Bush Moves to Shore up his Base

GW today struck out against gay marriages today asking for a constitutional amendment to ban them. "On a matter of such importance, the voice of the people must be heard." Voice of the People? How about the voice of GW and his conservative base?

"Decisive and democratic action is needed because attempts to redefine marriage in a single state or city could have serious consequences throughout the country" Serious consequences? Such as? Once gays are married, what are they going to do? Protest, picket the White House, start attacking heterosexuals? Gee, how many times have you heard of homosexuals attacking heterosexuals? And now that they're married, I suspect their rage will know no bounds. Yeh, right.

"Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. " Please explain to me how gay marriages destabilizes society? Gay parents can't raise children? Oh yes, I forget - gay behavior is learned and thus there will be even more gays running around! Yikes, can't let that happen! If it is learned, wonder how a kid growing up in a heterosexual household, turns out gay? Maybe the tooth fairy really was a fairy? Damn, better come up with a new fairy tale.

"Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all." No, it is meddling in peoples' affairs and it sure as hell doesn't recognize the interests of the gay community. "Our government should respect every person and protect the institution of marriage. There is no contradiction between these responsibilities. We should also conduct this difficult debate in a matter worthy of our country, without bitterness or anger. In all that lies ahead, let us match strong convictions with kindness and good will and decency." Oh yes, I like that last part especially. I'm sure gays who have had their basic rights denied, will feel the same way.

Let's face it, GW is just trying to turn the heat away from his other failed policies and is trying to shore up his conservative base before the election. (It does disturb me though that polls suggest that most Americans don't want gay marriages - we are so afraid of people different than ourselves, whether they be minorities, homosexuals,etc - nothing new since the beginning of time , of course, but sad, nonetheless). Pretty much the same way as he seated Pryor on the bench the other day. And he's probably hoping he can drag the Dems into this debate and get them off of his failed jobs program, his mess in Iraq, his attack on the environment and on and on. I would get a very good chuckle if this all backfired in his face. Sorry, but in my book , the government doesn't belong in this issue. For a very well written argument written about this, look at Clark Schpiell's commentary . And for a rather biting and funny look at the Bush program, check out Arianna's column . 

Social Responsibilty - Taking Away Dad's Car Keys?

If you have an older parent who is still driving, do yourself a favor and read this article in the Christian Science Monitor . I and my brothers made the mistake of not taking action some years ago and had to listen to the tragic news that our Dad had crossed a busy highway and had not seen someone coming. My mother, riding as passenger, was killed and my father injured.

Fortunately, no one else was killed. But the driver of that other car now has to live the rest of their life knowing that they killed someone, even though it wasn't their fault. My Dad had had other accidents in the past and had even totaled his own car , pulling out into traffic when he didn't have the room to do so. We had all ridden in the car with him and had witnessed scary moments of bad decision-making and poor reflexes. Yet somehow none of us thought we could tell him, that enough was enough. We hoped his doctor might stop him - after all, he complained of double vision and was on heavy dosages of prednisone for an illness. It would have been nice if the doc had stopped him, but we should have taken action, as well. I think we also figured (hoped?) he would just be lucky enough to somehow not hurt anyone - Wrong.

I think part of it was that my Dad had always been a very capable person and we all knew his car was his lifeline to his independence. We probably also were concerned for my mother's sanity, should he now no longer be able to drive and be forced to spend all day in the house! I think my Mother probably feared that taking those keys away would also rob him of his independence. To those of you with older parents, forget that! They'll learn to cope (and you may be saving countless lives). It was a mistake not to take those keys away. Had we been firm enough, I think he would have stopped. It would certainly have spared us all a tragic loss. So, for those of you who read this, honestly assess how your parents drive and if they're no longer skilled and possess good judgement, do yourself, them, and many others a big favor and take those keys away.

From the article:
Several years ago, as my own father approached 90, I worried about such accidents and that my dad, licensed in 1927, might cause an accident. I believed this after dozens of erratic rides with him in the driver's seat, brushing up against curbs at 30 mph, taking corners from the middle of busy streets, and cruising past stop signs. I was scared for him - and for others. I wanted him out from behind the wheel. I believed it was time.

The author of the article was lucky, as he didn't take action to take those keys away. Instead , his father decided on his own at age 90, that he had had enough. Of course, I reasoned, he'd had one too many close calls. Maybe he was scared, some near-miss forcing his decision. Certainly, I believed, it wasn't my hectoring. I'd been passive when I could have acted because I couldn't turn stool pigeon. In hindsight, I was thinking of myself when I should have been thinking of my dad - and so many other fathers, sons, and families on the road. 

The other side of Outsourcing

"I took him to a factory outlet center. In the back of the Rockport store they were having a clearance of shoes made in China or Indo-someplace. I bought him a pair of fine leather shoes for $24. You shoulda seen my boy's face light up."

Free trade is helping that lady make ends meet because her hard-earned dollar now has more buying power. If those fast-talking protectionists had their way, the high cost of living would deny her boy those shoes.

Just wanted to be somewhat balanced here and present the other side of the argument as suggested by William Safire - arch conservatist pundit for the NY Times. As you can see, it is a complicated issue.

Quote of the Day:
"If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside."
Robert X. Cringely, Info World Magazine 

Factoid

The Motley Fool's Credit Center features several mind-blowing statistics:

-Total consumer credit: $1.7 trillion.
-Credit card debt carried by the average American: $8,562.
-Total finance charges Americans paid in 2001: $50 billion.
-Percent of U.S. households deemed credit worthy by the lending industry: 78%.
-Number of credit card holders who declared bankruptcy last year: 1.3 million.

Now I would recommend you pay off your credit card each month in full and then you wouldn't owe any interest. Also a heck of a way to control your spending habits. But note this latest little twist on that - GE Rewards MasterCard holders who pay off their entire balance in a timely manner are actually penalized $25 per year. As this Yahoo! Finance article explains, a full 75% of credit card company revenues come from finance charges and responsibility is not profitable. Apparently other credit card companies are possibly expected to follow GE's lead. They sure want our moola, don't they? 

Sunday AM News

Kerry and Edwards
George Stephanopolus had Kerry and Edwards on discussing each other's programs. Too bad they weren't in the same room at the same time. It's hard to say who has the better plan - the problem will be pushing them through a congress. I think if folks expect the world to change dramatically overnight because Democrats are elected, they're probably setting themselves up to be disappointed. George did make the interesting point that even if Edwards should win all the rest of the States, it would be hard to beat Kerry. Why? Because in Democratic primaries, unlike Republican ones, delegates are based on a % of the vote. So if they run close, Kerry will get just about as many delegates as Edwards, making it impossible for Edwards to catch up. Of course if Edwards were to sweep the rest of the States, it might be close enough to lead to a brokered convention (which is what happens if neither candidate gets 40% of the delegates necessary to win on the first ballot). In Republican primaries, winner takes all. For more about how all this works, look at Vote Smart's web site.

When it comes to Edwards vs. Kerry, I think it will come down to experience vs non-experience and how the public views those two items. If you think experience is a positive, you'll vote for Kerry. If you think experience means only that politicians have been corrupted too long in Washington, then you'll vote for Edwards.

Nader
Well, of course Nader had to run, didn't he? Guess our write in campaign didn't pull it off. Ralph huffed and puffed about the audacity of the liberals to ask him not to run and basically I couldn't disagree with anything he said, except that he isn't facing reality, no matter how important it is to let an independent run. Are the Dems beholden to special interests just like the Republicans as Ralph suggests? I'm sure they are. Is it going to change soon? I doubt it. But I'll still take the "vision" of the Democratic party over the "blindness" of the Republican party. He obviously does not see a danger of 4 more years of Bush. I personally don't think it's worth risking. It will be interesting to see where Dean's "angry left" supporters go. That probably has MacAuliffe (Dem Nat'l Party chairman) sweating. Ah, politics - endlessly fascinating and frustrating at the same time.

Friedmann goes to Bangalore (India's Silicon Valley) and Meets the Zippies
What are zippies? Find out here. They won't put any zip in your life, I can tell you that! Well not at the moment anyway! Either way, managing this phenomenon (outsourcing) will require a public policy response — something more serious than the Bush mantra of let the market sort it out, or the demagoguery of the Democratic candidates, who seem to want to make outsourcing equal to treason and punishable by hanging. Time to get real.

