Biking Update - November 1, 2008

Okay, I am taking a chance and still calling this weekly feature a "Biking Update" because I am hoping to finally get back to biking today. This was another week of good weight loss, but lots of difficulty for our dog, Biscuit. The good news is that I reached my goal weight of 230 this week, and ended it out just a bit below. It is not clearly evident at the graph to the left here, but if you look closely you will see the line briefly dips below 230 at the very end. :-) It was a great encouragement to finally reach my original goal. I have lost over 55 lbs now from when I started on June 1 with a combination of smaller portions, elimination of refined sugar, and regular exercise in the form of biking (either on the roads or more often on a stationary bike in the attic).

The next question, of course, is what is the plan from here? I did some reading online and spoke to one of my weight-loss gurus and it all agrees that now is not the time to slack off. I plan to keep up the diet and exercise schedule and see how low I can go. Not sure if I will try to set a new goal in the short term, or just see where I end up. But for the next week or two, at least, my focus will be on keeping the trend going in the right direction. The photo to the right is of a Wal-Mart blood pressure cuff at their pharmacy. These are not known for their accuracy, but I thought it was worth noting it was the lowest reading I have had there in years. And this was while I was picking up medication for the dog, after an extremely stressful vet visit, so I was not nearly at my most relaxed! This is a good sign.

Next, I need to see the doctor about maybe taking up karate again. But that will probably have to wait until we see how Biscuit is doing.

All Too True

From Nate Beeler and townhall.com

Voting help

Speaking of wikis, have you seen Ballotpedia?  The site lists out all of the ballot initiatives for each state with a good write up for the pros and cons of each one.  Also, it shows why the people that support it do and why those that don't... don't.  For instance check out the write up for Washington's I-1000 the Death with Dignity/Assisted Suicide initiative.  It's balanced and a help for those trying to understand what is going to be on the ballot beyond Obama v. McCain.

Wiki.gov

I just found this interesting article about how Obama would integrate technology into his administration.  There are a bunch of interesting nuggets, but the thing that I found most interesting was this statement:

an Obama administration would [make good use of the Internet], even turning to wikis to discuss topics like privacy.

I understand the principle of a wiki, but could somebody explain to me how a wiki is supposed to bring more clarity into government?

Biscuit Update - Home and Sleeping

Well, it has been an eventful and uneventful day, depending on your point of view. The good news - Biscuit is home safe and snoozing next to me (as pictured below). The bad news - they could not do the endoscope because she was too swollen to put in an IV for the anesthesia. This means we still do not know what is wrong with her, but have to treat her on the doctor's best guess. This is probably okay as the doctor has been practicing medicine for 40 years and is renowned for his instincts and intuition. But it may mean that we are treating the wrong thing.

We start on some new meds today and see him again in two Mondays. Please be praying the new meds are efficacious and that she begins to feel better soon. As of now, she is just muddling through life.

Phillies win the World Series!

And a new generation of Phillies fans is born. Memories from 1980 harmonizing with these images in my mind. I was in kindergarten then.

Prayer Request: Our Dog Biscuit

Those of you who follow me on Twitter or who have spoken to me in-person the last few weeks are aware that our family has been going thru a minor crisis. Our dog Biscuit has been diagnosed with "significant" heart disease and some kind of gastrointestinal disorder. The heart disease is being treated with medication, but in order to treat her intestinal problem any further, she needs an endoscope. The endoscope, however, is dangerous because anesthesia is required, and anesthesia is always dangerous (potentially fatal) for a dog with heart problems. However, it has become clear she is NOT improving without this, so we have opted to have the vet do the endoscope today.

Please be praying for all of us and for little Biscuit today. Please pray that God guides the doctor's hands (both the vet and the anesthesiologist) so that they do their best to get the info they need without risking her life. Please pray that they can see what is wrong and know if there is a treatment. Please pray that we recieve comfort during this stressful day, and that once the doctor knows what is wrong that we have the required wisdom to know what to do next.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

What if Obama loses?

After a nearly euphoric month for Barack Obama, signs are now beginning to show up that John McCain may be competitive after all. In early voting, turnout among new voters is light and this is a major demographic that Obama is counting on. Likewise, many poll show a tightening race overall with a significant number of undecideds still out there. If Obama were to lose next week, it will raise many questions amongst Obama supporters (including inevitable charges that the "election was stolen"). If that does come to pass, here are a few thoughts I think are worth remembering.

• Despite perhaps the worst since Nixon for Republicans, due to the War and the Economy, Obama has rarely held a commanding lead. This should have been a warning sign from the start.
• Obama took on a risky strategy for this race, running on his personality (and his "inevitability") more than issues. Yes, he has been strong on opposing the war, but otherwise has cloaked specific policy goals under the banners of "Change" and "Hope." Voters like a big thinker, but also want one who actually can articulate a plan.
• Americans like divided government, where one party can keep a check on the other. Perhaps all the talk about a one-party system in Congress and the White House has reminded people that unrestrained government (Right or Left) is a dangerous thing. But if so, expect a massive win for the Democrats in Congress.
• Electronic voting failures should not be laid at the feet of just one party. The Democrats have been in power in Congress and in many State governments for years, and have had plenty of time to debug the process.
• America is still a center-right country, by and large. While they want to throw out the bums who got us here, they may not be ready for a wholesale lurch the the Left.

I have no inside info here, and to my mind I still think Obama is going to win with Bill Clinton-style margins. And you all know I am no fan of John McCain. But it is worth getting these out here now, before the heat of the moment arrives.

Do Mod-Bloggers think we should add anything else to this list?

Inspired by Banking Bailout, GM Says "Nationalize Us Too!"

Is there no one out there capable of thinking long-term anymore? It was bad enough that the Republican Party lead the charge to nationalize banking by buying equity stakes in the largest banks in the country. Now, GM and Chrysler are asking for the Federal government to buy a stake so that the two companies can successfully merge.

An injection of $3 billion in equity to support a GM acquisition of Chrysler would be roughly equivalent to the current, depressed value of the top U.S. automaker.

It would also give U.S. taxpayers a large stake in the turnaround of a struggling auto industry that employs over 350,000 American workers and is credited with supporting employment for another 4.5 million in related fields...

In addition to its equity stake, the U.S. government is also being asked to provide support for the GM-Chrysler merger by taking over some $3 billion in pension obligations under the terms of a proposal now before the government for review, the first source said.

How long will it be until we face the fact that some companies must be allowed to fail? It is one thing to attempt to stabilize the economic system by ensuring liquidity. It is another to prop up a manufacturing company with a proven history of incompetence. If we keep up these knee-jerk bailouts, we're going to suddenly find ourselves living in a socialist nation where the government sets the amount of our paychecks and decides who to hire and fire.

Still going down

Still going down
Originally uploaded by crchair

Gas in Stratford.

