How's your Week Been?

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Best In Show

WE'RE #1! WE'RE #1! WE'RE #1! WE'RE #1!
Oh.
Wait.
Shit, we're stupid here. If you ask ANY RI resident, they wouldn't be surprised, and they would point directly to our elected officials, the climate of 'old-boy-networking", pandering to unions, corruption and irresponsibility. And every damn election, most of these leaders run unopposed for re-election. Hell - even the sweetheart deal with the "casino" that they made (against the clearly expressed wishes of the public - TWICE) is going belly up.


New: R.I. led U.S. in employment woes last year
The 4.8 percentage point-increase in the state's unemployment rate last year led the nation, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Only North Carolina, where unemployment grew by 4 percentage points, and Nevada, where it rose by 3.9 percentage points, came close.

The Writing's on the Wall ...Ummm, Well, the Parking Lot Anyway

Even snow angels have had enough...

(Busch Stadium)

from Deadspin.com

But Only on the Bottom

I got a flat tire yestrerday ... well 98% flat and well on it's way to 100.

So I managed to get the car into a repair shop so I could have it fixed.

the guy behind the counter said:

"A flat? Sure - we can take care of it.  Just leave it for an hour or two.

Now which tire is it?"

All I could do was look at him with my mouth wide open.

He REALLY said that.

No lie.

Ummmm.... the FLAT one???!

Guess that goes under the category of  "Here's your Sign".

Just a Question....

People are always saying that they will  "give their left nut" to get something?

Why's it always the left nut?

Yurtin' for Certin'

My friend Lisa showe me this website for a private camping area in Brownfield, Maine, called Frost Mountain. And the deal is, you stay in these cabin-tent-do-hickies called Yurts.

I've decided that YURTS are cool. Way cool, in fact. (pictured above - interior shots below).
Read up on it all below...

http://www.frostmountainyurts.com/aboutus.htm

The more you look at these puppies, the cooler they are!
So cool, in fact, that I just had to honor it with a Yurt Haiku (and yeah, I know ~ it's not following the strict sylabic rules of haiku.... get over it, I'm busy) .

Warm and spacious cabin homes
All season woodland “Big Tops”
Yurts Rule. Yurts Rule

Hill's on the Hill

Craig Ferguson: "Today was Hillary Clinton's first day as Secretary of State. She's now in charge of all foreign affairs. Bill Clinton will still handle domestic affairs."

Ba-Dum-BUM!
Thank you ... we'll be hear all week. Try the veal!!

What D'ya Want?!! Rock-Paper-Scissors?

From Deadspin.com:
http://deadspin.com/5136124/are-americans-the-worst-hooligans-of-all

Just Sittin' Here Watchin' the Wheels Go Round and Round

This is simple to the consumer...MAKE BETTER CARS.
And respond more efficiently to the market.
That includes cost, quality and design foresight.

If you look on TV right now - not one American car company is pushing their CARS. They are pushing their trucks. Why? Probably because they have a massive surplus of them - since they kept making them in spite of last year's issues with energy costs and the overall economy.

Stop resisting and start responding. You obviously have made poor market anticipatory moves.
Not to mention a lack of corporate responsibility...

The result of this kind of corporate arrogance is what we are living now.
Did the 70's teach NOTHING?

How frustrating this behavior is.

GM Loses Sales Title to Toyota
GM's sales fell 10.8% in 2008. GM sold 610,000 fewer cars than Toyota, making it the first time in nearly 80 years that GM was not top in global sales.

By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
January 21, 2009: 9:35 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com)
General Motors lost the title of world's largest automaker to rival Toyota Motor in 2008, according to sales figures released Wednesday by the troubled U.S. automaker. It was the first time in nearly 80 years that GM did not sell the most cars in the world.
GM (GM, Fortune 500) reported that global sales plunged 10.8% for the year to 8.36 million vehicles. That allowed Toyota (TM) to move ahead of GM with sales of 8.97 million vehicles worldwide.
And GM said the outlook for sales in its core U.S. market is not likely to improve anytime soon.
GM sales analyst Mike DiGiovanni said during a conference call Wednesday morning that the seasonally-adjusted annual U.S. sales rate will fall below 10 million vehicles in January. That would be the first time below that benchmark since 1982.
Industrywide U.S. sales came in just over the 10 million sales pace in each month of the last quarter of 2008 despite a sharp plunge in demand that left sales down 35% from year ago levels.
DiGiovanni attributed the new low for U.S. industrywide sales to a sharp drop in fleet sales to businesses, such as rental car companies, rather than further weakness in consumer sales.
He added that the decision by GM, Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) to trim first quarter production due to weak sales is leading to the drop in fleet sales, and that retail sales should be at or slightly above sales seen in the fourth quarter.
DiGiovanni said the company is hopeful that economic stimulus plans being considered in the United States as well as in other nations should hopefully help sales later this year. But he cautioned that "2009 will be a very difficult year."
GM's sales in Europe fell 6.5% while sales in North America plunged 21%. The company did post full-year sales gains in its Asia-Pacific region, as well as in its Latin America-Africa-Middle East region.
The loss of the No. 1 automaker title that GM held for 77 years came as no surprise. Toyota finished 2007 only 3,101 vehicles behind GM, as its sales rose and GM's fell that year.
But Toyota's sales fell 4% in 2008 as all automakers were hurt by high oil prices earlier in the year and the global recession. Toyota has already said that, due to the sharp drop in global demand for autos, it will report its first operating loss as a public company during its current fiscal year.

