The Truth About TIK TOK and Our Personal Information - Do You Have Secrets to Tell?

 It is the Wednesday before the Sunday when TikTok will flip a switch and turn off access for 170,000,000 users in the United States. TikTok will do this to comply with Federal law, passed by a bi-partisan congress and signed into law by President Biden.  Unless the ban is extended or the law overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court before Sunday, the most popular social media app in the United States, relied upon by millions for their livelihood, will go dark.

The official government reason is because the owner of the parent company is Chinese and there is the potential for spying, for blackmail, and for the gathering of sensitive information on American citizens that could be used for nefarious purposes in a time of war.   We are currently not at war with China, in case you were wondering about that.  Maybe soon, you should worry, says our Federal Government.   

We are an open society, a capitalistic-styled Democracy, where all but our most valuable state secrets are readily available for a price on the dark web, where the receipt of a security breach notice of personal information from a bank or business has landed in the mailbox of every U.S. Citizen, and where the Freedom of Information Act, and Right to Know Laws guaranteeing public access to government documents, is meant to shine a bright light into government's dark, corrupt practices, is a fundamental right of our citizens. We are not concerned with those trivialities. Our freedom is threatened by the most wildly successful social media application since Windows jumped onto a DOS computer and swallowed it whole. 

A free society means when you start browsing on the internet, cookies follow you and record your adventure, gathering the information you provide with your clicks and roll-overs to be sold to advertisers, so they can target you with their products the moment they receive that information.  Facebook and Google do this on a massive scale to every citizen who is online using those corporate social media apps and browsers. Facebook and Google do it on your phone, on your laptop, on your desktop, even on your smart TV.  Now with the help of AI, the gathering of your information will accelerate with new tracking methods that gather our information at ridiculous speeds.   

Meanwhile, it most be comforting to know our government is worried about protecting our citizens, and ultimately our the nation itself  from a single social media application. It must be a coincidence that TikTok built an Algorithm that kicks the ass of every single company in Silicon Valley and beyond. It is simply a coincidence that TikTok has provided a method for American citizens to make money, serious money in some cases.  Damn those Chinese, they are so fucking clever. 

TikTok is not the usual American Corporate sucking machine that takes your money to increase their profit margins, and make their wealthy shareholders even happier. TikTok is not like those U.S. based companies that hire expensive lobbyists, who write proposed laws like the Digital Media Copyright Act, then hand their legally corporate-empowering proposals over to our government leaders, along with a campaign check from their Industry PAC, and a suggestion that their self-benefitting proposed legislation be passed into law.

I think I would be fairly accurate if I wrote that 99.5 percent of American citizens, (my best guess based upon a hunch) are not in possession of  the security clearance needed to access our Government's most sensitive classified secrets, you know- like those documents found in the guest bathroom at Trump's Mara Lago resort, China made a major error committing so many millions to a social media platform, potentially gathering information on 170,000,00 Americans, when all China needed to do was book a weekend at Trump's resort and claim digestive issues is the reason China spent so much time in the guest bathroom.

And if China really wants my personal information, all they have to do is create a U.S. based Subsidiary Corporation who would then buy that information from several American Companies that sell our every movement online to anyone who can afford it. China can afford it. Maybe they are already doing this.  Shall we ask Google and Facebook for a list of their clients?

I live-streamed on TikTok for the past month and my earnings stand at around 90 dollars.  In the past two years, I haven't made 50 cents on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, iHeart, Naspster, and Youtube combined. Same music but on these American sites I have to pay to get full access to their algorithms- no pay, no traffic.

Unofficially, we know that Windows for years and most likely this hasn't changed, has a programming  core that is protected proprietary software. Imagine if our government leaders passed a law that required Windows to divest of that proprietary software, sell it off to their competitors now or shut Windows down. 

I'm sure TikTok competitors would be thrilled to have TikTok's algorithm  for their own businesses. They would just have to tweak the coding  so we no longer get paid,  Or we will get paid  $.002 cents per stream per verified customer , then force us to pay out of our pockets for the privilege of using their algorithmic software, with a return of 12 cents per year for our 170.00 yearly subscription cost and the $300.00-$3,000 we paid in promotional fees. 

Maybe once we pay enough money, using our charge card with 27% interest issued to us from a U.S. Corporate Bank, YouTube will unlock the gates to their other customer portals who are doing the same thing so their content makes it across our browser.  This is American Corporate ingenuity at its finest.  Use our elected government officials to destroy a superior competitor, based upon fear-mongering and hypocritical standards that unlevel the playing field in favor of the inferior and greedy, self-serving internet executives, who bankroll millions upon millions of dollars each  year in salary and stock options thanks to our generosity.

And what about the 170,000,000 Americans who are ripped off, betrayed, and driven under the economy?  Those personal losses will have an undetermined, yet potentially massive impact on the U.S. economy.  Well fuck those losers if Corporate America can make another .5% profit on their billions of income over expenses. Beside, Trump will get those prices down once he is President. Believe that and I've got some fine land in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey I would like to sell to you.

