Guard Dog

Nice to live so close to so many places to get good wine isn't it? It's a good thing I don't live in Kentucky!

Dinner was seriously awesome by the way. The best part is there is enough left for a weeks worth of sandwiches.

Got company over today. We're smoking a brisket Texas style. I started with a whole Packer with a dry rub. I let it rest in the refrigerator for 36 hours. This morning I lit the smoker using apple wood chunks and put apple juice in the water pan. It's right at 215 right now and just smells beautiful. Seven more hours to go.

Coffee, black. I'll chase it with a cup of coffee, black. And probably another after that.

Is it just me or are things returning to normal around the boards these days? It seems a lot of the flotsam & jetsam that came in with PoE is drifting back out.

Someday fitness guru and multi-millionaire (insert Woldans real name here) will be describing how he came up with the idea for his revolutionary new weight training machine that was hailed as "the greatest advance in personal training since nautilus". And to think, we heard it here first! Or will it go down in infamy as a device for advanced interrogation? Either way he's famous.

Alright, it's rant time now. Bear with me but I'm so disgusted I just can't help is. Last night in Baltimore the Rays go into the 7th inning up 1-0. Nate Karnes is just dealing! He'd thrown 77 pitches, allowed 1 hit and struck out 11. They couldn't touch him. And what does our idiotic rookie manager do? Pulls him out for Kevin Jepsen. Kevin f-----g Jepsen! This SOB has yet to be handed a lead he couldn't choke on. True to form he gives up two hits, a walk and a run leaving the game tied 1-1 in the top of the 9th. Now the Rays get the bases loaded with no outs. LOADED WITH NO OUTS! And the end result is two strikeouts (and weak ones at that) and a weak pop fly. They lost on a walk off in the bottom of the 9th of course. Because such utter incompetence should never be rewarded with a victory. It's enough to make you SICK. Why the HELL did Cash pull Karnes in the 7th? Why the HELL didn't he send a lefty in with the bases loaded in the 9th? WTF? I've already burned up their facebook page. And I wasn't alone there.

Someday fitness guru and multi-millionaire (insert Woldans real name here) will be describing how he came up with the idea for his revolutionary new weight training machine that was hailed as "the greatest advance in personal training since nautilus". And to think, we heard it here first!

I hope Willy Adames doesn't flame out in the minors. Because if he does then the Rays traded David Price for Drew Smyly straight up and that would be the biggest rip off since Boston traded the Babe. Nick Franklin is a total waste of time.

Now reading Valley of the Shadow by Ralph Peters. It's a historical fiction novel about the event leading up to the Battle of Cedar Creek in the US Civil War. I just started it but so far it's really well done.

I think Dumas was paid by the word for that one. He could have cut out quite a bit without hurting the story.

Went to a funeral this afternoon. One of the old guys from the VFW passed away. He was 92. He served in the 25th infantry at Guadalcanal & New Georgia in WWII. He was wounded twice (in the same day no less) and went on to a career as an auto mechanic and then car dealership owner. A remarkable fellow. They don't make them like him anymore. A year ago he bought a case of 21 year old Glenlivet scotch and kept it in the closet at the VFW. One of his last wishes was to buy us all a drink. So after the service we all went to the VFW and drank to the memory of a really good guy. So wherever you are reading this if you have a drink in your hand raise it up to Ross Ryan Blackfield. As Shakespeare wrote "He was a man; take him for all in all; we shall not look upon his like again"

I was talking about amongst us Volo! Who care what the sports pundits and everyone else thinks!

I saw Tomorrowland the other day. Hated it. It's not that is wasn't good, it wasn't. It's not that is was preachy. It was. It's that is was not good, preachy, and almost 3 hours long.

What a cheery thought. Yeah, I thought a bit of context and levity is in order...this thread was depressing me I prefer a quote by that great American General George Patton: "You're not here to die for your country. You're here to make that other SOB die for HIS country!"

After the Grizz were eliminated I was so upset I just turned off the NBA from my consciousness for a while. But it's cool. I'm over that now. I'm paying attention again. you have to admit, if the Cavs beat GSW (something I still think is unlikely) Lebron will have to be acknowledged as on of the greatest players ever. Because without him they don't even make the playoffs.