A New Birth of Freedom

The official theme of today's inauguration is: "A New Birth of Freedom", taken from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Abraham Lincoln

I saw the multitudes of people gathering before dawn this morning in Washington to witness and celebrate the inauguration. I t was an incredible sight to see how many had arrived so early.

To me, this confirmation of America's government operating as originally conceived is absolutely amazing.

Today was the coming together just as after 9/11 ... only for a different purpose. Not to console but to celebrate ... both in the strength of the country and its people.

from CNN.COM

Text of Obama's speech for his inauguration as 44th president
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - updated 1:17 p.m. ET, Tues., Jan. 20, 2009


"My fellow citizens,
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America."

Credit Where Credit is Due

OK, in my opinion, here are the top 3 most irresponsible jobs in existence today...


1) Cable news host, pundit or "expert".
2) Weather forecasters.
3) Mass murderers.

As might be guessed, this opinion has been formed as a result of days of incorrect forecasts regarding the local weather. I think the biggest issue I have is that they must fill endless minutes of air-time to show off their most colorful, interactive, HD graphic display programs, and then follow it up with 10-15 seconds of forecasts provided in the most absolute terms...when again and again it's proven that they CANNOT predict with such certainty. As a result, however, endless business, schools, government operations are delayed/cancelled/planned around these utterly fallible forecasts.
It's ridiculous.

Happy Monday.

Snow-Global Terror!!

OK ... I know it is FRIGIDLY cold today.

And it will be tomorrow also.

But because this state (RI, which stands for Ridiculous Ignoramuses) had an outrageously overblown SNAFU last year when it snowed during a school day, most school systems closed for the day. Naturally, due to an unprecedented error in forecasting (NOT), it only snowed in the very southern part of the state. Now last year, when it snowed all in the middle of the day, everyone attempted to drive home at the same time, and that caused complete statewide gridlock, which also prevented any sanders/plows from clearing the roads. Thus, there were some school buses still on the roads hours later.

People had a shit-fit.

The governor was out of state, and there followed a nightmare of finger-pointing and douchebagery that resulted in the firing of:

a) The WRONG person - and one who was invaluable to the state

b) Widespread panic reminiscent of an Amish day trip to a zipper factory.

In ANY case, we now have the local rag reporting on the storm that never was ... and the comments that are being posted by the citizenry are HI-larious...

Ladies and gentlemen... I bring you RO-DI-lunders at their best. Enjoy.

"Another stupid move --- my god, 15degrees no snow and now what will they do for Friday????? Only Rhode Island!!"

"Yes..pretty soon they'll be closing school whenever there's "weather" in the forecast."

"Good way to raise wimpy kids. Absurd to close schools due to cold. Its WINTER! "

"Very surprised, this is New England right? I know how to dress for extreme cold and I think most of us do. I remember bundling up my daughter when she was young. I'm still trying to figure out why classes are cancelled? Why don't we just put bubble wrap around all the kids in this country from now on. Sorry, when I was a kid there were metal playgrounds, no bike helmets, we ate what we ate and went outside to play in winter. Jeez people get a grip!! Children are not going to freeze to death, this madness has to stop or the next few generations won't be able to handle anything!"

"We're raising a generation of entitled wimps."

"I was very surprised to hear that Providence Schools were cancelled last night. I understand the reasoning, but it was a bad call. Suppose we end up with below normal temps for a whole week, do you cancel school for a week? Now my kids are home sucking up all the heat/electricity!"

"Im not that old, but when I was a kid I walked to school. It was about 1 to 2 miles and it was indeed uphill one way. I remember my hair freezing solid when I got to school too bad, you still had to be there. This country/state are turning our kids into a bunch of Sallys. Everyone is afraid of harming the children. I have 2 girls and there certainly things out there that they need protection from. However, you need to draw the line somewhere and stop overprotecting them. If were not careful these kids are going to grow up with no way of getting through the tough times which life throws at them because they are going to be soft. Toughen up people winter hats, scarfs and gloves will do the trick."

"It is an overreaction. It seems that the decision was made based on weather forecasts that were then hyped by an ever desperate media." (YES !!!!!)

"I am so angry about the continual knee jerk reaction to 3" of snow. Come on folks, show some common sense. I don't care that you don't want to get in trouble like last year. Our kids should be in school. The first day of summer vacation is going to be Independence Day if you keep going at this rate!"

"This is getting insane people! We are raising our children like VEAL...think about it. If this continues, they will be weak adults and our country will eventually be "eaten". Let's toughen up and prepare for what's coming...it's not going to be pretty."

"I used to have to walk to school in 3 feet of snow, with below zero temperatures, uphill both ways..."

"Your kids are going to be the biggest bunch of pansies. i don't ever remember getting school off because its cold out. heck we never got any snow days either."

"Close school because it's too cold ? The kids today are a bunch of pampered wussies !"

"Tomorrow they will complain about children playing to much xbox and watching to much TV."

(sic)

"Too many schools are jumping the gun on this. It is absolutely ridiculous. You do not see people in other states that have constant snow canceling school. But ONLY IN RI. Who cares its cold dress you kid in layers and send them to school. Oh wait are they afraid of them freezing waiting for the busses. I could see that if the kids actually waited outside, but 90% of them get picked up right at their door and wait inside so they hold up traffic slowly walking out. The state is sooo backwards..."

"I'm not surprised...no one in RI can handle any adversity. What would they do if they lived in Buffalo, NY or anywhere in Minnesota??? Toughen up...bunch of marshmallows in RI!!"

"We're raising a nation of sissies."