Early Risers.

[AndyID]

51 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

The only female singers we were allowed to listen to when I was a small child in Cardiff were, naturally, Welsh.

 

Burly Chassis and Hairy Mopkin

 

Those were the days right enough.

[J. S. Bach]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I have long enjoyed CCR, though John Fogerty's enunciation of lyrics leaves much to be desired.

He is responsible for many misheard lyrics. "There's a bathroom on the right" (bad moon on the rise) is one of the more famous.

The local "classic rock" station had a call in segment to have listeners complete a line from a short CCR clip.

"Dinosaur Victrola list'nin' to Buck Owens" from "Lookin' Out My Back Door" was one of many. Without liner notes it's very difficult to discern.

Odd, I have listened to "Bad Moon" many times and never heard it that way until someone mentioned it; yes, I guess it could be  heard that way but not to me.

 

"Dinosaur Victrola list'nin' to Buck Owens" from "Lookin' Out My Back Door" has always sounded like "Dinosaur" to me but I could never make sense of the second word; "betrothal or betrayal" usually popped into mind.

[J. S. Bach]

Good night owl from the Piedmont.

[Ozexpatriate]

Coronavirus and the state of modern democracy.

 

We don't discuss politics here for good reason. Nevertheless, without trying to impose an opinion I thought people might find this example of local politics interesting.

 

In a case brought by evangelical churches in rural Oregon, the 8th Judicial District Circuit Court judge (appointed by the Governor, effective November 1, 2019, and standing for nonpartisan election on Tuesday, tomorrow) today ruled that executive orders by the Governor have no standing after 28 days, without being ratified by the state legislature.

 

Consequently the Governor's executive orders regarding 'stay at home' orders regarding churches and private business are invalidated by the court, statewide, despite the fact that the Governor has reopened 31 of Oregon's 36 counties for phase one of her reopening plan.

 

I note that the county represented by the 8th district represents less than 0.4% of the state population and was approved to be reopened. All voting in Oregon is by mail. The deadline for posting ballots for Tuesday's elections has passed, though ballots can still be dropped off in official ballot boxes. Most ballots for Tuesday's elections are likely cast.

 

The State Attorney General's office has appealed the ruling. It is unclear when this will go to the supreme court of Oregon.

 

Ratification by the legislature might sound reasonable until you consider that the opposition in the State Senate (not from the Governor's party) has staged walk outs in the last two sessions to prevent the legally elected senate from having a quorum to vote on cap and trade measures intended to address the State's response to climate change.

 

Interestingly the 8th District Circuit Court Judge said (on his appointment by the Governor on the retirement of his predecessor) “I appreciate the governor’s appointment and her confidence in me based on 25 years of service to the citizens of Baker County”.

 

The Supreme Court of Wisconsin last week invalidated the Wisconsin Governor's "stay home" order.

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[AndyID]

 

and bring you knitting".

 

But I can't remember where that came from. Was it "Round The Horne"?

 

(Obviously a ski-bum's plate, but It was also a hint to my boss that I'd burglar-off back to Idaho if the company didn't get its act together. It didn't so I did but I doubt very much if he got the message.)

 

On one occasion I was "buzzed" on a California freeway by a guy in a Lexus who's plate read "EBYGUM"

 

(No doubt he was Scottish.)

 

 

[AndyID]

17 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Coronavirus and the state of modern democracy.

 

We don't discuss politics here for good reason. Nevertheless, without trying to impose an opinion I thought people might find this example of local politics interesting.

 

In a case brought by evangelical churches in rural Oregon, the 8th Judicial District Circuit Court judge (appointed by the Governor, effective November 1, 2019, and standing for nonpartisan election on Tuesday, tomorrow) today ruled that executive orders by the Governor have no standing after 28 days, without being ratified by the state legislature.

 

Consequently the Governor's executive orders regarding 'stay at home' orders regarding churches and private business are invalidated by the court, statewide, despite the fact that the Governor has reopened 31 of Oregon's 36 counties for phase one of her reopening plan.

 

I note that the county represented by the 8th district represents less than 0.4% of the state population and was approved to be reopened. All voting in Oregon is by mail. The deadline for posting ballots for Tuesday's elections has passed, though ballots can still be dropped off in official ballot boxes. Most ballots for Tuesday's elections are likely cast.

 

The State Attorney General's office has appealed the ruling. It is unclear when this will go to the supreme court of Oregon.

 

Ratification by the legislature might sound reasonable until you consider that the opposition in the State Senate (not from the Governor's party) has staged walk outs in the last two sessions to prevent the legally elected senate from having a quorum to vote on cap and trade measures intended to address the State's response to climate change.

