ESPN Additions

Ironically, some of the best television commercials are for ESPN and only air on ESPN.  Now, I do not know if these ads really are meant to add all the more to the viewing experience, but it works for me.

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ESPN Additions

Ironically, some of the best television commercials are for ESPN and only air on ESPN.  Now, I do not know if these ads really are meant to add all the more to the viewing experience, but it works for me.

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Trouble Brewing

According to [OzarksFirst.com] and several other local news outlets, the “stuff” is starting to hit the proverbial fan over [Springfield Brewing Company] posting on their Facebook page: "Yesterday scientists revealed that beer contains small traces of female hormones. To prove their theory, the scientists fed 100 men 12 pints of beer and observed that 100% of them gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became emotional, and couldn't drive. No further testing is planned."  As if that was not enough, the business offered in reply to the building outrage: "We apologize if this offended you- purely meant as a light-hearted joke," a SBC employee typed on behalf of the business. "Contrary to popular belief, this post was written and approved by three women. We understand that humor is a very fluid thing, and varies person to person. Take this as a joke, and nothing more."

Umm, I can see where the “joke” might garner some laughs at a late night comedy club as part of a stand-up set by someone bemoaning the virtues of drinking, but how can it be considered funny by the makers of beer that they are trying to sell for a living?  For the offense to women in general is obvious, and what self-deluded manly man is going to want to be seen drinking an [11 Point] while his buddies are wondering out loud if he might be trying to get in touch with his feminine side?

So, does this mean that the Springfield Brewing Company is run by some really fair and very happy people?  I had no idea that our community had become that progressive.

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Cramer and Cummins

As I have mentioned a few times before here and there, it is hard for me to explain why I have been watching so much on [CNBC] the past few months.  For I don’t really understand very much of what they are talking about when it comes to investing in stocks and bonds, and even if I did, I don’t have any money to lose in the first-place.

Yeah, I have picked up on one thing.  For one should look at investing in stocks and bonds in the same way as they should out-right gambling.  For if you can’t afford to lose anything, you shouldn’t be in the game.  A variation of that would be that if you can’t afford to stay in the game until things start looking good for you, you shouldn’t be in it.

I suppose most of the attraction that I have for what CNBC has to offer is getting insights into what is going on in the business community that do not usually make it onto the regular news outlets.  Early talk about the possibility of a true Apple TV coming to market fairly soon serves as a good example of that.

Not that I would want to buy an Apple TV.  For it is bound to be priced way out of our range, but Samsung and other more reasonable manufacturers trying to keep pace just might help break up the monopolies on content now being held by cable companies.  For with it being possible to more easily watch what is being streamed over the internet, I would think that the networks would start working with other outlets and the price that we now face for cable TV would have to go way down in order to hold onto as many subscribers as possible.

Early on, [Jim Cramer] of both [Mad Money] and [Squawk on the Street] fame and fortune (in a relative sense to this piece) was a great favorite of mine.  For he had a very colorful way of expressing his opinions that were usually quite enjoyable—very much unlike [Rick Santelli’s] Discharge Exchange segments.

Oh, there were a few things that I took great exception to.  For I would start shaking my head in dismay every time he would start hopping up and down while screaming, “THE PC IS DEAD!  THE PC IS DEAD!”  Those outbursts would usually be in conjunction with some news about something that either Hewlett-Packard or Microsoft was doing, and it was always followed with much talk about how much cooler Apple now is to younger generations.

Then he went and crossed a line that I simply could not abide.  For I heard him boldly proclaim, “CUMMINS!  THE BEST ENGINE MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD!”

Okay, I was willing to let his lack of distinction between types of engines slide, but declaring [Cummins] as the best in the world was simply unforgiveable.  For they make diesel engines that go in trucks that those who buy them do not have to drive.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Cummins makes more than diesel engines for trucks, but that is what I have an intimate knowledge of.  Besides, if Cummins is willing to make junk like that for trucks, it makes sense that the rest of their engines would not be much better.

Would you like to have to drive a vehicle delivering stuff in and around a big city with a 25 horsepower two-cylinder engine while all of the vehicles in the traffic you are trying to maneuver around have 300 horsepower V-8s?  This is what it is like driving a truck with a Cummins engine.

Yeah, the much more powerful vehicles would quickly go on their way and leave you to make your turns after they have went on down the street, but there is always more traffic coming up from behind.  In fact, I am quite sure that it is a law in most jurisdictions.

