My Thoughts

The truth you won't get ANYWHERE

2009-03-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

Thankfully I have my sources.

9 Months ago, then candidate Barak Obama spoke infront of 200,000 German citizens. He was heralded as the 'president of the world'.

But apparently the President of the world is becoming the butt of all world jokes.

"Europe is increasingly turning against his massive spending plans, which most European leaders see as a destructive way to move forward for the global economy and will only add to a massive American debt burden, At the same time, there is a growing impression across Europe that the Obama administration is inept and inefficient and increasingly poorly managed." - Nile Gardiner to Stephen Clark, Fox News

And we thought we were embaressed with GW?

oh, and AIG? I have been lack with comment because my comments were/are unpopular, and would get you stoned in this day and age. I think they should have kept the money.

*ducks*

Just a precaution.

Reason 1:
This administraion, and the last, with thier bailouts have been the picture of incompetance. The only people left at AIG are the ones sweeping up the mess busting their butts. Darn right they should get paid. They took the fall for bad investments our stupid government encouraged.
Reason 2:
Contracts are sacred and unbreakable in this country. Or atleast they were. I personally recieved a bonus for performance in a down economy myself, and have kept myself from paying for nice things for my wedding because - if Obama can have the authority to doit to AIG, why not me? I expect to see a 90% tax next year and have to save for it. Call me a cynic, but atleast I am not building a bomb shelter like others I know.
Reason 3:

This is a copy of a letter YOU MUST READ.

DEAR Mr. Liddy,
It is with deep regret that I submit my notice of resignation from A.I.G. Financial Products. I hope you take the time to read this entire letter. Before describing the details of my decision, I want to offer some context:
I am proud of everything I have done for the commodity and equity divisions of A.I.G.-F.P. I was in no way involved in — or responsible for — the credit default swap transactions that have hamstrung A.I.G. Nor were more than a handful of the 400 current employees of A.I.G.-F.P. Most of those responsible have left the company and have conspicuously escaped the public outrage.
After 12 months of hard work dismantling the company — during which A.I.G. reassured us many times we would be rewarded in March 2009 — we in the financial products unit have been betrayed by A.I.G. and are being unfairly persecuted by elected officials. In response to this, I will now leave the company and donate my entire post-tax retention payment to those suffering from the global economic downturn. My intent is to keep none of the money myself.
I take this action after 11 years of dedicated, honorable service to A.I.G. I can no longer effectively perform my duties in this dysfunctional environment, nor am I being paid to do so. Like you, I was asked to work for an annual salary of $1, and I agreed out of a sense of duty to the company and to the public officials who have come to its aid. Having now been let down by both, I can no longer justify spending 10, 12, 14 hours a day away from my family for the benefit of those who have let me down.
You and I have never met or spoken to each other, so I’d like to tell you about myself. I was raised by schoolteachers working multiple jobs in a world of closing steel mills. My hard work earned me acceptance to M.I.T., and the institute’s generous financial aid enabled me to attend. I had fulfilled my American dream.
I started at this company in 1998 as an equity trader, became the head of equity and commodity trading and, a couple of years before A.I.G.’s meltdown last September, was named the head of business development for commodities. Over this period the equity and commodity units were consistently profitable — in most years generating net profits of well over $100 million. Most recently, during the dismantling of A.I.G.-F.P., I was an integral player in the pending sale of its well-regarded commodity index business to UBS. As you know, business unit sales like this are crucial to A.I.G.’s effort to repay the American taxpayer.
The profitability of the businesses with which I was associated clearly supported my compensation. I never received any pay resulting from the credit default swaps that are now losing so much money. I did, however, like many others here, lose a significant portion of my life savings in the form of deferred compensation invested in the capital of A.I.G.-F.P. because of those losses. In this way I have personally suffered from this controversial activity — directly as well as indirectly with the rest of the taxpayers.
I have the utmost respect for the civic duty that you are now performing at A.I.G. You are as blameless for these credit default swap losses as I am. You answered your country’s call and you are taking a tremendous beating for it.
But you also are aware that most of the employees of your financial products unit had nothing to do with the large losses. And I am disappointed and frustrated over your lack of support for us. I and many others in the unit feel betrayed that you failed to stand up for us in the face of untrue and unfair accusations from certain members of Congress last Wednesday and from the press over our retention payments, and that you didn’t defend us against the baseless and reckless comments made by the attorneys general of New York and Connecticut.
My guess is that in October, when you learned of these retention contracts, you realized that the employees of the financial products unit needed some incentive to stay and that the contracts, being both ethical and useful, should be left to stand. That’s probably why A.I.G. management assured us on three occasions during that month that the company would “live up to its commitment” to honor the contract guarantees.
That may be why you decided to accelerate by three months more than a quarter of the amounts due under the contracts. That action signified to us your support, and was hardly something that one would do if he truly found the contracts “distasteful.”
That may also be why you authorized the balance of the payments on March 13.
At no time during the past six months that you have been leading A.I.G. did you ask us to revise, renegotiate or break these contracts — until several hours before your appearance last week before Congress.
I think your initial decision to honor the contracts was both ethical and financially astute, but it seems to have been politically unwise. It’s now apparent that you either misunderstood the agreements that you had made — tacit or otherwise — with the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, various members of Congress and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of New York, or were not strong enough to withstand the shifting political winds.
You’ve now asked the current employees of A.I.G.-F.P. to repay these earnings. As you can imagine, there has been a tremendous amount of serious thought and heated discussion about how we should respond to this breach of trust.
As most of us have done nothing wrong, guilt is not a motivation to surrender our earnings. We have worked 12 long months under these contracts and now deserve to be paid as promised. None of us should be cheated of our payments any more than a plumber should be cheated after he has fixed the pipes but a careless electrician causes a fire that burns down the house.
Many of the employees have, in the past six months, turned down job offers from more stable employers, based on A.I.G.’s assurances that the contracts would be honored. They are now angry about having been misled by A.I.G.’s promises and are not inclined to return the money as a favor to you.
The only real motivation that anyone at A.I.G.-F.P. now has is fear. Mr. Cuomo has threatened to “name and shame,” and his counterpart in Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, has made similar threats — even though attorneys general are supposed to stand for due process, to conduct trials in courts and not the press.
So what am I to do? There’s no easy answer. I know that because of hard work I have benefited more than most during the economic boom and have saved enough that my family is unlikely to suffer devastating losses during the current bust. Some might argue that members of my profession have been overpaid, and I wouldn’t disagree.
That is why I have decided to donate 100 percent of the effective after-tax proceeds of my retention payment directly to organizations that are helping people who are suffering from the global downturn. This is not a tax-deduction gimmick; I simply believe that I at least deserve to dictate how my earnings are spent, and do not want to see them disappear back into the obscurity of A.I.G.’s or the federal government’s budget. Our earnings have caused such a distraction for so many from the more pressing issues our country faces, and I would like to see my share of it benefit those truly in need.
On March 16 I received a payment from A.I.G. amounting to $742,006.40, after taxes. In light of the uncertainty over the ultimate taxation and legal status of this payment, the actual amount I donate may be less — in fact, it may end up being far less if the recent House bill raising the tax on the retention payments to 90 percent stands. Once all the money is donated, you will immediately receive a list of all recipients.
This choice is right for me. I wish others at A.I.G.-F.P. luck finding peace with their difficult decision, and only hope their judgment is not clouded by fear.
Mr. Liddy, I wish you success in your commitment to return the money extended by the American government, and luck with the continued unwinding of the company’s diverse businesses — especially those remaining credit default swaps. I’ll continue over the short term to help make sure no balls are dropped, but after what’s happened this past week I can’t remain much longer — there is too much bad blood. I’m not sure how you will greet my resignation, but at least Attorney General Blumenthal should be relieved that I’ll leave under my own power and will not need to be “shoved out the door.”
Sincerely,
Jake DeSantis
www.washingtonpost.com

GO JAKE!

Anyone want to invest in the Tonga Islands with me? I am sick of this crap.

President Norris

2009-03-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

so chuck Norris has an amazing article on the Drudge report.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91103

I was thinking of marriage counsoling. Pastor asked us if we ever would move from Michigan. It has always been a possibility, but we want to finish our education and start our careers first, a process that is going to take about 10 years.

but i might want to add now.....no, unless we finish our degrees, get better jobs, or Texas seceeds from the Union. Then we might move. To the Republic of Texas.

12 American Solutions

2009-02-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

www.americansolutions.com

1Payroll Tax Stimulus. With a temporary new tax credit to offset 50% of the payroll tax, every small business would have more money, and all Americans would take home more of what they earn.

2Real Middle-Income Tax Relief. Reduce the marginal tax rate of 25% down to 15%, in effect establishing a flat-rate tax of 15% for close to 9 out of 10 American workers.

3Reduce the Business Tax Rate. Match Ireland’s rate of 12.5% to keep more jobs in America.

4Homeowner’s Assistance. Provide tax credit incentives to responsible home buyers so they can keep their homes.

5Control Spending So We Can Move to a Balanced Budget. This begins with eliminating Congressional earmarks and wasteful pork-barrel spending.

6No State Aid Without Protection From Fraud. Require state governments to adopt anti-fraud and anti-theft policies before giving them more money.

7More American Energy Now. Explore for more American oil and gas and invest in affordable energy for the future, including clean coal, ethanol, nuclear power and renewable fuels.

8Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Match China, Singapore and many other competitors. More investment in America means more jobs in America.

9Protect the Rights of American Workers. We must protect a worker’s right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union, and the worker’s right to freely negotiate. Forced unionism will kill jobs in America at a time when we can’t afford to lose them.

10Replace Sarbanes-Oxley. This failed law is crippling entrepreneurial startups. Replace it with affordable rules that help create jobs, not destroy them.

11Abolish the Death Tax. Americans should work for their families, not for Washington.

12Invest in Energy and Transportation Infrastructure. This includes a new, expanded electric power grid and a 21st century air traffic control system that will reduce delays in air travel and save passengers, employees and airlines billions of dollars per year.

Now these are Solutions I could get excited about. I bet the Dow would not crash if we passed a bill that looked like this.

Apartment Hunting

2009-02-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had decided to stay in Ken's apartment after the wedding to save money. But then we went into mine, and discovered how much I actually had to move over and were a little disheartened. Especially me, since I had to think about sneaking my new favorite reading chair and bookcase back into my parents house for storage.

Also, as we are starting to prepare our taxes another thing that I did not think of surfaced. If I moved into Ken's place I would have to pay Grand Rapids City Taxes. That would make what we save by not moving up to a two bedroom less that one hundered dollars a month. On the flip side, his income would move up if he moved out of the tax zone.

So we went to Eastland first to look at what they have. I have been renting from them for 3 years and the management staff is really on the ball. The apartments are older and there is a 70's shag rug feel to them, but I overcame that in my little apartment with smart decorating.

So here is the floor plan of the one we want. Sadly it is currently unavailable, but it is a long time till May so we put our names down for a call.

100-0 and now fired??????

2009-01-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

From: http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=904726

They fired the coach? I am sputtering at the stupidity of some who call themselves Christians? Stop letting relativity rule! It is the tool of Satan! Feel good mantra is starting to be present everywhere in this life, and I may end up puking everyday from its sickly sweet poisoned fumes.

*frusturation

Anyways, I hope someone gives this coach a job. This is INSANE!

100-0 and sorry for it?

2009-01-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=903780

I can't beleive they are sorry for that? Don't get me as heartless. In college I coached a win-less intramural team, and we were beaten nearly that bad by the volley ball team. (they were lobbing the ball like a volley ball, which was funn in retrospect, but cause a few to get really mad) One girl, who had played high school ball got so mad she wanted to walk off the court. I stopped her, and nearly got punched in the face I thought, but I told her to get her butt back and support her team. Then I made her coach.

I have never seen someone so mad at me before, but I was not going to let her leave the gym with those angry feelings. She got back in and coached her friends on how to loose with fight-grace - and honor.

This is how the world is changing and I do not like it. You can't teach people how to loose anymore. A big part of how you deal with life is how you take a loss, and this team - out of christian charity or some other nonsense - is robbing this loosing team of a valuable life lesson.

Of Couches: Reflection

2008-12-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

Composition is no fun unless you can visualize yourself as a conductor of a great symphony with baton-thingy raised, ready to begin. The flourish......a pause.......and then what you do from there, be it moon the audience or sip cognac with pinky finger raised, is up to you, but that first sentence, that opening title, that is the kicker. That is where everyone takes in their breath in anticipation for you to begin.

In this case, I still stand here, baton-thingy raised, and am peeking back at the audience to gauge where I want to go with this. I pause, tap my lower lip in deep contemplation, circle the dais a few times, and then finally announce with a loud deep note from percussion, that it started with a couch.

This couch and I go way back. Back to High School when my parents bought new furniture. For years we had nice plaid blue and red couch, loveseat, and chair with footstool, but they were tiny and we were no longer.

Now my parents have unexpected and spectacular taste. Not unexpected in the manner which indicates that their class level is below the ability to select fine furniture, but unexpected as that the furniture they find is so fine in itself, any self aware teenager will blush at its appearance thinking "okay, this is a set up. I know I am somewhat neat, but I will ruin this stuff!!!!!!"

I reflect that along with the comfort of the pieces there was also the benefit of allowing the fine furniture to physically manifest my parents expectations of our behavior within their home. And, with exception of moments of extreme brain damage, the furniture remained fine until came time for me to leave for college. My behind parted with that luxury until the summer of 04 when I had knee surgery. I recuperated for 3 weeks on this couch.

It is now the end of 2008. mom and dad have replaced the couches again, and I have been blessed to be able to receive them into my home. (well, really Kennys apartment....but yeah) They are 9 years old and some of the original fluff is gone, but you still sink into these pieces of furniture with a luxuriant sigh of pleasure.

Which is good because I was almost ready to have a bonfire with the couches at about 5PM Saturday night.

I think one of the reasons they lasted so long is that they are HEAVY. The loveseat alone, we guessed, was around 300 lbs. The couch was defiantly over that. Back in the day - when I was in shape, I might have made it, but Kenny and I have desk jobs and were not quite prepared to move it out of a moving truck and 60 yards over snowy ground.

We rented the truck bright and early at 8 am on Saturday. With the help of my very physically fit brother Andy we got it all into the truck. Then the truck stayed there all day till the first of our retail service bound friends got off the hook at 7pm. We only managed to get the loveseat, and had to take 10 rest stops in a 30 yard space. I suppose it would have been better had it not been 15 degrees and a foot of snow on the ground, but managing the couch was to much for us to consider.

The chair had to wait till Sunday morning. I was not comfortable driving it back in Saturday nights weather and walking the equally as large chair up my icy apartment steps in the dark.

By the time it was all done, yes we had missed church. Unarguably the Lord was with us all weekend however; I just wish my loved ones (Andy) could remember this blessed fact when they are harping. It almost made the triumph of moving the couch sour. Almost.

The MOST powerful argument against Barak Obama EVER!

2008-09-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

If you have someone in your life who shares your values on most things but is thinking of voting for Barak Obama....for change, for hope, for hoping for change in their pocket or whatever, please make them aware of this fact first.

Barak Obama stood up and defended partial-birth abortion.

Here is the story. I cite as my source an interview with David Freddoso on the Glenn Beck radio program.

A hospital in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Christ Hospital, (which is sickenly ironic) was in the habit of, on a regular basis, performing induced labor abortions. According to Mr. Freddoso.
"These are late second, early third trimester abortions in which the drugs are given to the mother to induce violent labor and the baby is usually killed in the contractions and comes out. But about 15 to 20% of the time this produces a live baby is born... And sometimes the babies will live just for a few minutes, sometimes for several hours. But this hospital was not giving any thought to medical treatment for them when they survived and could have potentially lived on and saved in incubator under whatever sort of medical technology we have to keep premature babies alive. They were simply shelving them..."

Shelving them. To me that sounds like some sick form of stocking and storing human life. But it is worse than that. He goes on.

"According to the nurse, Jill Stanek, whom I interviewed for the kids against Barack Obama, they were one of the places they would put these babies to die while they were struggling is the utility closet where medical waste goes. According to the hospital they were putting them into comfort rooms where they would just simply leave them to die with a blanket or something."

...and how at this point anyone can attribute this to mean anything but capital murder is beyond me. and that where the polotics of Barak Obama become dark and scary. He continues...

"there wasn't a law protecting them and that was what they went to the Illinois legislature to do was to pass a law that would define anyone who is already born and alive as a person. And that would have made the laws of the State of Illinois apply to these premature babies....

Barack Obama was the only state senator to speak against this law...

The first time he voted present on the bill, which is in the Illinois legislature is equivalent to no. And it was part of a strategy that he had devised with Planned Parenthood lobbyists that basically everyone would vote present instead of voting no. And just to you know, it came up the following year; he did it again. The bill, by the way, it passed the state senate and died in the state house committee. In 2003, though, Democrats had taken over the state senate and Obama was now the chairman of the Senate health committee. And as chairman he presided as they made the reason that Obama has ever since said he voted against this bill in committee is that it didn't contain the same language that the federal board of live infants protection act contained. Sort of redundant protection against this law ever effecting the right to abortion. What he didn't realize, didn't or was misleading people about is that, in fact, in 2003 the bill that he voted against in his committee did contain that language, was exactly the same as the bill that had gone to the U.S. Senate floor, that Barbara Boxer had stood up and said, "I support this bill, everyone should vote for this bill." Obama voted against it and that puts him on the very fringes when it comes to issues of human life at its very beginning.

My source is the Glenn Beck website where I have quoted parts of the transscript.

This makes me shudder. What man could put political aspirations over children, born and left in MEDICAL WASTE to die.

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/15318/

I don't want to HATE, but I will totally admit to it.

2008-09-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

I don't want to hate, and I try to watch my temper, but I will admit freely to hating liberals for what they have done to Sarah Palin and her family. I can lividly say, how dare they.

Rush Limbaugh said on his program yesterday:

"Now, somebody has just now brought up Chelsea Clinton. Now, keep in mind Chelsea Clinton was off-limits all during the Clinton presidency and the Drive-Bys bent over forward, grabbed the ankles, said, "Okay Clinton, whatever you want." Let's not forget that Algore's teenaged son, Albert Gore III, was picked up for reckless driving right before the Democrat convention of 2000. There was nothing but sympathy for Algore III from the Drive-By Media, and I don't recall the Family Research Council making a big deal out of Albert Gore III. I don't recall the Drive-Bys criticizing Algore for the way he had raised his son. I just remember it being a big sympathy play. So there's clearly a double standard going on here. You want to talk about Chelsea Clinton and what if she had gotten pregnant while living in the White House? Well, we could say, how do we know? How do we know she didn't? Since he's brought it up, hey, Jeff, why don't you ask the Clintons if she used birth control during the White House years and her college years or abstinence? Why don't you ask them all these personal questions? Why don't you start making all these personal assumptions about the Clinton kid and the Gore kids and what about Biden's kids? This story hasn't been reported since August 24th, Biden's kid in a shady hedge fund deal, and the Drive-Bys are totally uninterested in it. You know the drill. You know what's going on. This is an all-out effort to destroy a 17-year-old child. "

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_090208/content/01125106.guest.html

And I totally agree. There is something unforgivable about polotics. The sociopaths that run our national media have a sick and twisted facination with themselves and their point of view to the point that it alienates all feelings for anything or anyone else. It is a serious mental disease and nearly all of the national media outlets are infected by it.

I am irked. Irked and and going to avoid the TV and media outlets till Nov. 5.

GO SARAH!

Some People in Poland Get It.

2008-08-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

I have been browsing the news about the growing tensions between Russia and its neighbors. As much as people love to hate on the United States, the song changes when a country is invaded. Take, for example, the recent treaty with Poland, designed to build a missile defense system on the Baltic.

For 18 months there has been a strong movement in Poland to not allow American influence into the country, and strong resistance in the U.S. to giving Poland Patriot missiles. Those strong opinions changed within a week. The week that Russia invaded Georgia.

Now the tide of opinion has turned.

Let me say again,

The tide of opinion has turned, and when put to the wall, many people will admit the truth of the matter. People like Marek Ostrowsk, an analyst for the newspaper Polityka.

"Traditionally and historically, we think America is more reliable than Europe, In 1918, we regained independence thanks to the U.S. When World War II began in 1939, we were let down by our allies, Britain and France. But the U.S. has never failed us."

I repeat: BUT THE U.S. NEVER FAILD US!

I want to shout it to the trees. It is time for us, asl U.S. citizens to quit being numb-skull booze heads who love to hate on our own country. We have reason to be proud. Even after the last 10 years of international criticisim, WE NEVER FAILED THEM.

Planet Earth: BBC Series

2008-07-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

Okay! A little break today from the politico....I know I have been listening to Glenn Beck to much on the radio, and he had an article today on CNN about how he just doesn't care anymore. I am at that point myself. I get defensive now, now about which candidate I support, but why I can't stand either of them. "Don't look at me, I voted for Mitt Romney." has been my usual response, and I am way beyond fed up with the GOP.

Anyway...the Significant One and I have been eating dinner together everynight. It is a routine that I very much enjoy. One of us cooks (well, I cook- he nukes) and the other does dishes, and durring dinner we watch one segment of the Planet Earth series. So far it has been really educational and visually pretty. We only had a hitch with the CAVES episode. It is not one that I would recommend watching while eating, if you have a sensitive stomach.

The narrator, David Attenbourough, has a voice that will calm anyones nerves after a day of whiney American voices on the phone. He is so delightfully British....."See the Gazelle forming a qeue." I had to choke some laughter with spaghetti Monday night when he started going on about Asian donkeys. I guess the British call them A** all the time, and it is really amusing to hear him so seriously talking about the mating seasons of the A**.

I try not to think of the ritual as permanent. I did not grow up in a TV dinner mentality, but S/O and have had 2 years of phone talk and we are still in "quiet quality time mode". I am sure we will not forget how to communicate anytime soon. I will confess he does get irked at me when I stare at him more than the TV. :P

Global Warming Frees up 30% of the Worlds Oil!

2008-07-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

Weeeeelllll looky here.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/scienceandsociety/2008/07/where-the-oil-i.html

QUOTED: "84 percent of what could be drilled is probably offshore, says the report. That makes it harder and more expensive to reach -- but if indeed more of the Arctic Ocean is more ice-free in summer than it used to be, there are fewer complications than there used to be. "

AHAhahahahahahahahaha..........

Take that Congress! I want to see the Dems and the GOP explain their positions on this new bit of Scientific evidence. Do we save the planet and hit 10$ a gallon, or do we take advantace of a warmer artic ocean and turn this economy around.

I will be wiping the tears of mirth away for quite a few minutes here.

NEW YORK TIMES MORAL BAROMETER OF THE NATION!!!!

2008-07-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

I usually don't go crass....but WFT!
http://emac.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2008/07/23/profit-plunge-at-the-new-york-times/

Quoted from the article" What exactly is wrong with the Times’ business model? “Rightly or wrongly, the New York Times has had to serve three functions,” says Rice, a private banker in New York. “One, inform the world; two, act as the moral barometer of the nation; three, turn a profit. All three of which are vital legs in the New York Times’ stool. The last one, turning a profit, is the one they are having, as the Irish would say, a spot of bother.” So what’s the problem? Although the Times has “many interesting properties like the Boston Globe and about.com,” Rice says, it “has managed to be a follower in the information age as opposed to a driver.”

Next you will tell me that the New York Times is one of the founding institutions of our country. Maybe even signed the Declaration. I am sure they invented the internet too......

Even more proof that Liberals live in their own little fantasy world.

I AM Iron Man

2008-07-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was waiting to see this movie again before I reviewed it. Sort of a Cinematic double-take. Just to make sure that I was believing my eyes. Doth the deceive me?

No. I was on the edge of my seat just as much the second time around. (which is pretty impressive since I knew what was going to happen) Iron Man is the modern day William Wallace for the nerdy justice minded capitalist conservative. It is the shiny sword in the stone for many a person who has felt their hearts and imaginations shackled by political correctness.

Did our ancestors scribble ballads on tree bark about Beowulf and Grendal because they had tea together to talk about moving glaciers and the onset of menopause?!? NO!

There is something inherently wrong about companies, profit, and corporate consumerism in modern media. We can't talk about them/it/thethingthatshallnotbenamed. We can't assume any good comes out of them. We CAN grow rich and fat off of their absorbent tax rates.......but shun them. Shun them like Thoreau would have shunned a toilet.

Iron Man is the Victory with a capital V for those in the corporate world who want to believe....believe like the Holy spirit has come down and slapped you up side the head believe....that they are not the evil empire, cause of global ruin, and the right hand bum-wiper of Darth Bush Vader.

Tony Stark: What a role for Robert Downey Jr. It makes me want to see every movie he touches. This movie proved him to me - just like Pirates proved Johnny Depp (sorry all you Edward Scissor Hand fans). When the Iron suit makes its first appearance I thought of the amour of God. The breastplate, buckler, and all that. Iron man is a play boy lost in a mire of women and booze who finds his destiny. His destiny, which can be summarized by BO-YAH!, is to accept the responsibility of the destructions that have his name plastered all over the side, and to use his massive intellect to create a weapon of defense.

Is nobility lost? No. Instead of sending in automated bots to do the dirty work, Tony Stark risks life and limb, placing his own body in harms way to "clean house".

And clean house he does. I do not have enough Blog to tell you everything that is right with this movie. You just have to go and see it. Really. It is at the discount theater in Grand Rapids. Really. I will take you there myself. 3.50 every seat. Go and see it twice maybe. Go.......

Personal Financial Responsability Level

2008-06-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

That is a phrase that I see every day, working with Property and Casualty Insurance. Fact is, we live in a society that lives beyond its means. WAY beyond its means. This morning I had a discussion with my supervisors about the economy and people who spend too much which ferments my belief that Kenny and I are part of a dying breed of people that will not manage their lives into ruin.

I have a close friend that lives like this. She works part time and spends more money in a month that I make working full time. She charges everything to her credit card, and will not deny herself. It breaks my heart but there is nothing I can do because my good advice falls on deaf ears. I tell her to cut the card up, transfer the balance to a 0% one year interest card and pay it off over a year. Yet each wedding, birth, family event, party, birthday, means a chance for her to expend more money that she doesn’t have!

The consequence of not showering her family with gifts, she says, is a downward glance from loved ones when she doesn’t meet their gifting expectations. I have always thought that as long as you show your family you love them on those special days, the amount should never matter. Friendship and love can never be bought.

I try to live my life as best I can, being stewardess over the gifts that I have been given. Trying to keep my chin up when I want to sit and count what has been given or gained, and to scrutinize the amounts that others have. It serves me well to think carefully, when I remember to do so, and I have the companionship of another even more thoughtful than I, and often to the point where I struggle with
Wanting to leap before I look, he holds me back.

Here is the key, I believe.
-Never spend more than you take in one paycheck if you can help it.
(I interpret this to mean, exceptions being your main source of transportation breaks down and no other is available, and that your health and safety is not in jeopardy)
-Don’t borrow more in a student loan more than your expected out of college income can pay off in 5 years after graduation.
- Don’t every buy a brand new car
- Keep the old car till you can’t push it, then buy a used one.
- Own your car as soon as possible
- Do not buy more house than you can pay off at your current pay rate in a 30 year mortgage. (fixed rate)
- Never take out an ARM in this current economy. (the fixed is fine anyway right now)
- Always put into your retirement what your company will match (free money that earns interest –heck yeah!)
- Start saving fore retirement at 22.
- Always carry some form of health insurance….always.
- Never go without car insurance.
- Trust in the Lord to provide for your needs.

Transformers 2007

2008-06-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

My deepest apologies for being a year late, but out of all the movies that I saw in 07 this one was in the top 3. It deserves a review, and I am glad that I can provide a fresh one, having just rewatched it this week.

Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons? This was one of my favorite. Optimums Prime, in my honest opinion, is better than Batman (See: You Tube: The ultimate showdown, of ultimate destiny) I know this will spike some controversy from you Batman fans about there. Here is my defense. Batman, great hero, great toys, great story, great angst. Optimums Prime, great hero, leader of the auto-bots, great story, great angst - killed his brother with the all spark, and great VOICE!.
Like the James Earl Jones of Robots his voice commands men to lead and women to swoon.

But this movie is really not all about the robots. The human characters play a major, and very believable part. The movie sets the stage for the Transformers story but telling how transformers came to Earth, what happened when they encounter the American military, and what all of this has to do with high schooler Sam Whitwicky. (Shia Labeouf)

There are just a few movies that have the absolute, edge of your seat, oh my goodness, what will happen, anticipation to their action sequences. Transformers is one of them. Even re-watching, I found myself cheering for the autobots that I remembered from the 90's cartoons as they came on the screen, and was once again on the edge of my (beanbag) chair.
Transformers is a must see for the cartoon lover, and for the action lover. It has the best of both worlds.

The Callender Papers: Cynthia Voigt

2008-06-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

"Think Carefully....., Jean, Before you become disheartened."
- Constance Wainwright, The Callender Papers

Anyone who read during middle school summers knows that Cynthia Voigt is best known for writing Dicey's Song. I had the dickens of a time finding The Callender Papers because everyone assumed I wanted Dicey's Song, and even tried (at Barnes N Nobody in Farmington Hills) to convince me that it was the authors better work. Finally I had to order it be shipped to me. God bless the world wide web.

I will resist a rant on how Dicey's Song is only "good" because it is about an impoverished and broken family, and most "educated" childrens book reviewers would never even think to dust of the cover of Callender Papers due to the lack of family drama, twisted individualisim, and the traditional snubb of the institutions of family and tradition.

God forbid we ever write a book about self-made rich people and their lives.

Whatever.

The Callender Papers is an edgy mystery at about the 10th grade reading level. (though that may have changed to pre-grad since I have been in High School) It was my absolute favortie to read on a long Saturday afternoon, and I wore out the unabridged casette version from the library.

The story is about 13 year old Jean Waingwright. A girl who has been brought up not to reject emotion, but to govern over it by thinking carefully about everything. She is an orphan who has been brought up by the loveable, but stern, Ms. Constance Wainwright; headmistrress of Wainwright Academy for Girls. It is the start of summer vacation and out of the blue Ms. Wainwright recieves a request from one of her biggest donors to allow him to employ one of his school girls at his Mansion for the summer to sort through and catologue the family papers. Although the request is open ended, the note specifically mentions Jean and she is given the opportunity to think carefully about the position. Deciding that employment would be benificial to her growth and allow her to pay back for the promise Ms. Wainright has given her to send her to a girls college, and for the hint of adventure that the request brings, Jean accepts and prepares to spend her first 2 months away from Aunt Constances' care in the Birkshire Mountians.

Her employer, one Mr. Thiel, is a hard and reclusive artist who remains in his large home in the hills most of the time. He is rejected by the people of the town for being a "hider" durring the Civil War, and for his general direct and offen offensive opinions of the state of things.

While sorting through the Callender family papers, belonging to the late wife of Mr. Thiel, Irene Callender Theil, Jean uncovers the family history and some of the family secrets.....one of which could even endanger her life.

I will be 82 and still wanting to be re-reading this book. This is where Cynthia Voigt shows her true strengths and passions as an author. I especially recommend this book to my more literary friends out there, Erin, Tabitha, Esther, Chris, and the rest. It is like a warm blanket and a cool glass of milk on a rainy day.

Drill Here, Drill Now!

2008-06-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Go Newt!

See this is the guy whom I wanted to run for President. He cuts right through the BS.

This issue, in off shore and restricted drilling, has made it to the floor of congress, forcing the Democratic party to focus on their failed campaign promises of 4 years ago. Here is the link to the petition.

http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/?Guid=54ec6e43-75a8-445b-aa7b-346a1e096659

Here is the link to the fox news article.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,368762,00.html

Lets see if the drive by media can get the issue right. I am not holding my breath or anything.

The Tudors (First 2 Disks)

2008-06-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, how can I mention this series without first saying that there are large quantities of nudity. Like more than I ever wanted to know about King Henry VIII. I mean the very first scene brought forth questionable body parts....although I did not see the full scene, as I was preparing for a moment a dish in Kenny's kitchen, but he brough to light the appearance of said parts by verbally pronouncement and gesticulations.

Ah....so was the sordid reign of King Henry.

But the series is not without merit, again with the pure of heart holding closely to the fast forward. The depiction of Catherine of Aragon is very intriguing. As is the depiction of her nephew Emperor Charles.

And the scholar, Sir Thomas Moore.....and his ragings to the King about that blasphemous little traitor of a monk all of it is quite to how I have read it in History class and is most enjoyable. I shall post of how the series ends.

Watered Down v. Zealot

2008-05-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

We were watching Kingdom of Heaven last night and I was wondering where the fine line is for these modern times between being watered down and accepting of all forms of behavior and everything from everyone in the name of peace, and Zealously committing vile acts upon others in the name of Righteousness.

But that was as far as deep thought went for the night as I had to go to bed.

But now, as I am recovering from a very busy day at work my mind wanders back to that thought. I was raised very traditional, and if something wasn't black and white.....well it should be. While not rejecting that nugget of sentiment my mind wonders about the main charecter of the film. He appears more "Christian" than the most Zealous of the lot. Yet I did notice while he refused to do no harm to his enemies, he had no problem with sleeping with another mans wife. I saw the justification in the scene as the charecters start warming up to eachother...."well, it was an arranged marriage." "well she is not really happy."

The woman even feels the need to justify her actions as she saunters into hsi bedroom. "I am not evil." she says. Well, why would she have to say it?

Now, I do nto dislike the charecters, nor do I have a deep Christian need to smite them down to the very deapths of their soul. Mmmmmm....nah. I'd rather have a sandwitch, discuss with them about their duties and responsabilities as spouses, and then have a nap. Is this apathetic of sin? Permissive of sin? Who has it right? The Catholics who prefer to excommunicate the unrepentant sinner (even Lutherans have a tendancy to deny communion to those unrepentant) and the Methodists tend to Love the sinner and forget the sin ever happened, to the point where the purpose of Law, to protect innocents, is lost in an atmosphere of ungrounded and unfounded universal acceptance. Is this what the film was after? Christian, or Muslim, it is peace that is God?......umm...I mean Good?....

...or do I mean God?

May 10, 2007 Henry V "St. Crispian's Day"

2007-05-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to pull this from my Live Journal because my thoughts have become more resolute in regard to this piece that I contemplated using for a Toastmasters Speech at work the other day.

Proclaim it Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart;
his passport shall be made, And crowns for convoy put in his purse:
We would not die in that mans company,
That fears his fellowship to die with us,
This day call'd the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbors,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian':
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, 'These wounds I had on Saint Crispians day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages,
What feats he did that day; then shall our names,
Familliar in his mouth as household words,
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispian Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remembered:
We few we, happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother: be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And Gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispians day.

This piece sits upon my desk as a constant reminder of what it is to strive. It is so easy for me to be tempted to settle in a job like this for the here and now and the quick fixes. It would be so easy now that I make enough to live off of to not return to my education. To not strive.

And then, as I get down from the esoteric soap box, it is just plain beautiful prose, which is why I couldn't recite it for my poetry competition. Some in forensic matters have managed to soar in with bits like this under the banner of Bill Shakespeare, but it remains still prose.

When the battle was being lost in the minds of his men even before the battle has begun Henry the King took that doubt and dashed it upon the rocks, even going so far as to offer to thin his ranks by paying for men to return home if the have no stomach to fight.

Which would mean anyone who left would be condemned a coward. What a motivating factor.

This speech appears in several other media, including being quoted in film, and is one of my favorite of Shakespeare.

Side note: As I was working on this, another Shakespeare fan that I know here at work told me a story of her two white mice named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

They were eaten by a boa constrictor.

They are dead.

The Boa was named Shakespeare.

May 9, 2007: Hot Fuzz

2007-05-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, to start, I swore I would not start another blog or e-mail account, especially since I need to rely on my work for email access at the moment, but with Isaac, Craig, and our new Pastor and his wife all on blogspot I thought it was finally worth the investment. (usually take about four people I know to convince me.)

One aspect of my Live Journal account (which is my most frequently updated account) is the review aspect of it. I thought it would be nice to devote this little blog to reviews of music, movies, books, events, places, books, experiences, concepts, books, and....books.

I shall start with the movie I saw last night that was supposed to be Spiderman 3. Hot Fuzz.

How that happened...... well I was supposed to go see Spiderman 3 with Kenny. (yes, for those of you who know us that means going to see the movies in separate cities and calling each other from a coffee-food spot afterwards. It works.) But he had seen it already and while still a loyal fan, wasn’t to keen on a second viewing. We had watched "Shaun of the Dead" together and had enjoyed immensely the zany and surreal modern British humor.

Now I know when I say 'British humor' a few people cringe and run away. But this is very much unlike the dry and slow subtle humor you might be used to.

Hot fuzz stars the duo from "Shaun" of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They work well together, and remind me much of how well George Clooney and Brad Pitt worked together in Oceans 11. (just not as 'good' looking) They have natural comedic flow.

According to Kenny, other famous British actors can bee seen in bit roles as well. He would know better that I. I am such a newb at the "ID that random actor game."

The movie begins at a slow pace, plot wise. The cinematography is face paced, using the same instant flash pace to show the main character moving from scene to scene. If you have seen "Shaun" you will know what I mean.

The film is rated R for swearing....(which is British swearing, which when coming over the culture barrier is more funny even though the meaning of the words is deplorable still) and for blood, guts, and gore. But it is the kind of guts and gore that zombie video game makers must fantasize about. Very skillfully done but akin to "Kill Bill" very theatrical.

A word about the flying leap kick that KO'd the Grandma with the shotgun. In his defense, she was about to shoot him with a shot gun. Irreverent, wonderful scene that had a lead in at the very beginning of the film.....

Detective Andy Wainwright: You do know there are more guns in the country than there are in the city.
Detective Andy Cartwright: Everyone and their mums is packin' round here!
Sgt Angel : Like who?
Detective Andy Wainwright: Farmers.
Sgt Angel : Who else?
Det Andy Cartwright : Farmers' mums.

Overall a good film, and one I would rewatch. One for the "Mother and Fathers Movies Cupboard" in the family household, or better yet, locked in the dresser in the bedroom.