Nobody Asked Me...

Privacy, we hardly knew ye...

2013-03-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

More and more we are hearing reports, seeing articles, and coming face to face(book), with the lack of privacy today...

Each time we log on, make a phone call, or in the urban areas walk down the street, we are being tracked...

The facts are plain, Google has for years collected "unsecured" data with it's Street View vehicles, both here and in Europe, the fine?

$7 million... Against a company that makes something in the neighborhood of $100 a day...

And the fault?

The company blamed the intrusion on a rogue engineer who rigged a data-collection program into equipment that was supposed to only detect basic information about local Wi-Fi networks to help plot the locations of people using its mapping service and other products. After concluding its own investigation, the Federal Communications Commission last year asserted that some of Google's managers knew about the engineer's plan to vacuum information being transmitted over the Wi-Fi network

Report from CNN HERE; from Fox HERE. Now let's be honest here, does anybody really believe the 'rogue' engineer story??? When they've touted how 'tight' their controls are on development, to put this kind of excuse out there is just ludicrous...

And the data will all be destroyed? Yeah, right... It's in government/regulator's hands now and you can bet it's already in a data mining data base somewhere!

Facebook has 'always' been "open" about tracking your account, your friends and other things (like buying, websites visited, etc.). Apple and the other phone providers track your location all the time and all those nicky neat pictures you take with your phones and digital cameras have metatags embedded that show exactly when/where the pictures were taken. Here's a LINK to the Wiki on it.

Bruce Sheneier has an editoral up at CNN International that goes into a good bit of detail, and hits most of the high points HERE.

Among other things, remember google maps, was not created by google, it was developed by In-Q-Tel, a taxpayer funded, not-for-profit, development organization of the CIA. It is a whole lot easier for private companies to do snooping on AMERICAN citizens than it is for the government; and if they get busted they pay a small fine (see above), and are quietly reimbursed under the table by the agency that hired them to do their dirty work. Oh, and as an aside, Siri, Apple's voice query tool, also can be traced back to In-Q-Tel. Now ask yourself, "What can the government do with voice-print and voice-recognition software, and how can they collect my voice…." hmmmm, maybe you just gave it to them….

And here's In-Q-Tel's SITE if you want to read about it's 'history'...

Lastly, remember that everything you do on line is subject to snooping by any government agency, that includes walking around with your cell phone. Also remember, there are cameras everywhere, and if you do not carry your cell phone you will stick out because facial recognition software will pick you out and you could be tagged as an "extremist/insurgent" who is not carrying a cell phone because he does not want to be tracked. It doesn't take much computing power to pick out people who don't carry cell phones, especially if it's old white guys with carry permits who are under constant surveillance anyway. As for the filtering, it's a simple comb filter algorithm that's been around since the '60's.

And along this theme, a short story that Matt Bracken wrote at the WRSA site last year for your reading 'pleasure'...

Are we screwed? Probably...

Keeping memories alive...

2013-03-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

This one was done a couple of years ago, and is very poignant...

And we DO need to keep them flying as a reminder, especially of all those lost to defend our freedoms...

Can you imagine the memories of those old pilots as they saw those airplanes? I know at the military opening of Udvar Hazy "I" saw a lot of tears...

Moving Day...

2013-03-17T17:16:00.001-04:00

Due to all the spam issues, and the hack last month, I'm shutting thus blog down and moving it Wordpress.

The new address is oldnfo.org

If you're reading this on RSS you'll need to move your feed (http://oldnfo.org/feed/) .

Many thanks to Barron Barnett for the help and advice to get it set up...

Around the Blogs...

2013-03-17T16:04:00.003-04:00

It's been an interesting week and I'm playing catch up...

And as I was reminded, Happy St. Patty's Day!!! Green beer and all... LOL

From American Perspective- Happy St. Patty's

From Peter- Bad news from the economic arena... Sigh...

From Borepatch- A heartwarming story...

From Brigid- Memories of Ireland!

From Guffaw- While not a 'win' at least one judge doesn't like secret letters from the FBI to providers.

From Heels and Handguns- Something we can actually USE, a sight pusher to fit multiple guns!

From LL- Dealing with pensions in California, and the results of the Orange County lawsuits...

From Mule Dung and Ash- Sunday funnies, good ones as always!

From RobertaX- An interesting proposal...

