Dear Bill,
You don’t fertilize an embryo. You fertilize an EGG!
Seriously, this ignorance is amazing. Dr. Gupta should be fired for not correcting him.
http://www.mercatornet.com/sheila_liaugminas/view/was_clintons_language_deliberate_or_grossly_uninformed/
http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2009/03/gupta_lets_talk.html
FYI: If you are registered Independent (smart move), you can vote in either the Democratic or the Republican primary – but you can vote in only one. Your primary vote is very, very important in the election. Probably much more than in the general election.
Have you ever, in your entire life, seen anything so patronizing as this advertisement? Does it occur to her that all the money being spent on these presents is our taxpayer money? Thanks – you’re giving gifts bought with our money? Can we return it if we don’t like the gift? Is re-gifting legit?
Now let me make this point – I would do ANYTHING, I mean ANYTHING, to keep my children out of government run pre-Kindergarten. I can’t imagine anything more impersonal, mediocre or limiting than goverment pre-K.
“Hillary-K” would be the fastest way to destroy my kids. Yes, I am expected (forced) to pay for it anyway?
Even the music is a distasteful mockery of Christmas. It stresses me out with it’s computerized intensity.
This ad is supposed to be funny? I really thought this was a trick from Republicans when I saw it.
Besides being a complete bore, this candidate is just plain scary.
That’s why I have decided to endorse Mitt Romney for the primary. Folks, the media knows this and you should too: Mitt Romney is the only electable Republican of the bunch. He’s very electable , in fact. And the Democrats’ strategy is to eliminate Romney in the primary. That’s why every media outlet is being paid right now to trump up every other candidate and spread calumnies against Romney.
Look beyond the garbage on the media. Their polls are complete lies.
If Hillary gets elected you’re going to see:
That’s why you need to vote for electability. You may not love everything about Romney (neither do I), but he’s our best chance at keeping Hillary out of the office. If Huckabee or McCain wins the primary, Hillary will take the prize. Huckabee’s appeal is too narrow to be elected in a general election and McCain lacks the charisma to win. Heck – McCain’s hardly even been trying in campaign. Suddenly every newspaper editorial board in the country has endorsed him.
Let’s put this into perspective. We’re all going to be OK, regardless of who wins the election. We’re all going to live. However, this election does matter if you care about the “issues” – and you know what issues these are. The same ones we’ve been fighting over for years. The importance of the family, the evils of abortion, protecting small businesses, free-speech and association, openness to religion in the public square, a non-politically correct identification of terrorism (e.g. U.S. Christians and pro-lifers are NOT the same as the Taliban and NOT a source of terrorism – Islamic extremists are), and limiting the powers of government.
| Dries SMALL BOWL | Wets LARGER BOWL |
mix dries with a whisker. Be sure to mix thoroughly so you don’t get a bite of baking soda in your pancakes. |
|
This recipe makes enough for a family of 4 for breakfast.
Pour the dries into the wets bowl. DO NOT OVERMIX!!! This is the entire key to fluffy pancakes. Leave lumps in the batter. Try to get the least lumpy batter with the spoon, onto the grill. If some lumps got into the pancake, it’s OK, the bubbles will break apart the lumps. If the lumps are too big, break them up with the spoon, on the griddle.
Use butter or oil to grease the pan. Butter tasks better because it creates a crispy, tasty outer shell on the pancake, but oil is healthier.
Most people know how to get the proper temperature, but I will review for those that don’t know. Use your finger to dabble a bit of water on the grill to test the temp. If it sizzles, it’s hot enough. From there, monitor the color and bubbles of the cooked pancakes to determine the heat. A grill which is the right temperature will cook the pancake evenly, forming bubbles evenly throughout as they cook. One that is too hot will leave the pancakes burnt and too cool leaves the pancake cooked unevenly.
4/5 stars
I like to think of myself as somewhat of trend-spotter, so I thought I’d check out Mark Penn’s book, Microtrends. I know my place after reading this.
Mark worked as a pollster for Bill Clinton and helped get Hillary the NY Senate seat in 2000, by identifying the now famous “Soccer Moms”. His book identifies 25 new trends which have reached the critical “1% threshold” (he believes) is required to bring change in the world. His main idea is that the modern world view requires a microscope, rather than a telescope to understand its workings. In order to what will make big changes, you have to look at the counter-forces which go against conventional wisdom. Some example trends he spots are “Sex Ratio Singles” (the increasing number of single women due to the difference between the number of gays and lesbians), “New Luddites” (people who stop using the Internet) and “Aspiring Snipers” (people who literally aspire to be snipers – mostly from playing too many video games, but also from a new world militant culture which is based on guerrilla style warfare).
I found this book really refreshing. First of all, I loved the optimistic and positive viewpoint the author had toward modern trends and the electorate. He believes that the electorate (all Americans really) are smarter, more informed and more intelligent than ever before. He also sees this time as one filled with more possibilities, choices and options than any other time – a period brimming over with creativity and expression. These options are what give rise to the microtrends, because people have more choices, they are making more choices, and living differently than ever before.
I also like the egalitarian conclusions drawn by “Impressionable Elites” (media and social elites are more concerned about the personality of poitical candidates than the issues) and “Shy Millionaires” (average people who save and live beneath their means, and who make up a large group of America’s millionaires). He mentions that “Shy Millionaires” may be one reason why class warfare hasn’t even worked in American politics – because “language directed at people who have worked hard to get where they are is a very unpredictable way to talk to American voters”. Anyone who carries a sliver of egalitarianism will savor those delectable bits.
But Penn’s way looking at the world in terms of microtrends can be a very myopic and “geeky” way to look at the world. The world view that big trends no longer matter can be just as bad as looking at the world too simply. In fact, in order to keep the book interesting, Penn ties together the chapters, relating each trend to the next in some way. I would say that the conquest of capitalism and the collapse of Communism in the 80’s (the Berlin wall), the decline of traditional sexual morality and the traditional family, the rationalist/materials world view and the Internet are all big trends worth examining in light of the smaller trends.
There’s also a deeper underlying problem. As expected from a pollster working for the Clinton campaigns, Penn doesn’t distinguish right from wrong – he’s a complete moral relativist. For the purposes of this book, it may not be needed anyway. But when in one place he gives terrorism the benefit of being rationally motivated, the reader wants to go beyond the numbers and venture into the truth. Sadly for Mr. Penn, he falls short in this area.
Overall, a very enjoyable and positive book though. I recommend it highly – particularly for people who see the future in gloomy terms only.
WARNING: read it fast and give it to a friend. Anything this trendy isn’t expected to have any sticking power in your library and will wind up in the yard sale in 5 years.
I am predicting, and have since May 2007 (see “Mitt in 2008 – DUH” below) that Mitt will win the presidency in 2008. This is a prediction – not a personal endorsement. But if you want to know my personal opinion… I’m not crazy about his flip-flops (he’s a politician – what do you want) but I do like him and think his overall combination of pro-business, strong anti-terrorism and family values is a winner. I relate to his strong family orientation – and I connect with the 1950’s style romanticism of his large and (apparently happy, intact) family. But it’s going to be a tough battle, and to be honest, anything can throw this prediction off kilter.
Looks like the evangelicals are also starting to choose him as well. A number have submitted endorsements recently.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/11/weyrich_explain.html
Romney explains it clearly enough – once the Republicans are forced coalesce and make trade-offs when choosing a single candidate – Giuliani is going to be left in the cold.
The big move of Romney campaign is that he’s had the guts to stick with values voters during the campaign instead of trying to move to the middle like Giuliani. Just because these voters are fractured now doesn’t mean they will be in 6 months. Let’s see what happens.
I was just thinking to myself, what a great time it is to be alive; but I have to say, it’s a little surreal.
For example, here is everyone is warning us about global warming. We’re going to see entire cities flooded, crops will be wiped out, hurricanes due to elevated water levels. Al Gore made alot of headway with the “Inconvenient Truth” from people’s Katrina fears. Look at the picture on the cover – we’re entering a period of increased hurricane activity, right?
Well, it WAS unusually hot this weekend (90 degrees in the NorthEast for October). Most people’s response? GREAT WEATHER LET’S GO FISHING!
I heard on NPR this morning that the US corn crop is bigger than any in history, due to expected ethanol demand. They can’t find storage for it all!
Then the polar opposite end-of-world scenario. Terrorism. Yes it’s a real threat. Nevertheless … all is quiet on this front. No nuclear bombs, no one-man-show with the machine gun at the mall, not even the smallest attempt – on these shores at least.
I sure hope I don’t jinx us by just noting that things are so good. Could the period of peace and prosperity be so fragile that this observance would throw it off kilter?
I’m not saying don’t be vigilant, just that it may be the calm before the storm, or it may just be a great time in history. Look at the stock market, the economy, the weather, the way people live – things are good for A LOT of people today – but it sure is a little weird.
So here comes the Boston Globe telling us that Romney’s advertising is paying off in Iowa.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/05/29/with_iowa_lead_romney_faces_big_expectations/
I don’t want to be a know it all, but I’ve been saying for over a year that Romney will win in 2008. Here’s why; Romney provides the glue for Republican party. He captures both the interests of social and fiscal conservatives, who split the party in the last election. Mormanism isn’t a hinderance in the face of the alternative to a God-centered world-view. In fact, it throws enough wild card in there to make him appear fresh – different.
