Ok ... I get it! A really good basketball player who grew up in Ohio and played professional basketball for his "hometown" team has decided to sign and play elsewhere. This happens in every sport on almost a weekly basis.
LeBron James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for the past seven years. There's no doubt about it ... the man can ball! He led the Cavs to the league's best regular season record in more than one season, but he never won a NBA championship. When his contract was up last month, he decided it was time to move on. All-in-all, no big deal but Lebron, the state of Ohio, the Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and the national media made it a big .... huge .... giant ... spectacular deal!
The self proclaimed "King James" turned his personal contract into a world-wide, multi-media circus event. ESPN actually made a special out of his signing and when James announced he was signing with the Miami Heat to play with Dwane Wade and Chris Bosh, the sports world went crazy! James couldn't do it like every other sports star ... nooooooooo, he had to stretch things out, meet with Wade & Bosh and put on a media event!
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert called James everyname in the book and said things that only fans should say. He ended up receiving a $100,000 fine for the NBA. My question is why??? Gilbert has the right to his opinion. He signed (and paid) King James millions of dollars, gave him special perks that other superstars only dream of and molded him into the player he is today. He even built the team's new workout center in a location that was close to James' home to keep him happy. He said the things his fans were all saying and many other people were only thinking!
How did Lebron repay his boss and his hometown fans? He left the team high and dry .... Gilbert only found out where he was signing by watching the same ESPN special you and I watched! To make matters worse, he also talked Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas into leaving Cleveland (after spending his entire 12-year career in the Buckeye State) and join him in South Beach! The Cavs are now depleated and in trouble.
What ever happened to loyalty? I guess I am "old school" ... if I was Lebron I would have wanted to finish the job I started in Cleveland. They came so close and only needed a player or two to win it all. Lebron could have been voted Mayor of Cleveland or possibly Governor of Ohio ... he was that well loved in the area. Now, he will be remembered as a "judas and traitor".
The Rev. Jesse Jackson managed to stick his nose in the Gilbert -v- James battle and said the Cleveland owner treated James like a slave. Come on Jesse, don't be a such a stupid, racist asshole! Keep your one-sided opinions to yourself and stop trying to make everything a race issue. This was about winning championships and making money ... it had nothing to do with being black. I honestly think you are one of the biggest racists in America today and you say things just to get your name in the press. Your statements do nothing but piss off people on both sides of the race issue ..... you honestly make me sick!
Being born in Toledo, Ohio, I am a closet Cavalier fan. My favorite team in naturally the Orlando Magic but I do have a soft spot for the Cavs. That will not change but I can tell you one team I WILL NOT root for and that's the Miami Lebron Heat!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The Oil Spill and The USA's Only Friend!
Every body is pissed off at BP Oil and the oil spill that is ruining the Gulf of Mexico. BP (and the rest of the oil industry) are all a bunch of money grabbing, millionaire bastards that don't give a shit about the gulf, the ecology or life itself. As long as they are banking bucks ... they are happy.
I could go on and on about BP Oil and how much I hate what they are doing ... or in this case not doing ... to stop the oil leak. But I want to talk about another item that pisses me off as much as BP does!
Nobody helps the world more than the USA. If there is an earthquake, a tidal wave, a bombing or any type of catastrophe, we are always there to help out. Now, the tables are turned and here is what has happened. Approximately 22 nations have offered to help America with technical experts, boom and oil-collecting skimmers. HOWEVER ... the State Department has confirmed that every one of the 22 countries (with the exception of Mexico who has offered containment boom at no charge) wants the USA to reimburse them for any costs they incur. SAY WHAT ?????
Here are a few examples of what the United States has been offered by other countries. The f*ckin Brits (where BP Oil id headquartered) said they would SELL chemical dispersants and containment boom. Israel (who we have bent over backwards for the past 50+ years and who receives $3-billion per year in military aid) said it would send containment boom, IF the US paid for it. China also offered containment boom for a price (the US spends roughly $30-million in foreign aid to China each year).
Vietnam offered a ship with oil-collecting sweep arms if we paid for it. I guess the $102-million that we have spent in aid to Vietnam since 2008 isn't enough! France (do I really have to say anything about the damn French?) offered to send chemical dispersants for a price. Kenya (who received $24-million in humanitarian aid last year) will also send boom if we pay for it.
