China Rising Dragon

While we were "debating" last evening, China marches forward with their space program. I hope the USA will wake up and support NASA and not let us fall behind.

McCain just won the election

I was at first confused. Good grief, I am looking forward to the Friday--why delay?

McCain just won the election. It hit me when Dick Morris said as much on Orielly:

1. McCain suspends campaign--Rides into Washington (on white horse)? to actually work.

2. Obama says --call me if you need me--I'm not that important.

3. McCain and the Republicans will be on the same page and a (hopefully more reasonable package will pass to help the mortgage crisis). McCain gets credit. (I don't want a big bailout, but some kind of plan is needed)

4. McCain may or may not go to the debate, but has seized the initiative--the bill will eventually pass soon and the stock market will soar--(they don't like unknowns). Problem "fixed" at least in the short run.

5. Obama is left looking like the politician he is.

Hmmmm

$700 Billion for what?

My opinion:

I fear the 700 billion dollar proposal to buy up bad debt of wall street companies is a bad idea as it is presently constructed. They should not do this. They should protect bank deposits, and increase liquidity. Once this monster is created, it will never go away. Why should taxpayers pay for investment bank's bad decisions? Well, I am at least sympathetic to them because it was bad lawmaking that encouraged their bad banking practices.

Oh, Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac should have never been created as they were in the first place. They need to break up these companies and make them private, not governmental and not the quasi public institutions they were. If anyone has more perspective on all this, please fill me in.

See here:

Newt's response

Masterful Timepieces

This is my next watch. Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon a' differential. Oh, it's only about $500,000



Or maybe this one, the Jaeger LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon (it's only $395,000):

Vice President Cheney in Huntsville

President Bush was to attend a reception today for Wayne Parker and Jay Love, two congressional candidates in Alabama. Bush could not attend so VP Cheney was there instead. I was at the reception when Vice President Cheney visited today. The husband of one of my staff memebers got an award presented by the VP!

Cheney Visit to Huntsville

At the reception today, he spoke about the fact that it was his (tie-breaking) vote in the senate, that passed the tax stimulus package just after the 2001 attacks. He also reminded us that the New York Times revealed our terrorist surveillance program even after the president sat down with them and looked them in the eye, and asked them NOT to do so in order to protect the us. They did it anyways, and got a pulitzer prize to boot!

This kind of mentality knows no bounds of propriety, privacy or morality. It's no surprise Gov. Palin has fallen victim to this criminal despicable activity (hacking her e-mail and releasing personal e-mails and family photos).

By the way, President Eisenhower told reporters of the D-day invasion, and asked them not to reveal it till it had started, --they did not say a word. How times change.

Too Cute!

Thank You Minneapolis and St. Paul

I was very surprised to find the people of Minnesota to be very nice--(Minessota nice)?  Y'all were great hosts for the gop convention.  We will have to make you an honorary Southern state for your hospitality.

Mike Huckabee with a Delegate from Alabama Dean Brandon on the floor of the RNC

It's hard to see in this video, but Jason from Huck's Army go this video of me getting my photo with Mike Huckabee. Someone took a flash photo at the same instant Mike's wife snapped our photo. Still it turned out ok.

Wow, I'm tired

It's early here and we have to get to the airport to leave Minnesota. I will post more here (photos/videos/commentary) on the convention later on this week. --need to get home now--Oh, I did meet Gov. Huckabee!

Strange site on the convention floor

I noticed something strange last night--people walking around the floor cannot gain access without proper credentials. These are usually worn around the neck on a laniard. I saw a rather casually dressed young man (jeans and knit shirt), with what appeared to be credentials around his neck. But it was an iphone on a laniard with the image of the GOP elephant! Kind of looked like the credentials worn by most of the delegates. This is pretty surprising that he got on the floor (I suspect without credentials or maybe he did, but put them away)?--no one noticed this guy that I could see. He was out of sight after he passed by. I wonder?

A Big Night

Wednesday evening was a really great night for some pretty big speakers. My impression of them:

Many of the preliminary speakers were very good. Particularly the female Gov. of Hawaii--her memorable line: "Obama is a "Zero" as in zero executive experience, etc. etc. etc.

