Weekend open thread
May 4, 2018
Peak Morning
Sunrise reaches Mount Fuji before reaching the city of Fujiyoshida, Japan. The highest peak in Japan (elevation 12,389 feet) is also an active volcano, which last erupted more than 300 years ago.
By the way, the official TAH watering hole is now open in the nation’s capitol. All proceeds go straight into my pocket. It’s called Slash Run and it’s managed by my daughter. The Washington Post has judged the burgers to be among the very best in the DC Area.
Category: Open thread
FIRST!
Back to back.
And now I am going to go back to nursing the wife, who had to have oral surgery this morning.
Have a good weekend ladies and gentlemen.
Congratulations on FIRST!
Did the docs put your wife under sedation? I have some oral surgery coming up and, evidently, they do not intend to send me to that state of consciousness that no one ever seems to remember.
Congratulations! Way to go, way to be.
first
first
Jon, you beat me by thaaaaaaat much, Congratulations.
I was shocked to see this one HMC. I was reading the Heavy Chevy update, bounced to the main page, and tried getting it when I saw the WOT was up.
Damn. I upgraded to DOS 6.2 and a new 56K modem. I’m getting closer.
Mr. Hitek you are.
The proud but humble woman owned business that Hack works for is negotiating a contract to install dial up internet service to Amish communities. The Vice President of the company says that the federal government has ignored the needs of this community for far too long.
Also, the Vice President is “this close” to securing that contract with the Federal Government for Y3K software, so buy your stock now before it gets too expensive.
Top 10?
Work sucks sometimes. I’m sitting here F5-ing until my fingertips are sore … get called away … two minutes!
And I’m not first.
Sigh. Congrats, Jon!
good morning all, and holy crap I’m early!
Lebentyteenth!!!
So, here again is this week’s missive in trivia and humor … well, trivia anyway. Please enjoy. And I’ve taken last week’s suggestions into account and will reflect them in future columns. DID YOU KNOW…? Did Robin Williams get the role of the alien “Mork” because of an ad-lib at his audition? By Commissioner Wretched Ah, social media. Where, oh where, would we be without social media? (That’s not a rhetorical question, by the way. If you don’t have an answer, I’ll provide one.) A couple of years ago I flew home to Chicago to attend a family wedding/reunion and catch a Cubs game in the process. While waiting for my return flight to Atlanta out of O’Hare International Airport, I spent a lot of time watching people. That’s a fun diversion, if you don’t know. I observed that most of the people who were waiting in the concourse for their flight were actively engaged on their cell phones, or their tablets, or their laptops … and I’d guess that about 90% of them were on Facebook or other social media website. I also observed that very, very few of these people were talking to anybody, including their own (apparent) family members. Social media, pfui! Let’s start talking to each other again! You know, like people did for the 7,000 or so years before the Internet was invented. You can talk to me, you know, and use the Internet to do so! Drop an e-mail to me at didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com and I promise an answer. Put your laptop, cell phone, or tablet aside, and read the newspaper – especially the trivia column! Did you know … … every two minutes, people take more photographs than all of humanity took in the 19th century? (And most of those end up online – photos of cats, primarily. Which is fine, since I love cats.) … a 120-pound woman walking in stiletto heels exerts more pressure on the ground than an 8,000 pound elephant? (I wouldn’t tell her that, unless you want to eat the stiletto heels.) … your heart pumps with enough pressure… Read more »
Add this one: Water can be made to flow uphill. It’s the Leidenfrost effect.
Easily demonstrated by flicking water droplets onto a hot skillet, and watch them dance around.
…and we’re going from one solar minimum right into another. What will happen to us all, should the weather shrink to snowflakes alone?
We should all remember Karashnikov’s famous poem:
“Another Christmas of Agony”
Mischa the dog
lies dead in the bog.
The children cry over the carcass. The mist chokes my heart,
covers the mourners.
At least this year we eat.
“every state in the union has a town or city named Lincoln”…
There’s a Lincoln, Hawaii?
Thanks for the trivia, CW…always interesting, entertaining and helpful for Jeopardy fans (but don’t tell that to Ranger Mike Sleeper)..
