Denver Broncos - It Get's Better

My favorite NFL team is the Denver Broncos.  There is a petition on-line to have the Broncos be the first team to make its own "It Gets Better" video.  I've signed it and hope you will, too.

Go Broncos.  Do the right thing.

20 December 2011

Support LGBT-Friendly Businesses

I received the following information from the Human Rights Campaign via an e-mail and want to pass it along:

Dear XXX,



Some businesses support LGBT workplace equality – and some don't.


Which ones do you want to support when you're out shopping during the holidays?


With our new 2012 Buying for Workplace Equality guide and updated iPhone app, it's easier than ever to find out where companies stand on workplace equality.


Browse the online version or download a free copy!


From clothing to computers to kids' stuff, from the latest hairstyles to the grocery aisles, we've collected data on hundreds of businesses. And some of the differences between companies selling similar products and services might surprise you:


Macy's (90%) vs. Neiman Marcus (15%*)


Nike (100%) vs. Adidas/Reebok (15%*)


Toyota (100%) vs. Nissan (30%)


UPS (100%) vs. FedEx (75%) vs. DHL (15%*)


AT&T (100%) vs. Verizon (20%)


Orbitz (100%) vs. Priceline (0%*)


Take a sneak peek inside...
 
Get the iPhone app...
 
Text SHOP and the company or product name to 30644...
 
In today's economy, it's vital that we support the companies, products, and brands that have equal workplace practices for the LGBT community. As you look for that perfect pair of shoes or a great gift for a loved one this holiday season, you can use the information in this guide to help make your shopping decisions.



Our guide is a product of HRC's groundbreaking Corporate Equality Index. When we started the CEI a decade ago, 319 companies participated voluntarily. Now that's doubled. The CEI has transformed the American workplace by redefining the norm for how all companies treat LGBT workers and their families – which couldn't be more important in a country where you can still be fired in most states for being LGBT.


When you choose to buy from companies that demonstrate their commitment to LGBT equality in the workplace, you're helping grow and accelerate this important transformation.


Check out this online guide, download a free copy, or get all the info on your phone.


Thanks, and happy shopping!


Warmly,


Joe Solmonese


President


* The HRC Foundation provides an estimated score to businesses that have not, after repeated attempts, responded to the survey. An estimated score is reflective of the information that HRC has been able to collect without help or input from a business. Learn more here.

Thanks for your attention.

12 December 2011

Politics Has Doomed Us

From Brian Beutler at TPM:

As the U.S. government and governments in Europe respond to the global economic slump with conservative austerity measures, it’s easy to forget that the overwhelming professional economic consensus is that depressed countries that can afford to should be doing the opposite — ramping up government purchases of goods and services and putting off the budget cuts and tax increases for a few years.

This isn’t even close to what’s happening. And as the space between what these experts think should happen and what global elites are actually doing grows, the experts’ forecast is becoming more and more pessimistic.

Nowhere was this gloominess more clearly worn than at a symposium hosted by the New America Foundation in downtown Washington Wednesday evening.

The event itself centered on an October paper called “The Way Forward” by Daniel Alpert, Robert Hockett, and Nouriel Roubini, which explained both the sources of U.S. economic woes, and what needs to be done to fix them. But the paper’s authors, and the expert panel they invited to discuss it with them, all agreed that American and European politics are so out of step with the proper diagnosis and treatment that the country is likely to hobble along for years — and could even experience another recession.

You can read the entire story at the link above.

9 December 2011

Congressional Republicans & the Deficit

There is telling folks that you believe in something and there is actually believing in something.  As I've mentioned before,Congressional Republicans say that they are interested in the national debt and lowering deficits.  They are not.  Honestly, they don't give two shits about either of these topics in and of themselves.  The sometimes care about them in relation to other items about which they actually care, but only care about them when they impact those areas.

Taxes, on the other hand, Congressional Republicans care a lot about.  A lot.  They will completely destroy the federal deficit if it means getting their way on taxes.  And getting their way on taxes, by the way, will always increase the deficit.  Always.

This post at TPM by Brian Beutler about the latest Republican efforts on the debt super committee illustrates this point handsomely.  And the killer point about our society is that the press doesn't cover it and Americans don't care.  I'm not sure which is the chicken and which is the egg in that model, but either way, Democracy gets the middle digit.

17 November 2011

Celiac Disease & Vitamin A

Here is an interesting blog post on recent research on vitamin A and celiac disease.

