deleted the one thing I wanted without me touching the keyboard and it took a very long time to retrieve it from the deleted file/ This got me wondering just how much time is lost each day through such malfunctions.
We were told that all this technology would streamline all procedures, eliminating much paperwork and freeing workers for more creative tasks. Now, constantly, I run into situations where computers are down or internet connections are overloaded and business and other works slow to a crawl. Information gets lost and important issues, sometimes just get wiped out. They disappear, lost in some alternate universe, I suppose. Occasionally they pop back into our reality, more often not.
Part of the issue is simple, but I do not believe it will be solved anytime soon. There is just to much stiff being sent over the internet. It was initially designed to disseminate technological and scientific data, Then businesses started using it and that was fine. Now, we have the ridiculous use of social sites and there is just too much junk being sent.
Back in the dark ages, not many tears ago, if little Alice wanted to tell her folks how her Economics exam went, she picked yo a phone and called, not texted or tweeted. Of Cousin Sally wanted you to see h,er new baby or Uncle Fred wanted you to see his new car, they sent photographs. I know that sounds primitive, but it worked. It was nice. You do not have to see or know everything the instant it happens. Delayed gratification is very sweet.
What will happen? People could wise up and stay off their computers a bit. That likely will nor happen. The Government could step in and demand that internet providers charge more and thus limit usage.. They can do this by increasing taxes on companies like ARR and Comcast, or they could charge companies like Facebook a huge licensing fee that they would, of course, pass on to the customers.
Or, the whole thing might just collapse under its own weight. As demands increase, the systems will have to become more complex. Chaos theory states that any system that grows too complex will break down. Then, we will see what can be dome with the remnants.
Until then, I suppose we all will just have to put up with what is an increasingly more complex systen that, here and there just does really strange things.
To alter Shakespeare a little, the fault lies not in our computers, the fault lies in ourselves.
I gave just spent almost 2 hours getting my email. I only bothered because I am expecting something important. I kept losing connections and very bizarre things. It deleted the one thing I wanted without me touching the keyboard and it took a very long time to retrieve it from the deleted file/ This got me wondering just how much time is lost each day through such malfunctions.
We were told that all this technology would streamline all procedures, eliminating much paperwork and freeing workers for more creative tasks. Now, constantly, I run into situations where computers are down or internet connections are overloaded and business and other works slow to a crawl. Information gets lost and important issues, sometimes just get wiped out. They disappear, lost in some alternate universe, I suppose. Occasionally they pop back into our reality, more often not.
Part of the issue is simple, but I do not believe it will be solved anytime soon. There is just to much stiff being sent over the internet. It was initially designed to disseminate technological and scientific data, Then businesses started using it and that was fine. Now, we have the ridiculous use of social sites and there is just too much junk being sent.
Back in the dark ages, not many tears ago, if little Alice wanted to tell her folks how her Economics exam went, she picked yo a phone and called, not texted or tweeted. Of Cousin Sally wanted you to see h,er new baby or Uncle Fred wanted you to see his new car, they sent photographs. I know that sounds primitive, but it worked. It was nice. You do not have to see or know everything the instant it happens. Delayed gratification is very sweet.
What will happen? People could wise up and stay off their computers a bit. That likely will nor happen. The Government could step in and demand that internet providers charge more and thus limit usage.. They can do this by increasing taxes on companies like ARR and Comcast, or they could charge companies like Facebook a huge licensing fee that they would, of course, pass on to the customers.
Or, the whole thing might just collapse under its own weight. As demands increase, the systems will have to become more complex. Chaos theory states that any system that grows too complex will break down. Then, we will see what can be dome with the remnants.
Until then, I suppose we all will just have to put up with what is an increasingly more complex systen that, here and there just does really strange things.
To alter Shakespeare a little, the fault lies not in our computers, the fault lies in ourselves.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Daydreaming
What a day for a daydream. The Lovin' Spoonful
That was one of my favorite songs in the mid-60s and it fits my mood today. When I was a wee lad, teachers would chastise is for daydreaming. We had to be bust and thoughtful, They were dead wrong. Daydreams are an expression of our minds constant need to create. Stifle them and you lose an important part of yourself.
