ShadowDog

If I remember correctly, Rutledge (the 'fat' guy) came to be an on-air personality after winning a SPEED Channel contest for NASCAR. I think his prize was to be one of the weekly race personalities at each circuit. After that, he kind of stuck around, but I didn't think he was going to last the season. As for his knowledge of cars, I have no clue. I think it was merely his personality that someone figured earned him a spot for Top Gear US. I've seen some shows on SPEED which highlighted Foust and his abilities with drifting cars and high performance reviews. He definitely is a reasonable expert when it comes to a car's ability... but when it comes to industry hub-bub, well, what does one really need to know to convey to people whom really don't care anyway? I don't know anything about Ferrara, but I've seen some of his stand-up acts. It doesn't take just a personality to make a show like Top Gear funny; rather, it takes a situation that is given to different personalities to make the show funny.

The question is the obvious. Have less security to fly with the bigger chance of an incident to occur? Or have more security to fly with a measure that is less intrusive than a high school public shower? Because if the first happens and someone dies because something made its way on board, people will bitch. If more security is performed to prevent what was just mentioned, people will bitch. Hence, "What is the answer?"

There is far more to it than just the thrill of driving. One could call themselves a car enthusiast because they enjoy driving a high-performance machine, but that same person might care less about classic cars. For others, it's the cultural connection and historical information surrounding a car or car company. Personally, I enjoy cars, but I'm not an all-out classic lover. There are plenty of muscle cars I would look at and wonder what others find so fascinating about them when they aren't particularly attractive to me, and handle like wheel barrows.

I offer the following scenario to the disabled: Nobody gets scanned, searched or examined and everyone boards a plane. Then before they take off, they are told someone with a prosthetic limb has smuggled a bomb on board so they must all be removed and inspected. I'm willing to bet limbs would be tossed up to the front of the plane faster than you can say, "May I see your leg please?" What is the answer? Seriously. WHAT is the answer?

I read an interesting reply on a site regarding this issue when there was discussion on what is considered invasive for security purposes. On one hand, we had a woman complaining that she feels violated by pat downs. On the other, was the comment that it's no different than tailors doing measurements for bust size and inseams. It all ends up being a catch 22 situation with the public. If there are high security systems meant to check all passengers indiscriminately, there is still someone offended of being lumped into that group. If there is someone sitting on the plane with you, threatening to blow it up, people are offended of being lumped into that group and wonder how security failed them.

I feel compelled to offer some words on how that may not be completely accurate. In a recent district referendum, a local city library approached the district for wider funding regions to change their name from a municipal library, to a regional one. Basically, they need more money for a renovation and can't possibly fund it by the city alone, so they wanted to tap the outside communities (Areas E, F & H) by throwing them 'outreach' library sites where you can request a book and get it some time a week later, whoopie. The cost is 10 cents per $1000 of additional property taxes... or roughly an additional average if $30 annually per household. OKAY, that out of the way, the vote in one Area passed by 3 votes with a 30% turnout rate. Those whom chose not to vote at all, essentially voted for a tax increase. A careful review of the areas indicated that most were indifferent to the needs of the library, but certainly were against additional taxes. So, by your rationale of the system, even the stupidest bill, reform, tax or law could easily pass with a meager amount of support because there are simply too few people to bother turning out to vote against it. That's why we'll be seeing our property taxes increase an additional 5% next year.

Good replies. My wife and I figure there may be a generation gap around our area; however, that doesn't really explain why all our long-standing neighbors have caught the couldn't-give-a-$h! bug.

