A Veteran's Day Program By Frankfort-Schyuler Elementary School Students, Teachers & Staff

  

Many thanks to Master-of-Ceremonies and Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District (FSCSD) Superintendent Mr. Joseph Palmer, to the outstanding Frankfort-Schuyler Elementary School Teachers & Staff, and a special THANK YOU to the many exceptional elementary students in pre-K through 6th grades at FSCSD.  Your 31st Annual Veteran's Day Program held November 8, 2024 is gratefully appreciated.  High competence was also clearly on display by the Frankfort-Schuyler High School Band (under the direction of music teacher Ms. Kathy Donaleski) in their strong and proper instrumental presentation of America's "National Anthem."      

To view the exceptional video program on YouTube, a one and a half hour celebration, click HERE. 

Exiting the school following the celebration a small "care-package" was offered to each Veteran, the packet containing a few kind written thoughts from a couple of elementary students.  Scans of my packet  contents follow:

From Olivia, a presumed pre-K or K student.

Another student with an unreadable signature is thankful for the freedom to become an astronaut. 

An elementary school student Ms. Grygiel says thank you.

 

The excellent FSCSD Veteran's Day Celebration printed program. 

WELL DONE AND MUCH APPRECIATED!

November 5, 2024 Pictorial Review Of Newer Trees

 Zoom in and look closely as several visitors arrive to watch me check the fence lines on 5 Nov 2024.

Our Grandparent Remembrance Trees

Our new Apple Orchard planted in Spring 2024, 10 Macintosh and 10 Honey Crisp Trees.  The trees were started from seed in Spring 2023/24.  Trees are fenced in, and then individually wrapped to ensure further protection from our foraging resident deer. 

Ten new Norway Spruce Trees planted in Spring 2024 on Arbor Day.

Two more interesting photos follow showing our back lot resident observers during the fence lines checks done on 5 Nov 2024.  General population seems to be about 5 to 8 individuals so far in 2024/2025 fall/winter season.   

This curious deer came within 25 feet of where some work was being done.

It's believed this individual thinks she belongs to us. 

Two friends give a last look and join others standing in the larger 25 foot Norway Spruce as planted several years ago.  Not against hunting or firearm ownership, proud NRA members, but our 4-legged friends would be safe if they stayed on our land -- where, no hunting is allowed.

INTEL CEO SPEAKS... MY GOSH... SAVE US!

Past study highlighted Dr. W. Edwards Deming's policy position on corporate management -- and Dr. Deming's wisdom remains highly valid today. Paraphrased here -- problems in any firm can be exclusively traced to top management. This is a single and simple truth... 90% of all corporate problems rest with top management, since it is only top managers who are empowered to make the correct, immediate, and necessary structural turn-around change. When institutions and private investors see a firm's stock cratering >35% over a very short time, this is a clear indication the market has loss confidence in firm's course under persent management. A fresh top management evaluation by an independent expert management team is required at Intel. Such review might perhaps be initiated by engaging a certified body lauguage expert to evaluate a recent Yahoo Finance interview with Intel CEO Gelsinger... a presentation characterized by massive hand-arm waving, head bobbing, coupled with very significant eye-blinking. According to many body language experts these actions are personal tells that clearly indicate the subject is perhaps knowingly making disengenious statements. Intel's CEO and his top management team may need to be numbered among the 15,000 Intel employees to be soon terminated.

In another Yahoo Finance report: "Creative Strategies CEO and Principal Analyst Ben Bajarin noted... people had thought the worst was behind Intel, I think all this [in the Q2 earnings report] has proven that's not true." Intel's board of directors needs to step in and hire the skills of an independent analyst firm like Creative Strategies Inc.

Having said this, it is true that most any large firm can terminate 8%-10 % of current employees, survive this in good health, and remain highly productive with the new reduced workforce. Of course, this presumes that the correct employees are terminated. There is little recent proof suggesting Intel's current top leadership is in possession of this necessary personnel resource management skill. On layoffs, start your investigation with a leadership evalution by competent authority of the firm's present top administration. A course correction seems necessary.

