Millennials

Millennials.
This is actually not about all millennials, just the Socialist-minded millennials.

I see their angry posts, online. They are mad at anything not left leaning. Why?  What drives their anger? 

I saw an interview, recently, and the key speaker talked about this. His take was that the generation was brought up by parents that coddled their children. Protected them from anything that could possibly hurt them. Bicycles, being outside alone...you name it. Heck, I get it!  The world of the 90's was far more dangerous than the 70's and 80's. It is even worse now. However, all of that protection meant that they didn't learn to fend for themselves. Mommy handled that.

He went on to talk about how parents always told their children that they were special and the greatest. Participation awards. Calling teachers and threatening them if their children didn't get A's and B's. They didn't have to work hard to succeed. Then, they are sent to college. Then the working world. Suddenly, they aren't automatically "special". They are just another human. They freak out a bit. Again, not all...but a percentage. Some break out and all is good. Too many do not. So they get angry at the world.  They lash out. They want the same handouts they were brought up on.

The Socialist movement makes perfect sense and I completely see why they are drawn to it. Politicians picked up on this. It was easy for them to shift their rhetoric and start making speeches about free college, universal healthcare and so on.

What frustrates me most is how easily so many are influenced by the angry and divisive media. This draws this demographic like I have never seen. Why does this hateful, in your face attitude attract them?  Ideology over logic. Feelings over facts. The Social Justice Warrior push is brilliant. They love it!

For the past 2+ years, I have spent time on social media battling against all of this. I have pushed history, economics and common sense. There is no chance of shifting their perception. They name call, insult and label people like me "fascist" or even "racist". They refuse to believe that people can work hard and succeed. They are convinced that the successful people must be punished and hand over their earnings to give to anyone below the middle class income line.

There are the observations. What does the future bring?  The economy is booming. Jobs are everywhere for everyone. Wages are rising. Still, they are angry. I just cannot figure out why.

Someone told me that I need to remember that for the 20 somethings, that Obama is the President that they grew up knowing. They didn't experience Bush, Bush and Reagan like I did. They grew up with a high regulation, bow to thine enemies, America second type of leadership. Today, they see President Trump as a monster for wanting America to be first. They are all about political correctness, Government entitlements and a single world order where Capitalism is evil and Socialism is Utopia. They refuse to research anything the media tells them. Instead, they suck it all in and accept the leftist spin as fact while perceiving anything opposing it as evil.

I have to hand it to the mainstream media. They have a massive stronghold on the young adults in addition to the liberal elites. How Trump won in 2016 is amazing, but is it?  The media predicted Hillary to win...by a landslide. They predicted a "blue wave" in 2018. Neither happened. Is there truly a silent majority that votes and believes in Capitalism, lower taxes and personal responsibility?  I submit that there is!  Can it build momentum and move the needle to the right come 2020? 

We shall see.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review

Over the past few months, I have been eyeing the Galaxy Nexus Tablet 7 and had full intention to purchase.  Recently, someone's FaceBook post reminded me that there was a new Galaxy 2 Tab 7.0 and my interest was peaked.  I bought one at Best Buy for $179.

Basic observations - not necessarily "pros" or "cons":

• Screen does not extend to the very edges of the device
• Device is somewhat heavy for its size
• Volume buttons are on opposite side as the Galaxy S3 Phone
• There is no "home button" built into the device (it is on the bottom of the screen)
• The process to change the main screens (home, etc.) is different.  You need to do a "pinch" to any screen and it gets you to the area for manipulating these screens.  If you are familiar with the Galaxy phones, this will make sense to you.

Cons:

• Connection for battery and computer connection is not the same micro USB as the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone.  
• The connection to the device is nearly identical to an iPhone connector...but it is not.  (learned that quickly)
• There is a USB 2.0 on the other end.  This makes for simple connectivity to your computer, though I haven't found a need for that.
• The charging plug is bulky.  You have to use it for charging.  No, the device will not charge whilst plugged into your computer's USB 2.0 - not enough juice. No, you cannot just plug the USB 2.0 end into any other charging plug.
• Battery life is rather low.  However, there are settings to help with this.  Also, if you keep your screen off while streaming music, etc., you can get 8 hours out of it.
• Keyboard is different than the S3 phone and I am struggling with it.  You have to put in the "." at the end of sentences, the buttons are laid out goofy.  However, there is a row above the letters for all numbers which is very helpful.  I am going to try out other aftermarket keyboard apps - sure to find something better.  There are "swipe to type" keyboards with high ratings, but I am not a fan.

