31 July 09 - 23:55Happy Days - Drive in Movies in Vermont
Here is a painting of a motel in Vermont I obtained from an old postcard. The postcard is of late fifties vintage and carries a 1961 postmark. The motel on the postcard gives it's phone number as ALpine 4-4584 which means 254-4584. This is the old method of naming exchanges which uses the first two letters of a word to remind you of the numbers. In this kinder gentler time, the phone companies thought it would help us remember the numbers. Today they don't do that any more and give us 1en digit numbers with multiple area codes and hundreds of exchanges if you live where I live.
Anyway, back to the motel. At first blush it looks like a regular fifties motel. You can see the cars which are brash, big, and have fins. You can also see the huge television antenna just to the left of the flag pole. The motel boasts the availability of television as well as air conditioning. To round things out there is also a pool (far left) and the advertisement on the back of the card indicates there is a Howard Johnson (resteaurant) nearby. The motel was also a regular drive-in, but the most interesting concept was the picture window equipped rooms which also allowed watching the big screen.
The concept eventually died about the same time as other drive-in movie theaters. I know I went to the last movie in a couple of drive-in theaters in the seventies, one of which was the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" 1974 edition.
According to DRIVE-INS.com (here) the motel in Vermont was built in the mid 1950's, changed it's name in 1965 to Parkway Drive-In, then in 1969 it became Cineman Drive-In, only to be renamed Theater Moulin Rouge in 1970, closing in 1971. The website picture shows a much more utilitarian motel than the artist's concept I am showing, but it is "copy protected" so you need to ride the link to see it. My picture is not copyrighted. Copy that worthless sucker if you wish.
What a deal!
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30 July 09 - 22:11Lisbon North Dakota back in 1910
In 1910 the street that I lived on for the last couple of years in Lisbon looked about the same as it did in 1970 when I was last living there. The street in 1910 was dirt, however, and the bridge had been replaced, probably in the 1930's.
The road out of the valley can be seen on the other side of the bridge. In those days it wound along the side of the hill, later, in the 70s the road was widened and straightened.
Click to view a larger picture. The house I lived in cannot be seen in this picture. It would have been on the right about three quarters of the way to the bridge. The houses you see in the picture are still there, 100 years later.
Notice the water trail in the street in the lower left so this picture was probably taken just after a bit of a rain.the shadows are fairly long and to the left of the trees. For you Boy Scouts out there, that means this is taken in the fairly early morning with the rising sun shading from the right. At noon the sun would be at the photographer's back.
Also you can see they did not seem to mow lawns in this early time. Probably because the lawnmowers of the day were pretty fussy contraptions, without motors.
If you are from Lisbon, see if you can recognize anything!
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29 July 09 - 06:06Race Profiling and Predjudice at High Levels
Before starting. When I say POLISH in the thoughts below, pronounce this word PAW LISH. Sort of like what you do to shoes. This has nothing to do with the citizens of Poland. Also, forget any of your own racist thoughts about the picture. It is meant to represent "polish" and if you see anything else, read this article twice.
I
have been listening to the prejudiced babble of President Obama, yes,
you read that right, and wonder why this man, who wants to be great,
cannot see this in himself. And before we go on, prejudice is what
it is, it is not a failure, just a characteristic. You have to be
aware of it, however, to understand how the President of the United
States can say that the Cambridge Police "acted stupidly"
after saying he did not know what had happened.
Let's
check the dictionary:
prej·u·dice,
noun, 13th century Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin
praejudicium previous judgment
1:
injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in
disregard of one's rights
2a
(1): preconceived judgment or opinion
2a
(2): an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or
before sufficient knowledge
2b:
an instance of such judgment or opinion
2c:
an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a
group, a race, or their supposed characteristics
All
of these might apply to an extent, let's use the least toxic
definition first, 2a (1) and (2). This is what the president did.
He formed an opinion, which he communicated to all of us, that the
police acted stupidly, without just grounds or before sufficient
knowledge. He even stated that he did not have knowledge of the
incident, then blabbed the opinion anyway.
Continuing,
if the statement by our president, which was mildly adverse, was
based on his leaning formed without just grounds, as I believe, then
definition 2b must also apply.
Since
the attitude was not based on rational judgment, 2c applies only
weakly as I do not believe there is real hostility of any magnitude
involved here, just prior experience and at the most exasperation
with things that have been experienced by Obama in the past.
Which
rolls us back to the first definition. Did injury or damage occur?
