and AWESOME!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKvVOhIkMu8
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Do you need Saving?
This past Sunday, my church's pastor Jeff Henderson gave a great message. The message is that God sent His Son Jesus because God assumes we need saving and therefore we need a Savior.
In Luke 2, the angels appeared to the shepherds to share the good news that God is bringing all people a Savior. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Our Savior has been born!
But at the heart of it is: Do you believe you need saving? What do you need to be saved from? check out Jeff's message for yourself, it's a great message entitled Saving Christmas from 12/21. http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages
And with all of that in mind, no one tells it better than Linus. There's something interesting that Linus does which I'd never noticed before in the many times I've watched my favorite Christmas special. As you know, Linus is NEVER without his trusty blanket. Except in a very poignant moment during his recitation. Watch closely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA
Merry Christmas!
In Luke 2, the angels appeared to the shepherds to share the good news that God is bringing all people a Savior. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Our Savior has been born!
But at the heart of it is: Do you believe you need saving? What do you need to be saved from? check out Jeff's message for yourself, it's a great message entitled Saving Christmas from 12/21. http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages
And with all of that in mind, no one tells it better than Linus. There's something interesting that Linus does which I'd never noticed before in the many times I've watched my favorite Christmas special. As you know, Linus is NEVER without his trusty blanket. Except in a very poignant moment during his recitation. Watch closely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I feel so blessed to do what I do for a living!
The following is an email thanking me and a colleague for helpingthis organization by facilitating them being able to use Verizon Wireless phones for a day so that they could help homeless people in Atlanta call home at Thanksgiving. I feel so blessed to play a small role in such a neat and amazing way.
To God be the glory!
####
Thank you all so much for donating the phones for our Chili Outreach. Although we were faced with bad weather, we went forward with the event anyway. Fortunately we secured nine tents that we used to host most of the event. Two of the tents were used as our “call home” station. Thanks to you guy’s sixty seven people got to call home. I think we would have had a lot more, but because of the rain a lot of people just wanted to get in and get out.
There was one really cool story that I wanted to share with you that emerged from the day. One of the many who used the phones was a young man who had not spoken to his mother for quite a long time. He made contact with her using our Verizon Wireless Call Home station. They spent over 45 minutes on the phone. When the conversation was over, he hung up the phone, with a huge ear to ear grin handed it to one of the women working this station, gave her a big bear hug then proceeded to walk to the corner of Ellis Street and Courtland Street and hop in the car with his mother!
Without the phones there would have been no calls. Without this call this family would still be fragmented. Thanks to Verizon wireless and SafeHouse Outreach this young man has been reunited with his family and is now off the streets! Thank you so much for all that Verizon has done for SHO. I look forward to see how our relationship will continue to develop in the future.
To God be the glory!
####
Thank you all so much for donating the phones for our Chili Outreach. Although we were faced with bad weather, we went forward with the event anyway. Fortunately we secured nine tents that we used to host most of the event. Two of the tents were used as our “call home” station. Thanks to you guy’s sixty seven people got to call home. I think we would have had a lot more, but because of the rain a lot of people just wanted to get in and get out.
There was one really cool story that I wanted to share with you that emerged from the day. One of the many who used the phones was a young man who had not spoken to his mother for quite a long time. He made contact with her using our Verizon Wireless Call Home station. They spent over 45 minutes on the phone. When the conversation was over, he hung up the phone, with a huge ear to ear grin handed it to one of the women working this station, gave her a big bear hug then proceeded to walk to the corner of Ellis Street and Courtland Street and hop in the car with his mother!
Without the phones there would have been no calls. Without this call this family would still be fragmented. Thanks to Verizon wireless and SafeHouse Outreach this young man has been reunited with his family and is now off the streets! Thank you so much for all that Verizon has done for SHO. I look forward to see how our relationship will continue to develop in the future.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thanksgiving
As we prepare to celebrate a holiday that is uniquely American and rooted in the faith of those who came before us who made this country great, I hope you'll take a moment and read George Washington's first Thanksgiving proclamation to the Nation. This is the heart of why we observe Thanksgiving. Not feasting, not football, not parades, it's all about taking a moment to pause and thank Almighty God for the blessings He has bestowed upon us as a nation and individuals. Even though we find ourselves in times of economic uncertainty, look around, we are still very blessed! I am reminded of Rockwell's paintings of the Four Freedoms. Regardless of what your 401k may reflect or even your checking account, these four freedoms are OURS! Thanks to blessings from God and the sacrifice of the generations before us and the resolve to make sure we always have them.
Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/at0058a.5s.jpg
Thanksgiving Proclamation
[New York, 3 October 1789]
By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Go: Washington
Happy Thanksgiving!
Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/at0058a.5s.jpg
Thanksgiving Proclamation
[New York, 3 October 1789]
By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Go: Washington
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
amateur move
he's been president-elect for all of 2 weeks and look what he pulls:
this is from Drudge.
BUSH ANGER: OBAMA AIDES LEAK CHAT DETAILSTue Nov 11 2008 09:28:10 ETJust hours after President Bush and President-elect Obama met in the Oval Office of the White House, details of their confidential conversation began leaking out to the press, igniting anger from the president, sources claim."Senator Obama would be wise to keep close counsel," a top Bush source warned. "BUSH AND OBAMA AT ODDS OVER AID FOR AUTO INDUSTRY," splashed the NEW YORK TIMES in an exclusive Monday evening, quoting "people familiar with the discussion." The two met at the White House in private, without staff. "Bush indicated at the meeting that he might support some aid and a broader economic stimulus package if Obama and congressional Democrats dropped their opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia," claimed the TIMES. MORE The ASSOCIATED PRESS quickly followed with details of the conversation, citing "aides who described the discussion on grounds of anonymity, citing the private nature of the meeting." Bush advisers view the leaks as an effort to undermine the president's remaining days in office. "Senator Obama may not be familiar with a long-standing tradition of presidents holding their private conversations, private," a senior adviser explained to the DRUDGE REPORT. Developing...
this is from Drudge.
BUSH ANGER: OBAMA AIDES LEAK CHAT DETAILSTue Nov 11 2008 09:28:10 ETJust hours after President Bush and President-elect Obama met in the Oval Office of the White House, details of their confidential conversation began leaking out to the press, igniting anger from the president, sources claim."Senator Obama would be wise to keep close counsel," a top Bush source warned. "BUSH AND OBAMA AT ODDS OVER AID FOR AUTO INDUSTRY," splashed the NEW YORK TIMES in an exclusive Monday evening, quoting "people familiar with the discussion." The two met at the White House in private, without staff. "Bush indicated at the meeting that he might support some aid and a broader economic stimulus package if Obama and congressional Democrats dropped their opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia," claimed the TIMES. MORE The ASSOCIATED PRESS quickly followed with details of the conversation, citing "aides who described the discussion on grounds of anonymity, citing the private nature of the meeting." Bush advisers view the leaks as an effort to undermine the president's remaining days in office. "Senator Obama may not be familiar with a long-standing tradition of presidents holding their private conversations, private," a senior adviser explained to the DRUDGE REPORT. Developing...
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Election Analysis--a unique perspective
Below you will find some observations and opinions from a friend of mine. I think he's dead on and I wanted to share it.
#####
My friends get upset with me for refusing to vote for the presidency. I'm sorry. I feel ashamed about it. I know my forefathers died to give me that right. I do vote in local elections. But the presidency? This campaign has been two years. It was about laying low enough, not saying anything controversial enough to make headlines. It was about reporters following these guys day in, day out, looking for the nuance that could morph into a story. So they never said anything deviating from their stump speeches. I've worked for 2 national news organizations. One, upheld as a bastion of journalistic integrity, one lampooned as being in the tank for one party. Neither assumption was true. My pals at one network posted Obama's picture - from the Economist's cover shot endorsement -on the wall of their offices, were vocal in their support for him, buzzing around their myspace pages. It was all just so exciting, they forgot their roles as dispassionate observers.
The Obama supporters were so fervent and so hateful towards Sarah Palin that it was a complete turn-off. I'm seeing mothers pinning "Obama" buttons on their toddlers. Really? I would have loved to seen my parents pin a Nixon button on my brother. In line at the grocery store, I had a rather large, imposing gentleman with an Obama t-shirt, start leaning in and making friendly intonations about 'hope' and 'change,' just bucking for a conversation. When I didn't bite, he just started making statements about how there was so much riding on this election. Forget the people canvassing my commute. The pins and bumper stickers. This Obama crowd - they're like Apple users. I know it is probably a better product than the PC, but the people who use it are so apostolic about them and so annoying in their fervor, that I couldn't buy into it. It was this whole cult of personality. Speech after countless speech, all i heard was "blah blah blah... four more years of George Bush, attempt at clever punch line, hope, change," raucous uproar. Maybe Obama didn't cultivate this whole thing. Maybe he did. It feels cultish. He has good cadence. Good flow. Good emphasis on the right syllables. For a party that put up John Kerry in the last, go round, it was a refreshing change. As for the substance? It felt weak.
I hear this guy talking about change. And one of the changes i heard proposed a few weeks ago was putting a moratorium on home foreclosures. Oh yeah? Who is going to pay for that? Who will be accountable for that? Its a campaign that's one big state of the union address; big on promises, short on follow through.
And Governor Palin... a Governor with an unheard of 80% approval rating in her job, who became the target of such a disturbing hatred, I came to like her just for being hated. And hated she was. Viscerally, fervently, an unabashedly. The shock! The outrage! The irony of women who want another woman to advance, just one who propels their ideals.
She wore jeans and a hoodie to the polls. She (gasp!) hunts!! Can i get a tally of the meat eaters out there? She probably was in over her head. She was a little too strong on the conviction and a little too light on the information. But Sarah Palin represents to me, the huge disconnect between red and blue state America.
What if a white person voted for the white candidate because- well- they were white? Not JUST because, but for a big reason. Because they were tired of someone of their skin color. It's not that I don't want someone to succeed in spite of their skin color, but i don't want someone's success to be pinned their skin color. The numbers of black voters who turned out for Obama makes it too hard to think it ISN'T just about that. While some rejoice in the accomplishment of one being the first black elected president, it matters so much, that Jesse Jackson, who months earlier, wanted the guy's nuts cut off, but was moved to tears Jesseee freakin' Jackson crying? Did ANYONE believe that? To top it off, a political rally is held at Ebeneezer Baptist CHURCH? Don't tell me this wasn't about race. For some, it was only about that.In Obama's defense, I don't think he sought it out or asked for just the black vote. I don't think he campaigned just for that. It just ended up that way. I'm politically incorrect enough to say that being black was reason enough to get people to come to the polls and vote when they other wise would not have.
Maybe I'm too cynical to be inspired. Maybe I just can't invest anything into the soundbite candidacy. Maybe I believe so much in democracy, that i think whoever wins, it matters little because the gears of of democracy grind so slowly, that no one person can enact such radical change, no one would be shocked into something.
For McCain, what does a 72 year old man want to run for president for? And I just didn't believe the 'fight' he called for in so many speeches was coming. For a guy who stayed in the senate for so long and managed to nab headlines only when he fought against his party stalwarts, I wasn't sure I could believe in him. He was more inspirational and substantive than Bob Dole, but it was hard to not look at that campaign and think this ship had passed. Turns out, it did.
So I'm sorry i can't find the fire in my belly to be inspired enough to call the DMV - who of course messed up my voter registration- to fix it. I'm sorry I can't be motivated enough to wait in line after these two years, but to just want it over and to move on.
#####
My friends get upset with me for refusing to vote for the presidency. I'm sorry. I feel ashamed about it. I know my forefathers died to give me that right. I do vote in local elections. But the presidency? This campaign has been two years. It was about laying low enough, not saying anything controversial enough to make headlines. It was about reporters following these guys day in, day out, looking for the nuance that could morph into a story. So they never said anything deviating from their stump speeches. I've worked for 2 national news organizations. One, upheld as a bastion of journalistic integrity, one lampooned as being in the tank for one party. Neither assumption was true. My pals at one network posted Obama's picture - from the Economist's cover shot endorsement -on the wall of their offices, were vocal in their support for him, buzzing around their myspace pages. It was all just so exciting, they forgot their roles as dispassionate observers.
The Obama supporters were so fervent and so hateful towards Sarah Palin that it was a complete turn-off. I'm seeing mothers pinning "Obama" buttons on their toddlers. Really? I would have loved to seen my parents pin a Nixon button on my brother. In line at the grocery store, I had a rather large, imposing gentleman with an Obama t-shirt, start leaning in and making friendly intonations about 'hope' and 'change,' just bucking for a conversation. When I didn't bite, he just started making statements about how there was so much riding on this election. Forget the people canvassing my commute. The pins and bumper stickers. This Obama crowd - they're like Apple users. I know it is probably a better product than the PC, but the people who use it are so apostolic about them and so annoying in their fervor, that I couldn't buy into it. It was this whole cult of personality. Speech after countless speech, all i heard was "blah blah blah... four more years of George Bush, attempt at clever punch line, hope, change," raucous uproar. Maybe Obama didn't cultivate this whole thing. Maybe he did. It feels cultish. He has good cadence. Good flow. Good emphasis on the right syllables. For a party that put up John Kerry in the last, go round, it was a refreshing change. As for the substance? It felt weak.
I hear this guy talking about change. And one of the changes i heard proposed a few weeks ago was putting a moratorium on home foreclosures. Oh yeah? Who is going to pay for that? Who will be accountable for that? Its a campaign that's one big state of the union address; big on promises, short on follow through.
And Governor Palin... a Governor with an unheard of 80% approval rating in her job, who became the target of such a disturbing hatred, I came to like her just for being hated. And hated she was. Viscerally, fervently, an unabashedly. The shock! The outrage! The irony of women who want another woman to advance, just one who propels their ideals.
She wore jeans and a hoodie to the polls. She (gasp!) hunts!! Can i get a tally of the meat eaters out there? She probably was in over her head. She was a little too strong on the conviction and a little too light on the information. But Sarah Palin represents to me, the huge disconnect between red and blue state America.
What if a white person voted for the white candidate because- well- they were white? Not JUST because, but for a big reason. Because they were tired of someone of their skin color. It's not that I don't want someone to succeed in spite of their skin color, but i don't want someone's success to be pinned their skin color. The numbers of black voters who turned out for Obama makes it too hard to think it ISN'T just about that. While some rejoice in the accomplishment of one being the first black elected president, it matters so much, that Jesse Jackson, who months earlier, wanted the guy's nuts cut off, but was moved to tears Jesseee freakin' Jackson crying? Did ANYONE believe that? To top it off, a political rally is held at Ebeneezer Baptist CHURCH? Don't tell me this wasn't about race. For some, it was only about that.In Obama's defense, I don't think he sought it out or asked for just the black vote. I don't think he campaigned just for that. It just ended up that way. I'm politically incorrect enough to say that being black was reason enough to get people to come to the polls and vote when they other wise would not have.
Maybe I'm too cynical to be inspired. Maybe I just can't invest anything into the soundbite candidacy. Maybe I believe so much in democracy, that i think whoever wins, it matters little because the gears of of democracy grind so slowly, that no one person can enact such radical change, no one would be shocked into something.
