George Aar

I'm reminded of the lyrics of a song: "There's only two things that money can't buy, and that's true love and homegrown tomatoes"

Yeah, I did. That's why I'm now an agnostic...

Oh, bummer man!

Well, I think this is part of the human condition anymore. We live long enough now that relationships are put to the test like they never were before. Time was, one partner - or both - would die before time could really take it's toll on how you felt about each other AND there was a definite lack of acceptance of divorce, so, social pressures forced folks to stay together. I'm not sure that was really all that bad. But anyway, here we are in the 21st century when it's perfectly acceptable for your marriage to be tossed out like the rest of the day's garbage. Ain't it just special? The hard part for me is, how do you ever get to where you could trust another person to be your faithful partner? Hell, I thought I HAD the greatest possible of marriages. Unfortunately, I had NO clue what my spouse was thinking. And now in retrospect, I realize that I never really knew her at all. So how can I trust my judgement to ever pick another one? Hell, I couldn't have been more mistaken about my first, how could I ever be sure about a second? So, I don't even give it any thought anymore. I just go to work. I work and work. And then work some more. Then I think about the next job I'm gonna do. Then I go get some more work. Hey, it occupies the time. I wish I had some real perky advice for you Dot. But, as has already been noted, your wounds are really fresh. It gets better after awhile, but not a lot. Such is life. Like the song says, I think the best we can hope for is to die in our sleep. Yeah, I'm an incurable optimist...

We seem to have an abundance of Holymen hanging out in our hood of late. The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and now His Holiness. Ever wonder why these guys seem so hellbent on wearing goofy outfits? Seems like a sorta prerequisite for true holiness status. That and making occasional sage remarks. And if they can't come up with something sage, well, inscrutable or obtuse will always do in a pinch. After all, they've got a whole army of folks who are waiting in the wings to make anything they say or do into something nigh unto walking on water. Ya gotta wonder though, just what is it these guys actually DO that merits all perks, the entourage of servile lackies, and lavish lifestyle? Seems like a pretty cush job to me...

Compare and contrast, The original: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1pYTOHernds&feature=related AND, how it SHOULD be done: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ENXh7Wp_020

Uh, gee SoCal, are you making a case for the superiority of ignorance? And Eyes, hearty congrats from me as well. Sheesh, I think it's a big deal when I can finish READING a book...

Well, there IS this site already available, and it has a discussion forum up and operating: http://www.infidelguy.com/ I'm sure there's many others out there as well...

I was really impressed with the video - until I watched several more about "elephant artists". It seems that they have a whole stable of elephants that have been trained to paint. And each one seems to have a particular "painting" that it does, over and over again - exactly the same. I think what's really going on here is that the elephants have been trained to make their own, individual "portrait" by being carefully coached to paint a given image line by line. It must be an intense bit of training, but that's what it looks like to me. Otherwise, if these elephants were actually excercising some sort of artistic expression, why would they paint the exactly same image, in exactly the same amount of strokes, done in the exactly same manner again and again? And then the colors are simply a matter of what their handler chooses to dip their brushes into. And then, of course, these "works of art" are put up for sale at the adjacent gift shop - or, as with the videos - they are available online. The initial impression is a really fascinating one, but, as with sausage, I don't think we'd want to see how these "artists" are really made...

I took great joy in poking fun at Mr. Rogers over the years (" I like the way you say that!"), sorta along the lines of Cheech and Chong. But then I saw an episode of his show where he had some handicapped kid on as his special guest because the kid had sent him a letter and requested to be on his show. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when that segment was over. If you've ever seen that particular show, you know what I'm talking about. Whatta sweet, caring man he was...