You can learn a lot about yourself by, while awake, letting your mind rom free. What draws your attention. Are your fancies dark and mysterious or light and whimsical.Are they always of a sexual nature or do you dream of great deeds. Don't judge, after all they are just little fantasies, but they can reach you a lot.. On occasion, ideas od worth pop through. Answers to what has been vexing you may appear.
Even if your daydreams are not profound, they give your mind a nice little break suring the day, a few moments of freedom from the daily grind. They are amazingly refreshing.
Now, you do have to exercise some control. If you're driving a truck, you don't want to dreaming of throwing the winning pass at the next Super Bowl. If you are performing brain surgery, you don't want to be drifting away to a lovely tropical shore.
But, when you have a break in your daily action, letting your mind drift away for a few moments is a fine health thing.
I write this post on Friday because I always found Friday, especially late in the day when the week us winding down to b e a fine time to ease off. A little daydreaming helps set the stage fpr the weekend. I hope ypurs is a wonderful and Blessed weekend.
That was one of my favorite songs in the mid-60s and it fits my mood today. When I was a wee lad, teachers would chastise is for daydreaming. We had to be bust and thoughtful, They were dead wrong. Daydreams are an expression of our minds constant need to create. Stifle them and you lose an important part of yourself.
You can learn a lot about yourself by, while awake, letting your mind rom free. What draws your attention. Are your fancies dark and mysterious or light and whimsical.Are they always of a sexual nature or do you dream of great deeds. Don't judge, after all they are just little fantasies, but they can reach you a lot.. On occasion, ideas od worth pop through. Answers to what has been vexing you may appear.
Even if your daydreams are not profound, they give your mind a nice little break suring the day, a few moments of freedom from the daily grind. They are amazingly refreshing.
Now, you do have to exercise some control. If you're driving a truck, you don't want to dreaming of throwing the winning pass at the next Super Bowl. If you are performing brain surgery, you don't want to be drifting away to a lovely tropical shore.
But, when you have a break in your daily action, letting your mind drift away for a few moments is a fine health thing.
I write this post on Friday because I always found Friday, especially late in the day when the week us winding down to b e a fine time to ease off. A little daydreaming helps set the stage fpr the weekend. I hope ypurs is a wonderful and Blessed weekend.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Chaos
We live in an orderly Universe governed by rational laws. Mostly. The Creator threw in a wild card, chaos/ We can predict very little because we never know all the factors influencing reactions. On top of that, we have quantum influence. In the quantum, world, not only are their countless reactions happening at amazing speeds. I can only speculate, not being God that this was done to prevent a stagnant Universe. A mechanical, clockwork Universe would be incredibly boring.
There are folks, many, who are not thrilled with this. It shows up in all religions, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, even some types of Hinduism. Not so much in Buddhism, but that is really more of a psychology than a religion.
You see this among the World's leaders. They want power with the intent of establishing a World order that meets their ideas of the way things should be. Upon establishment of that World, they will fight, bully and connive, cheat, lie and even kill. This has happened over and over again throughout human history and still continues. It does not, has not and will not work for any extended period of time. For brief instants, yes, although always at a terrible price.
The Universe will not abide stagnation and will not long tolerate those who try to impose their will over the Creation. And yet, the elite, the powerful continue to try . They are quite mad and yet they are the World's leaders and many of the populace just go along with their agenda. Maybe they hope to make some money, maybe they are scared to oppose, maybe they want to bask in the false glory of their leaders, or maybe they just are too beaten down to stand up and say no. Or maybe they want the reassurance of tyranny, preferring that to the discomfort of uncertainty.