There could be a whole bit of research on this topic that would be strictly region-based; however, in our area, this holiday used to be embraced by every house in the neighborhood. Now, I took my own kids in the buggy for their first candy-beggar experience, only to be left feeling like somebody stole the baby-Jesus from the local nativity scene and asking, "What the hell is wrong with people these days?" When I was a kid, a small army of us would trek a 5 mile loop before we'd get home, unload our loot, then have my parents drop us off another 10 miles away in another community so we could circle their area. Every single house had some great spirit with their decorating, but for two or three that I can remember. Now, less than half of these homes even bother with a jack-o-lantern. Most of these homes have new owners, so I can't blame it on age or laziness of an old generation. I used to spent a whole week building a horror-display in the family yard, complete with torture racks and a guillotine; bloody dummies, mummies and zombies. I had a reputation for intricate costumes in high school, having even been chosen by some people to build them one for their evening Halloween parties. Now, there's nobody left to build these displays for because hardly anybody bothers to drive their kids around the neighborhood anymore... not that there's anyone left in our neighborhood bothering to even buy treats to give out. Hallowe'en has practically died around here and it's just a sad end. I'd like to give my kids something to enjoy the way I did. I guess it's all up to me now since I can't rely on anyone else. Bummer. So, we went to the mall in one of the local cities where they do the usual kid-safe Halloween nights. It was great seeing kids and their parents all dressed up for the fun. That was how I remember it... even if we had to go somewhere else for that instead of being surrounded by it in our own neighborhood. I spoke with a parent there and he was experiencing the same problem as I. He figures with all the craziness and fear-mongering with peanut allergies, death by speeding cars, cargo vans with no windows driven by child-molesters, etc., some people just fear the holiday altogether and don't remember what it's all about. I don't really have an opinion anymore, but I'll be damned if I let it die before my kids get a taste of the way it used to be! What's it like for some of you?

So, this got me thinking enough to ask the question as to whether anyone has looked into Fleetguard from Cummins for their application? Having an 'in' for pricing may enable me to utilize their filters (depending upon application). These are the select filters for lube, fuel, air, coolant and hydraulic systems on Cummins fleet trucks (engines found in many makes of tractor-trucks like International, Western Star, Kenworth, Peterbilt, etc.) The following website details everything to know about the products Fleetguard offers. Fleetguard by Cummins Click on the ‘Catalog’ tab to cross-reference your filter model number. You can also cross-reference by application. It doesn’t search up as broad by vehicle; however, it does a great cross-reference to AC Delco filter numbers which you can search up through their website first. There is a wealth of information in the Literature section ('Lube' subsection) regarding Fleetguard technical information with a filter cutaway and explanation. I know for a fact these filters are made for everything from giant sized coffee-can dimensions, right down to ONAN diesel generator (lawn mower size) dimensions. From there, all one has to do is check for the nearest Cummins, International, Western-Star, etc., dealer and go price shopping! There is a handy retail locator on the home page as well, but it only lists the retail locations whom have supplied information to their website. It really is worth a look. They will likely be more pricey with the synthetic media types. My sourcing can get me a LF3487 synthetic media filter for the Grand Caravan for a little less than a Mobil 1 filter. Smaller filters, like the LF3554 for my wife’s Optra5 sell for around $9.63 CDN (the same as the AC Delco equivalent). BTW, when given your cross-reference, click on the filter to receive more information, such as dimensions, anti-drain back feature and by-pass filter pressure strength. It will also inform of superseded filters and possibly longer filter-body replacements.

It's pretty simple to me, really. All one has to do is look at the current state of personal income thresholds to see the trend. Working in Calgary, Alberta means driving for many, if not most. Parking garages and open regions are almost always full to capacity. By raising parking rates, it forces mostly the lower income drivers to keep their cars at home, which makes more parking available for those who can afford it. Really, measures that come as a result of cost increases hurt more people than it helps, even when looking at the 'big picture'.

So, here's my issue: For $#!+s and giggles, and because I got them free... and because a rear side marker lamp in my bumper went out and is the most difficult light I've ever had the displeasure to attempt accessing... ahem, I installed LED lights for all park, brake and turn signal lamps on my wife's car. I understood there would be an issue with hyper-flashing with the turn signals (which are combination park/turn lamps in front #1057 - double filament, and only turn lamps in rear #1056 - single filament). An electronic flasher solved that problem. The other problem is that with the four combination tail/brake lamps #1057, two 194 style rear markers and the high-mount brake lamp (with 5 small 194 style lamps) the LED lamps have seriously decreased the total load. In fact, initially, they decreased the load so much that the shift interlock relay would not release the car from park after I press the brake pedal to move the shift lever. Even worse, my cruise control stopped functioning entirely. When I threw two standard filament bulbs back in the rear, the shift interlock and cruise control function normally again. At this point, the fog lamps also do not operate and the fuse is good. I haven't changed the front LED lamps back to the standard filament bulbs yet because they are a complete bitch to change (whole front grille and headlamp unit removal required - stupid engineering). So, having diagnosed my problem (aside from the fog lamps - will try later), what's my best bet? Should I install a load resistor on each park/brake line to run continuously when the lights are on and pray it doesn't overheat and blow up? A friend suggested I even install a standard filament socket into each rear line, paint a bulb black and install them in the interior side panels...which would be the same thing as a load resistor, only easier to change than a resistor if it blew out. Overall, the appearance is with some enhancement in brightness and the glitz and glamor (pff) of instant on/off operation, as opposed to the typical fade in/out of standard filament bulbs. I'm just happy that I will, likely, never have to try accessing that rear side marker lamp in my bumper ever again! Thoughts?

