In Defense of the Economic Stabilization Act (Bailout)

Here is the e-mail I received from my Congressman Christopher Shays (R) in defense of the economic plan that did not pass yesterday in the House. I feel he is one of the few who is voting for the plan that really is sympathetic to those who oppose it, but is willing to say why he is voting for it. Here is the text of his e-mail:

"Dear Friend,

We sent you an email over the weekend about Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s request for emergency action to deal with the financial crisis. Today, I spoke on the House floor in favor of passage and voted for H.R. 3997, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, but unfortunately it failed to pass the House by a vote of 205 to 228.

In light of this failure, our economy still needs Congress to act.

It is possible this bill will be reintroduced and passed in its present form or slightly amended. In either case, I am determined to be part of the solution and not the problem.

Last night, I proposed an amendment to H.R. 3997 to increase Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance to $300,000, but unfortunately no amendments were allowed by the Rules Committee when it reported out the bill this morning.

Statement on Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

Most of my constituents consider this a bail out. Some of them, in fact, are willing to walk bread lines in order to see wealthy Wall Street tycoons pay for their greed. The fact is, that would be irresponsible.

While this is not 1929 all over again, it could be if we step aside and let the wonders of the market work its will in this environment. We can’t let the foolishness and greed on Wall Street bring down Main Street; at least I don’t intend to.

We are witnessing the economy come to a grinding halt. Money is simply not being lent to individuals who need it. For businesses, this has meant an inability to borrow, to expand, invest in new equipment, stock shelves or even meet short-term cash needs, such as payroll. For individuals, it has threatened the assets of everyone who has an IRA or 401(k), college savings, pension plan or owns a home.

It has been difficult for me to hear so many members act like they were not responsible for this credit crisis when they had the opportunity to advocate reform, or at least support it, but chose not to.

We will have plenty of time to determine what went wrong and what individuals and institutions are responsible, but this is not the day or time to focus on who is at fault and what systemic changes need to be made.

I recognize today’s liquidity injection is a short-term solution to a long-term systemic problem. Those of us who return, and I make no assumption about my own election, have our work cut out for us in the next Congress.

I will vote for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and thank my colleagues in both chambers, and on both sides of the aisle, for their bipartisan efforts to avert a more serious economic crisis.

I believe the negotiators have worked in good faith, but we all have lingering questions. My own continue to be whether $700 billion is actually enough; why we are not increasing the FDIC deposit insurance above $100,000 so depositors don’t withdraw their funds; and why we are not addressing directly the capital markets problem like we did in the early 1980’s. I believe this legislation will address in the short-term the liquidity problem. And in the end, I believe tax payers, at a minimum, will be held harmless or even see a positive return on this expenditure.

If this bill passes and it puts liquidity in the market like we hope, we should be given the time we need to make some long-term changes.

I urge my colleagues to carefully weigh the effects of action or inaction and allow this solution not only to pass, but to work."

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Strangely prescient

From Dilbert's 2002 run...

Bailout Fails!

Despite impassioned pleas from all sides, the Bush Bailout Bill has crashed and burned, garnering only 60% Democratic support and about 30% Republican support.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/29/news/economy/bailout/index.htm?cnn=yes

It appears no one was willing to take on the blame for a deeply flawed bill in an election season. The Dow was down over 500 points after the vote. Will Congress now turn to the alternative Republican bill, try to revise this one, or simply take their marbles and go home until after the election?

These are the kinds of days when it must be hardest to be in government. There are no good choices, only bad ones for your reputation or bad ones for your philosophy.

Wachovia gives up the ghost

Next up on the failing bank buffet is Wachovia which is now being sold to Citibank in a transaction the FDIC claims will not touch public funds, nor impact taxpayers. This solidifies Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America as the Triumvirate of Giants in American Banking.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080929/wachovia_citigroup.html?.v=1

Who is up next? Will we see an even bigger bank go down the tubes, or will the bailout bill staunch the bleeding and stabilize things for a while? If economic is psychology with poker chips, then one must wonder if the key gift of the next president will not be his philosophy, but his ability to inspire. If so, neither man did well at Friday's debate, where there was more bickering, sighing, and annoyance than inspiration.

Is that the month with the Financial Bailout Plan?

Baliout Plan appears to have been reached

The biparitsan committee worked late into the night for a change and it looks like they've reached a compromise.  In many ways it's the same as Bush/Paulson proposal a couple of weeks ago, but in other ways it's significantly better.  More oversight, funds being released in multiple waves with all after the first having to be approved by congress.  So, in my opinion it's better - not great - but better.

How fortunate is SNL...

That there is a presidential campaign every 4 years. It's no wonder they struggle during the other three.

R.I.P Paul Newman

Paul Newman has died at the age of 83 from cancer. A great actor and loved by his community.

Note: The fourth to last paragraph has a quote with a little bit of language.

Biking Update - 9/27/2008

This was a good week for weight loss, though less good for health as I was sick from Monday thru Wednesday. Still, I'll take it as I lost about 4 lbs this week and am almost past the next decade in weight loss. I can hardly wait to be able to say I have lost 45 pounds, but I can't quite say it yet. :-) Of course, sometimes after a week of significant loss there is a bounce back up. We'll see how the old metabolism does it. But something else that might help is I picked up a Wii Balance Board/Wii Fit this week on a big sale. The functions in it allow you to track weight/BMI and it primarily seems to work balance and flexibility. But these can only be good. Although, I have found a few of the flexibility games are murder on my back.