Arizona has a lot of Lincoln car dealers though
Colors that don’t rhyme?
Orange does rhyme with door hinge
Works all of the time!
… there are no cemeteries in San Francisco, California? All residents of the City By The Bay are buried outside the city limits.
And they all vote Democrat.
A cotton mouth can still bite while swimming but is less likely to.
Beer and burgers? Now that’s a winning combination, Jonn. Congrats to you and your daughter!
^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^
Ditto!
Oh yes, congratulations for a great man and his great family.
Here’s to great success for all of you !!!
Speaking of volcanoes…
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/05/03/breaking-news/magma-activity-eases-but-eruption-still-possible-on-big-isle/
WHAT’S UP YOU GAPING TWATS?~!?!?!?
Have a lovely weekend.
Nice 2-fer Jon The Mechanic
Only tow more weeks to go to tie my 4-fer.
Your poor poor F5 key.
3rd billiointh and I am at home in my
galaxy, managing the Dew Drop Inn.
Speaking of volcanoes, Kilauea has erupted, following a strong earthquake earlier. There is a video embedded somewhere in that story.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-volcano-eruption-spews-lava-high-in-air-into-leilani-estates-2018-05-04-live-updates/
In addition, this article appeared on Wattsupwiththat this morning, an attempt to ban sunscreen products on Hawaii. It is not law just yet.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/05/03/
coral-before-people-hawaii-bans-popular-sunscreen-products
Hawaii is looking at banning sunscreen products because they will “hurt” the corals somehow. It’s not like they haven’t been using sunscreen for decades and the corals somehow managed to survive and thrive, right? Still, you’ll get fried, either way!
From your first link: “Scientists said areas downslope of the erupting vent were at risk of being covered by lava.” And for that a PhD is required? Elsewhere, I guess, lava flows upward.
Leilani Estates has many more homes for sale today than it did yesterday. Also, a couple that were on the market yesterday are suddenly no longer available…at any price.
This is one “Red hot market” that should be avoided…
Why, yes. Yes, a PhD is required to announce that lava flows downslope.
There may be a place as yet undiscovered where lava flows uphill.
I keep looking. I have heard a lot of strange things lately.
Next thing you know one will need a Piled-higher-and Deeper Degree to tell us that fire is hot and shit stinks! BTW Ex-PH2, when will we get another one of your Astrological forecasts?
I’ve given up on astrologers because almost all of them were firmly predicting that Pantusit would win the 2016 election. Wishful thinking and a can of daydreams won’t put food on your plate, will it? No. It won’t.
I’ve seen stuff that was so completely off in the clouds, I wondered how those people avoid bumping into doors.
My own forecast is that since the 2018 flu vaccine is predicted to be only 20% effective, you should get it anyway plus the pneumonia shot, wash your hands a lot, avoid crowds as much as possible, and get most of your grocery shopping done early in the day or late, toward 8PM, to avoid those contacts. And take your vitamins! And don’t eat junk food!
It’s a corollary of the first law of plumbing, “Shit flows Downhill”
That’s the Leidenfire effect.
Fuji hasn’t erupted in over 300 years, but the 2011 earthquake did rattle the old fellow. A friend of mine on Taiwan said there has been a bunch of strong quakes on that island. He thinks that something is stirring in the whole area, going south.
The sunscreen ban made me wander down memory lane. Back when, if you went to the beach and were truly gnarly, you carried a chunk of canning paraffin for board wax in your pocket, and had your nose coated in a thick white paste to keep it from sunburn. I think the stuff was zinc oxide, but can’t remember for sure.
So here’s a question: If Hawaii bans newer forms of sunscreen, does that mean zinc oxide is going to make a comeback? How cool is that? Maybe they could bring back eight-track tapes while they’re at it.
Another common tanning concoction used back then by lifeguards and surfers was to mix baby oil with a very small amount of iodine. The idea being, like frying chicken, to brown things without letting them burn. Normal suntan lotion was for tourists and little girls…
What the ecohippies are objecting to are oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are mixed with titanium dioxide (the white stuff), because it somehow poisons the corals.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/05/03/coral-before-people-hawaii-bans-popular-sunscreen-products/
Banning sunscreen? That’s racist!
Notice how the volcano never erupted during the eight years of the Obama Administration? Thanks a lot, Trump.
Top 20
Robbed of a necropost, recycled WOT, 1st is last is 1st again win, I can’t win for loosing.
You’re just trying to make me feel good, aren’t you? Well, it worked.
Your explanation had an Abbott/Costello twist to it, that definitely was amusing.
Happy weekend everyone!!
Back at’cha, Hotel Alpha!
*grin*
Okay, the Derby is tomorrow. No, not the Brown Derby or the Soap Box Derby but the KY (Jelly) Derby. Is there a punter among us, anyone who parks in the handicapper spaces? If so, let me know. This year’s Derby is a monster. At least 10 of the 20 beats entered can win, not including the false favorite Justify.
Joe Drape’s win-place-show picks: Bolt d’Oro, My Boy Jack, Noble Indy
Melissa Hoppert’s picks: Good Magic, Justify, Hofburg
Yes, I know its the NYT, Link
I like Good Magic, just because it’s close to my Navy callsign.
Note that of the two sets of picks for WPS, no hoss appears twice. Like I said, this year’s Derby is a monster with any of about a dozen colts capable of winning. Good Magic has a very good shot at wearing the roses.
Perfect Mint Julep.
1. Add sugar and water (or simple syrup) to a glass or julep cup.
2. Add mint and lightly muddle, being sure to swab the sides of the glass with mint.
3. Fill glass half full with crushed ice.
4. Throw all that shit out the window.
5. Add bourbon and crushed ice, stir until the glass frosts up.
6. Relax. Sip, wash, rinse, repeat step 5 as needed.
Just curious, but in step 6, seems much more efficient to skip the “wash, rinse” part. Save water, too.
Anyone seen my shirt? I lost it. Justify turned out to be the legitimate favorite. Good Magic placed and was in a perfect position to make a run at Justify but Justify would not be denied. Audible found his best stride too late.
Here’s the s. Plug it bewteen the a and t in beats. Thanks.
Preparing to put gas in lawn mower for the season and downloading a ground speed app to my iPad.
What could go wrong?
Zero turn into the pine trees, bad.
There is an anagram in there somewhere.
“By the way, the official TAH watering hole is now open in the nation’s capitol.”
Well, it’s time for us to acquire Dickweed Challenge coins.
Dickweed tees. “TAH Army: Major Dickweed.” Note: Also works for Marines and Air Force. For water people: “TAH Navy: Master Dickweed.”
Because Rear Admiral (lower half) Dickweed just dosen’t work, and Dickweed First Class (DW1) won’t fly with the Goat Locker, either.
Hmmmm, thinking…
Well, Jonn wasn’t Navy – so I guess we can’t refer to him as “Chief Dickweed”, can we? (smile)
‘Course, since he owns TAH lock/stock/barrel . . . I guess we can legitimately refer to him as the “Dickweed in Chief”.
“Dickweed in Chief, This Ain’t Hell” (official acronym: DiCTAH). Helluva rank/title line for a signature block! (smile)
Nice.
If Hack Stone shows his employee ID from a proud but humble woman owned business formerly located in Bethesda MD, will he get a discount?
May the 4th be with you all this weekend, been really busy lately miss reading your comments…
For those of you in the New England area who are interested in seeing something cool the Volvo Ocean Race boats will arrive in Newport Rhode Island on the 8th of May and stay here until the 20th of May.
These are 65′ monohulls that reach speeds in excess of 20 knots…these boats race around the world and are competing currently in this year’s race. This is their only US stopover point.
As an amateur sailor I will definitely be there to see these boats, plus my wife knows the cousin of one of the boat captains so we’re hoping to get a look inside and onboard.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
One of my favorite memories… landing in Dublin and finding that the Cutty Sark ships were there for the opening of the race/cruise. 23 Class A tall ships moored along the quays…and the next morning, with Guinness in hand, we watched them sail out past the headland. No two ships had their sails set the same, and I had this vision of each captain on deck stumping up and back muttering “bloody fools don’t even know how to set their canvas right!”
