Carlin dies and some bad guys

 While we were down at the jobbers today we heard George Carlin had died. While the newscast mentioned his ’seven words you can say on TV” routine, we really liked his one on hair. We’ll have to hunt up his albums and dust them off. Nobody did it like he did, and he will be missed.

 Doing a dry-doughnut, we’re also going to post some bad guys. The first ones mentioned, with the FBI’s most wanted for crimes against children are the ones we’d really like to see get locked up.

  The FBI also has a ‘Most Wanted’ list concerning crimes against
children. To our way of thinking the people on this list are
the worst of the worst. To check out this list please go to
the list.

The former leader of the Latin Kings in Florida is Indicted on
drug trafficing and firearms charges. Michael A. Garcia faces charges
of cnspiracy to distribute Ecstasy and more than 5 kilograms of
cocaine between 2005-2008. If you want to read more about this go
here.

An International Arms dealer has been extradited from Spain to face
terrorism charges. Monzer Al Kassar is now in New York to face the
charge on conspiracy to sell millions of dollars worth of arms to
a terrorist group. Two co-defendants are also facing charges. Go to
the webpage.

Comments are always welcome.

57′ Ford

We haven’t done a car post for a while, so we’re going back to 1957.
It was a good year for automobiles, and Ford even outsold Chevrolet
that year with a record 1.67 million cars built. Ford also takes 31.3
percent of the truck market, and celebrated the 25-millionth Ford V-8.
Ford completely restyled the car line in 1957, hence they
didn’t look much like the previous year. The Thunderbird was also
given a faclift, and two new models joined the line. The Ranchero, which
was a car/pickup, and the Skyliner retractable hardtop.

Engines in the 1957 Ford had a little something for everyone. They
ranged from a 223 cubic inch straight six, to a supercharged 312 V-8.
There were two other V-8’s available, 272 cubic inches, and 292 cubic
inches. Horsepower ranged from 144 hp with the six, to 300 hp with the
supercharged 312.

Options included bigger engines, unless you started with a 312 version.
Ford-O-Matic (automatic) transmission, automatic overdrive transmission,
radio, power steering, power brakes, power windows, heater and defroster,
chrome engine dress-up kit, back-up lights, whitewall tires, continental
kit, and oversize rearview mirror, lifeguard safety equipment package,
oversized tires, radio antenna and more.

That’s our latest walk down memory road, we hope it brings back fond memories.
We had several 57’s in the past and liked them all. The 1957 Ford had the narrowest
9-inch rearend housing. Yes, it’s narrower than a Mustang II. It also had a smooth
center section that is desireable under street rods. If you’re used to regular cars of
era, the hood of the 57′ Ford opened backward. It lifted from the rear instead of the
front. And those Y-blocks sure sounded good with a set of glass-packs.
Comments on any subject are welcome.

Yet another rant

Some of the things below may have already been talked about on this and
other blogs. Since we’re equal opportunity offenders, we try to ruffle
everyone’s feathers. If we didn’t, we’ll try later.

The RI Argus had an editorial the other day about getting rid of violence.
The editorial asked something like “Who’ll lead our fight against violence?”
It went on to mention local churches and the NAACP as groups stepping
up to help. We feel the problem is so multi-faceted that there is no
simple set of steps to success. Several things have been shown to be at
the root of such behavior. Public housing complexes, single-parent families,
poverty, lack of education, and greed to name a few. The problem lies
with how to fix all the problems at the same time.

And the flood. A lot of talk has gone around for and against a floodwall.
The city claims the cost is minimal to just sandbag and clean up later,
and things went smoothly this time.
But we think the $200,000 figure being quoted is way too low. We just
don’t get why water getting in the basement in the multi-million dollar
Figge musuem isn’t a problem. Or for that matter businesses losing money
because of the flood. Or how about the high-and-dry ballpark that needed
a bridge to get to that didn’t seem to get used. We could go on.
So it seems the majority likes the insanity of this set-up.
Call us crazy, but putting three million dollars in a park that
floods every 8 to 10 years makes no sense to us. At least the skybridge
is seeing plenty of use.

