Here is a list of Opinionated Blogs ordered by Most Viewed, posted by members. A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you've learned. Post an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Update your blog on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with others. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about others. Click here to post a blog.
The Fix is in. Another rigged election ??????????????
Arizona Ballots Make Stop at Runbeck Printing Company to Sort Ballots Before They Are Sent to County — WITH NO OBSERVERS.
Ben Bergquam was outside the Maricopa County election center and followed a Penske truck leave the center and return to Runbeck. Once at Runbeck, the gate is closed.
Every mail-in ballot that is returned in the county is sent to Runbeck first.
Runbeck is scanning the Maricopa ballots before they are sent to the Maricopa County Elections Center.
Maricopa County is the only jurisdiction in the country that picks up completed ballots at USPS Processing Distribution Center, but doesn’t bring them back to the election department or tabulation center.
Maricopa County picks up mail-in ballots and takes them directly to its print vendor Runbeck Election Services, which is headquartered in Phoenix.
Every single completed mail-in ballot, whether mailed or dropped off at a polling place, goes to Runbeck. All mail-in ballots collected on election day, and the previous few days, are sitting at Runbeck headquarters. Maricopa has no idea how many ballots are in their possession because the ballots are at their print vendor.
Maricopa allegedly uses Runbeck because they have “high-speed scanners.” Runbeck scans the ballots in batches to create a digital image of each envelope signature area. This batch of images is given to the Maricopa tabulation center (MCTEC) for poll worker review. MCTEC notifies Runbeck if any of those signatures don’t match. Runbeck separates out those bad envelopes, then delivers both sets of these envelopes by van to MCTEC, which is 6 miles away. MCTEC then opens the envelopes and starts the tabulation process.
This “batch” process is repeated until all “mail-in” ballot envelopes are scanned at Runbeck. This takes 10-12 days after every general election, and ballots envelopes are delivered each day by Runbeck vans. Runbeck uses the Bluecrest Vantage mail processing machines to scan these ballot envelopes. This machine can process 40-50,000 ballots an hour. These machines can also automatically scan the ballot signatures using embedded commercial-grade check cashing signature software from Parascript. But Maricopa continues to use its slow manual “batch” process of reviewing signatures.
These Vantage machines cost $1.06 million each, Detroit just purchased one in early 2022. Maricopa could purchase two of these machines and process roughly 90,000 ballots an hour in-house. But Maricopa continues to re-sign contracts with Runbeck, which prevents them from bringing all this in-house.
This is a travesty.
Ben Bergquam was outside the Maricopa County election center and followed a Penske truck leave the center and return to Runbeck. Once at Runbeck, the gate is closed.
Every mail-in ballot that is returned in the county is sent to Runbeck first.
Runbeck is scanning the Maricopa ballots before they are sent to the Maricopa County Elections Center.
Maricopa County is the only jurisdiction in the country that picks up completed ballots at USPS Processing Distribution Center, but doesn’t bring them back to the election department or tabulation center.
Maricopa County picks up mail-in ballots and takes them directly to its print vendor Runbeck Election Services, which is headquartered in Phoenix.
Every single completed mail-in ballot, whether mailed or dropped off at a polling place, goes to Runbeck. All mail-in ballots collected on election day, and the previous few days, are sitting at Runbeck headquarters. Maricopa has no idea how many ballots are in their possession because the ballots are at their print vendor.
Maricopa allegedly uses Runbeck because they have “high-speed scanners.” Runbeck scans the ballots in batches to create a digital image of each envelope signature area. This batch of images is given to the Maricopa tabulation center (MCTEC) for poll worker review. MCTEC notifies Runbeck if any of those signatures don’t match. Runbeck separates out those bad envelopes, then delivers both sets of these envelopes by van to MCTEC, which is 6 miles away. MCTEC then opens the envelopes and starts the tabulation process.
This “batch” process is repeated until all “mail-in” ballot envelopes are scanned at Runbeck. This takes 10-12 days after every general election, and ballots envelopes are delivered each day by Runbeck vans. Runbeck uses the Bluecrest Vantage mail processing machines to scan these ballot envelopes. This machine can process 40-50,000 ballots an hour. These machines can also automatically scan the ballot signatures using embedded commercial-grade check cashing signature software from Parascript. But Maricopa continues to use its slow manual “batch” process of reviewing signatures.
These Vantage machines cost $1.06 million each, Detroit just purchased one in early 2022. Maricopa could purchase two of these machines and process roughly 90,000 ballots an hour in-house. But Maricopa continues to re-sign contracts with Runbeck, which prevents them from bringing all this in-house.
