Really?

     One would think I was done with Samsung, but I will stick around and see if they "come to the light". My first experience with Samsung was a few years back, I acquired (got it free) a Samsung smartphone, yesterdays technology still on the market. At the time the Galaxy had been around and was up to Galaxy s3. I acquired the Galaxy Continuum; the first of the Galaxy line. Had some issues with that and went to Motorola for one phones life, about a year and a half; so here I am back at Samsung with the Galaxy s5. Everything was "cool" up till the last update. It never really crossed my mind so I didn't concern myself with the color of the dial screen; up till the last "system" update. It is now a hideous white, no lines separating the numbers. The only color to it is the title line, it is a reasonable teal green. All the rest is black fonts on a bright white background. As I said it is hideous. Through a call to my carrier, and snooping around the web, I found  the way to change this is "install an app". Now I am sure you know as well as I know; a free app will come with advertisements and who wants to buy an app just to change the color of a screen? The ads are, to say the least a nuisance; or am I the only one that clicks open an ad when trying to close a feature or program? So after about 5 install and uninstalls, a bunch of aggravation; I have now downloaded and installed an app just to color my dial pad. In this experience I also found out the "block notifications" with its handy calendar and time setting was removed from the system. I just found this to be true this morning at 3:00 am.  Which is the reason I had to incorporate 2 different apps today.

The answer is so simple

     I have been around for a good while now, and have seen the good, as good as it gets, and I have peered down the other side too. I hope that this writing will strike a chord with some. 

     If you want to get rid of the drug cartels and you want to keep drugs out of your childrens hands; some will still fall through but, take the crime out of the drug problem. Legalize drugs. Plain and simple, if you can buy it from a reputable outlet why in the world would you still buy it on the street. And yes there is a criminal element in the drug trade. Duh, its illegal. If it weren't the criminals would have no need for it. Remember back to the 1930's, alcohol was illegal, thus making some people very rich. Now I'm not saying drugs are not a problem; however I am saying its not a legal problem. The problem is a social problem and does not need legality or lack there of as an additional problem. Now, if you take the money being pumped in to fight this losing battle keeping prohibition as the answer and turn it toward a proven remedy (sobriety) I think you will get further in your battle against drugs. As was mentioned before, prohibition creates a business and our government has had dealings of this sort before (days of prohibition). So it does seem unlikely that our government would make the same mistake twice. Yet, drugs become a legal problem rather than a social problem. Are you seeing the same circle I am? Just my take on solving a problem. 

Neo 

Well it started out looking good...

Please excuse this particular post; as a science/documentary Blog my personal life rarely appears in here.
Well wow... what a weekend. I get the additional day off as Saturday was not a lawn care sort of day. Cold, raining, windy and all the other things associated with a non conducive day for lawn treatment. So things actually did start as a plus. Found out my favorite local band was to make an appearance at a local venue, like about 2 miles from my place. That is road travel mileage not "as the crow flies." So I make it to the bar to meet up with an old work friend. Not to say the friend was old, but the friendship was. We were watching the band from what I would call the choice house seats... having a great time; beer and other adult beverages great conversation and shenanigans galore.  A beautiful female walks up to me, introduces herself, and hangs close by as the evening progressed. Things were really starting to take steps in the right direction. Yea, I got her number... we will see where it goes from here. Sunday things took a sharp turn south. Started with the plan to get some new sneakers (gym shoes); place up the road called Shoe Carnival is first store I think of. To beat all of the box office bests Kroger is in the same Plaza (shopping center). I did need to pick up a few items there. As I walk through the Carnival all I can say is "I can't believe this" and "you are kidding right?" The lowest price I saw was $39. Who in their right mind would pay $120 for a pair of sneakers? Thinking a new plan, but head over to Kroger since I am right there with coupons in hand. First couldn't find the orzo, even knowing from past experience it might be in the rice aisle (fat rice it is also known as). Next; could not find the garbanzo beans had to settle on chick peas (no problem, they are one in the same). The problem with a different Kroger is they are not Universal in set up, not being one to shop this particular store made matters a bit time consuming. Part 2 of the one stop shopping expedition was go to Wally World; the ever famous Walmart. Choice of closest was tough. Eastgate; yes that traffic nightmare, or the one on Red Bank, oh god how I loath the customer service at this one. Red Bank did get my business, $20 for a pair of sneakers. So... I finally get home about 5:30 (oh forgot to mention another "worst coffee ever" from the UDF). Plan is to roast a chicken for dinner; this will take at least 2 hours. Dinner will be late tonight. Get the bird out of the fridge, and yes, it was still frozen. Adding more time to the venture as I needed to soak the bird in cold water to thaw a bit more. Stuffing the bird can only get 1/2 the stuffing in the cavity as it was still frozen but I am running out of time. Guess is I will "stove top" my home made stuffing. argh! After bird is prepped and in the oven realize I left my cigarettes in the truck... down about 8 flights of stairs to retrieve and go back up the steps I just came down. To end on a positive note, I had a great night out with the girl I met on Friday night. Went to do see another band at the same venue.

Survey said...

Congratulations, you are now the reader of my 1500th post (whistles, bells and all sorts of hoopla) I mean... just like Barney told Andy "This is really big"

Did Nixon really invent inflation or was that Chip Wood?

   

 Playing devil's advocate/idiot; I will pose a question. Is it the president that defines the economy or is it the economy that defines a president. Was Ronald Reagan just at the right time or was it just the time was right for Ronald Reagan? Seems we have not really had quite the boom since he (Reagan) was in office. Though I do commend Bush (the younger one) in dealing with a problem that had no solution (9-11).  Just as there will be poor always, there will always be evil. You really can't declare war on evil. Of course then again, that is a lovely Pandora's box to define evil. I think the economy will ebb and flow with little help from the president. There is the issue of tax burden, which is about the only thing the president can do to change the economy. Even so, corporations and rich people make a lot of money, so do you even the tax burden with a set percentage, or do you give beaks to the higher earners? I mean any way you set it; wealthy people pay more. Is it just an ebb and flow with the president getting the credit or is the president deserving of that credit?