Pro-Choice, but without the usual exceptions added

I was reading The Straight Dope website today and one of the questions Cecil Adams answers is "When does human life begin." Adams does not hide the fact that he is pro-choice, but he does believe that life begins before birth. The most interesting thing to me is that he does not believe that rape, incest or birth defect are good reasons to have an abortion. It is interesting to see someone on the pro-choice side who we can find some common ground with.

Resume inflation taken too far

Here in western Washington there's a bit of a scandal brewing because one of our candidates for Congress has claimed on multiple occasions to have an economics degree from Harvard.  Unfortunately for her, she doesn't. Resume inflation is pretty common now, especially with a very competitive economy.  I think that it's wrong, as do most employers, but is understandable.  In this particular case I think that it's especially wrong, she's running on credentials she doesn't really have.  Granted she did take several economics classes at Harvard, but that's not the same as having a degree in it.  When appealing to the people to vote for you based on your credentials, it's pretty important to not lie about it - especially when those credentials are easily verifiable.

Preeptive War in America - Dead or Alive?

If Barack Obama is the next president, many among us will be assuming that the doctrine of preemptive war (that American can start a war with a terrorist state without being first attacked) is dead. But politicians have a way of adopting any policy - even that of their rivals - if it means getting done what they want done.

I am interested in what Mod-Bloggers think about preemption and whether it remains a viable political philosophy for the future? Has the Iraq War disproven it? Has it proven its effectiveness? Or was it all smoke and mirrors, anyway?

My own opinion was that it was always a bad idea, based on principles that we used to consider un-American. It was a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 which cooler heads would have rejected in time, if it had not been used immediately to justify the invasion of Iraq. I think the next president would do well to abandon it. But I suspect they will only do so, if Congress works to regain their Constitutional power over declaring and funding wars.

WV Vote-Flipping Explained

Finally, we have an expert who can explain the charges of vote flipping (you vote for Obama, it shows as assigned to McCain) in West Virginia and elsewhere. The good news: it appears there is no conspiracy, but rather a technical glitch related to calibrating the touchscreen. The bad news: It looks like this is a very easy problem to have occur, which probably means we'll be hearing about a lot of reports of vote flipping in the days to come.

"Fixing" Heroes

Much is being made online of this EW article on how to save the TV show HEROES. HEROES is struggling to regain audience after a lackluster second season and a writers strike which left us with something like 8 months with no episodes. The article has some decent ideas, but I think it misses the central need of the show.

BRING BACK HOPE AND JOY. The first season was not only special for its cliff-hanger endings, mysterious backstory, and strong ensemble. It was also special in being one of the few shows out there that really centered on a Hopeful vision with Joyous characters. Sure, there was plenty of darkness. But amidst that darkness, we had Hiro basking in the joy of newfound abilities and significance. We had Peter showing boundless optimism as he sought his place in the wold. We saw Claire move from hating her abilities to seeing them as a real beacon of hope for others. We even saw the bad guy - HRG, now named Noah Bennett - find hope in his love for his daughter, despite his darker nature.

This season seems to have lost that thread. Hiro fears his powers, and is driven by boredom. Peter is bitter and cynical after being used by both of his parents. Claire is alienated by her abilities and loss of a sense of normality. And HRG/Noah is embracing his darker instincts in the pursuit of Sylar (who is the ONLY character showing hope and joy these days).

The fix is simple. Forget the "Dark Knight" and the fear of the moment in the economy and the world. Instead, give us hope, show us glimpses of joy, and remind us that in the darkest moment there is always hope for redemption and triumph of our best selves.

In case you missed it, we invaded Syria on Sunday

Apparently, while Democrats were obsessed with the idea of Bush ordering an invasion of Iran before the election, Special Forces instead decided to enter Syria in pursuit of Al Qaeda. Syria is furious.

A U.S. military official said the raid by special forces targeted the foreign fighter network that travels through Syria into Iraq. The Americans have been unable to shut the network down in the area because Syria was out of the military's reach.

"We are taking matters into our own hands," the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of cross-border raids.

The attack came just days after the commander of U.S. forces in western Iraq said American troops were redoubling efforts to secure the Syrian border, which he called an "uncontrolled" gateway for fighters entering Iraq.

Hopefully, this does not mean we are entering a new phase of the war. But some quotes from officials in the article make it sound like the military is trying to get in a few parting shots before the election.

What is more important, ideas or leadership ability?

This race is not over yet. Not by a long shot, no matter what the day-to-day polls say. John McCain has made a career out of comebacks in the final seconds of the political game. But still, I think it is wise to look at the implications of an Obama win.

During my ruminations, I came across this video about an interview with Obama. It is NOT the interview, just one reporter's thought ABOUT the interview. It talks about Obama's character and not his ideas - his thoughtfulness, his seriousness, and his decisiveness. And it raised a question for me. What is more important in a president - a leader in general - his (or her) ideas or their ability to lead?

Of course, to a point, this is a foolish question, because any "good" leader will lead people in the direction s/he wants to go in. But if we look deeper, it is important. Ronald Reagan lead strongly and united a world against Communism - the great threat of his time - despite the fact that his ideas were at odds with much of America. Bill Clinton lead America to a balanced budget and economic prosperity, despite ideas which might have saddled us with massive new entitlements instead. George W. Bush has changed America, but his finest moments were not around an ideological speech, but rather around his responses to 9/11 and his leading America in the days following.

This gives me hope for an Obama presidency. If he truly can lead and unite us, he may be a man who can unite and lead to great things, even if I believe his ideas are wrong. A united American can do great things, even in hard time - especially in hard times. Perhaps having the character of a leader is the most important thing. What do Mod-Bloggers think?

Biking Update - October 25, 2008

So, I guess the question now is when I should stop calling these weekly check-ins "Biking Update" and start calling them something like "Weight Loss Update" or "Health Update". Again, this week, I had no chance to do any biking, aside from a few hours on the stationary bike in the attic. This time around, the issue was not the dog's health (though she remains sick and we have some hard decisions to make, so please be praying). Instead, it was work and issues surrounding our church's Missions Weekend. CRChair runs the Weekend, so he has been preparing all week which shot down most of our weekends. But the weight loss is still good, as I am down another 2.2 lbs this week. Not quite the 5 or 7 lb weight loss week that I have reported in the last few, but still not bad. I am still waiting to hit my goal weight at this point. But it is not a bad thing to be staying so close to it for a while. The longer you stay at one weight, the longer you are likely to take to gain back the pounds.