Dude's got moves.

So common, and yet, so avoidable. I feel your pain. Something so simple should not be so difficult to deal with. When we bought my wife's car, the stereo head-unit was not the upgrade version as indicated on the parts list sticker. We wanted that head-unit, so when we went back to bring up the issue we were offered the difference in cash. Um, no, we still want the correct stereo. A few days later, a reply came (in the mail) from the dealership manager that the difference was all they were prepared to offer. My wife later worked at that dealership and learned that since they screwed up on the PDI at delivery, it was now their fault for not detecting the error before the sale, and not GM for installing the wrong head-unit. I contacted the customer care department at GM directly and brought up the issue. A couple days later we were called again to say that GM was sending the correct head-unit and the service department would replace it for free (I should hope so). When the job was done, I found a dash panel clip on the floor, and a couple of gouge marks on the panel fascia near its side edges as if it had been scraped by a sharp tool. Thankfully, the gouge marks ended up being obscured by the center console when I properly installed the clip and fascia panel some time later when I had the time to do it. All was well after that, so I never bothered to bring up the subject. In hind-sight, it was probably for the best that way, since my wife ended up working with everyone in the service department soon after that. I hope you have better luck in the future.

That remix got me chuckling. The funnier thing is that I understood his beef better from the remix than I did from the raw footage. If I had to guess, maybe he's upset about the white collar workforce screwing up the economy and the working mans' living.

That also has to do with what responsibilities corporations have to ensure environmental protection measures are in place. If the footage of those ducks being killed in man-made contaminant lakes had not surfaced, how long would it have been before the company was forced to provide reclamation? How many more ducks would die? And worse, how much more contamination would there be to the environment, as a whole, until someone pointed out the problem? The point I see in all this is the water fowl population is one of many negatively affected species, both visible and practically invisible. Evidence from prior oil spills shows a recovery rate that won't see any return to normalcy for up to 30 years. The region is now toxic. But I suppose some people would choose to view this as an accident with negligible consequences by cherry-picking the affected elements. Linear thinking at its finest.

The two things I wonder worth fearing over would be whether the ingredients to a marketable fatty will be controlled? Or is big tobacco going to end up putting carcinogens and addictive components into them? The thought downright scares me. My brother-in-law was part of the RCMP drug task force in our region of B.C. He's since been transferred twice, but the story is the same everywhere he goes, that the RCMP doesn't bother getting into the faces of producers or minor offenders unless there is potential for organized crime, gang warfare or danger to the community. He said simply that if the RCMP even had the resources to go after every producer from housing grow-ops to major outdoor, forested and irrigated harvesting system, B.C. would go broke. I mean, it's only the second largest economic driver of the province, next to forestry... which makes me wonder what it is now since forestry is in the toilet around here. FWIW, the pot bonfires are impressive. As for the spoils, the best thing about busting grow-ops is enjoying all the freebie irrigation supplies to make the greenhouse make some seriously tasty veggies! Thanks pot-growers! Definitely. It doesn't just stop with pot. The only reason this one seems to be so noteworthy is because of all the high profile controversy with regard to its benefits vs drawbacks. I live in pot country here in B.C. - taking hikes in the forest and stumbling upon "hunters" with sawed off 12-gauge shotguns (right), as they protect their grounds is common-place. Sure, there is still a lot of illegal activity going on that involves pot, such as the theft of high-volume fertilizers, potting mixes and irrigation supplies from landscaping and retail companies. I don't think legalizing it will ever counter this sort of activity; however, if the market pricing isn't ridiculously high, then maybe the profitability of illegal growers will fall and prevent things like these thefts and the local crack-shacks from continuing. Eh, giv'er. Oh, and for the record, I've never bothered to try pot because I didn't think I'd have any reason to try it. I mean, even a six pack of beer can sit in my fridge for half a year and end up being less-than fresh. I'm just not into recreational consumption all that much. While I don't have anything particularly against pot, the smell of it does give me a headache, so I tend to stay upwind of it when I can.

