[BBC] On stage he's a loveable, floppy-haired prince charming. Off camera - well let's just say he needs a lot of personal space. He hates being a celebrity. He resents being an actor. To his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley's friends he was apparently known as ’Grumpelstiltskin’.
Hugh Grant may be famed for being moody and a little challenging to work with. But could a grumpy attitude be the secret to his success?
The pressure to be positive has never been greater. Cultural forces have whipped up a frenzied pursuit of happiness, spawning billion-dollar book sales, a cottage industry in self-help and plastering inspirational quotes all over the internet.
Now you can hire a happiness expert, undertake training in mindfulness, or seek inner satisfaction via an app. The US army currently trains its soldiers - dash; over a million people ‐ in positive psychology and optimism is taught in UK schools. Meanwhile the happiness has become an indicator of national wellbeing to rival GDP.
The truth is, pondering the worst has some clear advantages. Cranks may be superior negotiators, more discerning decision-makers and cut their risk of having a heart attack. Cynics can expect more stable marriages, higher earnings and longer lives - though, of course, they'll anticipate the opposite.
Good moods on the other hand come with substantial risks -sapping your drive, dimming attention to detail and making you simultaneously gullible and selfish. Positivity is also known to encourage binge drinking, overeating and unsafe sex.
#1
So happiness is part of the Democratic platform - so they can control sapping your drive, dimming attention to detail and making you simultaneously gullible and selfish. Positivity is also known to encourage binge drinking, overeating and unsafe sex.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/13/2016 7:37 Comments ||
Top||
#2
RULES FOR A GOOD OLD AGE..
1. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard earned capital. Enjoy the present moment. The sand in the clock may run out at any moment.
2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren. You've taken care of them for many years, and you've taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their way.
3. Keep a healthy life with moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It's easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. Keep in touch with your doctor, get tested even when you're feeling well. Stay informed.
4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then. Enjoy it together.
5. Don't stress over the little things. You've already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don't let the past drag you down or the future frighten you.
6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor, your surroundings, your country. We are never old as long as we have intelligence and affection.
7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don't stop going to your hair salon or barber. Do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist. Keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong on the inside.
8. Don't lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There's nothing sillier than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You've developed your own sense of what looks good on you - keep it and be proud of it. It's part of who you are.
9. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You'll be surprised which old friends you'll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.
10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same viewpoints as ours, but they are the future and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them of yesterday's wisdom that still applies today.
11. Never use the phrase: "In my time." Your time is now. As long as you're alive, you are part of this time. You have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.
12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days in the latter mode. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it'll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.
13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you've lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.
14. Don't abandon your hobbies. If you don't have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer at an NGO or collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.
15. Even if you don't feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven't seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don't get upset when you're not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.
16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That's a great way of reducing the desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don't go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.
17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we're all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.
18. If you've been offended by others, forgive them. If you've offended someone - apologize. Don't drag resentment around with you. It will make you sad and bitter. It doesn't matter who was right. Someone once said, "Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die." Don't take that poison. Forgive and move on with your life.
19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don't waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.
20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what's not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.
21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less of what they might be thinking. They'll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you've achieved. Let them talk and don't worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you've lived so far. There's still much to be written, so get busy writing and don't waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be free, at peace and as happy as you can be!
22. Remember, never vote for that Lyin' Bitch, Hillary Clinton.
#3
9 conflicts with 5. The only way the newsmongers make money is selling you fear and loathing no matter how miniscule or tangential it is to your life.
#4
And remember peeing at first light behind the massive oak is therapeutic. As is peeing at twilight behind the massive oak, but at twilight it's okay to have a snort of what made the gerbils sing.
#6
#2 - Excellent. I can't do #2 on your list. My kids have all made good choices in life, but I don't know how they'll ever be able to buy a house in San Diego without some help. No spouse, and I can't take it with me, so I'll gladly help.
P.S.: shared on my FB with credit
Posted by: Frank G on the road ||
08/13/2016 19:32 Comments ||
Top||
Mike Vanderboegh died last Thursday from cancer. Many who frequent Rantburg.com did not care for the man, given his past as a real life, honest to goodness communist revolutionary who came to see the errors of his way and thinking, and then went to work dedicating his life to restoring the Republic.
I never met the man in real life, but I did respect him for his past, his judgement, his conversion to American conservatism, and his steadfastness and passion.
His son, who served in the army in overseas assignments, now carries on his father's blog. So far he has taken up the guide-on of his fallen father enthusiastically.
A short, but sharp lesson on the Executive Order Import Ban of 5.45x39mm Ammunition
The 5.45x39mm ammunition is used in the AK-74, the latest iteration of the AK series built in 1974. The AK-74 and the military issue ammunition it uses has the industrial designation of 7N6. The designation means that the 5.45x39mm round has a slug that is 53 grains in weight and uses a steel core. The ammunition available before the ban was what is called corrosive, which will destroy the gas tube and the barrel over time with a salt-based corrosion unless the rifle is cleaned thoroughly after each use.
