"He is the nicest, gentlest, kindest guy you will ever meet … to everything except the baseball, he still hits that really hard." -Michael Cuddyer on Jim Thome
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Does Being "Nice, Gentle & Kind" Still Count?
Posted by Landon at 6:33 PM 0 comments
Monday, August 15, 2011
Aaron Rodgers
Posted by Landon at 3:10 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Inspiration of Trenton
His 2,400 Americans, having been on their feet all night, wet, cold, their weapons soaked, went into the fight as if everything depended on them. Each man "seemed to vie with the other in pressing forward," Washington wrote.
Posted by Landon at 11:35 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 12, 2011
Meet the Packers Mr. President
One of the perks of winning the Super Bowl is getting a tour of the White House & meeting with the President. What makes it even better is having the Bears fan President Obama having to congratulate the Packers. Looking forward to another football season. Go Pack Go!
Posted by Landon at 4:41 PM 0 comments
Thursday, August 11, 2011
What is the role of Congress?
Posted by Landon at 6:00 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Military-Industrial Complex
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together." -Dwight D. Eisenhower, January 17, 1961-"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction...
Posted by Landon at 11:52 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Scott Adams on the Budget
Here are the thoughts of Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) on the new budget plan. Pure genius.
Democrats like to point to the Clinton era as proof that the economy can flourish even as taxes are increased. But how would things have fared in the Clinton years without the Dotcom bubble? Beats me. You don't know either.
Economies usually find their direction from large, unpredictable events, such as wars and other disasters, moving from communism to capitalism, huge demographic shifts, and irrationality that leads to economic bubbles. For any given ten-year period, luck is the biggest driver of a nation's economy. But what single factor is most predictive of, say, a nation's fifty-year economic direction? I think it's the L-to-E ratio (lawyers-to-engineers).
My hypothesis is that the best indicator of long term economic health is the number of engineers a country produces relative to the number of lawyers. A country that is cranking out more engineers than lawyers will trend up. A country that is moving toward a lawyer-heavy economy will grind to a stop.
This idea is nothing more than a wordy way of saying, "To a man who only has a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Engineers build stuff and lawyers sue people. If we assume both professions like to stay busy all the time, you need more engineers than lawyers to create net growth. And I think you'd agree that the countries with the best engineers also win wars and survive disasters the best.
I tried and failed to Google some statistics to back up my hypothesis. Anecdotally, the idea seems about right. I can't think of a country with a strong economy that isn't also known for its engineering prowess.
Some of you will argue that education in general is the biggest predictor of success. But I think you'd agree that if everyone started majoring in English, we'd all starve to death with impeccable grammar.
My take on the budget compromise is that any budget that doesn't kill us right away will be good enough. Our economic fate is primarily in the hands of engineers. And when our collective cynicism reverts back to its baseline, maybe we'll be lucky enough to have another economic bubble. I hope so. I enjoy those while they last.
Posted by Landon at 2:17 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Bill of Rights
I bumped into a guy last week while working my landscaping job. He was putting in new flooring at a cabin and we got into a conversation. I discovered quickly that he was a product of guys like Rush Limbaugh who make a living tell people what to be afraid of and who to blame for that fear. He was convinced the United States was on the verge of collapse and would soon be controlled under the regime of a guy like Hitler. Although I was not impressed with his theories, he did bring a valuable point in terms of the Constitution. He asked whether or not I could name all 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights. I did not answer him but truth be told I was not sure of all ten. The more I thought about it that day the more disappointed I was in myself. After all, the Constitution was only ratified by the original states because of the limitations on the National Government specified by the Bill of Rights. In other words, these ten precious amendments were required before people would even consider allowing the national government to form and replace the Articles of Confederation. If we do not know what they are, how are we suppose to know when/if the federal government violates them? So without further ado...
Posted by Landon at 2:54 PM 0 comments
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Objects of Confidence
Posted by Landon at 9:56 PM 0 comments
Friday, August 5, 2011
Dilbert
I happen to think that Dilbert is one of the funniest comics of all time. Much like an episode of Seinfeld, it feels as if Scott Adams is able to illustrate scenarios straight from life. He has a blog on his website that is pretty darn good as well. If you feel as if you just need a laugh from your typical life - check out the site & blog. Well worth your time.
Posted by Landon at 12:40 PM 0 comments
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Germany Invades Belgium
On August 4th, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium. Although not the technical start to WWI, this action would help plunge Europe into the Great War. Eventually all of the world's major powers would be involved and over 9 million people would be killed. Europe would never be the same again. The world would never be either. And even in the aftermath with the Treaty of Versailles & the rise of the League of Nations; we could not find peace and had to fight yet again.
Posted by Landon at 5:06 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The Forest
But Victor Frankl whispered in my ear all the same. He said to me I was a tree in a story about a forest, and that it was arrogant of me to believe any differently. And he told me the story of the forest is better than the story of the tree.
Posted by Landon at 11:58 AM 1 comments