Relative

When I take out the dog in the morning, I first look outside to see the temperature. A few days ago it was 56 degrees F. When I got outside it seemed to be cold to me; however, in the winter that same temperature would be considered warm if not down right hot. Proving that temperature to me at least is relative.

Time seems relative also. When we are busy "time flies"; but waiting for the time to leave work when your work is done but the clock hasn't realized that it should be later "time drags". In the Navy, the last few days of any deployment seem to last forever. Waiting to get to sleep seems to last forever but morning quite often comes much too soon.

I always found that car trips to a place seem to take longer than the reverse. 50 miles to work each day seem to take a long time but 50 miles to visit a friend or relative are much easier to traverse.

Special relativity is a theory of the structure of spacetime. It was introduced in Albert Einstein's 1905 paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies". Special relativity is based on two postulates which are contradictory in classical mechanics:
The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion relative to one another (Galileo's principle of relativity),
The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion or of the motion of the source of the light.
The resultant theory has many surprising consequences. Some of these are:
Relativity of simultaneity: Two events, simultaneous for some observer, may not be simultaneous for another observer if the observers are in relative motion.
Time dilation: Moving clocks are measured to tick more slowly than an observer's "stationary" clock.
Length contraction: Objects are measured to be shortened in the direction that they are moving with respect to the observer.
Mass-energy equivalence: E = mc2, energy and mass are equivalent and transmutable.
from : WikiPedia Special Relativity

NO WHAT?

As I may have already mentioned we have No Cable TV, no Air Conditioner, 1 TV (not HDTV yet) & 1 car. In general these are not problems.

But as is obvious, I am a Redwings' fan. Since they were playing the Chi Blackhawks, I was able to listen to them on the local radio station. It might have been nice to watch their games, since the announcers were complaining about many missed calls against my team by the refs; I would have liked to see the game to "notice" any missed calls on the BHs! Now most of the finals will be on Cable, so I will miss the games unless I go online to listen to the Redwing broadcast.

A/C would be nice when it is very hot in the summer especially at night. Since we live in the Midwest, the weather isn't way too hot most of the times; but 2-4 times a year it would be nice.

1 car isn't so bad in general when only one of us goes somewhere the other is usually at home (usually me at home, my wife is much more social).

1 TV is not a problem since we watch the same programs most of the time; and I can watch the TV programs that I miss on the computer.

We don't live like hermits; we have DSL and computers; but we (mainly me) are cheap.

"Rather to go to bed supperless than rise in debt"- Benjamin Franklin

"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship"- Benjamin Franklin

"He who does not economize will have to agonize"-Confusius

cheap (adj) low in price; worth more than its cost ; inexpensive because of inferior quality : cheap, shoddy goods. • informal miserly; stingy • of little worth because achieved in a discreditable way requiring little effort
PHRASES
dirt cheap |ˈˈdərt ˈtʃip| very cheap or cheaply
on the cheap informal at a low cost
ORIGIN late 15th cent.: from an obsolete phrase good cheap [a good bargain,] from Old English cēap [bargaining, trade,] based on Latin caupo ‘small trader, innkeeper.’

Blackhawks don't show up

I was worried about the RedWing / Blackhawk game on Sunday. The Wings top Defender (Lidstrom) , the top or second best Forward (Datsyuk {Zetterburg might be better}), and a gutty power play wing (Draper) were out; whereas, the BH's were only missing their goalkeeper (and the sub goalie beat the Wings the last regular seson game he played & shut Wings out after he came into game 3). I thought maybe my son had bloodied Draper (see comment on Hate Crimes).

Plus the BH's had out played or were even with the RW for much of the second game (which they lost) and most of the third game (which they won). The BH's were at home where they play very well.

But the BH did not seem to have the fire necessary to beat the experienced RW. A mistake early by BH led to a 2 on 1 short handed break-away & the Wings scored. I thought at least we (we fans like to think that we are part of the team) won't get shut out. Then they scored two more goals (one due to a strange {phantom} penalty on a BH) & I was feeling rather good. But then a power play goal by the BH young center Toews. Worry started, BH have come back from 3-0 goal deficits before in this playoff season. But 12 seconds later the Wings scored & it was over.

From that point on the BH's just lost it; committing more & more cheap shots. I was surprised since they are in general not a goon team but more skillful. Verstaag after coming out of the penalty box committed another penalty 6 seconds later. When Verstaag tried to get Kronwall to fight late in the game Kronwall just laughed at him.

I hope the Wings don't get over confident since the BH have a good young team and have a good coach. The game was hopefully an learning experience for the BH's.

”A fast body-contact game played by men with clubs in their hands and knives laced to their feet.” - Paul Gallico

”A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” –Wayne Gretzky

”Goaltending is a normal job, sure. How would you like it in your job if every time you made a small mistake, a red light went on over your desk and 15,000 people stood up and yelled at you.” - Jacques Plante

”Ice hockey is a form of disorderly conduct in which the score is kept.” - Doug Larson

ice hockey (n) a fast contact sport played on an ice rink between two teams of six skaters, who attempt to drive a small rubber disk (the puck) into the opposing goal with hooked or angled sticks. It developed in Canada in the 19th century.

Screw the Prudent

One of the reasons I am not a P.O. fan is his ability to screw with the prudent person at the expense of the deadbeats.

First the large banks had to be bailed out since they were ridiculously trading in bad mortgages. The good banks (in general the small local banks) have to pay with more restrictions on them since the bad guys can't work properly.

Next, the people who bought too much house way beyond their means (who could not afford even a 1/4 % increase in their ARM's) are bailed out by the prudent home owners who bought houses which they could afford even if they are not castles.

Now the credit card deadbeats who charge too much that they can not afford are being bailed out by the government. Since, credit card companies have to make money they will raise the fees for the prudent card holders who pay off their bills each month & who realize that eventually the credit card bill must be paid.

I always thought that being prudent paid off!

“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.” Sun Tzu

“Nothing is more dangerous than a friend without discretion; even a prudent enemy is preferable.” Jean de La Fontaine

“The senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once” Rene Descartes

prudent (adj) acting with or showing care and thought for the future
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French, or from Latin prudent-, contraction of provident- ‘foreseeing, attending to’ (see provident ).

Traffic Signs

STOP sign use to mean stop look both ways then proceed; now it means slow down a little to ensure no cops are there if not gun it.

MERGE AHEAD sign use to mean move into the lane that is continuing as soon as possible; now zoom up to last point and zip in in front of those idiots who were considerate.

SPEED LIMIT 50 sign use to mean don't go over 50 + 5 mph; now means do not under any circumstances go below 55 preferably 60 or above.

NO PASSING stripe do not pass; now it means nothing.

TRAFFIC LIGHT green means go after checking both ways & yellow and red stop; now green gun it ASAP, yellow speed up; red if it just turned no use stopping.

“Outside of traffic, there is nothing that has held this country back as much as committees.”

Will Rogers

“The only way to solve the traffic problems of the country is to pass a law that only paid-for cars are allowed to use the highways. That would make traffic so scarce, we could use our boulevards for children's playgrounds.” Will Rogers

consideration (n) 1 careful thought, typically over a period of time • a fact or a motive taken into account in deciding or judging something • thoughtfulness and sensitivity toward others 

2 a payment or reward  3 archaic importance; consequence.
ORIGIN late Middle English : via Old French from Latin consideration-, from considerare ‘examine.’

Hate Crimes

I don't understand the concept of hate crimes. I always thought that thought was protected. My son "hates" the RedWings (his brother-in-law & I are RedWing fans). The RedWings are a minority group with maybe 50 players & coaches so is he guilty of a hate crime?

P.O. is passing a very wide range "hate crime" bill which makes sexual types as a minority for the hate crime universe. It is my opinion that hating someone should not have any effect on the sentencing of crimes. How about adding 5 years to any crime that is committed with a gun? True gun control without hurting innocent members of society.

Kingston Trio "The Merry Minuet": The French hate the Germans. The Germans hate the Poles. Italians hate Yugoslavs. South Africans hate the Dutch and I don't like anybody very much!

“You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” Anne Lamott

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” Jonathan Swift

HATRED, (n) A sentiment appropriate to the occasion of another's superiority. (DD)

Mlother's Day

My father died when I was 5, so my mother was left to raise 3 kids 5, 3, & 2 by herself She got a job as a secretary & got an aunt to watch us and raised us. She is a remarkable woman.

Shortly after we had our oldest son, I joined the Navy (in part to avoid the draft but also I was tired of school ). I was in the sub service & I would go away for 3-4 months at a time. We had our daughter while I was in the Navy at a shipyard for a refit. So my wife had to raise the kids by herself when I was under the sea basically unavailable. My wife is a marvelous person & mother.

