A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while
one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very
much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the
following.
This past weekend I was at Walmart. I needed 60 W light bulbs and
Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to
the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday
Value... " I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats -
they were the same except for the price.. The GE bulbs were more money
than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most
was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand
was made in - get ready for this - the USA by a company in Cleveland,
Ohio.
So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets ... . . Yep, you guessed
it. Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value
brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and
the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using
for years and at almost half the price!
I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of
it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The
next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it, I
checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA .
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do
affects someone else -- even their job.
My son likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is
marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My
favorite toothpaste, Colgate, is made in Mexico. Now I have
switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for
everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA- the
job you save may be your own or your neighbors!
(We should have awakened a decade a go.)
If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others you know
so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time!
Stop buying from overseas companies!
Let's get with the program. Help our fellow Americans keep their
jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.
I Passed this on ......... Will you ???????
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Mexican drug cartels.
I was watching a documentary style show on TV today and was shocked by the number of drug cartel related deaths that have happened in Mexico since 2006. 41,000 was the number reported. Blame has been directly linked to this country in numerous ways. The top 2 look like this:
1. The USA is the biggest buyer of illegal drugs.
2. It's very easy to purchase assault weapons in this country and take them to Mexico.
It's no secret that drug use in this country is rampant. All of the money that us tax payers fork over to support the effort to try and stop the flow and usage, is a waste of time and money. We spend untold millions and the drugs still get through. Not to mention that our agents are getting killed trying to do the right thing. Whatever we're doing isn't working, yet we keep on doing the same thing.
A recent TV documentary showed how easy it is to walk into any gun shop or gun show in Texas and buy an assault rifle. In fact, the show I watched showed 2 guys buying multiple weapons, then being approached in the parking lot to see if the weapons were for sale! To top that off, our own FBI ran an OP called Fast and Furious, in which they let 1,765 guns go to Mexico, over a 15 month period, in hopes of following them to the major arms dealers that then supply the cartels. Problem was, the FBI "somehow" lost sight of the guns and no arrests have been made! Many of these weapons have been tracked to various killings in Mexico, including the killing of Customs and Border Protection agent Brian Terry.
Because billions are at stake, the various drug cartels aren't giving up without a fight. Slowly but surely they're finding new methods of getting their product to market. Throw away submarines are one of the newest methods. They can build a 100' submarine for two million dollars that can carry $400 million dollars worth of product and discard the sub when they're done with it.
If I sound worried about this, I am. The long arm of the cartels is reaching further and further into the daily lives of US citizens. The "US Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center, says the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels are active in five Colorado cities." More than likely, that's just the tip of the iceberg. For many years the mass killings were in Colombia, now we don't hear about Colombia anymore 'cuz it looks like those operations have moved in to Mexico. In case you haven't noticed, Mexico is just south of our border.
Perhaps it's time for this country to invade Mexico . We've been known to do that in countries like Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Viet Nam and a few others. This time the prize might be one that will have a long lasting affect on the citizens of this country. Whether we want to believe it or not, we're at war with the cartels and until we step up and show them we mean business, business will be conducted like it has been. I'm not sure why 41,000 people dying at the hands of drug cartels isn't prompting us to do more than we are. We bristle when leaders like Saddam kill their own people, why is this not something we want to stop? I guess until our government figures out a way to make money off it it's business as usual for them, too!
1. The USA is the biggest buyer of illegal drugs.
2. It's very easy to purchase assault weapons in this country and take them to Mexico.
It's no secret that drug use in this country is rampant. All of the money that us tax payers fork over to support the effort to try and stop the flow and usage, is a waste of time and money. We spend untold millions and the drugs still get through. Not to mention that our agents are getting killed trying to do the right thing. Whatever we're doing isn't working, yet we keep on doing the same thing.
A recent TV documentary showed how easy it is to walk into any gun shop or gun show in Texas and buy an assault rifle. In fact, the show I watched showed 2 guys buying multiple weapons, then being approached in the parking lot to see if the weapons were for sale! To top that off, our own FBI ran an OP called Fast and Furious, in which they let 1,765 guns go to Mexico, over a 15 month period, in hopes of following them to the major arms dealers that then supply the cartels. Problem was, the FBI "somehow" lost sight of the guns and no arrests have been made! Many of these weapons have been tracked to various killings in Mexico, including the killing of Customs and Border Protection agent Brian Terry.
