I had a great-aunt who was in almost all ways a sweet and kind person. When she was in her 80's, she talked about going to visit the old people in the nursing home nearby.
She was also a racist.
When my uncle came back from WWII, he started a candy store in Chicago. It did well, and he ran it until the late 70's. They lived over the store, originally in a middle class white neighborhood. Like much of the inner city, the neighborhood deteriorated. The mostly middle class whites moved out, and poor, mostly blacks moved in. They started having problems with bums and panhandlers, and the store was robbed at gunpoint several times. They still had a good business, mostly selling to the families that had lived there in the 50's and 60's who would come back for their traditional Christmas and Easter candy. Finally, they decided to sell the business and retire to the suburbs. The best offer they had for the business including the building and the fixtures was less than they made from it in a year.
My aunt rarely (if ever) met middle-class blacks. From her point of view, the blacks moved in, chased the whites out and everything went to hell. I tried once to explain to her that the problems were economic and not racial--The blacks I knew from my small town were pretty average. Some of them decent, some of them nasty, but in about the same proportions as whites. She was polite about that, but not convinced.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
Classic Politics
I can get along with most views described as 'classically conservative'. Fred Thompson isn't perfect, but I think he'd make a better president than we've had for quite a long time--This from someone who's never voted republican for president.
'Classically liberal' is often used to describe libertarianism, which matches my views closer than any other one-sentence description.
Somehow "classically liberal" and "classically conservative" are closer to each other than they are to "liberal" or "conservative".
What happened to modern politics?
'Classically liberal' is often used to describe libertarianism, which matches my views closer than any other one-sentence description.
Somehow "classically liberal" and "classically conservative" are closer to each other than they are to "liberal" or "conservative".
What happened to modern politics?
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Book (series) review-Honor Harrington
Short review--A really good space opera in desperate need of an editor.
Yes, it is a space opera. Entertaining, with no deep meaning and little subtlety. The basic story: Honor Harrington is an officer in the Manticorian space navy with amazing ability in almost everything but romance. Manticore is a constitutional monarchy with an extremely productive economy and very high standard of living. The enemy is the People's republic of Haven, a multi-planetary government where the "doleists" are the majority of the population--Unproductive, stupid and mostly useless, but the government feels that they need to be kept satisfied with an increasing "basic living stipend". They can't support this without continually taking over new star systems. We start after they have taken over all the easy ones, and have set their sites on Manticore.
While the Peep system is evil, many of the individual officers are honorable and decent people. Even the "head peep" is to some extent trapped by circumstance, and believes the evil things he does are justified, in order to get real reforms.
A secondary plot line is the modernization of the planet Grayson. When we are first introduced to Grayson, they are a fairly recently rediscovered religious colony. For an initially unknown reason, there are several times more women than men born. The planet is contaminated by heavy metals, and requires massive effort to survive, but women aren't a meaningful part of the workforce until Honor comes in and shakes things up.
It feels to me that Grayson wasn't initially intended to be a major part of the story. Their progress both militarily and especially socially is unrealistically rapid, giving the impression that once it was realized their role was increased they needed to be transformed from backwards fanatics to something more easily sympathized with.
The most annoying issue is exposition. Lots of speeches that start "I know most of us already know all about...but explain it again from the beginning for those who don't". The explanation will be more detailed than necessary to advance the plot. Space battles are described in a way that feels like the author is saying 'go ahead and check--All these maneuvers and positions are actually possible'. At a scene change the viewpoint sometimes switches to mid battle, only to find it is a simulation. Characters will have long internal monologues, and situations will be dire, oh so dire, could it get any worse...Yes it can, I don't know if I can handle any more, but duty requires that I continue, have I mentioned that this is a dire, nearly hopeless situation... There is also heavy-handed political commentary that too obviously pokes at real-world liberal views.
Some of my complaints may be because I've got the series on my PDA, and have re-read it more often than I would if it were traditional paper books of similar quality. Despite my complaints, it is a series worth reading, at least the first time. Available as a legal free E-book.
Yes, it is a space opera. Entertaining, with no deep meaning and little subtlety. The basic story: Honor Harrington is an officer in the Manticorian space navy with amazing ability in almost everything but romance. Manticore is a constitutional monarchy with an extremely productive economy and very high standard of living. The enemy is the People's republic of Haven, a multi-planetary government where the "doleists" are the majority of the population--Unproductive, stupid and mostly useless, but the government feels that they need to be kept satisfied with an increasing "basic living stipend". They can't support this without continually taking over new star systems. We start after they have taken over all the easy ones, and have set their sites on Manticore.
While the Peep system is evil, many of the individual officers are honorable and decent people. Even the "head peep" is to some extent trapped by circumstance, and believes the evil things he does are justified, in order to get real reforms.
A secondary plot line is the modernization of the planet Grayson. When we are first introduced to Grayson, they are a fairly recently rediscovered religious colony. For an initially unknown reason, there are several times more women than men born. The planet is contaminated by heavy metals, and requires massive effort to survive, but women aren't a meaningful part of the workforce until Honor comes in and shakes things up.
It feels to me that Grayson wasn't initially intended to be a major part of the story. Their progress both militarily and especially socially is unrealistically rapid, giving the impression that once it was realized their role was increased they needed to be transformed from backwards fanatics to something more easily sympathized with.
