Can you afford to save all that money?

As I go along, I keep encountering all of these really
great deals to save me a lot of money. Does that ever
happen to you?
Well the problem is that the source of all these
goodies is trying to sell you something that you might
not otherwise buy.
Let's take for instance the discount coupons. Oh I know
that you could really save money. Sometimes up to
fifty percent off of the price of a "name brand" item.
The catch is that quite often the "store brand" item may
cost less the coupon item after you use the coupon.
Also, quite often the "store item" is made by the maker
of the "name brand" item and it costs a lot less. Of
course after the coupons are gone, you still go out
and buy that "name brand" item and bingo, they've
got you.
Then, here are all of those freebie web sites. If you want
to judge there effectiveness for you, then you must
first realize that they are "in it for the money".
They make their money when the maker of the subject
item pays them to give it away. That's because the
maker of the item thinks that you will continue to
buy it after the freebie is used up. They feel that they
get a loyal customer.
A good rule of thumb is not to get the freebie unless
you really want it anyhow. Then, at least you might
be satisfied with what you get.

Foppish is as Foppish Does

Foppish, FOPPISH aaaayyy you talkin to ME! Sounds like the days of

the Rat Pack. Or -- Think About it. West Side Story! If you're a gang

dancing down the street on the West Side --- You'd damn well better

be able to fight better and meaner than anyone else.

Do you feel like you have just sat in the front row at one of Don Rickles

performances. "Ahh, the closest that you'll ever get to being in a Dean

Martin Roast. For more information see

The night I played Don Rickles' hockey puck. Was the age of foppish

also the age of Macho. After all, remember there was one action movie star

that didn't want his friends to know that he was an actor because they might

think that he, is, shall we say, less than masculine.

Merriam-websters Online Dictionary says that the definition of foppish

is characteristic of a fop --a foppish dressing gown-- or behaving or dressing in

the manner of a fop. The word fop is defined by the same site as 1 obsolete :

a foolish or silly person or 2: a man who is devoted to or vain about his

appearance or dress : coxcomb, dandy, Wow all of this going around in circles

and where has it gotten us? Well, in many cases, the hero can afford to be

foppish because he has the gifts, or talent, or mere chutzpah to pull off a good

performance without leaving any room for anyone to criticize his masculinity

bravery, wit or other modicums of talent. You can check out the wikipedia

references as it is getting onerous, hmm onerous, that's a good one. I'll

have to remember that one. I wonder if it is foppish. Oh Well.

Sell Chrysler--Not On Your Life

The New York Times is reporting that the Treasury Department

is preparing a bankruptcy filing for Chrysler that could happen

by next week. The Times attributes its report to "people with

direct knowledge of the action." Pensions and health benefits

would be protected as a condition of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy

filing, according to an "agreement in principle" between the

Treasury and the United Automobile Workers, the Times says.

Also, Fiat would complete its alliance with Chrysler while the

company is under bankruptcy protection. The Times continues:

The only major question that remains unresolved is what happens

to Chrysler’s lenders, who hold $6.9 billion in company debt.

The government’s most recent offer, presented Wednesday,

would give the company’s lenders about 22 cents on the dollar,

or $1.5 billion, and a 5 percent equity stake in a reorganized

Chrysler. Earlier this week, a steering committee of the lenders

proposed that they receive 65 cents on the dollar, or $4.5 billion,

and a 40 percent equity stake. If no agreement is reached, a

nasty legal fight could emerge in bankruptcy. The creditors’

claims are backed by virtually all of the company’s collateral,

including plants, brands and equipment, and the lenders will

argue that they have first claim on those assets. For more

information, see
ON DEADLINE Breaking News and must read

stories.

What a minute, doesn't the name Hemi mean anything to you?

These engines are the great great grandsons of one of the most memorable

Hot Rod Legends in all history. That engine was pretty hefty anyway,

but it was ready made for fantastic increases in power and accel-

eration. Also, when Ford and GM try to make bare bones basic

vehicles, the response is ho hum. The PT-Cruisers were butt ugly

and they had quite a few dealers laughing all the way to the bank.

Does the United States really think that Fiat is going to do anything

for Chrysler but strip it of all assets and take the money and run.

Fiat! The Europeans don't like it because of its crappy poor quality.