The one new bit of reporting I can give is on options for exercise in the winter. Obviously, biking will not be as fun or easy when there is snow and ice on the ground. (Though I am amazed how many websites exist to talk up "ice biking" or "snow biking.") So I am looking for an alternative form of exercise that would fill the gap. I learned Tae Kwon Do (korean karate) in College and got up to a Green Belt (about halfway to black belt). I have not touched it since, but there is a Tang Soo Do (also a form of korean karate) just down the road. I visited Valley Karate this week and spoke with Master Berger about the school. Seems like something I can do, and I recognized all the forms they were doing from my days with Tae Kwon Do. I would have to start as a white belt again, but after 15 years I think that is adviseable anyway. Next step is to visit my doctor to see what I can and can not do safely, after my back surgery and with my bad knee.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Could over confidence be the downfall of the Obama campaign

To continue our conjecture this morning, I was thinking about the level of confidence in winning both inside and outside of the Obama camp.  It is widely known that one of the major strengths of the Obama camp is that they have the youth behind them.  Another well known fact is that the youth vote doesn't usually count for much.  With conventional wisdom now pointing toward Obama winning handily, is it possible that the youth vote disintegrates on Obama?  Younger voters often don't vote because it's not worth their while - or at least they don't perceive it to be - so is it possible that they will get the feeling that the election is already in the bag and not vote?  The Obama camp has a very strong get out the vote push, so you can be sure that every one of those young voters who have made their support known will get a call or twitter or text or email or something encouraging them to vote, but it still seems likely to me that a lot of them just don't vote because of overconfidence.  Does anyone have any thoughts about this.  Perhaps this could be the new McCain stratagy - 'you don't have to vote because it's already in the bag' - or not...

Is the market voting against Barack Obama?

Here is an interesting question that I would like to see explored further by pollsters. The New York Post is asking if this week of especially bad stock market days are due to the continuing fallout of the economic meltdown, or if they are in fact a market reaction to the increasing certainty that Barack Obama will be president.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10132008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/an_obama_panic__133374.htm

It is a question worth considering. The economy is one constant election where people vote for what they like and dislike with their dollars. It is run less on hard numbers then on vague senses and intuitive guesses about the future. If the markets are going South based on fears of an Obama America, then it raises several questions: (1) Is the Obama surge real or do the markets indicate it is an illusion? (2) Is the collective wisdom of the markets that Obama will be the wrong choice to get us out of the Recession? (3) What can Obama do to change these perceptions? (4) Does this present an opening for John McCain to change the narrative?

Of course, this is all conjecture. As of now, we do not know how much of the panic is based on future government, how much is based on past government, and how much is just based on day-to-day issues. We probably won't know until the history of this era is written by our children and their children.

Irony approaching Overload!

Original from Townhall.Com.

Gas in Stratford

Gas in Stratford
Originally uploaded by crchair

Is there still hope for an Apple netbook?

I don't think so, but apparently there are traces of such a device being found on the net.  It certainly is possible that such a device is around, but Jobs doesn't like the category so much.  Then again it's possible, to quote Shakespeare "The man protesteth too much".  Maybe Jobs is planning on redefining the category, which is something he's known to do.

Third Party Debate Tonight

Unfortunately, nothing that has happened in the last few weeks has changed my decision to vote for a third party in this election. If you are still interested in exploring the beliefs and approaches of the third party candidates, consider tuning into the third-party-candidate debate tonight on CSpan at 9 PM EST. We usually tune into these third-party debates, and they are always interesting, as they provide a view into a side of politics that we rarely see on the major networks. Even if you are already committed to a major candidate, consider tuning in as an educational exercise.

Tracking The Government

Want to keep tabs on the government? Check out GovTrack.us. You can view RSS feeds of what is happening with specific members of congress, issues, bills, and committees.

Archer Would So Do This

I've been reading Dear Abby for a while now and this question was posted today. I can so see Archer handling the situation this way. I think the criminals got what they deserved.

"DEAR ABBY: A few weeks ago, I returned home after mowing the lawn at my mother's place and parked my truck behind my house. I left the lawnmower and a 5-gallon can of gas in the bed of my truck and went into the house for a drink of water. When I returned, the gas can was missing.

I bought another can, filled it with gas and added 2 pounds of sugar. Again, I parked my truck in the same spot with the gas can visible. An hour later, it too had disappeared.

A short while later, I noticed a neighbor's son and his friends pushing his car up the street. They said they had "engine problems." My wife thinks what I did was wrong and that I should offer to pay for this lad's engine repairs. What do you think? -- "A-GASSED" IN ILLINOIS

DEAR "A-GASSED": I disagree with your wife. What if the boys had another kind of engine problem and this was just a coincidence? I'm sure whoever stole your gas got an expensive lesson. Let's hope it also saved them from a life of crime."

This scares me

Ben Bernake, Hire These Ladies!

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die

When are you inspired

I find that most of my best work happens in the morning (generally before 9 a.m.), but according to a new study most people have their eureka moments later in the evening.  So when do you find yourself being most inspired?

The Apple v. MS commercial war continues

TechCrunch has up some interesting commentary on the most recent advertising salvos sent by Apple. I like both of the new commercials, though the one with the money is more funny than the Vista beeper. Thoughts?

Joe Biden rally photos

Biden_101908_0147
Originally uploaded by anthropos9

I had the "privileged" of photographing a Obama/Biden rally here in Tacoma. I will be doing a longer write up of my thoughts and impressions on the event, but until then here are a few of the photos I took.

Other NetBook Options

After seeing the sub-$300 Asus Eee PC netbook at Target, I did some research on other options, since a few Mod-Bloggers seemed interested. Best Buy has an Asus Eee PC model (900A) which is the same size as the Target model, but has a much faster (and more energy efficient) processor. Both have 512 MB RAM and 4 GB "solid state hard drive", and run a custom version of Linux. If you are willing to spend a little more and buy from Amazon you can get an upgrade from the BestBuy version with 20 GB SSD and an 8-hour battery or you can get a version with Windows XP Home on it. None of these have optical drives (CD-ROM or DVD-ROM) built in, but you can buy any standard USB external drive to use with them. Also, there are other models (MSI Wind, Acer ONE, and the Dell Inspiron Mini) if you are willing to explore other brands.

I am pretty interested in these little devices as an ultaportable writing tool that won't cost me an arm and a leg. Might be a way to resist upgrading to the newest MacBooks, when I really need more portability rather than more power.

Low Glow light for night biking

CRChair, Nick and Archer can tell you that I go a bit overboard with my lighting when biking at night. (*COUGH* 25 watt light *COUGH*) I am always very aware how hard it can be to see a biker after the sun goes down, especially if you are on a street without excellent street lights. This product may well be my next night-biking accessory, as it addresses the one main weakness with my current strategy: side visibility.

Powell endorses Obama

In a move that should only surprise those who don't pay attention, Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama for President. This is unlikely to sway a large number of voters, but it is sure to be a major news story the next few days.

He said he had watched both Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for many months and thought “either one of them would be a good president.”

But he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment.

The other point worth mentioning is that this likely confirms that Powell has no interest in running for President himself in the future. If he had, he would have looked to avoid alienating other Republicans. Then again, if some of the stories told about his time on the Bush cabinet at true, he may feel they have already alienated him.

Updated 10/20 with video of the endorsement

Vote Switching in West Virgnia

Between these charges and the widespread allegations of voter fraud by ACORN, I am expecting we are in for a rash of after-election lawsuits about the results.

Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week.

This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last week, three voters in Jackson County told The Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for "Barack Obama" kept flipping to "John McCain".

