7/21/2019

Thoughts On A Sunday

It was a three-fer weekend up here in central New Hampshire with dangerously hot temperatures, NASCAR weekend, and a Jason Aldean concert at out local venue. These three factors made traffic around here very heavy, between the folks seeking relief from the heat on and/or in the lakes around here and the NASCAR/Jason Aldean fans. It certainly made getting around far more difficult.

To add a bit of anxiety to the mix, we ‘misplaced’ one of the feline contingent here at The Gulch, with Pip disappearing and nowhere to be found. We thought that at one point that she had gotten out, something for which she was ill prepared as she has been an indoor cat since we took her and her brother Henry in as kittens. Fortunately she had merely found a new place to hang out and announced her ‘return’ some time after the cats’ regularly scheduled dinner time.

It’s amazing how they can work their way into your heart.

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It looks like an ancient mystery has finally been solved, that mystery being the components of Roman concrete which is better, stronger, and far more durable than modern day concrete.

Roman concrete, particularly that used in water, and more specifically seawater, is stronger than any concrete being used to day. It can last for centuries, with some examples of it dating back over 2000 years that show little or no deterioration. Modern concrete starts deteriorating from the moment it is exposed to the environment. (All you have to do is look at the concrete paving or steps leading up to the door of your house or business to see how quickly it starts spalling and crumbling away.)

Roman concrete may revolutionize construction, particularly along seacoasts.

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Now that Tom Steyer has entered the race for the Democrat nominee for president, I think we should remind him at every turn that the United States is not a democracy. He talks about wanting to preserve our democracy and to expand it.

But we aren’t a democracy. We are a republic. The last thing we want to be is a democracy because true democracies are dangerous and are more akin to mob rule. Mob rule is nothing we want or should desire as they tend to turn on the very people it is supposed to represent. One of the proofs of that is the aftermath of the French Revolution which replaced the monarchy with a true democracy and whose motto was “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” – Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. But the true democracy went too far, particularly under the influence of the Jacobins, and devolved into the Reign of Terror which killed thousands because the democratic mob demanded their deaths. One such death was that of one of Jacobin instigators - Maximillian Robespierre.

Mister Steyer had best learn the lesson of history lest he repeat it.

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How hot has it been up here in New England this weekend?>br>
This hot:

BRAINTREE (CBS) — The Braintree Police Department had some fun explaining to residents that they should “hold off” on any crimes they are planning this weekend.

In a Facebook post, they wrote, “Folks. Due to the extreme heat, we are asking anyone thinking of doing criminal activity to hold off until Monday.”

They said doing so would be dangerous because of the hot temperatures.

Instead, police provided alternatives: “Stay home, blast the AC, binge Stranger Things season 3, play with the face app, practice karate in your basement. We will all meet again on Monday when it’s cooler.”

The post was signed, “Sincerely, The PoPo. PS: please no spoiler alerts. We’re just finishing season 2.”

See, the police don’t want people, even criminals, to suffer from heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

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From the Just When I Thought They Couldn’t Get Any Stupider Department comes this gem:

18 Ridiculous Bias Complaints Filed On College Campuses

Some of these folks should seriously consider checking themselves into a mental hospital.

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Is Oberlin College going to be able to pony up the cash it owes to Gibson’s Bakery? Gibson’s is owed $32 million, between damages and attorney’s fees and they are concerned that Oberlin is maneuvering to delay payment for three years. Gibson’s attorneys are having none of that.

Reading the motions of both parties it is quite evident Oberlin is stalling, putting together an appeal that may take up to three years to make its way through the courts, and as such, they want to forego having to post a bond for the amount they owe. This is something required under Ohio law for those who have been found liable and ordered to pay plaintiffs damages and attorney fees. That they are asking for relief from posting a bond tells me Oberlin doesn’t have the cash to spare.

It doesn’t help that Oberlin “has experienced a ‘significant’ and ‘steady’ decline in enrollment” over the past 4 years. That doesn’t surprise me much seeing as how other ‘woke’ liberal arts colleges have been experiencing similar enrollment declines. They still haven’t learned the “Get Woke, Go Broke” reality and it seems they won’t before it’s too late.

It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of ‘woke’ administrators.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where people are using every trick in the book to stay cool, NASCAR is running the Cup race today, and where I am looking forward to going into work on Monday in order to get some rest.