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Evaluate products and politics for you.

Ford Escape, 2006, Cargo Mat Replacement

Ford Escape, 2006, Cargo Mat Replacement

11/21/2015 Score Card

Our family has a 2006 Ford Escape which my daughter picked out in a used car lot.  I wanted a Toyota but my daughter liked the dash of the Escape.  Personally, there are a lot of thinks I do not like about the Escape.  One of the many deficiencies is the back trunk cover rug.

Original-Mat-flat
Original Ford Escape cargo mat.

It, more than any feature of the car indicates the engineering cheapness.  It should stand as an indicator of the car company screwing the customer with cheap product.  November, 2015, I finally got fed up and replaced the cargo mat.  I went to Home Depot and purchased a 3 foot by 5 foot medium duty mat made from 94% recycled material.  It is made by Apache Mills.  Barcode: 086364028249.  I laid the existing car mat upside down upon the new mat which was also laid upside down.

Mat-being-cut
Image shows the Ford Escape cargo mat upside down and placed on top of the Apache Mills mat, also upside down prior to cutting.

I used the original car mat to cut the new mat.  I good heavy duty scissors is all that is needed.

Mat-final-cut
Image shows the original car cargo mat on top of the new Apache Mills mat cut to exact size.

It took less than ten minutes to cut the new mat to size.

Car-Mat-Finished
Image shows finished cargo mat in place.

In the above image, you can see that the mat looks way better.  The mat will not slide around like the original mat which was our main complaint.  When we placed items on the former mat the mat would slide around when we made turns. The new mat is heavy and stiff and because it is cut exactly to fit the cargo walls, it will not slide around.


Automobile, Repair
2006 Ford Escape Cargo Mat, Ford Escape Cargo Mat, Replacing the Ford Escape Cargo Mat
Why It Is Not Wise To Say “Islamic Terrorism”.

Why It Is Not Wise To Say “Islamic Terrorism”.

11/21/2015 Score Card

It has come up in the conservative press and some dim witted Republican politicians that the Obama administration fails to use the term “Islamic terrorism”.  The right wing neocons love to pound their chests and think war is honorable so long as it is some others son who dies.  It seems the height of hypocrisy that anyone should promote going to war when it usually is some other person who will die.  War is the failure of negotiation and diplomacy, it is said.  The right wing conservatives it seems have a low IQ level so if you are in that category, let me tell you the logic for not specifying “Islamic terrorism”.  A darn good reason is that ISIS makes some claims that help it gain recruits and die hard followers.  Put simply for my Republican friends, they gain members if it is perceived that Islam is under attack.  For the president of the United States to use the term “Islamic terrorism” seems to paint all individuals who practice Islam as being a terrorist.  The ISIS people then can claim that the United States is against Islam and wishes it to be destroyed as a religion.  Now for my dumb Republican friends, would that wording play into the hands of ISIS?  You bet is would.  Let me express this in terms that the NRA gun luggers who seem to populate the Republican party might understand.  By the president of the United States saying “Islamic terrorism” puts another scum bag out there for the American military to fight if we go to war with ISIS.  If the Republican party insists in using the term “Islamic terrorism” we have more enemy to fight which would be incredibly stupid.  I hold little hope because Republicans cherry pick their arguments. They fail to take the time to walk around the problem to gain more facts and see more sides of any problem.  Please try to view this from the enemy’s perspective if you can.


Commentary, Politics
Islam, Obama, Republican Party
Arab Spring – Opinion

Arab Spring – Opinion

11/18/2015 Score Card

So let me get this right, the whole Arab problem started when a young Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire after he was banned from selling fruit to earn a living (1).   It would seem that in various parts of the Arab world a small but growing segment of the people in each country wish to attain meaningful employment and to achieve a subsistence standard of life.  It stands to reason that many more wish for a better life.  To me that they no longer wish to be slaves to dictators because dictators seek their own self interests.  It has taken a long while for a bottom up revolution and its about time that the Middle East populations overthrow their oppressors.  The scum bag dictators in each Middle East country will do everything in their power to suppress the Arab Spring revolution.

The western nations seemingly tried to help this overthrow in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan only to discover that another set of scum bags were waiting in the wings to take control.  The little guys, like Mohamed Bouaziz’s of the Middle East, had no chance to make any political gains when fecal minded tribal leaders, self serving Islam clerics, medieval minded “royalty” and selfish military entrepreneurs use their innate power position advantages to retain power from the people who ideally and actually own the country.

The former national dictators of Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria actually seemed quite capable of keeping the lid on any wild political aspirations.  They seemed adept at controlling tribal, sectarian and military interests in their country.  When the United States unscrewed that lid with the bombing in Libya (2), the invasion of Iraq (3) and Afghanistan (4), new groups of individuals with way less intellect, compassion and legitimacy moved into the vacuum.  A new set of self serving scum sucking dogs took over.  The little guy in each country was a pawn once again but now with the same or more oppression.  In each country, many people died from the lid being opened.  Each individual who was killed was nothing more than a blade of grass for the scum dogs to trample upon.

The Arab Spring at first seemed to be a new bright beginning for the Middle East but one must understand that the humane being is innately less compassionate if they are in power but self serving and out of that selfish to the point of denying anyone else from attaining any gain (5).   It takes intellect, a good education and a philosophy (not religion) that wishes everyone to attain a better life. Lifting the whole boat is a proven economic solution.  Such compassionate individuals that have a three digit IQ are rare.

