PN:
– “Let each man hear his own music and live by it. The drums roll one way for one man, I guess, and another way for another. You have to listen for your own.”
– “I’m working under a great handicap…. no talent” – Audie Murphy (Most decorated U.S. soldier of WWII, and Hollywood actor after the war)
Couldn’t agree more. Let’s hear some drums roll, and see if they are yours or mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVbTTmEmDxY
The following is Sandy Nelson playing “Let There Be Drums”. The compiler lists many many great drummers in the video:
A list of the “100 Most Influential Drummers Ever!” here.
Free Speech
Bill Whittle doesn’t hold back in this declaration for free speech. Joe and I heartily condone and support this position. There is no “but”, no subordinate conjunction, to limit the power of free speech. Unlike the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the First Amendment is clear, concise, coherent. Listen to Bill:
We could not agree more with the words of Andrew Cummins – “Islamophobia: A word created by fascists, & used by cowards, to manipulate morons.”
House of Sticks
Sometime long, long ago, last fall, I embarked on what I believed a “minor renovation” of the semi-finished room in the basement at 617 Decosmos.
After careful assessment, Joe pronounced the existing half (assed) semi-finished room (3 walls out of 4 covered, ceiling open and impregnated with thousands of hanging hooks, nails, screws, and clothes pegs (?) screwed to the joists) an unmitigated disaster.
Tear it down says he.
Why? says I.
Well, says Joe, look at that 10 X 14 heat ducting running 6 feet into the room at the ceiling. Look at the one electrical receptical on the north and the south wall. Look at the mouse chewed stinking insulation caused by a split water line split by freezing because of poor installation / no stop and drain valve. Look at the open chimney ports. Look at the natural gas line running the length of the room a foot below the ceiling. Look at the poorly installed non-code vapour barrier. Look at the ancient water piping just aching to leak. In short, said Joe, look at this mess!
So what? says I.
Joe says it won’t pass building, electrical, or gas inspection as is no matter how much lipstick we apply to the porcine
Then the flash run-off gave us a flood threat in the corner of the room.
Some time later, Joe and I have a handle on the problems. Things are proceeding in a good direction at the speed of slow. Full ahead slow!
The dimension of the room is approximately 12′ X 19′. We have completely replaced the stud walls. Moved the natural gas line. Re-ducted the heat to the room and to the living room upstairs. Wired in a new main panel and a sub panel to the attached garage. New insulation, new outside hose bibs with stop-and-drain valving. revised the water distribution with PEX. So far, so far.
What about drywall?
Joe and I are Princess Auto regulars. They had a drywall jack on sale a few months back. Of course, when we called, there were none available within 150 miles. No ‘tween store shipping either. They did have a heavy duty model on for close to $300 Cdn tax in, which we bought after a short calculation – how much beer can you buy with $300 Cdn, and how much beer will we stop drinking? The answer is obvious……
On Thursday Joe assembled the drywall jack. The instructions are minimalist, no matter which language you follow. The machine went together very simply, with no tools required other than a small crescent wrench to tighten one nut.
Off to the store to pick up 12 foot sheets of drywall material.
The very first sheet Joe cut and slid on to the jack was the trial of this new exciting tool.
How did it go? Take a look at this shot of the first ceiling board going into place – 
Lord a mighty! Mighty impressed that is. Joe was on his best behaviour (no beers), cut carefully, and manoeuvred the first board into place. The tool is brilliant! According to the documentation, it can handle full 16 foot board up to 1″ in thickness. Very easy, very safe, very handy. The ceiling went into place as quickly as Joe could measure, cut, and drag the boards through the window onto the jack.
What about the vertical board on walls?
This tool is a Chinese knock-off we are sure. It is a bit cheesy build-wise, and not as high a quality as could be. For $300 Cdn, however, it is a bargain. The board holders and extension tilt to approx. 45 degrees as you can see in the picture. The bottom of the board rests on a couple of bent-wire brackets that are spring loaded. The base of the tripod has a brake and fully castering wheels. So how do you get the board against the wall? The picture below tells the tale –
You push the tripod up against the wall, and set the brake. Ensuring ample vertical clearance, swing the board vertical against the wall. The bent wire brackets hold the board at a slight angle leaning into the wall. The hand crank lifts the board to the required height and position, then screw the top edge of the board ONLY. I made the mistake of screwing the board tight on the first two screws. Heard the board crack. Joe said smarten up! The board is stiff, so only set the screws far enough to hold the weight. In the picture above you can see the top row of screws in place. After setting the top row of screws, lower the jack with the hand crank until the brackets clear the board. The board swings into the wall. Finish screwing. Voila!
