DROVERIA

PN:

Joe’s Comment – The weather is fine!  No worries, no problems, many projects.
I have been working on the bathroom renovation.  Although I started taking things apart several weeks ago, progress is slow.
Mainly because funds are scarce, time is at a premium, and the copper in place is hard to access.  I did pick a version of vinyl tile for the floor (1′ x 2′ marble pattern).  I bought a used vanity 2 feet wide to replace the horrendous 5 foot mess that was in place.
Most of the time I stare and measure and try to make a plan on how to do the mods and retain the venting system, and change things one step at a time.
The first actual job is to put down the vinyl tile.  Then install the bath /  shower one piece unit.  Then the toilet.  Finally, the new (used) vanity.
All while enjoying the last of the Summer days.
And getting the vehicles plugging the driveway moving.
Last year everything project wise was put on hold on November 1^st (when the snow arrived) and wasn’t resumed until Spring.
The old expression (I’m a day late and a dollar short) is a pitiful understatement in regards to my progress.
However, health is well, days are sunny and warm (if no longer long).
The new COVID crazies are out in full force, with their masks strapped on and their virtue flag waving in a self created stiff breeze.
I don’t bother to ask WTF?
It is true that I don’t want to know how their deductive facility is working.
What I want is Spring.
I’d be happy to forego Autumn and Winter.
The stress of anticipating the bad weather is only equaled by the numbing reality when it does break.
Weather in Canada is somewhat unpredictable.
Schizoid.  Like so –
Is there a weather broker in the crowd?

Canadiana

Quick Dick McDick
The next installment of hay making from the man from Saskatchewan.
Joe and I were lucky growing up.  We had family with farms.  A fascinating trip for city folk.
As friend George McF. used to say, “if I win the lottery, I’m going farming ’til I’m broke!”:

Jimmy Buffett (RIP)
What ho!
If Joe and I have any regrets or a bucket list, attending a Jimmy Buffett concert has got to be on that wanna do.  If we ever wanted to be a joiner, we would be parrot heads!
If you haven’t been, like Joe and I, take a look at any of his concert videos and take a look at the folks in attendance.
A true cross section of the cream of humanity.
With one common denominator – happy peace loving generous laid back souls…..
We’ve included him in the “Canadiana” section because, in his own words – “Canada holds a special place in my heart,” he said in a 2004 interview. “I’ve got more family in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia than I do in the States.”
In terms of unique life paths, Mr. Buffett carved his own.
Who else could be a ballad singing beach bum and parley that lifestyle into a billion dollar concern, all while making people smile, laugh, relax, and feel good about their life, about the company they keep and seek?
Here’s a documentary that recounts the origin of the parrot head following of Mr. Buffett’s fans:

We can’t not include Margaritaville, so here it is:

A few more that Joe and I revisit; more often as the years accumulate:

A personal philosophy that Mr. Buffett lived –

 

Passed But Not Forgotten

Christopher Hitchens
Mr. Hitchens died in December of 2011.
His career as a polemicist, author, critic, journalist, contrarian, and atheist made him a frequent guest on many talk shows and a debater of many subjects.
Joe and I were swayed by his strong and verbose arguments on many subjects.
None more persuasive than when he railed against religion, especially that of Islam.
Here’s a collection of moments when his ability to coherently convey ideas made his argument irrefutable:

 

Science

Ivor Cummins
Mr. Cummins is a scientist first.
Here are some facts (as well as are known today) about the Earth, its history, and the story of CO2:

 

Joe’s Garage

More Motocross
This ride is fantastic!
Rob Holyoake’s qualifying ride wasn’t recorded in the Foxhill VMXDN 125cc class.  As a consequence, he could only start after the qualified riders reached turn one.
Riding his 1996 125cc Husqvarna, Mr. Holyoake proceeded to pass 41 riders to finish 2^nd overall.
This video is from his helmet camera.
Jesus and Mary!
This champion spent more time airborne than on the ground!
What a performance!
It astounds Joe and I to know that there are so many people participating in this sport at this level of proficiency.
We do wonder how busy the emergency room at the local hospital gets during race day(s):

