There is a new Pic of the Week, ready to view.
Larry Shanks' funeral was held yesterday. We will all miss Larry - he contributed much to those who knew him.
And there has been another passing recently, though it is certainly not on the same level as losing a friend. It has come to our attention that the Two Trails Cruisers Car Club has filed its dissolution papers with the state of Maine - the club has closed its doors.
While it is not within the perview of this blog to get into the scope of the reasons a club dies, for there can be many, it seems appropriate to mention that in many cases, a club dies because some members use it as a forum for their own power plays, or to air grievances. A sort of politics, and personal agendas.
I do not belong to a club for several reasons. First and foremost, as the guy who maintains HotKarz.com, it would not be appropriate for me to have any bias in favor or in opposition to any clubs or other organizations. I feel I should avoid any conflict of interest. But even beyond that, I have seen too many friends become non-friends because they choose to use the club to push their own agendas and rivalries. And that is sad.
If I were to ever join a club, I would like to think I would go to great lengths to choose one where all the members have but one goal where the club is concerned - to share, and to have a good time.
But all too often that is not what happens. I have seen clubs that, at cruise-ins, they form their own little clique-ish circles. In some cases, they do not even acknowledge the presence of others. In yet other instances, I have seen club members who abuse their "strength in numbers" to put in "the fix", so to speak, at car shows. When 30 people all agree to vote for one another's vehicles, it is impossible to have a fair show where the best vehicles win.
I understand that Frank Barron, a wise (but nutty) fellow has formed a "non-club" club called the Road Scholars. I also understand that it is the goal of the Road Scholars to simply enjoy their rides and each others company. Sounds pretty good to me. Anyone looking for a club to belong to may want to contact Frank - but be forewarned: petty rivalries, jealousies and politics are NOT allowed. For more info, visit their site at http://www.roadscholars.webs.com/
It is said that all things shall pass, eventually. Whoever said that probably has never been constipated.
/
Friday, December 5, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours
Yep! Here's yet another nutty, but fun thing to mull over. Since it is the Christmas Season, how about sending in pix of your Christmas Tree or other seasonal decoration(s)? I will create a gallery - don't worry, I won't give out anyone's names (unless you say it's OK).
I'll get it started, but c'mon, folks - let's all do our part to make HotKarz interesting and personal. It is difficult for me to carry it all on my own. Your participation would be appreciated by all.
That said, here is a pic from our home to yours...
So, take some pix, and email them direct to me at ptwoodycrew@aol.com
Thanx - and Happy Holidays!
*****
I'll get it started, but c'mon, folks - let's all do our part to make HotKarz interesting and personal. It is difficult for me to carry it all on my own. Your participation would be appreciated by all.
That said, here is a pic from our home to yours...
So, take some pix, and email them direct to me at ptwoodycrew@aol.com
Thanx - and Happy Holidays!
*****
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Beware of Bank of America
Bank of America is the most dangerous bank in the nation, and should be avoided at all cost. Time and time again they have been in the news for their unscrupulous and highly unethical methods of bilking their customers. In fact, they keep looking for newer and sneakier ways to do just that.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has an interesting story about one Greg Fischer, a consumer who paid his September Bank of America credit card payment through his bank's web site. He paid on the deadline day.
However, his bank said that he was late anyway. Why? He paid at 4:10 in the afternoon, past a 3:30 p.m. cut-off that he wasn't aware of, a cut-off, I'm sure, that's buried somewhere in legalese on his credit card statement or on the credit card's web site.
He's out more than just a late fee. Since he was late with a payment in April, his interest rate doubled to 28.99 percent. He was told that the bank wouldn't consider lowering the fee until he had paid on time for six months. Now if you do the math, April to September is six months straight. Nice timing.
In another instance, BOA doubled the interest rate of one of their better customers, a man who had been their customer for over 10 years. Why? Because the Postal Service erred, sent his mailed payment across country before delivering it - a day late. One day. First "late" payment in ten years. And they doubled his rate to 27.99%.
There used to be a law against such usury. And there ARE laws governing fair business practices. But because Bank of America is so big, they simply ignore them, and get away with it.
Our Congress, elected to protect us, fails to do so. The banks pay them too much money for them to take any action. So, what can be done?
Simple. If every consumer were to refuse to do business with Bank of America, they would simply go out of business - a deserving and fitting end to a bunch of pathetic cheats who prey on their own customers.
Remember - Bank of America is also the bank that kicked America in the teeth in 2006 when they created credit cards specifically for illegal immigrants. Risky cards for high risk individuals, and the cost of that added risk is passed onto the rest of the bank's customers.