1. Mitt Romney: good speech, but uninspiring
2. Mike Huckabee: great speech -the hall was much quieter (attentive), much more heartfelt and effective
3. Rudy Giuliani: A real barnburner of a speech--really got the crowd going--harsh contrasts between McCain & Obama--the excitement level increased greatly during the speech--lots of cheering!
4. Sarah Palin: Out of the park speech. After the three previous speakers she knocked a grand slam. The McCain/republican staffers around the hall were trying to to cut off the cheering to get on with the speech (to get more of it into prime time--very hard task as people were in a frenzy of cheering yelling and support. So loud I could not even hear some of her words. An absolute "electric" charge throughout the hall. One of the most amazing scenes I have ever witnessed. John McCain came out at the end, but I tell you he will have a tall order to follow this night. Oh, one more thing if that was not enough--the tele-prompter failed half way through the speech. She finished without it.

The roll call started with our delegation--

The Media

I'll tell you what, I got more photos taken of me and interviews last night due to my funny hat. It certainly attracts attention. I also was evidently on FoxNews during Joe Leiberman's speech.

Later on we went to the Huckabee party where his band, "Capitol Offense" was playing--they really have a good band. Jeff Cook from the band Alabama played guitar and sang too.

Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee just spoke at our delegation breakfast. He is a great speaker. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo with the Governor as there was quite a crowd around him and I was not about to push someone out of the way just to get a photo.  A Joke he told: Walmart is based in Arkansas and he was speaking with the corporate directors who were stating that they were curious that all the ammunition was sold out at all the stores in Alabama. This was puzzling to them.

The reason was revealed when an Alabama Walmart patron said: " Well the Russians have invaded Georgia,--I'll tell you this, they're not gettin' into Alabama if I have anything to say about it!"

GOP Convention--1st session

My quickly edited post the night of the first (very short) session.

GOP Convention-Silly Hats

Silly hats are a must at conventions. I'm going to get buttons and pins and put them on my cool camo booney hat. I don't yet have any McCain buttons yet. --Definitely gonna get some Sarah Palin Buttons ASAP!

* Update Sunday--They have cancelled all speeches for the Monday session out of concern for the hurricane in the gulf. I am quite disappointed--I doubt very much that I will get a chance to wear the funny hat-they want things to be more serious this week.

It IS Sarah!

I am quite pleased that Gov. Palin was selected. She has executive experience and charisma. I am also impressed with John McCain. He showed that in battle, sometimes you have to take a bold move. This is a bold move!

Sarah Palin

My prediction for McCain's VP: SARAH PALIN---

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican? --Yes

Yes, MLK was a Republican.  Wow, I didn't know, this is where I found out: Click here to read the story:

Why Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican

Democratic Convention Schedule

This was e-mailed to me the other day. Sorry to post it, it's a little harsh, but it made me laugh.

2008 Democrat National Convention Schedule of Events

7:00 pm OPENING FLAG BURNING
7:15 pm PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U.N.
7:20 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST
7:25 pm NONRELIGIOUS PRAYER AND WORSHIP - Jesse Jackson & Al
Sharpton
7:45 pm CEREMONIAL TREE HUGGING - Darryl Hannah
7:55 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST
8:00 pm HOW I INVENTED THE INTERNET - Al Gore
8:15 pm GAY WEDDING PLANNING - Rosie O'Donnell
8:35 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST
8:40 pm OUR TROOPS ARE WAR CRIMINALS - John Kerry
9.00 pm MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR SADDAM AND HIS SONS - Cindy Sheehan
and Susan Sarandon
10:00 pm ANSWERING MACHINE ETIQUETTE - Alec Baldwin
11:00 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST
11:05 pm COLLECTION FOR THE OSAMA BIN LADEN KIDNEY TRANSPLANT
FUND - Barbara Streisand
11:15 pm FREE THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS FROM GUANTANAMO BAY - Sean
Penn
11:30 pm OVAL OFFICE AFFAIRS - William Jefferson Clinton
11:45 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST
11:50 pm HOW GEORGE BUSH BROUGHT DOWN THE WORLD TRADE TOWERS
Howard Dean
12:15 am TRUTH IN BROADCASTING AWARD - Presented to Dan Rather
by Michael Moore
12:25 am Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST
12:30 am SATELLITE ADDRESS - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
12:45 am NOMINATION OF Barack Hussein Obama- Nancy Pelosi
1:00 am Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST To Obama
1:30 am Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST To Hillary Clinton
1:35 am Bill Clinton asks Ted Kennedy to drive Hillary home

PC Fights Back?

Say it isn't so Jerry! If anyone is a Mac fan I am sure it is Jerry Seinfeld. Hey, PC, you can put lipstick on a pig, but sorry ....you are still a pig...

Blogging the Convention-Post#1

I plan on blogging from the GOP Convention in Minneapolis in a few weeks. I do not know whether the posts will be short, long, boring, or exciting, --just something I can share with everyone. I may even post a video! Stay Tuned.

By the way, just getting started on the "Twitter" / "Viddler" thing and other new interactive sites to help me better understand and utilize this new technology. (Thanks go out to Sarah Austin).

Paco the Pig-Olympic Edition

You Just Never Know!

Gas Prices Go Down-Analysis

Have you noticed that if gas prices are rising there is lots of reporting , angst, and blame all over the media.  Rising prices produce reports of conspiratorial theories, blaming political leaders (whoever is in office)-but mainly whoever you don't like anyways, calls for major change, and especially blaming oil companies.  However, if prices are lowering, you don't see any praise of oil companies, really any praise or thanks at all towards anyone.   Sometimes you hear that politicians conspired to lower prices just in time for an election or whatever.  In other words, those looking for something like that will always find it.  Market forces cause increases and decreases in prices of commodities all the time.  If anything is to blame or to be praised it is the supply and demand curve.  Consumers do have some control over consumption and that will be reflected in the price.  Still, the praise for lower prices is pretty much silent compared to the rancor over rising prices.  Funny how human nature works. 

Paco the Pig-A Grand Day Out

Here is a cute video my kids and me made about our favorite pig:

Alabama Delegation Meeting #2

I just returned form our second delegate meeting.  We are all looking forward to a great convention.  Much more questions this time about sightseeing, transportation, parties, etc.  I meet several people there and at the meeting the evening before.  I was privileged to briefly meet Sen. Jeff Sessions and Chairman Mike Hubbard.  I also talked with the likely Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional seat, Wayne Parker.

Make it Happen

RBS has some great commercials. This one is a classic and a lesson for all of us.

Oh, as a related story:  Mike Huckabee--Hero

Congressman Paul Ryan on Energy Policy

He has some good points.

Rising Gasoline Prices

Gasoline Prices are rising and consumers are feeling the pinch. Why is this happening, what can we do?

Why?--You have to start with the basics of Supply and Demand. Let's take Demand first. The main cost of a gallon of gas comes from the basic ingredient--oil. Oil is refined into various products including basic ingredients for making plastics, kerosene, jet fuel, various other oil products and yes, gasoline. Who is using all these oil based products?  Why is Demand going up? Answer: a strong American economy means increased energy use across the board--more driving, etc. China and India are growing economies too, more cars, more plastic in Chinese toys, more construction projects, etc. This international demand previously had no noticeable impact, Now, we are (and our dollars are) competing with other countries across the globe for a limited supply. Supply: There is oil out there, but the easy light sweet crude close to the surface is limited. It costs more to extract oil offshore or oil deep in the earth. It also costs more to refine poorer quality crude. Discoveries of new sources continue, such as in the finding of large deposits off the coast of Brazil. In the USA and Canada, there are very large deposits of oil shale, which again would take a good deal effort and cost to extract. Access to Alaska and offshore sources of oil is limited due to environmental concerns and restrictions. Even if sources were legally accessible, costs of removal are high. Internationally, political turmoil in oil producing countries, (Venezuela, Nigeria, the Middle East), etc. cause occasional disruptions and uncertainty in the market. Refining capacity can be a limiting factor as far as far as products such as gasoline. Our capacity is very limited and no new refinery has been built in a very long time. That brings me to another reason--Speculation. Money is looking for commodities, which are viewed currently as being a safer bet for investment than stocks or the American Dollar. Speculators see rising oil prices, so futures markets bid up the commodity. All this is also related to the international Value of the Dollar. The dollar as valued against the Euro and British Pound is going down. It takes more dollars to buy a gallon of oil-- a gallon of gas.

What can we do about it? In the short run, not much. Conservation is the only short term measure. Drive less, drive slower, drive smaller. Even with that, international demand will still have an overwhelming effect on prices. Larger issues need to be addressed before deeper longer term solutions can have an effect. Increase in Supply is the next step. Increased reasonable access to American oil sources is necessary. Increased sophistication in extraction technologies will ameliorate the environmental impact. Increased Refining capacity will be necessary. Alternative sources of energy: Well, this can be a complicated topic. Basically, alternatives replace the demand for for oil and gasoline. Rising prices are making these non crude derived sources economically viable. Potential energy sources include extraction of oil from oil shale, conversion of coal to gasoline, and gas to liquid projects using techniques such as the Fischer-Tropsch Process currently used by the US AirForce to produce jet fuel. Ethanol can be derived from corn or other agricultural sources. While this may be a viable option in the Midwest, increasing demand on corn (food) will raise food prices. Non hydrocarbon sources: Solar-particularly in the Southwest, Wind, Hydroelectric, Geothermal, and Tidal power. Nuclear Power can have a major impact on our energy needs and must be encouraged as part of an overall energy policy. Finally, Future technology like converting cars to run on fuel cells powered by Hydrogen.  What about electric cars? Again, the electricity has to come from somewhere.  We need all of these solutions.  Limiting ourselves to only one way of approaching the problem, will not be enough.

Why do it? In some of these alternatives, the energy it takes to make (say Hydrogen) is more than the energy produced by the product.  Bad idea? Not really.  The net effect is to reduce dependence on foreign oil.  Viable alternatives to oil will stabilize the cost of fuel and energy. Finally, any kind of energy source that enables America to become less dependant on foreign sources will create stability and security for this country.

Wall Street Journal Reference

McCain's Energy Porposal

While We Were Sleeping

While we are going about our everyday mundane tasks, our soldiers are dealing with some very bad people. Here is what happened in just the past two days. Makes you proud of our fighting forces:
Defense Link News Reports

McCain wraps it up

Well, John McCain now has enough pledged delegates to cinch the Republican nomination. I will certainly support his effort even though he is not my first choice. Posts of the convention will be here, so stay tuned. Even though McCain has some problems in my book, I'd rather see him as commander in chief than certain Democrats I know.

Alabama Delegation Meets

The Alabama Delegation meet Sunday February 17. To make the meeting, I had to fly back from Dallas Texas then drive over three hours to Montgomery through torrential rain. Minutes after I arrived the tornado warning sirens went off. A big tornado struck Prattville, AL just minutes after I had passed that town! No one was killed, just a lot of damage as this photo shows.















The meeting continued as we were in a strong building. The McCain delegates were obviously nervous and loaded for bear, as they were outnumbered by the Huckabee delegates. They made a motion to adjourn and meet again a month or so later "after McCain would have it all wrapped up". I thought, I just came through a tornado to get here and I'm not driving all the way back again just to do what we came here to do today. Well, the controversy continued. I won't get into details, but some of this had more to do with internal Alabama politics than the convention. When all was said and done, we elected a delegation chairman, Mike Hubbard, the party chairman who was neutral on the candidates. We elected Huckabee delegates to several key committee positions, but also some McCain people were elected for some positions too.

I have to relate one incident (one of several). At one point a McCain delegate said, "Come on, who here thinks Huckabee has any chance? I mean we all know the nominee will be John McCain". Well, that did not sit well with us. I wanted to say, the fat lady may be warming up, but she hasn't sung yet, in fact there may yet be another act to this opera! I seriously thought about standing up and saying : "NUTS". That is what General Mcauliffe said in the battle of the bulge.  Well, we don't just give up because the other side is ahead. Let's let all this play out, then we will join forces whoever the nominee happens to be. I was proud of how the Huckabee delegates handled themselves.

One note, I was impressed with Mr. Edgar Weldon.  He deftly calmed the nerves and guided the meeting to a successful conclusion.  (I was later on to find Mr. Weldon has been a great asset to the party and has vast experience in bringing consensus over the years).

I'm a Huckabee Delegate!

Due to the election here in Alabama on "Super Tuesday", I have been elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention pledged to Mike Huckabee.

I am going to try and post information here as I go along.

071027 Trinity University 28 - Millsaps 24 End Zone Angle

HuckChuckFacts

This Mike Huckabee add is funny!

Mike Huckabee

Hey, he's the best out there!

I think you will see Mike Huckabee rising in the polls in the coming months. All the Republican candidates are impressive, but Mike has the right stuff. He is of great character, inginuity, and is a great speaker and communicator. More importantly he seems ot be the most likely to succeed in the general election.

