Happy Flag Day!

I’ve never been much of a flag waver. Waving a flag around doesn’t make you patriotic.

I dunno, I guess it’s just not my style, but to me it doesn’t seem to symbolize much more than a nationality — like at the Olympics or something.

I guess, in that respect, I’m a little like Barack Obama — sorry Dad.

I think Obama’s changed his stance though — poll numbers will sadly do that — but I think he now wears one of those little American flag lapel pins. They’re probably made in China.

The whole Tim Russert thing yesterday hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m not really sure why. It’s not like I knew him or anything but it still kinda ruined my day.

I mean, part of it is because of all the stuff that they’ve been repeating over and over and over and over and over since the news broke.

I think it was his enthusiasm that I enjoyed most — one of the main reasons I watch NBC News with Brian Williams each night. Again, sorry Dad.

I’ll never forget, it was a night only around a month ago, where NBC obviously didn’t have a graphic ready for Clinton/Obama delegate totals and Russert broke out a big whiteboard and started drawing away and underlining things.

His arm was in the way as he was writing and talking, err, stammering, as he often would – it looked and sounded ridiculous. I’m pretty sure his math was incorrect too (making the whole scenario even funnier), but it still made the point.

They keep showing his “Florida, Florida, Florida” clip from the 2000 election, and while that may have been one of the first white board appearances, it was far from the best.

I was really looking forward to his reactions to the VP selections that I suspect will come in the next few weeks.

Obama’s a sure thing if he picks Hillary Clinton. That sucks for him. It would be a tough decision because I’m sure he really wants to be President — and he’s got a definite route to get there, but would it be worth it? Nothing against Hillary, but the whole “Dream Ticket” theory is just a bad idea.

From my stand point, I can see John McCain going stupid and selecting someone like Joe Lieberman (a proven loser) from my home state.

That’s right, Joe, you lost with Al Gore and you even lost to the unknown Ned Lamont. In fact, as a result of the latter, you shouldn’t even be in the Senate anymore…

In any case, if McCain announces something like that first, Obama can pick anyone he wants and still win.

I think Colin Powell would make for an interesting selection. No, not because it’d be two black guys running for the highest office, but because both tickets would be split affiliations.

Lieberman and Powell both screwed over their former parties.

And, in comparison, I think Powell brings a lot more to the table (for Obama) than Lieberman (brings for McCain). That and the newscasters can gush over themselves and an all-black ticket.

Best of all, an all-black ticket headed for the White House would, in essence, end the careers of perpetual racists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. That would be a good thing.

In the end, politics aside, I hope Andrea Mitchell doesn’t take over Russert’s on-air post… She just doesn’t have it — whatever “it” is.

Oh, and is it just me, or is it odd that Google doesn’t have a special “Flag Day” graphic today?

Seems every other day lately they’ve got a painter or an architect I’m unfamiliar with showcased within their logo. Today’s a pseudo-holiday that I’ve actually heard of and they’ve got nothing…

I guess Larry Page and Sergey Brin aren’t flag wavers either…

Posted on June 14th, 2008 at 5:38 am by Brainy Smurf
Current Events | No Comments »

Memorial Day 2008: Free Fun for All!

Couldn’t make it to a Memorial Day parade this year? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered…

The one thing I like best about the American flag-waving holidays is all of the unavoidable free entertainment. This Memorial Day, my wife and I attended two different parades. TWO?!

I like parades. I like to watch people, I like marching bands, and I like big trucks. What better place is there for those three things than a parade? And thankfully, parades are still free.

The first stepped off at 8:30 am. It was the parade that I used to go to growing up — not the one I actually marched in with the high school band, but the one I’d consider the “parade of my childhood”.

It featured some veterans, some Brownie troops, a bunch of fire trucks, and some tractors. A few images from the festivities are below:

The Korean & Vietnam War Vets

The future Vets — not sure why they needed to be packing…

The FHS band — half marched in this parade, half in another…

Can there be a parade without a local politician in a classic car?

Seems as each year passes, the more casual the Brownie uniform becomes… Would it kill them to wear the whole outfit for a parade?

The father of a childhood friend actually drove this fire truck when it was still in service. He passed away a few years ago, but I think I can say that his father is why I consider this parade my hometown parade.

Tractors aren’t really my thing, but it’s always fun to watch a bunch of them drive by. What I couldn’t figure out is where they all came from? Seems that all of the farms in the area I remember have turned into McMansion farms or Walmarts…

After a quick stop at home (I mowed the lawn), we walked down to our local parade and took up a nice comfy spot on the curbside and waited for our “new” hometown parade to begin. Step off was supposed to be at noon, but I think things got going a little bit late.

This one, again, featured a few veterans, a bunch of Brownies, some fire trucks, but no tractors…

Instead, this one had lots and lots of military equipment, a bunch of local pageant winners, some horses, and a crazy military helicopter doing tricks above the crowd:

I captured some nicer images of the helicopter, but this one gives a little perspective as to how low it was flying. Thankfully it didn’t get tangled in the power lines.

