Secret Serviceman leaves his gun in the lavatory.

On Mitt Romney's chartered campaign plane no less. 
Wow!
I have NEVER left a gun anywhere it doesn't belong.  Where does Secret Service find idiots like that?  I used to think Secret Service was fairly competent.  Apparently they have been taking lessons from BATF.

Ann Romney at the convention

I stayed up to watch the convention last night.  Ann Romney gave a moving speech.  She was posed; I mean speaking in front of a stadium full of people on national television is not easy.  She looked good, wore a good red dress and little jewelry.  She spoke with a carrying voice, enunciated her words clearly, and came across as a forceful hardworking decent woman.  She spoke of her husband, from her heart.  Since the Romney's have been married 43 years, her words carried conviction.  She spoke of her husband's love, and decency, and competence in an utterly convincing way.  I think she did Mitt a lot of good last night.  She impressed me. It makes me think more of Mitt to know that he is able to win and keep the love of  this fine woman. 
    Chris Christy spoke next, he was good, inspiring, and got a lot of applause.  But I think Ann's speech was more effective.  She done good for an amateur going up against a professional. 

Get the lead out

Aviation gasoline still contains lead.  Older engines need lead in the fuel to extend the life of the valves.  Lead does something magical to valve seats allowing better heat transfer from the hot valve to the cooler valve seat.  Detroit did something to automobile engines to cope when lead was banned from motor gas.  Aviation engine makers have not, as yet. 
  And leaded avgas is running short.  Some places are charging $22 a gallon for it. So Cessna is now offering a diesel engine in their Skylane 182.  Which works, but the price seems high.  The standard Cessna 182 lists for $398,100 with full avionics.  The diesel Cessna will cost $515,000   Which is a lot for an ordinary four place light plane that has been in production since 1956.  I suppose the full avionics, auto pilot, and GPS run the bill up some, and you can probably wheel and deal and get some kind of discount, sort of like buying a new car where nobody pays sticker price, but still a lot of money.

Polarized. Really?

Political pundits keep referring to our current situation as "polarized".  Usually after some bill they favor is defeated in Congress.  But is "polarized" the right word? 
   In electronics (my old day job) a part was "polarized" if it only went into the circuit one way round.  When a polarized part was inserted backward bad things happened, up to and including fire and explosion.  By analogy, taking the word from the electronics world to the pundit world, a "polarized" Congress ought to mean a Congress all pointed in the same direction.  Like wise for  an electorate.
   In real life, the Congress and the electorate are split, 50-50 on a lot of important issues (president to elect, taxes, spending, wedge issues).  When the pundits wail about nothing getting done, it because neither side has the votes to ram their policy down the throats of the other side. 
   "Divided" is a better description of the current state of affairs than "polarized".

Eleanor Clift on the McLaughlin Shouting Match

They were discussing matters in Mexico, the drug wars, immigration, and the new president-elect.  Eleanor mentioned  "The recent discovery of oil has helped Mexico."  Recent?  The Mexicans have been pumping oil for the last hundred years.  They created Pemex in 1938.  That's recent?
   Of course Eleanor works for Newsweek magazine, which is doing so well that they decided to stop printing the magazine, merge with The Daily Beast and become a pure web site.  Real commercial success that is.  I wonder how much Eleanor's learned writing had to do with that.
  

Anne Kuster on WMUR this morning

She is telling whoppers on TV.  She says seniors are repelled by the Ryan medicare plan.  Really?  Especially as the Ryan plan calls for seniors, (55 and up) to receive current medicare, no changes.  Where as Obamacare takes $716 billion away from medicare and gives it to newly entitled Obamacare recipients.
  Then she slams her Republican opponent, Charlie Bass, for accepting oil company money and voting in an oil company tax break.  Of course she never mentions just which oil companies are doing the contributing and never mentions just what act of Congress gave the oil companies their tax break.  Come to think of it, somebody has been running the same attack ad on the Internet.
   The WMUR host never did ask Kuster about out of state PAC money paying for those attack ads on Charlie Bass. 

Pill prices decline

Went down to Walmart's yesterday to refill my various prescriptions.  Best news, Plavex is down to $7.68 for 90 days worth.  A year ago it was $150.  Let's hear it for coming off patent.