The new America or at least Oregon is Pot Smokers and Drinkers that sit around with free health and dental care while the rest of us that get up and work every day to pay for them to sit around on welfare, unemployment and say they are hurt and need disability. Last guy I hired two months ago is 63 years old and a very smart, very good worker. He said he's good for at least another five or six years for me. This new generation of punks better pull their pants up and do something for crying out loud. That's my rant and it's not Friday yet
Douglas L wrote:
I have a dream, the USAF will replace F-16 with F-15 for the Thunderbirds! Personally I think the F-15 is more photogenic with a much more powerful appearance.
I read that article too, Ray. I doubt the American public will be supportive of a wide scale arm conflict with China over Taiwan. I even doubt if the Taiwanese have the courage to fight a communist invasion like the Ukrainians fighting the Ruskies. I know a thing or two about the Taiwanese.
I have said in this thread several times, the several presidents preceding Trump made grave errors in believing communist China would change its nature as their economy opened up. Along with greedy Wall Street and corporations (AND consumers), they raised a tiger cub that can now bite us. Japan will be our only reliable ally in case of an armed conflict with China. The Japanese are genuinely fearful of the rise of China because the Chinese hate the Japanese from their guts due to WWII and the constant brain washing from the CCP. South Korea is wishy washy because their economy is too dependent on the Chinese market, same with most of the western European countries, particularly Germany. Even Australia is questionable, depending on which party is in the government. I am seeing marked changes in attitude towards China since the Labor Party came to power recently. They too are too dependent on the Chinese purchases of their natural resources. A lot of countries don't care what the world would be like when a communist country becomes the dominant power, they want to make money NOW!.
In the meantime, when I look at the US, we have $30 trillion in national debt and growing, all the crime, decline of public schools, crumbling infrastructure, hostile political division among not only the politicians but also the general public, corruption in the government and weaponizing of federal government to suppress political opponents that are usually seen in third world countries, increasingly partisan media... I am frankly not optimistic.
Sorry for the rant, it's not even Friday....Show more →
Great insight Douglas. Back when I worked for a living one of my responsibilities was assessing printed circuit board manufacturers processes to add them to our approved supplier list. When I first took the job, we manufactured our own PCBs in house...then came the EPA severe regulations on effluents used and we had to shut it down. This made us reliant on outside vendors. Soon, the EPA regulations shut down most of our vendors. I had several friends working at Compact Computers and other companies so I asked them who was manufacturing their PCBs. They told me they were using Taiwan manufacturers. Amazing how our gov't shuts down in house manufacturing for infrastructure items and sends it off to China. They did the same thing with steel. They mine it in and around the Great Lakes then ship the ore to China for processing. Stupid.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Good Morning Douglas, your analysis is chillingly accurate my friend. You left out the fact that our real military, you know the ones that aren't men wearing skirts, are leaving in droves. All of these factors do not bode well for America I'm afraid, but let's just keep following Nero's lead and fiddle while it all falls down around our ears.
While LGBTQXYZ are being put at the spot light at every corner here, the CCP is telling their youth not to be a girly man. They actually ban male entertainers who are too feminine. Crazy world we live in.
Ray Swindle wrote:
Great insight Douglas. Back when I worked for a living one of my responsibilities was assessing printed circuit board manufacturers processes to add them to our approved supplier list. When I first took the job, we manufactured our own PCBs in house...then came the EPA severe regulations on effluents used and we had to shut it down. This made us reliant on outside vendors. Soon, the EPA regulations shut down most of our vendors. I had several friends working at Compact Computers and other companies so I asked them who was manufacturing their PCBs. They told me they were using Taiwan manufacturers. Amazing how our gov't shuts down in house manufacturing for infrastructure items and sends it off to China. They did the same thing with steel. They mine it in and around the Great Lakes then ship the ore to China for processing. Stupid. ...Show more →
Well Ray, the US had been the leader in semiconductor manufacturing for decades, somehow the corporations found it cheaper and easier to have them made in Taiwan. Today without Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing, the world economy will shut down. We put ourselves in this predicament. It's one of the reasons the US is risking an armed conflict with CCP to protect Taiwan. Under pressure Taiwan Semiconductor is reluctantly building a fab in Arizona. But they openly question Americans' work ethics. I am not saying this is right or wrong but the Taiwanese engineers work LONG hours without complaints. This kind of ties back to the issue Bill raised in his post above. Here we have people who don't even want to go back to the office to work, some even complained working at office is racist. You can't make that stuff up!