For McCain, what does a 72 year old man want to run for president for? And I just didn't believe the 'fight' he called for in so many speeches was coming. For a guy who stayed in the senate for so long and managed to nab headlines only when he fought against his party stalwarts, I wasn't sure I could believe in him. He was more inspirational and substantive than Bob Dole, but it was hard to not look at that campaign and think this ship had passed. Turns out, it did.
So I'm sorry i can't find the fire in my belly to be inspired enough to call the DMV - who of course messed up my voter registration- to fix it. I'm sorry I can't be motivated enough to wait in line after these two years, but to just want it over and to move on.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
change has come!
well, the people have spoken and change has come. What does change mean right now? the change is that that the majority of the people in this country apparently no longer value individual responsibility, less government, low taxes, a strong defense, energy independence by seeking our own sources, and complete alliance with Israel. I guess civics class will look rather different in the coming years, because the values this country was founded upon seem to be no longer relevant based on Obama's victory tonight. It seems that a government hand out and govt solutions to our problems reign supreme.
I hope once in office Obama's radical idealism will become more centrist as he realizes his responsibilities that he is the leader of the free world.
I love this country and therefore I have to respect the choice of the majority and pray that God's grace and protection will rest upon Barack Obama and his family. And may he truly seek Jehovah God's will and direction as he leads America.
I hope once in office Obama's radical idealism will become more centrist as he realizes his responsibilities that he is the leader of the free world.
I love this country and therefore I have to respect the choice of the majority and pray that God's grace and protection will rest upon Barack Obama and his family. And may he truly seek Jehovah God's will and direction as he leads America.
Election Day!!!!
It's election day and I'm so excited because it's over. The 24-7 coverage of everything from voter fraud to negative ads is coming to a close. While I truly love the election process and have been an active participant in every year, I'm just so ready for it to be concluded. Unfortunately I have seen nastiness in the last few weeks which only serves as a discouragement at how petty things have become.
But I'm grateful that we still live in the freest country in the world, where every adult has the right to vote as long as they can prove they are who they say they are. I am desperately praying for a peaceful transition process regardless of who wins and I'm hopeful that over the next four years, that just like the song says, God will "shed his grace on thee...from sea to shining sea"
But I'm grateful that we still live in the freest country in the world, where every adult has the right to vote as long as they can prove they are who they say they are. I am desperately praying for a peaceful transition process regardless of who wins and I'm hopeful that over the next four years, that just like the song says, God will "shed his grace on thee...from sea to shining sea"
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Autumn
I spent the afternoon in the beauty of north Georgia. Much of the day was spent in my friend Trey's convertible. There's nothing like tooling around on a beautiful day with the top down just enjoying the scenery. It was so relaxing and bit reviving to be out in God's beautiful nature. The leaves were absolutely immaculate as they change to vibrant shades of orange, red, yellow and everything in between. Did you know that scientist can't explain what makes the leaves turn red? they absolutely can not explain it. I bet God could, if He wanted to.....
I uploaded a few pics to my flickr account. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10613660@N04/
The highlights of the day were a delicious all you can eat Southern buffet in White county called the West Family Restaurant. Fried Okra, Green Beans, Creamed Corn, fried chicken, a biscuit, sweet tea polished off with some strawberry cobbler. mmm. mmm. good!
Then the gorgeous trek up to Georgia's highest peak, Brasstown Bald. Elevation 4,784 feet. Amazing views. We could just barely make out the haze of a very tiny downtown Atlanta from miles and miles away.
If you haven't had a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day living and enjoy the great outdoors, I challenge you and encourage you to do so. And along the way, be sure to remind yourself of Who is bringing it to you and thank Him for it!
I uploaded a few pics to my flickr account. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10613660@N04/
The highlights of the day were a delicious all you can eat Southern buffet in White county called the West Family Restaurant. Fried Okra, Green Beans, Creamed Corn, fried chicken, a biscuit, sweet tea polished off with some strawberry cobbler. mmm. mmm. good!
Then the gorgeous trek up to Georgia's highest peak, Brasstown Bald. Elevation 4,784 feet. Amazing views. We could just barely make out the haze of a very tiny downtown Atlanta from miles and miles away.
If you haven't had a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day living and enjoy the great outdoors, I challenge you and encourage you to do so. And along the way, be sure to remind yourself of Who is bringing it to you and thank Him for it!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
hastening the arrival of November 5
I haven't written a post in a while and writing one is long overdue. I have a few thoughts I need to just air.....
I'm so ready for this election to be over. Silly season is in high gear with all sort of shenanigans ranging from voter fraud, mean spirited commentary, to all out lies.
O'Bama seems to be wanting to distance himself from all the shady people and organizations who have gotten him where he is, and disavow that he ever worked with them. How disengenious and untrustworthy can you get?
McCain seems to have lost steam and not want to fight hard to win. Nor do I think he has the most competent staff capable of winning.
Anyone who thinks McCain would be a 3rd term Bush Administration hasn't paid very close attention to the internal battles on the GOP and conservative side of politics in the past 8 years.
I think it's interesting that Michelle O'Bama really isn't out on the trail making speeches....mmm....negatives polling too high on her, perhaps?
I think Sarah Palin is breath of fresh air to the whole process and I love the fact that she's just like us. You can't accuse her of being "out of touch."
I think regardless of how talented Tina Fey might be, SNL is showing a real lack of respect for the electoral process by hitting below the belt. Implying incest by Todd Palin?! Come on!!!
I'm really curious what the 24 hour cable news outlets and the bloggers are going to talk about once the election is over.....well there's always "the transition", "the first 100 days in office", some concocted scandal.... I mean some of the channels will actually have to rename hours of programming.
Oh and one final note, I really wonder if all of a sudden the rest of the world who typically hate us will all of a sudden LOVE us just because/if Barack O'Bama is elected. I would argue those that hate America will ALWAYS hate America regardless of who its leader is. And that we shouldn't try to seek their good opinion. My preference would be for our leaders to do what's best for OUR country and its people.
Can I get an amen?!
I'm so ready for this election to be over. Silly season is in high gear with all sort of shenanigans ranging from voter fraud, mean spirited commentary, to all out lies.
O'Bama seems to be wanting to distance himself from all the shady people and organizations who have gotten him where he is, and disavow that he ever worked with them. How disengenious and untrustworthy can you get?
McCain seems to have lost steam and not want to fight hard to win. Nor do I think he has the most competent staff capable of winning.
Anyone who thinks McCain would be a 3rd term Bush Administration hasn't paid very close attention to the internal battles on the GOP and conservative side of politics in the past 8 years.
I think it's interesting that Michelle O'Bama really isn't out on the trail making speeches....mmm....negatives polling too high on her, perhaps?
I think Sarah Palin is breath of fresh air to the whole process and I love the fact that she's just like us. You can't accuse her of being "out of touch."
I think regardless of how talented Tina Fey might be, SNL is showing a real lack of respect for the electoral process by hitting below the belt. Implying incest by Todd Palin?! Come on!!!
I'm really curious what the 24 hour cable news outlets and the bloggers are going to talk about once the election is over.....well there's always "the transition", "the first 100 days in office", some concocted scandal.... I mean some of the channels will actually have to rename hours of programming.
Oh and one final note, I really wonder if all of a sudden the rest of the world who typically hate us will all of a sudden LOVE us just because/if Barack O'Bama is elected. I would argue those that hate America will ALWAYS hate America regardless of who its leader is. And that we shouldn't try to seek their good opinion. My preference would be for our leaders to do what's best for OUR country and its people.
Can I get an amen?!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
another good op ed in the WSJ
The Beltway Crash
Congress lives up to its 10% approval rating.
America has survived a feckless political class in the past, and it will again after this week. But Monday's crash and burn of the Paulson plan on Capitol Hill reveals a Washington elite that has earned every bit of the disdain that Americans have for it. This crowd can't even make sausage.
AP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif.) with Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) Monday, Sept. 29, 2008.
The 228-205 defeat reflects badly on all concerned, starting with the Democrats who run the House. The majority party is responsible for assembling a majority vote, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi failed in that fundamental task.
Her highly partisan speech on the floor -- blaming "right-wing ideology of anything goes, no supervision, no discipline, no regulation" for the financial distress -- is no excuse for Republicans to vote no. But it is indicative of the way she has governed for the past two years -- like Tom DeLay without the charm. The cynics are saying Ms. Pelosi deliberately tanked the bill by giving 95 Democrats a pass, knowing failure would hurt John McCain, and given her track record we can see why people would believe it.
House Republicans share the blame, and not only because they opposed the bill by about two-to-one, 133-65. Their immediate response was to say that many of their Members turned against the bill at the last minute because Ms. Pelosi gave her nasty speech. So they are saying that Republicans chose to oppose something they think is in the national interest merely because of a partisan slight. Thank heaven these guys weren't at Valley Forge.
The vote is also a rebuke for Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, who could barely explain how his securities auctions would work even as he showed disdain for House Republicans. President Bush did his best to provide cover for the Members, but he is a spent political force. One GOP Member who supported the bill told us that before Mr. Paulson spoke to House Republicans last week, the whip count in favor was about 70; afterwards, it was closer to 20. You can't ask Congress for $700 billion without more modesty and a better explanation for how it would be used.
Given this historic abdication, we're surprised financial markets didn't melt down more than they did yesterday. Equities nonetheless took the worst bath in percentage terms since the aftermath of 9/11, with the Nasdaq falling more than 9%. But that was a sideshow compared to the credit markets, which staged another flight from all risk. The three-month Treasury yield had sunk to 0.132% the last we checked, which means investors will accept essentially no return as long as they can avoid further financial losses.
Safe in their think-tanks, some of our friends have claimed that talk of a financial crash is merely a political invention. Perhaps we'll now test their theory. A financial panic isn't an academic seminar, and a flight from all risk isn't something any free-marketeer should want. A recession now seems certain, as falling commodity prices are telling us, but the point is to prevent systemic financial collapse. Maybe the Members who voted "no" figure at least they'd still have jobs.
What next? One option is that Democrats will tell Mr. Paulson that they can pass his plan with more liberal votes, but that their price has gone up. This would mean more of the tax, spend and regulate provisions that House GOP leaders stripped out before their rank-and-file headed for the exits. These would only raise the price for taxpayers of the Treasury rescue and, if the equity provisions were too onerous, make the Paulson plan far less workable.
If Mr. Paulson wants to be a statesman, he could offer a Plan B that avoids giving Treasury such a big blank check. Instead, he could propose more public capital for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which would do more of the creative financial plumbing it has done over the last week. (See here.) This will have to happen next year anyway, and the FDIC has long experience protecting taxpayers for public capital injections through preferred stock and warrants.
At the same time, the Secretary could salvage his own proposal by promising that while Treasury would start the purchase of toxic securities from banks, he would quickly (within weeks) turn the process over to a new and separate resolution agency. Congress could make this part of the legislation. This would remove Mr. Paulson as the political lightning rod he has become, and also give the rescue process the political insulation it needs. Such an agency could also work closely with the FDIC to protect taxpayers.
Members may not believe Hank Paulson, but they ought to pay attention to markets. The financial system has a huge capital hole due to losses on mortgage securities and other assets, and private capital won't begin to fill it without the life preserver of public capital. Before it leaves town to campaign, Congress needs to act to defend and restabilize the financial system. After the last two weeks, and especially after yesterday, the Members also need to act to redeem their own reputations, to the extent they are still worth redeeming.
##
Crash Course
A Main Street Rescue 09/29/08 -- Congress passed this 'bailout' a long time ago.
The Washington Panic 09/27/08 -- The Paulson plan is a tool to avoid a deeper downturn.
The Paulson Sale 09/24/08 -- Taxpayers are going to put up capital one way or another.
A Mortgage Fable 09/22/08 -- Beltway trilogy: the Fed, Fannie Mae, and Bear Stearns.
Stopping the Panic 09/20/08 – Now the task is to protect taxpayers and restore markets.
Be It Resolved 09/19/08 – Paulson and Bernanke ask Congress for a resolution agency.
The Fed and AIG 09/18/08 – Nationalizations aren't stopping the financial panic.
McCain and the Markets 09/17/08 – Denouncing 'greed' and Wall Street isn't a growth agenda.
The Fed's Epic Day 09/17/08 – It's only fair to praise the central bank when it does the right thing.
Surviving the Panic 09/16/08 – A resolution agency, steady monetary policy, and a big tax cut.
Wall Street Reckoning 09/15/08 – Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's refusal to blink won't get any second guessing from us.
Congress lives up to its 10% approval rating.
America has survived a feckless political class in the past, and it will again after this week. But Monday's crash and burn of the Paulson plan on Capitol Hill reveals a Washington elite that has earned every bit of the disdain that Americans have for it. This crowd can't even make sausage.
AP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif.) with Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) Monday, Sept. 29, 2008.
The 228-205 defeat reflects badly on all concerned, starting with the Democrats who run the House. The majority party is responsible for assembling a majority vote, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi failed in that fundamental task.
Her highly partisan speech on the floor -- blaming "right-wing ideology of anything goes, no supervision, no discipline, no regulation" for the financial distress -- is no excuse for Republicans to vote no. But it is indicative of the way she has governed for the past two years -- like Tom DeLay without the charm. The cynics are saying Ms. Pelosi deliberately tanked the bill by giving 95 Democrats a pass, knowing failure would hurt John McCain, and given her track record we can see why people would believe it.
House Republicans share the blame, and not only because they opposed the bill by about two-to-one, 133-65. Their immediate response was to say that many of their Members turned against the bill at the last minute because Ms. Pelosi gave her nasty speech. So they are saying that Republicans chose to oppose something they think is in the national interest merely because of a partisan slight. Thank heaven these guys weren't at Valley Forge.
The vote is also a rebuke for Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, who could barely explain how his securities auctions would work even as he showed disdain for House Republicans. President Bush did his best to provide cover for the Members, but he is a spent political force. One GOP Member who supported the bill told us that before Mr. Paulson spoke to House Republicans last week, the whip count in favor was about 70; afterwards, it was closer to 20. You can't ask Congress for $700 billion without more modesty and a better explanation for how it would be used.
Given this historic abdication, we're surprised financial markets didn't melt down more than they did yesterday. Equities nonetheless took the worst bath in percentage terms since the aftermath of 9/11, with the Nasdaq falling more than 9%. But that was a sideshow compared to the credit markets, which staged another flight from all risk. The three-month Treasury yield had sunk to 0.132% the last we checked, which means investors will accept essentially no return as long as they can avoid further financial losses.
Safe in their think-tanks, some of our friends have claimed that talk of a financial crash is merely a political invention. Perhaps we'll now test their theory. A financial panic isn't an academic seminar, and a flight from all risk isn't something any free-marketeer should want. A recession now seems certain, as falling commodity prices are telling us, but the point is to prevent systemic financial collapse. Maybe the Members who voted "no" figure at least they'd still have jobs.
What next? One option is that Democrats will tell Mr. Paulson that they can pass his plan with more liberal votes, but that their price has gone up. This would mean more of the tax, spend and regulate provisions that House GOP leaders stripped out before their rank-and-file headed for the exits. These would only raise the price for taxpayers of the Treasury rescue and, if the equity provisions were too onerous, make the Paulson plan far less workable.
If Mr. Paulson wants to be a statesman, he could offer a Plan B that avoids giving Treasury such a big blank check. Instead, he could propose more public capital for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which would do more of the creative financial plumbing it has done over the last week. (See here.) This will have to happen next year anyway, and the FDIC has long experience protecting taxpayers for public capital injections through preferred stock and warrants.
