31.6MPG by 2015…..

Let’s marinate on that for a second if you will.

Are we good?

Ok then, as some of you that already know me might already be aware of the fact that i’m a bit of a car enthusiast….a “bit” meaning that a gorgeous streamlined automobile can turn my head faster then a gorgeous half dressed woman can. It’s just how i’m wired, and who I am.

So first off….lets get down to what CAFE is.

C.A.F.E stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), it is a law setting minimum average fuel-consumption levels for cars and trucks sold in America. The law has been in effect since 1975, two years after the first U.S. fuel crisis. Since 1985, the law has required that an automaker’s line of cars average 27.5 mpg. The current truck standard of 22.2 mpg was raised 1.5 mpg over the past three years…….Where the problem now lies is in the congressional approval of a bill to raise the CAFE standards to 31.6mpg by 2015.

This is ridiculous and absurd. Newer cars a burning less gas, cleaner, and emitting less pollution then they’ve been in the past 30 years. Cars can up 5-7,000 miles without oil changes, bio-degradable tires, synthetic oils, engines that are lasting 150,000+ miles without any major emission related issues, state and local annual emissions tests/standards and hybrids…..hybrids are everywhere. Not only that, but our government now is going to make what is already an extremely volatile market (all because the government wont take the same stand against the oil cartels like they will for “the environment”) for automakers even more difficult now that they have to scramble to cut models, scrap engines, destroy or cease making legendary brands that we’ve come to love and appreciate.

In addition our government is abolishing the stigmas of what makes us the American automotive consumer….that stigma being the SUV (as well as the pick up truck). No where on God’s green earth are these automobiles more popular then what they are in this great nation of ours. We already are in a recession and the price of gas is now at an all time high, so now somehow congress thinks that forcing the automobile companies to change their entire lineup to make cars burn less gas and ultimately abolish what drives the automotive economic engine in this county will help improve the environment…..Here’s some cold hard facts

• According to Automotive News the big three automakers in Detroit who combined make up more then 2/3’s of SUV’s on the road will pay about $30.6 billion — including $15 billion by General Motors alone — to bring their fleets inline with the new regulations. This on top of the combined 25.4% sales drop from their respective brand last month compared to the numbers from last year. (HUMMER alone dropped 61.7%)

• Honda passed Chrysler in U.S. sales for the first time…..EVER. What’s more, the Honda Civic beat out the Ford F Series pickup to become the nation’s best selling vehicle for the first time on record as well. The Toyota Camry also topped F Series sales in the month. Just to so there’s a clear understanding of how significant these numbers are….the best selling minivan in the history of automobiles in the Dodge Caravan with an astonishing 11 million cars sold The best single-month sales of any car ever goes the Ford F series back in July 2005 of 126,000 units.

High gas prices are not new. They have been creeping steadily higher for a decade. So I don’t want to lose focus and concentrate on that topic, gas isn’t what this post is about. This post is about the government crippling the automotive industry in order to “save the environment”, which is garbage. You know why? Because overseas governments aren’t in the least bit imposing the same crap that congress has and they output an enormous amount of pollution (not to mention gas prices are on average….AVERAGE 25% higher then what they are in the US).

You want to do something? Light a fire under some of these other nations to get in the ball with their pollution issues, do some actual good for a change. Put those billions (of people CHINA) to good use.

Some places that deserve an honorable mention:

1. The People’s Republic of China (Linfen) A superpower that has 16/20 of the most polluted cities on the planet
2. India (Ranipet)
3. Russia (Dzerzinsk, Norilsk, & Rudnaya Pristan)
4. Peru (La Oroya)

Oh and for the record, alternative fuels (at least the ones that are currently out there) aren’t the answer either. The main problem here is that producing alternate fuels and hybrid cars often requires CO2 emissions that offset or cancel the benefits of improve vehicular design. Take ethonal for instance - ethanol is made from corn, more than 75% of its energy value is spent on its production. Filling up one large vehicle fuel tank one time with 100% ethanol uses enough corn to feed one person for a year. So yeah, ethonal = not so good idea.

Electric cars? Ok, If an electric car is recharged with electricity produced by a fossil fuel burning generator, there will be little to no net benefit to the atmosphere. A real solution would reduce air pollution beginning at source materials and would continue through the use cycle of the vehicle.

My solution is biodesiel. Why you might ask? Because a biofuel should provide a net energy gain, have environmental benefits, be economically competitive, and be producible in large quantities without reducing food supplies.Biodisels do just that. Ethanol yields 25% more energy than the energy invested in its production, whereas biodiesel yields 93% more. Compared with ethanol, biodiesel releases just 1.0%, 8.3%, and 13% of the agricultural nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide pollutants, respectively, per net energy gain. Your precious greenhouse gas emissions are reduced 12% by the production and combustion of ethanol and 41% by biodiesel. Biodiesel also releases less air pollutants per net energy gain than ethanol. These advantages of biodiesel over ethanol come from lower agricultural inputs and more efficient conversion of feedstocks to fuel.

No solution is better than reduced vehicle use. Congress, get more money into public transportation!!!

So to me it’s a no brainer on what we should be focusing on as a country and as members of planet earth. Sorry for the long post, but I just had to get this stuff off of my chest.

-B.Price

Finally!

I finished my new site!!!

Just looking at it one might look and think “That’s what took him so long” Yes, dammit it did. And the reason why it did is because IE is a product created by satan himself, this I already knew…but what i didn’t know was just how malicious and evil it is to code for. This was just for Simple CSS mind you!!! So to all the coders that have to do it for both IE and Mozilla, i tip my hat to you for now i’ve tasted the bitterness of this unGodly task and can relate to your trial on a personal level.

To everyone else, I do very much appreciate your comments, and subscriptions. So much have i enjoyed blogging that i’ve registered my own domain and have moved (in theory) this blog over to http:// estaesmivida.net

I stuck with this name because it’s catchy, describes what this blog is all about, and surprisingly it was available. There’s a great many advantages having your own site come with such as control over plugins theme’s/templates, control of your code, etc……but there are also a few disadvantages as well such as maintenance and security. But in the end i believe it’s going to be well worth it. I set this site up for me, this blog is not for the sole purpose of people coming in and being entertained or getting 2000 subscribers or comments.

This blog was set up for me to express myself, share my life, and just be able to get things out there that are on my mind, that i deal with on the daily. Although with this new domain I don’t expect the hits i was getting before, which is fine, but what i do hope is that it gives people a window into my life….my trials, triumphs, tribulations….and inpacts them in some way, shape or form. Whether it’s entertainment, or intrigue that keeps you reading I do hope that you continue on.

B.Price

www.estaesmivida.net

The minute I get my own place to live, the cost of living increases…..

just as soon as I get comfortable with my current phone/service, my phone starts to fall apart…..

Whenever I clean up my room/house/area of living at the very least 2-3 pairs of socks go missing, my jeans have gotten up and walked out the door, and t-shirts are playing hide and seek with me….

I stop giving a damn caring what other people think about me across the board (not just at work, or in my family), not that I really cared all that much, but caring at any level at all was bad and is now going to be corrected…..

I get a little bit of spare cash in my pocket and the car wants to act up and demand some of that spare cash to be put back into her…..

It seems the more rope you give someone to hang themselves with, the more rope they almost anxiously take to do so…..

Less and less I believe the theory that “you are what you attract” is complete and utter bs. Who came up with this? What is this really based off of? Yeah, there will be common denoms that “attract” you to someone (facial features, height, weight, clothing/style) but most of those things are superficial and can be changed with time and or money….below are a few reasons why i think this is BS

1. Crazy people are attracted to not just crazy people, no. They are drawn like flies to stink to non-crazy people. This shouldn’t be a hard concept to believe nor understand. Think about any relationship you’ve been in with a “crazy person”…..do you think that the person in question was drawn to you because you are crazy? Or do you believe that you were drawn to them because they were? Absolutely not. Had you known they were crazy you wouldn’t have given them the time of day, that second look, your phone number or the key to your front door.
2. A slob isn’t going to be attracted to another slob like they will someone who is neat and organized, they will ultimately be attracted to someone that doesn’t exhibit slob tendencies.
3. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying that a two people that have things in common wont be attracted to each other (i.e. people of the same culture) but this is a completely separate topic from the one i’m referring to.

Just needed to get that stuff off of my chest, blog about it and get back to neutral.

To all my readers, I know i said a few weeks back that i’d be back posting like normal and I have (kind of) although as of recent I decided to start working on my own domain/site for a more permanent place for my blog and once again i’ve sort of abandoned posting in here. That will change shortly (promise) as I’m almost done. Unfortunately I wont be able to re-direct this blog over there (because I WILL NOT give wordpress control over my blog), so i’ll make a post shortly with the new addy for those who subscribe to my blog here can re-direct over there.

Thanks for reading

B.Price

I wanted to do something different this week, wanted to see how people would respond to various questions and what they thought about different topics….We’ve all gotten those emails “which do you prefer; coke or pepsi” and I hate those. But I did want to get people thinking about things “like that” but just on a deeper level.

Maybe you’ve thought of these things, maybe you haven’t….either way, try to be as sincere and honest as you can. Also, answer each question individually, not paired with the others. Thanks.

you didn’t have to go to work tomorrow (and get paid), what would you do with your day?

your best friend stopped being your best friend….for no reason

you went home tonight and found your dwelling completely destroyed by an act of God

you found a lotto ticket worth 100 million on the street (be real and detailed with this answer)

you had the ability/opportunity to pursue your dream without anything holding you back (time, people, capitol, etc) but had to drop everything right now and do it, would you?

you were given the opportunity to change one moment in history (yours or anyone else’s), what would it be and why?

you were given the chance to see the person you were put on this earth to love, but had to give up what you value most for just the opportunity to “see” them (note: see, not interact/talk)

you could only listen to one song on your radio/digital music device for 30days, what would it be?

you were given $1000 (post tax) per week for the rest of your life (in addition to your supplemental income), what would you do with it?

you had to live your life over again up until this point….what would you change? (toughest one)

Been on the grind here at work….so much that i’ve had little to no time to get on here and blog, or even keep up with other blogs. Honestly, i’ve had time for little else outside of work period…..that’s going to have to change because I came to my current company due in part to my last company working me so hard that it burnt me out.

Anyway, that period (working night and day) has hence passed and now or until they throw another ton or two of work on my back i’ll be getting back into things and resume my normal 1/1.5posts per week.

Thanks to the 6-8views i’ve been getting from those non-tag searches which I assume are “regulars” who post comments and subscribe to my blog.

-B.Price

p.s. The Chinese symbols each have their own meaning, the one below means love, the one above means to endure.

This post is about my disdain for a disturbing and growing trend that will see a resurgence now that the weather is warm….Mandals. If you wear them and get easily offended by the raw and pungent truth then you probably should wait for my next post and skip this one.

First off, WTF. When did we start calling Men’s Sandals Mandals? Who came up with this? And why is it then when I went into DSW last weekend and told the cute sales rep that I was looking for some sandals she tells me “Oh the mandals are over in this section”……excuse me, WHAT? Did I not get the man memo about this new term or something?

Oh and don’t think I haven’t taken notice of my Caucasian (and every other race for that fact) brothern wearing these during the cold months…..Where in what book of man laws ™ or rule of thumb was it ok for us to start wearing these on the regular like it’s apart of everyday life (365 days a year with anything we want)? It’s gotten so bad THAT NOW THERE’S A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION ASSOCIATED WITH WEARING THEM!

Are you Egyptian, do you live in a climate that has more (appropriate) warm days then cold? Perhaps you’re a Spartan or of Roman decent…..No? Okay then it’s not kosher for you to wear these year round guys….it’s not kosher.

I use to rock the “mandals” hard back in the day when they were just called “mens sandals”, by “hard” I mean in the appropriate place and at the fashionably appropriate time.

For example

• WHEN MY FEET DON’T LOOK AS THOUGH I’VE BEEN WALKING ON RAZOR SHARP ROCKS OUT IN THE BUSH SOMEWHERE!
• At the beach
• While washing the car
• When rocking the fresh linen pants & or linen shirt
• Spring time @ a wine festival
• A quick trip down to the mailbox/grocery store/carry out/car (when to lazy to lace up some kicks)
• Summer BBQ’s & or cookouts
• A scorching summer day when shoes/socks just aren’t going to do

But now you can see guys rocking this look year ’round, proudly wearing them with jeans, at the club, nice restaurants, in the winter time, or with mens capris. I’m not saying that wearing man sandals during this time of year is bad, this is the time of year when you should wear them, and when it’s appropriate. Where my problem is are with the people that rock them hard all year, and those people that don’t follow the rules when wearing them around this time of year.

Here are three key rules that the dominate gender should ad hear to.

1. Socks with Sandals - No man should be caught wearing socks with sandals. But again, especially in the black community this has become acceptable. If you wearing sandals leave the socks at home please.

2. Flip-Flops - Honestly there really isn’t a necessity for a man to wear these type of sandals when there’s such a vast collection to choose from now days….But for those that do follow this rule: If not at the beach, then there is no reason for any man to be wearing flip-flops. Ever.

3. Pedicure - If you don’t know what that is or perhaps think this is for women please stop reading, go get your mandals and throw them in the trash. It’s a requirement, not an option. Look at it like this; would you go outside with your hands ashy and crusty? with your fingernails long and yellow??? NO! So don’t let your feet be in that condition. GET A PEDICURE!

/rant

It’s smack dab in the middle of April, and officially Spring Time! How do I know this you might ask? Well last week it got to over 70 degrees here for the first time in…oh about 180 days. When I walk outside to my car every morning (parked in the garage or not) theres a fresh coat, sometimes two, of pollen on the paint. The birds are chirping and singing me awake every morning should I leave my window open at night….these same birds are also doing bombing runs on my car whenever they feel like it.

Children are running around outside, playing, yelling, chasing, screaming at one another. Which is of course training that they will need much later on in life when working in corporate America, interacting with the opposite sex, operating a motor vehicle on major roads, and resolving their disputes with one-another.

Tourist are flocking to my city in drodes from all the corners of the earth to see some tree’s that originated from Japan….unbenounce to most, these tree’s can be found all over the DC metro area, and are common enough to find planted and growing in many residential neighborhoods (we had one in our front yard). These are the same tourist that can’t obey/read the traffic signs flashing at them in bright orange and white pigmentations, indicating when and when not to cross the road….a road in which automobiles in excess of two tons are using.

Ah….yes, good ole Spring time in DC

As I dive deeper into the blogging thing I want to begin intelligent discussion about various “Questions of the Week” that I have for my small but growing base of readers.

This week it’s in a form of one of my favorite songs by the Neo Soul/R&B artist Musiq. Give a listen and leave a comment about what you’d do if it were you in the situation. I personally haven’t been in that situation but if I was i’m not sure how i’d respond if I was put in this exact situation that he was given the fact that it was just the one time…..

The core part of the song is as follows for those that might be too lazy to actually listen to the entire song

So what would you do?

Guys: if a girl came to you saying what she says in the opening conversation

Ladies: if this was you, and the part of the lyrics were said to you by the guy you were involved with. Plus how would you tell him?

-B.Price

Okay, so over the past 9-12days i’ve heard this phrase coined over four times…

“A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Never had I heard this phrase before, but it touched me deeply and holds a lot of meaning to me because of drama related to gossip and backbiting that I had to endure over the past year, and even in the course of my short life itself. I personally don’t believe that this isn’t your everyday phrase/word of wisdom that you’d hear, as a matter of a fact it’s probably the most distinct phrase i’ve heard all year. What was most personal/signifigant to me was that not at anytime was this stated to me in a sententious manner, which would’ve without a doubt been a complete turn-off and subsequently made me defensive and or suspect of the connotation of it’s meaning.

Sources:

1st) Random person in the local greasy spoon engaged in a conversation with another person

2nd) Conversation with a former co-worker

3rd) Highly respected family member during one of our “sessions”

4th) Evangelist on TV using it in one of his sermons

How do other people feel about this? Is it true? Does it hold meaning for you? Why does this happen? Examples? Thoughts? Gripes?