The Two Faces Of Chucky Schumer

Two-Faced Charlie

Got a couple minutes?  Check out Chucky Schumer's 2009 opinion on border security... so what has changed... can anyone spell fellow New Yorker POTUS TRUMP?

To Check Out Click this link: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8z2L42qedM

An Upstate New Yorker's Question -- Was Charlie Schumer lying in 2009, or is he lying now?  Rational acts seem strictly dependant on POTUS's political affiliation.  

About Google BLOGGER... facts unknown to me.

I've been using this Google-supported BLOG site application "BLOGGER" for almost ten years. Never realized that to successfully record reader comments, contributors need to establish a Google account, an active gmail account for example (yourname@gmail). Furthermore, to successfully add comments to any BLOGGER post, a contributor needs to be logged in to an active personal Google account like gmail, etc. These conditions are apparently true for all Google supported Blogger application accounts. This fact is probably cited in the Google User Licence Agreement (ULA)... but like many of us... very few folks like me actually read and fully understand expressions in most legal language ULAs.

P.S. Comment contributors not wanting to establish a Google account are encouraged to send me an email to the available address displayed in the BLOG page upper left section under my Facebook Badge information.  Your anonymous and unedited comments (constructive or otherwise) will be added to the appropriate "Ancient Geek Fumes" BLOG post.  Thanks.  DJ of German Flatts 

Understanding The Root Problem

Many undesirable life events seem destined to repeat themselves, and a significant percent of educated "whiz kids" in charge today seem to think there is a growing new problem.  Watching TV's "Nature" program on PBS a few hours ago... some guy whining about the decline in Arctic Fox population... this because Red Fox species is moving north and overpopulating the Arctic and eating the same food previously exclusive to Arctic Fox (all mainly due -- of course -- to Global Warming).  The unstated root problem, again -- and of course -- is animal (or plant) overpopulation, whether the subject is too many rats, rabbits, humans, or crabgrass!  Climate change (aka Global Warming), or at least that portion directly attributable to human activity, is a symptom. It isn't the problem.  When will a significant percentage of changemaker climate scientists wake-up and report overpopulation as the true root problem?  In history, all life without significant life threats will eventually screw themselves and reproduce to a very unpleasant overpopulation death or an unthinkable environment to support future life. 

While their timeline for overpopulation impacts was off a bit, Dr. Paul and Mrs. Anne Ehrlich called it correctly in their scholarly written works The Population Bomb, The Population Explosion, et al.  It is well past time for the "Chicken Little" global warming scientist crowd to understand the negative impact of overpopulation by taking on new comprehension of these Ehrlich writings.  For goodness sake, attacking the symptoms will never fix the underlining root problem. Otherwise put, animals in smaller numbers doing activities that are potentially dangerous to their environment will logically produce a smaller impact on that environment.  A fresh look to resolve the fundamental unlining root problem is absolutely necessary.

Note: The image inserted at the top of this post was originally posted by quid.com and found online by simple Google search.  The unedited image is presented here for non-profit educational-use-only, in accordance with properly credited copyright free-use educational doctrine.  Check out quid.com, click HERE.  

Isn't it interesting just how far left some of our leftist associates have traveled...

Piggy Stuff Happens, lefties please get a life! 

Take a look at this article... so what exactly do we call these late 2018 folks who find problems with this 1968 Charlie Brown cartoon -- might I suggest THEY are the racists?  Some of the article associated comments are also interesting reading. 

http://www.gopusa.com/?p=59817?omhide=true

...and a century before the 1968 cartoon was published, as Black Americans emerged from slavery, most regular Democrats both South and North were called exactly what?  It takes time, even generations, to make historic demographic attitude changes.  Today's Liberal leftists (aka: "progressives") need to get better educated and learn some tolerance.  A character named  Forrest Gump once remarked -- "stupid is as stupid does" -- seems appropriately applied to most 2018 liberals.  

Note: The image inserted at the top of this post was found by simple Google Internet search, and displayed here for educational and non-profit use in accordance with copyright fair use doctrine.  

Not just for ourselves, but for unknowable future generations

The structure of the DNA double helix

The number of current Ancestry.com customers may now approach 15+ million, and perhaps a similar number are inactive or deceased former DNA or Family Tree customers – where their formally active accounts have now lapsed.  But even these inactive public family trees remain available for current and trial customer genealogical research. Ancestry.com management claims over 10 million customers have taken an Ancestry DNA ethnicity test.  These folks have current active profiles in Ancestry's growing DNA database. Test takers are all eligible and invited to create trial Ancestry family trees.  Ancestry.com may be the largest family tree search application, but there are a half dozen or more other firms providing these lineage/DNA services. Other competent DNA firms include FamilyTree DNA, MyHeritage, 23andMe, Living DNA, etc.