At the same time, the Secretary could salvage his own proposal by promising that while Treasury would start the purchase of toxic securities from banks, he would quickly (within weeks) turn the process over to a new and separate resolution agency. Congress could make this part of the legislation. This would remove Mr. Paulson as the political lightning rod he has become, and also give the rescue process the political insulation it needs. Such an agency could also work closely with the FDIC to protect taxpayers.
Members may not believe Hank Paulson, but they ought to pay attention to markets. The financial system has a huge capital hole due to losses on mortgage securities and other assets, and private capital won't begin to fill it without the life preserver of public capital. Before it leaves town to campaign, Congress needs to act to defend and restabilize the financial system. After the last two weeks, and especially after yesterday, the Members also need to act to redeem their own reputations, to the extent they are still worth redeeming.
##
Crash Course
A Main Street Rescue 09/29/08 -- Congress passed this 'bailout' a long time ago.
The Washington Panic 09/27/08 -- The Paulson plan is a tool to avoid a deeper downturn.
The Paulson Sale 09/24/08 -- Taxpayers are going to put up capital one way or another.
A Mortgage Fable 09/22/08 -- Beltway trilogy: the Fed, Fannie Mae, and Bear Stearns.
Stopping the Panic 09/20/08 – Now the task is to protect taxpayers and restore markets.
Be It Resolved 09/19/08 – Paulson and Bernanke ask Congress for a resolution agency.
The Fed and AIG 09/18/08 – Nationalizations aren't stopping the financial panic.
McCain and the Markets 09/17/08 – Denouncing 'greed' and Wall Street isn't a growth agenda.
The Fed's Epic Day 09/17/08 – It's only fair to praise the central bank when it does the right thing.
Surviving the Panic 09/16/08 – A resolution agency, steady monetary policy, and a big tax cut.
Wall Street Reckoning 09/15/08 – Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's refusal to blink won't get any second guessing from us.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Greed
I don't really have the words or stomach to blog about the financial situation and the economy, but from what I can see we are in this mess because of greed. Downright sinful greed. People began taking on more debt than they could really afford because of their want for "more" and people in the financial sector out of their desire to want "more" took the opportunity to profit from it. It's disgusting. The greed and the consequences are like a cancer---it spreads.
Proverbs 28:25 A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. 26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
Jesus said in Luke 12: 15 He said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Proverbs 28:25 A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. 26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
Jesus said in Luke 12: 15 He said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
a "don't panic" analysis from the WSJ
I thought this was a great Op Ed.
REVIEW & OUTLOOK (Editorial)
Surviving the Panic
1332 words
16 September 2008
The Wall Street Journal
A24
English
(Copyright (c) 2008, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
We're happy to report that the world didn't end yesterday, though sometimes it was hard to tell. A major Wall Street banking house filed for bankruptcy, the taxpayers didn't come to the rescue, and financial markets lurched but didn't crash. Amid the current panic, this is a salutary lesson that our fate is in our own hands and that a deeper downturn is far from inevitable.
The immediate priority is to calm markets and prevent a crash, and to do so it helps to recall how we got here. We are not living through some "crisis of capitalism," unless policy blunders make it so. Nor is this largely the fault of the Bush Administration, as Barack Obama claims, or of some lack of regulation, as John McCain asserts. These politically convenient riffs do nothing to reassure the public.
The current panic is the ugly aftermath of the credit mania that took flight in the middle years of this decade. As students of economic historian Charles Kindleberger know ("Panics, Manias, and Crashes"), financial manias throughout history have shared one trait: the excessive expansion of credit. This bubble was no different.
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates too low for too long, creating a subsidy for debt and a global commodity price spike. The excess liquidity and capital flows this spurred became the fuel for the wizards on Wall Street and in mortgage-finance who created new financial instruments that in turn fueled the housing bubble. As long as it lasted, nearly everyone inhaled the euphoria of rising asset prices and soaring profits. Normal risk assessment gave way to the excesses that always attend manias.
Enter the panic stage, or the great deleveraging that began some 13 months ago. Fear now trumps greed, while the short-seller and cash are kings. The core of our financial problem, as Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson said yesterday, is that these mortgage instruments are underpinned by real-estate assets whose value keeps declining. Until home prices stabilize, no one knows how large the losses will be. Thus no one is sure which financial companies are truly endangered, or how many.
Amid this turmoil and uncertainty, the challenge for policy makers is twofold: Protect the overall financial system from the fallout of individual bank failures, and protect the larger economy from recession caused by financial distress. They each require different policy levers.
On the finance side, there has already been much progress, albeit not enough. The banking system is reforming itself right before our eyes, without the advice of Congress or new regulation. The days of banks running with leverage at 30 or 40 to 1 are over. The companies that took those risks have either failed (Bear Stearns, Lehman) or been absorbed by others (Merrill Lynch, Countrywide). The SIVs, CDOs and other exotic creatures have been put back on balance sheets, losses have been taken, and new capital has been raised to absorb those losses. We are moving to a sturdier system.
On that score, Lehman's bankruptcy filing is another sign of progress. The Treasury and Fed have signaled they can say no. While Lehman's failure has spooked markets, the lesson that a storied investment house can fail without a federal rescue is its own crash course in risk management. The weekend decision by a group of major banks to establish a common fund to borrow against is also hopeful. The banks, which each anted up $7 billion to be part of this private lending fund, realize that acting in concert can serve their self-interest -- a lesson that J.P. Morgan would have applauded in the Panic of 1907.
And yet the financial system will remain fragile as long as asset values keep declining. More major bank failures are a certainty, including some very large ones. That means more Sunday soap operas like this month's, with all of the anxiety that inspires among the public. The longer these melodramas continue, the greater the risk of a recession.
Which leads us to suggest another Resolution Trust Corp. as one more tool to calm financial markets. The first RTC helped to buy, stabilize and liquidate troubled assets amid the savings and loan mess of the late 1980s. Then it blessedly went out of business. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker endorsed an RTC II yesterday in a speech in Naples, Florida, and we suspect the idea will gain more traction. He said he "reluctantly" embraced the idea for "dealing with the market breakdown, breaking the logjam of mortgages and other assets of uncertain value [and] restoring a sense of reasonable valuation and market confidence."
Yes, this would require a Congressional appropriation, and in that sense it would cost taxpayers. But by now it should be clear that some taxpayer money is going to be needed, if only to pay off insured depositors at failing banks. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has already said it may need to borrow from its Treasury line of credit, and that's based on what could be optimistic estimates about home prices.
The taxpayer is also currently at risk through the Fed, which has become ever more creative with its use of the discount window. Its new lending facilities have been necessary amid this crisis, but they have also meant that the Fed is accepting ever-dodgier paper as collateral. Over the weekend it agreed to take non-investment grade paper. The danger is that all of this will put the Fed's own balance sheet at risk -- which would mean even bigger trouble. Better to put this bad mortgage paper on the Treasury side of the federal balance sheet.
Meanwhile, a new RTC would provide a buyer for securities for which there is no market, set a floor under the market, hold the securities until markets stabilize, and liquidate them in an orderly fashion, perhaps at a profit. Failed institutions and managers would not be bailed out. There's always a risk that the politicians will meddle, which is one reason for the Bush Administration to do this now so it can insist on enough political insulation.
As for the larger economy, the last 13 months are a guide to what not to do. The Fed recklessly cut interest rates, while Congress and the White House dropped "rebate" checks from helicopters. The rate cuts ignited another oil and commodity spike that walloped middle-class consumers, while the rebates did nothing to change incentives or lift investment.
We hope the Fed heeds this lesson and holds firm on rates today. Yesterday it injected $70 billion in liquidity to stabilize the fed fund rate at its peg of 2%, as it should in a crisis. But that money can be withdrawn over time as the crisis eases. Meanwhile, a more cautious monetary policy overall will help the dollar, which in turn will mean lower oil prices and more capital flows to the U.S.
What the economy really needs is a big pro-growth tax cut, the kind that will restore confidence and risk-taking. This is an opportunity for both candidates, but especially for Mr. McCain. Instead of focusing on an extension of the Bush tax cuts, the Arizonan should offer his own tax cut to revive capital markets and prevent a recession. Democrats will claim he's helping "the rich," but our guess is that every American who owns a 401(k) will figure he's one of those "rich."
One great lesson of past panics is that they needn't become crashes, if policy makers make the right decisions. Thirteen months into this crisis, the best choices are the same as they were last August: energetic emergency plumbing to protect the financial system, steady monetary policy to defend the dollar, and a tax cut to spur growth. It's also the kind of agenda -- and leadership -- that could win an election.
REVIEW & OUTLOOK (Editorial)
Surviving the Panic
1332 words
16 September 2008
The Wall Street Journal
A24
English
(Copyright (c) 2008, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
We're happy to report that the world didn't end yesterday, though sometimes it was hard to tell. A major Wall Street banking house filed for bankruptcy, the taxpayers didn't come to the rescue, and financial markets lurched but didn't crash. Amid the current panic, this is a salutary lesson that our fate is in our own hands and that a deeper downturn is far from inevitable.
The immediate priority is to calm markets and prevent a crash, and to do so it helps to recall how we got here. We are not living through some "crisis of capitalism," unless policy blunders make it so. Nor is this largely the fault of the Bush Administration, as Barack Obama claims, or of some lack of regulation, as John McCain asserts. These politically convenient riffs do nothing to reassure the public.
The current panic is the ugly aftermath of the credit mania that took flight in the middle years of this decade. As students of economic historian Charles Kindleberger know ("Panics, Manias, and Crashes"), financial manias throughout history have shared one trait: the excessive expansion of credit. This bubble was no different.
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates too low for too long, creating a subsidy for debt and a global commodity price spike. The excess liquidity and capital flows this spurred became the fuel for the wizards on Wall Street and in mortgage-finance who created new financial instruments that in turn fueled the housing bubble. As long as it lasted, nearly everyone inhaled the euphoria of rising asset prices and soaring profits. Normal risk assessment gave way to the excesses that always attend manias.
Enter the panic stage, or the great deleveraging that began some 13 months ago. Fear now trumps greed, while the short-seller and cash are kings. The core of our financial problem, as Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson said yesterday, is that these mortgage instruments are underpinned by real-estate assets whose value keeps declining. Until home prices stabilize, no one knows how large the losses will be. Thus no one is sure which financial companies are truly endangered, or how many.
Amid this turmoil and uncertainty, the challenge for policy makers is twofold: Protect the overall financial system from the fallout of individual bank failures, and protect the larger economy from recession caused by financial distress. They each require different policy levers.
On the finance side, there has already been much progress, albeit not enough. The banking system is reforming itself right before our eyes, without the advice of Congress or new regulation. The days of banks running with leverage at 30 or 40 to 1 are over. The companies that took those risks have either failed (Bear Stearns, Lehman) or been absorbed by others (Merrill Lynch, Countrywide). The SIVs, CDOs and other exotic creatures have been put back on balance sheets, losses have been taken, and new capital has been raised to absorb those losses. We are moving to a sturdier system.
On that score, Lehman's bankruptcy filing is another sign of progress. The Treasury and Fed have signaled they can say no. While Lehman's failure has spooked markets, the lesson that a storied investment house can fail without a federal rescue is its own crash course in risk management. The weekend decision by a group of major banks to establish a common fund to borrow against is also hopeful. The banks, which each anted up $7 billion to be part of this private lending fund, realize that acting in concert can serve their self-interest -- a lesson that J.P. Morgan would have applauded in the Panic of 1907.
And yet the financial system will remain fragile as long as asset values keep declining. More major bank failures are a certainty, including some very large ones. That means more Sunday soap operas like this month's, with all of the anxiety that inspires among the public. The longer these melodramas continue, the greater the risk of a recession.
Which leads us to suggest another Resolution Trust Corp. as one more tool to calm financial markets. The first RTC helped to buy, stabilize and liquidate troubled assets amid the savings and loan mess of the late 1980s. Then it blessedly went out of business. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker endorsed an RTC II yesterday in a speech in Naples, Florida, and we suspect the idea will gain more traction. He said he "reluctantly" embraced the idea for "dealing with the market breakdown, breaking the logjam of mortgages and other assets of uncertain value [and] restoring a sense of reasonable valuation and market confidence."
Yes, this would require a Congressional appropriation, and in that sense it would cost taxpayers. But by now it should be clear that some taxpayer money is going to be needed, if only to pay off insured depositors at failing banks. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has already said it may need to borrow from its Treasury line of credit, and that's based on what could be optimistic estimates about home prices.
The taxpayer is also currently at risk through the Fed, which has become ever more creative with its use of the discount window. Its new lending facilities have been necessary amid this crisis, but they have also meant that the Fed is accepting ever-dodgier paper as collateral. Over the weekend it agreed to take non-investment grade paper. The danger is that all of this will put the Fed's own balance sheet at risk -- which would mean even bigger trouble. Better to put this bad mortgage paper on the Treasury side of the federal balance sheet.
Meanwhile, a new RTC would provide a buyer for securities for which there is no market, set a floor under the market, hold the securities until markets stabilize, and liquidate them in an orderly fashion, perhaps at a profit. Failed institutions and managers would not be bailed out. There's always a risk that the politicians will meddle, which is one reason for the Bush Administration to do this now so it can insist on enough political insulation.
As for the larger economy, the last 13 months are a guide to what not to do. The Fed recklessly cut interest rates, while Congress and the White House dropped "rebate" checks from helicopters. The rate cuts ignited another oil and commodity spike that walloped middle-class consumers, while the rebates did nothing to change incentives or lift investment.
We hope the Fed heeds this lesson and holds firm on rates today. Yesterday it injected $70 billion in liquidity to stabilize the fed fund rate at its peg of 2%, as it should in a crisis. But that money can be withdrawn over time as the crisis eases. Meanwhile, a more cautious monetary policy overall will help the dollar, which in turn will mean lower oil prices and more capital flows to the U.S.
What the economy really needs is a big pro-growth tax cut, the kind that will restore confidence and risk-taking. This is an opportunity for both candidates, but especially for Mr. McCain. Instead of focusing on an extension of the Bush tax cuts, the Arizonan should offer his own tax cut to revive capital markets and prevent a recession. Democrats will claim he's helping "the rich," but our guess is that every American who owns a 401(k) will figure he's one of those "rich."
One great lesson of past panics is that they needn't become crashes, if policy makers make the right decisions. Thirteen months into this crisis, the best choices are the same as they were last August: energetic emergency plumbing to protect the financial system, steady monetary policy to defend the dollar, and a tax cut to spur growth. It's also the kind of agenda -- and leadership -- that could win an election.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
hastening the arrival of autumn
Although it seems to have been a rather mild summer...at least in temps, I'm ready for the cooler crisp days of autumn. There's nothing like the blue skies, changing leaves, wind blowing through the trees, and if it's Saturday: the sounds of the Red Coat marching band; it just does something to my mood. It somehow relaxes me. The heat of Atlanta summers can be so stifling so I'm ready for calmer cooler days to prevail. And maybe with it will bring cooler heads and calmer days as we navigate the final weeks of a pivotal election and an economy that is facing a bit of upheaval. Not that autumn promises relief but at least the weather will be more pleasant!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
9.11.01 I will NEVER forget.
My account of my personal very personal experience of being in DC on 9/11. Keep in mind, I remember every bit of the details of the day, but at the time, it was really like an out of body experience.
for reference: I lived 12 blocks from the Capitol and worked in the Rayburn House Office Building. I worked for Congressman Nathan Deal, my roommates Monty Philpot worked for Congressman Saxby Chambliss and Lauren Allgood worked for Vice President Cheney.