The most annoying issue is exposition. Lots of speeches that start "I know most of us already know all about...but explain it again from the beginning for those who don't". The explanation will be more detailed than necessary to advance the plot. Space battles are described in a way that feels like the author is saying 'go ahead and check--All these maneuvers and positions are actually possible'. At a scene change the viewpoint sometimes switches to mid battle, only to find it is a simulation. Characters will have long internal monologues, and situations will be dire, oh so dire, could it get any worse...Yes it can, I don't know if I can handle any more, but duty requires that I continue, have I mentioned that this is a dire, nearly hopeless situation... There is also heavy-handed political commentary that too obviously pokes at real-world liberal views.
Some of my complaints may be because I've got the series on my PDA, and have re-read it more often than I would if it were traditional paper books of similar quality. Despite my complaints, it is a series worth reading, at least the first time. Available as a legal free E-book.
Adult trikes
My wife is borrowing her mom's adult trike, to make it easier to walk the dogs with her bad ankle. It looks strange, but it works--She takes the dogs through the alley to the bike path while riding the trike, from there to the river where they can go off leash.
The trike is a Walmart special, a Worksman Trifecta. I'm not impressed. It started grinding, and when I investigated, I found that one of the bearings has chewed itself, because the rear axle shifted. There's nothing to center the axle except the chain and side loading of the cheap bearings--If I remember right, this type of bearing isn't designed to handle side loads.
I was able to swap the chewed bearing with the one in the drive wheel, which is used as a bushing instead of a bearing. Don't know what I can do to prevent this from happening again.
Walmart.com also sells a Schwinn adult trike for a few dollars more. I haven't seen it in person. Schwinn is nowhere near the brand it was even 10 years ago, but I'd get it over the Worksman just based on the internet pictures.
Adult trikes are surprisingly hard to get used to for someone who rides a bicycle. When you steer a bike (or motorcycle) you countersteer--First steer away from the direction you want to go. This doesn't work on a trike. To make matters worse, the trikes at work have one drive wheel in the back, and the coaster brake is on the drive wheel. The first time I rode one was at work--I wound up crashing into an electric flatbed truck.
The trike is a Walmart special, a Worksman Trifecta. I'm not impressed. It started grinding, and when I investigated, I found that one of the bearings has chewed itself, because the rear axle shifted. There's nothing to center the axle except the chain and side loading of the cheap bearings--If I remember right, this type of bearing isn't designed to handle side loads.
I was able to swap the chewed bearing with the one in the drive wheel, which is used as a bushing instead of a bearing. Don't know what I can do to prevent this from happening again.
Walmart.com also sells a Schwinn adult trike for a few dollars more. I haven't seen it in person. Schwinn is nowhere near the brand it was even 10 years ago, but I'd get it over the Worksman just based on the internet pictures.
Adult trikes are surprisingly hard to get used to for someone who rides a bicycle. When you steer a bike (or motorcycle) you countersteer--First steer away from the direction you want to go. This doesn't work on a trike. To make matters worse, the trikes at work have one drive wheel in the back, and the coaster brake is on the drive wheel. The first time I rode one was at work--I wound up crashing into an electric flatbed truck.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Strange stuff at the dog park
I had the day off, and we decided to take the dogs to the dog park. Stranger than usual people there.
First was a very unconvincing and slightly drunk transvestite. She wasn't Halloween-costume bad, but "WTF?" from 15 yards. Bad makeup--Lips were purple-red with a slightly uneven black outline. Horrible auburn wig that didn't match her dark eyebrows, in addition to the large adam's apple. Dressed in a skirt suit, with high heels, completely inappropriate to the dog park, which is 95% steep hill. The suit didn't match the pierced tongue, either. Oralia said "Gross" about our dog Bella chewing on a muddy tennis ball. The transvestite said "Are you talking about my dog's poop? Because it has been runny. I don't know why it's runny, I feed him...." On and on, not listening at all when Oralia said no, that's not what she was talking about. Several other inappropriate remarks, then she left. She was drinking something from a travel cup and a straw. I'm not sure if the cup or her breath was heavily alcohol laden, but I could smell it from 8 feet away.
After the transvestite left, one of the regulars said 'Oh, shit, there's the crazy lady'. Older woman with a cane and a boxer. Woman couldn't control the boxer to the point where it was biting at her, and she was whacking it with her cane. This increased the dog's aggressive behavior. Not the first time according to the regulars. Several were discussing camera phones and video, to get the dog taken from her. The dog was fine with everyone else. Lots of people trying to give her advice. I hope she gets real help, because otherwise that dog will wind up mauling her and will have to be put to sleep.
First was a very unconvincing and slightly drunk transvestite. She wasn't Halloween-costume bad, but "WTF?" from 15 yards. Bad makeup--Lips were purple-red with a slightly uneven black outline. Horrible auburn wig that didn't match her dark eyebrows, in addition to the large adam's apple. Dressed in a skirt suit, with high heels, completely inappropriate to the dog park, which is 95% steep hill. The suit didn't match the pierced tongue, either. Oralia said "Gross" about our dog Bella chewing on a muddy tennis ball. The transvestite said "Are you talking about my dog's poop? Because it has been runny. I don't know why it's runny, I feed him...." On and on, not listening at all when Oralia said no, that's not what she was talking about. Several other inappropriate remarks, then she left. She was drinking something from a travel cup and a straw. I'm not sure if the cup or her breath was heavily alcohol laden, but I could smell it from 8 feet away.
After the transvestite left, one of the regulars said 'Oh, shit, there's the crazy lady'. Older woman with a cane and a boxer. Woman couldn't control the boxer to the point where it was biting at her, and she was whacking it with her cane. This increased the dog's aggressive behavior. Not the first time according to the regulars. Several were discussing camera phones and video, to get the dog taken from her. The dog was fine with everyone else. Lots of people trying to give her advice. I hope she gets real help, because otherwise that dog will wind up mauling her and will have to be put to sleep.
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