Republicans

Just one more reason people can't take Republicans seriously:

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This guy's supposed to be a Congressman?!?!?

The proof is in the party affiliation. With the exception of frequent churchgoers, self-identified conservatives, and voters over the age of 65, the Republican party lost 6-10% in all demographic areas. Yikes.

Time Change

Recently, while on a flight, the captain said the following:

We have a three hour time change during our flight today, so you might want to turn your locks back about three hours.

About!?!?!

In Defense of Food

I read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan about a year ago and loved it. I briefly mentioned it on the blog almost a year ago and it brings back fond memories of gardening. Interestingly he was on The Colbert Report last night promoting his book. It seems a little late after the publish date to be doing this, but it was fun nonetheless. Enjoy the clip!

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Greening

Some ideas for El Presidente (but really for you and me) for greening our homes. Some of these ideas are awesome. I especially like the Jellyfish Wind Appliance (though it may be a nightmare for utility companies, I'd be interested to hear what they think) and the internet electrical usage monitor. On that second idea, I've always thought a simple wall-mounted device that gives real-time electrical usage information would do wonders for getting people to turn off unneeded appliances and lights. Now it's becoming a reality. Fantastic!

Plug-In Hybrids

Here is a short article about plug-in hybrids. The first paragraph is what caught my eye, mainly the idea that Americans are leery to purchase vehicles that have limited range (i.e. all-electric cars). What I don't understand is why that is the case? Why won't Americans purchase vehicles that fit their needs 90% of the time? Most people use their cars to drive less that 35 miles, round trip. For this, electric cars are perfect: super quiet, great performance, low maintenance costs, extremely cheap fuel. However, Americans (or at least car manufacturers think this) want to buy a car that is only needed 10% of the time: a long trip, hauling a camper, etc.

People should purchase all-electric cars for their day to day needs, but new companies need to spring up that rent larger vehicles for the 10% of the time that people need big cars.

Swine Flu!

Want to avoid the terrifying SWINE FLU?!?!?! Try some of these alternative greeting methods.

White House Correspondents Dinner

The White House Correspondents Dinner is an annual event where Washington, DC reporters come together for a night of fun, joined and spoken to by the President. The event is different because the speeches are fairly humorous and poke fun at politically charged issues. A couple years ago Stephen Colbert brought down the house with a cutting performance that the establishment press disliked for being too harsh.

One of my favorite jokes from the president, one among many, was this in honor of Mother's Day, "I do have to say, though, that this is a tough holiday for Rahm Emanuel because he's not used to saying the word 'day' after 'mother.'" After the audience laughed, Obama chuckled to himself, saying, "That's true."

You can watch the whole thing on Youtube, including Wanda Sykes stand-up routine. It's worth your 16 minutes to see another side of our President.

Car Recycling

I always knew that cars were recycled, but not at these percentages and with such overall efficiency. It's great news, to be sure, and gives me hope that as our vehicle fleet moves toward improved mileage and alternative propulsion, that the old junkers won't continue to ruin ecosystems, rather, they can play a role in the next generation of vehicles.

My Roomie...

... from college makes funny videos. Enjoy!

Torture

A couple weeks ago we had a discussion in my government class about torture. The majority of the class said they support torture, but only in circumstances where lives will be saved. Okay, I thought, that's justifiable in a certain euphemeral way. However, I am against torture for other reasons; reasons I haven't seen spelled out to my liking... until now. If you're interested in why I, and many others, am against torture as a information gathering technique, read this:

I don't have either the vocabulary or the literary sensibility to explain with any eloquence why I oppose torture, so I usually stay out of conversations like this. Besides, they depress the hell out of me. But for the record, it goes something like this.

I don't care about the Geneva Conventions or U.S. law. I don't care about the difference between torture and "harsh treatment." I don't care about the difference between uniformed combatants and terrorists. I don't care whether it "works." I oppose torture regardless of the current state of the law; I oppose even moderate abuse of helpless detainees; I oppose abuse of criminal suspects and religious heretics as much as I oppose it during wartime; and I oppose it even if it produces useful information.

The whole point of civilization is as much moral advancement as it is physical and technological advancement. But that moral progress comes slowly and very, very tenuously. In the United States alone, it took centuries to decide that slavery was evil, that children shouldn't be allowed to work 12-hour days on power looms, and that police shouldn't be allowed to beat confessions out of suspects.

On other things there's no consensus yet. Like it or not, we still make war, and so does the rest of the world. But at least until recently, there was a consensus that torture is wrong. Full stop. It was the practice of tyrants and barbarians. But like all moral progress, the consensus on torture is tenuous, and the only way to hold on to it — the only way to expand it — is by insisting absolutely and without exception that we not allow ourselves to backslide. Human nature being what it is — savage, vengeful, and tribal — the temptations are just too great. Small exceptions will inevitably grow into big ones, big ones into routine ones, and the progress of centuries is undone in an eyeblink.

What do you think?

Well Holy Hell

The big news around the United States' political circles in the party switching from Republican to Democrat of long-time Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania. Assuming Al Franken eventually gets seated as the 100th senator, that will give Democrats a 60 to 40 majority, making it that much easier to overcome Republican filibusters of everyday legislation.

I thought it was interesting that my thoughts were less about the majority and more about this: What does his staff do? Most likely they are true believers in the mold of the Republican party as that is likely why they are living and working in Washington, DC. Will they stay loyal to their boss and keep their scarce jobs (Republican staffers are not in need in the current Democrat-dominated scene) or take off in light of the party switch? Inquiring minds want to know.

Autotune the News

What better way to get back into the swing of blogging than a great Youtube clip?

I've been away from any internet for almost a week, so now that I'm back, blogging should return to its regular schedule. Enjoy.

NPD 4.14.09

*Josh pointed out in yesterday's NPD comments section that Al Franken has won yet another court battle in the ongoing Senate recount in Minnesota. By nearly all accounts, Franken will eventually be the winner of the race, but the Republican Party continues to appeal in order to keep the Democrats at one fewer vote in the Senate. If that's true, it's a class bunch. Next up for the court battle: the Supreme Court. If it makes it that far, we won't see a conclusion for another six months or so.

*North Korea is further withdrawing from the international community as a result of the UN Security Council's recent resolution criticizing their missile launch last week. Oh my that place is f-ed up.

*It was revealed that Jesse Jackson, a Democratic Congressman from Illinois, guaranteed former governor Blagojevich $5 million in campaign funds if he appointed Jackson to Obama's open senate seat. That comes on the heals of Blagojevich formally pleading not guilty to federal criminal charges. Someone needs to write a song about corrupt Illinois (and Louisiana) politics.

NPD 4.13.09

*Obama is gearing up for a showdown with student loan lenders. He's proposing significant changes that, if done right, would reduce the cost of taking out loans and would expand the Pell Grant program. Of course, there are billions of dollars at stake, so the banks are lining up in opposition. Here's hoping Obama is successful. It's high time for student loan reform.

*I've always wanted to travel to Cuba before Americans swarm onto the island. It is supposed to be a fascinating place, in many ways stuck in the past, once you are inland and away from all the European resorts. My dream may soon be washed away as the Obama Administration is very seriously considering easing travel to and from the island nation. Good for them. We have long since past the time (if that time ever existed) that these tenuous relations had any positive effect.

*In New York's 20th District, Democrat Scott Murphy has reclaimed the lead over Jim Tedisco by 35 votes. We'll know more in a couple days when all the absentee ballots are counted. It's a nail biter!

I'm a Sucker...

... for this stuff.

Brought tears to my eyes, I'll readily admit.