###
Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001 started out like any other typical morning waking up and going to work on Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer. Technically we were suppose to be at work by 8:30 but as a veteran legislative assistant, I typically rolled in around 8:45 or 8:50. I was in the car doing my mile commute to the Capitol when I heard the first reports of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. The radio DJ's were assuming at that point it must have been a small plane scraping the top....
I arrived in my office probably around 8:55 and saw that my coworkers were watching the resulting fire on TV. "Wow, that couldn't have been a small plane!" I thought to myself and commented to my coworkers.
At about 9:01a my mom called to discuss going to the FOX Theatre over Christmas and with my eyes glued to the tv, I said "Mom, turn on the TV, the World Trade Center is on fire!" Literally as those words came out of my mouth, I watched on live television the 2nd highjacked plane crash into the South Tower. I literally couldn't believe what I had just seen. I said "Mom, I have to go!" I ran into my coworker's office who was sitting there staring at the tv with wide open eyes just stunned. I was in the beginning stages of panic, really unsure of what I had just seen. But I knew this was no accident.
At some point within the next half hour, my dad called and told me to leave my building and go home. I told him I was fine and that not to worry, DC is a "no fly" zone. Around 9:45 the cameras at the White House were showing smoke coming from somewhere off in the distance. There were reports of a car bomb at the State Department and they thought the smoke might be coming from the EOEB in the WH complex. My immediate thought was my roommate Lauren. Soon thereafter a staffer from another office came running down the hall telling us that the Pentagon was on fire. They could see if from their office. We would soon find out that it was yet another plane that had crashed into it.
At this point, calls are beginning to not go through, the circuits were overrun. My dad was able to get through to me once more and this time COMMANDED me to leave my building. This time, I listened---although they were not officially evacuating the Capitol complex yet. I called my roommate Monty who worked for another congressman, and told her we were leaving and that I was coming to get her. I said, "don't go anywhere until I come get you!" The last thing I remember doing before leaving my office (before blackberries) was sending an email to my sister and my parents and telling them I loved them and that I was leaving. I really didn't know what was happening. I didn't know what might be coming next. But I knew I wanted to get home. So I just looked at my coworkers and my deputy chief of staff and said "bye."
As I leave my office, it occurs to me that using the elevator is clearly not a good idea, but I don't even know where the stairs are that will get me to the basement! So I have to find those before I can go underground to the Longworth building to get my roommate Monty. I finally make it over to her office and she and her coworker Annie Laurie, by this time Capitol Police are evacuating the buildings. What I would later find out from some of my friends on the force is that they were getting information in their radio that another hijacked planed (flight 93) was headed to Washington. As calm as they appeared to be, you could see the fear in their eyes.
Monty, Annie Laurie and I walk out the door of Longworth at the corner of C ST and New Jersey AVE into a sea of people, all Hill staffers trying to appear calm walking every which way. Everyone is trying to make calls on their cell phones, but nothing is working. No communications with anyone besides those you're standing next to. The 3 of us begin the walk east on C Street. We're walking faster than normal. About the time we are between the back of the Library of Congress, we hear what sounds like a passenger plane flying over.....very low. (Keep in mind, passenger jets don't fly over DC, especially not low) So we start to pick up the pace. Then I hear the engines of a fighter jet. I can't remember if I said it out loud or in my head, but I said "THIS IS IT!" Shortly after the plane passes over head, I hear a very loud BOOM! Well at this point, we and everyone else around us screams and takes off running. We ran for blocks! We didn't know what else to do. We finally made it up to Pennsylvania AVE and were able to look back down and see that the Capitol dome was still in tact, praise God! We didn't know what had happened, but at that point all I could think and pray was "God, you are not surprised right now, You are not surprised." My only peace and comfort in an absolutely terrifying out of control experience was knowing my God, the God of the universe, knew exactly what was going on and He was in control.
Note: the boom we heard we would later discover was the sonic boom of the fighter jet going super sonic and breaking the sound barrier. Because the Pentagon was on fire, they were having to bring in planes landing at Reagan in a different pattern. the planes were being escorted by fighter jets. As soon as the plane landed the fighter jet was dispatched elsewhere at super sonic speeds.
As we crossed Pennsylvania AVE SE to make the trek a few more blocks to our house, the Hill became increasingly quiet and more deserted. by the time we made it to Independence AVE and 12th, we were the only people on the street---cars or pedestrians. It was eerily quiet. Monty and I were so worried about Lauren---How would she get home? Was she ok? had anything happened at the White House? When we walked up the front steps, Lauren opened the door. Monty and I fell into her arms! She had been at the Capitol delivering some letters on behalf of the VP and her car service was able to bring her home. so she had beat us home!
So, the three of us were carless dressed in suits and were wondering what to do next. No one could have imagined what had already happened and we were petrified of what was yet to come. We felt incredibly defenseless. So, we changed our clothes, packed overnight bags, and decided that we wanted to spend the rest of the day in the basement. In our minds, that was the safest place for us to be. So, we got some food, Monty's dog Dixie, our overnight bags, opened up a futon and brought down the TV and spent the rest of the day watching the tragedy and the aftermath unfold on television.
I remember at one point, just literally breaking down and sobbing. It was almost unbearable watching what these terrorists had done to innocent Americans. They wanted us dead.
The days immediately after 9/11 were really hard, I felt a tremendous amount of survivor guilt. However, one of my proudest moments of my life was walking in to my Capitol Hill office on September 12 with my held high and refusing to be scared. I was resolved to do my part to show that WE weren't beat! But it was such a hard week in the days following the attack, I didn't even go to the gym, why should I go exercise when there are people buried in rubble? I also had a tremendous amount of separation anxiety, I did not want to be alone. The next weekend Lauren and I went on a retreat with McLean Bible Church. It was just what I needed. I needed to be out Washington and have some time to worship God. It really was therapeutic.
At the time and even looking back, I am so proud of the President and the actions he took to protect our country. We really are an incredibly blessed nation and are the envy of the world. I'm so thankful that we did not let the evil deeds of that day negatively shake who we are as a nation. UNITED WE STAND!
My heart goes out to the families of those who didn't make it out that day, and also to the families of those whose loved ones were tasked with running in!
for reference: I lived 12 blocks from the Capitol and worked in the Rayburn House Office Building. I worked for Congressman Nathan Deal, my roommates Monty Philpot worked for Congressman Saxby Chambliss and Lauren Allgood worked for Vice President Cheney.
###
Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001 started out like any other typical morning waking up and going to work on Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer. Technically we were suppose to be at work by 8:30 but as a veteran legislative assistant, I typically rolled in around 8:45 or 8:50. I was in the car doing my mile commute to the Capitol when I heard the first reports of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. The radio DJ's were assuming at that point it must have been a small plane scraping the top....
I arrived in my office probably around 8:55 and saw that my coworkers were watching the resulting fire on TV. "Wow, that couldn't have been a small plane!" I thought to myself and commented to my coworkers.
At about 9:01a my mom called to discuss going to the FOX Theatre over Christmas and with my eyes glued to the tv, I said "Mom, turn on the TV, the World Trade Center is on fire!" Literally as those words came out of my mouth, I watched on live television the 2nd highjacked plane crash into the South Tower. I literally couldn't believe what I had just seen. I said "Mom, I have to go!" I ran into my coworker's office who was sitting there staring at the tv with wide open eyes just stunned. I was in the beginning stages of panic, really unsure of what I had just seen. But I knew this was no accident.
At some point within the next half hour, my dad called and told me to leave my building and go home. I told him I was fine and that not to worry, DC is a "no fly" zone. Around 9:45 the cameras at the White House were showing smoke coming from somewhere off in the distance. There were reports of a car bomb at the State Department and they thought the smoke might be coming from the EOEB in the WH complex. My immediate thought was my roommate Lauren. Soon thereafter a staffer from another office came running down the hall telling us that the Pentagon was on fire. They could see if from their office. We would soon find out that it was yet another plane that had crashed into it.
At this point, calls are beginning to not go through, the circuits were overrun. My dad was able to get through to me once more and this time COMMANDED me to leave my building. This time, I listened---although they were not officially evacuating the Capitol complex yet. I called my roommate Monty who worked for another congressman, and told her we were leaving and that I was coming to get her. I said, "don't go anywhere until I come get you!" The last thing I remember doing before leaving my office (before blackberries) was sending an email to my sister and my parents and telling them I loved them and that I was leaving. I really didn't know what was happening. I didn't know what might be coming next. But I knew I wanted to get home. So I just looked at my coworkers and my deputy chief of staff and said "bye."
As I leave my office, it occurs to me that using the elevator is clearly not a good idea, but I don't even know where the stairs are that will get me to the basement! So I have to find those before I can go underground to the Longworth building to get my roommate Monty. I finally make it over to her office and she and her coworker Annie Laurie, by this time Capitol Police are evacuating the buildings. What I would later find out from some of my friends on the force is that they were getting information in their radio that another hijacked planed (flight 93) was headed to Washington. As calm as they appeared to be, you could see the fear in their eyes.
Monty, Annie Laurie and I walk out the door of Longworth at the corner of C ST and New Jersey AVE into a sea of people, all Hill staffers trying to appear calm walking every which way. Everyone is trying to make calls on their cell phones, but nothing is working. No communications with anyone besides those you're standing next to. The 3 of us begin the walk east on C Street. We're walking faster than normal. About the time we are between the back of the Library of Congress, we hear what sounds like a passenger plane flying over.....very low. (Keep in mind, passenger jets don't fly over DC, especially not low) So we start to pick up the pace. Then I hear the engines of a fighter jet. I can't remember if I said it out loud or in my head, but I said "THIS IS IT!" Shortly after the plane passes over head, I hear a very loud BOOM! Well at this point, we and everyone else around us screams and takes off running. We ran for blocks! We didn't know what else to do. We finally made it up to Pennsylvania AVE and were able to look back down and see that the Capitol dome was still in tact, praise God! We didn't know what had happened, but at that point all I could think and pray was "God, you are not surprised right now, You are not surprised." My only peace and comfort in an absolutely terrifying out of control experience was knowing my God, the God of the universe, knew exactly what was going on and He was in control.
Note: the boom we heard we would later discover was the sonic boom of the fighter jet going super sonic and breaking the sound barrier. Because the Pentagon was on fire, they were having to bring in planes landing at Reagan in a different pattern. the planes were being escorted by fighter jets. As soon as the plane landed the fighter jet was dispatched elsewhere at super sonic speeds.
As we crossed Pennsylvania AVE SE to make the trek a few more blocks to our house, the Hill became increasingly quiet and more deserted. by the time we made it to Independence AVE and 12th, we were the only people on the street---cars or pedestrians. It was eerily quiet. Monty and I were so worried about Lauren---How would she get home? Was she ok? had anything happened at the White House? When we walked up the front steps, Lauren opened the door. Monty and I fell into her arms! She had been at the Capitol delivering some letters on behalf of the VP and her car service was able to bring her home. so she had beat us home!
So, the three of us were carless dressed in suits and were wondering what to do next. No one could have imagined what had already happened and we were petrified of what was yet to come. We felt incredibly defenseless. So, we changed our clothes, packed overnight bags, and decided that we wanted to spend the rest of the day in the basement. In our minds, that was the safest place for us to be. So, we got some food, Monty's dog Dixie, our overnight bags, opened up a futon and brought down the TV and spent the rest of the day watching the tragedy and the aftermath unfold on television.
I remember at one point, just literally breaking down and sobbing. It was almost unbearable watching what these terrorists had done to innocent Americans. They wanted us dead.
The days immediately after 9/11 were really hard, I felt a tremendous amount of survivor guilt. However, one of my proudest moments of my life was walking in to my Capitol Hill office on September 12 with my held high and refusing to be scared. I was resolved to do my part to show that WE weren't beat! But it was such a hard week in the days following the attack, I didn't even go to the gym, why should I go exercise when there are people buried in rubble? I also had a tremendous amount of separation anxiety, I did not want to be alone. The next weekend Lauren and I went on a retreat with McLean Bible Church. It was just what I needed. I needed to be out Washington and have some time to worship God. It really was therapeutic.
At the time and even looking back, I am so proud of the President and the actions he took to protect our country. We really are an incredibly blessed nation and are the envy of the world. I'm so thankful that we did not let the evil deeds of that day negatively shake who we are as a nation. UNITED WE STAND!
My heart goes out to the families of those who didn't make it out that day, and also to the families of those whose loved ones were tasked with running in!
Photo credit: KCT September 11, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
maybe I need to get out more....
or perhaps the grass is always greener in someone else's backyard, because I can't say as I'm in full agreement with Forbes ranking.....
I mean I guess if you're looking for a guy who drives an SUV or Beemer or has a high-end condo in Buckhead or loves clubbing, then maybe so.......
Atlanta ranked top city for singles
Mon Sep 8, 8:37 AM ET
If you're single and looking for a mate, Atlanta could be the place to live.
The southern U.S. city displaced San Francisco for the top spot and edged past Dallas, Minneapolis and Washington D.C. to be voted the No. 1 city for singles, according to Forbes.com.
"Atlanta got the top spot because of its hopping nightlife, relatively high number of singles and sizzling job growth," Michael Noer, the executive editor of Forbes.com (www.forbes.com) said in a statement.
It was the first time Atlanta was ranked No. 1 in the annual poll that assessed 40 of the largest U.S. urban areas for coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and number of singles.
Seattle, Boston, New York City, Orlando and Phoenix completed the top 10 places in the survey. Jacksonville, Florida, Salt Lake City and Cleveland, were ranked at the bottom of the list of desirable cities for the nation's 74 million single adults.
Chicago was ranked 11th, Miami placed 13th, Los Angeles dropped from third place to 16th this year, and Las Vegas came in 24th in the poll.
Each urban area was assigned a ranking of one to 40 in each of the seven categories. Coolness was gauged by a poll of adults across the country, while rent, the price of move tickets and a six-pack of beer were used to determine cost of living.
Museums, sports facilities and concert venues per capita were assessed to determine culture, while nightlife was based on the number of restaurants, bars and nightclubs in each urban area.
"To those who know 'Hotlanta,' the ranking should come as no surprise," Forbes.com said in a statement, adding the city had been the top 10 in seven of the eight yearly surveys it has conducted.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; editing by Matthew Jones)
I mean I guess if you're looking for a guy who drives an SUV or Beemer or has a high-end condo in Buckhead or loves clubbing, then maybe so.......
Atlanta ranked top city for singles
Mon Sep 8, 8:37 AM ET
If you're single and looking for a mate, Atlanta could be the place to live.
The southern U.S. city displaced San Francisco for the top spot and edged past Dallas, Minneapolis and Washington D.C. to be voted the No. 1 city for singles, according to Forbes.com.
"Atlanta got the top spot because of its hopping nightlife, relatively high number of singles and sizzling job growth," Michael Noer, the executive editor of Forbes.com (www.forbes.com) said in a statement.
