I tried to check out some videos on YouTube, but it said the TPMTV account has been suspended.  I wonder if there is a good story there?  

This is a quick post regarding this post from the main page.  It is a quick post I felt compelled to write, so I won't have time to attach footnotes...

 

#1 - We need infrastructure improvements first.

 

No we don't!  Now is the time for everyone to buy an electric car.  You would recharge them overnight when demand is low.  Our current power grid can adequately maintain increased demand as long as it is off-peak.  We also need people to get used to the idea of having a car with less range than a gasoline car, but adequate range for daily driving. 

Some say we need to wait for wind/solar power, but that is a "pie-in-the-sky" scenario which will take years (or decades) to accomplish.  The time is now!

Also, we are the "Saudi Arabia" of coal.  The time to start using it is now.  Unless you are willing to live like the Amish, then you need to become realistic about energy; solar or wind just won't keep things going right now.  Solar power may someday provide all our needs, but wind will never do that.

 

#2 - The Chevy Volt will be an electric car:

The Volt will be a hybrid with a gasoline engine.  However, unlike the current crop of "parallell hybrids" it will be the first "series hybrid."  All of the power delivered to the wheels will come from an electric motor, but it will also have a gasoline engine.

The Tesla is an all-electric vehicle.  No gasoline engine involved. 

 

I say we bail-out Tesla and let GM manage on their own.

In the wee hours of November 4th I delivered a baby.  It is always an enriching experience helping to guide a new human being into the world.  It was even more interesting because this child was born into a new country that didn't exist yesterday.  This child's mother is white and his father is black. 

The second thing I did was vote for Barack Obama, the next President. 

It is interesting to think about how this child's life will be different because of our new President.

Now if I can just score a few tickets to the Inauguration...

Assuming that Obama will win California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii -- if Obama wins Florida or Ohio it is over.  If he wins two out of the three of Indiana, Virginia, or North Carolina it is over.

It will be over soon!

Yes We Can!

A good friend of mine just started a website that is, in essence, an homage to Barack Obama.  He is offering free email addresses at the domain yeswecan.com.  Be the first one on your block to get a new email.

Sorry if this is considered spam, but this is a dream my friend has been trying to get off the ground for months, and he finally did it!

 



I have posted about this before, but now seems like a good time to revisit it. What name should Alaskans chose as the new name for the Anchorage Airport?

I wonder if and when they will really change the name. 

John McCain's healthplan is on the news and on the radio.  ABC Nightly News totally forgot to present an important fact which is sort of difficult to explain.  The net result will result in an increased death rate for Americans.

The critical part of the McCain plan involves the money people use to pay for insurance or health care.  Right now the money you earn and spend on your employer provided health insurance is paid in pre-tax dollars.  You can also set aside money to pay for expenses not covered by insurance.  These pre-tax dollars are specified by Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, and are usually called a "Flex Plan" or "Flexible Benefits."  Under the McCain plan, these earnings will no longer be tax free.  Obama tried to explain this in the debate, but it is a difficult concept to explain clearly and quickly.

John McCain also wants to deregulate the healthcare (really just the insurance) industry.  I guess I really don't need to say any more than that.

There was an in-depth story on the radio this morning discussing how John McCain's plan would result in thousands of Americans losing their health insurance. Here is a link to the story.

This would lead, in effect, to a loss of life of American citizens.  John McCain wants to kill Americans!

Read more »

Since this is one of the funniest photos I have seen in a while, I thought it would make a good picture for a caption contest. You just can't photoshop stuff like this, no one would believe it -- But it really happened!




Here is my entry (stolen from Young Frankenstein):

Obama: You know, I'm a rather brilliant surgeon. Perhaps I can help you with that hump.

McCain: What hump?

Your turn!

As I was driving to work today, Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Obama now has a 17 point lead in Wisconsin.  The local news is reporting that the RNC has pulled television ads.  Will the McCain campaign follow suit?  What will Sarah Palin say?

It will be nice not to have to watch those ads anymore...

In the spirit of IMDB.com and bad movies, please add to my list of the funny things you may have noticed about John McCain:

1. Everyone in the room is my friend.
2. If your wife gets old, fat, or injured in a motor vehicle accident, just find a younger version.
3. Always be sure to check out Sarah Palin's ass when you stand behind her.
4. Never look a black man in the eye, he might hurt you.
   
5. If your wife teases you in front of reporters, just call her a...
6. If at first you crash your plane, just try, try again.
7. Smile more often, it makes you look creepy.
8. Don't forget to wear sunscreen.

That's all I got...

If anyone is getting Obama withdrawal, you can turn to Channel 73 on the Dish Network and watch him 24/7.  If you know any undecided voters with Dish Network, tell them to tune in.

Anyone remember when Mr. Shaw asked the infamous question of Gov. Dukakis?  Dukakis was against the death penalty and  Shaw asked if he would oppose the death penalty if his wife was raped and murdered.

Sarah Palin opposes abortion, even in cases of rape.  I would ask her if she would get an abortion if she was raped.  Someone already asked her about if her daughter was raped, and she said she would "choose life." 

We all know there is no way McCain can let Palin debate Biden on Thursday.  I am just wondering how they will bow out.  What excuse will they use to suspend the campaign?  Vote for your favorite or suggest your own.

10. Have to act as wedding planner

9: Have to go and flog congress to pass important legislation

8.  Too busy stuffing cash in mattress

7. Credit Card at limit, couldn't afford airfare

6.  Needed to stalk Tina Fey

5. Laryngitis

4. Protesting because Biden said she was pretty

3. Malamute ate her prep materials

2. Had to travel to Nome to watch out for Russians

1. Her daughter has leaking amniotic fluid

There is no way John McCain can let her attend this debate --  It will surely be the end of his campaign if he does.

In spite of the time of 24 hour video news there is hardly any discussion of what actually caused the problem in the financial markets last week.  Leave it to the people of NPR News and This American Life to get to the heart of the matter.  If you have never heard of "commercial paper," then you need to listen to this story.

And if you want to understand the root of the mortgage crisis, then listen to this.

I have never heard the situation explained so concisely.  Tell your friends!

I am a healthcare professional and the events of this past several weeks have given me a new idea for a national healthcare plan for everyone.  I am not a business person, so forgive me if I don't use the proper business terminology.  This will be a single player plan. 

Here is the plan in seven simple steps:

1.  Consolidate all the current various and sundry companies that provide medical care into about 4 or 5 big companies.

2. Conceive of an aggressive (and borderline fraudulent) marketing plan to  recruit investors into these companies.

3.  Insure everyone -- even people who have no assets, no income, and no prospects.

4.  These companies should borrow a lot of money from numerous sources, domestic and international.

5.  Consolidate even more.  Our goal would be to end up with two or three truly massive international conglomerates.

6.  Keep on getting deeper into debt until one by one these companies start to collapse.

7.  Now that these companies are "too big to fail" we can call up George W. Bush to bail them out! 

Tada!  There you have it, a National Healthcare System.

We better hurry, we only have a few months left (or maybe not, but that is another story...)