Collectibles market is hit hard

BY DAVID J. NEAL

An aura of disintegration and decay hangs over BC Sports Collectibles' Aventura Mall store. A case that once held autographed bats from stars such as Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols now has its emptiness sliced by a single black bat. A wall once covered in sports card boxes and pennants now holds a few shelves of open boxes.

As they have for weeks, customer vultures sail in to pick over 40-percent-off merchandise as the national chain's Miami store winds down to its closing at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the most consistent foot traffic at some of South Florida's other sports card and memorabilia stores are sellers -- as in one-time buyers who need cash.

UNDESIRABLES

Bases Loaded's Kevin Palczynski said he has people coming in daily with things to sell, but much of it is from the mid-1980s through early 1990s. That's The Overproduction Era, when card companies capitalized on rising sports card interest by cranking out many more cards than could be sold. These days, you could buy 24-pack boxes of cards from that era for the cash on you right now. Only the first season of cards of megastars such as Dan Marino or Michael Jordan, called their ''rookie cards,'' even if that first card season was their second or third season, have retained resale value.

''People aren't bringing in the really cherished stuff -- the [Mickey] Mantle rookies, that kind of stuff,'' Palczynski said. ``Those people are sitting pat.''

Meanwhile, those still buying dole out their shekels more conservatively. Palczynski said inconsistent walk-in volume has him relying even more on his regular customers, who still buy but change their patterns -- once a month instead of once a week or dropping $50 a visit instead of $100.

Rodriguez has seen the store's autograph signings with athletes, usually retired baseball players, slow, as well as the card customer volume.

''I don't see as many kids anymore because parents just don't have that extra money to give the kids money for a pack of cards,'' Rodriguez said. ``The people who come here for just a couple of packs, they're not doing the shopping as much. The people who are getting the boxes and looking for their special hits inside the boxes, they're the ones still spending some of their money.''

This is the brick-and-mortar sports memorabilia store in the latest era of austerity. Such stores flourished in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, between the Internet, South Florida real estate and the economy overall, like many other businesses, it's a buyers' market. It's just that there are fewer buyers and, now, some of the transaction roles have been switched. And Darwinism accelerates.

''Now, most of the small stores went out of business,'' Hollywood Collectibles' Rich Altman said. ``They can't compete with guys like me who have been around that have an inventory from doing this for 20 years.''

Chris Rodriguez, manager for Fort Lauderdale's Bud's Sports Cards and Collectibles said: ``It's a shame. I think the more businesses we have around, the better it is for everyone, including us. Competition creates more customers, believe it or not, because everybody's shopping around.''

They are still shopping for the best price. It's just about what they will get for collectibles instead of what they will give.

''It's been the last six months,'' Altman said. 'They need money. Some of them are forthright -- they don't have the mortgage payment or they don't have gas money. It's one end of the spectrum to another. Some people are like, `I'm not in any kind of hurry, but here's some stuff.' We're getting a lot of consignment on some high-ticket items.''

Nothing Topps the experience of opening that first baseball card pack of the season

By John Quattrucci

In these days of 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year coverage, it’s hard to explain how starved we were for baseball during the offseason when I was a kid.

After the World Series, we suffered a complete baseball blackout until spring training began.

In the winter, I would tune into ABC’s “Superstars,” a show that pitted athletes from different sports in a series of athletic events, just to see if any baseball players were competing that week.

If I was lucky, Steve Garvey would be battling boxers, swimmers and Olympic pole-vaulters in the 100-yard dash, and ABC would show highlights of a Dodgers game from the previous season.

That 15-second clip was enough to get me through another week.

These days, between ESPN and the new MLB Network, I know more about Julio Lugo than I do about my own family.

So it was with great anticipation each spring that I would purchase my first baseball cards of the new season, hoping against hope that a Luis Tiant, Carl Yastrzemski or Rico Petrocelli would be staring up at me when I opened the pack.

I would occasionally find some Red Sox among the Indians, Tigers and Reds, but inevitably they would be guys like John Curtis, Lew Krausse and John Kennedy, names that don’t inspire much excitement now and certainly didn’t back then.