Stovebolt II
The good folks at Automotive Specialists do it again.
The last of their masterpieces featured in this rant was their Bonneville Salt Flat record attempt flathead Ford build.
This engine is a period piece Chev engine build – the venerable 261 cubic inch second generation Stovebolt is given a new life and two turbo chargers.
As usual, Keith Dorton fixes and re-engineers all the inherent problems and issues of the original engine.  What emerges is pure gear-head gold.
That is a strong statement from Joe and me, for GM products don’t inspire us much.  An amazing build by an amazing gang at A.S.:

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 3723

PN:

Joe’s Comment – I am not a fan of “horror movies”.
When I was a boy, one birthday party dad took me and my friends to see the movie “House of Usher”.  It scared the crap out of me.  I decided that was enough of horror, and not really how I wanted to spend my time.
Yet there is a part of self, that “fight or flight” response, that has no off switch.  If you are “healthy” and “normal”, you have a fight or flight reaction.  Period.
I conclude that if my fight or flight mechanism is OK, is working, I can use it as a canary in the coal mine.
This week I watched “Plandemic 3: The Great Awakening“.
My hair hasn’t stood on end for so long in my life.
What I wonder is how long can a person survive in fight or flight?
I see the signs all around, and have lived long enough to tell shit from shinola (ref. Steve Martin / The Jerk).  There is a lot of truth in this documentary.
I wonder, too, if the unbelievable (to me) machinations of government, of medicine, of “official science”, of finance, and of the political sphere are what I think they are.
Perhaps I really DO like horror movies.  COVID taught me I was living in one.  Like a dream where you are stuck and can’t run from eminent danger, I saw most everyone around me in a state of terror and panic, despite what their eyes could see.
Mass hysteria.
Take the time to watch the following.  Strong juju.
What I wonder frequently: is it planned, and if so, for what purpose?
Is there an end game?
Nah, that’s not quite accurate.
What is the game, and do I have a role?
That seems more apropos:

My thinking has devolved to the “Golden Ring” theorem.  You know, the carousel goes around and you have a chance to grab the golden ring.  An unattainable dream.  This carousel uses a brass ring (an issue of finance only), but you get the picture:

There are people who believe YOLO (you only live once), and also believe this life is all there is: there is no more.
I make an assumption that people who have this foundation for their Weltanschauung live in a constant state of low level fight or flight.
Behavior and decisions made while experiencing fight or flight are never the result of deep thorough cognitive analysis and reflection.
When in doubt, needing comic relief, yearning for the pain and pressure to go away (if only for a while), nothing beats Andrew Klavan.  Listen to this intro if no more, and you will agree.
I believe I’ll laugh on the way to the gallows:

And I’ll close my weekly comment with the fabulous Ms. Peggy Lee:

 

Canadiana

Quick Dick McDick
Another pearl of wisdom from Saskatchewan’s and Canada’s agricultural ambassador.
QDMcD focuses on the half-baked technology presently employed to clean up diesel exhaust.
Joe says not only do DEF systems (diesel exhaust fluid)  add complexity and significant cost to diesel powered machinery, it also reduces efficiency, life span, and dependability.  In Canada, with the second lowest average temperature for a country in the World (Canada -5.10°C, Russia -5.35°C) it also adds headaches and ramifications regarding operation.  Enough of Joe’s commentary.
Here’s QDMcD with the low down:

Canada’s Home Grown Predatory Psychopaths
Steven Edginton from The Telegraph interviews Jordan Peterson about the state of being a Canadian in Canada.
Joe and I are pleasantly surprised at the language he uses to describe Chief Rainbow Socks, our Feckless Leader.
And, we concur.
The mental health of Canadians needs attention.
The political conversation in Canada needs transparency.
The culture in Canada is comatose on the gurney: get the paddles!:

Health

Dr. Peter McCullough
This is the best presentation we’ve seen from Dr. McCullough.
He compares the current Big Pharma – Big Government – World Health Organization – World Economic Forum – etc. to the Seventh Day Adventist writing of Ellen G. White (Founder): “The Great Controversy”.
The great controversy in the E.G. White book is the “battle” between doG and Satan and heralds “the end of times”.
The great controversy Dr. McCullough speaks of is the “Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex” that has formed is not about caring for ill people.
Joe and I don’t have any allegiance to religious wack jobs like E.G. White, who believed masturbation could be subdued with diet, specifically vegetarian nutrition.  Look it up.  That’s how Kellogg’s Corn Flakes was marketed – a way to curb those nasty natural urges down below the belly button.
We do pay attention when Dr. McCullough is speaking.  He was on top of the COVID atrocity from the start.  He focused on prophylaxis, therapy, and treatments for those who became ill.  His efforts produced results.  However, his career as a medical doctor was curtailed by the powers that be.
The video is from the Mises Institute (Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics), a Libertarian think tank located in Auburn, Alabama.
Joe and I support the Mises Institute (in theory not with $$$).
We are “Theoretical Libertarians” (lovely concept that won’t fly in reality – check out “The Big Five“).
We listen closely to Dr. Peter McCullough.  You should too.
Before Ub2b puts it in the you’ll never find it again black hole:

Belinda Fetke
We have featured Mrs. Fetke in previous Sunday Rants (Sunday Rant – 2123, Sunday Rant – 0423, Sunday Rant – 5022).
This is the story of how the vegetarianism movement got started, how their main promoter, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, has been quietly building businesses to promote vegetarianism, how the “food pyramids” of many countries have been politicized, and ends with a sing-along to the tune of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Remember Joe’s words – “you are what you eat” is not quite accurate.  The more accurate expression is “you eat what you are”.
Words of wisdom delivered with a sense of humor from a true warrior:

 

Joe’s Garage

Isle of Mann Tourist Trophy
The following video is a lap of the Isle of Mann motorcycle course.
The rider sets a new record.
Joe and I think these men are incredible.
We would drive the course….. in a Lincoln Town Car:

Motocross
These young men are fantastic.
Sorry ladies (and others), there are no MXGP racers who aren’t men.
The following story is about a man called “The Bullet”.  His name is Jeffrey Herlings.  He has won more motocross GP events than anyone – 102 wins as of April this year.
He is not done yet.
An amazingly fast, grueling sport, performed by super athletes:

There is a parallel series for women.
It is called WMX / MXGP.
Joe and I think these women are terrific athletes too.
They race on the same course(s), using similar machines, with lots of competition.
However, if the alphabet soup people think this is at the same level as the men’s racing, they might be gazing longingly through ideological red lenses.
Here’s a video short of Lotte van Drunen winning the WMX / MXGP Netherlands race last month:

From what we’ve researched, there are no North American women in the series.  Most are European (no Asian teams, either, though some bikes are).
This years winner of the women’s series was Courtney Duncan from New Zealand.  Here’s a very short clip of her:

For the record, a Captain Obvious admission.  Joe and I would have our ass handed to us by any of these women competitors.  They are (by definition) World Class.  However, the difference between men and women can be seen by anyone with eyeballs in their ocular sockets.  And by reading the comments under the videos.  That is Life on Earth folks.  Lumpy potatoes for some.  No big deal reality for most.
Play ball!

 

Jon Kaase
This interview with Mr. Kaase reveals why he is at the top of his craft.
He analyzes data, identifies anomalies, and uses the “scientific method” to understand just what is happening inside his creations.
Joe was astounded to hear the story of building a protective barrier so Jon could insert his finger into an intake manifold during a dyno pull.  He wanted to know what was happening, because what he thought didn’t jive with observed data.
He learned things nobody else knew!
Another was when he drilled a hole in an exhaust header, inserted a small reservoir cup, and filled it with oil, then ran the engine.  At low RPMs, the oil migrated into the intake manifold in less than 5 seconds!
Once again, an experiment to gather data.
Some of his engines are producing 3 horsepower per cubic inch, normally aspirated.  Put that in your pipe(s) and smoke it:

 

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 3623

PN:

Joe’s Comment – Today is a good day!
My pants went on without a snag.  Some folks consider a good day to be one you don’t need pants.  I beg to differ.
Small changes to diet seem to be providing benefit.  If it is panacea or real I don’t know.  But the changes are there…..
Mobility issues are responding affirmatively to increased physical activity.  I can only assume motility too, if there are issues, is also improved.
I feel great!
Which will be needed this week.  I’ve removed the upstairs bathroom fixtures.  This house was built in the very late’60s (the tub was dated ’69) or very early ’70s.  Cloth covered wiring.  Lead, copper, and brass plumbing.  Lots of wood.  Not so much plastic.  And a few “on the fly” ad lib Rube Goldberg solutions –
The picture shows the furnace vent to heat the room.  It was hidden inside the vanity.  To the average bloke it appears to be a paint thinner can on its side cut and bent to accept ducting and a register.  Here’s the same from the other side –
There were other ad hoc adoptions that scintillated my curse reflex, but this one made me laugh and shake my head simultaneously.  More physical activity is good!
ABS plastic is an advance.  It will last longer and is easy to install.  If I had to buy copper to replace what is now leaking, broken, and riddled with pinholes, the budget would be strained mightily.
This damn house will be the sinking of my shabby, diminutive financial reserves.
Time for an inspirational tune from the Derina Harvey Band, about raising a sunken boat named the Mary Ellen Carter:

The following lyric pretty well sums it up –
“And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again“
I shall now refer forevermore to this house, this home, as The Mary Ellen Carter.

Canadiana

The Jordan Peterson Debacle
“Canada“, it seems, cannot abide a world famous person (who happens to be Canadian) criticizing the political elite in Canada, or higher education in Canada, or cultural “norms” in Canada.
In this case, “Canada” is defined as the governing body of Mr. Peterson’s craft (or “union” or professional accreditation body).
Mr. Peterson is a world famous personality.  He was born in Canada, and holds a Canadian passport.  On the Joe Rogan program (the biggest podcast in the “free” world – which means the entire globe), Mr. Peterson spoke his mind.  He was in the United States of America, where a lovely amendment to The Constitution, the First Amendment, guarantees free speech.  Period.
All well and good.
However….. the guarantee of free speech doesn’t extend to Canada.
Apparently, some people didn’t agree with Mr. Peterson, and tattled to various Canadian “authorities”.  Again, apparently, what Mr. Peterson said in the United States of America is the business of Canada.
That expression “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” must only apply to Vegas.
In Canada, free speech is curtailed at the pleasure of the government.  It is blatantly and obviously spelled out in the weak-kneed document described as “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms”.  Here is the preamble –
OK, let’s just see….. we have doG first, then law.
Joe and I are good with that, although both “foundations” are pretty shaky in the Year of our Lord 2023.  Gotta start somewhere.  We are satisfied that the will of the mob is NOT the prime motivator.  More on that later.
Let’s jump to part 2, “Fundamental Freedoms“.  Sounds ducky!  All the parts and pieces that you might need to be “Free”.  Notice it does NOT say freedom of mobility.
Now that you feel all righteous and mighty, let’s go back to part 1, “Rights and Freedoms“.  It starts out proud and strong and honorably, but has a mortal flaw – a conjunction.  In this case, the conjunction is a phrase – “subject only to”.
Way, way, way back in 1982 Joe and I were a mere sprout of a man, boasting 33 years of age, no medical issues, and a full time job.  We weren’t and aren’t some sort of genius or guru or visionary or “chosen One”.  We were and are a mud pecker, a Common Man, of the genus “dirt people”.  You know, “the salt of the earth”.  Even then, when we read the Charter, we knew there was no “free speech” in Canada.  If your freedoms are “subject only to”, then you have no freedom.
Weak beer compared to the American First Amendment.  The American version doesn’t waffle.  Doesn’t limit.  Doesn’t deflect.  It goes something like this –
In the U.S. of A., the Congress makes the laws.  So, the above says, you, Congress, cannot make any laws that prohibit these freedoms.  Elsewhere in their founding documents, it states that there are fundamental freedoms bestowed by “The Creator”.  A term that, in this case, doesn’t mean your mommy and daddy.
Pretty straight forward.
Hard to misinterpret or fuck up, although the linguistic gymnastics the Progressive Left uses leave Joe and I in disbelief and often angry.  Can’t they read?  Then we remember that 80% of folks cannot critically think.
JBP is standup.  In this video interview with his daughter Mikhaila he says he will fight this woke bullshit all the way to the Supreme Court.
Joe and I are jaded.
We will support him, and heartily endorse JBP’s fight.
However, our knowledge of the “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” foreshadows the outcome.
Watch, listen, and cheer the man loudly!:

Joe says this is that old phantom known as “Common Good”, whatever the hell that means when defined by the prevailing political winds.
In other words, it is political treachery, and reminds us of an old British poem –
We are comparing the Canadian legal system and hence all subject to it with crookedness.  Specifically, the instrument being used to put JBP “in his proper place” is the College of Psychologists of Ontario, the licensing body.
The poem originated from politics (where else? says Joe, sarcastically), and refers to animosity between Scotland and England many centuries ago.  A reference –
Our twisted little Libertarian heart can do naught but beat to the drum of the Individual.  We are obliged to quote the Libertarian’s Libertarian, Ayn Rand –
We will ask Ms. Rand to sum up what is happening to Dr. Peterson –

International Goings-On

Tucker Carlson
Mr. Carlson addresses a crowd in Hungary.  He delivered a speech in Budapest apologizing on behalf of the United States over U.S. ambassador David Pressman’s critique of the country’s latest anti-LGBTQ+ crackdown.
This closely following his interview of Donald Trump the night of the GOP candidate debate.
Mr. Carlson is a force to be reckoned with, because he is neither Democrat or Republican.
If Joe and I were inclined to categorize Mr. Carlson (we are not) we would describe him as a Humanitarian first, and a Libertarian second.
Even when addressing a Hungarian audience, he manages to connect even though he speaks only English:

 

Philosophy

Freedom
What is freedom?
Joe and I will settle for Ayn Rand’s definition –
What is liberty?
We quote the words of Friedrich August von Hayek –
What then, is Democracy?
Joe and I balk at the thought of mob rule.  We also abhor the idea that the opinion of idiots OR sages becomes law.  A working definition of “Democracy” that encompasses the political machinations of The West evades us.
What we think folks mean is everyone has a voice, a “dog in the hunt”, and is allowed to participate in selecting OUR DEAR LEADERS.  After that, it gets a bit confusing.
We always thought that government had at most four functions.  Milton Friedman stated that freedom has natural limits.  One of the functions of government is to minimize coercion and optimize individual choice.  A noble, if somewhat ethereal goal.
In the following video, Mr. Friedman delineates the boundaries that should be the objective of any government in a so-called “free” society:

The guarantee of Freedom is a challenge in a “diverse” society.  How is it possible to assure the least coercion while maximizing individual opportunity to pursue personal goals when the spectrum of objectives invariably produces conflict and opposition?  One example is government funded abortion.  Another is welfare.  Another is “Affirmative Action” (morphed across the culture).
Some folks have a solution.  They simply distract attention with a “shiny object”, then remove the possibility of an individual’s freedom to choose.  As Milton Freidman cautioned, the “free market” should be the first avenue of choice, unhindered and unhobbled, not a political dictate.
The following video is food for thought.  It does beg the question of benign or malignant intent.  Whose world, whose country, whose life is it?
Call us crazy, but Joe and I prefer to believe we chart our own course:

 

Health

Oxalate Update
The following video is a conversation between Dr. Bart Kay and Sally K. Norton, the author of “Toxic Superfoods”.
The conversation is from April 2023, posted on Dr. Kay’s Ub2b channel “Professor Bart Kay – Main Channel“.
Every time Joe and I listen to Ms. Norton we learn more about the dangerous mystery of Oxalates, especially how the human body manages an oxalate load.
The comments for this video have given us lots to contemplate, too.
The march toward a proper human diet continues!:

 

Joe’s Garage

Hydrostatic Pressure – Pascal’s Law
When Joe and I first learned this subject, the units of measure were Imperial.
The standard atmospheric pressure was 14.7 pounds per square inch.
In the following video (refresher) the units used are metric.
Other than the conversion we frantically tried to compute, it was a great refresher of the phenomenon:

Government Screwing “We The People”
This is short and bitter.
How in the fuck???
Bullshit to Climate Control.
When will the bureaucrats and politicians and elites be satisfied?
Perhaps when the feudal system returns…..
Here’s our August natural gas bill.
Note that the “Carbon Tax” is more costly than the gas we used.
Enough is a fucking nuff.  Time to start shunning the powers that be –

Continue reading Sunday Rant – 3523