DJHJD
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
Washington on Tolerance
Okay, all of you fright wingers out there - you "strict constructionists" who would have us honor and obey the intentions of the "Founding Fathers" (even though we know that's a load of crap - you're just as willing to ditch the Founding Fathers when it serves your bigoted, self-serving interests.) Here's what the Father of Our Country would have said about the current immigration buzz:
–George Washington, Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, Aug. 18, 1790 in: The Writings of George Washington, p. 766-67.
Thanks to the "Harper's Index" online for this quote today. Harper's seems to trust that anyone reading this piece should be able to understand the nuance. However, I don't believe that people can get a refined and elegant point such as this without having it slammed into their cranium, so I gave you a little more detail.
The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support…
May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.
–George Washington, Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, Aug. 18, 1790 in: The Writings of George Washington, p. 766-67.
Thanks to the "Harper's Index" online for this quote today. Harper's seems to trust that anyone reading this piece should be able to understand the nuance. However, I don't believe that people can get a refined and elegant point such as this without having it slammed into their cranium, so I gave you a little more detail.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Because of course...
Nationalized health care will benefit the terrorists.
Not that the HMOs and big Pharma are terrorizing far more people far more effectively already...
Thursday that feels like Monday
Yesterday, I started the post "Thursday that feels like Monday," and I got nothing but the title entered. So, although this looks like Thursday, it's actually Friday that feels like Tuesday.
Well, here I am OTB, running into work. While sometimes it seems to be the right thing to do to sleep in, this morning, getting up before 0600 and being on the 730 bus was definitely the right thing. I just can't seem to get comfortable though.
It looks like there's sunshine today! Who would have thought?
So much business came in yesterday, it was like a blizzard all day. That was pretty cool, but now I'm feeling like I need to create some organizational structure to keep it all organized and make sure that I don't drop something out. Yikes. I need for Tom to come in tomorrow and help me (or Chuck, hmm) clean off the old desktop and transfer files to the laptop. First one who responds...
And, I need to get some more filing work done on my desk. That's going to have to happen this morning.
I was thinking as I looked out over our water soaked landscape through my bedroom windows today - you know, all of this rain has kept the temperatures in Houston down below 90 for most of June and so far in July; is that such a bad thing? My power bill will be loving this.
The New York Times today has an article about flight delays and how full the airlines are. The next time you hear a talking head blather on about how there's so much overcapacity in the US airline system, answer me this: if the network carrier (United, American, Continental) load factors are all above 85% (as they are, meaning of all of the seats they operated in the previous month, 85% of them were full) how many 150 seat airplanes have to go out with 150 passengers to bring the average up to 85% of the total number of seats sold?
Answer: Most of them.
Had a dream last night about all of this business - in the dream, I just got adjusted to all of this activity that was demonstrating yesterday, and a truckload of NEW business came in. Then, I was being driven around in the back seat of a black Phaeton 4-seat, yapping on the phone. With my sister. Asking her "what is the reason for your call? How my business is doing is no business of yours."
I think I need to engage in some active forgiveness work with her.
Jackie this morning would NOT go out, wouldn't pee or go into the grass when I hooked her up on the leash anyway and dragged her out. After I ate, had two cups of coffee, showered, dressed, and came downstairs to see about catching the 7:30 bus, THEN she was all bouncy and "let's go pee, Daddy!" Well, okay. She's such a sweet soul. She needs a bath, and I have scheduled myself for work all day tomorrow. Sunday, we have our board meeting after church, so I'll be home very late then as well.
She just needs to go back to the groomer. Bleh.
The other day, I got into the car and noticed that the fuel consumption seemed to have jumped up strongly. Then, as I was driving, I was thinking "whoa! When did the engine get so powerful?"
Seems that the can of fuel system cleaner that they dumped into the car a few weeks ago has finally taken hold. Or something.
I noticed last evening OTB coming home that the drivers have adopted a pattern of moving along just around 20 miles per hour. This greatly reduces the amount of time that they're on the brake, and that they have to stop for lights. The driver this morning is going the same way. We're right now about halfway through with the total route, and we only have about ten people on the bus. After 8:00, this bus would be packed to the gills.
More reading about high speed rail yesterday. Wired's article, which I think I cross posted - if not, I'm a-gonna, was discussing the same old thing that everyone is talking about - how the energy savings alone provide enough incentive for government to create the tax breaks and eminent domain to create dedicated high speed rail routes between cities up to 500 miles apart.