Add Croatia (the USA gave the country $50,000 to buy firefighting equipment in 2007), Romania (we donated another $50,000 in 2008 for emergency flood assistance) and Russia (which received $70.5-million in 2009 and $78-million in 2008 in aid) to the list of countries that have offered their help with a price tag.
I'm so damn pissed .... when will our country ever learn????? Take care of ourselves and let the rest of the world defend for themselves. Who made us the planet's guardian and parent? Let countries earn our friendship and help. Congratulations to Mexico for proving their friendship and deserving our financial aid. Plug the damn hole, tell BP Oil and England to f*ck off and take care of American soil!
I could go on and on about BP Oil and how much I hate what they are doing ... or in this case not doing ... to stop the oil leak. But I want to talk about another item that pisses me off as much as BP does!
Nobody helps the world more than the USA. If there is an earthquake, a tidal wave, a bombing or any type of catastrophe, we are always there to help out. Now, the tables are turned and here is what has happened. Approximately 22 nations have offered to help America with technical experts, boom and oil-collecting skimmers. HOWEVER ... the State Department has confirmed that every one of the 22 countries (with the exception of Mexico who has offered containment boom at no charge) wants the USA to reimburse them for any costs they incur. SAY WHAT ?????
Here are a few examples of what the United States has been offered by other countries. The f*ckin Brits (where BP Oil id headquartered) said they would SELL chemical dispersants and containment boom. Israel (who we have bent over backwards for the past 50+ years and who receives $3-billion per year in military aid) said it would send containment boom, IF the US paid for it. China also offered containment boom for a price (the US spends roughly $30-million in foreign aid to China each year).
Vietnam offered a ship with oil-collecting sweep arms if we paid for it. I guess the $102-million that we have spent in aid to Vietnam since 2008 isn't enough! France (do I really have to say anything about the damn French?) offered to send chemical dispersants for a price. Kenya (who received $24-million in humanitarian aid last year) will also send boom if we pay for it.
Add Croatia (the USA gave the country $50,000 to buy firefighting equipment in 2007), Romania (we donated another $50,000 in 2008 for emergency flood assistance) and Russia (which received $70.5-million in 2009 and $78-million in 2008 in aid) to the list of countries that have offered their help with a price tag.
I'm so damn pissed .... when will our country ever learn????? Take care of ourselves and let the rest of the world defend for themselves. Who made us the planet's guardian and parent? Let countries earn our friendship and help. Congratulations to Mexico for proving their friendship and deserving our financial aid. Plug the damn hole, tell BP Oil and England to f*ck off and take care of American soil!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
I F*UCKIN HATE BANKS
I hate banks. They don't give a rat's ass about their customers all they care about is money, money and more money. Our government has given banks the right to steal. If they make a few bad loans, the government gives them money and "bails" them out! Their deposits are federally insured and it is almost impossible for a bank to lose money.
I love it when banks advertise ... "We Have Money To Loan" ... and they do if you have great credit! Try to get a second mortage or HEAVEN FORBID try to get a loan on a piece of rental property or commercial property. IT WON'T HAPPEN! I have a building that was appraised for over $600,000 two years ago. I owe approximately $320,000 on it and I want to refinance. Hell, I might as well be asking to date the bank President's daughter. I have went to five area banks and can't get a loan.
I have a tenant in the building (a well known national business) with a two year lease and a one year option and we have NEVER ... not one time ... NEVER been late on a monthly payment. The banks say, "If your renter would leave you would have a difficult time making payments on the property". What, they think I would let a building with over $300,000 in equity just go away? They don't think I would work my ass off to find another tenant? Plus I have a lease that is good until 2012 with an option for 2013. Banks don't give a shit about anybody and will not take a chance of any kind. Even on people like me who have been in business for over twenty years, have decent credit and equity. This is one of the major reasons we have serious economic problem in America today.
