DROVERIA

PN:

Joe’s Comments – It has been a busy week.  Financial issues.  Family issues.  Personal issues.  Thanks to the God of Weather for constantly fine Spring days and nights.
The Nut Jobs and Wackeroos are playing out their ideology ad infinitum.
How much longer will it be before Mr. and Mrs. Mudpecker decide they’ve had enough and put an end to the hysteria?
A quote from Ayn Rand gets right to the point –
The pursuit of rewarding grievances based on identity criteria is obliterated if the above were recognized as the limit of identity politics.
Make law based on the reality of the individual.
Enforce said laws.
Revise or adjust as required as real data accumulates.
It all seems so simple to a Theoretical Libertarian…..

Canadiana

Quick Dick McDick
Once again, Saskatchewan and Canada’s agricultural ambassador sets the Federal policy wankers straight.
As straight as you can with progressive lunatics…..
QDMcD politely suggests that Steven Guilbeault, the ex-con environmental activist federal minister get bent.
Along with all the “Central Planners” in Ottawa.
No one but no one is smart enough to tell any of us how to live.
As commenter Gigi369 states, “Buy local food, reduce waste, make best choice available and be good to the neighbours. It’s not complicated.”
Joe reckons the career path of QDMcD may have a political journey:

There are other Canadian pundits making their positions known.
Kathy Shadle (R.I.P.) stated the bottom line very well a dozen years ago when she said “You’re not smart enough to tell me how to live”.
An important fact impossible to communicate to politicians.

The Culture

John Cleese on Wokeism
Nick Gillespie interviews Mr. Cleese for the Ub2b channel ReasonTV.
Mr. Cleese is an original member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and will be 84 years old in October.
In this conversation, Mr. Cleese explains why “wokeism” is counter to creativity.
By extension, Creativity is a well-spring of Culture.
This is a foundational argument, based on freedom of speech.
The health of any culture rests with the existence of an open dialogue contributed to by any and all citizens, without prejudice.
In these days of progressive hysteria, there is a real risk of suffering negative life-changing consequences for simply speaking your mind.
The American Founding Fathers got it right – the First Amendment and the Second Amendment to the American Constitution are essential to the foundation of a free people.
Joe and I suspect that even if the clock could be wound back and people had the choice, again, to vote for freedom over security, the outcome would be as it is, even if everyone voting knew the consequences from personal experience.
The human beasty is a curious organization of protoplasm…..
Ayn Rand’s analysis holds true.  “The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”
Ergo any law or cultural force that restricts or prohibits an individual from speaking their mind is a poison imbibed by The Culture.
Attempts to stifle Free Speech, no matter how noble the intent, is a potential pathogen to the Body Politic.
Wokeism is such a force.
The damage done is obvious to any rational person.
An interesting reflection by a marvelous comedian who happens to also be a humanist:

IQ – William James Sidis
How important is “intelligence”?
Joe says that is an unthinking question.
A more apt question about intelligence is how can “smart” people survive life among the masses?
Perhaps it is a complex equation that includes the sum and total of all “Life” being a Constant value, as opposed to an ever increasing Force.
Is there room in the Universe for more Life vs mere inorganic mass, or is there some “Universal Constant” that is an immotal Law?
Perhaps it is an indicator of just how “social” humans are.
Or a measure of how delicate a balance so-called “successful” life might be.
Joe and I agree that the failure of William James Sidis to “perform” up to the expectations of his Cultural surrounding is a shared failure.
Nurture and Environment are essential ingredients no matter what intelligence you may have.
Joe the pragmatist watched this video (well done by Cindy Pom of Newsthink), and pondered….. if William knew the alphabet at two months, and was reading the New York Times at 2 years, was he potty trained too?
Joe ponders that there just might be an intelligent aspect to Life, and throttling back brilliance is part of the Master Plan.
Don’t want to cheat by reading the Final Page in the Book of Life before you get there…..
Just sayin’:

