Where’s the headlines?

We’ve been looking to something that has us baffled. We don’t put much in conspiracy theories, but this has us wondering. We know it’s election time, but why hasn’t the press been all over this story? Why would they be against technology that would allow us to have a hybrid that would double our gas mileage, weigh the same, and cost the same as our current vehicles?

While electric hybrids capture maybe 25 percent of the braking energy used, this new technology would capture at least 70 percent and do it cheaper. This technology is in use, and with more research and development could produce a Ford Taurus Hybrid that would get 85 mpg, at the same cost and weigh as a regular one.

We’re talking about a Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle (HHV). The concept is pretty straightforward. The engine powers a hydraulic pump motor, and that charges a high-pressure accumulator. The accumulator then powers one or more pump motors at the wheels. Another lower pressure acumulator completes the hydraulic circuit. But there’s a twist; this systems captures the energy wasted when braking, saves in the acumulator, and reuses it when the vehicle accelerates. A Hydra Drive system on a Hummer H1 conversion uses a 190 hp diesel, but can offer short bursts of power up to 600 hp. SWeet!

The EPA is involved, along with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Eaton Corporation, Ford, Sure Power LLC,BMW, and Parker Hannifin to name a few. Companies such as UPS, Waste Management, and FedEx have been seriously looking into the technology. UPS has already ordered a few. New York City is talking about trying a few for taxis.

Go here for the whole story from the EPA. If you want even more information go to the Design News.

Comments on this or any other subject are welcome.

Words of wisdom

We were going to do a collection of sayings by various itelligent people as a post. We thought of Einstein, Shakespeare and others. But since we didn’t know any, we’d have to research and spend a lot of time. So instead, so we chose…

The wisdom of Larry the cable guy……

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap

9. Support bacteria. They’re the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14 OK, so what’s the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, ‘What the hell happened?’

22. Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak

Comments are welcome.

Not an Obama rant

We were going to do a rant about the Obamamercial last night, but didn’t think that would be fair because we didn’t watch it. It must have been something though becuase in today’s Yahoo poll he’s down over eight percent.

So we’ll rant a little bit about the handling of the Davenport Promise. In the not too distant past our Mayor was on TV saying that layoffs might be possible due to the economy. Then the group studying the Promise came out with the findings they wanted, and if we don’t vote for using public money to fund the Promise, Davenport will slide into the river.

We’re losing citizens, and the Promise is the only thing that will save our city from turning into a ghost town, and the only way to get it here is public money. Taxes will have to raised if we don’t! Well if I remember right, we’re being charged the highest rate Iowa allows now. We are correctable, but if so; how can you raise them? Another rainwater tax?

Let’s see, Iowa taxes retirees, we went from a low cigarette tax to a high one, we got a very preferential smoking ban, and our vehicle registration is going way up. We don’t have money in the budget to fix potholes now, and we haven’t had money for alley repairs in years; but there’s money there for this program. It’s looking like the proposal will be on a special ballot, which cost money. We don’t know the answers, we’re only left with questions. The biggest two in our mind is; did anyone put an earnest effort into getting private financing of this project? And; how come you don’t list alternatives to public money?

Comments are always welcome.

Woman with 2 big…..

We’re going to warn you up front that some of you might find this post offensive. We recieved an email entitled “A woman with two really big boobs”. Normally we would automatically delete such emails, but we ventured a look anyway. We thought we’d look at it from a scientific standpoint, and we were shocked. This sort of thing just shouldn’t be allowed. We’ve put a thumbnail of this picture at the bottom of the post, but please remember you were warned before you looked. For those with more curiousity, the picture can be enlarged.

Comments are always welcome.

 Since the political front is getting old fast, we thought it time for a crime post. These are either from the FBI or the U.S. Department of Justice. First we mention an Asian gang in New York, we’ll mention that it’s Nation Cyber Awareness Month, the fact that the 2007 Hate Crime Statistics are now available, and lastly a raid in 29 cities, with hundreds of arrests, and 47 children saved from  the child sex-trafficing trade.

 The arrest of 11 members and associates of the Banya criminal organization have been arrested for RICO offenses, assaults in aid of racketeering, kidnapping, extortion, operation of illegal gambling businesses, and narcotics. Members of this orginization typically originate at the Banya Village in the Fuchow region of China.

