Month: June 2023

PN:

Joe’s Comments – Well, it has been another week.  Poor weather for Summer.  Disruption of outdoor projects because of rain.  The very rare occurrence of the house furnace coming on after the middle of June!!!!!!  More than once, on more than one day.  I don’t know whether to say sheesh!, or WTF?
This rant is half way through the year.  The Summer Solstice was Wednesday.
And the furnace just has to bring my fantasy of a hot summer crashing down….
Last week my 1999 Lincoln Town Car was pissing me off with stupid engineering “solutions”, i.e., placement of shock absorbers on the rear of the car.  Today, the following Sunday, I was able to move the car with the new springs and shocks installed after some legendary cursing and effort.  A bastard job installing the shocks.  I made a special wrench (about 12 inches long) in order to turn the shock upper securing nuts from a distance.  So far, so far.  Next is replacing the fuel pump and resolving the non-miss of number six cylinder – it is not contributing any power, but doesn’t throw a code when reading the DTCs.
This week some great information about the COVID atrocity.
Some information about proper nutrition.
Some other interesting items found on rainy days…..

History

North American Migration
The following video is very thought provoking.
The ebb and flow of “climate” (which is the delta of “weather”), has had an incredible influence on the existence of life on earth.
If Joe and I are not misinterpreting the presentation, human life has been one hell of a struggle in the past.
No sign that “man vs the elements” will ever be insignificant:

The Life and Times of Victor Davis Hansen
Joe and I refer to VDH as the historian of record.
The following interview by Peter Robinson of the Heritage Foundation delves into Mr. Hansen’s personal history as a 5^th generation farmer in the California interior.
It is also a testimony of the demographic changes that have denigrated California over the last 80 years.
Hard times for VHD and the sun shine state:

 

Americana

Tucker Carlson
Joe and I don’t use Twitter.
We waste enough time as it is pursuing information not relevant to our “lot in life”.  If we had a Twitter account we might disappear for hours, nay, days into the well of “The Culture”.
Our appreciation of Tucker Carlson extends way back to the early ’00s.
When he was surreptitiously “disappeared” from the Fox News line-up, Joe and I wondered (as did millions of other folks) what up with that?  (That there is my attempt at ebonics – my cultural appropriation for the day).
From all appearances, the war is on.  Tucker Carlson is a spokesperson for a goodly portion of “We The People”, and Fox News is showing its true colors – a front for a money grubbing cartel.
Defying a “cease and desist” order from Fox News, Mr. Carlson is facing a legal battle of some import with his former employer.  Millions of dollars.  Millions of viewers.  Beaucoup de political shenanigans.
Mr. Carlson continues his pointed and perfect political punditry from the Twitter platform.
Good luck, Tucker!
This clip is from Benny Johnson’s Ub2b channel (as we said above, we don’t Twitter):

Health

COVID Origin
Sometimes the simplest explanation is also the correct explanation.
Sometimes the most obvious suspicion is also the fact.
Unlike the political mumbo-jumbo that passes for “fact”, there is an objective criteria for actual fact, ergo truth.  The scientific method is exactly responsible for determining truth.  It is NOT a political instrument or tool.
Joe would like to make it clear for the umpteenth time: if you peek under doG’s skirt you might see something you are not prepared to survive.
Another way to say it is “Fuck around and find out”.
Joe and I are vexed by fanatical ideologists who imperil the sum and total of humanity while pursuing their selfish interest(s).  Consciously intended or not, adverse effects of global magnitude are a serious problem, if only because global leadership is an oxymoron.  The following video seems conclusive to us:

COVID Is Genocide
The following video of Dr. David Martin is from a presentation he made to the European Parliament – International COVID Summit on May 28^th, 2023.
If there was any ambiguity about the five Ws regarding the origin and intention of COVID-19, this speech leaves no questions unanswered.
The new question is when will justice be met on the perpetrators?
Joe and I have very little hope it will happen in our lifetime:

The above video is on Ub2b.  Joe and I have no faith that the video will last on that platform.
We feel this is such an important video that we found it on Rumble and will also post it to this rant.
There are evil people planning malevolent events that will affect the entire world.
According to Dr. Martin, this virus nastiness has been in the works in one form or another since the ’60s.
Joe and I are waiting for the price of a one-way ticket to Mars to drop to our budget reality.
The United States has the bloodiest hands of all:

 

Dr. Elizabeth Bright
In this video Dr. Bright goes over the benefits of correcting your health with the carnivore / ketosis approach.  She talks of the endocrine system, thyroid function, glandular function in general, adrenal function, fight or flight vs proper nutrition, fat/protein ratios, cortisol, and her personal diet.
Joe and I have been carnivore eaters for 5 years in July.
No medications, no disabilities, no illness, no loss of motility at the macro or the micro level.  It may be a coincidence, but we think this way of eating is very healthy and healing.  We reckon to continue:

