Wednesday, September 21, 2005

If you weren't born here could you pass this test?

I have top admit, if there were more than one answer with the number 4xx in one question, I might not have gotten 100 on THIS test.





(UPDATE Sept. 22) Mrs. Trainwreck- the Brit got 70%.
Here's something to take your mind off of what's in the gulf

OK, we have the Dems piling on Chief Justice to-be Roberts.
There is another opening on the Supreme Court.

Ok, since we couldn't even get Martin Luther King through, if he were a conservative,
Why not rerun this guy?



I mean he DID lend his name to what the Liberals are doing to ANY appointment Bush makes.


(This image is probably under copyright protection- you know where I got it)

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Here's a letter I got from my SeaBee newsletter

It's mostly about what the Navy is doing in and around N'awlins and the gulf coast.
It has(in the first half) things you probably hadn't heard from the Legacy Media.



Admirals,

I made a day trip to the Gulf Coast this weekend to visit with and thank our Sailors for the extraordinary work they are doing in the recovery and relief effort. I spent time in at the Seabee base in Gulfport, NSA New Orleans and NAS/JRB New Orleans, as well as aboard HARRY S TRUMAN, BATAAN, TORTUGA and IWO JIMA.

It was at once both a grim and an incredibly uplifting experience. Some of my impressions.

First, the pictures on TV don't even begin to do justice to the scope of the devastation. I saw whole neighborhoods completely obliterated; the only evidence they ever existed at all being the faint outline of cement blocks that once formed the foundations of houses.

I saw massive casino barges in Biloxi thrown hundreds of yards inland, wooded areas so shredded they looked from the air like a spilled box of toothpicks, and much of New Orleans still a tepid, festering lake. There were very few people on the streets that weren't military or emergency workers.

Comparing it to a war zone is not at all a stretch.

Things are starting to turn around. The JTF has really taken shape, becoming more efficient and more organized every day. Communications across the region have improved dramatically. Dewatering efforts are proceeding ahead of the projected pace. And currently rescue teams are finding fewer and fewer people in need of immediate help.

The Navy's contribution to this success has been critical. I don't need to tell you that. We've been there since practically before the storm made landfall -- BATAAN chased it in weathering 12-14 foot seas and began flying SAR missions within hours of the storm's departure -- and we are still there making a difference.

Joe Kilkenny is doing a bang-up job as the JFMCC. He's got a plan, and he is executing it with great effectiveness.

The Seabees are repairing infrastructure and clearing debris at such a pace they have actually inspired local citizens to feel more optimistic about the future.

Sailors from TORTUGA are going door-to-door looking for and rescuing the house-bound.

Helicopter aircrews from TRUMAN and BATAAN are still delivering food and water and other basic necessities.

SHREVEPORT Sailors are cleaning up the St. Bernard Parish Courthouse.

In fact, just about all our ships pierside are housing and feeding and caring for people in need.

Then there's IWO JIMA, who put up POTUS overnight on Sun. Pierside at the Riverwalk, IWO has become a command center, hospital, airport, hotel and restaurant all rolled into one.

I ran into VADM Thad Allen in the p-way. Thad, as you may know, is the senior federal officer on scene, running the whole show. He said, "Mike, you should consider renaming this ship The City of New Orleans." That says it all.

I couldn't help but sneak a smile, having just given a speech up in Newport about the power of naval forces to win hearts and minds by serving as "cities at sea." I used our contributions to the international effort in the wake of last December's tsunami as my prime example in that speech. How little did I realize we'd be doing that sort of work on our own soil so soon.

It just goes to show you how very unpredictable this world really is. But, as I made sure to tell the Sailors I talked to, it also goes to show you how very flexible and adaptable naval forces really are.


If you want a picture of the future of sea basing, consider the image of BATAAN, a Mexican amphibious ship and a Dutch frigate anchored offshore sending boatloads of supplies to the beach ... or HST anchored not far off and the only things flying off her flight deck are helicopters ... or Mexican and U.S. Sailors, side by side, combing the beach and clearing debris ... or a JTF -- with significant civil and non-governmental agencies represented -- headquartered aboard a U.S. Navy ship, led by a two-star Army general reporting to a three-star admiral in the Coast Guard, who is also headquartered aboard that same ship.

