Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,615 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
OK, so there are many things people think of on Halloween. Graveyards, candy, the Great Pumpkin, vampires, costume parties... the list is long.
I tend to think of two very different themes on October 31st; I'll call them "candy & costumes" and "spirits & souls."
"Candy & costumes" is pretty obvious, though the costumes I wear tend to be rather more authentic than most people's. In many cases they are old uniforms that I, or family members, used to wear for real; one year I wore my father's Army Dress Uniform during the day, then switched to fatigues for the athletic period. I think of this as the happy parts of halloween.
"Spirits & souls", though it may surprise you, has nothing to do with horror movies or scary stories. One of my favorite episodes of Babylon 5 is "Day of the Dead", and I think of Heather Alexander's "Samhain" a lot as well. Yes, we're a lot closer to the dead, but the dead aren't something to fear. Absent companions are closer (for most of us, at least), then dead enemies.
Two things I have no interest in are pranks and horror. Pranks because most of them show no originality and are simply destructive, horror because I've seen quite enough of that in real life and have no desire to seek it out in fiction.
And, for the record, I believe in The Great Pumpkin rather more than I believe in most religious figures.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Perspective
Edit: Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,805 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Regarding last night's post:
Yes, I know that compared to most of the world's population I'm very well off. I have a steady job, a roof over my head, enough to eat, and no bandits knocking on my door asking for protection or looking for loot. For that matter, if they do, I have the means to stop them and a law enforcement system that will most likely protect me when I do.
I'm also familiar with Lazlo's Chinese Relativity Axiom. "No matter how great your victories or how painful your defeats, approximately one billion Chinese couldn't care less."
Well, this blog isn't about one billion Chinese, its about me, and the handful of people who read it.
Regarding last night's post:
Yes, I know that compared to most of the world's population I'm very well off. I have a steady job, a roof over my head, enough to eat, and no bandits knocking on my door asking for protection or looking for loot. For that matter, if they do, I have the means to stop them and a law enforcement system that will most likely protect me when I do.
I'm also familiar with Lazlo's Chinese Relativity Axiom. "No matter how great your victories or how painful your defeats, approximately one billion Chinese couldn't care less."
Well, this blog isn't about one billion Chinese, its about me, and the handful of people who read it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Summary
Today:
Criticism
Disrespect
Lies
Failure
Bad timing
Bad news
Rejection
Abandonment
Frustration
Ineptitude
Denial
Leading to:
Apathy
Anger
Alcohol abuse
Loneliness
And, purely as a side note, bad spelling. Luckily for that there is spell check.
Half a dozen phone calls, at least one of which I shouldn't have made.
Three episodes of Grey's Anatomy, none of which I watched all the way through.
Oh, and I managed to get pizza sauce on a white shirt. My cat tried to bite me. I voted, and I can barely remember who I voted for. Its OK, almost all of them are going to loose.
However, I have established that Moroccan wine is better at room temperature.
For every cloud, there is a silver lining. In some cases it is monomolecular, but it is there.
Criticism
Disrespect
Lies
Failure
Bad timing
Bad news
Rejection
Abandonment
Frustration
Ineptitude
Denial
Leading to:
Apathy
Anger
Alcohol abuse
Loneliness
And, purely as a side note, bad spelling. Luckily for that there is spell check.
Half a dozen phone calls, at least one of which I shouldn't have made.
Three episodes of Grey's Anatomy, none of which I watched all the way through.
Oh, and I managed to get pizza sauce on a white shirt. My cat tried to bite me. I voted, and I can barely remember who I voted for. Its OK, almost all of them are going to loose.
However, I have established that Moroccan wine is better at room temperature.
For every cloud, there is a silver lining. In some cases it is monomolecular, but it is there.
Laughs
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,729 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
I really hope I can stop giving the daily status soon, but even if the DJI keeps going up like it did today it'll be the end of the week, and somehow I don't think the rate of rise today is sustainable.
I need some more laughs to start out my day, especially when I have early morning meetings at work like the one I did today, so I'm asking you: what web comics do you read in the morning?
I currently read Sluggy Freelance, Dilbert, Real Life Comics, User Friendly, Order of the Stick, and (on Sundays) Foxtrot.