Quote of the Day:
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
Dr. Seuss 

The Latest Hot Issues

Nader
Noticed that the Ralph Nader issue is picking up steam. Supposedly he will announce this Sunday on Meet the Press what he plans to do. Democrats are going all out to convince him otherwise. One on his long time friends made this comment: Mr. Green said that he, in turn, told Mr. Nader that during a talk Mr. Green recently gave about his new critique of Mr. Bush, "The Book on Bush," 93 of 100 audience members who said they voted for Mr. Nader in 2000 said they would not do so again. "I relayed that as a way to say, a) It may hurt Kerry and help re-elect Bush and b) It won't help you given how much more you have to contribute." Joshua Marshall points out in his Talking Points Memo :A reader notes that since Nader now isn't even running as a Green, he has apparently abandoned even the pretense that he is in the race to create a viable third party in American politics. If he runs, it would now be strictly on a platform of vacuous moral posturing and self-aggrandizement.

SF Marriages
A judge blocked conservative groups from denying gays the right to marry . Gee, guess these groups won't have the chance for a few days to further their bigotry. I know, I know, there are 2 sides to this issue, but I'm sorry, I still don't get the side that thinks this is harming the "sanctity of marriage". Gov Schwarzenegger weighed in with this comment: saying that "San Francisco's actions are directly contrary to state law and present an imminent risk to civil order." What? The conservatives are going to rise up and wage war on the gays in the streets? Actually, that wouldn't surprise me. Update: Here's an interesting article on Mayor Newsome and his reasons for taking on this issue.

GW slips Another One by
George installed Willaim Pryor Jr to a Federal Appeals court during a Congressional recess. First we get Pickering, now we get Pryor. Pretty slick - you just get tired of Democrats filibustering, so you appoint them while the Congress is out. Fortunately they can be removed in the future when the Senates gets to vote on them - all the more reason to elect Democrats to Senate seats, who will rid the court of all these ultra-conservatives.As a state official in Alabama, Mr. Pryor, 41, gained prominence as an outspoken opponent of legalized abortion and as an advocate for a greater Christian influence in government Furthermore, Mr. Pryor is also known for defending the right of high school athletes to pray "spontaneously." And, in a brief before the Supreme Court, he argued that if a law in Texas outlawing sex between homosexuals was overturned, it would open the way for legalized "prostitution, adultery, necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography and even incest and pedophilia."

Staring Into the Mouth of the Trade Deficit SEATTLE - Huge container ships steam into this port every day loaded with clothes and shoes, furniture and video games, electronics and aircraft parts made in Asia.

On their return trip, those same ships often cross the Pacific half empty, bearing chemicals, meat, grain and engines and routinely stuffed with hay or scrap paper. "This is what the nation's trade imbalance really looks like," said Mark Knudsen, the deputy director of the Port of Seattle. "We've got so much empty cargo space, it pays to ship over hay for Chinese animals, or scrap paper to be recycled into packaging for Barbie dolls."

Obviously the trade debate is going to be a big issue in the upcoming election. Many think that outsourcing to other countries is hurting us, but there are others who don't see it that way. Will be an interesting debate. As I've said before, if you want to watch someone who really is outspoken about this, watch Lou Dobbs on CNN.  

Bill Clinton - A Speech shortly after 9/11

This may take you awhile, but it's always interesting to listen to Clinton talk. Smart minds like his don't come along every day. This is the text of a speech delivered to Georgetown Univ. students , not long after 9/11. Interesting viewpoints on terroists, Muslims and how we should view the world. Worth a read.  

Please Ralph, Don't do It!

There's a possiblity that Ralph Nader may run again - he's even got a web site testing out the idea. Now I know anybody should have the chance to run, but in Ralph's case, he actually made a difference which cost the Democrats the Election. He sucked up 80,000 votes in Florida when the difference came down to some 500 votes. And he sucked up 4% of the vote in New Hampshire where GW won by 1%. It would be one thing if Ralph really had a chance, but he doesn't and I can't believe he can sit back and see what the Republicans are doing and think that what he is doing is of some benefit to the country. You can email Ralph at info@naderexplore04.org . Do us all a favor and take the time to click on that link and jot Ralph a note telling him to cease and desist.

Quote of the Day:
I think it's about time we voted for senators with breasts. After all, we've been voting for boobs long enough.
Claire Sargent, on women candidates, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1993 

By Golly, The World may not End!

Electablog* Campaign News with all the Carbs: An amusing quote from Electablog this morning - "I live in San Francisco and can report with some certaintly that our city did not sink into the sea over the weekend, nor did a single person turn into a pillar of salt. There were, however, hundreds of joyous unions. I suppose everyone has a right to their opinions on this, but you've really got to wonder about people and organizations who took the weekend off from their Janet Jackson nipple-related letter writing campaigns to dedicate themselves to stopping people who love each other from getting married."
Quote of the Day:
Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.
George Carlin (1937-) 

SF Mayor takes a brave Stand

Gavin Newsome did the right thing in my book. It was nice to see all these people who have been discriminated against for so many years, finally achieve some happiness in their lives. Newsome: "There's also a constitution in the state of California that I swore to uphold just 39 days ago," he told CNN's "American Morning." "The bottom line is I took an oath of office and read that constitution, and nowhere in there did it say that I should discriminate."

"I see a world that I saw over the course of this weekend where people were literally coming, from states across this nation, coming together because they have been in a loving relationship for decade after decade, and they want the same privileges and rights and obligations that were extended to my wife and I," Newsom said.

"That's the kind of world that I want to live in," Newsom said. "That's the kind of world that I think the constitution of the state of California, for that matter, the U.S. Constitution, provides and protects."

Whereas I'm sure the courts will find a way to strike this down, I salute brother Newsome for his act of HUMAN decency.  

Summing Up

Nascar and GW
Spent Sunday catching up on the boob tube. 2 or 3 morning News Shows , then got to watch GW strut his stuff at the Daytona 500 (was surprised he didn't come blasting onto the track in full driver regalia, doing a few spinouts in the infield or something - must be losing his touch. He did wear a Daytona 500 jacket and made sure he got all the requisite photo ops with various military personnel present. I'm sure the WH was all over that. And of course he enjoyed the jets streaking overhead (even a Stealth bomber) and upward camera angles to reflect his beaming face against the blue skies was just added wizardry. Laura was close at hand for this one - wonder how she liked the race? She doesn't strike me as Nascar material. Had to suffer through another rendition of Lee Greenwood singing his America song - time for some new material maybe? Earnhardt Jr won the race in a rather boring final 10 laps or so as Tony Steward just didn't have the juice to catch him. Of course I walked away from the race during one of the major pileups - that's usually the way it works. Like most Americans, I'm there for the blood and guts. LOL

Big John returns!
John Daly cranked up a win on the PGA tour after being winless since the '95 British Open. Was nice to see the big ol' sot back in the saddle again. Made a fabulous bunker shot on the first hole in the playoffs to come within a few feet of the hole, then got to watch his opponents both flub their 3' putts. Some are just destined for great things and others have to keep sucking it up for another day. Wonder how it feels to have your wife and her parents up on criminal charges? How does he keep himself removed from that mess?

HBO and Women's Suffrage Movement
Watched Iron Jawed Angels on HBO , the story of Alice Paul and the Women's Suffrage Movement during the Wilson Presidency. Excellent performances - sort of a modern approach put on a historical movement - was done quite effectively I thought. Sure made Wilson out to be a jerk. The force feeding scenes were rough to watch though during her days in the slammmer. The show repeats itself this week. For the schedule click here . HBO and Showtime often turn out quality TV, unlike the rest of the normal crap on the major channels. Thank God for satellite dishes out here in the boonies.

Chickens for RA?
Wandered off for my usual 4 month visit to the rheumatologist - looks like I'm gonna live a few more years. :) Same ol', same ol', they don't have anything really to offer except for drugs and some of the new "biologicals" like Enbrel and Remicade are not completely without flaw. Rheumie mentioned he was starting to have problems with some of them , even having one of his patients contract MS. Think I'll stick with my RA and save a few bucks (Enbrel and Remicade run about 12K/year) and avoid the MS. A friend reports that she is having excellent success with undenatured chicken collagen in a trial being run by Dr. Trentham in Boston. Apparently he has found a new pill form vs. the liquid form he used back in the mid 90's in similar trials. I'm not sure of the exact dosage one would start on and am trying to find that out. Not being a toxic drug certainly sounds encouraging.

Politics
For an amusing look at the Democratic Debate Sunday Night, check out Electablog . The comments in parentheses are great.

Movies
Just finished watching Finding Nemo . Wonderful movie - surely seen by the entire planet already except for me. Hilarious dialog - great animation - a 5 star effort.  

