The first day of school with the NZS here went well. He got out of the house just fine in the morning, had school and football practice and was home on time for dinner.
The HB said he got woken up in the morning by the NZS, but he said it with a smile on his face. Go figure. Speaking of the HB, he must have eaten something bad at school as he was puking this evening. Poor pumpkin. Of course, he was feeling well enough to play some Wii with the NZS.
The HB has tomorrow off for rosh hashana (the school has enough at least 2 times a year observant jews that it makes sense). Hopefully he's feeling better so we can do something fun.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The First Debate
Since during the primaries all the candidates do is debate, the presidential debates are a bit anti-climactic. Rather, it's about managing expectations and not making the huge gaffe.
The debate on Friday was about foreign affairs, but they started on the bailout. Interestingly, neither would commit to the bailout plan as currently written. But, they both generally were OK with the idea of tossing away $700,000,000,000 of our money. Gee, thanks.
On actual foreign policy, the differences were predictable. McCain's been all over the world (which I think is a good thing and at least shows some intellectual curiosity) and has a concise Bushian view of working with others (friends=good, enemies=bad). He thinks it's important to prop up dictatorships (Mushareff in Pakistan) to achieve policy goals (war on terror). That worked sooooooooo well during the cold war.
Obama flew the "I was right on Iraq flag," but not nearly empatically enough. He goes through the intellectual exercise about how Iraq prevented us from crushing Al Quada in Afganistan so it wouldn't spread. But, what he needs to do is look at McCain and say, "Listen, you bragging about the surge is like an arsonist bragging about putting out the fires he set (Ok, I stole that from Maureen Dowd). You and W being all gung ho about Iraq tells the American people that next time we have a big problem overseas that you're gonna send in the Marines first regardless of the situation. We can't afford our treasure or American lives with that kind of policy."
When asked about spending priorities in the midst of us giving away $700,000,000,000 to Wall St., Obama couldn't bring himself to pick one. I guess if you're gonna pander, you gotta pander to everyone. McCain kept insisting that $700,000,000,000-$18,000,000,000 (getting rid of all earmarks)+Revenue from Tax Cuts=$0. I don't buy his math.
Overall, the whole thing was a draw. No huge gaffes and only a few out-and-out lies. Obama seemed confident and didn't ramble about the foreign policy stuff and McCain raised some good points about Obama having not gone to key places in the world to see things up close and his presidential run revival on earmarks. My sense is that it didn't change any minds, but I can see how an Obama-leaning independent would be ready to make the plunge now.
Oh, and if you want to see what the current electoral college map looks like, check this out.
The debate on Friday was about foreign affairs, but they started on the bailout. Interestingly, neither would commit to the bailout plan as currently written. But, they both generally were OK with the idea of tossing away $700,000,000,000 of our money. Gee, thanks.
On actual foreign policy, the differences were predictable. McCain's been all over the world (which I think is a good thing and at least shows some intellectual curiosity) and has a concise Bushian view of working with others (friends=good, enemies=bad). He thinks it's important to prop up dictatorships (Mushareff in Pakistan) to achieve policy goals (war on terror). That worked sooooooooo well during the cold war.
Obama flew the "I was right on Iraq flag," but not nearly empatically enough. He goes through the intellectual exercise about how Iraq prevented us from crushing Al Quada in Afganistan so it wouldn't spread. But, what he needs to do is look at McCain and say, "Listen, you bragging about the surge is like an arsonist bragging about putting out the fires he set (Ok, I stole that from Maureen Dowd). You and W being all gung ho about Iraq tells the American people that next time we have a big problem overseas that you're gonna send in the Marines first regardless of the situation. We can't afford our treasure or American lives with that kind of policy."
When asked about spending priorities in the midst of us giving away $700,000,000,000 to Wall St., Obama couldn't bring himself to pick one. I guess if you're gonna pander, you gotta pander to everyone. McCain kept insisting that $700,000,000,000-$18,000,000,000 (getting rid of all earmarks)+Revenue from Tax Cuts=$0. I don't buy his math.
Overall, the whole thing was a draw. No huge gaffes and only a few out-and-out lies. Obama seemed confident and didn't ramble about the foreign policy stuff and McCain raised some good points about Obama having not gone to key places in the world to see things up close and his presidential run revival on earmarks. My sense is that it didn't change any minds, but I can see how an Obama-leaning independent would be ready to make the plunge now.
Oh, and if you want to see what the current electoral college map looks like, check this out.
The Arrival of the NZS
The NZS got here yesterday. It's good to have him here, though it was a bit anti-climatic for the HB as the NZS took off with his friends at about 3:30 and didn't get back until 11. But, He'll be with us all day today.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
THE TALK (number 1)
I'm not one of those parents who dreads my kid growing up (not that I reserve the right to change my find when he becomes a teenager). I look forward to all of his milestones, whether they be emotional or physical. So, I was OK with having the first TALK with him about sex. I'd answer some of his basic questions in the past, so it's not like the first time the topic came up. Rather, my wife and I felt he should know more.
