- From the “Rules” Department – A woman in Texas was shot recently when the handgun her husband was reloading went off. The woman was hit in the abdomen, but the wound was not lethal. In related news, a student at a firearms class in Ohio was struck in the arm when the .38 caliber handgun his instructor was demonstrating with went off. In the second instance, it appears that the bullet bounced off of furniture before hit the student, but the instructor seems to be claiming he didn’t know the gun was loaded. Guys, the Four Rules are there for a reason. We all have lapses in concentration or make mistakes, and you usually have to break more than one rule before someone gets hurt. But that doesn’t mean that “I didn’t know it was loaded” or “I didn’t mean to point it at her” mean a darned thing. When we pick up our guns, we assume an awesome responsibility, and complacency ends up with people hurt. We need to police ourselves so that we don’t give someone else an excuse to police us.
- From the “Get a Rope” Department – A hospital technician who spread hepatitis across multiple states is facing between 30 and 40 years in jail. You see, Dr. Kildare was aware that he was infected with hepatitis C, but continued to self-inject the painkillers he was issued and then refill the syringes with water. I hope that his work in prison includes having to powerwash feed lots or something just as foul. Because of his inability to control himself, hundreds of people are at risk of coming down with a debilitating disease and at least one of them has died.
- From the “Misinformation” Department – Apparently keeping track of the finances of Detroit isn’t the only thing that city’s government has trouble doing. Billboards around the city have in incorrect date for upcoming elections. City officials are playing this down as a mistake on the part of the company that put up the signs, but the evil part of me wants to think that the best way to make sure only the ‘right’ people vote is to tell the ‘wrong’ people an incorrect date to go to the polls.
- From the “Constitutional Crisis” Department – The Obama administration has taken it upon itself to decide which parts of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, it will enforce and which ones it won’t. This time, it has announced that only some parts of the caps on out-of-pocket expenses will be enforced, with the parts that aren’t enforced being delayed until after the 2014 mid-term elections. You know, I seem to remember that the Legislature says what is and isn’t law, the Judiciary says whether laws are constitutional, and the Executive, well, executes the law. Nowhere in the Constitution do I remember a section that says the Executive executes the law if it’s convenient or easy. Now, I’m no constitutional scholar, but it would seem to me that the President and his cho-gi boys are dictating what is and isn’t the law through their actions, and my gut tells me it’s more for political purposes than it is for reasons of feasibility. If they’re not going to enforce laws they like, how much can we trust them to enforce laws that they don’t? Put another way, if they won’t enforce this law, what is going to happen when another administration puts off part of the Clean Water Act or the labor laws because they’re too hard?
- From the “Skeletons in the Closet” Department – A politician in Germany is dropping out of her race after a paper she wrote years ago defending pedophilia surfaced. From the excerpt in the linked article, it’s not hard to believe that this wasn’t an assigned topic, either. If you’re going to discuss how only a child can satisfy you, then you can’t defend yourself very well when called on it. Remember kids, everything you put on the Internet is there forever, and a lot of the things you do off the Internet are being put on there for you. Either don’t do stupid crap in the first place, or learn to deal with every bad decision or harsh word in your life haunting you. Who wants to bet that within the next 20 years a presidential candidate loses because some Facebook posts from college resurface?
- From the “Overreach” Department – A judge in Tennessee is under fire because she changed the first name of a baby from “Messiah” to “Martin”. The parents of the child had not been able to compromise on whose last name to use, and had come to the courts to get a decision. The judge went beyond that request, and changed the first name and middle names as well. The judge’s ruling pretty much confirms that she did so due to her Christian beliefs that there can be only one “Messiah”. Now, I’m a Christian, and I also believe that there is only one spiritual Messiah. However, this jurist took her personal beliefs and imprinted them deeply and harshly upon a situation where they shouldn’t have come into such blatant play. Kids, this is why it’s infinitely better to figure things out on your own. If you go to Solomon to figure out whose baby it is, you will probably not like the outcome.