Because billions are at stake, the various drug cartels aren't giving up without a fight. Slowly but surely they're finding new methods of getting their product to market. Throw away submarines are one of the newest methods. They can build a 100' submarine for two million dollars that can carry $400 million dollars worth of product and discard the sub when they're done with it.
If I sound worried about this, I am. The long arm of the cartels is reaching further and further into the daily lives of US citizens. The "US Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center, says the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels are active in five Colorado cities." More than likely, that's just the tip of the iceberg. For many years the mass killings were in Colombia, now we don't hear about Colombia anymore 'cuz it looks like those operations have moved in to Mexico. In case you haven't noticed, Mexico is just south of our border.
Perhaps it's time for this country to invade Mexico . We've been known to do that in countries like Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Viet Nam and a few others. This time the prize might be one that will have a long lasting affect on the citizens of this country. Whether we want to believe it or not, we're at war with the cartels and until we step up and show them we mean business, business will be conducted like it has been. I'm not sure why 41,000 people dying at the hands of drug cartels isn't prompting us to do more than we are. We bristle when leaders like Saddam kill their own people, why is this not something we want to stop? I guess until our government figures out a way to make money off it it's business as usual for them, too!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Terminated!
As many of you know, my wife lost her job last week. She was the head of the children's dept. at the Greenwood Fred Meyer. She's gonna miss getting up at 3 AM and starting work at 5. NOT!
For the longest time, it was a joke amongst the rest of us as to when Twila would "officially" be off and when she'd get home from work. Keep in mind that we live 5 minutes or less from the Greenwood Fred Meyer. She'd continue to putter around the store either working off the clock or shopping, only to show up here usually around an hour after she got off. Of late, management was trying to send her a message about working off the clock. According to some by-law it's illegal. So they suspended her without pay. (She was so embarassed that she couldn't tell me.) One day, she worked 2 hours over and only put in for one and they suspended her again. This time she was warned that when she came back, she was not to wear her name tag or apron when she was off the clock ande still in the store. Well, while walking through her department, she saw 2 blouses on the floor and hung them up. Sounds like the right thing to do, yes? Supposedly somebody saw her and reported this activity. No suspension this time, she was let go!
Ya know, at first I was a little pissed off. I was going to call everyone I know and ask them to not shop at Freddies any more. We'll show them! Realistically, that wouldn't have much of an affect on Kroger, the owner of QFC and Fred Meyer. Sure, I could picket, but they'd kick me off their side of the street and nobody would see me on the other side. So I decided on this course of action. I called the office of David Dillon, the CEO of Kroger, and left a message with someone in his front office that told me he'd read it. Twila called the union and they've responded. Please know that we're pretty certain she won't get her job back. That isn't what this is about. What we want David Dillon to know is how petty they were in letting her go. Yes, she violated some of the by-laws. She didn't always take her breaks and she worked off the clock. Boo f'ing hoo! She never stole anything, took days off 'cuz the sun was out or refused to do things because she didn't want to. In our minds, her being terminated was all about them wanting to get rid of a full time worker so they could bring in a part time person and pay them less. Just forget about the years of service she gave the company, it's time for her to move on. Bye. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!
So tomorrow she'll try and sign up for unemployment. Gotta start looking for health care coverage, too. We may also have to rethink our plan of moving to Maui in 5 - 10 years. We needed another 5 or so years at Freddies in order for her to get a good pension. We'll not let this get us down, somehow it will make us stronger. Perhaps she'll find a job for the Holidays that will lead to something after the Holidays, just like what happened at Freddies. Stay posted. More later!
Big Dogg out!
For the longest time, it was a joke amongst the rest of us as to when Twila would "officially" be off and when she'd get home from work. Keep in mind that we live 5 minutes or less from the Greenwood Fred Meyer. She'd continue to putter around the store either working off the clock or shopping, only to show up here usually around an hour after she got off. Of late, management was trying to send her a message about working off the clock. According to some by-law it's illegal. So they suspended her without pay. (She was so embarassed that she couldn't tell me.) One day, she worked 2 hours over and only put in for one and they suspended her again. This time she was warned that when she came back, she was not to wear her name tag or apron when she was off the clock ande still in the store. Well, while walking through her department, she saw 2 blouses on the floor and hung them up. Sounds like the right thing to do, yes? Supposedly somebody saw her and reported this activity. No suspension this time, she was let go!
