Displaying items by tag: Guest Column

Recently, the Associated Press (AP) published an article the Reno paper ran with the headline, “Judge orders women to leave house.”

Last year, real estate investment group Wedgewood, Inc., bought an Oakland three-bedroom house in foreclosure for $501,000.  In November, before Wedgewood could take legal possession, three homeless women and their children, calling themselves Moms 4 Housing, illegally moved in.

The squatters refuse to leave, so Wedgewood asked a California court to direct the local sheriff to evict them.  The judge did so, giving them five days to leave.

An attorney helping them said, “We understand that the court’s hands are tied because in this country property fights are valued over human rights.”

One of the women, Dominque Walker, 34 and the mother of 1- and 5-year-old daughters, added, “Housing is a human right.  I pay bills there.  I pay water, PG&E, internet.  We live there.”

So, if they claim housing is a human right, they have a right to seize someone’s property.  And their lawyer posits a false distinction between sacred human rights and grubby property rights, and then falsely claims the courts value property rights over human rights.

Walker also said, “We want to purchase the home … it needs to belong back in the hands of the community.”  And, “It was stolen through the foreclosure crisis.”

AP adds, the women say they moved into the house partly to protest the methods of speculators who snap up distressed homes and leave them empty despite the housing crisis.  While Walker says “we” are the community and want to purchase the house, AP clarifies that they want Wedgewood to sell the property to a nonprofit land trust (that presumably would let them continue to live there).

But they moved in before Wedgewood could even take possession of the house.  So, obviously Wedgewood isn’t the party that left the house empty.  Lest one think perhaps the women merely chose the wrong house for their protest, Walker adds the ignorant and malicious lie that Wedgewood stole it.

Moving beyond technicalities, the real points here are the false distinction between human and property rights and the claim that property rights are wrongly favored.  Plus the implication that wrapping oneself in the flag of human rights permits one to do anything and wrong anybody, especially corporations, to secure those human rights.

In this case, all one needs to do to justify seizures or other aggressive actions is claim to be a victim, even of mere misfortune, and allege the other party is culpable, even for doing reasonable and socially beneficial things like buying a house in foreclosure.

Asserting a “human right” to housing confers on someone an obligation to provide housing at that someone’s expense.  That’s so obviously wrong and predatory that the kleptos and their ideologue supporters always demonize the real victims to make the theft or other aggressive action seem justified.  Ergo, the lie that Wedgewood stole the house.

Perhaps the women come from a culture that taught them nothing of how the world really works: via invention, innovation, work, savings and investment, productivity, disruption and competition to get income by delivering value to employers, consumers and the public interest.  And taught them nothing of the essential role of property rights in providing all human wellbeing.

Maybe in their experience things work via the kleptocracy of politics: asserted rights, demands, demonstrations, coercion, legislation, regulation, litigation, etc.

Thus, they wouldn’t know that the real causes of unaffordable housing and so many other California problems are the entitlements, land-use and related regulations, high taxes and transfer payments, green dogma, etc. fostered by the politics of them and their advocates.

But what’s the excuse for AP writers and editors and mainstream media generally?

They should recognize the slimy ethical and vacuous intellectual basis of these claims do not merit coverage.  They should be researching and producing stories that educate more people on how the world really works and the problems caused by progressive policies.

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Ron Knecht is a contributing editor to the Penny Press - the conservative weekly "voice of Nevada." His views and opinions are his own. You can subscribe at www.pennypressnv.com. This is an edited version of his column which has been reprinted with permission. 

One of our best friends, Mike Brown, passed from this earth last December 23rd.

We didn’t know because he was visiting his kids in Oregon.

Mike masqueraded as a Brooklyn tough guy who had a barely hidden heart of gold under that New York attitude.  He was the lead mechanic at the Reno-Tahoe Airport for many years and that was his persona…he fixed things.  He bought and sold old cars, he built houses and, for me, he helped build an AM transmitter site which is the hardest thing in broadcasting to get right.  He got it right.  One of his favorite times was Reno’s annual Hot August Nights classic car festival.

The highest praise I ever got from him was when we did a four hour remote broadcast from one of Adam Laxalt’s Basque Frys.  He helped us set up, declined an invitation to stay and then called me when I was on my way home afterwards to tell me he had listened to the whole event and enjoyed every minute of it.

The pancreatic cancer started to get to him a few years ago.

At first—in his Brooklyn persona—he wouldn’t say the word cancer.

Recently, he mostly went to lunch with us as part of the ritual because he couldn’t taste much.  Our favorite place was Red’s 395 Grill in Carson City.

As Christmas approached this year, I told him that I was assuming his normal gift—a bottle of Jack Daniels—was out of the question on his doctor’s orders.  He agreed. But not willingly…

At the time, he was in a rehab hospital.

I called him up one day to see if he wanted lunch and he answered from his daughter’s house in Oregon.  The story I got was that he just checked himself out and drove to Oregon.

We never saw him or talked to him again.

But we have thousands of memories of a life well lived.  Like all of us, he was an imperfect human being but also a great friend and a whole lot of fun, when he wasn’t busy helping me or someone else.

If he could read this and talk with me today, he’s ask me why I was wasting this space on him when I could be going after (expletive deleted) Nancy Pelosi.  We’ll get back to that next week.

Mike was a big supporter of the President and a big supporter of his agenda.

Rest easy, big guy.  We’ve got it from here.

