Category Archives: From Jim

🇺🇸 A Great American 🇺🇸

From Jim

🇺🇸 April 9th, 2024: National Former POW Recognition Day 🇺🇸

Today, we stand in awe of our nation’s heroes, who exemplify resilience in the face of adversity. These brave men and women endured unimaginable hardships and separation from their loved ones during their captivity, yet their unwavering spirit and faith never faltered. Today, let us honor their extraordinary courage and sacrifice.

ODRG proudly commemorates Colonel Joseph William Kittinger II (July 27, 1928 – December 9, 2022), a distinguished officer in the United States Air Force (USAF), celebrated for his exceptional service and bravery. Among his numerous honors and awards were two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merit awards, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Bronze Stars for Valor, two Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Prisoner of War Medal.

Today, we pay tribute to his enduring legacy and the sacrifices of all former POWs.

 

Repeaters in Gainesville

From Jim

Good evening,

 

I had several people inquiring about the additional repeaters that are available to the club.    So rather than a bunch of emails, I decided to list them all here!

 

 

146.850 146.250 123.0   50 Watt Analog Repeater
147.270 147.870 123.0   50 Watt Analog Repeater
444.9875 449.9875 123.0   50 Watt Analog Repeater – AllStar Network (East Coast Reflector)
146.640 146.040   cc 1 50 Watt DMR Repeater (BrandMeister Network)
444.8375 449.8375   cc 1 100 Watt DMR Repeater (BrandMeister Network)
444.050 449.050     20 Watt Yaesu Fusion (YSF) Repeater with WiRES-X
462.550 467.550 141.3   50 Watt Kenwood GMRS Repeater (Requires GMRS License)

 

More information is available at http://kc4mhh.com (and the associated Digital, DMR, and AllStar Link pages).

Clipboard Hint for IPad

From Jim
 
 

Use This Hidden Trick to Quickly Copy and Paste Between Your iPhone and iPad

Use Apple’s universal clipboard to move videos, photos and more between your mobile devices.

Nelson Aguilar headshot
Nelson Aguilar
 
 
 
copy and paste across apple products
Apple’s universal clipboard allows you to copy and paste across various devices.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple’s ecosystem allows you to easily work on your smartphone and then move to another device, like your tablet, and pick up where you left off. Whether you’re browsing the internet, making a payment online, sketching a drawing or texting your friends, you can use a feature known as Continuity, which seamlessly connects all your Apple devices. 

One of Continuity’s best tools is the universal clipboard. With the universal clipboard, you can copy a photo, video or link on your iPhone and then hop over to your iPad or MacBook and paste it without any issues. If you’re already familiar with the tool, you know how useful it is. But we can also tell you about a hidden gesture that makes the universal clipboard much easier to use. 

Are you looking for a new Apple device? Check out CNET’s guides to the best iPad and iPhone for 2022.

Are your devices compatible with Continuity?

For Continuity to work on your Apple products, each device must meet the following requirements:

  • Logged in to the same iCloud account
  • Connected to the same Wi-Fi network
  • Bluetooth and Handoff must be enabled

Also, while the universal clipboard feature works on most Apple devices, for this guide I’ll focus just on touchscreen devices, which use pinch gestures with Continuity, so this would only be for compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models running at least iOS 10.

Use pinch gestures to easily copy and paste between your iPhone and iPad

There are several ways to copy and paste with the universal clipboard feature, but the quickest way to do it is with pinch gestures:

  • Copy: Pinch in with three fingers
  • Paste: Pinch out with three fingers

The best way to use this feature is with pictures and videos in the Photos app. Let’s say you want to copy and paste a photo from your iPhone to your iPad. All you need to do is open the Photos app on your iPhone, find the photo you want to migrate and then pinch in with three fingers to copy it to your clipboard. To then move the photo over to your other device, open the iPad, go into an app like Notes or Messages and pinch out with three fingers to paste the photo. Below you can see the feature in action.

You can do the same with links and text, but they would both need to be highlighted before using the pinch gestures to copy them to your clipboard and move them over to another device.

