Johnnie Does Yard House

I visited a fairly new establishment downtown about a month back, it is called Yard House.

First some background, Yard House was bought by Darden Restaurants (owner of Oliver Garden, Longhorn Steaks etc.) back in 2012 as a small regional chain in the Northeast and has been expanding ever since. Yard House is an American sports bar type establishment, and has a claim to fame of offering over 100 beers on tap at all its locations. I decided to check it out, what follows is my review.

Ambiance: Yard House is very similar to BJ’s Restaurant and Brew House in a sense they are both large open air establishments. Yard House has very tall beer glasses almost appearing like a bong on its doors…more on this later. There is a very large bar area, very large seating area, featuring booths and tables as well as a fairly large sized outdoor patio, covered and with ample heat lamps. The restaurant was fairly dark, not sure if it was because it was late (8 pm) or if this is done to set a mood. Hundreds of TV’s donned the walls in various corners of the store, all were set to music videos, and the accompanying music was being piped in via a surround system…it was a little loud. I assume if a game was on, or football Sunday, this place would be rocking. They had all kinds of random pictures on the walls, it is definitely a place one could hang out while sampling all 100 beers. 4.5/5; half a point deducted for having a picture of “The Chief” on the wall, apparently they wanted The Chief to do the food review not Johnnie Does!

Yard House wall features a likeness of “The Chief”

Food: Yard House has a menu that rivals Cheesecake Factory or BJ’s. In a sense, there is definitely something for everyone; however, I also view this as a downfall. The menu basically was typical bar food like fried mac n cheese or nachos, to regular items like burgers, wings and pizza to high end items like steak, salmon, and sea food pasta. While I am sure this works great as far as something for everyone, it is very intimidating, and how many people instead of “trading up” for an expensive dish, decide to “trade down” for cheaper dishes? The wings were great, and my burger was perfect; however, the mac n cheese sticks were cold. I think this is due to the extensive menu and trying to have cooks make all of said food. 4.2/5

Yard House serving beer your way

Drinks: I tried 3 beers–they have a sampler platter you can buy for a nominal fee; that essentially amounts to wine tasting. I liked this since it’s hard to find something you like off a list of over 100 beers. I found one I liked and ordered a half yard….it’s the same size glass donning the doors on your way in!

Yard House beer bong

A large amount of beer and while I finished it, I did not need 1 more that is for sure. Great selection, cool glasses, I would say 5/5.

Overall: The service was awesome; I really liked the beer selection, and cool ambiance of the place. Only couple quibbles I have are the extensive menu, which I think hurts food quality control, and stock keeping must be a doozy, and the place just seems too similar to other restaurant’s in the same competing space. I found it very similar to a BJ’s or Cheesecake Factory or Buffalo Wild Wings and the lack of differentiation makes it a place that can get “lost in the shuffle of other chains” such as Applebee’s, Chili’s, Outback or Friday’s. I just wish there was something different that made me want to return. That being said 4.5/5

I would most definitely return.

Really Right Tours “The Swamp”

Last week, I accompanied my family along with 16 eighth graders and some other adults to Washington D.C. The tour was thru an organization called “World Strides”. The cost is about $2,300 a person which included airfare, meals, admission to all venues, tour guide and bus to haul you about the area.

I plan to blog about the various places that we visited in future installments but to begin with I wanted to address the question of what makes DC different? Donald Trump and others call this region “The Swamp”. In the 1970’s Gary S Paxton called it “Potomac Fever”. Over the years, others have questioned whether there is something in the water that makes D.C. different. In short what makes this region so disjointed from the rest of the country. However, this is question is phrased, it remains, “Why don’t our representatives represent us?”

I will offer a few thoughts based on my brief observations.

Washington DC is a rich and prosperous area. With trillions of dollars flowing thru the Federal government coffers, having a bureaucracy able to direct this amount of wealth is a daunting task. Government produces nothing but consumes much. Tens of thousands work in and around DC in support of “Uncle Sam”.

As the nation’s capital, much of the best housing, entertainment, and goods available are readily accessible. Gasoline is over a dollar a gallon cheaper than California. Housing costs are high but so are wages. Also, much housing is available just outside the District. Roads are not well maintained but mass transit of various sorts is accessible as well.

One thing that is clear is that elected representatives never have to interact with the public unless they choose to do so. While touring Congress, we entered thru the public entrance and elected folks have a private entrance. Members have token office space at the Capital and larger accommodations at nearby office buildings.

