Weekend Roundup...
Straight away, I want to "lift" a chunk from last year's post regarding this nations's INDEPENDENCE DAY (not to be confused with the movie with the same title, which has little to do with breaking from England, and everything to do with box office receipts): So here goes...
(( Independence Day was originally supposed to be the 2nd of July, but with ANY group of politicians, there was some bickering, and things were pushed back to the 4th. Good for us, because somehow yelling "Put out the flag...It's the SECOND OF JULY", doesn't quite roll off the tongue all that well. Must be the monosyllabic aspect of the word FOURTH.
Anyway, John Adams might have been a great rabble-rouser, and an excellent statesmen, but he wasn't all that up to speed when it came to timelines and calendar dates. he even wrote his wife saying the Declaration of Independence would be completed on the 2nd. Lucky for everyone concerned it wasn't, eh?
Now this is one of the most important days in THIS nation, make no mistake about that. And to me it was always right up there with MEMORIAL DAY and VETERAN"S DAY. To my Dad it was the "big three", and it was one days such as this when we'd pack up and take a drive to some local AIR SHOW, or go downtown to watch a parade. Seemed we used to do a LOT more of them back in the 1960s.
It was all about PATRIOTISM.
And that's something (too many) Americans have lost touch with.
Wanting what is best for this nation and her people constitutes part of patriotism.
The willingness to make a sacrifice FOR this nation is another aspect to patriotism.
The selfless devotion to this nation in good times as well as bad is another hallmark of patriotism.
It can be as simple as flying our flag, or it be as profound as losing a son or daughter in another country while KNOWING that the life they gave was for the cause of what this nation was founded upon in the first place...namely FREEDOM and LIBERTY.
But maybe we're too busy setting off fireworks to notice all that. After all, that's not as "exciting".
Liberty and freedom can most times be downright BORING, but they are BUILDING BLOCKS of this country, and the reasons YOU can set those fireworks off in the first place. They are the reasons you can say "NO" when someone else says "YES".
Today was the first milestone in this nation's journey, and I feel that there are many more along our trek along history's road. And like any sojourn, sometimes it's nice to pull the car over and take a gander of that spectacular view that doesn't cost a red cent. maybe we all need to do that a bit more frequently..just so we don't forget. ))
That's my story...and I'm sticking to it!
Now, if any of you readers would like the skinny on this, our most precious patriotic holiday, look no further than HERE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
I would be remiss not to mention what OUR Independence Day is NOT, so here goes...
--It is NOT a day to act like a fool. Too many patriots (past and present) have sacrificed much (and some all) so you COULD act like a dumbass the OTHER 364 days, so give it a rest for 24 hours, kapeesh?
--It is NOT a day to annoy others with YOUR inability to act in a RESPONSIBLE manner when handling fireworks. Face it, there ARE people out there that cannot properly raise a PET...or a CHILD, so what makes them believe they can handle something like pyrotechnic ordnance, anyway?
-- It is NOT a day to IGNORE the significance of WHO WE ARE, as a nation. Rather, it's a time to understand the importance of this country in the eyes of oppressed people throughout the globe who LOOK TO US as a model of FREEDOM and LIBERTY.
--It is NOT a day to denigrate our nations foremost symbol...our FLAG. We should fly it proudly, and show proper decorum and dignity towards it. And we should above all come to know the representative aspects OF our flag.
(Google it up and learn, if you need to).
The 4th of July IS a day akin to Memorial Day...or Veteran's Day. it's a day to reflect, remember, celebrate and acknowledge those who breathed life into this fledgling country, turning it into a bastion of FREEDOM for anyone and everyone willing to make a go of it.
--To all our troops both here and overseas...may the 4th find all of you safe from harm, and safe in the knowledge that what you do, by your service, will NOT go unnoticed. (and enjoy your pizzas, people)
--To the firefighters of this nation...may this holiday keep all of you safe from harm, as you place your lives in danger that others may live.
--To all the police and law-enforcement officers of our nation...may you all find the strength to do the extraordinary under conditions many of us can never imagine. As you protect our cites and town, remember that YOU are as important as the signers of our founding documents. It is every one of YOU that carries out the laws that have been laid down, to ensure that every citizen can feel safe. You task is probably the most daunting of anyone else who lives IN America, but we have faith that you CAN rise to the occasion, and that you WILL be victorious in whatever situation arises.
And finally, to all of you out there in the "ether", may this holiday find you all in good cheer, knowing that THIS nation, ONE nation, under GOD is still the best nation in the entire world. What we, as a people stand for, in the end...is what so many can only WISH for.