Good folks, interesting discussions, and lots of things worth reading!

Odd bits of Trivia...

2013-03-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Q: Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?

A: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right! And that's where women's buttons have remained since.

Q: Why do ships and aircraft use 'mayday' as their call for help?

A: This comes from the French word m'aidez -meaning 'help me' -- and is pronounced, approximately, 'mayday.'

Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?

A: In France , where tennis became popular, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is French for 'egg.' When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans mispronounced it 'love.'

Q. Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?

A: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

Q: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called 'passing the buck'?

A: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would 'pass the buck' to the next player.

Q: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

A: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would only touch or clink the host's glass with his own.

Q: Why are people in the public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?

A: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a performer 'in the limelight' was the centre of attention.

Q: Why is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?

A: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

Q: In golf, where did the term 'Caddie' come from?

A. When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scots game 'golf.' So he had the first course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced 'ca-day' and the Scots changed it into 'caddie.

Q: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?

A: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called 'pygg'. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as 'pygg banks.' When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

Q: Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches (milling), while pennies and nickels do not?

A: The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.

So there! Now you know.

h/t JP

HAVA Fundraiser...

2013-03-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Linoge over at Walls of the City is running a fund raiser for HAVA, and he's asked for some help in getting the word out.

He's not up to the amount raised for Soldier's Angels last year, but he's getting there.

The original request is HERE, and the update is HERE...

Honored American Veterans Afield IS an outstanding charity, and is primarily sponsored by USA Shooting and the NRA.

As the number of injured men and women returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan grew, members of the firearms industry initiated a non-profit partnership called HAVA to aid disabled soldiers as they transition to their lives back in the United States. The ultimate goal is to increase their confidence and hope for the future by reconnecting with their love of the outdoors and the American traditions of hunting and firearms.

If you can spare a few bucks, please help Linoge get his $1500 goal. I threw some bucks in last night... It IS for a good cause!!!

Back in battery...

2013-03-15T21:04:00.000-04:00

Another day, another trip, and I 'finally' get to sleep in my own bed... Yea!!!

Cruz got a chunk of Feinstein the other day, and Midwest Chick has a good post up on it HERE.

Since I've been stuck in hotels the last few nights, I was flipping through channels and ran across the Fox, CNN, PMSNBC and CBS reporting on the kerfuffle...

Fox was the ONLY channel that played the whole sequence, all the others played a little of Cruz, and all of Feinstein's vitriol in response, and took Feinstein's side in ALL cases...

I've come to the realization that Feinstein, like Pelosi is totally out of touch with reality... SHE has a damn permit, but 'we' shouldn't be allowed to protect ourselves...

Where does this crap end??? When the shooting starts??? Sigh...

Midway Island WWII...

2013-03-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

An interesting 8 minute clip of the actual battle of Midway in color. Directed by a young John Ford...

In the late 70's we were able to get over to Eastern Island and it had not been touched since 1946... UXB, vehicles sitting where they were left, wrecks of airplanes and hangars etc. A very 'chilling' up close view of WWII that got all our attention. Sadly we were not allowed to take pictures (still don't know why)...

It's the smaller island on the lower right with three runways visible. and is literally a time capsule, sadly being destroyed by the weather and salt water... I don't know if they let folks other than on official business over there since both the islands are bird (Gooney bird) sanctuary...

A Question...

2013-03-14T19:57:00.001-04:00

Okay, I need help from you old WESTPAC hands...

Discussion at dinner was about Hong Kong and Jimmy's American Grill. There was a Tailor in Kowloon that was a "cousin" that Jimmy sent us to for uniforms/clothes...

Problem is NONE of us can remember the name of the damn tailor... And we also had an argument over the beer he served, "I" thought it was Tiger, so does anybody remember that???

Nelson at Trafalgar... Updated...

2013-03-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

What if...

Nelson was at Trafalgar in 2012???

