Good Old Days

Today I worked on a house that didn't have central heating or cooling. It got me thinking about how things used to be and what they could be in the (near)future. The house is about 80 years old and a basic single story, old, 4 room house with a room in every corner.

My job was to supply the Heating and Air guys with electricity so we could upgrade the house to what is "standard" (hot and cold air)for Americans these days. The house was built around the idea that the fire place would support heat throughout the house, which was somewhat efficient. Today's homes really aren't built properly to support this same idea. Yes you may have a fireplace, but it often can't support the square footage of your house, especially if you have high ceilings. This is why many people will supplement space heaters (which often trips the breaker, I know this because I get many a call to fix this problem), typically in bedrooms and basements.

If TSHTF many people are going to learn to have to confine themselves to the room with the fireplace (in the winter time of course)and in the summer they'll have to tough it out or head to the basement. A stove (wood,coal,etc), for the most part, can remedy this problem in no time. If you plan to build a house in the future (as is a dream of mine), keep in mine a stove, or a fireplace in a central area. It may be also helpful to install one that would allow you to cook there as well.

While it amazes me that it was once common not to have central heating and air, I can have comfort that we can survive (if need be)once again if things get ugly. However, I reckon there will be many who will have to "adjust".

Permits

Today I had to pull a permit to move a meter for an entrance sign. The meter supplies 3 circuits, 2 for lights that shine up on the sign, and one for a convenience outlet. In order to accomplish this I first had to find out if the job fell in jurisdiction of Cobb County, or the City of Marietta (It was Cobb County).

Then I arrive at the Cobby County permit office, and have to wait until they're ready for me (which they make it seem like I'm hassling them of course). They then need my business licence, electrical license and a form filled out with the job information. After I hand the nice lady (she was actually pretty nice) all the info she tells me I need a 10,000 code compliance bond (which costs me $50) which I need to purchase at a insurance company. I have to climb back into my truck and head over to the nearest insurance company which happened to be State Farm.

I head into the office and inform the lady there that I need the compliance bond and she nods her head, and with a smirk asks me to sit down. She ask if this is for a big job (it was if she was used to guys like me coming in for little projects), which I reply no. She chuckles, and we talk about how stupid (basically) it is to have to do this for such a little job. She quickly fills out the paperwork and off I go back to the permit office. I wait in line again, and then get the same lady I saw first . She inputs most of the info, and then tells me I need to get the o.k. from some guy across the room since this is technically a commercial job (the sign is for a nursing home).

So, off I go to desk across the room, and find that no one is around. I ring the bell (as the sign requests) and wait a few minutes, until a nice man (everyone I dealt with was basically kind, just slow), asks me what I need. I tell him, and he walks off with my paper into a cubicle. He comes back with his initials on my paper, and I head back to the original permit lady.

The lady takes the paper, and asks for $30. After she takes my money (rather the customers money), she hands me the receipt and I'm finally finished with probably one of the easier experiences with getting permits.

So now you know why contractors don't like dealing with the government.

Billboard Fun

This may be a "sign" of things to come. Found off Interstate 70 in Missouri.

Tim Tebow- Love Him Or Hate Him?

I've only recently became a fan of college football (I've always enjoyed the NFL). I moved around a lot growing up, so there was never really a push for a college team (whether football, baseball, etc.). I also tend to work on Saturday so I never had opportunities to watch college football. I still don't have a favorite team per se, but enjoy many teams based upon how I feel about their coach or players. Because of this, I may be a fan of a team one year, and not the next (coach leaves, or players) graduate).

I understand that most people didn't grow up the same way I have, and as a result, may view some coaches/players with a peculiar disdain. Perhaps you hate a particular coach because he left you high and dry for another team. Or perhaps a player "rejected" your school for an opposing team. Many despise coaches/players because they always seemed to defeat their team at every turn.

Why do so many people loathe Tim Tebow? I tend to follow Georgia or Georgia Tech, because I live in Georgia; however, the last few years I've found myself straying a bit. I'll admit that I've been somewhat of a Florida fan mainly because I enjoy the character and skill Tebow brings to the table. I appreciate someone standing by their religion and walking the talk. It has become popular to see a player or coach give a shout out to God during an after game interview, but Tebow appears to take it a step further with his actions.

