A Different Kind of Driver Education with Dad

From the May 19, 2016, Hi and Lois comic strip.

Hi's oldest son is learning how to drive.  Dad is in the car with him.

Frame 1:  dad says to son: "No texting, tweeting, chatting or skyping."

Kid:  "What's left."

Frame 2:  Dad says, "Driving while driving.

It Is So Sad I Could Cry.  --RoadDog

YOU'RE OLD IF YOU REMEMBER:  When nobody owned a pure-bred dog.  Mutts for Me.

What is the State of Labor on Labor Day?

This past weekend, we celebrated the very backbone of this country. That would be those who go out and toil with their own backs and minds and skills to make this country the great place it is. I'm not talking about those who earn money off labor or who make money on the stock market and playing futures. I'm talking about the REAL people of America.

I'm talking about the people who are really suffering today. The people who can no longer expect to live the "American Dream" because prices have increased while jobs, at least the good ones, have gone by the wayside. Those that are having a hard time buying groceries and meeting increased health care. Those who are trying to raise families while paying exorbitant day care prices.

The government likes to talk about the numbers of new jobs that are available for people. YES--MINIMUM WAGE AND FEW IF ANY BENEFITS. In the meantime, the rich get richer and the middle class is dwindling.

The days of the labor unions seem to be over as an effective force to deal with owners and CEOs.

Then, there's the horrible inflation we're having. The price of everything keeps going up. And let's not even talk about gas and Big Oil profits.

Not a Pleasant Future That We Face. --RoadDog

Now I Done Seen it ALL- $55 Bottled Water!!!

Who'd have figured that it would or could come to this. There is a bar in Chappaqua, New York, near NYC and hometown of the Clintons, that sells bottled water for prices from $3 for the common stuff, all the way to $55 for a 3/4 liter of Bling H2O. Yes the Yuppies now truly have their drink. You could save some money and ONLY spend $35 for a liter of 10,000 BC. Such a Deal!!!

Why these brands demand so much money is due to a wine term they call terroir. Don't ask me what it means. I'm not much of a wine drinker and I definitely wouldn't spend even $2 for a bottle of water. Why someone would charge the same amount for water as for a soda, where they actually had to do something with it is beyond me.

Business is so good, they're opening a second one.

Americans spend $15 billion a year on bottled water!! That's shocking. Has anyone ever heard of the tap or drinking fountains. While I was growing up, we'd drink right out of a hose. Nothing like that special taste, but when you were thirsty from playing ball, that was good enough. To my knowledge, no one has ever died by drinking out of a hose. But, I know people who think they'd die if they drink any sort of water other than bottled.

There is a big article in Wikipedia about bottled water. Some interesting things I found were that it should be at 55 degrees, kept out of the sun, and absolutely NO ice. You never know where the ice has been. Hey, until we took a trip through Europe back in 2000, I thought I could only drink iced down water, but did find I could drink it at room temperature on the bus. This was one of the hottest-ever summers on record. I'll never forget the 100 plus degrees it was in Venice the day we visited and the Death March along the River Arno in Florence.

Bottled water can be glacial, spring, well, or purified water. Sales are increasing 7 to 10% a year. In 2004, the US consumed 25.8 billion liters. Profits to the water bottling companies are at $11 billion a year (Hey, how much do they actually spend on the product. I imagine most of the cost is in packaging and delivery.).

Twenty-five percent of the bottled water sold is reprocessed municipal water. Pepsi has gotten into the fray with its Aquafina brand which debuted in Wichita, Kansas, in 1994. Coke's bottled water is Dasani which came out in 1999. One of the first bottled water was Evian mineral water from Lake Geneva, Switzerland. It was brought to the US in 1978.

What really galls me is that they usually sell a bottle of water for the same prices as a bottle of pop.

I know that more than a few members of my family are rarely seen without a bottle of water in their hand. You might even see me with a bottle of water out on the boat. but only because it eliminates the need for a cooler of ice to keep the pop cold. Again, I have learned that I can drink water at room temperature.

Water, Water, Everywhere, but How Much Do I Gotta Pay. --RoadDog