Another headline in my local newspaper caught my attention recently. It read "I-pods tied to higher crime across the U.S." Wow...now we've gone from blaming crime on the devil to blaming it on the victims to blaming it on inanimate objects. Thank goodness I don't have an i-pod yet (or should I say I still don't have one!) When will we realize that the people responsible for crime are the actual criminals??
So Sayeth The Shack
Sunday, September 30, 2007
China Bans Bra & Underwear Ads
http://www.centredaily.com/news/weird_news/story/221026.html
Maybe we should do this in this country too. Some of those ads are on the border of being R or even X-rated.
So Sayeth The Shack
Maybe we should do this in this country too. Some of those ads are on the border of being R or even X-rated.
So Sayeth The Shack
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Pedestrians Can Do No Wrong?
The recent convection of Anthony Torsell, a young man who, while heavily intoxicated, sped through town and mowed down two pedestrians, killing one and seriously injuring the other, sends some interesting messages. Yes, Mr. Torsell was extremely drunk; he should not have been behind a wheel. Yes, he was speeding. But one of the facts presented in the case was that the accident would not have happened if the pedestrians had not entered the intersection on a "don't walk" signal. So they, the victims, also contributed to the accident. We see this kind of thing all the time around here. Pedestrians walking across the street oblivious as to whether or not they have the right-of-way and whether or not there is traffic coming. Sometimes they walk right out in front of you and expect you to come to a screeching halt. When I was young (yes they had cars back then) I was taught to look both ways and wait for traffic to clear before crossing...even at a crosswalk. People are no longer taught this. They are taught that they can cross any street at any time and the traffic will stop for them, except perhaps for speeding drunks and the writer of this post, who more than once has been tempted to mow down someone who walked out in front of me as I drove down the street. The result of the trail may encourage more pedestrians to engage in this kind of dangerous behavior. It would be nice to be able to drive through town and expect everyone, including the pedestrians, to obey the traffic laws.
So Sayeth The Shack
So Sayeth The Shack
Friday, September 21, 2007
Here's A Stupid Lawsuit
I was reading a magazine recently and saw one of those lawsuit settlement notices. You know what I mean? It says that if such and such has happened to you, you may be a member of the settlement class and entitled to some amount of compensation. The suit was against Herbalife and some of their distributors for allegedly violating a telecommunications act by contacting non-customers who had registered their phone numbers on the do-not-call list. OK maybe a law was broken and someone should be punished....but a million dollar lawsuit for making phone calls? I would have never thought of doing something like that. So really, the next time a telemarketer calls me, I'll just sue them!
What is even stupider is that one can get up to 75 dollars just by saying that you were contacted illegally by Herbalife or one of their distributors. How could it be verified? I cannot prove that I was called but they cannot prove that I wasn't. Sounds like an easy 75 bucks to me.
So Sayeth The Shack
What is even stupider is that one can get up to 75 dollars just by saying that you were contacted illegally by Herbalife or one of their distributors. How could it be verified? I cannot prove that I was called but they cannot prove that I wasn't. Sounds like an easy 75 bucks to me.
So Sayeth The Shack
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
We Are All Poorer For It
I work for a "media company" as they call it. Years ago, our income was derived from clients who paid us for information. Then came the internet and Wal-Mart. Both have resulted in huge changes.
With the internet, people expect information and other services without wait and without cost. You get on the internet and read the news, sports, weather and whatever, whenever you want, and you don't pay for it. (Actually you do and you'll see how in just a bit). So the company I work for has a web site (just like every other company) where people can obtain information at no cost. So if no one is "paying" for the information anymore, where does the money come from for my salary and that of my co-workers? Advertising, that's where. Advertising pays for your free news, your free sports, weather, etc. It pays for many of the web sites you visit, the TV shows you watch, the radio programs you listen to, and in part for the newspaper or magazine you read.
