Marshall Plan: Cost: $12.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $115.3 billion
Louisiana Purchase: Cost: $15 million, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $217 billion
Race to the Moon: Cost: $36.4 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $237 billion
S&L Crisis: Cost: $153 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $256 billion
Korean War: Cost: $54 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $454 billion
The New Deal: Cost: $32 billion (Est), Inflation Adjusted Cost: $500 billion (Est)
Invasion of Iraq: Cost: $551b, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $597 billion
Vietnam War: Cost: $111 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $698 billion
NASA: Cost: $416.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $851.2 billion
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
$4,616,000,000,000 vs. $3,920,000,000,000
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Top 10 Reasons Why Plaxico Burress Shot Himself
Found on the internets
10. His opponent in fantasy football was starting him this week and he decided to “show” him.
9. He was snipe hunting.
8. It was the first time all year he managed to find his way around a safety and he just got too excited.
7. He’s been watching too much 8 Mile and Cheddar Bob is his favorite character.
6. The playoffs were coming and he felt he needed to even the playing field a little. I mean he can still burn Ellis Hobbs on one leg.
5. He wants to join the Oakland Raiders and thought this was a guaranteed in.
4. He simply decided to shoot off something other than his mouth for once.
3. He thought he was at the movies. Just ask Chris Rock…
2. He is involved in an ultimate game of one-upsmanship with Adam “Pac-Man” Jones. Your move Pac-Man.
1. He was Keepin’ It Real.
For Star Wars and Star Trek Fans (a little old but funny)
Monday, December 01, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
When in Doubt, Do Nothing!
We have been calling for a national energy plan since the early 70s and we still don't have one. We have wasted money, time, and ENERGY. We are so focused on short-term issues in order to get reelected or get some instant benefit that our nation is woefully going down a path leading to implosion. None of the long-term problems have been addressed and there doesn't seem to be any real will power to confront them. Oh, we'll give lip service to the problems but that's about it. The economy, the deficit, the trade imbalance, education, retirement, infrastructure, and energy all require long-term planning and current pain. Instead we admit there are problems but don't do anything about it until a CURRENT crisis rears it's head. Take the economy (please), we are talking about putting $7.8 trillion dollars at risk now because of short-term thinking! The same is true with our energy policy. The current energy plans (plural because there hasn't been a unified one), have been so politicized and special interest riddled as to have been a COMPLETE waste of funds with absolutely nothing to show for it. Read the Newsweek article below to get a sense of the do nothing attitude. No one wants nuclear waste in their state so for political reasons, not scientific, we tell the nuclear plants to store them onsite rather than in a more remote area. And President-elect Obama's answer to the problem...keep doing the same. Now I'll give him some slack...I'll even give him a lot of slack. First, he isn't President yet, so he doesn't have to have a plan yet. Secondly, the do nothing answer was used by all the proceeding presidents. My problem is that if we as Americans can't get over the me-first, me-only mentatlity then we are going to fall by the wayside. Obama is not the Messiah nor is he the anti-Christ so lets drop all that. Besides, he can't do anything, good or bad, without the willful Congress, Courts, and the people (us). Since politicians think only of the short-term (think reelection timeframes) we have to think for them. Let them know what we want; elect people that have the integrity and wisdom to do what is truly best for the country even if is not best for themselves or for special interest groups. Now is the time to fix these problems before they become insurmountable.
Newsweek article
"Obama’s Nuclear Reservations
By Daren Briscoe
It was one of Barack Obama's big applause lines. At nearly every campaign stop, the candidate promised to end our dependence on foreign oil and slash carbon emissions 80 percent by midcentury. "I will set a clear goal as president," he said in his speech accepting the Democratic
nomination. "I will tap our natural-gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology and find ways to safely harness nuclear power." He also promised to back biofuels and wind, water and solar power. The crowd cheered.
Now all he has to do is make good on the promise. But despite all the inspiring talk about windmills and solar panels, it's difficult to see how Obama will reach that goal without relying, in large part, on nuclear power. Commercial reactors currently provide 20 percent of the nation's power—but accounts for 70 percent of the country's emission-free energy. "We cannot get to the reduction of CO2 in a big way without relying on nuclear energy even more than we do today," says Mujid Kazimi, the director of MIT's Center for Advanced Nuclear Systems.
So does that mean Obama will become the nation's cheerleader in chief for nuclear power? Not likely. Obama has been cautious whenever he's been asked about the issue. In a "Meet the Press" appearance in May, he hedged when the subject came up. "I think we do have to look at nuclear, and what we've got to figure out is can we store the material properly? Can we make sure that they're secure? Can we deal with the expense?"
Not exactly a full-throated endorsement. Obama's lack of enthusiasm is easy to understand politically, especially given the apprehension many voters have about the safety of nuclear-power plants. Three decades later, Three Mile Island still haunts—despite the pleas of industry advocates who say the technology has improved to the point that accidents are almost unheard of. Most Americans probably have no idea that there are 104 commercial nuclear-power plants currently operating in the United States today. None has suffered a malfunction that led to a major leak of radioactive material. Nuclear-power proponents often point to France, which depends on nukes for 80 percent of its power.
A bigger problem than the safety of the reactors themselves is what to do with the deadly waste they produce. Nuclear power is praised for its zero carbon emissions, but it comes at a price—radioactive fuel rods that remain toxic for thousands of years. If you're looking for a reason to feel queasy about building more nuclear reactors, this is it. While politicians bicker over where to put it all—nuclear waste is the ultimate "not in my backyard" dispute—the stuff is piling up. As things are now, a lot of it is simply stockpiled at the plants, submerged in open pools of water for as long as five years and eventually sealed in steel and concrete casks. "You have more than 100 reactors storing waste on-site, under what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission calls a temporary license, in the worst of all possible places," says Rochelle Becker of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, a nonprofit that monitors the nuclear-power industry. "In California, it's stored next to earthquake faults. In the rest of the country, you find that most waste is sitting very close to water supplies."
Nuclear-power companies pay a fee to the Department of Energy to pick up and store the waste, which by law becomes government property once it leaves the plant. But Energy is already 10 years behind schedule, and has no place to put it. The Feds want to store it in a vast facility inside Nevada's Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles from Las Vegas, where it would be closely monitored and far away from neighborhoods, earthquake zones and water supplies. Shipping the nation's nuclear waste to Nevada sounds good to just about everyone—everyone, that is, who doesn't live in Nevada. The state's officials, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, are against it and have kept it from opening. This is where Obama, who has strongly criticized the Bush administration for putting politics ahead of facts, could step in and provide leadership on a national problem that will only become worse as more nuclear plants are built in coming years: plans for 26 new reactors are currently awaiting approval.
But don't expect the new president to demand that Reid clear out of the way. Nevada was one of the states Obama fought hard to win, and he wooed its voters partly by coming out against opening Yucca Mountain. "[T]here are still significant questions about whether nuclear waste can be stored safely there," he wrote to a Las Vegas newspaper. "I believe a better short-term solution is to store nuclear waste on-site at the reactors where it is produced, until we find a safe, long-term solution that is based on sound science."
Sounds reasonable enough. Except that sound science already comes down firmly on the side of Yucca Mountain. "The best option is deep geologic isolation," says Per Peterson, a UC Berkeley professor who specializes in radioactive-waste management. "It's based on 50 years of research and development, and a very broad, widespread and strong consensus that it can provide appropriate and safe disposal of waste." Good luck finding a nuclear-waste expert who'll tell you Obama's stopgap solution—let it pile up and deal with it later —has anything to do with "sound science." Sound politics is more like it."
Obama to Nominate Clinton Secretary of State Monday
Are there any other conservatives that are OK with this. I really don't have a problem with this pick, much better than Kerry! My problem with Sen. Clinton is on her domestic agenda and not usually with her international stances which have been fairly conservative. Plus, she'll basically be towing the White House line and not setting her own agenda...well, not completely. This gets her out of the Senate where she could have parleyed her increased political clout into even more social/nationalization bills. I think that we are heading down that path anyway with both parties so the point may be moot. Of course the rumor is that former President Clinton is eying the Senate seat if it is vacated. That I would be against but then again I don't get to vote on it. I like the fact that President-elect Obama is bringing in a wide influence of people. I wonder if it will last for the long-term? There are a lot of differing opinions and coordinating a unified administration message may be difficult. Another note on the Clinton appointment made on the Sunday news programs was that she would be responsible for the administration of the State Department and all it's embassies and staff. She has only managed two large organizations before, her Senate campaign and her Healthcare committee, both of which were poorly run and leaked like sieves.
From FoxNews.com
"President-elect Barack Obama planned to nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state on Monday, transforming a once-bitter political rivalry into a high-level strategic and diplomatic partnership.
Obama will name the New York senator to his national security team at a news conference in Chicago,
a person close to Clinton confirmed to FOX News.
Obama will also name Susan Rice as UN ambassador, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security chief and Eric Holder as attorney general, Democratic officials told The Associated Press. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the transition team.
To clear the way for his wife to take the job, former President Bill Clinton agreed to disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997. He'll also refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference, and will cease holding CGI meetings overseas.
Bill Clinton's business deals and global charitable endeavors were expected to create problems for the former first lady's nomination. But in negotiations with the Obama transition team, the former president agreed to several measures designed to bring transparency to his post-presidential work.
The Clinton pick was an extraordinary gesture of goodwill after a year in which the two rivals competed for the Democratic nomination in a long, bitter primary battle.
The two clashed repeatedly on foreign affairs during the 50-state contest, with Obama criticizing Clinton for her vote to authorize the Iraq war and Clinton saying that Obama lacked the experience to be president. She also chided him for saying he would meet with leaders of rogue nations like Iran and Cuba without preconditions.
The bitterness began melting away in June after Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed Obama. She went on to campaign for him in his general election contest against Republican Sen. John McCain.
Advisers said Obama had for several months envisioned Clinton as his top diplomat, and he invited her to Chicago to discuss the job just a week after the Nov. 4 election. The two met privately Nov. 13 in Obama's downtown transition office.
Clinton was said to be interested and then to waver, concerned about relinquishing her Senate seat and the political independence it conferred. Those concerns were largely ameliorated after Obama assured her she would be able to choose a staff and have direct access to him, advisers said.
Remaining in the Senate also may not have been an attractive choice for Clinton. Despite her political celebrity, she is a relatively junior senator without prospects for a leadership position or committee chairmanship anytime soon.
Some Democrats and government insiders have questioned whether Clinton is too independent and politically ambitious to serve Obama as secretary of state. But a senior Obama adviser has said the president-elect had been enthusiastic about naming Clinton to the position from the start, believing she would bring instant stature and credibility to U.S. diplomatic relations and the advantages to her serving far outweigh potential downsides.
Clinton, 61, a Chicago native and Yale Law School graduate, practiced law and served as the first lady of Arkansas during her husband's 12 years as governor of the state, from 1979-81 and 1983-1992.
Clinton was the nation's first lady from 1993 to 2001. The same year George W. Bush defeated Al Gore to succeed her husband in the White House, Clinton ran for the Senate as a New York Democrat. She won re-election in 2006 and was widely regarded as the favorite for her party's nomination for president in 2008.
In the Senate, Clinton served on the Armed Services Committee, the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions."
Friday, November 28, 2008
Rick Rolled at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
If you don't know what being "Rick Rolled" is, then you've never been Rick Rolled!
Roasted Turkey in a Flash
Several years ago, my brother, a manager at Cross Creek restaurant, had a problem with their smoker. People would pay the restaurant to smoke their turkeys for Thanksgiving. They would pick them up Thanksgiving morning. Well, that year (and their last) the smoker broke down overnigh,t so no turkeys! You can imagine how upset the customers were. Not only did they not have a smoked turkey for Thanksgiving, but even if they bought another one, there wasn.t enough time to cook it.
Well, Mark Bittman has the answer. He shows you how to roast that turkey in only 45 minutes instead of 3-4 hours. Check out the video here!
And if you don't want to watch the video, here's the recipe:
"Mark Bittman’s 45-Minute Turkey
by Mark Bittman
When it comes to holiday cooking, I imagine your goals and mine are the same--to make good food for celebrations and gatherings of family and friends without going nuts. But even the most modest Thanksgiving meal takes four times as much energy as an average dinner, if not more. You’ll be serving more people than usual, and more
courses than usual. And, for many of us, one of those courses will be a turkey. (Of course, you can buck tradition and still have a wonderful meal; I've eaten everything from crown roast of pork to rice and beans at Thanksgiving.)
The vision of a table laden with harvest-season delights is a beguiling one, but remember that the more courses you prepare, the greater the logistics of maneuvering all that food through the limits of your oven, refrigerator, and counter space in such a way that everything finishes together. So, my primary piece of advice: Do not be overly ambitious. A six-course Thanksgiving meal at which everyone is happy is far better, regardless of the food, than a twelve-course meal at which the host has a nervous breakdown. We’ve all seen that happen.
Choosing a turkey presents a similar contrast between what looks impressive and what’s realistic. Bigger may seem better, but your basic Thanksgiving-sized turkey (say, twelve pounds or more? maybe twenty in your case?) is way too big to mess around with. For many of us, just getting a pan big enough to hold the thing is an issue, and figuring how to turn something whose size is about the same as that of your nephew is not most people’s idea of a good yearly activity. (Myself, I’d rather be out cleaning roof gutters.)
This recipe for 45-Minute Roast Turkey simplifies the process enormously. (Don’t let removing the backbone intimidate you; it’s not that difficult.) Unorthodox though it may sound, you’ll thank me: It will be done in about 40 minutes. Really. It will also be more evenly browned, more evenly cooked, and moister than a conventionally roasted bird. It only works for small turkeys (8 to 12 pounds) but, again, that makes it easier to handle. And it will still serve 10 at least, and more if you’re all OK with eating less meat--something I recommend anyway.
45–Minute Roast Turkey
MAKES: At least 10 servings
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
One 8- to 12-pound turkey
10 or more garlic cloves, lightly crushed
Several sprigs fresh tarragon or thyme or several pinches dried
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or melted butte
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Put the turkey on a stable cutting board, breast side down, and cut out the backbone (use a heavy knife to cut on each side of the backbone, cutting from front to rear). Turn the bird over and press on it to flatten. Put it breast side up in a roasting pan that will accommodate it (a slightly snug fit is okay). The wings should partially cover the breasts, and the legs should protrude a bit.
2. Tuck the garlic and the herb under the bird and in the nooks of the wings and legs. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, undisturbed. By this time the bird should be browning; remove it from the oven, baste with the pan juices, and return it to the oven. Reduce the heat to 400°F (or 350°F if it seems to be browning very quickly).
4. Begin to check the bird’s temperature about 15 minutes later (10 minutes if the bird is on the small side). It is done when the thigh meat measures 155–165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer; check it in a couple of places.
5. Let the bird rest for a few minutes before carving, then serve with the garlic cloves and pan juices. (Or make gravy.) Or serve at room temperature."
Circuit City Refund Checks Bouncing
This from The Consumerist.
"If you have a Circuit City refund check not deposited before 11/10, it's going to bounce.
A posting on the internal Circuit City forums from an irate store manager upset over having to shrug his shoulders in response to a customer who had a $2,500 CC refund check bounce elicited this response from the CC accounting team:
Due to the Ch 11 filing, the bank had to put a stop on all checks that had not been deposited. We WILL be reissuing all bounced checks. I don't have an exact date to tell you, but we intend to make good on every single mail refund that bounced.
Adjust your spreadsheets accordingly."
TV Dinner's Genesis: Industrial-Sized Leftovers
This bit of trivia from the U.S. Census Bureau.
"The day after Thanksgiving presents a perennial problem — what to do with the leftover turkey? The individual homeowner’s problem is nothing like that facing the Swanson Company in 1953. Overestimating the need for Thanksgiving turkeys, the firm found itself with over a half-million pounds of unsold turkey. Enter a salesman named Gerry Thomas. He modified a tray used by airlines into one with three compartments, filled it with a turkey dinner, and suggested tying the idea to the nation’s latest craze — television. And so the TV dinner was born. Much more sophisticated frozen dinners are today a staple of people short on time. Almost all refrigerators have a freezer section and more than a third of U.S. homes have a separate freezer. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at."
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