This is very old-fashioned of me.

This is very old-fashioned of me.  Deal with it.

Progress in Paradise...

Progress in Paradise...  I visited a dentist yesterday, for the first time since moving up here.  Like just about every other “first” experience, this was a good one.  My appointment was for 1 pm, with Dr. Lance Gunnell.  Figuring there would be paperwork, I showed up at 12:30.  In fact, there was a thick wad of paperwork to fill out, and I sat down with a clipboard loaded with forms with tiny little boxes to fill out.  Partway through the first of these pages, a young lady came out and called my name – and at 12:40 I was seated in the examining chair.  Just before I finished the paperwork (between a tech's taking X-rays), at 12:46, Dr. Gunnell showed up. 

He'd already reviewed my X-rays, and launched into a detailed explanation (complete with diagrams he drew as he was talking) of exactly what was wrong with my tooth – an infected root, on a tooth with a porcelain crown.  There's also the possibility of a different root on the same tooth being cracked.  Recommendation: he'd drill through my crown, trying to preserve it, then clean out the accessible infection in my tooth.  He'd then pack it with antibiotics, stuff it with gutta-percha, put a temporary plug in the hole, and send me to an endodontics specialist for the actual root canal.  By 1:20 pm he had actually completed all this (with the aid of two assistants and impressive organization) and I was out the door.  Next stop: Reed's Pharmacy, for the antibiotics and pain meds that would sustain me until my appointment next week.  Dr. Gunnell told me there was a 50/50 chance that the antibiotic would knock the infection down to the point where there was no pain, and it looks like I won the bet: I haven't needed any pain medication since last night.  Woo hoo!

This morning I mowed our lawn and blew the driveway clean, at which point the heat plus my mostly sleepless night caused me to call it a day...

City governments are worried...

City governments are worried...  Because driverless (automated) cars will not run stop signs or red lights, or speed – and city revenues from ticket sales fines will plummet.  The progressive reflex will be to ban driverless cars.  Then after deeper thought, they'll realize it's a new tax opportunity...

Just put this country out of its misery, huh? Part III...

Just put this country out of its misery, huh?  Part III...  This is not The Onion – it's an official Health and Human Services Administration web page:

You should be prepared when Aunt Janine says something like, “Obamacare hasn’t helped anyone!” So here are a few points to remember during this long holiday weekend:

Situation: Uncle Ted claims Obamacare is a train wreck and has cost jobs.

You say: Uncle Ted, you’ve gotten ahold of some old talking points. With greater access to affordable, quality health insurance, the Affordable Care Act is helping individuals and strengthening our economy!

Since the main components of the law went into effect, we’ve reduced the number of uninsured by 16.4 million, the largest increase in the insured in decades. Before the ACA, the U.S. economy faced rapidly growing health costs that put enormous pressure on businesses and consumers. We paid more than any country without better health results, and millions of Americans were one illness away from bankruptcy. Today, we’ve seen the slowest growth in health costs in half a century, improved patient safety has saved an estimated 50,000 lives and $12 billion, and employer premiums for family coverage grew just 3 percent in 2014, tied with 2010 for the lowest on record back to 1999.

Meanwhile, since the ACA was signed, the private sector has added 12.8 million jobs over 64 straight months of job growth, extending the longest streak on record. The increase in employment over that period is due almost entirely to higher full-time employment. The number of people working part-time who would prefer to be full-time has fallen by 2.6 million from March 2010 through May 2015, including a decline of 1.1 million since December 2013.

Now, would you like more corn?

Speechless, I am, at the squandering of even more of my tax dollars.  I'm afraid to know how much of my money was spent creating this garbage...

Just put this country out of its misery, huh? Part II...

Just put this country out of its misery, huh?  Part II...  Crying, I am...

“Just put this country out of its misery now, huh?”

“Just put this country out of its misery now, huh?”  So says Ace, and it's easy to see why...

Unemployment is down...

Unemployment is down...  At least, the official number is.  But if you look at labor force participation (a much more useful measure, in my view), it's down to 62.6% – a number last seen in 1977.  For those of you who are less ancient than I am, let me remind you that 1977 was Jimmy Carter's first year in office.  The country was suffering from a terrible recession, partly driven by skyrocketing oil prices.  In that context, consider that our labor force participation rate has just declined to a level matching those parlous economic times.  Yeah, that's how good our economy is doing!

For the government to claim that unemployment is falling sounds like Orwellian doublethink, no?

Race vs. violent crime in the U.S...

Race vs. violent crime in the U.S...  Some interesting data here, with more confirmations than surprises.  Violent crime is disproportionately committed by blacks, including (perhaps especially) blacks on blacks.  Black on white crime, as I'd expect, is far lower than perceived by whites...

Lunch for a hot summer day...

Lunch for a hot summer day...  I just cubed a tomato, an avocado, a roasted red pepper, and a thick slice of ham.  Tossed it all with a tablespoon or so of Duke's mayonnaise.  Ate it with a glass of ice cold apple juice.  Oh, yum!

With two numbers and a single arithmetic operation...

With two numbers and a single arithmetic operation ... generate the Fibonacci sequence up to 24 digit results.  How could you possibly do this?  Here's how: divide 1 by 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,998,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999!

