Live Wire for the Memphis IN crowd

We're coming up on Election Day quickly, already a record number of people have turned out to vote in the early election. That means everyone should hurry up and get ready to vote. If you don't vote, don't complain, you HAVE to vote to complain, and as Americans we should exercise that right to vote. Right? WRONG.  We all have the right to play the piano, we all have the right to fix our cars, does that mean everyone SHOULD play the piano, and everyone SHOULD fix their cars? Trust me, if you heard me playing the piano, you would regret telling me I should. I know there area few people out there fixing cars, that,... well, they should just hand over the wrench to someone else. The fact of the matter is, just because you have the right to do something, doesn't mean you should feel obligated to do it. I am registered to vote, and this is my first election. Will I be voting? No. Does this mean I forefeit my right to complain about the next president? No.  I have read up on the candidates and followed the election, however, I'm not voting because none of the candidates fit the bill in my opinion, and why should my right to complain be forfeited on January 20th, 2009 because I didn't like any of the candidates? Also, voting, we're talking about serious business here, you're picking the next person who gets to "point-and-shoot",  you shouldn't be encouraging people to vote when they have no idea what is going on, a common example is that having people vote when they don't fully grasp the concept of what is occuring is the same as getting the homeless guy on the street to do brain surgerey on your brother. Now, voting can't quite be as complicated as brain surgery right? Sure, any 5 year old can put a name on a piece of paper and drop it in a box, but does that mean that they should be voting?  Well, we don't let 5 year olds vote because they don't know what's going on, and just because you are 18, or 81 does not mean you know what's going. Add on to this that, "Couldn't my vote decide the difference between who is president or not?" Again, if you believe this, then guess what you shouldn't be doing? VOTING.  To begin with, for it to make a difference not ONLY would your state have to be EXACTLY divided 50/50  BUT your state would also have to be THE state that decides the election. Remember Gore Vs Bush anyone? I'm only 21 and I know I do, who was it that had the most popular votes? OOOH that's right, it was GORE.  Who was it that WON?  Bush anyone? How'd that happen? Oh yeah, ELECTORAL COLLEGE...
So now, not only do you disagree with all of the candidates, have no idea how to perform brain surgery, and don't forget, your vote doesn't REALLY matter, why should you still vote?

In October 2005the "Memphis Belle" B-17 was sent to the National Air Force Musuem due to lack of proper funds for it restoration in Memphis. Well, when my grandfather retired from the Navy , he started teaching Aircraft Maintenance at a tech school here in Memphis.  Before the Memphis Belle was moved to Mud Islland in 1987], he supervised the restoration of the Memphis Belle. Growing up all my life, I've been facinated by airplanes, the "Memphis Belle" inparticular because of my grandfather's involvment with it. Also I've been doing lots of truck and car work recently [ starting in 2006]. Well, I "finished" work on my truck at one point, but was then hit by a drunk driver which damaged the bed of my truck, so I started with just putting mud on it and trying to get it back to where I had it, but then decided to just go all out and start a whole new project with my truck. I decided to dedicate it to my grandfather [U.S.N. Ret AMC Martin] and the men who fought in WW II, as well as do something different than everyone else, so now I'm building my truck to resemble the B-17 "Memphis Belle", and seeing as how I finally got the paint job rolling along after coming back from the navajo nation, I thought Id share. So following is a link to my photobucket with pictures of the truck where it's at as of 6 this morning and also with pictures from the Navajo Nation for those who were asking for them ...[ Sonny, lol]

http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc319/WireBiterMonke
y/

and wiki Belle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Belle_(B-17)

Howdy all, I'm out in Rough Rock Arizona helping to restore the trading post out here and thought I'd check in and see how everyone's doing. And to ask for a bit of help.
I'll be cooking my first whole hog for a few of the navajo families for the 4th of July. I've already got a pit designed and started. I'm looking for a little help on the recipe for my rub though if anyone here's good with that sorta thing.
Here's what I've got so far [parts is teaspoons but I'll change as necessary, I usually only cook a slab of ribs, and like I said this is my first whole hog]

4 parts paprika
2 parts salt
2 parts minced onion [dry]
2 parts fresh black pepper
1 part  cayenne *will make 1/2 because it's usually a bit spicy
1 part cajun seasoning
1/2 part rosemary

I'm thinking I should add a little bit of sugar to sweeten it up, but I'm not so sure, any comments questions, suggestions and general help would be nice.
 Also what are ya'lls favorite woods to burn [ there is no cherry here]