In both counties, Republicans are responsible for overseeing elections. Both county clerks said the problem is isolated.

They also blamed voters for not being more careful.

"People make mistakes more than machines," said Jackson County Clerk Jeff Waybright.

I am betting on of the first things the next President/Congress will have to tackle is a way to restore faith in our electoral system. That may require abandoning the electronic machines that they mandated only a few years ago.

Asus EeePC at Target for $299.99

I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that there were reports of the Asus Eeepc Netbook at BestBuy for $299, and a lot of Mod-Bloggers seemed interested. So, I thought they'd be interested to hear that we saw it today at Target for the same price. Might be a good inexpensive laptop for light use.

Biking Update - October 18, 2008

Well, this was my WORST week for biking since we started in June. I spent no time at all on the real bike, and only a few hours on the exercise bike in the attic. But I did learn a valuable lesson. Apparently, constant worry can be just as effective an exercise/weight loss regimen as doing biking and the Wii Fit every day. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that we started dog-sitting our mother's dog Biscuit on last Saturday. She had been having issues with her bowel movements earlier in the week, but our mother was unable to take her to a vet. We got her on Saturday and she was in bad shape - no energy, no appetite, no BMs at all. We took her to a nearby veterinary hospital Sunday right after church when it became clear she was NOT getting any better with time. We spent most of the day at the vet on Sunday, then were back Monday and Tuesday as well. Biscuit has been diagnosed with "significant" heart disease and also gastro-intestinal disease. Basically, her heart is pulling in more blood than it is pumping out, leading to a backup of fluid elsewhere in the body. The "elsewhere" in this case is her intestines, so they are developing all kinds of problems. As of Sunday, we were not sure she was going to survive. The doctor immediately put her on both heart medications and antibiotics (which we have to shove down her throat, because she won't eat even the chewables on her own). Saturday thru Tuesday morning were very tense days. Neither of us slept much, and we spent most of the day watching to make sure she was still breathing while in her bed. Tuesday was the day things started to turn around, as she had a major bowel movement and began eating again. We have been taking care of her since then, as well - I have arranged to work from home this week so that she has someone with her all day - and the progress has been good. She is now eating well, pooping regularly, and has her personality back. She is still very sick - we go back Monday to start talking about addressing the next stage of the illnesses - but she is much better and probably safe for the moment. Phew.

But with all of the watching and worry, there was no time to bike away from the dog (bringing her with us was not a realistic option) and every night when I was free of responsibility to go and bike, I was already exhausted from worry. So, I have been exercising maybe every other day. But it turns out that this does work for weight loss, as well. I guess the lack of appetite on my part may have also helped. I crossed the threshold this week and have now lost over 50 pounds! I only have another 4 lbs to go as of today until I have reached my goal weight of 230. If that works, I will probably keep trying to lose so that when the holidays hit I have some "cushion" to gain a little weight and still be below 230. Then I'll take some time and figure out whether I want to maintain (as per Mrs. B's comment last week) or try to lose more. It is a good decision to have to make. Oh, and the karate studio interview got pushed back a week by the events of this week. So, assuming Biscuit is still recovering next week, I should have more to report on that front.

Iran Loses To Japan For Security Council Seat

I didn't even know they were making a bid for it, but Iran has lost to Japan for the Asian non-permanent U.N. Security Council seat. They needed two-thirds of those voting in order to get a seat, but only got 32 votes. I'm not sure how many votes two-thirds is, but Austria got their seat with 133 votes. Thankfully we won't have Iran trying to dictate where U.N forces go or don't go.

Perhaps the Cutest Photo Ever

Congrats to Pastor Ron!

The original title did not really explain why I am posting this, so I updated it to PASTOR Ron. Congratulations again to him!

Jobs justifies loss of Firewire in MacBook

The Fire(wire) Storm has begun with many of the Mac Faithful angrily speaking out against Apple's decision to drop Firewire from the MacBook. One user claims to have an actual response from Steve Jobs, justifying the decision. Personally, I find it less than satisfying.

Gas in Stratford

Gas in Stratford
Originally uploaded by crchair

Secret Service: "Kill" Claims Are False

Hat tip to Nick on this one. I posted an article yesterday decrying the antipathy and extremism that is gripping some corners of the GOP, as they look defeat square in the eye in the presidential election. Among those signs were multiple reports of people yelling "Kill" at McCain/Palin rallies. The Secret Sevice is now saying the claims are wrong. They have investigated them, and so far the only witnesses to the cry are the reporters who posted the stories. Something that made such a splash at the debate last night should be better investigated.

Honestly, I would have liked to hear McCain be a little more strong in his condemnation the allegation, either way. There has been too much extremism on both sides the last 4 years.

Western PA Won't Vote for Obama Because it is Racist- Says Rep. Murtha

Representative John Murtha says that "There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area." He goes on to say that Obama will still win the state, but it won't be by a big margin because of this racism. This is Murtha's district and surrounding areas that he is talking about so I am sure he is trying to guilt people into voting for Obama. I wish Obama would come out and tell people to stop playing the race card. There is no ambiguity that this is what Murtha was doing.

Phillies - Going to the WORLD SERIES!

ya gotta believe
Originally uploaded by pompomflipflop.

I first became a baseball fan in 1980 when I was living near Philadelphia and watched the Phillies become World Champs against the Royals. I am thrilled to see it (maybe) happening again, as the Phillies beat the Dodgers to top the NLCS and head to the WORLD SERIES. Here is hoping this is only the start of the celebration and the greatness this year!

P.S. Sorry Joe Torre. We would have all enjoyed the irony if you had beat the Yankees to the World Series. But this was the year of the Phanatic!

Want To Watch The Debate? Watch It Here On Mod-Blog!

Or you can watch it directly on Hulu in a separate window here.

Reminder: We are in a Democracy!

I have been saddened and angered by recent reports of people shouting "Kill!" regarding Obama at McCain/Palin rallys. It is also becoming more and more common to hear disappointed or angry Republicans (or Libertarians or Green Party people) saying something to the effect of "Obama won't be *MY* president." There seems to be some sense going around that the choice for President is a personal issue, and that if your preferences are not met, then you have no obligation to offer respect and support to the man in the office. This site has up an excellent write-up that reminds us we that under our system, the man with the most (electoral) votes wins, and thus ends the argument.

And whether Obama wins – if he wins – by one vote or millions shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you believe the reason he won was because the press was in the tank for him, or ACORN cheated, or McCain didn’t get a fair shake, or any other legitimate or illegitimate reason you can think of. At the very least, Barack Obama will deserve our acknowledgement that he is the legitimate elected president of the United States.

That doesn’t mean we have to slavishly follow him or join his cult like groupies. What it means is that where what he proposes to do is reasonable and doesn’t conflict with our principles, he should expect our support. It means that we don’t have to delegitimize his presidency to oppose him either. People of good will and good conscience can disagree without tearing each other and the country apart. And in this day and age, such an outcome would be unbearable.

