We've all driven vehicles with a bit of body damage. A dent here, a scrape there. It happens.
Today, I've got a guy who's not going to let a little body damage to a pickup truck stop him. No sir! A flaming building had collapsed onto the Ford truck. Almost half the truck was missing, and the other half didn't look so good.
Let's go to the tape to see how the driver did:
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Christie Too Round For the Oval?
The fat police are probably happy New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie decided not to run for president.
There were a few people out there who had said Christie is unqualified to be president because he is rather portly. An example was a column by Gene Robinson that raised the question of Christie's weight and the wisdom of running for president. Robinson's column wasn't too bad until he ended with the snarky unsolicited advice for Christie: "Eat a salad and take a walk."
That made me run for the cupboard to scarf down some Twinkies.
Is that really the thing to focus on? He's fat? So skinny people are automatically qualified to be president? And fat people should just go off in the corner and eat their Doritos and shut up? If skinny means you're smart and disciplined, how to you explain skinny dumb slackers?
The beef with the beefy Christie, at least among some of those critics, is the fact that he is fat means that he is undisciplined. Um, Christie was somehow disciplined enough to become governor of New Jersey. He didn't get that far swilling Pabst Blue Ribbon and stuffings Cheetos into his cheeks.
Besides, most people have undisciplined corners of their lives even when they manage to focus on other things. President Obama struggled with cigarettes. Rick Perry says he was a lackluster college student, and he actually seems proud of that. We won't even get into the otherwise smart and hard working Bill Clinton's lapses into, um, extracurricular activities during his presidency.
Aren't there other, more important things to consider when evaluating Christie? Little things, like his political positions, his demeanor, whether he is able to work with others. Can he negotiate? Be firm when need be? Understand complex policy?
I won't offer an opinion here on whether or not I like Christie's politics. But are looks the best way to judge who would make the best leader? I thought we're electing presidents, not studs and fashion models. Vin Diesel for president?
While we're at it, why do some people think Hillary Clinton ought not be in public service because she wears pant suits? Must a woman look like a Playboy Bunny to run things? Do you really want a ditz to determine whether we, say, drop bombs on Pakistan? Can you picture it? "Oh, I thought Pakistan was my ex's last name. I thought we were bombing my ex's house, not a whole country. Me bad. (giggle)"
As for Christie, he's pretty P.O'd with the pundits talking about his weight. But he does make the distinction between pundits and comedians. Christie says he's a public figure, so he's fair game for the comedians. As long as they're funny, he said.
You know what? After this, maybe we should elect somebody who is very ugly for president. Physically, I mean. Could be the start of a brand new political trend
I dunno. That seems like discrimination to me. There's lots of legitimate ways
There were a few people out there who had said Christie is unqualified to be president because he is rather portly. An example was a column by Gene Robinson that raised the question of Christie's weight and the wisdom of running for president. Robinson's column wasn't too bad until he ended with the snarky unsolicited advice for Christie: "Eat a salad and take a walk."
 |
| I don't know if Chris Christie is qualified to be president or not, but is his weight the deciding factor? |
That made me run for the cupboard to scarf down some Twinkies.
Is that really the thing to focus on? He's fat? So skinny people are automatically qualified to be president? And fat people should just go off in the corner and eat their Doritos and shut up? If skinny means you're smart and disciplined, how to you explain skinny dumb slackers?
The beef with the beefy Christie, at least among some of those critics, is the fact that he is fat means that he is undisciplined. Um, Christie was somehow disciplined enough to become governor of New Jersey. He didn't get that far swilling Pabst Blue Ribbon and stuffings Cheetos into his cheeks.
Besides, most people have undisciplined corners of their lives even when they manage to focus on other things. President Obama struggled with cigarettes. Rick Perry says he was a lackluster college student, and he actually seems proud of that. We won't even get into the otherwise smart and hard working Bill Clinton's lapses into, um, extracurricular activities during his presidency.
Aren't there other, more important things to consider when evaluating Christie? Little things, like his political positions, his demeanor, whether he is able to work with others. Can he negotiate? Be firm when need be? Understand complex policy?
I won't offer an opinion here on whether or not I like Christie's politics. But are looks the best way to judge who would make the best leader? I thought we're electing presidents, not studs and fashion models. Vin Diesel for president?
While we're at it, why do some people think Hillary Clinton ought not be in public service because she wears pant suits? Must a woman look like a Playboy Bunny to run things? Do you really want a ditz to determine whether we, say, drop bombs on Pakistan? Can you picture it? "Oh, I thought Pakistan was my ex's last name. I thought we were bombing my ex's house, not a whole country. Me bad. (giggle)"
As for Christie, he's pretty P.O'd with the pundits talking about his weight. But he does make the distinction between pundits and comedians. Christie says he's a public figure, so he's fair game for the comedians. As long as they're funny, he said.
You know what? After this, maybe we should elect somebody who is very ugly for president. Physically, I mean. Could be the start of a brand new political trend
I dunno. That seems like discrimination to me. There's lots of legitimate ways
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Bad Boss Starts Contest, Employees Flee
Want a job?
I bet there's openings at QC Mart. I also bet you don't want to work there, even if you're down to your last dime and living in a discarded refrigerator box down by the railroad yard,
Turns out he boss, William Ernst of the Iowa-based chain of convenience stores, had a nice little contest for employees, where he encouraged them to guess which coworker would get fired next, according to the Des Moines Register.
The lucky store clerk who stabbed his co-worker in the back and accurately predicted the firing would win, get this, a whopping $10. Whoopee!!!
