tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53972502024-03-05T11:10:59.961-05:00AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOGAfscme's Webrider's Blog regarding the law, the auto industry, and popular culture, for Local 3357's members. The Webrider is Steve Hofer, staff attorney in the Indianapolis West Office.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2476125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-19025682029083211772014-08-13T17:43:00.001-04:002014-08-13T17:43:32.593-04:00<b>Amazon's $10.00 mobile payment solution</b><br />
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If you are setting up a solo law office or other small business. You should check out <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2014/0813/Is-a-little-card-reader-how-Amazon-woos-brick-and-mortar-stores">a new Amazon program for mobile payments</a>. For $10.00 Amazon will sell you a card reader for your smart phone. You get the $10.00 back as a rebate on your first $10.00 in service charges; then Amazon charges a 1.75% service charge, which is more than competitive. Right now I am paying $9.99/month for service on a mobile card reader from First Data that I never use. I'm going to ditch that thing ASAP and go Amazon. Imagine, going Amazon and going commando at the same time. TMI? Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-10260891177190064772014-04-16T23:21:00.001-04:002014-04-16T23:21:49.436-04:00<b><br />
WHAT I LEARNED IN MY FIRST TWO MONTHS OF PRIVATE PRACTICE</b><br />
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Hi Gang, Did you miss me. (I have no idea why Blogger is ignoring my paragraphs. I'll clean it up when I get the chance, or maybe our friendly webmaster can do it.) <br />
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I haven't written in the blog for a couple months. As many of you AFSCME 3357 members are aware, I was one of the January layoffs from UAW Legal Services Plan as part of its winding down of operations. Not to be ungrateful for 16 years of employment, but I welcomed the chance to do something different, and I set off to re-enter the world of private law practice. In doing so, I am retreading ground that I trod twenty-three years ago, when I began my first law practice. Let me tell you, it is really weird, being a generation older and restarting a law practice from scratch. Since many of you AFSCME 3357 members are either taking the same path or will in the near future, I thought I'd pass on lessons that I learned, things that went right and things that went not so right. In our private area, I've put up a rough draft to help you get going. I hope to clean it up, make it more generally applicable and put it up for public viewing so anyone starting a solo law practice will find it useful. The catch is that I'm pretty busy so, I may not get to it; or if I get to it it might be after you need the info, so I'm going ahead and throwing out my rough info on the private site. If you want something better, come back and check to see if I updated it. It's after 11:00 PM now, so this is the best that I can give you for the moment. <br />
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You can visit my new law firm's website at <a href="http://www.hoferlawindy.com">www.hoferlawindy.com</a><br />
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-38987038211180702872014-02-15T19:04:00.000-05:002014-02-15T19:04:03.351-05:00<b>My comments on the union vote at the Volkswagen Plant in Tennessee: </b><br />
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The workers in the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee voted on whether to establish a UAW-affiliated work council. <a href="http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/vw-workers-reject-uaw-by-narrow-margin/#postcomments">The vote came in at 626 for and 712 against the union.</a> This was an important vote for the UAW, because the majority of vehicles assembled in North America now come from "transplant" (non-union) factories. This was a rare occasion for the UAW to have a union vote at a plant where they were not fighting the manufacturer. In losing the vote, the UAW has to seriously re-evaluate its product. <br />
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Obviously, I'm pro-union, but looking at this as objectively as possible, the UAW really screwed up here. One of the key points that they tell you when you are learning to sell is that you have to "meet the customers' objections." In this case, the UAW didn't do that. The workers in Chattanooga told the UAW that they didn't like what had happened to the auto industry in Detroit. They thought it related to work rules put into place by the UAW. The UAW could have easily met that objective by putting work rules squarely in the hands of the local work council. The workers told the UAW that they didn't like dues going to liberal politicians. The Union could have left political donations to the discretion of the local work council. By botching its single best chance at organizing a southern auto plant, the UAW, not only demonstrated a tin ear to the workers' objections, it forfeited its single best chance to prove the naysayers wrong. I don't know what the UAW is going to do from here, but I think maybe they need to lower their dues and reorganize internally. It probably means there will be a headcount reduction within the UAW. What do you think? <br />
