Hello again fellow truckstars!
It's Week 53 and...you're on the road with the original florida kid...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy Boy, JT, Neil Ray and the whole gang here at the ranch want to give a big cowboy howdy "HEY" to all our friends!
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Ahhhh yes! The life of a writer. My name is Daniel, I've become a Twitter addict. Seriously though it's a fun social site and I've met a lot of cool people there, like Trucker Desiree, a_smart_union, TS_Elliot and many others(you know who you are...). You'll find people you have a lot in common with, and, it's hard to describe the experience so just go there, you'll see.
I have to laugh(or not...) at myself. I'm a writer but the one thing it seems I have the least amount of time to do - is - write. There's maintaining my 2 blogsites(soon, a third), my web radio station, my work life( I still haul race boats and sport yachts), and my social networking, then there's networking my social networking and networking the results of that....uhhh...I think I got that straight...and I have security issues to stay on top of too, always, and I try to answer several hundred e-mails a day and the e-mail answers from those answers too...then make dinner...I think I got some sleep last week, I'm not sure...just call me Zombie Boy....
I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining or whining, I'm not, it's all good!
Before I go any further I want to take a moment to THANK everyone who asked about Barbie's health. The cancer on her arm is still there, her insurance at her work changed recently so she's jumping hoops to find a new doctor to go to for it(and get her lengthy records), since her old doctors don't take her new and NOT improved health insurance. When someone has a life threatening condition - you would think the medical community would be able to act and react quicker! Her body is wearing down, and so, the migraines are back....but it's ALL in God's hands...prayin' for a miracle....
Question: Why truckstars, do we complain about American companies going offshore or over borders to manufacture, co's firing or laying off(firing) thousands of people, usually for profit margin reasons, THEN we continue to buy products from these same companies??? On my street here in the Ft. Lauderdale area there are several of us who have little or no work. I hear every day of family or extended family members who are facing serious financial issues. Yet, the cars, clothes, AND food(that's right I said food...peaches from Peru anyone?) and electronics we buy everyday are being made somewhere else by companies that used to manufacture here in the U.S., and still, like blind lemmings we buy and buy and buy....meanwhile, standing on the sidelines has been a series of impotent political "administrations"(whatever that means...) that have, in fact, aided and abetted the economic destruction of this country!(that's us, truckstars...) Now, is it REALLY an issue of survival, or just greed and profitability for companies that move manufacturing elsewhere? The business experts(the ones who aren't bought and paid for with lobbyist money, that is...) claim it's purely profit motives, that companies could survive in the eco climate here in this country IF the American people weren't always looking for the cheapest price on everything. We have to understand that we're investing in ourselves, our families, our neighbors....OUR FUTURES.... remember that next time you buy something that says "Made in China", or where-ever, on the bottom of the package(and hopefully the fruits, vegetables and toys won't poison yor kids)...and your neighbor loses his car and house....
Me? I look for 2 things on a package. 1.) ingredients 2.) where it's made. No I'm not an idiot, I don't just look to pay more for stuff, but what I'm getting at here is the idea that ,things made or produced here will probably cost more, sometimes a lot or a little, but just keep in mind this - Look around at the situation in the country right now, do a little history homework. What you'll find is that the undermining of this economy began a long time ago, not 3 or 4 years ago, but, a long time ago. Do we really want to support a company that turns it's back on it's own customers here in the U.S. while exploiting already oppressed working people in other countries? (It's "just business" the business types say...is it really? That's what the sign hanging on the gates of hell says too) People, that the watchdog groups say, that STILL CAN'T FEED THEIR KIDS EITHER...when I put my hand over my heart and I recite the pledge of allegience - I cry now....Are we a nation under God? IN-divisible? WITH -liberty and justice for all? No, not when greed, corruption, gambling and pornagraphy seem to be ruling the day, and the true American ideal has faded into history and become a corporate sales pitch slogan....We should be asking for, hell, DEMANDING American made products! Let's put ourselves back to work, the governments not going to....What'cha think truckstar?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Please Please read the labels on the foods you buy! Try to learn which of the products you typically buy in the store have the least and lowest amount of chemicals with 0 trans fats. I know, I know it's next to impossible but really soon you'll know which ones to grab when you run in while your parked at the gas pumps, or with the family at the grocery store. We're in "damage control" mode here people! 3 things to watch for 1.) sodium 2.)trans fats 3.)food coloring. Lots of restaurants are now using 0 trans fats cooking and frying oils, even the fast food evil empires like McDonald's......and get a bottle of "whole food organic" vitamins....
TRUCKSTAR TECH- I know I promised a review of APU's and smartphones, but a new wave of technology hit this past week in both areas so, this week's is going to be general in nature. I'll have to break up the reviews week by week too. The Blackberry is still King of the hill in the smartphone dept., or so the tech mags say, however several other models, depending on your carrier, are making a good showing. The iPhone, the Google Android, and the new LG and Microsoft smartphones are players in the game. Really, it's your network speed that matters, not so much the phone itself, they all have the same app's and functions and we all do pretty much the same things with em' so....I'm tellin' ya, watch for Sprint to make a huge comeback, I really believe in the new CEO Dan Hesse at Sprint and my new Sony Vaio P series laptop will prob. have a SPrint connection, using the built in Gobi.
I like the package HP, AT&T and Gobi have put together for you current and future laptop users, and for me, a laptop I can make calls on while doing everything else to is the way to go if I have to choose between a phone and a laptop. I use my SKYPE phone number every day through my computer, for $2.95 a month I get unlimited to Canada and the U.S. , for $9.95 a month you could have unlimited global...so...check the link above, here on my blogsite. I have just about switched over from my cell phone, I never use it anymore....2 media bills? I don't think so....
Okay truckstars don't forget about the legislation we have on the table! : Contact your Senators, Rep's, Governors and State Legislators : www.senate.gov www.writerep.house.gov www.usa.gov/Contact/Governors www.ncsl.org/public.leglinks
HR6630(mexican pilot prog.), HR 139(the APU tax credit), HR 5934/5977(TRUCC fuel surcharge law), HR 6106(repeal diesel tax), HR 6458( 60/65 speed limits leg.)
There are more but this should keep you busy!
I also want to give a big SHOUTOUT to Dan Little from the OOU- the hardest workin' man in trucking, Trucker Jim from truckertotrucker.com, Brian from truck.net, Mike and Shelly from chicken trucker.com, "wise one" from thetruckersreport.com and the crew, admin1 and jwp over at mytruckingspace.com Love you guys! Let's do a show!!
A big THANKS to everyone, including my fellow trucking podcasters, who came on the show last night from my ustream.tv page, my Skype page at "thetruckstarlive" and over the radio: http://thetruckstar.com/listen
Don't forget about abused kids in your community!
Until next week - I love ya and I'm prayin' for ya!
Saddle up....let's ride!
.."you're on the road with the original florida kid"....we gown.......
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