Is there any way to adjust this?

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Monday, February 13, 2017 at 10:37:04 AM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:

Only thing I relly can think of back in the good old days that was
better was there was very little crime.

Actually not. Today, reporting crime is ubiquitous. Little is or can be covered up. Back in the day, pederasty, pedophilia, rape, abduction, domestic violence, and much much more was simply covered up, not reported or entirely ignored.

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

Some of the statistics that would be comparable - as often reported 'then' as 'now' are actually down significantly. Keep in mind that everything that happened in the Clergy scandals would, today, be classified as Forcible Rape. Keep in mind that not so long ago, a husband could legally force his wife to have sex. Today, that is forcible rape. And so on, and so forth.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/187592/death-rate-from-homicide-in-the-us-since-1950/

We did not have CNN, Fox, and "if it bleeds it leads" was not the mantra of every news organization worldwide. We had the New York Daily News for the bleeders - but pretty much the nasty stuff was carefully brushed under the rug. Walter Cronkite and Huntley-Brinkley were the norm.

Peter Wieck

 

>"I was born in 1950 and remember much from those days. I would not want
to go back . Things were inexpensive that people had to have, other
things not so much. "

Well 1960 here, but I WOULD go back. Of course you can't. One really bad thing was Nam, if they drafted me I would be Canadian. Don't get me wrong, bunch of assholes attack this country I will be right there, but don't gimme this shit we gotta go tear up someone else's country because France did this and China did that.

People used to pay cash or a new car, now they have to put gasoline on a credit card. The banks practically own the whole country. People did only have one car, but if the synchros in third gear were not quite up to snuff or some other overdrive solenoid thingie in the tranny was bad back then you just drove it. Now it throws a code and you can't get license plates until you put $2,000 into a car that is in good enough working order to do what it needs to do. If you had a little fender bender you drove a dented car until you got it fixed, now the air bags deploy and it won't run. I am no big fan of seat belts either, we used to watch where we're going. Now they got cars that practically drive themselves. I think that is bad, because when you get people used to this they won't know what to do in a real car where you have to actually put your foot on the brake pedal. Same with those table saws that stop the blade in a microsecond if skin is detected so it won't cut anyone. Let people get used to that and then a real table saw will cut their hand off. but then the government will mandate this safety feature and we all have to buy the retrofit, made in China of course, to bring our old trusty table saws up to "code". And speaking of code, teflon tape is garbage and actually is more likely to cause a leak than the old pipe dope, I use pipe dope. You want teflon garbager tape in there you put it in. Another case of replacing something that worked with what does not.

>"YOU should remember the TV sets. "

I certainly do. We had like five channels and actually had a debate about what to watch. Now we got five hundred channels and there is nothing on. They can't write a script, the camera work looks like it was done by a six year old and there are so many special effects you don't even know if the TV is working right or not. Yes I will goo back and watch Gunsmoke and the original Star Trek and Get Smart and whatever. Actually with the exception of Star Trek that is pretty uch what I go for on like Hulu or whatever when I get in the mood for TV, not this bullshit they have today. Used to catch a few old Star Treks but CBS has decided to not give them up, most likely because they can't write anything worthwhile. The new Star Trek guy likes lens flares, which any real photogragher tries to avoid, and there is practically no plot. In fact that is common now and they are turning to "reality" type shows because of it. Even the murder mysteries on are based on true stories, look at "Homicide Hunter", all cases of this one detective over about forty years in Colorado investigating murders. And the new music reflects the lack of talent as well.

In the old days a local rock and roll band could mail a tape in to a local radio station and the DJ would play it and people got discovered. This happened alot in Cleveland here. Not the only place though, I think it was NYC where the guy pretty much made Buddy Holly a household word. But now to get into the biz you need to know someone, and they bitch and moan that they aren't amking money. And they blame the profileration of P2P and other means of downloading as the source of their financial downturn but I am here to tell you the real reason is that they are putting out a junk product. Same with movies, all effects, no plot.

Yes, I would go back.

>"Many only had one car and as you said it was almost a junker. "

What, a junker because it doesn't get XM radio ? This new junk can kiss my ass. I want a 1967 Chevy. Simplicity. What's more, that one "junker" got the sole (that means one) wage earner to work, and the Wife to the grocery store on Saturday.

