Angry Beavers

Going way out on a tangent here!

When my daughters were little ones during the 90's and early 00's, I used to watch cartoons with them. Being an anime fan, I am not completely out of touch with cartoons.

There were a lot of them that we enjoyed. One that I recommend for any wee one is Doug, as it's warm and fuzzy, but not disgustingly so, and it has neat little story lines and lessons that don't come across as being so. Hey Arnold fits this too. Really cute, and with some humor.

Other shows we liked during various stages of my daughter's young lives were Rocco's Modern Life (gotta love a show with a B-52's theme song!), The Big Comfy Couch, Rug Rats, The Wild Thornberries (with Tim Curry doing a great voice), Fairly Odd Parents (probably the best of all for adults, as it has a LOT of jokes only an adult would catch, such as "OK, I will let you go back in time, but do NOT interfere with the election of George McGovern as president") Aah Real Monsters, and Cat Dog.

Of course, Spongebob Square Pants is suitable for all ages, especially when under the influence of any drug as the creator of this show must have been.

But just recently, I was reminded of The Angry Beavers, and I'm really missing it.

What  brought it to mind was a mention of old Hollywood Horror B movies, which are generally low budget horror movies from the 1950's.
The main protagonists in The Angry Beavers, Norbert and Dagget, like those movies. I also like those movies. It figures.

If you clicked on the previous link, you know basically what the show is about. But I can tell you that it too is one of those shows that has references to styles, events, people, and etc. that only an adult would catch.

The show often references the peace/love/drugs "movement" of the 60's and 70's. This is usually when Norbert's unobtainable love interest Tree Flower is in the episode. Other references are free toys inside boxes of cereal, cut out and save the coupons for neat toys on those cereal boxes, and some other historical bits.

Their favorite B movie actor, Oxnard Montalvo, is in episodes well worth a YouTube link, one of them here. Oxnard is the guy who is not the scientist:

Food of the Clods
 
 If you're not familiar with B movies, you'll miss a lot of references and jokes. But it's still good.

I can't find a link to a video, but one of my favorite episodes was where Norbert wanted to be a Lipizzaner Stallion. It was magnificently absurd!

TV.com link

Here's a link to a bunch of episodes on YouTube. If you find this show airing in your area, it's worth watching, even without your kids.

Full Episodes

Electric Cars

Believe it or not, I am a big fan of electric cars. That seems to go against my favorite subject, Global Warming Is Crap.
Though I am a climate skeptic, I still do believe we should cut down on fossil fuel consumption as much as is reasonably possible.
Ay there's the rub, "reasonably."
I've been here a bit before, but it's too cool to leave alone.

Electric cars are getting better all the time, and are fast becoming practical, especially with the rapid increase in charging stations.

Here are a few links to some electric car manufacturers, and some other links of interest.

DETROIT ELECTRIC
The name is from a company long gone, but this is a startup. Very spiffy. Lotus based.

Detroit Electric Home

TATA TECHNOLOGIES
This is not a production car, it's a design study. But it does appear tantalizingly close to realization. We may someday see these on American streets.

Tata Technologies eMO

TESLA
So far, this seems to be the greatest of all electrics. Performance, luxury, long range. Nothing to dislike.

Tesla Home

MITSUBISHI
At the other end of the spectrum from Tesla is the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. I know someone who drove one of these and he tells me it's basically an enclosed golf cart. Crazy overpriced, except for one dealer!

Mitsubishi i-MiEV home

But there is a dealer in Illinois who offers leases on these for $89/month, making it the most affordable electric car out there, as far as I know. It was $69/month back in January 2013. Just let the video play, it'll show you the lease option.

O'Brien Mitsubishi

FISKER
This one makes me sad. What a beautiful car. High performance too!

Why Fisker crashed and burned

Here's the company home page, for however long it stays around.

Fisker Home

MYERS
A few years ago, this was the Corbin Sparrow. Nice to see the quirky looking thing is still around.

Myers Home

TANGO
Very narrow, it looks very odd, like it had been squashed. But with a 0 to 60 time of 3.2 seconds, and a top speed of 150mph, this is one FUN electric. Crazy expensive too. But then, most fun things are.

Tango Commuter Car

CODA
Much more conventional in appearance and function. Still, a very interesting car.

Coda Home

NISSAN
Can't leave this one out! About the most affordable electric car around that isn't a tin can.

Nissan Leaf



END
Well, no, not the end of electric car lists. There are others, such as Chrysler's GEM. And there are several under development right now. Startups from all over the world. It's an exciting time in the world of electric cars.
Some will fail. Some have already, such as Phoenix and Ox. Many have taken millions of taxpayer dollars down with them unfortunately.
But those that survive will make the world a little better place I think.

Global Warming is Crap XX

One of the accusations the warmies like to hurl at skeptics is that we cherry pick our starting points.

