Around the Town in Oakmont PA

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 02:00:00 +0000

My Christmas has been wonderful so far to day. I have all of my children and both grand children here for most of the afternoon and we all attended services at church this evening arriving home just about half an hour ago. The grand kids are playing a new game on the Wii and having a good time. God has blessed my family and life is good. I hope you all have a blessed Christmas and I hope that you keep all of our service men and women in your hearts and prayers. God bless them and their families.

We all knew it had to come

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Well we have been very lucky here in Oakmont and the Allegheny Valley for the last several years. We haven't had a winter like those I remember as a kid growing up for some time and it looks, depending on your point of view, that the luck has run out. The photo is of my lovely wife Linda out clearing the walks and digging out the car this morning. I have already had posting on Face Book scolding me for making her clear the walks and I hate to wimp out but my heart currently put show shoveling off limits to me. Maybe I'll buy her a snow blower for Christmas! :-)

I was born after the big snow of 1950 and all I heard about growing up was how much snow we got that winter and how long it lasted. According to my parents there was a flag pole in the base ball field across from our house where the borough dumped the snow that they plowed from the streets. According to family legend that year snow was piled up till only the ball at the top of the flag pole was visible. Further more, there was still a small pile of snow that had not yet melted at the base of the pole in late May.

Some folks call it an "old fashioned" winter and they love it. Me, I have never enjoyed winter not even as a child. I did like the thrill of sled riding on some of the steep hills that surrounded the area I grew up in. Unlike some kids I didn't have to travel out into the county to have a terrific down hill sledding experience. I only had to have someone posted to watch for traffic when I zoomed across an intersection and out on the ball field.

Even so, I never enjoyed being cold and wet. I had no desire to build snow men, snow caves or engage in snow ball fights. I did manage to get into a few snow ball battles on the way home from school a few times though.

I have always thought of snow as something that if you had to describe it to someone that you should have to take a book down from the shelf and show them a picture. Or if you were so inclined you could travel into higher elevations and "visit" it if you were struck with an overwhelming desire to do so.

This often makes me wonder why I have chosen to spend the bulk of my life in the Pittsburgh area. I suppose the love of family and the feeling of being "home" has been stronger than my distaste for standing ankle deep in slush while scraping ice off my car windows so that I could get to work. Don't let me dissuade you. Pittsburgh in general is a great place to live and Oakmont is about as ideal a small town as you could wish for. It looks like however from all of the predictions that have come from the local weather prognosticators that we are in for "typical" Pittsburgh winter this year and I guess I will just have to endure it with a smile.

I'm sorry............

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:20:00 +0000

This isn't going to sound very "Christian" of me especially at this time of the year but I just have to rant. While getting back to health I have been working from home for a while now and I usually have the television on most of the time tuned to the Fox News Channel. One of the main stories that was reported on during the entire day was about the search for some climbers who were stuck somewhere up on Mt. Hood one of the loftier peaks in this great country.

One of their companions has already been discovered having lost his life for his endeavors to reach the summit of this mountain. I am deeply sorry for this man and his friends and family that he has died. If the same fate befalls his companions further up the mountain I will also say a prayer for their families and be saddened by their grief.

What gets me upset is that so many other people will now put their lives and limbs at risk in an effort to go up and save these guys who chose on their own to take on this very hazardous hobby. In my youth I have done some things for the thrill of it which in retrospective were not particularly intelligent and most of them I don't regret. However, when I did these things the only hide I was risking was my own.

I think the fact that we have organized units of rescue personal that are on stand by to go and retrieve these adventures that climb mountains or go deep into caves and suddenly find they are unable to extract themselves from the place that the have gotten into is not only ridiculous but immoral. I think they should add to the adrenalin rush when they start that journey knowing that if they find themselves stuck several thousand feet above the earth in a snow pack that they will either get back on their own or that conditions permitting someone will come in the spring and reclaim their bodies for popper burial.

Don't get me wrong. I have no problem what so ever pulling out all of the stops and doing anything necessary to rescue a lost child or elderly person. A family traveling a well known route that finds themselves stuck by a sudden snow storm or similar circumstances. These however are people who did not deliberately set out to put themselves in harms way. I even understand those that feel that they have to climb the mountain "because its there" and God bless them if they are able to do it. I just don't want to see other people die in the process and to a lesser extent I don't want to pay tax dollars to maintain crews and equipment some of which is very expensive to pull these folks back from the breach when needed.

Like I said not a very kind thought really any time of the year but it is just one of those things that push my buttons especially when it becomes a national news story. That is my 1.835 cents on the matter feel free to comment.

Where the heck have you been?

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:59:00 +0000

I'm sure all of the readers of this blog, both of you, have been wondering where I disappeared to. I have been on somewhat of a hiatus for a number of reasons. My work schedule has been increasing exponentially for some time now and shows no sign of letting up.