16 November 2011

Honey for the American Market

A new study about honey for sale on the American market is out.  You may not be buying what you think you are.

7 November 2011

The Math of Climate Change

A short read about a study that is another blow to skeptics of climate change.  The kicker?  This study was funded by the Koch Foundation.  That makes me giggle.

21 October 2011

24 October 2011 Addition:  Another read on this issue.

Taxes: the "Other 47 Percent"

From Brian Beutler at TPM:

Conservatives are continuing their counter-protest against the so-called "47 percent." Specifically, that's the share of recession-era households that pay no federal income taxes. Most of them pay payroll taxes and other federal taxes (not to mention state taxes), but Republicans have chosen to depict them as the free-riding half of the country.


The fact of the matter, though, is that those other taxes constitute a huge chunk of federal revenues. Check out the charts below. Over the 58 years preceding the Lesser Depression, the share of federal revenues that came from individual income taxes has remained fairly stable, fluctuating between 40 and 50 percent, and peaking just before George W. Bush slashed rates in 2001.

You can read the whole piece via this link.

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21 October 2011

Label GMO Foods

Credo Action has a campaign to submit public comments to the FDA in support of labeling requirements for genetically modified foods.  Not only are GMO foods more and more prevalent in America, but it would apprear that the FDA is about to approve a genetically modified animal for human consumption for the first time, a salmon.  Be afraid.

11 October 2011

Defend Public Media - Free Press

Free Press has launched a Defend Public Media campaign.  Part of it will allow you to get a free sticker for your car -- or you can display it elsewhere -- to express your support for public media (PBS, NPR).  Free Press would also love you to link the campaign on Facebook and you can find out details at the same link above.

11 October 2011

The Effect of the Obama Tax Plan on the Rich

Greg Sargent has an interesting piece at The Washington Post on-line on the actual effect of the Obama tax plan on the top one percent of rich Americans.  Needless to say, it isn't what they say or what is most often being portrayed in the media.

3 October 2011

A Big Visitor

The same co-worker mentioned in my previous post had this guy in her yard earlier this week.  Fun!

30 September 2011

The Absent-Minded Waiter

I was speaking with a co-worker today and this old Steve Martin skit came to mind.  Classic!



30 September 2011

National One-Hit Wonder Day

Sunday, September 25th, is National One-Hit Wonder Day.  Which hit do you remember most fondly?

23 September 2011

Celebrating the End of DADT

How did you celebrate the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

21 September 2011

Star... wars against cancer

See the YouTube video here.



19 September 2011

Talk Like a Pirate Day

It is that time of year again.  Enjoy!

19 September 2011

The Greatest Headline in History

Nicolas Cage awoken by naked man with Fudgesicle


I really think that says it all.  And yet you will click on the link to get the whole story.  You know you will.

16 September 2011

Animal Names and Groupings

My wife and I were talking the other night and she wondered why baby turtles didn't have a name (e.g. puppy, kitten, cub, etc).  It turns out, they do.  A baby turtle is a hatchling and a group of turtles is a bale.  You can find out lots and lots about this here.  My favorites:

• An ambush of leapards
• A shiver of sharks
• A mischief of rats
• An ostentation of peacocks
• A parliament of owls
• A lice of louse
• A smack of jellyfish
• A charm of hummingbirds
• A shrewdness of apes

12 Sept 2011

A View "from" the Hill

Well, the view from a former Hill staffer.  My sister sent me a link to this writing and it is worth a read.  A long-time congressional aid reflects on his years, why he left, and the state of American politics in DC.

12 September 2011

Unintentionally Inappropriate Test Answers

Unintentionally inappropriate test answers from children.  LOL funny.

12 September 2011

A "Comic Tribute" to 09/11

There will be many, many tributes to mark the tenth anniversary of the 09/11 attacks.  One of them will be a collaboration among about 90 writers of the daily comics page.  It is the largest such tribute by comic authors in American history and crosses several syndicates.  I've been looking forward to reading them since I first learned of this and wanted you to know if it, too.

8 September 2011

Memories of 09/11

The tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks is right around the corner.  In addition to sharing the horror of that day as a citizen of both America and the world, I have a personal connection as well.  It is not something about which I talk much in private and I really never speak of it in public.  However, on this occasion, I think it fitting to do so.  After all, as time passes, events such as 09/11 become commemorations of the historical occurrences, not of the people involved.  The attack on Pearl Harbor is a good example.  When we mark it at all today in America, it is the attack that we remember.  Very rarely do we mark the lives of those directly touched -- and lost -- that day.  This is human nature and because this is so, remembering these lost people seems necessary.

