General Discussion, Friday, April 7, 2017

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Stella

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223 Responses to General Discussion, Friday, April 7, 2017

  1. MaryfromMarin says:
    April 7, 2017 at 12:09 am

    “Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.”

    –John Bunyan–

    Liked by 9 people

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  2. MaryfromMarin says:
    April 7, 2017 at 12:16 am

    “When You are our strength it is strength indeed, but when our strength is our own it is only weakness.”

    –St. Augustine–

    Liked by 6 people

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  3. Wooly Phlox says:
    April 7, 2017 at 12:40 am

    “I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?”

    — C.S. Lewis —

    Liked by 7 people

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  4. nyetneetot says:
    April 7, 2017 at 12:54 am

    ‘If a painter wanted to put a horse’s head on a human neck, would you be able to keep your laughter in?’

    — The Art of Poetry, Horace c. 19 BC

    Liked by 7 people

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  5. patternpuzzler says:
    April 7, 2017 at 1:08 am

    “Beer: So much more than just a breakfast drink.”

    — Homer Simpson

    Liked by 4 people

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  6. Wooly Phlox says:
    April 7, 2017 at 1:25 am

    See? Didn’t work. Preface the preferred phrase with Shift-Comma, the letter “i”, and Shift-period. (Less than and greater than symbols, like brackets.) the opener is i, the closer is /i.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Wooly Phlox says:
      April 7, 2017 at 1:31 am

      It would be neat if WordPress, or anyone else on the entire internet at this late date could make a widget that would let us draw, MS Paint-style, a comment, which WP would then add to your comment, or by itself, so that we could explain HTML without WP trying to interpret our text as HTML.

      Progress! Then again, the geniuses still haven’t come up with the idea of bumping your cursor one cursor-height up or down when you click and then start typing in a one-line field. I’ve been wishing for that since… when did mice come out again?

      Progress!

      Liked by 3 people

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    • patternpuzzler says:
      April 7, 2017 at 1:39 am

      I think I got it. I used to write web pages using HTML. Like a hundred years ago, lol! I’ll get out my HTML5 for Dummies and do some perusing for other stuff that I’d like to do. Fear of WordPress’ learning curve is why I haven’t set up my blog! (No matter how easy they say it is!)

      Liked by 3 people

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  7. nyetneetot says:
    April 7, 2017 at 2:03 am

    Untranslatable slang or idiom

    — MSNBC Nightly Newscast

    Liked by 6 people

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  8. patternpuzzler says:
    April 7, 2017 at 2:04 am

    It’s National Beer Day!!! If you’re not Homer Simpson, for whom every day is beer day, that is!! For a shortcut to more information, cut to 1933 to learn about the enactment of the Cullen-Harrison Act.

    This Day in (Mostly) American History: April 7
    1712 Slave revolt in New York kills 6 white men, 21 African Americans executed

    1776 U.S. Navy captures first British warship On this day in 1776, Navy Captain John Barry, commander of the American warship Lexington, makes the first American naval capture of a British vessel when he takes command of the British warship HMS Edward off the coast of Virginia. The capture of the Edward and its cargo turned Captain Barry into a national hero and boosted the morale of the Continental forces.

    1788 First settlement in Ohio, at Marietta
    1798 Mississippi Territory organized
    1818 General Andrew Jackson conquers St Marks Florida from Seminole Indians

    1827 English chemist John Walker invents wooden matches. While the London apothecary was conducting an experiment in his laboratory, he stirred a mixture antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, gum, and starch with a wooden stick, and subsequently scraped the stick on the stone floor of the lab to remove a glob of the solution that had dried on the end of it. When the stick burst into flames, Walker realized he had created something of interest, and made several of the sticks, which he demonstrated for the amusement of friends and colleagues. For a fascinating tour through the history of matches, see museumofeverydaylife.org: http://tinyurl.com/k9mdua7

    1830 Mormon Church established
    1862 Grant defeats Confederates at Battle of Shiloh, TN

    1863 [Civil War] First Battle of Charleston SC, failed Federal fleet attack on Fort Sumter The First Battle of Charleston Harbor was an engagement near Charleston, South Carolina that took place April 7, 1863, during the American Civil War. The striking force was a fleet of nine ironclad warships of the Union Navy, including seven monitors that were improved versions of the original USS Monitor. A Union Army contingent associated with the attack took no active part in the battle. The ships, under command of Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, attacked the Confederate defenses near the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Navy Department officials in Washington hoped for a stunning success that would validate a new form of warfare, with armored warships mounting heavy guns reducing traditional forts. Instead, it was a dismal failure for the Union. Wiki: http://tinyurl.com/ll2ya5j

    1891 Nebraska introduces 8 hour work day
    1902 Texas Oil Company (Texaco) forms

    1922 Warren G. Harding’s Interior Secretary, Albert B. Fall, leases the Teapot Dome oil reserves (Wyoming) to Harry Sinclair, at a low price with no open bidding, setting in motion what comes to be known over the next two years as the Teapot Dome scandals. The Teapot Dome scandal was the largest US federal government scandal until Watergate. Wiki: http://tinyurl.com/puuujn5