Pros:

• Very smooth swipe action and scrolling.  I would argue that it is better than my S3 Phone!
• Interface is so much like the S3 phone that it makes the learning curve minimal.
• Sync for Google / Gmail is uber simple and easy, as you would expect.
• Play store is just as good as with S3 phone.  
• Built in microphone allows for voice to text and works very well.
• Easily pairs with BlueTooth headsets.
• Note:  I had an issue with my Jawbone ERA headset and at first blamed the Tablet.  Yeah, I had to update the firmware of the Jawbone.  Fixed.
• EverNote App works great!
• I use this for work so that I can sync between Tablet, PC and Phones.  
• Screens are able to be customized far more than Apple/Mac/iPhone/iPad.  You can easily add screens, apps and widgets.
• The Widgets are my favorite part about Android v. iOS.  If you don't know what these are, ask someone with an S3 phone to show you.  
• IR (Infra Red) on the side of the device!
• This is by FAR my favorite feature of the device.  I was able to simply turn my tablet into a Universal Remote for my Sony TV and Cable Box
• Ability to change channels, volume and power for TV
• Same for the Cable Box
• Ability to browse all channels with visuals, genre categories and scroll to different time slots for shows.  
• Ability to create favorites
• It also "learns" as you tune to shows, regularly
• There are likely many other uses for this, but I have only had it for a few days and have not yet explored the other uses.

Summary:

Great device that I highly recommend to anyone - especially if you are a current user of an Android Phone and want a Tablet that won't cost you over $200.  If I knew about the IR capability, I would have done this sooner.

Please feel free to post any comments / questions on FaceBook page or below this blog!

Cheers!

- Robb D. Myers

Safety Nets or Hammocks?

I am just going to jump right into this and do my best to keep each point as brief as possible.....

- You pay and your company pays USF charges on your phone bill (landline and mobile).  Do you know what this fee is?  This fee is charged so that poor people can receive subsidized phones.  It was started under Clinton, pioneered by Gore, in 1996 and intended as a home phone (copper line) service.  Under BHO, it was expanded to mobile phones.  This had led to a program that has little accountability where in 2011, phones were given to anyone who checked a box that said they were on food stamps or welfare or social security.   The facilitators (Gov't created agencies) failed to check if the person already HAD one of these $10 / month phones and failed to verify if they truly were receiving assistance.  
The result?  Loyalty of those who support a "Nanny State".....but don't take it from me.  Take it from a loyal supporter of BHO:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio

The original plan was intended to be for the Local Exchange Carriers (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) to be ....well...."forced" into providing a $10 / month phone line to poor customer's homes to assure they have a land line.  Those carriers were subsidized up to $10 / month from the Gov't.  From 1996 to 2007, the copper line availability shrinking to the point where these companies were struggling to provide facilities without major investment.  The CLEC companies (One Communications, TDS Metrocom, Windstream, etc.) stayed away from this program because they weren't forced to provide this service and didn't want to deal with the red tape.  Today, since so many companies have either gone out of business or downsized, along with millions of residential consumers abandoning their home phone for mobile, there is more copper land line capacity.  Companies such as AT&T are now...get this...ADVERTISING that they offer Gov't funded "land line" service.
Moving one to the next point.

- You pay fees to your utility provider (WPS, Vectren, etc.) to provide subsidized service to poor people.  I could bloviate, but it is a near carbon copy of the above Telecom situation.

- Your taxes pay for Welfare and Food Stamps.  In Jan 2009, there were 31.98M Americans collecting Food Stamps.  Yes, I know...that is insane.  Today, there are 46.68M on Food stamps.  That is an increase of nearly 50% in less than 4 years.  Let's break this down, but be quick about it:  BHO said that he added 5M jobs.  The unemployment rate is the same, today, as the day he took office according to reports.  Population grew, citizens turned 18, college students graduated....yeah....5M doesn't come close to covering that.  How he could state that the unemployment rate is the same is just crazy if you consider the fact that 15M more people are collecting Food Stamps! 

Ok, you are Gen-Xers, so I have to hit some points to keep you reading.

