Many of us take our garbage and toss it in a garbage can. We somehow want to deny it's existence. That trash can goes out to the curb and a big automated trash machine takes it away to the landfill, far from our own site. Or maybe if you live in the country, you know a little bit a more about trash.
You've probably burn it yourself, smelled all those toxins burn, and watched it flash up into flame. But have you sat and watched it smolder for those countless hours as those man made products are destroyed? All that hard work being consumed by flame and being reduced to ash just so you can continue to consume precious resources.
Oh, you want to buy a new car? Must be you love breathing in toxic chemicals that will give you cancer! It’s like throwing money into a fire, the depreciation is remarkable if you drive it off the lot and decide to sell it the next day. You’ll never get what you bought it for selling it used back to the dealer or even a third party. Obviously! Are you some kind of retard, a complete fool when it comes to money, somebody who wants to debt for the rest of his life and have a car payment at least until I pay off the bank in a week or so?
So the solution is the 20-year old Honda! Of course, because there are millions of gently used 20-year old Hondas out there, ready to deliver you to the mall and be perfect for running pizza deliveries to various people’s houses. 20-year old Hondas really are good for traveling in the city, where the worse thing that can happen is the car breaks down, you call a tow truck and take the bus home, and wait a few days for the mechanic to fix it up. Very economical. Of course, probably even more economical would be to call Gavin Welding and have them weld some plates on frame of Big Red and replace the bad cross members. And keep pushing that 5.3l down the road. He looks pretty sad sitting in the snow, as the rust just keeps further over his body as he sits in the field.
I decided to take a look a bit at used market, see what is being listed, particularly for big pickup trucks. The thing is pickup trucks generally get used, and not gently. Most people who buy trucks don’t lease – it’s actually pretty hard to lease a truck because dealerships don’t want to deal with banged up 3-year old trucks even if they can charge damages back to owners. The exception is might be a car rental agency like Enterprise Rent-a-Car or Hertz Car Rental, but they mostly rent sedans, SUVs, and small trucks for tourists and business travelers, not many HD trucks.
Then I realized what I was really should be looking at was not Hertz Car Rental but Herc Rentals which is a spin off of Hertz Car Rental, but leases trucks to commercial contractors. The thing is that Herc Rental vehicles get used commercially, and most have over 100,000 miles when they make it onto the used market on Herc Rentals used page. A hard 100,000 miles, as let’s be honest people in construction who drive leased company cars, probably don’t always let the engine warm up before hammering the gas, they slam the gear shifter into park, tow heavy loads, and drive a shit-ton of miles and leave the engine idling burning up the company’s gas as the lifters clunk away starved of oil from excessive idle. I mean how gentle are you with your companies’ equipment? Especially if you are burly construction worker with a bit of a temper working for a big boss man.
Another option is to buy a used car from a dealership or a lot. That is something I’m considering but options are limited especially with the big trucks. There are some werid configurations that never sell, and end up becoming loaner cars, and maybe that’s a way to save a few thousand dollars. The thing is with the auto quality today, often the trucks that don’t sell are infamous for bad transmissions or engines, the models any smart buyer would stay away from. Or that truck that was reposed for failure to pay. Do you think all maintance was preformed and driven gently with a repo? All for saving a few thousand dollars. Doesn’t strike me as worth it.
Reliability aside, I want to get a camper shell and other equipment for my new rig which can’t necessarily be transfered from truck to truck. It makes more sense to have a vehicle that will last for many years, and a reliable new vehicle will last longer then a used vehicle. The 10-speed Ford trannys are bad, but supposedly the latest model year has upgraded clutches which are more reliable. The 7.3L is said to be a real work horse, it like to drink gas on city streets, but is said to easily make 200,000 miles or more – with an asterisk about lifter issues in some commercial uses. But not like lifter issues in Chevy’s, and far less then other major makes that use “advanced” technologies like displacement on demand, supercharging, auto-stop shut-off. And I just really want a big truck without having to pay for a lift kit or deal with lift kit issues.
I know I am just trying to rationalize buying a new HD truck. I mean, I’m the one who is so frugal that I ride my bike to work avoid a $1.30 bus fare, lives in an apartment paying the County Welfare Department rate, and keep my heat at 47-50 degrees all winter exception when it’s exceptionally cold and refuse all subscriptions from internet to television to trash hauling. One who invests more then half of his six-figure income each year in stocks, bonds, and CDs. But I want to get a good rig that will last, with the most reliable power train avaliable, that best suits my needs. Probably for buyers of a 20-year old Honda, then it makes sense to buy used. If you only care that are car gets you to the mall or delivers pizzas out back, then that’s car for you. But I’ve worked for many years, built a career, invested and saved for many years, sacrificed many things for a nice truck that will serve me many years in wilderness, just like Big Red did.
… is one that is only 28 days with each weekday slotting into exactly four weeks.
In the 21st century (2001–2100), February has exactly 28 days and starts on a Sunday in the following years:
2009
2015
2026
2037
2043
2054
2065
2071
2082
2093
2099
Frequency and Rules
This specific calendar alignment—known as a perfect month—occurs only in common years (non-leap years). It follows a repeating cycle of 6, then 6 and 11 years (e.g., 2015 + 11 = 2026; 2026 + 11 = 2037).
Leap Year Exception: Years such as 2004, 2032, 2060, and 2088 also have February 1st falling on a Sunday, but because they are leap years, February has 29 days rather than 28.
End of Century: The year 2100 is technically a common year (28 days in February) because centurial years must be divisible by 400 to be leap years. However, February 1, 2100, will fall on a Monday, not a Sunday.
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his prophetic "Mountaintop" speech in this church in Memphis, Tennessee, on the eve of his assassination--April 3, 1968.
Mason Temple served as a focal point of civil rights activities in Memphis during the 1950s and 1960s. Mason Temple was built between 1940 and 1945 as the administrative and spiritual center of the Church of God in Christ, the second largest black denomination. The temple is the centerpiece of a group of six buildings that form the church's world headquarters. Mason Temple is a vast concrete building capable of seating 7,500 people on two levels. The temple, designed with simplified Art Moderne styling and detail, was constructed for regular services as well as to house the annual national convention of church representatives.
So much of the zero-waste movement is caught up in consumerism …
I am often appalled by the embrace of consumerism by the zero waste movement — the bamboo tooth brushes, the metal straws, the compostable and organic products — that are hallmarks of the industry movement. Rather then a focus on reducing consumption, making do with what you have, saving and investing, buying in bulk and with less packaging.
