Wal-Mart: Get Your Casket Here

Apparently Wal-Mart along with Costco offer caskets on their website now.  They are supposedly cheaper than most other places and they can be shipped within 48 hours.

They run between $999 – $1800 –  and are not sold in stores (can you imagine walking past the health care products directly into the Casket Room—Geez, that would sure make you feel good huh?).

While this may sound ridiculous, I’m all for these companies doing this.  There needs to be more competition between funeral homes and products required for a funeral.  Just imagine the money that those one or two funeral homes and the companies they do business with — the profits they are making.  And, they are pretty much assured to stay in business for several life times.

In fact, I think Wal-Mart of Costco or some other place like that would make out pretty well if they were to create a separate division — just for life or death products.   Imagine what that could include.  Not only medicines to keep you well, happy and healthy (medicine, insurance, assistant devices, weddings, baby items, homecoming dress/suits, etc..), but products for when your life ends(caskets, urns, clothing, flowers, insurance, cemetaries, etc..).

Yes I said cemeteries.  I meant however however, those special Cremation Niche that some cemeteries are now offering but in small amounts.  They are like a big concrete dressers, each drawer holds the cremation remains.

I would also love to see Wal-Mart offer up nursing home care.  Perhaps just the long term care policies.  Lock in those prices while you are young.

Imagine the possibilities folks…what a little competition will do.

Tsunami: Will Wipe Out Republican Party

I was listening to Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania and Governor Barbour of Mississippi on “Meet the Press” with David Gregory this morning while they discussed the Democratic and Republican Parties and the upcoming election in 2010.  They were debating who would best benefit in 2010 over the issue of health care, government spending and the unemployment rate.

David Gregory pointed out some people saying that the Democrats projected spending this year and the unemployment rate of 10.2% would, in one example, cause a “Tidal Wave” for the GOP in 2010.  I would argue that the “Tidal Wave” would instead, be a great “Tsunami” for the Democratic Party.

We recently saw a “Tidal Wave” for the Democratic Party in the 2008 election.  Not only did Republicans lose the White House, they lost a great deal of seats in the House and in the Senate during that election. (more…)

They’ve Got the Votes…No They Don’t…Yes they do…

I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m getting sick and tired of the media constantly reporting that members of Congress have or don’t have the votes to pass the health care reform bill (their version – House or Senate).

I wish they’d just stop talking about it and maybe one day soon we’ll know the truth — either it died or it lived.

Meanwhile — SHUT UP and go find some other news to talk about.

Give us a BREAK!

H1N1: Watch Your Pets

GENEVA – Some pigs, turkeys and household pets have become infected with the H1N1 flu, but the pandemic virus does not yet appear to be spreading quickly among animals, the World Health Organization said on Friday…

****************************************************

WASHINGTON – A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday in what is believed to be the first confirmed case of the H1N1 virus in a feline in the United States.

The domestic shorthaired cat was treated last week at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames and has recovered, officials said. The virus also has been confirmed in two ferrets — one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska — but they died.

So watch your furry little friends for any signs of respiratory illness.  They are, after all, your ‘kids’ or ‘best friends’ as well.  They need you eyes, ears and mouth to do their talking for them.

America: She’s Looking Good

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Barack Obama has done it again. The president’s starpower has made the United States the place most people want to visit and do business with, according to an annual survey that ranks nations like retail brands.

The Country Brand Index, compiled by brand consultancy FutureBrand, found the United States had unseated Australia, which held the top spot for the past three years. Australia came in third this year with Canada rising to second place.

New Zealand and France rounded up the top five country brands in this year’s index that included 102 countries.

“The Obama effect has seen the United States earn the coveted top spot for the first time in the fifth annual index,” FutureBrand, which is part of Interpublic Group of Companies, said in a statement…

Where’s the big news about this story?  On the back pages of websites and newspapers.

There’s only one question to ask.  Which makes the U.S. safer, a world that hates her or a world that envy’s or loves her?

GOOD NEWS!

The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims for jobless benefits fell 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 512,000. That’s better than economists’ estimates of 523,000.

*********************************************************************

WASHINGTON – The House is poised to send the White House a bill extending aid to over a million people in danger of exhausting jobless benefits and additional tax credits for prospective homebuyers crucial to rejuvenating the housing market.

The $24 billion package also contains tax credits aimed at struggling businesses. The House is scheduled to vote on the legislation Thursday, a day after the Senate passed it 98-0.

With some 7,000 people running out of unemployment benefits every day and the current $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers set to expire at the end of the month, President Barack Obama is expected to quickly sign the measure into law…

It would also extend for seven months the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers that was enacted as part of the $787 billion stimulus package passed last February. The program would be expanded with a $6,500 credit for homebuyers who have lived in their current residences for five years.

Finally, it would allow businesses that have incurred losses in 2008 and 2009 to seek refunds for taxes paid on profits over the past five years.

************************************************************************************

WASHINGTON — Productivity surged in the third quarter at the fastest pace in six years while labor costs continued to drop sharply, a combination that will bolster companies’ profits but leave workers with stagnant incomes.

The Labor Department said Thursday that productivity, the amount of output per hour of work, was rising at an annual rate of 9.5 percent in the July-September quarter, much better than the 6.4 percent gain economists had expected. Unit labor costs fell at a 5.2 percent rate.

Well, it sure appears that the economy is pulling out of this mess we were given in January — Thank God!