A Follow Up to "Daughter from Danang"

Thought I'd add a few links to this very throught provoking documentary. Hopefully you've added it to your list of movies to watch. Once you've watched it, you should read this interesting interview with the two producers. Then I'd move on to the section where people have written in to express their opinions of the movie. There are some very thoughtful comments here - as you can see, opinions differ widely. This would be a very good movie for families to watch and discuss with their kids. It is interesting that we alone seem to be a culture that does not venerate one's elders. Wonder what that says about us? That we're selfish? I'll leave that for you to contemplate. It will be interesting to hear what Heidi decides to do in the future.  

GW- Looks like we Abandoned Someone!

Op-Ed Columnist: Afghan Women, Still in Chains

More than two years later, many Afghan women are still captives in their homes. Life is better in Kabul than under the Taliban, but in many areas our triumphalism is proving hollow. Consider these snapshots of the new Afghanistan:

- A 16-year-old girl fled her 85-year-old husband, who married her when she was 9. She was caught and recently sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment.

- The Afghan Supreme Court has recently banned female singers from appearing on Afghan television, barred married women from attending high school classes and ordered restrictions on the hours when women can travel without a male relative.

- When a man was accused of murder recently, his relatives were obliged to settle the blood debt by handing over two girls, ages 8 and 15, to marry men in the victim's family.

This might not have happened if we had stuck to Afghanistan and not gone "warring" in Iraq. Now it is just so much more difficult - how many times do we have to make this mistake?

Politics
Want to know who to vote for based on your viewpoints? Take this very interesting quiz and it will pick the candidate that most supports your viewpoints. Click Me!

ABB 

Like the sound of This!

F.C.C. Begins Rewriting Rules on Delivery of the InternetIn one set of proceedings, the commission began writing regulations to enable computer users to gain access to the Internet through electric power lines. Consumers will be able to plug their modems directly into the wall sockets just as they do with any garden variety appliance. Officials said the new rules, which are to be completed in the coming months, would enable utilities to offer an alternative to the cable and phone companies and provide an enormous possible benefit to rural communities that are served by the power grid but not by broadband providers.

Photography
For a good look at the new Nikon D70 and comparisons between it and the Canon Digital Rebel, take a look at this review .

Photo of the Day Link
Click Me!  

Markets Continue to Sizzle

The Market was hot last year and I figured it would cool off some this year, but it continues to sizzle like a red hot tomato. Most funds I own are up 6-7% and it's only February. At some point I suspect there has to be correction but I'm enjoying the run at the moment. Suspect a lot of folks are still sitting on the sidelines from the big crash a few years ago - can't blame them, but they missed out on a 36% increase in the Dow and a 61% increase in the Nasdaq over the last 12 months and already the small caps and the small growth stocks are up 6-8% for 2004. Top fund for the year so far? - ProFunds Ultra Wireless Investments (WCPIX) - up 26.59%.

Ironic that there is such a disconnect between the market and jobs in this country. If you only looked at the market, you would think it was a fabulous recovery, but the jobs situation tells a different story. A little unsettling to hear the comment the other day that 70% of voters are invested in the market (of course that 70% is 70% of the 50% or so that actually vote). That just shows you that folks without money and investments feel like the system only belongs to the wealthy and thus there is no reason to vote. They couldn't be more wrong (about voting), but I can understand why they feel the way they do - after all, it's not like their plight has improved any in the last 20 years. Wonder come election time, if those 70% who are invested will view things as hunky dory based on their 401k's and retirement plans or if they'll look at the jobs situation. Most likely depends on whether they have a job or not! If the market continues to sizzle (unusual in an election year), that does not bode well for the Democrats.

For a look at how Bill Nygren (one of a few long time highly successful fund managers) and his group at Oakmark Funds view the process of selecting good companies to include in their funds, click here .

Links

New links are continually being added to the list on the right, so check it out from time to time. You might stumble across something interesting! If you mouseover the links, occasionally you will get a description (or some worthless remark, as the case may be!).  

Homophobes Unite

Massachusetts Weighs a Deal on Marriages Between GaysGee, just when I thought a state was taking a tolerant view, along comes the homophobes. I am still puzzled over how this affects the "sanctity of marriage". I'm married - how is it going to affect me if two men marry or two women marry? Is that supposed to somehow invalidate my marriage because they got married? Why are so many people so scared?

Update* - Tune in to Nightline w/ Ted Koppel tonite for a discussion of this issue. 

A mere 7,700 miles of walking

Two Seas, Two Feet: Skurka's Calendar Sea-to-Sea Route Hike Check out this site to follow along with Andy Skurka of Seekonk, MA as the attempts to become the first person to hike the entire 7,700 mile Sea-to-Sea Route. He plans to hike 27 miles per day for 9 months, finishing in November of this year.

You can read his online journal at the site as well as look at his pictures which are going to be teamed up with a special Microsoft project . You can even sign up for an email update of his progress. Should be an extraordinary experience!

I originally read about Andy's journal on the Extreme Tech site, which is worth a look as well. It explains the digital photography project.  

Daughter from Danang

Had the opportunity last night (thanks to Netflix) to watch an outstanding documentary called "Daughter from Danang". This is a 2 kleenex box, 5 star effort. Starts off like a typical documentary and quickly develops into a truly gut-wrenching story. A must-see movie. No easy answers here. For more about the movie, you can look here . However, in some ways I think it is even more impacting if you just rent it and watch it without any prior knowledge.

Winner of the 2002 Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary.

Quote of the Day: (as befits the above mentioned movie)
The lack of emotional security of our American young people is due, I believe, to their isolation from the larger family unit. No two people - no mere father and mother - as I have often said, are enough to provide emotional security for a child. He needs to feel himself one in a world of kinfolk, persons of variety in age and temperament, and yet allied to himself by an indissoluble bond which he cannot break if he could, for nature has welded him into it before he was born.
Pearl S. Buck 

Cold Mountain on Audible

Just thought I'd mention that Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain is now available at Audible.com . Charles Frazier reads it himself and has the perfect voice to match this novel. Wish I had listened to it originally vs reading it. A good narrator brings a whole new element to reading. You can do a search on the site for it and listen to a 15 min selection.

Naked in Baghdad is also a book that gets very good reviews, read by NPR's Sr. Foreign Correspondent, Anne Garrels. An Audible listener has this to say: - "This is not just the best book I have read all year (and last year for that matter) it's a book you really should hear rather than read, if you can. The narrators are the people who lived this adventure: Anne Garrels, NPR correspondent tells the story of what it was like to be one of only a dozen journalists who remained in Bagdad during the war while her husband Vint Lawrence reads his own wonderfully written email updates about Anne that he sent to friends and family. Part of the book is about Anne Garrels' individual journey through tangles of corrupt bureaucracy and bombs and the people of Baghdad who often risked their safety to help her. It's a window onto the city and the people of Baghdad, very intimate and personal, well apart from network news coverage" You can also listen to a 15 min selection at Audible I haven't read this myself yet, but it is next up on my list after finishing Edmund Morris's Theodore Roosevelt. I've now got 63 books on my Wish List at Audible - looks like I'm gonna be busy. :)

Quote of the Day:
"Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity."
Christopher Morley  

What is going on in the World?

CBS 2: Books Plot Rise Of Righteous Army I saw this scary show on 60 minutes tonight. Boy, first listening to GW and now having to listen to evangelical Christians tell me I am doomed to hell on earth - think it's time to move to that Carribean Island and disappear forever from this madness! It just seem so incredible that someone could be so arrogant as to believe that their way is the only way. Tough luck to all you Jews, Muslims, heathens, Aborigines,etc - unless some Missionary has come to save your sorry soul, you are DOOMED. It's a good thing I just laugh at these folks, but it is truly frightening that 70 MILLION Americans feel this way. It's hardly a wonder that Bush gets their votes since he is one of them.

"That's what the Bible teaches. There are gonna be many Southern Baptists, for example, or many Presbyterians, or many Catholics, or people who are a part of Christendom,? says Ice. ?But if they haven't personally trusted Jesus Christ as their savior, even if they ? a lifelong member of a church, you know, then they will be damned.?

?And so, with the White House, and Tom DeLay, and in the House of Representatives, the attorney general ? talk radio, the conservative Fox News, all that sort of thing, these are parts of the righteous army that has finally come into its own.?

Late Breaking News - Pilot reportedly promoted Christianity on flight

VOTE DEMOCRATIC - STOP THE MADNESS! (if it were only so easy - think the move to the island is a better plan)  

Bush talks to Russert

MSNBC - Transcript for Feb. 8th Well, this isn't as good as the real thing, but it will have to do. If you watched this on TV and you're not scratching your head in total amazement over what a putz Bush is, then I'm scratching my head over what is going on in your brain.