I never lost hope, though, and like a lottery addict who thinks the next ticket will be the big one, I would plop my 15 cents on the counter at Peasley’s Variety Store, sure that this pack would hold a Yaz, or better yet, a Reggie Jackson.

I never hit the jackpot, of course, and eventually amassed shopping bags of Eddie Brinkmans, Fred Kendalls and Jack Brohammers.

Now 43, I continue my tradition of buying a pack of cards at the beginning of each baseball season, trying to recapture the excitement I felt as an 8-year-old in 1973.

One pack is enough. Now, as then, that initial excitement quickly wears off as I see that I have not hit the jackpot and I will have to be content with George Kottaras instead of Big Papi.
It’s nice to see things never change.

Earlier this week, I plopped down my $1.99 at the convenience store for a pack of 2009 Topps cards.

Topps is a sentimental choice. Though there are many companies producing cards these days, Topps was the only game in town during my card-collecting hey-day in the mid-’70s.

Back then, the only other competition on the shelf was “Wacky Packages” (Slumber Bread, Coo-Coo Cola) and Evil Knievel cards.

It was sad to see baseball cards have been pushed to the back of the shelf behind “Super Mario Galaxy” cards and a dozen different varieties of “Yu-Gi-Oh!” cards (“Light of Destruction,” “Crossroads of Chaos”).

Sad. Somehow, “I’ll trade you two 'Light of Destructions' for one 'Crossroads of Chaos'” doesn’t have the same ring as “I’ll trade you two Vida Blues for a Tom Seaver.”
I didn’t get off to a promising start.

First up was Emmanuel Burris, apparently a shortstop for the Giants. Never heard of him. (I know, I’m going to hear from some outraged fantasy geek who has been following Emmanuel Burris since T-ball.)

Next came Jamey Carroll, second baseman for the Indians. Nothing.

I was urged to “Bring this card to life” at Toppstowns.com, where I could use the special code on the back of the card to “Unlock a world of sports, games, collecting, trading and more!” I also could watch videos on the site and “make new friends and hang out with the pros.”

Looking for a savior, I instead found myself looking at Brian Barton, an outfielder who had two home runs and 13 RBI for the Cardinals last season. Zero for three.

Then I went on a nice run. Matt Kemp, Garrett Atkins and Aaron Harang may not be going to the Hall of Fame, but at least I've heard of them.
Things were looking up.

Then came the “star of the pack,” a “special card” picturing Cardinals superstar Albert Pujols. Jackpot.

I almost knocked over my wife racing upstairs to get on the computer so I could enter this magical world and hang out online with Albert Pujols.

I was sure Albert was sitting at his computer just waiting for me to log on.

“John is deliberate and attentive to detail,” reads the back of his card.

It doesn’t mention it, but we can assume he’s also prompt and well-groomed.

Sounds like the Pirates can start printing World Series tickets.
As I said, some things never change.

We couldn’t go online back then, but the cards still struggled to come up with good things to say about marginal players.

I tried to find my old cards while “researching” this column. After 30 years and several moves, I could only find two, both from 1973, my rookie year of collecting.

It was fitting that the only remaining cards were a perfect embodiment of my collecting futility.

One card was Yankee outfielder Ron Swoboda, coming off a .248, one home run, 12 RBI season in 1972.
“Ron’s nickname is 'Rocky.'"

The first thing I wanted to ask him was, “Who the heck is Brian Barton?”

More disappointment. Pujols wasn’t waiting for me, and despite several spending hours each day on the site, I have yet to make a single new friend.
Things went downhill quickly from here.

I finished up with Mariners second baseman Tug Hulett (.224, 1 home run, 2 RBI) and Pirates manager John Russell, who guided the Bucs to a 67-95 record last season.
The other was Angels catcher Jeff Torborg (.209, 0 home runs, 8 RBI).
“Jeff is a real estate salesman in the off-season.”

Despite these amazing facts, I’m guessing Ron Swoboda and Jeff Torborg won’t fetch enough 10 years from now to pay for my daughters’ Ivy-League education.
It’s enough to make you want to reach for a “Coo-Coo Cola.”