Ya know, at first I was a little pissed off. I was going to call everyone I know and ask them to not shop at Freddies any more. We'll show them! Realistically, that wouldn't have much of an affect on Kroger, the owner of QFC and Fred Meyer. Sure, I could picket, but they'd kick me off their side of the street and nobody would see me on the other side. So I decided on this course of action. I called the office of David Dillon, the CEO of Kroger, and left a message with someone in his front office that told me he'd read it. Twila called the union and they've responded. Please know that we're pretty certain she won't get her job back. That isn't what this is about. What we want David Dillon to know is how petty they were in letting her go. Yes, she violated some of the by-laws. She didn't always take her breaks and she worked off the clock. Boo f'ing hoo! She never stole anything, took days off 'cuz the sun was out or refused to do things because she didn't want to. In our minds, her being terminated was all about them wanting to get rid of a full time worker so they could bring in a part time person and pay them less. Just forget about the years of service she gave the company, it's time for her to move on. Bye. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!
So tomorrow she'll try and sign up for unemployment. Gotta start looking for health care coverage, too. We may also have to rethink our plan of moving to Maui in 5 - 10 years. We needed another 5 or so years at Freddies in order for her to get a good pension. We'll not let this get us down, somehow it will make us stronger. Perhaps she'll find a job for the Holidays that will lead to something after the Holidays, just like what happened at Freddies. Stay posted. More later!
Big Dogg out!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Life.
Many say life is what you make it. I agree. Having reached 60 years of age this year I can tell you that life IS what you make it. Many people my age tend to talk about how many meds they're on, what operations they've had and what pills they're taking. The rest complain about things they have no control over. I figured out many years ago that there's very little you can do much about. To worry about things you have no control over is a true waste of time. I read posts on Facebook where someone asks you if you agree please repost. Before you spend any amount of energy doing anything ask yourself if it will make a difference. Most of us will have a hard time getting our neighbors to do something we need of them, let alone thinking that our representatives in either Olympia or Washingtron, DC give a rats ass about what we think. All they think about is getting relected. That means finding contributors with deep pockets. I went to high school with Jay Inslee. Do you think he'd give me the time of day? Maybe if I represented a PAC, union or large corporation. If you want to enjoy life, find people that think like you and hang around with them. Arguing about politics, religion or the 1988 Seahawks is a waste of time. We all have an opinion. Unless someone asks you for yours, keep it to yourself. It will make everyone elses life much more enjoyable!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
UFC 129
UFC 129 is in the books. (For those of you that don't know what UFC is, it stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship.) For weeks prior to the fights we chat about them at work. We read and hear the hype here and there. Text messages are sent back and forth between friends, then the night arrives. Everyone gathers at my house. I've got a 50" plasma TV with a decent sound system hooked up to it. Nobody much cared about any of the fights except for the last 2. Randy was/is from this area, so we're repping him for that reason. Bets are made. The fight begins and so do the chants in my living room. Right from the start it's obvious to us that Randy is no match for his opponent. Guys start calling him geezer. Then it's over. Next! Ten and twenty dollar bills are on the floor. Most root for GSP. Yes, Jake has won 15 straight, but who has he fought? One round, 2 rounds, 3 rounds, 4 rounds and a fifth are in the books. There's no question amongst the 8 here that GSP won the fight unanimously. Then the decision. We couldn't believe what we were hearing! 48-47, 48-47. We ask ourselves what fight were those judges watching?? Jake threw such weak leg kicks at GSP that I could have dodged them and I'm 59!
Ya know, it's becoming apparent to us that it is all about the Benjamin's and to heck with the product. You say you set a record for folks watching a UFC event live with 55,000 in attendance last night. My son and I attended the Cain vs. Brock fight last July in Vegas and we sat dam near the top of the arena. If those large screens hadn't been there I'd been hard pressed to see much of the action. I might as well put my TV across the street and watch it with binoculars! You and I both know those folks sitting way and the hell up in the rafters couldn't see what was going on, but hey, you set a record. Product, we don't need no stinkin' product. You made a bunch of money and the lemmings will be back again. Our little group has some real diehard fans in it, but you can't feed us mush forever and expect us to keep coming back!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
No fees please!