But this was a fantastic week for biking, as we rode the Airline Trail in East Hampton, CT on Saturday which turned out to be everything the websites and books said it was. While not paved, it was a well-maintained trail that winds thru a whole series of natural New England wonders. We started in a natural cranberry bog, rode thru some amazing hills and along some small mountains, thru a forest, along a river, and even along a small bit of folksy civilization. It was truly gorgeous. The trail is about 24 miles long and we only managed 11.1 miles of it before we had to turn back, so as to make sure we were back before dark. Still, it was our longest ride to date. I really can't recommend it highly enough. The one problem is that it is an hour drive to get to and to get back from, so I really can't say we reduced our carbon footprint at all with this particular ride.

This next week will probably be a poor week for biking. Today, we are taking the Bible Quiz Team to Essex Fells, NJ for a meet, and if the weather behaves then we will be going to Ellis Island, as well. That knocks out any possibility of biking on Saturday - usually our big day. The rain may last as long as into Wednesday which would make getting in shorter rides around the neighborhood difficult as well. And we are pretty tightly scheduled until Thursday. We shall see. Bad comes to worse, I will hopefully still have progress to report next week from the Wii Fit and the exercise bike in the attic.

This Hit Me Right Today

And WaMu is toast

Making history as the largest bank failure in history, Washintgon Mutual (WaMu in their adds) is being seized by the FDIC and its deposits are being sold to JPMorgan. This is also the first bank failure since the meltdown began where the FDIC did not wait until Friday evening to seize the institution.

I laughed out loud at this one

To be clear, this is a parody, not a real movie trailer. But it is hilarious, even to someone like me who likes Sarah Palin better than John McCain.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

New Batman villain: The Bailout

Why McCain Went Back to Washington

Apparently, he was called back. Maybe he isn't quite so crazy as some on the left have suggested after yesterday. Of course, depending on where he comes down for this bail...er..."Rescue Plan" will tell us just how crazy he really is.

Even Republicans Can Find this Funny

From Speed Bump

FBI jumps in

It is no great shock, but the FBI has announced that they have begun investigations into several of bailed out companies to see if crimes were committed. Be watching. It is likely as more banks are failed or bailed that you will see more FBI activity.

I think this summarizes my concerns

From Glen McCoy on Townhall.Com. Welcome to the reign of monsters.

How much power do we give to the unelected?

The direction of the Bush Bailout - and most especially the insistence that it be passed without amendment - troubles me more by the day. There is first the question of the wisdom of the bailout itself, but I am willing to accept a general idea of it as the tourniquet to staunch the bleeding. But second is the way it is being handled - drawing yet more power into the Executive Branch. George Will has up a new column which succinctly summarizes the main problems with the current process.

Rep. Barney Frank, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, says: "No one in a democracy, unelected, should have $800 billion to spend as he sees fit. ... That's not the way to run a democracy." Frank is properly punctilious about a fundamental principle of American governance -- legislative control of public funds. But a fundamental principle of American political economy is that no elected person should exercise virtually unfettered discretion with such sums of taxpayers' money.

Are we really ready to entrust this level of social control to the Bush administration and the Fed? I am not sure I'd trust this much unchecked power in the hands of my best friend or even my own mother. How much less an unelected bureaucrat?

Scary quotes on the Bush Bailout

Some scary quotes from Marketwatch.Com. It does nothing to ease the concerns about the Bush Bailout.

"You can draw some valid parallels between the prosecution of the war under the Bush regime and the way the financial sector has operated in recent years," said Tom Schlesinger, head of the nonprofit research group Financial Markets Center in Howardsville, Va.
"It fails the most basic test of democratic accountability," Schlesinger said...

"It is no wonder that the Bush administration is pressing to get the plan passed quickly before any real oversight can be brought to bear, because even the simplest due diligence suggests that it needs some work if the taxpayer's interests are to be even minimally protected and some real oversight brought to bear on the whole process," wrote Josh Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc. in a note to clients.

Ron Paul endorses Constitution Party Candidate

In a move which is sure to alienate some of his more Libertarian supporters - but which is surely in line with his maverick nature - Ron Paul has endorsed Chuck Baldwin, presidential candidate of the Constitution Party. This can't come as a great shock to John McCain who has been trying to get the endorsement of the congressman who gained notoriety as the only GOP candidate in the primary who opposed the War in Iraq. Personally, I think the endorsement has more to do with a desire to "shake things up" and keep people guessing than with any true sense of alliance between the "Ron Paul Revolution" and the Consitution Party.

It will be interesting to see if this has any impact in the Fall. The Constitution Party was already the fastest-growing third party (much to the annoyance of the Libertarian Party, which has held the distinction of being the largest third party for a long time). But to date, it has shown little impact on the national stage.

The Blame Game is in full swing

Politics are a horrible sport, and right now we are firmly in the seventh inning: The Blame Game. Currently, on DrudgeReport only we have why the Mortgage Meltdown is Alan Greenspan's fault, why it is the Democrat's fault, and any random page on Daily Kos will explain why it is the fault of the Republicans. Let's be honest here. It is the fault of every member of Congress, the President, and a whole lot of greedy, dishonest corporate types. A lot of people who manipulated the system to their own benefit, or who ignored the abuses that were obviously going on.

This is where Obama or McCain can show their ability to lead. Are they brave enough to admit their own part in the debacle, and explain what they have learned? Are they bold enough to do more than stand by and wait out the storm? Honestly, I doubt it.

As good an explanation of the Mortgage Meltdown as I have seen

The Airline Trail

Enough for the doom and gloom of economy and history for one day. Yesterday, we had a wonderful bike ride alone the Airline Trail which goes from East Hampton, CT (about an hour drive north from us) thru Colchester, Lebanon, and Hebron. The trail itself is 22.4 miles, according to the handbooks, although then it links up with the "Airline Trail North" that goes all the way up into Massachusettes (originally this was a railroad line that went from New Haven to Boston). We could only manage to go about 11 miles up the trail before having to turn around and ride back (warning, the way back is more uphill than the way out!) but it still made for our longest single-day ride so far of 22.5 miles total.

I thought my Mod-Blog friends might enjoy sharing the ride by seeing the photos we took along the way. If you are ever in CT with your two-wheeled friend, it is definitely worth a ride.

Blast in Islamabad

In case you haven't heard just how big the blast was in Islamabad, here's an account of what the scene looks like. Though no one, as of the writing of the article, has taken credit for the what appears to be the largest terrorist bombing in Pakistan, it is thought that it is the Pakistan Taliban.

Last May, the top commander of the Pakistan Taleban, Baitullah Mahsud, had this to say when he spoke to the BBC: "We do not expect the new government to change anything. But we will fight it, every way we can and if we are not safe in our homes, neither will they be."

'They' has now come to signify ordinary Pakistanis and that shift speaks volumes of how this war has changed in character.

It is no more a stop-start battle of wavering ideals. It is now, without doubt, a battle to the death for the soul of Pakistan.

Another View of our Current Financial Meltdown

Libertarian talk show host Neal Boortz has up an interesting article on the current mortgage/financial sector melt down. He has a unique perspective as he was a real estate lawyer before and during the beginning of his radio career. His basic argument is that the government caused the current crisis by passing legislation that forced banks to lend to unqualified borrowers. If they did not, then they would be limited by the government as to opening new branches. So in essence, if they wanted to grow, then they had to make these loans.

Biking Update - 9/19/2008

This has been a good week for weight loss as I hit two new lows, although weight loss continues to be a non-linear process. Down 2 lbs on one day, up 2.1 lbs the next, down 1.7 the next, etc. It is frustrating, but of course after having already lost well over 10% of my body weight and hitting almost 40 lbs down from the start, all of the easy weight loss is probably behind me. Sigh. I prefer easy weight loss. Anyway, still trying to figure out exactly what foods and eating/exercise patterns work out best for me. The new stationary bike is working out well as a new tool in the arsenal - it has a pulse monitor which is a fun way to challenge myself, and is much more stable and reliable than the old one.

It was an okay week for biking too. On Saturday, we rode the Monroe Trail which turned out to be far more schizophrenic than the other trails. It was not paved, and varied from hard-packed dirt as firm and pleasant as the Trumbull Trail, to pitted but predictable as the Larkin Trail, and then finally wound up with some area that was as wild, bumpy, and borderline dangerous as the Shelton Trail. We rode it all the way into Newtown until we came to a set of ancient railroad tracks (hence the Rail-Trail monicker) which lead off into an entirely unmarked tail, then headed back. We did not do a lot of other rides this week (other than the stationary bike) due to a number of factors - weather, missing GNO, other commitments - and it now appears that Autumn is going to be a challenging time to make the time to bike.

Today, we are heading up to the Airline Trail in East Hampton with Nick and Nora. The trail is supposed to be beautiful and has been highly recommended to me by multiple coworkers and several websites. It is a LONG trail - 20 to 50 miles depending on which guidebook you go by - so it will probably be our longest ride ever, even if we do not ride the full length. We won't be doing this trail too often, however, as it is over an hour drive north. Still, if it is as beautiful as people day, it'll be worth it. Especially if we catch some of the foliage starting to turn up here in New England. We'll be sure to have a full report for next week's check-in.

Reminder: International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Just a reminder that this be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Argh!

Bush: We like debt, we'll take it ALL!

We've all seen it. You have a friend (or a self) who is overextended in debt. They have maxxed out their credit cards. They have used up every friendship and familial connection to borrow money. They are often seen digging thru other people's sofas looking for enough cash to buy a 99 cent cheeseburger for dinner. (Okay, that last one really only applies to college students.) Anyway, when a friend finds themselves in such dire straights, what do you do? You sit them down, make them face the problem, and work out a logical plan for repayment, including a strict budget and no credit, right?

Well, not if you are the American Federal government. If you are the Bush Administration, you instead take on all that debt yourself and let the friend go out and start racking up new debt. Or rather, you take all that debt and put it onto someone else who is barely getting by but has been paying their bills (the American taxpayer).

Sigh. Has it really come to this? Will it be under a supposedly Republican president that we see government essentially nationalizing the financial system by buying up insurance companies and bank debt? Does anyone think Barack Obama had planned anything so overtly socialist as this for this first term? I went to bed last night under GWB, and I woke up this morning under FDR.

Can anyone talk me out of seeing it this way?

No Libertarian Candidate in Connecticut

According to Politico.com Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for president will not be on the ballot in Connecticut. Here is the report:

"Barr did not make the ballot in D.C. or West Virginia, and he is challenging Connecticut’s decision to drop him from the rolls after the state invalidated signatures on his candidate petitions and said that he did not reach the minimum."

Looks like some Mod-Blogers who are not happy with John McCain or Barak Obama will have to find a different 3rd party candidate to vote for.

Congrats to Bowhunter!

A few folks had been asking about his latest trophy in the comments, so here is a photo he sent over.

Drinking water to lose weight is a failure

A new study is out which suggests that drinking water to lose weight is ineffective, although eating foods with a high water content can help. Actually, the study measured waist sizes and not weight, but the two are usually comparable.

This matches my own experience. I have always drunk a lot more water than anyone else of my age/weight/height and it has not helped nor hindered my effort to lose or maintain weight. It can be useful in making you feel a bit more full when you are desperate for "something", but overall it just tends to make you have to pee a lot more often.

Governor Palin's e-mail hacked

Where do you draw the line between public and private for government officials. Political candidates have long accepted that the press will invade privacy into areas of family and friendships that no private individual has to worry about. But even there, generally people have shown restraint in putting every aspect of an official's life under the microscope. Yesterday, however, an activist group which previously had targetted scientology revealed that they had hacked Covernor Sarah Palin's Yahoo e-mail and were publishing the results to the world on the website Wikileaks.

This action is unacceptable (and probably illegal). While it was unwise of Governor Palin to do any business on an unsecured server, there is no justification for hacking into the private communications of another person without court order and no logical rationale for making them public record.

Suddenly, I am guessing McCain's people are glad he doesn't know how to use a computer.

Microsoft to abandon Gates/Seinfeld ads

It appears Microsoft has come to its senses and is abandoning the line of ads featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. Maybe this time around they can remember to actually make ads that tell you something about the product.

Congress: "You take care of it, I'm going home."

You've gotta love it. This Congress has been attacking GWB right and left for "excesses of Executive power", where the President or an agency under his authority goes and takes on responsibilities duly delegated to Congress. So, what does Congress do when the Economy is in a tailspin, banks are failing left and right, and the people demand action? They go home and tell the Executive branch to deal with it. Ah, the irony. Is anyone surprised anymore that this is the Congress with the lowest approval rating in history? I wonder if the Democratic Party will be shocked to see a mass turnout of incumbents come November. A Democratic presidency and a Republican congress would be a logical reaction to the current situation.

Major Hillary supporter to endorse McCain

Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter and member of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee, will endorse John McCain for president on Wednesday, her spokesman tells CNN.

This seems to represent more of her personal feelings for Barak Obama than for John McCain, but it is interesting that she's willing to endorse and possibly campaign for Sen. McCain. Hopefully this will help to grab some of the uncommitted or on the fence Democrats, but really I don't see this doing much for McCain.

Worst idea in the history of bad ideas

They want to make a 6th Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy book without Douglas Adams (who died in 2001). It appears to be with the support of his widow, which makes me wonder if he left her with any life insurance to pay off the mortgage.

FYI, you now own AIG

It is not as crazy as it sounds. Yesterday the Fed made an $85 billion loan to AIG and now owns 80% of the company. Taxpayers own the Fed. So, you own AIG. (Yeah, I know it is more complicated than that.) I have to say that I am very uncomfortable with this approach to governing. Under a supposedly Republican administration, we now have a government takeover of one of the largest insurers in the world. Are we headed for a future with universal health care, simply because the government owns a major insurance company and decides to crush all competition? It is not as crazy as it once would have sounded.

Car bomb at U.S. Embassy in Yemen

Here we go again. CNN is reporting "multiple casualties" which hopefully means wounded and not dead. This is in the middle of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, which some years has seemed to radicalize the Muslim world.

Stubborn Librarians

This just made me laugh.

OK here's the thing. A few months ago, I lost my library card, well my wallet to be precise... "What Should I do [I asked]?"... Directly after I asked my question my librarian, her face screws up, and tells me with no small amount of exasperation "Well, did you look for it? I mean really look for it?"

And it continues from there...

Russian Stock Market Trading Halted Mid-Day

Russian official stopped trading on the two biggest Russian stock markets mid-day today as they dropped 17% in a massive sell-off. The main cause seems to be the falling price of oil. Russian's oil companies can't increase output so their profit levels are determined by the price of oil.

What If?

I thought it might be interesting to ask a few What-Ifs to guage the current allegiances of Mod-Bloggers to their chosen candidate. The current jockeying for position between Obama and McCain seems to show an uncommitted despite two significantly different candidates. I would think this raises the potential for an October surprise. (Like the DUI story for GWB.)

So, would you change your choice for candidate tomorrow...

1. ...if Barack Obama pledged to do what it took to reduce or eliminate unnecessary abortions in the USA?
2. ...if John McCain announced his opposition to appointing judges who would overturn Roe-v-Wade?
3. ...if there were a terrorist attack in the USA?
4. ...if Iran offered to give up its nuclear ambitions and recognize the state of Israel?
5. ...if Barack Obama were revealed to have a terminal disease?
6. ...if John McCain were revealed to have taken cocaine while Senator?

Choose one (or more) and leave your thoughts in the comments. "That is not a realistic what-if" is not what I am looking for, because the whole point is to challenge our assumptions about our allegiance. Plus, it would be WAY too easy. :-)

New Star Wars: The Clone Wars Lightsaber Duels Trailer

Lucas Arts has up a new trailer for the new Clone Wars: Light Saber Duels game coming out for the Nintendo Wii. The game will be out in time for Christmas 2008.

It was a tough weekend for the economy

Just ask Lehman brothers or Merrill Lynch. Be expecting a tough day in the stock markets today.

Church of England apologizes to Charles Darwin

The Creation/Evolution debate continues to be a Hot War in America, and there are many who feel that Christianity and Evolutionary Theory are fundamentally incompatible. But it appears the Church of England no longer sees any problem here, and is offering a formal apology to Charles Darwin for the Church's overreaction.

The apology, which has been written by the Rev Dr Malcolm Brown, the Church's director of mission and public affairs, says that Christians, in their response to Darwin's theory of natural selection, repeated the mistakes they made in doubting Galileo's astronomy in the 17th century.
"The statement will read: Charles Darwin: 200 years from your birth, the Church of England owes you an apology for misunderstanding you and, by getting our first reaction wrong, encouraging others to misunderstand you still. We try to practise the old virtues of 'faith seeking understanding' and hope that makes some amends."