Hi Jeff, I think you might want to consider where and how you formed your opinions of the eminent "Dr." Wierwille as well. The history we were fed as good Wayfers concerning Mr. Wierwille was predominantly of his own making, and, surprise surprise, he always came out looking good. He seemed to covet the "poor, persecuted, but always faithful" sort of personna. The actual accounts of those same events often tell a different story. Everybody accepts that the Vicster's doctorate was obtained from an unaccredited, basically unheard of, little mail-order college in Colorado. But he sure loved the title didn't he? Ever wonder why he was so enthralled with titles, robes, pomp and circumstance, even though he derided such things when practiced by "religion"? Maybe he wasn't all that he liked to portray, huh? Maybe...

I got a brand new leather loveseat last year and a few months later got a 7" leather sofa. The cats LOVE them both. Have pretty much trashed the arms on both of 'em sharpening their claws and the like. I've smacked 'em, yelled at 'em, thrown 'em outside, but they don't seem to get the idea. If I don't keep the arms of the furniture covered with a slip cover of some sort, they're right back tearing the leather to shreds. Cat's don't seem to train very easily. With any luck they'll all die soon. Geeze, I've got a houseful of animals that I don't really care for. Isn't that just special? Everybody moved out and left their damned pets behind. Anybody got a recipe for cat stew?

And a more reality-based outlook...

Not trying to brag too much, but I've always been pretty adept at predicting the past. Like, I predict that Abraham Lincoln will be assassinated at Ford's Theatre. Oh, and there'll be a couple of nasty wars in the 20th Century that will get most everyone involved, sorta like a "World" war. How'm I doin' so far?

I regret it all, lock, stock and barrel. What a waste of one's life enery. All the time, effort, and resources poured into a debased, empty and unethical organization, how could it be anything but a really unfortunate and misguided attempt at accomplishing the impossible. Next time I think I'll try to curry favor with Zeus or maybe Spiderman. At least they're a lot snappier dressers...

That IS one cool site, Geeze, just a few clicks and a couple of song/artist imputs and I've got a station just fer me! Amazing the repetoire. Old jazz standards that I thought I was the only one who knew, and they're ALL there. How cool is that? geo. <<< currently listening to "Art Tatum Radio"...

Just a little aside for the "fully persuaded" crowd. Just because YOU"RE absolutely convinced that you know the "truth" and anyone who thinks differently has their head in a shaded place, it doesn't make it so. There IS the possibility that, despite your unflinching confidence in it's veracity, you just may have hitched your wagon to an entirely BOGUS notion. Yes, Virginia, that REALLY is possible. There are people the world over who are convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that their superstition is the one and only TRUE religion. Rabidly, zealously, completely beyond any possibility of reasoning with, utterly convinced. And yet their beliefs are quite different from - and often contradictory to - the beliefs held by zealots of some other sect. Ya can't ALL be right can you? Geeze, I know Christians, Buddhists, Astrologers, believers in Feng Shui, and numerous folks who just cleave to basic generic superstitions (unlucky numbers, bad omens, karma and the like). All of 'em tend toward a dogmatic approach to their beliefs. The "all or nothing", black and white, good or bad, my way or the highway seems to be the accepted method of practicing ones superstitons, and don't even CONSIDER that you may have some flaws in your thinking. THAT would be even MORE evil. But you know, it STILL might all just be BS. It really might, your self-righteous pontificating notwithstanding. There you have it, your inspirational thought for the day. You're welcome,

There was a famous "handshake" agreement between Henry Ford and Harris Ferguson whereby Henry could use Ferguson's designs in the U.S. as long as he let Ferguson alone in England, or something to that effect. It went along fine till Henry Ford's death, whereupon Henry Ford II declared the handshake agreement null and void and started marketing tractors in England (made after Ferguson's designs still). Ferguson got hopping mad, filed suit against Ford, it got tied up in court for 10 or 12 years. Finally judgement was made on Ferguson's side. Some sort of monetary penalty was assessed, and then Ferguson came to the U.S. and built a factory right across the street from Ford's tractor plant. Subtle, no? I may have some of the details wrong, but that's the basics of the Ford/Ferguson history. Anyway, the Ferguson is a far superior machine to any of the early Fords - the high/low range being the most important advantage IMHO.