Joe and I are not spring chickens. More like the chickens the Hutterites used to sell door-to-door in Calgary when we were gullible kids.
By ourselves, we hung all the high wall and ceiling board. The drywall jack doesn’t do the lower panels (if it does, we haven’t figured how yet), but those ones are easy.
Things went way too easy.
I expected Murphy and family to arrive.
This morning it started to rain. Had to stop three boards short of finishing the room.
As Joe said, if that’s all Murphy can do on this step, we are blessed.
Murphy’s Law Pub in Rhode Island seems a most civilized Irish drinking establishment. That’s the Murphy I believe in –
Energy Smenergy
The biofuel “bubble” has burst in Europe. This story is NOT about biofuel to me. It is about politics and politicians. In a previous Sunday Rant I listed the history of politician’s former occupations in the U.S. government The frightening part is that very few “Natural Science” scholars become politicians, yet politicians write, vote, and pass bills that have very little foundation in science that have everything to do with science.
The problem, Joe says, is some technology is not scalable economically. Biofuel is an interesting technology, but so far from economic “sense” it is subsidized beyond belief, with vast unintended consequences. In the second world war, German scientists brokered many new technologies such as jet power, and synthetic fuels, oils, greases. Those technologies have value, but the products are not “mainstream”, only specialized. The thought that a major portion of the edible biomass grown / harvested is converted to biofuel is obscene. Economically, environmentally, morally, ethically, efficiently, name an “ally” and that’s what it isn’t.
Joe yearns for the day when politicians are held accountable for their deadly decisions.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
WTF?
The Emperor’s new clothes takes on a new meaning, once again. It is staring EVERYONE in the face, but no one can see it.
Except a few people who refuse to throw evidence away for political opportunism, for politically correct socially “engineered” objectives.
Some sage summed up the Baltimore unrest with a series of pictures with captions. See if it makes sense –
When you’ve figured it all out, put the answer on a postcard with no stamp and drop it in the nearest garbage can.
The “answer” is no longer speakable, nor was it ever.
As Cathy Shaidle often says, the Americans should have picked their own cotton.
Further information that may or may not cause your head to burst into a halo of question marks…. some of the protesters are paid, and here (Ferguson data – where is Baltimore? Here.) How about Cleveland?
What is the take away?
As any good detective will tell you, follow the money. In the Ferguson case, it leads to George Soros. In the Baltimore case, the unravelling is still being unravelled. Cleveland also.
The “other take away”?
There is a problem with “African American” people that is not explained away by the usual arguments of “poverty, environment, racism, slavery (no known surviving ex-slaves)”. Education is a problem, as is the concept of entitlement. Joe and I would add the verboten, the unspeakable, the unknowable – their are significant differences between “races”, “ethnicities”, “cultures” (i.e. sub-species), that influence behaviour in unpredictable ways.
It is enough that there is one law for all citizens. The smallest minority is the individual. There is no need for the addition of laws for the above groups in our opinion.
POLITICS, POLITICIANS, WACKJOBBERY, HUMOROUS, STUPID
Some things never change –
THE CULTURE (THERE IS ONLY ONE)
Word Bandits
Steven Crowder has something to say about words, the meaning of words, and those (with political agendas) who promote the contortion of the meaning of words to further their political agenda:
THE RELIGION OF PEACE (ON US ALL)
This man has a real understanding of the problem of liberal / progressive misunderstanding of Islam. Eric Allen Bell of “Counter Jihad” explains the “perceptive disability” of the left in understanding Islam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SwkADfQelU
SUNDAY SERMON
How about a lecture from the pulpit that addresses “Global Warming”, but has another message, a message about coercion by funders to have “science” bent to a political agenda. Here is Dr. Murray Salby discussing the physical fundamentals of climate:
I took a screen capture of a set of equations that describe the relationship between the temperature and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, both in the observed (modern records) and the proxy record (ice cores). Dr. Salby lays out the fundamental relationship in these equations. IT IS VALID FOR BOTH PROXY AND OBSERVED MEASURES. Although neither Joe or I can follow the math precisely any more (we’re very rusty – them was the old days) the “bottom line” is human created carbon dioxide whether “native” (nature) or “man-made” (burning fossil fuels) is NOT a major or even minor contributor to “global climate”. Watch the video. Do the math.
Dr. Salby quotes Richard Feynman re: the method for developing a new theory / law / hypothesis. Here is Dr. Feynman explaining the “Scientific Method”:
WEATHER (OR NOT)
This week was simply mahvellous! Sunny warm mostly cloudless days up until Saturday. Some rain on Sunday. Required to cool down the trees! All is well in Vernon, weather wise.
Joe (Grinning) Mekanic
p.s. Ramirez makes us grin (from Investor’s Business Daily)
