Dickster's Random Thoughts: October 2009

Saturday, October 31, 2009

A Blogging Opportunity

Here is an opportunity for my fellow bloggers to be paid to blog. Proctor & Gamble is looking for to hire five bloggers for the holiday season, November 23-December 31. The salary for the assignment is $10000. Not bad for five weeks work.

The assignment is for each of the bloggers to work in their Charmin Restrooms in Times Square during the holiday season. The "Charmin Ambassadors" will greet and entertain visitors to the restrooms. Then they will blog about their experiences on Charmin branded blogs and various social media.

If you are interested in participating, P&G will be conducting interviews on Thursday, November 5 from 10am-6pm at the Hilton Hotel at 53rd Street & 6th Avenue in NY City. You can get more info at the Charmin Enjoy The Go website.

If I were a single man, without a steady job (or at least one flexible enough to take a month long absence) then I would have to consider this. Of course, there is something about hanging out in the bathroom for five weeks that is a little troublesome. After all, isn't hanging out in restrooms what got Larry Craig into trouble?

Friday, October 30, 2009

Cash For Clunkers Follow Up

Shortly after the government's Cash For Clunkers program ended, I posted about the initial results of the program. At the time I tried to identify the "winners" and "losers" of the program. Here is what I said at the time:

So the big winners in the "Cash For Clunkers" program are the people who were able to take advantage of the program by having additional dollars towards a new car. In addition, Ford, Honda, and Toyota were the industry winners.

The losers are Chrysler, General Motors, the government, and the US taxpayers. The taxpayers are on the hook for bailing out GM and Chrysler and for funding a program that did nothing for the two companies that the taxpayers basically own. The other losers are those people who would have been willing to buy a used car but will see used car prices rising because of all the "clunkers" taken off the market reducing supply.

Well, Edmunds.com has done a study and here is what they found. During the program, they show that a total of 690,000 cars were sold. Their analysis suggests that the program may have added a total of 125,000 sales. Based on the cost of the program, that works out to $24000 per car. If you really stop to think about it, this makes perfect sense. After all, a fair percentage of the cars sold would have sold regardless of the Cash-for-clunkers program. It is logical, therefore, to calculate the cost per car on the incremental sales that the program generated.

Needless to say, the very thin skinned White House had to issue comments critical of the study. This drew another nice little press release on Edmonds defending their analysis.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Nutritional Food Labeling

I have been in the retail food industry for nearly all my adult life. Over the years, I have seen a number of changes to the labeling requirements on food. The labeling has become more and more complicated as the government has required more and more information to be included on the labels.

It used to be that the labels would show the total amount of fat in a serving. Now you see total fat, saturated fat, and a few years ago, trans fat. Same with carbohydrates. Now you see total carbs, dietary fiber, and sugars. You need to be a chemist to understand all the information on the label.

To be honest, I rarely look at the nutritional labeling. About the only time that I ever do it is if I am actively trying to watch what i eat or am trying to lose weight. Even then, I am primarily looking at calories and percentage of fat in a serving.

So I really don't need any new information on my food labels. I especially don't need it for something as bogus as what the folks in Sweden are starting to see on their nutritional labels. Sweden has begun requiring that the carbon impact of the product be included on the label so that consumers can make an informed choice on how their food products are impacting carbon emissions. One such label reads "Climate declared: .87 kg CO2 per kg of product."

The Swedish government has also issued new dietary guidelines for selecting food products. For instance, they recommend that people choose carrots over items like tomatoes and cucumbers. The reason being that tomatoes and cucumbers have to be grown in heated greenhouses causing higher emissions. Being ornery, I would probably deliberately choose the higher carbon impact items. I have to ask, how much info do you pay attention to, if any, on a label, and would the inclusion of carbon impact on a food label change how you eat?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Arrested For Being Nude At Home

I recently started using Twitter. On my Blackberry, I use TweetCaster by Handmark to read and send my tweets. During lunch today, I was reading a few tweets when I read one that caught my eye. It was particularly interesting because it is a local story to the DC area. Tip of the hat to Leslie Blanchard at The Progressive Patriot who sent the original tweet.

