Note: This also appears over at my own web site, Animal Magnetism. Note that over there it’s a Rule Five Friday post, so the images are… different.
Life is full of little milestones, and sometimes some larger ones. Last Saturday, at around 8:00 AM, I reached one of those more significant milestones: Sixty years of age.
The Allamakee County homestead.
Age sixty doesn’t carry quite the senior-citizen status it did a few years ago, although I am beginning to see some of the benefits of that status, in odd little things like breaks on theater ticket prices, the occasional ten percent off on senior days at the grocery, and so on. Probably the most significant of these benefits is a free lifetime general hunting and fishing license here in our new Alaska home, which allows me to take a wide variety of fish, small and large game, exempts me from the King salmon stamp and state waterfowl stamp requirements. That’s nice, but what’s a little more interesting, for me, is to look back on these last six decades. All in all, I’ve had a good time.
Not many folks are familiar with my birthplace: Oelwein, Iowa. The farm my parents were working at the time is gone now, having been absorbed into a wildlife refuge. I spent most of my youth in Blackhawk and Allamakee counties. But that’s just location.
I was fortunate in having strong, capable parents. My father and grandfathers, as fine a group of men as ever drew breath, taught me early on the things a man needs to know to be a man: Courage, determination, the value of education and, more than that, knowledge. The value of work. From all of them I learned what it was to maintain a rural home, to raise crops and stock, to hunt, to fish, to shoot straight, to build. The Old Man was also an artist of some repute, for years one of his paintings always was on display in his dedicated place in the Iowa state capitol.
My mother was the first to show me what unconditional love meant, and also that a woman can fill what was then the traditional home-making role while being tough and capable – certainly not oppressed by anyone. She was, as the Old Man would have admitted, a better angler than even he, and her knowledge of northeastern Iowa wildflowers was unmatched; botany professors from universities around the Midwest brought students to our Allamakee County home to have Mom escort them through our wooded hills and hear her describe the plants that grew there.
From that foundation I’ve moved through my life. My time in the Army changed me, as the Old Man, a World War Two veteran, and my paternal grandfather, a Great War veteran, said it would, in ways that people who have not served would not understand. That service also led me to the single greatest blessing of my life: My own dear Mrs. Animal, who I met during Operation Desert Storm.
The values learned in my youth served well in my civilian career: Hard work, perseverance, reliability. Moving into self-employment as an independent consultant re-enforced those attributes, and I have now spent over half my career as such, in contract work. Success in such depends on reliability; being known as the guy who can get the job done, on time if not ahead of time, on budget if not under budget. In the course of that career I’ve been to some interesting places: Japan, China, South Africa, Germany, Ireland, as well as all over Canada, Mexico and the United States. Some of those places (Japan) I came to love; others (China) I don’t care if I never see again. But I wouldn’t go back and change a thing; travel gives one a lot of perspective that may be gained in no other way.
Colorado was a great place to live when I moved there in the late Eighties, and Mrs. Animal and I loved our home there, the natural beauty that state holds, and we raised our family there. But as anyone who has long read these virtual pages are familiar with our unhappiness with the direction that state has taken as well as our ever-increasing love of the Great Land. So as Americans have done since the Founding, we voted with our feet and made our home in Alaska, where we intend to spend the rest of our lives.
Home in the Great Land.
So, six decades.
I’ve always been the guy to look forward, not back. While this milestone is one of some significance, still, there is a lot to look forward to. In a few more years, retirement from my primary career will give me more time for other pursuits, writing, fishing, hunting, exploring the vastness of the Great Land. All with Mrs. Animal by my side, of course. We look forward to seeing our four daughters and (so far) six grandchildren continue down their own lives’ paths, and when possible, to welcome them as well as old friends to visit us in this place which is, for most, a once or twice in a lifetime vacation but, for us, is home.
It’s been a great ride so far. I’ll continue to push ahead as I always have; an intelligent person, after all, should be able to live a thousand years and never run out of things to do. As for me, I have every intention of living forever, and from my point of view, I will.
Oh, and I intend to keep producing fun articles on a variety of topics for this site. All of you, the members of this community, are one of the (few) reasons I still have any faith in humanity, and I look forward to and appreciate all the feedback you send on my scribbling. The Glibs are a great bunch of sterling people, and I’m really proud to be a part of this group.
Hang in there, folks. You ain’t seen nothing yet.
Grats on making it to threescore!
Congrats, sir!
When I turned 60, my doctor assured me “60 is the new 40.” Now that he’s just turned 60, he’s not so sure. But at 70, I don’t see/feel a lot of difference.
Keep on keeping on, ever onwards!