We should all respect & call our Mothers at least on Mother's Day. I actually called mine early so I wouldn't forget!

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

The phrase "working mother" is redundant. ~Jane Sellman

An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. ~Spanish Proverb

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. ~Marion C. Garretty

The only mothers it is safe to forget on Mother's Day are the good ones. ~Mignon McLaughlin,

mother (n) 1 a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth. • a person who provides the care and affection normally associated with a female parent • a female animal in relation to its offspring
ORIGIN Old English mōdor, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch moeder and German Mutter, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin mater and Greek mētēr.

Shampoo Rinse Shampoo

According to the shampoo bottles the proper procedure is to Shampoo then Rinse then Shampoo again.  This works out well for the shampoo manufacturers since twice as much shampoo is used; however, according to a leading consumer product tester there is no benefit to do it that way.

Many ways the things that P.O. says have no benefit for the average non-union, non-abortionist, non-ACORN, etc. person.  He has threatened to use the force of the mainstream media to force various secured creditors of GM & Chrysler to agree to a deal which will give the union a much larger stake in the auto makers than the secured creditors.  One of the reasons that the big 3 auto makers are in such bad shape is the ridiculous work rules & pensions & health care that the automakers stupidly agreed to.  How can a car maker change the contracts with the union owning 40% & the super pro-union government 50%?

Of course, it doesn't have to make sense if :The One" says it.  Sorry Grandkids that we are leaving you all this debt & socialist policies because many of us (not me or Grandma) voted for "The One."

shampoo (n) a liquid preparation containing detergent or soap for washing the hair • a similar substance for cleaning a carpet, soft furnishings, or a car • an act of washing or cleaning something, esp. 

ORIGIN mid 18th cent. (in the sense [massage (as part of a Turkish bath process)] ): from Hindi cāṃpo! ‘press!,’ imperative of cāṃpnā.

Franking

The House wants to increase Members’ office budgets next fiscal year by almost 15 percent, partly because 2010 is an election year and lawmakers anticipate a surge in franked mail.

In a recently released budget request, the House Chief Administrative Officer asked appropriators to raise the Members’ Representational Allowances — which fund everything needed to run offices, including salaries, travel and supplies — by $90 million, citing increases “due to the election year cycle.”

“In an election year the expenditures increase and then decrease in a non-election year,” the request reads.

In my opinion, I believe that congressmen should be able to frank the postage.  However, I think they should have to actually sign the letter not a stamp via an employee.

It is another way that Congress does not share in the pain but keeps increasing their benefits while they spend my grandkids grandkids' money!

frank (v)  stamp an official mark on (a letter or parcel), esp. to indicate that postage has been paid or does not need to be paid. • historical sign (a letter or parcel) to ensure delivery free of charge. • archaic facilitate or pay the passage of (someone)
(n) an official mark or signature on a letter or parcel, esp. to indicate that postage has been paid or does not need to be paid. [ORIGIN: formerly as a superscribed signature of an eminent person entitled to send letters free of charge.]
ORIGIN early 18th cent.: from frank 1 , an early sense being [free of obligation.]

Security

To me the main duty of the President of the US is to keep the country safe by providing a military & making good non-partisan decisions.

I was not happy with a lot that President Bush (the second) did economically, he spent way too much & compromised too much (in my opinion) with the democrats; but he did protect this country & in my opinion made it safer.

Now P.O. (for those of you who haven't figured it out is President Barrack Obama) makes the country safer by releasing the "torture memos" that were supplied by P.B.'s justice department.  P.O. releases these for what purpose ? Too tell our enemies the extent we will go to to get info from terrorist?  Or to embarrass the P.B. administration?

It seems to me by prosecuting the men who gave these opinions (I know he has said he wouldn't / would /wouldn't / would in typical P.O. form); you will not get valid opinions for intelligence findings.

Then he is (/ is not /is/ is not) releasing the terrorists from Gitmo to our country since no other country wants them; how is this helping the security of the US?

So far P.O. is failing (IMO) to perform his most important function.

security (n) 1 the state of being free from danger or threat • the safety of a state or organization against criminal activity such as terrorism, theft, or espionage • procedures followed or measures taken to ensure such safety • the state of feeling safe, stable, and free from fear or anxiety 
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French securite or Latin securitas, from securus ‘free from care’ (see secure )