Perhaps the most moving thing I did Saturday was visit with a group of ombudsmen in Gulfport.

Many of them had lost everything. They were hurting, barely getting by on their own, and yet here they were at the FFSC looking for ways to help other Navy families. You could see the desperation and the hope on their faces, hear it in their cracking voices. Tough on the heart, to be sure, and yet somehow good for it at the same time.

I was humbled just to be in the room with them. You want to talk about courage? These ladies had it to spare.

There are, we estimate, about 10,000 Sailors affected by the hurricane in some form or fashion. There may be more. I pledged to those ombudsmen our Navy's full support in getting them and the families they represent back up on their feet. We have a lot of work to do to return their lives to some sense of normalcy, but we need to make it the highest of priorities.

It is most certainly mine I can assure you. And I know I can rely on your support.

Again, truly an unforgettable day. In the face of unspeakable disaster and suffering, our Sailors have stood tall and helped provide relief to thousands. They are not alone, of course. It's a total team effort, involving city, state and other federal agencies, not to mention our sister services, allies and relief organizations. But they have accorded themselves well as part of that team and reflected nothing but the very best back on each and every one of the rest of us.

At NAS New Orleans I came across a bunch of Seabees working feverishly on the wooden platform for what was going to be a temporary dining facility. It was a contract job, but the contractor was having problems rounding up the necessary manpower and resources. The Seabees didn't ask permission, didn't wait for orders. They simply rolled up their sleeves and went to work.

"Hey, they needed help," one said. "And we know how to do this stuff."

We do, indeed, know how to do this stuff, and we are doing it exceptionally well. Standing amongst them, I was never more proud to call myself an American Sailor.



Regards,

Mike
Here are some hurricane truths from my mailbox

Things I have learned from watching the news on TV during the last eight
days:

The hurricane only hit black family's property

New Orleans was devastated and no other city was affected by the hurricane.

Mississippi is reported to have a tree blown down.

New Orleans has no white people.

The hurricane blew a limb off a tree in the yard of an Alabama resident.

When you are hungry after a hurricane steal a big screen TV.

The hurricane did 23 billion dollars in improvements to New Orleans: now the
city is welfare, looters and gang free and they are in your city.

White folks don't make good news stories.

Don't give thanks to the thousands that came to help rescue you, instead
bitch because the government hasn't given you a debit card yet.

Only black family members got separated in the hurricane rescue efforts.

Ignore warnings to evacuate and the white folks will come get you and give
you money for being stupid.

Damn, I feel so sorry for all those black folks.

The only way it could have been worse was to be white.
I don't think I've mentioned how much I hate digging at schools

We're doing electrical upgrades in some elementary schools. They have usually got brand new asphalt down, and don't even want a backhoe on it- but conduit needs to be put in.
You'd think that these college graduates would say, "Hey! they still have to dig holes, lets wait on repaving"-you'd be wrong.

I'm over at one school who had temporary classrooms where we're digging- through hard clay and buried calichie. I found a bundle(8-1" Plastic) of conduit where there wasn't supposed to be any, 2 2 1/2" PVC conduits, about 10-12 circuits (30-36 wires) of #2 direct buried wire, 3 sets of phone cables, and I broke a water line. I KNOW I'm going to cross a gas line that CPS didn't mark, and I don't know what else.

I thought I was done with school.

Monday, September 19, 2005

, , , And under the "Where were these teachers when I was in school" files

Comes another one from Diggers Realm.
I'd have bit the bullet and let these teachers have their way with me. Gotta save the rest of the class, and all- ya know.

I know it's sexist as h*ll, and I know that adults taking advantage of those younger shouldn't happen, , , but guys being guys. . .
Here's something for you wing-wipers out there







via Stranger Dangers
All right! All of you F*cking morons pull over

Get on the shoulder of the road and throw your car keys as far as you can into the tall grass. You people have no business behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound vehicle.

