Ramblings

Since 1930 schoolchildren around the world have considered a tiny orb of ice just beyond Neptune a planet. While Pluto will long stay in our minds as the ninth planet it may not remain classified one. That is if the International Astronomical Union (IAU) votes otherwise. The third estate in its' infinite wisdom in recent articles have decided to rally against such a change by arguing schoolchildren across the United States will be dissapointed. That's right folks, the largest international body dedicated to Astronomical Nomenclature should vote to keep Pluto a planet because little Jane and John Smith will be "terribly dissapointed." In fact, the article even describes the angry letters and death threats* from schoolchildren aimed at a New York Planeterium curator who displayed an exhibit of the solar System without Pluto. One Arizona scientist even proclaims to "never hearing of a scientist who doesn't consider Pluto a planet." Said scientist obvio...

With those words John F. Kennedy epitomized what it meant to be an American. I have been pretty fortunate the past couple of years to travel this great country and talk with our youth. And let me tell you the disparities that lie within this population are astounding. The young man in Glencoe, MD who rock climbs on the weekends and has done so so long that he now is considered on of the best young climbers in the country; is a world away from the twelfth grade student from Fontana, CA, born of immigrant parents, who although he has above a 3.5 GPA can't put together sentences in order to form an essay at a college level. I think of today the Fourth of July, and think what our founding fathers would think of a city ordinance targeted at a certain group of people. What they would say to an economy in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. How they would view our Superpower status and failure to secure wide international support for our foreign policy. And lastly how the...

The picture to the left is a shot I took while in D.C. at the end of April. And by golly we are well into May and it seems as if though the long hot summers of my youth have come back to overstay their welcome. I once tried to figure out how many miles I travel during an academic year. Not being a math major I gave up after about 10,000 miles. So another year has gone by and I have added four states and the District of Columbia to my list of states visited. Granted I won't ever catch up to Tania, my old college roommate, but I am sure getting close. Tania, got that! I am coming after you! :) Picture to the right - pretty, isn't it!? Well this year my allergies are back with a vengeance. Two years have gone by without any serious allergy problems and then bam it hit me this year like nothing else so far! So I thought this picture I took of the US Botanical Gardens was appropriate. I took some cool shots while there and since most of my days were free I got to see a lot more of o...

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Your Birthdate: November 26 You lucked out the the skills to succeed in almost any arena. Put you in almost any business or classroom, and you'll rise to the top. You're driven and intense, but you also know when to kick back and cooperate. Your ability to adapt to almost any situation is part of what's going to make you a success. Your strength: Your attention to detail Your weakness: You can be a little too proud of your successes Your power color: Turquoise Your power symbol: Arrow pointing up Your power month: August What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Yeah I know! Before and after pictures of my recent saga involving an ingrown toenail. The red dot in the before picture is one of the spots that the Novocain needle was injected. The purpled part is where the infection took hold. In the after picture you can see the recovery. Still a little purple but recovering, I am. Work continues to be time consuming and yet after a flirtation with change I am confident I can be happy indefinitely at my current position. Business with the Northwest PAC is also increasing and you will see links to a future website on the right in weeks to come. Your calls, e-mails and prayers are always welcome and appreciated. Know all of you are in my thoughts: near and far.

Often I have believed that extraordinary things are done by extraordinary people. It seemed to me, a student of history and politics, that people who rose above their counterparts were afforded something special that made their actions unique. However, the student in me has brought my thinking to another precipice. Doris Kearns Goodwin latest work, Team of Rivals : The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, as well as a recent lecture I attended has made me reconsider my previous thoughts. Abraham Lincoln, as many of you know was a fighter. The story goes he tried to open a business and failed, tried to pass the bar exam and failed, tried to run for office and failed; it wasn't until the Civil War that Lincoln really hit his stride. Arthur Schlesinger Jr., notes that our great president's are products of the era's in which they serve. Washington, founding father; Lincoln, Union protector; Roosevelt, would be nothing without the Depression and World War II. Before any of ...