Al's Blog-o-Sphere

Well, I picked up a new vehicle today. New to me, 2005 model. It cost me just about what the insurance is paying for the poor Envoy that was totaled.

The vehicle I bought is an Isuzu Ascender, which almost nobody has even heard of. I hadn’t. Isuzu doesn’t even sell vehicles in the U.S. anymore. So why would I take a chance on a lame-duck used vehicle?

Simple. It’s just a rebranded Chevy Trailblazer/GMC Envoy. If you don’t look at the badging on the truck, you’d swear it was an Envoy. Inside, it’s almost identical to the 2003 Envoy I had and the trim details on the outside, that I think are “different,” I’m not so sure they’re not just due to the 2005 model year as much as the different name. Continue Reading…

Please take a moment and say a prayer for my friend Gabrielle Bouliane, who passed away today of biliary tract cancer. She had only a few months from the time of her diagnosis and left us far too soon. Here’s a video of her at a poetry slam, one of her favorite projects, shortly after she had become ill:

I met Gabrielle while I was doing my music podcast. Her interest is film-making and music brought her to many of the same shows I was attending. We were usually right in front of the stage, her with a video camera, me with my still camera. We both were avid fans of Buffalo Celtic-Rock band, Jackdaw, and often were at their shows. Continue Reading…

While the Right-wing has been having a heyday objecting to President Obama talking to our kids in school, at least some people have been having a little fun with it. I hope the vast majority of people will understand it for what it is, a sincere address meant to inspire students.

Meanwhile, let’s enjoy the stupidity of those who see something sinister in it by turning to that bastion of citizen parody, You Tube:

Unless you’ve been in a monastery, you’ve got to have heard about the US Government’s C.A.R.S. or Cash for Clunkers program. It seems like every commercial break on TV has three commercials for car dealers desperate to make the most of it while it lasts. But, now that it’s almost over, we’re hearing about problems the dealers have getting their money and customers having to wait for their cars.

We all saw how they have to destroy the trade-in’s engine by running it with the oil drained and replaced by a mixture that quickly destroys the engine. We also know that the program is only for new cars that get at least a certain number of miles per gallon more than the trade-in.

So, I’m surprised at how little fuss this has received from Joe Public. Let’s look at who this multi-billion dollar program benefits… Continue Reading…