January 23, 2009 by crazyopinions.

Congress is wrangling over an extension of the DTV deadline until June, or adding millions to the coupon program to get discounted boxes.

We say, do NEITHER. No more millions of coupons at $40 a crack. Switch it over right now! After all, it’s all about “public safety” and technology for the public good, right?

Just wait until these millions get their DTV boxes only to find out that fuzzy or imperfect reception now equals NO reception and a Blue Screen, instead of something at least watchable. This is truly a gambit by the saturated pay-for-tv market to force the remaining 10% of the US population who cannot, or do not wish to, add a bill for crummy programming to their already overloaded budgets, especially in these tough economic times.

Remember, this is the same industry cabal that refuses to allow A la Carte programming selection and billing for consumers.

What’s that you say? 500 channels and nothing on?

Read a book!

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November 4, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Get ready, world. Today, a new Camelot will begin. Diverse, with a worldview and DNA to match. Partially media driven, it will turn into an unstoppable force of the imagination (see Madness and Wisdom Of Crowds).

Use this Force for Good, Mr. Obama. Do not give in to the Dark Side, as Bill Clinton did.

===========

Teddy Anoints the Heir to JFK’s Camelot Legacy

Quoted from The Independent, Dublin, Ireland

By Martina Devlin
Thursday August 28 2008

The long goodbye is under way. Teddy Kennedy’s speech in which he referred to the dream — his brother’s dream — living on in Obama, was nothing less than an anointing, a handover and a formal leave-taking.

The elder statesman of the Democrats, physically failing and with a weakened voice, gave his blessing to the televisual young senator at his party’s convention this week.

Senator Kennedy’s son, Patrick, is a Congressman, while Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, despite insisting she has no political ambitions, has stepped into the foreground during the current presidential campaign. She was a natural as she introduced her uncle at the Democratic National Convention.

…the dream remains potent…only Caroline, forever cast as that little girl in white ankle socks holding her mother’s hand at her father’s funeral, is a more potent symbol.

…Both have given their backing to Obama in a double endorsement, explicitly comparing him to JFK; making an O’Bama of him…

…Every president since 1963 has tried to become a version of JFK, or at least incorporate some of his traits into the role — above all, his charm and communication skills. Republican or Democrat, they all want to market themselves in JFK packaging…

…(Hillary Clinton) doesn’t fit the JFK mold. Obama comes closer, with his constant focus on the need to inspire and unite people…

…(Obama) certainly has the JFK gift for oratory. In one debate, Obama said being president meant “having a vision for where the country needs to go . . . being able to mobilise and inspire the American people to get behind that agenda for change”…

…But can the dream be widened to include a black man? Or is race, rather than ability, the real defining characteristic in this campaign?

Martin Luther King also had a dream. His dream, he said, was for his children to live in a nation where they were judged by their character rather than their skin colour. In a few months, we’ll know if that dream has substance…

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November 1, 2008 by crazyopinions.

There should be a legal recourse for Hillary Clinton, but alas, we think not.

Today the Ohio Republican Party, in support of their candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin, mailed out the political brochure shown below. It is a 4 page heavyweight full color flyer, addressed to registered Democratic female voters only, and features Hillary Clinton being praised by John McCain for being a trailblazing woman of great ability, dignity, resolve, and sound judgement, who is fully capable of being President of the USA, and who is a role model for his daughters.

The flyer shows Sarah Palin inside, but never mentions her by name. It does quote Joe Biden extolling Hillary’s virtues.

What a flaming political hypocrite.

‘Nuff said.

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October 31, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Sadly, the economy we predicted back in January has come to pass, and the light at the end is not yet in sight. There is change possible, beginning with the upcoming US election next week. Also, the possibility of more economic and social carnage is also possible. It all depends on who wins the election, and how the losers behave afterwards.

There is an election mandate possible here, the first actual “landslide” mandate since 1980. Will the president-elect squander his chance? Will the losers come after him in frustrated rage?

Will we have Wisdom, or Madness? Only the Crowd knows for sure. The Crowd has overspent its means, grown to expect instant gratification, lost its attention span, and has no concept of sacrifice for itself or others.

The government, banks, and corporations have all been complicit in this transformation of society over the last 30 years. Was the foundation for this built on assumptions about human behavior, or did anyone pay attention to that little detail?

We do not think there was any vast conspiracy that led us into the present quagmire, merely greed, ignorance and conceit as the Crowd was fed and nurtured.

Some thought the Millenium year would bring Chaos and Change. It was merely 9 years late. We will have Chaos and Change of some sort. Hopefully, short of Anarchy.

Stay tuned.

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September 5, 2008 by crazyopinions.

The GOP convention wrapped up this week, and Sarah Palin had her coming out party. Opinions? Plenty:

- Levi Johnston knocks up Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol. In a few hours after the story breaks, the Secret Police take down his MySpace page where he rants about being a F**king Redneck, how he is going to Kick A** on his hockey team, and how He Doesn’t Want Kids. Yep, I’ll bet Sarah is gonna love her new son-in-law. He is STELLAR father material! (HOT TIP: the GOP loses the election and Levi NEVER marries Bristol. You heard it here first!)

- Sarah Palin had a great speech, (John Was A Great POW) but the rookie used a SPEECHWRITER! Oh come on! A maverick who wants change using a CRUTCH just like all the Old White Men? I’ll bet an OWM wrote it. How disappointing. A clever speech, well delivered. Too bad it wasn’t hers.

- Rudy gave a speech: John Was A Great POW. Nine Eleven. 9-11. New York. Terrorists. 9-11. God Bless America!

- Mitt gave a speech: John Was A Great POW. Nine Eleven. Damn Liberals. God Bless America!

- Cindy McCain gave a speech: John Was A Great POW. Nine Eleven. Damn Liberals.

- George W. teleconned a speech: Um, uh, gee, John Was A Great POW. Nine Eleven. Damn Terrorists. God Bless The Surge!

- John McCain gave a speech: I Was A Great POW. Nine Eleven. Damn Terrorists. God Bless The Surge!

The upshot of all this, is that none of it will play outside of the convention hall. The economy continues its relentless dive, with higher unemployed numbers and foreclosures, and lower retail and housing starts. Bonds are up as the stock market heads down. Are the Republicans still in recession denial? Too bad, as the 21st Century Depression is right around the corner!

Side note: The GOP has been appropriating many popular songs commonly associated with liberal causes for use in their campaign. Jackson Browne is suing, and Heart, John Mellencamp and others are mulling their options as they do a slow burn. Heart’s song “Barracuda” used to introduce Sarah Palin? Before you know it, counterculture hero Dennis Hopper will be hawking shady right wing investment strategies for Ameriprise…oops! He already has.

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August 29, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Gee, he actually did it, and she actually accepted. Even though she is an NRA pistol-packin’ 5 kid mama with a special needs infant son, many GOP stalwarts are dissing his choice as too inexperienced. Hmmm…a mere three years ago she was the mayor of a small Alaskan town [< 9000 population].

What they don’t get, is that with the current mood of the country, the old “only a heartbeat away” from the presidency argument may not hold water, even if it is true in this case.

Palin is what the GOP recognizes as the must-have, young, fresh alternative candidate they need to compete going forward. So, the coattails of McCain have a new rider.

So long, Straight Talk Express.

Hello, NRA Cookie Mama Express!

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August 29, 2008 by crazyopinions.

The convention speech of freshly anointed Democratic candidate Barack Obama last night was both historic oratory, and a bunch of good intentions. Sounds good, now how in the world do you CHANGE Washington from the inside after you’re elected?

It seems he intends to use the connections and wisdom of Joe Biden. Fair enough. But is it enough? If the cabinet is chosen wisely, it may be plenty.

But now we have John McCain rumors about his VP pick today. Will it be another OWG (old white guy)?

Or will he trump the Democrats and do an end around play by choosing a dark horse rebel like first term GOP governor of Alaska Sarah Palin? A rebel in her own right, she rather resembles John McCain back in his old maverick days.

We think, however, that she will not be chosen, or she will decline if chosen.

Why?

She doesn’t hang out with OWG’s or bake cookies!

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August 26, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Yes, we resort to a PUN. What else can you say after the new age golden boy of American politics chooses Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware as his running mate. As we progress through this week of the Democratic National Convention, only one thing comes to mind.

What in the hell is he thinking?

This is the same man who, over a year ago, called Barack Obama the first “mainstream” African American candidate who is “articulate” and “clean”.

Now, don’t get us wrong. Joe Biden is a smart guy, even cabinet material. He is NOT the type to put out in front and represent the country, or his previous attempts at higher office would have proven successful. They haven’t, and he isn’t.

This will prove meaningless only if John McCain does not choose wisely. We can hardly wait.

Now, we were quite impressed with Michelle Obama, despite the carefully scripted speech last night. When your wife outshines your veep, there is bound to be trouble ahead…

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June 30, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Here we sit, smack in the middle of 2008. Our earlier suspense is now over, as the fall US presidential candidates are almost formally anointed. What will they face this fall, and what issues are going to frame the debate? Here are our choices:

1) Get more oil, or just admit it’s a lost cause and admit we’d better start finding/using something else, fast?
2) Iraq is all about getting more oil, everything else is just smoke and mirrors.
3) Is this a recession, a depression, and how are both really about the Carbon Footprint, and not just bogus home loans?
4) Does the US bail out both the foolish banks AND their foolish customers? What is THAT about?

We will be covering all these and more as November approaches. Get ready for the ride, as this roller coaster is just getting started!

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May 7, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Our Muslim friends in the Middle East see the writing on the wall. It’s not because the US is in love with hybrids and ethanol, either. They are, after all, pragmatic businessmen. Perhaps a bit clairvoyant, also.

They will not increase production and run out of oil too soon. Why spoil a good thing? Yet, eventually it will run out. Even more realistic, is that well before then the prohibitive cost of energy will send the world into a semi-permanent recession.

So, they must diversify their holdings. They can buy up depressed US real estate at a brisk clip, and after they own us outright, they can sell us SNACKS!

What? After you’ve made an island out of sand that looks like a palm tree, and an indoor ski slope, what’s left? Something the Middle East is NOT known for: FOOD.

Yes, move over Frito Lay and Nabisco, here comes Global Brands and Sorbee Foods, with help from the unflappable United Arab Emirates and their Minees(tm) cookies!

Available at a discount retailer near you. Local price was $1.00 for a package of 10 snack packs (6 cookies each).

As their neighbors descend into chaos with food riots, let us implore Dubai to airlift emergency cookies!

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April 1, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Wow! Who else but the brainiacs at Google would be able to trick me into reviewing quantum mechanics and the Grandfather Paradox, all in only two clicks? Suddenly, long dusty pages of old sci-fi novels came alive again!

Even funnier, is the fact that once again, I spent about 30 seconds in indignant “are they crazy?!?” type outrage, as I did LAST April Fools Day, before I got the joke.

Thanks, guys! We all need the laugh about now.

The NOT so funny aspect of this, is that we can even THINK that the idea would be acceptable by any standards.

In 2008, I look for someone to be hard at work on the Email Time Stamp Spoof, right now. Most likely, in China or Nigeria.

Happy April Fools Day!

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March 31, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Envision a single, solitary survivor of the coming economic meltdown. Who will it be? Certainly a money changer, if the US Government has anything to say about it.

The villian? Moral Hazard. The concept of rewarding bad economic behavior.

First, the Fed bails out the US banking system bad boys, aka investment bankers, led by their bad example, Bear Stearns.

