I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

Well, the automakers left their corporate jets on the runway, and flew commercial--business class--to Washington DC again, to give lawmakers there their plan to revitalize the ailing US auto industry--yeah. Why they didn't think to do that in the first place, rather shows why they are failing in the first place.

Once again, they tried to scare lawmakers into helping them, with the chairman of Chrysler saying point blank that if Chrysler fails, then a global depression will likely occur.

Chrysler will have a total of 59,000 US employees working for them in 2009. Already some 12,000 workers have been laid already, with another 10,000 job cuts looming in the very near future. An additional 1100 temps are also being let go.

Chrysler's CEO makes 1 million dollars a year--not counting bonuses.

5 US assembly plants are having at least some of their work shifts eliminated.

4 vehicles are on the chopping block for being phased out

Chrysler, who has plants in Great Britain, Germany and other places besides the USA, has proposed shutting down all international plants for two weeks.

IN OTHER NEWS

While Burlington, Vermont is the healthiest city in the USA, Lousianna has been dubbed the most unhealthy state in the US.

This is due to many factors: extreme poverty, a big chemical plant industry--with high cancer rates in those areas, Hurricane Katrina and other storms, climate, poor health care, etc.

Ladies, put away that tired old Marylyn Monroe/Madonna perfect body image:

This from Live Science's website:

An imperfect body might be just what the doctor ordered for women and key to their economic success, an anthropologist now says.

"Waist-to-hip ratio may indeed be a useful signal to men, then, but whether men prefer a [waist-to-hip ratio] associated with lower or higher androgen/estrogen ratios (or value them equally) should depend on the degree to which they want their mates to be strong, tough, economically successful and politically competitive," Cashdan writes.

Well, I'm around 300 dollars richer today, than I normally am--got my disability bonus with my regular monthly check today--it isn't whopping huge, but a real Godsend, and a load off my mind, as well.

Technically I got a smigeon over 1000 dollars--but 625 of that can be automatically stricken off, 'cos that's my rent money. Then there's the electric and gas bill and internet bill, and medical bills--so really, it comes down to less than 400 dollars...200 of which I'm putting aside for January. It will pay for the electric bill next month and part of the internet, as well, by my reckoning, if I do get laid off--if not being laid off, well, I may buy a few little extras that I've wanted in January, but will stash the rest away into the rainy day fund--and in my life, it usually just doesn't rain--it POURS.

The downside is, without a checking account, I can't cash it at the store, so I actually have to pay a co-worker to take me to the bank, so I can sign over the check to him, and he cashes it for me--I hope that will be allowed, or else I may have to wait as much as 2 weeks to cash the check, as I would have to open a bank account--something I am loathe to do, because my math learning disability makes a simple thing like balancing a checkbook, an actual nightmare for me--even with a calculator I still am prone to mistakes...plus I have a genuine phobia of numbers/math, which doesn't help matters any--sounds silly I suppose, but it's absolutely true.

I have to buy a phone card--less than 1 minute left on my phone, and then ring up my sister to see what I might buy my nephew this year. I can't get him anything posh, like an X-box or other high-ticket item, but hopefully she'll be able to steer me in the right direction--probably a gift card, I reckon. I'd send him cash, but he's had issues with...well...the authorities, and I don't want to risk him blowing it on something he shouldn't be buying. Besides, I enjoy buying prezzies, something I've not been really able to do, in something like four years now. It won't be anything glam on my budget, but hopefully I can find him a nice gift that he'd genuinely enjoy.

My sister doesn't do Christmas--never really has, her presents to mum and me were always half-arsed gimcdracks (in other words, total garbage) she very obviously grabbed without thought from the one dollar store...I know it's the thought that counts...but mum always was a bit put out with my sister at the holidays. She said that she'd rather not have gifts from my sister, 'cos my siter never put any thought (or effort) into any gifts she got, and was very rude about getting gifts as well...what kind of weird person hates getting gifts, you may ask? My sister and dad, that's who...they liked getting cash, though--tho' to be fair, sis does send lovely cards, so that's fine.

Not that mum wasn't gracious about sis's naf gifts, she did always smile and admire the gift and say her thanks--later venting at me, after sis was out of the picture. But mum was old school, and felt that a gift not thoughtfully choosen--whether cheap or expensive, whether actually useful or not--was a bit of an insult.