    1923 First brain tumor operation under local anesthetic performed (Beth Israel Hospital in NYC) by Dr K Winfield Ney

    1923 Workers Party of America (NYC) becomes an official communist party
    1927 Using phone lines TV is sent from Washington, D.C. to NYC
    1933 First 2 NAZI anti-Jewish laws, bars Jews from legal & public service

    1933 ‘National Beer Day” Cullen-Harrison act comes into effect legalizing sale of low alcohol beer. celebrated in the United States every year on April 7, marking the day that the Cullen–Harrison Act was enacted after having been signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 22, 1933. Upon signing the legislation, Roosevelt made his famous remark, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” The law went into effect on April 7 of that year, allowing people to buy, sell and drink beer containing up to 3.2% alcohol by weight (or 4.05% by volume) in states that had enacted their own law allowing such sales. People across the country responded by gathering outside breweries, some beginning the night before. On that first day, 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed, inspiring the future holiday. Wiki: http://tinyurl.com/mgryhvs

    1940 First black to appear on US stamp (Booker T. Washington)
    1944 General Montgomery speaks to generals about invasion plan
    1948 World Health Organization formed by the United Nations
    1949 “South Pacific” opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 1,928 performances
    1951 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
    1953 First west-to-east jet transatlantic nonstop flight

    1954 [Vietnam Related] Eisenhower’s Domino Theory Speech. President Dwight D. Eisenhower coins one of the most famous Cold War phrases when he suggests the fall of French Indochina to the communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia. The so-called “domino theory” dominated U.S. thinking about Vietnam for the next decade. By early 1954, it was clear to many U.S. policymakers that the French were failing in their attempt to re-establish colonial control in Indochina (Vietnam), which they lost during World War II when the Japanese took control of the area. The Vietnamese nationalists, led by the communist Ho Chi Minh, were on the verge of winning a stunning victory against French forces at the battle of Dien Bien Phu. In just a few weeks, representatives from the world’s powers were scheduled to meet in Geneva to discuss a political settlement of the Vietnamese conflict. U.S. officials were concerned that a victory by Ho’s forces and/or an agreement in Geneva might leave a communist regime in control of all or part of Vietnam. In an attempt to rally congressional and public support for increased U.S. aid to the French, President Eisenhower gave his historic press conference on April 7, 1954. history.com: http://tinyurl.com/6xagkb3

    1957 Last of NY’s electric trolleys completes its final run
    1959 Oklahoma ends prohibition, after 51 years
    1959 Radar first bounced off Sun, Stanford California
    1961 JFK lobbies Congress to help save historic sites in Egypt On this day in 1961, President John F. Kennedy sends a letter to Congress in which he recommends the U.S. participate in an international campaign to preserve ancient temples and historic monuments in the Nile Valley of Egypt. The campaign, initiated by UNESCO, was designed to save sites threatened by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

    1964 IBM announces the System/360 allowing machines across a product line to work with each other. It marked a turning point in the emerging field of information science and the understanding of complex systems. After the S/360, we no longer talked about automating particular tasks with “computers.” Now, we talked about managing complex processes through “computer systems.” IBM: http://tinyurl.com/m567adg
    1963 Yugoslavia proclaimed a Socialistic republic
    1966 US recovers lost H-bomb from Mediterranean floor (whoops!)
    1968 2001: A Space Odyssey released
    1969 Supreme Court strikes down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material

    1969 The Internet’s symbolic birth date: publication of RFC 1. Authored by Steven Crocker from UCLA, RFC 1 is a document describing Host to Host Software functionality for ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) administered by the Department of Defense. https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1

    1970 42nd Academy Awards: “Midnight Cowboy”, John Wayne & Maggie Smith win
    1971 US President Richard Nixon orders Lt. Calley (Mi Lai) free

    1972 [Vietnam] U.S. forces respond to North Vietnamese offensive. The Nguyen Hue Offensive (later known as the “Easter Offensive”) was a massive invasion by North Vietnamese forces designed to strike the blow that would win the war for the communists. The attacking force included 14 infantry divisions and 26 separate regiments, with more than 120,000 troops and approximately 1,200 tanks and other armored vehicles. Nixon had ordered the Air Force and Navy to provide all available air support to help the South Vietnamese stabilize the situation. In response, U.S. planes flew 225 missions by April 9, hitting North Vietnamese troop concentrations and missile emplacements above and below the Demilitarized Zone. Two U.S. planes were shot down over North Vietnam by missiles, a new element in North Vietnamese air defenses. Ultimately, the South Vietnamese forces prevailed against the invaders, but only after six months of desperate fighting that raged across South Vietnam. U.S. airpower proved to be the difference between victory and defeat for the South Vietnamese.

