A return to our roots in these parts, with a nod to the old Julian calendar, I'm celebrating Saturnalia around December 25. The Romans did things the right way I'd say, so let's get back to basics. A return to making Latin compulsory in schools should soon follow. That is if we had any sense.
Io! Saturnalia
December 24, 2017
December 22, 2017
UN Vote
The numbers are in and the UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly against President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel. What took my attention was the Israeli Ambassador using a prop, a replica of a 2,000 year old coin from the region:
https://worldisraelnews.com/danon-presents-replica-1st-century-coin-un-stressing-ancient-jewish-ties-jerusalem/
http://www.jewishpress.com/wp-content/uploads/Danon-exhibits-ancient-coin-at-UNGA-218x150.jpg
Isn't this a rather weak argument from Israel? I think that argument must go along the lines, because there were Jews in the region 2,000 years ago, that means the modern state of Israel gets to do whatever it likes with the city today. Which of course is nonsense, there is a thing called International Law you know.
Now Israel might have a claim if they could show an unbroken chain of governance stretching back that far. But wait, they can't, as any student of history will tell you about the first and second Roman-Jewish wars which the Romans won. They sacked Jerusalem and threw out the Jews, most becoming slaves. If we follow Israel's logic the rightful owners of Jerusalem is Italy, as the legitimate descendants of Rome. But wait, there's more, the Romans lost Jerusalem in the 7th century, so that would mean Turkey gets Jerusalem, according to the Israeli logic. Do you see? The argument as put just doesn't hold water.
So what now? Unpalatable as it may sound, my suggestion is for Palestine and the other states that surround Israel to either win some wars, or give up and trade Israel into oblivion. What are Arabs good at? They're traders first and foremost and good ones. But if going to war then make sure you win it as the winner gets to write the history. Oh no? Oh yes, what we know of Carthage and Troy comes only from the victors at the end of the day. Israel for its part could see the writing on the wall, observe the UN Resolutions and stop relying on the US to back it up as the US will just as soon throw them under the bus when it suits.
https://worldisraelnews.com/danon-presents-replica-1st-century-coin-un-stressing-ancient-jewish-ties-jerusalem/
http://www.jewishpress.com/wp-content/uploads/Danon-exhibits-ancient-coin-at-UNGA-218x150.jpg
Isn't this a rather weak argument from Israel? I think that argument must go along the lines, because there were Jews in the region 2,000 years ago, that means the modern state of Israel gets to do whatever it likes with the city today. Which of course is nonsense, there is a thing called International Law you know.
Now Israel might have a claim if they could show an unbroken chain of governance stretching back that far. But wait, they can't, as any student of history will tell you about the first and second Roman-Jewish wars which the Romans won. They sacked Jerusalem and threw out the Jews, most becoming slaves. If we follow Israel's logic the rightful owners of Jerusalem is Italy, as the legitimate descendants of Rome. But wait, there's more, the Romans lost Jerusalem in the 7th century, so that would mean Turkey gets Jerusalem, according to the Israeli logic. Do you see? The argument as put just doesn't hold water.
So what now? Unpalatable as it may sound, my suggestion is for Palestine and the other states that surround Israel to either win some wars, or give up and trade Israel into oblivion. What are Arabs good at? They're traders first and foremost and good ones. But if going to war then make sure you win it as the winner gets to write the history. Oh no? Oh yes, what we know of Carthage and Troy comes only from the victors at the end of the day. Israel for its part could see the writing on the wall, observe the UN Resolutions and stop relying on the US to back it up as the US will just as soon throw them under the bus when it suits.
December 19, 2017
UFO Investigation
Now we have official recognition of UFO sightings.
http://www.dw.com/en/the-us-pentagons-secret-investigation-into-ufos/a-41830522
The way I see this kind of thing is like this:
1. The Russians must have some scary technology, or
2. There's a lot of things happening in our atmosphere we just don't understand yet, or
3. People can do some clever tricks with cameras, or
4. The USA has some scary technology that it doesn't even tell its own military about, or
5. Some private individual has invented some clever stuff and not told anyone about it, or
6. There really are some unexplained or unexplainable extraterrestrial happenings.
On that last one, how come these extraterrestrials don't make contact? And once detected and they leave Earth, why can't we track them to see which direction they head? And once these intruders are out there and they hit their warp drive (or whatever you want to call it), how come we can't observe that too?
