Beating Dead Horses

Been a while, but ...

2010-12-02T09:54:00.004-05:00

... the nonsense has finally pushed me over the edge.

Took a lot, didn't it?

I don't think things are perfect. Great, even. This country, and this world, have a LOT of major issues. No need to go into them here as we all know what they are, right? That isn't what pushed me to jot down a little rant.

Heck, I even 'get' that people are upset and need to vent. I get why they tossed all the Republicans out 2 years ago, and tossed the Democrats from control of the House last month. Things are not as good as they were 10 years ago ... or 20, or 30. We have seen great prosperity under Reagan and Clinton and even did well under Bush, comparatively to how we are doing now. Again, I don't wish to go into what I think the causes are, or who is to blame, or even how this all could be / should be fixed. That isn't what made me sit to write this out.

What I am sick and tired of is the whining. The complaining with no solution offered. Those who feel free to write down anything and everything to make it appear as if we, the US, are in such a drastic state of decline that we cannot recover. That our lives are terrible now, and we were so much better off before. How we, as a generation, ruined it all as it was so perfect when our parents were growing up.

That is a load of horsecrap.

What prompted this need to vent? Another OpEd piece by Fox about how the Democrats have ruined this country? No. An editorial by CNN about how horrible the Republicans are? Nope. A stupid email. Trite little sayings strung together on a Powerpoint presentation (with pictures of modern day Hong Kong, for a great non-sequitor). I've received the same email in different forms for over 10 years. Attributed to comedian Steven Wright, then George Carlin, a Columbine HS student, Robin Williams, ... any number of name changes for the sender to think it would have more impact. It was used against Clinton, Bush, and now Obama. For those who do not think, it substitutes for modern day philosophy. Spoon fed and bite size single servings of bumper sticker philosophy that should be laughed at, yet not only doesn't it go away it was actually used to try to make a point today. By a friend who I admire and is very intelligent, even if prone to outrage for its own sake. Here is the foolish fluff (titled Paradox Of Our Time) which you probably all have received at some point wrapped up as if it is news, or deep philosophy:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit delete...

It was actually written by Dr. Moorehead, a pastor in Seattle, back in the early 90s. A side note? 17 members of the church claimed the pastor sexually assaulted them, but I suppose the man's character has little to do with what he wrote anyway, right?

The problem is that while unemployment is up, it is not as high as it was in the 80s, let alone in the 30s. Real estate values, stock portfolios, 401ks, retirement accounts, etc.? Not what they were during the DotCom boom and, yes, a lot of people lost a lot of money. But are we really saying people haven't made / aren't making more in RE and the Market than any other time in history? Sure we had to deal with 9-11, have terrorism and wars in the Middle East, have a mountain of debt, etc. but are we losing sight of what we have dealt with in the past? We had planes being hijacked and people killed on them, the Olympics stormed by terrorists, gangsters shooting up cities in turf wars, Pearl Harbor attacked, and have had many more serious wars in our history than those in the Middle East now. We have fought against Communism and extremists many times.

I hear, on one hand, about how my father's generation had it better and easier ...and did things 'right'. I hear how we have ruined it all. Really? Really? They were a great generation and bore a lot on their shoulders. They had it TOUGH. My father was an infant during the Depresssion where Americans lost homes, families, and wandered through the country as beggars. He saw Europe and Asia kill millions and millions of Chinese, Russians, and Jews. He saw a world at war, families wiped out, neighbors lose every make child in a household. We have it tough?!

"...more conveniences, but less time; ..."

Really? Less time? I spend MUCH more time with my kids than my dad did, and so do all my friends and acquaintances. My dad was ALWAYS working.

"...we have more degrees, but less sense; "

Less sense than Hitler, Stalin, or Pol Pot? Less sense to build safer buildings, toys, and cars? Less sense to not let your kids play in the street or to lock up your gun collection? As a group, there have ALWAYS been those with no common sense. We are not worse now, certainly.

"...more knowledge, but less judgment; ..."

Judging by what my own father had to go through, I'm not guessing judgement was in such high quantities then, either.

"... more medicine, but less wellness."

Really? People live far longer, far healthier lives now. We take care of ourselves better and have much higher quality of life in our senior years.

"We drink too much,..."

Yup, but less than we did.

" smoke too much, ..."

Yup, but less than we did.

"...spend too recklessly,..."

Okay, that one is true. ;-)

"... laugh too little, ..."

" I'm not sure the hard working generation prior or the ones before that that had to work long and hard all day, every day laughed a whole lot more. Saying it doesn't make it true.

"...drive too fast,"

Well, I do. But is it worse in general? As soon as cars were invented people started to race them. It is in our nature to 'push'.

"...get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, ..."

Tell that to all those who worked long hours every day... basically everyone prior to the 60s.

"...read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom."

Maybe. But are we reading, collectively, less than they did 50 years ago? 100 years ago? We should read more and watch less TV, but comparatively we are doing better than ever before and have more leisure time to pursue than ever before.

I'll stop going through it line by line as I hope you get my point. People read this fodder and believe it because 'if I read it, it must be true'. Its BS. A very flawed man's opinion who was preaching to his Christian flock about how they need to be better. Now we get it emailed around by every person trying to make a political statement about how bad things are now.

And some of you reading this fall for it.

Our times have challenges and troubles. We need to work at them and look for solutions, and - while we do so - some areas will get worse. But minorities and women have it FAR better than they did in the past. We work less than our dads, spend more time with our families. Education is better, access is better. We have more time to use imaginations, create art, and less time spent doing drudgery. We have safety nets for those who try and fail, and have higher expectations for our children than ever on this planet. We are healthier, wealthier, and more savvy than ever. Basically we have too much free time to feel sorry for ourselves and examine how tough we have it relevant to how easy we want it to be.

So just stop. Think. Stop reading OpEd pieces on news channels and thinking they are news. They aren't. They are opinions. Stop getting your opinions fed to you. Think with your own brain. If you aren't interested in politics, fine. Not everyone is. Its okay to not have an opinion and leave some things to others who research issues. It sounds condescending but isn't meant to be. Why do we feel we have to have opinions on everything, even things we know little about? Please don't spend 15 minutes to hear what some columnist thinks and absorb it as your own. Maybe that columnist truly studied it and believe deeply in what they wrote. It still wouldn't make it a fact or correct. And maybe they are trying to sell a show or magazine or book or newspaper by either being controversial or pandering to their fans.

We all have worries but we always have had them. Ours are minuscule compared to that which our parents grew up with, let alone those before that. Be grateful. Appreciate what you have as you strive to make things better.

But enough with all the whining, okay?

Day: 17, Calories: 0

2010-09-01T11:51:00.001-04:00

Log Entry

Daily Note:
Okay, two weeks of 'prep' and this week I'm well into the P90X... Still had trouble getting through an entire Plyometrics 'Jump Training' routine yesterday, but maybe next week. Back to Resistance Traing today for Shoulders and Arms...

Newport JazzFest?

2009-07-30T22:52:00.003-04:00

Thinking about Jazz in Newport. I can't call it the Newport Jazzfest, eve though that is what it is, as the name is copywritten and the group that bought it seems to have gone bankrupt or dropped the ball in putting the festival together. George Wein (the original producer/promoter) has stepped back in to make sure we don't go without a festival (as NY did), but its creatig a bit of confusion....

Anyway, here is the deal:

We used to go down early Sat., hit Jazzfest, stay over, hit the festival on Sunday and then head home after. It got so big though that a lot of hotels have a two night minimum stay now, so the last 3 or 4 years the family has been going down on Friday... we spend the day there, hit the pool, etc. Then dinner Friday eve, then go to JazzFest on Sat. for the day. Dinner that night, then JazzFest on Sunday and roll home afterward. We don't have our rooms yet, but I'll try to book them in the next few days. Its pricey (trying not to, but we've paid $450 a night, 2 night minimum before) to stay close by.

Your other options (in addition to doing what we do and biting the bullet expense-wise) are heading down for just one day (either Sat or Sun) and driving home afterward, or staying over but doing so in a hotel / motel a bit further away. You'd get a better price, maybe only a one night stay, and still be able to go to the festival both days if you are interested.

More details:

Get there early (starts around 11, full by noon) if you want a decent view and don't want to be in the weeds.

Bring a blanket and/or folding chairs.

They sell beer there (which I don't drink) but I have heard of people who smuggle in rum or vodka in water bottles...

Food is good and plentiful. Lots of options and usually very tasty.

In the past, there have been three stages, continuous acts on each. I'm not sure they'll do that this year (see below for reason). If you are thinking of a day trip, check out: George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 | Newport, RI I think I personally will like Saturday a bit more as its more for the jazz lover. Sunday will be busier though as Tony Bennett will be there, as well as Dave Brubeck (Take 5, you'd know it).

Ticket costs are down as there was some confusion this past year about who would put it together and promote it... The gentleman who did it for years stepped back in late and put it together, but ticket prices have dropped from $50-$75 to $15-$30. I'm guessing that means fewer acts.

That's all I can think of for now, but write and comment if you have any questions...

- E

Stimulus...

2009-04-14T16:19:00.006-04:00

A lot of us have heard the figures... If the Gov. gave the billions they sent to the banks and auto companies (to say nothing of the billions given to local and state govs. as 'stimulus' and to businesses) all American taxpayers would receive upwards of $250,000 each. That started me thinking...

If what the gov. wanted to do was to make sure the banks did not fail do to bad RE investments, that RE values stabilized, the public slide into bankruptcies were halted, and that banks were paid off for the loans then why not simply give the bailout cash to the public under the condition that it pay off outstanding loans and mortgages? The end result would have been for people to have less debt and therefor be more willing to buy goods, the banks would have the bad investments paid off (as well as some of the good ones) and would have healthier balance sheets and not be saddled with either property or bad mortgages. They would be willing to lend (under new tighter restrictions to keep this from happening again) out monies they had (and hadn't lost), and small businesses would benefit as capital to them would not be tied up... No one would lose and everyone and every sector would gain.

The car companies? Rather than bail them out with loans and cash of $9 Billion, why doesn't the federal government buy 450,000 cars at $20,000 each? The government could sell them to the public for pennies on the dollar, or gift them to worthy poor people, or heck, have a lottery... Or just put in a program funded by the monies they would have given in gift payments to the car manufacturers whereby the public could get grants for 50% off an American car, etc. Whatever. There are many ways of passing the money out to make sure both the public benefits (it is our money, right?) and the car companies still are helped. The car companies would have a huge increase in sales which could help them become profitable, the public would get new cars, the environment would benefit from all the older cars being taken off the road, etc. Another win/win situation instead of our current plan which has citizens still paying their money for questionable quality American cars made by companies that may not be around to service them while their tax dollars go into the companies with the same failed management strategies that got them into the trouble in the first place.

This approach, providing stimulus to companies and institutions that need assistance by providing assistance to the public, would work far better than passing out checks to managers (in business or gov. agencies) that have already shown they cannot distribute funds well or manage a department profitably. It can be done everywhere and in every sector, too, including disaster relief. Billions poured into New Orleans after Katrina yet the city is a shell of its former glory, residents have no way of moving back and have to start over, crime is up... How about giving anyone who lost their home $200k towards a new one, plus $30k per person to replace possessions lost (to renters and homeowners alike). Strings attached, of course. Would there be abuses and those who spent the money on drugs by selling their vouchers to others? Sure. No system is foolproof. But not only would retail places see a boom, but contractors would as well. Want to help rebuild its standing and bring back some measure of 'normalcy' to the region? The gov. could pay 50% of travel costs and / or hotel costs for people willing to vacation there. It would bring people back to spend money in an area that lived off tourist dollars, people that currently won't / can't go back to spend money there. The economy would thrive. People would move in to provide the services to a community flush with cash. Those who lost everything could rebuild. Heck, those who helped by paying taxes could get a cheaper vacation! Everyone would benefit. Sure, the gov. would still have to rebuild schools, the levees, etc. but even with those expenditures the costs would be lower than the billions that are poured into the area, most of which have either not been handed out or have disappeared with so much of the city and so many of the former inhabitants still in a terrible position.

While not a fan of huge government, I am all for stimulating the economy at times like these rather than letting the current economy snowball as it runs downhill... This is why we have a government: NOT for when times are good and the economy is growing and threats abroad are minimal, but for when we need a push, a prod, or some protection. To be there to right wrongs that we alone cannot correct, not to run our lives all the time and make people dependent upon the government. But while I agree the government should be helping certain people and sectors, and I do not think handing out cash to people 'willy nilly' is the answer, I do think a controlled program of spending with strings and controls would be FAR better than our current way of 'helping' by handing out cash and 'loans' which barely help the public who's taxes are paying for the loans and who's children will bear much of the burden for paying them.

There is a better way and we have to start looking for it and demanding it.

Stimulus Plan Necessary But Not Enough

2009-03-01T09:02:00.003-05:00

E - As I said long ago, this economy is worse than even the White House is projecting or has been reported... Even with the Stimulus Plan (thank goodness) we are in for a few long years. High unemployment, inflation, reduced availability of credit, dropping RE values for 2 or 3 more years, etc. The money put into the economy by the gov. will help, but it will not be enough to stop this economy. Its the 800 lb. gorilla in the room that no one wants to admit is there, but we are already in a free fall and there is no true end in sight. Not to be too doom and gloom guys, but the last year they have propped things up to look better than they were and the Obama Admin. is still doing its best to put a positive spin on things to restore consumer confidence... Things are much worse than some report...

The fortunes of the American economy have grown so alarming and the pace of the decline so swift that economists are now straining to describe where events are headed, dusting off a word that has not been invoked since the 1940s: depression.

Economists are not making comparisons with the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the unemployment rate reached 25 percent. Current conditions are not even as poor as during the twin recessions of the 1980s, when unemployment exceeded 10 percent, though many experts assert this downturn is on track to be significantly worse.

Rather, economists are using the word depression — a subjective term with no academic definition — to describe a condition of broad and extreme economic distress that remains stubbornly in place for much longer than a typical downturn.

This is more than a matter of semantics. As the government determines its spending plans, readying another infusion of cash for troubled banks while contemplating an additional bailout for the auto industry, the magnitude of those needs will hinge on the extent of the damage.

Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Economy.com, now places the odds of “a mild depression” at 25 percent, up from 15 percent three months ago. In that view, the unemployment rate would reach 10.5 percent by the end of 2011 — up from 7.6 percent at the end of January — average home prices would fall 20 percent on top of the 27 percent they have plunged already, and losses in the financial system would more than triple, to $3.7 trillion.

Allen Sinai, chief global economist at the research firm Decision Economics, sees a 20 percent chance of “a depressionlike possibility,” up from 15 percent a week ago.

“In the housing market, the financial system and the stock market, we’re already there,” Mr. Sinai said. “It is a depression.”

Yet, in drawing up the budget, the White House assumed the economy would expand by a robust 3.2 percent in 2010, with growth accelerating to 4 percent over the next three years.

“It’s a hope, a wing and a prayer,” Mr. Sinai said. “It’s a return to a sanguine view of the economy that is simply not justified.”

If, as is widely anticipated, the economy grows more slowly than the White House assumes, revenue will be lower, forcing the government to cut spending, raise taxes or run larger deficits.

Economists also criticized as unrealistically hopeful the assumptions by the Federal Reserve as it began so-called stress tests to gauge the health of the nation’s largest banks. In testimony, Ben S. Bernanke, the Fed chairman, said that the nation’s unemployment rate would most likely reach 8.8 percent next year.

“That forecast just doesn’t seem realistic,” said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, “and I don’t think it helps the Fed’s credibility to make these sorts of forecasts right now.”

As federal regulators estimate potential losses at banks, the harshest assumptions they are testing entails the unemployment rate topping out at 10.3 percent — the highest level since 1983, but hardly the worst case.

By Mr. Baker’s reckoning, the unemployment rate may exceed 12 percent — the highest level since tracking began in 1948.

“We continue to see across-the-board numbers coming in worse than we expected,” Mr. Baker said.

By Mr. Zandi’s estimation, in the most likely case, the unemployment rate will reach 9.3 percent next year. The distress in the financial system, the job market and real estate have become inextricably intertwined.

As troubled banks remain hesitant to lend, even healthy companies are laying off workers. As more Americans lose jobs, they are cutting spending, depriving businesses of revenue, and falling behind on house, car and credit card payments, multiplying losses in the financial system. As more homes land in foreclosure and would-be buyers fail to secure mortgages, housing prices fall further, adding to the losses of the banks — a downward spiral.

Many economists expect that the labor data to be released next Friday will show that as many as 700,000 jobs disappeared in February, lifting the unemployment rate near 8 percent and pushing total job losses to more than four million since the recession began in December 2007.

Given the brutal forces at play, some experts question the administration’s decision to publicize the bank stress tests, as opposed to conducting them quietly.

“It invited the interpretation that this was the beginning of triage for the banks, that we were going to start lining them up and shooting them,” said Alan S. Blinder, a former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve and a professor at Princeton. “There are some things in the bank supervisor role that you just keep secret.”

Others argue that the tests could sow needed assurance. “The stress test could create transparency,” said Alan D. Levenson, chief economist at T. Rowe Price in Baltimore.

As the gruesome data accumulates, this much is already clear: Transparency is not for the squeamish.

Mr. Levenson noted that the weakening economy was destroying demand for goods and services even faster than the $787 billion stimulus program could replace it.

E - The time to put aside the partisan bull is here... without the additional gov. spending and projects to keep millions employed, spending, paying taxes, and off the unemployment rolls pulling money from the system, the upcoming years would be worse than anything we have seen in our lifetime. It still may be.

QRW's Best $12 And Under California Wines

2009-02-03T17:55:00.003-05:00

Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Coastal Ridge, California - $7

2005 Fat Cat, California - $10

2004 Forest Glen, California - $11

2004 ForestVille, California - $6

2003 Harlow Ridge, Lodi - $10

2006 Napa Ridge, Napa Valley - $12

2006 Red Truck, Central Coast - $12

2006 Redwood Creek, California - $8

2005 Round Hill, California - $9

Merlot

2005 Forest Glen, California - $11

2004 Napa Ridge, Napa Valley - $12

2006 Redwood Creek, California - $8

2005 Round Hill, California - $8

Zinfandel / Shiraz

2005 Bonny Doon Vineyard Syrah, Le Pousseur, Central Coast - $10

2005 ForestVille Zinfandel, California - $6

2005 Harlow Ridge Shiraz, Lodi - $10

2003 Napa Ridge Syrah, Napa Valley - $12

Red Blends

2006 Red Truck Petite Sirah, California - $10

2005 Grand Pacific Starliner Red - $12

Whites - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Blends

2006 Fat Cat Chardonnay, California - $10

2005 Gallo of Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay, Sonoma - $12

2005 Grand Pacific Steamliner White - $12

2005 Mont Pellier Chardonnay, California - $7

2005 Napa Ridge, Napa Valley - $12

2006 Round Hill Chardonnay, California - $9

2006 White Knight Sauvignon Blanc, Lodi - $12

2005 White Knight Viognier, Clarksburg - $12

For details or the article, you'll have to get the Quarterly Review Of Wines, Summer 2008 edition... Besides, this gives you a jumping off point. You have recommendations to start, right? Isn't experimenting and trying them to see what YOU like the pint, anyway?

Grape Varietals In France

2009-01-23T01:16:00.003-05:00

   Do any of you find French wines to be exceptionally confusing?
   Well - they can be! Unlike most wines from the US, New Zealand, Australia, etc., the French wine labels do not usually name the grape varietals. Instead, they list the country of origin, the region, the vintage, the estate, or "maker", the winery and/or vineyard, and occasionally the shipper or négotiant.
   This (very generalized!) list outlines the primary varietals found in a few important regions:
Burgundy:
Reds: Pinot Noir
White: Chardonnay
Bordeaux:
Reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec
Whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion, Muscadelle
Loire:
Reds: Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon
Whites: Chenin Blanc, Melon De Burgogne, Sauvignon Blanc
Alsace:
Whites: Gewuztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling
Rhone:
Reds: Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, Cinsault
Whites: Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Picpoul

A rebuttal regarding Obama

2009-01-20T16:02:00.006-05:00

[The original comment I took exception to:]

C - "I too want our president to suceed.
The national pride we all should share in a color blind election where the most capable and competent person just happens to be black or a woman... is the epitomy of democracy.
And no, McCain was not that person. Maybe no republican could have been this year.
No it was Hillary's year but race and style trumped ability and everyone-even the fanatical gleam in the eye white hypocrites whose lack of self awarness to this fact does not excuse the reprehensible origins of their loyalty to Hussien-knows this and that's what makes it inexcusable."

[My comment in response]

E - What a load of hooey.

McCain would have beaten Hillary. It was never her year as it will never be. She would have won the Dem nomination, but she had too many people who hated her to win. Males would have left the Dems, even after all this, in droves. McCain would have never nominated a fluff like Palin and would have taken the White House. You want to trivialize Obama's win or write it off with trite explanations, but it was simple: Best man for the job. He was inspirational when the nation needed to be inspired, charismatic and an obviously driven leader when we were tired of what the ass in the Oval Office was trying to sell us. He is intelligent and educated, and we wanted that after finding out Texas hokum doesn't work when running anything larger than a BBQ. And while the problems we face seem like it would condemn an inexperienced man to failure in the election, America didn't want a 30 year Senator who helped get us where we are or a close connection to the past administration, tainted and full of scandal that it was. He lost votes because he was black (as is evidenced by Dem areas in the south that voted for McCain) but won because he was young, intelligent, hard working, well spoken, committed, and basically the anti-Bush.

Will he do as well as everyone hopes? How could he possibly? Will some of his plans be disliked? Sure, as no one is ever pleased by everything. What I may like, you may dislike (and vice versa). But I think he has earned the right - through his own well run campaign and hard work as well as through the failures of the past administration - to give it a shot and have the support of the people.

The simple fact so many people now have hope in this country should tell you something about his ability to inspire and how desperate the populace is for the country to go in a different direction in many areas. And his ability to inspire and bring 'hope' back to the people will do more for this troubled economy than any program he initiates or vetoes.

'Progressive Taxation? I think mine is more about progress..

2008-11-11T11:21:00.004-05:00

As an advocate of the Flat Tax (but an advocate that realizes accountants, the IRS, and lawyers have too much to lose to ever let it happen), I wrote this in response to someone who advocated steeply progressive taxation. They believe the rich need to pay a lot more. I don't think that progressive taxation is just unfair to the wealthy, but to everyone. Here was my response:

"You don't see it at work in the real world... Union guys turning down work they want because they'll lose most of it in taxes if they get bumped... Under the table jobs for a lot of blue collar workers so they won't get bumped up - it isn't just the taxes on the other job, its the affect on the main one. I know of a contractor who makes $35/hr and his boss charges $50/hr. for him. The contractor works as much as possible outside the loop now - he makes no more, the homeowner saves a little, the boss loses money, the gov. loses money in taxes and fees... Why? Why would the contractor do that when he makes no more? Because if he does it through his boss he'll get bumped to a new bracket and lose out. THAT is the real world. "

" Rather than say every citizen should pay the same (as we all have the same army, same roads, etc.) if you want to say that someone makes 100 times what you do then they should pay 100 times what you do then I agree. But 'Progressive' Taxation is un-American. That said, I could still get behind it IF it were on an extreme income... ie, EVERYONE under $35,000 pays nothing (as they are just getting started or need every penny they earn to live). At $35,000 to $55,000 the population would pay 5% (to ease into paying taxes. From $55,000 to $350,000 we would all pay 10%. From $350,000 to $1,000,000 we would pay 20%. Over $1,000,000 a year you pay $35%. "

"Would it make people earning $950,000 stop and think about a yarly salary increase? Sure would. But how many are getting that? And those that get more than $1,000,000 per year in compensation usually make substantially more or it is based on performance (through bonuses). Would some not take the 'raise'? Maybe, but the money would then be reinvested somewhere rather than taken in compensation. The gov. wouldn't get it in taxes but it would still help the economy. Meanwhile, everyone from $35,000 on up would be encouraged to work more, work harder, try to get ahead, etc. The increments would be small enough that the raise or additional work would not be chewed away, and those we need to encourage to work harder and take risks would be the benefit of their risks and hard work, not see it get taken in taxes."

I'm sure there are holes in the plan and I still think a straight 10% (or whatever) Flat Tax would be better as it addresses corporate taxes as well, but it is far better than what we have now.

A Friend's Synopsis

2008-10-30T15:42:00.001-04:00

I wish I wrote this but a very good friend did... Eloquent and pithy, I think:

I do not root for failure. I also do not say my country right or wrong. The invasion was a mistake because Hussein was already defeated and completely contained. He kept his psychotic people under control, through fear but so what? That was their problem. Finding and eliminating Bin laden and Al Qaeda was our problem. Hussein also kept Iran in check. Now none of this is happening. IT WAS A MISTAKE! Now when we leave it will fall apart but that was not the case before w. went in and his father and his men knew that. HOWEVER, if you go, employ the Powell doctrine. Kick ass, take control not allow an army to be disbanded and therefore spring up as a series of tribal insurgent armies supplied with arms we were unable to secure. THIS WAS A MISTAKE! This is horrible for our country! It never should have happened. Wrong from it’s conceit, it’s justification which was all lies, it’s concept, it’s design and lack of follow through. The world is either horrified or emboldened by our now clearly seen weakness. We can not fight simultaneous wars even when in the same region. We cannot afford this war, especially when giving massive tax cuts at the same time. So let’s enrich another enemy, China. Fucking brilliant! Wrong in it’s ENTIRETY!

I do not root for my country to fail. I do not turn a blind eye to its folly. An American victory would have been to vanquish the Taliban and shown for however long it may have lasted that a religion of such monstrous intolerance and backward looking yearnings for the human race would not be allowed to establish itself in the league of nations. That is not the future for mankind. Al Qaeda would not have been so strong if we cut off it’s head and it would not have so many new recruits. We should have gone after the root cause of this conflict and tried to see what could be done to improve. We should follow the money to Saudi Arabia and choke that off.

Now of course the situation is this: When we leave, whenever we leave Iraq, it falls apart. Iran steps into the vacuum. Everyone hates us, our children died for nothing, the Iraqi oil is doing us no good but w, sure showed his father who was the better man.

I can not live up to Christ’s mandate. I can never forgive this asshole, I hate him and always will. You know why? It is because I love and root for the best of the United States of America. This is not it.

Avanti WineFridge

2008-10-30T15:05:00.004-04:00

Just a complete rant that I will take down if the company makes this right... If not, I'll post that, too, as well as a link to a website I'll set up.

(11/9/08 - NOTE: They have sent a new unit which - so far - is working well; details below)

Anyway...

Ordered an Avanti wine fridge mid January 2007 on-line while buying appliances for a kitchen remodel at our house... It was delivered in February and installed mid March 2007.

It stopped working while we were on vacation in July 2007.

After calling the seller (to find out they didn't do repairs) and then Avanti (who referred me to a local repair place for warranty work) we called A-Z Appliance. They came out in August 07, took one look and said they couldn't fix it as it was the electrical panel and 'those always go bad". They would order parts but 'they are terrible about shipping quickly".

The part was ordered but was back ordered and unavailable.. until December of 07. A-Z came out and installed the part and left (no one was home).

Obviously it still didn't work.

Two weeks later they were back out to check it out. They said it would have to go back to the shop... but they couldn't take it as the truck was full. Later that week theyame out and took fridge in for repair.

I finally got them to bring it back in mid- Feb. Happy to finally have a working wine fridge instead of a gaping hole in the cupboards as we did over the holidays, we were frustrated but finally satisfied customers.

The unit worked 3 months and stopped by the end of May, again.

After numerous calls to A-Z who wasn't sure what they could realistically do any longer, they said unit is defective with an internal leak and cannot be repaired. A new one would be necessary. With both A-Z and myself calling Avanti, in early August, Avanti called me to say unit cannot be repaired, per a discussion with the repairshop, and that new one is necessary. I was to send $10. (?!) to them to do so.

Check sent the next day on 8/7.

Check was cashed by Avanti on 8/13.

By late Sept., I called A-Z and Avanti wondering why I had not heard anything. Unable to get any answers, leaving many messages, I finally spoke to someone on 10/1 at Avanti who said it had been too long and that the item was out of warranty! No fridge was to be sent, despite cashing check, despite acknowledging it cannot be fixed, despite it never working correct and being out of service for all but 6 or 7 months of the 20 months I had it...

Getting past a customer service representative I spoke to Meaghan, ' a manager'. After telling her the problem she said she would talk to A-Z to have them confirm the issue and would call me back. I told her that no one ever called back and I spent a lot of time on hold at Avanti... She promised she would call back by the end of the day.

Obviously, she didn't.

I called that eve, the next day, and other times all week. Always told I was being transferred in, it alwys was put on voice mail and no one ever called back.

Totally frustrated by the worse customer service I have ever heard about, I asked for her 'boss' and was told to speak to David ______ (head of dept., supposedly). He instructed me to fax/mail a copy of the sticker from the back of the wine cooler to him and a new cooler would be sent out. I pulled the unit myself, and then both faxed and mailed it.

Having heard nothing by the end of the month again, I called on 10/30 to check the status. More time on hold to get through, more time on hold after speaking to a rep and giving her the RA number for the issue... After being put on hold for some time, the rep returned and told me she could not even locate the RA number for my problem!

I asked to speak to David and was given - surprise - his voice mail. I left yet another message.

As of 3pm I have not heard back from anyone... We'll see.

More to come, I'm sure...

---

I received a call later that day from a customer service representative who asked if i would be home the following week, lol. She mentioned I would receive a call from a trucking company about delivery as the wine fridge would be sent right out.

Sure enough, I received a call from a trucker the following week who wanted to bring the unit by. I pulled the current one out, and wrestled it down the stairs myself in time for the new unit to show up that afternoon. Bringing the new one in and setting it up (they are 54 bottle units, I believe) it appears to be working well. While I wish the original unit had worked properly in the first place and that it had not taken so long to get the problem resolved, in the end they did do the right thing, thankfully...

What Sarah Palin Has Taught Us

2008-10-26T16:06:00.001-04:00


	October 24, 2008, 7:00 a.m.

An Instructive Candidacy
What Sarah Palin taught us about ourselves.

By Victor Davis Hanson

Soon this depressing campaign will be over, and we can reflect on what we learned from our two-month introduction to Sarah Palin.

Clearly, it is more than we would have ever wished to know about ourselves.

E - That a small percentage of us can b fooled by winking women with nice legs?

First, there turns out to be no standard of objectivity in contemporary journalism. Palin’s career as a city councilwoman, mayor, and governor of Alaska was never seen as comparable to, or — indeed, in terms of executive experience — more extensive than, Barack Obama’s own legislative background in Illinois and Washington.

E - Nor should it be. 'Councilwoman'? Mayor of a town so small it could fit in most high school stadiums? Governor of the most remote and unpopulated state in the country and one of the most remote areas of the world? Titles and positions don't get you votes. Abilities do. She has none.

Somehow we forgot that a mother of five taking on the Alaskan oil industry and the entrenched male hierarchy was somewhat more challenging than Barack Obama navigating the sympathetic left-wing identity politics of Chicago.

E - Somehow this fluff piece overlooks that a well educated and intelligent member of Congress who can build coalitions and lead people is far more qualified than a hockey mom who has done nothing but get elected based on looks, had a small scandal already, and been appointed to a post she is unqualified for based on nothing more than her gender and ability to appeal a the fringe group who doesn't look deeply but is satisfied with one issue.

So we seem to have forgotten that the standards of censure of her vice-presidential candidacy were not applied equally to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

E - Absolutely unequal. He has been scrutinized for 4-6 years and she couldn't stand up to 2 months. He can handle himself with anyone and she would be eaten alive and is unable to stand up to a Today Show host.

The media at times seems unaware of this embarrassment, namely that their condemnation of Sarah Palin as inexperienced equally might apply to Barack Obama — and to such a degree that by default we were offered the lame apology (reiterated by Colin Powell himself) that Obama’s current impressive campaigning, not his meager political accomplishments, was already an indication of a successful tenure as president. The result is that we now know more about the Palin pregnancies — both of mother and daughter — that we do the relationships of Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright, and Father Pfleger with our possible next president.

Indeed, the media itself — in private, I think —

E - Nice of him to speak for all that he disagrees with...

...would admit that while have learned almost everything about Tasergate and the Bridge to Nowhere, we assume that at some future date a publicity-starved, megalomaniac Rev. Wright will soon offer his post-election memoirs, detailing just how close he and a President Obama were. Or we will learn Barack Obama and Bill Ayers, as long-time friends, in fact, did communicate via phone and e-mail well after Ayers had told the world, about the time of 9/11, that he, like our present-terrorist enemies, likewise wished he had engaged in more bombing attacks against the United States government. And the media never wondered whether a Palin’s falling out with those who ran Alaska might have been more of a touchstone to character than Obama’s own falling in with those who ran Chicago.

E - While you would like to judge Obama by 2 or 3 of the millions he has dealt with, searching for something - anything - that will hurt the campaign, she can be judged on her own proven lack of ability and honesty.

While Gov. Palin’s frequent college transfers and Idaho degree are an item of snickering among pundits, none of them can claim to care much about Barack Obama’s own undergraduate career. To suggest that he release his undergraduate transcript is near blasphemy; to scribble that Sarah Palin’s Down Syndrome child was not her own is journalism as we now know it.

E - Have any reputable journalists said that?

To care that Joe Biden is vain, with bleached teeth, the apparent recipient of some sort of strange facial tightening tonic, and hair plugs is deservedly mean and petty;

E - Yet this author will say it willingly. NOT PETTY AT ALL, LOL.

...to sneer that the Alaskan mom of five bought a new wardrobe to run for Vice President is, of course, vital proof for the American voter of her vanity and shallowness.

E - Ah, she is simply buying b new outfits. He is shallow and vain. Got it.

Second, there does not seem to be much left of feminism any more. Of course, feminists once gave liberal pro-choice Bill Clinton a pass for his serial womanizing of vulnerable subordinates, and Oval Office antics with a young female intern. But they gave the game away entirely when they went after Gov. Palin for her looks, accent, pregnancies, and religion, culminating in assessments of her from being no real woman at all to an ingrate — piggy-backing on the pioneer work of self-acclaimed mavericks like themselves.

E - Sorry. Feminism was proven by her being turned down. It showed that talent and issues and brains is what matters, not boobs. Feminists should vote on talent and issues, not on any woman just because they are a woman.

Feminism, it turns out, is no longer about equal opportunity and equal compensation, but, in fact, little more than a strain of contemporary elitist identity politics, and support for unquestioned abortion. Had Gov. Sarah Palin just been a mother of a single child at Vassar rather than of five in Alaska, married to a novelist rather than a snow-machiner, an advocate of pro-choice, who shot pictures of Alaskan ferns rather than shot moose — feminists would have hailed her as a principled kindred soul, and trumpeted her struggles against Alaskan male grandees.

E - If she was not a woman picked to look pretty but repeat what she was told to, a woman picked on talent and not the fact she was anti-abortion to appeal to the far right, she would have had a chance. No woman who wants equal rights thinks that picking a backwoods hockey mom - simply because she wears a dress - advances any of their causes. And this writer's complete misunderstand and misrepresentation of it shows he doesn't have a clue.

So there was something creepy about droves of irate women, in lock-step blasting Sarah Palin from the corridors of New York and Washington, when most of them were the recipients of the traditional spoils of either family connections, inherited money, or the advantages that accrue from insider power marriages. Indeed, very few of Palin’s critics on their own could have emerged from a small-town in Alaska, with an intact marriage and five children, to run the state of Alaska.

E - A former beauty contestant who gets elected to office by oil workers being compared to any real politician is silly. Inflating her accomplishments and belittling others wins no points or votes.

We have come to understand that — for a TV anchorwoman, op-ed columnist, or professor — it would be a nightmare to birth a Down Syndrome child in her mid-forties, or to have had her pregnant unwed teen actually deliver her baby.

E - Foolish and stupid comment. She has been praised for both and its been hands off on any complaints about her daughter. Empty whining.

In the world outside Sarah Palin’s Wasilla, these are career-ending blunders that abort the next job promotion or book tour— or the future career of a prepped young daughter on her way to the Ivy League.

Third, from the match-up of Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, we discovered that our media does not know anything about the nature of wisdom — how it is found or how it is to be adjudicated. For the last eight weeks, Palin has been demonized as a dunce because she did not, in the fashion of the class toady with his hand constantly up in the first row, impress in flash-card recall, the glasses-on-his-nose Charlie Gibson, or clinched-toothed Katie Couric.

E - She has been recognized as a dunce because she doesn't know the issues or facts, doesn't know she doesn't know, and is even too stupid to parrot back the slogans the McCain camp has tried to teach her. They now know what a fool she is and have instructed her to speak on 3 or 4 issues and disregard any other question asked as she is incapable of learning the response they want her to make. It is proof even her boss, McCain, realizes how bad she is.

Meanwhile Joe Biden has just been Ol’ Joe Biden — which means not that he can get away with the occasional gaffe, but that can say things so outrageous, so silly, and so empty that, had they come out of the mouth of Sarah Palin, she would have long ago been forced to have stepped aside from the ticket.

E - She couldn't repeat his gaffes as they have more than 1 syllable words in them.

Factual knowledge? Biden, in the midst of a financial meltdown on Wall Street, apparently thinks that the last time it happened in 1929, we heard FDR rally us on television. And such made-up nonsense came in the form, as many of Biden’s gaffes do, of a rebuke to the supposedly obtuse George W. Bush.

Sobriety? Biden now admits that dangerous powers abroad will immediately test a President Obama. He warns that the results of such a crisis will be very disappointing to the American electorate, and thus Team Obama/Biden will need loyal supporters to rally as their polls sink. Yet remember that Biden himself has been a fierce and opportunistic critic of Bush, who despite a frenzy of congressional demagoguery, initiated the successful surge and ignored the very polls that the for-the-war/against-the-war Biden so carefully tracked. More importantly, if an Ahmadinejad, Chavez, or Putin ever had any doubts about carving out new spheres of uncontested influence, they may entertain very few now.

E - They are getting stronger now. And Palin, who can't stand up to a newscaster, would be eaten alive.

Veracity? If one were to think that Biden’s past brushes with plagiarism, inflated bios, and falsehood were exceptional rather than characteristic, the last two months confirmed otherwise. For all the false recall, it is hard to remember anything he said in his Palin debate that was true, whether describing the status of Hezbollah in Lebanon or his own past remarks about the wisdom of burning coal.