Please note that while I don't insist on a punch line every day, or object to a dramatic plot arc now and again, I am mostly looking for laughs here.
I really hope I can stop giving the daily status soon, but even if the DJI keeps going up like it did today it'll be the end of the week, and somehow I don't think the rate of rise today is sustainable.
I need some more laughs to start out my day, especially when I have early morning meetings at work like the one I did today, so I'm asking you: what web comics do you read in the morning?
I currently read Sluggy Freelance, Dilbert, Real Life Comics, User Friendly, Order of the Stick, and (on Sundays) Foxtrot.
Please note that while I don't insist on a punch line every day, or object to a dramatic plot arc now and again, I am mostly looking for laughs here.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Disassociated
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,620 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
I feel... isolated. Which is odd, since I just had three people over for a board game party yesterday and I've been re-connecting with people via Facebook.
Or is it because I've been reconnecting with people? So many have gotten married, had children, changed jobs, even just graduated from college! Effectively none of the people I spent those critical years with are still the people I knew then.
I've been thinking a lot lately of the modern mobile society. We grow up, then we move to go to college, and in many cases we move on from there to someplace else. We think nothing of driving half an hour and a dozen miles to work, and we don't get to know our neighbors. We chat online with friends we haven't seen face to face in years. We all slowly grow our own circles of friends, which never quite overlap with our old ones. Someone moves and doesn't pass on a phone number or an email address, and it is as if they've vanished from the face of the earth. No one knows where they are, or what happened to them.
I can't help thinking about how we connect with the communities we're in during the digital age. A LOT of the communities I'm part of are electronic; I seldom if ever see the people I talk to there in real life. So, in a real crisis, who do I turn to? The electronic communities won't be there. My friends in other states won't be there. Even my "local" friends are mostly hours away by foot, and in traffic jams probably not much closer by car.
So if it all comes apart, who do I turn to? Who will you turn to?
I feel... isolated. Which is odd, since I just had three people over for a board game party yesterday and I've been re-connecting with people via Facebook.
Or is it because I've been reconnecting with people? So many have gotten married, had children, changed jobs, even just graduated from college! Effectively none of the people I spent those critical years with are still the people I knew then.
I've been thinking a lot lately of the modern mobile society. We grow up, then we move to go to college, and in many cases we move on from there to someplace else. We think nothing of driving half an hour and a dozen miles to work, and we don't get to know our neighbors. We chat online with friends we haven't seen face to face in years. We all slowly grow our own circles of friends, which never quite overlap with our old ones. Someone moves and doesn't pass on a phone number or an email address, and it is as if they've vanished from the face of the earth. No one knows where they are, or what happened to them.
I can't help thinking about how we connect with the communities we're in during the digital age. A LOT of the communities I'm part of are electronic; I seldom if ever see the people I talk to there in real life. So, in a real crisis, who do I turn to? The electronic communities won't be there. My friends in other states won't be there. Even my "local" friends are mostly hours away by foot, and in traffic jams probably not much closer by car.
So if it all comes apart, who do I turn to? Who will you turn to?
Hurry up and wait
It's not just the Army's slogan anymore.
So, over three weeks after congress rushed through a bill that there was no time to debate, it was so urgent, it needed to be done RIGHT NOW with no time spent closely examining what we were doing... over THREE WEEKS later the first action is being taken.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444187,00.html
In more personal news, I fired off a hundred rounds of rifle ammunition (at an outdoor range not far from my house), played board games, and did two loads of laundry this weekend.
So, over three weeks after congress rushed through a bill that there was no time to debate, it was so urgent, it needed to be done RIGHT NOW with no time spent closely examining what we were doing... over THREE WEEKS later the first action is being taken.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444187,00.html
In more personal news, I fired off a hundred rounds of rifle ammunition (at an outdoor range not far from my house), played board games, and did two loads of laundry this weekend.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Security Breach!
I'll edit later with the day-end Dow.
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,417 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Just in case you still had any respect for the TSA.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/airport-security
Fake boarding passes, liquids in significant quantities, weapons and components...
