What started as a description on using the Zune has morphed into comments on daily happenings--especially common ones that no one would EVER put up with a generation ago. If you're here to see Zune entries, go down the right-hand column for "Zune HD"
Bad enough that Rashida Tlaib, the new congressperson from south Detroit, talks about being a proud Palestinian, rather than a proud American, but then in a celebratory speech in a bar, she proceeds to call the President a motherf***er.
It reminds me of a song with the line "If it wasn't for low class, she wouldn't have no class at all."
Here's a clip of her inability to control herself. Jump forward to 4:20 to get to the heart of the matter.
forward to 4:20
Hopefully her son wasn't there to hear this, but it was a momentary peek behind the Trump Derangement Syndrome curtain that is held by the Democratic Party.
They would rather destroy President Trump than help the country. That is obvious with their refusal to provide adequate funds for border protection, instead keeping the federal government in a shutdown status.
With my old postcards, I sometimes use them to enhance my blog writings. Many times I get a moiré pattern from the scan. I've read other places about adding Noise, median, etc. but it doesn't do much of a fix for me, except to make the scan more blurry. So I thought I'd try something else.
First up, my original scan:
Notice the significant patterning on the grass and on the street. Turning the postcard in the scanner to a portrait position did not help remove the moiré. Neither did editing it in Photoshop.
So I re-scanned it at an angle---like this:
Lo, and behold the moiré seems to be gone. Here's the postcard again rotated and cropped for easier viewing:
Your term is about to end. Frankly, I’m pleased you’re about
to leave. When you arrived in 2009, it was with real hope that you could
uniquely unite America and reinvigorate its constituents. Some of us carried a
bit of cynicism about your desire to do that. Sadly, we were right.
After four years of your leadership, the country was still in economic
doldrums. But Americans reelected you in spite of this. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it
was to provide a second chance. But it ended up no better. So what will your legacy
be? Here are some items to consider:
1.Operation Fast and Furious
Your Justice Department allowed thousands of guns to pass into the hands of
smugglers, in hope of tracing them to Mexican cartels. You lost track of them
resulting in your Attorney General Eric Holder being held in contempt by
Congress for his refusal to turn over documents about this failed operation
that ended up providing a gun that killed border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
2.State Department E-mails
In a brazen attempt to keep her communications private (in violation of federal
laws), your Secretary of State set up a private server outside thegovernment’s purview, using it to transmit
classified information, even communicating to you, Mr. President. You in return
sent emails to her non-government ID. Even your FBI Director James Comey had to
report that the secretary and her team were “extremely careless” in protecting
our national secrets.
3.Benghazi
America lost Libyan Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others in an attack on
the consulate in Benghazi. Your government’s response with just two months left
in the campaign of 2012? You failed to immediately use available covert forces. (Note: See 13 Hours for details). The Secretary of State claimed the attack was a
reaction to A VIDEO, with Ms. Clinton even telling this lie to one of the
victim’s parents. You even pushed a judge into jailing the video’s author.
4.Hacking at the Office of Personnel Management
This hack exposed millions of federal workers’ information—the biggest data
breach in government history. Katherine Archuleta, the Office’s manager, had
been warned repeatedly about security deficiencies but never took the time to
have them fixed.
5.Scandal at Veterans Affairs
Over 35 veterans died waiting for appointments at an Arizona VA facility.
Because of the abhorrently long times (sometimes many months) to get an
appointment, the VA actually went to the trouble of creating a secret waiting
list, to hide the lengthy waits. You admitted such in November, 2016 when you
acknowledged “it was scandalous what happened”.
And the list goes on.
Your administration never once achieving 3% economic growth in a
given quarter (for EIGHT YEARS)—matching a record that went back to the early
1930’s.
Billions of $$$ are being spent for a high-speed train in
California between L.A. and San Francisco that is now 7 years behind schedule,
with the first leg between Fresno and Merced still not built.
You authorized a policy in your Justice Department against
policemen resulting in increased crime across the country as police everywhere
pulled back on active policing, resulting in multiple loners targeting and murdering police.
You DOUBLED the national debt—overspending in eight
years more than any ALL OTHER PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS COMBINED in history.
You authorized negotiations and then signed an “executive order” that authorizes Iran to become a nuclear power. This was all part of a failed foreign policy where the
USA is now perceived as weak as a world power. You didn’t do a treaty because
you knew the Senate would never approve.
You authorized the swap of one low-level U.S. deserter (Bowe Bergdahl) for five significant Taliban leaders being held in Guantanamo, a crass move that reeked of politics over country.
As a result of your policies, your party lost seats at all levels of
government, resulting in the fewest number of Democratic representatives since
the 1920’s.
That, sir, are some highlights of your legacy.
Now we’re on to hope and change again. And we’re hoping this
time it will be real hope for a good change, not a bad one. Put away your pen
and your cell phone, Mr. Obama. I for one am glad to see you go.