E - What I do remember is that he debated and answered questions asked, instead of giving canned responses apropos of nothing they were speaking about.

Silliness? Imagine the following outbursts, mutatis mutandis, from the mouth of a Sarah Palin — “John McAmerica,” “a Palin-McCain administration,” “Senator George Obama,” “Congressman Joe Biden,” who is both “good looking,” and “drop-dead gorgeous.” Or “I guarantee you, John McCain ain’t taking my shotguns. . . . If he tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem. I like that little over and under, you know? I’m not bad with it. So give me a break.”

E - Give me a break. Of Biden winked and repeated canned statements and stumbled and mumbled and was locked away until the debate trying to memorize soundbites or said he wouldn't debate but would just say whatever he wanted on whatever subject he wanted... IF he did that he would have been torn apart. Yet she gets praise for the debate because she didn't drool on herself.

Or “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” Or “Mitt Romney is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly he might have been a better pick than me.”

The list could go on ad nauseam. But we got the picture. Biden has devolved from the ridiculous to the unhinged, confident that in-house journalism would understand that the law graduate with 36 years in the Senate was simply being Joe, while a Sarah Palin, who flinched when asked to parse the Bush Doctrine, was a Neanderthal creationist.

E - Talk about spin! Digging up all the ridiculous stuff from Biden and overlooking Palin repeating, word for word, foolish responses to different questions asked by Couric...

I thought by now the You-tubed exchange of a Congressional Finance Committee hearing between the pompous Harvard Law School graduate Barney Frank and the conniving Harvard Law School graduate Franklin Raines — at the proverbial moment of conception of the financial meltdown — would have put to rest the notion that graduation from law school was any proof of either wisdom or morality.

E - It proves nothing. Saying a Harvard degree means nothing is nothing but pandering to the foolish.

I don’t know whether Sarah Palin would make a great vice president.

E - Fortunately the majority of the country does.

But I did learn that by the standard of John Kerry’s pick of John Edwards, and now Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden, as running mates, she is wise and ethical beyond their measure.

E - And I have learned that in a long record of foolish picks for VP candidates by both parties, John McCain stooped to a new low in poor judgement.

Musing ...

2008-05-15T19:58:00.000-04:00

While we want to think that we are a composite of our ideals and beliefs, we are - in reality - a composite of our actions.

The Caucus System and Delegates

2008-05-12T13:54:00.001-04:00

Below is an excerpt from an e-mail debate:

BA - Do anyone of you believe in the party system?
EE - Yes. It has its flaws but I do think it works better than any others. I think the partys do need to change though, to become the COnservative and Liberal Parties rather than cloak them behind Democrat and Republican labels.

BA - Do you actually know what the dem or rep platform is?

If you say yes then tell me how how they don't put it together until the convention
EE - The problem is that the party should let the nominee set the platform as he/she is who the public wants. Instead the party sets the platform and supposedly the nominee is to work for that goal.

BA - No one has the balls to rock the system. The party system should be over same with the electoral college.
EE - Again, it has its flaws but has worked better than any other. It needs some changes, but I do not think it should be tossed. As far as the electoral college, I think the whole country should have primaries on the same day. The system where a candidate gets knocked out because he didn't do well in Utah and New Hampshire when they might win in Ohio and Pennsylvania is ridiculous. Barring that, we need a system where delegates vote on the public behalf. For example: Joe, Jim, and Fred are running for office and Fred and Jim are very, very similar in views. Joe is very different. Joe wins 40% of the vote. Jim wins 39% of the vote, and Fred wins only 21%. If all votes go to the winner of the state, 60% are unhappy. If Fred drops out and it comes to a fight, his delegates should be able to support Jim. We need a system that addresses that... one where you are locked in for your candidate as long as they are in, but can switch if they drop out or are voted out.

Just one man's opinion.
K - You are not alone my good man.

40 Tips For Better Life

2008-05-11T18:36:00.002-04:00

From a site I stumbled upon... I have added comments (in green) where I thought appropriate.

40 Tips for Better Life - 2008

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
E - Not sure about this one but I have heard it often...
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
E - Even if its in the car while you drive. Try not turning on the radio for 10 minutes. Or use the last 10 minutes before you fall asleep to think.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
E - Watch those you really want to see when you have time, instead of watching the other garbage and staying up to see late night programs. I may stay up late but never to just watch television.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to __________ today.’
E - Or at least think about what you would like to accomplish or what you would like changed. Then do something about it.
5. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation and/or prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
E - More good advice I don't listen to... Yet.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
E - Everyone 'wants' to look good and be fit. But it doesn't come by accident. If you take the easy road and make the easy choices (eating sugary and fatty foods, not exercising) then you will shorten your life and eventually look like someone who eats sugary and fatty foods and doesn't exercise. It isn't rocket science.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
E - Avoid things with saturated fat, Crisco, etc. If it doesn't spoil or break down, why would you want it in your body surrounding your organs and floating through your veins? Does that even sound like a remotely good thing?
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
E - Probably the most important step here. It goes well with Step 40.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
E - Unless, to you, that means boxed Mac N Cheeze ;-)
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the negative blues away.
18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
E - Sure things can always get better or less stressful. But do not let that make you unhappy where you are now.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
E - And "Can I change this so that it won't matter so much?"
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
E - FOrgive even if you can't forget.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. Remember God heals everything.
E - God or Time, whichever. Everyone has bad events befall them. Don't let them continue to drag you down any more than they have to.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35. Do the right thing!
E - Not because someone will know. Not because you feel God is watching. Not because you'll get credit. Do it on principle and to make yourself a better person that you yourself can be proud of.
36. Call your family often.
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for _______. Today I accomplished ____.
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
40. Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change.
E - And, of course, Treat others as you want to be treated. Do not do things you wouldn't want done to you.

America Has Alzheimer's

2008-05-11T17:38:00.002-04:00

Why is it that we remember all of WWII and how we saved the world but seem to forget what has happened over the last 5 years?

Maybe we just refuse to deal with our shortcomings and would prefer to sweep them under the rug. Maybe that is it. It would explain why we remember finally being dragged into a European battle and leading the reversal of mis-fortune to retake Europe and free it from the Fascist grip, but we forget that we recently we lost thousands of men, women, and children, a large portion of a city, and one of America's greatest and most unique cultural experiences.

"What? Huh? Where?", you ask?

NOLA. New Orleans.

The fact it didn't immediately come to mind by all who read this rant proves my original statement.

Then again, maybe it is because we, Americans, seem to have an optimistic nature. Maybe we would simply prefer to remember how we helped rebuild Japan and Europe after the Second World War but are forgetting how devastated we were after we were attacked on 9-11. We prefer to think of ourselves and remember ourselves as compassionate allies instead of victims.

Could be.

Either way, no matter what the collective reason, I do not think it is good for the American fabric. I don't think we should be dwelling on the bad, no. But I do think we need to be reminded of our sorrows and of our shortcomings until we are healed both physically and emotionally.

Until we fix the scar on America that is New Orleans we should run pictures of its rebuilding nightly on the news or as Public Service Announcements. We should not forget the city, its inhabitants, or slack in the rebuilding of our brother's homes.

Until we deal with the root causes of the WTC bombings and come to grips with what we must do, we should run pictures of that horrible morning each night on television. Now I won't expound here on what that solution is: War with those that supported it or debate and talks with those that hate us and wish us harm... I am not advocating either way of handling the situation here; I am simply stating that we are still firmly in the grips of its aftermath but are losing site of what happened back then. Sure we all remember it, right? But do we remember how we felt that morning? Do we think it couldn't happen tomorrow? Again? Unless you can tell me that watching a video of the attack and deaths of the 3000 men and women wouldn't move you, still, then you have to admit it has been pushed back in our minds and hearts and is no longer of utmost importance as it was on 9-12. We have not fixed the problem or healed from its wounds. We have simply pushed it to the back of our minds.

I could go on, but there are too many examples.

What our ancestors did was terrific. Unbelievable. They certainly earned the nickname 'The Greatest Generation'. But its time for present Americans to stop taking credit for it and to start changing the world for the better ourselves.

You decide which actions should be taken and in what direction we should head.

There Is NO Excuse ...

2008-04-27T23:37:00.004-04:00

iPhone.

AT&T/Cingular.

Supposedly the partnership between the two companies would rewrite the cellphone industry, right? Up until now the phones were given away by the carriers to get the public's business. The carriers were in charge and told the cellphone makers what they wanted, which features, etc. to put in the phone. Then, for a nominal charge, you would pick your phone and sign a long term contract of one or two years depending on the discount you wanted. The carrier would write the true cost of the phone into the contract's monthly cost. Over the one or two year period of the contract the customer would be paying for the phone (ie, rather than buy a $340. phone, the customer pays $100 for that phone and the other $240 is paid for by bumping up the monthly plan by $10 a month with a two year commitment).

This is the way the cellphone industry works, has worked, and all parties seemed comfortable with that: the cellphone makers, the carriers, and the public.

Then, along came Apple.

They made a phone that was so good, had so many features and was so slick to use that customers no longer picked from whichever phones their carrier offered, but signed on to whichever carrier they had to use in order to have an Apple iPhone. Apple got to sell their shiny phones. AT&T took a small percentage of the sales price and also got a lot of new customers with shiny new two year contracts.

Most industry analysts saw how that turned the cell networks on their heads. Instead of figuring what cheap phones they could offer to boost their bottom line while still attracting customers or retaining their old customers, suddenly they all want new and shiny cool phones. They realized the public wants great phones and will pay for them ... if they are good enough.

A complete turn around, right? Customers no longer picking phones based on plans, but picking plans based on what phone they want.

Thinking about it all tonight, I have one issue with it all: Somewhere in that new equation, the plan price and contract requirements haven't changed.

If the carriers are no longer needing to make up the cost of the phone they gave away in the beginning of the relationship, why aren't the monthly costs reduced by that $10 - $20 a month?The customer still pays the higher rates charged by the companies that supposedly had to have those rates to not lose money on the promotional phone give-ways, yet those customers are also now buying a phone and paying full price.

Also, if the carriers do not need the one or two year commitment to pay for the phone discounts, they are making a profit right from Day One, correct? We were told that the long term contract was because of the phone costs and they needed that commitment to make their costs back - if you terminated the contract early, you had to pay them monies toward the phone. We all thought that fair as it was obvious you couldn't get their 'free' (or heavily discounted) phone and then not let them make the money back by using them for a certain period of time, right?

But if they are making money from Day One and do not need to make back monies over time, why do we still have to sign a long term contract? We don't do that for home phones. We don't do that for any other service where the service provider is not providing equipment or trying to get back up front costs.

So for the public, we have the same monthly fees and the same long term requirement to use a service we aren't sure we'll like, yet have higher up front costs.

Sounds like the companies are making more profit and the public is getting screwed.

And what is new about that?

Boiled Dinner

2008-04-14T15:57:00.002-04:00

While not a fan of boiled dinner, this was sent along by a great friend who is a stellar chef and swears it would convert me.

I post it all for you to check and try:

TimeBomb’s Boiled Dinner

Large Smoked Shoulder (7+ Lbs)
One large or two small heads plain cabbage
Two med Spanish onions
One Lb carrots
One stalk Leeks
Three Lbs potatoes
Four garlic cloves
Three Bay Leaves
Pepper Corns
Butter, parsley, salt & pepper

Rinse the shoulder under cold water and place in pot large enough to cover completely with cold water. Add bay leaves, pepper corns and garlic (smash garlic first) and bring water to a simmer. Do not allow water to boil.

Simmer for two hours covered.

Wedge the cabbage into quarters or sixths depending on size and add to pot.

Split, wash very well and chop leeks and add to pot.

Allow ten minutes to pass

Peel and chop onions and add to pot

Peel & cut carrots and add to pot

Allow ten minutes to pass

Peel and cut potatoes and add to pot.

After 20 minutes, uncover. Potatoes should be fork tender. Remove shoulder to platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables to an additional large platter and add ¼ stick of butter, salt & pepper.

Mustard sauce.

Use several tablespoons of Dijon mustard with one tablespoon of coarse grain Dijon. Add chopped parsley, pepper and reserved fluid from both the meat and the vegetable platter, stir and serve.

Recommended Books

2008-04-14T15:51:00.006-04:00

And as I recently posted a few films that were recommended to me that I have not seen, with the recommendation, I thought I would do the same for some books.

Again, I have not seen hem and cannot vouch for them... I am copying the recommendations here so that I can keep track of them and that others may benefit from the critique as well.

Brooklyn Follies (great writing, style and themes)

by Paul Auster

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Nathan Glass, a retired life insurance salesman estranged from his family and facing an iffy cancer prognosis, is "looking for a quiet place to die. Someone recommended Brooklyn." What he finds, though, in this ebullient novel by Brooklyn bard Auster (Oracle Night), is a vital, big-hearted borough brimming with great characters. These include Nathan's nephew, Tom, a grad student turned spiritually questing cab driver; Tom's serenely silent nine-year-old niece, who shows up on Tom's doorstep without her unstable mom; and a flamboyant book dealer hatching a scheme to sell a fraudulent manuscript of The Scarlet Letter. As Nathan recovers his soul through immersion in their lives, Auster meditates on the theme of sanctuary in American literature, from Hawthorne to Poe to Thoreau, infusing the novel's picaresque with touches of romanticism, Southern gothic and utopian yearning. But the book's presiding spirit is Brooklyn's first bard, Walt Whitman, as Auster embraces the borough's multitudes—neighborhood characters, drag queens, intellectuals manqué, greasy-spoon waitresses, urbane bourgeoisie—while singing odes to moonrise over the Brooklyn Bridge. Auster's graceful, offhand storytelling carries readers along, with enough shadow to keep the tale this side of schmaltz. The result is an affectionate portrait of the city as the ultimate refuge of the human spirit.

** The Tender Bar (loved the characters – who hasn’t known an “Uncle Charlie?)

by J.R. Moehringer

From Booklist

*Starred Review* People don't buy memoirs to read about happy families. And yet, for those who read a lot of memoirs, it can still be startling to learn both how many people have unhappy families--and how quickly we become inured to those people's pain. It's a rare writer who recollects his trials with clarity and dispassion, giving us not voyeurism but a good look at ourselves. Moehringer, raised poor by his melancholy mother, found himself looking for male role models wherever he could find them--often among the regulars at Publicans, a Manhasset, Long Island, bar that sounds a bit like Cheers with swearing. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, he recalls events as disparate as losing his virginity and getting his first newspaper job (at the New York Times) with a newsman's imperative to get the story. The reconstructed dialogue can be a bit cinematic, but that's a quibble. Funny, honest, and insightful, The Tender Bar finds universal themes in an unusual upbringing and declares a real love of barroom life without romanticizing it too much.

*** March (terrific premise, insight into the times, heartbreaking in spots)

by Geraldine Brooks

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Brooks's luminous second novel, after 2001's acclaimed Year of Wonders, imagines the Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. An idealistic Concord cleric, March becomes a Union chaplain and later finds himself assigned to be a teacher on a cotton plantation that employs freed slaves, or "contraband." His narrative begins with cheerful letters home, but March gradually reveals to the reader what he does not to his family: the cruelty and racism of Northern and Southern soldiers, the violence and suffering he is powerless to prevent and his reunion with Grace, a beautiful, educated slave whom he met years earlier as a Connecticut peddler to the plantations. In between, we learn of March's earlier life: his whirlwind courtship of quick-tempered Marmee, his friendship with Emerson and Thoreau and the surprising cause of his family's genteel poverty. When a Confederate attack on the contraband farm lands March in a Washington hospital, sick with fever and guilt, the first-person narrative switches to Marmee, who describes a different version of the years past and an agonized reaction to the truth she uncovers about her husband's life. Brooks, who based the character of March on Alcott's transcendentalist father, Bronson, relies heavily on primary sources for both the Concord and wartime scenes; her characters speak with a convincing 19th-century formality, yet the narrative is always accessible. Through the shattered dreamer March, the passion and rage of Marmee and a host of achingly human minor characters, Brooks' affecting, beautifully written novel drives home the intimate horrors and ironies of the Civil War and the difficulty of living honestly with the knowledge of human suffering.

**** ... Not that there isn't room for testosterone fueled emotion among men... Certainly not the pabulum of "a beautiful journey" but I trust you both enough to make the following recommendation: Wally Lamb is an author who wrote "She's come undone" 1992 & "I know this much is true" 1998. In the graveyard where I live an anemic library forced me to pick up "I know this much is true" despite the Spandoau Ballet title and the Opra book club sticker. It is one of the most extraordinary books I've ever read (I just finished it yesterday) It is not the type of book I would normally glance at but I'm looking forward to reading his first book. No big deal but this book really affected me. The book is about two identical twins. One becomes a paranoid scitzo. Their biological father is unknown and the step dad is abusive. Life has battered the "well" twin to point that his marriage is over. He has an old memoir that his Sicilian grandfather wrote and he has it translated to English in an attempt to understand himself. Answers ultimately come but not from expected sources and not always the one's he wants but redemption, forgiveness, and absolution are played out in this emotional human drama. Very well written.

Recommended Films ...

2008-04-14T15:23:00.005-04:00

Here are some films which I have not seen and their recommendations... some of which are inside jokes and will not make sense, some of which will none-the-less.

If you don't get the humor, oh well; I do. ;-)

With no salutes to those who made the recommendations, and in no particular order:

* Have you seen “Before the Devil Knows your Dead” with Ethan Hawk and Phillip Seymour Hoffman? Sydney Lumet – who is older then dirt – directed and makes me think I could walk back into Bert’s place with six dollars.

** I recently rented "High Country" starring Charlize Theron. Comrade Chip (Rocco Zizza) has a cameo role as the high school teacher. Talk about art immitating life... - Messican

*** Ended a perfect day by seeing an almost perfect little film tonight; go see 'Once' -A small movie of nuance, great subtle performances by unknowns and full of some amazing music and lyrics that stir the soul. Loved it.

**** Nancy and I watched an ultra violent extremely funny and absurdly entertaining movie Sat. night. “Smoking Aces.” Check it out and let me know if you agree.

16 Rules To Live By

2008-04-08T12:29:00.002-04:00

EE - Okay, here is a repeat of someone's repeat (boy, I am either too, too busy or getting lazy! lol).

Ladies and Gents,

I found an article today that like most, I cannot take credit for writing. But like always, the things I tell you on this blog will not be things that I have come up with, but which the human population of the world has come up with. We all want to live and we are always looking for motivational things in our life. We want things that inspire us and make us feel better or work harder as a person. I know everyone believes this and wants this. That why I bring you these self motivating rules from a source that isn't utilized or looked at often by people or at least I think so. The article comes from GoDaddy.com and it was written by the owner Bob Parsons. Bob, is a unique individual with years of experience and talent. He currently owns a major corporation from the ground up. I do not know him personally, but he looks like a man every man would in some way like to aspire to. He came out with these rules for his daily life. After looking over them, I have implemented them in my daily life and strived to achieve what only some people dream of. I hope you will look at them the same way.

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.

I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.

Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think.

There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.

Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.

Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.

No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.

Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.

Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.

I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.

If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing.

When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.

In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.

Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.

You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There’s always a reason to smile.

Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!”

Looking over these rules, they are more for the entrepreneur than anyone else but due to their over all value, they are very good rules. I would like to hear of any other rules people live by, please speak up.

Sam Stone

20 Websites That Can Change Your Life

2008-04-07T22:17:00.001-04:00

I thought this was a great site: http://www.lyved.com/life/20-websites-that-can-change-your-life/ and wanted to pass it on here:

_____

20 Websites That Can Change Your Life

This post was sponsored by: www.AptoHosting.com - High Quality Shared Web Hosting! Starting at $6.95 per month.

The internet has changed all of our lives, hopefully in a more positive direction. You can use these sites just for entertainment or you can use them to change your life. Many of them you visit all the time but it’s time to look at them another way and harness their power.

*These are in no particular order.

1 - Facebook - Facebook allows you to reconnect with old and new friends. In the case of Lori Haas, facebook helped Lori reunite with her son that she gave up for adoption when she was just 17. (Full Story)

2 - Myspace - This is the most popular social network on the web, even though it has the most spam. Some absolutely hate myspace, but others have used it to launch their careers. Many singers and musicians have achieved “overnight” success using the network. Like facebook you can connect with friends but myspace makes it easier for networking with people you don’t know and create new business contacts.

3 - Digg - many will agree with this choice, while others will strongly disagree. But Digg can open you up to a whole new realm of news. You can visit the homepage once a day and instantly become up to date on what’s going on in the world. You can use Digg to your advantage, find the latest trends in business or find articles on improving your life.

4 - Kiva - Kiva is a lending site that helps entrepreneurs in developing countries finance their ventures. It doesn’t take much to help someone out. By changing others you can change yourself.

5 - Lifehack.org - Lifehack can help you get things done. This blog has in depth articles on all things that do with productivity.

6 - YouTube - If you want to work in the entertainment industry, YouTube is a great way to get your feet wet and at a very low cost. You have an audience of millions of people at your disposal.

7 - Google - This is an obvious one. I really don’t know how we lived without Google in the early days of the internet.

8 - Twitter - Twitter may someday save lives by people quickly alerting others of dangerous situations to avoid. During the California fires, people used Twitter to let friends know that they were safe. You can also use Twitter as a way to help with your business networking by knowing where your business contacts are at.

9 - eBay - eBay can save you a lot of money but can also bring you immense opportunities. You can easily create an online business that reaches millions of buyers. Many people have very successful million dollar enterprises using ebay.

10 - Ancestry.com - This website can help you piece together your family history. By understanding the past your can change the future. * Many readers have expressed concerns about the business practices of Ancestry.com. Please read comments below and be sure to check any complaints about Ancestry.com or any other business before working with them.*

11 - Zen Habits - This blog is similar to Lifehack.org by offering simple productivity to get the most of your life.

12 - Craigslist - You can find almost anything on Craigslist. It’s a simple site but can simply change your life.

13 - Post Secret - The Post Secret project shows you that we’re all very much the same. It can also show you that others may have worse problems than the ones your facing.

14 - LinkedIn - You can use LinkedIn to network with professionals from all areas of business including Fortune 500 companies.

15 - TED.com - This website is full of various videos from TED conferences and has biographies on some of the greatest thinkers of present time. Presentations from successful people such as Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Bono, Seth Godin, and Jane Goodall. Most videos are a few minutes long but can empower you for years to come.

16 - Wikipedia - Not everything on Wikipedia is accurate but there is so much information on almost every topic possible. Don’t know about something, just look it up on Wikipedia and within a few minutes you can be informed.

17 - The Fastlane to Millions - This is a relatively new and small forum for those who are or aspire to be entrepreneurs and millionaires. The members are very positive and want to help each other get the most out of life.

18 - Second Life - This virtual world may seem like a virtual waste of time but some people such as Anshe Chung have found opportunities limitless on Second Life. Anshe has become a millionaire by buying and selling virtual real estate.

19 - Quoteland - You can visit Quoteland and read hundreds of quotes that will give you a fresh perspective and change your life in minutes. If you have an open mind.

20 - 43 Things - 43 Things can be a great way to achieve your goals. You can post your dreams and aspirations for all to see. Having that type of pressure can be very positive for you, helping you continue till you reach your goals.

* 21 - Stumble Upon - This has been requested by readers to be added to the list. Stumble Upon can change your life and help you discover so many new websites you would never be able to otherwise.

* 22 - del.icio.us - This site has also been demanded to be added to the list. So since many have found Lyved via del.icio.us, it must be an addition. Maybe someone from del.icio.us can change their life after visiting Lyved.

What sites have been most beneficial to you or changed your life? Leave a comment below.

Enjoy this post? You may also enjoy reading 20 Ways to Change the World. If you enjoy Lyved please subscribe to the RSS feed here.

Music And Downloading - Aussie Style

2008-04-03T23:53:00.001-04:00

01 April 2008 - 8:53AM

Music industry's false note By Peter Martin

Downloading is killing recorded music, right?

It must be. The music industry is so worried that it has asked the Communications Minister, Senator Conroy, to introduce a three strikes and you're out policy for people who illegally download favourite tracks.

They say strike one would be a warning. Strike two would earn you a suspension of your internet access and strike three would result in the removal of your internet access altogether.

It's needed because the music industry is losing sales. Or so it says, under oath, in court cases. I'll let you in on its guilty secret. It isn't.

The latest Australian Recording Industry Association sales figures released very quietly on the eve of Good Friday show that in fact the legal sales of recorded music climbed to an all-time high in 2007 a high that could only have been dreamed about in the years before the advent of downloading and CD burning.

It's uncomfortable with the fact. Most industry associations would crow about an all-time record high in sales. Not this one. It's grown up believing the sky is about to fall in.

Remember the introduction of the cassette tape in the 1970s and those skull and crossbones stickers on album covers warning that "Home Taping is Killing Music"?

In reality the exact opposite was happening.

Before the advent of home taping Americans bought around 2.5 long-playing records each per year. After two decades of home taping they were buying 4.5 recorded cassettes and LPs a year.

Stan Liebowitz, a Professor of Economics at the University of Texas, argues forcefully that the explosion in recorded music sales wasn't accidental. It was caused by the introduction of the cassette.

Before then, music listening was limited to one room in each house; the one with the record player.

The advent of the cassette made it possible to listen in the car, while jogging, in the garden practically anywhere.

With more of each day available to listen to recorded music, people needed to buy (or copy) more music to fill it. Music sales (and also "illegal" home copies) both skyrocketed.

I have been collecting Australian sales figures going back to 1982. In that year we bought a total 29 million units (cassettes, albums and singles) around two per person.

Ten years later, after almost a decade of the compact disc, we were buying 42 million units. Five years after that at around the time the internet was taking off we were buying 50 million.

Another five years later, after the introduction of CD-burners and file-sharing services such as Napster, we bought 59 million. And after the most recent five years of sustained CD-burning, intensive file swapping, the introduction of the iPod and near continuous hand-wringing by the industry, we bought 99 million easily an all-time record and an impressive jump of 23 per cent on the year before.

Australia's recorded music industry is literally moving ahead in leaps and bounds.

Why is it that we are now buying roughly five pieces of recorded music per person whereas back at the start of the 1980s we only bought two?

Increased wealth has got to have something to do with it, particularly amongst the first generation that grew up on pop music those of us now in our 40s and 50s.

But increased wealth by itself wouldn't help much if we didn't also have ever-increasing opportunities to listen to recorded music.

Devices such as the iPod and home computer (just as with the portable CD player and the cassette tape player before them) have expanded those opportunities.

There is no doubt that we are downloading more music for free than ever the industry keeps saying so. What it doesn't say (loudly) is that we are also buying and paying for more music than ever.

We are doing much of it in new forms. The sales figures I quoted include ring tones, digital albums and tracks and music videos formats that weren't around before the new technologies that the industry claims are ruining it.

We bought 17 million digital tracks in 2007, up from 11 million in 2006.

But even the old formats are doing well. The sales of physical CD albums peaked at 49 million in 2006 way above anything ever achieved before the internet. Even last year's total of 44 million is well above anything achieved in the 1990s and 1980s.

The industry will argue that it would be selling even more if it wasn't for illegal downloading. It's hard to prove. Certainly it would be selling less if it turned back the clock to before illegal downloads began.

And it is highly likely that illegal downloads stimulate sales. That used to be the function of CD-singles loss-making samplers that would introduce consumers to new music and new bands.

CD singles are all-but extinct. At the start of the decade the industry sold 12 million. It now sells just 2.5 million, having ceded the promotional business to the file sharing sites it claims to hate.

Without those sites we would be exposed to a lot less new music and we might buy less.

The industry will also make the point that it is earning less from music sales. At the start of the decade it earned $648 million. By 2007 it earned only $462 million.

It has cut its prices, which is normally regarded as a good thing, not an evil necessitating government intervention to undo.

In the face of zero evidence that illegal downloads are hurting music sales or drying up the supply of music, the industry wants the Minister for Communications to empower our internet service providers cut us off from the web if it finds we have been downloading something it does not want us to.

It is a proposal that flies in the face of the presumption of innocence and grants special status to an organisation that would have difficulty proving its economic loss in court.

And it flies in the face of everything that Minister Conroy has said about the importance of access to broadband. Didn't his policy document say that it was as important as access to water and electricity?

The minister should tell the industry to stick to making and selling music. It is doing well at it.

Peter Martin is Economics Editor.

peter.martin@canberratimes.com.au

Success

2008-03-31T17:10:00.006-04:00

Suggestions for Success

Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
If there is a question of doing too much or too little, do too much.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Give people more than they expect. Do it cheerfully.
Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
Be forgiving of yourself and others.
Be generous.
Be grateful heart.
Persistence. Never give up, never quit.
Work at something you enjoy and something that is worthy of your time and talent.
Save money. Do not live beyond your means or on credit. Even on a modest salary.
Commit yourself to constant improvement.
Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
Commit yourself to quality. In yourself, in your relationships, in what you buy and possess.
Be loyal.
Be honest. With others and yourself.
Be decisive - even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
Be bold. Be courageous. As Mark Twain has said, "you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did."
Take good care of those you love.
Don't do anything that wouldn't make your parents and grandparents proud.
Be a self-starter.
Strive for greatness, but enjoy it all. Accept, but do not be too easily satisfied.
Only you can decide when you are successful and what success is. Do not let others decide that for you.

Music Subscriptions

2008-03-28T15:01:00.004-04:00

E - Below is an article from MacWorld on the possibility of Apple and iTunes getting into the music subscription service... My comments are within the article.

Speaking of Subscriptions

By Christopher Breen (cbreen@macworld.com)

According to the Financial Times, Apple is in talks with the music companies to offer an all-you-can-eat plan where you'd be granted access to the iTunes Store's entire music catalog after paying a premium for an iPod. BusinessWeek counters with a "Not So Fast" story, where it claims that while Apple has been kicking around some ideas for a subscription music scheme, nothing concrete has come from those ideas. It then goes on to suggest that a plan like this could benefit music companies by promising them a more predictable revenue stream, as well as help Apple by boosting sagging iPod sales.

Reaction to the rumor has elicited a fair measure of hand-wringing and "over-my-dead-body" sentiments, which shouldn't come as a surprise given Steve Jobs' suggestion (and the general acceptance of same) that people want to own their music. As someone who enjoys owning music as much as the next guy, but who also has embraced the music subscription model, I'd like to offer a broader perspective by exploring the accepted wisdom of music possession.

You Need to Own Your Music Because You'll Carry it With You For the Rest of Your Life -- You know how you desperately loved Bonnie-Sue Hayes in your sophomore year of high school and swore that you would never love again? The music you bought in your teens is like Bonnie-Sue Hayes. Perfectly appropriate for the time, but can you image being with her today? The music that was so heavenly in high school is going to sound really dated 20 years hence.

E - Absolutely true, and that is one of the reasons we want to own it. Music - for a lot of us - is more than the 'background'. It is an integral part of our lives. We don't expect it to sound fresh and new - we expect it to bring us back to a time in our lives, or spark memories, or show us how an artist has changed. We want to own it because it is not forever new, not despite that.

Yes, there are some musical works you'll want to keep forever, but the majority of what most people own turns out to be disposable.

E - And the majority is listened to on the radio - be in analog, digital, internet, or satellite. We buy what we want to keep, be it on CD or digitally, because we know we will want to listen to it now - and years later.

I Am Outraged That My Music Collection Will Disappear When I Stop Paying My Subscription Fee -- This doesn't have to be an either/or proposition. Should Apple offer some kind of subscription scheme, how likely is it that the company will abandon music sales? Not at all. Selling music works for Apple. If you truly want to own something, you can.

A subscription service can be both an enhancement to ownership as well as an end unto itself. As an enhancement you have the opportunity to explore music you would never otherwise hear. Should you find something you like and don't plan to stay subscribed forever, feel free to buy it.

E - Good points - I would be interested in that type of service. I could go up, listen to whatever I wanted to, explore, etc. and not worry about making a purchase that I would regret. I could listen to a lot of new music and find new artists, buying only those I new I wanted to make a permanent part of my collection.

And as an end, the freedom to engage in this kind of exploration is incredibly powerful. For example, if you're a classical music geek you now have the opportunity to listen to 20 different versions of a beloved symphony or follow the recordings of a particular orchestra or conductor. Jazz enthusiasts can watch Miles Davis grow from young be-bopper to electric space-case without investing in dozens of albums. Kids wondering what this whole punk thing was about can sample as much of it as they can stand. And on and on.

E - Excellent...

You'd no more want to own most of this material than you'd want to own every TV show you see when channel surfing.

E - Semantics here... I wouldn't want to own most of it just as I don't want to own everything I hear on the radio now. But I would want to buy just as much as I know do. It is not like TV as they are 30 or 60 minute commitments that are usually watched to catch up on a current part of culture or to relax and unwind. Music is vital. It can be used to unwind, sure, but it becomes more of a part of your life and who you are at that point. People identify with songs and identify songs with people... Who does that with a TV show?

It's all about the exploration and the immediate experience of discovery. You pay your cable company for this kind of viewing experience, why is the notion of doing the same for music so abhorrent?

E - Why is the notion abhorrent? Of treating music, long recognized as art, like a cable TV show? There are SO many answers to that one I won't bother...

I Own The Tunes I Like And Want No Part of Today's Lousy Music -- If you bemoan the fact that they don't write songs like they used to, a subscription service will change your mind. With such a tool in hand you can follow links from artists you loved to today's musicians. Chances are you'll find that music hasn't gone to hell in a hand-basket -- it's just that you haven't been exposed to it because the radio stations you listen to don't play stuff by artists not heavily promoted by the major record labels.

E - While I agree, it is a poor argument. Its the I-know-better-than-you approach. You don't like today's music? Well you should, and will. So we won't address your concern - just follow us. While I agree music is better than we give it credit for and the best stuff is hidden, even if you want nothing but oldies you could get a subscription and listen to it by year, by artist, etc. to rediscover the music you loved so much back then. You shouldn't have to listen to new stuff - you should only do it because you want to.

Honestly, I don't need Apple to do this. I've got it covered thanks to a variety of Web-based music sources and a house wired to listen to them. But it takes a variety of sources and wires to do it right. Apple has the experience and know-how to make the process simpler. And, perhaps more importantly, it has the power and perspective to make the notion of subscription music digestible.

E - Probably true. I can't say for sure I would as I have other options... They would have to offer something better, something more than I know get. I like satellite radio but don't se the need to pay for it, either. But I would think about it.

And so should Apple.

Random Thoughts On Life...

2008-03-22T17:25:00.002-04:00

• Living successfully today requires us to learn from the past but to leave it behind and not dwell on it.

• Strangers can sometimes love you easier than family because strangers have no history with you that they can hold against you. But family loves you despite your history and flaws.

• The way out of suffering is through it. Accept that you are suffering and do what you can do end it. Sometimes only time will help, but many times people find suffering is easier than working hard and making necessary changes in order to end it.

• Suffering should help us grow in compassion and be sensitive towards the suffering of others.

• When someone treats us unkindly we can either learn how to treat others with kindness so as to not make others feel the same way, or to become bitter and make others feel as we have been made to feel. That choice is ours.

• Roadblocks in life are tests to see how much you want something. You can go over it, around it, through it... or stop. If you stop, you did not want it as much as others who persevered past their roadblocks. They are not there to stop us, but to stop those who do not want things badly enough to persevere.

• In life, we always have two choices about our circumstances; we can change our circumstances or we can change our attitude about our circumstances. Once we change our attitude, our circumstances change naturally.

• Life doesn't always go your way, don't take it personally.

• Everyone is perfect... until compared with any others.

• A need to control things is usually based on the fear of things controlling you.

• What you worry about is actually what controls you.• If you put yourself first, you will have only one person doing so. If we all put everyone else first, we all will have many people looking out for us.

• Why is it we can all think something is "too good too be true" while we never seem to feel anything is "too bad to be true"?

• The one real weakness we have is underestimating the part our very own thoughts played in creating the circumstances we have in our life today.

• The only reason people don't have their prayers answered is because they quit praying before their prayer request is fulfilled. And sometimes the prayers are answered differently from the way we would like - what is best for us is not always readily apparent to us.

the Word of... ??

2008-03-16T17:37:00.001-04:00

We all have discussed the literacy of the Bible numerous times. Personally, I believe it started with the word of God but was bastardized by man who used stories to explain the unexplained (just as it was with Roman and Greek mythology) or those who were looking to use it to control other men. Sometimes for good reasons, sometimes simply by the Church looking for control. After all, who would question a law if they thought it was God's Law? Especially when they were taught if you questioned it you were really just questioning your faith? Anyway, for those who say everything in the Bible is the word of God and not altered by man, how does one answer the following (part of a chain e-mail I received)? After all, if you don't believe 100% of it you are acknowledging that man altered it, yes? And if man altered it, who is to say which he altered and which is God's unchanged Word?

- E

-----

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

Favorite Quotes, Part 1

2008-03-14T14:47:00.004-04:00

"None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm."
- Henry David Thoreau
________

" Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means. "
- Albert Einstein
________

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say"
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
________

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
- Mark Twain
________

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts — for support rather than illumination."
-Andrew Lang (1844-1912)
_______

"The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them."
- Robert Frost
_______

"I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning."
- Peter De Vries (1910-93)
_______

" Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.."
- Albert Einstein
__________

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
- Albert Einstein
_____________

" A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it. "
- Rabindranath Tagore
___________

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. "
-Thomas Jefferson
__________

"There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures."
- James Thurber
___________

"If you are a strong man, very good! But do not curse others who are not strong enough for you. …Everyone says, “Woe unto you people!!” Who says, “Woe unto me that I cannot help you?” The people are doing all right to the best of their ability and means and knowledge. Woe unto me that I cannot lift them to where I am!"
- Swami Vivekananda
________

"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it."
- George Orwell
_________

"If you're going through Hell, keep going."
- Winston Churchill
__________

"I do not resent criticism, even when, for the sake of emphasis, it parts for the time with reality."
- Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
__________

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
- Michael Jordan
___________

"Great minds discuss ideas
Average minds discuss events
Small minds discuss people."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
__________

"The only people who don't make mistakes at work are those who don't do anything at work."
-Elease Mitchell
_________

“To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
- Elbert Hubbard
__________

"It is never wise to try to appear to be more clever than you are.
It is sometimes wise to appear slightly less so."
- William Whitelaw (1918-99)
___________

"Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down."
- Charles F. Kettering, Engineer and Inventor
---------

" A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
- Hugh Downs "
_________

"I can’t understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I’m frightened by old ones."
- John Cage
___________

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
- Martin Luther King
__________

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."
- Douglas Adams
___________

"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else."
- Winston Churchill
____________

"I do not resent criticism, even when, for the sake of emphasis, it parts for the time with reality."
- Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
_____________

50 Ways To Boost Your Brain Power

2008-03-02T11:57:00.004-05:00

Another copied article (link above for site and entire article with postings) that I thought was worth reprinting here as I find all the suggestions useful...

