Y2K

WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN? Well, not all of us, but a lot of us. How many of you remember back just a few years, to the turn of the century. And the Y2K flop, uh flap. Do you remember all the predictions. I'm sure I don't. Remember all of them. But it was predicted that because the world is ruled, I mean run, by computers, and when we went from 1999 to 2000, all the computers would crash. So panic set in. Computer programmers set about creating programs to fix the problem. It was predicted that when the change from 1999 to 2000 happened, airplanes would crash, ships would wonder about the ocean and crash, stores wouldn't be able to sell you any thing, cause their computerized cash registers would crash, and computers would just crash. So people went on a buying frenzy, buying food, clothing, water, electric generators, and all manner of survival gear. Then, well, then we changed from 1999 to 2000 and airplanes flew to their destination and landed at the airports and didn't crash, ships made it safely to harbor and didn't crash, and computers, well they crashed, but then that's what computers do best. Even without the Y2K bug. So, people ate their food, drank their water, sold their survival gear, and went back to normal living. Then, along came a preacher, preaching that the world would end on May 21, 2011. And people, well some people, gave him their money, some sold their houses and cars, and got ready to be rapturized, or something. And May 22 came along and no one was rapturized. And then they had no money, no house, no car. And some even had no belief in the preacher any more. And the preacher. Well, he was made fun of, in the media, on face book and twitter. Oh! did people twitter, even when they weren't on twitter. Now the preacher has made a statement or three. One, he made a mistake on the date. Now it will happen on October 21, 2011. Then he said it happened, but it was invisible, and will go on for the next five months, then the world will be completely destroyed. And the money. He will give it back to the people. Not. They survived the bank failures, so they can survive his taking of their money. And send him more. How many people will get ready for the end to come on October 21. How many people will get ready for the end in December 2012. How many people will do stupid things, based on these "predictions". Will the world end. Yes it will. Do I know when? No I don't. Who does? Read the Bible. Matthew 24:39. Then live accordingly. And be ready if it should happen in your life time. And don't panic, just cause some one said something will happen. Common sense and thinking things through in a sensible manner is always best. And That's The View From The Ditch Bank.

TV Must See

Is there such a thing? As something on TV that is a must see. I think not. My wife and I watch some TV. We are not really fans of most of what is on TV these days. To me it should be MWTV. Standing for Most Worthless T V. We do watch NCIS, and we like most of the Hall Mark movies. We watch the news, but don't understand why some of the news casters are so hung up on all things Holly Wood.
We watch The Biggest Loser. Does that make us Big losers, watching people on TV losing fat. Many shows are having their season finals. Some won't be back, some will. There will be many new ones. Will they be any good. For the most part, probably not. My wife and I are old enough to remember when TV came into existence. At least in the form as we now know it. Back when comedy actually was, and variety shows were actually fun to watch. Now, comedy seems to have taken on a potty mouth. And that's the clean stuff. It gets worse. I tried to watch a comedy show a while back. Lasted about 90 seconds. Me, not the show. Guess I'll just have to turn off the TV and curl up with a good book. If I can find one. And That's The View From The Ditch Bank

The Rules Of The Road

I'm reminded of a story of an older couple from many decades back, when automobiles had taken over, but this farm couple still traveled by horse and buggy. One day, as they came in to town, there was a sign that said, "Speed Limit, 25 MPH" The old farmer handed the reins to his wife and said, "Here, you take the reins, and I'll get the whip, and we will see if we can get the horse to get us up that fast."

I am sure the two or three of you that actually read my drivel, already know the rules of the road, and obey them. So, I will just talk to those who don't know or don't have time to read. How many people driving an automobile know the rule about cross walks. You know, the place where people walk across the road. There is the cross walk, but before you get to it, there is another line, where you are supposed to stop your vehicle, thus providing a measure of safety to the pedestrian. How many people stop at the actual cross walk, even with their vehicle intruding into the cross walk, and inching forward, hoping the red light will change faster, or something. Or those who come up to a red sign that says "STOP" but they don't, they actually see this sign as a triangle, with the word "YIELD" on it. And when they see a yield sign it's just get out of the way, here I come. OK, Ok there is a point to this story. There is one other safety rule that you won't see a sign for. It is, Keep 1 car length between you and the car in front of you, for every 10 MPH you are traveling. Thus, if you are traveling 60 MPH, you should have 6 car lengths between you and the car in front of you.