Sadly, I am going to say yes. Because of this prejudged statement,
the policeman and the police departments were dragged through the
mud, and continue to be. Because of the ensuing media circus, the
professor's anger management issues and prejudices are on public
display.
It's
the way I see it. One final thought. My Dad was a funeral director
and worked very hard on maintaining a professional image. He used to
call the ability to react public ally and also privately in a
measured manner, "polish." Polish in this definition is
the ability to shine, say, and do the right thing under all
circumstances in order to make involved feel respected and
understood. The result is that bumps in the road do not become major
crashes.
Personally,
I think Obama knows all of this and his self knowledge will be his contribution
when all involved sit down to have a "beer" on Thursday. I
think it is a good time for us to say Obama is human, needs to get a
bit more polished (Lord knows Bush lacked polish), and pray the men
will be open enough to get at least to first base on understanding
the humanity of the situation.
Obama,
and the president has the greatest responsibility here to make
lemonade of this sour incident, The policeman as a public servant has
great responsibility to ensure that, in fact, the police acted no
differently than they would if the suspect had been, say, purple.
Lastly, the professor should admit he has anger management issues and
that these may have contributed to making an embarrassing situation
worse.
As
much as I despise law enforcement as practiced in the United States,
I do believe that these fellows and ladies are trained to the point
where people acting like assholes are treated the same, pretty much
regardless of race, They do this, if for no other reason, to be
protected when high government officials act unknowingly.
Good
luck, gentlemen.
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27 July 09 - 18:45Clear thinking and hard medical choices
I listened to what was the most puzzling group of stories on NPR today as I drove home. The first story was about medical interpreters and how they should be a part of the medical system for those who cannot speak English. So far I don't get it. English is the language that should be required of all American citizens, we should not be providing luxuries such as translators for visitors. Anyway, the writer of the piece finished up with how we could save money by hiring more interpreters and continued with further discussion of unquantifiable things like treatments that are not required, etc. The coup de gras of the story, however, was about a person who did not speak any English, and neither did his family and how he became a quadraplegic, thus requiring a lawsuit to be settled for what I thought was 71 million dollars.
So the implication is that the big savings when it comes to getting translators is avoiding un required treatment, avoiding costly wrong prescriptions, and a really big savings in lawsuits.
Next, the discussions center around "Frequently Asked Questions" which are put to an expert. When asked what tort reform would do for medical costs, she said only 1% of medical costs are attributable to lawsuits and mitigation methods. First, 1% is a lot when you are trying to pare down a cost hungry monster, second, the cost of lawsuits cannot be both significant and insignificant at the same time. In the case of public radio, I guess we can write it off to anateurism or something.
I think a large savings could be not giving free medical care to non-citizens as a news piece later mentioned that the money the government gives hospitals now to treat non-citizens would go into the big healthcare pot. It is easy to see why there is a mess here.
The system needs to be "pay as you go" and there will need to be hard choices made as to who gets what, not only who gets care, but what kind of care. Do you give a 110 year old man a new hip? A new walker? How about a longshot treatment for a smoker with lung cancer. Plastic surgery for a beautiful young 25 year old woman injured in an accident driving and ambulance with an old man in the back who has been in a coma for years? How about the same treatment for the old man in the back who wouldn't even know the difference.
These are the types of choices that need to be made. I hear nothing of this in the news media. The two major healthcare items are "pay as you go" and "hard choices."
I argued this point over 30 years ago with a well meaning liberal healthcare provider. The discussion ended when we got to the point where she said we should have dialysis machines on every street corner if it would only save one life.
Hard choices? The public radio people couldn't even choose what costs and what saves. Don't ask them any time soon.
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26 July 09 - 23:57Haunted History - My years as a teacher
One of my friends who was once was a student scanned an old yearbook picture of me. What a picture. I guess I should have been a musician, because I look like a cross between Michael Jackson and Buddy Holly. One other friend commented that it was nice of the school to provide me with two sticks. The one in my hands being used as a pointer, and the other which was providing my expression!!
Whenever I want to think of the "good old days" I will now need to deal with the renewed memory of this picture. That is me, during my teaching years at Leeds, ND High School standing in front of the periodic table in the mid to late 1970's. I must have been standing in the front of the classroom as that table was on the wall in the front of the room. I would suspect that there is a good chance the picture was taken especially for the annual, but it is obvious I did not get a chance to select the picture I wanted.
It is me, however, I can't deny it.
