A great post at BBpot.com:
Top Eleven Rejected Reindeer Names
11.Wolf Blitzen
10.Felater
9.Humper
8.Nixon
7.Flasher
6.Blitzkrieg
5.Sir Alexander Guggenheim the 22nd
4.Santa’s Little Secret
3.Chunder
2.Tick Magnet
1.Vomit
3 years ago • 0 notesAfter, listening to the talking heads on the TV this morning,I decided to take a look at Ford Motor Company. I chose Ford, becuase I absolutely LOVE the new Shelby GT500 KR Mustang. I would hate to mot be able to get one in a couple of years when I can afford it.
So, while doing some ‘light’ research this afternoon, I came across this excerpt from the summary for the 2007 10-K Report for Ford Motor Company:
Job Security. Our obligation to pay substantially full wages and benefits to idled UAW-represented employees (“Jobs Bank Benefits”) continues, unless within two years from the date of the new CBA we offer an employee one job (in the case of employees at an idled facility) or two jobs (in the case of any other employee) at other Ford facilities and that employee declines to accept the other employment at the other facility or facilities. If these conditions are not met within the two-year period ending in November 2009, the employee will be entitled to receive Jobs Bank Benefits for the duration of the term of the current CBA until one additional alternate job offer is made.
…
Bonuses to UAW-Represented Hourly Employees. We agreed to provide a lump-sum payment of $3,000 to each UAW-represented hourly employee who is on our active rolls as of the date specified in the Agreements, as well as performance and other bonus payments in the future according to a specified schedule set forth in the Agreements. We accrued and paid most of this bonus obligation aggregating $157 million in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Seriously? Is there any wonder this industry is in trouble? These companies have been hamstrung by the UAW and are (in my opinion) doomed to fail under the growing burden of UAW-based entitlements.
I mean, come on … “Our obligation to pay substantially full wages and benefits to idled UAW-represented employees …”. Who thought that scam up? I think you’d have to have some serious heuvos to present that idea to the boss. “Yeah, you can lay me off no problem, just continue to pay me for the next two years …”
If you think about that for a minute … regardless whether the “Big Three” get this bail-out money (which I believe they will), the economy is going to slow down. A slow-down in the economy is going to cause the car manufacturers to lay off workers because of reduced demand. Yet, with the UAW agreement they (at least Ford, I have to check the others) still have to pay their labor pool.
Labor is generally the single largest expense for any business and these companies on the verge of collapse are forced to carry that cost regardless of whether those employees are actually producing anything.
If I (or most any other small business) had to continue to pay the wages of employees that I could no longer use, I’d be bankrupt. That is simply foolishness.
I hear all of this rhetoric about “how bankruptcy is out of the question”, but without being able to negotiate new (more realistic) contracts I only see the inevitable collapse being postponed.
These company’s need to be allowed to fail (the banks too, but that will be another post). We will be subsidizing their poor business practices and getting what for it? At their current burn-rate this cash will be gone in a matter of three or four months. Then what? They’ll be back asking for more money.
You know what? It sucks that people will lose their jobs. It really does. I know what it is like to struggle, but burying your head in the sand and continuing on will only make the impending failure that much worse.
Frankly, bankruptcy isn’t the doom and gloom we are being told it is. Going bankrupt doesn’t mean they are going to stop making cars. We are not going to wake up one day next week to find every automobile factory in the U.S. closed. Bankruptcy will allow the companies to divest themselves of onerous contracts, restructure their debts, and reinvent themselves.
I heard one of the nit-wits on televisions saying this today: “Bankruptcy will cause the consumer to shy away from purchasing new vehicles ..” HELLO?! Have you looked around? First thing, people aren’t shying away from flying on airlines in bankruptcy. Secondly (and most importantly), NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY YOU THROW AT THIS, car sales will be declining because people are afraid of their economic future.
Listen, I talking to you Alan Mulally take my advice and look long-term, go into bankruptcy, take your licks, get lean and make some bad-ass cars at a price that makes me tell my wife “baby, I just HAVE to HAVE that car!”
3 years ago • 1 noteThe Contitution of the United States of America precludes Senator Clinton from becoming the Secretary of State. Why you ask?
Article 1 Section 6
No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.
There it is in Black and White. Senator Hillary Clinton was in office when the Secretary of State received a pay increase. Therefore, she can not be appointed to any civil Office. Simple. Right?
Why then would President-elect Obama, nominate her? He has some of the best legal minds in America on speed-dial. They had to have known this was the case long before he put her on the list of potential nominees.
I can only see two possibilities, the first is he knows she can’t be confirmed, so it serves as some kind of pay-back to Senator Clinton. It shows she is smart and dedicated, but held back by the establishment, allowing her to “save face”. Secondly, he thinks he can get around the Constitution and have her confirmed. Only time will tell.
I encourage Contact your Elected Officials. Send a quick email to your Senators and Congressman, to let them know we expect them to uphold the rule of law, specifically, the Constitution of the United States of America!
Remember these people work for us! They are supposed to act in our best interest, handling the day-today business, so we can get on with being productive. As with all employees, if they do not perform to our standard we need to fire them.
Let’s hope our Elected Officials do the right thing.
3 years ago • 0 notesFinally, a way to search mulitple torrents sites and do it with a nice interface!
3 years ago • NotesI find it EXTREMELY irritating that hardly anyone supports the x64 architecture. My main PC is Vista Ultimate x64 and it really seems like everytime I find something cool … today it was Xbox Friends Watch sidebar gadget … it never seems to work … this sucks!
If you are using a 32-bit Vista cowboy you can give it a try …
http://adamkinney.com/studios/xboxfriendswatch/
NOTE: you need Silverlight installed
4 years ago • 0 notes