It is high time that we, the People contact our Congressmen and TELL them to do something about these unethical, immoral practices, and to do their jobs to protect the American people. In the meantime, do yourself a favor - DON'T do business with Bank of America - they are dangerous to your wealth, and your credit rating. They care nothing about their customers. Their only God is the almighty dollar, and they will put the screws to anyone in pursuit of their quest for your money.
/
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has an interesting story about one Greg Fischer, a consumer who paid his September Bank of America credit card payment through his bank's web site. He paid on the deadline day.
However, his bank said that he was late anyway. Why? He paid at 4:10 in the afternoon, past a 3:30 p.m. cut-off that he wasn't aware of, a cut-off, I'm sure, that's buried somewhere in legalese on his credit card statement or on the credit card's web site.
He's out more than just a late fee. Since he was late with a payment in April, his interest rate doubled to 28.99 percent. He was told that the bank wouldn't consider lowering the fee until he had paid on time for six months. Now if you do the math, April to September is six months straight. Nice timing.
In another instance, BOA doubled the interest rate of one of their better customers, a man who had been their customer for over 10 years. Why? Because the Postal Service erred, sent his mailed payment across country before delivering it - a day late. One day. First "late" payment in ten years. And they doubled his rate to 27.99%.
There used to be a law against such usury. And there ARE laws governing fair business practices. But because Bank of America is so big, they simply ignore them, and get away with it.
Our Congress, elected to protect us, fails to do so. The banks pay them too much money for them to take any action. So, what can be done?
Simple. If every consumer were to refuse to do business with Bank of America, they would simply go out of business - a deserving and fitting end to a bunch of pathetic cheats who prey on their own customers.
Remember - Bank of America is also the bank that kicked America in the teeth in 2006 when they created credit cards specifically for illegal immigrants. Risky cards for high risk individuals, and the cost of that added risk is passed onto the rest of the bank's customers.
It is high time that we, the People contact our Congressmen and TELL them to do something about these unethical, immoral practices, and to do their jobs to protect the American people. In the meantime, do yourself a favor - DON'T do business with Bank of America - they are dangerous to your wealth, and your credit rating. They care nothing about their customers. Their only God is the almighty dollar, and they will put the screws to anyone in pursuit of their quest for your money.
/
Bill's Christmas Carol
Deck the halls with bills by golly
Fa la la la la, la la, la la
'Tis the season of financial folly
Fa la la la la, la la, la la
Go we now to rags, from riches
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
All my friends are sons of................
Well, enough of that.
Christmas is on the horizon. And despite the economy, and despite the stresses and trials and tribulations we all face in one form or another, Christmas is still a time of hope, of family, of friends and of love.
And we at HotKarz.com wish you all of that and more - not just at Christmas, but all year long.
After all, those who think Christmas is only one day a year are missing a lot. Christmas is only a gentle reminder of how we should live every day.
/
Fa la la la la, la la, la la
'Tis the season of financial folly
Fa la la la la, la la, la la
Go we now to rags, from riches
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
All my friends are sons of................
Well, enough of that.
Christmas is on the horizon. And despite the economy, and despite the stresses and trials and tribulations we all face in one form or another, Christmas is still a time of hope, of family, of friends and of love.
And we at HotKarz.com wish you all of that and more - not just at Christmas, but all year long.
After all, those who think Christmas is only one day a year are missing a lot. Christmas is only a gentle reminder of how we should live every day.
/
Monday, December 1, 2008
Always Good For A Laugh
Yes, I'm talking about the "mainstream media". For those of us who know better than to believe everything they put out as "news", there is a lot of humor to be found in their stories.
Take today's story about how "It's Official - The National Bureau of Economic Research has determined the recession began in December of 2007." WOW! GEE!
Actually, the terminology I would use is BS, TRIPE!
First, it is definitely NOT "official" - they try to forge a belief that the National Bureau of Economic Research is a valid, government bureau. It is not. It is a private company that uses its own rules, and its own standards for making such determinations. There is nothing official about them or their determinations. And they do not use the accepted standard of what constitutes a recession, which is two consecutive quarters with a negative GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
So this begs the question, "Why are THESE clowns saying the recession started last year?"
Hey, here's a simple answer - the NBER is a liberal (spelled D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T) organization. And the last thing they want is for the recession to technically begin with Obama's term in office, which it is scheduled to do. So, they simply threw out the accepted atandards, and wrote their own, and using their own standards, they are able to "prove" the recession began a year ago.
