2 Down, 1 to Go

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Phil Kadath

Yesterday was my SpeechComm101 final. No results yet, but since it was 40 vocabulary questions and 10 T/F questions, I’m not worried.

Saturday was my Psych100 final. Bombed hard, but did every ounce of extra credit during the quarter and she graded on a curve, so I’m still golden so far.

Friday was my GMAW 3G  (MIG vertical plate) test.

Nailed it!

Finished plate.

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Post bend

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The best root ever. Or, weld is stronger than the foundry steel.

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Got my practice plates cut for today. Might test on my 4G (overhead) cert tomorrow. Or Thursday.

BTW, here is my bent plates from my SMAW 3G (Stick vertical) test I wrote about here and forgot to post.

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I have one more final test on weld specifications due by Thursday that I’ll probably knock out tomorrow afternoon.

Stressful? Sure. But that prospective employers won’t let me take their welding tests with my hand screwed up is the worst bit.

Posted in Kewel! | 2 Comments

No, that’s not extortion at all

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Phil Kadath

In the Obamanation

FEMA to States: No Climate Planning, No Money

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making it tougher for governors to deny man-made climate change. Starting next year, the agency will approve disaster preparedness funds only for states whose governors approve hazard mitigation plans that address climate change.

This may put several Republican governors who maintain the earth isn’t warming due to human activities, or prefer to do nothing about it, into a political bind. Their position may block their states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA funds. Over the past five years, the agency has awarded an average $1 billion a year in grants to states and territories for taking steps to mitigate the effects of disasters.

“If a state has a climate denier governor that doesn’t want to accept a plan, that would risk mitigation work not getting done because of politics,” said Becky Hammer, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s water program. “The governor would be increasing the risk to citizens in that state” because of his climate beliefs.

The policy doesn’t affect federal money for relief after a hurricane, flood or other disaster.

Yet.

This is the same as Homeland Security denying funds to governors for not drawing up and implementing a civilian firearms registration scheme.

Posted in Evil walks the earth | 2 Comments

Trading in

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Phil Kadath

One kind of “fire” for another.

Pittsburgh – The Boilermakers Local 154 made an offer Tuesday in Braddock that about 30 people could not refuse. In exchange for turning in their guns, no questions asked, people were given tokens to begin a six-month training program in welding.

For the price of giving up a firearm, participants in Guns for Opportunity will get training in a trade that can lead to almost immediate employment once the person is fully certified. Since the training typically costs thousands of dollars and can mean a good job, the deal can have a much bigger payoff than gun givebacks that offer gift cards.

The Boilermakers Local 154 also sweetened the deal by waiving high school diploma or GED requirements for admission, eliminating a barrier for many young, unemployed and underemployed people.

I still don’t like “gun buy-back” programs. But at least this one can’t be sold for a buzz.

Posted in Life in the Atomic Age | 2 Comments

Speaking of New Jeeps

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Phil Kadath

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Not sure how they’re going to work this Chief-redux on the Wrangler chassis, but it’ll probably be OK if it’s not to original scale. Either way, I’ll be watching.

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Posted in Kewel! | 1 Comment

Stuff and Stuff

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Phil Kadath

It’s sad. I have stuff to write about, but no time because of the end of quarter happenings.

Here is some music instead.

I’m having to burn these 30-60 minute long DJ mixes onto CD’s until I get time enough to put a stereo head that’ll take thumb drives into the new Jeep, Grimm.

Anyway, enjoy.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Opposite

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Phil Kadath

Of “Community Investment”.

Ferguson Home Values are Plummeting, Residents are Feeling the Pain

The average selling price of a home in the city has been on a steady decline since the shooting of Brown last August, according to housing data compiled from MARIS, an information and statistics service for real estate agents. Prior to Brown’s death, the average home sold in 2014 was selling for $66,764. For the last three and a half months of the year, the average home sold for $36,168, a 46 percent decrease.

The trend has continued on through this year, with the average home selling for only $22,951 so far in 2015. Another negative indicator: in the eight and a half months leading up to Brown’s death, the average residential square foot in 2014 was selling for $45.82. In the eight and a half months since Brown’s passing, the average residential square foot in the city has sold for $24.11. That’s about a 47 percent downtick in one of real estate’s core indicators.

