One Final Greeting......

No ranting and raving from me tonight. Christmas 2010 is almost over and I just wanted to say I hope everyone had a great day with friends and family and are now putting the youngsters to bed so they can dream of all the great gifts they received.

I saw a lot of friendly and caring people in the weeks approaching Christmas and good deeds and cheer throughout this land. Here's an idea..... why not continue that kindness and love throughout the entire upcoming year? No, it won't happen but take a minute and just imagine what the world would be like if it did.....

Happiness to you all.

How Do You Spell Relief?

Remember that advertising slogan from years ago? The TV ads from the 1970's always had a person asking, "How do you spell relief?" and the answer was: "R-O-L-A-I-D-S". Right up front I'll tell you that this has nothing to do with the title of this blog. It is just something that has been bothering me all year. 

On January 15, 2010 in consultation with the FDA. Rolaids initiated a recall following an investigation of consumer reports of an unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like odor that, in a small number of cases, was associated with temporary and non-serious gastrointestinal events. These events included nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. Hey! That's the reason I took Rolaids in the first place!

I have been using Rolaids for as long as I can remember. Of course you don't usually need that relief when you are in your teens or early 20's. Only when you age enough to realize that life is not as easy as it was when you were in school and playing with your toy trucks. Once you start living on your own and paying the bills then you may need their help. 

So, one day earlier in the year I went to the store to get another bottle of their tablets and noticed that the labeled shelves where they were always stocked were empty. No Rolaids. I thought that was odd that they sold out and didn't restock but I left and thought no more about it. When I went to a different store that day they also had empty shelves where the Rolaids were normally stocked. Now I was starting to get puzzled. Two different drug stores sold completely out of Rolaids? Odd. So I went to the catch-all store, Walmart. One look at their shelves and I noticed they were also void of the product. And I need to point out that every store that I went to searching for Rolaids had plenty of Tums. But there in lies the problem. I hate Tums. Always have, always will. They don't even come close to providing the relief I get from using Rolaids. Almost instant relief with Rolaids and it takes longer with Tums and I usually have to take two Tums to get the same relief from just one Rolaid tablet. Oh, and Tums tastes like crap. 

So at that point I went home, jumped on the computer and searched for Rolaids. That's when I found out about the recall. Not from the newspapers or magazines or television. No wonder they'll be gone soon. But that's another story, I digress. Back to my tale.

There was no mention about how long the product would be off the shelves from Rolaids' website. And believe me, I search for them every time I am at any store that might sell them. So after almost one year I finally called their offices today and asked when or if they would be back in production. 

The kind lady explained that she did not know when they would resume production but it was expected to be sometime in early 2011. Fine with me. At least they were going to start making them again. And the fact that they were recalled doesn't bother me one bit. Look at the tons of products that are recalled every day. Some because of a problem with manufacturing and some because they are simply being cautious after someone complained. I can be patient. I will try to make it as best I can without the help of those tasty tablets. I may be forced to use a couple of Tums once in a while but I won't like it. And the minute Rolaids are back in stores I will make sure I stock pile a few cases. And I won't have to waste my time searching stores because I am now on the company's notification list and will be instantly emailed once they are up and running! What a relief that will be........

Where Are All The Cars Being Made?

Don't let all the numbers and figures below get you confused. This is a list of the auto manufacturers and it shows each model they make and where it is produced. Although there are certain models that are being produced in U.S. cities you can see that every manufacturer produces a few models in other countries. And, I must point out, even if the auto is produced in a U.S. city, a lot of the parts used on that automobile were made in another country. 

You can quickly scan the list and see which cars are being made in another country. So I guess it is true....there isn't a single automobile owned by an American company that is produced in this country from all American made parts. More losing of America.... 

North America light vehicle production by assembly plant

BMW
X3 (T) 4,081 0 – 10,768 0 –
X5 (T) 8,082 7,842 3 89,613 70,998 26
X6 (T) 3,363 3,721 –10 40,602 39,103 4
Total Spartanburg, SC 15,526 11,563 34 140,983 110,101 28
BMW MFG. CORP. 15,526 11,563 34 140,983 110,101 28
CAMI
Chevrolet Equinox 16,655 12,627 32 154,714 66,408 133
Pontiac Torrent 0 0 – 0 5,289 –
GMC Terrain 10,008 5,766 74 70,249 16,700 321
Suzuki XL-7 0 0 – 0 5 –
Ingersol, Ontario, Canada (T) 26,663 18,393 45 224,963 88,402 155
CAMI (T) 26,663 18,393 45 224,963 88,402 155
CHRYSLER
Dodge Caliper 6,888 21 32700 65,754 18,819 249
Belvidere, Ill. (C) 6,888 21 32700 65,754 18,819 249
Jeep Compass 0 3,806 – 31,914 18,484 73
Jeep Patriot 7,042 7,325 –4 58,900 35,241 67
Belvidere, Ill. (T) 7,042 11,131 –37 90,814 53,725 69
Total Belvidere, Ill. 13,930 11,152 25 156,568 72,544 116
Chrysler 300/300C 0 2,886 – 39,509 31,370 26
Dodge Challenger 0 2,548 – 38,350 27,969 37
Dodge Charger 0 3,761 – 82,445 46,012 79
Brampton, Ontario, Canada (C) 0 9,195 – 160,304 105,351 52
Dodge Viper 0 0 – 459 338 36
Conner Avenue (Detroit) (C) 0 0 – 459 338 36
Jeep Commander 0 2,266 – 5,582 8,589 –35
Jeep Grand Cherokee 16,110 7,155 125 113,489 42,061 170
Jefferson North (Detroit) (T) 16,110 9,421 71 119,071 50,650 135
Ram Sprinter 0 340 – 0 1,405 –
Ladson, S.C. (T) 0 340 – 0 1,405 –
Ram Hvy-Duty 9,915 12,943 –23 98,563 52,847 87
Ram Lt-Duty 1,318 1,122 18 9,547 7,104 34
Saltillo, Mexico (T) 11,233 14,065 –20 108,110 59,951 80
Ram pickup 0 0 – 0 17,422 –
St. Louis (North) (T) 0 0 – 0 17,422 –
Chrysler Sebring 787 3,251 –76 32,944 15,467 113
Chrysler Sebring convertible 0 583 – 7,771 3,547 119
Dodge Avenger 4,840 4,883 –1 55,354 31,405 76
Sterling Heights, Mich. (C) 5,627 8,717 –35 96,069 50,419 91
Dodge Nitro 2,349 2,275 3 25,030 14,888 68
Jeep Liberty 5,062 4,928 3 59,927 38,765 55
Toledo (Ohio) North (T) 7,411 7,203 3 84,957 53,653 58
Jeep Wrangler 5,314 4,067 31 54,772 32,231 70
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4-door 7,110 5,550 28 79,124 45,609 74
Toledo (Ohio) Supplier Park (T) 12,424 9,617 29 133,896 77,840 72
Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible 0 1,895 – 11,083 12,490 –11
Toluca, Mexico (C) 0 1,895 – 11,083 12,490 –11
Dodge Journey 8,311 9,640 –14 120,455 65,161 85
Toluca, Mexico (T) 8,311 9,640 –14 120,455 65,161 85
Total Toluca, Mexico 8,311 11,535 –28 131,538 77,651 69
Ram Dakota 1,611 1,826 –12 17,144 14,416 19
Ram pickup 12,432 13,069 –5 166,558 95,854 74
Mitsubishi Raider 0 0 – 0 1 –
Warren (Mich.) Truck (T) 14,043 14,895 –6 183,702 110,271 67
Chrysler Town & Country 6,216 10,339 –40% 121,055 70,719 71%
Dodge Caravan 12,022 13,501 –11 155,484 101,238 54
Volkswagen Routan 0 1,250 – 14,168 2,451 478
Windsor, Ontario, Canada (T) 18,238 25,090 –27 290,707 174,408 67