I have been of the opinion for some time that the Creation/Evolution Debate is, at best, counter-productive most of the time.

Back from the north

080909_alaska_0003
Originally uploaded by anthropos9

Some of you may have noticed that I have not been around much for the past week or so. My wife and I took a holiday in the form of a week long cruise to Alaska. I've started posting the photos I took while I was up there on to my flickr account. So if you're at all interested, follow the link to see what I saw - or at least thought was interesting enough to photograph.

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

Is their McCain impersonator this good?

Obama's Gaffe Provides Fuel for Pro-Life Attacks

Barak Obama recently made a comment that should spread like wildfire throughout the Pro-Life community. Here is the report as retold in a recent column by Pat Buchanan.

Near the end of a town hall meeting in Johnstown, Pa., a woman arose to offer a passionate plea to Barack Obama to "stop these abortions."

Obama's response was cool, direct, unequivocal.

"Look, I got two daughters -- 9 years old and 6 years old. ... I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

I can't imagine any starker contrast than between this answer from from Obama and the response from Sarah Palin and her husband to the fact that their teenage daughter is pregnant. I'm sure this quote will be used to raise tons of money for Pro-Life causes and should cost Obama the support of those few Pro-Lifers who might have still planned on voting for him.

Biking Update - September 13, 2008

This was a bad week for biking, but not a bad one weight-wise. We had planned to start off the week biking the Monroe Rail-Trail on Saturday, but Hurricane Hanna put an end to those plans. Then, we had planned to instead bike on Sunday, but that also got cancelled but by non-weather-based events. Tuesday we had Guys Nite Out, but were again unable to bike due to a rainstorm (though the braver Nick and Bowhunter biked without us) and with the return of Bible Quizzing, Wednesdays are simply out for any time on a bike before sunset. (Although, I have a new stationary bike set up in the attic, which I have been riding to keep up the fitness of my lower body - the old one just about completely fell apart on me.) But we finally got out and about on Thursday, and rode along the beach in Stratford during sunset in nearly ideal weather conditions. It was worth the wait! Although, I am hoping we don't have to wait so much next week or the remainder of the Fall.

It was also a poor week for weight loss, although I did not really gain any weight. I simply vacillated between two weights, nearly the whole week, and ended out the same weight this week as last week. It seems that my body likes to alternate a week of significant loss with a week or two of "consolidation." Annoying for a goal-oriented person like me, but probably healthy as my body adjusts to the "new normal" after each spurt of weight loss. And since I have no deadlines, I can remind myself that I can afford to be patient. I just want to keep losing, maintaining, and getting healthier. A milestone that WAS passed this week, physically, is that I can now not only stand on my bike pedals to absorb shock but can also pedal while standing. This was previously not possible, I had thought due to my back surgery. But now it appears it was either a fitness thing, or a weight thing. This will make getting up the harsh hills of New England a little easier!

This next week should bring a little more biking. Tomorrow, hopefully, we will finally make it to the Monroe Rail-Trail for real. Rain is predicted for late in the day, but we plan to bring jackets and plan to bike rain or shine. Tuesday looks clear to bike up to Captains for GNO. And the weather looks better and better for comfortable riding. Here is hoping we can get plenty in before the time change, when it will be harder and harder to find time to bike after work when it is still light out.

Condescend Much?

She is a long-time member of the Assemblies Of God. That's all you need to know.

That's Sullivan in response to Gibson's purposeful misquote to Gov. Palin's comments about "God's plan" concerning the work we are doing in Iraq.

For someone who calls himself a Christian (I think he still does) he sure does condescend terribly towards other Christians who might have a different view. Imagine if someone on the right went after Obama's faith with such a glib and arrogant response.

Why Congress always wants to pass MORE laws

It is important to find wisdom where it is, not where you expect it. Consider this quote from Cringely which sums up many of the problems with the current Congress and American government in general.

" 'To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail,' wrote Mark Twain. In the current context this means that the organizations charged with reacting to this catastrophe will do so by doing what they have always done, only more of it. Congress, which controls the budget and passes laws, will want to pass laws and to allocate more money, lots of money, forgetting completely about any campaign promises. The military, which is the nation's enforcer, will want to use force, if only they can find a foe. The intelligence community, which gathers information, will want to be even more energetic in that gathering, no matter what the cost to the privacy of the millions of us who aren't thinking of terrorist acts. And agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulate, will want to create more stringent regulations. Now here is an important point to be remembered: All these parties will want to do these things WHETHER THEY ARE WARRANTED OR USEFUL OR NOT."

Sunset over Long Island Sound

CRChair and I had another sunset ride along the beach in Stratford last night in weather which could only be described as "perfect". Here is one shot from the ride to give you a taste for the beauty of the shoreline skyline. May its peaceful vibe help wash away some of the stress of the work week.

9/11 - Never Forget

9/11 - Never Forget
Originally uploaded by Heather Turner.

Let's remember to be praying today for the orphans and widows of 9/11. Many are ready to forget the day, especially in light of the Iraq War, but for some the hurt of that day will never heal.

Soda vs Pop - the Debate Lives On

When I was a teenager, we had great fun playing a prank on our youth pastor who referred to carbonated beverages as "Pop", while we staid Northeasterners referred to them as "Soda." I was interested to find the map below, which quantifies which parts of the countries call carbonated beverages by different names. Most interesting to me is how it seems to follow the red-state/blue-state divide. Perhaps it is a sign of divergent cultures within the American continent. Click on the image below for the original article and a little larger map.