My wife was pretty insistent on getting a book, but he and I didn't use it. Rather, I opened by telling him that this was important information for him to have and that, more often than not, his friends won't have the right information. I then asked him some questions: Where do babies come from? When he said, "Uterus" I knew this was going to go well as our previous conversations had sunk in. He knew that a sperm had to get to an egg for a woman to get pregnant, but wasn't so sure how either got there. So, I talk to him about ovaries, a woman's cycle and period (I think this was, in his mind TMI), and the vagina. Then we moved on to how sperm, testicles, penis and sex (he didn't scrunch up his face too much at this point). We wrapped up with how sex is filthy and shameful and should only be done with strangers for money;-)
He didn't go screaming out of the room and he's still talking to me, so I guess it went well. I'm thinking I'll be getting some interesting questions from him fairly soon as this sinks in.
My wife was pretty insistent on getting a book, but he and I didn't use it. Rather, I opened by telling him that this was important information for him to have and that, more often than not, his friends won't have the right information. I then asked him some questions: Where do babies come from? When he said, "Uterus" I knew this was going to go well as our previous conversations had sunk in. He knew that a sperm had to get to an egg for a woman to get pregnant, but wasn't so sure how either got there. So, I talk to him about ovaries, a woman's cycle and period (I think this was, in his mind TMI), and the vagina. Then we moved on to how sperm, testicles, penis and sex (he didn't scrunch up his face too much at this point). We wrapped up with how sex is filthy and shameful and should only be done with strangers for money;-)
He didn't go screaming out of the room and he's still talking to me, so I guess it went well. I'm thinking I'll be getting some interesting questions from him fairly soon as this sinks in.
Friday, September 26, 2008
100 Foods
Umb...borrowed from Lola.
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here to link to your list
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here to link to your list
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (Lucky Dog in New Orleans...yum).
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (it always sucks)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras--I don't care for it.
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche (in small doses)
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (sounds delish)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (no, it's not an Irish woman who just got done exercising)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (while riding my bike, so it was kind of an accident)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV (hell, I make the stuff)
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (YUM!!!)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse--I'm not against it...I just can't get it to un-italicize
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam and spam)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
Thursday, September 25, 2008
What Would You Do With Your $700,000,000,000?
I just wrote my congresswoman about Bush's proposed bail-out. Here is is:
Honorable Chat Wrecker's Congressperson,
I'm writing to you about the proposed financial bail-out that President Bush spoke about last night. As your constituent, I urge you to vote NO on this piece of legislation in any form. It seems ridiculous to me that the government would want to buy securities that the investment banks can't sell. I'm not convinced that these will ever be of significant value and the tax payers will be left with the tab.
Also, this problem was created by bad decisions by borrowers, banks and investment houses. It's appalling to me that we would want to prop up these institutions. The market is making the necessary corrections and we should allow this to run its course.
Finally, I am unconvinced that the price-tag will be "only" $700 billion. Is that in addition to the guarantees the government has made to those who bought Bear Stearns and the Fannie/Freddie bailouts? It is way too much money to take from people who have acted responsibly in their borrowing and spending habits and give it to those who have created this mess.
Sincerely,
Chat Wrecker
Regardless of how you feel about the bail-out, I strongly suggest that you write your member of Congress. This legislation will affect our economic system and our country's balance sheet for generations to come.
Honorable Chat Wrecker's Congressperson,
I'm writing to you about the proposed financial bail-out that President Bush spoke about last night. As your constituent, I urge you to vote NO on this piece of legislation in any form. It seems ridiculous to me that the government would want to buy securities that the investment banks can't sell. I'm not convinced that these will ever be of significant value and the tax payers will be left with the tab.
Also, this problem was created by bad decisions by borrowers, banks and investment houses. It's appalling to me that we would want to prop up these institutions. The market is making the necessary corrections and we should allow this to run its course.
Finally, I am unconvinced that the price-tag will be "only" $700 billion. Is that in addition to the guarantees the government has made to those who bought Bear Stearns and the Fannie/Freddie bailouts? It is way too much money to take from people who have acted responsibly in their borrowing and spending habits and give it to those who have created this mess.
Sincerely,
Chat Wrecker
Regardless of how you feel about the bail-out, I strongly suggest that you write your member of Congress. This legislation will affect our economic system and our country's balance sheet for generations to come.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Philanthropic Re-Gifting
Last night, my wife went to a fundraiser for a group that wants to start a charter school for homeless kids. It was held at a not-so-great casino south of LA. She went on the early side to say hello to the people she needed to say hello to, then head home as she wasn't (and still isn't) feeling that great.
So, she comes hoem and tells me and the HB about it. Mostly people there to play poker (the poker tournament was the draw, no pun intended) and there wasn't much bidding going on for the silent auction items. As she goes through them, I realize that some of these items would go for nearly twice as much at the HB's school's auction. I mention this to her, and, for a change, she agrees with me and she heads on back after dinner.
