Saturday, August 31, 2013

A really bad month

I've been pretty sick this past month.  It started with what my doctor thinks was food poisoning, and it went downhill from there.  I ended up seriously ill, in the hospital, and I didn't realize just how close I came to cashing it in at the time.  Well, after almost a week in the hospital, under the good care of the doctors, nurses, and technicians at Methodist Hospital in Germantown, Tennessee, I was good enough to be released and although weak, just being home made me feel better.  My elderly parents insisted that as soon as I was strong enough, they wanted me to travel to their home in northeastern Pennsylvania and recuperate there.  So off we went.  It was nice spending almost 2 weeks in that part of the world, getting some good food....mostly....I won't get in to the mostly part because I don't need the wrath of mom descending on me.

We went to the Harford Fair, one of the largest country fairs in the state of Pennsylvania, and it was crowded.  Good food, interesting exhibits, and fun competitions like tractor pulls made the day worthwhile.

I came home to get some stern warnings from some of the pathology reports.  Because I had hepatitis when I was younger, and I've not always treated my liver all that well in the past, I've been told in no uncertain words, never to take an alcoholic drink again.  I can do it, but I won't like it.  My white blood count is also very low, and one hematologist wants to get a bone marrow sample from me.  This is an extremely painful procedure and may not yield any useful information.  My PHP told me do not do it.  (Next year when I get stuck under ObamaCare, it will probably not even be offered as an option, as it is expensive).  That is advice I'm happy to follow.

So folks, I'm back, just feeling old at 56, and still trying to get over this really bad health crisis. 

Thanks to my friends for your prayers and good thoughts during my illness, and know I appreciate you all.  God bless!

Friday, August 30, 2013

TSA and selective use of full body scanners

I've been traveling through a number of airports, both large and small over the past few months, and one thing that is omnipresent are the multitudes of TSA agents, even at the smallest airports.  TSA has become an acronym for Thousands Standing Around in many of the small town airports.

One thing I'm beginning to notice is that TSA has removed the full body scan (back scan) machines at some of the small town airports, and restoring the tried and true metal detectors that don't require you to take off everything except shirt, pants and socks.  The reason given to me by a TSA employee at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) for removing them is that they are needed at larger airports.  So, if the back scanners are not needed at AVP, why are they needed anywhere?  There are direct flights to Philadelphia, Newark, Chicago-Ohare, Detroit, Atlanta and Charlotte daily from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and passengers are not required to be re-screened upon arrival at the major airport..

Does the Department of Homeland Security think that a potential terrorist would only consider using a major airport to initiate an airborne terrorist attack, and not pay any attention to more lacks security? (although, I tend to think these small town airports do look people over better than my hometown airport of Memphis International Airport)

So here is a suggestion to our friends at TSA, get rid of all the full body scan units, or use them everywhere there is scheduled commercial air service..  The back scan units are intrusive, leave x-ray radiation residue in the bones, that is accumulates and is a potential cancer threat, and now seems the use of these machines depends on your airport of origin.

With the removal of the back scan e-ray machines at secondary airports, the effectiveness of using them at all now approaches zero.  Use them everywhere or better yet, get rid of these intrusive monsters.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Trust

Trust is not something that is a given thing, but must be earned.  Ronald Reagan said about the once defunct Soviet Union, trust but verify.  Under Vladimir Putin, an old KGB guy, Russia is not trustworthy once again.  Trust is hard to earn, and it has to be earned, not by words, but by deeds. 

A good and decent person who I've helped out for the past 11 years, not only with moral support, but monetary support at times told me I'm not trustworthy.  It's a dagger in the heart to me.  I'm not only sick in my heart, but have lost faith in people I used to think I knew.

I really don't like being like this, but my soul has been shattered.  I guess I'll be trustworthy to people who are not afraid to have someone who loves them.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Airplane accident

There was a bad airplane crash at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).  Airliner crashes have become very rare in recent years, largely because pilots are better trained, and modern airplanes have become more, for lack of a better expression, idiot proof.

I don't know what caused the Asiana Boeing 777 to crash short of the runway, and neither do you, or any of the "experts" and no nothings on the cable news channels, but their coverage and speculation is infuriating to me.

The weather at SFO was good, there were no windshear alerts or low visibility issues, yet, a B-777 managed to land well short of the normal touchdown area of runway 28R.  From the videos and photos I saw, it hit the ground in the approach chevrons, and most of the wreckage there is the tail section.  As an aviation professional, I'd hazard a guess it was a tail strike at a high rate of decent and a high angle of attack.  Still I don't know, and the people speculating on CNN and FOX don't know either.

But what really ticked me off was immediately after the crash some reporterette at CNN said that the plane was cartwheeling down the runway.  NO it wasn't.  The plane is to the left of runway 28L and not far forward of the end of the runway, and nowhere near the touchdown zone that is 1500 feet from the runway end.

