Sunday, March 31, 2019

Overheard from an ad on the radio:

"He once got lost while looking for FunkyTown".

Yep, been there. 

Saturday, March 30, 2019

question for Amazon:

WTF?

Do y'all vet your Prime delivery people? Or do you just hire the first folks that come in the door? Recruit them in bus stations and rehab clinics? Some government program for unsocialized whacked out individuals?

I mean, really. I get a different person every time that y'all don't use Fed-Ex or UPS or USPS which is about 3/4 of the time lately....and they're scary derelict looking folks.  And they obviously Just Don't Care.....Or, perhaps their workload is such that they feel that it is OK to just toss the package out of the Prime Delivery van onto the middle of the driveway (and my driveway is only 100 ft long).

There is no method on your website I can find to report such behavior, nor give feedback on your drivers. I'd rather you used one of the other three carriers. 

At this rate, I'm gonna have to seriously consider not ordering from you and look hard at your competitors. And I have been a customer for (literally) 20 years. 

Friday, March 29, 2019

'27 Chrysler update:


Pretty, ain't it?
















Yeah, that's not the one I am working on. Mine needs some work to look like that.

I was asked for an update with pictures, so this is gonna be pic heavy.

This is the one I am trying to resurrect:



Yes, my garage is.....cluttered. 


Good, solid body. Paint is rough though. Doors close firmly and latch. Trunk as well. Wooden wheels are tight and not rotted, but need some TLC. Tires hold air. Drivetrain is loose, it rolls easily. Running boards are solid, as is the frame.

Engine runs and is tight. Carb is now clean and operable. Carb is NOT correct, but apparently many of these cars were retrofitted from the Carter to the bronze Stromberg that is on the car, apparently due to corrosion in the zinc body of the original Carter carb.

 New plug wires (of course)...filed the points flat and installed a new fan belt...can't find the right condenser (or the exact points), but the one that is on the distributor is good. . Surprisingly, Gates had a listing for the belt and I got the belt one day after ordering it.

Note: Automotive engineers back then were just as bad as today's engineers...some things are just a pain to work on or are unnecessarily complicated when they don't have to be. If there was a Haynes manual for this car every procedure forward of the firewall would start with "remove radiator and support rods".


New manifold gasket and the manifold bolts that snapped are drilled out and new threads tapped. No exhaust leaks now.

Carb is cleaned and put back together. It works well now that the varnish is gone.


I found all the parts to the vacuum tank fuel pump in the trunk, but can't make it work. (that is the round thing on the firewall at the upper right in the picture above).

I did make a new gasket for the top, but there are too many worn/dried out parts in it, so I am gonna send it in to a rebuilder
Yes, it looks weird, but that is what the gasket that was on it looked like. Offset and one hole at the edge of the gasket.



(for an explanation of how this canister works as a fuel pump, go HERE... It is a kinda Rube Goldberg-ish, but apparently they work well when complete and in spec (which this one is not!)). I have a low pressure electric ordered in the meantime. 2 psi MIGHT be too much for this carb, have to see. 

So, it starts and runs when the starter motor decides to work. I pulled the starter and switch out and took it to a rebuilder. Should have it back on Saturday. Hand cranking is dangerous! 

When running, it has decent oil pressure and doesn't smoke. I changed the oil and cleaned the pickup screen. Have to see how long that oil stays clean...it is already getting dark after about an hour of runtime. Lots of Gunk in the crankcase. Haven't gotten to check the generator, but those are easy to work on, as is the voltage regulator, so not a worry there. 

I'm still not happy with the distributor. That's the next project. Lots of play in it and it has skipped time once again. Something isn't put together correctly. I'm trying to find an exploded view before I pull it apart.  I can time it and the engine will start and run...then suddenly after 3 or 4 or 10 or 15 minutes it will backfire and die and the timing will be off by about 20 degrees. Someone else was in the distributor and it's associated drive before I bought the car, so I don't know what they did or if it is put back together properly. The drive gears are sharp and not worn, on both the distributor and the cam. I painted the distributor gear with a Sharpie, and the engagement is good. I dunno. More research before taking it apart though. It's been about 20 years since I rebuilt a distributor. And it isn't like I can order another one from AutoZone if I screw it up. 