So what is advertising all about? My definition of advertising is a company paying money to get you to spend money you don't have on something you don't need. The purpose of advertising is to create a want, or even better, a perceived need for a product...to make us feel that we cannot live, or at least live well, without it. This works well with children, but even many adults are easily swayed by advertising. Why else would someone spend $500 on an I-phone, hundreds of dollars on a suit, tens of thousands on a car, etc. A large part of our economy is now dedicated to advertising and it's associated costs. A large percent of the cost of virtually every product you buy goes to advertising. So in reality, all of that "free" news, weather and stuff on the internet isn't really free. You pay for it every time you buy something. Even companies that are essentially monopolies spend money on advertising, which is ridiculous. Why should a company like Exxon, that sells like 90 percent of all gasoline and makes billions of dollars in profit doing it, need to advertise. Why should the electric company advertise; I can't get electricity elsewhere. Interestingly enough, technology makes it possible to avoid and ignore most advertising. Pop-up ads and spam e-mails, the bane of the internet just a few years ago, can be effectively blocked. VCR's and more recently TiVo and DVR's make it possible to fast-forward through ads on TV. So companies are spending more on advertising that people are seeing less of.
Now on to the "Wal-Mart effect" as I call it. "Always the lowest price " the ad says. Maybe so, but at what cost? The goods and services that are not "free", people want be sure they are getting the lowest price for, and are not necessarily concerned about quality (at least not until the product turns out to be defective). The result is fierce price competition (and more advertising) between the producers of goods and services. That is a good thing, right? To an extent yes. But too much of this is now driving down wages and benefits and sending many jobs overseas.
So the end result of advertising, the internet and WalMart in America is lower wages, poorer benefits and higher costs for all of us. I don't know about any of you, but I am no better off and am perhaps worse off than my parents, who had no internet and no WalMart.
So Sayeth The Shack
With the internet, people expect information and other services without wait and without cost. You get on the internet and read the news, sports, weather and whatever, whenever you want, and you don't pay for it. (Actually you do and you'll see how in just a bit). So the company I work for has a web site (just like every other company) where people can obtain information at no cost. So if no one is "paying" for the information anymore, where does the money come from for my salary and that of my co-workers? Advertising, that's where. Advertising pays for your free news, your free sports, weather, etc. It pays for many of the web sites you visit, the TV shows you watch, the radio programs you listen to, and in part for the newspaper or magazine you read.
So what is advertising all about? My definition of advertising is a company paying money to get you to spend money you don't have on something you don't need. The purpose of advertising is to create a want, or even better, a perceived need for a product...to make us feel that we cannot live, or at least live well, without it. This works well with children, but even many adults are easily swayed by advertising. Why else would someone spend $500 on an I-phone, hundreds of dollars on a suit, tens of thousands on a car, etc. A large part of our economy is now dedicated to advertising and it's associated costs. A large percent of the cost of virtually every product you buy goes to advertising. So in reality, all of that "free" news, weather and stuff on the internet isn't really free. You pay for it every time you buy something. Even companies that are essentially monopolies spend money on advertising, which is ridiculous. Why should a company like Exxon, that sells like 90 percent of all gasoline and makes billions of dollars in profit doing it, need to advertise. Why should the electric company advertise; I can't get electricity elsewhere. Interestingly enough, technology makes it possible to avoid and ignore most advertising. Pop-up ads and spam e-mails, the bane of the internet just a few years ago, can be effectively blocked. VCR's and more recently TiVo and DVR's make it possible to fast-forward through ads on TV. So companies are spending more on advertising that people are seeing less of.
Now on to the "Wal-Mart effect" as I call it. "Always the lowest price " the ad says. Maybe so, but at what cost? The goods and services that are not "free", people want be sure they are getting the lowest price for, and are not necessarily concerned about quality (at least not until the product turns out to be defective). The result is fierce price competition (and more advertising) between the producers of goods and services. That is a good thing, right? To an extent yes. But too much of this is now driving down wages and benefits and sending many jobs overseas.
So the end result of advertising, the internet and WalMart in America is lower wages, poorer benefits and higher costs for all of us. I don't know about any of you, but I am no better off and am perhaps worse off than my parents, who had no internet and no WalMart.
So Sayeth The Shack
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Religion: A personal Matter
It is Sunday afternoon. Earlier today, many of us went to one church or another. Some of us did not go to church. In a couple of days is the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, whan a handful of people killed themselves and thousands of innocent people, supposedly in the name of "God".