One example of the disconnect between California and its representatives is the statues on display in the capital building. Each state gets two statutes—typically bronze or marble—to represent them. I recall seeing Thomas Edison, Robert E Lee, Jefferson Davis, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc. The statutes representing California were Ronald Reagan and Father Junípero Serra.

Reagan was a President from California (as was Richard Nixon) and both were Republicans. I can understand Reagan but I’m not sure the average voter in the once Golden State would agree. Folks, I doubt the Reagan statute would be allowed to be prominently displayed, if at all, in our own Capital in Sacramento.

Ronald Reagan bronze statue in Capital Rotunda

The second statute, an image of Father Junípero Serra, represents California too. In the current political climate, there is no way in hell that Father Junípero Serra would be regarded by those in power as a representative of what is unique and good about California. Last I heard, Serra was about to get the Christopher Columbus treatment and be purged from our history and recast as an exploiter of native peoples. Serra was not the face of salvation and Christianity but an enslaver and exploiter of those that were—up to that time—living in blessed harmony with nature.


Father Junípero Serra lifting high the Cross of Christ

Visitors to our nation’s capital get to see both statutes as those that represent California’s best. Apparently, the California contingent led on the House side by Maxine Waters, Adam Schiff, and Nancy Pelosi and on the Senate side by Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Kamala Harris have never noticed the incongruity or really don’t believe all the B.S. that they spout when they are back home.

Those elected to D.C. are part of an exclusive club that is far more select than the so call one percent. These guys get drivers, armed security, special access, and are part of the aristocracy of power that makes our world go around.

Occasionally they make honest mistakes which in their world means when they are honest that it’s a mistake. Take our local jewel of colossal ignorance, Doris Matsui. For many years, Doris listed her residence as Maryland not California.

Sacramento Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui has repaid $2,800 in back taxes on her $1.5 million Maryland home after state officials said she received tax breaks for erroneously claiming it was her permanent residence.
Matsui, 65, indicated earlier this year that she wanted to withdraw her application for the tax breaks and that she would voluntarily repay the back taxes, said Robert Young, associate director of Maryland’s tax office.
The tax credit she sought is a homestead tax benefit for residents of Maryland. Young said Matsui had to answer a questionnaire that asked whether her property in Montgomery County, Md., was her “principal residence” and whether she was registered to vote in the state, among other things.

Matsui said she has paid in full; however, the state of Maryland disagrees.
Young said Tuesday that Matsui still owes thousands and that she will be assessed penalties and interest for not paying back taxes dating to 2005.
“What I can tell you is those monies have not been repaid,” he said.
Rob Hagedoorn, chief of Montgomery County’s Division of Treasury, said Matsui and her husband, Robert, the former congressman who died on Jan. 1, 2005, in all likelihood had received the tax break even before 2005.

Link: California Rep. Matsui repays $2,800 Maryland tax break

Matsui lied for many years, as did her husband before her, just to get a tax break. But I disagree about one thing, Matsui lied, not about her principal residence being in Maryland, but that her principal residence is in Sacramento. Truth is that she hasn’t lived in the area for decades. She is only occasionally in the area near election time. She doesn’t represent anyone in California, she is a Democrat first and a loyal vote for their leadership and thus insulated from the consequences of her stupidity—as long as she votes right.

Sorry, I can’t quantify what’s wrong with “The Swamp” but for those of us outside that bubble, its easy to see what’s wrong with it. I hope the examples above illustrate that fact.

2020 Trump Attack from Right Begins

Having survived the Mueller Report, President Trump is facing round two from within his own Party. Besides the unsolicited attacks from Mitt Romney, the CRA and its offspring, the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) appears to be piling on as well.

Below are portions of solicitations for the NFRA Convention that I have received in the last 48 hours.

Yesterday we are informed that Donald Trump is not our only choice for President. Former Governor Bill Weld is offering himself to take-out the Orange President.

Today we are told about the speaker list which includes Ted Cruz. No surprise there.

Trump has done more for the faith community since any President since Ronald Reagan—and arguably more–but its not good enough for the NeverTrumper wing of the Republican Party. They seem to want Hillary Clinton in the White House until such time as God Himself rides in on a white horse to settle all accounts. (FYI This won’t happen in your lifetime so get over it.)