For example, the temperatures haven't gone up for about 20 years, leading many to question global warming. I must agree that 20 years isn't enough to determine a trend. But neither is 50 or even 100 in my book.

Note however, that the warmies are finally admitting that global warming hasn't increased for about 20 years. They got very upset whenever the stall in climb was mentioned before, going so far as to eject those who brought it up at meetings.

Here is an article that reports several possible explanations for the warming trend's hiatus.

Twenty Year Hiatus

Here is a paragraph from the article:

International Panel on Climate Change chairman Rajendra Pachauri recently told The Weekend Australian the hiatus would have to last 30 to 40 years "at least" to break the long-term warming trend.

OK, so we skeptics are full of beans for finding a 20 year stretch significant (and again, I agree that it probably isn't). But note that they do seem to find 30 or 40 potentially important.
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So with 30 to 40 years in mind, on to a chart.

This is an example of one the warmies like to break out to put us skeptics in our place.

Global temp chart

Look at that huge climb from the late 70's right up to 2000. Ye Gods, we are gonna fry!
Well now look at the 0 point for temperature anomaly. Note that from about 1978 right back to 1850 the temperatures were abnormally low, except for a brief period around 1940. Looking at it that way, we still see a sharp rise. But it is only a high anomaly for about 20 years, after which point it will level off, though the graph ends at just past 2000 so doesn't show that.
So, a 20 year hiatus is not important, but the 20 years before that is. Let's go back further, as many warmies do. Let's start at 1950, and we see a much larger change. Heck we could bounce around and pick points to prove anything here. And we're looking at over 150 years. It would be best to start at 1850, and hand it to the warmies that, yeah global warming is real, and looks to be man made when you figure the start of the industrial revolution.

Right?

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Let's just cut the crap shall we?

65 million years

Is that long enough to determine a trend warmies? Hell we don't even need that long, how's about 5 million years? 10,000?

Here's a quote from the article:

Temperatures are only considered to be increasing if viewed for the last 150 years, from 1850 onward, which is roughly when thermometers began collecting global data, and is also the period of time the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has chosen for its review.

Oh well how very interesting. That chart in the previous link. That's the data the UN uses to prove global warming is real and is certainly man made.

So warmies claim us skeptics are bought by the oil companies, practice pseudo science, and lie about everything.

Yet they base it all on a measly 150 years.

Suck it warmies.

Harley Starter Problem

I'm pulling this from memory, so forgive my lack of detailed info.

I had a 1989 Harley-Davidson FXRT Sport Glide that I bought new that year. One of the improvements was a high output starter. I didn't find it to be a damn bit better than on my 1975 Super Glide, so I figured it was just marketing hype.

A few years later, the starter acted up. I'd hit the button and nothing would happen, a couple of more tries and it would work. I cleaned and tightened whatever wires I could, but no good. The button seemed to be working fine. Then it died completely, and I trailered it to the shop.

I brought it to Mancini's in Danbury CT on Kenosia Avenue. Sorry, Ray Mancini is no longer there and it's a shame because that guy was one of the best bike mechanics I've ever known, and certainly the most honest.
He checked it over, and determined the starter was shot. $300 later, I had a brand new genuine HD starter. It was no better performing than the original.

A few months later, that starter died abruptly, no warning as with the original. Back to Mancini's.
Ray took the starter apart, and found that one of the structural rods in it was also a current conductor. It was made of a very weak metal, much like potmetal, and it had simply melted!
Ray replaced it with a high strength steel unit he fabricated.

HOLY CRAP what a difference! The starter now was indeed a high output! One touch of the button, and that engine spun like mad! It was beutiful!

I don't remember what Ray charged me, I actually think it was nothing since the starter he installed hadn't lasted but a few months. Customer service to the max, as usual.

So, it's likely the original had that crap metal as a conductor too.

I sold the bike a couple years later, so I don't know what the long term result was. I am sure it is still working though.

So, this comes about 20 years too late, but if you have an 89 Harley big twin with a factory starter (I don't know how many years they used the same starter), and it dies or acts up, don't replace it, take it apart and look for crap metal rods and other parts. Replace them with good steel and prepare to be amazed.

Gobal Warming is Crap XIX

First up, Andy Cuomo must get starry eyed when he thinks of Mikey Bloomberg's ability to outlaw everything. So he of course just had to follow suit regarding guns.
And naturally, someone this in love with playing citizens like harps from hell can't possibly be expected to stay away from the Global Warming circus.

Cuomo's Climate Change History Revision

Stick to what you know best guv, regulating without care for constitution or efficacy. History is not your strong suit.