The simplified version

     Not wanting this to seem like a political blog, really its not but we need to look at things in a global sense.

Yes, peace and harmony would be great but this is the stuff dreams are made of. We can best explain this in extreme terms... bear with me, or should that be bare? 

       I am going to show you how trickle down economics works...

I'm the King... I have nobles and people under me, and then on the bottom we have the peasants. Now really it all starts at the bottom. The peasants till the ground, do services and labor tasks which provides money they pay me... I then take the money I make and disperse it as I see fit. Now if my peasants did not  make money I in turn do not make money. See it all starts at the top. The more I make the more I have to disperse and eventually it does get to the last guy... we will call him the snow remover (since that is the worst job that exists) The problem with this system is corruption and greed... the more hands the money goes through the greater the risk of losing money to corruption and greed. Its a simplified example to show if the money is not available at the top of course the little guy gets screwed. Just think, if peasants do well King does well and will need to build more castles... this makes for more work and the master builder is making more money now, he needs to hire more builders... who need to hire helpers, who get a little take of the money, and need to feed their families and the grocery store, the clothing mill and all the others in the land are making more money. And in the end the snow remover gets his share because it is a needed task that only occurs in the winter time, and only if it is a bad winter with lots of snow. Now if all the countries are doing well so it goes, the earth is doing well. But say China has a down turn in their economy; It would be a rough Christmas as that is where all the toys come from. Hopefully now you can see why it IS a brotherhood of man. 

Piranhacide

   

This strikes me as rather odd; but then again I do live in the United States. Wasn't there a joke about nuclear bomb goes off, safest place would be Ohio, takes 10 years for stuff to get there? Anyway, I was thinking about the "do not call" list; generally applies to land line phones. I am hearing the list of all cell/smart phones was recently thrown out to the piranhas known as "Telemarketers". Well, a new list of phone numbers for the piranhas to fester over. "Fresh meat" so to speak. We will define "Telemarketer" as one that markets products/ services/not profit/political info/one that calls strangers off a random list with the sole intention of passing information, advertisement, etc. Basically an electronic Piranah.

    Go here for piranhacide

     

I'm a little confused...

       Its been a long while (anyway you measure "while") since I went to school. So the memories left have become the more important ones. Getting hurt at recess, the teachers that standout, good and bad, and the other "ingrained in my memory" incidents that occurred in that brief period of my life. One thing I do remember are the bullies; and mind you bullies were not making national news. I often wonder what changed that bullies and bully-ing have become national spot lights. I remember my mom telling me,specifically what boys I was Not allowed to 'hang' with. Generally speaking, these were the known bullies of the local neighborhood. There were times I did not listen to mom, sometimes all went well, others, well these were the times I did get in trouble. The reason I am writing this post is a)I have nothing better to do, and b) I hear news reports featuring bullies. Now, I'm intelligent but not a scholar; hearing stories of  "bullies" causing suicide. Peh....leaz.... Seems to me there are enough issues in this subject to create an entire catalog. If one person were to be held responsible for suicide it would in my book be the victim. Obviously there is more behind this story than just the bully be cruel.  My mom and dad always said, the bully is just trying to be tough; ignore, walk away, report, do what needs to be done, but don't start a fight.  I am just an average guy, well, a bit thin, so I never really wanted to be in a fight. Ignore and walk away was usually my defense. I guess some would refer to that as cowering down; making me the coward at first look. I didn't see it that way; I had enough respect for myself to see it as avoiding a fight. Why give the bully what he is looking for. Like one time at a new high school I attended, this one guy, quite a bit bigger then I told me I was "goofy" so I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Yuk yuk yuk" (you do remember Goofy) walked away. Never heard from him again. 

       I guess this post was spawned from seeing in the "suggested reading" panel on my blog, a blog titled "how to raise kids to not be bullies". I was thinking, if this is a subject that requires research we are in deeper trouble than I thought.

once upon a time, in a galaxie far far away... or just me being a brat

Blogging should be easy with as much going on in my life; but then there is voluntary censorship. The things I do not and will not discuss with the 'general public'. Too personal or other... In other words mind your own business! But any way...
I was reminiscing about growing up, coming of age, and getting into the social scene. Yea you got it, I'm talking of the adventures of Young Pirate, alcohol and socializing, back to day one, or there abouts. Upon my discovery of Beer and all the wonderful things it did... I had been out with "the guys" in the neighborhood. We found various spots, venues, and places to do our evil wares, including but not limited to: an old tool shed the old man thought we just had a "club" in, the empty houses vacated by previous owners, the elementary school (once it was dark out) and others... Beer mostly but some whiskey, spirits and others. Well one day we ( the yings of the neighborhood vs the yangs) had found a way to make "wine". Grape drink, drop some yeast in, cover with a balloon and wait a few days (wine production actually requires years). So we (the yings) get this bottle, pretty tasty as I remember, present said bottle to the yangs, and the bargaining began. Well we got this full bottle of "wine" how bout we trade for your 2/3rds bottle of Old Grand Dad?  What a fool, he went for it, hook, line and sinker... came to us after the fact and complimented us on out fine "wine". Now you can see why it is known as "Ying and Yang" rather than "Yang and Ying." Ying being the more intelligent and cunning. Well I just wanted to share that little story with you, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do... ah shoot, you cant, cause I'm the one who drank most the Old Grand Dad. lmao