Tears for fears?...

Several news sites and broadcasts have focused on how Obama cried during his announcement of new gun restrictions yesterday. He started "Crying" when he thinks about the small children killed during the Sandy Hook shooting. Maybe he should focus on the murder capital his hometown Chicago has become and the small children killed there for the past 7 years. The Mainstream media continues to give him a pass and fail to ask the obvious questions...

By the time you hear about it...

Up at 5:30 am to get ready for work and already they were talking about the financial mess in China and how their stock market took a major fall. By the time I got to work I had numerous notification messages on my phone speculating as to how  our market and Wall Street would respond...

The phone started singing once the market opened and by the time I got done reading several notifications the market was down 400+ points. By the time I got to the computer to check several of the stocks I own they also took the nosedive of the New Year...

Google search "Market Crash" and numerous articles already predicting a major "Correction" and likely "Crash" sometime during 2016. There were several articles saying that there will not be a "Crash" this year and why but even they had to admit that our markets and economy has been propped up by no interest Federal Gov for years. Look long enough and you will even find the guys who will even admit that the big shots on Wall Street and other top financials guys will get theirs before the next crash. 

Consider the speed and amount of transactions performed by the computers owned and operated by the top financial institutions today and how your your 401k will be gone before you even hear about it...

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"The BIG Short" and the BIG issue...

I met Stephen Moore at a Conservative convention near Washington DC a few years back and heard him speak about what would happen if Senator Obama was to be elected and he pretty much was right on. Bought his book "The end of prosperity" and if we knew then what we know now...

He has a good piece here at Investors Business Daily about the move "The Big Short" which is out now and makes several good points.

One lesson of the real estate crash is that markets don't always work perfectly, far from it — but they work better than any alternative. It's critically important that investors, bankers, taxpayers and politicians learn why things went haywire so they don't happen again.

The new hit movie "The Big Short," based on Michael Lewis' bestselling book, is an entertaining and suspenseful reenactment of all the breakdowns in the banking and housing industries that caused the financial world to go collectively mad and the many unsavory characters.

It brings back bad memories of how symbiotic relationships among auditors, credit rating agencies, banks and insurance companies created dastardly conflicts of interest.

Very much true we need to learn from our mistakes and unfortunately we do not have a leader in the White house and in fact one who is dividing more than anything.

I've never understood why auditors and credit rating agencies work for the financial institutions, not the investors. It's like the old joke about the CEO who asks his accountant: "What is two plus two?" The accountant looks around and whispers, "What do you want it to be?"
McDonald's workers were getting half million-dollar mortgages. One Miami stripper owned five houses and had five mortgages. The credit agencies were giving triple-A bond ratings to junk mortgage-backed securities without even examining the unpayable low down payment "NINJA" (no income, no job) loans in the portfolios. These ratings were handed out right up to the very eve of the crash.

Good read and well worth the time...

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-viewpoint/122815-787087-stephen-moore-the-big-short-while-entertaining-comes-up-short-on-explaining-the-financial-crisis.htm

~2016~ will bring on many things...

The year ~2016~ will be an interesting one in many ways and largely will be what this guy attempts to do in the last year of his tenure and how the people and GOP reacts. We pretty much expect and understand that the GOP leadership will be WEAK in their reaction to any of the suspected "Executive orders" that Obama will attempt to pull but it is the reaction of the people that will count...

While doing a little hard drive maintenance I cam along some of those familiar photo "memes" that we have all seen while on Facebook and other sites and here are just a few. This is a perfect one that shows how our President really feels about our military in contrast to what he says while playing basketball and golf on the military bases he visits...

Obama's Liberal friends here in the Shenandoah Valley are quick to defend his plans to take in and care for his "Special interest" groups but yet they will not respond to simple questions such as this above. They rather attack anybody who points out these important issues...

Question the President's efforts to bring large numbers of "Refugees" from known terrorist countries and communities without any effective screening or restrictions and you are called a racist. The Liberal mainstream media has once again provided both support and coverage to the President on his actions but people know better. This is one reason why Trump and Cruz have been popular candidates for they say and do what the real American people believe...

Both the President and his enviro-maniac Democrat congress was able to kill the proposed Keystone pipeline but it did take seven years to do that. Little surprise that by killing this pipeline it continues a incredible amount of income into the pockets of a historical supporter of Obama and the Democrats....

The above photo says it all...

So does this one...

