Rix's Rants ; Views on how the world REALLY works.

Our pioneering new form of Government:  'Corp-ocracy' or rule by the soulless corporations. A democracy is run by its populace. Oh, we still have elections to pick the man of one party or the other to be the 'talking head' of our government but influence over lawmaking has been transferred out of the hands of the public. In the light of history of politics this is a fairly new phenomena.  Up to now a plutocracy - government run by the wealthy few is the closest model to this.  Our own government has become a corp-ocracy because it is primarily motivated and influenced, if not actually run, through businesses whose overriding interest is profit. Those influences come from huge financial gifts that have become the hallmark of political campaigns and from the use of high priced professional lobbyists who gain access to our politicians and government regulators - neither of which are tools available to most citizens. The larger and more powerful the corporation, the more power and influence it can exert. The largest of these make their wealth by exploiting extracted resources at the cost of environmental quality.

Voting:  'Who d'ya think will get the election' frequently comes up, lately. I'm always amazed when I realize that the person to whom I'm talking is revealing a betting or investing strategy for his voting. "It would be irresponsible to waste my vote on someone who doesn't have a realistic possibility of winning" I hear. That's a 'stock' picking strategy not a technique to select a leader. I forecast that either McCain or Obama will win the election and that the Libertarians or Ron Paul don't have a 'realistic possibility' of winning. If McCain or Obama were stocks I'd say that the fortunes of either of those guys were going UP and to buy (probably both) into them. To vote for a tribal leader - which comes up every four years, the candidates with the better ideas rise from small starts. Make no mistake - when the smaller guy is rising - people notice. Vote for them. Go on record that their values are YOUR values. The vast bulk of barely aware joe-sixpacks will be the LAST block to wake-up and see what's going on. Don't worry about being a 'joiner' into THEIR group. Future leaders will always be heard from in the minority at first. You don't want your vote to be wasted, you say. So you're going to vote for McCain or Obama even though you're not in agreement with the 'bigger government' and 'more handouts' policies they both espouse? That's PRECISELY a wasted vote. I just wish the Libertarian and Ron Paul groups could combine so that their totals would be bigger and more accurately reflect the number voters who want LESS intrusive government, smaller government, cheaper government. If those are YOUR values and you vote McCain or Obama - THAT'S a wasted vote.

The probable return of steam and Stirling engine cars  These vehicles have their 'issues' to overcome - start-up wait time, limited MPG - but they don't have to run on gasoline, nor diesel, ethanol, kerosene. They can run on coal, straw, sticks, logs, pickets from the fence alongside the road, 'road apples' from the horse and buggy ahead of you... or any or all of them - truly a multi-fuel system. Why not? It's a do-able idea? If YOU build one I'd LOVE to hear about it.

What fascinates me.. ...is the developments in DNA - reading, decoding, changing and now - reinserting into cells for a reason - like correcting genetic sourced diseases - such as sickle cell anemia. This should be an ENORMOUS development. My wife and I have diabetes -we'd LIKE to be done with it FOREVER, See this. We can now turn ANY cells into our own stem cells. We can use virii to transport modified DNA (deliver its payload) to every cell in your body and replace it with the new versions. But beyond that - given the DNA of extinct animals it's plausible to 're-create' them. (Do-Do bird, Tasmanian Tiger, Mammoth, Mastodon, Panda, .Polar Bear... ) How about 'make your own monster'. 'Jurassic Park' all over again. It's coming - and sooner than you might imagine!

Crafty people: The kind of people that brew beer and wine have the same intellectual curiosity to explore other crafts; they will garden, bake bread, sew, experiment in many different ways. They have inquiring minds. I find them to be kind and sharing people. They are scientists, techies, managers. I LIKE these people. The wisdom of those that came before me have taught me that 'productivity is the source of wealth'. To be productive is a good thing.

        People should work with people;
            Machines should work with machines.

        Machines should do the work;
            People should think.  - But...
                            In the 'Puritan ethic' One exchanges work for pay; No work - you don't eat.
                                How can wealth be distributed fairly when the machines work and we don't?