Four members of my extended family were murdered on 09/11.  This was the largest total for one family.  Two of those lost were children, the youngest victims.  I note this not to say that my family suffered more than others.  Pain and loss are not contests and even were they, no one could win.  Rather, that a family was killed by men who they had never met speaks to the brutality of their actions.  When I think of 09/11, like many I think of the planes and the buildings and the rubble.  I also see four faces.

My mother's cousin Leslie Whittington, her husband Charles Falkenberg, and their two daughters, Zoe Falkenberg and Dana Falkenberg were on Flight 77 that was flown into the Pentagon.  They were on their way to Australia.  As it happens, my wife's colleagues saw this plane fly over DC, the city in which she was then living.  The plane flew almost at eye level right past their building.  It went in low and shallow, not steep like the plane in Pennsylvania.  I hope that this lack of a dive may have spared its passengers -- or at least the children -- the stark terror of the sure knowledge that a dive would have provoked.  Obviously, there is no way to know, but I hold to the comfort that this wish brings me.

I was not overly close with this family. I attended their wedding.  I was told of the births of Zoe and Dana on telephone calls with my mother.  I never actually met Dana; Leslie was pregnant with her the final time we saw each other.  I met Zoe only once or twice and saw Leslie and Charles perhaps eight or ten times in my life.  Their deaths shook me, but did not destroy my life.  However, I have seen the toll their deaths inflicted on their close relatives who survived them.  Those are lives altered beyond belief.

Many members of my family will be attending the memorial events this weekend in Washington DC.  I look forward to discussing them with my mother and her siblings next week when they return home.  Leslie's family is being remembered in two television programs.  On Friday the 9th, the CBS Early Show will have a feature on Zoe.  CNN Headline News will have something on the family in its 5 PM Eastern segment that same day and again at this same hour on Monday the 12th.  Watch them or record them if you can.  These people deserve to be remembered.

As you mark that terrible day, as we all mark that day, let us remember the people and the events.  And let us all heal as we are able.

8 September 2011

14 September 2011 Addition: Here is a link to the CBS video.  Zoe's feature is near the middle.

Migraine Relief: Water

I discovered a migraine relief technique that did -- remarkably enough -- provide me with some relief.  I have used it several times and it has been successful, or patially successful, each time.  It involves water in two applications.

First, fill a basin with water as hot as you can stand without burning yourself.  You will dip your feet in this.

Second, fill and ice pack.  You will apply this to the back of your neck, focusing on the side you actually feel your migraine, if any.  (I used a quart-sized ziplock bag and then wrapped it in a hand towel.  A can of cold soda was also suggested.)

You want to apply these for about 20 minutes.  It is also suggested to use a dim, quiet room.

It was said to work best when one is just feeling the headache starting and each time I have done this, the migraine was stopped in its tracks.  No meds were taken.

On a day when I had a truly debilitating migraine -- the worst that I've had in some time -- I tried this at hour 14.  It did not do what medication also could not;  it did not end the headache.  However, it did reduce the pain by a considerable factor.  I was very pleasantly surprised.

It was said that this doesn't work for everyone.  However, it seems to help me.  I hope that it will help you as well.

19 August 2011

Cat-In-a-Tree Rescue

I was reading Natural Health Magazine today and found a small article on rescuing cats that have climbed too high into trees and are unable to climb back down.  The article mentioned this website by Dan Kraus, Cat in a Tree Rescue.  Apparently, there are folks all over the country that have both climbing and cat skills to help in this situation.  Sure, all cats should be indoor cats.  Still, this is cool should the emergency arise.

15 August 2011

Democracy In America

Yale professor Jim Sleeper has written an interesting piece on the state of democracy in America.

4 August 2011

Legistlative Battles To Come

TPM reports on what is in store for the Congress and the White House.  Second verse, same as the first.

4 August 2011

Debt Limit Deal: Serious(ly) Funny?

Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart have now weighed in.  Jon is funny.  Keith is not.

Well, Jon is funny within the context of this mess anyway.  Which still means pretty serious.  And, as usual, spot-on.







2 August 2011

Debt Limit Time Line

TPM has written an overview of the entire process of the debt limit fight.

2 August 2011

Funny Sleepy, Very Funny Sleepy

Baby falling asleep.



