Community > Posts By > lighthouselover

 
lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 12:12 PM
My husband and I owned a small trucking company. I never drove, but I tagged along when he drove a lot of times. The things you see from the cab of a truck. Oy!

It's awful how we mandate how long a driver drives and YET we make it impossible for them to stop and rest when required to do so. (No parking, no idling, etc.)

I've known a lot of drivers who have been the first on the scene of an accident, the first to give aid, the ones who call for help, etc. Many a car goes tooling by when someone needs aid, but a trucker will throw his tight schedule to the wind and stop.

Drivers often get a bum rap. For the most part, they are some of the nicest, most polite and down-to-earth folks you'd ever want to meet.

Having just come off a 1000 plus mile trip in 92 hours (with some spots of sleep in a decent bed with good meals in between), I can tell you I could never hang with the Knights/Duchesses of the Road. My hat's off to ya'll who keep this nation going.



flowerforyou flowerforyou flowerforyou



Thanks for the great post, Sunny!! I agree with you!!

When I was in the truck with Darrel for 3 months I was shocked at so many things...

I had a wonderful time, and Darrel is a brilliant driver...and has been doing it for the better part of 25 years I think now...

I have to say, that the 'travel centers' have really gone down the tubes...the showers are mostly horrible, and the service and food has really taken a hit, IMO.

the drivers really have no real choice here...except that I know that Darrel would drive an extra 100 miles to get to one of the better truck stops...and there are a few of them that are awesome!!

some of the trucks I saw were incredible!! just beautiful!!

we were not in a custom sleeper truck at all...it is like living in a small walk in closet!! laugh

There is the test of a relationship if there ever was one!!!


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 12:02 PM


I heard that he can only play in the pre-season so far...

not sure where he will go...

maybe if Favre doesn't sign with MN...:wink: whoa

what about the Jets? didn't they have a QB retire at the end of last year...

lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 11:59 AM


I have heard a lot about the phone hacks on XM radio...I cannot think of his name...tech talk with someone...or something like that.

I know that this is not "breaking" into someone's phone to get their numbers and information...it is 'changing' the software of the phone kind of, sort of...


Even with computers, there are the "White Hat Hackers"...

all hacks are not bad...

or illegal...

I personally, would not do this to my phone, cause I know that i would mess it up!!! laugh

lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 11:52 AM
Edited by lighthouselover on Tue 07/28/09 11:54 AM

She was deathly afraid of the flu.
So she asked her doc what she should do.
He jabbed her unseen
With a swine flu vaccine
Blurting, “Darling, I haven’t a clue.”
- by the Health Ranger


Face it, they're going to start shooting people with this vaccine soon and it's not properly tested and un-tried. Its ingredients are potentially quite dangerous, and the adjuvants being used in the European vaccines are suspected of causing neurological disorders. 1976, a failed swine flu vaccine caused irreparable damage to the nervous systems of hundreds of people, paralyzing many. Medical doctors gave the problem a name to make it sound like they had a clue as to what they were talking about: Guillain-Barre syndrome. (Notice this, they never called it “Toxic Vaccine Syndrome” because that would be truthful.)

Raise your hand if you trust Big Pharma enough to play "Guinea Pig" for them?





Tamiflu is not a vaccine, from what I know...I could be wrong. It is a treatment...which does not make it any less of an issue.

there is a difference in a vaccine and a treatment though...

unless you are talking about another drug as a vaccine...

also, Guillain-Barre Syndrome has happened to people who did not take the vaccine...

I am NOT defending big pharma, small pharma, biotechnology, biopharmacolgy, or any other company...

I know way too much about them! noway way too much...




lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 11:48 AM


Every single drug/medication has side effects period.

and almost ALL of them list the same ones, in the same order, with the same incidence of occurrence...

the labeling that is done by the FDA at this point is almost a joke...really. The 'black box' warning that used to be of subsistence, is now listed on so many medications that it is almost common place...

The term "side effects" is not even an accurate indicator of something not being good...

The term is, technically, and with good cause..."untoward effects". These are the ones that are not wanted...

Viagra was developed and marketed...very successfully, I might add...on a side effect of the drug...it was originally tested for and intended to treat hypertension...

it did not work, yet when the company wanted to end the trial, the participants did NOT want to give the drug back...:wink:

Acetaminophen is a very dangerous drug/chemical/medication...yet, it is sold over the counter...and included in a multitude of other concoctions...

Drugs/medications/chemicals...can be and are dangerous!

The demand for a cure all for illnesses is unbelievable...

If you want a great read about the FDA, pharma, the labeling issues, the consequences, and the congressional hearings that went with it...read "Pain Killer: A "Wonder" Drug's Trail of Addiction and Death" this book will make you sick!!

http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Killer-Wonder-Drugs-Addiction/dp/1579546382

I know that Tamiflu is being looked at by the FDA as well..and has been for a few years already...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/nov/18/birdflu.health

this is nothing new really...just more of the same...


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 11:10 AM

Lol. Talk about things changing in the last 30 years.... "10-4 good buddy" not such a nice thing to call someone on the radio these days. Sorry but I really don't wanna explain for fear of starting an argument.





I was thinking the same thing!!

laugh laugh laugh


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:59 AM



Well, at least you get treated like a person(most of the time) and you are not just a number. Government programs speak volumes to this....inefficiency that is.


I have insurance. I was treated like a number Sunday night. It took 4 and 1/2 hours for a doc to see my child in the ER.



Did someone call your number or your name???




It might be against the confidentiality code to say the persons name...

just sayin...


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:58 AM
Edited by lighthouselover on Tue 07/28/09 11:00 AM

Well, at least you get treated like a person(most of the time) and you are not just a number. Government programs speak volumes to this....inefficiency that is.




Are you serious???

do you think that health care is efficient now??

I am not saying that government is any better, but the arguments you put forth in this thread are just not impressive to me!!

Have you worked in the health care system??? believe me, there is so much that is NOT efficient at all!

You may get treated like a person sometimes, there is no guarantee about that though, and there is NOT any regulations that say you have to be...

I am not all in favor or against health care reform...I am more for it, although, not the government...

so, the waiting, the inefficiency and the impersonal treatment are not 'exclusive' to government...IMO.


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:49 AM
http://mingle2.com/user/view/279144



stop by and say hello!!

She is one special lady!!


Happy Birthday to you!!!


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:46 AM


I see my great friend Cathy is here today!!

and it is HER day today!!


The happiest of joy and light to you Cathy!!



lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:18 AM

I just spent 2 and a half hours pulling 47 carrots out of my garden..
I always plant extra so I can share. This year I wanted more so I could take some fresh vegetables to the food banks, guess they don't get fresh food, just packaged. Do you know how hard it is to get carrots out of the ground without breaking them? Glad to share but I think I got carried away this time. Someone needs to create a tool for this.




I used to take one of those hand cultivators and run up and down beside the rows prior to pulling them...

I have also used a small gardening shovel to put in beside them...it brings up some excess soil, which is easily put back...

Great act of kindness!! I would bet even the broken ones would be welcome!

Yea for YOU!!!


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:14 AM


I remember that he made for some GREAT SNL episodes!!



lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:06 AM






that is nothing different or new...

that is the way that health care is now, so that is not going to be any change.

you even have to wait to get a prior authorization for treatment with the best insurance policies...

really, the waiting game is nothing new...it has been going on for the 30-35 years I have been in various areas of health care, both professionally and personally...

winking


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 10:02 AM

My hats off to the real professional drivers... Not only do they have to contend with smaller vehicles but they also have to contend with rig's piloted by idiots.

So many trucker schools... Lots of unprofessional drivers on the wheel.

Just today...

Seen a driver attempt to corner in the same way he would have with his car... Can you imagine where his trailer went?bigsmile
(one less signal light to contend with this week).

Seen a driver take a small box under a nine foot bridge. He he he... Got the cab through, left the trailer behind (along with a four foot section of the bridge).