Its really pathetic that Trump is the most effective weapon in the Republican arsenal and many of them can’t wait to plunge a knife in his back the first chance that they get.

Update April 22nd

Pay to play option unveiled. Everyone going is automatically a delegate.

Short Bus Shortage Scandal Last Weekend

My apologies for the long hiatus, but over the weekend I heard there was a shortage of short school buses in California, so I needed to investigate.

Turns out the short yellow buses were needed for transportation to the CRA convention, conveniently located in the nation’s capital Sacramento.

For the CRA–Sacramento is our Nations Capital

Before either of the South Sacramento members complain about this being untrue….. I still get emails from you despite not being a dues paying member for several years! Oh by the way, Corresponding Secretary Jorge Riley AKA the “Drunken Jedi” sent out that very email….. not a member of the Exec board caught it. The convention took place at a local Discovery Zone in Sacramento which is funny because neither the CRA nor Discovery Zone has been relevant in about 30 years.

The CRA had the back room rented out so if you wanted a sausage pizza, it was free but cheese would cost some money…again ironic as the CRA slogan should be “where’s the beef?”

Delegates and bus drivers were told to stop at a local Burger King to be sure to pick up their crown…because in the CRA anyone who pays can be king for a weekend!

CRA Delegate being certified

Unfortunately, the CRA didn’t qualify for the group rate since you need to have more than 50 members actually in attendance. Truth be told, I doubt they even have 50 dues paying members anymore. For all I know, they likely rented the ballroom by the hour similar to how one may rent a Motel 6 these days. The speak series actually wasn’t that bad; Dinesh D’Souza, Ben Shapiro, and Tomi Lahren….oh wait, they were at the conventions that are actually relevant. CRA was stuck with the usual group of back benchers and no names that make the convention ticket so worthwhile. But hey…you got a rubber chicken for lunch…so?

I haven’t been able to find out much about the program, and I actually am curious….. are smart meters still being outlawed? Is a resolution to impeach Donald Trump still being bandied about? Has Ted Cruz begun hiring staffers for a 2020 run? Or since the meeting was held in the “Nations Capital” are we planning a “CalExit?”

How come the “Ronald Reagan Freedom Fighter Award” was given to Thomas Hudson?

Tom Hudson–CRA’s 2019 Freedom Fighter Award winner

What exactly has CRA Predident Hudson done to deserve this? The facial hair does look nice on him but I must have missed him prosecuting the Park Brothers for their malfeasance, or helping us win back seats lost previously to Democrats, or hold the electeds accountable, or maybe hold the statewide party accountable? Sadly, none of the above. This award first bestowed upon the great Lt. Col. Oliver North who went to jail for defending American interests has been rendered as a useless as a participation trophy.

Oliver North CRA’s first Freedom Fighter Award recipient

Good news for Mr. Hudson, I heard second prize was an all-expenses paid trip on a longer school bus to Fresno…so I’d say he did alright.

Short Yellow bus to Fresno

As far as officer elections go, there was a slate of officers running on the “Make the CRA Great Again” mantra…how cute, since you never endorsed Donald Trump and actually cannot stand the guy! I am not aware of any board elections worth a darn that were contested so I guess the elections went well as the deck chairs were re-arranged and all is back in order.

CRA’s deck chairs are now ready for two more years

The worst part of the convention, per the Facebook posts on the event, were the election of minor offices–presumable Senate District Directors. Ironic that the folks that demand voter integrity for the rest of us had to hold multiple elections for minor offices to get a valid ballot count. Cynics might even say this happened so they could get the results that they wanted. However, I thinks its more charitable to think that the organizers didn’t know what they were doing. No word if Patrick J Buchanan was on the ballot.

CRA recount of botched election

Best part of the convention? The Drunken Jedi was stumbling around and giving away free samples of his latest vintage. But if anyone was curious, it was safely stowed away in his backpack. While some may call this drunk in public…I just call it a CRA convention, just a bunch of enablers helping a dying man along the way to meet his maker. I do wonder if he believes his maker is really Makers Mark but oh well.

Bill Cardoza was able to attain a symbolic position, which is unfortunate, because I think he should have been elected leader, what better object to symbolize the CRA than a spineless do nothing?

“X”

Fear not, the short buses were loaded up with the sheep and they returned safe and sound to their destination and will re-focus on helping derail the Trump agenda one day at a time.