Mike would probably have gotten a good laugh from another drama going on in my life which he didn’t know about.

While he wasn’t a serious dog guy, he made exceptions for the two in my family—as long as they didn’t lick him or jump on him.

Our 13-year-old cowdog, Major, developed an osteosarcoma on his right front leg.  Our vet suggested we amputate the leg, since a chest x-ray showed that the cancer had not spread and Major is a pretty active dog.

So, we got it done last week.

Our dog puts the stub in stubborn.  Yes, he knows how to walk on three legs.  We learned that at 5 one morning when we put him outside the back door and he stood up, walked down two stairs into the back yard.  But, no, he’d rather be pulled around the house on a rug and waited on hand and foot.  If I had to make odds, I’d bet on my wife winning that battle of wills.  She’s much tougher than I am.

We don’t know how much time we have added to Major’s life but we hope that he’ll finish the third period and maybe get into an overtime shootout.

We just can’t bring ourselves to kill a dog for our convenience.

If, somehow, Mike’s reading this…please stop laughing.

Afterword...

As this was being put together, Major stood up, haltingly walked from the living room to the back door, was let out, walked out into the back yard and did his business.  Then, he turned around and walked back, went in the house and took a nap.  Thank you Dr. Kathleen Fisher and your staff at the Washoe Valley Veterinary Clinic.  You all are the best.

“They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” -Jonah 2:8 

It was reported by Fox News' Tucker Carlson that 18 Republican governors have explicitly requested that more refugees be sent to their states.  They said that it was “compassion” and “Christian charity” to do so. The questions were asked, "have their constituents demanded this?" The reply was "No."  So, what's going on here?

Guest Ned Ryan responded: Refugee resettlement has nothing to do with Christianity and has everything to do with the immoral behavior of these governors and quite frankly a perverse incentive for these government funded charities that are acting as refugee contractors grifting (swindling) off the American taxpayers.

However, the US State Department is paying these refugee contractors over $2,100 per refugee, of which they get to keep 45%, and then they're doing this campaign on these governors saying you have to put your Christian charity into action through an act of cowardice. 

Take note: This is the same government that has sanctioned the murder of innocent babies in the womb (Deuteronomy 19:10; Proverbs 6:17).This has nothing to do with the safety of Americans, it has everything to do with selling the American people out to foreigners in giving them our land. There are over 10 million illegals in America today.

What is even more disturbing is that the number of Mosques in the United States has jumped up to 74% since September 11, 2001.

The US survey 2011 counted a total of 2,106 as compared to 1,209 in the year 2000.

Americans, you are being sold out by your said representatives because you have sold out your God (Jeremiah 16:10-14).

Friends, this is not a foreign people doing this to you and your posterity.  This is corrupt representatives of the United States government committing treason against you (Luke 22:48).

Treason is the only crime specifically defined in the Constitution.

According to Article III, Section 3, a person is guilty of treason if he or she goes to war against the United States or gives “aid or comfort” to an enemy (Deuteronomy 28:43). 

Americans have known and have yet refused to take responsibility for the actions of their said representatives because Americans have failed to repent before the Lord. It takes more than "voting them out" (Read Article 2, Section 4, US Constitution). They work for you and they will act accordingly, if you are good, the government will be good. If you fail to lawfully react, they will continue to act lawlessly (1 Timothy 6:12), and so they are.

Former slave and abolitionist Fredrick Douglas, who knew best when he said:

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both.”

To What Does This Come Down?

Your sins are finding you out (Numbers 23:32).

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

 The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearken not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Thy God; Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you." -Deuteronomy 28:15, 36, 43-45, 49-52, 58-68

If repentance toward God is not immediately addressed, and remain in your sins (Exodus 20; Acts 20:21; Galatians 3:24),then it should come as no surprise when you find your government continuously selling you out only to be devoured by them that mean to conquer. This is Bible and it is history America.

 For example: Americans have been convinced by the same government that it is somehow a right to kill, which the Lord condemns, an innocent, unborn child in the womb by a woman/man with knives, only to have the flood gates opened to those who mean to kill you with knives (Matthew 5:45).  Then you discover the ones opening up those gates to those who mean to kill you are also attempting to strip you of your rights to defend yourselves against such people.

This is why it is of the utmost importance to deal with corruption: First, before God (Acts 20:21) in repentance of our sins, transgressing God’s law (1 John 3:4), and then bearing the fruits of repentance wrought in you by the Holy Ghost (2 Corinthians 7:10, Galatians 3:24), which drives us to Christ where the Law can do no more (Hebrews 12:2).  Then you will take vengeance upon corruption “and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:6)

But not until then.

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Bradlee Dean is a guest contributor to GCN news. His views and opinions are his own and do not reflect the views and opinions of the Genesis Communication Network. Bradlee's radio program, The Sons of Liberty, broadcasts live M - Sat here at GCN. This is an edited version of an op-ed originally published by Sons of Liberty Media at www.sonsoflibertyradio.com. Reprinted with permission. 

I try to be well informed on many public policy matters, but I pretend no great expertise on international relations and conflict.  That said, some thoughts on those subjects in light of the current conflict in the Middle East.

As my daughter is learning in her government class, a fundamental duty of national governments is to protect their people from external threats.  After World War I, some Republicans became isolationist, claiming we had little or no stake in many international affairs, and the Great War showed the costs and risks of getting involved.

