Irrefutable Economic Common Sense

Far-reaching, Never-ending Great Recession

I don't care where you live or what you do for a living, many people and many industries are still hurting due to the ripple effects of "The Greaat Recession" that started in 2006..... got worse in 2007... and then even worse when U.S. investment banks melted down in 2008 due to an inflated and over-reaching [big] Federal Government forcing American banks to write home loans for people who could not afford to make payments if they missed a day's pay! ... and the economic carnage of all that government intrusion continues yet today. Said "liar loans" were eventually bundled and sold the the big Wall Street investment banks... only to have them become worthless due to countless borrowers being unable to pay the monthly mortgage payments.

Plus, recent labor statistics show that 7 of 8 jobs created in the last 5 years have been part-time jobs! And all those "newly created" jobs are lower paying jobs as well !!! ~ Do the math. This boads bad for all of us in today's economy.

Whatever personal difficulties or business slow-downs you are facing, economically / financially & investment-wise, know that they are not your fault.  The more people who are out of work (at any level of of income) means the less business / fewer product sales for everyone eventually.

And, if you are still working and financially secure be thankful.... be very thankful !!!!
Yes.... "The Great Recession" continues, with no end in sight. See article below . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/forgotten-madrid-suffers-tourism-slump-031827803.html  

Historically, the USA experiences a recession, on average, every 9 years... but those recessions typically last only 6 - 11 months... and we have always come out of them stronger than when we went into them. Hint ~ Think of a recession as a necessary economic burp. But this time the causes for the never-ending recession we are currently rooted in are related to "big government" intrusion (AKA: socialism) into banking & the private sector's business.

Conclusion - * "Big goverment" IS the problem.
( * 230+ years of the greatest [capitalistic] economic growth, creation of industries, jobs, wealth and military power the world has ever seen proves this fact beyond any debate. Remember... goverment has no money and creates no income of any kind other than what it takes from all of us. )

Concerned regards,

--Hillman

PS:  A learned & very wise quote by a man far smarter and more experienced than any of us . . .
“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”  - - Winston Churchill, B. 1874 - D. 1965

Bio:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill 

Strange Discovery Inside Medieval Royal Coffin

See:  http://news.yahoo.com/medieval-coffin-king-richard-iii-holds-another-coffin-152525581.html 

Additional details and historial background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Richard_III

The Automotive Future Has Finally Arrived !!!

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/12/17/radical-new-ford-f-150-reportedly-debuting-at-detroit-auto-show/

I never thought a truck could be this stylish... aggressively good looking... have the best fuel mileage rating in its class... and be so technologically advanced... all at the same time!   Well, it's finally happened, thanks to Ford, and it will be available late next year as a 2015 F250 model.   See the details in the link above... and the photos below. 

Transportation regards,

The Hillman

Famous Toledoan & World Class Athlete Dies

Frank Stranahan was the premier amateur golfer of his era who contended for majors and was the first notable player to make fitness a regimen in golf, has died.  His goal was to live to be 120.  He lived to be a very active 90 years old.  

Stranahan, who died Sunday in Hospice of Palm Beach County, FL, was regarded as the best amateur since Bobby Jones. Quattlebaum Funeral Home, which did not disclose his cause of death, said a memorial service was planned July 2.

The son of a wealthy industrialist family in Ohio - his father was the founder of Champion Spark Plug - Stranahan combined a life of privilege with his devotion to golf to win more than 50 amateur titles, including multiples wins in the British Amateur, Western Amateur and North and South Amateur.

See the following link for a detailed story and large photo gallery....
http://www.toledoblade.com/Deaths/2013/06/25/Frank-Richard-Stranahan.html 

(Note:  Like Frank Stranahan, THE HILLMAN, keeper of this humble blog, was also born and raised in Toledo, Ohio... and thus grew up hearing regularly about the exploits of Frank Stranahan and his father's mega-successful Toledo-based company, Champion Spark Plug.  The old Stanahan Estate on West Central Avenue is now a beautifil 430 acre park.  The family home is open for tours.  Also, The Stranahan Theater is the nicest venue in Toledo and NW Ohio for all types of concerts, touring Broadway shows, et cetera.) 

Respectfully,

~The Hillman

PS:  It should also be noted, in my entire life I have never heard a negative word about Frank Stranahan and his family.  He was well liked, accomplished and highly respected.  He will definitely be missed.   

New MMA / UFC Middleweight Champion !!!

