Saturday, April 21, 2018

Don Surber: The only issue in November

Don Surber: The only issue in November: As West Virginia Republicans grumble over our choices for the Senate this year, we have to look at the big picture. Judges.



comment:



The Senate should be a gimme for the GOP.  Hopefully, they won't foul that up.


NASA to Discuss Demonstration of New Space Exploration Power System

NASA to Discuss Demonstration of New Space Exploration Power System: Media are invited to attend a news conference at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland at 9:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday, May 2, to discuss a recent experiment to demonstrate a new nuclear reactor power system designed for space.



comment:



No details about the system were provided in the article, so a little digging was required.  It looks to be something called "Krusty"  It may be a concept like the SAFE systems that I have written about before.  I saw some videos listed as well, so here's is a video describing the system:






Friday, April 20, 2018

American politics now in full Kayfabe mode?

Somebody commented in a CTH post that something here ( with respect to the OIG investigations) seems like Kayfabe.  ( I'm not clear what the commenter is referring to, so this is my interpretation)

Rather familiar thing to observe, by the way.

It does appear to be scripted with a predetermined outcome.  How do you know when it gets real?

It gets real when people go to jail, or die.  You cannot fake real stuff, and going to jail is real.  Dying is real.  Can't fake that kind of thing.

If nobody really gets hurt by all this, then it has got to be Kayfabe.  But the symbolism is what would be real.  The symbolism of no justice would demonstrate that the rule of law is only a handful of meaningless words.   The rule of law cannot be faked.  There have to be consequences for breaking the law.

The Hillary email investigation during 2016 looks like Kayfabe.  She didn't get hurt, she didn't go to jail.  She just lost the election.  However, the subsequent investigation of Trump could be Kayfabe.  Also, the OIG investigation of the investigations could be KayfabeUltimately, the final outcome of this could see a Kayfabe result.  But it is hard at this point to know what the Kayfabe actually is.  That is what could make this a perfect Kayfabe script.  You would never know if the whole thing was just a big show.

If Trump is forced out, but never goes to jail, that could be Kayfabe.

Firing Mueller would not be Kayfabe.  That is because these leftists would not accept that outcome, and there would be hell to pay.  That is why you have to do it.  You cannot Kayfabe that.

So, McCabe can now be put on trial.  Or the US Attorney can refuse to try him based upon the criminal referral.  If he is tried, it will be in DC, where a conviction is unlikely.  Unless the US Attorney is willing to take that risk, and try him to the best of his ability, the whole thing could be reduced to a Kayfabe.  He would have to at least get a hung jury.  An acquittal would be too much like a Kayfabe.

This could end up like an OJ Simpson trial, which may well have been a Kayfabe.

Just saying.



Thursday, April 19, 2018

BFR rocket to be built in La-la land

Update, 

4.19.18:

Did SpaceX do an IPO? Or is this privately held, still?  Did I miss something?

Anyway, they want to raise half a billion for their BFR rocket development. 

Originally posted, 4.18.18:

space dot com

Maybe Musk starts building his fancy new rocket about the same time the high speed train gets built in Collyfornia.  At the rate they are going, they will finish the train when Charlie Brown finally gets to kick that football.


Obligatory, 4.19.18

Blogging has been light today.  No special reason.  Mainly just that nothing appeals to me to be worth the effort to write something up about it.

So, this will be something of a general type post without a whole lot of anything in it.

One thing I meant to write about was the off-the-grid project.  Actually, I have been doing little about that recently.  It isn't because I have everything figured out.

One thing that I have been thinking about on that subject is the climate-control aspect.  The main goal all along is to use as few resources as possible.  The a/c I have uses too much electricity.  Even the freezer uses more than I would like.  ( The freezer could be used for the making of about 50 lbs of ice each night for cooling down the joint so I can sleep comfortably. )  Actually, the a/c could be used for short periods.  The way I have things set up, it may only need to run for short periods, anyway.

The key thing I figured out is to keep the sun off your living space.  The sun heats things up, so if you can keep it in the shade, it would help a lot.  Trouble is, out west, there aren't many trees.  In fact, there's nothing out there that will give you any decent shade at all.