Nelson: "Order the signal, Hardy."
Hardy: "Aye, aye sir."
Nelson: "Hold on, this isn't what I dictated to Flags.  What's the meaning of this?"
Hardy: "Sorry sir?"
Nelson (reading aloud): England expects every person to do his or her duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion or disability.'  What gobbledygook is this for God's sake?"
Hardy: "Admiralty policy, I'm afraid, sir.  We're an equal opportunities employer now.  We had the devil's own job getting ‘England’ past the censors, lest it be considered racist."
Nelson: "Gadzooks, Hardy.  Hand me my pipe and tobacco."
Hardy: "Sorry sir.  All naval vessels have now been designated smoke-free working environments."
Nelson: "In that case, break open the rum ration.  Let us splice the main brace to steel the men before battle."
Hardy: "The rum ration has been abolished, Admiral.  It’s part of the Government's policy on binge drinking."
Nelson: "Good heavens, Hardy.  I suppose we'd better get on with it full speed ahead."
Hardy: "I think you'll find that there's a 4 knot speed limit in this stretch of water."
Nelson: "Damn it man!  We are on the eve of the greatest sea battle in history.  We must advance with all dispatch.  Report from the crow's nest, please."
Hardy: "That won't be possible, sir."
Nelson: "What?"
Hardy: "Health and Safety have closed the crow's nest, sir.  No harness; and they said that rope ladders don't meet regulations.  They won't let anyone up there until proper scaffolding can be erected."
Nelson: "Then get me the ship's carpenter without delay, Hardy."
Hardy: "He's busy knocking up a wheelchair access to the foredeck Admiral."
Nelson: "Wheelchair access?  I've never heard anything so absurd."
Hardy: "Health and safety again, sir.  We have to provide a barrier- free environment for the differently abled."
Nelson: "Differently abled?  I've only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word.  I didn't rise to the rank of admiral by playing the disability card."
Hardy: "Actually, sir, you did.  The Royal Navy is under- represented in the areas of visual impairment and limb deficiency."
Nelson: "Whatever next?  Give me full sail.  The salt spray beckons."
Hardy: "A couple of problems there too, sir.  Health and safety won't let the crew up the rigging without hard hats.  And they don't want anyone breathing in too much salt - haven't you seen the adverts?"
Nelson: "I've never heard such infamy.  Break out the cannon and tell the men to stand by to engage the enemy."
Hardy: "The men are a bit worried about shooting at anyone, Admiral."
Nelson: "What?  This is mutiny!"
Hardy: "It's not that, sir.  It's just that they're afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone.  There are a couple of legal-aid lawyers on board watching everyone like hawks."
Nelson: "Then how are we to sink the Frenchies and the Spanish?"
Hardy: "Actually, sir, we're not."
Nelson: "We're not?"
Hardy: "No, sir!  The French and the Spanish are our European partners now.  According to the Common Fisheries Policy we shouldn't even be in this stretch of water.  We could get hit with a claim for compensation."
Nelson: "But you must hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil."
Hardy: "I wouldn't let the ship's diversity coordinator hear you saying that sir.  You'll be up on disciplinary report."
Nelson: "You must consider every man an enemy who speaks ill of your King."
Hardy: "Not any more, sir.  We must be inclusive in this multicultural age.  Now put on your Kevlar vest; it's the rules.  It could save your life"
Nelson: "Don't tell me - Health and Safety.  Whatever happened to rum, sodomy and the lash?"
Hardy: As I explained, sir, rum is off the menu!  And there's a ban on corporal punishment."
Nelson: "What about sodomy?"
Hardy: "I believe that is now legal, sir."
Nelson: "In that case................... Kiss me, Hardy."

h/t CP

On the road...

2013-03-13T20:18:00.000-04:00

On a quick pop up trip... Light posting/commenting till I get back Friday night.

More impacts to the Military...

2013-03-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

The hits just keep coming, this time it's getting both active duty AND homeless Veterans.

Via Fox News...

The $85 billion in cuts that went into effect at the beginning of the month will not spare soldiers and veterans, with a wave of cuts being announced for tuition assistance and a program that helps homeless veterans get back on their feet.

The Pentagon for months warned that the sequester cuts would be catastrophic. But the Defense Department is not the only federal agency with programs for servicemen and women that are vulnerable.

Under a federal housing program that helps roughly 100,000 Americans, homeless and formerly homeless veterans will lose assistance due to the sequester. The program is run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides state grants to help veterans get housing.

/snip/

The Army announced Friday that it will no longer accept applications for its Tuition Assistance program, which gives soldiers as much as $4,500 annually to take courses, at accredited schools, toward high school and college diplomas. Army officials could not give a specific amount on how much the cuts would save but said 201,000 soldiers used the program in fiscal 2012 at the cost of $373 million.