The parade steps off. See how low the helicopter was? Really, it flew around for about ten minutes. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a military one flying around that close-up before.

Some of the previously mentioned military vehicles.

I’ve always kind of wondered what kind of chaos would ensue if ever there were a fire in town during one of these parades. While it’s obvious that not all of the firemen are in attendance, all of the trucks seem to be.

Our town seems to have an endless supply of little girls in tiaras riding in horse drawn carriages. It’s weird, I’ve lived here for almost six years and I have yet to stumble upon one of these beauty pageants in progress, but based on how many winners we have, they must have at least one per week.

I wonder if the horses have any idea what all the fuss is about?

Afterward the parades, we drove around in the convertible for the remainder of the day. Actually, we drive around until my forehead turned bright red. I’m feeling it right now. Ouch.

In the end, if I omit $49.18 fill-up on the car, we didn’t spend a dime on Memorial Day this year, but we still did a lot of enjoyable things.

And now it’s time to finish off the day perfectly — watching game two of the Stanley Cup finals. Go Penguins!

Posted on May 26th, 2008 at 7:50 pm by Brainy Smurf
Current Events, Bargains | 3 Comments »

Money Discriminates against Blind People

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court says paper money discriminates against blind people.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld a ruling that could force the U.S. to redesign its money so blind people can distinguish between values.

Such changes could include making bills different sizes, including raised markings or printing oversized numbers for people who see poorly.

The appeals court ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that the U.S. didn’t explain why such changes would be an unreasonable burden, especially since many other countries have done so.

Are you kidding me?

I’ll admit that I don’t like that US bills are all green, but I’m not about to take it court.

Should the colorblind folks take it to court? Perhaps.

For the handicapped, of any kind, sorry, but there are some things in life you just won’t be able to do. It’s a disability?! That’s why they call it a handicap.

But discriminatory?! Please…

And really, give the Treasury some credit — the new versions of the bills do, in fact, have larger numbers on them.

Posted on May 20th, 2008 at 10:51 am by Brainy Smurf
Rants, Current Events | 3 Comments »

Is $4/gallon the Threshold?

It was just a year ago that I wrote my initial rant about the price of gas. May 10, 2007 to be exact.

At the time, it was $3.19 per gallon in my neck of the woods.

Media reports preached that breaking the $3 mark would change the driving habits of Americans.

I didn’t see any difference.

So, today, we officially hit the $4 mark in Connecticut.

I’m not complaining though.

When they’re not covering the typhoon in Myanmar or the earthquake in China, the news reports have been exactly the same as they were a year ago with catchy titles like “Pain at the Pump”.

I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re just recycling old archived stories — they could, few would notice.

Sure, the price has risen 81 cents for me in 12 months, but as with May of 2007, I still feel the same way:

…even with the price rising, it’s not affecting my budget at all. It’d have to raise at least another $2/gallon before I’d even have to reconsider my driving habits…

I went back and did a little research on my gasoline expenditures over the years. So far, in 2008, from January 1 thru May 15, I’ve spent $483.14 on gas. That works out to $24.87 per week. Not a budget breaker.

               Gasoline Expenditures  

          Year     Total        Per/Week
          2008    $483.14        $24.87
          2007    $402.11        $20.85
          2006    $403.29        $20.91
          2005    $463.27        $24.02

So, you can see, the upswing in the price of gas isn’t as significant as they make it out to be on the news — at least for those of us who don’t drive for a living.

A four dollar per week increase shouldn’t cripple your finances — I wish these folks they interview on the news could see the actual difference. For those smokers out there, that’s far less than a package of cigarettes. Think about that for a second…

I understand that the price of gas causes the price of food to go up as well (along with countless other consumables), but really, we’re talking very small amounts in the grand scheme of things.

So, again, I’m still not anywhere near the point that I’m about to change my driving habits. In fact, we’re planning a cross country driving vacation right now.

And I’m not even sure I still agree with my guesstimate of $5.19 per gallon being my limit. Hey, if the daily doomsday predictions in the media are correct and on target, we’ll see that price by Labor Day.

I’m not happy about it, but I’m also not about to cry poverty over it either.

Posted on May 15th, 2008 at 10:35 am by Brainy Smurf
Rants, Current Events | No Comments »

Paid the Mortgage… Not Stimulated.

So this morning I wrote and mailed the check for June’s mortgage payment.

Sure, it’s a little early but had it not been for the Tax Stimulus check coming in last week, I wouldn’t have been able to write that check just yet.

I’m not sure I feel stimulated by the experience.

Actually, I’m not feeling any stimulation. And I think that will be the case for most who receive these paybacks.

