It's not a front-page story, and it'll be at least six to ten weeks before the networks start to really discuss this. But over the two weeks.....a minimum of 500 African folks (we aren't talking US-blacks, but pure and absolute people from Africa) have been caught at the US border with Mexico. If you do the general statistical game, you can figure at least 2,000 others made it safely through the border.
How? No one says much yet. My guess is that someone in Africa (within the smuggling operations) found two or three older model freighters, and hatched up this dollars-for-a-seat idea (taking a guess of $2,000 a seat) for a two-week voyage across the Atlantic. They probably have a deal to land in Belize or Guatemala....cash to the local port manager....dock for 24 hours and refuel....then release off 1,500 to 2,000 'tourists'. The next day, they leave for Africa. Within four weeks, they will be back with another load.
All of this is dependent upon Mexico allowing non-Latin American folks to transit through and leave the country within X-number of days. If these folks were stranded, it presents problems, and likely increases tensions among the neighbors.
Making a big mess into a bigger mess? Yes. You could be talking about a dozen ships operating like this by the end of the year, and 10,000 Africans crossing the border weekly, on top of whatever number of Latinos were doing it before.
Where will they be heading once across the border? Unknown. I would take a guess that it'll be metropolitan type cities....like Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, LA, and Miami. Homeless? Probably so, but homeless in the US is better than staying in Africa. But here it gets interesting.....if you already had several million undocumented Latinos on the black-market of jobs, and you separate this out so that there are several hundred-thousand undocumented Africans also on the black-market job.....won't this whole system end up in chaos and physical violence? More than likely.
Friday, 7 June 2019
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
Gun Story
It came out this week that here....roughly four months after New Zealand enacted this 10-star gun legislation after the Christchurch mass shooting...to force the hand-over of most all guns in the country....a total of roughly 1.5-million guns....that so far, only about 530 guns were handed over to the cops.
Yep....530 handed over.
It's an amazing story. Almost every network hyped up the legislation and how this was going to resolve everything, and that virtually every single New Zealander was going to cooperate with this.
Adding to this.....around the fall of 2020, there's a national election set for New Zealand, and I'm willing to guess that at least one or two parties will ask for the repeal of the gun law.
So all this hype? Mostly for a failed program that the general public hasn't bought off on? Yep.
Yep....530 handed over.
It's an amazing story. Almost every network hyped up the legislation and how this was going to resolve everything, and that virtually every single New Zealander was going to cooperate with this.
Adding to this.....around the fall of 2020, there's a national election set for New Zealand, and I'm willing to guess that at least one or two parties will ask for the repeal of the gun law.
So all this hype? Mostly for a failed program that the general public hasn't bought off on? Yep.
Sashay
I noticed in the news this morning that AOC (our favorite Congress-lady) came to use the expression 'sashay' in comments yesterday.
It's not a typical expression or word used in modern-day America. In fact, you'd have to go and watch 1930s movie to hear it used a good bit.
Sashay typically means you are are out walking, and you've got some kind of weird hip and shoulder action, which might indicate you got 'lucky'.....won some poker game.....walking in some gaudy fashion to impress guys....or acting out some theatrical image.
For you older guys, this means your hip is swinging out in some funny way and your shoulder is literally throwing your elbow outwards.
How AOC came to view and toss that word out there? Unknown. She must have been watching a couple of 1930s movies and caught the word.
It's not a typical expression or word used in modern-day America. In fact, you'd have to go and watch 1930s movie to hear it used a good bit.
Sashay typically means you are are out walking, and you've got some kind of weird hip and shoulder action, which might indicate you got 'lucky'.....won some poker game.....walking in some gaudy fashion to impress guys....or acting out some theatrical image.
For you older guys, this means your hip is swinging out in some funny way and your shoulder is literally throwing your elbow outwards.
How AOC came to view and toss that word out there? Unknown. She must have been watching a couple of 1930s movies and caught the word.
Tuesday, 4 June 2019
Weed Ice Cream
I was in Amsterdam for a few hours yesterday, and happened to walk through the city and see this ice cream stand.....with marijuana-type ice cream. I was sitting and contemplating the attraction to it.....especially on a hot day, and maybe having two or three of these ice cream 'cones'.