What if......

A) The Gov't actually audited (every 6 mos) those citizens who have these Obama Phones....ahem...."Landline Phone Act" phones....and utility assistance?  You have 2 or more?  Fix it!  You aren't really on assistance?  Fix it!  You now have a job.....well....now you are fixing not only the subsidized phone and utilities, but cut their welfare and food stamps!   My point:  I feel that 10% - 20% of recipients are fraudulently receiving assistance and that this would save the Gov't $25 Billion / year.  Yes.  $25 Billion!

B)  BHO is all about giving tax / surcharge dollars to the poor to help them.  My friends, this is turning safety nets into hammocks.  It is turning subsidies into entitlements.  This is draining the middle class and businesses (at all levels) which limits growth.  Do you know what takes care of all of these subsidies as well as the Health Care issue?  
JOBS!!!!!  Sadly, BHO is all about tax and subsidize (spend!) rather than job growth.

 C) Some of you who have paid attention over the past 4 years are thinking, "I thought that the President and Congress passed a $1 Trillion spending plan that was going to stimulate the economy?".  I say "good job" to you!  You are correct.  BHO was all about "shovel ready projects" that, sadly, failed to produce long term job growth.  
Here is a short list of just his "Green Energy Companies" that he funded:
Solyndra (received $535 million)
Beacon Power (received $43 million)
AES’ subsidiary Eastern Energy
Nevada Geothermal (received $98.5 million)
SunPower (received $1.5 billion)
First Solar (received $1.46 billion)
Babcock & Brown (an Australian company which received $178 million)
Ener1 (subsidiary EnerDel received $118.5 million)
Amonix (received 5.9 million)
The National Renewable Energy Lab
Fisker Automotive
Abound Solar (received $400 million)
Chevy Volt (taxpayers basically own GM)
Solar Trust of America
A123 Systems (received $279 million)
Willard & Kelsey Solar Group (received $6 million)
Johnson Controls (received $299 million)
Schneider Electric (received $86 million)

FYI, this list is a list of companies that received Gov't funding and are either failing or have already gone out of business.  This money could have funded ....well....you get it.

Thank you for reading and there will be more to come!

- Robb

Chick-fil-A in Chicago

There is a huge uproar in Illinois, this week, as Chick-fil-A and Chicago politicians clash over personal beliefs.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57481176/chick-fil-a-flap-sees-calls-for-action-from-both-sides-of-same-sex-marriage-debate/

Isn't it interesting that the media probed and prodded the COO of Chick-fil-A to give a position on this issue, then used that statement to create a firestorm? Note, please, that I said "interesting" and not "surprising", because we know that this is SOP for the media.

Chick-fil-A is a private company that has zero ties to the Government other than paying taxes. Thousands of employees are employed by the company and not a single one of them is asked to work on Sunday. An openly Christian based business, their values are made clear to their employees and shared openly to the public. Sadly, politicians and activists use those values as a target for their secular agenda. How sad, right? With so many bad corporations and groups in the country, these morons choose to attack a company because it believes in Christianity.

 A simple Wiki search will show you that nearly 80% of Americans are Christian.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country

The key issue is that Chicago politicians are now blocking approval for a new Chick-fil-A from being built in the Chicago area. On a side note, thanks to the media blowing up this situation, Chick-fil-A now lost sponsorship from The Henson Group - they are a bunch of libs, so not surprised. Blocking a new successful business from opening a branch in Chicago only hurts the citizens of Chicago! 50-70 new jobs, not happening. Let's not forget the residual jobs from suppliers, advertisers, etc. Clearly, these politicians are confident that their constituents will still vote for them in spite of this.

 The media and politicians are making quite the scene, but that pales in comparison to the activists who came out of the woodwork to do their damage. They have decided to go to the restaurants and protest by making out, openly. They call it a "kiss-in". This is how they think they will get their message across? Sad. What do they THINK will happen? That the entire Chick-fil-A organization will change their core values? It is not going to happen. If you want to hurt a company for their beliefs, just don't go buy their product. I avoid Wal-Mart specifically to protest their business practices.

 The Chicago politicians need to leave Chick-fil-A alone and go focus on the problems of Chicago and stop blocking those who are bringing opportunities to improve job numbers, tax revenue, etc. The activists need to realize that 80 out of 100 people do not believe in what they believe in. Please let the majority (though often too silent) have things the way that they want them and stop forcing their agendas on the masses.