Though one could argue that by sending my entire stimulus check to Countrywide (a company on the brink of bankruptcy), I am doing my part to “save” the economy from a recession…

I guess?

Anyway, I still have my original plans for the payout on my mind, it’s just that, now, I’m gonna use the next coming paycheck to fund the frivolous spending…

That is, if the plumber doesn’t ‘up’ the bill significantly…

Posted on May 6th, 2008 at 6:24 am by Brainy Smurf
Current Events, Mortgage | No Comments »

Cha-Ching! Tax Stimulus Refund Arrives

So last night I went to the IRS website and played with their new “Where’s My Refund?” script.

As is common for the IRS website, in my experience, it crapped out and didn’t tell me anything.

Seems most government sites have this problem — you know, a nifty calculator or pay online option where you enter all of your information, click submit, wait a few seconds, and then get an Error 500 — Internal Server Error.

Anyway, last night, the “Where’s my Refund?” script said my SSN and number of exemptions from my 1040 didn’t match their records…

Um, hello? Yes they do — my 1040 is right in front of me.

Anyway, I was out of luck.

This morning, though, I find myself $1200 richer. Thanks America.

Posted on May 2nd, 2008 at 4:48 am by Brainy Smurf
Finance, Current Events, Taxes | 2 Comments »

That’s No Moon, that’s a Space Station…

Over the weekend, I came across an AP report regarding the blue prints for the NYC Freedom Tower that they’re going to build in place of the World Trade Center:

Report: NYC Freedom Tower plans found in trash

By Associated Press

NEW YORK - A homeless man has come forward with two sets of confidential ground zero blueprints that he says were dumped in a Lower Manhattan trash can.

The man brought the Freedom Tower plans to the New York Post, which says the 150-page schematic is marked: “Secure Document — Confidential.”

The documents are dated October 5, 2007. They contain plans for each floor, the thickness of the concrete-core wall, and the location of air ducts, elevators, electrical systems and support columns.

The agency that owns the World Trade Center site, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, calls it a serious security lapse.

Spokeswoman Candace McAdams says mishandling the blueprints would be “cause for serious disciplinary action.”

Now, other than for the company who designed the blue prints (it is their product, after all), what is the big deal?

My inadequate engineering skills can tell you where the support columns are for the building I work in. The elevator shaft is, well, just walk into the lobby, you’ll see it. Push up a ceiling tile and guess what? You can see all of the duct work and much of the electrical wiring too!

Do these specific Freedom Tower blueprints expose a weakness, you know, like a ray-shielded thermal exhaust port along a heavily fortified trench that could lead to the destruction of the entire building?

I guess my point is that not every one is a terrorist — it’s just paranoia run amuck. And this is hardly the security lapse they’re making it out to be.

This is like when that women offered the recipe for Coca-Cola to Pepsi. Actually, that story was more of security breach — these blueprints weren’t even stolen…

Look, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine how a building is constructed — what, are the going to drape the entire project, right downtown, in thick black canvas and a sign that reads, “For National Security’s Sake, Please don’t Peak Behind the Curtain?”

Will they go so far as to do background checks on every single contractor working on the project and give them security clearance to work on the project?

They obviously didn’t go that far building the new Yankee Stadium, another high profile site, and that one could arguably be considered an equally “guarded” NYC construction project.

Posted on April 22nd, 2008 at 7:14 am by Brainy Smurf
Rants, Current Events | No Comments »

Eh, Screw Paying the Mortgage…

Reading an article on CBNC today, I came across a bothersome quote from an analyst in reference to the rising number of people “walking away” from their mortgages:

“I don’t know where the tipping point is,” Wachovia chief risk officer Don Truslow told analysts on a conference call. “But somewhere when a borrower crosses the 100 percent loan to value, somewhere north of that…their propensity to just default and stop paying their mortgage rises dramatically and really accelerates up. It’s almost regardless of how they scored, say, on FICO or other kinds of credit characteristics.”

Yikes?!

So let me get this straight…

If the value of my house drops below what I paid for it, I should just consider walking away cause it isn’t worth what I’m paying for anymore?

That *is* what it says, right?

That really says something about American society these days, huh?

Yep, I have good credit, so you let me borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars and I signed a contract saying that I’d pay you back. Thought I was getting a deal, but then it didn’t turn out to be such a great deal, so I’m going to ignore the contract and screw you over…

I can’t fathom doing this. I just can’t.

How many of us have continued making payments on a car that was worth less than we owed? I’m pretty sure most all of us have — but we still made the payments, because that’s what we’d made a commitment at the time of purchase to do.

Pay back your debts! It’s the right thing to do.

I guess the right and honorable thing to do isn’t important anymore.

Where did this sense of entitlement come from?

Personally, I hope these folks walking away in situations like this never recover. Ever.

They don’t deserve it.

Posted on April 18th, 2008 at 1:15 pm by Brainy Smurf
Rants, Current Events | 4 Comments »