Last week, a man in Springfield, Virginia was arrested and is facing indecent exposure charges for being nude in his own home. He was home alone last week and at 5:30 in the morning went downstairs to make himself some coffee. Since he was in the privacy of his own home, and alone, he did not feel the need to get dressed first. Unfortunately, a woman and a seven year old child were passing by and saw him through his window. The woman called the police, and they arrested him.

I don't know about you, but depending on the time of day, I do not always have clothes on when I am in my house. There have been times when after showering in the morning, if the laundry is still in the basement laundry room, that I have gone downstairs to get clothes, I have stepped into the kitchen on some of those occasions to start the coffee brewing so that it would be ready when I finish dressing. Fortunately, I have curtains in the window, so I don't think anybody can see in.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Swine Flu Vaccine

Let's see if I have this straight.

The Center for Disease Control, Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the White House, and the media have whipped the citizens into a frenzy and have increased the demand for the swine flu vaccine. So much so that the demand currently far exceeds supply.

Over the weekend, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring swine flu to be a national emergency due to higher reported numbers of Americans infected with the flu.

Meanwhile, Sebelius has stated that the US will donate 10% of our available vaccines to the World Health Organization before our demand is satisfied so that WHO can decide what countries will receive the donated vaccines.

Now I am all for the US giving humanitarian aid to less developed countries, but given the first two statements, does it make sense for us to put our own citizens in danger of contracting the disease by not meeting our demand first.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Music Monday-U2 "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

A few weeks ago, U2 held a concert at Fed Ex Field in Landover, MD. That concert caused a huge backup on the beltway and made my usual one hour commute home take about two and a half hours. Since the Redskins are playing tonight at Fed Ex Field, I am expecting a nearly as hellish commute home tonight. So U2 is my choice this week for Music Monday.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Global Warming Insanity

GLOBAL WARMING / CLIMATE CHANGE IS A HOAX

The global warming cultists continue to come up with assinine ideas for saving the planet. Here are just a few of the items that I have heard of lately.

A new book has been released called Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living which says that a medium sized pet dog has the same carbon footprint as an SUV and you would be better off owning a goldfish or canary. Try playing catch with a canary, and when was the last time a barking goldfish scared off an intruder.
California, the United Kingdom, and the European Union are looking at banning plasma televisions. Thank God I have yet to be able to afford one of those and am still using an old fashioned tube TV.
A New York Times environmental reporter has floated the idea of offering carbon credits to families that limit themselves to having one child. Tough break there for Jon & Kate Plus 8.
The state of California was also considering a ban on black cars. Suffice to say that I was going to make a smartass remark in regards to what would be the next thing to ban, but I censored myself. Use your imagination.

I have said it before and will say it again, the whole environmental movement is all about controlling your lifestyle and the choices you make.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

HOA From Hell #7

I have no love for homeowners associations. Outside of a few legitimate roles such as caring for common areas, most of them have rules that our a little too restrictive for my taste. Some of them have rules that are just extreme and unreasonable, like not being able to smoke (a legal activity) in your own home or what type of Christmas decorations you can have.

Now there is the case of Kimberly Broffman of Clearwater, Florida and the Lakes Homeowners Association. Kimberly is a six year old girl who came to live with her grandparents when she was an infant when her mother was injured in a home invasion. It was supposed to be a temporary situation, but Kimberly's mother has run into more difficulties and the child has stayed with the grandparents.

The HOA wants the little girl evicted from the home because their rules state that the community is a retirement community and you must be 55 years old to live there. The grandparents, Judie and Jimmy Stottler, have been trying to sell their home with no success. Mrs. Stottler wrote to the association explaining that until they sell their home they could not afford to move and would become homeless. She thanked them for their consideration and understanding, and the HOA responded with a court summons.

I understand a retirement community wanting to have rules regarding kids. They can be a little loud. However, in some cases compassion should be the rule. You have a child in a loving, stable family relationship. To force the family to either put the child in foster care or become homeless is beyond heartless.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Harry Reid Losing Ground

Image via Wikipedia

I am home after my three day business trip to Vegas. These trade shows are a lot of work, but very important to the company I work for. There is a lot of walking and standing over the course of the show, and my feet and back just don't hold up like they used to. My dogs are barking and it sure is good to be back home to relax for the weekend

We also don't get a lot of time to ourselves while on these trips. After spending the normal workday hours walking the trade show floor, we usually get about an hour break before going out to a business dinner. By the time that ends it is pretty much time for bed. When in my hotel room, I usually have the television on for some background noise. This brings me to main point of the post.

