>Bullet Proof Vest? No Problem.

>

The title of this blog piece was the initial caption I placed on a photo I took today with my cell phone. 

Today I took a break and headed to the pistol range.  I go to the range many times each week.  The indoor range is a bit over 5 minutes from my house and less than 10 minutes from the shop.  It is pretty easy to stay proficient when you can shoot every day.  I have even been known to shoot more than once in a given day.

When I am not shooting pistols I love to shoot sporting clays with a shotgun.  When I feel like being very technical I shoot long range with a rifle.

The shot above is what started a discussion on facebook.  Bullet Proof Vest?  No Problem – was my caption.  This was shot at The Firing Line in Burbank on 4/12/11 with a Ruger Mk. II bull barrel target pistol.

I suppose my view on shooting is that one well placed shot is useful.  I have been shooting since I was a pre-teen, shot in military school, the military and with the L.A. Sheriff Department.

I love the craftsmanship of high end firearms.  The double rifles from Europe.  I also am drawn to the magic of a great functional design.  Look at the Model 1911 pistol as an example.  How many things that were designed 100 years ago (this year) work so very well still today? 

I am a shooting enthusiast.

As I was checking my email this evening there was a news story on television.  It seems that here in California they are trying to remove the law which allows the open carry of a weapon in public.  Well, I have my own thoughts on this and I posted them on facebook but will also post my thought and what I wrote here.

Bullet proof vest? No problem.  The link is to the model of pistol I used today in the target photo at the top of this post.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruger_MK_II – if it works for the Navy SEALs it will probably work for me 🙂

Recently there has been news about the open carry law being tossed out so folks could no longer open carry unloaded guns.

Perhaps this is a freedom issue for some, and I am a shooter myself but ….

I see no reason to carry an unloaded weapon in public. It does little more than make people uncomfortable. It can be reported as disturbing the peace. Doing this sort of thing can cause law enforcement to be redirected to this perceived threat which is a waste of a valuable resource.

Your rights under the 2nd amendment? I feel that too many people quote this and do not actually understand what is said here and what the intention was at the time.

I feel that responsible gun owners do not walk around in public with a gun strapped to their side to make a point. The only point they are making to me is the point of them exercising very poor judgement and making others, including children, uncomfortable. You are setting a very bad example that has little to do with freedom and paints a strong picture of being inconsiderate of others.

If you want to assure your freedom there are more effective ways to do that and not too many ways I can think of which are less effective to making the point.

Until the right to own a firearm is taken away I will continue to shoot my own firearms and teach others to do so safely. As long as people continue to try to make their point by carrying unloaded weapons in public places I will expect the right to own weapons to be taken away more quickly than it may have been if people acted with common sense.

I find it very interesting that a century separate the design of this pistol, the 1911A1 and the laser sight mounted on it’s rail.  The two operate in concert as if they were designed at the same time.

The TLR-2 sighting system mounts in seconds to the XD 45 as easily as it mounts to the 1911A1.  At the time I wrote this blog post I have been shooting the 1911A1 with and without the TLR-2 and now shoot the XD 45 with iron sights exclusively.

I captioned this shot, “Sometimes things in life come apart.”  Actually, this was after a shooting session when I was cleaning this Springfield Armory XD in 45ACP.  This is the latest development in polymer framed side arms.  XD stands for eXtreme duty.  This pistol was developed in Croatia and was known as the HS-2000.

The Ruger Mk II.  This is a classic and very accurate.  The target at the top of this blog post was shot today on 4/12/11 with this pistol.

When I want to be more cerebral, more technical and less instinctive I shoot long range challenges

If I feel like being very instinctive shooting at moving targets (clays) that never do the same thing two times in a row.  If you want more info on this great sport head to http://www.moorenmoore.com/ for more info

This is my son’s Beretta AL391 autoloader.  Quite tricked out

And here are a few pieces of art from various sources.  The double rifles cost more than some homes in various parts of the country

I took this last shot at an event at Moore N Moore in the past.

A bit of an update in two shots from a day later than the above post, these were from 4/13/11. 

45 ACP with a Croatian (Springfield Armory imported) XD 45.  I find this pistol very simple and about as functional as things get.  It is robust, reliable and has not had a single misfeed or cycle problem.  I now have the TLR2 laser sight on the 1911A1 and shoot stock iron sights on the XD.