Later.
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24 July 09 - 00:00Why the USA works...
Quote
US corruption probe nets dozens
BBC - 23 July 2009 - More than 40 people, including politicians, officials and several rabbis have been arrested in a major FBI operation the US....Three hundred FBI agents raided dozens of locations in New Jersey and New York as part of a 10-year probe into corruption and money laundering....an FBI agent who has worked on the investigation from the start, said: "New Jersey's corruption problem is one of the worst, if not the worst, in the nation...."It has become ingrained in New Jersey's political culture," he said.
End of Quote
One of the bureaucracies that really works is the FBI. This is one of the things that I really like about America. Yes, I know they have been pegged for tailing good people like Martin Luther King and the like, but high profile people can often be corrupt, and in this case the investigation nabbed a lot of high profile people.
Good job, FBI. This shows that even an upstanding citizen can be a bad guy. Law enforcement needs to be alerat and even handed. You need to be on the lookout and it is not acting "stupidly" to follow up on activity of, for example, an arrogant college professor who is a buddy of our president.
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23 July 09 - 01:48Can our Politicians pull a Rabbit on Healthcare?
Here are three important facts about healthcare costs. This information comes fromt he Kaiser Family Foundation and you can read the short article (about 6 pages) here -> Kaiser Family Fioundation.
- Health spending in the United States is an estimated $2.4 trillion in 2008, an average of $7,868 per person.
-
I cross checked the numbers of Kaiser with another survey by the government (Health and Human Services) which showed Healthcare spending in the US reached a record $1.4 trillion in 2001 with an 8.7 percent increase over 2000.
- Figuring an annual 8% increase my numbers show we would reach 2.4 Trillion in 2008 and 2.6 Trillion this year.
When you hear numbers tossed around by our government of the costs of a government run healthcare program, this 2.6 trillion is the expected cost. Any lower costs mean they are leaving something out. Our question to them is what is it they are leaving out. The last "lie" from Washington was that the program would be crafted to keep the cost under 1 trillion a year. What will be left out? What will be left out?
If we only had more jobs we could offer to pay for this.
Oh, yes, did I mention JOBS???
I am 58 years old and keenly aware of healthcare needs, but I also realize after watching the "Ram Jam Porkulus Plan" method of pushing pet projects, that the path we are on is, again, not well thought out.
As an old fart, I want a well thought out, sensible system that will not burden our country and make it like France.
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22 July 09 - 00:40Obama puzzles rather than pleases
More Amateur Hour
From the news:
"Obama Wins Crucial Round in Senate Vote on F-22
New York Times - WASHINGTON - 7-21-09 - With some of his political capital on the line, President Obama won a crucial victory on Tuesday when the Senate voted to strip out $1.75 billion in financing for seven more F-22 jet fighters from a military authorization bill....
Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the F-22, has estimated that work on the plane provides 25,000 jobs and indirectly supports about 70,000 others. But Robert M. Gates, the defense secretary, has said that the Pentagon needs to accelerate a new plane, the F-35, and that doing so would offset the job losses...."
Immediately after the vote, Mr. Obama praised the Senate’s decision, saying that any money spent on the fighter was an “inexcusable waste”
*****************************
This man would not be able to identify waste if it was in his own trash can.
Let's keep this simple, your Obama administration projected that with the stimulus package unemployment could be kept under 8%. This package cost $787 billion and we already know that isn't true. Building a few more F-22 fighters would cost 1.75 billion and save 100,000 jobs, the number our president said the porkulus package had already saved or prevented from destruction.
1.75 Billion and 100,000 jobs on the table. Lets compare to some of the major parts of the stimulus package and see about the job saving and stimulating potential there. Ignoring tax relief (things like reducing you witholding so your refund check is smaller) let's look at the other areas.
- 85.2 Billion to provide unemployment benefits through December 31 and increase them by $25 per week. Jobs created? Number of jobs saved? That would be zero.
- 19.9 Billion for the food stamp program. Number of jobs saved or created? You guessed it, Zip.
- 14.2 Billion in one time $250 bonus payments to social security recipients. Effect on unemployment or prospect of creating jobs? It would seem about nothing, although I did read that those oldsters in Florida like to spend money on prostitutes, so maybe the sex industry will see a blip.
- 3.95 Billion for job training. Doesn't do much good if you are a mid level engineer, designer, or perhaps a skilled machinist or assembler that was working on F-22 jets, and I hope they are not training people for those jobs because we just squelched, yup, 100,000 blue collar and mid level engineering jobs.
