Current Events

[al Hartman]

   ...tree huggers (the spikes they drive into them kill the trees...)

     Yeah, they just love those trees to death!!!

P.S.-- Happy Earth Day!!!

[vernecarty]

I've never built a house without a termite shield beneath the sill plate. 

Good man!
We had a job last Summer in which carpenter ants wreaked havoc.
If the wood is not protected from moisture you  are asking for real trouble when it comes to carpenter ants.
We had to jack the house up and replace one of these load-bearing plates!
Talk about a royal pain in the - you - know  -where!
We kept telling the old guy what a huge favor we were doing him and he did not seem to get it.
I finally told him to get on the phone and call up any general contractor and get an estimate or two on what it would cost to fix his problem. He got very guiet after that. Some people...!
Hey Dan, do any of your suppliers up North have fir at a reasonable price?
Verne

[al Hartman]

FYI:


Talk Show Host Goes To Iraq
Rusty Humphries

April 18, 2005 |

Well, today is the day.  After 5 months of off and on planning, thousands of dollars in equipment and camping gear, I'm going to Iraq.  I will be the first nationally syndicated radio talk shot host to broadcast from Iraq, (Rush went to Afghanistan.)  I must be honest, the idea of going is exciting but I only found out two days ago a "possible" itinerary, which by the way, first night - "Sleep in Fallujah."   Fallujah, FALLUJAH?  What's next, overnight at the home of an insurgent just to "get to know the enemy?"  Actually, I want to go to the hot spots.  I really want to know the truth of what is going on in Iraq.  Everyday I hear conflicting reports, we're losing the war … no, we're winning the war.  The Iraqi's love us … no, they hate us.  Turn on the nightly news or Air America radio, (not that anyone does) and you'll hear a litany of the evils of our President, our country and our troops, it's sick.  But there's the thing, what if they're right?  What if  the anti-everything crowd was right and our soldiers shouldn't be there? 

My father, Capt. Gary D. Humphries was killed in Vietnam on Jan 26th 1969, I was 3 years old.  My whole life I've had lousy teachers, and other jerks tell me "Your daddy died for nothing!"  I didn't believe them then, and I don't believe them now.  However, I didn't have a talk show host or a reporter who went to Vietnam to come back and tell me and my family what was really going on there.  That's my mission, to go to Iraq, clear my mind of any pre-conceived notions and report back to you what I really see and hear.  Most reporters have a bias when they report and they aren't honest with their audience.  They hide their opinions in the news and slant it so you don't know where the news ends and their opinion begins.  I'm a red, white and blue, flag waving, God Bless America, BBQ eatin', conservative Christian.  Not a favorite when it comes to the mainstream media.  Now that that's out in the open, I'm telling you I'm still not going to spin the truth.  While I'm a big supporter of military and the President, I won't be a water carrier for anyone.  My only objective is to work for what is in the best interest of The United States of America.  If that means that President Bush or Harry Reid has a good idea, or that Air-America is right then that must be reported.

I'll be in the War Zone for about 10 days.  Iraq, Kuwait, Arabian Gulf are some of the stops I have been told I'll visit.  My family and friends think I'm crazy for going (my daughter Karaline is only six months older than I was when my father got killed.)  It's only those thoughts and comments that have made me a bit nervous.  My mind has been racing, I've always been the kind of guy that jumps at a chance, gambles on my career but now I have a family and I think of Jeffery Ake, the contractor who's been kidnapped in Iraq.  What must that be like for his family? Please God, I don't want to put my family through that.  And if I was to fall into the hands of evil, will I read their messages like a scared puppet, (like that commie reporter from Italy) or will I stand up, spit in their face and take their punishments like a man?  I pray it won't happen but if so, I plan on the latter.   

I will send back my thoughts and observations, (as often as possible, I will be in a war zone after all) here to townhall.com and you can see my pictures and hear an audio blog on my website at www.talktorusty.com.  I also understand it's the military's job to make things look good.  I will be talking to the guy on the street, the man in the market and so on.  What do they think of you and me and do they understand the gift of freedom they have been given, or are we just wasting our time?