Elijah Stanton (d.1849) -- A Revolutionary Soldier

 

Photo by DJ Paul dated 1 Jun 2024 (not copyrighted)

The rural graves of Connecticut Revolutionary War private soldier Elijah Stanton (1754-1849), his beloved wife Lucy (Goodell) Stanton (d.1836), and their son John Warren Stanton (d.1838) were tended in May/June 2024, the yard work included manually pulling surrounding weeds assisted by a weed/grass string trimmer.  Afterwards, Elijah's moss/mold stained headstone was treated with Wet & Forget brand moss, mold, mildew, & algae stain remover outdoor surface cleaner. Wet & Forget is one product suggested by the U.S. Veterans Cemetery Administration for headstone cleaning. The bleach-free, non-acidic, and phosphate-free product is claimed over time, to kill all sorts of mold, mildew, and moss without scrubbing. We will make a return trip to these graves located in Eatonville Cemetery (aka Eaton's Bush Cemetery), to check the headstone stain removal process.

Also, a strong shout-out is extended to the Herkimer Town Council (of Herkimer County, New York), the Town of Herkimer Highway Superintendent Ken Ward and his highway department employees for keeping the cemetery well mowed – this noted with highest pleasure.  Many thanks!

NOTE: Click HERE to view additional information at Find A Grave.

AT&T Confirms Gross Intellectual Incompetence

 

I'd like to thank those seemingly mentally challenged AT&T managers for writing and telling me both in an email and a snail-mail form-letter they have determined that my personal information was compromised in a data breach on March 26, 2024. They say, AT&T got hacked by the “dark web.” Strong Suggestion, let's put this problem in more truthful language, or state the issue otherwise.  The cloaking term "dark web" is technospeak made by less than competent technical management ("dark web" is simply a CYA).  So get the terminology right AT&T.  Some unknown underworld, less than honorable Internet hackers, being obviously smarter than AT&T software programmers, found a security hole in AT&T web-based software or found a less intelligent backdoor left behind in AT&T software logic.  Therefore, these Internet hackers evidently gained access to all or most all of AT&T customer's private information.

Get this! The AT&T remedial solution is an offer to provide “complimentary credit monitoring.”  So I went to the web to check out this AT&T offer. Here's what I found. The AT&T credit monitors asked me to supply them with name, address, etc., etc., etc., – virtually all my personal information including my Social Security Number (SSN). GET REAL AT&T!  This session was quickly terminated without  submitting this “complimentary credit monitoring offer” – I'm a bit sensitive about giving anyone my SSN.

So my question is, are AT&T software security managers insane or are they just abundantly stupid? AT&T just lost my personal information by their own written admission, and now AT&T wants me to communicate again to AT&T or to their I guess alleged competent credit monitors, all my personal information including, but not limited to, my SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. Got to admit, this offer takes a very big pair! No AT&T, you or your security breach cleanup team can not again have all or most all of my personal information that you just lost to unknowable Internet hackers -- PERIOD!

WHAT FOOL WOULD TAKE AT&T UP ON A “FREE CREDIT MONITORING OFFER” MADE BY THE EXACT FIRM WHO JUST LOST ALL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION!

SAGE ADVICE FROM A VERY FINE PROFESSOR

FYI: -- dj

Advice learned in a microprocessor course taught many years past by Professor Roger Rockefeller, Ph.D., then a full-time teacher at Utica College of Syracuse University (now Professor Emeritus of Physics at Utica University)... communicating some most unforgettable sage advice. Regarding information security – “Never put anything in electronic communication that you would not yell to your mother across a crowded room.” Otherwise stated – “electronic communication” is today aka email or social network messaging. Here's another piece of sage thinking passed to me in this image by a close contact:

Antietam Battlefield National Park and Cemetery

Volunteers in line to read names of Union Warriors interred

at Antietam National Cemetery, D Paul photo, Sep 2017.

In September 2017, I traveled to Sharpsburg, MD (The Antietam Battlefield National Park) for the re-dedication of the Antietam National Cemetery (150th Anniversary Ceremony).  A paternal Great-Great-Grandfather William Moegling was wounded at the Battle of Antietam 17 Sep 1862 while fighting as an enlisted corporal with the 97th Infantry Regiment of New York State Volunteers (aka "The 3rd Oneida Regiment" or "Conkling Rifles").  The 97th New York was raised in Boonville, NY with volunteers primarily hailing from Oneida County, Lewis County, and Herkimer County in New York State.

Click HERE for more details courtesy of the New York State Department of Military and Naval Affairs website.

The guest speaker at the 150th Antietam National Cemetery Anniversary ceremony was the expert Civil War author/professor Dr. Gary Gallagher -- a great speaker -- very impressive, funny, interesting, and personally found myself in near 100% agreement with Dr. Gallagher's Civil War positions and thinking.  I've recently come across a few of Dr. Gallagher's talks on the Internet at YouTube, they take some time to review.  But these talks are highly worth your time for those who wish to be better informed on the hows, whereas, and whys of Civil War leadership and soldiers and why we these eight score+ years later need to remember that difficult 19th centruy rebellion period that nearly made us two countrys.  One of Dr. Gallagher's very fine talks is selected here and available on YouTube -- click HERE to view.

