5/8/2015

A new Dave Matthews Band song release brought me back here. Here is Black and Bluebird. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/live-reviews/watch-dave-matthews-band-debut-new-song-in-final-letterman-set-20150508?page=2   If I could fly to the speed of light I could get to Canis Major in 5000 years Butterflies and black and blue birds have never been the same since I met you Pennies thrown into a fountain, make a wish, blow out the candles, take a breath God is troubling when you consider believers that would welcome the end of the world.   Got a job and it pays me I want love more than I deserve I read a paper it makes me crazy There’s got to be a way to make it work   Ashes, stardust, look at us crawling out the mud Let’s go around the block, we’ll make the most before the jig is up Dreamers, the big talk, but never enough [like it never stops] Ashes, stardust, look at us crawling out the mud   I know that dying is scary to us, but everybody do it one, two, three On the sidewalk the dandelion is reaching from a crack up to the sun Words can be a wicked to or twisting the truth, I wanna be true to you Blood and bones, black holes and stone, all those things paved the way to you and me   Got a job and it pays me I want love more than I deserve I read a paper it makes me crazy There’s got to be a way to make it work   Ashes, stardust, look at us crawling out the mud Let’s go around the block, we’ll make the most before the jig is up Campfires, and high rises, you never quite never when to stop Ashes, stardust, look at me crawling out the mud   If I could fly at the speed of light I could get to Betelgeuse in about 600 years. Butterflies and black and blue birds, I’ll never been the same since I met you Maybe dying is scary to us, but everybody do it a, b, c God is troubling when I consider believers that would welcome the end of the world   Got a job cause it pays me I want love more than I deserve I read a paper it makes me crazy There’s got to be a way to make it work   Ashes, stardust, look at us crawling out the mud Let’s go around the block, we’ll make the most before the jig is up Ashes, stardust, look at us crawling out the mud Ashes, stardust, look at me crawling out the mud Butterflies and black and blue birds, I’ve never been the same since I met you If I could fly at the speed of light I could get to Betelgeuse in about 600 years. Butterflies and black and blue birds

5/21/2014

It’s been over a year since I’ve posted to this site.

It’s been so long that I’ve attended half a dozen weddings, had friends create and birth a babies, and seen Russia grow in size by consuming part a sovereign country. In other words: a lot has happened.

Here’s to getting back on this site and sharing what I’m reading.

Some sites I’ve learned to love over the past 13 months.

Vox: http://www.vox.com/

The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/

 

4/3/2013

It is difficult to offer an original comment or provide new insight in regard to the much talked about same sex marriage debate. Just last week the strongest legal minds in our country parsed the subject over a two-day period. The first day, in Hollingsworth vs. Perry, the court heard a case related to California’s Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot provision which provided that only a marriage between a man and a woman be recognized in the state. The second day the court heard United States vs. Windsor, the challenge to the constitutionally of the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal marriage benefits to gay couples and allows the United States to only recognize marriages across state lines of opposite-sex marriages.

The justices prodded each side with equal amounts of satisfaction and pique. And it was questioned ad nauseam whether the court even had standing to hear the cases. In the end we await the courts decision, left scratching our heads, lost in a miasma of legalize disbelief.

I find that when this topic is discussed amongst friends it is all too easy to fall into a discussion where deep seeded values are cast as obvious rationales and visceral inclinations trump sound thinking. That’s why I find it so important to loosen our grip on long held beliefs and allow ourselves to extend the same presumption of good faith to others as we expect in return when making our own judgments.

When legislating it is imperative to craft laws that are amenable to reason. That is, a law must be equally applicable to all people—not simply to the bible-thumpers on one side or the atheists on the other. Its unfair and unjust to bound non-believers by biblical law, but equally wrong to subject the faithful to complete secularity. As such, a common ground, somewhere lurking in humanitarianism, is, in my opinion, the only safe place to tread.

Humanitarianism is a belief in the ethic of kindness, which is extended to all human beings. There is no judgment passed based on the color of one’s skin, one’s gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Simply, it’s the acceptance of one human being as every other human being.

As such, there are certain truths that must be agreed upon. The first is that all women and all men are extended the same and equal rights as every other woman and man in this country. This is set forth in the first sentence of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. The second is that two women or two men have the capacity to love each other as passionately and as equally as any man and women. This is evidenced by the countless men and women, friends of mine and surely friends of yours if you’ve found your way to this page, that have committed themselves to each other.

With this we come to the definition of a marriage, which is technically defined as a union between a man and a women. But what really is a marriage? Is it nothing more than a legal exercise, where the parties wish to gain the benefits of the institution of marriage? Is it a commitment to another person solely for the purpose of procreating and forming a family? Or is it a commitment to another person, an enduring proclamation of love? Under all these circumstances it’d be, by definition, bigoted to deny one person the right to marry while allowing someone else.

This is why I cannot arrive at any other conclusion than to believe same-sex marriage is not only constitutional, but, to borrow a biblical phrase, completely right and just.

Dave Matthews Band – Snow Outside lyrics

Today iTunes allowed users to stream the new Dave Matthews Band album due out on 9.11.12. My favorite song so far is a track titled Snow Outside. I’d hate to ruin it by trying to describe it so just listen (jump to the 38:00 minute mark). Also, to compliment your listening pleasure, below are the lyrics. Only one word–perfect.

Oh you are like a secret garden;

as i shuffle through this broken town

think of you and you are all around me

like the sky when the sun’s going down

I wanna tell the whole wide world

see how love can light your soul

but you are like my secret garden

and I wanna be with you alone.

Oh hold me, hold me tight

cause the world can be a crazy ride

and i know its gonna be alright cause you are here with me

oh the woman is so right

and even if the oceans divide us

I will be here right by your side for the rest of our days

yea, for the rest of our days

If you are tired I will bear your burden

if you are dreaming I will not disturb you

whatever your heart desires my love, love I’ll clear the way for you

come winter I will build you a fire from the bones of who I used to be

before you came and washed the weary away, before you came here for me

oh it is so right, every day and every night

by the fire with the snow outside and the two of us

hold tight, if it gets to be a crazy ride

I’ll be here right by your side for the rest of our days

yea, for the rest of our days.

Oh yes, so right

holding on to this crazy ride

hold on we’ll be alright

me and you and you and me

ah here you come here bring me real love

from the ground beneath to the stars above

was going down and now i’m going up, you in my blood

oh yea this is real love, sent down by the stars above

arms out and i’m going up with you in my blood

oh you know that its so right

it feels bigger than the whole world wide

and you know come the morning light that I am yours

oh that i am yours

oh that i am yours.

9/4/2012

1) On Thursday night Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for a second term as President. The Party has released the 2012 Democratic National Platform, and below is a link so you can read it for yourself. The paper details the party’s official stance on all the issues, ranging from how they plan to revive with the languid economy, how they’ll maintain the country’s security, and how they view the pressing social issues of the day. For good measure, you will also find below the link to the Republican National Platform.

DNP: http://assets.dstatic.org/dnc-platform/2012-National-Platform.pdf

RNP: http://www.gop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2008platform.pdf

2) A new study performed by Stanford scientists casts doubt on the nutritional benefits of organic vs. non-organic fruits, vegetables and meats. The meta-analysis conducted using nearly four decades of data showed that organic foods have negligible nutritional benefits over their non-organic counterparts. The study did find, however, that organic foods have a statistically significant less amount of trace pesticides and hormones. From the view of an organic food buyer, I can say that this is precisely why I pay the premium. I am not paying for my organic zucchini to have more folate that the non-organic zucchini–I’m paying for it to have no pesticides that cause cancer. I’m not paying for my organic chicken breast to have more useful proteins than the non-organic chicken–I’m paying for it to have no hormones that cause cancer. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/science/earth/study-questions-advantages-of-organic-meat-and-produce.html?_r=3&hp

Side note: The study identified pregnant women exposed to higher amounts of pesticides in their diets and noted that their children ended up having lower I.Q.’s than their elementary school peers. My future pregnant wife will hopefully be down with the whole organic thing too.

9/3/2012

1) I look at this often so I wanted to share this electoral map compiled by the New York Times. It shows which states are solidly for Obama or Romney, those which are leaning toward Obama or Romney, and the toss-ups. Based on the projection, President Obama currently leads Romney 237 to 206 in the electoral count. If Obama can hold on to those leaning states and shore up Florida, it seems like he will get another term. Easier said than done of course, so spread the word. http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map

2) Until recently, reports told us what would happen if Greece exited the Euro. Yesterday I found myself reading an article about what will happen when Greece exists the Euro. To be sure, it’s hard to say what exactly will happen, but preparations are underway–Greek firms are stockpiling cash to pay employees and companies are upgrading their systems to recognize a new currency.  Here in the US it is hard to concluded on the consequences as well.  But the reverberations are sure to be felt from across the sea and into our living rooms. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/business/economy/us-companies-prepare-in-case-greece-exits-euro.html?_r=1&ref=business

9/1/2012

Some local news today. http://tinyurl.com/9djjcrm

Last night there was a shooting at a bar just down the street from where a bunch of friends and I were drinking. The shooter, Gregory J. Burns, 50, was asked to leave after getting into a scuffle with another patron. On his way out, Burns got into it with a bouncer and ending up shooting him in the left side of the stomach. Burns was immediately taken away by police (at night the beach is swarming with cops) and the bouncer was taken to a nearby hospital where he’s listed as in “critical but stable condition.”

Crazy things go down on the beach during a full moon!

8/29/2012

President Barack Obama has many accomplishments that may earn him reelection. Early in his presidency he acted boldly to rescue the American car manufacturers and continue the Bush bailouts; he appointed two women who bring little ideology but great balance to the high court; he proposed repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; he proved to be tough on terrorism, but in a way that leaves a lighter American footprint abroad; and, of course, Obama set in motion sweeping healthcare reform.