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-62529377385885692252013-11-19T08:33:00.000-05:002013-11-19T10:36:28.640-05:00<b>What does it take to get noticed in L.A.? </b> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/lamborghini-with-real-bear-in-passenger-seat-causes-california-traffic-jam-71213-7.jpg?1384773176" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/lamborghini-with-real-bear-in-passenger-seat-causes-california-traffic-jam-71213-7.jpg?1384773176" /></a></div><br />
A Lamborghini? - no, not good enough.<br />
A pet bear? - no,still not good enough.<br />
A bear in a Lamborghini? - that'll do it. <br />
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Why a bear in a Lamborghini?<br />
A. - Can you think of a better car protection system.<br />
B. - Don't be stupid, you know you're not supposed to leave your DOG in the car. <br />
C. - The bear wanted to go, and you know . . . <br />
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<a href="http://jalopnik.com/bear-in-a-lamborghini-shuts-down-la-traffic-1466937502">Source:jalopnik.com</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-5843069320372981542013-09-02T20:43:00.000-04:002013-09-02T20:43:00.169-04:00<b>Happy Labor Day</b><br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yl0NaFG2B_k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-51908196780479512102013-08-31T00:23:00.000-04:002013-08-31T00:23:32.904-04:00<b>What's Up</b><br />
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Some days I really like having a teenaged son. Otherwise how would I find out about quality entertainment like this.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/X8Nc8RCLy1s" width="459"></iframe>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-91879029100296984222013-08-14T10:21:00.000-04:002013-08-14T10:21:30.118-04:00<b>Irrelevant Post of the Day<br />
Florida Law Firm Pays New Associates $145k/year</b><br />
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I saw <a href="http://www.law360.com/consumerprotection/articles/464617?nl_pk=eef34544-d39b-4d63-b158-571ed25ed822&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=consumerprotection">this post</a> that the South Florida "big building law firm Greenberg Traurig has bumped its pay for new associates to $145,000/year. That's big bucks for a new lawyer; but on the other hand, if you went to an Ivy League quality school and similar law school, you could have $400,000 in student loan debt. They have to work a ridiculous number of hours, and the job sucks enough to make the pay fair. Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-86010746804878911102013-08-12T00:13:00.000-04:002013-08-12T10:03:27.009-04:00<b>A Worse Job than Yours</b><br />
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If you (generically) ever feel like complaining about your job, somebody else has it worse. Check out this guy in Texas who worked for an auto dealership where his coworkers repeatedly (allegedly) tasered him just to laugh at his reaction. The owner of the business allegedly provided the taser and video'd the incidents. I think he's not going to own that business much longer. <br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/04ICdAiFywM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-21934894269552260062013-08-08T21:54:00.001-04:002013-08-08T21:54:21.091-04:00<b>How to "Have it Your Way" at White Castle<br />
FPS Russia makes a slider run in a M5 Stuart Tank</b><br />
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FPS Russia's Youtube channel is one of my guilty pleasures. I'm a peacenik, but I'd love to play with a tank for a day. Here's the vicarious thrill. (Yes, he does blow stuff up, and yes there is some language. After all, it is a FPS Russia video.)<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vvkLaa9bogU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-11713695295754411732013-08-06T18:11:00.000-04:002013-08-06T18:11:14.186-04:00<b>The New Trend of Abusive Asset Forfeitures</b><br />
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There is a <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/08/12/130812fa_fact_stillman?mbid=gnep&google_editors_picks=true">good article in the <i>New Yorker</i> called "Taken"</a> by reporter Sarah Stillman. It cronicles the current abuses of civil forfeiture laws by federal and state prosecuting authorities across the country. By engaging in the legal fiction of suing your property, they effectively rob you of any workable due process rights. In the past year, I have had clients sued, technically their cars were sued, in Federal court alleging their <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/ins/press_releases/Pressrelease12/Woodruff.20121205.pdf">cars were part of a title laundering scheme where over 200 cars were involved</a>. The cars are being sued as proceeds of the criminal operation. Two things upset me about this suit. The first thing is that they are targeting the old cars of one of my not-well-off people when they should be targeting the "proceeds" my clients and the others paid the alleged wrongdoer. It's like blaming the victim for a crime. The second