Writing for MIT Technology Review, author Antonio Regalado claims “...More people took genetic ancestry [tests] last year [2017] than in all previous years combined.” Perhaps surprising to some, on Facebook alone, there are a significant number of public and closed groups dedicated to the genealogical interests of members, many of these dedicated to the research of specific surnames or geographical locations like Early New England or French Canadian. The aggregate number of people in pursuit of personal lineage data may easily top 25 million. The Internet has provided the means to do quicker genealogical research, but there remains an amazing number who still research the old fashion way by visits to historical societies, churches, public record facilities, cemeteries, and the like. 

A good share of individual genealogical researchers do it not just for themselves, but for others with similar interests and for their unknowable generations perhaps in two or more future centuries.  So I'm not sure what point those folks who fail to comprehend ancestral pursuits are making -- I for one don't understand them. Caring more for deceased ancestors than for the living seems a patently absurd argument the uninterested sometimes make. Take a look at this 1906 poem authored by the professional engineer, family historian, and breeder of trotting and show horses Mr. Walter Butler Palmer (1868-1932). His thoughtful poem provides a clue by correctly illustrating some of the motivation felt by those actively engaged in genealogical research.

Dear Ancestor

"Your tombstone stands among the rest
Neglected and alone
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished marble stone
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn

You did not know that I exist
You died and I was born
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh and blood and bone
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own

Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so
I wonder how you lived and loved
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot
And come to visit you."

-Walter Butler Palmer

Note:  The image presented at the top of this post is a public domain photo by NASA found by a simple Internet search.

Some Wild Turkey 101 Anyone?

Okay, put away your shot glasses, these guests are not your favorite Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

The images were shot just after sunrise, August 30, 2018, at about 6:15 AM. We've seen small flocks of Wild Turkey passing through in past years, but this rather large flock is interesting to watch and unusually large in these parts. The flock has been visiting us morning and night over the past seven-to-ten-days. Once the entire brood slowly walked out our driveway to cross the road on their travels that day. There are about five full-grown hens watching over perhaps twenty-five+ chicks. Most chicks appear to be about half-grown now, but a few are noticeably smaller. The pint-sized chicks seem to hang very near to a hen, even at times seemingly near under the hen's wing and walking between her legs. By 7:10 AM this morning the flock had moved on... they rarely stay for more than an hour, likely done somewhat for protection and also the quest for better breakfast foraging grounds. The flock has returned on a couple evenings just before sunset, and we have observed them taking flight at sunset to roost for the night in some of our many large trees.  Amazing how strongly the large hens can fly, sometimes high and long flights.  

Note:  The images were shot through a slightly fogged-up one-way window in our walk-out basement door.  Heavy overnight rains unfortunately caused some window condensation. 

"The Anderson Plot" -- Oak Hill Cemetery

Resetting the grave monuments of maternal Great-Great-Grandparents James and Caroline Anderson

Information on completion of monument work at Oak Hill Cemetery, West German Street, Herkimer, Herkimer County, New York, USA. The Anderson Plot is recorded in cemetery record as Section NC0648; whereas, the plot is physically located near centered in the old part of the cemetery. Take the center road northwesterly from the administration building toward the rear of the cemetery, this access road basically runs perpendicular to West German Street, Herkimer, NY. Then take a left side fork in the road about 250 yards from the administration building. Note the reddish-brown gravestone in the photo background -- this is the grave of Peter Anderson and his wives, Peter the son of James and Caroline (Kiernan) Anderson. Peter Anderson's gravestone really stands out as visitors pass the Anderson Plot. Note that Caroline's given name is spelled Carolina, probably misspelled as inscribed on her monument. The cemetery staff refers to this area as the Crandall plot – there are several Crandall graves in this more properly named cemetery Anderson Section (since Caroline and James Anderson are the parents or parents-in-law of most souls interred here).  Daughter Minnie Anderson married Charles Henry Crandall, all Crandall interments descend from this couple. It is the Crandall branch of the family that populates a significant portion of the Anderson Plot, along with the large Gilbert branch and Shore branch that grew from the marriage of other Anderson daughters Selina (and her husband William Gilbert) and Elizabeth (and her husband Herbert Shore).

Project specifics:

BEFORE

This image by Great-Great-Grandson DJ Paul, dated from about 2011, clearly shows both monuments listing about twenty degrees left; whereas, both monuments are slowly further slipping on their pedestal a couple inches to the left.  A gravestone foundation exists under each pedestal, perhaps sinking 20-to-24 inches into the graves.  No attempt was made to level the original foundations. Monuments had each listed another couple inches left before this restoration work began in early June 2018.    

AFTER

This image by DJ Paul, dated 20 Jun 2018, shows the Anderson gravesite finished product.  The monument pedestals were first leveled using a pea gravel bedding, placing the gravel base between the sunken original foundation and the pedestal.  A form was configured to engage each pedestal and 1/2 inch rebar reinforcements were added front, back, sides, and center.  The concrete collar is four-to-six inches thick and clearly engages both monument pedestals.  The monuments were each persuaded an inch+ to the right to be more centered on their respective pedestals.  Monuments were cleaned using water and a soft brush only.