tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18567284800991241082024-03-14T04:32:27.158-07:00Donald Filer Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-73079209175517858012022-04-12T09:59:00.003-07:002022-04-12T10:07:49.318-07:00<h2 style="text-align: left;">Norton Backup Discoveries </h2><p style="text-align: left;"> I recently had a rude awakening when I opted to reinstall Windows on my aging desktop PC. I, of course, backed up (what I thought was all the data) using Norton 360 (I was strong-armed into purchasing by my Internet provider, Xfinity). Unfortunately I used the default settings for my backup since Norton indicated all my folders and files would be backed up. So I reformatted my hard drive and reinstalled Windows 10 and then I restored my files from my external hard drive using Norton 360. So far so good. </p><p style="text-align: left;">When I went to check on the websites I have created however, I found out that the default settings for “files and folders” did not include my CSS (cascading style sheet files). This was a total disaster. My HTML index files were backed up and restored but none of my critical style sheets were there. I was astounded. I couldn’t believe it. I learned a very painful lesson. If you don’t want to lose something, you had better save it several times in different places with different formats. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> I had no idea Norton would discount the importance of CSS files and ignore them. I have since added “.css” as one of the extensions I want Norton to backup but it will take months to recreate the missing CSS files. I have already deleted about 30% of my websites because it could take years to figure out what the style sheets should include. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> I was able to resurrect the sites I have previously published on the web since they are stored on my web hosting service and I just downloaded them back onto my PC. But the feeling I have about this mistake is like betrayal and I have no plans to renew my Norton subscription. Along the way I learned another valuable lesson. You should unplug your external hard drive after making your backup avoiding any possibility of a hacker attacking your backup as well as your PC.
</p>Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-12827580356827097572022-02-20T12:42:00.004-08:002022-02-21T10:16:35.823-08:00Quick Fix for font size problems
I have noticed recently that my vision is not what it used to be and even with powerful reading glasses I was having problems reading many of the warnings the computer was attempting to tell me. In my struggle to correct this (old age) problem I discover Cortana the Windows equivalent of “Hey Google.” When I asked how to increase the font size on my computer she provided this quick solution and I thought some of you might like to know what I discovered.
If you also are having the same problem, you don’t have to throw out the computer or give up computing all together although I did consider both. The fix is simple and I am in awe if you knew this already.
First, right click on the screen and you should see this dialog box.
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Click on the next to last option “Display Settings.” Another tip accessed from this box is the “View.” If you select this option you can change the size of your desktop icons. After selecting Display Settings a new dialog box will open.
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Click on the “Scale and layout” option which will open four options. I changed my scale from 100% to 125% and voila all the text popped up in size.
Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-35669942768056335612020-09-25T08:59:00.002-07:002021-04-13T14:21:24.850-07:00Dr. Fauci finally loses his patience, HUMILIATES Rand Paul at hearing<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uoc5xT6TJHo" width="480"></iframe>Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-89573019952155031242020-05-01T09:14:00.002-07:002021-04-13T14:20:11.756-07:00Breaking News about my website donfiler.us
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I have sprinkled web sites throughout these blog posts and want to apologize if you become frustrated because they no longer work.<br />
<br />
For 7 years I have been creating web sites on my domain "donfiler.us" and this month I let my domain name and hosting service lapse. There are several links in the posts listed here that point back to this site which is no longer there.<br />
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Thanks for reading my blog.Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-23570034964939879212018-11-04T12:26:00.002-08:002021-04-13T14:22:16.815-07:00TV Viewing for What it's Worth<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>n January 2018, I decided to end my more than 25-year subscription to Comcast’s Xfinity cable TV. My wired phone and internet service are still intact. The main reason for dumping cable TV was Comcast's billing. While the bill was supposed to be $140 a month for the triple play option, it actually oscillated between $160 and $180 per month. After years of this kind of billing, I decided to explore my options for TV viewing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeew6rpEmWOl2O1C2Z-gLUicfsEy4wolgBI-StqOgOvBUIEFZUAnISlGhmpkIkHwmof31HTAn9qRIYrNlPIGVFHaes-deLdCw7JsJcrUaPX32Niw7B-_vUWdTwDXfeGUGwnB8YDAG6t5Ro/s1600/hulu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeew6rpEmWOl2O1C2Z-gLUicfsEy4wolgBI-StqOgOvBUIEFZUAnISlGhmpkIkHwmof31HTAn9qRIYrNlPIGVFHaes-deLdCw7JsJcrUaPX32Niw7B-_vUWdTwDXfeGUGwnB8YDAG6t5Ro/s1600/hulu.jpg" /></a></div>
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Instead of Xfinity/Comcast, I chose Hulu Live TV and Netflix which was $49 and $15 respectively. The total was less than what I was paying for cable TV. Now 10 months after the switch I realize that I do not like television commercials. Between Hulu, which I watch for news and sports programs, and Netflix, which doesn’t have commercials, I find Netflix gets more of my viewing time and enjoyment. I now notice the commercials when watching CNN or sports programs. My observation is television commercials are mostly unintelligible nonsense. I realize I used to get snacks when they came on in years past and gained a lot of extra pounds I didn’t want or need.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6XaqJkY7Jd9zvu5HsWbAEAPfk8FODBRgl3AJGWKeZRclSSrZ-MkRoHACjO0qwMbybOZ_hNA-TRUBLasTyLAMlFou-CaykJW-jjdfVeiUOFTDQk5g2X3seBwd43DaQhWPOnt2oOKTK6qo/s1600/netflix.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="330" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6XaqJkY7Jd9zvu5HsWbAEAPfk8FODBRgl3AJGWKeZRclSSrZ-MkRoHACjO0qwMbybOZ_hNA-TRUBLasTyLAMlFou-CaykJW-jjdfVeiUOFTDQk5g2X3seBwd43DaQhWPOnt2oOKTK6qo/s320/netflix.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I find Netflix to be most entertaining now and more interesting uninterrupted with commercials. I add two kinds of programs to my watch list, movies and TV programs broken into episodes and seasons. I watch a new movie every evening and have seen some really good films I would not otherwise have seen. Netflix has many documentaries and also award-winning films produced by Netflix. Movies I have discovered are too many to recount and I have witnessed a few bad ones too. I frequently add new ones to my watch list so I don’t have to spend time searching when I am ready to watch. The TV series programs have been surprisingly good. I am currently watching Person of Interest and many others have been better than I thought they would be.</div>
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For my money, I recommend Netflix and whatever streaming program you like to substitute for Xfinity and their abusive billing practices.</div>
Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-83493122974451006632017-07-24T14:30:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:23:11.726-07:00I hate complaining<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> hate complaining about as much as I hate hearing complaints. I am wading through a fair amount of negative stuff and just need a vehicle to cast off some ballast. July should be a time of relaxing, swimming, BBQs, sleeping in, vacations, and just taking time off.</div>
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This has been my usual practice anyway. School is out and the traffic a little lighter so driving up and down the freeway is less stressful. This July has gone against the grain. One of the reasons I like July, in addition to it being right after Father's Day in June, is it is my birthday month.</div>
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As you have guessed by now, it has not gone according to previous years. </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr56RtlXLvumgyEFXkYcCg5QT4KF4N2rCAHXVnQRZf330d3PMMhhD_qDaCB0AVybJ-NSXKCtuyfWb6s-Gox7H5ZyzxbclWYiNfNCOYCoYvLsLatewGgIp3stIzPn90j1BUaIUdL7xvvsv/s1600/hotsummer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="630" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr56RtlXLvumgyEFXkYcCg5QT4KF4N2rCAHXVnQRZf330d3PMMhhD_qDaCB0AVybJ-NSXKCtuyfWb6s-Gox7H5ZyzxbclWYiNfNCOYCoYvLsLatewGgIp3stIzPn90j1BUaIUdL7xvvsv/s320/hotsummer.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It has been hot temperature wise in northern California this year, after a wet winter and my allergies have been debilitating. I have had a couple of days I could not stop sneezing and blowing my nose. I took lots of decongestant with no relief.</div>
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My auto registration renews in August and this cycle, I had to get a smog inspection. This minor inconvenience turned into a major expense. I took my car to the station that inspected it a couple of years ago and was informed they could not do it because of equipment repair that would take 6 to 8 weeks to complete. That surprised me a bit but I just found another service establishment to do it.<br />
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Everything was going swimmingly. After a short 15 minutes, I received a new smog certificate and a bill for $54.00 with a comment that looked like someone had not tightened the coolant reservoir cap sufficiently. I did not think too much of the warning and drove my car on the 4-minute drive home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ds_pw0wxei4-BQHWo-YiFmObxETiG_M1uNRqqVqtQYTQg0c0jYzWNzzRP4xA665HV0nIy9tldEky73-gwYAC42ToMxA-Pd1w4aogZZ34WF6ivuul1bxfIMG8J5BONiziNGXO77ksZ2Cn/s1600/snog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ds_pw0wxei4-BQHWo-YiFmObxETiG_M1uNRqqVqtQYTQg0c0jYzWNzzRP4xA665HV0nIy9tldEky73-gwYAC42ToMxA-Pd1w4aogZZ34WF6ivuul1bxfIMG8J5BONiziNGXO77ksZ2Cn/s1600/snog.png" /></a></div>
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After parking the car, I noticed the fan continued to run after shutting the car off. It was a hot day and I know they have to run the car while doing the inspection, so I did not think anything was amiss. I was wrong. I did not drive the car for a couple of days but the next time I did I went on a very short drive and the fan continued to run after shutting the car off. This is something that had never happened before getting the smog inspection. I began to think about the warning I received at the auto service center and wondered if I had been "had." It would not be the first time I experienced a failure after getting something minor fixed.</div>
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I called my Volvo dealer and explained my car was overheating and he told me to bring it in. After inspecting the car and burning his hand on the coolant reservoir cap when he tried to remove it; he sent me home with a loaner car and said he would call with his diagnosis. He called and said he had to replace the radiator, the coolant reservoir, and cap because I had a radiator leak. This was on a Monday and they were extremely busy. When he called to tell me how much it was going to cost, what I thought I heard him say was it would be $477.00. When he called after doing the work, he said the bill was $984.00. This was more than I was expecting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0y6jA-o0DHl3VCgC-2LHRNdnBcZYoMGsbnfecvdYAwNivWahUedPVXBBpkEET0gK3VbdArURjFC17NvA1iMzeMP3wCThekzP_LvRzMJKD1BRBYb2VQNYEssoSY1CjYnNctjVEQyO-JsRT/s1600/money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0y6jA-o0DHl3VCgC-2LHRNdnBcZYoMGsbnfecvdYAwNivWahUedPVXBBpkEET0gK3VbdArURjFC17NvA1iMzeMP3wCThekzP_LvRzMJKD1BRBYb2VQNYEssoSY1CjYnNctjVEQyO-JsRT/s1600/money.jpg" /></a></div>
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I visited the emergency room at Kaiser on May 29th and had a few tests done because I was having lower abdominal pain after having a colonoscopy at the VA a week before. I figured I would get a bill for $400.00 or $500.00. When the bill finally arrived and it came in chunks, it was more than $8,000.00. So my budget is hemorrhaging.</div>
Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-72498444931051783502017-05-19T10:08:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:23:37.618-07:00Musings on our new president<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<i style="font-weight: normal;">Avoiding talk about politics or religion is great advice and I've followed it in writing my blog to this point. However, our record-breaking new president provides so much to write about, I just couldn't keep silent.</i></h3>
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Donald Trump's antics remind me of two children's fables." The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Anderson, and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" by Aesop. If you're unfamiliar with these stories, the first is about two weavers who convince the emperor they have created an invisible suit for him that can't be seen by stupid, incompetent people and the second is about a Sheppard boy who cries out for the people of a village to help him protect his flock. The villagers tire of the boy's game and do not respond when a wolf actually arrives.<br />
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Making America Great Again</h3>
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Our president finds himself in a precarious position after 110 days in office because he has a very casual relationship with the truth. In his world, it is totally acceptable to stretch the truth or even outright lie in his expression of how great he is and how well he has done. His focus on winning and being successful to the point of being unable to accept failure and loss is complete. His description of the crowd size at his inauguration is a fabulous example of seeing things that don't exist and he was livid when the Park service provided comparisons to previous inaugurations. His explanation for not winning the majority of votes is the number he lost to his opponent were cast by illegal voters. Few people believe this, but he will not move on to other things. He maintains the reason some people see his foibles is the democrats are sore losers. It appears to me, he is a sore winner.<br />
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Conflicts of Interest</h3>
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Maintaining an untrue position, over time, results in people losing faith and belief in their leaders. President Trump maintains the liberal media is fake and is out to get him. His memory is very short as the institutions he declared to be "the enemy," the intelligence community, the media, the democrats are no longer likely to be friendly, but that is his own fault. Trump ignores rules governing conflict of interest acting as though he is above the law.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t3wkwKm6eWqkXZ9mey9pEOincYfQou_jvSKdq4DjFlo2PHA_inVdwO1MV1ka1ZeCmn2vdjgHzQL2ndZYWxncxQNVbAxgBQn0LufhZ-YaFq85UcY9aJ8YdlLOyXixEhfg5TdmTeMXla1c/s1600/doncharisma-org-angry-wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t3wkwKm6eWqkXZ9mey9pEOincYfQou_jvSKdq4DjFlo2PHA_inVdwO1MV1ka1ZeCmn2vdjgHzQL2ndZYWxncxQNVbAxgBQn0LufhZ-YaFq85UcY9aJ8YdlLOyXixEhfg5TdmTeMXla1c/s320/doncharisma-org-angry-wolf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cover Up and Avoidance</h3>