This means a roof with an overhang.  How much of an overhang?  Looks like three feet could be enough, but to be sure, maybe a bit more than that.  That would be on the south side.  The north side could get by with three feet.  Maybe the south side could use a screened in porch set up.

Other things that could help a bit would be a good swamp cooler, and a misting system.  Those things I already have, but I don't know how well they will work out there.  Early indications are that there is a lot of room for improvement.   Better equipment may be necessary.

The downside of using those would be the water requirements.  I was planning to recycle my water anyway, so this may be possible within such a system.  Such thoughts have not been tried yet, but I have thought about them before.

The dehumidifier can recover that lost water, but at a high cost for electricity.

There may be other options, like the idea to use an air well.

Another idea I had would be to use a Stirling cooler.  What is that?  It is a Stirling engine run in reverse.  Instead of producing energy, it uses energy, and produces coldness.  This coldness can be used for condensing water vapor, thus allowing water to be recovered.  In order to make the idea work, set up a wind turbine outside, and connect the Stirling engine to it, with the cold side of the Stirling engine on the inside of the building.  The water vapor from the swamp cooler will be re-condensed and could be recycled, you see.

Besides all this, I have been thinking about what I would build out there.  I have been around and around in circles on this thinking.  Lately, I thought I would do my quonset idea again, but cover it up with a flat roof.  The space between the roof and the quonset roof would be used for insulation.  The entire structure would be less than seven feet tall on the outside.  I could make it eight feet in order to make all the pieces ready to nail together without doing a lot of cutting with a saw.

The quonsets could be made in modular eight foot pieces that would connect together for a size of eight, sixteen, or a twenty four foot building, depending on how big I wanted it.

Actually, this post ended up with more stuff in it than I thought. 


Blue wave?

There is only one way that the Democrats can win, and that is if the Republicans let them.

Quite a statement, there.  But from the way things are going, it looks like the GOP is taking a dive.  It is quite puzzling to observe such a thing.  Why should this party exist, when it acts as if its existence is just too inconvenient to defend?  Why would a party run away from what it runs on, and what it got them elected in the first place?

The idea that a GOP led Congress could impeach one of its own for simply defending himself against a nonexistent crime, is just incomprehensible.  Try to imagine the Democrats impeaching Obama or Clinton.  The Democrats put up a good fight just to keep the GOP from running Clinton out of office.  To impeach one of your own makes sense only when you are planning to take a dive.

Yet this GOP isn't like that GOP that impeached Clinton.   This so-called political party has changed.  The current GOP might as well be Democrats.  Their rhetoric may sound like they are opposed to Democrats, but they sure don't ACT like it.  Even Joe Biden once noted that the GOP doesn't act like a party.

If there is a blue wave, it can only be because there is no alternative.  The GOP is too busy emulating the Democrats in order to actually win elections against Democrats.


Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Warka Water

Interesting video about a device that may make water shortages a thing of the past.

Update:

This looks like an air well.  It seems that I have looked at these before, but I cannot find the post on this blog.  Maybe I didn't make a post, or the post is buried somewhere in the blog.

Whatever.  The concept is not explained in this video.


Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Cover of the Rolling Stone

Wading through the crap again.  Need a break.  Here's something...





Foolhardy to fire Mueller?

It has been a long time since I linked to Betsy's Page, so I decided to give her page a look once again.

Her criticism of Trump seems to have simmered down a bit, but it is still there.

However, there is one opinion that a lot of folks seem to have that I do not share--- that Mueller should be allowed to stay on.

The Wall Street Journal's advice ( to Trump I suppose)  was linked on Betsy's Page, as she seems to agree.  But it just seems like another way to be critical of Trump as opposed to actually helping the guy succeed.

After all, Trump is merely doing what the GOP claims that they always have wanted to do.  Now they don't want to do these things?  Is it Trump's fault that they won't act?  No, the idea is to obstruct Trump so that they can blame him for the failure to enact the agenda.

Mueller is part of the plan.  Now you've got Mueller going off the Russian probe by going after Trump's lawyer.  To add to that is the suspicious way in which the raid was conducted.  To top it all off, Rosenstein is not looking like a savory character.  He also has a conflict of interest. 

They just can't get over Trump's victory.  Betsy doesn't appear to be an all out never Trumper, but it is clear she doesn't like him.

