You are out of order

You have to love it when local government meetings descend into chaos, and usually composed persons show their other sides. This was in full view during a recent Detroit city council hearing. What makes it even funnier is that the councilwoman is the wife of Rep. Conyers of Michigan. I guess when you have a mayor this is under investigation for lying to law enforcement about an affair with his assistant, you can't expect more from your council.

Looking for Someone to Blame

It looks like Alan Greenspan is going to be thrown under the bus. Apparently his monetary policies while head of the Fed had a little something to do with our housing market bust right now. While the Fed plays a major role in this debacle, I think it is still up to the consumer to make sure they aren't removing what little equity they have in their homes to spend on things we don't need.

Senator Webb looking out for the Veterans, Senator McCain: Not so Much

(Picture: Virginia Pilot)
I don't cover the Presidential race that often, because I often feel like I am taking crazy pills when it comes to the Presidential race. That being said, I want to say kudos to Senator Webb who introduced, shortly after he was sworn in, the Post- 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007. In short, it would inject a large amount of funds into the monies the GI Bill pays out to veterans who have served for specific periods of time, post 9-11. He campaigned on it, and has been a vocal supporter of it. He has fifty some senators, including Senator Warner, soon to be replace by another Warner. You would think this would be a no brainer issue, since we all support the troops and want to provide them with the same opportunity as our WWII veterans. But, the administration and Department of Defense have pushed back, claiming it will cost too much, and we can't "encourage some people to go to college rather than stay in uniform, but
payments to people with critical skills would be lower under the
proposal than what is available today." Read the Army Times article here. Sen. Webb is putting the pressure on SecDef Gates as well, and Sen. Warner is certainly backing him up, both having served in the Marine Corps, and realizing the debt we owe veterans. What surprises me is that for all of the cheer leading many in the Republican party do for the military, there hasn't been much support for it in the Senate. Sen. Webb has specifically focused on Sen. McCain, who you would assume would be behind this legislation. I would like to know his reasoning as to why not. I don't think any argument relating to costs would be a valid one, considering we are spending several billion a month in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this program is predicted to cost $2.5 billion a year.

Bonnie and Clyde without the Guns

I read a story about these two jokers a couple of months ago, but it wasn't as in depth as this Rolling Stone article. These two cats bilked unsuspecting people out of a couple hundred thousand dollars, so they could travel and shop. I don't mean traveling to Disney world, like your normal American aspires to do, I mean going to Paris, Morocco, and other exotic locations. What kills me is they put all of this stuff on their Facebook pages, and the guy was passing as some sort of investment banker. Apparently Penn just doesn't push out very annoying rich people like the Donald, but they turn out tools that like to steal your money as well. Check out the pictures that are posted along with the story, and you can see how these two crooks were living. To bad they are going to be living in 8 x 10 rooms for a decade or so, talk about an exotic location.

Don't Mess with Her

One would think that after living in Baltimore, you would slowly become desensitized to the enormous amounts of drugs, addicts, and violence that seems to ooze out of this city. Why only yesterday a heroin addict was stumbling down the street, in the throws of her high, and as some out of towners were watching in sheer disbelief, I could only shake my head. Or, when I was walking past McDonald's and one of the cooks was smoking his joint out front like it was nobodies business. At least he had a easy supply of food to satiate his munchies. Anyway, this front pager from the Sun still gets me. This woman is as ruthless as her male compatriots and holds no remorse for her actions. Charged with murder and a sundry list of other charges, I would have no problems throwing the key away on a person like this.

Rock Hall Rocks!

If you know anyone in college, you probably know they were on Spring break this week. I still pine for those days of having a week off to let my brain vegetate, and just read for fun. While I can enjoy a week respite from classes, my much better half did get the week off. So we decided to turn eastward and make our fortunes outside of Baltimore this weekend. After many hours of research and with an ever helpful Google by my side, I found this little gem of a bed and breakfast, in Rock Hall, which is in Kent county. Huntingfield Creek was about a two hour drive from Baltimore, and well worth the drive. You get to see rolling fields of green, which do not naturally occur in Baltimore, that put your mind at ease, and help you realize there is something more than asphalt and concrete. Anyway, this place is set on an enormous estate that abuts the bay, and is good for taking a long walk. Make sure you bring the very friendly dogs along, you can see them in my slide show below. Directly south from Huntingfield Creek is the smallest national wildlife refuge in the country, according to our gracious innkeeper. Eastern Neck wildlife refuge is a tiny island, but it is home to our national symbol, the eagle, which we saw several of. I was able to take a picture, but it just appears as a black speck, oh well. But, there are trails and it offers an amazing view of the bay, including Baltimore off in the distance. I have been told that a ferry used to bring people out to Rock Hall for crab feasts, but they were discontinued. As far as culinary options, for a place as small as Rock Hall, there are several options. We chose the Bay Wolf, and dined on a delectable dish of Wienerschnitzel, which I was told was comparable to anything being served in Vienna. But, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the mouth watering breakfast that is served. There is plenty, and the sticky bun con sausage was unique and provided a great juxstaposition of sweet and salty. All in all, it was a weekend that should be replicated, and if you get a chance, you should stay with Jim and Joanne.

