Recommended Free Reading – Undoing the Demos

Recommended Free Reading – Undoing the Demos

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(requires you download a pdf file)

If you are amazed at the level of political anger in the United States, in 2016, and wish to explore some possible reasons motivating people to so significantly change from past norms of political party action and support, then you might consider reading this book.

Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution by Wendy Brown  (PDF file)
Paid version at Amazon:  Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution
Review for this book at GoodReads: Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism’s Stealth Revolution by Wendy Brown

Installing insinkerator Evolution Prestige Garbage Disposal.

Installing insinkerator Evolution Prestige Garbage Disposal.

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Date of purchase: July 20, 2017

Vendor: Lowe’s.

It was a Thursday, July 20, 2017, when our garbage disposal failed. One of the grinding heads broke loose which caused the garbage disposal to nearly explode with noise and vibration. I dove for the on/off switch and shut the unit down. I fished out the broken piece. The disposal was way out of balance when I applied power again and shut the unit down quickly. I knew then I had to replace the unit. After an hour of conducting Internet search for the best replacement including Consumer Reports I found three units I was willing to buy. The top rated unit was not available the same day. I settled on the insinkerator Evolution Prestige.

Garbage disposal $339.00
Plumbers putty $2.99
Power cord assembly $11.99 This garbage disposal does not come with a wall plug electrical cord which we require.
1 1/4” O.D. by 7/8” I.D by 2 feet hose $4.78 which connects the dishwasher vent to the garbage disposal.

This disposal is very quiet and offers an alleged 7 year in home warranty.

Customer reviews said this disposal was very easy to install. I do not agree. I ran into three difficult portions of the installation.

I had to install this unit with no help from anyone else.

First, getting the C ring out of the assembly was impossible until I reasoned that I should back off the 3 screws so tension on the C ring was removed.

Second, Getting the C ring back in place was impossible. I came up with a trick. I reasoned that the ring would be easy to slide into place if I could keep the ends of the ring separated by about a quarter of an inch. I used a wood wedge. I separated the C ring at the very end corner of the wood and used the rest of the long piece of wood to position the C ring.  All I had to do was use my fingers to slide the ring in place.

Third: placing the rather heavy garbage disposal correctly in place was impossible for me alone to do. I placed a scissor jack under the unit and cranked the garbage disposal up in place. (see picture).  I had to make sure the unit was properly aligned.  The attachment ring on the disposal requires you get all 3 tabs to connect to the sink ring.  I used a lot of lights to illuminate the work area.  I used an inspection mirror to view the back side of the disposal to ensure all the 3 tabs had connected.

insinkerator Evolution Prestigue Gargage Disposal
Garbage disposal held up by scissor jack.

Tip: When aiming the disposal correctly into the sink hardware, view the docking from the the sink top as well as from below.

A major problem for me installing garbage disposal is getting the drain tubes connected. This garbage disposal has a brilliant solution.  The connection from the L tube out of the disposal down into the sewer drain is soft rubber. All I had to do was install all the drain connections leading up to the disposal first and leave the connection to the side of the disposal for last. I then just rotated the L tube into the soft rubber connector and placed the lock ring to finish the connection – utterly brilliant!

Conclusion:  This garbage disposal is very quiet.  My daughter has her bedroom over the kitchen and she could hear the old garbage disposal run.  There is no way she can hear this unit from her bedroom.

Fundamental Principals Which Should Guide All Of China

Fundamental Principals Which Should Guide All Of China

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The following principals which should guide all of China was taken from Congressional – Executive Commission on China, Chapter 8:

Freedom. Freedom is at the core of universal human values. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom in where to live, and the freedoms to strike, to demonstrate, and to protest, among others, are the forms that freedom takes. Without freedom, China will always remain far from civilized ideals.

Human rights. Human rights are not bestowed by a state. Every person is born with inherent rights to dignity and freedom. The government exists for the protection of the human rights of its citizens. The exercise of state power must be authorized by the people. The succession of political disasters in China’s recent history is a direct consequence of the ruling regime’s disregard for human rights.

Equality. The integrity, dignity, and freedom of every person—regardless of social station, occupation, sex, economic condition, ethnicity, skin color, religion, or political belief—are the same as those of any other. Principles of equality before the law and equality of social, economic, cultural, civil, and political rights must be upheld.

Republicanism. Republicanism, which holds that power should be balanced among different branches of government and competing interests should be served, resembles the traditional Chinese political ideal of “fairness in all under heaven.” It allows different interest groups and social assemblies, and people with a variety of cultures and beliefs, to exercise democratic self-government and to deliberate in order to reach peaceful resolution of public questions on a basis of equal access to government and free and fair competition.