Getting doped up on ice cream? Maybe, but I'll bet you would have to consume at least three of these to get a buzz going. And the taste? Well....you just can't beat vanilla....at least that's my humble opinion.
The thing that gets me....my first trip to Amsterdam was back in 1984, and you look at the pro-weed commerce angle....there's about a 1,000-percent movement in creating literally thousands of products and all perfectly legal.
Monday, 3 June 2019
Voyage to Nowhere
This is the simple side of this cruise story of mine.
Ever since the 5th grade, I've had this interest in seeing Norwegian Fjords. This goes back to loaned movies to the school of National Geographic pieces, and it was one of the top ten things I wanted to see in my life. My wife had this interest in testing a cruise....so we put these two together....found this tour company, and arranged a 7-day cruise from Amsterdam (flying there from Frankfurt), up to the Fjords for three days, and one day in Tilbury, UK.....then back to Amsterdam. Nice cabin, full drink tab, etc.
Another element of this is the German TV series 'Love Boat' (they film three of these per year and give you the impression of a great life on cruises).
So we arrived, boarded, and set sail at 5 PM on Thursday of last week. We waved to folks on the dock (mostly a guy walking a dog.....two druggie-looking guys....and a woman riding a bike). Then we stood there for about 40 minutes as we backed out of the 'stall' and sailed toward the canal and onto the ocean.
Around 6 PM, we had this training exercise....how to evacuate the ship and were introduced to two life-jackets in our cabin....that appeared to be of Wal-Mart quality (the $9.99 type). There was something about 3-bells and 7 bells....that part I remember but not to the degree required. (ask Navy guys about this bell business)
Around 7 PM, I noted us pass (still on the canal) some industrial area. It was the kind of landscape that made a great picture. Then we entered into the ship, spent 70 minutes eating, and exited on the opposite side. Then we kinda noticed this industrial area landscape on that side (the same area), and I commented to the wife, we'd turned around. About ten minutes later, we 'parked' on some ramp area, and the Captain said.....well.....we struck 'something', and he was asking frogmen to come out and analyze the 'damage'. What? Well....he couldn't say. I would suggest a tree trunk, a 55-gallon drum, or some Russian sub. The wife didn't take well to the sub idea.
We stayed parked there till about 1 AM, and then sailed on. At 8 AM (Friday), the Captain comes on the intercom and says.....things are fine, and he's going back to max speed (16 knots) to make up for 7 hours lost on 'damage' review.
Friday is fine.....but along about 12:30 that night (after midnight).....this intercom in the room goes active with 3 bells. I was sound asleep, but I went into Desert Storm mode, and thinking 'fox-hole' or bunker.....then realized the ship situation, and went to grab the Wal-Mart life-jackets. He says.....well.....shocker, at top speed, there's a vibration. The gears are messed up and the propeller is not working well. So he was cancelling the cruise.
Naturally, with the German wife....the next hour was spent listening to her grumbling.
Saturday? It was turn-around day and we sailed on back toward Amsterdam. New problem now.....what port do we land in? Amsterdam and Rotterdam are arguing.....no issue in a two-day parking, but this was a repair deal and might be there five to seven days. So we end up aiming toward a no-name port about 15 miles west of Amsterdam (in that industrial area).
We land at 7 AM Sunday. Here's the thing.....no one knows nothing. Not the Captain, the tour agents, or even the bartenders.
Around noon, they announce that everyone stays onboard til Monday except the Dutch folks (they can leave the ship). The Brits have to wait until Tuesday when they can special buses to take them by ferry back to the UK. The Germans (including me) can exit Monday morning. Then here's the plus-up.....all your money back on the trip, a free-trip voucher (must be used in 2 years), and 25 Brit pounds in free drinking credit. So the other story came up.....folks were planning for our return trip and things would all be fixed on Monday.
Well....we get on this bus. An hour later, we are in the port area of Amsterdam, and then get received by this Dutch lady. She knows nothing, and says you need to get home on your own. Yep, we were 'dumped' by the ship. My return airline tickets? Set for Thursday afternoon.....but no hotel deals from the ship folks. So I buy $300 worth of train tickets to return. The return of the money for the trip? I'm about 99-percent it will happen. But part of me is suspicious.....my wife is 99-percent suspicious and doubts the money will ever come back. I think they will pay me for the train tickets (at least they hinted that part).