Job Fair Fame

Go here to see me on tv. I'm famous at 42 seconds in.

Most Recognized Person?

An ongoing debate between my father and I centers on this question: Who is the most well-known/recognized person in the world? George Bush? David Beckham? Barack Obama? All good bets, but we have come to the conclusion it's probably someone else: Tiger Woods.

He has been on the world stage for longer than Bush. Truly dominates a sport unlike Beckham. Also, he has the fascinating racial background of Obama. What do you think? Other ideas?

NPD 4.6.09

*A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Italy in an area east of Rome. As of now there are about 150 documented deaths and, apparently, significant damage to historic sites. I'm sure we'll hear more from the region soon.

*Robert Gates, Obama's holdover from the Bush Administration as his Secretary of Defense, made good on his pledge to reform defense and military procurement procedures. He released his ideas for appropriate changes. This is needed in so many ways, but fighting the military industrial complex is probably the most difficult political battle there is. As Steve Benen has said over at the Washington Monthly, Congressmen love military spending, especially that which occurs in their own district. Let's hope for reform.

BTW, for those of you who are interested, he's proposing a reduction in programs that focus on conventional weapons and an increase in programs for special operations and anti-insurgency. Sounds like a move into the 21st Century.

*If you didn't hear, over the weekend, North Korea shot a ballistic missile that cruised above Japan. They claimed it was putting a sattilite into orbit, but the US military says that did not occur.

Interesting?

Pay a computer to pray for you and the "Oklahoma Ten Commandments." Oh my.

White House Garden

As promised, a post about the new White House garden. First, a bit of nitpicking: What are they doing?!?!


They are raking the grass. Couldn't the White House come up with a system for removing the grass, you know, like normal gardeners?

Now to the meat: Hooray! This is the kind of thing that our country needs. So often people ask, "What can I do?" Bush once said, "Shop." Obama is saying, "Volunteer." I'm saying, "Grow a garden. Ride a bike. Walk. Turn off the lights. Turn up/down the thermostat. Use less water." For some reason, and it's terribly disappointing, our leaders aren't emphasizing the real, tangible, doable actions that would make a big difference. Simply replacing some of the tomatoes you eat from Chile with tomatoes you grow in your back yard will reduce your carbon footprint significantly.

Good for the Obamas for stepping up and leading by example.

NPD 4.2.09

*The G20 Summit wrapped up today with the crew agreeing to a variety of regulatory changes. All indicators point to Obama being a good ambassador for the United States... a welcome change from the previous administrator in his position.

*Blagojevich, or favorite former governor, was indicted on charges of corruption. He's charged, among other things, with having tried to use the power of the office for personal gain.

The Ridiculousnous

I know most of you probably aren't that interested in this tidbit, but I find it to be the embodiment of the ridiculousnous of the modern GOP. They proof-texted (cherry picked) an excerpt out of Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat that seemed to support their position, however, if you read the very next paragraph, it becomes obvious that Friedman supports the opposite position. A classy bunch.

Colbert 1, Beck -1,993,838

Glenn Beck of Fox News is a raving lunatic with a fairly small, but rabid base. Thank you Stephen Colbert for exposing him for the fool he is. Enjoy:

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NPD 4.1.09

*Ol' BO is in London for the G20. He's really getting around... a bit slutty perhaps?

*The University of California at San Diego sent a "Welcome to UCSD!" email to 29,000 students. Trouble is, those students were on the rejected list. Whoops.

*Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens will go free after Attorney General Eric Holder says government prosecutors engaged in misconduct. Most observers seem to think he really was guilty of wrongdoing, so it's unfortunate that he goes unpunished... or did he? My guess is that he lost his bid for reelection as a result of the trial. The world is better without Ted "It's a Series of Tubes" Stevens on Capitol Hill.

*blank*

Last night my fingers fell off. Just fell the hell off. So, no blogging today.

...

April fools!!!!

Hahahahhaha... oh boy.

In the Kitchen 101

A dear friend asked me a couple weeks ago to write about the basic tools for a functional kitchen. He is interested in cooking more of his food and wanted some insight into what is needed for "cheffing". A couple months ago I was faced with the same question in my life, except it was with bike tools rather than kitchen tools. Now, the "Must Haves" list (to which I will probably add):

1. Paring knife: the smallest knife in the kitchen that can be used for just about anything
2. Two mixing bowls, one large, one medium: many recipes call for mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately
3. Big skillet: gotta have it for just about everything
4. A baking dish: if I had only one, it would probably be a 9x13 inch glass piece
5. Measuring utensils: The basic cup/half cup/third cup/quarter cup AND tablespoon, teaspoon, half teaspoon, quarter teaspoon
6. Basic utensils
a. Wooden mixing spoon
b. Flipping spatula
c. Scraping spatula

With these basics a huge selection of breakfasts and dinners can be made. Plus, forks can double as wisks, cutters, etc. A strong elbow can be an electric mixer. A plate can pose as a strainer for pasta. Versatility is only limited by your creativity.

Perhaps, and only perhaps, I will add some of my favorite recipes to the blog, however there are many better recipes out there with only a few keystrokes.

Ze Gardening Begins!

The window garden has commenced. This photo is actually from a couple weeks ago, so I'll have an update photo, in all its glory, very soon. We'll be heading into the great outdoors (the back yard) in the next few days!

*I'm really starting to realize the severe limitations of my little camera. The light here was impossible for the little guy.

Great Graph... that is scary

Kevin over at Mother Jones put this graph up today that gives some perspective and instills a bit of fear. As you can see, the stock market (put as much stock--pardon the pun--as you like in it as an economic indicator) has crashed more than at any other time in history with the exception of the Great Depression... and we're not done yet. As far as the stock market is concerned, we are past all other road signs, all that is left on the map is "Great Depression." I do believe we will recover before getting to that point, but it's ugly folks.

NPD 3.31.09

*Obama signed an omnibus lands bill which set aside 2 million additional acres of land for wilderness protection.

*Republicans in Minnesota are now talking about dragging out the Coleman-Franken dispute for "years" by doing multiple appeals. If they are legitimate appeals, and all signs point to them not being such, then fine. But, if they are appealing in what is essentially a delay tactic, then the courts need to put a stop to accepting their petitions.

*Today is special election day in New York's 20th district! Jim Tedisco and Scott Murphy are vying to replace Kirsten Gillibrand, a former congresswoman who was elevated to replace Hilary Clinton as New York's junior senator. There is some talk that if the Republican, Tedisco, loses, that the Republican National Chairman Michael Steele will be ousted from his job (that he started only a couple months ago).

*Democratic Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania is being probed left and right on charges of corruption. He said, "If I'm corrupt, it's because I take care of my district." Whoops.

The Colbert Module

Recently NASA opened an online poll to name a room in the International Space Station. They gave four recommendations and a five option: Other. Stephen Colbert, the now-famous fake news anchor, rallied his troops to vote for a write-in candidate: Colbert. After the polls closed last week, "Colbert" easily won with a quarter million votes. Apparently NASA reserved the right to name the module whatever they wanted, assuming they didn't like the poll's results. Should it be known as "The Colbert Room"?

Fascinating Map

I couldn't insert the map on the blog, but go here to see a map that breaks down the 2008 presidential election color coded by who won each congressional district. Blue=Obama, Red=McCain. As we all know, Barack dominated the contest in total votes, percentage of votes, and electoral votes. However, if the election were based on something completely arbitrary, say the cumulative square miles of congressional districts won, McCain would have taken the 2008 election to the house.

The big takeaway is this: Democrats dominate in small, densely populated areas and Republicans wipe the floor in wide open, rural regions. A question came up in my civics class the other day about why this is the case. I thought I knew the answer, but after putting some thought into it, I'm not sure what the real reasons are for this phenomenon. Thoughts?

NPD 3.21.09

*President Obama sent a message to the Iranian people, welcoming in Nowruz which, to my understanding, is a "Helllllllllo spring!" ceremony.

*Multiple Republican governors are saying they will not accept federal dollars to improve their economies. Add Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons to the list that includes Sarah Palin, Mark Sanford, and Bobby Jindal. What makes Gibbons different is that he is not a 2012 presidential hopeful. Perhaps, then, he's at least not politically motivated like the other three.

*The House of Representatives passed a bill that will tax AIG bonus-getters at 90%. There seem to be lots of holes in the proposal, one of which is that many of the bonuses went to non-Americans. Whoops. The things that gets me about his whole mess is that they were "retention bonuses." Who wants to retain these folks who ran the company into the ground!?

*A longer post about this will come, but how about the White House Garden!?!? Hooray!

In Need of a System

In the past couple days I have had a few great ideas for posts, but before I get to a computer they slip out of my mind. Any ideas for a good system that would allow me to record my thoughts? Of course, there is always the option of carrying a pen and paper everywhere I go, but that's not really feasible. There aren't many other options, though, are there?

NPD 3.19.09

*The Treasury Department is giving $5 billion to auto parts dealers who are struggling due to the problems of the Big Three automakers. This is a piece of the argument in favor of auto bailout coming to fruition.

*This is whacky: A school in Dallas was settling disputes in "the cage" by pitting feuding students against each other in a bare-knuckle fight inside of an equipment cage. As Jon Stewart said, "This can't be right."

*As the dollar weakens the price of oil goes up, today rising 7%. Is this a harbinger of what is to come this summer?

*The NCAA basketball tournament started today and my bracket didn't fare so well. With only one big upset--Western Kentucky over Illinois--those of us that predicted a wild ride were on the outside looking in.

Essays

I read an interesting post over at Mother Jones about essay mills. Apparently many college students are turning to companies that churn out generic essays as a way of making it through school. Professors continue to assign predictable prompts which allows these essay mill companies to thrive.

This is all well and good, but what struck me was the insinuation that students do this all the time. Have you ever used an essay mill to buy a paper? Do you have friends who have done this? Inquiring minds want to know!

March 19th, 2003

Today marks the six year anniversary of our invasion of Iraq.* Five years is a longer commitment than our participation in World War I or II. Thankfully the end, late 2010 to early 2011, is in sight.

*Some accounts credit the beginning of the war to the early hours of March 20th.

Choked Up With Anger Here

Barack (first name basis) gave a speech yesterday about the AIG bonuses in the midst of which he coughs and says, "Excuse me, I'm choked up with anger here." I'm pretty sure he's joking, what do you think? Either way, I lolled.



You can skip to 2:40 and still get the effect. The first part is Obama explaining why it's ridiculous that they are receiving bonuses while overseeing a failed company.

AIG

AIG, one of the biggest financial institutions in the world, received $85 billion last fall in order to stave off failure. They are now receiving another $35 billion for the same purpose. At the same time, however, they are paying out $165 million in bonuses. Bonuses! There is general outrage about this not because of the total amount (it's merely pocket change compared to other stimulus and bailout dollars) but because employees who ran a company into the ground are receiving extra financial compensation for failing. If the local bakery employees suck, the bakery folds and they lose their job. If the massive multinational corporation employees suck, they get a bonus!

Non-Paper Daily, 3.18.09

Not much of a daily today, but a few things that have been happening:

*A group of Democratic Senators is forming to "restrain the influence of party liberals in the White House and Capitol Hill." Democrats are notorious for sabotaging their power for the sake of looking good, so looks like here we go. This is ridiculous. For once we have a chance to pass meaningful healthcare, energy, and climate legislation and these idiots want to solidify their power. Anger.

*George W. is keeping any criticism he has of Obama quiet. Good for him. There is a long tradition of former presidents refraining from criticizing their successor and it looks like Bush will honor that. I didn't agree with him often, but on this I do.

*For St. Patrick's Day, Michelle Obama had the White House fountain water dyed green. That sounds fun.

*A space shuttle with teachers on it recently docked at the International Space Station. There is hope for me as a teacher to get into space! They are installing a photovoltaic system and then taking off so that two Russian cosmonauts can move in. The International Space Station is getting pretty big... I wonder when Hal will show up.

*The federal government (this means you!) owns 80% of AIG. That's a lot. This also means you are the primary sponsor of Manchester United, leaders of the English Premier League! There's a silver lining to everything.

Back!

After nearly two weeks of negligence, I'm back to blogging regularly (I think!). Life is busy with a visitor, graduate classes, and ten hours of work each day. That said, I think the rhythm is coming and I'll be back to blogging per usual. Enjoy!

Total Negligence

I will post again, one day, however today is not that day. Busy boy over here.

I wonder what the Magic Man is doing?

Holllller.

Other Blog

For class I have started another blog entitled Teaching the Social Studies. It is about education and my experiences in the classroom. The volume is low, but come check it out if you are interested.

Non-Paper Daily, 3.3.09

*Bill Gates doesn't allow iphones and ipods in his house. Principles baby.

*Today the primary was held in Illinois' 5th Congressional District to determine who will run for Rahm Emmanuel's old position. Now that Rahm is running the show as Obama's Chief of Staff, there is an opening for an up-and-coming Democrat in this highly Democratic district.

*The Obama Administration is doing many things right in the international arena, including their announced withdraw from Iraq to be completed in 18 months. In addition, they are doing away with the Bush Administration policy of refusal to engage with nations with whom our relations have soured. Recently they have begun talks with Iran, Syria, and Russia. Good for them.

*While playing basketball is fun, waking up at 5:30 to do it is rough. Just thought I'd share.

Michael Steele vs Rush Limbaugh

The Republican Party is going through a rough time right now. Democrats have cleaned up in the last two elections, George Bush 'n Company ruined the party by enacting a lot of their economic principles (tax cuts, tax cuts, and more tax cuts in addition to relaxed regulation) and starting two wars, demographic trends all point toward the Democratic Party, and the Republicans are facing a party with a clear, decisive, and influential leader in Barack Obama. In such tough times it's only natural that some intraparty squabbling would occur.

The most recent spat, however, is between two prominent figures. Michael Steele, the recently-elected head of the Republican National Committee, called out Rush Limbaugh as "incendiary," "ugly," an "entertainer" and not the de facto leader of the Republican Party. In the course of 24 hours, he issued an apology after Limbaugh ripped him a new one on his show. It amazes me how high level elected officials in the Republican Party kiss Limbaugh's ass. He's a drug-addicted radio talk show host who lies and distorts facts on a daily basis. That's it! Yet time and time again an Republican elected official criticizes Limbaugh and within hours reverses course and apologizes. Weak tea folks.

Non-Paper Daily, 3.1.09

*It's March already. Wtf.

*Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Kansas and general rising star in Democratic circles, has been officially tapped to lead Health and Human Services. The main job of that position is moving health care reform through the system, so it's extremely important. Keep an eye out.

*It's looking more and more like Al Franken, the Senator-elect from Minnesota, will be seated in the next couple months. It's one of those situations where the courts are being used to hold up a process that seems to be decided. Of course, maybe there is real evidence supporting Coleman, but if there were, my guess is that it would be out by now.

Non-Paper Daily, 2.26.09

*Dood saves some lives, risks his own, then gets a ticket. Rough day.