The unofficial reason for the TikTok ban may be clear.  Americans were speaking out against corruption, against abuse, against racism and hatred.  We can't have that.   There aren't many newspapers left to investigate our government officials for corruption. 

Then there is Donald Trump. He filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court requesting a delay in the ban while he works out an arrangement for a sale.  I am betting he ends up owning TikTok,  making another cool 12 billion for his efforts as our President while saving the app for us to use. He should be rewarded with a medal, right?

There isn't anything that scares a corrupt or ethically compromised public official more than having his dirty laundry flown in front of the entire country. But our education system , and this is an argument for dismantling the Department of Education,  couldn't teach rural- raised American children how to  ask questions, to make evaluations,  to research, to even  balance their own check book.   As long as they could spell their own name, they can graduate.  If not, then Summer School will fix that. No wonder the folks in our rural communities vote overwhelmingly for Trump.  There is no clarity in a gas-lit world. 

Still, we have 170 million TikTok users and that could become the most powerful lobby group of all time.  Except that we are sheep.  Taught to be sheep by an educational system more concerned about what books we shouldn't read than how government functions, how some decisions carry an inherit unfairness in order to achieve a small, singular result for the silver-spooned few. The sheep will follow where you lead us, Mr. Trump..  As we almost always do any more.  Baaa  Baaa, Trump won't Baaan Tik Tok if he is given the chance.

If you are expecting Trump's Supreme Court to fix this mess, you been too busy munching in the meadow and haven't paid attention to this Court's previous decisions. It's not about you, dear citizen.  It hasn't been about you since long before they took away a woman's right to decide what is best for her own body and her health.  The Supreme Court is not the citizen savior, they are the corporate executioner.    

So say your goodbyes  now my fellow users. Because at 12:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, TikTok will be a fond memory of how our society could have grown and how it should have grown. Instead we get to gauge how much we have shrunken as a free society, no longer for the people or by the people, not when we are under corporate rule by the wealthy one percent, and a majority of our citizens choose a convicted felon over an experienced prosecutor and public servant to lead our nation.  

Goodbye Tik Tok.  Thanks for the memories.

Rick

Our Honored Fallen - The Fabric that Unites Us as Americans

Source: Tim1965 via Wikimedia Commons

 On the TikTok Social Media App, that dastardly Chinese-owned and widely popular U.S. vehicle for individual expression, there is a content creator who will stop your words and take your breath away.

It is called Arlington Guard.  The hashtags are USA, Navy, Honor, Soldier, America, Army, Military, Guard, and FYP.  Arlington Guard can be found at this TikTok address: @usa.arlington.  Their precision rifle drills are a vivid and superior reminder of the honor and respect due to our fallen soldiers.

Yet not every soldier is buried at Arlington Cemetery. My brother-in-law is buried in a lovely cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut. A Navy veteran, he was buried with full military honors and a plaque rests below his grave that honors his service.

My father served in the Navy at the conclusion of World War II and spent a few weeks at Bikini Atoll as part of the Atomic Bomb experiments. His fast frigate carried the scientists who studied the two explosions in 1947.  And after those test explosions, he either volunteered or was volunteered to accompany those scientists onto the atoll for radiation studies.  

My Uncle Gerry served for many years in the U.S. Army. We visited him once in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where he was based.  He met his first wife in Okinawa.  He passed away several years ago and is buried in Florida. 

My oldest brother served in the U.S. Air Force partially during the Vietnam war, but he was mostly stationed in Maine, repairing early warning radar systems.  Thank you for your service, brother.

On August 31st, my wife and I participated in a Memorial Service for her mother Diane, a civilian Naval employee and a Nuclear Physicist who was on the design team for the Tomahawk Cruise missile. That missile was used in the first Gulf war, when we liberated Kuwait from Iraq's invasion.   Her work on the cruise missile has changed the nature of modern warfare.  She passed away on August 15, 2024, a retiree who worked for the Navy since she graduated from college. There will be no military honors, yet her entire career was spent in the service of our country.  We thank her for her service.

Her husband, father to my wife, survives her. He also was a civilian Naval employee, a Nuclear Engineer, also involved in the Tomahawk Cruise missile program in his later years, and prior, in a manner similar to his wife, on other highly classified Department of Defense programs.  We thank him for his service.

On my own mother's side of the family, we have documents for the conscription for one ancestor who joined the Ohio Regiment and fought in the Civil War. Another branch of her family dates back to the Daughters of the American Revolution.

I did not serve, having graduated from High School one year after our country's withdrawal from Vietnam. The military was not very popular at that time. I regretted that decision in 1981, at the beginning of the first Gulf War, and again on September 11th and truly every day since.  Perhaps because of my regret, I have taken seriously the sacrifice of our fellow citizens, who defend our democracy from all threats, both foreign and domestic.  