Electric Cars: My wife Bet and I are looking around for a 'neighborhood Electric Vehicle. There are some 'street legal' golf carts but those seem to be limited - by law - to 25mph or less. Well THAT'S no good. The speed limit on my street is 45 mph and its a cold day in hell when you see anyone going that slow. To put a 25 mph 'little' vehicle in that traffic stream is a death wish. Right now, the biggest obstacle to electric vehicles is government rules. Government needs to GET OUT OF THE WAY! Another rant for the web page.

I'm looking into getting a VW - already titled, licensed, and safety inspected - replacing the  engine with a DC motor with an transmission mount adapter plate, 6-10 Trojan deep cycle cells (72-144 volts), an 'pot box' (accelerator pedal), battery charger, and motor controller - and I'll be drivin' past the gas stations and plugging into an extension cord each night when I get home. Optionally; you should have additional dashboard instruments; voltmeter, drive motor ammeter - to tell how hard the wheels are driving, and an amp hour meter to count the charge down as you use up the storage - analogous to a gas gage. I won't be needing the oil pressure or water temperature gages.

If you wait for General Motors or Ford to step up to the plate - they'll have something by 2050. Bye Bye GM / Ford. The Japs will CONTINUE to 'eat their lunch'. It's sad to be an American and be a spectator to the death of our last great manufacturing product. (Want fries with that?) {I've never understood the 'service economy' wealth generation thing.}

The price of gasoline: It won't stop at $4 a gallon folks; nor $10 nor higher. Why? The USA has chosen to inflate its currency AND also gasoline is a limited, depleting resource. We just don't know the timeline of the price rises but here, we're only quibbling about when. I'm afraid the higher prices will be here all too quickly and there isn't a dam thing any one can do about it. On the other hand, the all electric vehicle is the answer for the local commuter car. Hydrogen is NOT the answer. The #1 thing to be planning is being more 'local' less 'global'. I don't think flying fresh flowers or anything else from South America or Asia to our markets is an economically sustainable plan with the prices of freight rising.

   I expect the development / emergence of the 'techno-Amish' back-to-the-landers. They'll probably use horses. Maybe be co-op communities embracing self sufficiency in all ways, Perhaps some generating income from the sale of power to the grid. If someone knows of examples I'd love to hear of them. If some would like to dream and plan one include me.

Health care / Health Insurance: A couple hundred years ago fire departments were 'for profit' businesses selling fire insurance. If your building caught fire you had to call the fire department where you had bought a fire policy. No policy - they'd watch your house burn down alongside you. Bad idea. We don't do that anymore. Health insurance is just like that today. Still a bad idea. If someone is sick or injured they need access to basic medical service. Period. I'm not talking about liposuction or fanny lifts here - Real medical issues. NO one should be denied care. the last thing an accident victim need is some clerk checking your coverage while you're bleeding on the floor - or hacking TB germs into the air.

Global Warming: There are some who think this is nonsense. Not me. So climate is on the move to the ever warmer side. I've heard that we can quit it any time that we quit adding greenhouse gasses and allow the earth to recover in its own way, in its own time. If we just don't / won't quit it, how long will we last adding ever more greenhouse gasses? I don't know but I'll bet it'll get pretty unpleasant just before we all cook too death in a cauldron of toxic stew. How biblical. [ Will some new age Noah appear to save the earth? I claim movie rights! ]

   Intentional Global Dimming is an intervention we can do to halt the progression of warming. Criss-cross the high sky's with contrails to shade the earth below and reflect sunlight off the earth from above. Got any better ideas? Problem is - you have to keep it up forever - or else. It'd have to be a commitment. Do or die. Really.

   Additionally there is the option to 'scrub' that excess CO2 out of the atmosphere and sequester it somewhere. A promising idea is engineering a 'bug' which uses CO2 to live on, producing something for waste like usable or sequesterable methane. I can't see what can go wrong now. I hope we're smart enough to add a 'suicide gene' which we can use to terminate a 'bug' that turns out to have been a bad idea.

