Today we are buying TIVO, which just released earnings yesterday:

TheSUBWAY - Blog:
http://stock-promoter.thesubway.com/thesubway-clients/
tivo-is-pick-of-the-day/406

TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today reported financial results for the second quarter ended July 31, 2008.

"This was another solid financial quarter for TiVo as we continued to improve our financial profile by posting substantially better than guided Adjusted EBITDA of $10.6 million and net income of $2.9 million," said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo. "During the quarter, we made significant progress in several key areas of our business: in terms of our mass distribution strategy, Comcast has reaffirmed its long term support for our partnership as evidenced by its roll-out in Connecticut; our international footprint continues to grow with Seven's successful introduction of TiVo to the Australian market; and on the standalone side of the business, with the recent addition of YouTube content delivered right to the TV set, our vision of creating the ultimate television dream machine is coming to fruition as subscribers now have access to the broadest array of content, options, and features in the world, delivering consumers what they want, when they want it."

The STOCHASTICS are in good position for an entry point:

Our DAILY chart is looking good:

The 15 MINUTE is just starting upward momentum:

Our WEEKLY chart is showing an upward trend:

Our PHILS X1 is showing support at $7.90 with resistance at $8.00.  So TIVO is currently above its resistance point and we are entering a stop just below $7.90:

Our Phils X2 is also indicating institutional buying coming into TIVO.  We will watch the volume closely and will anticipate continued increased volume if the institutional buying continues.  So far this morning the volume is looking relatively good considering the vacation weekend and notorius light volume:

Drunk driving is an epidemic in this country. And yet, beer advertising is rampant throughout television. Ironically, rarely are drunk drivers shown on television programs. Also ironically, there is a push to lower the drinking age.

Unplanned pregnancies are rampant in this country among our youth. And yet, there is no advertisiing of condoms on television. Ironically, sex is commonplace in both television advertising and on the shows themselves. Also ironically, there is a push to include condoms in middle schools.

Why is that?

THE FEES HAVE BEEN RAISED TO 75 CENTS FOR CAP METRO RIDERS. TO TAKE EFFECT ALONG WITH ANOTHER HIKE LATER TO $1.00. iN THE MEANTIME WE HAVE A DRIVER STRIKE, AND THE LAW ALLOWS FOR STRIKES UNLESS NATIONAL SECURITY IS PUT AT RISK. THEN YOU CAN NOT STRIKE, WEALL REMEMBER REAGON FIRING THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AND HIRING REPLACEMENTS DUR TO THEM WALKING OUT ON STRIKE. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT BUT IF THEY CAME BACK TO WORK THEY SHOULD BE REINSTATED TO THE JOB THEY HAD. IT IS A FUNDEMENTAL RIGHT IN THE GOOD OLD USA THAT WE HAVE THE FREEDOM TO STRIKE, BUT CAP METRO HAS HAD SO MANY MGT. CHANGES AND RULES IMPLEMENTED THAT IT IS HARD TO KNOW JUST WHAT AND WHO RUNS THIS HUGE ORGANIZATION. SURE WE KNOW THE PERSON BY NAME BUT HOW ABOUT THE BOARD THAT SITS ON CAP METRO? THIS IS A VERY VITAL AND DIVERSE TOWN, SO THERE ARE GOING TO BE DISAGGREMENTS .AS HAPPENED WITH THE BLOW OF THE TOLL ROADS . WE ALL KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN'T AFFORD THEM EASILY. I THINK WE NEED MORE INPUT BY THE PUBLIC ON THE WAY CAP METRO IS RUN. BUT THAT IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE. VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE TIME ,DAS ,OR MONEY TO TURN OUT TO THE BOARD MEETINGS AND THEY COULD INFORM THE PUBLIC BETTER. WHEN THE RATES GO TO 1 $ IT WILL BE A HARD SHIP ON MANY RIDERS. bUT WE WILL MAKE SURE OR DOMESTICS GET OUT TO HOUSE AND CLEANING JOBS ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN. I FIND A COMPLETE LACK OF COHESIVE ROUTE MGT. ON THE EAST SIDE , NOW 3 SCHOOLS ARE OPEN AT THE OLD TRAVIS STATE SCHOOL AND STILL NO BUSS UP TO THE SCHOOLS, I REMEMBER WHEN THERE WAS A CITY BUSH THER E EVERY 30 MINUTES. NO LONGER. THE STRIKERS ARE ONLY TRYING TO WORK OUT SOME CXHANGES FOR THEMSELVES. IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE A FARE HIKE AND A LONK WILE FOR THE DRIVERS TO GET SOME MORE AMMNEITIES. I WAS SHOCKED BY THE FAKE KIDNAPPING BY A CAP METRO EMPLOYEE. BUT MOST ALL ARE HOME OWNERS AND HARD WORKERS WHO DESERVIRE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE SPENDING OF A BIT OF THE NEW REVENUE BROUGHT IN BY THE HIGHER FARES. LEST TREAT ALL OUR CITIZENS WITH THE RESPECT WE WOULS WANT AND THINK ABOUT THAT. THEY ARE ONLY ASKING FOR A PEICE OF THE PIE. OH THE WONDERFUL AMERICAN DREAM IS FOR US ALL AND IS ATTAINABLE IN A JUST SOCIETY WHICH IS WHY PEOPLE LOVE THE ECLECTIC MIX OF AUSTINITES. I WAS BORN HERE AND LOVE IT EXCEPT FOR THE 105F DAYS BUT THE LAKES ANS OUR CITY PARKS AND POOLS AND TRANSPORTATION MAKE IT EVEN SWEETER CHRYSTAL CHRIS

  Hillary Clinton has shown herself to be a team player.  A few moments ago she made a motion to suspend the DNC rules and nominate Barack Obama by acclaimation.  Basically, Clinton delegates who were unwilling to support Obama will not have their votes counted.  Clinton's motion was passed by a two thirds vote of delegates although in all fairness, those who opposed the motion weren't really given the chance to be heard.

  The Democrats avoided a divisive and damaging roll call vote. It would have been a disaster if a significant percentage of delegates did not vote for the presumptive nominee, in this case Obama

  The fact that Hillary herself made such a motion shows she is doing all she can to unite the party behind Obama. This is probably one of the hardest things she's had to do considering how much she wants to be president.

  Perhaps her time will come.

  After four days of fun with my 19 month-old in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, I'm on the road to Denver. It's a four hour trip south from where I was enjoying a vacation in the mountains with my daughter and husband at his uncle's ranch 25 minutes west of Steamboat.

  You might wonder why I would voluntarily choose to leave a stress-free vacation with my family to attend the chaotic work envionment at the Democratic National Convention. I'm asking myself that question right now. Here's the conclusion I've come to...it's history in the making and there's no telling when I might have a chance to be a part of something like this again. As a local television reporter, I've never had the opportunity to cover a national political convention. I'm curious about what it's like behind the scenes, what are my counterparts from different stations and markets going through to get their stories on the air? That curiosity combined with the opportunity to hear the first African American presidential candidate accept his party's nomination and to witness the first female presidential candidate be recognized for winning more primaries and caucuses than any other woman, was just too much to pass up.

Television journalists take a lot of hits for being too sensational and not substantive, some of that criticism is justified. But most of the reporters I know, myself included, have a burning desire to witness history, process it, find the inspiration and then share it with their viewers.

So for the next two days I'll be blogging about what I'm seeing, hearing and experiencing at the Democratic National Convention. I don't have a photographer, it's just me and my laptop. I hope after reading my entries you'll get a better idea of what it's like here, beyond the orchestrated prime time speeches and 60 second live interviews.

But don't worry, when the convention is over, I'll head back to Steamboat for a few more days of fun.

All of the coverage of the Democratic Convention seems kind of pre-packaged. That's to be expected. And yet, we aren't seeing the protesters. Why is that? They are there, of course, which by itself makes you wonder since the Democrats are the protest party and so protesting this convention is kind of like preaching to the choir.

Yet I wonder . . . when the Republicans hold their convention later on this month, you can bet the main stories will be about all of the protests, protests for the wars, gas prices, saving whales, killing babies, whatever. This upcoming Republican convention is a protester's dream, I should think. And yet . . . and yet, we hear very little (and see less) of protesters at the Dems Convention.