Anyways, it's real nice out here, gets to about 97 about everyday, but feels like 75 in Memphis,  and in the 40's/50's overnight.  I'm 6500 feet on top of a mesa and can see the 4 corners when I drive to town [on a clear day]. The closest gas station is 45 minutes away and walmart is about 4 hours away and both trips can take longer because this is free range; so horses, sheep, cattle, dogs, etc. will sit in the middle of the road to take a nap. The only sounds I hear at night are the cattle walking around the trading post looking for water and wind blowing [non-stop]. And oh how I miss Memphis water. It's probably one of the few things I miss about memphis,  walking into the kitchen and sticking a glass under the tap. This area is a lot of uranium mines, so the little water they have here is pretty much non-potable [uranium, lead, and arsenic are all in the water here]. So far as crime goes, there's a few drunks here, in this part of the reservation, but out of 56 million acres the crime rate is twice the national avg. [according to a newspaper I read]  but I haven't seen anything real bad yet though. the people are mostly friendly, but like anywhere else, skin color can blind a few people.  And the sheriff wants Memphis to know that he thinks "The First 48 show is really good, and that Memphis Police must really be on top of things" I kinda chuckled a bit at that, but just told him they weren't coming back for the next season as far as I knew. Well, hope all ya'll are doing alright, and hope a few of you can help out with the recipe.

It was news to me.  I get pulled over a lot, never for my actual driving, but because my truck is in a constant state of being changed, repaired, etc. Well last Thursday, I got pulled over because my "headlights were out" never mind, they were on and I turned them off to save my battery. Never mind I just finished repairing all of the lights on my truck the day before, because of a fix-it-ticket I got for my lights. I know the drill though, license, registration, put the keys on the dash, and sit back and cooperate to get it over with. "Sir, your plate isn't coming up on the computer, let me see your registration again"  Okay, no big deal, I haven't put it up yet, before I'm even done handing the registration [It expires in May 2008, I've had it for nearly a year now] "This is fake, it's no good, I'm going to confiscate your plate, and you're getting a misdemeanor arrest" You've got to be kidding me, I've had the plate for a year now, I even had the receipt  stapled to the registration showing I payed for the plate and registration, but no matter the computer never lies, or steals. I've  been pulled over countless times, and have never had a problem with it before. I found out that the County Clerk just filed my application for registration in a no man's land box, and stopped there, so my truck was never officially registered in TN because I guess they just didn't feel like it.  When I was at the police station the day after being pulled over, trying to find out how to fix everything, I was told that the plate couldn't be located,.... it wasn't with evidence, it wasn't turned into anyone, it just disappeared. When I asked how I'm supposed to work without my truck, I was told to just take my chances.... Now, I'm not entirely sure about what is taught at police academies, but I'm not very confident they are taught to tell citizens to just take your chances driving around without a license plate,  Did I mention they are not allowed to confiscate license plates per order of some guy or another, that if they were to confiscate anything it would have to be the truck,. Now I'm nt saying I wanted them to take my truck,... but I imagine it would be harder to lose a truck than a license plate...
 I'm just a bit irked with it all.

Anyways, how's everyone else been doing? long time no talk

You may have heard that water spins counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere when it drains out of a tub or sink. While this isn't really true, it is based on some fact. An effect, called the Coriolis Effect is the effect caused because of the inertia from the earth spinning. It however is too small of an effect on your sinks and tub compared to the force created by the faucet and design of the drain. On the other hand if you have large amounts of air and water, in say a cyclone,  because the earth is not a perfect sphere, centrifugal forces are cancelled out and we are left with the Coriolis effect to spin those giant weather phenomenoms. It's a pretty neat effect, and if you're into math like me  the equations are on the wikipedia here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect

and this site gives links to funny answers regarding the coriolis effect:
http://ask.yahoo.com/20031215.html

enjoy

If your seats are starting to become loose and a bit saggy, vacuum and clean them and then try spraying them with water using one of those spray bottles [like what Windex comes in] and pointing a heat gun or hair dryer [as hot as it will get] at it. The water/heat combo will shrink the material. This is a trick upholsterers use to pull the material tighter once they've finished putting the new material  onto seats to get it even tighter.  Once you get it all nice and tight and clean, spray some fabric protector evenly on all of the seats and some neutralizer. and voila