We ARE blessed, and with our combined and continued diligence, and fortitude, we CAN come out of any situation, no matter how severe, with a pride unsurpassed by ANYONE ELSE on this planet.
This is YOUR nation...YOUR independence, and YOUR freedom.
Have a marvelous Fourth of July, and don't forget...
Stay safe out there, America.

Odds and Ends...
Well, the wife's car air-conditioner is working once again, and we're about $450 bucks LIGHTER for the experience...just gotta LOVE all this economic stimulation, don'cha?
It only took TWO days, too.
The shop said they were having problems LOCATING THE PART (compressor). The car is only 13 years old. Hell, mine is 26 years old. And I know people that drive cars from the 1930s! And even they can get parts.
Funny things, Mr. Mechanic...I went ONLINE to the AUTO ZONE site (insert gratuitous plug), did a reccy, and came up with FIVE REPLACEMENT compressors...ALL of them AVAILABLE at a store JUST a spit and a slide down the road from YOUR shop, Bub. You could have had one of these puppies in YOUR hands in less than TEN MINUTES...so WHY did it take TWO DAMN DAYS?
I miss the days of truth and honesty in AUTO REPAIR...don't you?
Those were the good old days.
And I used to be a PARTS MANAGER for a large operation in THOSE days; Able to get damn near ANYTHING...and ASAP.
('ya think that helped any?)
But the car is back and appears to be working properly.
I know I was thrilled beyond the ability to cogently produce a polysyllabic word or two...but that's passed, thank God.
Two quickies::
-Fort Wayne has slipped to the 73rd largest city (LMAO...wonder why, I said as I looked around MY neighborhood).
-Indiana hasn't "lost any weight", when it comes to it's citizens, but it hasn't gained any either.
(all the other states got fatter - must be all the "stimulus" PORK...LOL)
In that...there is irony.
And now...the REST of the story.
We're rapidly approaching the 4th of July weekend (this year complete with the day celebrated...free of charge), and in Indiana, we're already hearing rumblings over the "proper use" of fireworks.
Apparently, there are still some people out there that want to ASSIST those dumb asses that have NO idea what SAFETY is all about, by educating them on how to handle pyrotechnic devices (for the morbidly stupid).
And, as is the case every year, there will STILL be those injured by the improper use of such things...like we couldn't see THAT coming, hmm?
Personally, I leave fireworks for the "pros", and I enjoy the show much better for it. Besides, even though the area around my house HERE (in Indiana) is greater than the row homes in Philly, the chance of damage to someone else's property (or even mine) isn't worth the price I'd have to pay should something go awry.
But in my neighborhood, we have people that live my one creed alone:
"Yes, I'm totally irresponsible...deal with it!"
Well, it might work for them, but with attitudes like that, the only good they are for me is TARGET PRACTICE.
And if the improper usage and lack of responsibility towards fireworks aren't enough to get you riled, how about all those "magic ciggies" the GUB'MENT has mandated for us?
What?
You didn't HEAR about this?
Where've you been?
Seems "das Feds" have found a reason to screw with something else in our lives.
And while I admit that smoking is bad (m'kay?), I smoke...as did most all of our founding fathers (tobacco came from our Indian friends in America).
These "new" ciggies are wrapped with a thicker paper that makes them prone to extinguishing themselves, should you doze off WHILE smoking, thus averting a house fire.
Now, straight away, let me say that IF you are trying in ANY manner to combine SMOKING with SLEEPING, you're too damn stupid to be mainstreamed with NORMAL people. You NEED to be placed in a special care facility like "Dipshit Downs Mental Hospital", kapeesh?
The rooms are padded for YOUR protection, the staff are courteous (when lacing you into that straight-jacket), and the food rivals the ALPO your dog's been chowing down.
This is bordering on INSANITY....the cigarettes, I mean.
Follow me on this...
If a GUN is used in a crime...do something about...the GUN.
If a CAR is being driven unsafely...do something about...the CAR.
If a CIGARETTE cause a fire when someone nods out while smoking it...do something about...the CIGARETTES.
Anyone see a PATTERN here, yet?
What the hell is NEXT?
If a person places a pot of food on a stove, then goes out for a while, leaving it unattended, and the damn house burns down, killing three kids along the way, do we suddenly enact legislation for ...(wait for it)...SAFER STOVES?
The government INSISTS that they are looking out for OUR "well-being" by making ALL these items (and much more) SAFER, but the REAL PROBLEM still never gets addressed...does it?
It's the damn PEOPLE that are to blame...every single time.
We make all the innocent (and obviously more intelligent) people suffer for the sheer stupidity of those with no desire to educate THEMSELVES as to HOW to read, to behave, to interact, and to properly use items the rest of us apply to our daily lives without a second thought, AND, in the manner to which all these devices and items were intended.