 

Interestingly the 8th District Circuit Court Judge said (on his appointment by the Governor on the retirement of his predecessor) “I appreciate the governor’s appointment and her confidence in me based on 25 years of service to the citizens of Baker County”.

 

The Supreme Court of Wisconsin last week invalidated the Wisconsin Governor's "stay home" order.

 

 

Not to be political either but what really frosts my horns is the number of people that are behaving like spoiled brats. Most of their parents went through Hell during WW2 but these heffers can't tolerate a few months of inconvenience without going completely potty. My faith in the human animal is going down the tubes PDQ.

 

 

[TheQ]

Mooring awl, Inner Temple Hare, 

5.5 hours sleep so far,  various aches and pains have eased,  as putting up a tin shed is much less physical than base preparation. 

 

Tiny radar muddling last night, did not proceed far,  after some consideration, and some observation trials.  Two more cross beams were fitted but I will leave off the the two on the back of the cabin deck.  Then the second coat of paint was added. 

 

Brain keeps going round and round on details of today's shed bodges, even though when I start I'm sure it will change. 

 

Time to try for more sleep.. 

[Ozexpatriate]

Meanwhile the federal administration has fired no fewer than three Inspectors General in the last six weeks.

 

Quote

L'état, c'est moi!

Louis XIV (attributed, but likely apocryphal)

 

Now that is a political statement. - Mea culpa!

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

34 minutes ago, AndyID said:

I doubt very much if he got the message.

He probably thought Ed was a fan of the reality TV show about Beverly Hills.

[Ozexpatriate]

10 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Brain keeps going round and round ...

I struggled to fall asleep last night.

 

There had been drama at dinner. I had bought myself a steak for the occasion of Sunday evening. Halfway through cooking it, the propane ran out on the grill. Rather than play "hunt the spanner" and use the tank under the fire-pit I brought it inside to cook in the small saute pan I used to cook onions and mushrooms in a wine reduction as an accompaniment. For whatever reason, this just made it tougher and I ended up putting it under the broiler. In the end, still a nice medium pink in the middle, it was much chewier than it should have been, given the marinade. Nevertheless, along with salad and wine, dinner was had.

 

For some reason I decided a (limeless) Cuba Libre! would be good to follow dinner. While I enjoyed it, and retired early (very tired and feeling the alcohol), I think the caffeine kept me awake for hours. Eventually I did fall asleep and finally awoke at 10:30am.

[iL Dottore]

7 hours ago, Barry O said:

I am amused by people on RMWeb who should know better expounding on how things (which have been in use for 30 years or so) won't work...

 

Baz

Of course, the flip side of that is the “wet behind the ears with a freshly minted MBA Newbie manager” who tries to introduce something that didn’t work 30 years ago, didn’t work 25 years ago, didn’t work 20 years ago and so on. What’s worse is that certain things - that by rights should have been buried at the crossroads with a stake through the heart - seem to get resurrected on a regular basis.  Generally, or at least in my experience, these things tend to be business/management fads that appear to be cyclical - a bit like plagues of locusts.  
Now (puts on “Captain Cynical“ spandex costume), people could - probably rightly - call me a bit of a stick in the mud, but it’s interesting to note that those cultures that value age, experience and tradition over the ephemeral and youth oriented, tend to be doing quite well for themselves with infrastructures that work (and yes, I am thinking of Japan and other Asian countries). 
Whilst on the subject of age, what I find a particularly bitter pill to swallow is that governments have, or are considering, raising the retirement age; in itself not necessarily A Bad Thing, however they are doing so without acknowledging the fact that unless you have an extremely specialised skill set, getting a job if you are over 50 years old is damn near impossible (unless, of course, you are an over 50s active or retired politician)

7 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I was pleased to see "Tommy" (The Who) and "Hotel California" (The Eagles) on people's lists. As an album, I would suggest "Rumors" (Fleetwood Mac) as belonging on a list of great albums.

I certainly would agree about the Fleetwood Mac album. Although the Fleetwood Mac of that period was (and still is) a very different beast to the original Fleetwood Mac (with Peter Greene as guitarist), Rumours Is most definitely a landmark album. Perhaps the timeless appeal of this LP is due to the fact the songs come from real, raw, emotion: as the various relationship pairings within the group were disintegrating during the recording of the album  And those emotions rollover into, and are encapsulated in, the songs.

6 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

One group that I am surprised that did not show up on anyone's listing was CCR (I may have missed it), I like most of their stuff. Another that I may have missed is the Doors, I like some of their stuff, too.

Mixed feelings about CCR, when I lived in Virginia in the mid 70s “Southern rock“ was huge and CCR was lumped in with (rightly or wrongly) with other southern rock artists like the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Unfortunately, Southern Rock never really clicked with me. Although I do like some of the output  And I’m certainly open to listening suggestions (interestingly, Wikipedia includes ZZ Top as a southern rock band. I would consider ZZ Top more as a blues based band).