“This is not normal for the region,” says Crista Patton, a local REMAX real estate agent who helped get these numbers for Fusion. “Last time I pulled up numbers like this for a neighborhood around here, we were seeing the market going up,” she says. “In St. Louis in general, the market is going up, and as a whole it’s almost completely recovered from the recession.”

This is your property values on Federal Government Promotion of Racial Hatred.

Posted in The Government is Not Your Friend | 2 Comments

Sliding scale for traffic violations?

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Phil Kadath

Yet another reason to hide your income for the government.

Reima Kuisla, a Finnish businessman, was recently caught going 65 miles per hour in a 50 zone in his home country—an offense that would typically come with a fine of a couple hundred dollars, at most, in the U.S. But after Finnish police pulled Kuisla over, they pinged a federal taxpayer database to determine his income, consulted their handbook, and arrived at the amount that he was required to pay: €54,000.

The fine was so extreme because in Finland, some traffic fines, as well as fines for shoplifting and violating securities-exchange laws, are assessed based on earnings—and Kuisla’s declared income was €6.5 million per year. Exorbitant fines like this are infrequent, but not unheard of: In 2002, a Nokia executive was fined the equivalent of $103,000 for going 45 in a 30 zone on his motorcycle, and the NHL player Teemu Selanne incurred a $39,000 fine two years earlier.

So the police can pull up your approximate income from their onboard computers? Isn’t that wonderful. Another reason for anyone who works hard and earns hard to not live there.

The link goes back to The Atlantic. The writer of the article thinks this is a grand idea. Why am I not surprised?

Posted in Order of the imperial upraised middle finger. | Leave a comment

Protection for the Most Vulnerable

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Phil Kadath

Any reasonable person would likely list pregnant women and women with an infant or toddler in tow as some of the most vulnerable members of society.

Melody Lauer is a mother of three AND a gunnie, so she might know a thing or two about how to safely carry around “the chillens”.

Most parents would do anything to protect their baby, including owning a firearm. Now, one Iowa woman is doing what she can to make sure those that do own a weapon know how to handle them properly around their children.

Melody Laurer, a mother who has worked concurrently at a parenting center and at a gun store, has started a workshop at Crossroads Shooting Sports in Des Moines. She says she saw a spike in terms of parents purchasing guns to protect their children, but never had a dialogue or tutorial on how to handle them.

“We have seen a huge insurgence in young mothers, mothers of young children, wanting to get into firearms. And what’s happening is we don’t have instructors that are addressing their needs. So they just do it. They don’t do it right and then they end up having an accident,” said Laurer.

Laurer’s not an advocate for or against guns, merely knowing how to use them. Her class on carrying a baby with a concealed weapon has been met with a lot of intrigue.

Tis a pity that folks on the left are already mad at her for breeding past a limit they deem acceptable. They also think she should sit down, shut up and be ok with the possible victimization of herself and other parents.

Posted in Have Gun, Will Travel | Leave a comment

A test so easy

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Phil Kadath

Even a progressive could pass it.

From CATO.

Seriously, someone who wouldn’t give individuals at least half of the powers of self-determination listed on this test is a totalitarian who should really seek therapy for their ambitions.

Posted in The Government is Not Your Friend, The Left is Never Right | Leave a comment

Not Funny Sunday

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Phil Kadath

Nothing caught my eye this week, so how about some general goings on news instead?

Spent Friday afternoon with my instructors and about 20 of my fellow students at Kvichak Marine Industries where they’re looking for a goodly number of welders who can work in aluminum to build items such as this.

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I was astounded to see that only one other student besides myself brought their resume with them. Their lack of forethought should be to my benefit though. I’m hoping for a call in the next couple days and that I can schedule a test with them on Friday.

I took three of my fellow students up in the new ride, which has been named Grimm.

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Hauling four full-sized adults in comfort across multiple urban environs test: Passed with flying colors.

Side note: This will be the license plate frame

PLATE FRAME 1

Had a problem with my vertical GMAW (MIG) root passes not getting perfect fusion on my practice plates last week, so I switched techniques and will weld and bend more practice plates tomorrow and hope to test on that on Tuesday. If I get no call from Kvichak this week, I will hopefully test out on overhead MIG by Friday. If I do get a call, I’ll be spending a day and a half or so in an aluminum MIG booth for practice before their test.

That’s about it for me. Hope all is well with you all.

Posted in Life in the Atomic Age | 2 Comments