My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 11, 2021

The news media has been doing their part this week to remember the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and memorializing the 2977 people killed by 19 radical Islamist terrorists. Twenty years ago, four commercial airliners loaded with unsuspecting passengers were hijacked and the fuel-ladened planes were used as suicide weapons. To the world’s horror, they took down both World Trade Center buildings in NYC, slammed into the Pentagon in Washington DC and thankfully due to the heroics of passengers who charged the cockpit, crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was a day that in hindsight should have never happened … considering what we knew about previous terror attacks and radical groups like Al-Qaeda lead by Osama bin Laden.

America united after 9/11 and went to war with those who planned and assisted those who attacked us. The brazen attack against America pulled America and western allies together, but into a costly 20 year campaign to eliminate those who use terrorism in the Middle East and “the land of endless war,” Afghanistan. Some objectives were met such as capturing the principal architect in 2003, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and killing Osama bin Laden in 2011. Our military, homeland security teams and intelligence agencies also kept Americans safe from any major terrorist attack … but the winds have changed in recent years. America has grown tired of war in Afghanistan and our botched departure has given rapid rise to a Taliban controlled (and now US equipped) militant tribal dictatorship who’s leaders have been emboldened by their victory over the weak Afghan government and U.S. forces scrambling to leave the country. Once again, conditions are ripe for radical Islamists who will likely train and equip terror cells plotting to kill Americans and all who oppose their radical ideology.

Photo: Petr Kratochvil

Some politicians will try to manipulate this 20th anniversary of 9/11 and pat themselves on the back for ending America’s war in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, it is hard to reflect on the 9//11 attack in the way the “greatest generation” did on Pearl Harbor and our victory over Japan in World War 2 … those rose-colored glasses don’t exist. Would it have been so inappropriate to have a presence (Bagram) to squelch build-ups, training camps or refuges for terrorists set on attacking us again? We left bases in Germany, Japan, South Korea, etc? 

Perhaps today we are more alert and better equipped to defend our homeland, but who can be sure while watching streams of people (and drugs) flood across our southern border, seeing the infighting between citizens and politicians concerned more concerned about renaming schools, teaching CRT, using gender correct pronouns or who is or isn’t wearing a face mask. For me, it is hard to really feel secure or optimistic that we’ll be able to defend against the next sophisticated or creative terror attack … or to believe we are safer at home after leaving Afghanistan the way we did?

Category: History, Idioms, Millitary, News, Politics | No Comments »
Tags: 9/11, afghanistan, anniversary, idioms, opinion, Politics, reflection, safety, terror, terrorism, war

Posted By RichC on September 10, 2021

In the never ending battle to thwart spam and fill WordPress and server vulnerabilities, a few new tools were added this week to MyDesultoryBlog.com.

This security and maintenance release features 60 bug fixes in addition to 3 security fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. All versions since WordPress 5.4 have also been updated.

WordPress 5.8.1 is a short-cycle security and maintenance release. The next major release will be version 5.9.

First the newest 5.8.1 update from WordPress.org was installed and then a big change to what is viewable by the public/casual viewer and what is available to “subscribed” readers who don’t mind personal archived items (most often friends and family).

The change (content restriction) will come slowly and will hopefully encourage regular readers to make the effort to register and sign-in (there isn’t a nefarious ulterior motive besides reducing bots, spam and protecting content).

Category: Blogs, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: content, login, maintenance, mydesultoryblog, restriction, security, sign-in, spam, subscribe, tech friday, techfriday, update, wordpress

Posted By RichC on September 9, 2021

Last month when we were together with the kids, they were talking about enjoying trips to Michigan for long weekends during the summer (Drew’s parents have a house on Lake Michigan). It brought back memories for us and I mentioned that once-upon-a-time we thought about buying cabin property in the Upper Peninsula on Lake Huron in Michigan. We made a offer to purchase two lots at the time, but the offer was not accepted and our interest faded .. thank goodness because it was a ridiculously long way to drive. 

I couldn’t find photos at the time, so as a a personal Throwback Thursday post this week, I found the very short section of home video from our Corbett Chronicles and was shocked that it was 32 years ago! Wow! Since the “property segment” was super short, I’m including a cute segment of Katelyn (3-years old) doing summersaults while Taylor (3-months) watches intently a little later in September 1989.