Ocho Cinco is Expensive

The NFL player formerly known as Chad Johnson would like to have his new name on the back of his NFL uniform. He legally changed his name this August to Chad Ochocinco. The "Ocho Cinco" is in reference to his number which is 85. Well the NFL is saying that if he wants to wear a different name than "Johnson" on his uniform then he has to buy all of the unsold C. Johnson jerseys in the country first. This rule is meant to protect the official apparel companies of the NFL from having wasted merchandise if players change numbers or names. The NFL estimates that there are thousands of unsold "C. Johnson" jerseys out there and that they would have to be bought for at least $45 each to recoup costs. Talk about putting a true price on changing your name.

Paglia defends Palin

The last few weeks have been strange ones as the Left began a feeding frenzy no Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin. No rumor was too salacious, no innuendo off bounds, no crazy conspiracy theory too far-fetched to be dismissed by the more partisan bloggers on the liberal end of things. Ward even noted charges that this relatively innocuous Alaskan was akin to Hitler. The vicious attacks on Joe Biden by the Right seemed quite tame in comparison. ("Joe is really, really liberal!" "Yeah, well Palin is the antichrist!")

So, it is refreshing to see the admittedly liberal and Democrat-supporting Camille Paglia with nice words to say about Sarah Palin.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/paglia/2008/09/10/palin/

The write-up is hardly an endorsement - Paglia is still an Obama booster - but it shows a way back for the Left to the high-minded campaign that Obama seemed to be pushing earlier this year. Let's go ahead and debate issues, even character, but lets be reasonable and wise enough to admit ever candidate has some virtues in addition to their vices.

What's That Bug?

I found bugs that looked beetle-ish to me, but didn't know for sure that it was a beetle or why I was seeing them. I tried typing in descriptions and thought at first it was a carpet beetle only to have the exterminator say it was a type of weevil. For some reason, calling it a weevil just didn't satisfy me. I did some more searching and found BugGuide. They have pictures of MANY insects and spiders and even have a way that you can upload pictures and ask for the bug to be identified. They tell me that it's a darkling beetle. Still not sure how to get rid of them, but perhaps a second visit from the exterminator will make them go away.

Breathalyzing Everyone

I am interested to see what Mod-Bloggers think of this...

http://wcbstv.com/local/milford.high.school.2.813105.html

...a Connecticut school system has apparently adopted a new policy where in order to enter a school event (dance, etc.) all students must take a breathalyzer test for alcohol. Refusal to take the test will result in up to a 10 day suspension. The intent of the rule is to reduce teen drinking.

On the one hand, I am always for reducing alcohol use in underage people. On the other hand, does it not seem extreme to subject every student to a breathalyzer, regardless of suspicion of alcohol use? It is a "presumed guilty until proven innocent" policy which is both contrary to American standards of jurisprudence, and likely to discourage many kids from attending these events simply because they don't want to go thru the process. I realize this is not a legal issue (yet) because student rights are abridged while in school - that is established law from the bench - but it still seems like a bad idea. What are teens learning from this particular school lesson?

"Red in the morning, sailors take warning."

Storm Radar Image from Wunderground.Com (9/9/2008)
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Is the Mega-Church Movement in Decline?

USA Today has us an interesting article on their perceived decline in "Mega Churches" in America. They classify any church of more than 2,000 people a Mega Church. The most interesting statement in the article is:

"The megachurch story is not really about growth, it's about shifting allegiances. People want to feel good about who they already are," says Philip Goff, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University in Indianapolis. "If church is too challenging or not entertaining, they'll move on."

I really don't agree with this opinion. The shift I see away from churches is more from people who don't feel challenged. I wonder if this is just the difference between those who are "seekers" and those who are already "believers".

Umbrella Today

Cute and simplistic local weather station with a single goal in mind.

Apple "Let's Rock" Event is Today

Apple is having a special event today, presumably to release updated iPods. The event is called "Lets Rock". Among the expected releases today are new iPod Nanos, new iPod Touches, and possibly the iPhone 2.1 firmware.

Nomad published on MTOBikes.Com

I thought our regular Mod-Blog readers might be interested to know I got published on a Mountain Biking website today. The basic article is tips for people looking to lose weight via biking (which regular readers know I am having moderate success on).

http://mtobikes.com/tips-for-newbies-looking-to-bike-for-weight-loss/

Click on over if you are interested.

It is official - Taxpayers now own Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac

It was a rumor on Saturday, and not it is a reality. The government has seized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, putting the companies into conservatorship. This means that the taxpayers of the United States of America have now assumed the risk for hundreds of thousands of mortgages. This plan will wipe out current shareholders, apparently, and rumors are now indicating that the reason for the seizure was a discovery that both companies were falsifying their accounting to overstate their capital reserves.

Be expecting to hear calls for prison time for the ex-Execs of both companies. And a sharp drop in the stock market Monday morning.

Learning is Fundamental

It is amazing how much one's perspective on school changes after graduation.

Well...That Didn't Take Long

This trash hit job on Sarah Palin is bad enough considering the poor documentation and the completely unsubstantiated claims in it. But there is a comment to the article that I've just missed so very much in dealing with the Left. That is, the obligatory Hitler reference.

HILTER RETURNS AS A WOMAN - We need to mobilize and educate and donate. The German people buried their heads in the sand and millions of Jews were killed. Obama and Biden are working hard get the message out about whta’s at stake here. We need to work together and beat the BEAST back with information, mobilization, and resources. In other words, we need to be on the ground and virtual community organizers.