Interesting, the way news outlets cover the news, isn't it? It's not that the electorate is uninformed, it's that the electorate can't get the truth without really searching for it..

And that takes work, so the electorate ends up with what they deserve. Sad, no?

Don't steal from tattoo studios. Just don't.
Today (8-25-08) at about 5PM, we had a couple of young men come into our shop, Quicky Tattoos at 6719 N. Lamar, under the auspices of purchasing some tattoo ink. I suppose they decided they didn't like the price, $7.50 for a half-ounce, and decided to sprint out the door with the ink in their hands. I know, it might be a bad idea to sell supplies. I know, it is a bad idea to let someone hold the product while you are on the other side of the counter. I guess we are a little too trusting.
Anyway, our disposable hero, Damien, bolted out the door right after the thief. The guy must be new to the whole steal-and-run thing, cause as he dived into his get-away car, he lost his shoe.
Damien waved the shoe at him as the started to drive off, and these brilliant examples of the neighborhood's best decided to put their car in reverse and come back. An altercation insued, the thief got his shoe but spilled th ink. Meanwhile, I was shooting pics with my cell-phone. Pics of the thief, pics of the car (TX LP 387 KGP). The thief once again extracted himself from the situation, diving into his car (again), and driving off, sans his ill-gotten goods.
I know, it is a TERRIBLE idea to run out after a guy over $7.50 in ink, but that is how it happened.
To make things worse for our juvenile delinquents, one of the passengers pointed a gun at our man Damien. This turned a simple shop-lifting into assualt, armed robbery, and an example of extremely bad manners.
Anywho, here's a pic of the thief in question. Please repost this blog so as many people as possible see what a loser this person is.

http://www.angelfire.com/ego2/creativeoddities/imag
es/dumbthief.JPG">

It sure is nice to see apartments going into the lot @ Grand Ave. and I-35 as opposed to the Sexually Orientated Business (SOB) that was slated to be put there a couple years ago.

I am proud to have participated in the group of people fighting against the SOB...let this be a lesson to anyone who does not think there is power in numbers!

Tim

Mark Ott is taking some heat from self appointed Hispanic Community Leaders.  Apparently they were not happy with his response to their meeting with him where they questioned his decision making skill when he fired two high ranking city officials who happen to be, you guessed it, Hispanic.

I am a little curious as to why they felt the need to take their displeasure to the public and the media before trying to resolve their concerns with the city council first.  They come across as crybabies  having a tantrum.  I vote for fairness for all ethnic groups.

Keep in mind I am neither hispanic or black.  It doesn't bother me that we have a black city manager who doesn't bow to the special interests groups no matter their color.  That shows me has a backbone and won't be intimidated.  I hope he doesn't change.

What do you think? and please keep it real.

Where did the time go?

Today my son jumped out of bed when he heard me get in the shower at 6:30 AM and came into the bathroom just minutes later already dressed with a big smile on his face. He was excited to start school! We woke up his sister and got her dressed then headed downstairs. He quickly consumed his Cheerios and orange juice, ran upstairs to brush his teeth, then put on a belt to hold his shorts up, grabbed his lunchbox, and darted out the front door to the truck to buckle himself in for the ride to school.

We met Mama down the street from the school since she was coming from the gym around the corner. Walking up to the school you could see he was sizing up the crowd with intensity. This school is much bigger than his preschool and way many more kids!

Right after I took this photo the batteries in my camera died. I brought the pocket Nikon L12 since it also shoots video and I was hoping to get some of him walking away to his class. While we were waiting in the gym with all of the other kindergartners and their parents I was able to turn it on and shoot one more before it decided to die completely.

 

It's probably a good thing the camera died after that shot. It was pretty much the last smile we saw from him. When the time came for his class to leave the gym and go to their room (without parents) he started to walk away then turned around and darted back to us all sad and not wanting to go. A new big school and all those unfamiliar faces (only one kid from his preschool is there but not in his class) surely frightened him a little. Leaving Mom & Dad for the whole day to continue his journey into boyhood is a big step that is scary and exciting for us all.