Category: Archive, Memories, Personal, Travel | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, cedarville, Corbett Chronicles, family, home video, katelyn, michigan, mp4, richc, taylor, TBT, throwback, thursday

Posted By RichC on September 8, 2021

Since I have a couple items to pack up to take to a recycling and solid waste facility and was searching for options in our area (replaced an old AC compressor with refrigerant), it occurred to me that one way to reduce the items we generate is to not buy environmentally hazardous products in the first place (as someone who was once focused on biodiesel and spent a lifetime in the printing business, this “should be” second nature – it is not. I should do better).

Here’s a short list of items that we can try when trying to replace store purchased pollutants – we’ve used vinegar as a substitute for quite a few cleaning products in the past but could make it a better habit.

While looking for the vinegar tips, stumble on the Dawn Dishwashing Liquid post and this salt-based Roundup solution post … hand cleaning too!

Probably the biggest change for most of us who can clearly remember life without portable gadgets like cellphones are lithium-ion batteries in everything. The are clearly a problem since SO MANY items have them in them. We regularly get  a reminder form our waste collection company about NOT disposing them in our regular trash (see video). Not a bad reminder.

Placing batteries—specifically lithium-ion batteries—in your recycling and trash containers may cause a dangerous situation. When batteries break, they spark fires, putting people, employees, and the motoring public unnecessarily at risk.

These days, lithium-ion batteries can be found in a variety of everyday items, such as cell phones, laptops, tablets, lawn equipment, car batteries, and power tools. Smaller lithium-ion batteries are also used to power cameras, remotes, toys, and a variety of electronics. Lithium-ion batteries are perfectly safe when intact; however, cracked they are a ticking time bomb. It does not take much for a cracked battery to spark up and start a fire. Please don’t place batteries in your trash or recycling. We want to keep our employees, landfills, recycling plants, and your neighborhood safe.

How do you get rid of unwanted batteries?

You can get rid of unwanted batteries or electronics by contacting your local solid waste district. Solid waste districts are county-based government agencies. If you’re not sure what solid waste district you belong to, search your county name followed by solid waste district. This will lead you to proper disposal options for batteries as well as other household hazardous items. Many solid waste districts offer community cleanup events, recycling drop boxes, and other services. We appreciate your support in keeping our employees and neighborhoods safe.

Thank you,
Rumpke Waste & Recycling

Category: Advice, Cellphone, Environment, Gadget, How-To | No Comments »
Tags: batteries, dawn, disposing, epa, epsom, hazardous, HVAC, lithium-ion, recycle, recycling, rumpke, salt, trash, vinegar, waste, youtube

Posted By RichC on September 7, 2021

It was a home maintenance project that has been done before, but I’m still not fond of wire-brushing and repainting railings, our iron fence or rear gate … but since there was time at home this past Labor Day weekend, the project was started and finally finished.

Besides digging out the rock at the base and cleaning as much mud and rust from from the iron, I was able to dab black Rustoleum paint “under” at least the top two crossbars this time. The labor intensive project has me re-thinking the rust appearing on our front or back porch railing; perhaps I can just remove them and go without? 

Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos, To-Do | No Comments »
Tags: fence, home, iron gate, labor day, maintenance, paint, painting, project, rustoleum

Posted By RichC on September 6, 2021

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Category: Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: anticipation, carly simon, good old days, heinz, ketchup, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, redux, siriusxm, the bridge

Posted By RichC on September 5, 2021

Last week I downloaded a new library app called Libby that is an Overdrive component for audiobooks for borrowing digitally from the library. I put it to use immediately after checking out the Bill O’Reilly book “Killing the SS.”

So far it is very interesting considering I’m only in chapter 2, but love the storytelling style and audio read by Bill O’Reilly (miss seeing him on TV). One of the more interesting tidbits was learning about Robert H. Jackson who was appointed by President Harry Truman to be the Chief of Counsel for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals during the 1945-46 International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg Trials).