I'm not debating when the recession started - it starts at a different time for each of us. If you lost your job on October 5th, the recession probably started in your home on October 5th. Personally, I think the recession, for all intents and purposes began this last spring. That is when unemployment levels rose sharply and and consumer confidence levels fell sharply. That causes fear, and fear turns a downturn into a full-blown recession. But for the media to say that "it's official" because some private entity with an agenda says so is too absurd for words, because the official standard is two consecutive quareters of negative GDP. And we have not yet seen that, though I suspect that this quarter will be the 2nd one, and we will "officially" be in recession come January.
But here is what many folks - including the NBER, apparently - do not understand. A recession is not the product of a President's term. The recession of '99, blamed on Clinton (but Democrats tried blaming it on Bush) was not Clinton's fault. And this recession is not Bush's fault, nor will it be Obama's fault.
Recessions are a necessary, unstoppable part of the economic cycle. First law of physics - what goes up, MUST come down. That includes economies.
But recessions can, and often are, assisted by a lousy Congress and a myopic, manipulating Federal Reserve. By continually trying to ward off "bad times", they only make it worse - like sticking your finger in the dike. For whatever you forestall will only grow in magnitude.
This recession is going to be bad - much worse than it should have been. If Congress and the FED had just let nature take its course, it would have come a long time ago, and would already be but a memory.
I sure wish politicians would realize that manipulation never produces desired results, whether it is minipulating the markets, the economy or the people.
/
Take today's story about how "It's Official - The National Bureau of Economic Research has determined the recession began in December of 2007." WOW! GEE!
Actually, the terminology I would use is BS, TRIPE!
First, it is definitely NOT "official" - they try to forge a belief that the National Bureau of Economic Research is a valid, government bureau. It is not. It is a private company that uses its own rules, and its own standards for making such determinations. There is nothing official about them or their determinations. And they do not use the accepted standard of what constitutes a recession, which is two consecutive quarters with a negative GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
So this begs the question, "Why are THESE clowns saying the recession started last year?"
Hey, here's a simple answer - the NBER is a liberal (spelled D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T) organization. And the last thing they want is for the recession to technically begin with Obama's term in office, which it is scheduled to do. So, they simply threw out the accepted atandards, and wrote their own, and using their own standards, they are able to "prove" the recession began a year ago.
I'm not debating when the recession started - it starts at a different time for each of us. If you lost your job on October 5th, the recession probably started in your home on October 5th. Personally, I think the recession, for all intents and purposes began this last spring. That is when unemployment levels rose sharply and and consumer confidence levels fell sharply. That causes fear, and fear turns a downturn into a full-blown recession. But for the media to say that "it's official" because some private entity with an agenda says so is too absurd for words, because the official standard is two consecutive quareters of negative GDP. And we have not yet seen that, though I suspect that this quarter will be the 2nd one, and we will "officially" be in recession come January.
But here is what many folks - including the NBER, apparently - do not understand. A recession is not the product of a President's term. The recession of '99, blamed on Clinton (but Democrats tried blaming it on Bush) was not Clinton's fault. And this recession is not Bush's fault, nor will it be Obama's fault.
Recessions are a necessary, unstoppable part of the economic cycle. First law of physics - what goes up, MUST come down. That includes economies.
But recessions can, and often are, assisted by a lousy Congress and a myopic, manipulating Federal Reserve. By continually trying to ward off "bad times", they only make it worse - like sticking your finger in the dike. For whatever you forestall will only grow in magnitude.
This recession is going to be bad - much worse than it should have been. If Congress and the FED had just let nature take its course, it would have come a long time ago, and would already be but a memory.
I sure wish politicians would realize that manipulation never produces desired results, whether it is minipulating the markets, the economy or the people.
/
Sunday, November 30, 2008
A Sad Note
A brief but sad note from Bob Hatch (MWVOCC):
After a brief illness, Larry Shanks passed away today at 2:15 pm. at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. Many of you my remember Larry's friendly smile, and his bright yellow pick-up truck. Larry was a longstanding member who frequenly participated in club events. He will be greatly missed.
Funeral services will be held Thursday December 4, 2008, at Our Lady of the Mountains Church, North Conway. Services will begin at 11:00 am.
Club members that plan on attending the service are encouraged to wear their club jackets as a show of support.
Sincerely,
Bob
After a brief illness, Larry Shanks passed away today at 2:15 pm. at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. Many of you my remember Larry's friendly smile, and his bright yellow pick-up truck. Larry was a longstanding member who frequenly participated in club events. He will be greatly missed.
Funeral services will be held Thursday December 4, 2008, at Our Lady of the Mountains Church, North Conway. Services will begin at 11:00 am.
Club members that plan on attending the service are encouraged to wear their club jackets as a show of support.
Sincerely,
Bob
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)