I got about 5 gallons of evil smelling varnish old gas out of the tank, and flushed it with new(ish) gas (Thanks to my brother for his help there). Left some good gas in the tank to soak the bottom.  Lot of icky stuff in there. Probably gonna have to coat the inside of the tank after I get all the varnish out.

After that will be trying to get the clutch to move on the splines. I think it is just rust in the splines. Having said that, I will have to see if there is a cover or inspection plate to let me look, or, if need be, I can easily drop the driveshaft and pull the trans. 

The brakes, including the parking brake, now work. The radiator holds water and so does the block, so I got that going for me. 

One step forward, three steps back. Everytime I fix one thing, I find more yet to fix, or an issue that was masked by the thing I fixed.  And the distributor is just plain pissing me off. 

Lots of work, but it keeps me out of the bars. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

thing is...

It isn't unusual...especially in any large urban area. Happens all the time, has been happening practically forever.

But, like many things in Chicago (Voter Fraud, bribery, etc), it is so BLATANT. They don't even try to hide their misdeeds. They just do it and the people (and the Media) let them get away with it.


So next time...

Someone commits a "hate Crime" or a "Hoax crime" will the prosecutor let them go as well?

Or is it only stupid, gay, half black, actors who get off for crimes? People of a protected class.
I mean, this seems to be as much justice as Hillary Clinton got...

"yes, the accused is guilty"
"Yes, their actions had costs"
"but no, we won't force them to do any punishment, nor even pay for the costs of, nor the consequences of their actions."
"In the end, they re gonna get away with it.

Yes, the Fix is in.

What's next? If I know the right people who are willing to make the right calls to the right people, can I get away with Murder too? I mean, if I am rich and powerful enough.....

Next time some person actually commits a Hoax Crime, or gives false testimony, or makes a false accusation, do they get off as well?

What happened to "Equal Protection under the Law?"

Who has to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for the investigation of this hoax?


Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The Chicago Way.

So it would seem that Jussie Smollett, while guilty, has finagled things so that the charges against him are suddenly dropped. No trial. And the case is, oddly, sealed.

I am sure that there was, in this case some sort of "agreement" made between some parties...It is, after all, the Chicago Way. Been happening that way since long before my father was born. If it isn't the Cops, it is the Politicians, or the Unions, or the Judges....Power Brokers make some difficult things happen....For a price.

First Assistant State's Attorney Joe Magats said that he thought Smollett was guilty but that 'based on the facts and circumstances' of the case and his 'lack of criminal background', the decision was made not to pursue the 16 felony disorderly conduct charges that a grand jury returned. 

It came after a furious press conference from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson who decried it as a 'whitewash of justice' and said Smollett got off 'scot-free' because he is famous.

Odd, how 16 felony charges of lying to police and other charges were expiated over $10,000 in bond forfeiture and 16 hours of phantom community service....

(I am sure that that there was more than $10K involved as well)

This is blatant. A terrible injustice. A manipulation of "Justice".  Jussie, for whatever reason, somehow got out of his wrongdoing.

Lots of "influential" people were trying to make Jussie's misstep go away...apparently, enough people with enough pull were able to make that happen.

And this sort of thing is why I don't believe that we can trust the integrity of the votes coming out of Chicago either. Politicians, Aldermen, government workers, prosecutors and Judges don't even TRY to hide their blatant misdeeds and twisting and manipulation of the laws... There is not even shame to keep them in line....most are willing to sell their integrity. One must expect that Kim Foxx and her minion, Joe Magats, are either retiring soon or have been well compensated by someone...


ETA: Good question: Can we whites start rioting and burning and generally commit mayhem since a black man was let off for a crime?


444 miles



3.5 hours. 126 knots.

The day (Saturday) was clear and warm(ish) and not much wind. The Weather Briefer said it was gonna be awesome there and back. She was correct.

Pulled the plane out, did a preflight, checked the fuel and called for a top off . Was told I was number 5 in line for 100 LL. (The Self Serve fuel being out of service, so it is fuel truck or nothing)

So I warmed up the motor and cycled the prop and did all could do while waiting and moved it farther down the taxiway while we waited.

Got fuel after a 40 minute wait and then waited 10 more minutes to check for water. Found none.

Fired up, taxiied to the end of the runway, waited for two planes in the pattern to land, called my runway and took off with a southbound departure. Set course for Evansville (EVV).