But the real kicker is on the bottom of Page 3. Getting through security while looking nervous... and WITHOUT AN ID.
The smart terrorists are going to get through anyway. The dumb ones are busy blowing themselves up over in Iraq. The only people the TSA is disarming are law-abiding citizens who might be able to foil an attempted hijacking.
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,417 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Just in case you still had any respect for the TSA.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/airport-security
Fake boarding passes, liquids in significant quantities, weapons and components...
But the real kicker is on the bottom of Page 3. Getting through security while looking nervous... and WITHOUT AN ID.
The smart terrorists are going to get through anyway. The dumb ones are busy blowing themselves up over in Iraq. The only people the TSA is disarming are law-abiding citizens who might be able to foil an attempted hijacking.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Slow day
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,105 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
So today I got up slowly, work up slowly, drove to work slowly due to traffic, and my computer has been running VERY slowly. People have been slow to reply to email.
Has the time-space continuoum been altered?
So today I got up slowly, work up slowly, drove to work slowly due to traffic, and my computer has been running VERY slowly. People have been slow to reply to email.
Has the time-space continuoum been altered?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Obama's Spare Change
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,274 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
So Obama's somewhere around 10% ahead in the polls.
He's even further ahead in finances.
According to http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapApp.do?cand_id=P00000001&searchType=&searchSQLType=&searchKeyword=
Obama's raised about $603 million of the $1514 million as of the end of September, while McCain's gotten $332 million. Yes, Obama's raised almost 40% of the total money in this election, while McCain is at a little under 22%.
Obama's spent more than twice as much - $469M against $229M.
Breaking his promise to take public funding really seems to be paying off for Obama.
How does not taking public funding mean Obama gets more money, you ask?
Well, its federal law. From: http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/pubfund.shtml
"...To qualify for public funding, Presidential candidates and party convention committees must first meet various eligibility requirements, such as agreeing to limit campaign spending to a specified amount....Candidates also must agree to:
Limit campaign spending for all primary elections to $10 million plus a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) [The COLA brings it to $42.05 million!] This is called the national spending limit.
Limit campaign spending in each state to $200,000 plus COLA, or to a specified amount based on the number of voting age individuals in the state (plus COLA), whichever is greater.
Limit spending from personal funds to $50,000."
So by not taking public funding, Obama can raise and spend as much as he wants to, wherever he wants to. McCain has to follow the rules. Obama doesn't, even though when he was running against Hilary he agreed that he would.
Now, I can't prove any direct correlation between spending more and getting more votes. But is anyone going to contend that it hurts?
It would probably bother me more if the election were closer. I'd hate to think someone could buy their way into the Oval Office.
So Obama's somewhere around 10% ahead in the polls.
He's even further ahead in finances.
According to http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/mapApp.do?cand_id=P00000001&searchType=&searchSQLType=&searchKeyword=
Obama's raised about $603 million of the $1514 million as of the end of September, while McCain's gotten $332 million. Yes, Obama's raised almost 40% of the total money in this election, while McCain is at a little under 22%.
Obama's spent more than twice as much - $469M against $229M.
Breaking his promise to take public funding really seems to be paying off for Obama.
How does not taking public funding mean Obama gets more money, you ask?
Well, its federal law. From: http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/pubfund.shtml
"...To qualify for public funding, Presidential candidates and party convention committees must first meet various eligibility requirements, such as agreeing to limit campaign spending to a specified amount....Candidates also must agree to:
Limit campaign spending for all primary elections to $10 million plus a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) [The COLA brings it to $42.05 million!] This is called the national spending limit.
Limit campaign spending in each state to $200,000 plus COLA, or to a specified amount based on the number of voting age individuals in the state (plus COLA), whichever is greater.
Limit spending from personal funds to $50,000."
So by not taking public funding, Obama can raise and spend as much as he wants to, wherever he wants to. McCain has to follow the rules. Obama doesn't, even though when he was running against Hilary he agreed that he would.
Now, I can't prove any direct correlation between spending more and getting more votes. But is anyone going to contend that it hurts?
