DEI or DIE???

Posted on by May 15, 2024

Apparently, Virginia is paralleling Texas in dumping DEI in universities!

Two public universities in Virginia have scrapped their planned diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements after a review by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) administration.

Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University canceled their plans to implement DEI-oriented classes as a requirement for undergraduate studies after Youngkin raised concerns about “core curriculum mandates that are a thinly veiled attempt to incorporate the progressive Left’s groupthink.”

However, while the VCU Board of Visitors voted 10-5 publicly in a meeting on Friday to reject a “racial literacy” requirement just before the fall 2024 academic semester, which included the requirement, was set to begin, GMU decided to delay implementation for one year.

Full article, HERE from Washington Examiner.

Gov Youngkin, much like Gov Abbott, is NOT a fan of DEI, and was voted in by the pissed off parents in VA after the debacles in Loudoun, Fairfax, and some other school systems in VA over school board vs. parents over education of their children.

And they aren’t the only ones- “Lawmakers in more than a dozen red states have either passed or proposed sweeping* higher education reform packages curtailing DEI initiatives. Florida banned state funding for DEI programs. Texas banned DEI offices outright. Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order in December that prohibited funding DEI initiatives not just at universities but within all state agencies.”

When you try to shove people into ‘identity’ boxes based on race, sex, or anything else never ends well for anyone. As anybody who has been in the military will tell you, veterans don’t care what ethnicity etc. someone is, their relationships are based on trust and people doing their jobs. Why? Because lives depend on folks doing those jobs and doing them well!

I think after the last couple of years, more and more people are beginning to think that way, not just in red states, but around the entire country!

Your thoughts???

Ye ghods…

Posted on by May 14, 2024

Welp, this administration continues to PROVE they can spend money on… stuff…

  • The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law earmarked $7.5 billion for EV charging, with $5 billion allocated to states, but the slow rollout has resulted in just 7 charging stations.
  • Higher standards for new EV chargers, including 97% operational reliability, 150kW power, and proximity to highways, have contributed to the slow progress, along with permitting challenges and power demands.
  • Concerns have been raised by lawmakers and experts about mismanagement of taxpayer dollars and the lack of experience among state transportation agencies in deploying EV charging infrastructure.

Full article, HERE. From Oil Price monthly.

We used to have a saying in the R&D world about ‘vapor ware’…

It looked good on paper, and in all those powerpoint presentations, and ‘worked’ in a lab environment (maybe)…

But when it hit the real world…if it ever did, it usually failed spectacularly! Of course it was never the fault of the provider, but it was those stupid sailors that (insert excuse here).

As far as I know, ‘we’ never blew anywhere near that much money on even the worst failures we had!!!

The basic ‘problem’, IMHO, is that the rules keep changing faster than the states can adapt, nobody is looking at how long, how much it will cost, and who will provide the power required for these stations everywhere.

And the only ones that have successfully deployed ANY stations have all been private companies, with proprietary systems.

As far as I know, there is no ‘overarching plan, standardization, or a designated point of contact that actually knows what is going on. I just wonder how much the ‘cost overruns’ are going to be?

And manufacturers are pulling back on building EVs… This just gets better and better…

Grrr…

Posted on by May 13, 2024

Once again the government is ‘fudging’ the numbers on inflation…

Call it a preview of Wednesday’s release of the official inflation figures for April, but American consumers say they expect inflation to go higher — and stay there longer. A New York Federal Reserve survey just out Monday shows that consumers have “raised their expectations for price increases both in the near and longer term, fueled by higher inflation in home prices along with fuel and energy.”

And coffee. Don’t forget the coffee. But I’ll come back to that momentarily. 

Full article, HERE.

The Kobeissi Letter shows once again how BAD inflation truly is, especially if you’re a coffee drinker… Hit the show more on the X feed for an expansion!

And just how scummy and unrealistic the numbers are… Coffee is up 78%, so they drop it… Gasoline is no longer reported (and hasn’t been for a long time), the cost of power is no longer reported, etc…

We’ve done back of the envelope calculations, FWIW, and figured inflation was over 20% the last two years, which means those of us on pensions or military retirements are losing conservatively 10-15% with every ‘pay raise’ we get, since they base it off the CPI!

And what about the elderly who are only on Social Security? I’m afraid to think about what they can and cannot afford, with prescription costs going up. Do they eat, get medicine, pay the water bill, or keep the lights on?

I’m betting quite a few cannot do more than 2-3 of those four…

And it’s only getting worse!