Considering that the Feds won't upgrade the air traffic control system, and that the airlines are already at capacity, wouldn't it make sense to append onto the existing Interstate system and add high speed rail?
If that was done, what would it do for traffic flow on the interstate system? Of course, some businesses would suffer - when you make an adjustment somewhere, it shows up somewhere else - the airlines would have some diminished traffic, the gas stations and fast food restaurants along the interstates would have less business.
But, if it reduces the infrastructure spending on freeways, reduces pollution and fuel burn, adds productivity through recaptured time spent on travel, wouldn't those things be good? Socially and generally speaking?
This bus' brakes are grinding like mad. Yikes.
Okay, time to publish this one and see where the internet takes us next.
Well, here I am OTB, running into work. While sometimes it seems to be the right thing to do to sleep in, this morning, getting up before 0600 and being on the 730 bus was definitely the right thing. I just can't seem to get comfortable though.
It looks like there's sunshine today! Who would have thought?
So much business came in yesterday, it was like a blizzard all day. That was pretty cool, but now I'm feeling like I need to create some organizational structure to keep it all organized and make sure that I don't drop something out. Yikes. I need for Tom to come in tomorrow and help me (or Chuck, hmm) clean off the old desktop and transfer files to the laptop. First one who responds...
And, I need to get some more filing work done on my desk. That's going to have to happen this morning.
I was thinking as I looked out over our water soaked landscape through my bedroom windows today - you know, all of this rain has kept the temperatures in Houston down below 90 for most of June and so far in July; is that such a bad thing? My power bill will be loving this.
The New York Times today has an article about flight delays and how full the airlines are. The next time you hear a talking head blather on about how there's so much overcapacity in the US airline system, answer me this: if the network carrier (United, American, Continental) load factors are all above 85% (as they are, meaning of all of the seats they operated in the previous month, 85% of them were full) how many 150 seat airplanes have to go out with 150 passengers to bring the average up to 85% of the total number of seats sold?
Answer: Most of them.
Had a dream last night about all of this business - in the dream, I just got adjusted to all of this activity that was demonstrating yesterday, and a truckload of NEW business came in. Then, I was being driven around in the back seat of a black Phaeton 4-seat, yapping on the phone. With my sister. Asking her "what is the reason for your call? How my business is doing is no business of yours."
I think I need to engage in some active forgiveness work with her.
Jackie this morning would NOT go out, wouldn't pee or go into the grass when I hooked her up on the leash anyway and dragged her out. After I ate, had two cups of coffee, showered, dressed, and came downstairs to see about catching the 7:30 bus, THEN she was all bouncy and "let's go pee, Daddy!" Well, okay. She's such a sweet soul. She needs a bath, and I have scheduled myself for work all day tomorrow. Sunday, we have our board meeting after church, so I'll be home very late then as well.
She just needs to go back to the groomer. Bleh.
The other day, I got into the car and noticed that the fuel consumption seemed to have jumped up strongly. Then, as I was driving, I was thinking "whoa! When did the engine get so powerful?"
Seems that the can of fuel system cleaner that they dumped into the car a few weeks ago has finally taken hold. Or something.
I noticed last evening OTB coming home that the drivers have adopted a pattern of moving along just around 20 miles per hour. This greatly reduces the amount of time that they're on the brake, and that they have to stop for lights. The driver this morning is going the same way. We're right now about halfway through with the total route, and we only have about ten people on the bus. After 8:00, this bus would be packed to the gills.
More reading about high speed rail yesterday. Wired's article, which I think I cross posted - if not, I'm a-gonna, was discussing the same old thing that everyone is talking about - how the energy savings alone provide enough incentive for government to create the tax breaks and eminent domain to create dedicated high speed rail routes between cities up to 500 miles apart.
Considering that the Feds won't upgrade the air traffic control system, and that the airlines are already at capacity, wouldn't it make sense to append onto the existing Interstate system and add high speed rail?
If that was done, what would it do for traffic flow on the interstate system? Of course, some businesses would suffer - when you make an adjustment somewhere, it shows up somewhere else - the airlines would have some diminished traffic, the gas stations and fast food restaurants along the interstates would have less business.