Going to Cuba? Pack lots of cash

BY MARTHA BRANNIGAN



Travelers heading to Cuba will need cash -- and a good bit of it.

Visitors suffer sticker shock at the island's lofty prices almost as fast as they notice Havana's colonial architecture.

Most of the basic needs of travelers -- hotels, rental cars and restaurants -- are expensive compared to other Latin American countries. However, there are alternatives for traveling on the cheap, such as casas particulares, private homes whose owners have government permission to rent rooms to visitors.

Earlier this week the Obama administration lifted restrictions on travel to Cuba by Cuban Americans as well as the limits on remittances they send to their families there, a move that is expected to prompt many South Floridians with family ties to make more frequent trips.

Cuba may be just across the Florida Straits, but it's a world away: U.S. credit cards and debit cards won't work on the Communist island; neither will U.S. travelers' checks, so travelers should take plenty of cash.

Cuba has two currencies: the Cuban peso, known as moneda nacional, which Cubans typically get as salaries and use in routine purchases; and the Cuban convertible peso, which is called the CUC (pronounced kook) and informally known as the chavito by Cubans on the island.

On top of that, the Cuban government imposes a 10 percent surcharge to exchange dollars, which in effect makes $1 worth 0.804 CUCs at the currency exchanges or cambios. Conversely, it costs about $1.24 to get a CUC after all is said and done.

A Cuban convertible peso is worth 24 Cuban pesos, though most travelers have little use for the latter.

Cuba officially sets the value of the CUC at $1.08, but the currency exchanges typically charge a rate of $1.12 for one CUC.

The surcharge means travelers are better off switching dollars for euros, Canadian dollars or Swiss francs before leaving the United States. Those currencies don't get hit with the extra 10 percent fee.

''If you take dollars down, they get you in essence twice,'' says John S. Kavulich, senior policy advisor to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a New York-based group that tracks the Cuban economy. ``Most people use Canadian dollars or euros.''

CADECA, the government-run currency exchange, has locations throughout Cuban cities and towns for converting foreign money to pesos.

Hotels and other tourist haunts will also change money, but they give even worse exchange rates.

But in 2004, the Cuban government banned the use of U.S. dollars for most transactions in response to a Bush administration move tightening remittances to Cuba. Bush limited travel to once every three years for Cuban Americans and restricted remittances to $300 quarterly to a specific relative.

That was when the Cuban government, as part of a ''de-dollarization,'' instituted the 10 percent surcharge on converting U.S. dollars to Cuban convertible pesos.

The surcharge also applies to dollar-based remittances to family members on the island -- something U.S officials hope Cuba will change in response to the Obama administration's new policy.

For a decade, from 1994 to 2004, the U.S. dollar circulated on the island as an über currency that could be used in so-called dollar shops that sold consumer goods such as electronics, clothes, toys and food items not available elsewhere.

At a White House briefing this week, Dan Restrepo, special assistant to the president and senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said the United States expects Cuba to ``stop charging the usurious fees that it does on these remittances.''

Most people visit Cuba because of family ties, curiosity, business or cut-rate prices at seaside resorts, so the island isn't trying very hard to compete with other spots in the Caribbean.

''Business travelers are the proverbial bread and butter of revenue streams,'' Kavulich says. ``I tell people if you think you're going to spend $200 a day, take $400, because it's expensive, and generally you're going to want to do something for someone.''

Card-carrying 'Pack Rat'

Peter Lougheed has been collecting hockey cards for more than 30 years, but a card his 10-year-old daughter Bea recently pulled is the new centrepiece of his collection.

The Fredericton resident has been working on Upper Deck's BAP Portraits set since it was released in February 2007. He has all the regular base, jersey and rookie cards, but he likes the look of the glossy 8x10 autographed cards the best.

He has 65 of the 94 single autographed cards and 18 of the 24 duals. There are also three-time, six-time and 10-time signed cards - each more difficult to pull - and those are on Lougheed's wish list, too.

Lougheed - who says he's "been collecting since I was born, really-" bought individual packs and boxes off the online auction house eBay and at local hobby shop The Card Rack, but he reached a point where he was getting more doubles than cards he needed.