Who thinks of these things?!?!

Is this really funny?

Is this really funny?  A “joke” sent along by my brother Scott:

Hillary Clinton goes to a gifted-student primary school in New York to talk about the world. After her talk she offers question time. One little boy puts up his hand.  Hillary asks him what his name is.
"Kenneth," he answers.

"And what is your question, Kenneth?"

"I have three questions: First - whatever happened in Benghazi? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? And, Third - “whatever happened to the missing 6 billion dollars while you were Secretary of State?"

Just then the bell rings for recess. Hillary Clinton informs the kiddies they will continue after recess.

When they resume Hillary says, "Okay where were we? Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?"

A different boy puts his hand up; Hillary points to him and asks him what his name is.

"Johnny," he answers.

"And what is your question, Johnny?"

"I have five questions: First - whatever happened in Benghazi? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? Third- whatever happened to the missing 6 billion dollars while you were Secretary of State? Fourth - why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? And, Fifth - where's Kenneth?"

This reminds me, strongly, of the dark Russian humor of the Soviet era.  My first reaction was ... that it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that this was a true story.  My second reaction was ... the story actually is implausible – but only because Hillary doesn't answer unscripted questions.  My last reaction was ... this isn't funny, though I know it's supposed to be a joke.

Sad about my country, I am...

Ricochet's Daily Shot...

Ricochet's Daily Shot...  I've blogged about Ricochet on several occasions.  It's one of my favorite sites, and it's part of my morning reading routine.  I love their commenting Code of Conduct, which keeps the comment threads civil.  The writers and commenters are top drawer.  One of the features of that web site is a daily email called the Daily Shot, and it's something I look forward to reading every morning.  It's a free subscription even if you don't join Ricochet; just go to their home page, look on the upper right, and sign up.  Highly recommended!  I'd pay for Ricochet membership just to get that email :)

Here's a sample from this morning's Daily Shot:

Want to Understand Greece? Take This and Extrapolate it Across a Whole Economy

Greece is in quite a pickle. It has defaulted on its debt payments to the IMF, it’s cut off (for the time being) from a European bailout, and its prime minister ... is a piece of work. Alexis Tsipras seems to be in over his head.

First, he left bailout negotiations, insisting on a public referendum on the conditions Greece’s creditors were demanding. Then he let his nation go into default on its debt payments. Then, he suddenly realized how bad an idea that was, so he wrote a letter late Tuesday to other European leaders and the IMF, accepting the terms of their bailout. Then he started telling his voters to reject the measure.

On Wednesday, finance ministers from Eurozone countries held a conference call to collectively facepalm ... and then to talk about Tsipras. They decided that, rather than jump in and help, they’re going to wait for the outcome of Sunday’s referendum. You know, rather than rely on the whims of the prime minister/hormonal teenager. Many of Greece’s creditors also have serious doubts that, even if bailed out, Tsipras’s left-wing government would make the necessary reforms.

So now it’s in the lap of the gods and the hands of Greek voters. (You know, the folks who elected Tsipras to begin with). Well, at least until Tsipras changes his mind six more times tomorrow.

Friends, we should applaud the man. It takes an extra level of ineptness of make even Barack Obama look like a decisive leader.

Love that last paragraph :)

Morning in Paradise...

Morning in Paradise...  Two of the dogs (Miki and Race) and I took a brisk morning walk just after 5 am this morning.  Mo'i can only walk about a half mile before he starts getting tired, but without him we did just over a mile (each way) this morning.

It was a beautiful morning, cool and crisp.  A full moon hung over the Wellsville Mountains to our west, with wispy little clouds occasionally scudding across its orb.  When we set out, the first hints of dawn showed over the Wasatch Mountains to our east.  By the time we came back, we had a gorgeous sunrise behind us, which I kept stopping to spin about and look at.  We passed barley fields that in the space of a single day had their crowns turn from green to brown.  In another day or two, the entire plants will be brown, and it will be time to harvest it.

We also passed a very active striped skunk in a recently mowed alfalfa field just south of the road we were walking on.  Though the skunk got to within about 20' of us, the two dogs never saw it.  It was downwind, so they couldn't smell it either.  That skunk was moving faster than I've ever seen a skunk move before, foraging for bugs and whatever else that skunks eat.  It was headed straight for us, and showed no signs of hesitating – so I hurried the mutts along to get out of its way.  Sure enough, just 30 seconds or so after we zoomed by it, it crossed the road behind us. 

Photos taken along the way:

Doctors on strike...

Doctors on strike...  Via reader Simi L.:

Face-off!

Face-off!  What a cool photo!!

Rosetta looks at...

Rosetta looks at ... Comet 67P, yesterday...

Curiosity is looking...

Curiosity is looking ... at some interesting Martian geology again...

Morning in Paradise...

Morning in Paradise...  The dogs and I went for a walk just before dawn.  It was beautiful...

Eriogonum kennedyi...

Eriogonum kennedyi...  This is a variety of wild buckwheat, one of many that are common in southern California.  Via BPOD, of course...

Bomb-sniffing rats...

Bomb-sniffing rats...  Reader Simi L. sent this along.  When I first started reading, I thought it was some kind of joke – but it's for real!  More detail here...