I'd like to state my case for why I'd like to see him succeed. 1) The above mentioned strive to honor God in all he does. 2)His passion to excel in the arena of football. I never get the feeling that he's only in it for the sole opportunity to make money. 3) His ability to lead his teammates. 4) The rare chance to have a high profile person, in my generation, who seems to champion the cause for good (the guy uses his week off for spring break to help people in the Philippines).

So why all the hate for Tebow? Well, I believe there are two camps. The first camp consist of those who don't like him because he plays for the other team, and its a unwritten rule to do so. I actually understand this camp since, it tends to be a result of their upbringing rather than some actual hatred for the guy. Additionally, many people tend to forget this rule when the player advances to the NFL. I'm sure there's many people in Pittsburgh who hated Hines Ward (from Georgia) in college, but love the fact he plays for the Steelers now.

The second camp consist of those who feel the opposite of the four reasons in what I like about Tebow. They hate the fact he wears his religion on his sleeve. Every game (since the middle of last year), Tebow writes a Bible verse on his eye black. Eye black is the grease or sticker that is applied underneath the players eye to help with any glare from lights. Tebow uses this small window of opportunity to witness to others. I, for one, appreciate this form of witnessing than those that stand outside the stadium preaching. That form of witnessing tends to push people away IMHO. During the title game last year, Tebow wore John 3:16 on his eye black. Here's an interesting fact, his Bible verse(s) is always at the top of the searches at both google and yahoo after every game.

Most people despise Tebow because he appears too perfect. I sincerely believe that people actually get a kick out of people failing. When people fail, it tends to make the rest of society feel "normal" and good about themselves. For most of the people in the second camp, Tebow is a mirror of what they wish they could be, and they feel awful about it.

Finally, you may hate the guy, but I promise you would rather have him help your spouse on the side of the road than who you think is your favorite player. However, I wouldn't want to be the man for anything in the world. The pressure he is about to endure is unbelievable. He's about to graduate and enter the real world, and the gloves will be taken off. Everyone is watching, waiting for him to slip up. Tim Tebow is like the bold, idealistic, young hero setting out on a quest like in any book you've read. Hopefully, he'll succeed where others have failed.

Lizard Funny Time

I saw this over at The Feed (which is a pretty cool site). I laugh every single time I watch this. Good times, good times.

Moore and Obama

It looks like Moore believed Obama was really going to listen to the loony left. Moore recently wrote a heart felt letter asking, no imploring, Obama to stop sending troops to Afghanistan. He thought Obama was the man, but what he really got was the "man", as in, we got to fight the "man", man. Ha Ha, just another politician providing "bread and circuses" to the people.

Trash Heap Of History

Walter Williams is the man. He has to be one of my favorite thinkers of the modern era. Please read this article and marvel at his insight. I realize that much of his thought is brought about from a speech he attended, but I love him the same. I have a minor in history and ponder (and wrote papers) on this very topic throughout my college adventure.

Much of the reasoning behind our contempt for nazism, over communism/socialism is that we joined forces with the USSR in order to defeat the nazis. ONLY after Germany fell did we learn what deals we had made with the devil (to be fair, many generals [Patton especially], tried to warn our leaders). Additionally, the nazi's crimes were well known and "others" felt the brute of their ideology. Whereas, the communists "mostly" killed their own. Why this doesn't make much sense, people tend to overlook what "crimes" one does to his/her self, but heavily frown on crimes done to others.

The article states that nazis killed 20 million of their own and of those in countries they occupied. The Germans never killed their own in any "significant" numbers unless they are counting those lost due to warfare. This, in my opinion, is different than killing as a result of a purge.

Email Horrors

My Grandmother used to always quote Numbers 32:23. The later half of the verse basically says "Be sure your sins will find you out", meaning you will most suredly get caught if you pursue wrong doings. Seems this man never met my Grandmother . I don't have a problem with someone who is proud they're white or black, or blue all over, but when you mix two different ideas into one, that's where you start to look foolish. He says one group(all blacks)steal, etc., then states that they(possibly black leadership)brand them (white cops) racists if they (maybe insert "happen" here)to shoot a black gang member. If this man didn't harbor racist/bigot mentality, he would have left out the stealing part, and just complained that its hard to be a white cop, to do your job at times, when you get attacked at every corner when you deal with black perpetrators.