If you're just gonna putt around on it, you can get a Farmall or a Ford 8N or an old Case or somesuch, But if you wanna actually do some work with it too, I'd recommend a Massey-Ferguson T.O. 35, or one of the later knockoffs of same. Mine is a 1955. Near as I know it's still the original engine and running gear. It runs like a top and has hydraulic three-point hitch, overrunning clutch, 3 speeds with a hi-lo range, and it'll run all day and into the night with zero complaints. The problem with earlier tractors is that they don't have the 3-point hitch, or, if they do, it's some sort of morphidite add-on thingy that doesn't have hydraulic control and adjustment capabilites. So you just end up dragging implements around without really getting some work out of 'em. I think my machine is worth around $3,500 or so. Would be worth a bit more if it was a "Deluxe" model instead of a standard. The deluxe has a two-stage clutch that comes in handy, especially when you're mowing. Of course after you get the tractor, you then become an implement junkie, buying up every one you see sitting around somebody's barn.

In my case I was sent to Dothan, Alabama, right near Ft. Rucker. I was sent there with three other guys in my "family" (gawd, what B.S.), and 4 guys in the other "family". Not exactly "bait" near as I could tell. Well, not for straight servicemen anyway. Gee, it was such wonderful time... :wacko:

Yeah, the verbal code was interesting. I know the problem I always had (I don't do that much estimating anymore, so I've fallen out of the habit of doing mental calculations that much) was how to remember the intermediate numbers that you would eventually add up for the result. The words must make storing those preliminary results easier to retain, but, to the uninitiated, it seems to only make it more complicated... The calendar thingy still freaks me out though. That's where I think an innate ability comes more into play, though it would be interesting to "see" the process there as well...

Gee, I thought I was hotstuff when I could mulitply 3-digit numbers in my head! I wonder though, how much of what he does could actually be done by most anyone, with enough practice, and how much is simply an innate ability? Nature or nurture, either way he's an amazing performer...

I think it's more a testimony to the impotence of any religion. You're raised with it, become familiar with it, and realize that it really doesn't deliver on it's sales pitch - not so you'd notice anyway. Eventually your attachment to it diminishes and you're open to something new. Isn't that how we got involved with WayWorld? (I mean, besides the cute young girls paying us so much attention)

I'm not much of a fan of any rimfrie cartridge for hunting, except maybe for mice or rats. It's just too easy to cripple but not kill a larger animal with one. Not a good way to hunt. I've always felt that it was only reasonable to use a round that will put an animal down quick and clean and with a minimum of pain to the critter. Like others have already suggested, most any of the .22 centerfire rounds are a great choice. The 220 swift, .22/250, .25/06, .243 all will put down a coyote quite handily. Unless you plan to roll your own, you might wanta check the price of the ammo for those, as some of 'em can get a little spendy. Another thought would be to just get a good .30/06 and use a sabot round with a .22 caliber bullet for coyotes, and then you'd have a good hunting caliber for big game as well. Coyotes aren't really too hard to kill, so any centerfire rifle round would be adequate...

I've given my kids strict instructions to have me cremated, have a funeral or not, depending on how they fell about it, and scatter my ashes wherever they want (dump them out the car window and the way home for all I care). I had a great idea once that I'd have an elaborate funeral with all sorts of utterly absurd ceremonies for everyone to participate in (unbeknownst to them that the "ancient" ceremonies would have been made up by me maybe a month or so prior to my departing). You know, things lke spinning the coffin around three times before the start of the funeral, everyone that views the remains were to put a piece of raw bacon in my breast pocket, and then all the participants were to thumb their noses at each other vigorously. I finally decided it would only .... everybody off one last time (would that be so bad?) I'd still like to have a good jazz singer belt out a rendition of "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries" for my final exit...