World Population: There exists a tipping point in the carrying capacity of human life on earth. If people won't limit their number, then ultimately, nature will do it for them - and nature will not be kind (war, famine, plague, ..). I believe in the end we will find that Mathis was right. Those who urge larger birth rates are the enemies of the world (got that, Roman Catholics, Mormons, Amish,...Texas polygamists). If this old earths human population was 1/10th of the present this could be the garden of Eden again. I wish for everyone a place to live, enough to eat, clean water, jobs, health care but if people won't limit their numbers, anything else done to alleviate the pain will be only a stop-gap measure - and will be for nothing in the end.

   For any group to embrace a policy of maximum reproduction is an effort at future domination by numbers is Imperialism of a sort. Rude. And it's a slap in the face of those voluntarily limiting their numbers. What possible defense is there for this? Can you attack 'motherhood'? It's a sinister-force spear tipped with babies.

Gold : The gold backed currency foils governments options to print more on demand. In the long term the taxes collected reach an equilibrium with federal spending. When the currency is backed by nothing the government can make and spend at will. The collection of taxes is a voluntary exercise to balance the supply with inflation. They at least have to have the will to collect taxes or suffer the pain of inflation.

Churches : I'm not in any of their 'clubs' but I think they're a good thing. In my experience they spend effort recruiting but then lay out the 'rules' (their beliefs). If there's ANY ONE thing that you can't go along with  - you're out. Still, they provide schools far better than the public schools. They help out in a crisis - flood, famine, what have you. And they provide another sense of community that is vacant from government. Thank goodness.  But I maintain that if you want to know how the world works - look to science - physics - economics, not religion.

Inflation: The Iraq war was paid for by political printing press money. The T-bills that back the new currency was sold to China - not our friend, by the way. A partner of necessity. We buy what they make - we pay in dollars - what to do with all those dollars? Buy those freshly minted Treasury notes. (see F.R.) Even China can't absorb the number of T-bills printed to cover the cost of that stupid war. Inflation is NOT the result of 'greedy consumers' or 'greedy businessmen' or unions. Consumers ALWAYS seek the best deal that they can get. Businessmen ALWAYS work to maximize their returns. It's uniform, predictable behavior. The government (and the media) knows the governments money printing volume is the REAL reason for inflation but never seems to step up to the plate and admit that they are the CAUSE of it. Why is the media trying so hard not to bring it up and embarrass the politicos? Not even in the case of Zimbabwe! { Where can I get some of their currency to frame - a logarithmic progression of denominations to display on my wall - like a poster display - It wouldn't cost much. }

The dumbing down of America: Ignorant people are more trusting and compliant. Government schools produce half educated 'consumers'; Joe-six pack workers. They can read and write; know how to use a calculator; but chemistry? economics? Naw, not really. Being uneducated is bad for your liberty. Don't let go of internet access. That's one place you can find out what's REALLY going on the world.. You won't get it from ABC, NBC, CBS or Foxx. I like BBC news. [ By the way, BBC is one of the websites BLOCKED by the Chinese National Firewall. It Is Forbidden! Even to journalists.]

 ...and you're not 'a consumer'; your a 'citizen. A consumer is just a cog in the middle between the consumption, refinement, manufacturing and marketing of the earths precious resources - from god knows where - and the recycling, waste toxic pollution of landfills, air or oceans. Break the 'consumer'  link and the other cogs before and behind jam up and grind to an eventual halt. We CAN save the earth. Live simply. Need very little. Grow your own. Share. Repair rather than throw-away and repurchase. If a vendor is known to foil our repair efforts by refusing to supply replacement parts - never buy from them again. Take your business someplace that does.

  Consumers have no responsibilities to each other. Citizens are responsible in the bottom line for looking out for each other; standing up for the defense of their way of life. As citizens we are to take care of each other and our way of life. Don't loose sight of where and who you came from. We're trusting YOU to take care of things for all of us.

What to do about credit: Pay it off ASAP. Don't accept credit being thrust at you from every quarter. It's a lousy deal for you. The banking and credit systems LIVE off of 'consumers'. It sells you into servitude to the creditor - the antithesis of liberty. Just say NO! You don't 'need' these bums cluttering up your life. Simplify.

