Writewingnut

Where I have stayed my last few times in Puerto Vallarta

2011-05-29T09:53:00.005-04:00

Luxury Accommodations In Puerto Vallarta on the Cheap

Buying DRIPs for a Portfolio

2011-01-08T18:25:00.002-05:00

Making a Portfolio of Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs)

White Blance Control oon the Nikon D5000

2011-01-05T16:42:00.003-05:00

Article on the importance of the White Balance Control on SLR cameras, specifically the Nikon D5000.

Best way to Buy Stocks

2011-01-03T15:01:00.002-05:00

Dividend Reinvestment plans or DRIPS remain the best kep investment secret. Here is an article that tells you how to get started.

How Sin Taxes are Effecting Small Businesses

2010-12-18T17:36:00.002-05:00

Article on how a small town, St. Charles, il is effected by high states taxes.

Ten Best Underappreciated Movies

2010-12-17T12:21:00.002-05:00

Ten movies that have not received the critical acclaim that was due.

Different Types of Christmas Trees

2010-12-14T14:51:00.003-05:00

How to pick the variety of Christmas tree best for your family.

Two Unique Christmas Movies for Christmas.

2010-12-12T11:36:00.002-05:00

Here is a couple of Christmas movies reviewed, one is a 1955 movie, the other is a 1940 movie. They are both excellent movies but not really known as Christmas movies.

So you Want to go to Puerto Vallarta?

2010-12-09T08:18:00.006-05:00

Tips-For-Puerto-Vallarta Published here on Hubpages

Sites to Make Money Writing Compared

2010-12-04T04:07:00.006-05:00

Here is an article that compares TCA, TBA, Suite101, and Triond sites where you can write for money online.

Netflex is a Buy

2010-12-01T14:57:00.005-05:00

Netflex has just brokered news deals which will postion the company to expand thier offereings for consumers. Read article.

Great Android Apps I Use

2010-11-30T15:02:00.006-05:00

Some of the best free Apps I have found for the Android operating phones. I use a Sprint Evo HTC

My Favorite Android Apps

Terry Jones may be a Idiot but actions reveal a double standard

2010-09-09T16:44:00.007-04:00

While listening to a NPR program on Terry Jones' plan to burn Qurans on the anniversary of 9/11 I was struck by what a double standard there is between how we view Muslims and how they view us.
Of course this is a hair brained idea by Jones but that is all it is. Can anyone imagine this story getting the publicity if Muslims would burn Bibles? The majority of the public in the United States would say ho-hum what else is new? We have to only think of the fire storm and the deaths (mostly Muslims killing other Muslims when they perceived a offensive cartoon by a Danish cartoonist) to remember the mind boggling thinking process of those that embrace radical Islam.
Another issue non-Muslims have trouble wrapping their minds around is the idea that only a tiny segment of Muslims are radical and the majority want peace and are not inclined to radical Islam. This may be true but I can't help remembering images on tv world wide of Muslims celebrating on the streets and passing out candy and cheering on 9/11 when the towers fell.
Does anyone believe there would be people running through the streets in America and cheering and celebrating if American's in the name of Christianity flew a plane into buildings in Muslim cities in the Middle East?
As I write this I'm hearing on the radio people in the United States
organizing “Buy A Quran Day” and buying five Qurans for every one burned and organizing protests at the site of the burning. I then have been bombarded by tv and radio informing me how Americans abroad need to go down into a security lock down because of reprisals that will be inflicted upon themselves by Muslims offended by Terry Jones actions. More then likely these reprisals would take the form of death by those that disagree with what Jones is doing.
Again I wonder if there would be a “Buy a Bible Day” and protests and government warnings of Middle East governments of reprisals if the situation was reversed. I think not.
Terry Jones is a idiot but those that use this to cause death and anarchy in the name of Islam are also idiots and are little more then petty thugs that want to will their ideology on other Muslims. Oh, another thought to remember is if your not “their type of Muslim” then you better watch your backs also. Your the the same as a infidel. Not fit to live unless you agree with their thoughts on how a proper Muslim should live. Look at the different sects killing each other off in the Middle East right now with the excuses that each other are not “real” Muslims.
There is alot of informed, hateful people out there. Time to go down in lock down mode now.

