Once you get past all of these recent distractions about things, idea, people, and events that took place a few hundred years ago, quite a few things that affect the present time begin to stand out.   Things that have a direct impact on your day to day life, and take money out of your pocket, or worse.

As I'm sure most have seen or heard about by now, there are people in the streets arguing, fighting, and killing each other over long dead ideals.  This is what the mass media and Federal and Local governments want you to do.  These protests will solve nothing (the ideals have already been given up by most decades ago.....(things like slavery, naziism, segregation, etc)  These are all distractions, and an alarming number of people are falling for it.

But while bored and ignorant kids (age doesn't matter, there are plenty of 40-50 year olds with poorly developed reasoning skills...also known as kids) rally around some statue they are offended by this week, actual innocent people are being killed by known criminal invaders and the money you made at work today is being taken from you and used to support said criminals and their offspring.

Let's take this deadbeat scum bag for example.....Alejandro Ramirez-Jaramillo.....I thought about not typing his name here, he doesn't deserve to have a name, but knowing his name will allow you to further research.  He entered into this county illegally, and did he try to make this country a better place for all of us?  No, he took advantage of our overwhelming generosity and the Feds ignoring his presence, and then got drunk and drove, ran a stop sign, and killed Robin and Barbara Shellhammer, of Oregon, Ohio, and their daughter Whitney Meinke.    As we have seen, this country has enough problems without illegal aliens coming here and causing more problems.  Just think, if the people that we elected had done their jobs and enforced the law, three native born Americans, who worked and paid taxes, would still be alive.  The deceased could have easily been your mother or father, or you. It can't get much worse, but it does a little....we are now in charge of footing the bill for this piece of trash's prison bill for the next 21 years.    Hope you worked extra hard today, and hope a drunk criminal doesn't' run a stop sign on your way home.

Or this waste of space (and his baby momma), Yamir Cruz .  The title of the video and news articles try and imply that this 'man' was just here in the States minding his own business when the Feds came and knocked his door down and deported him.  You know, tug on the heart strings....THINK OF THE KIDS!  What a deliberately misleading title.  The video puts a slant on the blame...the government, the welfare system, the immigration system, anyone but the real problem.  Mr. Cruz snuck into the USA illegally, had four + one unwed children with a meth user, then they both wasted tax payer dollars by getting the cops called on them about domestic abuse.  Three times.  Finally, someone came to their senses and deported the man.  Problem solved?  Nope.  The deadbeat meth head mom doesn't want the kids.  Guess who now has to pay the bill to take care of them?  You should look in the mirror for that answer.  Who are we kidding....the mom, dad, and kids were already getting welfare assistance.  He then goes on to blame the system that legally took his children away 'because he didn't have papers'....but why didn't he bring his children back to Mexico with him, get a job and support them?  How is any of this yours or mine problem?  

The issue arises from the 'anchor baby' statute of the 14th amendment.  Like most of the Constitution and Bill or Rights, it was well intended in the beginning, but has been taken advantage of far too often.  Just because you are born in the United States, to foreign parents, should not automatically (or very easily) affirm your status as a citizen of the United States.  The spits in the face of the people that work, study, and move legally through the immigration system.

​Rep. G.K Butterfield of N.C. has advocated for illegals to not be deported under the Trump presidency. (in a pathetic and transparent effort to pander for votes), while seemingly forgetting that his boy Obama deported millions of illegal aliens.   I wonder if he will try and comfort the Shellhammer family?  He should focus on the people that got him elected and American citizens and work to make their lives better, not hold rallies for criminals.  As far as I'm concerned, he and his kind have blood on their hands.  At the very least, he should open his home to all the illegals that want to call N.C. home, he can pay to support them, as to not burden his constituents.  He, and others, have seem to confused 'immigration' with 'illegal' immigration, and are attacking anyone who speaks out against the illegal portion.  We are all the children of immigrants, no sane person is arguing that.

Yes, the immigration system is flawed, slow, and confusing, but it works, many people become US citizens every day.  There is no excuse for living in the United States illegally, and even worse, being a burden on the tax paying citizens.