*After a long delay, Hilda Solis was sworn in as Secretary of Labor, taking one step further to fill out Obama's cabinet. By all accounts I have read, she will be a strong advocate for labor which is a very good thing.

*Speaking of Obama's cabinet, former governor of Washington, Gary Locke, was nominated today to be Obama's Secretary of Commerce. After two strikeouts--Bill Richardson and Judd Gregg--we'll see if the third time's a charm. This post is looooowwww on the priority list, so no comment from me.

*Senator Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, is running way behind in polls that match him up with Democrats in mock reelection bids. Republicans want Bunning to step aside and let someone else hold onto the Republican-held seat. Bunning, however, is saying "BACK OFF!!!!" to the Republican establishment and is insisting that he will run for reelection. He's even gone so far as to threaten a law suit. The walls are crumbling down.

Non-Paper Daily, 2.24.09

*Tonight, President Obama gave a semi-State of the Union address to both houses of Congress. I was on the road for the speech, but read a bit about it and apparently it was came across well... or even better than well. Health care reform and "let's not give up" seemed to be big themes. Here's the text. Those who saw it, thoughts?

*Hillary is killin' it around the globe. She's a star. That said, her comments about pushing human rights discussions in China onto the backburner while we figure out the economic situation were dead wrong. Now, more than ever, is the time to press the Chinese into action. They still need us more than we need them, so why not do some arm twisting to get the Chinese into (at least) the 20th century?

*It is my mom's birthday today. I arrived back in La Grande for classes at EOU and to celebrate with her. Happy birthday Carol!

Weed

I found this blog post over at Mother Jones fascinating. It discusses legalization of marijuana and some of the nitty gritty details therein. Long story short, it asks the question: Do we want to completely legalize marijuana and have multinational corporations targeting children with advertising campaigns with the sole purpose of getting them to start smoking the ganja? Probably not. One option, as illustrated in the post, is to make the growing and giving away of marijuana legal, but simply make the sale illegal, in effect stopping corporate advertising efforts in their tracks while still legalizing the product. It certainly strikes me as a plausible solution. Thoughts?

No NPD Today

Oye, I am le tired, so no NPD today... and you know what that means, right? No NPD means nothing happened in the world.

You heard it here first.

Dwight Howard Is A Beast

Check this out:

This guy is a freak of nature. The thing about the shots isn't that he made them, but the ease with which he shoots the ball that far. With little more than a touch of effort he sends the ball flying in a massive arch that lasts a couple seconds. Anyone can make that shot with enough attempts, but to make it look that easy takes freakish strength.

Things We Think Are True

This blog post about sleep and depression started like this:

All of us have things we believe in even though we don't really have any evidence for them.

Isn't that the truth? For example, I'm pretty sure large amounts of coffee probably aren't good for us and in fifty years we'll be saying, "Why didn't we see that that wasn't good for us?!?!" though I've never read any scientific study that supports that theory. What about you all? What is something you believe, but have no proof of its validity?

Non-Paper Daily, 2.21.09

*The Obama Administration is doing away with "smoke and ladders" techniques that are used to make the budget deficit appear smaller than it really is. That is good news, of course, because we should all know the damage being done to our bank account from all of our overcommitting. There is an upside, of course, for them. If things turn out well, a bigger deficit now will make it easier for them to say, "Look, we lowered the deficit!" A trade for taking all the heat they will now.

*Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois's ranking senator, is heavily hinting that The Magic Man needs to resign. In the last two days, both the Magic Man's press secretary and chief of staff abruptly resigned. Not good signs for the short-term senator.

*Apparently there are not-so-secret meeting going on on Capitol Hill concerning health care reform. More as that develops, but it sounds like a the groundwork is being built. Good.

Non-Paper Daily, 2.20.09

*Ray LaHood, the Secretary of Transportation, floated the idea of taxing miles driven rather than gas. The result is that people drive less, but it does not encourage the use of efficient vehicles. A similar idea was floated in Oregon that received very negative reviews from many, myself included. Today, Obama nipped that idea in the bud. Thank you, sir.

*The United States military base in Kyrgyzstan is set to close in six months. Yesterday, that country served our military an eviction notice, asking us to leave. Apparently there is wiggle room for a compromise, but our military leaders are already looking for an alternative entry point into Afghanistan.

*Speaking of Afghanistan, earlier this week Barack Obama announced he will be sending an additional 17,000 troops to that country, thus raising our commitment by about 50%. Perhaps some additional troops will make a difference, but we have been there for seven years, it's about time they come home too.

Non-Paper Daily, 2.19.09

*At 7,465, the Dow Jones hit its lowest point in six years today... and, no, that doesn't mean it can only go up from here.

*Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas is apparently President Obama's pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Senator Tom Daschle, the man tapped for leading health care reform, recently withdrew his nomination after it came to light that he had not paid more than a hundred thousand dollars in owed taxes. His removal from consideration is considered a major blow to comprehensive healthcare reform, however Sebelius is widely considered a very able politician. Healthcare reform is high on my "To do" list, so here's hoping she does well.

Non-Paper Daily, 2.18.09

Yeeks! Per a comment on the last post asking, er demanding, the return of the Non-Paper Daily, it is back.

*The stimulus package is official. At just under $800 billion it's big, but in the view of many economists, not big enough for the desired effect. We should start seeing the money flow relatively soon, in fact, the school where I teach was thinking of closing early due to budget restraints, but they may keep the doors open for the entirety of the year due to the influx of these funds.

Interestingly, I'm still very much up in the air about the stimulus package. On the one hand, without it there may be total economic meltdown. On the other, however, is the view that our current economic model of ever-increasing consumption simply cannot go no forever. Eventually it must change and perhaps this was the time for that change. As the saying goes, "Pain Causes Change." A new way of doing things is not going to just happen, it will be a result of dire economic times. We may very well be missing our opportunity for real, substantive, change

*Roland Burris, er "The Magic Man," is back in the news. During testimony before being appointed to Obama's old senate seat he said he had had no contact with Blagojevich or his associates. Apparently that wasn't entirely accurate, which is also known as a lie. Except, in his case, it was under oath, so it is known as a perjury. Ooops. Perjures, like drug traffickers, often go to jail. So the saga continues...

*The American car manufacturers are asking for more money. Looks like this time it will be for another $5-10 billion. I know if they fail it will cause extreme pain around the nation, but how long can we keep propping up failed businesses? If a mom and pop place downtown fails, they won't be receiving any stimulus funds. Since when did capitalistic theory state that once you get big you can no longer be allowed to fail?

Scary Economic Times

Sure, our economy is bad right now, but so is everyone else's. Is there something that could really makes things bad? Yes. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the price of US Treasury Bonds has started to fall.

What are the implications of this? Currently, United States citizens import about $800 billion worth of goods more than we export. In order to pay for this, countries around the world (especially China) buy IOU's from our Treasury Department: we get real money, they get a slip of paper that says "We owe you money and will pay you interest for it." This relationship works only if these foreign countries believe that the US dollar is, and will be, worth something in the future.

The failure of that relationship constitutes my greatest fear for true economic meltdown. Eventually, it seems as though the Chinese and other producing nations will grow tired of giving us money to buy their products. It only makes sense: As we live like kings, their proletariat continue to struggle to live decent lives.

There are two solutions (though I'm sure there are more, they are probably rooted in one of these simplified categories): 1) We start consuming less. If we consumed $800 billion less in foreign goods a year, then our trade deficit would be zero. This would make the United States and our currency look viable. 2) We start producing more. If we produced more goods and services--to the tune of $800 billionish annually--our trade deficit would balance out.

Of course, there are repercussions to either of these solutions which may have even greater detrimental and lasting effect. Keep your fingers crossed.

Kanye's Album

A comment: Kanye's new album is growing on me. Every time I listen to it I enjoy it even more. Just an fyi.

Chicago

I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough, let's go west.'

-Richard Jeni

Is There Just One?

I'm enjoying a lazy Sunday morning listening to Oregon Public Broadcasting. I was expecting Cartalk, followed by Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and What Do You Know? Unfortunately the radio schedule is a bit different this morning, so I am listening to This American Life and Cartalk.

On This American Life they are talking about "Is there just one person out there with whom you are supposed spend the rest of your life?" Is there one perfect person? Is there one person with whom you are supposed to spend the rest of your life? Or, are there lots of people who would be a great life partner? They are tackling that question now. What do you think?

UPDATE Per request, my thoughts: I view this question through a lens of hierarchy. Theoretically any one of us could spend the rest of our lives with anyone else, but, as we all know, some people match up better than others. Therefore, there is one person out there with whom I would match up the best (which does not necessarily correlate to perfectly). Of course, there is probably someone who is a really really really close second, and third, and so on. So, while I believe there is that one perfect person, the pinnacle of compatibility, there are many people that would be amazing partners in life.

Obama v. Bush

Another fundamental difference between the previous and current. Quick summary: everything Bush did in public was scripted and controlled. Obama has open public meetings that include dissent. It feels good.

Stimulus Package

Anyone who pays any attention to current events knows that Congress is debating an economic stimulus package in the range of $700-$950 billion. Last week the House passed one version on a party line vote, but it is currently being held up in the Senate by Republicans who are threatening a filibuster. They want more tax cuts to go with the stimulus spending. So that's the background.

Now, however, a variety of cuts are being made to science, energy, and education. What? We can bail out big bank executives that got us into this mess, but not help out people who are researching and building out future? This prompted a great excerpt from a blog post at Wired Science:

I don't get it. It's not as if the scientists and teachers are going to spend the money on junkets to Las Vegas and million-dollar bonuses. They'd be spending it directly on the country's future.

Absolutely. Here is what I do not get: Many people are saying the stimulus is 'wasteful spending," but where do they think that money is going? It isn't just disappearing into thin air. This doesn't cost $800 billion. It just doesn't. The money goes back into the economy in the form of projects, salaries, infrastructure, taxes, etc. In fact, if things go as planned, for every dollar we put in we will get more than a dollar back!

I REPEAT: This is not costing us $800 billion. The money goes back into American people and the country. Even if it goes all wrong, it will still only cost us a fraction of $800 billion.

Prehistoric Snake

This is hard to imagine. Here's an artist's impression:


It says the snake was around 2,500 pounds and over 42 feet. Wow.

Non-Paper Daily, 2.4.2009

*S-CHIP, a program that bring health care to impoverished kids, passed through Congress and was signed into law by Obama today. As our economic times get worse, this is a great move for helping our most vulnerable children stay afloat.

*Obama has outline plans to limit executive pay to $500,000 annually for those leaders of firms who are receiving federal financial assistance. Unfortunately there are plenty of loopholes, but it's still a step in the right direction.

*There is a movement at my high school to start a school garden. Just thought I'd share. Awesome.

Incredible Sight

I intend to put up some photos of my surroundings, but until then you'll have to visualize the amazing vistas. This morning was the first time I road my bike to school. On the horizon is Mt. Bachelor, one of Oregon's premier skiing/snowboarding mountains. I left around 6:30am, so the sun had yet to rise, and I could see the glow of the Cat's lights as the machine worked its way uphill, rumbling across the mountain, grooming the snow for another day of fun.

Non-Paper Daily, 2.3.2009

*Tom Daschle, President Obama's nomination for the Health and Human Services cabinet position and leader of the "let's fix our health care system" group, withdrew himself from the nomination due to failing to pay taxes on services he had received from a political donor. The thing I don't understand: If you are that far up in the government, you must know that people (media, other political party, etc) are going to find out about these things, why do we keep seeing this?!?!

*As part of the stimulus package currently meandering through the halls of Congress, there is a piece known as the "Buy American" provision. This would require that stimulus funds be used on American goods (think steel, concrete, etc). This strikes me as misguided on many levels. First, Americans need to be leaders as we work out way out of this world-wide depression. Cutting ourselves off from the outside world will only make things worse. Second, my guess is this is a massive violation of free trade laws. Third, let's all try and think of a better way to put an end to the international good will that has resulted from Obama's election. Short of starting another war, this may top the list.

Lactose Intolerance

I finished "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" a few days ago and was sad to see it go. The book opened my eyes to a variety of things that will change my life, which is an exciting prospect.

One last thought from the book that I found interesting and wanted to pass along was about lactose intolerance. Random, right? Here's the main point: Humans are supposed to be lactose intolerant. For thousands of years we used milk in the early years as an infant, then developed an intolerance to milk as we started eating adult food. However, as humans domesticated milk-producing animals, those adolescent and adult humans that could consume lactose without an allergic reaction would be more likely to survive into adulthood. As those people procreated and spread their lactose tolerant genes, more and more humans became able to consume milk beyond their childhood. Interesting, right?

Non-Paper Daily, 2.2.2009

*Eric Holder was confirmed as the next Attorney General. There were a lot of messes left by the Bush Administration, but certainly one of the messiest--think dog poop on the shoe then walking around the house before realizing it--is the Justice Department. Hopefully he will be able to quickly reinstate the office's independence, improve morale, and put an end to ideology-based hiring. It's a steep hill.

*With little fanfare this weekend, Iraqis voted yet again. With all our focus on the world's economic problems, this slipped through most news cracks. Apparently it went off with little violence, something we can all be happy about.

*The stimulus package is now moving its way through the Senate where (some) leveler heads reside. Republicans are obstructing like there is no big rush in getting this passes, while with each passing day the situation gets worse. Seriously, guys, either participate or move aside. If Hoover taught us anything, it's that doing nothing is not an option.

Fake Tan

According to this blog post there is a drug that was recently approved for trials that spurs the production of melatonin. In other words, it gives you a tan without exposure to the sun (the natural way to produce melatonin). Melatonin is a product of our bodies that protects our skin from the sun's rays. The producers say this drug will be used on people whose bodies produce so little melatonin that going outside is unsafe.

My guess is that that is, indeed, the original intent for the drug, but that it may become widely available for recreational use. In fact, the post mentions another black market drug that supposedly has the same effect. But here's the thing, I've always thought that the reason people find tanned skin attractive is because not everyone has it. The same goes for fit bodies. If everyone is tan from this drug or everyone is fit from some miracle once-a-day pill, then people will no longer be as attracted to that physical characteristic simply because it is no longer rare. In other words, people are attracted to things that are not commonplace. As soon as fitness and tanning are achieved by simply taking a pill, and everyone is taking those pills, then something else--something not so easily obtained--has to take their place as "hotness indicators."

Superbowl Sunday

I'm not sure if I have ever cared less about the outcome of a Superbowl. That said, let's hope for an entertaining game and some funny commercials. And, for good measure:

Arizona 27, Pittsburgh 24

UPDATE: Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23. I nearly called the score, but switched... sooooo, it doesn't mean anything.

New Zealand

Nearly everyone with any outdoorsman in their blood seems to crave a trip to New Zealand. Making the mix even sweeter, The Lord of the Rings makes New Zealand look like heaven, it's a big lure to my fishness (wow). An older friend of mine is currently traveling down there with his family and he described New Zealand like this:

For those of you in the US who yearn for a life style that has vanished from the US, New Zealand is the place to be. Roads are not congested, the land is open and not covered with housing developments, and the people are easy going and modest.

That perfectly describes the place I want to live: a community with fewer vehicles that eschews sprawling housing developments in favor of more dense townships. Throw in a little gardening and New Zealand is my heaven.

Take a look, this place is heaven on earth:

*Thanks to Ted Szukalski for the photograph.

Bend, Part II

I have arrived! It was a looooong drive from La Grande to Bend where I consumed a lot of sunflower seeds and even a bit of coffee (not really coffee, it was more chocolate, vanilla, milk, and sugar plus a little coffee on the side). Yesterday, my first full day, was fantastic. I met my cooperating teacher and we get along very well, then moved most of my stuff in, went on a bike ride (first in about three months!), and hit Mt. Bachelor in the afternoon. It was fantastic, I can get used to this.

Today it's school and Superbowl. School because I need to finalize my plans for student teaching and Superbowl, well, because.

Bend

Since my trip home from the Inauguration I've been here, there, and everywhere in between, hence the inconsistent blogging. Now I'm packing up in order to hit the road for Bend, Oregon, my new home of five months. No time to blog now, just yet another plea to stick with me until my life settles into a new rhythm.

RAM

I just installed 2GB of RAM into my computer all by myself. It took a lot of time and some trial and error, but now I feel uber techy.

Furthering that techy feel was my interaction and editing of HTML during my last post. I needed to shrink the map of the United States, but rather than delete it and upload it again with a smaller size, I simply went into the HTML and made the alteration. Two years ago I would never have attempted that, but a couple short conversations with the web guy at my job at the time taught me enough (and instilled enough confidence) to try. What's next, soddering a mother board?

Democratic Majority?

As far as these things go, you can probably just add this to the list of trendy polls. I'm sure there are millions of people out there ready to switch back to Republicanism as soon as the bad taste from W gets washed from their mouths and the honeymoon with Obama wears off, but Gallup just released a poll that says only five states have Republican majorities: Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, and Nebraska. That's not many electoral votes. Like I said, this will most certainly change, but it's a long, steep climb back for the Republican Party.

Non-Paper Daily, 1.28.2009

*The American Society of Civil Engineers reported: "More than a quarter of the nation's bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Leaky pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water every day. And aging sewage systems send billions of gallons of untreated wastewater cascading into the nation's waterways each year."

Hat tip to Steve at Washington Monthly.

*The latest stimulus package, now around $850 billion, passed the House today with no Republican votes even after the Democrats made concessions they wanted.

Wikipedia

Here's an interesting blog post about Wikipedia and information on the web. Basically the study says that Google searches for fairly pedestrian topics (i.e. giraffes, Ford, Brad Pitt, etc) often perch the Wikipedia entry on the topic as the top match and always include Wikipedia in the top ten. The author continues by observing that for a medium such as the internet that values heterogeneity and breadth of information, it's certainly interesting that much of what people get from Google is from a single source. Food for thought.

Aaaaaand Back

I've returned from the voyage, but am not sure how much blogging will ensue. Masters classes begin tomorrow and my move to Bend is this Friday. I'll do my best to get these fingers crackin'. Enjoy!

Alive!

It's been a whirlwind few days. After taking the red eye to Washington, DC I spent a day wandering the town then a night at the bar and jumping into bushes (a favorite DC past time). Tuesday started at 5:15am, contained lots of emotions and tons of expended energy trying to stay warm, and ended with another night at the bar (unfortunately no bushes this time). Wednesday started early, included a metro ride in the wrong direction (my apologies to all involved) and ended with a nine hour car ride up to Boston. Phew!

So I'm alive and kicking and got my first real night of sleep since embarking on this adventure, but what can you expect with amazing things happening. A full report about inauguration will come, but here is how I explained it to a friend while chatting online:

Three things: 1) People were joyous. Truly joyous and relieved. 2) Everyone was so kind. It was freezing cold and most people weren't dressed appropriately. That's a recipe for angry folks, but folks were AMAZING. 3) You could hear a pin drop at times during the event... and 4, for good measure: The echo of his words going down The Mall.... that was my favorite part.

Hopefully I'll find some time to blog and a way to upload photos. Stick with me!

Inauguration

I'm currently in Portland preparing for a flight to Washington, DC to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama. This kid is excited.

A warning: Blogging may be sporadic at best... however, perhaps lots of cool stuff will be happening and my fingers will be flying. Vamos a ver.

January 20th will mark the best birthday present I have ever received. After eight years it's finally over.

Non-Paper Daily, 1.16.2009

*There is one important piece of news today: I finished my first student teaching placement. Half way to my masters and certification. Hollller.

Non-Paper Daily, 1.15.2009

*After hitting a flock of birds shortly after takeoff today, a plane crashed in the Hudson River. All passengers and crew made it off safely, in a true testament to training, preparation... and the value of those plastic instructions in the seatback pocket.

*Roland Burris, err The Magic Man, was officially sworn in today as the junior senator from Illinois.

*Hearings on Capitol Hill in regard to Obama's cabinet confirmations continued today. Of the big appointments--Clinton as Secretary of State, Holder as Attorney General, and Geither at Treasury--all are going well, even with the hiccup Geither is experiencing in regard to a former housekeeper he employed who turned out to have exceeded her immigration term. She went on to get a green card and, seemingly, all is well.

*9:00PM eastern time on Friday: That is the hour that Bush's team no longer inhabits the West Wing. Hooray! With the exception of a few key positions, the staffers will turn in their keys and leave for the final time.

Non-Paper Daily, 1.14.2009

*W, at 34%, is leaving the presidency with the second lowest job approval rating of all time... ahead of Nixon... who resigned because he was going to be impeached. It's hard to even include Nixon due to that major caveat, but even if you do, second from the bottom of the barrel isn't so hot. Interestingly, since the election, Bush's approval rating has climbed 9%. My guess is that people feel both sorry for the guy and happy that he's leaving. Whatever the cause, it's worth remember that only 25% of the populace approved of the job Bush did as of November 4th, 2008.

*Last night Barack Obama had dinner with a group of lead conservative commentators. The list: George Will, Rich Lowry, Charles Krauthammer, William Kristol, Larry Kudlow, David Brooks, Peggy Noonan, Michael Barone, and Paul Gigot. This morning for breakfast he was joined by a left leaning crowd: E.J. Dionne, Eugene Robinson, Gerry Seib, Ron Brownstein, Frank Rich, Maureen Dowd, Andrew Sullivan, and Rachel Maddow. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at these conversations.

*Apparently Obama is putting together an unprecedented-in-size grassroots network whose job it will be to push Obama's legislative agenda. He has millions of dollars and millions of people. This should be interesting.

Comments

Not sure if you all knew this, but I usually add comments in reaction to your comments, so if you didn't know, now you know, so go check out your old/my new comments.

That was a terrible sentence.

I'm ashamed.

Back to blogging.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

"Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" (yes, I know Mrs. House (5th grade teacher), books are underlined, but I don't know how to do that on here) by Barbara Kingsolver is my current read. The penny version: A family tries to live solely on local food for one year and along the way they write about our current corporate food system, it's costs and benefits, and how/why local food is the preferable option.

Last night I read a passage that struck a chord, so much so that I've typed it up for all to see. It reminds me of something my mom always talked about, that we should always make the best of whatever situation we are in. Wonderful advice. Enjoy:

When I was in college, living two states away from my family, I studied the map one weekend and found a different route home from the one we usually traveled. I drove back to Kentucky the new way, which did turn out to be faster. During my visit I made sure all my relatives heard about the navigational brilliance that saved me thirty-seven minutes.

“Thirty-seven,” my grandfather mused. “And here you just used up fifteen of them telling all about it. What’s your plan for the other twenty-two?”

Good question. I’m still stumped for an answer, whenever the religion of timesaving pushes me to zip trough a meal or a chore, rushing everybody out the door to the next point on a schedule. All that hurry can blur the truth that life is a zero-sum equation. Every minute I save will get used on something else, possibly no more sublime than staring at the newel post trying to remember what I just ran upstairs for. On the other hand, attending to the task in front of me—even a quotidian chore—might make it into part of a good day, rather than just a rock in the road to someplace else.

I have a farmer friend who would definitely side with my grandfather on the subject of time’s economies. He uses draft animals instead of a tractor. Doesn’t it take an eternity to turn a whole field with a horse-driven plow? The answer, he says, is yes. Eternal is the right frame of mind. “When I’m out there cultivating the corn with a good team in the quiet of the afternoon, watching the birds in the hedgerows, oh my goodness, I could just keep going all day. Kids from the city come out here and ask, ‘What do you do for fun around here?’ I tell them, ‘I cultivate.’”

Now that I’m decades older and much less clever than I was in college, I’m getting better at facing life’s routines the way my friend faces his cornfield. I haven’t mastered the serene mindset on all household chores (What do you do for fun around here? I scrub pots and pans, okay??), but I might be getting there with cooking. Eternal is the right frame of mind for making food for a family: cooking down the tomatoes into a red-gold oregano-scented sauce for pasta. Before that, harvesting sun-ripened fruits, pinching oregano leaves form their stems, growing these things from seed—yes. A lifetime is what I’m after. Cooking is definitely one of the things we do for fun around here. When I’m in a blue mood I head for the kitchen. I turn the pages of my favorite cookbooks, summoning the prospective joyful noise of a shared meal. I stand over a bubbling soup, close my eyes, and inhale. From the group up, everything about nourishment steadies my soul.

No More Bush. Amen.

Yesterday, George W(!)Bush held his final press conference. Hallelujah! I didn't watch the tape, but apparently he appeared to show some understanding as to the extent he fucked up. No, really, he fucked up. It's easy for people's anger to subside once someone is gone, but it's been a long time (and perhaps unprecedented to this extent) since a president has taken the United States this far backwards. That being said, Kevin put it perfectly when he said let's not forgive and forget too quick, if not for any other reason than avoiding the election of morons like Bush in the future. The excerpt:

I haven't yet watched the press conference myself, so all I can say is: I sure hope Fallows is wrong. It's human nature, of course, for anger over a botched job to recede with time, and perhaps it's also true that anger naturally morphs into other, more complex emotions anyway. How many people today are really angry at Herbert Hoover?

Still, I sure hope that the public doesn't forgive Bush for a very, very long time. To this day I don't understand how such a manifestly unqualified candidate got either nominated or elected in the first place, and the damage this man-child has done to the country during his eight years in office is hard to even put into words. If Barack Obama is lucky, he might — might — by 2016 be able to get us back to where we were in 2000. The last eight years have taken us backward by almost every metric that matters, and as he heads off to Texas, hopefully never to be heard from again, Bush will go down in history as one of the very few presidents to have left the country in demonstrably worse shape than when he got it. It's an elite group indeed.

Non-Paper Daily, 1.12.2009

*After all the tug-of-warring, it looks like Roland Burris will indeed fill Obama's vacated senate seat. Other than him appearing to be a bit of a quack, I think, legally, this is the right move. However, let it be known that, if I ever blog about him again, he will henceforth be referred to as "The Magic Man."

*Obama asked Bush, and Bush complied, to release the second half of the initial $700 billion economic stimulus. I have lots of thoughts ranging around my head about this, more than shall be put in this post, but mainly it's this: Throwing money at the situation won't solve anything unless and until Americans stop consuming more than they produce. The root of this problem goes far deeper than a bunch of consumer and government spending can cure.

*This is fantastic news. Obama's transition team reasserted their word to fulfill a campaign promise to close the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For six years there have been hundreds of prisoners detained there without due process, a fundamental right in the United States. Thanks to years of mismanagement and illegal maneuvering by the Bush Administration, figuring out what to do with those prisoners will be hard, but this is a positive step.

*And so is this. The Obama team has unequivically said they will get rid of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule for military service. Currently, you cannot serve in the military if you are openly gay. This ridiculous Clinton-era policy needs to be headed for the nearest trash dump. Since when does who you like to make out with have anything to do with your ability to serve?

Money Saving

In these tough economic times there are millions of people taking steps to make ends meet. It often strikes me that there are myriad places folks could save money, but don't as a result of a lack of education or unwillingness to make sacrifices. I read an interesting article this morning about smallish changes in life that result in significant savings. Could you do all or some of these things?

* Buy a bread maker. You can buy one for $55. If it saves you just $4 a week on store-bought bread, that's $208 a year. A 280% return.
* Get a credit card with a great sign-up bonus. Like the AirTran Visa card. Cost: The $40 annual fee. After your first purchase you get enough reward miles for a free flight, saving maybe $250. Then cancel the card. Return: 525%.
* Take out a local library card. Cost: Nothing. If it saves you $10 a month on books, that's $120 a year. Return: Infinite. Note: Some libraries now let you borrow electronic books over the Internet as well.
* Replace your premium cable package with a Netflix subscription and a $100 set-top box. You can download movies and TV programs as well getting DVDs through the mail. Cost: $100 for the cheapest set-top box, plus $17 a month for a three-movie subscription. If it replaces a $50-a-month cable package, that's a 98% return on investment.
* Order a packet of seeds and plant them in a window box or garden. Growing your own herbs, spices, and even vegetables – depending on the amount of space you have – is a great investment. If you spent just $10 on seeds and saved a mere $50 in the year, that's a 400% ROI.
* Switch to a prepaid cellphone. Cost: $20 for the phone, and maybe $100 a year for minutes. Move the rest of your talk-time to free Internet calls, and stop hemorrhaging $60 a month on a cellular plan. ROI: 500%
* Start making your own coffee to take to work each morning. Cost: $20 for a Thermos, $10 for a filter and papers, and $60 a year for ground coffee. Then skip the $4 a day drive-thru. If that saves you $1,000 a year, the return is more than 1,000 %.

I would add one more: cook your own meals in place of eating out. Thoughts?

Non-Paper Daily, 1.11.2009

*An earthquake in Costa Rica has thus far claimed 18 lives. This sounds weird to say, but hasn't it been awhile since we've had a natural disaster?

*The death toll, 870 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, is nearing one thousand in Gaza. It continues to be unclear what Israel is trying to achieve. As we've learned in Iraq (and you'd think they would have learned in the last fifty years there), you can't win these types of battles relying on force alone. Apparently Israel is choosing to ignore that lesson.

*Sadly it's "au revoir" to this year's college football season. It's never too early to begin looking at next year, so here is Rival's initial rankings for 2009. Just a note, both Oregon and Oregon State are ranked!

Geoengineering

As we all know, climate change is happening because greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide, are trapping heat inside our atmosphere. The result is the general warming of our planet. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean all regional climates around the world will become warmer. Instead, climate change will affect weather patterns, i.e. precipitation shift, temperature variation, and changing wind patterns, etc.

I bring this up because there are many theories on how to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Obviously the best place to start is to emit less carbon in the first place (think cap and trade or carbon taxes). However, many believe the situation is so dire that we need to begin removing carbon from the atmosphere in a process known as sequestration.