Dad used to vex her at Christmas and birthdays--when they were married, he used to ask her what she wanted--and she'd specifically tell him--and then he'd go and buy either whatever he wanted anyway, or buy her the item--but the totally wrong thing. Like one year she wanted a watch on a necklace chain (which were popular with women at the time), and he got her a wrist watch instead. Another year she asked for a certain type of blender--and he wound up buying her a cheap piece of junk, that broke inside of 3 months. Another year she asked for a winter coat, and he bought her snow boots, instead. A bit half-arsed in the gift giving department, was dad. And, no matter what you bought him, he never was enthusiastic about--and, he'd never tell you what he wanted for christmas--and then if he didn't get something he was hoping for, he actually pouted about it...and he always refused to get out of bed on Christmas morning, as well, after we turned age ten or so--no longer cute enough, I expect...no wonder mum's eyesight and epliepsy got better, after the divorce.

I'm a mite bleary-eyed this morning--my neighbour across the hall was yelling at his dog at 4am, and it took me over an hour to get back to sleep again.

It's a wee chilly this morning, around 28 F (minus 2 C), but otherwise sunny and bright. Looks to be a nice day, if the wind off the mountains will keep down. We're supposed to get snow flurries for the next few days, but still no big storms yet, thankfully. May or may not have a white Christmas this year--always an iffy thing, in the last 10 years or so. Used to be, we'd frequently have blizzards on or around the big day...now, it's pretty much 50/50 whether we have a white or a brown Christmas.

So, not much in the house for breakfast, so I put some potatoes in the oven to get all crispy, if I have time, might fry up my last egg, but I doubt it. Mean's I'll be famished by the time my 2 o'clock lunch break rolls around--but, meh, reckon I'll live.

Anyway, someone I don't know e-mailed me this meme last night...memes are for those of us who have no life, so I won't bother tagging anyone, ha-ha.

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Q: Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving copies away.

I don't have any one book I've ever given away. Most people I know have different reading tastes than me, truth to tell...and I don't believe in pushing stuff onto people, I might tell them about a favourite book, but seldome push one on them...that said, I do reccomend Barbara Eherenrich's book, Nickel and Dimed to a lot of people, and the now out of print book, "Man on Horseback," to my antique saddle collector acquaintences, and the old Dr Who Timewyrm series to some of my Whovian pals, and lastly, I also sometimes talk about Louis La'mour's The Walking Drum, forensic anthropologist Kathy Reich's books, and Steven Saylor's ancient Roman mystery series. Also, then to enthuse sometimes about Steinbeck's Cannery Row, Emerson's Essays and the biography of a former slave, titled "Harriet Jacobson: a life."

Q: Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music

It wasn't any one piece of music, but in the early 80's, I started listening to a radio programme that played vintage jazz from the 20's to the 40's, and I really was quite excited by this "new" sound I was hearing... and that gradually lead me to listening to other things, rather than pop/rock, country and folk music--which wsa pretty much all I used to listen to, growing up. After getting hooked on vintage jazz, I soon found myself also listening to contemporary jazz, blues, even classical and new age music.

Q: Name a film you can watch again and again.

Oh, that's tough. I like Arsenic and Old Lace, The original Star Wars film, True Grit, The Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan James Bond films, Doris Day films, Nine to Five, That Thing You Do--but there isn't any one movie I only watch over and over, really.

Q: Name a performer for whom you suspend all disbelief

That's kind of a tie between Derek Jacobi and David Tennant, I suppose.

Q: Name a work of art you would like to live with.

Just one? Oh, that's tough, as well. I am rather fond of Ver Meer, so maybe one of his paintings, perhaps.

Q: Name a work of fiction that penetrated your real life

Gosh, all the tons of fiction books I've read...you know, I can't say any of them were life-penetrating. Truth to tell, I read fiction purely for entertainment---I actually don't care for "deep" fiction...prefer reading non-fiction for that--pretty much my philosophy is, that when I want "reality," all I have to do is wake up in the morning.

That said, I was deeply moved by reading A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and I sort of could relate to the characters in Cannery Row. (sorry if I misspelled the name).

Q: Name a punch line and/or a sight gag that recently made you laugh 'till you cried

The scene in Dr Who's The Poisoned Sky, where Tennant's character is frantically trying to cook up an antidote for some poison he was given, and he and Tate play a bit of an impromptu game of Charades--and at one point, Tate goes, "It's a song!" Then shaking her hands in the air, says, in a Jolson voice, "Mammy!" God, I was laughing so hard, I almost made myself sick...funniest Dr Who gag in 44 years, that was.