The Universe is glorious because it will always change and always amaze. You cannot own it, you cannot possess it and you cannot control it. Because of the chaotic nature of things, chaotic in the sense that we can never know all contributing factors in a process and never be sire of the outcome, for the same reason, all attempts to impose any individual's or any group's view on our World, is an affront to our Creator. It is an attempt to set yourself up as God and that will not work. Have a very Blessed day.
There are folks, many, who are not thrilled with this. It shows up in all religions, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, even some types of Hinduism. Not so much in Buddhism, but that is really more of a psychology than a religion.
You see this among the World's leaders. They want power with the intent of establishing a World order that meets their ideas of the way things should be. Upon establishment of that World, they will fight, bully and connive, cheat, lie and even kill. This has happened over and over again throughout human history and still continues. It does not, has not and will not work for any extended period of time. For brief instants, yes, although always at a terrible price.
The Universe will not abide stagnation and will not long tolerate those who try to impose their will over the Creation. And yet, the elite, the powerful continue to try . They are quite mad and yet they are the World's leaders and many of the populace just go along with their agenda. Maybe they hope to make some money, maybe they are scared to oppose, maybe they want to bask in the false glory of their leaders, or maybe they just are too beaten down to stand up and say no. Or maybe they want the reassurance of tyranny, preferring that to the discomfort of uncertainty.
The Universe is glorious because it will always change and always amaze. You cannot own it, you cannot possess it and you cannot control it. Because of the chaotic nature of things, chaotic in the sense that we can never know all contributing factors in a process and never be sire of the outcome, for the same reason, all attempts to impose any individual's or any group's view on our World, is an affront to our Creator. It is an attempt to set yourself up as God and that will not work. Have a very Blessed day.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
War
We humans have been fighting each other as long as we have been on this planet. By the time the early nation-states, like Sumer, rolled around, we weer fighting on a grand scale. I have no problem with self defense, but most wars are wars of acquisition. Nations want what others have, and try to take it from them.Okay, that's how it has been. Things are a bit more subtle now, but, in essence, the same. Look at the current scenarios.
No one is attacking the USA. With our nuclear arsenal, we will not be attacked. Yer, we have troops everywhere. Why?
Iraq did not attack us. Terrorists from Saudi Arabia led the 9/11 attacks. Afghanistan did harbor ben Lauder, but we found him in our ally, Pakistan's mountains He's dead, we are still in Afghanistan Iran has not attacked us. N. Korea has not attacked us. Vietnam never attacked us (the Gulf of Tonkin incident was staged' the military's own records admit this). On and on goes the list, and America's troops are still scattered all over the Earth. Men and wo,en are being killed and crippled. Why?
Thar's the easy question. Power. Control. And their stepchild, wealth. Troops are scattered simply to protect American bug business interests. To keep any country that might get a dollar richer off us, under our thumbs.
You say, what about terrorism?. Look at the facts. Most of our terrorism is home grown. Even 9/11 was done by our great allies, the Saudis.
N. Korea? They are just trying to scam is to get money and trade. They know that any attack is suicide.
The creation of nuclear arms, killed the classic idea of war. Now, we fight lottle battles for no reasons other than economic. Or for the display of power. Poiwer is the most addictive drug their is, and its pursuit is a deep mental illness.
There will come a time, sooner rather than later, when the USA will no longer be the big dog. This has happened to every powerful, militant Nation in the history of the World and there is no reason to think we will be the exception. How will we handle that? Well. that is for those coming along now, the younger Americans. Maybe, they will finally, at long last see the lunacy of War. Or, they may choose to go out in a blaze of glory, much like Hitler did in Germany. Or they may just curl up in a little ball and whine. I have no idea. Bur, it will be their choice.
As always, have a fine and Blessed day.
No one is attacking the USA. With our nuclear arsenal, we will not be attacked. Yer, we have troops everywhere. Why?
Iraq did not attack us. Terrorists from Saudi Arabia led the 9/11 attacks. Afghanistan did harbor ben Lauder, but we found him in our ally, Pakistan's mountains He's dead, we are still in Afghanistan Iran has not attacked us. N. Korea has not attacked us. Vietnam never attacked us (the Gulf of Tonkin incident was staged' the military's own records admit this). On and on goes the list, and America's troops are still scattered all over the Earth. Men and wo,en are being killed and crippled. Why?
