I Would Hope It's True But I Fear The Con Of The Millennium Is In The Making

A Chinese company, Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd, is reportedly claiming to have created a drug that cures Ebola. They are trying to fast-track it though China's pharmaceutical drug approval process for commercial use but it reportedly has already been approved for use by China's military. (Source.)

Who knows, maybe they have found a cure but I have been around the block a few times and have seen the Chinese make bold but empty claims before about scientific findings and have also seen them screw the world more than once. I fear this to be nothing more than a con by which they will try to get investors (like other countries) to pay big bucks for what they claim is an Ebola cure only for those countries to find out they wasted their money and put lives in jeopardy by accepting the claims of the Chinese that this stuff works. Or maybe even worse, maybe if it spreads, they will give it out for free knowing it is useless and as other nations use it and their people die the Chinese will advance whatever evil agenda they have in the making. Of course anything is possible though, maybe China has suddenly become a genuinely munificent nation and is willing to give it to the world for free to save humanity (should it come to that bad of an outbreak). If so, let's hope that they really have hit upon a cure.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Sorely Obvious Answer Is: No!

That question was the headline of a Fox news article: "Can All USS Hospitals Safely Treat Ebola?" I think the answer should have been obvious to you long before you even read the article and that answer is a resounding - No!

I think the answer was obvious but I also think that no US hospital can safely treat every case of Ebola. The odds are just against it as can be seen by the two Ebola cases in Dallas already. One was a botched diagnosis that led to an exam and release of the patient. Then, once he was finally admitted and treated for Ebola, what happened but that a nurse who treated him came down with Ebola too. Of course they want to blame it on the nurse, or at least the head of the CDC wants to do so (source), but I blame it on pompous arsehats like him who have that certain affliction that doctors get. You know it don't you? It is what is commonly referred to as he God Syndrome - the one by which doctors think they are infallible and that it is anyone else's fault but their own if a patient succumbs or if a disease spreads.

They may get lucky and beat Ebola but folks, I fear we are in for a bad time with it before it is over and that is especially true as long as we have doctors who know it all but nurses (by the doctors' thinking) who do not. One has to wonder, if the docs know it all, then whose fault is it that they have not properly trained the nurses!

All the best,
GB

So What Did I Miss Blogging About - How About The Potential World Record Boner

Besides not blogging for about a week, the past week also had me not paying much attention to the news. Still though, I would have thought that I would have noticed this one because of its potential for being a world record. Reportedly, a 23 year old man in England awoke with what is typical for men in good health - a hard-on. It is usually a sign that things are good for the man both mentally and physically; however, in this case, after several hours of having a boner, the guy figured something was wrong and told his buddy who in essence fell to the floor in laughter. Soon though, they realized it was not a laughing matter. He was treated, some 17 hours later, by doctors who reportedly drew two pints of blood from his throbbing member and also injected it with with erection reducing medications some 24 times. Can you say ouch; the guy said it was pain that was a 10 out of 10. (source)

I can think of other ways I would have tried to tame it other than the ice bath he reportedly tried. A warm water bath to open the flow instead of constricting it with ice comes to mind as does a more pleasurable method involving a willing female. If I had one, I somehow do not think I would have necessarily asked my male roommate for help.

Anyway, I am thinking that a 17 hour boner may well get itself into the Guinness World Records as the longest maintained (time-wise) 
ever.

All the best,
Glenn  B

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I Know I Haven't Blogged In About A Week

Had nothing last Wednesday since I was getting sick of blogging about Ebola, the Muslims trying to conquer the world (and apparently succeeding for now), U.S. Politics and the hypocrisy of it all, guns (that I can't spare the ammo to shoot much), ammo prices that are still sky high and ammo that is still scarce (no doubt in my mind because of government purchase contracts), the government over taxing us, the tyranny of local, county, state and federal governments, the militarization of police and whatever else it is that I have blogged about in recent months.

I also had to work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and was just too pooped when I got home to bother with blogging. On Saturday I think I did nothing except some going though of family photo albums and yesterday I went upstate with my son to scout deer and kill busy-tailed rats. As for that last, he got in a shot at one and saw it fall out of the tree like a ton of bricks but then was not sure which tree (yeah he was pretty sure, as in almost certain, but not quite 100% sure which tree). We searched for it for over half an hour and could not find it nor any blood. He looked more after that too, no luck though. I figure he winged it and it got up and took off for parts unknown. Oh well, at least he got off a shot. He did find a ringneck snake and a red back salamander though. It was only in the low 60s but they were out regardless. Nice looking ringneck snake, good size, going into a shed from the look of it. He checked it out and let it go in the exact spot he found it. Never even picked up the salamander, just gave it a good looking over. He always has been lucky at finding herps, if only some of that would rub off this hunting season for deer all will be well.

Anyway, no sign of deer except some trails. I mean no spoor, no rubs, no hair, no nothing for the most part. Spoke to a bird hunter later on, down where our car was parked, and he said that that particular area was heavily hunted and here were not many deer. I concur after the scant sign we did find (the deer trails). He gave us some clues as to better local spots an I will check them out in the coming weeks.

More blogging to commence tonight or tomorrow.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ebola - It Only Seems To Get Worse (or we are in deep - deep - deep shit)

Yes folks, here I am again with more doom and gloom about Ebola. by now, you should know that a nurse has contracted the disease in Spain. It is believed that she caught it from a priest who had been brought to Spain from Sierra Leone to treat his case of Ebola. The thing is that there is a conundrum over how she could have contracted the disease from the priest since each of the two times she had contact with him, she was reportedly wearing a hazmat suit (source). If that is correct, several questions immediately come to mind and they need to be answered without delay because the lives of everyone treating Ebola patients could well depend on the answers. Some of those questions are:

If she was protected by a hazmat suit, each time she came in contact with the Ebola patient, how did she get Ebola?

Did the hazmat suit fail or was it flawed?

Are certain hazmat suits ineffective or less effective than others against Ebola and did she wear that type?

Did she don the suit correctly or incorrectly and thus cause a breach in the protection it offered?

Did she contract the disease from touching the suit as she put it on because it had been used previously and was not decontaminated properly?

