Filing your taxes – when Free really isn't – are you being "monetized" ?? 0

Posted by on in Taxes, Technology Trends And Directions






Filing your taxes – when Free really isn’t – are you being “monetized” ??
OK, so you’re intrigued by those online services and all that nice software that says they’ll do and file your taxes this year FOR FREE! Hmmmmm… We all like stuff for free, but hold the phone here folks – there’s more happening here than you may be aware of…
You may not be aware, yet, but you’re being mined and sold. Yupo folks, once again if it sounds too good to be true it most likely is.
It would appear that there’s really a growing and big business in mining as much information about you from your tax forms and from all those piles of paperwork that you have to use to create those monstrosities that you have to send the IRS each year! Think how much information you really tell about yourself when you file your 1040. Do you have any loans? Investments? Outside business interests? Student loans or college payments of any sort? Well, it’s all on your 1040 and it’s all there for whomever is doing your electronic filing to mine, aggregate, package and sell to whomever will buy it. The latest buzz word is call “monetizing the customer” – uh, that’s you! And it’s big business and big money.
SO, if you don’t want to be sold you may want to read the fine print and make sure that your privacy stays that way – private.
I’m Don Rima and that’s the way I see it, from where I stand.


Easter – What's the real reason for the season? 0

Posted by on in Easter, Holidays






Easter – What’s the real reason for the season?
OK, you usually hear this around mid December – people talking about “the reason for the season”, but does anyone really study history enough to know the REAL reasons for any of these religious centric holidays?
Based on the Biblical historical record (and yes, I think it’s a correct historical record), Christ died and was resurrected during the last weekend of Passover. I think most of Christianity will easily agree with me on that.
Interestingly enough, the Biblical record makes no references to brightly coloured eggs or bunnies. So, what’s really going on here?
Well, like it or not, Easter is yet another pagan holiday season that Christianity felt it had to adopt for its purposes. You would think that Christianity would follow the Biblical historical record in celebrating the death and resurrection of their Saviour and celebrate it when it ACTUALLY DID HAPPEN – uh, that would be the last weekend of Passover.
But, the calendars tend to create a bit of a problem here. This year Easter and Passover actually happen on the same week, but this is NOT case on a REGULAR basis! Consult your calendar if you disagree with me. Sometimes the two events are several WEEKS apart! Gee! Go figure!
The Jewish calendar dictates when Passover occurs but, who and how do we determine when Easter occurs? Well, for that we need to look at the historical record.
In 325AD, the council of Nicaea determined that Easter would be the first Sunday after the first full moon, occurring on or after the vernal equinox. From then on, the date of Easter depended on the ecclsiastical approximation of March 21 for the vernal equinox. Hmmm….doesn’t sound like Passover to me. Let me make this simpler, Easter is the Sunday after the first Full Moon occurring on or after the March equinox. Sounds more like a Druid event than a Christian one.
If we look further, we find that the term “easter” we find that the it directly refers to the mythical goddess “Eostre” – sometimes also referred to as Ostara or Ishtar. So, we’d be just as accurate to be saying “Happy Ishtar!”. Oh, by the way, her symbol was a bunny or rabbit because of the high reproductive proclivities of rabbits…and I’m sure you’ve heard several humorous analogies during your life.
Chances are the Germans brought us the colored eggs from their traditions, but then, there’s also the ancient Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex, yes Ishtar again, in which bunnies and eggs play a big part.
If you really want to dig deeper into this, you’ll find origins going back to Nimrod and his family as well. Interesting reading on a rainy afternoon when you’re really interested in finding out the real roots of how you got where you are now…not just what your preacher is telling you.
Christianity has a bad habit of attempting to sanitize old pagan and druid customs, rites and celebrations and attempting to make them Christ centric events. But is this right?
Christianity could also declare the color green to be called brown…but would that make it right or better yet – correct?
I’m Don Rima and that’s the way I see it, from where I stand.