And we do this because of diversity...or equality...or tolerance...or whatever other lame-ass excuse someone can dream the hell up.
Sounds like some MISDIRECTION to me.
Making someone more "equal" can and must never be predicated upon debasing everyone else to level that field.
And attempting to educate those that have no desire TO be educated just wastes time AND money.
Yet NO ONE wants to "rehabilitate" these people (properly)...or even lock them away from the rest of us for OUR safety (the judicial system manages to snag some of them when they turn to crime, but that's another post for another day).
Instead, the government GIVES them the ability to get a cheap-ass house in a neighborhood near YOU, forcing YOU to move, due to flagging home values, then they get FREE money (actually, it's YOUR money, but you're not supposed to catch onto that), so they can get free food, all the while they manage to get some drugs to use, a gun (somewhere), ciggies (that they stole from a local store), a loud-ass sound system (for the house OR car...OR BOTH), and even some fireworks (that cost more than YOU, a working stiff can afford...that;'s why your family goes to watch the REAL DEAL at some park).
Somehow, I'm not feeling all that "equality"...are you?
It would appear the deck has been stacked AGAINST the good folks...for the bad ones.
THAT is considered EQUAL?
THAT is considered FAIR?
THAT...is (considered) BULLSHIT!
(imho)
I just want the government to leave ME the hell alone.
And so do YOU.
Let us pay the taxes we SHOULD, and not HAVE to pay for everyone else else too damn lazy to be productive.
Let us pursue happiness...and not wrest it from us.
Allow us the liberty our founding documents ascribe to us.
We don't ask for much. We only ask we not have to foot the bill for everyone else's mistakes.
Besides, we're often busy paying for our OWN mistakes, and we don't need the extra baggage.
Stop penalizing those with a clean slate and a good life, while rewarding those with neither.
Like I say...we're not asking for the moon....just our little slice of THIS world.
Stay safe out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
Ever hear something on the radio or TV, or read something, and it turns out to be EXACTLY what YOU have been thinking...word-for-word, with all the right inflections, and said with the same convictions?
It's more than a mere sense of Deja-Vu...
I heard such a statement yesterday while watching Glenn Beck's show (as if you didn't know I already watched it).
He stated something to the effect:
"Ever go to bed with a sense that this nation is doing well, and that tomorrow things will be normal, and it will be a better day, only to wake up and find that yet another type of insanity is taking over?"
I've said for YEARS (if not decades) that this is certainly NOT the world I remember as a child, a teen, and as a young adult.
SOMEWHERE along the way...somehow...things went horribly wrong, and are continuing to do so, at an accelerated pace.
Soldiers returning from 'Nam were treated with less respect than a homeless bum panhandling change off of you at a bus station.
Prices for damn near everything were doubling...tripling, while the companies that USED to make all those items vanished from the face of this nation...never to be seen here again.
It was like something came along and scooped them off the surface of the planet, whisking them away to...where?
I recall my Dad being asked if he wanted to RUN an entire printing plant in (of all places)...VENEZUELA, because the company was MOVING this particular operation down there (from Philly, where it was founded).
And Dad thought long and hard over it.

More money versus strange surroundings, a barely stable government (which turned out a lot worse than even Dad could imagine), and a lower cost of living...was it worth it?
Dad decided not to pursue it (thanks, Dad...I wouldn't have gotten along all that well with Chavez, anyway)
But that only one facet of this "changing" scenario called life.
Much of the manufacturing belt all along the East coast of America also disappeared.
Vast acreage of farm land also took flight across the Midwest.
And to this day, I don't know where all THAT went, either.
Yes...the world that I USED to know, and grew up in, is no longer around.
Wonder who stole it, and how much that ransom is?
I'd "bet the ranch" (if it were still around) that there are many out there that would damn near pay anything to get THAT world back.
It really makes me wonder, when the people of this nation find it more intriguing to watch the news regarding the death of Michael Jackson and what's going on with his WILL, than whether or not Americans will go broke paying for socialized medicine, Cap & Trade (more like CRAP & TRAITOR), fire-safe cigarettes (I call 'em "magic ciggies"...they go out if you're not constantly toking on 'em).
Screw Jackson's will...what happened to YOUR WILL, and I don't mean that piece of paper that divvies up your "stuff", but the will of the human spirit...as in FREE WILL?
You're giving it up...that's what's happening.
And it's all intentional.
Well, at least that's the way things work on THIS version of EARTH.
In less than two hundred years, we went from an agrarian society, to an industrialized society, to an information-gathering society, to an entitlement-laden society, replete with a shrinking middle-class to foot the bill for the rich AND the poor alike.
