Blaming History by Michael Tomasky, The American Prospect

Blaming History by Michael Tomasky, The American Prospect

Hat Tip: Truthout

Blaming History Friday 19 December 2008

Michael Tomasky explains how Milan Kundera's The Joke changed his view of politics.

So the assignment is "a book that changed my view of politics." Harder than it sounds. I will confess that when I was a younger man, I was far more likely to think of records, as we used to call them, as life-changing, and if pressed, I could probably to this day defend the proposition that The Basement Tapes taught me as much about America as did, say, either John Steinbeck or V.O. Key.

I could name something predictable by Schlesinger or Hofstadter, or one of those seminal works on the 1960s or Watergate that I and most other American liberal males of my generation display on our shelves and in select cases have actually read to completion. But the idea of "life changing" led me to reach into the memory hole for those rare occasions when reading a book so fired my mind that, while I was immersed in it, I could think of nothing else. You know the feeling: You can't wait for work or class to finish so you can plow back into the book; as you near the end, you actually slow down because you don't want it to stop and can't imagine not being able to read it anymore.

It turns out that it's a novel, Milan Kundera's The Joke, that met for me the above criteria: The book is quite political and contains within its pages lessons about how people adapt to the larger political contexts in which they live. These are lessons that were and are more universal than one might assume - given that Kundera was assaying totalitarian society - about what can happen when the stirrings of the soul are thwarted by the imperatives of the state.

Read the entire essay here: Blaming History by Michael Tomasky, The American Prospect

20081219 Blaming History by Michael Tomasky for The American Propsect

Westminster Mayor Council Meeting Dec 22 2008 cancelled

The next meeting of the Westminster mayor and common council for December 22, 2008 has been cancelled.

Home >> City Government

City Council City Council Members Minutes of City Council Meetings

The City of Westminster Mayor and Common Council Meeting
of December 22, 2008 has been cancelled. The next scheduled meeting
of the Mayor and Common Council will be held on January 12, 2009.

From the City of Westminster:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

20081222 Westminster Mayor Council Meeting Dec 22 2008 cancelled

Pearls and a cigarette

Pearls and a cigarette

“Pearls and a cigarette” December 19, 2008 Kevin Dayhoff

20081219 Pearls and a cigarette

Legally Blonde The Musical at the Kennedy Center

Legally Blonde The Musical at the Kennedy Center

For a holiday extended-family outing on Friday evening, December 19, 2008; we went to see “Legally Blonde” at the Kennedy Center. We thoroughly enjoyed the show. Before the show we enjoyed dinner at Papa Razzi on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown.

On December 15, 2008 Emily Cary wrote a preview for the Examiner:

'Legally Blonde' opens at Kennedy Center by Emily Cary Special to The Examiner 12/15/08

"– Rhiannon Hansen is exactly where she planned to be the day she auditioned for the MTV reality show, "Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods." When "Legally Blonde the Musical" ..."

Related links:

http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showevent&event=tjtsd

“Legally Blonde The Musical”:

That's Becky Gulsvig pictured here to the left in a photo from the Kennedy Center web site. She was a delightful Elle Woods...

"Nominated for seven 2007 Tony Awards, Legally Blonde makes its D.C. premiere. Sorority star Elle Woods doesn't take "no" for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her, Elle sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Dec 16, 2008 - Jan 11, 2009 Opera House Approx. 2-1/2 hours $25.00 - $95.00 Tickets and Schedule About the Program Gift Items Sponsors"

http://www.dcexaminer.com/entertainment/121508_Legally_Blonde_opens_at_Kennedy_Center_.html
http://www.paparazzi-restaurant.com/

http://www.paparazzi-restaurant.com/index.cfm?pk=content&cd=LOCATION&pid=10245&cdid=10350

20081219 Legally Blonde The Musical at the Kennedy Center

State $50,000,000 Better Off Than In 1939

If only this were true today:

State $50,000,000 Better Off Than In 1939

Democratic Advocate, December 20, 1946.

Fiscal Situation Vastly Improved During 8 Years of Office—Annapolis, December 16 –

The State's Annuity Bond Fund Reserve as of December 31 will be approximately one million dollars, Governor Herbert R. O'Conor made known today, following a checkup made by the State's fiscal officers at his request.

As of November 30, the report showed, the balance in the Fund was $913,701.54, with receipts from taxes for the month of December estimated at $70,000.00 allowing for interest payments for the month of December of $13, 823,75, the Governor pointed out, there will be available in the Reserve as of the close of the calendar year a total of $969,877.79.

Democratic Advocate, December 20, 1946.

20081220 19461220 State $50,000,000 Better Off Than In 1939

Squirrel obstacle mission

Squirrel obstacle mission

December 19, 2008

This reminds me of how I spend many of my days…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL0glHob3kI



20081219 Squirrel obstacle mission

This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Time flies like an arrow
Kevin E. Dayhoff

As I’ve grown older, the joy of the Christmas season has slowly but surely become overshadowed with pressure and chaos. Certainly not to be overlooked is the emphasis on the materialism and over-consumption that has insidiously eroded the joys of the season.


Mountain Climbing and Orchid Hunting
Tom McLaughlin
Santubong, Sarawak – The condo is like most in Ocean City. Thirty floors contained two sections. I am on the 13th. There are no others like them in this area nor can others be built because of the rainforest which is now a national park.


Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Whistling in the Dark
Roy Meachum
Among all presidents, George W. Bush appears the champion; he whistles in the dark best. The old expression may not be used much these days; it means making noises to scare possible boogey men away.


More Regulations, Less Result
Farrell Keough
When we were last together, we discussed the iconic imagery subtext replete within the film It’s a Wonderful Life. The pleonasm of this previous discussion was self-serving and self-evident, yet constructive in its perspicacious appraisal.


Monday, December 15, 2008
When American Cars Were King
Steven R. Berryman
American cars manufactured by the big three automakers are case studies of what not to do in a competitive environment. When engineering creativity and innovation fall by the wayside, what you get is a “car by consensus” aimed at the widest possible audience that – in the end – satisfies nobody.


Friday, December 12, 2008
Counting All Students
Roy Meachum
My position on illegal immigrants differs slightly from Sheriff Charles "Chuck" Jenkins' and, of course, County Commissioner John "Lennie" Thompson's.


ACLU Wants Wall around DC
Joe Charlebois
Now the Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has stepped into the illegal immigrant fray. Why?


Thursday, December 11, 2008
Here's the Answer! – A Review
Roy Meachum
If there's anything wrong about the Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of "Twelfth Night," I simply didn't catch it. This is the most consistently comedic I've seen of any of the Bard's comedies.


Time for An Adjustment
Tony Soltero
Seventy-five years ago this month, America put an end to the most ill-advised and misguided social-engineering experiment in its history. With the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, the nation rectified the reactionary mistake made by the 18th Amendment and repealed Prohibition.


It’s All Corn
Patricia A. Kelly
Our country is under siege. We’re dropping like flies from obesity, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, etc. Even our children are affected, with many diseases traditionally associated with aging showing up in them.


Wednesday, December 10, 2008
In Your “Koobface”
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Last week I had all the pleasure and honor to be among the 120 million users of the social networking web site “Facebook” who were targeted by a computer virus known by the unusual name of “Koobface.”


Maryland in the Borneo Newspaper?
Tom McLaughlin
KUCHING, Borneo – Still sleepy and in the early dawn hours, I sat in a Chinese coffee shop in downtown Kuching. The thick black Sumatra liquid, with a finger of white condensed milk on the bottom in the clear cup, had yet to be stirred.


Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Eric Shinseki as Prophet
Roy Meachum
You might not remember Eric Shinseki's name. Among Army troops he's mildly infamous for ordering all ranks to wear berets. He's now been named by the incoming administration as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. That could never happen while Richard Cheney exercised power in the vice president's office.


Who Thought This Up?
Farrell Keough
Why is it that It’s a Wonderful Life seems to continuously play from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day? Is this some evil plot by Big TV to drive us crazy during this season? Or is it some other ghastly plot of excess?


It’s Good to Be a Teacher … Part 2
Nick Diaz

“Ten Reasons Why I Envy Teachers” is the title of an article by a New England psychologist, Dr. Michael G. Thompson. In my last installment, I referred to this piece as the basis to my assertion that teachers are, indeed, people who should be envied.

20081217 This week in The Tentacle

Recent Explore Carroll columns by Kevin Dayhoff

Recent Explore Carroll columns by Kevin Dayhoff

December 14, 2008 – posted (finally) on December 18, 2008

This time of year, we can't get enough Christmas music, or eggnog
Published December 14, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
EAGLE ARCHIVE The Christmas season means different things to different folks. I have many great childhood Christmas memories of growing up in Westminster. I'm biased of...


Shop Carroll for that hippopotamus this Christmas
Published December 10, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
Westminster certainly loves to pull out all the stops for the holiday season. This year is certainly no exception. The weekend after Thanksgiving featured the...


Everyone's a winner at the Westminster Holiday Parade
Published December 10, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
... but here are entries the judges liked best Westminster's annual Holiday Parade was a great time for all. Judges said determining particular "winners" in...


Everyone's a winner at the Westminster Holiday Parade ...
Published December 5, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
Westminster’s annual Holiday Parade was a great time for all. Judges said determining particular “winners” in various parade categories was difficult because everyone — the...


In the end, Rutherford Hayes had the croquet balls to be president
Published December 4, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle
For this Sunday's column, let's keep it light. May we discuss croquet? At my age, croquet is about as close to a contact sport as...


Luebberman marks 20 years with Westminster Fire Dept.
Published December 3, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
Kevin Dayhoff kdayhoff@carr.org Cake and stories were served Nov. 22 as about 30 members of the Westminster Volunteer Fire Department gathered at the John Street firehouse...


Letters
Published December 3, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
Dayhoff right to lament loss of Pour House on Main St. I just wanted to say "BRAVO" to Kevin Dayhoff regarding his recent column in...


One turkey leg, early Thanksgivings and a pair of President Harrisons
Published November 30, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
We certainly hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are now enthroned upon the couch, watching football and relaxing with a pair of birds: a...


Waist is a terrible thing to mind
Published November 24, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to it because it will be the first holiday in which my extended family gets...


Turkey, stuffing, illegal radios and rowdy college kids
Published November 23, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
This Thursday is Thanksgiving, and we at The Eagle hope you have a great turkey-day with lots of food, friends and family. Perhaps because of our...

http://explorecarroll.com/search/more.php?f=news&p=1&s=Dayhoff

20081214 Recent Explore Carroll columns by Kevin Dayhoff

Washington Post: Fed Could Remake Credit Card Regulations

Washington Post: Fed Could Remake Credit Card Regulations

What in the world took the Fed so long to stop the predacious practices of credit card issuers?

New Rules Would Ban Retroactive Rate Hikes

By Nancy Trejos Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, December 14, 2008; F01

The Federal Reserve on Thursday will vote on sweeping reform of the credit card industry that would ban practices such as retroactively increasing interest rates at will and charging late fees when consumers are not given a reasonable amount of time to make payments.

The Fed, which has been considering the proposed changes since May, declined this week to release details of the final draft regulations. But banking officials and consumer advocates said that they do not expect substantial changes before the vote, especially since members of Congress have pressured the Fed not to water down the rules.

However, industry officials and consumer advocates said, the Fed will likely postpone a decision on a proposal to prohibit banks from charging fees for overdraft protection unless they have given customers the chance to opt out. Both the banking industry and consumer advocates considered the overdraft proposal flawed.

If the new credit card regulations are approved largely as proposed, they would represent the most significant overhaul of the industry in decades, banking officials and consumer advocates said. The Fed has not yet indicated a timeline for implementation.

[…]

Read the entire article here: Fed Could Remake Credit Card Regulations

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/13/AR2008121300906.html?nav=igoogle

20081214 WaPo Fed Could Remake Credit Card Regulations By Nancy Trejos

An Evening of Readings and Carols at Princeton University Chapel

An Evening of Readings and Carols at Princeton University Chapel

December 12, 2008

20081212 An Evening of Readings and Carols at Princeton University Chapel

UTR patio pic for December 12 2008

UTR patio pic for December 12 2008

Dayhoff Dailey Patio Pic

20081212 UTR patio pic for December 12 2008

The Kiawah Island Marathon December 6 2008

The Kiawah Island Marathon December 6 2008

December 12, 2008

Pictures of my nephew, Ryan Handzo, in the race can be found here on marathon foto com

http://www.kiawahresort.com/recreation/marathon/

View 2008 Kiawah Marathon Race Results

Map Downloads: Full Marathon Map (PDF 77 KB) Half Marathon Map (PDF 52 KB)

Great race wrap-up and commentary by Lance P. Martin :

Great Moments in Marathon History: Kiawah Island 2008 Sunday, December 07, 2008

Kiawah Island is a runner's marathon. At 2,000 or so, it's neither too big or too small. Pre-race could not be easier. They open the East Beach Conference Center and runners lounge in the halls and meeting rooms until the start, which is right outside the front doors. Article storage is self-serve, you just put your name on your bag and toss it into an unsupervised tent. This is awfully easy for runners, and I doubt that theft is an issue.

[…]

Read the entire post here: Great Moments in Marathon History: Kiawah Island 2008

------
December 6 2008 Kiawah Island Marathon Race Results

http://www.rmssports.com/results/08kiawah.txt

KIAWAH ISLAND MARATHON
26.2 MILE ROAD RACE
KIAWAH ISLAND,S.C. DECEMBER 6, 2008 , USATF cert# SC02031BS
Results compiled by Race Management Systems(RMS), www.rmssports.com

********** AWARDS LIST **************

********** FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
1 Jennifer Jacobs 28 Durham NC 2:59:00
2 Mary Bertram 21 Salisbury NC 3:01:33
3 Ale-Sabio Kennedy 36 Statesboro GA 3:12:31
4 Kim Donaldson 47 Chapel Hill NC 3:15:56
5 Val Kazmer 22 Charlotte NC 3:17:30
********** MALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
1 Chuck Engle 37 Dublin OH 2:35:09
2 Ryan Thompson 27 Charleston SC 2:36:48
3 Bernhard Sill 38 Clemson SC 2:43:01
4 Ben Clarke 24 Atlanta GA 2:44:58
5 Brian Waters 25 Marietta GA 2:46:08
********** FEMALE MASTERS OVERALL RESULTS **********
1 Carol Miles 44 Georgetown KY 3:21:20
2 Sandra Murphy 41 Evans GA 3:30:45
3 Camelia Marculescu 41 Charleston SC 3:31:53
********** MALE MASTERS OVERALL RESULTS **********
1 Steve Noone 50 Glenmoore PA 2:49:40
2 Tim Anderson 47 Greensboro NC 2:53:06
3 Jeffrey Milne 40 Chester Springs PA 2:54:09
********** FEMALE GRAND MASTERS OVERALL RESULTS **********
1 Cindy Matthes-Loy 50 Fort Myers FL 3:47:08
********** MALE GRAND MASTERS OVERALL RESULTS **********
1 Bill Grether 58 Bellingham WI 3:07:29

********** AGE-GROUP RESULTS **********

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 15 - 19
1 Rosie Montgomery 19 Oakton VA 4:30:52
2 Kate Jones 18 Evans GA 6:56:37
MALE AGE GROUP: 15 - 19
1 Ryan Handzo 19 Atlanta GA 3:23:46
2 Nick Spenello 18 Alpharetta GA 4:00:05
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24
1 Maegen Stokes 24 Seneca SC 3:53:03
2 Hannah McLain 20 Athens GA 4:04:13
3 Sarah Berglind 20 Simpsonville SC 4:12:50
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24
1 David Payne 23 Greenwood SC 2:52:22
2 Chris Weir 24 Sugar Hill GA 3:02:42
3 Andrew Sayce 20 Clemson SC 3:14:57
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29
1 Caitlin Schier 25 Union SC 3:18:59
2 Alison Boyd 28 Charleston SC 3:23:52
3 Bree Ruppert 25 Charleston SC 3:24:26
4 Lindsey Miller 26 Charlotte NC 3:27:11
5 Marie Boyle 28 Atlanta GA 3:27:55
MALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29
1 Andrew Clarke 27 Atlanta GA 2:55:45
2 Keith Reed 26 Atlanta GA 3:00:17
3 Thomas Clarke 28 Charleston SC 3:08:28
4 Thomas Parker 29 Winter Park FL 3:10:12
5 David Dirito 28 Carrboro NC 3:10:16

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34
1 Carol Moore 30 Nashville TN 3:22:35
2 Laura Hill 34 Duluth GA 3:26:17
3 Jessica Mumford 31 Savannah GA 3:28:16
4 Stephanie Hall 34 Hickory NC 3:35:13
5 Jessica Costen 34 Matthews NC 3:37:06
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34
1 Neil Jacobs 34 Durham NC 2:59:25
2 Jason Putnam 31 Simpsonville SC 3:05:28
3 James Loging 33 Laurens SC 3:06:33
4 Jason Pattillo 33 Augusta GA 3:06:54
5 Randy Hutchison 32 Greenville SC 3:10:06
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39
1 Katrin Currens 37 Richmond VA 3:35:47
2 Heather Currier 35 Martinez GA 3:38:17
3 Betsy Howard 36 Savannah GA 3:38:41
4 Kathrine Wall 37 Weddington NC 3:40:00
5 Heather Saal 35 Kiawah Island SC 3:40:41
MALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39
1 Mason Ferratt 39 North Charleston SC 2:51:59
2 Jack McDermott 39 Tallahassee FL 2:59:23
3 Derek Detemple 38 Gilbert AZ 2:59:23
4 Brian Hann 39 Camden SC 3:03:33
5 Peter Mandy 37 Bethesda MD 3:09:08
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44
1 Katie Watson 40 Mt. Pleasant SC 3:32:23
2 Laura Boselowitz 40 Mt. Pleasant SC 3:38:21
3 Karen Killeen 40 Richmond VA 3:40:47
4 Carol Hauss 43 Salisbury NC 3:41:34
5 Janine Myatt 41 Bristol VA 3:44:10
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44
1 Denis Cormier 42 Raleigh NC 2:59:15
2 Jay Waller 41 Augusta GA 3:00:36
3 Sean Killeen 43 Richmond VA 3:01:31
4 Brandt Chi 43 Dover DE 3:01:51
5 Jeff Brandenburg 42 Columbia SC 3:03:35
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49
1 Janet Gallo 45 Martinez GA 3:40:06
2 Lisa Gregoire 48 Summerville SC 3:52:03
3 Barb Romano 49 Bartlett IL 3:56:51
4 Elizabeth Hindal 48 Charlotte NC 3:59:12
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49
1 Larry Jourdain 46 Sandy Run SC 3:05:18
2 Tim Dupree 49 Fleetwood NC 3:06:31
3 Huey Inman 47 Mt. Pleasant SC 3:07:09
4 Raymond Ross 48 Roswell GA 3:07:50
5 Matthew Cooke 46 Asheville NC 3:15:33
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54
1 Betty Floyd 52 Marion SC 3:54:13
2 Beverly Knight 51 Jeffersonville IN 3:54:52
3 Joanna Davis 50 Wilmington NC 3:55:43
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54
1 Mark Houde 51 Camden SC 3:07:30
2 Daniel Dietz 50 Smyrna GA 3:09:45
3 Eric Smith 50 Greenwood SC 3:12:15
4 Steve Thompson 53 Chapel Hill NC 3:14:39
5 Jeffrey Eggers 50 Northfield MN 3:20:52
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59
1 Toni Cruz 57 Concord NC 4:07:37
2 Lynn Grimes 57 Blythewood SC 4:14:42
3 Kathlyn Haddock 59 Columbia SC 4:15:43

MALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59
1 Kevin Lloyd 56 Darien CT 3:30:12
2 Gerry Englert 56 Summerville SC 3:32:26
3 Philip Waters 56 Lexington KY 3:39:30
4 Ernie Chatman 59 Brooksville FL 3:39:57
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64
1 Tillie Clark 61 Metairie LA 4:40:00
2 Therese Jochum 63 Mooresville IN 4:57:49
3 Joan Mulvihill 64 Charleston SC 4:58:30
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64
1 Fred Reinhard 63 Sullivans Island SC 3:35:50
2 Curtis Lintvedt 61 Exeter NH 3:54:36
3 Terry Ringle 62 Lexington KY 4:06:21
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69
MALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69
1 Gerry Carner 65 Clemson SC 3:29:50
2 Neil Jacobs 65 Summerville SC 4:18:17
3 James Lake 67 Alexandria VA 4:37:47
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74
1 Elfriede Tolley-Bee 72 Sumter SC 5:14:46
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74
1 Charlie Raper 72 Maryville TN 4:02:38
2 Donald Moore 70 Fort Myers FL 4:14:00
3 Richard Murphy 74 Bay Shore NY 4:15:42
4 Eugene Defronzo 72 Cheshire CT 6:06:48
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 99
MALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 99

Read the rest of the results here: http://www.rmssports.com/results/08kiawah.txt

20081206 The Kiawah Island Marathon December 6 2008

Dayhoff Frock Wright Ryan Handzo

Sports Running

Sports Running Kiawah Is Marathon

Sports Running Marathons

Dixon and City Democrats Get Raises While Contemplating Layoffs

Public officials accepted a pay raise in this economic climate is beyond bizarre…

December 10, 2008

Dixon and City Democrats Get Raises While Contemplating Layoffs

ANNAPOLIS—On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City Comptroller Joan Pratt and the 13 other City Council members had pay raises approved by the Baltimore City Board of Estimates, which all three of them sit on. The move was done without identifying the titles or names of those receiving a raise. This comes at a time when Mayor Dixon has not ruled out layoffs for city workers and revoked cost of living raises for middle managers.

“Once again, this is an example of Maryland Democrat leaders operating under a different set of rules than the rest of us,” said MDGOP Chairman Jim Pelura. “These raises amount to $26,250 which is a substantial amount of money to anyone who is not a big-government politician. Mayor Dixon is talking about laying off lower level city workers. I certainly think that $26,250 might save at least one job. Do as I say, not as I do is becoming a common stance in Baltimore City and the state of Maryland.”

“We need new leadership for Maryland that puts taxpayers, small businesses, and working families first. There are several leaders who have volunteered to take part in the furloughs for state employees. Mayor Dixon, Council President Rawlings-Blake, and Comptroller Pratt should follow suit and reject these pay raises,” concluded Pelura.

###

To members of Maryland Republican Party FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Justin Ready 410-263-2125

This week in The Tentacle for December 10 2008

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, December 10, 2008
In Your “Koobface”
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Last week I had all the pleasure and honor to be among the 120 million users of the social networking web site “Facebook” who were targeted by a computer virus known by the unusual name of “Koobface.”


Maryland in the Borneo Newspaper?
Tom McLaughlin
KUCHING, Borneo – Still sleepy and in the early dawn hours, I sat in a Chinese coffee shop in downtown Kuching. The thick black Sumatra liquid, with a finger of white condensed milk on the bottom in the clear cup, had yet to be stirred.


Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Eric Shinseki as Prophet
Roy Meachum
You might not remember Eric Shinseki's name. Among Army troops he's mildly infamous for ordering all ranks to wear berets. He's now been named by the incoming administration as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. That could never happen while Richard Cheney exercised power in the vice president's office.


Who Thought This Up?
Farrell Keough
Why is it that It’s a Wonderful Life seems to continuously play from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day? Is this some evil plot by Big TV to drive us crazy during this season? Or is it some other ghastly plot of excess?


It’s Good to Be a Teacher … Part 2
Nick Diaz

“Ten Reasons Why I Envy Teachers” is the title of an article by a New England psychologist, Dr. Michael G. Thompson. In my last installment, I referred to this piece as the basis to my assertion that teachers are, indeed, people who should be envied.


Monday, December 8, 2008
Where does it end?
Richard B. Weldon Jr.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the Government for the redress of grievances.”

Amendment 1 to the Constitution of the United States


Conversational Items
Steven R. Berryman
In absolutely no particular order, here are some hot items for your reading pleasure, just in time for that water cooler conversation or company holiday party.


Friday, December 5, 2008
"Chorus Line" – Review
Roy Meachum
"Chorus Line" opened Tuesday at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre. That should be quite enough for anyone who knows the slightest thing about theatre; they should rush to buy tickets for the show that ends a week from Sunday, on December 14. It lasted 15 years on Broadway and was brought back for a two-year revival that spawned the national tour visiting Charm City. This is a true stage icon.


The Right Track on Illegals
Joe Charlebois
On November 25, CASA de Maryland, the prominent immigrant rights group in the state, filed suit against the Frederick County Sheriff's Office to obtain information regarding the execution of the 287(g) program. This program effectively allows state and local governments to act in a seamless fashion in regards to those detained for violations of immigration law.


Thursday, December 4, 2008
Open Your Hearts – and Your Wallets
Joan McIntyre
Christmas Cash for Kids is winding up, but it‘s not over yet. If you haven't heard of this fabulous program hosted by our very own Bob Miller, hordes of volunteers, and WFMD (930 AM), then all I can say is you don't really live in Frederick County; or your cave doesn't get a radio signal.


Proper Packaging and Wrapping Paper
Chris Cavey
This weekend the Maryland Republican Party will hold its winter convention in Annapolis. Contrary to what many might think the semi-annual gathering of the GOP faithful will not be a time of mourning and gnashing of teeth. Instead a review, revival and rebirth is expected.


Wednesday, December 3, 2008
When cupcakes grow on trees
Kevin E. Dayhoff
It was serendipitous Monday evening, the day that President-elect Barack Obama unveiled his national security team, that I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Melvin A. Goodman, a former CIA analyst, discuss his latest book, The Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA, during the ninth annual Resnick Lecture at McDaniel College.


Moving East for a Spell
Tom McLaughlin
“Warm and tropical with pouring rains after 3 P.M.” describes Borneo in this northeast monsoon season. The city of Kuching combines old and new, with the modern Hilton overshadowing Chinese shop houses built in 1900's.


Tuesday, December 2, 2008
"Let Slip the (Political) Dogs of War"
Roy Meachum
"Cry havoc" forms the first part of that "Julius Caesar" quote and that might make a bitter title for the electoral cycle that starts right after the looming holidays. Shopping malls aside, I do not count Thanksgiving as the leading edge of Christmas.


Change! It’s Everywhere! It’s Everywhere!
Farrell Keough
As a new year is dawning, many issues and perspectives are drawing near in our political arena. We have a “change” coming on our national front – but we must remember that our state representatives will be meeting in the near future and may be offering us “change” as well.


Monday, December 1, 2008
Anatomy of a Correction
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
On November 20, I gave a lunchtime speech to the Frederick County Builder's Association. After more than a dozen years in public service, these public speaking opportunities have become something I look forward to.


Never Cool
Steven R. Berryman
As usual, family gatherings over the Thanksgiving weekend allowed for more personal interactions. I have three wonderful teenagers and have confirmed that the scrutiny and evaluation that befall parents at this critical juncture are surely unimaginable to anyone not experiencing it first hand.

20081210 This week in The Tentacle

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Dr Elmo

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Dr Elmo

Dr. Elmo made this in his living room in 1983. It played on MTV for 18+ years. Written by Randy Brooks and performed by Dr. Elmo.



Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Dr. Elmo official web site

20081208 19830000 Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer by Dr Elmo

Westminster Mayor and Common Council meeting agenda for December 8 2008

Westminster Mayor and Common Council meeting agenda for December 8 2008

Home >> City Government

City Council

City Council Members Minutes of City Council Meetings

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Public Hearing Notice

The public hearing set for Monday, December 8, 2008, to receive comments on proposed Ordinance Nos. 796 and 797 dealing with sewer charges and water rates for metered services provided by the City of Westminster will not be conducted as scheduled and will be rescheduled early next year.

THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF WESTMINSTER

Thomas K. Ferguson, Mayor
AGENDA

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Mayor and Common Council Meeting of December 8, 2008

1. CALL TO ORDER – 7:00 P.M.

Fallfest Presentations

Holiday Parade Awards

2. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF NOVEMBER 24, 2008

3. REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR

4. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES

5. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS:

Introduction of Ordinance No. 798 – Modifications to General Fee Ordinance - Thomas Beyard

Introduction of Ordinance No. 799 – Chapter 94, Section 5 – Peddlers’ and Solicitors’ Fees – Thomas Beyard

6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

a. Approval of Agreement CB-1108 – Commitment of Intent for the Redevelopment and Occupancy of the City Park Concession Stand/Community Building – Ron Schroers

7. NEW BUSINESS:

a. Cancellation of December 22, 2008 Meeting

8. DEPARTMENT REPORTS

9. CITIZEN COMMENTS

10. ADJOURN

PLEASE NOTE: THE DECEMBER 8, 2008 MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE JOHN STREET QUARTERS OF THE WESTMINSTER FIRE COMPANY. FREE PARKING IS AVAILABLE

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtqIM_bPTws



I Want a Hippo for Xmas Words and music by John Rox performed by Gayla Peevey (1953)

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas

Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door,
that's the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning,
creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too

Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegeterian

There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage

I can see me now on Christmas morning,
creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses
I only like hippopotamuseses
And hippopotamuses like me too!

19530000 Lyrics I Want a Hippo for Xmas

Daily Patio Pic

Daily Patio Pic

December 6, 2008

Snow Dayhoff Daily Photoblog

20081206 Daily Patio Pic UTR

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

Missing atheist sign found in Washington state By Mallory Simon CNN

Missing atheist sign found in Washington state By Mallory Simon CNN

Fri December 5, 2008

For those of us who are aggressive protectors of the right to free speech, we have to wonder what it is that the atheists wish to accomplish...

Having said that, I understand that intent is certainly not an arbiter of the expression of free speech. However, manipulating some obscure interpretation of equal opportunity in order to attack Christmas, is certainly a unique approach to attempting to be compelling and persuasive about one’s cause…

Story Highlights

NEW: Placard from Washington state Capitol found in a ditch, radio station says

Atheists' place placard was next to Nativity scene in Olympia, Washington, building

Sign calls religion a myth that "hardens hearts and enslaves minds"

Some residents, Christian groups say atheists attacking celebration of Jesus' birth

Don't Miss: iReport.com: Over-the-top holiday displays?

(CNN) -- An atheist sign criticizing Christianity that was erected alongside a Nativity scene was taken from the Legislative Building in Olympia, Washington, on Friday and later found in a ditch.

An employee from country radio station KMPS-FM in Seattle told CNN the sign was dropped off at the station by someone who found it in a ditch.

"I thought it would be safe," Freedom From Religion Foundation co-founder Annie Laurie Gaylor told CNN earlier Friday. "It's always a shock when your sign is censored or stolen or mutilated. It's not something you get used to."

The sign, which celebrates the winter solstice, has had some residents and Christian organizations calling atheists Scrooges because they said it was attacking the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth.

"Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds," the sign from the Freedom From Religion Foundation says in part.

The sign, which was at the Legislative Building at 6:30 a.m. PT, was gone by 7:30 a.m., Gaylor said.

[…]

The scene in Washington state is not unfamiliar. Barker has had signs in Madison, Wisconsin, for 13 years. The placard is often turned around so the message can't be seen, and one year, someone threw acid on it, forcing the group to encase it in Plexiglas.

In Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association began a bus ad campaign this month questioning belief in God.

"Why believe in a God?" the advertisement asks. "Just be good for goodness sake."

That ad has caused the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to field hundreds of complaints, the group said, but it has heard just as much positive feedback, said Fred Edwords, the association's spokesman.

Edwords said the ad campaign, which features a shrugging Santa Claus, was not meant to attack Christmas but rather to reach out to an untapped audience.

[…]

Read the entire article here: Missing atheist sign found in Washington state By Mallory Simon CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/05/atheists.christmas/?iref=mpstoryview

20081205 Missing atheist sign found in Washington state

CNET News: Koobface virus hits Facebook

CNET News: Koobface virus hits Facebook by Robert Vamosi December 4, 2008

Top: “Cyborg Stare” Dec. 5, 2008 Kevin Dayhoff

Photo credit: A new mass-mailing virus targeting Facebook users directs victims to a site asking to download a Trojan masked as an Adobe Flash update. (Credit: McAfee Avert Labs) Actually this is a cropped version of the McAfee Avert Labs photo. I have the same image in my main computer, that is not available at the moment as I am still working on restoring all my data files and operating system after the “Facebook Koobface” virus infected my system in the early morning hours of December 4, 2008.

This message could lead you to the Koobface virus, say security experts.
(Credit: McAfee Avert Labs)

This is another good article that explains how the “Facebook Koobface” virus works…

A worm responsible for sending Facebook users malicious code appears to be limited in nature, although the social engineering attack may be used again, say experts.

Facebook representative Barry Schnitt said the worm isn't new; it dates back to August, although the variant that first appeared on Wednesday targets only Facebook users.

Craig Schmugar, threat researcher for McAfee Avert Labs, confirmed this in a call with CNET News and said that, in general, Koobface strikes only social-networking sites.

After receiving a message in their Facebook in-box announcing, "You look funny in this new video" or something similar, recipients are then invited to click on a provided link. Once on the video site, a message says an update of Flash is needed before the video can be displayed. The viewer is prompted to open a file called flash_player.exe.

Schmugar said the prompt for a new player should be a warning. "The messages you tend to get from these sites don't look quite right." For instance, IE will tell you where the update is coming from, and usually it's not an Adobe site.

However, the message “a message says an update of Flash is needed before the video can be displayed,” is effective as many Microsoft users are aware that Microsoft and Adobe do not get along and that appears that Microsoft inhibits using Adobe products in Windows operating systems.

Many technology users maintain a hope that Microsoft will eventually stop attempting to inhibit Adobe products and we are always looking forward to “an update of flash” that will finally run easily in a Microsoft environment…

Another underreported dynamic is that the virus just breezed by Microsoft’s vaunted security update program. This program has been the source of much aggravation for heavy users; and now when the situation presents, that is why we put up with the obnoxious pesky persistent updates – it fails to work.

So the questions easily rises to the surface – why participate in the Microsoft update program?

If the viewer approves the Flash installation, Koobface attempts to download a program called tinyproxy.exe. This loads a proxy server called Security Accounts Manager (SamSs) the next time the computer boots up. Koobface then listens to traffic on TCP port 9090 and proxies all outgoing HTTP traffic. For example, a search performed on Google, Yahoo, MSN, or Live.com may be hijacked to other, lesser-known search sites.

Schmugar said this version of Koobface includes a bot-like component that could install other malicious apps at a later time.

[…]

Meanwhile, many articles repeat, “Facebook has posted instructions on how to remove the infection.” No it doesn’t. The information posted on the Facebook security page is so deficient and underwhelming, one could easily mistake it for humor.

According to a December 4, 2008 Reuters article, “Social network MySpace, owned by News Corp, was hit by a version of Koobface in August and used security technology to eradicate it, according to a company spokeswoman. The virus has not cropped up since then, she said.

If “MySpace” can protect its users, then why can’t Facebook?

[…]

Read the entire article here: Koobface virus hits Facebook

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10113981-83.html


20081204 Koobface virus hits Facebook

I have a sad face today after being attacked by the Facebook Koobface virus

I have a sad face today after being attacked by the Facebook Koobface virus

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Related: Reuters: Destructive Koobface virus turns up on Facebook By Jim Finkle Thu Dec 4, 2008

I’m working on a backup computer because I have fallen victim to the “Facebook virus” that is making the rounds as it is described here – and in a Reuters’ article:

[…] “McAfee warned in a blog entry on Wednesday that its researchers had discovered that Koobface was making the rounds on Facebook…

“Facebook's 120 million users are being targeted by a virus dubbed "Koobface" that uses the social network's messaging system to infect PCs, then tries to gather sensitive information such as credit card numbers.

“It is the latest attack by hackers increasingly looking to prey on users of social networking sites…

“Koobface spreads by sending notes to friends of someone whose PC has been infected. The messages, with subject headers like, ‘You look just awesome in this new movie,’ direct recipients to a website where they are asked to download what it claims is an update of Adobe Systems Inc's Flash player.

“…users tend to be far less suspicious of messages they receive in the network. ‘People tend to let their guard down. They think you've got to log in with an account, so there is no way that worms and other viruses could infect them,’ Boyd said.”

Another excellent post about this may be found on the Schipul Blog: Facebook Users Attacked by Trojan Virus November 7th, 2008

Over 24 hours later, and after considerable work, the virus has been removed; however it irreparable damaged the operating system, in spite of the highly touted Microsoft security update system...

Fortunately I have backups. However, in spite of an excellent backup system, I temporarily have no access to any of my data, research, notes, preliminary drafts of future columns, writing or art files, because of the thoroughly destructiveness and ingenuousness of this particular attack and how complicated it has been to restore my data and operating systems.

Fortunately my next column is not due until tomorrow and only missed some relatively minor deadlines today, for which, everyone is being very supportive and understanding.

Of course, it is not Facebook’s fault that it was attacked by a virus, with perhaps one pause for thought, as mentioned in the article: “Social network MySpace, owned by News Corp, was hit by a version of Koobface in August and used security technology to eradicate it, according to a company spokeswoman. The virus has not cropped up since then, she said.”

I’m an intense internet and technology user and for twenty years I have safely avoided a serious attack. Although in hindsight I understand how and why I make such a stupid mistake.

Nonetheless, the Reuters article points out that “McAfee has not yet identified the perpetrators behind Koobface, who are improving the malicious software behind the virus in a bid to outsmart security at Facebook and MySpace.

"The people behind it are updating it, refining it, adding new functionalities," said McAfee's Schmugar.”

Over 24 hours later and a lost day of work, I will have to re-evaluate using Facebook. I have to consider that since Facebook is not a component of how I make a living, and that statistically, Facebook users will remain a target of the hackers, I may have to err on the side of avoiding exposing myself to this phenomena in the future.

Between the spam, the phishing, and the hackers, it would appear that the criminals in the internet world are making considerable inroads in eroding the benefits that internet technology can provide to our everyday quality of life.

The ratio of spam to real emails on one of my email accounts is currently 50 to 1. It is not fun worrying about every other click of the mouse…

I wish that somehow, there was some hope that solutions are being developed to combat the criminal element on the internet, however, the technicians I spoke with today, seemed just as pessimistic as I feel at the moment.

20081204 A sad face over the Facebook Koobface virus.

This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, December 3, 2008
When cupcakes grow on trees
Kevin E. Dayhoff
It was serendipitous Monday evening, the day that President-elect Barack Obama unveiled his national security team, that I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Melvin A. Goodman, a former CIA analyst, discuss his latest book, The Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA, during the ninth annual Resnick Lecture at McDaniel College.


Moving East for a Spell
Tom McLaughlin
“Warm and tropical with pouring rains after 3 P.M.” describes Borneo in this northeast monsoon season. The city of Kuching combines old and new, with the modern Hilton overshadowing Chinese shop houses built in 1900's.


Tuesday, December 2, 2008
"Let Slip the (Political) Dogs of War"
Roy Meachum
"Cry havoc" forms the first part of that "Julius Caesar" quote and that might make a bitter title for the electoral cycle that starts right after the looming holidays. Shopping malls aside, I do not count Thanksgiving as the leading edge of Christmas.


Change! It’s Everywhere! It’s Everywhere!
Farrell Keough
As a new year is dawning, many issues and perspectives are drawing near in our political arena. We have a “change” coming on our national front – but we must remember that our state representatives will be meeting in the near future and may be offering us “change” as well.

Monday, December 1, 2008
Anatomy of a Correction
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
On November 20, I gave a lunchtime speech to the Frederick County Builder's Association. After more than a dozen years in public service, these public speaking opportunities have become something I look forward to.


Never Cool
Steven R. Berryman
As usual, family gatherings over the Thanksgiving weekend allowed for more personal interactions. I have three wonderful teenagers and have confirmed that the scrutiny and evaluation that befall parents at this critical juncture are surely unimaginable to anyone not experiencing it first hand.

Friday, November 28, 2008
County Democratic Party's Castration--Part II
Roy Meachum
A vacuum resulted from the political retirement of the most powerful Good Ol' Boys. Rushing in to fill the space was a female cabal led by Del. Sue Hecht. When did I first discover that reality?


Redeem Your Deposit Here
Joe Charlebois
California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Vermont have a five-cent deposit. Michigan has a ten cent-deposit. The Frederick County Board of Commissioners wants to impose a 5-cent deposit to be added to each purchase of a non-reusable beverage container.


Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving Day 2008
Joe Charlebois
As we come upon the ending of one presidential administration and begin another, let’s reflect on what our first president, George Washington, wrote some 219 years ago in proclaiming our country's first national day of public thanksgiving. This proclamation came just a few months after his first inaugural address.


Thanksgiving – and Remembrances….
Edward Lulie III
I used to appreciate Thanksgiving, or so I thought, as a time for food, family and friends, watching football, eating turkey and just relaxing. For over 35 years that was how my wife Beth and I always spent the holiday together. Since her death in January, my sons and I have been adjusting to life without her. It has been very difficult for all of us.


Wednesday, November 26, 2008
“The Eight Years War”
Kevin E. Dayhoff
At high noon on Monday, amid cries of alarm that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President-elect Barack Obama rolled out his all-star economic team and a call for an economic stimulus package that could cost as much as $1 trillion.


What to get the elderly for Christmas
Tom McLaughlin
Black Friday arrives the day after tomorrow and throngs of shoppers will line up for those “deals’ in a panic frenzy. Credit, debit and anything else that still has value will be maxed out during this holiday season because of the economy. Often left in the riot are your parents.


Tuesday, November 25, 2008
County Democratic Party's Castration – Part 1
Roy Meachum
This year marked a quarter century that I resided in Frederick. Someone who arrived later cannot possibly imagine the changes made. Most from the visionary and long-time city Mayor Ron Young. He created Carroll Creek development and modernized downtown streets from the horse and buggy days.

20081203 This week in The Tentacle

Merry Christmas from the Left Red White and Impeach

Merry Christmas from the Left Red White and Impeach

December 2, 2008

Apparently the left does not rest for the holidays.

For those of us who feel passionately about the right to free speech, we also understand that it comes with responsibilities.

Memo: I’d love to see the elite media’s reaction if something like this were to occur during the presidency of Barack Obama.

Hat Tip: Don Surber: “Maturity” “Ornament maker does something inappropriate. The White House refuses to retaliate.”

Read on, according to “Christmas Colors for the White House: Red, White and Impeach,” By The Reliable Source December 2, 2008:

[…]

Laura Bush asked members of Congress to pick local painters to decorate ornaments for this year's 20-foot Fraser fir in the Blue Room. The globes (to be unveiled by the first lady tomorrow) are supposed to showcase something special about each congressional district. Washington state's Rep. Jim McDermott contacted a local arts organization, which asked Lawrence, a collage artist, to create the local entry.

"I was at first nauseated, then realized it was an opportunity," said Lawrence, 55, who frequently combines politics and satire in her work and saw this as the perfect way "to highlight Jim McDermott because he's a hero of mine."

The nine-inch ball is covered with swirly red and white stripes -- and, in tiny glued-on text, salutes the Democratic congressman's support for a resolution to impeach President Bush.

See a picture of it here.

Sally McDonough, the first lady's press secretary, said yesterday that hundreds of ornaments were submitted for display and there were no plans to pull Lawrence's artwork or her invitation. But, she said, "it really is too bad. I haven't seen the ornament, but I would hope that no one would take this as an opportunity to be divisive and partisan. There is a time and place for everything, and I don't think this is either."

Read the entire account here: “Christmas Colors for the White House: Red, White and Impeach”

And be sure to read Don Surber’s post also: “Maturity”

And be sure to read all the comments...

Commenter “dhender999aolcom” said: “When Deborah Lawrence arrives in the White House she will be treated graciously by her hosts, because that is the nature of George W and Laura Bush…”

“olukemi": said: “I applaud Deborah Lawrence for her courage in celebrating her equally forthright Congressman. Freedom of speech does not take a rest on Christmas. Happy Holidays to all!”

Then in a flourish of the holiday spirit, “editwest” wrote: “To dehender999@aol.com: ‘Gracious’ people do not steal elections, subvert the Rule of Law and the judiciary and the Department of Justice, attack and occupy sovereign states for imperialist goals, profit from the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians, order the death/maiming of tens of thousands of our own troops in a war of naked aggression forged in lies, loot the treasury and destroy the futures of America's children, channel fortunes to cronies, attack the Constitution and its protections against tyranny, destroy America's position in world opinion, and so much more. Gracious people don't do these things. Thugs and ghouls do.”

Nice.

Oh Merry Christmas

20081202 Merry Christmas from the left Red White and Impeach

Be Thankful

Be Thankful

December 1, 2008

Watching the TV and reading the newspapers, blogs and magazines; has become fairly tedious recently. It seems like one endless competition as to who can be more pessimistic or a bigger naysayer or bigger bearer of doom and gloom.

And yet we have so much to be thankful.

Several years ago, during a Westminster mayor and Common Council meeting, a councilmember accused me of being an eternal Pollyanna. It was a criticism for which I have always been proud.

Over the Thanksgiving holidays I ran across the following words, which are applicable most anytime, however, in today’s environment, could not be more appropriate. KED

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Author unknown.

20081201 Be Thankful


Kevin Dayhoff Westgov.Net: Westminster Maryland Online

The automakers in your grill for a bailout

The automakers in your grill for a bailout

November 23, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff

In the 1890s, William (Billy) C. Durant, a high school dropout and grandson of Michigan Governor Henry H. Crapo, manufactured horse drawn wagons in Flint, Michigan.

