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Monthly Archives: February 2013

Septic


We have a sewer system which is pretty common in areas where the city limits lead to open fields and sparse housing. The downside is that we have to maintain this system. This starts with using the right kind of paper products, not using a lot of bleach in the laundry, using a laundry detergent that free of  dyes and  dumping a cake of baking yeast in the system once each month. In spite of this the system has to be pumped out once in every 5 to 10 years depending on the size of the holding system. The system has 2 tanks, the first one contains the out flow from the house drains and toilets along with the used paper and a small amount of food waste. These solids eventually drop to te bottom of the tank and decompose into a muck. The liquids when full enough flow through a pipe that contains  a screen or baffle that keeps the solids ( primarily paper) from flowing into the second tank. The second tank has an electrically operated pump which is activated by a float then pumps the water into a leach field where the water leaches into the ground. This leach field covers a large area so there are no puddles unless certain other solids have clogged the lines (called laterals).  The end of this is, now the pump has died and needs to be replaced but the waste water has to be pumped out into the yard in which case the grass will be greener this year.

Who Is A Beaner?


Beaner is a derogatory term Southwestern Anglos use when referring to immigrants from Mexico (and any other Hispanic regardless of country of origin). It has occurred to me that we all are or have been “beaners”. The recent fondness for Nachos, tacos, burritos and other mainstay Hispanic dishes which almost always include one of several types of bean. These beans could be black beans (frijoles negro (pronounced “naygro”), white beans, pinto beans to name a few. The term frijoles indicates any of the beans, we  (Anglos) called frijoles -refried beans but they are not refried just mashed to a fairly smooth paste. Returning to the question: “who is a beaner?” By strict adherence to the idea that Hispanics subsist on beans with very meal, we all could be called “Beaners”!  based on the many instances of  our having tacos, burritos or other Mexican style dishes at home and out.  Ole?

Until The Cows Come Home


Our national fiscal health has been failing for years yet our 535 + set fillers are moving forward as if they have no clue to what actions are required to move us forward (or even backwards). The so called “fiscal cliff” is upon us but the fickle finger of Congress points to the Commander-in-Chief. The CIC is only in office (not power) for 4 to 8 years while the 535 have been in place ( most of them) for 12  or more years. In this years they have decided (I guess) that since we have re-elected them time after time that they do not need to put forth any effort and just wait for the next election. This is reminiscent of the haphazard (to say the least) operation of many of our major companies, banks and retail stores.  In comparison: have you ever gone to a retail store , one in which you have shopped before and found your favorite item (s) were out of stock. Did you wait until they had the item in stock or go elsewhere to make your purchase?

Should we wait until the “cows come home” before we start to remove the long term Congress from their comfortable seats?

Comments


The ability to live a good life is inspired first by a good childhood and sometimes the lack of. It is unfortunately our lot as modern humans to want the approval of others yet we feel  we cannot gain that approval without the approval of others (tacit or direct). Given those circumstances why are we spending so much time on social media about every part of our lives? The outpouring on social media is at once an outlet and a curse, we allow inadvertently miscreants into our lives indirectly and/or directly. This intrusion can at once be a blessing and a curse, the curse being a possible interaction with “stranger Danger”, so beware of what you post on line no matter what age you are.

Instructions


Recently my wireless modem took a powder (crapped out, died, etc.), I got a new from ATT and proceeded to set it up according to the instructions, well after several hours, no modem. I called the help line and after 1 and half hours it was working. The point is the “easy” set up instructions are not easy. No matter what the paper work says, there is always some unknown step that you are not told that would have saved you a lot of time. The agent will usually take you through the same steps you took but there is always one little item that is not apparent in the instructions.It is odd that many of the items made in other country’s and the accompanying instructions have little things in language that do not translate well and the diagrams sometimes omit a step or a part of the diagram.These sort of glitches can translate into hours of head scratching and frustration plus the inevitable conversation with possibly someone whose first language is obviously not English. I have decided that I will not expect to buy anything with instructions and expect the set up to be as easy as described.

