I supposedly met this gentleman at a range when I was a wee lad in Tucson AZ.
A classic quote.
"Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is
the queen of personal weapons.
The rifle is a weapon. Let there be no mistake about that. It is a tool of
power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It
is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies
on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of
resisting tyranny, since a citizenry armed with rifles simply cannot be
tyrannized.
The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own.
Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more
good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of
righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men
with rifles."
Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle
"I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." –John Galt
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
A big fella original
I have in the past posted arguments that I have had on yahoo and twitter. In the latest, a meme started by the actor Nick Searcy that I jumped into, was arguing about income inequality. someone added that Communism would solve that problem. Mr. Searcy snarkily added that "under Communism, everything is free", he of course was being facetious.. My addendum to this is the following that I made up on the spot:-
Communism- Everything is free, nothing is available, except misery.
As BigPa used to say, "Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut"
Communism- Everything is free, nothing is available, except misery.
As BigPa used to say, "Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut"
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Great American Quote
“When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that
when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live
their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die
like a hero going home.”
– Tecumseh
– Tecumseh
I hope I can stand and sing my death song like a hero going home.
Friday, February 27, 2015
The Passing of an Icon
Those who were born post 1974 or so, do not remember a time when Star Trek wasn't ubiquitous. When the show as first aired in the 1960s (66-69), it was not a big hit. Although, because of MBB (My Big Brother) who was 13-16 years of age at the time and a Science Fiction aficionado, I watched most of the episodes first run. In fact since MBB was the eldest of the four of us, and was responsible for us many evenings, we only watched the Television shows he liked. I know that definitely sounds strange to any younger readers, but in the '60s, most families only had a single TV. So we all became Star Trek fans.
The show didn't really gain a cult following until syndication started. Around 1970, new little non-network TV stations sprang up in major markets, usually on the UHF band.
Old dial TVs had two bands, VHF (2-13) and UHF (14-60). To get to the UHF stations, you had to turn the VHF dial to U or what would or should be channel 1, and then use the UHF dial to find the station. The difference in the two dials were that the VHF had a positive "Clunk" for each channel, and there usually was a "fine tuning" ring around the dial for trying to get the channel reception clearer. The UHF dial was like a radio dial or the fine tuning ring on the VHF dial. the dial had numbers and you had to adjust it to tune in the station near the number of the channel you wanted.
Once in syndication the show aired two to three times a day, seven days a week. In fact most of the non-network TV stations only played re-runs and old Movies from the '30s-50s. I would get home from school and in the winter, I would sit and watch TV until dinner.
Leonard Nimoy was on another series in syndication in the mid to late '70s, Mission Impossible as the character Paris.
Here he is, with his Spock hair cut, I believe on Laugh In, singing about Bilbo Baggins..
The show didn't really gain a cult following until syndication started. Around 1970, new little non-network TV stations sprang up in major markets, usually on the UHF band.
Old dial TVs had two bands, VHF (2-13) and UHF (14-60). To get to the UHF stations, you had to turn the VHF dial to U or what would or should be channel 1, and then use the UHF dial to find the station. The difference in the two dials were that the VHF had a positive "Clunk" for each channel, and there usually was a "fine tuning" ring around the dial for trying to get the channel reception clearer. The UHF dial was like a radio dial or the fine tuning ring on the VHF dial. the dial had numbers and you had to adjust it to tune in the station near the number of the channel you wanted.
Once in syndication the show aired two to three times a day, seven days a week. In fact most of the non-network TV stations only played re-runs and old Movies from the '30s-50s. I would get home from school and in the winter, I would sit and watch TV until dinner.
Leonard Nimoy was on another series in syndication in the mid to late '70s, Mission Impossible as the character Paris.
Here he is, with his Spock hair cut, I believe on Laugh In, singing about Bilbo Baggins..
Friday, February 20, 2015
The Big Fella likes to stir it up with a boat oar..
So I haven't written lately, not that I don't have any ideas, I just have to get fired up to take the time and I have been busy. So what I do sometimes is make comment on yahoo articles that piss me off and every so often I start a shit storm which I thoroughly enjoy.. Here is the latest based on an article about Antarctica and Global Warming..
[TheBigManMusing]
The only problem with this article is that the ice isn't melting at either pole... The Arctic ice cap is currently larger than we have ever recorded, and the Ant-Arctic ice cap is also growing. There is an area of the Ant-Arctic cap that is melting, but they discovered a new Volcano on the sea floor near the melting ice that is warming the surrounding water.
