It’s pretty amazing how graceful a few tons of exotic metal alloys can be with someone who know what he’s doing at the controls.
Sukhoi Su-35 at Paris Air Show
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First!
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Beautiful Machine
Second!!
Mornin’ Gang -
Good morning Hamsters. Gorgeous full Moon and bright in the sky as advertised.
Down below a light mist does not interfere with the view, and the low of 72 is most welcome, however brief.
So Mr. Snowden has left Hong Kong but is not on the plane going to Havana according to the reporter assigned to track him. Is this gonna turn into Where’s Waldo? This is fast morphing into slapstick, Keystone Kops but serious. Where is Inspector Clouseau when we need him? Good grief.
However that is no more weird than the goings on in DC in the madness over reforming immigration that does not need reforming, just enforcement of what’s already on the books. The longer this goes on the more exposed the plotters become and the more reckless with our security. The adults need to take over the playpen. -
We need to hammer “progressives” incessantly with their anti-science mumbo jumbo.
Transgendered 1st grader wins the right to use girls’ restroom -
Marco Rubio is dead to me.
This is how stupid he thinks we are.: What do you do when “Tea Party Crednetials:” isn’t enough to garner support for your Shamesty Bill?
Call it a “surge”.
You know, like in Iraq. That’ll drag those knuckle dragging neanderthals into the fold.The Republican Border Surge Plan was developed with input from border patrol officials, border state officials, and security experts. It stipulates that no illegal immigrant can even apply to become a legal permanent resident of the U.S. until at least ten years have elapsed and until five security triggers are achieved.
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Ugliest churches in the world. My favorite: Where Optimus Prime goes to church.
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Looking like somebody dropped a hallucinogenic substance into the water supply to the Senate chamber and allied rooms, and the drinkers keep getting farther out as time goes by. Conservatives need to bring their own bottled water. Good Lord.
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What happened at 1:58 (and several other points) ? It looked like there was ice formation on the top of the plane as it flew through clouds, that then blew off in a spectacular fashion.
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“Compartmentalizing a child as a boy or a girl solely based on their visible anatomy,” Chavez wrote, “is a simplistic approach to a difficult and complex issue.”
What about the rights of all the other children to not be required to use a unisex restroom?
Dress the little freak in boy clothes and get him, his parents, and the Colorado Civil Rights Division some therapy. -
#8 mh42
It’s simply fog due to the lower pressure above the wings. It’s that low pressure that causes lift. Happens all the time with all types of airplanes. -
Its like, vapor, man
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Bad churches. Oh my…..words fail me.
How can a loving Lord allow such mockeries of His homes? I’m ashamed that so many were Roman Catholic. Someone allowed the architects and the design committees access to the sacramental wine when they were considering designs, obviously. -
As usual, I blame stinky hippies.
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#6 hamous
I don’t see anything wrong with this one.
In the other direction, Notre Dame du Rhiems is just about as churchy as a church can get.
Also Chartres and Amiens. -
#6 Hammy
Now those were some scary-looking churches. -
#10 Pyro
lower pressure above the wings
Well, I’m not used to a perspective where I’m seeing the top of the wings!
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Optimus Prime Church (#20) looks like a file cabinet with legs got knocked over.
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#14 Pyro
I don’t see anything wrong with this one.
Well, my first thought was “Ramada Inn” — with a touch of KFC for the clock tower that sure looks like a chicken face.
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Well, my first thought was “Ramada Inn” — with a touch of KFC for the clock tower that sure looks like a chicken face.
I was thinking La Quinta.
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Those churches are examples of architects diligently working to impress other architects and win awards instead of producing a visually appealing and functional structure in which to worship THE CREATOR.
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I only made it to #14.
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#19 Hammy
Amazing match! Red roofs and a tower. Plus a good example of a porte-cochère. -
a porte-cochère.
Prolly one of the best structures under which to cook out of doors.
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Word went out about 10 pm last night that the heart transplant was completed. The surgery took 6 hours. While they are done, they did not close the patient’s chest, to keep an eye on things in case they want to make any adjustments. The family hopes to hear today that the chest has been closed. Guess it was especially good to get this done before Ocare kicks in fully, which might have messed up the private, employer-based medical insurance.
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The block quoted section came from my inbox. We should remember that some of the first organizations to be granted waivers were the unions. When waivers are granted we no longer have equal protection under the law, which is a clear violation of the 14th amendment. O-Care must be defunded then repealed as soon as possible.