They were certainly right about the costs and risks.  If all recorded history had not been sufficient to teach us the horrors of war, the Great War certainly should have done so.   The loss of human lives and damage to many survivors and their families, the destruction of cities and towns, of economies, infrastructure and cultures is on its face insane unless it is the only way to avoid even worse developments.

We did not get the worst of that war, although we got plenty.  But Europeans who fought it from start to finish and on their own grounds should have learned because they did.  Nonetheless, they had little choice but to fight World War II because the aggressive evil of racist German National Socialism and Italian fascism attacked them viciously, leaving no alternative.

The isolationists thought we could stay out of that war because we had oceans between us and it.  Some folks believed then and now that if we’re peaceful, non-interventionist and amicable with other countries, they’ll respond in kind.  These views were definitively shattered by the murderous, racist, aggressive Japanese militarism in Asia and then Pearl Harbor.

Two things were clear after WWII.  First, there are significant numbers of evil people and ideas in the world and they sometimes control the means to wreak great destruction.  So, we must be ready to fight and defeat them.

Second, mountains and oceans are no longer significant barriers behind which to hide.  Moreover, there is a compelling positive reason to actively engage with other nations: the huge economic and cultural benefits we get from trade and international relations.

So, we need to maintain a substantial, ready national defense.

The expansionist, totalitarian and murderous evils of Soviet, Korean, Cuban and Chinese communism proved such malign forces were not wiped out in two world wars.  It seems there’s always another one waiting around the corner.

However, with the end of the world wars and the rise of communism following hard on, engaging in war and preparation for it became normal.  Indeed, as President Eisenhower warned, a military-industrial complex had grown from these circumstances and now had an interest in arms production and fomenting conflict.  The MIC is still as powerful, influential and pernicious as ever.

One important lesson of the fall of the Soviet empire is that evil doctrines, if contained, will fail from their own evil.  Thus, the implosion of the Soviet Union because it could not compete with democratic market liberalism.  (For a while, China took a capitalist road, but returned to ruthless authoritarianism.)

Some academics proclaimed this triumph brought the end of history.  They forgot there are always new evil doctrines.

In the last half century, Islamofascism has metastasized because it originated in the Mideast, where the unearned endowment of oil and gas riches, shared by the Saudis with Islamofascists as a defensive measure, allowed it.  Islamofascism is evil because it is in its essence hostile to individual liberty and markets.  And because it views terrorism as a legitimate element of war.

President Bush 43 erred in embracing nation building as a counter-measure. President Trump got things right in promising to stop the endless wars where we have no real interests at stake.  That means most of the Middle East, not including Israel.  His surgical strike to kill Major General Soleimani was an ideal response to Iran, especially after foregoing drone strikes.

Now he must find a way to end most of our involvement there and bring most troops home while proportionately parrying Iran’s counterstrikes.

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Ron Knecht is a contributing editor to the Penny Press - the conservative weekly "voice of Nevada." His views and opinions are his own. You can subscribe at www.pennypressnv.com. This is an edited version of his column which has been reprinted with permission. 

I am not what you would call an observant Jew.

But, being a baby boomer, I received the full Sunday School treatment from my parents and got, in those 10 years, what would probably be today an advanced degree in Judaism and the history of the Jews. 

And I got from my late Father, a World War II Navy veteran, a firm connection to one of the darkest periods of our modern world’s history.

Additionally, I met a distant cousin who the Allies liberated from Auschwitz and, subsequently, moved to the United States.

The impact on a young boy of seeing a serial number tattooed on a forearm cannot be underestimated.

For those of you Jews who have no real connection to World War Two and the Holocaust, you are making a huge mistake by merely assuming it could never happen again and certainly not in the United States.

Understand this:

The Holocaust was NOT played out on a Hollywood sound stage.  If you think it was, you are even dumber than the Germans who allowed it to happen.  It happened.

The First Amendment is a beautiful thing.  But what keeps us safe from the excesses of the First Amendment is the Second.  And who wants to take away our guns? Germany didn’t have a Second Amendment and the first thing Hitler did when he came to power is to remove private gun ownership but thankfully, here in America, we are pretty well armed.

West of the Hudson River, East of the Los Angeles County line and South of the Cook County line is a whole nation which is totally unwilling to give up our second Amendment rights.

And, I’m guessing that most of Israel’s support comes from that same large area.

Israel was established with the concept that Jews should have a homeland where another Holocaust could NEVER happen.  They became fierce warriors to insure that.

For some reason, the farther people get from an event like the Holocaust the less they are concerned with the consequences.

 As for Iranian retaliation, that’s what happens when a Little League team takes on the Yankees.  The truth is that one button levels Tehran.  Another can level the Quds force.

And that’s before Israel gets involved.

Iran has plenty of American blood on its hands.  It seems only fair to make it pay.

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Fred Weinberg is a guest columnist and the CEO of USA Radio Network. His views and opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of GCN. Fred's weekly column can be read all over the internet. You can subscribe at www.pennypressnv.com. This is an edited version of his column, reprinted with permission. 

Now this may not seem to be related to The Paracast, or UFOs, but it does. Back in 1989, when I first brought an Apple Macintosh into my home, I was the oddball. Whenever I visited a local computer store to buy some software, and told them it was for a Mac, the salespeople would give me a strange look and dispatch me to the back of the store.

I wasn’t surprised to see a few dusty boxes that, when I looked them over, after blowing on them to see the lettering, I found to be mostly out of date.