FIFA is corrupt? Wow, say it ain't so. (Consider this delivered in an even tone of voice that conveys no hint of actual surprise)

Those that will not win. There of course those who claim that they oppose it, but will eventually cave in when entering office. Boy, do i hope that i am wrong about this. Oerwinde: cliff notes about the major parties and what they wish to accomplish? Full disclosure, I'm a left leaning centrist, that tends to vote Liberal or NDP, depending on the platform of the parties, and how capable the leaders seem. This may paint my portrayal of the parties. Conservative Party: Current government. Anti-science, authoritarian, pro-corporate. During their years in power they have reduced corporate taxes to the lowest in the western world, pulled out of any international climate agreements, spent more on advertising than any other government in the history of canada, tabled omnibus bills of up to 800 pages then limited debate on them in order to force them through, was found in contempt of parliament when they wouldn't release spending data to the commons, the first government to ever be found so. Was connected to widespread electoral fraud in the last election. I would need to find a supporter to actually name anything good they have done. Basically they want to lower taxes and sign on to any and all free trade agreements they can, no matter the consequences. Supports TPP. Lead by Stephen Harper. http://www.conservative.ca/ Liberal Party: The party that governed canada for pretty much the century previous to the Conservatives taking power. Was understandibly corrupt due to the sense that they were the natural rulers of Canada. Despite the corruption they actually did a pretty damned good job of running the country, losing power with a balanced budget, 13 billion dollar surplus, and a ton of accomplishments pretty much a hair away from implementation when their minority government was taken down in a no confidence vote. Were reduced to the lowest seat count in their history in the last election. They are in reality a centrist party despite the name. They support legalization of marijuana, free trade, etc. A mix of left and right policies. Have taken a blow to their support after coming out in support of C-51, a Conservative bill that increases the spying powers of government agencies, and allows for "preventative detention" and the arrest of people speaking out against the sitting government. Lead by Justin Trudeau, son of the late Pierre Trudeau, who was named in pretty much every poll ever done as the best Prime Minister in Canadian history. Supports TPP https://www.liberal.ca/ NDP(New Democratic Party): Social Democratic party, though have moved slightly away from the far left since Mulcair took power after the death of previous leader Jack Layton. In the last election following the leadership debate Michael Ignatieff of the Liberals basically collapsed, while Jack Layton kicked all sorts of arse giving the NDP a huge boost. Quebec voters abandoned the Quebec nationalist party the Bloc Quebecois in favor of the NDP, which gave them the biggest seat total they had ever had, becoming the official opposition. They support a federal minimum wage of $15, a national childcare program, increased taxes on the wealthy, and measures to increase refining and manufacturing in canada rather than exporting all our natural resources. Lead by Thomas Mulcair. Have not come out in support or opposition to TPP, but supports more transparency in negotiations and opposes Investor/State Dispute Resolution clauses that allows corporations to sue the governments of signatories if the state's laws hurt the corporations profits. These clauses are in every Conservative free trade agreement, and has caused Canada hundreds of millions in damages. http://www.ndp.ca/ Green: Currently only 2 seats in the commons, 1 of which was a defection. Lead by Elizabeth May, pretty much the hardest working parliamentarian, if a little bit whacko. The greens got their first seat in the last election by only running one candidate, May herself, in the one riding in Canada considered to be the easiest for her to win, and devoting all of the party resources to getting her elected. It worked, and got the greens a lot more exposure, and until recently, May had shown herself to be an extremely capable MP who works her arse off for her party and her constituents. Lately she's had to make a lot of apologies for going off the rails on twitter, interviews, or speeches. Greens are pretty standard pro-environment party, but other than supporting heavy environmental restrictions and subsidies of green industry, are pretty centrist in their policies. Opposes TPP. http://www.greenparty.ca/en Bloc Quebecois: Quebec nationalist party. During years of separatist support they are the nationalist party, during years without separatist support they are the Quebec First party. In their policies they are essentially the NDP, except Quebec only and with the eventual goal of Quebec sovereignty. Were annihilated inthe last election with the mass migration to the NDP, and are currently the 4th place party in Quebec according to recent polls. http://www.blocquebecois.org/ (in french) Thats my biased primer. If there are any Conservative supporters on the board they might be able to give a better view of what the Conservatives have actually accomplished, but there have been a lot of articles in news lately that talk about how Stephen Harper may go down as the worst Prime Minister in Canadian history due to his lousy economic record, disdain for science and evidence based policy, his anti-democratic methods, and authoritarianism. edit: added official party websites Ok this was very informative. But it wasn't funny. When Wals did the UK version of this post it was both informative AND funny. So, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you for a re-write.

That truly sucks TN. Best of luck.