- 1.3 Billion for Amtrack. Dough we send to Amtrack is always a stimulating prospect for the economy.
- 8 Billion for high speed rail. Intercity (that means town to town) That's a great idea? I don't think so. There was one little blurb in the news about this and then it progressed into the "feasibility study" stage. Not much going on for machinists and the like here. In fact, if you have any idea what is going on with this 8 Billion, let me know. As far as I know, the only real high speed rail these days in in the Northeast corrider, and it serves Washington, DC. Hmmmmmm.
- The list goes on with things like rental assistance, repairs on fire stations, security on transit systems, 1 billion for the census that we would have spent anyway, etc.
If we think we are going to go to another fighter style, why destroy another 100,000 jobs. Bridge the gap with something that keeps jobs going, then go to the next thing.
I am still shaking my head wondering if this guy will ever get anything done right, and for the right reason. If you read further on this you will see there were a lot of "sympathy" votes by Democrats to assist Obama's political position on healthcare. If this man and his buddies cannot see the usefulness of assisting 100,000 workers bridge their jobs to the next project and getting a few highly technical airplanes in the process, why would we think the have an ice-cube's chance in hell of coming up with anything approaching a decent health care solution.
i am not a health care skeptic, I am a full fledged Obama skeptic.
Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. Don't you get it Obama? Jobs, jobs, jobs......
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21 July 09 - 00:48The man on the moon
It would be remiss of me to not mention what I was doing in 1969 when the US space mission, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. This was something I could not miss. As I entered life as a school boy, the topic of outer space and space travel were in the public eye.
The moon flight was an international event. We broadcast everything. From preparation, to the launch, to the landing on the moon and back again, everything was covered, including simulations and graphics to tell the story of what was going on.
And in my living room, on the color television set my father had purchased for us that year, I watched, fascinated, as the fuzzy black and white picture from the moon popped onto the screen.
The craft had landed and there was no word, then we heard the clipped radio voice from the moon, "Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed."
Later, the black and white television camera popped out and the fuzzy picture of the ladder on the craftcame into view, first upside down, then corrected, and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon.
It was a time to be proud to be an American. It was time to be proud to be from planet Earth.
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20 July 09 - 06:06Jobs, jobs, jobs, (Do you hear it?)
In the news.
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 7/18/09 - President Barack Obama appealed to Americans on Saturday to back his ambitious revamp of the US health care system, seeking to regain momentum amid growing worries among lawmakers over how to pay for it...."
This is not the issue to be concentrating on, I thought as I read my news this morning. I keep marveling over how the president can be so consumed with his pet projects that he does not hear the drumbeat. Do you hear it? Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs,...
We need to be looking at ways to motivate and activate our industries. We need to generate wealth through the economic engine. We need incentives, not disincentives.
Industry needs support, small business needs stimulation, we need to provide opportunities for those who create opportunity for the rest of us.
Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs....
This is the conservative viewpoint.
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19 July 09 - 12:01Fool me once
There is a saying. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Can congress be fooled twice by this man? Follow me carefully. I am not saying that a national health plan is not a good idea. I do not know enough about the "plan" to determine that. The point is, neither can anybody else.
When Obama started out as president he was persistant, often rude, and bullied the so-called "stimulus" pork package through to passage. We need to hurry, he said. The time is now, he said. Now he says the ecomomy took years to get in this condition, and may take years to get out. So what was the rush? Really, what was the rush, if the package he proposed would have little or no immediate benefit. Why not take the time to do it right? Indeed, this rush to passage method seems to be the Obama way. I am seeing poor planning on the part of the proposal, but excellent execution passing the damn thing.
Why is another hasty half baked plan a good idea? Because the clock is ticking. According to the Rasmusson Reports at the Rasmussen Website daily presidential tracking poll, 51% of voters say they approve of the President's performance. Forty-eight percent (48%) disapprove. In fact, the current Rasmussen Poll
shows that those strongly approving the president are now significantly less than those who strongly disapprove.
That is, 28% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve while 36% Strongly Disapprove of what Mr. Obama is doing. This means that if you get an average group of 100 voters, 28% strongly approve, 33% approve somewhat, 12% disapprove somewhat, but 48% strongly dissapprove. This approval rating drop is very fast, and is to be expected as the president is essentially ignoring the elephant in the room, massive unemployment.