She's been in the campaign for a full week before I found the first Hitler reference. You know the liberals needed to find a new target for their pure bitter anger, and now they will be happy, they have found their new President Bush.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to be seized?

After spending billions bailing out Bear Stearns, it appears that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae may be placed in a conservatorship by the government in order to safeguard the mortgages they own. This would wipe out the shareholders for both corporations. Typically, both companies have been seen as "safe" stocks, because the companies were guaranteed by the government. This is sure to send shock-waves through the economy, though additional insurance behind mortgages will probably be a good thing in the long-term.

A little perspective...

After two weeks of political parties telling me how bad things are, this hit me just right.

Biking update - September 6, 2008

After two weeks of minimal weight loss, this was a breakthrough week and I am pleased to report that I am now over 35 pounds lost! That is a major milestone and I am hoping it is a sign of more to come. Of course, this was a week where I had much more control over my diet and where I was much more active. On Saturday, I actually started out at the Revelation Generation concert in Frenchtown, NJ. It was a great time of music, but I was also VERY impressed with the food vendors onsite. Most concerts I have been to in the past were all hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries. But this festival had plenty of salads, chicken meals, and lots of healthy options (in addition to the grease). The better eating, combined with a day of walking around the grounds of a farm-converted-to-open-air-convention-center actually kicked off a week of weight loss. Then Monday, for the holiday, CRChair and I decided to "finally" try out the Shelton Trail which is only about 1/2 mile from our house. The good news? It is a really nice mountain biking trail. The bad news? I am not yet ready for it. Unlike all the other trails we had tried, this one included lots of steep hills, loose ground, large tree limbs and stumps on the trail, and more... and that was on the part of the trail that the map said was "very easy." In the end, we jumped off of the trail onto a street, and then were reminded exactly how hilly Connecticut can be as we pumped the pedals for 1/2 hour before realizing it was time to quit. We headed back to the trail and back to the car, exhausted and with fewer miles than we had hoped for.

But Tuesday healed all wounds. After a rough day of work, we both decided to drive over to the Stratford Beach and ride there in the evening. It was a perfect night for riding with cool breezes and relatively low humidity. We rode from Marnicks to Short Beach (a beautiful public park which was surprisingly MUCH larger in the end then Long Beach, in the same town) and then back again. What capped off a perfect ride was a spectacular sunset. The sky was truly on fire for the last half of the ride, and Psalm 19:1 came to mind over and over again (The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.) I can honestly say that was the most satisfying ride I have had so far this summer, as it hit pretty much all the spots that I look for in a bike ride. After that, there has been no serious bike riding to speak of. My new stationary bike has arrived at Wal-Mart and will be picked up this weekend (I pedaled the old one to death after 3 years), so I'll be able to do better exercising in the cold months to come. In the meantime, I have taken back up Wii Boxing to work out the upper body, which has been working amazingly well.

This upcoming week is a bit of an unknown. We're hoping to bike the Monroe Rail-Trail either Saturday or Sunday, depending on how/if we get hit by the hurricane. After that, we're heading back into a full work-week and a regular Bible Quizzing season (with practices every Wednesday night). I am hoping the weight loss keeps up at the current rate, but either way I am looking to stay on-plan so that my weight continues to drop and my health continues to improve. And I am going to try avoiding the Nashbar sales for a little while.

Huh?

Exactly how is this supposed to be competing with the get a Mac commercials?

If you missed any Convention speeches...

...remember that they are all available on iTunes. You can get the Republican speeches here and the Democratic speeches here. Personally, I am burned out on politics at the moment, but will try to come back to these in a few weeks when I can hear the word "Change" without rolling my eyes.

What features would you want in iTunes 8

Next week Apple is having a 'big event' at which it is universally accepted that new iPods will be announced. The current speculation is that iTunes 8 will also be released at this event. Personally, I hope that iTunes 8 would include better resource management and be less of a memory hog. Granted all that I do in iTunes is manage my music library and listen to podcasts. My iPod is 6 or 7 years old, so a lot of the more fancy things iTunes can do, don't affect me. What would Mod-Blog readers like to see in a new version of iTunes?

Thoughts on the 2008 Republican Convention (Wednesday Night)

I decided to stay up and watch all the major speeches last night at the Republican Convention. Here is a summary of what I thought about each person’s speech.

Sarah Palin- Grade: A- She did everything she needed to do and came off as one of the most at ease speakers of the night. I was surprised at how aggressive she decided to be in going after Obama and Biden, but I guess I shouldn’t have been since that is one of the roles of the vice presidential candidate. She did not invoke the name of Hillary Clinton which was a good choice. She took on the attack of her being a “small town mayor” well. Overall, she did an excellent job and I can’t imagine anyone being less likely to vote for her following this speech.

Rudy Guliani- Grade: B+- Rudy was the attack dog for the night. His “New York” personality came out and allowed him to hit both Obama and Biden hard while mixing in humor. The best new line of attack on Obama was begun by Guliani who contrasted the jobs that Palin and McCain have held with that of Obama who’s only job has been as a Community Organizer. He questioned with humor what a community organizer really does.

Mike Huckabee- Grade B+- The “Huckster” used his humor and public speaking experience to weave together a speech that seemed less partisan than it was. Huckabee mainly focused on the “small town” values of Palin and to dispel the myth that all Republicans grey up rich as he, Palin and many others came from humble beginnings.

