tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73910172024-03-13T19:13:05.932-07:00Peddling into the wind... thoughts of a horizontal thinker, including excursions to nowhere and the occasional epiphany.Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-42237193555860788212013-09-12T20:33:00.000-07:002013-09-12T20:34:28.147-07:00Why not go into Syria?<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="749" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-00zgvHMhBKqYXi0y6CpvU4mHWndgL8OJ1Iof-Pa0bs/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="960"></iframe>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-119269122798070442010-11-07T21:13:00.000-08:002010-11-07T21:47:59.554-08:00Now for something completely different...The thought struck me as I was listening to the President tonight that maybe the answer isn't to extend the Bush Tax Cuts, or to extend them for the Middle class while raising taxes on the "Rich", or raising it for everyone, or eliminating the IRS... maybe the answer isn't something that the Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, or even the Tea Party have been pitching... <div><br /></div><div>The Bush tax cuts were created in a different time, the economy was burning through the value it had created during the Dotcom expansion using the home equity bubble as a lever. We needed people to return the money they had extracted from their homes and businesses into the goods and services to keep the economy running at red line for a while longer. The Bush tax policies were perfect for keeping people spending. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today is a different time, like a teenager with a trust fund, we've spent most of the value we have created over the past 20 years and have a terrible hangover (our's is from Debt this time). So do we need the same tax policy as the one designed to keep a red hot economy red hot? Maybe not...</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm thinking what we need is to restructure the tax cuts for the wealthy, giving them bigger incentives for each person they hire. Hire more people, get more tax breaks, we bribe them to get off the fence and back into the economy. To offset the bill, we need to boost taxes slightly on the middle class. The combination of these two approaches would result in more middle class people paying slightly more taxes (and less unemployed suckling from the public tit). The increased number of middle class working people would pay much of the cost of Government. If you want a balanced budget, you need to address entitlements, but that's a different discussion. </div><div><br /></div><div>The punch line is that as more people produce value into the economy (work), the economy would start to grow, businesses would start to grow, the rich would get richer (sorry, I know it's popular to dislike the rich folk these days), the middle class would get bigger, and the unemployed would have the opportunities for work. </div><div><br /></div><div>If anyone is still reading this please shoot me your comments...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-57143796547732569972010-08-29T12:42:00.000-07:002010-08-29T12:42:37.807-07:00The Dead Weather - Blue Blood Blues (Live from Third Man Records)<object style="background-image: url("http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/ctSFZj_LdI0/hqdefault.jpg");" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ctSFZj_LdI0?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ctSFZj_LdI0?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />Sometimes you just can't get a base riff out of your head.Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-69357830681100596882010-07-11T21:58:00.000-07:002010-07-11T22:02:01.951-07:00Political CrackThe first might have been to much, the second was way too much and now congress is talking about a third stimulus package! <br /><br /><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/pressure-building-stimulus-10966807">Unbelievable </a>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-70902217795549136212009-12-27T20:30:00.000-08:002011-09-18T17:02:37.763-07:00Transparency in Government ITI've been looking around the <a href="http://it.usaspending.gov/">Federal IT Dashboard</a>, with some familiarity of a few of the programs addressed at the site. The site seemed to give a reasonable evaluation of the programs. By clicking on the various bars this web site allows anyone to drill into the programs that make up that portion of the portfolio. You can see the cost and schedule evaluation of each program as well as an evaluation of the program's risk.<br />
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<strike>I imagine that after the<span class="zem_olink"> <a href="http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/dec25_guidance.shtm">Christmas Terrorist attempt</a></span><a href="http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/dec25_guidance.shtm"> things will be changing</a> on these charts for the <a class="zem_olink" href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:US_Department_of_Homeland_Security_Seal.svg" title="Seal of the United States Department of Homeland Security.">Department of Homeland Security</a>. Especially in the <a href="http://it.usaspending.gov/?q=content/investment&buscid=3436#">TSA's secure flight initiative</a> which is currently rated green on the main page and yellow on the details. </strike> The information supporting the previous statement has been taken off line, so here's a view of the IT dashboard for your reading pleasure.<br />
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Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-28572772991148960542009-12-08T16:13:00.000-08:002009-12-08T16:28:10.755-08:00And then what?After a day at the beach a man was on his way back to his car when he passed a beggar sitting quietly on boardwalk. Concerned for the beggars well being, the man said “Sir, let me teach you to fish”<br /><br />The beggar said “And then what?”<br /><br />The man said “ Then you can have fish for dinner.”<br /><br />The beggar said “And then what?”<br /><br />The man said “Then you can continue to fish, maybe catch a fish to eat and one to sell so you can have some money.”<br /><br />The beggar said “And then what?”<br /><br />The man said “If you have a skill that you can use to make money, then you can have a job. With a job you can buy things like a car and a house.”<br /><br />The beggar said “And then what?”<br /><br />The man said “You can eventually retire, and spend your days relaxing on the beach”<br /><br />The beggar finally said “I spend my days relaxing on the beach now, so why would I want to learn to fish!”<br /><br />The man walked away.Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-49901725810501062812009-11-14T22:25:00.000-08:002009-11-14T23:07:44.850-08:00Terrorist Trials in New YorkNot so much a post, but rather a question... <p class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 310px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cjsflowco.svg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Cjsflowco.svg/300px-Cjsflowco.svg.png" alt="United States criminal justice system flowchart." style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="182" width="300" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cjsflowco.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></p>In U.S. Courts a suspect is presumed <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presumption_of_innocence" title="Presumption of innocence" rel="wikipedia">innocen</a><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presumption_of_innocence" title="Presumption of innocence" rel="wikipedia">t until proven guilty</a>. All of the our investigative procedures (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence" title="Evidence" rel="wikipedia">evidence</a> collection...), arrest procedures (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_warning" title="Miranda warning" rel="wikipedia">Miranda</a>... ), and court procedures are focused on preserving this legal perspective. How can a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crime" title="War crime" rel="wikipedia">war criminal</a> be seized outside of our boarders, by people who are not trained in the intricacies of our legal system (non-law enforcement types) put together a case that will hold up in a U.S. <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_justice" title="Criminal justice" rel="wikipedia">criminal court</a>?<br /><br />How will the 9/11 bombers get a fair <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/13/khalid.sheikh.mohammed/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn">trial in New York</a>? Who will be on the Jury? Do these criminals have peers in New York (I hope not)? If the U.S. puts these individuals on trial with a pre-determined outcome as is being indicated by <a href="http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/11/14/holder-in-the-dock-as-critics-focus-on-new-york-911-terror-trial/">Mr Holder</a>, will this be a legitimate court or a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_court">kangaroo court</a>?<br /><br /><br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/bbb8f84d-8cfe-41fc-8d9d-a81dea6c53e1/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=bbb8f84d-8cfe-41fc-8d9d-a81dea6c53e1" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-23149705019494507642009-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:002009-05-30T10:19:11.404-07:00Google WaveAlright all of you bloggers, emailers, instant messengers, facebookers, writers, photographers, and the like, prepare to be integrated by Google...<br /><br />This video takes about an hour and a half but it's worth it...<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v_UyVmITiYQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v_UyVmITiYQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-47001953865799690942009-02-24T20:19:00.000-08:002009-02-24T21:04:13.848-08:00Ra Ra Ree... Kick em in the Knee...Just a quick post following the State of the Union Speech tonight. All things considered I thought President Obama gave a great speech. He hit a lot of points that were both positive and bipartisan, making it easy to entice the applause out of the Republicans. While not being specific on most of his points (the devil is always in the details), he did mention a couple of issues that I think he will get in trouble for, protectionism being one of them.<br /><br />But Enough of the serious stuff, my favorite parts were when he made Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Biden</span> blush like a school girl after his "Nobody messes with Joe" comment. The Vice President looked like a chameleon attempting to blend into the red stripes of the flag behind him.<br /><br />The my other favorite part was watching Nancy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pelosi</span> literally jump up and cheer like she was a cheerleader at a high school football game. She was so exuberant during the first part of the speech that someone must have said something to her because she toned it down as time passed. For a few minutes it was almost more entertaining watching her gush than it was watching the President.<br /><br />Oh, the title of this post isn't meant to be mean spirited, it's the only cheer that I remember from high school...Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-62314725764937741152009-02-16T10:14:00.001-08:002009-02-19T21:09:51.230-08:00Genomics and expanding economic value<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Where will the next big value bump come from to excavate the world economy from its current pit. In<a href="http://windpeddler.blogspot.com/2008/12/is-macro-economics-real.html"> a previous post</a>, I attempted to draw a linkage to between our economic state and the value of the economy (I need to spend more time on this idea). That is the easy part, the hard part is to determine what the next major value contributor will be to the economy. This Simpsons short from <a href="http://www.hulu.com/">Hulu.com</a> serves may give us a clue.<br /><br /><div class="youtube-video"><object width="340" height="296"><param value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Qy-koAK2ZJM5YqeXwOCkLg" name="movie"> <param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"> <embed allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Qy-koAK2ZJM5YqeXwOCkLg" width="340" height="296"></embed> </object></div><br />or not... I just liked the clip.<br /><br /><br />Back in 2003 Juan Enriquez presented this talk on the future with genomics, a field with its roots dating all the way back to the 1970's. But there has always been something keeping the future of genomics from completely unfolding...at times our computers were to slow, other times the National policies were too hesitant, but today the primary obstacle is the the health of the economy (we have fast computers and a pro-science administration). So over the next few years, I would expect to see the field expand like it never has before. <br /><br /><div class="youtube-video"><object width="446" height="326"><param value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" name="movie"> <param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"> <param value="transparent" name="wmode"> <param value="#ffffff" name="bgColor"> <param value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/JuanEnriquez_2003-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/JuanEnriquez-2003.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=80" name="flashvars"> <embed flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/JuanEnriquez_2003-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/JuanEnriquez-2003.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=80" allowfullscreen="true" bgcolor="#ffffff" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" width="446" height="326"></embed> </object></div><br /><br />There are a few companies that seem to agree that genomics may be the way forward. <a href="http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11580226">Invitrogen's purchase of Applied Biosciences</a> combines the sale of gene sequencing equipment with genomic services. Can you imagine if you were able to upload your genome to <a href="https://www.google.com/health">Google Health</a> and have Google send you alert you when treatments or cures were available for your genetic dysfunction... Now that's value!<br /><br /><div class="zemanta-pixie"><img src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=e1687dbd-6304-4848-b942-0b55a241c251" class="zemanta-pixie-img" /></div></div>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-81679887990335046522009-02-11T20:52:00.001-08:002009-02-11T20:55:40.410-08:00Are you smarter that George Bush? Bill Clinton? Hillary?<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><a href="http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/famous-people.html">The Kids IQ Center is an interesting site...</a> It turns out that George W. Bush has an above average IQ (123), and is within seven points of President Obama (130-148, a range that I'm sure will be refined as his presedency proceeds). And Bill Clinton (137), while above average, isn't as smart as his wife, Hillary (140).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/1111_files/thumbgeorge-w-bush-125.jpg" style="max-width: 800px;" /> <img src="http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/1111_files/thumbbill-clinton-137.jpg" style="max-width: 800px;" /> <img src="http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/1111_files/thumbHillary-Clinton-140.jpg" style="max-width: 800px;" /><br /><br />I dare anyone to take an IQ test and post their score on this blog, see how you stack up...<br /><br />Very Interesting<br /><br /><div class="zemanta-pixie"><img src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=71b1becc-984e-4d0f-b46c-79a60c258e32" class="zemanta-pixie-img" /></div></div>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-33878783127107111402008-12-23T21:08:00.000-08:002009-02-16T10:20:48.495-08:00Is Macro Economics real?I was reading a friend's blog over at <a href="http://ktcatspost.blogspot.com/">the Scratching post</a> when I came across a very interesting sub-post by <a href="http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/12/fiscal-insanity-virus-rapidly-spreading.html">MISH on FIV</a>. Mish compared the economics theories that have dominated macro-economic practice since 1930 to the common sense approach most eighth grade graduates would take... Very humorous and he brings up a good point... has the field of Macro Economics missed the mark? Our recent recession would indicate that the combined efforts of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes">Keyns</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Friedman">Friedman</a>, and even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek">Hayek</a> can not predict how and why a economy grows or fails.<br /><br />But I think that MISH over-simplifies, implying that the world economy is a fixed size making balancing spending with saving as the only way to success. But that argument is countered simply by looking at the last 100 years, it is clear that the the economy is expanding but how fast? and why?<br /><br />I like to combine basic physics with economics... applying the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_energy">conservation of energy law</a> to monetary policy. The applicable interpretation goes something like this; the economy is the total sum of energy created by a the people in the economy. The economy grows when the people work more to add value, but it shrinks when the population takes more than they contribute. Value is fluid across the economy much like currency (or mass and velocity in the analogy), making it easy for the economy to aggregate total value but very difficult to decompose and analyze.<br /><br />So the bottom line, is that Monitarists and Keynesian theories work better if the population is adding more value through work than they are extracting through consumption. What does that mean for governments? That means that successful governments will incentivize people to add more value than they extract, making the economic pie bigger. If a nation's economic pie is bigger than the population needs, everyone is comparatively richer than they were when the economy was smaller.<br /><br />Unfortunately this concept eventually runs up against entropy, or the tendency of all energy to seek it's lowest form. In economic terms the lowest energy state is the hunter and gather, or subsistence state. The implication to policy makers is that no matter how great the stimulus for increased productivity, there is always a tendency for a population to slip into less productive habits.<br /><br />Which brings us back to today's problems... We built a big economy, with lots of potential, but policy makers became lazy and didn't continue to incentiveize the economy to grow honestly. Additionally we allowed our accounting practices to become clouded, impairing our ability to track real value generation. Policy makers allowed corruption to infiltrate the economy, stealing value from the core of our economy until it was a hollow shell of what it appeared to be, a real potemkin village.<br /><br />It seems to me that in the future, Government should proceed on two tracks, first create a very transparent financial system that allows the true value of an economy to be exposed. Second, it should incentivize value creation at the core of the economy; creating an innovative, efficient environment for companies to succeed or fail on their own merit.<br /><br />Sounds simple, right?Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-43061148231183089482008-11-16T18:11:00.000-08:002009-02-21T13:05:26.697-08:00I want mine...There is a new trend... in the news, around the house, even over dinner with friends... with massive amounts of federal money flowing in the name of the economic bail out, everyone is wondering about how they get their share? In some circles this may have always been a topic of conversation, but not so much in the circles I run in. This is new!<div><br /></div><div>It might help if I described my friends and family; they are hard working - no excuse types of people. They pay their taxes, they manage their money, they don't whine (much), they are democrats and republicans, all sexes and orientations, and of many races... in other words I mingle with a healthy cross section of the U.S. population. I believe the people I associate with are a good representation of the hard working core of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">middle class</span> America.</div><div><br /></div><div>In our conversations we talk about the rich <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">fat cats</span> that are getting bailed out, we talk about the misinformed consumer (very gentle moniker) who overestimated their ability to pay for homes that were much too expensive, and we talk about the greedy middle men who set these deals up. But we have also talked about people who were relocated to an expensive area to keep a job, or <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">entrepreneurs</span> who took a risk in this greed fueled feeding frenzy to make a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">business</span> work, and how their loss is our loss. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is never a consensus about what steps Governments (lets bring our global partners into this, they are equally responsible) or individuals should take in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">coming</span> years, the economic crisis has put the personal <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">interests</span> of the very people who make the Government work at odds with the Government itself. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of the conversation, one thing is always clear... we hate the idea that this crisis is going to be resolved at the expense of the people who were careful to make good choices and manage their lives according to their means. We don't like the idea that many greedy, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">irresponsible</span> people are going to wind up with our tax dollars in their pockets. I just pray that we all have temperance to guide us in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">coming</span> years, because what ever happens we are not going to like the end result. </div><div><br /></div><div>There is no "fair solution"; this crisis was brought about by greedy people taking advantage of ill informed people and the Government not enforcing the regulations. And as for my friends, we are not blameless, we sat and watched while our the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">cocoons</span> we fought to build for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ourselves</span> were hijacked by greed and sloth. </div><div><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://web.whittier.edu/barnstone/Greed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 328px; height: 466px;" src="http://web.whittier.edu/barnstone/Greed.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://web.whittier.edu/barnstone/Greed.jpg"><br /></a></div>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-53723254901829988612008-11-09T09:01:00.000-08:002008-11-09T09:02:27.638-08:00Quote<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px; ">"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, <br />you must first create the universe." -Carl Sagan</span>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-65549279514211732902008-11-08T15:42:00.000-08:002008-11-08T15:46:41.285-08:00The campaign is over... Finally...Even though we all must get used to having to watch regular television, drive the streets without campaign slogans, and in general re-engaging with our loved ones, none have it worse than the hard core Obama fans. Check out this video from "the Onion"<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.theonion.com/content/themes/common/assets/videoplayer/flvplayer.swf" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" flashvars="file=http://www.theonion.com/content/xml/89632/video&debugging=true&autostart=false&image=http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/NOTHING_TO_TALK_ABOUT_article.jpg&bufferlength=3&embedded=true&title=Obama%20Win%20Causes%20Obsessive%20Supporters%20To%20Realize%20How%20Empty%20Their%20Lives%20Are" height="355" width="400"></embed><br /><a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/89632?utm_source=embedded_video">Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are</a>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-37030116521357863332008-10-26T01:00:00.000-07:002008-10-26T17:15:22.256-07:00Lorne Michaels ... a Sarah Palin fan?For all you Palin Nay sayers out there, check out this quote from Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live after she appeared on SNL...<br /><a href="http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20234814_2,00.html"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"What do you think Palin gained from her appearance?</span></a><br />I think Palin will continue to be underestimated for a while. I watched the way she connected with people, and she's powerful. Her politics aren't my politics. But you can see that she's a very powerful, very disciplined, incredibly gracious woman. This was her first time out and she's had a huge impact. People connect to her." (EW.com from entertainment weeky)<br /><br />This isn't what you hear most of the liberal media saying... Check it out...Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-86919482055390543392008-09-30T06:44:00.000-07:002009-02-21T13:07:37.500-08:00The current financial Meltdown is Jimmy Carter's fault!while listening to Rick Roberts on the way into work this Morning, I caught his summary of an <a href="http://newsblaze.com/story/20080927181144zzzz.nb/topstory.html">Article in the "News BLAZE,"</a> going over the history of our current financial Meltdown meltdown. Its very interesting that both Bill Clinton & George W. Bush tried to correct the situation but were thwarted by liberals in congress.Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-4307189904530742862008-09-02T22:05:00.001-07:002008-09-02T22:07:55.794-07:00P. Diddy Examines John McCain, Proclaims Him “Buggin’ the F**k Out”<a href="http://www.sundriesshack.com/2008/08/31/p-diddy-examines-john-mccain-proclaims-him-buggin-the-fk-out/">P. Diddy Examines John McCain, Proclaims Him “Buggin’ the F**k Out”</a><br /><br />I feel much better about Obama now that I've watched this...<br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com/">ShareThis</a>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-6985803376171498232008-08-15T10:15:00.000-07:002008-08-15T13:29:28.134-07:00Its a small world... economically speaking.While sweating on the elliptical trainer, I had the opportunity to listen Thomas Mayer, chief European economist talk about the <a href="http://media.bloomberg.com/bb/avfile/Economics/On_Economy/vTxZW0eefoPI.mp3">Macro Economic situation in Europe.</a> Well it appears that Despite the strong Euro, the Europeans are having problems of their own. Dr Mayer laments the fact that the grand European experiment is hitting some rough spots. It appears that Europe's schizophrenic approach to separating fiscal and monetary policy has caused inflation in many parts of Europe and recession fears in other areas. In other words without control of the fiscal policies of the member countries, the ECB can't take any action right now without hurting some of it's members.<br /><br />Even though the ECB has maintained interests rates at a higher level than the U.S. Central bank, the European's recent growth, like the U.S., has been fueled by highly leveraging credit. The result is that the Europeans are looking at the same credit crunch as the U.S. but without having benefited from a period of sustained low interest rates. <br /><br />Most folks reading this are well aware of the situation the U.S. finds itself in... with a slowing economy and a bursting credit bubble, we've got a long way to go before we are back to boom times. <br /><br />And China is no better off, being the owner of much of the Debt generated in the U.S. and Europe over the last decade, they can't even spend the money they have in reserve for fear it will cause either the U.S. economy of the European economy to take a dive. And what good is money if you can't spend it?Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-90459537784736117162008-08-07T21:40:00.000-07:002008-08-07T22:08:23.315-07:00A new strategy for McCain?While the recent events in the presidential race have been slow lately I think McCain has stumbled on a winning strategy.<br /><br />Just shut up!<br /><br />It seams that when McCain is quiet and Obama does all of the talking, McCain narrows the gap. If you look at <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html">Real clear politics polls</a> you can pick out the periods when McCain is out in front stumping his brains out and the periods where the media is ignoring him because he does better when the media is completely focused on Obama (like his trip to the Middle East)<br /><br />Check it out<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Psmknjw3GuLcubcoBGEwgQt0ebohuvCsB2gYrH4pmgLcFK8nKRT0PvGcjD2vSj7i3K3bJFC6OIXG-_cRuTOh6RBPvRLBI64ySm2QcGjc-FB4J6D64fSBNtTWddMDvS1oK9s/s1600-h/chart.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Psmknjw3GuLcubcoBGEwgQt0ebohuvCsB2gYrH4pmgLcFK8nKRT0PvGcjD2vSj7i3K3bJFC6OIXG-_cRuTOh6RBPvRLBI64ySm2QcGjc-FB4J6D64fSBNtTWddMDvS1oK9s/s320/chart.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232004318259379826" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If you look at the far right edge of the above snapshot, you'll notice how successful the Britney and Paris adds wereApian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-36571298570178512702008-06-02T16:46:00.000-07:002008-06-02T17:27:04.269-07:00The real reason for line standingOver the weekend I had to buy some new clothes. I hate shopping so when I have to buy clothes that means that my old ones are nearly falling apart. So I hit my favorite spots; unfortunately they are everyone's favorite spots so the lines were long.<br /><br />While standing in line, I struck up a conversation with a very attractive young lady from Zimbabwe. At first we were talking about goofy stuff like golf gifts lining the queue. But then it came up that she was here for a semester to begin her graduate study in law, piquing my curiosity. What does a law student from Zimbabwe think about our culture and our legal system?!? As we continued through the queue, she explained how she was amazed about how well the law works here in the U.S. and observed that even though the police are not ubiquitous, and apparently way under armed (only service revolvers in most cases, no AK-47's) she felt safe. I hypothesized that it was because we have a functioning independent court here in the U.S., her reaction was one of surprise, like the concept had not ever been mentioned before.<br /><br />About that time, the checker was calling for the next person in line (her) and then it was my turn. A tremendously interesting conversation was ended much to soon. The more I travel, the more I talk to people from other cultures, the more I appreciate our form of Government. Every encounter leaves me amazed by the perfect storm that occurred in the years around 1776 that brought together a group of inspired Geniuses to create these United States.Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-5546754408269128312008-05-18T05:42:00.000-07:002008-05-18T06:13:02.851-07:00Mérida InitiativeIn my last post (I know it was a long time ago) I mentioned the Mérida initiative and the rising death toll in Mexico's struggle to reform itself, Since that time I have come across this additional information from the Mexico Institute on providing an <a href="http://www.wilsoncenter.org/news/docs/Analysis.Merida%20Initiative%20May%208%202008.pdf">overview of the Mérida initiative</a>. This article gives an overview of the plan including to the Mexican legal system, establishment of a non-corrupt Mexican FBI, and an accounting of the 500M of aid sent to Mexico each year under the program to purchase things like helicopters for use in drug enforcement. <br /><br />The bad news is that my last post under reported the number of murders and assassinations carried out by the drug cartels who will stop at nothing to derail the reforms. If Mexico eliminates corruption, the drug families will have a much more difficult time exploiting the Mexican people as they cash in on the American appetite for illegal drugs. <br /><br />Every Californian should understand what the Mérida initiative means to our economy, safety, and overall well being.Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-47998029305064581672008-04-01T18:35:00.000-07:002008-04-01T19:35:48.625-07:00The heck with Iraq, the war we need to watch is just south of us.There is a tremendous amount of blather on the airwaves about what we should do in Iraq when we should be watching the war waging just south of us in Mexico. I'm not talking about illegal aliens, that has been sooo overdone, the people I'm worried about don't have to worry about crossing the boarder, their credentials are rock solid. In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm worried about the toll the drug cartels are taking against the people and Government of Mexico. The roughly 28 prominent families that run the drug trade in Mexico have declared open season on anyone who would deny them their access to the valuable U.S. illicit drug market. According to the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/14/MNGL3MC3I91.DTL">San Francisco Chronicle </a>(I hate quoting these guys) the death toll in the war against drugs last year topped 2000! In other words, you don't have to travel to Iraq to put your life at risk, just travel south.<br /><br /> This explosion in violence has been largely in response to the crackdown on Government Corruption by the Felipe Calderon Government. Calderon has been doing some major house cleaning in the judicial, police and military forces in an attempt to bring Mexico out of its second class economic status. This is important to us, because the sooner we get Mexico's economy on line, the sooner we will be able to control the boarder and all of the crime that comes with having a porous boarder. <br /><br /> A good source of information on the topic has been <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/mexico_security_memo_march_31_2008">Strategic Forecasting Inc.</a> The often have good articles on Mexico's heroic efforts to control corruption. Also keep an eye on the <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/oct/93800.htm">Merida Initiative</a> as it could be the key to our security in this hemisphere.<br /><h1><br /></h1>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-23850695678114635502008-03-13T16:11:00.001-07:002008-03-13T16:12:04.255-07:00Military history in food<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><object height="350" width="425"><param value="http://youtube.com/v/e-yldqNkGfo" name="movie"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://youtube.com/v/e-yldqNkGfo" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></p><p>This video is an entire course in Military history, combined with international cooking. I've got to talk to the Dean to see if we can get this added to the cirriculm.</p></div>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7391017.post-45090980234573191402008-03-12T15:05:00.000-07:002008-03-12T17:00:59.646-07:00I had the privilege to listen to listen to a presentation by<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a href="http://www.gao.gov/cghome/dwbiog.html">David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States </a>on his last day in office. He took the opportunity to go over a presentation that he has given in various forums over the past few months to explain how his generation, the baby boomers, have not been good stewards of our economy. He is concerned that, if things don't change, we will not be able to sustain our economy or our current standard of living. If his predictions are correct, the baby boomers will be the first generation in American History to leave the economy in worse condition than they found it.<br /><br />The graph below is is one of the first in his discussion of trends in federal spending.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08584cg.pdf"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_11eDFoKQeT_uN9955150sfNWK0gp2qVrfdcllArf6ekdXlMUtX9hG8e7rj70YQTqFm2F6eBS4yf_05GnaVrFsoX_5aJL5Nyx9koUEBWQ9RvAWVsxPzcWV5WWTHWu2UFiwg/s320/Composition+of+Federal+Spending.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176979579619188402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08584cg.pdf">Click on the slide to view the entire brief. Shows the growth of mandatory spending compared to discretionary spending such as defense</a></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As you go through the brief, keep in mind<br /><ul><li>We are paying compounded interest on our growing debt<br /></li><li>We are a rich nation today because nations around the world believe that we are a good economic risk, and spend lots of money in the U.S.<br /></li><li>The U.S. economy would be in grave danger if the markets were to flee the U.S. dollar because we were no longer a safe investment</li></ul>One last slide from his brief to help make the point.<br /><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08584cg.pdf"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRvXHz-3RMd5ZOL0e2ZvA6jGBSJdcUu7VEdFWphh8yaTE3NtPT9bL3o4xGV4I-0QLU5y2WCEtG4VqPc7MQGuTgMMD_MS92uFyxDye_JZN8GEOEqcE6I5S-98zZ6qxhBHU3Fg/s320/Screenshot-GAO-08-584CG+Saving+our+Future+Requires+Tough+Choices+Today.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5177000534764625602" border="0" /></a>In this slide Walker makes the point that the U.S. spending is already exceeding revenue, and if no action is taken by 2040, we will not have enough revenue to cover some of our mandatory obligations (like Medicare & Medicade) and discretionary spending such as National Defense and Diplomacy . Sad to say, if our economy gets to the 2040 scenario, the average American will have more to worry about than medical coverage and national defense.<br /><br />Mr Walker presented a compelling argument for fiscal reform and restraint, I encourage everyone to check out his briefings posted on the GAO site and watch as he transitions into the private sector.<br /><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/10/news/economy/tully_healthcare.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008031109"></a>Apian Apostlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06888935249358334053noreply@blogger.com0