Last month, I watched a documentary on CNN called "God's Warriors". It was a three-part show, with two hours each focusing on fundamentalism and fanaticism in each of the three major religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. It helped me to understand the sources of some of the conflict in the Middle East, but more so, it made me think how much a personal decision our religion must be.
Each of choose to either go to church or not, to believe in God or not. This is something that, at least here in the United States, cannot be forced upon us. I cannot force my beliefs, or lack thereof, upon my neighbors, co-workers, family, even my children. Sure, we drag our children to church when they are young and try to brainwash them with whatever version of religion our particular church teaches, but they eventually reach an age where they must decide for themselves what or if they believe. My 15-year-old son has recently stated that he does not believe in God or religion. So as a parent, should I force him to continue to go to church, or say: "I respect your lack of belief; it is up to you whether or not to attend church"?
On a larger scale, it is the fanatics and fundamentalists in each religion that are trying to force their beliefs upon the rest of the world, some by political means, some be violent means, and some by trying to "sell" their religion door-to-door. We most often think of Muslims when we say using violent means, but there have been violent Christians as well, such as those who have bombed abortion clinics or killed abortion doctors. Just recently a new Al Queda tape was issued in which Bin Laden said something like we won't kill you if you all convert to Islam. There are also Jews who are trying, by violent means, to force the Palestinians out of Israel. In the political arena there are plenty of right-wing Christian fanatics who are trying to steer the laws and leaders of our own country. And then there are the "sellers" of religion; those who go door-to-door like the Mormons and the Jehovas' Witnesses trying to sell their beliefs and recruit new members to their churches.
I may or may not believe in God and may or may not attend a church, but that is my own personal choice. It is not up to my government, my family or my neighbors. I have no business telling you that my religion or lack of it is better than yours. And it is certainly not up to me to hurt or kill someone in the name of "God"; for this "God" supposedly said "Thou shalt not kill". I am not aware of any exceptions to that.
Let us all remember the thousands of innocents who died 6 years ago at the hands of fanatic religions fundamentalists acting in the name of some "god".
So Sayeth The Shack
Last month, I watched a documentary on CNN called "God's Warriors". It was a three-part show, with two hours each focusing on fundamentalism and fanaticism in each of the three major religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. It helped me to understand the sources of some of the conflict in the Middle East, but more so, it made me think how much a personal decision our religion must be.
Each of choose to either go to church or not, to believe in God or not. This is something that, at least here in the United States, cannot be forced upon us. I cannot force my beliefs, or lack thereof, upon my neighbors, co-workers, family, even my children. Sure, we drag our children to church when they are young and try to brainwash them with whatever version of religion our particular church teaches, but they eventually reach an age where they must decide for themselves what or if they believe. My 15-year-old son has recently stated that he does not believe in God or religion. So as a parent, should I force him to continue to go to church, or say: "I respect your lack of belief; it is up to you whether or not to attend church"?
On a larger scale, it is the fanatics and fundamentalists in each religion that are trying to force their beliefs upon the rest of the world, some by political means, some be violent means, and some by trying to "sell" their religion door-to-door. We most often think of Muslims when we say using violent means, but there have been violent Christians as well, such as those who have bombed abortion clinics or killed abortion doctors. Just recently a new Al Queda tape was issued in which Bin Laden said something like we won't kill you if you all convert to Islam. There are also Jews who are trying, by violent means, to force the Palestinians out of Israel. In the political arena there are plenty of right-wing Christian fanatics who are trying to steer the laws and leaders of our own country. And then there are the "sellers" of religion; those who go door-to-door like the Mormons and the Jehovas' Witnesses trying to sell their beliefs and recruit new members to their churches.
I may or may not believe in God and may or may not attend a church, but that is my own personal choice. It is not up to my government, my family or my neighbors. I have no business telling you that my religion or lack of it is better than yours. And it is certainly not up to me to hurt or kill someone in the name of "God"; for this "God" supposedly said "Thou shalt not kill". I am not aware of any exceptions to that.
Let us all remember the thousands of innocents who died 6 years ago at the hands of fanatic religions fundamentalists acting in the name of some "god".