FORD
Blue Diamond (Escobedo, Mexico) 533 483 10 3,538 3,199 11
Ford Taurus 3,785 4,368 –13 80,093 43,516 84
Lincoln MKS 609 1,131 –46 15,165 13,927 9
Mercury Sable 0 0 – 0 3,799 –
Chicago, Ill. (C) 4,394 5,499 –20 95,258 61,242 56
Ford Taurus X 0 0 – 0 1,649 –
Ford Explorer (new) 6,138 0 – 6,138 0 –
Chicago, Ill. (T) 6,138 0 – 6,138 1,649 272
Total Chicago, Ill. 10,532 5,499 92 101,396 62,891 61
Ford Fiesta 11,294 0 – 68,536 0 –
Total Cuautitlan, Mexico (T) 11,294 0 – 68,536 0 –
Ford F series 23,469 24,744 –5 290,321 215,015 35
Lincoln Mark LT 0 178 – 847 608 39
Dearborn
Ford F-series chassis 589 517 14 6,550 1,410 365
Detroit, Mich. (T) 589 517 14 6,550 1,410 365
Ford Fusion 25,475 20,059 27 251,007 169,910 48
Lincoln MKZ 881 2,405 –63 20,839 16,977 23
Mercury Milan 1,947 3,752 –48 22,753 21,518 6
Hermosillo, Mexico (C) 28,303 26,216 8 294,599 208,405 41
Ford Escape 22,301 18,396 21 258,299 189,128 37
Mazda Tribute 563 761 –26 8,170 6,388 28
Mercury Mariner 477 3,532 –87 24,476 25,350 –3
Kansas City (Mo.) SUV (T) 23,341 22,689 3 290,945 220,866 32
Ford F series 8,972 10,207 –12 118,434 131,282 –10
Kansas City (Mo.) Truck (T) 8,972 10,207 –12 118,434 131,282 –10
Total Kansas City, Mo. 32,313 32,896 –2 409,379 352,148 16
Ford F-series Super Duty 17,013 16,645 2 183,265 162,487 13
Ford Expedition 5,094 4,393 16 47,036 30,319 55
Lincoln Navigator 489 750 –35 9,202 6,780 36
Kentucky Truck (Louisville) (T) 22,596 21,788 4 239,503 199,586 20
Ford Explorer/Sport Trac 7,895 6,918 14 80,136 60,140 33
Mercury Mountaineer 0 587 – 4,564 4,538 1
Louisville (T) 7,895 7,505 5 84,700 64,678 31
Ford Edge 12,864 11,081 16 139,638 84,865 65
Ford Flex 3,157 4,497 –30 39,438 29,406 34
Lincoln MKT 495 1,311 –62 5,698 5,988 –5
Lincoln MKX 2,812 2,057 37 24,700 19,459 27
Oakville, Ontario, Canada (T) 19,328 18,946 2 209,474 139,718 50
Ford E series, Econoline 8,723 6,993 25 113,627 78,077 46
Ohio Assembly (Avon Lake, Ohio) (T) 8,723 6,993 25 113,627 78,077 46
Ford Crown Victoria 5,575 4,280 30 48,250 39,944 21
Lincoln Town Car 611 581 2 11,528 8,647 61
Mercury Grand Marquis 1,294 2,268 –43 29,296 24,246 21
St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada (C) 7,480 7,129 5 89,074 72,837 22
Ford Ranger 5,281 8,404 –37 67,896 65,108 4
Mazda B series 0 224 – 2,395 1,602 50
Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Minn.) (T) 5,281 8,628 –39 70,291 66,710 5
Ford Focus 19,013 17,407 9 196,693 153,664 28
Wayne, Mich. (C) 19,013 17,407 9 196,693 153,664 28

