Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Happy poetry of love and real life in 1916



I wish to God I never saw you, Mag.
I wish you never quit your job and came along with me.
I wish we never bought a license and a white dress
For you to get married in the day we ran off to a minister
And told him we would love each other and take care of each other
Always and always long as the sun and the rain lasts anywhere.
Yes, I'm wishing now you lived somewhere away from here
And I was a bum on the bumpers a thousand miles away dead broke.
I wish the kids had never come
And rent and coal and clothes to pay for
And a grocery man calling for cash.
Every day cash for beans and prunes.
I wish to God I never saw you, Mag.
I with to God the kids had never come.

—Carl Sandburg



Sunday, November 25, 2012

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Aussie tax dollars at work



Government studies and analyses: well worth the time and money.

(Australia division)

I found the following during my daily surf, and it was so exciting and valuable I could never forgive myself if I didn't share it with that important part of the world who reads my posts.


2002 Nov;33(6):523-31.

An analysis of the forces required to drag sheep over various surfaces.

Source

School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences, University of Ballarat, PO Box 663, Ballarat, Victoria 3353, Australia. j.harvey@ballarat.edu.au

Abstract

Some occupational health and safety hazards associated with sheep shearing are related to shearing shed design. One aspect is the floor of the catching pen, from which sheep are caught and dragged to the shearing workstation. Floors can be constructed from various materials, and may be level or gently sloping. An experiment was conducted using eight experienced shearers as participants to measure the force exerted by a shearer when dragging a sheep. Results showed that significant changes in mean dragging force occurred with changes in both surface texture and slope. The mean dragging forces for different floor textures and slopes ranged from 359 N (36.6 kg) to 423N (43.2 kg), and were close to the maximum acceptable limits for pulling forces for the most capable of males. The best floor tested was a floor sloped at 1:10 constructed of timber battens oriented parallel to the path of the drag, which resulted in a mean dragging force 63.6N (15%) lower than the worst combination.

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So let it be written. So let it be done.
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"Up rode the squatter stockman, mounted on his thoroughbred

Down came the troopers ONE TWO THREE!"

Listen to Jimmie Rodger's 1960 version of WM here.

Read two amazing lucid and literate old posts about Aussie definitions in this song:

One.

Two.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Raging at the dying of the light


All my heros are on Social Security now. Holy Mackeral.

I grieved when they turned 60. 62. 65.

Hell, I grieved when they turned 30.

Then Ringo turned 70. So did Bobby Dylan.

Who turned/turns 70 this year? Lots. The calendar says...

Country Joe McDonald
Woodstock. Gimme an "F".

Marty Balin
Jefferson Airplane. Punched out a Hell's Angel at Altamont, on the trailer with the Stones, remember?

Graham Nash
Can't say anything bad about Nash. Nobody can.

Corey Wells
Three Dog night's three lead singers ALL turned 70 this year.

Carole King
I forgive her for marrying Neil Sedaka because she wrote the Tapestry Album.

Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith
Davy Jones will never see 70. And I'm sorry.

Aretha Franklin
Sigh.

Roger McGuinn
'S true. "McGuinn and McGuire, justa catchin' fire, in LA - you know where that's at..." You remember Roger - he's the Byrd who didn't father/donate to Ethridge's child or have a liver transplant.

Paul McCartney
Ok, he was never my hero, but still.

Brian Wilson and Al Jardine both
Jesus Jesus Jesus!

Gary Pucket. Johnny Rivers.

I can live with that.

But

Petula Clark turned 80 today.

Not a rocker, but still, You know? huh?

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Attacking cows


From an old post to a photography forum by a Russian lady, commenting on the original poster's photos of cows in a pasture, including wet noses close up:

"Nice images, but I won't go near those type of cows. The one day I was minding my own business walking through the woods. I stumble upon a farm, from a distance I saw those cows (at first I thought they were bulls (some did have horns). Well they only way out of the farm was to walk right passed these cows. They all stared me down and walked very quickly towards. Good thing there was a fence, otherwise I might not be here today."

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Commenting was now disabled on that rather old post, but someone should have enlightened the city girl a bit. Such as:

"The cattle were coming toward you because cows are preoccupied with food and humans are associated with food. Humans might give grain or hay, which is a pleasant change of pace from simply grass all day. What would have happened had you not run away and there had been no fence? Probably nothing if they were cows or steers. They would have probably stopped at a safe distance and waited for you to produce food. And if you didn't? Would they attack you in anger? No, most likely they would have lost interest in you (when they realized you were useless) and simply ambled away. P.S. - The girls might have horns too, depending on the breed, if someone hasn't cut them off. That's not how you tell if it's a bull."

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Silent Cal


President Calvin Coolidge didn't have much to say. When he did speak, however, it was usually worth listening to. Think Harry Truman, only with an education and the ability to bite his tongue.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
—Calvin Coolidge

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Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.

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There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no one independence quite so important, as living within your means.

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Duty is not collective; it is personal.

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No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.

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Any man who does not like dogs and want them about does not deserve to be in the White House.

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I have noticed that nothing I never said ever did me any harm.

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They criticize me for harping on the obvious; if all the folks in the United States would do the few simple things they know they ought to do, most of our big problems would take care of themselves.

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Little progress can be made by merely attempting to repress what is evil. Our great hope lies in developing what is good.

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The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge, it is always simple and direct.

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I sometimes wish that people would put a little more emphasis upon the observance of the law than they do upon its enforcement.

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It takes a great man to be a good listener.

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No man ever listened himself out of a job.

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We draw our Presidents from the people. It is a wholesome thing for them to return to the people. I came from them. I wish to be one of them again.