Now, the US Treasury is going to codify this practice by revamping the banking regulation system.

Now, don’t get us wrong. The regulation methods in place since FDR sorely need updating. Nobody wants to see a serious recession or banking collapse [predicted here some months ago].

However, a lesson cannot be learned without a consequence for a bad decision. Nothing will be gained if those who never should have owned a house, have their loans forgiven or reduced.  Consequently, their loaners will never reform if not held accountable, even if it means that some banks fail.

It is what it is. The flame is hot, and if you touch it you will get burned.

The Fed, the US Treasury, NOBODY should bail out the mortgage brokers or their customers. The most that we can recommend, is that variables [ARMs] should be changed to fixed rate and then the terms extended to compensate.

Well? 40 or 50 years at 7 or 8%? Better than a van down by the river!

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February 9, 2008 by crazyopinions.

This is so obvious now, it makes your teeth hurt, doesn’t it? Or are we the only ones who see this coming?

In the last month, two automotive industry events occurred that are signposts to the future. Tata Motors of India has designed and will build a 1 Lakh [sub $2500.00 US] car, something other car companies the world over said was impossible. Other Asian auto makers are planning similar sub $4000.00 (US) cars. The Tata RS 1 Lakh is being hailed as an engineering milepost. It took 500 engineers, and resulted in over 40 patents. Across the globe, Chrysler LLC recently told its dealer network that it will shrink and consolidate the network, and also its own model lineup to better reflect marketing realities and eliminate redundancy. The additional puzzling comment by Chrysler executive James Press (formerly of Toyota), is that they will also develop new models to fill “gaps” in the model lineup.

Common industry wisdom now sees Press and his boss Nardelli as trying to take cues from the Toyota playbook. On the surface, this seems bulletproof, to imitate the (soon to be) World’s Largest Automobile Company. However, we beg to differ.

Turn Chrysler Into Tata! Or at least, steal THEIR play book.

Just in case Chrysler isn’t paying attention, current and foreseeable US (and worldwide) market conditions say that trucks and SUVs will have limited use as personal transportation over the coming years. Think Wars and Oil here. Of course, the Tata RS 1 Lakh is designed as a 5 passenger vehicle, so it should be possible to make a 2 passenger mini truck out of it.

Why let China be the first to bring a practical “value car” to the US market, and rub US automakers noses in their own heritage? Henry Ford must be turning in his grave. His principle of requiring that one of his workers be able to afford a practical basic car with cash in hand has been squandered. Now, inflated auto worker wages and pensions conspire to require them (and all of us) to take out longer and longer loans to acquire bloated, rolling blingmobiles.

Stop the madness! Recession proof your wallet and your portfolio! Buy a Tata.

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February 1, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Microsoft Offers To Buy Yahoo: Why They Haven’t A Clue

In their bid to compete with online rival Google, Microsoft now thinks that Yahoo is the answer. Bad idea.

It is amazing, that with all of the resources available to Microsoft, they still don’t get the relationship between online ads, search engines, and those who search. This dynamic has a key ingredient that both Yahoo and Microsoft ignore, yet Google seems keenly aware of.

Simplicity.

This is not to mean your online presence has to be merely simple. It also has to NOT be many things. Obnoxious, for one. Here we are in 2008 already, and STILL we see advertisers serving up animated, blinking, misleading banner crap.

Not to imply that Google is the shining example of perfection. Far from it. It is merely the present benchmark. The fact that it is primarily a functional tool that happens to serve up some advertising is the main point.

An opposite example is the recent Microsoft Live effort with Live.com. Here is an example of a wasted opportunity that could blow Yahoo out of the water, as the class act of internet search. Instead, they integrated Hotmail with Live [thereby diluting the Live brand!], and made the interface clumsy and obtuse. Instead, Microsoft wants to spend nearly 45 BILLION [what’s with this “billion” number lately, anyway?] to merely buy market share from a shrinking, no-class player. After AOL, Yahoo is the next refuge of the unwashed internet masses. As the market trends have shown, Yahoo [and their shareholders] is on it’s way down the Internet Commode.

The larger question is, will Microsoft [and their shareholders] follow?

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January 31, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Surely, they cannot be serious. A country seriously in debt proposes to give 150 BILLION dollars to its citizens, who are also seriously in debt. If there’s an economic downturn in store for the US in 2008 [rhetorical statement], then it’s merely a consequence of past misdeeds.

Indeed, time to face the music.

Yet, not one of the presidential candidates comes out against this package. Most are busy proposing their version. Only the Libertarian Ron Paul is against it in principle, yet nothing in his official releases or blog specifically denounces this stimulus package.

Where are YOU going to spend your windfall? If you do the right thing, and pay down your debt, then you won’t stimulate the economy!

Let’s sum up: the US government is officially encouraging you to be irresponsible with your money.

Or is it just us? After all, WE admit we’re Crazy!

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January 14, 2008 by crazyopinions.

The NASA Messenger project to Mercury is getting ready for the next big achievement, the closest ever [124 miles] flyby of the planet Mercury. This is just the prelude to the planned 2011 orbit of Mercury by the same spacecraft, after it takes another three years to circle back around.

As we await the new pictures about three hours from now, our kudos go out to NASA and the JPL project team. Mankind is still reaching [only as we are able, at this point] for the stars, and we wish them all the best.

For the latest, visit the project web site:

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/

The latest press release:

“Today, January 14, 2008, at 19:04:39 UTC (2:04:39 pm EST), MESSENGER will experience its closest approach to Mercury, passing just 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the planet’s surface. As the MESSENGER spacecraft continues to speed toward Mercury, the Narrow Angle Camera, part of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) instrument, acquired this crescent view of Mercury. The image was taken on January 13, 2008, when the spacecraft was at a distance of about 760,000 kilometers (470,000 miles) from Mercury. Mercury is about 4880 kilometers (about 3030 miles) in diameter, and the smallest feature visible in this image is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) across.

During the historic flyby encounter today, extensive scientific data will be gathered. The MDIS instrument will acquire over 1200 images of Mercury, including images of portions of the surface never before viewed by a spacecraft. The MDIS instrument is just one member of a whole suite of instruments that will be used to study Mercury during the flyby. The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) will observe Mercury’s surface as well as its tenuous atmosphere. The MESSENGER Magnetometer (MAG) will accurately measure Mercury’s magnetic field, and the Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer (EPPS) will characterize Mercury’s space environment and interactions with the solar wind. The Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) will sense surface topography along a narrow profile. The Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) and X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) will make the first measurements of Mercury’s surface elemental composition.

MESSENGER will begin to transmit the new data to Earth once all of the scientific measurements are completed, about 22 hours after the spacecraft’s closest approach to Mercury. These flyby data will shed light on fundamental scientific questions related to the formation and evolution of the planet Mercury. As scientists analyze the data, the MESSENGER spacecraft will continue on its planned journey, which includes two more encounters of Mercury in October 2008 and September 2009, before entering an orbit around Mercury in March 2011.

Image acquired on January 13, 2008, 06:34 UTC.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

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January 8, 2008 by crazyopinions.

Normally, we take a dim view of radio talk show hosts. They tend to favor ratings over substance. Mr. Beck, however, always seemed a bit more balanced, a bit more fair in his judgements. If he wasn’t, it was probably because the intent was sarcastic comedy or satire.

It now appears that Glenn Beck has taken leave of his senses. His rantings this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America, on his website and elsewhere, border on crass sensationalism, ala reality television.

Granted, the health care system in the US is broken and needs help before it collapses. Mr. Beck is making vague claims that the majority of the health care workers did not care about him, really. They also gave him drugs which made him feel badly.

Please, Glenn, wake up and smell the coffee of reality. Or, in his case, maybe an upscale Latte Grande. It seems that he is out of touch with what millions of Americans encounter every day in the USA. Did he expect to receive preferred treatment as a celebrity? He isn’t aware that average workers, even health care workers in the trenches, are not paid to care. They are paid to perform a task. In his case the task was to remove inflamed anal tissues, control bleeding and relieve pain. This, they did do, even by his own accounts.

If Glenn is upset that he came out of his drugs too quickly, blame outpatient surgery procedures and expensive hospital stays. If he is upset that his drugs had nasty side effects, then he had better learn what narcotic pain killing drugs are, and what they do.

We have sympathy for his medical condition and the less than stellar bedside manner of his caregivers, but his naivete stumps us. Of course, this could be his backhanded way of generating discourse on the subject.

With his money, he should’ve been able to afford only the best care. If not, then buy some clues. If this is any indication, Mr. Beck has a long, turbulent life ahead of him as a first-hand consumer of products and services.

We can’t wait to see what he tries to buy next. Like Rush Limbaugh, perhaps he’ll go after more of those crazy drugs!

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January 4, 2008 by crazyopinions.

With apologies to the Dan Ackroyd character in Twilight Zone: The Movie. Imagine, if you will, the present state of affairs:

-Toyota displaces Ford and is now #2 worldwide.
-Mortgage surprises continue. What’s in YOUR portfolio?
-Oil futures flirt with $100 again and again. Yet, executives at US automakers predict rosier things in six months, as we approach the 2008 election. What are they smoking?
-Obama AND Edwards beat Hillary in Iowa. Nearly 60% of young voters choose Barack over the others.
-Huckabee trounces Romney in Iowa, after the evangelical and far right vote shows its true colors.

Where’s the scary part? Here at Crazy Opinions, our prediction on Benazir Bhutto was, unfortunately, right on the mark. For 2008, let’s offer a prediction that all of the above will create a “perfect storm” by the second half of 2008, and perhaps as early as summer. Your results may vary, but in general:

-Oil will pressure both automobile profits and inflation. By 3Q 2008, the US auto industry will be virtually paying you to take a new truck.
-The combination of tight credit and high energy costs will cause food to rise and consumers will, finally, stop spending.
-Politics will change dramatically. Technology and youth will combine to put a never before seen combination of talents in the US government and White House.
-Economic erosion will progress thoughout the year, and Iraq will implode as US forces and their families wear themselves into the ground.

The upshot of all this? A volatile mix for the fall US election, with interesting results. Be careful, pundits. It could get REALLY, REALLY scary!

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November 29, 2007 by crazyopinions.

So the US obsession with food may be over, according to a new study. Women since 1999 and men since 2006 are not getting fatter! Not getting thinner, mind you, just staying put.

Some experts claim this is because weight management and healthy lifestyles are taking hold in a more realistic way. People are using realistic goals to not get bigger. We’ll tackle smaller later, maybe next year.

Here at Crazy Opinions, we don’t buy it for a second. In case you haven’t noticed, food and energy [left out of most price indexes and inflation indicators, how convenient for politicians!] are heading through the roof, in tandem.

Gee, if you had a choice between gas and food, which would you choose? Your body can run on less food just fine, but your car just stops dead on the road if you give it less gas.

Human nature is vastly more simplistic than most experts want to admit. Can’t afford it? Take money from something else to pay for it.

Shifting priorities? Go figure!

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November 6, 2007 by crazyopinions.

The Afghans are now beginning to blow themselves up, imitating everyday Iraqis. Pakistan is now fighting itself, imitating Iraqi religious politics.

Could it be that certain forces are using history against the US? The Western Front is relatively calm, under tentative control of the occupier. The Eastern Front is hands off, self regulating, nary a drain on resources. Suddenly, the balance in the East is upset and the West follows as resources are drained off.

Not enough men and material to fight a two front war? No problem. George has it under control. Great Uncle Adolph told him so.

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November 5, 2007 by crazyopinions.