And again, 10 more 45ACP.  I have no idea what happened on that 8:00 shot on the ring at the edge of the headshot.  Normally I know what I did wrong as soon as things go “bang”.  On that shot I have no clue 😦

The two targets directly above were shot on 4/13/11 with the XD 45 in the photo below at The Firing Line in Burbank CA.

>America – downsizing, outsourcing?

>

My last post was about an upcoming traffic problem as the President comes to Los Angeles to campaign for the next election. 

My post was about the expected traffic but once the post went live on my facebook page there were all sorts of political comments.  I added many of the comments into the blog piece.

Things are tough in America.  The democrats blame the republicans and visa versa.  People comment that Obama has done little or nothing in two and a half years.  I suppose these folks expect magic.  What else could fix decades of decline in America overnight?  Nothing short of magic.

I try to lead a simple life and try to look at problems in simple ways.  This includes complex problems.

The issue with our economy is very complex but I try to break it down into a few simple issues.

We are a consumer driven economy.  Consumers support business.  Consumers pay taxes. 

There are fewer consumers today than there have been in a long time.  There are many reasons.  One of the reasons is outsourcing.  Some blame the government for making things too costly for business to remain in America.  Perhaps that is the case, in part.  I feel it is also the attitude of a segment of the population who expect very high wages and benefits for the task or work they perform. 

As the economy shrinks the cost of items rise.  People have come to expect cost of living increases in their wages.  One small segment of the overall problem.

Some people are downsizing.  Below is a video of a gal in Manhattan who has downsized in a drastic manner.  I love it.  She still has more space than a boat I lived on for years which was terrific.

There is another video of street dentists in India.  If you are sensitive or have kids do NOT let them watch the dental video.

This is how a large segment of the world’s average people live.  This is what America has to compete with when it comes to an expectation of life.

What do I think can be done to fix the problem? 

As I watch our government accomplish little more than arguing, blame and point fingers I have little confidence than things will improve. 

As I watch people expect more to do less I have little confidence that things will improve. 

As I watch education decline as teachers are expected to do more with less resources I have little confidence that things will improve.   

As I watch our government bail out banks and failed businesses who caused their own demise and allow companies like AT&T to reassemble the Bell System skirting the monopoly laws I have little confidence that things will improve.

As I watch the homeless population grow each year on the streets of Los Angeles and see foreclosures continue regardless of what the press reports I have little confidence that things will improve.

As I watch the press report that unemployment is dropping based on numbers which ignore people who have lost their benefits and have been dropped from those counted I have little confidence that things will improve.

A few comments from my facebook page:

Remember when NASA spent huge sums of money developing a pen that could write in zero gravity and the Russians just used a pencil?  America.  Some times you gotta’ wonder.

On my facebook page in one of my posts there is a bit of dialogue on when some of the problems started.  Some of my thoughts were:   As far as when this problem started, I feel it started when the key to start a car was relocated from the dashboard to the steering column. The last great cars made in America had the key in the dash. GE made appliances that would last for decades. A water heater lasted for decades. Bell Telephone was a respected company where it is little more than an embarrassment as AT&T. 

Right here at home in Los Angeles I just read this – 4 LA councilmen fined a combined $13,300 for taking free tickets to Hollywood events: http://lat.ms/dSL0T9 Yes, take care of ourselves first and let the others wait in line and pay high prices.

The videos below … how some others live in other parts of the world where there is little choice and how one has chosen to live in America where there is still some choice or at least a perception that the people of America have some control over their destiny. 

Our government protects the people with health laws and some basic rights that are very important but the cost of our government seems to rise each day.  Our government is anything but efficient.  They seem to lack the ability to fix problems or change a bad situation.  As long as their are other countries that can now compete in this global economy who can provide a service or product for less our situation in this country will not improve.  We need to support our local businesses and start to build products with pride and workmanship worthy of respect.  Big business need to pay taxes and support the country.

Until there is change, people will do things such as live in 90 square foot residences.  That is one thing that they can do to stretch a dollar and maintain an enjoyable lifestyle.  Across the globe where a 90 square foot residence would be a palace they will resort to street vendors for their medical needs and do what they can to survive as some of them crank out designer label clothes at less than a dollar a day in wages. 