Ropid: Isn’t He a Cutie?

Tomotaka Takahashi’s humanoid robot ROPID can jump 1/4 of its total body height!

The bot can rotate its upper torso, which seems to help immensely in keeping it balanced while jumping, running and skipping around. It’s still the tried-and-true “bent knees” method of balance, but ROPID is “rapid” enough to make it look almost lifelike. The movements are expressive enough, but with some slightly articulated hands and a moving mouth, ROPID ups the adorable-ness factor over some of its nuts and bolts counterparts. ROPID can also respond to a few voice commands and speaks as well.

I would love to have one of these to play with…brings out the child in me.

Obama Poll: He’s Working Hard for Progressive Causes

UTICA, New York - A year after the election of President Barack Obama, more than half of likely voters surveyed (54%) believe President Obama is making gains on the progressive causes he touted during his campaign, while 22% say he has abandoned many of those causes now that he is President, a new Zogby-ScoopDaily interactive survey shows.

Half of First Global^TM likely voters (50%) believe President Obama is working hard for progressive causes.  First Globals^TM represent the generation of Americans born between 1979 and 1990.

I happen to be one of those that believe the man is trying his level best to accomplish what he set out to do but his goals have been pushed back because of the what he was handed on January 20th, 2009.

When Obama first started running, the biggest problems were the two wars (one of wish we were led to believe we had already WON)  and Bush/Cheney’s power grab attitude, digging into American’s personal lives and their torturing of prisoners.

Instead, he got two major wars – both of which are very fragile and could blow up in his face very easily.  He got an economy in it’s worse shape since the Great Depression.  A Wall street that is power/money hungry.  Two wild nations wanting to build nukes and possibly use them because they fear we will invade them (they got that from Bush/Cheney admin actions in Iraq).  A deficit that was already spiraling out of control.  Last butnot least a pandemic that is spreading like wild fire and scaring folks.

He’s got an opposition party that has decided to say NO (instead of YES) to everything he sets out to do which is also stirring up hatred across America accusing him of trying to kill grandma and children, socialism, etc…

His own Party is fighting him tooth and nail trying to get what they can for their own State while he is trying to get most Americans health care, new infrastructure, new energy grids, etc..

He’s going through all of the above yet he still finds time to take his wife to dinner, play with the kids and shoot a few basketballs or hit a few golf balls.

They use to say that President Clinton knew how to multitask….well, I think Obama’s got Clinton beat by a mile with that kind of ability.  With all due respect to Clinton, he had no wars and the economy was booming — he spent the second half of his administration working his way out of a political scandal.

President Obama is definitely working hard to get things done.  He knows that he may indeed be a one term president, they all do; but he intends on leaving something of good behind — unlike the previous president.

Johnson Says Withdraw: Just 10 months Later?

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Timothy V. Johnson today called for a new direction in Afghanistan, a direction that focuses on a responsible withdrawal of U.S. Forces and a strategy of counter-terrorism as opposed to counter-insurgency. His statement follows:

“The war is becoming increasingly deadly to our troops and to the people of Afghanistan, increasingly costly to the taxpaying public, and increasingly futile. I am opposed to our troops being mired in an endless war trying to achieve an end with no definition.

“I am not alone in my analysis. Recently, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, referred to the situation in Afghanistan as ‘serious and deteriorating.’ The Taliban is becoming increasingly resistant, Al Qaeda more elusive, and the corrupted Afghanistan government less stable by the day.

“The brave men and women of the U.S. military should be commended for the admirable job they are doing under difficult conditions. I want to provide our troops with the resources they deserve to conduct missions they have a chance of completing. However, it has become clear to me that after eight years, the United States must cease the sacrifice of American lives to a war with no end. Genius, as conservative columnist George Will wrote in assessing the Afghanistan war, sometimes consists of knowing when to stop.

“In March of this year, President Obama authorized an additional 21,000 troops for Afghanistan, bringing the expected total of boots on the ground to 68,000 by the end of this year.

“The Obama Administration is currently considering a new strategy that includes the request from the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for an additional 40,000 American troops. President Obama’s plans remain unknown.

I strongly oppose another increase, consistent with my opposition to the 2010 Defense Appropriation bill, which includes $128.3 billion in contingency funds to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We cannot remain in Afghanistan or Iraq forever.

Does this guy have nerve or what?  The gull of him to now demand that we withdraw from Afghanistan AND Iraq just 10 months after a Democrat takes charge of the White House.

BREAKING NEWS!

Pending House Sales up 6.1%

Pending home sale activity is now 21.2% higher than it was a year ago, NAR said, making it the largest annual increase in pending home sales on record…

FORD makes $1 Billion Profit

DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford, the only Detroit automaker to dodge direct government aid and bankruptcy court, surprised investors with net income of nearly $1 billion in the third quarter and forecast a “solidly profitable” 2011…

Manufacturing Grows for Third Month

NEW YORK – A private measure of U.S. manufacturing activity grew in October at the fastest pace in more than three years, helped by government spending and higher demand from overseas. The better-than-expected reading is a positive signal for the fledgling economic recovery….

*********************************************************************************

Well folks, sure looks like things are improving each and every month.  Between now and next summer I am predicting jobs will be back as well.

This news must be starting to worry Republicans, as they were praying for the economy to go under and jobs to be lost — at least till November 2010’s election is over.