This is part one of the Couric Palin interview from last week. Did you watch this? Do you still have faith in her? Check out the "web only" release below as well.
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Thank you great grandpa!!
16 years ago
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Couric Palin part II
This segment was only available on the internet. Palin's camp tried to get it not shown, but CBS has exclusivity over it and agreed to a web only release.
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A Conservative For Obama
Following are excerpts from Wick Allison's article in D magazine (Editor in Chief). If you would like to read the article in it's entirety (please do) you may click here.
"My party has slipped its moorings. It’s time for a true pragmatist to lead the country."
"THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT “the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate,” the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan."
"Today it is conservatives, not liberals, who talk with alarming bellicosity about making the world “safe for democracy.” It is John McCain who says America’s job is to “defeat evil,” a theological expansion of the nation’s mission that would make George Washington cough out his wooden teeth."
"Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don’t matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama’s books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers."
"My party has slipped its moorings. It’s time for a true pragmatist to lead the country."
"THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT “the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate,” the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan."
"Today it is conservatives, not liberals, who talk with alarming bellicosity about making the world “safe for democracy.” It is John McCain who says America’s job is to “defeat evil,” a theological expansion of the nation’s mission that would make George Washington cough out his wooden teeth."
"Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don’t matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama’s books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers."
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
White Privilege
This was found by me posted on Suebob's blog and she lifted it from Time Wise. I added some notes in italics.
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.
White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun (all direct quotes from his former My-Space page), and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.
White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.
White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges (and the local high school here in Glendale), and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”
White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while if you're black and believe in reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), you're a dangerous and mushy liberal who isn't fit to safeguard American institutions.
White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you (and consider you a gang member or a terrorist).
White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto is “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.
White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college and the fact that she lives near Russia, you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
White privilege is being able to convince white women (and men) who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women (and men), and made them give your party a “second look.”
White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment to her children is unquestionable, and whose "next door neighbor" qualities make her ready to be VP, while if you're a black candidate for president and you let your children be interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're irresponsibly exploiting them.
White privilege is being able to give a 36-minute speech in which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent, while laying out no substantive policy positions on any issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate candidate, while a black person who gives an hour speech the week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague about what he would do if elected.
White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.
White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.
White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep school, then to Yale and Harvard Business School (George W. Bush), and still be seen as an "average guy," while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then Occidental College (right down the road from here), then Columbia, and then Harvard Law, makes you "uppity" and a snob who probably looks down on regular folks.
White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average from Yale (W.), and that's OK, and you're still cut out to be president, but if you're black and you graduate near the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be trusted to make good decisions in office.
White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash (and suffering from Cancer) so you can take up (read HAVE AN AFFAIR) with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you then go on to call the c-word in public (that would be c*nt with a u in the place of the asterisk, any one of you try calling your wife that and see if you don't get slapped upside the head) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values, while if you're black and married for nearly 20 years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called "terrorist fist bumps."
White privilege is when you can develop a pain-killer addiction, having obtained your drug of choice illegally like Cindy McCain, go on to beat that addiction, and everyone praises you for being so strong, while being a black guy who smoked pot a few times in college and never became an addict means people will wonder if perhaps you still get high, and even ask whether or not you may have sold drugs at some point.
White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president, while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you dangerously naive and immature.
White privilege is being able to say that you hate "gooks" and "will always hate them," and yet, you aren't a racist because, ya know, you were a POW, so you're entitled to your hatred, while being black and noting that black anger about racism is understandable, given the history of your country, makes you a dangerous bigot.
White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the "lesser adversities" faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech.
And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain…
White privilege is, in short, the problem.
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.
White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun (all direct quotes from his former My-Space page), and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.
White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.
White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges (and the local high school here in Glendale), and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”
White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while if you're black and believe in reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), you're a dangerous and mushy liberal who isn't fit to safeguard American institutions.
White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you (and consider you a gang member or a terrorist).
White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto is “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.
White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college and the fact that she lives near Russia, you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
White privilege is being able to convince white women (and men) who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women (and men), and made them give your party a “second look.”
White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment to her children is unquestionable, and whose "next door neighbor" qualities make her ready to be VP, while if you're a black candidate for president and you let your children be interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're irresponsibly exploiting them.