Democracy. The most fundamental principles of democracy are that the people are sovereign and the people select their government. Democracy has these characteristics: (1) Political power begins with the people and the legitimacy of a regime derives from the people. (2) Political power is exercised through choices that the people make. (3) The holders of major official posts in government at all levels are determined through periodic competitive elections. (4) While honoring the will of the majority, the fundamental dignity, freedom, and human rights of minorities are protected. In short, democracy is a modern means for achieving government truly “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Constitutional rule. Constitutional rule is rule through a legal system and legal regulations to implement principles that are spelled out in a constitution. It means protecting the freedom and the rights of citizens, limiting and defining the scope of legitimate government power, and providing the administrative apparatus necessary to serve these ends.

Charter 08, partially copied from https://www.cecc.gov/resources/legal-provisions/charter-08-chinese-and-english-text

Updated: April 6, 2018

What Some Chinese Wish For Their Country

What Some Chinese Wish For Their Country

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The text below came from the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC).  The ICPC is a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization beyond borders based on free association of those who write, edit, translate, research and publish literature work in Chinese and dedicated to freedom of expression for the workers in Chinese language and literature, including writers, journalists, translators, scholars and publishers over the world. ICPC is a member organization of International PEN, the global association of writers dedicated to freedom of expression and the defense of writers suffering governmental repression.   The original document was  a translation which was retrieved from the New York Review of Books Web site on December 17, 2008. The Chinese text was retrieved from the Independent Chinese Pen Center Web site on December 17, 2008.  This web site found the article on the US Congressional – Executive Commission on China web site: https://www.cecc.gov/resources/legal-provisions/charter-08-chinese-and-english-text

What Some Chinese Wish For Their Country:

1. A New Constitution. We should recast our present constitution, rescinding its provisions that contradict the principle that sovereignty resides with the people and turning it into a document that genuinely guarantees human rights, authorizes the exercise of public power, and serves as the legal underpinning of China’s democratization. The constitution must be the highest law in the land, beyond violation by any individual, group, or political party.

2. Separation of Powers. We should construct a modern government in which the separation of legislative, judicial, and executive power is guaranteed. We need an Administrative Law that defines the scope of government responsibility and prevents abuse of administrative power. Government should be responsible to taxpayers. Division of power between provincial governments and the central government should adhere to the principle that central powers are only those specifically granted by the constitution and all other powers belong to the local governments.

3. Legislative Democracy. Members of legislative bodies at all levels should be chosen by direct election, and legislative democracy should observe just and impartial principles.

4. An Independent Judiciary. The rule of law must be above the interests of any particular political party and judges must be independent. We need to establish a constitutional supreme court and institute procedures for constitutional review. As soon as possible, we should abolish all of the Committees on Political and Legal Affairs that now allow Communist Party officials at every level to decide politically sensitive cases in advance and out of court. We should strictly forbid the use of public offices for private purposes.

5. Public Control of Public Servants. The military should be made answerable to the national government, not to a political party, and should be made more professional. Military personnel should swear allegiance to the constitution and remain nonpartisan. Political party organizations must be prohibited in the military. All public officials including police should serve as nonpartisans, and the current practice of favoring one political party in the hiring of public servants must end.

6. Guarantee of Human Rights. There must be strict guarantees of human rights and respect for human dignity. There should be a Human Rights Committee, responsible to the highest legislative body, that will prevent the government from abusing public power in violation of human rights. A democratic and constitutional China especially must guarantee the personal freedom of citizens. No one should suffer illegal arrest, detention, arraignment, interrogation, or punishment. The system of “Reeducation through Labor” must be abolished.

7. Election of Public Officials. There should be a comprehensive system of democratic elections based on “one person, one vote.” The direct election of administrative heads at the levels of county, city, province, and nation should be systematically implemented. The rights to hold periodic free elections and to participate in them as a citizen are inalienable.

8. Rural–Urban Equality. The two-tier household registry system must be abolished. This system favors urban residents and harms rural residents. We should establish instead a system that gives every citizen the same constitutional rights and the same freedom to choose where to live.

9. Freedom to Form Groups. The right of citizens to form groups must be guaranteed. The current system for registering nongovernment groups, which requires a group to be “approved,” should be replaced by a system in which a group simply registers itself. The formation of political parties should be governed by the constitution and the laws, which means that we must abolish the special privilege of one party to monopolize power and must guarantee principles of free and fair competition among political parties.

10. Freedom to Assemble. The constitution provides that peaceful assembly, demonstration, protest, and freedom of expression are fundamental rights of a citizen. The ruling party and the government must not be permitted to subject these to illegal interference or unconstitutional obstruction.

11. Freedom of Expression. We should make freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and academic freedom universal, thereby guaranteeing that citizens can be informed and can exercise their right of political supervision. These freedoms should be upheld by a Press Law that abolishes political restrictions on the press. The provision in the current Criminal Law that refers to “the crime of incitement to subvert state power” must be abolished. We should end the practice of viewing words as crimes.

12. Freedom of Religion. We must guarantee freedom of religion and belief, and institute a separation of religion and state. There must be no governmental interference in peaceful religious activities. We should abolish any laws, regulations, or local rules that limit or suppress the religious freedom of citizens. We should abolish the current system that requires religious groups (and their places of worship) to get official approval in advance and substitute for it a system in which registry is optional and, for those who choose to register, automatic.

