GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS
NEWS AND VIEWS
April 17,
2008
GLOBAL
COMMUNICATIONS Mike and Laurel Kohl S-9141 State Road 23 Plain, Wisconsin 53577-9612 U.S.A. |
TELEPHONE 608-546-2523 FAX 608-546-2157 globalcm@mhtc.net |
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April 17, 2008 Multiple signs of spring have appeared here in southern Wisconsin, accelerated by our first above 70-degree temperatures yesterday. One would never believe that just over four weeks ago we had 18 inches on snow on the rooftop, and snowbanks taller than myself at the edge of the driveway. It was a hard winter, and my 1994 Ford Taurus wagon has finally passed the point of no return. The last straw was during March, when trying to open my driver's door after a substantial snowfall. The underside of the adjoining quarter panel had shifted into a new shape, after the rust supporting it had crumbled. This moved the quarter panel into a position that blocked the door from opening, and it stayed that way until after a crowbar was used to re-shape things. Enough of this car! A history lesson might be entertaining at this time. I purchased this car ten years ago June 1st, to replace an aging rust bucket known as a Toyota Tercel. That car had broken the 240,000 mile barrier. This Ford Taurus wagon has now eclipsed 322,000 miles, on the original engine, which has been carefully maintained with a yearly treatment of Slick 50, which minimized normal wear and tear during the winter that happens with cold-weather startup. I cannot say the same about the transmission, which has been rebuilt once by AAMCO, followed by two junkyard transmissions put into service to keep things going. It might have something to do with the fact that hundreds of satellite antennas have been towed in a trailer behind this trusty Ford product, which was never designed for such abuse. Coupled with going up and down a gravel driveway with a 50-foot vertical rise. I could probably get another year's use of this car, but the toll in replacing failing parts would start to add up. And leave me stranded somewhere when things such as the radiator fall to the ground due to a lack of support below. It's been a faithful servant, but it is time to say goodbye. I have already replaced it with an economical Dodge Dakota pickup of 1999 vintage, which should be better suited to tasks such as towing trailers. It's mid-April, which
would normally be the time to drive to Atlanta to another satellite trade
show. But last year seemed to mark the end of the industry as we
used to know it, with a planned October show in Reno never happening
due to financial issues with the show's promoter. April 2007 was the
last time that Bob Cooper and I met in person, for a 20th anniversary
reunion and going-away party in Atlanta, for those involved in the first
wave of the home satellite industry. This week has another
milestone, with the April 15th issue of Bob's SATFACTS magazine being its
last. Bob has sort of "retired" from monthly magazine
publishing, and will concentrate on the creation of other books and media,
while he still has the ambition to do so. Mr. Cooper turned 70
earlier in April, so a belated Happy Birthday! As we hinted in our
March discussion, a national one-way satellite dialup Internet service
that we are not ashamed to put our name on is very close to
fruition. There should be news in our May issue, which will appear a
bit late (probably around May 25) due to previous commitments earlier in
the month. MIKE |