I am deeply indebted to their efforts to protect our Country and in particular, my freedom.  I could not write this opinion in a country ruled by a dictator or under a Theocracy,  such as proposed under Project 2025.  Thank you for honoring your vow to uphold the constitution of the United States.  Thank you for your service.

Military service weaves through nearly every American family tree. For some families it is a direct weave through each generation. For others like mine, the weave is less conspicuous.  But it is there nonetheless and each and everyone of us has a responsibility to honor those who came before us, who sacrificed their lives or put themselves in harm's way for the defense of our country.   

No matter where a cemetery is located, the grave of a United States soldier is hallowed ground.  This especially true at Arlington National Cemetery, where so many of our fallen heroes from all wars rest in peace.  There are no exceptions for violating the rules of proper conduct.  It is the law.  There is no immunity card for Presidential candidates, in fact partisan politics is strictly prohibited on the grounds of the cemetery. Our fallen dead are not props to be used for political gain as shown in the August 26th photo below.  That is hallowed ground.  

 Screenshot from Twitter post from the Trump Campaign

If you do not have even the most basic understanding of honor and respect for our heroes then you are not a patriot and you can never again be the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of these United States.  You should be treated as you have treated others who have faithfully served our country- without honor and without respect.   

The defense of our democracy weaves through every family in the great country. Pull at that weave and you pull apart the fabric that covers and protects our great nation.  That is more than just disrespectful, it's unreproachable, it's disgusting, and it's unacceptable.  

And for those who would post a photograph of President Obama laying a wreath at a gravesite at Arlington National cemetery as a response:  don't be dumb.  The President of the United States laying a wreath at the grave of a fallen soldier on Memorial Day, is an official act of the government, and usually shown on every Weekend local news program.   You aren't fooling anyone.  And neither is your candidate, Donald Trump.  It is time to choose your country over party.

c

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Harpazo - The Crucible - A Concept Album of Near Perfection

 

By Rick Dante

It is not very often I listen to a concept album and envision a play, with full sets, actors in costume, each scene advancing the dark plot of global domination, where citizens are given serums (voluntarily) to turn them into well, the Borg.  if you ever wanted to establish a foundation for this story beyond Good and Evil, one built upon societal influences that exist in our world today, then jab people in the arm with a serum that allows you total control over their minds, over their bodies that become fortified into eternal soldiers for their newly risen God, add in a Princess, and include an invincible Trans-human  (part robot, not sex change)  assassin who is sent to kill the rebel leaders who have refused to abandon their Christian religion for the *cough*  new world order.

 Now throw them all into the classical never-ending war between God and Satan, and I would bet you are listening to Harpazo- The Crucible. If that is the fact, then I can see your eyes wide-open and I can hear you whisper incredulously "WTF" because you just reached Track 6 and yes, WTF is appropriate here, there, and everywhere on this Metal Opera album from the brilliant mind of Marc Centanni and his equally mind-blowing Producer Gary Wehrkamp.

 Are there weaknesses in this album?  Few. Oh so very few.  I would be splitting hairs if I said it would have been nice if the female lead vocals were of equal to the male vocalists, but I have seen some pretty damn talented vocalists wither away when standing next to a singing DC Cooper (Royal Hunt).  I may modify this opinion later in my review.  So let's drop that for now and move into the story and music of Harpazo- The Crucible.

 How can you successfully transition from global destruction and death into a weirdly psychotic and sad "Jesus Loves Me" children's song (suddenly I was five years old and terrified) and make it actually work?  After that try turning that children's song into a Rock Anthem and people will be laughing at you, unless you do it like this, because this works.  Again, in every song it works, just all fits together, the music, the story,  the concept are united into one excellent adventure.  That is exactly what you want from a concept album and Harpazo nailed this one to the Honor Wall of Concept Albums.  Not unlike Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-Five theses to the green door of the church. While we are discussing classical concepts, let's step into art versus music for a just moment. 

 Specifically, let's compare the music of Harpazo- The Crucible with art, from a layman's perspective, of course. Michelangelo's Statue of David is a Masterpiece.  You walk into the chamber, perfectly designed for viewing the statue, and David encourages you to approach him. You circle David and he is a young man, earnest and striving, and then from the next angle David is an adult, mature and comfortable with himself, then as you continue to circle, David ages. He is wiser, more resolute, and perhaps more cynical. It is one carving of one man, yet the many faces of David's life are observed as your view of the statue changes.  How did the sculptor do that? WTF. You realize then that Michelangelo's statue of  David is a Masterpiece.

 This is why anyone worth their salt as a reviewer should compare this ambitious project to David,  to the Sistine Chapel,  to Close to the Edge, Trick of the Tail, The Wall, The White Album, Eldorado, Aqualung, Fear of a Blank Planet,  and dare I say it- Tyranny before calling a concept album a "masterpiece".  So what is Harpazo- The Crucible then?  Conservatively, it is a near masterpiece.  And why is that?  Because  Harpazo- The Crucible has just arrived in the world and someone, somewhere is going to turn it into a play.  It will happen.  The play could be successful, if produced well, and then The Crucible could be elevated to that renowned classification of "masterpiece" that some Broadway plays are blessed to enjoy. 