- From the “What Can Go Wrong?” Department – Security researchers have found an exploitable vulnerability in new lightbulbs. The LED lightbulbs in question are controllable via a wireless network, and apparently it’s possible to disrupt their use remotely. What this means to the average person is that some misanthrope in his mother’s basement could decide to not let you turn on the lights in and around your home or business. How much would it hurt a factory if the lights were to be inoperable, or even worse, unreliably on? I have seen the effects of some of these new bulbs, and they are impressive. I just don’t think I’ll be using light bulbs with an IP address and a web server anytime soon, just as I don’t think I’ll be installing Internet enabled locks for my house.
- From the “Ingratitude” Department – Wounded servicemembers, many in wheelchairs or in new prosthetics, have had to fight to use a convenient dining facility at Walter Reed hospital. Rather than allow these wounded warriors to go down the hall to get a meal, officials tried to force them to travel half a mile on crutches, prosthetics, or wheel chairs to use their meal vouchers at a “food trailer”. When I hear “food trailer”, my mind’s eye sees the “roach coach” that used to bring bad coffee and unhealthy food out to work sites. My guess is that this decision is related to the need to cut spending, and yet again it’s the parts of the military that aren’t going to either make flag-rank officers look good or satisfy some Congresscritter’s pet project that are being cut. It’s easier to make life miserable for those who don’t squeak too loudly than it is to cut a procurement program or cut some of the perks for generals and admirals. I’m glad that the decision appears to have been reversed, but it’s embarrassing that it was even suggested, much less implemented.
News Roundup
Posted by daddybear71 on August 15, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/15/news-roundup-201/
Thought for the Day
Pay attention to the details. They might be important.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 15, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/15/thought-for-the-day-200/
Today’s Earworm
This one comes courtesy of Phlegmmy, who put this particular ditty in my head.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 14, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/14/todays-earworm-399/
Kindergarten for Barbarians
The Lady of Eyre took DaddyBear the Minivandian by the hand and led him toward the temple. Waiting for them was the Master of Education, an elven mage whose wizened face gave the lie to his apparent youth.
“Welcome to Padrog the Serpent Banisher School. Are you here to learn of our school or to participate in the mid-summer sacrifice?” he queried.
“Our offspring, the Young Prince, shall be starting his education here within the fortnight, and we are here to meet his teacher.” answered the Minivandian.
“Excellent. Please go into the hall of meeting, where we shall begin the program in a few moments.”
My lord DaddyBear nodded his head in acknowledgement, and taking his lady’s hand, entered the hall of meeting. Gathered there were the teachers of the young and the parents of the other acolytes. Among them were warriors that the Minivandian knew, and they exchanged nods and stern looks of greeting. The Lady of Eyre made the rounds of the other mothers, murmuring greetings and smiling.
After a few moments, the Master of Education strode to the front of the room, and in a deep voice of authority, bid the parents to take their seats. After everyone had found their place, he fixed them with a warm gaze and greeted them once again.
“Welcome, my friends, to our school. Before we begin our time of informing, I will ask the padre for a prayer.”
Entering from the shadows of the hall, the priest walked to the front of the assemblage. His black robes were impeccable, and the dueling scar on his cheek told the Minivandian that there was more to him than a humble cleric.
“Lord of hosts,” intoned the holy man, “please be with us as we begin the education of our children and their preparation to be willing leaders of your faithful. Help us to shoulder this awesome responsibility, and always help us to remember the prayer of our Lord and Savior: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do'”.
The prayer ended, the Master of Education again took the stage, and introduced the teachers of the young children. Among the women there appeared to be masters of both magic and combat, with one proudly wearing a glittering red robe of dragon skin and another bearing a headdress of phoenix feathers.
After the introductions and some notes about how to utilize the magic elf boxes to gather still more information, the Master of Education bid the parents to adjourn to the chambers of the classes so as to learn about the teachers of the very young.
