Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Al's Own “Inconvenient Truth”
Interesting article forwarded to me today. I wonder if Leo would have acted differently towards Gore at the Academy Awards if he knew about this......hmmm....naw, probably not, all those that agree with Gore are all driving gas guzzling SUVs or fancy sports cars and not environmently friendly automobiles.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
just take the tractor for another round
new favorite song: amarillo sky.the money line: "diesel's worth the price of gold; it's the cheapest grain he's ever sold."
the video isn't half bad either. the video (go to the link above and click on the name of the song to see the video) shows scenes from a typical midwestern farm and high school boys that want to take over the family farm, despite the economic challenges. hits a soft spot for me.... so i really like the song.
god bless the american farmer. ;)
Thursday, February 22, 2007
ash wednesday
today is ash wednesday - the first day of lent. i'm not catholic, but i'm taking part in this christian tradition because my husband is catholic along with every other individual in the entire city of boston. that's right... it's peer pressure.
now, boys and girls, if you recall yur sunday school/catechism classes, lent is the 40 days prior to easter. traditionally, we fast from a particular vice in order to sacrifice, as christ did, during his 40 days in the wilderness.
these days, i think we've gotten a little soft when it comes to lent. we give up stupid little things like soda, swearing, or talking with our mouths full. boo hoo. in the olden days, fasting was a little more severe. see this example from Socrates of Constantinople:
so, in order to "toughen up" our lenten tradition, i propose this: your spouse/best friend/significant other gets to choose what you give up for lent. this way, lent would be a true sacrifice, rather than just an excuse to break a bad habit you've been trying to kick.
my husband and i tried this. he thought i should give up sarcasm. i thought he should give up tv.
yea right. i think i'll stick to giving up soda for lent.
now, boys and girls, if you recall yur sunday school/catechism classes, lent is the 40 days prior to easter. traditionally, we fast from a particular vice in order to sacrifice, as christ did, during his 40 days in the wilderness.
these days, i think we've gotten a little soft when it comes to lent. we give up stupid little things like soda, swearing, or talking with our mouths full. boo hoo. in the olden days, fasting was a little more severe. see this example from Socrates of Constantinople:
all animal products were strictly forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places, believers abstained from food for an entire day, others took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until 3 o'clock. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening and then a small meal without meat or alcohol was eaten.
so, in order to "toughen up" our lenten tradition, i propose this: your spouse/best friend/significant other gets to choose what you give up for lent. this way, lent would be a true sacrifice, rather than just an excuse to break a bad habit you've been trying to kick.
my husband and i tried this. he thought i should give up sarcasm. i thought he should give up tv.
yea right. i think i'll stick to giving up soda for lent.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Romney Watch
Check out the following article from the Economist about Mitt Romney.
I particularly found interesting:
"Used to addressing small groups of clever people in suits, he seems slightly awkward on the stump. He glances too often at his notes. He fails to rouse a crowd. He is all substance and not much style."
If he is going to win over either Hillary or Barack "Hussein" Obama, Mitt's gonna have to turn up the charm.
Oh, and Romney was the first candidate to roll out a campaign ad on T.V. The ad went on the air today. Only being shown in New Hampshire and Iowa for the time being.
I particularly found interesting:
"Used to addressing small groups of clever people in suits, he seems slightly awkward on the stump. He glances too often at his notes. He fails to rouse a crowd. He is all substance and not much style."
If he is going to win over either Hillary or Barack "Hussein" Obama, Mitt's gonna have to turn up the charm.
Oh, and Romney was the first candidate to roll out a campaign ad on T.V. The ad went on the air today. Only being shown in New Hampshire and Iowa for the time being.
They call it....the "Dirty Dot"
For the past couple of days my wife has been in Dorchester on business and this part of town is not the nicest of neighborhoods. While not as rough as the "Rox," it certainly tried to be today. After hearing that shots were fired over the radio today in Dorchester, I immediately thought about my sweetheart and decided that I need to get her one of these. All I need is some steel plates and a welder. Hey if they can do it, I can right? This is what a good husband does......
