Mr. Wizard has died

Don Herbert, who explained the wonderful world of science to millions of young baby boomers on television in the 1950s and '60s as "Mr. Wizard" and did the same for another generation of youngsters on the Nickelodeon cable TV channel in the 1980s, died Tuesday. He was 89.

From the LA Times obituary.

I used to watch Mr. Wizard every week. It was one of the neatest shows on the tube way back then. I’m sure it sparked my interest in science and lead to a 32-year career as a teacher of science. He was Mr. Rogers-meets-Thomas Edison before there was a Mr. Rogers.

(And he didn't change his shoes at the start of every show or wear that blankety-blank sweater, either!)

Immigration raid in Portland, Ore. spurs complaint—from the mayor

Seems to me the Portland mayor needs to learn 1) the law and 2) that he is elected to represent the CITIZENS of his town. And American Staffing Resources and Fresh Del Monte need to brush up on the law, too.
165 Arrested In Immigration Sting

If Mayor Tom Potter can’t distinguish the fine points of the law, fraudulent Social Security Cards and Green Cards are not minor items, then perhaps he should resign. I’m sure the oath he took upon entering office said something about upholding the laws of Portland, Oregon, and the USA.

They may have been Portland residents, Mayor, but they were NOT Portland citizens.

Via The Drudge Report

And now a few words from Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller is a very smart man who can say some very funny things. Not this time. He is totally serious and on the mark as:
Dennis Miller goes nuclear on Harry Reid

Bravo Dennis, Bravo! Encore!

Too bad Dingy harry is too dim to get the message.

Truck report

Got the call from my mechanic, Ryan. It wasn't the alternator after all, the battery had a faulty cell. You could charge the battery but when you put any sort of load on it it would rapidly lose its charge. That explains why I had problems getting it started this morning. I had charged it yesterday, but when I turned the key it crashed. Luckily, it didn't lose all of its charge and I was finally able to restart it. Then it stalled and I had to restart it again--twice--before I got out of the driveway. I was afraid to stop on the way to the mechanic's for fear it would stall again. I was lucky enough not to have to come to a full stop at any point of the 8 mile trip down to the shop. Of course, once I was there, I shut the engine off and tried to restart and it did so on the first attempt. I noticed on the ride down that the voltage meter showed the battery was charging, so I had an inkling the alternator might not be the problem before Ryan even looked at it.

So one day, one battery and $95 later, I'm eady to head north...manana.

Wow! Just: Wow!

This one is for you, Deb. It's not American Idol...but it's close!

This guy is freakin' unbelievable!

Watch the video. Listen to his voice. Pay attention to the audience and the judges. They can't believe what they are hearing.




via My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Idle thoughts for a cool day at the Aerie

I’m sitting here awaiting a call from my mechanic to let me know what’s wrong with the truck’s electrical system and how much it’s going to cost to get it fixed. (In another hour or so, I’ll call him.) meanwhile, I’m surfing the web reading all my regular stops and a few more. Everyone seems to have just two things on their mind: 1) What’s up with the ending of The Sopranos? and 2) How could President Bush be so dumb as to continue to push for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill (S. 1348)?

Never having watched even one episode of The Sopranos (which is a terrible thing to say for a 57 year resident of New Jersey) I cannot comment on that issue. Why haven’t I watched it? No HBO, that’s why. I dropped that movie package many years ago when 1) the price via Cablevision grew disproportionate to my viewing the crappy movies they were showing and 2) they continued to show crappy movies. When they made the switch to original programming, I could have picked it up again, but the cost factor continued to be a deterrent when so many other cable channels were part of the basic package. I’d much rather watch TNT, TBS, Sci-Fi, etc. than many of the “cutting edge” stuff they had on anyway. I don’t need to hear the language or view the absurdity of most of the HBO or Showtime shows anyway. Oh, sometimes it means I'm out of the loop when people start discussing some of the more popular shows and movies that appear on these channels, but I never watched Friends either and I don't miss them.

As for the Immigration bill…. Well, I just don’t understand the reluctance of the President or the Senate to just let this monstrosity die. There are so many things about this bill that are flawed that it is unbelievable they think it can be fixed. It needs to be completely scrapped. All the meaningful polls show that the citizens of this country can clearly see that it is a travesty. Calls to virtually every Senator’s office are 90-95% against the damned thing. We have laws on the books now that need to be enforced and a wall that has been authorized that needs to be constructed. (Funny how that bill about the wall got passed just prior to the mid-term elections just a few short months ago but now the Senate is looking to find ways out of completing it or circumventing the premise of its construction.) This land was founded on the principle of representative government. If the duly elected representatives aren’t going to listen to those who elected them, then maybe, just maybe, it is time for another revolution in this land.

High Power Job

Next time you see some electric lines stretched across the sky, remember these guys who maintain them.

glumbert.com - High Power Job

Gives a whole new meaning to high wire acts.

Sent to me by my buddy Joe.

Best laid plans

Well, I was supposed to be heading up to the Bolt Hole at this hour, but…. The truck’s electrical system has been acting a bit strange lately.

Four weeks ago, while out for a Thursday morning bird walk, Gary and I got caught in the rain. We opted to sit it out in the truck and I periodically turned the wipers on to look out. Eventually the battery died. Gary jumped me with his truck and I drove back to the house without a hitch. It was a thirty-forty minute drive and the battery charged nicely, thank you. The truck has been working well since then including several short trips to Wellsboro and one long trip up to the Bolt Hole and back (500 miles).

Until today. This morning I drove down to get the papers and do a little shopping at Wally-World. The truck ran fine and started right up at home and in the parking lot. Then I stopped to fill the gas tank. Once filled, the truck would not start. All I got was a horrible clicking sound which could be starter, could be alternator, or could be battery. I got a jump start from another gas customer and drove home.

It was only a short drive so, while the battery did charge slightly, it did not have enough juice to start the truck once I was in the driveway. I hooked the battery charger up and in a few hours had a full charge. My charger can also test the alternator. That said there was a fault and the alternator might be in need of service.

Now, I would have driven up to the Bolt Hole (250 miles) with little concern IF I didn’t know about the alternator. In fact I contemplated doing just that and getting a new battery at the Wal-Mart up there. But, I have had a vehicle’s alternator fail on me before while driving to the Bolt Hole. It is not an experience I wish to repeat. Plus, Thursday night four of us are driving to Quebec to go fishing. That’s a long haul in the middle of the night and 100 mile of secluded dirt road at the end. I do NOT want to have the truck die along the way.

So, I’ll be getting up early tomorrow to call the local mechanic (the same one who just did the oil change and the fuel and air filter changes on Friday) to see if he can squeeze me in to have a look-see at the alternator.

[I should mention that the truck is a 2000 Silverado with nearly 150,000 miles. Both the battery and the alternator are originals. It's not surprising that they should begin to show their age--but the timing is damned inconvenient.]