MLWFAE, ( for any new comers, that refers to my wife. Refer to a previous post to see the actual meaning ) and I recently traveled to a distant city. Since the speed limit on the freeway is 75 MPH, and since we had more time that gas, we drove 70 MPH, thus is was easy to keep 7 car lengths between me and the car in front of us. Oh! the car in front had just passed, at 80 MPH usually, and was soon out of sight. But as we came to the city, the traffic increased, and the speed limit reduced to 65 MPH. So, keeping 6 1/2 car lengths between me and the car in front, caused 6 1/2 cars to squeeze in between us. OK, so it was only 6 cars, but I backed off and another 6 cars came in. I soon realized we were back at the city limits and losing ground fast. At this rate, we would soon be back home, without ever getting to where we were going. So, I bit the bullet, or would have, had I had a bullet, and ignoring the rules, I closed up behind the car in front and finally made it into the city, and to the motel where we were staying. No wonder it takes us longer to get where we are going, than it does every one else. We had the same problem while traveling about the city, so I had to bite another bullet, ( the previous one had been chewed up and spit out ) and travel the same crazy way the rest of the people were. Boy, sure was good to get out of the city a few days later and get back to the small city where we live, where the people are just as crazy as the big city folks, just not as many of them. Maybe some day we will all get where we are going, then we can park our cars, ( bumper to bumper, if we want to, as they will not be moving ) and just enjoy life in the slow, Uh!, parked and stopped lane. And That's The View From The Ditch Bank.

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

OH! SAY WHAT IS TRUTH. That's a statement, not a question. Have you seen the advertisement's for Brita water bottles? Or filters? They will have someone doing something, walking on a treadmill, for example, drinking from a plastic bottle of water. Then say something like thirty minutes in the gym ( or something like that ) thousands of years in the land fill. Then on to the Brita. Well, that is truth, kinda. I assume they don't actually know how long they will be in the land fill. But then, every thing else in the land fill with the plastic bottle will be there for thousands of years also. Including the Brita bottle, when it gets thrown away. Why? Cause of the nature of a true landfill. FYI, a truly well made land fill goes like this. First the bottom is packed with clay, or some such material. Then it is lined with a heavy gauge liner. Then as the garbage is put in the land fill, it is packed with spiked, steel wheel bulldozer's. When all this is done, and dirt is added from time to time, and packed, then the landfill is covered with more clay like material and packed down hard. So when it is finished it is supposed to be leak proof. No water, no air, no sunlight. So, whatever is in there, be it a plastic bottle, a cardboard box, a two by four, or whatever, it cannot deteriorate with out moisture, oxygen and sunlight. so, like the water bottle, it just sits there for thousands of years. Supposedly. Only time will tell.
So what else is truthful, kinda. Well, like Brita, ( and I am not dissing Brita, just using them as an example ) most companies stretch the truth a bit. Cause they want you to buy their products. What is best. Usually, what ever you like is best. I like Fords, but if every one else did also, it wouldn't matter how many bailouts the other company's got, GM and Chrysler and the rest would go under. . So decide what you want, check out the stats on the items, and buy whichever one fits you best. The same goes for most tics. Republican or Democrat. Listen to what they say. Check out their record, if they have one. What kind of person are they? Then vote accordingly. Be they Repub or Demo. As in the land fill, only time will then tell. And tell it will. If we live long enough. Oh! even if we don't, it will tell. Just hope those coming along later learn what ever lesson is there to learn.
And That's The View From The Ditch Bank

A Little Bit About A Few Things

WHERE TO START: It's been a couple of weeks since I posted a blog. Since I returned to the working world, blogging seems to have taken a back seat to the activities I am involved in. I am even thinking of increasing the amount of blogging I do that would be conceived as personal. Maybe. But probably not today. 1. The congress and the President finally agreed on a 2011 budget. Now the fight is on for the 2012 budget. The current budget will cut several Billion Dollars from federal spending. Good? Well, maybe. The fine print says this will be over a period of time. This year! only a few million will be cut. Now a fight on whether to raise the debt ceiling. Regular people like me, and I suppose you, when we don't have the money we go without, or go into debt. Well, the federal government does one of those things. I saw a news report where people said they would give up their entitlements. I believe most, if not all, entitlements should be eliminated. What is an entitlement? Social Security. Well, no I am drawing that, but have paid into it for over 50 years. Medicare? No, I have paid taxes from my pay check into that program for years also, and was made to enroll when I turned 65, even if I didn't want to. Also, $96.00 a month is held from my S.S. check as well as a similar amount from my wife's check each month to pay for medicare. Yet, these are the programs the President wants to cut, to cut spending. 2. In the city/county where I live the sixth fire this week was burning a house and into the forest. We are extremely dry and the wind is blowing a sustained 30 MPH this weekend, with stronger winds on Monday, yet the Forest Service wants to set two "controlled burns" next Monday. This is 14 fires since the 14,000 acre fire we had last month. Some of them very small and put out before it did any damage. 3. I don't like the "change" that has taken place the last two years. Although Obama campaigned on that premise, and made promises that he hasn't kept, I have been around long enough to know that he wouldn't keep them. Indeed, couldn't keep them. Politics are like that and have been for centuries. Still, I think the President, and the House of Representatives and all Senators who are up for election needs to be replaced next election. I think the people are demanding that our elected officials need to be responsible for the way they are governing and spending our money. And it is OUR money they are spending. We need to pay attention to all tics and get rid of the ones who are over zealous with spending, regardless of the party they belong to. 4. On a little better note, Our new governor is making a name for herself, at least in the State. She is now auditing the school districts, especially the one that are crying foul at the cuts they are being ask to make. I have blogged in the past on my opinion of the budget and the schools, so scroll back and find what I said if you don't know. The audits are being inspired by a fact that came to light recently where the school systems are padding the numbers of "special ed students" so they can get more money, then using the overage for other things. Sounds a lot like government bodies don't it. Well, Governor Martinez is trying to put a stop to a lot of those kinds of things. Kudos to her. 5. In case you haven't noticed, the world is going crazy. Mothers killing their babies, children killing their parents, husbands and wives killing their spouses, kidnappings, murders, rapes, crooked cops, condoms being offered to pre teens, and wrong being called right, or at least OK. And that's just the news. TV programs are worse. 6. Considering all this just makes me want to find a cave somewhere and go into hiding. With a good book, of course. And That's The View From The Ditch Bank