It was the first time Atlanta was ranked No. 1 in the annual poll that assessed 40 of the largest U.S. urban areas for coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and number of singles.
Seattle, Boston, New York City, Orlando and Phoenix completed the top 10 places in the survey. Jacksonville, Florida, Salt Lake City and Cleveland, were ranked at the bottom of the list of desirable cities for the nation's 74 million single adults.
Chicago was ranked 11th, Miami placed 13th, Los Angeles dropped from third place to 16th this year, and Las Vegas came in 24th in the poll.
Each urban area was assigned a ranking of one to 40 in each of the seven categories. Coolness was gauged by a poll of adults across the country, while rent, the price of move tickets and a six-pack of beer were used to determine cost of living.
Museums, sports facilities and concert venues per capita were assessed to determine culture, while nightlife was based on the number of restaurants, bars and nightclubs in each urban area.
"To those who know 'Hotlanta,' the ranking should come as no surprise," Forbes.com said in a statement, adding the city had been the top 10 in seven of the eight yearly surveys it has conducted.
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; editing by Matthew Jones)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
How Modern Liberals Think
This is a very articulate commentary/speech/explanation about modern liberalism. Although lengthy, it's worth watching. It is a speech at the Heritage Foundation featuring:Evan SayetWriter, Lecturer and Pundit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c&eurl=http://thebigfeed.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c&eurl=http://thebigfeed.blogspot.com/
Friday, August 29, 2008
Hot dang it's a woman!
My initial reaction was disappointment that McCain did not choose Mitt Romney who I really respect and admire and is a leader this country needs.
However, I must say I was caught off guard but deeply intrigued by his choice of Sarah Palin, the 44 year old republican Governor of Alaska.
What I am hearing from the pundits:
She's conservative. she's a gun owner and advocate. She hunts, she fishes. She is the mother of 5 children, the youngest having down syndrome. She's a businesswoman, she's pro-life and super smart.
I've never heard her speak but if she's the republican vice presidential candidate as chosen by Senator John McCain, she must really have something to bring to the table. She's certainly not politics as usual like Joe Biden is.
I know Biden must be highly disappointed that he won't get to be the aggressive jerkish attack dog that is so true to his character when he is debating HER.
more to come. hang on to your hats, it's going to be an interesting fall.
p.s. she's beautiful!!!
p.s. couldn't have picked her out of a crowd of two before today....
However, I must say I was caught off guard but deeply intrigued by his choice of Sarah Palin, the 44 year old republican Governor of Alaska.
What I am hearing from the pundits:
She's conservative. she's a gun owner and advocate. She hunts, she fishes. She is the mother of 5 children, the youngest having down syndrome. She's a businesswoman, she's pro-life and super smart.
I've never heard her speak but if she's the republican vice presidential candidate as chosen by Senator John McCain, she must really have something to bring to the table. She's certainly not politics as usual like Joe Biden is.
I know Biden must be highly disappointed that he won't get to be the aggressive jerkish attack dog that is so true to his character when he is debating HER.
more to come. hang on to your hats, it's going to be an interesting fall.
p.s. she's beautiful!!!
p.s. couldn't have picked her out of a crowd of two before today....
Thursday, August 28, 2008
radio silent
After not having any vacation this summer, I'm finally taking a long weekend and heading to the mountains. I am in much need of some R & R and I can't wait.
I really hope to pretty much disconnect from technology and just chill.....here's hoping!
but first, I'm super anxious about tomorrow and who McCain will choose as his running mate....
I'm really hopeful he picks Romney and feel like he will. Mitt Romney brings the best most diverse experience to the table that serves as a great compliment to McCain's background.
We'll know soon! Go Mitt Go!
I really hope to pretty much disconnect from technology and just chill.....here's hoping!
but first, I'm super anxious about tomorrow and who McCain will choose as his running mate....
I'm really hopeful he picks Romney and feel like he will. Mitt Romney brings the best most diverse experience to the table that serves as a great compliment to McCain's background.
We'll know soon! Go Mitt Go!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Comparison of McCain v. Obama
Thanks to my favorite personal source of insider news, I am attaching a link to a side by side comparison of Obama and McCain's answers to the questions asked by Rick Warren at his forum from this past weekend. If you didn't get a chance to watch, it might be worthwhile to take time to review their answers and make your own decision about who is ready to lead.
http://www.thirty-thousand.org/pages/Saddleback_16AUG2008.htm
http://www.thirty-thousand.org/pages/Saddleback_16AUG2008.htm
Monday, August 18, 2008
Random thoughts and observations
Ok, I haven't blogged in a while and I don't have a particular topic so I'm just going to dish on some various subject matters.
- Straight talking John McCain made Barack Obama look like an inexperienced politician who's running for school board on the saddleback showdown. Kudos to Rick Warren for asking some compelling questions and getting to the heart of the issues that make our country unique. If you haven't watched it and can find a rebroadcast, it's worth every minute.
- I was reading an article in the New Yorker about Emily Dickinson and it actually referred to her as "a spinster of thirty-one." How unfortunate......that's my age......
- I have had more conference calls in the last month, than I've had in my whole life in total up to this point. I guess that happens when your boss moves to another state.
- I got a new zoom lens for my camera, it's a pentax 50mm-300mm. It's awesome.
- I've been thinking a lot lately about how important it is that women allow the men in their lives the freedom to be imperfect. Sometimes we can set guys up on a pedastal and be so easily disappointed when they mess up. They aren't perfect and we shouldn't expect them to be.
- God thinks I'm beautiful. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." My small group is doing an amazing book called "Do You Think I'm Beautiful?" by Angela Thomas. I am learning so much.
- I am so thankful for Faith, Hope and Love.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Vacation
I sure could use one! Seriously, like desperately. The kind where you turn off the blackberry and cell and don't worry that anyone is trying to reach you. The kind where you're with someone that you utterly and absolutely enjoy either doing something totally fun and adventurous or absolutely nothing at all. I need a vacation that gives me the freedom to leave behind the cares of every day life and be completely swept into rest and relaxation. I want one free from worry of spending too much or the worry that the weather won't be good. Really, I just want a VACATION.
I sure hope this ideal comes soon.
I sure hope this ideal comes soon.
a perspective worth pondering
To: Richmond Times-Dispatch, Monday, July 7, 2008 ~
Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch:
'Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my Independence Day, and on July 4 I celebrate America 's. This year is special, because it marks the 40Th anniversary of my independence.
'On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few months later, I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.
'I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.
'When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said, 'Praise the Lord.' And when the young leader said, 'I will be for change and I'll bring you change,' everyone yelled, 'Viva Fidel!'
'But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent, the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education, it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over, more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.
'Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America ?
'Would we?'
Manuel Alvarez, Jr.
Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch:
'Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my Independence Day, and on July 4 I celebrate America 's. This year is special, because it marks the 40Th anniversary of my independence.
'On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few months later, I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.
'I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.
'When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said, 'Praise the Lord.' And when the young leader said, 'I will be for change and I'll bring you change,' everyone yelled, 'Viva Fidel!'
'But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent, the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education, it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over, more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.
'Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America ?
'Would we?'
Manuel Alvarez, Jr.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
cell phone ettiquette
ok, I'm sure cell phone ettiquette has been blogged about ad nauseum but I'd like to add my 2 cents based on my own experiences.
1. Do NOT call anyone you don't really know on their cell before 9 a.m.
2. Do NOT call anyone you don't know that well on their cell phone--that's what office line voicemail is for. Just because you have it because it's on their business card doesn't mean you should freely use it. Always call office until you've been invited to feel free to call the cell phone. this mainly applies to work related scenarios.
3. If you have AT&T you can't call me until after 9p. Only my Verizon friends can talk to me between 7a and 9p. Ha! I'm mostly kidding!
4. If someone calls you, try to return the call instead of returning it with a text--if possible. Unless you're trying to avoid in which case, text away....
5. If you're a male, single, and between the ages of 29 and 38, call or text anytime.
1. Do NOT call anyone you don't really know on their cell before 9 a.m.
2. Do NOT call anyone you don't know that well on their cell phone--that's what office line voicemail is for. Just because you have it because it's on their business card doesn't mean you should freely use it. Always call office until you've been invited to feel free to call the cell phone. this mainly applies to work related scenarios.
3. If you have AT&T you can't call me until after 9p. Only my Verizon friends can talk to me between 7a and 9p. Ha! I'm mostly kidding!
4. If someone calls you, try to return the call instead of returning it with a text--if possible. Unless you're trying to avoid in which case, text away....
5. If you're a male, single, and between the ages of 29 and 38, call or text anytime.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
the battle of the chicken sandwich
McDonald's Chicken Sandwich
Looks can be deceiving.....
I was asked by my most loyal reader to blog about the original Chick-fil-A Sandwich "the Chick" vs. the 'johnny come lately' McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. So I rose to the challenge and did my own taste test. Well, seeing as how I've never actually had the McDonalds version......I mean why would I? I live in Atlanta, GA!.....so I went to purchase the McD's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich and a Sweet Tea (large in a styrofoam cup). Mmm. things looked familiar. Chick-fil-A uses styrofoam cups. Sweet Tea tastes its absolute best in styrofoam....regardless of it not being so environmentally friendly. So anyway, I received my chicken sandwich in a box and served my own tea (which I like because I'm very particular about the amount of ice I like--a lot!). Ok, I keep digressing. So I proceed to open the box and eat the sandwich....which I did with an open mind and open tastebuds. At first bite, it was decent. Not seasoned like the "Chick" nor was the bread as good. The bread almost tasted doughy and was too white bread mushy. The chicken breast seemed not as fresh and flatter than the Chick. I will say, I was impressed at the crispness of the pickles, they weren't mushy like on the Chick. But then again it may have been because the packaging of McD's didn't allow for the delightful steaming that takes place in the Chick-fil-A foil/paper wrapper bag. I fully believe the "Chick" tastes better after it's steamed in the bag for a few minutes. YUM. I will give McDonald's props for stellar tea. Sometimes Chick-fil-A's tea is overly sugared. But this cup of McD's sweet tea was just right. Plenty of dark tea that taste like tea (not brown water) with the right amount of sweetness.
So to McDonalds, I say, nice try. But you'll never ever ever be as good at the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich! Stick with Big Macs, McD's. they are yummy in their own right! BUT, for those of you that sadly live in areas where Chick-fil-A hasn't debuted yet, it's an ok alternative. Just know you're not getting the best! oh and for full disclosure, McD's sandwich has 400 calories, 150 calories from fat, 17 grams of fat and 24 grams of protein. Chick-fil-A's has 410 calories, 140 calories from fat and 17 grams of fat and 27 grams of protein.
In conclusion, I will stick with Chick-fil-A for all my quick service meal needs. :)
Gosh, I'm starving!!!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
an open letter to the next President
Below is an open letter I am writing to the next President of the United States whoever he may be. to see more letters and to see a tease about a new series Andy Stanley is doing at my church check out:
http://www.letterstothenextpresident.com/
Mr. President, congratulations on being the 44th man elected to lead the greatest country this world has ever produced. The responsibility that now rest on your shoulders is almost impossible to be handled by one mortal man. I humbly beg of you to meditate your mind, heart and soul on the passages found in Romans 13:1-7, Col 3:23-24, II Chron 7:14. Your presidency is ordained by God, and I hope you will wake every day knowing He put you in the White House. Please do everything in your power to call upon Him and seek to obey Him in every decision you make. My prayer for you is that you will be (in this order of priority) 1. obedient to God and trust Him fully 2. completely faithful to your wife 3. a great father to your children 4. a great steward and protector of the citizens of the United States and their resources. I am 100% confident if you do this, you will leave the United States better than it was before you were inaugurated. May God bless you and your family and may He continue to shed His grace on America.
http://www.letterstothenextpresident.com/
Mr. President, congratulations on being the 44th man elected to lead the greatest country this world has ever produced. The responsibility that now rest on your shoulders is almost impossible to be handled by one mortal man. I humbly beg of you to meditate your mind, heart and soul on the passages found in Romans 13:1-7, Col 3:23-24, II Chron 7:14. Your presidency is ordained by God, and I hope you will wake every day knowing He put you in the White House. Please do everything in your power to call upon Him and seek to obey Him in every decision you make. My prayer for you is that you will be (in this order of priority) 1. obedient to God and trust Him fully 2. completely faithful to your wife 3. a great father to your children 4. a great steward and protector of the citizens of the United States and their resources. I am 100% confident if you do this, you will leave the United States better than it was before you were inaugurated. May God bless you and your family and may He continue to shed His grace on America.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Clarence!!!
I just love the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" when George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) gets a visit from the Angel Clarence who shows George what life would have been like if he'd never been born.
Do you ever wonder what kind of impact you are making on those around you and in your sphere of influence? Do you ever wonder what kind of legacy you are leaving? I do. Sometimes I wish God would allow me to see these things (ie results) more clearly.
I sometimes feel like I'm not making a gigantic impact, but hope surely I am in little ways. It sure would be nice to see how it all fits together, and what, if anything, would be different if I wasn't a part of the lives of those around me. Would they be better off or worse off?!
In this thinking, the challenge to me is to be more intentional about making a positive impact in my friends' lives, my family's lives, my work, my church and in society in general. What more can I be doing to live out God's commandments to love others more than myself and bring people into a very personal relationship with the God of the universe?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
UGH!!!
Sometimes life can get pretty frustrating. but today a friend of mine called my attention to a great Bible verse to keep it all in perspective about what really matters. Zephaniah 3:17
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
I am so very thankful that in moments of uncertainty and trouble, I can totally rely on God and His control in my life.
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
I am so very thankful that in moments of uncertainty and trouble, I can totally rely on God and His control in my life.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Home
Someone recently asked me if I was willing to move again outside Atlanta/the South (hypothetically). And I replied, "honestly, I truly believe, yes I would." I've moved to DC and NYC, and now, yes, granted I did return but largely there were more circumstances involved regarding career etc. I like to think and truly believe about myself that I would be willing to live most anywhere given the right circumstances, especially if I was with a man whom I trust and care for. I think happiness and contentment can be found in any location if you have your priorities straight and you are with people you enjoy doing things you enjoy. And after all, God's got the whole world in His hands----a fave song of mine as a kid.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Delt--random memories
ok my sisterly readers, the challenge is on to see who has the most random memories of the Delt. This would be more like memories of the house and living there, not so much stories about its inhabitants per se. Examples: Alberto and Roberto, the way Carrie and Julie's room smelled, the fact that Molls actually had an office in the attic.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
the staffer "tell all"
if you've been under a rock today, you may not have seen all the media buzz about Scott McClellan's new book.
check out http://www.drudgereport.com/ for the latest headlines and articles about his criticisms and revelations about the Bush White House from his point of view. or you can buy his book for a bargain price of $27.95
Anyway, having been a former staffer to 2 US Congressmen and a Governor, I thought I would share my opinion. There is one thing that is not only expected but understood: Loyalty. Unless the boss is doing something illegal or unethical, I think it is incumbent upon the staff to give the boss loyalty and that he or she should be able to trust the staff--even behind closed doors. And I actually do believe whole heartedly that the loyalty doesn't end when a staff person leaves their position. While as a staffer, I may disagree with approaches or decisions of my bosses, I don't feel I am doing anyone a service to go air them out in a public forum and CERTAINLY not while the man in still in office! Again, short of an extramarital affair, unethical or illegal activity, dirty laundry has no business being aired by a former staffer. It just doesn't help the staffers who will have to work extra hard from now on to prove to their bosses that they can be trusted and that they aren't taking notes for the "tell all" book they'll one day write in trying to make the boss look like a fool. The importance of a good and competent staff of people to surround these public figures can not be underestimated.
and truthfully, for my point to be made, whether or not what he said is true, in my opinion, is irrelevant.
The price you pay as a staffer to a Public Figure is, it's not about YOU, it's about THEM.
Can I get an amen? reply and let me know if you applaud McClellan and disagree with me whole heartedly.
check out http://www.drudgereport.com/ for the latest headlines and articles about his criticisms and revelations about the Bush White House from his point of view. or you can buy his book for a bargain price of $27.95
Anyway, having been a former staffer to 2 US Congressmen and a Governor, I thought I would share my opinion. There is one thing that is not only expected but understood: Loyalty. Unless the boss is doing something illegal or unethical, I think it is incumbent upon the staff to give the boss loyalty and that he or she should be able to trust the staff--even behind closed doors. And I actually do believe whole heartedly that the loyalty doesn't end when a staff person leaves their position. While as a staffer, I may disagree with approaches or decisions of my bosses, I don't feel I am doing anyone a service to go air them out in a public forum and CERTAINLY not while the man in still in office! Again, short of an extramarital affair, unethical or illegal activity, dirty laundry has no business being aired by a former staffer. It just doesn't help the staffers who will have to work extra hard from now on to prove to their bosses that they can be trusted and that they aren't taking notes for the "tell all" book they'll one day write in trying to make the boss look like a fool. The importance of a good and competent staff of people to surround these public figures can not be underestimated.
and truthfully, for my point to be made, whether or not what he said is true, in my opinion, is irrelevant.
The price you pay as a staffer to a Public Figure is, it's not about YOU, it's about THEM.
Can I get an amen? reply and let me know if you applaud McClellan and disagree with me whole heartedly.
my loyal reader
There are some things I want you to know about my most loyal reader....her identity will not be revealed in order to protect her innocence.
1. she calls me grandma for reasons I will not go into.
2. she really missed her calling because she should be a licensed therapist.
3. she has six pack abs.
4. she loves to visit Miss Jean.
5. she hates stray hairs.
6. she cracks my $hit up.
7. she has a tatt.
8. she really likes fries from the Grille with their feta dressing
9. she had a stalker in college named Lindsay
10. she is one of my most dear friends in the world and I love her very much.
1. she calls me grandma for reasons I will not go into.
2. she really missed her calling because she should be a licensed therapist.
3. she has six pack abs.
4. she loves to visit Miss Jean.
5. she hates stray hairs.
6. she cracks my $hit up.
7. she has a tatt.
8. she really likes fries from the Grille with their feta dressing
9. she had a stalker in college named Lindsay
10. she is one of my most dear friends in the world and I love her very much.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Grace
Today, I am completely relying on God's grace. Whenever things aren't quite going how I want them to or think they should, I just try to remember that I know God is completely in control and He is providing His grace to me for me to lean hard on as I navigate life. Sometimes things just seem rather complex and confusing and I don't quite know why things do or do not turn our how I wish they would. But I rest in knowing God is at work in my life.
a deep sigh of relief.....aaahhhhh........
a deep sigh of relief.....aaahhhhh........
Thursday, May 22, 2008
What are you doing on Memorial Day?
Amongst your day's activities on Memorial Day, I hope you'll take a moment or two to remember the sacrifice of the many women and men who have died fighting for our freedom and for the freedom of others. In the words of Jesus Christ, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
I am so very thankful that generation after generation of heroes have stepped up for us to live in the coolest country on earth. Even though we are paying almost $4 for a gallon of gas and we fight amongst ourselves over petty political issues, this is still an awesome place to be blessed to live. I plan to spend time Monday thanking God for the sacrifices others have so willingly made and for His blessings on our country.
Happy Memorial Day!
I am so very thankful that generation after generation of heroes have stepped up for us to live in the coolest country on earth. Even though we are paying almost $4 for a gallon of gas and we fight amongst ourselves over petty political issues, this is still an awesome place to be blessed to live. I plan to spend time Monday thanking God for the sacrifices others have so willingly made and for His blessings on our country.
Happy Memorial Day!
Friday, May 9, 2008
H & M, you're getting dumped!
I remember the very first time I visited H & M. It was in Boston in January of 2000. I walked in and it was like the birds were chirping and I could hear angels singing. I was blown away by the fun trendy clothes and cheap prices. I still wear the twead skirt I purchased on my very first visit. Since then, I've frequented the H & M's of NYC (in particular the flagship 5th AVE store and the one on LEX) and the H &M in Georgetown/Washington, D.C. At these various urban locales, I have left behind quite a bit of money but always walked out with a large shopping bag full and a smile.....Actually, as I type this, I'm wearing an amazing royal blue cotton blazer purchased in NY's Lex AVE store.....I love this jacket!
About this time last year, H & M announced it's plans to open a store in Atlanta. Hallelujah I thought to myself. Well much to my chagrin and with little fanfare....the first H & M in the South opened yesterday in the SUBURB of Alpharetta to be apparently followed shortly by it's "flagship store" in Atlantic Station and 2 other stores in the outer Atlanta suburbs of Buford (Mall of Georgia) and Kennesaw (Town Center at Cobb). I had no idea H & M was trying to turn into the GAP. when is the last time you bought something at the GAP?? I mean, Kennesaw and Buford??? come on people, what's urban and cool and trendy about those 2 places, nothing but teenie boppers and moms will be shopping there making it VERY unlikely that I will want to wear anything from there.
I know this makes me sound like a snob, but the cool thing about H & M was that it was more urban and NOT everywhere. Certainly not at the gigantic suburban mall.
I'm sad......can you tell? I am also apparently an ITP snob!
Bye bye, H & M. I'm sorry we have to break up, but you're not who I thought you were.....I wish you all the best and hope your new lovers----teens, tweens, suburban moms, & rural dwellers coming in from the really outer stretches of GA for a big day out of shopping---are as good to you as I have been for the past 8 years!!!
About this time last year, H & M announced it's plans to open a store in Atlanta. Hallelujah I thought to myself. Well much to my chagrin and with little fanfare....the first H & M in the South opened yesterday in the SUBURB of Alpharetta to be apparently followed shortly by it's "flagship store" in Atlantic Station and 2 other stores in the outer Atlanta suburbs of Buford (Mall of Georgia) and Kennesaw (Town Center at Cobb). I had no idea H & M was trying to turn into the GAP. when is the last time you bought something at the GAP?? I mean, Kennesaw and Buford??? come on people, what's urban and cool and trendy about those 2 places, nothing but teenie boppers and moms will be shopping there making it VERY unlikely that I will want to wear anything from there.
I know this makes me sound like a snob, but the cool thing about H & M was that it was more urban and NOT everywhere. Certainly not at the gigantic suburban mall.
I'm sad......can you tell? I am also apparently an ITP snob!
Bye bye, H & M. I'm sorry we have to break up, but you're not who I thought you were.....I wish you all the best and hope your new lovers----teens, tweens, suburban moms, & rural dwellers coming in from the really outer stretches of GA for a big day out of shopping---are as good to you as I have been for the past 8 years!!!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Have you ever been hit by a car?
well one of my closest friends in New York has! Yesterday as a matter of fact, he's ok thank the Lord. And here's his story.
#######
I was about 12 miles into my planned 17 mile run -building up for my end of may marathon this afternoon-part of which includes a run to the base of the Verrazano bridge and then along the ocean to Coney Island. A flock of geese had just flown over, the breeze was crisp, I was thinking, OK, I can do this...
I went to cross a street to finish the last leg of my run - one of the few intersections I have to run through. There was a left turn arrow. I stood and waited at the intersection until the arrow changed, leaving just the green light and allowing drivers to take a left at their own risk. When the walk signal changed, I trotted through the intersection. About halfway across the intersection, in my peripheral vision and part spider-man sense, I know a car is coming. And turning. I turn and face it square on. Its a woman in a white Camry. She hits my left leg, just above the thigh. My hands are on her hood, trying to get leverage to hoist my body from going under her car. She drives 5-7 more feet before stopping, and dumping me on the street. It was piercing agony. Like a 2,000 lb Charlie horse. I didn't think anything was broken, but the pain was so severe, i lay on my back in the street yelling more concerned about the fact i was laying exposed in an intersection. Two guys nearby came and helped out, one calling 911. I pleaded with them to drag me out of the road, but rightly probably- they refused.
As I'm laying there yelling and writhing, I looked up at a 10 or 12 story apartment building to see just about everyone peering out curiously. One woman, in a pink bathrobe wearing a hair net - she stood out to me -and then oddly enough she was a foot away from me, slippers and all. She was, from her accent, i would say Iranian- and said to me in that loud American tourist voice "I am an M-D! Just lay still! You be O-K!" For some reason, i remembered that she was goose bumped from the chilly breeze. The woman who hit me came running over and made some statement of thinly-veiled accusation, incredulous that I'd walked in front of her bumper. At which point, i start to laugh-yell. I said, "seriously? you hit a pedestrian now you're saying it's my fault!?"
Of the dozens of times I've gone over it in my memory- I'm certain it was my right of way- because i was standing still, waiting for the signal. One of the guys with me yelled, "Get the F-back in your car and don't agitate him!"
I'd say within 10 minutes - police, fire department, and EMT were on the scene, my leg was in a splint, and i was in the ambulance. I never carry anything but keys and on longer runs, cash to get water or - if necessary, a subway ride home. So, I had no way to get in touch with anyone. Thankfully, I borrowed one of the EMT's cell phones to call my sister in NH just to inform someone where i was.
I didn't have much thought of where I'd go to the hospital, figuring I'd end up with the routine battery of X-rays and depending, splinted or casted and sent home.
If you've never been to coney island- its heavily Russian. And when i was wheeled into the hospital, the signs are featured in Russian, Spanish, and English. So, i laid on the gurney for an hour. The ER was not particularly busy. Then a man named "Alan" who all the staff knew by first name gets wheeled in. Even the policeman guarding the entrance laughed and commented to the EMT, "hey, i know that guy!"
No apparent pain. When asked why he was there this time, he replies, "I'm just... I'm just not well."
Where's the pain? they ask. "I've got a little discomfort in my stomach. And some diarrhea!"
He's telling everyone, "I don't have full-blown AIDS, just HIV. My T-cell count is 69. That's NOT full blown AIDS"
To which the EMT replied, "Actually, Alan, you DO have full blown AIDS"
He coughs, and is met with a chorus of "cover your mouth Alan!" from the staff.
The thought occurs to me that the chances of catching a communicable disease here could be higher than actually getting treatment.
Another voice yells out, "Can a N-- get some food!?"
Alan disappears down a hall somewhere.
3 overhead pages, each increasingly more urgent, pleading for a Russian translator to come to "O-R 2."
Another hour ticks by. No one makes eye contact with me, save for one guy, leaning on a counter talking to his co-worker. I ask, "Could i get some Advil?" He turns around to tell me i have to ask the nurse for that, then goes back to the conversation. I don't know who the -- or any -- nurse is.
I watch a pizza get delivered and one of the people walking around shuffles him away.
Mind you, I've been hit by a car, run 12 miles, on a stretcher for 2 hours, and given or offered nothing, save for a love poem from the 80 year old widower/hospital volunteer who let me know she published a whole book of them for another hospital.
The sweat of my run has long cooled from my wicking shirt, and now I'm shivering.
I'm getting increasingly agitated.
I untie the makeshift splint from the EMT. I flex my toes, rotate my knee, and bend it slightly, then almost full. I dismount the bed and tentatively start to put weight on it. And then I hobbled towards the door. The one protesting question from an admin/nurse/receptionist - asking where i was going- I just replied with, "I'll take my chances." and hobbled out.
Its off to the doctor's on Monday to see if i can continue on this marathon path
#######
I was about 12 miles into my planned 17 mile run -building up for my end of may marathon this afternoon-part of which includes a run to the base of the Verrazano bridge and then along the ocean to Coney Island. A flock of geese had just flown over, the breeze was crisp, I was thinking, OK, I can do this...
I went to cross a street to finish the last leg of my run - one of the few intersections I have to run through. There was a left turn arrow. I stood and waited at the intersection until the arrow changed, leaving just the green light and allowing drivers to take a left at their own risk. When the walk signal changed, I trotted through the intersection. About halfway across the intersection, in my peripheral vision and part spider-man sense, I know a car is coming. And turning. I turn and face it square on. Its a woman in a white Camry. She hits my left leg, just above the thigh. My hands are on her hood, trying to get leverage to hoist my body from going under her car. She drives 5-7 more feet before stopping, and dumping me on the street. It was piercing agony. Like a 2,000 lb Charlie horse. I didn't think anything was broken, but the pain was so severe, i lay on my back in the street yelling more concerned about the fact i was laying exposed in an intersection. Two guys nearby came and helped out, one calling 911. I pleaded with them to drag me out of the road, but rightly probably- they refused.
As I'm laying there yelling and writhing, I looked up at a 10 or 12 story apartment building to see just about everyone peering out curiously. One woman, in a pink bathrobe wearing a hair net - she stood out to me -and then oddly enough she was a foot away from me, slippers and all. She was, from her accent, i would say Iranian- and said to me in that loud American tourist voice "I am an M-D! Just lay still! You be O-K!" For some reason, i remembered that she was goose bumped from the chilly breeze. The woman who hit me came running over and made some statement of thinly-veiled accusation, incredulous that I'd walked in front of her bumper. At which point, i start to laugh-yell. I said, "seriously? you hit a pedestrian now you're saying it's my fault!?"
Of the dozens of times I've gone over it in my memory- I'm certain it was my right of way- because i was standing still, waiting for the signal. One of the guys with me yelled, "Get the F-back in your car and don't agitate him!"
I'd say within 10 minutes - police, fire department, and EMT were on the scene, my leg was in a splint, and i was in the ambulance. I never carry anything but keys and on longer runs, cash to get water or - if necessary, a subway ride home. So, I had no way to get in touch with anyone. Thankfully, I borrowed one of the EMT's cell phones to call my sister in NH just to inform someone where i was.
I didn't have much thought of where I'd go to the hospital, figuring I'd end up with the routine battery of X-rays and depending, splinted or casted and sent home.
If you've never been to coney island- its heavily Russian. And when i was wheeled into the hospital, the signs are featured in Russian, Spanish, and English. So, i laid on the gurney for an hour. The ER was not particularly busy. Then a man named "Alan" who all the staff knew by first name gets wheeled in. Even the policeman guarding the entrance laughed and commented to the EMT, "hey, i know that guy!"
No apparent pain. When asked why he was there this time, he replies, "I'm just... I'm just not well."
Where's the pain? they ask. "I've got a little discomfort in my stomach. And some diarrhea!"
He's telling everyone, "I don't have full-blown AIDS, just HIV. My T-cell count is 69. That's NOT full blown AIDS"
To which the EMT replied, "Actually, Alan, you DO have full blown AIDS"
He coughs, and is met with a chorus of "cover your mouth Alan!" from the staff.
