Thanks Google ...

I doubt anyone has noticed, but I've deleted the 'reaction' footer to my postings.  Although I found this feature informative, in recent months there have been problems with it.  On multiple occasions, I found that the 'agree' numbers would be reset to zero, particularly on posts that were critical of the Obama Administration.

Whether this was on purpose by Google, or a bug in their widget, I do not know.  However, it is a known fact that the folks who run Google are big Obama fans and Democratic campaign donors.  I'll leave you to make your own determination.

WTF Is Going On With Gas Prices?

Gas goes up, gas goes down (albeit a lot more slowly).  Lately there have been wild variations, due to nothing in the world market, no environmental issues, no shortages, no wars, no refineries closed ... nothing to account for the rapid increase in prices. 

To date, I have attributed rapid spikes like this to speculators - evil a*holes who manipulate the price of oil so they can make a buck - usually without ever actually owning anything to do with oil production.

I saw something over the weekend that gives me pause on that, at least as far as it being the single biggest reason.

In the DFW area, average prices are about 3.68 or 3.69 a gallon.  You will find stations here and there that are about 10 cents a gallon cheaper - saw an example this morning where two stations a block away from each other were 11 cents different in price (comparable brands).

However, over the weekend, I saw something that put that to shame.  Traveling east of here on a major highway, I saw these averages remain steady for about 50 miles.  Then, in the space of a 20 mile stretch between two moderately sized towns, the price dropped 32 cents a gallon.

Same brand of gas.  Same location (next to the highway).  One station had 3.69.  Next station, 20 miles away, 3.37.

This was not a fluke, for all the stations I then passed heading east were in the 3.37 to 3.39 range. 

What the F***?

I'm sorry, but this looks like plain and simple profiteering.  I apparently crossed some kind of distribution boundary - the guys who have the big city racket figure they can milk a whole lot more out of their captive customer base, I guess.

Our Suspicions Have Been Confirmed ...

I Didn't Buy Tuna Soup ... Dammit!

Those of you who have been with me for a while will recognize that I've ranted about this before.  However, in spite of my efforts, the tuna industry continues this crime against humanity ...

This is a can of tuna.  The brand name is Chicken of the Sea.  The Mermaid, along with Charlie the Tuna, are the two most recognizable national brands of the canned fish in the US.

This is a 12 ounce can I recently opened and then drained the water out of.  In my un-scientific appraisal, what you see indicates approximately 35% of the can's contents was water, and 65% was actual tuna.  To me, that does not constitute a can of tuna, it is tuna soup.



If you look at the contents of one of the popular 'chunky' soups on the market, 65/35 is about the ratio of solids to liquid in those products.  I understand the need to pack the fish with some water for production purposes, but 35%???  We're being robbed!


This is not just a tuna problem.  Substituting liquid for actual product is rampant in the canning industry.  Liquid is cheaper to produce than the actual product.  Here's a can of one of America's favorite staples for decades, Pork and Beans.  After draining the 'juice', about 60% of the can actually contains beans.  15 ounce can, that means I paid for 9 ounces of beans and 6 ounces of juice.  Seems to me that is not quite truth in labeling, is it?

WTF Moment, Brought To You By American Express

Standing in line at the local Wally World today, waiting to pay for a minor purchase.  I see the now common wall of gift cards next to all the gum and candy in the check out lane display.  OK, gift cards are big business during the Holiday Season, and many people make use of them.

Something catches my eye.  American Express Gift cards, in $100.00 denomination.  Must be a hundred of them on the pegs.  Well, that might be a bit pricey for your average Walmart shopper, but whatever.  Huh, what's that?  A price tag of $105.84?    ???????

Yes, this $100.00 Gift Card will cost you $105.84.

WTF?

Puzzled (and a little bored, I admit), I ask the clerk to scan it for me.  Sure enough, it comes up as $105.84.  Not only that, but it triggers sales taxes as well.  If I want to get one of these cards for someone I know, it will cost me $114.57.

Normally gift card sales involve the entity the card is named for (a store, a service, etc.) paying the retailer who sells the card a percentage of the card's amount as compensation.  Either American Express is not doing this, and Walmart has decided they need $5.84 in profit to sell the card, or Walmart is double-dipping their profit margin.  In either case, the consumer gets screwed.

Charging sales tax is just plain theft from the consumer.  This may be an error in the checkout system software, which means that Walmart will keep all the 'sales tax' revenue collected by mistake.  Or, if this is indeed a tax code edict, then the city/county/state/federal governments who receive their shares of that sales tax are double-dipping ... since the goods/services that will be purchased with the gift card by its recipient will also be subjected to sales taxes.  In either case, the consumer gets screwed.

Be careful when you buy gift cards, folks ... so that you don't get ripped off.

(This sounds a lot like something Obama would do, doesn't it?)
 