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Now I'm going to link to something that is pro warmie. I haven't yet looked for anything to refute it.
This may be an indication that, indeed, there is global warming. Now as much as I rail against it, I do admit that there may be some warming going on. But there's so much alarmist crap and data manipulation by the warmies that it's impossible to believe them. Still, I'll link to this one. But I'm skeptical still. We'll see.

Climate Contradiction

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Again, I'll link to another article that supports man made global warming theory. It claims that volcanic eruptions have decreased the severity of global warming by 25%.
Well, if true, it would explain why the temperature hasn't actually risen for the last 16 years. Geez, I wonder how all this relates to the previous snowy article?

Volcanic Activity

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Normally, I have little interest in linking to pages that support global warming, as that is the gospel preached across all major media. You have no doubt heard it over and over and are likely wondering why we are not all crispy fried already. But the other side is the one that is hidden and silenced, so that's what I link here. Nonetheless, I found the previous two articles interesting.

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I leave you with an article about the rapid return of Antarctic Ice. The title is tongue in cheek, actually a bit of a dig at the Goracle.

Antarctic Ice

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Winter is officially coming to a close, but it still isn't nearly warm enough for me!

Global Warming is Crap XVIII

First, something that proves nothing, but is just funny.

Green groups rally in the cold

Made all the more laughable by the next bit.

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This is from Newsmax, which you may not like. No matter, it references real people and articles.
I added links to other articles or info on the scientists mentioned.

Arctic Ice Hasn’t Disappeared as Predicted
A leading climate scientist predicted that the Arctic would be ice-free in five years — five years ago.
An article in The Guardian published in August 2008 reported the Professor Wieslaw Maslowski of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey Calif., and his team produced a forecast “which indicated that by 2013 there will be no ice in the Arctic, other than a few outcrops on islands near Greenland and Canada, between mid-July and mid-September.”
Maslowski said: “The crucial point is that ice is clearly not building up enough over winter to restore cover and that when you combine current estimates of ice thickness with the extent of the ice cap, you get a very clear indication that the Arctic is going to be ice-free in summer in five years.”
The article also quoted Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University in Britain: “Now the most detailed computer models suggest the Arctic’s summer ice is going to last for only a few more years.”
Arctic ice did not disappear last summer, however. And the National Snow and Ice Data Center has reported that the “average sea ice extent for January 2013 was 5.32 million square miles.”
President Obama showed that he has bought into the global warming hysteria when he declared in his State of the Union address on Tuesday: “For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change.”
Respected climate scientist Richard Lindzen, who is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in remarks quoted by the Climate Depot website: “Future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early 21st century developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally averaged temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and, on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to contemplate a roll-back of the industrial age.”

Calculations & predictions of doom a wee bit off there eh? 
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It never ends though. The warmies will not be happy until we all live in caves. And no fire! That pollutes you know.

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End

Global Warming is Crap XVII

I'm doing something I should have long ago, clearly separating sections that go with each link.

Right off, this is one of the most damning bits of evidence that the warmies have been lying and playing with numbers.

Global Warming Stopped 16 Years Ago

So it looks like the warmies may have been right back then. Maybe. But they never updated their info.

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This has been gone over before, but it bears repeating. Warmies like to say "follow the money." Well, yes, by all means, let's follow the money.

Al Gore Has Thrived

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Now, even though I don't think global warming (or climate change, if you're into repackaging) is caused primarily by man. I don't believe it is as bad or dangerous as made out to be.
Nonetheless, I do think we should make every reasonable effort to lower pollution. I do feel that it is better to strive for cleaner technologies. But that must be balanced with costs, and the UN has never been one to consider costs when trying to mandate.

UN Frustrated With US

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Note that this fellow claimed that "there has been no global warming for 16 years." That did not go over well. Of course, you have only to read the article in the first link of this post to see that he spoke truth.

Lord Monckton Evicted From UN Climate Summit

Warmies do not care about truth. They only want to hear the voices that agree with them.
Disagreement will not be tolerated.

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Until next time, stay warm!

Pellet Stove Revisited

Back in 08, I posted about how crappy our then new pellet stove was.

Pellet Stove Worth It?

I mentioned that I wanted to run another hose to pump outside air in, instead of recirculating. I read up on that a bit more, and found that the experts recommend against it. Apparently, the warm air in the house blowing out through cracks & crevices can cause mold and mildew. So I gave up on it.

One bit of fairly good news / bad news.

We had been using pellets from various suppliers. In addition to the store where the stove was purchased, we also bought them from Home Depot and a few other places. None were any better than those we bought from the stove store, and some much worse in terms of ash. Man do NOT buy cheap ass pellets, you will be cleaning the stove out every other day!