As for Global Warming, it is currently 1 degree F or -17 C in Virginia in February.. I have been living here for 46 years, we have gotten snow late in February before, it melts in two days, but usually it is in the 40-50 F range here at this time of the year... Does this cold snap prove that there is Global cooling? No... It's just the weather.... For those who will claim that I am an idiot and that Climate Change doesn't mean just warming and that warming somewhere on the Globe is causing the Great Lakes to completely freeze for the Second year in a row (after not completely freezing for the last 50 years). Where is it warmer today than normal?
[Jayson]
The oceans. Start your thermodynamic journey to greater understanding of how things work with heat capacity. Then you might try learning some physical properties of various chemicals, start with water.
[TheBigManMusing]
Jayson, the average Ocean temperature has also not changed perceptively. I just recently read about a study which expected to find that the Oceans were expected to be a heat sink and the cause for "the pause", only to find out that there wasn't any change.. The only real change found is in solar activity. We are currently in a Minimum the degree of which has not been seen send the Maunder Minimum.
Global Climate is too broad of a system with too many parts for us to predict with any accuracy using our current technology and understanding.
Does Climate Change? Yes. What causes it? A lot of things... Can we control it? No..
[Richard]
Sure BigMan, you are just repeating talking points that you've heard on Fake News, or Talk Radio. You have your facts all mixed up, combined with lies, so some real research and read some papers submitted for peer review so you don't appear to be such a fool.
[RangersLead]
Only the deep water currents are warmer, and then only a select few. Most of that heat is generated by underwater heat sources on the Pacific ridge and the Mid Atlantic ridge. Not from a warming atmosphere. In fact the upper atmosphere is cooler. Something that the models, (all 114 of them), does not and did not and cannot account fore. Neither can they account for the warming of the deep water currents. Cold water sinks as it becomes more dense. The models never predicted warming deep water currents. They still do not include this in the models.
[Betula]
Yes Jayson - "greater understanding of how things work with heat capacity"
You mean like the computer models that never predicted the "hiatus", because they didn't take into account the oceans....the affect of which is still being researched and debated?
Is that the understanding you are talking about?
[Betula]
Richard, thanks for your assumptions backed up by the research you forgot to source. You're quite the teacher...
[Stephan]
derp derp TheBigManMusing derp ice derp derp dooo derp...
yah, dats it, the ice ain't melting, sure they'll buy it, like candy!
[Jayson]
Betula, models on fluid behavior can be very complicated in lab settings. This is a larger arena. These global models are constantly being updated with new data, observations, and theory all the time. This is cutting edge work and not every model is going to be correct, get over it. General understanding of this issue however suggests we better be wary of whats going on, which is why it is being studied.
[Betula]
Shorter Stephan - "Having a counterpoint is difficult, so derp will do"
[Magloo]
you guys really need to read more scientific journals. The ice melting in Antarctica is caused by the active volcano 1 or 1/2 kilometer below the western continent. It has nothing to do with global warming at all. This was discovered in 2010 if memory serves me.
The rest of the continent's ice is much thicker than originally stated but liberals never admit their mistakes.
There is no AGW in Antarctica, move along, Global Warming Hypochondriacs.
[Betula]
Jayson - So then you agree that the predicted future catastrophic climate scenarios based on averaging estimated climate sensitivity are derived from invalidated computer models..... and these predictions are then used to create policies that are predicted to fix the predictions.
Isn't that about right?
[Earl]
TheBigManMusing--I live in Michigan (Portage) and looked at the thermometer at 1:10 AM this morning and it read -11.1 degrees F. This is a record and last year on Feb. 28 the temp. reading was -10 degrees F. Both years have set record low temperatures and the great lakes are 80-90% frozen. Some global warming. Eh. This is not just locally but 2/3 of the US has record cold and heavy snow. I know the scientists will claim this is what they expected from global warming after the facts but never predicted before.
[Jayson]
No that's not what I said, but if you want to warp the message to your bidding I'm not going to stop you.
[Betula]
Tell me how my message is wrong, as compared to what you said.....it would make it that much more interesting for the reader.
[RangersLead]
Betula, they just recently discovered, (2014) a deep water current they never knew about in the area of Indonesia. What he is saying is that the science of fluid dynamics and how the ocean currents work are still unknown. They don't even know if there are currents they still don't know about. So how can they predict the behavior of the oceans and their currents if they don't even know where all the currents are at, how they flow or where they originate? They cant . They make assumptions based on what they want to believe. It doesn't make them right.