Did she get it when being decontaminated, after contact with the patient (after the suit was cleaned and then as she took off the suit that maybe was not cleaned properly)?

If none of the above are found to be the reason she became infected then we must ask tougher questions:

Has Ebola mutated to be able to penetrate hazmat suits?

Did she purposefully expose herself by compromising the hazmat suit?

Did she unknowingly come in contact with someone else, in Spain, who also had Ebola?

As far fetched as the last three questions may seem, if it is determined that the hazmat suit was worn properly, that it was not faulty and that the decontamination was effective - then you must ask them too.

Several folks have been quarantined because she contracted the illness. They include her husband. Sadly, Spanish authorities have decided to kill their dog, over the objections of the nurse and her husband, and will incinerate its carcass (source). I think that quite foolish because were they to medically observe that dog under quarantine they might learn something that leads to a vaccine, a cure or a preventive measure. 

Then I remember that these are governments at work and I think we are frigging doomed.

All the best,
Glenn B

Off To A Running (and walking) Start

I restarted my exercise program yesterday, went to the gym last night and did 6.5 miles on the treadmill. I alternated between running and walking a quarter of a mile for 5.5 miles, then walked the remainder at a small incline. Not too sure if I was up for quite that much, my hips are just about screaming right now. That though has been par for the course for years when I walk or run. Also, my knees are aching and so are my ankles, feet and calves too, along with some of the upper parts as well. 

That all will work its way out somewhat as each exercise session passes or so has been my past experience although the hips and legs and some other areas around joints have been and likely will remain a problem. They have been hurting after any exercise ever since a few docs first suspected I had Lyme disease about 25 years ago. Never diagnosed it back then, always said the test results were inconclusive. Years later I was twice diagnosed with it. Guess the hips will never again be very happy campers. Lately though, I have been paying more attention to how the pain comes on and how my legs in total are effected, I wonder if the pain may be more due to tendon problems as it seems more that than pain deep in the joints. I wonder if taking Levaquin many years ago is what led to most of the problems. I digress.

Anyway, the exercise program is back in action - or should I say - I am back in action. I suppose that is much better for me than being a couch potato. Plan to hit the treadmill again tomorrow - figuring on three to four das per week for now BUT I may try gain tonight if the hips are not too sore.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Diet Begins

I had 3 pair of pants, for work, delivered to me last week. Tried them on at the end of the week, all in my size or at the size I wore for the past several years. They did not fit. Now that is perplexing because even when I weighed more than I do currently, that size pants fit. These new ones sure do not fit now, although I will say my old pants still fit and they are both in the same sized waist. I measured the pants, they are indeed 36 waist but when I tried to close them they were about 4 to 6 inches shy of comfortable and at least 2 -3 inches shy of closing at all. I will readily admit some of my old pants are tight but they close all the way pretty easily an I can breath, move and wear them all day comfortably. These new ones just won't even close. I will also readily admit that I have been sucking in junk food like a vacuum cleaner set on high as of late (past few months at least) and I have been laying on the couch watching TV when I do most of it, often right before hitting the hay for the night. That's not good for anything but my girth expanding.

What this means is that I have gained weight and I need to diet and hit the gym. So far - a whole day - the diet has been somewhat successful. I have not eaten one bit of junk food loaded with sugary or other carbs. No cookies, pretzels, cakes, ice cream, cheesy crackers (Goldfish are a favorite), no peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches (although once I am off pure junk they will be okay once or twice per week), no potato or corn chips, no candy, no bread smeared with honey, and so on. Now mind you, I am not and will not be eating only celery and carrots. In fact, I kind of shy away from that stuff even when I diet. What I will be doing is a sort of modified Atkins' Diet of my own making. So, Ill be cutting out lots of carbs but nowhere near all of them although sugary ones will be just about completely out of the question for me.

In fact, you might think I would be overdoing it if you saw what I will be eating such as: pizza, bagels, toast with butter, baked potatoes with butter, buttered corn and so forth. I'll also be eating a lot of salad and meat and probably a bit more of other vegetables and fruit too. For snacks, I'll be eating things like: peanuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, bacon, salami, fruit (limited mostly to bananas, pineapple, apples and berries, citrus fruit - all just out of preference), bacon, chicken wings, bacon, OJ and whatever else that strikes my fancy that is pretty low carb. I'll eat just about anything for my regular meals eating either 3 or 4 a day but making sure to limit carb intake with meals to maybe one slice of bread per meal (maybe one per day for the first few weeks). On the sad side, I will be cutting out beer. Now, that does not mean I will cut out alcohol. I'll be able to drink wine and booze when I want - maybe twice or three times per week - just no beer - at least not for a couple to few weeks. I will miss my beers and ales - that is for sure.

I can eat almost any crappy food out there, short of sweets and super-heavy carb junk foods, and lose weight. I have proven that in the past. Working out is going to help with that - but all I am planning is walking on the treadmill at a decent incline. I have done it before and I can do it again. I have a bit of extra incentive to get this done besides getting down myself to a waistline where size 36 or maybe even a 34" pants from any maker readily fit me again. That added incentive is lowering my blood sugar which has been high seemingly for well over a few years now almost any time it is tested. It's not high enough for me to be diabetic but is getting close. After what I have been through, with the cancer and other shit like Lyme disease, I imagine I don't need to help another illness debilitate me, especially in light of the fact that I got lots of life in me after kicking cancer's ass. Besides that, who needs a disease they brought onto themselves by their own lack of discipline. Time to grow up a bit in the eats department.

The only tough other thing about this, besides cutting out some loved food and my beers & ales, is that I have to curtail things I love to do - such as be lazy watching TV too much. That is tougher to get done when I am at home than when away from it for an extended time. For instance in 2009, when I was in AZ for 4 months for work, I lost about 30 pounds in less than two and a half months and kept it off for almost a year after I got home. Then some run of the mill home type shit came up and I started to eat too much crap again and gained most of the weight back but not all of it. After the battle with cancer, I had lost some again, but  think I recently gained almost all of that back by being in the doldrums at home.