Christmas Wish

From Jim
A Covid Christmas
 
Twas the night before Christmas, Covid was here,
We all had to stay extra cautious this year.
Our masks were hung by the chimney with care 
In case Santa forgot his and needed a spare.
With Covid, we couldn’t leave cookies or cake
So we left Santa hand sanitizer to take.
 
The children were sleeping, the brave little tots
The ones over 5 had just had their first shots, 
And mom in her kerchief and me in my cap 
Had just settled in for a long winter’s nap.
But we tossed and we turned all night in our beds
As visions of variants danced in our heads.
 
Gamma and Delta and now Omicron
These Covid mutations that go on and on
I thought to myself, “If this doesn’t get better,
I’ll soon be familiar with every Greek letter”.
 
Then just as I started to drift off and doze
A clatter of noise from the front lawn arose.
I leaped from my bed and ran straight down the stair
I opened the door, and an old gent stood there.
 
His N-95 made him look pretty weird 
But I knew who he was by his red suit and beard.
I kept six feet away but blurted out quick
” What are you doing here, jolly Saint Nick?”
 
“Where’re your presents, your reindeer and sleigh?
Don’t you know that tomorrow is Christmas Day? “.
And Santa stood there looking sad in the snow
As he started to tell me a long tale of woe.
 
He said he’d been stuck at the North Pole alone
And all his elves had been working from home,
And most of the others said “Santa, don’t hire us!
We can live off the CERB now, thanks to the virus”.
 
Those left in the toy shop had little to do.
Supply chain disruptions, meant nothing made new.
And as for the reindeer, they’d all gone away.
None of them left to pull on his sleigh. 
 
He said Dasher and Dancer were in quarantine,
Prancer and Vixen refused the vaccine,
Comet and Cupid were in ICU,
So were Donner and Blitzen, they may not pull through
 
And Rudolph’s career can’t be resurrected.
With his shiny red nose, they all think he’s infected.
Even with his old sleigh, Santa couldn’t go far.
Every border to cross needs a new PCR.
 
Santa sighed as he told me how nice it would be
If children could once again sit on his knee.
He couldn’t care less if they’re naughty or nice
But they’d have to show proof they’d had their shot twice.
 
But then the old twinkle returned to his eyes.
He said that he’d brought me a Christmas surprise
When I unwrapped the box and opened it wide,
Starlight and rainbows streamed out from inside.
 
Some letters whirled round and flew up to the sky
And they spelled out a word that was 40 feet high.
There first was an H, then an O, then a P, 
Then I saw it spelled HOPE when it added the E.
 
“Christmas magic,” said Santa as he smiled through his beard.
Then suddenly all of the reindeer appeared.
He jumped into his sleigh and he waved me goodbye, 
Then he soared o’er the rooftops and into the sky.
 
I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight
“Get your vaccines my friends, Merry Christmas, good-night”.
Then I went back to bed TO a sweet Christmas dream
Of a world when we’d finished with Covid 19.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Letter to Target from Sheriff Rick Staly

From Jim, Opinion

When Target Corporation directed the local Palm Coast Target to cancel the Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities planned Shop with a Cop event, the Grinch paid a visit. The Grinch then found a heart and joined FCSO and others in taking 125 kids on a free shopping spree to Walmart! (Paid for by donations from FCSO employees and the community.) Thank you Walmart for stepping-up and supporting Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Shop with a Cop event. See you next year!

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲’𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰:

Mr. Brian Cornell December 15, 2021
Chairman & CEO
Target Corporation
1000 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Dear Chairman Cornell:

Like many law enforcement agencies across the country the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Target for over a decade to provide a “Shop with a Cop” holiday shopping spree for local children who might not otherwise have Santa visit their home.