[RWayne]
Jayson, “LACK of ocean heat
puzzles NASA hunt for Warming 'hiatus' ”
October 6, 2014
Washington (AFP) –
The deep ocean may not be hiding heat after all,
raising new questions about why Global Warming
appears to have slowed in recent years,
said the US space agency Monday.
Scientists have noticed ...greenhouse gases have
continued to mount in the first part of the 21st century,
global average surface air temperatures have
stopped rising along with them, said NASA.
Some studies have suggested that
heat is being absorbed temporarily
by the deep seas, and
that this so-called Global Warming hiatus
is a temporary trend.
But latest data from satellite and direct ocean
temperature measurements from 2005 to 2013
"found the ocean abyss below 1.24 miles
has NOT warmed measurably,"
NASA said in a statement.
The findings present a new puzzle to scientists,
but co-author Josh Willis of NASA's JPL said
the reality of Climate Change
is not being thrown into doubt.
"The sea level is still rising," said Willis.
"We're just trying to understand the nitty-gritty details."
A separate study in August in ...journal “Science’ said
the apparent slowdown in the Earth's surface warming
in the last 15 years could be due to that
heat being trapped in the deep Atlantic & So. Ocean.
But the NASA researchers said their approach,
described in the journal “Nature Climate CHANGE”,
is the first to test the idea using satellite observations,
as well as direct temperature measurements of the upper ocean.
"The deep parts of the ocean are harder to measure,"
said researcher William Llovel of NASA JPL.
"The combination of satellite & direct temperature data
gives us a glimpse of how much
sea level rise is due to deep warming.
The answer is – NOT MUCH.”
[TheBigManMusing]
The only problem with this article is that the ice isn't melting at either pole... The Arctic ice cap is currently larger than we have ever recorded, and the Ant-Arctic ice cap is also growing. There is an area of the Ant-Arctic cap that is melting, but they discovered a new Volcano on the sea floor near the melting ice that is warming the surrounding water.
As for Global Warming, it is currently 1 degree F or -17 C in Virginia in February.. I have been living here for 46 years, we have gotten snow late in February before, it melts in two days, but usually it is in the 40-50 F range here at this time of the year... Does this cold snap prove that there is Global cooling? No... It's just the weather.... For those who will claim that I am an idiot and that Climate Change doesn't mean just warming and that warming somewhere on the Globe is causing the Great Lakes to completely freeze for the Second year in a row (after not completely freezing for the last 50 years). Where is it warmer today than normal?
[Jayson]
The oceans. Start your thermodynamic journey to greater understanding of how things work with heat capacity. Then you might try learning some physical properties of various chemicals, start with water.
[TheBigManMusing]
Jayson, the average Ocean temperature has also not changed perceptively. I just recently read about a study which expected to find that the Oceans were expected to be a heat sink and the cause for "the pause", only to find out that there wasn't any change.. The only real change found is in solar activity. We are currently in a Minimum the degree of which has not been seen send the Maunder Minimum.
Global Climate is too broad of a system with too many parts for us to predict with any accuracy using our current technology and understanding.
Does Climate Change? Yes. What causes it? A lot of things... Can we control it? No..
[Richard]
Sure BigMan, you are just repeating talking points that you've heard on Fake News, or Talk Radio. You have your facts all mixed up, combined with lies, so some real research and read some papers submitted for peer review so you don't appear to be such a fool.
[RangersLead]
Only the deep water currents are warmer, and then only a select few. Most of that heat is generated by underwater heat sources on the Pacific ridge and the Mid Atlantic ridge. Not from a warming atmosphere. In fact the upper atmosphere is cooler. Something that the models, (all 114 of them), does not and did not and cannot account fore. Neither can they account for the warming of the deep water currents. Cold water sinks as it becomes more dense. The models never predicted warming deep water currents. They still do not include this in the models.
[Betula]
Yes Jayson - "greater understanding of how things work with heat capacity"
You mean like the computer models that never predicted the "hiatus", because they didn't take into account the oceans....the affect of which is still being researched and debated?
Is that the understanding you are talking about?
[Betula]
Richard, thanks for your assumptions backed up by the research you forgot to source. You're quite the teacher...
[Stephan]
derp derp TheBigManMusing derp ice derp derp dooo derp...
yah, dats it, the ice ain't melting, sure they'll buy it, like candy!