Remember Me

Please watch this amazing video about our soldiers and marines. Very heartwarming!

new web site

Hope

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HD Test #1

Watch the Video

Memorial Day

Here is a salute to all the men and women who have lost their lives serving in the military of United States of America. This Memorial Day we remember their sacrifice. Without those willing to put thier lives on the line, none of us would be living in freedom. We would not be able to raise our children the way we see fit. We could not practice our professions and persue our dreams. We would not be able to go to church and worship God. We could not speak our minds freely. --Freedom of speech, Freedom of religion, Freedom to live--Freedom. There are constantly forces trying to take freedom and Liberty away from us to suit their own selfish aims. These forces must be resisted, not only once, but in every generation. Thank you Veterans. We will not forget those who sacrificed for us. God Bless you all.

"Greater love hath no man than this,that a man lay down his life for his friend"-John 15:13

A Green City?

Well, Huntsville, Alabama has been voted the ninth greenest city in the country.The Green Guide That's ahead of Denver, Seattle, and Anchorage. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, Huntsville does make an effort. As I look out my window, I see a large swath of Monte Sano mountain that is part of the Huntsville Land Trust. That's a mainly private group that buys up land to keep it for hiking trails etc. and keep away development. I like that way of keeping development away from the areas you would like to see remain green. It's fair to the land owners, etc. I would really like to see more homes have solar panels. Not the black boxes that heat water, but actual solar cells that convert sunlight to electricity. I may install some this year if I can figure out where to get them and how well they hold up under the sometimes harsh weather conditions around here.

In general there should be more solar and wind power. They still do not provide the power the country will need in the future even if adopted widely. We really need something like nuclear power. Improved technology there would help. Hey I know what you are thinking. Well, would you rather burn coal? ship oil across the seas then burn that? How are you going to power the fuel cell everybody is talking about for their hydrogen powered cars? Oh, I can just plug it in, well, that power comes from somewhere. You are going to have to do something till we eventually get Fusion-(many generations probably). I think synthetic fuels from coal gasification and other sources can reduce our dependance on foreign oil in the mean time. One more thing, I like the idea of hybrid cars, especially the recouping of energy when braking, but when you really look at it the actual energy used in the life cycle of the car, plus the additional cost up front makes them non-economical and not a net energy saver. See here:Study says Hybrids Consume more Energy than non-hybrid vehicles

Pediatric Dentistry Blog Takes Off

Well, you may notice the links to my dental blog. I have just posted my 33rd post. I don't know how I keep coming up with topics. You would think there would only be a few things of interest to the public. My site meter allows me to see what search topics people use when they find my blog...all kinds of questions. Well, if you happen to stumble accross this blog, please check out my professional blog here:Pediatric Dentistry
I add a new post every few days. There has been a big jump in the amount of visits to the site the last month. I think the more I post, the more people visit. "If you build it , they will come".

Cute Overload!

Check out this neat site with the link on the sidebar. It's Cute Overload. Here is one of the photos you'll find there:

Michael Yon - Reports from the War

I have read many other web logs from soldiers and some of these have been made into books. I think this is one of the best sites out there. Michael Yon is an embed journalist with the "deuce four" (24th Infantry regiment in Iraq). He is a former Green Beret. He makes reports as he sees it. There are also photos real time of the events on which he reports. I have read a few other books and sites like these and I am always amazed at the bravery of these men. Some of these dispatches are very gripping and you will be on the edge of your seat. Some have pictures in which you will say "is that actually happening as I see it?" Some of the reports are long and relate rather mundane events which eventually tie together later in the story, so stick with it. He has had some of these photos and stories submitted for a Pulitzer Prize. These are real American heros:

Michael Yon Online

Kate Beckinsale

Well as you can see from my list of favorite actresses and my link on the sidebar, I am probably the world's biggest fan of Kate Beckinsale. She is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Not only is she very pretty, she exudes all the kinds of attributes I find attractive. She is a great actress. Her success will continue to increase and she is just now beginning to be properly appreciated. She is well educated and bright. She was born in England attended Oxford university and has a wonderful English accent that makes me melt when I hear it. She has one child. She recently married the director of one of her movies. In a recent interview with David Letterman promoting her movie, she handled herself quite well. She not only looked great, she communicated smoothly, smartly, and with a sense of humor. She gave quite the attention to her host. I only wish she could look at me with such attentive eyes. Oh to dream! Ha!
Here are a few other photos I really like:

Birthdays?

Famous people born the same year as me:

Princess Dianna-unfortunately deceased
Michael J. Fox-developed Parkinson's Disease
Wayne Gretsky-retired

Hmmm. I'm older than I think...