Now, I am reticent to get on a scale. Numbers on scales don't matter much though, pants size does and with that goal and my blood sugar level in mind, I am hoping to reduce my stomach's tonnage of carbs and thus see the pounds fall away. If I were to do it by the numbers, I would be happy losing 25, very happy to shed 40 and ecstatic to lose 50 pounds. Time will tell. Sorry to bore you with it here but I am betting my blogging about it now and again may be of some help to me in my quest to find the missing thinner me of yesteryear.

I am off to the gym...

All the best,
Glenn B

Nice To Know They Are Still Looking...

...for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. I certainly had not seen anything about it in what seemed too long a time but apparently they had spent the last four months mapping the ocean floor in the search area before resuming the search. The search is on once again and will last at least a year or until they find it, whichever comes sooner. See more here:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/10/05/underwater-search-for-malaysia-airlines-flight-370-resumes/?intcmp=latestnews

It really is a relief that they have not forgotten all the poor souls who lost their lives on that flight and that authorities seem determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

All the best,
Glenn B

Maybe Someone Else Has Asked But...

...I have not heard or seen it in print as of yet. I have heard though that Thomas Duncan is in critical condition receiving critical care (source) because he has Ebola. So if no one else has yet asked, then let me be the first to ask: WHO IN HELL IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE THOMAS DUNCAN'S MEDICAL CARE RELATIVE TO TREATMENTS HE IS GETTING FOR HAVING EBOLA? I have not heard one peep out of anyone about it but I want to know:

Does he have health insurance?

Is he rich enough to pay if he does not have insurance?

Is the hospital and all the medical staff attending to him doing it all gratis?

Is it mandatory for him to enroll in a health insurance program under Obamacare?

Now, I am not saying not to treat him. I think it all well and fine that he is being treated, but I sure as hell want to know if I am going to have to foot the bill (I being in the collective as in I one of millions of U.S. Taxpayers). If we are expected to pay even one red cent toward his health care out of our tax dollars, then I believe our government should immediately begin a tort claim against the government of Liberia for letting this shitbag out of their country; then we can sue the airlines too. If anyone else gets it, especially anyone who could only have contracted it after his first visit to the ER, then we should also sue that hospital for any expense the taxpayer is expected to pay for any such additional patient(s). Remember the hospital released him an he had Ebola. Of course, the government should sue him too. He is allegedly the scumbag who lied on his travel document to be able to get out of Liberia after having close contact with another Ebola infected person.

People may think - oh how callous - it is not the time to think of money. The truth is that it is past the time to think of it. We give and give and give and give and if we give it to this guy for free, how many more will try to come here to get treatment for free. It is part of our history all this giving but it is good only up to the point that we are not stealing from Joe to pay Thomas (screw Peter & Paul, I am sick of them too). We have to start making people become responsible for themselves instead of continuing to be a welfare state otherwise our economy will suffer badly - just like it is doing already  but just a little bit worse with the addition of each new leech attached to the capillaries of the system and sucking it dry.

All the best,
Glenn B

Mama, Can I Have Some Too...

...seems to be the thought passing through at least Abby's mind as she sits on my wife's lap at our dinning room table right after we finished our roast chicken dinner. (Yes, all 7 dogs got some when they ate - our 5 and the 2 visitors.) She is staring right at what is left on the platter. Note her good manners though, no elbows on the table. The other one on Linda's lap is Chloe, one of our daughter and son-in-law's visiting Chihuahuas and the third one sticking his head out from under the table is our Pepe.

All the best,
Glenn B

Just A Seasonal Reminder For The Man Of The House...

...it's time to check your heating system to make sure everything is firing up nice and hot. It helps to have an assistant to let you gauge just how hot.

As you can see, the radiator in this photograph is probably blazing hot; after all, she had to open the blouse a bit and barely can keep her legs on the radiator cover.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Day Dreamed of You

A hat tip to Lenny D for that one. That lifted me out of the dumps.

All the best,
Glenn B

Have A Good Yom Kipur My Jewish Friends & Readers

G'mar Chatimah Tovah

Have a thought provoking, meaningful, repentant, forgiving and peaceful Yom Kipur.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Job Market Can Be Tough...

...especially when your education and skillset were limited to a very specific kind of work and that is one which does not fit into almost anything but government service. Thus the results you may get, when doing an online search, might match the one I just received:

Sorry, no "loser" jobs were found that match your criteria

Ouch! Oh well, just have to keep looking but I must admit it gets depressing when I cannot even find a security guard job at a department store because they tell me I am not qualified even after 32 years in law enforcement.

 

The serach continues.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

TEOTWAWKI Was It Foretold By 12 Monkeys?

I am hoping and very much so that the movie 12 Monkeys was not prophetic in any way shape or form. In it, one man spreads a deadly disease that decimates the world's human population. Oh the irony that Ebola may have come from monkeys.

As for one man spreading a virus that kills off most of mankind, let's hope that man is not Thomas E. Duncan. Let's also hope there are not any more mindless twits who have it and plan to travel and then allegedly lie on their travel documents about whether or not they had contact with Ebola victims. The Liberian president plans to prosecute him, I imagine that means if he survives the Ebola, for having falsified a questionnaire asking if he had had any contact with Ebola victims. He reportedly checked off "no" despite the fact he has been reported to have had close bodily contact with an Ebola victim, whom he was assisting, on September 15th. See:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/02/health/ebola-us/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Maybe it's all a case of not wanting to admit to himself that he could have gotten infected, maybe it was a mistake he made on the form he filled out, maybe it was him not giving a shit, maybe it was him fearing they would keep him off of his flight out of Liberia if he checked yes (which is what I would bet on) or whatever but this is not the time for any of that. Now is the time for complete truthfulness and openness about whether or not you may have come in contact with this dreaded disease and lying to be able to travel, if that is what he did, is unforgivable if even only one other person is infected because of him.

All the best,
Glenn B

Hey Doc Pavia - They Didn't Think It Was Ebola In Dallas Either...

...and they did not take the precautions they would have had they suspected Ebola. Now you too are trying to tell us that a patient in your hospital in Utah is unlikely to have Ebola but you have him (or her) in isolation there even though it is extremely unlikely. Is that prudent caution, panic or just you not admitting you think there is a decent chance it is Ebola?