I don't know what the hell is going on down here in San Antonio. It's like they opened the nuthouse doors and gave all the inmates keys. In addition to a huge amount of traffic (for reasons unknown to me), it seems like vereyone is on a telephone-paying absolutely NO attention to what they're doing, OR driving in the fast lane doing 55MPH- pacing the ones in the two right lanes.

Something is going on this week. Last Sat. there were cops all over the interstate, and the dogs are starting to mark their territory. I'm starting to see more vertical surfaces marked in gang graffity even on the north (better) side of San Antonio.

HMMMmmmmm, but then again- they are letting the N'awlins people out, and they probably bought/stole alot of cars, too.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Houston, we have a problem

again.

We took the Oilers away and sent them to Tenn. where they became the Titans (and kicked @ss).
We gave Houston a brand new stadium, AND a brand new team- with a new name.

I'm watching the Steelers walking all over the Oilers Texans (like everyone else they've played) [it's 20-0 at the half].

New stadium, new team, new name- and they're STILL fielding the Oilers.

OTOH- they do have a nice logo.
I'm listening to FoxNews in the background

I haven't bothered to turn around, but it sounds like the babe-ish Kiran Chetry is doing the usual "be nice to everyone exept consrevative" MSM thing.

They're talking about N'awlins, and praising the holdouts survivors who stayed in spite of their ability to leave. Here they are, praising awed at the ability of these morons to live in 3rd world conditions by their own choice- instead of calling them a bunch of dumb-@sses.

Yes, it is Kiran.
Now it looks like we'll have to pre-position all the rescue forces in Fla, because of the way Ray Nagin fell on his ass there is a tropical depression heading toward the gulf, and we can't expect local goverments to actually PREPARE for a hurricane any more.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Is it just my computer

and 26K link that can't find Cold Fury, and hasn't been able to for almost a week?
Yet another scam warning
(It's like I'm turning into the Nat'l Enquirere)


I'd previously posted a serious warning to you wimmen about an ongoing SCAM that affected you, now it's the guys turn, , ,

"This is very serious"

Police warn all male clubbers, party-goers and unsuspecting bar regulars to be more alert and cautious when accepting a drink offer from a girl.
There is a date rape drug going around called "beer" and it appears in liquid form. The drug is being used by female sexual predators at parties to convince male victims to have sex with them. "Beer" is available virtually anywhere. All girls have to do is persuade a guy
to consume a few units of "beer" and simply ask him home for no-strings-attached sex. Men are rendered helpless against such attacks.

After several "beers" men will often succumb to performing sex acts on horrific looking women who they would never normally be attracted to.
Men often wake up after having "beer" with only hazy memories of what happened to them the night before, just a vague
feeling that something bad occurred. At other times these unfortunate men might be conned into a familiar scam known as "a relationship" - apparently men
are easier victims for this scam after the "beer" has been administered and they have already been sexually attacked.

Forward this to every male you know..........
However, if you fall victim to this insidious drug and the predatory women administering it, there are male support groups
where you can discuss the details of your shocking encounter in an open manner with a bunch of similarly-affected guys.

For your nearest support group just look up 'Bars'in the yellow pages.
Ok, Blogger won't take you to a live link

So you'll have to go to the original site of the Aggie Clock Project to see the latest technology in timekeeping.
A fairytail


A man takes the day off work and
decides to go out golfing.
He is on the second hole when he
notices a frog sitting next to
the green.

He thinks nothing of it and is
about to shoot when he
hears, Ribbit 9 Iron."

The man looks around and doesn't
see anyone. Again, he
hears, "Ribbit 9 Iron." He looks
at the frog and decides to
prove the frog wrong, puts the
club away, and grabs a 9 iron.

Boom!

He hits it 10 inches from the
cup. He is shocked. He says
to the frog, "Wow that's amazing.

You must be a lucky frog, eh?

The frog replies, "Ribbit Lucky frog."
The man decides to take the frog
with him to the next hole.

"What do you think frog?" the
man asks. "Ribbit 3 wood."