- E

------------------------------

06 Feb

Posted by Drew as Boost Brainpower

1) Meditate — Meditation has been known to increase IQ, relieve stress, and promotes higher levels of brain functioning. Meditation also activates the “prefrontal cortex” of the brain, an area responsible for advanced thinking ability and performance.

2) Draw A Picture — Drawing stimulates the right-hemisphere of the brain and inspires creativity. Get out the colored pencils and begin drawing your way to a powerful brain.

3) Exercise — Long-term exercise has been proven to increase brain power and even create new neurons in the brain. Go out and get a natural high off of your own brain chemistry through exercise!

4) Brainwave Entrainment — Brainwave entrainment is a safe, innovative way to stimulate and shape the brain and it’s functioning. You can literally build up more control over your life and harness your brain’s potential!

5) Avoid Junk Food – Junk food has been proven to decrease energy in the body and promotes “brain fog.” Cut some junk food from your diet, and reap the benefits of a more calm, focused brain chemistry.

6) Deep Breathing — Deep breathing actually increases oxygen levels and blood-flow to the brain. 10-15 minutes of daily deep breathing can make a huge difference in the quality of your life and brain’s functioning potential.

7) Learn A New Language — Learning adds more structure to the brain and improves the brain’s speech centers. Hablas espanol? It may be time for you to take a class or program to supplement your job-skills and brain power!

8) Take Fish Oil — Fish oil supplements are literally like membrane material for the brain. The 2 primary components of EPA and DHA each act to strengthen both the emotional center of the brain and boost focus. There is an increase in overall brain activity after taking fish oil for awhile.

9) Laugh It Up — Laughter causes a natural release of the brain’s endorphins — chemicals that drown out pain and increase overall wellbeing. Laughter is a well known, natural stress reducer. Watch a comedy, crack a joke, and increase those endorphin levels!

10) Engage In Debate — A good, healthy debate strengthens the brain’s ability to think quickly and apply intelligence to verbal situations. Work to build up your brain power by engaging in plenty of healthy debate. Just ask someone who they are voting for in the presidential election and you’ll definitely provoke a debate!

11) Take A Multivitamin — Vitamins are great for the brain, and if it does not get enough of a certain vitamin through daily diet, consider a multivitamin. Multivitamins help facilitate the functioning of a healthy body and enriched brain. Start popping a vitamin each morning for awhile and chances are good that you’ll notice a difference!

12) Drink Red Wine — Alcohol in moderation has been proven to be good for the brain. Why? It is rich in antioxidants — chemicals that actually protect the brain! One glass daily for women and two for men is generally considered a healthy amount.

13) Eat Healthy — You know what ‘healthy’ is, so why not eat healthy and improve your brain? The brain requires a certain amount of energy to reach it’s maximum level of functioning. Eating chocolate cake and chips instead of fish and legumes, well maybe that’s why you cannot think clearly.

14) Change Your Environment — To keep your brain properly stimulated, it is important to keep changing your environment. Drive a new route to work, eat at a new restaurant on Friday night. Changing the environment helps change the brain!

15) Set Goals — Setting goals activates areas of the brain associated with positive thinking and action. Setting goals is great for achieving success and prosperity in life and boosting your brain.

16) Listen To Music — Studies have proven that listening to music strengthens the right-hemisphere of the brain and literally changes the structure. Those same studies have found that people who listen to music are generally smarter and have more emotional intelligence than those who don’t.

17) Be Empathetic — Being empathetic and trying to understand the emotions of others is a skill that your brain can learn. Being empathetic is definitely a powerful trait to have and allows your brain to relate to the emotions of others.

18) Avoid Stress — A little bit of stress will never hurt anybody. Too much stress actually causes detrimental increases in the hormone “cortisol” which in high levels, kills brain cells and suppresses brain functioning.

19) Think Positive — If you are currently very good at thinking positively, chances are good that you already have a more powerful brain than those “Negative Nellies.” Take 10 minutes daily to think more positive and start noticing an improvement in thinking abilities and problem solving skills.

20) Brainstorm — A good brainstorming session to think of new, stimulating ideas is a great way to boost your brains ability to think creatively. Brainstorming is actually a different way of thinking that will equip your brain with a quick creative boost.

21) Write An Article — Writing is linked to an improved memory and expression of thoughts. When you write, you are strengthening your brain’s natural ability to convey thoughts and feelings. Writing is a great way to exercise your ability to analyze and build a thought process with critical thinking. Journals, diaries, blog entries, and writing stories are phenomenal ways to fulfill your brain.

22) Visualize — Visualization has been associated with focus at a deeper level. Many successful athletes that are able to play “in the zone” actually visualize their game at a deeper level. Visualization has been linked to lowered stress, increased creativity, and peak mind-body performance.

23) Get Some Sleep — Be sure to always fulfill your brain’s need for sleep. Sleep clears out mental clutter and unimportant thoughts. Getting a good night’s sleep can also be the difference between a sharp memory and feeling forgetful. Everyone has different sleep requirements, be sure to fulfill yours! If you don’t get enough sleep — you may want to take a nap…

24) Do Self-Hypnosis — The power of hypnotic suggestion is definitely real. You can change aspects of your thought process and learn to shift your focus by taking the time to do some self-hypnosis. Hypnosis research shows that by practicing hypnosis, an individual experiences lowered stress, increased pain tolerance, and clear thinking. Try it out for yourself if you haven’t already!

25) Do Crossword Puzzles — Crossword puzzles bring out your brain’s ability to critically think and recall past memories. The challenge of completing crossword puzzles is definitely mentally invigorating and stimulating. If you enjoy reading the newspaper, be sure to check out the daily crossword puzzles section and build up that brain power!

26) Eat Nuts — Brazil and South American University students swear by eating nuts before taking exams. They notice that eating them is correlated with an increase in test scores. New studies are beginning to prove nuts effectiveness at increasing brain power. If you do not eat a lot of nuts, try it sometime and reap the brain related benefits!

27) Read Books — Reading books teaches your brain to adapt to absorb large amounts of information in shorter periods of time. Books challenge your thinking abilities and memorization skills, as well as boost vocabulary and critical thinking skills. Not only do you learn something from reading a book, but your brain power increases as you build up the book load.

28) Listen To Classical Tunes — Listening to classical music activates the left hemisphere of the brain, which is why classical music usually helps students do better in mathematics and writing. If you haven’t yet tried listening to some Mozart, consider it! Mozart has been linked to an 80 % increase in spatial intelligence scores!

29) Play “Brain Age” — New games like “Brain Age” for the nintendo DS and Big-Brain Academy help promote quick thinking and essential brain skills. These games work wonderful for improving thinking speed and natural problem solving skills. I’ve had a chance to play these games before and I can personally vouch for their effectiveness!

30) Take A Nap – Taking a nap has been proven through research to significantly improve task-performance and thinking abilities. If you are feeling tired throughout the day and have time to take a quick nap, it is recommended. Naps are a wonderful refresher and quick little mental booster.

31) Turn Off The T.V. – Watching T.V. may not be the only reason which rotting begins in the brain, but it is a key ingredient to the rotting process. A little T.V. will never hurt anybody, but it does definitely change brain functioning. The act of watching T.V. slows brainwaves and causes a decline in brain fitness.

32) Paint A Picture — Being able to visualize where you want paint to go on paper sparks pure creativity from within. Painting is an exercise that gets the right-brain fully functioning and improves your creative side. If you haven’t tried painting a picture, give it a shot and notice that you’re likely to feel and be more creative.

33) Start Crying — Don’t be afraid to cry when the time is right! Crying actually heals emotions and promotes healthy circulation within the brain. Those who are able to cry are actually cleansing the inside of their brain, which is another very healthy way to increase brain power.

34) Eat Less — Eating too much food has the effect of decreasing blood-flow to the brain and increasing blood-flow to the digestive system. Therefore, if you are able to cut-back on the total amount of food you consume, you will have enhanced brain functioning. In several lab studies, rats on a calorie-restricted diet had increased blood flow to their brains.

35) Eat Breakfast — When kids who hadn’t eating breakfast for awhile, began to eat breakfast, their math grades went up an entire letter grade (on average). Breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day — it provides your body with fuel for the rest of the day. If you don’t have time to eat an entire breakfast in the morning, at least have some sort of snack… It could give your brain a powerful edge!

36) Go For A Walk — Exercise deifnitely benefits the brain, and walking is a great form of exercise that is easy and very effective for boosting brainpower. Walking puts your mind in a relaxed state of clear thought and brain function. Walking gives your brain a chance to wander and free itself from any troubling thoughts.

37) Mimic Others — Being able to mimic other’s actions and talk activates several areas of the brain that are usually inactive. Mimicing others, if done in a fun, playful manner, can improve your brain power and the brain’s natural ability to adapt quickly when faced with new situations.

38) Solve Puzzles — Solving puzzles is a great way to stimulate your brains ability to critically think and process information. Puzzles are thought provoking, challenging, and a fun activity. The great thing about puzzles is that they require activity in the left-hemisphere of the brain to work with, and transfer information to, the right hemisphere’s visual center of the brain. Want a more integrated brain? Solve a puzzle!

39) Do Neurofeedback — Neurofeedback is a great way to learn to consciously control your brain wave patterns. Neurofeedback builds brain structure and helps promote flexibility within a brain’s neural network. Though neurofeedback is somewhat costly, if you’ve got enough money — it may very well be the best investment you can make for your brain!

40) Cut Alcohol Consumption — Alcohol in moderation isn’t terrible for the brain, too much alcohol is damaging to brain health and function. If you want to boost brain power, cutting alcohol is a great way to do it. Alcohol can cause memory problems and encourage “foggy,” disorganized thinking.

41) Live A Drug-Free Lifestyle — Everyone knows that drugs are bad for them. Drugs do not foster creativity, they kill creativity and deplete brain cells. Depending on the drug, effects can range from brain bleeding, to cell loss, to impairments in neural growth. Live drug free and keep your brain more powerful!

42) Drink Fruit Juice — Drinking fruit juice revitalizes the brain and provides cells with a refreshing jolt of nutrients. Great juices to drink include: grape juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, and apple juice. Most juices provide your brain with vital nutrients which in turn, provide you with more mental energy and focus.

43) Be Self-Aware — When you learn to let go of ego-driven and emotional aspects of life, rational thinking kicks in. Rational thinking will allow you to become self-aware, which in turn allows you to make better future decisions to achieve optimal brain health. Activities like meditation, self-hypnosis, and introspection allow us to increase our self-awareness.

44) Take Gingko Biloba — Gingko Biloba has been scientifically researched and documented to significantly increase blood-flow to the brain. Gingko Biloba is a farily inexpensive way to pump up your brain’s blood-flow. Increased bloodflow to the brain is correlated with an increase in focus and problem solving. Try some Gingko Biloba and allow your brain to reap the benefits!

45) Have Sex — Having sex is a great way to naturally release vital hormones in the brain. When involved in a loving relationship, having sex improves social connection as well as emotional intelligence. Sex is connecting, stress-relieving, and a great way to give your brain a boost. Chances are that sex will also improve your confidence and ability to think positively!

46) Drink Caffeine — Research shows that students that drink coffee before exams, have higher scores. Why? Caffeine seems to stimulate activity in the brain, speed up thinking, and improve focus. Too much caffeine is never good as it can cause stress or trigger anger. A little bit, however, may be the ticket to an “A” on your test. Drink some and find out how it affects your focus and thinking abilities!

47) Sniff Some Basil — I personally haven’t tried this method, but there seem to be many claims testifying for Basil’s effectiveness at improving overall brain function. Either way, certain fragrances actually change brain functioning. Taking a whiff of peppermint speeds up brain functioning, while other fragrances actually slow things down! Since scent is the strongest thing tied to memory, some good fragrances can definitely help out brain functioning.

48) Stay In School — If you are in school, chances are good that you will boost your brain power more than the average dropout! Keeping up with school work, means giving your brain a good workout in areas of self-discipline, learning, and mental processing. Stay in school, or do something to always be learning something new!

49) Ask Questions — Asking questions is a phenomenal way to keep your brain in shape. Get in the habit of questioning others and their thoughts. Questions can provoke new thoughts and ideas and asking them is a great way to build up brain power!

50) Re-Read This List – Want to boost your brain power? Start by re-reading this list and highlighting several methods that you can apply to your life. As a matter of fact, print this list out and staple it up someplace that you will view everyday. That way, when walking past the list, you can take a glance and randomly choose an activity to boost your brain power!

And in the vein of self improvement or advice...

2008-03-02T08:37:00.002-05:00

Note: This is a lazy repost from the posted link. I thought some of the comments were worth reading. I take no credit and didn't wrote it though. An odd site I 'Stumbled Upon', you can go to it if you want all the author's comments. This was the crux of it and I put it here for your perusal:

In the following, I list 71 things that you can do to be more successful. You choose to do them or not. If you choose not to do these things, then you have no right to complain about your problems; your problems are your fault!

Stop watching television.
Stop eating fast food.
Stop eating pizza and fried foods.
Stop driving places that you could easily walk to.
Read at least 1 book a month.
Take classes in what interests you or your vocation.
Work enough to support yourself, and if needed get a new job or second job to make enough to support yourself. Never stick with a job that doesn't pay enough to support yourself no matter how much you work.
Pay off your debts and don't go in debt. You can pay off your debts if you avoid needless expenses, such as cable, overpriced clothes, impractical decorations, unhealthy snacks, jewelry, etcetera.
Don't buy a car on finance, and don't buy an expensive car if a cheaper one that works is available.
Wake up early, and get all your work done as quickly as possible. That includes household chores, as well as your employment.
Drink alcohol less or quit.
Do drugs less or quit.
Don't smoke cigarettes.
Don't eat foods with high fructose corn syrup.
Don't drink soda.
Don't eat sugary foods at all.
Don't drink more than 1 glass of juice per day.
Stand up straight and have good posture.
Look people in the eyes when you talk to them.
Smile.
Be polite.
Keep your promises.
Wear a watch, if you can afford it.
Eat breakfast.
If you eat cereal at any time, choose your cereal based on healthiness not tastiness.
Exercise at least 3 days per week.
Walk often.
Always write with correct spelling and grammar.
Never speak worse about a person behind their back than you do to their face. (Feel free to say nicer things about a person behind their back than to their face.)
Don't gossip and don't have a big mouth.
Never judge other people harsher than you judge yourself.
Make New Years resolutions, but make one every day instead of every year.
Volunteer.
Forgive, but never forget.
Don't have skeletons in your closet.
Keep as few secrets as reasonably possible.
Despite the rule before this one, keep your friends' secrets.
Politely tell people that you will not betray your friends' trust, when you are asked about their secrets and such.
Volunteering (i.e. activism) is more important than voting. If you can do both, good for you. If you only have time for one, volunteer instead of voting. It makes more of a difference.
Privately question your own values.
Avoid questioning other people's values, especially in public.
Listen more than you talk.
Use a journal to count how many calories you consume per day.
Use a journal to count how many calories you burn per day.
If you want to lose weight, burn slightly more than you consume. If you want to gain weight, consume slightly more than you burn. If you are happy with your weight, try to burn the same amount as you consume.
Weigh yourself daily at the same time(s).
Write your daily weight down in a journal.
Never allow the police to search you, your car, or your belongings if you do not have something to hide.
Never tell other people that you think they or something they are doing is immoral or sinful.
Keep your moral values and religion to yourself. Use them to direct your own actions.
Ask people how they are often and listen to their answer.
Laugh at other people's jokes, but not your own.
Shower at least once per day.
Wash your hands, even if you aren't an employee.
Take care of the elderly, which includes spending time with them and talking to them.
Avoid going places where you need to be waited on.
Wait on yourself wherever possible.
Make your friends look good.
Avoid lying.
Don't pretend to be better than you are. Don't pretend to be more successful, popular, etcetera.
Treat other people as if they are better than they are. Treat them as if they are more successful, popular, etcetera.
Don't brag about your talents. Instead, surprise people with them when they just happen to be called upon.
Sit up straight.
Keep your house clean.
If you have either of them, keep your car and office clean.
Stretch daily. (I do Yoga most mornings.)
Dance.
Take dancing lessons if you could use improvement.
Ask other people (e.g. your friends, your co-workers, your boss, etc.) what their favorite book is, and read it.
Ask their favorite song or band, and listen to it.
Ask their favorite movie, and watch it.

Extras:

Don't be camera shy.
When your alarm goes off in the morning (if you use one), don't press snooze.
Make a budget and follow it.

Suggestions from visitors:

Say "I love you" often to the people you feel this way about.
Always turning off lights when leaving a room, unless of course there are others are in the room. For that matter, conserving any unnecessary electricity usage is key to the future of humanity.

Hillary vs Obama... Who has the experience?

2008-02-24T23:42:00.007-05:00

In 2 years as a Senator, Obama authored 152 bills - Hillary: 20 in 6 years

Let's take a closer look at who's really qualified and or who's really working for the good of all of us in the Senate. Obama or Clinton.

Records of these two candidates should be scrutinized in order to make an informed decision.

Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term - 6yrs. - and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law - 20 - twenty pieces of

legislation in her first six years.

These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you:

1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.

2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.

3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.

5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.

6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.

7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.

8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.

9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his

death.

10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the

championship.

11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning

the championship.

12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative

Program.

13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.

14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express

condolences on her death.

15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost

their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton's bills are, more substantive.

16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.

17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11 18. Assist landmine victims in

other countries.

19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.

20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected

in the wilderness preservation system.

There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record. You decide for yourself how important her work has been.

Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so I'll mainly categorize.

During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced:

233 regarding healthcare reform,

125 on poverty and public assistance,

112 crime fighting bills,

97 economic bills,

60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,

21 ethics reform bills,

15 gun control,

6 veterans affairs and many others.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included:

1. Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - became law,

2. Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, - became law,

3. Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,

4. 2007 Government Ethics Bill, became law,

5. Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, In committee, and many more.

In all, since entering the State/U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096.

An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this comparison not be made public.

-------------------

Disclaimer: As this was sent to me I cannot guarantee the validity of it all. I did start checking it, thinking it impossible, and was 100% accurate when I stopped spot checking it.

Advice I wish I had Heard... Or listened To :-)

2008-02-24T20:45:00.007-05:00

(Okay, this is a LONG one. I have the flu and a lot of time now...)

At 46, I am pretty happy with where I am. Happy enough that if I had to live my life over, I don't think I would change anything to be in a different place. Could it be better? Sure. It always can, right? But it could be a lot worse - a lot worse - as well. There are things I have now that I would never change or sacrifice.

Does that mean there has been no pain? Hardly. No trials or tribulations? Absolutely not. But I do think that you learn from mistakes (even when you don't realize it), and if you don't get overwhelmed and stuck dwelling on the mistakes and failures then they ultimately make you a better person. I suppose I should say that they can as we all know people who either couldn't pick themselves up or could not move on after a failure, right? Please don't take this as my being a pollyanna or having rose colored glasses. There are things in my life that didn't necessarily make me a better person but I still wouldn't change because they either provided me with something in my life I wouldn't give up, or put me in a place I am glad I am at. Case in point: seven years ago I was single again after a long (four years) and nasty divorce. Friends thought I would never marry again because of it. It hurt my family, hurt my finances, and definitely hurt my attitude for a while. To this day I am more suspicious, less sure of anything that is supposed to be 'definite', less trusting than I once was. Seems like something I would never do again or something I would change if I could, right? Absolutely not.

It provided me with the best daughter there is, bar none. It put me in a place where I was ready to begin another relationship as I turned forty years old, enabling me to meet, fall in love, and marry my current wife. It allowed me to have another child, a son who would not have been born had I not divorced. So if I had it all to do over, I would do it all the same to get to where I am now. But I was far more slective the second time around!

That being said, there are things I have learned that hopefully enable me to make better choices now, things that would have helped me avoid some mistakes I have made. These are the same things that I find myself telling my 14 year old (that I wish she would pay more attention to). They are the things I will be telling my 3 year old son in the years to come. I am sure some are the same things my parents told me, too. Things that I thought I understood but either didn't really listen to or didn't really grasp as well as I thought I did. Knowing that, I thought I would write those all down and combine them with things I learned along the way.

Well, here they are in no particular order:

* Try and keep a reasonable perspective on things. Do you have to work too much or study too hard some times? Sure. Do you have to sacrifice things that others around you aren't/don't? Sure. Will there be times that some things - major things - change your life (and not always for the better)? Yes. But time moves forward, life goes on, and you will rebound if you want to. Want to. None of it will matter how happy you are in five years.

* Things won't make you happy. People won't make you happy. Events won't make you happy. Only you can make yourself happy. Look, I always want 'more' and am rarely satisfied. But I am happy where I am. Would I like a bigger house? Sure. I would be happy in a smaller house though, too.

* While you don't need to only spend money on budgeted items, have a budget. You hear all the stories about how a storm, or fire, or business closing ruined someone financially. Realistically? I find that you are in more trouble from getting into credit debt than anything else. You live over your head and then can't catch up. For example, if you make $40,000 a year and spend it all plus charge another $5000, you lived on $45,000, right? Even if you don't get used to living that way (and most do) you conceivably have to live the next year on $35,000 (a $10,000 difference in lifestyle) to catch up. That's like taking a paycut of 20%. If you can't live on what you make, how are you going to take a 20% paycut ext year? Learn to live on your pay. Credit cards are so you don't have to carry cash, or so you can pay for emergency unexpected events like a car repair. They are not to finance vacations you haven't been able to save for, or to buy expensive clothing with. On-line shopping, ATMs, impulse purchases, keeping up with the Joneses, dining out a lot... all can drain your money faster than you realize. Have an overall budget, check it occasionally, and pull back if you find that you are going over. Have a Savings Account you will not touch. Not even for emergencies if you can save or use other money you have. Also have a Savings Account you will use to save up for big items you want to buy. You'll see how you can get there by saving. And sometimes, after you save instead of using a credit card, the little time will make you realize that you actually don't really want it. If you still do, you have the money to buy it. Think about each purchase. Stay away from purchases when you feel down and need a 'pick me up'.

* Stay in shape and stay active. Do not take it for granted. When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I was extremely active and in shape. Better than most, probably. I took martial arts, ran, biked to work, worked out at a gym once or twice a day, etc. Then I got married... I put myself into my career... I had a child... I went through a draining divorce... I still hit 40 in better shape than a lot of my peers, but I hadn't seriously worked out in many years. A month here, a three month membership there... I started working out a bit more after the divorce, found out I was still pretty flexible, still pretty strong, etc. I knew I had a few pounds to lose but I thought that was about it. I did not realize that age does catch up to you. Yes, even you. Again in a new relationship, getting married, having another child... any thoughts of working out were pushed to 'later'. At 45, my doctor was still 'impressed' enough with my blood tests, etc. that he told me "If you are in this shape at 45 there is no reason you can't be in this shape at sixty'. Almost immediately after that I started getting some foot pain (plantar faciitis - basically separated the tendons in my heel). Not dealing with it and suffering through the pain rather than address it, it worsened with scar tissue and it became impossible to walk pain free. I found out it was usually due to tightness in the legs (something I never had as I always had been flexible from all the stretching I did in my twenties}. I was actually surprised to find that I couldn't even touch my toes! By about six inches! The limp threw something off in my back and now I have been dealing with back pain, too. Something I had never had before. Being much less active now, because of the leg and back, I have put a few pounds on instead of taking them off as I had hoped I would be doing. Lesson learned: get in shape and stay in shape. Its easier than trying to get back into shape!

* Without getting too strict on 'health foods, let me say simply: white sugar and white flour are bad for you. High fructose corn syrup is terrible for you. Shortening is terrible for you. Think about it. If businesses chemically change something so it won't break down in nature, does it sound like a good thing to put it in your body? I am not a vegetarian or only eat all natural foods. I eat an occasional fast food hamburger when on the road in a rush, and have a sweet tooth. But I eat fast foods as little as possible and eat dessert less than I would like. I don't drink soda anymore. It is probably why I only have a few pounds to lose at 46 when some of my peers have many more, or high blood pressure, etc. There is a reason why diabetes and obesity is rising in America along with the use of high fructose corn syrup.

* That brings up another vice: smoking. I never was a cigarette smoker as I saw my dad battle with it, ultimately leading to the heart attack that claimed his life at only fifty years old. No cancer, 'just' a heart attack. I understand the appeal to some extent. I do like an occasional cigar and like the taste. I like having the 'prop' when you are socializing. I like the ritual of a cigar, and how smoking is an activity that forces you to slow down and chill a bit. But only a few things can happen when you start cigarettes: 1- you don't like it and quit, 2- you like it and have to quit anyway, 3 - or you like it and can't / don't quit. As it is a guarantee that it is bad for your lungs and heart, which of those options is a good one? Don't start and you won't have to deal with them. You will be glad you avoided it by your late twenties, guaranteed.

* Learn the basics of compounding interest and start putting money aside for retirement when you are just starting out. Sure it seems so far off, but you will get there eventually and be glad you did plan for it. What if someone told you that when you retire they would give you $75 dollars for every dollar you put aside when you were twenty years old? You would find some cash, right? If you found out that instead of that $20,000 car you bought that would be worth almost nothing in five years, you put the same $20,000 away in a bank you would have $1,500,000? It is highly unlikely you will ever save a million and a half dollars while in your forties and fifties. Bt if you start early enough... and that is the point. That little bit of interest you get each year is like a little snow on a snowball rolling down a mountain. Or look at it as the the principle of 'she told two friends, and they told two friends, and they told two friends..." . The earlier you start, the more you have - BY FAR. At the end, each extra year is ENORMOUS. After a while the money you put in is considerably dwarfed by the interest... and that continues to expand exponentially. After thirty five or forty years (aprox.), the money grows at an enormous pace. But it needs those years. If you are planning to retire at 65, you have to start putting money away in your early twenties. Sure, it never hurts to put money away (well, it always hurts a bit) and if you can't start when you are 22 don't say 'forget it' then. But $20,000 put away every year when you are in your forties and fifties won't amount to as much as if you put $5000 or $10,000 a year away starting at 22. I didn't do this and am now scrambling to save for when I retire, not wanting to take a substantial cost of living hit. I know friends who will retire - comfortably - on small investments they sacrificed for in their twenties.

* Do without a car as long as you can. Silly, huh? Doesn't everyone want a car at sixteen, the urge to hit the open road? Sure. I did. I was also the one who ended up driving friends all over that didn't have cars. I felt bad for them then. Looking back, I was working two jobs each vacation and summer to afford it while they travelled and hung out at the beach. I worked during the school year while they had time to study or relax. The smart ones who had cars when they were in school didn't spend much money on them and spent more on school and less time working than studying. I see it now, even if I couldn't then. It just isn't worth it. Definitely go your first year of college without one. You'll see more and experience more of campus life without one, too.

* Speaking of cars, when its time to get a car, don't buy used cars them for color, style, or radios. It goes without saying - or should - but get one that won't cost a lot of money to upkeep because you get sucked in by a nice paint job! I spent a lot of money in my late teens and in college trying to make an older used car be something special... money it was not easy for me to get when I was seventeen or twenty and a student. That does not mean you have to buy the 'ugly brown station wagon with low miles', or should buy new. It means you should look for something you like, but only buy if it will run relatively repair free. If not, move on and set your sights a bit lower on the model.

* Everyone needs time alone at times. Enjoy it. Recharge your batteries and don't feel guilty about it.

* Make your friends your family and your family your friends. Kiss them. If you can't kiss them, hug them. And no matter what, say 'I love you.' to them. Even if you have to laugh it off as corny, say it. There will be a time when you can't any longer and you don't get to pick when that is.

* It isn't the person who dies with the most toys that wins, as we have all seen on bumper stickers and the shirts. It's the guy who dies with the most true friends. Gather them around you, celebrate and enjoy them. You may think that not getting together with friends in order to work late would be a good thing because you'll be able to buy that television you always wanted. But while I see many people cry when a friend dies, I have yet to see someone tear up when a tv breaks. Realize what is important.

* That being said, don't use that as an excuse not to work hard. Hard work is good for you, gives you a sense of accomplishment, and leads to good things in life. Relish and enjoy it.

* And that leads to: Do What You Like, Like What You Do. Study hard when young and work hard at school so that you will be able to do something you like for a profession. You will spend too many hours doing it to hate it. The extra hour a day studying will be well worth it. You don't want to have to spend eight hours a day doing something you don't like (for the rest of your life!) because you can't get the job you really want, right? Or regret - for the next fifty years of working for people not as bright as you - that you didn't get better grades because you socialized too much. Study hard now and be in a position to do what you enjoy for the rest of your life.

* Never pick on people. Don't try to build yourself up by tearing others down. It does not make you stand taller. Standing idly by while others pick on them is no different. More people have things done to them unjustly because everyone stays quiet, not because there are so many people who are terrible. Don't be one of the sheep. Don't be too afraid that someone won't like you if you stand up for someone else. Even when others don't join in in standing up for someone (even if they tease you about it), they all will respect you. You don't have to hang out with everyone, or even like everyone. But never pick on them. You will respect yourself - then and in the future - when you look back on the times you stood up for someone. You will never look back at yourself favorably for the times you made people feel bad.

* Live life, don't watch it. Read. Travel. Experience. Take a course. Learn something. Be active. Don't sit and watch someone on television have a life, or sit and play video games pretending that you are doing something.

* Treasure your time with those you love. I lost my dad when he was seemingly healthy. Suddenly and while on vacation. You don't get a warning. Sometimes things just change - suddenly - and you lose someone. A heart attack, an accident, whatever. Do not take the time with them for granted.

* When you have kids, enjoy them. Sure, discipline them, yell at them when you have too, etc. but continue to enjoy them. I have loved every moment of my time with my fourteen year old and am in a small panic that she will be off to college and then off to life in just four years. It seems like only yesterday that she was ten, and in that same span our conversations (minimal as they can be now at fourteen) will no longer be a daily part of my life. She is doing what she should be doing, pulling away, so she can live one day on her own. I realize that in my head. But my heart will miss her not being in my house every day from when she leaves to when I die. Enjoy it all now, as much as possible. As crazy as it is in this house with a three year old boy, as overwhelming as it can get, I am trying to enjoy it all.

* Your first obligation when you decide to have kids is them. You are no longer first in your own life. Until you are ready to sacrifice and put them first, don't have them. Once you do? Be their parent first and pal second. Too many people try to be their kid's buddy and then find it difficult to be a parent. Love them and they will love you, even when they don't like you.

* You know how you take pictures and think you'll put them in an album 'later'? Or don't write something down because you know you'll remember? How could you forget, right? Trust me on this. Write the stories down and put the pictures in the album (on-line is fine for both) as you will forget. And you will forget more as you get older. And you will forget things you don't even realize you forgot, and don't miss - until someone reminds you of something and you wish you remembered it better. I'd tell you of all the important things my dad told me or things I learned from my kids and give specifics, but I forgot them.

* No one wants to hear your complaints. Sorry to tell you, but while your spouse and parents are totally sympathetic to your issues, even they don't really look forward to hearing your complaints. And no one else remotely does. Ask for help when you need it, by all means. Get something of your chest - quickly - if you have to. But don't be a Drama Queen or King and don't think your problems are more important than anyone else's. We all have them, right? How miserable would we be if we all whined about them to everyone that would listen.

* Don't complain, fix the problem or move on if you can't.

* Keep learning. Even if you don't like school and can't wait to get out, find a way to learn something. Cooking. How to play basketball better. New computer programs. And teach others. Learning keeps your mind growing and fresh and teaching others really makes your mind work on it by thinking about it, talking about it, seeing what they are doing, and listening to them all at once. It really exercises your brain.

* No good ever comes from having 'one last drink'. And rarely are any memories made while 'doing shots' the memories you look back fondly on.

* Drugs. Same as cigarettes. You will either not like them or like them, right? If you don't like them, you'll wish you hadn't used them. If you like them you will spend money on them that could have gone to something else, risk embarrassment for yourself (and your family) in taking them, be breaking the law while you buy and use them (risking a permanent record and total change of career and life), and possibly be hooked. Are any of those worth it? Either way you will regret using them. So don't start. That way you don't have to quit.

* Don't give in to peer pressure. Apply it.

* While on that subject, and I have no scientific evidence to prove this, different liquors will affect you differently. I realize there is the same amount of alcohol in one beer than there is in a glass of wine than there is in a shot. And sure, you are more likely to drink more if you are doing shots than drinking wine. But that doesn't explain why a shot of vodka makes you feel one way, a shot of tequila or Jack Daniels another. Know what you can drink, know what your limits are, and keep an eye on your friends who have shown they don't know theirs. That goes for when you are twenty one or forty five.

* You know all those stories you tell at parties or in bars about 'that guy' that did this or that? You don't want to be 'that guy' in everyone else's stories. Think about that while you are out with your friends. Everyone has friends who still bring up stories about something stupid they did twenty years ago. Minimize those stories as you grow up.

* Everyone makes mistakes. You will make the most when you are in your teens and early twenties as you have knowledge but little life experience. Just don't make mistakes that carry forward. If you dent your car, you will pay a penalty. If you hurt someone else, you will be changed forever. If you get drunk and sick, you will be embarrassed and feel terrible. If you get arrested for drugs, you will lose jobs for the rest of your life. Think before you do something. Not just on if it can go bad. Not just on what would happen. Think also on how it will affect you for the rest of your life if it goes bad.

* All those things you want to do but won't be finished for five years? Start them as soon as you can. Sure, you'll start taking guitar lessons or karate classes thinking "This will take me five years before I'm any good!". Absolutely you'll start learning a language thinking "It'll be years before this is usable!" But in five years you can either have those skills or still not have them. Your choice.

Lastly, take all advice with a grain of salt and a dose of suspicion. ;-)

Time To Go Back?

2008-02-19T15:21:00.005-05:00

Bill Simmons (ESPN, Page 2) is a good writer who I read on occasion, and I stumbled across this article (actually a good friend sent it my way - Thanks again, Kevin).

Please read Bill Simmons article, You Can Help Ease New Orleans' Pain, here.

Ostensibly about the NBA, their All-Star Game this past weekend in NOLA, and the comeback of the NBA, it made some good points about New Orleans we should consider. I know I am. After reading it, I am still not ready to take the family and go there for a week - as I did for 7 straight years during JazzFest. The crime rate alone is prohibitive and the government has got to get a handle on that if they want the city to come back. Especially because, as Mr. Simmons mentions in the article, you go on vacation to relax and not to be reminded, constantly, of how terrible things are and have been there. "New Orleans has baggage now -- visible baggage -- and when people are on vacation, they want to deal only with baggage like suitcases." Perfectly said, I think. But maybe that is just the first time back... Maybe its time we should do a long weekend and see how it goes? I wouldn't be trying to organize a friends and family trip for 10 people to stay 5-7 days right away, but I'm thinking a Fri. afternoon - Mon. eve trip may be in order... Extend it a few extra days next year, the way we did in the beginning of our annual JazzFest trips? Fly out on Friday morning, leave early Monday eve? If not this year, maybe next?

Something to think about...

Tattoos...

2008-02-17T22:39:00.018-05:00

I was reading a blog attached to a site about a new film, "Happiness Is...". While I haven't delved into it deeply enough to understand the relevance, I came across a posting about a tattoo experience which I ended up commenting on.

Anyway, I thought I would post my response here on my blog as well in case anyone has any comments or thoughts.

_______________

My tattoo experience was very different than that described above [in the posting] ... I am currently 46 and have two tattoos, neither of which I had on my 32nd birthday. Despite my family being one that frowned on tattoos, I always liked them. I had friends that got some after high school, some that got them in the military, a few that got a few in their college rebellion. I saw many I liked, but never any that I liked enough to want on my body for the rest of my life. I understood they were as deeply personal as something could get and therefor an item that one truly couldn't judge. One man's junk is another man's treasure, as they say. But I'd look at 18 year old guys with the Tazmanian Devil on their arm, or gals getting Tweetie Bird, and wonder if they would be happy about the decision when they were in their 50s, let alone 80s. I'd also see tattoos done by people that had no art ability at all and wonder how the recipient felt. Diamonds aren't forever... Tattoos are. Having studied martial arts for years, the appeal of the dragon and/or tiger were obvious, but didn't have enough personal meaning when I was young. So I didn't get one in my youth and as I started into my thirties it had been years since I seriously thought about getting one; the last time was when my father passed (I was barely 26) and seriously considered a memorial piece but still could not think of one I'd want forever. Then, at 32, I became a dad. I saw another new dad come in one day with a 'single needle' tattoo that was practically a photograph of his new born daughter. While not the style I liked for myself, I knew the tattoo artist had talent. We talked and that following Saturday I hopped on my motorcycle (another lifestyle choice my family wasn't happy with) and drove up to the tattoo parlor. No appt., no calls ahead, nothing. Very naive. Getting there so early we had time to discuss what I liked ('Japanese style'), what I wanted (a piece representing my new daughter and my deceased dad), size (a piece on my upper arm that could be covered by a short sleeve shirt and only visible if I was shirtless and therefor knew whoever I was with well, ie no business situations), and talked about specifics (ultimately deciding on a tiger protecting a Phoenix - the legendary bird that rises from the ashes, symbolizing rebirth). To get all that in I ended up getting a larger one than originally expected (from two inches above my elbow to the top of my shoulder. He drew it right on my arm, we made a few changes, he drew the details in a little more, and then started lining it all in. As it was such a large piece he said he typically would get all the lines in and then I would come back to get it colored. Since it was still pretty early and they were slow (the other artist in the shop was handling the other walk-ins), we did it all in one sitting. As he finished up with the black, doing some shading, I added my daughter's name and it is my favorite part, to this day.

(This one took approximately 7.5 hours)

I did not find it particularly painful except when they were directly over a bone. I imagine an ankle or hip tattoo would not be the most pleasant experience, but I thought it was more uncomfortable than painful... Like someone scraping away at you. Nothing you enjoy, but not real pain, either. And either way, contrary to the posting, I didn't and wouldn't have felt the pain was a part of the experience or one of the points in getting it. You do it despite it, not because of it. At least I (and everyone I know) did. The only negative experience came the following day. Home and doing some work on the house, I had a sleeveless shirt on so it could heal and get some air. My mother came by to visit, walked in, started crying and said "There are two types of people in this world: people who get tattoos and people who don't. You just crossed the line." And she promptly left. She has come to accept it (she'll never like it) though.

