JUST SOME POSTS

How does it feel to own a car company (or two)? GM is ours (at least nominally) as is Chrysler, at least for a little while. The good news is we only paid 50 - 60 billion for them. And what gets better from there is, we are now "selling" the only valuable parts of Chrysler to Fiat. Then the plan is to give (for a nominal investment in operating capital) most of the value of GM to Magna (a large parts supplier from Canada) and a Russian banking/investment firm. The auto workers union gets another large chunk; and the US and Canadian government get most of the rest. If, and that is a BIG IF, GM (and the new owners) gets what is left turned around and makes money, we (the US government part) gets a return. Whoopee! After the money we paid in "bailouts' prior to the bankruptcy, and the unseen fallout that will occur after the bankruptcy (layoffs and closures from suppliers, dealers, etc) it would have been cheaper to buy the three million cars that sales were off and gi...

When you have lived as long as I have, evolution is visible... at least of the spoken word. I have noticed of late, at any retail counter (of the non-formal type - my guess is this probably does not apply if one is buying a $600 dress or similar) whether it be fast food, discount store, or grocery store that I am told to "have a good one" (or more often than not it is "have a gudt one" with an umlaut over the u) as I leave. This leads one (or at least my warped mind) to wonder... one what? I will admit that if you have to have "one', it being a good "one" as opposed to a bad "one" is probably preferred. As I said when I started, I have seen (or heard) the evolution of language in my lifetime. We would have just said "goodbye" or "see you later". Maybe in a retail setting "thanks". In the feel good 60s and early 70s it became - "Have a nice day." Here is how Merriam-Webster defines "nice...

Over the past months I have noticed a real increase in the insurance commercials that tell me and all who are listening about the money I could be, should be, would be saving if I switched to Allstate, Geico , Progressive, State Farm, 21st Century, et al . This got me to thinking (as only I can and do, evidently) what idiot is paying these high prices any more? Where is he or she? I picture Rog, the hermit, living in a mud hut in the middle of the desert. No TV or radio, just a 1958 pickup with 286,000 miles on it for running into town every six months for mouthwash and toothpicks. He has no idea that the set of eyes he feels on the back of his neck at those weird times is the money he could be saving.... He is still paying $352, or $602, or $424 too much because he does not know better. WE, on the other hand are well educated as to the fact that Progressive will tell us who is the cheapest; or that Dennis Haysbert would use his sonorous voice to assure him that Allstate would sav...

For those of you that have been reading along, you know I have occasionally dropped in thoughts and comments on my wife's illness. Here is another. (hey, I gave you three or four "fluff" pieces in a row!!) Spasmodic Torticollis . Great name for a rock band, yes? Cervical Dystonia . Also a good one. Both sound like a lead-in for a heavy metal band with big hair. Well, we have entered the rock band era with my wife's disease. And now, the coliseum is proud to present.......Cervical Dystonia!!! These two heavy metal names are both monikers of a disease of which my wife now is suffering. As a side effect of her primary illness, we get to sample an entire array of diseases - as symptoms of multiple system atrophy. Cervical Dystonia is (in layman's terms - I am just now learning about this, over the last few hours) where the muscles of the neck spasm and/or contract on their own. It is annoying and according to my wife (and common sense) very uncomfortable to painf...

If this were not true, it might be funny. Be afraid, be VERY afraid. I don't even know what to say about this one.... Do Fat People Cause Global Warming? Tuesday, April 21, 2009 AP The rising number of fat people was blamed for global warming on Monday. Scientists warned that the increase in big eaters means more food production — a major cause of CO2 gas emissions warming the planet. Overweight people are also more likely to drive, adding to environmental damage. Dr. Phil Edwards, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "Moving about in a heavy body is like driving in a gas guzzler." Each fat person is said to be responsible for emitting a ton more of climate-warming carbon dioxide per year than a thin one. It means an extra billion tons of CO2 a year is created, according to World Health Organization estimates of overweight people. The scientists say providing extra grub for them to guzzle adds to carbon emissions that heat up the world...

MORE HEADLINES - these are REAL news stories: (my editorial comments in italics) Mass. lake with 45-letter name has spelling errors (shocking, huh?) WEBSTER, Mass. – Officials have agreed to correct spelling errors in road signs pointing to a central Massachusetts lake with a 45-letter name. Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster has one of the world's longest place names. It's been spelled many different ways over the years. Some locals have given up and simply call it Lake Webster. What you talkin ' 'bout Willis? Miss. woman gets shot in head, but makes tea I actually read this one over the weekend. She was shot through the head by her husband. Then she met the officer at the door and offered him tea. Man allegedly steals forklift and hits sign, pole Here is the REAL story - Authorities said after the vehicle ran out of gas, the man sought treatment at a local hospital for alcohol and drug intoxication.... Shocked you, huh? Fake w...

It's tax day 2009. We all need a good laugh. Try listening to this guy and not laughing. http://videos.komando.com/2008/06/04/mans-surprising-laugh/ Enjoy!!