I have had a number of health issues some minor and some serious that have thrown me off track and has taken some time to bounce back from. I am doing better right now than I have been for several months but still have some issues to face.

My point being that it is not that I haven't had anything to say, to the contrary I have some very strong opinions on things that have been happening in our town and our country. I have just had a great deal of difficulty getting myself to the keyboard to put my thoughts into writing. So I will try to post some things of interest here that I hope will give readers something to ponder as they go through their day.

God bless the family of Officer Crawshaw

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:09:00 +0000

Tragedy has once again struck a Pittsburgh area police department a fact that I am sure all of you are aware of by now.

Office Mike Crawshaw of the Penn Hills Police Department will be laid to rest today as he is honored by his fellow police officers and emergency workers from all over the nation. At a time when we are normally looking forward to a joyous season with the advent of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ his family, friends and fellow officers find themselves filled with grief at his loss.

The only words that I can write to offer comfort at this time is to say that I am assuming from news reports that Officer Crawshaw was a Christian and the only solace that we can take is knowing that his soul is now in God's hands.

I pray that God will also comfort his family and fellow officers as they morn the loss of their son and friend. I also hope that members of the Penn Hills community and the Pittsburgh area will give thought to the men and women that protect our cities and towns everyday. They are unsung heroes in the everyday world until such a tragedy strikes and the dangers they face and the sacrifices they make are brought to the cold light of day.

Please keep Officer Crawshaw's family and all of our emergency personal in your prayers.

Words of wisdom from Andrew Klavan

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:54:00 +0000

Like many of you I am on several mailing list. Some of them are of a group nature and other are simply lists maintained by individuals so they can send a message to a number of contacts all at once from their address book. This link came from one of those messages from an individual and while the video that it takes you to is very short it is also in my opinion very profound. So, click on the link below and take a few minutes to listen to what the gentleman has to say. Like the Gettysburg Address it is a short speech but one that we should all hear.

Andrew Klavan On Cluture

What did President Obama really say about abortion?

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:05:00 +0000

I tend to be very opinionated on some things in life and abortion is one of them. I freely admit that I have come full circle in my lifetime on this issue. For a very long time I held the position that abortion was morally wrong and that it is something that I would never permit in my family, but that it was also absolutely none of the governments business and should not be a matter to be decided by lawmakers or enforced one way or the other by law.

After a lot of study of the issue talking with friends and family and reading as much material as I can find I have come 180 degrees on my stance. I now firmly believe that from the moment of conception that baby, that child, is a human being just the same as you and I. I also firmly believe that there is no difference between someone taking a knife and plunging it into the chest of another person and a doctor performing an abortion. Lets not mince words, they both are acts of murder, the taking of a human life. In the case of abortion an innocent and defenceless life.

President Obama's recent speech at Notre Dame while noble sounding I found somewhat disingenuous. He speaks of finding a middle ground and of being tolerant of other peoples positions on the issue. Yet in the end I think actions speak louder than words and all actions in the matter are decidedly one sided.

I am not very good at expressing ideas in print so when I listened to this segment of a talk show that I enjoy I heard my own thoughts expressed much better than I could say them myself. If you have time please click on the link and think about the discussion that you hear. I think you will find it both interesting and informative.

Click to listen to Issues Etc on President Obama's speech.

Thoughts of mothers

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:54:00 +0000

I'm sure you all get emails from friends, we all have mailing list that we send items to on a regular basis. Mostly jokes and humorous things but also some that have a more serious tone or a message that you want to pass on to others. A friend of mine sent me one of those messages in an email today probably because Mothers Day just passed, and it touched me enough that I wanted to share it with others. The fact that I lost my mother while she was still relatively young, not even sixty two yet, caused this one to pull at my heart strings just a little harder than most. Read on and you will see why. I can tell you that this message is one that we should all heed.

MOTHER

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to
dinner and a movie.

She said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and I would
Love to spend some time with you.'

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has
been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children
had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked?

My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a
surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

'I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,' I
responded 'just the two of us.' She thought about it for a moment, and then
said,'I would like that very much.'

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit
nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be
nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on.

She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to
celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as
radiant as an angel's.

'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were
impressed,' she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear
about our meeting.'

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and
cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu.

Her eyes could only read large print.. Half-way through the entrees, I
lifted my eyes and saw Mother sitting there staring at me.

A nostalgic smile was on her lips..

'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she
said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I responded.

During the dinner , we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary
but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much
that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll
go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed..

'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. 'Very nice,
much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack.

It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for
her. Sometime later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant
receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I
could be there; but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and
the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me.

