Sunny but cool.. in the 60's.. a nice Fall day in Summer.
"Snowy, Flowy, Blowy,
Showery, Flowery, Bowery,
Hoppy, Croppy, Droppy,
Breezy, Sneezy, Freezy."
The Twelve Months by Sir Gregory Gander (George Ellis) 1745-1815
We were just sitting on the deck, enjoying the cool sunny weather. I was reading in my book about Alexander Woolcott, when the smell of neighbor Burnie's burning pine pallets overwhelmed me and SuZee, and we had to retreat to the inside of the house. So, it's blog time again.
01. Not again!
Carroll County Times: Ex Commissioner, Michael Zimmer is back to his attack on the Benghazi situation. If it wasn't for Benghazi, what would Michael and his political buddies have to talk about?
02. Other Attacks
a. Wisconsin's Voter ID law is under review. The law mandates the showing of a photo ID for one to be able to vote.
b. Texas' Abortion law is under review.. it requires all Texas abortion clinics to adhere to the rules for other "care" facilities.. if upheld, abortion clinics will only be available in the biggest Texas cities.
03. Pure Evil Again!
New York Times: Another evil act has been perpetrated by ISIS. This time they have beheaded a British aid volunteer. Before they executed him, they forced him to read a statement against British leader, David Cameron. These people are animals, and even though I deplore our getting involved in Iraq again, I do feel that analytical flights and drone attacks may be necessary. One problem seems to be the unwillingness of Turkey to show belligerence toward ISIS because they are dealing in oil with them. (I still think that my idea on developing a countermeasure that would render gun powder in all forms unable to ignite could bring some reason to world bullies.)
04. Numbers, Numbers, Numbers.
Radio Lab: I've written about the Biblical number 666 several times before. Whole religious cults have been built around it and people have actually used it to determine the date of the end of the world (many times).. Today, the Radio Lab program talked about it. "666" for many years has been the "sign of the beast", however, recent scholarship reveals that the number is really "616", which means that all those books, magazine articles, sermons, mountain top expectations, schools, religions, etc.. have been the useless results of misinformation.
The next edition of the "Standard Bible" will still show "666", but will have a foot note telling people that it might really be "616"... take your pick. Anyway, as you know from my earlier rants, why would people think that a part of many such documents that were written to indicate disapproval for Roman Rule in the century before Jesus lived, and were stuck into what was to become "The Bible" have any relationship to modern times? Come on, guys, think about it!
05. Did I hear this right?
Wait Wait Don't Tell Me: I just caught these words from a distance, so I may have them wrong.
a. New York now has pink cabs for women to use. They are being driven by female cabbies.
b. A new reality show is about to be instituted. It is about two House Representatives who are marooned together on a desert island. How do they work together to survive, because.. yes, you guessed it.. one is a Democrat and the other is a Republican?
06. College Study and a Job Opportunity
TED Radio Hour: A whopping 20% of the snot in your nose has not been analyzed, and it supposedly contains millions of unidentified microbes. Those damn microbes are everywhere, and hardly anybody is studying them. So: microbiology is the way to go if you are looking for an up-and-coming study area that will provide lots of jobs in the future. Right now, the field is wide open.
07. Magical Number
Great Courses: Here is an example from a "mathematics magic" course available from the Great Courses Company:
"Think of a any number between 1 and 10. Triple it. Add 6. then triple again. Now take your answer, probably a two digit number, and add the digits of your answer. If you still have a two-digit number, add those digits again. You should now have the magical number 9"
08. Never Too Late To LIVE
Daily Bread: A paraplegic Australian woman named Pascale Honore had wanted to be able to surf for 18 years. Finally, a young surfer, appropriately named Ty Swan, figured out a way to strap Pascale to his back with duct tape, and now takes this wheelchair-confined lady out into the ocean to "catch the waves." (This reminds me of my Elaine, who, because of something called CMT, had been told she would have to maintain a very quiet, non-risky life. She had always wanted to sky-dive, so, against all advice, she did so.. a number of times. She is, of course, much braver than I am.)
09. Genealogy Course
Great Courses: Discovering your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy has come way down in price and I may purchase three copies; one for me and Elaine; one for Chris; and one for Elizabeth; I don't think Diane is interested right now.. she is so busy with plants and eBay and other interests. The info about the 15 chapters is intriguing, so I will print them out for you here in case you are interested:
01. Interviewing Kin and Mining Home Sources
02. Genealogy Online .. Gems and Junk
03. The Library.. Shelves Full of Family History
04. Military Service and Homestead Records
05. How to Build Historical Contest
06. Your Ancestors in Ship Passenger Lis ts
07. Your Ancestors in Naturalization Records
08. The Genealogical Proof Standard
09. Your Ancestors in the County Courthouse
10. Your Ancestors in State Records
11. How to Write Biography
12. Dos and Don'ts of Writing History
13. Searching in Your Ancestors' Backyards
14. Assembling an Account of your Discoveries
15. Extending Your Family Tree Overseas
10. Have you heard of EB-5?
Fortune.com: I'll bet you haven't heard of the government immigration program known as EB-5, which allows rich foreigners to obtain U.S. Citizenship by plugging $500,000 each into a venture that creates American jobs. EB-5 is short for the "government's fifth employment-based visa 'preference'" .. The law was born in 1990. It was supposed to generate jobs in high unemployment or rural districts. Immigrants seeking EB-5 visas must invest their half-million dollars in a new business that will create 10 full-time U.S. jobs in those areas.
EB-5 has bicameral bipartisan support. Even billionaires like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates like the program. Since it is unregulated, there are problems; but many successes. According to a study, the program contributed $3.4 billion to the U. S. economy and produced 42,000 jobs in 2012.
11. That Genie Again
MENSA Journal: To paraphrase Janet Williams:
A guy finds a lamp on the beach, and when he dusts it, a genie appears.
"You can choose one of two wishes.
Either: I want superior intelligence .. or .. I want an endless supply of money."
The guy considers the options and says: "I choose intelligence."
"Whoosh!" The genie disappears and the guy is now super intelligent.
This brainy guy now gives his first super intelligent pronouncement.
"Damn! I should have chosen the money!"
12. A Burning Question
Why Things Are by Joel Achenbach:
In the play Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, Caesar gets done in by conspirators, including his friend and colleague, Brutus. His last words are "Et tu, Brute!" This is in Latin, but he and everyone else talks only in English during the rest of the play. Why?
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