A Christmas Contest For You

Here's the latest craze in Christmas lighting.  Two examples for you to consider.  I am sure many more will appear once these are seen, and copycat lighters appear - each wanting to cash in on Youtube glory... Which do you think is the best?







I'll tell you my vote - both of these fine candidates FAIL!  Anyone who does anything to this stupid, annoying piece of crap assault on the ears is metally defective (or a Democrat!) This is so stupid, it is almost not worth the electrons to post it!

The New American Dream

I was really hoping that this election would get us back to the place where this was the embodiment of the American Dream ...

Unfortunately, the 'Free Shit' generation has decided that this, Obama's vision of life in America, is the new American Dream.  May each and every moron who voted for the man achieve this lofty goal ...

Big Tex Toast

State Fair of Texas icon Big Tex went up in flames this morning.  The big fellow was celebrating his 60th anniversay at this year's fair.  Fair officials vowed to rebuild him in time for next year's affair.

Obama Administration officials immediately blamed the incident on a spontaneous protest response by UT fans to a video being played of last weekend's disaster at the hands of OU.

Photo credit - AP

So Long, Sarcastiball ...

So, the NFL caves in to the regular refs and they come to an agreement that will put the regulars on the field for tonight's Thursday Night Football game.  It took the hilarious mess from Monday night to push them to the realization that something had to be done.

I don't like Green Bay.  I don't like Seattle, since they beat the beloved Cowboys a couple of games ago.  So, I was an impartial observer to Monday Night's drama.  I must say, it was very entertaining, unless you are a Green Bay fan, or a bookie that lost his shorts on the bad call.

The whole replacement ref story was in fact entertaining - like watching a train wreck or an auto accident in progress, you just couldn't look away.  As long as the bad calls, or lack of calls didn't hurt 'your team', it was pretty funny to watch.  Coaches turning red, players looking stunned, other players getting their clocks cleaned on illegal hits that drew no penalties ... a far cry from the 'Sarcastiball' that the NFL was pushing on us.

I am anxiously awaiting the response from all the sports talking head experts to the first blown call by the regular refs ...

For those of you who long for the lost days of fun and chaos that we've experienced in the first 3 weeks of the season, follow NE quarterback Tom Brady's example - just down a quart of Butter's Creamy Sports Drink, and all will be well.

For those of you who don't follow Southpark, the above references won't mean a damn thing.  Last night's season premier on Comedy Central was so timely, hilarious, and outrageous that I nearly busted a gut laughing ... 

'Tis The Season ... Really?

Today, Friday, September 21, is the last day of summer.  The predicted high for this part of the country is 96 degrees, with bright sunshine.

According to Walmart, it is Christmas time ...

The Wally Worlds in this area started putting out Christmas merchandise this past week.  Pallets of fake trees and ornaments are appearing in your Walmart garden centers. 

Really?  That's just wrong ...

I Used To Like This Guy's Commercials ...

The most interesting man in the world has transformed into just another useless liberal.  I really did like his commercials (though the beer tastes like carbonated piss).

Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor, is hosting a fundraiser for His Highness next Tuesday.  I would make an educated guess from that fact that Mr. Goldsmith is definitely not a Reagan Conservative.

(Goldsmith ... and here I thought he was supposed to be some kind of Spanish superstud ...)

CODE PINK - Just Pathetic

Code Pink is just another rallying point for a bunch of bat shit crazy liberals, who just happen to be women.  You know, if far left liberal 'groups' wanted to be taken seriously, they wouldn't be putting on these faces in public:

If you act like an idiot, dress like an idiot, and your message is idiotic, guess what?  You are an idiot!

Obama's Message To Michael Phelps

Intercepted private tweet from Obama to Michael Phelps after the swimmer won his final Gold medal:

You Didn't Win That!

Someone Else Won That For You!

Oh, and by the way Michael. 

You owe me a bunch of money for each of those medals I allowed you to win.

Well, not really ... but you can certainly imagine it happening.  However, His Highness wouldn't dare say it to the American basketball teams ... no way he would downplay the accomplishments of his fellow street ballers ...

Opus - Where For Art Thou?

On this day in 1989, 'Bloom County's' last strip was published.

'Bloom County' was a comic strip full of political and social satire, authored by Berke Breathed.  It graced the daily and Sunday newspapers for about 5 years.  It was by far my favorite comic strip.

Some of the 'Bloom County' characters returned for a short spell in Breathed's 'Outland', but it was so wierd that it didn't have as long life - thank goodness.

Sure do miss you, Opus!

And The World Goes ... WTF Was That?

According to the announcers, over a billion people around the world watched the Olympic opening ceremonies last night.  I would imagine that 999,999,997 of them were looking at their screens and going 'What the F**k?'