But, if it reduces the infrastructure spending on freeways, reduces pollution and fuel burn, adds productivity through recaptured time spent on travel, wouldn't those things be good? Socially and generally speaking?
This bus' brakes are grinding like mad. Yikes.
Okay, time to publish this one and see where the internet takes us next.
It's not just me....
Cross posted from Wired...
Hey America, Make With the !@~$ High-Speed Rail Already
In April, a train built by the French engineering firm Alstom screamed along the Ligne à Grande Vitesse, the Paris-to-Strasbourg high-speed rail system, at a record- breaking 357 miles per hour. The whizzing run past Vendôme provided a glimpse of next-gen railway travel, and Alstom execs hope, set the company up for future contracts in emerging high-speed rail markets like China and India.
Conspicuously absent among those emerging markets: the US. Of course, news of the achievement sparked yet another round of well-worn rants, often delivered by globe-trotters who return home after rides on slick Japanese or French trains wondering, "Where the hell is my high-speed rail?" It's a question that betrays a certain naiveté about transit policy — but it's still a good one. If the country has a prayer of solving its traffic woes and creating a more efficient, environmentally sound infrastructure, we'll need some first-rate, wicked-fast trains.
That the US lacks them is due neither to conspiracy nor accident. Distances between major North American cities dwarf those in Europe. (France's north-south axis is barely longer than the trip from New York to Chicago.) According to transportation geeks, high-speed rail competes with air travel only for trips under 500 miles or that take less than three hours by plane. Chicago to St. Louis could work, but New York to Denver? Nope.
Gas is also cheaper here than in Europe and the Pacific Rim. That's an incentive to drive the short hops instead of taking the train. And an even greater incentive: Our roads are almost universally awesome. "We've chosen to sink our transportation investments into the automobile," says planning guru Robert Cervero of UC Berkeley. No news flash there.
But technology and economics may be shifting to a point where regional high-speed rail is plausible. Public transit in general is looking better and better to local governments. New York City approved a new subway line, San Francisco is considering an additional trolley route, and Los Angeles might extend its subway to the beach via parts of town people actually want to go. The same holds for intercity travel. Illinois and Wisconsin recently invested in improved rail service between Chicago and Milwaukee. Ridership spiked. "If you make this available, people will recognize how valuable it is for our urban environments," says Dennis Minichello, president of the Midwest High-Speed Rail Association. Put another way: If you build it, they will ride.
New technology also helps. Lighter materials, improved acceleration, and enhanced communications all translate to faster travel times and lower construction and operating costs. Until recently, the signaling systems that keep trains on course and prevent collisions were installed in the ground along the entire route. That equipment has now been replaced by cheaper satellite and wireless technologies. And there's the critical issue of tilting: Most high-speed trains ride the same rails as standard passenger and freight lines. These tracks tend to be curvy; high speed demands long straightaways. But if the trains are designed to lean inward against curves to counteract centrifugal force, they can travel faster on existing infrastructure — a major cost saver. It works in Spain, and on Amtrak's flawed but popular Acela line in the Northeast Corridor.
To really make a system work, the US needs to build dedicated high-speed tracks. "But then that costs more, and you're talking about expropriating land," one industry insider says. Eminent domain is an explosive topic in the property-rights-obsessed US. On the other hand, we did it for the Interstate Highway System. Back then, it was for the benefit of national security; Eisenhower argued that the roads might be needed to move troops. But today we know that pollution, global warming, and dependence on Middle East oil are issues of national security, too.
The big test for US high-speed rail is now under way in California, and the hurdle is political, not technical. "Lassitude is our enemy," says Quentin Kopp, chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. He's leading the campaign for a Sacramento-to-San Diego high-speed train (San Francisco to Los Angeles in two and a half hours!). A $10 billion bond measure is slated for the 2008 ballot, but it's hardly a sure bet. Despite his iridescent-green glow, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not endorsed the bond. But even if he comes around, rail riders should keep the champagne corked. In the 1990s, Texas officials pushed for high-speed rail connecting Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, only to be squashed by a lobbying push from Southwest Airlines. This fast train thing could work, if enough people would just get on board.
Hey America, Make With the !@~$ High-Speed Rail Already
In April, a train built by the French engineering firm Alstom screamed along the Ligne à Grande Vitesse, the Paris-to-Strasbourg high-speed rail system, at a record- breaking 357 miles per hour. The whizzing run past Vendôme provided a glimpse of next-gen railway travel, and Alstom execs hope, set the company up for future contracts in emerging high-speed rail markets like China and India.