I didn’t have things suddenly fall apart when I turned 40 like some people say. Physically I don’t recover as fast as I used to. But if you’ve been to a high school reunion, or even looked at Facebook, you will see a huge difference between people who stay active an take decent care of themselves, and people who don’t.
God Bless you and your family Animal, 60 years isn’t all that long from my POV, stay warm and thanks for the Tales!
A microreview of a firearm Animal probably owns:
Smith & Wesson 629 3″
Absolutely gorgeous piece of .44 mag-slinging machinery. However those polished rosewood grips with “checkering” are completely incapable of retaining the N-frame inside my girly-man hands. After three rounds, there was a notch developing along my thumb. They need to be replaced with something grippier and (preferably) padded between the frame and hand. The double-action trigger is approximately areyoufuckingkiddingme pounds, but the single action has got to be the shortest trigger I’ve yet experienced. I wish I could get my guns to reset in that amount of space.
I have a 6″ 629 with a trigger like glass. A previous owner (it’s an older model, one with the fixed firing pin) had had it worked on and the trigger, both DA and SA, is beautiful.
I gotta get my .357 in for some trigger work. You practically have to brace your foot against the damn thing to pull the factory trigger on DA. SA is OK, but not what one could wish for.
My very first though on seeing 3″ and “.44 mag” was “ouch, my hands”.
I’m actually not a big fan of the .44 Mag. Lots of flash and bang. I have one on the same N-frame, but it’s an older 25-5, in .45 Colt. I run pretty stiff loads that will punch through a railroad tie, but it’s easier to handle than a .44 and is old enough to have a pretty good trigger.
Congratulations! 60 is definitely still young. And I’m not just saying that because I’m only 10 years behind you.
One of the guys I played hockey with was 73. Age is a way of keeping score!
I know people in their 60s, and even late 50s are not still young, physically at least. You’re only still young at that age if you are fit. Glibfit, even.
Happy Birthday, Animal. And many, many more with your family along with you.
Sorry to got OT, but I need to vent. I mailed out a Master DVD to get a short run done for a client 10 days ago and the company still hasn’t gotten it! So now tomorrow I’ll need to overnight a new copy to keep the client from getting upset at me. Yeah, we should definitely bank on the USPS doing banking. That’s the answer!
Now my printer isn’t working! Fuck this shit!
Happy birthday, Animal!
Enjoy the new homestead and we’ll enjoy your adventures vicariously!
Yeah, as we’ve prepped for retirement, my financial folk have advised me to plan to live into my early 90s. That seems to be the actuarial expectation, absent of course my own family history (in which I and my older brothers are already past our expiration dates). It’s a little hard for me to comprehend that I may still have a third of my life to live.
FWIW, I believe “93” is the target that a lot of retirement planning models use (e.g., Personal Capital’s).
It’s what I’m using when I run some “when can I retire?” numbers.
I’m using 95.
So are we. Better to leave a little in the bank than run out.
Yeah, you can always direct the remainder to be converted to gold coins and be buried with you. Maybe stuff a solid gold apple in your mouth for the viewing?
My plan runs out of money on my 120th birthday.
If I die earlier, my daughter gets an inheritance. If I live longer, I guess my grandkids will have to take care of me or something.
As someone that is closing quickly on 60 I’d like to offer you this perfect automobile for your old age:
2011 buick lacrosse cxl
Not only does it have a tan vinyl top, but the integration of the Buick Ventiports on TOP of the hood gives it the perfect touch of understated elegance for all your Sunday trips to the church and grocery store.
I owned a Black 2005 Lacrosse.
a tan vinyl top
Affectionately known as a “rust cover”, due to the propensity of the roof to rust underneath it.
Yeah, gonna have to stick with my plans for a new F-450. If I was to look for a classic car, I’d be looking for a ’66 Galaxie 500, preferably a 7-liter, but rural Alaska isn’t the greatest place to maintain something like that.
I’d be looking for a ’66 Galaxie 500, preferably a 7-liter
We had that in four-door (not sure of the year, but right around there). Sea-Foam Green. I don’t think Pater Dean sprung for the big engine. It could run, though. I remember Pater Dean getting tagged for going nearly 90.
One of my earlyish memories is going to the dealership with him to pick it out. Many road trips in that thing, which was not short on legroom.
Gaah.
It matches perfectly the traditional mens’ “Full Cleveland “. That red is a great match for the usual Cleveland pants.
Or Animal could go for the Cam Master.
My trip report from the final Knob Creek Machinegun Shoot, held this past weekend.
I haven’t attended the Knob Creek Shoot for about five years, due to work, other commitments, and COVID. Prior to that, I had attended almost every show (except the ones that flooded out) since 2003. I have the t-shirts to prove it.