thing that bugs me is that I tried to alert authorities to flaws in the mechanics title statute 20 years ago. I even sued the state of Indiana for a client claiming the mechanics lien statute was unconstitutional. My suit claimed that the statute that provided for the state to issue a mechanic's lien title gave the owners and lienholders notice of claim but did not provide them an opportunity to contest the claim in a neutral forum before property deprivation. If they would have fixed the law, this suit wouldn't exist. Prior to filing suit, I contacted counsel at one or two major lenders and told them what I had found out about a scam to get around purchase money loans with bogus mechanic's liens, but the attorneys for the lenders couldn't be bothered. Now the U.S. attorney is coming down on poor people who are just looking for inexpensive transportation to get to work, and the beneficiaries of this action by the US Attorney will presumably be the big auto lenders. But they really won't be, because some of these lenders have filed appearances to avoid having their liens impaired in the secondary transactions where the current owners of the vehicles are the borrowers. I don't know what really the US attorney is expecting to accomplish. Many of these cars are at least 10 years old. I would be surprised if the average wholesale value at this point is over $1000-2000. It's going to cost that much to process the cars through the system. Still, a $1000 to $2000 car is important to someone with no money and no other way to work. The bottom line is that the US attorney should have gone after the alleged wrongdoer for the conspiracy to alter the titles, but suing over 200 automobiles was a big mistake. There are now up to 200 people filing pleadings in the case to protect their interests in their cars, most of which aren't worth more than a couple thousand dollars. The case will cost more in US Attorney's office and court personnel time than it will ever recover, and any recovery made will be at the expense of poor people,making them even poorer. Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-29672357030744057742013-08-02T18:34:00.000-04:002013-08-02T18:34:00.633-04:00<b>The Motorola Moto X, the Most Important Phone Since the (original) iPhone?<br />
- Oh yes, it's made in the USA<br />
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In the past decade and a half, Motorola has slipped from being a leader in the cell-phone industry to a marginal player. The company was on its last legs when it was purchased by Google in 2011-2012. At the time, it appeared that Google just purchased Motorola for its patent portfolio, but now it appears there was a "secret project" to come out with a ground breaking new phone that would showcase many more Google ideas than the run-of-the-mill Android smartphones. Yesterday Motorola unveiled the first "Google phone", the Moto X. This phone has the potential to either be a bust or to blindside Apple and be the hottest thing since the original iPhone. At first blush, the Moto X doesn't look like anything special. It's smaller than average, so it doesn't have a screen that you'd be tempted to use as a tablet. It doesn't claim to have the fastest processor. What the Moto X tries to do is to first adapt to how you use your phone, but also enable behaviors that let you get more out of your phone. The Phone has specialized processors that allow the phone to always be on, but yet draw very little power. It is set up for instant voice commands, enabled whenever the user says "okay, Google now". <br />
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One of the biggest game changers is that Google's flagship phone is not designed for the upper-tier of the market; instead, it's designed for the middle. Prices have not been announced, but it appears that it will sell for much less than the current top line phones. The Moto X will have hundreds of customization options so your phone won't look just like your neighbor's. I saved the best part for last; the Moto X will be made in the United States, in a 20 year old plant that Motorola shut down years ago. This will be the first smartphone ever built in the US. It's also a thumb in the face of Apple, which said it couldn't be done. I think that I am likely to make the Moto X (or next year's model) my next smartphone - assuming it comes to Virgin Mobile. If you're in the market, it's worth a look. If I get one, I think I'll turn off the always-listening feature. I'd rather the NSA stay busy listening to other people. <br />
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For more details on the Moto X, check out this <a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/08/inside-story-of-moto-x/">Wired.com</a> article and <a href="http://gizmodo.com/moto-x-hands-on-forget-specs-this-thing-is-awesome-991536492">this one from Gizmodo</a>. <br />
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-47029448382231422772013-07-29T09:40:00.002-04:002013-07-29T09:42:21.639-04:00<b>$18.6 Million FCRA Verdict! <br />