So, we went nowhere for four days.....saw the Fjords of the Netherlands (mostly the industrial area)....I sipped through 30 Gin Sours over four days (all watered down).....then the great adventure ended.
What I took away with the trip? Well....of 1,400 passengers.....probably 1,250 were Brits over the age of 60, and half of them were over 70 years old. Food was bland, and the drinks all watered down. No one working for the cruise line.....on the ship.....seems to know anything. If they do bring on a comedian for entertainment.....the guys jokes are mostly from the 1970s. Fashion from the Brits ranged from modern stuff.....to clothing styles of the 1970s. As for that German 'Love Boat' show? Man, nothing came to work or feel like the show pretends.
That was the voyage to nowhere.
Ever since the 5th grade, I've had this interest in seeing Norwegian Fjords. This goes back to loaned movies to the school of National Geographic pieces, and it was one of the top ten things I wanted to see in my life. My wife had this interest in testing a cruise....so we put these two together....found this tour company, and arranged a 7-day cruise from Amsterdam (flying there from Frankfurt), up to the Fjords for three days, and one day in Tilbury, UK.....then back to Amsterdam. Nice cabin, full drink tab, etc.
Another element of this is the German TV series 'Love Boat' (they film three of these per year and give you the impression of a great life on cruises).
So we arrived, boarded, and set sail at 5 PM on Thursday of last week. We waved to folks on the dock (mostly a guy walking a dog.....two druggie-looking guys....and a woman riding a bike). Then we stood there for about 40 minutes as we backed out of the 'stall' and sailed toward the canal and onto the ocean.
Around 6 PM, we had this training exercise....how to evacuate the ship and were introduced to two life-jackets in our cabin....that appeared to be of Wal-Mart quality (the $9.99 type). There was something about 3-bells and 7 bells....that part I remember but not to the degree required. (ask Navy guys about this bell business)
Around 7 PM, I noted us pass (still on the canal) some industrial area. It was the kind of landscape that made a great picture. Then we entered into the ship, spent 70 minutes eating, and exited on the opposite side. Then we kinda noticed this industrial area landscape on that side (the same area), and I commented to the wife, we'd turned around. About ten minutes later, we 'parked' on some ramp area, and the Captain said.....well.....we struck 'something', and he was asking frogmen to come out and analyze the 'damage'. What? Well....he couldn't say. I would suggest a tree trunk, a 55-gallon drum, or some Russian sub. The wife didn't take well to the sub idea.
We stayed parked there till about 1 AM, and then sailed on. At 8 AM (Friday), the Captain comes on the intercom and says.....things are fine, and he's going back to max speed (16 knots) to make up for 7 hours lost on 'damage' review.
Friday is fine.....but along about 12:30 that night (after midnight).....this intercom in the room goes active with 3 bells. I was sound asleep, but I went into Desert Storm mode, and thinking 'fox-hole' or bunker.....then realized the ship situation, and went to grab the Wal-Mart life-jackets. He says.....well.....shocker, at top speed, there's a vibration. The gears are messed up and the propeller is not working well. So he was cancelling the cruise.
Naturally, with the German wife....the next hour was spent listening to her grumbling.
Saturday? It was turn-around day and we sailed on back toward Amsterdam. New problem now.....what port do we land in? Amsterdam and Rotterdam are arguing.....no issue in a two-day parking, but this was a repair deal and might be there five to seven days. So we end up aiming toward a no-name port about 15 miles west of Amsterdam (in that industrial area).
We land at 7 AM Sunday. Here's the thing.....no one knows nothing. Not the Captain, the tour agents, or even the bartenders.
Around noon, they announce that everyone stays onboard til Monday except the Dutch folks (they can leave the ship). The Brits have to wait until Tuesday when they can special buses to take them by ferry back to the UK. The Germans (including me) can exit Monday morning. Then here's the plus-up.....all your money back on the trip, a free-trip voucher (must be used in 2 years), and 25 Brit pounds in free drinking credit. So the other story came up.....folks were planning for our return trip and things would all be fixed on Monday.
