Windows 10 and the State

"Windows 10 has many unprecedented anti-user features: a remote killswitch that lets it disable your hardware; keylogging and browser-history logging that, by default, sends it all to Microsoft, and a deceptive "privacy mode" that continues to exfiltrate your data, even when you turn it on."

Windows 10 covertly sends your disk-encryption keys to Microsoft

HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/222620/

Gunfighting Myths

"An article on “myths of gunfighting?” We could write books on the myths of gunfighting. The foregoing is presented because every life-threatening encounter is different, and to believe in overly simplistic things is to believe in myth instead of reality. If and when any of us is in a gunfight, it will most assuredly be reality, in all its various forms, by which we will live or die."

5 Gunfighting Myths Debunked By Massad Ayoob

 HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/222497/

So Long

Christmas Day Ride

 Merry Christmas!

I went for a nice ride this evening.

The way going was a real pain with a headwind.  Of course, it made the way back that much more pleasant.

You Should Not Register Your Drones

"So maybe I’m going to keep my drones the way I keep my firearms—unregistered."

Update: From the comments, "In 2012 Congress passed the Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 which reads in part: "The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft, or an aircraft being developed as a model aircraft". Congress defined a modal aircraft as "‘an unmanned aircraft capable of sustained flight in the atmosphere, flown within visual line of sight, and flown for hobby or recreational purposes.". Sounds like a drone to me."

Our Drone Government

 HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/222138/

Sunday Ride

Earlier this week, Mr. Marcantel called and told me to pick all the lemons and oranges that I would like from his trees.  So, I went for a bike ride today and picked a grocery sack of meyer lemons and a half-sack of oranges.  They are all washed and put away in the refrigerator drawers.

I also stopped at the grocery store to pick up some dish-washing liquid.  Oh, along the way, I took a picture of the bay tree that I picked leaves from.  The leaves dried up nicely and are excellent for cooking.  I used one in my Salmon Court Bouillon dish yesterday.

Bay Tree

Canned-Salmon Court-Bouillon

I wanted some salmon.  Specifically, I wanted some canned salmon which comes with that flavorful skin and those deliciously crunchy bones.

With that in mind, I remembered that my little sister, Libby, used to make a tomato and canned salmon dish at home that I liked very much.  With that in mind, I put together a recipe and found the results to be delicious.

In order to assemble the components of the recipe, I used some that I had on hand and also purchased a few items.

Ingredients:

3 tbl oil
1 tbl flour(Optional)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1/2 Bellpepper, chopped
1 Stalk Celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint(or nearest sized can)  rotel(jalapeno)  tomatoes
1 pint(or nearest sized can) diced tomatoes
2 cans traditional pack, pink salmon,  16 oz. or nearest to
Salt
Black Pepper, ground
Cayenne pepper, ground
Bay leaf, dried



Directions:

In a dutch oven on the stove-top, bring the oil near to its smoke point and then stir in the flour.  Next, sautee the onion, bellbepper, and celery until the onions are clear.  Add the garlic and sautee for another two minutes.  Add the canned tomatoes and the bay leaf.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the canned salmon*, breaking it up into smaller pieces.  Simmer for five more minutes, serve over white rice.

*Optional, squeeze some lemon juice into the mixture after adding the salmon.

They Live on You

Yes, they do.  These tiny arachnids and their kin are all over you.

Scientists say face mites evolved alongside humans since the dawn of human origins

The Entire Universe

It is hard to imagine how the entire universe was created for us.

"In this composite image we see Earth appear to rise over the lunar horizon from the viewpoint of the spacecraft, with the center of the Earth just off the coast of Liberia (at 4.04 degrees North, 12.44 degrees West). The large tan area in the upper right is the Sahara Desert, and just beyond is Saudi Arabia. The Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America are visible to the left. On the moon, we get a glimpse of the crater Compton, which is located just beyond the eastern limb of the moon, on the lunar farside."

In this composite image we see Earth appear to rise over the lunar horizon from the viewpoint of the spacecraft, with the center of the Earth just off the coast of Liberia (at 4.04 degrees North, 12.44 degrees West). The large tan area in the upper right is the Sahara Desert, and just beyond is Saudi Arabia. The Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America are visible to the left. On the moon, we get a glimpse of the crater Compton, which is located just beyond the eastern limb of the moon, on the lunar farside.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-12-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter-high-resolution-earthrise.html#jCp

In this composite image we see Earth appear to rise over the lunar horizon from the viewpoint of the spacecraft, with the center of the Earth just off the coast of Liberia (at 4.04 degrees North, 12.44 degrees West). The large tan area in the upper right is the Sahara Desert, and just beyond is Saudi Arabia. The Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America are visible to the left. On the moon, we get a glimpse of the crater Compton, which is located just beyond the eastern limb of the moon, on the lunar farside.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-12-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter-high-resolution-earthrise.html#jCp

