image by Brian Solis
#facebook
#zuckerberg
#shkreli
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
the sad state of home construction in the US
many who bought new houses in the past 50 years know what this chart shows:
that the quality of construction of new houses over the past 50 years is poor when compared to the quality of homes built 50 years ago. basic systems, e.g. structure, roof, floors, windows, weather protection, HVAC, appliances, etc., are less reliable in many new houses today than those built 50 years ago.
why? the reasons are probably many--
- builder incompetence and greed
- decline in skilled labor
- government's failure to protect consumers
- consumer reticence
- a costly legal system that protects builders more than it protects consumers
whatever the reasons, the chart is clear--while productivity and quality of non-agricultural products have more than doubled over the past 50 years with advances in technology, productivity and quality in construction have declined, despite advances in technology. many who bought new houses in the past 50 years are left with fixing builder messes at their own expense--the ones that can be fixed--while the productivity and quality of new homes continue to decline.
what's the solution? I honestly can't tell you. It looks to me like the trends that are so obvious in the chart will continue--bad news for new home buyers--that's you and me.
virginia
shenandoah county
strasburg
stony pointe
toothman
Saturday, May 19, 2018
alan toothman construction, woodstock, va
facts:
1. the gutter is flat, or very near flat.
2. flow in the gutter is open channel.
3. Manning's formula for open channel flow is: 
.
.
4. if the slope (S) is 0, then the velocity (V) is 0 and the flow in the gutter (Q=V*A) is 0.
5. if the slope is 0.0014, then the square root of the slope is 0.037. the velocity and flow in the gutter are very small--near zero.
6. if the gutter is full, and the slope is 0, or near 0, then all or most of the water coming off the roof overflows the gutter.
7. there are two outlet pipes from downspouts--mine and my neighbor's.
8. the pipe on the right is buried. look closely--only a small part of the top can be seen.
8. the pipe on the right is buried. look closely--only a small part of the top can be seen.
9. question: where will the water go? answer: nowhere--this is a fact.
close-up of the buried pipe
10. if the open end of the pipe from the downspout is buried, with nowhere for the water to go, then water backs up in the plastic pipe from the downspout.
11. when the plastic pipe from the downspout is full, then water backs up in the downspout.
12. when the downspout and the gutter are full, then water coming off the roof flows over the gutter and washes out the ground beneath it.
close-up of the washout
13. this is a new house, purchased less than one half year ago.
14. the house has a one year warranty.
15. the builder says that the gutter is not level. fact: the gutter is level or very near level. (in other words, "don't believe your lying eyes.")
16. the builder says that the plastic pipe is not buried. fact: the plastic pipe is buried. (in other words, "don't believe your lying eyes".)
17. fact: the buried pipe looks the same today as the day that we bought the house.
17. fact: the buried pipe looks the same today as the day that we bought the house.
18. the builder says "it's not our problem."
19. fact: the builder created the problem by installing the gutter level, or near level.
20. fact: the builder may have created the problem by installing a gutter that is too small for the roof area and rainfall intensity.
21. fact: burying the outlet end of the plastic pipe created the problem.
22. fact: we did not bury the outlet end of the plastic pipe. it was buried the day that we bought the house.
23. fact: the builder created the problem.
19. fact: the builder created the problem by installing the gutter level, or near level.
20. fact: the builder may have created the problem by installing a gutter that is too small for the roof area and rainfall intensity.
21. fact: burying the outlet end of the plastic pipe created the problem.
22. fact: we did not bury the outlet end of the plastic pipe. it was buried the day that we bought the house.
23. fact: the builder created the problem.
builder: Alan Toothman Construction Inc., Woodstock, VA
also,
- grading and drainage look like they were done by Rube Goldberg
- most of the crawl space is flooded
- floors creak
- HVAC is poor
- inside trim is sloppy
virginia
shenandoah county
strasburg
stony pointe
toothman
Monday, March 26, 2018
whack job Santorum
Rick Santorum says Parkland students should learned CPR - NY Daily News
had enough? who do you trust?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
had enough? who do you trust?
- someone who has values similar to yours? The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
- someone who doesn't?
