What to Do …
February 28, 2008
… about the housing crisis? Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has a viewpoint with which I agree.
“I’m not interested in bailing out investors, lenders and speculators,” he said. “I’m focused on solutions targeted at struggling homeowners who want to keep their homes.”
The idea that the government would get involved and help keep excessive home prices up where they don’t belong bothers me. The market will correct itself. Some people will get hurt, but that’s the way the economy works. I didn’t go crying to the government when the value of my home in Bend dropped in price by over $100k. Other people shouldn’t go hitting the Feds up for help now that they’ve gone and mortgaged their home to the hilt so they could buy a bunch of toys and cars.
Dances with Wolves
February 25, 2008
It’s been about 15 years since the I last saw Dances with Wolves. Tonight, I (mostly) paid attention to it while reading the news, and really enjoyed it. I’d forgotten how good it is. Kevin Costner does a good job in all aspects of this movie, though I could have done without the whole seeing his naked butt part.
It’s a wonderful story illustrating the clashes that occurred when “civilization” expanded from the East into lands which had historically been home to many differing tribes of Native Americans. On the one hand, I feel for the Indians, whose land and means of survival were taken over by the “greedy White Man.” On the other, it’s only natural for peoples and civilizations to expand outward. When you consider that the United States had “purchased” the land from the French, I guess it was only natural to presume that its people would want to move out into that land. To be met by a bunch of people who are different from you and who are “savages” would be pretty unsettling, I imagine, and they’d probably want to defend themselves in any way they know how. Both viewpoints have merit but, seeing who my ancestors were, I guess I have to side with them.
Either way, I’m pretty comfortable saying that I’m glad I live in today’s world and not back in the 1860′s. I would rather work on a computer than build a brand-new town from nothing in the middle of nowhere. Hey, but that’s just me.
When Lions Attack
February 25, 2008
A lion attacked a 10-year-old boy visiting a circus in eastern China, biting off his arm through the bars of its cage, state media said Monday.
The boy was looking at the lion Saturday at Wanfota Park in Mengcheng, a county in Anhui province, when the feline lunged and grabbed the boy with its paws, pulling the child’s arm inside the cage, the Xinhua News Agency said.
“Park workers managed to pull the boy away, but his left arm had been torn away by the animal,” Xinhua said.
In other news, Walmart’s Chinese suppliers have posted a job opening for a position on one of their sweatshop assembly lines.
Newest Purchase
February 24, 2008
I spent money yesterday. I went to CompUSA in Orem to see what their 40-60% off sale was looking like. Well, they still had the display model of the Epson Stylus Photo R1800 printer. It’s a 7 ink printer and will do large format 13″ x 19″ prints and for over $200 off of the list price, it was a no-brainer. I’ve always been frustrated by my current printer’s ability to only do up to 8.5″ x 11″ so this will help tremendously. The downside to this printer is that, since it was the display model, the ink cartridges are all dead and need to be replaced. The even-more-downside is that nobody around here carries those cartridges. I ordered a full set from Epson’s website, as well as some 13″ x 19″ paper. They should arrive this week and I’ll be on my way.
Meanwhile, I’ve purchased a number of frames and mattings and have been busy printing some photos to go along with them. I’ve got some 5×7′s, 8×10′s, 11×14′s and some 16×20′s, most of which are LDS temple photos. I’m hoping to sell a few of them and get a little side business going.
Deja Vu
February 24, 2008
Melanie and I watched Deja Vu tonight. It’s a really great story and a terrific performance by Denzel Washington. I’d seen it before but this time I enjoyed it even more.
The Italian Job
February 23, 2008
I watched The Italian Job tonight, well past my bedtime. It was quite entertaining. I really had no clue what was going to happen and was just enjoying being taken along for the ride. I can’t think of any of the characters I didn’t like. Well, I mean, anybody except those I wasn’t supposed to like. I wouldn’t put it in the class of any of the Bourne movies, or even Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve or Thirteen, but it had a certain something that made me want to keep watching even though I’m so overwhelmingly tired.
Settling Down
February 22, 2008
Have you ever played Settlers of Catan? It’s a really cool board game that Melanie and I played quite a bit for a couple of years. After a while, though, we just got too competitive so we decided to stop playing it against each other. Perhaps it was the 40 game winning streak that she had against me that encouraged me to find a different way to spend my time. Here’s the Wikipedia description of the game:
Settlers was the first German-style board game to achieve popularity outside Europe, and has been called the “killer app” of designer board games. Over 11 million games in the Catan series have been sold, and the game has been translated into twenty-five languages from the original German. The game has rapidly become popular in part because its mechanics are relatively simple, while its dynamics are quite complex. The game is well suited for family play, since no one gets eliminated, and players who are behind can strive towards goals that are within their reach.
Well, tonight we played another game in the series called Starfarers of Catan. It’s easy to learn and very fun to play. David and Byron picked up on it quickly, but that’s to be expected, as they’ve played Settlers numerous times. It’s entirely possible that I find the game fun because I’ve won both times I’ve played. That said, if I were playing all alone against Melanie, I’m pretty sure that I’d be in the early stages of another 40 game losing streak.
Bedtime Wishes, NyQuil Dreams
February 21, 2008
Well, it looks like another NyQuil night for me. I have a wicked cold and my throat is killing me. I just took some NyQuil and expect that I’ll be sound asleep very shortly. Last night, I was out cold by 10:45pm. My phone started buzzing at 3:15am when my boss had sent an email to the group (He’s working at one of our remote sites this week and has been pulling 18 hour days. I feel for him!), giving a status of how things went that day. It woke me up and just threw off my whole sleep cycle. My boss told me to put my phone on silent tonight and to ignore it when he sends emails.
Thank heavens.
Twister
February 21, 2008
I watched Twister tonight. As far as special effects go, it’s still a decent movie. As far as plot goes, it’s somewhat fun, presuming that you let your brain check out during some parts.
The good things:
- The special effects. The dark clouds and stormy skies looked pretty cool.
- The character of Melissa Reeves, the fiancee of Bill. The line, “Now’s not a good time to talk. We’ve got cows!” brings a smile to my face.
The bad things:
- The whole flying gas tanker truck scene was too ridiculous to ignore, even if your brain was checked out at the time.
- The idea of a driving the truck right into the middle of the tornado and being able to jump out and run the other way without getting injured is … uh, … a little far-fetched.
I’ll just keep reminding myself that it’s just a movie.
Fake Gun Ban
February 21, 2008
Apparently, the banning of guns isn’t enough for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They’re now banning plastic dart guns and the game “Assassins.”
The college student game of “Assassin” isn’t so much fun in the wake of deadly campus shootings, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials have banned it from the campus.
The game had turned dangerous Wednesday when university police were called to an Oldfather Hall classroom by the report of a masked gunman. Officers arrived within two minutes and found a student in a ski mask, armed with a toy gun that shoots foam darts.
I always thought that game was kind of fun, to be honest.