This year was to be the same. We worked with your local Palm Coast store, selected a date and your employees were once again excited to participate. Then on October 6, 2021 my staff received an email abruptly cancelling the partnership. We were told Target “retired” the “Heroes & Helpers” program and was “introducing a new give-back program to serve our communities, anchored to our purpose of helping families discover the joy of everyday life. We’ll be expanding our impact and reach, partnering directly with local nonprofits organizations across the country to provide families in need with essentials, gifts and more.” When we informed Target staff that Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities was a nonprofit 501(C)(3) the email was ignored and no response was received.

A Google search quickly found many articles and carefully worded statements by Target’s Corporate public relations teams dating to 2020 in which Target denies it was “dropping its sponsorship of its annual holiday ‘Shop with a Cop’ event” (at least for 2020). When reviewing Target corporate policies under “Safety & Preparedness” we noted claims like:

• “We have thousands of public safety partnerships across the country.”
• “Target is a committed partner… Providing more than ‘Corporate Lip Service’ and genuinely reach out and engage the public safety community.”
• “Target is a shining example of public-private partnership.”

Your recent actions demonstrate these statements are little more than corporate propaganda. As with any attempt to deceive or influence the public your statements provide the tiniest grain of truth in an attempt to paint a false narrative. So far in 2021, we have responded to 428 calls for service to the Palm Coast store. Further, since I became Sheriff in 2017, we have handled more than 3,870 calls for service to your Palm Coast store. In this aspect, you have definitely “engaged the [local] public safety community.” However, as to partnering with law enforcement it is evident your organization has elected to follow the pathway of political convenience.

Chairman & CEO Brian Cornell
December 15, 2021
Page two

As the Target Corporation displayed “Grinch” like behavior in cancelling the partnership at the last minute we went to your competitor Walmart who welcomed us with open arms. On December 10, 2021, we took over 125 culturally diverse children partnered with over 125 law enforcement, corrections and professional support employees shopping. Starting with a party, train rides, face painting, crafts, games and much more they rode in patrol cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring to Walmart (ironically, we drove by Target on our way to Walmart).

I am very proud of our employees and their support for the nonprofit Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities. Annually, our employees donate over $30,000.00 to support the two official charities of Flagler Sheriff’s Children’s Charities – Shop with a Cop and the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches. For this event they donated almost $16,000.00. Community supporters donated as well and together each child received $175.00 to buy presents for themselves, their brothers, sisters, moms, and dads. Many “chaperones” took money out of their own pockets when the children selected gifts totaling over the limit to bring a smile to a child’s face.

After the shopping spree the children ate hamburgers and hot dogs and were then taken back home. For siblings who could not go shopping our team gave them bags full of donated toys so they did not feel left out and we made every effort to care for the entire family. This was a team effort, a partnership between the law enforcement community and Walmart. This is community policing and building bridges with our future at its best! A concept you have apparently abandoned by cancelling your partnership with law enforcement for the holidays.

In closing, I want to make it very clear this is not about your local Palm Coast Target store employees. We enjoy a positive relationship with our local store, which we will continue to build upon. Your employees were looking forward to this event before Corporate shut it down. Not only did the local Target employees enjoy seeing the big smiles on the children’s faces but they appreciated the thousands of dollars in sales this event brought to the store, which helped meet their revenue and sales goals. I do not take issue with our local store, rather it is your corporate decision to end a very successful partnership which I find to be ill-conceived and short sighted. The “Heroes & Helpers” program was a proven mechanism which built relationships with first responders, the community and Target. It appears the Target Corporation has taken the path of political expediency throwing away an established relationship and a proven program for no gain.

Please understand the purpose of this letter, it is not seeking financial support or backing, as you can see we take care of our own. Rather, this letter is designed to highlight the hypocrisy and double-speak which your organization demonstrates. Caving into divisive rhetoric does not build a community but erodes its foundation.

I support your right to end our partnership however, it comes with a price; while I doubt it impacts your bottom line you have lost a customer in both my wife and I. Further, I will educate my peers within the law enforcement community about your corporate action and decision. Finally, I will take the opportunity to discuss Target’s position in every public forum with which I have a platform.

Sincerely,

RICK STALY
Sheriff