 

Joe’s Garage

Ingenuity and Perseverance
The helicopter Ingenuity was delivered to Mars in 2021.  It was designed as a short term demonstration (1 month test flying on another planet).
Ingenuity hitched a ride on Perseverance.
Both machines are still operating over two years later.
The following short video is an update on their viability.
Joe wonders what our “flat earth” friends think of the whole adventure.
We can hear the cognitive dissonance from our basement bunker!:

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 2623

PN:

Joe’s Comment – Although the weather this week was not as pleasant or accommodating as it was last week, I have been very busy.
Lots of trouble shooting, some electrical work, some mechanical work, some research.  Not as much research as needed or wanted: only what was required.
The net effect has been limited Internet time for vicarious pleasure.
Which limits the amount of interesting items to include in this Sunday Rant.
In lieu of the usual, it is time for a work story!
Today, I had a reminder of why I’ve grown intolerant about working on vehicles newer than somewhere in the ’70s.
Conversely, I’m looking forward to getting the Model A running, for it is a simple machine that is easy to maintain and service.  But that will be another day.
I have a 1999 Lincoln Town Car that needs a bit of work to be roadworthy.  I like the Panther chassis vehicles – Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and the Town Car.
Here’s mine –
Not too handsome.  Here’s what mine should look like if it hadn’t been abused and misused, then parked in a field with rodents in large numbers –
These vehicles are legendary for longevity.  It has the venerable 4.6L modular SOHC engine.  Leather seats, comfortable, quiet.  Roomy too!  Easy ingress and egress.
In order to drive the car, the rear air bag suspension needs fixing.  The system is comprised of an air compressor, a control module, a Firestone airbag on each side of the rear axle, and a leveling controller.  A few minutes troubleshooting the system indicated a power problem with the air bag solenoids.  There was also a problem with the compressor – noisy, erratic, irregular.
Here’s the problem I found with the air bag wiring –
A victim of rodents chewing insulation I reckon.  All wires severed and shorting.
Instead of replacing the compressor and air bags, I opted to buy a coil spring replacement set such as comes stock in the Crown Vic police package (P71 code).
Off come the wheels, up in the air on jacks, and out with the bags.
The replacement kit I bought included new shock absorbers.
Great, I thought.
This next picture is what I found when I opened the trunk to find the upper shock mounting nuts and bushings –
Under the mini spare was the Bank of Rodentville vault.  Walnuts that looked worse for wear.  After cleaning up the nuts and poop and miscellaneous, I was unable to locate the top shock mount access.  A quick bit of research on the Internet gave the answer – there is no trunk access to the upper shock mounts!!!
Here is what they look like –
The vertical shaft with the nut and bushing is between the frame and the body.  It is easy to see, but difficult to touch.  After 120 years of building vehicles, Ford Motor Company turned a 10 minute job into a curse fest that will take hours to resolve.  WTF and et cetera.
Monday I will be under this vehicle yelling and cursing to remove the shocks.  The spring install is a piece of cake.
C’est la vie.
The entire week was fraught with setbacks and work-arounds and dead ends.
The top nut on the Town Car rear shocks put an end to my resolve.
I dropped the wrenches and went in for supper.
As Samuel Pepys said, “and so to bed”.
To be continued…..
Meanwhile, a much smaller Sunday Rant follows.

 

Americana

Intellectual Froglegs
Joe Dan Gorman hasn’t put out a new MAGAganda video for some time.
Fresh off the Internet:

 

Joe’s Garage

Thorium Reactors
Joe and I have been cheerleaders for nuclear energy for decades.
We were very excited when we learned about thorium molten salt reactors – the only drawback is the by-product is not bomb grade plutonium.
That is why the U.S. and others more or less abandoned the development of thorium fed reactors.
Way back during the Second World War.
There were a few “experimental” thorium reactors built in America, but the technology was never pursued with adequate vigor.
The last time we featured thorium reactor development news was in Sunday Rant – 2720.
There is a startling bit of imagery in the following video.  Here is a screen capture of an interesting comparison –

The presenter shows a golf ball sized sphere of fuel for a thorium reactor.  It is worth about $100 USD at present valuation.  This is enough fuel to provide one person’s lifetime energy needs in a thorium salt reactor.
Joe and I agree with the motto of Copenhagen Atomics – ENERGY = PROSPERITY
Anyone have any questions?
Joe does.
It sounds too good to be true….:

Elon Musk Interview
Joe and I are determined to post links to Mr. Musk interviews no matter the format or association.
The following interview took place in France at the “VivaTech” trade show on June 16^th.
We appreciate the informal nature of the talk, and especially liked the extended question / answer interchange with the audience.
Mr. Musk has accomplished amazing feats, and he is still a young man.
Joe and I hope we live long enough to celebrate mankind expanding into space and colonizing other planets, or establishing permanent space stations.
Mr. Musk will be a prime mover in such an event:

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 2523

PN:

Joe’s Comment – this week the weather cooled a bit and rained several times.  Not my favorite.
All in all, I’m very busy outdoors.
Consequently, not much time to search the Internet for news, entertainment, and data.  There are a few things in the U.S. of A. that caught my attention this week.
Not so much Canada.
This rant is mostly memes and cartoons.
If the weather stays good, it will be a Summer I haven’t experienced since the ’70s.
And the Sunday Rants will be minimal.
Keep busy.  Eat meat.  Play outdoors.
Good times!

Americana

DJ Trump Indictment
Joe and I have lost whatever remaining respect we have or had for the United States of America, specifically the Department of Justice, the legal system, the lawyerly lawyers: the entire concept of “Justice” is now a corrupt pile of political crap.
Lots of pundits are crowing or condemning, depending on their orientation to The Donald.
We have watched many of the available interviews from a variety of pro / con commenters.
The following commentary from Robert Barnes will suffice for me and Joe.
Donald J. Trump must be such a danger to the Establishment that they feel he must be stopped from a second presidency no matter the cost.
Even if it means destroying The Constitution.
The Deep State is showing its ugly face.  Is this the end of The Republic?:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Joe Biden has a competitor in the Democrat candidacy for president.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has thrown his hat in the ring.
The fact that the ring may disappear at a moments notice notwithstanding is moot.  After all, Joe Biden has set the rules for the Democrat Primary – there will be no debate!!!
The following conversation between Dr. Jordan Peterson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. explores a good deal of history, including Mr. Kennedy’s accusation that the C.I.A. was instrumental in the death of his uncle, president John F. Kennedy.
Joe and I don’t understand how such a wonderful set of documents (The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Amendments) could deliver such a farce as “politics as usual” in the U.S. of A.
We thinks there is something rotten to the core.
Or, business as usual:

Joe and my opinion?
Not a snowball’s chance in Hell.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a wackjob.
Michael Ramirez commented brilliantly –

Secession
Joe and I don’t know if this will come true.
The Idaho and Oregon legislatures have forwarded bills to change the state boundaries by referendum.
Even if the bills pass in their respective Houses and States, the federal Congress must also approve.
The problem with big cities is the tendency to carry more dead weight than rural areas.
What we mean is conservative principles work in both urban and rural environments, but large populations tend toward progressive ideology.
We presume it is too many people wanting government handouts.
Fierce competition is not everyone’s strong suite.
The battle for votes is not based on ideological platforms for “common good”.
It is based on that old favorite classic station WIIFM – what’s in it for me:

 

Health

Neanderthal DNA
Joe and I often feel we are a throwback.
Our favorite throwback position is Neanderthal.
Something about their art, perhaps…..
Watching this video and hearing the speculations about how some human DNA is found in Neanderthal DNA, and how it got there, and why, makes us feel uneasy.
Life is a damn dangerous experiment, we reckon:

Which leads to more and more curiosity.
How do the Denisovians fit into the picture?
How about other “upright on two” species?
There were others….
We are human.
We are now alone.
Apparently, we were interbreeding with other hominins.
Watch your tongue young man!
Do you mean to tell us that our ancestors were screwing around with non-humans?  Oh! the humility!
That there is dangerously close to bestiality, da?
That Life Force thing is always fooling around, mutating, trying weird experiments.
Joe feels queasy:

Joe’s Garage

Big Booms!
Watching the peacetime use of high explosives is mesmerizing.
Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of using a pick, a shovel, and a rake, and a wheel barrow for moving / displacing large amounts of dirt and rock knows just how tedious and strenuous it can be.
The following video from the Ub2b channel “Machinery & Technology” shows a number of truly massive earth moving controlled explosions.
Back in the ’50s our father was a blaster in the Dennison uranium mine at Elliot Lake, Ontario.
We have his blaster’s handbook around here somewhere.
Man vs the Environment was never so lopsided:

This second video from Ub2b channel “TekniQ” shows the preparation for a blast – drilling, priming, charging, and booming:

Diesel Ranger
Way back in the ’80s there were diesel Rangers.
They were powered by Isuzu engines.
The following is NOT.
A Cummins 4BT diesel engine powers this ’88 Ranger.
Joe likes it.
If we only had enough time to build one:

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 2423