Called for Flight Following and the Chicago departure controller was cheerful and professional. She handed me off to Champaign approach, who handed me off to Hulman aproach, then to Evansville. The winds were negligible at 6500 feet MSL, so our groundspeed was pretty much our airspeed.
1:40 wheels up to wheels down.

Evansville Regional (Evansville Indiana) is a pretty nice set of runways and is well maintained.  I did a nice slight crosswind landing, barely even chirped the tires.

Evansville tower sent me to Tri-Star (the FBO at Evansville field) for transient parking. They gave us a crew car no questions asked and we went to do our errands and then have lunch.

Lunch was Mission Barbecue...yes it's a chain.  Good chow. Great folks. Nice, polite, happy to see customers. Awesome respect to Veterans.
as you walk up: right in front of the door, right next to the Handicapped spaces. 




tons more like these all over the walls.
The food was good, the prices fair, For a chain, this is pretty good barbecue....and sides.

After eating, we drove around a bit more, then decided to beat the clouds building to the west (Perfect conditions for icing!!) and went back to the airport. Fueled up and that's when my impression of the folks at Evansville field took a nosedive.  The nice, polite crew that had greeted us at first call had obviously gone home and another crew had taken over....The clearance woman was pretty much a snotty bitch. She was GREATLY offended when I asked her to speak slowly enough that I could understand her. The Ground controller took the cue from Clearance, and the Tower controller was also a snot.
Departure controller was nearly impossible to understand (Hint: take the wad of chaw out of yer mouth when giving heading instructions to folks on a radio!) I wasn't the only pilot who had to ask him to repeat his instructions either. Was really glad to be out of their airspace. While I haven't got that much experience, that is the first time I have ever felt unwelcome at an airport.,,,also the first time I have ever encountered unprofessional attitude in a controller.

The trip home at 7500 MSL was mostly uneventful after that, except for the dude with his transponder on standby that passed us in a steep dive from left to right about a quarter mile in front of us...passing through our altitude at about 200MPH (really,, that fast) He didn't show on the IPAD on ADSB until about 2 minutes later...I don't know if he had his transponder off, on standby, or what..... MC saw him as he passed through our altitude, before I saw him. The controller didn't warn us about him either, so I don't think he saw him. I dunno. We didn't hit him, so all was good.

Other than that small bit of excitement, it was an uneventful flight home. I hand flew for practice rather than use the autopilot. I did let "George" fly for a moment while I took a couple of pictures of some gravel pits/mines . (there isn't much else to see besides wet and soggy fields in Indiana right now.)

yeah, that is about 1.6 miles long, taken from 7500 ft MSL...figure 7000 AGL more or less. A  big trench.
Time to get home was only 1:38. Did a 45 entry to the downwind and a decent approach. But a slight bounce at the end. Not bad, but still, a bounce that shouldn't have happened.

overall, a good day. Left in the daylight, landed just before dusk.

3.8 (what with taxi and runup) and 2.





Monday, March 25, 2019

Innit odd....

So when Hillary actually DID commit a crime, the Media didn't spend 1/10th of the time discussing it. Even though the summary of THAT investigation DID say that she had violated the rules in her handling of Confidential and Classified (and higher) documents and information. Had she been anyone else, she'd have been charged and tried and convicted.

The media is, once again, showing their bias. I wonder if they are even self aware enough to realize that their bias is showing. Their disappointment of the results of the Mueller investigation and their dashed hopes that Trump would be found to have done something wrong is plain. But their coverage shows, with no room for doubt, their bias. The DNC folks who are clamoring for the full report....where were they when, at best mishandling of classified documents and, at worst, treason were committed by a presidential candidate?....Why did they not demand the release of the full investigation and supporting documents then?

Why didn't they have a 1 hour hit piece "special" on Hillary's misdeeds like they are all having about Trump?


I'm loving the cries that "If only we looked harder or broadened the scope we could find SOMETHING to pin on Trump". Again, we couldn't look too hard at Hillary, only at her use of an unsecured server.....not at the Clinton Foundation or any of the other shenanigans like Uranium One...
But they want an investigation into EVERYTHING about Donnie.....

Look, I am all for it, either way...., but lets have ONE standard. Not one for (definitely) sleazy Democrats and another for (maybe, and [probably}) sleazy Conservatives....