Later in the evening she said that the celebrity quotient went up with a couple of spouses embarrasing their more famous better halves. But, the bids on the silent auction items were still pretty low, so she kept the bids up. No word yet as to whether she got any of them.
Something feels a bit weird about this philanthropic black market. It's not like we'd be putting the stuf of eBay for our own profit, but it does seem odd that we could get things relatively cheap at one fundraising auction and get the double write-off by donating it to another.
Oh well. I don't make the rules, I just bend them.
So, she comes hoem and tells me and the HB about it. Mostly people there to play poker (the poker tournament was the draw, no pun intended) and there wasn't much bidding going on for the silent auction items. As she goes through them, I realize that some of these items would go for nearly twice as much at the HB's school's auction. I mention this to her, and, for a change, she agrees with me and she heads on back after dinner.
Later in the evening she said that the celebrity quotient went up with a couple of spouses embarrasing their more famous better halves. But, the bids on the silent auction items were still pretty low, so she kept the bids up. No word yet as to whether she got any of them.
Something feels a bit weird about this philanthropic black market. It's not like we'd be putting the stuf of eBay for our own profit, but it does seem odd that we could get things relatively cheap at one fundraising auction and get the double write-off by donating it to another.
Oh well. I don't make the rules, I just bend them.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Saturday Stuff
First, a Happy Birthday shout out to my dear friend Lola. May she come across two 23 y.o. Czech male porn stars today.
Last night one of the HB's awesome friends slept over (he's still here). So, we took they boys to a kid friendly (e.g., has games) sports bar before coming home for a Simpsons marathon. The only bummer is that his friend needs to leave by 10 to go the UCLA game.
When I take him home I need to run some errands, including getting the NZS a key, convincing my bank that they have plenty of my personal money so they shouldn't be charging me extra for my business account, getting a new ear piece for my cell/office phone (the other one must have fallen out of my bag at KCI the other day, and getting a cable so I can put some rintones on my phone without downloading them.
I'll be putting the Tenn-Florida game on DVR. I don't have a good feeling about this. The Gators crushed the Vols last year, and I don't see where UT's really improved. Hopefully the defense will keep things close.
The woman who helps us with our backyard is coming over at noon to help us with some trimming, etc. I love her. She's funny, knows what she's talking about, and has a good time doing what she does. It kills me how much she under charges for her services.
In bad news, a dad/stepdad of two of the kids at the HB's school was in a plane crash late last night. Several people were killed and he and another person onboard are in critical but stable condition. He's a great guy who's done a lot for the school. I hope that he pulls through and will be OK.
The wife's not feeling well, so I'm thinking we'll be staying home tonight. Guess I'll get to watch some extra football.
Last night one of the HB's awesome friends slept over (he's still here). So, we took they boys to a kid friendly (e.g., has games) sports bar before coming home for a Simpsons marathon. The only bummer is that his friend needs to leave by 10 to go the UCLA game.
When I take him home I need to run some errands, including getting the NZS a key, convincing my bank that they have plenty of my personal money so they shouldn't be charging me extra for my business account, getting a new ear piece for my cell/office phone (the other one must have fallen out of my bag at KCI the other day, and getting a cable so I can put some rintones on my phone without downloading them.
I'll be putting the Tenn-Florida game on DVR. I don't have a good feeling about this. The Gators crushed the Vols last year, and I don't see where UT's really improved. Hopefully the defense will keep things close.
The woman who helps us with our backyard is coming over at noon to help us with some trimming, etc. I love her. She's funny, knows what she's talking about, and has a good time doing what she does. It kills me how much she under charges for her services.
In bad news, a dad/stepdad of two of the kids at the HB's school was in a plane crash late last night. Several people were killed and he and another person onboard are in critical but stable condition. He's a great guy who's done a lot for the school. I hope that he pulls through and will be OK.
The wife's not feeling well, so I'm thinking we'll be staying home tonight. Guess I'll get to watch some extra football.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Kansas City, Kansas City Here I Am
Ah, back in Fountain City. Truth be told, I enjoy coming here. I LOVE my client here and I dumbed into a hotel in an old part of the city with plenty of local (e.g., non-chain) places to hang. Being the baseball fan that I am, I went to the Royals-Mariners game tonight.
Usually when I'm here, the Royals are out of town. But, they were home tonight and it was a beautiful night to be outside. Of course, both teams are mired in last place, so it was kind of a glorified AAA game. However, I hopped in the car (a Dodge Charger) picked up a cheap ticket in the parking lot and caught the game.
The first thing you notice at the stadium is the HUGE FUCKING scoreboard in center field. Very bright, great quality and plenty of numbers for the stats/fantasy geeks. The next thing you notice is that Royals management clearly wasn't envisioning making the playoffs this year as they are doing major construction everywhere in the stadium...outfield, seats, everywhere. True to the city's name, the water shows in the outfield were pretty cool and well lit. If you looked hard enough, you could find Boulevard beer on tap. Oh, and the Royals won 5-2.