Indiana gun bill vs. Rep. Vernon Smith

2010-01-27T19:10:00.002-05:00

A bill written by a Indiana Rep. Robert Bischoff, D-Lawrenceburg to allow workers to keep guns in their vehicles while at work was approved in the state house 76-21. All the house members from Northern Indiana where I reside voted in favor of the bill except for two. The members that voted for the bill were split almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans. The two that voted no were David Niezgodski D- South Bend and Rep Vernon Smith D-Gary.
Niezgodski brought up a incident in South Bend several years ago of a work place shooting at Bertrand Products, a factory much like the place I work at. He stated that “It scares the heck out of me to think that this could bring about another situation where a Bertrand Products could happen again.
Well I can bet Bertrand Products already had a policy of no weapons in the work place and probably a no weapon policy on company property. It sure didn't help the incident he spoke of. Does anyone believe that a no gun policy in private vehicles on company property is going to stop a individual that wants to go on a shooting spree?
Most work place shootings are done by individuals that have been fired weeks, months, or years ago and hold a grudge. No written policy by any company is going to prevent these individuals from getting revenge. Can anyone imagine the shooter at Bertrand Products getting ready to enter the factory with his gun then stopping because he remembered there is a no gun policy of having guns in a private vehicle at work?
Rep Vernon Smith is a different matter. He embarrassed himself with his antics. This is the person who represents Gary, Indiana that was known at one time as the murder capital of the United States.
He mocked the bills supporters wearing a NRA hat backward on the house floor, clicking a toy gun and saying “ I as a member of the NRA support the wild west-- bang, bang, shoot'em up”
He also said that we need to put a gun in kid's lunch bags and make them a member of the NRA when they are born he continued sarcastically.
I'm wondering what his point was of wearing a NRA hat on backwards? Was he trying to stereotype people that own guns as backwards rednecks? Backwards in not being as enlightened as he is?
Let me tell you Vernon Smith, the people I work with that own guns are hardworking, honest individuals that work 10 to 12 hour shifts and we live in a area where hunting is popular. There is also a pistol range within minutes of my work. It is not uncommon for the people I work with to drive 20 or 30 miles to work so after 10 or 12 hours its not practical to go home and get your gun. Last time I was in Gary I didn't see much woods to hunt in though it would be nice to be able to have a gun in my car to protect myself with when I drive through Gary.
Maybe Vernon you should meet some of these people I describe instead of “shooting” off your mouth.

United States Says No To Poker

2010-01-18T19:48:00.002-05:00

Anyone up for a game of poker? The United States government answer is no. Online internet poker is not only allowed in just about every country in the world but most governments sponsor or regulate online poker and other games.
The United States has lost numerous suits brought against it through the World Trade Organization that accuses the United States of discriminating against online gambling offered by other countries.
The United States argument is that they can refuse products or services that are not socially accepted in society. The WTO ruled that the United States allows online betting on horse racing within the United States but is blocking other forms of regulated gambling outside of the United States.
Sounds like protectionism. This is the same government that lets you go down to your local 7-11 and buy a $20.00 scratch off ticket and has lotto's that finance almost every state government with mind boggling odds. What is the government really afraid of?
Sad to say it seems Republicans are leading this movement.
Being a Republican I just don't get it. I grew up learning that being a Republican meant less government in your life but this is the same party that comes into your house and tells you that you cannot play poker online with money you yourself have earned. A little off the subject but isn't this the same party that has tried to censor broadcast stations for content they deem could be offensive to the public? Talk about Government intruding into your personal life.
Poker unlike other forms of gambling is mostly a game of skill. Those that know the game more or less in the long run win the money. Sooner or later the United States Government will regulate and make it legal to gamble online and when they do the benefits of increased taxes will put smiles on their faces.
Until then you can gamble online under a set of murky laws put in place by the government or you can legally buy as many $20.00 scratch off tickets as you want or get online and do a little bet of horse racing.
Both of these make enormous sums of money for the government but to tell you the truth are just bad bets. If your good at poker then your odds have greatly increased but until the government here does the right thing your out of luck.