I like the monohulls. They’re more of what a sailboat is supposed to be. Something went missing when the America’s Cup went to the big cats.
Had a great time crewing on the yawls at Pax River during the Wednesday Races. These were 38 foot hand-me-downs from the Naval Academy, and pretty much bullet proof. Never won against the race boats, but big fun was had by all.
“Grind, dammit, grind!”
*grin*
Alaska has a Lincoln Island, but don’t know if it qualifies as a town or city..
CW, perhaps someone gave you erroneous info about the name “Lincoln” being in every State? You got my curiousty since I enjoy trivia and learning new info about our Country. Thanks!
Been waiting all week to tell this. I had a nice event last Sun at a family thing on my bride’s side. A gent was there wearing a WW-II ballcap with a Bronze Star emblem”. Because of TAH, my spidey senses tingled.
During the afternoon I sat next to him and said “I hear you were at Normandy”? Yes, he said, “with the 4th ID but I was NOT in the first wave, I didn’t land until around 1 when there was nothing but some small arms fire.” Wow. Relieved a bit I was. He then said all he did was dig fox holes for the HHC 1SG and officers until he happened on the Col in the chow line and asked to get sent to the forward Arty liason Det to get out of filling bags. There, he said, he was a scrounger for the Supply Sgt. He stayed with them across France and Germany until Armistice. He said he screwed up big time once on a scrounging mission for batteries in his jeep when he found himself in no-man’s land with Allies on the right and Germans on the left. They shot the crap out of his jeep but he was unscathed. He got a scratch for which they tried to give him a Purple Heart but, he said, he refused it because he didn’t deserve it. I think that’s where he got his Bronze Star but not sure.
Amazing eh? A 93 year old man that described his life as an 18 year old in one of the greatest war ventures ever without assuming any glory at all.
It was a real palate cleanser after what we see here. He’s been back several times and said he’s never been kissed and hugged so much in his life (by French women).
Now THAT was a refreshing read! Thanks, sj.
Thank you, sj, for sharing this. It IS refreshing to read about a fellow Soldier who did not embellished his Military service. Kudos to him.
Wow, cool!
I see old men wearing WW II Veteran ball caps too often. I have come to believe that every damn one of them is probably full of shit.
Thanks for sharing that, sj. Helps to keep the faith.
Any time I need a WWII story I can call my DAD and ask him what he did in the WAR(A troop, 15th CAV}.
Eleventy-first!
—-
Hobbits rule OK!
Hobbits? Ah! Lemon cake in the middle of the afternoon! I’ve already had my 2nd breakfast! And tea! And macaroons, freshly baked! And shepherd’s pie.
Oooooooohhhhh …. “Shepherd’s pie” says she.
email enroute re photo.
See, I knew something was wrong with me – I only have a left leg and a right leg. I don’t have a front leg or a back leg;
The old man did good, the reporter, not so much.
Thank goodness he didn’t stick out his front leg.
Old tripod strikes again!
Nicely done and the thief likely still does not know what he hit.
Gotta be careful around old men, they didn’t get to be old by being nice. Bill rocks.
Just waiting for the inevitable lawsuit to be filed against the old man.
48rd and Honorary First once again.
((((OVER))))
I am presently present.
This is the 100th anniversary of the pandemic known as the Spanish Flu. I don’t know why epidemic has fallen out of fashion, but this is what they use now.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-pandemic-history.htm
H1N1 bird flu virus was the source, but the reason so many people died was partly due to a particularly aggressive pneumonia infection, as well as other things like lack of hygiene.
Anyway, get your freakin’ flu shot this fall. Period. You can get it at Walgreen’s, and they will notify the VA FHCC for you.
Pandemic covers a larger area, like world- or continent-wide. Think of it as an epidemic which has spread. So the ebola, Marburg etc. in Africa could be considered epidemic, Spanish flu and Black Death pandemic.
H5N1= bird flu.