Rock Hall

Relationships

There is a little bit of truthiness in this video.

The Sad Truth About Relationships

Protest This Tibet!

The Chinese government does an excellent job at shutting down any dissent. Tiananmen Square was an excellent example of this. Nothing says loving like getting run over by a T-35. So you have the Tibetans, who are currently having a little rebellion of their own. With crowds, chants, and the occasional severe beating by overzealous Chinese authority types. I mean, these people were only their own country before the hoards from China decided to extend their domain into Tibet. So some of these Tibetans are chaffing from the yolk and acting out. The Chinese response, was typical, but it is getting more attention than normal, with the Olympics so close. I like the fact they have shut down media coming out of Tibet, going as far as blocking YouTube. I don't care what kind of repressive communist regime that you are, YOU DO NOT BLOCK YOUTUBE! That and the fact that the Dali Lama is not inclined to tell his countrymen to stop their protest either, speaks to the importance of this event.

So the U.S. government has sternly rebuked the dragon from the East, for kicking out foreign journalist. Not that they are letting any of the journalists that are there actually report on anything of substance. As far as the Olympics go, the EU has already said it would not boycott the games. But, where does the U.S. stand? There have been reports that at least one hundred people have been killed by the authorities, and I am sure the count is much higher than that. Does the U.S. responsibility to make a stronger stand that just feigning outrage, or do the economics outweigh wholesale slaughter? Time will tell. Meanwhile, good luck you crazy Tibetans, don't let the Chinese keep, I mean beat you down.

It takes a Ninja to kill a Ninja

I first heard this saying from my brother, and while it is funny, in the case of cancer it is deadly serious. These scientist are using a virus to kill cancer cells. If this breakthrough translates to other forms of cancer, we don't necessarily need a cure, because we can destroy the cancer. This is the type of scientific discovery I am looking forward to seeing more of, so kudos to this super smart scientists.

Trimming the Fat or Cutting Dead Weight, Choose your Metaphor

I pay attention to politics in D.C., because it is fun and I am familiar with the scene. So when I saw this article in the Sun today, I had to laugh. Last week the chancleor of D.C. schools did the same exact thing. She got the power to fire, and classify central office employees as at will, and got rid of their asses. Many say it was because they were underperformers, she says it was to give more money to the schools. For whatever reason they give, getting rid of all the redundant and wasteful central office jobs, can only help. Mr. Alonso is going to cut $110 million from the central office budget and redistribute $70 million. I am sure some people are going to whine about jobs, but when the money is going to the kids, there is only so much whining that can be done. I think this is a good move, considering how poor the schools in this city perform. But, we all know that simply throwing money at the problem will not work, you have to have students who want to be there an want to learn. Let's hope they keep the number of administrators down, so they can focus on giving the kids the resources they deserve, and not the shortchanging they have received thus far.

In a Womb Far Far Away . . .

A love quirky little articles about the most cutting edge science, and how it affects society. While the science in this article isn't cutting edge, the entire concept behind surrogate wombs is fascinating. Here you have a couple, somewhere in the world, who is a paying an Indian woman to carry their future child. These women are apparently paid several years wages for this service. While the article says this practice has been banned in several countries, India has seemingly done well in regulating the practice. I guess the country figures there are so many people living in abject poverty, the mental strain caused by this practice is outweighed by the financial benefit. I just don't understand how these women could give up a child that is technically half theirs. I can't argue for people who want to bring a child into this world, but the means are questionable.
(Photo Stephanie Sinclair/VII Network/ N.Y. Times)

Sore Thumb

I tend not to complain too much, especially when it isn't worth wasting my time. But, there are occasions when I think it is warranted. I don't necessarily view this as a complaint, more of a criticism of sorts. So I was walking down Pratt street this morning, and see they are almost finished with the exterior of the new Convention Center Hilton. When I first saw the silver siding, I thought it was nothing more than a base layer. That is not the case, almost the entire building will be that silver color. Not that I have anything against the color, but when you compare it to the surrounding environs, you see that it doesn't fit in with the brick motif of the ball park, or the rest of the buildings in that area. One would think that if you are going to build a building, you would have it fit in with the motif, which in Baltimore is red brick. I can understand if they are trying to save money on the cost of materials or the labor it takes to install the brick, but that place sticks out like a sore thumb, and and ugly one at that! Check out the slide show below so you can see what I mean.