This week, a group of German and Indian scientists embarked on a mission to implement a sequestration strategy known as iron fertilization. The process consists of spreading iron into iron-deprived ocean waters that will, in turn, spur the growth of plankton that "eat" carbon. When the plankton die, the theory goes, they will sink to the ocean floor, forever trapping the carbon it "ate." At this point, however, scientists don't know how effective this strategy really is, hence the experiment.

The catch is that over 200 countries agreed to a moratorium on this activity. No one knows what the effect will be, intended or otherwise. As our world moves closer to environmental disaster, it will be interesting to see what types of things nations or NGO's start to do.

Non-Paper Daily, 1.10.2009

*Obama and his team released their economic stimulus plan today. From the limited things I've read it sounds like most liberal pundits/bloggers don't think, at $775 billion, it is large enough. Keep in mind that this is just a starting point, now Congress will start crafting the plan. More commentary as this unfolds.

*Obama, continuing his bi-partisan tradition, is honoring John McCain and Colin Powell at an event before inauguration. Though I disagree with McCain on just about everything, some recognition for his campaign opponent sounds good to me.

*Job numbers from last year came out and the United States lost 2,590,000 jobs, or about %1.7 of our total work force. It's the worst loss since 1982.

300th Post!

Milestones are fun to acknowledge, so for all to know, this is my 300th post. This is insignificant on nearly all levels... sooooooooooo, moving along. :)

Depression Weight

No, I'm not talking about eating too much while depressed, I'm referring to a phenomenon many food experts see on the horizon. Studies show that as people struggle economically, one of the first places they cut back in on healthy food, i.e. substituting potato chips for real potatoes. The result? Weight gain during economic depression.

Ummmmmmm

Just sayin'.

Non-Paper Daily, 1.9.2009

*Michelle Obama's mom, Marian Robinson, is moving (it looks temporary) into the White House with the Obama family to help take care of the kids. Strikes me as a good message for Americans: Family helping family and sticking together is a positive thing.

*Dude ate his eye. I guess he won't be needing it soon. Sounds like a sad story.

*It looked like Roland Burris (guy who is supposed to replace Obama in the Senate) was not going to be seated, then it looked like he would, now it looks iffy again. The Illinois Secretary of State is refusing to certify his appointment and the US Senate won't seat him until "his credentials are in order." Time will tell. BTW The basic argument against seating him is that he was appointed by a guy who previously tried to sell the senate seat to the highest bidder. Here's the case in favor of seating him.

Blagojevich

Dude finally got impeached.

Good. This is the last thing we need to be worried about at a time when our economy is on the brink of disaster, we still have hundreds of thousands of troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world, and problems like global warming, health care, etc loom ever larger.

Apparently it's not just that he tried to sell Obama's senate seat, he's accused of generally being a corrupt politician. If he's guilty, and all indicators point to yes, then kick him out and let's tackle the real problems we face.

Blog Title

Never have I ever ready a better blog post title:

Bulls Cloned From Decade-Old Frozen Testicles

Non-Paper Daily, 1.8.2009

*Oh no. Militants in Lebanon shot rockets into Israel, igniting fears of an expanding conflict in the region. What is going on over there? What is Israel's plan, kill everyone?

*More on Israel and Gaza: UN and Red Cross relief has been slowed and, in some cases, stopped into the most devastated regions of Palestine. Certainly that means more lives will be lost.

*As much as I hate the Sooners, and against all the pundits, I'm picking Oklahoma in tonight's BCS national championship game. Time to watch the game!

Non-Paper Daily, 1.7.2009

*Household name Dr. Sanjay Gupta may be the next Surgeon General. Hooray?

*Russia turned off its as supplies to Europe via a Ukrainian pipeline. What does this mean? Rich Russians are mad at rich Ukrainians... so, not much.

*Obama said today that reforms to entitlement programs (ie social security and medicare) will be part of balancing the budget. Pretty bold statement considering how sacred those programs are; we'll see how that goes.

*The state we can all spell, Mississippi, now has the highest teen pregnancy rate. For the prize they knocked off Texas and New Mexico in a heated contest for the honor.

Interesting View on the Recession... Depression

A few months ago I said I would link to interesting articles and blog posts. True to my word (!) here is an interesting take on the current recession... err, depression? The basic argument is this: The various financial and social programs we have in place thanks, in large part, to FDR, are keeping us from soup lines and bank runs. Kevin argues that the last 12 months--stock market crashing, mortgage disaster, etc--have been just as bad as the lead-up to the Great Depression, but the effect is different thanks to a more advanced government.

The post is short, go take a quick look.

Bliss

When asked today if he had any New Year's resolutions, an 8th grader said, "My New Year's resolution is to finally get a world record."

Like, duhhhhh.

They Call it Twitter Because They Couldn't Call it Stalker

During Christmas break I discussed Twitter with a friend. She was unfamiliar with the phenomenon, as was I only a few days before, so I described it based off the "Twitter in Plane English" video on Twitter's homepage. In that video Twitter describes itself as a way for people to inform the people in their network of what they are doing between the important events in their life. For example, someone may write an email or chat on IM about eating breakfast with the family, working, and going to a concert that evening. Twitter, however, allows those folks to share the "little things that happen in your life." Those little things? Mowing the lawn, drinking coffee, picking your nose, etc.

At the end of the conversation my friend say with a wonderfully straight face, "Sounds like they called it Twitter because they couldn't call it stalker."

I laughed and laughed. With the fear of sounding reactionary and, dare I say it, like a fuddy duddy, is Twitter a bit much? Is Twitter the 21st century stalker?

Non-Paper Daily, 1.6.2009

*Roland Burris, the guy embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed to fill Obama's senate seat, was refused admittance into the senate today. On a funny note, he was supposed to attend meeting on Blagojevich's impeachment probe at the same time he is in DC, when asked how he would deal with that he said, "I'm the magic man." Give that man a seat!

*My head hurts.

*For about an hour today it snowed harder in La Grande than I can ever recall... just sayin'.

*A list of the Top 10 bills to be dropped (introduced) in the Senate and their summaries. It doesn't mean they will be passed in their current form, or that they will be passed at all, but for policy wonks it's a way to get an idea of what to expect in the first few months of Obama's presidency. Here's a quick review of what is there and what is missing.

Al Franken

Today the elections folks up in Minnesota formally anointed Al Franken as their next senator. Hooray! Of course, there will be more court challenges, but at this point it looks pretty concrete... er, more like written in concrete that is quickly drying. That puts the final total, at least assuming Illinois ends up with a Democrat to replace Obama, at 59 Democrats, 41 Republicans.

Two Weeks

I've essentially been gone from blogging for two weeks. Interestingly enough, the world doesn't stop when I stop blogging. Go figure. Here's a quick recap about what's been happening:

*Israel is blowing a bunch of shit (and people) up over in Gaza. Ugh.

*The crazy Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich decided to appoint Roland Burris to Obama's vacant senate seat even though ole Rod is under investigation for trying to "sell" that seat for money and influence. Democratic Senators say they will refuse to seat Burris. This should be interesting.

*The Utah Utes dominated the University of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, completing the season as the only undefeated college football program. Should we be saying, "National Champion?"

I'm sure there is more, but I'm currently distracted by the UT vs OSU Fiesta bowl match-up.

Back!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I never would have thought just how hard it is to blog when I have tons of free time. Weird. Anyhow, now that school is back in session* we'll be back to regularly scheduled blogging. Rather than try to recap what's happened the last two weeks, I'm going to move from this point forward as though nothing has happened in the world. Kapeesh?

*Today, after being in the La Grande School System for twelve and half years, was the first snow day ever. We're getting dumped on.