So Sayeth The Shack
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Back Again, Or Still Here
Just a quick post for now to let you know that I am still alive and have not abandoned the blog. Have been enjoying the summer and doing some things with the ShackFamily. This year instead of a family vacation all together I decided to spend time with each family member separately. A few weeks ago my son LittleShack and I went whitewater rafting on the Youghiogheny River (hope I spelled that right). A couple of weeks from now my daughter ShackEtte and I will be going to New York for a Yankees game. A little over a week ago I took my wife ShackWife out to dinner for her birthday. (She is now older than me until my birthday which is later this month). She and I will also be going to a couple of shows during the course of the winter. I have also spent a lot of time tending to the garden which has yielded, despite the less than perfect weather, a good crop of various vegetables. I had no luck with lettuce (didn't grow at all) or beets (only one of a row), but everything else was plentiful. The peppers were especially abundant. Also harvested plenty of corn, tomatoes, carrots, onions and zucchini. By the way the secret to zucchini is planting two plants and keeping only one. Even then, you may still have more than you want or need. The freezer is stuffed full, thanks to the efforts of ShackWife. Still picking some tomatoes, peppers and the last of the corn, but since ShackWife is back to work for the school year, am trying to keep amounts down. The wife and kids headed back to school/work today, and I have a couple of days off to spend with just myself. Look for more posts in the near future as I have some thoughts to share.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Ownership
We don't really "own" anything. We come into this world with nothing. We can take nothing when we leave. We really only "borrow" things for the short amount of time that we are here.
So Sayeth The Shack
So Sayeth The Shack
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Joke Time
Question: Why did Jesus take three days to rise from the dead?
Answer: Because he had a PENNDOT crew digging him up!!
----------------------------------------------------------
President Bush and General Rumsfeld are in a meeting. Rumsfeld tells Bush that three Brazilian soldiers have just died in Iraq. "Oh my God!!" says Bush, "three Brazilian solders!!! That's horrendous!!" He is visibly upset, holding his head in is hands and shaking it side to side. After a moment,Bush says "now tell me again; is a brazilian more than a billion?"
So Sayeth The Shack
Answer: Because he had a PENNDOT crew digging him up!!
----------------------------------------------------------
President Bush and General Rumsfeld are in a meeting. Rumsfeld tells Bush that three Brazilian soldiers have just died in Iraq. "Oh my God!!" says Bush, "three Brazilian solders!!! That's horrendous!!" He is visibly upset, holding his head in is hands and shaking it side to side. After a moment,Bush says "now tell me again; is a brazilian more than a billion?"
So Sayeth The Shack
Shut Down The Internet!
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=41402
Apparently, "Sir" Elton John wants to shut down the internet "for about five years" because it is
"destroying good music and stopped people talking to each other".
I agree. I think we should shut down the internet. But for other reasons. All the spam e-mail, scams, hoaxes, porn, identity theft, computer viruses , etc; it is nothing but trouble. Shut it down!
The only problem is you wouldn't be able to read my blog!!!!
So Sayeth The Shack
Apparently, "Sir" Elton John wants to shut down the internet "for about five years" because it is
"destroying good music and stopped people talking to each other".
I agree. I think we should shut down the internet. But for other reasons. All the spam e-mail, scams, hoaxes, porn, identity theft, computer viruses , etc; it is nothing but trouble. Shut it down!
The only problem is you wouldn't be able to read my blog!!!!
So Sayeth The Shack
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Here's Why The Funk, Mr. Barone
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070729/6barone.htm
In his article in the August 6th issue of U.S. News & World Report, Michael Barone asks why America is in such a funk, given that things seems to be going so well. Here are some reasons for pessimism:
In his article in the August 6th issue of U.S. News & World Report, Michael Barone asks why America is in such a funk, given that things seems to be going so well. Here are some reasons for pessimism:
Despite what Wall Street might have to say, the economy is not all that great. The majority of the money is in the hands of a minority of the people. The middle class is shrinking. Many Americans are deeply in debt and cannot see themselves getting out. Many are in debt right off the bat out of college due to student loans. Many will not be able to afford to retire when they reach the retirement age because they have not been able to contribute enough to their retirement accounts (something the previous generation did not have to worry about). Our economy is based largely on service industries and advertising (companies spending money to persuade people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need) and much less on manufacturing. Consequently our trade deficit is skyrocketing. This course is simply not sustainable and eventually everything will come crashing down, plunging the nation into a deep recession or even a depression.