    1978 Guttenberg bible sold for $2,000,000 in NYC
    1980 Jimmy Carter breaks relations with Iran during hostage crisis
    1983 Oldest human skeleton, aged 80,000 years, discovered in Egypt
    1983 STS-6 specialist Story Musgrave & Don Peterson first STS spacewalk
    1985 First live telecast of Easter Parade
    1988 Russia announced it would withdraw its troops from Afghanistan
    1990 Farm Aid IV concert
    1990 John Poindexter (National Sec Advisor) found guilty on Iran-Contra scandal
    1990 Michael Milken pleads innocent to security law violations
    1994 Singer Percy Sledge pleads guilty to tax evasion
    1994 Vatican acknowledges Holocaust (Nazis killing Jews) for first time
    2001 Mars Odyssey is launched
    2003 U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s regime falls two days later.
    2013 15 people, including 9 children, are killed by an air strike on Aleppo by the Syrian Air Force
    2016 Longest-ever captured python found on Penang in Malaysia (26ft/8m)

    Stella has suggested Tara Ross’ website for more detailed American History. Ms. Ross is an author and a constitutionalist who publishes, on her website, “This day in American History”. She writes quite well and I’ve also become a fan. While, because of time issues, I cannot incorporate Ms. Ross’ writings here, I do suggest subscribing to her web newsletter for historical information in depth in your morning email. The signup for her newsletter, and her daily post can be found at at http://www.taraross.com/

    Text in this post may reproduce fully or in part certain websites, primarily history.com, wikipedia.com and onthisday.com, and is used here under fair use and for educational purposes.

    I’ll be out of town for the next couple days – going to visit my niece and help her with her new house. I may not get back home until late Sunday, yet to be decided. Y’all have a great weekend – I’ll catch up on your raucous laughter when I get back!! I’d say don’t have too much fun while I’m gone but… have a blast!

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    • czarowniczy says:
      April 7, 2017 at 11:04 am

      1830: Mormon Church founded and green jello elevated to cultural icon status. In relation to National Beer Day post, Utah was the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment and end Prohibition.

      Liked by 1 person

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  9. Wooly Phlox says:
    April 7, 2017 at 2:38 am

    And that, dear friends, is why I have so many cigarettes.

    Liked by 5 people

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    • Col.(R) Ken says:
      April 7, 2017 at 10:04 am

      Wooly, Wooly, Wooly…….

      Liked by 3 people

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      • Wooly Phlox says:
        April 7, 2017 at 6:20 pm

        It’s true, though. If I’ve got two left, I’ll give whoever bums a smoke one.

        One left? I might share it, depending on the person. Otherwise pass it and say “you wanna finish this? I have to go back to work now”.

        When you’re a smoker, you meet a lot of poorer smokers. Somehow.

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  10. nyetneetot says:
    April 7, 2017 at 7:55 am