'I love you, son'

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I love
YOU' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time
they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till some 'other' time.

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've
had a baby... somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is
history.

Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the
first... somebody doesn't have two or more children.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and
delivery....somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first
day of
kindergarten... or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'

Somebody said a Mother can stop worrying after her child gets married...
somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a
mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last
child leaves home.... somebody never had grandchildren..

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell
her... somebody isn't a mother.

Pass this along to all the GREAT 'mothers' in your life and to everyone
who ever had a mother.

This isn't just about being a mother; it's about appreciating the people
in your lives while you have them..... no matter who that person is!

Watch your thoughts, they become words..
Watch your words, they become actions..
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, for it
becomes...your destiny.

Life is not waiting for the storm to pass its learning how to dance in the rain.

Here is an interesting story

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:05:00 +0000

A friend sent me this story about the real pilots in the movie "Top Gun" and I thought I would share it with you. One of the lead pilots in the movie is piloting the space shuttle on its next mission to work on the Hubble Telescope. If you are interested you can read the story here.

TOP GUN GOES TO SPACE

Say "Hello........."

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:09:00 +0000

In addition to having fun with computers and reading books I am an Amateur Radio Operator or as some call us a "ham" radio operator. It is a great hobby that has brought me hours of pleasure, introduced me to many new friends and helped me advance my work career by keeping me in touch with the latest technology. As the video below will show you anyone can get involved with the hobby and join in on the fun. If you think you might be interested after watching the video leave me a comment and I will help you get started.

Geometry, traffic lights and Hulton road

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Fundamental geometry tells us that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Despite this known fact if you live in Western Pennsylvania, especially at this time of the year, you know that the shortest distance between two points is under construction. If you don't believe that just get in your car and drive around for while.

While you are out driving, particularly if it is during the morning rush hour, and you happen to travel down Allegheny River Boulevard to Hulton road you may notice that traffic backs up quit a bit from the traffic signal at the intersection. Now considering the volume of traffic that traverses the Allegheny River from Oakmont to Harmarville each day this should come as no surprise.

When the property that was formerly an Exxon gas station was sold and turned into a Wall Greens pharmacy one of the requirements was that a traffic signal be placed where Allegheny River Boulevard and Allegheny Avenue intersect with Hulton Road. I was somewhat fearful of the effects of putting a traffic signal at these intersections thinking it would add to what was already a bottle neck in the traffic flow and make matters worse.

Much to my surprise a good deal of engineering work went into synchronizing both lights at the railroad crossing and the other signal at the Harmarville side of the bridge. I think overall it has made rush hour traffic flow at a better pace than before with one exception.

It is this exception that leads me to write this blog entry. Human nature being what it is there will always be some in a group that are impatient and will try to beat the system. Such is the case with the traffic signals on Hulton Road. It now seems that during morning rush hour people who can not wait on Hulton road for the normal traffic cycle are turning off at Wade Lane or Fifth Street and then proceeding down Woodland Avenue to Oakmont Avenue where when they reach the light at Hulton road they have the right of way making a right turn onto Hulton Road.

When enough people do this you can't get any vehicles that are north bound on the boulevard who have to make a left turn to get into the line of traffic approaching the bridge through the light on a normal cycle. Needless to say this causes much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the people waiting to make a left at the light, one of whom is my wife Linda who is riding in the passenger side of my vehicle. I try to keep my cool in congested traffic and not let it raise my blood pressure more than a point or two, Linda on the other hand has to vent when situations like this occur and guess who she vents at? That is another reason that I'm writing this in the blog.

So what is to be done about this? I plan on starting by calling the mayor and describing the problem and asking if there is anything that the borough can do to help. Hulton Road is a state highway and there may be limitations that the local municipality can place on traffic flow. It would be nice if there were no left turns permitted onto Wade Lane and Fifth Street from 07:00 to 09:00 AM Monday through Friday. Or better yet no left turn from Oakmont Avenue onto Hulton road for the same time duration. That would probably be a simpler alternative.

So if you live in town or have to travel Hulton Road during rush hour you might want to consider contacting "the powers that be" and expressing your interest in seeing that all that money spent on a study to determine traffic flow and signal timing isn't circumvented by a group of drivers taking a short cut to gain a minuet or two in their daily commute. If you do so please let me know.

As a side bar not directly related to this posting I haven't quite figured out which direction Allegheny River Boulevard takes on the compass. I have heard the local police department during radio communications refer to going east or west on Allegheny River Boulevard and the same for Allegheny Avenue. If you cross the river the Norfolk Southern Railroad refers to the trains moving on the single track that run parallel to the river as being either east bound or west bound. The first time I heard a locomotive tell dispatch that they were proceeding east on the single track past mile post 66.8 I wanted to jump in the car and rush down to see how the train was going to float across the river to go east!

