11:08 – It was 25F (-4C) when I took Colin out this morning, with winds gusting to probably 30 MPH (~50 KPH). There was a light dusting of snow. The real snow is to start coming in tonight and tomorrow. We’re expecting as much as 4 inches (10 cm) over the weekend.
Barbara returned home about 3:45 yesterday afternoon. We unloaded the back of her car, which was pretty packed from the Costco run. A 50-pound bag each of flour and sugar, two 10-pound boxes of Quaker Oats, two 13.5-pound bags of baking soda, two large jars of cinnamon and one of Italian seasoning, a pint of vanilla extract, two 3-liter bottles of olive oil, and a bulk pack each of toilet paper and paper towels.
The only prepping-related things I added this week were two packs of oxygen absorbers and a case of dehydrated onions from the LDS online store. The onions are actually cheaper on-line ($48.75/case of six #10 cans) than at an LDS Home Storage Center ($54.00/case). They’re also half the price per pound that Walmart charges for Augason Farms dehydrated onions. The LDS on-line store does charge shipping, but it’s only $3.00 per order if you choose the slow-boat method.
I saw a blog comment somewhere complaining about the LDS on-line store charging shipping, which they didn’t used to do. I didn’t remember paying shipping the last time I ordered from them, so I went out and did a search. The top hit was to a discussion forum that had a Mormon complaining about now having to pay shipping on underwear orders.
There’s apparently a lot of discussion among non-Mormons about Mormon underwear, which Mormons refer to as “garments”, with lots of conspiracy theories among the anti-Mormon crowd. It’s all just stupid. Mormon garments have religious symbolism for them, just as a yarmulke does to Jews or a cross necklace to Christians. Yes, practicing adult Mormons, men and women, wear underwear. So what? I do, too, as does everyone I know. Or at least I think they do. There’s nothing to see here. Move along.
We’re in reasonably good shape on science kit stuff for this time of year, so we’ll be working on regular tasks around the house this weekend. That, and repackaging more LTS food. Some of that can wait for now. For example, the Quaker Oats that Barbara picked up at Costco have a best-by date 18 months out in their original packaging. That translates to a real shelf life of at least five years without being repackaged. We’ll eventually transfer them to PET bottles with oxygen absorbers, which gives them an extremely long shelf life, at least 10 to 20 years and probably more.
* * * * *
“There’s nothing to see here. Move along.”
We are our own worst enemies too often these days, for fake nooz, misinformation, jumping to conclusions, conspiracy theories, etc., etc. Partly a case of way TMI and partly because of our gullibility and dopamine addiction to schadenfreude.
Peeps gotta get away from the pixels and get outside in meatspace and interact with other peeps. And kill the MSM tee-vee nooz once and for all. NYT and other major papers useful now only for birdcage liner and they’re on the way out anyway.
Regarding my local weather, I live about 10 miles from here:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=sgx&sid=KSNA&num=72&raw=0
Next subject, LDS undergarments: No Comment.
FLDS outerwear: Used to go camping and 4WD sightseeing in NW AZ and passing through Colorado City, AZ, land of the Fundamental LDS, read polygamy.
Females dressed as acting in TV progam “Little House on the Prairie”.
Of course (nice gooogly eyes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsF7enQY8uI
Females dressed as acting in TV progam “Little House on the Prairie”.
Could have been a hardcore “Prairie” fan cult. Those are bad news.
“Let the annual ‘Blinding of the Children’ commence.”
“Oh, Landon, who art truly on the Highway to Heaven …”
“Regarding my local weather, I live about 10 miles from here…”
That’s just terrible, Mr. Slim; however do you manage? (bigger question: however will you manage when Calexit takes place and then the whole west coast slides into the Pacific?)
“Of course (nice gooogly eyes)”
And however will Mr. Robot manage when the juice cuts off? Or anything, for that matter? We are married to it, currently….get it? “currently?” Sometimes I kill myself. Gives me a real jolt.
I missed out on that whole “Little House” thang. I am given to understand that it is like unto Holy Writ for some “conservatives” and Laura Ingalls Wilder is like unto the Virgin Mary.
It’s funny how contemporary peeps latch onto certain figures; to wit, the continued fascination and adulation with Ayn Rand, a most unpleasant character and full of chit to boot.