Did not your patient tell you that he or she had recently been in a country in West Africa? Granted, you say it was not one of the countries involved in the epidemic but it is mighty close, so how is it you have all but ruled out Ebola without having the test results come back yet? Why not just say you are being cautious and you don't know if it is Ebola or not but given the circumstances are taking a good deal of cautionary steps. Mouthing off and giving odds one way or the other has not proven very good technique lately by U.S. medical personnel, in fact it probably led to the release of the other patient when he was first symptomatic.

I give it to you though that you have taken some decent precautions. Good for you guys for isolating the patient, good for taking blood samples and sending them to the CDC but let's just hope that your lack of contact tracking will not prove a mistake in the event your patient is positive for Ebola. Good luck with that, not only to you but to the patient more than anyone.

See:

http://fox13now.com/2014/10/02/health-officials-investigating-possible-case-of-ebola-at-utah-hospital/

Just one other thing Doc Pavia, I don't for a minute believe this apparent bullshit that has been attributed to you:

“All of those things are things that in a U.S. hospital, we can completely control,” (source)

That's being more than merely a bit arrogant and more than a bit foolish at the same time. You may think you and your hospital and American health care in general are the end all be all, and even I think you guys do pretty good, but to think you know how to completely control Ebola and all it's issues - come one now! If the health care system and its personnel were so great - how did this guy go to an ER and get released when he was showing his initial Ebola symptoms? Try to be realistic, we will all be the better for it.

Hat tip to Wirectter at http://knuckledraggin.com/ for the link to that article.

All the best,
GB

They Are Not Worried About The U.S. Ebola Patient's Privacy Anymore...

...and have released his name and possibly other personal information. I am happy they did so. Anyone who may have been in contact with him should be happy about that too as the authorities finally seem to be grasping the absolute potential for an unprecedented disaster with this situation.

At first about 12-18 people were identified as having been in contact with him since they estimate he was symptomatic and contagious. Now that number has been expanded to 100 people, some of whom have been ordered to remain quarantined in their homes. Among the quarantined, it is reported, are the family members of the patient. Duncan's family allegedly disregarded quarantine recommendations and then were legally ordered by a court to remain in quarantine (source). Should even just one or two of them have been contagious, we are potentially in for one hell of an epidemic cluster fuck because who knows how many other people they came in contact with and so on and on and on....

As for it becoming an epidemic cluster fuck, I say that because it is painfully obvious that the medical community is not knowledgeable of how to control or contain an outbreak and may have even been negligent in this particular case. Take for instance the hospital where he first sought treatment for fever and abdominal pain. A nurse asked him if he had been in Africa and he replied that he had been in Liberia - one of the hardest hit countries by the Ebola epidemic. So what happened, the hospital checked him out, thought he had a low level infection, gave him some antibiotics and let him depart. Reportedly, the information he shared with the hospital was not disseminated properly among hospital staff.  (source). .To me, it sounds like the same lame 'I knew nothing about it' excuse used all too often by Obama. Hospital administrators at the hospital have said that had the information been properly passed onto medical personnel, they would have acted differently in his case. Well tell me folks - who did not pass it on properly? They already admitted he told a nurse he had been in Africa - did the info stop right there! 

The patient, identified as Thomas Eric Duncan also reported to authorities that he had come in direct contact with a badly ill Ebola patient while in Africa on September 15th (source). One has to wonder, did he not give them that information in the hospital when he first sought treatment for his illness??? I would bet he did tell them but that is a guess on my part.

In addition to Duncan, there was also a person in a health facility in Hawaii who was being held in isolation because it was feared that person also had Ebola. Luckily that person is no longer suspected of having Ebola.

In other Ebola news, it is now feared, by health officials, that Ebola may become an airborne pathogen. That would not be good. Right now, contact with a persons bodily fluids is required to pass on the virus. If it becomes able to infect us just through the air - we are in going to be in dire straits. You can read a lot more about all the doom and gloom that potentially is upon us at the article at this link:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2778022/UN-Ebola-chief-raises-nightmare-prospect-virus-mutate-airborne.html

I don't know about you but  went out and got myself a few bottle of alcohol and a few bottles of alcohol gel. I intend to use I frequently as a disinfectant especially at work or while out shopping and the like.

All the best,
Glenn B



 

Early Ballseye - My First Rifle And It Really Fired

My brother Raymond, my Aunt Mary, my mom and me
and my rifle. Happiness was a cork-ball firing cap gun.

I am guessing that was my first rifle, the one I got at Freedomland USA, it fits right into the proper timeline since Freedomland opened in 1960 and as you can see this photo was printed in May 1961. As I recall, I begged for that gun until I got it because my mom thought it was dangerous and that begging took some effort on my part. You can see though, it put a smile on my face and I loved it dearly, I guess most of all because (if it is the one of which I am thinking and it may or may not be that particular one) it really fired a bullet even if only a cork ball. Sure looks reminiscent of that one but if it is then it is missing the ramrod (which would be par for the course with other similar guns I have owned, heck I own at least one or two now missing the integral cleaning rod for it).

I may have had other guns sooner as I am pretty sure I had a set of six guns before this but until I uncover further evidence though, this will have to do as an image of my very first rifle. As I said, this was one was able to shoot cork balls, that is if a cap was placed on the priming pan and the hammer snapped down on it. You will note, I had my finger on the trigger because even back then, I had an itchy trigger finger. Maybe if I had not gotten it, I would never have developed the respect and love I have for firearms and shooting today - who knows. Whatever - I was not getting a Red Ryder BB gun like my brother had so I had to settle for it and was happy about it at that.

The other, unarmed folks in that shot are from your left to right: my brother Raymond, my Aunt Mary ad my mom. That was back right around when I turned 5 1/2. Life was good as long as I was ready for the monsters in it; and in that photo I was ready for them and happy about it. Never realized back then that one of the worst of them would turn out to be my own father - or maybe I did - although by then I am sure my mom knew it. Maybe that is why she relented and allowed me to have it and bought it for me. She wanted me to be able to grow up able to fight off the monsters like him. Oh well, I didn't need to shoot the bastard even if he deserved it but I am pretty sure that is why I wound up liking armed heroes so much - like Sinbad, the Lone Ranger, Commando Cody and later on Secret Agent Man. The Lone Ranger, him and Tonto were probably my favorite heroes, at that time anyhow.