Lots of times I'll watch a trucker at a red light turn in front of oncomming traffic and stop everyone... When they could have just waited for the darn light to change and HAD the right of way.


laugh laugh laugh



Oh..I love the bridge thing!! I have seen that a few times!

there are always going to be idiot drivers around, and the driver mills are generally sponsored by the industry! sad sad sad...they can put drivers in one of their trucks and pay them little per mile to drive...it is sad...

yet, the people who drive an RV need no special license or training...slaphead so, the big RV that is pulling a boat, pulling a trailer, pulling a car behind it...yea...that is an accident waiting to happen!!

I personally, feel there are a lot more professional drivers than idiot drivers...maybe not, but I think I will believe my delusion...

I have seen a driver "straighten" out a new driver a few times...sometimes, they just need some direction!! :wink:


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 09:55 AM
Edited by lighthouselover on Tue 07/28/09 09:56 AM

Thanks everyone !30 yrs here !


drinker drinker drinker



I cannot believe all the changes that are out there now, from 30 years ago...

The truck stops are now "travel centers" with so much crap in them, you can barely get through them to the shower area...

The places you can no longer park...and NOT even idle the truck!!

I know that driving a truck is a total way of life, it is not for everyone for sure!

It takes a lot to drive a truck...a lot of common sense, knowledge, and ability.

Thank you Startraveler for doing what you do!!


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 09:24 AM
Edited by lighthouselover on Tue 07/28/09 09:38 AM


sometimes things are not one of the choices you have to choose from...

I will define "free will" for the purpose of this post to mean that you are free to choose an option.

then the question becomes, "does randomness give you all the options?

I also will say that a human is only capable of deciding/choosing between two things at a time...the brain narrows the choices down to two...

if there are 6 or 60 things to choose from, systematically, the person chooses between two things to bring the choices down one by one...

so, the randomness of items or choices would in someway limit the choices...and then an option would be limited. you are still free to choose any of the options however...

at least, this was my choice to say...


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 09:18 AM


getting things done before the kids get here late Wednesday night!!

lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 09:14 AM

I can't tell you my worst of my mcgyver dangerous little highway tricks for bad drivers. Gotta keep some secrets. Let's just say um uh, certain ceramic materials are really small and are conducive to automotive glass. They won't see it or hear it until their side window explodes. Its called "The wakeup call". And I put up my disclaimer now- do not try any of these ideas at home. I'm a trained professional *******. Trying any dirty tricks may result in injury or death. I do not use or endorse these dirty road tricks unless I absolutely have to. I have a satphone and 911 is a voice command away. Check your expectations- always. That girl that cut you off? Well she might be in a hurry to the hospital because her grandmother is sick and she's worried and preoccupied. That guy that's driving like an absolute maniac? You didn't see his pregnant wife lying down in the back seat where her water broke and she's giving birth. He's on his way to ER! Checking your expectations works best while driving. Not physical confrontation or reckless wicked revenge tactics. Safety first. Pick boogers.


drinker



and that is why you have all those miles accident free!!


lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 09:12 AM



Because of the bankruptcy GM is not responsible for injuries or deaths do to factory defects.

There is an estimated 30 million vehicles with defects on the road.

Wow that is just unbelieveable!!!

Make an unsafe product= ok maybe a faulty part

Take bailout money = just wrong

File bankruptcy = a load of crap(Ford is making it without help)

Not being responsible for a product with a defect you put on the road= JUST FRICKIN PRICELESS





Does the word "PINTO" ring a bell for anyone?

Lee Iaccoca?

Ford Motor Company actually discussed re-calling the Pinto's that were on the road, and the re-design of the assembly line...

they actually came up with the price of the re-design vs. the price of a human life...

after careful consideration, and looking at the number of Pinto's in the market, coupled along with the probability of an accident...

Ford Motor Company executives decided that it would be cheaper to just pay off any accident victims rather than re-design the assembly of the Pinto or to re-call the Pinto's that were already driving on the road!

What makes you think that anything is priceless when it comes to business? EVERYTHING has a price...and Ford Motor Company put one on the human life!!!