Fortunately the recent polling numbers show that more and more people are starting to show this debacle for what it really is. For decades now super computer models have been showing pending disasters, both COLD and HOT, but no actual results proving these models. COLD to HOT to CHANGE to DISRUPTION to ? next...

The efforts of a liberal education force has started to pay off after decades of teaching our students to "Feel" instead of "Think". 

"Trophies for all" and "whatever answer you feel is right" has produced a generation who has never been taught how to work or even understand what is required to "Earn" something for failure is no longer a acceptable part of growing up...

And it's not just the wing-nuts in the nations capital. Here in Virginia we have a administration that is following in Obama's footsteps by ignoring the State legislature to push their Liberal agenda. They claim to be protecting the Virginia citizens but all they are doing is taking away the rights and ability for law abiding citizens to protect themselves and family. CRIMINALS do not pay attention to laws like this...

Again. Above says it all...

How do you explain "Shadows in the rain"?...

And this guy has a substantial following and supporters. (See above Education comments and photos)...

Keep the faith Brothers & Sisters...

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Criminals DO NOT pay attention to laws !!...

Iron Artifact Preservation...

New Iron artifact recently found in the river and now making its home in the electrolysis bath for cleaning.

About a week ago I was included in a sit down with a older gentleman who described how he has used this same process on Civil War artifacts. I found it interesting when he described a published description of exact amounts and ratios to mix the solution to obtain optimal electrolysis performance. 

He then described the process that we both use to obtain Optimal performance. 

"Just keep throwing more solution in until you see the needle spike"...

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"The Voyage of Life" by Thomas Cole...

I was first introduced to the series of paintings by Thomas Cole by my cousin Paul Kovalski what must have been 25 to 30 years ago at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC..

I continue to make it a point to visit this series of paintings when in the gallery and each time I see something different in the paintings. If you are ever in the gallery get one of the handheld audio tour units in the main rotunda and be sure to visit this series.

Below is a video of this series that will describe "The voyage of life". The detail in the actual paintings is much better and well worth the visit...

Maury \ James River Batteau...

Recently while working a stretch of the Maury River I came along a Iron piece that was hollow at the large end and tapered to a point. I did not know what it was when first found but knew it was old and had been in the water for some time.

The item sat next to my chair at home for a day or two and I picked it up several times looking at the craftmanship and rust from being in the river for a extended period of time. After being out of the water the rust oxidation grew as well as small flaking of the Iron...

The stretch of river where this was found was known to be used for river transportation by barges called "Batteaus". Long flat boats that could transport loads of up to 15,000 lbs in some cases and only draw 12-15" of water. These batteaus would steer themselves down the river by use of long rudder type poles on both the bow and stern but also guided by smaller poles on the port & starboard sides also.

It is believed that the Iron point found is a tip of one of these guide poles used on a batteau. The river where it was found is all bedrock and boulder with very little sand. 

It was decided to place the Iron point into a electrolysis bath and after several days at low voltage the item cleaned up nicely. Showed the piece to Chief Diver Chet Nesley who cleaned it up some more and suggested further cleaning and then sealing it with polyurethane...

 





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"Don't have the Votes Anyway".....

Ran along several of these signs yesterday while driving the Augusta area and it reminded me of what both Emmett and another local State Senator told me recently. Both of them often come into where I work and back when they were headed to Richmond after Governor McAuliffe's use of his veto-pen, they both told me the same thing with a smile.

"Don't have enough votes anyway"...

Is what I heard from both of these Republican State Senators when we discussed several of the items that Terry-Mac used his veto pen on. Both times I got the feeling that these Senators had no interest in fighting for what the voters elected them to do and with that it's time for "Career Incumbents" to go...

Besides these signs (Poor quality and design) I have heard several times radio messages telling us how Hanger continues to fight for low spending and low taxes, and other "Conservative" issues. But yet Emmett has shown several times he is more than willing to sign up with and support the Democrats when he should be fighting for the "Conservative issues" that he claims to support during campaign time...

Truth is Emmett as well as the other State Senator will cake walk in the next election. Hanger has two GOP primary opponents that will "Split" the vote thus handing Emmett the primary election and continue his "Career" position. Hanger also has the cash that the two challengers lack and let's not forget the "Local media" that also looks out for their own interest. The voters have handed the GOP the Majority in the House & Senate both nationally and in the State of Virginia both but with "Career politicians" our conservative values and policies continue to lose ground...

Time to remove the incumbents but not going to happen this time and memory of a challenge from within his own party will be short lived for Emmett once he wins the primary.....

Pretty much says it all....