I hope to hear statements from both candidates decrying and condemning the "Kill" shouts at the rallys. And I hope that people on both sides can tone down their personal rhetoric and realize that if Obama is elected, he is the President and is due our respect. Even Nancy Pelosi stood behind President Bush on 9/11. If, God forbid, there is another attack during an Obama presidency, we need to stand behind him then.

Rant: I want Firewire in MacBooks

I am sure you'll read a lot about this in the next few weeks from Mac Fanboys, but let me go on record as saying, "I want the Firewire port back in the MacBooks!" If you caught yesterday's rollout of the new MacBooks and Macbook Pros, you may or may not have noticed that Firewire is now ONLY offered in the Pro version of the notebook. This is the first time that the low end notebook has been without Firewire since the transition from SCSI as Apple's preferred external hard drive interface.

I'll make this quick and simple. I am the perfect MacBook user - the kind Apple wants buying them. 99% of my computing needs do not require Pro power. I write, I surf the web, I watch iTMS movies, and I do some digital photo editing. This does not require the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro. But among these things, I do occasionally edit video, which is MUCH more practical on Firewire and I have invested a not-insignificant amount in firewire hard drives because they are so much faster than USB 2.0, in my experience. If I now upgrade, I need to either shell out the extra $$$ for the Pro, or switch over to 100% USB backups and external storage. To reflect this back to Apple's bottom line, I had planned to upgrade this winter - despite the economic downturn. Now, I am likely to wait until the next revision and/or a major windfall to upgrade.

I understand why Apple made the choice. Fewer port means less cost and more space for other things. But this is one move I wish they had given us a little warning on, or delayed until 2009.

DisplayPort?! What is Steve Jobs talking about?

If you have seen any of the coverage of yesterday's notebook event for Apple, you are aware that Apple is adopting a new external display technology "across the entire product line" called "DisplayPort." With VGA, Mini-VGA, DVI, Mini-DVI, and HDMI all handling some level of HD video, one might be forgiven for wondering why we need ANOTHER kind of video display port on our MacBooks or other PCs. This article does a good job of explaining what DisplayPort is, why it is being adopted by PC manufacturers, and what to expect of it in the future. The short version is it is royalty-free (i.e. cheap for manufacturers), it can combine the VGA and DVI ports on your current PC, and it provides a truly open standard. HDMI is expected to remain the leader for Consumer Electronics, but DisplayPort is expected to take the lead for PCs and Macs.

Interesting. I only use the Mini-VGA port on my Mac to output SD video for slideshows, so I doubt it will make a big difference in my life. Except, of course, now I need to buy another adapter when I upgrade.

Welcome to the Age of Nationalized Banks

We knew it was coming, but now the White House has announced plans to buy equity stakes in the countries top 9 banks. This will make the Federal Government a shareholder in all of these companies, and is interpreted as an implicit guarantee that they will not fail. The UK did this over the weekend and some place the Monday rebound of the stock market on the shoulders of this action.

To kick off Tuesday's expected announcement, the government is set to buy preferred equity stakes in Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. -- including the soon-to-be acquired Merrill Lynch -- Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., Bank of New York Mellon and State Street Corp., according to people familiar with the matter.

I am of many minds about this. First, I am against the socialization/nationalization of banking. It places significantly more power in the hands of the Federal Government over our lives, and may actually one day require you get permission to own a home (i.e. get a mortgage or write a large check). Second, I am concerned that only large banks are being backed. This means smaller institutions (like the bank I work for) might see depositors fleeing in favor of Federally-owned banks, figuring they will be more secure for the future. Is this the end of the local bank branch? Third, where does this end? We all know the automakers are likewise on the edge of bankruptcy. Should we expect equity stakes there, in order to protect jobs? What about power utilities or internet providers, to protect our infrastructure against collapse? You see where I am going with this - where does it all end?

The inevitable Supreme Court challenge here will be fascinating to watch. Bank ownership is definite NOT among the enumerated powers for the Federal Government, but this policy probably fits under "interstate commerce" in the implied powers section. Will the Supremes endorse the full action, and pave the way for massive nationalization of industries? Will they strike it down, and possibly destabilize the economy? Will they selectively strike down aspects to walk a middle road? Whatever happens, it will transform our American notions of government for generations to come.

To buy or pirate

Refuted? Obama tried to delay Iraq Agreement

The Iraqi Foreign Minister has refuted claims that Barack Obama tried to delay the latest Iraqi agreements until after the election. This claim was reported here on Friday, so I felt it important to report this ASAP. Things still seem to be somewhat confused as to what did happen, but it appears the worst accusations are untue.

For Those Who Missed It

For those who don't check ModBlog on the weekend (shame on you), here is a link to my post from Saturday on why I am voting for John McCain.

Autumnal Ponderings

From here. Go "Over the Hedge"!

(I am) Voting for John McCain

Much has been said on this Blog on why people are not voting for John McCain this election and are instead trying to find a 3rd party candidate to vote for. I am voting for John McCain and the main reasons have more to do with Barak Obama than with John McCain. I am no fan of John McCain (Some of you will remember the post I wrote during the primary season of why I was not voting for John McCain then.) but the thing he wants to accomplish can be reversed if they do not work. Barak Obama is proposing things that will fundamentally alter our country and the expectations of its citizens in the future. This is why I can not vote for Obama.

The first and most important issue that Obama wants to change in America is Healthcare. If elected along with a Democratic controlled congress, Obama will enact a Universal Healthcare system. It may not start out as all encompassing, but no one can dispute that government entitlement plans only get bigger and more costly as time goes on. (See Social Security and Medicare.) Once the government is providing healthcare, employers will most likely make the choice to stop providing health insurance to their employees as they won’t have to worry about hearing how they took away this coverage and left millions of people without health insurance available. So the program will grow. Eventually, the cost of the program will grow so big that there will be calls to overhaul or end it. But just like social security, no one will have the guts to really either tackle the problems with the system or to abolish it. At that point, health insurance will be looked at as a right, not a benefit or privilege. In America, we already have the right by law to health treatment. Anyone, regardless of the ability to pay, can go to an emergency room and be treated for illness or injury. We should be very careful before enacting any plans that will be almost impossible to get rid of if things go badly.

The second issue important issue is taxes. I know my taxes will go up under Barak Obama and a Democratic controlled Congress. Bill Clinton raised taxes in his first 2 years as President before the Republicans took control of the House and Senate. Obama and Congress will do the same. There will be little incentive for Obama to stand up to the Congress on taxes as long as they enact his other major initiatives in return. And when Obama and congress increase taxes on corporations, that cost will be passed on to consumers as that is how it always works. Working for a small business, I know that when our costs go up, we pass that cost on to our customers as we need to do that just to keep our margin of profit at its current level.

The third reason I am voting for John McCain is that I think he will do a fine job. I do not think he will be a great president, but I also think he will not be a failure. That is all that is required for him to be a reasonable alternative to the other candidates running for president. By voting for John McCain in 2008, we are not locked in to him being the nominee in 2012 if either his has lost some of his ability to govern or has done a poor job as president.