Berkeley Children Face Death at Easter

No, I’m not talking about the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ which we celebrate at Easter. Neither am I talking about those in the Philippines that reenact the crucifixion each Good Friday as a way of identifying with the suffering of Christ.

Annual reenactment of Crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday

Berkeley children apparently face the threat of bodily injury and death for collecting Easter eggs on public property. These risks include, blindness, heart attack, broken bones, paralysis, and death. Where else but California?

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the paper trail: Hard-boiled lawyers made sure no kids could participate in the University of California-Berkeley’s campus Easter egg hunt on Sunday without their parents first signing a waiver.


Before the tykes were ushered toward the roped-off grass, parents stood in line for up to half an hour to hand in the official form for 25th Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Learning Festival. (God forbid the kids just have fun.) According to the waiver, which was obtained by Reason, the undersigned agreed that “Participation in The Activity carries with it certain risks that cannot be eliminated regardless of the care taken to avoid injuries.” These risks ranged from “1) minor injuries, such as scratches, bruises and sprains 2) major injuries such as eye injury or loss of sight, joint or back injuries, heart attacks, and concussions to 3) catastrophic injuries including paralysis and death.“


Are they hunting Easter eggs or landmines?

Link: Parents at UC-Berkeley Easter Egg Hunt Must Sign Waivers Due to Risk of ‘Catastrophic Injuries and Death’

Dangers of eggs include more that cholesterol in California

Each child risked life and limb for the state mandated quota of five eggs.

Thanks to Capital Political Review for the news tip.

CHP’s Rainbow Rules

At your next traffic stop in California, prepare to meet the new rainbow police.

Yes, from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to your local cop, the state legislature that can’t shoot straight has decreed that when the public interacts with law enforcement that men are no longer men and women are no longer women. Under the law, if a cop calls a man “sir” or a lady “ma’am”, they can be subject to discipline for violating the state’s laws on gender discrimination. The officer is required to ask what gender identity and pronouns are appropriate for them to address you before writing you the citation for speeding or jaywalking.

Once the traffic stop is completed, the officer is required to include the gender identity information in their report. This is an expansion of the laws already on the books to document and prevent racial profiling. These statistics are required to be given to the perpetual litigant of President Trump, Javier Becerra.

The below is from the California Attorney General’s website

Stop Data Collection Requirements and Final Regulations

In addition to requiring the collection and reporting of data regarding citizen complaints that allege racial or identity profiling, AB 953 requires all city and county local law enforcement agencies in California, as well as the California Highway Patrol and peace officers of California state and university educational institutions, to collect perceived demographic and other detailed data regarding pedestrian and traffic stops. Probation officers and officers in a custodial setting are excluded from this collection requirement.

The data to be collected includes, among other things, the perceived race or ethnicity, gender, and approximate age of the person stopped, as well as other data such as the reason for the stop, whether a search was conducted, and the results of any such search. Law enforcement agencies subject to this reporting requirement must report this data to the California Attorney General’s Office every year, with specific reporting deadlines set forth in the statute.

Link: AB 953: The Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015

Screen Capture from Attorney General’s website

So there you have it. California cops must check your gender identity so as not to offend you when writing you a ticket but they sure as hell better not check your residency or immigration status.

Attacking Mike Pence

There is a Democrat Presidential wannabee that has spent the last several days attacking Vice President Mike Pence because Pence is an Evangelical Christian. Pence has done nothing to merit this attack but the mere fact that he exists is enough to set this guy off.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 presidential hopeful, took direct shots at Vice President Mike Pence Sunday regarding his sexuality, telling the vice president his marriage to a man has moved him “closer to God.”


“That’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand: That if you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator,” the Indiana Democrat said during a speech at the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s annual brunch.

Link: Democrat Buttigieg to Mike Pence: if you oppose my sexuality, ‘your quarrel, sir, is with my creator’

If you dig deeper into the story you will discover that Pence and this guy have had a cordial working relationship in the past when Pence was governor of Indiana. This guy is attacking Pence solely to elevate his profile within Democrat circles and fundraise in the process.

I’m going to defend Pence but not as politely as the VP would. You see, I’ve got a dog in this hunt and I’m tired of the bullying from the “rainbow people”; especially, when they try to justify themselves by using the Bible.

Lest you think I’m picking this fight, try this from the fake news outlet, MSNBC.