GENERAL MOTORS
Cadillac Escalade 1,242 1,147 8 21,828 11,379 92
Cadillac Escalade ESV 1,033 583 77 12,062 4,863 148
Chevrolet Suburban 5,716 4,085 40 54,812 36,905 49
Chevrolet Tahoe 6,714 6,584 2% 95,033 59,155 61%
GMC Yukon 4,381 3,582 22 46,597 27,604 69
GMC Yukon XL 3,335 2,424 38 32,779 15,948 106
Arlington, Texas (T) 22,421 18,405 22 263,111 155,854 69
Cadillac XLR 0 0 – 0 234 –
Chevrolet Corvette 995 5 – 14,939 6,785 120
Bowling Green, Ky. (C) 995 5 19800 14,939 7,019 113
Buick LaCrosse 5,205 5,555 –6 68,794 20,281 239
Chevrolet Malibu 17,514 11,502 52 219,476 93,700 134
Saturn Aura 0 0 – 0 3,727 –
Fairfax Assembly (Kansas City, Kan.) (C) 22,719 17,057 33 288,270 117,708 145
Chevrolet Silverado 7,223 5,327 36 73,181 54,482 34
GMC Sierra 3,125 3,270 –4 32,178 24,380 32
Flint (Mich.) 1 (T) 10,348 8,597 20 105,359 78,862 34
Chevrolet Kodiak (medium) 0 0 – 0 1,485 –
GMC Topkick (medium) 0 0 – 0 2,730 –
Isuzu T series (medium) 0 0 – 0 58 –
Flint (Mich.) 3 (T) 0 0 – 0 4,273 –
Total Flint, Mich. 10,348 8,597 20 105,359 83,135 27
Chevrolet Silverado 12,968 17,444 –26 197,276 114,783 72
GMC Sierra 4,867 6,257 –22 83,235 41,988 98
Fort Wayne, Ind. (T) 17,835 23,701 –25 280,511 156,771 79
Buick Lucerne 1,718 1,551 11 27,397 21,021 30
Cadillac DTS 1,354 1,100 23 19,502 11,612 68
Chevrolet Volt 110 0 – 110 0 –
Hamtramck, Mich. (C) 3,182 2,651 20 47,009 32,633 44
GMC W4/W5 0 0 – 0 1,419 –
Janesville (Wis.) 3 (T) 0 0 – 0 1,419 –
Buick Enclave 5,465 3,337 64 69,133 41,008 69
Chevrolet Traverse 7,202 0 – 111,294 0 –
GMC Acadia 7,370 4,493 64 75,427 41,655 81
Saturn Outlook 0 0 – 2,507 4,983 –50
Lansing (Mich.) Delta (T) 20,037 7,830 156 258,361 87,646 195
Cadillac CTS sedan 4,964 4,257 17 53,919 30,709 76
Cadillac CTS wagon 0 600 – 1,434 2,337 –39
Cadillac CTS coupe 0 0 – 1,035 0 –
Cadillac STS 332 201 65 4,475 2,805 60
Lansing (Mich.) Grand River (C) 5,296 5,058 5 60,863 35,851 70
Cadillac SRX 0 0 – 0 5 –
Lansing (Mich.) Grand River (T) 0 0 – 0 5 –
Total Lansing (Mich.) Grand River 5,296 5,058 5 60,863 35,856 70
Chevrolet Cobalt 0 10,873 – 91,796 65,579 40
Chevrolet Cruze 19,737 0 – 47,207 0 –
Pontiac G5 0 0 – 0 8,603 –
Lordstown, Ohio (C) 19,737 10,873 82 139,003 74,182 87
Chevrolet TrailBlazer 0 0 – 0 5 –
GMC Envoy 0 0 – 0 3 –
Isuzu Ascender 0 0 – 0 0 –
Saab 9-7X 0 0 – 0 2 –
Moraine, Ohio (T) 0 0 – 0 10 –
Chevrolet Malibu 0 2,505 – 0 56,388 –
Chevrolet Aveo 0 0 – 0 0 –
Pontiac G6 0 5,018 – 0 50,758 –
Orion Twp., Mich. (C) 0 7,523 – 0 107,146 –
Buick LaCrosse/Allure (C) 0 0 – 0 11 –
Chevrolet Equinox (T) 5,679 0 – 10,058 0 –
Chevrolet Impala (C) 17,021 10,630 60 164,823 121,046 36
Oshawa Consolidated (Ontario, Canada) 22,700 10,630 114 174,881 121,057 45
Chevrolet Camaro 5,478 11,569 –53 87,296 74,759 17
Oshawa Flex (Ontario, Canada) (C) 5,478 11,569 –53 87,296 74,759 17
Total Oshawa (Ontario, Canada) 28,178 22,199 27 262,177 195,816 34
Chevrolet Silverado 0 0 – 0 18,546 –
GMC Sierra 0 0 – 0 8,555 –
Oshawa (Ontario, Canada) Truck (T) 0 0 – 0 27,101 –
Chevrolet Silverado 0 0 – 0 24,077 –
GMC Sierra 0 0 – 0 8,553 –
Pontiac, Mich. (T) 0 0 – 0 32,630 –
Chevrolet Chevy C2† 2,063 4,653 –56 46,797 27,170 72
Ramos Arizpe (Mexico) 1 (C) 2,063 4,653 –56 46,797 27,170 72
Cadillac SRX (T) 6,351 5,441 17% 70,504 18,137 289%
Chevrolet Captiva Sport (T) 2,756 2,273 21 30,973 18,689 66
Chevrolet HHR (C) 5,553 6,378 –13 67,830 47,514 43
Saturn Vue (T) 0 0 – 0 5,579 –
Ramos Arizpe (Mexico) 2 14,660 14,092 4 169,307 89,919 88
Total Ramos Arizpe, Mexico 16,723 18,745 –11 216,104 117,089 85
Chevrolet Aveo 4,710 4,552 4 51,512 28,888 78
Pontiac G3/Wave 0 514 – 0 2,884 –
San Luis Potisi, Mexico 4,710 5,066 –7 51,512 31,772 62
Chevrolet Colorado 2,811 1,948 44 31,996 23,587 36
GMC Canyon 938 690 36 11,624 7,597 53
Hummer H3 0 578 – 1,183 2,483 –52
Hummer H3 SUT 0 202 – 321 1,436 –78
Shreveport, La. (T) 3,749 3,418 10 45,124 35,103 29
Cadillac Escalade EXT 117 123 –5 2,481 1,539 61
Chevrolet Avalanche 1,357 2,046 –34 25,420 17,104 49
Chevrolet Silverado/Cheyenne 15,072 14,089 7 150,096 95,810 57
GMC Sierra 7,517 5,108 47 74,576 45,652 63
Silao, Mexico (T) 24,063 21,366 13 252,573 160,105 58
Chevrolet Traverse 0 11,519 – 0 95,450 –
Spring Hill, Tenn. (T) 0 11,519 – 0 95,450 –
Chevrolet Express 6,261 4,242 48 64,409 46,573 38
GMC Savana 1,009 1,226 –18 20,121 12,716 58
Wentzville, Mo. (T) 7,270 5,468 33 84,530 59,289 43
Opel Roadster† 0 0 – 0 21 –
Pontiac Solstice 0 0 – 0 1,771 –
Saturn Sky 0 0 – 0 275 –
Wilmington, Del. (C) 0 0 – 0 2,067 –

HONDA
Acura CSX 119 240 –50 1,859 1,620 15
Honda Civic 16,904 16,870 0 175,980 155,066 14
Alliston, Ontario, Canada (C) 17,023 17,110 –1 177,839 156,686 14
Acura MDX 5,108 2,009 154 60,609 28,563 112
Honda Civic 1,095 6,175 –82 20,158 53,427 –62
Acura ZDX 119 210 –43 4,709 295 1496
Alliston, Ontario, Canada (T) 6,322 8,394 –25 85,476 82,285 4
Total Alliston, Ontario, Canada 23,345 25,504 –9 263,315 238,971 10
Honda Civic 0 0 – 0 5,162 –
Honda Accord Crosstour 1,980 3,861 –49 32,418 4,728 586
East Liberty, Ohio (C) 1,980 3,861 –49 32,418 9,890 228
Honda Element 1,100 1,323 –17 14,837 12,840 16
Honda CR-V 17,620 9,408 87 181,655 123,617 47
East Liberty, Ohio (T) 18,720 10,731 74 196,492 136,457 44
Total East Liberty, Ohio 20,700 14,592 42 228,910 146,347 56
Honda CR-V 4,809 4,447 8 51,134 43,942 16
El Salto Jalisco, Mexico 4,809 4,447 8 51,134 43,942 16
Honda Civic 7,880 8,361 –6 88,753 70,557 26
Greensburg, Ind. (C) 7,880 8,361 –6 88,753 70,557 26
Honda Accord 720 1,839 –61 9,972 15,072 –34
Lincoln, Ala. (C) 720 1,839 –61 9,972 15,072 –34
Honda Odyssey 10,868 9,065 20 109,630 75,825 45
Honda Pilot 10,751 8,233 31 111,574 57,433 94
Honda Ridgeline 991 1,021 –3 19,010 14,730 29
Lincoln, Ala. (T) 22,610 18,319 23 240,214 147,988 62
Total Lincoln, Ala. 23,330 20,158 16 250,186 163,060 53
Acura TL 2,523 4,351 –42 33,415 24,905 34
Honda Accord 23,903 21,545 11 264,916 244,471 8
Marysville, Ohio (C) 26,426 25,896 2 298,331 269,376 11
Acrua RDX 2,087 1,246 68 18,933 8,430 125
Marysville, Ohio (T) 2,087 1,246 68 18,933 8,430 125
Total Marysville, Ohio 28,513 27,142 5 317,264 277,806 14
Total Car 55,124 63,242 –13 627,471 575,008 9
Total Truck 53,453 36,962 45 572,091 365,675 56
HONDA 108,577 100,204 8 1,199,562 940,683 28