White privilege is being able to give a 36-minute speech in which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent, while laying out no substantive policy positions on any issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate candidate, while a black person who gives an hour speech the week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague about what he would do if elected.
White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.
White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.
White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep school, then to Yale and Harvard Business School (George W. Bush), and still be seen as an "average guy," while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then Occidental College (right down the road from here), then Columbia, and then Harvard Law, makes you "uppity" and a snob who probably looks down on regular folks.
White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average from Yale (W.), and that's OK, and you're still cut out to be president, but if you're black and you graduate near the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be trusted to make good decisions in office.
White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash (and suffering from Cancer) so you can take up (read HAVE AN AFFAIR) with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you then go on to call the c-word in public (that would be c*nt with a u in the place of the asterisk, any one of you try calling your wife that and see if you don't get slapped upside the head) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values, while if you're black and married for nearly 20 years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called "terrorist fist bumps."
White privilege is when you can develop a pain-killer addiction, having obtained your drug of choice illegally like Cindy McCain, go on to beat that addiction, and everyone praises you for being so strong, while being a black guy who smoked pot a few times in college and never became an addict means people will wonder if perhaps you still get high, and even ask whether or not you may have sold drugs at some point.
White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president, while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you dangerously naive and immature.
White privilege is being able to say that you hate "gooks" and "will always hate them," and yet, you aren't a racist because, ya know, you were a POW, so you're entitled to your hatred, while being black and noting that black anger about racism is understandable, given the history of your country, makes you a dangerous bigot.
White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the "lesser adversities" faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech.
And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain…
White privilege is, in short, the problem.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
I Gaurantee you.....
If someone brought Bill O'Reilly a hacked in email from the Obama Camp (or the Clinton Camp, or hell Jamie Lynn Spears Camp) he would use it in a heartbeat. But when he shoe is on the other foot? The First Amendment gets tossed out the window.
Sorry, but I can find nothing journalistic about him, to be he is nothing but an asshat.
video hacked from Backpacking Dad. Come and get me, Shawn I double dog dare ya!
Sorry, but I can find nothing journalistic about him, to be he is nothing but an asshat.
video hacked from Backpacking Dad. Come and get me, Shawn I double dog dare ya!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
On Purpose
It isn't really an "accident" if one party purposely makes an illegal move.
Yes, I was in an accident yesterday. The idiot woman made an illegal left turn in front of me and I smashed into her right front fender. It could have been much worse, I came very close to smashing into her passenger. Did I mention she was an idiot?
Yes, I was in an accident yesterday. The idiot woman made an illegal left turn in front of me and I smashed into her right front fender. It could have been much worse, I came very close to smashing into her passenger. Did I mention she was an idiot?
See the white car in the middle of your picture? Now picture a full line of cars behind that one in the "LEFT TURN LANE" Notice the lanes next to that white car indicate a "THRU LANE" and a "RIGHT TURN LANE". Now picture me driving from the bottom of your picture at about 25 mph seeing the cars in the LEFT TURN LANE waiting for me nice and patiently, then picture me seeing a bat out of hell come tearing up the THRU LANE and make a LEFT turn from the THRU LANE in front of the cars in the LEFT TURN LANE! Now can you hear my brakes screeching and locking up and skidding as I swerve as far away from her passenger who's face I can see clearly?! Yeah, it was that bad. 24 hours later and I can still see it clearly, I can hear the crunch of the cars. No one in her car was hurt, thank goodness, I have some stiffness in my right shoulder and neckline, but I think my car is totalled.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Operation Baking Gals
Welcome to Adrienne's House sit down, relax, put your feet up. Heck put your feet on the furniture, we don't mind around here.
Our soldier this time around is Sgt. Mark Martin of Chatsworth Georgia. He is a father of 3 stationed in Iraq at Camp Victory inside Baghdad on his THIRD TOUR of duty! He is quoted in "The View From the Right" regarding the back-to-back deployments of troops as saying "We are so stretched that constantly, if we are not training back home, we are here."
Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex which occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport. It has several living support areas; Freedom Village,[2] and Dodge Cities North and South, along with building 51F, which is commonly known as "Area 51". There are also two smaller living areas reserved for government contractors, as well as a third for employees of an Iraqi contracting company.
But what it doesn't have is fresh baked cookies and muffins!
Personally, I think I will be making some Tollhouse chocolate chips and some good ol Rice Krispie Treats. Wouldn't you like to join me in some baking fun? Please leave a comment to join this team. I will email you the details.
**I know I have a couple of sisters who could help...hint...hint. Maybe even a couple of Aunts that are spectacular cooks, especially some yummy brownies...hint...hint.
Our soldier this time around is Sgt. Mark Martin of Chatsworth Georgia. He is a father of 3 stationed in Iraq at Camp Victory inside Baghdad on his THIRD TOUR of duty! He is quoted in "The View From the Right" regarding the back-to-back deployments of troops as saying "We are so stretched that constantly, if we are not training back home, we are here."
Camp Victory is the primary component of the Victory Base Complex which occupies the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport. It has several living support areas; Freedom Village,[2] and Dodge Cities North and South, along with building 51F, which is commonly known as "Area 51". There are also two smaller living areas reserved for government contractors, as well as a third for employees of an Iraqi contracting company.
But what it doesn't have is fresh baked cookies and muffins!
Personally, I think I will be making some Tollhouse chocolate chips and some good ol Rice Krispie Treats. Wouldn't you like to join me in some baking fun? Please leave a comment to join this team. I will email you the details.
**I know I have a couple of sisters who could help...hint...hint. Maybe even a couple of Aunts that are spectacular cooks, especially some yummy brownies...hint...hint.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
"If You Don't Vote You're a Moron!"
I posted the other day (so did Erika) about the different views being stated by the same people.
Uncle John posted about the non-objectiveness of "every" major news channel.
But Craig Ferguson says it all the best. This is a long video (about 8 minutes) but very worth it. He recently became a US citizen and well, feels very strongly about this election.
Uncle John posted about the non-objectiveness of "every" major news channel.
But Craig Ferguson says it all the best. This is a long video (about 8 minutes) but very worth it. He recently became a US citizen and well, feels very strongly about this election.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Best Laid Plans...........
Initially in this post I was going to compare and contrast the two Hybrid cars I drove over the last couple of months. The GM Malibu to and from BlogHer and the Ford Escape I used this past weekend.
To be fair it wouldn't be a true comparison as one is a mid-sized sedan and one is a CUV. The handling is different the ride is different the spatial environment is totally different. And most of all because of the vehicle types the mpg's are going to be different.
So I set out to just form my opinion on the Escape and give you the down low on that for a ride to and from Oakland Ca. an approximate 750 miles. Best laid plans............ (more on that later).
The car is delivered and was beautiful, I have never liked the color green much but this was a pretty “kiwi green” according to the person dropping it off (wonder if he liked the fresh baked cookies I gave him?). I didn't want my initial drive to be at 4am so I took Kiwi for a spin up to Burbank. I took the side streets there and the freeway back to try and gauge any difference in the handling and ride of the Hybrid. I was very impressed with both. Of course on such a short drive I couldn't properly average out the mpg.
At 4am the next morning, Adam, his friend Luis and I ventured out to the open road. The back back was spacious enough for our three bags and a cooler and we even experimented with putting half of the back seat down for easy access. Since Luis was the king of the back seat area the configuration was totally up to him. I asked him many times during the trip if he had enough leg room and such and he always replied yes. Since he is such a polite kid (what's up with teenagers these days?) I climbed back there myself to see if he was telling me the truth. He was. While I don't know that I would want to have someone else back there with me for a “road trip” it was fairly comfortable.
We made great time and mileage. Although I could have probably made it into the city before running low on gas, I didn't want to take the chance and filled up while we had breakfast. We ate at the Apricot Inn (or something like that), almost everything on the menu had apricots in or on it. The décor was fabulous tons and tons of old lunch boxes on the walls and matching thermos' in plexiglass dividers between booths.