Women seem to be willing to believe the worst about some guys.  Until it is a guy like Clinton.  Don't ask me why.  It didn't seem to bother women so much when Clinton's bimbo eruptions took place.

But Clinton is far worse.  Not to mention that Clinton is actually accused of RAPE.

Not to minimize what Trump is alleged to have done, but look who is making the accusations.  I would think that a lot more evidence is required of someone like a porn star, before you start believing them.  But maybe they just would prefer to believe the guy is guilty, and prefer to believe a guy like Clinton is not, or that it doesn't matter.  But it could matter.  It could matter a lot more when it comes to Bill Clinton. 

Even if Trump really did have an affair with Stormy Daniels, so what?  It has already been established that this doesn't matter.  Now all of a sudden, it does.

Just asking, why the difference?

Why tolerate a fishing expedition, anyway?  There was no law violated here--- they are fishing for a violation.  Is it foolhardy then, to challenge people who are shredding the Constitution?  It shreds the Bill of Rights to investigate people without a violation of a law being established first.  If nobody defends the Constitution, then why have investigations at all?  Just to harass people we don't like?  Is that what this is all about?  The abuse of law for political purposes?

They want to accuse Trump of also having a hot temper.  If he wasn't mad at these outrages, I'd say he was a fool.  It has been said that a man who cannot get angry is a fool.  Sometimes, you have to get mad.  I'd also say he has damn good reason to be mad as hell.

It is definitely not unreasonable to be mad at this point.  Trump has put up with a lot.  Probably more than he should have.




Monday, April 16, 2018

Is a Cat 5 Shirtstorm about to make landfall?

Originally posted 4.10.18:

Updated:

4.16.18:

Rosenstink may be even dirtier than I thought.  Check this.  Rosenstink could be covering up something, and it is another Clintonoid scandal.

Judge Kimba Wood, another Clintinoid, denied Trump's lawyer's ( Cohen ) legal motion to protect his client's attorney client privilege.

Gettin' dirtier all the time...


The original post and early updates follow below:

Been checking out the reactions to the raid on Trump's lawyer.

Some folks are predicting Mueller and others will finally be canned.  If that happens, then what comes after that?

The Shirtstorm to beat all shirtstorms, that's what.

As one commenter put it, you don't hire a Special Counsel until you have a crime.  You don't hire a Special Counsel in order to find a suitable crime for your purposes.  These types of "investigations" are called "fishing expeditions".  That fact that this fishing expedition has been allowed renders the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution as a nullity.  Thusly, if the wrong guy wins an election, then he has committed a crime that must be punished.  In other words, single party totalitarianism has arrived.

Heads must roll--one way or the other.  This cannot be allowed.  Surely there are adults left in Washington DC who understand this.  Not sure about that, though.

Update later today, 4.10.18:

Rosenstein signed off on the raid.  There is speculation that he recused the US Attorney that was supposed to ask for the warrant---meaning that the actual US Attorney refused .  Who actually asked for the warrant then?  An Obama appointee?  Who granted the warrant?  Another Obama appointee? Also, the warrant is sealed, so that nobody can see what is going on.  Seems suspicious to me.  But it always has seemed suspicious.

A few answers here.  Rosenstein's flunkies at DOJ recused the US Attorney.  So this is a Rosenstein op.  No word on who the judge was.

late update today, 4.10.18:

Rosenstein definitely looks dirty.  He may be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over documents.  Now this...

Morning update next day:

It should also be remembered that Cohen was identified ( incorrectly ) in the infamous Steele Dossier.

Cohen is suing on the basis of that foul up.  Could it be that Cohen has been in the "small group's" cross hairs for a long time?  If Cohen sees it that way, could it also mean that he has been expecting such a raid for quite some time?

It has been said that a word to the wise is sufficient.  Consequently, it's possible that they "telegraphed" this punch.  At any rate, Rosie's boys may not find a doggone thing.

late update next day:

Rosenstink has just released the document under threat of impeachment.  Rosenstinks still looks dirty to me.

Basically the doc says that Pappa dop was the reason they started to investigate Trump.  The bravo sierra meter has gone off the charts.

