Saturday, February 24, 2018

Most Powerful Shows Once On TV

Missing on TV are shows which inspired people to think. They were made possible through the excellently informed skills of the writers and actors who appeared in them. About the only similar one these days is CBS's 'Madam Secretary'. I really, really, really wish more of these kind of shows were in the pipeline ahead. Sadly there are not. As a result Americans are worse off for it. They not only entertain but inform.

And they did it a hellva lot better job of it then the channels on TV masquerading as news these days with their blathering overpaid performers. Make no mistake about it. That's exactly what these news anchors and guests are--performers having little-to-nothing to do with responsible journalism. They spend 10% of their time reporting the news. Then go on to talk about what they just reported spending 90% of the remaining time explaining their version of what we just heard and what we should think. Yeah like we're some sort of a bunch of idiots incapable of formulating an opinion without their expertise.

The following shows were designed for thinking people to ponder. Unlike the cable news channels who assume their viewers are uninformed idiots who need explaining. That's why I so sincerely miss these and other shows like them. They're practically timeless. Most of the issues they addressed are still the ones we face today.

Boston Legal- Nukes and North Korea.. Denny Crane


The Newsroom- Will McAvoy's Apology



The West Wing- President Jed Bartlet Scenes



If You Haven't Watched 'Madam Secretary' Yet
Here's A Sample Of What You're Missing.



Anyone Remember "Harry's Law"?
(2011)



Last Days Of A Dying Husband (Humor)

A very old man lay dying in his bed. In death's doorway, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookie wafting up the stairs

He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.

With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven.

There, spread out on newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.

Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. The aged and withered hand, shaking, made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when he was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.



"Stay out of those," she said. "They're for the funeral!".

Friday, February 23, 2018

These Gun Control Videos Speak For Themselves

Obama 2016



Ronald Reagan 1989



George W. Bush






This is the fourth post I've made concerning gun control and have yet one person dispute any of them. I take this to mean all the baloney arguments against increasing gun ownership requirements is just something partisans like to hurl at one another like it were some sort of sport of gamesmanship.

It's further my conclusion (since no one raised an objection in the comments) everyone agrees with me, right?

Argument For Stricter Gun Control

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Dana Loesch NRA SPOX Blast Media


In other words Dana's telling the media to shut up and sit down.



Gotta Admit It's A Hellva Strategy
If the media dares report on school shootings Dana's accusing them of exploitation. What she fails to point out every time one of these mass shootings occurs gun sales increase.

Therefore she's exploiting the very same thing every time she opens her mouth shouting angrily as frequently as possible in the media.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Tips To Help Secure Your Wi-Fi

Not only is it important to install the latest firmware. Create a strong password. But it can also be useful to create a name for your network which might put some people off from being inclined to use it such as...



On the other hand you may want to steer a family member in the right direction.

A few years ago (when the college boys lived next door) they labeled theirs "MrDelish". Personally I prefer to label mine "ERROR: Not Found".

Bad Boys Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

2015



2013




Better hope these have a eSTOP just in case their 'alternate intelligence' (AI)) decides we're a threat to them.

To tell ya the truth even our iRobot- Roomba' makes me nervous. I have the cat keep a sharp eye on it.



A FUTURE ARGUMENT SURE TO FOLLOW
How do you stop a bad guy with a robot?

Oh great-- Now I suppose we'll have a bunch of these running around too!

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Tax Break: Seniors Least Represented

According to 'The Census'--
"Voting rates have also historically varied according to age, with older Americans generally voting at higher rates than younger Americans.

In 2016, this was once again the case, as citizens 65 years and older reported higher turnout (70.9 percent) than 45- to 64-year-olds (66.6 percent), 30- to 44-year-olds (58.7 percent) and 18- to 29-year-olds (46.1 percent)."




Seniors Got The Short End Of The Stick
This administration is continually trumpeting out how every working person is seeing more in their paychecks after these tax cuts. Some even getting large bonuses. This while seniors on fixed incomes were left out of the equation even though seniors make up the largest voting block.

One may argue--so what? Retirees aren't working. True enough but we still will be faced with ever increasing state and local taxes after these federal budget cuts start kicking in. At least those who got a little jingle in their pockets will make out for a while (till the end of 5 years). Such is not the case for those over 65 no longer working. Being senior doesn't mean we stopped paying ever-increasing prices and taxes just like the working.

The problem here is government sending a clear message it values one segment over that of another. A signal to their largest voting block they no longer value them. What do you think the response will be in the next federal election after being so terribly underrepresented?

A just government shouldn't measure one's worth by only what someone can do for it to the exclusion of all others. It was supposedly created to represent all it's citizens.