The best part is, the jobs the middle class once held just ain't around in the same numbers any longer, folks!
So, I wonder where all that money the rich and poor are expecting is going to be coming from anyway, hmm?
Yes sir..scary sh*t out there.
Not the world I remember one damn bit.
Taxes on almost everything you purchase...taxes on your paycheck (expect that to go up), and taxes on your SAVINGS (if you can still mange to save anything). It's all there for someone else's taking.
This is not being cynical...it's being REALISTIC.
You can't smoke, eat red meat, drive your car on gasoline, mine coal for utility plants making electricity, or have a dark-colored roof on your damn house.
You no longer are capable of knowing what is BEST for you...that's the government's job now.
Hmm...what about that "free will" thing?
Sorry...it's getting "recycled" (along with the bath water).
You might soon be "free" top do anything (the government allows, that is).
Didn't I read a book or three about such a "future" back in HIGH SCHOOL?
And weren't they all considered science FICTION?
Seems like were all "living the novel", as it were.
Funny, I would have chosen a different book, if it were up to me.
(Mary Shelleys' Frankenstein would be a step UP at this point)
If this IS all but some weird-ass dream, I can't WAIT until I wake the hell up.
That is going to be one helluva tale I'll be able to tell.
But...aren't all of YOU experiencing the exact SAME "dream"?
Now when, do you suppose we ALL fell down that same rabbit hole, anyway?
And why do we keep looking up and seeing the BOTTOM?
Move over SIX FLAGS - Welcome to BIZARRO WORLD...
(everyone remember where we parked, OK?)
As for the balance of the week, and the brand new month staring at us, it's all down hill from here (or uphill if you're into masochism) ?
And, as always,
Stay safe out there, America.

It's Never Quite Over, Folks...
Welcome to a little something I like to call "Car-Repair Tuesdays", which is NOT to be confused with "Computer-Repair Mondays".
(at least that's what's occurring around OUR little parcel of the 7th layer of Hades).
As you might know, we're operating on our #2 computer system, as our #1 system is busy with corrupted Win XP. Add to that the #2 monitor on/off switch took the big "dirt nap" as well, so I did what any good "tech" would do...I swapped the monitors. We once again have a viable desktop system, but we did purchase a new monitor for the #1 system, should we somehow manage to get it set to rights.
*** Enter the wonderful world of online I/M troubleshooting...
We contacted emachines (the new system is STILL under warranty) and the missus was busy with the online "tech" (actually some guy in India reading from a manual, most likely) trying to get the system to boot normally. I was riding shotgun on the new system, trying everything wifey was relating from "Faizel".
And, naturally, nothing worked.
So...what THEY are gonna do, is send along a "restore disk/ CD" to us (in about 7 business days), and that "should" solve the problem (seeing IS still believing to me).
In the meantime, we HOPE this will in fact solve the issue of bad software.
If not, we have to send the entire CPU back to emachines for a replacement.
In either case, we lose all data stored on the drive (like my damn DAZ3D...for the THIRD TIME...this is getting a little boring, don'cha think?) when it gets reformatted.
Lucky us.
But we still have our "notebook" computer...as a backup FOR the backup...just n case.
Anyway, today is the day we "help our economy" by taking the wife's car into the shop for some A/C system work.
And again, we HOPE it STAYS fixed, but the way things are managed TODAY, it's a real crap shoot. Now the wife is contemplating getting a "newer" car...like her parents' 2005 Impala, but it IS a FWD car, and that comes with a whole other set of "repair baggage", as opposed to a RWD vehicle.
In other words...it costs a LOT more to fix a FWD vehicle..'cause all the crap is UP FRONT, like the suspension, engine, transmission...yeah, those things.
Seems the "gods" of commerce and auto making have pre-determined that we ALL "need" FWD, because it's "better". And after all, THEY know what is best for US, due to the fact that we're all dumber than a bump on a damn log, right?
WRONG.
I know ALL of you readers here are about as far from DUMB as EAST if from WEST, otherwise you wouldn't be frequenting this blog...LOL!
We know what WE need more than anyone else, and we know US better than anyone else (and that's because WE spend the most time with US, right?), so I get perturbed when some jackhole comes along and TELLS me what I "need".
And so should YOU.
The ONLY thing I really NEED is to be left the hell alone BY these buttwpies, to make my OWN, informed decisions.
But, I digress...
My car also needs some A/C repair, and it hasn't worked in over 5 years, but it's not as high on the old priority list as the more immediate stuff. After all, I drove cars LONG before having air conditioning was "standard" equipment.