The guy takes out a 3 wood and,
Boom! Hole in one. The
man is befuddled and doesn't know
what to say. By the end
of the day, the man golfed the
best game of golf in his life and
asks the frog, "OK where to next?"
The frog replies, "Ribbit Las Vegas.


They go to Las Vegas
and the guy says, "OK frog, now
what?" The frog says, "Ribbit Roulette." Upon
approaching the roulette table, The man
asks, "What do you think I should
bet?" The frog replies, "Ribbit
$3000, black 6."

Now, this is a
million-to-one shot to win, but
after the golf game the man
figures what the heck.

Boom! Tons of cash comes sliding back across the table.

The man takes his winnings and
buys the best room in the
hotel. He sits the frog down and
says, "Frog, I don't know how to repay you.
You've won me all this money and
I am forever grateful."

The frog replies,

"Ribbit Kiss Me."
He figures why not,
since after all the frog did for
him, he deserves it. With a
kiss, the frog turns into a
gorgeous 15-year-old girl.

"And that,
your honor, is how the girl
ended up in my room. So help me God
or my name is not William Jefferson Clinton."

Friday, September 16, 2005

Some of y'all seemed not aware of what a dangle-digger was
It's also called a boom-digger




It has a boom height of 45" and a lift rating of around 4,000 pounds.


I'll be riding this tommorrow. . .

It's a power digger
I'll be watching a 24" auger bit grind through 4' of rock- should get about 6 holes done in 8 hours- if I'm lucky.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Well, I guess that hazardous soup wasn't as bad as we were told

If it were anywhere near as bad as untreated sewage, gasoline,all the higher hydrocarbons from the refineries, the chemicals from the docks, etc. that we heard was in the water- and the EPA cared; N'awlins would have had to at least hose down before anyone came back.

But the way I understand, the EPA isn't saying a thing about anything that went on in the Big Easy. If it were St. Bernards Parish (mostly white) that got that water- people wouldn't be able to use it for years.
BUT N'awlins is 'special' it's pumped dry and ready to reoccupy. No decontamination mentioned.

George Bush must REALLY hate blacks. Think of all the hazards he is willing to visit on those people.

(we won't mention the Mayor, or the Governess who might make some kind of a mention of the poison- if they actually CARED about those people.) I wonder who will stand up for them. Jesse? Al Sharpton? Calypso Louie?

Awww h*ll, they're just black democratic votes- not like we actually ought to CARE about them, right?
Sorry, suffering from TMI
or too little- actually.

We somehow had a sinnet rope eye on the 'dangle digger'go south on us the other day.
I *KNOW* there is a way to splice it, but can't remember how- I've used them (the repaired ropes)before.

The way I remember them doing it was to unbraid the rope and collect the strands into six parts.
Six stiff wires are threaded through the bight to the end, the yarns are attached to the wires and pulled back and made (tied) into three pairs.

What I can't remember is *HOW* they replaced the chafing (protective woven) cover. If it was pulled through, too- or sewn to the bight of the other?

None of the internet is much of a help. I either get the boy scout knot sub-web or referred to
Ashley's Book of Knots
, Thanks, have it, looked there first; they didn't have factory made chafing sheaths on their ropes back then.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Well, I'm finally home

Looks like TxD.O.T. has some kind of union safety B.S. working.

They have I-10 west at the I-37 interchange closed down from 4 lanes to one.
They're doing roadwork.
Want to know why FOUR driving lanes and an acceleration lane are choked down to one lane?

Go ahead, ask!

Hey Kurt, why does TxDOT have THREE QUARTERS of the driving suface closed off?

Because they're working on the F*cking GUARDRAILS on the right shoulder!

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

What strange dogs

I'm sitting here blog-surfing and eating in-the-shell peanuts.
The dogs want some (of course).

The Black one shells hers-REALLY, but the white one eats his whole.
Just updating my blogroll

I'm adding- in no particular order (except that it's how I found them):

A Texan abroad, she's in France, so she needs your condolences.

Lobo Walk

Say Anything

Six MeatBuffet

Utterly Boring

As with anyone generally, I feel comfortable with those of like mind. Y'all know which side I fall down on, so you know what is probably in store if you click on them.

That is all.