It’s Deja Vu all over again. Obviously, Hollywood pays no attention to Detroit. After three-plus months of acrimonious negotiations, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers are at a draw and the WGA goes out on strike. Mostly, writers want a bigger piece of DVD sales and a slice of new media too.

The last time this happened back in 1988, when the only video alternative to movies and TV were on VHS tape, about 9% of the audience was lost. Now, with the battle for leisure time against the Internet, along with the health crusade to get up off the couch, the screenwriters are going to chew a hole in the bottom of an even larger ship than the UAW!

Imagine if you will, if there were an alternative to personal transportation that could potentially obsolete the automobile. Then, the UAW goes on strike for a larger cut of the shrinking profits. Silly?

The screenwriters have been warned. The ridiculous appeal of reality programming shows no sign of abating. The quality of movie releases shows no sign of improving.

Perhaps screenwriters could find employment writing new games for video game consoles? Or would that require too much imagination?

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October 26, 2007 by crazyopinions.

We’ll tell you what all the fuss is about. There aren’t very many truly iconic brands and related characters. One of these, indisputably, is the Maytag Repairman. Almost Mickey Mouse, and since he is a business trademark, he doesn’t even need special copyright extensions from the US Congress to live forever like Mickey does.

So, when Maytag closes their flagship factory in Iowa, the US media cries “Maytag’s Gone!”. The truth is somewhat less dramatic. Just as their automobile making brethren, Maytag is a victim of buyout [Whirlpool owns them] and looming foreign competition [very, very late to the party, LG from Korea is just one example].

Truly tragic, but if you really do care, then exclusively buy more expensive American Made products. ‘Nuff said!

=====

A Brief History of Maytag Corp.
Oct. 25, 2007, 3:18PM
© 2007 The Associated Press

— A history of Maytag Corp.

1893 _ Maytag founded in Newton as a farm implement manufacturer.

1907 _ Fred Maytag introduces the Maytag wooden tub washing machine.

1911 _ Maytag introduces its first electric washing machine.

1924 _ One of every five American washers bought is a Maytag.

1941-45 _ Maytag suspends appliance manufacturing to make aircraft parts for the war effort.

1946 _ Maytag begins making ranges and refrigerators.

1948 _ Maytag introduces automatic washers.

1953 _ Maytag makes its first automatic dryers.

1966 _ Maytag introduces its first portable dishwashers.

1967 _ The Maytag Lonely Repairman makes his debut.

1982 _ Acquisition of Jenn-Air, which makes ovens and cooktops.

1983 _ Maytag stops making wringer washers.

1986 _ Acquisition of Magic Chef, maker of commercial microwave ovens, including subsidiary Dixie-Narco, which makes vending machines.

1989 _ Acquisition of Hoover Co., which makes vacuum cleaners.

1997 _ Acquisition of Vermont-based Blodgett Corp., commercial ovens and frying equipment.

1999 _ Maytag acquires the Jade-Dynasty brands of commercial cooking, refrigeration and laundry equipment.

2001 _ Maytag sells Blodgett and acquires Iowa-based Amana Refrigeration, maker of freezers, refrigerators, ovens and microwave ovens.

2004 _ Maytag operates 12 manufacturing plants in the United states; Maytag’s appliance division opens its first manufacturing plant outside the United States in Reynosa, Mexico, where it already has sub-assembly operations. Maytag completes the closing of its refrigerator factory in Galesburg, Ill., a plant, which at one time provided 1,600 of the region’s highest-paying jobs.

2005 _ Maytag profits fall and the company launches a restructuring plan that cuts 1,100 salaried workers.

_ April: Analysts question the viability of Maytag Corp. as the appliance maker’s stock opened at its lowest level in more than a decade. Maytag stock plunges 7.7 percent to close at $10.05.

_ May: Maytag agrees to be bought for $1.13 billion by a group of investors led by Ripplewood Holdings LLC, a deal that prompts a bidding battle for the company.

_ June: Chinese appliance manufacturer Haier America offers $1.28 billion, but withdraws when Whirlpool offers $1.37 billion. Whirlpool increases its offer three times to $1.79 billion. Including assumption of debt, the deal is valued at $2.7 billion. Maytag accepts and Ripplewood pulls out of the bidding.

2006:

_ March: Antitrust regulators approve sale of Maytag to Whirlpool.

_ May: Whirlpool announces plans to close the Maytag corporate headquarters and the Newton factory that made washers and dryers.

_ September: Whirlpool has announced plans to “revitalize” the Maytag brand with a barrage of new Maytag products. Company officials also said they plan to keep Maytag’s lonely repairman calling him “one of the best-known advertising icons.”

_ December: Iowa Telecom and Des Moines Area Community College announce plans to take over several former Maytag buildings while others would be demolished.

2007:

_ Oct. 25: The last day of production of Maytag washers and dryers at the Newton factory.

=====

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October 25, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Here they go again. Cut off your nose to spite your face. You cannot “cure” homosexuality any more than homophobia, or racism, or bigotry. You also cannot “pray” these away. The best you can hope for is to harness the impulses of your DNA pattern so they are not destructive.

Which means that fighting, pouting, marching and in general raising a fuss over it is largely an exercise in self-gratification.

Now if they channel all that energy into something useful, perhaps we’ll have room temperature fusion by next year.

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Gay Rights Group Criticizes Obama
New York Times
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
October 25, 2007

The nation’s largest gay rights organization criticized Senator Barack Obama of Illinois yesterday for scheduling a gospel concert on Sunday with a singer who has made controversial statements about homosexuality.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the gay rights organization, urged Mr. Obama in a phone call yesterday to cancel the appearance of the singer, Donnie McClurkin, who is to sing Sunday night in a gospel concert in Columbia, S.C.

Critics say that Mr. McClurkin counsels that homosexuality is a curse that can be cured through prayer, although in an interview with The Chicago Tribune, Mr. McClurkin said that his words had been misconstrued and that he had not crusaded against gay men and lesbians.

Mr. Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate, has not canceled Mr. McClurkin’s appearance but has scheduled an openly gay minister, the Rev. Andy Sidden, to speak on the concert program. But that did not appear to tamp down criticism from some gay activists or increasingly hostile bloggers.

The controversy reflects the competing interests of two important constituencies of the Democratic Party, with gay activists complaining that Mr. Obama is seeking the support of black evangelicals at their expense. The gospel tour, which begins Friday with other singers, is part of a broader effort by the Obama campaign to win over black evangelicals.

Mr. Obama is in a fierce struggle in South Carolina with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York for the support of black voters, who make up half the electorate in the Democratic primary. The state’s primary, scheduled for mid-January, could be crucial, coming after New Hampshire and Iowa and before several big states vote on Feb. 5.

Mr. Solmonese said in a statement that he appreciated the campaign’s invitation to Mr. Sidden, but added: “There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin’s message for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. That’s a message that certainly doesn’t belong on any presidential candidate’s stage.”

Obama aides said the candidate stood by a statement he made Monday: “I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country.” Mr. Obama added that he wanted to encourage tolerance rather than division.

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October 24, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Here we go again. The Japanese have a lunar orbiter in place. The newly launched Chinese will have theirs in place November 5th. India will launch theirs next April. The US? A year from now.

As the US war in Iraq wastes billions in Earth-bound futility, it is ironic that the Sputnik anniversary is ushering in a new era of spaceflight from everyone except the US. Maybe we shouldn’t be too harsh? The Mars Rovers are still functional years past their due date, and the US leads the “Mars Race” because, well, there is nobody else out there.

Pull in the focus, and the Mars glow isn’t so rosy. The Shuttle is still battling functional issues, and the US budget for a manned Mars expedition is fighting mind share issues. When’s the last time we heard about THAT Dubya idea?

At this rate, maybe the US should buy tickets to Mars on the Chinese spacecraft? After all, the US has taught them everything they need to know, that they didn’t “acquire” some other way.

Perhaps NASA needs to place a help wanted ad before November 2008: “Visionary Desired”.

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October 23, 2007 by crazyopinions.

We have sympathy for anyone whose house burns down. The same applies to flood, hurricane and tornado victims. Earthquakes too. Any “natural disaster”.

That said, this sympathy runs short when the risk of such disasters is ignored by the residents of the areas affected. When you build or live in a risky area, accept responsibility for the eventual outcome.

This holds no sway with the US media. Wailing and gnashing of teeth is standard. Tearful interviews abound. We wouldn’t go quite as far as satirical commentator Glenn Beck, who implies that the rich residents of Malibu do not deserve any sympathy at all. A mansion is a home, after all. If you contrast the efforts to save the mountain retreats of the rich, with the efforts to save the urban lowlands of New Orleans, the issue comes into focus.

It seems some disaster relief is more effective than others.

There were some insurance companies who were seen wetting down the mansions of their clients [not the owners, of course]. We believe that is who should save the mansions. The US taxpayer should not pay to have a flight drop of fire retardant on any single California hillside McMansion. California taxpayer? Sure.

Strange, how the fire in the media looks as if it rages all across the state, everywhere you look. The real time fire maps tell a different story. Cozy hillsides in cozy canyons filled with the rich and famous. No fires in the urban jungle.

Those, they set themselves. Remember Watts, 1965.

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October 22, 2007 by crazyopinions.

The contrasts are striking on many levels. Secular Muslims and devout practicing Muslims. Abu Dhabi and Baghdad. Cooperation and Division. Opulence and Squalor.

This would merely be an interesting observation, an exercise in Arab anthropology, if not for the amount of waste. Both in lives and treasure, on all sides.

It really doesn’t matter which Arab country you consider. Take it as a given that any governing system in the Middle East will be, at best, mildly oppressive and unequal. Then ponder that the key desired outcomes are water, food and opportunity. Opportunity takes many forms, but in this region of the globe, we’ll assume it to mean the ability to live in relative peace. Oppressed, but alive.

Does it really matter if the oppression is religious or secular? Hardly. Unless you believe that only the religiously oppressed get an afterlife, and that the secularly oppressed are getting what they deserve.

Hey, isn’t that the core of God-based religions?

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October 19, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Two days ago, we called it right with Option #2 on the list. She landed in Karachi, which we got wrong. Mushy, however, warned his old rival that her health was in danger [duh!]. Option #3 is now well on its way, and Option #4 is probably not gonna happen with only 200,000 coming out to see her.

The media in some areas are exonerating Mushy and blaming terrorists. Bhutto says terrorists aren’t good enough to pull of this good of an attack, and it must be rogue elements of Pakistan’s intelligence services. Well, if anyone should know Pakistan’s political landscape, it’s her.

On a side note, check out the vehicle she was riding in, the armored rolling billboard! Does she have the marketing spin machine in high gear, or what? We are impressed! In fact, what better way to get your billboard shown in the world media, than to have the advertisement itself attacked?

Would Bhutto attack herself just for the attention?

Nah! Nobody in their right mind would…

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London Times Online [UK] 10-19-07

Benazir Bhutto described today how she had received a warning just half an hour before last night’s devastating attack on her homecoming procession that a suicide bomber would target the truck in which she was travelling.

More than 130 people were killed in two blasts that rocked Ms Bhutto’s motorcade as it edged through hundreds of thousands of well-wishers in Karachi who had stayed up late into the night to welcome her back to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile.

In an interview with a French magazine only a few hours after the bombing, the former premier said that many of them were young policemen sent in to block the path of a suicide bomber after last night’s warning was received by police and passed on to her entourage by the intelligence services.

But she nevertheless accused high-ranking members of Pakistan’s intelligence services of being behind the attack, arguing that Islamic militants could not mount such a sophisticated attack “from a mountain cave”.