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His insistence in obscuring reasons for his strategy and beliefs is unfathomable. He denies his campaign or advisors have had any contact with the Russians, but we find out his closest advisors have. Instead of being an open book, he spins lies he has to amend, retell, and amend again. The boy telling the villagers story after story until they don't believe a word he says. </div>
Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-42265834091094583562016-10-06T14:46:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:24:17.721-07:00Lessons in Social Media Belly Flops<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceAZlLU3PEQhyMcqzCg4y0PLFv-gKkbGt4RTjWrMlOITv5LPl8_e7i3fN5Ijb49o0vNCTt1pcIQof3fl3tMxQksNZJx0uBhJQZ9Lm8YPsi_DP4ChQhcro39P9gduSGbCHqrVEBMvk9vKY/s1600/ashamed_woman_feeling_embarrassed_at_work.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceAZlLU3PEQhyMcqzCg4y0PLFv-gKkbGt4RTjWrMlOITv5LPl8_e7i3fN5Ijb49o0vNCTt1pcIQof3fl3tMxQksNZJx0uBhJQZ9Lm8YPsi_DP4ChQhcro39P9gduSGbCHqrVEBMvk9vKY/s1600/ashamed_woman_feeling_embarrassed_at_work.jpg" /></a></div>
<h1>
Is it just me?</h1>
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Are you having as much trouble as I am getting the wonderful world of Social Media to work for you? Doing my best to learn every new app for buying, selling, and socializing, I have encountered many obstacles that suggest these businesses are going to fail.</div>
<h1>
Reddit</h1>
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The first problem I encountered was with Reddit, as long as you do not count all the times I've had to change passwords because I can't keep track of all of them. Forgetful me, if I don't use an app for several months, I find it difficult to remember what the username and password combination is and inevitably have to ask for a new password or register for a new account. I read an interesting article about using Reddit to post content that would be interesting to likeminded individuals so I posted a link to a marketing blog I wrote. Everything in my blog is original; I wrote it and did not plagiarize anything. Reddit decided I didn't have enough "credit" to post a website URL. <i>You can post URLs, but only after enough peers think you are worthy of that privilege</i>. I thought this had to be a mistake so I asked for a human to read the post and confirm that it didn't qualify under Reddit's rules. Sure enough, a real person got back to me and said it didn't so I deleted the post and have not been back to Reddit since. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/">https://www.reddit.com</a></div>
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Fiverr</h1>
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Fiverr is a great place for freelancers to get business and for buyers who want to pay a very low price. It gets its name from the fact that everybody offers a minimum service for $5.00. That was probably a great idea in the beginning and a way to attract customers who wanted to purchase a low-cost service. It flies in the face of a minimum wage, however. I suppose some folks offer services for $5.00 that take less than an hour but everyone offers a service for $5.00.<br />
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I found an editor for the books I have published and she (like many other editors, artists, programmers, etc.) offers to proofread 1500 words for $5.00. I tried this myself and offered to create a blog site for $5.00. The way you enter what service you will perform, also includes two more levels, a medium and premium level and I embellished how much website you would get for more money in each level. The premium offer included a domain name and web hosting. I submitted the form and waited for Fiverr to approve it. I received an email message from Fiverr letting me know that I had violated some rule buried in the terms of service and after wasting 45 minutes filling out their form, just deleted my offer. I noticed that many other people were offering the same thing the same way but I didn't challenge them any further. <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/">https://www.fiverr.com</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEr2ygvv8skXLrFheiFt0jXlHspJoNqg-bz2XX12OFaR_MdMTy6PEoGnk73NtJYo1VIf-SyTfKuRRlSymQzxUIY3k6bsqKfSscYDCV7FiG0F6BU9UsLi6DxWYZc5pWMKbP_q31FPbrta8x/s1600/3038591-poster-p-1-secrets-of-the-most-productive-peoplehow-to-work-different-productivity-styles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEr2ygvv8skXLrFheiFt0jXlHspJoNqg-bz2XX12OFaR_MdMTy6PEoGnk73NtJYo1VIf-SyTfKuRRlSymQzxUIY3k6bsqKfSscYDCV7FiG0F6BU9UsLi6DxWYZc5pWMKbP_q31FPbrta8x/s400/3038591-poster-p-1-secrets-of-the-most-productive-peoplehow-to-work-different-productivity-styles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h1>
Upwork</h1>
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Upwork is another good online site for freelancers and gets a ton of business from people who want to pay slave wages. It is geared more toward freelancers who bid on jobs buyers post and I actually got a job to write a 1000 word article for $25.00. It took more than four hours to write and my hourly rate is $25.00 but overlooking that, I thought it could lead to follow-on business. I also produced the article five days sooner than the buyer needed it. The problem with Upwork is both buyer and seller rate the experience and while my buyer expressed that she was highly satisfied, she rated me at 95%, not 100% and on Upwork that is the end of the line. She probably waited to see how I rated her before she rated me. I rated her 95% because she was in Spain and I'm in California so time zones interfered with prompt communication. As I said, I completed the work the day after I got the job but she did not respond for 5 days and I remarked that communication was a slight problem.</div>
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I bid on several more jobs and noticed the buyers specified they would only work with people who were fluent in the English language and who had a rating of 100%. Upwork has a significant number of tests it offers freelancers to prove their worthiness which can improve one's rating. I took a couple of tests on the English language and WordPress but did not max the tests and found Upwork scored me low enough they didn't think I would want them to publish the results, and they were right. I have noticed since there are many videos on YouTube showing how to cheat and get all the answers correct. I have to say, the tests are skewed in a way that does not make them a good gauge for how well a freelancer will do the work. I found it interesting that most buyers on Upwork, which is a worldwide app, want to pay third world country prices but do not want third world country English language skills. <a href="https://www.upwork.com/">https://www.upwork.com</a></div>
<h1>
Facebook</h1>
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After several years monitoring my websites and reading many articles, I decided to give advertising a try on Facebook. I have to admit, Facebook makes it easy to boost a post or page for as little as $1.00. Once my books were published on Amazon, I tried promoting them on Facebook spending $44.76 on 6 ads with a reach of 11,000 and zero sales. So I began digging in to find out how to make Facebook advertising more successful. One of the ads I tried was a lead generation ad that generated no leads so I built a Weight Loss web page, wrote an eBook on Weight Loss, and created a list on Mail Chimp to collect my leads. I also added Pixel code to my website that allows analytics to be sent to Facebook. I tried to advertise the Weight Loss ad three times but was disapproved by Facebook because they said I was violating their ad policy.</div>
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I read the ad policy three times and could not find a specific reason or rule I had violated so I submitted a request for help. I was contacted by email on a Friday afternoon and told my support person would find out why my ad was not approved. In the meantime, I received another message from Facebook that looked to me like everything was alright and encouraged me to complete my ad submission so I did. It was disapproved 15 minutes later. So while I stewed waiting to get to the bottom of the problem, I searched through YouTube for information on Facebook advertising and found a helpful lesson that suggested if you selected countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal, and India you could spend as little as $1.00 and get tons of responses. I followed the advice and promoted three aspects of my Facebook business page getting over 7,500 responses in just a few hours. Then the proverbial stuff hit the fan. I received an email from Facebook billing me for the portion of the $1.00 on all three ads that had abruptly been halted. The following day was Monday when I received an email that explained the reason my ad kept getting rejected.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlKSvH_n6QLlHQT6mrS0wkU-E5h2R0-Awxufj0YsWLvndhFhcRcbgjRfVbhsEqR2gTaAsDLb0PjBjLWmF9MVD088Rw3fvaeqk7VPRX95K8417J8rZj6MVVYvJ004RPsFVox7HmDsPeFzE/s1600/morning-work_385-19323115.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlKSvH_n6QLlHQT6mrS0wkU-E5h2R0-Awxufj0YsWLvndhFhcRcbgjRfVbhsEqR2gTaAsDLb0PjBjLWmF9MVD088Rw3fvaeqk7VPRX95K8417J8rZj6MVVYvJ004RPsFVox7HmDsPeFzE/s400/morning-work_385-19323115.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On my Weight Loss web page the headline read "Want to Lose Fat and Keep it Off?" and the powers that be at Facebook deemed this to be offensive to people so I changed the headline to "Lose Weight and Keep it Off". Now I know why some people get upset about political correctness. Even so, I think this is taken to extreme in this case. I could easier understand if Facebook just didn't want any ads for weight loss but my ad does not say you are fat. It used to say Want to Lose Fat and Keep it Off. I am not making a statement about obesity, I just wanted to share what I have learned about losing weight and keeping it off, something I think a lot of people have trouble with. I was also trying to build an email list but Facebook did not say you can't do that. They said you can't say fat or weight loss plan. Specifically, the email said:</div>
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Your ad was rejected because it doesn't follow the language
policy of our ad guidelines. Please make sure the language in your ad's image
or video, body text and title are all compliant. For instance, don't:<br />
- Use language that is insulting, harassing or threatening to people<br />
- Use profane, vulgar, or threatening language<br />
- Use any word that mentions or targets someone’s personal characteristics (ex:
age, gender, race)<br />
- Single out individuals or degrade the viewer of the ad (ex: “Are you fat?”,
“Suffering from acne?” “Looking for a weight-loss solution?”)</blockquote>
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Facebook locked me out of advertising. Their form for support on advertising requires I provide my account ID but the field is locked in the "No Advertising Account" state and can't be changed, by me. I thought I would give Fiverr a try and submitted a request to get my advertising account reinstated for $5.00, but that request was not approved by Fiverr. <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="https://facebook.com/">https://facebook.com</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wndcpriZMW8wuT_4LsrDcYjXSq6FaTUOKbpMTO-pfWRZVjPPytNjI-XQbxqVmSAP7iX0FhvfQJlJyqCCvVIK-gCxlHxaqLOjUvDfsaE4j6TQXoDowhRMc2afh2x_HJzxJoeuxuI4hTBe/s1600/headshot.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wndcpriZMW8wuT_4LsrDcYjXSq6FaTUOKbpMTO-pfWRZVjPPytNjI-XQbxqVmSAP7iX0FhvfQJlJyqCCvVIK-gCxlHxaqLOjUvDfsaE4j6TQXoDowhRMc2afh2x_HJzxJoeuxuI4hTBe/s1600/headshot.jpg" /></a></div>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-74700665898201736282016-09-30T16:19:00.004-07:002021-04-13T14:24:52.283-07:00If you are going to write a blog<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>here are many things to consider if you decide to write a blog. One of the things to think about is how people will see what you have written. Assuming you want people to notice yours, you have to decide if you want to shell out money to write a blog or if you're as frugal as I am and want to write yours for free.</div>
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There are many options for writing a free blog and I have tried several. I found the biggest limitation to the free option is, the availability of themes can restrict how your blog looks and therefore how appealing it is. If you want to make things easy, it is best to use a free blog. Choosing to buy a domain name and hosting service, which would run about $60.00 per year, is indeed affordable, but you will have to set up your blog, typically using WordPress or another platform, that includes the necessary features you will require. Some hosting providers charge less than $5.00 a month and have easy to use tools to create your blog but you will be paying some amount monthly, forever.</div>
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<h3>
Free Blogs</h3>
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I have used <b>Hub Pages</b> and <b>Blogger</b> and found Blogger to be the best bet for me. Hub Pages promoted itself as a way to earn extra income. In fact, I received a job solicitation from Hub Pages and signed up over two years ago. While I am certain you can actually earn money using Hub Pages, you will be among the few who do. I wrote a dozen articles for Hub Pages and swam through their many obstacles to get them published, only to find out only a few people read mine. I continued to write articles and their rules and requirements got stricter and harder to tolerate so I stopped using them.</div>
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<h3>
Blogger</h3>
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Blogger is part of <b>Google</b> and has fewer obstacles to publishing articles. You are reading this on Blogger and one of the reasons I like it is my articles appear in Google's search results. While it isn't simple, navigating Blogger is manageable and easy to learn to use.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1T6Mz1jipmO4GVPmO1ejTRZ3w6QixxJ0TQMfZz9aEPqoO5LIV7vPpkoMoWKsotlUZi4nVJZ8XV8LvBqiLiW536o3RE73xhUaZ8PsaJUbj7e9uBT48XjGFCHATjSPfubV8gcr77RvdTRP/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1T6Mz1jipmO4GVPmO1ejTRZ3w6QixxJ0TQMfZz9aEPqoO5LIV7vPpkoMoWKsotlUZi4nVJZ8XV8LvBqiLiW536o3RE73xhUaZ8PsaJUbj7e9uBT48XjGFCHATjSPfubV8gcr77RvdTRP/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h3>
WordPress</h3>