Mary Daly a Twisted Soul

2010-01-10T19:09:00.009-05:00

I usually don't bash a person that has recently been deceased but in this case I will make an exception. I didn't know much about this woman while she was alive but her obituary gave me clues into her warped mind.
Mary Daly a self proclaimed radical feminist and author of such books as Gyn/Ecology, Pyer Lust and Outercourse and the Be-Dazzling Voyage.
She taught at Boston College for 25 years while refusing to allow male students into some of her classes. She didn't believe women could express themselves freely and learn while men were present. I didn't know women were so intimidated by men. I wonder what Daly thought when The Citadel had to begin accepting women back in 1995. The Schools argument was that women in the cadet ranks would be a disruptive influence. I think she would have be the first person to cry discrimination.
From reading her different quotes and from her attitude I believe she was a individual consumed by hate.
Daly once told a interviewer that she even hated saying the word “man” and all men would have to offer in her classes was doodoo and later said “if life is to survive on this planet there must be decontamination of the Earth. I think this will be accompanied by an evolutionary process that will result in a drastic reduction of the population of Males". Sounds like her Shangri-La.
This woman that proclaimed she hated the bible also coined the term “Gynocide” in reference to the mostly female individuals that were killed between the 14th and 18th centuries as witches. She used the word gynocide to compare the witch hunts to the Holocaust. She believed 9 million people were killed while nearly all experts put the number at 60,000 to 100,000. This is just one example of how she ignored facts to futher her political agenda.
I find a portrait of a bigot that twists the truth to conform with her warped ideas of a man's and a woman's place in her world.
I could fill pages of quotes I have found on the internet of her twisted logic and hatred of men. Can anyone imagine a man saying and doing the things towards women that she has got away with?
Here are a couple of links to Mary Daly's quotes and nonsense.

Mary Daly's rants and Potrait of Mary Daly

Illegal Immigrants Get Free Pass

2009-10-28T10:28:00.004-04:00

Here is another example of what is going wrong in our society. Police in San Francisco will no longer impound cars of first time drivers pulled over without a license. The reason being is that most unlicensed drives are illegal immigrants. Its a little bit more then bizarre to me.
Instead of making it more difficult for illegals to live here we are actually accommodating them which encourages and raises the hopes of these immigrants to stay here illegally.
Most unlicensed illegal immigrants also don't have car insurance. Does that mean the police will also ignore no insurance also? Also what will happen when these drivers hit someone and injure them with no insurance? Someone's going to have to pay and it probably won't be the driver without insurance.
What is more absurd is that a unlicensed driver gets another free pass if he isn't stopped again in six months. A driver gets stopped today for no license and gets stopped again after six months they let the driver go again. So the city loses money in license fees, ticket fees and more then likely there is no insurance involved. I guess San Francisco is doing well enough not to need these fees.
Carol Grifford, public relations manager for AAA Carolinas said “unlicensed drivers are among the greatest safety threats on the highways” with 807 fatal accidents just in South Carolina between 2001-2005 to have involved unlicensed drivers.
Here are some examples of the tragedy of unlicensed illegals driving:

52 year old Williamstown woman killed

5 year old boy killed by illegal, no license

Ulicensed illegal kills three

Here is a excellent article from a police officers viewpoint on the unbelievable problems he's had in trying to get unlicensed illegals off the street. Police Officers View
I'm just not against illegals driving without a license (even though arresting illegals for driving without a license would be a good tool to combat illegal immigration) but anyone driving without a license. We say one thing in wanting to curb illegal immigration but we say another thing when we accommodate and encourage them.