>Guess Who’s Coming to Town (to Screw Up Our Traffic!)?

>Guess Who’s Coming to Town (to Screw Up Our Traffic!)?: LAist

The other day I posted the link above on my facebook page.  I was concerned with the traffic and tried to stay out of the politics.

Here are a few of the comments and dialogue from my facebook wall.

My first comment which I posted with the link:  Remember his last L.A. visit? Stopped folks for HOURS and gas was half the cost that it is today. The traffic, the delays, the idiot folks that planned this and after utter chaos finally used a helicopter at the end of the debocle.

I added:  If his idiot staff does not use a helicopter (plenty of places to land on a movie lot) and asks for ANY street closures in a city which already has record breaking traffic issues, I will start my own campaign against the man in the next election. If he repeats his mistakes it means he either does not learn from past mistakes, does not care how he impacts millions of people or has no control over his staff in how they plan these things.

Then the other comments started coming in ….

Yep! I wish it was only traffic he made mistakes on!
Tuesday at 7:00pm

I believe the guy doesn’t have a clue.
Tuesday at 8:29pm

I believe Doug is correct! Myles, let me know when you want to start your campaign!
Tuesday at 11:21pm

by Myles Rose Lance – if he stops the city in it’s tracks again I will be posting on the fact. It will be posted here, twitter, blogger, stumble upon, digg and about 75 other places.
Yesterday at 10:03am

Obama does like to play the game “Clue” Doug… Heck can you blame him board games are boring!
23 hours ago

Obama playes Clue, too bad he doen’t have one!
23 hours ago

And to think that all I started was a warning about traffic ….

I am not getting into the political fray, I was only talking traffic but … Here we are only four months into Republican control of the House of Representatives and the government is shutting down. Take a look at this story, one side of the issue – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/republican-shutdown-shuts_b_845889.html

21 hours ago

Sorry Myles. Didn’t mean to make it political. I knew you meant traffic. There is just a LITTLE of that in LA isn’t there 🙂
21 hours ago

The Huffpost piece just shows us that it is business as usual in Washington. The rep. are doing the same thing the dems did with health care.
21 hours ago

Myles Rose Doug – no apology necessary … and if folks want to make this political that is fine with me. One aspect of America that is still left intact inspite of the economy IS free speech 🙂
21 hours ago

Huffington Post… oh there is a unbiased new source! LOL!!
9 hours ago

Just as unbiased as Fox news!!
5 hours ago

Yep Carol, pretty much the same, and that’s ok
5 hours ago

He makes Hillary and Gates face the music with those he offends while he golfs, vacation, and campaigns. He really doesn’t like to his job. He likes to campaign! Remember this in Nov, 2012!
4 hours ago

We sure will Tim!
4 hours ago

Shut r down! Time to send him packin along with all the czars and Michelle’s 17 servants!
37 minutes ago

Right on Steven!
35 minutes ago

Myles Rose:  Steven – what do you expect Government employees who have home mortgages, car payments, need to feed their kids …. to do when they get no paycheck? Expecting a tax return? Not if they stop processing paper tax forms?

You think Michelle… Obama had more “servants” than other first ladies of the White House?

Thinking that shutting down the government is a stupid knee jerk reaction where the view of some is so narrow it is beyond my comprehension. It took a long time for our country to get into this mess. It will take even longer to climb out of the muck. Unfortunately our multi party system seems to spend most of its effort blocking action in ANY direction and throwing up roadblocks regardless of the proposed action. It took years to send jobs overseas. It was not all our government, it was American workers expecting to be paid big money to do little work. We used to build the finest airplanes, computers, cars, appliances on the planet. Not any more. American companies outsourced the work not the government. It was greed and profit than cause other countries to be able to produce a better item for less money. Now we have raging unemployment and the tax base has been drastically reduced.

Big business pays little if any tax. The most wealthy segment of the population pay less in taxes. We send troops overseas and maintain a very costly military machine in many locations on the planet. And folks think things are going to get better? Really? By magic? By shutting down the government and sending home government employees that are not at the top of the economic engine but who are consumers who will stop spending, not have income for gasoline, food, clothes or rent.

This is much more than a political issue. This is an issue of people in positions of running our country who accomplish little more than bickering and pointing fingers at others.