I was told there would be Collusion:

We were promised "Collusion" by the DNC folks.
Where is ANY charge of collusion?

All this time and we get NOTHING. Waste of time.

There was enough that they were able to get Mueller appointed so he could do a fishing expedition...with open ended options to investigate pretty much any avenue that would get Trump or his team members in trouble.

How many MILLIONS of dollars spent? Thousands of investigative man hours wasted (but paid for by the US taxpayers) just to inconvenience the Trump administration? All based on dubious evidence from the losing team in a Presidential election...Sour grapes, really,,,,people who could not admit to the world (or themselves) that they lost because of who they were, rather than because someone "cheated".

At the beginning of this, there was no proof, no evidence, nothing to validate the claims of "collusion". There was only a claim by the losers....and NOTHING credible to back that childish claim. Mostly innuendo and veiled accusations that had no basis and could not even be validated.  This investigation should never have been funded in the first place, much less gone on for as long as it did.

Since the DNC cried "Wolf!" then perhaps they should be saddled with the bill for the fishing expedition investigation by their chosen attack dog and all his minions.

At least Mueller is honest. I did not expect that from a person hand picked by the DNC.

Remember: The claim of Russian "hacking" the DNC server was based on a claim by the DNC...the server was NEVER forensically examined by any Law Enforcement or by anyone because the DNC would not give it up....So then after that, they floated (and pushed) the "Collusion" story.

Sunday, March 24, 2019

'tis difficult

Working on a car that has pretty much ZERO documentation. And there isn't much available for a 1920's vintage car.

No exploded drawings....no specifications for clearance.
And no torque specs. How tight do you tighten manifolds? Snug? Tight? Really tight?
Sure as hell no good Chilton's or Haynes manual. I am looking for a "Motors" manual, but can't find one for anything pre-'35.

I mean, one can adjust the valves and make it work, at at worst they will be a bit noisy. Best to err on the side of too much clearance than too little. Easy choice to make.

Belts are pretty standard on tightness. Same on carb bolts.
But manifolds? Head bolts? Not much tolerance there.

And it ain't like on can easily get those parts if they break....
 And I have had enough drilling and tapping old, hard, broken bolts and studs for a while.




I dunno

Irish has a pretty convincing argument that the New Zealand shooting at the Mosque was not real, but rather a CGI fake.

I just don't know.

I DO know that it is not impossible. Which is, really, frightening to me. 

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Fresh trout

So my brother, who is a very skilled outdoorsman, called me:

"Want some fresh trout? I just pulled in 2 large trout and if you'd like some, come get it".

So, since I was going that way, I did.

Man, was that was worth the trip.
A hot pan, melted butter. a 1 pound filet. Just a dusting of  onion powder (I didn't have an onion) and a blessing of cayenne on one side.
Cook 4 minutes, flip.

A little seasoned rice on the side and a piece of bread.

Man, there is nothing like FRESH pan fried trout. Less than 2 hours hour from stream to plate.

The only way it could have been better was if I had other companions and it was cooked on a campfire streamside.

Thanks, bro. 

'27 Chrysler update

Gettin there....
Got the issue with the distributor fixed, and it now stays in time. Odd how well it works when it is out together correctly instead of how the prior owner did it...

Runs pretty well, except for the exhaust leak. Leaks, actually. Major.

I found gaskets at Olsonsgaskets.com. He has gaskets for pretty much any car up to the early '70's. Pretty nice guy to work with too. Highly recommended. Not cheap, but good gaskets and good advice and quick service,

Of course, when taking the manifolds apart, some of the bolts in the manifold snapped.

So drill and tap,...Except they were so hard after all these years that that was difficult, as I could not get a punch to make an impression in the bolt. So very careful drilling and filing was necessary....It ain't like I can go to a U-Pull-It Junkyard and get another manifold for a car that is nearly a hundred years old. But I got the remains of the studs out, even though no local stores had any left handed drill bits for extraction. 

2 drilled and tapped, one had to be tapped up to the next size. (from 5/16" to 3/8") I left the other 2 the original size....One can always move up but it is hard to shrink them....

All surfaces cleaned, scraped, and brushed, and assembly should take place tonight or tomorrow.

Oddly, none of the auto parts shops in the area carry copper based Never-Seize....which I like to use because I may have to take it apart someday....And they don't carry much in the way of studs either. Still have the Dorman drawers, just nothing in them anymore. I ended up making the studs I needed with some rod and a die set.