Harry Reid is really in trouble in Nevada. Here it is, still more than a year before the next election for his Nevada Senate seat, and what do I see on the tube? A Harry Reid campaign commercial touting all of the great things he had done for the state of Nevada.

A recent poll of registered voters in Nevada shows Reid with a 38% approval rating. We don't even know who his opponent is going to be yet, but polls currently show that Reid would lose to either of the two likely Republican opponents. There is nothing I would like more than to see that twit lose next year. Well, maybe if the Republican take back the House and knock Pelosi off of her high horse.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Riding With The King

When I was a kid, my favorite race car driver was Richard Petty, mainly because we have the same first name. Besides being my favorite NASCAR driver he is also the greatest and well earned the nickname "The King." During his career, Petty won the NASCAR championship seven times, the Daytona 500 seven times, and 200 career races, all NASCAR records. Last week, NASCAR announced their inaugural inductions into their newly formed hall of fame. In pretty much a no brainer, Petty was among the inductees.

While these trade shows that I attend are a lot of work, and a lot of walking, they aren't all work. Yesterday, I went by the Hunt Brothers Pizza booth who sponsor one of the cars that Petty owns. The King was there signing autographs. I was honored to have a few moments to talk with and shake hands with the greatest driver NASCAR has ever seen. Not only is he a great driver, he is truly a gentleman as well. Here I am below with Richard Petty.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Welcome to Vegas

I arrived in Vegas last night for my business trip for the next couple of days. We are staying at The Palazzo Suites. Very plush.

This is probably the biggest hotel room that I have ever been in. They have a sunken living room with a table, work area, HD Television, and comfortable sectional.

Originally I was supposed to have a room with a king size bed, but they had no non-smoking rooms, so instead I have one with two queen size bed. Also with it's own HD television.

The bathroom is huge, with a separate tub and shower stalls. There is a third television in the bathroom so you can soak and watch TV at the same time. The toilet is in a separate little room off the bathroom and contains a telephone. No TV in the toilet though.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Flu Shot?

I rarely get a flu shot. About the only time that I have ever gotten a flu shot was when I went to the doctor for something else and he suggested I get one.It is just not something I ever really think about, and I rarely (knock wood) get sick. So in all likelihood, I probably will not get one this year, especially when I saw this news story on my local news.

The story of Desiree Jennings is frightening. Up until August, she was a healthy, active, 25 year old woman training for a half marathon and a member of the Redskins cheerleading squad. In August, she decided to get a seasonal flu vaccination at a local grocery store. Ten days later, she came down with flu like symptoms. Her condition has deteriorated and now she has difficulty walking and speaking. Her doctors say she has had a very rare reaction to the vaccine and it has brought on a neurological disorder called dystonia.

Millions will get a flu shot this year without any adverse affect. For the vast majority of people, it is completely harmless, and I am not suggesting anybody not get a flu shot because of the case of Desiree Jennings. I doubt that I will get one, but I would most likely not have gotten one regardless of this story. However, as a father of an autistic son, I have read the stories of those who think all the vaccinations our kids have to get possibly contributing to the rise of autism. As much good as vaccinations do for us as a whole, it is important to keep in mind that they are not completely void of risk.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Music Monday-Elvis Presley "Viva Las Vegas"

I have a business trip to take this week and will be headed to Las Vegas for a trade show. I don't expect that I will have too much of an opportunity to partake of all that Vegas has to offer, as our schedule will be rather full. However, in honor of the upcoming trip, my choice for Music Monday this week is Elvis Presley and "Viva Las Vegas."

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Balloon Boy Family Facing Charges

On Thursday, I was sitting at my desk when my boss came by and told me that a six year old boy had somehow gotten into his father's homemade hot air balloon and taken off. I had two thoughts, how could they possibly get him down, and who in the hell would have a balloon that could take off inflated and unattended where a child could get into it?

A couple hours later, I heard that the balloon had crash landed but that the boy was not in the basket. Like many, I immediately thought that maybe he had fallen out of the balloon to his death. In the back of my mind I held a sliver of hope that perhaps the boy had not been a passenger in the balloon after all.