In those days, the Mac was the plaything. You did serious work on a PC. Period. The computing world has changed a lot in the past 31 years, but that’s another story.

Now as a preteen, I first became interested in UFOs when I borrowed a book from my brother — one he had borrowed from the public library — that was entitled “Flying Saucers From Outer Space” by Major Donald Keyhoe. Little did I know that I would still be chasing the saucers decades later.

When I brought the book home, my dad barely noticed. My mother never asked; she had already realized that I was a different sort.

I had the benefit of not being terribly social. My few friends, oddly enough, were also interested in the subject. So Marty would talk about a book he bought for one dollar at the closeout racks of a bookstore, “The Expanding Case for the UFO” by M.K. Jessup. It was the lesser-known follow up to the infamous “Case for the UFO” that managed to help trigger the Philadelphia Experiment myth.

But don’t get me started on that. Well, just this: In the mid-1970s, I briefly hosted a cable TV show for Harry Belil, publisher of Beyond Reality magazine. One of my guests was Charles Berlitz, the bestselling author of “The Bermuda Triangle.”

In response to a question about what he was working on next, he talked about the Philadelphia Experiment and his search for a copy of the Varo or Annotated Edition of “Case for the UFO.”

It just so happened that I had a copy of a republished version. He paused for just a moment, and I later realized he claimed that it was missing strictly to promote his forthcoming book. But he happily accepted my offer to give him my copy.

No, I didn’t ask for its return. I just didn’t take it seriously. Besides, I got a small credit in his book.

But I digress. During that infamous visit to the Washington, D.C. headquarters of NICAP in 1965, one of the major UFO clubs of that era, Marty came along for the ride, soon joined by my old friends, Allen Greenfield and Rick Hilberg.

That’s the occasion where NICAP’s office manager, Richard Hall, told me I wasn’t welcome there, evidently because I was receiving a paycheck as Managing Editor of Saucer News.

That was probably the last time I saw Marty. I had made arrangements to meet up with him not long thereafter, but he never showed up. He didn’t return my phone calls, so I moved on.

In any case, I continued my pursuit of UFOs, again not suffering the ridicule and scorn that affected others involved in that pursuit. When I worked as News Director for a suburban Philadelphia radio station, I would occasionally run a local news item about a UFO sighting. Management didn’t care, so long as I covered the most important local stories about the police blotter, school board meetings, and town meetings.

In a sense, I was living in a different reality. As we all recall, even in times of high UFO activity, the mainstream media usually treated the subject as a joke. If they ran out of “real” news to report, they’d sometimes trot out a filler about someone seeing UFOs, and talk about ET believers, little green men and other annoyances.

Sure, a few papers treated the subject seriously, usually ones that serviced smaller cities and towns.

But that all changed beginning in 2017, when both The New York Times and Politico revealed the news about the Pentagon UFO Study, in which $22 million was allocated to the project at the urging of Senator Harry Reid, then Majority Leader. I suppose you could quibble that all or most of it went to billionaire Bob Bigelow to continue his research.

After all, it appears to be true that Bigelow sent campaign donations to Reid’s campaigns, and one might assume that the fix was in. But Bigelow certainly has the resources — and the interest — to actually get some work done. Unfortunately, he’s also very reluctant to say much about what he knows.

So can we say the evidence went from one Black Hole into another?

But I’m not terribly pleased that the acronym UAP has been replacing UFOs in places that present themselves as more serious outlets nowadays. In a sense, this is the equivalent of switching from flying saucers to UFOs in the 1950s. It was all designed to give the subject the air of credibility. Evidently, referring to the phenomenon now as a UFO only incites the debunkers to do their thing.

I was also not surprised to see serious articles about, well, UAPs, in the Washington Post. Such cable news outlets as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and others brought on people to present serious viewpoints on the topic.

I was especially surprised to see conservative firebrand Tucker Carlson keep his cool whenever UAPs were discussed. Since he is notorious for taking the cheap shots, this may indeed indicate a serious interest on his part.

Contrast that to the first time I saw journalist Leslie Kean interviewed on Fox News, in connection with her 2010 book, “UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record.”

The anchors appeared to be standing on a platform, which only increased their height advantages over Leslie, who is short. She was clearly not intimated, and the interview was conducted seriously, no snickers or bad green alien jokes.

These days, the anchors and the guests were all seated, at least on the shows I’ve seen, so any height disparities were generally irrelevant.

Then there’s the To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science, which has received its share of attention.

Whatever you think about the goings on at this company, its stated purpose, on its site, is still murky. It is referred to as “a public benefit corporation that was established in 2017 as a revolutionary collaboration between academia, industry and pop culture to advance society’s understanding of scientific phenomena and its technological implications.”

Certainly flying saucers, UFOs or UAP aren’t mentioned there, unless it’s about “scientific phenomena.” The organization seems to be trying too hard to take on the veneer of a serious scientific research body.

Regardless, it’s nice to see UFOs (I’m sticking with that one!) being taken seriously by the mainstream media; well, corporate media. It doesn’t necessarily mean we are any closer to discovering some real answers about what’s going on, but it is a refreshing change.

The Paracast: this week's episode: Gene and Randall present a thought-provoking discussion with ong time UFO author/researchers Jerome Clark and Chris Rutkowski. Jerry has written over a dozen books include the multivolume magnum opus, “The UFO Encyclopedia.” He’s also a songwriter whose music has been recorded or performed by musicians such as Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Tom T. Hall. Chris is a Canadian science writer and educator, with a background in astronomy but with a passion for teaching science concepts to children and adults. Since the mid-1970s, he also has been studying reports of UFOs and writing about his investigations and research.