You're kidding me right?!
I have no problem with small businesses, or entrepanuers. I am trying to get a small business started, and maybe that's what my grief with this plan is. There has got to be something wrong with supporting a business because of the race of the owner. It should not be about supporting a business because he's black, or he's white. Support small businesses because they do good work, or they are more affordable than a large business that jacks up costs. I would understand if someone told me "I'm not going to use your sevices, because I'm weary of the work you'll do, or your ethics, or personality" those are things I have control over, but if you walked up to me and said "Even though you do a better job, you are more affordable, and have a better understanding of what to do, I can't use you because you're white, and not from the inner city" I have no idea what I would say to you, but when I'm done you'll have a better reason to stay away than before. I'm sure the men in Fox's story work hard and do a good job, and THAT is why you should hire them, not because they have dark skin. There are good white people and good black people, there are bad white people and bad black people, and you should look at these small businesses as owned by a person, not a "white man out to screw me" or a "black man out to shoot me". Helping businesses because they are black, go pull your head out of your rear mayor herenton..

http://www.switched.com/2007/12/04/typewriter-mistaken-
for-bomb-shuts-down-street/

Posted Dec 4th 2007 11:19AM by Terrence O'Brien
Filed under: Computers, eBay

This may sound like a joke, but trust us, it's true. In Sarasota, Florida, streets were closed after a typewriter was reported as a suspicious package. And while many of us may not remember what one of these pre-PC word processors looks like, the senior citizens in Florida should have no excuse.

In the spirit of complete disclosure, the typewriter was inside its briefcase-like carrying-case and stashed in a locked cage under a stairwell in a county parking facility. The package was doubly suspicious since the only people with access to the cage would have been county officials.

Following standard procedure for a post 9/11, terrorism-obsessed world, the local bomb squad was called in. It proceeded to detonate the typewriter, then discovered it was just a typewriter.

Check out the gallery below so you, too, don't mistake an ancient writing tool for a weapon of mass destruction
-------------------------------
Now, maybe I'm just an odd one, but it seems to me, that at being only 20 years old, that if I've used a typewriter, how can all those old folks down in Florida not at least know what a typewriter is? The most destructive thing I can think of from using a typewriter, is dropping it on your foot, or maybe a really bad essay?

This post, really has nothing to do with much anything of importance, but I thought I'd share anyways.

As you may know from my profile, after having been in the "Navy" for only a year I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and discharged in December of 2006. Well, Saturday [the 15th] was the one year mark of being a "civilian" again for me. I use the term loosely however, because anyone who is proud of being in the military or a member of the military family will tell you, that we are all still a family of sorts. Anyways, this past year has been bittersweet for me. I've never had such a sense of belonging as I had while in the Navy, and I feel I probably never will again. On the other hand however, I've done a lot, I've gone from dumping airplane bathrooms to being publically dubbed as an ignorant racist for tying a knot. I've met some pretty intelligent people on here, to meeting some of the worst spoken fools on here. I've even recovered some skills I thought I had lost forever and gained new skills. I've also had the blessing to do some much needed road trips to Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky; and had unfortunate events causing me to miss my cousin's wedding in Florida. Most importantly though, I have learned how to take what at first glimpse seems to be a curse, and find the positive purposes that my Lord and Savior has put behind it.  Will I ever be able to figure out what he has in store for me? Maybe not. Do I know where he doesn't want me?  Well, the disqualification from a few things due to diabetes tends to make me believe, he doesn't want me in those areas, so it's a start in my search to find my true calling.

Psalms 18:2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I'm trying to come up with ideas for a prop workshop for the TN state thespian conference, I need help, if you were a high school theater student, what is something you would be interested in learning how to build or do in the properties area, in an hour time frame?
Right now I'm thinking about doing "Electrical wiring and mounting" but I want to hear some fresh ideas, if anyone has any. Fiberglassing and Sugar glass are out of the question, both are whole day, weekend projects.