In addition, the Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard announced this week that their programs also have been suspended.

Read the whole thing HERE. The Navy (at least so far) as managed to continue it's TA program since many sailors are ship based and instructors actually ride the ships.

Matter of fact, TA is how I got my degree on active duty! And I'm hearing that the Navy is still trying to find out how bad the cuts really are going to be. Waiting on SECDEF for determinations...

JUST what we need as PRNK is about to blow up...

Abbot and Costello do unemployment...

2013-03-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Unemployment explained

THESE ARE PRETTY SMART FELLAS!!!

So how can over 873,000 people come off the unemployment rolls when there were only a little over 114,000 jobs created? Below is a transcript of a conversation between two eminent economists discussing this very question!

COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.

ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible Times. It's 7.8%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that's 14.7%.

COSTELLO: You just said 7.8%.

ABBOTT: 7.8% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 7.8% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that's 14.7%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it's 14.7% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that's 7.8%.

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 7.8% or 14.7%?

ABBOTT: 7.8% are unemployed. 14.7% are out of work.

COSTELLO: If you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, Congress said you can't count the "Out of Work"
as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!

ABBOTT: No, you miss his point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn't look for work can't be counted
with those who look for work. It wouldn't be fair.

COSTELLO: To whom?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But ALL of them are out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work.
Those who are out of work gave up looking and if you give up,
you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you're off the unemployment roles that
would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don't
look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down.
That's how they get it to 7.8%.
Otherwise it would be 14.7%.
Our govt. doesn't want you to read about 14.7% unemployment.

COSTELLO: That would be tough on those running for reelection.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you.
That means there are two ways to bring down the
unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop
looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down,
and the easier of the two is to have people stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like an Economist.

COSTELLO: I don't even know what the hell I just said!

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like Congress.

And way too close to the truth...

h/t Gerry

Odd little video...

2013-03-11T19:31:00.001-04:00

I didn't know this...

But it's pretty cute! And momma is NOT about to let them sneak off either...

h/t JP

Errr...

2013-03-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Somehow I don't see THIS happening in any gym class in high school in the USA...

Russian 'gym' is more like high school than gym class we have here...

But it might not be a bad idea... Just sayin...

h/t JP

Range Time...

2013-03-10T20:57:00.000-04:00

Met up with MSgt B at the range this morning, and we were BOTH having one of those days...

I was running late, and barely got there. I got up to the line planning on shooting the new Uberti I'd picked up, and I was getting NO hammer strikes...

More on that later...

So I dug out the 22/45 and my carry .45 and we started alternating on the line.

This is one of the targets, and it's a good example of familiarity with a gun and how it shoots...

The white circles are MSgt B's the green circles mine. If I remember correctly this was at 15 yards...

The green circle in the center was my trying to shoot his Sig. Nice gun, full sized but I was having to WORK to shoot it well (and didn't do all that well)!

The two white circles were his two mags with the same gun. This, if nothing else, goes to the heart of being 'comfortable' with the gun you're shooting!

The right and left green circles were my portions of the target with my C&S .45 And this shows how BADLY I was shooting...

Trigger time IS a perishable skill, and when you don't practice it shows!!! I put about 50 rounds of .22 downrange on another target and finally started getting the groups tightened back up.

At that point we both ran out of ammo (other than the carry mags), so we adjourned to lunch.

OBTW, the range did not have a SINGLE BOX of ammo in the place...

Still it was nice to get out, and we had fun, and a good lunch in the deal.

Now about my stupidity on the Uberti...

I called Vine, since he's a gunsmith and discussed WTF with him. After he got through laughing at me, he had me check the cylinder pin and see if it was in the first or second (deep) detent. Turns out it was in the second detent, which effectively acts as a safety, since the trigger bar never drops down. I pulled the back to the frist detent, and I could see the hammer actually would have contacted a shell had the gun been loaded...

Sigh...

Lazy day...

2013-03-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Other than having to go in to work, I didn't do a damn thing yesterday... And I don't plan on doing anything today either...

Maybe I'll get down to the range and maybe not, go read the folks on the sidebar. I'm out of ice cream today.

Sorry...

From HBO, but pretty damn true...

2013-03-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big fan of HBO most of the time, but this trailer does hit the nail on the head...

