Current Verbosity
Trump Blows Racist Dog Whistle Loud and Clear
Wisconsin was the target market for the first Donald Trump "tele-rally" on July 17. The "rally" was a rambling 23 minute recording of the current president played to a list of telephone numbers. Let's Talk White Property Values Featured toward the end of the recording was a word salad of information that should be very familiar to people paying attention during the civil rights changes in the 1960's and 1970's. In just a few words, the president brought to the forefront the same ideology that landed him and his father in hot water when the federal government successfully sued them for racial discrimination in 1973. It was a purposeful dog whistle to his cadre of faithful supporters who might be concerned about people unlike themselves living anywhere near their … [Read More...]
Halo Smart Smoke and CO Detector
UPDATE: Halo Smart Labs closed their doors in July, 2018. The devices are no longer for sale. The Halo Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm is a hard-wired connected smoke and carbon monoxide detector. It has a rechargeable backup battery the manufacturer claims will last for ten years. If you need a battery ONLY detector, these units will not work for you. Halo and Halo+ (with weather alerts) use visual alarms, a LOUD beeper, and a clear voice warning to inform you of smoke or carbon monoxide problems. All variations of the Halo units are compatible with Samsung SmartThings hubs and with the Lowes Iris home automation systems using a ZigBee protocol connection. The Halo is … [Read More...]
Democrats Blow Arizona Opportunity
The State Senator race for Arizona Legislative District 15 was won by the Republicans on August 4, 2020. The general election November 3 will have no effect on the outcome. The same is true for three other Arizona districts. The Democratic Party ignored Arizona LD15, handing an uncontested victory to a hard line right wing Republican professional politician. No candidate from any other party came forward. LD15 Demographics I've resided in this district for over twenty years. It's a great place to live. There's a nice mix of dirt roads and pavement and all the things that go along with both. 227,909 people live in 87,335 households. The median income is the fourth highest within … [Read More...]
A Big Day in Grammar School
Week One Prompt:“Share some primary school memories.” I began my scholastic career at George Washington School in White Plains, NY. As you can see, it was easy walking distance from our house (now hidden by the tree canopy) on Todd’s Pond. When I was ready to head to fourth grade, Mom and Dad decided it was time for their three kids to change schools. We would all attend St. John’s School, even though it meant (I assume) tuition and (certainly) driving us to and from school each day. Sometime during my transition between third and fourth grade, I ended up wearing prescription glasses, a “joy” I maintain to this day. New Kid in Fourth Grade But, since glasses hadn’t yet been judged as … [Read More...]
Fear is Personal and Real
Social media is abuzz with people dismissing fears expressed by others concerned with where the next Presidential regime will take the United States and how it will affect them. Protesters marching the streets of cities across the country are being characterized as babies, wimps, whiners, and sore losers. The list of reported racist incidents after Trump's victory continues to grow. Some of these incidents are probably not directly related, some may be manufactured or fictional, and some may be overblown. But, it's a long list. Nationwide Angst An incident at an International Baccalaureate middle school in Michigan where, in the presence of adult supervisors, seventh grade children … [Read More...]
Reality Hits You Hard, Bro
Let's get the title reference out of the way, click here for the YouTube where an Arizona resident reminds us that, sometimes, reality hits you hard, bro. The realities that hit you hard in this matter are convoluted but not complex. Aggressive Council Moves The City of Glendale City Council voted 5-2 to negate an existing contract with the Coyotes at a contentious June 10, 2015 special City Council meeting which had been scheduled one day earlier. Reasonable people recognize scheduling a voting meeting and giving your business partner one day's notice to prepare as an extremely aggressive move, especially given one of the two councilmembers supporting the Coyotes was out of … [Read More...]
Trump Defunding Social Security and Medicare
The title of this post is purposefully a bit misleading. Something along the lines of “Is Working Hard To Defund” would be more accurate, but much less clickable. We will all know the result before much longer. The current president is strongly and publicly supporting cutting the funding mechanism for both Social Security and Medicare. […]