"Homes had a telephone and some were even on party lines. Now many
people have their own cell phone. "

Yeah, and when I owned my own house and had my druthers I made people leave those damn phones out in their car if they wanted to visit me. I turn mine off quite a bit. I pay for it, it is my prerogative to answer it or not. It is not a pager and I am not on call. As far as I am concerned, I might just get rid of it but I am older now and could get stranded somewhere or something. If you call my lanmdline and there is no answer (and no answering macjhoine either) that means I am not home and you have to call back. I LIKED IT THAT WAY. However I do like either caller ID or the old answering machine that allowed you to screen calls.

"Only thing I relly can think of back in the good old days that was
better was there was very little crime. "

There was less crime but it was not non-existent. Much was not reported like whoever said in another post here. Rapes were the worst. Woman got raped and her brothers would drive her 2,000 miles away to give the kid up for adoption, as was the case with all out of wedlock kids back then. For better or worse that is how it was. Though from what I have seen, to raise a kid right you need both a male and female influence, they sort of balance each other somehow.

One of the reasons there was less crime was the armed Citizen, really. They never really reported much on how much crime really is stopped by bystanders who are armed. One case at a "Waffle House" a few years ago, two thugs tried to pull an armed robbery, a custoer shot and killed one of them and the other fled, only to get caught a short time later. The dead thug's cousin got up on TV to claim we need more strict gun laws as hjer cousin, who spent his life trying to steal from others, migth still be alive.

Well I have to agree, because if the guy who shot her piece of shit cousin was train better he might have been able to kill both thugs. And I will look their Mother straight in the eye and say "Next time you drop a litter, teach them some respect".

I remember people who got out of prison saying "Damn, I can't even begin to name these new cars". That is your biggest concern ? But then back then they did not require a full background check to flip burgers.

And now, you want to talk Snowden and Assange ? The US government committed an act of war against an ally to get Assange who has never set foot on US soil. I would go back to when there was a little bit of respect. But then there wasn't. the escapades of Smedley Butler were back in the early 1900s and made enemies of most South American cointries. That is why you get aspartame of HFCS in youir food and drinks instead of regular sugar, which is not as damaging to your health. Mexicans enjoy real sugar because they did not try to replace damn near every government down there. Look at the labels if you don't believe me.

A few things went right, we shed alot of our bigotry. We became more tolerant of those who are different. Of course now with Trump's win at the election the liberals are turning into animals, having riots and all that shit, but you have to realize that they see that as their meal ticket being cut off. Conservatives build things, liberals sell them.

Enough for now.

 

>"Actually not. Today, reporting crime is ubiquitous. "

I remember they did bust NYC for underrepoting crime. Guess it was bad for real estate values.

 

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <fb4e0ae8-8ca4-43d5-8521-eb326941a365@googlegroups.com>,
jurb6006@gmail.com says...

In the old days I had a TV shop, the rent for 3,500 square feet was
$350 IIRC, the elctric bill was low, and beer was like two bucks a
sixpack. Gas was cheap, food was cheap.

I was born in 1950 and remember much from those days. I would not want
to go back . Things were inexpensive that people had to have, other
things not so much.

YOU should remember the TV sets. Many homes had a black and white, but
few color sets. Now many have one in most of the bed rooms and a very
large one in the main room. Cars always needed something done to it.
now a oil change every 5000 miles is about all to 50,000 or 100,000
miles. Many only had one car and as you said it was almost a junker.
Most now have a car for almost every driver in the family and no junkers
either. Cloths dryers were not in many homes to around the late 60's.
Homes had a telephone and some were even on party lines. Now many
people have their own cell phone.

Only thing I relly can think of back in the good old days that was
better was there was very little crime.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Monday, February 13, 2017 at 3:05:42 PM UTC-5, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:

You are NOT entitled to your opinion. You ARE entitled to your informed opinion. NO ONE is entitled to be ignorant.