Hell, fresh air is racist Douglas! This has gotten beyond preposterous, and yet every day the boundaries are pushed further into the absurd, it';s almost like someone is trying to destroy our country..............wait..............
I've been going through some of my Canon 800mm files, when the atmosphere was right, that lens was incredible. I can say right up front, I ain't spending $20K on the RF 800 no matter how good it is.
Got some sad news today. My ex-neighbor texted me the house we raised our kids in for nearly 25 years burned down last night. If you have not heard, there were many tornadoes in and around the Houston area, so the Houston fire department was very slow responding. The house was fully engulfed in 30-40 foot flames by the time they arrived. No one was injured. No explanation for the cause at this time, the owner was not home. Cell phone images sent to me from my ex-neighbor.
OMG, Ray, that sucks!!!! The pain of replacing the house recedes when compared with the pain of the loss of any one of the persons in it. Somebody musta been lookin' out for 'em.
Douglas L wrote:
While LGBTQXYZ are being put at the spot light at every corner here, the CCP is telling their youth not to be a girly man. They actually ban male entertainers who are too feminine. Crazy world we live in.
Douglas L wrote:
Well Ray, the US had been the leader in semiconductor manufacturing for decades, somehow the corporations found it cheaper and easier to have them made in Taiwan. Today without Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing, the world economy will shut down. We put ourselves in this predicament. It's one of the reasons the US is risking an armed conflict with CCP to protect Taiwan. Under pressure Taiwan Semiconductor is reluctantly building a fab in Arizona. But they openly question Americans' work ethics. I am not saying this is right or wrong but the Taiwanese engineers work LONG hours without complaints. This kind of ties back to the issue Bill raised in his post above. Here we have people who don't even want to go back to the office to work, some even complained working at office is racist. You can't make that stuff up! ...Show more →
It usually all boils down to greed! Cheap , non-union labor at very low prices. That is an incentive to most large companies.
Dan
Ray Swindle wrote:
Got some sad news today. My ex-neighbor texted me the house we raised our kids in for nearly 25 years burned down last night. If you have not heard, there were many tornadoes in and around the Houston area, so the Houston fire department was very slow responding. The house was fully engulfed in 30-40 foot flames by the time they arrived. No one was injured. No explanation for the cause at this time, the owner was not home. Cell phone images sent to me from my ex-neighbor.
So sorry to see this....When I went back to my hometown in China to visit, I went to see the tiny apartment where we (parents and 4 kids) lived until I was 17, it's about 200 sqf, one bedroom one living room, a very small kitchen which also served as the space where we showered, no toilet. There were two public toilets on the same floor for 12 families. People still lived there when I went back 4 or 5 years ago.
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Danpbphoto wrote:
St Anthony's Douglas.
Suzanne and I visit there when we get a hankerin(hunger) for food at the Ten Oaks Tavern!
Great capture!
Dan
Thank you Dan! Yes it's the barn at St Anthony's, my favorite location for sunrise nearby.
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JayDavis wrote:
Took this one on Sunday night, before the B-777 departed the next day.
Got really lucky with the streaks in the sky, from an unknown aircraft.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
I've been going through some of my Canon 800mm files, when the atmosphere was right, that lens was incredible. I can say right up front, I ain't spending $20K on the RF 800 no matter how good it is.
Jim, be a sport and buy it, I might want to borrow, until my arm is tired (~10 minutes), at the random airshow I will see into you at.
Actually, although I waffle a dozen times a day, I think I'm going to wait and see about the RF 200-500/1.4 production schedule. As much as I loved the 200-400 that might be a bit more versatile. Don't hold me to it, I'll change my mind several times before dawn.................
One thing that has to be considered in that choice is the aperture that one ends up shooting at. For instance, my 100-500 is a wonderful lens, but at 500mm it's an F/7.1 There is a big difference in bokeh between that and the 600/F4. Now how many people , aside from you all here, will notice the unmatchable quality of a shot at 600/4 and the admittedly beautiful effect of a shot at 500/F7.1? Truthfully, we shoot for ourselves, so it only matters if one person can see the difference, and that is why I waffle................
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Well, if you put it that way............................
It happened once on a Saturday in October 2009. Harder then holding the 800 was trying to find an airplane in the viewfinder. The bummer part was my 7D arrived the following Monday. (Pics 1&2 taken with the 800mm on a 30D, the last one with a 70-200)
