The Summer Project: Greenhouse and Hydroponics

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything – I'm way over due. I realize we're just a couple of weeks away from the American election – meaning there's plenty of fodder, and most of the PlanetRomney crap torques me off.

I think for a change I'll stay mellow and keep it about life... This has been a really busy summer.. .growing (gardening), my initial for-ea into hydroponics, Yellowsone... I'll go chronologically.

My wife is a big gardener. In addition to having a bumper tomato crop from the garden, she told me she wanted to grow till November, and start in March. Ok, greenhouse time! We have 12x8 shed in the back yard. I used that as a back frame and extended an 8 foot wide by 12 feet deep addition outlined with 8x8 rail road ties. Most of the plastic walling material is 48 inches wide, so I kept the frame 24 inches (½) to mount the walling to and give it support in the middle. For framing I used green treated 2x4's.

It only took a couple of industrious weekends.. and about $400, and tada... completed greenhouse! One of the better innovations was summer temperature control. I used a 12 inch attic ventilation fan, the bonus is that it comes standard with a built in thermostat! I set it for 90, so when ever the temp hit 90, the fan kicks on.

 

It's been great for starting plants. Now that it's almost November, the outside temperature is in the 30's most of the time. Our outside garden has been gone 5 weeks or so. In the greenhouse it's still 60-70 degrees using an oil electric heater. Our tomato plants are just going great in there! I'm going to switch to a kerosene heater here shortly as the temperature continues to drop and the small electric heater is having more and more difficulty keeping up..  I found one on Craiglist for $20.  Haven't used it yet.

Notice the white tubimg on the far wall.  That's a hydroponic growing system.  We're gowing some lettice in a water solution.  They're doing really great so far and it will be interesting to see how they continue.

 

That's all for now.  Keep your minds open and your wallets closed!  -BT Richards

Proof Fox News causes Brain Damage

This is great. A College surveyed people in New Jersey about the news habits. The conclusion is that those who get their information from Fox News are MORE CLUELESS than those who watch no news at all.

Like this surprises anyone? Palin - Cain - Perry - Really?

It's amazing. Cain did not know China had Nukes (they did since '64), but yet doesn't die in the polls when he's accused of an affair and sexual misconduct - by multiple people. Shouldn't awareness of what the fuck is going on in the world trump someones sex life? Well, the Repubs did trash Clinton, what do you expect.

Anyway.. read, enjoys, learn: http://publicmind.fdu.edu/2011/knowless/
Keep your minds open, and your wallets closed
-BT

India is the Enemy of the United States.

The Country of India has joined with Russia to develop a fighter plane that can challenge the F-22. The prototype, the Sukhoi T-50 ,

This plane is planned for mass production by 2014. It is in joint development with Russia and India, with India supplying 35% of the cost of R&D.



We know Russia supplies armaments to Iran and Hamas. Both of these are sworn enemies of the United States, and the entire Western world for that matter. We also know since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the primary source of income for Russia is arms sales… to whomever has cash in hand.

Do the math… it’s only a matter of time before an American gets killed by technology developed by India. That is a simple fact.

Corporate America has handed India millions of US jobs. Even former VP Al Gore promised not to ebb the flow of Jobs out of the US while still in office. As we now see, 8 million jobs shorter than we were just a few years ago, a crushing deficit, an impotent Congress, and our “friend and ally” India – who got rich off us – is aiding our most hardened enemies.

It is clear India cares not and has zero allegiance to the United States or the wealth we’ve sent them. They’re traitors and parasites.. It’s time for us to bring home the jobs we’ve sent, tax those companies to fire fine Americans only to hire some towel head or dot spot at one tenth the price. We now see the calamity of those choices, and they need to be reversed.

Call your Senator and Congressmen, demand any aid to India be stopped immediately. It’s time we take this Country back from greed and return it to US!

As always, keep your minds open and wallets closed.
-BT

Obama needs to go.

For those of you’ve who’ve read my posts, you know I’m not a fan of the current republican trends, nor their propaganda machine. But, I have to say - I’ve absolutely had it. I’m done. Obama simply lacks the internal fortitude to be commander in chief.

Let’s look at what he’s done:
• He campaigned on closing Guantanamo, it remains open.
• He promised to end the Bush tax cuts… he personally approved them.
• He did no personal work on the Heath Care act and instead handed the entire deal over to one of the most controversial politicians, Nancy Pelosi.
• He as completely crumpled in negotiations over debt ceiling with the republicans. He has lost every single one of his standing points.

The Republicans smell blood and they're not going to settle for anything less than completely embarrassing the President... and he'll probably crumple there too...

I’m not trying to make a case about the validity of any of his stances. All I’m saying is he lacks the ability to lead, to negotiate and to make a moral stand. Absence of those qualities eliminate him from the pool of presidential material.
Someone said it, and I who heartedly agree – “We voted for change and we’re all disappointed”. It’s time for this nightmare to end. Someone who’s not a nutjob and with some guts- STAND UP PLEASE!!!

