The sky is falling.

Today's Tids 2,084
Opening Stuff:

It’s too damn hot! Really, what can you do in 45-50 degree weather other than pretend than it is summer? You can’t go skiing. Or walk around inhaling great crisp air. For me the coming of warmth only means that it won’t be long before I have to stow away my beloved plaid flannel shirts. You can…get sluggish, delude yourself and improve the chances of picking up a nagging allergy annoyance. I try not to get excited about anything. That tends to offset the effects of gravy on my heart.

Chicken Little is out there spreading alarm about the evil insurance companies. This is tantamount to killing the messenger. Politicians do this often because it is so much easier than going after the root of the problems. They do it all of the time. The so-called obscene profits of the insurers’ amounts to about 0.58% of all the money spent on health care. And the average company profit is a measly 4% on revenue which is miniscule compared to most major companies who shoot for and get 10-25%. They raise rates because consumers of health services spend more, are using it more and because the hospitals and doctors are charging more. Part of the cause for this giant magilla goes all the way back to the origins of the insurance perk. Way back when people thought “Hey this is free!”. People have to have a stake in the process that should have some effect on their own pocketbook.

The Question:
What are the ten all time biggest auto recalls?

Today’s Headlines:
--Cisco Introduces Super Speed Products That Could Change Face Of Internet; High Speed, High Capacity Routers Could Down Load All Movies Ever Made In One Minute, Hndle Entire Population Of China On Phone At Same Time.
--New Poll: Obama Grades Steady With New Positive Support On War Management; Congress Sinking; 56% Say US Heading In Wrong Direction.
--New Uncontrolled Acceleration Mystery: Runaway Prius’
--Pennsylvanian Jihad Jane Accused Of Recruiting Terrorists.
--Minority Births Now Half Of All US Newborns; Trend Will Make Minorities Majority In 40 Years.
--Suicide Attack Inside NATO Compound Kills Two; Taliban In Afghan Police Uniform Walks In And Detonates Explosives Next To Group Of Resting Soldiers.
--China Feb Exports Rise 45.7%
--Commercial Mortgages Look Stronger As Delinquency Index Improves.

Back to More Stuff:

Has any ego become more inflated than that of the former delightfully cute and talented ingénue – Lindsay Lohan? Now she thinks the name “Lindsay” should be trademarked as her own since it is obvious to her that any time the name Lindsay is heard, somebody will think of her. How about “Lucky Lindsay”, Lindsay? Or is aeronautical history beyond your hazy mind. Or was that Lindy? Oh well. You have heard of course of the outrageous $100 Mil lawsuit against E-Trade. Of course, I doubt if any body would have thought of her until she came out about it. I sure didn’t. She must be awfully fragile.

American Idol seems to be much more of an amateur event this year. But, at least on the girls’ side, I think there is some good, solid talent. I think headed forward for sure will be top performers Chrystal, Siobhan, Lacy and Lilly. They have a noticeable tinge of something special. I like Katelyn better than the judges. Didi can be decent or a disaster. Paige was supposed to be a powerhouse but she has failed to impress me. I really think young Kate is very good. But when the numbers get smaller you can’t be average like she was last night. She may stay on cuteness and likeability. I think Paige will go plus one of two who I like – Didi and Katie. Whichever girls continue, I believe they will all be in the driver’s seat as any who remain are much better than a below average and rather boring group of men.

Eric Massa sounds like a nut case, but his remarks about the Admin Chief still ring true.

The Novel:
Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 59. –I woke up refreshed and energized. I felt even better when I looked over at Laura’s sleeping body and remembered last night. Laura is a monster in many ways, and that is exactly the kind of animal I love roaming in my forest. This will work for a while, since it is highly unlikely that Sarah will be running up the front steps to knock on my door for a couple of weeks. If she finds Laura here, I’ll just introduce her as my housekeeper. But, It would be totally better to keep her in the way background…if I can.
I was finishing up coffee and a piece of toast when I heard footsteps and then a “Hi Superman!” I turned and saw Laur standing there making pained expressions as though her body would never recover. She definitely knows how to nourish a 57 year old mind. I flexed my muscles as she sat.
“Good, good night.” she continued. “You know Kent, I love sex, but what has really been turning me on the past couple of months is what we have been doing to Seymore and BiEm. I dig your mind.”
Laura looked younger than she is. She is a bit younger than Sarah, but not as young as the teenagers she coerced into executing the scheme I had planned. The fact that she was Bromsky’s niece and pretty much amoral were two major ingredients that helped create my success. Now I’m the most respected person at BiEmbryo, I have our chief financier under my thumb and I get to use test results that would have been considered totally unethical, if not illegal. And best of all my chief rival Bromsky is the hunted dupe. I may have to take care of him.

Back to More Stuff Again:

People actually have a minor stake in the Health System in that they pay tiny co-pays and have to a satisfy minimum. But get this. A report from debt collectors dealing in the health biz says that almost the entirety of the unpaid debt are miniscule amounts for accumulated co-pays and unpaid minimums. Users just seem to walk away “The Government will pay for it!” The whole picture is a lot different than the anecdotal picture.

Red Sox Special:
Nomar is expected to sign with the Red Sox today…for one day. He will then announce his retirement from his beloved team. I was always a Nomar lover.
Only 3% of Americans don’t want some kind of HC change. However 68% of the folks want the Dems and GOP to be on board together. The GOP idea of going back to the beginning is probably the best idea on the table, because that is exactly where all of the problems with this monster began.

Emotion versus Practical Judgment Department:
This is kind of interesting. A large North east energy company pays 9.4cents/kwh for electricity from traditional fossil sources. It would cost them 24.5cents/kwh plus a guaranteed 3.7% increase per year if purchased from a proposed wind farm. The Politicians say lets do the wind thing because it will bring in jobs. Huh? Traditionally, cheap energy availability has always been a major consideration for companies (Where all jobs and eventually all taxes that pay for gov jobs emanate) when measuring the favorability of business climates in a given state. And many large employers here are starting to shout, let’s take another look at this new high cost energy dream. Is it not a bit nutty to jeopardize muli-thousands of jobs for a few hundred, many of which will disappear after the wind projects are in place? Slow down and think about reality.

Congress has banned collusion among competing companies, but I think TV programmers should get together to maximize their audiences. For example why put Chuck on against House (Yes I’m one of those people who likes Chuck)? Or, how crazy is it to have the AI women on against the very popular NCIS?

Often people are reluctant to take advice from people who haven’t had hands-on experience in a given field of expertise. This is one of those Zen arguments. Can’t experienced people be too close to there own experiences to be able to transfer unbiased assistance? Where an unencumbered logical mind without specific experience can often see a picture for those needing advice more clearly with out any built-in prejudices. Of course this generalization is dependent on the quality and characteristics of the advisor. Of well, it’s too complex for me. My head hurts.

The Answer:
10. - 3.6 Mil GM Trucks. 7 (Tie). - 3.7 mil: Volks Beetle, Volks Beet; Volks Beet; Honda; Honda; GM; GM. 6. Toyota (current) 3.8 mil. 5. Ford 4.1 M. 4. GM 5.m Mil. 3. GM 6.7 Mil. 2. Ford 7.9. And -- Number one is 14.1 million Fords in 2008-09 for fire hazards’ in cruise control. Promise: I'll have a better Q: tomorrow that will be actually interesting and fun.

Big Ending Thought:

How many times have we all made simple solutions difficult by looking for the complex?