- political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
minds of mush: voters
Father of Sandy Hook victim thinks school safety legislation will pass | New York Post
common sense. this legislation should have passed weeks after Columbine in 1999. why does it take so long for common sense to occur? answer: politicians. when will common sense solve this problem? when voters stop voting for republicans & democrats. common sense.
common sense. this legislation should have passed weeks after Columbine in 1999. why does it take so long for common sense to occur? answer: politicians. when will common sense solve this problem? when voters stop voting for republicans & democrats. common sense.
the good, the bad & the ugly: we need new George Washington style representatives in government
who do you trust?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
who do you trust?
- someone who has values similar to yours? The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
- someone who doesn't?
- political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
gullibility 101: lucy, kim jong un, vladimir putin, trump, charlie brown, et al
Charlie Brown, Lucy and the Football - YouTube
how many times will lucy pull the football away before charlie brown realizes that lucy can't be trusted?
when will those with minds of mush realize that kim jong un, vladimir putin, donald trump, et al can't be trusted?
for those with minds of mush, the answer is never.
who do you trust?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
how many times will lucy pull the football away before charlie brown realizes that lucy can't be trusted?
when will those with minds of mush realize that kim jong un, vladimir putin, donald trump, et al can't be trusted?
for those with minds of mush, the answer is never.
who do you trust?
- someone who has values similar to yours? The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
- someone who doesn't?
- political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
the solution is obvious: repeal the 2nd amendment
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
second amendment to the U.S. Constitution
second amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- question: in the 21st century does the U.S. need individual citizens who privately own assault rifles for "a well regulated militia"?
- answer: obviously, no
- question: in the 21st century does the U.S. need state militias for security of its citizens?
- answer: ? debate? (even if state militias were deemed to be a good thing, individual members of state militias wouldn't need to furnish their own weapons any more than members of the military or local police need to provide weapons and ammunition for their jobs.)
- question: in the 21st century U.S., can local, state or federal government protect its citizens from deranged individuals who commit mass murder?
- answer: obviously, no
then the solution is obvious: repeal the 2nd amendment.
citizens would not have an automatic, constitutional right to privately own an assault rifle. Private ownership would be strictly regulated and taxed, e.g., permit application, rigorous background check, criminal record, committing a crime with an illegal weapon (felony), unlawful possession of a firearm without a valid permit (felony), providing false information on permit application (felony), yearly re-application and tax, etc.
10 days after I posted this blog--John Paul Stevens, ex-SCOTUS justice, shocks with call to repeal 2nd Amendment - Washington Times
"...shocks..."??? what's so shocking about repealing the 2nd amendment? as Justice Stevens says, "the second amendment is a relic of the 18th century".
"The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate."
Article V, U.S. Constitution
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
image by LeftPolemicist
citizens would not have an automatic, constitutional right to privately own an assault rifle. Private ownership would be strictly regulated and taxed, e.g., permit application, rigorous background check, criminal record, committing a crime with an illegal weapon (felony), unlawful possession of a firearm without a valid permit (felony), providing false information on permit application (felony), yearly re-application and tax, etc.
10 days after I posted this blog--John Paul Stevens, ex-SCOTUS justice, shocks with call to repeal 2nd Amendment - Washington Times
"...shocks..."??? what's so shocking about repealing the 2nd amendment? as Justice Stevens says, "the second amendment is a relic of the 18th century".
"The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate."
Article V, U.S. Constitution
- question: has anyone in Congress pursued repealing the 2nd amendment?
- answer: not that I'm aware of
- question: has any state legislature proposed repealing the 2nd amendment?
- answer: not that I'm aware of
- question: why?
- answer: no guts?
- question: why don't politicians have guts?
- answer: party politics ("don't bite the hand that feeds you")
- question: what is the "will of the people"?
- answer: according to polls, most Americans want stricter gun control laws
- question: had enough?
- answer:
- someone who has values similar to yours? The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
- someone who doesn't?
- political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
mush minds
"A nuclear densometer is a field instrument used in geotechnical engineering to determine the density of a compacted material. Also known as a soil density gauge, the device uses the interaction of gamma radiation with matter to measure density..."