 It is just about time for lunch. Guess where I am headed?
 God Bless you!

 Robb
jalapeno.mail@gmail.com

KitchenAid KSB560MC 5 Speed Blender Review

We were in need of a new blender. The 80's little Oster blender wasn't doing the job with its little 400W motor.

After a little research on Google and YouTube and pretty much every site imaginable that sold blenders, we came across a model by KitchenAid on the Bed Bath and Beyond site. The reviews were solid, across the board, so we made our purchase.

Price:

$99 at Bed Bath and Beyond

Detailed Specifications:

http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/product/KSB560SM/

The Basic Specs and Highlights:

• 0.9 HP Motor. Yes, the thing is 3 times heavier than your Grandma's blender
• 56oz pitcher. It is plastic, but durable! The blender blades are built into the base of the pitcher - it doesn't come apart, like the old blender style
• The way the pitcher fits onto the base is simple and smooth
• Buttons are flat under a tactile cover. Very smooth and easy to press.
• When the blender starts, it kicks with an initial pulse that really gets things moving. Be sure to have the cover on or your ceiling will be wearing your smoothie!

What we don't like:

• The cover is made of a thick rubber material. However, it doesn't seal tight onto the top of the pitcher. The force of this blender is intense - especially when making anything that involves crushing ice! The top tends to vibrate off if you don't hold it down on higher speeds
• The initial pulse is a bit annoying when blending liquids. It just seems unnecessary.

What we like:

• The power is simply fantastic! Though I would never try it, I believe this blender could make a handful of nails into metal dust in 30 seconds. I have never experienced a blender that was able to blend ice and liquid (Margarita, for instance) into the perfect drink. It is seriously like, if not better, than restaurant style drinks! The old blender struggled with our morning protein shakes with ice. Now, within 2 mins we are sipping thick shake-like drinks to start our day!
• The big pitcher cleans up very quick and easy. We thought we would prefer a big glass pitcher, but the plastic is much easier to handle and clean.
• The heavy base keeps the entire unit stable and it isn't as loud as the old style blender. Granted, it still has a deep growl, but it is surprisingly quiet for the power.
• While blending with ice (and likely the same with ice cream), everything keeps flowing. The old blender would start to rev up, because the thick stuff was at the top and the liquid was at the bottom. This guy just keeps everything moving. Pretty awesome!

What we didn't like about the Ninja:

• The blade system is vertical from the base to the lid. In the review videos, these seemed to be a pain when pouring.

What we didn't like about the HealthMaster:

• Square pitcher and videos suggested it was really loud. It seemed to be more of a "juicer" than a blender.
• Frankly, the promo videos gave me tons of doubt if it really worked as they promised.
• Price was much more.

That is the review of the KitchenAid Blender! It was a great purchase and after 30 days of use, we are very happy with the purchase!

Upcoming reviews: Car, sunglasses, wireless router, TV, ipod and many more!

- Robb

Restaurant Reviews : Mill Town Café and Mackinaw's

Hello!

I absolutely LOVE going out to eat for breakfast on the weekends. The hardest part is finding good places in the area - sad but true!

Here are 2 that I really enjoy:

Mackinaws - East Green Bay:

(click on the above link to visit Mackinaw's website)

I heard their advertisements on the radio for a few weeks. They have been pushing their Sunday Breakfast / Brunch Buffet. My biggest issue in trying this out was that I have NEVER been impressed with the food or service at Mackinaw's. I have tried several different dishes and just never walked away thinking, "Wow! What a great meal!".

That being said, I thought I would at least TRY their Sunday Buffet. A small group of us went around noon - it made me more than a little nervous that there were not many cars in the lot. We were seated immediately and saw the big dry-erase board as we walked in: "Sunday Buffet $10.99". We were seated and a friendly waitress greeted us and invited us to walk by the buffet to decide if that was our choice or if we were going to order from the menu.

Impressive Selections:

* Scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage and all the typical basic items

* Breakfast enchiladas. They looked good and tasted even better!

* Omelet bar - made to order!

* Lunch items such as mashed potatoes, prime rib (carved to order), chicken and more

* Salad bar - great looking lettuce!