The same folks indicate that support for the healthcare plan as promoted by the president is falling fast, and it is health care costs, not a desire for government controlled healthcare that is the issue.
In fact, the current top five concern in America are jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs.
Also, don't fall for the emergency, sky is falling crap. It is only falling if you want to ram this legislation down everybody's throats. If this is a good idea, think it through, figure it out, and do it in an orderly fashion. Roosevelt was one of our best presidents, but he left us with the Social Security system which, today, is not in very good shape. It would behoove Obama to learn that plans that are not well thought through and well maintained will end up like Social Security. And don't forget the three health plans the government currently runs, the trio of Medicaide, Medicare, and the VA Hospital system.
The need to rush this legislation has nothing to do with our needs, it is only an issue for Obama. We fell for the ram and jam before, we should certainly not do it again.
Enough said.
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19 July 09 - 06:06Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle Devices
I had been looking at Kindle. Seemed like a good idea, but I will pass on it after finding out how it works. Apparently they can remotely control your Kindle after you buy it, as well as edit and delete books from your library after you buy it. I am not about to buy something that can be remote controlled by Amazon. This is the sole reason I am not keen on Windows and keep watching for it's replacement. I see no need for others to access what I consider my own.
I understand that Amazon apparently sold some electronic "books" in good faith from a company that did not have the right to sell them. They then deleted the electronic books when they discovered they did not have the right to sell them. This is interesting in that retailers of physical goods cannot force their way into your home to take back a purchase for any reason. Apparently Amazon can "synchronize" and delete things you have paid for at will. In at least one case the book that Amazon "stole back" was purchased by a student who had notes in the book image for a class he was taking. They outright stole his schoolwork when they took the book.
A bad day for the student when he must say, "Sorry teacher, but Amazon stole my homework."
Marla tells me this is no different that the way Apple does her Ipod, but this is still pretty interesting.
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18 July 09 - 06:06Who's your Daddy?
From the News feeds......
Tax rates on track to soar as proposals form
By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY 07-16-2009
WASHINGTON — Three tax increases proposed by President Obama and House Democrats on the richest Americans could produce the highest tax rates in a quarter-century.
************
This is what I mean when I discuss "head up your ass" understanding of our economy. Can Mr. Obama and the Democrat Hooligans in the House and Senate not understand that there is a pressing need for investment in America and these are the people that invest?
I am sorry, Mr.President, you scare me more every day.
I did like your speech to the NAACP (I am a member, although I am White) as I believe this is a worthy organization which needs to get focused on Black American youth and help them understand the chance they will have of a lifetime. I am 100% behind this. Yippee, Skippee.
Now, Mr. President, figure out the economy, you are starting to look very, very, out of the loop on reality in this area. If you want your legacy to be pushing through your pet programs at the expense of my contemporaries, I see you are on track.
What a shame that change of any kind is better than proper administration of the country.
Go team, go government team. Tax those who can lead us out of the Obama created depression that is coming.
Lead on, Democrats.
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16 July 09 - 21:24Another day in the life of our leaders.
I am saddened by the failure of our educational system to instill the masses with an understanding of the world. I have watched in amazement at the naivety of our current president and his followers in congress.
At every turn I hear the president say we need to be patient for the stimulus to work. How is it going to work? Business and investment in business is what make the economy work. Sadly, trading on carbon dioxide credits is the only thing these folks (government team) seem to have on the table to stimulate business, by creating a bogus business that hurts legitimate business and sends jobs overseas. Today they let CIT go broke. CIT is a New York-based bank which is one of the nation's largest lenders to small and mid-sized businesses.
What a great idea, drag down business with healthcare, cut out their major source of finances, then for good measure make sure you intend to let the automotive industry crenate, work on ways to increase taxes, tax the people with money so there is less private money to invest, ensure that we make sure there is as little opportunity for smart financial minds to be rewarded with naughty bonuses, screw with the logging industry, whine about offshore drilling and grudgingly go along, go stick your head in the sand, and fart.
Ah, yes, the winds of change.
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16 July 09 - 00:28You can't sell off an empty cart.
Here is a statement that disturbs me.
President Barack Obama said, "My expectation is that we will probably continue to see unemployment tick up for several months," adding that employment rates tend to lag economic recovery.
Actually, the statement should more accurately finish, "Employment is a result of a recovering economy."
"It is not something that tags along, Mr. President." That is a quote of my own! ! !