Hi-Yo Silver - Away...and without further ado, I present an episode, The Legion of Old Timers (debuted October 6, 1949 - well before my time but almost on my birthday), because besides me being an old timer now, the episode has the complete introductory theme song that I loved so well.



All the best,
Glenn B

She Wasn't Black Like Holder...

...nor was she a known white feminist and radical whacko like Clinton, so I am guessing Obama just told her to get the fuck out without a moment's delay. Oh yeah, then again she had something to do with making sure Obama and his family were safe and secure and that could be another reason she is out. I figure she did not just up and resign on her own but if she did - man oh man do I admire her for it - as in she took responsibility - a concept that seems is all too distant to our president. Why would it impress me if she resigned out of a feeling of taking responsibility for recent Secret Service mishaps? Certainly not because the SS was a failure under her but well, just look at the actions of the man who is responsible for the safety of our nation, our troops, our people and tell me - why has that dirtbag not yet resigned. If she did it on her own, that means she owned up to her agency's failures, Obama is still blaming Bush!

The person I am writing about is Secret Service Director Julia Pierson who resigned today (source) in the face of several blunders on the part of the Secret Service in protecting Obama. Funny that Holder took about 6 years to resign after several screw-ups worse than anything on the part of the Secret Service. In fact, he was in charge of Fast & Furious and a Border Patrol Agent died quite likely because of his blunders as far as I can tell. He was a radical, a black, an outspoken critic of US policy who wanted to change things. Hillary Clinton was likewise except she was a she and was white but certainly she is a radical, is outspoken against US policy and she fucked up royally on Benghazi (and other things) then seemingly lied to us about it and she also fundamentally wants to change America. Obama's cabinet and the rest of his administration is and remains full of appointees like that.

Suddenly though this one appointee is out. So either she had integrity and resigned on her own or Obummer forced her out behind the scenes. Either way, he is allowing her to go without a fuss - without delay - in fact - post haste. Funny isn't it, that when it concerns his personal welfare it is okay to get rid of someone as quickly as possible but when it concerned the welfare of the nation, it seemed in essence to be fuck America, it was, I want it the Obama way as far as the president was concerned and that included holding onto scum like Holder and Clinton for as long as possible.

The true irony is that while Obama claims he wants change for the nation, he apparently wants the status quo for himself as far as Secret Service protection of his lame ass goes; that even though, in my opinion, he has never shown this country even one tenth of the respect that other presidents have shown it. So change for the rest of us is okay, but no change for him, at least as far as Secret Service protection goes regardless of his apparent lack of respect for American values. Remember that when you vote.

All the best,
Glenn B

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Kilted To Kick Cancer - Next Year, I'm In It...

...the it being a kilt each and every day for the month of September. That is, at least if I remember to get myself a kilt or three and all the accessories by August 2015 and then sign up before September. I had wanted to do it this year but did not post a reminder for myself and it slipped my mind until too late. To that end for next year, I just placed an entry on my MSN Outlook calendar, for August 1st, as a reminder to buy or otherwise acquire some kilts and the gear I'll need to kilt up for next year's Prostate Awareness Month and the Kilted To Kick Cancer fundraiser. I am going to bet that even on my first try, I will come in as one of the top three fundraisers because I know that my family, friends, and readers (yes that means you and you and you and you...) will help me there just as you all helped spiritually when I had cancer and heaven knows I kicked its arse. No, mine was not prostate cancer but KTKC an excellent cause nonetheless. Prostate cancer is the number 2 cancer killer among men behind only lung cancer. If we men live long enough they say we will all get it sooner or later. My father died from it and I for one do not want to go the way he did, it was pretty terrible from the what I saw of him suffering with it.

Anyway, you who know me can expect me to hit you up and hit you hard, next year, for the KTKC fundraiser during the month of September (again, if I my little gray cells and my calendar remind me). As do others who are trying to raise funds, I plan to wear a kilt each and every day of September 2015 and to post pictures of me doing so here on my blog an on Facebook. Of course, the way things are going now, that is if Ebola does not get me first.

Seriously though folks, I hope you will start to scrimp and save now. I have restarted saving in my change/dollar bill jar toward my donation for next year. I suggest you do something similar if you plan on donating. Think about that realistically; you can take a quart sized jar (or better yet a gallon sized one) and start putting your loose change and maybe a loose dollar bill or three into the jar on a daily basis - all with the intent of using however much you save in it toward a donation for Kilted To Kick Cancer for next September's fundraiser. It's all to fight prostate cancer (and to see me and my milky white legs in a kilt all month long).

In addition, I throw down the gauntlet and I am making an additional promise above and beyond that of me wearing a kilt, and I think far beyond what any other KTKC participant fund raiser has ever done yet, and that is: On each day that I bring it at least $150 for the day in donations for the KTKC during the month of September 2015 - I will make a video and post it online of me doing a Dunk Your Junk, albeit it a fast one as I am not staying in the bucket and drinking a beer (unless someone tries to do me one better). Yes that is akin to the ALS ice bucket challenge but this will involve: me wearing a kilt, what is under the kilt and a bucket of ice into which I will lower and dunk what is under the kilt. That means that if on day one, I bring in $150 in donations - I will dunk my junk that day and post a video of it (safe for home or work viewing promised). Then on day two, excluding the money brought in prior to that day - if I bring in an additional $150 on that day, I will again dunk my junk, video myself doing so and post it. However if, on day three (for example), I only bring in an additional $99, I will get a break from what I suspect will be my icy cold fate for next September. for that day. I just hope they have not turned blue and fallen off by October.  

Team Jay G was this and last years' winner of the KTKC fundraising competition - more here on this year's fund-drive. I used to donate through Jay's team but alas, and sadly for them, they are about to lose my input. After all, through whom better is there for me to donate than my own team! So I hope to establish and set up Team Glenn B (aka: Team Ballseye) and to make all of my own donations though my own team. I also am hoping that many of you will do likewise and be generous in your donations through my team - but not until September 1, 2015 when I promise to tart hitting you up for donations. That alone should help give me a fair start to at least one of the stop three slots in the competition.