Bear cub falling asleep.



Baby chick falling asleep.



Bonus of panda cub sneezing, but not sleeping!




1 August 2011

Debt Plan Low Down

TPM has the poop on the proposed plan to raise the debt limit.

Addition:  This reader response is worth a look.

Addition 2:  Paul Krugman's take.  It isn't pretty.

1 August 2011

2 August Addition: The take of MSNBC's John Schoen.

Rubik's Cake

It seems that it is a day to post random stuff.

29 July 2011

Million-Dollar Fender Bender

My father sent me word of this heart-breaking -- to car lovers! -- tale of valet parking gone very wrong.

29 July 2011

If You Don't Adopt a Kitten b/c You Think It "Looks Like Hitler," You Are a Complete Idiot and a Hopeless Human Being

Seriously, who wouldn't want to adopt this little fellow?  I would step up in a heart beat.  Come on, People of England, do the right thing and feel the love!

29 July 2011

Recession: Worse Than You Thought

Read this to see why the recession was worse than we thought and why -- as I said all along -- this focus on the debt was misplaced at best, catastrophic at worst.

29 July 2011

Spray Bottle Babies

Saddened by debt limit mania?  Watch this.  Even a DINK-or-die like myself thinks these kids are cute as hell.



29 July 2011
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Debt Limit: Going Backward

We will not get an increase on the debt limit prior to the deadline.  David Kurtz explains why at TPM:

Just minutes after President Obama urged the parties to come together and avert this default crisis, things are actually going backwards in the House. And in pretty incredible fashion.

To secure enough votes from his own members for his plan, Speaker Boehner is amending it to basically turn it into Cut, Cap, and Balance Lite.

Here's the key new provision that is apparently going to win enough GOP votes to pass the bill:

The debt ceiling would be raised immediately but not by enough to get the government through next year. To get the second debt ceiling increase, House Republicans want a balanced budget constitutional amendment to pass both chambers first and be referred to the states.

Never going to happen, but that's where we are. It makes you wonder if there's any compromise plan that can get through this House. That's why, even though my gut says there's no way the U.S. is stupid enough to default, I still can't see a clear, viable way out of this.

29 July 2011 

Construction Failures: Very funny!

Check these out on The Huffington Post.

Round One

Round Two

28 July 2011

Debt Limit: Contact Congress

It is crunch time for raising the debt limit. Folks in Massachusetts need to contact Senator Brown and urge him to buck the Republicans in the Senate and support a compromise bill. Tell him that you support the president.

This issue directly affects the well being each and every one of us. The ramifications for the national economy and for the economic vitality of every American are severe. Anything that we can do as citizens to help bring about an adequate resolution is a step in the right direction. Do not delay. If you use social media, I urge you to contact your friends and encourage them to contact their members of Congress as well.

You can reach Senator Brown here. I included the following text.

I support President Obama's approach in the debt limit negotiations. The debt limit needs to be raised and new revenues must be part of the package. I fully understand that this issue affects me and my family directly and in a very real fashion. My vote across the board in 2012 rides on this issue.

You can find the contact information for any member of Congress here.

For extended information on the debt talks, check out Talking Points Memo.

Thanks and good luck to us all.

26 July 2011
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Debt Limit Deal: Unlikely

I'm increasingly of the gloomy outlook that we will not reach a deal to raise the debt limit.  Josh Marshall wrote a piece today at TPM that ends with a clear picture of why.  He first outlines the picture as it stands right now in the context of the press not covering the story well (to say the least).

It's been said many times. But it's never enough: the conventions of journalistic 'objectivity', as currently defined, frequently make journalists violate their biggest duty, which is honesty with readers. The top headline running now on CNN reads: "They're all talking, but no one is compromising, at least publicly. Democratic and GOP leaders appear unwilling to bend on proposals to raise the debt ceiling."



By any reasonable measure, this is simply false, even painfully so. It might be right to say they are not agreeing, that's demonstrable. But I don't think any observer -- one who has actually watched the specifics of the debate -- honestly believes that neither side is compromising. Indeed, even the firebreathers on the Republican side aren't suggesting this. Their argument is that the nature of the 'crisis' is so great that there can be no compromise on their basic demands. That is what it means when they say they will not support any new taxes as part of a global deal.