Rusty Humphries has been ranked by Talkers Magazine as one of the Top 10 most listened to talk-radio hosts in America.  He will be sending his thoughts of Iraq and the Middle East to townhall.com.

[enchilada]

Hey Dan, do any of your suppliers up North have fir at a reasonable price?
Verne

I get my lumber at dunbar in Vancouver BC.  I havn't checked the prices lately, but here's a link if you want to checkemout: http://www.dunbarlumber.com/

Replacing a sill plate is a lot of work that requires a lot of skill. Sounds like you're a very skilled builder, willing to take on challenging projects that others would cower at the thought of doing.  

The cost of lumber has skyrocketed this past few years.  I've been considering using light gage metal for my next house project.  But I don't know about the total cost yet.  I understand it's very popular in the southern states due to the huge cost of timber.  My favorite building material is concrete, particularly post-tensioned (PT) concrete, where high strength encapsulated cables are placed along with the rebar in parabolic drapes concaved downward (frown) over the column and upward (smile) at midspan with the anchorage at one end at middepth and the pulled end of the cable at middepth at the opposite end, then after a week or two of curing the cables are pulled to a specified amount and the slab lifts a little and the forms are removed.  For a regular slab to span 30ft, you need at lease 12" thickness with drop panels over the column...but with PT, a 7.5" thickness would suffice and without the drop panels..  Very popular in commercial construction, but highly rare in single family construction.  Righ now, I'm working on the design of a 50 story condo in Vegas, all concrete with post tensioned slabs, about 8" thick with some cantilevering almost 8-10'.  The owner will have the top two floors to himself and his wife (40,000 sf) with a 34' square swimming pool at the 49th floor so they have a place to stay during a their few visits to that city (tough life).  I figure that if PT is good for that building, then it should be good enough for a two story single family residence.  The cost per sf is minimal (just a little more than wood) but the freedom in form and appearance can be spectacular.  The only problem is that it requires special skill to build, but I figure that if you can replace a sill plate in an existing house, then you are qualified.


Al, Happy Arbor Day too!  It was nice to discuss greenhouse issues with you.  We should talk about other things, like acid rain, asbestos scares, and other such delightful subjects.

Dan

[vernecarty]

I get my lumber at dunbar in Vancouver BC.  I havn't checked the prices lately, but here's a link if you want to checkemout: http://www.dunbarlumber.com/

Replacing a sill plate is a lot of work that requires a lot of skill. Sounds like you're a very skilled builder, willing to take on challenging projects that others would cower at the thought of doing.  

The cost of lumber has skyrocketed this past few years.  I've been considering using light gage metal for my next house project.  But I don't know about the total cost yet.  I understand it's very popular in the southern states due to the huge cost of timber.  My favorite building material is concrete, particularly post-tensioned (PT) concrete, where high strength encapsulated cables are placed along with the rebar in parabolic drapes concaved downward (frown) over the column and upward (smile) at midspan with the anchorage at one end at middepth and the pulled end of the cable at middepth at the opposite end, then after a week or two of curing the cables are pulled to a specified amount and the slab lifts a little and the forms are removed.  For a regular slab to span 30ft, you need at lease 12" thickness with drop panels over the column...but with PT, a 7.5" thickness would suffice and without the drop panels..  Very popular in commercial construction, but highly rare in single family construction.  Righ now, I'm working on the design of a 50 story condo in Vegas, all concrete with post tensioned slabs, about 8" thick with some cantilevering almost 8-10'.  The owner will have the top two floors to himself and his wife (40,000 sf) with a 34' square swimming pool at the 49th floor so they have a place to stay during a their few visits to that city (tough life).  I figure that if PT is good for that building, then it should be good enough for a two story single family residence.  The cost per sf is minimal (just a little more than wood) but the freedom in form and appearance can be spectacular.  The only problem is that it requires special skill to build, but I figure that if you can replace a sill plate in an existing house, then you are qualified.


Al, Happy Arbor Day too!  It was nice to discuss greenhouse issues with you.  We should talk about other things, like acid rain, asbestos scares, and other such delightful subjects.