General John Kerry

2009-10-27T16:13:00.004-04:00

Here's a news flash: President Obama just announced he won't be rushed into making a decision on whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan. That's a relief since it's only been longer then a month since his commander requested help.
President, Take your time, maybe address the UN again or start campaigning for the 2020 Olympics. Those combat troops in Afghanistan can wait. Heck, take yourself a vacation and relax maybe a vacation will help you think. There isn't a rush.
General John Kerry also just announced that President Obama's Commanding General in Afghanistan is moving too far and too fast in regards to his plea for additional troops. In the Same breath Kerry warned that the United States cannot risk a shift in strategy that would narrowly focus on hunting terrorists.
Gee, seems to me if General McChrystal doesn't get the troops he requested then the mission will have to shift to a more narrow focus. I mean at this point he's not getting the troops he requested to regain the initiative. Gen. McChystal is advising his President he doesn't have enough troops but Kerry doesn't want the mission in Afghanistan to downsize. Do the math, Kerry.
Gen. McChystal probably never thought he would have to deal with a Commander-in Chief that injects so much politics in trying to make military decisions. It almost looks like Obama is looking at the polls and seeing which way the wind is going to blow before he decides on his commander's plea.
Wouldn't surprise me if McChystal just throws his arms up and resigns.

Troops in Afghanistan need a Commander-in-Chief

2009-10-25T20:53:00.006-04:00

President Obama has gone weeks without sending the additional troops to Afghanistan that were requested by his handpicked commander Gen. McChrystal. This delay was before the disputed election in that country. No matter. President Obama is now using that disputed election as a reason to continue the delay in sending help requested by his commander.
Mr. Obama, the troops on the ground couldn't care less about who wins what election. They are fighting for their lives and their commander has requested more troops now (Actually that now has been well over a month).
While Obama has playing politics back home his troops on the ground in Afghanistan are in trouble. Act like a Commander- in-Chief and send the requested troops or get them out of there. Seems to me the troops on the ground are being left out to dry. Why choose your General to command your troops but when he asks for help he's not heard? Tell you what, just fire this General as you did the previous one. Keep appointing new Generals until you find one that tells you what you want to hear.
Moral within the military has to be fading fast with a Commander-in-Chief that refuses to respond to his General's plea for help. Maybe Obama will end up sending more troops but when and will it all ready be too late?

Credit Card Companies Gouging Customers

2009-10-22T17:04:00.000-04:00

Credit card companies are gouging their customers with as many fees and higher interest rates as they can shove though before credit card reforms take place in February. If you have excellent credit your just as libel to get additional new fees and higher interest rates as those with lower credit scores. In fact if you carry little or no balance you may get hit with new fees for not carrying a balance or because you don't use your card enough. It's kind of a catch -22.
These credit card companies remind me of the businesses that gouged their customers right after 9/11 when they raised their gas prices to astronomical highs feeding on the fear of customers and squeezing as many dollars out of said customers until their window of opportunity closed.
In this economy people need their credit but all these credit card companies see are dollar signs and they are going to milk this situation for all it's worth. I have written in the past about JPMorgan Chase closing accounts of good customers but sadly they are not alone. Bank of America will start to charge some customers a annual fee of between $29.00 to $99 dollars while Citigroup will start charging card holders a annual fee if they don't charge a certain amount on their cards in a year.
The government went after those businesses that gouged customers after 9/11. I would like them to do the same to these credit card companies.