On the way home from dropping him off my daughter said she missed him. She'll probably forget about that next week when she starts preschool for the first time. That will be another frightening and exciting day as she begins her journey out into the world of school.

Again, where did the time go?

It WAS a dog people.  While a dog may have feelings and connections to the people who own them, it doesn't compare on many levels to the life of a human.  I'm talking about the possible human lives he could have taken by driving so fast.  C'mon... I'm glad he was stopped.  I'm not glad his dog died, but you know - LIFE SUCKS!  Don't take it out on the officer just doing his job.  You wouldn't have been stopped to begin with if you weren't racing on public streets.

This should be rather interesting . . .

Okay, so America as we know and love is a great melting pot. Multiculturism and Diversity seem to be here to stay, which is just another way of saying Political Correctness is here to stay. So, I wonder about the following, using news channels as the example:

1) There are more women than men in this country (of all races), and yet women are not represented in the majority in most things.  Most newscasts have (at least) one man and one woman.

2) Afrrican-Americans represent around 11% of the population, and yet there are more African-Americans on television news channels than Hispanics, which represent anywhere from 22 - 35%.

3) One in five humans on this planet is Chinese, and one in five are Indian. So that means 2 in five humans are from Asia. That's 40% of the world population. And you will be hard-pressed to find many Chinese or Indians on news channels (although to be 'fair' that number is increasing).

4) There are less and less white men in this country every year, and yet they seem to always be the main anchor. NBC and ABC, of course, CNN, MSNBC, and SkyNews.

This is the age of political correctness, right? These are the days where words are weapons and any mention of race or quotas is like a knife in the neck, right? These are the days where a television show can show horrific amounts of blood and autopsies and corpses and dismembered victims of crime, and yet a movie cannot use the word 'retard' without being protested, right?

So, you would think tokenism would be alive and well. We're told it is, and yet the numbers don't bear that out.

How about that?

 

 

I have to weigh in on the sad story that has reached national and perhaps international proportions. The story covers a short 20 minute time span in the lives of some folks who reside in the beautiful central Texas town of San Marcos.

On August 5th, a policeman stopped a couple who were speeding, not drinking, to take a pet dog that was choking to an emergency vet.  The entire scene was played out on the policeman's video and has been shown many times on TV news casts.

For the record the driver was pleading with the officer ot let him proceed to the vet and the comment of the officer was that it was, “just a dog and he could get another one” is recorded on the tape.  Several other officers responded to the incident and reports are that one of them tried to revive the pet.

The plot thickens to the point that the police chief apologized to the pets owner in a letter, the officer will undergo counseling and received a reprimand. The latest reports are that the officer has received death threats, the police chief has been threatened with dismissal and the mayor held a news conference Thursday to announce these details.

My reason for weighing in on this is highly personal, first I am not acquainted with any of the folks I have mentioned, and I do not have a canine pet.  A step further, I have in my 83 years owned canine pets and hunting dogs and was attached to them. I love and appreciate cats as well and am getting a beautiful seal point Siamese to replace my cat who was over twenty years old when she died.

My comment is that the arresting officer somehow must have missed the boyhood joy of having a pet as he grew up, but this is no excuse for his unfeeling behavior.

My personal recommendation is that he be dismissed as  he poses a potential threat to anyone he might arrest.  He is not of the proper temperament to stand up to the stress of being a law enforcement officer, and I base this conclusion as the son of a Texas Ranger and a pet owner.

OK, I am going to do this.  This is my first blog so be kind when you read it.  I am retired from the State of Texas and currently starting a new career in photography called Nature's Art.  I take photos in and around the area of Bastrop, Texas.  

I have always had a love for dogs and currently own 2 labs.  Chelsea who is 15 and Buddy who is 3.  Both are 2 of the loves of my life and are treated like one of the family.  Because of my love for dogs, upon my retirement I researched, developed and presented to the City of Bastrop the proposal for an off leash dog park in Bastrop.   The project was approved and currently on the overall park plan to be established in 2010. 

Well, for now let me see what kind of hits I get on this blog.  Talk to you later!