Monday, February 19, 2007
remember sarah palin?
picture from nytimes.com - charles mason
remember the '06 elections and all my talk about sarah palin - alaska's first female governor?
she's back in the news, this time in the ny times. the picture above shows her with her champion snowmobiler husband. (i can't help but draw similarilities between her and myself)
the nyt article talks about her plan to build a natural gas pipeline from the north slope to the lower 48.
Trailblazen'
This weekend the Ski's went up North to "Camp Kabolder" in New Hampshire to do some serious sledding at our friend's place located in the heart of logging country. A hidden location deep in the woods only accessible by snowmobile in the winter time. As always, it was a time filled with good laughs and good fun but per camp rules I unfortunately cannot tell you about them:
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Summer Indulgence
It's that time of year sports fans. It's time to overlook the self destruction of last year's season and begin preparing for the new one. I hope we didn't just buy into the hype of Red Sox Nation. Oh well. I don't care, as long as I get to scream KONICHIWA at the top of my lungs while stuffing Sushi into my mouth when Daisuke takes the mound at least once. Friday, February 16, 2007
mcfadden and part d
a good article by dan mcfadden in the journal about Part D. it talks about the program, but my favorite part is the discussion about the healthcare industry in america.
interesting info:
interesting info:
In terms of health delivered per dollar of cost, our system is grotesquely inefficient. We spend $6,102 per person on health care each year, nearly 17% of GDP. Our neighbor Canada's single-payer system costs $3,165 per person per year, about half our expenditure, or 10% of their GDP. The Canadian costs and health outcomes are typical of developed countries, where government managed and financed systems predominate. The extra cost of our system is not buying us better health. The probability of dying between ages 15 and 60, a good indicator of failure of a health-care system to prevent and treat disease, is 8.1% for females in the U.S.; in Canada, the same probability is 5.7%.
very interesting consideration:
About a third of all medical costs are incurred in the last year of life, and are at best marginally effective. The incentives in the system do not force hard choices.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
“McCain is yesterday, Giuliani is today, Romney is tomorrow”
Today Mitt Romney, retired Governor of Massachusetts, announced that he is running for president. After giving his “Here I Am” speech today in Michigan, Mitt Romney has officially entered the race for the U.S. Presidency.
In the last 44 years since Massachusetts provided the last U.S. Senator elected president, 35 sitting senators and governors have sought, with varying degrees of seriousness, presidential nominations. This upcoming election, Mitt has a decent shot of securing such nomination. Mitt's time in Massachusetts has given him the proven ability to govern across America’s increasingly vast political divide (come on this is Massachusetts!) As the lone red dot in the bluest of blue states, he has proven himself, rather difficulty, that he is able to make things happen in a partisan environment by providing health care for all, balancing the state budget, and reorganizing the state’s workforce.
Additionally, what I like most of all, is that he’ s a self made business man, has a loving productive family, and is a man of great personal character (no skeletons in this guys closet folks – in fact he saved people from drowning in New Hampshire!) Oh and let’s not forget about what he did with the Winter Olympics and his accomplishments in the private sector. This is important because out of all the candidates (both sides) for president thus far, Mitt is the only successful business man. Such a background will help as he’ll have something else to talk about besides being a politician all his life. Heck, he even looks presidential.
It’s also interesting that we can’t pick the Republican nominee out of the “litter” as of yet. Generally, one can usually predict the Republican nominee two to three years out somewhat reliably. And this lack of an identified nominee is what I believe gives Mitt a real chance at securing the nomination. Currently, GOP front runners John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are not beloved by the religious right – which will hinder their chances of winning the nomination. And Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback are loved by the evangelicals but have little name recognition nationwide-further hindering their chances.
Therefore, no Republican front runner has been “selected” by the party at this point – not even Giuliani. This allows Romney to introduce himself to the world as a fiscal and social conservative which allows for better positioning to become a more likeable candidate. During this time, Romney has wasted no time in waging a strong campaign by hiring tested advisors, creating a large war chest, and visiting key states throughout the country. How Romney uses this time will dictate whether or not he becomes the nominee for the party – obvious huh?
In the last 44 years since Massachusetts provided the last U.S. Senator elected president, 35 sitting senators and governors have sought, with varying degrees of seriousness, presidential nominations. This upcoming election, Mitt has a decent shot of securing such nomination. Mitt's time in Massachusetts has given him the proven ability to govern across America’s increasingly vast political divide (come on this is Massachusetts!) As the lone red dot in the bluest of blue states, he has proven himself, rather difficulty, that he is able to make things happen in a partisan environment by providing health care for all, balancing the state budget, and reorganizing the state’s workforce.