My own latch-ons are usually literary figures from the Modernist era, mostly, and they were kinda unpleasant in real life, too.
But my contemporary heroes are the late A. Solzhenitsyn and Patrick J. Buchanan.
Libturdian heads are exploding at an exponential rate thanks to President tRump. He’s actually doing what he said and halting the refugee influx. I assume you can still apply to be a US Naturalized Citizen. No freebies ’cause “insert whine here”. Even non-US citizens are being stopped from visiting from certain countries. The MSM says due to confusion on the EO. I say because people want tRump to keep going on immigration.
(bigger question: however will you manage when Calexit takes place and then the whole west coast slides into the Pacific?)
I betting the split will be on the San Andreas and I’ll have beach front property.
https://www.amazon.com/last-days-great-State-California/dp/B0007EJRQ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1485633560&sr=1-1&keywords=the+late+great+state+of+california
“Libturdian heads are exploding at an exponential rate thanks to President tRump. He’s actually doing what he said and halting the refugee influx.”
He’s done more in the past week of a positive nature (Number One being the phone call to Prince Vlad and releasing that pressure valve for now) than Barack Hussein Soetero did in his eight years, much of which was either negative or him and the Mooch taking endless vacations at our expense, to the tune of many tens of millions. And becoming a laughingstock of the rest of the world. I have no complaints YET, but am uneasy about some of his Cabinet choices. (again my first priority is avoiding wars). I am curious to see what transpires WRT to the economy, though, and how much pressure the oligarchs bring to bear on him.
“I betting the split will be on the San Andreas and I’ll have beach front property.”
Cool! I’ll be out with my beach umbrella and Coppertone SPF 100, stopping off along the way in Lost Wages to pick up the zombie strippers he will have arranged for me; thanks, MrAtoz!
If tRump sends too many back, I’ll have to buy a lawnmower.
Regarding slide into the sea…..Yuuup, some houses up at the edge of a mesa above the beach do fall in. OTOH, I’m about 1 1/2 mile inland and at MSL; consequently, already at sea level, can’t slide down.
I have no complaints YET, but am uneasy about some of his Cabinet choices.
At least May and tRump agree no more Iraqs. Destroyed in two weeks, still there thanks to Bush The First and Twooth and Obola for nation building. Our military is for “kill, crush, destroy” and “eat dead babies”. Not for developing democracy.
Going to see the latest Resident Evil today, so will take notes on Zombie Strippers.
The usual MSM outlets are reporting California is exploring withholding tax paid to the Feds. Also, secession movement is growing. The United States of California and Mexico. Maybe time to bail out of CA.
As long as Trump is an adult about Russia, my only other requirement is that the “Shared Responsibility Payment” (Obamacare coverage mandate) has to go this Spring.
This week in Texas political news:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/Joaquin-Castro-speculates-on-a-run-against-Ted-10886728.php
Nationally, the Dems talk about running one of the Castro brothers for President as the second coming of Obama. “First Hispanic President”. Challenging Ted Cruz would be an important first step, but, from what I understand, the Castros, unlike Cruz, do not speak Spanish fluently.
No habla Espanol?!? The sons of the La Raza cofounder? Maybe Mr. Lynn can speak to this.
That would be a fun Univision debate.
“Yes, practicing adult Mormons, men and women, wear underwear. So what? I do, too…”
I’m shocked! No True Scotsman would indulge in such a heathen practice… 🙂
“I’m shocked! No True Scotsman would indulge in such a heathen practice… ”
Not when I’m wearing a kilt, obviously.
I can’t remember which but my tartan is either McLeod or McDonald. Didn’t matter, when I was in a dress shirt and tie work environment, I wore both.
Wore both a shirt and a tie. Got it. And, as you mentioned nothing else, one may assume you wore nothing else.
“The usual MSM outlets are reporting California is exploring withholding tax paid to the Feds. Also, secession movement is growing. The United States of California and Mexico. Maybe time to bail out of CA.”
I could go to Pahrump if I really had to…familiar with the area. Former c0-worker bought home up there after retiring.
I missed out on that whole “Little House” thang. I am given to understand that it is like unto Holy Writ for some “conservatives” and Laura Ingalls Wilder is like unto the Virgin Mary.