The Federal Reserve Bank : In 1913 over a Christmas season holiday some bold treacherous bastards ensnared the USA in this system of robbery that we haven't so far been able to shake it off. What's there motive? The biggest heist the world has ever known. Here's how it works; Switch over from the system of precious metal backed currency - insuring that the politicians could not print currency at will - with another system, The Federal Reserve System, whereby to get currency to fund the government the F.R. prints a T-Bill and trades it to the treasury to back printed currency (the national debt). Then the USA / IRS has to make payments on this debt including interest. Wait a minute! Paying interest on what - that T-bill that the F.R. printed? There was no REAL, fundamental value in the T-bill. It's just an accounting entry and certificate.

   So who RECEIVES this 'interest' on the National Debt? The Federal Reserve is a privately held company owned by stockholders. It's never been audited. The stockholders are secret. There's your 'secret society'. How much have they taken so far? Given that the level of inflation has reduced the buying power of today's (2008) $ and that of some yesteryear where it bought ten times as much (1975 maybe) I think that the other 90% has been taken in that same amount of time. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve cloaks itself in an aura of governmental legitimacy by such things as using American Eagle icons everywhere and large marble buildings fronted with Grecian Columns - lots of flag waving.  It has the US government held at bay or in its pocket. Now, that's power.

The Republicans, Democrats; the two party system : I spend time pondering where the division comes between what is the 'Government' and what is America. America has wonderful, compassionate, people. To think of America as a 'flag' or whatever goes on inside the DC beltway is to introduce confusion. The flag could change. Lord knows 'democracy' (the Representative Republic) has been corrupted to the point of despair.

   Have you noticed that since 1988 America has been 'ruled' by just two families. This can be called a 'dual monarchy'. Is this what we want? How much of a revolution will it take to get new blood into office?

   The civics class lessons would have you think that they way it's done is to listen to the candidates; become an 'informed citizen' and vote for the candidates that share your opinions, your point of view. Problem is: They LIE. For one example, the campaigning candidate George W. Bush asserted that he stood for peace, prosperity and fiscal responsibility. Once elected, President George W. Bush Started a 'preemptive' war; Funded it with printing press money; ignored the well being of the US citizens - while continuing and escalating wars abroad - betraying the 'high ground' moral USA to become torturers of the most cruel and medieval kind.  the list is just too long for this blurb and you know the grievance anyway.

   What's this 'foreign aid' business while American schools are failing, infrastructure (bridges, highways, ,...) are crumbling. He ran the national debt to astronomical levels. We would NEVER have voted him in had he revealed that agenda. They lie, use propaganda, 'spin'. Democracy as practiced here and now isn't working. "when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." [Wikipedia - The declaration of Independence. July 4, 1776,]

Jail: Why is this country hosting the largest prison population ever in history? Why is the largest percentage of our people in jail of ANY westernized, industrialized country? Something's not right. Is it because judges are elected and don't want to be seen as 'soft on crime' so that they can be re-elected? Surly their 'judgment' has been skewed by something - maybe to protect their JOBS?

Wall Street : What's up with that HUGE flag wrapping the Grecian columns on the front of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street? And still more on pikes in front of that one. Whose DOING this? Why? Not a very subliminal visual association between government and the marketplace. Will someone please explain to me what's really going on here? It's a 'visual' that one sees often on TV News reports. Could it be that one group feels so unworthy that it has to be seen kissing-up to another group? Which is the marketplace and which group is represented by 'the flags symbolism?'

In addition to 'gripes' I should examine that which is good: Resolved: I would prefer to hear truth over that which is false.  The scenery and people should be beautiful and not distasteful. One should pursue ones beliefs of health, happiness, longevity instead of illness, sorrow and dying young. All of this is as evaluated by each individual. Decisions need be made on whether to 'go-public' - be evangelistic about YOUR truths. After all, at some time you're going to annoy someone with different opinions on so many levels. There may be more truths than you know.  Sometimes it's best to just shut up and keep your opinions  to yourself. Sometimes forgiveness is the best medicine.