Random quotes…

Posted on by May 12, 2024

These came over the transom from the mil-email string…

“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false;  while to say of what is that it is, or of what is not that it is not, is true.”                 – Aristotle, _Metaphysics_

“If it has tires or testicles, you’re going to have trouble with it.”   – Linda Furney, Ohio State Senator

“I must tell you that I’ve been enjoying my involuntary retirement. And I sincerely hope that George Bush will be sharing that pleasure with me come January.”                 – Jimmy Carter, 1992 Democratic National Convention

“Life. Live it.”

“Sometimes, the road is less traveled for a reason.”

“Follow your bliss.”      – Joseph Campbell

“The world is a very cool place.”      – Miller Brewing Co.

“Philosophy: a blind man in dark room looking for a black cat which isn’t there.”               – Lord Bowen

Paul’s Law: “You can’t fall off the floor.”

“A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn.”         – Anon.

“I’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous.”       – Anon.

“One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop.”           – G. Weilacher

“Duct tape is like the force: it has a light side, and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.”           – Anon.

“If you can count your money, you don’t have a billion dollars.”  – J. Paul Getty

“Hey, who took the cork off my lunch?”        – W.C. Fields

First Law of Midterms: If you are given an open-book exam, you will Forget your book.

“Always remember to pillage BEFORE you burn.”              – Anon.

“Well, you get what you settle for.”       – Louise Sawyer, _Thelma & Louise_

“Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”             – Mark Twain

“I know the problems of two lonely people don’t amount to a hill of Beans in this world, but darling, this is our hill, and these are our beans.”   – Frank Drebbon, _The Naked Gun_

“He is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death.”  – H. H. Munro

What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t work?

A stick.

Enjoy your week, the only place to go from this is UP!!!

Recipes…

Posted on by May 12, 2024

Since y’all want recipes…

Crawfish Etouffee-

  • 4 pounds cleaned crawfish tails
  • 1/2 pound butter
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 2 cups chopped bell peppers
  • 4 cloves smashed garlic
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 cups chopped green onions
  • 1 cup chopped parsley
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 quarts stock or water
  • 2 Tbsp Tony Chachere seasoning
  • salt and cayenne pepper to taste
  • Tabasco to taste
  • 6 cups white rice

Cook onion, bell pepper, celery in skillet with butter until onions are translucent with cajun seasoning. Add crawfish until cooked through (don’t over cook, they get tough).

Mix flour into stock until completely mixed/smooth. Add bay leaves, green onion, parsley. Bring to boil, then simmer for appx 15 minutes while you do the rice.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, Tabasco.

Maque Chou-

  • 6 ears corn, husked and cleaned (or cheat and use 4 cans DRAINED canned corn)
  • 8 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
  • add to get 2 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced/chopped
  • 1 cup chopped bell pepper
  • 1 chopped large fresh tomato
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • salt/pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions

Cook bacon crispy, crumble, set aside. Cook onion, bell pepper until translucent. Add corn, seasoning, tomato, bacon, and milk to pan. DO NOT BRING TO BOIL! Heat over medium/medium low heat for 10-15 minutes. Add salt/pepper to taste. Just prior to serving, add green onion tops.

Cooking for the crowd…

Posted on by May 11, 2024

For years we’ve had a rotation going for who cooks on Saturday nights. Last night was my turn, and since I was NOT having a good day (back spasms), along with intermittent rain, I wanted comfort food…

So I went with a cajun supper… It was supposed to be crawfish etouffee, but they only had 1 1/2 pounds of crawfish, so I threw in some shrimps, so I guess I ended up with Crimp etouffee…

And maque choux as the side, which is corn, onion, bell pepper, bacon, tomato, and milk (with seasonings).

Oh, and biscuits, and no leftovers…

As usual, there were discussions of writing, the issues with Draft 2 Digital (apparently I’m not the only one they are pulling that crap on), and ideas freely shared (get thee behind me muse, I’ve got ENOUGH on my plate right now).

 

Got your maps???

Posted on by May 10, 2024

While the ‘forecast’ isn’t for a Carrington Event, this weekend might be interesting if you rely on GPS or are into Ham/voice comms…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Thursday that a “severe” G4 geomagnetic storm would hit the Earth perhaps as early as Friday. 

The “very rare” warning hasn’t been issued in 20 years. The radiation will almost certainly wreak havoc on some communications 

“Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface, potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations,” the NOAA said.

Full article, HERE from PJ Media and another from CBS HERE.