I remember a cool quote from Hugh Wilson, creator of “WKRP In Cincinnati”, regarding his competition on Wednesday nights:
“We couldn’t win. We were up against ‘Little House”, and every time we would gain on those suckers, they would blind another child.”
Michael Landon blew up the sets (literally) once the series was over, claiming that he didn’t want the property to become a tourist attraction.
OK radio heads; what do you make of this?
https://www.beartooth.com
Beartooth uses Bluetooth to connect your smartphone to a digital transciver to communicate out-of-band or in case of cell tower failure. Beartooth uses 900MHz digital license free band, operating between 902Mhz to 928Mhz. They offer mesh networking, Multiple hops extend your range as you create an advanced on-the-go network to stay in touch with all members of your group.
I am thinking that this is an interesting option for non-radioheads?
If tRump sends too many back, I’ll have to buy a lawnmower.
Several years ago we loaded the old folks up in their Crown Vic and did The One Lap of America. Starting from Comanche, Texas, we went to Carlsbad for a wedding, then onward to places like Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, north rim of the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, a lot of redwoods in California. Including the drive-thru tree that just blew over. Old Faithful was really cool. Even if it was snowing. A bit of Oregon and Washington. Could not get them into going to Vancouver. Then across Idaho…. I have a rock from the Snake River. And where ever… N Dakota for a day. S Dakota. Mount Rushmore. (go there, it’s awesome!!) Devil’s Tower. And back to Texas through Kansas and Oklahoma. Almost a month….
Anyway, call me raycess. Once out of Texas, we saw maybe 20 negroes on the entire trip. Plenty of Indians. And up in northern California and Washington and Oregon, the Indians we saw had dots. Didn’t see a black person from Oregon thru s Dakota and back south until we got to Oklahoma.
Anyway. If the wetbacks are not around to mow your lawn, there’s plenty of white boys for the job. Because that’s who I saw mowing and landscaping up north.
Oh, and if you want French dressing on your salad, might want to write it down…. the old lady got Ranch every time she asked for French. Until we got to Oklahoma.
OK, here is the political correctness regarding color and ethnicity that really gets me. You were going the Indian reservation areas in the west like around Grand Canyon N P.
Now think about how the want the NFL Washington Redskins to change the team name as it is belittling to Native Americans. OK, check out those selling turquoise jewelry on the side of the roads near GCNP. Then check me out:
http://www.ttgnet.com/journal/2016/11/19/saturday-19-november-2016/
Now, I have the red skin, neck and all, in contrast to the jewelry sales folks in N AZ. Well, I do not feel belittled by the name of the football team.
Hey, see my blonde haired granddaughter? She is 25% Mexican and I do not hate her!!!
Oh yeah, her Dad drinks Pacifico while I drink PBR.
Roger that?
Also, the water in Sparks, NV was almost too nasty to use to brush your teeth. Super chlorinated.
I did have fun in a casino. Had $20 worth of nickles. Got three “free” beers. And once out of nickles, wandered around, saw someone hit a dollar machine for a grand. Went back by the machine I had been feeding…. some woman looking creature was sitting on the stools in front of three machines. No, really, her ass was on all three stools. And she dropped a nickel on “my” machine and hit something like $1200.
Heh, $6 a beer. I’m cool.
Roger that.
Pacifico is good beer. PBR, well, I have nothing to say, it’s not for sale here. I like Miller High Life. “Champagne of Bottled Beers” in a can. NOT the diet crap.
The food at all of the “Indian” restaurants I have tried has all been good. Indian, Mexican, whatever. It’s interesting to travel west and go from TexMex across whatever to CalMex (which is served with way too much iceberg lettuce).
Hey, have you been to Tuba City?
We lived several years in Harrison Arkansas. The first month my wife called me to tell me about something wierd. “The garbage men are white!” She said in amazement.
OK radio heads; what do you make of this?
Wait until they release product. I’m skeptical, but it has been a while since I did real EE work.
People want to believe when it comes to RF. Part of the reason I didn’t finish at my last grad program was that the professor tasked me with pursuing the impossible because he didn’t want to admit he pissed away $30,000 of the university’s money on the wrong hardware. The admins bought his story over my rational explanation.
@H Colms- there are a couple of mesh networking add ons for cell phones, haven’t looked closely at them. Cool idea, but they are pricy, was the impression I got.