This is a travesty.
The Conversation
It may finally be upon us. A topic so great that affects so many, that our nation as a nation is prepared to have a conversation about the problem that is causing so much loss of life it cannot be tolerated any longer. The conversation is much bigger than discrimination, or murder, or justice. It is about our society as a whole. The way we treat each other as well as how we conduct ourselves. Simply put, the time has come for us to find respect for each other, no matter the circumstance.
There has been and continues to be much finger pointing, finding the fault with guns, police, blacks, mental institutions, gays, liberals, conservatives … the list is literally endless, mainly because there continues to be this need to blame somebody, ANYBODY, just as long as there is somebody else other than ourselves to blame. But the fact is that we must start with ourselves. We have allowed these problems to develop, to fester, and to come to the point where the results are impossible to avoid. We want the answers without working towards understanding the questions. Our instant gratification society has finally run into a brick wall and it’s time to simply get back to basics.
There is no single source of blame. The blame is a combination of many things and to figure it out, we are going to need to look at each issue. Racial issues, financial issues, employment issues, legal and policing issues, technology and reporting of facts vs. opinions, and so very many more. Each of these has a potential divisiveness that can play into the problem or at least, exacerbate it beyond a simple issue.
I have been studying what I think is the problem for quite a time. Long before the most recent unrest, before Travon Martin, before …. Well, it seems to me it’s been since I was a teenager so many decades ago. I realized that part of this is the simple pageantry of life; that is often colored by socioeconomical issues, confusion and misinformation about the differences between races, religions, gender and other “big” issues. In fact, it is all those things that make us different from the person beside us that create the problem while also being the legendary “spice of life”.
The technical revolution has given us equal access to information, both good and bad, factual and misinformation. Unfortunately, our training and knowledge hasn’t caught up with us to the point that we have learned to be suspicious of all of this so called “information” and to think long and hard before tossing in our own opinions. We must simply learn to spend more time with our eyes and ears open and our mouths shut.
Legally, our country has produced a number of laws and protections that sincerely exacerbate the situation to the point of exhaustion. Having laws on the books that allow prosecutors do whatever they want without fear of retribution for their actions is counter productive and is a direct invitation for abuse. Laws that allow that .5% of bad cops get away with murder and so many other crimes are equally bad. In fact, having any law that give exception to one group of people for any reason goes counter to our very Constitution. “All men being equal” must stand for every man, woman & child regardless of their differences.
Until we have leadership, a body of law makers, and a judiciary that work diligently on fixing these issues, we will continue to flounder. We may be on the presuppose of a level of civil disobedience we have never seen, perhaps evolving into a civil war based on race, economics, or many, many other things. But first, above all things is listening, thinking, considering and reconsidering. Only then will we be able to speak in an intelligent, well thought out voice that represents all.
There has been and continues to be much finger pointing, finding the fault with guns, police, blacks, mental institutions, gays, liberals, conservatives … the list is literally endless, mainly because there continues to be this need to blame somebody, ANYBODY, just as long as there is somebody else other than ourselves to blame. But the fact is that we must start with ourselves. We have allowed these problems to develop, to fester, and to come to the point where the results are impossible to avoid. We want the answers without working towards understanding the questions. Our instant gratification society has finally run into a brick wall and it’s time to simply get back to basics.
There is no single source of blame. The blame is a combination of many things and to figure it out, we are going to need to look at each issue. Racial issues, financial issues, employment issues, legal and policing issues, technology and reporting of facts vs. opinions, and so very many more. Each of these has a potential divisiveness that can play into the problem or at least, exacerbate it beyond a simple issue.
I have been studying what I think is the problem for quite a time. Long before the most recent unrest, before Travon Martin, before …. Well, it seems to me it’s been since I was a teenager so many decades ago. I realized that part of this is the simple pageantry of life; that is often colored by socioeconomical issues, confusion and misinformation about the differences between races, religions, gender and other “big” issues. In fact, it is all those things that make us different from the person beside us that create the problem while also being the legendary “spice of life”.
The technical revolution has given us equal access to information, both good and bad, factual and misinformation. Unfortunately, our training and knowledge hasn’t caught up with us to the point that we have learned to be suspicious of all of this so called “information” and to think long and hard before tossing in our own opinions. We must simply learn to spend more time with our eyes and ears open and our mouths shut.