John McCain may not be the perfect candidate, but his policies do not lead us down a road of no return.

Biking Update - October 11, 2008

A good week for biking. I started off the week riding along the Stratford Beach with good friend Nick. I could really see how far I have come, fitness-wise, as we rode over 10 miles at fairly decent speeds and spent the whole time talking as though we were sitting around Captains for Guys Night Out. No out-of-breath moments, even when debating politics and the economy. And it never hurts to have beautiful scenery. On Tuesday, we biked up to Captains Pizza for Guys Nite Out in the coldest evening yet. It was my first ride when I had to wear long pants, and we were still shivering when we got home. (Of course, we got up to nearly 30 MPH on the way home, down the hill, so windchill was a factor) The most of the rest of the week was biking on the stationary bike, where the only "scenery" is whatever DVD I happen to have playing on my laptop while I ride (no TV or A/C plugs in the attic). Then Thursday, CRChair and I returned to the Startford Shore for another 10 mile ride. This time, it was from the very start to the very end of the sunset and it was a truly glorious ride. I never really understood until this year when folks said October was the "perfect month" for sports. (May have had something to do with my visceral hatred of football.) But the cool air, bright sun, gentle breezes, and beautiful foliage makes every ride a joy. I am hoping to really chilly weather holds off a bit longer, since once it starts getting icy, we will probably have to stop biking, at least on the roads.

Also a good week for weight loss. Last week, you may recall that the graph was a ragged sawtooth with my weight fluctuating as much as 4 lbs from one day to another. This week, the fluctuations we about 1 lb per day and were mostly down. I wound up a little over two pounds down from where I ended last week and am now solidly in the 230s. 230 exactly was my goal weight when I started this journey, so I am excited it is within sight. I am hoping to get there by Thanksgiving (when I plan to let myself have what I want to eat) and then work on maintenance for a while before setting a new goal. Coworkers and friends are really noticing the difference in my shape now, which is nice. And I am getting more smiles from the ladies. This is all very good.

This next week is starting off with a Quiz Meet in Montgommery, NJ today, so no biking will be possible. Maybe Sunday. But Monday is Columbus Day and a bank holiday, so I may be able to get in some miles then. I am just barely short of 250 Miles logged for the year, and would like to cross that threshold before the ice sets in. It is nothing compared to some people who log 60 to 100 miles a day. But for me, who before this year only ever rode a bike up and down the same street, it is a HUGE deal. I am also exploring the kinds of exercise available to me over the winter. I will try to bike when I can, but snow and ice make it unlikely. I am checking out a karate studio near my house - I did Tae Kwon Do in college. I'll report back on that next week.

What do you want in a (Mac) notebook computer

It's rumor time again, this time it's about an event that Apple is having this week focusing on notebook computers.  With Netbook computers becoming all the rage right now, it seems that Apple might have some catching up to do.  I've been running a G4 iBook for close to 3 years now that, even with RAM upgrades, is dragging a lot so whatever Apple announces this week will be of particular interest to me.  One of the interesting rumors is a sub-$900 (some say sub-$800) notebook.  Since my notebook is my primary computer, power is of importance - though you could question this since I've been running a G4 for 3 years. My question is what do you want out of a notebook computer? Are you looking for a netbook or a desktop replacement or something else?

CT Supreme Court Rules Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

That is right, folks. It is official. I knew it was coming, but it still is shocking to me. Nice to know the culture war will be coming to my home state for a while. Maybe it'll boost the economy for a bit. Even angry protesters need to eat and sleep somewhere, right?

One Type of Luck...Bad

A former NHL goalie shot himself in the chin by accident this week. The odds of something this bad happening to someone are very low. Well, he seems to be susceptible to bad things that have low odds of happening as this is the same goalie who while playing in the NHL had his jugular vein cut by a skate during a game. Talk about someone with horrible luck!

Claim: Obama tried to delay Iraq agreement

Okay, I was going to make today a "politics-free zone" here at Mod-Blog, since we have had some contentious debates this week. But I don't see how I can NOT post this one. The Washington Times, an admittedly right-leaning paper, is claiming Obama tried to delay a deal to begin phasing out U.S. troops until after the election. Presumably, this would be to echo the Iranian situation with Jimmy Carter where the hostages were released only after Ronald Reagan was elected, handing him a political bonanza.

"In the conversation, the senator urged Iraq to delay the [memorandum of understanding] between Iraq and the United States until the new administration was in place," said Samir Sumaidaie, Iraq's ambassador to the United States.

He said Mr. Zebari replied that any such agreement would not bind a new administration. "The new administration will have a free hand to opt out," he said the foreign minister told Mr. Obama.

I really hope this is false, or at least greatly exaggerated. I'd like to hope both Obama and McCain are more honorable than this. But I hope the facts come out quickly, rather than leaving us with 4 weeks of charges and counter-charges. One can't help wondering if this is the "October Surprise" for this cycle.

Okay enough seriousness for now

It has been a scary, stressful week, with lots of debate and little comaraderie. How about a few laughs instead to end the week?

Do you laugh or cry?

The National Debt Clock in New York City is now too small to display the actual debt for the USA. I have got to say, we need a Ross Perot at these debates to force Obama and McCain to prove they actually will improve the situation. Right now, I think both are more likely to add fuel to the fire.

A True Transformers Fan

I was behind this guy Wednesday and took this picture with my iPhone 3G. I guess he is a really big Transformers fan.

(Not) Voting for John McCain

As I indicated, I have sent a letter to the RNC and John McCain's campaign on the reasons I do not plan to vote for him. I have done so, and thought I would enclose it here.

To whom it may concern at the Republican National Committee and the Campaign to elect John McCain,

After much soul-searching and observation of recent events, I have decided not to vote for Senator John McCain and the Republican ticket. Instead, I currently plan to vote for the Constitution Party Candidacy of Chuck Baldwin as a protest vote. I have been a faithful Republican voter since George H. W. Bush ran against Bill Clinton (my first election in which I could vote for president). But I find Senator McCain wanting as a presidential candidate, even though I also find myself unable to support Democratic candidate Barack Obama due to his views on abortion and consistently Left-wing voting record.

Rather than simply cast my vote in silence, which would be emotionally satisfying but ineffective, I thought it wise to send an e-mail in which I lay out my reasoning. This might be useful in guiding the Senator in reaching out to voters like me, or to the GOP in a post-election world.

First, let me start with the straw that broke the camel's back for me - the Bailout/Rescue Bill. This bill was concieved with little public scrutiny, rushed to two separate votes, and was passed with no real explanation beyond "We have to do something." While I was always skeptical of the Bill, I was waiting for the Senator or the President to lay out a clear and argued case for why these maeasures were the right ones to address our economic meltdown. Economics is complex, but the causes of the current crisis were not. The solution itself should be explainable and defendable, and the Senator had multiple opportunities to directly address this. He did not. Instead, we were told again last night that "We had to do something" and to trust the machinery of government to work it out. When the machine has already proven itself to be broken - hence the economic turmoil - you simply can not assume the same machine can fit itself. Proof needs to be offered. None was.