Harpazo- The Crucible is more than album, it has potential to expand into something visually and emotionally fantastical.   Will this actually happen?  It may not. But when the lyrics provided are in script form, someone will want to make it into a play and after that, it's up to the public to embrace Harpazo-The Crucible, the rock opera or bounce it out of town.

 There is also the musical foundation in Harpazo-The Crucible that outright refuses to be ignored- courtesy of Gary Wehrkamp's core (Shadow Gallery) prog-metal and symphonic metal expertise in musicianship and production.  The musicality of the arrangements, guitars, piano, keyboards, flowing through, sometimes ripping through and elevating every song on this album is Mr. Wehrkamp at his finest.  With Shadow Gallery so far removed from their last album in 2010, where can those concepts, those arrangements that artistically smashed every other prog metal band in existence, where can they be found?  Here.  Right here.  Listen to Harpazo- The Crucible, you long-suffering Shadow Gallery fans, and your thirst will be sated.

 Along with Marc Centanni and Gary Wehrkamp we have lead vocalist D.C. Cooper's distinctive, powerful vocals dominating the tracks. He truly sings on a different level than other vocalists which is truly astounding to have that much vocal command.  God bless him.  We cannot overlook Fate Warning's Mark Zonder usual exercise in perfection on drums. It is not a stretch to call this band a Supergroup.

 Now it's time to tactically step back on subject of female vocals because the vocals on The Book of Life (Track 15) are simply beautiful and divine.  Those vocals would make Annie Haslam of Renaissance proud. But how did we end up in Olde England, Mr. Centanni?  Do you have a red telephone booth that transported us there? It is clear that Harpazo has no fear, they will bring musical style changes that in lesser hands would be disastrous.  In the song The Book of Life, Harpazo has brought us to our Jon Anderson  (YES) Wondrous Stories award for stylistic excellence.  That award is not given away lightly.

 Now usually, a reviewer takes the approach of critiquing each track separately, as if the sum of each is equal to the sum of the whole.  On some albums that quickly becomes pretentious and ego-driven, the reviewer places himself in the position of judge, jury, and sometimes executioner of the project.  That won't happen here.   If you would follow one reviewer's request however, please do not listen to the sample mixes- these are sales props that give you a small slice of music from each song yet also are disconnected from each song and essentially the album as a whole. If you don't hear the transitions from one progression to the next,  you are missing the absolute essence of the music. Folks today want the 10 second listen, just like their social media.   But you can't take 10 seconds to study a Monet painting and you can't do that with Harpazo either. It's not a shot of whiskey at the Roadhouse, it's a glass of wine in Napa Valley.  Know the difference and act accordingly.

I am thrilled to have been taken on this excellent ride. Be virtuous, be curious and listen to the album in its entirety, because that will slay you and put the WTF on your lips. And it even gets better on the second and third listen so it's definitely worth your valuable time. Simply stated, Harpazo- The Crucible is going to kick your ass, wash over you like a waterfall, and send you away ready to get in line to ride the adventure again. Go nail it to your wall now with your other favorites and then go see the play someday.

  Harpazomusic.com

DC Cooper – Royal Hunt

Gary Wehrkamp – Shadow Gallery / Ayreon

Mark Zonder – Fates Warning / Warlord

Les Carlsen – Bloodgood

Rey Parra – Deny the Fallen / Sacred Warrior

Christian Liljegren – Narnia

Michael Drive Lee – Barren Cross / Worldview

Niklas Kah – Lord of the Lost / Flaming Row

Lee Lemperle – Outside the Wall

Bruno Sa – Operation Mindcrime

Enzo and the Glory Ensemble band

-A Rockshots Records Release-

 Tracks

1 - Ichor [feat. DC Cooper]

2 - Legion Program

3 - I Am God

4 - Golden Crown [feat. DC Cooper & Enzo and the Glory Ensemble band)

5 - The Crucible [feat. DC Cooper & Michael Drive]

6 – I am God

7 - Change Of Heart Pt. 1 [feat. DC Cooper & Les Carlson]

8 - Ultimatum [feat. DC Cooper]

9 - We Are Weak

10 - Small Price To Pay [feat. Christian Liljegren & DC Cooper]

11 - Change Of Heart Pt. 2 [feat. DC Cooper]

12 - We Are Weak

13 - Small Price To Pay [feat. Christian Liljegren & DC Cooper]

14 - Change Of Heart Pt. 2 [feat. DC Cooper]

15-  The Book Of Life

Preorder "The Crucible" Now!
Release June 28th
USA - https://amzn.to/3yEMLi6
INTL - https://bit.ly/HarpazoCD

                                                            I am God - lyric Video

Carry Me Home

Waiting For You

The Coyote

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Review (2022)

Every once in a great while a movie comes along that finds its greatness within the period in which it is based. We are reminded of a simpler time, where morals were more universally celebrated, fashion was iconic for its tribute to grace and beauty, and where a protagonist is purely that, so much so that it is through their positivity for life, that positive change is given room to grow.   Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is such a story, delightful, wistful, and as graceful as a 1950's Christian Dior evening dress.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is based on a novella written by Paul Gallico and directed by award-winning film Director Anthony Fabian, who also shares writing and producing credits for this film.  The movie stars Leslie Manville as an English cleaning lady who saves and gambles to obtain enough money to travel to Paris to purchase a Christian Dior dress, a lifelong dream of hers.