Then I gotta see if the cooling system will hold any pressure (or water). I know for sure I gotta make a gasket for the radiator cap.

After that, of course, is cleaning out the fuel tank and lines (and fixing the vacuum fuel pump setup) and then it should be roadable.

Between flying (and doing the annual on the aeroplane), shooting and now this project, I'm keeping pretty busy. Keeps me out of trouble though.


Sporty...but nothing important fell off....

Time to do the first flight after the annual.: Weather was a bit better for VFR flight on Friday than it was on Thursday.....Winds 36 ,12 gusting 29. But skies clear to 12000 and vis was greater than 10. It was time to fly after nearly a month...
Windy and gusty...But, since I have a runway 36, I pulled the plane out, cranked it for 3 minutes (30 seconds crank, 3 minutes to cool the starter, repeat) and then pushed in the mixture and primed three times.
The engine caught and ran. I had oil pressure.

I warmed it up and then cycled the prop until it FINALLY (took like 10 minutes) until it too was full of oil and working as it should.

Taxiiied, did my runup, called my runway (36) and took off to the north, entered a crosswind and did a downwind departure to the south.

Climbed, trimmed, and leaned. Then climbed some more. Then did some turns, some descents, and ended up at 2000 feet and did some turns around a point over barn south and west of the airport. Climbed some more and then the air was (relatively) smooth, so I leveled at 4500 and drove straight west. I flew at 136 KIAS for about 10 minutes, but then it got rough again, so I slowed to 95.

Turned into the wind, climbed and did some stalls. At 5500, the wind was 36 at about 48 knots, so I was at zero ground speed and, at one point, slightly negative GS.

Recovered after some of that fun, leveled off and went back to flight at 90 or so and turned for home.

Entered the pattern and my first approach was less than perfect. But my short final was pretty good and my touchdown was right at my aim point and smooth and on centerline.  Took off and did the pattern, this time a better approach. Final was great and the touchdown as, again, exactly where I wanted it. It should count for two though, 'cause just as I lowered the nosewheel to the pavement, that pesky wind gusted and lifted me up about 2 inches and set me down again. Kinda fun, actually. I think it was the retracting flaps that made it settle down again.

I figured that was enough, so I taxiied back and put the 182 back in the barn.

Saturday, a short cross country, and then the start of the the reassembly of the manifolds on the '27 Chrysler.




Friday, March 22, 2019

Maybe today

So the plane is ready for runup and flight. Was ready Wed evening, actually.

Sadly, yesterday (Thursday) the ceiling was 400 ft and the visibility was less than a mile.

Today is spozed to be clear and unlimited. I intend to wring it out for a trip on Saturday.

But, yesterday, I got the broken bolt holes drilled and retapped on the '27 Chrysler exhaust manifold  and picked up the fan belt. (No one stocks it...who knew??)
Reassembly happens this weekend.

Plus selling raffle tickets for the range at a gunshow this Sunday.


Wednesday, March 20, 2019

737 MAX

Some interesting comments here.

If you are interested.

Plus, read the linked blogpost.

Apparently, the "anomaly" wasn't a new thing, it's just that most other pilots had the training to overcome it. The ones from places where there was good training and oversight by the governments had "incidents" and the pilots disconnected the automation and simply flew the plane manually....pitch and power/stick and rudder.

The 'Third World" airlines: Not so much.

Please note that the "copilot" only had 200 hours of time in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.


Prop Day

So the prop came in for the 182 yesterday. Fully rebuilt/resealed/repainted... Last thing besides pressurizing the front strut and putting the cowling on.

And the weather is suppozed to be AWESOME! tomorrow.

I should be flying about noon local on Thursday. 


Tuesday, March 19, 2019

And again, MAGA

"MAGA" is only used by Liberals. MAGA is not used by folks who think it is time to "Make America Great Again"....

Pretty much only journalists and Liberals who ahve never actually known a Conservative (or a Blue Collar tyoe, or anyone else who might wear a 'Make America Great Again" hat.

Jussie Smollet told everyone that 2 people told him "This is "MAGA" country" before they put another leftist symbol around his neck...and we found out later (although anyone with a brain already knew) that he had made the wole thing up.