* Fruit Bar

I ate WAY too much, but wanted to try as many items as I could! Everything was excellent. The waitress checked on us, regularly, and the omelet chefs were very accommodating and friendly.

Some in our group mentioned that the dessert section was weak, but everyone gave the experience 2 big thumbs up! We will definitely go again and I would recommend it to all of you.

MillTown Café - East Green Bay:

803 Klaus Street (take University to Quincy, north to Klaus - can't miss it!)

This is by FAR my favorite breakfast spot in Green Bay! I go at least twice each month and love it.

The atmosphere is the stereotypical diner layout: Small and cozy - there are even the little round stools by the counter, just as you would expect. The staff is comprised of very friendly peeps and the owners are always around - usually making wise cracks with the regulars. The place is perfectly outdated, which gives it that "diner feel" and extremely clean.

The menu provides many options that would satisfy just about anyone. My two favorites are the Mexican Omelet and the Western Omelet. Both are made with fresh ingredients - and the eggs are always perfectly cooked. The coffee is hot and tastes great. Upon request, the server will bring you homemade jam for your toast. Yeah, it is awesome!

The prices are very reasonable, as expected. They even have a frequent client card you can use to get your 10th meal free. You almost feel bad even USING it with the prices being so reasonable!

They do not have a website, but stop in and check it out. If a lady wearing an apron walks out of the kitchen comes up to talk to you (that's Bonnie, the owner) tell her Todd and Robb from Shenanigan's sent you in. She will probably smile and make some remark that will make you laugh! ;)

Thanks for reading! More to come soon!

Cheers!

Robb

A couple bar reviews - some quick hits!

Hello!

Here are a few brief bar reviews:

Firehouse:

Let's face it.....that place just hasn't been the same since Becky left to work at Shenanigan's, right? The new owners are currently struggling and the staff turnover has been high. I have noticed the hours have been shrinking and rarely see much of a crowd when I drive by. Personally, the lack of TV's always turned me off to the place. The bar clearly has an *image* and it is decked out appropriately for that image - it is now just lacking some key faces to give it that draw a bar needs.

Cranky Ape (formerly Liar's Club):

As many of you know, Liar's Club went down due to some.....well, let's say "mishandling of cash and tax dollars". A new owner has come in. He has several other bars outside of Green Bay and surely has the experience to make this little bar work. Nothing really changed, inside. The stripper poles are gone, but it is basically the same bar with new faces. The crowd is younger (lower 20's age), but you still find a few middle-agers lingering. The music selection is good and not too loud. The owner could have done more with the Cranky Ape theme, internally, but it works with the minimal effort he gave. Overall, there is nothing too exciting about the place that would draw me back to it. The bartenders weren't super hot or super friendly - it is just another bar.

Cock N Bull:

I won't go on my rant about the things that turn me off about this bar - most of you already know. The deck was a MAJOR investment for Daryl (owner). Rumors are it ran near $250k due to the type of deck, furnishings, tv built into the brick wall and a high expense for major electrical changes going into the building. It makes sense to have a party deck - especially with the upcoming smoking ban. The biggest issue now is that nobody is ever ON the deck. Clearly, it hasn't been the draw that was expected. With no bartender, outside, and no cocktail waitress, I am not a bit surprised. My visit there 2 weeks ago was typical: Music too loud, men's toilet over-flowing with ....well...you don't want those details, overpriced drinks and not a thing to draw me in except Ashley and Cindy (great and good looking bartenders!).

Bomb Shelter:

This bar was purchased just over a year ago by Richie Sinclair and Howie (of Highland Howie's). It doesn't make a killing, but since they have other bars that share Administration costs, it doesn't need to make too much to be a little profitable. The bar is rather small and run down, but the concept is pretty creative. The wall decor is consistent with the name and having 100 different *bomb* shot recipes on the wall is a catchy idea. The service is always good and most of the time the bartender is a hottie! Their staff turnover has been high, lately, but that can be expected from a bar that isn't always busy. I have never had a bad experience at this bar, but the crowd that hangs there doesn't draw me to visit more than once or twice each month.

That's it for today! Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments, here, or on Facebook.

I am still compiling a mailing list to send you notifications that a new blog is posted. Please send an e-mail to jalapeno.mail@gmail.com and you will be added.

(no spam or junk mail....ONLY new blog notifications. You have my word!)

Cheers!

Robb