For those who didn’t get the chance to attend the show, it was truly one of the great bits of Americana. I never fail to break out into a huge smile when the main line gets the all clear to commence fire, and dozens of guns open up all at once, sending lead, copper, steel, tracing compound, chalk (from practice grenades), and hot gases downrange at a plethora of cars, boats, buses, appliances, industrial equipment, and all manner of possible (inanimate, but not always inert) targets.
I’m thinking of writing a true article about this, but my quick take is that:
A. It was the most highly attended shoot I’ve ever been at (and the previous peak for me was in 2006, ’07, or ’08, when reportedly over 90,000 people attended).
B. The gates open at 0700, show starts at 0900, and usually in the past it was OK to get there around 0600-0800. You could get a parking spot (after waiting in lines for a maybe a half hour or so), get breakfast in the cafeteria, and still be at the line for the “commence fire” command. This time, we spent nearly four hours in stop-and-go traffic before we even got on the property, much less paid our entry fees.
C. The show was still as fun as ever–the shooting, the vendors, the long time attendees swapping stories, and the goggle-eyed newbies taking it all in–it was as much about people watching as finding a good deal, or getting an opportunity to shoot a rare gun, or just watching the tracers fly.
I will miss it very much. I can only hope that someday, another shoot and show like it will take its place.
Yeah, I can’t imagine that many people trying to get there. The road isn’t designed for that.
Did it back up to about Brooks? I guess it depends which way you come in.
We actually took a different way than I was familiar with–Weaver’s Run Road, or something, that intersects with Shepherdsville Road right by the range–based on the fact that I wasn’t driving, the driver was a newbie to the show, and Waze suggested that would be the fastest way, given that the Dixie Highway was slowed down to maybe 5 or 10 mph near the intersection with Shepherdsville. That turned out to be a mistake because it required a left turn onto Shepherdsville road, and most of the traffic on that road were being assholes and not letting anyone in from our direction. Once you were on Weaver’s Run, you were trapped.
I’ve never been.
I’d like to see something pop up to take its place. This sounds like a fun event.
“I was fortunate in having strong, capable parents. My father and grandfathers, as fine a group of men as ever drew breath, taught me early on the things a man needs to know to be a man: Courage, determination, the value of education and, more than that, knowledge. The value of work.”
These are the positive traits that I’m trying to pass on to my daughters. The world would be a much better place if children today had the same values instilled in them like your parents instilled in you. Happy Birthday, Animal!
Mazel Tov, Animal! Sounds like you have lived a life to be proud of.
Congratulations, Animal. Glad to know we’ll have more of your writing to look forward to!
I’ll be turning 60 next July. I, too, was blessed with good parents and what, in retrospect was a near-idyllic upbringing in a small Texas town. We roamed as kids in a near-feral pack, complete with a rotating selection of dogs, generally toting an array of knives, slingshots, and toy guns – yes, we played Cowboys v Indians, and GIs v Germans. As a kid, we lived in a neighborhood that always had a solid dozen kids near enough our own age within a few blocks that we would play with. Our mothers kicked us all out of the house in the morning, fed us lunch, and told us not to come back until the streetlights came on. We were pretty much unsupervised (although in hindsight, we were probably under the eye of an adult a lot more than we knew). We could pretty much go where we want within an understood, and gradually expanding, range. Being a “free range” kid in a small Texas town in the mid 60s and 70s – hard to beat, IMO.
As older kids, the town was small enough that the cops knew everybody and knew we weren’t “real” trouble, and pretty much gave us a pass on teenage hijinks in a way that would not happen now.
As a kid, we lived in a neighborhood that always had a solid dozen kids near enough our own age within a few blocks that we would play with. Our mothers kicked us all out of the house in the morning, fed us lunch, and told us not to come back until the streetlights came on. We were pretty much unsupervised (although in hindsight, we were probably under the eye of an adult a lot more than we knew). We could pretty much go where we want within an understood, and gradually expanding, range. Being a “free range” kid in a small Texas town in the mid 60s and 70s – hard to beat, IMO.
Interestingly, that was pretty much the same experience for me in suburban Long Island (and about 10 years behind you).
Oh how that has changed.
Same in suburban Minneapolis.
We tried really hard to make sure our kids had as close to it as we could manage.
I’m just a few years older, and that described – brace yourselves people – Southern California.
Yep. Can confirm for Orange County and the city proper. Never saw anyone arrested at keggers, beach parties, etc. Cops were pretty cool as long as one didn’t disrespect them.
Suburban SoCal was the same…times change, sometimes for the worse.
My brother and I had a range of about 20 miles in any direction as long as we had bikes.