Cummins makes engines that are supposed to have as much horsepower as a [Cat] or a [Detroit Diesel] does, but the trucks with Cummins engines are always the last over the hill, with everything else being equal.  Some idiots will argue otherwise, but they are, after all, idiots.

The last truck I drove with a Cummins engine had a pumped-up 444 “Cat-Killer” in it.  In all fairness, I was fairly happy with its performance heading east out of Missouri, but on the way back, the turbo went out, which was not the first time that had happened, while I was trying to make two pick-ups on the south side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  With each street being practically straight up and down in that part of town, plenty of power is a must for anyone who might be concerned about rolling backwards while trying to go uphill.  After taking most of two days to limp the truck back to the southwestern part of Missouri, the owner of the outfit mercifully sold the truck at auction as soon as a another new turbo was installed.

Now, it has been around 13 years since the last time I was out there on the road in a big truck, and it may very well be that Cummins has decided to return to the days when their [KTA engines] could give any Cat a true run for the money, but I kinda doubt it.  For why would a company like Cummins strive for greatness when mediocre had plenty of money coming into the bank?

It was finally revealed to me that Mr. Cramer and most of the rest at CNBC could not help themselves.  For they are looking at companies like Cummins through the eyes of a stock analyst—not someone who would actually use their goods or services themselves.  Yes, one would think that the quality of a company’s products would have much to do with the value of their stock, but with more and more money coming out of emerging markets like capitalist China, a Cummins engine is better than what they can make themselves at this time, and a Cummins can be generally bought at a cheaper price than a Cat or Detroit Diesel can be.

Alas, it is becoming more and more uncomfortable for me to watch my usual CNBC shows.  For Mr. Cramer was at it again during a segment of Squawk on the Street the other day when he started literally squealing with glee over [Valero] making a killing (his actual words) by charging the same at their gasoline pumps as their competitors were while paying much less for the crude oil they were refining.

Yes, if one is to make money in the stock market, they need to buy low and sell high, and higher and higher corporate profits drive the price of their stocks higher and higher.  Not much credit is given for making a truly great product and selling it at the lowest possible price out of goodness of heart, it would seem.  Isn’t our brand of capitalism great?

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Carnival Clowns

I realize that I may be knee-jerking, but it really makes me mad when corporate greed causes suffering that could have been avoided.  For all it would have took was on-board back-up generators being in place to provide at least enough power for lights, ventilation, elevators and toilets to keep the doomed recent voyage of the [Carnival Triumph] from becoming as bad as it was.

No, I am not talking about having a back-up engine room in case of propulsion failure.  Although, [Carnival] certainly has the resources to do this.

Alas, with cruise lines not being subject to the same regulations as airlines, there does not seem to be much that any one government can do.  Of course, people refusing to book cruises until companies like Carnival decide to truly have their customers best interest at heart (within reason) could accomplish so much more, but sheep are meant to be eaten by wolves—right?

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ESPN Additions

Ironically, some of the best television commercials are for ESPN and only air on ESPN.  Now, I do not know if these ads really are meant to add all the more to the viewing experience, but it works for me.

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[AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles]

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Deeply Bruised, But Not Broken

It was while I was outside of the house and shouting out loud that God loved me and that He was in control when a particularly disturbing thought invaded the inner recesses of my mind.  For it reasoned that if God really did love me and really was in full control of all that happens, then why did He allow all of the things that had contributed to my current state of absolute misery to happen in the first-place?

Time seemed to stand still at that very moment.  Making it even more intense was being made acutely aware of the fact that a very great many (if not all) of the angelic host in Heaven were eagerly awaiting my response.

No, I was not driven to my knees by a bright Light [Acts 9:1-19], but I do not consider what I experienced as being any less significant.  For just as soon as I seriously asked, “What is going on?,” my eyes were opened to see things as they really were.

Changing metaphors, what started as a trickle soon became a flood.  For I was inundated with answers to questions that I had never thought to ask before, and I began to feel like the Prophet Jeremiah felt like when He was called to proclaim what He had been given to say [Jeremiah 1:4-10].

That was an excerpt from [The Nineteenth Crumb (Amazing Grace)] of [The Crackerhead Chronicles].  Aside from maybe being made acutely aware of angels wondering how it will go, all of us will experience something quite similar before our time as a part of this world comes to an end.

Quite sadly, it will be much later than sooner for far too many.  For far too many absolutely refuse to let go of their religious traditions without a bitter fight.