Addendum 2/1/2021
How bad was Obama? Thomas Sowell, renowned economist, with his opinion (in 2016):
With all the phone apps available for Android and Apple phones, it can be tiresome as a Windows Phone owner to search for one and be frustrated over and over. Why do I own a Windows Phone? Well, it's a Lumia 1020, and photos are very important to me. It's great knowing that in my pocket is a camera that's as good or better than many small, portable cameras out there. I don't know if it's the Zeiss optics or the hardware. But it's great! Here's a sample:
Hubbell Glacier July 2016
But I digress...
Nest makes a programmable thermostat that is easy to set-up, easy to use, and easy to monitor. But logging on a laptop is not as simple as opening an app on the phone, when one wants to change the temperature in the house. Perhaps you left on vacation and forgot to adjust it, perhaps you did set it on "vacation" and now you're returning home to a cold house unless you remember to log on a laptop just before you leave for home.
Using the app search on a Windows Phone with the word "Nest" yields two apps, one of which (Cozy) turns out to be a "browser wrapper" which is essentially useless. The one you want is wellNEZted which unfortunately is so far away from "Nest" the app search doesn't bring it up.
My recommendation (after having used it for a year), spring for the 99¢ and buy this app. It's what you're looking for.
The wellNEZted in action
To use it just touch the "-" or "+" areas to adjust the temperature. Pressing the settings button (bottom center) allows for Home or Away, and Off or On. You can also pin the app to your home screen, where it will show you the temperature in the house, and turn red if the heater kicks on, or blue if it is off.
A well done solution. Thank you wellNEZted.
Update: approximately 2/2017
The app writer took down the app from the Windows store. Sadly, it was a last link in a chain that moved me to a Google Pixel. And while they claim it takes better photos, in my estimation it does not. Nobody could beat the Lumia 1020.
So I thought I'd watch part of the live streaming today--I happened to have some time available. The only Apple product I own is a nano iPod, as it was the only device supported by my car for listening to songs on a remote device with full control in the auto's screen. I'm thinking, well maybe it's time to consider an iPhone, since my smartphone is three years old.
I went to the live stream site and got a message that my browser doesn't support THEIR chosen method of streaming.
I decided to alter their stream message in order to show "truth-in-advertising".
Guess I have to check out an Android phone instead.
Frankly, the sugar crop supports by the federal government approach the ridiculous. Currently U.S. producers of beet sugar get 24 cents per pound regardless of the price on the world market. In exchange they have growing allotments that are penalized if exceeded. World market price for sugar for 3Q 2015 was $.1591 per pound. This represents a difference of 8+ cents for each pound used in candy products. How do you keep this 8¢ per pound if you're the manufacturer? You make your candy outside the U.S., dumping U.S. jobs in the process. Does the sugar industry have that many more jobs than candy manufacturing? That would be good to know--and who knows what other industries have moved manufacturing out of the country as a result of this price support.
In 2002, Life Savers production left the U.S. with the owner Kraft Foods complaining about sugar prices as the main reason. The mayor of Holland, Mich. where the plant had been previously, was quoted as saying the price of sugar was costing Life Savers "$90 million" a year. Sugar growers stated the cost difference in a pack of Life Savers was "about a penny". I'm guessing the Life Savers people were thinking "why should we put that money into a sugar grower's pocket, when we can move the plant, and put it in ours."
And Mars, Inc., a $30 billion plus company--where do they make their candy destined for U.S. consumption? Evidently they opened a new plant in Topeka, KS in 2013, but it is mentioned in the article it's the first new plant in the U.S. since the 1970's. As a very secretive, privately held company, Mars is hard to track.
Which brings us to Brach's, a long-time Chicago candy maker (great back story here). Currently owned by Ferrara Candy, which picked up the brand when it merged with Farley & Sathers in 2012, one of their products that I have loved for years are their jelly beans. Hopefully, they won't mess with the recipe (a la Life Savers, and Brach's orange slices, and a hundred other products), but I happened to read the last bag I bought. I saw a bit of irony with their claims of "America's Candy Maker" and the small print with where it was made. See for yourself.
(updated pricing 1/22/2016) (Updated again 6/28/2016)
It's impossible to find out the actual cost for cable tv since the companies have gone to "below the line" fees/services charges. Particularly obscene is the passing on of broadcast stations fees below the line. It's part of the TV package for heaven's sake. Do you put on an "ESPN" fee below the line when that contract changes? Hypocrisy big time.
So to help out (if you ever find this blog...) here are complete prices for a cable tv configuration from Wave Broadband in western Washington--who bought the rights from Broadstripe, who were formerly Millenium Cable.
Costs July 31, 2015 / December 31, 2015 / June 28, 2016
What I HATE most is the price is constantly going up! Practically every month! What reason does Wave have to hold down prices if there is no fixed contract with its clients? While I have a choice to move to Comcast, I'm waiting for Century Link's fiber-optic service to arrive.
This constant price increasing is what makes people leave for another service.
So for Basic Cable +HD Channels +DVR for one TV that is the real monthly price. Here's a list of the channels you receive. Many are dups, i.e. low-def and HD for the same channel.
They will throw in one free converter so you can watch HD programs on another TV. After the first one it's $4/mo. (+taxes)
(July '16) Included Converter will revert to $4 charge beginning Jan. 2017.