We have control over this.  We just have to be louder than the distractions.

EDIT:  A bit more reading on the subject can be found here: 
Note the brain twisting response from NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio responding to a question from Jake Tapper in a recent interview concerning whether or not drunk driving is a legitimate reason to start the deportation process, 

TAPPER: But is grand larceny or drunk driving a very minor offense?
DE BLASIO: Drunk driving that does not lead to any other negative outcome, I could define as that.

Do we have to wait until someone is killed before anything is taken seriously?  

Most young men grew up wanting to fly, or at least go fast, in some fashion.  Astronaut, fighter pilot, racecar driver.  This was before their brains developed enough to understand that many people do it for the fame and/or women.  That doesn't matter.  Speed and pushing the limits is intoxicating, and to some, addictive, regardless of age.

Well Brian Shul is obviously one of these boys that grew up wanting to go fast.

He was a Vietnam fighter pilot that was shot down, badly burned, rescued, and went on to become one of the very few that got to pilot the world's fastest jet air craft, the SR-71 Blackbird.

The technology and brainpower that got the SR-71 in the air (in just 18 months, in the 1960s, mind you) is almost incomprehensible today, in the age of cost and time overruns, untested systems that have to be reworked, and billions of dollars wasted.

Brian now travels as a motivational guest speaker, and he has a lot to talk about, and show you.  He is also the author of 'Sled Driver', the most comprehensive photo record of this then Top Secret air craft and program.    Let him fill you in on the details.

Enjoy.

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Thanks to Grassroots Motorsports (a print and online magazine for cool and unique cars), we get to go on a rare tour of a Mazda museum of sorts.  This hallowed ground is not normally open to the public, and is also a working garage, where a lucky soul gets to maintain some of the rolling pieces of history for public events.   From the first show Miatas from 1989 (red, white and blue examples....that's right), a rotary powered mini-pickup, one off concepts, to LeMans monsters, there is something for everyone.  Some are in new condition, and some are straight from a barn find, but you can tell that the host of the tour, himself a Mazda engineer and racer, care deeply about each and every specimen.

Enjoy, and please visit Grassroots Motorsports for future 'inside baseball' information.

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  Mr. Julius Howell was born in 1847, and did us the favor of sticking around long enough to get his voice recorded.  He was 101 years old at the time of the recording, and seems to remember events from the Civil War as though they were yesterday.  

From seeing General Lee riding through the woods, getting attacked (and shot) by advancing Union troops, and waking up one morning to see the flag at half mast, and finding out that President Lincoln had been killed the previous night.  

What an amazing 15 minutes from this (former) living time capsule.  It's a shame that more veterans weren't tracked down and had their memories recorded so we could get a better understanding of the day to day life of someone in the late 1800s, and how the Civil War really affected those involved.  Regardless, this man's unique accent and speaking style gives us a rare glimpse of how the famous Generals and Leaders of the time, be it Lee, Jefferson, or Monroe,  may have sounded while conversing about battle tactics under a full moon and enjoying  a warm glass of rum or whiskey and a fine southern cigarette.  

A full day of this would not be enough.

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VCR, short for Video Cassette Recorder.  A device that put Blockbuster on the map.

A device that is ever so slowly receding from our vocabulary and out of our minds eye.  Could you even work one today?

They have their roots all they way back to the 1950s, and actually were able to produce HD quality images at the time of their demise when DVDs and HD televisions were beginning to become the new thing,

As you will see in this well thought out video, VCRs are quite complicated, and evolved through a number of iterations and updates thoughout their life.  This video does a very good job of explaining all of the technical bits without causing your eyes to glaze over.

And yes, be kind, please rewind.

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I'm guessing that is the predicament this guy found himself in.  There are hundreds of different styles of drills, grinders, sanders, cutters out there, but all use either compressed air or you have to plug them in.  Sure, there are battery powered tools, but they lack the punch this guy (man) wanted.

So with no air and no electricity, what do you do?   You strap a nitromethane engine to it, duh.