Then my dad heard that Agway had some good stuff. He bought a few bags of Hamer's Hot Ones and what a huge difference! These things are far superior to any other we've tried.
Now, the stove burns a little LESS than one bag a day at the lowest  setting. At two bags a day, the basement area it's in is noticeably warmer. The stove can run for about a week before needing cleaning, as opposed to every two to three days with any other pellet.
The drawback? Well it's more expensive. I need to double check, as my dad's been buying them, but they are about $7/bag as we cannot buy them by the ton anymore (the truck we had is gone). I think we can get them for a buck or two less per bag if we could buy by the ton.
I've recently read that Agway's brand is made by Hamer and is the same thing for less. We'll try it.

Even with the superior pellets, it is still costing more to heat half the basement than it would the whole house by oil. BUT, we have been experiencing a vicious cold couple of weeks here, single digits F at night, and this is where the pellet stove shines. The baseboard heat simply would not keep the chill out of the basement area. But that pellet stove on two bags of Hamer's a day does drive that chill out and make it very comfortable.

So I guess the lesson is that a pellet stove, in our experience, is worthless except as an augment in extremely cold weather. Overall, it was a waste of money and time. But we are stuck with it now, as we can't afford to replace it with anything yet.

I am thinking of a coal stove, one without fans. But I don't relish the thought of the damn coal dust all over everything. It requires much more investigating. And saving up.

Caffeine Allergy

I wish I had read something like this years ago. I could have saved a lot of time and money!

I have been highly allergic to trees for many years. Maples, Oaks, Poplars Ash... All the trees that are prevalent in the Northeast where I live.
I was constantly getting sick, ear & sinus infections, colds and such. I finally went to an ENT and found that I had polyps in my nasal passages that were blocking it, causing the infections.
I had an operation in which they removed the polyps and two of my turbinates. I also got diagnosed with the allergies and started getting regular shots.
When my insurance changed, and the new company did not cover the shots at all, I had to stop. I started taking natural remedies which helped a lot*
Throughout all this, I still got sniffles and coughs, but far less. I also seemed to be just as bad in the middle of winter as in spring or summer. It just seemed to be a constant, year long thing. This made no sense, but I figured it may be dust allergies, which were supposed to be very light for me.

A couple of weeks ago, I came down with a bad stomach bug. I could hardly eat for days. I could not drink coffee during this time either. Now, that was bad, as I had been a caffeine fiend for years. I could easily drink an entire pot of coffee in a day. I could drink a cup right before bed and not even notice. If I did not have a cup of coffee by eleven in the morning, I would start getting headaches.
Well, when I got over the stomach bug, I decided to try and quit coffee. Nothing serious, I would start right up again if it got inconvenient.

In a short while, I noticed that I could breath better. I was no longer sniffing and coughing. I stopped taking my allergy remedies and had no issues. I was completely confused. What could be happening?
One day, I bought a Godiva candy bar and munched it on the way home. Halfway through, my nose suddenly started running, and my head stuffed up. Just like my allergies would cause.

My wife and I decided it must be the caffeine, and checking the internet, I verified it.

Another thing that stopped when I quit the caffeine was night sweats. I would generally sweat at night very badly, soaking the sheets. My wife would sometimes sleep on the couch in disgust. As I mentioned, this has ended.

I could never eat much carbs, I had to stick mostly to protein. If I ate a bit too much carb I would become weak, lightheaded, and start shaking when I got hungry. Much like hypoglycemia, but I was never diagnosed with it. I never let it bother me (not bright I know), but just made it a point to try and stay on high protein.
I could never have a bowl of oatmeal or dry cereal for breakfast because I'd be in bad shape by 10 am if I did.
Now, since quitting caffeine, I can literally go an entire day and eat nothing but carbs. I tried it as an experiment. No immediate ill effects, nor none the next day. I can mix up my meals much more now, which I think will be healthier.

I have noticed no decrease in alertness, my ability to focus, energy levels, nothing.

I do drink an occasional tea, which has caffeine, but very few, and I stay mostly with green and white teas, which have much less caffeine. I do NOT want to drink decaffeinated tea as I suspect the procedure is likely unhealthy.
I can eat light chocolates, such as a cup of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, or just one or two bites of a chocolate protein bar or the like, but if I do too much, I can feel it.

Of course, coffee and cocoa come from trees. So do pecans and almonds, which I can't eat because I get the nose busting allergic reaction.

I'm going to try carob. It comes from an evergreen shrub, not a full fledged tree, so it's worth a shot.
I do have a problem with evergreen type trees in that if I touch them, I break out in a rash. But I have no problems with breathing around them, and the allergist tested me for those and it was negative.
I'm also going to try pine nuts, what the heck right?
I'll just make sure I have some Benadryl with me!

So, if you have night sweats, or allergy symptoms you just can't shake, or symptoms of hypoglycemia, try quitting caffeine and see what happens. You should probably go to a doctor anyway, but give it a try!

*Quercetin, Bromelain, Stinging Nettle Root, vitamin C, EPA (fish oil)