Have a good night and let your significant other know you care for them.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Alright, I'm trying to stay away from Katie,

BUT,

You read something and you start wondering, , ,

By Peter Grier | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON – Rhode Island has more than 100 evacuees in Navy housing. Ohio has 20 in Red Cross shelters, plus almost 2,000 staying with relatives or friends. California has 807 families in hotels, while Massachusetts is putting up some 200 individuals at an old military base on Cape Cod.

States on the edge of the devastated area have larger numbers, of course, with 50,000 in Arkansas and 200,000 in Texan shelters and homes.


Two weeks after it blew through the US Gulf Coast, it's clear that hurricane Katrina has resulted in the largest displacement of Americans in 150 years - if not the largest ever. The scale is monumental. It's as if the entire Dust Bowl migration occurred in 14 days, or the dislocations caused by the Civil War took place on fast-forward.

Many evacuees are putting down roots in new areas and say they'll never return. Others face months of a temporary existence before they can go home. Whatever they do, the nation may never be the same, as a smaller New Orleans rises up from its ruins, and bits of Creole culture are seeded from East coast to West.


What will these people turn into? How will they be remembered 50 years from now?
We have the "Okies"- hard working poor folks displaced by the Dust Bowl
We have the "Carpet Baggers"thievess who came to scam the southerners after the Civil War
We have the "Pikers"- with their questionable ethics spreading throughout the west after the Civil War
We have the "Chinee"- who built the western part of the continental Railroad under virtual slave conditions.

So given the fact that most of the population of N'awlens was brought up on graft, corruption and kick-backs- just to get a good job(if they worked)- how are they going to have us remember them by?
What are we going to call out next , , , ummmm, , , historical blip?

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Reporting to you for England

I got off the phone with father-in-law Trainwreck. Over in the UK they're not exactly sure how widespread the Katy damage is. I told him the physical damage was probably as large or larger than the entire UK. The death toll isn't what it was guestimated to be, but we won't know for a while.

Their take on it is that the state and local govt' fell on it's @ss and FEMA is doing what it's normally done. They can't understand why we're not putting as much resources into recovering bodies as we are saving lives, though. I told him it's a matter of priorities, save the living first- then worry about the dead.

Even our government is kinda stretched thin because of the size of the problem. He tries to understand, and even though he's been here still has trouble realizing just how BIG America is.
This just in. . .

From Garfield Ridge

Via CNN where else?
That ALGore has airlifted 2 planeloads of refugees from N'awlines.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- Al Gore helped airlift some 270 Katrina evacuees on two private charters from New Orleans, acting at the urging of a doctor who saved the life of the former vice president's son.

Gore criticized the Bush administration's slow response to Katrina in a speech Friday in San Francisco, but refused to be interviewed about the mercy missions he financed and flew on September 3 and 4.

However, Dr. Anderson Spickard, who is Gore's personal physician and accompanied him on the flights, said: "Gore told me he wanted to do this because like all of us he wanted to seize the opportunity to do what one guy can do, given the assets that he has."

An account of the flights was posted this week on a Democratic Party Web page
(AHEMMM ->me)

-snip-
"The situation was dire and becoming worse by the minute -- food and water running out, no power, 4 feet of water surrounding the hospital and ... corpses outside," Simon wrote.

Gore responded immediately, telephoning Kline and agreeing to underwrite the $50,000 each for the two flights,


-snip-
Most critically, Gore worked to cut through government red tape, personally calling Gov. Phil Bredesen to get Tennessee's support and U.S. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta to secure landing rights in New Orleans.

I'm kinda curious here, was sombody hearding these corpses around so that in a city the size of San Antonio, everyone had to wade around less than 300 152 of them?
I thought that everything was under water, How can airliners land in standing water? AND political(D) favoritism is still alive and well when it comes to the Big Easy- I see.
Also, I'm not surprised, it being CNN and all, that NO mention was made that a DEMOCRATIC governess refused to let the Red Cross distribute needed supplies.
HEY Grandpa!


What's for supper?







Well, I just took the brisket out that was thinking about it's rub all night long. . .



