Hmmm…

Posted on by August 22, 2020

Looks like we are going to get wet…

Tropical Storm Marco (possible hurricane) is pointed at New Orleans with a predicted landfall of Monday morning, then hooking west and ending up in Dallas on Wednesday. Hurricane Laura is predicted to follow and end up hitting possibly New Orleans on Wednesday then hooking east.

The crossing paths are unusual, to put it mildly, and the potential for damage is just flat huge… One hurricane is bad enough, but a second two days later… sigh…

The right side of the hurricane has the most wind/bad weather (see tornadoes), and that is the stuff that will probably hit us starting as early as late Monday, early Tuesday. That is also the area where the most rain is generated. The amount of flooding through Louisiana and East Texas could be really bad, approaching what was seen with Harvey (which dropped 60 inches of rain on Houston). Louisiana is already putting up evacuation orders, which are complicated by the current WuFlu crisis…

In other news, Three Gorges in China is dealing with flooding unlike any seen since it was completed…

Extreme floods have hit China’s Three Gorges dam, which recorded the largest inflow of water in its history, prompting officials to assure the public it would not be breached.

Inflows to the world’s largest hydro-electric dam reached 75m litres of water a second, according to state media. By Thursday morning, 11 outlets of the dam had been opened to discharge 49.2m litres of water a second, the largest release since its construction.

Full article, HERE.

Here is an 8 minute video on the current status of Three Gorges and downstream…

Thankfully, at least for now, there aren’t any tropical cyclones or typhoons headed their way, but it is early in the typhoon season. Bevi is the only storm in the area, and it’s heading for Okinawa right now.

Folks, take a minute to say a prayer for those in the paths of these tropical cyclones/hurricanes. They’re going to need all the help they can get.

‘Green’ energy…

Posted on by August 21, 2020

Welp, California is looking at continued rolling blackouts if the heat wave continues (and it probably will for another week, based on the weather guessers).

Why, you might ask…

The greenies have gotten the state to go full econazi and ‘transition’ to green energy. Except… They can’t control the wind, or sunshine… And the few natural gas plants they still have are old and tend to break, which is what happened last week. A 470MW gas plant shut down unexpectedly and the wind died.

Oopsie…

After a week of unwelcome drama from a power grid repeatedly bumping up to the edge of of its capacity, Californians weary of living with the specter of rolling power outages–on top of five months with COVID–are wondering what’s gone wrong with the grid and when it can be fixed.

Full article, HERE.

But this statement just floors me… Nuclear is clean energy and they absolutely REFUSE to acknowledge that, or even mention it…

Meantime, advocates of the decades long transition to renewable energy do not doubt the wisdom of California’s commitment to that goal–and the unacceptably destructive environmental impact of doubling down on burning fossil fuels– but do see need for further tuning.

This is the same bunch that lives/works in Sacramento, which has its own power company, SMUD. 80% of SMUD’s power is 56% NG and 24% hydroelectric. They used to have Rancho Seco Nuclear Power station, but it was closed in 1989, after years of mismanagement (projected life for a nuke plant is 50 years).

California has also closed San Onofre and is planning to close Diablo Canyon at Avila Beach in 2024. Diablo Canyon currently produces 8.6% of total California generation and 23% of carbon-free generation. In the early 2000s when California went through the first round of blackouts, I remember the hippies in their Volvos protesting at Diablo Canyon when they brought the second plant on line to ameliorate the rolling blackouts.

The real problem is that dependence on solar (only good 12ish hours a day), and wind (fickle at best), is that unless you have a LOT of battery backup, or contracts for emergency power from the west coast grid, you’re going to be SOL when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

THAT is the situation they are in now. Not enough backup, and, according to a friend in the business, no emergency contracts, so they are paying ‘spot’ prices for power. Palo Verde in Arizona on 30 July sold 30,000MWH of power for $80.00/MWH for example. Other days, the price was under $30.00/MWH…

What long term contracts (LTC) do, is flatten the cost spikes over the long term availability. Here is one explanation-

To put some structure around how LTC prices relate to underlying market dynamics it is useful to deconstruct price drivers into five key categories set out below.

  1. Exposure: The structure of LTC pricing terms in relation to underlying commodity prices (e.g. fixed price, price indexation, upside sharing or cap & floor terms).
  2. Intrinsic value: The degree to which LTC value can be hedged against current forward market prices (i.e. the ‘in the $$$’ of the contract).
  3. Market conditions: The prevailing market pricing of flexibility contained in the LTC (e.g. driven by liquidity, price volatility, pricing/availability of alternative forms of flexibility).
  4. Duration: The term of the contract which influences available liquidity to manage LTC exposures as well as the level of uncertainty over future price evolution.
  5. Portfolio drivers: Other portfolio related value driven by factors such as ‘insurance premia’, risk limits, security of supply mandates or strategic considerations.