H1N1 (if I am not mistaken) is human, swine, and avian. (Endemic in humans)
Flu is an incredibly agile and adaptable virus.
RNA viruses mutate readily. Hence the need for yearly updated vaccines.
DNA viruses (think small pox) do not have the potential to mutate from host to host, so the same vaccine will work successfully for many years.
I am part of our disaster recovery / business continuity team at work. Last year’s exercise event included a flu bug.
Post-exercise reading on flu has been…. Educational.
Well, the current report on flu vaccines for next fall is that they may be only 20% effective.
http://time.com/5160213/flu-shot-effectiveness-2018/
It’s partly due to mutations that occur when the viruses are processed to produce the vaccines. Isn’t that encouraging?
I will be stocking up on “stuff” for fall and winter over the summer, well ahead of the flu season. I will get my flu shot either at the FHCC or Walgreen’s, and I might just get the pneumonia shot, too, because my sister chewed me out for not getting it this last time.
I am not superstitious about the flu bugs, but if they can shift their genetic material during production to make it less effective, then –??? What are we really facing?
“It’s partly due to mutations that occur when the viruses are processed to produce the vaccines. Isn’t that encouraging?”
The CDC looks at current influenza around the world 6 to 8 months in advance. This is done because it takes that long to produce the vaccine, the virus has the potential to mutate from host to host and change significantly before flu season, this renders the vaccine less effective. Some times they just guess wrong and an entirely different viral strain comes along.
They are not mutating the virus during production, it is a killed virus during production.
The flu virus is not killed until it is harvested from the chicken egg. It is still alive when it’s injected into the eggs.
When it’s harvested, it is killed either by heat or chemicals.
I think there’s some misunderstanding here. Flu viruses are single strand genetic bugs (RNA), not double strand (DNA), which means that they can shift genetic any time. This article provides that info: http://nieman.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/pod-assets/microsites/NiemanGuideToCoveringPandemicFlu/TheScience/HowFluVirusesChange.aspx.html
This Scripps Institute article details how the flu viruses mutate during production in chicken eggs.
https://www.scripps.edu/news/press/2017/20171030wilson.html
“Wu used a high-resolution imaging technique called X-ray crystallography to show that—when grown in eggs—the H3N2 subtype mutates a key protein to better attach to receptors in bird cells. Specifically, there was a mutation called L194P on the virus’s hemagglutinin glycoprotein (HA). This mutation disrupts the region on the protein that is commonly recognized by our immune system.” – article.
We’re getting flue shots from a ‘killed’ virus that has mutated in the chicken egg, resulting in less viable and efficient protection from whatever virus is going around.
Stephen King wrote about a shifting antigen flu virus in “The Stand”. It was lethal to anything not resistant to it, flu shot or not. That was as close to these current bugs as you can get.
I read a few weeks ago that someone is trying to produce an all-in-one flu shot. Something like that could be far worse than just the single variant we get in the fall.
I understand the RNA versus DNA viruses, outlined that above.
I did not know about the Scripps Institute study, thanks.
I had a “duh” moment reading that.
Flu adapts to hosts, and mutates readily over time. Vaccine manufacture requires hosts and lots of time.
“Holy obvious Batman!”
I am now impressed the vaccine works at all.
I found that article interesting because it indicates that the use of eggs is becoming less and less effective because of these rapid mutations. If they can’t find another suitable means of producing the vaccine serum, this is going to be a serious problem.
Oops.
Any strain of flu that can be cultured in eggs tends to get vaccined to death.
Any that can’t…
Crap.
Was off @ the Dr.s getting some meds for this sore throat I’ve been fighting all week. Will post the scoreboard when I can think/type straight again.
Geezo Pete, Graybeard! Take care of you!!
N.B.: Wilted Willy is out with a broken leg. Probably won’t be up to doing anything for a couple of weeks.
Blast. Hope is gets well quickly.
Thanks Ex, I managed to crawl to the keyboard. I got a knee scooter so I can move around a little bit now. I go see the ortho surgeon on Monday to see if they are going to have to operate on it, or hopefully, I can just get it put in a cast?? I look forward to being back in 8 or 9 weeks, I hope???