> Hobby Lobby Founder-May Close ALL Stores
>
> This also applies to several of the large Christian Book Store chains…..
>
> Hobby Lobby May Close.
> David Sloan “The wisdom that comes from above is, first, pure, then
> peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without
> uncertainty or insincerity.” – James 3:17
> By David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
>
> When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working
> out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames..
> Our first retail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s living rooms,
> but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to
> God’s word.
>
> From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation’s largest arts and
> crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children
> grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as
> a family.
>
> We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles.
> I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our
> business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than
> money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can
> see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the
> week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can
> enjoy a day of rest.
>
> We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and
> he has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak
> economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time
> employees start at 80% above minimum wage.
>
> But now, our government threatens to change all of that.
>
> A new government healthcare mandate says that our family business MUST
> provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health
> insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions,
> which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after
> pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the
> moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important
> beliefs.
> It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this
> company since day one.
>
> If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in
> government fines.
> Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy.
> Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised wages four
> years running.
> Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business
> according to its beliefs.It’s not right. I know people will say we ought to
> follow the rules; that it’s the same for everybody. But that’s not true.
> The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate,
> for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won’t exempt them for reasons of
> religious belief.
>
> So, Hobby Lobby and my family are forced to make a choice. With great
> reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for
> Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts
> our business. We don’t like to go running into court,
> but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important
> than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a
> profit.
>
> My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our
> company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the
> government is going to make that much more difficult.
> The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and
> following the law. I say that’s a choice no American and no American
> business should have to make.
>
> The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your
> fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but
> will not except Christianorganizations including the Catholic church.
>
> Since you will not see this in the liberal media, please pass this on
> to all your contacts.
> Sincerely,
> David Green
> CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. -
SCOTUS punts on affirmative action.
HEADLINE: The Supreme Court Goes Small on Affirmative Action
/snip
While the court as a whole did not have much to say on affirmative action in the decision, Justice Clarence Thomas in his opinion said that he personally would’ve overturned the use of race in making admissions decisions in higher education:
I write separately to explain that I would overrule Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U. S. 306 (2003), and hold that a State’s use of race in higher education admissions decisions is categorically prohibited by the Equal Protection Clause.
Later, in his opinion, he explained his thoughts on the larger matter of affirmative action in higher education.
Attaining diversity for its own sake is a nonstarter. As even Grutter recognized, the pursuit of diversity as an end is nothing more than impermissible “racial balancing.” … Rather, diversity can only be the means by which the University obtains educational benefits; it cannot be an end pursued for its own sake. Therefore, the educational benefits allegedly produced by diversity must rise to the level of a compelling state interest in order for the program to survive strict scrutiny.
Justice Thomas also compared affirmative action in education to segregation in the South:
It is also noteworthy that, in our desegregation cases, we rejected arguments that are virtually identical to those advanced by the University today. The University asserts, for instance, that the diversity obtained through its discriminatory admissions program prepares its students to become leaders in a diverse society… The segregationists likewise defended segregation on the ground that it provided more leadership opportunities for blacks.Affirmative Action is nothing other than state sponsored racism and must end. It has been since 1972 or something that those who are not white males have been given special consideration in the form of minority/wimmin owned set asides. These set asides are almost always at higher cost to the taxpayer than an equivalent non-set aside contract. It has been 40 years or so of these set asides and it is way past time for them to stop. They represent outright discrimination against white males and should be considered unconstitutional on their face for that reason alone.
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So I have this huge pet peeve, trying to push extra services or deals on me when you can clearly tell I am not interested. This weekend TT and I got hit up once or twice when shopping and I am clearly VERY pregnant and I am sweating/exhausted. Don’t push your luck bub.
Well we are in the final stages of moving. I am here at the old apartment making sure the last things are packed up in the good ol’ mazda and thanking AB over and over for letting us get a cleaning service to finish the apartment, because after moving, there is no way in hell I would be able to do it all at 35 weeks. So as I am monitoring the cleaning, I am handling some business by canceling our ATT Uverse and Internet.
First person I get, only spoke in ebonics. Wonderful. But I didn’t have the secret code and pin number to get into the Land of Oz, my bad I will take that mistake. Get the info, call again, on hold waiting for an operator for OVER 25 minutes. DEAR LORD!!! I get a woman who can’t spell to save her life on the line and goes on to see what I need done.