Second, the Senator has yet to enunciate a clear and specific philosophy for his campaign. Say what you will about President Bush, he had a fairly clear philosophy and guiding principles coming into each election. It was clear what he planned to do, how he planned to do it, and what his priorities were. Senator McCain is proud of being a "maverick who crossed party lines", but as often as not this has meant going against the apparent philosophical underpinnings of the Republican party. This means that I am never sure which principles are near and dear and which are negotiable. I do know what the Senator plans to do: work on earmarks, focus on reducing corruption, and work towards energy independence, among others. But I am unclear what his priorities are, and when push comes to shove what is his #1. That came across painfully last night in the debate.

Third, the Senator has yet to give a clear explanation of why this is his moment in history. Senator Obama may be inexperienced, but he has made a clear case for why he deserves to be in the White House: returning dignity and dliberation to the process, correcting the wrongs of slavery, and pulling us back from the excesses of Post-9/11 reactions. Senator McCain, on the other hand, has offered a good resume of skills for the office, but has never explained how history points to him being the next logical link in the chain of executive leadership. I strongly respect his record of wartime, his record of service in the Senate, and his record as a man in his personal life. But at the moment, I do not see why he deserves to be president aside from a sense that it is "his turn".

Please note, none of my concerns have to do with the vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. But I do not vote based on who is up for vice-president.

I hope you find this useful, or at least enlightening, in the day ahead.

Thank you for your time.

Alright, folks. Go ahead and tear it apart. And if you have also decided to go third party, I encourage you to compose, send, and post your own letter. This way, at least the major candidates have a chance to respond before the election.

If I recieve a non-form-letter response, I will post it here.

3rd Party Options

Anyone that watches my Twitter feed knows that recently I've become quite disenchanted with the major party candidates - they're both useless boobs is my current view.  So, I'm looking for a 3rd party candidate to support - a huge step for me since before this election I didn't believe in 3rd parties.  Currently I'm looking toward Bob Barr, because his views seem closest to my own.  My questions are what are some other potential 3rd party candidates for a middle of the road conservative like me and what are the pros & cons of these candidates? Discuss...

At Least Anderson Cooper Tried

After watching the debate last night I flipped over to CNN to watch some commentary. Anderson Cooper was having a special edition of his program. He wanted to begin his program with CNNs journalists who were not affiliated with a political party or campaign in an attempt to get some fair analysis. Dispite his best effort this is how it began. This is not word for word, but very close to what was said.

Anderson Cooper "We'll get to our partisan panel in a minute, but let's start with our non-partisan panel. Suzanne, what did you think of the debate?"

Suzanne Malvo "Well Anderson, I was just e-mailing with an Obama spokesman and they said they were very happy with the way it went and said that Obama showed why he should be President."

I don't think Suzanne Malvo understood what Anderson Cooper was trying to accomplish. Instead of seeming "Fair and Balanced" (as Fox News would say) the first thing they said during their analysis was the official reaction of the Obama campaign.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Giving is Changing

USA Today has up an interesting article on how charitable giving is changing. It focuses on how 20 somethings and 30 somethings are coming up with new strategies to maximize their impact on charitable causes. I've seen a couple of the strategies being used by my friends.

Scientists claim to observe Evolution in action

I have tried to stay out of the Creaion/Evolution debate because in general I think it does more harm than good. But this article has the potential to drive the debate for the next decade. Evolutionary biologists claim to have actual observations of speciation in action. A species of fish in Lake Victoria appears to be diverging into two different species, based on pollution which is changing how they hunt and are hunted.

It should be noted that if this is true, then it is fundamentally different from the "coal moth" experiment which to now has been held up as the best experimental evidence of macroevolution in nature. That was simply a case where location conditions changed the proportion of dark and light moths in a population. This case instead may actually show one species becoming incapable or unlikely to ever interbreed.

But Everybody Deserves To Be An Owner, Right?

ABC News' blog has up some quotes from Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA). Never thought I'd be agreeing with a Democratic legislator from Massachusetts, but he has some "radical" (read: traditional) ideas that I whole-heartedly agree with:

We basically have to tell people who want to make mortgage loans something terribly radical: Do not lend money to people who can't pay it back... We have made a mistake in this society. The assumption that everybody can be a homeowner is wrong. We pushed and encouraged people into home ownership - people who, in some cases, weren't ready for it. You can't act on wishes that are unrealistic without having negative consequences.

Of course, rather than just being able to speak things that actually make sense, he has to play the race and class cards when speaking about the Republicans blaming the Democrats for the current crisis.

They get to take things out on poor people. Let's be honest: The fact that some of the poor people are black doesn't hurt them either, from their standpoint. This is an effort, I believe, to appeal to a kind of anger in people.

Sigh... can't we just stick with the fiscal responsibility and leave the politics out of it?

SNL Skit Speaks Truth, But Gets Pulled

Although I did not see it on TV, there was an SNL skit on the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It has since been yanked anywhere NBC can yank it. A transcript can be found here. That link also has a link to a non-yanked copy of the video (though warning, there is language on the site with the video). From unqualified borrowers to greedy lenders, SNL hits them all.

Why Does the Market Keep Tanking?

I was talking with someone the other day who was in favor of the bailout. They are currently trading stocks to try to bring in the income they need each month, so obviously their bias is a stable market. From speaking with them, there appear to be two reasons for the latest market tumbles. First, the credit crunch I mentioned in my previous post. Since businesses can not get the credit they need to buy inventory, they can't sell new inventory which means they can't make payroll. The second issue is that people are pulling money out of their portfolios so the funds are having to sell off their stocks that are winning in order to have the cash to give out. This means that anything that starts rising is quickly sold off, thus bringing the price down. While the first issue can be solved by finding ways to get credit to those that need it and can afford it, the second really shows the weakness of what our economy is based on: popular belief in how a business (or commodity) will do in the next quarter.

And the Bailouts Continue

And here are the details on the latest plans by the Federal Reserve. First, they will buy up short-term debt so that banks can lend out more money to businesses which are currently having trouble getting more than a one day loan. The upswing of this is that businesses which are currently not able to get the credit they need to pay their payroll and buy inventory will be able to do so, hopefully building the economy back up. The downside is that it means even more of our money at risk. It also presents the possibility for a conflict of interest for the Fed. On the one hand, their job is to try to keep the economy healthy long-term. On the other hand, they have a responsibility to the tax-payers to protect these "investments" they're making.

And there are more loans to come. With entering the holiday season, banks need to have more cash on hand, which means more money printed and lent from the Federal Reserve. The increased printing of money could cause the overnight interest rate that the central bank offers to reach zero, so the Fed is going to be artificially paying interest to the banks that deposit money with it.

But there's more... The Fed is looking into how they can get into the unsecured lending markets. Yes, let's put tax payer money in even HIGHER risk investments.