Nuclear densometer - Wikipedia
Nuclear densometers are strictly regulated. They must be clearly marked as containing a relatively small amount of nuclear material. Exposure to people when the instrument is in use is strictly controlled, e.g. distance from the device, time of exposure, frequency of exposure, etc. When not in use, nuclear densometers must be stored in a locked, lead-lined container and the container must be stored in a locked storage area.
Likewise, use of x-rays in dentistry is strictly regulated. Patients and employees alike are warned of the dangers of exposure to even small amounts of radiation.
Why aren't assault weapons in the possession of mentally unstable persons similarly regulated? Certainly the threat to public safety is far greater from an unstable person with an assault rifle than it is from a soil densometer or a dental x-ray machine.
In interview after interview yesterday, government officials acknowledged that for the past 20 years that government officials have been saying that "the mass shootings have to stop". Yet, nothing has been done. The problem just keeps getting worse.
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
Nuclear densometer - Wikipedia
Nuclear densometers are strictly regulated. They must be clearly marked as containing a relatively small amount of nuclear material. Exposure to people when the instrument is in use is strictly controlled, e.g. distance from the device, time of exposure, frequency of exposure, etc. When not in use, nuclear densometers must be stored in a locked, lead-lined container and the container must be stored in a locked storage area.
Likewise, use of x-rays in dentistry is strictly regulated. Patients and employees alike are warned of the dangers of exposure to even small amounts of radiation.
Why aren't assault weapons in the possession of mentally unstable persons similarly regulated? Certainly the threat to public safety is far greater from an unstable person with an assault rifle than it is from a soil densometer or a dental x-ray machine.
In interview after interview yesterday, government officials acknowledged that for the past 20 years that government officials have been saying that "the mass shootings have to stop". Yet, nothing has been done. The problem just keeps getting worse.
had enough?
who do you trust?
who do you trust?
- someone who has values similar to yours? The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
- someone who doesn't?
- political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
blowhard
blowhard
a person who boasts and
blusters in an obnoxious way
synonyms: braggart, egotist,
big mouth, windbag, swellhead
synonyms: braggart, egotist,
big mouth, windbag, swellhead
had enough?
who do you trust?
1. someone who has values similar to yours?
2. someone who doesn't?
3. political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Monday, February 5, 2018
after the IRS' targeting scandal in 2010, who should be surprised if the FBI abused their power in 2016?
Byron York: Republicans and those 'attacks' on the FBI
IRS targeting controversy - Wikipedia
federal government officials who allow politics to influence their actions are not doing their jobs. the same can be said for our elected federal representatives and the biased news media.
and, who is surprised when no one is held accountable when government employees screw up? like the FBI not following up on a warning about Nikolas Cruz? like employees of the Secret Service, the VA, the IRS, etc. who screw up regularly?
had enough?
who do you trust?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
IRS targeting controversy - Wikipedia
federal government officials who allow politics to influence their actions are not doing their jobs. the same can be said for our elected federal representatives and the biased news media.
and, who is surprised when no one is held accountable when government employees screw up? like the FBI not following up on a warning about Nikolas Cruz? like employees of the Secret Service, the VA, the IRS, etc. who screw up regularly?
had enough?
who do you trust?
1. someone who has values similar to yours?
The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
2. someone who doesn't?
3. political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
2. someone who doesn't?
3. political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Friday, February 2, 2018
tired of the same old actors?
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no matter what your cause, having spokespersons like these don't do your cause any good. out with the old--in with the new.
who do you trust?
1. someone who has values similar to yours?
The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
2. someone who doesn't?
3. political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
2. someone who doesn't?
3. political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
we don't need congress to change our two party system of government, or to pass a law limiting terms. why would they? neither would be in their, or their party's, best interests.
we can use our vote to change our two-party system of government and to limit terms.
out with the old and in with the new.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
if we:
- don't vote
- vote republican or democrat because "that's the way that ___________ (parent(s), church, media, teacher, friend, etc.) always votes/voted"
- always vote straight republican/democrat regardless of the candidate or issues
- we responsible citizens of a free government?
- or are we slaves to government that is not "of the people, by the people, for the people"?
