Posts from — January 2015

The race starts next Saturday, February 7^th, in Whitehorse.

Whitehorse 2089 feet [637 meters] Start
Braeburn 2326 feet [709 meters] 100 miles [161 km]
Carmacks 1722 feet [525 meters] 77 miles [124 km]
Pelly Crossing 1558 feet [475 meters] 73 miles [117 km]
King Solomon’s Dome 4002 feet [1220 meters]
Dawson 1050 feet [320 meters] 202 miles [325 km] 24 Hour Stop
American Summit 3920 feet [1195 meters]
Eagle 880 feet [268 meters] 147 miles [237 km] 6 Hour Stop
Circle 597 feet [182 meters] 159 miles [256 km]
Central 435 feet [133 meters] 74 miles [119 km]
Eagle Summit 3685 feet [1123 meters]
Mile 101 2250 feet [686 meters] 33 miles [53 km]
Rosebud Summit 3640 feet [1109 meters]
Two Rivers 750 feet [229 meters] 42 miles [68 km] 8 Hour Stop
Fairbanks 440 feet [134 meters] 45 miles[72 km] Finish

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Eau de Puppy

What is this weird odor?

[Editor: CC spent 15 minutes sniffing my knee that the new dog next door rubs against.]

The Friday Ark for lots of animal pictures.

Today I finished installing the tub/shower faucet in the house we are repairing for the fourth time. Every time I fix one problem, the next problem comes to the front for resolution. All of the work is done in a small closet with the access panel to the tub, and you have to deal with fiberglass insulation in addition to other irritations. You also have to work while kneeling which is no fun for your knees or leg muscles.

The last time I turned on the water there was no evidence of a leak, but I won’t say it’s fixed until tomorrow when I’ll check again for leaks. If it is still dry I will put things back and seal the access again.

It is jobs like this that make you fall in love with CPVC pipe. Threaded ½-inch galvanized is not your friend unless the new parts are exactly the same as the old parts, which almost never happens.

Update: After I found the fixture, put in a working bulb, properly wired the switch, and put on a cover plate, I was able to turn on the light at the end of the tunnel and escape. I’m done with it.

January 28, 1986

Commander:
Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF

Pilot:
Michael J. Smith, Commander, USN

Mission Specialist:
Judith A. Resnik
Ronald E. McNair
Ellison S. Onizuka, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF

Payload Specialist:
Gregory B. Jarvis
Sharon Christa McAuliffe

Looking at the reaction to the Greek election I remembered a bit of history that ‘rhymed’ with what is going on today.

The newly elected Greek Prime Minister Tsipras was originally a member of the Greek Communist Party, an organization that was founded to combat another German Chancellor. Seventy years ago that individual was living in a bunker in Berlin as Germany was being taken by the Allies in World War II.

German Chancellor Merkel might want to keep that in mind when she threatens Greece for refusing to do the bidding of Deutsche Bank. The Greeks threw Germany out before. They have also dealt with the Persians, the Ottomans, et al., so they have had a lot of practice.

January 27, 1967

Virgil “Gus” Ivan Grissom, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF

Edward Higgins White, II, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF

Roger Bruce Chaffee, Lieutenant Commander, USN

Robert Preston, BBC economics editor and the man who coined the term “Septic Bank”, looks at the Greek election: Why aren’t markets panicking about Greece?

Here is the important point: outside of Germany it is almost impossible to find an economist or central banker who believed that the previous reconstruction of Greek debt was ever going to work.

So just maybe, after Greeks have made a colossal and some would say pointless economic sacrifice, Germany will allow a rescue that permits the country a fighting chance of crawling out from beneath its colossal debts.

Preston notes that rather than helping the Greeks reduce their debt as a percentage of GNP, it as made it worse because austerity has been shrinking the value of the economy, just as Keynes said it would. Even the stock markets knew this would happen, but the German and French banks didn’t want to lose anything for their reckless behavior.

The financial system caused the global meltdown that made it impossible for Greece to make its debt payments, but the banks that were responsible for the recession wouldn’t accept any ‘pain’ for the agony they inflicted on the world.

The BBC is reporting that Exit polls suggest big Syriza win:

Exit polls suggest a historic victory for the anti-austerity Syriza party in Greece’s closely fought general election.

One poll suggested Syriza took 35.5% of the votes, and the other suggested it took 39.5%, well ahead of the ruling New Democracy party on 23%-27%.

It is unclear whether Syriza has enough votes to govern the country alone.

Syriza’s Alexis Tsipras has pledged to renegotiate Greece’s debt arrangement with international creditors.

He has also vowed to reverse many of the austerity measures adopted by Greece since a series of bailouts began in 2010.

In its coverage of the Greek election the BBC includes background information – Main parties from Syriza to Golden Dawn explained.

The German and French banks that have been the main beneficiaries of the so-called ‘bail-out’ are having a fit over the possibility of the governments of the European Union may stop reimbursing them for the bad loans they made to Greece, loans they knew Greece couldn’t afford. The banks gambled and lost, and they want taxpayers to cover their losing bets.

The Greek results may encourage other countries to stop propping up the big banks, the real reason for the ‘bail-outs’.

The anniversary of the landing of the First Fleet under Captain Arthur Phillip at Port Jackson in New South Wales on January 26^th, 1788.

Here’s the official site, and more information at Wikipedia.

This is the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns in Ayr, Scotland. The Burns Night celebrations conducted by Scots all over the world with haggis, whisky¹, and poetry.

Wikipedia has a description of the standard celebration, but easy on the malt or you may end up with a William McGonagall morning.

In honor of the occasion a bit of Robby Burns for the Democratic “leadership”:

The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain
For promis’d joy!

To a Mouse

1. This is the correct spelling when referring to Scotland’s “water of life”.

The only thing that interested me at all was discovering that regular gas is just below $2/gallon at my local Citgo station. I only needed 2 gallons for the lawnmower, but it may be back up before I need gas for the car again in a month and a half.

The ‘world leaders’ are either at Davos or making nice in Saudi Arabia, because that’s where the money is, and they are sucking up to the 1% as usual.

People who live near fracking wells in Texas have begun to notice clusters of small earthquakes, as has happened in Ohio and Oklahoma. It makes them nervous, but you don’t want to criticize the oil industry in Texas.

I only have one thing left to do in the house next door – change out a tub/shower faucet. That job is not usually a problem, but it will probably be another annoying mess like everything else in the house.

She’s Back

There had better be food…

[Editor: The always ‘cheerful’ Ms Underhouse comes out to check the food dishes.]

The Friday Ark for lots of animal pictures.

Continuing in the Mideast the BBC reports that Barack Obama will not meet Benjamin Netanyahu in March. John Boehner, the well-known chain-smoking golfer … oh, also the Speaker of the House, has invited Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on Iran.

Obama used the diplomatic excuse that Presidents don’t meet with officials who are facing elections, but he is also annoyed with Netanyahu attempts to sabotage the Iran nuclear negotiations and multiple instances of Netanyahu insulting members of Obama’s administration.

Relations with the US has become a major issue in the Israeli election.

The BBC reports that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah dies

“His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1am this morning,” the statement said.

Prince Salman is the new king as Saudi Arabia is still working it’s way through the sons of King Abdulaziz who had more than a dozen wives. After all of the brothers and half brothers are exhausted they will apparently start working through the grandsons.