Moderation is good. Extremism is bad.

This speaks for itself. If its too small to rad simply click on it.

Two Movie Recommendations / Reviews

Slum Dog Millionaire - great movie that was much deeper than I anticipated. Very good and I was disappointed that it was only in one theater here in Asheville.



Valkyrie - very good telling of a true story. I'm no fan of Tom Cruise off the screen but on it he is excellent in this one. Its the true story of a group of German soldiers a they attempt to no only kill Hitler but to take over the Government from the Nazis.

Final Day in the Life for 2008...maybe

(Picture does not reflect my beliefs, just thought it was interesting.)

My posts are random and usually based on whatever I have on my mind. As of now I have nothing on my mind other than people amaze me. So much happiness this time of year but yet there is tremendous suffering.

To see the people getting killed in Palestine and the economic world falling apart brings so much nervousness during a period where for centuries people have celebrated. Sad times.

Good times come and go; usually you never see the changes as they occur. It often takes hindsight to see where thing change, that blindness compounds the issues. Even today most all of the problems could have been stopped / mitigated if the appropriate people could have seen the big picture.

Empires come and go; to think that that idea doesn't apply to the USA is ignorant. I'm not saying that to be unpatriotic, merely to say that everything comes to an end eventually. The recent troubles with capitalism just bring to mind that there are other ways to handle the economy. With all the government spending going on, there is no Free Market and that sounds great to me.

I read a great article in The Economist this week and they had a phrase that I think is brilliant, a "Democracy Tax" is used to describe how in India their government is always slow to act because of the bickering amongst the politicians. This I thought was great because as the saying goes "Time is Money" and if the politicians cannot act then in fact they are taxing the people with their times of indecision. However, its not just about money as in our country if its not deemed urgent (Bank Bailout) then it has to be deliberated and then it goes to committee and then to a vote in one house and then to a vote in the other house and then to be signed by the President. That process is extremely time consuming. The article in The Economist is comparing India to China and how in China they do not have this tax as their leaders are able to act much faster. However they have their own issues but speed is not one.

To use that approach in the USA, the incoming President has already made some good moves. To avoid the delays usually associated with bureaucracy the executive must act and with the stimulus package I see him getting that done. This is good but outside of this in my opinion its back to the normal slow approach to government. That slow government leads to more and more opportunity for corruption, both inside government and outside. For instance - inside government would be Sen. Ted Stevens who had served for decades and used his post to take bribes and there's no telling how much he made over his terms but he is far from alone. Outside of government you can look at any instance where companies take advantage of old rules & regulations. This happens frequently with Banks / Insurance where it can take the government years to fix loopholes while the companies take advantage of the people. Lobbyists are usually the tool of this corruption.

Ok so I guess I could have just summed it up in one sentence - slow government is bad.

P.S. but Fast government comes with a cost - usually someone called King, Dictator or more recently Premier.

Photo courtesy of: donttreadonmike.com

Weed more acceptable than cigarettes to high schoolers?

"A new survey reveals 13% of 10th-graders reported smoking marijuana in the past 30 days, while just 12.3% smoked cigarettes.

In the just-released survey, 13.8 percent of 10th-graders reported smoking marijuana in the past 30 days (considered "current use" by researchers), while just 12.3 percent smoked cigarettes. For eighth and 12th grades, cigarette use still exceeded marijuana, but the gap narrowed to insignificance.

This year, current and past-year marijuana use increased for eighth- and 12th-graders and declined for 10th-graders, but none of the changes were large or statistically significant. In contrast, current cigarette smoking did drop significantly for 10th-graders. Changes for most other drugs were marginal, except for a significant increase in methamphetamine use among 10th-graders."

The Story: http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/114001/more_10th-graders_are_smoking_marijuana_than_cigarettes/

So for the last few years cigarettes have been declining in the "cool" factor among kids. Seems that Weed during that time has been garnering the opposite image. So as a result kids are beginning to turn to occasional weed rather than smoking cigarettes more often. The study shows that 10th graders and younger are showing this trend. 11th and 12th graders are still smoking more cigarettes.
All this makes me wonder about the true health affects of smoking weed, if weed is gaining acceptance someone has to do an official study on the health affects. I know there are studies out that are backed by pro-legalizing groups but an impartial study would perhaps be needed.

The Great Jeremy Piven

He has aparently come down with mercury poisoning and had to leave his Broadway play while recovering. He is one of my favorite actors and to see him jam on stage with Darrell from the office is awesome. Big Fan Ari Gold.