As far as the second tattoo, I didn't think I would ever get a second. I loved the first one, got a lot of compliments (from anyone except my mother, lol), but had no desire for any more. 11 years later however, at 43, my wife and I decided to have another baby. Sure enough, after my son was born I wanted to get another tattoo to have him with me - to be part of me - forever. I sketched out what I wanted (a dragon armband, Japanese style) and found an artist through some internet searching. I made an appt. and showed up, ready for my tattoo.... She informed me she was booked for over 4 months, this was a consultation appt. only, and took some measurements to do preliminary sketches! Boy, had things changed in the tattoo world! The rest is pretty similar to the first experience. No real pain, some discomfort, and another result I love and others seem to like as well. I had my baby son's name added at the end (within the dragon's tail, and my wife's name (within a red ball the dragon is clutching). I now have all three of them with me where ever I am or go.

(This one took approximately 5.5 hours)

Neither is visible unless I am shirtless, but they are there for me, no one else. Barring a third child there will be no more though...

I think... ;-)

And on Page 3, below the fold...

2008-02-15T10:34:00.005-05:00

E - It just doesn't stop, does it? Unbelievable.

Accused Priest Tests Positive For HIV

Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 - 04:59 PM Updated: 09:50 PM

By Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas - A former priest accused of sexually abusing at least five minors in Rhode Island and Texas is HIV positive, Catholic diocese officials said Thursday.

Last week, a leader in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth heard someone mention that the Rev. Philip A. Magaldi has the virus that causes AIDS, said diocese spokesman Pat Svacina. The leader, the Rev. Michael F. Olson, then got verbal confirmation from Magaldi as well as a letter from his doctor who said he has HIV but not AIDS, Svacina said.

The diocese then alerted the alleged victims and the parishes where Magaldi served for nearly four decades, Svacina said.

Fort Worth diocese officials said they believe that Magaldi has been HIV positive since at least 2003.

Magaldi, 71, lives in a retirement center and diocese officials declined to disclose where. He has previously said he was innocent of the sexual abuse allegations, for which he has not been charged.

E- Yeah. Sure. Celibate like he was supposed to be. Must have gotten HIV through all the needle sharing the priests do.

He was removed as a priest in 1999 amid claims of sexual misconduct in Providence, R.I., where he served from 1960-90, and the Fort Worth area, where he served from 1990-92 and 1993-99.

He was out of the ministry while serving a brief stint in prison in 1992 after embezzling about $200,000 from his Rhode Island parish, officials said.

E - Did you get that one? He was removed as a priest in 1999 after sexual misconduct allegations, but continued to be a priest during and after serving time for embezzling $200k from his parish. What did a priest need the $200k for? Homosexual hookers and cocaine?

In an unrelated case, Magaldi also was accused of lying in the Newport case of Claus von Bulow, who was acquitted of trying to kill his heiress wife.

E - Yeah, a real stand-up guy this Magaldi. Definitely someone who should be ministering to the flock. Sexual relations, homosexual relations, possible pedophilia, grand theft, possible perjury.... Ad he's hearing confessions. Nice.

In 2006, a pastor at a North Richland Hills Church apologized to the congregation amid reports that five years earlier he didn't tell police ...

E - Another stand-up guy...

...after learning of inappropriate material involving minors on the computer used by Magaldi, who led the church the last six years of his ministry.

E - Add child porn to the list.

David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, urged the dioceses to aggressively seek out potential victims. He said it's impossible to know the number of victims because many children and teens abused by priests don't ever come forward.

"There's a real chance of someone suffering not only a horrific childhood trauma but also a current adult infection because of this priest," Clohessy said.

Magaldi is one of six priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth accused of abusing minors,

E - One of 6. In just the Fort Worth area. What do you think it is nationally? One thousand? Ten thousand?

... according to 700 pages of previously secret files that were part of a sexual abuse lawsuit settled in 2005. The documents were released by a judge last year.

In Rhode Island, three separate allegations were reported in 1998, 2002 and last year against Magaldi.

Bishop Kevin Vann of the Fort Worth diocese is flying to Rome next week to ask the Vatican to expedite the process of having Magaldi defrocked, which would remove him from clerical status, Svacina said.

E - Yeah, better get him of that list 'quickly'. Its only been 9 years since he was tossed. If they don't act soon, someone may think the Vatican doesn't really take it seriously or care.

According to the Providence diocese, it is in the process of contacting those who have made allegations against Magaldi.

In a statement, the Providence diocese said it fully supports the efforts of the Diocese of Fort Worth to seek dismissal of Magaldi from the priesthood.

E - They didn't do it (despite the sexual abuse, child porn, and theft... but they 'support' another diocese doing it. Big of them, huh?

Magaldi's earlier troubles included a 1985 indictment on perjury and obstruction charges for allegedly lying in a sworn statement in support of von Bulow to help him get a new trial. The charges against Magaldi were dropped in 1987.

In Von Bulow's second trial in 1985, he was acquitted of trying to kill his wife with insulin injections at their Newport, R.I., mansion.

Boston Wine Expo

2008-02-12T12:11:00.002-05:00

Went to the Boston Wine Expo this weekend with my wife... Some random thoughts:

- Check out Wine TV. Over the top, in your face persona, but a guy who is doing the right thing (making wine more accessible while not turning it into soda). He wants you to appreciate it and learn about it, but not be intimidated by it. Check out: http://tv.winelibrary.com/

- I enjoy attending this with my wife more than anyone else.

- Every year I don't go for both days I regret it and wish I had.

- I don't know why everyone who loves wine doesn't attend this event. I would cancel a trip to make this.

- I have to find out where other Wine Expos are held and see if I can travel there at the right time(s).

- I wish I owned a winery or vineyard ;-)

Still Stunned....

2008-02-11T22:33:00.000-05:00

... and busy.

;-)

Stunned...

2008-02-04T13:44:00.000-05:00

As is most of New England and the Boston area in particular, I am stunned at the results of the Super Bowl last evening.

Did I know it 'could' happen? Sure. Did I 'know' the Patriots were lucky to win some of their regular season games and proved themselves to be both human and beatable? Absolutely. Did I buy in to the whole Team Of Destiny and Greatest Sports Team Ever brouhaha? Positively.

Despite the fact I had a gnawing worry over the last few games that they had shown themselves to be beatable and weaknesses had been exploited... Depute that it was only a matter of time before some coach put all those weaknesses into one game plan... Despite that The Giants Coach Coughlin already almost did it just a few weeks ago and now had an opportunity to fine tune it... Despite the fact it didn't look good from the start of the game... Despite the fact the Giants looked better than they should be and the Pats looked worse than they are... Despite all that, and not because of their past close wins but because of them, the Pats appeared to be on a course to their 4th Super Bowl win in 7 years. The closer other teams came to winning, the more unbeatable the Patriots appeared to truly be.

And I say all this as a Green Bay Packer fan. I am a hometown fan of the Patriots, born and raised here, but not one of the uberfans of the team that Boston tends to put out. A lifelong fan of Coach Vince Lombardi, I came to respect Belichick as a gifted coach second only to Lombardi. I became a fan of this team for some of the same reasons I love Green Bay: they are a team, not a collection of arrogant prima donnas and superstars. The first of Belichick's wins at the Super Bowl had the team take the field that night announced simply as "The New England Patriots!', not coming on - one by one - to hear their names announced. That, more than any one play or game or win, made me a fan. Prior to that I had rooted for Green Bay when the two teams met at the Super Bowl and went to the first Monday Night Game the next season to see them fight again. I still rooted for Green Bay against The Tuna and Bledsoe and Co. and was happy when the Green Machine were once again victorious. Yet I found myself passionately getting caught up in the Patriots this year, wanting to see them don the mantle of Greatest Team Ever. While some others began to root against them because of the coach's arrogance or quarterback's dating models, I saw a team made up of superstars who still played as a team and passed credit around liberally. A coach who, although tight lipped and defensive, was not a bragging and arrogant peacock as we have all seen others do with less coaching talent. I thought this team's just rewards were to be remembered as The Best.

Did the Giants Offense win that game? Not so much as the Patriot's Offense lost it. One can't entirely blame the Pats Offensive Line, although they were pretty beaten up and gave Brady no time to stay in the pocket, protected, and find his target. They also didn't break any holes open for the running game - and with no running game the Giants could focus on stopping the Pats receivers. With no time to throw, there was also no time for the Pats receivers to break free...

Did the Patriots' Defense blow it? They held a Super Bowl worthy team to 17 points... Kind of tough to say they didn't do their job... yet I can't help thinking about that last Giants drive. All they needed to do was stop a) the big play, and b) a march down the field ending in a touch down. They had stopped the Giants from doing that for 3 quarters already. yet they didn't do it when it was most needed.

Did the coach lose it? He didn't go for 3 when he could have earlier in the game, and didn't use his last 34 seconds for a few plays to get a field goal at the end, either. All or nothing, the way he has played his 8 years here. Why didn't he address the lack of a running game and well covered receivers until so late in the game? Finally, in the 4th, they decided to change from their season long 3-pronged attack and simply go with something that works: quick 10 yard quick throws up the middle. They finally did, and they scored. Why didn't we see that in the 1st half after they realized their deep receptions were not going to happen and they really had no real running game coming together? And where was the 'no huddle offense' which would have tired out that Defensive Line of the Giants earlier? Can we blame him for the loss? No, but he doesn't get off scott free, either. We now know that he is human and not a football god.

Maybe it was Brady? Did he play injured? Stoically play with limited motion or in pain, unable to be his normal Tom Terrific? Would we have won if he admitted an injury? No.

And it wasn't Boston's Mayor Mumbles Mannino jinxing the team with a planned-too-early Super Bowl celebration. Or Tom's current model galpal Giselle jinxing the team as Dallas' Tony Romo was 'jinxed' by another famous galpal.

The Patriot's were still the best team of this season. They were undefeated for 18 and 5/6 games. For 99% of the season (a season longer than the 72 Dolphins' season - a season in an era of free agents and salary caps - a season designed by the former Commissioner of Football for 'parity' among teams). They even faced and beat the Giants prior, so we know the Giants aren't 'better'. But the Giants were certainly better when it counted, this Sunday the 3rd of February 2008.

The Patriots have no one person or area or jinx to blame - they just didn't play well enough to win against a team that was pumped and confident, playing its best football of the year, and one that knew the Patriots were not unbeatable. They hammered away and fought for every down. They never gave up, never wore down, and never doubted themselves. In the end, the Giants were the better team on Super Bowl Sunday.

2008-02-01T14:05:00.001-05:00

Social Security facts -- Very interesting
'Your' Social Security :
Just in case some of you didn't know this, it's easy to check out if you don't believe it. It doesn't matter whether you are Democrat of Republican... Facts are Facts!!!

Our Social Security

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social
Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

1.) That participation in the Program would be Completely voluntary,

E - He broke his promise.

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual Incomes into the Program,

E - yes, well we know how that turned out.

3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year,

E- Hmmm... Kind of like another voluntary retirement savings program I can think of...

4.) That the money the participants put into the independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the general operating fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program, and,

E - Yes, but we know how that goes. Once they get your money...

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.

E - Ah, well...

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of  the money we paid to the Federal government to "put away" -- you may be interested in the following:

-------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent "Trust Fund " and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically controlled House and Senate.

E - Is anyone really surprised?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?
A: The Democratic Party.

E - Yet they bill themselves the party of the Elderly and Retirees. A good con job.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?

A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the "tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the US

E - Nice to know Wanna-Be-Prez Ali G. had the interests of the elderly at heart, huh?

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants who haven't paid in, pushing an already overloaded and taxed system over the brink, jeopardizing your payments and any cost of living raises?

A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party.  Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it! You paid in your whole life but they collect just as you do.

E - I'm all for compassion and helping the elderly out that never paid in, but shouldn't that be some other type of program? One that doesn't penalize the American seniors that paid in their whole lives?

The Catholic Church

2008-01-29T20:54:00.003-05:00

Okay, if anyone reads or read the last post (note: this was started after the post about the church and pedophilia), that started a debate about the Church's beginnings among my cadre of friends.

I thought I would post my beliefs on it.

First, I should mention that I was raised a Roman Catholic. I thought... I learned... that my religion was the one 'true' religion. Oh, some others were close enough, but 'we' did it correctly. Others had religions that were started before Christ and had not learned, or came from splinter groups off The Church and they were wayward, to lack a better term. Yet meanwhile, we were not regular churchgoers once I was past the 4th grade or so, and even before then it was more with mom than dad. Like a lot of families, I guess. We went to church on the holidays and the occasional sunday until I was close to middle school age, and although I went to a Catholic high school, the attendance at church was down to the major holidays.

Yet I remained someone who thought himself a Catholic.

Did we, did I, believe in all the dogma taught by the Church? No. Certainly some in the family more than others - again, as it is in most families. I knew their were the rules and laws demanded by God (Thou Shalt Not Kill, Thou Shalt Not Steal, etc.) and then there were the rules about lifestyle that were put in by the church (birth control, the death penalty, abortion, etc.). I knew the points and reasonings behind them (ie, basically a consistent belief that man did not have the right to 'play God' by deciding when to get pregnant and when not to, when to take a life and when not to, what was a life and what was not, etc.). But s a young and inexperienced man I was willing to accept more.

Things happen in life that change you: marriage, children, death, divorce. Each brings with it a new understanding of things, and also a questioning of things you previously accepted. But little things also made me more aware of differences within the Church. For instance, due to an hour's drive between my house and my (ex) wife's parent's home where she was living, she gradually ended up moving in with me prior to our getting engaged. When the time came and I proposed, we went to the church to set a date. The priest would not marry us when he found out we were living together. He wanted her to list another address. When I said I did not want to lie and list her parent's when she really wasn't staying there, he told me to find another church. Not another Church, just another parish. Pretty hypocritical, huh?

Later, I got divorced; I found out my wife did something I could not live with, and, despite 4 years of being 'separated' while living under the same roof (I moved to the couch and stayed there) I finally filed for divorce. I had not wanted divorce both because I was a Catholic and because I didn't want my daughter to got through it. Once I realized it had to be better than what she and I were going through, it was a done deal. I mention it because there really was no way out. Despite the Church saying 'There is no such thing as divorce," and "Let no man put asunder that which God has created", it takes two to make a marriage. Once again, the Church and I were on separate sides. And this time it would not 'go away' as i technically would always be 'married' to my ex. After remarrying a few years later, I realized that would be unrecognized by the Church and that meant we were not really man and wife. A few years after that we had a child. I suppose to the Church he is a bastard, right?

Anyway, I say all this to show how it is not really how I left the Church, but how the Church did not accept or want me any longer.

Then comes the scandals within the Church. Disgusting. [ see an earlier post on the Church and Pedophilia ]. And to realize the men who install themselves and their friends are judging me and you? The same ones who either perpetrated crimes against the most innocent in society, or looked the other way knowing it was being done, or kept silent? Or assisted in its continuing by not coming forward at the orders of church higher-ups? Or those higher ups, the ones helping to make the laws, acting like pimps by relocating the guilty bastards rather than excommunicating them and calling the police? They are setting rules that I should follow? Telling me that I am living in sin because I divorced and remarried? I won't even complete my next thought on them...

Anyway, that started my discussing The Bible and beliefs in God with friends. Some of other religions, some atheists, some very strong Catholics, some who have other beliefs. I am still not sure where I stand, but I am sure that whatever I believe is based on who and what I am at this moment as it is with everyone else. No one knows. Those that can prove there is no God cannot do so, only show areas of belief that can be questioned. Those that know there is a God and He is the one from their Book (Bible, Koran, whatever) have no more proof than any other - some just have fervent beliefs. One of them may be right, maybe all are in some way, maybe none are.

Myself? A few things I have pondered.... If there is only one God, then it can be neither male or female. For those who believe in Adam and Eve (who begat Cain and Able), where did the next generation come from? Hopefully God suddenly populated everywhere as I would hate to think our ancestors all can be traced back to an incestuous relationship, right? I'm sorry if this offends anyone, truly. It is not my intention. But I can't avoid contemplating these things because the Bible simply says to have faith. Once you realize some things contained n the Bible are put there by men with an agenda, you have to figure out which are and which are truly what you believe to be what God wanted.

I still believe in Jesus as Son of God. I still believe there is a Being who created all this and directed it in some way. Some sort of energy force of 'good' for lack of a better term. Positive energy. Do I believe it was created in 6 days? No. Do I believe that many of the biblical stories are the same as Greek or Roman mythology, attempts by early men to understand or explain things they did not know? Sure. Its pretty apparent, isn't it? But I do not think it all was blind luck or that it was happenstance. I do think there is some type of thought and plan, and if so there is an interest in the collective 'us' from whatever it is that God is. I think Jesus was an attempt by God to reach us in human form, a way we may better understand God. The problem is, I think it is like an ant trying to fathom nuclear power. We may try, and we may fool ourselves. But we cannot do it. Even for those truly faithful among us, how can we possibly accept our inabilities and shortcomings in what we have here on Earth, yet think we can possibly understand the motives of anything that could make a Universe?

How about the Devil? Horns and a pitchfork? Fire and brimstone? No, I don't think I do. I do believe that if there is 'good' there is bad though. If there is positive energy then there is negative energy, too.

What happens later? Who knows. When my father passed there were things that happened that cannot be explained. Not by coincidence, or by people wanting things to be true. Personal, I won't go into them here. Suffice it to say I hope each of you reading this becomes as sure as I that there is more beyond what we see and hear each day. I'd like to think we pass on and stay as we are for personal reasons: I'd love to believe I'll see my dad again, or meet my grandfather. But they were not perfect and then could not be in a place where only perfection is allowed, right? I don't know what happens when we die, but I do know it doesn't completely stop. What happens, I am not sure of though.

As there were teachings of the Bible that were obviously 'wrong' and accepted as such (ie, passages about slavery and women being unequal) then any argument about each and every word being directly from God was - to put it mildly - bull. Unless someone believes every single word in the Bible - from the stories about Adam, Eve, a snake, and an apple ... to those about putting two of every single animal on the planet onto one ship.. plus all the passages about vengeance, retribution, slaves, and women being inferior and second class... Unless someone believes every single word of it all (silly but consistent, in my view) then they are picking and choosing which to believe were God's words and which were words added by men with ulterior motives.

No one has any more right to their beliefs than any other person to theirs. And once that thought coalesced in my brain, it forced me to re-evaluate some stances on social issues. Now I look at them as what would help society most, not what is based n someone's religious teachings. Many times they are the same. Other times they are not.

Still nothing is etched in stone as I try to look at each issue individually, but I 'know' that science can explain how life is created, and how it happens, but not why. No one who sees their child born should think it is luck and chance. I know there is more than we can see, know there is something beyond. And I know I won't understand it until I get there (and probably not even then).

Pedophilia and The Priesthood

2008-01-29T19:51:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me a link to www.BishopAccountability.Org a site chronicling the despicable crisis within the Catholic Church, a religion I was once a member of and a group (The Church - Capital C) I am ashamed of. He was thinking there was something intrinsically wrong with the church, and definitely with The Church, that allowed it and even assisted in its happening. I disagree.