Leslie

(Note sure of the Category so I posted it in News)

I have long been a critic of our current mayor Will Wynn.  He has always been more concerned with other things than the betterment of Austin or its residents.

Like getting into drunken fights with college students

Or directing traffic on 5 th Street

But even I am wrong sometimes.  And today was the first day that I have to stand up and say that I am glad that Will Wynn is the mayor of Austin.  It could be worse.  We could be stuck with what San Marcos has.

See on Thursday San Marcos’ “finest” Susan Narvaiz got up to defend the despicable actions of officer Paul Stephens.  

Maybe you remember him.  He was the police that pulled over San Marcos couple Michael Gonzalez and Krystal Hernandez as they were speeding to an animal hospital in New Braunfels.  The dog died during the traffic stop.  Officer Stephens, he told them they could get another dog while the police just stood around taking 17 minutes to write a traffic ticket, even forcing Gonzalez out of the car.

So afterwards, the guy got Death threats.

Well now, that is taking this a bit far.  But the chief decided to only verbally reprimand the officer.  That’s it?  That’s all?

I was not really that upset about this story until I saw the dash cam video.  There is an obviously panicked group of individuals asking for help and the cops stand around and do nothing as if they had all the time in the world.  

And Mayor Narvaiz is trying to say what a great job this guy did.

I like how she points out that he is a veteran of the Iraq War, as if that some how absolves him from being an BLEEP and a bad cop.  

See, I don’t like dogs.  I had them growing up but I am not particularly attached to them.  But some people are.  And the indifference and slow moving actions of the San Marcos Police were quite disturbing here.  

What if it had been a person or a baby?  Well they would be dead too.  

Now I know that San Marcos is a glorified one horse town more famous for discounts on discontinued polo shirts and nike shoes.  

As well as getting drunk while floating in the river, but not in town cuz the bars close early.

But the poor people of that town deserve a better mayor?  I mean, sure, it is good to take a stand against death threats.

But she alleges that the dog was already dead when the traffic stop took place.  I guess Mayor Narvaiz is also a veterinarian.  Or maybe she is God and knows what is going on with every living being on the planet.  

Narvaiz says that the officer was guilty of saying mean things.  Sure, but there is a bigger problem here.

He is guilty of reacting poorly to an emergency situation.  17 minutes to sort through this thing?  Not listening to near hysterical people on the side of the road.  Who cares if it were a dog or not?  Police officers need to be able to quickly handle emergency situations.

This isn’t a sensitivity issue, it is a public safety issue.  It shows me that if I am in San Marcos, and an emergency takes place, I had better drive as fast as I can until I reach a real city with real cops.  Like New Braunfels, or Kyle, of even as far away as Austin.

Where, by the way, you could bet damn sure Police Chief Art Acevedo wouldn’t let cops get away with this kind of B.S. and keep their jobs.  

So I hope people in San Marcos love that Narvaiz doesn’t really care about public safety.  This time it was a dog.  Next time it could be a baby.  That is fine on her watch.  She is fine with the failure of a police officer to do his job.  

Course if you live in San Marcos, and feel differently, I would strongly recommend you email her.

Mayor_Council_Info@ci.san-marcos.tx.us&subject=Attentio
n: Mayor

I certainly will.

MORE INFO ON SAN MARCOS MAYOR

http://www.ci.san-marcos.tx.us/cityhall/citycouncil/

In fact I might even email Will Wynn and give him a congrats for not screwing anything like this up recently.

Here's the story behind Paul Stephens, one insensitive, stupid, do%@* bag, rookie cop from San Marcos that let a citizen's dog die so that he could write a ticket.

---

A San Marcos, Texas, police officer has been accused of inappropriate behavior during a traffic stop which may have lead to a dog’s death.

Officer Paul Stephens spotted driver Michael Gonzalez speeding down Interstate 35 and pulled him over for clocking 100 miles per hour. After a brief pursuit, Gonzalez pulled alongside the highway and emerged from his car, saying, ‘He’s dying.’

…

Gonzalez and his girlfriend said they were speeding because they were rushing their choking teacup poodle Missy to an emergency veterinary clinic for treatment.