The current offer from Sen. Reid (D-NV), even if doesn't quite add up to the $2.7 trillion because of its assumptions about future spending on wars, is more dramatic and Republican-leaning than what Speaker Boehner was demanding a few months ago and has zero revenues, which has been the primary demand of Republicans from the beginning.


Talking Points Memo on FacebookIt is not partisan or spin to say that the Democrats have repeatedly offered compromises. The real driver of the debate is that the fact that Republican majority in the House can't agree to win. Even Fred Thompson is urging Republicans to declare victory and get out. But that's the point. Their leaders cannot control their caucuses. The real problem at the moment isn't that neither side's caucus can accept the other side's 'plan'. The real issue is that Speaker Boehner doesn't have the votes in his caucus for his own 'plan'.

He then goes on to express his fears, which are my own.

A week or so back I was talking to a guy who's a big time investor. The sort of person who has more money than you or I could ever imagine -- and knows all the market side of this stuff -- but doesn't have an intimate feel for Washington. And this person basically asked: What's the story? What's actually happening here? Is this theater? Are they actually going to do this? Run us off this cliff?


I hemmed and I hawed because I'd been thinking about the question myself for so long and I wasn't sure I had any good answer. And what I finally came up with was this. Yes, at some level it's a game of chicken. Something we can all understand pretty intuitively in human nature and game theory terms. But to really get what's really going on you've got to understand one key point: one of the two cars doesn't have a driver in it. Which changes everything.

We are going over a cliff indeed.

26 July 2011
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Oh, Look... A Turtle on Wheels!

Okay, only one wheel.   From The Huffington Post:

A 12-year-old African tortoise that recently had its front left leg amputated due to injury is now moving just fine, thanks to a swiveling wheel attached to his shell by doctors at Washington State University's veterinary hospital.



The 23-pound tortoise, named Gamera after the giant flying turtle of the old Japanese monster movies, is gaining weight and generally thriving with his new appendage.

Roll on, Crazy Diamond.
 
21 July 2011

Pluto Has a New Moon

The dwarf planet formerly-known-as-a-planet Pluto has something new to bolster its spirits.  A fourth moon was discovered while astronomers were investigating whether it had rings.  You can check out the find here.

20 July 2011

David Brooks: Republican Culprits

I blogged on July 6th about a colum by conservative David Brooks and his misgivings about how Republicans were handling the debt limit debate.  Yesterday, he posted a follow-up, naming names.

19 July 2011

Bee-Wearing Chinese Style

These photos are amazing!

18 July 2011

Debt Debate & a Lack of Hope

George Packer at The New Yorker has a new article outlining his thoughts on the debt limit debate, specifically the president and the Republicans in Congress.  Worth the read.

18 July 2011

IDIOSYNCRASIES OF ENGLISH

A friend forwarded these in a chain e-mail.  Not all are brilliant, but many are cute.

1. DON'T SWEAT THE PETTY THINGS AND DON'T PET THE SWEATY THINGS.

2. ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA, FLOOR.

3. ATHEISM IS A NON-PROPHET ORGANIZATION.

4. IF MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS AND APES, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE MONKEYS AND APES?

5. THE MAIN REASON THAT SANTA IS SO JOLLY IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHERE ALL THE BAD GIRLS LIVE.

6. I WENT TO A BOOKSTORE AND ASKED THE SALESWOMAN, "WHERE'S THE SELF- HELP
SECTION?" SHE SAID IF SHE TOLD ME, IT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE.

7. WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?

8. IF A DEAF CHILD SIGNS SWEAR WORDS, DOES HIS MOTHER WASH HIS HANDS WITH SOAP?

9. IF SOMEONE WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES THREATENS TO KILL HIMSELF, IS IT
CONSIDERED A HOSTAGE SITUATION?

10. IS THERE ANOTHER WORD FOR SYNONYM?

11. WHERE DO FOREST RANGERS GO TO "GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?"

12. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL EATING AN ENDANGERED PLANT?