    Mornin’ stella! (Smiter of those that ought to be smote) 😎 🍸 (Long Island Iced Tea)
    Mornin’ WeeWeed! (Master Mixologist Extrodinare) 😎 🍸 (Old Fashioned)
    Mornin’ Menagerie! 😎 |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| (Jack Daniels – Single Barrel )
    Mornin’ Ad rem! (Queen Felis catus) 🐱 🍸 (Flaming Lamborghini)
    Mornin’ Sharon! 😎 🍸 🍸 (earthquake)
    Mornin’ ytz4mee! 😎 🍸 (cosmopolitan)
    Mornin’ waltzingmtilda! 🙂 🍸 (white wine and perrier)
    Mornin’ partyzantski! 🙂 |_| (Tom Collins)
    Mornin’ texan59! 🙂 |_| (Black & Tan)
    Mornin’ ZurichMike! 🙂 🍸 (fuzzy navel)
    Mornin’ Col.(R) Ken! (hand salute) 🙂 |_| (Boilermaker)
    Mornin’ Czarina! 🙂 🍸 (Lynchburg Lemonade)
    Mornin’ czarowniczy! 🙂 |_| (Wild Turkey Rare Breed)
    Mornin’ letjusticeprevail2014! 🙂 |_| (Irish Car Bomb)
    Mornin’ Patriot1783-ctdar! (aka “ctdar”) 🙂 🍸 (grasshopper)
    Mornin’ tessa50! 🙂 🍸 (flaming volcano)
    Mornin’ waltzingmtilda! 🙂 🍸 (sidecar)
    Mornin’ varsityward! 🙂 |_| (Godfather)
    Mornin’ MaryfromMarin! 😀 |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| (Mortlach)
    Mornin’ Wooly Phlox! (aka “taqiyyologist”) 🙂 |_| (Roy Rogers)
    Mornin’ Howie! (aka “doodahdaze”) 🙂 |_| (Classic Daiquiri)
    Mornin’ TwoLaine! 🙂 |_| (Gin & Tonic)
    Mornin’ Sha! 🙂 🍸 (Lemon Drop)
    Mornin’ BigMamaTEA! 🙂 🍸 (Harvey Wallbanger)
    Mornin’ cetera5! (aka “Cetera”) 🙂 |_| (Blackberry wine)
    Mornin’ The Tundra PA! 🙂 🍸 (Baileys Irish Cream on the rocks)
    Mornin’ lovely! 🙂 |_| (Backdraft)
    Mornin’ michellc! 🙂 🍸 (Salty dog)
    Mornin’ auscitizenmom! 🙂 🍸 (Kiss on the Lips)
    Mornin’ Margaret-Ann! 🙂 🍸 (White Russian)
    Mornin’ Auntie Lib! 🙂 🍸 (Tom and Jerry)
    Mornin’ holly100! 🙂 🍸 (Jack & Coke)
    Mornin’ Pam! 🙂 (Not even water)
    Mornin’ Ms.Tee! 🙂 🍸 (Mojito)
    Mornin’ koolkosherkitchen! 🙂 🍸 🍸 (Cuba Libre)
    Mornin’ ImpeachEmAll 🙂 |_| (Flaming Dr. Pepper)
    Mornin’ Monroe! 🙂 |_| (Stinger)
    Mornin’ Les! 🙂 |_| (Rusty Nail)
    Mornin’ shiloh1973! 🙂 |_| (Jack Daniels)
    Mornin’ TexasRanger! 🙂 |_| (Whiskey Smash)
    Mornin’ Ziiggii! 🙂 |_| (B52)
    Mornin’ oldiadguy! 🙂 |_| (Rum & Coke)
    Mornin’ smiley! (“stuck in spambucket”) 🙂 🍸 (Spanish coffee)
    Mornin’ derk! (“Stellars”) 🙂 🍸 (Kamikaze)
    Mornin’ Jacqueline Taylor Robson 🙂 🍸 (Shirley Temple)
    Mornin’ facebkwallflower! 🙂 |_| (Night Train Express)
    Mornin’ Ms. Cindy! (aka “Ms Cynlynn” aka “ms cynlynn”) 🙂 🍸 (1970 ducru beaucaillou)
    Mornin’ sandandsea2015! 🙂 🍸 (1961 Château Montrose)
    Mornin’ amwick! 🙂 🍸 (Blue motorcycle)
    Mornin’ hocuspocus13! 🙂 🍸 (1970 Chateau Latour)
    Mornin’ Sloth1963! 🙂 🍸 (1971 Moulin Touchais)
    Mornin’ MTeresa! (Ex-lurker) 🙂 |_| (Albanian Raki Moskat)
    Mornin’ Rhea Salacia Volans! 🙂 |_| (Hot Buttered Rum)
    Mornin’ joshua! 🙂 |_| (Mudslide)
    Mornin’ John Denney! 🙂 |_| (RumChata)
    Mornin’ litenmaus! 🙂 |_| (Stolichnaya elit, no ice)
    Mornin’ kinthenorthwest! 🙂 🍸 (A Lonely Island Lost in the Middle of a Foggy Sea)
    Mornin’ TwoLaine! 🙂 |_| (Smoking Bishop)
    Mornin’ patternpuzzler! 🙂 🍸 (Old Lady)
    Mornin’ Senatssekretär FREISTAAT DANZIG! 🙂 |_| (Red Russian)
    Mornin’ G-d&Country! 🙂 🍸 (Blind Russian)
    Mornin’ whiners and complainers! 😛 (No drink for you!)
    Mornin’ to people posting that I missed. 😳
    Mornin’ to all you lurkers! 😕

    Also just in case someday; mornin’ to Elvis Chupacabra, F.D.R. in Hell and sundance! :mrgreen:

    Breakfast!

    NEW and IMPROVED breakfast with extra bacon for ZurichMike!

    Pastries for coffee!

    Liked by 10 people

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    • lovely says:
      April 7, 2017 at 8:03 am

      Good morning Nyet 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

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    • Col.(R) Ken says:
      April 7, 2017 at 10:07 am

      Nye!!!!!! Morning Everyone!!!!!! An inch of snow on the ground!!!!! I’ll refill my coffee cup, and slice of bread, with a couple of patties….thank you, thank you….

      Liked by 2 people

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    • Rhea Salacia Volans says:
      April 7, 2017 at 10:10 am

      yay bacon! Morning Nyet!

      My fellow Americans – Stay Deplorable! 😀

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
    • auscitizenmom says:
      April 7, 2017 at 10:17 am

      You’re making me want biscuits and gravy again. Mornin’ Nyet, everyone. 😀

      It’s so cold here I am going to have to go change from shorts to long pants and maybe put on a long sleeved shirt. It’s only going to get up to 70 today. :\

      Liked by 3 people

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      • lovely says:
        April 7, 2017 at 10:32 am

        Good morning Aus! Stay warm 🙂 !