Well....we get on this bus. An hour later, we are in the port area of Amsterdam, and then get received by this Dutch lady. She knows nothing, and says you need to get home on your own. Yep, we were 'dumped' by the ship. My return airline tickets? Set for Thursday afternoon.....but no hotel deals from the ship folks. So I buy $300 worth of train tickets to return. The return of the money for the trip? I'm about 99-percent it will happen. But part of me is suspicious.....my wife is 99-percent suspicious and doubts the money will ever come back. I think they will pay me for the train tickets (at least they hinted that part).
So, we went nowhere for four days.....saw the Fjords of the Netherlands (mostly the industrial area)....I sipped through 30 Gin Sours over four days (all watered down).....then the great adventure ended.
What I took away with the trip? Well....of 1,400 passengers.....probably 1,250 were Brits over the age of 60, and half of them were over 70 years old. Food was bland, and the drinks all watered down. No one working for the cruise line.....on the ship.....seems to know anything. If they do bring on a comedian for entertainment.....the guys jokes are mostly from the 1970s. Fashion from the Brits ranged from modern stuff.....to clothing styles of the 1970s. As for that German 'Love Boat' show? Man, nothing came to work or feel like the show pretends.
That was the voyage to nowhere.
CO2 and Hardwoods
I sat this past week and was reading over climate change, CO2, and then came to this odd discussion which you never hear much about.
Plants (trees, grass, shrubs, bushes, etc) take up carbon dioxide (CO2), run through photosynthesis, and in the end....make glucose.
For statistical averages.....for every six molecules of CO2....the plants take and create ONE molecule of glucose. More CO2, more glucose. If you doubled up on CO2, the plants would double up on glucose production.
For a fast growing plant (or tree), the more CO2 it uses up. So you could look at this idea and suggest....well, why not plant bamboo in massive quantities (one of the faster growing products in existence)?
But fast growing plants have the lesser life span. As they die....between bugs, microbes and just plain release....all that bundled up CO2 goes back into the system. So logic dictates....hardwood trees, which would live longer and bundle the CO2 for dispersal decades longer.
Making the planting of hardwood trees a high priority? No, it's almost non-existent in terms of talking over the CO2 issue in climate control.
Plants (trees, grass, shrubs, bushes, etc) take up carbon dioxide (CO2), run through photosynthesis, and in the end....make glucose.
For statistical averages.....for every six molecules of CO2....the plants take and create ONE molecule of glucose. More CO2, more glucose. If you doubled up on CO2, the plants would double up on glucose production.
For a fast growing plant (or tree), the more CO2 it uses up. So you could look at this idea and suggest....well, why not plant bamboo in massive quantities (one of the faster growing products in existence)?
But fast growing plants have the lesser life span. As they die....between bugs, microbes and just plain release....all that bundled up CO2 goes back into the system. So logic dictates....hardwood trees, which would live longer and bundle the CO2 for dispersal decades longer.
Making the planting of hardwood trees a high priority? No, it's almost non-existent in terms of talking over the CO2 issue in climate control.
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
The 'Corrections' Story
I sat today and read a business/economics story over at Yahoo.....which was prescribing this terrible awful event where 10-percent fall-out was due any day now, and people should worry.....this leading back to the 'evil' Trump.
At the end of this....I thought....10-percent drop? That's a correction. You have three to five of these per year. Maybe back in the 1990s....it was one every eighteen months.
Then I started to think....don't these Yahoo business writers go to college and pick up on 'corrections'? Then it occurred to me.....they probably attend the same colleges as AOC. They have no understanding of 'corrections'.
This is what angers me about journalism today.....we have so many individuals that went off.....got marginally educated.....then moved up because no one wants to pay that much for older and more experienced journalists.....so you get garbage talk because of their lack of knowledge.
At the end of this....I thought....10-percent drop? That's a correction. You have three to five of these per year. Maybe back in the 1990s....it was one every eighteen months.
Then I started to think....don't these Yahoo business writers go to college and pick up on 'corrections'? Then it occurred to me.....they probably attend the same colleges as AOC. They have no understanding of 'corrections'.
This is what angers me about journalism today.....we have so many individuals that went off.....got marginally educated.....then moved up because no one wants to pay that much for older and more experienced journalists.....so you get garbage talk because of their lack of knowledge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)