National Debt as it Relates to GDP

Really no surprises here, since Carter left office every "conservative has hurt the country economically". Usually using defense and tax cuts to justify their records. The so called Liberal / Big Govt. President Clinton seemed to get things under control.

The Hajj

In the life of any Muslim they are required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca and complete the

Hajj. In my life I hope that the Muslim vs. Christian battle is resolved as I would love to visit Mecca to observe the tradition and the people involved. I view this in the same way as going to

St. Peter's to see the Pope's Easter Message, the experience of seeing the devout people is inspiring in many ways.

Pictures are from UPI article about the Hajj

Stupid Body piercing / mods

Ultimately stupid / crazy people do stupid / crazy things to their bodies. This article that came from cracked.com
shows examples of these unique individuals.

Some pictures form the article:

Well to each their own but most of these seem repulsive to me. The last one should be horrifying to most men as I cannot imagine the pain involved.

Slumdog Millionaire Trailer

definitely one i want to see.

Paula Deen goes for a heart attack breakfast.

Found this online and thought it looked good but then thought about it for a minute. no thanks.

Gadgets for Christmas 08

Hmm, well I thought I would post some of the ones that interest me. I don't want most of them but they do interest me.





























































Hope fully in order:
Blu-Ray players under $200 - buy.com for this one but look around for other deals.
New iPod Touch - apple.com
Blackberry Storm - verizonwireless.com
Dash Express - dash.net
Falling LCD / Plasma TV prices make them a better buy.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/tv-prices-falling-faster/

President-Elect Obama's FDR image.

This has been in the news as Obama has been talking like FDR recently and with good reason. He faces a lot of what faced FDR when he was in office. I for one hope that he does not make some of the early mistakes the FDR made. The Public Works projects that FDR enacted are some of the best things that Obama can get going. One thing he needs to stay away from is trying to balance the budget, that id where FDR failed. In trying to balance the budget FDR hurt the weak economy and that lead to a longer depression. Obama needs to spend and spend on things that will create jobs and a better infrastructure for future jobs. That spending should not include bailouts though, that in my opinion is throwing away money that can be better spent.

We shall see in a few months how he will get the ball rolling.

One Lucky or Smart Penguin

Sorry for the music, its really annoying. But the video is worth it, spoiler - he lives.

Ashley Judd - so cool.

So when stumping for Barack Obama, Ashley Judd made a promise. That promise was that if Barack Obama won North Carolina that she would come to the Kentucky vs. UNC basketball game. There is a great rivalry between the schools and she is a huge Kentucky fan as many people know. So she lived up to her promise and attended the game. To me that is really cool and shows that she is more normal than your average Hollywood celeb. Kudos to her.

Obama's executive orders, day 1.

The first thing the new President will do is issue his executive orders. I'm not sure how these work but basically they end up being the law on several issues. One of the biggest ones is to revoke Bush's ban on stem cell research which is a huge opportunity for American science. I for one will be waiting to see what else he changes, its good to see the change beginning right on day 1.

However there will be many people upset on day 1, some are:

"The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is warning that Obama will alienate millions, and abortion opponents are bracing for a fight. Medical researchers, meanwhile, are rejoicing at the prospect of freedom from a government policy they say has stymied efforts to develop life-saving treatments.

Like previous presidents, Obama is expected to issue a flurry of executive orders after he takes office Jan. 20. Some could reverse Bush administration policies; others could promote his own."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-11-16-stemcells_N.htm

some others:
• Obama enacts stronger “federal hate crimes legislation” to “reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.”

• Obama creates “a fund to help people refinance their mortgages and provide comprehensive supports to innocent homeowners.”

• Obama doubles foreign aid to $50 billion to cut “poverty around the world in half by 2015.”

• Obama enacts legislation demanding carbon friendly cars.

• Barack Obama enact laws to reinforce money to “women and minority-owned businesses.”

• Obama repeals the Bush tax cuts.

• Obama enacts the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Hopefully these are done the first day.

Possible new Sec. of State?

I think its a great idea for her to be in the administration but State might not be the best spot for her talents. my 2 cents.

Arkansas votes no to allowing gay people to adopt.

The Daily Show covered the Prop 8 portion of the election but left out the Arkansas results...

It sounds like they are trampling on the rights of gay people and that unfortunately is nothing new. However, passing this now means that over 400 kids have to leave their loving homes and be put into the foster care system in Arkansas.
To me this is even worse then the Prop 8 passage in California because the state is now unjustly punishing these children.

