Decision 2012: Congratulations, President Obama

Congratulations on your re-election, President Obama!

You've gotta admit, that's a good-looking family

The voters have spoken, and, as Governor Romney asked in his concession speech, I hope we will all pray for our elected leader's success in improving our country. Democrats and Republicans are all Americans, so let's now work together and strengthen the USA over the next 4 years, instead of bickering and dividing ourselves further.

I'm very interested to see what Governor Romney will do now

PS: I made a little meme that I hope both sides can find amusing. Just kind of an awkward pic for the Obama camp to release, and deserving of meme-ing, isn't it?

One Year Anniversary of the Strike on Osama bin Laden

Can you believe it was a year ago today that President Obama ordered the Navy SEALs Team 6 raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Afghanistan, resulting in bin Laden's death?

Here's what I wrote about that night.

And I met up with some friends at the White House, where a celebration of sorts was going on.

While I am glad Osama bin Laden was taken out, I still wonder how much safer his death made us.
I like to think it did, but we may never know for sure.

One thing I know I can do is thank the soldiers who are fighting for freedom and are spending time in foreign lands when they could be near friends and family.

Thank you for your service, US Military!

Meandering in Obama's Backyard [White House Fall Garden Tours]

On Sunday, my old roommate JJ hooked me up with a few tickets to the White House Fall Garden Tours.

My friend Shandi accompanied me, and we saw the White House up close and personal. Well, the outside, anyway. Since we were in church clothes still, some people were looking at us funny. Maybe they thought we were official or something, since it was maybe hotter than a full suit and tie was right for. Dang, we probably could have played that up and tried for special treatment! Oh well.

In addition to seeing the building from about 10 feet away, we saw the rose garden, the little girls' playground set (which was apparently constructed on top of the horseshoes area of previous presidents), the basketball court, and the vegetable garden (which the First Lady actually picks from about once a week, and is tended by professional gardeners most of the time).

Did you know there is a putting green on the White House grounds? I didn't before, but it makes sense, given how much the presidents usually like to golf (including President Obama).

My offer to golf with the President still stands

Here's a picture with the White House from a little farther back. We went on an abnormally warm Sunday, so the jacket had to be ditched. The pics with Shandi are on her camera, so if I get them, I'll update this post. For now, all I've got is what was taken with my phone.

Sadly, neither President Obama nor his wife or children made an appearance, though I believe they were in town. Maybe next time he'll come out and we can have a putting contest or pick some basil together...

Say It Ain't So! [Steve Jobs, The Simpsons, NBA Preseason, and Arrested Development]

"Say it ain't so, Joe. Say it ain't so!"

Though apocryphal, that's what a young boy reportedly said to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in regards to his involvement in the 1919 World Series Black Sox scandal (in which Joe hit .375, hit a home run and 3 doubles, and had 6 RBIs).

Clip from the movie "8 Men Out", about the Black Sox scandal.

And so, in the spirit of that little heart-broken boy, I will start another semi-regular series on my blog.
When things happen that actually or sort-of break my little heart, I'll blog about it. Right now there are several, but luckily one positive news story has softened the blow somewhat.

RIP Steve Jobs
This is by far the biggest and saddest "say it ain't so" story of the week. He was a remarkable man who revolutionized our technological world. Our nations' president summed up Steve Jobs' impact well by saying,

"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented." - President Barack Obama

You will be missed, Steve

In the wake of his passing, many of Steve's quotes are being shared, and I find this one to be especially telling of how clearly he saw life as he neared the end of his own (due to a rare form of pancreatic cancer).

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." - Steve Jobs (Stanford's Commencement, 2005)

No more episodes of the Simpsons?
After 23 seasons, Fox is considering canceling the Simpsons. The studio wants the voice actors to take a 45% pay cut in order to continue making new episodes. The voice actors offered to take a 30% pay cut, if they could also get a small percentage of other revenues (which are undoubtedly massive).

Don't go! We'd all miss your broad topical range!

The Simpsons characters cover the spectrum.

All I know is that Fox and the voice actors had better work something out, because a world devoid of new Ralph Wiggum quotes makes me want to hasten the new Apple Siri's development into Skynet and subsequent hostile take-over of the planet.

Update: Many of the show's top-level producers have offered to take a pay cut [source]. No final word yet, but I sure hope their offer can be worked into the deal somehow and the show can be saved.

Update2: I heard on the radio that an agreement has been reached at least through 2013. Crisis averted for the time being.