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Congratulations to my NACA colleagues, Mike and Justin Baxter. They were the plaintiff's lawyers in a Fair Credit Reporting Act case in which their client was awarded a <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021488244_creditreportsuitxml.html">jury verdict of $180,000 in actual damages and $18.6 million in punitive damages</a>. Their client had tried unsuccessfully through many attempts to get Equifax to correct a mixed up credit report. Some of you might think $18.6 million is ridiculous. I agree that's a lot of money but what I think is really ridiculous is that for the 15 years that I've been involved in credit report cases, and no doubt for years before that, our small group of consumer attorneys have been pressing the consumer reporting agencies to adopt simple, common sense procedures to solve credit report errors, and they have continually refused. The result has been that 21% of Americans have errors on their credit reports, and 5% could be denied credit because of them. The credit reporting agencies have been hit in the pocket book before with verdicts in the single digit million, but they still figure that it's cheaper to risk the occasional verdict than do simple things like forward the proof of error the consumer sends in to the reporting creditor. Sometimes they don't even forward the complete text of the consumer's dispute. They "investigate" consumer disputes using contractors in low-wage countries, and give the person handling the dispute a staggering caseload. Hopefully this verdict will be the start of a process of improvement. Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-77419352690311835782013-07-26T00:11:00.002-04:002013-07-26T00:16:57.099-04:00<b>The Name is Danger, Carlos Danger<br />
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I know what everyone is thinking right now: "How can <b>I</b> be more like Anthony Weiner?" What you need is the <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/low_concept/2013/07/carlos_danger_name_generator_use_our_widget_to_get_a_name_like_anthony_weiner.html">Carlos Danger name generator</a>. I will from this point on be addressed by my new name, Javier Badass. <br />
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-77545907844415895962013-04-17T10:20:00.000-04:002013-04-17T10:20:30.099-04:00<b>Insurance Companies are Continuing to Misuse Powers of Attorney<br />
- Established Practice Enhances risk of Car Title fraud</b><br />
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Last weekend my car was in a wreck, and it looks like it is a total loss. In talking with my insurance company, I am stunned that they are telling me that I need to execute a power of attorney to them when I hand over the vehicle and that "the bureau of motor vehicles requires it." The reason why I am stunned is that I have been through this before. More than 10 years ago, I had a vehicle totaled, and the insurance company gave me the same line. I refused to sign the power of attorney and offered to sign the title to them instead. The reason: insurance companies have engaged in systematic fraud by misusing powers of attorney to launder the title of savage vehicles. In 1998 the Indiana Attorney General brought a case against State Farm insurance alleging the company laundered the titles of thousands of vehicles. The Indiana case led to a <a href="http://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/protecting_consumers/2005_news/1_10_states.html">consent decree settlement between State Farm and the attorneys general in 49 states whereby State Farm would pay millions of dollars in voluntary compliance</a>. Various estimates suggest that State Farm improperly titled 30,000 to 50,000 vehicles. <br />
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After the hub-bub of the State Farm case, I am surprised that most states have not amended their unfair practices law to specifically say that it is an unfair practice to require a power of attorney to sign over title. The practice is clearly unfair, and if you sign over a total-loss vehicle that you have paid for outright, you should refuse to sign a power of attorney to the Insurance company. If they give you a hard time, find a consumer attorney through the National Association of Consumer Advocates at www.naca.net. Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-28626133174323094652013-04-15T10:10:00.000-04:002013-07-29T10:11:16.234-04:00<b>Law School applications way down</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/education/law-schools-applications-fall-as-costs-rise-and-jobs-are-cut.html">Law school admissions are down.</a> Why is this not surprising? <br />
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-24289334419655454852013-01-09T09:51:00.000-05:002013-01-09T09:51:07.793-05:00<b>AIG Might Sue US Government over Bailout</b><br />
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AIG, the insurance conglomerate that did as much as any other company to take down the entire US economy, the company that needed billions in bailout cash to survive, has announced that it might sue the US government over the "oppressive" terms of the bailout. Since when did Scumbag Steve become CEO of AIG? <br />
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-66729279172060486582012-12-07T19:59:00.000-05:002012-12-07T19:59:00.437-05:00<b>Wither the Tax Resolution Companies?</b><br />