Obama's Olympics, Foreign Policy Views Naive

2009-10-08T19:48:00.009-04:00

I swore I wasn't going to write about the Olympic blunder in Chicago until I received my Sunday Chicago Tribune on the 4th of October. I was sipping coffee and going through page after page of the front section of the paper and I didn't find any articles about health care, wars in Iran and Afghanistan, or the economy. I would estimate 95% of the front section of this major American paper was all about the loss of the Olympic bid Chicago put forward.
The only reason President Obama went to Copenhagen was to increase his political capital. It was a educated gamble. He thought the odds were in his favor when he made his plea to have the 2016 Olympics go to Chicago.
I'm not blaming President Obama for trying to bring the Olympics to Chicago but I am blaming him for the naive, wide-eyed expectations he had. This is very troubling because the administration runs their foreign policy in much the same way. Being a bit too naïve. Specifically trying to engage Iran among others on issues such as curtailing nuclear weaponry.
The International Olympic Committee no matter how they profess to be free of politics is basically an organization where politics dictate everything. Just having the best bid doesn't win. It's another way countries can snub the United States, much like the United Nations does.
How can you take the United Nations seriously when in the past they have had countries such as Syria, Libya, China and Saudi Arabia being on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights? I understand for political reasons you have to share the seats with countries with bad human rights records but that doesn't mean it's a legitimate Commission in dealing with serious issues. I mean what is Sudan going to say about human rights violations in Libya or vice versa?
The Olympics over the years have been plagued with cheating on both the players and officials sides.
While Obama took off to Copenhagen the question of sending more troops to Afghanistan was left answered. It is going into the middle of October and he is still undecided. I realize he needs time to make his decision but how long? A week? Two weeks? A month? He is surrounded by military and civilian advisers and I'm sure by now they have given him all the information he needs.
As he sits undecided Americans are being killed almost daily in Afghanistan. He fired the former commandeer and hand-picked his present one who requested more troops.
I don't think his indecisiveness is hurting troops now but what happens if he does decide to send more troops? It's going to take time to get his new plan in action. Whatever plan he decides on pursuing could have been started weeks ago and the worst part is Robert Gates, his defense secretary, announced it may still take weeks for Obama to decide thus delaying implementation of any plan he decides on.
Very soon this “aww, shucks let me think about it” attitude may start harming our troops.

Obama, Don't leave the troops out to dry

2009-10-06T17:19:00.003-04:00

At first when reading articles about the top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChyrstal, I too thought he may have been out of line when at at a speech in London he appealed for more troops in Afghanistan but that all changed when I heard remarks by Obama's defense secretary Robert Gates.
Right after 8 American's got killed in a remote Afghan outpost (there is thoughts by many in the military that the troops were stretched too thin) Gates announced it may still take weeks to decide whether to send more troops to Afghanistan or not! Come on Obama has already had weeks to decide and the troops over there don't have the luxury of waiting while Obama is taking trips to such places as Copenhagen on behalf of Chicago for the Olympics. Somebody needs to take his plane away and sit him in that oval office and don't let him come out until he makes a decision.
American's are dying in Afghanistan and their top commander, hand picked by Obama, is asking for help with more troops.
Give him the troops or get them the hell out of there. Don't leave them out to dry while your trying to make up your mind.
The more I think about this controversy with Gen. McChyrstal the more I believe he knew exactly what he was doing. You don't become a four star Gen by being stupid. Maybe the situation is so dire in Afghanistan that he felt a fire had to be lit under Obama's ass to get him to decide which way he wants to go.

Powerful movie for our times - Local Marine Killed

2009-10-05T12:12:00.004-04:00

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago but I'm posting this now because of a good friend's son that was killed in a training accident while preparing to deploy to Afghanistan.

Lcpl Zachary TenBrook USMC Middlebury, Indiana
April 12, 1988-Sept. 30, 2009
Middlebury, Indiana

