Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Head Count

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia beheaded 3 for murder and 1 for "terrorism" last month. The year to date total stands at 61.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Head Count

 Only 3 beheadings last month in The Kingdom. Year to Date is 57.

Friday, October 22, 2021

Head Count

 KSA beheaded 7 more last month. Their year to date total is now 54.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Head Count

 Add 6 more to the count for Saudi Arabia. Year to date total is now 47.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Head Count

 The heads of another 10 murderers were separated last month. That brings the year to date count to 41.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Head Count

 Saudi Arabia beheaded 6 murderers in June to bring their year to date head count to 31.

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Head Count

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia added 5 more heads of murderers to their count bringing the year to date up to 25.

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Head Count

 Saudi Arabia executed 6 last month. Three were for murder but another three were for "High Treason", however they define that over there. Year to date total is now 20.

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Scenes in Lagos

 Several years ago I had a short assignment in Lagos, Nigeria. I was part of a larger staff that were all housed in a hotel and commuted to the office on a bus with an armed security escort. One day as we were returning to the hotel we saw a guy that appeared to be asleep on the side of the road. We thought nothing of it. The next day, he was still there but he had been stripped of his clothes. He was obviously dead. On the third day, he was gone. We were told that when someone dies, they are quickly relieved of their clothing. Such is the condition of people living in third world countries where the leaders hoard all the oil revenues. 

The route of our bus took us under an overpass for the main highway. Hanging from the railing was a human skull and a sign proclaiming death to Muslims. 

People living in Lagos will do anything to earn a little money. Some build a small fire and roast bush meat on a flat steel plate. Some convert automobile air conditioning compressors to use to inflate flat tires. And, of course, crime is rampant which is why we had armed escorts. My concern about the escorts were: Would they be willing to shoot their countrymen to protect me, and would they be accurate enough not to hit me?

Nigeria is not a place I can recommend.

Friday, April 2, 2021

Head Count

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia chopped the heads off of 5 murderers last month bringing their year to date count to 14.

Concealed Carry Backlog

 My current permit was due to expire on March 18. I took my training and submitted the renewal application on February 10, which I thought would be adequate time to process it. The state sent me the fee request and I paid it on March 9. This was all done on line so documents were sent electronically and the mail was not an issue. 

I just received notification that the new permit was approved on March 31. 

I can only assume that there are so many applications that the LSP cannot keep up.

Friday, March 26, 2021

Biden Presser, Paper Tiger

 I caught the end of Biden's press conference and was underwhelmed. He did not project strength or vitality and the press treated him like the doddering grandfather that he is. When he was asked about steps he would take on gun control, he responded that timing was everything and then rambled on about infrastructure. The press allowed him to verbally ramble without interrupting him. 

I fear for our country because our leader does not project strength or seriousness. Our friends, and enemies, know that Biden is a paper tiger. November Motel Papa!

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

GOM Lease Sale Cancelled

 There was supposed to be an oil and gas lease sale for the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow but Biden cancelled it. In a lease sale, a company pays for the right to explore a 3 mile by 3 mile block of ocean. If they don't find anything, they lose their money. If they find something, the government gets a royalty (percentage) of the oil and gas produced. It's a steady income stream to Uncle Sam.

Why should the average person care?

Well, the government gets a substantial portion of their budget from the offshore oil and gas industry. I don't know the current percentage, but it provides a few billion of income.

Why should you care?

The Biden administration is on a spending spree and that money has to come from somewhere. If they don't get income from offshore oil and gas, and the taxes paid by the people that the industry employs, they are going to come to you for that money. Stand by for more taxes.

Friday, March 12, 2021

Clan Campbell

 I have to admit that this bottle sat on my bottom shelf for years as I thought it was too low brow. I was wrong. I broke this out the other night and found it to be very drinkable. It has almost no harshness (even my wife liked it) and has a long, warming finish. Clan Campbell is a blended scotch and is a best seller in France. The brand is currently owned by Pernod Ricard.

The scotch got its start with a wine merchant named Rosenbloom who moved into whiskey blending in 1933. It is a blend of Arbelour and Glenallachie, so it has a Speyside base. This is a very affordable drink and makes the case that you don't have to be expensive, or single malt, to be good.