We "suffered" along with the windows down, the "vents" open (car makers did AWAY with those, mechanically-speaking), and the collar unbuttoned. THAT was A/C for the masses back in the day.
When you stop and think about what we DO have today, versus what we did NOT have about 40-50 years ago, we seem to be doing pretty damn well.
Or are we?
Have we sacrificed creature comforts and other "amenities" because we just can't be bothered with paying attention to what's going on on our streets, our schools, and our governments?
Has all this technological posturing become the mainstay in our lives, diverting out attention fro the REAL issues?
I think it has, but now we're beginning to see all those trees in the forest once again.
"ANY technological advancement is ONLY AS GOOD as the level of responsibility of the individual applying it."
(and yes, you may quote me on that)
Doesn't matter if it's a damn computer or an automobile...or anything ELSE in between.
We are consumers...we can't help that.
That's what drives capitalism.
But there is a downside to all of it.
And that occurs when planned obsolescence reaches new heights, and we can no longer "repair" things, but rather REPLACE THEM.
In my opinion, that DEVALUES whatever is being replaced, simply because no one wants to be bothered with repairing whatever it is that needs repair.
And if we can carry such an analogy over to something more important...like PEOPLE. we see that much of the "socialized medicine" does the EXACT SAME THING...with living beings.
Treatment is deferred, or even ignored, only we can't just "replace" those people dying off, can we, at least NOT with the same TYPE of person. We CAN treat them, and treat them WELL...in essence, "repair" them properly, so they don't become "obsolete" in the process.
Yes, this all borders on the philosophical, but anything that requires cogent thought will do that.
Still, we are far from finished when it comes to getting things fixed.
Some things NEED fixing...others NEED replacing, but let's never mix the two into some perverse homogeneous pablum that covers "all the bases" for God's sake.
Let's set about FIXING what needs fixing...replacing what needs replacing, and that applies to computers, cars, people, and YES...even our government.
WE still are the voice that needs to be heard, whether it's to a president, a congressperson, or even an auto mechanic.
It's OUR lives that are being affected
And it's OUR lives that we all have to spend some time working with.
So, before I go see what is going to crap out in our house next...
Watch both hands carefully when it comes to those "fixer-uppers", and as always...
Stay safe out there, America.

Monday Musings...
We're starting off another week sort of right where we left off the last week regarding celebrity deaths, and although we might not think of these three people as celebs, they were in their own right, and in their own time.
** Billy Mays, famed pitchman of (at least) the last decade passed away at his home in Florida yesterday at the age of 50.
Coroner results are pending as to the cause of death.
Here's the WIKI link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mays
He was a fellow Pennsylvanian (born In McKees Rocks, PA in 1958) and got his start hawking "as seen on TV" items on Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk (where I probably walked right past him in a time long ago).
Maybe getting that Oxi-Clean wouldn't have been such a bad idea, in retrospect.
I actually bought a few of the products he pitched over the years, and they weren't all that bad...they worked as advertised.
It would have been nice if he could have "pitched" a better solution to the economic crisis in America...seeing him in Congress, or even the Oval Office would have been worth the price of admission!
Now...he's "God's Pitchman".
That ought to be very interesting.
** Gale Storm, noted TV star of the 1950s passed away at the age of 87.
She starred in shows like My Little Margie, and The Gale Storm show.
And she wasn't bad on Dad's eyes...(or mine).
Not bad for a little girl from Texas, hmm?
Here's the WIKI link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gale_Storm
** Lastly, the father of screen and Broadway actor Tony Roberts, Ken Roberts has passed away at the age of 99.
If you're as old as I am, you probably heard him as the announcer on grandma's soap opera shows (when they used to air in fifteen-minute segments, instead of half hour shows).
And here's a link to the story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/27/AR2009062702344.html
Think of him like you would Gary Owens (Laugh-in), or a Don LaFontaine (did all those movie trailers and a Geico commercial).
** Now, with ALL this stuff out of the way, let's take a look in your GAS TANK, shall we?
(WTF did he just say?)
That's right...I said GAS TANK, as in the receptacle that holds the fuel for whatever you are driving these days.
(Source article):
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090628/BIZ/306289953
Betcha didn't know that whatever you are putting in there (as far as gasoline goes) is TEN PERCENT ETHANOL...didja?
The oil companies aren't stopping THERE, either. They PLAN to add another FIVE PERCENT, basically making what we call "gasoline" something more akin (read exactly) like the "E-85" pumps we're beginning to see. E-15 will be the new pump at the station.
Some states (other than Indiana) have a "custom-blend it yourself" mish-mosh of gas/ethanol...so you can "pick your poison", as it were.
Now before you go and start proclaiming to the world that you've been driving a "hybrid" vehicle (for years) and want a "rebate" from someone in Washington, D.C., put the car in PARK, catch your breath, and calm down.
Most NON-hybrid cars will "run" on "E-15"..but not as well as they were designed to run (oops, someone didn't tell us THAT, did they?) simply because the engine is set up (and computer-controlled) to run on GASOLINE.
And with a higher "E", the situation only gets worse.
Now that damn onboard computer will "try" to accommodate by attempting to run "normally" on E-15, and maybe you won't feel much of a difference...(now).
The problem will come when you turn the vehicle OFF...and it wants to KEEP RUNNING, shaking all over (like the song used to say). That's a little something we called PRE-IGNITION. It happens when the combustion chamber has a "hot spot", or a piece of carbon that re-ignites the fuel/air mixture even without a spark.
You car might also "knock" under acceleration, like someone is taking a piston and whacking it against the firewall.
You can thank ETHANOL for those issues, folks!
Ethanol burns HOTTER, ergo, it causes a whole new set of problems with COMPUTER-CONTROLLED vehicles. Now back in the OLD days, all YOU had to do was tinker with the carburetor by adjusting the fuel mixture, the air mixture, and the idle speeds, and you were pretty much good to go.
Henry Ford knew AS MUCH when he designed the old MODEL T.
That bugger would run on ANYTHING from kerosene to moonshine...AS WELL AS GASOLINE (when it was available due to the lack of pumps across the nation...and the lack of highways too).
But today, it's a lot different. And we're paying the price somewhere, trust me.
If you look at the ETHANOL usage versus production...BOTH have pretty much plateaued over the last few years, although overall U.S. production has increased. Some ethanol plants have even SHUT DOWN, because of market saturation (as I predicted they would).
Now this isn't to say that Ethanol will go away (unfortunately).
It won't, and that's too bad.
Ethanol just isn't AS efficient a fuel source as gasoline...sorry, folks.
Sure, it burns HOTTER, but it burns FASTER, too.
That means more fill ups at the pumps to get the same MPG you USED to get with plain old gasoline.
The overall efficiency rating of ethanol is about 75% of gasoline.
Now, hold on...we're not quite DONE yet, people.
Ethanol is ALSO a lot more CORROSIVE to certain items under the hood of your vehicle...like all those RUBBER COMPOUND "thingys" such as FUEL LINES. Ethanol is also corrosive to certain metals, plastics and nylon compounds. Alcohol and these things don't get along all that well, it seems.
Now, I don't know about YOU, but "greening up the old planet" by turning MY vehicle into some sort of (potential) poster child for Fire Prevention Week by dumping some E-15 in my tank, isn't MY idea of saving the Earth, right?
In other words..."Fuel leaks under the hood....are BAD, M'kay?"
I "suppose" retro kits can be made available for older vehicles, but that STILL doesn't address the problem of inefficiency with ethanol consumption (except to make a few folks running the show VERY wealthy).
Weird thing about ALL of this, is that the DOE (Dept. of Energy), the car makers AND the EPA haven't REALLY tested the problems I mentioned in any depth yet (but they're rolling out ethanol hand-over-fist).
They're pretty much "winging it" and crying "Havoc", while letting slip the "dogs of war", as it were.
I guess "they" want to see "if" WE buy into this BS, turning our older cars and trucks into rolling tiki torches...OR whether we'll speak the hell up and demand some real ACTION regarding all this crap.
Ethanol is another band-aid on a much more severe broken leg, and we'd best start paying attention to ALL that's being said about it, good AND bad. Ethanol might be all well and good in some INDY cars racing at 220+ MPH around a track, getting about TWO MPG along the way, but that sure as hell isn't helping the soccer moms and other regular citizens who DEPEND on their vehicles to get them from *A* to *B* one damn bit.
Time to speak up and have these companies and the politicians supporting them, to give us THE FACTS...ALL of them.
Your vehicle is going to be your SECOND-LARGEST investment (unlike you're like the wife and I who have moved our COMPUTERS to that coveted # 2 spot with all the glitches we encounter on a regular basis...but that's another post for another day) after your house, and it's up to every one of you to make your voices heard.
All we, the people, are asking for is the TRUTH.
Don't lie to us.
Don't assume we're ALL dumber than a bag of rocks.
Don't think YOU know what's best for every one of us.
Don't insult our intelligence.
After all, THEY (companies and politicians) answer to US...and not the other way around.
So, wherever you drive, and whatever station you fill up at...
Stay safe out there, America.

Weekend Roundup...
It ALWAYS seems to happen in THREES, doesn't it?