13. IF A PARSLEY FARMER IS SUED, CAN THEY GARNISH HIS WAGES?

14. WOULD A FLY WITHOUT WINGS BE CALLED A WALK?

15. WHY DO THEY LOCK GAS STATION BATHROOMS? ARE THEY AFRAID SOMEONE WILL CLEAN THEM?

16. IF A TURTLE DOESN'T HAVE A SHELL, IS HE HOMELESS OR NAKED?

17. CAN VEGETARIANS EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS?

18. IF THE POLICE ARREST A MIME, DO THEY TELL HIM HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REMAIN
SILENT?

19. WHY DO THEY PUT BRAILLE ON THE DRIVE-THROUGH BANK MACHINES?

20. HOW DO THEY GET DEER TO CROSS THE ROAD ONLY AT THOSE YELLOW ROAD SIGNS?

21. WHAT WAS THE BEST THING BEFORE SLICED BREAD?

22. ONE NICE THING ABOUT EGOTISTS: THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE.

23. DOES THE LITTLE MERMAID WEAR AN ALGEBRA?

24. DO INFANTS ENJOY INFANCY AS MUCH AS ADULTS ENJOY ADULTERY?

25. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVIL WAR?

26. IF ONE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER DROWNS, DO THE REST DROWN TOO?

27. IF YOU ATE BOTH PASTA AND ANTIPASTO, WOULD YOU STILL BE HUNGRY?
28. IF YOU TRY TO FAIL, AND SUCCEED, WHICH HAVE YOU DONE?

29. WHOSE CRUEL IDEA WAS IT FOR THE WORD 'LISP' TO HAVE AN 'S' IN IT?

30. WHY ARE HEMORRHOIDS CALLED "HEMORRHOIDS" INSTEAD OF "ASTEROIDS"?

31. WHY IS IT CALLED TOURIST SEASON IF WE CAN'T SHOOT AT THEM?

32. WHY IS THERE AN EXPIRATION DATE ON SOUR CREAM?

33. CAN AN ATHEIST GET INSURANCE AGAINST ACTS OF GOD?

15 July 2011

Androgynous Mormon Butterfly

Does a title like that pull you in or what?!?  LOL

Check this out.  Very cool.

12 July 2011

Republican Goals & the Debt Limit

Following my earlier post on the article by conservative David Brooks, I wanted to post links to two follow-up pieces to the topic.  The first is a TPM post by David Kurtz and the second is a response to that post.

I am not holding out a lot of hope.

12 July 2011

Addition:  Well, this has been a fast-moving day.

Love Is A Battlefield: Literal Video Version

Not as good as Total Eclipse of the Heart, but it is worth it anyway for the scene starting at 3:00.  Enjoy.



8 July 2011

Atlantis Launch: Look What We Can Do

This morning, I watched the final launch of a space shuttle.  We have a remarkable, resourceful IT department at the company for which I work.  They managed to get the NASA feed onto a conference room television.  It was great fun watching the launch pad prepare for lift off...the shuttle actually lift off... the two smaller tanks separate... the shuttle rotate with the earth in the background... and finally the main tank separate and seeing the shuttle rise up in the background.  God's speed!

During an episode of one of my favorite television programs, Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night, one of the characters goes to see the Lion King on Broadway.  Thereafter she exclaims, "I didn't know we could do that!"  Having felt that wonder at seeing that musical myself, I understood the full force of her statement.  It has resonated with me ever since and I often find myself saying "look what we can do" at times when my amazement at human creativity and ingenuity overwhelms my misanthropic self.  How could one not feel this way when listening to Mozart, when gazing at van Gogh's Starry Night, when standing on China's Great Wall, and on and on.

Watching Atlantis this morning I said, Look what we can do!"

Many often complain about the cost of the space program.  I never have.  Listening to NPR yesterday, a scientist said that no significant earthly problem could conceivably be solved by spending this money elsewhere.  Regardless of the veracity of this statement, I understand his greater point.  Moreover, a great many scientific discoveries have emerged from our space program, including the very small size of the computer on which I am typing this post.  That it sits near my feet rather than filling ten rooms behind me is a direct result of the Apollo program.  And we need this sense of wonder, this discovery as a species.  It makes us better, richer in spirit, broader in intellect.

China and India are ramping up for a huge expansion in their space programs, including manned flights.  Perhaps one day they will go to the moon.  I say more power to them.  The cause of humanity will be advanced thereby.  Chinese, Indian, or American, I will say, "Look what we can do."



8 July 2011

Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version

If the 80s was the decade of your youth, you'll find this very funny.  Thanks to my sister.



7 July 2011

David Brooks: Republicans and Normalcy

Conservative David Brooks has written an op-ed questioning whether the Republican party of today is a "normal" -- read logical -- political party.  The topics are the debt limit and taxes, and the Republican response to the negotiations over both.  Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, it is worth a read.

Dangerous times are these.

6 July 2011

Beach Walker Creations

From the BBC comes a wonderful story about an inventor who creates artificial "life forms" that move about the beaches of the Netherlands powered by the wind.  Really cool.  Thanks to my mother for this link.