Do Not Follow the Leader

England has been the leader in keeping track of its citizens.  They have cctv cameras seemingly growing out of the wood, in order to keep their citizens safe.  There are doubts as to whether they actually work, but once a government gets a big brother program like this going, it would take an act of god to stop it.  Next comes their national ID with bio-metric data.  Which is to include your address, finger prints, and retinal scan.  This is certainly comparable to the U.S. Real ID, and what our law makers are pushing on us.  We shouldn't have to walk around with our iris scan and finger prints just to prove who I am.  I think a picture works just fine.  Both the U.S. and English governments are claiming this will increase our safety, but if they can't get the big issues right, how can we expect them to carry this out with any bit of competency?

Deaf, Dumb, Blind and Stupid

I guess that is how you could characterize the United States' policy with regard to Palestine.  We want to promote democracy, but we cut them off when they elect Hamas.  I don't know if you can blame people for wanting to boot the corrupt acolytes of former PLO head Arafat.  This article from Vanity Fair just goes to show you that we still aren't playing with a full deck when it comes to handling situations in the Middle East.  Instead of building up a government, we forced a reactionary coup, that left both sides worse off, and the extreme elements in a better position.  Three cheers for Condi and her crew!

Recent Additions

As you may have noticed, there are two new widgets on my blog, or blogito as some refer to it as.  The first, is my GoodReads book shelf.  It shows you the most recent books that I have read, so that you can peer into my literary world.  Second, and I just did this for fun, is the Google CrandCentral button, at the bottom of my page.  GrandCentral, invite only or if you use Blogger, gives you a central phone number that you can give to everyone, and route calls via the nets.  Anyway, if anyone wants to leave me a message, or an invite, just say so.

Getting them off the Streets, and Behind Bars

This front page story from the Sun is very heartening. I wish we could wipe the gangs off of the streets, because they are such a destabilizing force in the communities. On the second page of the article, an older gang member start philosophizing on how gangs actually helped their communities. If by help you mean murder, intimidate, sell drugs, and generally lower the quality of life, you are doing an excellent job for your community! I wish I could say keep up the good work .

Saturday Sillines

This kid is going to be a rock star, or at the least very good at karaoki.

Wine and Internets, who Could ask for anything more?

Hear ye, Hear ye, attention to all of the oenophiles of the great state of Maryland. Two of your state senators have seen the light, and are proposing legislation that would allow you to purchase wine over the internets! Montgomery County senator Jamie Raskin, with a co-sponsor have put forth a bill that would repeal that old prohibition era law that prevents wine from being ordered outside of the state. Apparently all of those snobby Montgomery county liberals couldn't find their Merlot at the local liquor store, so they annoyed their elected representatives to do something about it. I mean who ever heard of ordering things over the internet?

They had a hearing in Annapolis, where the liquor lobby was up in arms over this bill. Mr. Bereano, who represents them said "[w]hat is so sacrosanct about wine? . . . You can get drunk on a bottle of wine just as easily as scotch or vodka." They also argue that persons under 21 will run to their computers, so they to can partake in the alcoholic sacrament. I have a feeling their argument will fail, when you consider that so many other state allow these types of sales. But, they are going to try and protect their market the best way they see fit, and if it means denying you your favorite vintage, so be it.

As a disclosure, I have to say that I have a quasi-interest in this issue. I happen to know and individual who produces and sells a wine. This was without a doubt one of the best wines that I have ever tasted, and you can purchase it online. Unfortunately, you have to either live in D.C. or Virginia to get it. If you do, check it out because you won't be disappointed.

Kick the Bum Out

It appears as if Musharaf will be going down to a major defeat. I have a feeling he will find himself living in exile, for fear of reprisals. My, how much difference an election can make.

Your Doctor, Our Spy

Like many of you out there, I feel like I am paying way too much for my insurance. Not that I really pay attention to how much I am paying, but I am sure it is far beyond what I should be paying. Seriously, those of us who do have insurance are grateful to have it, because if the time arises to use it, we don't have to worry about racking up thousands in medical debt. When you switch carriers, you usually have to list any preexisting conditions, so the insurer knows what it will have to pay for in the future. Out in California, Blue Cross, which is the largest insurer in the state sent out a letter to doctors asking them to basically spy on their patients. If the patients fail to disclose any preexisting conditions, they can be dropped by the insurer. If anything was found by the doctor, it was to "be reported to Blue Cross immediately." Needless to say that would be a serious breech of trust between the patient and doctor. The letter has been subsequently revoked by Blue Cross, but that was not enough for the state of California. The lawmakers there have proposed legislation to put and end to this practice.

Chicken Hawks Indeed

Great article by Taibbi. The Democrat leadership talks a good game, but in the end, they still walk around with their tails behind their legs when it comes to ending the Iraq war.

Six Word Memoirs

I thought you might enjoy this on a Sunday. Sometimes, less is so much more.

You Can't Sit Here

It was only a matter of time before those far left liberal legislators would try to dictate where you could eat. First it was banning cigarettes, forcing all of those smokers out into the cold. Now those of you with bulging waistlines, and bursting bellies may have to suffer a setback when it comes to satisfying your culinary urges. The State of Mississippi , has three lawmakers that have proposed a bill that would "allow health inspectors to revoke the licence of any restaurant that "repeatedly" feeds extremely overweight people." Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on where you stand on this issue, the bill was killed in subcommittee. The authors did say however, "Anybody with any sense knows it's not going to happen, not going to pass,". Apparently they just wanted to bring to light the problem of American obesity. Next question I have is this, how much do these gentlemen weigh, and what are their BMIs?

A Convincing Appeal

I enjoy watching Professor Lessig's presentations because they are simple, and very effective. The word prompting actually makes you think of what he is talking about. This appeal to vote for Obama is very evocative, and deserves a watch.

Lip Service to Democracy

Afghanistan, almost seven years after we invaded, has made some progress. They have a quasi-democratic government, an economy that is sort of stable, and very few suicide bombs. Granted their economy is almost entirely based on opium, which is controlled by feudal warlords who are at war with each other on a constant basis. What I do not understand, and will never understand, is their attempt at justice and administering the rule of law. Apparently, under their version of Islamic law, it is a capital offense for someone to disrespect the Koran, by questioning someone's warped interpretation of it. This student was trying to understand an issue, and bring it up for discussion and what will he get? Read the article, and maybe you will have another reason to question why we are pouring billions of dollars into this country to promote democracy. This is not the kind of democracy that I stand for.

Hairball in our Collective Throats

Many Americans are swimming in debt. Whether it is mounting credit card debit from buying all of those big screen TVs, or upgrading to that McMansion they have always wanted. To avoid the current economic crisis, the government has decided it will print some money for us to go out and jump start this economy. I agree with this article from Time, this ideas is far too short sighted, and will not change the structural problems of American debt and how it effects our economy.

Erase this

I feel sorry for this company, at the same time if they were stupid enough to not have backup tapes, they deserve it. Ms. Cooley believed that she had been fired, in turn goes to her office, and deletes a boatload of her employer's information. Moral of the story, check to see if the picture in the help wanted poster is actually you.

You had a Bad Day

We all have had situations at work that we are not proud of. You make promises you can't keep, you sabotage your officemates, so on and so forth. Well this Frenchman is probably going to take the cake for the next century. Daneil Bouton, some sort of investment banker lost his employer $7 billion dollars. That's right, this dude just lost the GDP of some small countries. What does he say? "The result was a considerable loss." What do you do with this guy? He didn't kill anybody, but I am sure that all sorts of people would like to introduce him to a wonderful French device called a guillotine.

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

Not to put a damper on this lovely Wednesday, but once again our electricity rates will be increasing. The hit isn't as bad this time, but a 5.5% increase still sucks. From the looks of things, we haven't seen the last rate hike.

It will keep getting worse," said Skip Trimble, a senior energy consultant with South River Consulting in Baltimore. "Demand is outstripping supply ... but nobody is building anything new.

From O'Connell to Cruise

You have to wonder if Tom sees this parody and realizes that he is bat shit crazy. Because this video with Jerry O'Connell is less disturbing than the original one.