Buttigieg, most recently, targeted Pence at a fundraiser for the LGBTQ organization Victory Fund on Sunday.


“If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade,” Buttigieg said. “And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand. That if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me — your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”


Buttigieg’s comments came hours after he made critical comments about evangelical voters’ support of President Donald Trump during an appearance on “Meet The Press.”


“It’s something that really frustrates me because the hypocrisy is unbelievable,” Buttigieg said. “Here you have somebody who not only acts in a way that is not consistent with anything that I hear in scripture in church.“

Link: Feud between Pete Buttigieg and Mike Pence escalates

Mayor Pete is an openly homosexual guy that claims to be a Christian in good standing because he is a member of the Episcopal Church, an ecclesiastical body that endorses his sexual preference.

I don’t know about you, but I am reluctant to get any biblical advice on sexuality from any guy whose last name begins with Butt… however, let’s look at the money quotes in the above citations.

Claim #1 Homosexuality is God’s Will

Mayor Pete says in essence, “God made me this way so your problem is with Him.” I think this is a fair summary of his position.

There are two responses that I can make with the statement, I can agree with the mayor or disagree with him but either way he is wrong.

Argument 1: God Made Me This Way

God makes some people to be vessels of wrath. They are made for destruction.

Paul’s letter to the Romans Chapter 9:18-24

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonor?
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Paul’s letter to Timothy Chapter 2: 19-26

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonor.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

So if Mayor Pete believes that God made him that way, as a vessel of destruction, he is biblically correct.

Argument 2: Mayor Pete Chose This Way

Paul’s letter to the Romans Chapter 1:18-32

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

So whether Mayor Pete was made that way by God or chose the lifestyle himself, he is on the receiving end of God’s wrath, a vessel fit for destruction.

Claim #2 My Church Affirms Homosexuality

Pete claims, Mike Pence “acts in a way that is not consistent with anything that I hear in scripture in church.” As stated before, his honor is a practicing Episcopal.

Christianity is defined in terms of the historic Creeds; these are Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian.

Think of Jesus as the Shepherd and Christians as his flock. The Creeds are the fence line surrounding the pasture. Any denial of the Creeds makes that person not a Christian and thus outside the faith.

Sadly, the Episcopal and Methodist churches in the United States have left “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3) Their clergy no long must to affirm that God is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the bodily resurrection; the incarnation; six day creation; biblical marriage; sin; Jesus as the only way to God; etc.

So what mayor Pete might hear in church could conflict with what Mike Pence says, does, or believes. Pete is not a member of the Christian Church but a heretical, non-Christian sect. Mike Pence is not the standard, God’s Word is.

I am not saying that a homosexual cannot be saved. The Apostle Paul writes,

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.


1 Corinthians 6:9-11

A homosexual will cease to be one once they come to Christ. They will be a “new creature: old things are passed away.” (2 Cor 5:17).

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?


Romans 6:1-2

Mayor Pete is not really a believer. If he were then he would stop celebrating his sin and repent. Instead he claims God is honored by his sinning that grace may abound. Thus he turns Scripture on its head.

Mayor Pete may rage all he wants but his moral and ethical problem is with his sin. Pete needs to repent or perish. Unless God intervenes, he is destined to be a vessel of dishonor, fit only for destruction.

It’s All the King’s Land

We have many fictions in our society that are not true but regarded as such. The parable of the Emperor’s New Clothes is sadly more the case than not. One such fiction in our society is private property and/or home ownership.

Folks you don’t really own your home or the land that it sits on; you have it by the king’s pleasure. Don’t believe me then try not paying your property taxes and see what happens. If you really own it then the government couldn’t take it away. Furthermore, if you really owned your land then you wouldn’t need a hunting or fishing license to take game off your own land but the king claims to own that too.

While today’s blog is not about the California Legislature’s plans to dismantle Prop 13 which will happen under Garvin Newsom or plans for statewide rent control, it applies to that too. No, today I am going to briefly blog about a line in an article at the heart of property ownership dispute in San Francisco. Enter the Flintstone House.

A rich lady in San Francisco bought a house in 2017 for 2.8 million and is being told she must undo the decorations on the property. Owner, Florence Fang, doesn’t live in the home but uses it for entertainment and charitable events. She decorated it with the theme of the 1960’s cartoon, The Flintstones.