5 July 2011

Signers of the Declaration of Independence

What became of those who signed the Declaration of Independence?

6 July 2011

Michele Bachman & John Wayne... Gacy?

Michele Bachman's presidential campaign is off to a fantastic start.  I mean, she's just KILLING out there.

Learn to Google.  Too funny!

27 June 2011

Gay Marriage in New York

Last week, New York became the latest state to end discrimination in marriage.  Very soon, gay or straight, you will be able to marry in New York.  Marvelous.  First, The Empire State, now the Empire.

27 June 2011

Cars 2: Pixar Finally Fails

I'll admit it.  That headline makes it seem like I was hoping that Pixar would fail.  However, nothing could be farther from the truth.  No other movie studio has produced such a string of hits for so long, movies that I've always liked and often loved.

My wife and I loved the original Cars.  It was all the things that make Pixar great: charming, funny, smart, clever, and endearing.  So it was with great anticipation that we went to Cars 2 Saturday evening.  It was horrible.  Take the opposite of all of those descriptive words above and then add boring.  Don't bother.

One more thing: We went to the late showing to avoid children.  You can't avoid children.  There we were, in a theater in which the movie would not end until nearly 11 PM, surrounded by children.  And not just older kids, many of these kids were four or five.  And since their parents had already proven to be worthless, they went the full monty and loaded these kids up with soda to boot.

I fear for the species.

27 June 2011

Rapture: Well, That was Awkward

My wife sent me this funny story following the rapture-that-wasn't last month.

Photo taken from MYFOX8.com, story of staff writer Scott Gustin.

24 June 2011

Ferris Bueller Sequel?

Is a sequel to Ferris Bueller's Day Off in the works?  Well, probably not, but there is a very funny what-if trailer in the Net.

 

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24 June 2011

Addition: They actually are making -- or remaking -- Footloose.  This cannot end well.



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First Look: The Hobbit

Director Peter Jackson -- thank God! -- takes us behind the scenes on day one.

23 June 2011

National Debt: The View of a Money Man

As introduced by Josh Marshall at TPM:

This is really a must-read piece. Not because of the message but the messenger. The hyper attention to the country's debt is supposed to be in reaction to the bond market, the people who buy our debt. But the biggest bond guy in the country is telling Congress that while getting the deficit/debt in order is important long term it's simply crazy to think massive budget cutting is going to create the jobs or the growth the country needs. Unfortunately, that's the mindset now of people on both sides of the aisle.

Full post here.

21 June 2011

22 June 2011 Addition:  The former chief economist of the IMF, another Money Man, weighs in.  Debt default would be "a calamity."

American Worker: No Rest for the Weary

From Aaron Wiener at TPM:

Workers tend to bear the brunt of the American economy's boom and bust cycles. When recessions hit and unemployment rises, workers' share of the national income -- the money people earn through wages and salaries, as opposed to corporate profits and capital gains -- tends to decline. And when the economy recovers, workers' portion of the country's income rebounds to somewhere around its level prior to the recession.


At least that's how it went in the 20th century. But since the recession of the early 2000s, we've seen the decline without the recovery -- even after the recession ended, workers' portion of national income continued to drop consistently, declining up to and through the recession of the late Bush and early Obama years. Which raises the question: Has the economy changed in a fundamental way that will prevent workers from enjoying the benefits of the current incipient recovery?

13 June 2011Check out the entire story at the link above.  And, of course, it looks quite a bit different for American businesses.

Sarah Palin: The Word that You are Searching for is Stupid

For some time, I thought that Sarah Palin was uninformed, uneducated, and uninterested.  I didn't think she was stupid.  Turns out, she is uninformed, uneducated, uniterested, and stupid.  She is the perfect storm of vapidity.

If you want living proof of her dull mental power, look no further than her description of Paul Revere's famous ride.



After getting, quite litterally, every detail of the event incorrect, after even being called out by Fox News, she of course claimed that wrong is right, up is down, black is white.  It got so very sad that Palin supporters -- and what a bat-shit-crazy lot they must surely be -- took to Wikipedia to alter the entry for the Revere ride to fit her warped reality.

Of course, Palin blamed the media for her woes, claiming a "gotcha question."  What was the unfair, hard-nosed, mean-spirited question that she was asked that prompted her Revere Ramble?  "What have you seen so far today and what are you going to take away from your visit?"  I shit you not.  As Jon Stewart says, "It doesn't make it a 'gotcha question' just because it got ya."