Ethics??? laugh laugh




It is not just the auto companies that do this, just about every business that could be potentially hazardous does this, including food companies. Insurance companies? Same thing. People need a demon, I get that. But the fact of the matter is, if companies didn't do this, the consumers would have very little choice about anything, very few products to buy, etc. Everyone would be too scared to actually make or sell anything, especially those products that inherently carry a risk. You wanna be scared? Try figuring out what exactly is in your food, where it comes from, how it's processed, etc. You'd probably never eat again unless you bought your own farm and grew everything yourself.

That being said, if a company KNOWS that their product is defective in such a way that the inherent risk is greater than normal, than I do believe that they have a moral and ethical responsibility to either fix the problem or get rid of the product.

But in today's consumer driven world, that's not particularly likely. Consumers share in the responsibility as well, you know. If you believe that a product is suspect, it's very simple. You stop doing business with said company. You spread the word. When consumers stop spending, the companies will start changing their ways IMO



I agree that the consumer needs and MUST be educated...but do we really want to know all the stuff? YUK!! there are products that I will not eat because of what I have seen...noway

People buy on faith, period. No matter what the item is, you buy it because you have faith in it.

The Ford motor company came out with the Pinto, because it was a fuel efficient vehicle and the American public had put faith in Ford Motor Company to make a safe vehicle, and for the most part they did!

Ford did not tell consumers at the time that they were doing this...the consumer was going on faith! This is being used as an example...and it is a very real, true, accurate example...this was back in the 60's and probably long forgotten by many people...

"The Ford Pinto case is mentioned in most Business Ethics texts as an example of Cost-Benefit analysis, yet in those formats any appreciation of the complexity surrounding the issues of such decisions is overly simplified. As a thorough study, this book provides material that enriches the entire idea of
using a particular case as an avenue of learning about Ethics, Business, Society, Technology, and Government Regulation. Rather than as a mere reference tool for educators and other professionals, this book could be successful in the classroom in a way that no other anthology or collection of short case studies could be." - Greg Pasquarello, Neumann College

It was the late 60s, when the demand for sub-compacts was rising on the market. Iacocca's
specifications for the design of the car were uncompromising:

"The Pinto was not to weigh an ounce over 2,000 pounds and not cost a cent over $2,000."

During design and production, however, crash tests revealed a serious defect in the gas tank. In crashes over 25 miles per hour, the gas tank always ruptured. To correct it would have required changing and strengthening the design.


http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/166/Ford-Pinto.aspx

this is where the regulations for the safety regulations for auto makers came from...the consumer puts FAITH in the idea that the business is making a safe product, and that they have ethics!

there is a certain amount of risk in getting out of bed, or staying in bed...we all know that.

consumer demand drove the Pinto and Ford Motor Company 40 years ago too...consumer demand drives business, it always has, and pretty much will continue to do so.

how far have we come?




lighthouselover's photo
Tue 07/28/09 08:56 AM
Edited by lighthouselover on Tue 07/28/09 09:29 AM

20 years. 3 million accident free miles. I can pick my nose while driving. I'm entitled to it. Its my right. Not a priveledge.




This was posted by longhairbiker in another thread, and I started thinking about it...

First, CONGRATULATIONS!!! that is not an easy feat to accomplish!!


Driving 3 million accident free miles is incredible!! Especially now, with all the friggen traffic on the roads! and then factor in the weather, the road conditions, the pounding on their body...

I know that truckers are pegged for many things and shown in a negative light much of the time.

Do people realize how long it takes for a semi to stop?

Do people realize that there is 80,000 pounds (loaded) of weight?

I have driven truck in the past, and my BF drives now...I was in the truck with him this past Jan, Feb, and March...*shakes head*

Many people drive like their car is an accessory...

even in the last 10 years, when I drove about 500-600 miles per week for my job, which was driving a car, not a truck...I cannot tell you how many accidents that I AVOIDED by using common sense instead of texting, eating, putting on make-up, blah blah blah...


Truckers are the life bread of our nation...there is NOTHING that you use, nothing that you buy...NOTHING that does not get moved by truck at one point...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkfOpl0ujH4

Truckers are the heartbeat of America!!

It is a very hard job, very stressful job...





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