Tragic and utterly stupid, mostly due to lack of education on the dangers that the father clearly has no clue about. For all the lies the tobacco company spews, even on the stand in front of government officials, this is proof-positive that their 'product' certainly is an addictive health risk to society and not a social or personal decision to partake in and quit when ever someone feels like it. Since money talks, the government isn't going to do anything about it. What I fail to understand is how the government cannot see that the inflow of cash from tobacco companies and taxes certainly does not outweigh the financial strain dealt to the health care system, insurance industry and employment revenues? ...and I have to pay for that kind of stupidity?!

History is about facts and events that can be driven by ideals and beliefs. Are they choosing to simply decide an 'angle' to reveal the past by? Are they choosing what terminology to use to fit some notion of 'balance' of two sides that only exists in the U.S.? This merely ends up a bastardization of history. What caught my eye was this, "They also required students to evaluate efforts by global organizations such as the United Nations to undermine U.S. sovereignty." <-- maybe only according to a particular political viewpoint? Wow... just wow. As if the U.S. curriculum wasn't already narrow-focused enough whereby the basics of global history tend to be overlooked and the only thing that matters is what happened in the U.S. Now, it appears that the curriculum will be based on a story as told by grandpa around a camp fire.

For a short time, the internet used to be considered the next step over CD-ROM encyclopedias. In high school, the instant and mostly factual information was listed on WebCrawler and gave varying details that could be used for what I was working on. Now, one has to filter through an alternate universe of teenage webspeak, opinion-laden Yahoo! Answers, glorified columnists and their blogs, cheersandgears.com and other 'expert' forums (chortle), etc., and likely end up with a paper that has more to do with what Lindsay Lohan crapped for breakfast than what was intended. Yay internet. You've created a society that takes the crap you provide like a hooker suck starting a leaf blower. Tidbit of info: Today's cell phone addicted culture and youth sets an interesting average. I don't text, ever. On Dr. Oz they interviewed a family with two kids, a 16 Y.O. son and 12 Y.O. daughter. The son averages 6 to 7 thousand texts per month. The daughter wasn't far behind... at 12 years old, that's an odd obsession to have. Today, it's the norm. A constant bombardment of useless information that can only succeed in bringing attention spans and productivity levels, even on a personal level, down to where everyone has one arm and half a brain to work with at any given moment.

The hell with that! Mobs with pitchforks and torches is the way to go! Not parades of people chanting with lawyers walking in front of them. That is seriously messed up, red tape legislation.

Betcha didn't see this one coming... US youngsters are too fat to fight, warn generals Former generals want Congress to act to give children better food in schools. Rising rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the US military, two retired generals have warned. More than a quarter of young Americans are now too fat to fight, they said. LINK HERE A nation growing with slow, easy targets... that can't be good.

Apple iPad users report wi-fi problems Many Apple fans couldn't wait to get their hands on an iPad. Some owners of the newly-available iPad have reported problems with connecting their devices to wi-fi. Hundreds have complained about weak signals on the tablet computer. Apple acknowledged on its support page that "under certain conditions, iPad may not automatically rejoin a known wi-fi network". LINK Hmm, &#036;h&#33;ty. LOL

Easter?

The only major difference between the two companies was their reasoning for such adjustments. For GM, there was a requirement to consider the foreign competitors with their smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient a threat to their existence. All of the domestic auto makers had to change their mode of thinking for what the markets demands were. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to have the knowledge or skill to pull it off very well, and the entire product line seemed to suffer for it. For Toyota, I suppose it all came down to making more money. Quite sad, really.