Additionally, what I like most of all, is that he’ s a self made business man, has a loving productive family, and is a man of great personal character (no skeletons in this guys closet folks – in fact he saved people from drowning in New Hampshire!) Oh and let’s not forget about what he did with the Winter Olympics and his accomplishments in the private sector. This is important because out of all the candidates (both sides) for president thus far, Mitt is the only successful business man. Such a background will help as he’ll have something else to talk about besides being a politician all his life. Heck, he even looks presidential.
It’s also interesting that we can’t pick the Republican nominee out of the “litter” as of yet. Generally, one can usually predict the Republican nominee two to three years out somewhat reliably. And this lack of an identified nominee is what I believe gives Mitt a real chance at securing the nomination. Currently, GOP front runners John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are not beloved by the religious right – which will hinder their chances of winning the nomination. And Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback are loved by the evangelicals but have little name recognition nationwide-further hindering their chances.
Therefore, no Republican front runner has been “selected” by the party at this point – not even Giuliani. This allows Romney to introduce himself to the world as a fiscal and social conservative which allows for better positioning to become a more likeable candidate. During this time, Romney has wasted no time in waging a strong campaign by hiring tested advisors, creating a large war chest, and visiting key states throughout the country. How Romney uses this time will dictate whether or not he becomes the nominee for the party – obvious huh?
Thankfully his middle name isn’t Hussein.
However, there are a couple of issues that I think may prohibit Mitt from reaching Pennsylvania Avenue:
1.) Lack of Foreign Policy Experience. This will be a key factor in winning the nomination of either party in 2008. Between Islamic radicalism, Chinese interests, and a current bug up the Russian Bear’s behind, this country will need a sharp leader to get us through such challenges – and I question whether or not Romney has this capability. Although I did get a kick out of his refusal to provide Khatami a security escort a few months ago over at Harvard. Probably just made a few more enemies that we’ll have to conquer eventually.
2.) He’s from Massachusetts – not really a breeding ground for conservatives so carrying the state is a likely NYET!
3.) He’s a Mormon - I really don’t care but plenty of people in this country do. Kind of interesting that this wasn’t such an issue for Orin Hatch back in 2000, but I guess he had bigger issues to contend with – i.e. McCain and Bush.
By 2008, the American people will probably demand a president who can think broadly about an issue based on principle, and who can also build bridges to get things done. I think Romney can do it but there will be no endorsement from me at this time. It’s way too early for that.
Stay tuned.
For further reading on Mitt, take a look at the following links:
http://blog.electromneyin2008.com/
http://www.americansformitt.com/
http://presidentmittromney.blogspot.com/
http://mittromney2008.blogspot.com/
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!!!!!!
However, there are a couple of issues that I think may prohibit Mitt from reaching Pennsylvania Avenue:
1.) Lack of Foreign Policy Experience. This will be a key factor in winning the nomination of either party in 2008. Between Islamic radicalism, Chinese interests, and a current bug up the Russian Bear’s behind, this country will need a sharp leader to get us through such challenges – and I question whether or not Romney has this capability. Although I did get a kick out of his refusal to provide Khatami a security escort a few months ago over at Harvard. Probably just made a few more enemies that we’ll have to conquer eventually.
2.) He’s from Massachusetts – not really a breeding ground for conservatives so carrying the state is a likely NYET!
3.) He’s a Mormon - I really don’t care but plenty of people in this country do. Kind of interesting that this wasn’t such an issue for Orin Hatch back in 2000, but I guess he had bigger issues to contend with – i.e. McCain and Bush.
By 2008, the American people will probably demand a president who can think broadly about an issue based on principle, and who can also build bridges to get things done. I think Romney can do it but there will be no endorsement from me at this time. It’s way too early for that.
Stay tuned.
For further reading on Mitt, take a look at the following links:
http://blog.electromneyin2008.com/
http://www.americansformitt.com/
http://presidentmittromney.blogspot.com/
http://mittromney2008.blogspot.com/
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!!!!!!
Monday, February 12, 2007
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