In this composite image we see Earth appear to rise over the lunar horizon from the viewpoint of the spacecraft, with the center of the Earth just off the coast of Liberia (at 4.04 degrees North, 12.44 degrees West). The large tan area in the upper right is the Sahara Desert, and just beyond is Saudi Arabia. The Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America are visible to the left. On the moon, we get a glimpse of the crater Compton, which is located just beyond the eastern limb of the moon, on the lunar farside.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-12-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter-high-resolution-earthrise.html#jCp

In this composite image we see Earth appear to rise over the lunar horizon from the viewpoint of the spacecraft, with the center of the Earth just off the coast of Liberia (at 4.04 degrees North, 12.44 degrees West). The large tan area in the upper right is the Sahara Desert, and just beyond is Saudi Arabia. The Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America are visible to the left. On the moon, we get a glimpse of the crater Compton, which is located just beyond the eastern limb of the moon, on the lunar farside.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-12-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter-high-resolution-earthrise.html#jCp

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter releases new high-resolution earthrise image

Brilliant

I have updated this post to include Aesop's fable.

 The Scorpion and the Frog

  A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the 
scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The 
frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion 
says, "Because if I do, I will die too."

  The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream,
the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of 
paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown,
but has just enough time to gasp "Why?" 

  Replies the scorpion: "Its my nature..."

http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/884

HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/221826/

KKK On This Day - Opelousas. Louisiana

This Day in History… Republicans Pass Anti-KKK Act – Outlawing Democratic Terrorist Groups

On September 28, 1868, a mob of Democrats massacred nearly 300 African-American Republicans in Opelousas, Louisiana. The savagery began when racist Democrats attacked a newspaper editor, a white Republican and schoolteacher for ex-slaves. Several African-Americans rushed to the assistance of their friend, and in response, Democrats went on a “Negro hunt,” killing every African-American (all of whom were Republicans) in the area they could find. (Via Grand Old Partisan)
On April 20, 1871 the Republicans passed the anti-Ku Klux Klan Act.

HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/221832/

Ted Cruz

The message in this video is likely to fly well above the heads of low-information voters.

Women in Combat Roles

"There are other differences between male and female troops. Women are twice as likely to suffer injuries and are three times more undeployable than men. Servicewomen are four times likelier to report being ill than servicemen. The percentage of servicewomen being medically unavailable at any time is twice that of servicemen. Then there’s pregnancy. Each year, between 10 and 17 percent of servicewomen become pregnant.

Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of military social engineering is the cover-up of failure. Officers who criticize double standards or expose official lies and deception about servicewomen’s performance risk their careers. Those official lies and deception will eventually reveal themselves with unnecessary loss of lives on the battlefield."

Our Timid Military Leaders

Tibor Rubin(R.I.P.) and the Medal of Honor

"In 2002, after Congress passed the Leonard Kravitz Jewish War Veterans Act — named for a Jewish soldier killed in an act of heroism in 1951 and subsequently denied the Medal of Honor — President Bush ordered a review of the records of 137 Jewish veterans. Corporal Rubin’s case was deemed among the most egregious.
But he wasn’t bitter, as he explained in the Stars and Stripes 2005 article:

“I’m not angry with the Chinese, I’m not angry with the North Koreans, I’m not even angry with the Germans,” he said. “I figure the Lord is going to take care of them. So how could I be angry at this country, which did so much for me?”"

Tibor Rubin has died – If you don’t know who he was, you need to

HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/221264/

Jihad Free Zone

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/221245/

Disturbance in the Force

I was working at this place.  There was a foo dog standing by the glass door outside and a statue of one on the back yard.  It turns out that the statue stands guard over the companion of the one that I saw.  I was amazed that I recognized the little bastards and that one was actually there.  His spirit was in abeyance.

Mo' F.O.E.

"Everyone of importance—the New York Times, MSNBC, NPR, the Huffington Post, Mother Jones, and Salon—agreed that there was no obvious motive. Time and again for many years attackers had come from nowhere and killed for no reason. There was no pattern except the strange cry, “Allahu Akbar.”
Mrs. Clinton’s  Secretary of Defense, Wilhelmina “Creepy” Crawley, offered an explanation.

“My staff at the Pentagon have determined that “Akbar” is a combination of “AK,” automatic Kalashnikov, which I am told is a form of gun, and BAR, Browning Automatic Rifle. This shows an unwholesome fascination with guns. We are investigating links to the NRA:”" 

Allahu Akbar! :The View from 2018

Dr. Thomas Sowell

Dr. Sowell is a man who our government should listen to.



https://theartsmechanical.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/tom-sowell-on-wealth-and-poverty/

HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/221068/

Thursday Morning Ride

 I made a nice short ride this morning.    I stopped by Aunt Dot's resting place and rubbed some brasso on her marker.  After that, I went to the nearby Dollar Tree and purchased some batteries and a couple of L.A.S.E.R.s.