So, having said all of the above, O gotta wonder....Who paid this guy to write "MAGA" and all the other stuff that Leftists think means some secret hate speech slogan on his hand?

Suspected mob boss killer writes ‘MAGA Forever,’ QAnon symbol on his hand

The only people they are gonna influence are already convinced.


Monday, March 18, 2019

And no father in sight

Not mentioned in the article, either. Wonder who is payin' for all those kids???

Woman gives birth to sextuplets in Houston

ETA: Kenny had the link first, I think.

'Twas very sad

So in trying to get the manifold apart for the '27 Chrysler to fix the exhaust leak, I snapped off 3 bolts.

Not a surprise, they are likely the original '27 bolts in an exhaust manifold been heated and cooled man, many times......but I needed some left handed drill bits to try to pull out the bolt stubs and my lefty bits (at least the small ones) were worn and of dubious utility.

So, off to Menards.
Pretty disappointing. Not much selection and what was there were all brands that I had never heard of. I really don't want to use cheap drill bits that will snap off in the work and compound my problems...

Next stop: Home Depot. Not only NO lefty drill bits, but also the clerk in the hardware section was unbelieving that they even made such things....the look she gave me was one of "Don't fuck with me, dude, I know they don't make 5 lb tubs of "Elbow Grease" either....".
 I had to explain (and show via her internet) that there really are such things as left handed drill bits. She'd never heard of them. So much for qualified folks in the stores.... But Home Depot doesn't stock 'em . So no joy there.

Lowes online only has "Hanson", "Irwin",  and another brand which I haven't ever heard of, so I think I will pass there as well. Hanson/Irwin drill bits are about Harbor Freight quality in my experience...

I guess DeWalt and Bosch don't make left drill bits. I really don't want to use some cheap bits that will break off or some cheaper cast screw extractor that will break inside the work and leave me in worse shape.

I may well track down a Snap-On guy and buy some lefty drill bits...maybe some extractors too Snap-On is pricey, but their tools are good. Not so much with the home improvement stores cheapo ones....The manifold on which I am working is too hard to replace.


Sunday, March 17, 2019

Only White Nationalists

do mass murder....And we are told it is terrible to be a Muslim in the US today....
Yet things like what Joe refers to happen often around the world....and the media doesn't make a big deal about it.
And it isn't very newsworthy, for some reason.

Haters of all races/cultures/religions are haters. And these folks should be stopped, no matter who they are killing. No matter who you are, as a group, someone hates you. Someone wants to kill you because your beliefs aren't theirs. Because they think they know the One True Way and younaren't following it.

But the selective media reporting would make you believe that it only happens to Muslims (and the outcry would make you think that as well).
(Ok, maybe the Jews and the homosexuals cry that they are just as persecuted....) But the statistics here in the US don't support that. Other countries? Well. they even eat their own.

 Bottom line: If every time they attempted this they'd get shot (early and often), the attacks would stop pretty quickly There are hateful people who would commit mass murder in nearly every society. Don't be defenseless.  Let them do the dying, not you and your group. Not saying go looking for trouble, but don't let it happen if it comes to you.

Saturday, March 16, 2019

How is this not prostitution?

Now, make no mistake, I believe that men and women should be able to rent themselves out or otherwise choose what they do for pay. It really matter little to me if you work 8 hours on a factory abusing your hands to assemble Widgets or on your back...either way, it is renting your body. The only difference is the work you choose to do.

Having said that, lets look at this:
Johnson said often older men have paid for her school, where she lives and even what she drives.

Now, if she and her (ahem) "Sugar Daddies" are happy with the arrangement, I'm all for it. This sort of thing has, in one form or another, been going on informally since the beginning of time. Young women and older/rich/successful men. In the Keys and Bahamas, they have "Boat Bunnies"....in the ski areas, they have "Snow Bunnies". And it has been going on elsewhere where some folks have "Mistresses" or "Kept Women".

But this? This is pretty blatant. And while I think it ought to be legal, it is, at best, the authorities turning a blind eye to prostitution.

More jobs than people

Yeah, it is a simplistic headline.

But in the end, there are more job openings than there are unemployed people to fill them.

This does not really mean more jobs than people, just more jobs than people that are looking for jobs.
Nor does it take into account that many of these jobs require some skill, not just a strong back or willing hands. (and many of the jobs require a clean blood test and/or that folks actually show up on time and/or work for a whole 8 hours....)
And this is the FIRST TIME IN 18 YEARS that there are more jobs available than there are people looking for jobs.

