The not so Badlands

The "Badlands" eh? They didn't look too "bad" to me...

The critters didn't seem to mind either...

OK, that might be a bit...austere.

Overall, I guess I'd settle for calling it an excellent place to visit.

Another Wonder of the World

Continuing on my tour of the Wonders of the Modern World...

One does not stop in Minnesota just for hockey or lutefisk. BEHOLD... THE SPAM MUSEUM!
Austin, Minnesota is truly blessed!

A happy resident greets you at the door.

And they have no problem with their sense of humor - featuring the Monty Python "Spam" sketch...

And, yes, they did come around with free samples! I ended up buying a T-shirt, frisbee and two tins of the Miracle Meat...Spam with garlic and the Spam with bacon...mmmm, bacon.

Thanks Mr. Farmer, for raising tasty hogs that become Spam!

A True Wonder of the World

Yes, I saw Yellowstone, I saw the Badlands... but I also saw the Mitchell Corn Palace!

I saw celebrities like "Cornelia":

I saw great works of art:

All in all, a true Wonder of the World!

How Reality Changes Because of the Law

For many years, asbestos personal injury lawyers had pointed an accusatory finger at all sorts of industries, wholesale distributors, contractors, retail distributors, etc., claiming asbestos use or exposure continued up to the very present day...

But then came along a little change in the law regarding Medicare and the leins the Federal Government could put on the settlement dollars generated by these lawsuits. To make a long and painful legislative story short, anything paid out to settle bodily injury claims that comes from insurance in effect 12/5/1980 onward is fair game for Uncle Sam to get his hooks into to settle Medicare costs first.

And, lo! The very fabric of time and space was changed... Suddenly the complaints and petitions on almost every asbestos lawsuit stop their allegations of exposure to asbestos at the end of 1979. Who knew that the CMS could reach back in time and rid America of asbestos just short of New Year's Day 1980? I am quite sure it has NOTHING to do with plaintiff lawyers not wanting to get caught in Federal red tape and paper work, or see someone else bite of a chunk of where their contingency fees come from...