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Unless you download it from https://wordpress.org, in which case you will have to know where it is going to be hosted, you can create a free blog using <b>WordPress</b> too but you will have to be creative to avoid paying WordPress to host your blog. I have published a tutorial on <a href="https://donfiler.us/How%20to%20create%20a%20free%20WordPress%20website.pdf">How to create a free WordPress website here</a>. There are several other options too. Wix and Weebly allow you to create a free website you can use for blogging and if you Google "free blogs" you will find several others. Here is a link to a web page to get your search started <a href="http://stylecaster.com/best-free-blog-sites/">http://stylecaster.com/best-free-blog-sites/</a></div>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-76897210258020470102016-09-11T15:04:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:26:20.299-07:00Three lesser-known recent films<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV1fstPXcOtJxNcHF2g2pOEXJ3OVfW1aNFNgFOKpUZH2jgiV5oR2QUgKtbFm-AfX4OtpzFmDprsSyktm5FUCTiI2RIHK61Y0PhmQQA9AVVUXep6TgEy84TvojAXWkOyIgpj5vXF0kFs4G/s1600/large_MV5BOTA5NzAxNzMxNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzY2NDE3MzE_._V1__SX1216_SY712_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV1fstPXcOtJxNcHF2g2pOEXJ3OVfW1aNFNgFOKpUZH2jgiV5oR2QUgKtbFm-AfX4OtpzFmDprsSyktm5FUCTiI2RIHK61Y0PhmQQA9AVVUXep6TgEy84TvojAXWkOyIgpj5vXF0kFs4G/s320/large_MV5BOTA5NzAxNzMxNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzY2NDE3MzE_._V1__SX1216_SY712_.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<h3>
Match - 2015</h3>
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A drama about a Julliard ballet dance instructor played by Patrick Stewart and a husband and wife team who want to interview him. Under the auspices of writing a dissertation about the dance world of the sixties, the pair gains access to Tobi, and after meeting him in a dinner, are invited to his apartment in New York. Lisa's husband, Mike, is a cop with an ulterior motive and after several minutes of questions and answers, the plot unfolds and we realize Mike wants to know if Tobi is his biological father. Stewart's character denies he fathered a child but admits Mike's mother and Tobi were lovers.</div>
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The discourse gets heated and emotions fanned into semi-frenzy. When Mike leaves in anger, Tobi and Lisa develop a deeper personal understanding although some of the discussion is crude and unsettling. Lisa is motivated to resolve her husband's quest for finding out who he is and realizes she has her own personal problems to sort out. When he comes back to the apartment, Mike speaks privately with Tobi and the couple leaves but not before Tobi invites them back for brunch the following day.</div>
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I was surprised at my own reaction to the emotional roller coaster and sincerity conveyed in the dialogue between the three characters.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOaDoFU_ifJZjny8Z6qRgW_T7cx0OUHMxYZ9HR7MoWnqPCJT1tIY0Qu4q17E_whvr5wbWnvtcZYWX3r3AEXmJJILefoq3qIL2Lonyhda8r3PnDI66ZREosaIee7Q3ATyhk-JjvFWUXL7s/s1600/large_large_uekIGnzTACciWrfR7jOuof7xHgR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOaDoFU_ifJZjny8Z6qRgW_T7cx0OUHMxYZ9HR7MoWnqPCJT1tIY0Qu4q17E_whvr5wbWnvtcZYWX3r3AEXmJJILefoq3qIL2Lonyhda8r3PnDI66ZREosaIee7Q3ATyhk-JjvFWUXL7s/s320/large_large_uekIGnzTACciWrfR7jOuof7xHgR.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<h3>
In the Heart of the Sea - 2015</h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick and this is a story about how he came to write it. Centered on a Nantucket whaling ship in 1820, Ron Howard, who directed the film, paints a picture of the Essex and the crew in search of whales to convert to oil they bring back for the ship's owners. The crew is lead by a seasoned first officer, who in the beginning, thinks he will be the captain of the ship, only to find the owners have handpicked an inexperienced captain with a pedigree.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After several months at sea, with little to show for their effort and after too much friction between the captain and first officer, the Essex sails to the Pacific in search of sperm whales. That is where they encounter the great white whale, who shepherds a giant pack of whales. Intruding on the whale's domain, the giant whale retaliates, and after thrashing several of the whaler's rowboats attacks the Essex and sinks her. The remainder of the story is devoted to the efforts of the survivors to stay alive in the middle of an ocean with little possibility of rescue. After weeks of floating adrift and with little water or rations, they finally wash ashore on a remote island.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When they finally get back to Nantucket, they face a board of inquirers who insist they testify they ran aground instead of telling the truth to protect the reputation of their industry.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdUwl4wEIN011YKaiBSDl5nrPnyogJs6trwHZqlWR3imwfUf_740zMSk0W8Net8sz1mFdk42OKUsjavjsDzgX3KeL08SwWLNNEVRd38ELeomDEePjL2CCdQvk0bDFWfrVyGIGk-k8ou0d/s1600/The-Weight-of-Water_poster_goldposter_com_7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdUwl4wEIN011YKaiBSDl5nrPnyogJs6trwHZqlWR3imwfUf_740zMSk0W8Net8sz1mFdk42OKUsjavjsDzgX3KeL08SwWLNNEVRd38ELeomDEePjL2CCdQvk0bDFWfrVyGIGk-k8ou0d/s320/The-Weight-of-Water_poster_goldposter_com_7.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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<h3>
The Weight of Water - 2002</h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not a new film, the weight of water is really two films in one. In the present, a photographer, her husband, her brother-in-law, and his girlfriend sail to the Isles of Sholes off the New Hampshire coast to investigate the murder of two immigrant women in 1873. Kathryn Bigelow directed the film starring Sean Penn, Elizabeth Hurley, and Catherine McCormick. In the present, the newspaper photographer, Jean Janes visits the scene of the crime with her husband, an award-winning poet played by Sean Penn. The brother-in-law's girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley, flirts with Penn's character in front of her boyfriend and Jean played by Catherine McCormick. This contentious struggle counterbalances the story from the past. A young Norwegian woman, Maren Hontvedtm, played by Sarah Polley<span style="background-color: #cccccc;">,<span style="color: #252525; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span>wife of an older man, is chore-ridden and living a burdensome life on an island in Nova Scotia. Her husband adds to her burdens by inviting Louis Wagner, a lecherous crippled man to live with them. When her sister, brother, and sister-in-law come to visit Maren, the stage is set for the murders of the sister and sister-in-law. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Maren is the star witness when Louis Wagner goes on trial. Found guilty, he hangs for the murders. At the same time of the execution, Maren confesses Wagner did not commit the murders. At times, the transitions between past and present do not work well and weakens the plot since there is little to hold the two stores together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bigelow also directed Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.</span></div>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-39499634920250194632016-07-15T15:39:00.005-07:002021-04-13T14:26:46.359-07:00Movies worthy of note<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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I've seen a couple of movies recently I thought were good enough to write about. The first is The Martian with Matt Damon, the second is Whiplash with Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, and not to be outdone, a third film worthy of seeing is The Woman in Gold with Helen Mirren.<br />
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The Martian</h3>
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I can't think of a movie I've seen with Matt Damon I didn't like and he lives up to my admiration in the Martian. Caught in an epic dust storm that looks like four tornados converging, Matt's character is hit by a boulder and thought dead by the crew of a mission to mars. The crew hastily makes their escape off the planet leaving Mark Watley, Damon's character, behind.</div>
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When he awakes, he finds himself alone on a planet with only enough food for the crew to last 30 days. Watley has to work out a way to survive the 4 years it will take to rescue him. An interesting predicament to say the least. Even though it was a science fiction movie, I could relate to the feelings of desperation and loneliness.</div>
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My favorite director, Ridley Scott, presents the story in a captivating way, switching between Watley, the ground control personnel, and the members of the crew on their long journey back to earth. A subtle sense of humor by Damon, a positive attitude, and the ability to engineer his way out of disaster, makes the Martian a viewer's choice.<br />
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Whiplash</h3>
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Whiplash is about a prestigious music school and the students in the class of one ruthless music director. This is not a film for children as the "F" word is used frequently, almost continuously. The main character is jazz drum student Andrew Neiman played by Miles Teller whose ambition drives him to become the best drummer since Buddy Rich. The band conductor Terence Fletcher is the protagonist he must go through to achieve his goal and Fletcher is not a helpful, cooperating fellow. J.K. Simmons. in addition to many film and TV roles he has been in, you may recognize from the Farmers insurance commercials.</div>
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Whiplash, at the <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">87th Academy Awards</span>, won <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Best Film Editing</span>, <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Best Sound Mixing</span>, and <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Best Supporting Actor</span> for Simmons, and was nominated for <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Best Adapted Screenplay</span> and <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Best Picture</span>. The movie is well acted and is hard hitting, bringing out the worst in people.</div>
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The Woman in Gold</h3>
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The Woman in Gold is a true story about a Jewish woman who escaped Nazi-occupied Austria during the Second World War. A famous painting was among the assets stolen from her family by the Nazis and she goes about getting possession of it again. It takes quite a long time, years in fact, but with the help of a young lawyer, she eventually wins what almost everyone said could not be won.</div>
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Helen Mirren is another actress I find talented enough to keep me entertained even in what might seem like a very boring story. Director Simon Curtis keeps the audiences' attention by mixing scenes from Austria during the war and the present day. He intertwines the relationships of Maria Altmann and her family during the war as well as Maria and her lawyer in the present. She endures many disappointments and setbacks but with the final push from her lawyer and after going all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States finally wins her family's possessions back in arbitration in Vienna.</div>
Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-16795490321754329302016-07-11T15:08:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:27:06.638-07:00How to Lose 100 lbs<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">"I have enjoyed many pleasures as the result of my experiences as a rancher. I've also learned a thing or two. Every season we would round up the cattle from the range and drive them to the corral. Along the way, we'd come to a gate, the trick was to get them through the gate and not stampede them. I found, after much trial and error, that applying steady gentle pressure from the rear worked best. Eventually, one would decide to pass through the gate, the rest would soon follow. Press them too hard, and they'd panic, scattering in all directions. Slack off entirely, and they'd just head back to their old grazing spots. This insight was useful throughout my management career."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">David Packard "The HP Way How Bill Hewlett and I Built Our Company"</span> </blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Sticks and Stones</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was four years old the first time someone called me "fatso." I've been referred to as "husky, chubby, overweight, heavy, big guy," or just plain fat. While names can't physically hurt you, those names can affect your feelings and self-esteem.</span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Obesity</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have been battling obesity for a long time. I weighed 75 lbs in the 4th grade and got to 225 lbs by 19. I enlisted in the US Army after graduating from high school and lost 30 lbs in basic training. I rarely ate breakfast, had little for lunch and ate a modest dinner while I was growing up. I didn't eat breakfast in basic training either but the real difference was the physical activity required. 195 lbs was probably my ideal weight for my 6' 2" frame and is how much I weighed when I was done with basic.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the early 60s, when I went to high school, physical education every day was still mandatory in California. So was showering afterward. I was still in the 225 lb range when I graduated from college and began my business career. After getting married, I was eating regularly, still no breakfast (except coffee), and getting little exercise. I was settling into a sedentary lifestyle and began the upward trend until I reached 240 lbs at 35 years old.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Want to Lose Weight and keep it off? Click on the link to receive an easy weight loss plan that worked for me. </span><a href="https://donfiler.us/fitandhealthy.html" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">How to lose weight</a></span></h3>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Diabetes</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Due to the absence of physical activity, I became diabetic and not long after being diagnosed began taking insulin three times a day. That resulted in gaining 40 lbs in a period of six months. I continued to gain weight until I reached a whopping 345 lbs by the time I was 55 years old.</span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Finley Aquatic Center</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was a mess. Not only was I not interested in exercise, I couldn't walk for 5 minutes without experiencing a good deal of pain since my knees, joints, hips and spine were not designed to carry around 150 extra pounds. Thankfully, I began to attend water aerobics through the </span><a href="http://hubpages.com/#mce_temp_url%23"><span style="color: #551a8b; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;">city-sponsored classes</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> in Santa Rosa. I could move around and even jog in place in the water because my joints were not hindered by the extra weight.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I attended sporadically. Usually 2 or even 3 times a week during warm weather, skipping days when it rained or was too cold since the pool is outdoors. I continued attending sporadically from 2006 to 20012 and lost almost a pound a month. Getting down to 285 lbs was an accomplishment, I suppose, but it taking six years was not.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In 2013, a nurse at the Veterans Administration suggested I look into the MOVE program. I did and really wasn't interested enough to do something about starting it. However, after completing a 16-week class at the VA, the instructor asked what class we would like to sign up for next? Most of the other members of the group chose the PTSD class but since I didn't think I needed that I signed up for the MOVE class.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frankly, I still wasn't motivated to exercise and eat less but I thought it would be worth finding out more about it. MOVE stands for Motivating Veterans Everywhere. So I began attending weekly meetings with about 10 other overweight veterans and started learning what it takes to get rid of the extra pounds.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In August 2014, I met our class leader on the first day whose name is Heather Haluska. Heather is a registered dietician and well equipped to teach us old dogs new tricks. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We began by learning about</span><a href="http://hubpages.com/#mce_temp_url%23"><span style="color: #551a8b; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;"> SMART goals </span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">and she encouraged us to complete a form committing to losing a specific percentage of our weight. Since the form suggested 10%, I signed up for losing 28.5 lbs in six months.</span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Support Groups</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Heather was full of information about nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes we would have to make in order to achieve success and I was reminded of the David Packard excerpt from above. She did not push too hard or run anybody off by intimidating them, she gently urged us to take the next step and kept the encouragement and urging going.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For most of us the next step was logging what we were eating and tracking the calories we consumed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that consuming fewer calories and exercising more is the way to lose weight. There were many who were (probably still are) reluctant to do the logging. Not only the calories but the exercise as well. Not just the calories after a time, the carbohydrates and nutrients as well, making the logging task time consuming.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have to say. it is nice to have a social group who encourage each other and who pass along tips about different meals and what is working for them.</span></blockquote>