Arriving at Christian Dior, a Haute Couture shop that caters only to wealthy, Hollywood stars, and royalty,  Mrs. Harris (Leslie Manville) finds herself on the outside looking in.  Her indominable spirit in the face of rejection endears her to royalty  (Marquis de Chassagne played by Lambert Wilson), a Dior model (Natasha by Alba Baptista), and a Dior Accountant  (André Fauvel by Lucas Bravo), while also making enemies, especially of the President of the Dior company (Claudine Colbert by Isabelle Hupert) who repeatedly tries to find new ways to remove Mrs. Harris from the shop.  

The story is sweet, the Dior collection used in the movie was simply divine, each outfit modeled in the Dior salesroom was breathtaking, as was our peek into the cutting and sewing rooms, not often seen in real life but beautifully portrayed in the movie.

While the underlying theme may be that while class divisions do exist, the upper-class should be open to the dreams and desires of the class of workers directly below them, that there is a wealth of knowledge to be shared between all classes. Mrs. Harris teaches us that our dreams do not have to be any grander than a Christian Dior dress to make dreams come true to the people we touch along the way, no matter their status in life.

Leslie Manville's flawless performance as Ada Harris is the foundation that every other actor has to stand upon, she is the movie's strength, as she carries the story to its predictable yet quite lovely ending.  By the time we reach the movie's conclusion, she and her new friends at Christian Dior learn that generosity is a gift that one should not be recklessly given to people who don't respect you- that self-respect and respect you earn are a shared character trait.

This is an excellent film, well-directed, brilliantly acted, and beautifully costumed with a sweet story that will touch your heart as it did mine.

The Final Weight Loss Challenge

 On November 25th I weighed  the heaviest of my life at 384 pounds.  There is no excuse for being that much overweight.   My last official weight, registered at my Doctor's office on November 18th was 377 pounds. The medical term for my weight is "morbidly obese". It was time for my Final Weight Loss Challenge.   

I will only do this one time and get it right because just like many of you, I've tried the diets, the running, the gym membership that I end up not using,  the fasting, the prayers, the untold number of books, articles, and that doesn't include all the stories I tagged on Flipboard to read later.  I've posted on Facebook, even joined a Facebook fitness group that later asked me to leave because I didn't do the work.  I've failed at losing weight more times than I can remember.  

When I signed up for weight loss surgery I was told I had to lose 60 pounds before they would consider surgery. I had to prove desire.  I failed at that too.  I can not begin to count how many times on a Friday I vowed to start my diet on Monday.  I vowed to exercise starting on Monday.  Does this sound familiar?  If so, I feel your pain.  

At a funeral on Long Island last February I ran into a relative of my brother in law, through marriage.  The man was slightly overweight all the previous times we had shared a dinner with family over the holidays.   At the funeral, not having seen him in over 3 years, he was in excellent shape.  I asked him what was his secret and he replied "22 days.  It takes 22 days to change a lifestyle."  I took it to heart.  It was time to get serious, log in my 22 days, and change my lifestyle.  

For this final challenge I decided that I would not follow a particular diet but rather rely on four important words:  common sense and self control.  Months earlier I learned a valuable lesson about myself that I would apply to the final challenge.  We rented a house on  Moosehead Lake for a weekend.  Once there and relaxed, I wasn't hungry.  I didn't want snacks, candy, junk food, and I couldn't finish my portions at lunch and dinner. I wasn't sick. I was relaxed.   I'm a stress eater.  That's what I learned.  

Although I gained weight before I became a Town Manager, it accelerated in that position.  As we approached a major life change, moving to California,  retiring from public service,  and buying a new home, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to begin the final challenge.   We moved thanksgiving week, I bought a bicycle and began riding daily.

By the end of December I was up to 4.5 to 5 miles per day and I was dropping weight.  Then on Monday, January 9th I fell of my bike when I hit a curb and fractured my leg.  It was a serious break that required surgery.  I could have thrown up my arms and given up.  But I am retired, and I am not stress eating any more.  Three meals a day is all I need and I am following my mantra of common sense and self control.  My snacks are fruit, melon, pineapple, sugar free jello cups, and peaches.

Even though I am laid up, my lifestyle has not changed. When I left the hospital I weighed 365 pounds. Every Monday I weigh in. Today, Monday, February 6th, I weighed in at 346.8 pounds. 

My journey continues for a healthier body and mind.

I will report on my progress as it continues.