My parents often said that "Bad things come in THREES".
And that is just as true these days in the celebrity world, as it was around our home.
When ever one celebrity of not passes away, they are usually followed by TWO more.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the “Big Bopper" all died together in a plane crash in 1959.
Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendirx and Jim Morrison all died in close succession in late-1970, early-1971. In 2003, Johnny Cash, John Ritter, and Warron Zevon all died within the same week. In 2005, King Fahd, Peter Jennings, and Robin Cook died within a week of each other.
The following year brought the closely timed deaths of Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, and Dennis Weaver. Heath Ledger, Suzanne Pleshette, and Brad Renfro all died within a week of each other in January, 2008.
I've seen this time and again, and yesterday was certainly no exception to the rule.
As everyone knows by now, Michael Jackson died from cardiac arrest yesterday afternoon, right on the heels of Farrah Fawcett's passing earlier yesterday morning.
Add those to Ed McMahon's passing just 2 days earlier, and there you go...another threesome.
Tell you one thing, my wife sure didn't expect THAT kind of birthday, that's for sure.
(and neither did I)
Now, as you recall, Farrah started out on commercials before landing the role of "Jill" on Charlie's Angels.
And what self-respecting young male did NOT have one of her posters (in that red swimsuit) in HIS room, hmm?
(yeah, I did...right alongside my SERPICO poster)
And you can say what you want about Michael Jackson, but he DID do it "his way" as far as life goes.
I will go on record as being a fan of his earlier work, such as THRILLER and MOONWALKER.
But, like many creative geniuses, as he got older, he got more eccentric, just like Howard Hughes.
With all the constant media attention, who could blame him?
As to his involvement with children, I personally believe it was nothing more than trumped up charges by some money-seeking gold-digger, nothing more.
And yes, as with any eccentric person, his personal life was a train wreck. He definitely suffered from a BAD case of "Peter-Pan Syndrome".
Those personal demons just never seem to go away, and you don't have to be an American icon with millions of fans and a multi-millionaire to realize that. We ALL have some...somewhere...lurking about.
Now we say goodbye to Ed...and Farrah...and Michael, but let's NOT remember their last days, dwelling on the manner in which they met their maker. Rather, let us recall their achievements, their victories, and their successes in life, taking time to reflect on the impact they've all had on OUR lives. Let history act as it should.
The icons we see leaving us ARE unique, and displayed that uniqueness in their careers. Like many that have passed before, they are special in the craft they chose to pursue, and we shall never, I repeat, NEVER see their likes again.
Given the current crop of "talent" these days, I doubt if people will be able to say or feel likewise. The people passing away these days have broken new ground. They have conquered the mountain, and have made an indelible mark on our society, if not the world by being WHO THEY WERE. And they affected our lives on many levels.
Sounds a bit like a cherished member of our OWN family, doesn't it?
I will say that one of the worst things about growing older, is seeing many of the special people in your life take their leave of you way too soon. There is never enough time to say ALL that you wanted to say.
And the grief one can feel at such losses can be overwhelming, causing some people to simply "shut down", or even refuse to acknowledge it. I know...Ive been down that street too many times for my own good.
I've lost too many loved ones over the years. Doesn't matter whether they were dear friends, parents, relatives, co-workers, acquaintances, or even beloved pets. It all becomes similar after a time.
Every loss will diminish us...that's a certainty, but we decide to deal with that "can" make us stronger.
We can never have them back, but we CAN remember them as long as WE are alive, and make our lives something they could admire and be proud of. We can be a testament to THEIR life, as we knew it.
I'd like to think that THIS life is but a "proving ground" for eternity, and although that sounds a bit on the sappy side, it works for me. Everyone has to find their particular manner in working through such times of grief, and that's just another way of showing how UNIQUE each of us is.
So, we turn another page in our life, and bid farewell to some fellow sojourners, as they close the book on their lives here.
Like I said...sounds sappy, but each of us needs an anchor to root us to the here and now.
It will be interesting to see who will be the NEXT three celebs to move on.
One thing's for sure...the missus will not soon forget THIS birthday!
To all of you out there in "blogosphereland"...Have a good weekend.
And, as always...
Stay safe out here, America.

Whatever Happened To...?
I left out the object of that query with good reason.
I want to toss out there certain "things" that I've noticed have been MIA of late.
Used to be a time when we had a better undertsanding of one another.
And we also had a better respect of same.
Today...not so much.
Now, I've never been one of those people who raises their little finger when sipping a cup of tea, nor am I the one that sits at dinner tables replete with more hardware than the 3rd Infantry Division.