We have in this decade been attacked on our own soil and are threatened with further attacks by the same enemy, an enemy that we have not been able to even find, much less to conquer. We are involved in a war that, like Vietnam, seems to have no end.
Our education system is failing. Many high-school and even college graduates are not as intelligent, well-educated or motivated as their counterparts in (or from) other countries. (Ever notice how many foreign doctors there are now?) Our health-care system is unaffordable to many, even with insurance. Our political system is a mockery, and our news media is more concerned with the affairs of celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears than with truly important matters.
America has reached its peak and is heading downhill. Our world prominence is being replaced by that of rising nations such as China and India.
So Sayeth The Shack
So Sayeth The Shack
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Yeah, Right!
Baghdad bans gunfire for big soccer match
Yeah right....banning gunfire in Baghdad. That's like banning gunfire on the first day of deer season in Pennsylvania! Or banning speeding on a Nascar track!! I'm sure it will work well.
So Sayeth The Shack
Saturday, July 28, 2007
It's All About The Size
OK based on the title you might expect this post to be about a certain body part, but it isn't.
I'm talking about TV screens here!
In the past several years the size of TV screens has gone in 2 different directions. On one extreme we have the big screen gizmos that would take up my entire living room wall, and that I might actually be able to see without my glasses. On the other extreme we now have the ability to view movies or TV programs on relatively small computer monitors and even smaller cell phone and i-pod screens. Now maybe watching a show or a movie on my computer monitor would be OK, if it were the only alternative, but on a cell phone or i-pod? NO WAY! I really don't get the attraction of watching shows on those little gizmos. First of all, the screen is way too small and the sound is crummy. Second of all I prefer to watch TV in the comfort of my home on a screen that I can see, cuddled up on the sofa with the Shack-Wife and maybe consuming a bowl of ice-cream with hot fudge/peanut butter topping and whipped cream on top (my nightly snack). I might be an impatient person but I am not so impatient that I cannot wait to get home to watch something. Yes I do have a VCR and TiVo so I can watch what I want when I want to, but I would guess most people who have cell phones and i-pods also have that capability. So is there really a need for these tiny screen TV's? I don't think so. It is just another example of marketing to make people think they need something that they really don't.
Anyway I am afraid that I have purchased my last television set. I have had it for over 7 years. It is a modest size (36 inch diagonal) regular TV set from Sears. Nothing fancy. The problem is that they pretty much don't make "regular" TV sets anymore. Everything is big-screen, or high-definition, or plasma screen, or something else. I really don't know what is the difference between high-def, plasma or whatever. Except that they all cost a big bundle and I won't be able to afford any of them. So after this one goes kaput, I might end up watching TV on my computer monitor, or, God forbid, my cell phone (no I don't have an i-pod).
So Sayeth The Shack
I'm talking about TV screens here!
In the past several years the size of TV screens has gone in 2 different directions. On one extreme we have the big screen gizmos that would take up my entire living room wall, and that I might actually be able to see without my glasses. On the other extreme we now have the ability to view movies or TV programs on relatively small computer monitors and even smaller cell phone and i-pod screens. Now maybe watching a show or a movie on my computer monitor would be OK, if it were the only alternative, but on a cell phone or i-pod? NO WAY! I really don't get the attraction of watching shows on those little gizmos. First of all, the screen is way too small and the sound is crummy. Second of all I prefer to watch TV in the comfort of my home on a screen that I can see, cuddled up on the sofa with the Shack-Wife and maybe consuming a bowl of ice-cream with hot fudge/peanut butter topping and whipped cream on top (my nightly snack). I might be an impatient person but I am not so impatient that I cannot wait to get home to watch something. Yes I do have a VCR and TiVo so I can watch what I want when I want to, but I would guess most people who have cell phones and i-pods also have that capability. So is there really a need for these tiny screen TV's? I don't think so. It is just another example of marketing to make people think they need something that they really don't.