 We guess that explains the alias’s listed for members. They include Cripple Tong, Yi Mai, Jong Ming, Big Flower, Hammer, Vegetable Duck, Fatty, Ping Duan, Brother Yi Geng, Gong Gong, and Shan Dong. The arrest were carried out by the U.S. Attorneys office, the FBI, ICE, and the New York City Police Department. If you want to read more about this go a here
 The Department of Homeland Security has declared October as National Cyber Awareness Month. The FBI posted it on their website October 24th. Several agencies are involved with this effort. If you’d like to see tips to keep your computer safe, or want to check out some resources, go to the FBI site.

 If you are interested in the 2007 Hate Crime Statistics from the FBI, you can go here.

 On Monday the FBI announced the results of their 3-day Child Sex Trafficing Sweep. The FBI was joined by more than 92 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in Operation Cross Country in 29 cities. It lead to 642 arrests and more importantly it resulted in removal of 47 children from a hellish life. We happen to agree with FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole who said “Sex trafficking of children is one of the most violent and unconscionable crimes committed in this country.” For more information, a list of agencies involved, or a little history on this horrible crime go here.

Comments on these or any other subject are welcome.

Here we go

 Now we understand why Obama is pushing early voting. On Tuesday, On October 7 of this year our Congress met to hear from Teresa Ghilarducci, a professor of economic-policy anlalysis at the New School for Social Research of New York. Her plan? To end all tax breaks on 401k’s and have the government take them over. The government would then take the money and invest in government bonds at 3% interest. We were getting tired of the 15% interest the wife’s was paying. But it gets better. If Democrats get a bigger majority in the House and Obama is elected, it will go through.

 Not a big deal you say? Well, let’s spell it out for you. Obama has been saying about spreading the wealth and fairness all along. And guess what isn’t fair when it comes to retirement savings. Well, in this month’s Smart Money magazine is an Article by Peter Keating about the new retirement. To quote, “Here’s the interesting news—this wealth gap is not merely the result of an income gap. It’s true that white households earn about twice as much as African-American households: an average of $76,960 a year versus $38,010, in 2004. That’s a big difference, but it’s not enough to explain the even larger chasms between the average equity in whites’ and blacks’ homes ($133,087 versus $39,294) or their investments ($119,513 versus just $8,817)—or their retirement accounts ($72,219 versus $18,187). At comparable levels up and down the earnings ladder, white families have more savings and overall assets than black families. And after adjusting for age and education as well as income, white households are still better off. So it’s not just that whites make more money than nonwhites; even given equal amounts of money, whites build more wealth than nonwhites.”

So here’s what we think-

 They, the Democrats, are taking an $80 billion tax break away from people with 401k’s, so that all people can save the same, and get the same return. Oh yeah, they also have to cover their butts on the mortgage bailouts, and figured it would be easier while everyone’s 401k is worth less.

 This would even affect the middle class. Imagine what they can do with estimated $3 trillion that we have tied up in these accounts.
So if you voted early, oops. Too late now. We can see plenty of future posts with ideas like these. After all, as American’s shouldn’t we continue working to help the less fortunate retire? We can’t wait until this election is over.

 Comments are always welcome.

Something to think about

 I’ve sat on this one for a while, but thought I’d post it now. I don’t want anyone to pop a blood vessel over this. It is interesting, and reminds us of another candidate who wasn’t fond of the Police or Military. Here’s the story from a policeman in his own words-

 I have read all of the emails from not only some of the MTOA board members, but from other Law Enforcement & Military personnel about Barack Obama’s rudeness and what seems to be disgust for basically anyone in uniform. Well, it’s my turn to add to the list of emailers and here it is:

 So members of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, MSP, and other local agencies inside Calhoun County are working with Secret Service in the security of Mr. Obama. & Mr. Obama’s bus arrives in Battle Creek and pulls into the stadium area. Before Mr. Obama exits the bus, he has the Secret Service get off and tell all Law Enforcement personnel in uniform that they now have to stand behind the bus so Mr. Obama is not seen with anyone in a Law Enforcement uniform before he gets off or while in the public view. So, everyone from MSP, Sheriff’s Dept., and other agencies looks at each other for a brief second, goes and stands behind the bus out of sight so Mr. Obama does not have to see, or been seen with, what to him is ‘undesirables’ since he refuses to been seen or even acknowledge Military or Law Enforcement.

 At a time of war and terrorism in our world, this presidental candidate who is being protected by various branches of the military & law enforcement at the tax payers expense, refuses to acknowledge, be seen with, have in his photographed background, any type of Military or Law Enforcement in uniform.

But this is not in the media or headlines in the news. Why? I wonder what the story or media frenzy would be if it was muslims, blacks, whites, jews, or any other race, gender, religon, and/or occupation,
that Mr. Obama refuses to be seen with or have around him.