Take care all and best wishes!
Willy
Best wishes, WW! Get well, and post when you can. Place wouldn’t be the same without you.
Take your time, GB, and get well. No one here is going anywhere soon.
Thx. The Mrs and I are spending a lot of time sitting around listlessly and wishing we had the energy to actually do something.
On the upside, home-made chicken-noodle soup for supper. Good stuff.
89rd!
And from of my indexees Bernath is still death and he distributed xxxxx xxxx.
Out!
But the ghost of Bernath’s bunghole still comes out of the Great Beyond to post here from time to time. Remember, Bernath’s bunghole was the last thing on his mind, just before it went through the windscreen.
Hack was cruising around Al Gore’s Amazing Internet, when he stumbled across a video of the memorial for the recently departed Daniel Bernath.
The Honor Guard was composed of the remaining members of the DRG, but since most of them are convicted felons and are legal barred from possessing firearms, they stuck heir fingers in the air and made “Pew, pew” sounds.
Then, Dallas Wittgenfeld approached the Widow Bernath and asked “May I say something?” She nodded, then he approached the podium, leaned into the microphone, and said “Plethora.” He then sat down next to the grieving widow. She then stood, turning to towards the DRG and said “Thank you. That means a lot.”
My neighbor just had a muffler delete done to his Dodge Demon. Its loud but its hard to get mad when it sounds so frigging good!! Thing sounds like it eats children!!
Random news:
Pence’s doctor (who filed some of the complaints against Dr. Jackson) resigned:
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/04/pence-doctor-resigns-after-jackson-debacle-569004
And, unfortunately, 10 SEALs are in hot water after testing positive for drugs:
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/05/04/10-seals-face-separation-after-testing-positive-for-drugs/
Sooo… Dr. Jennifer Peña, the doctor for VP Pence’s wife, felt “uncomfortable” and intimidated when RADM Jackson admiral-‘splained things to her. Instead of taking her beef through normal channels, she went to Sen. Tester at the VA committee who turned a minor spat into a giant shit show. And now Peña’s resigned because things got out of control and somebody outed her.
Is that about it, or did I miss something?
Possibly, but I’d guess the VAC was already looking into RADM Jackson given that they spoke with 20+ other people in addition to Dr. Pena’s complaints. And the two most senior Republican members of the committee also made clear they have no issue with Sen. Tester’s release.
However, there’s obviously no way Dr. Pena could continue in that position, so the resignation was a foregone conclusion. And Friday afternoon is the time when stuff like that happens.
It’s a shit show regardless, but I’m not yet sure where the lion’s share of the blame rests. If it’s with the Senators, it’s with the whole lot of them, not just Tester, it seems.
Well, DUH! Why would anyone suppose she could return to a job she threw away by (at best) ignoring the proper channels for reporting an employment issue OR making up stuff that made international headlines? No sane person, that’s who.
Doesn’t matter who you are or how righteous your complaint may be, you’ve given up your job when you go public with a grievance instead of using the reporting methods everyone else uses.
Hogwash!
Pena didn’t get the plum job she thought she was going to get, period. Instead of applying for it, she bitched that someone senior to her got it. Spoiled brat syndrome, waving the vagina at everyone.
And that is PLUM job, as in prize, NOT PLUMB job, which is digging up dirt.
Unless there is PROOF that Dr. Jackson did something wrong, WHICH I DOUBT, because he’d have been “caught” during the Obama admin, this is a tempest in a teapot and Tester thought he could get some street creds out of it.
I’d lay odds this is mostly made up out of whole cloth and if push comes to shove, IT NEVER HAPPENED.
Those 23 people complaining? Where are they and who are they? Bring them out of the shadows or shut the frack up.
IMHO, if anyone “military” should be given the VA job it should be a line officer, NOT a doctor. The VA is a cesspit of civil service slugs. I’ve had to tangle with them, just like everyone else. The whole thing needs to be cleaned out. My concern is that Tammy Quackers will get it and there goes the whole mess down the tubes.