Every Olympic games opening ceremony has to outdo the previous one.  The host country's ego, coupled with the host country's organizers' egos, won't let them do something that is straight forward, simple, powerful, and elegant.  No, some doofus artistic bigwig has to brain dump and come up with something that no one except themselves can understand.

I guarantee that the vast, vast majority of folks watching on TV didn't have any idea what all that crap about the history of England was.  A blatant, long advertisement for Britain's disaster of a socialist medical system was completely out of place.  Kid's dream sequences?  A huge segment devoted to idolizing cell phones?  Bond parachuting into the stadium with the Queen was cute, if you know and like James Bond.  It really looked like the Queen was either really pissed, or thoroughly bored when they cut cameras to her during the hours long ego fest.

China set the bar during the 2008 games.  The opening ceremony was stunning, and even if you didn't understand anything being portrayed, it was enjoyable simply because of visual and audibal impact.

London - phooey.  I hope that the organizers of future games take note of this mess, and decide to do something we'll enjoy seeing, something that will be enjoyable to folks other than the few who put it on.

WTF Fashion Srikes Again

During a visit to the local Post Office today, I observed a couple of attractive, young Hispanic ladies exiting the facility.  Late teens, probably.  Dressed identically in skin tight tshirts, skinny jeans, and ... rubber galoshes.

Now, I have seen a few pre-teens in malls wearing pink Hello Kitty rubber boots, and that looked stupid enough.  But this?  A little internet research shows that this is indeed some kind of twisted fashion statement by teenage girls.

Besides the plain stupidity of how this looks, I have a question:

How bad are these girl's feet gonna smell when they take those boots off after a day of walking around in 102 degree heat, in unventilated, knee high, oversized, rubber work galoshes?  Talk about knocking a buzzard off a gut wagon ...

I Hope The Eco-Nazis Don't Find Out About This

I honestly see the Obama Administration coming out and championing this as a solution to global warming, climate change, alternative energy, save the whales, save the polar bears, save the ... whatever.

I mean, wouldn't this be a perfect solution for the Missus O and her campaign to take over lunch menus? Kids don't like pink slime, but they'd love crap burgers! I can see them being branded Big O Macs. Delicious, and it will save the planet!

The Japanese company doing this research should expect to receive billions of dollars from Obama for the promise of this green (er, maybe brown) technology.

The Fact Of The Matter Is ...

I hate those words.

When someone prefaces a statement with those words, they are insulting your intelligence. They are saying to you that no matter what you think, what they are saying cannot be denied as truth. They are trying to force feed something into your brain, and telling you to accept it without questioning it. They are promoting themselves, or their cause, as the indisputable altar of truth.

While many folks use this preface to their comments, it is especially heinous when someone in politics spews it out. People in both parties are guilty of it, but I find a preponderance of violators using it are on the left. If you listen to left wing pundits, I guarantee that at least 50% of them start their spew with that preface.

When someone spits this out to you, whether it is in person or through the media, you are about to be bombarded with either 1) their OPINION, or 2) an out and out LIE. Your internal bullshit detector should immediately go off, telling you to either disregard whatever this person is saying, or carefully examine it to determine for yourself how much credence to give it. No matter what else you do, do not accept what they are saying as the 'The fact of the matter is' ...

All I've Got To Say About Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston. All I hear from the media is how tragic her loss is. The trash media outlets who slammed her for years for her drug use are now crying over how terrible a loss it is. The A and B list celebs who continued partying in her hotel even after it was known she had been found dead there - because it's the Grammys, and we've got to party. Hypocrits.

I have a different take. What is tragic is how she took a great God given talent and threw it away for the sake of getting and staying high. The waste is tragic - the death just pathetic.

Facebook Users - You're Being Spied On

Facebook Users, beware. Your 'private' communications aren't private, and the information in them is being sold by Facebook.

Facebook is using something they call a 'sentiment analysis tool' to data mine all the various postings made by Facebook junkies. This tool can be tweaked to look for certain words or phrases, and report back findings. Those findings can be used by Facebook for whatever purpose they choose (you agreed to it when you signed up), including the sale of the information.

Facebook announced about a month ago, though not where most people would see it, that they are doing this with an eye towards the presidential race, and 'sharing' the information with Politico. Politico, a far left leaning 'internet news' outlet - is in reality a front for a bunch of left wing bloggers. I have not seen a breakdown of the financial arrangement. Politico then uses that information to support or disprove anything they want to say on their website, and there is nothing at all that prevents them from taking reported data and changing it to fit their political views.

The ACLU has come out and argued against this, strangely enough. Given their far left wing leanings, I am surprised that they would publicly attack something that is intended to further far left wing ambitions.

Just remember folks - anything you put onto the internet becomes public property, whether you want it to or not. Information you think is 'private' actually belongs to companies like Facebook, and Google - and they can do anything they want to with it.