Sorry, but hard to see it any other way. This is the best our country can produce for leadership in the free world? Someone who can't even craft an intelligent sentence? If this doesn't spur Democrats and Independents (and hopefully a few semi-intelligent Republicans) out to vote, I don't know what will. This was painful to watch - I kept thinking - bring out the hook! Or - give the guy a coloring book! Holy smokes.  

The endangered Endangered Species Act

Smoky Mountain News | Outdoors Endangered species are indicators of the health of our environment. Their decline alerts us to the fact that the quality of some of the basic elements, elements that we depend on - air, land and water - are being compromised. When we protect endangered species and conserve our natural habitats, we protect ourselves and conserve our own communities.

George H.W. Bush apparently trusted and supported these and other scientists by listing, as endangered, an average of 58 species per year during his term in office. The Clinton administration likewise heeded the call of conservationists and listed an average of 68 species per year. Then George W. Bush took the reins. Since 2001 this administration has listed 25 species, all under court order.

I wish G.W. was more like dad. 

Questions this Sunday for Mr. Bush

Let's Be Tim Russert's Staff!: Archive Entry From Brad DeLong's Webjournal Quite interesting questions and the comments about the questions are even better (and funny as well). Will Russert's questions be vetted by the WH for approval beforehand? Tune in tomorrow morning!  

The Truly Brave Ones - A Hero in my Book, too.

I've often thought the medics who treated soldiers on the battlefield were unbelievably heroic. They don't get the chance to fire back - they're just sitting ducks out there while trying to save lives. Watch the beach scene in Saving Private Ryan, if you don't believe that. Better yet, here's a true story out of Iraq:

Now comes the story of Army Pvt. Dwayne Turner, a combat medic in the 101st Airborne Division whose exploits under fire in Iraq earned him the Silver Star for gallantry in action.

"I didn't figure myself a hero. I just wanted to make sure everybody came home," Turner said after the medal and 101st Airborne coin were presented to him. "Nobody was going to die on my watch."

Before the firefight in a suburb about 30 miles south of Baghdad, the Iraqis near the U.S. convoy were being friendly as usual, Turner said. But the scene quickly turned violent, and the soldiers were attacked with grenade and small-arms fire.

Responding on instinct, Turner went into action and repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire as he treated wounded soldiers. He was struck by AK-47 bullets in the arm and leg and was hit by shrapnel.

"When we got hit, guys were going down, and I was the medical guy on the scene. It was a split-second decision," he said.

During the 25-minute attack, Turner tended to the wounded until he finally had to be stopped. He was about to pass out from blood loss, said platoon leader Sgt. Neil Mulvany, who treated Turner's injuries.

"He risked his life to save 16 other soldiers," Mulvany said. "That's a hero in my book." 

Lefties will like this column from Arianna

February 4, 2004 - Will Cheney Provide The Margin Of Victory... For Democrats? Interesting - first I had heard that Rudy Giuliani might be a possible VP for Bush in the upcoming elections. But Arianna believes Cheney is such a loose canon, that all Dems should pray he sticks around, so he can torpedo Bush all by himself. Sounds good, but Bush has a lot of moola and I wouldn't count him out yet and maybe he'll just hold on to ol' steely eyes Cheney. One thing about Cheney - you know where he stands. :)

Word of the Day:
vet - To subject to thorough examination or evaluation: vet a manuscript and seeking an order that his lawyer vet the documents to protect the solicitor-client privileges of his clients (And you thought it had something to do with someone taking care of your kitty, didn't you?) 

Oh, No! Homosexual Penguins? What will we do?

Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name I wonder what sort of counselors penguins get to have? Who will tell them that all they have to do is "say no"? Mr. Bagemihl said homosexual behavior had been documented in some 450 species Could it be that humans are just "animals"? No, it can't be, we're above that - we get to discriminate!  

U.S. checking possibility of pumping oil from northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan

Ha'aretz - Article A friend passed along this article from an Israeli newspaper. This seems like a sure fire way to achieve peace in the region (NOT). Imagine Iraqis getting rich selling oil to the Israelis (the Iraqis will be getting all this money, right? hmmm....)
Just another move that will continue to irritate.  

The Virus Underground

For a great look into the underworld of the virus writer and "script kiddies", check out this article in the always entertaining NY Times Sunday Magazine. Amazing how easy this is to do, apparently.

But the prevalence of hard-drive-destroying viruses has steadily declined to almost zero. Malware authors have learned a lesson that biologists have long known: the best way for a virus to spread is to ensure its host remains alive.

A young woman who goes by the handle Gigabyte told me in an online chat room that if the authorities wanted to arrest her and other virus writers, then ''they should arrest the creators of guns as well.''

''All virus-spreading,'' one virus writer said caustically, ''is based on the idiotic behavior of the users.''
 

Bush on "Meet the Press" this Sunday

GW must be feeling the heat in the kitchen since he has agreed to appear on Tim Russert's Meet the Press show this Sunday morning on NBC. Tune in and see if Russert pins him to the mat or tosses him softballs. You never know for sure about Russert - sometimes he can be really tough, other times he can let them off the hook. And of course we will get a chance to see GW spin it with the best of them. Should be worth a watch. Check your listings for the time in your area. 10:30 EST.

A look at Kerry

For an in depth 7 part article on the person most likely to be the Democratic candidate, take a look at these feature articles from the Boston Globe .

And a few more Jabs from the Left

From Bob Herbert of the Times : What seems to be unsettling to large numbers of voters (not just hard-core anti-Bush Democrats) is the notion that events are slipping — or have slipped — out of control, that there is no endgame in Iraq, no plan to rein in runaway deficits, no strategy to put Americans back to work, and no limit to the Bush administration's willingness to shower its friends with favors and public dollars.

From Paul Krugman of the Times: By February 2002, when the administration released its fiscal 2003 budget, all of the bad news — the bursting of the bubble, the recession, and, yes, 9/11 — had already happened. Yet that budget projected only a $14 billion deficit this year, and a return to surpluses next year. Why did that forecast turn out so wrong? Because administration officials fudged the facts, as usual.

Gay Marriages - What's the Problem?
I find it personally amazing how many people get upset over this issue. I've lived 53 years and have yet seen where 2 gay people living together have affected my life. Isn't it time we just said, "live and let live?". Who made the conservatives (or for that matter - the liberals, as well) God? Geez, be happy people love each other rather than wanting to kill each other. And Ohio - shame on you.

Word of the Day:
encomium - glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise; an expression of said praise. Seen in Krugman's article above - Ms. Mylroie's book came with an encomium from Richard Perle; she's known to be close to Paul Wolfowitz and to Dick Cheney's chief of staff. (I must say, this word's a new one on me, but I will pass on an encomium to those who invented it, as it will surely stump anyone who hears me use it. LOL ) 

Try this! Messing with your Mind!

An amazing testimony to the incredibly complex neurology in your nervous system. You have to try this out to believe it. While sitting in your chair, lift your right foot slightly off the ground and move it in clockwise circles. Now draw the numeral "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will involuntarily reverse direction. 

Did We Let One Go?

Wonder what's up with this story from Germany ? Why wouldn't the US release intelligence that would perhaps lead to the conviction of a suspected terrorist? Prosecutors blamed the acquittal on the Bush administration's reluctance to make captured terrorists available for testimony and to allow prosecutors to make use of intelligence information on the terrorist network. "They must have their reasons, which they did not communicate to us," said the chief federal prosecutor, Kay Nehm, The Associated Press reported. "I find this conduct by the United States incomprehensible."

"Somebody dropped the ball," said one co-plaintiff, Stephen Push, whose wife, Lisa Raines, was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77, which was crashed by its hijackers into the Pentagon. "I have been calling ceaselessly to ask why the intelligence has not been made available in the German cases." 

Exporting America

Want to see a list of companies that exports jobs overseas? Lou Dobbs of CNN keeps the list here. Check out more of Lou at Lou's CNN web page where you can read transcripts of prior shows. Lou, for those of you who don't get CNN, is one of the brightest guys in TV journalism . 

An Interview with Sidney Blumenthal

A timely interview with Bill Clinton's former Sr. Advisor - if you're a Democrat, you'll appreciate it, if you're a right-wing Republican, you will be shredding it. We are certainly a country of different visions.

Word of the Day:
fantastical - appealing to fancy, existing only in the imagination, conceived or done with no reference to reality or common sense. From the article - What kind of President is that? The picture that appears in Bob Woodward’s fantastical book ‘Bush at War,’ which includes reporting that is totally at odds with the image of Bush that Woodward swallows, has done enormous mischief, and really is the basis and the foundation stone of what remains of the public esteem for Bush. 