Our Dog Thinks This

Reminder: Replacement iPhone USB adapters shipping

I know many of our Mod-Blog readers/writers are also iPhone 3G owners. Apple has issued a recall on the plug-in USB power adapter, because there is a high change of the prongs breaking off in an A/C power socket. If you have one of the old ones, you will want to bring it to an Apple Store ASAP, or just fill out this form to have a replacement shipped to you.

Remember, only YOU can prevent iPhone-related house fires!

Metro North Trains to Try Bike Racks

Metro North Railroad (The main commuter railroad in Connecticut and New York) will begin trying having some bike racks in their train cars. The will put two racks that each hold 2 bikes near the entrance/exit of the train car. This seems like a good way to encourage people to bike to their train station.

Today's Woot Shirt is brilliant.

Click here to view their site. I am buying one and think it does a great job of parodying the silliness of this election cycle. The shirt will only be available today... although there are some third parties who will reprint them.



Updated 4:13 PM: Fixed link to shirt.woot.com.

The sad, scary truth

Cartoon from Steve Breen. Put on your seatbelts, we're in for a bumpy ride.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Ways to Treat Your Car Right

Those of you who know me in real life have heard the story of how I murdered my last car by going over 10,000 miles between oil changes. Turns out, there are things you can do to significantly shorten (or lengthen) the life of your car. This article lays out some of the more critical DOs and DON'Ts of taking care of your car.

7. Ignoring Your Car’s Sounds
Every sound your car makes means something, if you pay attention, your car can usually tell you exactly what needs fixing. Those squeaking brakes mean you need new pads, and if you ignore that sound, eventually you’ll hear scraping metal, which means you need new rotors, and if you ignore that, you’ll eventually hear the sound of your own scream as you lose your brakes completely and fly off a cliff in a spectacular fireball of death. It’s more common than you think. Listen to your car.

Is this really what we should be arguing over?

With the state of the economy, war on two or three fronts and plenty of other issues it seems strange that people would be arguing about whether or not there should be a dress code at polling places.  I understand and agree with the GOP on this issue, but I don't think it's something that needs to be brought up right now.  There are plenty of other issues that need to be worked out before we start arguing over dress code.  I think this should be tabled until January when passions are not so inflamed.

Biking Update - October 4, 2008

This was a strange week as far as weight loss is concerned. You'll note on the weight graph to the left here that the graph suddenly went from linear to a ragged sawtooth. I was literally fluctuating by 4 to 6 lbs a day, when usually the change is more like 0.4 lbs per day in any one direction. The good news is I wound up down another 1.2 lbs for the week and am have now pretty much lost 45 lbs since the start! So I guess the moral of the story is all's well that ends well. I also have learned over the last couple of weeks that, for me, there is a huge difference in weight loss between 45 minutes of exercise a day, and 60 minutes of exercise per day. When I am up at 60 minutes, the weight comes off much more easily and seems to stay off. At 45 minutes, it comes off much more slowly and is eager to return. You'll note one big difference in the weight graph this week - actual numbers for the weights. I figure I have lost enough now to 'fess up and admit how badly I started out. This will also increase the accountability factor, which is so key to maintaining weight loss.

That being said, it was not a great week for biking. Actually, weather-wise it was a spectacular week for biking. Cool, clear, and crisp. But my schedule was not similarly clear - Saturday was taken up taking the Bible Quiz Team to a meet and then to Ellis Island and then I was scheduled most of the rest of the nights in the week. Today, CRChair has a commitment at church, so he and I will not be biking then either. But Nick and I are going to try and do some biking down by the Startford Beach. The foliage is starting to turn, so it is likely that we will have some really nice photos to take of the fiery New England scene. It is also getting chilly, so it is not unlikely that we'll be trying out some techniques for staying warm at the start of the ride and cool at the end of the ride. Techniques that are old hat to experienced riders, but discoveries for we neophytes.

Speaking of neophytes, the other things worth noting this week was my second published article over at MTOBikes.Com. It is a site dedicated to more hardcore riders than me, but I am trying to write the kinds of articles that I wish I had found as a newbie. This one is on options for lights to attach to your bike.

Here's what has to happen...

I think the pattern is now clear. Here is my prediction for the elections of 2008:

- Barack Obama wins narrowly in the electoral college. Less narrowly by popular vote.

- John McCain attempts to blame the loss on gaffes by Sarah Palin, despite the clear fact that it was the Bailout Bill which sealed his fate with the Base.

- Congress sees many incumbents turned out, but the balance remains approximately the same as it is today.

- The Republican Party implodes, showing itself to now lack core values or a common narrative. It will require approximately 2 years to forge a new Republican Party, rejecting the Bush Doctrine of Preemptive War.

- The Democratic Party will interpret the elections as a "mandate" and will quickly overreach themselves. By the end of the first year of Barack Obama's presidency, the Democratic Leadership will see themselves unable to pass a major initiative (probably Universal Health Care). Fractures begin to form in their coalition.

- A resurgent Republican Party makes significant Congressional gains in 2010, retakes the House but fails to win a majority in the Senate.

What do you think? Am I way off? Or does this jive with your own thoughts?

House passes Bailout Bill 2

The House bails us out... which must be why my wallet suddenly feels so empty. Here is hoping we can undo the damage that the "bailout bill" will do as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, you can assume incumbents will NOT fare well with me in the Fall.

Wachovia ditches Citigroup and hooks up with Wells Fargo

Soap operas, banking style. More proof no one really understands what is going on. This is like an episode of 90210... or so I am told. Only ever watched the commercials for it.

Truth in Comicky form

From here if you want to see the original. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Biking Tips: Lighting

Mod-Blog is not the only place you can see my writing. I was published again on a Mountain Biking site. It is an article on lighting systems for bikes - written for newbies.

Zombie Bailout Plan staggers back

The bailout plan has been brought back to life by the Senate who has added a bunch of "sweeteners" in hopes of passing the bill including tax cuts and other measures aimed at convincing some of the Republicans who voted against the original bill to switch sides.

I find it amusing it appears the Democrats don't think they can convince their own holdouts to switch. I guess sometimes being the Majority in both houses is not enough.

The Mutual-Stock Connection

There is one connection in the current economic mess that I have not heard anyone talking about. Over the last 10 years hundreds of Mutual companies (companies owned by their customers) have been converted into Stock companies (companies owned by stockholders). This allowed companies to more easily raise money and do mergers via stock-swap. (A mutual company can only buyout another by means of cash.) But it also made these companies far more volatile, because the value of the company is inherently tied to stock price, and every monetary system was focussed on quarterly returns. How many banks that have gone under would have survived if they were still mutual companies?

Any economists out there who can speak to this?

Alien vs Predator: Roommates

Not new (from 2007) but new to me. And in SO many ways better than either of the real movies.

Scrooge McDuck vs FED Policy

I am always amazed how much education gets snuck into entertainment in the better cartoons. And how much bad science is in the bad cartoons.