Don’t look now. Unless things change in a big way the only thing that will look better is the Dow Jones and that only helps the smallest segment of our population. The rest of the country will have to sit back and watch their quality of life decline as they read stories and watch news items where one party continues to blame the other.

Shame on the leaders of America. If you make over $250,000 per year you have no clue as to what the other 99.95% of Americans face every day.

And to think this started with me being concerned about traffic 🙂

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>AT&T Watchdog – the latest

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Some folks might ask me; if the service is so bad why not switch?  Well, as the old phrase goes, evil can only take hold when good men do nothing.  In reality, I can only be a direct observer if I continue to be a customer.  I have met a few good people at AT&T over the course of my ongoing journey and hope that they can influence the direction of a company which was once a company in America where our country had pride.  Unfortunately this is not the case today.  Survey after survey rank AT&T customer service as the worst in any industry.  At the height of the BP oil disaster the perceived service view of many might have been that BP retained a better customer service image than AT&T.

Today the news reports items such as AT&T purchasing T-Mobile.  I suppose if you have a customer base who are very unhappy and go elsewhere if you have the money you can just purchase the “elsewhere” your customers migrated to after they left you.  Bell Telephone was broken up years ago.  Seems as if they are putting the pieces back together using various methods including the purchase of their competition.

Other news stories point out where AT&T DSL customers are being migrated to the higher cost Uverse service whether they wish to migrate or not.  Their charges will increase.  On top of increased charges and the activity needed to schedule an appointment for the install of home premise equipment they will now be part of the Uverse customer base.  The Uverse Internet customers are going have what had always been unlimited home Internet access limited in the future.  There will be additional charges for going over a monthly allotted usage.  The charts and guidelines are in my original blog near the bottom of the piece at

http://la-economy.blogspot.com/2010/11/at-so-wrong-is-every-way.html 

In November of 2010 my ATT Uverse went down.  Over the course of the next week I documented the issues as I tried to get the problem resolved.

Over the following months I had other problems in many areas such as billing, account ownership and technical issues.

My issues were documented in a blog entry.  I continued to add events to the blog over time.  The blog kept growing in length. 

As of today, 4/2/11, 78,461 people have read the blog.  Since the original blog, last updated 4/1/11 was getting so large as there is so much ongoing material, I felt than I would add new information to new blog entries.  And, new information is rarely a problem.

The last entries at the bottom of the original blog post are not my technical problems.  They are issues of AT&T and the purchase of T-Mobile and the issue AT&T moving forward with their converting their current DSL customers to Uverse whether they wish to convert or not.  Part of the conversion dynamic is bandwidth limitation for all Internet usage for all of their customers.

Prior problems of mine, past T-Mobile information and past Internet policy changes can be seen on by blog at http://la-economy.blogspot.com/2010/11/at-so-wrong-is-every-way.html

Moving along to today….

These are my broadband errors so far this month.  I think that it borders on criminal that AT&T feels they can charge more when they provide service such as this.  If the Public Utilities Commission and our government allows AT&T to change their Internet policy (bait and switch?) of their current customer base OR allow the T-Mobile purchase to move ahead it will be one more reason many have lost faith in our government.  If a company has enough money it seems as if they can do anything.

I realize I am on an old copper infrastructure and I would expect errors and drops of service.  What I would not expect is that AT&T intends to raise my rates and eliminate what they sold to me; unlimited home internet usage.

INF 2011-04-01T02:00:26-07:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting…

INF 2011-04-01T02:01:12-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-01T18:08:21-07:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-01T18:09:05-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-01T18:57:50-07:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-01T18:58:35-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-02T14:21:35-07:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-02T14:22:20-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-05T15:17:50-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-09T00:55:32-07:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-09T00:56:18-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-10T03:01:58-07:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-10T03:02:43-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-12T11:32:57-07:00 sys dsl0: connection lost, reconnecting…
INF 2011-04-12T11:33:43-07:00 sys dnstest0: connection lost, reconnecting…

As a side note, the tools I use to monitor AT&T network performance are the same tools as they use.  AT&T NCC (network control center) and NOC (network operations center) have access to this same information.  AT&T and myself can indeed compare apples to apples.

 

Until AT&T updates most of it’s old infrastructure there is no justification in my mind where they can charge people MORE money.  