He was planning to switch to buying singles to finish his set, but decided to buy three more boxes on eBay.

Bea loves helping her dad open the boxes, so on the day the package arrived he told her to go ahead and open the first box while he got the protective plastic sleeves and top loaders ready.

When Bea opened the first box in the other room, she yelled, "I've pulled a 'Sensational Six' card with three autographs on it."

Collectors' dream: With her dad, Peter, looking on, Bea Lougheed, 10, holds up the "Sensational Six" card containing the autographs of six NHLers that was part of a pack of Upper Deck's BAP Portraits set they purchased on eBay. The rare card is one of only five produced in the set. The find was part of a feature story in the latest issue of Beckett Hockey, proclaimed as the No. 1 authority on collectibles.

"I yelled back to her to check the other side," he said. "Of course, she freaked realizing that the card actually had six signatures on it."

The 8x10, which is serial numbered 5/5, features six former first-round NHL draft picks: Joe Thornton, Alexander Ovechkin and Marc-Andre Fleury on one side; Mats Sundin, Rick Nash and Mike Modano on the other.

Lougheed, 37, has more than 4,800 autographs, including 3,000-plus on cards - his vast collection is insured for $150,000, in fact - but this is one card the self-proclaimed pack rat has no plans to part with.

"This is one of those things, no matter how big your collection is, it's still pretty special," he said. "What was neat about it was that it was Bea who opened it and not me. That's what made it so special."

After checking the list of multiple-signed cards in this product, Lougheed says, based on player selection, this is possibly the best card you can get from one of these packs.

Lougheed's story is featured in the latest Beckett Hockey magazine. The teaser on the cover is "She Freaked! Father-daughter collecting team makes sensational discovery."

The page five 'Cool Pulls' article, headlined "The 'Bea' All, End All", shows both sides of the card and a beaming Bea holding the prized possession.

"Anybody who sees it on the Beckett message boards assumes I'm going to sell it," Lougheed said. "That's what most people do when they get something big, but we don't sell stuff. We have a collection that we're building."

And building and building...

Lougheed has a room on the lower level of his home filled with items he's acquired since he was a kid.

His wife Leyla not only tolerates his hobby, she actually helps it grow.

"I think she likes it," he said. "She almost never questions anything that I'm buying. It helps to have the room to display it."

The 'Collection Room' has four closets. Lougheed uses those for storage space. The rest he proudly displays.

"That's kind of my bat cave," he said.

Leyla knows it's something he enjoys and something he can share with Bea and their son Jamie, who's almost four.

"Jamie is starting to show more interest in the cards than Bea," Lougheed said, "but this was a neat thing to happen, at that age, for her. She'll feel connected with that, even though Jamie will probably be the one who ends up getting into the hobby more."

Baseball Cards and Stocks

rockiedog07

If you grew up in the 80's, chances are baseball cards and trading them were a recess and afterschool activity that backed up the five buck allowance. I'm finding that my baseball card days and my current stock trading practices have some amazing similarities.

As a child, my weekend visits to the comic book store included buying a Beckett Magazine. The magazine included the prices of baseball cards. Hot cards had an arrow up, cold cards got an arrow down, and some cards stayed the same. When hot cards got that arrow up, the comic book store would somehow stock up on those cards and sell it at a 20% or more higher price than the magazine. The lower cards would be priced at the Beckett price.

My tendency for buying baseball cards were to buy the low priced all stars and undervalued players. Guys like Greg Maddux and Tony Gwynn cards were steady eddie cards but never sky rocketted while guys like Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire skyrocketted like you wouldn't believe! Then of course, there were speculative cards like Devon White or Tom Glavine which I never quite knew if they would pan out, but would hold on to just in case of a hot month or a gold glove.

Currently, I watched the stock markets and Motley Fool with similar green arrows up and red arrows down like my childhood weekends with the Beckett Magazine. Hot stocks like RIMM and APPL looked great, but always out of my price range. Then there were my steady eddie stocks like MCD and GE (I know GE has gotten hit like a blown arm baseball player, but even John Smoltz came back). Then there's the stocks like AUY that's a speculative pick, but with potential like a Tom Glaivine (now worth 35 bucks that I bought in a buck pack).