HYUNDAI-KIA
Hyundai Elantra (C) 8,270 0 – 8,451 0 –
Hyundai Sonota (C) 17,829 10,435 71% 211,222 103,492 104%
Hyundai Santa Fe (T) 0 9,253 – 62,113 82,319 –25
Montgomery, Ala. 26,099 19,688 33 281,786 185,811 52
Hyundai Santa Fe 8,208 0 – 10,383 0 –
Kia Sorento 9,777 6,703 46 108,087 6,703 1513
West Point, Ga. (T) 17,985 6,703 168 118,470 6,703 1667
Total Car 26,099 10,435 150 219,673 103,492 112
Total Truck 17,985 15,956 13 180,583 89,022 103
HYUNDAI-KIA 44,084 26,391 67 400,256 192,514 108

MERCEDES-BENZ
Sprinter 705 0 – 6,104 0 –
Ladson, S.C. (T) 705 0 – 6,104 0 –
GL class 2,531 2,177 16 46,354 19,911 133
M class 6,544 6,021 9 76,702 55,041 39
R class 422 830 –49 7,078 7,585 –7
Vance, Ala. (T) 9,497 9,028 5 130,134 82,537 58
MERCEDES-BENZ 10,202 9,028 13 136,238 82,537 65

MITSUBISHI
Eclipse 259 31 736 4,245 1,429 197
Eclipse convertible 73 14 421 1,880 1,213 55
Galant 1,504 1,855 –19 15,492 10,534 47
Normal, Ill. (C) 1,836 1,900 –3 21,617 13,176 64
Endeavor 645 445 45 6,045 3,180 90
Normal, Ill. (T) 645 445 45 6,045 3,180 90
MITSUBISHI 2,481 2,345 6 27,662 16,356 69
NISSAN
Platina† 0 0 – 0 1,996 –
March 30 0 – 110 0 –
Sentra 15,928 10,748 48 134,336 111,317 21
Tiida† 996 2,722 –63 26,510 13,054 103
Versa 1,522 11,873 –87 148,049 97,388 52
Renault Clio† 0 0 – 0 2,396 –
Aguascalientes, Mexico (C) 18,476 25,343 –27 309,005 226,151 37
Altima 11,602 13,790 –16 158,737 126,531 26
Canton, Miss. (C) 11,602 13,790 –16 158,737 126,531 26
Infiniti QX56 0 878 – 3,466 6,523 –47
Armada 2,544 1,642 55 23,837 10,038 138
Quest 0 0 – 0 5,490 –
Titan 1,546 2,082 –26 26,470 14,398 84
Canton, Miss. (T) 4,090 4,602 –11 53,773 36,449 48
Total Canton, Miss. 15,692 18,392 –15 212,510 162,980 30
Tiida† 3,569 612 483 10,901 5,207 109
Tsuru† 7,352 5,451 35 69,333 61,455 13
Versa 421 253 66 17,869 1,794 896
Cuernavaca, Mexico (C) 11,342 6,316 80 98,103 68,456 43
Pickup/chassis (trk.) 5,147 3,384 52 46,930 29,103 61
Cuernavaca, Mexico (T) 5,147 3,384 52 46,930 29,103 61
Total Cuernavaca, Mexico 16,489 9,700 70 145,033 97,559 49
Altima coupe 1,614 5,309 –70 23,025 41,943 –45
Altima sedan 6,729 2,453 174 72,432 15,486 368
Maxima 4,928 6,727 –27 66,465 48,166 38
Smyrna, Tenn. (C) 13,271 14,489 –8 161,922 105,595 53
Frontier 3,230 3,461 –7 45,653 25,859 77
Pathfinder 2,618 2,321 13 26,649 20,968 27
Xterra 1,993 1,855 7 25,305 18,095 40
Suzuki Equator 167 0 – 1,855 2,295 –19
Smyrna, Tenn. (T) 8,008 7,637 5 99,462 67,217 48
Total Smyrna, Tenn. 21,279 22,126 –4 261,384 172,812 51
Total Car 54,691 59,938 –9 727,767 526,733 38
Total Truck 17,245 15,623 10 200,165 132,769 51
NISSAN 71,936 75,561 –5 927,932 659,502 41
.
NUMMI
Pontiac Vibe 0 0 – 0 28,449 –
Toyota Corolla 0 21,736 – 63,318 153,320 –59%
Fremont, Calif. (C) 0 21,736 – 63,318 181,769 –65
Toyota Tacoma 0 9,982 – 27,495 58,543 –53
Fremont, Calif. (T) 0 9,982 – 27,495 58,543 –53
NUMMI 0 31,718 – 90,813 240,312 –62

SUBARU
Legacy 4,347 2,618 66% 39,031 24,194 61
Outback 10,141 6,979 45 96,327 45,718 111
Toyota Camry 7,567 8,787 –14 81,682 80,838 1
Lafayette, Ind. (C) 22,055 18,384 20 217,040 150,750 44
Tribeca 609 306 99 5,062 3,438 47
Lafayette, Ind. (T) 609 306 99 5,062 3,438 47
SUBARU 22,664 18,690 21 222,102 154,188 44