Here’s a ‘chart’ of how far south the aurora borealis may be visible from NOAA.

Some are saying the lights ‘may’ be visible as far south as Atlanta. Having seen them more than once in Alaska, Iceland, and Greenland, they ARE impressive especially when they are bright enough to read a book with!

They also screw up radio comms…sigh…

Anyway, if you’re up at zero dark 30, you might want to step outside and see if there is anything to see if you don’t have cloud cover!

Oh yeah, while I’m thinking about it, I now have a Substack! https://oldnfo.substack.com/

Interesting, heads up folks…

Posted on by May 9, 2024

Welp, looks like I’m DONE with Draft 2 Digital…

Got this yesterday from them after a month of back and forth BS, including sending them a copy of my IRS issued EIN paperwork!

Hello,

As described in a prior notification, the tax identification information you submitted for your Draft2Digital partner account does not match US IRS records. Since you did not provide a valid taxpayer identification number, per US IRS requirements, your tax form is invalid and you will be unable to distribute your title.

When you have all necessary tax information prepared, you may retake the full tax interview by logging onto the Draft2Digital site and navigate to My Account: Manage Payment Options to update your tax information. There, you will find our secure online tax interview.

Please note that Draft2Digital uses Tax Identity Solutions, a third-party tax provider, to gather tax information.

Important Notice: Information in this document does not constitute tax, legal, or other professional advice. If you have other questions, please contact your tax, legal, or other professional advisor.

Thank you for your assistance.

Draft2Digital | Tax Identity Solutions

Lemme see… how do I say this? BS?  Yep, BS! When I send it the copy of the document itself, and they say it does not match IRS records, I call BS, since that’s the EIN I’ve been using for SEVEN years with no issues with either my accountant or my tax preparer!

Oh well, cross them off the list of possible printing options. I know others may use them, but if they are playing these games, what else are they doing behind the scenes???

Whose side???

Posted on by May 8, 2024

Is this administration really on???

The Biden administration is holding up shipments of two types of Boeing-made precision bombs to send a political message to Israel, according to a U.S. official and six other people with knowledge of the deliberations.

The U.S. has yet to sign off on a pending sale of Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions — both the munitions and kits that convert them to smart weapons — and Small Diameter Bombs, according to six industry and congressional sources with knowledge of the discussions.

Full article, HERE from Politico.

Anybody who can actually parse data knows that Hamas is using civilians as hostages as they have since Oct 7, INCLUDING their own people. Israel has gone out of its way to prevent collateral damage, including safe zones, safe corridors, etc. since they first went into Gaza.

Also the damage/dead posted by Hamas is exaggerated by at least a factor of 2-3 if not more, but the MSM takes it as gospel, never asking any questions. Nor are they doing any in depth reporting on what Israeli troops are actually finding inside Gaza.

Kinda reminds me of the three monkeys…

The other thing I find interesting is that by limiting the JDAM kits/SDBs, the administration is FORCING Israel to actually use less accurate bombs when they truly need the precision to keep from collateral damage.

And it seems that for every dollar of aid to Israel, the left/dems are pushing an equal amount to Hamas under the table. Like building a $350M dock in Gaza for aid, which Hamas has already launched mortar attacks at.

The other thing I find ‘interesting’ is that no Arab country is willing to take Palestinians as refugees! What does that tell you about them? But Xiden wants to bring them here?

Dammit…

Posted on by May 7, 2024

I knew it was coming, but I still hate to see this become reality…

Wokeness has finally succeeded in destroying a formerly great organization. After 114 years, the Boy Scouts of America is changing its name to Scouting America.

“The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally allowing gay youth to welcoming girls throughout its ranks,” reports the Associated Press. “With an eye on increasing flagging membership numbers, the Irving, Texas-based organization announced the name change Tuesday at its annual meeting in Florida.”

Full article, HERE.

Norman Rockwell was a supporter of Scouting, doing somewhere around 65 paintings about Scouting over the years that were featured in the Scouting magazines.

My father died when I was nine, and Scouting provided good male role models for me during my childhood. In addition, it taught me self-sufficiency, leadership, involvement in the community.

I made it all the way to Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow, and through the Explorer program.

One of the things I remember most is the pride the leaders took in the USA and how they lead by example. I think this was because most of our leaders were veterans of WWII, and had some pretty strong feelings about ‘what’ and ‘how’ we should learn.

Sadly, like many other organizations, Scouting has had its troubles, many brought on by lawsuits and leading to the bankruptcy of the original organization.

At least I’ll always have my good memories…sigh