I'm just your average guy with honest concerns about the path much of society seems to be travelling on these days.
We, as a society seem to be missing something, and you can look no farther than to the next generation to understand this.
We seem to be lacking MANNERS, or, perhaps to put it more succinctly, "Etiquette".
I was talking with the missus the other day about proper MOVIE PROTOCOL...
You know...when you go to a real THEATER, and you take OFF your hat, so the person behind you can see the screen (Afro hairstyles of the 70s played HELL with that, believe me).
And you didn't really take the infant to a movie that had a sound system that could make one's ears bleed, because that infant "might" want to cry throughout the WHOLE picture, right?
Nor did people have the "need" to describe the whole movie to the person sitting next to them, like they were incapable of reasoning the plotline and character involvement. Those that did such things were asked to LEAVE the theater, or just didn't bother to come, which made watching a movie in a real MOVIE HOUSE a treat for everyone.
Can't say that today, can we?
And there used to be a certain "etiquette" on the highways.
You didn't SHOOT PEOPLE because they cut you off. That was on THEM, and all you did was blow it off, hoping their stupidity and haste would somehow find them married to a tree further down the road, or pulled over by the State Police (as was more often the case...score one for OUR side).
You respected your PARENTS, your RELATIVES, and basically anyone OLDER than you. You respected your TEACHERS, the crossing guard, store owners, and the POLICE.
You even respected other people who wanted to just be LEFT THE HELL ALONE. And you respected their property, so no tossing that football through Mrs. Smith's window or bouncing it off her car, right?
Yeah, there USED to be a time when that was pretty much SOP.
I can still recall a time when you would go over to someone else's house, and you walked your ass up TO THE DOOR...and KNOCKED (or rang the bell) to see if they were home and/or coming outside, instead of sitting at the curb, and blowing your damn car horn, disturbing the rest of the block in the process.
And there WAS a time when you needed to contact someone, you went to their house, wrote them a letter (we still do that, right?), or CALL THEM on the phone (the one on the wall...with a cord). And for some strange reason, back then, we didn't feel all this "immediacy" bullsh*t when to came to talking to people. If it was THAT important...it would wait a few minutes. At least, that's what my folks used to say.
Today, it's a whole other ballgame.
We simply NEED to use that cellphone to let others know that: "I'm callin' you from the deep end of the pool at the Hyatt, dude"!
Now...is it just ME, or do most of us appear to be overly distracted by all this hyped technology these days?
And if we ARE distracted (which seems to be the case), WHAT (exactly) are we being distracted FROM?
Now, I'm no real conspiracy theorist, but there DOES seem to be something (or someone) at work here, keeping our "eyes from the prize", as it were. Our attention is constantly being "diverted" with some new item, technology, or media story we just HAVE to watch.
And, in many ways, we're being diverted on too consistant a basis.
So WTH is going on while we're all busy with forcing ourselves into the next level of ADHD, anyway?
Well, all one has to do is pick up a paper or turn on the TV news to find out.
Oops...welcome to REALITY.
Guess we didn't "see" that coming, did we?
Must have been to busy with too many other trivial things.
That mindset has become our new "etiquette".
Our LACK of etiquette and manners has become our "new" eitquette and manners.
Helluva trade-off, isn't it?
I'm thinking we, as a nation, have to back off the throttle on this one, lest we succumb TO all this technology.
Sure, it's nice to have, but when dependency on all this crap becomes our new "savior", we are all made lesser, as human beings, because of it. Not that pretty a picture, is it?
Technology is good, but the irresponsible USE and application of it IS NOT.
We just need to all get back to basics here, and start practicing some manners, etiquette and restraint where all this is concerned.
Put DOWN the iPod, turn OFF the Blackberry, STOP tweeting for a few minutes, and look long and hard at yourself, and then think about how your parents made out without all this tripe, and how much better they "behaved" themselves in the process. They had better manners.
There IS a time and place for all this technology...we just have to RE-LEARN when that time IS...and when it IS NOT. Simple, huh?
Manners, etiquette, protocol..call it what you will.
We have it within ourselves to practice it, as our forefathers did...as our parents and grandparents did.
Just use a bit more COMMON SENSE instead of the cell phone.
You just might sneak a peek at the world as it's going by (and actually like and appreciate it)...AND become a bit more mannerly along the way. Please and thank you still go a long way for such short words. Consideration for others is pretty decent too.
Overall, not such a bad thing, is it?
(Had a feeling you'd say that...lol)
And to my loving wife...Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
(Even Fido has his party hat on)
You ain't getting older...you're getting BETTER!
(and time for cake...mmmmm)
Everyone else have a great day, and...
Stay safe out there, America.
(woof)