Okay so depressing thought of the day; we need to get over it, right now, as things stand, we're alone in the observable universe. This is not to say that there has never been other intelligent life, or that there won't be after we're gone, but right now we're it. At least that's my guess. But heh, I like to speculate along with everyone else.
http://www.dw.com/en/the-us-pentagons-secret-investigation-into-ufos/a-41830522
The way I see this kind of thing is like this:
1. The Russians must have some scary technology, or
2. There's a lot of things happening in our atmosphere we just don't understand yet, or
3. People can do some clever tricks with cameras, or
4. The USA has some scary technology that it doesn't even tell its own military about, or
5. Some private individual has invented some clever stuff and not told anyone about it, or
6. There really are some unexplained or unexplainable extraterrestrial happenings.
On that last one, how come these extraterrestrials don't make contact? And once detected and they leave Earth, why can't we track them to see which direction they head? And once these intruders are out there and they hit their warp drive (or whatever you want to call it), how come we can't observe that too?
Okay so depressing thought of the day; we need to get over it, right now, as things stand, we're alone in the observable universe. This is not to say that there has never been other intelligent life, or that there won't be after we're gone, but right now we're it. At least that's my guess. But heh, I like to speculate along with everyone else.
December 15, 2017
Sand Wars
I watched the documentary Sand Wars on al Jazeera recently, it was interesting but ultimately came up short, and that's because the documentary lacked balance and became emotive.
I know something about sand. Some may call me an expert on the subject but I wouldn't go that far, I'd call myself a specialist. That said there are several things to consider about sand and where to find it, how to process it. Sand is critical for construction, the oceans, and our coastlines. We can't have a civilisation without sand and our environment is jeopardised if we extract too much ot it. So what is the answer? That's what I'm going to deal with here:
1. Natural or Man-made?
The above documentary never once considered quarried rock being transformed into sand. They did have someone at an aggregate trade show or conference saying that all the natural deposits of sand and gravel had been taken away. That is nonsense.
There is a rule in the sand business; first find a natural deposit. This can be quite difficult as a lot of factors need to be considered when searching for a suitable extraction pit. Such things as distance to market or end-user, ease with which the resource can be extracted, the physical properties of that resource having a bearing on just how much processing is involved, water sources and so on. But increasingly regulation and the NIMBY effect come into it as well. There is a lot of natural, clean sand out there, you're just not allowed to touch it because of that last factor.
So what now then? You have to manufacture that sand at your already operationally consented rock quarry. This is not an easy exercise and involves complex machinery which can be very expensive. Even when set up the end-product can be of much lesser quality than the natural equivalent. It doesn't have to be, but man is fallible and they don't always get it right.
Is sand running out? The short answer is No.
2. Sand from the Sea or Beach.
This is generally not the answer as salt comes with the sand. Sand dredged from below the sea is not as heavy with salt as beach sand is, but this source of sand still requires further processing, or thorough washing before it can be used in construction. The documentary said that buildings in Tangiers may fall down because they're built with sand from the sea. If the sand is salt ridden then the structures would be weakened over time due to the rusting of the reinforcing steel inside the concrete. The buildings would be fine if that sand had been washed sufficiently or simply came within specification without further processing.
How much sand comes from dredging operations? Much less than you're led to believe. Ships are a pain in the arse and you can't see below the water. Even land based dredging from wet pits or lakes is thwart with difficulty. I've seen the figures on this and sand dredging is still the little bedfellow on the block in terms of the whole.
3. Recycling and Blending.
Not just glass, but concrete can be recycled also. Valuable sand and other aggregates can be re-extracted. This extends the life of existing in-ground resources. But also overlooked is blending the sand. That is, taking some man-made, some natural and maybe some recycled resource and blending them together. A pugmill or similar process can do this most effectively.
4. Concrete
There are few alternatives to this amazing stuff called Portland Cementous Concrete. Our world does not function without it and we have got to learn to manage it. People talking about straw bale houses is not the answer. Yes we can use wood and steel and such but what the Romans knew all along and the rest of the world woke up to in the nineteenth century is that Concrete is the answer. If in doubt concrete it.
If you have a sand deposit and don't know what to do with it, or need help in any way, then please contact me using the contact form on this page. I'm here to help.
I know something about sand. Some may call me an expert on the subject but I wouldn't go that far, I'd call myself a specialist. That said there are several things to consider about sand and where to find it, how to process it. Sand is critical for construction, the oceans, and our coastlines. We can't have a civilisation without sand and our environment is jeopardised if we extract too much ot it. So what is the answer? That's what I'm going to deal with here:
1. Natural or Man-made?
The above documentary never once considered quarried rock being transformed into sand. They did have someone at an aggregate trade show or conference saying that all the natural deposits of sand and gravel had been taken away. That is nonsense.