Legally, our country has produced a number of laws and protections that sincerely exacerbate the situation to the point of exhaustion. Having laws on the books that allow prosecutors do whatever they want without fear of retribution for their actions is counter productive and is a direct invitation for abuse. Laws that allow that .5% of bad cops get away with murder and so many other crimes are equally bad. In fact, having any law that give exception to one group of people for any reason goes counter to our very Constitution. “All men being equal” must stand for every man, woman & child regardless of their differences.
Until we have leadership, a body of law makers, and a judiciary that work diligently on fixing these issues, we will continue to flounder. We may be on the presuppose of a level of civil disobedience we have never seen, perhaps evolving into a civil war based on race, economics, or many, many other things. But first, above all things is listening, thinking, considering and reconsidering. Only then will we be able to speak in an intelligent, well thought out voice that represents all.
What do my fellow bloggers do for a living?.......
Is it what you always wanted to do, if not then what did you want to do?.............
Opinionated Spouse
Two friends at work are having a conversation:
- So, tell me, what did you do last night?
- Don't ask, a disaster. My husband came home from work, he had dinner in three minutes, we had sex for four minutes and the minute after he was already sleeping. What about you?
- Wonderful evening! My husband came home, he took me out for a romantic dinner, after we took a walk for an hour and when we came back home, he switched on candles, we had one hour of petting, then half an hour of fantastic sex and an entire hour conversation. Everything was perfect!
In the meanwhile, in another place, two friends are having a conversation:
- How was your evening?
- Great! I come back home, the dinner was already on the table, I ate, I had a quickie and I fall asleep. What about you?
- Absolute disaster. I went home after work and there was no light because I forgot to pay the bill, so I took out my wife for the dinner. The dinner was one of those where you pay a lot and you don't eat nothing, but everything is very arty, so, at the end of the night I didn't have money to pay a taxi and we walked for an hour to get home. When we arrived obviously there was no light and I started to look for candles, I switched them on. I needed one hour to have an erection, and we had half hour sex because I was so angry and frustrated that I couldn't come. After, I couldn't even sleep so we had an hour conversation. As I told you buddy, it was a disaster!
- So, tell me, what did you do last night?
- Don't ask, a disaster. My husband came home from work, he had dinner in three minutes, we had sex for four minutes and the minute after he was already sleeping. What about you?
- Wonderful evening! My husband came home, he took me out for a romantic dinner, after we took a walk for an hour and when we came back home, he switched on candles, we had one hour of petting, then half an hour of fantastic sex and an entire hour conversation. Everything was perfect!
In the meanwhile, in another place, two friends are having a conversation:
- How was your evening?
- Great! I come back home, the dinner was already on the table, I ate, I had a quickie and I fall asleep. What about you?
- Absolute disaster. I went home after work and there was no light because I forgot to pay the bill, so I took out my wife for the dinner. The dinner was one of those where you pay a lot and you don't eat nothing, but everything is very arty, so, at the end of the night I didn't have money to pay a taxi and we walked for an hour to get home. When we arrived obviously there was no light and I started to look for candles, I switched them on. I needed one hour to have an erection, and we had half hour sex because I was so angry and frustrated that I couldn't come. After, I couldn't even sleep so we had an hour conversation. As I told you buddy, it was a disaster!
It's that time again,.................................
To get on one, happy days and happy Friday peeps,...................
God
Do you believe in such an Entity? One worded answers please, a simple 'yes' or 'no' will more than suffice.
They Call Me Lucky
Well, that is what my late brother used to say. He used to can himself laughing whenever he said so for he was very lucky indeed. Or was he?
When he bought a raffle ticket at the local school or church bazaar, he won it much more than often. He did not have any special number that he played every time as some other ‘lucky’ people sometimes have. He played just anything. Sometimes he even asked the person selling the tickets to mark just any number. We used to take friendly side bets on him winning the raffle. Few people were willing to bet against him winning. As for myself, no raffle ticket I ever bought has won any prizes.
It was like that at the casino as well. Never any spectacular wins but he mostly went home with more than what he came with and he often treated us to a meal on their money while at the casino. I’m not really a gambling man but I loved going to the casino with him. I even gambled a few Rand away at such occasions.
I was the better golf player between the two of us but he managed that elusive perfect fluke, something I never got right. In fact, not even a close miss.
He never won the lotto jackpot but on two occasions he managed to get five plus. He always laughed and blamed his unfailing luck to his Jewish sweetheart he had when he was young. He was the proverbial smiling pawpaw, never with a long face. Always smiling or laughing.