        Liked by 1 person

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        • auscitizenmom says:
          April 7, 2017 at 10:38 am

          My mother would say, “If you’re cold, then put on some clothes.” LOL

          Liked by 4 people

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          • stella says:
            April 7, 2017 at 10:40 am

            Sounds like me, when my DD wanted to turn up the thermostat.

            Liked by 1 person

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            • lovely says:
              April 7, 2017 at 10:57 am

              My sister kept her heat turned very low, the kids always wore bulky sweaters, socks and slippers. They had a mini hamster and found it not moving one day in its cage. Their dad took it out and it seemed stiff so he cupped it in his hands and told the girls it was dead and they could say good bye to him. The girls were crying holding it and hugging it when it woke up and started moving.

              It turns out if it gets too cold hamsters go into a type of hibernation.

              Liked by 5 people

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          • lovely says:
            April 7, 2017 at 10:50 am

            I used to always run hot. We owned a store near my grammar school and my my would pay kids a quarter to tell her whether or not I kept my coat on. She would then say to me “You better wear your coat and keep it on.” So I would put it on as I walked out the door in the morning and have it off before I was down the front stairs.

            I still rarely wear a winter coat unless it is really really cold.

            Liked by 1 person

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            • auscitizenmom says:
              April 7, 2017 at 11:07 am

              My son always ran hot. When I brought him home from the hospital, my mother kept covering him up. It was S.Cal. at the end of May, in other words SUMMER. I uncovered him because his little feet were sweating. I would put him in his carseat in the car and by the time we got where we were going, he would be soaking wet. I tried to always check his arm when I told him to put a coat on because he rarely needed one and alway felt very warm. I would have him take his coat with him just in case he needed it, but I didn’t make him wear it.

              Liked by 2 people

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    • sandandsea2015 says:
      April 7, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      Afternoon Nyet! Thanks for breakfast!

      Afternoon all!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. stella says:
    April 7, 2017 at 8:36 am

    Detroit Tigers home opener is today. Too cold for me! It’s 35 degrees right now, high of 50, ovecast. Tomorrow and Sunday will be warm, with sun.

    Liked by 4 people

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  13. stella says:
    April 7, 2017 at 9:03 am

    Has anybody heard of ‘LIFI’? Just saw a blurb about it on OAN (One America Network).

    http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/LiFi

    Liked by 1 person

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  14. amwick says:
    April 7, 2017 at 9:43 am

    It would be quick.. but then it is restricted to line of sight… which is good for security, but not so good around the house.

    Liked by 2 people

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  15. Rhea Salacia Volans says:
    April 7, 2017 at 10:24 am

    So this is for Col (R) Ken and/or Czar. Could I get your feedback on the airstrike Syria?

    More importantly, can I get your feedback on the reaction of the many people whining about how Trump was somehow influenced by NeoCon War Mongers to do what he did? (What can I say, there’s an interesting group Next Door these days.) This looks like a very surgical strike to me, so I don’t know what they are complaining about

    Liked by 2 people

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    • stella says:
      April 7, 2017 at 10:25 am

      I agree Rhea. Did you see this?

      Liked by 6 people

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      • Rhea Salacia Volans says:
        April 7, 2017 at 10:45 am

        I had not seen this yet, but I think Steyn’s analysis is brilliant. O did strip words of meaning, and I’d rather have someone who is honest even if they are blunt then some fool who uses pretty words and strips them of their meaning.

        One of the things I could not get over this morning on Twitter was someone saying that if their government was gassing them, they would be praying for anyone to come to their aid. That stuck with me.

        Liked by 2 people

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      • Rhea Salacia Volans says:
        April 7, 2017 at 11:04 am

        I’m also trying to remember but isn’t Syria a country that O saw become destabilized during his tenure and ignored when he wasn’t busy aiding the wrong side?

        Liked by 2 people

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    • czarowniczy says:
      April 7, 2017 at 1:59 pm

      OK, tried to post this over an hour sgo, it’s either in spam or lost in space. Can’t wait as I gotta go to Biloxi so, Stella, if it’s in spam just delete it.

