I am a policeman

[Thomas Joseph]

We were working bunko out of Hollywood when Bill took the call. Another gypsy swindle, he tells me - another defenseless innocent elderly person conned out of their life savings. We had to act fast. But gypsies are smart. They are battle-tested from years on the front lines of life. They have their own code, one of which is they don’t rat on each other. As a rule. There are always exceptions. That’s what my partner and I were looking for, that one rare exception. Finally we found it. Or should I say it found us.

Turns out the gypsy was one of our own. A comrade in arms. A fellow policeman dressing like a gypsy and using makeup to give himself that indefinable east European scum of the earth vibe. As an proud officer in one of our nations largest cities I have seen it all, but nothing makes me sicker than some piece of garbage taking advantage of our senior citizens. Child abuse is bad, no doubt about it. But let’s be honest, most kids are too young to know what’s happening to them and don’t suffer as much as our older citizens who have paid their dues a hundred times over - God bless their souls.

I knew the cop personally and delighted in arresting him. The trial has not yet taken place and I’m not allowed by law to talk about the case. Let’s just say I’ll be there to testify against him. You think I’m going take his side just because we’re both cops? No way man, I have my pride. I’m going see this joker swing. I’m going to put him behind bars for life. Then I’m going to go out and arrest even worse criminals to share his lifetime cage. It’s true I get a kick out of arresting people. But I do it for society. The kick I get from it is just a reverse form of collateral damage.

[Thomas Joseph]

Sorry, did not reformat the first post. As an officer of the law I
admit when I am wrong. It happens so rarely that it's an odd
pleasure to be wrong about something and even more so to
openly admit it. If only more people were like me think about
how great this world would be.

[Jill Mcquown]

I think it's wonderful, keep up the good work!

;)

[dsi1]

There are 8 million stories in the naked city... this has been one of them.

[Thomas Joseph]

dsi1 wrote:

> There are 8 million stories in the naked city... this has been one of them.

One of the shittier ones no doubt, but one of 8 million if not more for sure.
I used to watch "The Naked City" as a kid. I liked the theme song.

[Thomas Joseph]

dsi1 wrote:

> There are 8 million stories in the naked city... this has been one of them.

Speaking of TV shows, it amazes me there has not yet been a lottery
themed show. Remember the show "The Millionaire" from the early
60s? John Forsyth was the guy who delivered the checks to people
chosen out the phone book or whatever. All their stories were different,
how the money affects their life. I'm not talking about those stupid
real-life reenactment shows. I'm talking about pure fiction - what
COULD happen. Get really way out with it. Every week, a half hour
would be good - someone hits the lottery and the thrills both negative
and positive begin rolling in. I'm just amazed a lottery themed
fictional show has not yet taken place. Maybe a bunch of lawsuits
would take place. Like for instance if the story takes place in New
York and the winner is shown in a negative light the New York Lottery
Authority will sue the film makers for disparaging their lottery.

I want to hit the lottery but I don't want to buy the ticket.

Seriously though - I was living in L.A. before the lottery was legalized
out there. I remember getting really antsy for its debut. A part of me
genuinely believed it was ordained that I would win. I was not aware
at the time there were millions of other assholes who felt the same
way. You know what they say about people who come suddenly into
money - that they can turn into assholes. They win a bunch of money
and ditch their friends. I was so convinced I was going to hit, I gave
up all my friends in advance so I wouldn't have to share the winnings.
But I didn't win. Instead I got hooked on the lottery. Finally I ran out
of money and turned to my friends to help me out. But they weren't
my friends any longer.