“I would like to cancel my service please”
” Are you moving?”
“Yes, I would just like to cancel the service please.”
“Why are you canceling today?”
This is where I nearly lost my schmit.
“Look mam, I know it’s your job to try to figure out my life story and try to keep me as a customer. I have employed people in similar jobs before, but all I want is to cancel my service today. No more no less.”
“I was just wondering so I can possibly save you HUNDREDS on installation and moving fees.”
…I lost it…
“Look here, normally I am very patient, I have done customer service all my life. But you see here, I told you I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF MOVING AND I WANT TO CANCEL. I don’t want to transfer. So I am sitting here in an apartment hot and 35 weeks preggo and have been on hold for over 25 minutes. So let’s get this pony show over and cancel my service now PLEASE!!”
“I am so sorry mam and I appreciate your patience. Let’s get you taken care of.”
A few more questions and how to send everything back. Good we are almost done. Thank you Jesus.
“Thank you mam for being so patient again, now if you still want to transfer your service just call and let us know. We can easily cancel the refund check if you change your mind. I hope you have a safe and wonderful move and just call us when you are ready to set up you ATT Uverse service at your new home. And I…”
I hung up on stupid stupid Karen. I got the info I needed and that is all.
I hate being rude on the phone and with people in customer service, because it’s usually not their fault. But seriously!! Sorry just had to share my biggest pet peeve. -
That apple certainly fell close to the tree.
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#29 I get the patience from my mother and I get the sarcastic snapping at my father.
I used it a lot when having to go through the closing process on our new house. -
The expectant mother should be calm and serene, for everyone’s sake.
🙂 -
#31 mharper42
Says mharper 42 cautiously peering around a large tree outside the former abode of LD and AB just after LD hung up on AT&T. 🙂 -
The expectant mother should be calm and serene, for everyone’s sake.
Like I said, apple & tree…
I’m not convinced the “tree” has a calm and/or serene molecule in her body. -
#33 WB
I’m not convinced the “tree” has a calm and/or serene molecule in her body.
Actually, more than you think. Just because I live my life in a whirlwind doesn’t mean I’m all crazy on the insides.
All the time. -
I’m just saying, as the special day approaches, be serene and contemplative.
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She’s having a baby.
She’s not learing Tai-Chi. -
Serene on the inside, an air-hockey puck on the outside?
Hmmm. -
#38 Based on the longevity of the telegraph my quest for the death of the fax machine may have to be carried on long after I’m gone:
The Christian Science Monitor reported that India, which operates the last telegraph system on the planet, will send its last telegram on July 14, 2013. Thus an era of mass communications will end that started almost 170 years ago.
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SCOTUS punts on discrimination in college admissions.
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Maybe we just need to hide and watch as they kill each other off.
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#40, #27 back atcha.
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#41: That is a great idea, that civil war will spill over and won’t likely quit until one side gains a significant advantage. There will be thousands of would be terrorists “rehabilitated” and that makes it safer for us all.
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What’s with this sudden and daily bombardment of mail trying to get me to purchase “water line insurance”??? Maybe Shannon knows what’s going on.
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#44 Hamous
We periodically get mailings like that, maybe every 6-9 months or so. And it sounds so official and necessary because you never know….fill in the blank. Funny thing is whoever is sending it wastes postage sending it out around here because most of the area west of Pecan Grove on FM 359 up to FM 1093 (Westheimer) is multi-acre and on wells not MUDs. -
#44
Oh, is everyone getting those? I thought maybe it was just our area, where CoH is digging up and replacing 40-yr-old water lines that they own: under the streets, in easements, and in front yards up to the meter. -
Never heard of it. Sounds Interesting, though.
If you have a break in your line to the house, you can have many thousands of gallons go through your meter before you discover it. Especially if your soil-type gets cracks during drought periods.
A hole the size of a pencil eraser can lose over 200,000 gallons in a month. The size of a pencil lead, over ten thousand gallons a month. -
What would a 200,000 gallon water bill cost???
Most water purveyors will hold you responsible for every gallon that goes through the meter, regardless of circumstances. -
In CoH, they will also charge you for those 200,000 gallons of water as going into their sewer system. We pay higher water and sewer rates in the summer, even though it is obvious most of the extra water used is put on the lawn to keep your landscaping alive.