There was once a project to use the actual cell radios in your phones to support mesh networking off grid, but I don’t know what happened with it. Since you don’t actually have a license for the bands, there might be a problem. Developing would be hard.
n
(oh, and someone I read online talked about it recently, since it’s on my mind, just can’t remember who. Maybe Brushbeater in a comment……)
ADDED- wifi mesh from your phone seems to be a thing too
https://www.google.com/search?q=wifi+mesh+network+home&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=wifi+mesh+network+cell+phone
If anyone is interested in getting on Gab, an alternative to Twitter, I have five brand-spanking-new invites. Let me know your email address (you can send it to steven.furlong at gmail if you don’t want to put it up here) and I’ll send the invite winging your way.
(Not that I expect to use my account much, what with being an asocial person on a social platform, but I despise Twitter’s management and policies and will gladly undertake minor efforts to get people on another platform.)
Thanks. I’ll give it a shot. Maybe it’ll put twitter oob.
Nationally, the Dems talk about running one of the Castro brothers for President as the second coming of Obama. “First Hispanic President”. Challenging Ted Cruz would be an important first step, but, from what I understand, the Castros, unlike Cruz, do not speak Spanish fluently.
No habla Espanol?!? The sons of the La Raza cofounder? Maybe Mr. Lynn can speak to this.
The junior senator from The Great State of Texas speaks Cuban Spanish, like his Cuban father.
Ted Cruz will shake off the Castro challenger just fine. We do not experiment here in Texas with unqualified office holders. And, we find it prideful that all of the other senators hate Ted Cruz, including our senior senator.
But will Ted Cruz be in SCOTUS by then ?
He’s actually doing what he said and halting the refugee influx.
The one thing in the EO Ihad an objection to was the stopping of green card holders from returning. If you have a green card, you get to come back to the US, absent due process. Green card holders have the right to enter the US absent a deportation procedure.
Sent, RBT. Others report that invites were flagged as spam, FYI.
SteveF wrote:
“Wore both a shirt and a tie. Got it. And, as you mentioned nothing else, one may assume you wore nothing else.”
No, he wore both his McLeod and McDonald tartans at once. Must be damn cold in southern California… 🙂
Me and my next younger brother have been on the GAB waiting list for months now.
Back from the airport; wife safe home from OK City and Tulsa via Chicongo.
She has another gig lined up in Charlotte, NC, and will link up with two former roommates and classmates from the Emma Willard School.
Also wants me to step up my passport application so we can go to Venice, Italy for $400 round-trip in the spring. I’ll get on that, I guess. If I visit Europe I’d really rather go to Hungary and Austria. But whatever.
But will Ted Cruz be in SCOTUS by then ?
Cruz is still young. He could take another shot at the top job in eight years.
Cruz-Rubio ’24 unless the FL Governor’s Mansion goes blue next year.
Just sent you an invite, OFD.
From what others were saying, Gab had the waiting list some months ago and trickled people in during the beta, and then switched to the invite system without letting in or even informing the people still on the waiting list.
“Sent, RBT. Others report that invites were flagged as spam, FYI.”
Thanks. I signed up as soon as I got the invite. I decided to use a pseudonym, so I’m R_B_Thompson.
Now I’m in the position our BC Kerry was in the day he caught the UPS truck: now that I’ve got it, what do I do with it?
Venice was still flooded last time I looked.
Venice is the most expensive city in Europe. Even more so than Paris. London is comparatively frugal of all the large cities that I have been to. Even Copenhagen.
Venice is even more expensive than Disneyworld.
Hell if I know. Put up daily gabs with interesting and amusing science facts, maybe, with snippets of your company products and news from time to time. (This is all in your copious free time, of course.) At least for now the Gab user base seems strongly right-wing (to the extent that the traditional categories haven’t broken down) and likely are more interested in home schooling and home science ed kits.
Oh, in related news, I gave the URL of your site to one of the higher-ups at my daughter’s prospective next-year’s school. Small school, like under two dozen in the high school years, and the guy mentioned they were struggling with a decent science curriculum that they could afford and could tailor to such a small group. With luck you’ll get some book and kit sales out of it.
Venice was still flooded last time I looked.
Venice has various levels of flooding. The base level is where the water waves are one foot below St. Marks square. The high level is where you are walking on tables in two to three ft of water. We visited in low flooding time, thank goodness.
https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-flooding-st-marks-square-image23675464
“…and then switched to the invite system without letting in or even informing the people still on the waiting list.”