All public safety agencies have always referred to Rt. 28, which also parallels the river and the railroad tracks, as either north or south bound. I think they do this just to try to confuse me. There, now I have vented and I feel better. Thank you for reading this far.

Words of wit and wisdom for the day

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:19:00 +0000

"Education is a companion which no misfortune can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate,no despotism can enslave. At home, afriend, abroad, an introduction,in solitude a solace and in society anornament.It chastens vice, it guides virtue, it gives at once grace and government to genius. Without it, what is man? A splendid slave, a reasoning savage." - Joseph Addison

It is time to let your voice be heard

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:37:00 +0000

I have been subscribed to a mailing list run by Bob Logue, former KDKA talk show host and community activist, and believe in what he and his STOP group are trying to accomplish.

I received the following email from the list this morning and feel that it should be disseminated as far and wide as possible. Please read the email below and act on it if possible. If you don't have time to write your representatives please call their offices and let them know you want REAL CHANGE in property taxes in Pennsylvania. Now it the time to let our voices be heard.

"To The General Public

Pennsylvania homeowners could be facing substantial increases in property taxes if the PA Supreme Court rules unconstitutional the base year property assessment system used by almost all counties in Pennsylvania. That ruling could come at any time, and may require counties to undertake annual or biannual reassessments of every property in every county.

In 2008 the PA House of Representatives voted 193-0 in favor of a constitutional amendment to permit abolishment of all property taxes on primary residences. The Senate Leadership killed a similar bill preventing progress on the fight to abolish all three property taxes (school, county and municipal) on primary residences.

To protect your home, you must be actively involved in urging the legislature to use the emergency provision of the PA Constitution to pass a constitutional amendment to permit primary residence property tax abolishment.

STOP\TREC a grassroots organization invites you to learn about their Primary Residence Protection plan at www.grandoldusa.com and www.spedunkie.com (hit on STOP page). Help educate your family and friends.

You can publicly demonstrate your support of property tax abolishment on primary residences by displaying bumper stickers that read STOP TAX ON HOMES. To purchase bumper stickers for a $1 donation (which includes postage) call (724) 354-2348. Or write to STOP\TREC c/o Charlotte Ishman, 121 Dead End Road, Shelocta, PA 15774. Order extra bumper stickers for your legislators, family and friends.

Bumper Stickers are removable and made in the USA. Copy of bumper sticker printed in red below.

John Czekanski

STOP Primary Residence Protection Plan

STOP TAX ON HOMES

CALL 724-354-2348

WWW.GRANDOLDUSA.COM"

Tax Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:48:00 +0000

For those of you who haven't yet done so now it the time to get all of those forms filled out, all of the receipts gathered and sit down with the bottle of Tylenol and put this annual duty to bed for yet another year.

I am always amazed at the amount of whaling and gnashing of teeth on the week leading up to April 15th each year by the populous in general. After the date passes there are a select few that keep the fight alive for lower taxes but for the most part the outrage subsides and is soon forgotten.

It is for that reason that I do not have a bright outlook for the possibility of getting any real relief for my wallet from the tax man in the foreseeable future I'm sorry to say. Sorry because I feel that if this problem is not addressed that it will lead to the eventual fall of the United States of America as we know it today.

Sooner or latter we will reach that tipping point where one half of the nation is working to support the other half and the half that is doing the paying will get fed up and they rise up and do something about it. At this time there is no way to tell for sure what that something will be.

My first wish is that the reaction would be a huge turn out at the voting polls sending the message that we will no longer stand for unlimited government spending and waste. Past history tells me that unless in the wake of this economic down turn the ire of the public has finally awakened November will bring no changes to the governing body.

We currently have a government that is out of control in spending taxpayers money in order to finance programs that the federal government has no reason or requirement to be conducting. They have grown addicted to the power that is provided by the manipulation of the tax code in order to retain office and make social policy. I pray that I am wrong and that we have finally reached that tipping point where we no longer will simply allow this injustice to continue.

Difficult times for people of the Pittsburgh area

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:15:00 +0000

The loss of the three police officers this past Saturday in the City of Pittsburgh has cast a pall of gloom over the entire area. The loss of any human life is tragic but we are all the more affected when that loss comes to a group that dedicates their lives to protecting and serving the public. The senseless way these young men were murdered has shocked us all and reminded that there truly is good and evil in the world that we live in.

At one time I was a member of the Oakmont Auxiliary Police who supplement the regular officers mostly for traffic control at fires and accident scenes. I became friends with a number of the officers on the force at that time and managed to get a small peek into their world from the outside looking in. While never having been a part of their community I can tell you that all of the reports you are hearing in the media about them being "family" and part of a "brotherhood" are truer than you might imagine. There is a common bond among them that outsiders usually can't perceive or understand. I can also tell you that officers from the surrounding areas are feeling the pain of the loss just as those in the city who worked with these men on a daily basis.