I never much thought about the day I'd be old and stuck on a fixed income. Yet here I am. So shall most of us all one day

Friday, February 16, 2018

Sarah Huckabee Sanders In Concert


Video Courtesy "Super Deluxe"

Trump Killed Bipartisan DACA Agreement (Again)





That's not the way I'm seeing it.


A few days ago flip-flopper Trump tweeted this out...





It wasn't the Democrats who killed bipartisan measures


There's some really nasty things I'm inclined to say, but I'll let Donald's own words regarding his character speak for themselves.

Guaranteed Way To Get Gun Control Enacted

ALTERNET
Want to See Gun Control Enacted?
Support a Movement to Arm Black Folks En Masse
"Ending mass shootings might seem like a hopeless cause in light of all this, but that kind of thinking ignores the historic infallibility of racism to move American political mountains. A visible and vocal movement to arm black Americans en masse would fire up GOP political will toward gun control, and probably at speeds currently unimaginable."


Armed Black Protesters Cause Cleveland Police To Call For Temp Suspension Of “Second Amendment” Open Carry Law (07/17/2016)

Thursday, February 15, 2018

My Comments On The Latest Mass Shooting



Reuters
Speaker Ryan wants to fix possible legal gaps on guns and mental health
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday lawmakers should close any possible legal gaps that may allow the mentally ill to obtain guns, as the country reeled from a school shooting that killed 17 and a year after Congress ended expanded background checks tied to mental health problems...

Because the resolution, signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 28, 2017, was passed under the Congressional Review Act regulators can never enact similar requirements in the future."


Politico (02/02/2017)
House votes to rescind Obama gun background check rule
"The House voted Thursday to rescind an Obama administration rule that heightened scrutiny of mentally impaired people who seek to purchase a firearm ... On a 235-180 vote, members voted to rescind the rule, adopted in December, that permits the Social Security Administration to send information about those who receive disability payments to the national system of background checks for gun purchasers if those individuals are determined to be mentally impaired."

02/28/2017


COMMENTARY
The Republicans have two standard responses. (1) It's too soon to talk about this. (2) Guns aren't the problem. Mentally unstable people are. So what are we saying? Other nations have less mass shootings because all the wackos live here in this country?

Semi-automatic military designed assault rifles capable of firing 30 round clips of armor piercing high powered ammo was never something the writers of 2nd amendment could ever have imagined. That's why the 2md amendment never addressed rocket propelled grenade launchers, dirty bombs and missile launchers for home use.

Here's a quick fact for those who've been living under a rock. After 67 mass shootings in 2017 and 18 more so far this year (2018) ain't no politician gonna do a damn thing except blow more smoke. We've been down this road a hundred times. Nothing changed then. It won't now. Not so long as we worship the 2nd amendment as if it were the 11th commandment issued down from the hand of God.

Heads Up
There's A Great Big Loophole In 2nd Amendment.
It's doesn't say one damn thing about protecting ammo for guns does it?

What Some Vocalists Really Sound Like

Famous singers with ISOLATED vocals

It's amazing what even home studios with auto-tune, equalizers, pitch bends and a whole host of other tricks can do.

'TruthSurge" demonstrates how fudging around with sound equipment can produce amazing results.




Notice how much he can make his voice sound completely different with whatever project he tackles because of various studio tricks and techniques he uses for himself..





YEP that's why studio engineers get paid the big bucks--
To make stars sound good.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Trump's Budget Proposal Throws Granny Off The Cliff

Politico.com
"The White House released a decade-long budget request Monday [02/12/2018] that lays out $3.6 trillion in deficit reduction while calling for hundreds of billions more to be pumped into the Pentagon.

The Trump administration is proposing deeper cuts to safety net programs — including Medicare, which the president on the campaign trail swore he wouldn’t touch — to help fund what it calls a “more lethal” military."


Demonstration of Hypocrisy (2013)


Oh Sean, Sean, Sean.
4 years ago you thought it was an abomination for Obama to try and expand healthcare by leaning into the Medicare budget. BUT I assume you have no problem with Trump now using stealing these funds to finance his military ambitions instead of for granny's medical needs.

Apparently Republicans, Trump & you Sean no longer have a problem with racking up trillion$ in debt as long as it doesn't go towards any of our social programs. The hell with em' sickies. In nature only the strong survive right?

Talk About A Lying Sack Of $#*&..



Grandma And Grandpa
Here's what's in store for you...


That ad appeared in May 2011 then shortly after Republicans took control of both sides of Congress. Some (like Sean) called it BS. Can't say voters weren't warned. Now Trump is proposing to actually do it.


What do think about it now--
Still think it's BS?