I do not want to make this anti-Obama statement, as anyone who knows me knows, I am squarely not behind nearly anything the man stands for or espouses so I don't need to parse another of his statements to make that point. The point is this: About half of the six and one half million jobs lost since beginning of the recession have come from manufacturing and construction. The sectors of the economy that are making things, in other words, are the areas where jobs are being lost,
If we do not come to grips with reality and learn to compete in the area of manufacturing on a global level, we will quickly become the same as England. A shadow of the great powerful country that we were, because we sold out to immigrants that wanted what we had without following rules as well as a fundemental misunderstanding of the difference between the ecosystem and ecosystem politics.
What this country, or any country, becomes depends on the tradeoffs we make. IMHO, If we trade pragmatism for wishful thinking, we will not get a result nationally that makes our country strong and successful.
So what is my current phobia? It is my belief that our economy is to be used for one purpose, and one purpose only; to create opportunity and jobs for the citizens. Once the economy is strong, we reap from the economy in order to share with those in need.
It the conservative way.
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13 July 09 - 22:25It pays to be an honest cop... (not)
This is a joke, son... 
A police officer pulls a guy over for speeding and has the following exchange:
Officer: May I see your driver's license?
Driver: I don't have one. I had it suspended when I got my 5th offense.
Officer: May I see the owner's card for this vehicle?
Driver: It's not my car. I stole it.
Officer: The car is stolen?
Driver: That's right. But come to think of it, I think I saw the owner's card in the glove box when I was putting my gun in there.
Officer: There's a gun in the glove box?
Driver: Yes sir. That's where I put it after I shot and killed the woman who owns this car and stuffed her in the trunk.
Officer: There's a BODY in the TRUNK?!?!?
Driver: Yes, sir.
Hearing this, the officer immediately called his captain. The car was quickly surrounded by police, and the captain approached the driver to handle the tense situation:
Captain: Sir, can I see your license?
Driver: Sure. Here it is.
It was valid.
Captain: Who's car is this?
Driver: It's mine, officer. Here's the owner's card.
The driver owned the car.
Captain: Could you slowly open your glove box so I can see if there's a gun in it?
Driver: Yes, sir, but there's no gun in it.
Sure enough, there was nothing in the glove box.
Captain: Would you mind opening your trunk? I was told you said there's a body in it.
Driver: No problem.
Trunk is opened, no body.
Captain: I don't understand it. The officer who stopped you said you told him you didn't have a license, stole the car, had a gun in the glove box, and that there was a dead body in the trunk.
Driver: Yeah, I'll bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.
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12 July 09 - 23:21What is with this guy (Obama)?
Would one of Obama's handlers let him know that the most pressing issue in the United States right now is not any of the following,
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CO2 Emmisions
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What Afghan Warlords were doing in 2001
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Healthcare run by the government
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Pork Barrel Politics
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Giving up strategic position to Russians
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Sending money to his relatives in Africa
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Taking his family on a European vacation
- Etc.
The most important issues in the U S of A today would be,
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Jobs
-
Jobs
-
Jobs
-
Jobs
-
Jobs
-
Jobs
Please, if you are reading this and you are an Obama advisor, would you get this man in touch with America, Americans, and American needs?
Thanking you in advance.
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10 July 09 - 06:10Rugby trees a squirrel (again)
Here we see Marla walking back from the big nightly poop event with Rigby's poop economically bagged in a plastic Walmart bag. As Marla and Rugby walk, a squirrel enters the scene and Rugby, the fine tuned squirrel finder that he is reacts.
He tries to pull Marla over to the tree the squirrel has used for his exit (he is not very effective as he only weighs 8 pounds). The squirrel is, by now, well up into the branches. Once again Rugby comes up with empty paws and the squirrel escapes. This time there are even two squirrels in the tree, although one of them was already up there.
For whatever reason, dogs such as Rugby are eternal optimists when it comes to chasing squirrels and the like. I have had numerous dogs over the years and I never have seen a dog catch a squirrel. I find myself learning from that optimism.
I am not sure what the lesson is, but I am learning.
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09 July 09 - 06:06Love those authentic Hot Dogs!!
I have lived in Texas since the mid 1980s. I find Texas to be at least two different places. The first place is the best place. It is found once you get out of the cities, a real down home sort of place that reminds me of my rural upbringing in North Dakota (not a Yankee State, despite the name). In the cities, where I usually am, things are very cosmopolitan. No matter where I find myself, however, I am always looking for natural casing hot dogs and good sausage.