The boys concert (Matches and Wombats were the two bands they most wanted to see) ended in the early evening so we opted to run up to San Francisco to hit a great record store Rasputins. Guess what running up to SF consists of? Yep that Damn Bridge again, ugh. Of course I did it and I didn't even cry this time. But coming back was on the lower level and very very freaky. Shopping for cheap cd's, hole in the wall pizza and a scare where I thought I was pick pocketed (Adam put my money in a different spot of my wallet) and some Cold Stone ice cream set us on the road again.
Luis and I wanted to find the “crookedest” street in SF. We were certain it was Lombard but the Sync took us only to parts that were straight. We drove around a lot. And all of it was at under 30 mph so for almost an hours worth of driving around on the hills of SF we used less than 1 gallon of gas. It was great. BTW we never did find that crooked street.
A nice relaxing night and some internet issues in the morning got us ready for a very yummy breakfast at the Marriott. Noon was check out time and also the opening time for the record stores in Berkeley so off we went. What a beautiful town. Walking up and down College and Telegraph where there were sidewalk sales and fun people watching. The boys shopped at Rasputins and Amoeba and then we were on the road again.
About an hour into our drive we are doing about 70 on the 580 just past Livermore CA and we start hearing a repetitive clicking noise. At first I thought it was Adams cell phone vibrating against the center console, but it was too loud and lasted too long, so I pulled over into a turn out.
Picture this if you will. Brown rolling hills, windmills and dead donkeys. Yes, that is all there was around us other than cars whizzing by at 70 mph. The boys get out and look to see if something is stuck in the tire but see nothing, so thinking whatever it was is now gone we get back in and start off again. Oooops nope, there's that noise again, pull over again. Thank goodness for turn outs.
I make a phone call to the Ford Reps from Page One and depending on who's side of the story you hear (and since this is my side that is the one you will hear), I calmly explained our predicament and requested assistance. (of course some of that calm may have included loud voices and mild hysterics but eh, there was a dead donkey nearby!) Long story short (too late for that) and the wonderful AAA guy Mike from Reed & Son Towing found us a Ford dealership to drop off poor Kiwi and deposited us at a Denny's to wait for a replacement car.
The replacement car was being arranged by Stuart from Page One who faced the brunt of my calmness throughout this entire ordeal and did a fabulous job of listening, empathizing and solving my problem. Awesome customer service.
The boys and I had a leisurely dinner and dessert at Dennys (which Page One picked up the tab for, thank you again) and 4 hours after the first noise was heard we were on the road again in our new 09 Mercury Mariner Hybrid.
The Mariner and the Escape are identical twins. Although the boys liked the comfort of the supple leather seats in the Escape as compared to the cloth seats of the Mariner.
Again on the ride home, good time and good mileage was had by all and we made it home just after midnight.
For the entire trip we averaged 27 mpg. Not a great number, but again a Hybrid is not meant for highway driving, so when you take into account that the cars are CUV's that mileage is pretty good.
As far as comfort and drivablility, I have one major complaint for both cars. I could not see out of the rearview mirror unless there was no one sitting there and I removed the headrests from the back seat. Thankfully the side mirrors were large and awesome, because that is all I used. The navigation system (other than Lombard street, but to be fair, I didn't have an exact address) was great and the bluetooth ability was very handy in the SYNC. Although in neither car could we get the voice activation to work and the owner's manual said to see the SYNC manual which we didn't have.
What conclucions have I come to driving these three cars?
A. Hybrids are great for city drivers, not so much for highway
B. I am ready to move out of the “mommy” cars and into a sedan.
C. Whatever car I get next will definitely have satellite radio!
I have to give proper shout outs to Dan Smith of PCGCampbell, Stuart (I'm sorry I don't know your last name) from Page One Automotive and Jason Camp of Ford.
BTW the noise? Was due to some packaging material still on the drive train that started hitting against the heating vent with each revolution. Something completely harmless and insignificant. Thank goodness!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Should You Buy a Hybrid?
When I attended a media event at Ford last month, I learned about Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (PZEV). According to Ford a 2008 PZEV produces 73% less smog-forming emissions than the average new car.
To qualify as a PZEV a car must meet three criteria:
*The vehicle must meet extremely low tailpipe emissions standards (AKA Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle).
*It must meet a zero-evaporative-emissions standard.
*It must be warranted to meet these emissions standards for 15 years or 150,000 miles.