The should scare the bejesus out of you...

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Assume Everything This Administration Says is BS

I was going to do another fact check but became quickly overwhelmed. My advice is just assume everything this administration says is BS. This is why I choose to do so few of these kind of posts It's frustrating and exhausting. Once again I will state with confidence-- at some point all this nonsense is going to hit the fan. My hope it will not be too late for the U.S. when it does.



Anyone see Captain Obvious's Problem?
(1) Donald was the one who issued an executive order ending DACA.
(2) Democrats have lost congressional control since 2011.


The Rob Porter resignation scandal. It's Obama's fault.. HUH?
According to Sebastian Gorka on Justice with Judge Jeanine-- the Obama administration deliberately "gummed" up the FBI's approval process to make Trump look bad.


Mediaite.com: Kellyanne Conway Says this about Sen. Gillibrand,...
“I don’t need a lecture from Kirsten Gillibrand on anybody else who protected and defended and harbored a sitting president who had sexual relations in the Oval Office and was impeached for lying. I don’t need a lecture from her or anybody else.”".

Problem is according to this article --- "Gillibrand was first elected to Congress in 2006 and didn’t actually get to Washington until January 2007, years after Clinton was impeached over the Lewinsky affair."


Trump Constantly Tweets About the "Failing New York Times"
The New York Times posted-- "Buoyed by the growth in digital subscriptions, total revenue for the year increased 8 percent, to $1.7 billion, and 10 percent in the fourth quarter, to $484 million. The Times Company had more than 2.6 million digital-only subscriptions,"



FOX NEWS posted on The sins of a bloated, unaccountable government--
"A litany of problems were documented by WND in 2015, indicating a whopping $8.5 trillion that was unaccounted for by the military since 1996... And this from Forbes in December 2017: “On July 26, 2016, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report ‘Army General Fund Adjustments Not Adequately Documented or Supported.’ The report indicates that for fiscal year 2015 the Army failed to provide adequate support for $6.5 trillion in journal voucher adjustments.”

I believe if we were somehow able to eliminate each and every "non-military lines" of spending it still wouldn't be enough.


I have at least another half a dozen of other nonsense...
Trump, FOX News and this White House puts out nearly everyday. Some would include how Donald thought the Democrat's 10 page memo was too long or that some how U.S. intelligence got snookered into paying a Russia operative $100,000 for dirt on Trump. Something the CIA denies emphatically

It's one thing for FOX News and Trump to spin stories. Entirely another for FOX News to outright lie knowing Trump will buy into what they're pandering. Never before in history has a President taken the word of half baked TV commentators over and against his own advisers, Justice Department. FBI, members of congress, U.S. intelligence operatives and half of the American people he's sworn to represent.

Folks we're in a very bad place. Someone who runs the country impulsively by what he only sees on TV demonstrates a person incapable of thinking on his own. Especially only one channel to exclusion of all others. PBS does plenty of informative programs. So does CNN's Anthony Bourdain when he visits other countries and BBC's documentaries. Maybe these all seem too complicated to digest for a simple mind like his.

What we have here is a old thickheaded billionaire who's been enjoying living in a rich man's bubble through out his life Someone unwilling to spend more then a handful of weekends at the White House leaving everything up to everyone else to figure stuff out. In other words what we're stuck with is a rich kid who never grew up.

A Challenge For My Readers
Is there anything Trump does or says which would have been acceptable if Obama did or said what Trump has?

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian Has True Olympian Spirit

Our President may see Jamaica as a shithole country but that's not the way Jazmine views the world.

"Jamaica's bobsled team member Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian breaks down in tears as she describes the journey that has led her to the Pyeongchang Olympics as part of a trailblazing bobsled team."




Procter & Gamble's #LoveOverBias campaign



Friday, February 9, 2018

Various Stuff I Came Across




Guess who made a surprise visit to the opening of the Olympics
Not really. They were impersonators who caused a stir for a bit then subsequently ejected. News source can be found HERE





The New York Post
Scientists invent ‘super wood’ that could replace steel
"Scientists have devised a way to make wood up to 12 times stronger in a bid to replace steel with a cheaper, lighter and more renewable alternative."

How cool is that!



Well This Sure Do Explain That
Off and on for a couple of months I've been fuming over my ISP provider's ever increasing internet signal dropouts. It would work fine for 3 or 4 days then suck for 4 or 5 more off and on. Finally I had enough and surrendered by calling them. You see I'm the kind of guy who'll never give up and ask for either directions somewhere or admit it just might be something I can't resolve on my own.

