Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Grenade Park



Several houses in Washington were evacuated on Wednesday after a live grenade was found in a nearby park, a police spokesman said.

City and military police were dispatched to disarm the device, which was found around 8 a.m. on a playing field in Rock Creek Park about 4 miles from the White House, Park Police spokesman Robert Lachance said.

Found On Road Dead



Ford's US sales drop 34 percent in September

Tight credit, economic worries and high gasoline prices combined to cut Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales once again in September, with the beleaguered automaker reporting a 34 percent decline from the same month last year.

But it's not because their cars are crap...

It was Ford's worst sales month this year, and the results are a strong indication that analysts' forecasts of another dismal month will come true.

Because in a month their cars will still be crap...

Hyundai Motor Co.

who's cars are also crap...

reported its U.S. sales fell 25 percent. Other automakers are set to release their results later Wednesday.

Analysts have predicted September declines of more than 20 percent for most major automakers when compared with the same month last year as upheaval in the financial markets unnerved consumers.

The Oracles have spoken! Sparta's army can not march!!

"Consumers and businesses are in a very fragile place," Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president for marketing, said in a statement. "An already weak economy compounded by very tight credit conditions has created an atmosphere of caution."

And Ford makes crap cars that are ugly, badly made and no one wants, he failed to add...
If overall U.S. industry sales drop in September, it will be the 11th straight monthly decline when compared with the year-ago period. That would be the longest string of down months since 14 straight negative months ended in December 1991, according to Autodata Corp.

Perhaps designing good cars that people want to buy is a novel new untried approach they might look at...

Dealers from many manufacturers have said their customers are having an increasingly hard time qualifying for loans to buy autos, as banks have restricted lending because of widespread mortgage defaults that led to disruptions in the financial markets and the collapse of several banks. Plus, several automakers' finance arms have limited or discontinued leasing.
Ford sales also were hurt as buyers continued to favor small fuel-efficient cars over trucks and sport utility vehicles. Truck sales were down 39 percent, while car sales dropped 19 percent.

Illegal downloading and kids spending their money on video games was also blaimed...

The numbers do not include Ford's Volvo Cars unit.

Because those cars aren't as crap...


We Love You Big Brother

Hippy Overlords Demand Year Zero


Meat must be rationed to four portions a week, says report on climate change

People will have to be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week if the world is to avoid run-away climate change, a major new report warns.

Except for inner party members...

The report, by the Food Climate Research Network, based at the University of Surrey, also says total food consumption should be reduced, especially "low nutritional value" treats such as alcohol, sweets and chocolates.

Ministry of Truth reports Choco rations up to 4% from 8%...

It urges people to return to habits their mothers or grandmothers would have been familiar with: buying locally in-season products, cooking in bulk and in pots with lids or pressure cookers, avoiding waste and walking to the shops - alongside more modern tips such as using the microwave and internet shopping.

Urge... because Mommy Dirt is COUNTING on YOU...

The report goes much further than any previous advice after mounting concern about the impact of the livestock industry on greenhouse gases and rising food prices. It follows a four-year study of the impact of food on climate change and is thought to be the most thorough study of its kind.

Who pays for these studies anyways?

Tara Garnett, the report's author, warned that campaigns encouraging people to change their habits voluntarily were doomed to fail and urged the government to use caps on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pricing to ensure changes were made. "Food is important to us in a great many cultural and symbolic ways, and our food choices are affected by cost, time, habit and other influences," the report says. "Study upon study has shown that awareness-raising campaigns alone are unlikely to work, particularly when it comes to more difficult changes."

Why not just declair it YEAR ZERO and move everyone on to collective rice farms? It worked so well for the Cambodians.

Safe, But Not Enough

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The World Didn't End!!

The markets went up? But they said on TV...

Imagine Hope?



Vomit.

Look at the Hippy Overlords conducting this crap. You know they only allow "healthy snacks" and "educational toys" in their homes. How I HATED these idiots by about er... grade 5 (1976).

Imagine Hope. I imagine I hope he loses.

UPDATE:

From the website of the people behind this crap.

Sing for Change was a confluence of hard work, good will, and shared vision.

A triumph of the will!!

Inspired by ideas raised at a grassroots Obama fundraiser, a music teacher, Kathy Sawada, and the children composed and rehearsed the songs in less than two weeks.

So THAT'S why it sucks!

Several musicians heard of the effort and volunteered to accompany the children. Parents and older siblings designed and provided the T-Shirts and the banner. There’s a first for everything, but rarely do so many firsts come together at once: for the children and their parents, this is their first performance, first video, first banner, and first involvement with grassroots work on a presidential campaign.

Grassroots, paid for by rich people! Now that's grassroots!

As Sunday approached, a neighbor volunteered a home. Production wizards got wind of the project and offered their help in recordingit. The likes of Jeff Zucker, Holly Schiffer, Peter Rosenfeld, Darin Moran, Jean Martin, Andy Blumenthal, and Nick Phoenix rearranged schedules to participate. Holly Schiffer was able to get three High Definition cameras (Panasonic HVX250’s), and an AVID editing facility. When Jeff Zucker went to pick up the camera package, Ted Schilowitz happened to be there and offered a RED camera set up on a SteadiCam.

Just HAPPENED TO BE THERE WITH A STEADICAM. Right....

What we accomplished in a few hours on a Sunday afternoon embodies the nature of the Obama campaign: its grassroots inspiration, its inclusiveness, its community building. People pitched in quickly for a cause that resonated with them. There were not many conditions: “Think this is a good idea? Want to help? Great. Sunday at 12:00.” At the heart of the project were 22 children and their music. The willingness of all involved to come together for them was a testament to our hope, unity, courage, joy and belief in the future represented by these children.

Contrived, sickly sweet and vapid in a bongo beating I'd like to teach the world to sing nonsense kind of way. Politics and world view for people who've never been in the real world.

God, help us.

Market Tuna-Melt Sandwich with Kevin Bacon


One thing about this current "Market Meltdown" (a term I've heard used as the bi-line for at least 5 different news casts on a variety of channels) is that the people reporting it for the most part know absolutely ZERO about the markets. In fact from the reporting I've witnessed thus far being a expert on the markets seemed to be based on how many times you've watched Kevin Bacon in "Quicksilver".

One of the great errors and misunderstandings about the markets is that they can some how be predicted. They go up. They go down. The Bull and the Bear are more than just animal representations of that direction the market is headed. Those who actually work IN THE MARKETS (not people at Banks, thank you) know the Bull and Bear represent that undefinable element or X-factor in the market that can't be predicted. Not with all the charts, computer models, university degrees or tea leafs in the world.


The News approach to reporting the markets is largely based on the Weatherman model. Weatherman of course are able to explain what its like outside or why and how after the fact but more often than not they are wrong on what's going to happen. Perhaps with modern gadgets they can tell us what coming sooner than 20 years ago but I've yet to see them be right often enough to even pay attention. Yet there they are, the self appointed Market Weathermen explaining to you, Joe Average, how all this and that is going to effect the size of next weeks pot-roast.

Do they mention volume?

If XYZ suddenly drops down from 10$ to 8$ and suddenly someone is buying 900,000 shares of it at 8$, don't be surprised when it goes back up to 10$ or even 11$. When you start to see 900,000 shares being dumped don't be surprised when it starts to drop again.

That my friends is what the market is REALLY about, and despite what all the hippies and cry-babies might suggest there is nothing wrong with that.

We're Back

Yes, I know. It has been a long time. Back now.