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Monday, January 29, 2018
enough of the "dreamers" already!!!
it's INCREDIBLE how less than one million children of illegal immigrants can bring a government of approximately 325 million people to a screeching halt.
image by Pax Ahimsa Gethen
ENOUGH ALREADY!!! FIX IT!!!
a republican in the white house and a republican majority in BOTH houses of congress. republicans can't get it done.
democrats are counting on the election in november to get control of congress and the election in 2020 to win back the white house. will the democrats be able to get it done? not if you look at recent history.
it doesn't make any difference whether republicans or democrats are in the majority--nothing gets done.
meanwhile, the budget, healthcare, immigration, the national debt, national defense, social security, medicaid, medicare, crime, IRS, VA, FBI, Secret Service, drugs, gun control, waste and inefficiency in government in general, etc. all need fixing--but, nothing gets done.
time to try something that might work for a change.
who do you trust?
1. someone who has values similar to yours?
The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
2. someone who doesn't?
3. political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
The good, the bad & the ugly: let's make America great again
2. someone who doesn't?
3. political parties, financed by billionaire corporations and PACs?
if you vote for a republican or a democrat, then it's not the person who you voted for who is in control--it's the party.
in the next election--national, state or local--vote for anyone except a democrat or a republican. soon the republican and democratic parties will dry up and die. nothing will be better for the United States of America.
PS similarly, by refusing to patronize dishonest and biased media, they too will shrivel up and die--a triple win for honesty in government, for integrity in reporting the actions of government, and for us.
Friday, January 26, 2018
racism in America
"Since Harriet’s (Hemings) time, science has proved there is no difference in blood as a marker of “race.” As a biological category, racial difference has been exposed as a sham. Even skin color is not a reliable indicator of one’s origins. As one study calculated, almost a third of white Americans possess up to 20 percent African genetic inheritance, yet look white, while 5.5 percent of black Americans have no detectable African genetic ancestry. Race has a political and social meaning, but not a biological one.
This is why the story of Harriet Hemings is so important. In her birth into slavery and its long history of oppression, she was black; but anyone who saw her assumed she was white. Between when she was freed in 1822 and the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, she was neither free nor enslaved — yet she lived as a free person.
She does not comfortably fit any of the terms that have had such inordinate power to demarcate life in America. Her disappearance from the historical record is precisely the point. When we can so easily lose the daughter of a president and his slave, it forces us to acknowledge that our racial categories are utterly fallacious and built on a science that has been thoroughly discredited.
This is why the story of Harriet Hemings is so important. In her birth into slavery and its long history of oppression, she was black; but anyone who saw her assumed she was white. Between when she was freed in 1822 and the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, she was neither free nor enslaved — yet she lived as a free person.
She does not comfortably fit any of the terms that have had such inordinate power to demarcate life in America. Her disappearance from the historical record is precisely the point. When we can so easily lose the daughter of a president and his slave, it forces us to acknowledge that our racial categories are utterly fallacious and built on a science that has been thoroughly discredited.
Yet as political, economic and social categories, racial difference and its consequences remain profoundly real. White privilege has been much on display in our own day, as armed white men proclaiming white supremacy marched unmolested in the streets, while unarmed black men are shot down by police who are rarely held to account. Politicians run successful campaigns on platforms of racial hatred."
How did we lose a president’s daughter? - The Washington Post
How did we lose a president’s daughter? - The Washington Post
Thursday, January 25, 2018
I hope that leaders of the catholic church were listening when Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced sexual child abuser Larry Nassar
"As much as it was my honor and privilege to hear the sister survivors, it is my honor and privilege to sentence you. Because, sir, you do not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again," Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said during child sexual abuser Larry Nassar's sentencing.
Read Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's powerful statement to Larry Nassar - CNN
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina has zero tolerance for those who sexually abuse children. Parents and morally conscious people everywhere share her view--failing to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who sexually abuses a child, or who covers it up, is intolerable. failing to do everything possible for the victims of child sexual abuse is equally intolerable. let's hope that leaders of the catholic church finally get the message.
Read Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's powerful statement to Larry Nassar - CNN
Judge Rosemarie Aquilina has zero tolerance for those who sexually abuse children. Parents and morally conscious people everywhere share her view--failing to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who sexually abuses a child, or who covers it up, is intolerable. failing to do everything possible for the victims of child sexual abuse is equally intolerable. let's hope that leaders of the catholic church finally get the message.
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