When the banks received "bail out" money, they didn't get it to the middle class where it needed to go. Have you checked out your credit card statements lately? Why should ANYBODY be allowed to charge interest rates of 20% ... 23% ... 26% ... IT's BULLSHIT. Those type of interest rates make it imposible for anybody to get out of debt. Try making the minimum payments on your card - it will take ten years to pay it off and cost you more that twice the original loan amount.
Why do banks have to make that much interest money????? If our government really wanted to help, set interest rate maximums at 10% or even 12%. That's a fair number that people can live with. Why-oh-why should banks make twice that much in interest? They also have the right to change your interest rate and credit limit at any time .... and your choice is to cancle the card or live with their changes.
How about bank fees for a NSF check???? Come on ... if we could afford to pay those $25 and $35 bad check fees, we wouldn't have written those bad checks in the first place! I understand a small fee and if a customer writes more than 3-5 NSF checks in a year, discountinue his/her account.
I am not a bad person, I am not going broke, I am struggling just like every other American. I just want a bank like I used to have ten years ago. They cared about me, my family and my business. Today I am just account number #1234-567-890 and that sucks!
I love it when banks advertise ... "We Have Money To Loan" ... and they do if you have great credit! Try to get a second mortage or HEAVEN FORBID try to get a loan on a piece of rental property or commercial property. IT WON'T HAPPEN! I have a building that was appraised for over $600,000 two years ago. I owe approximately $320,000 on it and I want to refinance. Hell, I might as well be asking to date the bank President's daughter. I have went to five area banks and can't get a loan.
I have a tenant in the building (a well known national business) with a two year lease and a one year option and we have NEVER ... not one time ... NEVER been late on a monthly payment. The banks say, "If your renter would leave you would have a difficult time making payments on the property". What, they think I would let a building with over $300,000 in equity just go away? They don't think I would work my ass off to find another tenant? Plus I have a lease that is good until 2012 with an option for 2013. Banks don't give a shit about anybody and will not take a chance of any kind. Even on people like me who have been in business for over twenty years, have decent credit and equity. This is one of the major reasons we have serious economic problem in America today.
When the banks received "bail out" money, they didn't get it to the middle class where it needed to go. Have you checked out your credit card statements lately? Why should ANYBODY be allowed to charge interest rates of 20% ... 23% ... 26% ... IT's BULLSHIT. Those type of interest rates make it imposible for anybody to get out of debt. Try making the minimum payments on your card - it will take ten years to pay it off and cost you more that twice the original loan amount.
Why do banks have to make that much interest money????? If our government really wanted to help, set interest rate maximums at 10% or even 12%. That's a fair number that people can live with. Why-oh-why should banks make twice that much in interest? They also have the right to change your interest rate and credit limit at any time .... and your choice is to cancle the card or live with their changes.
How about bank fees for a NSF check???? Come on ... if we could afford to pay those $25 and $35 bad check fees, we wouldn't have written those bad checks in the first place! I understand a small fee and if a customer writes more than 3-5 NSF checks in a year, discountinue his/her account.
I am not a bad person, I am not going broke, I am struggling just like every other American. I just want a bank like I used to have ten years ago. They cared about me, my family and my business. Today I am just account number #1234-567-890 and that sucks!
Census crazy costs
About a month ago I received a postcard in the mail telling me the 2010 census was going to be shiped to me within the next 30 days. I thought to myself, "I guess the government wants to make sure I know this important document is coming and I waited for the census to be delivered. Oddly enough, a few days later I received another notice that the census was on its way. Ok, ok ... I understand it's important but two warning postcards???
Then it happened .... I received my census form. It took about five minutes to fill it out (quite simple really) and I mailed it back the very next day. Guess what happened next? Two days later I received another postcard reminding me to fill out the census form that I received a few days earlier.
Mix the cost of all that postage in with the thousands of radio and television commercials that the government purchased - making sure us "stupid people" fill out the census forms and I started wondering just how much the 2010 census is costing America.
Mr. Robert Goldenkoff of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that the 2010 census is estimated to cost over $14-Billion .... far more than any in USA history. I understand that census figures are very important as they help distribute more than $400-Billion in annual Federal Aid but does it really have to cost $14-Billion???? Do we really need all those reminders and all those commercials?