Although they are acting, everything said is pretty much true!!!

h/t Ev

And the hits keep coming...

2013-03-08T18:23:00.000-05:00

This one is 'really' not a surprise, but it still sucks for the Navy...

From the UT San Diego-

The California Coastal Commission has roundly rejected the U.S. Navy’s sonar program, saying that what the Navy sees as its “theater” -- in other words, the ocean – has some seats reserved for whales and dolphins.

The unanimous vote, taken at a commission meeting Friday morning in San Diego, sets up a possible repeat of a federal lawsuit that ultimately involved the White House and the Supreme Court in 2008.

The Navy is applying for a five-year renewal of its federal marine permit to conduct training over a huge swath of ocean between Hawaii and Southern California. For the California piece, it is required to run the plan past the Coastal Commission.

The commission didn’t like what it saw. Commissioners said the Navy didn’t supply enough information to support its conclusions that the overall marine mammal count isn't affected by sonar technology used by the Navy to locate ships or by detonations at sea.

Full article HERE.

I see, in addition to the usual dem suspects, the NRDC and China's hands all over this...

Now is their chance to truly hose the Navy over on allowed training...

I swear if I was in charge, I'd pull every damn ship, airplane, Army, Air Force and Marine unit out of California and move them North and West. They 'love' the military money, but 'hate' the military and do every thing they can out there to thwart realistic (or for that matter ANY) training.

Various History Links...

2013-03-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Not necessarily for everybody, but a compilation of links for various aviation things from pre-WWI through WWII and Vietnam.

o Aviation Pioneers

o World War I Aces

o Hall of Fame of the Air

o WW2 European Theater (ETO)

o WW2 Pacific Theater (PTO)

o WW2 US Marine Corps

o WW2 US Navy Aces

o WW2 Mediterranean (MTO)

o WW2 German Aces

o Korean War Aces

o Russian Aces

o Vietnam Era Aces

· Airplanes

o World War I Planes

o 1930s Aircraft photos

o WW2 Fighters

o WW2 Bombers

o WW2 German Planes

o WW2 Airplane Pictures

o History of Airplanes blog

o Nose Art

o Postwar Jets

· World War Two

o WW2 Facts and Firsts

o WW2 Medals

o WW2 Museums

o WW2 Pictures

o WW2 Ships

WW2 Weapons

h/t JP

And then there were four...

2013-03-07T19:43:00.000-05:00

Another Veteran is gone...

Major Thomas Griffin, a navigator on the Doolittle Raid was called home Tuesday. He passed in a VA home in northern Kentucky at age 96. At the next reunion of the surviving Doolittle Raiders in Fort Walton Beach, where they trained for the mission, they will turn Maj. Griffin’s goblet upside down, and there will be only four left upright.

Maj. Griffin parachuted to safety over China and eluded capture, eventually making it back stateside. He later flew bombing missions over North Africa until he was shot down in 1943, spending the remainder of the war in a German POW camp.

Years ago the President of Hennessy Company presented a bottle of 1896 vintage “Very Special Hennessy” cognac to General Jimmy Doolittle, in honor of his birth year and it was decided that the last two survivors would toast the fallen with it. Due to their advanced age it was decided that they would make the toast this year, before there were none left.

The private ceremony will be attended only by the surviving Raiders, the Raiders’ historian, Tom Casey, manager of the Doolittle Raiders Association, and two Air Force cadets. They will conduct a roll call of the names of all the Raiders, and when Griffin’s name is called, Lt. Col. Richard Cole, at age 97 the oldest survivor, will give a report on Griffin, announcing that he has left us.

At the end of the reading of names, the white-gloved cadets will pour the cognac into the goblets of the survivors, and they will drink their special toast: “To those who have gone.”

The final four survivors are Lt. Col. Cole of Comfort, Texas; Lt. Col. Robert Hite of Nashville, Tennessee; Lt. Col. Edward Saylor of Puyallup, Washington, and Master Sgt. David Thatcher of Missoula, Montana.

RIP Major, know that you were an example to an entire country and gave America hope!

h/t JP

WH tours cancelled...

2013-03-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Supposedly the White House tours are cancelled due to sequestration...

From the Washington Times-

The White House announced Tuesday that it was canceling all public tours of the president’s home because of the sequester spending cuts.
“Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform you that White House Tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013 until further notice. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reschedule affected tours,” the White House said in an email.