As for the competition, here it is in a nutshell: Numerous participants will sign up, via KTKC, as fundraisers with the goal of raising for funds during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September 2015. Many, if not al, will wear kilts during September. As an incentive to get them to raise funds and to wear kilts while doing so - prizes will be awarded to the top three fundraisers. Now mind you - the prizes are not - I repeat ARE NOT - paid for by any money from the donations that you give. The prizes are donated to the cause by firearms related businesses since the participants have traditionally been firearms friendly bloggers. Info about this years KTKC fundraiser and the completion can be seen here:

http://www.ambulancedriverfiles.com/kiltedtokickcancer/

Now there is also a twist to that. Not only are prizes going to be awarded to the top three fund raisers, but some of the fund raisers also award prizes to some of the folks who donate through their team. For example, Team Jay G, to whom I made my previous donations, will be holding a drawing for some nice prizes in this years drive. Tose prizes will be awarded, I think, to a single winner (last year he had multiple winners). What he does is to credit each $5 that someone donates toward a chance in a random drawing. Then from among all those who donated at least $5 through his team he draws a winner or winners. So if you donated $5 you get one chance but if you donated $100 you get 20 chances at winning the prizes. Rest assured, I will do likewise for those of you who donate through team Glenn B (aka: Team Ballseye) next year in September 2015. Mind you, I can accept donations though my team at any time, once I register it; however, donations for the KTKC competition in September 2015 can only be accepted from 00:01 CST on September 1 through 23:59 CST on September 30, 2015. I have no cue what prizes I will offer but some of them (probably not all) will be firearms related  - hopefully someone out there will donate something neat to be included as prizes to those who donate through me and prizes will be awarded by random drawing as mentioned above from those who have donated at least $5 through my team during the time frame from 00:01 CST on September 1 through 23:59 CST on September 30, 2015. (My prize give away will be limited to participation by those 18 years old or older and to those legally residing within the lower 48 states of the USA and to those who can legally receive and possess the prizes.)

Wish me luck and if you think of it next August - give me a poke to remind me to get ready for the 2015 Kilted to Kick Cancer fundraiser. The only other thing I have to say is: Watch out Team Jay G, the competition is about to get serious. I literally have kicked cancer's arse once and mean to kick it again, in another manner of speaking, this time around. Want an idea of how serious am I - turn your speakers up for this:



Now just so you know, there is no disrespect meant to the other kilt wearing fund raisers by me using that version showing Johnny Cash flipping the bird.  That finger was not meant for any of them but is meant for the cancers whose arses we are kicking. Now where in Hades can I start buying kilts?

All the best,
Glenn B

Will Privacy Laws Help The Spread Of Ebola In The USA

Shakespeare was definitely right when he wrote something to the effect that the fist thing o do would be to kill all the lawyers. I say that because if the Ebola virus spreads in the USA, now that an unidentified patient has been confirmed at the first case within our borders, you can bet that medical privacy laws (drafted by lawyers)will have had something to do with its spreading. You may ask, 'how can that be'. Let me quote something I just read in a news article about the man who is the first diagnosed Ebola case in the USA:

"The person left Liberia on September 19 and arrived in the United States on September 20 with no virus symptoms. Frieden said that it was four or five days later that the patient, who is believed to be male, began developing symptoms and was ultimately admitted to Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Sunday, September 28." (source)

So, he was inside of the United States since September 20 and probably on an aircraft with los of other people while enroute to our country. He could have infected lots of them and yes, I know, authorities can track down anyone with whom he flew and maybe almost everyone whom he came in contact with at the airport without getting into privacy issues. But you see there is more in which privacy laws will play a major part. He was here since September 20th right. He was not admitted to the hospital and put into isolation until at least September 28th. That is eight days as in 8 days or 192 hours or 11,520 minutes or 691,200 seconds. How long does a sneeze on someone or a sweaty handshake take. Even if he was only contagious after he started to develop symptoms, supposedly four or five days after the 20th, that leaves at least three days for him to have infected people. Think about just how many people you can come in contact with over the course of a normal 3 day period. it's a lot.

The truth is, the patient did in fact come into contact with at least several people who then almost certainly had fairly intimate contact with others. How do I know this, because it is reported he went to an emergency room for treatment of flu like symptoms (classic Ebola symptoms) on (now get this because it is a quote):

"...late Thursday or early Friday..." (source)

They cannot even tell for sure when he got there - not that an hour or two between say 11PM and 1Am might matter in most cases but this fucker has Ebola. Also note that he was treated and released on that visit!!! They had best find out exactly when he got there and who else was there. But yes, they can do that without privacy laws interfering too. So what the heck am I talking about privacy issues for in this post! Well the had best find out everyone else with whom he was in contact just before and after that point but they are right now, making that extremely difficult or even impossible.

You see, they are refusing to release his personal identifying information to the public because of medical privacy laws. While the authorities can maybe track almost everyone who came in contact with this guy on his flight, or in Immigration, Customs, and a hospital ER - what about anyone with whom he came in contact elsewhere. If authorities release his name, and it is printed in the media and blabbed on TV, then at least those who know him personally by name may stand a chance of at least catching it early if they have been infected by him.

Say for instance I know Joe Blow (aka: the patient), I have known him for years because I sell him his newspaper. I have gotten to know him well enough to know his name. But I have no clue he has Ebola; yet, he just shook my hand with his somewhat slightly sweaty hand say on September 27th when he saw me at my news stand. Do you really think that, if I caught it from him, the authorities are going to track me down before I become symptomatic? Fuck no they are not. In fact, every moment they wait to make this guy's name public, the more people I am coming in contact with to spread the infection he passed onto me. If I have it and start to spread it, the more people will keep on getting it and spreading it. Then what - they hospitalize me and put me in isolation and refuse to give out my identity too. At least if I knew it was him, I could get myself to a doctor or hospital for testing and maybe help prevent the spread and stand a chance at early treatment that might save me because early treatment often seems to be the key to surviving Ebola.