Good sausage (and bad as well) is made in a variety of small towns in Texas. I have actually driven to these towns to get that sausage, and felt it was well worth the trip. 
Elgin, Mackay, New Braunfels, Chappel Hill, and the like are towns that make sausage that is what sausage should be. Sausage should be sausage and not try to be "health food".
As I looked tonight in HEB (H.E. Butt Grocery Company, another Texas story) at the hot dogs next to the sausages and saw this exciting store brand of hot dogs. Not a natural casing, but with a name like "Texas Heritage" how could I go wrong.
Now that I have these hot dogs at home I see the fine print. I will still eat the hot dogs, but I did get a good laugh.
Lincoln - default -
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08 July 09 - 01:47What planet do LA Times reporters live on?
Quote-
G-8 summit is expected to be a test of Obama's leadership
By Don Lee - L A Times - July 7, 2009
"...This time, Obama can point to passage of a massive domestic stimulus package, a potentially far-reaching proposal for tighter regulation of the American financial system, a climate change bill and other steps toward putting the nation's house in order.
In addition, the sense of panic that gripped the global economy a few months ago has eased amid signs of stabilizing -- a point that G-8 leaders are expected to highlight despite growing job losses and declining consumer spending that suggest the world is not yet free of problems...."
LA Times
-End of quote
I did take a look at things that Don Lee has written other than this article and liked much of what I saw, however, if this is the test of Obama's leadership that he sees as important, I disagree. The number of unemployed people in the US continues to skyrocket and Obama is silent, strangely silent. He passed a package of pure pork that he called a stimulus package and apparently Don fell for it.
I am only an armchair observer of history, but it seems that the whole healthcare thing and the pseudo-stimulus package are very similar to the failures of Franklin Roosevelt. I would really like to see someone with the time compare the failure of the thirties government work programs to do anything but provide a handfull of jobs without stimulating a damn thing.
Like it or not my friends who are socialist inside, capitalism was the cure for poverty in China and India, now it is time for us to understand what it was capitalism that made America great. We need to emulate the America that China and India have emulated and quit trying to be like Europe.
Yuck.
Don, Obama has already failed. He doesn't need to flunk another test, my good man.
Pop quiz today, Obama, can you spell "national misery"? And for you Pacifica Socialists, while the capitalists are taking care of themselve (as you say) I have found opportunity for myself in the form of a job here and there. Wake up, people!
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07 July 09 - 06:06Organized labor has gone too far....
Quote "June 30 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. has two choices after General Motors Corp. said it’s quitting the auto-assembly venture the rivals have shared for 25 years: bearing the expense of the factory alone or shutting down its first U.S. plant.... Does Toyota “take full ownership of a plant that’s in the most expensive place in the U.S., and that’s also got a UAW workforce, or close it and eliminate thousands of jobs?,” said Ed Kim, director of industry analysis at AutoPacific Inc. in Tustin, California. 'Both scenarios are bad.' "
Blomberg
This is not a hard business decision unless something changes. The UAW has been draining the US car industry for decades and it is now painfully obvious that something has to give. I believe in the concept of unions, but the UAW is a national embarrassment. They are organized blood suckers, and the bodies of the automotive industry are now bled white by these vampires.
A few years back when I was living in Dallas, the UAW vampires were part of a strike at the Arlington plant which is nearby. The striking members of the UAW were striking for things that were so unavailable to the average worker in the area that they received little support from those who in the surrounding area. The wages they received were far above the local norms, their benefits were as well, and they wanted "job security". Who doesn't!!!!
The gimme attitudes of the UAW must come to an end or they will be the lead that takes the current automobile companies to depths that they cannot rise from.
My Dad used to tell me that there is no such thing as a "free lunch." Somebody has to foot the bill.
So true.
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06 July 09 - 23:28This is what Democrats and Liberals get you
Booo hissss
Quote.....
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Police charged the father of a 5-year-old girl
with child abuse after the girl was spotted behind the wheel of a
speeding pickup truck.
KRQE-TV reported the father was arrested Thurday when police saw his
truck speeding and swerving on the city's west side. Police said the
father told them he was trying to teach his daughter how to drive by
having her sit in his lap.
KRQE said the man was released from jail on $5,000 bond.
End of quote.....
In my way of thinking this is just wrong. You may not agree with me, but I am soooo tired of government feeling the need to micromanage our lives.
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05 July 09 - 23:10Those who cannot help themselves...