Women - Friday is RED Day!

Most women don't realize it, but heart disease is the #1 killer of women, more than all cancers combined. A woman dies of heart disease every single minute in this country, killing more than 500,000 every year. Signs are not always what you would expect either - you know - the crushing chest, pain down the arm,etc. Men often feel those symptoms, but women tend to come in and indicate that they feel like they've been having a stomach ache/indigestion, or have a backache or complain of dizziness or numbness. Some have had excessive fatigue, sometimes as long as 6 weeks before having their heart attack. So - do you know your blood pressure? Your chosterol numbers? Are you smoking, obese, or both? The new prevention guidelines aimed at women urge at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days; quitting smoking; and that high-risk women receive cholesterol-lowering drugs, preferably statins, and take omega 3 and folic acid supplements. For more info, read this article .

So wear your RED on Friday! National Heart Health Awareness Day!


If you're looking for a good Omega 3 supplement, I can recommend the following from Health from the Sun - 1-2 tsps a day will definitely be a boon to your heart, not to mention the anti-inflammatory properties if you're prone to arthritis,etc. Not that expensive and quite mild tasting.

Folic Acid tabs can be picked up at any drugstore/Walmart,etc and are quite inexpensive. Most multi-vits will have 400mcg in them, the daily requirement. I suspect taking twice that wouldn't hurt a bit. 

Defense budget doesn't include funds for Iraq, Afghanistan

Noticeably absent from next year's request is money for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. White House budget director Joshua Bolten estimated that another $50 billion would be needed to cover those costs next year. The White House expects to cover the war costs with supplemental funds after next fall's elections

Gee, a mere 50 billion left out - why doesn't that number appear in the deficit number as Josh Marshall points out in his Talking Points blog?

Serving your Country or ... ?

Following up on what many thought was a dead issue after the 2000 election, perhaps there is something more to President Bush's military record than he is willing to admit to? An interesting article here - seems like it would be easy enough for GW to prove where he was. This has suddenly surfaced as a hot topic again, although it is the last thing the WH wants to talk about

Are we a Nation of Cheaters?
An interesting look at cheating in society today. Are we truly worse than we used to be? Lots of good links here and good interviews - take the Integrity test at the bottom of the page. Something to discuss with your kids, perhaps? 

Kerry Appeals across the Board

Thought a comment I heard from Bill Schneider, CNN's Sr. Political Analyst was interesting - he suggested that all the Democratic candidates were actually niche candidates, i.e, Lieberman - a "Bush" Democrat; Edwards - Southern appeal ; Clark- National Security ; Sharpton - Black Vote ; Dean - the "left" wing; whereas Kerry appeals to all of these issues and has thus become the more viable candidate. Hard to imagine someone is going to really stop him. Looks like a Kerry/Edwards ticket would be a formidable one. So much will hinge on the war in Iraq and Jobs, come November. If those are going badly, the Democrats have a very good chance, if they've both improved significantly (unlikely), Bush with all his millions will be tough to beat.

Was sorry to see Lieberman go - he just failed to understand how sick and tired Democrats are, when it comes to what is happening to the country. I always liked Joe and probably of all the candidates, he is the one guy who I felt was truly sincere in what he believed in and whom I could completely trust. I, too, am more of a centrist, but the mood is for more than that. It's really more about just getting rid of Bush than any serious "issue" discussion about how things can best be accomplished. Joe misses the "fed-up" component, something Dean capitalized on early, but didn't have the skill to completely carry off. All that said and done, I'm not convinced anybody can do anything in Washington, but I'll take a chipmunk over what we have now.

Quote of the Day:
All I was doing was trying to get home from work
Rosa Parks 

Nikon D70 Digital SLR

This looks to be a very interesting new addition to the line of digital SLR cameras. This might finally tempt me, although owning 2 Canon zooms does keep me back a bit. I'm sure by the time you added a few top quality lenses to this camera, you'd be in the $3000 bracket. You can read about it here . 

Another Bogus Budget

Krugman in the Times writes "The prime cause of giant budget deficits is a plunge in the federal government's tax take, which fell from 20.9 percent of G.D.P. in fiscal 2000 to a projected 15.7 percent this year, the lowest share since 1950. About 45 percent of this plunge can be attributed to the Bush tax cuts. The rest reflects the end of the stock market bubble, the still-depressed economy, and — probably — growing tax sheltering and evasion." And he goes on to say: "It's true that increased spending also contributes to the deficit, and that there has been a substantial increase in discretionary spending — spending that, unlike such items as Social Security payments, isn't automatically determined by formulas. But the bulk of this increase was related to national security.

Sure do appreciate all the help George. And with the tax cut, I'm finally able to buy that 2nd Jaguar. (the toy model , that is).  

Budgets of Mass Destruction

This article by Thomas Friedman in the Times is just too good! Wake up call!

"Is your future better off now than it was four years ago?" That's what's on people's minds. It should be coupled with the bumper sticker: "Read My Lips: No New Services. Bush Gave All the Money Away." And it should be backed up with a responsible Democratic alternative on both taxes and spending.

And please don't tell me the tax cuts are working. Of course they're working! If you put this much stimulus into our economy — three tax cuts, loose monetary policy and out-of-control spending — it will produce a boom. Eat 10 chocolate bars at once and you'll also get a rush. But at what long-term cost? 

A Varied Look

Politics
It was a busy day for the couch potato yesterday. Morning political talks shows for 3 hours - that was enough cranial overload to last me for a bit. George Stephanopoulos (one of the best news talks shows on tv, imho) had a good panel on to discuss the upcoming timetable for Iraq (former UN ambassador Holbrook, former CIA Chief Woolsey, Fareed Zakariah (Newsweek editor), and George Will. Bottom line of their discussion - no way will this timetable be met and the US is facing a very serious and critical situation. It needs to be postponed but the Iraqi's may well have no patience for that - we are in deep, deep do-do. None of the panelists really had a solution - we have worked ourselves into a mess from which there is no easy way out.

Tim Russert had Howard Dean on for the full hour. Howard did a good job, despite tough questions from Russert. But I'm afraid for Howard, it's too late. He self destructed before his Scream when he made the mistake of scrapping with Gephardt in Iowa. I also think he miscalculated that his Internet surge represented the wishes of the general populace - actually I'm inclined to think it was just a fringe element of ardent "geeks" who were very good at getting the younger crowd to cough up lots of small donations. This, however, does not necessarily translate into a campaign for the masses. The media has also painted a picture of him that he has a tendancy to get mad and fly off the handle and the public has this image seared into their mind now. And in this world of "appearance is everything", Howard, quite frankly, looks too goofy for the average voter - something he can't help, but should we need to be reminded that that matters - just think back to Dukakis and his tank.

Who knows? Maybe Kerry will go down for some unknown reason yet (catering to special interests?)? It's a tough spot for the candidates , because any attacks they use now, will be used by GW in the general election, so if they get too rough, they may doom themselves unintentionally.

In the meantime, head on over to the Democrat's web site and pledge some money - this will be the first time I think I've actually kicked in money to a political party - believe me, the Democrats will need every bit of money they can get to beat Mr. Moneybags. I shudder to think what 4 more years of GW's policies might mean.

Uncharitable Care: How Hospitals Are Gouging and Even Arresting the Uninsured
A friend passed along the following article the other day which is worth the read. What I would like to know is what do these hospitals do with all this money given to them by the States that is supposed to help poor people who have no insurance? It smells like a big fat RAT. Would be very interested to hear the answer to that question, something the article strangely omits.

The Superbowl
Finally, a great Superbowl! One of the best Superbowl games I've watched (not that I can easily determine that, since my memory is good for about a day - don't even begin to ask me next year, who won this year!). Was hoping for Carolina to pull it off, but that last kickoff out of bounds doomed them by giving New England just enough field position to get it done.

The hyped half-time show was crap - rappers grabbing their crotches (try some Gold Bond, Nelly or perhaps a visit to the doc for a crabs checkup?) and a surprise "boob" shot from Janet Jackson, which appears to have been planned all- along. I Think that was the fastest cutaway in TV History. Where's my TIVO when I need it? (For a funny story on this event, check out ESPN's Page 2 ) The better music came from Josh Grogan and Beyonce (singing the Nat'l Anthem). Now those two have some pipes!  