This is not the common cold, this is not mono, this is EBOLA - a disease that has been fatal in from 50 to 90% of the known cases of it. It does not necessarily spread like wildfire but it sure spreads steadily and with increasing magnitude. One person gets, it, he or she gives it to another or possibly another few, they in turn pass it on to multiples of others and it becomes epidemic. Authorities here want you to believe it is under control but in Africa, as the Centers For Disease Control just told us, they expect there to be about a half million to 1.5 millions cases of it by January. So what would make us hink they are going to maically control it completely here. I sure hope they do, I hope they are right, I hope they have the know how and medical facilities enough to do so - but let's face it folks - they cannot even produce enough flu vaccine in any given year that the flu is a bit different than they expected so how are they going to control an exotic pathogen like Ebola! Sure they have got this guy in isolation but remember they do not have anyone with whom he came in contact in isolation, maybe not even under observation yet. Making things worse is that people who came in contact with him may not eve know they are at risk - and why is that - all because of privacy laws.

Talk will talk about ethics and laws and lawsuits and how important is his privacy but think about it, which is more important - stopping an epidemic before it can start - or protecting his privacy? Sometimes there need be exceptions to laws. This is probably one of them and there is no time to waste in making that exception and making his identity known publically.

All the best,
Glenn B


 

Secret Service Security Lapses For Obama - Do Ya Thinks It's All GWB's Fault

Obama has blamed George W. Bush for so many faults of the Obama Administration then why not also for the latest reported lapse of his own presidential security details when an armed convicted felon rode in the same elevator with him recently at the CDC.

Yep, let's blame Bush. I mean why not look at it this way: George W. Bush and his wife Laura were usually, if not always, very nice and respectful toward Secret Service Agents (just as they were to other government employees and maybe a bit more to Secret Service personnel because they realized they owed their safety to them). The Secret Service Agents got used to that respectful and courteous treatment they received during the 8 years course of GWB's presidential term. Then Obama came into office and I am thinking maybe he and his wife were, quite frankly, the typical less than respectful leftist-libturd -president-wife team.

Due to his upbringing, apparent totally spoiled and seemingly disrespectful un-American personality, is he totally incapable of showing anything near the level of respect and common courtesy to the Secret Service Agents that the Bush's had shown them. (I would guess he has showed them no such respect.) In addition as it turns out, Obama seemingly and continually has proven himself as having less than the usual amount of patriotic fervor of past presidents, and to me it seems maybe even less than some traitors, and evidently much less than the same feeling of owing anything to federal agents. In other words, he possibly is simply incapable of stirring any sense of duty or loyalty within the hearts of the men and women who are charged to protect him as our president. Chances are that he in fact does just the exact opposite and foments an atmosphere of indifference or possibly one of even outright disrespect and resentment that leads to, shall I say, inattentiveness to duty on their part where his safety is concerned. I do not advocate it, but I think it may well be what is happening.

Yes, that must all be George W. Bush's fault for treating those Secret Service Agents so well in the first place and showing them respect and common courtesy thus making it tough for Obama because he seems absolutely inept in that same department. Instead, is it possible that Obama shows sheer and utter disrespect for his office, our country, its military, its agents and most of its laws. Examples abound, at least as I see it, for instance: failure to salute the flag during the national Anthem, Operation Fast & Furious, the IRS scandal, his apologies to the world for America doing the right thing, Benghazi and his failure to support U.S. personnel,
his coffee cup salutes to Marine guards, agents shot and killed by guns supplied by Obama's administration, his incessant claims he was unaware of what was going on, his golf outings at times of crisis, and the list goes on and on and on.  One would think all those things might be enough to make a Secret Service Agent (or any government agent or military personnel) almost hope that Obama wasn't his boss or that maybe he would resign and leave office early. Get the picture Mr. President - maybe they just don't give a shit about you because maybe they think you are the biggest piece of shit they have ever seen. Again, I am just pointing out a possibility - not advocating for it.

Anyway, why not just blame it all on George W. Bush for spoiling those agents by having had the good manners, common sense, patriotism, loyalty, integrity and whatever else it is you don't seem capable of having.

All the best,
Glenn B

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE ALERT - The N-Word In Charge Has Let Ebola In The Door

Yes folks, the Nincompoop-In-Charge has apparently done absolutely nothing to prevent Ebola infected persons from entering across our borders, and today, the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) confirms the first case of Ebola has been diagnosed on American soil. (source).

If what the CDC recently said about the spread of Ebola in Africa turns out to be true, there may be from 550,000,000 to 1.4 million (yes MILLION) cases of it there by this January. Well, now our nation too has joined the epidemic with our first case here (that barring health care workers who were intentionally brought here for treatment). Who knows how many others, who are infected with Ebola, have already landed on our shores and are human time-bombs just waiting to spread one of the most deadly viruses known to man. Sure, the politicians, medical types and the media are soon going to all be talking about this and you can rest assured they are going to tell you how it will remain contained within the USA and how we need not worry. The thing is, they do not have a clue ,that will be wishful thinking and nothing more. I seem to recall that just months ago, anyone who said they feared it would wind up spreading to the USA was looked at as some sort of a kook by those same politicians, medical personnel and the media. NOW HERE IT IS WITHIN OUR BORDERS. Not so kooky after all and bear in mind it all started with only one case in Africa too. Also remember, that for the person to be symptomatic means that he or she has had it for up to weeks already and during at least part of that time it was transmissible to others.

For now, the CDC, other health officials and the government are remaining pretty quiet on this. They are probably tripping over their own wagging tongues while blaming one another and trying to figure out a good sounding story to tell to us - the American people. The patient has been placed into strict isolation according to the article I linked to above and his "recent travel history" was mentioned.

Him having a recent travel history could lead back to the source but it can also guarantee that there are probably hundreds of other potential vectors for this disease whom he may have infected along the way and they most certainly must include other people here in the USA. Folks he encountered during his flight(s), or other mode(s) of travel, such as other passengers or crew,  folks he encountered in Immigration and Customs (or folks he encountered while being smuggled across our borders), folks he encountered once at his destination, folks he encountered in the medical facility where in sought and or was given treatment before he was isolated, folks in any place he stopped to piss, crap, eat, buy a newspaper, shake a hand, or whatever he did through which he could have spread his bodily fluids like perspiration (that is a known vector for Ebola).