Anyway I am afraid that I have purchased my last television set. I have had it for over 7 years. It is a modest size (36 inch diagonal) regular TV set from Sears. Nothing fancy. The problem is that they pretty much don't make "regular" TV sets anymore. Everything is big-screen, or high-definition, or plasma screen, or something else. I really don't know what is the difference between high-def, plasma or whatever. Except that they all cost a big bundle and I won't be able to afford any of them. So after this one goes kaput, I might end up watching TV on my computer monitor, or, God forbid, my cell phone (no I don't have an i-pod).
So Sayeth The Shack
This Is News?
At the place where I work there are several big-screen TV's mounted on the wall and tuned to various stations, including some of the all-news stations, mostly Fox News.
It seems most of the so-called "news" carried by Fox concerns Lindsay Lohan's DUI, Brittany Spears' "meltdowns" (whatever a meltdown is...is that we used to call a nervous breakdown?) and various other problems of other people who have way too much money and don't know what to do with it or how to behave. Every once in a while they throw in a car chase to break the boredom. I can't believe enough people are interested in that stuff for them to devote so much airtime to it.
So anyway I've come up with a new advertising motto for Fox News, based on what I have seen: "59 minutes an hour of totally worthless crap".
So Sayeth The Shack
It seems most of the so-called "news" carried by Fox concerns Lindsay Lohan's DUI, Brittany Spears' "meltdowns" (whatever a meltdown is...is that we used to call a nervous breakdown?) and various other problems of other people who have way too much money and don't know what to do with it or how to behave. Every once in a while they throw in a car chase to break the boredom. I can't believe enough people are interested in that stuff for them to devote so much airtime to it.
So anyway I've come up with a new advertising motto for Fox News, based on what I have seen: "59 minutes an hour of totally worthless crap".
So Sayeth The Shack
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
How Did They Do It?
Last year, for an entire road construction season, a road that I use daily was closed so that a center turning lane could be added. It took the whole year to add one lane to about a one mile length of road. (Most of the time it seemed like they weren't doing anything).
So I'm wondering...given the above calculation, and how long it takes to complete ANY road project these days, how did they actually ever build the interstate? Guess they must have worked faster back then, or something. Or they just did such a shoddy job that it's no wonder it has to be rebuilt EVERY YEAR!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Bush's Colon
So they didn't find any cancer in Bush's colon....
But he sure keeps pulling a lot of stupid ideas out of it!!!
So Sayeth The Shack
But he sure keeps pulling a lot of stupid ideas out of it!!!
So Sayeth The Shack
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Who Benefits From Minimum Wage Increase?
My daughter works at a local pizza place. A few weeks ago they put into effect new (higher) prices. Many other pizza places in the area did the same, as did, I am sure, most restaurants. Interestingly, these price increases coincide with the increase in minimum wage which took effect July 1. This makes me wonder...is anyone better off because of the minimum wage increase? I can tell you that I, for one, am not. My salary is not tied to the minimum wage so it does not change when the minimum wage does. The businesses are neither better nor worse off. They simply pass on the increased costs to the consumer. That is one thing I hate about capitalism. It is always the consumer who has to absorb increased costs. I cannot have my wages increased just because the prices I pay for things has gone up. So it is always me, the consumer, that gets screwed every time. The minimum-wage workers are probably no better off either. They get paid more, but they have to turn around and pay more for things that now cost more because of their own wage increase.
So does anyone really benefit? Wait! I think I know! Its the GOVERNMENT that benefits! They can collect more tax on the higher wages and also on the higher prices. They benefit both ways! Imagine that! the government enacting policy that benefits no one except themselves!
So Sayeth The Shack
So does anyone really benefit? Wait! I think I know! Its the GOVERNMENT that benefits! They can collect more tax on the higher wages and also on the higher prices. They benefit both ways! Imagine that! the government enacting policy that benefits no one except themselves!
So Sayeth The Shack
Thursday, July 05, 2007
They Deserved To Die
From CNN:
CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) -- A neighbor apparently angry about fireworks at a noisy Fourth of July party shot three people to death early Thursday and wounded two others, police said.
Terrance Hough Jr., a 35-year-old off-duty firefighter, was arrested in connection with the shootings, police spokesman Lt. Thomas Stacho said.
No charges had been filed Thursday morning because police were still gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses, Stacho said. There was no phone listing for Hough's address.