But on the video, Stephens sounded less than empathetic as he berated the driver for putting others’ lives at risk as he sped down the highway.

“You’re driving down the highway at 100 per hour,” he said sternly. “It’s a dog, it’s OK. You can get another one. Relax.”

---

Ok. If any of you are not a dog owner, then you might not understand the bond that dogs and their owners have after years of companionship. It's strong.

If you think it's "just a dog" then imagine allowing me choose between the life of your mom or my dog.... Of course my dog's gonna live because, to me, your mom is just some random stranger who birthed a total ignorant, retard like Paul Stephens.... get it? Maybe that's a little harsh, but to be so callous of another's loved ones be they a pet or family member is terrible for a police officer.

All I can say is why wouldn't Paul Stephens, put both people and the dying dog in the back of his cruiser and get the dog medical attention. THEN he could write a ticket/arrest the man/shoot the dog or make whatever other "rookie mistake" he wanted to make. Yeah 95 MPH is dangerous, BUT once the car was stopped Paul Stephens didn't need to let the dog die while he reprimanded the driver. PERIOD.

What's worse about the whole thing.. The Mayor and police chief basically dismiss the issue as "not our finest hour" and a "rookie mistake". I think a firing or 1000 hours of community service at the local dog/cat shelter would be acceptable as outcomes.

Here's a petition site that you can visit to share your thoughts.

Good night Mr. Vick, I mean, Officer Stephens. I hope you sleep well in the bed that you made.

Joe Cline
Austin Real Estate | Lakeway Real Estate

LOCAL TRANSIT UNION VOTES TO STRIKE

 (This is a poster that I saw at the Transit Union Headquarters in Southeast Austin.)

Last night, hundreds of union members decided to strike down Captial Metro's final offer and strike.

The vote doesn't mean that bus drivers will leave their jobs anytime soon. It just gives the President of the Union, Jay Wyatt, the authority to call for a strike in the event Captial Metro denies a plan to go back to the drawing board.

Captial Metro has offered union members a 10 percent increase in pay over the next three years along with a $1,000 bonus. Here's the problem. Union members say the bonus is before taxes and the 10 percent raise would be over 2 1/2 years since negotiations have been ongoing. The biggest point of contention is the health benefits package. Union members said yesterday they want lower premiums and co-pays.

There's also been talk that Cap Met bus drivers are among the highest paid in Texas. An article I read claimed some drivers and mechanics can make up to $90,000 a year (with overtime.) The union president said that's completely false. He asked members to raise their hand if they make $90,000 a year. No one did, but everyone in the room laughed. 

One things for sure, if a strike does happen, get ready to walk.

Give me your thoughts.

 

The past two and a half weeks have been nothing less than hell for a 76-year-old man who lives in Westlake. A charge of indecent exposure was formally dropped against Ting Yuan Wednesday. He was charged with the class B misdemeanor after a strange string of events August 2nd.
According to Yuan, he had just finished a routine swim at Barton Springs Pool (he swims 5 times a week...he is a two time gold medalist from the 2004 Senior Olympic Games) and went to his car which was located at one of the parking lots off Robert E. Lee. He was sitting in his car when two men approached. The one at the driver side window started yelling, "You're stark naked!" and the second man at the passenger side window, started demanding his wallet, and car keys. Yuan said no so the man demanded change that was sitting in plain view. Yuan scooped up some and gave it to him. That man demanded more. Yuan gave him more change. He took off but the man who was yelling ended up calling police and reported that Yuan was masturbating in his car.
The officer came out and took Yuan's account of the robbery and the other man's account of the indecent exposure. Yuan and his attorney say if that officer would have just asked a few questions, he would have realized Yuan was telling the truth and the other man lying. Attorney Stephen Tolland gave evidence to the prosecutors that showed Yuan cannot physically do the things that he is accused of and that the person making the accusations has a long criminal history.
The two men are not in custody and have not been charged with any crime. (That is why we are not using the name of the man who filed the report.)
APD's Public Information Office did not have an official comment for the story.
What do you think should happen next? Should anything happen to the officer?

CLICK HERE TO WATCH STORY.

Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately:  illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida ...

Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.