Dan

Paul Hohulin is the one with the real skill. I hand him what he needs and keep an eye on the books! 
Thanks for the link. PT concrete sounds like it would be great for hurricane country. We have also been very impressed withe the styrofoam forms and are thinking about trying to get a franchise. It sounds to me like you are a heavy hitter...fifty stories huh?
Verne

[moonflower2]

Gus Hansen wins in Vegas.

[editor]

Gus Hansen wins in Vegas.

   Do you follow poker?

Gus Hansen frightens me.  It's almost as if he knows what cards are coming.....all the time.

Brent

[enchilada]

Paul Hohulin is the one with the real skill. I hand him what he needs and keep an eye on the books! 
Thanks for the link. PT concrete sounds like it would be great for hurricane country. We have also been very impressed withe the styrofoam forms and are thinking about trying to get a franchise. It sounds to me like you are a heavy hitter...fifty stories huh?
Verne

Styrofoam forms are great.  I like to spec them out whenever possible because they save the client a lot of money: no forms to dispose, good insulation, easy and fun to work with.  Like building with giant lego blocks.  The only thing to be concerned with is blowout from a high pour, but there are a few tricks available resolve that one.  If you run into any questions, let me know via email.

As far as being a hitter, no.  As a structural engineer, the size of the project is related to the performance of the economy.  After things wind down, it'll be strip malls on the tables again.  The real hitters are the developers behind the projects, especially the owners of the vegas tower.  They deserve their success after enduring severe risks that only their kind are willing to take.  I'd rather crunch their numbers for a small salary while building modest houses on the side.
Dan

[moonflower2]

  Do you follow poker?

Gus Hansen frightens me.  It's almost as if he knows what cards are coming.....all the time.

Brent

That's exactly what one losing player said as he stood up to leave when Hansen got 3 clubs on the flop.

My kids tell me about poker, but this is the first time I've seen Hansen play. They say he's a mathematician, but if he is like a couple of women I worked with, who wear pentagrams ( ), he may well know what is coming ahead of time. There is an awareness about them and a false "intelligence" that is creepy. It's more of a prescience that they attribute to intelligence than an actual IQ intelligence.

In order to figure out what they are up to, you have to think the same way they do. But I would think that Hansen's opponents would have already figured this and him out.

[al Hartman]

from the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (April 23) - It may seem like Sen. Bill Frist has found religion in recent weeks. At least, that's what critics say about the Senate majority leader's recent alignment with social conservative groups on high-profile issues.

Their charge is that Frist is playing to religious groups to gather support for political issues - and potentially for a future presidential race.

The Tennessee Republican took some heat when Congress stepped into a legal fight over the life of a brain-damaged Florida woman last month. The critics have grown louder since he agreed to participate in an event on Sunday organized by Christian groups trying to rally churchgoers to support ending the judicial filibuster.

"He seems to be going out of his way to pander to the radical religious right leaders," said Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way, a liberal group that has worked to block several of President Bush's appointments to the courts. "Many people have commented that it seems to be commensurate with his aspirations to be president of the United States."

Sunday's event, organized by the conservative Family Research Council, will be in a Louisville, Ky., church and broadcast across the country. Fliers for "Justice Sunday" charge the filibuster is "being used against people of faith."

Frist's office says he plans to submit a four-minute videotape with the same Constitution-focused message he has given other groups.

But his participation has raised loud protests. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it sent Frist a petition Friday signed by 20,000 people asking him "to abandon such dishonest and irresponsible tactics that politicize faith, abuse power and drown out the voice of ordinary Americans."

The leaders of several nationwide denominations on Friday joined the chorus urging Frist to reconsider his participation in the event. Among them was the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Frist's denomination.

Most people said Frist has the right to join Christian groups or ask for their backing on important issues but called the rhetoric surrounding Sunday's event inflammatory.

"His presence is giving credibility to people who have made a stark political issue a litmus test for judging religion," said C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Washington-based Interfaith Alliance and the pastor of a Louisiana church.

Frist is a conservative who has consistently supported the type of issues that rally right-leaning Christian groups. He was a leader of the opposition to gay marriage, and when he laid out an agenda on the first day of the 109th Congress in January, he mentioned "marriage, families and a culture of life that protects human dignity at every stage of development."