The thought occurs to me that the chances of catching a communicable disease here could be higher than actually getting treatment.
Another voice yells out, "Can a N-- get some food!?"
Alan disappears down a hall somewhere.
3 overhead pages, each increasingly more urgent, pleading for a Russian translator to come to "O-R 2."
Another hour ticks by. No one makes eye contact with me, save for one guy, leaning on a counter talking to his co-worker. I ask, "Could i get some Advil?" He turns around to tell me i have to ask the nurse for that, then goes back to the conversation. I don't know who the -- or any -- nurse is.
I watch a pizza get delivered and one of the people walking around shuffles him away.
Mind you, I've been hit by a car, run 12 miles, on a stretcher for 2 hours, and given or offered nothing, save for a love poem from the 80 year old widower/hospital volunteer who let me know she published a whole book of them for another hospital.
The sweat of my run has long cooled from my wicking shirt, and now I'm shivering.
I'm getting increasingly agitated.
I untie the makeshift splint from the EMT. I flex my toes, rotate my knee, and bend it slightly, then almost full. I dismount the bed and tentatively start to put weight on it. And then I hobbled towards the door. The one protesting question from an admin/nurse/receptionist - asking where i was going- I just replied with, "I'll take my chances." and hobbled out.
Its off to the doctor's on Monday to see if i can continue on this marathon path
Monday, April 7, 2008
This is kind of awesome!
http://www.breitbart.tv/html/74853.html
Many folks around the world are in an uproar about the 2008 summer Olympics being held in communist China in August. As demonstrated in the video clip in the above link. Now I'm typically not into crazy rioting protests, but 3 guys climbing the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge to hang a huge banner calling for freedom of an oppressed people on the other side of the Pacific Ocean is pretty awesome! An excerpt: And in San Francisco, where the torch is due to arrive Wednesday, three protesters wearing harnesses and helmets climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge and tied the Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables. The banners read "One World One Dream. Free Tibet" and "Free Tibet."
However, I can't condone the behaviour towards the torch and the ones carrying the torch through the streets of the world. The olympic torch and the Olympics represent the world coming together to compete in games! But I definitely support the idea of government leaders boycotting the games. Let the athletes compete, but government entities can sit home and take a stand. And futhermore, is China really ready to host the world?
oh but wait, China is the lifeblood of our country's economy! What a dilemma.......
Have you given it any thought?
Many folks around the world are in an uproar about the 2008 summer Olympics being held in communist China in August. As demonstrated in the video clip in the above link. Now I'm typically not into crazy rioting protests, but 3 guys climbing the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge to hang a huge banner calling for freedom of an oppressed people on the other side of the Pacific Ocean is pretty awesome! An excerpt: And in San Francisco, where the torch is due to arrive Wednesday, three protesters wearing harnesses and helmets climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge and tied the Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables. The banners read "One World One Dream. Free Tibet" and "Free Tibet."
However, I can't condone the behaviour towards the torch and the ones carrying the torch through the streets of the world. The olympic torch and the Olympics represent the world coming together to compete in games! But I definitely support the idea of government leaders boycotting the games. Let the athletes compete, but government entities can sit home and take a stand. And futhermore, is China really ready to host the world?
oh but wait, China is the lifeblood of our country's economy! What a dilemma.......
Have you given it any thought?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Are you "typical"?
Today, in defending his earlier comments about his grandmother, Barack Obama defended his grandmother by saying she's a typical white person. He said that as a typical white person, when she's walking down the street and sees a black male, she might be afraid based on how she was raised etc. I wish I could find you a good link to the news story, but here's at least one: http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MDg1MTk0YjQ2YjI1ZDBhNDYzMTA4Y2NhMDA4ZWRlOWU=
I am assuming he is referencing a black male who may not look like he just walked out of an office building......so with that in mind......
what do you think about when you are walking alone down a street and you see someone like this pass? I am going to be brutally honest here. Let me preface by saying I have had the amazing opportunity to work at 2 inner city Atlanta ministries: SafeHouse Outreach which ministers to the homeless and City of Refuge particularly in the areas of their children's ministry in very low-income areas of west Atlanta.
It totally opened my eyes to a world I never knew and that I was admittedly a bit frightened of, but literally only out of ignorance, not out of the color of their skin. I now view an opportunity to speak to a homeless man downtown and wish him good morning as perhaps the only kind words he will hear that day. I view it as an opportunity not to be scared, but to minister. I shouldn't fear that homeless man, I have shown him the courtesy that I show any other person I would greet on the street. There's nothing to fear in saying hello especially when you do it out of the love of God. I have treated him with the respect of wishing him "good day"; after all Christ came so that this man could have life abundantly the same as for me. Now maybe sometimes, when I say good morning he might ask for a dollar and how you handle that is up to you.
When I worked with these men, and had the opportunity to serve them a hot meal, many of them (90%) would look me straight in the eye and say "thank you m'aam, God bless you" That humbled me in a way that I can't truly explain in words.
YOU....YOU know the difference between a man who is just on hard times and a man that might mean you harm. In 2008, at least those of us that live in urban areas, I believe we have the instinct to know the difference.
So to my "caucasian" friends, Ladies, Gentlemen, I ask you, are you "typical" like Barack Obama says that we are or will you view an opportunity when you walk past a black man just like you would anyone else?
I am assuming he is referencing a black male who may not look like he just walked out of an office building......so with that in mind......
what do you think about when you are walking alone down a street and you see someone like this pass? I am going to be brutally honest here. Let me preface by saying I have had the amazing opportunity to work at 2 inner city Atlanta ministries: SafeHouse Outreach which ministers to the homeless and City of Refuge particularly in the areas of their children's ministry in very low-income areas of west Atlanta.
It totally opened my eyes to a world I never knew and that I was admittedly a bit frightened of, but literally only out of ignorance, not out of the color of their skin. I now view an opportunity to speak to a homeless man downtown and wish him good morning as perhaps the only kind words he will hear that day. I view it as an opportunity not to be scared, but to minister. I shouldn't fear that homeless man, I have shown him the courtesy that I show any other person I would greet on the street. There's nothing to fear in saying hello especially when you do it out of the love of God. I have treated him with the respect of wishing him "good day"; after all Christ came so that this man could have life abundantly the same as for me. Now maybe sometimes, when I say good morning he might ask for a dollar and how you handle that is up to you.
When I worked with these men, and had the opportunity to serve them a hot meal, many of them (90%) would look me straight in the eye and say "thank you m'aam, God bless you" That humbled me in a way that I can't truly explain in words.
YOU....YOU know the difference between a man who is just on hard times and a man that might mean you harm. In 2008, at least those of us that live in urban areas, I believe we have the instinct to know the difference.
So to my "caucasian" friends, Ladies, Gentlemen, I ask you, are you "typical" like Barack Obama says that we are or will you view an opportunity when you walk past a black man just like you would anyone else?
I heart taking photos
One of my favorite hobbies is taking photographs. I got a new digital SLR--a Pentax --about 6 months ago and I adore it. As much as you can adore an object....
I'm considering taking a photography course at a local college to really learn all the incredible things I can do with my cam. I think I have a pretty good "eye" but I could do a heck of a lot more if I knew all the cool things I could do with exposure, aperture, shutter speeds, etc.
but regardless of my desire to improve my skills, you can check out my current skills at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10613660@N04/
I'm considering taking a photography course at a local college to really learn all the incredible things I can do with my cam. I think I have a pretty good "eye" but I could do a heck of a lot more if I knew all the cool things I could do with exposure, aperture, shutter speeds, etc.
but regardless of my desire to improve my skills, you can check out my current skills at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10613660@N04/
Monday, March 10, 2008
Stand by your man?
If you've been under a rock today, you can visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336493,00.html for the full story behind Governor Elliott Spitzer's fall from grace today. So anyway,
I believe wholeheartedly men deserve to have the full support of their wife through thick and thin. I am reading a book right now with my small group called For Women Only by Shaunti Felhan. (highly recommend it) This book among other topics addresses how important it is for the man in our lives to know how great we think he is and that no matter what, we support him, love him and are proud of him. We are called to be his #1 cheerleader. This is not only seemingly common sense for a healthy relationship and/or marriage, but what God has called us as women to do.
But today the First Lady of New York went above and beyond and did what I view completely unnecessary: stand by her man! Here he is a former prosecutor of crime and the Governor of one of the country's largest states but above all, a husband admitting infedility with a WHORE! I personally think this would have been one press conference she could have let him handle ALL BY HIMSELF. Shame on him for having her there.
My heart and prayers are with her as she experiences the loneliness of a broken heart and my prayers are especially with the 3 Spitzer daughters who have been completely let down by the man who should be the safest and probably is the most important man in their life. I can only imagine their devastation.
I believe wholeheartedly men deserve to have the full support of their wife through thick and thin. I am reading a book right now with my small group called For Women Only by Shaunti Felhan. (highly recommend it) This book among other topics addresses how important it is for the man in our lives to know how great we think he is and that no matter what, we support him, love him and are proud of him. We are called to be his #1 cheerleader. This is not only seemingly common sense for a healthy relationship and/or marriage, but what God has called us as women to do.
But today the First Lady of New York went above and beyond and did what I view completely unnecessary: stand by her man! Here he is a former prosecutor of crime and the Governor of one of the country's largest states but above all, a husband admitting infedility with a WHORE! I personally think this would have been one press conference she could have let him handle ALL BY HIMSELF. Shame on him for having her there.
My heart and prayers are with her as she experiences the loneliness of a broken heart and my prayers are especially with the 3 Spitzer daughters who have been completely let down by the man who should be the safest and probably is the most important man in their life. I can only imagine their devastation.
Monday, March 3, 2008
10 Random Things about me
Per Everyday Carrie's challenge to write 10 random things about myself here goes:
1. I have 3 ft tall bamboo in my condo that I've grown and nurtured since it was about 6 inches tall and it's been repotted twice. I love it!
2. I can not read music.
3. I've worn glasses since I was 8 and contacts since I was 12.
4. I've been known to cry during a really good hallmark commercial.
5. I can't recall the name of every guy I've kissed.
6. I REALLY want a motorcycle. A Harley Davidson, but the next best thing would be a man with a motorcycle to ride on.
7. I can not sleep well in a completely quiet room. I have to have a fan or some other type of noise maker.
8. I don't know how to iron....I view it as a completely useless task.
9. My favorite places to shop are TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
10. I sleep with a goose feather pillow which I have had since I was a tot and the pillow is way older than I am. We think at some point before I was born, it was my grandfather's, but we're not entirely sure. But! I do change the pillow casing on it often and I buy the expensive kind.
1. I have 3 ft tall bamboo in my condo that I've grown and nurtured since it was about 6 inches tall and it's been repotted twice. I love it!
2. I can not read music.
3. I've worn glasses since I was 8 and contacts since I was 12.
4. I've been known to cry during a really good hallmark commercial.
5. I can't recall the name of every guy I've kissed.
6. I REALLY want a motorcycle. A Harley Davidson, but the next best thing would be a man with a motorcycle to ride on.
7. I can not sleep well in a completely quiet room. I have to have a fan or some other type of noise maker.
8. I don't know how to iron....I view it as a completely useless task.
9. My favorite places to shop are TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
10. I sleep with a goose feather pillow which I have had since I was a tot and the pillow is way older than I am. We think at some point before I was born, it was my grandfather's, but we're not entirely sure. But! I do change the pillow casing on it often and I buy the expensive kind.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
a staggering statistic!
Report: 1 In Every 99 Americans Now Behind Bars
U.S. Spent More Than $49 Billion On Corrections In 2007NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― Don't ask the U.S. prison system if this is indeed "the land of the free." For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report tracking the surge in inmate population. The report, released Thursday by the Pew Center on the States, said the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said.Using updated state-by-state data, the report said 2,319,258 adults were held in U.S. prisons or jails at the start of 2008 -- one out of every 99.1 adults, and more than any other country in the world.By contrast, in mid 2002 the ratio was 1 in 142, with the prison population surpassing 2 million for the first time.The steadily growing inmate population "is saddling cash-strapped states with soaring costs they can ill afford and failing to have a clear impact either on recidivism or overall crime," said the report. Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, said budget woes are prompting officials in many states to consider new, cost-saving corrections policies that might have been shunned in the recent past for fear of appearing soft in crime. "We're seeing more and more states being creative because of tight budgets," she said in an interview. "They want to be tough on crime, they want to be a law-and-order state -- but they also want to save money, and they want to be effective." The report cited Kansas and Texas as states which have acted decisively to slow the growth of their inmate population. Their actions include greater use of community supervision for low-risk offenders and employing sanctions other than reimprisonment for ex-offenders who commit technical violations of parole and probation rules. "The new approach, born of bipartisan leadership, is allowing the two states to ensure they have enough prison beds for violent offenders while helping less dangerous lawbreakers become productive, taxpaying citizens," the report said. While many state governments have shown bipartisan interest in curbing prison growth, there also are persistent calls to proceed cautiously. "We need to be smarter," said David Muhlhausen, a criminal justice expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "We're not incarcerating all the people who commit serious crimes -- but we're also probably incarcerating people who don't need to be." According to the report, the inmate population increased last year in 36 states and the federal prison system.The largest percentage increase -- 12 percent -- was in Kentucky, where Gov. Steve Beshear highlighted the cost of corrections in his budget speech last month. He noted that the state's crime rate had increased only about 3 percent in the past 30 years, while the state's inmate population has increased by 600 percent. The Pew report was compiled by the Center on the State's Public Safety Performance Project, which is working directly with 13 states on developing programs to divert offenders from prison without jeopardizing public safety. "For all the money spent on corrections today, there hasn't been a clear and convincing return for public safety," said the project's director, Adam Gelb. "More and more states are beginning to rethink their reliance on prisons for lower-level offenders and finding strategies that are tough on crime without being so tough on taxpayers." The report said prison growth and higher incarceration rates do not reflect a parallel increase in crime or in the nation's overall population. Instead, it said, more people are behind bars mainly because of tough sentencing measures, such as "three-strikes" laws, that result in longer prison stays. "For some groups, the incarceration numbers are especially startling," the report said. "While one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, for black males in that age group the figure is one in nine." The nationwide figures, as of Jan. 1, include 1,596,127 people in state and federal prisons and 723,131 in local jails -- a total 2,319,258 out of almost 230 million American adults. The report said the United States is the world's incarceration leader, far ahead of more populous China with 1.5 million people behind bars. It said the U.S. also is the leader in inmates per capita (750 per 100,000 people), ahead of Russia (628 per 100,000) and other former Soviet bloc nations which make up the rest of the Top 10.
