And then there were these guys and new stuff

FROM FORBES.COM

Dozens of the world's wealthiest lost billions in recent months, but these 10 distinguish themselves for some of the biggest flops.

It was a dreadful year for the world's wealthiest as markets and currencies around the world tumbled.

More than 300 of the 1,125 billionaires we tallied on our annual list last March have since lost at least $1 billion; several dozen lost more than $5 billion. The 10 richest from our 2008 rankings dropped some $150 billion of wealth, dragged down by steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, estranged brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani and property baron K.P. Singh, who together dropped $100 billion. America's 25 biggest billionaire losers of 2008 lost a combined $167 billion.
More from Forbes.com: • In Pictures: Billionaire Blowups, 2008 • In Pictures: America's 25 Biggest Billionaire Losers • In Pictures: The Biggest CEO Firings of 2008

But even in such an awful year, the stories of a few billionaires and now former billionaires stand out as particularly dreadful.


Take David Ross, one of the U.K.'s most successful entrepreneurs. Earlier this month, Ross notified four public companies in which he was a major shareholder and director that he had borrowed against his shares to fund real estate investments that had soured. He will likely have to sell some of those stakes to pay off his debts. So far he has resigned from three of the four boards and stepped down from his post as an Olympics adviser. His fortune, which we estimated at $1.4 billion in March, is now worth about $150 million.

AMAZING WHEN YOU THINK HE WAS A BACK-UP CATCHER FOR THE DODGERS JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS AGO.


Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, former chairman and a large shareholder in Landsbanki, Iceland's second largest bank, saw the firm seized in October as the worst of the credit crisis tore through the island nation. The failure wiped out his $1.1 billion fortune. He has since had to put his holding company, Hansa, into voluntary liquidation and is selling his U.K. soccer team, West Ham.

Russians were some of the biggest losers in the past year. Vladimir Lisin's Novolipetsk Iron and Steel is down three-fourths since its June peak. Dmitry Rybolovlev's fertilizer company, Uralkali, has fallen 90% since it peaked around the same time.

But those losses pale compared with the troubles facing Oleg Deripaska. In March he was the world's ninth richest person and Russia's richest man, with a fortune we estimated to be worth $28 billion. Since then Deripaska has been forced to sell shares in Canadian carmaker Magna International and German construction firm Hotchief, and had to borrow $4.5 billion from a state-controlled bank to hold on to his stake in Norilsk Nickel. He will likely sell off additional assets to avoid losing even more of his fortune, now estimated at $10 billion. Or less.

THE FACT THAT RUSSIANS CAN LOSE SO MUCH MONEY IS PROBABLY THE REAL STORY.

The biggest loser of all was Anil Ambani. Touted on the cover of our 2008 billionaires issue for having added $24 billion to his fortune in one year, Ambani has dropped $30 billion since then. But don't worry too much. His Reliance Entertainment is investing $500 million in a new studio venture with Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks. Plus, he remains quite wealthy, worth $12 billion That's something many others can't claim.

THIS POOR GUY IS ONLY WORTH $12 BILLION. I hope he can afford gas for his 200 cars and three airplanes and his 250 foot yacht.

It sounds like Bjorgolfur Gunmundson is in the most dire straits because he's had to sell his scorer team and when rich guys have to sell sports teams than you know things are bleak.

It's so funny when you think about all the economic problems, both domestically and globally, and then you take special note of the NEW YORK YANKEES and how much they've spent.
Obviously the Steinbrenner family was shorting the market.

I think you and I are the only people not signed by the Yankees to a contract and you probably have feelers out regarding why you are included with me on.....anything.

Besides signing Manny...I think the Dodgers need to sign Nomar. He will be a manager someday, if he wants, so why not have a player coach on the bench.

I don't feel too bad for the billionaires and their recent problems but that's simply because 2008 left me with my own problems and if I've learned anything it's that one's own problems are much more pressing than someone else's.

Not necessarily more important...just more pressing. And the pressing takes place right behind the eyes and sometimes in the back of the neck.

My New Year's Resolution
is to reduce
the PRESSING.

All it will take is some slight alterations in the way that people view my artistic endeavors...but of course that might not happen... so robbing liquor stores is still an option.

HOMELAND SECURITY PROBABLY DOESN'T THINK THAT'S FUNNY AND THE FUNNY THING IS THEY PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW THAT I MADE THAT BAD JOKE....and oh my God....there's someone pounding at my front door.

Time to go into 2009 time warp...all I have to do is wait a little over 12 hours and the time machine will activate and I'll be there.

DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE TONIGHT BECAUSE MY TIME MACHINE IS VERY SENSITIVE TO AGGRESSIVE INTRUSIONS WITHIN THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM...especially in the Santa Monica area.

Happy New Year

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Guess it's the thing to do

With two days left in the year every publication is listing the best and worst of 2008.

Obviously events can be separated by the obvious.

SPORTS and POLITICS seem to dominate the news with ENTERTAINMENT following close behind.