The NTSB will eventually determine the cause of this crash, and the authorities need to have long interviews with the Korean crew before they hightail it back to Korea.  Covering up airplane accidents is what they do in South Korea, where saving face is more important than saving lives.  Talk to these guys now, and do not let them out of the country until at least preliminary results of the crash are known.

In the meantime, you people in the so called news media need to shut up unless you are even remotely educated in the aviation industry.

Updated:

 Because I keep hearing "journalists" saying that the airplane cartwheeled. IT DID NOT.  Last heavy jet I've seen was the United Airlines Flight 232 Sioux City crash, where they lost almost all their hydraulic systems, and the fact that anyone survived was a miracle.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Travels With Keith

I'm a hard time sleeping tonight. No, not from a guilty conscience but what I call "crazy leg syndrome" when I have a MS attack, and get a lot of twitches and spasms that interfere with sleep in a big way.   When this happens, my mind starts thinking, and I got to thinking about an excursion I took when I was in the Philippines, back in the late 1990's.

A couple friends and I hired a car and driver to take us to Baguio and later the Banaue Rice Terraces in northern Luzon.  Great places to visit, especially when the heat is on in the rest of the Philippines, being in the mountains meant a bit cooler temperatures.

Coming back to Manila, it was getting to be lunch time, and none of us wanted to stop at a McDonald's or worse yet a Jollibee so our driver searched out a local restaurant he knew of in Tarloc City, best known for the end of the Bataan Death March, but is actually not a bad town.  By not a bad town, you have to realize that the Philippines is a relatively poor country and the infrastructure may not be up to the standards of a modern US city, but I bet it is better than any place in Egypt these days. 

Well, the driver happened to be from that part of Luzon, and knew a good place to get a good lunch.  I would have never found it on my own, or would have stopped there even if I had.   It was a simple outdoor terrace with plastic patio tables and chairs, and had a menu only in Tagalog on a blackboard, probably a good sign of fresh food.

The owner saw us there, and came over to the table, apologized for not having an English menu, and went on to explain what she had that was fresh.  I had one of the best meals that afternoon I ever had on that trip.  The fish was fantastic, fresh, the veggies were good, and the San Miguel Beer tasted better than ever. 

When I asked the lady for the check, she said that she will never charge Americans for a meal in her restaurant, because they liberated her and her family from the Japanese during World War II.  According to the story she told me, the Japanese made her parents slaves, beating them frequently, and forcing her older sister into prostitution for the Japanese soldiers.  To her the Americans were and still are liberators to her.

I insisted on paying, but the nice old lady would not accept anything.  Well, before we left, I stuffed 1000 Pesos under the plate (about $20 dollars at the time) under the plate and quietly left after thanking the people for their hospitality.

One thing I've discovered over the years is that some of the kindest and most generous people are those who really do not have all that much themselves.

This is just one reason I'd rather visit places like the Philippines far more than countries where they don't like us, have bad attitudes and snooty unionist attitudes. Yes, Western Europe I'm talking to you.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day one and all.  The United States has been a bless nation for a long time now, and I hope God's blessings continue to shine down on us.  But there are many signs of moral decay in our country perpetrated in the name of "fairness", "inclusion", and "rights" that were never imagined by our founding fathers.  Abortion on demand, gay marriage, government imposed mandatory schemes like ObamaCare, the current administrations war on Christian religious institutions and their objections to all the above, are not good signs for the long term survival of our republic.  Remember, Rome did not lose its empire because they lost military superiority at least initially, they lost it due to decadence and moral decay from within. 

We are quickly losing moral high ground both at home and abroad.  President Obama has demonstrated weakness in his foreign policy.  The Middle East is on fire largely because of his failed policies of encouraging revolutions against traditional allies, as well as enemies.  For the 2nd time in 3 years, Egypt has overthrown their government, Libya is a failed state, Syria has a civil war going on now for 2 years, where there is no good guy in the fight.  The Libyan fiasco has spilled in to Mali, where Al-Qaeda is trying to overthrow the not so good regime, but much better than the current alternative, and they threaten their neighbors in Niger and Senegal.  For a guy with African roots, Obama has done a good job setting the continent on fire, along with much of the Arab middle east.

We have politicians singing the virtues of 3rd trimester abortions, free contraceptives for all, and by free, meaning paid by me and all tax payers.  I don't my money going for these things, but I'm being "intolerant" for opposing those things, and so is my church.  More cultural rot.

We have under the Obama government, NSA domestic spying at will, the IRS targeting political opponents of the administration, a corrupt Attorney General who gave guns to drug lords in Mexico to somehow propagandize for more gun control in the US, while in Eric Holder's home city of Chicago, they have the most strict gun control laws in the country.  And guess what, parts of Chicago are war zones, with the highest number of gun related murders in the country.  Congrats, you finally beat out Detroit, DC and Memphis.

So dear reader, although I'm still celebrating our independence, at least for a few more years, unless we turn things around and quickly, this will soon be Government Dependence Day, and the barbarians will once again be at the gate.  Sept. 11, 2001 was a wake up call, but it appears many Americans just rolled over and went back to sleep, dreaming of unicorns, free stuff and fairy dust.

In the meantime, anyone in the neighborhood, stop on bye for some BBQ pork shoulder, ribs, brisket and Samuel Adams Beer.  We all need another Samuel Adams today


Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Nobel Peace Prize, A Legacy Of Dictators, Frauds and Liars

I was perusing Hotair.com today and was checking out the headlines, and saw this little piece from a British leftist at The Guardian, who thinks Bradley Manning should get the Nobel Peace Prize.  At first my eyes rolled, then on second thought, why not.  He'll be in good company.  The Nobel Peace Prize has been a bad joke for years, awarded to dictators, terrorists, frauds, and pretty much anyone who represents anything that opposes America and American power.  I'm not sure how Albert Nobel would like some of the people who have been given this award in his name.

So let have a look at a few prize winners over the past few decades, shall we?

2012 - The European Union

Wow, oh wow, they have done so much to promote world piece.  Let me count how many things they have done to reduce tensions and make the world a safer place?  Hmmmm....well they supported getting rid of Khadafy in Libya, and you know how that worked out.  It's a thriving democratic society now...oops, not so much.  It's a failed state that Al Qaeda has pretty much overrun, and taken their jihad to neighboring Mali and Niger and threatens Senegal.  Way to go EU!  And President Obama is on the hook for this particular act of peace.

2009 - Barack Obama

Received the prize for doing nothing other than not being George W. Bush.  How did this work out for you Nobel Committee?  Your guy went on an unauthorized war against a country that had been working with us to contain Al Qaeda terrorism during the Bush administration, and unleashed hell on Libya and neighboring Mali and Niger.  Launches countless drone attacks on out supposed ally Pakistan as well as Afghanistan, and killed many people who were not terrorists, just collateral damage, and threatens more of the same in Syria.  Obama forced out the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, who were allies of the US and maintained stability in the region, and they were quickly replaced with revolutionary Islamic regimes who are hostile to the west and promote worldwide jihad against non Muslims.  Arab Spring came compliments of a Nobel Peace Prize winner.  Well done.

2007 - Al Gore and the IPPC

Yet another poke in the eye to George W. Bush, and an award to total fraud and hypocrite.  The climate change models that Gore and his buddies at the IPPC have been largely discredited.  There has been no rise in global temperature for over 15 years, the seas are not rising, and there is no impending doom from carbon dioxide.  Still the "progressives" and statists around the world want to impose penalties on countries who have successful states, produce useful products and agriculture and give us all a global carbon tax, to "save the world".  Gore is a billionaire, both from the family fortune, decades in government, and his carbon offset business, where he sells indulgences to people who are guilty about their carbon footprint.  He's a fraud, and so is the IPPC, but they fit right in with the Euroweenies who think they are just wonderful.

2005 - Mohamed ElBaradie

I can sum this fraud up in one quick sentence.  Iran Nuclear Program.  Well done dude.  We are a lot safer because you stopped the mullahs from pursuing nuclear weapons.  Oh wait, that did not happen.  But he meant well, so I guess that is important to Norwegians.

2002 - Jimmy Carter

Wins the prize for not being George W. Bush.  Yet another slap in the face to the American people by giving this prize to an anti-semite and washed up loser.

2001 - Kofi Annan and the United Nations

Really?  An organization that is full of dictatorships, thug dictators, and has 2 basic goals, condemning Israel and diminishing American power wins this esteemed award.  Well done Euroweenies.

1994 - Yasser Arafat

Nothing screams peace more than this now deceased terrorist who walked away from a peace agreement with Israel that would have given him and his people a state,  because he and his people do not want peace, until all the Jews in the world are dead.  Another worthy award winner.

1990 - Mikhail Gorbachev

Yay!!!!  A communist who ruled the Soviet Union and it's satellite states with an iron fist suddenly became a democrat and liberated all the people of the former USSR and Eastern Europe, just out of the goodness of his heart.  Of Course, Ronald Reagan standing up to the Evil Empire and bankrupting them with large defense spending and the SDI had absolutely nothing to do with the demise of communism in Europe.  Well, I speak too soon, it seems the Europeans really do like socialism and big government, so maybe Gorby was right.  Still this was yet another slap in the face to the USA.

I could go on but you get the picture.  There are many other frauds, communists, and sell-outs in this bunch.  As a parting shot I'll give you this

1973 - Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho

They brought peace to Vietnam, didn't they?  Ummm not quite.  They negotiated a deal where the US would leave, and the communist North Vietnam would invade in a year and take over the entire country, killing hundreds of thousands and sending more to "reeducation camps".  But the Euroweenies loved it and gave these guys the European version of an Oscar.

This award is a parody unto itself, and should never be taken seriously, but the mainstream media treats this like it is defining annual moment of peace makers of the year.