Tester thought he was going to get some mileage out of it and it is backfiring on him. I don’t believe anything he says, because he jumped on this like a starving dog on a bone.
23 witnesses? Bring them up and tell them “under oath means if you lie and we find out about it, you get jail time”. I don’t think they exist, or if they do, they thought they’d get something out of it for themselves.
Fully agree – though it needs to be the right non-medical guy. Shinsheki didn’t exactly cover himself with glory as VA Secretary.
RDML Jackson may well have been a good choice to head the VHA – or not, depending on his aptitude for managing large organizations. That was my single biggest reservation regarding his nomination.
The key phrase there is “aptitude for managing large organizations”. Most doctors are patient focused and tend to have a “screw costs, focus on what’s best for the patient” mindset; they also don’t tend to have experience at managing large and diverse organizations. And the VA is nothing if not large, diverse – and filled with waste/fraud/abuse.
We need a sharp manager with a thick skin and an eye for weeding out waste/fraud/abuse to run that cesspit. And that skill set generally means the guy or gal won’t be a great doctor.
Problem with that philosophy is that it is the experts, those with an aptitude for managing large organizations who got us into this mess. Perhaps what we need for now IS someone focused on patients instead of how to run a bureaucratic behemoth. I rather like the idea of someone looking at everyone employed through the lens “How does this person contribute to patient care?”
That’s fine for the Veterans Health Administration, OWB – and if RDML Jackson has the appropriate management skills, he might have been a good choice to head that.
But the VHA is well under half of what the VA does overall. The rest involves making and administering ratings, administering major financial benefit programs (disability compensation, pensions, aid and assistance, home loans, student benefits, life insurance), along with running cemeteries and the organization itself (along with its physical plant) – as well as probably at least half-a-dozen other non-medical things I’ve left out.
IMO the skills needed to run them are exceedingly rare among medical professionals. And if they’re over half of what the organization does, putting someone in charge who has the “patient first, screw cost” mentality may not be a good thing.
IMO what’s screwed up the VA is that it’s become the proverbial “self-licking ice cream cone”. In my view it has completely forgotten that part of its job is to be a good steward of public resources, and instead has focused solely on giving away Uncle Sam’s cash (directly, or in kind) by “growing their customer base” in order to justify ever-larger budget requests. Their budget has literally tripled since the Clinton Administration, but the number of veterans certainly hasn’t tripled.
I’d guess that’s happened unconsciously over the last 15 years – but IMO it HAS indeed happened. Couple that with the “I’m entitled to that because I served” mentality among many if not most vets and the ease of fraud (especially with respect to PTSD). Now, add to that the various lists of “presumptive conditions” for Vietnam/other conflicts and the current state of the VA becomes eminently understandable as well as predictable.
The VA owes vets care for what got broke while they were, as well as compensation. But for too many, it’s become yet another financial windfall.
John Giduck – the turd with a face!
In other news, I have set a pot of beans to soak on the stove, not the counter. They should be fully and thoroughly wet by 4PM, which will be start-cooking-time. I think I’ll make some cookies, too.
I had to turn the furnace on this morning because the indoor temp dropped below 70F, which is too chilly in my jammies and I want my comfort. This was, per the local weather service, the chilliest April on record (so far). At least the trees are finally putting out leaves.
Don’t need to wait that long, Ex.
“Fast soak method:
Bring the beans and water to a boil over high heat. Cook the beans for 1 minute, then remove the pot from the heat. Cover and soak for 1 hour in the warm water. Drain.”
Easy! I do it all the time.
Thank you, Ed. If I’m in a hurry I do it that way. Today is Saturday – 1st Weekend Day! I’ve got time, and BBQ beans with smoked sausage and cornbread for supper, too.
Not to mention a rare tornado-free month in some states north of here. Must all be due to global warming.
No tornadoes at all in Oklahoma Jan. 1 to April 30, as of today. It appears, from the map at climate dot gov, that they are clustering in the southeastern setting. None in Kansas, either. Whatever will Dorothy do?
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/oklahoma-tornado-drought-start-2018
Man, what a freaking week from hell.
–Flying back from TX last Friday. Heading towards gate at DFW and company cell rings. “We’ve decided to let you go.” No warning, no nothing. While I’m on the plane.
–Start making calls and LinkedIn messages while waiting for connection. By the time I can check phone in Boston, I have FIVE interviews scheduled for Monday. Spent weekend updating resume, etc.
–By Wednesday have three job offers. Picked one. Start 5/14.
–Put my 13-year old dog down Thursday.
–Was supposed to get check(s) yesterday. ADP shows them processed. Not in bank. Send former HR email asking if they were direct deposit or paper (either way, they’re late.) No answer.
So, about all I can do at this point is decide if/when I want to call the labor board because ADP won’t tell me shit.
But I got a job, just an unplanned week of vacation first.
Sorry to hear you lost that job, Sparky. Yes, raise the issue with the labor board. Where’s the cash?
Tough week. If it’s any consolation, if that’s how your former company treats its staff, you’re probably better off elsewhere, anyway.
Roberto Garza Palacios, a Guatemalan national, has been illegally in this country since 2009. Roberto was not fearful of deportation, because he was living not only in sanctuary Maryland but in Montgomery county, a bastion of liberalism. So, in 2015, when Roberto was arrested by local police, Montgomery county ignored the ICE detainer that had been placed and released him. Last December, Roberto was driving on 270 and plowed into two men who had stopped to assist another motorist. The two, one an FBI agent and the other a fire marshal, were killed. By the way, not thanks to MD or Montgomery county for Roberto’s arrest: ICE got him Friday.
The PDRofMD strikes again. Condolences to the families and friends of the two taken out by this criminal.
Sad and shameful.
What a price to pay for this piece of shit to be noticed. There’s what should happen and then there’s what we all fear probably will happen to him. See him next month.
Once again, I thank God Almighty for the fact that I no longer live in the People’s Democratic Republic of Maryland.
The only worse places I can think of to live would be either DC or most of the Northeastern Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (includes NY) – and that’s only because the weather in that part of the country generally sucks in comparison to most of Maryland. Even CA and HI – which IMO are politically just as effed-up politically as MD, the NE-USSR, and DC – have generally decent weather as a mitigating factor.
Here’s a fun and exciting read, another “expert” shows his colors.
http://victorygirlsblog.com/dan-helmer-liar-and-disgrace-to-the-uniform-video/
THAT IS some Weapons grade retard there.
Close to finishing a big install with two school bus companies in Tunkhanock.
We have 58 to go. 17 vans and 41 buses. For just me and my partner we’re way ahead of schedule.
Have a great weekend, folks!
I think Kilauea is taking a breather right now, but this bit from ABC News has some great video of lava splattering everywhere and giant road cracks.
“They build a home next to a live volcano and wonder why there’s lava in the living room.” – George Carlin. Fascinating.
https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/eruptions-kilauea-volcano-hawaii-54963915
The total number of homes destroyed so far by Kilauea comes to 26.
The lava rolling along, covering the land, appears to be about 6 to 8 feet deep. And it’s oozing.
How many tons of lava from Kilauea’s vents will it take to make the Great Crack finally detach itself from the Big Island and slide off into the Pacific? That will be an awesome event when it happens.
Link to a report on how Rep. Mueller is desperately doing whatever it takes to get DTrump removed from office. It’s a pdf.
https://1zwchz1jbsr61f1c4mgf0abl-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gohmert_Mueller_UNMASKED.pdf
OOOOpppsss! I meant ‘former FBI head Mueller’. My bad.
Thanks for the link. Great read. I knew some of this stuff, but not the whole story on Mueller and his many bad acts. He is a modern day Inspector Javert. Everyone who wants to give him a pass because he served in the Corps in the Viet of the Nam should read Rep. Gomert’s memo at the link.
Bacon!
How much do you want, Big Boy???
Mmmmmm…. bacon….
John McCain will be dead soon and says he does not want Trump at his funeral. He does want Trump’s immediate predecessor in office to eulogize him. McCain could have been quiet about it and gotten the word out through channels but, no, he has to be an asshole to the end–and beyond. Adios Johnny.