There is a rule in the sand business; first find a natural deposit. This can be quite difficult as a lot of factors need to be considered when searching for a suitable extraction pit. Such things as distance to market or end-user, ease with which the resource can be extracted, the physical properties of that resource having a bearing on just how much processing is involved, water sources and so on. But increasingly regulation and the NIMBY effect come into it as well. There is a lot of natural, clean sand out there, you're just not allowed to touch it because of that last factor.
So what now then? You have to manufacture that sand at your already operationally consented rock quarry. This is not an easy exercise and involves complex machinery which can be very expensive. Even when set up the end-product can be of much lesser quality than the natural equivalent. It doesn't have to be, but man is fallible and they don't always get it right.
Is sand running out? The short answer is No.
2. Sand from the Sea or Beach.
This is generally not the answer as salt comes with the sand. Sand dredged from below the sea is not as heavy with salt as beach sand is, but this source of sand still requires further processing, or thorough washing before it can be used in construction. The documentary said that buildings in Tangiers may fall down because they're built with sand from the sea. If the sand is salt ridden then the structures would be weakened over time due to the rusting of the reinforcing steel inside the concrete. The buildings would be fine if that sand had been washed sufficiently or simply came within specification without further processing.
How much sand comes from dredging operations? Much less than you're led to believe. Ships are a pain in the arse and you can't see below the water. Even land based dredging from wet pits or lakes is thwart with difficulty. I've seen the figures on this and sand dredging is still the little bedfellow on the block in terms of the whole.
3. Recycling and Blending.
Not just glass, but concrete can be recycled also. Valuable sand and other aggregates can be re-extracted. This extends the life of existing in-ground resources. But also overlooked is blending the sand. That is, taking some man-made, some natural and maybe some recycled resource and blending them together. A pugmill or similar process can do this most effectively.
4. Concrete
There are few alternatives to this amazing stuff called Portland Cementous Concrete. Our world does not function without it and we have got to learn to manage it. People talking about straw bale houses is not the answer. Yes we can use wood and steel and such but what the Romans knew all along and the rest of the world woke up to in the nineteenth century is that Concrete is the answer. If in doubt concrete it.
If you have a sand deposit and don't know what to do with it, or need help in any way, then please contact me using the contact form on this page. I'm here to help.
December 14, 2017
Charles Barkley Saying It
Charles Barkley backing Doug Jones for the Senate seat in Alabama. He totally Rips Roy Moore and Steve Bannon, well said Mr Barkley:
December 06, 2017
Stop Banning Russia
It has to stop. Banning Russia from Olympic competition is a bad idea. Russia and all Russians take sport seriously and they're not going to just lay down. Face facts people, all countries conduct doping of their athletes, all that is being proven right now is that Russia is behind the latest technology. That's all, so bring them up to speed fast and we can all go back to enjoying their talent along with all the other pharmaceutically enhanced specimens from the rest of the industrialised world.
Of course the current ban on Russia from attending the Winter 2019 Olympics is political. It's designed to show Russia who is in charge, payback for countless perceived wrongs whether that be in Syria or the Crimea, the Ukraine, wherever. Of course Russia will retaliate in their own time and in their own way, why stir them up? It makes no sense to me.
Of course the current ban on Russia from attending the Winter 2019 Olympics is political. It's designed to show Russia who is in charge, payback for countless perceived wrongs whether that be in Syria or the Crimea, the Ukraine, wherever. Of course Russia will retaliate in their own time and in their own way, why stir them up? It makes no sense to me.
December 01, 2017
America First
I've just thought of a new conspiracy theory. Someone else may have come up with this, sorry if this has been thought of before, but this is my original. Okay? Here goes:
Donald Trump is looking to get himself fired, impeached, stood own; whatever it takes to be deposed. What he then intends doing is setting up a rival party to the GOP called America First or similar, run along far right lines. This would explain his re-tweets of the Britain First deputy leader's tweets. He'd then promote this new party through social media and Fox. A chilling prospect but not inconceivable.
What do you think?
Donald Trump is looking to get himself fired, impeached, stood own; whatever it takes to be deposed. What he then intends doing is setting up a rival party to the GOP called America First or similar, run along far right lines. This would explain his re-tweets of the Britain First deputy leader's tweets. He'd then promote this new party through social media and Fox. A chilling prospect but not inconceivable.
What do you think?