Market Woes

I love this editor's disgust at American dogs getting mortgages. You know how those dogs are always lying about how much they take home!

A New Product at the Market

It was probably only a matter of time before the Al-Qaeda surrogates in Iraq started cultivating poppies in Iraq. It is easy to grow, and it can survive in very harsh environments (see Afghanistan). The Independent has insightful article on this new front of the war in Iraq. Al-Qaeda has been able to use opium to its advantage in Afghanistan as a source of funding, and will undoubtedly use this business model in Iraq. Given the higher cost of living, post-invasion, I can see why farmers are turning to the most lucrative product. At the same time the social costs of heroin are enormous. What the U.S. military needs to do is wipe these operations out post haste, and reclaim the land from the terrorist/farmers.

Everyone Can be a Millionaire

While America may be going through a bit of a slump, we can't even hold a candle to Zimbabwe. This country has been in the economic gutter for the past couple of years, and it is in large part due to their fearless and aging leader Robert Mugabe. This guy has been the leader since the country's independence, and he has done a bang up job. He instituted a redistribution of farm land which has been a disaster, does not allow political dissent, and what is his most recent economic reform? The ten million dollar banknote! That's right, hyper-inflation be damned they need money and they need it now!

Mortgage Market Mania

In recent weeks investment banks such as Citigroup, JP Morgan, and Merrill Lynch have announced massive write-offs with respect to their exposure to their sub-prime loan investments. Citigroup is going to write down $18.1 billion and has cut their dividend by 41%. If I was an investor in Citi, I would be furious and calling for the CEO’s head on a stick. It is bad enough they are paid exorbitant salaries, but the fact that heads haven’t started to role is a shame. Well I guess if the CEOs are not losing their jobs, it is made up for by the fact that Citigroup is going to fire 4,200 of their employees.

What have these banks done in order to cover these losses? They have now put their hands out to foreign investors to buoy them. At least these foreign firms still see value in investing in the American economy, even when the President and the Federal Reserve are considering a massive stimulus package to avoid a Recession. There are other international side effects, the Australian market has taken a heavy hit, and that probably will not be the last.

Pay your Bill or National Security Suffers

So the government is determined to siphon all phone calls and internet traffic, in order to better protect/monitor us, now you have to wonder about this story. The telecoms are willing to comply with what could be illegal wiretaps but the government has got to pay up or they turn the spigot off. I mean, these companies have some scruples, making money is what they do. It reminds me of that famous line from Good Fellas.

Mortgage Meltdown and Fire Sale

As a result of extraordinary loses from their sub-prime mortgage lending, Countrywide mortgage is going to be acquire by Bank of America. In the NY Times story, BofA justifies this acquisition as "a rare opportunity for Bank of America to add what we believe is the best domestic mortgage platform at an attractive price". In other words, Countrywide has lost so much money and the stock price is so low, you can't afford to pass up on this. This Bloomberg article has more on the financial impact of this deal. This deal will have national implications, and this consolidation could have an upside of cleaning up some of the sloppy lending practices.

Freakonomics on The Wire

I loved this article about what the "real" thugs think about the Wire, and its characters. But, do New York thugs even compare to Baltimore thugs? Now that is a round table that should be in the works. The author of this article is author of two books on urban crime, and specifically gangs. Check his two books out.

A Warm Welcome in the Holy Land

With President Bush in Isreal, it is interesting to read the papers from that region. The Jerusalem Post had this story about some interesting signs that had been posted prior to Bush's visit. Apparently they were hung by a nationalist group that doesn't want to see the halt to Israel's settlements in the disputed Palestinian territories. I think what the President is doing over there is a smart, pragmatic, and strategically beneficial move. I just wish he would have focused his efforts on this problem versus Iraq. I believe the settlements issue is the key to this problem. If the Palestinians feel like Israel continues to expand into their territory, they will continue to use violence as a means to make themselves heard.

Prime Time Show down

The city of Baltimore is the first city in the nation that is going to sue one of the huge sub-prime lenders. The city claims that Wells Fargo has used deceptive/predatory practices when it comes to the African American consumers of their loan products. With record numbers of foreclosures in this city, I think you will find many Baltimore residents sympathetic.

Politics with a Purpose

I am getting back into the swing of things after a long holiday break. After spending the past two weeks on a primary crack binge, I need to take a break. If you caught the Simpson's this weekend you will have to appreciate Ralph Wiggum's campaign commercial. Let's all hope we can pick a winner like this kid can.