I actually have a light day tomorrow. Maybe I'll be able to get out early enough to check out either the Negro Baseball or American Jazz museums in town. Either way, I've got a non-stop home (ilu, Southwest) so I'll get to tuck the HB into bed.
Usually when I'm here, the Royals are out of town. But, they were home tonight and it was a beautiful night to be outside. Of course, both teams are mired in last place, so it was kind of a glorified AAA game. However, I hopped in the car (a Dodge Charger) picked up a cheap ticket in the parking lot and caught the game.
The first thing you notice at the stadium is the HUGE FUCKING scoreboard in center field. Very bright, great quality and plenty of numbers for the stats/fantasy geeks. The next thing you notice is that Royals management clearly wasn't envisioning making the playoffs this year as they are doing major construction everywhere in the stadium...outfield, seats, everywhere. True to the city's name, the water shows in the outfield were pretty cool and well lit. If you looked hard enough, you could find Boulevard beer on tap. Oh, and the Royals won 5-2.
I actually have a light day tomorrow. Maybe I'll be able to get out early enough to check out either the Negro Baseball or American Jazz museums in town. Either way, I've got a non-stop home (ilu, Southwest) so I'll get to tuck the HB into bed.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
More High Finance Doings
Putting in some serious non-bankers' hours, BofA bought Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers announced that it would file for bankruptcy on Sunday. Strangely, with all of this going on, the government still insists on taking over some others our with our tax dollars (see AIG). Do we really want the government dictating private finance?
I just don't buy into this idea that some companies are too big too fail. Whether it's AIG, GM or Microsoft. Remember, this whole crisis was due to their making--they gambled on too many bad mortgages and, after making a killing for a while, eventually lost. That's how captialism works. Their investors and employees pay the price, just as they reaped the benefits earlier. Putting every American on the hook for these failures sends the wrong message (It's OK--you can fuck up as much as you want, but we'll save you from yourselves) and morally wrong since these machinations lead to a higher federal deficit that our children and grandchildren will have to payoff. The first bailout of Bear Sterns just encouraged more of these--and believe me, AIG won't be the last. By propping these companies up, the government refuses to let the market determine their true worth, so they are likely to get over-valued and fail again.
The story line is always the same, "We can't let Bear Sterns/Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac/AIG/Whoever's Next fail because it will destroy life as we know it...at least financially." I say bullshit. There's always someone out there to buy them for what they think is the right price. Which is a better price than whatever the government thinks it's worth because it's our money and it shouldn't be used to pick winners/losers in the financial markets.
Speaking of these buyouts, BofA is being extremely aggressive (they bought Countrywide before they went bankrupt in January). Clearly, BofA feels that in the medium-long term both Countrywide and Merill are undervalued. That's between their board and their stakeholders. My feeling is that they will have a tough time making them work. Most acquisitions fail not due to market reasons, but do to a poor job of merging cultures and getting people to work together. Absorbing two pretty big companies at once is going to be a big task (I don't envy BofA's VP of HR). I wouldn't be surprised if BofA eventually spins off one or both of them.
I just don't buy into this idea that some companies are too big too fail. Whether it's AIG, GM or Microsoft. Remember, this whole crisis was due to their making--they gambled on too many bad mortgages and, after making a killing for a while, eventually lost. That's how captialism works. Their investors and employees pay the price, just as they reaped the benefits earlier. Putting every American on the hook for these failures sends the wrong message (It's OK--you can fuck up as much as you want, but we'll save you from yourselves) and morally wrong since these machinations lead to a higher federal deficit that our children and grandchildren will have to payoff. The first bailout of Bear Sterns just encouraged more of these--and believe me, AIG won't be the last. By propping these companies up, the government refuses to let the market determine their true worth, so they are likely to get over-valued and fail again.
The story line is always the same, "We can't let Bear Sterns/Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac/AIG/Whoever's Next fail because it will destroy life as we know it...at least financially." I say bullshit. There's always someone out there to buy them for what they think is the right price. Which is a better price than whatever the government thinks it's worth because it's our money and it shouldn't be used to pick winners/losers in the financial markets.
Speaking of these buyouts, BofA is being extremely aggressive (they bought Countrywide before they went bankrupt in January). Clearly, BofA feels that in the medium-long term both Countrywide and Merill are undervalued. That's between their board and their stakeholders. My feeling is that they will have a tough time making them work. Most acquisitions fail not due to market reasons, but do to a poor job of merging cultures and getting people to work together. Absorbing two pretty big companies at once is going to be a big task (I don't envy BofA's VP of HR). I wouldn't be surprised if BofA eventually spins off one or both of them.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Weekend Stuff
I took the NZS to some local mountains Friday night after his football game. They beat a team that had stomped them the last two years, so the the juniors and seniors were psyched. There was a get together with some foreign exchange students who just got here. The host family has quite the spread there. About 7 acres and tons of stuff for kids to do (pool, volleyball, ping-pong, movie setup, etc). It's about two more weeks until he moves in with us, so the drive up gave us a chance to talk about his school details, how things run in our house, etc. He's pretty low maintenance (as my wife says, "He's a guy, of course is) and I think it will work out fine.
Today was pretty laid back. Did my backyard chores, got groceries, picked up the NZS (fortunately, he was able to get a ride pretty close to the house) and watched some football. I'm waiting for some e-mail from my client in the far east. Once I get that, I'll probably pour a big drink and read the Sunday paper.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dry Run
This morning the HB and I get to do a dry run on getting the NZS and the HB to school. The NZS and I are going to a get together of other exchange students this weekend. His host family mom is out of town and I wanted to be sure that I had all of his stuff in my car so we can leave right after his football game tonight. So, I volunteered to take him to school this morning so we can see how it goes.
Of course, the HB's first question this morning was, "Is the NZS here yet?" He is SO excited.
The logistics are that their schools are in opposite directions, though both pretty close (about 5 miles). Since we're in LA, traffic will be tricky. I think I have a good plan, but we'll see. I'll let ya know later.
Of course, the HB's first question this morning was, "Is the NZS here yet?" He is SO excited.
The logistics are that their schools are in opposite directions, though both pretty close (about 5 miles). Since we're in LA, traffic will be tricky. I think I have a good plan, but we'll see. I'll let ya know later.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Nine Eleven
Yes, posting today is pretty unoriginal, but what the hell.
On 9/12/01 I was supposed to fly to Tampa. My nominal partner was scheduled to leave the day before. When I got into my office I saw a voice mail from her. She said that she couldn't fly out on the 11th because of "what happened in New York." I figured that there was a big storm or some sort of power outage. Then I turned on my computer and went to the ESPN website and saw the news.
Like a lot of other people, I was riveted to the TV most of the rest of the day. I saw the towers come down, but I kept watching. I don't know what I expected to see. Another plane crash? Distance changed the impact of the story. In LA it was about terrorists and where they would strike next. We initially missed the part about the bravery and sacrifice of the first responders. Then the news came that one of the flights was bound to LA from Boston--American Airlines flight 11. I didn't know anyone on that flight, but I used to take it regularly when I lived in Beantown. That was scary.
I did know someone on that flight that day. She was another consultant living in the Boston area. I'll be honest, I didn't particularly care for her. She wasn't mean or nasty, but had that abrasive northeastern attitude that rubs me the wrong way. We have a mutual friend who was much closer to her and the loss hit her hard.
I called that mutual friend this morning. We don't talk nearly as much as we should and it's bad that one of the only times I call her is on 9/11. We didn't speak of the anniversary today, but it did slightly hang in the air, though not as much as in years past. That's what time will do.
On 9/12/01 I was supposed to fly to Tampa. My nominal partner was scheduled to leave the day before. When I got into my office I saw a voice mail from her. She said that she couldn't fly out on the 11th because of "what happened in New York." I figured that there was a big storm or some sort of power outage. Then I turned on my computer and went to the ESPN website and saw the news.
Like a lot of other people, I was riveted to the TV most of the rest of the day. I saw the towers come down, but I kept watching. I don't know what I expected to see. Another plane crash? Distance changed the impact of the story. In LA it was about terrorists and where they would strike next. We initially missed the part about the bravery and sacrifice of the first responders. Then the news came that one of the flights was bound to LA from Boston--American Airlines flight 11. I didn't know anyone on that flight, but I used to take it regularly when I lived in Beantown. That was scary.
I did know someone on that flight that day. She was another consultant living in the Boston area. I'll be honest, I didn't particularly care for her. She wasn't mean or nasty, but had that abrasive northeastern attitude that rubs me the wrong way. We have a mutual friend who was much closer to her and the loss hit her hard.
I called that mutual friend this morning. We don't talk nearly as much as we should and it's bad that one of the only times I call her is on 9/11. We didn't speak of the anniversary today, but it did slightly hang in the air, though not as much as in years past. That's what time will do.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Fixin' a Hole
Last week I called our painter/handyman to do some little stuff around the house. He first said he could come on Monday, then called back to say he could come today, which he did. His biz must be slow because he had just about everything he needed on his truck and got right to work.
He's a good guy who does good work. But, man, can this guy talk. I have to stay out of his way so he can keep focused on he job.
When all is said and done, we'll have some stucco patched, new gutter above my office door (and new door which has a ton of water damage) and some interior patch and paint. I'll be more than worth it to write that check.
He's a good guy who does good work. But, man, can this guy talk. I have to stay out of his way so he can keep focused on he job.
When all is said and done, we'll have some stucco patched, new gutter above my office door (and new door which has a ton of water damage) and some interior patch and paint. I'll be more than worth it to write that check.
Monday, September 8, 2008
What Free Markets?
I LOVE capitalism. It may not always be fair (whatever fair means) but is the economic system that rewards rewards creativity and allows people to have the most control over their financial destiny. That's why this whole Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae bailout KILLS me. The shareholders are going to get nothing while the big investors/underwriters will get nearly all of their money. The treasury department says this was necessary to keep foreign investment flowing into the banking system to avoid an even bigger crash. I say bullshit. Since when is investment in for profit US companies backed by the US Treasury?