Sad days in the US where the Civil rights movement sees a victory in electing a black president but then takes a couple steps back in these new laws.

2008 Presidential election is only young people voted.

not really a surprise but still interesting to see.

Twitter fast becoming another way to communicate.

I found out about twitter.com over a year ago from many of the podcasts I listen to. The growth of it amazes me, you see people from all walks of life on it and the posts are fascinating. Anyone from some average joe to the Obama campaign to Britney Spears use twitter.

I read that it can be thought of as life updates that you follow like soap operas. Very interesting and I highly recommend taking the time to explore and use twitter, but be careful as it can become addictive.

Blackberry Bold vs. iPhone

I myself use an iPhone but in the past have had 2 Blackberries. This holiday season there are two new
Blackberries coming to market in the US and the iPhone is still selling. I am a bit of a geek and I will certainly see how the sales numbers stack up as the season approaches. If I was in a more conventional business I would be all for the BB but I do not depend on email so iPhone as of now is perfect for me.

But as in most things my opinion is "to each their own".

And the truth comes out. Palin was not qualified.

good video from a surprise source, Fox News...

ignore the second half of the video talking about how McCain was in the lead at one time, he wasn't. 

Obama & Lincoln

Proud to be American.

Colleges are Mac breeding grounds

I started using Macs in College and I was not alone. That was 13 years ago and since then Apple has done such a great job of marketing that their logos are prevalent on every campus. 

I still use one daily and am still a happy user. 

FYI, look at the glowing logos in the picture. Thats part of Apple's genius, making the logo a part of the case. 

Election Prediction

I usually watch the Sunday Political talk shows because deep down I always wanted to go into politics I guess. But yesterday some of them had their guests make predictions for tomorrow and I thought I would do the same. 

So here it is:

Of Course Obama  will win. 

I'm saying he will get 342 Electoral 

and will win by 10% in the popular vote.

I also think that the Senate Democrats will pick up 9 new seats. 

In the House I think 29 new Democrats will be in. 

Overall a rout and I for one will be happy. It will be a nice to see the world's reaction as well. 

I think I would wait for the next train.

I've always heard that trains in India can be a bit crowded but this is crazy.

Remember when MTV played Videos?

Well I guess they just opened up a new site that allows users to view all their videos. Its like Youtube for all Music Videos.
Pretty Cool is you are one of the millions that grew up loving MTV back when they would actually play music rather than crappy shows.

The site is here. mtvmusic.com for your reference.

one of my favorites always was - this one -

Great video of the debates, well coached or just scared to make a mistake?

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

John McCain's brother call 911 to complain about Traffic

Just hilarious. He's not responsible for his brother's actions but this is funny.

Aston Martin for Life.

I read a story the other day about how 007 himself, Daniel Criag, has been given the honor.
What this means is that he can drop by the factory or any dealership and take a car anytime he wants.
Basically he gets whatever whenever from Aston Martin, thats soo 007 of him.
This included trips to the test track or whatever he wants to do.

Jalopnik Story
actually from Motor Authority.

Funny picture as long as you didn't eat here.

I always look at the Health Scores in restaurants, and this one is the first I have seen try to disguise their poor score.
Having been in and around restaurants I have heard of how tough the health dept. can be on minor violations but overall I think the scores are accurate. Anyways this one was funny to see.

100,000 in St. Louis for Obama

Simply Amazing.

Credit to This Week With Barack Obama for the Photo. 

Socialism and Obama? Desperation by McCain

Great article in the Chicago Tribune (Oct. 20th) about the McCain campaigns accusations that Obama's policies are socialist. Its looking more and more like McCain and Palin are getting very desperate with only two weeks left. This is evident when they make all the negative attacks that are old news at this point and then this socialism angle.
The article in the Tribune really puts the accusations into perspective:

"Local communists, rarely tapped as campaign pundits, say Sen. Barack Obama and his policies stand far afield from any form of socialism they know.

John Bachtell, the Illinois organizer for Communist Party USA, sees attempts by Sen. John McCain's campaign to label Obama a socialist as both offensive to socialists and a desperate ploy to tap into fears of voters who haven't forgotten their Cold War rhetoric.
"Red baiting is really the last refuge of scoundrels," Bachtell said. "It has nothing to do with the issues that are confronting the American people right now. It's just a big diversion."

It really looks like McCain stepped back into the early 70's or 60's to try and scare Americans into thinking that Obama is a socialist. I personally cannot wait till this election is over. Really, two years is way too long for a campaign. By now I think most people are getting sick of it all, I know I am.