But it seems that one can have only so much luck before it runs out. His luck finally ran out in 2000 when, at the age of 41, he collected a bullet in his stomach. He was taken to hospital and stabilized but 8 hours later he was in the morgue. The autopsy found that the doctor had pushed a drainage pipe through his heart. With a little better luck, he would have been alive today. As they say, shit happens!
May this day turn out to be very lucky for you.
PS
Resumed with the renovations yesterday. Will pop in from time to time.
When he bought a raffle ticket at the local school or church bazaar, he won it much more than often. He did not have any special number that he played every time as some other ‘lucky’ people sometimes have. He played just anything. Sometimes he even asked the person selling the tickets to mark just any number. We used to take friendly side bets on him winning the raffle. Few people were willing to bet against him winning. As for myself, no raffle ticket I ever bought has won any prizes.
It was like that at the casino as well. Never any spectacular wins but he mostly went home with more than what he came with and he often treated us to a meal on their money while at the casino. I’m not really a gambling man but I loved going to the casino with him. I even gambled a few Rand away at such occasions.
I was the better golf player between the two of us but he managed that elusive perfect fluke, something I never got right. In fact, not even a close miss.
He never won the lotto jackpot but on two occasions he managed to get five plus. He always laughed and blamed his unfailing luck to his Jewish sweetheart he had when he was young. He was the proverbial smiling pawpaw, never with a long face. Always smiling or laughing.
But it seems that one can have only so much luck before it runs out. His luck finally ran out in 2000 when, at the age of 41, he collected a bullet in his stomach. He was taken to hospital and stabilized but 8 hours later he was in the morgue. The autopsy found that the doctor had pushed a drainage pipe through his heart. With a little better luck, he would have been alive today. As they say, shit happens!
May this day turn out to be very lucky for you.
PS
Resumed with the renovations yesterday. Will pop in from time to time.
On the fleas on the back of rats...
Isn't it strange how a collection of CS members have joined in a 'clique of maturity' going around making negative comments about other members they dislike.
The beginning... A text message from a friend told me about Connecting Singles and invited me to join. The site we were on had closed.
I was greeted with comments of "We don't want your ilk around here" in reference to the site that closed.
How strange.. What ilk? I'm a newbie to an unfriendly site.
Why? You don't know me, how did I instantly qualify to be ilk?
I'm thinking, where did the few hundred of the other members go?
Greeted by:
Agentbob, Willy, dong, UnFayzed, JimNastics, bluewind37, texasgirl8585, korn, xquseme and a handful more who's names I cannot recall.
They were here weeks, possibly months before I arrived!
Got it... the 'ilk' title came from their appearance that changed the happy blogland that one was prior to them joining.
Going to other blogs and openly making negative comments to them or about other members you dislike is pretty low. Maybe gossip is important in your lives.
If you repeat a lie about someone enough, others will tend to believe you.
The quote "On the fleas on the back of rats" wasn't mine. It was said by another member and directed at me.
The beginning... A text message from a friend told me about Connecting Singles and invited me to join. The site we were on had closed.
I was greeted with comments of "We don't want your ilk around here" in reference to the site that closed.
How strange.. What ilk? I'm a newbie to an unfriendly site.
Why? You don't know me, how did I instantly qualify to be ilk?
I'm thinking, where did the few hundred of the other members go?
Greeted by:
Agentbob, Willy, dong, UnFayzed, JimNastics, bluewind37, texasgirl8585, korn, xquseme and a handful more who's names I cannot recall.
They were here weeks, possibly months before I arrived!
Got it... the 'ilk' title came from their appearance that changed the happy blogland that one was prior to them joining.
Going to other blogs and openly making negative comments to them or about other members you dislike is pretty low. Maybe gossip is important in your lives.
If you repeat a lie about someone enough, others will tend to believe you.
The quote "On the fleas on the back of rats" wasn't mine. It was said by another member and directed at me.
Child Labour Laws are Ruining this Country.
Ok I'm just on for a second to vent.
A transition year student has joined us for work experience.
Despite details instructions, my car is covered in streaks from her sub-par waxing job and the pile of bricks she carried up the ladder with the hod was rather pitiful.
As for her sheet metal work. Forget about it
Kids today. Goddamn snowflakes.
A transition year student has joined us for work experience.
Despite details instructions, my car is covered in streaks from her sub-par waxing job and the pile of bricks she carried up the ladder with the hod was rather pitiful.
As for her sheet metal work. Forget about it
Kids today. Goddamn snowflakes.
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