All this does is prop up a market that shouldn't be propped up. If banks are a shitty investment, so be it. What this means is that the big money players got into the game where they could make big profits in good times with NO RISK in bad ones. Where do I sign up for that?
And remember, this whole thing was started by greedy mortgage companies and people who can't do math well enough to figure out whether they can pay for a house. Why in the world would we want to bail out either of those two groups?
This kind of bailout only encourages a future bubble that will burst. Just like when the feds give cheap loans to people to rebuild in flood plains after the big on. It will happen again. And we get to pay for it.
Oh, and since the bailout saves big Wall Street contributors, guess where both Obama and McCain stand on the issue?
All this does is prop up a market that shouldn't be propped up. If banks are a shitty investment, so be it. What this means is that the big money players got into the game where they could make big profits in good times with NO RISK in bad ones. Where do I sign up for that?
And remember, this whole thing was started by greedy mortgage companies and people who can't do math well enough to figure out whether they can pay for a house. Why in the world would we want to bail out either of those two groups?
This kind of bailout only encourages a future bubble that will burst. Just like when the feds give cheap loans to people to rebuild in flood plains after the big on. It will happen again. And we get to pay for it.
Oh, and since the bailout saves big Wall Street contributors, guess where both Obama and McCain stand on the issue?
Friday, September 5, 2008
McCain Says Thanks
So, after having all his buddies rip the donkey's to shreds for four days, McCain busts out with the "Let's end partisan rancor." What a fucking hypocrite.
As he dished out the usual, "We're going to cut wasteful spending to balance the budget," it made me wonder how he was going to do that while still spending 10 billion a month in Iraq. Besides that, ever wonder where all the fed tax money is spent? Check this out. Note that the federal debt is around 10 Trillion dollars (hence the $9 billion a year in interest), the 2007 budget deficit was estimated at $162 billion, and all of the discretionary spending in this year's budget is $88.5 billion. Even if he got rid of EVERY discretionary program, we're still in the hole $74.5 billion. And with the economy in the tank, tax revenues aren't going to make that up any time soon. So, when McCain talks about getting rid of waste to balance the budget, remember that he plans on pissing away more in Iraq each year than what's spent on discretionary programs. Oh, and his favorite general just announced that we're not going to withdraw troops so fast after all.
In a bad economy, anyone who's going to balance the budget will half to rip into mandatory programs, health care and the military budget. If McCain could do that, I'd vote for him in a second. I don't see it happening.
Considering how long he's been in the senate, his speech lacked specifics on what he's done and what he plans to do. However, he did a great job of telling his personal story, minus the part about courting his current wife while still married to his first one.
From a body language point of view, several times he looked down when making a final point. I wonder if he was embarrassed by some of the things he had to say?
As he dished out the usual, "We're going to cut wasteful spending to balance the budget," it made me wonder how he was going to do that while still spending 10 billion a month in Iraq. Besides that, ever wonder where all the fed tax money is spent? Check this out. Note that the federal debt is around 10 Trillion dollars (hence the $9 billion a year in interest), the 2007 budget deficit was estimated at $162 billion, and all of the discretionary spending in this year's budget is $88.5 billion. Even if he got rid of EVERY discretionary program, we're still in the hole $74.5 billion. And with the economy in the tank, tax revenues aren't going to make that up any time soon. So, when McCain talks about getting rid of waste to balance the budget, remember that he plans on pissing away more in Iraq each year than what's spent on discretionary programs. Oh, and his favorite general just announced that we're not going to withdraw troops so fast after all.
In a bad economy, anyone who's going to balance the budget will half to rip into mandatory programs, health care and the military budget. If McCain could do that, I'd vote for him in a second. I don't see it happening.
Considering how long he's been in the senate, his speech lacked specifics on what he's done and what he plans to do. However, he did a great job of telling his personal story, minus the part about courting his current wife while still married to his first one.
From a body language point of view, several times he looked down when making a final point. I wonder if he was embarrassed by some of the things he had to say?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Losers' Night
Tonight the elephants trotted out all of their losers (Huckabee, Romney and Guiliani). Nice touch. They whined and wailed about how the media hates them (how dare they ask questions about our VP choice!) and tried to paint themselves as the champions of women's rights. You gotta admire their chutzpah.
Speaking of the freedoms the republicrats claim to promote, check this out. I like the line where the bureaucratic lackey says, "we pride ourselves in working with industry members. We are not in the business of putting anyone out of business." Yeah, I'm sure all the thousands of dollars the brewery had to come up with to fight this kind of crap was no problem and had no affect on their business.
I'm listening to Sarah Palin right now. She says that victory in Iraq is within sight. Really? And exactly what victory is that? She's talking about how proud she is for her young family members to fighting for oil companies in Iraq.