Reds – Bewitchingly good munchies in Salem MA 0

Posted by on in Food, Restaurants and Eating Establishments






Reds – Bewitchingly good munchies in Salem MA
I just returned from a trip to Boston. While up there decided to take a side trip up to Salem and checkout all the historical witching lore and the old port there.
Frankly, I can now say, been there, done that. It’s going to be a few years before I return to play tourist in Salem. But, it may not be the last time I return to Salem for another reason.
If you’re going to be a good judge of places to eat, you need to be not only a good eater but a good cook. I’m fairly decent at both endeavors as my kitchen and scale will both testify. And, you’ll find that the biggest eating establishments don’t always make for the best eating experiences. This is why when a little hole in the wall in downtown Salem was recommended to me I as a place to meet for lunch I was curious to check it out…and oh how I wish we didn’t have to worry about things like cardiologists!
There’s a little place on the northeast corner of where Front Street meets Charter, it’s called Reds. It’s not only full of locals, but it’s also got a menu of items that will have you rolling out the door totally satisfied.
I chose the chicken piccata and a Greek salad. Based on the prices in the menu I figured a nice bowl of salad and good lunch portion of piccata… WOW! Well, they didn’t warn me that the portions there are not small. they’re HUGE. I could have made a meal from either the salad or the piccata! And delicious is an understatement…it was incredible! I’ve not had piccata that good in a very long time and unfortunately, my schedule doesn’t have me going back to Boston again for a while…but when I do, you can bet that I’ll be tying up at Reds and putting on the feed bag for another great meal.
And I’m still smacking my lips, all the way From Where I Stand.


Baseball! It's opening day! 0

Posted by on in Baseball, Family, Food, Sports Events






Baseball! It’s opening day!
There’s really nothing quit like it. The feel of the crowd. The smells of the stadium. Popcorn, peanuts, crackerjack…and let’s not forget a really nice big fat juicy hot dog with
mustard and ketchup!
The boys of summer are back! It’s opening day! Pop a cold one, sit back, break out your glove and you may get lucky and catch one!
The crack of the bat brings with it jargon of suicide squeezes, double plays, the long one going deep and many other terms that once again put us in the annual cat bird’s seat of fun.
No matter how you listen to them or watch them, there’s really nothing like an afternoon or evening ball game to round out a day.
As a kid growing up in DC metro. I used to listen to the then Senators on WTOP or if there was an Orioles game on WBAL it took priority. With glee I would call up the scores recording line at the
Washington post in the mornings when I missed late games and eagerly listen to the recording tell me how the Senators had lost again and the Orioles had won. I used to cheer when
Big Frank Howard struck out and Boog knocked in another homer. Ah, the days of being a kid and the life of baseball. It’s almost 50 years later and I’m still a kid and hope I always will be.
So! Take me out to the ball game….take me out to the park…..
I’m Don Rima and that’s the way I see it, from where I stand…


Government – Don't we have enough already? 0

Posted by on in Election, Family, Inside The Beltway, Self Respect, Socialism






Government – Don’t we have enough already?
I ran into this recently in a Facebook posting.  I’m not 100% true if a college professor actually made this claim and failed his class, but I have to submit that the concepts presented here are 100% on the money.
Given the current trends in Washington to tax us into oblivion, run our lives and socialize everything we do and think, I have to wonder how much longer things will last if people don’t have the want and courage to strike out on their own, to make goals and try to achieve them as a way of making themselves, their family and yes, their country a greater place because they had a goal and didn’t depend on mindlessly following someone else’s goals.
Our generation has little more than to look back at the Vietnam era.  Frankly, we bombed, burned and killed the heck out of Vietnam and Southeast Asia.  We had many immigrants come to the US either directly or via France, Canada or other means, many with little more than the cloths on their backs and a suitcase.  In less than half a generation these people and their families are land owners, they’re running their own businesses, they’re successful and their families are growing.  This happened because they had goals and went for them.  They didn’t sit back and complain that the government “owed” them something.  They SOUGHT opportunity and went for it.  That’s the American way!
So, I submit this for your contemplation and consideration:
Is this man truly a genius?
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama’s socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama’s plan”. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A…. (substituting grades for dollars – something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
It could not be any simpler than that.
These are possibly the 5 best sentences you’ll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:
1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.
At the end of the day, this is a trend our country is heading towards that we need to stop, or we’ll become another third world country.
That’s the way I see it, From Where I Stand.


