Monthly Archives: October 2012
22
Oct 12
Tablet Sketching…
A month ago, I splurged and bought an Asus Transformer Infinity TF700 Tablet. It has all the bells and whistles and am very happy with it. Today, I tried out some sketching with Autodesk Sketchbook application, a very powerful app.
It’s a nude, so I’ll display it after the fold…
Continue reading →
20
Oct 12
Iran ready for nuclear talks…
U.S. Officials Say Iran Has Agreed to Nuclear Talks
Iran and the US have agreed for the first time to one-on-one negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, setting the stage for what could be a last-ditch diplomatic effort to avert a military strike on Iran. The Obama administration has been participating in highly intense, secret exchanges with Iranian officials since the beginning of President Obama’s term. The news of the agreement comes at a critical moment in the US, just two weeks before the presidential election.
The news has the potential to help Mr. Obama to make the case that his foreign policy has succeeded in paving the way to a diplomatic breakthrough in a decade long effort by the world’s major powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iranian officials have insisted that the talks take place after the presidential election, to ensure they know with whom they are negotiating. With all the bluster being tossed about by Romney regarding entering a war with Iran, were I Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I would be doing everything I could to insure Obama’s reelection.
It isn’t clear whether Mitt Romney would agree to the negotiations if elected president. Mr. Romney has repeatedly criticized the president as showing weakness on Iran and failing to stand firmly with Israel against the Iranian nuclear threat. He has been pushing for a stronger approach to the Iran problem and has been very vocal about supporting the idea of military action.
Iran just may have handed the election to President Obama. It is certainly something to consider.
Of course, whether the negotiations would ever take place is in question. Iran has a history of agreeing to talks only to buy time and renege on their promises.
Interestingly, the third and final presidential debate will focus on foreign policy…
19
Oct 12
Romnesia…
President Obama from the campus of George Mason University:
We have got to name this condition he is going through. I think it is called Romnesia. I think that’s what it is called. Now I’m not a medical doctor. But I do want to go over some of the symptoms with you because I want to make sure nobody else catches it.
If you say you’re for equal pay for equal work but you keep refusing to say whether or not you will sign a bill that protects equal pay for equal work, you might have Romnesia.
If you say women should have access to contraceptive care, but you support legislation that would let employers deny contraceptive care, you might have a case of Romnesia.
If you say you will protect a women’s right to choose but you stand up in a primary debate and say you’d be delighted to sign a law outlawing that right to choose in all cases, then you have definitely got Romnesia.
13
Oct 12
Paul Ryan’s water…
It seems that every time the camera focused on Paul Ryan during the Vice Presidential debate he had a water glass in his hand. Now, I’m all about keeping hydrated, but it seemed pretty unusual that he needed so much water during the hour and a half of the debate. I think I’ve found the answer…
He simply wanted to make sure his pants didn’t catch fire!
12
Oct 12
Pre-debate meetup…
Funny, during the Vice Presidential debate, I had this vision of a big guy, his hand on the forehead of a little pipsqueak, and the pipsqueak swinging for all he was worth and missing.
04
Oct 12
Who were those two guys?
Had the first presidential debate been my first exposure to Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, I would have probably been swayed toward Mitt Romney. He was well prepared, sure of himself, and showed great concern for middle-class America. Barack Obama appeared nervous, intimidated, and ill-prepared.
But I have been exposed to both candidates before… and know better.
Mitt Romney put on a good show of his earnest compassion for middle-class America. From taxes to healthcare to unemployment, under his plan the middle-class would be better off than ever before. He assured us that we would pay lower taxes, have abundant health care, and there would be jobs for all. And all the while, slamming Barack Obama’s dismal contributions to those who need it most. Mr. Romney’s apparent concern for us created a much more compassionate and moderate Mitt Romney than ever seen before. It was a very well-staged and deliberate show.
But it was just that… a show and deliberate misdirection.
Mitt Romney made several comments that made me tilt my head and squint my eyes. Here are just a few:
“We’ve got 23 million people out of work or [who have] stopped looking for work in this country.” Mitt is counting folks that are no longer looking for work and 8 million people working part-time by choice. The official figure is 12.5 million, very bad, but not 23 million bad.
“I will not reduce the taxes paid by high-income Americans.” This comment just makes me suspicious. He said he’d close loopholes, but refuses to tell us what loopholes. My first thoughts were about his tax sheltered off-shore accounts and the fact that Mr. Romney himself must use those very loopholes to his own advantage. BTW, his proposal to eliminate the estate tax would reduce his own sons’ tax burden by tens of millions of dollars.
“Pre-existing conditions are covered under my plan.” This is just false or at the least very misleading. Romney’s own top advisor, Eric Fehrnstrom, attempted to defend Romney’s comment after the debate. “With respect to pre-existing conditions, what Governor Romney has said is for those with continuous coverage, he would continue to make sure that they receive their coverage,” said Eric Fehrnstrom, referring to existing laws which require insurance companies to sell coverage to people who already have insurance, or within 90 days of losing their employer coverage. People who cannot get insurance because of pre-existing conditions will have to rely upon their states to implement their own laws that ban insurance companies from discriminating against sick people.
In my opinion, Barack Obama appeared weak and unable to succinctly respond to Mitt Romney’s claims. In a purely theatrical observation, Romney looked his opponent straight in the eyes, Obama appeared to be looking down or away from Romney a majority of the time. Unfortunately for Barack Obama, theatrics count. My hope is that it was somehow part of his strategy and he’ll come out swinging in the next debate. Although his bluffing has been convincing, Mitt Romney spread his cards on the table and exposed a lot about himself. In that respect, President Obama won the hand and now needs to capitalize.