Well that is bloody stupid nonsense. Kinda annoys me. But I, like the pseudo RBT, signed up as soon as I got it, via my spiffy smartypants iPhone. Gotta be better than Twitter, but I, like Mr. SteveF, don’t anticipate using it much. For more secure commo between like-minded rightists, there are other means available. And we can always encrypt stuff but PGP is a royal PITA.
“Venice is the most expensive city in Europe.”
We wouldn’t be staying right in Venezia anyway; some Air B&B joint outside the metropole, most likely. Day trips around the AO; I’d like to visit the late E. Pound’s gravesite. Maybe look up the kids and/or grandkids if they’re still around. Also maybe scoot up into Austria and Vienna. But I’m not real sold or totally enthused about the venture; if it makes Mrs. OFD happy, then I’m on it.
” Small school, like under two dozen in the high school years, and the guy mentioned they were struggling with a decent science curriculum that they could afford and could tailor to such a small group.”
And I know there’s little to zero market for it, but that is exactly the sort of school environment that I wouldn’t mind teaching English lit and Latin in, even for shitty pay, just to make it work and maybe get one or two kids interested. You can only sniff what’s inside laboratory beakers for so long or stare at elongated math problems on the chalkboard likewise. Let’s sit outside and look at de Vere’s sonnets, or Wyatt’s, or maybe some light stuff from Lewis Carroll, a couple of funny selections from Jonathan Swift, the city shower poem is a riot, as are his “Directions to Servants.”
And WTF; so what if Venezia is flooded; they have friggin’ boats!
From the Hard to Find Great Speakers Department:
http://freedomoutpost.com/womens-march-speaker-donna-hylton-kidnapped-raped-tortured-man-to-death/
I heard about this case when it happened. These people are Not. Like. Us. They belong in cages or strung up from gallows or shot, whatever. But the Left and the fembats apparently had no problem with it.
From the City Mice and Town Mice Department:
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2017/01/25/expect-more-conflict-between-cities-and-states
We note that when Normals and conservatives have the upper hand, it is always the Left that suddenly sees the pressing need for “compromise” and “cooperation.”
Fuck all that. We tried that, or had it tried for us, in our name. We’re done with it.
Radio Havana Cuba coming in strong tonight, currently playing their “Songs w/ a Message” weekly hatefest… All anti-war anti-establishment american songs from the last couple eras.
n
As it happens… one of the reasons we’re looking at this school is because it organizes the curriculum around the trivium, with heavy emphasis on the classics, rhetoric, and all that. Including Latin starting in 3rd grade and a stack of books (in English) taller than the shorter students. (That stack is to be read over several years; amusing as it would be to give a 10-year-old a week to read Jane Eyre and Aurelius’s Meditations, they aren’t that rotten.) They might be looking for a Latin teacher; not sure if they’ve found one yet. However, the school is likely out of your commuting range and I doubt they allow telepresence.
[snip] California is exploring withholding tax paid to the Feds. [snip]
Exactly how many dollars does the State of California remit to the US Government? Unless they are considering seizing various tax payments sent by individuals or corporations through banks located in California, in which case the excrement will hit the air handler.
And I remember a vacation that included Rushmore & Devil’s Tower. Friends of mine were amused when I told them that the strangest thing I saw was a road crew with no black people. They just couldn’t grasp such a thing.
Finally, OFD and others out there might want to know that US passports can be expedited for an extra fee. I just found this out on Friday; a buddy’s wife had to do that to go visit Ukraine.
According to the EU, London is the most expensive city in the EU. Housing and transportation costs are culprits.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/budgeting-currency/most-expensive-european-city
“… currently playing their “Songs w/ a Message” weekly hatefest…”
Ship them 100,000 laptops and netbooks, etc., and set up a fast innernet for ’em. Lay off the stupid embargo bullshit and fire up a hardcore capitalist economy. Tell the old hardasses in Floriduh that we sympathize deeply but that chit is over now. The remaining Castro piece of shit ain’t long for this world.