 

The area where I live is serviced by an old copper infrastructure which is very old.  This is not fiber.  Electricity travels through a piece of wire.  Data (digital information) travels on the surface of a piece of wire.  The surface of this old copper has corrosion, nicks and imperfections that become more intrusive as the years pass.  The reliability declines over time.  My profile has already been changed to increase the decline in reliability although performance also needed to be reduced.

 

Some of my network chops came from a decade at Infonet where I was head of tech support, head of product development and in my last four years of ten years VP of Operations and Engineering.  I was directly responsible to design, maintain and deploy global networks using IP, X.25, Frame Relay and ATM technology.  One of Infonet’s owners was BT who is now the parent company today.  More on BT if you wish to learn more at http://www.globalservices.bt.com/HomeAction.do 

 

Bottom line here; I have a bit of network and communications knowledge.

 

So, here are a few AT&T recent news items for this blog entry….

 

AT&T’s $140 Million Among Top U.S. Payments for Early Retiree Health Costs

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-31/at-t-and-verizon-received-retiree-health-subsidies-u-s-says.html  Yes, they even cost folks who are not AT&T customers money.  Makes one wonder about our government as well?  Eight U.S. companies that earned more than $10 billion last year, led by AT&T Inc. (T), were among recipients of a government program that paid $1.8 billion toward elderly retirees’ health-care costs, a report shows.

CenturyLink CEO: Still Analyzing Impact Of AT&T, T-Mobile Deal – http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110401-711946.html

In America, if one puts something in writing, one can do whatever they wish.  Our legal system does not understand the difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law.  Look at item number 1 in the AT&T contract and terms of service at

http://www.att.net/csbellsouth/s/s.dll?spage=cg/legal/att.htm&leg=tos 

 

Just in case AT&T changes their policy again in the future I will copy and paste the first two points in their current policy.

 

1. Changes to the Service & This Agreement

 

From time to time, we may change this Agreement, the Site, or Service, including the rates and charges. We will provide you with thirty (30) days notice of material changes via either your Member Account e-mail address or U.S. mail. It is your responsibility to check your e-mail address for any such notices. Your continued subscription to the Service after receipt of such notice constitutes your acceptance of such changes.

 

We may also, from time to time, make temporary changes to your Service. If a temporary change is made that would have a material impact on your Service, AT&T will give you at least thirty (30) days notice. The terms and conditions for such changes will be included in the notice and incorporated by reference into this Agreement at: www.att.com/temporaryterms. Your continued subscription to the Service after receipt of the notice constitutes your acceptance of the changes and the associated terms and conditions. In lieu of notice and website posting, AT&T may instead, at its sole discretion, require customers to enter into an agreement with AT&T regarding temporary material changes.

 

2. AT&T High Speed Internet Service Description

 

The Service is composed of narrowband or broadband access to the Internet. The Site is composed of a broad selection of on-line resources including email, communication tools, forums, shopping services, search services and personalized content and branded programming. Broadband access is provided in speed tiers of: (1) 200 Kbps to 768 Kbps downstream (not available for AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet service), (2) 769 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps downstream; (3) 1.56 Mbps to 3.0 Mbps downstream; (4) 3.1 Mbps to 6.0 Mbps downstream; (5) 6.1 Mbps to 10.0 Mbps (available only with AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet service); and (6) 10.1 Mbps to 18 Mbps downstream (available only with AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet service) (collectively “Service Capability Speeds”). AT&T may periodically introduce additional speed tiers. Because these speed tiers may become available before this Agreement is updated, you should check http://www.att.com for the most current product information. For purposes of clarity, this Agreement applies to all speed tiers offered by AT&T, even those which are not specifically identified above.

 

The speeds identified above are Service Capability Speeds, which are the downstream rates at which your line transfers Internet access data between the network interface device at your home, office or apartment building to the first piece of routing equipment in AT&T’s network. Service Capability Speeds should not be confused with Throughput Speed, which is the speed at which your modem receives and sends Internet access data (“Throughput Speed.”). These speeds may vary and are not guaranteed. Throughput speed depends upon many factors including customer location, destination and traffic on the Internet, interference with high frequency spectrum on your telephone line, wiring inside your home, office or apartment, the capacity or performance of your computer or modem, the server with which you are communicating, internal network factors, and the networks you and others are using when communicating. In order to provide a consistently high-quality video service, AT&T Uverse High Speed Internet throughput speeds may be temporarily reduced when a customer is using other U-verse services in a manner that requires high bandwidth. This could occur more often with higher speed Internet access products. In order to enhance reliability and consistency of performance, some broadband access lines may be provisioned at less than the maximum speed capability but within the range of speed purchased.