Thar's the easy question. Power. Control. And their stepchild, wealth. Troops are scattered simply to protect American bug business interests. To keep any country that might get a dollar richer off us, under our thumbs.
You say, what about terrorism?. Look at the facts. Most of our terrorism is home grown. Even 9/11 was done by our great allies, the Saudis.
N. Korea? They are just trying to scam is to get money and trade. They know that any attack is suicide.
The creation of nuclear arms, killed the classic idea of war. Now, we fight lottle battles for no reasons other than economic. Or for the display of power. Poiwer is the most addictive drug their is, and its pursuit is a deep mental illness.
There will come a time, sooner rather than later, when the USA will no longer be the big dog. This has happened to every powerful, militant Nation in the history of the World and there is no reason to think we will be the exception. How will we handle that? Well. that is for those coming along now, the younger Americans. Maybe, they will finally, at long last see the lunacy of War. Or, they may choose to go out in a blaze of glory, much like Hitler did in Germany. Or they may just curl up in a little ball and whine. I have no idea. Bur, it will be their choice.
As always, have a fine and Blessed day.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
We Can Talk About It Now
We could try to reason, but you might think it treason. The Band, We Can Talk About It Now, from the album Music From Big Pink
The above is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums, by one of my favorite bands. It comes to mind because, for a brief while, I have the Senate hearings on the Supreme Court nominee's confirmation on the TV. Not for long, I can assure you. Seemongly, we can no longer talk about it and many do think that all attempts to reason are treason.
I am not commenting on the Nominee. He seems to be a cookie cutter model of all the rest of the Nominees. Probably a nice gut, bright enough but not brilliant and definitely not a creative thinker. In short, competent, but dull. I really do not care if he is confirmed or not.
My problem is with the state of dialogue in this Nation. So far, all I have heard in this hearing is a lot of statements. Each side is making statements, but they are talking at each other. There is no give and tale, no reasoning.
Since the writings of Plato and his recreation of Socrates' dialogues, verbal give and take gas been the basis of reasoning in Western Civilization. That seems to be gone now. A society cannot function without such conversation without becoming a dictatorship. We are a democratic republic and cannot survive as such without talking to each other and engage in give and take, reasoning together.
So far, no and this seems to have become the norm. There are some others voicing opinions, but they are in the gallery screaming incoherently..
To some, this hearing is important and they are getting a sham hearing, and that is all there will be until we learn to talk about things and to reason again. I do not think that day is soon to come.
But, it is a good day, mild and pleasant and I feel pretty well. My advice is to ignore the whole mass of lunacy and have some fun. Blessings to all of you.
The above is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums, by one of my favorite bands. It comes to mind because, for a brief while, I have the Senate hearings on the Supreme Court nominee's confirmation on the TV. Not for long, I can assure you. Seemongly, we can no longer talk about it and many do think that all attempts to reason are treason.
I am not commenting on the Nominee. He seems to be a cookie cutter model of all the rest of the Nominees. Probably a nice gut, bright enough but not brilliant and definitely not a creative thinker. In short, competent, but dull. I really do not care if he is confirmed or not.
My problem is with the state of dialogue in this Nation. So far, all I have heard in this hearing is a lot of statements. Each side is making statements, but they are talking at each other. There is no give and tale, no reasoning.
Since the writings of Plato and his recreation of Socrates' dialogues, verbal give and take gas been the basis of reasoning in Western Civilization. That seems to be gone now. A society cannot function without such conversation without becoming a dictatorship. We are a democratic republic and cannot survive as such without talking to each other and engage in give and take, reasoning together.
So far, no and this seems to have become the norm. There are some others voicing opinions, but they are in the gallery screaming incoherently..