Mitt Romney- Grade B- My Man Mitt did a nice job, but did not give a speech that will propel him to be the next Republican nominee. I did think it was interesting that he got the second warmest welcome from the crowd after Palin. The delegates in the hall definitely like him and that will help him in the future. Overall, his speech was not as good as either his “religion” speech or his speech to CPAC where he dropped out of the presidential race.

Linda Lingle- Grade B+- The governor of Hawaii was a surprise to me. I had never heard of her and found it interesting that a state that recently has voted for John Kerry and Al Gore would have a Republican governor. She did a nice job. She was a good person to set the stage for Palin as they have worked together as governors and also wasn’t so great a speaker that she would overshadow Palin.

Watch your back: Trilegiant

Mod-Blog friend and commenter, Bowhunter, called last night to report that a company had attempted to scam him last night. Apparently, the company called "Trilegiant" (formerly Compucard, currently Affinion, constantly changing its name) had enrolled him into a "discounts program" without his permission. When he checked them out, he discovered they are currently under investigation for fraud for doing the same thing to many, many others.

Be sure to check your credit card and bank statements each month for fraudulent charges like this, as it is becoming easier and easier in the electronic age to sneak something past the radar.

An Oddly Compelling Argument

Photo from Yesterday's Ride

I really like how this turned out, the richness of color, interesting composition, and the detail. And this was on my little waterproof digicam. Just had to share.

Hitting New Lows

Poor Sullivan...We all know he let the moonbats eat his brain a couple of years ago now. But it's truly and deeply sad to see a once thoughtful man reduced to peddling the most absurd rumors about Sarah Palin and taking part in the sexists garbage that the left loves to push. His fall into the role of the National Enquirer of the blogsphere is nothing short of tragic. And if it isn't bad enough yet, apparently. His latest attempt to create a scandal out of absolutely nothing would be enough to make you laugh if he didn't believe it so fervently.

Palin is apparently part of a church that is every bit as controversial as Barrack Obama's. Apparently her pastor is quite the bigot, racist type. Sullivan's claim? They allowed Jews for Jesus to speak at their church. Clearly, this is on par with Rev. Wright's screeds arguing that America deserved what it got on 9/11. Yes. Jews for Jesus, a group of Messianic Jews who evangelize, their fellow Jewish people, are on par with Wright's hateful rhetoric.

Now I know that most sane people might scratch their head at how Sullivan manages to bring Jews for Jesus and Rev. Wright into the same realm. But let's face it, Andrew hasn't used logic for some time now. And to further cement his point, Sullivan quotes a part of the pastor's sermon as apparent proof that he is an extremist. Here is what the pastor said:

What you see in a terrorist — that’s called the invisible enemy. There has always been an invisible enemy. What you see in Iraq, basically, is a manifestation of what’s going on in this unseen world called the spirit world. … We need to think like Jesus thinks. We are in a time and a season of war, and we need to think like that. We need to develop that instinct. We need to develop as believers the instinct that we are at war, and that war is contending for your faith. … Jesus called us to die. You’re worried about getting hurt? He’s called us to die. Listen, you know we can’t even follow him unless you are willing to give up your life. … I believe that Jesus himself operated from that position of war mode. Everyone say “war mode.” Now you say, wait a minute Ed, he’s like the good shepherd, he’s loving all the time and he’s kind all the time. Oh yes he is — but I also believe that he had a part of his thoughts that knew that he was in a war.

Wow! What inflammatory stuff! Now look...I don't like politicizing religious life at all. But the idea that what this pastor preached is in any way close to being on par to that of Jeremiah Wright's claims is all too common an example of how Sullivan seems completely incapable of grasping any sense of scope, moral responsibility, or even logic. And all this from a blogger who I greatly respected at one time and who was largely responsible for my decision to start blogging. Truly sad.

Google Chrome Beta is online

http://www.google.com/chrome/?utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-blog-ogb&utm_medium=blog&brand=CHMP

So far, it is Windows-only.

Overpriced Music

I found this at the end of an article at Foxnews.com. I think it sums up the opinion of those of us at Mod-Blog.

"Why is the record business dead? Case in point: a visit to one of the few remaining record stores, an FYE in Connecticut: CDs were priced between $15 and $29. Are these people living in 2008? Are they from another planet? The same music is easily downloaded for $8-10, if not for free. There was not a single customer in the store. The poor clerks were trying to keep each other awake playing trivia games. ..."

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Proof that in I/T "No" Always Means "Yes"

For years, there have been rumors of a GoogleOS and a Google Web Browser. For years, Google has exhaustively denied the rumors, claiming that they had NO desire to compete with Mozilla, Apple, and Microsoft in the browser space. But, just as Apple's denial of the existence an iPhone turned into confirmation of the iPhone, Google's denials have become confirmation of a new Google-originated browser called Google Chrome. Imaginatively, Google released the announcement as a webcomic.

Perhaps most interesting is Google's choice to use Webkit - the same underpinnings as Apple's Safari - as the basis of Chrome. Why is this interesting? Because Google spends millions of dollars a year supporting the Mozilla Foundation. This choice means that Mozilla has been unable to find a user for their Mozilla rendering engine, even among their own biggest fans.

The fit hits the shan

It's hard to believe the McCain campaign didn't know that Gov. Palin's 17 year old daughter was pregnant, but if they didn't then it's a gross oversight. I'm of two minds about this revelation. 1. This is going to make her look like a bad parent and thus reflect negatively on the campaign. 2. Parents can't control everything their kids do and the way the Palins react to this will be more influential on the campaign than the very fact that it has happened. I hope that #2 is what happens, but I can already feel the Dems reving up to pound on #1. We shall see.

Tool Award

Posted without comment...It pretty much doesn't need one.