Finally, he’s a man. (And an alpha-male at that). Being a man is good in the world of terrorism – I’m trying not to be chauvanistic, just realistic. The greater the threat of terrorism, the more important the “man factor” will be to Americans.
The Democrats lack enough unity to get Hillary elected. Their interests vary from complaining about the war, to hatred of Bush, to a variety of random left-wing fringe interests. They don’t have the sticking power with that range of issues to hold it together, and their survival is dependent upon high-rolling, easy-going times.
My prediction is that Obama will go down burning – he’s too young, and the Dems can will need to choose their best “man”. If it’s not the primary, then suddenly someone will come up with something – maybe something he says, or something from his past that will disqualify him. What really will happen is that they are choosing their best bet.
I personally am not a huge Romney fan, but I do feel good about his chances.
Well, I’ve got it down onpaper now. Let’s see what happens in 2008!
If anyone caught the Mayor Ray Nagin (New Orleans) discussion on Meet the press last Sunday, you may have heard him complaining about how the response was slow because of the class and race of the people who were trapped in the Katrina Hurricane. What was notable was that in the same sentence he complained about the images of poor people being presented, but yet never said the press held some accountability for the fact that everyone was taken off guard by Katrina’s storm-surge and the breaching of the levees. I agree with Nagin – it was the images that were being presented, 2 … 3 days after the storm of the same guy stealing the beer.
IF THE PRESS WASN’T SHOWING THE SAME TIRED COVERAGE DURING THE FIRST 3 DAYS OF THE STORM, AND MAYBE COVERED …
say, the rising waterline instead, things would have been different. THIS is where Mayor Nagin should be directing his anger, not at the first responders, not at the government! Was he afraid that the press would cut him off? Isn’t “Meet the Press” supposed to be a candid coverage of the issues effecting the press and how they cover stories?
I really think the media was completely taken off guard on Katrina. They were doing other things and only a few folks covered it. They lacked the coverage during the first few days, and didn’t raise clamor until it was too late. The media is LARGELY responsible for the poor response, in my opinion.
Maybe it was the Media that was racist – they saw the beer picture from the single AP reporter that was there and figured it’s not worth covering … couple of black folks stealing beer, right? Unfortunately, public responders and even the President get their news from AP and the mainstream press, so why is anyone surprised that the response was slow? Does Nagin think the government runs the press – that the government put those images there the first 3 days of the storm?
Can someone tell me, how come noone criticize the press? Isn’t a free press something we expect in this country?
> I thought it would be fun to post this – just to get off the topic of busting on Democrats for a bit.
> Recently I was asked why I garden and what business trends do you see in gardening these days (what are neighbors doing etc.). Here is the response from “the VISIONARY”.
I have a garden because I have a growing family and feel it is a healthy hobby for children, and improves quality of life. It’s also one of the few hobbies that everyone can enjoy, and allows me to use slivers of time (e.g. weeding) between taking care of children etc. Many people these days want to experience greater quality and their lives, and the ability to get in touch with nature really helps a lot. There are lots of ways people express this, generally, including wholistic practices such as Yoga, or eating organic foods, natural childbirth techniques, natural medicine etc.
Our family is a little different than most, in that we are authentic Catholics, who take our spiritual lives seriously. My wife is a stay at home Mom, and I am a small business owner who works pretty long hours, but is doing well. We want a large family, and do not partake in electronic media as a source of amusement for endless hours, although we actively are engaged in the world. We look back to our grandparents generation, the “greatest generation”, and admire and long for what they had. This is a small, but growing “class” of family. We know of at least 10 other families like us, and since they have a large number of kids, we can see that it will mean prosperity and growth in the future if not immediately. It’s kind of a mini population boom, actually.
We recognize we are quite different than our neighbors in the uppity Boston suburbs. Many just don’t have time for gardens. Only the older people take their gardens seriously, like I do. I suspect we are a bit “ahead” of our time, and expect to see more people who think like us in the later generations.
I would be really interested in location specific seeds, techniques etc. I am also very interested in local hardy or heirloom types, which just naturally grow well in MA, but maybe noone has seen before. Finally, I’d be fascinated trying interesting new (or old, but not known) varieties of plants which are known to grow here (or grow well in a similar climate), and don’t take as much babying as some. For example, a friend of mine gave us this Italian chicory. It grows huge hairy leaves in the summer, and has deep roots. It’s quite bitter actually, but it’s the first (edible) plant to come up in the spring, and you can eat it until Dec. I transplant it to grow new plants. I have never seen anything like that in any seed catalog or hardware store. It’s been a lot of fun.
There are probably lots of ways to go with the business. If you were to look at this experience as a “class”, my advice would be to downsize and focus on a small, identifiable, growing group of folks. Gardening for the short term is in it’s winter stage. But Spring will come again, so carefully nuture, weed and watch it grow – but I don’t have to tell you that!