A Frist spokesman said the Constitution has been the senator's constant concern during the filibuster fight, and his position on Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman, was "clear and consistent" throughout the debate.

But some say there's been a shift in his focus.

"If you think about Bill Frist since he was majority leader, his strong suit was his intersection of science and medicine ... and his rational good government," said James Hudnut-Beumler, dean of Vanderbilt University's Divinity School and a scholar of American religious history. "I think that's still there, but to lead on a national stage, you have people who press you to come out on other issues and fronts."

Frist has said he will give up his Senate seat when his term ends next year, but he hasn't answered - or discouraged - speculation that he will run for president in 2008.

Luis Lugo, director of the nonpartisan, non-advocacy Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, said religion and religious groups are crucial factors for any candidate, Democrat or Republican.

"Any politician ... who aspires to public office ... has to come to terms with the fact that religious conservatives are a critically important part of the Republican Party," he said.

Tapping into the political force of a religious group, however, can be a divisive process when closely held moral values are at stake. The filibuster debate comes up at a time when the nation is vociferously arguing over whether to trust "activist" judges.

"It's a little bit of a third rail," said Hudnut-Beumler. Frist is "hoping to draw some power from it. Electric trains do draw power from the third rail, but people sometimes do get electrocuted."

Frist belongs to Presbyterian churches in Washington and Tennessee, has taken medical mission trips to Africa and other parts of the world, and is a regular at the National Prayer Breakfast. And even critics say it isn't possible to discern a person's true faith.

But Gaddy said he is concerned about "the transition from religion as a source of values and wisdom, to religion as a strategy for passing legislation or winning an election."

"I don't judge people's motives," he said. "If Sen. Frist sees this as an essential step in launching a presidential campaign, he's more involved in a stumble than a step."

[editor]

That's exactly what one losing player said as he stood up to leave when Hansen got 3 clubs on the flop.

My kids tell me about poker, but this is the first time I've seen Hansen play. They say he's a mathematician, but if he is like a couple of women I worked with, who wear pentagrams ( ), he may well know what is coming ahead of time. There is an awareness about them and a false "intelligence" that is creepy. It's more of a prescience that they attribute to intelligence than an actual IQ intelligence.

In order to figure out what they are up to, you have to think the same way they do. But I would think that Hansen's opponents would have already figured this and him out.

What makes Hansen so good is that he plays "bad" cards.  He does this at the right time, and gets "lucky" with them, other times he makes bold, maniac bluffs with nothing, and on top of that he seems to get premium cards more than anyone else.  In short, no one knows what he has, and he is impossible to read.

I predict that in the next few months his winning streak will end.  You can't defy the laws of probablility forever!

As for your pentagram wearing co-workers, some people are so aware of their surroundings, and have the ability to read people so well, it seems like they have supernatural powers.  I'm not sure this is always the case, I think of the animals moving to high ground before the tsunami and things like that.  There are other types of intelligence besides IQ, as you pointed out.  Some people seem to have this more than others.

Poker runs through Gus Hansens blood and nervous system, he is so familiar with cards, and probably can smell excitement when one of his opponents gets a good hand...who knows?  All I know is that he's amazing.

Brent

[moonflower2]

What makes Hansen so good is that he plays "bad" cards.  He does this at the right time, and gets "lucky" with them, other times he makes bold, maniac bluffs with nothing, and on top of that he seems to get premium cards more than anyone else.  In short, no one knows what he has, and he is impossible to read.

I predict that in the next few months his winning streak will end.  You can't defy the laws of probablility forever!

As for your pentagram wearing co-workers, some people are so aware of their surroundings, and have the ability to read people so well, it seems like they have supernatural powers.  I'm not sure this is always the case, I think of the animals moving to high ground before the tsunami and things like that.  There are other types of intelligence besides IQ, as you pointed out.  Some people seem to have this more than others.

Poker runs through Gus Hansens blood and nervous system, he is so familiar with cards, and probably can smell excitement when one of his opponents gets a good hand...who knows?  All I know is that he's amazing.

Brent

Okay for the explanation of Hansen, a mathematician, a big bluffer, the game runs in his veins and he gets the cards. I only brought the pentagram issue up because you said that Hansen's ability to see the cards coming frightened you.

But have you ever been around someone who is into what is involved with the reason for wearing a pentagram? They are into evil. Mediums have an uncanny ability to read people, too.

The ones I worked with didn't seem to have a conscience in the way we would think of it. One couldn't stand to hear the name of Jesus. They seemed to thrive on making the other person look bad in any way that they could: The old trick of blowing up a tiny piece of truth into becoming something that wasn't true in the end?

There is much more going on with this group than merely wearing a pentagram ring or necklace, and since mediums have this ability to read people, we can assume that one who is connected to the same connection that mediums have, will also have this ability to a lesser or greater degree.

As far as animals go, there are physical changes going on in the earth even before the cataclysmic event occurs. Water drains in the opposite direction it normally does, for one thing. Isn't it said that there are magnetic events that bats are sensitive to? There have got to be magnetic changes going on before and after any earth-moving event. There are probably slight movements in the earth that animals are sensitive to that even our instruments can't pick up.

Some of us can read people and events better than others, sometimes only because of getting to know the bad side of human nature and the behavior that goes along with it, and sometimes because of the spritual connection that we already have with the person.  But there is a movement today, that wasn't around in such an obvious way in the past, and that IS frightening.

[Mark Kisla]

Styrofoam forms are great.  I like to spec them out whenever possible because they save the client a lot of money: no forms to dispose, good insulation, easy and fun to work with.  Like building with giant lego blocks.  The only thing to be concerned with is blowout from a high pour, but there are a few tricks available resolve that one.  If you run into any questions, let me know via email.

As far as being a hitter, no.  As a structural engineer, the size of the project is related to the performance of the economy.  After things wind down, it'll be strip malls on the tables again.  The real hitters are the developers behind the projects, especially the owners of the vegas tower.  They deserve their success after enduring severe risks that only their kind are willing to take.  I'd rather crunch their numbers for a small salary while building modest houses on the side.
Dan

Hi Dan,
What is you opinion of  using Precast concrete foundation walls in a home building application ?
Thanks

[vernecarty]

The ones I worked with didn't seem to have a conscience in the way we would think of it.

This can be dangerous for someone who does not understand this. The tendency for most people is to want to explain and point out to the person what is, (to them), so obviously wrong with what they are doing.

One couldn't stand to hear the name of Jesus. They seemed to thrive on making the other person look bad in any way that they could: The old trick of blowing up a tiny piece of truth into becoming something that wasn't true in the end?

This is a certain sign of defilement. The matter of deliberate repetition of that which they know to be false and misleading is common among this type. Satan is the father of lies. They will even talk about God. But they wil skirt or prevaricate when it come to the Lord  Jesus Christ Himself. The way a person talks about, and or respond to queries concerning the Blessed Son of God is the shortest, best route to getting insight to where they are spiritually.

  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.  1 Cor 12:3

The problem is that some people think blasphemy has to be explicit. It usually is not, but rather implicit. It is akin to your thought about taking something with a litte bit of truth, and perverting it so as to induce a false conclusion.

There is much more going on with this group than merely wearing a pentagram ring or necklace, and since mediums have this ability to read people, we can assume that one who is connected to the same connection that mediums have, will also have this ability to a lesser or greater degree.

 But there is a movement today, that wasn't around in such an obvious way in the past, and that IS frightening.

This kind of spiritism is not uncommon among professing Christians who wear this thing like a badge of honor.
They are dangerous and should, humanly speaking, frighten you.
I don't mind telling you Moonflower, what you are talking about will make most people scratch their heads.
Don't sweat it - to each according to the measure of grace...

[summer007]

Being that it's Passover week I was invited to a Kosher Sedar 2nd night at Temple. It was wonderful to be with God's precious people and learn more about my Jewish roots. What a Blessing. They are more open then ever to Christians its amazing. Just thought I'd share the Good-News.  (to the Jews I became as a Jew...Apostle Paul)   Summer