      Except for the expense of the missiles I see this as a case of high political drama.Obama laid down the Line in the Sand and Trump had no choice to enfirce it or be seen as weak as Obama. Look how many kids and other noncombatants have been slaughtered by Assad and Russia there and we’ve averted our eyes.
      I believe Assad did this without informing the Russians or getting their approval, they’d never have agreed. I also think part of Assad’s motive was to push the Russians to get a sign of their support for him as he may be getting wary of their motives. To do something like this would push the Rusdian to do domething or get off his pot while testing how serious the US really was in overthrowing him – Assad may see Trump and Putin as more buddy-buddy than Obama-Putin were.
      Look at the strike itself. Remember that Russia’s had a boots-on-ground presence there for decades, especially st Latakia where it has intel, naval and air force facilities. It has military and civilian aircraft flying and personnel on bases all over Syria engaged in military and petro chemical work. There was no doubt in my mind that the US warned Russia before the attack, none at all. Question is, did Russia warn Syria?
      The base chosen to be attacked was a Syrian base, the same one the Syrians launched the attack from. I don’t believe Assad would order a chem weapons attack from a base where there were a Russian presence in case it were inferred the Russians approved so Trump gets to show US resolve by symbolically attacking said base.
      Russia gets a warning so that it could get all of its personnel and equipment out of the way and while Syria gets the chance to move some of its stuff this is a symbolic strike, infrastructure was hit and, I’m betting, little vital equipment.
      I’m betting no chem weapon storage sites were hit, that would be too dangerous, Nothing the Russians had was hit, thereby avoiding a major problem, and both the US and Russia get to send a message to Assad.
      Remember I’d posted a few months back on how I was seeing, in the background of a Syrian port picture, what looked like Russia S-300/400 antiaircraft systems being offloaded? I have no doubt that their acquisition radars would have picked up US cruise missiles incoming, something the Russian saw as a major threat since Reagan deployed them to Britain, and their AA systems have been centered on them for decades. Better the Russians had a heads-up rather than a ‘surprise!’. Their systems probably would have intercepted some incoming but lo, all got thru.
      Sidebar: by notifying the Russians the US avoided having to use/giveaway countermeasures the missiles would have had to use to avoid active intercept measures if we had to avoid Russian AA for real. Russia gets to get some live readings on their systems for our cruie missiles so it isn’t a total loss for them…they had a half hour to get radar and sigint readings off of them from launch to impact.
      Trump has snotty Chinese top-level team at his personal palace, Chinese no doubt thinking they are dliving the tlain (G-d gonna get mecfor that) and, in the middle of dinner, Trump has the Navy blow the crap out of a Syrian target. With China’s bitch NK playing a ‘Syrian’ game can the message be lost?
      Russia standing off to Trump makes me think a deals been struck. Go back a few years to my posts next door when Syria was starting to implode. I posted how Russia has established a huge petrochemical business centered on Syria and were not going to abandon it regardless of what it took. Assad is a useful idiot and, as long as he keeps his puppet role, will reign. His job is to keep Russia’s billions and billions of dollars petro business at home in Syria. I believe the US has come to accept Russia as the puppet ruler and stabilizing force in Syria and Trump’s sttack was perfect political theater: Trump gets to look presidential, our foreign policy gets a boost, Assad gets a message from a combined US-Russian operation, China gets a nudge from the US and Russia and Russia gets assured its Mideast prtro empire’s hub is assured.
      Note that a single Russian Black Sea frigate is sailing through tha NATO controlled Bosphorus to the vacinity where the two US ships that launched the missiles are located. More political theater – Russia gets to exert some political theater and save some face by sending a ship out. Probably agreed on too as if the US or NATO had felt any threat they’d have symbolically escorted the ship through. To me this also shows Assasd that Russia is ready to defend its Syrian interests but not necessarily Assad. One of the US ships has gone to rearm telling Assad that it’s ready to fire again if the need be while Russia has one frigate there…what’s that tell ta?
      Remember October of last year when Russia was ratcheting up its efforts against anti-Assad forces and it moved a Black Sea flotilla offshore of Syria? Russia was showing NATO hiw serious it was as well as supporting its forces ashore. Now with the US floating offshore and firing missiles at Russian puppet territory they send one frigate? If I were Assad I’d be going to therapy to change my self-destructive lifestyle.

      Liked by 7 people

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        • sandandsea2015 says:
          April 7, 2017 at 2:18 pm

          “Admiral Grigorvich was in motion before this flap started. He resupplied and fluffed and buffed at Novorossisk after spending March in the Med and was on his way back. In fact he should be in the Med by now, he was due to pass out of the straights at roughly 16:00.”

          Fox is pushing this that the ship is heading for the US ships. It’s station is off the Syrian coast.
          The port of Tartus is a Russian base. Blue water is International. Anyone can use it.

          (This may be a non-issue that Fox News is pushing for the McCain types.)

          Liked by 4 people

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          • czarowniczy says:
            April 7, 2017 at 2:23 pm

            Political and face-saving. Russia would not have not sent a sword to a gunfight if it were serious and Russia has a great deal of systems already in Syria that could deal with the US ships and I believe they’d have used them if they didn’t want to seriously avoid a confrontation that may go sideways.

            Liked by 4 people

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            • sandandsea2015 says:
              April 7, 2017 at 2:31 pm

              I’m glad we have folks like you and Col. Ken here that understand the cause/effect of these maneuvers. Thank you, czar.