Although Ford as a parent company is the current leader in PZEVs, more and more manufacturers are producing them each year.
Why am I talking about PZEVs when this article was supposed to be about Hybrids? Because if you are not going to drive under 30mph for more than 75% of your driving needs than a Hybrid really is not serving it's purpose for you. And if you will not be served by a Hybrid then how can you still do your part for the environment by not contributing to the acrid air problems? By buying a PZEV! Note not all Hybrids are PZEV, please make sure you ask before you buy!
Some more interesting facts about PZEV (as taken from a Ford pamphlet):
*A vehicle with a PZEV rating emits about two pounds of hydrocarbons during 100,000 miles of driving – the equivalent of spilling a pint of gasoline.
*A PZEV-rated vehicle would have to be driven more than 2,100 miles to equal the emissions produced by a 5.4 horsepower lawn mower in one hour of use!
*BBQing one hamburger produces the same smog-forming emissions as driving a PZEV car for 3 hours or 180 miles!
When I heard these facts I was amazed that it was for the first time. Why is this information not out in the open? Why is there so much hype about Hybrids (which effectly only properly serve less than half of the people that own them) and nothing about PZEV? I am here to try to rectify that.
Back to Hybrids. Hybrids are a great idea, again if you travel at under 30mph for more than 75% of your driving time. Another bonehead move made by the California government was to give Prius owners a sticker that allowed them to drive in the HOV lanes. Which totally defeats the purpose of a Hybrid. Those drivers would get better mileage driving in the stop and go traffic of LA than they do zooming past everyone at 70 mph.
I have 3 sisters all talking about buying Hybrids. For one I would definitely not recommend it. While her daily commute to and from work is (I believe) approx 10 miles, she then drives almost 200 miles to her home every weekend. For that weekend ride, the Hybrid would suck up in gas what she saved during the week. And with the cost of a Hybrid at about $3000 more than it's counterpart it would take more than the estimated time to get her payback.
According to Consumer Reports October 2008 issue, some Hybrid cars are still eligible for Federal Tax Credits. “The incentives fade out once an automaker produces 60,000 Hybrids, 9including ALL of it's brands”. Toyota (including Lexus) is done. Honda incentives will expire Dec. 31, 2008. With Ford now producing the Escape, and Fusion hybrids along with the Mercury brands of Mariner and Milan, it too will be done soon. These tax credits can range from $500 to $2,500. You can get more information on them from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxcenter.shtml
Make note of your driving habits before you make a commitment to your next car. In the economy we are in right now, does it make sense for you to spend more to not necessarily reap the benefits of that purchase? If a Hybrid fits into your lifestyle than rock on with your bad self!
If not, then would you please make sure your next car is a PZEV?
*This article is cross-posted at BlogHer and Blissfully Domestic
Thursday, September 4, 2008
You can't have it Both Ways
I haven't said much about either convention although I have watched both. I anticipate a speech from McCain tonight that will follow in the words of one of his staffers to the Post this week "This campaign is not about the issues it is about the composite of the candidates". So, just like the speeches from Guiliani, Huckabee, Romney and even Mrs. Palin I fear we will not hear word one about the economy or healthcare or anything else of substance. I swear, I have the utmost respect for Mr. McCain's war record and for his tenure as a POW. I can never truly understand all the pain and turmoil he went through, even if the story is repeated 100 times a night during the RNC.
Erin Kotcki Vest, former reporter for KFWB news radio here in LA, and now Political and Special Events Director for BlogHer has attended both conventions on behalf of BlogHer. It is not a secret that she is a Democrat and will be voting for Obama. She has found this tape from the John Stewart Show that sums up, what has been said about the "double stndards" coming from some of the media.
Take a look:
Erin Kotcki Vest, former reporter for KFWB news radio here in LA, and now Political and Special Events Director for BlogHer has attended both conventions on behalf of BlogHer. It is not a secret that she is a Democrat and will be voting for Obama. She has found this tape from the John Stewart Show that sums up, what has been said about the "double stndards" coming from some of the media.
Take a look:
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
New Web Site
I am a contributor to a wonderful new WebZine Blissfully Domestic.