Rick

Mutant Mouse Chronicles: The California Experience

 We have moved to California. Not a big city like Los Angeles, or a shi shi moo Palm Springs.   We moved to lovely city in the Upper Mohave Desert, Ridgecrest- home of China Lake Naval Air Warfare Base.  

Every weekday and some weeknights we can hear the jets roaring overhead as they practice dogfights, missile launches, and whatever top secret testing we are not on the need to know list to report to you.

What they say here is that roar of jet engines overhead is the sound of freedom,  We  moved from Bangor Maine to Ridgecrest over Thanksgiving holiday.  We bought a gorgeous home on a quiet cul-de-sac and our yard is a walled in fortress.  Last night the temperature in Bangor Maine was -39 degrees.   In Ridgecrest our low was 48 and our high was 65 degrees and sunny.  

Now that we are settled in, my plan with this blog is to re-purpose it to become a daily personal journal to share with the reader.

Were going to have shorter articles,  less opinion and more personal observation about life.   I will keep political comments and religious issues on the back burner.   Looking forward to the next phase of The Mutant Mouse Chronicles.  

Diffle County Report: A PFAS Educational Lunch

 Township Supervisor “Big Don” was sitting in his usual spot, the Chairman seat at the center of the meeting table in the former fire hall, now the Grinold Town office- he was facing the front window and door.  A white Jeep Cherokee pulled into the small parking lot in front of the building and stopped.  There was a seal on the side of the car door that said in the round Circle Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. In the center of the seal was  a modern illustration of a river flowing between two mountains.

“Uh no, the Woke nation has arrived.” Big Don  grinned as he spoke after four, somewhat unkempt-looking recent college graduates walked through the door.

“Hi, we’re from the DEP,” said the lead person as they walked single file to Dave’s favorite spot and stood in a single line opposite from Big Don at the meeting table.

“Well, I am glad that’s settled”, Big Don replied, “Otherwise you’d have to explain why you’re driving a vehicle with a DEP seal on the door.” He laughed. The DEP reps were so quiet you could hear the chickens  laying eggs in the coop on the property next door.

“What can I do for you fine gentlemen and ladies this afternoon?”, Don asked as he folded up the newspaper he had been reading, the headline clearly visible on the front page.  PFAS Contaminates All-Natural Farm”

“My name is Dr. Linda Prior and I am a Chemical Analyst with DEP.  You have an old town dump nearby? We want to test the monitoring wells for PFAS.”  Linda did not smile.

Big Don leaned back in his chair and pulled open the third drawer from the top of the filing cabinet behind him, reached in and retrieved a brown file folder. He dropped it onto the table in front of DEP’s Dr. Linda Prior.

“We closed that dump 45 years ago. My father was the elected Supervisor at the time. He obtained a closure permit from DEP and that dump was sealed as per your Department’s permit.  We received a clean bill of health”  Big Don frowned as he spoke, “My name is Don Rider and I am the Secretary/Treasurer of this township. You can call me Big Don if you’d like.” Then he smiled a good ol’ boy grin, “that’s what my friends call me.”

A few more chicken eggs were laid.

“We are investigating for the presence of PFAS in your town dump”, she paused a moment then smiled back,  “That is very impressive that you have readily available, information on your dump from 45 years ago. Did you know we were coming?”

“We’ve kept it handy for the past 45 years. My Daddy said you’d be back.” Big Don grinned broadly at the DEP quartet. “What is this PFAS you’re looking for?”

“Looks like you just read about it in the newspaper,”  Linda calmly replied.  She pointed to the headline still visible on the folded newspaper.

“Doctor Prior, if you knew me you’d already know I only read the Obituaries and Comics of this particular newspaper,” said Big Don. “Now why don’t you, a chemical analyst working with our DEP, explain to me,  what PFAS is, please.”

Dr. Linda Prior took in a deep breath and began, saying,

“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain. As such, they contain at least one perfluoroalkyl moiety...”

Big Don interrupted, “In Layman’s terms, please.” 

Dr. Prior smiled, her eyes twinkling with subtle delight, 

“They are chemicals that are used in the manufacture of every day products, from frying pans and waterproof jackets to foam used by firefighters. They do not degrade due to their chemical bond and there is a growing concern among scientists like myself, that they may have a harmful effect on the human body, on wild and domestic animals, and of course the environment.”

Big Don listened intently.  “Teflon” he replied. 

Dr. Prior, who recently received her PHD from Maine State University, nodded affirmatively, and with a nod of her head, tossed her short, cropped strawberry-blonde hair to the side, then offered her freckled hand, which Big Don shook respectively. 

“I am Dr. Linda Prior.  I am working with Pennsylvania DEP as part of a major study at Maine State, where I teach graduate studies in Chemical Engineering.”    She smiled,  “with me is John Stuart of DEP, Bryce Roberts of DEP, and Adam Wheeler, a  graduate student from Maine State whose thesis is the study of PFAS.”

Everyone shook hands with Big Don and after introductions were concluded John Stuart pulled a set of maps from a tube he was holding and opened them across the table. Big Don, John, and Dr. Prior leaned over a map of the old Town dump.