I did not know any of the slain officers personally, my best friend however has several relatives that are on the police force in Pittsburgh. One of them and her partner who had just gone off duty responded to the call and the two of them were on the scene moments after the three offices were shot. It is only by the grace of God and "street smarts" in the way they approached the scene that they were not the next to be gunned down.

At this point in time I can only offer prayers that God will comfort the family and friends of these three men. I can't begin to imagine the pain caused by their loss to their wives and children and extended families.

Despite a great internal struggle I will also pray for the man who perpetrated these heinous crimes. I heard a number of friends and family make comments that the shooter should be gunned down by any means possible and left to die.

I have to admit that watching and listening to these events unfold on Saturday I had the same impulses in my head while my heart told me that our Savior Jesus Christ would not approve of the sentiments going through my mind at the time.

So let us take time to mourn the fallen and pray for their loved ones and do what we can to see that our fellow men and women do not stray down that path of evil that leads them to bring so much sorrow to their fellow human beings.

Here is an worth while tidbit for you

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:04:00 +0000

Here is something you will want to have and use! Do you still remember when the telephone company charged $1.50 to get a phone number from information? My compliments to Google! Just leave it up to Google to come up with something like this!!! Here's a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone speed dial: 1-800-goog411. (1-800-466-4411)

This is an awesome service from Google, and it's free-- great when you are on the road. Don't waste your money on information calls and don't waste your time manually dialing the number.

I am driving along in my car and I need to call a Restaurant, Doctor, Appointment or whatever and I don't know the number. I hit the speed dial for information that I have programmed. The voice at the other end says, "City." I say, " **Garland** , **Texas** ." He says, "Business, Name or Type of Service." I say, Firewheel Golf Course." He says,"Connecting" and Firewheel answers the phone. How great is that?

This is nationwide and it is absolutely free!

Click on the link below and check out the free demo from google!

Googel 411

He's baaaaaaaaaaack.................................

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Well I just don't know what to tell you. I have abandon writing in my various blogs for months now just not feeling very creative. Not feeling much of anything to tell the truth but that is an entirely different story.

I do have some comments to make on the state of things along with my other rambling thought so I'm back at the keyboard.

Sitting at a table

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:07:00 +0000

The hum of the cooling fans even though louder than I prefer had faded into the background like white noise that I had come to accept and ignore. I like a quite environment so why I chose to work around electronic equipment with noisy fans escapes me when I stop to think about it.

I'm sitting at the end of an eight foot table the kind with folding legs that you find you find in church basements and meeting halls. In front of me is my laptop computer and the rest of the table is filled with drawings, papers and other paraphernalia involved in keeping our telephone system in working order. I don't have a desk here in the telephone room as it is only one of a number of places that I spend my day and I may be here only a few minutes or several hours. Today I plan on being here at least half the day so I have settled in and am working at a project.

I do spend enough time down here in this room that I have a few personal items here like a large tank cup for water and a broadcast radio. This morning I have the radio on WPTT located at 1360 on the AM dial and I'm listening to my favorite talk show host Jerry Bowyer. Depending on how entrenched I get in the work on my laptop the radio may zone out and though I'm listening I catch only a word here and there. From years of listening to public safety radio (police scanners) I have developed the ability to not pay attention and yet catch a change in voice inflection or a keyword that brings my focus back to the radio. I heard Jerry say that the news division had reported that a small plane had crashed into the side of the World Trade Center in New York.

This immediately caught my attention and I turned up the volume on the radio and rebalanced my foreground/background attention level on the radio. I remember thinking that even a small plane like a Piper Cub hitting that building would be a catastrophe especially on a weekday morning. I didn't think it could do much damage to the building but surly would cause a great deal of damage on the ground below. I stopped for a moment and said a prayer for the pilot and anyone affected by this accident.

It wasn't long until the word came on the radio that indeed a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and that it was a large passenger jet not a private aircraft. A knot formed in my stomach because I knew if this was a commercial air liner that it was no accident. At that point I had no idea how bad it actually was. I jumped from one radio station on the dial trying to gather all the information that I could and the more I heard only confirmed my worst suspicions.

I was in the telephone room alone in a far corner of the building and I decided to go out onto our shop floor to learn what others had heard. I found everyone standing in small groups around radios listening and the expression on their faces told me some of what they were thinking. I then went into the room that houses our maintenance crew and found that they had commandeered a television and were close enough to the outside of the building to get a signal. I don't know what channel was on but I got my first glimpse of the burning tower and seconds latter watched in horror as a second plane knifed through the adjoining tower. I thought to myself "My God! We are under attack".