CRAZY MOMENTS, like the recent Santa Claus dude in Covina, shouldn't make any type of list because that only fuels the insane fire within next year's potential candidates.

Basically I'll stick to the obvious BIG TWO and select the one person who had the greatest year of his or her life.

The TOP dogs would be Barack Obama and Michael Phelps.

2008 for both of these PLAYERS will always remain a great year simply due to results.

Michael can't really experience defeat again until 2012 in London so he's probably in the best position to reap rewards from his achievements in 2008.

Barack could be experiencing extreme problems and trouble by January 21st....

I believe if you asked most people who they would rather be....Michael Phelps or Barack Obama
Michael would win over Barack.

At this point in history and at this time of economic uncertainty and at this juncture of environmental problems and questions....being President of the United States seems like a rather challenging job and he probably can't win for winning...

...while being an EIGHT time Gold Medal winner from Beijing is just a freaking cake walk of endorsements and guest appearances.

HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO DO WHAT HE DOES FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS AND IN REALITY HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY EVER HAVE TO IT AGAIN.

If he never went into another swimming pool his legacy is completely set.

Barack, on the other hand, won the biggest GOLD MEDAL and by March he could be screaming for a life raft.

I assume that they are many people in politics that would like to be President of the United States
but .....
there is a very high percentage of those same people who are very grateful that IT isn't happening right now.

And on top of everything else it appears that Israel is apparently in the midst of reminding Barack what he faces in the Middle East....

even though they claim this GAZA ACTIVITY has been in the planning stages for two years.

There's is always more to every story than we, as the general public, are allowed to know.

It just seems odd that our President Elect is on a much needed vacation...and our outgoing President is anxiously packing for Dallas...and Israel picks this IN BETWEEN moment to settle some ongoing issues.

But I guess it's the thing to do...and I've always believed that Israel doesn't make aggressive gestures without full knowledge of Washington....

but most of Washington D.C is on vacation....so there's that thing to consider.

OF COURSE I COULD BE WRONG ABOUT THAT BELIEF

The more I think about it the more I am convinced that MICHAEL PHELPS had the greatest year of anyone...because it can never come back to bite him in the ass.

Barack Obama has herds and packs of vicious predators barking at his heels and 2008 could end up being a year that he and his family totally regret.

Hopefully not
but
POLITICS is such a strange business....
but then again, you already knew that.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

MORE BOWL NONSENSE

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL
W. Virgina 30 North Carolina 27 WV 31 NC 30 W
CHAMPS SPORT BOWL
Florida State 27 Wisconsin 14 FS 42 WISC 13 W
EMERALD BOWL
Cal 31 Miami 30 CAL 24 M 17 W
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
La. Tech 38 Norther Illinois 24 LT 17 NI 10 W
PAPA JOHNS.COM BOWL
Rutgers 24 North Carolina State 21 RUTGERS 29 NCS 23 W
ALAMO BOWL
Missouri 39 Northwestern 21 M 30 NW 23 W
HUMANITARIAN BOWL
Maryland 24 Nevada 14 M 42 N 35 W
TEXAS BOWL
Rice 24 Western Michigan 17 RICE 38 WM 14 W
HOLIDAY BOWL
Oregon 28 Oklahoma State 27 O 42 OS 31 W
ARMED FORCES BOWL
Air Force 35 Houston 28 H 34 AF 28 L
SUN BOWL
Oregon State 31 Pitt 21 OS 3 Pitt O W
MUSIC CITY BOWL
Boston College 34 Vanderbilt 24 V 16 BC 14 L
INSIGHT BOWL
Kansas 35 Minnesota 28 K 42 MINN 21 W
CHICK-FIL0A BOWL
Louisiana State 14 Georgia Tech 13 LS 38 GT 3 W
OUTBACK BOWL
Iowa 27 South Carolina 24 I 31 SC 10 W
CAPITOL ONE BOWL
Georgia 35 Michigan State 24 G 24 MICH 12 W
GATOR BOWL
Nebraska 24 Clemson 21 N 26 C 21 W
ROSE BOWL
USC 27 Penn State 24 USC 38 PS W but L (POINTS)
ORANGE BOWL
Cincinnati 17 Virginia Tech 14 VT 20 CINN 7 L
COTTON BOWL
Texas Tech 35 Mississippi 27 MISS 47 TT 34 L
LIBERTY BOWL
Kentucky 27 East Carolina 21 K 25 EC 19 W
SUGAR BOWL
Alabama 38 Utah 24 UTAH 31 ALAB 17 L
INTERNATIONAL BOWL
Connecticut 28 Buffalo 21 CONN 38 BUF 20 W
FIESTA BOWL
Texas 35 Ohio State 20 TEXAS 24 OS 21 W
GMAC BOWL
Ball State 24 Tulsa 23 TULSA 45 BS 13 L
BCS CHAMPIONSHIP BOWL
Florida 34 Oklahoma 31 FLORIDA 24 OKLA 14 W

AGAIN I REPEAT....I HAVE NEVER WAGERED ON A COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME
SO DON'T EVEN BEGIN TO THINK THAT I HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT I'M DOING
BUT
THE ROSE BOWL IS A PRECISE AND EXACT PREDICTION BASED ON INSIDER KNOWLEDGE.
AND OF COURSE IT'S THE ONLY GAME I REALLY CARE ABOUT....SO MY PREDICTION
WILL
PROBABLY BE
EXACT

SO SILLY
but often times it is very important to take your mind off of the front page and the business page....and right now...especially the business page.