 1.  Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

2.  Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

3.  Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Since it is moving toward the time of the year when most fire incidents happen due to inclimate weather, mobile home owners should pay attention for their own safety.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration;

• Fires in manufactured homes claim the lives of 345 Americans each year and injure 765 more. Many of these fires are caused by heating and electrical system malfunctions and improper storage of combustibles.

• During a typical year, manufactured homes account for 17,700 fires, hundreds of deaths and $155 million in property losses. Manufactured homes have a fire death rate per 100,000 housing units 32-50 percent higher than the rate for other dwellings.

• Young children account for more than one-fifth of all fire deaths in manufactured homes.

• Electrical system malfunctions and heating fires are the leading causes of fire in manufactured homes. Together, they account for one-third of manufactured housing fires. Electrical distribution fires occur nearly twice as often in manufactured homes as in one- and two-family dwellings.

(Note: If electrical is the leading cause of fires in mobile homes, why is this not being investigated? This electrical issue is mentioned in many articles)

.Factors Affecting Fire Spread in Mobile Homes. Notes taken from Fire Protection Handbook, 18th Edition and Investigating the Fireground.

Most materials found inside a mobile home, such as carpeting, plastic floor covering, wood paneling, and low density fiberboard ceilings are highly combustible. The mobile home also occupies a small space, so the conditions for flashover occur soon after a fire ignites. Early flashover may result in more fire fatalities. NFPA analysis shows that a smoke detector will decrease the chances of fire fatalities by half. Fatalities could be decreased even further if mobile home owners maintain their detectors and place them in the right locations.

Since mobile home manufacturers are allowed to use such materials to build a mobile home, they should already be aware of such dangers. However, governing agencies such as TDHCA and HUD appear to "overlook" the safety of a consumer who has or wants to unknowingly purchase such a "flammable" product. One such item is stated in the NFPA handbook, as a way to "decrease" fatalities is the smoke detector. But, since manufacturers are not being as closely watched as they should be, the "agencies" allow them to place a smoke detector in the mobile home where ever the manufacturer's employee feels is a good place. My questions is; if they can't build a defect free mobile home, what makes me feel like they are concerned about my safety? Does the smoke detector really work properly when it comes time for a fire? We place a lot of trust in the "unknown".

My next question is; if the U.S. Fire Administration, National Fire Protection Agency, HUD, TDHCA, or any other agency that supposedly "governs" the safety of a mobile home, allow this type of danger to continue to exist?

From the National Fire & Arson report;

The fact that mobile home fires often result in near total destruction of the dwelling has made investigation of those fires rely more on the observations of firefighters and witnesses. Investigators of these fires should pay heed to safety concerns particular to mobile home blazes:

• toxic gases may take longer to vent as burning plastics and composite wood products smolder
• toxic gases and compounds may be trapped in rubble and released as investigators probe the debris (such as Chromium-Copper-Arsenate in pressure-treated lumber
• older mobile homes may be more susceptible to deterioration from moisture and the elements, making floors, walls, and ceilings more likely to collapse, especially from the effects of dry rot

Thus, breathing apparatus and filter masks should be used in mobile homes.

Accidental fire causes particular to mobile homes include:

• vibrations causing staples to rub through wiring insulation
• problems with resistance connections
• improper fuel mixtures
• crowding of combustibles near heaters
• pyrolysis near recessed lighting fixtures, under gas-fired water heaters, or near under-cabinet appliances

The burning of mobile homes is more complete than wood frame structures because of the extensive use of plastics that produce combustible gases when burned, which in turn ignite. Flashover time is often accelerated. Burn test data concludes the article by giving a picture of fire spread in mobile homes.

So, you see, these mobile homes are far more dangerous than a stick built home. Yet, a manufacturer will lead the consumer to believe these defective products are safe. I've seen a website by one of the mobile home industry groups who state that mobile homes are safer than a site built home. Yeah, right!

As you research more about the mobile home, you will see that some fires are caused by mobile home owners who neglected to keep combustibles in a safe ventilated area, or a smoker who accidentally started a fire, but the issue here is safety. Besides, according to HUD the number one and number two "main" causes of fires in mobile homes are heating systems (1) and electrical (2). Smoking(6) and cooking(3) are listed as 3 & 6 on the list.