No NBA preseason?
The NBA owners and players are embroiled in a lockout and it looks like the real losers will be the fans. Commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA preseason was officially cancelled.

Are regular season games next on the chopping block? I sure hope not, but it doesn't look good [source].

Update: The first two weeks of the regular season have been cancelled [source]. Idiots.

On the bright side...
Arrested Development is returning!

According to the tweet below from Jason Bateman, they'll be back for another 10 episodes and then a movie. We're already planning to watch them, and possibly in costumes. I'm gonna need some blue paint to go along with my jorts...

Good Week for Obama

I'm not very political, but you have to admit, it's been a good week for him.

1) Released long-form birth certificate. So happy he shut those birther morons up. He's already the president, so there's no point trying to prove he isn't an American. If you aren't convinced, read the article and see the long-awaited birth certificate here.

2) Got to crack jokes about Donald Trump. Major draw of the White House Correspondent's Dinner. While Obama did a decent job, I actually think Seth Meyers got better laughs (but that should be expected since he's a comedian). Here are Obama's remarks:

and here's what Seth had to say:

Possibly my favorite thing was seeing that Trump couldn't take a joke and was ticked everytime they made a joke about him. Meanwhile, Obama was having a grand old time and showed he can take it just as well as he can dish it.

and of course...

3) The Navy SEALs strike on Osama bin Laden. This was exciting news, and it broke just before I was going to bed last night. So I put clothes back on, went down to the White House (a short drive, like 5 mins), and celebrated with several thousand fellow Americans and a whole bunch of media from any- and everywhere.

While I am glad that his reign over al-Qaeda has ended and was happy to cheer for the USA and the locating of this terrible criminal, I regret that bin Laden ended up being killed during the operation. I much would have preferred that he be taken into custody and tried for his crimes, so that justice could have been fulfilled without the shedding of more blood.

It's true that this symbolic victory comes with a myriad of complications going forward, including the threat of retaliatory terrorist attacks. I recognize that. But for the moment, I echo my friend Dan's twitter sentiment (@djneltz), "The result is death. The celebration is the defeat of tyranny, evil and terror."

And as a result of #3,

4) Major bump up in the polls. My friend Justin cited this www.intrade.com prediction, which apparently predicts various markets, and that Obama's chances of winning the 2012 election jumped almost 18% (up to 69%) with the news of Osama bin Laden's death. As of 24 hours later, that prediction is at 62.5%, which is a significant drop, but the Obama camp will definitely be able to list this on his accomplishments when the campaigning begins in earnest.

A New Day is Dawning

Today there was a pretty big event in the greater DC area. You may have heard about it.Yes, President Barack Obama was sworn into office (albeit with botched words thanks to Chief Justice Roberts' decision not to use notes) and became the 44th President of the United States of America.

Several musicians performed numbers at the swearing-in ceremony, some more impressively than others. And I thoroughly enjoyed the invocation and benediction (did the word Rameumptom cross anyone else's mind?).On the flipside, President Obama's speech was excellent. He didn't sugarcoat how difficult things may be and the perilous times in which he takes office. He didn't toot his own horn or take jabs at President Bush's administration. So what did he do? He gave us the truth, and he reminded us that the USA is as strong as its people. That we have been in dire situations before and we have overcome. That we already possess the tools necessary to rise again and be the country we should be. He invited us all to join together and do our part. Well done, President Obama. Count me in.

40 Days to #44

Today I noticed that we're 40 days away from the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America. Yes, Barack Obama will take oath on January 20, 2009. And thus I dedicate this blogpost to him and a total of 44 things (some rough rounding used) he will be starting with when he inherits the White House from our current Commander-in-Chief.

Note: some of these weren't started by President George W Bush, but they may have been exacerbated by President #43.

1 -struggling economy

1 -energy crisis

2 -unpopular wars

3 -failing domestic auto manufacturers

7 -percent unemployment rate

8 -out of 10 Americans are overweight

10 -major global conflicts (according to cnn.com)

11 -trillion dollar national debt, AND

1 -heaping helping of HOPE!

44

Here is a great link that shows how he is an ordinary man who does ordinary things in addition to serving our country.

Vote or Shut Your Yapper for 4 Years

I don't care if you voted for Obama or McCain, Nader or Ron Paul, Burt or Ernie, Bonnie or Clyde.

But if you didn't go to your local voting center and perform your civic duty today, then you have absolutely no room for complaining in the next 4 years.

If you did vote, like me, then feel free to voice your opinions as the next president takes charge in the current challenging situation.