One of the reasons Ford is in the tank and close to being flushed down:
At the local Ford dealer I bought a replacement battery for a Ford Ranger ($89,00) I asked also to buy a clamp for the neutral (-) post to replace a rusted, broken one, estimated price $3.00. The salesman told me Ford doesn’t supply/sell these and I should go to Pep Boys or some such and buy one. At the local store the only available clamps required me to cut off the end of my cable, strip the wire, and attach the new clamp by compressing or soldering. All of which is, in my case, I considered unnecessary. I went to a second store and bought a clamp and my neighbor helped me modify it to work with the new battery and old cable without cutting the cable etc.
Attention to the little things made Ford great; inattention is going to help sink it.
Thursday, December 28
Thursday, December 21
Person of the Year
There is a dispute about whether a Web log is serious journalism. Those bloggers who simply report personal daily (or occasional) machinations are obviously not journalists in any sense of the word. They are diary writers who have taken to the keyboard much as Queen Elizabeth holds onto the pen and writes her thoughts in longhand. Some bloggers believe writing on current events or persons is a form of journalism if it informs, motivates, agitates, pleases, or simple wakes someone up. This is arguable.
There is the question of follow-up. Bloggers generally don’t. News organizations report matters and keep the public informed with additional articles until the subject peters out. The lost climbers on Mt. Hood are a good example of this. It is has been a daily staple since early December. Other continuing sagas will replace it by New Year’s Day.
Time magazine has given bloggers a shot of chest-pumping adrenaline by naming us (I write on-line, I qualify) “Person of the Year,” a highly dubious honor considering Hitler and Stalin were “persons” in the past. But as Bill Maher might say, “I kid Time” because many of their annual choices over the last 70 years or so have been men and women who truly made a difference in our world.
But does it make any difference to anyone outside our family if I report my wife of 52 years had a stroke complicated by a subsequent fall and is progressing in rehab? (Thanks for all the cards and well wishes; she is touched by the outpouring of love and support.)
Does it matter to anyone when I sound off on things that irritate the devil out of me, or are done in a way I believe could have been done better? What about the good people and accomplishments I encounter and enjoy commenting on? What about when I simply take pleasure in getting something off my chest? (The latter is probably most beneficial to my mental and physical health by lowering my stress level.) A local credit union representative told me earlier today, for example, that the government has ordered new internet security measures for people wanting to access their accounts on line. This trifling with my account happened last night and I was locked out (until this morning). Thousands around the country will likely have this experience in the coming weeks. Good luck. My immediate reaction was what else can you expect from people who screwed up the Iraq adventure?
To my fellow diarists I offer congratulations on being name “Person of the Year.” Let’s not take each other too serious though or let it go our heads in 2007. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
There is the question of follow-up. Bloggers generally don’t. News organizations report matters and keep the public informed with additional articles until the subject peters out. The lost climbers on Mt. Hood are a good example of this. It is has been a daily staple since early December. Other continuing sagas will replace it by New Year’s Day.
Time magazine has given bloggers a shot of chest-pumping adrenaline by naming us (I write on-line, I qualify) “Person of the Year,” a highly dubious honor considering Hitler and Stalin were “persons” in the past. But as Bill Maher might say, “I kid Time” because many of their annual choices over the last 70 years or so have been men and women who truly made a difference in our world.
But does it make any difference to anyone outside our family if I report my wife of 52 years had a stroke complicated by a subsequent fall and is progressing in rehab? (Thanks for all the cards and well wishes; she is touched by the outpouring of love and support.)
Does it matter to anyone when I sound off on things that irritate the devil out of me, or are done in a way I believe could have been done better? What about the good people and accomplishments I encounter and enjoy commenting on? What about when I simply take pleasure in getting something off my chest? (The latter is probably most beneficial to my mental and physical health by lowering my stress level.) A local credit union representative told me earlier today, for example, that the government has ordered new internet security measures for people wanting to access their accounts on line. This trifling with my account happened last night and I was locked out (until this morning). Thousands around the country will likely have this experience in the coming weeks. Good luck. My immediate reaction was what else can you expect from people who screwed up the Iraq adventure?
To my fellow diarists I offer congratulations on being name “Person of the Year.” Let’s not take each other too serious though or let it go our heads in 2007. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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