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Gene Steinberg is a guest contributor to GCN news. His views and opinions, if expressed, are his own. Gene hosts The Paracast - broadcast on Sunday from 3:00am - 6:00am (CST) and is the former host of The Tech Night Owl LIVE, which was on the network for ten years. The Paracast is still nationally syndicated through GCNlive. Gene’s Tech Night Owl Newsletter is a weekly information service of Making The Impossible, Inc. -- Copyright © 1999-2020. Click here to subscribe to Tech Night Owl Newsletter. This article was originally published at theparacst.com-- reprinted with permission.

Once upon a time, I had three “full service” phone numbers, plus my mobile number. Two (including the mobile number) were used for business, another number for personal calls, and the last for faxing.

Yes, faxing.

Faxes, of course, are yesterday’s news for the most part. But some companies and some individuals still use them, so I needed that capability. I also wanted to keep the other phone numbers active to separate personal and business activities.

But there was the cost of maintaining extra phone numbers, and I wanted to cut costs. My solution is as economical as I can make it without giving up those numbers and faxing capability.

So my fax number has been ported to Metrofax, but I got a somewhat better deal than the ones advertised. Their cheapest listed package, Essential, is $9.95 per month for up to 500 pages, but I was able to order a cheaper package, limited to maybe 100 pages or so, for $4.00 per month. I have to pay fees for extra faxes, but I’ll never exceed the limit.

Eventually, when the rare need for fax capability is gone and forgotten, I’ll terminate that number.

But what about the others?

One of the better VoIP phone providers, Voipo, offers a Could VoIP Phone Service for $4.95 a month. You get 500 incoming calls free per month and you pay one cent per minute for calls forwarded to another number. At worst, it’ll never be more than a dollar or two extra a month. So I ordered up two of these packages for two of the phone numbers, which were easily ported to the service. Calls from the personal number are forwarded to my iPhone.

The business number? Well, I also signed up for Google Voice, which is free for incoming calls and call forwarding. It sets up a valet or call screening system, so I know who is calling my business line, which forwards to the service. I also have the free Google Voice number. In turn, the screened calls go to my iPhone, and the phone screener alerts me that I’m receiving a business call.

So I have a grand total of four phone numbers (including Google Voice) for $13.90 per month above my wireless bill. Plus, as I said, another dollar or two for incoming calls from the cloud numbers.

At some point, I’ll kill the personal number and, as I said, the fax number, when they are no longer needed.

Now when it comes to printing, I long ago realized that there was no paperless revolution. Sure, magazines and newspapers have largely gone digital, but there are times when a hard copy is needed, so I had to get a printer.

The ideal solution is a black-and-white laser printer. It is much faster than the typical low-cost inkjet, and consumables are far cheaper per page. My Brother HL-L5100dn cost maybe $150 when I bought it several years ago. It appears to have been discontinued, but there is a similar HL-L5200DW for $169.99 available now at Amazon. The original and the new model promise print speeds of up to 42ppm. In the real world, you might get 25-30 based on my estimates.

Now the big expense for a laser printer, as with the inkjet alternative, is toner. If you buy the OEM (Brother) version, Amazon sells the required TN850 cartridge for $109.99 with a rating of up to 8,000 copies. But I learned long ago that third-party toner can be had for a fraction of that price. While your mileage may vary, most of the ones I’ve tried provide print quality just about as good as Brother’s cartridge.

Prices are usually in the $30 range for a TN850 compatible. I recently found a Kingjet compatible priced at $17.99 for a pair of cartridges. I’m still using the second, but it’s not listed as available at Amazon right now. So the best I found, in terms of price, was an EasyPrint selling for $17.83 for a single cartridge. But the product doesn’t have any customer ratings yet, and I’d suggest you read the reviews carefully before buying a compatible replacement for any printer.

For now, until the second Kingston cartridge is spent, I’m paying less than two-tenths of a cent per page, and I buy the very cheapest copying paper I can find.

In order to complete a recent project, though, I needed a printer with copying and scanning capability. I wanted to do it on the cheap, too, and I found a suitable machine. HP makes some of the best printers in the business, and their OfficeJet 3830 All-in-One is an ideal choice with a condition I’ll explain shortly. I was able to find it at Amazon for $49.89; it’s now $69.89.

As multifunction inkjets go, the 3830 is quite good for black and white or color prints, with average print speeds. But, as you know, color ink is expensive. This model uses one black and white and one color cartridge (other models provide separate cartridges for each color). Consumer Reports estimates print costs at 8.3 cents per page for black and white, and 32.6 cents per page for color. That’s on the high side, and you can see where the costs add up.

You can save roughly 50% on third-party ink. Unfortunately, I’ve had bad luck with compatibles for inkjets. But HP has a special service where you can actually save a lot of money on OEM consumables. It’s HP Instant Ink, and you pay monthly for a fixed number of copies. The supplied ink cartridges have a higher capability than the store-bought ones, according to HP, and they are shipped to you before you need them. It’s based on the number of copies you print.