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<li><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">SMART Goals</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By February 2015, I lost 13 lbs, only half what my goal had been. It took another 5 months before I lost my goal of 10%. By then I lost 32 lbs, and it came time to write down another goal. I chose 10% again which would be 25 lbs more.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By this time, I lost nearly 100 lbs since my height of obesity, 345 lbs. Because of comments of other MOVE members who were using similar tools on their smartphones, I learned to use a program called "</span><a href="http://hubpages.com/#mce_temp_url%23"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;">Lose It</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">" which is similar to "</span><a href="http://hubpages.com/#mce_temp_url%23"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; text-decoration: none;">My Fitness Pal</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">" that helps track and log what I eat and how much I exercise every day.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Currently, my plan is to get down to 225 lbs, a little more than I weighed when I got out of basic training. I take two 20 minute walks every day, frequently exercise in the pool, get exercise credit when washing the car or going grocery shopping.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I envision myself ramping up to jogging and possibly bicycling in the future. I do eat breakfast now, get plenty of sleep and drink a lot of water. I make sure I fit vegetables into my meals whenever I can and add fruit sparingly because I am watching my sugar and sodium intake.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I enthusiastically endorse the Veterans Administration's MOVE program and have to say I owe my weight loss success to my dietician Heather Haluska.</span></blockquote>
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Want to Lose Weight and keep it off? Click the link to receive an easy weight loss plan that worked for me. <a href="https://donfiler.us/fitandhealthy.html">Get Fit and Eat Healthy</a></h3>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-88037238223862356102016-07-11T12:54:00.006-07:002021-04-13T14:27:31.937-07:00Twelve reasons you do not want diabetes<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Difference between Type I and Type II Diabetes</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>here are two kinds of Diabetes. Type I usually happens at a childhood age and is by definition when the pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone necessary to process sugar in our cells. Type II is also called Adult Onset diabetes because it commonly occurs as we get older. It is probably intuitive to you that as we age, we continue to consume the same amount of food that we did when we were younger but are not as physically active as we were, in the good old days.</div>
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This article is for people who have or are susceptible to having type II diabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,69.0% of American adults age 20 years and over are overweight and half of them, 35.1% are obese.</blockquote>
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The rule for whether or not you have diabetes is: your fasting blood glucose level is greater than 120 and your hemoglobin A1C is greater than 6. There are a couple of other tell-tale signs. You know if you are overweight if your favorite clothes no longer fit; or you can't squeeze into those skin tight jeans you wore in high school anymore. If you want to know if you have or are at risk for having diabetes, you can find diabetes test kits at your local pharmacy.<br />
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Glucose monitor kit</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The First Reason</span></h3>
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<li>For beginners, you may opt to use test strips that can tell if you are spilling sugar in your urine. (The word diabetes was first recorded in 1425, and in 1675, the Greek Mellitus, “like honey,” was added, to reflect the sweet smell and taste of the patient's urine). Once you have a doctor's confirmation that you have it, you will join the club of diabetics who must poke their fingers to get a glucose sample for testing. And that's the first reason you don't want to have diabetes. Many people who have been diagnosed with diabetes refuse to test their glucose on a daily basis and risk losing control of it.</li>
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Metformin - Oral medication for diabetes</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The Second Reason</span></h3>
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<li>Controlling diabetes should be of the utmost importance to you, but if you're like I was, it probably isn't. If you're paying attention, you will know you are consuming too many calories and are not physically active enough to burn even fewer calories. You can assume that this imbalance is going to result in damage to your health and your life. In order to remain on this planet as long as you can, you must consume less food, eat a healthy diet and exercise daily. If you don't, your chances of getting diabetes are greater. Some lucky people are not susceptible to gaining weight regardless of how much they eat, bless their souls. If you are one of them, be thankful. Most of us are not.</li>
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Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor will prescribe an oral medication you will be taking daily. If your lab work reveals your blood sugar readings are below 200 before starting the medication you may have avoided the hassle of injecting insulin into your stomach on a daily basis. This would be the second reason you do not want to have diabetes. After many years, I don't mind the injections but would rather I did not have to take them.<br />
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Insulin and syringes</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The Third Reason</span></h3>
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<li>When you are prescribed insulin, it's because you are insulin resistant and/or your pancreas is not producing enough insulin to allow your cells to get rid of the sugar. Your fasting glucose readings should be between 70 and 120 on your glucose monitor. If they are above 150 an hour after you have consumed a meal, you are beginning down the long road of complications. After several years of cruising over 150 to 180, the effects of the sugar in your blood cells will deteriorate your blood vessels, major organs, and your nervous system. This would be the third reason you do not want to have diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Medications - The Fourth Reason</span></h3>
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<li>Metformin is the oral medication commonly prescribed for type II diabetes. It has a few unpleasant side-effects including vomiting and diarrhea. It took me a considerable amount of time to adjust to Metformin. Some people develop lactic acidosis while taking metformin and this can be fatal. If your doctor prescribes insulin, you will most likely take both the oral medication as well as insulin injections. Having to budget for medications is something we have to do when we are diagnosed with this chronic illness. This would be the fourth reason you don't want to have it.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Vision Loss - Diabetic Retinopathy</span>
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<li>As a result of not getting on top of my illness as soon as I realized, I had it was vision deterioration. Actually, I was prescribed glasses for seeing at a distance better before I knew what had caused the problem. My vision had been perfect until I reached the age of 38. When I asked the doctor why I needed glasses now he said, "It's probably because you work in front of a computer all day long." That wasn't the reason. The reason was I was pre- if not already full-blown diabetic.</li>
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I didn't know I was diabetic until about a year and a half later when I experienced flu-like symptoms that didn't go away after a week. My doctor tested my urine and proclaimed "You're spilling sugar." And so began my long trip down a bad road. It seemed every time I went to see the eye doctor my vision changed and I needed new glasses. I kidded myself thinking it was just from getting older. After too many visits to the ophthalmologist, I was informed I needed laser surgery to stop the leaking blood vessels in the wall on the back of my eyes. This was the first stage of Diabetic Retinopathy.<br />
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I had 10 laser surgery treatments over a two year period and it seemed to help, although my night vision was by this time impaired. Those treatments were, for the most part, painless. About a year later I experienced bleeding into my vitreous and could see a spider web in my right eye (the good one). The doctor told me I needed to have the blood siphoned out of the vitreous so I could see unobstructed.<br />
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The vitreous is a clear fluid that fills the eye and in order to clear it out, the doctor had to operate on my right eye. Using a small needle he punctured the eye and vacuumed out the blood while I was under anesthesia. This time, recovery was slow and it was very painful. While performing the operation the doctor also did a considerable amount of laser treatment to the retina resulting in loss of peripheral vision on the right side. This would be the fifth reason you do not want to have diabetes.</blockquote>
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I have subsequently seen the ophthalmologist many times and had several Florizine angiograms where a dye is injected into your vein and the doctor or nurse takes photos of the back of your eye as the dye flows into the arteries. I have an edema in my left eye and have had Avastin (a cancer drug) injected into my eye while fully awake. Doesn't that sound like fun?<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Weight Gain - The Sixth Reason</span></h3>
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<li>One of the side effects of insulin is weight gain. When I started insulin I weighed 240 lbs and I was overweight and a member of weight watchers. I shot up to 280 quickly because I was consuming the same amount of food, not exercising enough and injecting insulin three times a day. So, to be blunt, you are fat already and the medicine is going to make you fatter. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this would be the sixth reason you do not want to have diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Skin Problems</span></h3>
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<li>One of the problems that diabetics share is skin problems and sores that won't heal. The first oral medication I took for diabetes also caused me to get sunburned when I stayed outside for more than 20 minutes. Keeping up with three growing children meant being in the sun for hours at a time and the results were not surprising. The bumps and bruises we all get were bothersome for me because they did not heal, for years.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Nerve Damage - Neuropathy</span></h3>
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<li>One of the insidious effects of diabetes is the damage it does to one's nervous system. The first thing you notice is the loss of feeling in your fingers, toes, feet and other parts of your body. At first, this is tolerable but over time the loss of feeling gets worse and finally you experience shooting pains in your feet, toes, legs, fingers, hands, arms, shoulders etc. Not just a little pain either. Lots of pain that does not subside quickly. Tylenol helps but won't cure it. Like all the other effects, you can't roll back the clock on the effects of diabetes. Your vision will not improve, your nerve damage can't be undone, your kidneys are not as good as they were; the list goes on and on.</li>
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Fruit and vegetables</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The Seventh Reason - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Revoked Driving Privileges</span></h3>
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<li>One of the rudest awakenings happens when the department of motor vehicles requires you to have your doctor complete a health diagnosis on you for their records. If your A1C is above the normal range, the DMV will revoke your driver's license and you will have to wait until the doctor says your diabetes is "under control" before you can get your driving privileges back. That means you will have to take a written and driver's test again to prove you are qualified to drive. This would be the seventh reason you do not want to have diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> The Eighth Reason - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Organ Damage</span></h3>