 

Feel free to send this blog entry and past blog entries on this subject to others.  Ask them to forward this to others.  Send to the news media and to your government representatives.  Perhaps we can work together to put some aspects of this country back on track and request that our elected officials keep a close watch on companies lile AT&T.

4/4/11 – Lawmaker has concerns over mobile megamerger

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/us-tmobile-att-walden-idUSTRE7305EJ20110401

The entire story can be read via the link above.  A bit of the lead in:  (Reuters) – A U.S. lawmaker with oversight of technology expressed concern that AT&T Inc’s plans to take over T-Mobile USA would stifle innovation in the wireless market.

Representative Greg Walden, chairman of the House subcommittee on communications and technology, said he did not want to see a merger diminish the vibrant and competitive nature of wireless.

AT&T’s $39 billion bid to buy Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA would concentrate 80 percent of U.S. wireless contract customers in just two companies — AT&T/T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc.

AT&T, currently the No. 2 U.S. mobile carrier behind Verizon, has said the merger will spur innovation and economic growth by improving quality and expanding wireless service to 95 percent of Americans.

But Walden expressed concern about eliminating a national carrier.

4/11/11 There have been many news stories since my last post.  Here are a few today:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/copps-too-many-disturbing-ramifications-in-at-t-s-merger-with-t-mobile-20110411
Copps: Too Many ‘Disturbing’ Ramifications in AT&T’s Merger With T-Mobile
Companies haven’t shown public benefits in wireless deal, FCC panelist says.

AT&T, T-Mobile Merger Gets Senate Hearing – http://www.intomobile.com/2011/04/11/may-11-day-tmobile-and-att-have-face-senate-judiciary-antitrust-subcommittee/

May 11: The day T-Mobile and AT&T have to face the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee
http://www.mobiledia.com/news/86603.html

How AT&T’s Acquisition of T-Mobile Will Affect their 4G Networks
http://www.goingwimax.com/how-atts-acquisition-of-t-mobile-will-affect-their-4g-networks-12850/

4/12/11 – A few stories today …

My hat is off to the FCC. Kudos! Thankfully somebody is doing something about this. For the moment the FCC is on my good guys list 🙂 …

FCC is playing hardball with AT&T – http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/12/technology/fcc_att_tmobile/?section=money_latest

AT&T’s Purchase of T-Mobile Questioned on Prices by FCC Official – http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-12/at-t-s-t-mobile-usa-takeover-questioned-by-fcc-official-over-price-impact.html

AT&T, T-Mobile Deal Faces Pushback — InformationWeek – http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/3G/229401444

4/13/11

Looks like AT&T is already putting their stamp on T-Mobile. Many of us saw this coming as soon as AT&T broke news of their T-Mobile buy, their Uverse price increase, their revoking of unlimited Internet for home use as well as with their cell service etc.

T-Mobile’s 4G unlimited plan slows data after user exceeds 2GB threshold
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/t-mobiles-7999-unlimited-4g-data-plan-slows-down-web-data-speeds-after-2gb.html

4/14/11

Kan. gov. to sign bill loosening rules for AT&T – The bill makes it easier for AT&T to avoid a state cap on rates for stand-alone, local landline service that still apply in many of the areas it serves.
Shame on you Gov. Brownback. AT&T moving facilities to Kansas? I suppose if we dig deeper there are possible tax breaks for AT&T as well? – http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MJ2U303.htm

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>Today’s Lunch 4-1-11

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Today my son and I ate in North Hollywood at The Swinging Door Texas BBQ. 

My son had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich.  I had a tri tip BBQ sandwich.

The have many nice side dishes but their spicy BBQ sauce is so great (they also offer mild sauce) that I cannot pass up french fries so I can dip them in the sauce.

After our nice lunch we went shooting.  It has been quite a while since my son shot a pistol but after a bit of warm up he was doing as well as ever.  I need to get him and his brother back out to shoot some sporting clays as well.  With all the rain it has been a while since any of us have shot at http://www.moorenmoore.com/