6 Thoughts for March 28, 2017

1. Nexus 5: I replaced the battery in my Nexus 5 once again. It was just $11 via Amazon, and it took just 10 minutes to do even though it's considered a non-replaceable battery. Note to my sister: Just because it says non-replaceable does not mean that it is not replaceable. The problem is, my phone no longer gets security updates -- sad but true -- yet I persist with my phone because it's such a trooper! It is now 3 1/2 years old and on its third battery but I just can't find a midrange that I'm sold on. The closest thing worth getting is the Axon 7, but I figure I can wait until the end of the year before finally moving on, at which point I'm sure the next breed of phones sporting Android "O" will be out.
2. Nokia: It's starting to look like Nokia -- the brand -- is coming back. I said it at the time, Stephen Elop's decision to embrace Windows Phone over Android was a catastrophic mistake. While the sale of Nokia's mobile assets to Microsoft was a boon for Nokia's cash position, it meant that they could not move into mobile for at least two years. It's 2017 and they've got a bunch of phones making their way into the markets with other devices planned. Their stock price reflects all of these points.
   
   
3. Jeff Sessions' Sanctuary Sanctions: Sessions said that the DoJ would block grants to sanctuary cities. That is illegal under the Equal Protection theory of the US Constitution covered by the 5th Amendment, as affirmed under Bolling v Sharpe:
   

   "The concepts of equal protection and due process, both stemming from our American ideal of fairness, are not mutually exclusive. The "equal protection of the laws" is a more explicit safeguard of prohibited unfairness than "due process of law," and therefore we do not imply that the two are always interchangeable phrases. But, as this Court has recognized, discrimination may be so unjustifiable as to be violative of due process."

   Sessions, as the nation's highest lawyer, has the ability to take any sanctuary city to court if he feels that they are violating federal law, but he knows that he can't because prior rulings have shown that the 10th Amendment prevents the federal government from compelling states to enforce federal laws. Either he thinks verbal threats are good enough, or he expects SCOTUS to go against its conservative leanings to embrace federalism. Ha. I think this will end up becoming yet another defeat for Donald.
4. Democrats Willing to Work With Donald?: Donald says that he's ready to work with democrats, but why would democrats want to work with him?
1. He's actively attempting to repeal every progressive policy in government through a series of executive orders;
2. His personal history, whether in the White House or as a businessman, has shown that you'll have to humiliate yourself including being used and discarded when you're no longer useful;
3. His position is from the opposite end of a binary choice -- he presents everything as binary choices -- and your participation is nothing more than propaganda to support his image of a strong leader.
5. Spring in Portland: This is one of the few spring seasons I've witnessed where just about every flower is blooming at the same time. The daffodils, tulips, cherry, pear, and everything else is blooming right now. If only it wasn't such a terribly rainy season. One can count the number of dry days this year on one hand, I suspect.  In just a few days we may reach two straight months of breaking the precipitation record. There are sections along the Willamette that are blocked from access because the water's so high. The folks at the McCormick Pier condos are undoubtedly concerned with a chunk of the concrete walkway submerged. The last time it was this bad was the infamous 1996 floods, except back then, the ground level of many of the apartment units were flooded and the roadway in front was inaccessible except by canoe.
6. Archer Season 7: Archer's Season 7 is now available on Netflix...I'm sorry, but the person you're trying to reach is not available at this time.