Nonetheless, all will have their questions answered in the hope that they will want to truly accept what our Heavenly Father actually says is absolutely true before it is too late—be assured.  For our Heavenly Father created each and every one of us to spend all of eternity with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven as an heir to all that is His in glory, and He has never delighted in the eternal death of anyone [Ezekiel 18:32].

Alas, I really should be much more appreciative of ALL that our Heavenly Father has done for me.  For it was made fairly easy for me to want to truly accept what He actually says is absolutely true.  For He had placed in me a position to where I had absolutely no confidence in myself and fairly isolated from my religious upbringings.  Is that what it is going to take for you?

Tragically, even that will not be enough for far too many.  For they took it firmly to heart to never let anyone lead them astray from what they were being taught—not even the Lord God Almighty Himself.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. [2 Corinthians 13:5-10 NIV]

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Dust in the Wind

Link: [Kansas]

Dust in the Wind

Kansas

I close my eyes

Only for a moment

And the moment's gone

All my dreams

Pass before my eyes

A curiosity

Dust in the wind

All they are is

Dust in the wind

Same old song

Just a drop of water

In an endless sea

All we do

Crumbles to the ground

Though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind

All we are is

Dust in the wind

Oooh oh oh

Now

Don't hang on

Nothing lasts forever

But the earth and sky

It slips away

And all your money

Won't another minute buy

Dust in the wind

All we are is

Dust in the wind

All we are is dust in the wind

Dust in the wind

Everything is dust in the wind

Everything is

Dust in the wind

Lyrics From: [A-Z Lyrics Universe]

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Editing Edifications

Believe or not, I am something of a perfectionist.  Now, I am not plumb insane about it, but I really do want to do things as well as I possibly can.

Hence, the reason why I hate it when I write something wrong(ly), and what has been really driving me nuts lately is an apparent inability to properly proofread something before it gets actually published.  For I can live with making initial mistakes, but failing to see where I have either left out a word that should have been included or added a word that should not have been (not to mention spelling errors) is inexcusable—especially after reading what I have wrote several times!

I now know what the problem is, but I don’t know what can be done about it.  For it has to do with me not actually reading what I have written when I go to proofread it.

I don’t know if it is basically the same for most, but the way it is for me is that what I write is like taking dictation.  For it is as if I am hearing the content in my mind as I tap away on the keyboard.

Well, the process actually starts before I sit down at the computer, and this is where things have been going wrong.  For there are often several different ways of saying the same thing in my mind, and they sometimes get mixed together, which does not work so well.  Such as, putting I cannot come up with an example of what I am trying to convey and I cannot come up with an example of what I am talking about, which ends up as I cannot come up with an example of what I am trying to convey about.

Yeah, one would think that a garbled mess like that would be easy to spot during a proofread of the text, but what often happens is that I wind up paying more attention to the right (or at least more correct) way of conveying the message in my head than what actually made it into print.  This often results in me being able to proofread something several times without catching that I left out it at the end of For it has to do with me not actually reading what I have written when I go to proofread it.

So?  Well, is this not another clear indication that there is more going on in our heads than what we have been lead to believe about thinking?

Yeah, it may very well that I am simply losing my mind, but who amongst us can really afford to be so arrogant as to accept that we are as much on our own in this world as we have been so strongly encouraged to believe on both sides of stained-glass windows?  It is something to think about—is it not?

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ESPN Additions

Ironically, some of the best television commercials are for ESPN and only air on ESPN.  Now, I do not know if these ads really are meant to add all the more to the viewing experience, but it works for me.

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[AsTheCrackerheadCrumbles]

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Was It You?

Link: [Kansas]

Point of Know Return

Kansas

I heard the men saying something

The captains tell they pay you well

And they say they need sailing men to

Show the way

And leave today

Was it you

That said

How long

How long

They say the sea turns so dark that

You know it's time

You see the sign

They say the point demons guard is

An ocean grave

For all the brave

Was it you

That said

How long

How long

How long

To the point

Of know return

Your father

He said he needs you

Your mother

She says she loves you

Your brothers

They echo your words

How far

How far

How far

To the point

Of know return

To the point

Of know return

To the point

Of know return

Well

How long

How long

Today I found a message floating

In the sea from you to me

You wrote that when you could see it

You cried with fear

The point was near

Was it you

That said

How long

How long

How long

To the point

Of know return

How long

How long

How long

To the point

Of know return

How long

Know return

How long

How long

How long

How long

How long

How long

How long

How long

How long

Lyrics From: [A-Z Lyrics Universe]

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