Some employees objected to this contest, and quit. All this came to light when one of the employees filed for unemployment, Ernst contested it, and the case went to a judge.
Said Administrative Law Judge, Susan Ackerman, sided with the employee: She said, in part:
"The employer's actions have clearly created a hostile work environment by suggesting its employees turn on each other for a minimal monetary prize," she wrote. "This was an intolerable and detrimental work environment."
Too bad Ackerman is such a killjoy. I imagine her ruling will discourage other employers from creating any more, um, innovative, employee contests. Imagine the other cruel contests employers could dream up, just to be mean. (That seems to be the American way, in the eyes of a few employers out there)
Maybe a $20 prize for the correct guess as to which co-worker keels over and dies next because they have no insurance. How about $25 for the person who correctly guesses how many pints of blood another co-worker loses during an accident with faulty equipment.
Here in Vermont, we don't have any QC Marts, so we can't join in the fun of this happy little corporation. So we'll just have to marvel at the company's unique management style from afar.
I bet there's openings at QC Mart. I also bet you don't want to work there, even if you're down to your last dime and living in a discarded refrigerator box down by the railroad yard,
Turns out he boss, William Ernst of the Iowa-based chain of convenience stores, had a nice little contest for employees, where he encouraged them to guess which coworker would get fired next, according to the Des Moines Register.
The lucky store clerk who stabbed his co-worker in the back and accurately predicted the firing would win, get this, a whopping $10. Whoopee!!!
Some employees objected to this contest, and quit. All this came to light when one of the employees filed for unemployment, Ernst contested it, and the case went to a judge.
Said Administrative Law Judge, Susan Ackerman, sided with the employee: She said, in part:
"The employer's actions have clearly created a hostile work environment by suggesting its employees turn on each other for a minimal monetary prize," she wrote. "This was an intolerable and detrimental work environment."
Too bad Ackerman is such a killjoy. I imagine her ruling will discourage other employers from creating any more, um, innovative, employee contests. Imagine the other cruel contests employers could dream up, just to be mean. (That seems to be the American way, in the eyes of a few employers out there)
Maybe a $20 prize for the correct guess as to which co-worker keels over and dies next because they have no insurance. How about $25 for the person who correctly guesses how many pints of blood another co-worker loses during an accident with faulty equipment.
Here in Vermont, we don't have any QC Marts, so we can't join in the fun of this happy little corporation. So we'll just have to marvel at the company's unique management style from afar.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Dogs Better Than "Sit, Stay!"
My dog Jackson, at just over five months old, is still a work in progress in the obedience department.
He's a bit like a teenager now. Sweet much of the time, and defiant every once in awhile. And prone to mistakes. But he's a smart little boy, and I'm sure the kinks will be worked out soon. He is learning fast, so I'm happy.
As smart and clever Jackson is, I still doubt he will match the discipline and athleticism in the following two videos. First is a dog that is sooooo good at resisting temptation. I could learn from him, because if you so much as put a cookie in front of me, I eat it. Watch:
Next, we have a dog who might have a future career in the NBA:
He's a bit like a teenager now. Sweet much of the time, and defiant every once in awhile. And prone to mistakes. But he's a smart little boy, and I'm sure the kinks will be worked out soon. He is learning fast, so I'm happy.
As smart and clever Jackson is, I still doubt he will match the discipline and athleticism in the following two videos. First is a dog that is sooooo good at resisting temptation. I could learn from him, because if you so much as put a cookie in front of me, I eat it. Watch:
Next, we have a dog who might have a future career in the NBA:
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Waves of Joggers, Bicyclists Assaulted by Waves
I'm whining about this weekend's dismal weather here in Vermont. It's cold, with almost continuous rain. Not great for outdoor work, or leaf peeping. But it's always worse somewhere.
Take the video in this post, for instance. The other day, it was very windy in Chicago. Despite that, people went out for runs or bicycle trips along a path near Lake Shore Drive. But the wind, and high-ish water had other plans for these people. Luckily, nobody got hurt, though a puppy was washed into the lake and needed a daring rescue. (Puppy's fine, though)
Below is a video of said waves taking out runners and bicyclists. So if you're having a bad day, rest assured somebody else had a worse day recently:
Take the video in this post, for instance. The other day, it was very windy in Chicago. Despite that, people went out for runs or bicycle trips along a path near Lake Shore Drive. But the wind, and high-ish water had other plans for these people. Luckily, nobody got hurt, though a puppy was washed into the lake and needed a daring rescue. (Puppy's fine, though)
Below is a video of said waves taking out runners and bicyclists. So if you're having a bad day, rest assured somebody else had a worse day recently:
Music: No Need for Lyrics
Found this fun little trip down memory lane. Three musicians decide to take samples of hit songs from the 1960s through 2008 that at least partly get by without lyrics. Just different vocal sounds. Most of the songs are great classics, too. Works for me:
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Summer is OVER! But Fun Lingers
Here I sit in St. Albans, Vermont on a Saturday morning, October 1, and summer is definitely over. After a couple weeks of summer-like weather, it's 43 degrees, raining like heck and there's a nasty north wind blowing.
Not a day for the beach.
But it's fun to remember summer. To help, I have this fun video of a bunch of kids doing a water show in a neighborhood pool. It will really make you smile, it's so goofy, but it's great. I'll betch $10 you can't get through the video without at least grinning a little:
Not a day for the beach.
But it's fun to remember summer. To help, I have this fun video of a bunch of kids doing a water show in a neighborhood pool. It will really make you smile, it's so goofy, but it's great. I'll betch $10 you can't get through the video without at least grinning a little:
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