Ms Bhutto, 54, has pledged to carry on with her political comeback and contest parliamentary elections in January at the head of her Pakistan People’s Party, saying that her attackers “did not manage to decapitate the democracy movement”.

Police said today that they had found the severed head of the bomber, a man of around 20 who had been carrying some 20kg of explosives, and were trying to identify him. The Interior Ministry said that the first blast had been caused by a hand grenade - although some of Ms Bhutto’s supporters insisted that there had been a car bomb.

Ms Bhutto, uninjured, was whisked away to Bilawal House, her family residence in the port city, as her supporters fled in panic after the midnight attack.

There was no claim of responsibility. Police were investigating whether the bomb had links to tribal regions bordering Afghanistan which have become hotbeds of support for al-Qaeda and the Taleban. Militants linked to al-Qaeda, angered by Ms Bhutto’s pledge to hunt down Osama bin Laden, had threatened to assassinate her only a few days ago.

In an interview with Paris Match in her Karachi residence, Ms Bhutto said: “The Talebs and the Islamists extremists cannot act alone. They can’t commit their suicide attacks from a mountain cave. They need logistics, food, weapons and someone to supervise them.”

She told the magazine that she knew “exactly” who wanted to kill her – former officials from the regime of the late General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq, who overthrew her father 30 years ago and oversaw the trial which ended in his execution.

“We should purge these elements still present in our secret services,” she said. “Many of them took retirement but have been re-hired. Today they have a lot of power and I represent a danger to them: if I bring back democracy to the country, they will lose their influence.”

Ms Bhutto rejected a suggestion that she might be held responsible for the attacks, given warnings from the government of General Pervez Musharraf that she would be a target for suicide bombers.

A relative of Ms Bhutto said that the former Prime Minister was “visibly shaken” when she arrived at her family compound in Karachi. Another friend said Ms Bhutto “came down and met everyone, and was very upset about those who had been killed”.

She later called for the head of the Intelligence Bureau, the civilian intelligence agency, to be dismissed.

Many of the dead and injured were policemen, part of the 20,000-strong force sent to guard Ms Bhutto’s ten-mile procession route. She had asked for extra protection, including the specially-designed and reinforced vehicle, but had refused to change her plans despite the obvious danger and threats from extremists. “It was an act of terrorism targeting Benazir Bhutto and aimed at sabotaging the democratic process,” said Aftab Sherpao, the Interior Minister.

General Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz, the Prime Minister, condemned the attack. Political analysts speculated that General Musharraf, the military leader who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and who has resisted standing down as head of the Army, might be tempted to call a state of emergency.

The White House, which has backed Ms Bhutto’s power-sharing deal, was outraged. “Extremists will not be allowed to stop Pakistanis from selecting their representatives through an open and democratic process,” said Gordon Johndroe, President Bush’s foreign affairs spokesman.

Schools and colleges in Karachi have been ordered to remain closed and the city’s six-lane highways were all but deserted today and businesses shut. Ms Bhutto’s plans to make her first big public speech early today at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, were scrapped.

The blasts came after a day of huge emotion. Standing wet-eyed on the steps of the aircraft that had brought her back to Pakistan after eight years of exile, dressed in the vivid green of the national flag, Ms Bhutto had pressed her fingers to her eyes and then raised her hands to the sky, as the crowd roared: “You will be the next leader of our country.”

In the first three hours of her journey from the airport, the bus crawled just three hundred yards as people climbed electricity poles and shop awnings. Buses had brought many supporters from her native Sindh province, but also from the Punjab, the North West Frontier province and the tribal areas beyond government control.

In today’s interview, she said: “Just before the attacks happened, I was very happy. The procession was one enormous party, the atmosphere was joyful, people were dancing in the street, it was magnificent. For me, that was the real Pakistan.

“Those who exploded the bombs wanted to kill off the enthusiasm of the crowds who welcomed me yesterday afternoon. But, fortunately for Pakistan, they did not manage to decapitate the democracy movement.”

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October 18, 2007 by crazyopinions.

US White House Press Conference, 10-17-07, 10:45 EDT

“Question: But you definitively believe Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon?”

“GEORGE W. BUSH: I think so long — until they suspend and/or make it clear that they — that their statements aren’t real, yeah, I believe they want to have the capacity, the knowledge, in order to make a nuclear weapon. And I know it’s in the world’s interest to prevent them from doing so. I believe that the Iranian — if Iran had a nuclear weapon, it would be a dangerous threat to world peace.

But this — we got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I’ve told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously.”

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Next, consider this from the Kirkby Times in the UK [www.kirkbytimes.co.uk] [edited for brevity]:

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“Welcome to World War Three

America has been openly hell bent on waging a World War ever since the Sept 11th Attacks…. The Bush Family has extensive financial interests in Arms and Oil. Bush’s Family were involved in funding the Nazi Party’s rise to power, and sadly, the USA acted too little too late in stopping the funding of Arms which prepared Hitler for World War Two. The Bush Family has a closet full of skeletons which the Mass Media chooses to ignore. The Bush family and Bin Laden family go back almost half a century and together are two of the biggest shareholders in the Carlyle group, the biggest defence contractor in the World with ties to influential political figures. America has announced in advance the Countries it says are on the ‘axis of evil’. North Korea has responded by reactivating nuclear plants and the situation there remains extremely dangerous. China and the USSR will not be sitting on the sidelines as the US begins to push beyond Iraq. All of these Countries are led by people who have no intention of allowing true democracy to prevail…..Sept 11th was the beginning of World War Three…..

They Must Be Stopped

Kirkby Times can offer little reassurance in these troubled times. Most people are just going to carry on with the usual routine, were reduced to seeing our futures in the hands of others, but that is a dangerous complacent and defeatist attitude for anyone, no matter what political persuasion. We’re becoming apathetic as to changing our own communities and neighbourhoods, too few people among us put our heads above the trenches to speak of Freedom or Liberty. Many of us oppose the War coming, but even a million voices mean nothing if they are not raised in unison. The coming times will test our mettle in ways we would not wish. Like it or not, World War Three is beginning and this War, unlike the previous Two, will not end in a few years, and will not be restricted to designated battle zones……

Standing up to Tyranny

Many may dismiss this article as sensationalist, but the Truth is there for those of you who want to look at it for yourselves. We can no longer trust our politicians to be honest. We never really could. The illusion of democracy is to make the people believe they have a choice. The choice, for most of us, is to put an X on a ballot box every 4 years or so. We don’t get a choice as to whether we want this War, and no matter what Government we vote for, the Arms Dealers and Oil interests…..

“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” *Albert Einstein

Thanks to Alex Jones, a USA syndicated Talk Show host, for his video ‘9 11: The Road to Tyranny’ which raises many of the points raised here in this article…”

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The larger sense we get from Dubya Bush, is that it’s all about Israel, now. It has been a cornerstone of US foreign policy in the Middle East since WW2. After all, money talks, even more than oil, and American politics is saturated with Israeli money [and oil]. I’m sure the majority of US citizens/voters will gladly start WW3 to ensure the survival of God’s Chosen People.

Whatever happened to the WOT [War On Terror]? Bush is either a total loose cannon, or merely a megalomaniac. Or both?

Repeat After Us: “DUCK AND COVER!”

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October 17, 2007 by crazyopinions.

So Benazir Bhutto will get off the plane in Islamabad, and:

1) be hustled back onto the plane by government goons [deja vu?]
2) be allowed to get into a vehicle which will blow up a few miles away
3) rejoin her Pakistan Peoples Party, become Prime Minister, and effectively rule Pakistan jointly with Musharraf
4) be trampled by millions of adoring fans and be given an elaborate state funeral

The best part of contemporary Asian politics, is the utterly unpredictable nature of the outcomes. Not to mention the colorful characters on the world stage!

Where else but Pakistan, can former political party leaders be accused of massive corruption, yet lounge around in exile in Dubai wearing a regulation Muslim Mini Skirt?

It makes us wonder if Osama himself will meet her at the airport with his stunner shades on? [see our September 11th, 2007 blog post] Tune in tomorrow!

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October 16, 2007 by crazyopinions.

It seems the Canadian Dollar parity has ruffled a few spooks for Halloween! The US Treasury is going to broker a scam, er, deal which forms a shell company, er, fund to absorb bad debt [e.g., mortgages] using contributions from the three biggest banks. They’ll just issue Junk Bonds, er, promissory notes or CD’s [”Commercial Paper”] to finance the “absorbing”.

Well, we wish them luck stalling the inevitable!

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WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Tuesday reiterated that he believed a strong dollar was in America’s interests, in remarks aimed at his colleagues in the Group of Seven who will meet here on Friday.

“In terms of the upcoming G7 … the strong dollar is in our nation’s interest. I have said repeatedly that, and currency values should be determined in competitive markets, based on underlying economic fundamentals,” he said in response to a question after a speech at Georgetown University law school.

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Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s plan to shore up asset-backed commercial paper is drawing criticism from free-market advocates, who say it risks shielding banks from the consequences of poor decisions.

Paulson’s team brokered negotiations between the country’s biggest banks that led to the creation yesterday of a fund to help revive the asset-backed commercial paper market. Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. agreed to establish the fund after a month of talks with Treasury aides.

“It is disappointing,” said William Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute in Washington and a former member of President Ronald Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers. “It does go against the Bush administration’s preferences. Like all bailouts, it creates a moral hazard problem. I’m unhappy with situations like these.”

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October 15, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Well, maybe it isn’t that bad. Only 31 years since the last time it happened, in the middle of the US energy crunch, just before inflation took off and interest rates took a huge climb…

On second thought, doesn’t history have a long memory? Watch the foreign ownership of US bonds and debt. Recession will either be the trigger, or be triggered by a change in this market, and the result could be worse than the 1980’s.

Feeling lucky, punk? Do ya?

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October 12, 2007 by crazyopinions.

We’re sure much hay will be made in the conservative media about Al Gore and his new Nobel Peace Prize. Suffice it to say that you would have to look hard to find a conservative politician, living or dead, who gave up politics for idealism in a class way.Widely panned during his presidency, Carter has ignored critics and followed his convictions across the globe since 1980. Whatever you think about his convictions, going toe-to-toe with a third world Sudanese security lackey in Darfur, shows more spine than any currently alive politician or CEO. He recently turned 83! Nobel Peace Prize, 2002.

Widely panned during his vice-presidency and beyond, Gore has done the same, albeit in a different vein. His refusal to be “drafted” to run in 2008, if it holds, will be the beginning of his evolution as a senior statesman.

The actions of most sitting US Presidents tend to rub the world in the wrong way, mostly to the detriment of the US. Some even do both, and hurt the world image and the country itself. Something happens, perhaps, after leaving office, to cause them to gain perspective. Cynics may say this is just “legacy building” for the history books.

If so, gimme more ‘o that!

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October 11, 2007 by crazyopinions.

The landscape is littered with indie pop bands, and most have the same pedigree wherever they were hatched. The UK band Radiohead is no exception. After working the depressed teenager schtick as far as it would go, they woke up one day, realized themselves as “old”, and began to mix it up. I’ll give them credit for actually having a very, very deep thought, one which may have escaped most bands [with anything to lose, anyway]: What Is Music Really Worth?

Don’t get us wrong, this concept can be carried over to psuedo variations on the same [remember Priceline.com in the glory days?] “name your price” hogwash, but just stop for a minute and really ponder the ramifications. On one level, this is just music “shareware”, and we have all seen the future of that. On another level, it questions the very foundations of the consumer society the world evolved into [and continues to].