He has stumbled along the way, too. Certain promises like closing Guantanamo Bay, tackling climate change, and quickly withdrawing troops from Afghanistan were broken. To be sure, there were many political and logistical obstacles that precluded such change. But ultimately the President chooses where to focus his energy and political capital.

With the national unemployment rate languishing at eight percent, Democrats need to start exercising some introspection.  There is a chance that Mitt Romney becomes the 45^th president. Does the party dare engage in the same obstructionist politics that Republicans have spent the last four years perfecting? Will the Democrats’ only purpose be to ensure Romney is a one-term president?

With an anti-bailout war cry in early 2009, Rick Santelli, of CNBC, galvanized what would become the Tea Party. The gambit to make Obama a one-term president began and the Tea Party acted as a pawn of the GOP to do its dirty work.

Legions of hard-right candidates, both in the mid-term elections and in the Republican primary, had opportunities to build a platform and curry a strong base. But the stew they offered proved too pungent. The Sarah Palin’s, Michelle Bachmann’s and Rick Santorum’s of the world branded Obama as a “socialist” and declared that the country had been hijacked and needed rescuing. Mainstream Republicans walked to the fringe, took a look over the edge and into the abyss, but decided not to jump. There would be no coming back, no redemption for risking the legitimacy of the party by backing vitriol spewing Tea Party candidates. Alas, the aseptic Mitt Romney emerged as the Republican to go against Obama this November.

This is an interesting pick considering the events of the past four years. Especially since Romney epitomizes what the right supposedly loathes: he has supported corporate bailouts, a woman’s choice to have an abortion, and as governor of Massachusetts he enacted a plan nearly identical to Obama’s Affordable Healthcare Act.

So if Romney wins in November, is he the man democrats want to have pilloried for the past year?

Democrats like to say that Romney and his recently selected running-mate Paul Ryan are not “serious” candidates. And granted, it is easy to scoff at some of their proposed policies—especially Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. But these are serious candidates, who, whether considered reasonable or not, have plans that warrant debate. Policy makers and pundits do a disservice to the country when they denounce each other’s plans without offering their own. So when Democrats say it is time for a real debate, let there be one.

In Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope” he tells a story of a protester who questioned his pro-choice stance. After their exchange the protester said that he could not vote for him, but wished Obama well and said that he’d say a prayer for him. Obama then wrote, “But that night, before I went to bed, I said a prayer of my own—that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that had been extended to me.”

This is a powerful passage, and one that President and all Democrats should remember. This extension of good faith was stripped from Obama after his election. His every proposal was shrouded in cynicism. Democrats should welcome a presentation of Romeny’s proposals, and defeat him by articulating to the American people why he is wrong, and why Obama is right.

3/20/2012

After a Sunday night announcement that Apple, Inc had concluded on what to do with its towering cash hoard, investors and commentators set the internet ablaze with predictions. Some called for a big one-time divided; others hoped the company stayed the course and kept its cash to invest further in research and development and global expansion.

This morning we got our answer. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, announced in an early morning conference call that later this year the company would declare a $2.65/share dividend (pending approval from the board of directors) and that they’d begin a ten-billion dollar share repurchase program to take place over the next three years.

This is great news, as both an avid Apple product consumer and small time investor. As a consumer, I’m heartened to see that Apple still has a clear strategic plan to continue investing in new ideas and creating great products. There is little doubt that Apple has a considerable technological advantage over its competitors—especially in the tablet business—and it seems every year Apple dangles a concept in our faces to let demand pent up until the latest lithely styled gadget is ready for its debutante.

As an investor I’m happy with this announcement for two reasons. First, a strong cash position is never something investors complain about. But when a company single handedly contributes to a 36% increase in total corporate cash since 2009, one begins to wonder if this is—among other things, such as a clinically diagnosable condition to hoard—good asset management. According to its latest annual filing, Apple earned just 0.77% on its cash balances. This is a paltry return that even the most passive investor can exceed on his or her own. Secondly, I like that Apple is now a dividend paying stock because it opens the door for more big time investors. Many income investment funds, such as those that pension funds invest in and that 401k plans offer, prohibit the purchase of non-dividend earnings securities. Thus, the flood gate is now open for a ton of big money to get in on this healthy dividend.

1/24/2012

1) Whenever Ryan Lizza publishes something, I normally stop whatever it is I’m doing and read it: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lizza

2) Even though, for some reason, it’s not cool to like Thomas Friedman–I do. And I liked his Monday column: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/opinion/sunday/friedman-american-voters-still-up-for-grabs.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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Post debate thoughts:

1) Romney is a rich man. Republicans supposedly love rich men. He needs to play the, “I’m rich and I worked hard for it, therefore I refuse to apologize for my wealth, ” card a lot more.

2) Newt needs to realize that he may be a good debater, but Obama didn’t get to where he is with a tied tongue.