Police had received a number of complaints in recent years about loud parties, fireworks and drag racing connected to the house where the victims were shot, Stacho said. Some complaint calls came from Hough's address, but no one called police about the party Thursday night.
The neighbors were throwing a party when two men and a woman, all in their 20s, were shot to death shortly after midnight, Stacho said. He said another man was shot in the elbow and a woman was wounded in the hand.Shack Says: These people deserved to be shot. I've had neighbors like this...they don't give a flying fuck about anyone. You tell them they are disturbing you and they just do it more. If I had had a gun a few years ago some of my former neighbors would have been dead too. For the same reason.
So Sayeth The Shack
Monday, July 02, 2007
Of Toll Booths, Interchanges and Landfills
These three are hot discussion topics around here lately so I will offer some of my views. The idea of tolls on I-80 is the most recent. I will start with that and work my way back to the landfill.
The Pennsylvania legislature has recently proposed to collect tolls on I-80 to raise funds for road repair and construction, and for mass transit. This is not a new proposal. The idea has been advanced at least a couple of times before, but it has never happened (yet). I am not against the idea, but I personally would not pay a penny to drive on that road. I am not as widely traveled as some people, but it is the worst road I have ever been on. Every summer, huge stretches, probably more than 50 percent of the distance across the state, are ripped up for construction. So you end up putzing along a less than one lane wide "road" for mile after mile after mile. And if there is a wreck or breakdown, forget it; you're stuck for hours. In the winter, when there is snow or ice, the Penndot idea seems to be to wait for the stuff to melt rather than plow or salt. And then of course you have these jackasses that don't seem to realize that when there is snow or ice on the road or the visibility is poor, it might be a good idea to slow down (or even get off) so you don't end up in or causing one of those famous 100-vehicle wrecks that backs up traffic halfway across the state. I would rather take Gorton Rd to Ohio, if it went that far. Now if you are lucky there is a week or two in the late fall and early spring, between winter and construction, that the road can almost be a joy to drive on, IF it isn't filled with bumps and potholes. Now the idea is to scatter some toll booths across the state. One at each border and a few others who knows where. These will be permanent traffic bottlenecks. All traffic will have to stop long enough to pay. Vehicles will back up. Then there will be wrecks as someone will
be barreling along, not realize the traffic is slowing or stopping, and smash into someone. This will make the road even more dangerous than it is now. Plus the towns near the toll collection sites will have an increase in traffic as vehicles temporarily exit to avoid the tolls. The only safe way to collect tolls, and it will be expensive , at least at first, is to put toll booths at each interchange, like the turnpike.
Now on to other matters. I feel that the proposed landfill near the border of Rush and Snow Show Township should be built, but ONLY IF the proposed I-80 interchange is built along with it. Rts 144,53, Gorton Rd and others are simply not built for the big trucks that would be going in and out of there. And the interchange does not have to be open to Gorton Rd. It could be for the landfill only, so long as the landfills owners pay for it and none of our tax dollars are used. The landfill could bring some good jobs to the area. As far as the land use is concerned, sure it's wooded now, but a generation or so ago it was mined and logged, so it definitely has a history of being other than woodland. And there used to be a landfill in Snow Shoe Township anyway. With new technology, this one would probably be cleaner than the old one.
So Sayeth The Shack
The Pennsylvania legislature has recently proposed to collect tolls on I-80 to raise funds for road repair and construction, and for mass transit. This is not a new proposal. The idea has been advanced at least a couple of times before, but it has never happened (yet). I am not against the idea, but I personally would not pay a penny to drive on that road. I am not as widely traveled as some people, but it is the worst road I have ever been on. Every summer, huge stretches, probably more than 50 percent of the distance across the state, are ripped up for construction. So you end up putzing along a less than one lane wide "road" for mile after mile after mile. And if there is a wreck or breakdown, forget it; you're stuck for hours. In the winter, when there is snow or ice, the Penndot idea seems to be to wait for the stuff to melt rather than plow or salt. And then of course you have these jackasses that don't seem to realize that when there is snow or ice on the road or the visibility is poor, it might be a good idea to slow down (or even get off) so you don't end up in or causing one of those famous 100-vehicle wrecks that backs up traffic halfway across the state. I would rather take Gorton Rd to Ohio, if it went that far. Now if you are lucky there is a week or two in the late fall and early spring, between winter and construction, that the road can almost be a joy to drive on, IF it isn't filled with bumps and potholes. Now the idea is to scatter some toll booths across the state. One at each border and a few others who knows where. These will be permanent traffic bottlenecks. All traffic will have to stop long enough to pay. Vehicles will back up. Then there will be wrecks as someone will
be barreling along, not realize the traffic is slowing or stopping, and smash into someone. This will make the road even more dangerous than it is now. Plus the towns near the toll collection sites will have an increase in traffic as vehicles temporarily exit to avoid the tolls. The only safe way to collect tolls, and it will be expensive , at least at first, is to put toll booths at each interchange, like the turnpike.