The Seattle Times recently had an article in it about certain fees possibly going up. No kidding. Olympia is in a state of emergency and us folks residing here are all they have to help fix the mess they got us in. Sure, they tack a little extra on rental cars and hotels, but for the most part, it's us hard working folks that pay the way. Sooner or later we're going to be taxed right out of our homes, cars and jobs if they don't knock it off! How high do they think they can run the cost of a drivers license up before people just say screw it and go without one?
Not everyone living here is a millionaire and can afford whatever price increases come along. Many of us are struggling to put food on the table and keep the lights burning. Wake up Olympia and try going without for a change. Just say NO to new projects for awhile. I say NO to going out to dinner. Sell some stuff on ebay to pay the bills. We are!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Spring cleaning.
The idea of moving to Maui is still strong in our minds. So much so, I listed my Corvette for sale. Someone is supposed to come and look at it tomorrow night. We'll see. People call, but don't show or call to say they are no longer intrerested. Anyway, my neighbor said he'd pay for the thing to get towed to his mechanic and pay for whatever repairs are needed. How do you turn that down? So his guy has it and with any luck I will get it back tomorrow. In the meantime, we've been going through every closet and all the attics digging stuff out and putting lots of it on ebay. For many years I've collected and just put stuff in the attic. If you're at all curious what I'm selling click on this link http://my.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MyeBay&&CurrentPage=MyeBaySelling&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1121 Maybe you'll find something you want! I'm also going to sell some of my pinball and arcade machines. Lets be honest here folks, I never go up there to play them. The arcade machines were for the kids. The kids are all gone. I'll keep one of the pinball machines and maybe one arcade machine. One is pretty cool. It's a 4-slot Neo Geo and they're still used in arcades today. You can put 4 different cartridges in for players to pick from. Most of the time you find 2-slot machines. The carts aren't that bad to buy. I'm also planning on selling my 2 slot machines. Not sure how that will go down. They're still used in Japan so I'm guessing this state my view them as gambling machines. OMG, we wouldn't want anybody doing that! The pachinko machine has to go, too. Did I mention anything you want yet?? There's more.
I told my son today that I really never gave it much thought while I was amassing this stuff as to when I thought that day would come when I'd get rid of it. I guess in the back of my mind I knew this day would come I just never knew what would make it happen. Maybe I thought the kids would just get it and deal with it. A good friend of mine collects so many different things that it's hard to walk through his place. Ceiling to floor and wall to wall stuff. I think his last move took him 2 weeks. Anyway, he told me the other day that he has no desire to get rid of anything. Why collect it if you're just going to get rid of it? Ya know, a ballon can only take so much air then it explodes! Lucky for him he's not a drinker or drug user 'cuz he could accidentally trip over something, hurt himself falling down and lay there for awhile.
So for the next few days I'll continue looking in closets, attics and behind things that haven't been moved for awhile. If anyone reading this knows what to do with old newspapers, besides burning or recycling them, let me know. I have some that date back many years. I kept them for the headlines. I'm going to keep a few, but the rest have to go. I'd like to see someone get them that would do the right thing with them. Not sure what that is. Maybe it is burning or recycling them. It would be a shame but I can't nor do I want to keep it all any longer!
S
I told my son today that I really never gave it much thought while I was amassing this stuff as to when I thought that day would come when I'd get rid of it. I guess in the back of my mind I knew this day would come I just never knew what would make it happen. Maybe I thought the kids would just get it and deal with it. A good friend of mine collects so many different things that it's hard to walk through his place. Ceiling to floor and wall to wall stuff. I think his last move took him 2 weeks. Anyway, he told me the other day that he has no desire to get rid of anything. Why collect it if you're just going to get rid of it? Ya know, a ballon can only take so much air then it explodes! Lucky for him he's not a drinker or drug user 'cuz he could accidentally trip over something, hurt himself falling down and lay there for awhile.
So for the next few days I'll continue looking in closets, attics and behind things that haven't been moved for awhile. If anyone reading this knows what to do with old newspapers, besides burning or recycling them, let me know. I have some that date back many years. I kept them for the headlines. I'm going to keep a few, but the rest have to go. I'd like to see someone get them that would do the right thing with them. Not sure what that is. Maybe it is burning or recycling them. It would be a shame but I can't nor do I want to keep it all any longer!
S
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