John Stuart pointed to three locations on the map.

“We will test the monitoring wells here, here, and here.”

It was at this point that Supervisor Larry Gates walked in from the side door to the town garage. He was taller than Big Don, balding with a dark brown comb over, clean shaven, his nose crooked from a bar fight too long ago to matter, and his teeth crooked from the pipe he kept firmly in place, except to speak and he had something to say that morning.

“I see we are having a PFAS party right here in the ‘Ol Grin.  I was listening on the other side of that door, “ said Larry, pointing back at the door he had just walked through, “I actually read that article, read a few more articles on-line, called a Professor friend and we had a nice chat. So if you all don’t mind, I have a few questions for Doctor Prior and our good DEP friends.”

Doctor Prior replied in her best professional voice,  “I will do my best to answer your questions.” 

“So will I.” replied John Stuart. 

 Larry Gates tapped his cherry pipe in his left hand.

“Just a few questions. What studies have been completed that confirmed PFAS is harmful to humans at the levels you are testing?”

Dr. Prior looked directly into Supervisor Gate’s eyes,  “Scientists are still studying the health effects of PFAS on humans and in the environment.”

Larry continued tapping his pipe into his hand.

“ Are there any studies that have conclusively proven there is a health hazard? He sat down next to Big Don at the table.

Dr. Prior pulled up a chair across from Supervisor Gates and replied, “Preliminary studies suggest negative impacts on the nervous system, and other parts of the body.  They can be found in soil, water , and air.”

Larry Gates frowned slightly, “You didn’t answer my question, but I will answer it for you by quoting a verified source.”  

Larry pulled his phone out of his pocket and began typing. A few minutes passed. Big Don asked if they wanted to stay for lunch, it was hot dog Thursday and there was plenty to go around.  The DEP group politely declined.  

“Ah here it is, the website for the National Institute of Health, you know who I mean, the N.I.H.” Larry paused and then began reading from the website,

“Quote, more research is needed to fully understand all sources of exposure, and if and how they cause health problems, unquote.”   

“Yes, that’s true” replied Dr. Prior.

Larry glanced at the map, then raised his eyes to look at John Stuart.  “John, my name is Larry and I am an elected Supervisor.  What is EPA’s regulatory standard for PFAS in groundwater?”

Big Don began to grin.

John ran his fingers back through his curly hair and smiled,  “There is no EPA regulatory standard for PFAS. There may soon be regulatory standards for two of these forever chemicals , PFOA and PFOS”  said DEP’s John Stuart.

Larry replied without hesitation, “Is it true John that PFAS is a catch-all for thousands of chemicals of differing levels and toxicities and that the complicated nature of PFAS and its widespread presence in our environment makes it very difficult to evaluate?”

John looked at his shoes and replied, “yes, that’s true.”

Big Don excused himself to get the crockpot of hotdogs, sauerkraut, and a bag of rolls.  

Larry pulled out a pouch and began filling his pipe.

“I have a question about testing. When you test our well for total coliform. you teste in parts per million, correct?”

A town truck pulled into the front parking lot, followed by a Blake Township Ford 350 4-wheel drive pick up truck.  Five men and a woman, all dressed in work blues got out of the two vehicles, walked in,  surveyed the situation, then quickly exited through the side door into the town garage.

John Stuart replied, "Yes, the standard is 0 coliform per 100 ml. or parts per million.”

Larry nodded affirmatively.  “So if I were to purchase  nine hundred and ninety nine thousand pieces of white confetti paper of identical size and one piece of black confetti paper of identical size and filled this room with all of them could the black confetti piece would represent a failed coliform drinking water test?” 

John paused. A SAAB pulled into the parking lot, then a Lincoln and in walked the town attorney and Judge Walthers.  After a short wave, both walked into the garage. The conversations in the garage were beginning to increase in intensity and volume.

“Technically, that is a basic description, but yes.”  John Stuart replied.

More trucks and cars parked in the front lot, parking behind each other and blocking the two garage doors at the front of the building.  Big Don opened one of the two garage doors and waved people directly  into the garage.

Dr. Linda Prior stood up and leaned over the desk, directly across from Larry and said,

“ I know where this is going so please allow me to save you the time with an  explanation on the controversy, but first I have to ask, is there some sort of meeting here today?”,  Linda asked, raising her voice to compete with the loud laughter coming from the garage.

At that moment the side door to the garage opened and in walked ten men from four different fire companies. Each Man had a hot dog and bun in one hand and a  diet coke in the other hand.

Larry smiled.  “There is no meeting. It’s hot dog Thursday.  Kind of popular around here.  We usually serve lunch in the meeting room, but we are making some accommodation for your unannounced visit. However, you are welcome to join us if you like.  Food is on a card table in the garage, soda pop in the cooler on the floor.”

At that moment the side door burst open and Grinold Township Road worker Billy “the kid” Johnstone walked in carrying a crockpot stuffed with hot dogs and sauerkraut. He was followed by Judge Walthers carrying the hot dog buns, paper plates, napkins and two open bags of potato chips.