[dsi1]

I don't remember the theme song at all - just that final line. Odd, ain't it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CxHcJKU8iQ

[Thomas Joseph]

dsi1 wrote:

> I don't remember the theme song at all - just that final line. Odd, ain't it?
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CxHcJKU8iQ

The line was iconic. More than the song. The song is called "Somewhere
in the Night" and I have heard it done by a variety of jazz and pop singers and
musicians. Funny, I was watching late nite TV last night - MeTv, my go to
channel - and it dawned on me (as it has before), that a lot of what they
call 'commercial' music is every bit as good if not better than the stuff the
so-called artists put out. I have a lot of respect for TV. Even if most of it
is garbage, truth is it's all about staying in business. They need to improve
every week. It's not like a movie where they just toss it out there and if it
goes over it goes over and if it doesn't it doesn't. I am talking of course
about the good shows, even the garbagey ones that are good shows
because I like them. Same with the music to lots of shows. One could
say we know these songs because we hear them all the time, we are
inundated with them. True to some extent. But a lot TV theme songs are
really well written and well performed and is really no more 'commercial'
than most of the bullshit passed off by high profile celebrities as some
kind of deep profound art.

[Thomas Joseph]

dsi1 wrote:

> I don't remember the theme song at all - just that final line. Odd, ain't it?
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CxHcJKU8iQ

I checked out your link. Thought at first it was just a promo, nothing about the
song. There were three versions and they were all instrumental. I was talking
about sung versions. I didn't want to waste a lot of time searching around so
am sending a link to Ella Fitzgerald singing the song. I don't particularly like
her version, just using it as an example to show that with some singers and
musicians, mostly jazz oriented, it was a well liked and often played song.

[Thomas Joseph]

Jill Mcquown wrote:

> I think it's wonderful, keep up the good work!
>
> ;)

Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't the ;) thing denote sarcasm or
something akin to it? That is fine with me. But I need you to
understand that my work as you call it was not just a story, it
was a lesson in life. I know it had no real story to it, at least
not on the surface. But bubbling underneath was something
profound. In order to see it and understand you need to fully
absorb it, sometimes reading the post 5, 10, or more times to
fully grasp its meaning. I agree with you, there was no story
and it sucked. But guess what? I enjoyed writing it and from
now on that's all that matters. If others enjoy it, that's a bonus.

My next story from the same cop will not be as bland. Murder,
torture, domination, and all kinds of ugliness will be revealed if
that makes you happier.

[dsi1]

The Naked City was before my time. I don't even know how I know that last line since I never saw the series. My favorite oldie TV theme would be "Peter Gunn" - of course.

[Thomas Joseph]

Whoops, I did it again. I do it a lot. When I say "Here's a link", I forget
to include the link itself.

https://youtu.be/d_FZWWsONOA

[GM]

Don't forget Route 66...!!!

--
GM

[Thomas Joseph]

dsi1 wrote:

> The Naked City was before my time. I don't even know how I know that last line since I never saw the series. My favorite oldie TV theme would be "Peter Gunn" - of course.

You know that last line because it became part of the American lexicon. By
the way, I think that is the first time I ever used the word lexicon. Hope I got
it right. Anyway, the saying became standard, like for instance if one guy is
telling another guy a sad story about himself the other guy might say, "Hey
man, there are 8 million stories in the naked city", meaning "Who the fuck
cares about your story anyway?" Just kidding, sort of. It was an expression
that got used a lot outside the actual production though. It was ICONIC.
As for me - can I leave before dragging myself into the mix? - I am an
iconoclast. I like to tear the icons apart. But if the icons deserve to be
icons, in that case I leave them alone.

[Thomas Joseph]

GM wrote:

> The Naked City was before my time. I don't even know how I know that last line since I never saw the series. My favorite oldie TV theme would be "Peter Gunn" - of course.


> Don't forget Route 66...!!!

I liked the Gunn theme song and often imagine someone who
has never heard it or watched the show turning on their car radio
while driving through down the desert straightaway with the
volume cranked up all the way - they'd have to love it. But the
other songs on the show - some good songs - were pretty blandly
done by Gunn's on-screen girlfriend singer/actress Lola Albright.
Gunn is on MeTv every late Sunday night. It is one of the most
minimalistic productions I've ever seen. It is rare to see a scene
with more than 3 people in it. Gunn's buddy the cop Jacobi has
an office which consists of some kind of certificate on the wall
and a desk with a telephone on it. I saw one episode months
ago in which a rare crowd scene (with dialogue) took place and
I thought, "Wow, they're really breaking the mold with this one."
A lot of those shows were easy to take for a variety of reasons,
one being that they were a half hour long.

