On Wisconsin---and Maybe More

In my world of collecting graphs, I occasionally run into some patterns that make me smile contently. Here is my first evidence that leads me to make note of my state. Now, this all doesn't mean other states are losers (sorry Texas) but it does imply the upper Midwest seems to have some notable quality possibilities.

This map/graph demonstrates that there is less income disparity among our citizens than other areas. I don't know why, but it must have something to do with attitudes of leadership, and maybe the general population that would not put up with it. In other words, if we in a small community see some business individual living in a starter castle, the tendency might be to not support his business, particularly if his workers were not being paid well. Self correction, maybe.
This graph demonstrates that good old Wisconsin is not heavily endowed with poverty in my beloved rural areas. We personally are probably in the poverty group but we are rich in other ways. Not a lot of poor around us.

Hey, we have water and water can be used for all sorts of thing, many of them fun but also it can be used to grow food without having lots of fear of drought. I like that. I like the Tomorrow River, and the Wisconsin. I like the Crystal River and how about all those lakes. Thank you Jesus---or whom ever.


Here is an interesting map, rather a different topic, but still not with out merit. So far not many nasty weather events up here.

I have another one of maps somewhere that demonstrates the level of education and value placed on education. Oddly the pattern is the same. The upper Midwest is way out in front. Now, it may not be that we are the most fortunate in every class but still nicely positioned.

Of course, if we had to include weather, or the easiest place to live with weather (that would be winter) it might look a bit different. Then, does the harsh weather lead to the strength in the other areas? Does it chase out the riff-raff. I'm still here.

Good Dogs Die

There is a saying out there that the one bad thing about dogs is they don't live very long. I can attest to that.

We had Chester, that is the same dog who has been pictured here many times because he was always just there being next to vegetables, going fishing, digging in the garden and being under foot.

Well, Chester had an odd life I suppose. We recently learned via a chip, he started out in California the off spring of some bitch (I mean that kindly) and later moved to Colorado. We think he may have been abandoned somewhere in that first story.

When we got him he had been abandoned again, this time on the ranch we used to live on. The cowboy that worked there had been having some marital problems and for reasons unimaginable just left him to fend for himself in the foothills of Larimar county on a five thousand acre ranch. The dog freaked out and jumped in a friend's pickup and wouldn't leave.

We could see he was one hell of a dog, a beauty in every way, maybe a little baggage from being abandoned and possibly beaten, but still a real lover. I got him to jump in our car because our friend with the pickup had a dog.

So five years later at the age of eleven, Chester moved on. We had a great life together and he filled a great spot in our lives. For him to just up and have a bad spleen seems very unfair but either cancer or a little spirochete got him and he faded away.

After his first bout of blood loss, he rebounded so that we could adjust and spend some fun time with him, catching popcorn and walking the yard. As of three days ago he is no more. Bummer. Dogs sure do make our lives rich that's why when they go there is pain, but many great memories. Three cheers for Chester.

Broccoli, Global Warming---Revolution Watch

One might say, "Just how do you plan on tying broccoli to global warming?" This might be a stretch for sure because I don't really know all the patterns. But I find it strange that the broccoli in my garden, that would be my outside garden, is still growing. It don't mean it is sitting there in extended idle animation. It has grown since the last time I checked it a couple of weeks ago.

Clearly the stuff is tough, and I can imagine that this is not the first Dec. 15th that someone in central Wisconsin had broccoli in his garden. Still, it seems odd to me on this day as it is raining outside. Interestingly, a weed ago my kid that lives north of Fairbanks told me it was raining there. He noted that in the past couple of years they have seen rain in Dec. It had been 60 below a few days earlier. Not that uncommon.

Today, I read a piece talking about how methane is exuding from arctic waters at a rate never seen before, apparently due to the warming of arctic waters. Methane is a gas many times more destructive than co2.

Still, most of the front runners, or at least the field of contestants for Republican party, say there is no such thing as climate change. Or as one commenter stated, "Does this mean you all agree with the 3% of scientists that think climate change is not real?" Apparently. We are idiots, that is all there is to it.

Yesterday, the Canadians walked out of the Kyoto discussions basically saying, "Screw the global climate change, we need to make money." So the governments don't meet for another 4 years and in the mean time I will be growing more and more broccoli in winter. Now, I know what they mean when they say humans are the most invasive species.

Pictures that Speak to Me

I have always loved how images can provoke emotions of all sorts. It is only fitting that good ones are shared, and as we all know many folks are now sharing the hell out of them via the internet, and of course, jackasses like me that pass them around.

I just went through a few I have collected and here is what I found. I am sorry if you have seen some of them but I can't help myself. This one made the implication that our politicians need to take advice from this dude and "Grow a Pair." Unfortunately, there may be individuals, both male and female that symbolically have this endowment but chose to do what this big fella is doing---sitting on his ass.