I returned to the telephone room and started calling family and friends telling them to get to a place where they could see a television or hear a broadcast radio and pay close attention to what was going on around them. I had no idea where this day was headed but I knew it was a dangerous time even though there appeared to be no immanent threat in our area.

As time wore on I started to hear about some event happening near Greater Pittsburgh Airport involving the control tower. Then came word that buildings down town particularly the US Steel building were being evacuated. I decided then it was time to go. I called my manager who told me that our company president had advised that anyone who wanted to leave to be with their families should do so. I got to my car and went straight home and I remember having an eerie feeling as I exited on the street next to my home. It was very quite and there was no one out on any of the sidewalks. This feeling was quickly reinforced when I head what sounded like a screech over head and looked up to see a military fighter pass overhead at a relatively low level. I believe it was an F16.

The rest of that day was a combination of blurs and crystal sharp moments in time. Some I can't be sure about and other I could draw you a picture of. I remember praying, a lot, that day. It seems like just yesterday and now I understand why my parents got that look in their eyes when the would describe December 7th 1941 to me as a child. This even though the horror they endured was thousands of miles away not right in their own back yard.

There are few incidents in peoples lives that leave such an impression. The only other one in my lifetime was the day President Kennedy was assassinated. I can give you a complete description of where I was that day, who I was talking with and where I was when I head confirmation that the President had indeed died in that Dallas hospital.

So today I stop and remember seven years ago and I think about all that has changed in our lives since then. I bow my head and pray to God that he will watch over all of our military personal who continue to fight the war that was started that fate full day. I pray that he will continue to provide our nation with leaders who will make decisions that will keep the country safe from future attack. Most of all I pray that my grand children will grow up without a December 7th or September 11th to reflect on when they are my age. For these things I pray.

Father's Day 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:28:00 +0000

Several years ago I wrote a post here on the blog about Father's Day. You can click on the word "post" in blue if you would like to see it. Here we are at yet another celebration of Fathers and Father's Day. The third Sunday of the month has become a regular work day for me because of security updates that have to be tended to on the computers at work. So I went in this morning and got things started and found myself somewhat lucky today. The timing worked out that I could "take a break" in the afternoon and attend the car show mentioned in the previous post with two of my three sons. My other son Dan would have a little tougher time attending since he currently lives on the California Nevada border several thousand mile away. Still I am with him and he is with me in our thoughts.

I wish that my father and Linda's Dad could be there with us today but that is no longer possible. At least they can't be there physically. I know they will both be there with us in spirit. Fathers pass on their wisdom and their values to their children and that is their legacy to our country and our culture.

I worry about so many of the current generation that are growing up in a one parent family most of the time with the father being the missing component. I worry not only for these individuals but for our society as a whole. What values will those grow up with and what will they pass along to the next generation? These thing will affect you and I and our children and grand children in the years to come.

I don't want to wander to far down that path because today is a day to celebrate. I suggest that if your father is still with us that you spend the day with him if you can. And if for some reason you can't that you pick up the phone and make sure that you let him know how much you love him and that you truly appreciate what he has done for you over the course of your life. If you have children don't forget that even after they have grown and become adults that Dad is still and always be a source of "continuing education" for those that you have helped bring into the world.

Happy Father's Day!

Best Buy? Caveat Emptor!

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:48:00 +0000

I have known my friend Jerry for a number of years now and he tends to very reasonable in his business dealings. So when I received his email today I could tell he was upset and even before reading the entire email I had a feeling that I would think he had good reason to be so when I was finished.

I also have purchased a number of electronic items over the years from the Best Buy chain and if I have had occasion to return something I don't really remember it. I do know that I have left the store on a number of occasions feeling that I knew far more about the products I had been looking at than the person trying to sell them to me.

Now this is nothing unusual. I grew up in a time when the number of stores that sold and serviced electronic equipment were much greater than today. Along with increased numbers these stores were staffed by men who you could bring a schematic or a wiring diagram and they could advise you on the best way to go about constructing your circuit. Typically they knew much more about what you were trying to do than you did. I often refer to these as the "good old days" of the hobby. But I digress.

Best Buy has done nothing illegal or even morally wrong that I can tell from Jerry's story. What they have done is something that as far as I'm concerned is at least a very poor business practice. I normally cast a very suspicious eye on the details of some of the chain stores that I deal with and I can assure you that I had no idea of Best Buy's return policy and probably would have felt about the same that Jerry did when he attempted to return his item. I will let you the reader be the judge. You read about Jerry's exerience and think about how you would have felt in the situation.

"BEST BUY, MY FOOT

Best Buy has some bad policies....

If you purchase something from, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, JC Penny, Sears etc., If you return the item with the receipt, they will give you your money back if you paid cash, or credit your account if paid by plastic.