As for you GM and Route 66 - I liked it as a kid but it seems
kind of forced. I know Bobby Troupe wrote it. Big deal. I took
66 many times hitch hiking and driving cross country. I think
I mentioned in here before, but I once took a really great moonlight
shit on the yellow dividing line of the famed highway outside of the
gleaming lights of Amarillo Texas in the distance. It was magical.
In those days the turds rolled out so cleanly that toilet paper was
not always needed.

[Bruce]

On Sat, 28 Jan 2023 12:50:57 -0800 (PST), Thomas Joseph
<jazee...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Jill Mcquown wrote:
>
>> I think it's wonderful, keep up the good work!
>>
>> ;)
>
>
>Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't the ;) thing denote sarcasm or
>something akin to it?

It's a smile with a lecherous tongue out of the corner of the mouth.

[Thomas Joseph]

Bruce wrote:
Thomas Joseph

> Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't the ;) thing denote sarcasm or
> something akin to it?


> It's a smile with a lecherous tongue out of the corner of the mouth.

I don't like you butting in just as Jill and I were about to become
friends. I had her talking to me, maybe for the first time - I mean
directly, not through someone else. You better hope to God you
did not ruin the chances for Jill and I to form a lasting relationship
built on compassion, honesty, and love. Human love.

Really though, I always saw the ;) thing as a way of saying "Not
really." You know, as in, "I really think you're a cool person",
followed by a loud, "NOT." I did not care for that expression.
It seems to have disappeared. It was overused to death. And
replaced I'm sure by some new and improved piece of crap
cliche.

[dsi1]

What was Studebaker’s real breakeven point?

This is arguably one of the most important unresolved questions about Studebaker’s collapse in the mid-1950s. Historians have tended to focus on research by Packard’s chief financial officer Walter R. Grant. After the automaker completed its purchase of Studebaker in late-1954, Grant came up with a breakeven figure that is usually quoted as 282,000 units per year.

James A. Ward used a slightly different number: 286,256 units. However, either figure was substantially higher than what Studebaker had reported to Packard during purchase negotiations — 165,899 units

Some historians have acknowledged that Studebaker executives questioned the accuracy of Grant’s breakeven figure. However, their perspective hasn’t been given all that much weight.

For example, Thomas E. Bonsall noted that Studebaker leaders Paul Hoffman and Harold Vance “argued that Studebaker had recorded a profit before taxes of $29.1 million in 1952 with vehicle production running at just under 200,000 units. It was a good point. Of course, much of that profit came from defense orders connected with the war in Korea and part of it was doubtless due to Studebaker’s ability to charge relatively higher prices for its cars and trucks while supplies were restricted during the emergency. Neither of those factors were in play” in 1954

Those factors sound plausible, but were they enough to compensate for passenger-car production falling more than 80,000 units below Grant’s breakeven point? That’s a pretty large gap.

Robert R. Ebert wrote that Studebaker-Packard management considered 121,000 units to be the breakeven point for passenger-car output in 1959 (2013, p. 56). How did it get that low? A useful contribution to the historical literature would be a comprehensive overview of how the automaker’s breakeven point was cut during the 1950s.

Your basic calculus makes sense. Of course, a breakeven point is generated from a variety of factors. For example, in the early-50s Studebaker had assembly plants in California, New Jersey and Canada; at what volume level might they have become unprofitable? And the South Bend plant’s layout was rather inefficient, according to Critchlow (who also noted that Vance repeatedly tried to get funds to modernize the plant but the board of directors instead chose to pump money into dividends).

At this point it doesn’t sound intuitively correct that defense work and higher passenger-car margins could make up for a 90,000-unit deficit in 1952. It would be interesting to go through the Nance papers and see if there are any indications about whether Grant’s breakeven estimate might have been pumped up to gain leverage with the UAW. I also wonder how Studebaker’s cost structure compared with Nash’s. By 1953 both fielded two distinct bodies but Studebaker was also saddled with the cost of a V8 and automatic transmission.

Historians who think that a grand merger was the best way forward don’t tend to get concrete about how the company would have made it through the late-50s, when the premium-priced market tanked. That could have been deadly even if all production had been consolidated (let’s say at Kenosha, for discussion’s sake).