For the biblical types, we have this one. In light of the fact they we may be looking at a currency war and sure as hell have been looking at huge usury fees from the banksters, this one rings true---might even make me a Christian.

For this one, I need to say little. It just reads well and seems to say something without saying anything. He said, "To sin by silence makes cowards of men."

Jobs-----Revolution Watch

We keep hearing this Jobs, Jobs, Jobs mantra over and over. Then we hear the politicians say how we have to bring them back, and we have to do this and we have to do that.

The Democrats think they have to spend money government style and Keynesian style to create new jobs which in turn means they have to find the cash. They spend and they spend and spend but still the U6 jobless rate stays in the 16% range. To top it off, no one wants to pay taxes. It all seems so stupid. There is no money, so they print the stuff out of their asses and then throw it all over the place thinking the jobs will come out of the woodwork. Making oil out of algae?!

The GOP mostly gave it to banks by getting Treasure, Hank Paulsen, ex Goldman CEO, to throw bailouts in the trillions to his big banking buddies. While doing this the Republicans cry out for free trade, no regulations, feed the wealthy job creators, no new taxes. They believe the banks will graciously loan mega dollars to new businesses. The banksters then give themselves big bonuses and sit on the money gathering interest. They don't invest it---not in this country

But it sure looks like neither one of them have a clue and I am not sure they care. The above article demonstrates how this area is losing 1000 jobs as two large factories close down. One is a paper factory that no longer has much of a market due to the internet. The other made windows and doors and the union wouldn't drop there demand of wanting a working wage, plus no one is building.

What it turns out is there is no place to invest money in business in this country simply because demand is down and we, under no circumstance can compete with foreign labor. It just can't be done. Good old globalization. In the mean time the 99% get poorer and the 1% are rolling in free bailout money and laughing their rich asses into the ground. "Party on Garth."

It looks like one hell of a dilemma. No matter what we do it is not going to work. The sad part of it is we are not talking about other options. We are not taking about ideas and proposals that does not involve these antiquated growth concepts. We have to move to another type of thinking but it looks to me like thinking outside this box will not happen. Is it just a continuing slow decline? We need a new set of economists, not these shit heads suffering from rectal-cranial inversion. Time to start over.

Running the M Mccormik Deering Engine

I have had this engine for a couple of years and I have talked about, admired it, tinkered with it. Actually, I should say "we" as Jeff my brother is also in on it. He is no worse than me, or no better, depending on how you look at it.

We have purchased a few new parts, disassembled it, hand honed the head and gussied it all up in what amounts to an overhaul. Truth is, the motor is very simple and once a person learns about it, even if it sat on the bottom of a lake, they can be brought back to life.

There has been doubters, "friends" that look upon us in disdain, but mostly they are just jealous because we are somebody, we are motor heads, old iron affectionatoes. Almost every body knows these throbbing brutes attract chicks and that is why they are so envious.




What we have here is the final hour, the real test, the icing on the cake for old iron buffs. We have the running of the engine. I know, it needs a few adjustments and a fuel system that will keep it going forever but this is for real, this is the moment. So admire and, drool over this magnificent machine.

Europe Soverign Debt---Revolution Watch

This was a poster the English government was going to post all over England if it became apparent the Nazis were going to invade their home land. It never was put up because the English decide to put up a good fight---which in turn brought in the Yankees and the rest is history.

Interestingly, some one has brought the poster back out thinking it might be useful during the coming revolution/economic upheaval.

It seems England, along with many countries in Europe have gotten themselves in a bit of a pickle and the banksters/economic terrorists think that the only way to solve the problem is for a big dose of austerity (higher taxes and service cuts, pay cuts). This would be done so the banksters/bondholders could get their money back even though it would appear that they, that would be the banksters, have loaned massive funds to both individuals and countries, that had absolutely no way to pay it back. Never did and never will.

It seems odd that they are trying to put all the blame on the average Joe and make him pay even though the banks were particularly stupid and one might say profoundly greedy, in making the loans. Who is at fault. It would seem that banks I have known would never have dished out monies unless they knew for damn certain I intended and could pay it back. Not these guys.

What they did is loan the money out and then not wanting to sit on the large privately-known risk, sold the paper, that would be bogus AAA loans, to unsuspecting buyers--pensions, IRAs, countries, blah, blah, blah. Actually they sold other absurd "products" as well--derivatives, credit default swaps, who knows.

In the last couple years it has become real obvious the loans are not really of much value, so the banksters are now trying to get it back so they might maintain their lifestyle--oops! ( it is really uglier that that but I like this part of it)

Oddly, England and most of Europe doesn't manufacture much (rather like us) any more, oil is declining and the biggest earner, banking, is also going down the tubes. So it looks like many of these countries will become almost third world. Thus, the sign to the public. I don't think it will do much good. Will there be blood? Sign is red.