On Dr. Gallagher's "the preservation of the union message" as the majority reason for Union soldier fighting, I recall a decade past visiting the grave of another Great-Great Grandfather Private Albert Odell at Bath National Cemetery (in Steuben County, NY), late of the 91st Infantry Regiment of New York State Volunteers.  The cemetery plaque on the main soldiers and sailors monument reads "In memory of the Soldiers and Sailors of the War for the PRESERVATION OF THE UNION who died in the New York State Soldiers and Sailors Home."  I recall being surprised by the engraved monument plaque statement "...The War For The Preservation Of The Union" -- recall thinking I've never seen this language used on a Civil War monument before.  In my experience, the Civil War is most frequently referenced as "The War Of The Rebellion."  Of course the union was preserved as a major  outcome by the Union in Civil War, but any basic 20th/21st Century student of the war would think it was fought mainly to free the slaves.  Not so... and freeing slaves was not the majority cause why those union soldiers pick-up a rifle and killed other men (or to be killed). 

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Bath National Cemetery, Bath, New York,

photo dated May 2011 by DJ Paul.

Closeup of Bath National Cemetery Soldiers and Sailors Monument Plaque 

Take A Look At This Happy American Legion News

 

Click HERE to read this very important NAUTICAL NEWS... 

So glad to learn that sailors can now walk around with their hands in pockets, that naval gals can wear false eyelashes in uniform (and I guess guys too, we gotta be gender-neutral don't we[?]), that naval chaplin's prayers were answered and they can now wear some sort of dolpin/wings uniform device, and lastly that naval drone pilots can wear wings.  My GOD, you are pulling my leg here... right?

And what's up with this new authorization allowing female sailors to wear the tiara as an optional uniform component when donned in dinner dress blues and/or white jacket uniforms.  How and why is this non-uniform change in naval uniform regulations necessary?  In interest of full disclosure, the author had to Google "tiara" being an old fart male, out of touch, and unfamiliar with this device.  So exactly how is it the tiara device makes military dinner-clothing uniform?  It seems obvious any such device-ware makes the uniform less uniform.  Isn't that the purpose of tiara wear in the first place -- to draw more notice and attention to those wearing the most beautiful tiara?  My gosh, what military genius thought of this? And is the Brazilian Butt Enhancement authorization next on your agenda?

I'm sittin' and reading this American Legion news release, and thinkin' this is the kind of miltary BS (aka FUBAR) that happens when we are not engaged in an active declared war... got to give those unnecessary senior officer billet-holders who are now polishing a desk chair with their butts (mostly flag rank) something to do down there in DC.  I'm so glad to be a former sailor... and naval management would certainly be happy to do without some of us with a similar take on this matter (asked to leave or forced retirement).

 WTF, over and out.

 

Serious Instruction On Work Place Touching

 

Long ago I worked with a female Navy Chief Petty Officer who once told me -

"I don't mind sexual harassment, it's that harassment without the sex that ticks me off."

That CPO would likely be fired in today's "touchy-feely" PC Navy (or negative comments may certainly be inserted in her official record). I worked with a few female Navy Chiefs... to be honest I'm not sure which one said this to me, but I do recall the remark was made just after we attended a 3-hour mandatory sexual harassment lecture. I got a huge laugh hearing that comment.

Actually was told this in a lecture like first graders might be regarding work-related touching. There are "green zones" good and OK touching, "yellow-zones" questionable and uncomfortable touching, and then to "red-zones" contacts -- I guess a slap on the ass, making the Grab, etc. touches that are obviously worthy of formal charges.

It's so stupid... anyone with a brain should know what inappropriate touches are... and if this conduct is found the offender should be gone (fired) by sunset. I remember the sexual harassment lecture was delivered by a female Navy Commander (a lawyer) who flew in from Washington D.C. just to deliver a nasty conduct lecture. Timing was just after the infamous Las Vegas hotel "Tail Hook" incident(s) involving naval flying personnel following Gulf War I (1991).  Guess those Naval Airedales watched too many older Hollywood military movies and attempted multiple duplication of this now funny, but unacceptable, conduct depicted in these now unseemly movie scenes [?].  But tell me I'm wrong -- most of these old military movies are presently regarded by qualified movie critics as legitimate classical films.