Author: coastcontact

I am a somewhat cranky but mostly optimistic 65 plus who refuses to give up on this maddening world. The purpose of this BLOG is to express my feelings, thoughts.

“The time for change has come.”

Those are Barack Obama’s words in a clip from a speech that Chris Matthews plays in the introduction to his weekend program on NBC.  As we all know there has been no change.  Grid lock has come since the GOP won control of the House of Representatives.

Guests on Matthews’ show this past Saturday all agreed that while the president is well liked the public has grown weary of the words that have not brought a renewed economy.  John Heilemann, one of the members of that panel said, “Mitt Romney is never going to be likable” but acknowledged that the public might overlook that likability to see the economy in a recovery mode.  No one on the panel disagreed.  This is a panel of well respected Obama supporters.

Just last night Bill Clinton was in a NYC fund raiser for Obama.  He pointed out that the austerity of Europe, that is Romney’s plan, has resulted in even higher unemployment than we are experiencing in the United States.  However, today’s win of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker sent the message that Americans are not buying the Democratic Party arguments.

The argument that things could be worse just doesn’t cut it for most
Americans.  Desparate Americans want results.  Obama has not provided what Americans want.

A new president is on the horizon.  The race is Romney’s to lose.

In Mexicali, a haven for broken lives

An article in the Los Angeles Times titled “A Heaven for broken lives” is really meant to stir my sympathy for people who have broken our immigration laws. The article details stories of deported Mexicans who entered the United States illegally and subsequently committed crimes.  The article was extended for an additional two pages and the print version included supporting photography.

The laws may be flawed but they are in place because a majority in the congress voted them into practice. The current administration has even tried to show empathy by not fully enforcing the law and only deporting those who commit crimes.

 The error in our law enforcement is that employers of illegal aliens are rarely punished. Rigorous enforcement of current laws would end this tragic situation. “Bleeding hearts” in America will use this article as proof of our misguided legal system.

I don’t blame those who try to sneak into the country. I would do the same thing if I was living in a poor Latin American country. I blame our government for not enforcing the law.

GDP and Unemployment Performing Poorly – Welcome President Romney

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States expanded 1.9 percent in the first quarter of 2012 over the previous quarter. That is a revision from a preliminary 2.2% estimate.  Historically, from 1947 until 2012, the United States GDP Growth Rate averaged 3.3 Percent reaching an all time high of 17.2 Percent in March of 1950 and a record low of -10.4 Percent in March of 1958.

During the great recession GDP fell to -8.9%.

At the present time the economy appears to be back sliding.

Can the government really impact the growth of the economy?  Most of us seem to believe the answer is yes.  Barack Obama will be blamed for the situation.

Unless Mr. Obama can convince a majority that things will be worse if Romney is elected he will be a one term president.

Mitt Romney Only Wants to be President

Just today alone we all have come to understand that Mitt Romney will say anything or not say something as long as it will help him obtain the office of President of the United States.  It is the words of a flip-flopper who will do almost anything to gain the office.

In an interview he said he does not care what others say about Barack Obama as long as they support him for the office.  Thus Donald Trump’s birther nonsense is now back in the news.

Romney gave a speech in San Diego promising to maintain an American military “with no comparable power anywhere in the world.”  That just happens to be the situation now.  The U.S. defense budget exceeds the total of the military budgets of the next six nations in the world.

This election will be a test of American intelligence.  Will Americans understand the battle for the highest office will be a campaign of lies and deceit?  We have made terrible mistakes before.  I am not optimistic.

Top 20 Jobs That Don’t Require A College Degree

LAUSD plans to require all high school students to take college prep classes in order to graduate.  However there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of jobs that do not require a college degree. As reported on AOL.COM here is a list of the top 20 jobs not requiring that diploma.

Careercast.com put together a list of the top 20 jobs that don’t require a college degree, ranked by average starting salary, income growth and employment growth. Income growth refers to percentage of growth from starting earnings to the top level; and employment growth refers to the projected increase in number of jobs through 2020 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

1. Dental Hygienist

    • Average Starting Salary: $45,000
    • Income Growth: 109%
    • Employment Growth: 37.70%

2. Online Sales Manager

    • Average Starting Salary: $40,000
    • Income Growth: 255%
    • Employment Growth: 25.00%

3. Web Developer

    • Average Starting Salary: $43,000
    • Income Growth: 179%
    • Employment Growth: 21.70%

4. Medical Secretary

    • Average Starting Salary: $21,000
    • Income Growth: 114%
    • Employment Growth: 41.30%

5. Paralegal Assistant

    • Average Starting Salary: $29,000
    • Income Growth: 159%
    • Employment Growth: 18.30%

6. Stenographer / Court Reporter

    • Average Starting Salary: $26,000
    • Income Growth: 250%
    • Employment Growth: 14.10%

7. Heating / Refrigeration Mechanic

    • Average Starting Salary: $26,000
    • Income Growth: 158%
    • Employment Growth: 33.70%

8. Surveyor

    • Average Starting Salary: $31,000
    • Income Growth: 190%
    • Employment Growth: 25.40%

9. Executive Assistant

    • Average Starting Salary: $29,000
    • Income Growth: 131%
    • Employment Growth: 12.60%

10. Insurance Agent

    • Average Starting Salary: $26,000
    • Income Growth: 342%
    • Employment Growth: 21.90%

11. Industrial Machine Repairer

    • Average Starting Salary: $30,000
    • Income Growth: 127%
    • Employment Growth: 21.60 %

12. Cosmetologist

    • Average Starting Salary: $16,000
    • Income Growth: 163%
    • Employment Growth: 15.70%

13. Hair Stylist

    • Average Starting Salary: $16,000
    • Income Growth: 163%
    • Employment Growth: 15.70%