As with most government programs we believe the disaster relief fund is
set up back asswards. Instead of rewarding a city that fights the system
and refuses to build a floodwall, give the monies to the cities who
have conformed and have no damage. And if Congress would take off their
rose colored glasses and open Alaska for oil drilling we would see gas
prices plummet. It would take a refinery about the size of an airport
two years to be producing one million barrels a day. Some Senators are
claiming this would only drop gas prices one cent. Bull.

Ethanol production is ruining the food economy, polluting
rivers and streams, eliminating grasslands, using up the water in
water-poor regions, and polluting more than gasoline. In doing so,
nobody is making money, it is having little impact on our need for
foreign oil, and gas prices keep rising.

Some of the problem lies with the rising cost of natural gas which is
used to power most bio-refineries. And let’s not forget the subsidy of
fifty-one cents a gallon to refiners, who still can’t break even.

Since ethanol now uses about 25% of America’s corn, how does that work
when the government increases production fivefold. Does that mean in
2020 that 125% of the corn produced will go to ethanol, and we’ll eat
what’s left?

That’s our bi-state rant. Comments are welome.

Another rant

Well it’s time for the Thursday rant. We’ll start off with the trucker
shutdown. It never made sense to us when someone claims they’re
not making enough money, they take unpaid time off work to protest. It
would make more sense to us if they did it after hours. At least that
way they wouldn’t lose money.

Congress is making a big stink about how much money ‘big oil’ is
making. Doesn’t make much sense to us simple rednecks. While it is true
that the earnings are $123.29 billion. But that’s based on a revenue of
$1.46 trillion. That’s an earning of 8.4 cents on the dollar.
Pharmaceutical companies, on the other hand, earned only $48.24 billion
on a revenue of $230.64 billion. Well kids, that’s an earning of 20.9
cents per dollar.

Our esteemed legislators in the Congress have differing views on the
solution to our high gas prices. Democrats want to take away tax
incentives and make oil companies set aside 10 per cent of earnings
for alternative energy. Republicans want to open our shores for more
drilling and leave the tax incentives. We know which alternative makes
more sense to us.

These are the idiots who told us citizens that Ethanol was the way to
go. We were told it would pollute less and not affect our corn or food
prices. These are the idiots putting the high taxes on cigarettes. These
are the idiots who’ve taken charge of our schools, which now have over
1 million drop-outs a year. We don’t think the problem lies with gas
companies, it lies with these idiots.

While Congress has a lower approval rating than the President, it doesn’t
seem to want to change any time soon. Transportation makes up but a small
portion of CO2 pollution. Still their answer is to make gas so expensive
the average American will drive less. What they forget is that if we
drive less, our States get less road tax money to fix our roads. They also
forget that in keeping the price high, other businesses lose out. Less
people go out to eat, or out to see a movie; and less people have enough
leftover monies to purchase new cars.

That’s our take for the week. Your comments on any and all subjects are
welcome.

Thursday rant

 Our mayor is quoted in RI Argus this morning. He says the Iraq war has cost Davenport taxpayers $125 million since it started. He is also quoted as saying that the money could have went to give us a three and a half year property tax holiday. A little further down in the story he claims this years projected cost to us taxpayers is $37.3 million. He adds that the money could have repaved 47 miles of roads, or filled 1,286,206 potholes. That’s fine, but who’d pay to fix the rest the potholes.

 A local pastor said the monies could have went toward building 1,500 low-cost housing units for some of Iowas 20,000 homeless or near homeless. Man, that seems more important than keeping our country free to us. Freedom isn’t free, but it is worth fighting for.

 Then in the QC Times Business section today is a story about Forbes ranking cities for being good for business. Des Moines came in 4th, Cedar Rapids was 44th, and dear old Davenport limped in at 90th. We would suggest that rather than worry about money that will never come, perhaps our city leaders should look at improving our standing on the Forbes list. That’s our rant, comments on just about anything are welcome.

the ‘48 is 60

One of my favorite cars of all time, the 1948 Chevy, is 60 years old this year. This post is about the ‘48 Chevy.

the 1948 Chevrolet-
 
 Some facts-
Model year was introduced in February 1948 with 775,982 units sold during the calendar year. First year for precision interchangable main engine bearings replacing poured babbitt bearings. The business coupe had a front seat only, the Fleetmaster station wagon was a true ‘woodie’. Chevy dealers could install a woodgrained ‘Country Club’ trim package on the Fleetline Aero Sedan and Fleetmaster Town Sedan for $149.50, but few were ordered.

 All models had a 116 inch wheelbase, three-speed manual transmission with a 4:11 rear axle ratio, and 16×6 tires. The engine in all cars was the 216.5 cubic inch stovebolt six that produced a blistering 90 horsepower.

 Convenience Options-
Standard radio, deluxe push-button radio. Standard below-dash heater and defroster, deluxe in-dash heater and defroster, and deluxe under-the-seat heater. White sidewall tires, spotlight cowl windshield washere, low-pressure tires on wide rim 15-inch wheels, bedford cord Fleetmaster upolstery, front and rear bumper wing guards, chrome plated gravel shields, radio antenna, clock in the Stylemaster, cigarette lighter in the Stylemaster, engine canister-type oil filter, oil-bath air cleaner Country club trim package (mentioned above), wheel trim rings, directional signals, and windshield visor.

 GM also toyed with the idea of a compact, along the lines of the bathtub Nash, called the Cadet. After designing a smaller stovebolt 6 and millions of dollars in investment, the idea was scrapped. Chevy found it would cost almost as much to make as a standard Chevy, and there was no market.

 Being the proud owner of a 1948 Fleetmaster Sport Sedan, I did some checking. According to our files the list price of our vehicle was $1,345. For that grand sum the car came with a 90 day or 4,000 mile warranty, and did not cover the tires.

 Breaking-in went as follows; not over 40 miles per hour for the first 100 miles, not over 50 miles per hour for the next 200, and not over 60 miles per hour for the next 200 miles. And you were warned not to attempt continuous high speed driving until the car had been driven 2,000 miles.

 This car also had a manual choke and a throttle control.  To start the vehicle, you would turn the key on, pull out the choke, and step on the starter button next to the accelerator pedal. On colder mornings you’d also want to pull the throttle control out a little because stovebolts don’t like cold weather.

 We also like the vacuum windshield wipers, and the cowl vent. Oh yeah, these cars also had wing windows in the front and a split windshield. There was a choice of Methanol antifreeze or Ethylene Glycol, which was more expensive. The car rode on 16 inch rims with 6-ply non-radial tires with 26-28 psi. Why’d we ever change?

 Our ‘48 is by no means stock anymore, but still has the 6-lug hubs, and torque-tube drivetrain. It has a ‘53 235 stovebolt in it with a solid cam, two carburetors, and dual exhaust. We did keep the vacuum shift, starter button, and 6-volt electrical system. So there’s the nickel tour on 1948 Chevrolets, and why we love em. I also like the fact it’s a couple of years older than I am. Comments on any subject are welcome.

Seat belt law

 As with some years, this year we’ll see some new laws go into effect in January. Illinois has the smoking law starting today, and there are more. We’d like to concentrate on a National law going into effect soon because being car people it affects us more. Here’s the information-

New Seat Belt Law
becomes effective January 15, 2008

The National Highway Safety Council has done extensive testing on a newly designed seat belt.
Results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 45% when the belt is properly installed. Correct installation is illustrated below…….
This is very Important, please pass on to friends and family.
THIS MAY
SAVE A LIFE!