My kids maybe had a range of 10 blocks. They just weren’t interested in exploring further.
^^ This. We have desert, construction, empty houses…and my kids are like “nah, we good”. Fuck me…I would be into all kinds of nonsense.
Happy Birthday old man. I wish you many more.
Trying to keep my hopes from getting inflated.
Me too. There is a lot of time for fortifying until then.
Past the 30 minute mark, I hope no one will mind me bringin forward a response to OBE’s point regarding the ATC/pilot “sick out” at SWA on the deadthread.
I’m not saying this is going on. But suppose this sick-out is just a… sampling. Or maybe a test run. I don’t know that, but if I were in someone’s shoes over there and I wanted to back the feds off, I might do something like that. Suggest that things could get waaaaayyyyyyy worse for air travel in the US. Which is no bluff. A combination of pilots and ATC – even if not coordinated, but merely coincidental to timing – who all say “fuck this” could make things get real interesting in short order. I know the pilots I’m hearing from – and ATC folks (one of the named plaintiffs in our lawsuit is a Marine ATC and perhaps not surprisingly – a big chunk of her peers and friends are in that field) – are none too pleased with the union, which looks like it’s rolling over. Pilots, crew, et al. who’ve already had COVID and/or don’t want these shots, are not insignificant in numbers. It’s similar to what’s going on in healthcare. The problem for the government is that it’s much more difficult to terrify people who’ve actually been traveling in closed tubes or operating in close proximity to people with COVID during the scamdemic and have not dropped dead. They know it for what it is – particularly if you’re reasonably healthy. But now they’re going to lose their jobs because Pfizer has an experimental jab that “might” work? There’s more than a few people who are pissed, even people who might have otherwise gone along. We’re really not even that high above noise level on the excess deaths across a multiyear look, even considering last year.
Thanks Ozy and I agree, there are…those that I work around that are pissed at the mandate. Timing is everything and that is why I think now that the FedGov NACTA union has spoken, some slowdowns will be seen, similar to when ‘shutdowns’ happen. AT works very methodically and to the book. That translates into longer flight times, more fuel, more time on the ground, etc for the airlines.
I think based on the way that things have gone in Australia, the logical decision is to make the stand earlier and make it hurt for the decision makers.
If truckers get involved as well, this country will grind to a halt.
To me this is a “never let a crisis go to waste” opportunity to purge the wrong thinkers, or at least force them into line. But there seem to be large concentrations of those wrong thinkers in critical areas, who don’t seem to be backing down, and they aren’t going to be easily replaced by a crew of gender study majors and baristas. Someone is going to have to blink. It’s going to come down to who can make the other side hurt the most.
I truly believe the one big thing we have going for us in this country is that at their core, our left is just as spineless as our leaders on the right.
The left thinks it has ‘culture and the media’ as their spine and is thinking it will hold. The right thinks it has ‘law and constitution’ as its spine and are thinking it will hold.
if I were in someone’s shoes over there and I wanted to back the feds off, I might do something like that
Same here. And everyone saying “oh, no, this isn’t a protest, this is just . . . weather! Yeah, that’s the ticket” would be the way I would want it to play out at this stage. Once you make it overtly confrontational, the other side is almost required to dig in. There’s still time for that, and I like the “warning shot” approach that gives space for people to “change course” without losing face.
with the union, which looks like it’s rolling over
What? Performing their usual function of being corrupt organizations willing to fuck over their members in a heartbeat? Isn’t that tradition?
The way I see it…they will retain their ‘true believers’ while shedding the ranks of those that ‘question’. Its a win-win. They negotiate the surrender that leaves their power structure intact and coffers full.
Happy birthday! That is a great milestone!
So you are saying that you are an old fogey. //jk
Happy Belated Birthday Animal!
Congratulations.
Remember, fourscore is old. We are just “getting old”.
Supply chain problems:
I just heard that our company cannot get laboratory filter papers to perform a critical QC test on our main products. This is for in-process testing as well as final lot QA–a very basic test that we do. If we can’t do it, we can’t produce, or at least can’t do QA. We’re apparently scroungin boxes of papers from less critical operations to send to our main production facilities.
In order to change to a different filter paper, we’d have to do full gauge R&Rs and qualification processes on any and all substitutes we’d need to try.
amazing.
During the supply chain problem with PPE last year (masks, N95s, gloves, bunny suits, etc.), the problem with “just-in-time” inventory was exposed. You trade a small, short-term financial benefit (thanks, MBAs!) for delivery risk. Basically, the advantage to JIT for commodity items like those is you reduce your spend (once) while you burn down your “high” inventory. Your run rate is the same, so you are still spending just as much once you are down to your new JIT level. But now you don’t have 90 days of stock, you have a week. Because what could possibly go wrong?
We always kept pretty high “par values” of that stuff in stock, and did not have nearly the problems other hospitals did.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far away . . . my boss had a slide in a deck that said “Remember, JIT Happens!”
nice!
That’s when we call it JTL, Just Too Late.
Just In Time aka How To Make Your Production Process Less Resilient And Give Everyone Agita
https://better-operations.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Dilbert-lean-just-in-time-2.gif
Full disclosure: we have a bunch of stuff we don’t really keep a stockpile of, but its high-dollar stuff that changes regularly – implants, stuff like that. We basically order it when the surgery is scheduled, in part because you don’t know exactly what to order until the doc decides what he wants to use. So its basically JIT, but at least there’s a reason for it.
Don’t underestimate the carrying cost of high inventory. Maybe not huge for some places, but having warehouses full of unused auto parts costs a lot of money.
Auto parts are kind of in the middle ground – you don’t know what changes the next model year will bring, and they are a step (or more) above commodity supplies. I suspect you’d be foolish to carry a high level of, say, wiring harnesses, because those are going to change every year. But the wiring harness manufacturer might be well advised to carry a stockpile of wires and connectors.
MBAs are good at telling you how much you can reduce your spend for a quarter by burning down your stockpile, and making you think that money is going to turn into a big pile of money somewhere else. They suck at telling you how to manage a supply chain disruption, though. It all depends, of course, but shutting down your line because you reduced your par levels and then your supply chain blew up, could make those savings look trivial.
As I said, even for us, it varies. We carry high levels of commodities, and order some things literally one at a time (and I’m sure everything in between). I was shocked at how many hospitals carried low levels of PPE because they were all JIT.
This. We are a really small company and I can’t afford to have inventory sitting. It’s been a hell of a challenge over the last couple years to walk the tightrope.
Thanks Animal and congrats on a new milestone.
I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world. For some of the things said better by Mr A. I over achieved a few months back but still… I’m looking forward to being in my deer stand next month, a little concerned that I might actually shoot a deer and then have to deal with it. I’m going to be packing a Contender, easier to climb the ladder with a shoulder holster than a rifle at “Sling Arms”.
In many ways I wish I’d made the decision to move to Alaska but with family and friends here I made the right choice. According to the actuarial tables, I’m looking at another 5 years, there are times when that is a scary proposition. We gotta play the cards we were dealt and I’m happy to be sitting at the table with the Glibs. I finished my treadmill walk this morning, that’s a good start.
You’re an inspiration, Fourscore!
Seconded.
family and friends
This is Glibs, we don’t roll that way. They always slip up. Glowie CONFIRMED!
It’s a Family Friendly site, though!
Bonne anniversaire, you vilde chaya! ? ?
very sad,
https://www.city-journal.org/united-kingdom-servile-response-to-covid-19-pandemic
Bah, NZ and Oz are worse.
A good read from lady Lionel
Rhy posted yesterday I think…yeah…sad sad sad. Three countries we closely relate to and they have gone the way of the dodo it seems.
Da Fuq? I would consider that satire if I didn’t know it wasn’t.
If true, it’s a nation of cowards that is ripe for invasion
The Germans should have just waited for a few more years 😉
They lost their own spines years ago. There’s been a recent German invasion – of Germany, by “refugees”.
What fresh WordPress hell is this today?
Looks OK to me. What problem are you seeing?
It’s shrunk to 1/3 screen width on my phone this morning. Besides the existing multi week issue of being single column in portrait orientation.
Animal, when I am noodling on what we might go to if we need to cash out of the Casa Dean and move somewhere more congenial, your homestead is pretty close to my mental image. I want three things for this semi-bugout plan – our own water, our own power, and room for a serious vegetable garden and chickens. The water is the serious limiting factor.
Libra is the Glibbest of signs. Clearly the smartest, most good looking, and bestest.
But one is the loneliest number.
Fuck. Wasn’t supposed to be a reply.
The power is the one thing here we are not yet independent on. But at least the electricity is supplied by a local co-op.
We’re looking into alternatives and backups.
Alaska is tempting, but I just don’t know if we can tolerate the winters. Haven’t seriously looked at the peninsula, though.
This is me. Wife is a big no for winters..but I think I can break down those barriers over time. We can overtake the farm in Kentucky though…
Mater and Pater Dean’s place in North Texas is on the list if we decide to make this move. Plenty of room, its own well, and could easily carry a solar array. Even has room for large animals – they have run horses and cows there. The main thing – Mrs. Dean likes it.
