Friday, November 13, 2015

Such a Waste

President Obama is a Black American.
African American race relations are as bad now as I have experienced in my sixty years.

President Obama is a Muslim.... at the very least, his father is a Muslim, and he has proclaimed his Muslim faith on numerous occasions.
The radical Muslim sect, ISIS. is on a suicide mission to terrorist the West.

Do you get the feeling that Obama is an influence for national and international discord in the world?  He is a catalyst for polarization and hate.

Such a waste... Such a FREAKING WASTE!

I actually believed, seven years ago when he attained the Presidency, that he represented a new era of harmony and tolerance.  That was an egregious error in judgement on my naive part.  His ideological pettiness has spawned a new era of unrest and discord.

As I write this, 158 people have been slaughtered in Paris.  What a horrendous failure of leadership!  We have a President who has weakened the American presence in the world and allows hate and class warfare to fester..... maybe on purpose?   Or maybe because he has just been incompetent.

I believe that the country will flock to Trump.... who represents strength and action in dealing with the political landscape.   But I just can't leave the feeling that Obama wasted a golden opportunity to create a world of orderly change.  Such a waste of so much promise.

Monday, November 09, 2015

Merry Christmas Starbucks


 Starbucks has come out with their "Holiday Cups" for this season of coffee drinking during Christmas.  Unlike previous years, the cups have no traditional Christmas decoration and are said to be designed to be more inclusive.
Nobody asked me, but you are kind of a loser if you go to a Starbucks to look at their cups.  The reason that they can get away with all of the "Tall" and "Barista" BS is because some people, including me, will pay their premium for a strong cup of coffee.
I don't go there to have a conversation about race relations with one of their goofy "Baristas".... and I don't go there to look at their paper coffee cups.... I go to get a decent cup of coffee, even if it is overpriced.
Companies like Starbucks, or Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.... that like to accentuate their product with their political leanings get my patronage because I like their coffee and I like their ice cream, and I could care less what type of lefty message these companies seek to convey.   As much as political discourse is pleasurable to me, there are times when you have to be singular in purpose and dial back your attention to what is in the cup, not what is on it.


Monday, November 02, 2015

Nice Bookcase

 I saw this bookcase on Pinterest, using closet door slabs as the sides.  Peabody Building Supply has an awesome inventory of solid pine slabs to choose from and they are very reasonably priced.

Thinking of making two of these.

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Sliding Seat kayak Platform


Drop-in Rowing Unit

How cool is it that  Boulter Plywood.... perhaps the best distributor of marine plywood in the world.... is only located a few miles down the road in Somerville, MA,

I am planning to buy a few sheets of  Okoume A/B BS1088 Lloyds Approved , 4x8 12 mm stock to craft a deck for my sliding seat kayak rowing craft.

Hope to be gliding around Marblehead Harbor before Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Aquaponics Concepts - Zero In on the Best Alternative

Aquaponics: Turns out that I can buy food grade IBC containers in good condition for $100 at a source on Highland Ave. in Salem.  Will pick a couple soon and work on them at the Peabody shop.Free Workshop Build a Backyard Fishfarm in an Afternoon: Construction of Automatic Bell Siphons for Backyard Aquaponic Systems - detailed info & photos: Many species of fish are suitable for aquaculture and aquaponics. Species which have been researched and successfully reared in cages in the southeastern region of the U.S. include:catfish, trout, tilapia, striped bass, red drum, bluegill sunfish,crappie, and carp. As this interest continues to increase,more research into cage culture techniques and alternate species will no doubt occur. We have a PDF you can look at about freshwater species.: Backyard Aquaponics • View topic - Medium system picture gallery (500L - 3000L) (130 - 790gal): aquaponics farm installation: Aquaponics setup from IBC totes.  Find on craigslist for $60 - $100 each. (they sell these down the road from me cheap but they go FAST) I need to do this!:

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Federal Street Fire Station

 This is the Fire Station on Federal Street in Lynn where my father and his friends built their boats in the back room.  They had to remove a wall to get the boats out when finished,   I doubt that Fire Department regs would permit this today.

He and his buddies built a 14 ft. runabout that had fins on the back.   We test launched it in Sluice Pond behind the present Four Winds Pub.   It was powered by a 35 HP Johnson outboard that I remember was not very reliable.  It was kept on Swain's Lake aka Union Lake in East Barrington, NH where my parents had a summer camp.

I remember hanging around the station during the 4th of July, and watching the fire fighters slide down the 15 ft. brass pole from the second floor to the first, hurrying to respond to bon fires.  The station has been demolished for years and General Electric is now at the site.