I feel sorry for the people in our culture who don't know how to use sports to subjugate reality onto the back burner of our brains.

It really is important to do from time to time and it really does work.

Taking a break from the harsh realities of global problems can be achieved in many different ways and watching a sporting event is high on the list for many alpha males.

More women are starting to follow sports but it seems that most women just regard the entire sport watching endeavor as a complete waste of time...but also a time to do things for themselves while their men are preoccupied.

THE COLLEGE BOWL SEASON IS A MAJOR PREOCCUPATION

It's actually a lot like Christmas
BUT
a lot less expensive.

Where's the remote?
Hand me a beer.

GO TROJANS


Michael Timothy McAlevey

Telephoto lens works well.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/12/23/nasa.space.images/index.html

It's amazing that many people get nervous when they view the Earth from this perspective.

I personally love this view

Michael Timothy McAlevey

ORANGES ARE GREENING

Suddenly the word GREENING has a very negative connotation...

Especially in the world of ORANGE GROVES in BRAZIL and apparentlly soon coming to the United States

It is referrrd to as Citrus Greening

AND LO AND BEHOLD THE BUG THAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM ORIGINATED IN
CHINA

FROM THE LA TIMES ARTICLE BY CHRIS KRAUL

Known as HUANGLONGBING, citrus greening is transmitted by aphid-like bugs
the size of rice grains. They suck fluid out of the tree leaves and they leave a bacteria that paralyzes a tree's vascular system, cutting the flow of sugar and carbohydrates from leaves to the roots.

The result is a tree too weak to grow healthy fruit. Oranges shrink and take on a highly acidic taste.

The problem is once a farmer sees the greening taking place it is too late and the entire grove is already doomed.

I can't believe that research scientists aren't able isolate the bug...especially Chinese scientists, since they've had much longer to deal with the problem. Maybe they just decided to send the little f..kers away and let other countries worry about it.

Thanks China for the swell present.

Pretty soon a small orange juice at your local diner will be about $25.00

This story makes me nervous the same way CCD (Colony Collaspe Disorder)
makes me nervous.

BEES AND ORANGE JUICE DISAPPEARING FROM OUR PLANET CAN NOT BE A GOOD THING.

Let's just demand that governments fix these problems....and fix them now.

SIMPLE DEMAND in non-simple times
coming from those of us with simple little minds

JUST FIX THE F--KING THINGS!

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Down but still 30 to go AND THEN THERE'S MADOFF

Yesterday I predicted the first four bowl games and won 1 and lost three.
I did pick the exact number of points that Fresno State and Memphis would score...but the rent gets paid when you pick the winner and yesterday I could have been evicted.

There are much more important things to consider then college bowl games...but here's a few more of the games. I'll do the main ones later in the week.


New Orleans Bowl 12/21 Troy by 4 1/2 over Southern Miss
Troy 34- SM 21
SM 30 TROY 27 L
Poinsettia Bowl 12/23 TCU by 2 1/2 over Boise State
Boise State 24- TCU 21 Boise just can't get any respect
TCU 17 BOISE 16 W
Hawaii Bowl 12/24 Notre Dame by 1 1/2 over Hawaii
Hawaii 27 ND 25 BUT seriously ND should win by 20 (WHICH THEY DID)
ND 49 HAWAII 21 L
Motor City Bowl 12/26 Central Michigan by 6 over Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic 39 CM 24 Florida Atlantic just can't get any respect
FA 24 CM 21 W

EIGHT DOWN AND 26 TO GO

********************************


MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER

THE NAME

BERNIE MADOFF....

HAS SUDDENLY BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME...ESPECIALLY IN HOUSES THAT ARE CELEBRATING HANUKKAH.

I'm trying to figure out how this could have gone on for so long. I understand Ponzi schemes working for a few months...maybe even a few years...but this guy made it work for 20 to 30 years.

HOW could so many intelligent people not ask for more precise accounting of their funds?

I guess the old adage...
if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably isn't...
REALLY applies here.

$50 BILLION DOLLARS???????????????????
With monthly statements written on stationary with his letterhead?
HUH??????????????

How much different is what he did then what Michael Milken did?

I presume the main difference is that Milken was investing in something and Madoff was investing in nothing.