In summation, IMHO, California is screwed yet again… Power costs are going to go up, and probably sooner rather than later, they are going to run out of power, the ability to produce it at a sustainable level with just solar and wind, and be out of money to buy power.

Oopsie…

Posted on by August 18, 2020

Portsmouth, VA prosecutors have secured warrants for a number of people in conjunction with destruction/tearing up a confederate monument in Portsmouth…

In addition to state senator Lucas, felony charges were filed against 13 other individuals. These included a member of the Portsmouth School Board, three Portsmouth NAACP representatives and three public defenders. All were charged with either injury to a monument in excess of $1,000 or conspiracy to commit a felony and injury to a monument in excess of $1,000. 

Full article, HERE.  One wonders what ‘gymnastics’ are going to be done to get these #$%$%@! people off??? Will the governor step in and pardon them?

And in Portland, a suspect has been identified that kicked the truck driver in the head!

The Portland Police Bureau is on the hunt for Marquise Love, who also goes by the name “Keese Love,” for his alleged involvement in the vicious assault that was caught on video and circulated on social media.

Marquise Love (Portland Police Bureau)

Marquise Love (Portland Police Bureau)

Officials said in a press release they have made several attempts to reach 25-year-old Love, but have so far been unsuccessful. They have said they have probable cause for his arrest.

Several ‘attempts’ to reach him??? WTF??? Where is the all out search for this POS… His ass should be UNDER the jail!

Full article, HERE.

And then there’s this from, my shocked face, and Engrish professor…

Thankfully the ‘warning’ was reported to administration!

“After reviewing this issue with the faculty member, the syllabus has been corrected to ensure it is consistent with university policy,” the university said. “Moreover, the faculty member is being provided additional information regarding the First Amendment policies of the University.”

Full article, HERE.

And I’ll just leave this one here…

An open letter…

Posted on by August 16, 2020

To the NFL, and the same also applies to MLB, and the NBA…

I really don’t know who penned this, nor do I care. It makes a lot of sense and seems to express the views of many I know. The average fan.  Many who are veterans like myself.

You graduated high school in 2011 or later. Your teenage years were a struggle.  You grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Your mother was the leader of the family and worked tirelessly to keep a roof over your head and food on your plate.  Academics were a struggle for you and your grades were mediocre at best. The only thing that made you stand out is you weighed 225 lbs and could run 40 yards in 4.2 seconds while carrying a football. 

Your best friend was just like you, except he didn’t play football. Instead of going to football practice after school, he went to work at McDonalds for minimum wage.  You were recruited by all the big colleges and spent every weekend of your senior year making visits to universities where coaches and boosters tried to convince you their school was best. While they laid out the red carpet for you. Your best friend worked double shifts at Mickey Ds. College was not an option for him. On the day you signed with Big State University, your best friend signed paperwork with his Army recruiter. You went to summer workouts. He went to basic training. 

You spent the next four years living in the athletic dorm, eating at the training table. You spent your Saturdays on the football field, cheered on by adoring fans.  Tutors attended to your every academic need. You attended class when you felt like it. Sure, you worked hard. You lifted weights, ran sprints, studied plays, and soon became one of the top football players in the country. 

Your best friend was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. While you were in college, he deployed to Iraq once and Afghanistan twice. He became a Sergeant and led a squad of 19 year-old soldiers who grew up just like he did. He shed his blood in Afghanistan and watched young American’s give their lives, limbs, and innocence for the USA.  You went to the NFL combine and scored off the charts. You hired an agent and waited for draft day. You were drafted in the first round and your agent immediately went to work, ensuring that you received the most money possible. You signed for $16 million although you had never played a single down of professional  football. 

Your best friend re-enlisted in the Army for four more years. As a combat-tested sergeant, he will be paid $32,000 per year.  You will drive a Ferrari on the streets of South Beach.  He will ride in the back of a Blackhawk helicopter with 10 other combat loaded soldiers.  You will sleep at the Ritz. He will dig a hole in the ground and try to sleep. You will “make it rain” in the club. He will pray for rain as the temperature reaches 120 degrees.  On Sunday, you will run into a stadium as tens of thousands of fans cheer and yell your name. 