Keep your minds open, and your wallets closed.
-BT

More Republican Lies!

The Republicans and their Tea Party toadies are screaming to cut the deficit. Now, I’ve grown away from my initial fondness for Obama, for reasons I’ll address later, but the message the Republicans have been pushing lately, is that the only way the United States won’t fail is to radically cut spending, and now!

Paul Ryan’s budget clearly demonstrates the two faced nature of today’s Republican leaders, or lack-leaders.

Mr. Ryan’s budget “saves” 4.4 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. Ok, savings, mostly by killing of social programs and handing the money currently spent on Medicaid to private insurance companies; but we’ll agree it’s a savings. Here’s the liars part – he’s wants to drop the tax bracket on the richest 2% of Americans from 37% to 25%. That’s giving back to the Rich 4 Trillion dollars over that same time period. Cut spending by 4.4 trillion, reduce revenue by 4 trillion… where’s the savings? There isn’t one, it’s a lie.
Mr. Ryan claims that giving the rich back their money will result in growth that will grow us out of the financial debt problems. Where have we heard that before? The deficit clock was actually going backward, we were paying OFF the National Debt when Bill Clinton left office. The first order of business for “W” was to give a huge tax break back to the rich… The 8 years of the “W” administration experienced the greatest loss of American jobs, middle class wealth and prosperity since World War II… Isn’t that clue enough that ReaganOmics simply does not work..

The other argument is “ you’re taking the money from them in the first place in the form of taxes, it should go back to them”. Remember what the goal here is. If the goal is to cut spending to reduce the deficit, cutting both revenue AND taxes, do not work. The highest tax rate during the Carter administration was 75%! Regan, by decreasing the highest rates began the ever increasing deficit problem. Cutting taxes and cutting spending are 2 separate things.

To counter this, Ryan say’s “we’ll get out through growth”. We’ve cut the high tax rates, we’ve given it back to the rich, and we’ve seen negative job growth – that just fact. The Heritage Foundation study that he based this logic less conclusion on has been debunked as bunk. It doesn’t work and we’re living through that reality.
Keep your minds open and your wallets closed.
_BT

The iPad is Overpriced Hype

It may be the latest buzz that’s making Apple stock holders rich, but the reality of the situation if the iPad is no more than an overpriced hardly useful trinket with zero place in Corporate America.


From now on, I'm calling it the iToad:




As far as a “desktop killer”, get your head out of “the cloud” and get real. The biggest problem with the iPad is that everything is crippled to support longer batter life. Apple has gone through huge pains to disable any possible use of external – non apple – storage. USB thumb drives, forget them. That’s painful enough, but here’s the real killer: The OS times out all backgroup apps but streaming video after 10 minutes.



We experimented with an iPad to see if it will connect to the office remotely using a remote desktop and a software tunnel. We’ll it connected and ran just fine…for 10 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, the software tunnel application timed out, died and killed the link.



If that’s not enough, there is NO trial period for the apps store apps. When you use an Android device, at least you have a grace period to try the application before you’re actually charged for it. No such luck in the Apple world. Your newly purchased app is a toad falling well short of expectations, too bad so sad - you’re stuck with crap. Here’s the reality… For ½ price of an iPad, you can easily purchase a nice Netbook that does everything the pad does, and much, much more.



Time to stop the i-hype and have a reality check. Keep your minds open and your wallets closed.
-BT

Poor Poor Pitiful them… and other Govies

I want to say a few words about the current events in Wisconsin. There’s a whole lotta whoopla about a few Govies and teachers loosing a few benefits and having to pay a few percent more toward their retirement.

Here’s the facts…
 I am a white color manager with a college degree.
 6 of the last 12 years of working I received ZERO raise.
 Every single year, my health care premiums have increased 10%-20%... While deductibles increase, and covered procedures decrease.
 I have no pension.
 Only 6 of the last 12 years of work have I received any retirement contribution from my employer.
 As a technology worker, millions of my peers have been fired and those jobs have been sent to China, India or the Philippians.

I chose not to be a Govie…. As a private sector worker, I pay for Govies. My taxes pay your salaries, your retirement, your medicine.

Now I see people who will receive life long annuities - paid for by ME – throwing an absolute tantrum because they have to pay a few more percent toward that forever gravy train.

Where is the outrage from my shrinking buying power?
Where is the outrage as pensions were eviscerated from private companies?
Where do I get to protest to get stop my life from eroding?

No where. I can work, or I can quit and my children will go hungry. Nice choices.

There are many more of me than there are of you.

Government works, Teachers, Public workers… Hear Me… I am tired of you. It’s time to equal field, and I’ve already lost everything I have to lose - but my job. It’s your turn to pay, I’m broke and you’re part of the reason.

stop crying go back to work and pay your fair share.
nuff said.