"Homemade I.E.D."

Middle schooler’s homemade ‘IED’ turns out to be actual IED; Student faces charges.

Seriously?  Who in the world writes this crap?

Tell It Like It Is

http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/comic/toast/

Coconut Oil

I have been using LouAna Coconut Oil.  I have read where some say that it is not the oil to use, aside from cooking.  The LouAna  writings say that also.  From empirical experience, that may be so.

I have a problem with my forehead skin that is annoying.  It dries and I have been rubbing the LouAna  coconut oil on it.  It has not stopped until I rubbed some oil that I bought for my mom on it.  This oil was not refined and the next day, the incipient sore on my eyebrow was gone.  I will buy some more of the same and use it.  I do not know what kind it is but I recall the jar. 

I Find that Sleep Eludes Me Tonight

"When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite."
--WinstonChurchill

And So it Goes, As Usual

"Then they revealed who the shooters were.

Immediately the same exact people who’d just been screeching about evil Tea Party, racist, hate monger, right wing, ciswhitehetero male phantoms, began urging calm, saying don’t jump to conclusions. It isn’t fair to tar the big group because of the actions of a few. Watch out for that hateful rhetoric, because you might inflame people."..."It is kind of funny how you can name any crisis, any crisis at all, and the inevitable solutions demanded are always giving the government more control."

Read it here: 

Guns and Vultures

Edit: I am sure that I missed an HT somewhere.

Jihad

Not all Muslims are terrorists but an unsettling number of terrorists are Muslims.

"It is simply false to declare that jihadists represent the “tiny few extremists” who sully the reputation of an otherwise peace-loving and tolerant Muslim faith. In reality, the truth is far more troubling — that jihadists represent the natural and inevitable outgrowth of a faith that is given over to hate on a massive scale, with hundreds of millions of believers holding views that Americans would rightly find revolting. Not all Muslims are hateful, of course, but so many are that it’s not remotely surprising that the world is wracked by wave after wave of jihadist violence."

Dispelling the ‘Few Extremists’ Myth – the Muslim World Is Overcome with Hate

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/428146/more-than-few-islamic-extremists

 

 

 

Remembering Judge Michael G. Sullivan

One of my favorite men was Judge Michael G. Sullivan.  He died in 2009.  He kept a copy of this in his office drawer when he was at City Court.

Do Your Best

HT: http://extragoodshit.phlap.net/index.php/329342/

Internal Passport - A Relic of the U.S.S.R.

"It sounds crazy, but next year, millions of Americans might have to start using passports to fly -- on domestic flights.

A decade ago, the U.S. government issued stricter standards for state-issued IDs, including drivers licenses. But four states have refused to comply: Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York.

The deadline for upgrading is coming up in 2016. If those four states don't upgrade their ID systems by the deadline, the TSA will demand that residents of those four states use passports rather than drivers licenses to board flights next year. About 9.5 million drivers licenses have been issued in those states, according to government licensing records."

You may not think that is of any concern.  However, tie that in with the following:  "A little-noticed provision in the highway funding bill Congress passed this week threatens a right most Americans take for granted: the right to travel abroad. The provision in question gives the Internal Revenue Service the authority to revoke the passport of anyone the IRS claims owes more than $50,000 in back taxes."  "...the provision does not provide taxpayers an opportunity to challenge a finding that they owe back taxes in federal court before their passport is revoked." 

Read about it here.

HT: http://overlawyered.com/2015/12/but-you-cant-check-out/

No-Fly is Unconstitutional

“The American Civil Liberties Union is taking no position on legislation that would bar people from buying guns if they are on the federal government’s no-fly list — a list that the ACLU has spent the past five years arguing is unconstitutional.”

Never trust the ACLU. NEVER trust the ACLU. NEVER TRUST THE ACLU.

 HT: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/220776/

A Day that Will Live in Infamy

"At five minutes to eight o'clock, on a Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, in Hawaii, Japanese planes attacked the United States military base at Pearl Harbor.
An hour later, a second wave of Japanese planes continued the attack. By 9:45 a.m. (local Hawaii time), the attack was finished, with all but 29 Japanese planes returning to the safety of their aircraft carriers.
The attack on Pearl Harbor wiped out approximately half of America's military airpower in the Pacific Theater; severely damaged eight Navy battleships, three destroyers and three cruisers; demolished the battleships U.S.S. Oklahama and Arizona; and killed more than 2,300 American servicemen.

Attack on Pearl Harbor Remembered

Some Shaggy For Anne

UPDATED

Amy Winehouse

I loved her music and was sorry to see her go.

The Big Lie

"On Wednesday, a Washington Post article announced that “The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year.” Vox, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, this newspaper and others reported similar statistics. Grim details from the church in Charleston, a college classroom in Oregon and a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado are still fresh, but you could be forgiven for wondering how you missed more than 300 other such attacks in 2015."

How Many Mass Shootings Are There, Really?