If you recall, the Flintstones theme song is “Have a gay old time” but invoking that motto hasn’t been enough to avoid conflict in this suburb of Bagdad by the Bay.

City officials said that Fang was given three stop work notices, a code violation citation, and then a hearing in front of an administrative panel made up of neighbors before a lawsuit was ultimately filed in March over unpermitted garden installations.
“If the lawsuit is successful, the judge will order her to remove the statues and the mushrooms and the Yabba Dabba Do sign,” Hudak told KTVU. “There are some other safety code violations that she needs to correct and the judge would order that as well.”
But an attorney for the 84-year-old told the Associated Press that snobby officials are after Fang’s constitutional right to enjoy her yard.
“Mrs. Fang has made people smile, she’s giving them joy. What’s not to love about Dino, who acts like a dog?” Angela Alioto, a former San Francisco supervisor, told the AP. “What is wrong with these people?”
While inviting reporters on a tour of the home this week, Alioto told the San Mateo Daily Journal the home is Fang’s “happy place.”

Link: San Francisco suburb says ‘Yabba Dabba Don’t’ to Flintstones house, owner fighting back

Having the Alioto family in your corner is a plus in San Francisco but that is not what caught my eye in the article. If you read down to the bottom, you will see this gem from one Tim Iglesias, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

“If they let her get away, then all the other wealthy people in Hillsborough can say, ‘Hey, I can do whatever I want with my property.”

Hey Tim, if she owns it and it’s not structurally unsound or a fire hazard then leave her alone. You have enough other crap to take care of in your foul city. Perish the thought that your city might have something for tourists to enjoy besides of needles, crap, and wards of the welfare state on your sidewalks.

Just look at the photo, the grounds are immaculate and maintained better than any part of the city that the taxpayers own. Besides, it’s her property. If she really owns it, the city has no grounds (no pun intended) to tell her what to do.

The Darkside of Digital Content Strikes Again

In our age of technology, many are used to streaming videos, music, and other content. Amazon has been selling eBooks for its Kindle devices for many years. Folks like the convenience of content being delivered to their electronic devices; however, there are some drawbacks. I have mentioned some of these before but two more examples have surfaced lately that are worth noting.

If you have ever bought a Blu-ray or DVD movie, you often will see a sticker on the box that says free digital copy included. OK, so what happens when the digital copy company goes away?

The go to service for many years has been UltraViolet but UltraViolet is going away in July. So you can either transfer your digital content to one of three other providers or let your library expire. Since the physical disks have DRAM encryption on them, you can’t just rip your own copy to your computer.

If this is true of physical media with a digital counterpart, what about people that purchased a digital only copy of something? What happens when your eBook company draws its last breath or decides to get out of the business?

Enter exhibit number two, Microsoft.

It will come as little surprise to our readers that Microsoft is exiting another consumer market.
Today Microsoft posted a rather brutal announcement regarding the US-only ebook Store which they launched in 2017, saying “The books category is closing.”
Microsoft is not giving users a lot of time to ponder – the decision is effective today, with Microsoft writing “Starting April 2, 2019, the books category in Microsoft Store will be closing.”
More worrying is the second bit, however.
“Unfortunately, this means that starting July 2019 your ebooks will no longer be available to read, but you’ll get a full refund for all book purchases.”
Presumably, due to some DRM scheme, Microsoft will be remotely deactivating books readers already purchased and downloaded.
Microsoft says they will be giving full refunds, and if you used Microsoft’s much-touted inking feature to make notes, Microsoft will still be burning your book, but will give you a $25 store credit.

Surprise! Microsoft burning all your Store books on July 2nd

So just like that, the “velvet sweatshop” as its employees call Microsoft, just clicks a button and kills all you digital content. What if Apple or Amazon decides to kill your music library or eBooks?

If you dig into the terms of use and legal nonsense for such things, you paid money for the content but surprise, you don’t really own your copy! Thus they can keep your money and kill your content later. Please note that this is not just a matter of killing future downloads but they can click a mouse and kill the existing content of all your devices.

The truth is that Amazon has done this in the past with certain eBook titles. Just because something is on your phone, PC, or Kindle does not mean that it stays there. Oh this also means that existing eBook content can be edited on the fly to add, alter, or remove content. Talk about ‘Big Brother.”

So next time you think I’m old fashioned because I actually prefer physical media, at least I own what I paid for.