Now on to other matters. I feel that the proposed landfill near the border of Rush and Snow Show Township should be built, but ONLY IF the proposed I-80 interchange is built along with it. Rts 144,53, Gorton Rd and others are simply not built for the big trucks that would be going in and out of there. And the interchange does not have to be open to Gorton Rd. It could be for the landfill only, so long as the landfills owners pay for it and none of our tax dollars are used. The landfill could bring some good jobs to the area. As far as the land use is concerned, sure it's wooded now, but a generation or so ago it was mined and logged, so it definitely has a history of being other than woodland. And there used to be a landfill in Snow Shoe Township anyway. With new technology, this one would probably be cleaner than the old one.
So Sayeth The Shack
The Worst Run Business
If you or I were in business and we ran our business the way oil companies run theirs, we would soon be out of business.
Every year, in the spring and early summer, the price of gasoline rises. The oil companies say it is because people are driving more as the weather gets nicer and vacations get underway, so the supply goes down and the price goes up. Imagine that. It happens every year, yet every year they(the oil companies) seem to be caught off guard, so the price goes up.
Every year, in the fall and early winter, the price of heating oil goes up. The oil companies say it is because the weather is getting colder and people are using more heating oil. Wow. Imagine that. It gets colder in the winter. Happens every year. But again, the oil companies always seem to be unprepared, and the price goes up.
Over the past few weeks the price of gasoline dropped a bit. There was an "unexpected" rise in inventory of gasoline. Duh! You jack up the price high enough and at least some people...the ones with some common sense, cut back on their unnecessary usage. However, just this past Friday I read that crude went over $70/barrel because of a report that inventories were down. So I'll be that gas prices will soon be back over $3/gallon, if they aren't already, just in time for the holiday.
It seems that any other company could anticipate these seasonal fluctuations in demand and plan ahead for them so as not to anger their customers with sudden price changes. But not the oil companies. They don't care. They don't have too. The only thing keeping them in business is the lack of alternatives. In other words, they are the only show in town. They are a monopoly. And a monopoly can do whatever it wants. And it usually wants to screw the customer.
So Sayeth The Shack
Every year, in the spring and early summer, the price of gasoline rises. The oil companies say it is because people are driving more as the weather gets nicer and vacations get underway, so the supply goes down and the price goes up. Imagine that. It happens every year, yet every year they(the oil companies) seem to be caught off guard, so the price goes up.
Every year, in the fall and early winter, the price of heating oil goes up. The oil companies say it is because the weather is getting colder and people are using more heating oil. Wow. Imagine that. It gets colder in the winter. Happens every year. But again, the oil companies always seem to be unprepared, and the price goes up.
Over the past few weeks the price of gasoline dropped a bit. There was an "unexpected" rise in inventory of gasoline. Duh! You jack up the price high enough and at least some people...the ones with some common sense, cut back on their unnecessary usage. However, just this past Friday I read that crude went over $70/barrel because of a report that inventories were down. So I'll be that gas prices will soon be back over $3/gallon, if they aren't already, just in time for the holiday.
It seems that any other company could anticipate these seasonal fluctuations in demand and plan ahead for them so as not to anger their customers with sudden price changes. But not the oil companies. They don't care. They don't have too. The only thing keeping them in business is the lack of alternatives. In other words, they are the only show in town. They are a monopoly. And a monopoly can do whatever it wants. And it usually wants to screw the customer.
So Sayeth The Shack
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