Conspicuously absent among those emerging markets: the US. Of course, news of the achievement sparked yet another round of well-worn rants, often delivered by globe-trotters who return home after rides on slick Japanese or French trains wondering, "Where the hell is my high-speed rail?" It's a question that betrays a certain naiveté about transit policy — but it's still a good one. If the country has a prayer of solving its traffic woes and creating a more efficient, environmentally sound infrastructure, we'll need some first-rate, wicked-fast trains.
That the US lacks them is due neither to conspiracy nor accident. Distances between major North American cities dwarf those in Europe. (France's north-south axis is barely longer than the trip from New York to Chicago.) According to transportation geeks, high-speed rail competes with air travel only for trips under 500 miles or that take less than three hours by plane. Chicago to St. Louis could work, but New York to Denver? Nope.
Gas is also cheaper here than in Europe and the Pacific Rim. That's an incentive to drive the short hops instead of taking the train. And an even greater incentive: Our roads are almost universally awesome. "We've chosen to sink our transportation investments into the automobile," says planning guru Robert Cervero of UC Berkeley. No news flash there.
But technology and economics may be shifting to a point where regional high-speed rail is plausible. Public transit in general is looking better and better to local governments. New York City approved a new subway line, San Francisco is considering an additional trolley route, and Los Angeles might extend its subway to the beach via parts of town people actually want to go. The same holds for intercity travel. Illinois and Wisconsin recently invested in improved rail service between Chicago and Milwaukee. Ridership spiked. "If you make this available, people will recognize how valuable it is for our urban environments," says Dennis Minichello, president of the Midwest High-Speed Rail Association. Put another way: If you build it, they will ride.
New technology also helps. Lighter materials, improved acceleration, and enhanced communications all translate to faster travel times and lower construction and operating costs. Until recently, the signaling systems that keep trains on course and prevent collisions were installed in the ground along the entire route. That equipment has now been replaced by cheaper satellite and wireless technologies. And there's the critical issue of tilting: Most high-speed trains ride the same rails as standard passenger and freight lines. These tracks tend to be curvy; high speed demands long straightaways. But if the trains are designed to lean inward against curves to counteract centrifugal force, they can travel faster on existing infrastructure — a major cost saver. It works in Spain, and on Amtrak's flawed but popular Acela line in the Northeast Corridor.
To really make a system work, the US needs to build dedicated high-speed tracks. "But then that costs more, and you're talking about expropriating land," one industry insider says. Eminent domain is an explosive topic in the property-rights-obsessed US. On the other hand, we did it for the Interstate Highway System. Back then, it was for the benefit of national security; Eisenhower argued that the roads might be needed to move troops. But today we know that pollution, global warming, and dependence on Middle East oil are issues of national security, too.
The big test for US high-speed rail is now under way in California, and the hurdle is political, not technical. "Lassitude is our enemy," says Quentin Kopp, chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. He's leading the campaign for a Sacramento-to-San Diego high-speed train (San Francisco to Los Angeles in two and a half hours!). A $10 billion bond measure is slated for the 2008 ballot, but it's hardly a sure bet. Despite his iridescent-green glow, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not endorsed the bond. But even if he comes around, rail riders should keep the champagne corked. In the 1990s, Texas officials pushed for high-speed rail connecting Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, only to be squashed by a lobbying push from Southwest Airlines. This fast train thing could work, if enough people would just get on board.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Giving up on giving away
So, I'm totally giving up on finding something in my considerable and useless possessions that may be the surprise piece in "Treasure in the Attic" played out in my own little eBay drama.
I researched a few antiques that have come down to me through my great grandfather, and they're worth so little on eBay that it's not worth photographing them and putting them out there. So, I've been moving some things around, displaying a few more things, and getting the front room a little more organized than it is now.
It's time to just integrate them, or stow them away.
I researched a few antiques that have come down to me through my great grandfather, and they're worth so little on eBay that it's not worth photographing them and putting them out there. So, I've been moving some things around, displaying a few more things, and getting the front room a little more organized than it is now.
It's time to just integrate them, or stow them away.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Tuesday before a day off
So, last night Matticia is telling me that he's all excited about the upcoming Sweeney Todd movie with Johnny Depp as Todd.