“Help yourselves to lunch,” said the kid.

The room filled up with the lunch crowd and who took seats and began to eat their lunch while watching the entertainment.

Larry smiled at Dr. Linda Prior and John Stuart.  “Looks like lunch has found you anyway.”  

Before long, everyone except Larry and Dr. Prior were enjoying their hot dog lunch.  Larry continued with his questions,

“Please Dr. Prior, don’t assume what my next question  will be. In the spirit of cooperation allow me to re-phrase my questions.”  Dr. Prior nodded in agreement.

“ Were you able to find these chemicals testing in parts per million?”

“No.” she replied.

“Parts per billion?”  Larry frowned.

She shook her head back and forth and stated, "No."

“Parts per trillion?” he asked.

“Yes.”  she replied,  “But let me explain how..

Larry interrupted her,  “Do you test any other substances in parts per trillion?  

“No, but there are over 2,000 chemicals that fall under the PFAS umbrella.” Dr. Rider leaned in closer, “you obviously know enough about PFAS to know that we have to move quickly to stop people from getting exposed.”

Larry leaned forward until they were both almost nose to nose,  “From what I understand 75% of us already are infected in parts per trillion.  Now I also understand Maine has set a regulatory standard, is that right?

Dr. Prior smiled, walked over to the crockpot and pulled out the last hotdog,  “Yes, at 70 Parts per trillion.”

Larry nodded, looked down at the table. The room was quiet, not a soul dared speak, just the crunching sound of potato chips being eaten, and sodas being sipped.

“ Is that consistent with EPA regulatory requirements, oh wait forgive me, their recommended guidelines?  There is a difference, of course.” Larry and Big Don both chuckled and there were a few giggles from the audience.

“NO, it’s not. It’s more stringent but we feel it is necessary and proper to set a standard that best protects our citizens.”  Dr. Rider bit into the most delicious hot dog she had ever tasted.  “These are amazing”.  

Big Don nodded in response and said, “They’re homemade. I think if you ask the kid, we are eating what was left of Bessie the cow and Fluffy the pig.”

The kid then jumped in, “and some venison for flavoring.”

Dr. Prior gently paced the remains of her hot dog on her plate. Her four colleagues did the same.

Big Don smiled at the room,  “Well, those dogs were locally sourced, from the farm animals to the grain we fed them, and I’m betting there may be a few parts per trillion of that PFAS in them- that you are looking for."  The crowd tried to hold back their chuckles and giggles but a few slipped through.

Don looked over at Larry, then at Judge Walthers, “Your Honor, I hope we haven’t compromised your judicial impartiality should a PFAS lawsuit end up on your docket.”

Judge Walthers raised his 6 foot frame out of the folding chair, pushed back his silver hair, and began to walk to the door, waving back as he went, “Not a chance of that, Don. And I will see you same time next Thursday. Thanks for lunch.” 

Larry stood up, deep in thought, he looked down at the table, over that the half-eaten hot dog, then up at Dr. Prior as he began to speak slowly at first, and then faster, in a clear, unmistakable tone of  person who has had enough.

“Doctor, these folks have their own townships and jobs to get to, and I have a meeting with our township attorney who I can see is just now finishing his lunch.

You are welcome to test our monitoring wells, but if I read even one article about one of our farmers giving up their crops because they legally applied sludge on their farmland under a DEP permit for the past 20-years under State regulations for goodness sake, and you find PFAS on their farms, or you find PFAS in our monitoring wells and attempt to reopen the closure permit DEP issued and final approved 40 years ago, I promise you I will personally lead the charge statewide to fight any and all regulations you attempt to pass.  I sit on the Pennsylvania Regulatory Advisory Board and no regulation gets approved without our approval.”

Dr. Prior nodded her head and said,  “Well, sir, I’m glad you don’t live in Maine.”  She motioned to the DEP representatives that it was time to go.  “Thank you all for your assistance.  Have a great day”

Big Don walked the group to the door.  “Time to go.  Keep in touch.  Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!”

As the DEP contingent started up their engines, Larry stood up, scratched a mosquito bite on his left arm while grinning at Big Don.

“These damn tree-huggers never quit. They’ll test in parts per quadrillion if they can have something new they can regulate and ruin good people’s lives. And you can bet those new regulations will have a loophole for the corporate farms but not for the local farmers.”

Big Don grabbed cleaned up the lunch fixings and nodded to Larry Gates,  “you mean poorly regulate, don’t you?  But she did seem very serious, Larry. You sure there aren’t any conclusive studies on this?

Larry paused for a moment, “well, there is one.  PFAS has a tendency to stunt the growth in Caucasian males.”

Don laughed.  “Generally speaking, Caucasians are not the tallest of men”

Larry nodded, “Well, they can blame PFAS for that too.”

And with that, the Thursday locally-sourced hot dog lunch at the Grinold Township building was over.

Baby, I Was Wrong