For your best friend, there is little difference between Sunday and any other day of the week. There are no adoring fans. There are only people trying to kill him and his soldiers. Every now and then, he and his soldiers leave the front lines and “go to the rear” to rest. He might be lucky enough to catch an NFL game on TV. 

When the National Anthem plays and you take a knee, he will jump to his feet and salute the television. While you protest the unfairness of life in the United States, he will give thanks to God that he has the honor of defending his great country. 

To the players of the NFL: We are the people who buy your tickets, watch you on TV, and wear your jerseys. We anxiously wait for Sundays so we can cheer for you and marvel at your athleticism. Although we love to watch you play, we care little about your opinions until you offend us. You have the absolute right to express your opinion, but we have the absolute right to boycott you.  We have tolerated your drug use and DUIs, your domestic violence, and your vulgar displays of wealth. We should be ashamed for putting our admiration of your physical skills before what is right. But now you have gone too far. You have insulted our flag, our country, our soldiers, our police officers, and our veterans. You are living the American dream, yet you disparage our great country.

I encourage all like minded Americans to totally boycott the NFL.

Boycott all football telecasts; all fans, all ticket holders, stay away from attending any games, let them play to empty stadiums.  Pass this post along to all your friends and family. Honor our military, some of whom come home with the American flag draped over their coffin. 

AMEN!

Not going to say…

Posted on by August 16, 2020

I told you so, but…

New study reveals coronavirus likely arrived in the US around Christmas

Lauren Ancel Meyers, a professor of integrative biology and statistics and data sciences who leads the UT Austin COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, worked with her team of researchers to extrapolate the extent of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan and Seattle based on retested throat swabs taken from patients who were suffering from influenza-like illnesses during January in Wuhan and during late February and early March in Seattle.

From a research paper by University of Texas, full article, HERE.

Actual research paper, HERE. Published in the Lancet E Clinical Medicine edition. Which also backs up the ‘discredited’ Stanford study back in March/April of previous swabs, HERE.

Personally, I think we in north Texas had it sweep through in late January, based on how many of the ‘listed’ symptoms we experienced, but I think we had milder cases of it. Ironically, four of us have taken numerous doses of antimalarial drugs over the years…

I’m sure the ‘they’ in the science community will be marshalling their ‘experts’ to disprove this study… Sigh…

Book promo…

Posted on by August 14, 2020

First up is Supernatural Streets, an anthology from Rob Reed.\

As always, click the cover for the Amazon link.

The blurb-

Supernatural Streets brings together 14 Urban Fantasy authors to explore mysteries with a touch of Magic. The collection includes stories of psychic FBI agents, werewolf detectives, monster hunters, and an ordinary cop just trying to survive when the ritual daggers come out.

The anthology includes work by Dragon Award Finalist Declan Finn, Hugo Award nominated author Cedar Sanderson, best-selling authors Ryk E. Spoor and Julie Frost, and other fan-favorites and rising stars. 

Some good folks in this one!!!

Next up is another Familiars tale from Alma Boykin- Familiar Vows

The blurb-

From Familiars who horn in on their new mages to a quiet night with Master Saldovado and a sorceress with a single spell, nothing’s quite what it seems in this Familiar world.

Lelia and André just want a quiet wedding celebration, but his family seems determined to add excitement to things. Mike comes home to Riverton on leave and backs into an old problem. Eugene Moorehouse fixes a fence under closer supervision than he’d planned. And Martin and Chester discover that sometimes, a mage in need is a mage indeed.

Six short stories in the Familiar Tales universe.

And a damn good one too!!!

And last but not least, Peter Nealan’s next installment in the Maelstrom Rising series- Strategic Assets

The blurb-

They retook Gdansk…

…At a terrible cost for both sides.

Where and when will the next blow fall?

Winter is setting in, and Eastern Europe is hurting. Russians prowl on one side, while the European Defense Council’s forces sit on the German side of the border, strangely quiet. Matt and his team have recovered from the wounds they received in Gdansk, but as low-intensity warfare continues, the question remains:

What is the EDC waiting for?

The Triarii are sure that the same people who launched the war aren’t giving up. They’ve already killed thousands. Power is their only goal, and the EDC won’t simply leave the Americans and Poles in peace. They can’t. Too much blood has already been shed.

So, Matt and his team get a new mission.

Go deep into enemy territory and find out what is happening.

Before the next hammer blow ends the war for good…

You’ll love this next thriller in the hard-hitting military action series because the tension is as palpable as the action is brutal!