TOYOTA
Corolla 19,169 16,912 13 176,953 124,416 42
Matrix 1,021 3,457 –71 32,422 35,673 –9
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada (C) 20,190 20,369 –1 209,375 160,089 31
Lexus RX 330 6,795 7,017 –3 76,422 58,586 30
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada (T) 6,795 7,017 –3 76,422 58,586 30
Total Cambridge, Ontario, Canada 26,985 27,386 –2 285,797 218,675 31
Avalon 2,742 2,398 14 37,312 25,494 46
Camry 18,843 28,778 –35 237,127 202,210 17
Camry Hybrid 339 2,252 –85 16,849 17,247 –2
Venza 3,255 7,683 –58 58,388 69,830 –16
Georgetown, Ky. (C) 25,179 41,111 –39 349,676 314,781 11
Highlander 8,863 6,303 41 78,738 11,601 579
Sequoia 2,044 2,086 –2 22,944 16,424 40
Sienna 12,269 10,679 15 122,456 70,142 75
Princeton, Ind. (T) 23,176 19,068 22 224,138 98,167 128
Tacoma 7,685 0 – 33,740 0 –
Tundra 10,355 8,921 16 102,235 78,769 30
San Antonio, Texas (T) 18,040 8,921 102 135,975 78,769 73
Tacoma 4,943 4,014 23 50,244 38,886 29
Tijuana, Mexico (T) 4,943 4,014 23 50,244 38,886 29
RAV4 16,446 7,447 121 139,150 71,642 94
Woodstock, Ontario (T) 16,446 7,447 121 139,150 71,642 94
Total Car 45,369 61,480 –26 559,051 474,870 18
Total Truck 69,400 46,467 49 625,929 346,050 81
TOYOTA 114,769 107,947 6 1,184,980 820,920 44
VOLKSWAGEN
New Beetle 0 2,440 – 31,447 21,423 47
New Beetle cabrio 0 448 – 8,640 7,326 18
Jetta (4th generation)† 2,137 5,903 –64 48,396 38,457 26
Jetta/Bora (5th generation) 0 14,391 – 116,532 129,276 –10
Jetta/Bora/Golf wagon (5th generation) 3,054 10,196 –70 104,129 94,650 10
Jetta (6th generation) 5,265 0 – 50,962 0 –
Puebla, Mexico (C) 10,456 33,378 –69 360,106 291,132 24
Medium trucks† 0 114 – 570 874 –35
Puebla, Mexico (T) 0 114 – 570 874 –35
Thanks to Autonews.com, where I copied this list.

I sure do miss the days when we made our own cars from our own material. Are they gone for good?

Made in ChiBangladonesixico......

This past weekend my wife and I went to our local mall to pick up some new warmer clothes for our upcoming trip to Kentucky. I have gotten into the habit of looking at labels to see where the items I am buying were produced. I am very much aware that it is becoming more and more difficult to locate anything that is still being made in the USA. If I see two or three of the same item made by different manufacturers I always check to see if any were made in America. If it was then that is the one I buy, even if it is higher in price.

So on this shopping trip I checked each label of the clothes I wanted to buy. I can tell you that it is almost impossible to find any clothing that is still made in our own country. And electronics, as they say in Jersey, "Forgeta bout it". 

Here is a list of the items I bought and where they were made:

-Sonoma hooded sweatshirt - Made in Indonesia

-Craft & Barrow flannel shirt - Made in Bangladesh

-Boca Classics flannel shirt - Made in Bangladesh

-Wrangler jeans - Made in Mexico (but the label points out   "of  US fabric"

-Isotoner gloves - Made in China

-Hallmark greeting card - Made in China


I couldn't find one single piece of clothing that was made in the USA. 


After leaving the mall I stopped at a grocery store and picked up a can of Geisha smoked oysters which were made in China. I checked the other two brands on the shelf, StarKist and Bumble Bee and they were also made in China.

It won't be long until we even see things like this.....


But I always like to point out something I find that is still made in America. If you ever need any baking trays or cookie sheets please buy the Mainstays brand. They are proudly labeled "Made in the USA"!


If you need to wear clothes or watch TV or listen to music or talk on a phone or use a computer to blog about things not made in America then you'll be using things not made here. But if you want a nice warm cookie straight out of your Asian made oven then you can at least feel comfortable knowing the cookie sheet was made in the good ole USA....

Another Example of High Quality JUNK....

I had a different topic in mind this morning about my next posting but an early morning shopping trip changed all that. I went to my local Target store and arrived just as they were opening up for the day. I went there to purchase an item for my mother but that has nothing to do with my story.
After picking up the item I went there for I happened to be in the TV section. Since we were looking to buy another TV for our bedroom I started looking at the items and their prices. I noticed a very good deal on a 26" Westinghouse LED HD TV, LCD265 series. It was the size I was looking for and had the features I wanted and it was on sale. It must have sold very well over the weekend because a sign next to the TV said it was out of stock. Another customer was standing there and saw me looking at the display and said that he was waiting on the same TV and "they are bringing more out from the back". To make a long story short they did bring a couple out and he purchased his and I bought one also. 

Fortunately, I live very close to the store and drove straight home. I put off setting the TV up until I did a few other chores I had. About three hours after I bought the TV I unpacked it, unwrapped all the paper around it, opened up the numerous bags and attached the stand. I then put it where I wanted it to sit and connected the cable connection and the power cord and turned on the TV, following the instructions. Nothing. A two-tone gray screen and a thin black horizontal line across the entire screen. It was supposed to go to a "set-up screen" but that never happened. I tried everything. Twice. Then three times. Still nothing but that same gray screen.

I finally admitted defeat to myself and called the number for service at Westinghouse. After waiting for 20 minutes listening the worse classical music I ever heard a human answers and asks if she could help. 

I explained what was happening, or I should say what was not happening, and I could hear her turning the pages on her preprinted instruction sheets. I did everything she instructed and of course the TV never worked for her either. She finally admitted what I had known all along, the TV was "defective". She said I could pack it back up and ship it to Westinghouse since it was still under the one year warranty. Actually it still had almost 364 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes of warranty left. But I said that was not going to happen because I wanted it out of my house right now. No packing, sealing, labeling, hauling, etc for me. I knew I was stuffing it all back into the box it came out of and driving back to Target for a refund. So I unhooked it all, crammed it halfway back into the box with all of the paper and plastic that came with it and drove back to Target.

I wheeled the TV into the store and after waiting in a line for longer than I had hoped I finally made my way to the return cashier. He could see that I wasn't smiling and by the looks of the partially boxed up TV with paper and plastic cellophane hanging out, he could probably tell I wasn't there to tell him how happy I was with my purchase. I calmly explained that I had just bought it that morning, took it home, set it up and it did not work, even with the help of the robot-like service person at Westinghouse. I did say that he night not have to even worry about it because I was weighing the cost of the TV and my anger about the situation and trying to decide if I would rather just take it out of the box, lay it in the middle of the isle and jump up and down on it until it was the size of a toaster. Or, since it was very cold outside I could set it on fire in the parking lot. 