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Nutria Rodeo Unintended Consequences

A nutria rodeo was held last weekend. About 200 hunters showed up to join in the free fire zone against nutria, the rat that is eating the Louisiana marsh. In all, they bagged about 1500 nutria weighing in at about 10 tons. 

At first the zoo said they would be willing to take the carcasses to feed their alligators, but by the time the rodeo was over, the dead nutria had been sitting in the heat for too long and they became quite pungent. The zoo changed their mind and now the organizers were left with 1500 smelly water rats.

What do you do with 10 tons of rotting nutria? 

It turns out that a local crab fisherman took them to be used as bait in his crab traps. I bet that the next time they decide to hold a nutria shoot, they will plan the disposal a little better.

Head Count

 KSA beheaded 4 murderers last month. Year to date count stands at 9.

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Gun Store Shootout

 There was a big shoot out at a local gun store last week. A man walked into the store with a loaded weapon. He was politely asked to leave and unload. He started to leave but then turned and started shooting, killing 2 people in the process. As you can imagine, all the guns carried by the staff came out and the shooter became the 3rd victim. In the melee, 2 other people were wounded.

It has become very difficult to find out any more information. There has been nothing about the motivation or mental state of the shooter and you only get crickets when you try to find out how many rounds were fired and which rounds hit which people. 

It seems to me that if you wanted to commit suicide, opening fire in a gun store would be a good way to do it.

Friday, February 26, 2021

Cancel Culture in the Big Easy

 So the New Orleans city council plans to re-name some 37 streets, parks and other civic monuments that had been named for Civil War figures. What I wonder is how Google Maps, Waze and other GPS aps are going to keep up with the name changes. Will the data base have both names or will people not be able to find the new street because the software only knows the old name? What is the cost of all these modifications? 

And as I said before, why do we still have things named after signers of the Southern Manifesto?

Monday, February 15, 2021

Head Count

 After a period of abstinence, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia started off 2021 by beheading 5 murderers. 

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Concealed Carry Requalification

 


After 8 hours of lectures I was in a hurry to get done. That's my excuse for the fliers. 

Friday, January 15, 2021

The Great Boston Molasses Disaster

 Today in 1919, a molasses storage tank in Boston's North End ruptured sending a 30' wave of molasses through the streets. It killed 21 people.

I have  done presentations on this accident with respect to Project Management issues and comparing issues then with similar issues today. It's an ongoing joke in construction that "You can get it fast, good or cheap. Pick any two". They opted to go for fast and cheap as they had to have it completed in time to receive a shipment of molasses that was then on the way. Short cuts were made. The tank was never filled with water to test for leaks and it leaked so badly that children in the area would get raw molasses of its side. The company painted it brown to hide the molasses stains. It was the worst industrial accident of its day and resulted in urban legends that exist up to today.

Thursday, January 14, 2021

COVID and Lunch

 My wife and I took her mother with us to day to get the COVID vaccine. Our parish is long and narrow and the only place to get the injection was about 45 minutes south. But, it was worth it as we had no line and no wait. We were in and out with 30 minutes. 

On the way back we stopped to get lunch at a local BBQ place. They had this sign as a sales promotion...A crudely drawn pistol and the words "Open Carry, Free Drink".


Unfortunately, I could not take advantage.

Friday, January 8, 2021

What Did You Expect?

It seems that some politicians are not pleased with the police response to the demonstration in DC the other day. They believe that the police, in some cases, even aided the protesters by removing barricades. Well, what did you expect. Politicians from the left have denigrated police, defunded them and charged them as criminals for doing their duty. Did you really expect that after all that that they will form a line and protect the people that have been beating them for so long?

And I had a bit of cognitive dissonance as  I watched the news on the protests. What I was seeing did not jive with what I was hearing. I didn't see any fires or burning buildings, I didn't see and destruction of property except for a few broken windows, I didn't see any graffiti being sprayed on the capital building, but what I was hearing, even on Fox, would make you think that what was happening was as bad the British burning the capital in 1812. 

I'm afraid that this will not get better. Wait until the Dems try to make major changes to the Supreme Court and their other agenda items and you will see real protests.

Friday, January 1, 2021

Head Count

 Saudi Arabia celebrated the end of 2020 by beheading two murderers, bringing their total head count to 17.