It's strange to consider these guys and their names....
MILKEN as in MILKING
MADOFF as
MAD OFF

BERNIE MADOFF WILL MAKE PEOPLE TOTALLY FORGET MICHAEL MILKEN AND HIS JUNK BOND DEALIO....most people probably have already forgotten and the Milken Foundation continues to be worth millions and millions of dollars and the sacrifice he made was a few years in jail and prostate cancer.

THE REAL BAD GUYS HERE...BESIDES THE KNOWN BAD GUY, MAD OFF...IS
THE
SEC
SECURITY AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

These dipsh.ts are supposedly in existence to protect the public from being hoodwinked by highly intelligent money managers. Forget the not so highly intelligent money managers because they will trip themselves up.

THE SMART ONES ARE HARDER TO NAP BUT THAT IS WHY THE SECURITY AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WAS CREATED.

TO MAKE SURE IRREGULARITIES DO NOT TAKE PLACE ON A GRAND SCALE.

There is no excuse for not catching this bozo sooner because there are reports that in 1999 something was amiss...but they (SEC) claim they don't have enough employees to monitor the entire system.

HOW ABOUT JUST MONITORING THE ONES THAT GET MENTIONED?????

HOW HARD COULD THAT BE?

It's almost like the commissioners were investing with Mad off and the returns were just too good to past up.

THE MAD OFF STORY WILL GET STRANGER AND STRANGER BUT THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WILL
SLIDE

and
that's
the
real
crime

Michael Timothy McAlevey

BOWL PREDICTIONS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAMES START TOMORROW.

Most likely I will watch 5 bowl games...maybe 6.
There will only be one bowl game where I don't touch the remote.
If you don't know by now...that would be the USC vs. Penn State game, which is also known as the BCS Rose Bowl game.

I will tune in to 75% percent of the games but most likely will only watch the fourth quarter of the close games.

I think I'm an average college football fan. I'm not over the top except for the Trojans and I couldn't really care who wins the Championship game between Florida and Oklahoma.

I just want to see a good game...just like you.

What I do a bit different is PREDICT the outcome of all the bowl games.
Last year I picked every game correctly...
...and in 2009 I promise to completely stop lying and making up ridiculous things of which what I just said is a big one of those things...

BUT THE TRUTH IS I DO FAIRLY WELL IN MY PROGNOSTICATIONS...keeping in mind that anything above 50% means profit. Sometimes I average in the 70 percent range and I've been known to be in the 80 percent range.

THIS YEAR THERE ARE THE MOST BOWL GAMES EVER PLAYED
34
THE MORE GAMES THE LOWER THE WINNING PERCENTAGE
SO
BE CAREFUL WHEN CALLING YOUR BOOKIE
BUT
IF THIS IS ONE OF THOSE GREAT YEARS
FOR PREDICTING...
THEN WATCH OUT!

GAME and PREDICTION
EAGLE BOWL 12/20
WAKE FOREST BY 3 OVER NAVY ......NAVY 24 WF 21
WF 29 NAVY 19 L

NEW MEXICO BOWL 12/20
FRESNO SATE BY 2 1/2 OVER ............FS 35 CS 32
COLORADO STATE CS 40 FRESNO 35 L

ST. PETERSBURG BOWL 12/20
SOUTH FLORIDA BY 12 1/2 OVER.......SF 38 M 14
MEMPHIS SF 41 M 14 W

LAS VEGAS BOWL 12/20
ARIZONA BY 3 OVER BYU................... BYU 27 A 24
A 31 BYU 21 L


And those are the Saturday Bowl games....I'm going to spend a bit more time studying the remaining 30 games...but let's see how the first four go.

I MUST REMIND EVERYONE TO GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT I HAVE NEVER WAGERED ONE DIME ON A COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME IN MY LIFE....

I think....

MICHAEL TIMOTHY MC ALEVEY

MORE ACDC TRIPPING

Continued from Yesterday.... Please read December 14 before reading this

PAGE EIGHT

We then proceed to Balley's where Mike has his room comped
and I end up playing penny slots
and giving a few bucks to the "Desert Cause Foundation"
The "Desert Cause"
helps to maintain the
opulence
&
decadence
and also helps pay the
energy
bill.

I'm pleased that I could help out but I gave much less than normal which is probably due to having much less than normal. I do have some money in my pocket as we leave Vegas so I've got that going for me. There have been times where I wasn't satisfied until I gave it all to the Desert Cause.

PAGE NINE

The KIA only goes so fast and sounds like a large vacuum cleaner when Mike passes someone on the highway. We are rushing to his house so that I can watch the USC/UCLA football game. The only interesting site on the way was the new bridge at the Hoover Dam. Wild construction job going on there but of course they are used to major endeavors at that spot.

We arrive at Mike's house in Humboldt, Arizona at 3:05 pm. There are 23 seconds left in the first half and the Trojans are leading 21-7.

Final Score was 28-7
so I missed 4/5's of
the
scoring
BUT
ROSE BOWL
IS
SECURED

Now let me show you the neighborhood of Mike's new house.
I DO A DRAWING HERE BUT YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION
Suffice to say nothing is clumped together.....nothing.