He looked at me as if to figure out what method of returning the TV I preferred. I calculated the cost of losing the money I paid for the TV and the money it would take to bail me out of jail and decided to just return it in the box for a refund.
After looking disappointed that he wasn't going to have a story to tell his wife that night and that he wasn't going to get interviewed by Eyewitness 12 News, he processed my return, handed me my receipt and with an ever so slight smirk that I think I detected he said, "Have a nice day".

So that's my TV story for the day. They win again. The manufacturer. The retail store. I lose. Again. Another "brand new" item straight out of the box and it doesn't work. Another "Made OUT of the USA" product that performs as another example of horrible workmanship. But I bet it was cheap for Westinghouse to have this produced in China by a 12 year old kid named Mi Wage Lo. But I can promise you one thing. I will never again buy anything with the Westinghouse name on it. And I'm hoping my friends and family and readers of this blog never buy a Westinghouse product either. I should have realized that their slogan said it all..."You can be sure if it's Westinghouse"....because it won't work.

Remembering The Day of Infamy

 I just wanted to post a short reminder to everyone that today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We must never forget this attack on our homeland and armed forces. I don't think there was a Republican or Democrat in office that day. Just Americans. Will we ever have that solidarity again?

Sequence of Events
Saturday, December 6 - Washington D.C. - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt makes a final appeal to the Emperor of Japan for peace. There is no reply. Late this same day, the U.S. code-breaking service begins intercepting a 14-part Japanese message and deciphers the first 13 parts, passing them on to the President and Secretary of State. The Americans believe a Japanese attack is imminent, most likely somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Sunday, December 7 - Washington D.C. - The last part of the Japanese message, stating that diplomatic relations with the U.S. are to be broken off, reaches Washington in the morning and is decoded at approximately 9 a.m. About an hour later, another Japanese message is intercepted. It instructs the Japanese embassy to deliver the main message to the Americans at 1 p.m. The Americans realize this time corresponds with early morning time in Pearl Harbor, which is several hours behind. The U.S. War Department then sends out an alert but uses a commercial telegraph because radio contact with Hawaii is temporarily broken. Delays prevent the alert from arriving at headquarters in Oahu until noontime (Hawaii time) four hours after the attack has already begun.
Sunday, December 7 - Islands of Hawaii, near Oahu - The Japanese attack force under the command of Admiral Nagumo, consisting of six carriers with 423 planes, is about to attack. At 6 a.m., the first attack wave of 183 Japanese planes takes off from the carriers located 230 miles north of Oahu and heads for the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor - At 7:02 a.m., two Army operators at Oahu's northern shore radar station detect the Japanese air attack approaching and contact a junior officer who disregards their reports, thinking they are American B-17 planes which are expected in from the U.S. west coast.
Near Oahu - At 7:15 a.m., a second attack wave of 167 planes takes off from the Japanese carriers and heads for Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor is not on a state on high alert. Senior commanders have concluded, based on available intelligence, there is no reason to believe an attack is imminent. Aircraft are therefore left parked wingtip to wingtip on airfields, anti-aircraft guns are unmanned with many ammunition boxes kept locked in accordance with peacetime regulations. There are also no torpedo nets protecting the fleet anchorage. And since it is Sunday morning, many officers and crewmen are leisurely ashore.
At 7:53 a.m., the first Japanese assault wave, with 51 'Val' dive bombers, 40 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 50 high level bombers and 43 'Zero' fighters, commences the attack with flight commander, Mitsuo Fuchida, sounding the battle cry: "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!).
The Americans are taken completely by surprise. The first attack wave targets airfields and battleships. The second wave targets other ships and shipyard facilities. The air raid lasts until 9:45 a.m. Eight battleships are damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels are lost along with 188 aircraft. The Japanese lose 27 planes and five midget submarines which attempted to penetrate the inner harbor and launch torpedoes.
Escaping damage from the attack are the prime targets, the three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers, Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga, which were not in the port. Also escaping damage are the base fuel tanks.

The casualty list includes 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with 1,178 wounded. Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions.
In Washington, various delays prevent the Japanese diplomats from presenting their war message to Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, until 2:30 p.m. (Washington time) just as the first reports of the air raid at Pearl Harbor are being read by Hull.
News of the "sneak attack" is broadcast to the American public via radio bulletins, with many popular Sunday afternoon entertainment programs being interrupted. The news sends a shockwave across the nation and results in a tremendous influx of young volunteers into the U.S. armed forces. The attack also unites the nation behind the President and effectively ends isolationist sentiment in the country.
Monday, December 8 - The United States and Britain declare war on Japan with President Roosevelt calling December 7, "a date which will live in infamy..."
Thursday, December 11 - Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. The European and Southeast Asian wars have now become a global conflict with the Axis powers; Japan, Germany and Italy, united against America, Britain, France, and their Allies.

Wednesday, December 17 - Admiral Chester W. Nimitz becomes the new commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. 

Giving Thanks

I will admit that I do a lot of moaning and groaning about the things that bug me in this world these days. I do wish we could get back to producing the majority of products that we use by having them made in America. I do wish that we could start enforcing our laws concerning illegal aliens entering our country. I do want our leaders to allow our armed services to fight any war we are in by using any resource available to annihilate any adversary as quickly as possible. I do want any politician who abuses his/her office by committing any criminal act to be dealt with as if they were a private citizen. I would like to see all political parties quit fighting and hating each other and use all that energy to work together to solve our country's problems. I want to quit depending on foreign countries for our fuel. I want to see Pete Rose in the baseball Hall of Fame. But I know that most of that will likely never happen. So at least allow me to vent once in a while so my head won't explode.

But with tomorrow being Thanksgiving I'd like to make this post about something besides a complaint. I want to admit that I have so  much to be thankful for and I do not take it for granted. 
First and foremost I have a beautiful wife that I still can't figure out how I got her to marry me. The strength she must have to put up with my faults. You think everything I write and complain about in this blog she hasn't heard a thousand times? Without her I'd be lost. Period. 

I have my health for the most part, except for my blood pressure nearing the exploding point at certain times when I watch the news or I'm driving in traffic. And I throw caution to the wind when it comes to eating all the things that are bad for you.

I have two great kids and four wonderful grandchildren that I want to spend more time with as soon as possible.

I have a brother and sister that I love and all of my nieces and nephews and their children.

I have the best in-laws and extended family members in the world and I love each one of them in their own special way, regardless if they insist I have "favorites". 

I have a lot of people that give me the privilege of calling them friends. Those are hard to come by and when you are lucky enough to find a true friend make sure you let them know how special they are to you.

I have my faith in God and I'd like to think that I have done things on this earth to make Him proud of me. 

And I am thankful for being able to retire from a job that I always loved doing and hopefully I helped a few people along the way that allowed them to change their lives in a positive way, or provided comfort or protection when they needed it most. 