She's now talking about special needs children. I'm looking forward to McCain introducing legislation to increase spending in that area while he shrinks the overall budget. Oh, I forgot, republicrats grow the deficit faster.
Back to her speech. I still haven't heard anything to make me think she's qualified. She's rehashing typical republicrate whines. She says that she's not part of the Washington establishment (like her running mate). The elitists hate us (except the Bush's).
She said that she fights the big oil companies. Yet, she still hasn't mentioned her support of drilling in ANWR. That would show Exxon. Woot, now she did.
She's got nothing. The last 5 minutes have been spent on bumper stickers. Of course, the critically thinking challenged in the audience are eating it up. She's just coming off as mean and bitchy now. I don't see how her insults are going to win over any moderate dems or independents.
Speaking of the freedoms the republicrats claim to promote, check this out. I like the line where the bureaucratic lackey says, "we pride ourselves in working with industry members. We are not in the business of putting anyone out of business." Yeah, I'm sure all the thousands of dollars the brewery had to come up with to fight this kind of crap was no problem and had no affect on their business.
I'm listening to Sarah Palin right now. She says that victory in Iraq is within sight. Really? And exactly what victory is that? She's talking about how proud she is for her young family members to fighting for oil companies in Iraq.
She's now talking about special needs children. I'm looking forward to McCain introducing legislation to increase spending in that area while he shrinks the overall budget. Oh, I forgot, republicrats grow the deficit faster.
Back to her speech. I still haven't heard anything to make me think she's qualified. She's rehashing typical republicrate whines. She says that she's not part of the Washington establishment (like her running mate). The elitists hate us (except the Bush's).
She said that she fights the big oil companies. Yet, she still hasn't mentioned her support of drilling in ANWR. That would show Exxon. Woot, now she did.
She's got nothing. The last 5 minutes have been spent on bumper stickers. Of course, the critically thinking challenged in the audience are eating it up. She's just coming off as mean and bitchy now. I don't see how her insults are going to win over any moderate dems or independents.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The Republicrats in Minny
Since we were in ABQ last week, I didn't watch a ton of the demopublicans in Denver. I don't know how much I'll watch of this week's convention because, well, I just get appalled by the shit that comes out of the republicrats' mouths. I can see it now: "Look how great things are in Iraq. We didn't need that $1.2 trillion [yes, that's with a T]". "18 more months and the economy is going to be fine." "Hey, we didn't fuck up this hurricane as badly as the last one."
To get a look at what the Liberatarian wing of the party is thinking, click here. No word as to whether the RNC will have their little protest party busted.
In the 80's, the republicrats ran on the family values and kill commies platform. Note that giving money and arms to Islamic radicals was a-OK back then cuz they hated the Russians. And us. But they were fighting the Russians at the time. Their standard bearer, Ronald Reagan, was divorced and some of his kids were way into drugs (so much for "Just Say No") and wouldn't speak to him. But, he claimed to be into family values and that's what counted.
McCain got the nomination without the family values crowd (dumping his ex-model wife after she got hurt in a traffic accident for a rich pretty woman who gets her money from the beer industry will do that), yet somehow believes he can only win the White House with them. So, a light bulb goes off in his head and he selects Sarah Palin. The drip, drip, drip of things coming out (pregnant under aged daughter, needing an attorney to fight abuse of power allegations) leads me to believe that he was a bit...umb....quick on the trigger on this one.
Tonight we heard from Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman (!) what kind of maverick John McCain is. Granted, when it comes to campaign finance reform, he got a lot of the right-wing special interest groups in an uproar. But, the data is pretty interesting (you can access all congresspeople vote counts compared to W and their parties here).
As you would imagine, the demopublicans picked the year that McCain agreed with Bush the most (last year) when saying how much he voted with the prez (95%) when the White House took a position on the bill (not something that is always clear). For the 7.5 years he's voted with Shrub 90% of the time and with the republicrat majority 81% of the time when a majority of both parties voted for or against a bill/nomination (which is 58% of the votes). So, he's even more of a Bush lackey than the other republicrats. Though, my sense is that at least some of those bills were probably on immigration, where Bush differed from his party bretheren.
In contrast, Obama voted with Bush 40% of the time, but with the majority of the demopublicans 96% of the time. Man, when you are voting with your party almost 100% of the time, you just are not thinking for yourself. Shit, even Harry Reid, the majority leader only voted with the demopublicans 93% of the time (though, this may have been for procedural reasons in some cases). Again, this doesn't represent votes where there wasn't a clear party split, so it's possible that Obama (and McCain) voted against majorities in their party when both majorities were on the same side of an issue (now THAT's being a maverick). But, my sense is that a fair number of issues that come before the Senate are unanimous votes (e.g., Apple pie is good! Congratulate the Super Bowl Champions).
What this tells me is that (no surprise), McCain is not nearly as independent of Bush or the republicans as he'd like you to believe. So, except on immigration and campaing finance, if you like the republicans, you'll love McCain.
It also means that if your kind of change is going ahead with the current democratic orthodoxy, Obama's your man. Post-partisan working together to fix problems? Eh, not so much.