Goldenkoff says it costs about $75 to tally each unresponsive household. He also siad there is extra costs involved counting over 12-million undocumented immigrants. The GAO says the Census Bureau needs to re-examine its approach and he asks, "Does it really make sense to go back to a household six times?"
Here we are in a very difficult economic time and the government is spending $14-Billion to count us. It just doesn't make sense to me. I understand the need for the census but I just cannot justify $14-Billion to do it. What do you think ?????
Then it happened .... I received my census form. It took about five minutes to fill it out (quite simple really) and I mailed it back the very next day. Guess what happened next? Two days later I received another postcard reminding me to fill out the census form that I received a few days earlier.
Mix the cost of all that postage in with the thousands of radio and television commercials that the government purchased - making sure us "stupid people" fill out the census forms and I started wondering just how much the 2010 census is costing America.
Mr. Robert Goldenkoff of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that the 2010 census is estimated to cost over $14-Billion .... far more than any in USA history. I understand that census figures are very important as they help distribute more than $400-Billion in annual Federal Aid but does it really have to cost $14-Billion???? Do we really need all those reminders and all those commercials?
Goldenkoff says it costs about $75 to tally each unresponsive household. He also siad there is extra costs involved counting over 12-million undocumented immigrants. The GAO says the Census Bureau needs to re-examine its approach and he asks, "Does it really make sense to go back to a household six times?"
Here we are in a very difficult economic time and the government is spending $14-Billion to count us. It just doesn't make sense to me. I understand the need for the census but I just cannot justify $14-Billion to do it. What do you think ?????
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Oscars
Yes, I'll admit it ... I watched the Oscars last night from 8:00pm till midnite. I have a few opionions I would like to share with everybody. Here are my ten goodies:
1) I thought Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin did a great job of co-hosting the event. They were funny and quick witted ....
2) I loved the way they had people talk about the best actress and best actor nominees before the Oscar was handed out. They gave insight to each person and made each one interesting. It was new this year and gave the show "personality" ....
3) I thought Ryan Seacrest did a great job on the red carpet before the show started for the E! Network. He was upfront with people and asked all the right questions ....
4) Ok, Ok I get it. People love George Clooney but damn it, he had more face time on camera than the Sprint Blackberry commercial that ran a hundred-million times. I know he's a star but damn .....
5) It was stupid (but cool as hell) that the Academy sat Kathyrn Bigelow and ex-husband James Cameron one row apart from each other. Bigelow won the Oscar for best Director beating out Cameron. Watching his face when her name was announced was priceless. She became the first female in history to win the Best Director category (you go girl) ....
6) Talking about James Cameron, how could "Avatar" not win Best Picture??? It's only the highest grossing, money making, motion picture of all time! It was beat out by Bigelow's "Hurt Locker" ... are you fucking kidding me???? Hurt Locker is a very good, insightful movie but best picture over the biggest money maker ever? Avatar will change the way movies and 3D shooting is done for years to come. I was shocked!
7) I hated Sarah Jessica Parker's dress. It looked like it was made out of banana peels and tin foil ... Zoe Saldava's Givenchy dress was stupidly fluffy at the bottom and crazy purple ... Charlize Theron's dress looked like looked like two cinnabuns on each boob (nice idea but she's too beautiful too need that) ....
8) Hillary Swank's black dress had a V-neck that plunged all the way to her belly button (nice cleavage Hilly baby) ... I loved Sandra Bullock's overall look (she's smoking hot) ... Penelope Cruz's burgundy dress was beautiful .... Cameron Diaz also looked great ....
9) Miley Cyrus needs to stop hunching over and slouching her shoulders ... she looked terrible!
10) It was cool seeing Jeff Bridges show super emotion when he won Best Actor. He was happy, funny and deserving of the award!
There you have it ... my top ten Oscar thoughts - I can't wait to watch most of the nominated films on DVD! You didn't actually think I saw all of them at the movie theatre did you????
1) I thought Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin did a great job of co-hosting the event. They were funny and quick witted ....
2) I loved the way they had people talk about the best actress and best actor nominees before the Oscar was handed out. They gave insight to each person and made each one interesting. It was new this year and gave the show "personality" ....