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I was recently thinking that it had been a good year since I'd received a consumer complaint about national tax resolution firm <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JK_Harris_%26_Company">J.K. Harris</a>. With good reason, as it turns out. Roughly a year ago the authorities finally caught up to the firm and shut it down. Apparently firm founder John K. Harris hasn't been too forthright about what's happened to all the money. The Taxresolutiontalk blog has a list <a href="http://taxresolutiontalk.blogspot.com/p/dead-tax-resolution-companies-out-of.html">of other tax resolution companies that have bitten the dust</a> in 2010-2012. All in all, this is one of the best trends in consumer affairs / consumer law that I've seen in a long time. Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-56957165767194900542012-12-03T09:25:00.004-05:002012-12-03T09:25:43.849-05:00<b>How Times Change<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/35666_567777193247796_2027014909_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="720" width="459" src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/35666_567777193247796_2027014909_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-24755381256026935012012-10-28T19:45:00.000-04:002012-10-28T19:45:02.543-04:00<b>Hurricane Sandy Bitch-Slaps the Eastern Seaboard</b><br />
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Too harsh? Not according to the Googleteer<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1194053.1351414470!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/hurricane28n-8-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="539" width="635" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1194053.1351414470!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/hurricane28n-8-copy.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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search: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=sandy+slap&oq=sandy+slap&sugexp=chrome,mod=0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=hurricane+sandy+bitch-slap&oq=hurricane+sandy+bitch-slap&gs_l=serp.3...63483.67215.0.67486.26.26.0.0.0.0.202.2951.5j19j1.25.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.MS4IAcCYLAQ&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=c4b04a54892e7be5&bpcl=35466521&biw=853&bih=394">Hurricane Sandy bitch-slap</a><br />
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Almost 1.5 million hits as of today. It's too bad neither of the presidential candidates thought it was important to talk about global warming. <br />
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-23156675784216937792012-08-14T23:00:00.000-04:002012-08-14T23:00:45.993-04:00<b>Paul Ryan & Ayn Rand</b><br />
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This weekend, Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan as his VP running-mate. Ryan is a darling among the "new conservatives" even though (or because of) his major accomplishment in Congress has been promoting gridlock. Ryan's budget, which Romney has not completely endorsed, proposes gutting almost all government programs except defense and social security while dangling carrots in the form of tax cuts which mostly flow through to the very rich. Even though Ryan is Catholic, Catholic clergy groups have derided Ryan's budget, <a href="http://www.faithinpubliclife.org/newsroom/press/catholic-leaders-to-rep-paul-ryan-stop-distorting-church-teaching-to-justify-immoral-budget/">even calling it immoral</a> in the way it treats the poor. <br />
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Ryan is unperturbed by the criticism. He has bought into the morality espoused by Ayn Rand which promotes selfishness something to strive for rather than to avoid. More on Ayn Rand below. <br />
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Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-72835766711259796892012-08-14T22:52:00.000-04:002012-08-14T22:52:12.479-04:00<b>From the "and that's what banking is all about Charlie Brown" file:<br />
Victoria Explains It All</b><br />
<br />
Victoria Grant, a 12 year old Canadian girl has taken the WWW (wonky world web) by storm with her pitch for a public reserve bank rather than a private reserve bank. <br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Bx5Sc3vWefE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-20383345184087745362012-08-02T23:29:00.000-04:002012-08-02T23:29:42.514-04:00<b>Exclusive Clip - The Dark Knight Rises</b><br />
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The Dark Knight Rises is the hot movie right now. I was given this exclusive clip that was cut out of the movie. Well, I'm told it's from the movie. I think Batman was a little more macho before the French got involved.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mTKzvr3UTa8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-58220970476183002512012-07-17T11:05:00.002-04:002012-07-17T11:05:55.375-04:00<b>Weweese Weuwns Womney</b><br />
<br />
The calls are growing louder for Mitt Romney to release more than a year's tax returns. Now even conservative media players like George Will and Erin Burnett have joined the call to the Mittster release his returns. I just wanted to use this issue as an excuse for a Monty Python reference. <br />