Not much point in retreating to a different area for safety if the wife is going to kill you anyway.
My ideal place is a farm in Northern Michigan. It’s by a huge body of water, lots of space, but most importantly, it’s was one of the few places that actively (with the exception of Traverse City) that fought the Michigan governor’s COVID edict.
Welcome to Manistee!
but then you have to live next to Yoopers!
I thought you were headed to Costa Rica. Or am I confusing you with someone else?
The semi-bugout plan is rural ‘Murica. The full bug-out would be to expat, likely to Panama or Uruguay, but maybe Costa Rica.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-never-expected-to-retire-to-panama-but-we-are-living-very-comfortably-on-1-200-a-month-11633001564
I read this article earlier today.
Inflation is very much weighing on my mind, with retirement a little over a year away. That will likely be a major factor in any decision to take cash out of the Casa Dean and downsize, likely to a more rural place that is more congenial to us In These Polarized Times. The ability to live well enough on less money overseas is in play, all depending on how things are going.
Retirement is basically off the table.
At some point, I will “retire” and put in the paperwork for my trivial pension and social security.
And I expect to keep working as a contract engineer as long as I can think clearly.
We were in SC last week on vacation and casually looked at a couple of model homes. Gave my wife a similar list – water, plenty of space for survival crops if necessary, ability to heat and cook with wood if required, and a lot of woods to supply that wood.
A guy I worked with in SC owned a campground in the mountains, not sure if Greenville area or if he was up in NC. He lived and worked there and was refurbing it to reopen.
https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/federal-judge-rules-against-natural-immunity-claim-challenging-covid-19-vaccine-mandate
The courts leaning heavily on Jacobson and did not even address acquired immunity from what I can tell. What could go wrong? Eventually, people will determine they have no other recourse.
Literal LOL. Shall we point to some other rulings from the same era that didn’t violate anyone’s rights?
And he punts!
And, indeed, the court should address why it is declining to follow this precedent.
They can do that, you know. A chunk of many appellate decisions is saying why they follow the precedent cited by one side rather than the other. Because both sides can generally cite cases in support of their position.
Pretty sure I read that the 1905 precedent was debunked already, maybe even from our own Ozy.
Lazy judge is lazy.
“This Court must apply the law from the Supreme Court: Jacobson essentially applied rational basis review and found that the vaccine mandate was rational in ‘protect[ing] the public health and public safety,’” Maloney said in his order.
“The Court cannot ignore this binding precedent.”
Precedent is important except when it isn’t.
Keep pushing, assholes.
Last I checked, the Judiciary doesn’t make the laws.
The vaccine is the pandemic. The original Wohan virus was gone a year ago.
https://noqreport.com/2021/10/07/definitive-study-concludes-vaccines-do-not-prevent-covid-19-and-may-even-enhance-spread/
LOL
https://media.gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/087/422/238/original/a144b9da98fac6bd.jpeg
“I wouldn’t say I’ve been missing work, Bob.”
Said with a certain flair . . . .
You know, the Nazis had pieces of flair that they made the Jews wear.
that went downhill quickly
There are many things I can thank my brother in molding my upbringing. One of them was to watch Office Space.
“Hey Peter! Turn on channel 9, man!”
I hear Diedrich Bader is agreeable to work with.
He seems like the type of dude that would wanna have two chicks at the same time.
Right into the mass grave…
“You see, Bob, it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care”.
It’s not a half day or anything.
Where’s my stapler? (I actually can’t find it)
Ron Livingston, handsome like Greg Peck. He deserves more work. At least he was in Band of Brothers.
And in Swingers!
I love that movie. Haven’t seen it in too long.
The scene where he just cannot stop calling the girl….good god…so sad…so….a picture into my life.
+1 big bear $
I liked the New Beverly calendar behind him.
Congrats on the milestone, Animal! The next sixty should be exciting.
I hear that is when sex gets interesting and quite…dangerous.
And you heard right! (TW: Huffpo)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sex-and-seniors-stds-a-ne_b_9619778
“what goes on in nursing homes, assisted living facilities or other large residential congregations of elderly people is a lot closer to what goes on in spring break hotels than most people would ever imagine.”
Eat your hearts out, kids.
Clap on… clap off…
You get the hang of it, eventually.
Happy Birthday Animal!
You’re have had a great life, and I hope your remaining time is great too.
The Glibs are a great bunch of sterling people, and I’m really proud to be a part of this group.
Yes, Glibs is a great place. I like being here too.