This was predicted to be a great MMA fight... and it truly was.  See the link below for pics & details for UFC 162 . . .
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mma--ufc-162--chris-weidman-upsets-anderson-silva--wins-by-ko-in-second-round-044430635.html     

For the record, I have seen most of Anderson Silva's fights... and, while he is uniquely talented, I never considered him unbeatable.   In fact, I believe Silva's lucky to have had the long run he had.  Regardless, I was glad to see that Silva was gracious after his loss...  especially the way he taunted Weidman before & during the fight.

Chris Weidman is an incredible, multifaceted, MMA fighter who will be on top for a very long time. 

--Hillman

My Family's SHOW BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KEN-ERRAIR-solo-session-LP-Mint-T-807-Vinyl-1959-1st-Press-RARE-Record-/350511121376?ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123#ht_2560wt_756

The 1959 LP album [eBay auction] link above, SOLO SESSION, is by my cousin, Ken Errair, who used to sing and play trumpet with the Four Freshmen during their hey-days and was with them during their string of numerous huge hits in the 1950's. - - Actually, Ken is my 2nd cousin... as he's my mother's first cousin... and they were as close as sister & brother, so I am told. This music played constantly around my house when I was growing up.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Freshmen

At a big party at his Hollywood home in the mid-50's, Sammy Davis Jr. introduced Ken to a life-long Hollywood movie star name Jane Withers... and they eventually got married and had 2 kids... which is why Ken left the Four Freshmen, so as to stop touring and get off "the road". To raise their family, they bought Lucy & Desi's 5 acre estate out in "the valley" outside of L.A. Ken was very bright, as well as talented. I'm told he was a self-taught trumpeter, pilot, land developer and many other unique talents / skills. I only met him a few times and barely remember him because I was so young at the time. Ken started out in life as a tool & die maker in Detroit, like his father and brother. He played music in the Detroit, Michigan area and eventually joined the Four Freshmen in the early 50's, and the rest is history.

The Four Freshmen were discovered in Dayton, OH by popular "big band" leader Stan Kenton who immediately called Capitol Records and insisted that they sign the group... which they did.

Sadly, Ken died in a tragic 1968 airplane crash that he was piloting (1 of 2 planes he owned) while he was surveying land that he was considering buying and developing. He was just shy of his 40th birthday when he died. My family mother was devastated, as was the rest of our family. 

The Four Freshmen were unique in the 1950's because they all played mutiple musical instruments in addition to sing very well. Back then, in the 40's and 50's, singing "groups" were all the rage. But all those singing groups were strictly singers and did not play their own music.

Jane Withers was in movies from the time she could walk & talk... and was first 'best known' as the "little bad girl" in the Shirley Temple movies. As she got older she became a "young starlet" with leading roles.... but eventually became famous again, with an all new generation, as a character actor, most memorable as "Josephine The Plumber" on TV commercials as well as movie & TV supporting roles. Her acting credits are extremely long... see:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Withers  

I have a copy of this album shown below. It is very good, especially his trumpet playing. Ken was well liked by all who knew him... and respected by his musical peers. Jane, on the other hand, was a bit of a snob... at least she always was to my family. She was a fixture in Hollywood and my family was just a bunch of hard-working mid-westerners. She's 87 and still kicking. Her son, Ken Jr.., who I speak with on occasion, told me he and his sister finally moved Jane out of the big house in the valley and into a condo in town. BTW, Jane was a life-long collector of Hollywood memorabilia.... one of the biggest collections in Hollywood, so I'm told. Ken Jr. told me the house was packed to the gills with rare memorabilla. But I don't know what they did with it. See the mention in her Wikipedia link above regarding actor James Dean.

The Four Freshmen - rehearsing at Capitol Recording Studios - 1955

On the red carpet . . . in Hollywood, California . . .

Ken & Jane (Withers) Errair

with actress Carroll Baker & her Director/husband Jack Garfein - 1956

See:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Baker   she was stunningly beautiful!

Important to note: The Four Freshmen singing group is still together, uninterrupted, and still recording and touring yet today... (obviously with new members.)  But their music is timeless. To that point - The Four Freshmen is the longest continuing act in American recording history... (65+ years!) They also have a big active fan club called The Four Freshmen Society.  I believe the original members of the group have all died... but replacements over the years are true to their music. I think their uninterrupted popularity is testament to the greatness of their music.

Here is The Four Freshmen's current webpage with photos:  http://www.4freshmen.com/  

Here is a link to The Four Freshmen Society:  http://www.fourfreshmensociety.com/

The group is in the Vocal Hall Of Fame... and has received countlesss prestigious awards over the decades!!! 

Hope you all found this mildly interesting.

Have a good weekend.

Regards from,

The Hillman