5 hours ago, MichaelE said:

It's a Dean Vendetta with a custom paint job I gave it in the Bayern flag pattern. I used many, many coats of automotive lacquer, wet sanded between each coat, and then applied eight coats of clear over that. The pickups are Symour Duncan SH-1 and SH-2 and the hardware is Gotoh and Schaller.

 

I know, I spent more on one pickup than the cost of the guitar! It was a cheapie alright, but amazingly enough, it plays quite well and intonation is spot on. I wouldn't have expected that from a $100 guitar.

 

It doesn't get played much as I prefer my Epiphone LP 1960 Tribute Plus.

Very nicely done. I thought that it was a factory finish!

Actually, I think it’s quite a useful approach to take: to buy an inexpensive guitar that has a great neck and plays well and then upgrade the hardware. Thus ending up with a guitar of a much, much better quality than the sum of the cost of the parts would suggest.  With CNC and other computer-based or computer aided manufacturing processes, cheaply made guitars now are very, very playable (although at the cheap end of the market the electronics and hardware tend to be fairly poor, as is - sometimes - the finishing). Nonetheless, still much better than the cheap guitars available when I was a lad.
The house brand of Thomman, Harley Benton, gets rave reviews and there is a Harley Benton “PRS inspired“ guitar that I’m tempted to get as a “modding” project (although with cash flow being a bit of a problem at the moment it will be a toss up between buying the Harley Benton now, for instant gratification, or saving up my pennies for the HIWATT Little D rig)

I note your comment about the Epiphone Les Paul, currently the electric guitar I am reaching for the most is my Gibson Les Paul Gold Top (which is a second hand, recently produced, “70s tribute” model and not an original 50s gold top, alas). Mind you, the song I’m working on at the moment demands that PAF growl.

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

I assumed that the band all had swampy origins but I eventually learned they were all Californian. 

I didn’t know that (although I suppose I could’ve looked it up) I always assumed that CCR came out of some one-horse town in the middle of nowhere in the Deep South. Such is the image created by their music. Strange, isn’t it, how 2 bands from California: The Eagles and Creedence Clearwater Revival can sound so different.

 

Now for another muggacoffee and then out with the Wolfpack

 

Enjoy Tuesday

 

iD

Edited May 19, 2020 by iL Dottore

[AndyID]

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

The only female singers we were allowed to listen to when I was a small child in Cardiff were, naturally, Welsh.

 

Burly Chassis and Hairy Mopkin

 

For any non-Welsh speakers among us that's:

 

Shirley Bassey and Mary Hopkin.

 

(Glad to see Shirley and Mary are both still with us.)

 

But don't call me Shirley.

 

 

[chrisf]

Greetings one and all

 

Some good news came yesterday.  Professor Oncologist phoned, three days earlier than arranged, with the news that my PSA reading has gone down to 1.5.  I could not have wished for better news as it means that my prostate cancer is still under control.  When I was first diagnosed, nearly five years ago, the reading was over 800.  What will happen in the six months between now and my next appointment is anyone’s guess but for now I am not inclined to worry about it.

 

The musical taste of fellow ERs continues to unfold and amaze.  Stewart 45156, quite a kindred spirit, has reminded me of some performers to consider for what is left of my top 10.  I could fill 10 slots with the work of Martin Simpson, whose guitar work is performed with what appears to be 16 fingers on each hand, plus he is a good bloke.  As for Strawhead, who I followed up and down the land for half a lifetime, I know which of their tracks I would take to my unlikely desert island but have not yet chosen the crème de la crème of their albums and it’s not easy.  My fifth slot goes to neither of these but to Flanders and Swann with “At the drop of a hat”.  So many of their classics are on this.  I can reveal now that I had planned a wee bit of mischief at Sidmouth this year which cannot happen because the festival has been cancelled due to that ruddy virus.  The po-faced may not have liked my rendition of “The Hippopotamus Song”, with obligatory chorus.  Tough.

 

In other news, the lawn has received its first trim since last September.  Some grass made it into the grassbox but the harvest was predominantly nettles and dandelions.  It is now all too clear just how much more remedial work needs to be done.  The prospect scares the bejasus out of me.  

 

Best wishes to all

 

Chris

[jamie92208]

Good moaning to all.  I hope that you are all well.  What a difference  a year makes.

This was my view a year ago. 

The virus had not been heard of and Emily was nearly 3 weeks old.  

Yesterday the grass was all cut in a combined operation and both mowers behaved themselves.  Various minor tasks got done but the sunshine was enjoyed.  