Get it now. 

And our anthology, Spotreps is still chugging along #76 in Fiction Anthologies, which isn’t bad a month after publication. It’s available, HERE.   

And remember folks, HONEST reviews make or break us starving writers, so please take a couple of minutes when you finish to drop a review. We DO appreciate them!!!

Sigh…

Posted on by August 14, 2020

Fact, fiction, or conspiracy theory???

I didn’t write it and don’t know who did, but the ‘reactions’ I’m seeing are a microcosm of the current divisions in ‘thought’, and I use that term loosely…

I didn’t write this but man……… Scary.

It’s not about masks. Open your mind to the POSSIBILITY……

In 4 months, the U.S. transformed into an obedient socialist country. Government dictated what events are acceptable to attend. Violent protests that instill fear are OK but church services, family funerals and patriotic celebrations are dangerous. And you bought it without a fight.

Standing in a graduation line is a “safety hazard”. Small businesses were forced to close but crowds to support the corporate money machine at WalMart, Lowes and Home Depot are OK.

Come on. It’s “just a mask” & “safety precautions”.

How about a little hush money. Here’s $2,400 that we stole out of your pay check in the first place. Enjoy. Buy something with it. From a big corporation.

Cash is dirty. We can’t give change. There’s a coin shortage. Use your card. In 4 months, they convinced you to use a traceable card for everything.

In less than 4 months, government closed public schools then “restructured” education under the guise of “public safety”. In less than 4 months, our government demonstrated how easily people assimilate to “guidelines” that have NO scientific premise whatsoever when you are fearful.

In less than 4 months, our government successfully instilled fear in a majority of the population in America that allows them to control every aspect of your life. Including what you eat, where you go, and who you see.

And the most dangerous and terrifying part? People are not afraid of the government who removed their freedom. They’re afraid of their neighbors, family and friends.

AND THEY HATE THOSE THAT WON’T COMPLY.

It’s absolutely terrifying to me that so many people don’t question “authority”. They are willing to surrender their critical thinking skills and independence. They just… gave up without thinking. Without a fight.

Do you know what’s coming next?
“It’s just a vaccine. Come on. It’s for the greater good”.

Wait until you’re told that you can’t enter any store or business without proof of the Covid-19 vaccine. Wait until you can’t go to public events or get on a plane without proof of receiving the vaccine.

To everyone that doesn’t believe this is possible – DO YOU UNDERSTAND that government successfully dictated to people WHEN they were allowed to be outside, where they were allowed to go, and how their children would be educated in less than 4 months? And that a majority of the population followed blindly because they were told to do so.

You’re kidding yourself if you think this behavior won’t be repeated with a vaccine. Or whatever the next step is.

6 million Jews were exterminated in Germany because 97% of the population cowered to populist control. Nobody wanted to think about it. It’s easier to just ignore it.

But that couldn’t happen here, right?

There is a truly HARD break between the CovidKarens and the rest of the country, with them screaming about masks and ignoring the reality that the survival rate is 99.4% across the entire population. Much like the arguments over HCQ, the sides are split and never the twain shall meet. I’m sick and tired of the BS…

As Lawdog said, HERE, it IS tyranny… And they are revelling in their ‘power’, and dancing on the graves of the elderly that have died because of the virus, while blaming the rest of the population for ‘causing’ it…

I do my own research, and don’t just follow what is happening here in the US, I also look overseas and follow actual scientists in other countries that are collating various reports. My choice is MY choice. Your rights stop at the end of your nose. I’ll give you six feet out of courtesy. Don’t push for more.

Are we there yet???

Posted on by August 13, 2020

Busy writing so you get a quote from somebody else…

Have a safe weekend and remember, don’t sweat the petty stuff and don’t pet the sweaty stuff…

YGTBSM!!!

Posted on by August 12, 2020

PP got grandson’s ‘schedule’ yesterday… It’s a ‘blended’ schedule for school. This is K-5th grade…

The problem is, granddaughter is supposed to be going to her pre-K from 0900-1200…

So, either grandson or granddaughter gets to miss ‘school’ two days a week. Dunno how parents are going to cope with this with pre-teen kids. Especially if they have a lousy internet connection, and have to be logging back in every 30 minutes.

So it looks like the teachers are only working 2 days a week in school, the rest of the week from home or wherever.

Update- And PP has also apparently been given the ‘option’ of homeschooling him, but that’s yet ANOTHER program… Sigh… And it’s run by the state, so no ‘freelance’ home schooling!