By now, we all know that Falcon Heene had been hiding in a box in the attic of their house. The family, which had appeared in the reality TV show "Wife Swap," immediately hit the morning talk show circuit. On the Larry King show, young Falcon may have let it slip when he said "You said we did this for a show."

Now the Larimer County sheriff says the parents are facing misdemeanor charges of filing a false police report. He also says that he is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to see if additional federal charges could be filed as the misdemeanor charges don't measure up to the severity of the situation.So now it looks pretty clear that it was all a hoax. Turns out the father, Richard Heene, feels he should be famous and it was all part of trying to develop his own reality television show.

What a piece of shit this guy is! I certainly hope that federal charges can be filed and that they are felony charges. If this is true, he deserves to go to jail for a long time in my opinion. He definitely should be held responsible for the cost of all the resources that were used to try to save his son. What kind of dirt bag would ever suggest, even knowing it to be a hoax, that their child was in mortal danger?

Saturday, October 17, 2009

A Few Random Rants

It is a cold, rainy night here in Maryland with temperatures in the 40's. I just finished an eight hour shift of delivering fresh hot pizza. I am sitting here enjoying a nice bottle of 1998 vintage wine from the Cotes de Castillon region of Bordeaux. Life is good, but I have a few little rants to get off my chest.

The cleaning crew in my office does a really nice job. Seriously. They do a particularly nice job keeping the rest rooms clean. They probably come through at least three times a day. The problem though is that sometimes they do too good a job. There are three stalls in the rest room. To change the roll of toilet paper in one of them, the cleaning crew opens a panel in the middle stall to change the roll. Unfortunately, they will change the roll even if somebody is sitting in the stall. It is rather disconcerting to be taking care of business and have a panel open up next to you while somebody changes the toilet paper. You'd think they would wait until the coast is clear, so to speak.

Tonight was actually a pretty good day delivering pizza, so I really shouldn't complain, but I am going to. As I said, it was a cold and rainy night. It still amazes me that somebody will order $51.51 worth of pizza and hand me $52.00. Then there are those that place a $30 order and put $1.50 tip on their credit card when placing the order. Sometimes I just want to tell those people that if I have two deliveries to make, and I see $1.50 tip on one slip, and $3.00 or more on the other, who do you think is going to get their pizza first?

Lastly, why is it that liberals take offense to calling illegal aliens "criminals?" Let me see if I can explain this simply. Let's think back to basic algebra and the following mathematical theorem.

a=b

and b=c

therefore a=c

Pretty straightforward. So using this same logic:

Illegal immigrants have broken our immigration laws.

People who have broken laws are criminals.

Therefore, Illegal immigrants are criminals.

Again, seems pretty simple to me.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Something Isn't Right Here

United State Marine Corps Sgt. Michael Ferschke was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. While there, he met and developed a relationship with a Japanese woman named Hotaru. Sgt. Ferschke was then deployed to Iraq. In July of 2008, the couple were married by proxy over the phone. Sadly, one month later, Sgt. Ferschke was killed.

Prior to their marriage, the couple gave birth to a son. Now, Hotaru and their son face deportation because the State Department refuses to recognize their marriage as legitimate because the couple was not able to consummate their marriage vows as required by US immigration laws.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has told Sheriff Joe Arpaio that he is to no longer to authorized to make arrests of illegal immigrants. Sheriff Joe, to his credit vows to continue to seek out and arrest criminals that are in this country illegally.

There is something wrong when our state department on the one hand wants to deport the widow and child of one of our fallen soldiers, then on the other wants to strip our law enforcement officials of the power to arrest those who are entering the country illegally. One would think that the Department of Homeland Security would want our law enforcement officials to enforce our laws and protect our borders. I kind of thought that was why the department was created.

Fortunately for Hotaru Ferschke and her son, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) has introduced a bill that would recognize the marriage of Hotaru and Michael Ferschke. The bill has some support on both sides of the aisle. Members of the House have also introduced legislation to help the widow. Please write to your Senators and Congressman asking them to support Senator Webb's legislation.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Baucus Bill Passes First Hurdle

Image via Wikipedia

Do you remember George Carlin and his seven words you can never say on television? It starts off, "There are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are 7 you can't say on television. What a ratio that is! 399,993...to 7. They must really be baaaad."