Ya want some change?
http://www.ronpaul.com/
http://www.lp.org/
To get a look at what the Liberatarian wing of the party is thinking, click here. No word as to whether the RNC will have their little protest party busted.
In the 80's, the republicrats ran on the family values and kill commies platform. Note that giving money and arms to Islamic radicals was a-OK back then cuz they hated the Russians. And us. But they were fighting the Russians at the time. Their standard bearer, Ronald Reagan, was divorced and some of his kids were way into drugs (so much for "Just Say No") and wouldn't speak to him. But, he claimed to be into family values and that's what counted.
McCain got the nomination without the family values crowd (dumping his ex-model wife after she got hurt in a traffic accident for a rich pretty woman who gets her money from the beer industry will do that), yet somehow believes he can only win the White House with them. So, a light bulb goes off in his head and he selects Sarah Palin. The drip, drip, drip of things coming out (pregnant under aged daughter, needing an attorney to fight abuse of power allegations) leads me to believe that he was a bit...umb....quick on the trigger on this one.
Tonight we heard from Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman (!) what kind of maverick John McCain is. Granted, when it comes to campaign finance reform, he got a lot of the right-wing special interest groups in an uproar. But, the data is pretty interesting (you can access all congresspeople vote counts compared to W and their parties here).
As you would imagine, the demopublicans picked the year that McCain agreed with Bush the most (last year) when saying how much he voted with the prez (95%) when the White House took a position on the bill (not something that is always clear). For the 7.5 years he's voted with Shrub 90% of the time and with the republicrat majority 81% of the time when a majority of both parties voted for or against a bill/nomination (which is 58% of the votes). So, he's even more of a Bush lackey than the other republicrats. Though, my sense is that at least some of those bills were probably on immigration, where Bush differed from his party bretheren.
In contrast, Obama voted with Bush 40% of the time, but with the majority of the demopublicans 96% of the time. Man, when you are voting with your party almost 100% of the time, you just are not thinking for yourself. Shit, even Harry Reid, the majority leader only voted with the demopublicans 93% of the time (though, this may have been for procedural reasons in some cases). Again, this doesn't represent votes where there wasn't a clear party split, so it's possible that Obama (and McCain) voted against majorities in their party when both majorities were on the same side of an issue (now THAT's being a maverick). But, my sense is that a fair number of issues that come before the Senate are unanimous votes (e.g., Apple pie is good! Congratulate the Super Bowl Champions).
What this tells me is that (no surprise), McCain is not nearly as independent of Bush or the republicans as he'd like you to believe. So, except on immigration and campaing finance, if you like the republicans, you'll love McCain.
It also means that if your kind of change is going ahead with the current democratic orthodoxy, Obama's your man. Post-partisan working together to fix problems? Eh, not so much.
Ya want some change?
http://www.ronpaul.com/
http://www.lp.org/
Huge Disappointment
Good thing my optimism was tempered for the UT-UCLA game yesterday, as the Bruins upset the Vols in overtime (I'd link to a sports website so you can read about it, but I think I'm avoiding such places today).
Today's the last day of summer of the HB. He and I will be hanging in the morning.
Regarding the game, I don't know where to start. Oh, yes I do, UT's head coach Phil Fulmer. He was completely out coached. UCLA's QB throws 4 pics in the first half, so in the second half I don't think they threw a single ball further than 20 yards or to the sideline. Yet, on their last drive, on the first play the UT safety was 20 yards off of the slot receiver, promptly had a catch and run in front of him for 20 yards. The Vols rushed for nearly 80 yards in the first half against a smaller D line, but came out throwing in the second half.
Tennessee's quaterback was horrific, especially with all of the high balls he threw in the first half. But, don't forget about special teams (blocked punt for TD, missed field goal in OT)--though the return game was surprisingly good. Credit to UCLA's QB who played much better in the 2nd half.
At the Cal game last year, the Vols got beat by a team that, at the time, was flat out better. Better athletes, more dynamic offense and defense, etc. UCLA's not a good team. Their receivers made some amazing catches of balls that were behind them, but they had no running game and not a lot of speed. They are maybe the 3rd or 4th best team in the PAC. A 6-5 or 5-6 record is not out of the question. I'm just glad we got N.C. St off of the schedule in return for moving the UCLA game.
Today's the last day of summer of the HB. He and I will be hanging in the morning.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Opening Football Weekend
Yesterday was my fantasy football draft (I'll bore you with those details in a future post). Today I'm going to the Tennessee-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl with some friends and the NZS (my wife and the HB have no interest).
We'll get in a few hours of tailgaiting before the 5pm kickoff. The Vols are big favorites, which is a bit scary. But, I think they'll win. And I have brand new orange Chuck's for the occasion.
Go Vols!
We'll get in a few hours of tailgaiting before the 5pm kickoff. The Vols are big favorites, which is a bit scary. But, I think they'll win. And I have brand new orange Chuck's for the occasion.
Go Vols!
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