For the record, all your glib little bits and phrases are kinda-sorta stupid and hollow when viewed - I am a born-again liberal who has built a great many things, from aircraft and nuclear parts carrying my signature that kept *you* alive, to structural designs for historic renovations that are now 'in the book' and included in NFPA, UL, BOMA, UBC and other standards and codes, and much more - things that actually affect lives. What have you done?

A conservative was once defined as someone with something to conserve.
The alternate definition is A liberal who has been mugged.

But, it has become clear to me that conservatives, in essence, are individuals deadly fearful of change at any level that *might* threaten their lives..

tRump is anything but a conservative. tRump is an opportunist looking after himself, no more. He wears the conservative mask as it suits his purpose.

The general levels of ignorance demonstrated by conservatives is pretty wretched, frightening and nauseating, all at once. Now, here is a rant I have used in the past.

This country has a long and illustrious history of electing corrupt, ignorant, stupid or simply inept politicians to high office, starting all the way back with Ulysses S. Grant, Warren Harding, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, G.W. Bush, to name just a few. Donald Trump is at home in that crowd at any of several levels.

We get exactly the government we deserve, as we vote them in time after time after time, and every part and piece of our government devolves back to those elected "representatives" as by deliberate choice or by neglect, they permit all those parts and pieces to continue.

Keep in mind that the Average American:

Does not have a college education, including an Associate Degree (60%).
Does not have a passport (64%).
Speaks one language – badly (74%).
Has never traveled voluntarily more than 200 miles from his/her birthplace (57%).
Has never visited a foreign country, not even Mexico or Canada (71%).
Cannot name the Speaker of the House, even today (82%)
Cannot name the three branches of government (64%)
Cannot read at a college level (83%)
Cannot read for content (54%).
60% of American Households do not buy any book in a year.
Does not believe in Evolution (42% creationism, 32% evolution, 26% no opinion).
Only 71.2% of eligible voters are registered.
Only 57.9% of registered voters voted in 2012.
Meaning that the average American eligible to vote does not vote (only 41.5% net). Not much changed in early statistics for 2016, although the change was to greater participation (48%). The Average American still does not vote.

And you think that our government is anything other than exactly what we deserve, doing exactly what we should expect it to do based on what we tell it (and allow) it to do?

This has not one damned thing to do with party, democrat, republican, libertarian, communist, green, whatever. It has to do with massive, systemic and deliberate neglect, and industrial-grade stupidity mixed equally with mil.Spec. ignorance.

Like some few Americans, I have lived and worked as a civilian in another culture vastly different from here - and I have seen how Americans are perceived in other parts of the world. You might be surprised how easily it is for other cultures to separate Americans (whom they largely respect and admire) from American Culture (continuous amazement, mixed with a varying amounts of jealousy and horror) and the American Government (poorly understood, largely disliked - much as here). Would that Americans had the same ability to separate the individual and sub-group from the various other parts and pieces of the entirety in other cultures and regions.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Steve & Lynn]

On 02/13/2017 10:10 PM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

On Monday, February 13, 2017 at 3:05:42 PM UTC-5, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:


Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Laughable Ill-Informed Blaming Entitled Race-Bating Anti-Capitalist
Loudmouth

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

You do have a point.

However, if you comb your hair *JUST* right, perhaps no one will notice.

 

[Steve & Lynn]

On 02/24/2017 09:12 PM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

You do have a point.

However, if you comb your hair *JUST* right, perhaps no one will notice.

WHAT?? I CAN'T HEAR YOU. CAN YOU SPEAK UP? IT'S HARD TO HEAR YOU OVER
THE SOUND OF ALL THESE CRYING LIBERALS.

 

On Friday, February 10, 2017 at 8:36:53 PM UTC-5, micky wrote:

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 9 Feb 2017 21:04:57 -0800 (PST), Phil
Allison <pallison49@gmail.com> wrote:

Hmmm.

Okay, my final paragraph today: I figured that out, but only by
fildding with it. How many of you figured it out from a distance?
(It's another serious problem.)

If so, it sounds like manufacturing error.

It may have worked well at one time. Actually my friend died and this
was among his things. So eEven though I have other, better, and similar
meters, I'm reluctant to throw it out.

That's understandable. Second-hand stuff doesn't always tell you its history. Sometimes you need meters to be accurate. Sometimes not, I guess.