Why would Law Enforcement branches make this up? Law Enforcement traditionally has had more funding under Democrats.

Just food for thought leading up to November 4th.

Jason Kern
Michigan Tactical Officer’s Association
Executive Board Member, Training Committee

 Comments are always welcome.

A little fun

Doc sent me the following email that deals witha question I’m sure we’ve all wondered about. If you’ve already seen it, we appologize, if you haven’t enjoy.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure – right from Day One! – that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn’t about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road.. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where’s my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer’s Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can’t you people see the plain truth? That’s why they call it the ‘other side.’ Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like ‘the other side.’ That chicken should not be crossing the road. It’s as plain and as simple as that.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn’t that interesting ? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra.#@&&^(C%……….reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Comments are always welcome.

The issues

This election is setting itself up to be the most important of any we can remember. How we vote will determine not only who gets elected, but what our economic future will be. The following is our opinion on what the issues are, and where the parties stand on the issues. These opinions and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee in some places.

We don’t see a flat tax in our future, which we feel would be the fairest tax. Democrats want to spread the wealth, take from the rich and give to the poor. Would that be trickle up economics? Republicans want to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanant. They want to give tax breaks to “big oil”. While $4 billion seems like a huge tax cut it’s not. We believe it would average out to less than 1%. Democrats want even more tax on the evil “big oil”.

Speaking of “big oil”, how do the party’s stand on energy independence. Democrats say get a tire gauge, don’t let big oil drill anywhere, and more ethanol. Republicans want to create more jobs by opening up offshore drilling.

On health care, the Democrats want the government to run it. Republicans want to give us a stipend and have us get our own insurance.

On a stronger economy the Democrats want to raise taxes on small businesses and the rich. Republicans Want to support small business, leave taxes alone, and show faith in our workforce.

Government already raised the debt ceiling by almost a trillion dollars, are now talking about a $400 billion expansion of the welfare system, and another $150 billion economic stymulus package. Ted Kennedy is working on a health care bill. The cost is yet unkown, but you can bet it won’t be cheap.

Now, since we’ve been as bi-partisan as possible to this point, we’ll give our thoughts. Higher taxes are what run some companies to foreign countries. It’s the cause as much as greed, or being a member of the rich folks society.

We have capped wells the government won’t let big oil drill, open them up. Within a few months oil prices will drop, more people would be working, and that would help the economy.

On the health care front, get in line for your government HMO. You may just find out you can’t afford health insurance either. Depending on deductabiles and co-pays you may be better off without it.

The raising of the debt ceiling has us worried.If times are so tough that we citizens have to make sacrifices, why is the government setting itself up for more spending? Because one party wants guaranteed health care, home ownership, and college educations. To us it looks more like buying votes from the uninformed, and the poor.

There’s even talk of taking our IRAs and having the government manage them. We would then get a portion back as part of our Social Security check when we retire. And when we die, they might even give a portion of what’s left to our heirs.

So, in one corner we have a tofu-farting elitist with nefarious friends, who’s running mate has foot-in-mouth disease. On the other a seemingly over-medicated, soft-spoken friend, whose running mate doesn’t seem to get a break. Don’t forget to vote.

That’s our take, your comments on this or anything else are welcome.

Some local things

Breitbach’s Country Dining burnt to the ground Friday. For those who may remember, it was Christmas Eve of last year that the original building was destroyed by a fire. It’s also only been four months since the new building opened.

Breitbach’s has been open and run by the same family for 147 years. It was originally a Stagecoach Stop. So, once again, Balltown is down to one business, the feed store accross the road. We hope Mike rebuilds again because the food is great, and getting there gives you some of best views in the state. It’s rumored that on the two-lane blacktop from Dubuque you can see three states from the top of some hills. Just remember to watch the road, there aren’t any guardrails.

On Wednesday, October 29th, at 6 p.m. is the 5th Ward meeting. It will again be held in the Community Room of the Davenport Police Station, 416 Harrison St. We’re not real sure what’s on the agenda, but we’ll venture a few guesses. Alderman Lynn will probably mention the Blackhawk Hotel, the new Walgreen’s, the new terminal at the airport, new people in our local government, what our local government is doing, crime, and the Guardian Angels. If you live in the 5th Ward you should check it out. I know I plan to be there.

We’ll be busy wrenching on the Escort today, we’re going to try to change the nut behind the wheel. Comments on just about anything are always welcome.