The Lady of Eyre placed her delicate but firm hand on the arm of the Minivandian, and they followed the teacher in red dragon robes down into the dungeon of the school, there to find the chamber of the Garden of Children. Behind them filed the rest of the parents, 10 in all.
As they all entered the chamber, they were greeted with colorful pictures of runes and numbers. A large slab of slate was bolted to the wall for marking, and small shelves for the students’ belongings were along the opposite wall. Small tables with even smaller stools were situated around a throne carved from what looked like the thigh bone of a great red dragon.
The teacher stepped up to the throne, and placing her hand upon it, addressed the parents.
“I am Mistress Llewellyn, the teacher of the very young here at Padrog the Serpent Banisher. I am very excited to be starting anew with your children. I have been instructing here for many years, and I hope to do as well with your offspring as I have with other students.”
Surveying the gathered parents, she smiled the smile of a predator on the hunt.
“As you can see, the children are given their own space to keep their things. The shelves should be large enough for their beginner’s scrolls and quills, pots of glue, and melee weapons. We do ask that children of such a young age not bring missile weapons to school, except on Fridays of course. That is the day of the school-wide tournament, and if a child wishes to compete in either the general scrum or the contests of skill, then they may bring their bows, spears, or slings. You will find the permission slips for these activities in the folders on the tables in front of you. In addition, even through I know that many of you may have begun training with them at home, we do ask that no bladed weapons be brought to school until the third year. This is done to prevent any…. unfortunate incidents before we are sure that all of the children are ready for such things.
“In the folders you will also find the forms for deciding on whether your child shall bring their mid-day meal with them from home, or shall purchase it from our Master of Culinary Magic, Master Dispertiebat. Please remember that he tends to prepare rather exotic fare when allowed to, so unless you have served your offspring firedrake sausage or sea serpent steak in the past, you might consider having them bring lunch for the most part.
“Pick up and drop off for the first week will be done quite slowly and methodically as the children learn their combat roles and how to leap into the back of a moving vehicle. Of course, after that, we expect them to roll out of their car seats and pull themselves back into the vehicle as you roll past as fast as you can safely do so.
“Finally, I just want to ask if any of your children have learned any spells, and whether or not they have actually been able to curse anyone?”
My lord Minivandian raised his hand, remembering the condition of the boy who had broken his daughter’s heart. It had taken weeks for the curse of the black warts to wear off, no matter the dire punishments with which he had threatened the Young Prince. Mistress Llewellyn made a note of the Minivandian’s affirmative response, and that of a handful of other fathers.
“Well, now that we are through that, does anyone have any questions?” she asked.
The Lady of Eyre raised her hand, and the teacher acknowledged her with a friendly smile and a nod.
“We have found that our son transforms into a hairy, ill-tempered beast if he is given the milk of the field-beast that has not been magically gathered by Hungarian cattle masters, and filtered through the used stocking of a Filipino fairy princess, or if he is fed food colored blood-red, or flavored by the mages of artificial sweeteners . Does the school stock commodities that would prevent that, or should we send along his midday meal from home?” inquired the Minivandian’s mate.
“In that case, I would suggest that he bring his lunch from home, my lady. Of course, on Wotan’s Day, we provide the meat and tomato pie of the Italians, and he might enjoy that as a treat.”
The teacher answered several more questions about how the students were to dress, the time of beginning and ending of classes, and whether or not the children would learn advanced combat techniques, both armed and unarmed.
Eventually, all questions had been answered, and the parents were shown the circuitous route back to the place of parking. On the way out of the temple of learning, the priest took the Minivandian’s hand and wished him well, one old warrior to another. Returning the firm grip of the wizened old cleric, the Minivandian returned the sentiment and made a mental note to enjoy a few ales with this priest. No one tells better war tales than a cleric who has had a few brews of the wheat and barley.
Returning to his freehold with the Lady of Eyre, my lord DaddyBear felt confident that the Young Prince would do well at Padrog the Serpent Banisher. Packed in a box downstairs was the miniature war club that he himself had practiced with in the Garden of Children, and his father, and his father before him. He looked forward to presenting it to his young son on the first day of learning.