Go, go Radiohead! Give it all away and let your worth be determined by the consumer masses. We salute the experiment, and wish you success. The world is watching.

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October 10, 2007 by crazyopinions.

First GM, and now Chrysler. The UAW is flexing its muscles again. A billion hungry Asians get by on less than a dollar a day. They are all poised to eat the lunch of US workers, as they have been doing steadily for the last 40 years. Don’t rats desert a sinking ship? Not these, they prefer to chew holes in the hull!

What are they trying to prove? The downtrodden worker is not inside of a US auto plant! They inhabit retail stores and call centers, if they are employed at all. Unions are a faded reminder of the former industrial power of the USA. If they don’t reinvent their purpose to help, it will only get worse.

Here is a good example of their logic and reasoning, which has it all backwards:

Center For Labor Renewal: Reinventing the Wheel:The Future of the UAW

By: Elly Leary

The latest news from the Big Three (Chrysler, Ford, and GM) automakers is bad. As of Valentine’s Day [2007] the permanent force reduction now exceeds 100,000. Most of the jobs eliminated are hourly workers, UAW and CAW union members in fact (the majority of the job losses will take place in the US). UAW President Gettelfinger told the New York Times (2/15/07) that the news was “devastating . . . for thousands of workers, their families and their communities.” Buzz Hargrove of the CAW was quoted as “We’re saying to people, ‘You’d better take what you can,’.” These comments capture the long descent of the UAW, and more lately the CAW, from organizations inspiring collective action and rank-and-file planning, to organizations in retreat, recommending individual solutions and mouthing toothless platitudes.

For those unfamiliar with UAW history, starting in early 1980s, the UAW signed on to a contractual program of labor-management cooperation, called “jointness.” Union leaders hoped this would save Big Three workers from the aggressive downsizing resulting from the “Japanese invasion.” Some of the social democratic UAW leaders even hoped this would morph into something like the German workplace co-determination (where it was codified into law). Twenty-five years later, it is clear that neither hope was realized. Today’s UAW members are producing more cars than they did in 1979 with less than half the number of people. By 1987 the national contracts of the Big Three had language which placed the priority of “securing the company’s market position” above the “job security of its employees.” The cornerstone of the UAW — equal pay for equal work — has given way to a workplace where there is no uniform pay and benefits (the “tier” system in manufacturing lingo). If workers do have a say in the workplace, it is likely to be about how to distribute the work of cut employees, never about how to keep or add workers.

Reversing these trends and changing course will not be easy given the entrenchment of the jointness ideology. The elements of renewal are not the stuff of rocket science, however, and are no doubt commonsense solutions for many of us both inside and outside unions.

1. Cooperation plans built on competitiveness only benefit the employer — they must be rejected. Time has proven they only result in fewer workers with more work. The very notion of competition between workers and working-class organization should never be mentioned in the same sentence; they are antithetical. Competition has easily bled over into worker against worker, too often with racist and xenophobic overtones. Some things never change — An Injury to One Is An Injury to All.
2. Continue to oppose privatization and schemes that destroy public space and activity for the public good. In the UAW case, this means standing up to and not with the auto companies on fuel consumption, public transportation, and urban sprawl.
3. Organizing new workers, especially in the auto industry, will take a long-term commitment to the community as well as to the workers in any particular workplace. Such a commitment might start with building a union/community hall and opening the doors to community groups and advocates who promote and defend the working class and their needs: tenants and “city” rights; immigration; programs to combat racism, sexism, and homophobia; teen centers, day care, elder care; unemployment — you get the drift. Only then will there be sufficient “goodwill” to overcome years of anti-union indoctrination. This approach will be even more crucial as the auto industry continues to relocate to the US south and southwest.
4. Building organizations whose internal culture develops and appreciates grassroots leadership; helps members become the best people they can be, not just foot soldiers dedicated to the organization; works to eliminate the injuries of capitalism and understands the connectedness between issues of race, gender, and class; and gives members the tools to strategically plan and carry out their plans.
5. Internationalism not paternalism (or worse, colonialism) with our sisters and brothers in other countries. We have something to learn from others struggles. Coordinated bargaining, strategizing, campaigns, and actions are a must in the neo-liberal global economy. When Brazilian and South African workers want to conduct activities at their workplace to help us in the US (as they offered the UAW), they must be embraced and return support actions developed. Even though the UAW was “officially” on the record against apartheid, they never promoted or encouraged workplace activities on this issue.
6. The UAW or any other union- or working-class-based organization must be fully committed to expanding rights, not limiting them. As the old saying goes, if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything. Despite pleas from many sources to only stick with economic issues, we need organizations that work hard on the tough issues like gay marriage. The UAW, for example, has a fairly stellar record on passing resolutions at conventions on these issues but rarely does the tough job of educating members and working vigorously with the community about them. Some of these issues need not be button pushers. Take universal health care. It is beyond belief that the UAW hasn’t thrown its entire apparatus behind the Conyers bill. Health care and pension costs are a significant factor in the Big Three woes.
7. Do some serious thinking about issues of re-industrialization.

Unfortunately, it may be too optimistic to think that this latest news will jumpstart a long overdue self-reflection and program of correction. Without such a step, the UAW membership will continue to slide, its ability to defend workers narrowed, and its prospects for growth dimmed. This should give pause to those in or being organized by SEIU, whose President Andy Stern has continued to trumpet a version of this ideology of partnership with an employers who show little or no interest in the wellbeing of workers.

1 Although there are increasing similarities between the CAW and UAW, the CAW and Canadian union internal culture and history, as well as Canadian labor law, necessitates a separate piece. C’mon sisters and brothers in Canada, use your experience to weigh in on these vital questions.

2 In the UAW there is a master agreement which covers wages, broad union rights, benefits, and the outlines of a seniority system. Local agreements fill in the blanks and discuss specific local conditions (like hours of work, holidays above and beyond those in the master contract, numbers and types of different jobs).

3 The similarities between these ideas and those contained in the Center for Labor Renewal’s Call are not accidental. Join us today.

—
Elly Leary, a former autoworker whose plant closed, retired from UAW 2324 at Boston University, where she was vice-president and chief negotiator.
—

Well? Think the general public will agree to lower their standard of living, their expectations, and help the unions at the grassroots level? Not anymore.

The Opinionator(tm) has been a member of at least two different unions. Suffice it to say, none of those jobs were worth keeping.

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October 9, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Not just for the military anymore, now hired security forces can kill anyone who may be a perceived threat first, and ask questions later. The military has done this in Iraq since day one, with hardly a mention. You can shoot them dead at any time, just don’t make them wear undergarments on their heads or crawl naked like a dog. Blackwater? Big deal!

To understand this in proper context, you must think like the planners of war: “If you didn’t have such a screwed up country in the first place, we wouldn’t have had to come half way around the planet to clean up your mess, kick your butt, and try and teach you how to be civilized.” Damn savages! Think Britain in India and the French in the Middle East. History repeats. Look it up.

Crazy Opinions suggestion to 24 Hour News: Change the Channel

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October 8, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Not just for college campuses anymore, now irate off duty law enforcement goes on a rampage at a party and kills many. Jealousy, envy, greed. Add a gun. Presto! Problems solved. Gotta love that NRA! Let’s give a nation full of IQ 80 monkeys on antidepressants firearms to defend themselves, and we’re sure all our crime problems will be over.

There may be a minor bloodbath as all the emotionally retarded act out their frustrations, but we’ll get over it.

Crazy Opinions Suggestion: Get A Flak Jacket!

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October 3, 2007 by crazyopinions.

One of the reasons developed countries never believe that third world countries want nuclear power [that reactor must be for weapons!], is simple: no advanced civilized society should want to mortgage their future for a quick energy fix in the present. At least, none advanced enough to build a nuclear reactor. Now, if you buy one instead of build it, then you just might be a squalid backwater of tin shacks with a grudge.

Which brings us to the Russians, who will soon be sealing up the Chernobyl reactor site [again; the first concrete cap is coming apart] that melted down 21 years ago. They will add a steel enclosure which should last 100 years, enough time for them to dismantle the contaminated reactor core inside. Right. Any volunteers? Who’s first?

Think advanced coutries are any better? Crazy Opinions is 100 miles from a reactor that had to shut down because of a corroded reactor cover. Almost developed a hole, which would have begun a second Chernobyl. Caught the problem just in the nick of time, too.

Sleep tight, world! Pay no attention to nuclear waste half-lives, you wouldn’t understand it anyhow.

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October 2, 2007 by crazyopinions.

If the kids stop eating the house [paint], and stop eating the toys [paint], perhaps they’ll be safe? Not a chance. The lead hysteria has moved to the grass roots level; now you can take your kids and toys for free lead screenings and lead blood tests. Hysterical parents are then tearing up their houses and belongings when their kids test positive for lead, suspecting everything from Mexican candy wrappers to coffee mugs and salsa bowls.

Crazy Opinions Official Reality Check: Ever hear of “background radiation”, the level of rads in the environment around us? Guess what? There is also “background lead” contamination. Lead is everywhere, in the air, in the soil, in the water. Some is natural, but the bulk of this lead is the result of 150 years of industrial progress, man-made and introduced into the environment in countless ways. Doubt us? Have your favorite news outlet investigate, and have them test just one thing: the soil anywhere within the right-of-way of a road or highway. They will soon forget the lead, when they discover the miriad of heavy metals and other toxins we breathe and touch every day.

Sleep tight, all is well!

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October 1, 2007 by crazyopinions.

The concept is ridiculous, really. Let’s say that a captive market with a voracious appetite for your product exists. The demand always exceeds supply. Your main worry is the exhaustion of the supply.

In this scenario, competition is an illusion. There are more customers than existing supplies of the product sold by all the sellers. As one would expect, the price has been on an unchecked upward trend for many decades. Let us not be fooled by lengthy inflation plateaus, or economists who talk in terms of inflation over time. The simple fact is, more of us are using it faster than ever before, paying more for it than ever before, and there is less of it available than ever before.

Is it oil? Sort of. What it really is: man-made energy from finite and limited availability fuels. No others will be feasable, until these run out or become just as expensive as the alternatives [solar, wind]. Fusion? Not in our lifetimes.

Which brings us back to the original question: why advertise? Why do we see:

Marathon Oil using Richard Petty to claim their customers care about the new STP additives in their fuel [when they don’t know 20% isn’t even gasoline at all]?
If the Chevron station next door is 2 cents a gallon less, they’ll switch in a heartbeat!

Chevron, with a truly amazing ad, using far reaching philosophical and environmental statements to convince viewers that the company consists not of a corporate behemoth, just 58,000 average fuel guzzling people just like us, who take their enviromental stewardship seriously. Oh, and they drill for oil in a very efficient and respectful manner. That’s what we want, a respectful oil company. But, if the Shell station next door is 2 cents less a gallon, we’ll switch in a heartbeat!

Shell, the truly forward thinking oil company, touts their new RealEnergy program in a series of upscale magazine ads. Energy and fuel from straw, they say. Investing in the future, they claim. They say nothing about the surface of the Earth not being able to grow enough vegetable based fuel sources to replace current demands, much less increasing needs.

Are they after loyal repeat energy customers? The only nonrepeat customer is a dead one.

No, they are only shoring up their images now, while they still have one to save for the history books. Well, Marathon may be after more fickle pickup truck drivers, but the others don’t want to end up like big evil Standard Oil 100 years ago. Because when the oil runs out, nobody will blame the politicians.