FCC Frequency Allocations for Amateurs – aka Hams 3

Posted by on in Hobbies, Radio, Scanners, Technology Trends And Directions







FCC Frequency Allocations for Amateurs – aka Hams
One of annoying things about life is the “use it or lose it” properties. If you don’t use it, you tend to lose it. Generally this applies to things learned or perhaps memorized at one time.
I used to be semi-fluent in several languages – even translated for my parents when we traveled as I picked it up faster than they did. I also lost it faster than they did.
When I got my Amateur Radio (Ham) license I tried to remember all the frequencies I could play on and what I was allowed to do on them, and NOT to do on them. Frankly, I gave up.
To make life easier for me I consolidated a few frequency lists from good Ham sources and reorganized them into a form that I could use alot easier. I broke it down by license class then frequency
and frequency use restrictions.
Here it is in order of license class progression. Just print and take a pair of scissors and chop off what’s not relevant to you and tack it up in your ham shack. If you see any fat fingers or if the laws change and I’ve not caught it, please let me know for an update.
Enjoy.
NOVICE:
80 Meters
3.525-3.600 MHz: CW Only
40 Meters
7.025-7.125 MHz : CW only
15 Meters
21.025-21.200 MHz: CW Only
10 Meters
28.000-28.300 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data–Maximum power 200 watts PEP
28.300-28.500 MHz: CW, Phone–Maximum power 200 watts PEP
1.25 Meters – limited to 25 watts PEP output
222.00-225.00 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
23 Centimeters
1270-1295 MHz: CW, phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data (maximum power, 5 watts PEP)
TECHNICIAN:
80 Meters
3.525-3.600 MHz: CW Only
40 Meters
7.025-7.125 MHz : CW only
15 Meters
21.025-21.200 MHz: CW Only
10 Meters
28.000-28.300 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data–Maximum power 200 watts PEP
28.300-28.500 MHz: CW, Phone–Maximum power 200 watts PEP
6 Meters
50.0-50.1 MHz: CW Only
50.1-54.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
2 Meters
144.0-144.1 MHz: CW Only
144.1-148.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
1.25 Meters
222.00-225.00 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
70 Centimeters
420.0-450.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
33 Centimeters
902.0-928.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
23 Centimeters
1240-1300 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
 
Higher Frequencies:
2300-2310 MHz
2390-2450 MHz
3300-3500 MHz
5650-5925 MHz
10.0-10.5 GHz
24.0-24.25 GHz
47.0-47.2 GHz
76.0-81.0 GHz – Amateur operation at 76-77 GHz has been suspended
122.25 -123.00 GHz
134-141 GHz
241-250 GHz
All above 300 GHz
GENERAL:
160 Meters
1.800-2.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, RTTY/Data
80 Meters
3.525-3.600 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
3.800-4.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
60 Meters – 100w ERP
5330.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5346.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5357.0 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5371.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5403.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
Amateurs are permitted to operate on five frequency channels, each having an
effective bandwidth of 2.8 kHz.
These frequencies are available for use by stations having a control
operator holding a General, Advanced or Amateur Extra class license. It is
important to note that the frequencies shown above are suppressed carrier
frequencies – the frequencies that appear in your transceiver’s tuning
display when your transceiver is in the USB mode.
Amateurs may transmit with an effective radiated power of 100 W or less,
relative to a half-wave dipole. If you’re using a commercial directional
antenna, FCC Rules require you to keep a copy of the manufacturer’s gain
specifications in your station records. If you built the directional antenna
yourself, you must calculate the gain and keep the results in your station
records.
40 Meters
7.025-7.125 MHz : CW, RTTY/Data
7.175-7.300 MHz:: CW, Phone, Image
30 Meters – Maximum power, 200 watts PEP
10.100-10.150 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
20 Meters
14.025 -14.150 MHz CW, RTTY/Data
14.225 -14.350 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
17 Meters
18.068-18.110 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
18.110-18.168 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
15 Meters
21.025-21.200 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
21.275-21.450 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
12 Meters
 4.890-24.930 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
24.930-24.990 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
10 Meters
28.000-28.300 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
28.300-29.700 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
6 Meters
50.0-50.1 MHz: CW Only
50.1-54.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
2 Meters
144.0-144.1 MHz: CW Only
144.1-148.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
 