Many adventures did the Young Prince have at his school. Many new lessons did he learn from his teachers, and I dare say that he taught them a few tricks of his own. But those are stories for another time.
Now, let me tell you tales of high adventure…..
Posted by daddybear71 on August 13, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/13/kindergarten-for-barbarians/
Thoughts on the Day
- I’ve had the phrase “Let us go forth to the field of Mars” going through my head all day, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out where it came from.
- Any of you literary types out there have a clue of its origin?
- I made a mistake tonight that caused a friend of mine to have an extra three to four hours of work fixing what I broke. Unfortunately, it’s not something I could help with.
- I need to do something to make up for it, like letting him punch me in the kidney or something.
- The Louisville Friends of the NRA banquet is coming up soon. If you’re in the area and want to buy a ticket, let me know.
- When you go for a month not eating fast food at all, getting a couple of cheeseburgers to go means an evening spent trying to figure out when you ate the fishing weights.
- I’m fast approaching that wonderful time of year when getting my kids educated translates into “I need another check”.
- Irish Woman attacked the jungle that grew up behind the garden boxes today. Apparently the weed whacker turned weeds several feet high into finely divided slaw.
- I wish she’d thought to have Girlie Bear take a picture because apparently she had weed and grass clippings everywhere.
- I may have found myself a new coffee joint. Yeah, it’s way over on the hippie/hipster side of things, but they make an excellent cuppa.
- ZZZZZZ
Posted by daddybear71 on August 12, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/12/thoughts-on-the-day-160/
Thoughts on the Day
- Boo announced that Irish Woman will be teaching Moonshine the Wonder Pup kung-fu. Nothing good can come from this.
- I cut down one of our older cherry trees this afternoon. The poor thing just didn’t survive last year’s drought, even with hand watering. I cut from the outside in, and checked the wood for life after every cut. It was dry and well-seasoned all the way through, even in the main trunk.
- It’ll make good smoke for the grill and firewood during the winter.
- If I had more time and was a tad more crafty, I’d take some of the straighter sections and carve them into wooden spoons.
- Luckily, there is a 5 foot volunteer tree from one of its cherries growing a few feet away, so we’ll transplant that into the same spot when we dig out the stump this fall.
- I love the smell of oil soap and lemon cleaner.
- Irish Woman and Girlie Bear went to a party and Boo took a nap, so I scrubbed down as much of the house as I could without making noise. Irish Woman is taking a couple days off work, and I want her to relax a bit.
- It seemed odd to have a pleasant evening walk with comfortable temperatures in August. Normally, I’m barricading myself behind a dehumidifier at this particular time of year.
- I’m not sure how this evening is going to end. I put down some catnip for Koshka so that she wouldn’t try to decapitate me when I put flea repellant on her, and Moonshine snarfled it all up. The interwebs say that it’s safe and probably won’t have an effect, but he’s weird enough as it is.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 11, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/11/thoughts-on-the-day-159/
Thoughts on the Day
- Saw a car this morning that had one of those “Coexist” stickers, along with a Decepticon decal. Not sure what message she was trying to convey.
- Maybe there’s more than meets the eye going on there.
- Not sure what was up with Moonshine tonight, but while we were at the movies, he chewed up the top of a bottle of sunscreen, several bunches of paper, two movie cases, and Girlie Bear’s last pair of flip-flops.
- At least he was smart enough to look guilty when we came through the door.
- Why do I always get the stoner filling our order when we get our movie snacks? Why couldn’t I get the kid who I believe is doing way too much cocaine?
- Does Disney own Nintendo or something? I counted five commercials for Wii hardware or games in conjunction with the movie tonight.
- Irish Woman has two lemons left over from something she was baking. I do believe I shall make myself some lemon-infused moonshine. Just need to go to the liquor store.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 10, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/10/thoughts-on-the-day-158/
Movie Review – Planes
Tonight, I took Boo out for a movie and saw Disney’s new movie “Planes“. It’s the latest computer animated film from Disney, and is set in the “Cars” universe.