A pretty basic Instant Ink package, suitable for most home or casual users, is $4.99 for 100 copies per month, or roughly 5 cents per page. That’s for either black and white or color. If you need more capacity, there’s a $9.99 package that covers 300 pages per month, or three-and-a-third cents per page. It maxes out at $19.99 per month for up to 700 pages per month, or less than three cents per page. You can also rollover unused pages to the next month. If you exceed the limit plus your rollover pages, you pay extra.

So I’m saving a lot compared to Consumer Reports’ estimates, which I’ll take as accurate.

Now getting color prints for pennies a page is a great deal, and is well worth considering. Yet there is an even more efficient option, a printer with refillable ink tanks, such as the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 Wireless All-In-One, which sells for $179.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. Replacement ink bottles are $13.97 for each of four colors. Epson rates yield from these ink bottles as sufficient to print 4,000 to 6,500 copies; it’s one-and-a-third cents per page for the former. Now we’re getting somewhere!

But an EcoTank printer has a higher upfront cost than equivalent printers with regular ink cartridges. If you print a lot of copies, thought, it won’t take very long to cover the extra cost. While I haven’t had a chance to test an Epson EcoTank, the company’s products generally get high ratings for print quality and speed.

But with my modest needs, such a printer doesn’t make any sense.

So while some of you might look to spending more money on tech gear and services in 2020, I think I’ve found an affordable solution, at least for now.

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Gene Steinberg is a guest contributor to GCN news. His views and opinions, if expressed, are his own. Gene hosts The Paracast - broadcast on Sunday from 3:00am - 6:00am (CST) and is the former host of The Tech Night Owl LIVE, which was on the network for ten years. The Paracast is still nationally syndicated through GCNlive. Gene’s Tech Night Owl Newsletter is a weekly information service of Making The Impossible, Inc. -- Copyright © 1999-2020. Click here to subscribe to Tech Night Owl Newsletter. This article was originally published at Technightowl.com -- reprinted with permission.

The most exciting evening of the year is coming and we start celebrating hours, even days before.  Champagne, beer, vodka, rum…you won’t find a venue without it. Unfortunately the pace at which alcohol is consumed can be just as deadly as the quantity. What you read below may be difficult to swallow, but it’s necessary to know to stay healthy.

What is acute alcohol intoxication?

Simply put, it’s alcohol poisoning. Alcohol consumed in high quantities and at too fast a pace will disrupt metabolic processes in the body. A healthy human body will break down alcohol at a rate of 1 oz per hour.  So if the average shot glass contains 0.6 – 1.5 oz. of alcohol and if one takes in 4 shots in one sitting, math dictates that the body will not be able to keep up.

Whatever the liver does not metabolize will continue to circulate in the body.  As a defense mechanism, your gut may try to throw it up, which is why vomiting is a red flag of acute alcohol intoxication.

Alcohol is additionally a sedative so respiratory rate can drop to the point of causing the drinker to become unconscious. Slow respiration coupled with high alcohol blood content will cause drinkers to have impaired brain function (loss of memory, acting confused) and dilation of blood vessels. This can hypoperfuse certain organs as your body tries to preserve blood flow to the heart and brain, thus giving the drinker a pale, clammy look.

Chronic alcohol intoxication could cause scarring of the liver called cirrhosis.

How much alcohol is safe to drink?

The CDC website defines quantities of alcohol as the following:

A standard drink is equal to 14.0 grams (0.6 ounces) of pure alcohol. Generally, this amount of pure alcohol is found in

• 12-ounces of beer (5% alcohol content).
• 8-ounces of malt liquor (7% alcohol content).
• 5-ounces of wine (12% alcohol content).
• 1.5-ounces or a “shot” of 80-proof (40% alcohol content) distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey).

Women metabolize alcohol differently from men, so they are encouraged to drink less. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a man should drink no more than 2 standard drinks a day and for women, no more than 1. “Binge Drinking” is defined as 4 or more drinks (woman) or 5 or more drinks (man) in a 2 hour period.

According to their website they state:

MODERATE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:

ACCORDING TO THE “DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS 2015-2020,” U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, MODERATE DRINKING IS UP TO 1 DRINK PER DAY FOR WOMEN AND UP TO 2 DRINKS PER DAY FOR MEN.

BINGE DRINKING:

• NIAAA DEFINES BINGE DRINKING AS A PATTERN OF DRINKING THAT BRINGS BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION (BAC) LEVELS TO 0.08 G/DL. THIS TYPICALLY OCCURS AFTER 4 DRINKS FOR WOMEN AND 5 DRINKS FOR MEN—IN ABOUT 2 HOURS.
• THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA), WHICH CONDUCTS THE ANNUAL NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH (NSDUH), DEFINES BINGE DRINKING AS 5 OR MORE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS FOR MALES OR 4 OR MORE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS FOR FEMALES ON THE SAME OCCASION (I.E., AT THE SAME TIME OR WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS OF EACH OTHER) ON AT LEAST 1 DAY IN THE PAST MONTH.

HEAVY ALCOHOL USE:

SAMHSA DEFINES HEAVY ALCOHOL USE AS BINGE DRINKING ON 5 OR MORE DAYS IN THE PAST MONTH.

What if I’m taking medication? Can I still drink?

There is no official list of what medications can be swigged with alcohol.  Some sources will incorrectly say “Tylenol” however one’s liver may not agree as both acetaminophen (its key ingredient) and alcohol may cause liver disease.  We suggest speaking with your medical provider first before drinking.