Gardening question. The squirrels around me had left my tomatoes alone all summer. Now that fall is here the squirrels eat everything instinct has taken over and they have decided they like the taste now and are eating the tomatoes. Not that I’m expecting many more tomatoes in the waning days of fall, but how do I keep the squirrels away for these last couple of weeks.
buy some fireworks mortars and set up anti squirrel mines on tiny tripwires
Would be an interesting day/night if you rig up some m80 IED devices placed around the garden bed now wouldn’t it? Maybe a good premise to a new movie “The Squirrel Locker”
Or even an old movie…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Hx5ka1FiA
A follow up movie, entirely grassroots funded, Saving Private Squirrel will be released on the anniversary of the greatest generation of their furry breathren. Other titles they have floated were: Heartbreak Gardenbed, Inglorious Squirrels, A Few Good Squirrels, Squirrel! Squirrel! Squirrel!
The last title tested well in the canine market.
They Were Squirrels, Once, and Young
Empire of the Tree.
The Walnut Helmet
Three Squirrels
I may have started drinking already…
Cages? Chicken wire? Pellet gun and a few spikes with their heads placed around your plants?
May have to spring for the chicken wire. I’m less concerned about this year then next. I’m hoping this is just a temporary thing brought on by fall and not something they’ll carry on next summer having developed a taste for my vegetables.
a few spikes with their heads placed around your plants
I would totally do this.
Until Mrs. Dean made me stop.
Lead poisoning?
https://pestpointers.com/scents-that-squirrels-hate-and-how-to-use-them/
Thank you. I’ll have to bookmark this.
yes, I can use this too. Thanks Sean
So I get to get the dog to pee on a dryer sheet, then dust it with cayenne.
https://newrepublic.com/article/163962/kyrsten-sinema-sick-act-prescription-drug-prices
Really you need to stop beating around the bush and tell her to get in the kitchen and make you a sammich.
Dammit, stop making me like her. I know she’s just pursuing her own political self interest and will revert to an innate authoritarianism when given a chance, but she keeps making leading to moves I approve of.
(plus, you know, hooker boots, glasses & bi)
Yep. I mean…I would try to get her and my wife to kiss at least once.
I like her sartorial taste.
*taps out*
From today’s Ron Paul podcast:
“some Navy Seal lawyer”
Did he mean Marine lawyer?
Wouldn’t that be a JAG for the Navy?
A JAG officer?
I miss MadTV and Kids in the Hall and In Living Color.
Thirty Helens agree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDTZcj8Xink
Is that in writing? If you just heard it, he could have said, “sea lawyer,” a pejorative for whiners in the Navy/Marines.
My bad he said “there’s a Navy Seals lawyer…”, but it appears to be referring to something that actually is the do with the Seals, rather than being a vague and imprecise statement that may have related to someone else who has taken up this particular matter of military vaccine mandates in a legal capacity. The good doctor didn’t go into any further detail on the topic.
“Navy nuclear engineer’s wife arrested for selling secrets appears to support BLM, ‘resistance’ movements”
https://www.foxnews.com/us/wife-navy-nuclear-engineer-facebook-blm-feminism
No, lady, you’re not part of any resistance. You’re in maintenance, a janitor in the service of American Socialism status quo.
Something stinks that they were only seeking $70k. Bullshit outdated manuals and old service records doesn’t amount to much.
However, it seems now that it is known they were not wrong thinkers, it will disappear and they will be granted bail most likely.
Yeah. They’ll get better treatment than Wen Ho Lee.
I’m not sure about within his clearance or occupation, but regular checkups on certain secret type peeps involves making sure they’re financially sound and not open to being bribed or doing this sort of thing. Makes me wonder how his package fell conveniently into the fed’s hands. /no euphemism intended.
The part I can’t figure – they allegedly sent a package to a foreign government who turned it over to the US government (which then started the sting w/ the FBI agent).
Which non-English speaking government would actually turn the package over to the US? France?
I’d say that the fact they are not disclosing which country probably indicates that said country would be embarrassed to be found to cooperating with the US, and that probably narrows down the list…
Course they did. No chance we would’ve actually caught them.
The kind that looked at the info and said “This is outdated bullshit, sell him out to his own government to reduce suspicion while working with this other guy who’s got the real goods.”
^^ This. This is probably why they sought a low amount, why they were caught and lets “play ball” to throw off suspicion on our other lines of intel.
Ding! Ding!
It would have to be a country that builds its own nuclear submarines.
That means Russia, France & China . IIRC the UK and India operate subs they buy from the US and Russia respectively.
It wouldn’t be Russia for obvious reasons.
In the early days of the Trump admin, the French government was promoting itself as the new center of anti-Trump resistance (recall Macron offering jobs to US climate ‘scientists’ fleeing their coming persecution at the hands of Trump.
The Chinese, of course, were seen as adversaries of Trump.