Full article HERE. And Ramirez hits a homer with this one...

But the interesting part is that according to sources, the docents that give the tours are VOLUNTEERS!!!

So how can you fire/layoff volunteers???

And another Ramirez winner...

But you can BUY access... To 'our' house...

I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I'm really beginning to wonder what his real goals are...

California Nursing Home letting woman die...

2013-03-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

Just had a chat with #2 daughter, who is a Paramedic in Kali about THIS story...

She said this is COMMON practice in a lot of the convalescent homes and nursing homes in Kali. She said the problem is many of the 'nurses' are in fact one level below nurses, and a lot of them are non-US born (e.g. barely speak English). They may only have ONE real nurse for the entire facility (80-100 beds) and one 'corporate' doctor who may 'cover' 500 patients, most of who he/she's never even seen. And that most of the nurses have no idea if the patients are DNR or not, because they don't bother to actually READ the patient's records.

She said in many cases, they don't even call 911 until they've called the doctor to get permission to call...

She said she has lost patients for this very reason.

I told her if they decide to put me in a nursing home, just shoot me and save the time and trouble... Sigh...

I just DO NOT understand how a person can just stand there and let someone die in front of them!

I worked something over 70 CPR cases over the years, and we only saved about 10%, but by God we TRIED to save everyone of those folks...

Nanny State to the max!!!

2013-03-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

Now Kalifornia wants to ban smoking in ANY multi-unit building...

e.g. your apartment, your condo, your townhome.

But ONLY for tobacco, not for dope...

Link HERE.

Sometimes you just gotta wonder...

ZOMG Elevensies (Again)!!!

2013-03-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

Well, they're predicting 'snowmageddon' again today, it's now spitting a little bit...

It's going to SNOW, 3-7 inches (maybe) and it's going to be wet and heavy, and your power's going to go out, and your roof is going to collapse under the weight, so you need to clean your trees and roof off, but you'll have a heart attack, go buy toilet paper, milk and bread... ZOMG...

Coming home, the line of cars was a BLOCK long to get into the grocery store parking lot...

Sigh...

And the next one, TSA is now going to 'allow' Victronix sized knives in carry on (probably because they normally miss them anyway) and of course flight attendants are in PSH... Story HERE.

And next, Chavez is dead, ZOMG what is going to happen in Venezuela??? Are they going to cut off our oil???

And lastly, and the one that got my and some other folks attention, North Korea (Kim Jong-Un) stated then will cancel the 1953 cease fire on 11 March and conduct 'surgical strikes' to reunify the Korean peninsula.

Full article HERE.

So my question is, where will the Prez and Kerry be??? And will they answer the phone call at 0300??? Or will we see another Benghazi response while our troops in South Korea die???

We ARE in sequestration, so there is no Fleet support available to Seventh Fleet (they're tying up to the piers), and the USAF is cutting flight hours, and the Marines are stuck in Okinawa, and with no airlift, the Army is hosed...

Now what???

And then there is THIS...

This woman testifies against a Colorado gun ban bill. she was raped by an armed man, in a GUN FREE ZONE on campus.

The first brain dead senator tells her that this bill is not about protecting them from violent criminals, it is about MAKING PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE because they are UNCOMFORTABLE knowing that someone on campus might have a concealed gun, and THE people who FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE TRUMP HER NEED FOR SELF DEFENSE.

Troll #2 tells her it was better that she didn't have a gun, because she couldn't do anything anyway, statistics are not on her side.

Unfrikkingbelievable...

And since I'm on a roll, one more from the SPLC...

The number of hate groups counted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) last year reached a total of 1,018, up slightly from the year before but continuing a trend of significant growth that is now more than a decade old. The truly stunning growth came in the antigovernment “Patriot” movement — conspiracy-minded groups that see the federal government as their primary enemy.

The Patriot movement first emerged in 1994, a response to what was seen as violent government repression of dissident groups at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992 and near Waco, Texas, in 1993, along with anger at gun control and the Democratic Clinton Administration in general. It peaked in 1996, a year after the Oklahoma City bombing, with 858 groups, then began to fade. By the turn of the millennium, the Patriot movement was reduced to fewer than 150 relatively inactive groups.

Full article HERE. Actually I think this one goes in the YGTBSM bucket...