HUMBOLDT, ARIZONA is almost two hours north of Phoenix. Mike's closest neighbor is somewhere over that hill. The view is wide and expansive and one can see dwellings off in the distance.

And please keep in mind that Mike is the most gregarious person that I have ever known in my life.

PAGE TEN

The front of the house is done in a "Hacienda" style. The inside of the house is slightly more traditional and extremely warm and friendly.

And
completely the
creation of
JULIANNE

Julianne is Mike's lady for the last 15 years....actually 18 but 15 with legalities included.

They got married in the
worse year of my
life

1994

I was the best man at their wedding
and most likely it was
an "event" decision.

An "EVENT" is something
that divides time periods
in one's life
FEBRUARY OF 1994 WAS AN "EVENT" TIME PERIOD

But no reason to talk about that right now

The "McGIFFIN HACIENDA
is
the
story

PAGE ELEVEN

To have a house like this in the middle of nowhere is

* INTERESTING
* STRANGE
* PIONEER SPIRIT QUEST MOTIVATED
and it works for them
and
it's the ultimate
dwelling phrase for
me.

I WOULD LOVE TO VISIT BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE THERE

Perhaps I'd feel different if I cared about my privacy....

Santa Monica
is about as private as I get

BUT
it's important
to
note

BEING A PROPERTY OWNER
WAS NEVER A GOAL OF MINE

for whatever reason
and
FOR SURE
one of my major
flaws

BUT THE FLAW LIST WOULD FILL UP AN ENTIRE OTHER JOURNAL

PAGE TWELVE

And this journal should be a bit more upbeat and flaws really have a way of bringing everything

down


Sunday morning at 6:30 Mike and I leave for the Peddler's Corner Swap meet in Prescott Valley. Space cost $13.00 and six figure Mike likes to go every weekend and sell, sell, sell.
He mainly sells stuff from his garage and there's still plenty of Dorthea's stuff.
Dorthea is Mike's mom who passed away two years ago
and left a house full of stuff.
SOME GREAT STUFF
AND
SOME
REGULAR STUFF

Today Mike netted
$35.00
and
said
"It was $35 dollars that I didn't have before."

BEAUTIFUL
ECONOMIC
OUTLOOK

SERIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL

The swap meet could be summarized by this statement.

I met more Viet-Nam veterans in 4 hours
at "Peddlers Swap Meet" than I've met
in my entire life

again

SERIOUSLY

PAGE THIRTEEN

The guy on our left had some interesting watches and actually published a book on how to recognize collectible watches. His name is Greg Russell.

The guy on our right had various firearms and sold a Walther to a 65 year old woman when I was standing at his booth. She looked at me and asked if I had fired one of those. My answer was "James Bond and I both love that gun...it's a hoot." She pulled out 5 one hundred dollar bills and then asked if he had any ammo. He didn't, which makes a ton of sense to me. Better to go to another booth for ammo just so you have time to reconsider anything on your mind that might not be healthy or wise. I didn't catch his name.

ALL THE VETS
WERE
SERIOUS
BUT
EXTREMELY
WARM
AND
FRIENDLY

I probably could have started a small war by explaining what I was doing during Viet-Nam

I actually thought about
it
for a few moments
BUT
GUNS
ARE
A
DETERRENT
and don't let anybody tell you different

I personally don't think guns should be allowed inside the Ozone layer of Earth but that idea is way past the point of no return so for now I'll just shut up and help Mike pack his van. (The KIA is way to small for swap meets) We leave with $35.00 profit and get back to Mike's 62 inch HD television just in time to watch the RAMS

THE RAMS ARE PLAYING TO
SECURE A PLAYOFF SPOT

PAGE FOURTEEN

FOR
THE
PHOENIX CARDINALS

First time in 35 years that Cardinals can win their division, and the fact that the St. Louis Rams are the door mat for that accomplishment is rather strange.

The St. Louis Cardinals
still exist
but
it's
a baseball team

The St. Louis Cardinal football team moved to Phoenix so that the Los Angeles Rams could move to St.Louis in order to have nobody move to LA. The only thing moving to LA are more people....but I guess 15 Million is just not a big enough market for the NFL.

And
to
make
it
even weirder

Kurt Warner is the Quarterback for Phoenix....and Kurt Warner was the quarterback on the only Ram's Super Bowl victory.......odd stuff.

After the game is over Phoenix is dancing in the streets. It's their first professional football achievement.

An "Event"

A sporting "Event" but
an "Event"
never
the
less

It's nice watching the news and seeing so many people happy but I keep wondering why Prescott Valley became a Viet-Nam Veterans destination. I imagine I could figure it out if I wanted but I'd rather figure out how to get my art to the the Peddler's Swap meet. It's a long haul from Santa Monica and it's rather cold up here right now. Maybe I'll wait until spring but by then gas will probably be back to $4.00 a galleon. It's under $2.00 right now and that's amazing.