It would probably bother me more if the election were closer. I'd hate to think someone could buy their way into the Oval Office.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Game Design
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,762 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
I sometimes wonder how many hours, days, weeks, etc. I have spent wishing that a certain game was just a little different. That it had this feature or that feature, or did this differently... little tweaks, big tweaks, all kinds of things.
Do you do that as well? Are you unable to play a game without thinking of ways you'd improve it? Do you spend time hunting for the perfect game in a genre?
I sometimes wonder how many hours, days, weeks, etc. I have spent wishing that a certain game was just a little different. That it had this feature or that feature, or did this differently... little tweaks, big tweaks, all kinds of things.
Do you do that as well? Are you unable to play a game without thinking of ways you'd improve it? Do you spend time hunting for the perfect game in a genre?
Monday, October 20, 2008
New Games
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,531 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
This appears to be the month of new games for me. Among other things, I played HALO for the first time yesterday. My skill at first-person shooters has not magically improved over the years. :-}
This appears to be the month of new games for me. Among other things, I played HALO for the first time yesterday. My skill at first-person shooters has not magically improved over the years. :-}
Thursday, October 16, 2008
It ain't over 'till its over, but...
Edit: Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,817 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Its over. McCain needed a knockout win last night to have a chance at winning the election, and he didn't get it.
I gave up in disgust after 45 minutes. I'm tired of Obama running against Bush. I'm tired of Biden running against Palin. I'm tired of McCain and Obama dogding questions.
So next year we'll have Obama as president, most likely with a democratic congress to back him up. We'll see change, I'm sure.
Now I'm really glad I bought firearms this year - it may not be possible next year.
I'm going to try for a lighter note now. Here are some other campaigns I've seen this year.
3rd Prize: Go Green! Grinch '08
2nd Prize: Bigfoot - Nessie 2008: Things you can believe in.
1st Prize: 1,000,000 Strong for Colbert
And the Grand Prize goes to:
This November, don't vote for Obama, who will take your money and put it in the pocket of Jojo the Crack Whore and her 8 Welfare babies. Don't vote for McCain, who will take your money to line the pockets of big business.
Instead, vote for Ronald Reagan. He's dead. He can't take your money. And he can't make the country any worse than it already is.
Its over. McCain needed a knockout win last night to have a chance at winning the election, and he didn't get it.
I gave up in disgust after 45 minutes. I'm tired of Obama running against Bush. I'm tired of Biden running against Palin. I'm tired of McCain and Obama dogding questions.
So next year we'll have Obama as president, most likely with a democratic congress to back him up. We'll see change, I'm sure.
Now I'm really glad I bought firearms this year - it may not be possible next year.
I'm going to try for a lighter note now. Here are some other campaigns I've seen this year.
3rd Prize: Go Green! Grinch '08
2nd Prize: Bigfoot - Nessie 2008: Things you can believe in.
1st Prize: 1,000,000 Strong for Colbert
And the Grand Prize goes to:
This November, don't vote for Obama, who will take your money and put it in the pocket of Jojo the Crack Whore and her 8 Welfare babies. Don't vote for McCain, who will take your money to line the pockets of big business.
Instead, vote for Ronald Reagan. He's dead. He can't take your money. And he can't make the country any worse than it already is.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Last Debate Tonight
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,218 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
How's everyone liking the roller coaster ride?
Well, the last debate is tonight. I'd say "at least they won't snipe at each other about the bailout bill since they both argued for it and voted for it," except I don't have that much faith in politicians not to rewrite the facts anymore.
McCain will have to really trounce Obama tonight in order to have a shot at winning next month, and I just don't see that happening. My attention is shifting to the Senate and House, even though I have even less control over the way Congress shifts than I do the White House.
I think Facebook pages somehow contain trace amounts of cocaine. I can think of no other reason for the amount of time I'm spending logged into that site.
How's everyone liking the roller coaster ride?
Well, the last debate is tonight. I'd say "at least they won't snipe at each other about the bailout bill since they both argued for it and voted for it," except I don't have that much faith in politicians not to rewrite the facts anymore.
McCain will have to really trounce Obama tonight in order to have a shot at winning next month, and I just don't see that happening. My attention is shifting to the Senate and House, even though I have even less control over the way Congress shifts than I do the White House.
I think Facebook pages somehow contain trace amounts of cocaine. I can think of no other reason for the amount of time I'm spending logged into that site.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Hmm
I'm not really sure how to take this article. On the one hand, I would have doubted that anyone could get elected president without courting the media. On the other hand, it seems to fit the general tone of the Obama and McCain campaigns.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/10/07/politics/fromtheroad/entry4507703.shtml
Oh, and:
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,485 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Yes folks, after yesterday's giant leap and the morning's surge, we're falling again, albeit very slowly. No predictions for tomorrow, but we've got a long way to go if we're going to get back to pre-bailout levels.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/10/07/politics/fromtheroad/entry4507703.shtml
Oh, and:
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,485 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Yes folks, after yesterday's giant leap and the morning's surge, we're falling again, albeit very slowly. No predictions for tomorrow, but we've got a long way to go if we're going to get back to pre-bailout levels.
The new hockey stick
I'll update later today with the closing DJI.
Take a look at: http://finance.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=INDEXDJX:DJI Zoom out to 1 year. Flip it upside down. Look familiar?
If you want to make the analogy even better, of course, you can zoom out to the max. Suddenly right now doesn't look so bad from a historical perspective. Not that I'm saying anything about using graphical information to paint a picture of a gigantic crisis to which people are proposing fantastically expensive solutions that could easily fail to work.
The Feds are adding another $250 billion to the bailout, pushing it to almost $1 trillion dollars. That's almost $1,000,000,000,000 of our money which is going into what looks to me like a band-aid over a bullet hole.
Take a look at: http://finance.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=INDEXDJX:DJI Zoom out to 1 year. Flip it upside down. Look familiar?
If you want to make the analogy even better, of course, you can zoom out to the max. Suddenly right now doesn't look so bad from a historical perspective. Not that I'm saying anything about using graphical information to paint a picture of a gigantic crisis to which people are proposing fantastically expensive solutions that could easily fail to work.
The Feds are adding another $250 billion to the bailout, pushing it to almost $1 trillion dollars. That's almost $1,000,000,000,000 of our money which is going into what looks to me like a band-aid over a bullet hole.
Oops!
Forgot to update yesterday.
Daily status (as of close of business yesterday): the DJI has dropped 1,408 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Quite a number of media outlets have trumpeted what is admittedly a big rise - but remember we'd fallen a LONG way from last summer's high even before the bailout bill. I may be proven wrong, but it hasn't even come close to happening yet.
Daily status (as of close of business yesterday): the DJI has dropped 1,408 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Quite a number of media outlets have trumpeted what is admittedly a big rise - but remember we'd fallen a LONG way from last summer's high even before the bailout bill. I may be proven wrong, but it hasn't even come close to happening yet.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Photographic memory
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,345 points (over 21%) since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Do you know anyone who has a photographic memory? I've seen it in books (fiction), TV shows, movies... but I've never met someone who had one.
So Lexi is a Lexicon (nice one, Alex), George is either a resident or an intern, and the moral of the story is that a little water can do a lot of damage. A nice Grey's Anatomy; I really like having more story (water leak, medical mystery solved) than soap opera, although I not-too-secretly enjoy the soap opera. :-)
Do you know anyone who has a photographic memory? I've seen it in books (fiction), TV shows, movies... but I've never met someone who had one.
So Lexi is a Lexicon (nice one, Alex), George is either a resident or an intern, and the moral of the story is that a little water can do a lot of damage. A nice Grey's Anatomy; I really like having more story (water leak, medical mystery solved) than soap opera, although I not-too-secretly enjoy the soap opera. :-)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
No bottom! No bottom with this line!
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 2,217 points (over 20%) since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Well, the Dow seems to be well and truly screwed, Iceland is going bankrupt, and I've joined Facebook. I don't believe all of these events are related.
In other news, I'm officially predicting Obama will win the election, and not by a narrow margin. It ain't over until the electoral college votes, but I really don't see the math working out any other way. Obama's spending more money, moving up in the polls in most states, and already has a noticable electoral lead. Also, it seems to me that when the economy is bad the party in power tends to suffer, and democrats tend to do better than republicans. Obama's got both of those in his favor.
Well, the Dow seems to be well and truly screwed, Iceland is going bankrupt, and I've joined Facebook. I don't believe all of these events are related.
In other news, I'm officially predicting Obama will win the election, and not by a narrow margin. It ain't over until the electoral college votes, but I really don't see the math working out any other way. Obama's spending more money, moving up in the polls in most states, and already has a noticable electoral lead. Also, it seems to me that when the economy is bad the party in power tends to suffer, and democrats tend to do better than republicans. Obama's got both of those in his favor.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Answers, please!
Note: I plan to edit this post later today to add the DJI at closing.
Edit: Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,544 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
OK, to both Senator Obama AND Senator McCain; if you're not going to answer the questions, why are you bothering to have the debate?
I felt some excellent questions were asked last night, and very few of them were answered.
One in particular bothered me. Someone asked if we would intervene in the event that Iran attacked Israel. McCain said he wouldn't wait for the UN to act. I would have preferred a stronger and clearer statement, but I think that's clear enough. Obama, however, who said he'd be in favor of sending US troops in to prevent genocide in answer to a different question, never actually said he'd commit troops to defend Israel. Again, his answer was vague, but I got the strong sense that he'd talk first. Granted, "without taking military options off the table." But that sure doesn't sound like a 'yes, we'd send troops' to me.
If we have an ally in the middle east, its Israel. How can you even think of sending US troops to prevent genocide in a country that has no ties to the US and not automatically be ready to support an ally when it is attacked? How is genocide in a country we have no ties to worse than genocide inflicted by another country on our ally?
Edit: Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1,544 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
OK, to both Senator Obama AND Senator McCain; if you're not going to answer the questions, why are you bothering to have the debate?
I felt some excellent questions were asked last night, and very few of them were answered.
One in particular bothered me. Someone asked if we would intervene in the event that Iran attacked Israel. McCain said he wouldn't wait for the UN to act. I would have preferred a stronger and clearer statement, but I think that's clear enough. Obama, however, who said he'd be in favor of sending US troops in to prevent genocide in answer to a different question, never actually said he'd commit troops to defend Israel. Again, his answer was vague, but I got the strong sense that he'd talk first. Granted, "without taking military options off the table." But that sure doesn't sound like a 'yes, we'd send troops' to me.
If we have an ally in the middle east, its Israel. How can you even think of sending US troops to prevent genocide in a country that has no ties to the US and not automatically be ready to support an ally when it is attacked? How is genocide in a country we have no ties to worse than genocide inflicted by another country on our ally?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Busy Week Coming
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 1349 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Tonight: The 2nd Presidential Debate
Tomorrow night: Ursulmas Planning Meeting
Thursday night: Grey's Anatomy
Some weekday evening I also want to mow the lawn, clean firearms, fix IE on my home computer, and call two people.
Tonight: The 2nd Presidential Debate
Tomorrow night: Ursulmas Planning Meeting
Thursday night: Grey's Anatomy
Some weekday evening I also want to mow the lawn, clean firearms, fix IE on my home computer, and call two people.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Moroccan Food and American Lead
Daily status: the DJI has dropped 840 points since the bailout passed on October 3rd. Your Federal tax dollars at work!
Saturday night my carpool to work took a party of five to dinner at the Marrakesh in Seattle (http://www.marrakeshseattle.com/index.htm). This was my second time there, and I have to say it has been highly enjoyable both times. One of the reasons I see for dining out is finding combinations of things that you never would have tried on your own. Mint tea is nice, chopped apples and bananas in cinammon sauce are nice, but together they are even better. :-)
Sunday to completely change cultures and activities I took a class on concealed carry for firearms. While my other classes with the Firearms Academy of Seattle have been highly positive experiances, this one was... rather less so. To begin with, it is a bad sign when I'm the second best shooter in a group of nine (not counting the instructors). The guy next to me in the lineups couldn't hear the range commands and after seven hours couldn't master the manual of arms for his own pistol. He wasn't the only "problem child." Moreover only a very small portion of the class was actually concerned with concealed carry; much of it was on drawing and holstering from a non-concealed holster. While I grant this is related to drawing from a concealed holster, there are other classes in the FAS tree that cover this.
Saturday night my carpool to work took a party of five to dinner at the Marrakesh in Seattle (http://www.marrakeshseattle.com/index.htm). This was my second time there, and I have to say it has been highly enjoyable both times. One of the reasons I see for dining out is finding combinations of things that you never would have tried on your own. Mint tea is nice, chopped apples and bananas in cinammon sauce are nice, but together they are even better. :-)
Sunday to completely change cultures and activities I took a class on concealed carry for firearms. While my other classes with the Firearms Academy of Seattle have been highly positive experiances, this one was... rather less so. To begin with, it is a bad sign when I'm the second best shooter in a group of nine (not counting the instructors). The guy next to me in the lineups couldn't hear the range commands and after seven hours couldn't master the manual of arms for his own pistol. He wasn't the only "problem child." Moreover only a very small portion of the class was actually concerned with concealed carry; much of it was on drawing and holstering from a non-concealed holster. While I grant this is related to drawing from a concealed holster, there are other classes in the FAS tree that cover this.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Ah, the bailout is working already!
... or not.
Well, after reaching a daily high of 10,796 just BEFORE the bailout bill passed the house, the DJIA finished the day at 10,325; a drop of over 470 points from its peak to make a daily result of -157. Note that the DJIA closed at 10,365 on Monday after the 777 point drop I talked about earlier this week; forty points ABOVE today's closing price.
So Wall Street fell sharply when the bill failed, and has fallen again now that the bill passed. It seems Wall Street has about the same level of confidence in the bailout package that I do. Or perhaps, a radical thought indeed, the market can't be effectively driven by government programs?
Well, after reaching a daily high of 10,796 just BEFORE the bailout bill passed the house, the DJIA finished the day at 10,325; a drop of over 470 points from its peak to make a daily result of -157. Note that the DJIA closed at 10,365 on Monday after the 777 point drop I talked about earlier this week; forty points ABOVE today's closing price.
So Wall Street fell sharply when the bill failed, and has fallen again now that the bill passed. It seems Wall Street has about the same level of confidence in the bailout package that I do. Or perhaps, a radical thought indeed, the market can't be effectively driven by government programs?
Veep Debate
Well, I managed to catch the full VP debate last night.
I went in with no real opinion of Biden, a slightly positive one about Palin, a highly negative one of Obama, and a fairly positive one about McCain.
I came out with a highly positive opinion of Biden, a fairly positive one about Palin, a fairly negative one about Obama, and a fairly positive one about McCain.
So my opinions of three of the four principles went up. How often does that happen?
I wish Biden was running for president, and not Obama. Biden made me think he was involved, knowledgeable, genuinely cared about several issues, and despite his attemmpt to play it down I feel that he has some major divergence from Obama. IMO, that's a good thing.
I still don't feel Obama is qualified to be Commander in Chief, but my opinion of his ability to handle the domestic duties of the president has risen.
If the election were held today and Biden was running for president, I'd vote for him without hesitation or regret. As the tickets stand, however, I'm still leaning towards McCain.
I think the worst part of the debate for me was the period where both of them (I think Biden started it) were calling the candidates by their first names. This is a formal debate, and these people are US Senators, folks! You may or may not think they're qualified for the chief executive, but neither one has disgraced their office.
I suspect the media will say Biden won the debate, and I have to admit he made several solid points. Palin, however, certainly did nothing wrong, and highlighted a major divergence between Obama and Biden; part of the reason Biden came out looking so good to me.
Don't get me wrong, Obama's stated positions on a lot of issues appeal to me. However, I have very little confidence that he'll follow through on those, and the level of demigography going on disturbs me.
I went in with no real opinion of Biden, a slightly positive one about Palin, a highly negative one of Obama, and a fairly positive one about McCain.
I came out with a highly positive opinion of Biden, a fairly positive one about Palin, a fairly negative one about Obama, and a fairly positive one about McCain.
So my opinions of three of the four principles went up. How often does that happen?
I wish Biden was running for president, and not Obama. Biden made me think he was involved, knowledgeable, genuinely cared about several issues, and despite his attemmpt to play it down I feel that he has some major divergence from Obama. IMO, that's a good thing.
I still don't feel Obama is qualified to be Commander in Chief, but my opinion of his ability to handle the domestic duties of the president has risen.
If the election were held today and Biden was running for president, I'd vote for him without hesitation or regret. As the tickets stand, however, I'm still leaning towards McCain.
I think the worst part of the debate for me was the period where both of them (I think Biden started it) were calling the candidates by their first names. This is a formal debate, and these people are US Senators, folks! You may or may not think they're qualified for the chief executive, but neither one has disgraced their office.
I suspect the media will say Biden won the debate, and I have to admit he made several solid points. Palin, however, certainly did nothing wrong, and highlighted a major divergence between Obama and Biden; part of the reason Biden came out looking so good to me.
Don't get me wrong, Obama's stated positions on a lot of issues appeal to me. However, I have very little confidence that he'll follow through on those, and the level of demigography going on disturbs me.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I love my country but I fear my government
-RAH
I was amazed to see this article on CNN; I would have been somewhat surprised to see it on Fox. This is more the sort of thing I expect to see on someone's blog.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/beck.future/index.html
A bipartisan system is very dangerous, IMO. While we at least dodged the bullet of having two families trade the executive office for more than 20 years, we've still hit 20.
The problem is that the bipartisan system encourages a binary view of the world. There is only right and wrong, nothing in between. Only democrat and republican, and no one who doesn't buy into one of the parties stands a chance. There can be only two sides to any issue. Pro life or pro choice. You're either with us or with them. Worse, there is no unity. We aren't Americans. We're conservatives or liberals first, and citizens second. We can't unite, we can only polarize.
The world isn't binary. The world isn't even digital, with finite steps. The world is analog, with an infinite number of shades of grey. Each shade is different, each person is different, and while white is clearly different from black there's no clear dividing line between white and grey, or grey and black.
I was amazed to see this article on CNN; I would have been somewhat surprised to see it on Fox. This is more the sort of thing I expect to see on someone's blog.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/beck.future/index.html
A bipartisan system is very dangerous, IMO. While we at least dodged the bullet of having two families trade the executive office for more than 20 years, we've still hit 20.
The problem is that the bipartisan system encourages a binary view of the world. There is only right and wrong, nothing in between. Only democrat and republican, and no one who doesn't buy into one of the parties stands a chance. There can be only two sides to any issue. Pro life or pro choice. You're either with us or with them. Worse, there is no unity. We aren't Americans. We're conservatives or liberals first, and citizens second. We can't unite, we can only polarize.
The world isn't binary. The world isn't even digital, with finite steps. The world is analog, with an infinite number of shades of grey. Each shade is different, each person is different, and while white is clearly different from black there's no clear dividing line between white and grey, or grey and black.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Put up or shut up
For those who hadn't guessed already, I'm not a fan of the $700,000,000,000 bailout.
Here's an idea to reduce the cost to the taxpayer.
If the economy is really in danger, then all those executives who got multi-million dollar severance packages after a few years of running down their companies must have a lot to loose too. So let's set up the bailout a little differently. For every dollar they 'invest' the same way that proponents of the bill tell us we're really 'investing' this $700 billion, the government will put in not one, not two, but SIX dollars. That's right, if the people who are telling us how badly this is needed can put up just $100 billion, the government will put up the other six hundred billion dollars on behalf of the rest of us.
Somehow I don't expect a rush of people would go for this plan. Of course, that should say something about whether that $700 billion is really being poured into a hole in the ground or not.
Here's an idea to reduce the cost to the taxpayer.
If the economy is really in danger, then all those executives who got multi-million dollar severance packages after a few years of running down their companies must have a lot to loose too. So let's set up the bailout a little differently. For every dollar they 'invest' the same way that proponents of the bill tell us we're really 'investing' this $700 billion, the government will put in not one, not two, but SIX dollars. That's right, if the people who are telling us how badly this is needed can put up just $100 billion, the government will put up the other six hundred billion dollars on behalf of the rest of us.
Somehow I don't expect a rush of people would go for this plan. Of course, that should say something about whether that $700 billion is really being poured into a hole in the ground or not.
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