3) I thought Ryan Seacrest did a great job on the red carpet before the show started for the E! Network. He was upfront with people and asked all the right questions ....
4) Ok, Ok I get it. People love George Clooney but damn it, he had more face time on camera than the Sprint Blackberry commercial that ran a hundred-million times. I know he's a star but damn .....
5) It was stupid (but cool as hell) that the Academy sat Kathyrn Bigelow and ex-husband James Cameron one row apart from each other. Bigelow won the Oscar for best Director beating out Cameron. Watching his face when her name was announced was priceless. She became the first female in history to win the Best Director category (you go girl) ....
6) Talking about James Cameron, how could "Avatar" not win Best Picture??? It's only the highest grossing, money making, motion picture of all time! It was beat out by Bigelow's "Hurt Locker" ... are you fucking kidding me???? Hurt Locker is a very good, insightful movie but best picture over the biggest money maker ever? Avatar will change the way movies and 3D shooting is done for years to come. I was shocked!
7) I hated Sarah Jessica Parker's dress. It looked like it was made out of banana peels and tin foil ... Zoe Saldava's Givenchy dress was stupidly fluffy at the bottom and crazy purple ... Charlize Theron's dress looked like looked like two cinnabuns on each boob (nice idea but she's too beautiful too need that) ....
8) Hillary Swank's black dress had a V-neck that plunged all the way to her belly button (nice cleavage Hilly baby) ... I loved Sandra Bullock's overall look (she's smoking hot) ... Penelope Cruz's burgundy dress was beautiful .... Cameron Diaz also looked great ....
9) Miley Cyrus needs to stop hunching over and slouching her shoulders ... she looked terrible!
10) It was cool seeing Jeff Bridges show super emotion when he won Best Actor. He was happy, funny and deserving of the award!
There you have it ... my top ten Oscar thoughts - I can't wait to watch most of the nominated films on DVD! You didn't actually think I saw all of them at the movie theatre did you????
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Felix Camacho is an idiot!
Stupid people piss me off. Now I'm not saying I'm smarter than the average person, but I try not to be stupid in my day-to-day life. Yesterday I stayed in a Best Western Hotel and the air conditioner didn't work all night long. Now it was only 50 degrees outside, but it was very hot inside my room. When I checked out I walked up to the counter. When the lady asked me how was my stay, I said I had a problem with the air conditioner and my room was hot. I was polite and nice.
A gentleman standing next to her looked up at me and said "It was cold outside, you didn't need the air conditioner last night". I looked at him and replied, "Yeah you're right, I should have slept with my door opened to cool things off". He looked at me and walked into a back office. At that time I also told the clerk that the refridgerator was leaking and the carpet was wet. She didn't blink an eye and I started to get pissed. At that time I realized the man who gave me the smart ass "you don't need the A/C remark" was actually the hotel general manager. I asked the clerk to get him and she said he was busy.
Now, I'm getting hot! I demanded that she get him and only when another person opened the door did I scream loud enough to get his attention. I asked him to explain his "smart ass" remark and asked him how he got to be the GM handling customer problems that way. I also told him about the leaking refrigerator. He looked at me and insisted he did nothing wrong. He then started to walk back into his office, raised his arm and made a fist at me. I exploded and really started screaming then! How dare this little piss-ant of a manager raise his fist at me and talk to me that way.
After all was said and done, and after he insisted he didn't raise his fist, he semi-apologized. He talked down to me and said, "you can always complain about me on our website." You can bet your ass I am in the process of writing to Best Western and reporting this bozo.
I go out of my way to stay at Best Western Hotels as they advertise with my magazine Full Throttle. I have never had a bad experience until this idiot manager. I still love Best Western Hotels and I will stay in one every opportunity I have. If you are reading this blog, please do not get mad at the chain, but if you are ever in Homestead, Florida stay away from Felix Camacho and the Best Western Hotel located at 411 South Krome Avenue. This guy doesn't care about his customers and he doesn't belong in charge.
A gentleman standing next to her looked up at me and said "It was cold outside, you didn't need the air conditioner last night". I looked at him and replied, "Yeah you're right, I should have slept with my door opened to cool things off". He looked at me and walked into a back office. At that time I also told the clerk that the refridgerator was leaking and the carpet was wet. She didn't blink an eye and I started to get pissed. At that time I realized the man who gave me the smart ass "you don't need the A/C remark" was actually the hotel general manager. I asked the clerk to get him and she said he was busy.