1.25 Meters
219-220 MHz amateur use on a secondary basis.
222.00-225.00 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
70 Centimeters
420.0-450.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
33 Centimeters
902.0-928.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
23 Centimeters
1240-1300 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
 
Higher Frequencies:
2300-2310 MHz
2390-2450 MHz
3300-3500 MHz
5650-5925 MHz
10.0-10.5 GHz
24.0-24.25 GHz
47.0-47.2 GHz
76.0-81.0 GHz – 76-77 GHz has been suspended
122.25 -123.00 GHz
134-141 GHz
241-250 GHz
All above 300 GHz
ADVANCED CLASS:
160 Meters
1.800-2.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, RTTY/Data
80 Meters
3.525-3.600 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
3.700-4.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
60 Meters – 100w ERP
5330.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5346.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5357.0 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5371.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5403.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
Amateurs are permitted to operate on five frequency channels, each having an
effective bandwidth of 2.8 kHz.
These frequencies are available for use by stations having a control
operator holding a General, Advanced or Amateur Extra class license. It is
important to note that the frequencies shown above are suppressed carrier
frequencies – the frequencies that appear in your transceiver’s tuning
display when your transceiver is in the USB mode.
Amateurs may transmit with an effective radiated power of 100 W or less,
relative to a half-wave dipole. If you’re using a commercial directional
antenna, FCC Rules require you to keep a copy of the manufacturer’s gain
specifications in your station records. If you built the directional antenna
yourself, you must calculate the gain and keep the results in your station
records.
40 Meters
7.025-7.125 MHz : CW, RTTY/Data
7.125-7.300 MHz:: CW, Phone, Image
30 Meters – Maximum power, 200 watts PEP
10.100-10.150 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
20 Meters
14.025 -14.150 MHz CW, RTTY/Data
14.175 -14.350 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
 
17 Meters
18.068-18.110 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
18.110-18.168 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
15 Meters
21.025-21.200 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
21.225-21.450 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
12 Meters
24.890-24.930 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
24.930-24.990 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
10 Meters
28.000-28.300 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
28.300-29.700 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
6 Meters
50.0-50.1 MHz: CW Only
50.1-54.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
2 Meters
144.0-144.1 MHz: CW Only
144.1-148.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
 
1.25 Meters
219-220 MHz to amateur use on a secondary basis.
222.00-225.00 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
70 Centimeters
420.0-450.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
33 Centimeters
902.0-928.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
23 Centimeters
1240-1300 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
 
Higher Frequencies:
2300-2310 MHz
2390-2450 MHz
3300-3500 MHz
5650-5925 MHz
10.0-10.5 GHz
24.0-24.25 GHz
47.0-47.2 GHz
76.0-81.0 GHz – 76-77 GHz has been suspended
122.25 -123.00 GHz
134-141 GHz
241-250 GHz
All above 300 GHz
AMATEUR EXTRA CLASS:
160 Meters
1.800-2.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, RTTY/Data
 
80 Meters
3.500-3.600 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
3.600-4.000 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
60 Meters – 100w ERP
5330.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5346.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5357.0 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5371.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
5403.5 Khz – USB phone1 and CW/RTTY/data
Amateurs are permitted to operate on five frequency channels, each having an
effective bandwidth of 2.8 kHz.
These frequencies are available for use by stations having a control
operator holding a General, Advanced or Amateur Extra class license. It is
important to note that the frequencies shown above are suppressed carrier
frequencies – the frequencies that appear in your transceiver’s tuning
display when your transceiver is in the USB mode.
Amateurs may transmit with an effective radiated power of 100 W or less,
relative to a half-wave dipole. If you’re using a commercial directional
antenna, FCC Rules require you to keep a copy of the manufacturer’s gain
specifications in your station records. If you built the directional antenna
yourself, you must calculate the gain and keep the results in your station
records.
 