The torch-wielding crowds will head for the gas stations/quick marts and refineries.

Crazy Opinions Prediction: it will happen in this century. You saw it here first.

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September 28, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Of course, if the children aren’t working out, or if the thought of rebellion against your authority rankles you, just get a pet. Everyone else is. At this rate, there will soon be colleges for pets to attend. They already have pet equivalents for most child-rearing objects and situations, even pet health plans.

Keep in mind that pets, like kids, still ingest things they should not without your approval, and will stay out late and leave home without warning if ignored for too long or at the wrong time.

Imagine that. Let the government pay for health care for your kids, while you pay for health care for your pet.

News item: Pet Supply industry forecast to be $41 billion in fiscal 2007, 2nd after the leader, Electronics.

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September 27, 2007 by crazyopinions.

If the kids survive lead poisoning, perhaps they will live long enough to commit suicide or merely mutilate themselves. Now they are taking their pierced, cut and tattooed selves into the woods and finding new things to ingest which aren’t yet illegal. Nothing common like banana peels. Merely weeds such as Salvia and Jimson Weed, or anything the ‘Net serves up as the cool-new-drug-of-the-moment.

What is missing here, the common denominator, a missing link, the overlooked thread which news never reveals [or chooses to ignore]?

Parents. Families. The sad fact is that with the new society evolved over the last 50 odd years, the “extended family” has replaced the “nuclear family”. the problem with “extended” anything, is that by definition, they are stretched thin. Add to that the reality of the new self absorption, navel gazing and narcissism of parents and siblings [can you say “reality show”?], and presto!

New Reality: Children Raise Themselves [qualifications not required]. After all, we just don’t have the time.

Oh, in case you are hit with a case of the guilts, and become a “helicopter parent”, it won’t substitute for the real thing.

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September 25, 2007 by crazyopinions.

50 Years After Sputnik, some “Space Age”!

What happened? The future seemed so bright even back in 1970’s, when we left the Moon for good. The space shuttle just doesn’t cut it. You must have some chutzpah, and some awesome goal to hit. Otherwise, if you cannot capture the public imagination, there won’t be any tax dollars going to NASA anytime soon.

Of course, there now is an emerging private sector [think Space Ship One and the X Prize] which is willing to start the venture where man has gone before.

Can they be prodded to follow James T. Kirk, to “go where no man has gone before”?

In the New York Times, in essays related to the Sputnik anniversary, we find these comments: “Some space age,” writes an author. “NASA works for the [US] president, and curiosity alone doesn’t loosen purse strings”.

Tell all the new billionaires of the world to get off their duffs, and start investing in space travel to the planets and moons.

For as little as $10 billion you can make your mark in history. Let’s see, buy Facebook, or travel to Mars?

We’d take Mars any day.

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September 24, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Amazing. Racism? In a small, poor southern US town? In 2007?? If you’re surprised, don’t be. Let’s list the present day symbols and realities that shed light on race relations in America:

- In the town of Jena, the 85% majority whites run the school board and the school. If there is no way to hold them accountable, there must be countless lawyers willing to take on a 1964 revisit of civil rights to further their careers at little or no charge. Or, the NAACP should surely help out where they are REALLY needed, in the South.

- Race relations in the US have come a long way since 1964, but they won’t go any further. Those who are able to deal with equal rights do so, and those who cannot will not be “educated” or “enlightened” into becoming color blind. Some of this is an ignorance gene in the DNA, and it can be masked by economic factors, but it will always exist.

- The issue includes all races, and the US media only plays up the black vs. white incidents with such vigor. Consider Iraq, where US mercenary groups and the US military treat civilians as less than human, mere “collateral damage”. Some of this is just War Is Hell, but it is oh so much easier to handle when They Are Not Like Us.

- Other races are permeating US popular culture as never before, both in quantity and quality. Unlike the mass immigration in the 1800’s and 1900’s of Europeans, who assimilated into the culture, this new wave is “in your face”. Pop culture and media feed the frenzy, and hope they provoke a reaction.

This “in your face” is what happened in Jena. A black [hip-hop/gangsta/rap] posse went looking for revenge on a white [pickuptruck/hillbilly/billybob] because of the perceived school board inequality of justice, compared to the suspended white noose hangers.

“Free The Jena Six”? Hardly. Tell David Bowie to save his money for something worthwhile. Either suspend the Jena Six, or prosecute all equally, Blacks and Whites. Under no moral code should anyone go “free”.

Part of the race problem that CAN be solved, is everyone accepting responsibility and consequences for their actions, and STOP BEING VICTIMS. Stand up and be heard; don’t resort to the tactics of your enemies!

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September 21, 2007 by crazyopinions.

In one of his many moments of candor on the Iraq War, Defense Secretary Gates admits during an interview that he “doesn’t know” if he would have started this war, if he knew then what we know now.

Why is it so earth-shattering to hear a politician or public official speak with either truth or common sense? The fact that this is this even a news item, says volumes about the USA grip on reality.

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September 20, 2007 by crazyopinions.

The coming recession and meltdown is now likely to spread across the Atlantic. This is because the staid BOE has agreed to cut interest rates in order to prod a US-like economic recovery on the back of easy credit. Oh well, at least the Brits won’t have a real estate bubble to worry about.

Meanwhile, the Fed admits this move is only to postpone the effects of the US mortgage crisis. “Recent developments in financial markets have increased the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook,” Bernanke said. We’re not lowering them to manipulate the stock market, really we’re not.

Quick! Buy Gold!

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September 20, 2007 by crazyopinions.

We have no sympathy for OJ, but we can empathize with his sorry state of affairs. Trying to retrieve lost pieces of his storied past, he falls into a self-made trap. Now a Las Vegas DA out to make a name for himself [can you say “book deal”?] will attempt to put him away for life, on charges far more ludicrous than the first OJ go-round last century.

After looking into the collectibles dealer he is alleged to have “robbed” [and more], it seems like a case here of criminal-on-criminal crime. Shady behavior on all sides, in a shady hotel room, in shady Las Vegas.

We say, let what happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas. Please, don’t let us know about it!

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September 19, 2007 by crazyopinions.

It is now official. Muslim Islamic radicals admit, through their most public hero, that they are all parasites. Well, not even THAT good, since a true parasite makes sure it doesn’t kill its host. Actually, Islamic radicals are a different type of parasite, called a parasitoid. Imagine declaring war on the entity [Pakistan] that protects and preserves your way of life. Gee, what a great idea!

If you have ever seen the movie Aliens, the developing aliens are parasitoids. Parasitods are different from normal parasites because they kill their hosts. Ergo, Islamic radicals are Aliens!

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September 18, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Here we go again, and this time it isn’t just Spinach, now its the specialized lettuce. It’s a common perception that common Iceberg Lettuce hasn’t any nutrients compared to specialized varieties, but at least so far, it won’t kill you!

Would eating organic lettuce have prevented this problem? No! You need to be careful with any bagged salad, organic or nonorganic, due to the additional handling required to process it with human hands, and the fact that leafy vegetables are grown ON THE GROUND. A head of lettuce, by comparison, has never seen daylight until you cut it open, or peel away the outer leaves.

The last outbreak in 2006, was traced to a next-door cattle ranch. We think they were using some REAL organic fertilizer, aka “cow patties”!

For a refesher course on this issue, with a history of past recent outbreaks, here is a little background (from about.com, Urban Legends):

===========

May, 2006: Lettuce & Spinach Borne E. Coli

In an outbreak in Minnesota, health experts suspected E. coli 0157:H7, a bacterium usually associated with eating undercooked ground beef.

The real culprit, however, was bagged salad, the No. 2 cause of E. coli-related foodborne illness. Infection presents with stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (the condition that leads to kidney failure). Patients typically become ill two to five days after eating contaminated food.

The CDC issued a warning about bagged salad risks and a voluntary recall for specific brands. In the meantime, 26 people in three states had suffered lettuce-induced illness.

============

PAST LETTUCE OUTBREAKS

E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with lettuce or spinach, specifically the “pre-washed” and “ready-to-eat” varieties sold under various brand and trade names, are by no means a new phenomenon. In October 2003, 13 residents of a California retirement center were sickened and 2 died after eating E. coli-contaminated “pre-washed” spinach. In September 2003, nearly 40 patrons of a California restaurant chain became ill after eating salads prepared with bagged, “pre-washed” lettuce. In July 2002, over 50 young women were stricken with E. coli at a dance camp after eating “pre-washed” lettuce, leaving several hospitalized and one with life-long kidney damage. The Center for Science in the Public Interest found that, of 225 food-poisoning outbreaks from 1990 to 1998, nearly 20 percent (55 outbreaks) were linked to fresh fruits, vegetables, or salads. The following is a chart of several additional outbreaks:

Date
Vehicle
Etiology
Reported Cases
States/Provinces
1 Aug. 1993 Salad bar E. coli O157:H7 53 1:WA
2 July 1995 Lettuce (leafy green, red, romaine) E. coli O157:H7 70 1:MT
3 Sept. 1995 Lettuce (romaine) E. coli O157:H7 20 1:ID
4 Sept. 1995 Lettuce (iceberg) E. coli O157:H7 30 1:ME
5 Oct. 1995 Lettuce (iceberg; unconfirmed) E. coli O157:H7 11 1:OH
6 May-June
1996 Lettuce (mesclun; red leaf) E. coli O157:H7 61 3:CT,IL,NY
7 May 1998 Salad E. coli O157:H7 2 1:CA
8 Feb.-Mar. 1999 Lettuce (iceberg) E. coli O157:H7 72 1:NE
9 July-Aug. 2002 Lettuce (romaine) E. coli O157:H7 29 2:WA,ID
10 Oct 2003-May 2004 Lettuce (mixed salad) E. coli O157:H7 57 1:CA
11 Apr. 2004 Spinach E. coli O157:H7 16 1:CA

It is clear that the risks associated with E. coli O157:H7 and lettuce were well known to Dole and the industry prior to the 2005 outbreak. For some time prior to the outbreak, the FDA had been aggressively trying to get the industry to address serious deficiencies that were creating a critical risk to consumers. The response by Dole and many of its industry brethren was woefully inadequate.

In November 2005, the FDA elucidated its past efforts and present concerns in its “Letter to California Firms that Grow, Pack, Process, or Ship Fresh and Fresh-Cut Lettuce.” The letter begins:

This letter is intended to make you aware of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) serious concern with the continuing outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of fresh and fresh-cut lettuce and other leafy greens.

The FDA goes on to identify 18 outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 associated with fresh or fresh-cut lettuce, resulting in 409 illnesses and two deaths since 1995. According to the FDA, completed traceback investigations in eight of the outbreaks—the 2005 Dole outbreak included—were traced to Salinas, California. The FDA further states that the industry’s role in preventing these illnesses is crucial because “these products are commonly consumed in their raw state without processing to reduce or eliminate pathogens.”

The FDA efforts to lead the lettuce industry to safer practices were nothing new. In 1998, the FDA issued guidance to the industry entitled “Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fruits and Vegetables.” The guide is specifically designed to assist growers and packers in the implementation of safer manufacturing practices. On February 5, 2004, the FDA issued a letter to the lettuce and tomato industries to “make them aware of [FDA’s] concerns regarding continuing outbreaks associated with these two commodities and to encourage the industries to review their practices.”