PAGE 15

Which brings me to another question

OIL is
$48.00
A
BARREL

IT HAD BEEN
$140.00
LESS THAN 3 MONTHS AGO

which was due to the large demand of
CHINA
and
INDIA's
new middle class explosion

QUESTION
Does $48.00 a barrel mean that China and India have halted their middle class explosion and no one is suddenly driving cars anymore... and the people have decided to ride bicycles to work...or walk?

HUH?

A Side-Bar to the Viet-Nam vets.

Greg, the vet, told me that we actually won the Viet-Nam war
because we introduced Capitalism to their belief system and it
just took a while longer for it to catch hold.
"It is now a Communist country with Capitalistic mentalities"

WOW
He actually might be right
in many
ways

but

PAGE 16

I
believe
it
would
have
happened
without
sacrificing
50,000 +
American lives

But if I was a Viet-Nam Vet I would think exactly like Greg

It's a healthy way
to
remember
an
"EVENT"

And Viet-Nam was a Global "Event" that lasted from 1964 to 1973.
Usually an "Event" happens
very quickly
but there are exceptions to the rule.


PAGE SEVENTEEN

December 9 2008
Jerome, Arizona

We went to the
Spirit Bar
to
visit
some of
Sean's ashes

but they changed the decor and
the Bartender was from Hell

Julianne and I left after 30 seconds but Mike stayed to have a Bloody Mary and then confirmed that she (The Bartender) was indeed from Hell.

The memory of that night in June of 1994 remains a vivid and positive memory and a current Bartender from Hell can never change that reality....and besides then we stumbled on the "Kaleidoscope"store....The Nellie Bly... and it totally made us forget about the Bartender.

Check it out at www.nbscopes.com


PAGE EIGHTEEN

Jerome is a tourist destination that one should go to on their way to Sedona before heading to the...........

GRAND CANYON

which I am not doing currently but I know it's the trip to make for most people.

HIGHLY SUGGEST
A
ROAD TRIP
WITH
THOSE
THREE
DESTINATIONS

Then we headed back to Dewey-Humboldt and Prescott Valley. Prescott has some historical interest. Apparently Wyatt Earp had a wood mill in Prescott before heading to

TOMBSTONE
with
his
bro's
and
DOC HOLLIDAY

PAGE NINETEEN

December 11, 2008

Currently sitting on an airplane in Phoenix waiting to taxi out and head to LA

I say HEAD TO
because anything
is
possible
when
one
flies
and
after last night's show
I guess I could go
without a lot of complaints

THE SHOW WAS A COMPLETE AC DC EXPERIENCE and

a
complete
AC DC
EXPERIENCE
IS
SOMETHING
TO BE
EXPERIENCED

THEY WERE BETTER THAN THE LAST TIME I SAW THEM
IN

2000
AND THEY WERE BETTER
THAN WHEN I SAW THEM
IN
1996

WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BECAUSE IN 2000 AND 1996 THEY WERE....




PAGE TWENTY

...PERFECT

PAGE TWENTY ONE

Still 12-11-2008

Back home and now it's time to slip into Christmas mode

I've had my present
and
now
it's
time to
give

The AC DC experience ended with a bus trip home from the airport with multiple side stories. Might be the most entertaining quarter I've ever spent.....a quarter from LAX to Santa Monica might be the best travel deal in America. The driver was a General and had to deal with multiple deserters....it was wild.

BUT
I'M
HOME
AND
I
STILL
HEAR
"THE BOYS"
IN
MY
HEAD
AND
THEY
STILL
SOUND
PERFECT.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

JOURNAL TRANSCRIPTION

THIS IS THE FIRST JOURNAL TRANSCRIPTION THAT I HAVE EVER ATTEMPTED...
MY JOURNAL'S HAVE DESIGNS AND DRAWINGS THAT WON'T BE INCLUDED BECAUSE THEY ARE PART OF THE "EXPERIENCE" OF KEEPING A HAND-WRITTEN JOURNAL.

I SUPPOSE I COULD SCAN THE PAGES OF THE JOURNAL BUT I JUST DON'T WANT TO....

KIND OF ROCK & ROLL ATTITUDE.... which corresponds quite nicely with the content of this

"ARTICLE"

PAGE 1

DECEMBER 5 2008

The AC DC "Trip"
or
The AC DC Excursion
or
Riding the AC DC "Bus from Hell".....which could be their next hit single

However or whatever it's called
it's the first time in four years
that I've traveled out of
California

And then when I stop to think about it I realize I went to North Carolina in 2006

BAD TRIP

trying to forget about it
&
obviously successful

PAGE 2

But this
trip
is
for
something

special

AND I WILL REMEMBER IT FOR A VERY LONG TIME

If I treat this as my ACDC blog
then I will be able to update
when I return to my
computer

obviously being one
of the few people
without
a
laptop

A dear friend lent me a laptop awhile back and it burned my legs because I was using it in bed and the battery was flawed....had to call the paramedics but of course I'm just kidding....but it did get freaking hot.