Being a former Marine I may be a bit biased when I say the the HBO movie “Taking Chance” is simply one of the best war related movies I have ever seen. It's not a war movie in the traditional sense. There is no gunfire, explosions and only one death. PFC Chance who died in Iraq. . The whole movie is based on a true story by Lt. Col Michael R. Strobl who escorted the young Marine's remains back to his small home town. It is very unusual for a high ranking officer such as Lt. Col Strobl to escort the remains of a low ranking enlisted Marine but the Lt Col thought the body was going back near his hometown and volunteered to do this service. The viewer sees how PFC Chase is treated with respect and honor throughout the long process of going home. As his body passes during the different phases of the trip we see everyone from construction workers to airline employees taking a few minutes to take off their hats and pause with a minute of silence. This movie is in the same mold as “Flight 93” the excellent movie that was based on the true actions of the heroes of flight 93 that stopped the terrorists on 9/11 from crashing their plane into the supposed target of Washington DC. In that movie there were no big names because the producer wanted everyone to see the heroes of that flight as the common man, people just like you and me that arouse to the occasion in horrible circumstances. “Taking Chance” has only one recognizable name, Keven Bacon who played the Lt. Col who was nominated for a award for his performance. The movie isn't trying to get any political point across. You can be for or against the war in Iraq. It doesn't matter. What you will experience is the traditions of how the military treats their dead and the kindness of strangers to someone they have never met. Here is a link to a excellent first hand account by Lt. Col Strobl on his journey taking Chance back home. Story . We live in a fast paced, busy world but I wish people would take an hour and half out of their lives to sit back and watch a powerful movie such as this. Most people are never aware of the behind the scene events that make up such a trip to return the remains of war dead back to their families. No detail is too small. It starts with the recovery of the dead on the battlefield thousands of miles away to lowering the casket in the ground back home. This HBO movie also has been nominated for numerous awards. Some accounts have Chance being a Lcpl others a PFC. I think what happened is Chance got promoted posthumously to Lcpl.

Let's fly to Cuba!

2009-10-04T07:57:00.002-04:00

I used to be outraged when I was younger over the old Soviet Union who denied their citizens the ability to travel outside their country. A government should not be able to tell their own citizens where they can and cannot go. Freedom to travel I believe is a fundamental right of everyone.
In this day and age I cannot believe the United States restricts Americans from going to Cuba. Want to go to North Korea, China, or Iran? No problem. How about the tiny island nation of Cuba laying 90 miles off the cost of Florida? Don't even think about it.
Actually people do think about it and Americans that are determined to see Cuba usually go through Mexico or Canada. Once in Cuba immigration there will look at your passport and see your an American and usually won't stamp your passport so you don't get in trouble when you return to the United States.
The don't go to Cuba restrictions were put in place back in 1963. Maybe, just maybe someone in the government here can wake up and realize that these restrictions that deny Americans the right to travel to Cuba haven't worked in ending the communist rule there. All they have done with this policy has made us a joke in the eyes of Canadians and Europeans who have the freedom to travel and enjoy what Cuba has to offer.
I resent our government restricting my freedom. Cuba may not be everyone's cup of tea but those that would like to travel there, then why not?
There is a bill called “Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act” that was introduced to to congress in February 2009. It was read twice then referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. I doubt its going anywhere.
To the critics that want to continue this ban because of Cuba's suppression of its people I say so what? If we would put a ban on every country that suppressed their own people then half the world would be off limits to us.
Right now Cuba's government routinely blames the American embargo and travel restrictions as reasons why their economy is failing. What excuses would Cuba's government give to their people if we ended the embargo and travel restrictions?

Why you should be able to defend youself with a gun in Chicago

2009-10-02T12:24:00.002-04:00

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge on the 27 year old gun ban in Chicago. It's about time. The gun ban was put into effect to curb urban violence which it has failed miserably to do.
I know liberals will see this as a tired old cliche but it is as true as ever. The gun ban only keeps hand guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. If you follow that logic then gun violence is not committed by law abiding citizens that should be able to own a gun.
Study after study has shown that licensed gun owners commit a miniscule amount of gun violence compared with unlicensed gun owners. Could it be again that registered gun owners are law abiding citizens?
Actually I think this whole gun control issue should be a liberal cause in favor of “freedom of choice”. If I choose to have a hand gun that should be my right. I'm not hurting anyone unless I'm threatened with bodily harm.
This whole insane idea of withholding handguns from law abiding citizens must really embolden criminals. They know there is little chance a private citizen can defend him or herself.
Let those people without violent criminal records have handguns and those that are caught with a unregistered gun or commit a crime with a gun get stiff jail time. No plea bargain. Example: robbing a gas station with a gun, two years for the robbery and 10 years for using a gun in commission of a crime. No plea bargain. It shouldn't be a crime just to own a gun that's in a private home laying in a drawer.
I wonder how many of those against handgun ownership would change their minds if they lived in some of the most drug, crime ridden parts of Chicago?