By September 16, 1908, 100 years ago, he had plowed headfirst into the horseless-carriage business and formed General Motors (GM) as a holding company on for Buick.

He subsequently took on overwhelming debt by purchasing the manufacturers of Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Elmore, and Oakland. Greatly overextended, after a dramatic drop in automobile sales, Mr. Durant lost control of the company in 1910 to one of the many powerful bankers’ trusts of the time.

Undaunted, Mr. Durant, went on to form the automobile manufacturer Chevrolet by forming a partnership with Louis Chevrolet and through a series of events involving intrigue and the force of his will; he regained control of GM - only to lose it again, for good after another downturn in the market.

A quarter of a century later, the United Auto Workers was founded in May 1935, during the depths of the Great Depression. Within two years, it gained recognition and clout by a series of strikes against GM and Chrysler. It would be six difficult years before it gained collective bargaining rights from Ford, in 1941.

A hundred years after the formation of the model of automobile manufacturing began in 1908, the management of the “Detroit Three,” Ford, GM and Chrysler, have essentially lost control of their destinies - and companies to the United Auto Workers (UAW.)

The day after the November 4th, presidential election which swept the Democrat Party’s nominee, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama into office and cemented a firm control over Congress, the Detroit Three and the UAW asked to be rewarded for their support by asking for a $25 billion bailout.

Various estimates run as high as $80 million to be the amount of money that the UAW alone raised for now President-elect Obama.

This comes as our nation’s taxpayers are still reeling from the passage of the $700 billion bank bailout in order to reward august financial leaders and conglomerates who behaved badly.

After decades of being blackmailed with the threat of crippling union strikes, the Detroit Three finds itself with uncompetitive work rules. It manufactures products which continue to languish with the perception that they lack the quality of its competitors. It offers vehicle models of which the American consumer has no interest. It makes these products with enormously uncompetitive salaries and benefits and now, the American taxpayers are being charged to bail them out.

No, I’m not making this up and this is not a script from “Saturday Night Live.” It’s real.

However, if you will recall, this is the same union that went on strike a year ago, in September 2007. According to a CBS news account: “While the strike may look like a test of wills, it is really a portrait of weakness, on both sides, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.

“GM hasn't had a profit since 2004. It lost $12 billion over the last two years. And while it's making profits this year, they're coming from sales abroad, not here. For the UAW, it's lost 150,000 jobs at GM over the last 10 years amid repeated rounds of concessions, adds Reynolds.”

A year later, the Detroit Three expects the American taxpayer to reward this lunacy by bailing them out. Now that the Democrat Party is relishing being fully in charge of the Oval Office, a majority of the governorships, and both houses of congress, it did not take them long to put the election rhetoric aside.

Recently columnist Charles Krauthammer observed that saving “Detroit means saving it from bankruptcy. As we have seen with the airlines, bankruptcy can allow operations to continue while helping shed fatally unsupportable obligations.

“For Detroit, this means release from ruinous wage deals with their astronomical benefits (the hourly cost of a Big Three worker: $73; of an American worker for Toyota: $48), massive pension obligations, and unworkable work rules such as ‘job banks,’ a euphemism for paying vast numbers of employees not to work.

To revisit what I wrote in another column in “The Tentacle” on November 19, 2008; according to a recent International Herald Tribune news account: “The big U.S. companies employ about 240,000 workers and their suppliers an additional 2.3 million, amounting to nearly 2 percent of the nation's work force.

“The outright failure of General Motors would eliminate the biggest auto employer and more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs. That is about the number of jobs already lost this year at U.S. automakers and their suppliers.

“But many industry experts say the big foreign makers are established enough to take control of the industry and its vast supplier network more quickly than is widely understood.”

Underreported in the last several weeks has been the fact that the auto manufacturers in right-to-work states in the south are not clamoring for a bailout.

According to Mr. Thomas: James Sherk of The Heritage Foundation reports that these Japanese car companies provide their employees with good jobs at good wages: “The typical hourly employee at a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan plant in America makes almost $100,000 a year in wages and benefits, before overtime.”

In the end, the $50 billion corporate welfare, that Congress is asking the American taxpayer to reward the union and corporate leadership for decades of failed leadership, would be better spent on providing support, training and educational benefits to be directed to the American workers affected by the reorganization of the Detroit Three.

Against the backdrop of the Detroit Three threatening the end of the financial and manufacturing world as we know it; the clamor in Washington to reward the bad behavior of the Detroit Three has resulted in the further deterioration of whatever confidence Americans had left in either the government or the corporate captains of finance and industry.

####

20081201 The automakers in your grill for a bailout

Associated Content: Tony Snow, Writing, Libertarianism and Me By Kevin Dayhoff

Associated Content: Tony Snow, Writing, Libertarianism and Me By Kevin Dayhoff

Reflections Upon Being an Aspiring Writer, Tony Snow, Libertarianism, and What If…

Photo: That’s Tony Snow in the 1970s…

I originally wrote this piece on October 31, 2008, after I had stopped by the "Carroll County Times" to drop off a piece of art for the Carroll County Times Newspaper in Education annual auction.

It was published by Associated Content Nov 26, 2008…

[…]

* As an aspiring writer, who stumbled around for several years after I dropped out of Elon College in 1973 to be a "writer," I could easily relate to what Tony Snow may have gone through after he graduated from Davidson and "shuffled from job to job."

* After Mr. Snow graduated from Davidson, he went to work in 1979 for "The Greensboro Record."

* That paper, now "The Greensboro News and Record," is owned by Landmark Communications.

* I interviewed at "The Greensboro Record" in 1973. I had just dropped out of Elon "to be a writer."

* I have followed Mr. Snow's career for many years and I am amused when the media felt the need to label him as a "conservative." He was a libertarian. There is a difference.

Read the entire piece here: Tony Snow, Writing, Libertarianism and Me by Kevin Dayhoff Published 11/26/2008


20081126 AC Tony Snow Libertarianism and me

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1217390/tony_snow_writing_libertarianism_and.html?cat=49

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/34274/kevin_dayhoff.html

Kevin Utz launches web site in bid for Westminster mayor

Kevin Utz ANNOUNCING his run for MAYOR

Retrieved November 30, 2008

11/14/2008: Support Staff

Kevin Utz has announced that he will be seeking the office of Mayor in the upcoming May 2009 election. Kevin has experience as a Councilman and a life long resident of Westminster.

Kevin believes in smaller government, lower taxes and strong public safety.

Please visit Kevin's website at; www.kevinutzformayor.com

20081130 Kevin Utz launches web site in bid for Westminster mayor

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/