Well, I purchased a GPS for my car, a Tom Tom XLS from 'Best Buy'. They have a policy that it must be returned within 14 days for a refund!
So after 4 days I returned it in the original box with all the items in
the box, with paper work and cords all wrapped in the plastic. Just as
I received it, including the receipt.

I explained to the lady at the return desk I did not like the way it
could not find store names. The lady at the refund desk said, there is a
15% restock fee, for items returned. I said no one told me that. I said
how much would that be.

She said it goes by the pr i ce of the item. It will be $45.00 Dollars for you. I said, all your going to do is walk over and place it back on the self! Then charge me $45.00 of my money for restocking!!

She said that's the store policy. I said if more people were aware of it they would not buy anything here! If I bought a $2000.00 computer or TV and returned it I would be charged $300.00 dollars restock fee!!

She said yes, 15%. I said OK, just give me my money minus the restock fee.

She said, since the item is over 200.00 dollars, she cant give me my money back!!!

Corporate has to and they will mail you a check in 7 to ten days.!! I said 'WHAT?!' It's my money!! I paid in cash ! I want to buy a different brand..Now I have to wait 7 to 10 days.

She said well, our policy is on the back of your receipt.

I said, do you read the front or back of your receipt? She said well no, only the front! I said so do I, I want to talk to the Manager!.

So the manager comes over, I explained everything to him, and he said, well, sir they should have told you about the policy when you got the item. I said, No one, has ever told me about the check refund or restock fee, whenever I bought items from computers to TVs from Best Buy.

The only thing they ever discussed was the worthless extended warranty program. He said Well, I can give you corporate phone number.

I called corporate. The guy said, well, I'm not supposed to do this but I can give you a 45.00 dollar gift card and you can use it at Best Buy.

I told him if I bought something and returned it, you would charge me a restock fee on the item and then send me a check for the remaining 3 dollars. You can keep your gift card, I'm never shopping in Best Buy ever again, and If I had been smart, I would have charged the whole thing on my credit card! Then I could have canceled the entire transaction.

I would have gotten all my money back including your stupid Fees! He didn't say a word!

I informed him that I was going to e-mail my friends and give them a heads up on this stores policy, as they don't tell you about all their little caveats.

So please pass this on. It may save your friends from having a bad experience of shopping at Best Buy. Check it out .."

Link to Best Buy's return policy

The gospel of Norquist

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:50:00 +0000

While watching Book TV recently I found a new hero. One of the authors that had been recorded at a book signing was Grover G. Norquist. I have heard his name mentioned a number of times on C-SPAN, several conservative blogs and web sites but really had never learned anything about him. After hearing him speak about his new book "LEAVE US ALONE" I have become an admirer.

The full title of his book is "Leave Us Alone Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives" which I think just about says it all.

I have felt for a long time now that we are being treated to a game of "slight of hand" by both the media and most of the politicians in this country. Do we want to tax the rich? Which way should we go about paying for government run health care system? Lets be democratic and let the people decide which government bureaucracy should determine where and how our children are educated. Please watch my right hand closely as it legislates new agencies that we have no real control over as they continue grow in both size and power. I'd rather you not notice that my left hand is picking your pocket with the tax code while gradually taking away some of your fundamental rights under the constitution.

The biggest problem with this game is that "We the people" have gone to sleep and allowed it to proceed. We no longer pay any attention to matters of local, county, state or federal government. Only a small percentage of the qualified population even takes the time to vote and of those that do an even smaller subset of that group casts their vote on the basis of who represents their objectives and values for government policy.

A classic example of this is the fact that most citizens live under the false belief that we live in a democracy. If you read the documents that the founding fathers penned you will find that we are a representative republic. There is a major difference and most of todays students and their parents I might add don't understand the difference.

This brings me back to Mr. Norquist and his book. In it he lays out a plan that forms a coalition of groups that while not agreeing on every item on the laundry list all have at least one item that is their personal "tipping point" for deciding who to vote for. He divides the world up into two such coalitions, the "taking coalition" and the "leave us alone coalition". The taking coalition relies on an every increasing stream of tax revenues to satisify their needs. When that money stream fails to grow or is reduced the coalition members turn on each other as they try to maximize their piece of the pie. On the other hand the leave us alone coalition only wants to see their objective lower taxes, guns, education, privacy or whatever their push button issues is achieved and to be left alone. This might not sound like much but it could be a powerful factor for a number of people.

While I agree with most of the theory I do see some holes in it. I will discuss those in more depth after I have completed reading the book. At this time I'm only about two thirds of the way through it. I will say however that I'm enthusiastic about the book and its concepts. If you have the time I encourage you to stop at your local library or book store and pick it up and judge for yourself.