A woman in Kentucky--who is classified as "working poor," scrimped and saved and bought some land, on which she planned on moving her mobile home out of a park--where one is expected to pay rent, as well as one's mortgage--and mobile parks can often have very strict rules, enforced by uncaring landlords--often disregarding laws. Plus, mobile parks are nortorious as being home to drug dealers and other reprobates.

so, this woman wanted out of the mobile park trap, and into a quiet country home, where her kids could play without fear of shady neighbours.

Unfortunately, she only had 200 dollars to spare, to move the home. So, she hired two guys whom said they could move the home--but they weren't actual mobile home movers--which requires a special permet and a special kind of truck that's made just for moving mobile homes. The man moved the home--but it slid off, partially blocking the road.

In comes the sheriff...but not to the rescue. Getting impatient with having to actually get off his arse and direct traffic, rather than calling someone professional for assistance, the sheriff orders this woman's home pushed out of the way by a bucket loader...it is...right into a ditch, where the home is completely and utterly demolished.

Is the sheriff upset by this? Not by his actions--but by the woman being mad at him for destorying her home! This sheriff was so pissed off by the home blocking the road, that he has NO remorse for leaving a woman and her kids homeless for the holidays. I mean, none.

Now homeless, the woman, her boyfriend, young daughter and 6 other relations, litertally lost everything they owned--the young daughter couldn't go to school for several days, because all her clothes were destroyed.

The "sheriff" not only destoryed these people's home--he then ordered them to clean up the mess in 10 days, or face a huge fine.

The sheriffs says he's "only doing what's right for the people of this country, I'm only doing what I'm being paid to do." Oh. Sooo--in Kentucky, sheriffs are paid to be arseholes?
If there ever was a poster child for stupid Americans--well, George W. Bush has himself some company!

See the video here--it's heartbreaking...but at least there's a happy ending. Since the story first aired in early November, a billionare and others have paid for the woman to have a new home, and assisted in the clean up. If I were the sheriff, I wouldn't count on that generosity to be out there, next time his election rolls around.

http://www.kval.com/home/video/34878344.html?video=pop&t=a

Former girl band rocker, Cherie Currie is now known as the "Chainsaw chick," among American woodcarvers.

I was looking for some Dr Who news, when I stumbled across a website offering the 'latest Dr Who merchandise.' I thought, "Hmmm--let's see what they've got"--mind you, I can't buy anything, but a little internet window shopping can be fun when you're so bored, that even looking a a goldifsh swimming around a little bowl, seems entertaining...and the floor stripper whatever fumes which are still wafting in here, from another apartment, haven't made me quite high enough to be that easily entertained.

On the website (apparently a UK e-bay flogger's site), they also offered David Tennant merchandise, as well...

David Tennant

stand up life size cardboard figure--I am trying not to imagine what the fan-girls are doing with that, mind you.

egg cups---oh goodie, I can have some skinny Scottish bloke staring at me over my eggs in the morning...every American girl's dream...not.

a David Tennant "sexy" book mark...I presume that's not for when one is reading the bible?

A "Mrs David Tennant" key-ring

A "Mrs. David Tennant---Baby on Board" pink car sticker

A "Mrs. David Tennant" pillow case...with a pink heart. ('scuse me, while I go and be ill)

4 tickets to Hamlet--for 250 pounds...I love Hamlet, I like DT's acting...but not for the equivilent of 500 dollars. Think I'll wait for the music video to come out.

Or...two tickets for Hamlet London...curretnly flogging at 102 pounds, one ticket for just 20 pounds...and another set for 350 pounds, price depending on the seating, I suppose....there's a lot of people flogging Hamlet tickets on e-bay, I've read. Personally, I'd rather see these buskers donate the money to the RSC or something...but, what do I know?

A signed RSC Hamlet programme...99 pence...no bidders

A David Tennant eco-shopper tote bag...with his image, and, pink lips on it.

A David Tennant NDS Nintendo case

A DT bedroom door plaque with pink baby lips

An "I've seen Hamlet" David Tennant mug

David Tennant money

A David Tennant tongue barbell---ewwwww.

A Mrs. David Tennant tee shirt

A David Tennant bedroom lightswitch cover

A DT leather wristwatch

Dr Who film cells with DAvid Tennant

WHAT, NO DAVID TENNANT BRA'S OR KNICKERS?

I'm shocked. Well, really, I'm glad...then I'm surprised.

And so on and so forth--this doesn't include the tons of autographed photos, prints and assorted artwork.

THIS IS MENTAL, YOU KNOW THAT DON'T YOU...FAN GIRLS?

Oh yeah, I'm talkin' to you, little one's...and oi, you with the David Tennant tongue barbell--for gawd's sake, get a hobby, will you?