Which reminds me; I gotta find wherever it is I put the TecSun and get it set up in here with an outside treetop wire antenna. Meanwhile the Uniden scanner works great, but it’s mostly just routine, low-end cop and EMS calls. Nothing much ever happens around here; but that may change soon. We just got word or rumor that the new marina pier has somehow been approved; if that thing goes in, we can expect lots more traffic and noise in the summer. And incidents, I’m sure.
“…the school is likely out of your commuting range and I doubt they allow telepresence.”
I’m sure that’s the case. Damn.
“…it organizes the curriculum around the trivium, with heavy emphasis on the classics, rhetoric, and all that. Including Latin starting in 3rd grade…”
Be still my beating and corrupt haht. Wow. I’d be all over that. Third grade. Shazammm! I’d have the little buggers reciting Catullus and Ovid by 5th grade.
“…give a 10-year-old a week to read Jane Eyre and Aurelius’s Meditations, they aren’t that rotten.)”
I’d skip the Eyre and Meditations at that level and work on grammar and vocabulary, with frequent easy stories and fables. Some fun poems. You know Winnie the Pooh is available in Latin, amirite? Maybe kidnap ’em and take ’em on a field trip to Sunday noon Latin mass, lol.
Gives me an idea, though; I may talk to our priest (Parochial Vicar for the Diocese of Burlington, VT) about maybe starting up a Latin class there for peeps of any age and then seeing if we can make it fly further out.
“…OFD and others out there might want to know that US passports can be expedited for an extra fee.”
Yeah, I knew about that but forgot it. Will get on it sometime in the next week or two, if and when we get paid again here. Thanks for the reminder.
“According to the EU, London is the most expensive city in the EU.”
No interest in visiting Londonistan anyway; I have a color slide of Mrs. OFD at age 11 standing on London Bridge with whatever impressive buildings in the background. I’m gonna clean it up a bit and hopefully enlarge it, along with some other old photos we have here. I have a couple of my grandfather and two of his Nantucket cousins visiting New Bedford from Nantucket, as little kids in 1890s Quaker outfits. And more old pics of my paternal great-uncles and g-grandfathers in New Bedford; they had huge mustaches back then, I guess.
As for visiting the UK and Ireland, I’d consider the west coast of Ireland and that’s about it. I’d rather see Vienna and Budapest. Even Moscow.
Ending the Saturday evening and now sashaying into a new Sunday, some cheering news:
https://kakistocracyblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/the-pen-of-mjolnir/
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2017/01/29/the-pen-of-mjolnir/
My brother and I exchanged hearty guffaws earlier via iPhone messaging concerning all the libturds’ heads exploding. It’s been going on now for a week and it is a beautiful sight and sound. Now if only their heads were literally exploding, that would be something.
And from the Girding Our Loins Department:
https://christianmerc.blogspot.com/2017/01/with-isis-flags-waving.html
We may have won one lousy battle but the war goes on.
According to the EU, London is the most expensive city in the EU. Housing and transportation costs are culprits.
The last time I stayed in London, May 2002 ???, the wife and I stayed in a budget hotel out at Gatwick for 60 ? 80 ? pounds per night. The rest of the time, I rented a car and we drove out to Swansea with a freaking awesome drive through Wales. The food was 5 to 15 pounds per meal, nothing fancy.
The only time I stayed in Venice, February 2004, the room my wife and I shared with a couch that my daughter slept on was 300 euros a night for two nights. My Dad found a economy room for 200 euros per night (Mom did not come with us). The meals were 15 to 30 euros each, nothing fancy. We took a train from Florence where my parents had rented a two bedroom condo for a month. We had a great time and spent an incredible amount of money.
_The Survivalist (Dark Days)_ by Dr. Arthur T. Bradley
https://www.amazon.com/Survivalist-Dark-Days-Arthur-Bradley/dp/1534938125/
Book number eight of a nine book post apocalyptic series. I read the POD (print on demand) printing in trade paperback. I suspect that this series will continue for quite a while. I have book number nine on pre-order. Note that the apocalyptic event was a man-made virus called the Superpox-99.
What do you do with the nuclear power plants when there is no longer an electrical grid after the apocalypse ?
How do you make enough food for the survivors of the apocalypse ?
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (217 reviews)
“We had a great time and spent an incredible amount of money.”
I haven’t put those two phrases together in one sentence since my wedding!
n
Venice is the most romantic city in the world.