Tommy Robinson
To paraphrase a line in the novel Catch-22, “where are the Robinsons of yesteryear?”
In this Sunday Rant series, the first mention of Tommy Robinson is Sunday Rant – 21b13.
10 years ago Mr. Robinson’s activism resulted in his and his family’s persecution.
He spent time in prison for stating his views.
His views were controversial then and they are now – he is white, and was a journalist investigating so-called “racist” activities in the UK.
Specifically, the clash of Islamic culture with the British culture.
Mr. Robinson was a lone voice in decrying the “grooming” of white girls and women by Pakistani gangs, the child rapes and abuse.
What has happened in a decade?
Tommy Robinson continues to fight the good fight.
The following video titled “Banned” covers the intervening time:

Science

Climate Science
The deep glacier ice pack tells a story.
Joe says it tells a story about the glacier.
Much like finding an ancient tooth in an archaeological dig, the speculation is part of the fun.
Scientists say this ancient ice tells a story about what the weather/climate was at the time of its internment.
Joe and I will ruminate on those ideas.
The clock is running on the Universe.
What happened before will not be happening again in the exact same way.
An interesting and thought provoking analysis of data, available to all:

 

Joe’s Garage

Whistlin’ Diesel
Cody has done it again.
Some months back he traveled to England and bought a military tank.
In this video, he does some impressive tank destruction; of the tank itself and various vehicles.
This boys and girls is how Internet advertising and/or crowd funding can fill the pockets of a young man with $$$.  What he does with the money is his biz.
Joe and I heartily endorse this young man and his predilections:

Music and Work
Joe and I have found listening to music while we work to be a life-long activity.
We have playlists in all the vehicles – sometimes over 2000 mp3 or FLAC files on a SD card or USB drive, or catalogs of CDs in vehicles with a player.
We love opera, and select country.
We love classical, and rock and doo-wop.
Not much jazz, no rap.
Anyhow, while searching Ub2b willy-nilly, we found a series of “Top Songs of xxxx”.  Enough of the song to spur mostly pleasant memories.  The following is from 1969:

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 2223

PN:

Joe’s Comment – The madness continues.  California is full of wackjobs.  Reparations?  In a state that never had slaves or slavery?  For people who are generations away from slavery?  Men say they are women….. whatever.  But they are allowed to compete with women?  Who are you kidding?  Company executives so out of touch with their bread and butter customers that they destroy their brand?  Bud Lite is the latest in a never ending parade of virtue signaling that destroys business.
The weather has been very acceptable.
Not so the madness manifesting in The Culture.
It is time to strap on my “Solvem Probler” hat, pick a project from the stack, and we will see.
The grass is green, the cattle eat it, I eat the cattle.
And the sun shines…..
Life is good.

Canadiana

Peter Zeihan
This is a rehash of older messaging about Canada, North America, and the future.
Probably included in past rants, but replayed for it’s message about energy futures in Canada.
In Mr. Zeihan’s mind, the future is fantastic for North Americans:

Americana

Durham Report – Jason Siler
Mr. Siler has a good point – how do we get justice?
Joe and I ask the same question.
To paraphrase that moron Tom Hanks Forest Gump, “Crooked is as crooked does!”
Which makes justice hard done by when the entire shebang is corrupt.
Mr. Siler has a solution, clean as a whistle; an Occam’s Razor gem!
Here’s how Jason’s logic flows:
–  The Durham Report exonerates Donald Trump.
–  The Durham Report implicates the F.B.I., the D.O.J., the Obama administration, and “Crooked” Hillary.
–  “The Swamp” is incapable of fixing the malady, i.e., justice is not on the menu.
–  Ergo, re-elect Trump – Q.E.D. (Latin: quod erat demonstrandum, meaning “which was to be demonstrated”)  Or as a smart-ass professor once said, “Quite Easily Done”.
Bravo Mr. Siler!
On reflection, Joe and I agree with Jason.  It IS an elegant solution.
During our “career” in management with TELUS, when mendacious squabbles between individuals in the workplace were brought to my attention (as arbiter or “the boss”) I always gave a cautionary proviso – if resolution of the dispute is dependent on my judgement, there is a good chance neither party will be pleased with my solution…. hence, resolve your conflict between yourselves, or suffer the consequence.  Adding the phrase “in good faith” is probably meaningless, but was always stated or implied.
Mr. Siler’s solution would have the school yard bullies meet their “victim” on as much of a “level playing ground” as possible.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall should such devilry be realized!:

Elon Musk
Joe and I are fans.
The following video is the 2023 Tesla Shareholder Meeting in total.
A snippet of what is coming for the Tesla company:

Don McMillan
He is an engineer.
He is a comedian.
Joe laughs out loud!:

Health

Fake Keto News
Dr. Ken Berry and Nina Teicholz have both been pathfinders for the advancement of “PHD” (proper human diet) as a nutritional subject.
This video is a current view of the politics and the financial reality of food production, the medical system(s), and government backed nutritional mandates.
Two trustworthy sources for information:

Belinda and Gary Fettke
Much like Nina Teicholz, Belinda Fettke became a lightening rod for truth with her inquisition into the origin and establishment of what was widely accepted and unquestioned nutritional “fact”.  In Belinda’s case,  the persecution of her husband, Dr. Gary Fettke led her to discoveries that uncovered the true nature of “the establishment”.  Dr. Fettke, an orthopedic surgeon, had the audacity to refuse his services to select patients (based on their health), and had the audacity to recommend a “LCHF” (low carb healthy fat) diet in contradiction to the nutritional guidelines endorsed by the government and Big Med.  He also pissed off the Seventh Day Adventist interests in processed food.  When The Establishment came after the good doctor, they enraged Belinda “Mama Bear” Fettke.  She harnessed her anger energy by focusing on research of “established” knowledge, and unveiled the ugly truth behind the complicit orthodoxy.
Joe and I featured Mrs. Fettke in Sunday Rant – 5022, and Ivor Cummins interviewing Belinda and Gary Fettke in Sunday Rant – 0423.
For Joe and me, this wonderful woman has identified the inertia behind the vegan / vegetarian movement, and exposed the fraud for what it is – a lust for filthy lucre cloaked in righteous well-meaning.
Following is a recent interview of Belinda Fettke by Finlay Maclaren of the Ub2b channel “Chatting Fit“:

The good doctor Gary Fettke continues his advocacy of LCHF.  His persecution by the Australian authorities has ceased (for the moment – he was exonerated of “wrong doing” or whatever the charge was).  His crusade marches forth.
The following video is an interview of Dr. Fettke by Dr. Bret Scher of the Ub2b channel “Diet Doctor” from 2020.  An oldie but ties in nicely with Belinda’s testimony:

Glyphosate
The argument goes something like this: humans are not affected by glyphosate because human genetics do not have a response to glyphosate that certain undesirable plants have, ergo humans are unaffected.
For those of us who are uneducated on the subject, glyphosate is a toxic molecule that disrupts the growth / life of certain plants, specifically “weeds” (whatever a weed might mean).  The formula of glyphosate is C3H8NO5P, which is an “organic” compound.
Dr. Stephanie Seneff has news for you, and anyone who believes the above stated argument.  You are outnumbered by your very own microbiome, which DOES respond in a negative fashion to glyphosate.
The video below is a conversation between Dr. David Perlmutter and Dr. Stephanie Seneff that explores the connections between glyphosate, mental issues, “attention deficit” implications, and various complex biological functions.
Joe and I will listen to this multiple times.  For us, there are a lot of strange terms, new concepts, and complicated processes.
Joe says the bottom line is eat food that has not eaten food treated with pesticides or herbicides or fungicides.  Eat organic!  Now we must analyze what “organic” currently means, but a guideline comment is go back to a “natural” source of nutrition:

Joe’s Garage

E. D. M. (Electrical Discharge Machining)
This is an amazing technology which provides extreme accuracy in machining materials.
Improved accuracy increases efficiency.
The technology of material forming is continuously advancing.  A mesmerizing video:

Tall Trees vs Water
How in the world can a 300 foot tall tree get ground water to it’s crown?
There are theories…..
The concept of “negative pressure” doesn’t wash in gases, but in fluids it is a different story.
Try 10+ atmospheres of negative pressure…..
Trees are amazing!:

Scary Stories
The advance of AI (artificial intelligence) is unavoidable.
The outcome / end game uncertain.
Joe and I reckon the usual band of suspects will accomplish great feats, as will the other usual band of suspects plumb new depths of depravity and horror.
All for the sake of FAFO.
We caution again….. when you look under doG’s skirt, you might just see something you cannot fathom.
That would be the time to give your head a shake, and desist from doing, until the consequences are understood.
Fat chance!:

The Scotch Yolk Engine
From the excellent Ub2b channel “driving4answers“, an ICE (internal combustion engine) configuration that Joe and I had never seen before.
We only differ in the conclusion of an inline four cylinder configuration.
Joe suggests that the weak bottom web can be as strong as the upper triangulated piston assembly if arranged as a flat four.
Watch and make your own conclusions.  A unique design:

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 2123

PN:

Joe’s Comment – This has been the best weather week of the current year.
Bar none.
This makes me feel whole and energetic and capable.
The weather cuts into the amount of time I spend on the Internet, gleaning information, news, memes, and entertainment.
Also, the whining factor is reduced by an order of magnitude.
It is an immense pleasure to go outside and grin in the heat of the sun.
Many projects on the go.
Many research functions to perform.
I am having a grand time!

Canadiana

Quick Dick McDick
Quick Dick celebrates Mother’s Day in his usual exuberant way:

Canada’s and Saskatchewan’s ambassador to the World has an important message for all folks who “lose their shit”:

History Lessons

The Middle Class
Our historian of note, Victor Davis Hanson, tells a cautionary tale of the value of a “Middle Class” in a culture.
Joe and I say losing the middle class is the end of any “free” society.
The poor are at the mercy of The Culture and, despite what you see at the American southern border, are more or less immobile.
The rich are oblivious and/or disdainful of The Culture and are highly mobile – they can move to avoid unpleasantries of any sort.
The middle class is The Culture.  The middle class provide for the poor at the pleasure of the rich.
We in Canada have watched our “Culture” weaken and fail for more than two generations.  A strong middle class is the engine that powers an economy:

Equity
Thomas Sowell explains why the pursuit of “equal outcome” is perpetually at odds with the possibility of “equal opportunity”.
This is the theme of “every snowflake is different”.  They are all different and unique, but they are also all snowflakes.
Joe says the foundation lies in the hope of a truly fair legal system.  Quoting Ayn Rand, “The smallest minority on earth is the individual.  Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities“.
Ergo, the only way to promote equal opportunity is a just legal system that establishes, defends, and promotes the rights of the individual.  Any more or any less is untenable:

 

Joe’s Garage

Axe Me What?
The Ub2b channel named “Hydraulic Press Channel” is always interesting.
This man and his wife have 100’s of videos where they test things to destruction using an hydraulic press capable of truly monumental pressures.
Joe and I found it interesting when two axes of high quality are pressed together and some of the metal comes off as an explosion / spark.
Too cool!:

Linear Compressor
AvE is a Canadian channel on Ub2b.
A smart guy, wisecracking while he takes various tools or machines apart.
In this video he disassembles a Japanese made linear compressor:

Toroidal Propellers
This video is about an advancement in propeller design.
There are marine propellers built by Sharrow that are quieter, more efficient, and deliver more power per unit of input energy.
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory has won awards for their innovations in toroidal propeller creation.
Joe and I like boats and boating, but always felt the economy was lacking, compared to traveling on roads.  This technical advancement doesn’t equalize the two medias for efficiency, but does make boating more economical.
We like technological advancement that isn’t overly complex.
Look Ma!  No computers!:

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 2023