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<li>Along the journey, you will notice the deterioration of several major organs in your body. The kidneys, the heart, the liver, the lungs, and almost everything else is damaged from diabetes. Your medications will be increased to combat the deterioration. Your kidneys play an important part in processing what you consume, so does the liver, especially if you consume alcohol. Alcohol will not be as fun as it once was when you have diabetes because the sugar in the alcohol will make you sick. Just headaches at first then worse. This could be the eighth reason you don't want to have diabetes but it depends on how important drinking is to you.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Depression</span></h3>
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<li>One of the worst illnesses that comes with chronic disease is depression. Depression is a gigantic bummer. Depression will ruin what life you have left until it takes your life. I won't say you are going to get major depression like I did but doesn't having a disease like diabetes sound depressing? This would be the eighth reason you don't want diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The Ninth Reason - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Diminished Life Expectancy</span></h3>
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<li>You might guess that if you have all these other maladies, your life is shortened by a significant factor. People who are overweight or obese are prone to heart disease and stroke.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Erectile Dysfunction</span></h3>
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<li>If you are a man, you are wrecking your ability to attain an erection by contracting diabetes. There are things you can do to help a little but your sex life will be little to none.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Loss of Digits and Limbs</span></h3>
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<li>Given enough time and neglect, the effects of neuropathy will result in losing fingers, toes, and legs. This is reason nine you don't want to have diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The Tenth Reason - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Dialysis</span></h3>
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<li>When your kidneys give out, you will have to visit the hospital three times a week and get hooked up to a dialysis machine to do what the kidneys normally do. If you think poking your fingers or taking injections is bad wait till you have to do this to continue living. You may, on the other hand, have a kidney transplant if you can afford one and then you will have restored your kidney function. This is reason ten why you do not want to have diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The Eleventh Reason - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Doctor Bills</span></h3>
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<li>All these medical procedures and medications you will be taking are not free. Unless you are very well to do, this is going to be a financial setback and reason eleven why you don't want diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The Twelfth Reason - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Disease and Death</span></h3>
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<li>Every illness you get from the common cold to flu, to cuts and scrapes will take longer to heal and recover from. You will continue to have more problems with your health and more procedures you really don't want to have until you succumb to the final hours of your life. Reason twelve why you do not want to have diabetes.</li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Conclusion</span></h3>
Wanting not to end on such a final note, I want to remind you to get your weight back to a normal range for a person your gender, age, and height. Stop living to eat and start eating to live. If you enjoy eating and food, this will require a lifestyle change. The really hard choices in life are the lifestyle changes.<br />
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<li>Find out more about what you eat. Learn how to read the labels. Reduce the calories you take in. Increase the fiber and protein in your daily meals. To make it simple, eat more fruit and vegetables every day. Eat more vegetables than you think you need because you are wrong in what you think.</li>
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<li>Cut out sugar altogether. It is in everything you consume so avoid the things you know are full of it. Food makers sneak it in even in the healthy foods you eat. The same with salt or sodium. Eat more fish and white meat and cut back on red meat because you will be reducing the amount of fat you consume. Reduce the carbohydrates you eat because your body converts carbohydrates to sugar.</li>
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<li> Eat fewer snacks if you can and smarter snacks if you can't. Chips and anything made with white flour are killing you because your body converts it to sugar. Switch to 100% whole wheat where ever you can. Pasta, noodles, bread, crackers, cookies, tortillas and any other carbohydrates you consume regularly. Drink more water and less alcohol. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.</li>
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<li> Increasing the amount of fiber in your meals allows you to digest your food slower and get the benefit of the nutrients you need to be healthy. Fiber does not stay in your body but is flushed out and won't make you gain weight. Snacking on vegetables will satisfy the craving you may have for carbohydrates.</li>
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<li>Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, don't skip meals. Take at least a 15-minute walk twice a day or get your physical activity another way. Finally, drink at least 12 cups of water daily. You will become constipated if you don't and won't flush the food you can't digest out of your system.</li>
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Good luck staying out of the diabetics club!</div>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-40099195980750693942016-07-11T11:53:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:27:52.362-07:00Six reasons to start planning for retirement now<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<b>1. Your vision of the future</b></div>
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When you think of your retirement what do you see? Do you think you will retire early or will you be among the majority of the population who retire between the ages of 62 and 67?</div>
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Retirement planning should commence when we begin our work lives but rarely does. Depending on who you work for, some employers get you started by encouraging you to contribute to some form of financial retirement plan by matching a percentage of your contribution. Consider yourself lucky if you work for that kind of employer.</div>
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<b>2. Your definition of retirement</b></div>
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The dictionary says "<i>the act of ending your working or professional career</i>." I always thought it was when I could stop<u> having</u> to work, you may think that too.</div>
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Unfortunately, many of us will not have enough retirement money to survive, much less enjoy our retirement. We will have to find part-time work just to make ends meet. This should be a motivating factor in devoting time to your retirement plan and diligently working toward building a substantial sum to help you get through the later years of your life.</div>
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<b>3. Lifestyle you plan to have</b></div>
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Do you plan on traveling and seeing the wonders of the world? Will you continue to own a home, a car, a motor home, a motorcycle, or yacht? Will you become the expert fisherman you always wanted to be, or maybe the accomplished artist, or author? Will you visit your relatives and children, or play bridge, or bowl with your friends?</div>
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<b>4. Funds to pay for your retirement</b></div>
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Have you saved or are you saving for your retirement? Do you know what a <a href="http://www.401khelpcenter.com/401k_defined.html#.VbktTvlVjnk">401K</a>, <a href="http://money.cnn.com/retirement/guide/IRA_Basics.moneymag/">Individual Retirement Account</a>, or <a href="http://www.rothira.com/">Roth IRA</a> is? It's never too late to start saving, but too often we don't consider what our needs are going to be and do not have the wherewithal to afford the things we want to do in retirement. It is not uncommon to postpone our retirement savings until after our education loans are paid off. That may be a good reason, affordability, but not a good choice. The earlier you begin saving for retirement, the better off you will be.</div>
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<b>Social Security</b></div>
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You may be expecting to afford your lifestyle on your <b>social security</b> alone. That is unrealistic, or your vision and lifestyle are quite modest. You might be able to accomplish this feat if you moved to a third world country or somewhere the living expenses are very low.</div>
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You should expect your <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/planners/index.html">Social Security Benefits</a> to be between $1,000.00 or $2,000.00 per month after reaching retirement age which is between 65 and 67 depending on who is deciding. This translates to the poverty line in the United States, $12,000 for an individual or $24,000 for a couple with two children.</div>
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<b>5. Health limitations to consider</b></div>
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As we grow older, our health problems often appear. Unplanned expenses like surgeries, doctor visits, and medications are things we don't think of when planning for the future. Health insurance is another expense we don't realize we will have to cover when we stop working. These days it is more common to have to contribute to health care costs even if we are still employed. Health insurance plays a critical role when we reach retirement age. Health care expenses are not projected to decline, ever.</div>
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<b>6. life expectancy - how long we will live</b></div>
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This may be the reason most people put off planning for retirement. Facing the question of the age of our demise is not something anyone is comfortable doing, but even less so at 25 or 30 years of age.</div>
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Here are a couple of reasons to get over the shudder of your life expectancy. When you compute how much money you will have (not need) in retirement you can use this rule of thumb. You will have to begin withdrawals from your tax-deferred retirement savings, if you have any, at the age 70½. The government says so and even fines you if you fail to do so.</div>
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These <a href="http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Retirement-Plans-FAQs-regarding-Required-Minimum-Distributions">Required Minimum Distributions</a> are calculated based on how much is in your retirement account and how long you think you will live to collect it. It is modestly reasonable to expect to live into your mid-80s, so the difference between your age at retirement and say 86 means that on a $41,000.00 account you will roughly take between $2,000.00 and $3,000.00 <b>per year</b>. On $100,000.00 it would be between $5,000.00 and $9,000.00 <b>per year</b> and you would add that to your social security income and pay the taxes due.*</div>
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<b>Contingency plans</b></div>
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Assuming you did the right thing and started planning for retirement as soon as you were employed, made sacrifices, and saved in an Individual Retirement Account, you will still find that things will come up you did not plan for. To ease the burden of those unexpected things you will be wise to have contingency plans for several things that can and do go wrong. What if your spouse gets in an accident or becomes ill and can't work? What if one of your children suffers from an illness that requires costly medical expenses? What if you or your spouse loses their employment and you are faced with foreclosure and lose the equity in your house? Often times people do not plan for retirement thinking the equity in their home is their retirement. That may work for some but is just as risky as putting your retirement savings into the stock market, both have associated risks as well as returns.</div>
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*Note the examples given here are rough estimates and should not be taken as accurate examples. Please contact your financial advisor for details on you specific plans and needs. Another option for retirees is an <a href="http://money.cnn.com/retirement/guide/annuities_basics.moneymag/">annuity</a> which protects the holder against losing value like stocks and bonds.</div>
Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-2126652481063666702015-09-19T15:42:00.002-07:002021-04-13T14:28:16.807-07:00Bought a Dell XPS 8700 Desktop Computer<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span>eware! Buying a new computer is not the happy, streamlined experience it once was. I've been coaxing my old Dell XPS 420 along for 7 years, or more and finally broke down and got a new system. I shopped my heart out. Compared everything every which way. Watched YouTube videos researched reviews and took my sweet time, instead of just jumping in as soon as the urge struck me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_NctgaalIDsGGuTYKm56ahh6kjJKtWDnMeRvtf3QTtfpiGcGszPisyCB7Z4uOqRlovEP0n0j0NK-oVX8xAYF7Rz2K4e5QUaxnX5jRHPYAgFSrzP6Jyhl9l5b240g9FO22ROTUWr02QKO/s1600/desktop_computer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_NctgaalIDsGGuTYKm56ahh6kjJKtWDnMeRvtf3QTtfpiGcGszPisyCB7Z4uOqRlovEP0n0j0NK-oVX8xAYF7Rz2K4e5QUaxnX5jRHPYAgFSrzP6Jyhl9l5b240g9FO22ROTUWr02QKO/s320/desktop_computer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My old XPS 420 computer ran on the Microsoft Vista operating system it shipped with, which would indicate how long ago I bought the system from Dell. Too many hardware items no longer function, or worse, function intermittently, to indicate here.<br />
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Suffice it to say, it was time to retire the old boy.</h4>
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The new system is a 4th generation Intel Core i7 CPU, running at 3.6 Ghz with 12 Gigs of memory and a 1 Terabyte hard drive. It came with a corded keyboard and mouse, and a Nvidia GTX-745 graphics card with 4 Gigs of RAM! It has 6 USB ports, an HDMI port in addition to it's normal video output, as well as built-in audio, WIFI, integrated LAN and Bluetooth capability. Here's the kicker, it came with Windows 8.1.<br />