What does it all mean?  Maybe a lot, maybe nothing.  I just don't know.  But there are those on the Trump side who are cheering this release, so evidently, something good has just happened.  Not sure if I agree.

4.12.18:

Here's one of Rosenstink's flunkies.  There were supposed to be two, and these two "recused" the US Attorney.   More here.  Still don't know who the other flunkie was, nor the judge.


OIG

Originally posted 4.13.18,
Updated:

4.16.18:

Evidently, much more on the OIG than I thought...  Perhaps I didn't read the footnotes?  Cuz a lot of folks seem to think that there's stuff there I didn't see.  Quite possible so, therefore it must not been what I saw...

If that part is correct, then McCabe may become the John Dean of the Hillary/Deep State Deluxe Scandal of the Century! Comey to a venue near you soon!  Unless McCabe does a Seth Rich and gets killed by a thief who doesn't steal anything.  What the heck is going on with thieves these days?

Anyway, I'll bereave it when I see it.



The original post follows:


Should it be OMG?  As in Oh. My. God!

Nah!  Can't back that up, but they'll get 'em tomorrow!

I probably shouldn't make fun of them, cuz they might actually be doing good work, but still.  You got Gestapo type raids taking place, and they are focusing on little 'ol Andy McCabe?  Not sure why they are clinking glasses in celebration in some spots, but there are some pretty happy peeps over this Horowitz thingie.

Ace has some commentary worth reading here that isn't all fanboy stuff.   Good on him.

Did lil' Andy lie to help get Hillary off the hook?   That would be something, but Hillary's deal was a long time ago, and Trump's Train is in danger of derailment.



Drill Sgt. in Full Metal Jacket flick dies

R. Lee Ermey has passed away.  He was 74.

If the name doesn't ring a bell, watch this:




I think too many people have been eating too many jelly donuts.  Too bad this guy won't be around to straighten them out.



Sunday, April 15, 2018

A turn of phrase to express a feeling

So much work, so little time...

Or something like that is a phrase often used to express a positive feeling.

What about a counterpart on the opposite side of the emotion divide?

How about "so much crap, so much time"?  That's because after spending most of the day looking at stuff, the only thing I can say is this:  what a bunch of crap.  Been spending a lot of day on crap, hence the phrase.

Well, maybe there's some good news.  Yeah.  Andy McCabe has been proven to have told a lie!  Wow.  Who would have thunk it?  You could have knocked me over with a feather!  / super sarc


An example of why these people are evil

Ace of Spades has another good write-up worth mentioning.  It is about the Scooter Libby conviction, and why Trump was correct in pardoning him.  Indeed, Bush should have done it, but for whatever reason, decided not to do that.

Anyway, Scooter Libby could not have leaked Valerie Plame's identity, and besides that, they already knew this BEFORE the investigation even started.  Therefore, the prosecution of Libby for a process crime over a matter that was moot to begin with, was a prosecutorial abuse.

But it is not being reported that way.  These people have to know better, and the excuse of laziness is not acceptable.

Evil starts with lies, and is nurtured and protected by the same.  That is why I continue to compare Scooter Libby's case to the current day's bravo sierra about Russian collusion.  There's no crime and these people know it.  Yet, they pursue it.  Eventually, this must run into a dead end, and when it does, they'll need a process crime in order to show anything for their efforts.

These people are the prosecutors, Mueller, and his supporters --- in the media, and in both parties.

Now when you consider this, think back again on the reasons why Bush didn't pardon Libby.  Ought to make a body wonder just whose side Bush is on.  Know what I mean, Vern?

Update later this morning:

Been reading up on this stuff this morn, and it seems like we are on the very edge of becoming a banana republic.  Or we already are one, and maybe we still have an opportunity to climb out of it, and restore the country to some form of decency.

Keep in mind that it would be a banana republic with a lot of weaponry.  Bad news for everybody. 


Walk of Life -- Dire Straits

A video about how to play it.

People make this out to be a lot harder than it really is.   Yeah, I know.  If it was so easy, why don't you do it?

I used to spend hours practicing on a guitar.  Never really learned to play, but what I learned is that the real genius is in the creation.  Not the replication.  Know what I mean?

Learning how to play it may make you seem a lot more than you really are, is what I mean.

Enjoy.