[Jayson]
Betula, models on fluid behavior can be very complicated in lab settings. This is a larger arena. These global models are constantly being updated with new data, observations, and theory all the time. This is cutting edge work and not every model is going to be correct, get over it. General understanding of this issue however suggests we better be wary of whats going on, which is why it is being studied.
[Betula]
Shorter Stephan - "Having a counterpoint is difficult, so derp will do"
[Magloo]
you guys really need to read more scientific journals. The ice melting in Antarctica is caused by the active volcano 1 or 1/2 kilometer below the western continent. It has nothing to do with global warming at all. This was discovered in 2010 if memory serves me.
The rest of the continent's ice is much thicker than originally stated but liberals never admit their mistakes.
There is no AGW in Antarctica, move along, Global Warming Hypochondriacs.
[Betula]
Jayson - So then you agree that the predicted future catastrophic climate scenarios based on averaging estimated climate sensitivity are derived from invalidated computer models..... and these predictions are then used to create policies that are predicted to fix the predictions.
Isn't that about right?
[Earl]
TheBigManMusing--I live in Michigan (Portage) and looked at the thermometer at 1:10 AM this morning and it read -11.1 degrees F. This is a record and last year on Feb. 28 the temp. reading was -10 degrees F. Both years have set record low temperatures and the great lakes are 80-90% frozen. Some global warming. Eh. This is not just locally but 2/3 of the US has record cold and heavy snow. I know the scientists will claim this is what they expected from global warming after the facts but never predicted before.
[Jayson]
No that's not what I said, but if you want to warp the message to your bidding I'm not going to stop you.
[Betula]
Tell me how my message is wrong, as compared to what you said.....it would make it that much more interesting for the reader.
[RangersLead]
Betula, they just recently discovered, (2014) a deep water current they never knew about in the area of Indonesia. What he is saying is that the science of fluid dynamics and how the ocean currents work are still unknown. They don't even know if there are currents they still don't know about. So how can they predict the behavior of the oceans and their currents if they don't even know where all the currents are at, how they flow or where they originate? They cant . They make assumptions based on what they want to believe. It doesn't make them right.
[RWayne]
Jayson, “LACK of ocean heat
puzzles NASA hunt for Warming 'hiatus' ”
October 6, 2014
Washington (AFP) –
The deep ocean may not be hiding heat after all,
raising new questions about why Global Warming
appears to have slowed in recent years,
said the US space agency Monday.
Scientists have noticed ...greenhouse gases have
continued to mount in the first part of the 21st century,
global average surface air temperatures have
stopped rising along with them, said NASA.
Some studies have suggested that
heat is being absorbed temporarily
by the deep seas, and
that this so-called Global Warming hiatus
is a temporary trend.
But latest data from satellite and direct ocean
temperature measurements from 2005 to 2013
"found the ocean abyss below 1.24 miles
has NOT warmed measurably,"
NASA said in a statement.
The findings present a new puzzle to scientists,
but co-author Josh Willis of NASA's JPL said
the reality of Climate Change
is not being thrown into doubt.
"The sea level is still rising," said Willis.
"We're just trying to understand the nitty-gritty details."
A separate study in August in ...journal “Science’ said
the apparent slowdown in the Earth's surface warming
in the last 15 years could be due to that
heat being trapped in the deep Atlantic & So. Ocean.
But the NASA researchers said their approach,
described in the journal “Nature Climate CHANGE”,
is the first to test the idea using satellite observations,
as well as direct temperature measurements of the upper ocean.
"The deep parts of the ocean are harder to measure,"
said researcher William Llovel of NASA JPL.
"The combination of satellite & direct temperature data
gives us a glimpse of how much
sea level rise is due to deep warming.
The answer is – NOT MUCH.”
Thursday, August 28, 2014
For My girls
For a man, sons are special, they are miniature copies of you.. Or so you like to believe. A lucky man has at least one son. Everything you wanted to be is possible because with the wisdom you have learned, maybe he won't make your mistakes..
A truly lucky man gets daughters. They are all of the girls you have ever loved, even the ones that never loved you back... They share all of the traits of the woman you love and more.. The difference is, if you are truly lucky... They will always love you back..
For my girls, Manda, Saya, and Lissa Ree:
A truly lucky man gets daughters. They are all of the girls you have ever loved, even the ones that never loved you back... They share all of the traits of the woman you love and more.. The difference is, if you are truly lucky... They will always love you back..
For my girls, Manda, Saya, and Lissa Ree:
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
As time goes by
Life is funny.. When you are a child, you can't wait to grow up. Once you are grown, you wax nostalgic about your childhood.