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Problems With Dell</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40a6MTiS0NnVqkpwZYQHmCQDKR3j5tZG1LaCydkH4V8bHNAtzVMXKXHD1SA01d6rqn8iAv_Nfj9ess18zYT4lhCSnOfWJbrfKhy9SLOvfqMmWnz6lwUq15GJbUZArKPLVBuqdz2CLNb9I/s1600/dell-logo-online-new.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40a6MTiS0NnVqkpwZYQHmCQDKR3j5tZG1LaCydkH4V8bHNAtzVMXKXHD1SA01d6rqn8iAv_Nfj9ess18zYT4lhCSnOfWJbrfKhy9SLOvfqMmWnz6lwUq15GJbUZArKPLVBuqdz2CLNb9I/s1600/dell-logo-online-new.jpg" /></a>I ordered it on August 25th and it was supposed to arrive on September 3rd, but by the 3rd, it still hadn't shipped. It arrived on the 8th. This was probably the second indicator that I was in for a bumpy ride with Dell. The first bump was, I found a price online at Best Buy for less than the published price on the Dell website and I chatted with Dell support to ask if they matched the competitor's price. They claimed they did, but it took an hour of back and forth before they complied with a matched price. They rode me pretty hard trying to up-sell all sorts of warranties and protection add-ons but finally relented, so I placed the order. I discovered later, I could have purchased it for less if I had asked about dent and scratch availability.<br />
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Problems With Windows 10</h4>
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So OK, I power the computer up and start transferring and installing to my heart's content. This went swimmingly for two days. Then I chose to take advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 10 opportunity and waited a good hour before that was completed. <b><i>This was a major mistake</i></b>.<br />
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For whatever reason, Windows 10 set all my files and folders to "Read-Only" and I couldn't save word documents or backup my financial files. I spent another two days adding Administrator privileges to my account and resetting the files and folders to Read/Write,<b> three separate times</b>, but the changes<i> would not stick</i>. Every time I restarted the computer, the files and folders were Read-Only. Thank you, Microsoft and Windows 10!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVs92LYNv0olzF6GKT8qQxJiSetM0KJ8dJje4M08Av4oLKoTTQBNiny-47xMpJyGVlnXdDjCih4kIqqxrxuWys011Fv5_GeyObJ7I2S3nmpJ7-qSD1e1Hmz_AVDQwue4S0xptqaBsUL3Lw/s1600/microsoft-logo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVs92LYNv0olzF6GKT8qQxJiSetM0KJ8dJje4M08Av4oLKoTTQBNiny-47xMpJyGVlnXdDjCih4kIqqxrxuWys011Fv5_GeyObJ7I2S3nmpJ7-qSD1e1Hmz_AVDQwue4S0xptqaBsUL3Lw/s320/microsoft-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a>Having had enough of that, I decided to rollback to Windows 8.1, the OS the machine arrived with, only to find out this was not possible because the "hidden" Administrator account (I unhid), could not be changed or removed. At this point, I tried twice to let Dell know I wanted to return the computer. They ignored both requests, one by chatting and one by email.<br />
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Over the weekend, when I knew they were not available to assist, (they don't assist much anyway), I managed to download their Recovery software to roll back to Windows 8.1. That worked, but I lost everything I had loaded and installed to that point. I didn't care because I thought I was returning it anyway. Well, a new monkey wrench into the works. My old system gave up the ghost and died. I couldn't connect my Bluetooth keyboard and mouse so I had no way of doing anything. I had second thoughts about returning the new system about that time.<br />
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After a good night's rest, I realized I could connect an older USB mouse to the old system and recover some of the files. The new corded USB keyboard and mouse would not work on the old system, of course, because it needed drivers for them. The old system is so old, Dell doesn't provide new drivers just like Microsoft doesn't want to support Vista or any other old operating system.<br />
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There's More</h4>
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Now Windows 8.1 won't let me change the Account or Screen Lock photos. They worked fine the first time around, but now it's rocket science to get them changed. In my search for a solution, I found this is a common problem and complaint. Microsoft still hasn't figured out how to produce a flawless operating system all these years later. I was around for Windows 2 and MSDOS so I've seen many different attempts at the operating system game from Microsoft over the past 35 years.</div>
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<br />
So unless you are a computer guru, you might want to get your system installed and your important data transferred by someone who has more experience than I do. This was not a very pleasant experience.<br />
<br />Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-77388165337277156022015-06-24T13:29:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:28:59.595-07:00Loyalty is a Two Way Street<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<img height="265" src="https://redmalehummingbird.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/burning-wire.jpg" width="400" /> </h3>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I </span>have noticed negative mutated motives of individuals and institutions as I have matured through the years. Once riveted by the simplicity of the "Golden Rule" whereby we treat others the way we would like to be treated, I have noticed it has melted away and practically vanished from our world of fast-paced work lives and incessant greed for more.<br />
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I now understand why our elders used to say "an idol mind is the devil's workshop." Left to our own devices, our "human nature" leads us down the path to no good. Trying to "keep up" is fruitless and so we're tempted to revert to schemes and methods that are unscrupulous.</div>
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The grandest relationships are those in which each entity supports, encourages and nurtures the other. They put their own interests second and if both parties use this model, both are very satisfied with the results. Treating each other the way we wish to be treated.<br />
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Loyalty works the same way</h3>
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When we honor and respect the other party and are treated with the same dignity and respect, we both win. Loyalty requires we behave in a manner that complies with the rules upon which our relationship is based. We don't steal from our employer and they reimburse us on time and in full measure. Our employer expects us to perform our jobs to the best of our ability with due diligence and we appreciate the benefits that come along with our employment.<br />
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We remain loyal to our partners, our teammates, our colleagues and our friends and expect them to return the favor in kind. At least that's how it's supposed to work. When we find out we have been betrayed by our friends or partners, we are surprised and upset and want to understand what the reasons are for their betrayal. We experience a loss of faith in those individuals or institutions that have returned our loyalty with a betrayal of trust. Usually, we develop a callousness to the spirit of friendship, teamwork, marriage or whatever the case is in a particular broken relationship. The truth is that relationship is broken. Sometimes they can be repaired but too often they cannot.<br />
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The relationship of employee and employer has undergone a change in recent history and to its detriment has plagued our society with a dysfunctional work environment. Today it is quite common for employers to expect loyalty from its employees without returning the favor completely. The greed that has seeped in on the part of the employer requires the same diligence on the part of the employee but with few guarantees in return. You might say economics created this devaluation and that is a component of the greed factor. In general, however, it is the lack of respect for the other party that is the root cause of the breakdown in loyalty.<br />
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The result is very unfortunate in that now the employer sees no reason to nurture the relationship the way they once did and the employee has an excuse not to. So where once there was a win, win situation we now have a lose, lose. Neither party is loyal to the other and it is evident in the turnover rate and profit margins.<br />
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Who musters their best effort for an employer who lays people off if the economy takes a dip? How loyal would you be to a company who fired anyone whose employee evaluation was below a certain value? How many employers are increasing their employee's benefits? Too few to really matter. The trend is in the opposite direction.</div>
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Is it possible to trust someone or something you do not believe is loyal to you? No, loyalty is a two-way street. If you expect loyalty, your best bet is to deliver it in kind. Treat your relationships with others the way you want to be treated and remember this when you have expectations about the other person.<br />
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See our capabilities at <a href="https://donfiler.us/carousel.html">Responsive Web Design</a></div>
<br />Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-19242490099632529482015-04-11T14:58:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:29:34.341-07:00eBay the Saga Continues<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span> mentioned in a previous blog that eBay has grown and changed as we all do as we get older. My current experience (last 60 days) has been a sobering wake up to the realities of now. The first three miscues were my fault because I wasn't used to the changes. I am a little better informed now, but the miscues continue. One of the basic principles of eBay is leaving feedback on transactions as you progress allowing everyone to gauge their performance. Both buyers and sellers leave feedback and the feedback can be positive, negative or neutral. You can see how many times a user has received feedback for both buying and selling and I truly admire people who have collected thousands of positive feedback responses.</div>
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My experience with feedback has not been encouraging. I believe my first negative feedback resulted from my wanting to return an item that did not work correctly when it arrived. The seller understandably was none too keen to accept it back and a minor tussle occurred resulting in my leaving feedback that included the seller's first name. Well, that is a big no-no on eBay. I was reprimanded and reminded we don't do that on eBay and that was the end of that. I had to find a way to make the device work on my own.</div>
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Since that time eBay has changed their philosophy on returns and even if the seller does not offer them eBay has a return and refund policy that is fertile ground for abuse.</div>
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A case in point, I listed a guitar multi-effects pedal with a buy it now price of $60 and offered free shipping USPS Priority Mail, which in this instance was just under $10. A buyer (who shall remain nameless), bought the item and I carried it to the Post Office, saw a sign that said free Priority Mail boxes, grabbed one and put the pedal in it and attached the mailing label I had purchased through eBay and Pitney Bowes. When I got to the counter I was in a hurry, late for a meeting and became confused when the clerk at the counter tried to tell me I had a problem. The free box was free as long as I purchased $17 worth of postage. I had only purchased a little less than $10. I couldn't understand the clerk and was not offered any alternatives. She took the package and I assumed all was well with the world. Well it wasn't.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8fT2yMRt2oEJDaFA6fvqDj7rsH1uUXwmkf8pLXzW0CfveIkNNVNTsYmNDtWhz5ElbwjPNMlIdzUkgEew27PY_Rvfi-aNvlkdbWjelNKLkAQ3nfQC5yfXCOgyvC-DdwbK2SM5un3xDSDN/s1600/rp100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8fT2yMRt2oEJDaFA6fvqDj7rsH1uUXwmkf8pLXzW0CfveIkNNVNTsYmNDtWhz5ElbwjPNMlIdzUkgEew27PY_Rvfi-aNvlkdbWjelNKLkAQ3nfQC5yfXCOgyvC-DdwbK2SM5un3xDSDN/s1600/rp100.jpg" width="320" /></a>I proceeded to my meeting feeling a bit flustered with government employees like I am at the DMV with state employees. eBay provides a link so you can track the package through the USPS. I watched as it moved through the postal system and was delivered according to the USPS. This is where it starts getting real interesting.</div>
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After 4 days, the buyer sent me a message to say he hadn't received the (delivered) package. I respond by giving him the tracking number and suggested he go to the post office to see what the problem was and I told him if there was postage due, to pay it and I would reimburse him. The next message he sent said he went to the post office and was told they had no such tracking number in their system. That could not be true because their system said it was delivered. The next message from the buyer informed me not only had he not received the package but that I was a fraud, didn't use Priority Mail and he wanted a refund. I replied by sending him the tracking information provided by the USPS and a receipt showing the date I sent it by Priority Mail as well as letting eBay know we had a problem. The buyer's next move was to submit a claim with eBay asking for a refund and providing me with negative feedback. Too much negative feedback on eBay will result in being run out of dodge so to speak.</div>
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At that point, I thought he still might be telling the truth and not making up a story so he could have his pedal and play it too. I sent him a message and stated I wanted to send him a refund but wanted to find the pedal so I could get it back. I filed a claim with the post office and waited for a week or 10 days and in the meantime, eBay informed me they were sending the buyer a refund and they were not going to charge me for it. That was good news and bad news. I was relieved I wasn't going to be out the pedal and have to forfeit the $50 as well. I complained to eBay and reported the buyer because by now I thought the buyer was the fraud. The USPS informed me my claim was denied because they delivered the package, period. I asked eBay to remove the negative feedback and they said they couldn't do that and I should contact the buyer and ask them to change the feedback. I did and he didn't.</div>
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While there is a possibility that I am missing some information I seriously doubt that because I have since had a problem with the USPS saying they couldn't deliver another package because it was undeliverable as addressed. This was a small bubble wrap envelope but it was not lost in the vacuum that is the post office, it eventually got back to me. Why didn't the pedal come back? Simple answer really, it was delivered.</div>
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Out of 10 sales transactions on eBay, I had problems with 3 of them and one of those spoiled my feedback rating. I thought I had sold another item because a bidder won but when I had not received payment I sent an invoice (eBay facilitates that too) only to find the buyer changed their mind and wasn't interested any longer. I thought eBay was a step up from Craigslist, but now I'm beginning to wonder.</div>
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My conclusion is that most of what happens on eBay is done by computers, processes, responses, reminders, and decisions are made on coded logic, eliminating the human element altogether.<br />
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Different Points of View</h3>