Vote and the Pols will listen

Bob Hebert of the NY Times points out an important issue - getting lower income people out to vote . I've said this time and again that if you could get low income people past their skepticism of the system and get them out to vote, they could become a potent force in politics. They are the ones truly left behind and have the most to gain by becoming a political force. I find it interesting that all the talk I hear on the campaign trail is about the "middle class" - what about all those milions who fall in the lower class? (how's GW's tax cut help them? - I can tell you - NOT AT ALL). Most Americans are unaware of the extent of the suffering that has fallen on the bottom 20 percent or so of the population. Many low-income Americans are leading lives of grim and sometimes painful determination, struggling to survive from one day to the next. The contrast between the real lives of families sinking beneath the weight of economic distress and the headlines that continue to insist that the economy is doing famously is extraordinary.

Where's that compassion ? 

Which way will Iraq turn?

The Shiite Surge If you haven't been keeping up on the Iraq situation, here's a chance to catch up and understand some of the background behind the current problems that face the US. Look's like it's going to be tough to turn back this Shiite religous conservatism. What to me is troubling and much more so to those who are not ultra-conservative in that country, is that the Shiites, long repressed, are following the lead of those who wish to take the country back into a conservatism that bodes no good for women - shades of the Taliban. It would be one thing if that type of authority allowed for open expression on the parts of those who didn't necessarily have their viewpoints, but I doubt that it will in the long run. As the article suggests, they don't wish to be like Iran, but it could be easy to slip into that same type of governing. For those not of this ilk, they may find themselves worse off than they were under Saddam.

Word of the day ( from article above )
Sanguine - a. Of the color of blood; red. b. Cheerfully confident; optimistic (from the article - "Subsequent events have proved this view far too sanguine."

(The similarity in form between sanguine, “cheerfully optimistic,” and sanguinary, “bloodthirsty,” may prompt one to wonder how they have come to have such different meanings. The explanation lies in medieval physiology with its notion of the four humors or bodily fluids (blood, bile, phlegm, and black bile). The relative proportions of these fluids was thought to determine a person's temperament. If blood was the predominant humor, one had a ruddy face and a disposition marked by courage, hope, and a readiness to fall in love. Such a temperament was called sanguine, the Middle English ancestor of our word sanguine. The source of the Middle English word was Old French sanguin, itself from Latin sanguineus. Both the Old French and Latin words meant “bloody,” “blood-colored,” Old French sanguin having the sense “sanguine in temperament” as well. Latin sanguineus was in turn derived from sanguis, “blood,” just as English sanguinary is. The English adjective sanguine, first recorded in Middle English before 1350, continues to refer to the cheerfulness and optimism that accompanied a sanguine temperament but no longer has any direct reference to medieval physiology. (definition courtesy of GuruNet)  

Joe Trippi's Wild Ride

A great story on the guy who started the Dean "Revolution". Amusingly written and rather sad. Sort of reminds me of my college days and VW Vans, hippies, flower power and all that good stuff. Think maybe they needed a few more adults a bit earlier on, though. Interesting that early on they saw Kerry as the main threat, or at least that is the impression I get from reading this article. Would love to see Carville and Trippi in the same room together - now that would be a hoot!

Trippi's successor? - Roy Neel, often described as a "Washington Insider". He recently posted an intro on Howard Dean's blog. My question is - how could they have burned through 41 million so fast? Down to about 5 million now and contributions bottoming out. 

Robert Reich's View on What Democrats Need to do.

The Dead Center Robert Reich talks some sense about what the Democrats need to do to become a force once again in American Politics. Worth Reading. (Robert B. Reich, former United States secretary of labor in the Clinton Administration, is a professor of social and economic policy at Brandeis University and the author of the forthcoming "Reason: Why Liberals Will Win the Battle for America.")

Word of the Day:(mentioned in the article above)
"Pyrrhic" as in Pyrrhic Victory - A victory that is offset by staggering losses, as in The campaign was so divisive that even though he won the election it was a Pyrrhic victory. This expression alludes to Kind Pyrrhus of Epirus, who defeated the Romans at Asculum in a.d. 279, but lost his best officers and many of his troops. Pyrrhus then said: “Another such victory and we are lost.” In English the term was first recorded (used figuratively) in 1879. 

I Don't think This is what Atkins Had in Mind

German cannibal gets eight-and-a-half years The world has no end of sick individuals. I've heard of death wishes, but this one is a tad bit over the top.  

Georgia, have you lost your Mind?

Georgia considers banning 'evolution' This has to get my award for the ding-dong idea of the day. Makes me even happier I moved out of Georgia and I don't even have kids! Must be nice to bury your head in the sand and ignore science. Even some Republicans thought it was nutty - ""If you're teaching the concept without the word, what's the point?" said Rep. Bobby Franklin, a Republican. "It's stupid. It's like teaching gravity without using the word gravity."  

Gentle Debate

The Dems snoozed through their debate last night, with only Dean taking a gentle jab at Kerry. Sharpton was his usual witty self. With 40% of the electorate being black in S.Carolina, I suspect he is going to hurt Edwards by pulling votes away. "It is a shame that you will take young men and young women from South Carolina, send them abroad, they die under one American flag, they have to come home and live under two flags," he said. "You don't send Confederate flags with us to Iraq. Don't wave them in Greenville. Don't wave them in Columbia." (the debate took place in Greenville,SC, also a county that doesn't recognize Martin Luthur King Day, something which probably only Reverend Al knew, compared to the other candidates).

Edwards has said that if he doesn't win there, he's quitting. Some of the others should be so wise (Lieberman, Kucinich, and maybe Clark).

Quote of the day:
As long as President Bush is willing to go to the moon I think we should send him.”
Viewer’s comment to Texas Cable News after Bush’s announcement 

More Troubling News on Diebold Voting Machines

Looks like the folks at Diebold have been sitting on their duffs rather than fixing the security of their voting machines . I don't know about you, but I want my vote to count and this doesn't give me the greatest confidence. Good though that this report has hit the NY Times, where it is less likely to be ignored than if it were to appear in the "conspiracy" press. Sounds like they got their work cut out to get this finished in time for elections.

Vote Quotes of the Day:
Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.
Gore Vidal (1925 - )

The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) 

Birds

I've enjoyed birdwatching in the past, but haven't done it in a long time, other than to watch the gazillion goldfinches currently attacking my thistle feeders in the backyard. Stumbled across a nice artist's sketchbook on birding today while browsing the net -take a look .

Bird Quote of the Day:
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best
Henry Van Dyke 

Dell's Digital Jukebox - Not Ready for Primetime

I couldn't agree more with Tom's conclusion on this device. Why should we pay money to test products for companies? After reading this, I'd certainly take a pass. Still waiting for the perfect device before I cough up hard earned dollars. Ipod is close, but $$$. Too few players support Audible.com books, so they are out. (Ipod does).

Switching to the Political Front, the Democrats debate tonight at 7 p.m. EST on MSNBC for you cable/satellite folks. Should start to get interesting now as candidates need to sharpen up the differences between themselves. I'd personally rather hear more about their ideas than simply the same ol' "kick Bush out" routine. How am I going to pick one, if they all say the same thing?

Wonder if the Israeli/Palistinean issue will ever move forward? Noticed today that Israel released some 400 Arabs in exchange for 4 Israeli soldiers. Of course this had to marred by a "freedom fighter" killing 10 innocent hospital workers on a city bus as revenge for Israeli soldiers killing 10 Palistineans the day before. (I still have a hard time with the word "freedom fighter" when they kill innocents, but then Israelis haven't exactly been selective when it comes to moving in and stomping on these little refugee towns). These two countries just have the wrong 2 leaders in charge to ever achieve peace, but I don't know what it's gonna take to remove them and move ahead. I sure wouldn't want to be a civilian in that neck of the woods - worse than being a soldier.

Quote of the Day:
"Education... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading."
G.M. Trevelyan  

Interesting Looks at the Candidates

Noticed the following article in the Christian Science Monitor but more than the article, what caught my eye was the short synopsis of each candidate running for office, about 1/2 way down the page. Just click on each candidates picture and you'll learn quite a few interesting facts about them. Nicely done.

Quote of the day:
"The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think."
Horace Walpole  

Who Needs this Stuff in Today's Education?

It's a rare day when you find an exceptional teacher. You would think that most principals would be touting their superior teachers to the world. What's up with this principal then? Something is very strange at Brooklyn Technical . 

Kerry Wins in NH

As expected, Kerry won in NH, by more than I figured he would. The rest of the folks finished in about the order I would have guessed. Thought this was an amusing comment :

The BBC's Rob Watson, in the town of Hampton in western New Hampshire, says as was the case in Iowa, Democrat voters seemed less concerned about the fine print of the candidates' policies than their ability to beat Mr Bush in the November election.