What intrigued me about Robert H. Jackson, was that grew up in Frewsburg, New York (near my wife’s hometown of Jamestown, NY) and he “spent a year as a post-graduate student attending Jamestown High School." As a young lawyer, he then returned to Jamestown to practice law in 1913. Jackson became actively involved in Democratic Party politics and campaigned to get Franklin Roosevelt to the White House in 1932. He was appointed and served in a variety of Federal legal roles eventually the U.S. Attorney General in 1940-41 and to a vacant U.S. Supreme Court seat in 1941 and serving until his death in 1954. He became the 82nd Associate Justice and “was known for his eloquent writing style and championing of individual liberties.”

On Saturday, October 9, 1954, Jackson suffered a myocardial infarction. At 11:45 a.m. he died at age 62. Funeral services were held in Washington’s National Cathedral and later in Jamestown’s St. Luke’s Church. All eight of the other Supreme Court Justices traveled together to Jamestown, New York, to attend his funeral service; the last time, for security purposes, that the Supreme Court all traveled together. Other prominent guests included Thomas E. Dewey. He was interred near his boyhood home in Frewsburg, New York. His headstone reads "He kept the ancient landmarks and built the new."

The Robert H. Jackson Center, located in Robert H. Jackson’s hometown of Jamestown, New York, offers guided tours to visitors who can see exhibits on Jackson’s life, collections of his writings, and photos from the International Military Tribunal. An extensive collection of Jackson’s personal and judicial papers is archived at the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress and is open for research. Smaller collections are available at several other repositories.

There are statues dedicated to Robert H. Jackson outside the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York, as well as the Robert H. Jackson field at the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport. The United States District Court for the Western District of New York main courthouse, which is located in Buffalo and opened in November, 2011, is dedicated to Justice Jackson and is named the Robert H. Jackson United States Courthouse.

Wikipedia entry

Category: Audio, Books, History, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: audiobook, bill o'reilly, frewsburg, jamestown, killing the ss, libby app, library, nazi, new york, nuremberg trials, overdrive, robert h. jackson, supreme court, tidbits

Posted By RichC on September 4, 2021

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Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, aruba, backyard, chalazion, damage, ellerie, family, grass, grubs, insects, katelyn, lawn, megan, pests, sod webworm, taylor

Posted By RichC on September 3, 2021

A friend asked me the other day, “what are you going to do if inflation becomes a bigger problem than it is already?” Good question … the canned answer (safe answer) is to be diversified. The reality is far more challenging.

There was a day when the first reply was to own hard assets like commodities and precious metals. Nowadays, there are far more concerns in giving that advice. For example, energy producers are under long term pressure due to fossil fuels creating carbon and therefore contributing to climate change. Government around the world are increasingly making decisions to move away from oil and gas … therefore making the commodity and companies that produce them concerning in the long run. Gold and silver being precious metals and a way to hedge, have digital replacements in the form of cryptocurrency and NFTs attract investors and at least the blockchain technology behind them has a lot of potential. Add pitifully low bond yields and CD return and that makes finding a safe haven harder than it once was.

The BusinessInsider included a simple “Investment Idea” chart that offers traditional inflation investing advice that I thought might be helpful:

What types of assets are good for beating inflation?

Several asset classes in particular lend themselves to inflation-oriented investing.

• Appreciation-oriented assets: Go for investments that offer growth, or appreciation — not simply income. Company stock is a prime example. 
• Real assets: Inflation devalues nominal assets, like CDs and traditional bonds, because they’re priced based on the fixed interest they pay, which will lose value when inflation is increasing. In contrast, real assets are tangible things with fundamental value. So their worth floats up together with inflation.
• Variable interest-rate assets: If something pays a fixed rate, you’ll lose money in an inflationary environment. Assets with fluctuating interest rates give your money more of a fighting chance, as they’ll also rise with inflation.

(more…)

Category: Advice, Business, Financial, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: business insider, commodities, crypto, cryptocurrency, energy, Financial, gold, inflation, investing, nfts, stocks, tips

Posted By RichC on September 2, 2021

Since I post the flyer and announcement over at my local EAA284 (Experimental Aircraft Association) website, I’ll double up and add it to my blog as usual too.

Join us for the Red Stewart Airfield 24th Annual Airshow September 4, 2021 starting at 5pm and the EAA Chapter 284 Taildragger Fly-In/Pancake Breakfast Sunday September 5, 2021 morning 7-11AM.

LINK

Category: Aviation, Local | No Comments »
Tags: airshow, breakfast, pancake, red stewart, taildragger, tdfi