Theresa took the dog and the camera for a walk today about 3pm. I was too tired after the gym. Although it may have been the full day of fruit tree pruning yesterday. My insurance co. was kind enough to buy me a membership to the gym. Once I reached 65, they must have figured it will cost them less in the long run. My premium is $53./mo and the membership would have cost $50/mo, so I am doing ok.
These were just past the second dam.
I got a different count three times so I numbered them in Photoshop.
This time I counted 54 in the picture,
not counting the two nice bulls and a cow or two that were out of the picture and up in the brush.
There were Mallards in the North pond
And
geese
That left pretty abruptly
Some blue birds which hopefully will move into some of the houses we just put up.
A bufflehead or two.
And a hooded merganser in the second pond
Daisy was happy afterwards and continued to try to eat one of her Christmas toys.
I just took these when we took the dog for a walk.
We counted at least 45.
They were pretty far away, these were all taken with a 400mm lens and no tripod. (which why they aren't the sharpest) They were a little shy and even with us so far away they were nervous. Somebody must have been shooting at them recently. Normally they don't pay much overt attention to us at that distance.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Orbitz has been experimenting with a 30% premium on Mac users when they search for select hotel rooms versus PC users. That effectively works out to be around $20 to $30 more than a PC user.
"Out of the 1,215 samples that were eventually tested, 401 were determined to be mislabeled."The two most mislabeled fish, according to Oceana, were snapper (for which 33 different species of fish including rockfish, perch, sea bream and tilapia were substituted) and tuna, which was mostly replaced with escolar- an often-banned snake mackerel that can cause mild to severe gastric distress to those who consume it." "Out of the 1,215 samples that were eventually tested, 401 were determined to be mislabeled." The two most mislabeled fish, according to Oceana, were snapper (for which 33 different species of fish including rockfish, perch, sea bream and tilapia were substituted) and tuna, which was mostly replaced with escolar - an often-banned snake mackerel that can cause mild to severe gastric distress to those who consume it.
UPDATE: Portland did better than the national average with only 21% of the city's fish mislabeled with the exception of it's sushi restaurants which had 63% of their fish not being what they were claimed to be. Sushi restuarants were the worst offenders nation wide. Southpark's City Wok (shitywok) it now turns out, was aptly misnamed.
There seems to be a rash of these mentally imbalanced persons lately. I suppose somebody will also make assumptions based on his name, Ali Syed, which may or may not turn out to be valid. Interesting that this one used a shot gun. In 2011, according to the FBI, more shotguns were used than rifles in California homicides. Probably should be next on the list for California to ban. I don't suppose that the rabid, sensationalizing, reporting by the news media has anything to do with these occurrences
I've been reading up on crop insurance and federal subsidies. From what I can see, the real reason for the current system of crop insurance is not there to benefit the farmers, but rather to make lots of money for the insurance companies. Go into any town, large or small, and the largest building in town will nine times out of ten, be an insurance building. (My statistics) These guys aren't in business to give money away despite what they will tell you.
"If the current system of crop insurance isn't working, why not abolish it along with direct payments and redirect the $13 billion in combined annual savings to shrink the deficit and create a truly cost-effective program? Since 2001, the current crop insurance program has cost taxpayers about $50 billion, but only half –$25 billion – has found its way into farmers’ pockets. The other $25 billion wound up in the coffers of crop insurance companies and in commissions paid to insurance agents. It strains credibility to claim that a program that costs $2 to deliver $1 of benefits is a wise use of taxpayer funds."
And for the crossbow fans among us....Some very innovative designs, including one that shoots a magazine of 45cal. balls, and an electric cocking repeater that uses crossbow bolts. Very impressive engineering.! Duckman's Website in the UK
Another example of fine German engineering. When I was a kid, the best I could come up with was a high capacity rubber band pistol. "Weaponizing Black & Decker tools" A fine winter woodworking project!
"Voted in December as vice-presidents of the
United Nations Human Rights Council for 2013 were the nations of Mauritania
and Maldives, both of which permit the death penalty for
renouncing Islam. In Mauritania, a person so charged has three days to
repent for a lesser sentence. (An August 2012 dispatch in London's
The Guardian reported widespread acceptance of slavery conditions
in Mauritania affecting as many as 800,000 of the 3.5 million population.
Said one abolitionist leader, "Today we have the slavery [that] American
plantation owners dreamed of [in that the slaves] believe their condition is
necessary to get to paradise.")
[Reuters via Yahoo News, 12-10-2012; The
Guardian, 8-14-2012]"
From our good friend Chuck Shepherd:
I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago, He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him, Just `on spec', addressed as follows, `Clancy, of The Overflow'.
And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected, (And I think the same was written with a thumb-nail dipped in tar) 'Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it: `Clancy's gone to Queensland droving, and we don't know where he are.'
In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy Gone a-droving `down the Cooper' where the Western drovers go; As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing, For the drover's life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.
And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars, And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wond'rous glory of the everlasting stars.
I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall, And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all
And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle Of the tramways and the 'buses making hurry down the street, And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting, Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.
And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste, With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy, For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.
And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy, Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go, While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal --
But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of `The Overflow'.
And the winner of the Car Talk Ugliest car contest is: The Nissan Juke. Rhymes with . . . ? What were they thinking? Can they really sell these? It would be nice if one of the major companies decided to manufacture something similar to my old International, or my Willys MB, or even our 72 Mercedes 220d (no computers anywhere, all mechanical), all of which had not much more than the basics, making them easy to repair and keep on the road. Many of the classics had closely interchangeable parts with other cars and trucks. The IH having been built by the factory as somewhat of a Frankenstein from parts sourced everywhere, was even more so. Looking at the "Juke", I doubt there is a part on it that isn't proprietary. My guess is that not even the Chinese would feel comfortable making knock-off parts for it. If it were given to me, I'd start by knocking off most of the body.
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