A sad bit of irony

If you are into cars you probably know the
name Paul Walker from the “Fast and Furious”
movies. If you aren’t into cars, the movies
involved street racing.

Walker was killed earlier today when the
Porsche he was a passenger in crashed and
burst into flames in Valencia, California.

They were attending a charity event for
for his ‘Reach Out Worldwide’ organization.
Both Walker and the driver were killed.
Paul Walker was 40 years old.

He was working on another sequel in the
movie franchise at the time of his death.
We don’t know if racing was involved in
the crash.

Go here for more pictures and
information. The picture above came from
the site.

Reminds one of James Dean, a sad day indeed.
Comments are always welcome.

Little known facts

Since we have survived another Thanksgiving
we got to thinking about the answers to the
questions people never ask.

Since we had said answers left over from an
email a friend sent, we thought it would
be a good idea to share them.

Like, do you get confused over which Coke
sinks and which one floats? Worry no more.

Ever wondered how loud it would get if every
shrimp snapped their claws at the same time?
Got you covered.

How many times have we sat around the kitchen
table and asked “when did the last widow of
a Civil War veteran die?” Here’s the answer.

And we’ll help put an end to all your
sleepless nights wondering about how crowded
Texas would be if the entire population of
our earth lived there.

This one might be good to stump someone on
trivia night.

And how many times have we talked about
insect wings?

Of course wings remind us of a dream we once
had about giant mutant flying ants. This is
a little tamer.

Will end with a baboon fact we didn’t know
about, learned at one point, and quickly forgot
until we looked at this picture again.

And there are some useless facts, little
known oddities, and informational tidbits
you can do without. Don’t know about you,
but we feel smarter.
Comments are always welcome.

Trains, cars, trucks and tractors

On Fridays we think of cars and other shiny
things, but today will be a little different.
We are going all video with the shiny things,
worthless facts, and useless trivia you don’t
care to know.

We will answer questions that have plagued
mankind since the beginning of the industrial
era.

This video answered a question we had been
pondering over for years; How do you avoid
getting hit by a train?

People seem to think accessories that are
available on our vehicles today are new while
some go back decades. This video from the 50s
show that decades take on self-parking cars.

Lets go back to 1953 and the very first NHRA
National event. The short video sure put a
smile on our face.

From Australia comes the World’s Toughest
Hilux. It is one mean little truck.

What happens when you pit an 850 horsepower
John Deere diesel-powered pulling tractor
against an 18 horsepower stream tractor?

If you like the rumble of open headers, here
are some Gassers at the Greer Dragway from
last August.

Think your spade bit is too slow and leaves
a rough edge? Bosch, and Home Depot may have
an answer for your problem.

Now if these questions come up at a party
you will have the answers. And Happy Birthday
Kenny!

Comments are always welcome.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Comments are always welcome.

Things you don’t need to know

A friend sent us an email about oddities
we probably don’t know about. We thank the
friend for sharing and the person who put
it together for doing so.

That said, here are some things you probably
didn’t know.

We don’t know that these are all true,
but now you know.
Comments are always welcome.

They are not crooks

With the holidays almost upon us, the emails
about charities and how much does or does not
go to the cause will be sent.

You know, the ones that say the CEO of UNICEF
gets $1,200,000 per year plus use of a Rolls
Royce while only 14 cents of every dollar
donated goes to the cause.

And to donate to charities like the Salvation
Army because their Commissioner only makes
$13,000 per year while 96% of donated money
goes to the cause.

Let’s look at these and others using the IRS
efficiency method. This refers to the
percentage of the total budget/expenses that
a non-profit spends on providing charitable
programs or services.

American Red Cross:
the email said 39% of income goes to goods or
services, yet the IRS efficiency rating is
92%.

American Legion:
the email states the American Legion
Commander receives no salary, while the IRS
gives the group a 55% efficiency rating.

March of Dimes:
the email claims only a dime out of every
dollar goes towards goods or services, but
the IRS gives them a 64.6% efficiency rating.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:
the email claims 100% of donations goes to
their cause, the IRS gives them an efficiency
rating of 70.3%

And the charity that got the lowest rating?
Hold on to your hat, it was the Vietnam
Veterans of America with an efficiency rating
of 25%.

You can check these, and more, here.

So our advice would be to ignore the email
ratings, disregard the IRS rating, and give
to the charity that you believe in.
Comments are always welcome.

