Obame vs McCain, Style versus Substance

Watched Obama and McCain on Fox News this morning. McCain is advocating real policies, like cutting off gasoline imports to Iran. Obama is denouncing McCain as "the Bush third term". McCain is telling us what he would do if elected. What is Obama telling us, other than he doesn't like President Bush?

Basement train layout. First track down

Milestone reached in layout construction, I put down the first lengths of flex track last night. All the benchwork for the round-the-walls layout is up. Made the shelf brackets, the plywood tables, found the studs, sank the drywall screws thru the brackets into studs. Shelves made up from 1/2" plywood and 1*4 lumber, glued, sanded, painted to match the room. A layer of 2 inch blue foam cut to fit the shelves, beveled, and stuck down with latex caulk. Came out level, all way round the room, and doesn't sag anywhere. Awesome.
I wanted roadbed that would take track nails, and that means wood. Plywood is too hard, the glue layers will bend the track nails. Cork is too soft, the track nails pull out.
To get 1/4" wood for the roadbed, the newly acquired Craigslist bandsaw was able to resaw ordinary 3/4 inch pine into 1/4 inch slabs. Used a sharp blade, widest the machine will accept (1/2" for my saw). Made a fence from 3/4" plywood and c-clamped it to the bandsaw table. Feed slowly. A new blade will cut straight without drift. Straight and standard curves are simple to cut. For the fancier trackwork, easements on curves, turnouts and such, lay out the track full scale on poster board. Then cut the track shape out with sissors and use as a template.
Once cut, bevel the edges with a router, mounted in a table. Made my router table up from scrap plywood and except for amplifying the scream of the router, works well. Stick the newly made roadbed down with PL300 Foamboard adhesive. $2.99 a tube at the hardware store, and it says "Foamboard compatible" right on the tube. You get 10-15 minutes of working time, and then it needs over night to harden. Weighted the roadbed down with the usual assortment of heavy objects from the shop Paint cans, tool boxes, vise, etc.
Once dry, a sharp plane will level the joints between the pieces of road bed. I decided against using the belt sander 'cause it cuts awful fast, and throws sawdust everywhere.
Started laying track at the turnouts. Used 1/2" twist drill to bore a hole for the under table switch machine (Tortoise) operating rod. The twist drill makes a clean hole thru the pine road bed, the foam subroadbed and the plywood foam backing. I don't recommend a spade bit for this trick. Since the turnouts need to be accurately centered over the operating rod hole, nail them down first and cut the rest of the track to fit. Pine roadbed loves track nails, I can push them in with long nose pliers and they stay down.
At this rate, I might be able to run a train in a week or so.

Allstate & State Farm want US taxpayer subsidies

The insurance companies that take a bath after each serious hurricane now want Uncle Sam to "re insure" them. When an insurance company is unsure of the odds of Katrina sized losses, they purchase an agreement with very wealthy people. In return for steady monthly payments the wealthy re-insurers promise to pay off in the event of major disasters. Since the Hurricane Andrew, 9/11 and Katrina losses, private re insurance policies have become very expensive. Now the homeowner's insurance companies and the state of Florida want Uncle Sam to re insure them. Good old generous Uncle Sam will offer lower rates, which will cut the home owner's insurance rates in Florida.
Why Florida? That's the state that gets hit regularly by hurricanes. Up here in New Hampshire, we don't have hurricanes, and our home owners insurance is cheaper 'cause the insurers know they won't have to pay off a Katrina sized disaster. Florida home owners pay more because the insurer's know they will have to pay hurricane claims sooner or later. Now the insurance people and the Florida people want my tax dollars to make it cheaper to live in Florida. The federal "re insurance" will be cheaper than private "re insurance" only because Uncle can pay off with tax money.
It's nice to live in Florida ocean front house. No doubt about it. But, it's riskier than most other places in the country. Let those that enjoy the ocean front homes pay for the risk. Why should taxpayers all over the country cough up money to subsidize Florida ocean front property?

New Walmart up here

Walmart just opened a new superstore in Woodsville, 25 miles from here. Driving back from White River Junction, I just had to stop and see what it offered. It's big, a supermarket joined onto a regular Walmart. The supermarket prices were no better than Mac's Market here in Franconia. The merchandise was about like Walmart's anywhere, low cost, adequate, but unexciting.
Had to wonder about the siting, so close to the Littleton Walmart. It's going to take business away from the Littleton store. Littleton is a reasonable location, right at an Interstate exit, in the commercial center of northern NH. Everyone up to the Canadian border comes down to Littleton to shop. Woodsville is on an obscure secondary road, in a tiny town. The only thing it has going for it is the Vermont border. Vermonters shop in NH 'cause we are a no-sales-tax state. Question, is this new store, only 25 miles from another Walmart, in a thinly populated rural area, going to increase Walmart sales over all, or it is merely going to rob sales from an established store? I'd love to see the internal Walmart studies of the profitability of the Woodsville site.

Global Warming

Ray Suarez on the Newshour did a long piece on a "new" study of global warming. A U of Maryland professor talked, and talked about dreadful consequences. In a good five minute talk he did not mention a single number. Things were going to get bad, but he did not offer any numbers to tell us how bad, how soon, or how certain.
William Thompson, Lord Kelvin once said " When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; "

Ray asked his guest how his team had come to their fairly predictable conclusions. Answer: We reviewed the published literature. That's a real confidence builder. The published literature is vast and supports every conceivable viewpoint. Most likely this team included articles that agreed with their preconceptions and ignored articles that they disagreed with.

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull

Just got back from seeing same. Good flick. As good as the original three, after a 20 year lapse. Harrison Ford looks a bit older, but still handles the daring do. The rest of the cast is good too. Lots of good action scenes, lots of good sight gags. It's pulling a good crowd, theater was full on the third night in a small town.
Disregard the negative reviews that have been circulating on the web. This movie does exactly what an Indiana Jones movie ought to do, and does it just the way the first ones did. Much better than the add on Star Wars movies did.
Indiana Jones is his old self. He picks up a teenage side kick who gets good lines, and acts them well. There is an evil villian, played by Cate Blanchett with style and dash. It's a corny role, but she handles it properly. The special effects and stunts are lavish and good.

Border Patrol Checkpoint in I93

Driving down I93 I encounter a big flashing sign "Be Prepared to Stop". The south bound lane is blocked, Blue cop car lights are flashing. So as a good law abiding citizen I slow down and take my place in line. A Border Patrol officer asks if I am a US citizen, I reply "Yes Sir" and he waves me right thru. I must have looked respectable, driving a decent looking sedan with in state plates, and speaking with an American accent.
Wonder what happens to scruffy teenagers in beatup vans? With accents? Is a US driver's license good enough to keep them out of trouble? What happens to passengers without driver's licenses.
This roadblock was a hour's drive south of the Canadian border.