Here are some links to TED 10-20 minute presentations that I have found to be 'wow' moments. Perhaps you will too. 
These are   "Ideas Worth Sharing/Spreading"

also see Rix Dobbs info and Solar Thermal Power.com

Here's what we did for the Ron Paul Dark Horse Ale.

The Ron Paul Dark Horse Ale recipe.
1/2 lb Crushed rye
1/4 lb Chocolate barley
1/8 lb Melanoiden          steeped in 2.5 gallons of water at 158 degrees f for 25 minutes.

Then we added 3.3 lbs of amber LME and
2 lbs of light dry male extract

Boil 30 minutes then add 1 oz Liberty hops (for bittering)
Boil 28  minutes then add 1 oz Liberty hops (for aroma)

Combine with 2.5 gallons of cold water in the primary fermenter - top it to the full 5 gallons - let cool to <80 degrees F.

Starting Gravity: 1.040 - estimated ABV: 5% Fermented one week at about 72 degrees then kegged and force carbonated. Now on tap.

Why endorse Ron Paul?
Every other candidates platform involves MORE big government and still fewer individual freedoms. We want the opposite - smaller government and more personal freedoms. Whether Mr. Paul prevails or not in the November election we are sending the message that this is what we want.

Ron Paul is NOT a lawyer. He's a medical Dr. although now, employed as a politician. He's a 'Dukie' from Durham. He graduated from Duke University in 1962.

Tell us what you think
The BrewMaster Store welcomes your questions and comments. Please send e-mail to BrewMasterStore@yahoo.com.

What to do with leftover bodies after their spirits (if any) depart: I've been thinking of chemical dissolution. People usually think acid but I've seen an article in which alkaline hydrolysis does the job. In Europe - that's the only way allowed to dispose of carcasses of 'mad cow', I read. It pops apart all the proteins into a soup of its component amino acids. No living cell or virus remains. The bones are transformed into the salt phosphorous calcite. Now called 'shadows' of the bone, they crumble to powder when touched. (actually some remain quite hard and must be 'mortar and pestled') It takes about 30 minutes at 300 degrees at 100 psi in a stainless steel pressure tank. (1.5 hour cycle time per dissolving station)  NO DNA identity is left. You drop 'em in water, alkaline it up with lye, and boil them. For a test I just wouldn't be satisfied using couple pounds of straw. I'd have to have MEAT. Dead meat. Roadkill. A squirrel. The process has by now been proven to work at 212 degrees if given a longer time (1 hour) to work at atmospheric pressure. The test was simple, put two gallons water, 1/4 pound sodium hydroxide and a dead squirrel into the glass lid three gallon spaghetti pot on the gas turkey fryer grill at boil - wait and watch - and smell. The smell was like oily soup - not strong - not objectionable - but one that clung to me. Its hair went within a minute, the skin in four more. I had to look occasionally. The little body was disassembled from the outside layer progressively inward to the bones. A ghoulish task. Technically; the experiment was quick, clean and wondrously successful; but problematic for my soul. I don't know why. I guess, like hunting, one needs to make peace with death on some level. Killing to eat is part of living. Deal with it. The killing here happened before I got there, on the two-lane blacktop. This dissolution was new to me.

   In the literature it specifies pumping the resulting brown thick opaque liquid (it was) into the drain - let the sewage processing plant deal with the alkaline amino acid soup. But - I'm thinking - MAYBE, if the ph was balanced - I used some muriatic acid - I poured some pH adjusted amino liquid along the weeds at the side of the house for a test. They seemed to be OK with it.  At no time did they appear to be stressed for the feeding. The hydroponic garden plants MAY benefit from it. Thinking ahead, one could grow a plant and name it 'Soylent Green'!!!     Would eating its fruit be a kind of cannibalism? Disrespect? What do YOU think?

 There's a lot more to be said and thought out about the human soul / memory of loved ones and this process. Going down the crapper with the rest of the turds just doesn't seem like an acceptable method to enter the glorious afterlife (if any). 'Pushing up Daisies seems so much greener. Nothing like a tombstone for the future people to remember you.

 Now that George Carlin is dead he 'ought' to have the seven words that can never be said on TV carved into the granite memorial to him.