Today we launched a fabulous new site. Not all the kinks and such have been worked out but jump on over and take a look around. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Monday, September 1, 2008
An Open Letter to my Children
This was written about 2 weeks ago to both of my kids. One has taken heed and has tried to "clean up his act". The other is oblivious to the world around her and I take total and complete blame for her insensitivity and selfishness. Perhaps a public embarrassment will help. Perhaps not. Perhaps it is snarky of me to post this. At this point I have come very very close to the point of giving up. I don't want to reach that point, but truly I can see it on the horizon.
A letter to my children
Hi, I am your mother. I am not your housekeeper, your personal assistant, your laundress or your slave.
I have loved you from the moment you were conceived and will continue to do so until I no longer exist on this earth.
I am usually at your beck and call. Have I once refused a request from either of you? I have shown you both a penultimate amount of respect, and consideration. I request a modicum of each in return. Why is it that when I make a request of you, I get eye rolling, sighs and grunts in response?
You are both adults and should be able to do basic things to keep yourself and your surroundings in good repair. A bare minimum of upkeep in this house is requested of you it should be of no shock or take anymore than a minor bit of your energy to comply.
A. Do not put your dirty dishes in the sink or leave them on the counter. Put them in the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is full and clean, empty it. If it is full and dirty, run it, then empty it.
B. Do not leave your clothes (or the clothes of your children) lying around anywhere in the house other than your own bedroom. Dirty clothes piles should not exist in the hallways, or the bathrooms. No one else wants to pick up your dirty underpants.
C. Leave the towels in the bathroom. There is no reason for a towel that you did not purchase to ever leave the bathroom. If you happen to mistakenly take one out or send your child out in one, take the extra three steps to put it back when done.
D. If you use something, put it away. That includes anything used by your offspring or your significant others.
E. When doing your laundry, be considerate of others. Do not leave the house with laundry in the washer. Do not leave your dry laundry to live in the dryer. It is very inconvenient to others to expect them to finish your laundry for you.
I realize you are not children and do not expect you to do “chores”, but I expect you to pick up after yourselves at all times and to be responsible enough to see something that might need to be done and do it.
I also realize that my having to remind you of these simple exercises of adulthood means that I have failed in a part of my parenting you. I accept that. I have made many mistakes while raising you and I guess this is one more. But this is your chance to be better than me, to make your life better for yourselves, better than I have made it for you. Take this chance and run with it.
Love,
Mom
A letter to my children
Hi, I am your mother. I am not your housekeeper, your personal assistant, your laundress or your slave.
I have loved you from the moment you were conceived and will continue to do so until I no longer exist on this earth.
I am usually at your beck and call. Have I once refused a request from either of you? I have shown you both a penultimate amount of respect, and consideration. I request a modicum of each in return. Why is it that when I make a request of you, I get eye rolling, sighs and grunts in response?
You are both adults and should be able to do basic things to keep yourself and your surroundings in good repair. A bare minimum of upkeep in this house is requested of you it should be of no shock or take anymore than a minor bit of your energy to comply.
A. Do not put your dirty dishes in the sink or leave them on the counter. Put them in the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is full and clean, empty it. If it is full and dirty, run it, then empty it.
B. Do not leave your clothes (or the clothes of your children) lying around anywhere in the house other than your own bedroom. Dirty clothes piles should not exist in the hallways, or the bathrooms. No one else wants to pick up your dirty underpants.
C. Leave the towels in the bathroom. There is no reason for a towel that you did not purchase to ever leave the bathroom. If you happen to mistakenly take one out or send your child out in one, take the extra three steps to put it back when done.
D. If you use something, put it away. That includes anything used by your offspring or your significant others.
E. When doing your laundry, be considerate of others. Do not leave the house with laundry in the washer. Do not leave your dry laundry to live in the dryer. It is very inconvenient to others to expect them to finish your laundry for you.
I realize you are not children and do not expect you to do “chores”, but I expect you to pick up after yourselves at all times and to be responsible enough to see something that might need to be done and do it.
I also realize that my having to remind you of these simple exercises of adulthood means that I have failed in a part of my parenting you. I accept that. I have made many mistakes while raising you and I guess this is one more. But this is your chance to be better than me, to make your life better for yourselves, better than I have made it for you. Take this chance and run with it.
Love,
Mom
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