Those hot Mark McGuire cards never really stayed with me (dang Olympic card now worth 120). I'd get rid of them quickly at the highest price I could get. I might have never gotten full price for the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card (now worth 80), but was able to buy Tetris and Mike Tyson's Punchout with that money! My steady eddie baseball cards like Greg Maddux (worth 120 today) are still in that cardboard box in the closet. Today, I might not be a motley fool all star, but have enough money for that weekend beach trip with the family with my stock trades and money made with dividend plays!

Today, fantasy baseball and football has taken the place of baseball cards, but my stock trading practices go right along with my recess and afterschool baseball trading days. If there was ever a day that the Comic Book store had a mad sale with prices astronomically lower, you'd better believe I'd be out there buying low price cards, so wtih the stock market at the place it's at, I've been buying pretty similarly.

If you grew up in the 80s and are trading baseball cards, what were your practices? Are they similar to your stock trading practices of today?

NVIDIA Announces GeForce GTX 275, No Availability Until April 14

Jansen Ng


NVIDIA has announced its latest graphics card, the GeForce GTX 275. Based on the GT200 architecture, it features 240 processor cores operating at 1404 MHz, 80 texture processing units, a 448-bit memory interface, and an 896 MB frame buffer. NVIDIA is positioning it between the GeForce GTX 260 and the GeForce GTX 285 in price and performance.

Originally, the GTX 275 was supposed to launch on April 14, but NVIDIA was forced to pull it in due to the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 4890. The Radeon 4890 offers similar performance to the GTX 275, but DailyTech has learned that over 50,000 parts have already shipped out to the channel and are available for purchase.

In contrast, NVIDIA will only have several thousand GTX 275 video cards for sale. Although both chips are built on a 55nm process at TSMC, ATI has more experience at this node. Additionally, the RV790 chip that the Radeon 4890 uses is much smaller than the G200b chip that the GTX 275 uses.

The G200b has 1.4 billion transistors, while the RV790 only has 956 million. This affects chip yields, and ultimately the profit that NVIDIA will be able to make. When available, the GTX 275 will sell for the same $249 price point as the Radeon 4890.
NVIDIA is also releasing its GeForce Power Pack #3, which includes several free PhysX and CUDA-enabled content for GeForce owners. Power Pack #3 includes a custom PhysX patch for Ascaron’s Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, a demo and benchmark for Star Tales, a social networking game from Chinese developer QWD1, and the source code to the PhysX screensaver for community modding and distribution. There are also two new CUDA-accelerated applications: MotionDSP vReveal and SETI@home.

Vinny lays his cards on the table in bold bid to save day

By Roddy L'Estrange

When the bell rang at Mount Prospect Avenue on Monday night, Vinny Fitzpatrick stole a glance at the hall mirror, fiddled with his tie, batted down a couple of loose strands of hair and made purposefully for the door.

It was one of Angie’s bridge party nights and he would be wearing several hats: concierge, porter, barman and chief bottle-washer.

Angie had warned him to be on his best behaviour: to look smart, smile and only to engage in conversation if he felt sure he wouldn’t offend anyone.

He was under strict instructions to stay off the jar until everyone was seated and the first hands had been dealt. Even then, Angie had restricted him to a carafe of white wine and a six-pack of stout.

Angie had washed and ironed Vinny’s only white shirt, polished his brogues and insisted he wear a blue silk tie, which belonged to her ex-husband, Big Fat Ron.

There were seven guests, two from the Scrabble Club, Audrey and Ava; a husband and wife from the tennis club, Bill and Betty; old school pals Francesca and Ronnie, short for Veronica, and Dave “Doc” Dalton, the local medic and frequent visitor to Boru Betting.

Two tables had been set up, one in the front room and one in the drawing room, where drinks and canapés were served before play.

As Angie flitted about the guests like a firefly, Vinny shuffled to and from the kitchen, taking care not to barge into anyone, or spill any drink. On one of his return journeys, he had just shoved a fistful of black olives into his mouth, when he heard a clink of glass and Angie’s voice: “Could I have your attention for a minute folks.”

Vinny knew what was coming and smiled as he reached for the magnum of champagne placed in the fridge earlier. Angie was about to announce the new date for their registry office wedding – Friday, April 24th – four months after the original gig had been cancelled when Vinny took a turn and ended up in hospital.

Soon, there were cheers of joy from inside, and when Vinny reappeared, complete with champagne flutes, he was given a hearty pat on the back from Bill and The Doc, while the girls, except Ronnie, all gave him a peck on the cheek and a hug.

He grinned sheepishly, muttered his thanks and joined in the toast.

Then it was time for cards. The group drew partners. Angie was playing with Bill against Ronnie and The Doc in the front room, with the other four in the back.

As Bill began to deal, Angie reminded Vinny to keep the glasses topped up, ensure there were nibbles aplenty and to put the water on for the rice after an hour. “That shouldn’t be beyond you, should it love?” she said with a gleam in her eye.

The hour passed all too quickly for Vinny, who finished his wine in a jiffy and was halfway through his six-pack in between visits to the tables where play, he noted, was conducted in a silence which would have become Trappist monks. But during the break for supper, a fine Indian chicken tandoori dish complete with nan bread, The Doc’s bleeper went off.

“Go to go,” he said. “I’m on stand-by tonight. So sorry, Ange.”

“Well, that’s torn it,” muttered Ronnie, who was dressed too much like a man for Vinny’s liking, jeans and ill-fitting jumper, no make-up, and short, spiky hair.

Angie was distraught and her lower lip was starting to tremble when Vinny blurted out. “I’ll make up the numbers. Sure, I’m an old hand at this bridge lark,” he said.

Soon, Vinny was sitting opposite a glaring Ronnie as the cards were dealt. He wracked his brain trying to remember what he knew about bridge and what he had observed that night.

In his youth, he had played whist with his old man, Finbarr, and was familiar with the business of tricks, what trumps were and how you could ruff if you didn’t have a suit that was led.

He gathered in his hand, scanning eagerly for court cards, aces, kings, queens and jacks. He knew their point value and that 10 points was a fair hand; he also knew that a long suit could be useful, if not sure why.

His first hand had two jacks and the suits were split evenly, three spades to the jack, three hearts, three diamonds and four clubs to the jack. Even Vinny knew he had been dealt a pup.

Ronnie had dealt and without hesitation barked out: “Four spades.” Angie said “pass”, while Vinny coughed and said nothing.

“What’s your bid love?” said Angie.

“Er, I’ve nothing to say,” replied Vinny.

“Then pass,” said Angie, which he did, as did Bill.

Angie led a heart and Vinny was wondering what to do when Ronnie snapped: “You’re the dummy, put your cards face down on the table.”

Vinny did as he was told, at which Ronnie groaned. “Thanks a lot partner,” she sighed sarcastically, before proceeding to play at the speed of knots, making 10 tricks on the button.

“Four spades, I think,” she said triumphantly – Vinny took an ounce of pleasure in noting his jack of clubs won the final trick.

As play continued, Vinny fell foul of Ronnie’s wrath, mostly at the bidding, where he was weak. Once he passed her opening bid of one club because he only held a king, only to realise that the five clubs he had demanded a response.

For the final deal, Ronnie informed Vinny they were vulnerable – “Sure, I know that already,” he said to himself – and they needed a game score to win. “That’s 10 tricks in spades or hearts, 11 in clubs or diamonds,” she barked.

Vinny was praying he was dealt a poor hand; that way Ronnie couldn’t bully him any more. Instead, a blaze of colour greeted him. He had 18 points and six diamonds, including the ace, king and queen. Bill dealt and passed, and then Vinny did a double take – not a take-out, which he had heard of that night but didn’t understand what it was – when Ronnie opened two hearts.

When Angie passed, Vinny, who only had one heart, took the plunge: “Er, five diamonds.”

The icy stare he received from across the table was followed by a sigh. Bill led a low spade and Ronnie slapped her cards down before storming off. Vinny looked at his hand and what was on the table. By his reckoning he had six diamond tricks and three hearts. He needed two more.