The plot revolves around Dusty Crophopper, a plucky little cropduster who dreams of becoming more. He takes a chance on a tryout for an around-the-world race, and gets in. He is supported in this by his friends, including a crusty old Navy Coursair named Skipper. Through hard work, determination, and a lot of heart, he learns to be a good racer and competes with the big boys.
Like I said, the movie occurs in the same universe as Cars, and it shows. Cars, planes, blimps, and just about everything else that has a motor is alive and a part of the story. The movie follows a similar formula as Cars in that a young racer turns to an old hero for help and becomes something special. The formula is switched a bit in that instead of being a racer who needs help from the old wiseman to discover an inner strength, Dusty has the inner strength, but needs the aid of Skipper to learn how to translate it into being a good racer. Throughout the movie, the character of Dusty is shown to be a decent fellow in a world of people who are only in it for themselves. As part of the plot, these traits help to make him into a true hero.
The casting for this movie was very well done. Dane Cook voiced Dusty, so now I can finally say I like a movie with Dane Cook in it. Stacy Keach provided the voice for Skipper, an old war hero who takes Dusty under his wing and teaches him to really fly. Supporting characters include Chug, a fuel truck voiced by Brad Garrett, Dottie, a repair vehicle voiced by Terri Hatcher, and El Chupacabra, a fellow racer from Mexico voiced by Carlos Alaszraqui.
The movie clocks in at 92 minutes, and is one of the better paced films we’ve watched lately. Boo sat through it with minimum of fidgeting, and I was never bored.
The animation was excellent, especially when you consider that it was modeled on an earlier CGI movie. The animators definitely borrowed extensively from existing animation from Cars for background characters. A lot of the stadium shots during the races were very reminiscent of the stadium shots in both Cars films, except that every other ‘person’ in the crowd was an airplane. Rather than looking dated or out of place, these characters blended in very well with what is definitely new work when it comes to the aircraft in the movie. The animation for the airplanes was very well done. Where they needed to be cartoonish, as in their ‘face’, they were, but otherwise they looked very much like airplanes. Once again, the backgrounds in these movies are almost photo-realistic, and the fast-paced flying scenes were reminiscent of Imax films on airplanes and stunt flying.
Interestingly, this is not a Pixar production, which is a shift from the original “Cars” movies. This movie was produced by DisneyToon studios, and appears to be the first of three “Planes” movies. I hope this does not signal an absorption of Pixar into the greater Disney empire. Pixar’s quasi-independence has allowed it to produce consistently excellent movies, while Disney tends to bat around .500.
If you’re looking for an outstanding family movie that both kids and parents will enjoy, you will probably like “Planes”. Like most well-done CGI movies, it’s worth the price of admission to the big screen, and I expect that it will be on our DVD shelf when it comes out.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 10, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/10/movie-review-planes/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on August 10, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/10/todays-earworm-398/
Thoughts on the Day
- I re-qualified on properly balancing cargo loads on aircraft over the past few days. I am now qualified to tell you that tipping an airplane back on its tail is a bad thing.
- It is exceedingly hard to eat in a healthy manner when the group you’re in class with goes out to a pizza buffet for lunch.
- I’d like to say I made up for it by having a light dinner, but Irish Woman and I went out to dinner tonight, and spicy chicken with peanut sauce was calling to me.
- We’re such a swinging couple. Our date for the month consisted of going out for Chinese food and shopping for school supplies.
- Irish Woman is such a patient wife. How many women would put up with their husband come home, make plans with her for a date night, then lay down “for just a couple of minutes”, which evolved into a two hour nap?
- There comes a point that you realize that you just can’t reach some people, and it’s not worth the energy to keep trying.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 9, 2013
https://daddybearsden.com/2013/08/09/thoughts-on-the-day-157/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 