40 Meters
7.000-7.125 MHz : CW, RTTY/Data
7.125-7.300 MHz:: CW, Phone, Image
30 Meters – 200 watts PEP.
10.100-10.150 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
 
20 Meters
14.000 – 14.150 MHz CW, RTTY/Data
14.150 -14.350 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
 
17 Meters
18.068-18.110 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
18.110-18.168 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
15 Meters
21.000-21.200 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
21.200-21.450 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
12 Meters
24.890-24.930 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
24.930-24.990 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
10 Meters
28.000-28.300 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data
28.300-29.700 MHz: CW, Phone, Image
6 Meters
50.0-50.1 MHz: CW Only
50.1-54.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
2 Meters
144.0-144.1 MHz: CW Only
144.1-148.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
 
1.25 Meters
219-220 MHz to amateur use on a secondary basis.
222.00-225.00 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
70 Centimeters
420.0-450.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
33 Centimeters
902.0-928.0 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
23 Centimeters
1240-1300 MHz: CW, Phone, Image, MCW, RTTY/Data
 
Higher Frequencies:
2300-2310 MHz
2390-2450 MHz
3300-3500 MHz
5650-5925 MHz
10.0-10.5 GHz
24.0-24.25 GHz
47.0-47.2 GHz
76.0-81.0 GHz – 76-77 GHz has been suspended
122.25 -123.00 GHz
134-141 GHz
241-250 GHz
All above 300 GHz
73 🙂
I’m Don Rima and that’s the way I see it, from where I stand…


Transfer Smart – Unloading your timeshare…at a price. 0

Posted by on in Travel, Vacation and Get Aways





Transfer Smart – Unloading your timeshare…at a price.
For the last several years I’ve owned a timeshare down in Ft. Lauderdale. It’s on the water, a nice place, and I never get down to it. But, it gets me into the “timeshare system” and I enjoy some of the other benefits.
I’ve given some thought of selling it and buying in another region that I’m more apt to vacation at. But, good luck with selling anything related to timeshare! I’ve looked at all those companies that have sent me cards and letters to sell my timeshare, only to find that they’re little more than high priced listing companies and have no intention of selling anything of mine. And of course, they want their money up front. No results guaranteed.
So, when I got a letter about a way to get out of my timeshare, guaranteed, I was interested. I called the number on the card. The fact that nobody could or would answer any of my questions but was incredibly eager to sign me up for a meeting they were having in my area, should have been a red flag that this wasn’t what I was looking for.
But I went.
The meeting was held in a hotel meeting room downtown that reminded me a lot of the kind of meetings I’d been in by high pressure sales people that were originally trying to sell me my timeshare. The presenters droned on, quoting people like Warren Buffet, Jane Bryant Quinn, and others, telling me how bad an investment in timeshares was and how much money I was going to be spending. I have to admit, some of their arguments were salient. But I was still wondering how I was going to get out of this thing.
Finally, the moment of truth. For the princely fee of about $4000, this group would take my timeshare off my hands. That’s right, the Transfer Smart organization, wanted me to PAY THEM about $4000 for the honor of taking my timeshare. This isn’t what I had in mind, I though it not a good business deal and I gathered up my papers and I left.
So, a quick heads up, if you get a nice card from Transfer Smart guaranteeing you a way out of your timeshare, expect to pay. And to pay a lot of money.
Which leads me to the question I’ve not gotten an answer to – What the heck do THEY do with all these time share units people are paying them to take away? If owning a timeshare unit was really that onerous, why would they want them? Oh well…
However, if you’re interested in a nice timeshare on the waterfront in Ft. Lauderdale mine’s still for sale and I’ll even entertain a swap.
Finally, if this was of any help to you, help me by clicking on one of the adverts on the right of your screen…besides, they may have something interesting as well.
I’m Don Rima, and that’s the view, From Where I Stand.