For some reason those last five words came to mind when I heard the news that the Max Baucus's health care passed the Senate Finance Committee vote, 14-9. The vote went by party lines with the lone Republican voting for passage of the bill being known RINO Olympia Snowe of Maine.

I'll explain the George Carlin reference. Immediately after the bill passed the committee, it drew criticism from the Republican Party and the leaders of 30 labor unions, obviously for different reasons. For a piece of legislation to bring together in opposition two groups as diverse as the Republicans and the Unions, it must really be baaaad.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Music Monday-Hall and Oates "She's Gone"

Last week, my choice for Music Monday was The Righteous Brothers. They were the epitome of "blue-eyed soul" in the late 60's and 70's. They were succeeded ably in the late 70's and 80's by Hall and Oates. They are my choice for Music Monday this week with "She's Gone."

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Funeral For A Friend

Image via Wikipedia

I have always enjoyed reading. Over the years, I have gone through various phases where I read many different authors and styles of books. In my youth, my favorite author was Edgar Allan Poe. I used to love the classic horror films. I became hooked on Poe when I saw Vincent Price appear in "The Black Cat."

Poe is best known for his short stories and his poem "The Raven," which is where the Baltimore Ravens got their nickname. Poe's stories were all very dark and he became known as the Master of the Macabre. His better known stories were "The Black Cat" and "The Tell Tale Heart," but my favorite may have been "The Cask of Amontillado," a tale where the main character lures his foe who publicly ridiculed him in some catacombs to sample a rare sherry. As his foe gets drunk, he buries him alive by building a brick wall to prevent his escape.

2009 marks the 200th birthday of Edgar Allan Poe. He died in Baltimore at the age of 40 on October 7, 1849. His funeral was attended by a mere 10 people. Poe did not receive acclaim for his works until after his death. Today, to celebrate his life, and to give him a funeral worthy of one of America's greatest writers, there was a funeral complete with a replica Poe in a casket and a funeral procession. RIP Edgar.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Obama's Nobel Prize

10 9 09 Bearman Cartoon Obama Nobel Peace Prize

Image by Bearman2007 via Flickr

Friday's are a very busy day for me because I work my full time job and then deliver pizza right after. Consequently, I usually don't get to post anything unless I write it the night before and schedule a post.

Yesterday morning, while dressing for work I heard the news that President Barack Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. My initial reaction to the news was, "WTF?? What in hell has he done in less than a year to earn a Nobel Prize?" I have had a full day to absorb the news, and not much has change in my reaction.

Obviously, it is quite an honor to have a sitting president win the Nobel Peace Prize. The only two previous sitting presidents to win the award were Teddy Roosevelt, who helped brokered a peace agreement between Russia and Japan and Woodrow Wilson for his work on the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I and the formation of the League of Nations. Obama has done nothing near as noteworthy as that. Plus both Wilson and Roosevelt were well into second terms when nominated as opposed to Obama being in a mere two weeks.

Here are a couple of quotes from a few presidential historians and political scientists from the article "Obama's Nobel Is Premature, Historians and Political Scientists Say."

Fred Greenstein of Princeton University, "The jury is still out as to what his presidency is going to add up to. It's more of an embarrassment to the Nobel process."

Allan Lichtman of American University, "They're not comparable. Roosevelt and Wilson were six or seven years into two-term presidencies, and Obama has not completed a single year of his presidency, so it makes very little sense."

Stephen Wayne of Georgetown University, "It does seem to me, at this point, that's its premature. When I first saw it, I thought it was a joke. Obama may have been the first to get it for his rhetoric and his orientation. What had he done by February? He had been the first African-American elected president and provided sawing rhetoric. In one sense, Obama has always been more popular in Europe than in the United States. That popularity is based in part on the contrast he provides to former President George W. Bush, who was not popular in Europe. I am very favorable toward President Obama, but this prize is a surprise to me."

Ah, that's the ticket, he won the award because he isn't George W. Bush. He won because he supports all the things that Bush didn't. He supports the UN, which is a decidedly anti-American organization. Bush didn't. He supports cap and trade programs that will hurt the economy to thwart so called climate change, Bush didn't. Even former Nobel winner Lech Walesa questioned the timing so early in his presidency, "So soon? Too early. He has no contribution so far. He is only beginning to act."