In some measure, the Middle East ongoing failure, is due to the education system of the Middle East being retarded (6), deficient in that it utterly fails to teach students how to measure  and analyze problems by detecting the separate components and properties of any problem and giving each component an importance values so a better understanding of solutions arising out of realizing which are the more important components first and less important components later can be thought out and proposed (7).  Right now such intellectual explorations are not taking place but instead, factors that may seem to work to keep the ruling class in power and making the elite vast amounts of money takes precedence.

(1) http://www.npr.org/2011/12/17/143897126/the-arab-spring-a-year-of-revolution(2)http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-bombs-libya
(3) http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/war-in-iraq-begins

(4) http://www.britannica.com/event/Afghanistan-War

(5) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-wealth-reduces-compassion/

(6) https://efareport.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/education-failures-fan-the-flames-in-the-arab-world/

(7) First item http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-ultimate-fatal-attraction-5-reasons-people-join-isis-11625

 

 

 

 


Economics, Opinion, Politics, Time Capsule
Afganistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria
Bird Feeder, Scoop n’ Funnel Review.

Bird Feeder, Scoop n’ Funnel Review.

10/23/2015 Score Card

I love using my Cedar Works Scoop n’ Funnel for putting bird seed into my bird feeders.  This device offers two methods of putting bird seed into a feeder.  One method is to close the valve shut, dip the scoop into the bag of bird seed and then dump the contents into the bird feeder.  Most feeders have a rather small opening at the top and his funnel bottom fits perfectly.  I never use the scoop method but rather put my bird feeders on the ground and then put the small opening funnel into the top.  I then carefully aim the bird seed bag contents into the funnel top opening.  This funnel also has a slide valve to shut off the seed from flowing out of the funnel when you lift the funnel out of the bird feeder, a really nifty feature which gives this device TWO methods of filling your bird feeders, scoop and funnel.  I seldom use the valve but every once and a while I overfill the funnel.  You only need to close the valve and then move the funnel back to the bird seed bag to dump the extra seed back in the source bag.

I have no idea where I purchased this funnel.  I have had it for years and love it.

October 2015, I decided to review this product and part of the review process was to check the Internet and see where I can be purchased.  It is hard to find.  The cost should be close to $5, well worth the cost.

  • Cedar Works (Not sold by this company?)
  • Product #: 100080570
  • Mfg Part #: BE203A
  • UPC: 016544552035

  • Pennington  (Seems to be a current product as of March 2019.)
  • Classic Scoop N Funnel

I do recommend this funnel!

Since the first product review, I found that I can no longer find this product being sold by Cedar Works.  The closest product is Pennington Bird Seed Classic Scoop N Funnel.

Bird feeder funnel.
Bird feeder funnel.

 

Updated: 3-6-19 due to 404 Not Found error for the link to the product.  I removed the link.  I then found that Cedar Works no longer shows this product.  I have tried to track down a good vendor to provide a web site link but the company Pennington fails to show this in their catalog.  I also updated how to use the device.
Changed URL to Bird Feeder, Scoop n’ Funnel Review.

Bird Feeders, Product Reviews
Cedar Works Scoop n' Funnel
Gardeners Globe Cage Bird Feeder and Mixed Seed Globe Cage Feeder Review

Gardeners Globe Cage Bird Feeder and Mixed Seed Globe Cage Feeder Review

10/23/2015 Score Card

Gardeners Globe Cage Bird Feeder And Mixed Seed Globe Cage Feeder Review

 

A near perfect bird feeder is Gardeners Globe Cage Feeder and Mixed Seed Globe Cage Feeder (see picture below).

Globe-Bird-Feeder-with-rain-hat

The problem with these feeders is they only let small birds enter.  Another problem is that California squirrels apparently are very intelligent.  “My” squirrels can unscrew the lid and get to the inside top of the feeder.

Squirrel opens bird feeder lid to feed from it.
Squirrel opens bird feeder lid to feed from it. Sorry but my daughter used her cell phone camera to take this inferior picture.

I decided to lock the top lid into its closed position.  I did this by drilling a carefully positioned small hole for a small screw to be put in and lock the lid.  If you decide to improve this bird feeder and also wish to drill this hole make darn sure that the lid is turned to be locked so the holes line up properly.  Do not drill anywhere close to the wires.

Image shows a globe bird feeder with lid lock screw drilled and lock screw being applied.
Globe bird feeder with lid lock screw drilled and lock screw being applied.

 

“My” squirrels now need to get a Phillips screw driver and learn how to use that tool to unscrew this bird feeder and get to its treasure.

I conditionally recommend these feeders.  You could start out to see the intelligent level of “your” squirrels. If they are low wattage light bulbs, you may not need to drill a lock hole.


Bird Feeders, Product Reviews, Reviews
Bird feeder, Gardeners Globe Cage Bird Feeder And Mixed Seed Globe Cage Feeder Review, Gardeners Globe Cage Feeder
Short Circuit LED Light Show Classic White Product Review.

Short Circuit LED Light Show Classic White Product Review.

10/22/2015 Score Card

My daughter and I were shopping at Home Depot for some Halloween decorations when she spotted a light bulb that would randomly turn on and then off to simulate a short circuit.  She had to have it so dad purchased it for her.  The first bulb lasted one night but then would not flicker.  The bulb stayed on solid.  We returned the first bulb and purchased another and it too stopped flickering within a few hours.  We returned that bulb too and will not buy any more.
Short Circuit Light Show LED
Product number: 1001 261 480.
Cost: $9.98
Not recommended.

Short-Circuit-LED-light-bulb

Review date: October 2015
Updated again: 3-6-19:  Link Short Circuit Light Show LED to the product was removed.

Product Reviews, Reviews
Halloween decorations, Home Depot, light bulb, Short Circuit Light Show LED

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