The French would not be interested in this info: their nuclear power program is top notch and they have nothing to learn from U.S. Naval Reactors.
Though the Chinese might have been interested, it could be that they saw the overture as a “terry’s libertarian militia” style set up: i.e. if they took the bait, the Trump admin could catch the spies and use it as an excuse to ratchet up hostility to China by the US population.
So basically, both the Chinese and the French have ample reason to rat these guys out to the FBI.
It’s hard to tell what our brave heroes were thinking since their scheme was insane. I’m leaning to them leaking to France because it would be safe, but I could see this idiots giving this info to China thinking they were sticking it to Trump.
According to wiki, the UK built their Vanguard class submarines. Same with Astute class.
Looking through wiki, it looks like there is a lot of cooperation between the Brits and the USA with respect to nuclear submarines, so maybe of the tech and expertise comes from America?
Huh. I didn’t know that. I thought they bought their subs from the U.S.
Giving info to the brits would be quite insane. The American and UK governments have greater loyalty to each other than to the people they govern.
They apologized for the poor translation of their letter, so it had to be non-English-speaking – Brits are out.
I turn 40 tomorrow. *sigh* I don’t believe in regrets, it’s a waste of energy looking backward. Deal with the present and chart a future; that’s all anyone can do IMO. I envy the Animalia for hoofing it up North, if I can just find a job and convince Mrs. Q I’ll be your next door neighbor (or ideally about 300 miles north). Still got miles to go before I sleep though. In any case, happy b-day my multi-cellular eukaryotic friend.
https://archive.is/mzMMo
Huh. For some reason I thought you were much younger than 40.
Happy Birthday to you too!
Happy to be the last of Gen X. Also got a late start on the whole procreation thing. Needed to find the appropriate vessel for my seed.
Bah. I was 46 when my daughter was born.
I thought I had a chance at not being oldest Dad in my daughter’s class, one of the other Dads has a 19 year gap between his kids. But, nope, his daughter was born when he was 40.
Happy birthday! I hope I get to grow old and wise and stuff too!
Happy Birthday Animal!
I also turned 60 earlier this month.
Well happy birthday to you too happy.
For Animal. Its NSFW, but fitting of the Glib Mantra and your birthday:
Happy Birthday to Me!
^^ also for Annoyed Nomad and Q
When I was a youngin’ I thought 30 was old. And then it was 40. And then it was 50.
At the ahem ripe old age of 51 I’m still looking pretty good; I recognize the guy behind the mirror. I’ve still got a full head of hair and I look more fit than when I was 30 and first started weightlifting.
I will admit though that hangovers last longer; I don’t like to stay up as late and I hate driving at night since my vision ain’t quite what it used to be. And my interest in the female of species has declined. Don’t get me wrong, I still like looking at women but I don’t rush over and make a fool out of myself anymore.
Same here, except for some reason I don’t seem to get hangovers that are more than a minor annoyance, and then only after a sizable dose of ethanol.
I would add to the list – I don’t sleep as much. I used to get a solid 8 hours. I’m down to 7, and less some nights.
I sleep spottily. 3-4 hours. Then some time up. And then another 2-3 hours. And, if I’m lucky, another hour after that.
I miss those teenage and twenty-something years where I would sleep solidly for 8-9 hours all the way through. Now it seems the smallest sound – or tiniest inclination to pee – is enough to wake me.
^^ 6 is my average…if I lay my head down at 10, I’m up at 4. Lay down at 9? yeah gonna be sitting in the dark waiting for work.
Depends on booze. If I don’t drink I can easily get 7 or 8. If I drink I wake up in the middle of the night, my brain turns on and it’s over.
When I was young I never noticed just who was in this video…
Break Stuff NSFW
Dre, Snoop, Derek Jeter, Roger Daltrey, Pauly Shore, Stryker from KROQ, Bucky Lasek and others. Then Fred Durst went and burned those bridges. What a punk.
In my gym rotation.
That has to be one of the warmest – and most humid – Octobers I’ve remembered. I biked for a mile or two wearing shorts ‘n’ a t-shirt; sweating it up.
Climate warming, cooling, change,weather, whatchagonnado?The most underrated character in Gran Torino is the priest.
Happy birthday!
New word on the street is the Columbus sailed across the ocean because *checks notebook* feared Muslims and was an islomophobe. God 2021, I thought 2020 was my worst, but you are stacking up to be quite the contender.
https://pjmedia.com/culture/robert-spencer/2021/10/11/revisionist-history-columbus-discovered-america-because-he-hated-muslims-la-times-claims-n1523068
I heard he didn’t believe in 173 genders either.
…That was the plot to Pastwatch