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<a href="http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/05.19.04/gifs/brian-0421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/05.19.04/gifs/brian-0421.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-25302848446055003112012-07-06T00:10:00.000-04:002012-07-06T00:12:58.504-04:00<b>Ford C-Max Targets Prius-V </b><br />
<b>But is that the best comparison?</b><br />
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<a href="http://images.thecarconnection.com/lrg/2013-ford-c-max-hybrid_100373409_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://images.thecarconnection.com/lrg/2013-ford-c-max-hybrid_100373409_l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ford is issuing press releases
touting the fuel economy of its new hybrid, the C-Max, by saying the bulbous
compact gets better fuel economy than Toyota's Prius-V. The V is the larger
sibling of the traditional Prius. At 47 MPG, the C-Max beats the Prius-V by 4
MPG. The problem is, looking at the specs, the C-Max is really squarely sized
in between the regular Prius and the Prius V. At 173.6 inches long, the
C-Max is three inches shorter than the standard Prius, and is 8 inches shorter
than the Prius V. In fact, the C-Max is only 2 inches longer than the
hatchback version of the Ford Focus. The C-Max shares an assembly line with the
Focus in Wayne, Michigan. What about cargo space? Here again, the C-Max
is closer to the regular Prius than the Prius-V. The C-Max has 24.5 cu.ft. in
cargo space with the rear seat up. That's just a bit more than the
regular Prius's 23.8, and it's a lot lower than the Prius-V's 34.3 cu.ft. The
C-Max barely exceeds the cargo space of the regular Focus, which has 21.6 cu.ft.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This is not to say that the C-Max doesn't have
some advantages over the Prius V. The C-Max has an inch or two over the Prius V
in virtually every measure inside the passenger cabin. The C-Max has a
substantial edge over both Prii in total system horsepower. Ford is quoting a
combined gas-electric rating of 188 horsepower. Both Prii have only 134 horses.
Per Edmunds, the C-Max weighs 3,674 lbs, significantly beefier than either the
Prius V or the base Prius. Even so, that's 19.5 lbs/hp. That's a better power
to weight ratio than the regular prius (22.7 lbs/hp) and the Prius V (24.4
lbs/hp). Based on the numbers and the performance of the lower-powered
2008-2012 Ford Fusion hybrid, it is likely that the C-Max will be able to go
from 0-60 in the 8.5-9.0 second range, compared to high 9's for the standard
Prius and mid-10s for the Prius-V. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The bottom line is that the C-Max really isn't an
extended family wagon like the Prius-V. Ford makes and sells in other markets a
slightly longer version of the C-Max called the Grand C-Max. The Grand C-Max
would have been a closer match to the V. The C-Max is really just a somewhat
taller version of the Focus Hatchback, a car much closer in size to the
standard Prius. It's likely that comparably equipped, the C-Max will be
available for a somewhat lower transaction price than even the regular Prius,
because Toyota dealers still seem to have a problem selling the Prius without a
bunch of dealer-added gunk. The fuel economy difference between the two
is essentially trivial. For the typical car buyer the decision will come down
to which one you like better and which dealer gives you a better sales and
service experience.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The C-Max covers the hybrid field in one respect. It's union-made
in the USA. The C-Max seems to be a good blend of fuel economy, practicality
and performance, and the hybrid premium is relatively low, much lower than the
discontinued Ford Escape Hybrid. The C-Max is therefore on my short list for
new car shopping this fall.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Here's the<a href="http://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=200421534|wagon&veh2=101375674|wagon&veh3=101420728|hatchback&veh4=101364749|hatchback&show=0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8&comparatorId=9199992"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></span>link to the edmunds.com comparison</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>that I used to look at these cars.
Feel free to play around with it at your leisure </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Image credit: I got the image from
thecarconnection.com, but it appears to be a Ford press image. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397250.post-76709761011447537352012-06-19T18:55:00.000-04:002012-06-19T18:55:00.764-04:00<b>Hey Dolphin!<br />
</b><br />
Do you know you <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/06/19/octopus-hitches-ride-on-dolphin-genitals/">have an octopus hanging on your genitals</a>?<br />
<br />
Know it? I WROTE IT. <br />
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<a href="http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/feeds/FN/2012/06/18/660/371/dolphin-octopus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/feeds/FN/2012/06/18/660/371/dolphin-octopus.jpg" width="660" /></a><br />
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13101006698653290896noreply@blogger.com0