[Bruce]

On Sat, 28 Jan 2023 13:24:53 -0800 (PST), Thomas Joseph
<jazee...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Bruce wrote:
>Thomas Joseph
>
>> Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't the ;) thing denote sarcasm or
>> something akin to it?
>
>> It's a smile with a lecherous tongue out of the corner of the mouth.
>
>I don't like you butting in just as Jill and I were about to become
>friends. I had her talking to me, maybe for the first time - I mean
>directly, not through someone else. You better hope to God you
>did not ruin the chances for Jill and I to form a lasting relationship
>built on compassion, honesty, and love. Human love.

Don't worry. Now that you've written these words, how could she stay
away from you?

>Really though, I always saw the ;) thing as a way of saying "Not
>really." You know, as in, "I really think you're a cool person",
>followed by a loud, "NOT." I did not care for that expression.
>It seems to have disappeared. It was overused to death. And
>replaced I'm sure by some new and improved piece of crap
>cliche.

Actually, since the dots in the :) are the eyes, the bottom eye in ;)
must be winking. In other words, Jill was smiling and winking at you.
You must be doing something right!

[Cindy Hamilton]

On 2023-01-28, dsi1 <dsi...@hawaiiantel.net> wrote:

> My favorite oldie TV theme would be "Peter Gunn" - of course.

That is a good one. I'm also quite fond of the "Perry Mason" theme.

It's not quite as old, but in the 1980s "Mike Hammer" used the
very good "Harlem Nocturne" as its theme.

--
Cindy Hamilton

[Hank Rogers]

Thomas Joseph wrote:
> Bruce wrote:
> Thomas Joseph
>
>> Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't the ;) thing denote sarcasm or
>> something akin to it?
>
>
>> It's a smile with a lecherous tongue out of the corner of the mouth.
>
>
> I don't like you butting in just as Jill and I were about to become
> friends. I had her talking to me, maybe for the first time - I mean
> directly, not through someone else. You better hope to God you
> did not ruin the chances for Jill and I to form a lasting relationship
> built on compassion, honesty, and love. Human love.
>

Sounds like back when Popeye tried to get some pussy from her
majesty. It fell through though, and he had to console himself with
a case of crystal palace, loaded into his car by a big titted young
woman.

Of course, unlike you, Popeye was not honest. He told her highness
that he was not married, when he called late at night to woo her.

Her highness was not pleased.

[Thomas Joseph]

Bruce wrote:
Thomas Joseph

> Actually, since the dots in the :) are the eyes, the bottom eye in ;)
> must be winking. In other words, Jill was smiling and winking at you.


> You must be doing something right!

You are right. I kind of figured it out on my own but thanks for
the explanation. Yes, I am making inroads when it comes to Jill.
From the very beginning, the first time I ever posted here, I remember
saying to myself, "She is the one I want, she is the one who will be my
best friend in this group." But I was wrong. She dissed me. She rejected
me. You are right though, I can feel things turning around. She is warming
to me. I don't mean to brag but I'm not trying, it just happens that way. I
have a scientist friend who knows just about everything. I asked him about
it only yesterday after telling him about the Jill/TJ developing relationship.
"Why do people keep liking me no matter what I do?, I asked him. "It's easy",
he said. He paused dramatically, raised his arm and pointed his index finger
directly into my face saying, "It's charisma man, that's all - just plain and simple
charisma." I began to ask him what charisma meant, but I didn't want to push
it took far. Plus I can always google it up. I did. I like it. I like having charisma.
Never knew I had it, never knew what it was. I hope that learning I've got it
doesn't give me a big head or turn me into an arrogant know it all type person.

[Thomas Joseph]

Hank Rogers wrote:

> Of course, unlike you, Popeye was not honest. He told her highness
> that he was not married, when he called late at night to woo her.

I enjoyed your post in full but especially the part pasted above and
even more especially the part where you say "UNLIKE YOU, Popeye
was not honest." Very observant of you. Thanks for the comp.

Oh yeah baby

[Bruce]

We'll have to wait and see. Also with regards to your inroads with
Jill.