14. Tax Examiner / Collector

    • Average Starting Salary: $30,000
    • Income Growth: 207%
    • Employment Growth: 7.30%

15. Sales Representative – Wholesale

    • Average Starting Salary: $27,000
    • Income Growth: 304%
    • Employment Growth: 15.60%

16. Construction Machinery Operator

    • Average Starting Salary: $26,000
    • Income Growth: 173%
    • Employment Growth: 23.50%

17. Electrical Technician

    • Average Starting Salary: $34,000
    • Income Growth: 138%
    • Employment Growth: 1.90%

18. Architectural Drafter

    • Average Starting Salary: $30,000
    • Income Growth: 140%
    • Employment Growth: 3.20

19. Teacher’s Aide

    • Average Starting Salary: $17,000
    • Income Growth: 112%
    • Employment Growth: 14.80%

20. Sewage Plant Operator

    • Average Starting Salary: $25,000
    • Income Growth: 156%
    • Employment Growth: 11.60%

Photography is Ever Evolving

 

As good as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 camera is, there is always room for improvement.  Thus I have purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150.

This will most likely be the last camera I will buy.  It has all the features of the FZ28 but has a somewhat longer lens, much faster shooting burst speed (12 fps), a faster focusing system, and my favorite Photo Style option (STANDARD / VIVID (Brilliant effect with high saturation and contrast.) / NATURAL (Soft effect with low contrast.) / MONOCHROME / SCENERY (An effect appropriate for scenes with vivid blue skies and greens) / PORTRAIT (An effect appropriate for portrait picture with a healthy and beautiful skin tone.) There are many other addtional features too numerous to list here.

The advanced manual is 202 pages long.  No wonder they chose to provide it in an Adobe reader format.

I bought the camera with a 30 day return privilege and that time has now passed.

Two problems with the camera are:

1. Like the FZ28 indoor pictures has a yellowish cast that is apparent when there is no outdoor sunlight.  The issue seems eliminated by using a polarizing filter.  Note the camera will take 52mm threaded filters without an adadpter.

2. The camera is bulkier than the FZ28 and weighs 18.62 ounces.  The FZ28 weighs 14.71 ounces.  You definitely will notice the difference.  My compensation is using a wider cloth neck strap rather than the supplied leather strap.

Although they have seen the camera sold out at most locations it appears they have discontinued manufacture of this model.  My guess is they want to add a longer zoom and connectivity to the internet in their next iteration.

Reach For Your Gun!

Remember back in the “Old West” when gun fights were a common occurrence and the words “reach for your gun” were prominently portrayed in the movies?  Apparently those words are back.

The trial of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin will be the test for the   Stand Your Ground laws which have been adopted in 25 states in the last decade.

Could a criminal use Stand Your Ground to justify a delib­erate homicide? It’s happened on multiple occasions, say critics of the law. One such case occurred in 2008, when a wild gunfight broke out between rival gangs outside an apartment block in Tallahassee. Some 30 shots were fired, and one of them resulted in the death of 15-year­ old Michael Jackson. Two young men were arrested for his murder, but they were subsequently freed after claim­ing they had acted in self-defense. An angry Judge Terry Lewis said he had no choice but to order their release. “The law would appear to allow a person to seek out an individual, provoke him into a confrontation, then shoot and kill him if he goes for his gun;’ Lewis said. “Contrary to the state’s assertion, it is very much like the Wild West.”

Facebook Folly

How many website do you subscribe to?

The say 800 million people have Facebook accounts. Those accounts are free. I am one of those subscribers and most likely so are you. I have never purchased anything as a result of having that account. I only go onto the account when I am bombarded by e-mail messages telling me that I have messages that require my response. Usually the messages are from people I do not know but want to be my friend. These are people who “maybe” did meet me somewhere but I can’t remember where and their faces are not familiar to me.

 I must agree with Betty White when she presented her monologue on SNL. “I really have to thank Facebook … I didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time. I would never say the people on it are losers, but that’s only because I’m polite. People say ‘But Betty, Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends.’ Well at my age, if I wanna connect with old friends, I need a Ouija Board. Needless to say, we didn’t have Facebook when I was growing up. We had phonebook, but you wouldn’t waste an afternoon with it.”

Betty White Monologue

Apparently Mark Zuckerberg convinced himself and millions of others that his free social media site could be a marketing tool. Betty White is correct. He is trying to sell access to the telephone book.

Buy a share of Facebook? Why? How many people will reach their purchasing decision based upon the things they see on that site. Facebook’s number three advertiser, General Motors, has discontinued their advertising on the site.

Creative Destruction

The capitalist system is also the system of Creative Destruction.  It is industrial evolution driven by the rise of new innovations and the downfall of old technologies.  Kodak’s demise is a perfect example.  Kodak developed the first digital camera and then buried the development to protect its very existence.

Excerpt from Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson

in 1589 William Lee, an Englishman, had perfected a knitting machine and presented it to Queen Elizabeth for a patent.  She refused to grant Lee a patent, instead observing, “Thou aimest high, Master Lee. Consider thou what the invention could do to my poor subjects. It would assuredly bring to them ruin by depriving them of employment, thus making them beggars.” Crushed, Lee moved to France to try his luck there; when he failed there, too, he returned to England, where he asked James I (1603-1625), Elizabeth’s successor, for a patent. James I also refused, on the same grounds as Elizabeth.

Both feared that the mechanization of stocking production would be politically destabilizing. It would throw people out of work, create unemployment and political instability, and threaten royal power. The stocking frame was an innovation that promised huge productivity increases, but it also promised Creative Destruction.

I don’t know the solution.  I do know that there aren’t many blacksmiths or candle makers anymore.