The 2005 Dole outbreak prompted even more industry-admonition by the FDA: “In light of continuing outbreaks associated with fresh and fresh-cut lettuce and other leafy greens, particularly from California, we are issuing this second letter to reiterate our concerns and to strongly encourage firms in your industry to review their current operations.” This November 2005 FDA letter explicitly rejected industry excuses for not having taken prior action. Further, the FDA cited to research linking some or all of the outbreaks to sewage exposure, animal waste, and other contaminated water sources. The research further indicated that industry practices, including irrigation and field drainage methods, may have led directly to the contamination of the lettuce with E. coli O157:H7. As a result the FDA stated that it considers “adulterated” any ready to eat crops that have come in contact with flood waters. The FDA closed by warning industry members that food produced under unsanitary conditions is adulterated under §402(a)(4) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and that enforcement actions would be considered.

THE DOLE OUTBREAK

“DOLE Classic Romaine is triple washed and ready-to-eat. As a result, it is not necessary to wash the salad prior to eating.”

From http://www.dole.com/Products/Products_Detail.jsp?CatGroupID=4&ID=79, Dole Food webpage

On September 22, 2005 the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Public Health Laboratory (PHL) received an E. coli O157:H7 isolate for confirmatory testing and Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) subtyping. PFGE results were reported on September 26 and uploaded to PulseNet, a national database of PFGE patterns or “fingerprints” maintained at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pattern derived from digestion with the restriction endonuclease Xba I was assigned Pattern number EXHX01.0238. The isolate was soon tested with a second enzyme, Bln I, and the resulting pattern was assigned pattern number EXHA26.1040. Prior to September 19, the Bln I pattern had not been posted on PulseNet.

Isolates obtained from culture of stool submitted by two new ill patients were received at the MDH PHL on September 23, 2005 and subtyped. PFGE results showed that the two new isolates and the isolate received on September 22 were indistinguishable by two enzymes. By September 29, 2005 isolates obtained from seven more patients arrived at the MDH PHL for further analysis. Public health investigators recognized that an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was underway in Minnesota.

While laboratory testing was performed, MDH epidemiologists conducted preliminary interviews with patients who were laboratory confirmed with E. coli O157:H7. On the morning of September 28 investigators had identified pre-packaged lettuce produced by Dole Food Company, Inc. as the likely vehicle of transmission for infection with E. coli O157:H7. A supplemental questionnaire focusing on the type and brand of lettuce consumed and where it was purchased, was developed and administered to case-patients previously interviewed and newly identified cases. On September 29 Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) staff collected a bag of Dole lettuce at the home of a case patient and began microbiologic testing for the presence of E. coli O157:H7.

On September 30 the MDH issued a press release advising the public that 11 cases of E. coli O157:H7 had been identified in Minnesota residents who had eaten Dole lettuce purchased from at least four different stores in the Twin Cities area. See Attachment No. 2, Minnesota Department of Health News Release, September 30, 2005. Dr. Kirk Smith, an MDH foodborne disease specialist, advised consumers to discard Dole pre-packaged lettuce mixes with the “Best if Used by 09/23/05” date. Persons with symptoms of E. coli were told to contact the MDH and their physician. Dr. Chris Braden at the Foodborne and Diarrheal Disease Branch at the CDC announced that no other states were reporting outbreak associated cases.

Meanwhile MDA microbiologists continued to process lettuce specimens obtained from households with cases of confirmed E. coli O157:H7. On Monday, October 3 the agency reported that sample number M-05-2310, Lot Number B250215B received on September 30 had tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. The isolate obtained from the sample was sent to the MDH for PFGE analysis. The resulting pattern was indistinguishable to the pattern identified in case-patients. A second specimen, M-05-2318, lot number unavailable, would also yield positive results. See Attachment No. 3, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Laboratory Analysis Report dated 10/20/2005.

News of the positive lettuce specimen prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a nationwide health alert regarding Dole pre-packaged salads on October 2. See Attachment No. 4, FDA Issues Nationwide Health Alert on Dole Pre-Packaged Salads. The FDA announcement reiterated warnings expressed in the MDH press release and further described the Dole products associated with illness, Classic Romaine, American Blend, and Greener Selection. Although cases had only been identified in Minnesota, the product was noted to have been distributed nationwide.

It would not be long before cases of E. coli O157:H7 in Wisconsin and Oregon would be recognized. The Wisconsin case was a 12 year old female with E. coli O157:H7 who had a history of eating Dole pre-packaged lettuce. PFGE subtyping showed that her isolate was indistinguishable to the EXHX01.0238 pattern and one band different on the second enzyme pattern. Despite the one band difference, MDH molecular epidemiologists considered the girl to be part of the outbreak concluding that the difference was not enough to preclude the case from being considered outbreak related.

The Oregon case was indisputably associated with consumption of Dole pre-packaged salad mix. A 60 year old Portland resident was hospitalized and laboratory confirmed with E. coli O157:H7 on September 21, 2005. The patient had experienced onset of symptoms on September 18, four days after purchasing and consuming Dole brand “Classic Romaine” salad mix. Michael Roberson, representative for Albertsons’, the grocery store of purchase, confirmed that the chain’s Portland area distributing center had received Dole Greener Selection and Dole Classic Romaine. See Attachment No. 5, email message from Michael Roberson to William E. Keene, dated 10/6/2005. A portion of the salad mix was still in the patient’s refrigerator. A photograph taken of the packaging documents that Ms. Scheetz purchased Dole salad mix with a “Best if Used By” date of 9/23/05, lot number was B250215B. See Attachment No. 6, email message from Bill Keene to Dr. Melvin N. Kramer, dated 10/24/2005. PFGE subtyping showed that the Oregon isolate was indistinguishable by two enzymes to other ill Dole lettuce consumers in Minnesota.

Aware of the potential severity of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, the FDA and the Food and Drug Branch at the California Department of Health Services initiated an investigation at the Dole processing plant. Preliminary information indicated that 22,321 cases of Dole pre-packaged lettuce with a “Best If Used By” date of 9/23/05 and a production code starting with “B250” were shipped from a single Dole processing facility in central California to 34 states in early September. Investigators estimated that since each case contained between 6 and 12 bags, approximately 244,866 bags of lettuce had made it to market.

On October 11, 2005 the MDH counted 23 laboratory confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 and seven epidemiologically linked cases. Illness onset dates ranged from September 16 to September 30. Two cases had developed Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). Oregon and Wisconsin reported one case each. Case control study data show a statistically significant association between illness and consuming Dole pre-packaged lettuce with a matched odds ratio of 6.8, 95% confidence interval, 1.4-31.9, and a p-value of 0.01.

NOTE: you can’t remove E. Coli by washing your salad greens. The only way is to cook them, which isn’t what most people intend when buying fresh salad!

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September 17, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Our old friend Alan Greenspan, financial sage and former Fed Reserve Bank chairman, is about to publish his memoirs. Now, we never put much stock in the hysteria his opinions would generate while he was the Fed Head, but we always thought him to be an intelligent fellow with wit, honesty and candor. This means that his memoirs will be widely discredited from the get-go by all those with some political or reputational capital at stake.A pity, because he is likely to be right on the mark with most of his comments.
This piece puts it all down:

“Greenspan Memoir Links Iraq War to US Thirst for Oil | WASHINGTON (AFP) | Edited For Brevity

Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, for years an inscrutable seer on the economy, is causing a stir by alleging in his new memoir that “the Iraq war is largely about oil.” Greenspan, who as head of the US central bank was famous for his tight-lipped reserve, is uncharacteristically direct, also accusing President George W. Bush of abandoning Republican principles on the economy.

“I’m saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows — the Iraq war is largely about oil,” he wrote in reported excerpts of “The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World,” which is set for release on Monday.

However, in an interview with The Washington Post, Greenspan clarified that while securing global oil supplies was “not the administration’s motive,” it had presented the White House with an opportunity to make the case that removing Saddam Hussein was important for the global economy.

“I was not saying that that’s the administration’s motive,” he said in the interview. “I’m just saying that if somebody asked me, ‘Are we fortunate in taking out Saddam?’ I would say it was essential.”… US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, while explaining his “respect” for Greenspan, rejected the charge that a thirst for crude explained the decision to invade Iraq in March 2003. “I know the same allegation was made about the Gulf War in 1991, and I just don’t believe it’s true,” he said on ABC television Sunday. Members of the US Congress, who by a broad majority also voted to authorize the use of military force against Iraq, also dismissed Greenspan’s assertion…

Greenspan, a lifelong Republican, writes that he advised the White House to veto some bills to curb “out-of-control” spending while the Republicans controlled Congress.
According to The Wall Street Journal, he says that Bush’s failure to do so “was a major mistake.” Republicans in Congress, he writes, “swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither.” “They deserved to lose” in the 2006 elections when the Democrats retook control of Congress, he adds…

In the bombshell memoir, he puts his own spin on the events surrounding the 1987 stock market crash, the bursting of the Internet bubble and the 2001 recession coinciding with the September 11 terror strikes… “After years of talking ‘Fedspeak’ in carefully calibrated congressional testimony, I could finally use my own voice,” Greenspan says with uncharacteristic verve. “I tackled the personal part first, but then started unraveling the detective story about the economy,” Greenspan adds in his blog. “What did all the economic shifts we began to detect in the late 90s mean?”

On Tuesday, investors around the world will be closely watching the Fed for some sign that might help counter the effects of a US mortgage crisis that has rattled markets and led to a credit squeeze. Greenspan is increasingly being blamed by some for the crisis. By keeping interest rates so low for so long, some argue, he helped foster the real estate bubble behind much of the current woes. The former Fed chief said the fall in US housing prices triggered by the subprime credit crisis would likely be bigger than expected. The drop in property prices “is going to be larger than most people expect,” Greenspan told the Financial Times, adding that he would not be surprised if the percentage decline in the United States ended up being “in double digits.”

CR 2007 by AFP”

Go, Alan, go!

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September 14, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Here we are, on the eve of a recession induced by bad credit, energy and food (the last two always left out of the inflation and economic indexes, go figure), and the merry campaign to kill the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) powered automobile is in full swing.

Now don’t get us wrong, the alternative fuel idea is way behind need and demand, but please, technology just isn’t ready. Here come all the half-baked designs!

The latest news is the fresh court decision in Vermont, to allow that state to adopt California emissions regulations. This, in a state with the fewest cars per capita. This paves the way for ten other states top do the same: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New York.

The District of Columbia, New York City, the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense and the Sierra Club were all parties in the lawsuit.

Get ready for the new US recession, triggered by factors noted above, plus Iraq War debt. Now, if any foreigners decide to cash in their holdings in the US bonds that are propping up the US economy, this country is looking at a depression, even a collapse.

Don’t think so? We hope you’re right, but we doubt it.

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September 13, 2007 by crazyopinions.

In a post awhile back, we may have been too flippant, suggesting that kids stop eating their toys. After all, kids will be kids, and purveyors of toys must be ever vigilant.

What follows is an excerpt of a fresh piece from US News and World Report. We believe this sums up the issues at hand rather well:

“China Isn’t the Villain Behind Dangerous Imports | September 12, 2007 05:24 PM ET | Newman, Rick | US News & World Report | Edited For Brevity

There’s plenty of bluster from Washington these days over imported toys and other products that might be dangerous. But for the typical consumer worried about unsafe imports, nobody has been able to answer the simple yet confounding question: What can I do about it?…The answer, unfortunately, is not much.

“Made in China” isn’t the problem. It’s almost irresistible for politicians to bash a monolithic China for foisting dangerous products on unsuspecting American kids. “Made in China has now become a warning label,” Republican Sen. Sam Brownback thundered recently at a congressional hearing.

Great sound bite. Wrong villain. Had Brownback substituted “Made by Mattel” for “Made in China,” he might be closer to the truth.