13. Civic Education. In our schools we should abolish political curriculum’s and examinations that are designed to indoctrinate students in state ideology and to instill support for the rule of one party. We should replace them with civic education that advances universal values and citizens’ rights, fosters civic consciousness, and promotes civic virtues that serve society.

14. Protection of Private Property. We should establish and protect the right to private property and promote an economic system of free and fair markets. We should do away with government monopolies in commerce and industry and guarantee the freedom to start new enterprises. We should establish a Committee on State-Owned Property, reporting to the national legislature, that will monitor the transfer of state-owned enterprises to private ownership in a fair, competitive, and orderly manner. We should institute a land reform that promotes private ownership of land, guarantees the right to buy and sell land, and allows the true value of private property to be adequately reflected in the market.

15. Financial and Tax Reform. We should establish a democratically regulated and accountable system of public finance that ensures the protection of taxpayer rights and that operates through legal procedures. We need a system by which public revenues that belong to a certain level of government—central, provincial, county or local—are controlled at that level. We need major tax reform that will abolish any unfair taxes, simplify the tax system, and spread the tax burden fairly. Government officials should not be able to raise taxes, or institute new ones, without public deliberation and the approval of a democratic assembly. We should reform the ownership system in order to encourage competition among a wider variety of market participants.

16. Social Security. We should establish a fair and adequate social security system that covers all citizens and ensures basic access to education, health care, retirement security, and employment.

17. Protection of the Environment. We need to protect the natural environment and to promote development in a way that is sustainable and responsible to our descendants and to the rest of humanity. This means insisting that the state and its officials at all levels not only do what they must do to achieve these goals, but also accept the supervision and participation of nongovernmental organizations.

18. A Federated Republic. A democratic China should seek to act as a responsible major power contributing toward peace and development in the Asian Pacific region by approaching others in a spirit of equality and fairness. In Hong Kong and Macao, we should support the freedoms that already exist. With respect to Taiwan, we should declare our commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy and then, negotiating as equals and ready to compromise, seek a formula for peaceful unification. We should approach disputes in the national-minority areas of China with an open mind, seeking ways to find a workable framework within which all ethnic and religious groups can flourish. We should aim ultimately at a federation of democratic communities of China.

19. Truth in Reconciliation. We should restore the reputations of all people, including their family members, who suffered political stigma in the political campaigns of the past or who have been labeled as criminals because of their thought, speech, or faith. The state should pay reparations to these people. All political prisoners and prisoners of conscience must be released. There should be a Truth Investigation Commission charged with finding the facts about past injustices and atrocities, determining responsibility for them, upholding justice, and, on these bases, seeking social reconciliation.

 

Charter 08, partially copied from https://www.cecc.gov/resources/legal-provisions/charter-08-chinese-and-english-text

 

Updated: April 6, 2018
Updated: March 9, 2019.  Bad link had to be removed.
Macintosh Web Browsers Get Infected

Macintosh Web Browsers Get Infected

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I had just came from a local junior college, Santiago Junior College and used their WiFi system in their parking lot.  I got a warning that the site was not secure but I used it anyway.  When I got home all my web browsers were infected.  My browser kept giving me a warning keeping me from proceeding doing any work on my laptop.  Whenever I tried to do a search I would see the following on my Macintosh laptop:

“The owner of www.mozilla.org has configured their website improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this website.”

I found the culprit in the Safari Extensions tab.  Then I also found that the home page was also taken over in the General tab.  I ran MacAvast system scan and it found one issue but would not identify it.  I installed AVAST security for Firefox and the problem was solved for that browser.  In Chrome I found that chumsearch was the default search setting by going to Chrome >  Preferences > Settings > Search > Manage Search Engines.

Click on “Manage search engines …”.  You should then see that chumsearch.com is the default.  I just made another search engine the default.  I was then able to delete the “search.chumsearch.com” malware.  I quit Chrome and then reopened it to check the default search engine.  Chrome shows that chum search was entered as default web page on startup.

Ever since I deleted chumsearch from my computer and have had no issues since.

Revised April 16, 2018.

Obama’s Secret Struggle To Punish Russia For Putin’s Election Assault – A Must Read!

Obama’s Secret Struggle To Punish Russia For Putin’s Election Assault – A Must Read!

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The article headline reads: Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault.  This is a very long article.  We highly recommend it.  Take your time reading it.  It is best read from a screen a lot larger than a cell phone; a large tablet or computer screen is perfect.  It offers a lot of detail.  The graphics are very good and nicely worked in.  The embedded links are cleverly applied.  This is a story, a history, of how the Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential election and may have taken over our county to some degree.  The Washington Post did a very impressive job in educating the people of the United States as to Russia violating our sovereignty.  When you read this article, take note of all the people that tried to stop this story from being known.

Original Post Date: June 27, 2017
Revised April 7, 2018