"...On the eve of the Apollo 11 launch, June 15, 1969, Abernathy arrived at Cape Canaveral with several hundred members of the poor people to protest spending of government space exploration, while many Americans remained poor. He was met by Thomas O. Paine, the Administrator of NASA, whom he told that in the face of such suffering, space flight represented an inhuman priority and funds should be spent instead to 'feed the hungry, clothe the naked, tend the sick, and house the homeless....' " Answers.com
I just was reminded of this while reading the book "Angle of Attack" which is a great book about the moon race that culminated 40 years ago this summer. I had a summer job, but stayed home from work to watch the landing on television.
Although it is hard to argue with the pleas of people like Abernathy, if we spent all of our time clothing and feeding the poor, we would still be living in grass huts and hunting antelope. It is a true dilemma that the human race must carry along the baggage of the wobegone human beings that simply cannot function at the level required to be a part of modern society. In my lifetime I have seen effort after effort to bring these folks into the fold, but they would rather copulate and medicate themselves in squalor than stand up and be a part of mainstrean society.
Now we have the added dilemma of coping with high unemployment. This is a different challenge. The challenge is to take the steps required to drive our economy in the direction needed to provide sustainable employment. We do this for those who can and will be a part of functioning society. But what of the poor. I liked the answer from Thomas Paine, the newly appointed head of NASA at the time.
He told Abernathy that the advances in space exploration were child's play compared to the tremendously difficult human problems of the society, and told him that "if we could solve the problems of poverty by not pushing the button to launch men to the moon tomorrow, then we would not push that button."
The poor, the needy, they are always there. Dilemma, dilemma....
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03 July 09 - 06:06How Universal is this supposed to be?
Do you have to earn it? Who pays for it? Will it work? How does it work?
I have news for the media talking heads, it is not a bit of a surprise that Walmart is supporting national healthcare and the taxes that go with it. Take a few minutes to think about this yourself and you will come up with the answer. While you think, let me tell a story about the auto industry in the US.
For years the auto industry was controlled by strong arm union tactics, but they did not care. When one of the "big three" car companies negotiated a new contract with the union (it's all UAW). The basic completed contract would be mimiced by the other two auto companies. For years this worked, and what did they care? All had the same labor and benefit costs on a per employee basis, so the costs were passed on to the consumer, everything was fine, until global competition came along.
Back to Walmart. Did you figure it out yet? It is the same as the situation I just described. What does Walmart care? If the cost of insuring their employees is the same as the cost to every other employer, it is to their advantage to support this. Did you get that? It is a business advantage to a national retail firm.
Wow, we should do this right away. Right? Well, guess what. Assigning the cost of universal health care to manufacturing and international businesses will give them costs that are not balanced in the global market place. An advantage for Walmart is not an advantage for GM, Ford, Cessna, Allegheny Ludlum, or any company that competes globally. But wait, there is a solution to that. The solution involves passing all costs for the healthcare on to the US consumer no matter what. And this means? Higher prices.
Why does Public Radio never point this type of thing out? Why do they tell a story about a woman who suffered from a stroke because she could not afford blood pressure pills and then make a bogus statement that the cost of the pills to the general population would have been less than the emergnecy room treatment. This is an anecdote, and is not in any form an indication that national health care will cost less.
And hey, let's get all of the Mexican nationals that live in this country on board as well, the folks who don't want to work, but are mothers (and fathers) because they want to have sex, and any other non-productive citizen that can be made into the subject of a liberal sad song.
Go team, go government team. Screw us some more.
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02 July 09 - 06:06And then the fight started...
This is a joke, son...
My wife sat down on the couch next to me as I was flipping channels.
She asked, 'What's on the TV?'
'Dust,' I said.
And then the fight started.
My wife and I are watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" while we were in bed.. I turned to her and said, "Do you want to have sex?"
"No," she answered.
I then said, "Is that your final answer?"
She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, "Yes."
So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."
And then the fight started..
I rear-ended a car this morning. So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car. You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?
Yeah, well I couldn't believe it.. He was a DWARF!!!
He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted, "I AM NOT HAPPY!!!"
So, I looked down at him and said, "Well, then which one are you?"
And then the fight started...
My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.
She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds.'
I bought her a scale.
And then the fight started
My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept starring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.
My wife asked, 'Do you know her?'
'Yes,' I sighed, 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.'
'My God!' says my wife, 'who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'
And then the fight started.
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