This video, by johnnyq90, takes us down the fascinating path of not only using the aforementioned nitromethane die grinder, but shows the steps in the creation of the little monster.  A lathe is his main too of choice, and he even shows us how the first few iterations failed.   Not all things happen by magic and on the first try like the TV and internet wants you to believe.   He (johnnyq90) has another, slightly longer, vid showing him strapping a nitromethane engine to a drill.  I haven't watched that one yet....so I will now.

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Hero.  A term that is used far too often for people that are no way deserving of the title.  This is not the case of Quentin C. Aanenson, a World War 2 fighter pilot and front line ground troop.  A tried and true leader of men, through conditions and perils that hardly anyone alive today can imagine.  A great that stands out from the 'Greatest Generation'.

He wanted to share his story, and I'm glad he did.   He wrote, produced, and narrated a film about his time fighting for the Allies.  This film was first shown in 1993, widely shown in 1994 on PBS, and I'm sad to say that I just learned of it.  Better late than never, so they say.

DVDs were available up until a few years ago, but we have not been able to track one down.  So here is the film, in 2 parts, graciously hosted by who we assume to be a 100% true and proud American.

Enjoy.  And never forget what was done for us.

PART 1


PART 2

We constantly hear about new car features and safety upgrades, about how those new features are supposed to help us avoid crashes and make the car safer when involved in a crash.  Some people strictly buy cars based on their safety features and crash test scores, so manufacturers put millions of dollars and thousands of engineering hours into making their cars just a bit more safe than the competition.  But what about larger vehicles that we share the road wtih?  Fire trucks, ambulances, 18 wheelers, etc.  Emergency vehicles are extra susceptible to crashes, as they often don't stop for red lights or stop signs when on the way to an emergency or to the hospital.  
Ambulances are an interesting study.  They are usually transporting a sick or injured individual along with EMTs performing critical care while in transit, and often, the ambulance itself is involved in a collision.  These EMTs are not always seated and belted in order to perform CPR or to bandage wounds, so they are at risk of becoming a projectile during a collision.

These sobering pictures (taken from http://breaking911.com/two-emts-dead-after-ambulance-crash-on-southern-state-parkway-in-ny/) from about a year ago show an ambulance that slammed head on into a stone and concrete wall.  The cab of the 1 ton van is almost completely flattened.    

Unfortunately, the driver of the ambulance and the patient being transported died on impact, but amazingly an EMT riding the in the back survived.   How in the world you say?  

Well, emergency vehicle manufacturers are taking vehicle integrity quite seriously. 

Check out this video from AEV emergency Vehicles.  They are building basically a highly engineered roll cage to attach to the van body.  The video also outlines some sobering facts if you have ever had to take a ride in teh back of an ambulance.  AEV claims to well exceed Federal regulations, and backs it up with a real world crash test.  Pretty cool to see a vehicle other than a sedan involved in a crash test:

Nothing is 100% safe, but its good to know that at least someone is taking he time and effort to build a quality product, which could mean the difference between life and death, when the situation is already critical.  

We are talking about the McClaren F1.  A supercar so revoloutionary, it still raises heartrated 25 years later at the mere mention of its name.  Carbon fiber tub and body, gold lined engine bay (gold is the best heat reflector, duh), center seating position (the optimum position for a racing car) and a glorius 600+ HP naturally aspirated handbuilt BMW V-12.  Many have tried to best this incredible machine, none have yet.

Recently a video has surfaced of Andrew Bagnall's McClaren F1 with a factory installed High Downforce Kit.  1 of 2 made.  Mr. Bagnall, a wealthy New Zealand business man and Pharma executive, has owned this incredibly special machine for a number of years now, and he like's to 'open her up' quite regularly:

Thanks to the one of a kind Jay Leno, we have an up close view of the heart of the McClaren F1, a sight few have had the pleasure of viewing.  The engine, transmission and exhaust weigh just 500 pounds:

When the F1 was introduced, not only was it a technical wonder, it found itself as the fastest and quickest road legal production car at the time, a record that stood for close to 20 years.  That is FOREVER in car terms.  Here is a behind the scenes look at this nerve wrecking top speed attempt:

If the above isn't enough, here is more than enough info to keep you busy for a few hours learning and refreshing:

Another Perspective

Straight from McClaren


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Yes, Walter, it appears the whole world has gone crazy.