Ronnie’s ace and queen of spades were on the table and Vinny’s instinct was to play the ace, but something told him to chance the queen.

If Angie didn’t have the king, the queen would win. He could then draw trumps, cash his hearts and return to the ace of spades. He played the queen, feeling his heart thump noisily as he did.

Angie played the five of spades, leaned over and squeezed Vinny’s arm. “Well played partner, and I mean partner,” she said.

Vinny puffed his cheeks, blew hard, and smiled.

Part of tobacco tax may go to transportation

Although Oregon is considering increasing tobacco taxes for health care, a legislative committee heard a proposal Monday to raise the tax by 7 cents per pack of cigarettes to pay for special transportation for seniors and people with disabilities.

Of the current tax of $1.18, 2 cents goes to such programs now — and the most recent increase was 20 years ago.

Advocates of an increase told the House Transportation Committee that the tax, even combined with federal transit grants and other state income, doesn't generate enough money to keep up with current and projected demands of an aging population.

"Because funds are limited, we must tell some of the people who ask to ride special transportation that they do not qualify," said L.M. Reese of Eugene, who came to testify at the Capitol via a special van.

"Some of these people learn to ride the bus, or have family and friends drive them around. But a lot of people just stay in their homes all the time or move to assisted-living facilities."

The rising cost of providing service under the Americans with Disabilities Act was singled out by Salem-Keizer transit officials in their decision to discontinue fixed-route Saturday service in January — and, according to the Oregon Transit Association, freed it from having to provide ADA rides.

Oregon's population of older adults and people with disabilities is projected to grow from 22 percent in 2010 to 28 percent in 2030. Fixed-route service is cheaper, but those older adults often require more costly demand-response service. Advocates said the alternative is immobility.

"Mobility is crucial to the health and well-being of all Oregon residents," said Margaret Neal, director of the Institute on Aging at Portland State University, who presented a report requested by lawmakers in 2007. "For older adults who do not drive, public transportation is vital."

As part of his transportation package, Gov. Ted Kulongoski has proposed an increase of 2.5 cents per pack, on top of the 60 cents per pack for health care. Rep. Terry Beyer, D-Springfield, who leads the transportation panel, has a different proposal for 7 cents per pack.

Rep. Mike Schaufler, D-Happy Valley, said he would support a "modest" increase.

"But these trends are totally unsustainable," he said. "We cannot raise enough money to support these services."

When John Charles, president of the free-market Cascade Policy Institute in Portland, suggested that a cigarette-tax increase was self-defeating because proceeds for special-transportation programs would decline over time with fewer people smoking, Beyer saw it differently.

"It will bring down health-care costs in our state and might make more money available to help fund these programs," she said.

Nah, I really hate it when I hear about taxes, It help us. . . mostly government officials are benefitting from this specially those corrupt officers.

American Idol Trading Cards on Deck for April 21

A new series of trading cards picturing American Idol judges and contestants will be issued on April 21 by show producer FremantleMedia and trading card publisher Upper Deck. The series will feature 138 cards of past and current contestants, with five cards in each pack. In addition, six autographed cards will be shuffled into randomly-selected packs. Country artists who got their start on American Idol include Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Josh Gracin and Bucky Covington.

story source: http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1607182/american-idol-trading-cards-on-deck-for-april-21.jhtml

You're Nothing But a Pack of Cards

I had a bad day. My broadband connection did not work for a few hours. I so wanted to blog about what people are searching for. So anyway, on top of the searches today is "You're nothing but a Pack of Cards". What's with this phrase? Not much an Alice in Wonderland fan, I was for a while in confusion about what the sentence "You're Nothing But a Pack of Cards" is all about. Then I remember, thanks to some online blog posts that it's a quotation from Alice in Wonderland.

What I could not figure out is why people suddenly start to search for the phrase? Are they looking for the meaning or is there some other reason. If you know drop a comment here. Please don't spam. Let's share information about "You're Nothing but a pack of Cards", shall we?

Story Source:http://inday-stories.blogspot.com/2009/03/youre-nothing-but-pack-of-cards.html