I think I passed a gallstone when I heard it. Johnny Depp, as wonderful as he is, just doesn't strike me as the barber whose voice derives from the bowels of Hell itself. He's just a little whisp of a thing. Can he even sing? Or is this going to be like Madonna singing Evita, which still has left my hearing damaged.
My BG this morning was 87. I've NEVER had it that low, EVER. Not on arising, anyway. Mid 90s, yes.
I've been reading these articles about diabetes; how it's all about the food intake and a little exercise - that the current therapy is driven by pharma and lazy doctors. How wild.
More movement on the commercial mortgage front.
I think I passed a gallstone when I heard it. Johnny Depp, as wonderful as he is, just doesn't strike me as the barber whose voice derives from the bowels of Hell itself. He's just a little whisp of a thing. Can he even sing? Or is this going to be like Madonna singing Evita, which still has left my hearing damaged.
My BG this morning was 87. I've NEVER had it that low, EVER. Not on arising, anyway. Mid 90s, yes.
I've been reading these articles about diabetes; how it's all about the food intake and a little exercise - that the current therapy is driven by pharma and lazy doctors. How wild.
More movement on the commercial mortgage front.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Sunday evening Happyness
I'm watching the DVD "The Pursuit of Happyness." It's an awesome movie. Even if you hate Will Smith.
Where has this year gone? Where has this weekend gone?
Today in church things were again awesome. We only had 12 people. However, we asked for people to stay and help me get the book cases put out, the books moved out and organized and everyone - everyone - stayed and helped out. It's not everything I'd like to accomplish yet, but it's a strong start. Hopefully, next weekend I can get some more things cleared out, and set up an office in the back.
You know, I live on a busy corner. Every day, all day and until after midnight, cars pull up at the traffic light and wait for the light to change. Every few minutes, one of those cars has a high powered thrumming stereo system that literally rattles the glassware in the house. The curio on the front wall that has 20th Century glassware in it rattles like I'm in an earthquake. About once a week, I have to open up the case and move all of the glassware back to its original position.
How is that even rational or reasonable behavior? Why aren't all of those bastards deaf already?
I can't wait until I can get those windows installed.
I had such weird dreams this weekend. Again with a dream of being at my grandparent's house in northern Michigan, in the basement, but this time, the sunlight was streaming in the windows. I haven't really read enough into it. I dreamed about my aunt, she was disappointed in me. It was just .. random and hard to understand.
I finally set up the church's merchandise store. I worked on the Fabulair merchandise today.
Bram was suggesting he wanted to get a black schnauzer. Uh ...
Chuck and George have a new roomie who's a landscaper; I think that this week, he's going to come out and design me a new front patch. That will be great.
So much to accomplish this week. I'm looking forward to having Wednesday off - I'm just going to sleep.
Where has this year gone? Where has this weekend gone?
Today in church things were again awesome. We only had 12 people. However, we asked for people to stay and help me get the book cases put out, the books moved out and organized and everyone - everyone - stayed and helped out. It's not everything I'd like to accomplish yet, but it's a strong start. Hopefully, next weekend I can get some more things cleared out, and set up an office in the back.
You know, I live on a busy corner. Every day, all day and until after midnight, cars pull up at the traffic light and wait for the light to change. Every few minutes, one of those cars has a high powered thrumming stereo system that literally rattles the glassware in the house. The curio on the front wall that has 20th Century glassware in it rattles like I'm in an earthquake. About once a week, I have to open up the case and move all of the glassware back to its original position.
How is that even rational or reasonable behavior? Why aren't all of those bastards deaf already?
I can't wait until I can get those windows installed.
I had such weird dreams this weekend. Again with a dream of being at my grandparent's house in northern Michigan, in the basement, but this time, the sunlight was streaming in the windows. I haven't really read enough into it. I dreamed about my aunt, she was disappointed in me. It was just .. random and hard to understand.
I finally set up the church's merchandise store. I worked on the Fabulair merchandise today.
Bram was suggesting he wanted to get a black schnauzer. Uh ...
Chuck and George have a new roomie who's a landscaper; I think that this week, he's going to come out and design me a new front patch. That will be great.
So much to accomplish this week. I'm looking forward to having Wednesday off - I'm just going to sleep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)