That’s because the image of shoddy Chinese-owned factories hoodwinking naive American corporations is largely a myth. Most big American companies importing products from China own the factories where those products are made or partially own them through a joint venture. So the companies themselves are on-scene at the source of the problem—or should be—and they represent the first line of responsibility for dangerous components.

Cheap imports are here to stay. Lawmakers can fume all they want about sturdy American-made goods being driven off the shelves by cheaper imported stuff, but it’s not going to change. The world’s economies are far too interconnected to try unraveling them. And while Communist China is always a ready bogeyman, Americans buy products from lots of other low-cost countries—such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia—with home-grown standards no more stringent than those in China. If there’s a safety problem with toys made in Indonesia, will politicians try to score points by blaming the Indonesian government? Or take the offending company to task instead?

It’s also worth keeping in mind that over the past 30 years, there have been similar safety issues with products from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan—countries that are now considered first-rate trading partners that produce high-quality goods. Unless there’s an ominous turn, the same thing will happen with China.

Imports remain a huge economic boon. Scary headlines about cheap imported goods obscure the benefits they bring. There are reasonable arguments on both sides about American jobs going overseas, but one thing that’s indisputable is the cost savings that consumers enjoy from products manufactured at the cheapest, most efficient factories in the world. As imports from China and other low-cost countries have surged, the price of clothing, electronics, building materials, and a lot of other products have fallen, sometimes plunged. “Cheap stuff provides a massive benefit to low- and middle-income families,” Hinrich says. And many American consumers remain quite comfortable buying cheap imports, whatever the risk. But don’t expect any congressional hearings about that.”

Well said; thanks, Rick!

There is of course another larger issue of toy safety that has always existed, with toy designs by US companies themselves leading to death and lawsuits (e.g., Jarts, Infant Hammocks, etc.). But, we’ll leave that for another day!

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September 12, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Yet another earthquake in Southeast Asia, a threat of two simultaneous hurricanes off US coasts. The globe is warming, and weather patterns become more and more unpredictable. Drought becomes more widespread and cyclical, followed by floods. A dustbowl in the US, a replay of the 1930’s, becomes more possible with every passing year.

NASA better get us to Mars soon. I want a ticket!

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September 11, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Here we are on anniversary #6 for 9/11 and past #4 for GW’s shell game in Iraq. We can’t catch this guy [on dialysis in the mountains], but never mind, he doesn’t matter anymore. News flash: he’s a Personality Cult! Unlike my earlier posts on Rove and Gonzalez, Osama Bin Laden DOES matter!.

But hey, we don’t want to touch Pakistan, they’re a sovereign country with a dictator. Iraq is different. Really it is. It’s a democracy [giggle].

Crazy Opinions Prediction: Bin Laden will die of natural causes, and we will still have troops in Iraq.

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September 10, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Oh, for crying out loud! Ever since the introduction of the original Apple II, IBM PC, and PONG, early adopters and bleeding edge types have absorbed the cost of being the coolest before anyone else.

Jobs at least waited for the 1M mark! Stop your whining, dammit. Look at the bright side, you coulda had a Zune…

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September 7, 2007 by crazyopinions.

All hail the general. Didn’t we do this before? Didn’t Westmoreland address Congress to help LBJ continue the Vietnam war 40 years ago? Why must history always repeat itself?

Because some of us continue to ignore history. Iraq is nothing, if not history personified. Why is Iraq such a mystery?

Just imagine, for a moment, foreign troops from half a world away, who believe in a different religion, invade our country to save us from ourselves. We would cooperate and welcome them, right?

Right? [bang, bang]

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September 6, 2007 by crazyopinions.

It’s deja vu all over again! [We’re sorry, Yogi Berra]. The sad lineup of GOP hopefuls who know they are being fed to the scrapheap of history have added to their midst. Fred Thompson, an actor who once had a fling with politics, is now officially in the race for 2008.

So what.

We suppose it is merely wishful thinking that the electorate of the USA will wake up from their slumber and stop idolizing actors. Or do we have it all wrong? Is a politician supposed to be an actor, even a prerequisite for the job?

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September 5, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Okay, now it’s official: if you breathe, you’ll die. If you don’t, you’ll die anyway. Add popcorn dust to the already long list of hazardous inhalables. Or, to be more specific, the artificial chemical butter flavoring diacetyl. Those crazy Europeans, however, have banned the use of diacetyl and its chemical brethren for several years, after it became known of the genotoxic nature of these flavorings. Genotoxins are known to mess with your DNA. But, hey, these foreigners are always overreacting, aren’t they?

Right? [cough, cough]

Don’t even get us started on the chemicals in/on our food…

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September 4, 2007 by crazyopinions.

We are in the 21st century? The USA is a “modern” country? A midwest state, with four distinct seasons and no permafrost should be considered civilized, right? Certainly not backwoods Alaska?

Well, then. The only reason anyone is using “quick” road paving methods anymore is MONEY. The marketers of such “chip seal” paving, and most state DOT’s all hail chip seal as improved road maintenance. Car owners, however, should be outraged. Why the silence? Do you enjoy driving down a perfectly good road on your way to work, only to find that on the way home, the same road has been freshly coated with a layer of liquid asphalt and loose gravel?!

With most new vehicles costing upwards of $20,000, this should be a legal slam-dunk. Would you tolerate it if someone threw gravel at your car from a freeway overpass? Oh, no, THAT is illegal! First add some TAR, then all is forgiven.

Ah, what a modern technological world we live in, as we drive our luxury cars to Mars on our gravel roads…

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August 27, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Ah, the exodus begins as the rats desert a sinking lame duck. The AG was always mere window dressing, a Latino Republican since his days as White House counsel. Even worse, he was always slated to be the fall guy.

At least he has a career to fall back on, unlike his fellow administration scapegoat “Scooter” Libby. If you don’t count Lobbyist, that is.

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August 24, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Heat Index, Wind Chill, BOO! Be afraid, be very afraid!

When they run out of REAL scary weather phenomena to frighten us with, weather salesman resort to HEAT INDEX and WIND CHILL. The “feels like” numbers.

These artificial numbers are designed to keep your thermostats set for the maximum oil use setting (MOUS), summer or winter. This also happens to be the fastest tolerable rate money leaves your wallet.

What, you say? But these are scientific numbers! Read on:

Is The Wind Chill Temperature Accurate?
By: weathersavvy.com

It’s impossible to measure accuracy for such a subjective “feel like” temperature. The formula was designed during World War II to better measure battlefield conditions. In November of 2001 a new wind chill formula was put into use by the National Weather Service. It now has less exaggerated results and the biggest change in the formula is that it takes into account the average winds at 5 feet above the ground instead of 33 feet. The higher in the air you are, the faster the winds. So the old formula using winds at 33 ft. was not a good indication of what we humans were really experiencing. Why 33 ft.? Because that’s the height of many of the anemometers or wind speed & direction measuring devices.

Also…

The wind chill temperature is based on the air temperature and the wind speed assuming you were naked. That’s right naked!

Well! I feel warmer/cooler already!

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August 23, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Blame reality shows, the media, or maybe ourselves. One of the most irritating trends in recent broadcast journalism is interviewing children. Bad enough to give “mike time” to a tot during an episode of Nanny or Makeover, but now every other news story involves getting the perspective of the Young & Restless!

Wow, glad I saw that thoughtful insight! What’s up with THAT?!

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August 23, 2007 by crazyopinions.

As these notorious bandits make their first appearance in a Georgia court, it becomes apparent that they are merely the front women in a four person plot which also involves the bank teller. They were strippers at a local club. One had a tennis scholarship to a college. They did give some of the 11K bank heist to the homeless, but they also bought drugs. Oh my, they seem merely confused.

The tearful parents are making excuses for the media, but let’s face reality. Don’t dis Barbie! These women are BRATZ!

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August 22, 2007 by crazyopinions.

It’s nice to know that the GOP is on the right side of the abortion debate, but after birth, it’s tough luck, kid! ABC’s Good Morning America had a feature this morning about an impending child health crisis: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CardiacHealth/story?id=3507125&page=1

But hey, we wouldn’t want socialized medicine. Live free or die, literally!

Copyright: McClatchy Newspapers
Source: Knight Ridder Washington Bureau (KRT)

“WASHINGTON: Congressional Democrats and state officials are mulling their options on how to counter sweeping new policy changes by the Bush administration that will make it nearly impossible for states to expand a popular health care program for children.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program was created in 1997 to provide health coverage for kids whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private health insurance. The program is administered by the states and the federal government, and it historically targets youngsters from families that earn up to twice the federal poverty level. In 2007, that’s $41,300 for a family of four.

But to help curb the growing numbers of Americans without health coverage, states began expanding the SCHIP’s income eligibility thresholds to include more children from higher-earning families. At least 10 states have adopted or are considering proposals to cover youngsters from families that earn up to three times the poverty level, or roughly $61,950 for a family of four.

About 6.6 million children are covered through the SCHIP program. Of the estimated 9 million uninsured youngsters in the United States, between 5 million and 6 million are eligible for SCHIP coverage.

President Bush and many GOP lawmakers oppose the coverage expansions, saying they go well beyond the low-income children the program was intended to cover. The president also has said that higher program eligibility limits would cause “crowd out,” in which families drop private coverage to enroll their children in the SCHIP plan, which is much less expensive.”

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August 21, 2007 by crazyopinions.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a Nigerian convert to Islam was thrown in prison for helping a sick female get to a hospital. He got “too close” to an unattended single female.

Muslims STILL wonder what all the fuss the West makes over them is all about!

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August 20, 2007 by crazyopinions.

The nostalgic Woodward Dream Cruise took place again this past Saturday, August 18, and your esteemed Opinionator was there. So was a group called Hands Across Woodward, who attempted the next day to form a 16 mile long human chain [to equal the impact of the 40,000 plus cars and quarter million car loving people in attendance?].

Let’s just say that the HAW event was less than the planners hoped for. The evil, gas guzzling WDC, however, was spectacular.

Then again, if GM ever gets a tire squealing Volt out on the streets anytime soon, all bets are off regarding Oil Futures…

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August 17, 2007 by crazyopinions.

So now we have another hapless Chinese executive, calling it quits by his own hand. All because of the continuing bad habit of children ingesting their toys, and consuming any coating on the same. When will the madness stop? I say, follow Darwin. If you put toys in your mouth (as well as parts of your living quarters, and other non-food items), you may die. Are parents or caretakers paying attention? Stupid is as stupid does. ‘Nuff said.

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August 16, 2007 by crazyopinions.

In a nutshell, he is no longer relevant. Surprised he waited so long, actually. Let’s see which presidential campaign he joins, next.

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August 15, 2007 by crazyopinions.

While the recent Minnesota bridge collapse was a rare event, it is only statistically so. There are many faulty structures ready to fail, as the risk versus reward system is standard procedure in the United States Of America. Cost of structure? Cost of human lives? Never mind. Happens in the military all the time, anyway.

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August 14, 2007 by crazyopinions.

So US retailers are forecasting gloom to come. Is anyone paying attention to housing and credit? To how much the USA is spending in Iraq? Just print more money! When US consumers finally come out from behind the smoke and mirrors that the Fed has given them since 2001 to prop up the economy, look out. Has this begun? Isn’t the Canadian Dollar gaining on the US Dollar? Uh-Oh! Time will tell.

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August 13, 2007 by crazyopinions.

Enjoy your visit. I hope it will be enlightening, and cause you to think about your world.

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