The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides a list of medications that could produce serious side effects when mixed with alcohol (even during the same night).  For example, NSAIDS (non steroidal antiinflammatories, such as ibuprofen), could increase the risk of GI Bleed.

How much alcohol is toxic to the body?

Any amount of alcohol may be toxic to the body depending on one’s baseline health and how his/her body metabolizes alcohol.  One drink has even been linked to cancer such as those of the throat and/or GI tract. So we don’t have an official “safe level” of alcohol to consistently promote. How we determine ranges of toxicity depends on one’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) which can be measured.

The following tables come from the University of Notre Dame, Student Well-Being McDonald Center…….

BAC-Specific Effects

Estimating Blood Alcohol Level (Based on Weight) – Males

Estimating Blood Alcohol Level (Based on Weight) – Females

Time Factor Table

Time is the only factor to lower one’s Blood Alcohol Content. Coffee, cold showers, etc… are all myths.

A Happy New Year should also be a Healthy New Year.  So be warm, dry, safe and have fun!!

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Daliah Wachs is a guest contributor to GCN news, her views and opinions, medical or otherwise, are her own. Doctor Wachs is an MD,  FAAFP and a Board Certified Family Physician.  The Dr. Daliah Show , is nationally syndicated M-F from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and Saturday from Noon-1:00 pm (all central times) at GCN.

Oh, how many times I have preached that the Lord is going to get our attention one way or another and, boy oh boy, is He doing just that.  His message is clear: If you want to remain free then you are going to have to fight for your freedoms (1 Timothy 6:12). After all, the history of the Church is that the Lord is willing to give the Church what it is willing to fight for, no doubt.

Tyrants know what happens when we do not keep the Lord's commandments in keeping with His justice (Isaiah 51:4), and that is that tyranny rises as freedoms die. In fact, tyrants are encouraged by the apathetic (Matthew 13:25).  They are encouraged by the tolerant in committing transgressions (1 John 3:4).  That is exactly what we have seen in this country for far too long.

How many profess to be the Lord's in this country who refuse to obey Him in keeping His commandments (1 John 2:4)?  It is astounding! The biblical illiterates have trained the goats well.

History teaches us that you can only oppress a people for so long before their oppressors get a response. Our forefathers, are a prime example of just that, There will always be a small number of those who will obey the Lord and resist the tyrants (Romans 12:21).

Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to William S. Smith, a diplomatic official in London, on November 13, 1787, “God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion.” Jefferson remarked The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”

He was not only talking of a foreign enemy that would commit such infidelity, treachery and treason without, but about those who would commit such infidelity treachery and treason within (Luke 22:48).

When looking at the example that our forefathers left us, that is when it came to their examples, we need to look no further than the Declaration of Independence. We can find that 75% of that documentation is our forefathers throwing off the tyrant across the pond who would not be ruled by God to keep men free (2 Corinthians 3:17). The sort of tyrants that Americans are now finding in their own midst.

Law Enforcement Today reported, “Thousands of cops, veterans, supporters pledge to join militia in Virginia to combat unconstitutional laws.”

From the article: 

“Things are getting really bad in Virginia. But this group isn’t going down without a fight.   Virginia – Monday morning, Law Enforcement Today reported on how Tazewell County, Virginia is crafting a militia to defend the Constitution in the state.  And within hours, we were flooded with thousands of emails from people across the state – police officers, veterans, and patriotic Americans – who said they are joining.

And it’s a movement that’s gaining traction across the state.  Wrote one man: 

“I am Vietnam vet, ex-police, retired and am behind your ideas 100% , anything I can do I would like to help. 

I live in Franklin County, which voted down being a sanctuary city being the council is Democratic, a moonshine county giving up their guns is dumb. 

The South gave up their flag, their statues and now they want their guns, sounds like Hitler’s Germany.”

Wrote another:

“There had already been rumblings locally about a militia being formed last month.  We started carefully and quietly assembling patriotic Americans who are prepared to defend freedom at all costs.  

In the past day those numbers have swelled.  We have a very strong military presence here – more veterans and both active and retired LE than you can count. As of this evening, we’re talking about thousands of people that have expressed an interest in being a part of this movement.” 

Last week, we reported on how lawmakers over in Virginia were threatening to use the National Guard if members of local law enforcement refuses to enforce laws passed in the state that they felt violated the Second amendment." 

Think about what this tyrant Ralph Northam and his subordinates are suggesting.  They are threatening to use the National Guard against law-abiding gun owners. Who is the National Guard? Our grandfathers, our fathers, our uncles, our cousins, our brothers, our neighbors, and friends. Friends, this precipitates a civil war (Psalm 9:17).

This is the importance of knowing the US Constitution and upholding its enumerated Laws (Article 6, Section 2).

This is a clear and present danger as it is a true revelation and exhibition of what tyranny looks and acts like (Matthew 7:16). And it is happening in America today.

Notice they also want to, by force, push the police into acting in an unconstitutional manner as they are acting.  This is tyranny.  It is our duty to lawfully throw it off (Romans 12:21).

“To disarm the people…[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them.” – George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, June 14, 1788

That’s what sparked things in Tazewell County, which has said it isn’t going down without a fight.

On top of calling themselves a Second Amendment Sanctuary County, they’re also crafting a militia, as well. The Virginia county has taken the movement that has swept across the state and added an element that is sure to trigger pro-gun-grabbing politicians in the state.

Who is the militia?

