Happy Memorial Day

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae (Doctor, Candian Army during WWI)

Easter Dinner Recipes

We hosted the Easter dinner at our house this year. Honey Baked Ham provided the main dish, others brought sides, and we contributed the following: Swiss Vegetable Medley & Chocolate Eclair Squares. Both received compliments; but to be honest, the vegetable dish wasn’t so great the next day.

One Year Anniversary

I’ve been blogging for a whole year now.  Where does the time go?  I’ve recently added Stumble Upon to my browser so I can continue my quest for the interesting and thought provoking.  Here’s two such posts:

Are you a geek?  Do you have habits that your non-geek signifigant other does not always appreciate?  Guilty, but I won’t tell you which one.

For all you grammar-nazis, here’s the 32 most heinous crimes of the english language.

My Morning So Far…

1am – Wife calls to tell me how bad a night our son is having at the hospital (he had a feeding tube placed on Tuesday). But he wasn’t the only one…

2:45am – Daughter wakes up screaming. After picking her up out of her crib I am repaid by vomiting. I stay cool. After changing her PJs and my shirt, I try rocking her to sleep. BLEEEECK! Round 2. Repeat, sometimes getting me again, sometimes managing to divert into a towel. I’m not sure which will run out first, her inventory of PJs or my sanity.

5am – Alaina’s sleeping, sans puking, now that I’ve strapped her into her car seat and placed it next to our bed.

5:30am – After being satisfied that the tide is turning in my favor, I begin assembling a large pile puke infused clothing into the laundry room.

Now – With said bio-hazmat being laundered, and baby still asleep, I’m going to lay down. Looks like I’m not going to work after all.

Random Polymath Ponderings

The other side of the AIG fiasco.  Jake DeSantis resigns and tells us why the treatment of AIG employees isso very wrong.

Can Kenny Rogers combat the effects of stokes?

DIY Biotechnology?

HA! Chick flicks really are bad for you!

Mystery quote #9

Since we’re now living in a “post-racial” society, I thought this quote
was appropriate:

No greater injury can be done to any youth than to let him feel that
because he belongs to this or that race he will be advanced in life
regardless of his own merits or efforts.

Name the individual.

polymath ponderings

Want to provide some real middle-class tax relief?

Halve the taxes levied on beer, say a bipartisan group of lawmakers, along with one of the beer industry’s lobbying groups.  “50 percent of the beer is consumed in households making less than  $50,000 per year,” said Jeff Becker, president of The Beer Institute, the industry’s lobbying arm. “Given campaign rhetoric, you can tell they’re trying to benefit low-income earners, who make up a lot of our consumers.”

11 bipartisan lawmakers have signed onto the bill. My only surprise is
- why only one WI rep?

Give corporate jets a chance.

A short history of the bagel.

H/T Reason.com and Mentalfloss

Bailout Mania Continued

Time for one more installment of my rantings on this bailout insanity.

So how has the government been spending the first half of the TARP
funds? Not good, see for yourself.

“Whenever I discussed the current bailout situation with people, I find they have a hard time comprehending the actual numbers involved. That became a problem while doing the research for the Bailout Nation book. I needed some way to put this into proper historical perspective.”  Proceed with caution.

If that didn’t help try this visual rending of the comparative size of
bailouts in US History.

Just what would the Federal Government’s credit score look like?

If all this has made you say, “Hey I could do a better job at handling
this bailout than those lobotomized mouth-breathing idiots in
Washington!” Well here’s your chance, I give you the Bailout Game!

So what does the Bailout Fiasco have in common with the Battle of the
Somme.  If at first you don’t succeed, try failing bigger?

So there, I’m done. No more bailout soap box. Because this “Stimulus
Package” is going to put it all to shame.

Is Stimulis Right For You?

Find out here.

WARNING:
Please consult Lobbyist Groups before proceeding.
Stimulis is not intended for immediate results.
Stimulis is not for those who support libertarian or lazier-fare
policies.
Taking Stimulis repeatedly may result in Milton Friedman rolling over in
his grave.
Side Affects May Include: Worsening periods of Recession/Depression,
Increased Unemployment, Record Budget Deficits, and Driving Your Nation
into Bankruptcy.

H/T  Reason.com

Time for my New Years post

Yes, I know I’m quite late, but better than never.  My favorite thing about a new year is that Dave Barry has again summed up the past year as only he can.  Go ahead and read it.  No really, read it now!

If 2008 taught us anything, I believe it was that experts don’t know jack.  Between politics, climate, gas prices, and the economy, most ‘experts’ don’t have a freaking clue how to forecast events.  My prediction for 2009 is that all predictions will be wrong.  Ruminate on that for awhile.

Now for 2009 resolutions.  What, January’s almost over, why should I bother making resolutions now?  The year is only about 6% over so there’s plenty of time to make progress.  More importantly, this is the time where most people have begun to abandon their resolutions.  So you see, my procrastination and laziness shall prove to be the tortoise that triumphs over the hare.  At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Get In Shape: Yes, it’s cliché, but by no means unnecessary.  I’ll begin with training for 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups (thanks BullMoose for the idea) and tracking my nutrition on My Food Pyramid site.  We see where that takes me.  I’ll update any progress.

Read More Books: It’s one of life’s simplest and greatest pleasures, yet I don’t recall finishing a single book last year.  This year I’ll try to tackle a book every month.  I’ll give a brief before and after each one.

PS – Here’s the NYT list of 2008 buzzwords, so you can stay in the know.