As one voter put it, she would vote for her cat if she thought it could defeat the president.


On another note, heres an interesting bio on Teresa Heinz Kerry . Many will just assume she is a rich, spoiled lady. Her record as seen here would obviously debunk that thought.  

Does Drilling make sense?

Interior finishes plan to open nearly 9 million acres in Alaska to drilling I see that Gale Norton (Interior Secretary) is getting around the ban on drilling in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge by drilling next to it. I'd be curious to hear comments from those who advocate this as to why the following comments below are wrong? - "It makes no sense to industrialize this incomparable wilderness area when there's only about six month's worth of economically recoverable oil ... and it would take at least 10 years to get it to market," said Charles Clusen, director of the Alaska lands project for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group."

Seems to me if all we can get out of this area is a few month's worth, why not concentrate our energies on alternative energy sources? Waiting on an explanation.....

Quote of the day
"Hold a book in your hand and you're a pilgrim at the gates of a new city."
Anne Michaels  

Many American Students would wish they had it this good!

Tony Blair is hanging by a thread these days and not only over Iraq, but even more so lately over tuition "top-up" fees. The proposals that are out there now for funding university education certainly seem defensible to me, but then I'm not all that well-versed on the English system. It doesn't sound bad though that you can get loans to go to school for 0% interest and don't have to start paying them off, once you are out of school, until you are making at least $27,000. And if you never make that much (I would sure hope you would if you spent 4 years at the University!), then after 25 years they are written off entirely.

I think this is the problem with many societies that fund all health care and educational expenses - at some point people get fed up with all the taxes to pay for this and say enough is enough! And as the article points out, should the dustman really pay for the doctor's degree? Why not let the student themselves pay for some of their education? English students should try coming to the US and face the $30k/year that some colleges charge. Not saying our system works of course, as $30K/year is obscene, but it does point out that societies where everything is a "given" eventually bump up against the economic consequences of such largess.

For an explanation of top-up fees and the problem England faces, go here

P.S. And if you think it's only England that has problems, then you should check out the German situation .  

Looking at Medical Bills

Insurance and medical bills are so whacky. I recently had some lab tests done at a local hospital. The Hospital billed $175 for one of the lab tests. My insurance company allowed only $41 of those charges. I paid $8. Another one of the tests, the hospital charged $143 for and the insurance company allowed $11. I paid $2.25. What kind of nonsense is this? The hospital knows what the insurance company is going to pay for these various tests - why the huge discrepancy? I've had it explained to me that the hospital keeps jacking up the price in the hope that the insurance company will agree to pay more, but this big of a difference? Come on. Now if these high charges were truly justified and considering that the insurance company only pays a small portion of these charges, then the hospitals should be broke. Obviously they are not, so their charges are bogus.

It makes me wonder if I had no insurance and needed these tests, would I be paying that full price? I think by law, the hospital couldn't discriminate and give me a lower rate, simply because I didn't have insurance. So my guess is, that I would pay that higher rate. So maybe that's how the hospital makes up it's shortfalls - on the backs of those who can't afford insurance. Of course, any person who didn't have insurance would be asking what this was going to cost them before taking the test and most likely they would decide they don't really need that test (even if they do). Of course the hospital can't tell a huge conglomerate like Blue Cross to shove it, so they continue to play this game. Think it's time for another letter to the ol' congressman. Lest one think that the hospital is trying to screw the insurance company by hyperinflating their charges, well, I have no doubt that the insurance companies are hosing all of us - are 20% yearly premium increases year after year, really justified? I sure hope the Dems can fix this mess, but with the constant Washington stalemate politics, I hold out no great hope.  

This is Disgusting

I've read some pretty damn spooky articles in the paper before, but this one tops them all. I heard about this article in the NY Times on CNN this morning, so decided to go read it and boy - this is rough. If you want to learn a bit more about sex traffic in the USA and Mexico and elsewhere (and you probably should be aware), , then you will learn more here than you want to. After reading this, I think if I had a daughter, I'd chain her to my wrist at all times of the day. Makes one want to go out on a crusade to save these girls. A sick picture of society.

Dean Given Raw Deal by Press

I think the Press has run totally amuck with Howard Dean's war whoop after the Iowa caucus. I think Hardball with Chris Matthews has run this a 1000 times. I think this is grossly unfair to Dean. Sure, he went over the top a bit, but he was talking to a bunch of kids, some 3500 of them late at night and was trying to keep them inspired after a tough loss. . Was it not the smartest thing to do? Surely not and he admitted that on Primetime with Dianne Sawyer, but at the same time, he admitted that he plays it from the heart. Personally that would make me trust him more than it would someone who was cold, dry and unemotional. I heard a lot of comments that this rhetoric after the caucus was "angry". How could anyone describe it as "angry"? I saw it a 1000 times myself and there is no way it could be described an angry. Overenthusiastic - yes, but who the hell made these reporters God? We should all be entitled to a slight goof now and then without being mercilessly hounded by the media. I thought Howard and his wife looked great on Dianne Sawyer's show. Dianne kept badgering away as well and I was disappointed in her. I think Howard makes a lot of misstatements, gets flustered at times and I'm not sure he would be the best candidate for President, but he sure as hell didn't deserve this treatment. And I thought he and his wife had the right values - it's obvious they have a good marriage. You'd get my vote Howard if you just tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine.  

Robert's got it right

Marriage Aid that Misses the Point Another waste of money - I thought Republicans were supposed to be for smaller govt? Ha! And check out this boondoggle of spending initiatives Among the most controversial provisions, as a whole, are nearly 8,000 "earmarks," or special funding measures, for projects in the home states of representatives and senators. These come to $10.7 billion, according to the watchdog group, Taxpayers for Common Sense, which advocates reduced government spending Just a few of it's goodies - $50 million for an indoor rain forest in Iowa, $1.8 million for exotic pet disease research in California, $200,000 for recreation improvements in the city of North Pole, Alaska. As John McCain said, "The sum of these political indulgences is enormous and growing and amounts to the theft of our future and the theft of our economic recovery."  

MyIE2

Noticed that my fav web browser (MYIE2) was topic of discussion on TechTv today. Ol' Leo was suitably impressed. For those of you who haven't tried this out, go to MyIE2 and download. Just install the basic MYIE2 - skip all the plugins they offer or at least the UCMore one. The others are OK. UCMore is suspected of spyware. Along with tabs (the best damn thing that ever happened to browsers), it has mouse gestures (very handy) and also allows URL aliases. What are those? Let's say you have a long url like the one here - www.mountaintalk.blogspot.com. Well, you can assign for instance the letter m for that URL. Then instead of typing in the whole URL to go to the web site, you just type "m" and hit enter. Pretty slick. You can set up as many of those as you like. Just one of many, many features with this browser add-on - the options are extensive. It is frequently updated. And it's FREE. Other web browsers sometimes stumble on certain sites because they are not set up for IE. This gets around it because it uses IE as it's core engine with all the extra goodies you really want.  

Another evening of BS

If you had the chance to watch the Pres's State of the Union, then you must have wondered what State of the Union he was talking about. The facts behind all his statements are dramatically different than the reality he proposes. What is sad is that many average Americans don't read enough or care enough to understand that his statements are simply disingenous. What I find amusing is that I recall all the talk about how successful Bush was in Texas in the State House getting both parties to work together and how he would be able to do that as well in Washington. They must be smoking some bad stuff down there in Texas, cause if this guy could bring people together, than I'm ready for the loony bin. This guy is leading America down the path of ruin and many of us had better wake up!

On a more pleasant note, watched Rabbit-Proof Fence last night on DVD. Would give it 3.8 out of 5 and for the background info, I'd give it a 5 out of 5. Movie was good and informed me of a situation I only knew vaguely about, but the background info on the movie and how it was made and how these young actresses were selected was outstanding. If I had a life to live over again, I'd probably have done something in movies - cinematography or something along those lines. I find it fascinating to see how all these talents come together to produce a movie.  

Atkins Hasn't Really Changed

Media and Docs get it wrong again I have to admit that I see this happen all the time. All these so-called "experts" that read these diet books and then write articles on them, don't really read what the guy has written. They pick up some snippets of conversation somewhere and then proclaim them as truth. It must be particularly frustrating to folks like Atkins,Sears,Weil,etc... to always have to try to play down these inaccuracies.  