In my current stage in life, I am nostalgic for the hectic days as a parent.. Well I am still technically a parent and will always be a parent. I mean, the time when Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) and I would run from football practice to soccer practice to choir practice. We would gripe and complain about the busy lives we had with four children. We would look forward to summer when there would be a lull.
Now our youngest, tiny dancer, is 17, and will be a senior in High School in September. A little more than a year from now we will be empty nesters.. We used to look forward to it. Like you did when graduating High School, but then 10 years later you miss those carefree days.. Our days weren't care free but Saturday mornings, all of the kids would come jump in bed with us. We originally got a king sized bed so that we could hold everybody.. Then I would get up and make pancakes (chocolate chip of course) or waffles. Friday and Saturday nights were movie nights, we would go down to the video store and rent a couple of VHS movies. We would then make pop corn, turn off the lights, and watch what ever the new release was.. Sometimes I would make root beer floats which was always popular.. They had to be IBC root beer and Breyers real vanilla ice cream..
For a short time in the 90's we decided that there would be no TV during the week, instead we read books to our children. I read Charlotte's' Web, The Hobbit,and the first two Harry Potter books to them. Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) read all of the Little House on the Prairie books. This all ended when #1 Daughter begged us to let them watch TV.. Seems she was somewhat of an outcast because she didn't know anything about any of the currently popular teenage shows..
So we gave in...
I referred to us as The Loud Family, based on a Saturday Night Live skit. Our house was always noisy.. Someone was always yelling, crying or fighting. Now the house is quiet..
We now have a granddaughter.. #1 Daughter's little girl.. She looks just like her mama.. She is coming to visit for a few days and Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) is delirious with excitement. I am too.. It will be nice to hear the patter of little feet in our now too big house..
If you still have young children at home, hug them kiss them and let them know that you love them.. Enjoy the mania that is your life with kids. Because before you know it, they will be gone, off to lives of their own, the house will be quiet, empty, and it will be too late..
I added this video after it was suggested by Big John..
Update, September 2, 2014; The passing of an era for Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) and I. This morning was our 21st, and last 1st day of school... After all of these years, it was rather anti-climatic... I of course took a picture of our Senior as she walked out the door, and snuck one as she was getting into her little yellow truck to drive to school..
In my current stage in life, I am nostalgic for the hectic days as a parent.. Well I am still technically a parent and will always be a parent. I mean, the time when Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) and I would run from football practice to soccer practice to choir practice. We would gripe and complain about the busy lives we had with four children. We would look forward to summer when there would be a lull.
Now our youngest, tiny dancer, is 17, and will be a senior in High School in September. A little more than a year from now we will be empty nesters.. We used to look forward to it. Like you did when graduating High School, but then 10 years later you miss those carefree days.. Our days weren't care free but Saturday mornings, all of the kids would come jump in bed with us. We originally got a king sized bed so that we could hold everybody.. Then I would get up and make pancakes (chocolate chip of course) or waffles. Friday and Saturday nights were movie nights, we would go down to the video store and rent a couple of VHS movies. We would then make pop corn, turn off the lights, and watch what ever the new release was.. Sometimes I would make root beer floats which was always popular.. They had to be IBC root beer and Breyers real vanilla ice cream..
For a short time in the 90's we decided that there would be no TV during the week, instead we read books to our children. I read Charlotte's' Web, The Hobbit,and the first two Harry Potter books to them. Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) read all of the Little House on the Prairie books. This all ended when #1 Daughter begged us to let them watch TV.. Seems she was somewhat of an outcast because she didn't know anything about any of the currently popular teenage shows..
So we gave in...
I referred to us as The Loud Family, based on a Saturday Night Live skit. Our house was always noisy.. Someone was always yelling, crying or fighting. Now the house is quiet..
We now have a granddaughter.. #1 Daughter's little girl.. She looks just like her mama.. She is coming to visit for a few days and Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) is delirious with excitement. I am too.. It will be nice to hear the patter of little feet in our now too big house..
If you still have young children at home, hug them kiss them and let them know that you love them.. Enjoy the mania that is your life with kids. Because before you know it, they will be gone, off to lives of their own, the house will be quiet, empty, and it will be too late..
I added this video after it was suggested by Big John..
Update, September 2, 2014; The passing of an era for Big Mama (Just a nickname, not a description) and I. This morning was our 21st, and last 1st day of school... After all of these years, it was rather anti-climatic... I of course took a picture of our Senior as she walked out the door, and snuck one as she was getting into her little yellow truck to drive to school..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)