“I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers.” – George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country.” – James Madison, I Annals of Congress 434, June 8, 1789

“A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves…and include, according to the past and general usage of the states, all men capable of bearing arms…  “To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them.”

– Richard Henry Lee, Federal Farmer No. 18, January 25, 1788

“What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty …. Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins.”

– Rep. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, I Annals of Congress 750, August 17, 1789

“Our position is that Article I, Section 13, of the Constitution of Virginia reserves the right to ‘order’ militia to the localities. Therefore, counties, not the state, determine what types of arms may be carried in their territory and by whom. So, we are ‘ordering’ the militia by making sure everyone can own a weapon.”

Thus, if anyone from the state tries to remove the sheriff from their elected office because they refuse to enforce unjust laws, those state officials will be faced with a lawful militia composed of citizens within the state.

The county is taking their militia element very seriously as the new ordinance calls for concealed weapons training for any resident of the county that can lawfully own a gun.

Another couple sent in this message late Monday to LET:

“…my husband and I are die hard 2nd Amendment defenders, and if they want our guns they will have to kill us to get them, but I guarantee that they will not come out of that battle unscathed!!!

We are both disabled but we would be ready and more than willing to fight side by side with all of our like minded brothers and sisters.

We are from West “by God” Virginia and we tell everyone who cares to ask what we think about guns and the 2nd Amendment, that we were born with a gun in our hand and will probably die the same way! Guns don’t kill people, at least not without a trigger person, it is usually by a deranged person  or a gang member or a person in the act of robbery or drug running, kidnapping etc.

And usually committed with an illegally purchased or non registered weapon, the leftist, dictator, communistic socialist ‘ idiots need to realize that if they take away legal gun owners weapons , who have been trained to properly handle a weapon, they might as well open the doors and announce to the criminals to come get what they want because the criminals will be the ONLY ones to have a gun which was obtained from the black market.”

The county has also called for schools to adopt firearms safety training programs. Considering the blue wave that hit the state, along with Bloomberg pouring in millions toward the election, this is a massive win that shows gun owners aren’t going to lie down. 

Americans, be encouraged and let their cruelties swell our ranks because they are.

Knowing what is unfolding in Virginia and how it is that they are responding to tyrants makes one proud to be an American (Psalm 33:12).

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Bradlee Dean is a guest contributor to GCN news. His views and opinions are his own and do not reflect the views and opinions of the Genesis Communication Network. Bradlee's radio program, The Sons of Liberty, broadcasts live M - Sat here at GCN. This is an edited version of an op-ed originally published by Sons of Liberty Media at www.sonsoflibertyradio.com. Reprinted with permission. 

TO AVOID FAILING AT ONE’S NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS, START BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK AS VACATION TIME ALLOWS ONE MORE FLEXIBILITY TO KEEP TO ONE’S GOALS

Updated 12/17/19

Nothing is more of a buzz kill, enjoying the biggest party of the year, than the discussion of New Year’s Resolutions. Let’s be honest ...what are these resolutions anyway? They’re a promise to do the right thing in exchange for no one nagging us while we abuse ourselves over the holidays. So it’s no wonder most New Year’s resolutions fail. If your heart’s not it and if the goals aren’t realistic, resolutions won’t be met. 

Moreover we wait until January 2nd to give up smoking, or sweets, and struggle as we are returning from vacation and need to hit our work schedule head on.  So I suggest starting your healthy habits during your holiday vacation week(s) where you can go through withdrawal or be grumpy without the boss seeing.  The resolutions may stick longer and they will be easier to do once the new work week/year begins.

The most common (and commonly failed) New Year’s Resolutions are:

1. To lose weight
2. To stop smoking
3. To drink less
4. To make more money
5. To spend more time with family
6. To perform better at work
7. To save more money
8. To eat healthier
9. To go to church/temple more often
10. Get a boyfriend/girlfriend
11. Spend less time on the internet/smartphone
12. To watch less porn

Look how general and insurmountable some of these can be.  They’re too broad and if these were easy to do, you would already be accomplishing them.

So which New Year’s Resolutions can be practical and attainable?

Choose easy, finite, small discreet steps.  You’ll feel better since they are easier to accomplish.

• Drink more water
• Call your mother once a week – sorry, sorry, how about once a month…  better?
• Lose 5 pounds in January.  Then try to lose 5 lbs in February…
• Eat more vegetables
• Take $20 a paycheck and put into savings
• Make 7 pm – 8 pm playtime with the kids
• Walk 10 minutes a day in January.  In February bring it up to 15 minutes, and so on
• Plan the third Saturday of the month to be date night with your spouse
• Go to church/temple more often – no shortcuts here
• Put out each cigarette after 1-2 puffs
• Check your cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc
• Make an appointment for a physical
• Plan a mid year vacation
• Organize your desk at work
• Walk the dog for an extra half hour on Sundays
• Limit computer/phone time to 1 hour a day

The list goes on.  But you see how making small, baby goals can build on themselves to the point where you will lose weight, eat healthier, save more money, preserve your relationship, perform better at work, etc.

Oh, I forgot one last important New Years Resolution ...listen to more stimulating medical talk radio.  Tee-hee…..

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!!!

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Daliah Wachs is a guest contributor to GCN news, her views and opinions, medical or otherwise, are her own. Doctor Wachs is an MD,  FAAFP and a Board Certified Family Physician.  The Dr. Daliah Show , is nationally syndicated M-F from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and Saturday from Noon-1:00 pm (all central times) at GCN.