Today, is December 7th, and as many of you know is known as the Date which will live in Infamy.  As we go forth about our day, and our weekends, of which many will use to prepare for the holidays, we need to take a moment to stop and reflect on this date.   Much like September 11, 2001 was compared to the work of Satan,  so was the attack on Pearl Harbor, however before deeming such acts the work of Satan, take a step back and look at the outcomes  of these acts. Petty Officer Dorie Miller, for example was a cook on the West Virginia, just like nearly all African-Americans at the time, however upon the attacks damaging his ship, and injuring his captain, he carried the captain to a first aid station and then reported to the ammunition deck. When he reported to the ammunition deck he was ordered to load the ship's anti-aircraft guns, but rather took one over and began to use it to shoot down attacking Japanese aircraft.  Later, after the attack, Dorrie Miller was awarded the second highest award in the Navy, only after the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, also as a result of Petty Officer Miller's actions, African-Americans are now allowed to enlist into the general service of the Navy.[IAll armed forces would remain largely segregated, but African-Americans could serve in other rates than mess hall attendants.]
Another positive outcome of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was something we may have noticed also on Sep. 11, 2001; a common goal across America, there was much more unison throughout, and efforts to help protect the country, and the country's pride. The American at that time was willing to give up things, to follow rations properly, to give to America, to show that we are a strong nation, and that we would not be defeated by one act against us. More importantly, however, since the end of WW2, relations between America and Japan have increased drastically, and each have forgiven the other for the horrific acts taken against each other, for the attack on Pearl Harbor, and for the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So as you go on about your day and your weekend, and you stop to listen to the news, and hear all of these events about murders and parking garages collapsing, and before you blame the white man or the black man or the asian man, for your problems,  stop for a moment and think, how much worse everything could be, that at least we have the rights and the opportunities to at least try to reach new levels, and take a moment to pray for the families and souls who were harmed by the attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941.

I try to avoid doing too much promoting, but the Poplar Pike Playhouse is having their fall play and it's coming up quickly, we've been there day and night working working working. It's a well written play about the production of a play, from dress rehearsal to a matinee to the end of the run of Nothing On. It's full of slapstick comedy [and great props if I say-so myself]. Performances are November 16 - December 8 [ I think they are only doing that one friday, and the rest are saturdays {excluding the 1st, for thanksgiving weekend]. For more information visit http://ppp.org/prod/press/00-09-Noises%20Off-press.html

 

or ask me here, Hope to see you guys there, I'm the short one..

Auto Technicians know that the key to preventing a breakdown on the road is through regular preventative maintenance.

Preventive maintenance isn't difficult, and it just requires you to monitor certain aspects of your vehicle on a monthly basis.

There's no guarantee your car won't breakdown, but if you follow these ten simple monthly maintenance techniques, you'll be much less likely to get stranded on the road.

1. Check Your Oil
Oil is the blood of your car. It keeps everything running smoothly. Make sure you always have enough oil in your car, and make sure to change your oil regularly. Most automotive technicians suggest that you should change your oil every 3,000 miles.

2. Check the Belts
Open your hood monthly and check your belts. If the belt looks like it's cracking, it's time to get a new belt. Checking your belts is easy, and it can often prevent a big problem later.

3. Change Your Coolant Every 30,000 Miles
It's recommended that you change your coolant every 30,000 miles. But if your car tends to overheat or lose coolant, you should obviously change sooner than that. Check your coolant regularly to prevent overheating.

4. Keep an Eye on Your Tires
When is the last time you've checked your tires? You should check the air pressure every month, and also look for signs of wear and tear. It's also important to have your tires rotated and balanced to ensure that each tire gets worn equally.

5. Remember Your Filters
Aside from having your oil filter changed every 3,000 miles, remember to monitor your air and fuel filters. Your air filter should get changed every 20,000 miles (but it may get dirty sooner if you've driven in a dusty area), and your fuel filter should get changed during tune-ups.

6. Watch Your Wiper Blades
Wiper blades should get changed every year. Don't wait for them to start falling apart.

7. Check Your Battery
Some batteries need to be filled with water, so make sure you have the proper amount of water stored inside. You also want to prevent corrosion on the terminals. You can easily remove corrosion with a little baking soda and water. You can also prevent corrosion in the future by adding some petroleum jelly on the terminal.

8. Examine Your Automatic Transmission Fluid
If you have an automatic car, look for the dipstick handle near the back of your engine. Make sure your car engine is on and in park when checking your automatic transmission fluid. The fluid should look pinkish and should be filled up. If you need more, simply add automatic transmission fluid down the dipstick tube.

9. Check your Brake Fluid and Power-Steering Fluid
Each vehicle is different and may have certain rules on how to check these fluids. Refer to your owner's manual to find out how to check and add more fluid.

10. Check Your Lights
Check all the lights on your car, especially your brake lights, headlights, and signal lights.

Most of the preventative maintenance techniques are easy to perform, and won't take you long. By simply monitoring these aspects of your vehicle, you'll hopefully prevent any major breakdowns on the road.

http://news.wyotech.edu/post/2007/08/strand
ed

------------

Most batteries these days aren't fluid filled,but you still check the charge on it.