Today we are off to Niort as Beth had an appointment  with the diabetolugue.  Some bits of shopping will be done as well. Not a lot else to report.

 

Regards to all and bon courage.

 

Jamie

[AndyID]

Just for a change I'm going to be a wee bit controversial here.

 

There seems to be a lot of total bullcrap subjective opinion flying around that somehow tunes impressed on a hot piece of crappy plastic (probably vinyl) are by some magical process superior to tunes encoded by some high-resolution digital process. I'm an electronic engineer and as far as I'm concerned that's equivalent to saying that penicillin doesn't actually kill bacteria.

 

I suggest that those who think vinyl is superior to digital encoding are inhaling the fumes from the dust burning on their EL84s.

 

Please carry on

[Ozexpatriate]

5 minutes ago, AndyID said:

I suggest that those who think vinyl is superior to digital encoding are inhaling the fumes from the dust burning on their EL84s.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the "warm sound" of vacuum tube amplifiers as well.

 

But we should stipulate that there can be a real difference between encoding for audio CDs and MPEG derivatives like mp3.

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Consequently the Governor's executive orders regarding 'stay at home' orders regarding churches and private business are invalidated by the court, statewide ...

As of the late night news, the Oregon Supreme Court has placed a stay on the 8th judicial district court opinion while the case is reviewed in appeals court.

 

Legal representation for the plaintiffs has stated that the "religious rights of Oregonians have been trampled on long enough".

[AndyID]

3 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I'm surprised you didn't mention the "warm sound" of vacuum tube amplifiers as well.

 

But we should stipulate that there can be a real difference between encoding for audio CDs and MPEG derivatives like mp3.

 

Quite so, but that's simply a question of bandwidth. Flanders and Swann had it right

 

I'm afraid I'm becoming vehemently opposed to anything that smacks of anti-science. Science got us where we are today but it seems to be fashionable to deny it. I'm becoming more militant as I get older.

[AndyID]

10 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

As of the late night news, the Oregon Supreme Court has placed a stay on the 8th judicial district court opinion while the case is reviewed in appeals court.

 

Legal representation for the plaintiffs has stated that the "religious rights of Oregonians have been trampled on long enough".

 

What was I just saying about anti-science?

 

(Although in this case it's politics trying to hide behind religion.)

Edited May 19, 2020 by AndyID

[Ozexpatriate]

2 minutes ago, AndyID said:

What was I just saying about anti-science?

The case was heard about 40 miles (as the crow flies) from the Idaho state line.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

All this talk of visiting Sister Drac...my surgery sent me a letter to arrange an appointment in March. I did try but...and now..zilch..i have even checked on line. Looks like they are busy doing something but nothing to do with diabetic testing. Never mind..it will happen sometime.

 

We seem to have had somerain overnight.  The gardens needed it.  Having fitted a replacement blade to the lawn mower (that was fun...not) it is now cutting lower than before. I await the scarifier belt then a longer attack on the moss in the lawn will take place.

 

Today is smalljobcatchupday. Hopefully this will leave me time to finish some muddling tasks.

 

Stay safe...get the most you can from Tuesdays!

Baz

[AndyID]

Just now, Ozexpatriate said:

The case was heard about 40 miles (as the crow flies) from the Idaho state line.

 

I'm not in the least bit surprised!

 

However Idaho is (was?) the fastest growing state.  I suspect the changing demographics are causing a bit of angst in the good 'ole boys. The increasing tax revenue is great but who knows who all these dang furners will vote for?

[Ozexpatriate]

1 minute ago, AndyID said:

I suspect the changing demographics are causing a bit of angst in the good 'ole boys. The increasing tax revenue is great but who knows who all these dang furners will vote for?

The same thing is happening in Arizona. Pundits are starting to call Arizona "purple".

 

Is there much discussion of the "Greater Idaho Movement" in Idaho?

[AndyID]

40 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

I'm surprised you didn't mention the "warm sound" of vacuum tube amplifiers as well.

 

 

That's 'cos the valves get bloody hot  

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

Just for a change I'm going to be a wee bit controversial here.

 

There seems to be a lot of total bullcrap subjective opinion flying around that somehow tunes impressed on a hot piece of crappy plastic (probably vinyl) are by some magical process superior to tunes encoded by some high-resolution digital process. I'm an electronic engineer and as far as I'm concerned that's equivalent to saying that penicillin doesn't actually kill bacteria.

 

I suggest that those who think vinyl is superior to digital encoding are inhaling the fumes from the dust burning on their EL84s.

 

Please carry on

But man, just don't give me those negative waves.

 

Everyone knows vinyl is so much superior; you just can't get the sound of cooking bacon from a CD, however hard you try.

 

(Unless it's one of a recording of cooking bacon)