To team Fiat up with Chrysler is a major insult to Chrysler and Amer-

icans. Even Italy is not thrilled with Fiat.

Please US government, reconsider, there has to be some other way.

Marathon Running - Is it all its made out to be?

Marathon running has joined the ranks as "must do" activities to prove
that you are green and healthy.
Of course the first things that come to mind are the heart healthy attributes
of running and being active and it gets you out doors in the healthy fresh
air and sunshine.
Healthy air and sunshine? Hmmm, isn't overexposure to the sun one of the
major causes of certain types of skin cancer? Oh well, I guess you will just
have to cover up and ditch the tight, sexy, little running shorts that your
significant other thinks look so great on you.
What about damage to your joints from the impact of running on pavement?
Every person is built differently. Some people can tolerate many marathons
over a lifetime, while others get injured trying to train for their first one.
In order to stay healthy in the long run, you should listen to your body's
cues—if running starts to be painful, it may be time to cut back on your
running mileage and begin to include other types of exercise in your regular
routine. (Checkout
Nova Ask the Expert for more information).
There are many devices made to help prevent or alleviate the problems
associated with damage from running on hard pavement. These include
various braces and many different types of running shoes.
There are even compression running socks that offer a 30-day money back
guarantee of a 5% performance boost plus free shipping no less. For
more information on this one, visit
cepsocks.com where science meets sports.
In any case, have a happy and positive marathon season.

Thoughts Regarding Our New Chief Technology Officer

It's refreshing that we are finally paying attention to the development
and advancement of technology. In the past, it was the major driving
force for our economy and probably a major factor in the allies winning
of World War Two.
One should not forget that major advances in the internet, networking,
and computational methods in general led to the fastest economic growth
in recent, if not our entire, history.
The "Space Race to the Moon" fueled major innovation and growth in the
Sixties that carried over into the early Seventies.
We should hope that this renewed awareness and interest will spur the
various government and other ruling entities to expand educational
opportunities and make public education as available to everyone as our
grade schools and high schools.
All to often, our government officials have been so intent on "cutting
taxes" that they foolishly make education the first service that they cut.
We must change our mindset so that we view taxes paid to the govern-
ment to be an investment with return of services to the citizens.
The best place to start would be to insist on real public education to all
to the extent that they need to make at least a comfortable living. No
longer can a college education be only for those willing to go into an onerous amount of debt or so well off that they can pay huge amounts of cash.
Then we may be able to compete more effectively in the industries that depend so much on technology to prosper.
For more information see

Wall Street Journal Blogs - Tech Industry Cheers as Obama Taps Aneesh Chopra for CTO.

Only the Shadow Knows Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh

Ah yes, those halcyon days sitting next to the maroon Admiral radio listening to the creaking door when “The shadow knows” intoned in a smoky, gravelly, voice.
That was enough to send chills up and down your spine even without the lights turned very low in the semi darkness.
Those were the lost days of Lamont Cranston solving the mystery, exposing the perpetrators of the dastardly deeds and bringing them to justice.
The Shadow was one of the most famous pulp heroes of the 20th century,
The Shadow has been featured in comic books, comic strips, television,
video games, and at least seven motion pictures. It was even implied as
the subject of at least one Tom and Jerry Cartoon.
The radio drama is well remembered for those episodes voiced by Orson Welles.
Introduced as a mysterious radio narrator by David Chrisman, William Sweets, and Harry Engman Charlot for Street and Smith Publications, The Shadow w as fully developed and transformed into a pop culture icon by legendary pulp writer Walter Gibson.
The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street & Smith radio program Detective Story Hour.
After gaining popularity among the show's listeners, the narrator became the star of The Shadow Magazine on April 1, 1931; a pulp series created and primarily written by the prolific Gibson.
Even today the aforementioned Tom and Jerry cartoons can be seen on
TV in your living room. Although it still seems a little strange when one
compares it with the dark sweaty atmosphere in the neighborhood movie theatre during a Saturday afternoon matinee.
Even after decades, the unmistakable introduction from The Shadow radio program,
intoned by actor Frank Readick Jr., has earned a place in the American idiom:
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!
The Shadow knows ... " These words were accompanied by a haunting theme song,
Le Rouet d'Omphale, composed by Saint-Saëns.
For more information check out
The Shadow - A Short Radio History or From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .