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One of the many talking points of those opposed to the current health care bill has to do with the size of the proposed legislation, Senate bill, H.R. 3590, aka the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  A standard ritual for opponents of health care reform is to drag out a printed version of the bill, which comes in at a hefty 2,409 pages. (view entire article…)

“Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.”  - Kin Hubbard

I’m one of the nine-tenths that Mr. Hubbard refers to in his quote, and I’m also a weather bug.  My primary source of weather information is a great site called Weather Underground, or wunderground.com.  I began using this site because they had the most up-to-date hurricane information when hurricanes were bearing down on Florida back in 2004 and 2005.  If you’re not already familiar with this site, do yourself a favor and check it out.  But that’s not what this post is about. (view entire article…)

Does summer ever end in Florida?  It’s the middle of October and it’s still in the nineties every day, along with oppressive humidity.  Our air conditioner has been running almost constantly all month.  Stupid Al Gore and his stupid global warming!  Anyhow, we’re supposed to get a cool front in a couple of days.  Hopefully this will be summer’s last gasp. (view entire article…)

Yesterday, the Nobel Committee awarded Barrack Obama the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.  I’m not sure why they picked him, but the selection certainly didn’t do Obama or his political agenda any favors.  Obviously Obama hasn’t personally done enough in his short career to deserve such a prestigious award.  I think just as obvious is the fact that Obama didn’t anticipate or even want the award at this stage of his administration.  The unwanted attention is a huge distraction as Obama tries to push forward his complicated domestic agenda.  (view entire article…)

OK, I’m a little embarrassed to say that I really liked this movie.  I’m not a big fan of horror and slasher movies, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  It turns out that Zombieland is basically a comedy with a lot of blood and guts thrown in. (view entire article…)

• The Guns of August, by Barbara W. Tuchman

I’ve always been fascinated and horrified by World War I.  The brutal conditions and senseless butchery that took place during the trench warfare along the western front is hard to imagine yet was a reality for millions of soldiers. (view entire article…)

I don’t think anyone would question that we are currently in turbulent economic waters.  Some economists predict the storms are beginning to calm while others see more rough waters ahead for our economy.  Beyond the mainstream we find the oracles of economic apocalypse.  These outsiders envision the economic boat we are all riding in will capsize and sink.  That’s where Chris Martenson is placing his bets.  Unlike many fringe theorists, Mr. Martenson provides a very cogent, data-driven argument that is startling in it’s clarity. (view entire article…)

 Occasionally we will have a bald eagle stop by the lake behind our house.  Today Kelly snapped this pic of an eagle on our neighbor’s roof.

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Microblogging (aka Twitter) is where the in-crowd is hanging out these days.  I’m way too long-winded to microblog, so here’s my feeble attempt, demonstrated in the following brief statements. (view entire article…)

• Lincoln, A Life of Purpose and Power, by Richard Carwardine

This book was a tough read.  Kelly bought it for me.  The book isn’t that long, but it is definitely written by an intellectual for intellectuals.  Not a book for the common folk (such as myself).  (view entire article…)