The Story in the Chicago Tribune

Fall in Asheville (area)

Colin Powell endorses Obama

Negative politics

Both sides do it, and its not good. Wish they both would just talk about issues where they differ, not attack.
Oh well, this video was one I found on youtube that I thought was creative. The person who edited it together definitely had some goals but I do think McCain has gone way too negative because of the desperation in his campaign.

Hockey fan with a sense of humor.

Going to a game is always exciting but the signs that people make are usually very funny. This one is awesome.

Out of Control Palin / McCain rallies.

Atleast McCain spoke up about this woman, I do not think Palin will say a word though.
I would be pleasantly surprised if she did but I doubt she will say anything.

Piper Palin, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Looks like she is having as bad a week as mommy.

BBQ & Obama

While in Asheville, Obama enjoyed one of the best BBQ places in the area. 12 Bones, is a busy place during the week and I'm glad to see that he is enjoying Asheville.

Great Cost Tracking Site, Cost to Drive .com

Stumbled upon this via Jalopnik.com,

Cost2Drive.com shows actual cost that it takes to drive to anywhere. Shows gas prices along the way and you can compare to other vehicles. I instantly went on and compared my new car to my SUV that is now gone. Shows me that for any trip I have cut my costs in half with the new car, very cool. My recent trip to Florida I knew I saved money but was not sure how much, Thanks to this site I saw that for my SUV it would cost $289.50 driving and with my new car $154.80.

Very good site and very helpful if you do alot of driving.

Great Speech regarding race in America

AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka gives a great speech here about those who would vote against Obama simply because he's black. Very powerful and he gets into it towards the end. As much as I think the Unions have hurt the economy, they do have a place and its good to see their leaders trying to instill great values in their members.

New Music, at-least for me, The Gaslight Anthem

The Gaslight Anthem, I heard them on Sirius 21 yesterday and have been playing their album since.
I really like them, they sound familiar, maybe like a younger Punk / Springsteen?
Their Myspace
Band's Website

Tina Fey is great again as Gov. Palin

Chevy Volt - late 2009

Estimated fuel economy @ constant state of charge:

50 mpg during charge sustaining operation

Daily usage equivalent mpg:

@ 40 miles or less:

not applicable – no fuel used

@ 60 miles:

150 mpg

@ 80 miles:

100 mpg

0 to 60 miles per hour:

8 to 8.5 seconds

Top speed (miles per hour)

120 (limited duration)

All of this is from the GM-Volt Site. Not too shabby in my opinion. Considering my commute.

http://gm-volt.com/full-specifications/

Ah the Republican (but not Conservative) way of governing.

Too much Yin and not enough Yang.

Palin on Foreign Policy Experience, CBS interview.

Watch CBS Videos Online

She may be a nice person but she is in way over her head. She stumbles to come up with clear thoughts here. Not impressed.

Letterman goes after McCain

This was very funny to watch, it get even more critical as time goes on. After hearing that he went to dinner, meeting and interview with Katie Couric, Letterman gets pretty upset and really tears into him. At about 7 minutes he has Keith Olberman on and he goes to alive feed to the interview that Couric is doing on CBS - same network as Letterman.

Last night he was still angry and had a number of "jokes" regarding him being a coward and that he has changed. It was great.

Arnold on the Environment

I read a great column by Gov. Arnold in Portfolio Magazine (great magazine if you have never read it). The column basically boils down the US to a country that only cares about the bottom dollar and that we should take advantage of this time to make energy changes in our lives. All of this very true and its all been said before but coming from the Terminator himself it is well stated and shows how other nations have taken the lead on energy issues.

"We’re weeks away from knowing who our next president will be, but there’s one thing I already know with dead certainty. The president—whether he has an R or a D next to his name—must lead our energy revolution. It’s time to forge our energy independence once and for all. In fact, it’s way past time. Our security, our environment, and our economy are crying out for us to end our reliance on foreign oil.

This shouldn’t sound like news to anybody. We’ve known since 1973 that we are dangerously dependent on unstable and unfriendly regimes for our energy needs. Presidents since Jimmy Carter have called for “energy independence.” Sadly, we tend to change course whenever gas prices drop."

California under Arnold has taken steps to change and in time it will show in many ways. Any ways this is a good read and a great magazine. Article

http://www.portfolio.com/

Free Sarah Palin!

Top photos of the day

Sometimes its nice to start of the day with a few peaceful pics...

And a few funny ones...