Adventures In Parenting:

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2009-11-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

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Great Political Humor!!!!

2009-11-05T06:21:00.001-07:00

I really like this skit! Enjoy!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Camping and Baseball

2009-10-11T10:16:00.020-06:00

Hi All,

As you can see, blogging is not top priority in my world. As you can well imagine there are a myriad of things that have occurred since. I have a variety of media to share, and the stories that go along with them. Please enjoy these snippets of the last month and a half!

CAMPING

Now with Sharper Video.....

On the weekend of Aug 28-30 Christina, her parents, and I took Brian on his very first camping trip! It had been a rainy week at Warren Dunes leading up to our trip. So the ground was quite muddy (note giant blue tarps). Brian had a lot of fun!! He was especially thrilled to climb the sand dune seen in the videos. He wanted to climb it himself and he did so until about 30 feet from the top (I carried him the rest of the way). When we got to the top Brian got applause from strangers! They had never seen such a little one climb such a long way! Brian did slide all the way down by himself! After climbing the sand dune and playing all day he slept very, very well!

He also liked eating outside, roasting marshmallows, sleeping in the tent, finding acorns, playing at the playground (his self named 'blue park'), and taking walks with anyone who would go with him. He was not a fan of getting his first bee sting! Especially because he was asleep when it happened! Not a good wake up call.....

At the end of our trip Brian did not want to leave. He insisted to all of us that he wanted "More camping please!" on a repeated basis! All this and we never even went to the beach! The poor weather has caused the beach to be closed due to unsafe swimming conditions.

Panoramic View From the top of Mt. Randall (sand dune) looking west.

Panoramic View to the left of the first panorama looking north.

BASEBALL

Over Labor Day weekend, Patrick and Shawn came to visit Chicagoland, Indiana, Michigan and in Patrick's case (Wisconsin). This was a lot of fun. The main purpose of this aside from seeing friends was to attend a White Sox/Red Sox baseball game at US Cellular Field. The video below was my experiment for the day. I used the sports setting on my camera to take lots of images. I then put them all in a slide show with a very fast transition speed. The result is stop motion animation! Every image you see is saved as an individual still on my computer, so if you see one you want, email me! Also, these images were taken from our fantastic seats (Thanks Shawn!) about halfway up the upper deck behind home plate.

Also, I played around with making panoramas. Ever since I discovered that I had a panorama utility, I have been looking for fun pictures to take. The below images are from our seats at the cell...

Full ColorSame Image

Black and White

Squished to make wallpaper

DOWNTOWN/THE LEDGE

The below pictures are of the Sears Tower's newest additions, the ledges. They are glassed in rooms at the Skydeck observation floor of the tower. They supposedly can hold 5 tons each. It's also the hot new place to get married here in Chicago (its been done multiple times already).

Street View, Full Frame

Zoomed in a little....

Zoomed in as much as the camera can! Note People in the ledges!!

That's all for now!

-Paul

New Reading Project: The Great Inflation and its Aftermath, by R. J. Samuelson.

On the box: Background noise of Thomas the train engine on TV. No music.

Warren Dunes State Park

2009-08-02T16:29:00.005-06:00

Hi All,

Please enjoy this video from Brian's first trip to Warren Dunes State Park in Southwestern Michigan. This was a day trip and we drew a wonderful day for it!!

Brian had a wonderful time playing in the water, digging in the sand, running, splashing, finding rocks, swimming, and building sand castles!! He has asked to return almost constantly since we left! In fact the only way we got him to leave was to promise him pizza (which we gave him and he ate).

The slow motion portion of the video is Brian's favorite part (Mom and Dad's too) slowed down with the colors inverted. He had SO much fun splashing his feet in the wet sand! We will be going back this summer for more fun and excitement.

Enjoy!

-Paul

Time Lapse Photography #1

2009-05-17T20:19:00.003-06:00

Hi All,

Today I tried something new with my Nikon P80, time lapse photography! Ever since I found out that the camera had this capability I wanted to try it out. So this morning I hopped over the the grocery, bought some tulips and irises that were closed. Christina helped me cut the flowers, arrange them, and place them so they would stay in the frame.

After that I sent the camera to take a picture every 30 seconds and automatically autofocus each image due to changing lighting conditions. The film starts at about 10:40 AM and runs till about 5:00 PM-ish (I'm not sure when the battery died, thus ending the film).

After the original time lapse, I played around with Adobe Elements, making the colored pencil outline scenes. They run 200% faster than the original, one forward, and the second in reverse. The last version of the film is simply the original running in reverse.

Hopefully I will get to take more time lapse at some point, but I'm not sure when.

Enjoy!

-Paul

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T21:46:00.006-06:00

Note: Now with sharper video!!!

Hi All,

Here are two videos of Brian enjoying Easter 2009, the first was taken at about 6:30 AM at our house and the second about mid-afternoon at Christina's parent's house.

Enjoy!

Paul

Photos/Videos, March 2009

2009-03-27T21:32:00.006-06:00

Hi All,

The above slideshow/clip is sort of the best Brian pics and videos in the month of March.

As to the pictures, credit is due to Christina for the couch fort, and blueberry photos. She is also chief architect of the couch cushion fort. This temporary outpost was in place while I was at work and seems to have been throughly enjoyed by all occupants (Brian and Lambie) while it lasted.

For those who are unaware, Brian LOVES blueberries (and most other fruit). However blueberries hold a very special messy place in our house.

Spring Swing! is from the warmest day yet in Chicagoland this year. Brian really likes to swing, but its still cold enough for a fleece jacket. Tommorrow the forecast calls for 5 inches of wet slush/snow/rain/BLAH! Hopefully this is the last of winter here.

Feeding the Pig is a lot of fun around here. The pig featured was a gift from my fellow tellers and bankers when Brian was born. Brian loves to feed his pigs (he has 2), kiss their snouts and put them back on his shelf in his room. Pennies, Nickels, Dimes and Quarters are his favorites. I made the mistake of giving him special coins, namely 3 dollar coins and a Kennedy half dollar piece. Since they were special he didn't want to put them in the pig! So, back to regular old pocket change for the pig.

Also, Brian has a lot of words in his vocabulary these days.

Most notable new word this week: Obama (and no I didn't spend hours teaching him!).

Physically he is much taller (I swear by the day he looks taller) and stronger. He is picking up things that were too heavy a week ago and carrying them through the house. Also, his favorite place to visit is the libary or Nana's house. His fine motor skills are very, very, good. Brian can now handle a spoon most mornings and get most of his food in his mouth. He has successfully eaten a small container of yogurt by himself and does pretty well with breakfast cereal.

There will be more photos/videos as the weather grows warmer and more time is spent outside.

-Paul

Trivia Question: Can you name the song/artist/album on the slideshow?

The Effects of Baby Powder on the Avg. Sofa!

2009-03-21T22:08:00.016-06:00

A turtle who was hanging out at the Shedd Aqarium Garden.

Hi All,

I just wanted to share some of my photos from our recent venture to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. This show has been away from downtown in recent years, but has made a return to Navy Pier. Below are a smattering of what I think are neat photos.

First, my version of a vanishing point photo:

Next, a rain apparatus for the Shedd Aqarium Garden, Note the drops in mid air!

And from a different angle with longer exposure, droplets turn into straight lines that look like fishing line, but it is water, I promise!

My personal favorite in the whole show:

Free Wallpaper! One Good, One Bad, You Choose!

Note: The roses are a close up section of a larger wall of roses. The weave is a basket top that was in the example roof top garden. The camera capture the brightness of both quite well.

This is for Amy. This is an example of a succulent plants bed that looked really nice. This was part of a rooftop garden exhibit; however it should succeed at any height.

This is what happens when the toddler gets a hold of the baby powder. He thinks since powder makes his behind feel better; baby powder makes everything better! Right!?! I have to admit, for 19 months old, his rationale is pretty decent! Needless to say our couch smells FANTASTIC!!

Admit it to yourself; you wish you were this flexible!!

More Brian photos and videos to follow in later posts.

-Paul

Brian's First Trip To Walt Disney World

2009-02-22T05:51:00.004-07:00

Hi All,

From Feb 1 to Feb 8 2009, Christina and I got to take Brian on his first trip to Walt Disney World (Florida). At first we were uncertain of what he would like or if he would be scared of characters, fireworks, etc...We had nothing to fear. Brian was a dream the entire time, and had a blast. The first night we took him for fireworks and a ride on Small World. After that it was all, as Brian says, "Go! Go! GO!!!!"

The above slide show is a good sampling of what we saw, and what Brian liked.

The first two of the castle are from our first night at the park. Brian liked the changing colors and the fireworks! I liked the fact that my new camera (Nikon P80) is able to take such nice photos at night. Especially the fireworks and fountain photos.

On the topic of character photos.....Brian liked any character in a mask. For example, he was unhappy with the Mad Hatter because he sat in Christina's chair and pretended to drink her coffee. Notice Brian's hands in this picture, flat on the table, looking at the Mad Hatter with a look that said, "You're not Mom and that's Mom's chair!"

Mickey was the first one he encountered, but he had the best time with Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet and Winnie the Pooh. He also likes Tinkerbell; so we went to visit the fairies in toontown twice. Brian was absolutely amazed. We had told him for weeks that we were going to see Tinkerbell....imagine his amazement when we actually met Tinkerbell!

Each day we would put all of our shoes together in the hallway of our Cabin. It was pretty cute too. Brian would line up our shoes next to his.

We also for the first time gave him ice cream and chocolate on a stick. Even us adults like Mickey Bars!

Stollers look alike! I had forgotten how many stollers are to be found at Walt Disney World. Lucky for us Christina had thought ahead and made a nice stoller tag for Brian, complete with sea turtles!

At the end, on our last day, he fell asleep mickey sucker in hand, in his stroller hours before the ride to the airport.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Yesterday we took Brian on his first train ride to downtown Chicago, which he really enjoyed.

More to come as the spring and summer progress....

-Paul

Winter in Chicago!!

2008-12-01T20:48:00.003-07:00

Hi All,

Welcome to Winter 2008 here in Chicagoland! This morning while Christina and I were shoveling snow and brushing off cars; Brian got his first experience of being out in the snow.

This film clip starts just after Christina set him down in snow for the first time. Last year he was still a little baby, so no snowtime. This year, as you can see, he is big enough for this kind of fun stuff.

A note about the audio: Brian tries to say "arf arf" when he hears a dog barking in the background. However the dog barking is a little hard to hear without overpowering the rest of the audio.

Enjoy!

-Paul

Back In The Saddle

2008-11-14T20:44:00.005-07:00

Hi All,

In a more realistic attempt to write and share more I have taken to trying out a slideshow of Brian photos from around Halloween 2008.

I hope this works, and if it does, expect more. I could promise to deliver more sooner, but as the 20 faithful readers know, that is improbable!

-Paul

Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!!!

2008-01-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to use that word as a post title. So if anyone still reads this, here are some highlight pictures of the last few months with Brian, with some adventures interspersed....

The above pictures are from around Halloween 2007. Brian dressed as Tigger. As you can see he got to play with pumpkin guts, watch Christina carve his pumpkin, and go trick-or-treating. The picture of him in the stroller is actually out trick-or-treating, he stayed awake the entire time.

In November 2007 we traveled to the Island of Oahu, Hawaii to meet up with my Mom's side of the family for a week over Thanksgiving. Some of the below photos were taken by my Dad, or he was letting me use his camera.

No comment needed. This was at the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

This is Brian and I stopping for lunch at the International Marketplace on Waikiki Beach.

Brian and Lamb outside the Honolulu airport waiting for our taxi, he was such a trooper on the airplane, both times!

Baby's First Christmas

Brian really enjoyed his first Christmas. He loved the tree with all the lights, and one day refused to nap anywhere except under the tree! He first met Santa at the bank, where Santa was a little loud and scared Brian at first; after a few minutes Brian calmed down and was alright afterwards.

Christmas Eve was spent at Christina's Aunts house for an extended family party.

Christmas morning was spent out to breakfast with Christina's folks, and then the rest of the day was spent at Christina's parent's house. These events were recorded using the video recorder, because I now have software that can pull still images from videos. So perhaps there will be pictures at some point. For now, I am working on a DVD to share with family.

Since the New Year, Brian is now 6 months old!! He has now started "solid" food. He started with rice cereal, pictured below:

Since then he has gotten to really like solid food more than formula. We have also introduced applesauce, pears, bananas, and today peaches!

All of these things make for a sleepy-saurus!

In the last week he has also started rocking back and forth on all fours. He is now somewhat capable of crawling backwards, but he is uncertain of how he's getting around!

Hopefully my next post will be sooner than months from now...

Fall Pictures

2007-10-19T19:55:00.000-06:00

Two and a half weeks ago, I had a day off. Christina, Brian and I stopped in the front yard when we got home to take pictures of Brian. Here are some of those pictures:

Christina and Brian, ready to go walking!

Christina and Brian, being very cute.

Brian enjoying the sunshine and some leaves.

Brian sitting with me under the tree in our front yard.

Life is good when you can stick your tongue out at Dad!

Brian, enjoying the sunshine, usually he doesn't like bright sunlight but that morning it seemed to be ok.

The details of the outit, made of polar fleece. Very cute!

ps: I know the pace of photos and videos has been rather slow, sorry to those who check here frequently!

Brian's Gym

2007-09-16T11:00:00.000-06:00

This video is of Brian, playing in his gym. He spends time here daily and likes playing with his toys!

Infant Economies

2007-09-06T20:08:00.000-06:00

Here is Brian, wearing a onesie that Christina gave me for Father's Day. Also, this speaks to the structure of the US tax code!

This post is called Infant Economies which is a term I made up and is completely different from an infant industry. Now for those who are unaware, infant industries are industries that are protected by some form of trade duty, tariff or quota to help them compete with foreign firms of the same industry until the whole industry is out of its "infancy". For example the US Steel industry is a century old infant and then some. So, infant protectionism never really does what it claims to do.

Now that I am a parent of an infant, the term has floated up in my head quite often. Which made me start thinking (just for laughs), that Brian acts a bit like his own economy.

1) He takes inputs to produce output.
2) To borrow a biology or accounting term, he also has "organic growth", but I prefer to consider his height and weight his own personal measures of GDP (an economic measure, rather than an accounting one). He has a high rate of growth these days!
3) Some of his inputs are occasionally rejected, some more forcefully than others.
4) Brian also produces positive and negative externalities.
5) He can rank various inputs (milk or formula) as a matter of preference and uses those inputs to produce very different outputs!
6) He is also very efficient at all of the above tasks. Efficiency or productivity as it is commonly known, is one of the keys to macroeconomic growth.

Those are all for now, but I am sure I will dream up more as time goes by and post them here.

Brian teaching all of us what to wear when born on the northwest side of Chicago!

Brian got to sit with me through the first five innings of the Cubs game on TV last night. He also sat with me and watched the opening of this years NFL season. He may not grow up to like sports, but for now its a fun time for me to spend with Brian!

Brian and the lamb that Christina got me for Father's Day.

The good story here is that when I was a baby I had a lamb named Lambie (inventive naming on my part!). Brian has several little toys that he likes, one that he is afraid of (stuffed dragon), and generally likes to have one to look during floor/tummy time. While Brian's lamb is not an exact replica of my lamb, it is a bit nostalgic to see my son also enjoy a stuffed lamb at this age.

That's all for now,

-Paul

Brian and the Panda

2007-08-29T05:53:00.000-06:00

Hello All,

Sorry for the lack of pics and videos of Brian.....not much blogging time lately. This little video is of Brian in his crib, where he has discovered his panda crib toy. When he's upset, but not yet crying we find him "talking" to the panda, and eventually works his way up to crying when the panda fails to fix his problems. Sometimes he just plays with the rattles on the bottom of the toy.

Brian continued to receive a clean bill of health at his well-baby check-up last week. He weighed in at 9 lbs 3 oz.!! He alos measured one inch longer.

Also, Brian got a card from The White House. I ordered a birth greeting from the White House website, and it arrived 2 days ago. Too bad its from Dubya, but its the fact that its from the White House, and Brian might find it neat when he looks in his baby book later in life. The card read:

Welcome! We are delighted to join your family in celebrating your arrival, You have already brought much happiness to those around you, and you've just gotten started!

We are glad you are now part of the wonderful American story. Our Nation holds great opportunities for you. May you make the most of your unique gifts, and may happiness and love surround you always.

Sincerely,

George Bush Laura Bush

Enough blogging for now, time to head off to work for the day,

-Paul

Pictures

2007-08-11T19:33:00.000-06:00

Brian after a bath.

Hello all,

The last three weeks have been a bit of a blur and blogger has not always cooperated in letting me post videos, and I just today download images from the camera. Hopefully blogger will continue to cooperate today.

Brian has continued to grow, last week he weighed in at 6 lbs 13 oz, 2 oz more than his birth weight, and a full half pound more than his discharge weight.

Brian resting in his bassinet.

This week Christina and I took Brian on his first sojourn to my work to be introduced around the bank. He slept through the entire experience. So he looked a lot like the picture above, not like the picture below. He was an instant hit at the bank, and he never even woke up!

Does anyone else ever feel like doing this? I know I do!

Also this week we had a scary moment, when the village tornado siren went off. For more details on this, please see Christina's upcoming post, with a detailed account of the afternoon. One thing I know for sure, I'll be happy if that siren stays quiet for the rest of my time here in Barrington.

Brian being cute and awake.

Another change we've had is the kitty cat adjustment. Since Brian came home, the cats have been happy to maintain their distance from Brian, especially when he's making noise. However this evening there was a significant change in Biskit's behavior towards Brian. As the pictures below demonstrate, I think both cats have decided Brian is alright.

Biskit guarding Brian, and both watched each other for a few minutes.

That's it for the pictures,
-Paul

Brian Video

2007-07-29T11:34:00.000-06:00

Here is a little video I shot of Brian a couple days ago:

Hopefully this works, the video upload is a Blogger in Draft product, and may have some bugs.

-Paul

Welcome Brian

2007-07-26T19:16:00.000-06:00

Hello,

As many of you know, on July 17th, 2007; Christina gave birth to our son, Brian Victor.

Our lives have been forever changed and will forever be changing! Everyone has been home from the hospital for a week this evening and its been a lot of fun getting to know Brian!

Here are the important facts:
Length: 20 in.
Weight: 6lbs, 11.3 oz (3040g to be precise)

He was a very alert baby from the minute he was born. The first three hours of his life were spent awake, wide-eyed and incredibly well behaved. Those trends have continued. Brian is a very good baby; when he is awake he opens his eyes all the way and does his best to watch everything around him! Some of you might be thinking I am biased to this opinion, and I am. However even the hospital nurses were impressed with his good behavior!

Here is a good picture of Brian, in his carseat, just before we left the hospital to come home.

As Brian grows, I will try to post the occasional snapshot or video here, along with any stories of our adventures in parenting! Perhaps next time I'll write about how Java and Biskit have adjusted to our newest family member!

-Paul

Root, Root, Root For The Cubbies..

2007-06-27T20:46:00.000-06:00

WOW! Today was an unbelievable day. Here is the account of my first trip to Wrigley Field.

Shawn and I arrived early at the stadium, so we could walk around the neighborhood and look at the exterior of the ballpark.

Waveland Ave. prior to the gates opening.

The back of the center field bleachers.

These houses have roof seats for rent/sale that give great views into the outfield.

Many, many bars right outside the stadium, mostly baseball themed. Shawn and I paid a visit to the Cubbie Bear (see below).

These two things go together! Harry Caray used to always sing Take me out to the ballgame, and now, anyone interested can audition!

My first view of the ivy upon entering the park.

Now the fun begins!

The seats we originally were assigned were covered seats, in the back row of the stadium, with a fabulous view of the entire park, similar to this one, only a little higher up and to the right of home plate instead of to the left.

I have to confess that I did not get my camera out first when we got to our seats, I called my Dad who had bought the tickets to say thank you. During that call, a Cubs employee came and asked if Shawn and I would like to be the "Lucky Fans of the Day", and sit 15 rows behind home plate! All we had to do was put on cubs t-shirts (to keep) and be Cubs fans for the day. Fair enough. We agreed and it was off to our new view of Wrigley Field:

Great upgrade eh? We thought so too! I shot a little video with my camera that shows everything I could see from my chair: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-733124032237636978

These seats even came with musical entertainment!

The baseball game was pretty good, although never really in doubt. The Cubs got an early lead and never relinquished it. The Rockies starting pitching was pretty bad, while Carlos Zambrano pitched well. From our seats you could really see pitch movement and placement. Also, one part of Wrigley that no picture could possibly portray is the sound of a real organ playing baseball music. Old style baseball music, played live, not recorded. Being able to look up at the press box during "Take me out to the ball game" and sing with the rest of the rowdy fans at Wrigley was a lot of fun.

One other little highlight of our day was to see a lady in a wheelchair who was in the section to our right who was celebrating her 104th birthday at the ballpark. People were nice to her, went up to her and wished her a happy birthday, our section serenaded her, she blew kisses to the crowd and when she left in the 8th inning people applauded her as she left. Rarely have I seen someone smile that much. In the picture below she's wearing the white hat, waving as they announced her name over the loudspeaker.

While the Rockies lost, and the Cubs won, it was a grand time at the ole ball game. And just as if by magic, the game ended, the fans started to leave and the rain started to come down in buckets. This happened no more than 25 min after the last out.

What a fun day to spend, I have more pictures to share and I'm sure they'll creep into a future post. However that's the main part of our day at the friendly confines!

-Paul

Consumer Theory and the Magic Ice Chip Machine

2007-06-20T21:17:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Today there are a couple things on my mind....consumer theory and ice chips. Not neccessarily together mind you, but aside from the live BNL cut of 'Brian Wilson' that is what's in my head. Well, that and the five run lead the Rockies hold over the Yankees in 8th.....

First up, ice chips. If any of you have read Christina's last post, you'll know that we have started birth class at the hospital. So far, its been pretty good. Our instructor is a nurse who works in the birth center. Most of our last class was taken up by a tour of the birth center. Some of my observations are a bit different from Christina's comments. So here are what I consider good tips from the tour:

1) I am allowed, as a labor coach, to fetch water and ice chips for Christina. Some hospitals will not allow you to do this by yourself. Why this is the case, I'll never know, in any case I know where the ice chip machine is, and I know how to use it.
1a) Across from the ice chip machine is coffee or espresso for coachs, in case you show up at 3 AM.

2) The birth center is a lot warmer of an environment than I expected. I guess I was imagining something a bit more clinical; the warmth works for me.

3) As a labor coach I get one complimentary meal.

4) The waiting area for family is actually nice. Final count, 2 vending machines, 3 couchs, 4 chairs, 1 TV, elevator access, and one electronically controled glass door that keeps babies inside, unauthorized persons outside.

5) There are 2 electrical plugs in the recovery room for us to use during our stay.

6) The hospital has free Wi-Fi.

7) Thus from 6&7, I could bring my laptop to the birth center, with my camera, and publish from the recovery room. Isn't technology grand? Not sure if I'll have time, or enough arms to bring the computer the point is that its possible.

8) Hospital Ground Rule: Pregnant women in labor get complete control of the TV remote in the delivery room.

Enough Hospital tips for now. I'm sure I'll have more fun things later on.

The Rockies have now beaten the Yankees for the 2nd straight night!!!!

Next up...Consumer theory. I have been reading, at Aunt Patsy's suggestion ( and by proxy, Dan's suggestion) The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith. A very thought provoking book on the history of economic thought, theory and maybe where as a society we're wrong.

I am about halfway through the text and have begun to question one of the main tenets of consumer theory. So, in brief, and on a microeconomic scale, here are the three assumptions that hold up all of consumer theory:

a) Consumers are insatiable (more is always strictly preferred to less)
b) Consumers preferences are complete (ie preferences are ranked)
c) Preferences are transitive. (ie, if A>B, and B>C, it follows that A>C)

Also, not a formal assumption, but an important side note, this discussion centers on economic goods, not bads.

Which brings me to the general question I'd like you all to try and answer. Are we really insatiable? Consider carefully before answering, its a bit of a tricky question which has tied my brain in knots. Also, try and consider specific goods (too many iPods?) and the general case (More stuff is better who cares what it is).

Sunday Humor

2007-06-02T22:12:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Now I know I said this would be a blog about parenthood and in general it will be. However, the random smatterings of politics and economics will continue. This week some economic humor for you....Here is a link to the one and only Stand-up Economist reviewing Greg Mankiw's "Ten Principles of Economics".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVp8UGjECt4

These were literally the first ten things I learned about economics, although not quite in this fashion. The conclusions however, are stunningly accurate!!

Please enjoy the clip and for those of you who require further instruction on this topic please click here: http://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i2/mankiw.html

-Paul

The Nursery

2007-05-28T14:23:00.000-06:00

After a weekend of painting, our spare room is starting to really take shape as a nursery! It has blue paint (for those uninformed, its a boy!), great curtains, a changing table/dresser, and a crib.

Coming soon, pictures for the walls!

These two close-ups are of the fabric Christina used to make some nice curtains for the nursery!

I'm trying to get a video up here, but Google video is not cooperating! In the mean time, here are two pics of the blue walls. For those who are ultra-curious, the paint came from the Home Depot. Its in the Disney by Behr collection and its called "Silly Old Bluebirds". I tried to link to the Behr paint colors page, but they want money to view colors online. I recommend going to the Home Depot if you're that curious.

[Update #1: Christina found a link for the paint color:http://disney.go.com/disneyhome/disneypaints.html]

[Update #2: Link to the Google Video Tour of the Nursery: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6425555435797830281
It is only as long as my digital camera would allow me to record.]

Just a blue wall!

Blue paint behind the dresser and spare bed.

More updates as events warrant......
-Paul

More Evidence of Globalization

2007-04-28T15:38:00.000-06:00

A nice walking path at the Crabtree Nature Preserve near Barrington.

Just a quick note about the globalized economy in which we all now exist and some blogger tips.

Today at the local Jewel-Osco (grocery store, owned by Albertsons inc. in Boise, ID.) I was able to simultaneously purchase Polish beer and sample Southeastern Australian Wine. The beer came as a recommendation from my Polish co-worker. Funny how Polish beer was actually less expensive than many U.S. beers. I'll have to let you all know how it tastes.

Saturday at our grocery is sample day, and the liquor samples for today included, french liquor, Mexican tequila (as opposed to any other sort of tequila), and Australian wine. I tried Alice White's Shiraz (http://www.alicewhite.com/). Not bad, but I didn't purchase a bottle either. I'm curious if any of the Australians who might be reading this have tried this particular wine. If so, is it a good sample of what Australian wines taste like?

While there are many more impressive examples of globalization around me all the time, I caught myself thinking about the global economy while trying Australian wine, and buying Polish beer in Barrington, IL.

Note: To get a newsreel through blogger:

1) Log in to blogger.com
2) Select "Layout"
3) Click "Add Page Element"
4) Select the Top option in the left column titled "Newsreel"
5) Edit your new page element to select topics for your newsreel (e.g. Tour de France, LA Dodgers, and Barack Obama).
6) Also remember you can move page elements around your blog, on top like mine, in the footer, and in the sidebar.

Dad, did you see Amy's new blog button?

I Blew Out My Flip-Flop...

2007-04-27T20:05:00.000-06:00

Its been a weird week here....

The alternate title for this post is: The Mail At Our House.

The mail system here in Barrington is very strange. Most postal employees don't speak English very well (they do speak an array of foreign languages very well!), the mail delivery is somewhat unreliable, packages tend to arrive at our house with holes in them, and are sometimes dented.

Despite all of those things, I received a very nice (intact, non-dented, dry) package from Amy and Jon (blog links to the left) two days ago.

It contained amongst other wonderful things, an inflatable margarita. No hard liquor included.

If this were a real margarita, I'd never recover from the hangover! It's tall, about 4 feet, maybe a bit taller.

No post would be complete without a Java picture! Java likes the margarita, but I think she likes it too much, and if that lime moves the wrong way Java's claws will juice it in a hurry!

Also, I'd like some feedback on if anyone likes/dislikes the news reel at the top of the blog. I'm not sure if I like it, but so far its found many nifty Denver Broncos articles for me to read.

-Paul

ps: go ahead and sing along with the subject line, you know you want to....I know Amy is.

Its been how long since I posted?

2007-04-07T21:53:00.000-06:00

Java wondering if it's time for dinner, or breakfast, or even just a kitty treat!!!
(Note the cross-eyes, Java is always like this. It could explain why she occasionally runs into doorways)

Just like many readers of this blog who go long stretches between postings (Jon W!) I have no excuse for not posting up. So here are a few random smatterings of life recently in Barrington:

I was going to take spiffy pictures of spring in Chicago, however this year spring has not really arrived. Last year around this time was gorgeous, and I regretted not taking many photos. There were some snow flakes earlier today, and not many flowers have bloomed yet. The trees are still leafless sticks. I will have to get some pictures up when the weather gets warmer. I have decided that Chicagoland without snow in fall/winter/spring is just not photogenic.

On Tuesday I will have been at my job for 1 year. That also means 1 yr out of walmart! Speaking of my work I should have taken my camera today. The building on the far side of the drive through caught fire and we got to watch the B.F.D. extinguish the smoking heater on top of the building. The teller line was fairly slow when this all happened, and despite the fire trucks blocking both sides of the drive through, customers still tried to pull around the big red trucks with the flashing lights to make a deposit. *sigh*

My political thought for the week is that Bill Gates could run for President. It seems that the only requirement to be President these days is to have lots and lots of money. What will be interesting to see is if the candidate with the most money wins the election. My gut says no, the candidate with the best message should still win. Yet somehow, Bush is still President. The most interesting part for me is that Obama has just about as much money as Clinton; yet Obama has twice the number of donors as Clinton. So will donors translate to dollars in Iowa?

One parting thought that might lead to another post later...I want to be a corporate CEO. In particular being CEO of Ford would be GREAT! Where else could I post a loss of billions, and still get paid on average 7 million a month?

Late, With Pictures

2007-02-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

First, some baby news to report. Earlier this week Christina and I got to hear our baby's heartbeat! For anyone who has never heard a fetal heartbeat it sounds like some sort of watery household appliance. For example, I thought it sounded like my dishwasher running. Christina thought about our washing machine on spin cycle. Either way, it was neat to hear the heartbeat despite it sounding like whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh. While listening to it, the baby moved and the heartbeat became inaudible, forcing the doctor to move the wand to a new spot on Christina's abdomen so we could keep listening!

And secondly.....

Eric and I went downtown to the Chicago Auto Show last Saturday.

It was huge. The orange car above is the pace car for this years Indy 500.

And filled with some sweet rides. Like this one:

Yes the Army let Eric and I inside. No button pushing allowed! Very glad this is not my work environment.

The next four images show off how big this place is. For starters, the exhibit hall floor is large enough for 26 Boeing 747's to park comfortably.

Eric and I were both thought that hanging cars from the ceiling over a public walkway might not be the best idea. The cars on the shelves were part of a Scion display, yes there are 6 cars total up there. The bottom two images are test-ride exhibits where you could ride through various roadway conditions including ice and water fording.

Below are four images of the weirdest (remember not dumbest!) car we saw. This was up on a rotating pedestal so I couldn't sit inside, but hopefully the pictures are good enough to show you how odd this is. The concept for this Airstream (hot dog stand RVs anyone?) is to remake the standard American Van, but to focus on the passenger instead of the driver. I think the passenger's eggshell seat is the oddest part for me.

A Porsche boxster. Ahh if I had money and the need for a road trip. And no fear of speed traps.

Below is the dumbest car in the entire show: The Acura RDX. Together Eric and I could not figure out how to use the "intuitive" controls to simply turn down the radio volume. We figured the huge center knob next to the button that reads "Audio" might do the trick. We were very wrong. That center knob does everything but change the volume. The actual volume knob is 3 panels below that one, and is not labeled (or unlabeled on the steering wheel).

Time for another sweet ride, I still think Amy needs to buy this car with her big audiology dollars. A Pontiac Solstice, I think the color really helps make the car here.

Now we turn to my disappointment for the show, the 2007 Toyota Hybrid Highlander. Sure the mileage is good, but there are a few basic problems that make this vehicle unattractive to me.

1) the third row of seats (left image) do fold flat (right image), however anyone who sits in these seats better not have any legs at all. There is zippo leg room, and the 2nd row cannot be adjusted.

2) the cup holders have taken over this car. For the front two seats there are 2 cup holders. The second row has two cup holders on each door's arm rest; and two more cup holders in the fold-down center console of the 2nd row. The 3rd row has 2 cup holders (1 per side). This car holds at best, 2+3+2=7 people. Cup holders: 2+6+2=10 cup holders. While its pretty nice to have extra cup holders, could Toyota perhaps have engineered better seats instead?

3) If you buy the package with the screens in the front head rests, they seem very close to any backseat passenger.

OK, one last car and it's a pretty one. A blue Maserati. Who wouldn't want an Italian roadster?

Just for Amy, "My Maserati does 185, I lost my license, now I don't drive..."

ps: I'm not sure why blogger is ignoring my hard returns to space out my paragraphs a bit. Very sorry.

Winter In Chicago

2007-01-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

First the important news, all seems to be going well with the baby. We have not had a doctor's appointment since my last post, so not much to update on that front.

Finally, winter has arrived in Chicago. And it is not as fierce as had been previously predicted. There is only about an inch of snow on the ground, and the temps have remained about 0 deg F.

There is not the haze that exists in SLC, in fact we had a very clear day here last week and while out driving with Christina we could see the Sears tower in downtown from the suburbs!

My political thoughts for the week: I was happy to hear that Barack Obama may run for president in 08. I remember thinking that he would be foolish to run, and now I find myself happy that he is running! So far, out of all the candidates for President he's my favorite. As regular readers here know, I am very unhappy with the current President, hence the counter on the sidebar. Any commentary on any topic is always welcome.

Also, in the past few weeks the carpet in our back stairway was replaced. We still have a good size piece left over, which has proven to be endless fun for Java. Biscuit doesn't really care that we have it.

Thus, here it is, the must-have item for every household, the kitty burrito!

Below: Java inside the kitty burrito!

Yes, we call it Java's burrito. Yes, she really likes crawling inside it. No, I didn't shove the cat in here for this picture, it was her choice.

Not be outdone Biscuit meowed and sat nicely in her box until I took her picture too!

OK, I think that's all I have to say for the now.
Until next time,
-Paul

Biggest News Yet

2007-01-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I'm very sorry to anyone who visits here daily and rarely finds anything new.

Things have been a little hectic.

Since my last post, I have been back to Utah for my sister's wedding. My job has gotten very busy, and I learned that I am going to be a father...Christina and I are going to be parents. Scary as that may seem, it's true!

As you can imagine there has been a flury of doctors visits, questions asked, questions answered, and new vocabulary is being learned daily. I will have to post up some of what I have learned, and if Christina ever sends me to the grocery at 2:30 AM in a rainstorm for whatever she's craving expect that post too!

Also, the format here is changing, and hopefully will look better soon! The new blogger and I are not friends yet. Hopefully Jon can help me with that.

Along with the posts about pregnancy, I will hopefully continue to post about everything else, economics, politics, sports, and the occasional stupid criminal!

For now though, its bedtime.

Economic Discrimination In Airports

2006-11-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

During my trip to Arizona and back, I finally realized that there is economic discrimination in US airport security lines. At Chicago's O'Hare airport, Tucson International, and Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport there are separate security lines for first class passengers.

Now, I understand that a first class ticket costs more, thus the purchaser gets more. They get seated first, "free" alcoholic drinks, food, the ability to get off the plane first, etc. But should the holder of a first class ticket be ahead of anyone else going through security?

The way I understand airport security (and I could be wrong) is that every ticket holder pays a security fee per flight. Its a tax. One that funds the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). A public program where I pay the same amount as a first class passenger to be "safe" yet they get to go first. And I stand in line for 1-3 hrs more, potentially missing my flight even though I was at the airport more than 2 hrs before my flight.

When I searched the TSA's website for the term "first class" , no results came up. The website also describes that the TSA is funded by the security fees paid by travelers (and other congressional funding).

Does anyone have a rational explanation for this? Have I misunderstood the TSA program?

Phoenix

2006-11-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to mention how cool it is that airports offer free Wi-Fi access.

Today I have been able to amuse myself by checking weather forecasts, email, news, and as you can see blog. While I haven't done anything really important, the point is if I had needed the net its there.

I'll have more airport thoughts later but for now, I think I'm going to shut down the computer and watch Monday Night Football which is now being broadcast throughout the airport!

Barrington Halloween

2006-10-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quick halloween post to share three pictures of the Barrington Bank and Trust's Scarecrow! He has been outside the bank for a few weeks now. Enjoy!

Java Playing 1

2006-10-28T22:14:00.000-06:00


Java Playing

Hugo Chavez and the Inconsistent Democrats

2006-09-23T21:58:00.000-06:00

Here is my uncomfortable political point of the day:

A few days ago, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez delivered an address to the U.N. General Assembly. During this speech he repeatedly insulted President G.W. Bush, at one point calling him "the devil".

Now the leaders of the Democratic party are upset that Chavez insulted Bush. For several quotes by Sen. Rangel, and Rep. Pelosi click here:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/21/chavez.ny/index.html

Here is my problem with the democratic party leadership....Haven't they spent the last 6 yrs insulting President Bush or his policies? Now they claim that is a privilege held only by American citizens! Also, if I understand Sen. Rangel, he is even more insulted that these remarks took place on U.S. soil. Is the U.N. HQ U.S. territory, or is it treated like an embassy where the building lies within the U.S. but isn't treated like U.S. soil?

Does this seem a tad inconsistent to anyone else?

Before answering, consider asking if, for example, the British would be angry if Bush insulted Blair's policies?

As always, commentary is welcome.

Where The Wild Things Are...

2006-09-21T21:44:00.000-06:00

I have found where the wild things gather in the blogosphere.

Yes that's right, I have found the a website that lists some nifty blogs written by economists. Not only that, but the blogs that are high traffic blogs. Now I haven't had a lot of time to scour them and see which ones I like, however its nifty to see the wide exchange of ideas in the field, outside the boundaries of the academic journals. It could lead to some interesting reading.

http://www.gongol.com/lists/bizeconsites/2006-09/

In particular interest is the following blog: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/ This is Greg Mankiw's blog. He has done a lot of things in the world of economics, and currently teaches at Harvard. His econ text was the very first one I picked up, and is what got me hooked on the topic.

Also, I have purchased the latest from the BNL, and so far I like it, but it is far different from the last album. The lyrics are very well written. My favorite cut so far is either "Bank Job" or "Adrift". Working in a bank, the tune "Bank Job" holds particular interest for me.

New Blog

2006-09-19T17:29:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the blogosphere my wife Christina!! She made her blog in the past couple weeks and has been working on making it look good, although it is still a work in progress.

Please take a read, and leave a comment or two! The URL is www.canadianmists.blogspot.com and is also in my list above.

In the meantime, I will match Jon's random animal photo with a sleeping leopard.

2006-09-13T22:53:00.000-06:00

This is the cute kitten picture (see last post). Java likes blankets. In particular, she likes any blanket that you might want to use for say, sleeping in the near future. Also, Java recently discovered how to climb on top of Christina's monitor, where the Windows "starfield" screensave proved to be highly entertaining.

Over the weekend, as noted in my last post, I got to visit the great state of Michigan! In particular the southwest shores. The purpose of the trip was for Christina and her Mom to meet up with her Aunt for her soon-to-be-cousin's bridal shower. We slept on one sailboat (which is much like sleeping in an RV, only its less spacious) and the rest of the family on the other.

During the bridal shower, Christina's Dad, her Uncle and I went sailing. This was a lot of fun. I also learned a few things about modern navigational systems. I took a lot of pictures and I think the best way to share this is by photos and explain a little about each one. I also took little videos on my digital camera and will have to learn how to embed them here for viewing (I can't decide between YouTube or Google Video, any ideas??)

For those interested, we started off at Whitehall Lake, MI (www.whitelake.org), or Google Earth's best search term is "Muskegon, MI". From the docks we left Whitehall Lake, went through the channel onto Lake Michigan then turned north for 5 NM and returned.

Sunrise at the boat docks, fantastic morning, cool, slightly humid....pretty. Spent part of the morning strolling the dock drinking a good cup of coffee.

Our craft for the day the Desperado. Interior of the Desperado...note the radios, GPS, Windows XP startup screen. All of these tools came in very handy during our journey.

The image on the left is the main control panel on deck, located right in front of the ship's main steering wheel. Top left screen is a digital compass, the screen on the right shows position, and radar, bottom left gauge measures boat speed or wind speed and direction. These devices are linked to sensors throughout the ship, controls the rudder (if you want it to), and maps your journey on the PC downstairs.

The digital compass can be set to "Auto" (as shown), from here if you want to go 10 degrees to port, hit the button marked "-10", and the compass will automatically adjust the rudder, even when factoring in wind, to take you there. Very spiffy tool when you're close to harbor. Out in the wind I preferred the manual wheel.

The map/radar screen conveys a variety of information to guide your way. It shows geography, topography (below water lever), bouyes, and other ships.

Left: This is the channel from White Lake onto Lake Michigan.
Right: We spent most of the day with good strong wind that kept us leaned to the starboard side, on occasion we got some water up over the boats edge. We averaged around 6 knots across the ground, with 17-20 knot winds. This image was the view from my seat on the starboard side.

A photo by Christina's Dad of me at the helm on Lake Michigan. Yes I'm wearing bears jacket, but I forgot mine and it was the spare available. The hat, however is a Denver Broncos hat. The boat over my shoulder was listed on our radar as a "dangerous target". Sadly, this boat had no torpedoes with which to eradicate my "dangerous target". Also in the picture, to my right, is a little black speaker. The boat has many media options (including cable TV in dock), such as a CD player, AM/FM radio, and I'm sure in you were inventive enough to load an MP3 library onto the ship's computer, you entire iTunes library on the water with you.

This dog, belongs to the people in the slip next door to Christina's Aunt and Uncle. His name, amazingly enough is Harley.

All in all, a good weekend trip. But for now its far too late for me to be blogging, and I should try and go to sleep.

ps. I am working on some new fun links for those of you bored with the current offerings.

Posting Time!

2006-09-05T21:03:00.000-06:00

Its been an interesting couple of weeks here in Barrington. From this I have a couple of entertaining stories to share, and at least one cute photo.

First, I have decided on one aspect of my job that I really enjoy. Its not a big thing, just a small little sliver of my job, that makes me smile every single day while I am at work. On every bank draft (well most of them), there is a line on the back with text that states:

"Do not write, stamp or sign below this line.
Reserved for financial institution use."

When I am at work, I am acting as an agent of a financial institution. Everyday I print, validate, stamp, and initial below that line. And everyday it makes me smile. Keep in mind its not against the law, its merely a suggestion to leave that space alone. However, for me, writing below the line is like cutting that annoying tag off the bottom of your mattress.

Second, about a week and a half ago, one of our cats (Biskit) lit herself on fire. That's right, I said fire. Christina and I had snuggled up on our lazy boy, watching TV with a lit candle on the table next to the chair. Biskit climbed up onto our laps because she cannot resist the chance to be petted. In doing so, despite Christina trying to move the cat, and me trying to move the candle, Biskit still managed to drape the long hair on the end of her tail, over the flames, and ignite her tail. Christina, quickly grabbed Biskit's tail and patted out the flames. Then she ran her to the bathtub to run the cats tail under cold water. I called Christina's Mom for advice on what we should do next. After the flames were out and the cat's tail soaked; Christina snipped the singed hair from the cats tail. This left Biskit a tad lopsided, yet otherwise confused and unscathed. It also, briefly left the apartment smelling like burnt cat hair. Biskit was very annoyed at being soaked, but Biskit is so unobservant a creature that I don't think she ever realized she caught fire at all!

Third, I think I have found an interesting financial product and the worst example of reading from cue cards ever seen. The financial product is weather futures and options contracts. That's right, in some sense you can invest in the weather. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange is where such products are created, sold and traded daily. Its part of their alternative investment department. The website is: www.cme.com/weather On this site, there is a link on the right hand side of the page to watch a product brief all about weather futures. This video is quite possibly one of the worst public speaking examples ever, even better, its expected to sell people on weather futures. Don't get me wrong, I think its a neat idea, only its poorly marketed.

Fourth, the other four legged creature in our house, Java, has a nifty hobby. For unknown reasons, burrows under blankets and flattens herself as far as possible most of the time. Be careful where you sit or crawl into bed around here, you'll probably find a cat. Anyway the point here is that its very cute when the cat comes out from the blankets or is discovered when the blanket is pulled back. Last week I caught a snapshot of this phenomenon.

Grrr.....blogger is not cooperating right now, so I will have to post the cute kitten photo later.

Also, this weekend I am going to Michigan with Christina and her folks. I've been into southern Michigan before, and its very pretty. This will be my farthest venture north into the state, so hopefully I'll be able to post some nice pics.

Until blogger cooperates for me to post pictures I leave you with a few questions:

1) What is the most outrageous thing your pet(s) has ever done?
2) What are people's thoughts on investing in the weather?
3) Will the Broncos meet the Bears in the Super Bowl?

Bush's Foreign Policy

2006-08-14T21:14:00.000-06:00

I know, long time, no post... No excuses here. Just no posting.

For now, I have a confession. In the dark corners of my brain I had been slowly composing a post critizing Bush's foreign policy. Then Bush reduced my workload significantly. He took what I was going to write in several paragraphs and reduced it to eleven words.

He said, ""We want peace. We're not interested in process. We want results."
Source (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/14/bush/index.html

The three sentences, as I would unspin them say: "We really don't want peace, we start wars. We don't care why people hate us. We want the oil."

Anyway, hopefully there will be more on this topic later. For now, bed.

-Paul

Picture time!

2006-07-08T11:56:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

This afternoon I remembered to download pictures from my camera! They have been accumulating there for awhile now and its time to share some!

First off, our next door neighbors gave us their old Weber grill (they were gifted with a new one)..... It now lives on the front porch. It could probably use a new grill grate, but otherwise pretty nice. Here is a photo of some grilled chicken and pineapple being cooked on the grill (it was tasty)!

The following images are the highlights of the Barrington 4th of July parade. Not much to look at, but there was well attended anyway (see below, left). Also, this old Barrington PD car made me think of the Blues Brothers films.

The Barrington parade did have some redeeming qualities. For instance, Christina's grandfather marched with his VFW post (no picture). The one and only actual decorated parade float was this duck. He was meant to advertise for some charity gig later on this summer. You can tell the marketing was effective by how much I remember! And any parade entry that has large flames just seems cool.

Then there were the odder points of the parade. I have no idea why this man dressed like this, but he did. Vikings can be patriotic right? And my town's parade had Alpacas. Did yours? I bet not.

Also, Christina went around the house and took some pictures of the new furniture...

The photo on the left is a china hutch we bought from a local resale shop, along with the hutch on the right. Both are in very good condition. Also pictured is the new water cooler we bought. The new dining room table and chairs are also visible.

Below is the oddest wedding present we received. I have no idea what to do with this swan. He came with the washclothes, and it looks out of place in just about every room in the house. Anyway, I also decided to share the swan for fun and because the image on the left shows the china hutch really well. Any suggestions on what to do with the swan? Also, the swan came from an extended relative who would expect it to be here if they were ever to visit.

Its a pretty quiet day here in Barrington. I have the day off of work and later this afternoon will be attending the 3rd annual Barrington Brew Fest (www.barringtonbrewfest.com), compliments of my employer. I will be taking my camera there as well, so maybe there will be good pictures of the brew fest later!

-Paul

Flag Burning, Again!

2006-06-28T23:19:00.000-06:00

For all of those readers who recall my letters to Senator Hatch regarding S.J. 12 (An Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to prohibit physical desecration of the U.S. Flag), here is an update on the issue...

The House passed the resolution some time ago. Yesterday, the Senate failed to do so. The vote was 66-34 in favor of the amendment, one vote shy of the 2/3 neccessary to move the amendment onto the states for ratification. This vote was interesting and disturbing to me. It was interesting because it did not split down party lines as I thought it might. The disturbing part was that this amendment came so very close to passage. Of course that wouldn't be the end of the battle, but I think 38 state legislatures would ratify it pretty quick. To see the breakdown of how senators voted, click here (The 2 from IL voted Nay).

The original author, Senator Hatch, of course voted for his own work (I expected nothing less). The other Utah Senator, Bennett voted Nay. While I am not sure why Bennett voted Nay, I did find what Hatch had to say after the vote... (credit hatch.senate.gov)

“This amendment would give back to Congress the power the Supreme Court usurped from it 17 years ago when five unelected justices rejected 200 years of statutes that protected Old Glory. This amendment wouldn’t change the Constitution, it would restore it to what it was before the Supreme Court altered it.

“While banning flag desecration is important to the majority of Americans, this amendment is about more than the flag. It’s a message to activist judges that enough is enough. This amendment is a way for Congress to stand up and say to the Supreme Court we won’t sit idly by when you to usurp the power of the people. Fifty state legislatures have petitioned Congress for this amendment, and passage of it would have given power of their nation’s greatest symbol back to them.

“This is a setback, but it’s not a final defeat. For protecting the Stars and Stripes, I will not give up and I will not surrender.”

On the other hand, here is what Senator Obama, from Illinois had to say about the issue:

"I cannot imagine anything more abhorrent to a veteran than seeing the flag they fought for being burned to make a political point. I too have great pride in our flag. I share outrage at the thought of it being disrespected. And though I have never seen anyone burn a flag, if I did, it would take every ounce of restraint I had not to haul off and hit them.

"But we live in a country of laws. Laws are what stop people from resorting to physical violence to settle disagreements, and laws are what protect free speech. And when I became a Senator, I swore an oath to protect the Constitution. Under that oath, my first allegiance is not to a political party, or to an ideology, or to a president, or even to popular opinion, but to the Constitution and to the rule of law.

"The Framers made it difficult to amend the Constitution because our founding document should not be changed just because of political concerns or temporary problems. And even the strongest supporters of this amendment are hard-pressed to find more than a few instances of flag burning each year. Those problems were left to be solved through legislation, and I support legislation introduced by Senator Durbin that makes it illegal to burn the flag without changing the Constitution. The Constitution has only been amended 27 times. These amendments include guarantees of our most basic freedoms, the freedom of religion, the right to a trial by jury, the protection against cruel punishment.

"Today, there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops risking their lives for their country, looking to us to come up with a plan to win the peace so they can come home. Across America, there are millions who are looking for us to do something about health care, about education, about energy. The Senate will likely be in session for about 50 more days for the rest of this year. To spend the precious time we have left battling an epidemic of flag burning that does not exist is a disservice to our country.

"As Richard Savage of Bloomington, Illinois wrote to me, "I am a Vietnam veteran and Republican. . . . Those who would burn the flag destroy the symbol of freedom, but amending the Constitution would destroy part of freedom itself." Mr. Savage is right, which is why I will vote against this amendment. Senator Durbin's amendment is a way forward to balance our respect for the flag with reverence for the Constitution."

I do not support regular ole' legislation banning the non-existent epidemic. It is regular legislation that the Supreme Court struck down to begin with. However, I think Senator Obama, is right that the Senate has much more important business at hand. (credit obama.senate.gov)

I think perhaps, a pair of well framed letters to my current Senators is in order.

Anyway, enough for now.

-Paul

Way Too Much Spare Time

2006-06-14T20:17:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Here are some guys with way too many mentos, too much Diet Coke, and far too much spare time! Link: http://eepybird.com/dcm1.html

Thank you for the comments on immigration, although I know I have slacking about responding. I have two thoughts in particular:

1) Emma, why would Australia need to build a wall to prevent illegal immigrants? Is there a rush of exceptionally good swimmers headed your way?

2) Ruth, nice that you could stop by and comment! I agree that the citizenship process could use some clean-up. On the thought of citizenship...we need to work on our own citizens knowledge of our country. Just because we're born here doesn't give use the right to ignorance about where we live! For example, I work with a lady who came to the USA, earned citizenship and knows more about our government's structure and history than most Americans I know!

Also, a movie review today. Pixar's latest film "Cars" is excellent. The film is funny, well written, and the voices are well chosen. Also, stay through the credits, its worth it.

-Paul

Irregular Return

2006-05-23T20:59:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone,

I guess my post almost a month ago wasn't the "regular return" that I hoped it would be. Very sorry to anyone who has been anxiously awaiting an update.

First of all, as promised...homemade pizza. Christina and I have made pizza a couple times in the past month and each time the results were tasty! Pictured below is the first pizza we made. Toppings included: sausage, muchrooms, red onions and cheese.

Anyway, the latest adventure in married life for Christina and I was a trip to Fontana, Wisconsin. Its a very pretty place, just over the IL-WI border on the shores of Lake Geneva. Or as every sign we saw read, Geneva Lake.

Anyway, this was my view for most of Sunday afternoon..

When I wasn't sitting on the shore reading my book, I was at Chuck's. A basic sports bar/beach/boaters dive, consisting of a grill, a pool table, 3 pinball tables and some tables. Very friendly people, although they were all White Sox fans and they were showing the Sox/Cubs game. All in all, not a bad place to grab a bite and hang out for a bit.

Getting back to politics, here are a few of my thoughts on President Bush's immigration reform speech given recently on national TV. For those who missed the speech, he outlined 5 points on immigration. I wanted to touch on each one individually..

1) The United States Must Secure Its Borders.
Sure we have to have secure borders. This point sounded good to me. Even his method to implement the plan sounds OK, as long as the National Guard doesn't get stretched too thin. The one point I'm shaky on is the building of a larger fence/wall. How will it be built, maintained, and monitored?

2) To Secure Our Border We Must Create A Guest Worker Program.
This idea to me, sounds like an extended 'catch and release' program. How would the US Government force legal guest workers home after several years when they can't seem to send illegal workers home now?

3) We Need To Hold Employers Accountable For The Workers They Hire.
This is important, but employers could be victims instead of criminals. For example, they hire someone who has forged documents. Who should go to jail? Who should pay the financial penalties?

4) We Must Deal With The Millions of Illegal Immigrants Already Here.
This point is a given. It would be physically possible, yet fiscally unreasonable to deport 11 million plus people. First you have to find them, then prove they are here illegally, then actually spend the money to deport them and hope their country takes them back! Its easier (read cheaper) to make them pay penalties and work towards citizenship. Christina also noted that long term illegal immigrants, might have children, since they were born here might have a claim to citizenship.

5) We Must Honor The Great American Tradition of The Melting Pot.
This part of Bush's speech called for English to be the national language of the USA. Does anybody think this is a good idea? I'm not sure this is a good idea. Is the US willing to pay to teach immigrants English? Will immigrants have to pass an English exam to enter the country? Will people who cannot speak English be arrested? Or will they simply be left behind in American culture?

Anyway, those are my initial thoughts on immigration. Comments are always welcome.

-Paul

One Month

2006-04-25T18:22:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

In what I hope to be a regular return to the blogosphere, here is a rundown of my last month...

1) The wedding.

One month ago today I married a fabulous lady named Christina. She had a gorgeous dress, and could not have looked better. The whole day was very fun for the both of us.

My day consisted of breakfast with the guys, walking around Barrington with my Dad (and others) and waiting for the wedding. The wedding ceremony was good, the reception was a lot of fun, and I had my picture taken hundreds of times.

One thing that Christina and I both missed completely from the wedding was the coffee bar at the reception. Apparently it had all sorts of goodies on it besides coffee. Did anyone else tryout the coffee bar?

Other blogs around here have posted some images of the grand event, but I have a few more to share here.

Left: Christina getting ready. Right: Yay! We're done!

Left: The pictures begin... Right: Kiss the bride? Sure!

Emma, here are the pretty rings! And the pretty cake!

My name is Umbriaco, Jake Umbriaco....008?

Then it was time to get down and get funky (Me, dancing with Amy)!

2) My new job.

The Tuesday before the wedding my Walmart career came to an abrupt end when the Barrington Bank and Trust (www.barringtonbank.com) called and offered to hire me as a Bank Teller. The Monday after our honeymoon ended, I started my new job (oddly enough on my birthday).

Its been fun to learn the ins and outs of being a teller. I never ever imagined some of the things that go on behind the scenes at a bank. Although I must admit I was nervous when the first training session was a video detailing how to act during a robbery. Oddly enough in the two weeks after I was hired and before I started at the bank the concept of a robbery hadn't crossed my mind. Perhaps that is why they have that particular video.

3) New roomies

No, this section is not about Christina, but the two little furballs that have accompanied her. One of them has already been introduced on this blog and that is is Biscuit. The other, making her blog debut, is Java. This cat was rescued by Christina from Logan UT On New Years Eve 2004. She was named Java because she is wired in the morning, much like my espresso.

Java (more pictures to come of both cats eventually!)

They have certainly made life around here entertaining, and the cats are always excited when I get out of bed in the morning for work. Java because she likes her people time in the morning and she gets breakfast. Biscuit likes to take my spot on the bed because its warm.

Coming soon, G-rated honeymoon highlights, adventures in married life, and how to cook pizza from scratch!

-Paul

Blog Update

2006-04-19T07:48:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Wow, 34 days since my last post. I must have had a busy month. I have not had time to blog about everything yet, but I am alive (for those who were wondering) and hopefully will find some time to put up some pictures and the stories that go with them. In short, for those who don't know what my month has been like...

1) I got married
2) I got a new job

Life has been interesting ever since! Life has also been pretty good to me lately.

I'll have to post some pictures when I have time, until then...off to work!

-Paul

Blog Reconstruction and an update

2006-03-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the new face of my blog! I know its not much different from the old face, but I finnally was able to take the background picture I wanted. As many an astute reader told me, my background picture was not of Chicago or Barrington...but of Logan, UT my former home.

Yesterday I had the chance to take this wonderful picture on from the edge of Navy Pier prior to the flower and garden show. I would name all the buildings for you if I could, but the only one I can name is the Sears Tower (right hand side, large white antennas on top).

I realize some of the font colors are not showing up quite right, and I will be trying to fix those as time goes by, and given my life these days....it could be awhile.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the Chicago Flower and Garden show. Enjoy!

This view is of an oriental garden that greeted visitors at the entrance, the long green things are bamboo.

This is is a small part of a garden that was sponsored by the University of Illinois, and was the best in show. The picture does not do the entire display any justice at all. The garden was huge and throughout demonstrated how people with arthritis could garden without pain, and even help them emotionally.

Bathtub and matching bathmat. Very cool display, I especially thought the use of peacock feathers was neat.

If I won the lotto today, this is what would be installed tommorrow. Its a cool looking gazebo, with stepping stones leading to a very large jacuzzi surrounded by tall fountains, and carefully concealed, well placed speakers.

This is supposed to be some sort of table...or at least I think so. Either way, very detailed, very neat looking arrangement.

This is part of the main display garden. It was supposed to be an Irish garden. This was a huge display, and the landscaping crew there said it took them a week to assemble it. Like most displays here, you were able to walk through the gardens themselves, and talk to the people who built them.

Deal or No Deal?

2006-03-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

Amy will think this is funny...but I got hooked watching a primetime network TV show two three nights ago. Yessir, I was sucked in by Deal or No Deal. I was sucked in by the promos during the Olympics. I wondered how I had missed a "international phenomenon". So, when I happened across an episode, I stopped channel surfing and started watching.

Then I became confused. Contestants were turning down offers for $90,000+ and eventually ending up with much lower. It took two rounds, but I finnally figured out how the game worked. Right then I became much more intrigued by what looked like classic economic game theory, right there on NBC; being cheered on by a pretty wild audience.

The point of the game is that the contestant can make quite a bit of money, provided they pick the right briefcases, correctly weigh some probabilities and the expected value of those briefcases. So I tried to figure out a dominant strategy to win at this game...Only, I'm not sure one exists. I think the successful contestant (on this show everyone wins, its just a matter of how much you win) would have to be lucky in what cases they pick, and know when to stop. I suppose trying to calculate the formula used to make offers could be useful; but not by much, because that could change at any time.

Does anybody have a better theory?

Funniest Valentine Ever!

2006-03-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I received a valentines day card from my sister, as part of a larger packet of stuff that was sent to my house. That's the reason it was not here on valentine's day, not because Amy is a slacker.

This is the outside of the card:

The inside simply read" "I hope you don't mind that I gave him your number."

Nuff said.
-Paul

Beer Thieves With No Taste

2006-02-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

My theft of the week does not go to the 88 million heist in England, but to some unknown culprits in a fantastic place called, Wisconsin! Although they stole beer, they didn't steal any really good beer. If you're going to steal things (not recommended), at least steal good things, like a semi-truck full of Pacifico, or Guinness, or Modelo Negro....

For details click: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11553551/

I'm gonna be a hero....

2006-02-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Just thought ya'll might want to know that the BNL have apparently been in the studio, working on a new album and there is a place to hear some of their new stuff. They tested out the new songs at some concerts late last year and these are the recordings. Only two of the songs would play for me (Bank Job (Amy, try this one, think Oceans 11) and Everything Had Changed), hopefully you have better luck. At one point the band mentions that hopefully the album will be ready by the end of the summer!

The songs are available here: http://www.myspace.com/barenakedladies

Also, I found out reading www.bnlmusic.com that the BNL Fan club is now free. It used to cost money, but not anymore. Also, the BNL has begun making podcasts....

I have found myself listening to lots of BNL this week. I have decided that Maroon is by far my favorite of their works. Each album has things I like, but somehow, I find myself listening to Maroon more than any other.

The picture at the top of the post was taken about a month ago at the United Center in Chicago, when Christina and I went to a hockey game.

Also, these puzzles aren't new by any means, but they are certainly entertaining. I played around with one last night for a few minutes and though the SuDoKu addicts that read this blog might enjoy a new challenge: http://www.kakuropuzzle.com/

I think that's all for now. It's lunch time here and then its off to work!

-Paul

Survey answers due to late night laundry!

2006-02-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

As a favor for Jake....and I suppose Jonathon too, not to mention anyone who had him fill this out....unless of course, he created it.

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Arby's food server
2. Lagoon Campground Staff
3. Parking Ticket Writer (USU campus)
4. Walmart Sales Associate

Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. The Matrix
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. The Whole Nine Yards
4. Ocean's Eleven (Clooney/Pitt version)

Four places that I’ve lived:
1. Layton, Utah
2. Logan, Utah
3. Santa Barbara, CA
4. Barrington, IL

Four TV shows that I love:
1. Prime Ministers Questions on CSPAN2
2. Sportscenter on ESPN
3. US House/Senate Coverage on CSPAN
4. Law and Order (not L&W CI, SUV, just plain ole Law and Order, usually the reruns with Amy, eating tacos and wondering why GWB turned down our lovely dinner invitation...)

Four places I’ve vacationed:
1. Anaheim, CA
2. Warren Dunes State Park, MI
3. Starved Rock State Park, IL
4. Yellowstone National Park

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Beef and cheese casserole
2. Mom's lasagna
3. Marinated & BBQ'ed Chicken
4. Christina's tomato, onion, pepper, sausage dish (I'm sorry I don't know the proper name here. Much like stupid potatoes, it just might not have one)

Four sites I visit daily (without email, jobs and blogs):
1. www.CNN.com
2. www.dilbert.com
3. www.google.com
4. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ifps/MapClick.php?CityName=Barrington&state=IL&site=LOT

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. The Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (I miss Aggie hoops...)
2. Maui (never been, but it sounds warmer than here)
3. Starved Rock State Park (I have more trails to explore there)
4. Mile High Stadium/Coors Field/Pepsi Center on Game day/night.

Four people who must now do this survey (only if you feel like it):
1. Amy
2. Jon Wheeler
3. My Dad
4. Emma Muhlack

Blogging at long last...

2006-02-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry all for the delay on my State of the Union reaction, been a bit busy around here.

First impressions....the speech was well written, and since I read it later instead of watching the webcast, I have no idea how the delivery was. The speech really was fairly weak, but with approval numbers like Bush's, you can't make too many big statements!

Second, a few parts I didn't like....

a) Only one sentence on the topic of Hamas being elected to a majority position in Palestine. With the Palestinian/Israeli peace process being a central political topic throughout the Middle East, this needed more attention. The disruption of that process could affect the U.S. in many ways, possibly really bad ways. What diplomatic solution will Bush attempt to implement? Will he even attempt it, or just ignore the democratically elected terrorists who are centered on destroying a U.S. ally who we've promised to arm and if need be, protect?

b) "with open markets and a level playing field, no one can out-produce or out-compete the American worker"--not so. I think there are plenty of people who can out-produce and out-compete the American worker. It just depends on the industry involved, and much more importantly, the average American worker can be outsmarted in many ways.

c) "addicted to oil" - a very odd comment from a Texas Oilman, whose political base is made up of other rich Texas & Saudi Oilmen, do we really expect action from him on this? I think it might just be hot air.

d)"clean, safe, nuclear energy" - is this an oxymoron? If its that safe, and clean, then why can't we decide where and how to store the waste?

e) I'm not so sure about Bush wanting to prohibit all human cloning. I'm not a doctor, and perhaps those who read this blog who are studying to be doctors can tell me, "is there any possible medical advantage to studying cloning? could it lead to better cures, or even better comprehension of diseases? is there a way to do this testing 'ethically'?"

3) A couple things I did like....

a) the American Competivness Initiative. Can I get one of these teaching jobs in math or science? Aside from my job search, I like that Bush recognizes that the American student can be outsmarted right now and that will lead to future workers being outsmarted.

b) a commission to study the effects of the baby-boomer retirement is a great idea. I would add some academics to the panel, rather than just congressmen. This country has plenty of Nobel Prize economists lying around, how about using them? Heck, Greenspan's free these days, he'd be great for this job.

c) I like the continued research funding for alternative energy sources. I consider this a great use of public funds.

That's all for now I guess....

-Paul

Gonna Get Political!!

2006-01-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time again....the night of the year, that for once, Amy will be glad that I am no longer her roomie!

The State of the Union address is Tuesday, January 31st, 2006...9 PM EST. Too bad I'll be at work. :(

This version annual address from GWB should be a very interesting address. Will he address Iraq? Domestic spying program? Health care costs seems to be what the press thinks he'll talk about. But to what degree will he actually confront his critics? Better yet, how will he defend his position, while still trying to boost his approval ratings? Should be an interesting verbal tap dance.

What I am most interested in is how the Bush administration will handle the election results in Palestine. Hamas was certainly the last group the White House wanted to win the election; yet they did. Bush wanted to spread democracy, and Hamas listened. Now what? Ignore Hamas? Deal with them, despite their intent to destroy Israel and try to talk them out of it? Bush's foreign policy has not always been the best. The State of the Union would be a good way to present the way he'll approach the situation. I hope he talks about this topic more than any other.

More commentary will follow the address....

Paul

The above image was taken at Saguaro National Park, in AZ. Why is it here? I felt like sharing it.

My Issues With The Broncos

2006-01-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ok folks,

I am going to step out on a limb and disagree with Jake about the Broncos game a bit here. I have two main problems with the game (hint: none of them are Jake Plummer).

1) Why did they change from man-to-man secondary coverage after the 1st quarter? Seems to me that when they played man-to-man, the defense was batting away passes, and almost picking them off. Under the zone coverage, which I think was used from the 2nd quarter on, Pittsburgh could gain 6 yds on a whim! Hence the conversion of just about every 3rd and long...

2) Why did Denver stop calling aggressive plays? Best example is to compare the following scenarios:

Denver faced 4th & 1 at midfield, down 10 points in the 2nd quarter. Denver went for it, and got it; all while running the risk of giving Pittsburgh half the field. Smart play? Probably not, but aggressive.

Then, later that same drive....4th & 3 from the 5 yd line. They kicked the field goal instead of going for 3 yds and a shot at a touchdown. What were the costs here compared to the previous 4th down? If you fail, Pittsburgh has to go 95 yds, instead of 50. Denver was at home, they really needed 7, not 3. The whole game would have been different with a score of 10-7. Each team would have made different choices. Denver needed to stay aggressive, and because they didn't, they paid for it later through desperation passes that led to turnovers.

Is Jake responsible for throwing the bad passes? Sure, but force him to throw enough and eventually he'll get picked off, anyone will. Pittsburgh knew Denver had to go to the air for points, and they defended it very well.

Also note that Plummer didn't roll out much until the 2nd half...reminds me of week 1 vs Miami. Denver finnally showed up in the 2nd half and the damage was already done.

When Plummer rolls out, he's very effective (15 TD's, 1 INT). Why not call for him to roll out more in the first half? I think the coaches worried far too much about interceptions on the run. This is where Jake had trouble in the 04-05 season. However, they seemed to have cured him of that in 05-06. They relied on him rolling out all year. The coaches called aggressive, risky plays all year long, and it got them this far. Why did they stop now?

I don't think the Broncos nation can lay this all on Jake Plummer unless he made these passive choices. If he was taking plays from the coaches, then its not his fault in my mind.

I am also going to agree on the point that had Big Ben been healthy all season, the game could have been in Pittsburgh.

Comments, as always, are welcome. Especially to debate Sports, Econ and politics.

Rainy Day In Downtown

2006-01-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Just what is Amy standing in front of? Read on to find out!

Hello,

Here is the latest selection of some photos that I took over the weekend. My sister, Amy (click on the emu above for her blog) got to come visit with me for a couple days, one of which was spent downtown, trying to see the sights.

The main sight we wanted to see was the Sears Tower Skydeck. Pretty cool in clear weather, alas it was raining, then snowing and the top of the building was in cloud cover all day. Instead we went to the Federal Reserve of Chicagos visitor center (dry and free!). We saw a lot of old currency and at least 3 million in current bills. Amy also got her very own bag of shredded U.S. currency.

Amy standing next to a cube of a million $1 dollar bills! And then by a briefcase with a million dollars in $100.00 bills. What a difference denominations make eh?

From the Fed it was off to Millenium Park and then Marshall Fields/Macy's. We had to go see the new park and the gigantic metallic bean-shaped sculpture it contains. The bean is actually called "cloud gate".

Here is Cloud Gate from afar....and close up! They are still working on the underbelly of the bean and Amy mentioned that the workmen looked like an Oompa loompa.

This is the Millenium Park bandshell. A summer concert here looks like a lot of fun.

On the opposite side of the bean statue is an ice skating rink. This rink sits right on Michigan Ave.

All in all, a nice morning. Rainy, but nice. I think downtown Chicago is much nicer in the sunshine. Perhaps I will take more downtown photos when the weather gets warmer.

More later,
-Paul

Back In The Blogosphere

2006-01-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Decided to try out a background and had the worst time getting the coding right. Having won this battle, I am going to save finding a good photo/text color combination until later. Sorry for the page not being too readable for now. I am also open to ideas for photo/color combinations.

-Paul

A Monster Post

2005-12-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Very sorry about the lack of posting for almost a month, so here is a monster post for your reading pleasure!

Winter has arrived here in the Windy City. Apparently the amount of snow is a bit much a bit early. It looks like this weekend I will start moving over into the top floor of the duplex owned by Christina’s parents. Life here has been busy at work for Christina and I both. Christina has been working very hard hours at the flower shop. I have been at Wal-Mart, trying to fathom how some people in our society still function, given their lack of technical knowledge. 8 shopping days until Christmas, I can make it from here!

My latest reading project is The Federalist Papers (and the Anti-Federalist Papers). For those who are not familiar, these papers constitute the debate over whether or not to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. Initially they were published anonymously. My two favorite authors are Madison and Jay. Hamilton is pretty inefficient, but has some good moments. My two favorite passages so far are from #1 and #14 (note: 14 is by far the best article so far in its entirety, and I highly suggest its reading!)

From #1 (Hamilton)…“For, in politics as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword.” This struck my as something our current President could learn a lot from.

From #14 (Madison)…”Hearken not to the voice which petulantly tells you that the form of government recommended for your adoption is a novelty in the political world; that it rashly attempts what it is impossible to accomplish. No my countrymen, shut your ears against this unhallowed language. Shut your hearts against the poison which is conveys; the kindred blood which flows in the veins of American citizens, the mingled blood which they have shed in defence of their sacred rights, consecrate their union, and excite horror at the idea of their becoming aliens, rivals, enemies.”

I wish people still wrote like that.

The Lamda Song

Below, is the Lambda Song, it appears here compliments of Emma, fellow blogger from Australia. She initially commented on this blog during my correspondence with Senator Hatch. She got the Lambda Song from one of her friends. A ploy on the Llama song, only much geekier and very funny! I suggest singing it quietly while listening to the Llama song.

Also, the “Do you Really Dare to Click Here?” link has been changed, click at your own risk.

More later,
-Paul

Picture Time!

2005-11-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

OK Everyone,

Here, at long last, are pictures of where I'm living now!

This is the house where I'm living now. I live in the upstairs apartment (2nd floor), the top window you see is the attic.

This is the kitchen, Darth Tater guards the coffee pot and sugar bowl. Yoda is supposed to make me toast every morning, but he always has some sort of lame meditating excuse......

This is Biskit, my current roomie. She is an older cat, very friendly.

This is my office, it has a twin bed that was here when I arrived, my blue couch, desk and bookshelf.

Also, a few blocks from my house is a yard that has a sign counting the number of soldiers killed in Iraq and an American Flag for each one of them. I though this was a wonderful form of expresssion and decided to share the pictures with all of you!

Leonardo and W.'s Freaky Dreams

2005-11-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

With the ability to blog intermittently, I have taken to collecting my random thoughts for the week, and then when I get over to the library, posting and sharing them with all of you.

First, since I shelve DVD’s as part of my job, I have been reading the list of special features on each disc. The most disturbing one is Titanic, a film I have never seen. Ever. I don’t plan to. However the new edition of the disc contains the usual documentaries on how the film was made, deleted scenes and an alternate ending…consider that carefully. Doesn’t the boat sink every time? Christina suggested that perhaps Jack lives and the boat still sinks? Anyone know the answer to this mystery?

Second, ever try to imagine what George W. dreams about? To be honest, I’m not sure why this thought popped into my head when I was driving home from work one night, but it did. Does he dream about a world without Democrats to question him? Does he dream himself up as a Caesar? Does he dream of puppies? Llamas? Anyone got any ideas?

Third, Freakonomics! This is a book that interested me, so when I came across a copy at the Barrington Library, I picked it up. Frankly, I’m not convinced or impressed. The book is well written, and flows rapidly. It is definitely aimed at the non-economist masses and only probably bugs me because I am trained as an economist (other people may get a kick out of certain sections, like the one on sumo wrestling being rigged). Levitt (co-author and economist) first admits he is not an econometrician, and then spends the entire book drawing odd relationships using econometrics. While he may technically be correct, he openly admits to data mining (a serious ethical violation). The way econometrics is supposed to work is that you find a question, propose a theory as to why it’s right, and then use the data to test the theory. Not go get some data, play with it, and twist it around until it answers the question. Is it possible there was a sound, properly done research project that has been turned into a book that seems inaccurate? Yes. Do I believe that to be the case? No.

Fourth, bridal fairs are a curse upon mankind. I went to one with Christina last Sunday, and it was interesting to say the least. I expected the formal wear, DJ's, photographers, videographers, etc.....What I did not expect was the plastic surgeons, teeth whitening clinics and laser hair removal vendors. Also, I noticed that vendors got more deceitful and desperate as we neared the end of the fair. Much like a casino, there is readily apparent exit. you wind up and down aisles until you find the door! What was funny was the whole time I kept saying to myself, “there’s a great economics paper in this somewhere”. Weirdest dress of the fashion show: a Chicago Bears wedding gown.

No pictures this time, I'll have to work on that for next time!

-Paul

A Quality Establishment

2005-10-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Before I get too far into this particular post I need to say Congrats to Amy and Jon on their engagement!! For those who don't know, links to their blogs are on the right hand side of this page (Ferrari and Emu buttons)!

Also, welcome to my Aunt Patsy and Uncle Rick to the blogosphere! They are spending some time in Germany and the link to their blog is the newest button to the right with the U.S. and German flags (Note to Patsy: if you'd like a different image let me know).

Of course my blog doesn't have cool photos of chapel ceilings in Rome. Mine is a Nebraska sunrise and a street sign. So for those who have been waiting.....here are the promised photos of a cool sunrise and John Galt Blvd. Please ignore the splotches on the images, the windshield of the truck killed many bugs on the way! I think my next photo set will be of my new apartment, my street, and some of the area around Barrington.

Anyway, I am sitting in the Barrington Area Library (http://www.barringtonarealibrary.org/), which so far has proven to be a quality establishment, with a fairly good speed wireless internet connection. This is what will allow me to post pics to the blog today! Speaking of pictures....be sure to check out Jake and Patsy's blogs for cool photos of the World Series and Rome.

I am settling in nicely into my new store. I am pretty bored most days though. This store has better staffing and about 1/3 the business of the N. Logan store. Hopefully I will find a better more intellectually stimulating job soon. To those who work at the N. Logan store and read this blog....be happy you're busy there. I'm not sure boredom and a slower store were the way to go.

Moreover, I am enjoying spending a lot more time with Christina, rather than being so far apart. This week, I have been hearing stories from Christina's parents about their experiences during&after hurricane Wilma. The pictures are pretty interesting. They had lots of photos of before the hurricane just having fun on vacation, then pictures during the storm in the shelter and afterwards looking at the destruction.

My apartment, or "the loft" as my Dad calls it....has a new resident. Christina's cat Biskit has joined me for the time being and seems to have settled in very nicely. I will have to include a picture of the cat too at some point.

Political news of the day (you knew this would happen).....I watched this morning on ABC as Bush announced Judge Alito to replace Justice O'Conner. Whether or not I agree with the pick is still an open question, I have not read a lot about him yet. However, I think he is immediately better than Ms. Miers. Judge Alito has at least been a judge for 15 yrs and has written court opinions!

Also, politically, I think "Scooter" Libby is simply the fall guy for the Bush Administration. I have to wonder if his perjury was an intentional plot to protect others inside the adminstration. Or it could just be that he lied because he really did something very wrong but the prosecutor cannot prove it beyond reasonable doubt.

I think that's about it for now. I will try to make more regular visits over here to post and show pictures. For now though, I think its time to go get a good book and see what it takes to get a library card!

-Paul

News and Politics

2005-10-27T19:55:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

First, the news.....Christina's parents are safely back in the USA, and on their way to Chicago this evening!

Second, the politics......The responses I have seen in the news media after Ms. Meirs withdrew her nomination have been interesting. Both sides have taken an extreme view. The conservatives say that the next nominee had better have solid conservative credentials, or else they will not provide their consent. The democrats have said that the next nominee that is a hard conservative will be filibustered. This sounds like the making of gridlock to me! To me this result is another example of George W. being the great divider, instead of the uniter he claims to be.

Think back to the world prior to the Miers nomination, right after John Roberts was confirmed. The political environment was a lot less hostile with regard to nominations. I think people actually had faith that George W. was capable of picking a decent justice that didn't draw too much fire from opponents. Heck, even I liked Roberts.......then came Miers. Non-hostile environment? Gone. Trust in a glimmer of leadership? Toast! I sincerely hope there is a really good nominee of George W.'s list, or else we'll be stuck in political gridlock for a long, hostile time.

OK, off to go watch some TV and wait for Christina's parents to get back.

-Paul

2005-10-24T22:03:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!

As many of you already know, I am safely in IL. My folks are safely back in Utah. I have to say I had an interesting drive. I learned quite a bit about the United States just by driving across part of it! The trucks performed very well, and my parents are excellent at packing boxes so nothing breaks, sneaking gifts into boxes while I’m not looking (thank you!), and loading the moving truck so nothing moved. 1400+ miles in two days, full of mountains, hills, potholes, speed bumps, and train tracks with not one box out of place when the door was opened! Every glass piece made it here intact, and functional.

Day One (10/20):
We left a little later than planned, and drove from Layton UT to Kearny NE. This day was fairly uneventful. We ended up at a Wingate Inn, nice place, good service, and a good continental breakfast.

Day Two (10/21):
This is where the drive got interesting. We started off OK, driving before sunrise on flat, smooth, Nebraska freeways. If you have never experienced good freeways, and need smooth driving fix, go to Nebraska. We were treated to a spectacular sunrise over a low level of fog. At some point, I will include a picture of that!

Then we got to Lincoln, Nebraska. Dad and I driving, Mom was sleeping in the passenger seat next to me. I swear the big orange sign read, “I-80 East and HWY 34, Take Exit 401”. So, dutifully I took exit 401, Dad followed. We had an interesting ride on the ‘Cornhusker Highway” until it met up with I-80 East of Lincoln. We lost 40 minutes in Lincoln alone.

Next up, Omaha (will you not go with Paco to Omaha?). Well, Dad got a bit confused about where we were, got off at an exit because we needed gas, and he thought he saw a gas station. Turns out, we went 3 blocks into Omaha, found a gas station and in the process of filling up two trucks made the attendant think we were stealing gasoline! Once she figured out that we weren’t stealing she gave us directions! The cool part about driving into Omaha is that I got to drive past; I am not making this up, “John Galt Boulevard”. This was nifty. except, I don’t recall Omaha being part of Atlas Shrugged. I did take a picture from the car and will work on posting it here when the opportunity arises.

Lincoln and Omaha also share a common problem that annoyed the three of us. Most of their interstate signs don’t list a direction. They just say “I-80”. Not, “I-80 East” or “I-80 West”. Very bad things could happen if you didn’t pay attention at the on ramp. Bad things like going west for 100 miles when you want to go east. This thankfully didn’t happen to us.

Iowa is very pretty, for those who have never been. This being a political blog of sorts, I spent a lot of my time in Iowa trying to fathom why the US Presidential race starts in Iowa. These farmers, the people at the Subway in Des Moines, etc…are the first people to rate the candidates for President. So, if you want to be President of the United States, you have to impress farmers first. The place seems much removed from the politics of Washington, yet in the same moment the epicenter of US politics. I guess the farmers were very smart to make a law insisting that Iowa hold their primary election before any other state. This law creates a huge incentive for the candidates to spend a lot of time there. Whether it’s a swing state or not is irrelevant. I will have a very different perspective on the Iowa primary next time around!

We arrived safely in Barrington at the end of Day two.

I am now living in a little apartment above Christina’s grandfather’s house, and have unpacked everything that I need for now. There are a few things I’d like to find, but are not critical (e.g., my reading lamp would be cool). I have a small list of things I need to buy. One of which is a pair of scissors. I can hear Amy chuckling right now.

Day Three (10/22):

I spent the day with my parents unloading the truck, returning the truck, assembling furniture, and starting to unpack stuff. Then it was off to Wal-mart to see my new store, check-in with the management team and get a few necessities. We found the store alright. Then the store manager had no clue who I was, or that I was transferring! This installed instant panic in me! Only to find out that the personnel manager had approved my transfer while the store manager was on vacation. So, I start tomorrow night and will have to see how it goes. They tell me I’m going to be in electronics; hopefully I get a nice coworker to show me the ropes of the electronics department.

The store seems pretty slow compared to Logan. The electronics department is about half the size of the Logan store. Middle of a Saturday they seemed to be well staffed, people actually working risers and zoning in the middle of the busiest day of the week. The one interesting factoid I have learned is that this store leads ALL Wal-Mart stores in donations to the Children’s Miracle Network. More on this as I work in that environment.

Then off to Best Buy for a new phone and dinner with Christina and my folks at the Onion Pub. I really enjoyed it, good food and good beer. Note to Jon Wheeler, they sell a t-shirt with your favorite Ben Franklin quote on it!

Day Four (10/23):

OK, the day started with breakfast with my folks and Christina. Then they bought me groceries! Then Christina and I took them to O’Hare so they could fly home. Since then, I have been unpacking and finding my life!

Usually I’m sorry for long posts about politics or economics, but not today! I’ve had an amazing week and wanted to share!

-Paul
Ps: my email is getting checked, about once every 2 days!

A Big Post

2005-10-16T13:43:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

This post may be my last for a little while. Sorry I have not blogged for awhile, many of you who read this know that my life is undergoing significant changes. So, here are the two main news items:

1) 10 days ago, I asked Christina Schaffer to marry me, and she accepted!!! I am very happy that she said yes, and now I find myself deep in wedding questions and planning! This blog will have occasional updates about the event, like the date, whenever it gets decided!

2) I am moving in 3 days to Barrington, IL. to be near Christina, and better chances at finding an economics job. Something other than Walmart would be grand! However, until that better job comes around, I will be working as a Walmart Electronics Associate. I am unsure when I will have a fast, readily available internet connection, so that is why this may be my last post for a bit.

Now that the news is out of the way.....a few housekeeping notes....

1) Credit is due to Jon W. for helping me resize the raging llama image. I'm glad this image has been such a hit.

2) Since I am moving out of Utah, I will not be writing Sen. Hatch anymore letters. It is a tradition in the US Senate to not respond to non-constituent comments. However, I will have to start reading up on my new representatives in IL, perhaps they need some mail?

3) I would reccomend that visitors to this blog click on the link titled, "Do you really Dare to click here?"

OK, that's it for now, hopefully another post will happen shortly after I move.

-Paul

Initial Impressions

2005-10-03T09:57:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

My first impression of Bush's new Supreme Court nominee, Harriet Miers, is that she is not fit to sit on the Supreme Court. I know virtually nothing about her, except that she has never been a judge. My opinion is that Supreme Court Justice is a job that would require at least some experience. John Roberts had at least been a Federal Judge, although it was only two years.

Has the administration sunk this low? They can't find a decent nominee that has been a judge? Not one semi-conservative judge has a record worthy of confirmation? This lady, although she may be very smart, has never written court opinions! Just because I've read plenty of financial statements doesn't make me ready to be a CFO!

It makes me wonder why members of both political parties like her. I did not hear any poor remarks during the morning press conferences. So, if nothing major arises during the hearings, I see her being confirmed.

If I was a decent judge, who had years of bench experience, I would be angry at the lack of experience going onto the Supreme Court these days. Think about it, if as a judge, you make an experienced, well researched ruling, it can now be struck down by justices with little to no experience.

I'm not sure we as citizens are being well served by the U.S. Senate's lax oversight or Bush's seemingly random, non-experienced choices. All of our rights as citizens will now be at the mercy of the inexperienced.

Does that frighten anyone but me? Even just make you a little uneasy? Will her lack of experience become a major issue during the confirmation hearings? I hope so.

More on this later,

-Paul

Adam Smith and Ken Lay

2005-10-01T01:06:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

As some of you know, I am currently engaged in two reading projects.

First, The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. Long regarded as the starting point for economics as a science, this is really interesting reading. Well, at least it is to me. I'm not sure if any of my regular blog readers would enjoy this text. Its tedious and dry, published in 1776. With that in mind, Smith was quite the visionary. He predicts several of our current economic puzzles (trade deficits) and fields of economic study (economic development). He didn't quite pronounce these thoughts directly, but he notes on numerous occasions that his analysis would have a different result if technology advanced to allow increases in productivity. Smith also warns of the evils of big businesses, and advises great scrutiny of any policy proposed by such a firm.

Which leads me to my second project, "The Smartest Men in the Room." All about the rise and fall of Enron. A very entertaining read, but disturbing in the same moment. I have decided the worst part of the Enron scam was that it was not secretive. This theft was conducted in public, for all to see! The accounting methods, lies, bad numbers, bad deals...everything was in the SEC filings, or published on page A1 of the Wall Street Journal. And nobody said ANYTHING! Very spooky to consider what else could be brewing out there. They got away with public theft for years on end.

Consider that next time you pick up a newspaper.

-Paul

New Money!!

2005-09-28T13:54:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick post before work this afternoon.

The US Treasury has released the design of the latest bill to be redesigned. This time is the $10 bill. I think this one is the prettiest one yet! The bill incorporates an image of the Staue of Liberty's torch, along with the cursive "We The People" phrase from the preamble to the Constitution.

The fifty runs a close second in my book, but I prefer the $10. To see the new design, take a tour of the security features, and read about when the bills will hit banks see: www.moneyfactory.com

Enjoy!

-Paul

A Neat Trick!

2005-09-25T23:26:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Today's post details a trick that made my head spin. I got this trick from my Dad, no clue where he got it from. Either way, its cool.

Step 1: Go to www.google.com
Step 2: Type in the word 'failure'.
Step 3: Click the "I'm Feeling Lucky Button".

Wierd eh? I figured this type of thing would have happened with a critics website, but never ever his own website! I have to wonder if the webmaster who wrote it still has a job....

Anyway, I had a long, but fun weekend. I worked some and went to the football game yesterday. Today, I hung around the house, did some light cleaning, and did my laundry.

In terms of my weekend in sports, things are shaping up really well!

USU def UNLV in football!
TCU def byu (intentional lower-case) in football!
PHI def OAK in the NFL!

Now all I need are the Broncos to defeat the KC Chiefs and all will be well in my sports world!

Blogger is not cooperating, next time there will be some pics from the football game!

-Paul

Senator Hatch Responds!

2005-09-18T22:51:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Below is the latest response from Sen. Hatch's office in my ongoing dialogue with him about S.J. 12. I get the sense from the last paragraph of this letter that he does not want to hear from me on this issue ever again! I am wavering whether to respond or not. If I'm able to collect my thoughts well enough, and actually have something to say, I will most certainly respond. Otherwise, I probably won't.

Please let me know your thoughts!

-Paul

Sept. 7, 2005

Dear Paul,

Thank you for writing me again to discuss S.J. Res. 12, the Flag Protection Amendment. I am always pleased to hear from constituents. While you may not be satisfied with my answers, I will do my best to answer your questions.

I respectfully disagree with your conclusion that the Flag Amendment is impermissibly vague. When Congress first considered a statute to prohibit flag desecration in 1989, we settled on a defintion of "desecration" taken from Black's Law Dictionary. We believed that this common legeal definition would provide sufficient guidance to those who would enforce this law. "Desecration" requires that the actor intend to cast contempt on the object in question - in this case the American Flag. Therefore, not only would your example of the "magnetic ribbon bumper stickers" fail to fall within the statutory definition of a "flag" but also their display would not qualify as "desecration".

Nearly every piece of legislation that Congress passes begins with definition o key legal terms. I have no doubt that should the states ratify this amendment, Congress would be able to craft the requisite definitions. Prior to an activist Supreme Court decision that created this constitutional right, 49 of 50 states and the federal government all had flag desecration statutes. The warrantless prosecutions you envision have never been a problem in the past, and I do not anticipate they will be a problem in the future.

Still, other, more serious objections to the Flag Amendment do exist, and you raise several of them. Let me explain my position. First, this issue in no way diverts my attention from other pressing matters. As a member of the Judiciary , Finance, HELP and Intelligence Committees, I am simultaneously working on tax, health and national security policy. As the Chairman of the Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee, I am leading the effort to update our copyright laws and patent system. My legislative agenda remains one of the most comprehensive in the Senate, and it in no way suffers from my pursuit of this amendment.

Second, however, I disagree strongly with your suggestion that this is not an important issue. It is critical for both Utah and America. This amendment helps restore the Constitution's original meaning and gives citizens a renewed sense of control over their governing charter. Our Founders never believed that the First Amendment protected a right to flag desecration. In the more than 200 years since the Bill of Rights was adopted, no legislature has ever protected this activity. While I have great respect for our courts, that institutional respect requires that they interpret rather than make the law. In this case they fell short and found a constitutional right where none existed.

Ultimately, I do not agree with you that this is a victimless crime. I believe that it contributes to a coarsening of our culture and deepens our political divides. While I understand that we disagree on this issue, my hope is that we can do so respectfully. I remain committed to the people of Utah, and I hope that we can find some common ground on other issues. Please feel free to contact my office with any other questions or concerns that you might have.

Sincerely yours,
Sen. Hatch

John Roberts and Mick Jagger

2005-09-10T20:47:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

Two topics for today.

First, my thoughts on the nomination of John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States. All politics and judicial ideals aside, this is a bad idea. I had hoped Dubya would have simply promoted an associate justice to be in charge of the court. The advantage there would have been that the new Chief Justice would already have a clue of how to administer the court, and all aspects of its business.

This is a job where experience is going to count, and John Roberts does not have it. He may be a fine jurist (unsure on this point, more later!), but putting someone with little or no experience in charge of running an arm of the US Government is a very bad idea. For example, if given the chance would you rather have an experienced businessman take over a major corporation, or some Joe off the street? Now imagine if a large amount of your retirement fund was in this companies stock! Who would you rather have? Given a semi-blind choice, I think experience should take some precedent.

Mr. Roberts is 20 yrs younger than the average age of the other justices, and will be responsible for leading this group of nine through what I expect to be a long period of change. Should he be confirmed as Chief Justice, he will be more than likely oversee major changes to the court as the other 8 get older and leave the court (either by death or retirement). Is he ready to lead during a potentially tumultuous time? Are we, as a country, ready to promote this inexperienced canidate to such an important post? I would say its a bad gamble.

Secondly, I have reviewed the latest Rolling Stones album, "A Bigger Bang". All in all, a good album, with a few really good cuts, and some that are just OK. My favorite cuts on the album are: Rough Justice, Let Me Down Slow, Look What the Cat Dragged In, and Driving Too Fast. The album has a great blues type feel too it. The song Sweet Neo Con is an interesting song, generally trashing the policies of the Bush Administration, however musically is not one of my favorites.

Nuff for now.
-Paul

Elmo's Time Is OVER

2005-09-03T18:15:00.000-06:00

Hey All,

When will people get the clue that Elmo was a hit toy craze in about 1997? Elmo, in his various annual re-released forms has not been the major toy if the US Christmas season since! My work still has a decent supply of last years Elmo left and cannot even get rid of them at clearance prices. Boo-Bah sold faster. That is how unpopular Elmo is these days! At least here. He must sell well somewhere, because he is redesigned, and brought back into stores each year! Or the managers at Fisher Price must be blind to realize that nobody buys this confounded toy!

Two years ago it was Hokey-Pokey Elmo! Prior to that was Potty Training Elmo!

Last year was the horribly hypnotic E-L-M-O (YMCA rip off) doll. That stupid thing didn't even move enough to make the correct letters. If Fisher Price is going to torment society with such a toy, at least make a quality one!

And now, in his next classic tune rip off, we have SHOUT! Elmo! I will never again be able to hear the lyrics "A little bit softer now" without cringing, because I have been exposed to SHOUT! Elmo! I also have that stupid little jingle stuck in my head today....I got it out yesterday but saw a TV commercial....didn't get to the mute button fast enough, heard the first part and it was back in my head.

Predictions for future Elmos that would be just as bad or worse than the ones listed above:
Macarena Elmo....this cannot be far behind, Elmo has already ruined the Hokey-Pokey! You don't want to imagine it, but the scary part is I could be right!

Electric Slide Elmo?

Wait...wait! I got it now! Boot-Scootin Boogie Elmo!

I guess Elmo will finnally be done when he has taught every line dance ever created....or perhaps taught us all the basic skills neccessary for survival.

Hoping Elmo goes back to Sesame Street for good....

-Paul

The Response

2005-09-01T13:06:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Below is my latest reponse to Sen. Hatch, regarding Flag burning. I would welcome any comments you have after reading this. Also, on the topic of politics, watch this next week as the Judiciary Committee holds its hearings on Supreme Court Nominee Roberts. I think CSPAN is going to cover the hearings during the day, and then replay them in the evenings and late night.

On that note, can I just say that I really like CSPAN (1&2)? No commentators during speeches, just raw footage! Its great! The best for watching, and then making up your own mind! No spin here! Also, my bet is that the first canidate to tell the world like it is, without spin, and actually be human (not just act the part!) will win the Oval Office in 2008! Just my early guesses....

August, 31st, 2005

Dear Senator Hatch,

Thank you very much for responding to my first letter in such detail. However, your response has compelled me to respond with further questions. As such, this letter will be divided into two parts. The first will explore questions from my first letter, where I feel your answers were insufficient. Second, I have questions about your reasoning behind H.J. Res. 10, which you laid out in your letter.

Part One

First, you gave me examples of what you would consider desecration; however, it is still a very broad term. Would you consider clothing that uses patterns from the flag desecration? How about those little magnetic ribbon bumper stickers that I see on cars? If your aim is to protect the flag, then where do you draw the line on desecration? Does distorting the flag only become desecration when it offends you, or someone else? Please give me more information on this point.

Second, you failed to respond entirely to my question on whether shredding the copies of the Declaration of Independence would destroy my right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. This is very similar to burning a flag. By shredding a document that symbolizes an ideal, have you successfully destroyed the ideal, or simply the piece of paper? I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Third, you also failed to answer my question on why you are spending your energies on this legislation when the country is facing so many more serious problems. Please explain this to me.

Part Two

Fourth, you note in your letter that this amendment would make nothing illegal and you are quite correct. However, where do you think is this leading? I suspect that if this amendment becomes part of the U.S. Constitution that Congress will use this new authority to pass a law prohibiting the physical desecration of the United States Flag. The Supreme Court has already ruled that this conduct is legal under the First Amendment. What would you think of an amendment that would give Congress the power to limit the freedom of the press? Essentially, it’s the same idea, giving Congress the power to infringe on our most basic of rights. Please explain to me how your amendment is any less ludicrous than my preceding example.

Fifth, you mention that the Supreme Court should only rule on existing law. I think that they did rule on existing law. The First Amendment has been existing law for over two centuries now. Congress is not perfect, and has gotten things wrong in the past. When that has happened, either Congress has corrected itself, or the Supreme Court has forced such corrective action. For example, the ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education forced corrective action by desegregating schools. The system of checks and balances laid out in the Constitution inherently leads to some legislating from the bench. It is a method of redress, intended to protect the rights of the minority, even the minority that would burn an American Flag in peaceful protest.

Sixth, you mention that some of our Founding Fathers supported legal protections for the flag. Some of these men also condoned slavery and not granting women the right to vote. Does their support make it right to prohibit the burning of the American Flag?

Seventh, you gave an example of proper limits on free speech. This example was that a person cannot blare his or her political views at two o’clock in the morning in a residential area. This is true. However, the reason this limit exists is that there is a victim in your example. People would be disturbed from their sleep! When it comes to peaceful flag burning, or any other type of desecration, I must ask, “Where or who is the victim?” People may be offended, but they are in no way harmed. Please tell me, who is the victim?

Once again, I appreciate your response to my first letter and look forward to hearing from you again. In the interest of time (as this legislation is upcoming), should you wish to respond by email instead of regular mail, that would be fine with me.

Sincerely,
Paul

Willingness To Pay

2005-08-28T22:50:00.000-06:00

Hey All,

Here at the end of a good weekend, and I have the pictures to show for it!

Saturday:

Went to the annual AMB fundamentals week picnic, lots of good people, good food and a fund raiser where people got cream pies thrown in their faces (all section leaders, drum major and the director!)! The right to throw the pies was determined through a simple auction. So, how much are people willing to pay to put a pie in their director's face? $70.00 was the winning bid. Afterwards, those who had been victims had a chance to hose off before going home.

Then I went home and got to visit with Christina for quite awhile. Then I continued my project of cleaning out my two closets, rearranged some furniture and cleaned most of my room. I have included a couple pics of the BBQ below:

Sunday:

Got to go out to lunch with my family and our friend Helen. Then off to Pineview resevoir for a dutch oven dinner with Jon's family. Pretty good eats and darn good company. Also got to take some pictures of the area, some of which are below.

Pretty cool sign eh? I thought so!

New Names, New Icons

2005-08-23T02:09:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

There have been several changes to this blog, the largest being the address, but if you're reading this, you have overcome that challenge! The background color just may stay this way, anyone got any thoughts on this? Also I have made adjustments to the font colors and sizes. Getting more confident in my HTML game, with Jon's help (thanks Jon!).

Also, please click on the new links to the right, I have made icon links for three of my usual readers, and the icons are subject to change, this is just what I made up for tonight.

Tried out the Shirt techniques, they work like a champ. You all should try it out, Jake, this could change the way you do laundry forever.

Aight, sleep time.

Lots of Pulp

2005-08-21T01:46:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

Another long night at the mart. Thank you Jake for reminding me about the work/blog/fired thing. I will have to be careful....perhaps the deleting of my last post is in order.

As to the Pledge of Allegiance, I have not given that much thought. However, my first impressions are that the Pledge should be to the nation (or its ideals?), rather than the flag itself. I guess to be logically consistent with my views that the flag is simply a piece of cloth, I need to hold the view that the Pledge is a tad misdirected. However, with things this touchy, good luck getting Congress to change it.....Well, maybe not, at least Hatch and the 57 co-sponsors of the bill in the Senate seem pretty quick to change the status of the flag...This bothers me in many ways. The worst of which is wondering, 'Don't they have better things to be doing?" Seriously, is there some massive flag burning movement that is out to destroy the country via flag burning? Hatch needs to wake up and smell the proverbial coffee (He wouldn't dare sniff the real stuff). The proverbial coffee being 2 military conflicts, much needed health care reform, much needed education reform, upgrades to many parts of the country's infrastructure, etc....

On a political note, Bush is visiting SLC Monday (1248 days remain, see link to the clock-->). Rocky has called publicly for major pro-peace protests. This has caused, a fairly good sized firestorm in SLC. I guess Bush will be speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention. The critics quoted by the SL Trib were angry because for some reason they associate protesting the President with protesting service men and women. Apparently its unpatriotic to protest the President too.

I will be attempting to make some changes to the blog here in the near future when I have time. Some have alreay noticed the dramatic change from black to green backgrounds.

Nuff for now.

Letters With Senator Hatch (UT - R)

2005-08-16T00:28:00.000-06:00

OK, this is gonna be a longer post......and very, very political!

For those of you who don't know, sometime ago I wrote Sen Hatch regarding H.J. Res 10, which is a consitutional amendment that would give congress the right to prohibit the physical desecration of the US Flag.

Immediately below is my initial letter, and further below is the response from Sen. Hatch. This response was received earlier today in the USPS. I have typed in his letter, and to the best of my knowledge, it is correct, right down to the punctutation.

My Letter:

Dear Senator Hatch,

I am a resident of Utah and am writing you to express my concern about your reasons for proposing H.J. RES.10 and my problems with the legislation itself.

First, the press release for June 22nd, 2005 on your website quotes you as saying, “This was the status quo for more than 200 years until five unelected Justices (emphasis added) found an unknown constitutional right to desecrate the flag.” This statement tells me that you have a problem with our country’s Constitution. The Constitution of the United States, Article II, Section 2, clearly defines that Supreme Court Justices are to be appointed by the President of the United States, and then are subject to confirmation proceedings in the U.S. Senate. This means that Supreme Court justices are not elected by the general public. However, as a Senator, you get to vote on these justices when they appear before the Senate as nominees. In particular, you had the chance to vote on two of the five justices you complain about (Scalia and Kennedy). In fact, you either voted for them, or abstained from the vote. I have not been able to find the specific roll call, but the votes were 97 and 98 to 0, respectively. So, either you liked these justices, or did not think their nomination important enough to vote on. Either way, you elected some of these “unelected” justices who gained their positions through Constitutional means.

Second, I think that a Constitutional Amendment giving Congress the power to prohibit the desecration of the United States Flag is wrong. The Supreme Court has ruled twice on this issue, ruling both times that, flag burning is in fact, protected speech. Should this amendment pass, it begins to limit free speech. Which of my civil liberties will fall next?

Third, this amendment to the Constitution is very vague in its terminology. “Desecrate” is a very broad term, open to a wide range on interpretation. What precisely would you define desecration to be? Is it simply the destruction of the flag or its likeness? Is it any type of distortion of the flag?

Fourth, the flag is simply a piece of cloth that represents many ideals. These ideals are not destroyed along with the cloth when it is burned. Would you be just as upset if I were to shred copies of the Declaration of Independence? Or would you say that the ideals of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” still exist, even if the piece of paper is gone?

Sixth, I understand that you disagree with the court on this issue. However, in our system of government not everything will be they way we as individuals hope it will be. I am not personally a fan of desecrating the U.S. Flag, yet I recognize the right of another individual to express their viewpoint in this manner.

Finally, I would like to know why you so staunchly hold that desecration of the United States Flag is not free speech. Also, when this country is faced with so many other problems that need to be fixed, why do you insist trying to fix something that is not really harming anything? This country has survived many forms of protest over its two hundred eighteen year history, including flag desecration. Last I checked the country was still intact, along with all of its institutions, traditions and ideals. As one of your constituents, I believe there are many better uses of your time in Washington, and I suggest you work on more pressing issues. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Paul

Sen. Hatch's response (Italics added, and Dated Aug. 2, 2005):

Dear Paul,

Thank you for your letter expressing your opposition to a constitutional amendment allowing Congress to protect the American flag from desecration (H.J. Res 10). I am always interested in the thoughts and opinions of Utahns and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you know, H.J. Res 10 was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Randy Cunningham on January 25, 2005, and was agreed to by a vote of 286-130 on June 22, 2005. As you noted, I was the original author of the Senate version of this resolution (S.J. Res 12). This proposed amendment would not make anything illegal. If enacted, it would simply authorize - but not require -Congress to pass a law protecting the American flag. The resolution is currently pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which I serve.

Throughout our country's history, the right to protect the flag has been recognized as secured by traditions, statutes, and the holdings of countless state courts and several Supreme Courts. Support for legislation to protect the flag dates back to very beginning of our country. Indeed, many of our Founding Fathers, such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, supported legal protections for the flag.

Despite this long tradition, the Supreme Court in 1989 created a new First Amendment right by deciding the extremists who physically disgrace the American flag are using "speech." While you correctly note that I personally had the opportunity to vote on the confirmation of several of the justices involved in that decision, the Supreme Court is empowered to apply existing law, not legislate from the bench. Such contentious policy decisions, in my opinion, are better resolved by the American people, acting through their elected representatives.

In addition, I believe the Court's decision was wrong. In my opinion, prohibiting flag burning and other contemptuous physical mistreatment of the flag does not violate the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech because flag burning is conduct, not speech. While the First Amendment protects the right to share ideas, it does not protect every method that someone might select to express those ideas. For example, a person cannot blare his or her political views at two o'clock in the morning in a residential neighborhood and claim First Amendment protection. Legislative bodies are able to regulate conduct that people might seek to use as part of a political message. Therefore, it seems clear that flag desecration - burning, spitting upon, trampling, or other such acts - can be prohibited without violating free speech.

The American flag is not just a symbol of our federal government. It has always represented an ideal - it is revered as a unique symbol of our country and of the freedom we enjoy as Americans. I firmly believe that a constitutional amendment is needed to allow the American people to protect our flag from purposeful desecration.

Thank you, once again, for your letter. Though we seem to disagree on this issue, I hop my comments have been helpful.

Sincerely,
Orrin G. Hatch
United States Senator

Post letter commentary:

This letter is simply crap in my mind. Although he certainly provides plenty of room for me to write a third letter. Which, when written, will appear here in my blog. Below are some of my initial thoughts of the letter:

1) This is silly, why grant congress the power if Hatch does not intend to help congress use it? Just for contrast, imagine an amendment that grants congress the ability to outlaw certain religions. Its the same idea, granting congress the power to limit First Amendment rights under the guise of constitutional legality, in the hope that the Supreme Court will not strike it down.

2) If the Supreme Court is supposed to rule on existing law, what's his problem? Is not the First Amendment exisiting law? He is mad that they have applied the law in a manner that offends him, although he is nowhere near the victim (hint kids: there is no victim).

3) Plenty of legal conduct in our society also counts as free speech. Why is flag burning any different?

4) The reason one cannot blare political rhetoric at 2 AM is simply because there are victims present. For flag burning (if done peacefully), where is the victim?

5) The flag represents an ideal to Sen. Hatch. I'm glad it represents freedom to him too. Why then does he not consider flag burning a legal method of protest? I guess we have different versions of freedom.

6) Also, he never explains to me why this is more important that health care, job training funding, the 2 wars we're engaged in, or any of the hundreds of more useful things he could be doing. Is there some massive flag burning movement that I am unaware of??

OK, that's enough for now, please comment on this! I appreciate hearing other peoples ideas, especially on constitutional ideas.

-Paul

Current Activity

2005-08-08T19:53:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

Just thought it would be cool to provide a snapshot of what's happening here at my house right now!

Summary:
Amy is reading in the chair next to me.
I am blogging.
Jon has made fire (see pic!) and is now simmering brauts for dinner.

Should be very very tasty!

-Paul

Vacation Photos!

2005-08-03T21:34:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

As many of you know, I am out visiting Christina and her family in Illinois this week! A week to relax, and work on my career search. So, briefly, here are a couple of highlights so far! Also, due to the wonders of technology you get pictures!

1) Starved Rock State Park. Went for a visit to this lovely place (really, its very pretty!), and hiked about half of the 13 miles of trails that are there. Its really very wierd, one minute you're driving in the flat lands of Illinois, and the next, you're in a very hilly, tree filled place, full of these little canyons, and some nifty rock formations. Jake, you would dig this place, Jon too! The pictures for this are the view from the main bluff, french canyon and a place called wildcat canyon.

2) Ravinia Music Festival. Christina had bought me tickets to see James Galway, who in my opinion is one of the best flute players in the world. This music festival is a permanent facility, and reminds me quite a bit of the Shakespeare Festival grounds in Cedar City. The pictures for this event are of the Martin Theatre, the indoor theatre where the concert was; the main lawn grounds, and the pavilion stage. The lawn is a great thing, tickets are $10/person and you can bring blankets, chairs, food, etc. Great music all summer long. Amy, Wyclef Jean performed at Ravinia this summer as well as Brian Wilson! Just sing to yourself, you know you want to!

"Drove downtown in the rain..." Sorry, just a bit of BNL silliness. I think I need some sleep.

-Paul

Hockey is back!

2005-07-13T15:54:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to my blog! A couple things about my blog that you should be aware of:

1) The top bar will usually contain some sort of useless statistic, or factoid. World population, the GDP of Costa Rica, or the land area of Nebraska.
2) The link entitled, "Do You Really Dare To Click Here?" will occasionally change to something odd, or useless. I guess you just need to feel brave when clicking this link!

Today has been a slow one here at Penny Lane. I mailed a couple of job applications, and read up on the Palace Acquire program for the USAF. It sounds like it coud be a really good idea for me, but from what I can figure the jobs aren't posted yet.

The best news I have seen all day is that the NHL lockout has apparently ended! There is a tenative deal on the table, but it still needs to be ratified. Hopefully it is, and hockey will return!

Anyway, that's all the news for now. No cool pictures for this post, maybe next time.

-Paul