Lets hope that the DNC majority in the House doesn't break that.


Friday, March 15, 2019

Terrorism

So some dude shot up a mosque in Christchurch.

Now, I totally hate folks like this. I won't use their name. They don't deserve any fame.

This sort of act is despicable. I hope they hang him. It would seem that he livestreamed the heinous act. There is little doubt of his guilt.

I also, however, despise the folks who use this sort of act as a Gun Control lever....One where they cannot help but dance in the blood of the victims to further their aim.

Also, I despise the folks who use this sort of act to tell us about how terrible it is to be a Muslim in America....Hint: It didn't happen here, and it isn't just white people who kill Muslims. More Muslims kill other Muslims around the world than non-Muslims. You are safer here in the US as a Muslim than anywhere else in the world. (and, the terror attack in New Zealand notwithstanding, in most majority Christian countries). My disgust also goes to the Jewish people who use this sort of act as a soapbox to tell us how THEY are persecuted as much or more than any other group).

The world is an imperfect place. There are folks that hate people of any other religion. Christians are persecuted in many places. Jews in others. Muslims are, for the most part, not persecuted in "Western" countries. Disliked, perhaps. Persecuted systematically, no.

Perhaps, since the genie in out of the bottle, instead of bemoaning the persecution, these folks should choose to protect themselves. With armed security, the asshole of Christchurch would have (maybe) gotten off 3 shots before beginning to assume room temperature. It need not be blatant, but a few vigilant and trained concealed carriers could stop things before they become massacres.

I'm not sure how we stop such attacks. Haters are out there, and one can make bombs, either explosive or incendiary, easily. For that matter, Arson is also easy to perpetrate. Haters gonna hate. Simple vigilance and security precautions can change a massacre of innocent worshipers into a small incident. Choosing not to be a victim is what it takes to stop this.

I hope they try him and his cohorts and find them guilty and kill them in a public and messy way as a deterrent to others who might think such actions are a grand idea. 

Eagle cam

Yust in case you wanna watch a Bale Eagle nesting (and hopefully brooding her chicks).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b2dUgK6VV4

It lives

Finally, with assistance, found out why the 1927 Chrysler 58 would not stay in time.

Once we found a fix for that, it ran, and ran rather well, at that. I must have gotten the carb setting pretty close after pulling it apart to clean the sludge out of it. Now I gotta get the tank cleaned out and get the (rather odd) vacuum fuel pump working....

Of course, it needs an exhaust manifold gasket, some hoses and belts, and the intake manifold gasket, but aside from that, "She's Cherry".

Gonna take some more work, but this is a BIG milestone.

Updates as they happen.

Reference to the "Cherry" comment: (about 1:29) 


Thursday, March 14, 2019

AAAANd it is definitely Spring

We got our first Tornado today.

Yes, It missed me.... and everyone I know....As far as I can tell from the news, it hurt no one and wasn't much of a tornado.

But still.

I grew up in this area, and these things can pop up quickly and move at over 70MPH.
I've had my experiences with spring tornadoes from the time I was in grade school.  I'm a believer.


3.14

Pi day.

Act accordingly.

I'll be at the dentist

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Pretty much inevitable, wasn't it?

So it would seem that Finland is failing.

I mean, their current society is. They are running out of "Other People's Money".

Seems that their Socialist Health Care program that was touted as a great idea....One that we should model our heakthcare system on (The Affordable HealthCare Act, AKA ObamaKare) is gone bust......Broke. Kaput. Bankrupt. 

Broke enough that the entire Government has decided to resign.

Once again, Socialism has failed. They gave up on Universal Basic Income a few months ago because it too didn't work, despite being touted as a wonderful idea that would bring everyone out of poverty....

I am reliably informed that most European "Socialist Democracies" are not far behind.

Let us not forget that, despite our problems, by nearly any standard, even the "Poor" in the US have a  better standard of living that the middle class in Europe.
But we should, according to the Liberals and the "educated" emulate the Europeans.....

Monday, March 11, 2019

Note: Wild animals are not as cuddly as they appear:

Seems some idiot woman moved past a barrier and come too close to the bars separating her from a Jaguar while taking a selfie....and the Jaguar decided to claw her because ....well, Jaguar,....not a Big Kitty.