              Liked by 3 people

              Reply
              • Col.(R) Ken says:
                April 7, 2017 at 3:43 pm

                Czar, is in his element……intelligence and summary of action, reaction, counteraction. Like a chest board, a very deadly chess board. Great Summary Czar!!! Another tell, about this is this; we did inform the Russians, probably told them to sit this one out or follow the script. If we thought, or even suspected the Russians to come unglued, every known aircraft in region, or NATO (maybe), would have been up, last night and armed for Bear. How many carriers are on station? Subs? Or Carrier Battle Groups………one, maybe two….

                Liked by 6 people

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                • czarowniczy says:
                  April 7, 2017 at 11:06 pm

                  I think the Russians are upset with Assad too as I’m betting when Russia promised some time back that they’d make sure all of Assad’s chem weapons were destroyed…Assad held some back. If those aid workers get samples of what hit the civilians and it turns out they have Russian chemical fingerprints, bad day in Damascus. This embarrasses Russia as the paper thin cover that Syrua developed its own chem weapons independently will ve bliwn, as will their heartfelt promise they’d totally clean Assad’s pantry. Ohh ohh.

                  Liked by 1 person

                  Reply
        • Wooly Phlox says:
          April 7, 2017 at 6:41 pm

          We really don’t want our fleet sunk. That would be bad.

          Also, thank you, Czar, for the knowledge.

          As I’ve said, “I come here for the poetry.” I usually only say that in reply to really informative comments. It’s not snark when I say that. Far from it.

          Liked by 1 person

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          • Wooly Phlox says:
            April 7, 2017 at 6:55 pm

            I’m glad that Trump is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a stupid person.

            I’m also glad that neither is Vladdy Poo. The Russians love their children, too.

            Liked by 2 people

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            • Wooly Phlox says:
              April 7, 2017 at 6:56 pm

              Melody based on an old Russian nursery rhyme. Just pray.

              Like

              Reply
            • Wooly Phlox says:
              April 7, 2017 at 7:01 pm

              Much as I can’t stand Sting’s ideologies, this one song became an underground hit in the USSR. And probably contributed to the lack of a 1980s nuclear war that everyone feared. Because, the Russians love their children, too.

              Islam is another question. Do they? Russians didn’t strap bomb belts on infants.

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply
      • Rhea Salacia Volans says:
        April 7, 2017 at 3:12 pm

        Thank you for the analysis Czar. That makes a lot of sense to me.

        Liked by 4 people

        Reply
      • lovely says:
        April 7, 2017 at 5:13 pm

        Thanks for your knowledge Czar.

        Political theater. That was my guess, political theater right down to mentioning to Xi Jinping “How is the steak, Oh, and by the way I just launched 60 tomahawks at a Syrian airfield. Is there really nothing you can do about North Korea?”

        Liked by 2 people

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        • czarowniczy says:
          April 7, 2017 at 11:17 pm

          I’d have cleaned the Mar-a-Lago toilets to gave seen Xi’s face when Trump asked him how he liked the fish and, oh yeah, by the way……..
          This is traditional Asian politics at their finest.

          Liked by 2 people

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      • amwick says:
        April 7, 2017 at 5:24 pm

        TY… I feel better.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  16. lovely says:
    April 7, 2017 at 11:00 am

    Something beautiful.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  17. Howie says:
    April 7, 2017 at 11:18 am

    New Lunch menu at Gitmo

    Liked by 3 people

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      • Wooly Phlox says:
        April 7, 2017 at 6:44 pm

        Disney’s The Lion King had a very long run in the theaters when we were in our late teens-early 20s. We went to the show every Fridy night (not a typo. Boston.) for eight weeks straight. And we sang every song by the last three times, known by heart, loudly, to the consternation and/or amusement of our fellow theater-attendees.

        Heh. “She’s gonna EAT ME!!!!”

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply
    • czarowniczy says:
      April 7, 2017 at 1:14 pm

      NOLA stores have an amazing array of pickled pig parts in bags for sale, stuff usually packaged as bologna in more squeamish areas. Some years ago, on a lark, when Czarina was headed for a meeting I put an assortment of bagged, pickled pig parts into her sonewhat large purse. Imagine her surprise when, during the merting, she reaches into her purse and starts pulling out the surprise ‘build your own pig’ kit! The swelling started to go down about the third day.

      Liked by 8 people

      Reply
  18. Howie says:
    April 7, 2017 at 11:23 am

    Here is the feed for Masters for those who like it.
    http://www.cbssports.com/golf/masters/live/

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  19. auscitizenmom says:
    April 7, 2017 at 11:40 am

    I am getting notification for an update for adobe air. Should I do it?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • czarowniczy says:
      April 7, 2017 at 1:02 pm

      A notification from whom? When in doubt go to the Abode site and see if they have anything posted or even contact them and ask if this is for real.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
      • auscitizenmom says:
        April 7, 2017 at 1:17 pm

        Okay, I have done some checking and what I found out is……I know nothing. I do not understand any of what I came across. 😦

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        • czarowniczy says:
          April 7, 2017 at 1:40 pm

          I would suggest going to the Adobe site and seeing what updates they have offered. When in doubt use the ‘contact’ option on their site and ask them if the update is legit.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          • auscitizenmom says:
            April 7, 2017 at 1:49 pm

            I will have to wait until it pops up again to get any information on it. I tried going into my computer to see if I could figure anything out. Nope. I went on Adobe and don’t really know what to look for.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
            • czarowniczy says:
              April 7, 2017 at 1:56 pm

              When in doubt don’t do it. Adobe has some of the most stacked stuff in the world, in the old days Acrobat used to be referred to as ‘incoming’ at our site. I got a dozen or so phony update notifications a week on my Windows based systems, my Apple OS doesn’t need the help as it’s self destructive.