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Actually, you can negotiate with the city if you have a water leak. We’ve had several customers do just that. If they can convince the city that they haven’t used the water for something like filling a swimming pool, then the city usually negotiates the bill down and makes an adjustment. Sometimes, it’s even sizeable.
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#49 mharper
In CoH, they will also charge you for those 200,000 gallons of water as going into their sewer system. We pay higher water and sewer rates in the summer, even though it is obvious most of the extra water used is put on the lawn to keep your landscaping alive.
One of the things we do is install “garden meters” or “irrigation meters”. Water flowing through those meters don’t get the sewage rate charged on them. The payback period depends upon how much water you use and the rates you pay. A commercial meter, where the rates are much higher, could have a much quicker payback period than a domestic irrigation meter.
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Yes, the owners of our water system will try to help you out by giving you up to perhaps $175.00 credit. But that’s it. Any more than that and it’s, “Sorry, Charlie, what kind of payment plan can you handle?”
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In rural areas water lines from the meter to the house can be quite long, maybe a mile or more. An undiscovered water leak can be financially devastating to those on fixed incomes. Also, many homes out here are second homes, camphouses, weekend homes. A water leak can smack those people hard, too.
You’d be surprised how many stiill don’t turn off the water at the meter (or fail to install a valve so they are able to turn it off) when they leave for many days or weeks at a time. -
I believe residential lawn irrigation could be outlawed in Texas by 2050.
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Your grandkids’ grandkids may go to an arboretum or Bayou Bend to see how you used to live with a lush green lawn.
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The next big impact Federal Insanity:
As of this January (2014) the entire industry must switch to virtually lead free wetted parts.
Regardless of the fact that the lead content is already virtually nil.
There are many, many brass items that we (and I assume TTHubby) use.
These lead “free” items are 40% higher in cost. -
The prosecutors of George Zimmerman are unlikeable drama queens.
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#51 TT
I knew about the separate meter for landscape watering, but also knew you need to have golf-course sized lawns to get the payback for installation cost. We had it quoted for our HOA swimming pool park-like surroundings and playground. -
#54, 55 Shannon
And there sits the Gulf of Mexico just waiting for desalinization plants to supply Texas with its needs….
Umm, let’s make that the Second Republic of Texas water needs. 🙂 -
In the middle east they have a lot of power plants that double as desalinization plants since the process of heating sea water to make steam to drive the turbines makes fresh water anyway,…. a win-win situation.
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59 Adee
As the first Secretary of State of the New Republic of Texas, my first agenda item will be renamIng it the Gulf of Texas. -
And will you build a fence on our borders? All sides, not just Mexico.
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As Secretary of State I will be tempted to stand on the bank of the Red River and moon those people to the North, but perhaps I should instead encourage them to let us annex them.
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If memory serves, that Injun territory north of the Red River was all RED in the last election! No blue counties….Just sayin’
The only one in the country, I think. -
I think OK would be eager to join our republic.
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My people are wise like the owl of the forest.
We might agree to taking Texas – even with Austin and inner city Houston, Dallas, SA and El Paso – to join us.
Note that there is no CongressMAN Cornflower Jackson-Lee. -
My #62, I stand corrected, it LQQks like Utah and West By Gawd Virginia are also all red.
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Ok, we’ll have a treaty with Oklahoma, they are mostly good guys, or as the Noble Savage says, wise owls in the forest or something like that.
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We might agree to taking Texas –
Over my dead body, Bubba.
😉 -
Ok, we’ll have a treaty with Oklahoma
We’ll keep them supplied with Longhorns for their beef.
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If they want to chew on that crap, we can certainly supply the meat.
My father-in-law said, “Spent a hundred years getting it out of the food chain and these idiots want to put it back in!!” -
If they want buffalo, they have to herd their own, Ok?
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And will you build a fence on our borders? All sides, not just Mexico.
Looking more and more like the plan, ma’am.
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The bison is very tasty. Quite lean and full of high-quality protein.
You hafta get a young one, or you’ll wish you were eating your mother-in-law’s moccasin. -
One of the larger buffalo ranches was right around the corner from here. I talked to a kid that worked there part time. He said workin’ them was a dangerous business.
I -
You ever seen one up close?
They’re huge! And opinionated. And stupid. -
Yeah. I worked my share of Brahma cattle, but they’re smart.
I get the impression those buffalo are dumb and powerful. -
Bedtime, y’all. Let me know when we can expect to start building that fence around Texas. I’ll check on your progress in the morning.
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G’night all and sweet dreams.
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