Wrapped it nice and good, stuck it in the oven, and it'll be done at around 4PM with Cottage fries and Succotash.




(UPDATE 4:10PM)


It's done!

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Indeed?

According to Dean Esmay I could put down some kind of College degree I never earned, since nobody checks out a resume anyway. Stupid me, I never thought that I could get away with something like that. I always thought that "hey, there are records they can check- they'll know I'm lying".

I guess not. Maybe my next resume update will include a VoTech degree, and I can build on that!
Pretty soon I can be the next Ward Churchill- except that I don't clam a bogus Indian heritage (guess that goes along with the non-check on the education), and I'm not a flaming anti-American hatemonger.

I dunno, if I overstuff pad my resume, and get into the kind of company I want- they WOULD check, not like say the US Govt', Baush and Lomb, Veritas software or some other fly-by-night company who just assumes that what you put down, you have.
Sure I padded my resume, if you don't your cutting yourself out of some good jobs; besides most employers KNOW you expanded on your experience or education a little- that's a given.

What I find so surprising is that nobody even makes a call to the college and asks "Hey, we have this guy person that says he graduated from y'all- can you find any records on him? Thanks, there's a $2000 debit card thank-you in the mail for your trouble."
I can lie all over my resume (for a high profile job) and I'd get less scrutiny than I do running a $120,000 power auger.
From the mailbox

I just couldn't resist sharing this one:


There's always one.
This has got to be one of the funniest things in a long time. I think this guy should have been promoted, not fired.
This is a true story from the Word Perfect Helpline, which was transcribed from a recording monitoring the customer care department. Needless to say
the Help Desk employee was fired; however, he/she is currently suing the Word Perfect organization for "Termination without Cause". Actual dialogue of a
former WordPerfect Customer Support employee. (Now I know why they record these conversations!):

Operator: "Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?"
Caller: "Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."
Operator: "What sort of trouble??"
Caller: "Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away."
Operator: "Went away?"
Caller: "They disappeared."
Operator: "Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?"
Caller: "Nothing."
Operator: "Nothing??"
Caller: "It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type."
Operator: "Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out??"
Caller: "How do I tell?"
Operator: "Can you see the C: prompt on the screen??"
Caller: "What's a sea-prompt?"
Operator: "Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?"
Caller: "There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I type."
Operator: "Does your monitor have a power indicator??"
Caller: "What's a monitor?"
Operator: "It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on??"
Caller: "I don't know."
Operator: "Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that??"
Caller: "Yes, I think so."
Operator: "Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall.
Caller: "Yes, it is."
Operator: "When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one??"
Caller: "No."
Operator: "Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable."
Caller: "Okay, here it is."
Operator: "Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer."
Caller: "I can't reach."
Operator: "Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is??"
Caller: "No."
Operator: "Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over??"
Caller: "Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle - it's because it's dark."
Operator: "Dark??"
Caller: "Yes - the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window."
Operator: "Well, turn on the office light then."
Caller: "I can't."
Operator: "No? Why not??"
Caller: "Because there's a power failure."
Operator: "A power... A power failure? Aha, Okay, we've got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in??"
Caller: "Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."
Operator: "Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from."
Caller: "Really? Is it that bad?"
Operator: "Yes, I'm afraid it is."
Caller: "Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them??"
Operator: "Tell them you're too f*%king stupid to own a computer."
Ok, I don't know were to go with this Hydrogen powered bike

I saw this bike in my LAST Popular Mechanics (I moved in April, and this is the first one I've seen since, AND they made sure it was in it's special cover letting me know that I wasn't going to get another) and I wanted to know a little more, so I "YAHOO'D" it (I'm not a Lib, so I don't google any more than I have to).

I searched for ENV Hydrogen power and found a page about it.