I have visited 3 times and each was amazing. The last was in 2000 when I was invited to speak at an IT conference. They paid for the hotel so I took the wife for our most exciting vacation ever. It was in late September when most of the tourists had gone and we had the city much to ourselves.
There is a huge project underway to cope with the flooding, I hope it works.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jun/16/inside-venice-bid-hold-back-tide-sea-level-rise
Someone who had just visited Venice once told me that every other city he’d ever been in had regular garbage collection, but in Venice people just threw their garbage in the canals. I assume they have sewers, but who knows?
I don’t want to seem racist, but…
When I did a coach tour in 1995 concentrating on Swizerland and Austria we also spent a couple of days in northern Italy. It was obvious when we crossed into Italy that buildings and infrastructure were not maintained as well as in Austria and Swizerland. The train stations had rusty corregated iron roofs, etc.
A friend who has an Italian born wife says they spend inordinate amounts of money on fine clothes but let infrastructure deteriorate. Corruption is also endemic.
“I don’t want to seem racist”
I’ve seen your image. You’re a white guy. White people can’t be racist because of all our suffering over the decades that was inflicted by non-white people.
That’s exactly the kind of racist statement a racist white man (but I repeat myself) would say, RBT.
Endless loop (see Loop, endless)
Loop, endless (see Endless loop)
Yeah, I knew about that but forgot it. Will get on it sometime in the next week or two, if and when we get paid again here. Thanks for the reminder.
Don’t forget to take your shades off for the picture, sir. Also, get the Passport Card added to your application. Another form of ID always comes in handy.
Umm, when did Italian become a race?
n
Unless you’re holding a sign at the airport, and those mooks need the reminder too– muslim is not a race so wanting to keep muslims out CAN’T make you a racist.
That’s exactly the kind of racist statement a racist white man (but I repeat myself) would say, nick.
My anthropological thesis for Europe and North Murka is that there are tribes rather than races, per se. So for example, in ancient Italy there were Etruscans and various other Italic tribes be-bopping around that peninsula. In England it was a mix of Picts, Celts, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Norse, etc. Since then some tribes have disappeared, or more likely, been assimilated into other tribes. Not all of the Africans who came here were from one tribe, obviously. So the whole concept of racism needs to be rebooted.
Tribes?! Are you appropriating an American Indian word?
Oh shit, that’s right! Wow. You saved me from the MicroAggression TRIBunal just in time. Thanks!
There must be a joke involving tomahawks here. I’m not able to chop through the brush pile of my mind. Even with a hatchet.
There is a fabulous hatchet/tomahawk multi-tool I saw in one of the SeriousPrepper’s Toob videos the other day, going for around 80 bucks. I want it.
I am a very distant member of the Wampanoag nations, probably involving tribes in southeastern Maffachufetts and the Islands that are now mostly extinct or assimilated by the Euro Borg. My dad and grandfather knew more but neglected to pass on that information to me. Whenever my dad had to visit Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket for boiler and machinery insurance inspections, he was treated like royalty, with free cab and plane rides back and forth.
“When I did a coach tour in 1995 concentrating on Swizerland and Austria we also spent a couple of days in northern Italy.”
This is purely cultural. Possibly having to do with the weather? Possibly having to do with Catholocism? All of Southern Europe is very laid back. What’s the hurry? Why the stress? Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal. To a lesser extent France.
Go north, the weather gets colder, you encounter the Protestant work ethic. Infrastructure is maintained, people are punctual, they work hard. Life is stressful, but you have a much higher standard of living.
Which way leads to a happier life? I’m not so sure…
The chamge was instantaneous when we crossed the border. Like in a few hundred metres.
Yep, it is a very sudden change. Another example: Switzerland has built this lovely, very expensive train tunnel, to support freight transport between Italy and all of Europe north of Switzerland. Took years and $billions, and it’s finally done. Well, all done except for the required switching yards and loading areas on the Italian side. Which the Italians may get around to building…sometime in the early 2020s…maybe…
“This is purely cultural. Possibly having to do with the weather? Possibly having to do with Catholocism?”
Yep. Both, I think.
I dunno, hard to say; geography comes into it, too. Take North Murka; Mexico is basically Roman Catholic yet it is a failed state. FUSA was/is a British Protestant nation, like all of Canada except Quebec, which, again, is Roman Catholic. Yet it’s not a failed province by any means.