A Contradiction In Terms

OR JUST A GOVERNMENT MIND SET: I saw on the news this morning a report about the government trying to pass a budget to keep the government from shutting down. The Republicans in the House wants the Senate to pass a bill and send it to them. They also want budget cuts. There was also a mention of picketing for a budget by the TEA Party. Harry Reid said something like, "No one pays any attention to the Tea Party. There is only a small minority of people who even notice them." Not a accurate or direct quote, but close. Uh! Harry, didn't you notice the results of the last election? So all the Tea Party candidates didn't win. Many did and several that didn't garnered a lot of attention. Pay attention Harry. Pass a budget bill and fund needed government. Emphasis on needed. Get rid of the pork. Now, to the item that actually spawned the thought for this blog. In the little paper we get here, ( emphasis on little paper, 8 pages sometimes) on the front page was these articles. Since January 1, 2011, not quite three months into the year, New Mexico has had 199 wild fires, burning more than 119,000 acres. 1400 of those acres were right here in our county. A grass fire that burned so fast with the wind that the fire fighters couldn't get a handle on it for some time. Another article was on the weather. Windy conditions predicted for as far ahead as the weather predictors can predict. Last article. The United States Forest Service is planning a prescribed burn for an area in about two weeks. All three of these items were on the front page of the paper. New Mexico is so dry the grass is about the color of this type. And brittle and ready to burn. And it is doing so. Often. There has been a few more fires and acres added to the total since the paper came out just two days ago. We haven't had any substantial moisture in many years. It will take several years of above average moisture to even begin to catch up. And probably several years of responsible government to get the budget back in order. But that's OK. Lets set fire to the forest that is so dry it will burn quickly if a little breeze comes up. And lets pass a budget that spends ( read burns ) money we don't have on things we don't need, just so I can make my constituents happy and they will re elect me. I think the mind set is going to have to change. I'm an old man, but I hope the change comes in my life time. I'm afraid it won't. And That's The View From The Ditch Bank.

Humor Can't Hurt

WITH ALL THAT IS GOING ON, IS HUMOR OUT OF ORDER? Actually, I think not. Tragedy has been with the world at least since the flood when Noah built the Ark. Having said that, I am not going to detail the many tragedy's that even I am aware of since that time. OK, I know I'm old, but not that old. I read about them in a book. but lets just mention a few recent ones. Like fires and then floods in Australia. Earthquakes in Haiti, South America and New Zealand. Miners rescued from a cave in in Chile. And finally, the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. While all of these things are not to be ignored, or played down, life does go on, and so does the human spirit. In that vein, I am going to mention a few things that I consider humorous in the same manner as the ending of the previous blog. If that didn't appeal to you, you may want to stop reading here.
1. It has been reported that someone was rolling in the dough. I always thought a rolling pin worked better.
2. A no fly zone has been declared over Libya. Apparently mosquitoes are OK.
And these from the announcers for March Madness, AKA NCAA basketball tournament.
3. Marquette is off to the races. Since they won the game, guess they didn't stay long.
4. In one game the announcer reported that a player had knocked down a three, and a little later another player did the same thing. Wonder if the three learned to just stay down.
5. The team did a good job of defending the paint. Wonder what the paint did that it needed defended.
and last 6. The Tarheels coach was upset cause his team turned the ball over too many times. Guess they haven't learned how to catch the ball in the correct position, so had to turn it over. maybe to see the label better.
And That's The View From The Ditch Bank