 

>"For the record, all your glib little bits and phrases are kinda-sorta stupid and hollow when viewed - I am a born-again liberal who has built a great many things, from aircraft and nuclear parts carrying my signature that kept *you* alive, to structural designs for historic renovations that are now 'in the book' and included in NFPA, UL, BOMA, UBC and other standards and codes, and much more - things that actually affect lives. What have you done? "

Well apparently you have done more. I'll bet that when you did these things you had a more conservative view, that is that you wouyld like to keep your earnings and not have them taken awaty and given to people who hate you, foir your freedom abnd democracy, ostensibly.

But you know, that is true. The People of Iran hate our freedom and ddemocracy because we deposed their President. The People of Venezuela love us for pretty much the same reason, and in fact most of South America does and that is why we pay more for sugar and they have to put HFCS and aspartame in the foood here, which are both more harmful.

And when you spout about "things that have actually affect lives" what that means is "That have actually affected deaths".

>"We get exactly the government we deserve, as we vote them in time after time after time, and every part and piece of our government devolves back to those elected "representatives" as by deliberate choice or by neglect, they permit all those parts and pieces to continue. "

You seem to miss the point there. Peoploe got out and voted for Trump, and that was mainly to tell the liberals that we no longer want our money stolen and given to people who hate us.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 1:11:05 PM UTC-5, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:

"For the record, all your glib little bits and phrases are kinda-sorta stupid and hollow when viewed - I am a born-again liberal who has built a great many things, from aircraft and nuclear parts carrying my signature that kept *you* alive, to structural designs for historic renovations that are now 'in the book' and included in NFPA, UL, BOMA, UBC and other standards and codes, and much more - things that actually affect lives. What have you done? "

Well apparently you have done more. I'll bet that when you did these things you had a more conservative view, that is that you wouyld like to keep your earnings and not have them taken awaty and given to people who hate you, foir your freedom abnd democracy, ostensibly.

But you know, that is true. The People of Iran hate our freedom and ddemocracy because we deposed their President. The People of Venezuela love us for pretty much the same reason, and in fact most of South America does and that is why we pay more for sugar and they have to put HFCS and aspartame in the foood here, which are both more harmful.

And when you spout about "things that have actually affect lives" what that means is "That have actually affected deaths".

"We get exactly the government we deserve, as we vote them in time after time after time, and every part and piece of our government devolves back to those elected "representatives" as by deliberate choice or by neglect, they permit all those parts and pieces to continue. "

You seem to miss the point there. Peoploe got out and voted for Trump, and that was mainly to tell the liberals that we no longer want our money stolen and given to people who hate us.

I do admit that as time has gone on, my views have become a bit more liberal. But as in my entire life I have never missed a meal except by choice, nor slept anywhere except by choice, I never been too cold or too hot, except by choice, and barring the apocalypse it will be so for the rest of my natural life, and likely, that of my children's children should the world last so long (dubious) - I duly recognize the level of privilege I have enjoyed.. And as I have observed at first hand poverty that one typically sees only in begging mail from NGOs I also realize how fragile my position actually is.

For us as Western North Americans to live as we do, 70% of the world *MUST* live as they do. As, there is neither the energy, food, water or air enough to go around. And if that 70% ever gets smart enough (and they are working on it) or powerful enough (when we stop buying their leaders), or angry enough (and they are working on that as well), if we continue as we seem to be going along an isolationist track - we will pretty much instantly cease to live as we do without military intervention.

China needs us for but only so long - as long as we remain a reliable market for their goods and services, and for as long as our technology remains significantly better than theirs and our productivity remains sufficiently better and broader than theirs. Similarly, every other nation on this planet that sells us any of the many things we do not make for ourselves and cannot make for ourselves. LCD screens being one single example.

But when we cease to be reliable, they will quickly understand that we are _ONLY_5% of the population - and quite easily replaced at every level but arable land. And, we are now again starting to work on eliminating that advantage as well.

We need to be faster, smarter, better educated, harder working, more aware, better friends, worse enemies than any other nation on this planet if we expect to maintain our primacy. We are, increasingly, doing a wretched job of this.

And, perpetual whiners such as you are the manifest evidence of this failure.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA