INTERESTING: An old French vet dies

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/01/16/523257-french-wwi-veteran-dies-at-age-108

http://tinyurl.com/y25hgb

*** begin quote ***

PARIS — One of France’s last World War I veterans, Rene Riffaud, has died at age 108, leaving just three known French survivors of the 1914-18 conflict, the National Veterans Office said Tuesday. Riffaud died overnight Tuesday, said Marie-Georges Vingadassalon, a spokeswoman for the office. Of the three surviving World War I veterans, the oldest — Louis de Cazenave — is 109, according to the veterans’ office.

*** end quote ***

What a unique experience has been lost. What could he have told us?

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Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: WalMart offers a 398$ Linux box

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3762908

http://tinyurl.com/y3yxql

WalMart offers a Linux box

***Begin Quote***

Microtel SYSWM4008 Desktop System, 2.8 GHz Intel Celeron w/CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive $398

***End Quote***

Very interesting. I’d like one just to see how good it is.

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Seaside Heights property tax “reevaluation”

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Well, the fist salvo in what will be a long expensive war was fired last night.

I was mildly surprised that the “reeval company rep” was there last night. But, they were. And we, Frau and I, got another taste of what it’s like to “rent” one’s property from the gubamint.

In essence, they gave us some verbal Barbara Striesand about computer model. (And, you know how much that was worth to me. I gotta few computers and can “model” too.)

Basically, they took two sales on our block, as comparable, subtracted their swag about what the building was worth, and divided by the square footage to come out with a number. Take that number and multiply by the 20 by 100 lot we “own”. And, pouf, the land was worth 315k.

(Sell!)

After some fast thinking, I pointed out that these “comparables” were:

(1) Year round legal two families hence they may have under-valued the buildings and thus over-valued the underlying land.

(2) That small undevelopable lots are not worth the same as larger developable lots.

(3) The read of the lot was “unusable” because it is “landlocked” and as such you can’t practically or economically do anything with it. I cited just putting some rocks down in the back to control weeds was three times as expensive for us because they had to be wheel barrowed down an alley. Takes a lot of wheel barrows to make tons.

(4) We were preempted by zoning from using that back 40 feet from making a two family like our neighbors making the land less valuable.

(5) Everyone else has parking; we don’t. Makes our property worth a lot lot less. And, there was no way to remedy that defect.

I couldn’t think of anything else. Did I miss anything?

He dutifuly took notes on all our points, nicely promised to send it back to HQ, and we would get a response shortly.

Guess the next step is to hire an attorney?

I’ve been “drafted” as a foot soldier in this war on our pocketbook.

I wonder how much success I’ll have with Constitutional issues. No taxation without representation. I didn’t agree to government schools or spending.

I’m also warming up my tactical arguments. Did everybody get charged the same square foot rate? Politicians, businesses, landlords, voters? That will be an entertaining question. I don’t think so!

Let the games begin.

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Posted by reinkefj

XPfails – luggable – Reinstall, reboot, try again and again

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

I guess the XP gnome — annoying creature that it is — decided that if I was really going to keep rebooting until I got wireless connectivity back to my home network, then it’d eventually relent and give it back. Argh!

Leave a Comment » | LUGGABLE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

XPfails – luggable – DELL’s wireless fails

Monday, January 15, 2007

Luggable’s wireless stopped working. Argh! Wrassled witht he drivers. Uninstall, reinstall. NG! Latest drivers loop and drive cpu to 100%. Argh! Not working, System restore, still ng. Arghhh!

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Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: What does the euro really mean to the dollar?

Monday, January 15, 2007

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/
572b41a6-a414-11db-bec4-0000779e2340.html

http://tinyurl.com/ycnuqo

Euro displaces dollar in bond markets
By David Oakley and Gillian Tett in London
Published: January 14 2007 22:08 | Last updated: January 14 2007 22:08

***Begin Quote***

The euro has displaced the US dollar as the world’s pre-eminent currency in international bond markets, having outstripped the dollar-denominated market for the second year in a row.

***End Quote***

Is this the beginning of the end of the US Dollar as the world’s reserve currency?

Try to envision what that means.

(1) Dollars stored overseas will come back to us as sort of IOUs. Foreigners will buy something with those dollars to take home. Anything of value. Remember the Japanese buying Rockafeller Center in NYC? The inflation that we exported overseas will come home to roost.

(2) Imports will get more expensive. Big Time! As we will have to pay for them in Euros, not Dollars.

(3) The general rise in prices caused by too many dollars chasing to few goods will hurt the poor, the elderly on fixed income.

(4) The non-productive parts of our economy (think government) will become more expensive as the prices go up. Government costs will rise faster. (Why? Only real people pay for things. Government and business are really fictions that just pass along costs to real people for payment. There’s “shipping and handling” on every transfer. Corporations, because of competition are motivated to minimize that. Governments are not. Thus if the cost to government goes up a dollar, I’d expect the cost to me goes up four dollars. While me quibble about the multiplier, it’s definitely there.)

Plan your finances accordingly.

Don’t hold dollars; buy things that will “surf” in inflation. Gold, Commodities, Equities, Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, things that appreciate in value.

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Thinkin’ bout “social security insurance”. Ugh!

Monday, January 15, 2007

http://www.cato.org/dailys/12-17-97.html

http://tinyurl.com/ymnpkp

December 17, 1998
Chile’s Social Security Lesson For The U.S.
by José Piñera

José Piñera is Chile’s former secretary of labor and social security and is co-chairman of the Cato Institute’s Project on Social Security Privatization.title

***Begin Quote***

America’s Social Security system will go bust in 2010. As political leaders scramble to save it, they’ve overlooked an obvious free-market solution that works. They need only look at Chile.

***End Quote***

A blog comment spun me up on this one again. So, I pulled up the url to the Chilean solution. And, marveled that we had the answer in ’98 and did nothing with it. It was NOT just an academic answer, but a running system in a large country! In my world, a working field trial of an idea is evidence!

Here’s a fellow with a proven answer to “our” “social security insurance” problem.

(Note: I don’t have such a problem. I wrote off the theft decades ago. It’s nice of the robber to send me “statements” telling me how much they are going to restore to me. But, I’m not planning on getting it. AND, I object to the fact that it was stolen from me in the first place! I never agreed to it.)

It won’t work here because he was dealing with smart but illiterate people, Here in Amerika, we’re too smart for our own good.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me for decades, like American politicians do, and you deserve everything you get.

In Chile, the government served as a referee and “licensed” a bunch of investment companies to accept deposits. Due to the people’s illiteracy, the companies picked colored animals to be there logo. 93% of those illiterates opted for the new system. And, they were not limited to how much they could save for retirement — all tax free — and so the national savings rate is about 27%. What’s it in the US, negative 5?

Yup, we’re too smart for our own good.

2 Comments | LIBERTY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

GUNS: “Gun Control” is “Victim Disarmament” and “Genocide Preparation”

Sunday, January 14, 2007

http://www.davekopel.org/2A/OthWr/People_Control_in_Japan.htm

http://tinyurl.com/yx8ct2

 

Gun Control and People Control in Japan

***Begin Quote***

The Japanese National Police Agency wins the applause of the American gun control crowd by keeping close tabs on gun owners, down to counting how many round …

***End Quote***

Certainly, just like in the Warsaw Ghetto, when the police come to take you to your “final solution”, they should be allowed to count every bullet you have. Fire it at them. And, hopefully your neighbors will rise up and protect you.

I can here the choruses of “It can’t happen here”!

Yea right.

Do the words “Japanese Internment” mean anything?

How about Ruby Ridge, Waco, Elian Gonzales, and NOLA?

The State is a ruthless oppressor and your only defense is the Second Amendment and your liberty minded neighbors.

For those that think you can fight the State with your puny guns, just look at Iraq. The American military won the war and lost the peace there. I’d also site the Afgan resistance to the Russians as a “success”. And, there were a bunch of bloody failures.