<img height="367" src="https://streetsofsalem.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/boston-massacre-17731.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he report of the Boston massacre in 1770 is an example of different views of the same event depending on which side of the street you were on, both figuratively and literally. This event, among others, led to the American revolution in 1776. If you were a British loyalist you saw things in favor of the red coats and if you were not you saw this as abuse of British authority. Five colonists were killed and several others wounded by the eight British soldiers who came to the aid of a sentry being harassed by the Americans. An order to shoot was never given, the soldiers did so after being attacked by the crowd throwing rocks and other objects.</div>
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The current news stories of police brutalizing and killing unarmed African Americans comes to mind especially when you consider the typical police justifications for too many of these crimes against the citizens they are supposed to protect. Human nature dictates we take sides unfortunately, often ignoring the facts. This is compounded by the fact people see things differently even when they don't have an axe to grind. Today's technology makes hiding the facts more difficult but even with videos of the event, folks still come to the wrong conclusion. Harkin back to the Rodney King III video of police brutality and that four policemen were originally acquitted in a court of law. </div>
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<i>"Three were acquitted of all charges. The jury acquitted the fourth of assault with a deadly weapon, but failed to reach a verdict on the use of excessive force. The jury deadlocked at 8–4 in favor of acquittal at the state level. The acquittals also led to the federal government's obtaining grand jury indictments for violations of King's civil rights. The trial of the four in a federal district court ended on April 16, 1993, with two of the officers being found guilty and subsequently imprisoned. The other two were acquitted again."</i> - Wikipedia</div>
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From a black person's perspective, things look pretty bleak after hundreds of years of slavery, lynching and being treated poorly by society as well as the authorities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFNj9u6ctSFfbRU08DZFpsH43dQmRoh8u5dd5lY74xocSfBCPYiAqqEqMiQRyJvL3ogreaNCW7wJLB1o9Pj0D7GyvrjUkf9VkGi4jyzJ1iqHATDBekrn-N476OXnNPNq0vBrzGpRcF_Qr/s1600/marching-british-redcoats-8858328.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFNj9u6ctSFfbRU08DZFpsH43dQmRoh8u5dd5lY74xocSfBCPYiAqqEqMiQRyJvL3ogreaNCW7wJLB1o9Pj0D7GyvrjUkf9VkGi4jyzJ1iqHATDBekrn-N476OXnNPNq0vBrzGpRcF_Qr/s400/marching-british-redcoats-8858328.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The interesting results of the 1770 incident in Boston are, the defendants were represented by a future President of the United States, John Adams, and all but two soldiers were acquitted and the two were found guilty of manslaughter.<br />
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<h4>
Right and Wrong</h4>
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The difference between right and wrong isn't as black or white as it used to be. Too many loopholes and dishonest people have blurred the two ― never mind the gray areas. Unfortunately, many people think "rules were made to be broken". Nobody does wrong and admits it. If you ask the prisoner why they are in prison, they will tell you they didn't do it, whatever it is. Human nature forces us to justify our actions and believe we are right.</div>
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We inherently trust that people will do the right things. We hope we can walk down the sidewalk minding our own business and not be run over by a passing motorist. We believe we can get on an airplane and arrive safely at our destination without a depressed pilot flying into the side of a mountain with us onboard. It does not occur to us that as law abiding citizens we will be pulled over by the police for a broken tail light and shot in the back five times making a feeble getaway fleeing on foot.</div>
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I have great news! There is a difference between right and wrong. Not just a difference in what you believe or I believe. Those beliefs are not what makes something right or wrong. Right is right and wrong is wrong, it's that simple but somehow we humans don't believe it.</div>
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If Moses had to receive the ten commandments to teach the Hebrews what was right or wrong it is evident we humans have been getting it incorrect for thousands of years. While he was carving the stone tablets the tribes of Israel were celebrating their freedom from slavery by practicing idolatry, and worse. Someone's higher power had human nature pegged pretty well.</div>
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We have inherited a boatload of fixes to remedy this "human nature" problem, from rules, laws, authority, police, religion, boundaries, gates, fences, obstacles, litigation, legislation, etc.,</div>
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I have no illusions that I will have much impact on the problem, after realizing the conundrum, I decided to concentrate on myself. What rules am I breaking? What laws of nature am I not obeying? How can I set a better example? We can improve things a little bit if everybody does the same.</div>
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<h4>
Disrespect</h4>
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Have you noticed the absence of common courtesy and good manners; caring about others; or treating people the way we'd like to be treated? It's gone missing in our "civilized" society. The stresses of "getting ahead," or "keeping up with the Jones," maintaining our way of life, keeping our jobs, paying the bills, and taking on too much responsibility has wound us up like a tight spring. In focusing all our attention on getting from point A to point B, we have discarded common sense and courtesy when it comes to rules, laws and right and wrong. Taking time to smell the coffee might actually alter the way the world works, or so the naive idealists may believe.</div>
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Today, without attaching a winning lottery ticket, getting human beings to change their behavior is a daunting task. I have become a better defensive driver, betting the other motorists will take chances with my life. African Americans expect to be profiled (especially if they are driving an expensive car) and they do not trust people in law enforcement or the judicial system. Their previous bad experiences have taught them to prepare for the worst. Isn't that an awful thing to say about this country?</div>
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<br />Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-43278754344072103182015-03-21T15:03:00.001-07:002021-04-13T14:30:14.597-07:00Psychology of Survivor<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I'</span>m a fan of Survivor, a reality TV program that challenges groups of people to "survive" a new environment and to "outlast, outsmart and outplay" each other to win $1M. The show has been around for more than a dozen years with more than 20 episodes on different pacific islands attracting millions of viewers.<br />
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The current season starts on some tropical island with the participants grouped by occupation type and includes a white collar, blue collar and a "no collar" tribe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TWJ9oak2lZB_sgfmzKFRGfh53VSv4O51kRP1IyQFmNxAXogyqd5SuZjck2lfjGNeXiu_lpin_9kgiixlMChqSz8RuV_o8SR07Y-m3AYcFcaYX2wTWg-uluFnwjxB_0KzsuuSpvLkiMkw/s1600/Survivor-Worlds-Apart-Announced-Twist-Revealed-VIDEO.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TWJ9oak2lZB_sgfmzKFRGfh53VSv4O51kRP1IyQFmNxAXogyqd5SuZjck2lfjGNeXiu_lpin_9kgiixlMChqSz8RuV_o8SR07Y-m3AYcFcaYX2wTWg-uluFnwjxB_0KzsuuSpvLkiMkw/s400/Survivor-Worlds-Apart-Announced-Twist-Revealed-VIDEO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am also a fan of psychology and take the time to notice how humans behave. The recognition between right and wrong is a basic core value that has eroded in our current business culture, if not in our media and general culture as well. These changes couldn't be more apparent in the actions of the three tribes on survivor.</div>
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In the opening episode, we find the same challenge presented to two members of each tribe. <i>You can take a smaller sack of beans or take a larger sack of beans with a clue to the location of a "hidden" immunity idol but you will have to deceive the other members of your tribe. </i></div>
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The free-spirited no color couple don't think twice and take the smaller sack back to their camp. The blue color pair does exactly the same, but the white collar couple hatch a story and take the clue with the larger sack of beans. The two execs didn't take long to come to their decision but when they got back to camp, none of the other execs believed a word of their story. When it came time to eliminate one of their members, one of the pairs who deceived the others was the first person voted out of survivor to no one's surprise.</div>
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<h3>
Dysfunction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RQR4JWj4SQo8euRjCDKxa3GQVJ2DtUo-k9VjnaoupcOKBN5afNoPeD0iTa6q9c9lUId3qeV9nI37ywr51S0vr7VdXmWUFZYYYSVNYWCx5drt5jI8V0mxYzkVzL7mfkKhv4ysSRr6jAAn/s1600/survivor-logo.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RQR4JWj4SQo8euRjCDKxa3GQVJ2DtUo-k9VjnaoupcOKBN5afNoPeD0iTa6q9c9lUId3qeV9nI37ywr51S0vr7VdXmWUFZYYYSVNYWCx5drt5jI8V0mxYzkVzL7mfkKhv4ysSRr6jAAn/s200/survivor-logo.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
</h3>
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The same core values seem to be slipping in most of us. I notice this whenever I get in my automobile and drive, anywhere. I've observed over the years, as you probably have that truck drivers don't drive the courteous way they used to. I have a great many more cars speeding up on me from behind and it isn't because I'm driving too slow. I try to keep a buffer of a few car lengths when I can, but I notice this infuriates speeders behind me who whip around me and squeeze in between us.</div>
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We have outgrown our infrastructure but haven't slowed our growing population and, as a result, the stresses of our hurried everyday lives allows us to believe we have an excuse to behave the way we do. Our culture has some effect on our basic beliefs, but we are affected by the bombardment of the media too.</div>
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Our businesses have allowed themselves to lose a firm grip on their basic values. There was a time when keeping everybody working was a value they held -- to their credit. In today's business world, everything is justified if the competitor is or is suspected of doing it. One of the ways large corporations navigated the rough waters of the recession was to lay workers off, reducing spending and balancing the books. That is justified by keeping the shareholders happy. The Enron scandal revealed that a business would falsify their accounting records to obscure illegal business activities. </div>
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I don't know what it will take to get folks to learn that the end <b><i>does not</i></b> justify the means. Too many decisions are made expeditiously in this fashion.</div>
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<h3>
Drought in California</h3>
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We're experiencing a drought in the state I live in and it's finally getting the attention it deserves. The public is doing a pretty decent job reducing their water usage, letting their lawns go brown and putting conservation into practice. That is the right thing to do but EBMUD, a bay area water district, has to raise their water rates because everybody is using less! You consume less product and get to pay more for it, makes perfect business sense.</div>
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This is not the best way to win hearts and minds but many of us are not surprised by this near-sighted approach. Maybe people who work at some jobs just stop thinking creatively. I studied supply and demand and macro and micro economics in business school but through many years actually working and solving problems I learned the first solution is not always the best.</div>
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If it makes the shareholders happy, the end justifies the means.</div>
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<h3>
Final Reward</h3>
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Our legislators in congress are bogged down in this same psychological paradox. It is apparent they are not motivated to do the best they can to legislate for the people, rather their first motive is to make sure their opposition makes no gains at all. And at the pearly gates you will hear them declare, I wasn't one of them, I tried to do everything I could to do the right thing. They will spend hours spinning their stories this way and that until finally they get their final reward.</div>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-57275964152403243972015-03-07T15:57:00.002-08:002021-04-13T14:30:33.031-07:00Algebra - and eBay<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Y</span>ou know, I've taken algebra a half dozen times in my life and one of the many things I learned is, if you don't keep using it and practicing it, you will forget it or, lose it as the saying goes.</div>
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This came to mind recently when I tried to sell a few odds and ends on eBay. I've been an eBay buyer and seller since 2005 with a few dozen auctions under my belt. I had not sold anything in quite a few years, however. I discovered something I wanted to do, but it isn't in the budget. What I remembered about listing items on eBay did not come to my rescue when I listed the new items.</div>
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My recollection is when listing items my "reserve" price could be protected. In other words, the sale of my listing would be on the condition my reserve price was met. This time there wasn't any reserve price there was, however, a "Buy It Now" price which I mistakenly assumed was the reserve price. I accepted the sale of a $25.00 item for $5.00 including shipping.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6L6LLZFfDZIp-TlG18R9JjsWd-pM0vhpeZIOCzQOpTTtZ_mAEJf5CMNYgMMwhsOpF93p_pNC7DiiMkJW0lX7urpr_4l-H6eE_ST7US3JTaxzaK0KBl34aOS_gfzDhhBnhSkl01FSN8rf/s1600/SAM_1363.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6L6LLZFfDZIp-TlG18R9JjsWd-pM0vhpeZIOCzQOpTTtZ_mAEJf5CMNYgMMwhsOpF93p_pNC7DiiMkJW0lX7urpr_4l-H6eE_ST7US3JTaxzaK0KBl34aOS_gfzDhhBnhSkl01FSN8rf/s1600/SAM_1363.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I also sold a Tascam Portastudio 424 cassette recorder (without the AC power adapter and cable) for $100.00. The Portastudio cost $50.00 to ship and I may get some money after eBay makes sure the transactions stay sold - and collects their percentage of the sale.</div>
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I listed several other dust gathering things and some of them received no bids. I thought I might be ahead of the game if I just donated these items to the Good Will. I canceled a couple of sales too. I just did not understand the ins and outs of eBay anymore and it could have cost me dearly.</div>