Kerry,Edwards strong winners in Iowa

Well, I must say, I'm pleased with these results. My two picks for people I'd choose and in the order I'd choose them. Not totally surprised - I think people are looking at "electability" and Kerry in particular presents that image, and I think Edwards is respected for keeping his fight above the "negative campaigning". Nothing against Howard Dean, but I'm afraid he just doesn't come across that well, except as "angry" and people want more than that in a leader. And he appears quite stiff when contrasted with Kerry or Edwards. It was surprising in Iowa with the huge turnout that the "organized" campaigns of Dean and Gephardt didn't do better - that left all the pundits scratching their heads. It showed the people were expressing their personal opinions about the candidates and actually turned these caucuses into a primary. The unions that supported Gephardt got slam dunked which had to be a shocker for them. The Vets were a definite plus for Kerry and will be as well when the campaign turns towards S.Carolina and Florida and other southern States, where many Vets reside.

Now it will get interesting in NH, for sure. Will Kerry get a bounce out of this? With Clark in NH, could be quite a 4 way slugfest, assuming Dean still has some fight left. Looks like Gephardt will drop out, Kucinich might as well, and I don't think Lieberman has a prayer anymore either, so we're down to 4. Stay tuned. 

Movies

Been watching a lot of movies again. Started up the addicting Netflix thing to amuse myself during sleepy winter months. Will probably regret this! Did have the chance to watch 2 excellent and widely divergent films lately. Winged Migration was absolutely fabulous. I'd recommend getting the DVD to see the extra info on how they filmed this, which is practically as amazing as the film. Definitely a family pic - no R rating on this beauty. You don't need to be into birdwatching to admire this movie. It's quite interesting that the Academy of Motion Pictures awarded "Bowling for Columbine" the Oscar for Best Picture over this film. Nothing against that film, which I also found well worth watching, but it pales (imho) in comparison to this feat of movie making.

Switching to a wholly different arena, I can also recommend Bloody Sunday . If you want to get right in the middle of the march that ended up so tragically and started "the Troubles" in Ireland, this is the film for you. Interesting, in that Brits produced it, yet it definitely shows you that the Brits ran amuck on this given day. I was surprised to see that Brits produced it and didn't pick up on that till watching the extra info on the movie - I would have sworn Irish Catholics would have produced it. A riveting movie and highly recommended. (Note - the "f" word is a favorite word of the Irish, so if it bothers you, I warned you!)  

Pickering

A good editorial in the Washington Post:(ya gotta watch ol' GW - he's a slippery fella)

Washington Post Editorial:
End Run for Mr. Pickering
Sunday, January 18, 2004

PRESIDENT BUSH'S decision Friday to install controversial judicial nominee Charles W. Pickering Sr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit using a recess appointment is yet another unwarranted escalation of the judicial nomination wars. We have lamented some of the attacks on Mr. Pickering, but his record as a federal trial judge is undistinguished and downright disturbing, and Senate Democrats are reasonable to oppose his nomination. Installing him using a constitutional end run around the Senate only inflames passions. The right path is to build consensus that nonpartisanship and excellence are the appropriate criteria for judicial selection.



The recess appointment -- the president's power to temporarily install federal officers without Senate confirmation -- is a uniquely bad instrument for federal judges. Judges are supposed to be politically independent. Yet Mr. Pickering will be a controversial nominee before the Senate as he considers cases and will lose his job in a year if he is not confirmed. Even his supporters should understand that he will be subject to the political pressures from which judges are supposed to be insulated.

We don't rule out the recess appointment in all circumstances. At times judges have commanded such uniform support that presidents have used the power to get them in office quickly, leaving the formality of confirmation for later. We supported, moreover, President Bill Clinton's lame-duck recess appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit of Roger Gregory, who, like Mr. Pickering, was held up in the Senate. But there was a big difference: Mr. Gregory was not controversial. His nomination, in fact, was eventually resubmitted to the Senate by none other than President Bush. It was held up initially because of a long-standing dispute over appointments to that court, not because of any concerns about the nominee himself. There was reason to hope that Mr. Gregory would be confirmed -- as, indeed, he was. In this case, Mr. Bush has used a recess appointment for someone who cannot, on his merits, garner a vote of confidence from the Senate and who has no prospect of confirmation in the current Congress.

We don't support the filibuster of nominees, but the answer to Democratic obstruction cannot be the appointment or installation of temporary judges who get to hear a few cases over a few months, all the while looking over their shoulders at the senators who oppose them. The great damage the judicial nomination wars threaten over the long term is to erode judicial independence, to make judges constantly aware of how they might have to answer to the Senate for a given opinion. Using the recess appointment to place Mr. Pickering on the 5th Circuit has made that danger into a reality.  

Hubble Telescope to Die

Sad day for the space telescope. Needing repairs but with new space initiatives now taking precedence, it will not get those and thus will become another piece of space junk in a few years. But it did reveal amazing things for us: Using images from the craft, scientists have determined the age of the universe, about 13.7 billion years, and discovered that a mysterious energy, called the dark force, is causing all of the objects in the universe to move apart at an accelerating rate. This force is still poorly understood

Images from Hubble glimpsed galaxies back to a point just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang (search), thought to be the explosive beginning of the universe. Astronomers have found that galaxies and clusters of galaxies formed much earlier than theorists had expected. This suggests that planets where life was possible could have formed as early as about 12 billion years ago. The solar system, which includes the sun and Earth, is much younger, about 5 billion years old.

For more info on why we are not fixing it, head here  

Iowa Heating Up!

Looks like the Iowa Caucus is a dead heat between Dean, Kerry,Gephart and Edwards. Should be interesting come Monday night. I am still of the opinion, that Kerry would be the best candidate in a one on one debate with GW. He'd shred the guy like a rapier going through cheese. Kerry has that Clinton like mind. Dean, I'm afraid appears often uncomfortable and I'm afraid he'd blow it with one insensitive remark or another. Gephardt is too strident and so is Edwards at times, although I like Edwards and he'd probably be my second pick. I thought it was interesting that a caller to the Larry King show ,when Ann Richards was a guest, was concerned that Howard Dean just didn't have the persona that comes across well on TV to be elected by the general populace. Ann, who now supports Dean, sorta stumbled on that one - she did admit that he needed to throw a bit of levity into the mix now and then and not be so serious. But I think the caller is representative of the average American voter - you're gonna vote for whom you like and for whom your gut tells you is the best person and if they don't come across well on TV (where most people get their news), then it's a tough road ahead. (Remember Kennedy/Nixon?) Of course, one does then have to wonder how the hell GW ever got elected - if there ever was a guy who looked dumber than a bunch of rocks, I'm not sure who that would be.

But this country is swamped with religious conservatives at the moment who are zealous in nature regarding their cause - most other folks aren't quite that zealous and thus don't have that unified drive that it takes to push a lot of votes to a candidate. And all it takes is GW to invoke some religious voodoo to get his masses all heated up. Personally, I'd like a president who kept Church and State separate and took care of business in a thoughful and certainly non-unilateral manner. It's fine if you're strongly religious, but do me a favor and keep it to yourself - it's your choice to be so, let me make my own choices.

Someday our President,whom we elect, needs to remember that although he ran on a party platform (in Bush's case, he has departed from the Republican platform and is performing on his own platform), he now represents ALL the people and can not cater to his own special interests. It takes quite a person to sometimes go against his own Party and choose wisely for EVERYONE. Will we find that person in 2004? We will, if people get off their lazy tushes and vote - Americans only have themselves to thank for the Patriot Act, the rape of the environment,etc,etc. - had more Americans voted, we'd wouldn't be in this quandry now. Time to shake off the cobwebs America and open your eyes.  

A Great Day for Golf

Only One shot away!
Michelle Wie, a 14-year-old ninth grader from Honolulu, missed the cut by only one stroke at the Sony Open in Hawaii, but that could hardly be viewed as falling short. It was the thrill of a young lifetime, a remarkable two days of golf and a showcase for the most-talked about amateur player since Tiger Woods. Wished I would have seen this - had to be great fun to be there and watch this. Now, it's back to the 9th grade for her. Her performance has to boggle the other professional's minds. Cranking out 300+ yard drives - whew. I'd be lucky to hit one 200 probably, but then I'm an ol' geezer, not a 14 year old with long legs and a beautiful swing. This will be a lady to watch! 

The Italian Job

If you haven't rented this DVD yet, you should. Great action stuff with Mark Walhberg, Ed Norton, and Charlize Theron (always nice to look at) and Ed Norton. Great car sequences with little mini Coopers. Also great sound effects in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround -I think I was deaf after the movie. LOL Holds your attention all the way through - lot of fun. Extra features on the DVD are interesting (how they made the movie,etc). That extrra stuff is always great - I am continually amazed at what talent goes into making movies - just the sheer organization of the whole project is mind boggling. Of course, when you have lots of moola, it helps.