Yeah that's kinda where I am these days

So, you told someone with a clear addiction problem to knock it off. I know you are a sensible guy so I suspect you weren't surprised when she didn't listen to your well-meaning advice. Don't hold it against her, though. People who frequently engage in self-destructive behavior are simply unable to break off the vicious circle by themselves in most cases. I agree, the first step is to stop digging, but even that may be beyond what that lady's capacity. Let's say I can bench 265 and you can bench 300. No matter how hard I try, I'm not benching 300. Does that make me weak? With proper guidance, training I may get there and beyond, but the starting point is different for everyone owing to a myriad different biological and environmental factors. Willpower, much like physical strength, isn't unlimited. Same for reasoning ability, etc. You literally have no idea how hard she may have been struggling because you are not her and you only caught a glimpse of her life. Why do people do stuff that is bad for them? Why do they make evidently bad decisions? Why can't they cease certain behaviors despite being aware of the evident negative consequences of their actions? Because people aren't rational. Intelligence is much like an iceberg; a large part is hidden under the surface and we are oblivious to its influence. Research has shown emotions to be key in the decision-making process but emotions reside in the limbic system, an ancient brain we share with reptiles, more primitive mammals and birds. They are beyond our control and identifying them doesn't come naturally. Ultimately it's a debate about free will, and the jury's still out on that one. BTW I liked your stance on "going where the work is". Does this also apply to foreign workers entering another country illegally to find work if none is to be had at home? Oh I don't disagree with you about dealing with an addiction. In Sandy's case it certainly fits. But it is still choices she made. Yes people are irrational. Many of them are lazy. But in the end we are all accountable for the choices we make. It's not the ants fault when the grasshopper starves to death in the winter. Unless someone is elderly or infirmed or dealing with a real disability that prevents them from helping themselves (in which case we do have social safety nets to help them) then everyone's first responsibility it to take care of themselves. Like Namutree pointed out he is happy with what he has in life and he know if he ever wanted more it's there to be had as long as he is willing to do what is needed to get it. As to your second point it does apply to the folks coming into the US illegally to work. It's not their fault the US immigration system is broken or that laws are so lax as allow agri-business & construction companies to abuse them by underpaying them. They are simply making use of what is.

Y'think? And what is needed to change one's situation from unsuccessful to successful? Have you met many people that freely, consciously made the choice to be poor, unhappy, unsuccessful or otherwise miserable? Is this a strength of character thing or it depends on acquired or innate insights? And are those inheritable or environmentally influenced traits? Actually yes. I knew a lady when I lived in South Florida. She worked two jobs making near minimum wage and was so deep in credit card debt she had almost no hope of getting out. But she smoked 2 cartons of cigarettes a week and blew $200 a week in the Seminole Indian Casino. I told her to stop smoking and stop gambling and her financial situation would improve immediately. She wouldn't do either. Sometimes she won a few hundred bucks but spent thousands to do it. If you ever find yourself in a hole the first thing you need to do is stop digging. When I lost my business and my home I was not buying booze or steak dinners or stuff like that. With limited resources I bought only what was needed to turn one day into the next. When I couldn't find work in Ft. Lauderdale I moved to West Palm Beach. When I couldn't afford a better place to live in town I moved out to the sticks. There are no end to the possibilities available to folks in the US today. If your education is what is holding you back there is low cost and even no cost alternatives. Community colleges, trade schools, adult education... free in many cases. All you have to do is show up. Don't buy unnecessary things if you can't afford them. If you need work and there is none to be had nearby, then go where the work is. Start your own business. Do work on the side for cash. It's everyone's first responsibility to take care of themselves and their families. To tell the truth I don't know who I resent more. The ones who get on public assistance and stay there forever because it is always easier to do nothing than do something or the folks who tell me it's people like me who are responsible they are in the predicament they are in and demand I pay their way from my hard work.

Sure are a lot more people choosing to be poor. By choosing NOT to do what is needed to change their situation, yes they are.

Is it inevitable? No. Is it probable, or at least possible? Absolutely. It's not like it hasn't already happened here a few times. As I have said before the greatest threat to freedom in the US is not ISIS, or Russia, or China, or (insert foreign powers name here). The greatest threat to freedom in the US is located between Maryland & Virginia. But here we are derailing this thread again so I'll drop it

Sometimes, I think some of the things you say are just trolling. Unfortunately, I know better at this point... Yes sometimes the desensitized truth can be so startling to the average person the immediate reaction is " he must be trolling " Prism was created to help the NSA protect America...weird but true When it comes to things a government comes up with we need to be less concerned with what it was designed to do and more concerned with what it can do. Or what a future government might do with it.