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So too, in algebra, if you didn't know what the less than or greater than signs mean, you are going to suffer when test time comes along. In life, the miscues can be expensive regardless of the intention.</div>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-42147397241809193662014-11-17T13:09:00.001-08:002021-04-14T09:31:03.294-07:00Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<img height="206" src="http://www.thebeginwithinblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/three-wise-monkeys.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span>y father had a paper weight of the three wise monkeys when I was growing up and it was around our house as far back as I can remember. In those days, I just accepted it for what it was, a paper weight, something you use to keep papers from blowing off the table. Admittedly It was an oddity and it made me curious. What could these monkeys see or hear or say that would be so bad? It did not occur to me that this age-old symbol was <i>intended to portray our goals in life to live without passing on bad information and striving to do good</i>.</div>
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At some point, I became aware of a more obtuse meaning. I was reminded of that meaning when I saw the German Sergeant Schultz in Hogan's Heroes who would exclaim, "I see nothing, I hear nothing," when he wanted to assure the prisoners of war in the TV sitcom that he would not betray their trust.</div>
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Fast forward about fifty years and I was reminded of the wise monkeys just the other day. I was gazing down the parking lot where I live and couldn't make out an object in the distance about 80 yards away. That's because I don't see very well now and my eyes can't detect all the fine detail of objects at a distance.</div>
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I've had hearing problems since I was an infant. I have traditionally failed hearing tests all my life so it was a surprise when the Veterans Administration provided hearing aids, to find out what I had been missing for so many years.</div>
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Finally, an old crown and bridge I received while I was still in the Army more than forty years ago gave way and had to be replaced with a partial denture. So in the morning now I have to put my ears on, put on my glasses and affix my teeth before going out into the world every day.</div>
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It is much easier now to remember the three wise monkeys</div>
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Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-45905611418568289062014-11-01T17:05:00.003-07:002021-04-14T09:31:33.392-07:00Change is Great and Knowledge is Wonderful<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I'</span>ve been busy the past few months increasing my understanding of the latest trends in dynamic web development. For starters, I was dumb-founded that things I used to know had changed; or grown, or had been modified, or replaced. I wasn't counting on this when I began my trek but on the plus side. I learned about a whole bunch of new things I can play with. Along the way, I was introduced to Python, a computer programming language used in schools and universities to teach programming or solve problems. I discovered WordPress which can make web development quicker using templates, blogs, comments, standard plugins and widgets.</div>
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I spent a couple of weeks trying to figure out why I couldn't connect to my database and as it turns out, so much hacking and security flaws have forced providers of Open Source programs (like PHP and MYSQL) to batten down the hatches to prevent people from attacking their websites or worse, corrupting their databases and bringing sites to their knees. I found PHP particularly had at least two rounds of improvements that would help alleviate the hacking problems and was the reason I was having so much difficulty connecting. Some of the original commands have been obsolete for years. I wondered to myself how these serious problems would affect a for-profit business trusting PHP as a candidate for dynamic web development.<br />
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<h4>
Structured Querry Language</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuvKuswaBILpclPCalTLzL__Zud8rxlhKwYcjNe5S4m5pfQPElMJ0-RBJjIC-3LIhFgu0SJ7UjuP_ppMGYlOe4PJ9t4UFVrBvBg7024mJRaiuwg8LpcRv5s3YJ2STkbrxraF6KwUGDLGG/s1600/german-18368_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuvKuswaBILpclPCalTLzL__Zud8rxlhKwYcjNe5S4m5pfQPElMJ0-RBJjIC-3LIhFgu0SJ7UjuP_ppMGYlOe4PJ9t4UFVrBvBg7024mJRaiuwg8LpcRv5s3YJ2STkbrxraF6KwUGDLGG/s400/german-18368_640.jpg" width="400" /></a>Mysql is an Open Source (read free) SQL database and PHP is an Open Source language that can be mixed with HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) and JavaScript in the same program. If you think this is too technical just wait a minute.</div>
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About the same time I was up to my neck in PHP and Mysql, I stumbled upon a YouTube video of a summer session at Harvard on building dynamic websites. This was terrific until I realized there is way more to the idea of a dynamic website than just having a database that exchanges data with a web page via PHP. XML is another language for obtaining RSS data in a specific format, and JSON was yet another standard I would have to learn. I was almost sidetracked with Ruby on Rails, but I could see in the first five minutes of chasing that idea it would take way too long to get where I wanted to go.</div>
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I have to say they know how to do it at Harvard. This 10 segment video held my attention for almost a week and a half as that's how long it took me to view the whole series. I learned quite a bit and the course gave me a better sense of what is involved in dynamic webs.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVLdOBijoco">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVLdOBijoco</a></div>
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During my knowledge voyage, I tried Windows 7 for ninety days and tried the new version of Dreamweaver now that Adobe owns it. I have to say I'm not a fan of the new way software is distributed or valued. Microsoft as well as Adobe want you to pay a small monthly fee to use the latest versions of their software. Given their track records on supporting older versions of their operating systems and programs, I'm not about to sign up for that.</div>
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I joined the mobile crowd and got an Android tablet and I find it convenient to read email and watch videos. We also upgraded our laptop to Windows 8.1. So I'm still hanging onto the grid.<br />
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WEBDOC - Don Filer <a href="http://donfiler.net/">Responsive Web Design</a></div>
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<br />Don Filerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06637040864493282797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856728480099124108.post-37941643337688436042014-05-23T14:58:00.002-07:002021-04-14T09:32:05.264-07:00Deferred Maintenance<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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<em>That might be another way to say procrastination ‘R us.</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogrAAYge2hvzMpKiudUcqufCdYfy3QMy7_4mNWM96habRsUwjJ2X2t0-wul8IWW4mmRHOmP99IrgDuZRTI7tTJPwPefuH_0HYkF5H6jdvW_58onfP1DD8IuPjIiJxMdOtPeDUykO34D98/s1600/_MG_7841.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogrAAYge2hvzMpKiudUcqufCdYfy3QMy7_4mNWM96habRsUwjJ2X2t0-wul8IWW4mmRHOmP99IrgDuZRTI7tTJPwPefuH_0HYkF5H6jdvW_58onfP1DD8IuPjIiJxMdOtPeDUykO34D98/s1600/_MG_7841.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
For me, 2013 is a year best forgotten. The personal tragic events of last year are still unpleasant and too fresh to allow them to be forgotten easily. Hopefully, time will allow healing.</div>
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These are all judgments and opinions, of course, but I noticed my first thoughts that pop up when things don’t go my way, are usually negative and include expenses I haven’t saved for. The pressure of not having enough starts me spinning out of control and into a panic. I don’t know about you, but that isn’t my finest moment usually.</div>
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My wife and I were homeowners for 35 years. After her terrible accident, we short-sold our house losing our nest egg and moved into an apartment. During the course of working through the details of the sale, our realtor said, “ the problem with this house is <i>deferred maintenance</i>.” She was referring to all the odds and ends you’d love to have done to upgrade from kitchen appliances and carpet; to all wood floors; to new bathrooms and landscaping.</div>
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We did quite a bit to maintain the house. It isn’t like we neglected it. We added a new roof, new fence, new furnace and new dishwasher. We spent too much, in my opinion refurbishing the deck and landscaping.</div>
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On a positive note, Kevin, Natalie and my granddaughter are moving to North Carolina as Kevin evolves from a Captain in the U.S. Army to a captain of industry in the financial business. Kevin will make the best of any situation, regardless of circumstances. We were lucky to have a month to have Kevin and his family close by. It's back to cross country trips for a while.<br />
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Michelle and her husband, Jason continue to do well and have a lively family life.<br />
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My daughter Michelle passed her RN exams and is comparing offers from several different employers. Since she is starting at the bottom, the jobs are not the greatest but she is at least getting Registered Nursing job interviews. We are very proud of Michelle and her success is well deserved.</div>
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Brian, on the other hand, was laid off from Kohl’s and is back searching for employment, possibly in security.</div>
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Kevin is teaching at the University of San Diego and finishing his MBA while he waits to find out what his next duty assignment will be. He and Natalie love and nurture my granddaughter Hannah who is four months old.</div>
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Shelley has a lot on her plate in her new position at work and her knee is healing well. I lost a few pounds after taking a new medication. I had to stop the medicine though because it has some pretty harsh side effects.</div>
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I have been slow to write something for this blog since I am avoiding negativity as much as I can. Terrible things have happened across the country. Our legislators want their own way no matter the cost.</div>
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It takes “Shooting yourself in the foot” to a whole new extreme. Gun control advocates and the NRA have had more exposure at every turn.</div>
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I saw a couple of the year’s Academy award winners and thought they both deserved nominations. Daniel Day-Lewis was also eloquent in his acceptance speeches too. If you like history, you’ll love Lincoln. Zero Dark Thirty was also an excellent film, very well done and quite entertaining. I observed that Quentin Tarantino is still producing and receiving awards for the films he makes. It is somewhat consoling that not everybody likes his work. Argo was good but too much Ben.</div>
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Daughter Michelle and Jason King were married on July 15, 2012. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoKBFJI9SVjGuy0vMK2HNWCBJChe2F7z7Mu1Xv4YcB-fo-KmSmxwPLAXBP8yzmQ5qLSbtb2DAoOaodEFk1r1Y1EFQLWlo9dwptySYMOhcCaClL0J9bT4lY8bOkZmac3fZ9iGA1qaKYEGh/s1600/daddance3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoKBFJI9SVjGuy0vMK2HNWCBJChe2F7z7Mu1Xv4YcB-fo-KmSmxwPLAXBP8yzmQ5qLSbtb2DAoOaodEFk1r1Y1EFQLWlo9dwptySYMOhcCaClL0J9bT4lY8bOkZmac3fZ9iGA1qaKYEGh/s400/daddance3.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Shelley had a complete knee replacement on September 18<sup>th</sup> providing her with 6 weeks of rehabilitation time from work. It was a considerable amount of exercise, walking and icing her knee. She also has physical therapy a couple of times a week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDmaLZAfmRACrUkJ3vwuaLWqiM6m5ZjzrT8zG_3Vzlu0AF0FNU3bWgirSuUUWBVsJbbf0atkm8wGeZiiVW31tzKL-yVArkIs4DDqsWCySDfAqJJoO0jtyYJtGyww9pZ9NJkuuf0ra3MEs/s1600/tango-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDmaLZAfmRACrUkJ3vwuaLWqiM6m5ZjzrT8zG_3Vzlu0AF0FNU3bWgirSuUUWBVsJbbf0atkm8wGeZiiVW31tzKL-yVArkIs4DDqsWCySDfAqJJoO0jtyYJtGyww9pZ9NJkuuf0ra3MEs/s400/tango-image.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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A Joyous greeting to our grand-daughter, Hannah Marie Filer. Mother Natalie and father Kevin are also doing well after a successful labor and delivery November 8<sup>th</sup> in San Diego.</div>
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Shelley and I visited the southern California Filers for 5 days beginning on November 1<sup>st</sup>. I got to see the Air and Space Museum, Sea World and had lunch at Ocean Beach with Shelley, Robin, Paul, Steve, Natalie and Kevin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A final vacation before Shelley has to go back to work. But the baby was late.</div>
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We were very lucky to visit when we did because we had so many get-togethers with family members. In addition to a new baby girl, Natalie has also successfully completed her Masters degree in Psychology. Kevin, not to be outdone, is finishing his MBA from the University of San Diego.</div>
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Michelle is finishing her Nursing program at the JC and will be pinned mid December and Brian is working at Kohl’s.</div>
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We flew Alaskan Airlines out of Santa Rosa on a turbo prop at 25000 feet. My left ear is still recovering. On final approach to San Diego I noticed a circular building with the title Air and Space Museum as we flew over and just filed it away. Kevin lives about 20 minutes from the airport and he picked us up and we visited their house and said hello to everyone, had a great dinner and left to check in at our hotel. It was after 10 pm and we had to unpack for the night and the next day.</div>
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Paul asked if I had ever been to Sea World and we agreed to an afternoon visit after a tour of the Air and Space Museum. San Diego has been synonymous With the Navy and Marines for a century and we visited an outdoor memorial to Bob Hope next to the USS Midway where SDSU would play Syracuse in basketball a few nights later. We gassed up at the Marine Recruitment Center and toured the Naval Training Center which has been decommissioned and converted to commercial businesses. The Central building is now a meeting center and museum. The Air and Space Museum is also thanks to the Navy and it houses a real F-18 Blue Angel and much more. Sea World is a place in San Diego where you can pay $70 to get splashed by a killer whale. The pet show stole the show. Ordinary dogs, cats, birds, pot belly pigs, emus and kangaroos perform. </div>
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Lucy, I'm home.</div>
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