http://wcbstv.com/national/prison.americans.prison.2.665053.html
U.S. Spent More Than $49 Billion On Corrections In 2007NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― Don't ask the U.S. prison system if this is indeed "the land of the free." For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report tracking the surge in inmate population. The report, released Thursday by the Pew Center on the States, said the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said.Using updated state-by-state data, the report said 2,319,258 adults were held in U.S. prisons or jails at the start of 2008 -- one out of every 99.1 adults, and more than any other country in the world.By contrast, in mid 2002 the ratio was 1 in 142, with the prison population surpassing 2 million for the first time.The steadily growing inmate population "is saddling cash-strapped states with soaring costs they can ill afford and failing to have a clear impact either on recidivism or overall crime," said the report. Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, said budget woes are prompting officials in many states to consider new, cost-saving corrections policies that might have been shunned in the recent past for fear of appearing soft in crime. "We're seeing more and more states being creative because of tight budgets," she said in an interview. "They want to be tough on crime, they want to be a law-and-order state -- but they also want to save money, and they want to be effective." The report cited Kansas and Texas as states which have acted decisively to slow the growth of their inmate population. Their actions include greater use of community supervision for low-risk offenders and employing sanctions other than reimprisonment for ex-offenders who commit technical violations of parole and probation rules. "The new approach, born of bipartisan leadership, is allowing the two states to ensure they have enough prison beds for violent offenders while helping less dangerous lawbreakers become productive, taxpaying citizens," the report said. While many state governments have shown bipartisan interest in curbing prison growth, there also are persistent calls to proceed cautiously. "We need to be smarter," said David Muhlhausen, a criminal justice expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "We're not incarcerating all the people who commit serious crimes -- but we're also probably incarcerating people who don't need to be." According to the report, the inmate population increased last year in 36 states and the federal prison system.The largest percentage increase -- 12 percent -- was in Kentucky, where Gov. Steve Beshear highlighted the cost of corrections in his budget speech last month. He noted that the state's crime rate had increased only about 3 percent in the past 30 years, while the state's inmate population has increased by 600 percent. The Pew report was compiled by the Center on the State's Public Safety Performance Project, which is working directly with 13 states on developing programs to divert offenders from prison without jeopardizing public safety. "For all the money spent on corrections today, there hasn't been a clear and convincing return for public safety," said the project's director, Adam Gelb. "More and more states are beginning to rethink their reliance on prisons for lower-level offenders and finding strategies that are tough on crime without being so tough on taxpayers." The report said prison growth and higher incarceration rates do not reflect a parallel increase in crime or in the nation's overall population. Instead, it said, more people are behind bars mainly because of tough sentencing measures, such as "three-strikes" laws, that result in longer prison stays. "For some groups, the incarceration numbers are especially startling," the report said. "While one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, for black males in that age group the figure is one in nine." The nationwide figures, as of Jan. 1, include 1,596,127 people in state and federal prisons and 723,131 in local jails -- a total 2,319,258 out of almost 230 million American adults. The report said the United States is the world's incarceration leader, far ahead of more populous China with 1.5 million people behind bars. It said the U.S. also is the leader in inmates per capita (750 per 100,000 people), ahead of Russia (628 per 100,000) and other former Soviet bloc nations which make up the rest of the Top 10.
http://wcbstv.com/national/prison.americans.prison.2.665053.html
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
I really relate to this article
So I thought I'd share it.
I CAN DO ANYTHING, SO HOW DO I CHOOSE?
WITH COUNTLESS OPTIONS AND ALL THE FREEDOM I'LL EVER NEED, COMES THE PRESSURE TO FIND THE PERFECT LIFE.
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 4:51 PM ET Oct 17, 2007
For the most part, my women friends and I were kids of upper-middle-class privilege, raised to believe that, with hard work and a little courage, the world was ours. We climbed mountains at summer camp, went to Europe on high-school class trips and took family vacations to New York City and the Grand Canyon. Our parents, like theirs before them, told their kids they could go anywhere and do anything. We took them at their word.
By the time we hit adulthood, technology and globalization had brought the world to our doorstep. Now in our mid-20s, we're unsteadily navigating a barrage of choices our mothers never had the chance to make. No one can complain about parents who started sentences with "When you're president..." But we are now discovering the difficulty of deciding just what makes us happy in a world of innumerable options.
Three years ago my friends and I barreled out of the University of Wisconsin ready to make our mark on the world. Julia headed to France to teach English. I started law school in Minneapolis. Marie and Alexis searched for work in San Francisco. Bridget started an internship in D.C. Kristina landed a job in Ireland. The list goes on. Scattering to our respective destinations, we were young enough to follow our crazy dreams but old enough to fend for ourselves in the real world. At a time when our lives were undergoing dramatic changes, so was America. Three months after receiving our diplomas, the Twin Towers came crashing down. We realized that, in more ways than one, the world was scarier and more complex than we'd ever imagined.
Since graduation, we've struggled to make our own happiness. It seems that having so many choices has sometimes overwhelmed us. In the seven years since I left home for college, I've had 13 addresses and lived in six cities. How can I stay with one person, at one job, in one city, when I have the world at my fingertips?
Moving from one place to the next, bouncing from job to job, my friends and I have experienced the world, but also gotten lost in it. There have been moments of self-doubt, frantic calls cross-country. ("I don't know a soul here!" "Do I really want to be a __?") Frustrated by studying law, I joined friends in San Francisco to waitress for a summer and contemplate whether to return to school in Minnesota. Unhappy and out of work in Portland, Molly moved to Chicago. Loni broke up with a boyfriend and packed her tiny Brooklyn apartment into a U-Haul, heading for Seattle. Others took jobs or entered grad school anywhere from Italy to L.A. Some romances and friendships succumbed to distance, career ambition or simply growing up. We all lost some sleep at one point or another, at times feeling utterly consumed by cities of thousands, even millions, knowing that even local friends were just as transient as we were.
Like so many women my age, I remain unmarried at an age when my mother already had children. She may have had the opportunity to go to college, but she was expected to marry soon after. While my friends and I still feel the pressure to marry and have children, we've gained a few postcollege years of socially accepted freedom that our mothers never had.
The years between college and marriage are in many ways far more self-defining than any others. They're filled with the simplest, yet most complex, decisions in life: choosing a city, picking a career, finding friends and a mate--in sum, building a happy and satisfying life. For me and for my group of friends, these years have been eye-opening, confusing and fabulous at the same time.
The more choices you have, the more decisions you must make--and the more you have yourself to blame if you wind up unhappy. There is a kind of perverted contentedness in certainty born of a lack of alternatives. At my age, my mother, whether she liked it or not, had fewer tough decisions to make. I don't envy the pressure she endured to follow a traditional career path and marry early. But sometimes I envy the stability she had.
Once again I've been unable to resist the lure of a new city. So, as I start my legal career in Chicago, I'm again building friendships from scratch, learning my way around a strange new place. Yes, my friends and I could have avoided the loneliness and uncertainty inherent in our journeys, and gone back to our hometowns or stayed in the college town where we had each other. But I doubt any one of us would trade our adventures for that life. I have a sense of identity and self-assurance now that I didn't have, couldn't have had, when I graduated from college. And I know someday I'll look back on this time--before I had a spouse, a home and children to care for--and be thankful for the years that just belonged to me.
URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/55960
I CAN DO ANYTHING, SO HOW DO I CHOOSE?
WITH COUNTLESS OPTIONS AND ALL THE FREEDOM I'LL EVER NEED, COMES THE PRESSURE TO FIND THE PERFECT LIFE.
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 4:51 PM ET Oct 17, 2007
For the most part, my women friends and I were kids of upper-middle-class privilege, raised to believe that, with hard work and a little courage, the world was ours. We climbed mountains at summer camp, went to Europe on high-school class trips and took family vacations to New York City and the Grand Canyon. Our parents, like theirs before them, told their kids they could go anywhere and do anything. We took them at their word.
By the time we hit adulthood, technology and globalization had brought the world to our doorstep. Now in our mid-20s, we're unsteadily navigating a barrage of choices our mothers never had the chance to make. No one can complain about parents who started sentences with "When you're president..." But we are now discovering the difficulty of deciding just what makes us happy in a world of innumerable options.
Three years ago my friends and I barreled out of the University of Wisconsin ready to make our mark on the world. Julia headed to France to teach English. I started law school in Minneapolis. Marie and Alexis searched for work in San Francisco. Bridget started an internship in D.C. Kristina landed a job in Ireland. The list goes on. Scattering to our respective destinations, we were young enough to follow our crazy dreams but old enough to fend for ourselves in the real world. At a time when our lives were undergoing dramatic changes, so was America. Three months after receiving our diplomas, the Twin Towers came crashing down. We realized that, in more ways than one, the world was scarier and more complex than we'd ever imagined.
Since graduation, we've struggled to make our own happiness. It seems that having so many choices has sometimes overwhelmed us. In the seven years since I left home for college, I've had 13 addresses and lived in six cities. How can I stay with one person, at one job, in one city, when I have the world at my fingertips?
Moving from one place to the next, bouncing from job to job, my friends and I have experienced the world, but also gotten lost in it. There have been moments of self-doubt, frantic calls cross-country. ("I don't know a soul here!" "Do I really want to be a __?") Frustrated by studying law, I joined friends in San Francisco to waitress for a summer and contemplate whether to return to school in Minnesota. Unhappy and out of work in Portland, Molly moved to Chicago. Loni broke up with a boyfriend and packed her tiny Brooklyn apartment into a U-Haul, heading for Seattle. Others took jobs or entered grad school anywhere from Italy to L.A. Some romances and friendships succumbed to distance, career ambition or simply growing up. We all lost some sleep at one point or another, at times feeling utterly consumed by cities of thousands, even millions, knowing that even local friends were just as transient as we were.
Like so many women my age, I remain unmarried at an age when my mother already had children. She may have had the opportunity to go to college, but she was expected to marry soon after. While my friends and I still feel the pressure to marry and have children, we've gained a few postcollege years of socially accepted freedom that our mothers never had.
The years between college and marriage are in many ways far more self-defining than any others. They're filled with the simplest, yet most complex, decisions in life: choosing a city, picking a career, finding friends and a mate--in sum, building a happy and satisfying life. For me and for my group of friends, these years have been eye-opening, confusing and fabulous at the same time.
The more choices you have, the more decisions you must make--and the more you have yourself to blame if you wind up unhappy. There is a kind of perverted contentedness in certainty born of a lack of alternatives. At my age, my mother, whether she liked it or not, had fewer tough decisions to make. I don't envy the pressure she endured to follow a traditional career path and marry early. But sometimes I envy the stability she had.
Once again I've been unable to resist the lure of a new city. So, as I start my legal career in Chicago, I'm again building friendships from scratch, learning my way around a strange new place. Yes, my friends and I could have avoided the loneliness and uncertainty inherent in our journeys, and gone back to our hometowns or stayed in the college town where we had each other. But I doubt any one of us would trade our adventures for that life. I have a sense of identity and self-assurance now that I didn't have, couldn't have had, when I graduated from college. And I know someday I'll look back on this time--before I had a spouse, a home and children to care for--and be thankful for the years that just belonged to me.
URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/55960
Monday, February 18, 2008
Biggest failure at baking EVER!
Ok, I've been trying to start baking more.....and after this story, you'll clearly see I need more practice. Yesterday, I decided to concoct my own version of an old classic: banana bread. I decided in addition to the typical add of pecans, that I would also add mini choc chips and peanut butter chips. I thought it was going to be delicious. I mean come on, bananas, chocolate, pecans and peanut butter.....yummy! Well, in my concoction, I didn't account for the extra sweetness of the chocolate and peanut butter and added too much honey, thus making it tooooo sweet.
And to top it off, I cooked it for an hour and stuck my little toothpick in to test its doneness. Well I thought it had finished baking, and THEN to my horror, when I went to dump it out, it fell completely apart and was still completely uncooked batter in the middle. DISASTER. It fell completely apart on my kitchen counter. The warm dough tasted pretty darn good, but it all went immediately into the trash.
I'll keep experimenting, but hopefully this disaster will be my last......what a terrible waste of perfectly delicious ingredients!
And to top it off, I cooked it for an hour and stuck my little toothpick in to test its doneness. Well I thought it had finished baking, and THEN to my horror, when I went to dump it out, it fell completely apart and was still completely uncooked batter in the middle. DISASTER. It fell completely apart on my kitchen counter. The warm dough tasted pretty darn good, but it all went immediately into the trash.
I'll keep experimenting, but hopefully this disaster will be my last......what a terrible waste of perfectly delicious ingredients!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Hastening the arrival of spring
This is the time of year where the weather in Georgia can really throw you for a loop. Yesterday the high was 68 degrees with a breeze and I wore a tshirt and cropped pants to go running. And today, the high was around 40 and the wind chill was somewhere around 20. Clearly, very cold. Hurry spring, hurry!!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Do you know who your state senator is?
so, ok, I challenge you to name your state senator. I mean, I am deeply involved in politics and it even took me a second. Mine is Doug Stoner. I am NOT a fan. and the thought of him running for president of the United States in 3.5 years is absolutely absurd. Seriously, it is comical! Well if you lived in Illinois 3.5 years ago, your state senator might have been Barack Obama. Does being a state senator (not really a tough job) and being a U.S. Senator for roughly 2 years make a person qualified? I would argue whole heartedly----no way!!! I mean, what has he managed? what tough decisions has he made with substantial life changing impact on those he represents or works for. I would strongly argue: little if any.
So what, the guy is a good speaker and ivy league educated. big deal. don't we want/need more from the 44th president of the united states than a guy that can just "talk real good" Absurd! Do I still know my country? come on, America, think. what do you value? What do you place importance on in your government? Do you value safety? security? healthcare? economic freedom? I'd love for you to think about these things as you evaluate the candidates? My candidate Mitt Romney is gone, but I am holding on wholeheartedly that he isn't gone forever, I have no doubt that he'll be back stronger than ever and ready to lead. here's hoping.....
So what, the guy is a good speaker and ivy league educated. big deal. don't we want/need more from the 44th president of the united states than a guy that can just "talk real good" Absurd! Do I still know my country? come on, America, think. what do you value? What do you place importance on in your government? Do you value safety? security? healthcare? economic freedom? I'd love for you to think about these things as you evaluate the candidates? My candidate Mitt Romney is gone, but I am holding on wholeheartedly that he isn't gone forever, I have no doubt that he'll be back stronger than ever and ready to lead. here's hoping.....
The clean green machine
I have been trying to do my part to conserve water and haven't had my car washed since May, 2007! Well today on this gorgeous sunny day, I finally caved. My car was BEGGING to be cleaned. So, I went to a place that brags about recycling all their water and now I have a very clean car. I swear it even rides better. I will continue to do my part with conservation of both water and electricity..... but I figure one car wash in 8 months is pretty good conservation. :)
Friday, February 8, 2008
I'm a blogger
I can't believe I'm actually entering the blogosphere, but here I am.....blogging..... I have slowly warmed up to the cyber world, first with a myspace page, then a flickr account and now a blog! But I really have no idea what I'm doing and it may be a sign that I have no life.
I am kind of excited about it. I have lots of random thoughts, some are meant for my personal journal, and then some I guess I want to share with my loyal readers (ha!)
I became inspired yesterday as I began reading Thomas Paine's Common Sense. It sort of occured to me that he was somewhat of the 18th century's version of a blogger. So since it worked for him, I'll give it a try. I am sure I will discuss a number of things in my blog; probably random thoughts about politics, current events, men, dating, christianity and any number of other subjects to be determined.
I am kind of excited about it. I have lots of random thoughts, some are meant for my personal journal, and then some I guess I want to share with my loyal readers (ha!)
I became inspired yesterday as I began reading Thomas Paine's Common Sense. It sort of occured to me that he was somewhat of the 18th century's version of a blogger. So since it worked for him, I'll give it a try. I am sure I will discuss a number of things in my blog; probably random thoughts about politics, current events, men, dating, christianity and any number of other subjects to be determined.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