I know midas will check your tire pressure for free, but something that must be done so often is worth investing in a 2 or 3 dollar pressure gauge, even though this article says once a month,... I might suggest bi-monthly . because of the road conditions/construction in Memphis.  If you don't know how to read tire sizes that is also something worth learning how to do, so you can save time and money when you need new tires, on the side wall there are some letters and numbers that you will need to know, a good article on understanding tire sizes can be found at http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?tec
hid=46

This is a story that aired on WMC 5 at 10 tonight. I don't ever watch them but my mom told me this was going to be on, I work part-time at GPAC and this is about something that happened while I was there. The reporting was lax and did nothing but give several morons from out of thin-air with no expertise in the field or situation a chance to be on TV.

Here's the story:

http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=70
19640

Here is an e-mail I wrote and sent moments later:

To whom it may concern,
I was and am completely outraged over this situation.
The 6 hangmen nooses hung from the batons of Germantown Performing Arts Center were meant in no way to be racist. As one of the employees present at the time the nooses were created, I can testify to WHY they were tied, simply to get loose line off of the stage so that it [the stage] could be refinished. I have never seen Matthew Strampe display any form of racism and of the multiple shows I have worked on with Mr. Strampe all but one focused on or revolved around African-Americans who did not publicly mention any feelings of racism towards them. The only "jokes" made while the mentioned knots were being tied focused on suicide, while being a serious issue, is NOT racist, and from this statement, I would like to challenge the NAACP or any other member of society to reveal a single race or creed NOT hurt by the hangman's noose at ANY point in history. The hangman's knot is just that, a knot, and used in such context as it was, had no attack on African-Americans, to mention such shows a contempt towards those who are not of African-American descent and proves that Americans of modern day are willing to jump to conclusions without a thorough investigation of factual events, so as to appease others whilst making defamatory judgments. Again I will publicly challenge the NAACP and all members of society to state one race to never be hurt by a knot... Is PETA going to start attacking young children who tie their shoes with the "bunny rabbit"?

*LIVEWIRE EDIT* for the Memphis-IN Crowd

I propose further questions for all of you, I want to hear your story of the cross.
I want to hear your history of the Star of David.
I want to hear what you have to say about the American flag.
I want to hear about what guns represent.
I want to hear what you have to say about chainsaws.
I want to hear what you have to say about power tools.
I want to hear about how the pyramids were built.
I want to hear how this country was established.

What does the NAACP's weight and scale symbol TRULY represent in your eyes?

I am officially demanding an explanation of the difference between tools and symbols and skills.

Hey guys, I know I've been gone for awhile [actually I've been gone longer than I thought] It's been pretty busy for me between work and school. Well anyways, I thought I'd share something I wrote the other night with all of ya.

 

Gang Wars 

    Over this past weekend, more than 100 Memphis Metropolitan gangs gathered on the south side for their “Annual Gang Wars.” This regional competition allows gangs to win first pick of “turf”, a common street name for land area, in the “Turf ‘’Holla’ back’ ” Challenge Pick. Otherwise known as, the THC Pick, this distribution system is set up similar to the NBA’s Draft, consisting of a highly complex mathematical formula that gives the contributing gangs; ranks and a place in line to claim up-front turf, based on their previous season’s turf.
    “Gang War ‘Oh Sehf’en’” was begun by the traditional “Lighting-of-the-oldest-crack-house-left-standing,” where one member from each society came peacefully to represent his respective [gang] and honor their brethren who have passed on in this honorary tradition of a show for respect amongst themselves, to forget what is important, and what seems easier. The house chosen this year was located nearer to “Orange Mound,” center stage for the events of this yearly gathering, so as to allow an advantage to those who start off with less. President of the Memphis Area Dealers and Gangsta’s (P’dent MAD G) explained earlier that this allows those with less money to have more activity to help minimize their scores, “this handicaps those men who have more clean money to support themselves. The way this works is, clean money pays for more of those corrupted cops, who drive all of the activity away into another territory which has considerably less clean money.”
    This challenging competition consists of many different events that are carried out simultaneously. Included in this great test of mind and body are some of the most common events; Automobile Post-factory-Engineering, Fabrication of Updated Filing and Identification Materials, Marksmanship, and Social Engineering. Each community is required to have most, if not all members participate in this event to help build interaction with the community and amongst each other. It also provides opportunities for these societies to recruit, allowing growth and expansion.
Winner of this years “Gang Wars” was the “Vice Lords,” whose anonymous leader mentioned that this is great opportunity and how he hopes, “those not with us, will see that by helping us [the Vice Lords] they can lead a longer, safer life. There are people here for them to back [them ]up and help them achieve power and fortunes.”