PAGE 3

The beginning of the trip starts at the Greyhound Station in downtown LA which is a story within a story. In the station, while waiting, I sit next to the only people who look like me...maybe it was subconscious maybe it wasn't...and they turn out to be two college kids from Melbourne traveling to Las Vegas and beyond. Thank God I had just seen Australia so we had a nice chat and I blew smoke up their ass because I loved the movie and am now an expert on their country....thanks again BAZ.

Not really sure if I've ever taken a bus to another state.......Pretty sure, in fact, that I haven't.
And using really and pretty in the same sentence is really pretty.....while at the same time being really pretty lame.

The first leg of my trip is a bus to Las Vegas
The second leg will be in a KIA in Humboldt-Dewey, Arizona
The third will be a KIA to Phoenix.

At this point I have no idea how I will get back to Santa Monica but hopefully that will happen on the 11th or 12th

ACDC Concert
is
DECEMBER 10th

ROCK & ROLL
"WOW"

PAGE 4

But First.....

The bus for Dogs
pulls out at
10:05
Headed for Vegas

A young white Lil Wayne impersonator sits behind me with his girlfriend and tells me I look like Clint Eastwood. His African American overweight babe says he is crazy and I don't look anything like Clint........I agree with her and hunker down in a window seat third row from the back. A grayish haired woman decides that I'm not going to bite and sits on the aisle seat.

Next stop
Barstow!

But suddenly we pull into Union Station......had I known I would have started in this Historic building.

Keeping in mind that anything
historic in LA is
pre-1940

But for future reference and as a suggestion.....Union Station is the place to start a trip.

We pick up one passenger and now

off to Barstow
I think

PAGE 5

Then we stop in El Monte and pick up one guy at the Metro Station. It seems weird but then again I'm on a Bus to Vegas so weird might not be the right description.

It's now about 10:40 and we've made it to El Monte
and the bus appears to be full...I can't really see any empty seats up front but
it could be full of short people.

At about 11:05 we stop in Claremont and pick up one guy....the guy has turret's but his hair is really nice. He sits two rows in front of me in a window seat that I hadn't noticed was empty.
Obviously my BOL (Bus Observation Level) needs some work.

"Barstow is the next stop
where we will get a
30 minute
recess"

The Bus Driver stands and delivers this message because his speaker system doesn't work. He reminds us "that numerous people have been stranded in Barstow because they didn't get back to the bus on time and he says that if your destination is Las Vegas...then Barstow will prove to be a disappointment. Hopefully all of us will arrive in Vegas at 4:00."

PAGE SIX

I basically read the latest "Jack Reacher"novel by Lee Child and didn't speak to the lady next to me until about ten minutes out of Barstow. She took numerous pictures and made multiple notes in her small journal...very small writing, but I noticed stickers from Getty and Moca. We'll have things to talk about...besides Barstow.

We arrive in Barstow on time and most people get off the bus and head into a large building that obviously is owned by multiple Asian groups...maybe just one but I think it's a mix. I hate to admit that it's hard for me to tell....but there are 20 food concessions and 50 souvenir stands inside the building and they are all run by people from certain parts of the Asian continent.

The woman is from Germany and there is no more reading and no more journal entries because we talk most of the way to Vegas. I do show her some pages from my journal and her eyes brighten and I can tell she's feeling pretty good about being in America. She has been traveling for two months by herself....and I'm fairly certain I am the only American to show her his journal. I think she even got off a little but it's hard to tell because it's been so long since I've seen it happen. I do remember the look so I'm pretty sure the Fraulein had a moment.


PAGE SEVEN

We arrive in Las Vegas at exactly 4:00....amazing. Mike is three blocks away from the station and arrives in his brand new

Orange Kia

There are so many sidebar stories
to this story

Mike makes six figures
selling furniture
and has for
the last 15 years

Mike just built
a
6000 sq foot
house in Arizona

Mike drives between
Arizona
New Mexico
and
Neveda

He has been on the road for 30 years

The reason he drives a
KIA

$16,000 out the door
35 MPG

Mike is one of my oldest and dearest friends and I wish to God I had a slight touch of his monetary organization. I've often told him that he should be selling munitions because that's where the big money is. He could sell anything but he likes the Furniture business and he's comfortable in the environment....but the KIA thing is a little strange...considering how much driving he does.

He picks me up and I tell him about the Fraulein and as we start to drive away he stops and says..."do you think she needs a ride to her Hotel" I say "I'm sure she does" and he turns around and we go back to the station and there she is looking down the street for a bus. We pull up and she smiles and accepts the ride because she has no idea where she's going. The motel is about four miles from the strip but she was very happy for the ride and of course Mike loved showing off his brand new ride.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

CAN YOU HEAR ME

THE MOST ENERGETIC GUITAR PLAYER ALIVE
CAN YOU HEAR ME ANGUS?

Michael Timothy McAlevey

ACDC.com extras.extras

ACDC.com extras.extras

Moon

Get outside tonight and see the LARGEST full moon of the year.
and
that's
an
order

Michael Timothy McAlevey

ACDC Retreat

I'm on a road trip thanks to my friend Mike McGiffin.

AN ACDC YOGA RETREAT in Phoenix

I will share my journal notes when I return on the 12th of December

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Boston Legal and other free agents

I'm having trouble believing that certain free agents are NOT being snapped up. Of course Manny Rameriz and Mark Texeria and Derek Lowe are just a few of the big names but in my mind the biggest name of all is

BOSTON LEGAL

HOW CAN EXECUTIVES ON CBS AND NBC NOT SIGN DAVID E. KELLY TO A LONG TERM CONTRACT?

WHAT SHOW DOES NBC HAVE AT 10 PM ON A MONDAY NIGHT THAT EVEN REMOTELY MATCHES THE EIGHT MILLION VIEWERS OF BOSTON LEGAL?

AND CBS CAN JUST ADD A CSI IN FRONT OF BOSTON LEGAL AND HAVE A HUGE HIT.

BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY ABC DOESN'T WANT THIS SHOW. I SURE HOPE IT DOESN'T HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH DISNEY EXECUTIVES BEING OFFENDED BY THE TOPICS THAT ARE PRESENTED....which just happen to be the most interesting topics happening in society.

NO TELEVISION SHOW COMES CLOSE TO DEALING WITH THE ISSUES LIKE BOSTON LEGAL AND BECAUSE OF THE HUMOR IT MOVES INTO IT'S OWN CATEGORY.

IT'S LIKE IF DOONESBURY WAS AN HOUR TV SHOW.

DAVID E. KELLY AND GARRY TRUDEAU SHOULD TEAM UP AND START THEIR OWN NETWORK.

AND WHY WOULDN'T HBO SIGN BOSTON LEGAL? IMAGINE IF LAWYERS AND CLIENTS COULD SWEAR AND GET NAKED. OMG

THEY COULD INVITE SAFFRON BURROWS BACK AND LET HER GET NAKED ONCE A WEEK AND THE RATINGS WOULD GO APE SHIT.

But forget about HBO and Showtime for a second.

If the Three original networks don't have executives that understand why a show like Boston Legal should be on television than I'm not sure there is any hope left for the big three.

THEY COMPLAIN THAT THEY ARE LOSING THEIR CUSTOMER BASE AND LAST NIGHTS SHOW "JUICED" BROUGHT UP THE EXACT REASONS.

IF THE NUMBERS ARE RIGHT ABOUT BABY BOOMERS and I'm fairly certain they are....then ignoring that demographic just doesn't make any sense.

IN FACT IT'S STUPID PROGRAMMING ON THE PART OF APPARENTLY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE.

I'd tell FOX to pick up the show but they already had Boston Public and Ally McBeal and David probably drove them crazy.

I think David E. Kelly is the brightest mind working in show business...and that's probably based on the fact that Aaron Sorkin doesn't seem to be working.

But even if Aaron was working David would still be KING.

Anybody who doesn't watch Boston Legal should be arrested and sent to prison. Maximum Security. Bread and Water.....no TV.

The funny part of this is that the heads of the other networks probably love the show.

WHY DOESN'T BEN SILVERMAN LOVE IT ENOUGH TO SIGN THEM AS FREE AGENTS?

NETWORK TELEVISION IS GOOFY for ignoring the players that are right under their noses...

...and have no place to play.

And to think that my two favorite shows....Boston Legal and Eli Stone are being cancelled just means I'll be watching a little less Network Television and spend more time reading.

Which is probably a better idea anyway.

By the way.....REALITY TELEVISION SUCKS.

And that's coming from the demographic of 83 million other people.....baby boomers are ignored and that has to change.

THERE ARE FREE AGENTS THAT NEED TO BE SIGNED....and I hope the Dodgers are also listening.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Hillary gets the job

Play Video AP – Obama choses Clinton to lead State Dept.

• Slideshow: Obama's Cabinet Picks
• Play Video Video: Jake Tapper Examines Obama's Cabinet ABC News
• Play Video Video: Obama's National Security Team FOXBusiness

AP – President-elect Barack Obama, second from the left, stands with, from left to right, Vice President-elect …

CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama picked a national security team headed by former campaign rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bush administration holdover Robert Gates on Monday, and said he wants to consult with military commanders before settling on a firm timetable to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq.

Obama said a newly completed agreement between Iraq and the Bush administration covering U.S. troop presence signals "a transition period in which our mission is changing" after a long war. The president-elect campaigned on a call to pull out most combat troops within 16 months of taking office, a period he said he still believes "is the right time frame."

Obama named Clinton, a New York senator, as secretary of state and said Gates would remain as defense secretary, a post he has held for the past two years.

AND MY PERSONAL COMMENT ON THIS IS....

IT'S A DOUBLE TEAM WITH BILL...unless Barack names him Ambassador to the Playboy mansion.

Michael Timothy McAlevey