She got off with just some claw marks.

Lesson here: These are not domesticated felines. Not tamed. Not just big housecats.....


No arrests

Oddly, there was a 7 hour Police Standoff in Lincoln Park, Illinois, a neighborhood of Chicago.

A party at a Lincoln Park Airbnb ended in a seven-hour stand-off with police, but the three people involved are not facing any charges Monday morning.

No wonder there is a crime issue in Chicago...7 hour SWAT standoff. No charges were filed. 7 hour standoff, and everyone walked away...

Further, there were several "assault Rifles" recovered and confiscated by the police, as well as 7 handguns....but, again, no charges. And this is Chicago, where such items are all but banned. If not the property of the folks involved in the standoff, then they must be the property of the owner of the home.
Yet, again, no arrests were made.

Odd. 

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Faithful Discharge

So what with all the talk of impeachment of Donnie Trump, can we impeach (or recall) the senators from Hawaii?  (or can we, at least, get the folks in Hawaii to do so, since they are their senators)

Their oath is (in part) to " support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, and that I will faithfully discharge my duties to best of my ability." .

Seems to me that trying to destroy the Second Amendment of that Constitution (as well as the Hawaiian Constitution [Article 1 section 17] )is in violation of that oath. Pretty blatant violation, actually.
We have a process to amend the US Constitution (as does Hawaii for the State Constitution).
I am all for the United States Constitutional Convention to take place......
Lets open that ball. It'll be fun and exciting.....

Here's a list of those that have violated that oath:


Senator Stanley Chang
phone: 808-586-8420
fax: 808-586-8426
senchang@capitol.hawaii.gov

Senator Karl Rhoads
phone: 808-586-6130
fax: 808-586-6131
senrhoads@capitol.hawaii.gov

Senator Rosalyn H. Baker
phone: 808-586-6070
fax: 808-586-6071
senbaker@capitol.hawaii.

Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha
phone: 808-586-9385
fax: 808-586-9391
senkanuha@capitol.hawaii.gov

Senator Laura H. Thielen
phone: 808-587-8388
fax: 808-587-7240
senthielen@capitol.hawaii.gov

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

It has begun

The reassembly of my plane...

All inspections passed.

I got most of the inspection panels replaced this afternoon.

Tomorrow, the rest of the panels and the interior. Plus some minor mods and a bit of repair.

Should be that all that is left is waiting on the prop reseal. 

Mardi Gras

Today is Fat Tuesday.

You can do as you wish with that info.


Sunday, March 3, 2019

How to drive away customers:

So I used to be a customer of "Drs Foster and Smith" online store for Pet medicines and other pet supplies.

They were bought by PETCO. I got the email about that a month ago.

In the past two weeks I have gotten more than 30 emails telling me about the wonderful deals available to me from Petco.

I unsubscribed... three times.

But they "want my business"..."to establish a relationship" as a pet owner . Nice way to start out there, assholes. I got maybe 3 emails a year from Foster and Smith, and I liked it that way. Spamming me at a rate of more than twice a day doesn't do much to make me want to do business with you. In fact, It pretty much makes sure I won't.

Does anyone in the marketing department have any sense at all?



Saturday, March 2, 2019

Annual

SO the plane is up for an annual inspection.

I was offered the option of "Owner Assisted Annual".

Which means I am the shop monkey that removes inspection covers and pulls the interior.

10 hours of work (so far).

Jesus there are a lot of access/inspection plates,,,and lots of screws. (And someday, in a dark alley, I'm gonna have a discussion with the ham handed asshole who burnt the centers out of a bunch of the phillips screws last annual...probably with a ball peen hammer to the knees....some people just should not be allowed power tools).

Anyway, this morning I'm feeling pretty out of shape. Too much crawling around and unusual (for me) positions

Breakfast of former champions for me today. (Ibuprofen and coffee).

But I have learned a fair bit about my aircraft, which is the real reason for this evolution, rather than paying someone else to do it.

And today, a work party painting the range. Oughta loosen up my arms, if nothing else. 

Friday, March 1, 2019

I sincerely hope

That when I am judged in the afterlife, I get credit for the tings that I DON'T say.

Somedays I should get a medal and cookie for the fact that let some shit go.

Just sayin'.