Now, I'm getting hot! I demanded that she get him and only when another person opened the door did I scream loud enough to get his attention. I asked him to explain his "smart ass" remark and asked him how he got to be the GM handling customer problems that way. I also told him about the leaking refrigerator. He looked at me and insisted he did nothing wrong. He then started to walk back into his office, raised his arm and made a fist at me. I exploded and really started screaming then! How dare this little piss-ant of a manager raise his fist at me and talk to me that way.
After all was said and done, and after he insisted he didn't raise his fist, he semi-apologized. He talked down to me and said, "you can always complain about me on our website." You can bet your ass I am in the process of writing to Best Western and reporting this bozo.
I go out of my way to stay at Best Western Hotels as they advertise with my magazine Full Throttle. I have never had a bad experience until this idiot manager. I still love Best Western Hotels and I will stay in one every opportunity I have. If you are reading this blog, please do not get mad at the chain, but if you are ever in Homestead, Florida stay away from Felix Camacho and the Best Western Hotel located at 411 South Krome Avenue. This guy doesn't care about his customers and he doesn't belong in charge.
Monday, February 22, 2010
INSURANCE COMPANIES SUCK!
Nothing gets me pissed off more than insurance companies. Take a look at any downtown skyline ... they are filled with bank buildings and insurance buildings - the two organizations that stick it to the people on a daily basis!
Why can insurance companies stop selling home owner policies in Florida, yet they can still sell auto and life insurance in our state? Why can these same companies say "it cost us too much in Florida IF A HURRICANE WOULD HIT, so we no longer want to take that chance? They would rather just sell home owners insurance in Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas and other "safe states". And they would rather sell "guranteed profitable insurance" such as auto and life. I say BULLSHIT !!!!
Instead of these giant, multi-million dollar conglomerates picking "safe states" why not have all home owner insurance policies be based on a national basis instead of a state-by-state basis? If you are in the home owner insurance business, you need have policies available to ALL Americans, in ALL 50 states. Why punish people in Florida, California and other states? What these companies would lose in hi-risk states, they would make up for in low-risk states. An American should not get punished because he/she lives in Florida!
I don't even want to talk about health insurance because that is another problem that seems beyond repair. Between lawsuits, government intervention and flat out insurance company greed ... only the rich will be able to afford health insurance. The big problem is people between the ages of 50 and 65. It seems that once a person reaches the half-century mark, things starts going bad! If you don't have some type of personal insurance (until you reach 65 and medicare steps in) you could be in big trouble! This is not the way things should be for middle aged people. This is not "The American Dream" and I would venture to say numerous people lose their retirement funds due to bad health during these "in between" years.
Why can insurance companies stop selling home owner policies in Florida, yet they can still sell auto and life insurance in our state? Why can these same companies say "it cost us too much in Florida IF A HURRICANE WOULD HIT, so we no longer want to take that chance? They would rather just sell home owners insurance in Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas and other "safe states". And they would rather sell "guranteed profitable insurance" such as auto and life. I say BULLSHIT !!!!
Instead of these giant, multi-million dollar conglomerates picking "safe states" why not have all home owner insurance policies be based on a national basis instead of a state-by-state basis? If you are in the home owner insurance business, you need have policies available to ALL Americans, in ALL 50 states. Why punish people in Florida, California and other states? What these companies would lose in hi-risk states, they would make up for in low-risk states. An American should not get punished because he/she lives in Florida!
I don't even want to talk about health insurance because that is another problem that seems beyond repair. Between lawsuits, government intervention and flat out insurance company greed ... only the rich will be able to afford health insurance. The big problem is people between the ages of 50 and 65. It seems that once a person reaches the half-century mark, things starts going bad! If you don't have some type of personal insurance (until you reach 65 and medicare steps in) you could be in big trouble! This is not the way things should be for middle aged people. This is not "The American Dream" and I would venture to say numerous people lose their retirement funds due to bad health during these "in between" years.
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