In this way, the focus would be on perpetrators, who happen to be black, and a cop, who happens to be white. It also doesn't help his case when there was other racial comments involved in the article as well. Character is often thought of as what your doing when no one is watching. Sometimes, our character presents itself in the darndest ways.

KW II

Technically the Korean War never ended. That's what worries me. North and South Korea had a little navy mix up earlier this week which left the North with some egg on it's face. Of course the North has done its best to promise retaliation. Between this hot spot and the Israeli vs. Iran scenario, we could be in for a rough Christmas. A situation like one of these would really put a dent in our "recovery".

Thanks Be To Our Soldiers

Is there anything more depressing than soldiers who commit suicide? What generally causes a civilian to commit suicide? Stress, pressure, a "bad life", a feeling of worthlessness, ungratefulness? With the invention of intercontinental missiles, the need for walled cities became obsolete. I believe the soldier of today is our country's "wall". The wall allows it's citizens to debate this and that, feel protected, and plan for it's future. That is why I believe it is a serious issue to have our brave ones die by their own hand. The country's wall is eroding, and nothing is being done to prevent or repair (in my opinion) our wall.

I believe stress is sure to be a big part of the reason, but I'm afraid unappreciation is pretty high on the list as well. The Bible states the if you strike the shepard the sheep will flee, but I believe if you take the heart of the soldier you do the same (take the fight out of the dog). This tactic has been used since the beginning of warfare. Think of what the Germans did to the Russian (constant broadcast that they were losing etc.). I also can't help but think of a story out of the Bible dealing with the Assyrians versus the Kingdom of Judah. The viceroy of Assyria spoke out to the city of Jerusalem in Hebrew on perpose so that the whole city would understand their ultimatum. This was done to drive fear and doubt into their hearts, and mistrust for their leadership (Kingdom of Judah). Fortunately for Judah, they had a strong King and their ploy failed. Perhaps if we had a strong leader our soldiers would take heart and prevail. Our soldiers need to know that they are loved and they fight the good fight for all of us. Please let them know they are counted on. You may be the linchpin that saves a soldier's life down the road.

Break Is Over

I've been away for quite some time due to a bad hard drive. I've only been able to get online via safe mode, so I haven't felt comfortable blogging. I'm kicking myself for not learning more about computers. I've also been quite busy with work the last few months which is rare for someone in the construction field. I'm just going to ride the wave as long as it takes me.

The NY 23 race really caught my eye mostly due to the fact that a "3rd party" particapant was thought to have a real fighting chance. Having majored in Political Science in college, I knew that it is extremly rare for a 3rd party candaiate to be successful in anything more than mucking up the other two candaidates. However, this time, this guy, was looking seriously set for the upset. But alas, he lost, or so we've been led to believe. It seems that as the votes are coming in, he's only 3000 away instead of the 5000 last week. AND, they haven't counted the 10,000 or so absentee ballots yet.

What really gets me angry is that State Board of Elections made it seem as if there wasn't a chance for him (Hoffman) to win so he gave his concession (which any good conservative will do when it appears over, instead of acting like a child and asking how dare the peons not vote for me). They've sort of appologized saying it was a bit hectic and the call screeners read some counts wrong back to the headquarters ,but maybe it had something to do with Pelosi and the health care bill. 220-215, means that the bill passed by a 3 vote margin. So, if only three more people had voted nay it would have failed. The one lone Republican that voted yes, only did so when the vote was 218 for, so it is probable he might have voted nay if he knew his vote tipped the scale. Knowing that it had won, he voted yes. But what if Hoffman realy is victorios? That's one more vote nay, then perhaps Cao (lone repub) may have voted nay, now we have two. The third vote may not have came but would have made this a heck of alot closer. I imagine that if Hoffman does pull it off you may hear a lot of republicans looking for a re-vote. The moral of the story is never count yourself out, until the count is completely out.

Religious Based Laws

This story has been gnawing at my mind since I first read it. Most of my friends would say I'm "religious" and follow the Bible mostly to a T. And most would say I'm a good example of a red blooded American as well, who believes whole-heartedly in the wisdom of the founding fathers. This story is a perfect example in why the forefathers wanted religion to be woven into our laws, but with wisdom sprinkled in as well.

99.9% of our laws our founded in Biblical teachings, and I would argue we are better for it. The founders believed that our liberty was given by God therefore could only be taken away by God (not man). This also applies to the laws found in the Bible. Men should take heed when adding and taking away from God's Law. They should be certain the intent of the principal that was broken, and the proper punishment for the crime. In other words, is this really a crime against God, and if so, what is the punishment. The laws were written so that the people would know how to honor God, not man, to do HIS will, not mans'.

The law this woman broke, Article 152, seeks to curtail provocative clothing by way of threat of punishment. I understand that for men, it is much easier to function in the work place, church, sporting events, if women would dress appropriately, but does this warrant 40 lashes? Men may say this is a great law, but with any law it could back fire. What if a particular man fit a "little too well" in a pair of jeans, couldn't he be dressing risque as well?

While I wish for a more religious government, these laws tend to push religion out of government for good. Notice that this women is very defiant in her beliefs, and that her husband is dead. Never underestimate someone with nothing to lose. Her fight, and others like it, will/may cause the populous to think all religious based laws are wrong. So, instead of beating back one or two abuses, they'll scrap the whole lot.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I do have a maxim I try to abide by: In this particular situation, am I trying to honor God, or man. Or in other words, is this liberty he has granted me, being used to further his will or mine.

Practical Training

The last week has been awful, and yet I must thank God for an opportunity that has advanced my skills. The family car broke down last week and the wife and kids have been stranded at home since last Saturday. The only exceptions have been the times where my wife has borrowed the company work van (food runs), or when I've driven my son to football practice. Fortunately, my father-in-law has taken the time to make this experience less expensive on our money bag.

This has allowed me, mister stupid when it comes to cars, to learn a bit more on how a vehicle works. I believe this may pay off in at least three ways: 1) being able to fix future problems on our family car, 2) being able to help others in this, or similar situations, and 3) A skill set extremely valuable if one day society does in fact falter.

This is the hands on training I haven't to this point, and perhaps wouldn't have in the future been concern with, if I hadn't been forced to handle it this week. Sometimes a trial now can/will be a blessing down the road. Maybe the old maxim "In all things give God thanks" is pointing to.

Sometimes, Technology Can Be Awesome

I love it when the truth presents itself. If only the media would do their job, and presents real questions to the president. Watch, or rather listen and enjoy.

Banker Hours Are Getting Even Shorter

The grand total for bank failures in the U.S. has now reached 57 in 09. My state, Georgia, is leading the way with around 15 bank failures. While most of these banks are small local banks, their closing can pose quite a problem. Many of my friends and acquaintances bank with the two or three large banks that are throughout the southeast, however many also bank with small local banks. They prefer small banks because the feel they provide better customer service, and appreciate the face recognization when they come through the door. Small banks often offer better "deals", and often call to check up on their customers. But ultimately, the majority of people who prefer small banks do so because they were tired of being spurned by the larger banks, and have absolutely no desire to go back.
So what's the big problem? Only 57 have closed out of a quadrillion of total banks in the U.S., right? Well, many economists believe that it was bank closings that really broke the camels back during the beginning days of the Great Depression. Remember the pictures of the long lines outside banks or "bank runs"? People were franticly going to banks to drawl their money out so they would have their money in hand. The populous then stuffs their earning under their mattress or in their cookie jars, which causes the enconmy to seize as the money cycle stops. The consumer stops (or slows) buying and the producers stop (or slows) producing, and then the collapse is in full swing.
Bank failures are a lot like job losses, you don't realize how bad it is getting until your neighbor loses their job. Next, you notice your friend loses theirs, then your Mom is out of work, and maybe even your own job is in question. There is now 16 states with unemployment at 10% or higher, 16 states is roughly 30% of the states in the union.
I'm not suggesting that you make a preemptive bank run, but I do hope we will be proactive this arena. Don't assume your bank is too "big" to fall, we've all seen many giants felled recently. I know our accounts are covered up to 100,000 (or more if you take further action), but I'm not sure I trust my government's "promise" that my money is secure. I could very well receive an I.O.U. in the not to distant future.

Once You Start, There's No Going Back

So it begins. I can take no more. I've crossed the line from banging my head on the wall, and gnashing my teeth, to publishing my angst. I look at my government and see politicians instead of representatives. I see leaders who follow their own desires instead of desiring to lead their followers. My country has gone from a "light on a hill" to ruins lost amongst the vines. My country was once the beacon of hope for the downtrodden. Now the traveler would pass down the path, missing the outlines of the building blocks our founding fathers laid, that the jungle has consumed.