As I said, it is quite an honor for this country to have a sitting president awarded the prize. So for that, we congratulate the president. Maybe one day he will be worthy of having received it.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Pelosi Wants to Raise Taxes on EVERYTHING

Yesterday, I gave Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi a small bit of praise for honoring the Dalai Lama for his humanitarian efforts. Today, I am reminded of why I can't stand the woman.

In an interview on the Charlie Rose Show, he asks her about the possibility of implementing a Value Added Tax. Pelosi looks positively giddy (or dare I say it, aroused) in saying that the VAT tax should be on the table. She, like most Democrats, never met a tax increase they didn't like.

A VAT tax adds a tax at every stage of the manufacturing process where "value" is added to the item. This tax is in addition to personal income taxes and corporate income taxes. The chief problem with such a tax is that all of the burden for all these additional taxes falls on the final consumer, and is highly regressive as it impacts the lower and middle income folks the most.

Take a look at this video and just watch how her eyes light up at the prospect of raising taxes. Also, listen to the example she uses of the automobile industry. Does she make any sense at all?

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Dalai Lama Receives Human Rights Award

Image by Akuppa via Flickr

A few years ago, I went through a period where I was reading a lot of books about Buddhism. .My two favorite writers were Thich Nhat Hahn a Buddhist monk from Viet Nam who lives in exile in France. I started reading him because several of his books dealt with Jesus Christ and the Buddha as spiritual brothers. The other writer is the person that most Americans would think of when thinking of Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama is in DC this week for a series of meetings. In spite of his claims of being a big proponent of human rights, President Barack Obama will not be meeting with the Buddhist leader. The decision came after the Chinese government has encouraged countries not to meet with the leader. So, Obama, the great appeaser has decided to give in to the wishes of the Chinese rather than do what is right. It will be the first time since the Dalai Lama began visiting DC that a sitting president has not met with him.

Fortunately, all in DC are not of the same mind as the President. As much as I loathe just about everything that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stands for, she did present the Dalai Lama with the first Tom Lantos Human Rights Award. So I thank Congress for recognizing the work of the Dalai Lama.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

That's Gotta Hurt!

With friends like this, who needs enemies? Sure this is rather sophomoric humor, but when I saw this today, I laughed so hard I nearly cried. Hat tip to my friend Jeff J. who emailed this video to me.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Music Monday-The Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"

Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield were better known as the Righteous Brothers. They were the epitome of "blue eyed soul" in the 60's and 70's. Their mega hit "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" is my pick this week for Music Monday.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Friday, October 2, 2009

And the 2016 Summer Olympic Games Go to Rio!

In spite of the last minute decision by President Barack Obama to join Oprah and the First Lady to help in the bid to land the 2016 Summer Olympic Games for the city of Chicago right here in the good ol' U.S. of A. the International Olympic Committee awarded the games to Rio de Janeiro marking the first time that South America will host the games. Many speculated that when Obama decided to join the party that the USA had the bid in the bag. Instead, we were eliminated in the first round of voting. Somehow the libs will find a way to blame Bush or racism. After all, if you don't decide in favor of Obama it has to be one of those two reasons.

So in support of our friends in Brazil, "I Go to Rio" by Peter Allen.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

So Long Saturn

2008 Saturn Vue photographed at the Washington...

Image via Wikipedia

I am kind of sad today with the news that the Saturn brand of automobiles will be discontinued. Mrs. Dickster and I each drive Saturn automobiles. Mine is a 2002 SL2 with over 134000 miles on it. We have had very few problems with that car. My wife is driving a 2005 Saturn Vue. It is our third Saturn overall.

When General Motors announced their plans for restructuring under the government bailout the decision was made to retire some brands, keep some, and sell off other assets. The Saturn brand was originally scheduled to be sold to Roger Penske and the Penske Automotive Group. Penske announced that he would be unable to take over the brand because a third party manufacturing deal fell through.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dealings with Saturn. We were always treated fairly when getting service. All three of the Saturns we had bought at our local dealership were bought from the same salesman. There was never any high pressure, and he went out of his way to search other dealerships to find us the car we wanted. When it was announced that Penske would be taking over Saturn, we had hoped we would be able to stay with them when we were ready to get our next new car. Unfortunately it was not meant to be.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Monday, October 26, 2009

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Friday, October 23, 2009

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Friday, October 2, 2009

Thursday, October 1, 2009

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