July 4th Musings

Good morning, America! Yes, we're still the greatest country on the face of the earth - despite the demolition that we are currently undergoing. This great holiday may be built upon ideals that many have forgotten or outright hate, but freedom is not something easily won or maintained. That liberty which so many Americans before us died for has often been threatened by outside and internal forces. Though these times may be troubling and dangerous, we must be confident that freedom and the American spirit shall endure.

So my fellow Patriots, enjoy this day. Spend it with the ones you love, bask in the sunshine, hold your special someone close, eat, drink, watch your goofy cousin blow his fingers off with firecrackers, wave to the ambulance as it drives him away, and go to bed remembering how lucky we are to live in this great nation.

Other random musings....

1. Did you know that in dry climates it is possible to cool your house with minimal electricity requirements? Evaporative cooling. It's a subject I've been researching lately for a project and for no apparent reason I feel like sharing. In deserts and other arid climates people can replace their standard air conditioning units with low-energy evaporative coolers (also known as "swamp coolers"). Basically the dry outside air enters the cooler and meets these saturated pads causing the water in the pads to evaporate. When the water evaporates this requires energy (in the form of heat) which comes from the air. As the air takes on water vapor and loses its own heat energy, it cools. A fan then blows the cooled air into your home. This air is actually rather humid - which many folks prefer because of comfort and its benefit to furniture, paint, etc. Also, evaporative coolers work just fine with the windows open. The result is a nice moist breeze flowing through the house. Additionally, solar panels may be used to power the cooler. While some companies have stated these coolers only require about 1/8 of the power of a standard AC unit, the use of solar power can lead to virtually free home cooling!

2. We have bald eagles still hanging around our house out here. Last week we saw two massive ones literally walking around on the ground. Until you've seen one in person, you really have no idea how HUGE these creatures are! When I saw them my first thought was - flying dinosaurs. I can completely understand how some people devote their lives to studying the many wild beasts of this world. Fascinating.

3. Last month I had the misfortune of seeing a tv performance by this abysmal band called Passion Pit. My last shreds of hope for society and our youth were dashed when I saw mindless "fans" cheering on these buffoons. For starters, the music is terrible. It's derivative of cheesy, bland 80s pop, but without any creativity or heart. The singer prances around singing in a falsetto. The whole time! He should be mocked and ridiculed for attempting to pass that off as singing! What have we come to?!?!?! These guys shouldn't be cheered, they should've been booed off the first stage they ever whined their way onto! What is wrong with our society?!?!? Bands are supposed to be cool looking, rebellious, tough, intimidating. They're supposed to write with heart and passion and creativity and experimentation! Singers should sing like men! With soul and anger and pain! They shouldn't look and act like spineless 15 year olds who do not have the capacity to ever be real men! Unless you're Robert Plant you shouldn't be singing in any range above tenor! Anyone who likes this band has been completely lulled to sleep by this society. Wake up! This is not cool - this is not real music - those are not real men - that's not singing! The thought of them having a record contract is so mind-melting that my brain has to trick itself into thinking the whole thing is some stupid joke. They can't actually be considered a real band and have real fans. No way.

alright folks...have a great July 4th! Don't let the socialists bring you down...