"Don't open the front door if immigration officials knock. If you are taken into custody, tell them your name and nothing else. Definitely don't sign anything"

The quote above is the opening line from this article telling ILLEGAL immigrants what to do when and if the lawful United States government comes hunts them down as criminal invaders.  Not only is this a blatant kick in the nuts to all the legal citizens of this country who try their best to work hard, pay taxes, and obey the law, it ties up an already over worked legal system that had enough to deal with before idiots and criminals started over running the southern border.  These 'advocacy' groups are at best aiding and abetting known criminals, and in any other 'normal' criminal situation would be charged with a crime.

These criminal aliens and their co-conspirators often meet to discuss issues concerning their crimes and how to get away from being detained, so why aren't they arrested and deported and the people driving the get away car charged with crimes?  Probation and a hefty fine seem warranted here, as putting these morons in jail just puts an increased burden on the taxpayer.

They even poke fun out our tax payer funded law enforcement efforts, oblivious to the fact that in any other country in this world they would be locked up INSTANTLY when found with no hope of getting out:

"Volunteers took part in a role-playing exercise. The audience broke into laughter when a woman wearing a vest with "ICE" taped on it burst into the room after knocking loudly on a door.
"I try to make it interactive because it's long and very sad, in a way,"  (leech) Mendez said."

This situation is funny to you?  I hope you receive no tax funded benefits and you get hung up on when you need to call 911.

As one commenter on the above article puts it,
"Then there should be a reward offered for turning these people in, and I believe that would be welcomed by those who have grown tired of watching these people circumvent our laws."

I couldn't agree more.


Just when you thought it couldn't get any more bass ackwards:

Imagine a standardized test.  Imagine you failing that test.  What would you think might be some reasons you failed?  Didn't study?  Didn't pay attention in class?  Chose to ignore others who came before you and listen to guidance?  All legit reasons.  However, there is one more, seemingly better reason, that you failed.....your race.  That's right.  Some people have run out of things to blame their failures on and chalked it up to good ol fashioned racism.  Now, this standardized test isn't designed to test your knowledge of unique cultures and ways of life, it is designed to test your ability to read and write and handle math, you know, to prove you are capable of teaching the next generation of adults.  

At a time where we constantly hear that the United States lags behind other nations in various subjects, we have this gem: 

"Citing the fact that an out sized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates were failing the test, members of the New York state Board of Regents plans to adopt a task force's recommendation to eliminate the literacy exam, known as the Academic Literacy Skills Test, given to prospective teachers."

How on earth is that supposed to teach anyone anything, except blame your race for everything?  This does nothing to push our society forward.  It's as though some don't want to get on a level playing field.  When you can blame the system, you don't have to look in the mirror.  

Now this is the most surprising bit of the brain melting article:

"The tests, however, came under intense scrutiny for their alleged racial bias, after just 46 percent of Hispanic test-takers and 41 percent of black test-takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates.'

ON A FREAKING LITERACY TEST.  I'd like to know exactly who scrutinized it. I can imagine.  Here we have Hispanics, whose native language is not even English, did better than blacks.  How can anyone in the black community even show their face after such embarrassment?  It is no wonder they want to blame the system.  Must be too painful to face the actual music.

New York State even does what they can to get everyone to pass, offering  "A practice test available for $20 on the New York State Education Department website features John F. Kennedy's inaugural address as one of the reading passages and asks questions like this one: "In which excerpt from the passage do Kennedy's word choices most clearly establish a tone of resolve?"Ian Rosenblum, the executive director of the New York office of the Education Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for high achievement for all students, called the literacy test "a 12th grade-level assessment" -- something a high school senior should be able to pass."

Sounds reasonable to me.  If you want to be a teacher, a profession with quite a bit of responsibility, you should be held to a higher standard.  If you choose to not learn and make poor decisions while in school youself, why on earth would we want you 'teaching' anyone anything?

​You know?