I KNOW….YOU SMILED

I KNOW….YOU SMILED AGAIN…

Drive Safely, be sure to buckle up…

Christmas golf

 Four old-timers were playing their weekly game of golf, and one remarked how nice it would be to wake up on Christmas morning, roll out of bed and without an argument, go directly to the golf course, meet his buddies and play a round.
His buddies all chimed in and said, “Let’s do it! We’ll make it a priority, figure out a way and meet here early Christmas morning.”
Months later, that special morning arrives, and there they are on the golf course.
The first guy says, “Boy this game cost me a fortune! I bought my wife such a diamond ring that she can’t take her eyes off it.”
Number 2 guy says, “I spent a ton, too. My wife is at home planning the cruise I gave her. She was up to her eyeballs in brochures.”
Number 3 guy says “Well my wife is at home admiring her new car, reading the manual.”
They all turned to the last guy in the group who is staring at them like they have lost their minds.
“I can’t believe you all went to such expense for this golf game. I woke up, slapped my wife on the butt and said, ‘Well babe, Merry Christmas! It’s a great morning for either sex or golf.”
and she said
“Take a sweater.”

Holiday eating tips

 We got this in an email from Doc and thought we’d share it.

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. You can’t find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an ‘eggnog-aholic’ or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it! Have one for me.

Have two. It’s later than you think.

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat - have a slice of each. Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert — Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Things You Don’t Hear Anymore…

Be sure to refill the ice trays, we’re going to have company after while.

Watch for the postman, I want to get this letter to Aunt Mary in the mail today.

Quit slamming the screen door when you are on your way out!

Be sure and pull the windows down when you leave, it looks like a shower is coming up.

Don’t forget to wind the clock before you go to bed.

Wash your feet before you go to bed, they are nasty from playing outside all day barefooted.

Why can’t you remember to roll up your pant legs? Getting them caught in the bicycle chain so many times is tearing them up.

You have torn the knees out of that pair of pants so many times there is nothing left to put a patch on.

Don’t you go outside with your good school clothes on!

Go comb your hair; it looks like the rats have nested in it all night.

Be sure and pour the cream off the top of the milk when you open the new bottle.

Take that empty bottle to the store with you so you won’t have to pay a deposit on another one.

Put a dish towel over the cake so the flies won’t get on it.

Quit jumping on the floor! I have a cake in the oven and you are going to make it fall if you don’t quit!

Let me know when the Fuller Brush man comes by, I need to get a few things from him.

You boys stay close by, the car may not start and I will need you to help push it off.

There’s a dollar in my purse, get 5 gallons of gas when you go to town.

Open the back door and see if we can get a breeze through here, it is getting hot.

You can walk to the store; it won’t hurt you to get some exercise.

Don’t sit too close to the TV. It is hard on your eyes.

If you pull that stunt again, I am going to wear you out!

Don’t lose that button; I’ll sew it back on after awhile.

Wash under your neck before you come to the table, you have beads of dirt and sweat all under there.

Get out from under the sewing machine; pumping it messes up the thread!

Be sure and fill the lamps this morning so we don’t have to do that tonight in the dark.

Here, take this old magazine to the toilet with you when you go, we are almost out of paper out there.

Go out to the well and draw a bucket of water so I can wash dishes.

Don’t turn the radio on now, I want the battery to be up when the Grand Ole Opry comes on.

No! I don’t have nine cents for you to go to the show. Do you think money grows on trees?

Eat those vegetables, they’ll make you big and strong like your daddy.

That dog is NOT coming in this house! I don’t care how cold it is out there, dogs just don’t come in the house.

Sit still! I’m trying to get your hair cut straight and you keep moving and it is all botched up.

Hush your mouth! I don’t want to hear words like that! I’ll wash your mouth out with soap!

It is time for your system to be cleaned out. I am going to give you a dose of castor oil tonight.

If you get a spanking in school and I find out about it, you’ll get another one when you get home.

Quit crossing your eyes! They will get stuck that way!

Soak your foot in this pan of coal oil so that bad cut won’t get infected.

When you take your driving test, don’t forget to signal each turn. Left arm straight out the window for a left turn; left arm bent up at the elbow for a right turn; and straight down to the side of the door when you are going to stop.

It is: “Yes Ma’am!” and “No Ma’am!” to me, young man, and don’t you forget it!

Y’all come back now, ya hear!