So push back now when it easy to rant and rave, lest you be in a worse position later.

The government is NOT your friend. It’s not here to help you. It does not “protect and serve” you.

And, you have no obligation to feed its insatiable desire for power and money.

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Posted by reinkefj

FUN: When someone takes two parking spaces

Saturday, January 13, 2007

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sychowolf7/124428076/

Of course, if this car was at the far end of the lot, then who cares. But, this was funny!

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: “Social Security Insurance” theft

Saturday, January 13, 2007

From an alumni obit

***Begin Quote***

John M. Conrad, Sr., 64, a resident of Hopewell Junction for 12 years and formerly of Mount Vernon, died unexpectedly on Saturday, December 23, 2006 at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Poughkeepsie.. He was a graduate of Manhattan College. He was employed as a real estate manager for IBM, White Plains for 30 years until his retirement in 1991. He was currently working as a certified real estate appraiser for Trans Union of Albany and Buffalo.

***End Quote***

No, it’s not in the wrong category. This is really about Liberty.

Here’s an example of the tyranny of government.

DO you think this fellow would have paid 15% of his lifetime earnings into an insurance policy that was an annuity that didn’t payoff anything if he died?

Nah!

While it is true that the widow can collect “on his record” which gives her the greater of her benefit or his benefit. Either of which is enough for “dog food”.

I bet his IBM pension covers his spouse in full. That is that there is no nonsense about discount.

And, it is true that there is a small disability benefit during his working years. But you don’t think those ads in the paper by lawyers offering to sue for your social security insurance disability benefit are there because it’s easy to claim that benefit?

And, if I sold you an annuity that had no guaranteed payout or no value if you died before collecting anything, then I bet I’d be in jail for theft. If you look at the sites of those who sell insurance, you’ll find that you can’t buy that type of policy without a ton of paperwork. Some require the notarized signature of the spouse “waiving” the option. And, they require an attorney, paid for but not retained by the insurance company to represent the buyer’s interest. Some don’t even offer the option at all.

So, why do we permit political thugs to rob us? Enslave us? Make us poorer? It’s like being a slave.

2 Comments | LIBERTY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Cabbage Regulation! And why does the fed regulate cabbage?

Friday, January 12, 2007

Found in an email tagline

***Begin Quote***

The Lord’s Prayer is 66 words, the Gettysburg Address is 286 words, there are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence, but government regulations on the sale of cabbage total 26,911 words.

***End Quote***

Don’t know if it’s true, but it sounds like the gooferment.

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Posted by reinkefj

WRITING: BLOG2BOOK project – Redid April

Friday, January 12, 2007

Arghhhhh!

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Bad news about a friend

Friday, January 12, 2007

A friend may have had a TIA. Her husband called me on the way home from the hospital. It wasn’t until we were deep into conversation that I realized he was talking and driving. I rudely rushed him off the phone so he could get home safe with a promise to call in a few minutes. I hope he understood that I didn’t want more trouble. Cell phones and cars don’t mix. I think that OnStar is some how different. At a lotta cents per minute, your conversation will be short. No free minutes there. And, it’s truly handsfree with a good quality. No “can you hear me now” with it. Good thing, at those prices. Any way, I’m anxiously whiling away the minutes until he send me an email and I can call. What else can one do. SO far away. Any way, when he reads this, I hope he knows it was his best interest in my heart. Hope it came across that way. Injineers are not known for delivering good messages. Tapping the keyboard aot twiddling my thumbs. Say my grandmother’s prayer “In your hands Lord, here’s my trouble”. Let’s hope that it’s just the “Littlest” of a little TIA. I don’t make new friends easily. So I can’t to afford to lose any. Yeah, yeah, I know you’re amazed I have any with my wise-backside tongue. Nah, nah, some people like a “spicy fellow” like me. Gottago there’s his email.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: SYNCURA goes pay

Friday, January 12, 2007

Oh well, was nice while it lasted. Have to drop this and uninstall it.

My fall back is hamachi and Karen’s replicator.

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Posted by reinkefj

WRITING: BLOG2BOOK project – Finished Second pass

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Argh! Ugly, ugly, uggggly. I am toying with the idea of a table of contents and eliminating a lot of duplicate dates to save space. Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

FUN: Warren and Bill’s excellent adventure

Thursday, January 11, 2007

http://www.hooters.com/news_and_events/news/2006/
2006-10-31_Gates_Buffet.asp

http://tinyurl.com/wczkm

World’s Two Richest Men Can Eat for Free at Hooters

*** begin quote ***

(Atlanta, GA) On Friday October 20, 2006 Bill Gates and Warren Buffet made a stop at the Hooters Restaurant along with members of the Board of Directors for Berkshire Hathaway. The visit came at the request of Buffet so the group could pose for a Christmas Card photo with the chain’s beautiful Hooters girls.

*** end quote ***

You have to be able to laugh at yourself. And, the wings are great. With copious amounts of an adult beverage.

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Posted by reinkefj

GUNS: The fellow can really use his tools! An Annie Oakley award winner

Thursday, January 11, 2007

http://wfrv.com/watercooler/
watercooler_story_010032147.html

http://tinyurl.com/yzblna

Jan 10, 2007 1:21 am US/Central
Officer Frees Bald Eagle With One Bullet

***Begin Quote***

(AP) DES MOINES, Iowa A bald eagle owes its life to the sharpshooting skills of an Iowa conservation officer. Though the bird has yet to offer any thanks, Jason Sandholdt is getting plenty of recognition from those who saw him use a single bullet last weekend to free the bird from a branch that hung over a cliff at Lake Red Rock.

***End Quote***

It’s a tool. It’s nice when you see a good use for a tool. I guess we should have the “Annie Oakley” award, for the best use of a tool, like the Darwin Award.

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Enough Theft! Try Liberty.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2007/01/
enough-talkget-to-work.html

http://tinyurl.com/wnt3t

CHANNEL SURFING: Enough talk,get to work

***Begin Quote***

“Without an expanded income tax, nothing will matter.”

***End Quote***

How about recognizing that the income tax, like all the other taxes, is just theft? With politicians drunk on power and money, there can never be enough money. It didn’t work for the French Kings. It didn’t work for the Communists. And, it won’t work for the komisars in Trenton either.

Remember the income tax was supposed to replace property taxes. Fooled ya. The Lottery was for education. Fooled ya. Vote for us we’ll lower property taxes. Fooled ya. (And, we stiffed you with an unnecessary penny sales tax for boondoggles.)

People read Peanuts and laugh as Lucy pulls away the football on poor old Charlie Brown. The taxpayers of New Jersey are just poor old Charlie Brown except that they just don’t know it. And, it’s not funny to be Charlie!

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: The inheritance tax is nothing more than grave robbing

Thursday, January 11, 2007

I went to the lawyer, signed an estate tax return, and now will pay the State a goodly chunk of change. Why would anyone die in NJ and leave money to other than a relative? Answer, when one has no relatives. I guess the thugs in Trenton figure it’s a safe theft. There’s no victim to complain. Beneficiaries are getting a windfall that they don’t have to pay taxes on. Little do they know that the taxes were paid long before the get a dime. While the feds have eliminated estate taxes, the sates have not. So this grave robbing is “legal”. It may be immoral, ineffective, and efficient. But they get away with it. The lawyer was telling me about a well-off lady who’s husband died and to keep the family farm in Princeton, she had to pay estate taxes that amount to everything else she had. I envision that if there is an Eternal reward, then the politicians who allowed this to happen deserve a special seat close to the fire. Grave robbers!

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: The Sexualization of Little Girls

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

http://www.embracingmomminess.com/2007/01/the_sexualizati.html

http://tinyurl.com/yeux8v

January 02, 2007
The Sexualization of Little Girls

***Begin Quote***

Here’s another argument for homeschooling. This is by Lawrence Downes, from of all places, the New York Times. In his article, Mr. Downes refers to this frightening trend as the eroticism of adolescence, but it’s really the eroticism of little girls for the rest of society’s sick enjoyment:

***End Quote***

Yup, I can’t see any reason for keeping the current system of “education” where the government aka the gubamint aka the gofferment takes custody of children and reeducates them to love the state more than anything else. It’s a religion!

And, I has I often rant — it’s immoral, ineffective, and inefficient!

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Posted by reinkefj

XPfails – luggable – Outlook Lookout fails – Reminder left hanging

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Outlook gives me a reminder. Good. I click dismiss. Outlook transforms into LookOut and leaves a zero reminder hanging out. Eventually the performance degrades to unacceptable. Reboot. Argh!

Leave a Comment » | LUGGABLE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

WRITING: BLOG2BOOK project – Finished first pass edit

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Was ugly.

Lessons Learned: Best done in small bites. Monthly?

Lesson Learned: Quotes should have the spell check attribute turned off.

Lesson Learned: Jargon should have spell check turned off.

Lesson Learned: probably shouldn’t have tried this.

Leave a Comment » | Writing | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

Four Steps To Restoring the Culture – And Avoiding Catastrophe

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Welfare, Family, Money, and Education! He’s hit my top 3 and thrown in “family” for good measure. I agree and he writes it up much better than I ever could.

read more | digg story

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Posted by reinkefj

WRITING: BLOG2BOOK project – Finished December!!! Yeahhhh!!!

Monday, January 8, 2007

December went pretty quickly. Spell check and edit by Tuesday. Editorial annotations on Wednesday. Publish soon after that. I have the cover already. Kinda exciting!

Leave a Comment » | Writing | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RANT: NJ should cut out some idiots. But they’re in government!

Monday, January 8, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/08/
newjersey.idiot.reut/index.html

http://tinyurl.com/y972je

New Jersey may cut ‘idiot’ from constitution
POSTED: 3:59 p.m. EST, January 8, 2007

*** begin quote ***

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) — New Jersey is to consider cutting the word ‘idiot’ from its constitution so that people with some mental disabilities won’t be barred from voting. State Senate President Richard Codey introduced a bill Monday that would remove language from the New Jersey constitution that was designed more than 150 years ago to prevent people suffering from mental illness or handicap from casting their vote in national, state or local elections.

*** end quote ***

With all the pressing issues of the day, it’s nice to see that the “idiots” in office have time to handle this pressing issue. As opposed to handling one of the non-pressing issues, like out-of-control property taxes, a dishonest politicians taking “part time” jobs to pad their pensions, and rampant corruption by both parties.

Arghh!

1 Comment | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RANT: A spammer almost slips thru, but I know my blog’s true worth. Not much!

Monday, January 8, 2007

A spam comment, at least I think it is spam, almost got me:

*** begin quote ***

sureshg | sg_bangalore@hotmail.com | suershg.wordpress.com | IP: 216.66.12.180

I am always intrigued and thrilled by the passion of Bloggers. WordPress never ceases to amaze me as I constantly bump into new blogs which really takes me by surprise for sheer energy and passion in maintaining a Blog. Good work and nice blog, I really enjoyed visiitng your place.

Jan 8, 4:25 AM — [ Edit | Delete | View Post ] — Bulk action: Approve Spam Delete Defer until later

*** end quote ***

So I contacted WordPress’s global command hq, (OK,I left some feedback to wordpress via their owner’s feedback mechanism.

*** quoting my feedback ***

I’m not so vain as to think any one is impressed by my blog. Heck, I’m not even impressed with it. But, it’s MY ugly baby. Anyway, when I clicked on the blog link it says “new”. So from that I conclude it’s spam. I don’t understand the motivation for spamming blogs, but you may want to put out an APB lest someone of weaker moral character and a less objective sense of their own blog’s worth, might be tripped up. fwiw, fjohn

 

*** end my feedback ***

The ip address says it’s from California.

I haven’t deleted it because I want to think SOMEONE appreciates my blog. ;-)

1 Comment | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

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