Looking at cars that never were

Let’s hop on the FuturLiner bus and take an
online cruise to a virtual car show like no
other.

GM first started using the FuturLiners in
the 1940s to promote their Parade of Progress.
The Parade of Progress was started again in
1953.

Although the FuturLiner was built for GM we
will look at different makes also. The only
thing these cars have in common is that none
of them made it into production.

So here are some cars you may not have seen
for your consideration.

We’ll start with the 1951 Buick LeSabre.

Seen a 1952 Chrysler D’Elegance before?

Or an unkown year Mecury D524?

In 1953 Ford showed this X-100.

A 1954 DeSoto Adventurer II.

A 1955 Lincoln Futura.

A 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket.

The 1957 Chrysler Diablo.

The very strange-looking 1958 Ford X-2000.

The 1959 Cadillac Cyclone is another strange
one.

And to end with something different, how
about a video from the 1920’s that tries
to predict what the future will look like.

I’m glad the prediction for the year 2000
was so far off. I can’t see me wearing a
crown and a robe with a utility belt.

Who says the 50’s were boring?
Comments are always welcome.

The neverending story

It sure is fun to live in this river city
with our ongoing Casino Circus Saga. Once
again our Mayor has proven he’s nothing but
predictable.

During the campaign he promised a more
civilized and dignified city government and
that he wanted and end to our Casino woes.

Once the election was over, at one of the
first council meetings he was once again
wanting more money from the Casino developer.

Our resident gaming expert Mayor said of
the negotiations: “Politics is the art of
compromise. He (the developer) hasn’t moved
off of 8.5%, and I’m not moving off getting
more.”

The developer said that 8.5% is a higher
take than any other city gets in the state.
And added that the buyer and seller could
close the deal and just leave the city out
of the picture altogether.

Said developer doesn’t want to do that, but
he does want to get started on the construction
of his $110 million Casino.

This leaves three options for our Mayor.
Keep fighting it and have them go before
the gaming board without the city; get on
board and get er’ done, or watch the
development land in another city.
Comments are always welcome.

A really amazing person

Today we set sail for jolly old England to
tell this tale, but before we do we have
to ask…

If you had saved 669 children from World
War II could you keep it a secret?

This man did. Meet Sir Nicholas Winton of
Hampstead, London England. And on the eve of
the Second World War he organized the rescue
of 669 children from German-occupied
Czechoslovakia, got them safe passage to
Britain, and found homes for them.

The UK press called him the “British
Schindler”. His operation was later known as
the Czech Kindertransport, and the children
saved were mostly Jewish.

in 1983 he was appointed a Member of the
Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his
work in establishing the Abbeyfield homes
for the elderly in Britain.

In 1988 his wife Gete found a scrapbook in
their attic that was so detailed it listed
the children, their parent’s names, and the
names of the families that took them in.

During a 1988 episode of the BBC program
‘That’s Life’, the world learned of his
humanitarians efforts. He also met some of
those children that he saved.

In 2002 in the New Years Honours, he was
knighted in recognition of his work on the
Czech Kindertransport.

In 2003 he received the Pride of Britain
Award for Lifetime Achievement.

In 2008 the Czech government named a school
after him and awarded him the Cross of Merit
of the Minister of Defense, Grade 1. He was
also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2009 he celebrated his 100th birthday by
flying over the White Waltham Airfield in a
microlight piloted by the daughter of one
of the boys he saved.

He has been the subject of three films, one
play, and is now 104 years old! What a
wonderful life.
Comments are always welcome.

Are you ready?

Brook from NHS sent us this information in 2007 and it still apllies.

Preparing for a Winter Ice/Snow Storm and possible Power Outage.

Steps

1.Make sure you have some basic survival items in your house before the threat of a storm:

A shovel. Even if you live in an apartment you should own a shovel as you may need to dig yourself out before your ground crew gets in, and they are unlikely to dig out your car.
Flashlights. Make sure you have good quality flashlights and lamps with fresh batteries.
Food. Make sure you have enough non-perishable food to last a few days. Even if your budget is tight you should make sure to keep extra food in the house. Canned and powdered foods are good for long-term storage.
A Can Opener. Make sure to have a good old-fashioned manual can opener.
Blankets and Warm Clothing. You may already have these items, but remember you will need enough blankets to keep you warm without any heat and in adverse conditions.
A Camping Stove or barbecue Grill. A gas-powered camping stove is a wise investment for any emergency situation. If you have an electric stove in the kitchen a camp stove is almost a necessity. Be sure you use it with proper ventilation, and have plenty of backup fuel.
Gas Stoves in your home can work, remember that if you have a gas stove with igniters, you may have to light the burner manually (with a match). Never use your gas oven to heat your home.
Matches to light your gas range/camping stove/candles. Do not rely on lighters that can run out of fuel or break down all too easily.
A Battery Operated Radio. This way you can get news without wall power. Make sure the batteries are good. It is also possible to buy a motion charging radio, as you can with a flashlight.
Prescription medications. Like food, it is always wise to have enough to last you a few days.
Anything else vital to your household. You should always have ample supplies of items like diapers, formula, batteries, and so on before the storm hits.
A wall phone with a cord, or a portable cellphone charger. Cordless home phones will not work when the power is out. Many states require at least one wall plugged phone, which receives power from the telephone connection, in all households.

3.Anticipate a long power outage. By preparing you can make a power outage bearable.
If you have an interior shut off valve on your exterior water spickets remember to turn the shut the valve and purge water by turning on outside spicket.(This should be routine winterization on your home)

4.Decide what to do with the Food in your freezer and refrigerator. If the power will not be out long leave the doors closed, keeping the air inside, and your food will most likely be fine. If it seems like it will be a while (three or more days) move the food. The nice thing about a winter storm is there is plenty of cold to store your food. Frozen items can be left outside (keep an eye on the temperature) and refrigerated items left in an enclosed porch or other cold area. Eat perishable foods first, keeping canned goods for more lengthy outages.

5.Keep tabs on your family members. Make sure you know where everyone in your family is and that they have proper shelter before the storm hits.

6. Be aware of approaching storms. Watch weather reports, listen to emergency radios, and actually watch the little black bands at the top of your TV screen warning you about storms. This will tell you when you need to be prepared for the storm.

7.Keep Warm to survive the storm. When the storm hits, already have a fire or furnace running to keep you warm if this is feasible. Keep blankets ready, and above all, stay warm. Drink hot liquids and eat hot foods.

8.Have Entertainment Bored people can become anxious, panicky, or plain irritable, and this can sometimes lead to poor decision-making during a winter storm. Have entertainment such as books, board games, cards, crafts, and so on in the house. It’s entirely possible to even enjoy a power outage!

Tips

Do not panic. There is usually actually help very close if you really, really need it. Most storms are major annoyances rather than full-blown natural disasters.
Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires are surprisingly common in storm situations as people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.
Stay home. A lot of injuries and fatalities happen when people venture out by car in a bad snowstorm, and have an accident. Ask yourself, “Is this trip really necessary?”
If you have water pipes in the outside walls of your home you may wish to allow a small trickle of warm water to run which can help prevent frozen pipes.
If your pipes do freeze you may wish to call a plumber. Frozen pipes can burst and cause further damage to your property. A licensed plumber may be able to assist
Warnings

Never use charcoal, or a propane heater in an enclosed area without proper ventilation. Carbon monoxide can build up. Silent and odorless, it is deadly. Cook on the back porch or near an open window.
Candles, if used improperly, can cause fire. More than 140 people die each year from candle related home fires according to the National Fire Protection agency – nearly one-third from using candles for lighting. Candles are not recommended as light sources during power failures. Flashlights are far safer.
Gasoline powered generators can kill people when used indoors or in open garages that allow the fumes to flow into the home. The Carbon Monoxide is odorless and your CO detectors will probably not work when you have no electricity.
Exercise extreme caution when using a generator and ensure all extension cords are properly sized and UL listed. Generators can and do electrocute people.
Barbeque grills and camp stoves kill people – from fires and Carbon Monoxide emissions. Use with extreme caution and never bring gas fires equipment into the house or garage.

Things You’ll Need

Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment.
Canned food
Can opener
Battery powered radio
Flashlights
Batteries
Coleman Stove, Barbeque Grill
Enough fuel to run the stove
Blankets
Lots of clothing
Water
First aid kit
List of emergency numbers and
addresses (you may not be able
to phone but you may be able
to walk, hitch a lift etc. to
get help)
Foot and hand warmer packs
Matches
Extra hats, socks and mittens
First aid kit with pocket knife
Any necessary medications
Rock salt to melt ice on walkways
Sand to improve traction
Non-electric entertainment: Books, Cards, Board Games, etc.

Comments are always welcome.