As usually, comedy was the best response to Palin.  Check out Stephen Colbert here.  Jon Stewart dealt with it here.

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

The Daily Show - Sarah Palin's Folksy Word Salad
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

7 June 2011

June 4: Hug You Cat Day

Saturday, June 4th, actually is National Hug Your Cat Day.  Of course, in my life, that is every day.

Do it.  You know you want to.

3 June 2011

Lamson & Goodnow Knives

My wife and I took a day trip over the holiday weekend and visited the factory of Lamson & Goodnow.  I love to cook and while my skills are not up to the level of my tools, I do love to use high-quality knives.  I've always used German or Japanese knives, but that may be changing.

Lamson is the oldest knife manufacturer in the United States.  Indeed, they provided cutlery to the White House for President Grant and they still manufacturer their wares in the same factories built in 1850.  Their knives are beautiful and I purchased two to test, a 6" utility knife and a 6" boning knife.  I chose their "Fire" line, which features acrylic handles instead of wood.  This allows the knives to be much more water resistant to the point that soaking in water is allowed, something I would never do with my fine wooden-handled knives.

I like them so much that I plan to purchase two others... to start!  :-)

Prices on their web site match suggested retail for merchants.  However, at the factory I paid 25% less.  Shelburne Falls is a lovely town in which to spend a day, so I recommend the drive.  You won't be disappointed.

31 May 2011

Fed Tax Rate Lowest in 60 Years

From William Alden of The Huffington Post:

Hearing some politicians talk about taxes, one might be convinced the United States has one of the highest tax rates in the world.




But the reality is the federal tax rate, broadly measured, is the lowest it has been in 60 years, Bruce Bartlett writes in a new column. A look at the effective tax rate, which expresses taxes as a share of the country's economic output, belies the stream of political rhetoric arguing that taxes are relatively high, says Bartlett, who was a senior policy analyst under President Ronald Reagan.

31 May 2011

NYC Hawks

In addition to the bald eagles in Iowa, I've been following a hawk nest in New York City.  The egg has hatched, so now there is a chick to watch, too!

26 May 2011

National Debt Causes

From TPM:

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has updated and refined a widely cited chart, laying out the origins of the country's current fiscal trajectory. And as before, the lion's share of the problem comes from ongoing George W. Bush-era policies -- particularly deficit-financed tax cuts, which eliminated Clinton-era surpluses and left the Treasury poised for a huge hit when the financial crisis and economic downturn further eroded federal revenues.

See the chart at the link above.

25 May 2011

A Bronco Setting a High Bar

My sister, who is a monster Broncos fan, passed this story along.  It is nice to hear something nice about a professional athlete for a change!

25 May 2011

Amazing Photograph

Check out this photograph from National Geographic.  Sure, the magazine always has wonderful photography on display, but this one is wonderful in a different fashion.

24 May 2011

Israel's Need for a Two-State Solution

Josh Marshall at TPM wrote a nice piece on why it is not just in Israel's best interests to follow a two-state solution with the Palestinians, but in the interest of its survival.  Check it out.

23 May 2011

27 May 2011 Addition: Susan Crabtree and Igor Bobic of TPM have written a great article laying out exactly why President Obama's statements regarding Israel's borders in relation to a two-state peace process do not constitute a shift in US policy.  It is actually quite the opposite.

14 Foods to Buy Organic

The Huffington Post has an article on 14 suggested foods to purchase organic.  Take a look.

20 May 2011

Amazing "Dilbert" Pranks

If you want to see just how crazy things can get in a modern office cubical environment, look no further.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuW9DKXiirw&NR=1



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27IOmm7zlCw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaGE3hfvbqU&feature=related

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18 May 2011

Rent Apartment with 16 Cats

This is awesome.  And the fact that they named the Roombas is classic.  However, why would one want to keep the cats in another room?!?

18 May 2011

Osama bin Laden Raid: New Info

New information is emerging regarding the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.  This is the most complete account that I've thus far read.

18 May 2011

White House Poetry Controversy

As usual, Jon Stewart pops the bubble of babble that Fox News is blowing up.

11 May 2011

Tiger Being Born

Keeping with the nature theme today, here is a cool new video of a tiger cub being born.  Amazing.



Check out the link above for a non-cut-ff version.  Drat!

13 April 2011