"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
Someone who loves me more than she ought to gave me this hat:
I love this hat. In fact, that may not be a strong enough statement. Let’s try this: this hat has resulted in my new favorite fantasy: that when I wear it, I am taller, smarter, and much less ugly. *heh* The only drawback to this hat is that I want another one, now. Yes, already. (I only have the one in one color, you see. 🙂 ) But I can live with one. After all, it’s a very nice one.
Still lovin’ it.
But at least it didn’t stem from from riots or some such, not that one would ever expect such here in America’s Third World County. The “African Grocery” with apartments above and mosque next door: complete loss. Two injured–one a firefighter. No, no riot, but still not a Good Thing. The Somalis in that town will miss their specialty grocery and mosque. Not a lot of crossover with the Pacific Islanders’ grocery here in town, either.
I haven’t watched anything memorable Ryan Paevey has been in (and in fact have only “watched” anything he’s been in as “background noise” while doing other things), but. . . I could really listen to him narrate just about anything–and I don’t generally like narrations of anything. I have no idea whether the guy has ever sung, whether solo or in a group, but I also wouldn’t mind having his voice in a choir.
Well, not quite. More “wood chucking.” Sorta-kinda-almost “good enough” fitness watch buzzed me to say I had been at my optimal heart rate for 20 minutes. *meh* What does it know? Five minutes later, *bzzz* “Relax.” Yeh, says you. A few minutes later: dizzy. OK, OK, I give in.
At least it was nice weather for it. High 40s, still ice on the wood, etc. Maybe this afternoon will be time for more “wood chucking.”
Not all THAT much, but after this AM’s “wood chucking exercises,” I slowed down with a cuppa coffee enhanced with a weed tad of cayenne pepper and baking cocoa. Enjoyed the cat-in-the-lap, too. Had to. He said so. After release from “lap duty,” some stretches, etc. Better. Pulse high of only 114 BPM, cool down and recovery to lowest of day: 51 BPM. Getting a wee bit better. Maybe I can eventually make the doc less of a liar the next time he tells me I’m in “pretty good shape for someone [my] age.” *heh* Maybe.
Simo Häyhä. Yeh, he used a everyday garden variety M28/30 Mosin-Nagant with iron sights. “Terminally serviced” 500+ Germans during Finland’s defense against the Nazis in WWII.
My Granddaddy’s Model 1895 30-30 was more of a “sniper rifle” than what Simo Häyhä used. ANY rifle is a “sniper rifle” if that’s what it is used for.
Oh, he also carried a Suomi KP/-31 9×19 Parabellum (handgun cartridge) submachine gun for close defense, juuuust in case. Again: not what contemporary writers describe when writing about “sniper rifles.”
Helpful Hints from Hairy Helpful
Nah, don’t always get me down.
Lil P0106 error code on Son&Heir’s 2010 Jetta (pretty nice car, that) that cleared when new PCV valve installed recurred with a P2178 (idle rich) added. MAF sensor/throttle body problem? MAF sensor connector was cracked. Cleaned out oil after removing, cleaning, checking throttle body, sealed MAF sensor connection after Deoxit cleaning of connectors. So far, no errors, but we’ll see. May need to replace a bit of electrical harness/connectors and MAF sensor, if it recurs. *shrugs* And then, of course, there’s always *tum-dum-tum-DUM!* taking it to the mechanic. *heh*
Methinks I’ll check things under the hood on my Wonder Woman’s 2010 Jetta, too, when I change the oil. *shrugs* Who knows? Maybe at least Deoxit* a few electrical connections there, too.
*I love the various Caig Deoxit products. Solved quite a few problems over the years using them. Their dielectric grease is apparently head and shoulders above similar products, going by the results I have had eliminating household electrical problems using it (solutions implemented a decade ago have held up). Computer and electronic woes dealt with, sound quality improvement from sound equipment. Vehicle woes wiped out. Improved network connections. Nice products, IMO.
I have now participated in three Decennial Census efforts as an enumerator. 2000 and 2010, and now 2020. I worked in each of them for a couple of reasons:
1. The Census is one of the very few things the “feddle gummint” does that have a clear, unequivocal constitutional mandate, and as much as I gripe about the feds exceeding their constitutional limits, I do appreciate any of the few opportunities I have to support legitimate exercises of federal power.
2. In the first two, I got paid (admittedly not much) to simply add a bit of “side business” to a hobby of mine: driving the back roads of America’s Third World County™. 2020? Notsomuch.
This time, the whole thing was so very screwed up from the very beginning that every new screwup simply made the whole thing a real drag. You know the old saying, “Once is happenstance; twiceis coincidence; three times is enemy action”? Yeh, that. *sigh* I thought at first, as the “training” began, “Oh, this is just incompetence.” But then as “training” continued and continued to worsen I started to wonder how the actual field work might go. I mean, after all, there were a few mapping problems in 2000 and 2010, but surely the GPS positioning and such like used by the mapping crews that supposedly worked in 2019 and who had their work checked in the update operation at the beginning of 2020 would make things better there? Right?
No. Mapping problems from 2000 that had been corrected for the 2010 Census were inexplicably re-introduced in 2020, and naturally even more were introduced, to the point that roughly half of the work was just saying, “THERE IS NO SUCH ADDRESS, NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN THERE. EVER!” or variations on that theme. And then new things like retail businesses that have been in existence for 30-40 years listed as housing units (NEVER have been, and were not so listed in previous censuses). Housing units listed with THREE DIFFERENT ADDRESSES, at least one of which was physically impossible. And more, much, much more.
And then there were things like specific instructions via updates to handheld devices (iPhones with software provided by an obvious low bidder) issued for all interviews, reporting, etc., instructions to do such and so that when followed led back to management wusses who had no clue whatsoever how to perform their part of the instructions.
Cases dropped when reported. Reporting devices (yes, I asked other enumerators) frequently “borked,” even losing a days’ worth of work. Obscurantist case reporting parameters within the software that worked. . . inconsistently. Re-re-re-re-interviews of cases already completed, reported, submitted, and accepted.
It goes on. And on. And on.
It is almost as though a conspiracy of dunces set out to sabotage the entire effort. Well, that and apparently blatant fraud, especially on the part of the mapping operations. (NO ONE could honestly have “mapped” some of the locations listed. Period.)
Ad so the Census asked a federal judge to extend the deadline for submitting data. And the (Chicago area?) federal judge acquiesced. Thankfully, the SCOTUS has said, “Fugetaboutit,” and shut the thing down. Could not have happened to a better bureaucrappic monster, IMO.
. . .if you have ever known anyone who you would unplug from life support to recharge your phone.