If he infected two people, within weeks they too could each infect two and there it goes taking off like it did in Africa. The frigging zombie apocalypse is, in essence, upon us and bear in mind that just a few years back we could not even produce enough flu vaccine to sufficiently vaccinate Americans and this virus has no vaccination to fight it. More recently, think of Enterovirus D68, that is the virus that the government assured us was quite rare  but yet has had spread to children in 40 states to date and has infected hundreds of them with us unable to stop it. If Ebola spreads in a similar fashion and as quickly, we are fucked and very badly so at that.

I recommend buying all the alcohol gel you can find on the shelves and maybe several large bottles of vodka too. I will be wearing rubber gloves when and if I can called into work (I work with immigrants) and will be taking all reasonable precautions and maybe some that medical professionals think not so reasonable but that I deem necessary. Wearing a vapor mask comes to mind. Washing after any skin to skin contact or disinfecting with alcohol gel is another. Keeping on gloves at work is another. Drinking some booze after being coughed on while speaking to someone, or likewise, another. Sound silly or paranoid to you? I am willing to bet you that if the guy who has it now is located in a hospital in your neighborhood or neck of the woods you will not think so. If you are a thousand miles away from him you may laugh at my precautions, that is until maybe you hear about a dozen or more cases of it if it spreads. When one of them winds up being close to your home, you won't see what I am suggesting as silly any more. By the way, you can read up some on maybe how to prevent an Ebola infection in this linked article, it appears near the end of the piece.

This is one hell of a serious virus as can be seen not only by its spread in Africa but by the fact it has reached our shores, is fatal from about 50% up to 90% of he time and because there is no known vaccination or cure for it. If you don't want to take precautions - fine by me but I think I will start to take at least some, like frequent use of alcohol gel and frequent hand washings.

All the best,
Glenn B



 

Funeral Parlor Visits Suck...

...especially when for family, loved ones and friends. Then again, the people who come make all the difference and today, even though a sad event being it was my mom's wake, tuned out to be a joy of sorts. While not as many people showed up as I kind of, sort of, would have expected a few to several years ago. In fact not one person right around her age from her friends or relatives was there. Mom was born on Christmas day 1924 and that was almost 90 years, or a long time, ago. That made me realize, she had outlived everyone of her friends or relatives that were about her age; that takes some getting used to. So you may be wondering how come I thought it was ad but also a joy; that was because of who did come.

As for the visitors, one of my cousins, from my father's side, showed up and that was much appreciated. Our families were not very close but I hooked up with him again several years ago - it's a small world. I like to think we have a good relationship now. Also got some other visitors, folks I used to work with, and that was much appreciated - all good friends. There were also some good friends of mine from Glendale (the old neighborhood) who showed up and that was excellent. Also met some more or less distant relatives, for the first time, but who had known my mom. Was nice to meet them and nice of them to come. In addition, a friend of my wife from her job also came by and that too was much appreciated.

Of course, my sister and her son were there and her now ex-hubby also showed up (which was very nice). Then there was me and my immediate family, and my in-laws on the wife's side. My sister-in-law, who is brother's widow, was there. So too were her sister and brother-in-law (again very nice of them). All in all though, the place at times seemed kind of empty. I still could not really get over that none of my moms old time friends or relatives were there - not my godmother or godfather, not my stepfather, not my great grandparents, not my grandparents, not my brother even not that POS father of mine. It is still hard to accept she was the last of her group and that she even outlived my brother. Then again, even though it looked  bit empty, I think maybe at least some of the old timers were there in spirit. As my mom used to say, the older we get the more friends and loved ones we lose. She had no more friends to lose - I guess it was her time to go and meet them in another place.

Anyway, as for the folks who came, if there is a God I hope that he (or she) blesses them all. They are all good folks, those who showed up today either in body or in spirit. If there is not a God, then let me just say that they have blessed themselves by being good folk.

Now I have to hit the hay, the funeral is tomorrow. Goodnight all.

All the best,
Glenn B

Law Enforcement Officers Many Of Them Truly Are The Good Guys

There has been a lot on the TV news, in the papers and on the Internet lately about police using too much force or doing other bad, sometimes even criminal, things. I sometimes agree that too much force was used and I definitely agree that police and federal agencies should not be allowed to militarize themselves as they have been doing. What you do not often hear about, probably because it happens every day and numerous times every day, are law enforcement officers who do their jobs as they should and who use only use force when necessary and then who use only the amount of force needed to legally get the job done.

One such officer has made the news lately, if only because she is connected to the man who allegedly beheaded the woman in OK days ago. That officer is a member of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. She reportedly encountered Alton Alexander Nolen in 2012 when she attempted to arrest him. As she tried to handcuff him, he violently pulled away from her ripping a piece of the flesh away from one of her hands and breaking at least one of her fingers. He ran, she pursued (source). According to Trooper Betsy Randolph:

"He kept looking over his shoulder because he knew I wanted to shoot him, but obviously I couldn't shoot him in the back,". "If there had been any way to know the things he is alleged to have done a few days ago I would have killed him when I had a chance." (source)

Actually she could have shot him in the back; the thing is though that she did not. She followed procedure, she followed regulations, she followed the law and she followed her conscious. She did not use excessive or even questionable force, she was a good trooper. The result, in a long drawn out remotely connected way, was that a lady lost her life and another was severely injured at the hands of an Islamist (let's call him what he apparently was and is) who in my mind is also a terrorist. That is not Betsy Randolph's fault, not in any way shape or form. For her to have made that statement though has me believing that she feels at least partly responsible although I hope that I am mistaken. She should feel no remorse for having done her job the right way even if it resulted in that scumbag being able to take even just one more breath because how could she have known - there was no way to know.

I can understand her though, the whole idea of wishing she could have known what he would have become and done and thus saying she would have killed him had she known. Does that make her in anyway a bad cop or a bad person, that wish that she could have known and then killed him? No it does not if only because of the way she said it with the condition "If there had been any way to know...". Of course she realizes there was no way to have known and thus she never would have gunned him down illegally. She is compensating for her feelings of having been powerless to stop a man who would become a seeming raving Islamic madman and with that I can empathize.

I am willing to bet that throughout the remainder of her career, she never abuses her authority to shoot or otherwise harm anyone, that she will keep with her whatever it was that made her exercise restraint that day back in 2012 when she could easily have shot him, that she will be remain one of the unsung good guys. I tip my hat to her.

All the best,
Glenn B