By personal experience the AK-74 is a fine rifle. I don't use 7N6 ammunition because of its corrosive properties, using instead 60 grain non corrosive ammunition. Russian rifle trainers teach their shooters, and bore sight their rifles to hit targets out to 400 meters without adjusting sights. The shooter is taught to target the upper chest of their target at 50 yards, and end with Russian center mass, which is the crotch of their target. That is a distance of about nine inches, or about 228 millimeters. The 7N6 ammunition with the 53 grain slug enables this standard.
ATF rules are that any ammunition which can be fired in a pistol and which can be called armor piercing is generally banned for civilian use and sale.
Ammunition manufacturers make armor piercing ammunition, but they are restricted for police and military use. 7N6 is not available to civilians for "sporting purposes", the legal standard which "allows" all ammunition to be available for sale to the general public. The 7N6 ammunition has been available for general sale since the 1990s, as far as I know. Until the advent of Obama, it was never a problem. I know of no kop nor any official who has been shot/killed using an AK-74 rifle. In fact, all 5.56x45mm/.223 rifles in nearly every state outnumber the available AK-74s by at least an order of magnitude.
People just don't use the AK74, for some reason.
Since the Sandy Creek Massacre in 2013, Obama has been determined to deal with gun laws by using the executive order means of restricting as much as he can through his power as president. Apparently, someone in the ATF discovered that a short barreled rifle with a folding stock, the Russian Krinkov, was available for sale. Under ATF rules, the Krinkov is a pistol since it doesn't have a fixed stock, and so the rule against armor piecing rounds applied.
He could not ban the ammunition outright, but he can use his power to ban its import and sale, and that is what he has done. It has the special mark of being an economic sanction against certain Russian manufacturers in the wake of the Russian invasion and subsequent takeover of Crimea.
This concludes the lesson on how a single politician acting as dictator can use raw power to further shore up that power. Further use of that power awaits gun owners after January, I suspect, regardless who wins the White House and the legislature.
Loads.
Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:
Prices for pistol ammunition were mostly steady. Prices for rifle ammunition were steady across the board.
Prices for used pistols were mixed. Prices for used rifles were lower across the board.
New Lows:
Florida: 9mm (Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic) Sccy CPX2
Pistol Ammunition
.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (4 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Goose Island Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Wolf, Tulammo, Steel Casing, .24 per round (From Last week: -.01 Each)
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo Mart, Legendary, FSFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Store Brand, FSFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round (From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks))
9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .16 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .15 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Lucky Gunner, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel cased, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (9 Weeks))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Hotshot, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .35 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, Steel Casing, FMJ, .31 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (9 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: SG Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .22 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds (10 Box Limit): Ammomen, Federal, RNL, .07 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds (2 Box Limit): Ammunition Supply Company, Federal, RNL, .06 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each )
Guns for Private Sale
Rifles
.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: %520 Last Week Avg: $570(-) ($616 (2Q, 2015), $476 (44 Weeks))
California (217, 211): Palmetto State Armory: $550 ($650 (1Q, 2015), $400 (49 Weeks))
Texas (219, 213): Ruger 556: $450 ($700 (1Q, 2015), $350 (2Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (135, 147): Smith & Wesson: $500 ($700 (2Q, 2015), $300 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (158, 155): Palmetto State Armory: $600 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $475 (13 Weeks))
Florida (373, 355): Anderson Manufacturing: $500 ($650 (2Q, 2015), $380 (1Q, 2015))
#2
Under ATF rules, the Krinkov is a pistol since it doesn't have a fixed stock, and so the rule against armor piercing rounds is applied.
Seems like the ATF creates their regulations as they go. A Krinkov originates as a pistol. And so a piece, with that barrel length, converted with a non-detachable stock "fixed" to the receiver would render it a Short barreled rifle subject to other requirements for ownership but in theory legal to fire the 7N6. However, unless one wears a trench coat neither are exactly easy to conceal. At best their "armor piercing ammo" regulations seem to be a solution in search of a problem. More likely a ruse from the get go.
#3
Who was the prime manufacturer of 7N6, and did they donate to American politics recently, would be my first two questions.
I think we, our Scotch 12 Think Tank, got a circle squared the other night.
The conundrum:
Leftists think only LEO should have guns.
Eff the Police.
It isn't that only LEOs should have guns.
Only *their* LEOs should have guns.
And for the record, again, I consider LEO my cousins, and have never, even though earned, had an encounter which was not at least...constructive.
We were also able to square the Fred Phelps and current collectivist (whole other discussion) methods of violence, and that the collectivist is by nature a loose cannon by purpose. That is, when told control, control, you must learn control, they scream back eff you old man!
[Daily Caller] In a 2015 interview with British journalist Mehdi Hasan, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that the Obama administration made a "willful decision" to pursue its policy, which he said has allowed ISIS to gain power.
implied that the Obama administration is willfully responsible for ISIS’s rise and reign of terror in Syria.
"I think that looking back, there were a number of strategic errors that were made," the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency stated.
"We definitely put fuel on a fire that had some embers there" by invading Iraq in 2003, Flynn said.
"You’re on record as stating that the administration’s handling of Syria has been a mistake," noted Hasan. "Many people would argue that the U.S. actually saw the rise of ISIL and turned a blind eye."
Hasan pointed to a DIA memo, discussing the findings of an internal agency probe, which indicated that the United States saw the "ISIL caliphate coming ... and they did nothing."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