I am not one who defends them by saying "There are deviates in every career, every segment of society". There are, but in lower numbers.

Do I think there are more in the church than any other group? Yes. Why? Not because they aren't married. Many unmarried men or widows go long periods without sex and never think of abusing kids. Being attracted sexually to children is a sickness and mental problem, not something they turn to because they are celibate (if it were that, they would just go to see a hooker). And I don't believe its because they are all men. If there were women priests then there would just be more priests, not less pedophilia in the church.... I believe its because any area where you put people in contact with kids you have a high occurrence. Any area where you put people in positions of trust that can be abused you have a high occurrence. Any areas where you have little oversight of those in power you have a higher occurrence. Any areas where you have people policing and trying there own you'll have occurrences. But priests and the Church are 'all of the above'. Pedophilia is everywhere (from the uncle to the neighbor to the sports coach) but there is no other area that fits the bill so well. Boy Scout leaders have access and trust but usually have kids and are married. Teachers, the same - access but a lot of the profession are women, married, etc. Police, firemen, etc.? Power and trust but less access. Priests have access, trust, little supervision, little oversight, etc.

It isn't the church. Its just that the way it is set up, it becomes a place they can go and feel safe. And having been protected by 'Cardinal' Law and others, they were right.

The Church should have been protecting its weak and its children, not itself.

Wine Travels ...

2008-01-28T10:28:00.001-05:00

Having been a wine lover for approximately 20 years and done tours in California (Napa), Long Island and even small fruit wineries in Massachusetts, I thought I would actually begin to start taking notes and keeping a record, as well as recording some recommended (personally or through writings) places:

Napa Valley:

Cult Wine Central - Communal Tasting Room - On Highway 29 - Multiple wine makers and small producers.

A Dozen Vintners - Communal Tasting Room - On Highway 29 - Multiple wine makers and small producers.

Wines...

2008-01-28T09:06:00.002-05:00

Some wines I have read about, tried and loved, or have been recommended to me:

California:

Foley Pinot Noir, 2004 - From Santa Rita Hills, CA - Aprox. $38 bottle - complex, dense, thick, masculine, tannic, juicy fruit (black cherry, pomegranate, grenadine), a little citrus and spice. Rich meats.

Zaca Mesa - "Z Three" - Syrah, mourvedre, grenache grapes - From Santa Ynez Valley, CA- Aprox. $40 bottle - black, thick, powerful, chewable, lush, spicey. Grilled meats.

Argentina:

Malbec - From $16 - $30 - Richly textured, densely flavored, plum, leather, spice, berries. Beef.

Australia:

Vasse Felix - "Adams Road" Shiraz - From Margaret River, Australia - Aprox. $18 bottle - Satisfying burst of fruit. Blackberry, boysenberry, with violets and pepper. Grilled meats with sweet sauces (BBQ, teriyaki, etc.)

Other 'styles':

Malmsey Madeira - The sweetest madeira, great with deserts and nuts - vanilla, brown sugar, tawny nutiness. (Blandy's 10 Year Old)

Today Show Recommended Wines Under $15:

Castle Rock Pinot Noir

McManus (California) Petite Syrah

Just As Bill Did , So Does Ted...

2008-01-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

Well, Bill got actively involved with Hillary's campaign and seems to have derailed it, helping her finish well behind Obama in South Carolina.

So now Ted Kennedy, who normally stays neutral in the primaries, comes out in favor of Obama... There's obviously more to that story then we will ever hear. Whether he dislikes Hillary or Bill, it is a public slap in the face to the Senator from NY that he will have to work with (whether in the White House or Senate).

The questions are, a) while the endorsement helps Obama with the Far Left, did Obama really need any endorsement to get the most Liberal voters? And b), for those of us who are considering him who are not on the Far Left, does an endorsement from Teddy K. help or hurt?

Is there no where to go for peace and quiet now?

2008-01-24T14:17:00.004-05:00

Well, I hate to use this blog as a place to rant like a cranky old man.. BUT that is exactly what I'm going to do today...

What is it with the service industry? With all the people supposedly out of work, are the ones I had to deal with today the best there are? Are we, as a civilization, becoming that slow brained and dim witted? Spending time with the public can make one seem so.

Cliche'? Yes.

True? Absolutely.

Normally I do not harbor these thoughts. An occasional realization that I have met one of the men or women that bring down our species average IQ usually stops right there. I feel sorry for them, sorry for my having had to deal with them, sorry for their families, and sorrier for the public that has to deal with them daily. But I try to keep it focused on the person who has proven themselves to be someone who should be hidden away from the public in a backroom.

Today though, it has been one after the other...

This morning I had to run out to get some errands done. Some lumber for a project I am building, then swing by Ikea to get the basics for a livingroom piece that my wife would like... nothing unusual. Some good workers, some bad, a lot who are trying to do as little as possible for their pay, unfortunately.

And then I had to head back home.

I stopped at a fast food restaurant. Drive thru. That was my first mistake. Look, I understand that there need to be jobs for immigrants. For those who do not speak the language well yet. I understand that there need to be jobs for people who are below average intelligence (hal of us are, right?). But is a drive-thru the place for them? A drive-thru clerk needs to do a few things: take orders from the customer and enter the orders. Some also handle the money, put the orders together, etc. Some do not. But if the main part of the job is communication with the public, shouldn't the ability to speak english be a qualification? Isn't there any standard? Hey, I might like to be a brain surgeon, but I need to be trained and meet some standard. Shouldn't a job requiring asking me questions to help me require they should be able to speak to me? Well, after an Abbott And Costello routine at the drive thru window and 2 wrong orders, I finally went inside to get it right. 'Fast Food'? Ha!

Afterwards, I figured I'd stop for coffee. At Starbucks. Normally I can expect efficient and friendly service there. Instead, I stood there trying to get my order in and listened to this exchange:

"... but you can't put them both on the same tray."

"Why not?"

"The manual says only two food items per tray..."

"Three!"

"...fine! Three! Thre food items per tray but they have to be similar."

"They are."

"No they aren't."

"Yes, they are."

"No, they aren't."

"Why not?"

"One is a lemon danish and one is a cheese danish."

"They are both danish!"

"But one is fruit and one is dairy!"

"Look, I can understand if one was a cookie and one was a danish. But its so that you don't put bacon sandwiches on the tray with brownies or something."

"Nope."

"Nope?! What would you put on the tray? What three things? Fruit, a fruit cookie, and the lemon danish? Would that satisfy you!?!"

At that point they took my order... I was almost disappointed I was so riveted in the outcome.

The Four 'R's of Education

2008-01-22T15:59:00.001-05:00

We, as a society, are like the parents who do their best to prevent their kids from any pain or inconvenience. They call the coach if their kids don't get enough playing time, call other parents if their kid doesn't get along with a kid in school, blame the teachers if their kid gets a C rather than the student. We raise kids who go from high school where mom and dad took care of everything to college or real life unable to handle tough bosses and professors. Then we wonder why they fail and blame everyone else. A a society, we try to (and I agree the motives are good) legislate away not only pain, but tough times and inconvenience. We try to pass laws to make life 'fair', and then wonder why - when not everyone succeeds - the public complains and blames the government and society.

I do not advocate leaving everyone behind that doesn't keep up, but I think we have to start teaching 'Responsibility' along with Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmatic as the fourth R taught in schools. We have to say,m collectively, we will not allow anyone in this society to perish or flounder as we have too many riches and success not to share - BUT WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING YOU HAPPY OR REQUIRED TO COMPENSATE YOU FOR BAD LUCK, YOUR FAMILY'S PAST, MISTAKES OF YOUR ANCESTORS, OR WHERE YOU WERE BORN. Those born with wealth in their family should not have to apologize for it or feel guilty about it. Charity is just that, CHARITY. Helping one's fellow man. It is a privilege to be able to do so but is not a requirement. And social programs are, under any name, charity. More people should do it, I believe, but that doesn't change the fact that it is all value based and I do not think we should be legislating my values to force everyone to live by them.

Poor? You get government housing (unglamorous, undecorated, and short term). Can't feed yourself? You get free meals or food stamps (healthy food, not dining out or name brands). Sick? Government clinics (with longer waits and the bottom of the class doctors, yes). Don't like it? Sacrifice so you will have more by working harder or studying. Don't want your kids to have to deal with it? Teach them to work harder and study more so they won't be in the same position.

Leonard Cohen - "I'm Your Man"

2008-01-21T20:38:00.001-05:00

"The rest of us would be very humbled by the stuff he throws away."

So says Bono of Leonard Cohen. For those who are fans, or those of you unfamiliar with Cohen or see him as some old poet that wrote some songs you may remember, I highly recommend this film.

A great portrait of a man who, after being a published poet in the late 50s, morphed into music as rock was born and spent the last 40 years as one of music's greatest geniuses and artists. A 'typical' music documentary, we see film clips, interviews with the artist and those who know him, all intercut with concert footage of a small intimate concert (in 2005) by little known artists (Nick Cage and Rufus Wainright being arguably the biggest names) doing Leonard Cohen's songs.

Inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (last year, I believe), the accolades for him are still flowing from his peers and those that followed him. Bono referred to him as the Yeates of this generation. While I am a huge fan of his songs and of later work as his voice matured into a great baritone, I will admit to to not enjoying those same tunes sung when he was a younger man as I didn't like his voice. Some of you may think of that voice and dismiss this recommendation but you would be doing yourself a dis-service.

A BIG Gamble For Rudy...

2008-01-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

Even at Home, Backers Worry About Giuliani

Rudolph W. Giuliani campaigned on Wednesday in Pensacola, Fla. He has gambled his time and money on winning the Republican primary in Florida on Jan. 29, at the expense of earlier races.

By SAM ROBERTS

Published: January 17, 2008

For months, the Republican establishment in New York and New Jersey marched nearly in lock step behind Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former hometown mayor they were confident would become their party’s nominee for president.

But as Mr. Giuliani has plummeted from first to fourth — or worse — in some national polls, as he finished near the bottom of the pack in the nation’s earliest primaries, and as his lead evaporated even in Florida, the state on which he has gambled the most time and money, those Republican leaders are verging toward a grim new consensus: If Mr. Giuliani loses in the Florida primary on Jan. 29, they say, he may even have trouble defeating the rivals who are encroaching on his own backyard. “It’s pretty certain that he has to win Florida,” said Guy V. Molinari, the former Staten Island borough president, who is co-chairman of Mr. Giuliani’s campaign in New York. Those supporters say they are confident that if Mr. Giuliani carries Florida or runs a very close second, he will remain the odds-on favorite to claim virtually all of the delegates from the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut primaries on Feb. 5, when Republicans in 22 states vote. But if Mr. Giuliani is relegated to a distant second or worse in Florida, even some of his supporters acknowledge that New York’s primary one week later would most likely be up for grabs, with Senator John McCain of Arizona and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts being Mr. Giuliani’s strongest rivals. Like Mr. Giuliani, both are fielding full delegate slates in all 29 of the state’s Congressional districts.“If he carries Florida, he carries New York,” said Fred Siegel, a Cooper Union historian who has served as an adviser to the former mayor and written a largely admiring biography of him. But winning Florida would require “a miraculous comeback,” he said, adding: “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

With 101 delegates from New York, 52 from New Jersey and 30 from Connecticut, the region accounts for about 15 percent of the magic number needed for the Republican nomination. All three are winner-take-all contests. Mr. Giuliani’s precipitous decline in national and state polls in recent weeks has prompted many of his leading supporters in the metropolitan area to raise questions about his strategy of largely ignoring early races in Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan to focus on Florida. He received little news coverage during those primaries, then finished poorly in each.“I think that a lot of what’s happening in general is the early campaigning in Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan playing an active role, and the fact that Rudy chose not to compete,” said Guy F. Talarico, a Giuliani supporter who is the former chairman of theRepublican Party in Bergen County, N.J. “People are focusing on that and saying, ‘When are we going to get in the game?’ ”Still, once the campaign circles back to the metropolitan area, “I think he’s going to win New Jersey,” Mr. Talarico said. A senior Republican strategist, who is allied with Mr. Giuliani and is working with Republican legislative candidates in New York, said Mr. Giuliani’s decision to circumvent the early primaries was a “big gamble” that for the moment looked in danger of failing.“Who knows if it will work,” said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he had not been authorized by the campaign to speak publicly. “But the danger is what you are seeing now. We’re obviously concerned.”

In Florida, a Quinnipiac University poll of likely Republican voters found last month that Mr. Giuliani was leading the pack with 28 percent, followed by former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas with 21 percent and Mr. Romney with 20 percent. But a follow-up survey last week found the race statistically tied among four candidates: Mr. Giuliani, Mr. McCain, Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Romney. Mr. Giuliani’s poll numbers have declined in Florida even though he has invested heavily there. The former mayor spent almost $600,000 on television advertising in Florida between Dec. 8 and Jan. 6, second only to Mr. Romney, who spent $676,851, according to Campaign Media Analysis Group, a political advertising research firm. Almost all of Mr. Giuliani’s spending came in the final 10 days of that period, when Mr. Romney stopped buying ads. The race has also narrowed in New Jersey, according to a poll released this week by Monmouth University/Gannett. The poll showed Mr. McCain leading by 29 percent to Mr. Giuliani’s 25 percent, a difference that is within the poll’s margin of sampling error. In September, the same poll found Mr. Giuliani 32 percentage points ahead of his nearest rival, Mr. McCain.

On Wednesday, Mr. McCain vowed to compete hard in New York. “I’m going there a lot for money,” he said. “I ought to go there for votes.”

Nationally, a New York Times/CBS News poll released on Sunday found that Mr. Giuliani, who led the Republican field with 29 percent nationally in October and was tied with Mr. Huckabee at about 22 percent last month, had plummeted to 10 percent, behind Mr. McCain and Mr. Huckabee. In New York, with its three million enrolled Republicans, polls indicate Mr. Giuliani’s edge was eroding even before the victories by Mr. Huckabee, Mr. McCain and Mr. Romney in Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan, respectively. In October, Mr. Giuliani led his nearest opponent by a commanding 33-point margin. By last month, he was still ahead, but his lead had shrunk to 22 percentage points. New public polls are expected to show the race has tightened even more, polling experts said.“I have a feeling that the sag in Florida and the sag in New Jersey will probably be matched by a sag in New York,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac Poll, which plans to release a new New York poll next week.

It is unclear what impact Mr. Giuliani’s weak poll numbers and poor primary finishes have had on his fund-raising, as new quarterly campaign spending reports will not be filed until the end of the month. But his campaign reported last week that some workers had given up their paychecks for the month to help save dwindling funds. The campaign reported having $7 million in cash on hand at the time.

There are also concerns among Giuliani supporters that if he does not gain momentum before Feb. 5, he will have to spend precious funds just to win New York, where advertising is particularly expensive. Anthony V. Carbonetti, Mr. Giuliani’s senior political adviser, said on Wednesday: “Rudy has a long history of fighting for New York, and with his track record and the campaign team we’ve put together here, we’re going to win on Feb. 5.” Mr. Giuliani has some clear advantages in the region. In addition to having more organizational support from Republican elected officials, he is counting on the fact that in New York and Connecticut, Italian-Americans constitute about one-fifth of the voters in Republican primaries. But while his popularity soared after the World Trade Center attack, Mr. Giuliani is still reviled by some New Yorkers, including well-organized firefighters who blame him for communications failures on 9/11 and Republicans who have never forgiven him for endorsing a Democrat, Mario M. Cuomo, for governor against George E. Pataki in 1994. Mr. Pataki won. Mr. Pataki said through a spokesman, David M. Catalfamo, on Wednesday that he was “continuing to evaluate all the candidates and will make an endorsement sometime in the future.” But several people who worked in his administration, including his former counsel,Michael C. Finnegan, have made their allegiances clear: They are running as McCain delegates.

Reporting was contributed by David W. Chen, Marjorie Connelly, Michael Cooper, Alison Leigh Cowan, Raymond Hernandez, David Kocieniewski and Aron Pilhofer.

Every Town Should Have One... or Five.

2008-01-17T10:08:00.000-05:00

Proposed wind farm draws few foes in Hull

Town-owned utility generates praise

By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff | January 17, 2008

Sometime next year, Hull could become the first community in Massachusetts to get all its electricity from wind power.

After years of study, Hull officials are now seeking approval of state environmental regulators to install four wind turbines, each about 430 feet high, in ocean waters about a mile and a half east of Nantasket Beach.

Ian A. Bowles, the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs and a wind-power advocate, could approve the project as soon as Feb. 6 or order further environmental studies.

A popular 19th century summer resort that today has more than 11,000 year-round residents, Hull already gets about 12 percent of its electricity from two land-based wind turbines. One is on Pemberton Point near the high school. A second is at the site of a former town landfill near the Hingham line. The four offshore wind turbines would produce close to 15 megawatts of electricity, enough to cover the balance of the town's demand.

The offshore wind farm, in an area called Harding Ledge, is even closer to the town than any of the 140 similarly-sized turbines planned for the Cape Wind power project in Nantucket Sound. But while Cape Wind has generated fierce opposition, as well as support, the Hull project is facing comparatively little local opposition.

Town Manager Philip Lemnios said one key reason is that Hull's 6,100 electric customers get their power from the town-owned Hull Municipal Light Plant, which means that the windmills will be producing electricity they are paying for directly in their homes and businesses. Also, Hull residents have lived with the Pemberton Point turbine for eight years.

"It's our own electricity," Lemnios said. "We work to make sure that kids know when they see a streetlight on that it's being powered by the wind turbine."

The slowly-spinning turbine on Pemberton Point is perched in a dramatic, photogenic locale against the backdrop of Boston Harbor and its islands. It "is a beautiful piece of kinetic sculpture" that even draws tourists to town, Lemnios said.

Some local lobstermen fear that the construction of the four turbines could disrupt what is a fertile and lucrative lobstering grounds from March to December.

"I don't want people to think we're against wind power - we're not - but it's just a question of where and when you install them," said Bill Adler, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association.

Adler said lobstermen were anxious about natural-gas pipelines installed on the harbor floor but energy companies addressed their concerns and make "mitigation payments" to compensate them for lost lobstering time and harvests.

"We just want to get together and talk" with Hull officials about living with the project, Adler said. It would occupy about 12,000 square feet of ocean floor during construction, less than a third of an acre, and 907 square feet permanently for the foundations of the turbines. Lemnios said the question of Hull paying lobstermen to defuse opposition has not been raised or discussed.

Aside from the Hull project and Cape Wind, the only other offshore wind farm now proposed in Massachusetts is Boston construction mogul Jay Cashman's plan for 120 windmills off Dartmouth and Mattapoisett in Buzzards Bay.

In the North Shore town of Rowley, which has a town-owned electric utility, the town's Municipal Lighting Plant director. Linda Soucy, said, "We're in the very early stages of looking at" where the town might be able to install wind turbines.

In terms of steady wind, "we're not in as good a position as they are in Hull," Soucy said, and it may be impossible to get regulatory approval to run electric cables through the Plum Island wildlife refuge.

The only town coming close to Hull's potential use of wind-powered electricity is Princeton, in Central Massachusetts. Its town-owned electric utility is currently replacing eight small 1980s wind turbines on Mount Wachusett with two big units that within a year will produce about 40 percent of Princeton's power.

Peter J. Howe can be reached at howe@globe.com.