According to the Manchester Union Leader, the long dormant Mittersill ski trails will be open to Cannon skiers. The forest service has agreed to give the Mittersill land to the state of NH in return for a patch of land in Pierson. This deal will increase Cannon's ski trails by 50 percent. The Mittersill trails can be reached with a short climb up over "the Saddle", which gives access to the old Taft Race Course running down into the Mittersill area. Those in the know can find a pair of cutbacks of Baron's Run back to the lifts at Peabody.
The need for a climb will limit the Mittersill skiers to the more energetic, but it will ease the crowds on the Cannon slopes. A trip "over the Saddle" and back takes an hour, compared to maybe 10 minutes to run down Upper Cannon to Avalanche and catch the tram again.
One of these days, when money becomes available, a double chairlift at Mittersill is planned, running up the old Baron's Chairlift line.
It's only taken 3 years that I know of to get the paper work thru the Forest Service.
The conservation community has attempted to block the skiers thru the device of Bicknell's Thrush. This bird nests about 1200 feet in wood lot with cleared land such as ski trails, nearby. Bicknell's thrush was declared to be a species only in 1995. Prior to 1995 it was just another thrush. Shortly after being invented, Bicknell's Thrush was declared endangered, and entitled to protection under the Endangered Species Act. Fearing that passing skiers would disturb the nesting Bicknell's Thrush, the Forest Service held up the paperwork.
Upon learning that Bicknell's Thrush goes south for the winter and that sking doesn't happen in the nesting season, the Forest Service relented and did the deal.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Lawyers for Capt Jack Sparrow
In a Wall St Journal Op Ed, a couple of Washington lawyers explain the jurisdictional and legal problems that are impeding the fight against the Somali pirates. According to these guys, current law does not have any provisions for dealing with pirates, jurisdiction is unclear, they would have to be indicted and brought before civilian courts, military force cannot be used against common criminals, yadda yadda yadda.
Wow. The entire world has been emasculated by those with law school degrees.
Far as I am concerned, pirates taken red handed can be brought before a court martial and then hung from the yard arm. If the ship lacks a yard arm, firing squad will do. Any warship's captain can convene a court martial, right on the foredeck, and pass sentence then and there. Case closed.
Or do what the Indians did, sink the pirate vessel. They didn't have to worry about legal proceeding after that.
And, in this day and age of radar equipped patrol aircraft, it should not be that hard to spot the pirates at sea and deal with them. And, then we can clean out the harbors from which the pirates operate.
Evidently, dispite lots of TV coverage, the pirate problem isn't yet severe enough to cause real steps to be taken against them.
Wow. The entire world has been emasculated by those with law school degrees.
Far as I am concerned, pirates taken red handed can be brought before a court martial and then hung from the yard arm. If the ship lacks a yard arm, firing squad will do. Any warship's captain can convene a court martial, right on the foredeck, and pass sentence then and there. Case closed.
Or do what the Indians did, sink the pirate vessel. They didn't have to worry about legal proceeding after that.
And, in this day and age of radar equipped patrol aircraft, it should not be that hard to spot the pirates at sea and deal with them. And, then we can clean out the harbors from which the pirates operate.
Evidently, dispite lots of TV coverage, the pirate problem isn't yet severe enough to cause real steps to be taken against them.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Dodging the issue
Watched the Detroit CEO's (Waggoner of GM, Mulally of Ford, Nardelli of Chrysler, and Gettelfinger of UAW) on TV, in front of the Senate banking committee, begging for a bailout. They all talked, about how hard their companies had worked, how dreadful a bankruptcy would be, how just another $25 billion would save them, how much the union had given up.
None of them mentioned the $75 an hour, plush medical and cushy retirements the UAW workers enjoy, and how Toyota, Honda, and BMW pay $25 and hour less. No one mentioned the fact that Detroit's Caliber, Focus, and Cobalt don't sell as well, and don't sell for as much money as Corolla and Civic. Detroit's designs are less desirable, and it's reputation for quality has still not recovered. No one, not even the Congressmen running the hearing, dared to say a harsh word about brain dead management and overpaid workers, the real problem in Detroit.
This taxpayer was left with the impression that another $25 billion would just stave off the inevitable bankruptcy for a matter of months. The domestic car makers cannot survive with more expensive labor and less desirable products. Why waste $25 billion? Do the bankruptcy, get the labor costs down to what Toyota and Honda pay, lay off the suits, drop the poor selling models, dump the excess dealers, cancel the golden parachutes, and get some decent cars into production.
The reason the Detroit suits are begging for my money is simple. The banks won't lend to them any more 'cause the banks figure they are headed for Chapter 11, which means the loans don't get paid back. I think the banks have it right.
None of them mentioned the $75 an hour, plush medical and cushy retirements the UAW workers enjoy, and how Toyota, Honda, and BMW pay $25 and hour less. No one mentioned the fact that Detroit's Caliber, Focus, and Cobalt don't sell as well, and don't sell for as much money as Corolla and Civic. Detroit's designs are less desirable, and it's reputation for quality has still not recovered. No one, not even the Congressmen running the hearing, dared to say a harsh word about brain dead management and overpaid workers, the real problem in Detroit.
This taxpayer was left with the impression that another $25 billion would just stave off the inevitable bankruptcy for a matter of months. The domestic car makers cannot survive with more expensive labor and less desirable products. Why waste $25 billion? Do the bankruptcy, get the labor costs down to what Toyota and Honda pay, lay off the suits, drop the poor selling models, dump the excess dealers, cancel the golden parachutes, and get some decent cars into production.
The reason the Detroit suits are begging for my money is simple. The banks won't lend to them any more 'cause the banks figure they are headed for Chapter 11, which means the loans don't get paid back. I think the banks have it right.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Has CAFE killed GM?
Lot's of folk, especially those who work for GM think so. They claim that to get the average fuel mileage up, GM produces scads of econo box cars that loose money. Less CAFE, GM could concentrate on Silverado pickup trucks and Chevy Surburbans which are profitable. Right.
Unfortunately, those little econo boxes make up the bulk of the cars on the road as I drive to work each day. That swirling mass of Rt 128 traffic is three quarters small sedans, like Corolla. The real volume sellers aren't pickups and SUV's, it's econo boxes. For GM to stay in business, it has to compete in the volume market, or go out of business. Unfortunately the GM suits still don't understand this, and so they whine about CAFE making them build the type of car that most people buy.
It may be that making money in the small car business is harder than building big cars. People won't pay as much for a small car as a big car. But small cars are nearly as expensive to manufacture as big ones. Small cars have roughly the same number of parts as big ones. These parts have to be made or purchased, and assembled. Small parts cost about the same as big ones, and it takes the same amount of labor to install them. So your profit margin on small cars is always going to be tight, but plenty of companies (Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Volkswagen for example) have shown that it can be done.
The Detroit companies have to offer small cars as desirable as Civic and Corolla at competitive prices. Or go out of business.
Unfortunately, those little econo boxes make up the bulk of the cars on the road as I drive to work each day. That swirling mass of Rt 128 traffic is three quarters small sedans, like Corolla. The real volume sellers aren't pickups and SUV's, it's econo boxes. For GM to stay in business, it has to compete in the volume market, or go out of business. Unfortunately the GM suits still don't understand this, and so they whine about CAFE making them build the type of car that most people buy.
It may be that making money in the small car business is harder than building big cars. People won't pay as much for a small car as a big car. But small cars are nearly as expensive to manufacture as big ones. Small cars have roughly the same number of parts as big ones. These parts have to be made or purchased, and assembled. Small parts cost about the same as big ones, and it takes the same amount of labor to install them. So your profit margin on small cars is always going to be tight, but plenty of companies (Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Volkswagen for example) have shown that it can be done.
The Detroit companies have to offer small cars as desirable as Civic and Corolla at competitive prices. Or go out of business.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Sarah
This blog here says Sarah Palin nearly saved the McCain campaign. I was a front line party worker manning a store front HQ. Every single person who came in enthused about Sarah Palin as the greatest candidate ever. Every single one. We had two kinds of yard signs, "McCain only" left over from the primary, and "McCain-Pahlin". Everyone asked for the McCain-Palin signs. We ran thru four big cartons of McCain_Palin yard signs, whereas the mere two cartons of "McCain only" signs only moved out after we ran out of McCain-Palin signs.
I think choosing Palin was the smartest move McCain made in the whole campaign. It wasn't enough, but it was the right move.
I think choosing Palin was the smartest move McCain made in the whole campaign. It wasn't enough, but it was the right move.
Obama doesn't like guns much
The NRA sent this interesting quote around by email.
/quote
This week, it became clear that the new administration's anti-gun agenda even infects the process of staffing the administration. A widely disseminated questionnaire for those applying for administration jobs asks:
"(59) Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage."
/end quote
Hmm. Guess that disqualifies me from a job in the Obama administration. I have a few guns, all of which I've had for forty years or more, never registered them. Don't plan to either. Registration isn't required up here. Yet.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Paulson ubder the TARP
Jim Lehrer had Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson on his show last night. Lehrer's opens the discussion by saying "We have spent $350 billion on the Troubled Assets Recovery Program and nothing good has come of it. The stock market is crashing, unemployment is up and sales are down". Paulson didn't want to accept this and Lehrer gave him a good five minutes without interruption to make him case. Paulson claimed the the financial system was better and without the TARP money it would be worse, but never did he bring forth a single number to support his position. Hey we are talking about money here, and if nothing else, money can be counted. Paulson should have had figures, and graphs showing how the financial system has done since October. He didn't.
As my savings looses it value day by day, I find it hard to believe Paulson assertion that "the financial system" is getting better. Not unless he has some numbers to back up his arguments.
So then, Lehrer asks Paulson if the government should bail out GM. Good question. Paulson dodges it and makes a quibble that Congress didn't authorize a GM bailout in the TARP program.
Surely a guy like Paulson, ex Morgan Stanley CEO, has some opinion on the wisdom of handing billions of taxpayer dollars to a doomed company like GM. Why didn't he share them with us TV viewers? It's not like he needs the votes of UAW workers to get reelected.
As my savings looses it value day by day, I find it hard to believe Paulson assertion that "the financial system" is getting better. Not unless he has some numbers to back up his arguments.
So then, Lehrer asks Paulson if the government should bail out GM. Good question. Paulson dodges it and makes a quibble that Congress didn't authorize a GM bailout in the TARP program.
Surely a guy like Paulson, ex Morgan Stanley CEO, has some opinion on the wisdom of handing billions of taxpayer dollars to a doomed company like GM. Why didn't he share them with us TV viewers? It's not like he needs the votes of UAW workers to get reelected.
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