Turns out 23 year old DOCSIS 1.0 cable modems can't interpret DOCSIS 3.0 signals from their servers effectively. Gee who would have thunk it? Not me. You know what really is enlightening for people like myself too thickheaded to move on? The new cable modem is free and downloads twice as fast and uploads five times faster. So basically I wasn't getting my money's worth due to my stubbornness.


If this was true about that piece of equipment it then got me to thinking about my 70 year old brain.


Oh crap!
I'd hate to start thinking it's me and not you.






Tuesday, February 6, 2018

So Many Confusing TV Services



Gee if there was only someone who could invent something where TV shows would be all in one place.

Duh.. Somebody Did.
It's Called Cable TV!

To me this whole fragmentation is one giant con which no doubt will end up costing lots more. This isn't a step forward. It's a giant leap backward. Just look at those prices and add them up. I'd bet anything most would sign up to any each of them only because they were interested in one or two shows each offered. Now breakdown the cost of each of the limited shows you'd be watching. It'll probably work out to $4 or $5 each.

Talk About A Con Job!
Each of these monster companies are withholding their best shows for themselves. All the while starving out existing cable company's channels which are practically barren of anything worth watching. At the same time putting the squeeze on cable companies forcing them to buy bundled crap even they wouldn't watch.

Look I get it. These guys are greedy pigs. But if you think for one movement most people like myself are going to end up paying $4 or $5 a show they're nuts. Sure there will always be fools who will fall into their trap where TV ends up costing them 2-4x's as much. However I don't see how there won't come a day consumers won't have buyers remorse if Cable TV should ever come to an end and no longer be available. And if you think internet providers aren't going to jack up prices when it does you're in for a rude awakening.

How The Old Business Model Was Better For Consumers
Having only three major networks allowed for better shows because of the concentration on them. Take a look back years ago when shows were able to pay for comedy writers, songwriters, orchestras, costume designers/makers and set designers for countless variety shows each and every week. Shows which aired nearly 26 episodes instead of 13 (with many skipping weeks in-between). Sponsors picked up the entire tab. When cable came along these behemoths started forcing cable customers to chip in even more. As if this wasn't enough to satisfy their greed they forced us to bundle and pay for channels they created few wanted.

Instead of literally hundreds and hundreds of TV networks where only 1 or 2 million viewers tune in for a program there once were millions upon millions watching each. This now means advertisers have to spend tons more money all spread out just hoping their message will be seen. So too was a time consumers didn't have to spend wads of money for 90% of the crap TV we're never going to watch.

Now it's finally come down to this. These companies want to eliminate the middlemen (cable and local TV broadcast stations) so they can get and keep all the loot directly for themselves. Will people allow themselves to be taken hostage?

Probably--but I won't be one of them.


57 Channels?
Gotten a whole lot worse since 1992, hasn't it?

Sunday, February 4, 2018

U'r Team Ain't In 2018 Super Bowl?

I can honestly say if none of the teams I supported were in the "Super Bowl" I could care less.
HOWEVER...
I've always watched anyway for the super cool advertisements.



But if your team is the Eagles...
THIS YEAR'S BOWL IS THE ONE TO WATCH FOR YOU




May the best team' Eagles' Win!

Trump Is Upset With His Treatment By The Media







Imagine how Obama must have felt...

But he wasn't tweeting about it nearly every week.



Saturday, February 3, 2018

Why Our Farmland Is Disappearing

According to Mr. Bill government hates farmland.

Mr. Bill lives in McCook, Nebraska (Population 7,698)

Friday, February 2, 2018

Here It Is-- The Nunes Memo

The Official Full Nunes Memo


Far as I'm concerned just what Alan Dershowitz speculated it would be the other day...



Michelle Obama On Donald Trump

The Ellen Show | Published on Feb 1, 2018

Michelle's 1st TV Appearance Since Leaving Office


While I'm at it I would like to take this opportunity to address conservatives criticism of Trump's first state of the union speech. The main complaint was Democrats "sat on their hands" instead of getting up and down applauding in unison with Republicans. Duh! That's the way it works with every one of these speeches. If they think Dems were tough on his highness take a look at Obama's 2009 SOTU Speech



The difference here is Obama didn't go on Twitter three times a day crying about how he was disrespected. Obama didn't tweet every time some Republican didn't give him everything he wanted demeaning them and calling them names. Nor did he throw aside everything our intelligence agencies were trying to tell him in favor of some lunatic he happened to come across on TV, radio or on social media sites.

If Trump wants respect unity and bipartisanship he has to offer respect, unity and bipartisanship by both his words and deeds. So far I ain't seeing it. He's the kind of bully who will take a poke at someone then cry, whine and complain...

Why's Everybody Always Picking On Me?