Distrust of Government Made America Great!

Here is another great message from Walter Williams. I wish every American would read it and that it would take root in their mind and heart.

http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2009/10/21/american_idea

Great New Innovations for Laying Ceramic Tile

If you are a "Do It Yourself" person like me, you should look into two new products for laying ceramic tile. The first one has been around for a while but recently their price has dropped so much that it will pay for itself with a single project. It is the Ryobi Laser Level - Model Number ELL0006, shown here. I got mine at Home Depot for $49, and I wonder how I have been able to get along without it. It can be attached to a wall with a built-in suction cup with vacuum pump, or it can be mounted to a tripod, sitting on the floor, or attached to drywall with pins (provided). It is self leveling and provides vertical and horizontal adjustment. It projects red laser lines vertically, or horizontally, (or both), on walls, ceilings, floors, and any combination of the above. Prior to getting my Ryobi Laser Level I was snapping chalk lines on the floors and walls, even though they quickly got covered by Thin-Set. I use it to level tiles on opposite walls in a room and project lines on the floor up onto walls. The laser is powered by separate AA batteries than the vacuum pump since their power demands are vastly different. A friend of mine was laying tile around an island on the floor in his family room and he said that when the tiles met after passing around the island, it was a perfect match thanks to the laser level.

The second item I recently discovered is the lightweight Easyboard from CustomBuildingProducts.com. Use it instead of the heavy, and difficult to cut, cement backerboard. The stuff costs $1 - $2 more per sheet, but once you have discovered the benefits you may never go back, even if your poor assistant is the one who carries the backerboard up the stairs to the job site. I have found three main benefits from Easyboard; 1-It is very lightweight (I carry over 15 sheets myself), 2-It is extremely easy to cut (almost like bulsawood), and 3- It allows you to use pins or small nails to temporarily hold tiles in place when doing walls.

As a teenager I used to work for a stone mason and he taught me how to hold large stones in place on a wall until the cement set. He would attach a tiny wire to the wall and wrap it around the stone. Once the cement had set, we simply snipped the wire at both ends leaving no trace. I use that same principle when attaching heavy tiles to the wall. I simply push a small nail into the Easyboard and remove it after the Thin-Set has hardened. The nail holds the tile in place and is easy to install and remove by hand, leaving no trace.

These two new products along with my $200 Ryobi Diamond Saw (which paid for itself in two weekends) have greatly lightened my work load as I have spent the past month working to remodel our upstairs guest bathroom.

When I am finished the job, I will post a photo of the finished product.

F-22 Raptor

This is one beautiful and very impressive airplane!

Government Enforced Water Conservation Programs Cause Water Mains to Rupture!

What happens when the government imposes forced water conservation on a city with aging water pipes?

You guessed it!

The reduced water demand increases the amount of water in storage tanks and increases the pressure of the water in the water distribution system. And guess what happens then?

Right again!

Water pipes are breaking all over the place!!

This past month in Los Angeles alone, there were at least a half dozen water mains that ruptured causing giant sink holes and flooding. These large pipes deliver thousands of gallons of fresh water per minute. It often takes more than an hour to get the water turned off, as well. One such break recently released more than 90,000 gallons of fresh drinking water before authorities could get it turned off.

And the cost of wasted water is nothing when compared to the property damage and the cost of clean up and repair.

So what is the solution?

Should we stop conserving water so that the water pressure in the pipes goes down?

Can we afford to repair all the city's water pipes?

Stay tuned for the next chapter in the continuing saga as California conserves water to protect the Sacramento Delta Smelt fish.
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Orson Wells - "The Greatest Song"

Here is one of Orson Wells' best. Enjoy!

Which Chili Pepper Is The Hottest?

There are many opinions on the subject of chili pepper strength, and which chili is the hottest. Many of these opinions are based on taste tests and some on actual test data. One of the most popular and accepted scales for measuring pepper strength is the Scoville Scale shown here in the Chile Heat Chart. The scale is named after its inventor, Wilbur Scoville, and measures the hotness of a chili pepper as defined by the amount of capsaicin it contains. On the Scoville Scale pure Capsaicin has a rating of 15 million. The hottest chili pepper is the Bhut or Naga Jolokia (a.k.a. Ghost Pepper) with a rating of 1 million. Law Enforcement Grade pepper spray has a rating to 5.3 million.

Here are several interesting facts about the chemical Capsaicin. First, the highest concentration of Capsaicin is found in the white pith around the seeds inside peppers. It is interesting to know that birds do not have the receptor in their bodies to which Capsaicin binds, so that they are not affected by the seeds they eat. In fact birds are the chief means of distributing pepper seeds as they pass harmlessly through their digestive tract.

Cold milk is the most effective solution against the burning caused by Capsaicin. A cold sugar solution is also effective. Capsaicin is used in many topical ointments used in the medical field to reduce pain in muscles and joints, and is available in large bandages that can be applied to the back. It is interesting to know that the American Association for Cancer Research has shown that Capsaicin can kill prostate cancer cells. Studies in Japan and China have shown that it also inhibits the growth of leukemic cells. A study at the University of Nottingham suggests that it can also be effective in the treatment of human lung cancer. Another interesting suggestion was made to use Capsaicin to prevent the abuse of drugs that are crushed and snorted. The idea is to add Capsaicin to those drugs so that if used properly there is no ill effect. However, if the drug is crushed and snorted, injected or chewed, the abuser would be in for a surprise. Clifford Woolf, a professor at Harvard Medical School joked, “Imagine snorting an extract of 50 jalapeño peppers and you get the idea”!

Everyone is familiar with the use of Capsaicin in Pepper Sprays used for riot control and personal defense. The chemical can also be used to control mammalian pests such as squirrels and rabbits.

Whatever your appetite for chili peppers with their numerous varieties and Scoville ratings, remember to use them safely, as you enjoy one of nature’s greatest products.