Of course I could go on forever with all of the things I am thankful for but I don't want this to be all about me. I just wanted to use this as my way of saying happy Thanksgiving to everyone and I hope you take a moment to reflect on the things you are thankful for and ask you to express yourself to your loved ones. Oh, and be nice to strangers also, regardless of their political views....

Tsk, Tsk, TSA

I know it's been such a long time since I added a new post to this blog but we were so busy with selling our house and getting moved. It has been a few months of non-stop activity; packing, moving, cleaning, unpacking, working on the new place, etc. Plus, a trip to the cabin to winterize it and then once back home I discovered I had brought back a stow-away.... a cold. Or flu. Or a combo. Not sure but it left me feeling weak and tired. I'm hoping to get back into regularly posting and sharing my frustrations with you about how our America is slipping away, ever so slowly, from what our forefathers could ever imagine. 

I have copied a posting from Redstate.com by Erick Erickson which I think will sum up quite easily how far the government can go to show their stupidity. The TSA is an agency made up by government officials in an attempt to provide checkpoints and security at our airports. A lot of people are saying that it would be better ran by private companies because once you have the government in charge of something it pretty much turns into incompetence and stupidity rather quickly and anything remotely resembling common sense is no longer a part of the picture.
 I won't go into the new body xrays or the physical groping searches in this post, except to say Israel has had way more reason to expect terrorist activity at their airports and their security teams don't use either one of these tactics.

Below is the reposting of a perfect example of how insane our security measures have become. 

Thursday, November 18th at 6:28PM EST

A friend of mine sent me this about his TSA experience. He, unlike most of us, was coming back into the country from Afghanistan on a military charter.

——–

As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan, I witnessed the following:

When we were on our way back from Afghanistan, we flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards.

Our first stop was Shannon, Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis, Indiana to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That’s where the stupid started.

First, everyone was forced to get off the plane–even though the plane wasn’t refueling again. All 330 people got off that plane, rather than let the 100 people from the ING get off. We were filed from the plane to a holding area. No vending machines, no means of escape. Only a male/female latrine.

It’s probably important to mention that we were ALL carrying weapons. Everyone was carrying an M4 Carbine (rifle) and some, like me, were also carrying an M9 pistol. Oh, and our gunners had M-240B machine guns. Of course, the weapons weren’t loaded. And we had been cleared of all ammo well before we even got to customs at Baghram, then AGAIN at customs.

The TSA personnel at the airport seriously considered making us unload all of the baggage from the SECURE cargo hold to have it reinspected. Keep in mind, this cargo had been unpacked, inspected piece by piece by U.S. Customs officials, resealed and had bomb-sniffing dogs give it a one-hour run through. After two hours of sitting in this holding area, the TSA decided not to reinspect our Cargo–just to inspect us again: Soldiers on the way home from war, who had already been inspected, reinspected and kept in a SECURE holding area for 2 hours. Ok, whatever. So we lined up to go through security AGAIN.

This is probably another good time to remind you all that all of us were carrying actual assault rifles, and some of us were also carrying pistols.

So we’re in line, going through one at a time. One of our Soldiers had his Gerber multi-tool. TSA confiscated it. Kind of ridiculous, but it gets better. A few minutes later, a guy empties his pockets and has a pair of nail clippers. Nail clippers. TSA informs the Soldier that they’re going to confiscate his nail clippers. The conversation went something like this:

TSA Guy: You can’t take those on the plane.

Soldier: What? I’ve had them since we left country.

TSA Guy: You’re not suppose to have them.

Soldier: Why?

TSA Guy: They can be used as a weapon.

Soldier: [touches butt stock of the rifle] But this actually is a weapon. And I’m allowed to take it on.

TSA Guy: Yeah but you can’t use it to take over the plane. You don’t have bullets.

Soldier: And I can take over the plane with nail clippers?

TSA Guy: [awkward silence]

Me: Dude, just give him your damn nail clippers so we can get the f**k out of here. I’ll buy you a new set.

Soldier: [hands nail clippers to TSA guy, makes it through security]

This might be a good time to remind everyone that approximately 233 people re-boarded that plane with assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns–but nothing that could have been used as a weapon.

There you have it folks, another U.S. airliner made safe by the great security work of the TSA. The plane made it safely to its destination with no one getting  a scratch from a fingernail or even one hangnail. Thank you Uncle Sam.

On The Move!

Sorry about the long quiet spell between posts but we sold our house and are in the process of moving! As soon as it settles down I'll catch back up.

One Vacation To Go Please....

Just a quick post to say we're leaving late today on a vacation so my blog will be inactive for a couple of weeks, unless I get some free time and run across free Wi-Fi.

Kim and I are running up to the cabin for a few days the first week and will meet Jimmie, Michelle and Aunt Audrey there this weekend.


Jimmie is giving us a hand at fixing a plumbing problem. 

Then we'll be going to Northern Kentucky to visit with family there. 




The following Saturday we'll leave with April and Danny and the four of us will drive to Niagra Falls, on the Canadian side. 

We'll spend a couple of days there then work our way back to Kentucky where we'll finish visiting with family and friends.



Near the end of the second week we'll make our way home and back to the grind. 



Maybe we'll see you on our trip!

A Borrowed Tale To Share With All

I ran across a post in one of the blogs that I follow and thought I'd pass it along. It's one of those stories that you know is true but you wonder why isn't there a huge outcry over it and why isn't it all over the mainstream media? I concerns Earth Day this past weekend but the point is the "Do as I say, not as I do" story that gets unfolded. 

The story is from the blog,   The Gregarious Loner.
******************************************************************************

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Saturday morning relaxing... just watching the irony train go past. Obama steps on his own schlong again.

.
So..like... it's EARTH day again man... like.... and we should all do things that are... you know..... 'vironmentlee' good for Gai... you know man?

So what does President big ears do? Why.... he schedules himself to make a speech in New York city, within a few miles of where vice president foot-in-mouth is doing a Tee Wee appearance at the same time.

Yup... you guessed it.... The twinky twins are flying in separate jet liners to New York, snarling up air traffic for hours, traveling in seperate motorcades with seperate support and security teams as they idle the cities street traffic for hours. The general estimate is between the two of them, they will directly use 9000 gallons of fuel traveling on earth day, and nobody can estimate how much they will cause to be wasted while other people circle in passenger jets or sit in stalled traffic.
Just to add sugar to this pile of steaming irony, the NYPD is busy stealing all the bicycles outside peoples homes along the big O's travel route. You know.... just in case they are really hidden pipe bombs... you know.... sort of like the pipe bike racks they were locked to... or the pipe barricades the police installed.

Sure... lets gather all these potential pipe bombs into a big truck, and go store them at the police station. Yup... that makes sense.... and I'm sure all the ex-Obama-voter bike owners will understand that logic just fine.

You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried.

If 'mother earth' truly was sentient, she'd form a volcanic vent under those two morons and spit them off the face of the planet. Maybe towards Mars, who is a cold hearted bastard anyway....