Also in a pamphlet from the State of Florida it warns consumers about the safety factors with mobile homes. (More than what Texas has done to educate the consumer).

"If You ARE A Mobile Home Resident, You Should Know THIS About Fire:


It occurs no more frequently in mobile homes than in structural residences.

It generally spreads faster in a mobile home.

Injuries occur more frequently from mobile home fires than others.

Mobile home occupants are twice as likely to die from a fire as occupants of other one- or two-family residences.
(“Evaluation of Mobile Home Fire Safety,” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, March 1982.)"

When a fire breaks out in a mobile home, you have no time to go back and get something. Leave immediately! If you don't want to lose treasured items, don't leave them in your mobile home. You will lose them if a fire breaks out.

Here's a partial explaination as to why mobile homes burn so fast.

Resource: The Investigation of Mobile Home Fires. The National Fire & Arson Report.

Cost-competitiveness in the mobile home construction industry has led manufacturers to utilize processes that result in intense burning in mobile home fires. In addition to the fire danger, reconstruction of a burned mobile home is also difficult because the damage is often so extensive.

Analyzing the flow of fire in a mobile home can be difficult because:

• Vinyl and resin particle board construction increases the production of volatile vapors which can accelerate the production of an explosive fuel-to-air ratio much faster than in larger homes with different construction. This can bring a room to flashover more quickly.
• Metallic sidewalls, roof, and frame conduct heat efficiently and allow rapid penetration of fire into the walls and ceilings and through the roof. Heat also radiates back into the house, creating an "oven" effect.
• The rectangular shape necesitates a long central hallway that acts like a chimney, allowing fire to race quickly to other rooms. Thin walls exacerbate the situation.
• The average ceiling height of 7' and the low square footage means a low cubic square footage of air which fills quickly with toxic gases and heats quickly to flashover.

Our congress passed laws back in the 70's to try to put a stop to some of the inadequate building of mobile homes. This appears to be a cosmetic appearance.
Mobile home manufacturers are still building defective mobile homes and the agencies who are supposed to govern them appear to be in the pockets of the mobile home industry.

Why would the government allow this type of serious defect to continue? Here is one reason. Mobile home fires are categorized in the "residential" fire statistics, and not its own category. Statistics report car fires, truck fires, motorcycle fires, etc separately rather than all of them in one "automobile" category. Yet, mobile homes are associated with site built homes. And insured as a car, not a home.

Fire investigators are finding they can not use the same tactics to investigate a mobile home fire as they can a site built fire. Why? Because of the amount of dangerous materials being used to build a mobile home. The Code of Federal Regulations that govern the mobile home construction and safety only give the "minimum requirements" for the mobile home manufacturer to get away with when they build these defective products. Then the government allows the manufacturer to "hire" an inspector to see if the mobile home is in "compliance" with the standards. So, if the inspector "fails" a mobile home during inspection at the plant, do you think he/she gets to keep his/her job? Probably not. The manufacturer loses money.

Times have changed. Construction laws in regards to cars, homes, etc have been updated. Yet, for some reason the mobile home industry has sugar coated the laws in 2000 to reflect what they want. Not what is good for the consumer.

Our very own Governor is head of TDHCA, yet he, and other agencies before him, have continued to allow this to happen to Texans. Shame on you Rick Perry. Why are you not concerned about the safety of mobile home owners? Is it because you classify us in a "different" category as others in Texas? Trailer trash maybe?

BOTTOM LINE!!!!!!

If you own a mobile home, get out a quickly as possible. Fire spreads rapidly in a mobile home. Much faster than a site built home. Some measurements state that a mobile home can burn as quickly as 8 minutes. Do you really have time to get out? Especially if you awaken by the sound of the smoke detector, if it works.

DO NOT go back into the mobile home if it is on fire. The toxic fumes will probably leave you unconscious or possibly end your life. Do you really want that?

Check windows and doors that lead to the outside. These may be the only way you have to exit a burning mobile home.

REMEMBER:
You are more precious than the defective product you live in.