To some, this hearing is important and they are getting a sham hearing, and that is all there will be until we learn to talk about things and to reason again. I do not think that day is soon to come.
But, it is a good day, mild and pleasant and I feel pretty well. My advice is to ignore the whole mass of lunacy and have some fun. Blessings to all of you.
Monday, September 3, 2018
Autumn
The Autumnal Equinox, I love that phrase, is almost here. I love the Fall. It is my favorite time of year. The crisp mornings, mildly warm days with cool breezes, and the nice chill at night are perfect. I love putting on a light sweater in the morning, then switching to short sleeves in the afternoon and a light jacket at night. I think it is so fine to stand in the Sunshine on a fall afternoon and get toasty, knowing that a short step into the shade will cool me down nicely.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the hot languid days of Summer, the bite of Winter and the beauty of Spring, but my favorite is Fall. Even the food changes. Cold Sandwiches and salads start giving way to soups and stews and ice cream starts to give way to hot pies right our of the oven. Hot, strong mugs of tea replace tall glasses of iced tea.
The Fed Ex playoffs are underway, if you like golf and the Baseball playoffs and World Series are just around the corner. Football is cranking up and tennis is winding down. Horse racing fans, like myself, will soon be treated to the Breeders' Cup.
Today is Labor day, the last holiday of Simmer. Barbecue, baseball, swimming and golf and late baseball and early football ate on RV. The real holidays, for me start soon. My friend and companion of 34 years, Deb, has her birthday the end of the month. Then, it's a short hop to Halloween and Thanksgiving, the end of Fall marker. Then Christmas and New Year to usher in the deep Winter months. The year's cycle is wonderful. All of life has some elements of a cyclical nature and one of the grandest things that we humans do is our celebrations of these always returning Holidays.
I believe that these cycles echo our existence. We enter life, stay a spell, then leave and come back. Unlike most Christians, I fully believe in reincarnation. Actually I prefer the older Greek term. the transmigration of souls. It sounds fancier, and somehow more Western. That this belief separates me from other Christians is not a big deal to me. I never thought that anyone system of thought held all the answers.
Anyway, today is not a day for such theological debate. Today is for hot dogs and baseball, chili and football, burgers and swimming. In short today is simply a celebration of the end of one season and the start of the next. It is a celebration of life.
Sp, each and everyone of you should have a great day. Be happy and have fun. God bless all of you.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the hot languid days of Summer, the bite of Winter and the beauty of Spring, but my favorite is Fall. Even the food changes. Cold Sandwiches and salads start giving way to soups and stews and ice cream starts to give way to hot pies right our of the oven. Hot, strong mugs of tea replace tall glasses of iced tea.
The Fed Ex playoffs are underway, if you like golf and the Baseball playoffs and World Series are just around the corner. Football is cranking up and tennis is winding down. Horse racing fans, like myself, will soon be treated to the Breeders' Cup.
Today is Labor day, the last holiday of Simmer. Barbecue, baseball, swimming and golf and late baseball and early football ate on RV. The real holidays, for me start soon. My friend and companion of 34 years, Deb, has her birthday the end of the month. Then, it's a short hop to Halloween and Thanksgiving, the end of Fall marker. Then Christmas and New Year to usher in the deep Winter months. The year's cycle is wonderful. All of life has some elements of a cyclical nature and one of the grandest things that we humans do is our celebrations of these always returning Holidays.
I believe that these cycles echo our existence. We enter life, stay a spell, then leave and come back. Unlike most Christians, I fully believe in reincarnation. Actually I prefer the older Greek term. the transmigration of souls. It sounds fancier, and somehow more Western. That this belief separates me from other Christians is not a big deal to me. I never thought that anyone system of thought held all the answers.
Anyway, today is not a day for such theological debate. Today is for hot dogs and baseball, chili and football, burgers and swimming. In short today is simply a celebration of the end of one season and the start of the next. It is a celebration of life.
Sp, each and everyone of you should have a great day. Be happy and have fun. God bless all of you.
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