Kwam Down People...

Do you remember in 2008 when former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pled guilty to obstruction of justice after sexually explicit text messages became public, showing he had lied under oath about an affair with a staff member in a whistle blowers' lawsuit? 


He resigned as mayor, served 99 days in jail, agreed to give up his law license, repay the city $1 million, and stay out of politics for five years. Some people can never learn.

A judge ruled on April 20, 2010 that Kilpatrick violated terms of his probation by failing to report assets and turn over tax refunds, suggesting that he may send him to jail when he's sentenced next month.

Wayne County Circuit Judge David Groner said Kilpatrick could remain free on bail pending his sentencing on May 25.   


Prosecutors say Kilpatrick hasn't paid enough toward the $1 million. He has been making monthly payments of $3,000, but they learned that Kilpatrick has other money, including $240,000 in loans, lives in a rented Texas mansion and drives fancy SUVs.


The prosecutor said there's "no question" she will argue for "significant time" in jail. Defense lawyer Michael Schwartz said jail time would be extreme. 
"What's more important - punishing the guy or getting money for the city?" he said.

Well, I'll go out on limb here and say... jail time! Why do we put up with a convicted politician seeming to always come out ahead once they have been proven guilty? They lie like a dog when first confronted with charges. They force agencies to go to the expense of a trial or, at the least, drag it out until tons of money and man-hours have been spent collecting evidence. Then, when they can no longer lie because the proof is so over-whelming, they are plead guilty. 

They receive their punishment after making a plea bargain, usually a fine or a suspended jail sentence, and a few actually go to prison. But regardless, they all seem to come out OK at a later date. They make money by selling their story or writing a book. They go on TV interview shows. Some even are voted back into the same office they were in when they committed the crime!  (Check out former Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry's crime history!) 

So I say that the best way to show politicians that we will not put up with their criminal hi-jinks is to show them that we will always put them in prison when they are convicted. Sure, take a bunch of money from them also, but put them in the slammer with one of their constituents that murdered their entire family. That would make a whole new meaning to "fill-a-buster".

That should be one of the first steps in taking back our country from crooked politicians. Quit being nice to them. Quit making plea bargains. Quit re-electing them! Let's get a whole new group of people wanting public offices to do good for the country and not to see how much money, fame and power they can get, or how many mistresses they can gather! 

And how would we make sure that they are sincere in their campaign speeches and their motives? By making examples of the crooked ones by sending them straight to jail if they ever commit a crime in office. Period.

I Long For Pong...

Right up front, I'm not very "tech savvy". I remember when it was just pencil and paper and the most popular way to write something very fast, the typewriter. You could even make a couple of copies of what you were typing by using carbon paper. Go ask your 13 year old child if he or she knows what carbon paper is, or if they can use it in a sentence. Then, ask the same child to program your new cell phone or set up your new Facebook account. You get the point.

The only way for kids to entertain themselves when I was young was to go outside and play with other kids. Unheard of today. If you can get your kids to leave their rooms long enough to pick up a sandwich from the kitchen you're doing good.

They have a computer loaded with gaming software or they can play directly online against other kids anywhere in the country. And if they do leave their room they might make it as far as the living room sofa where they will whip out their portable video game and resume play, in between bites of pizza rolls. Those portable game machines all have their own coded names that to us old-timers reminds us of the original Star Wars movie; PVP, PSP,PMP, PS2, MP3, or what I thought was a place for kids to go outside and play together, the Playstation.

On the days they are forced to leave the sanctuary of their room and forced to go to school, they will throw their portable video game into their backpack and sneak it into school or they'll fall back on the most primitive tool they own, their game-laden cell phone.

We now have so many games and other electronic gadgets that it's like another language has been invented and only people under 40 can understand it. Not saying that if you are over 40 you wouldn't know these terms, but you probably had to go to night school to learn it.

There's the game called "Wii", pronounced "we" and I had a terrible time figuring out what a couple of my neices were talking about when they asked me to play. It was like we were acting out "Who's On First" by Abbott and Costello. 

-"You want to play wii with us"?, they asked. 

-"We?", I responded. 

-"Yes, Wii", they chimed. 

-"Oh, 'Oui, Oui'", I playfully said using my best French accent. 

-"No, just Wii" they said slowly as they looked at each other like I was now the crazy uncle in the family. You get the point.

Then there's the iPhone, the iPod, and the iPad (which I believe is a new electronic feminine product. Not sure I want to know about that).

I admit that I'm not in the loop and far behind the new technology but I can use a computer a little. I pretend it's actually a typewriter without the little "ding" sound when you return to a new line. I can send and receive simple emails but none with all that fancy backgrounds and smiley thingys floating all around. I have even managed to play regular solitaire on it but I still haven't come close to figuring out "Minesweeper".

But I am OK with my lack of knowledge of this electronic-aged language and my lack of ability to understand how to play any of the games. I'm still content with remembering how we played "Cowboys and Indians" or "Army" outside or how we made giant pretend highways in the dirt with our Tonka trucks. On rainy days we played in our rooms and simply made our roads across carpet instead of dirt. Our sisters had their dolls and played dress-up. We would even kidnap a doll on occasion using out Army men and tie it up as if it was an Amazon Woman from another planet.

And our most eagerly awaited event of all was Saturday morning cartoons! We would wait all week to watch Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Of course nowadays kids can watch cartoons 7 days a week and at any time of day on cable. If you can pull them away from their video games.

But I can understand to some degree the video addiction that kids have today. I can remember when the very FIRST video game came out. In 1972, Atari introduced America to "Pong". 

Pong quickly became a success and is the first commercially successful video game, which led to the start of the video game industry. Soon after its release, several companies began producing games that copied Pong's gameplay, and eventually released new types of games.

The game was initially 6 feet tall and was only found in arcades or bars. I was in my early twenties and I spent a lot of quarters on that game. I'll let you figure out where I found one to play... 

During the 1975 Christmas season, Atari released a home version of Pong exclusively through Sears retail stores. It was also a commercial success and led to numerous copies.

So I can sort of feel the excitement of today's kids when they discover a new game, gadget or "App". I had a similar feeling when I first played Pong and then later playing that worse than herion-addicting game, Pac Man.

I only wish they spent a little more time trying to get good grades in school or spending more time with their friends getting real dirt on their clothes while playing outside instead of juice-box stains on their shirts and the carpet.

 And so I will finish my post (a piece of timber or metal fixed firmly in an upright position especially as a stay or support) and my blog ( a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections and comments provided by the writer) will be finished for the day.

Hang in there you other old-timers and remember..these video-junkie kids will someday grow up and have kids of their own. And when they can't get their kids to come back from playing ZumBall XR9 from the12th dimension and eat dinner, who'll be laughing then?