              Liked by 2 people

              Reply
              • auscitizenmom says:
                April 7, 2017 at 1:59 pm

                Yeah, I kinda thought it was best not to do it. But, it comes up every day when I turn the computer on and today, it also came up on another thing.

                Liked by 1 person

                Reply
                • czarowniczy says:
                  April 7, 2017 at 7:13 pm

                  As I generally use my Windows system for retirement-related stuff I really don’t need the extra bells and whistles so I can download updates at leisure. Software companies also generally have addresses you can forward malware emails to, they like to know about them. Apple, in contrast, would like you to cobtact them if you actually find their crap functional and useful.

                  Like

                  Reply
    • jeans2nd says:
      April 7, 2017 at 6:10 pm

      If one cares to, disable Adobe’s irritating nonsense.
      If in windows, click on start-run-msconfig.
      Click on Services tag.
      Uncheck Adobe Updater Service.
      Restart puter.
      Manually check Adobe for updates, if you trust them.

      Can also disable in registry (preferred), for not recommended for if not confident in editing registry.

      Dunno for Apple (personal prejudice).

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
    • Wooly Phlox says:
      April 7, 2017 at 7:19 pm

      Ausmom, I’m at the point where I don’t install any updates to a program like that unless I know that it is broken.

      I have a GeForce graphics card. Games come out every month or so. My GeForce Experience program, which contains files with optimal settings for all the games that came our this month, wants to update every month. Last time I said “Yes” to this, it pretty much broke my computer. Why would I fix something that isn’t broken? Is it a fetish? I never bought any games these last few months, so why would I apply the update?

      Is the program working well?

      Then don’t update.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  20. lovely says:
    April 7, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    Welcome to the Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch !!!!

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply
  21. lovely says:
    April 7, 2017 at 1:54 pm

    Wolf checking out partially submerged camera. Photograph by Ian McAllister.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  23. WeeWeed says:
    April 7, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    Bar! Beer!!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  24. Wooly Phlox says:
    April 7, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  25. auscitizenmom says:
    April 7, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    lilbirdee12’s prayer:

    Our Heavenly Father, Your children come to you tonight to ask for healing and peace throughout our country so that we may return to being One Nation Under God. Guide us to be leaders in Your Kingdom, spreading Your Love and Salvation to all. Forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil.

    Lord, we ask for a blanket of protection over all our troops and law enforcement who serve to defend and protect us. Bless our representatives with the strength and wisdom they need to achieve the path You have chosen for us.

    Please place Your Guardian Angels of Protection around Donald Trump and Mike Pence and their families as they seek to lead America back to You.

    Grant us patience, Lord, as the evil ones try to anger us and cause us to fall.
    Spread blessings over Israel and Netanyahu.

    We humbly ask that You please comfort those who are grieving and in pain.
    Thank you Father, for Your Love and the gift of Life.

    In Jesus name, we pray. Amen

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  28. Wooly Phlox says:
    April 7, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  29. Wooly Phlox says:
    April 7, 2017 at 10:23 pm

    One day a man walks into a bar and to his amazement, he finds a tiny person playing a tiny piano.

    Stunned the man asked the bartender where he got this amazing person. The bartender replied that inside the closet there is a genie that will grant him a single wish.

    The man dashed into the the closet and as the bartender said, there was a genie inside.

    Without hesitation the man wished for a million bucks, but instead 1 million ducks instantly appeared.

    Infuriated the man stormed to the bartender and screamed “I think your genie is hard of hearing, I asked for a million bucks but instead I got a million ducks.”

    The bartender shook his head and replied, “You’re telling me… Do you really think I asked for a 12 inch pianist?”

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  30. Wooly Phlox says:
    April 7, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    I busted out my acoustic steel-sting last night, dusted it off, tuned it, and played it for about three hours. Haven’t done that in a couple of years. Better now than I was then. Still hurts on the left hand, so fingering chords is painful. Dishwashers got no skin on their digit-tips.

    That’s the interesting thing about instruments, and improv, though. You take a couple of years off, it’s not just like riding a bike… …you’re actually better than the last time you played, because (I assume) of all the music you’ve absorbed in the interim. I need to get a glass slide.

    Liked by 2 people

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