Our Congress As An Ineffective Body


As a Nation,we now have more balls in the air than a circus juggler.The economy still looms big, the current cabinet appointments, a close second and Firearm violence a extremely close third. We still have the same Congress give or take a few. These seat fillers are continuing their losing(for us) ways by using the media to counter attack the administration but doing nothing to help resolve the issues facing the nation. Are any of these objections relevant? I do not believe they are. If the Congress (by the way a troop of Baboons is also called a Congress) were a true legislative body with the interest of their constituents and the country in mind then the time spent hitting the airwaves would be used to resolve the problems. These folks are in election mode  24-7 and not spending enough of that time doing what they get paid quite well for. There have been suggestions of limiting the terms of the Congress but that requires legislation which the Congress has to propose and enact. We should realize that this will not happen ( in our lifetimes) but as voters we have that power and only need to vote against them to affect change. The Presidents will come and go but the ineffective Congress will go on unless we stop them. Step one is remove the party line from your memory and use your own judgement on what is correct. Remember if it sound too good to be true then it probably is – a lie is a lie  is a lie no matter how it is presented. We have unfortunately depended on our legislators (State, Federal and local) to take care of us but due to the natural greed  and self-righteousness of men we have the modern day Ineffective Congress.

Walnut


The prostate, a gland about the size of a walnut whose function is primarily sexual yet can be a problem area later in life. As men age the prostate depending on family history and possibly external  causes can become enlarged. This size change can result in the ability to urinate from poor to none. In either case it results in a visit to your primary physician, who will usually refer you to a urologist. The cure can range from medication to extreme measures such as surgery.  The surgery on the extreme side involves removal of the gland and resecting the urethra as it is surrounded by the gland. The surgery is common  and reserved for extreme instances of cancer or last effort after other treatments do not resolve the problem. Odd that a small gland can create a glitch such as being unable to p or do it in a normal fashion. Every man I know dreads the “finger wave” when taking a physical but this”wave” is an important diagnostic tool even if it doesn’t feel that way at the time. Which would you think is better a wave or a funeral?

OCE


OCE is the abbreviation for  the Office of Congressional Ethics. How odd that this office is investigating Aaron Shock of Illinois for alleged ethical errors(?), when so many of the current sitters are possible just as culpable in many ways. Let’s remember the past 20 years of political infighting and wars. If we want to look at the work of this office  as being of value perhaps we want to have them (the office) looked with an objective eye. This brings to mind the question of “who are the watchers and who are the watchees?” The ability of a section of Government to police itself  could be classed as an oxymoron, as I consider  the existing modern day Congress to be.

Enough!!


The   Boy Scout of America and their issue with gays is at once ludicrous not as Christian as they purport to be. Not so long ago, they were not that thrilled with minorities either. Considering my thoughts on this, first what does gay look like? It is easy to identify some one of another race by several factors such as skin color,speech patterns or some other physical facial feature. How do you identify some who is gay?, do they look like Rock Hudson, Jim Nabors or Randolph Scott? Coincidently all gay. It truly amazing that there still some “Christians” who are holier than thou yet condemn their fellow humans for who they are. These are possibly the same people who are for the “water boarding” of “suspected terrorists” and who during the Civil war  strung up any person of color who was in the wrong place at the “right” time or maybe did not move to the back of the bus. How many  of “those” people have been successful members of the scouts up the rank of Eagle without tainting this “hallowed”  institution?   Enough, enough  and   enough ,the scouts need to man up and be who they were supposed to be when started. There is no place for an organization discriminates based on out dated and unfounded ” christian?” beliefs. Christ preached forgiveness and acceptance unfortunately some his  modern followers don’t. Is there a need for a name change- for instance B_ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of America!

Chris Kyle


The recent murder of Ex Sniper Chris Kyle is a tragedy for America. This combat veteran devoted his time to assisting fellow vets with after service problems and was killed by one of the same veterans he was helping. This tragedy points out the need for more professional help on the part of the military for the discharged and active members. No matter what so called firearms laws exist or will exist, the mental state of veterans and others is a big unresolved issue. It is unfortunate that it takes a tragedy to bring the mental health part of the problem to the front-again. The NRA and others have seemingly failed to grasp the idea that no one in Government is trying to put more laws on Fire Arm owner, the impetus is focused on keeping weapons out of the hands of persons who should not have them. The many State and Federal laws which many firearm owners have just a small amount of knowledge about need some adjusting so they work as first proposed. The divide between government and pro firearm factions is  resolvable if the “I am right and you aren’t” attitude goes a way.  We already know that the criminal elements will never, ever register a weapon of any sort but seem always be able to get them. The legal forearms owners and purchasers pay the price for it. The legal firearm owners pay again when these assorted reports on proposed or just talked about new or improved fire arm laws creates a flurry of demand  further boosting prices on firearms and accessories. This on top of asinine proposals like a tax on firearms and ammunition above what is already paid. There needs to be a more respectful legacy for folks like Chris Kyle who spent his military afterlife doing what the military should be doing.