Mr. Norquist also heads an organization called Americans For Tax Reform whose guiding principal is under no circumstances will we tolerate any additional tax increases. I have provided a link to their site and I encourage you to visit the site and look at what they have to offer in the way of ideas. I think that if my children and grand children are going to have a future some of these ideas are going to have to be implemented.

Road trip!

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:49:00 +0000

Linda and I just purchased the second new car in our lifetime. I have never been a fan of buying an item whose value decreases by several thousand dollars the moment you take possession of it. So I make a point to watch for a car that is a few years older that I can buy at a reasonable price. But when I found myself needing a new car I weakened and let Linda talk me into looking at new models. That combined with the fact that our son Dan works for Ford and could get us a very generous employee discount resulted in our buying a new Ford Fusion.

Well I am currently in Virginia Beach as part of Linda's Mother's Day present. She has been toying with embroidery sewing machines for a few years now but has never gotten really "into it" if you know what I mean.

Judy, our daughter in law Sue's mother, on the other hand is well versed in their use and turns out some beautiful work with hers. She just recently upgraded to a newer machine with more bells and whistles and mentioned this to Sue and said that the older model was up for sale. A phone conversation ensued first between Sue and LInda and then between Linda and Judy the result of which is a deal was struck sell Linda the now unused machine. So here we are on vacation to visit with Fred and Judy enjoy their company and the long weekend and pick up this sewing machine that Linda has been drooling over for more than a month now. Under Judy's watchful eye Linda is learning the basics of the machine over the weekend and getting some vital pointers that only come with experience.

Here is Linda's first effort with the machine. This is a shirt that she bought yesterday while we were out shopping and set up on the machine this afternoon. I think she is rather proud of her first effort. I think Linda is going to be very happy with her new hobby and I'm looking forward to having my amateur radio call sign (WA3FKG) embroidered on lots of things. I all ready have ideas for all sorts of neat custom one of a kind projects for the ham shack.

I have enjoyed Fred and Judy's company this weekend and will enjoy the drive home to Oakmont. I'm sure this is not going to be the last "road trip" for the summer unless of course fuel really does make it to five dollars a gallon. Then I will probably be blogging from home rather than on the road.

Humor?

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:55:00 +0000

This was written as humor but to me it has a ring of truth to it. See if you agree.

Today's Press

A man is walking by the Berkley, California Zoo when he sees a little girl
leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff
of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to devour her right in front of
the little girl's screaming parents.

The man runs to the cage, hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful
punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back letting go of the
girl, and the man brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him
endlessly.

A reporter has seen the whole scene, and addressing the man, says: "Sir,
this was the most gallant and brave thing I saw a man do in my whole
life."
"Why, it was nothing," said the man; "really, the lion was behind bars
and I knew God would protect me just as He did Daniel in the lions den long,
long ago. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt was
right."

"I noticed a bible in your pocket," said the journalist.

"Yes, I'm a Christian and was on my way to a bible study," the man
replied.

"Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist, you
know, and tomorrow's paper will have this on the front page."

The journalist leaves. The following morning the man buys the paper to
see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the first page:

"Right Wing Christian Fundamentalist Assaults African Immigrant and Steals
His lunch."

Take a peek at Rt. 28 construction

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:36:00 +0000

This link will bring up camera pictures only of Rt28 near construction zone between Harmarvile & RIDC in real time.

For updates you will need to manually click on "Refresh" button on your web browser window. Just look at the time at the top of the picture and see if it changes after you click "Refresh". New pictures are available about every 45-60+ seconds.

Camera View of Rt 28 Construction

A bit of humor to start your day

noreply@blogger.com (Ken / WA3FKG) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:40:00 +0000

Well, Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other, and finally they got married, and had a little girl sweet potato, which they called 'Yam.'

Of course, they wanted the best for Yam.

When it was time, they told her about the facts of life.

They warned her about going out
and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato,' and end up with a bunch of Tater Tots

Yam said not to worry. No Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her!

But on the other hand, she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato, either.

She would get plenty of exercise so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring cousins.

When she went off to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for the hard-boiled guys from Ireland

And the greasy guys from France called the French Fries. And when she went out west, to watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped.

Yam said she would stay on the straight and narrow and wouldn't associate with those high class Yukon Golds, or the ones from the other side of the tracks who advertise their trade on all the trucks that say, 'Frito Lay.'

Mr. and Mrs. Potato sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University ), so that when she graduated, she'd really be in the Chips.

But, in spite of all they did for her, one day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Tom Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw!

Mr. and Mrs. Potato were very upset.

They told Yam she couldn't possibly marry Tom Brokaw because he's just......

Are you ready for this?

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Are you sure?

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OK! Here it is!

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A COMMONTATER