Like I said, I'm not sure which way to go. If you don't know about Hydrogen supplies, it sounds pretty good:

Fuel Cell Technology Facts

* Fuel cells provide point of consumption power generation, removing the costs and power losses associated with the transmission and distribution of electricity.
* Fuel cells can be built incrementally to match demand and are equally efficient at both small and larger scale.
* Fuel cells have higher energy conversion efficiencies than most other technologies: 45-55% of energy converted to electricity.
* Fuel cells are capable of generating heat as well as power: in this combined heat and power mode (CHP mode), energy conversion efficiencies exceed 90%.
* Fuel cells have dynamic load-following characteristics and can be built modularly for added reliability. They have none of the intermittency issues affecting wind and solar technologies.
* Fuel cells are easy to maintain as they have no moving parts.
* Fuel cells produce zero emissions if hydrogen is used as a feedstock, and significantly reduced emissions if hydrogen is produced from reformation of hydrocarbon feedstocks.
* Fuel cells are modular. Effectively, you can keep adding to the sandwich up to an optimal configuration. At this point other stacks can simply be bolted on – and on and on! A fuel cell the size of a toaster could power a typical domestic UK home.
* The USA wants to see hydrogen fuel cell cars on US roads by 2015 and has pledged to spend more than $1.5 bn (£900m) over five years to help develop the technology.


And scientifically it is probably a good idea, BUT if you know how you get the hydrogen you look at several other points.
  1. Hydrogen is dangerous- more dangerous than natural gas. Does the name Hindenburg ring a bell? ( OK, now that I have the MSM required scare the chit-out-of-you done) There really isn't ALL that much there, so I can't see much of a problem.
  2. The thing is, that Hydrogen power sounds kinda like "Free energy"- if you don't know where it comes from. (I'm not sure I NEED to go into this, since if you're reading this on a computer you should know your basic science. BUT) You get Hydrogen from water! Yes, it's the "H" in H2O. To separatete the "H" from the "O" you simply boil it with electricity! WOW, the wonders of science. The problem comes with the next point.
  3. The cost of producing Hydrogen. On a large scale it could be cost prohibitiveve, since it takes more energy to split the water moleculeses than it (the fuel cell) can produce. It also makes your electric meter spin like a top.
  4. Range. From the article, it seems limited- like the battery powered vehicles. 100 Mi. at 5oMPH? Tim Taylors lawn mower could beat that.
So, Like I said- how do we want to play this?

(UPDATE 2:53PM) AS Aelfheld reminded me- Yahoo is responsible for assisting the Chicoms to send a reporter to prison.

Guess my new search engine will be Ask Jeeves.

Friday, September 09, 2005

I guess BusHitler Chimpy McHalburton is just as inept as his critics say

I mean wasn't the delay in helpin NO, just the excuse he was using to KILL black folk?
That's what you'd believe if you really listened to the left. Seems the massive body count isn't going to be as bad as predicted.

Bush is soooo inept that he can't even give the LEFT their massive dead bodies.

Hey, lets not vote for him next time!




(Yes, I KNOW he's not eligable again, just play along. maybe they't shut up.)
Man, I've got to keep better track of my hours

I thought I was almost close to 40 hours last week. Turns out I had 16 hours O.T.

Also, that $3.00/gal gas has dropped to between $2.80 and $2.70/gal. Now all those morons who couldn't afford gas are on the roads again- and all heading west. I can't remember the last time I saw I-10 west so busy.


I'll note that as gas prices are dropping, they're not dropping as fast as they went up.
I also remember that at this time last year I was paying $1.35/ gal. which is STILL less than half of the best price you can find today.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Well, it happened on "W"s watch

I can't find it on the web- yet, but we're being invaded by the Mexican army today.
They're pre-running their invasion rout bringing needed relief supplies to San Antonio.




more later- I'm running late

(UPDATE 9:20PM ) Looks like they're heading up to the Big D.
They have their flag flying and water purification machinery for the refugees- since ya know OUR water isn't fit to drink.

Sorry, I just can't take this PC B.S. about letting the MEXICAN Army in here for a "humanitarian" mission. I'm sure there serious (in a way), but O just can't take this thing seriously.

The Mexican Army.
I didn't know there was enough of their people affected that Bush would need allow them to supplement more of our tax dollars.

The Mexican Army.
And they didn't even stop to savor their LAST military victory in San Antonio.

The Mexican Army.
When will Mexico City start paying the freight on their citizens up here, you know instead of hurricane relief some TAXPAYER relief?