Archive for November 2007
November 29, 2007
Three weeks from now I'll be home for Christmas...
Oh how I can't wait!
4:05 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Holidays
November 27, 2007
Yahoo is best known for search but also provides the backbone for thousands (40,000 to be exact) businesses that utilize their tools to process transactions and host online stores. Entrepenuers pay Yahoo to provide business services that take much of the guesswork out of running a small business. Yesterday, that system fell apart.
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3:45 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Economics, Technology
Much has been made in recent years with regards to caps on lawsuit amounts, particularly in the area of punitive damages. Punitive damages are different from actual damages in that they are intended to inflict financial pain for an action against a plaintiff. It's somewhat of an adult way of saying "don't do this again."
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6:38 am | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Entertainment, Law
November 22, 2007
I spent my first Thanksgiving ever away from home this year, and I thought I would take a moment to recap how it went. Claire and I helped Mike and Debbie's kids make butter using a really neat ice cream ball on Wednesday. Then after coming home, we I made rolls. Here are some pictures.
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7:50 pm | Comment (5) | Print | Categories: Adventures, Holidays, Washington, DC
November 20, 2007
I'm thankful for great friends. I'm thankful that my friend Robert isn't in Iraq anymore. I'm thankful that my mother worked so hard to help me get here. I'm thankful that God saved me and I'm thankful that I have so much.
So what are you thankful for? Tell me in the comments!
10:20 pm | Comment (4) | Print | Categories: Contemplation, Gratitude, Holidays
November 19, 2007
Much of the strucutre, including the names of the soldiers, are covered in cracks that have not been repaired.
These cracks, while not appearing to affect the structural integrity of the monument, are likely to worsen over time, as rain that freezes into ice will continue to expand the cracks.
Simply because those who fought the battles are gone does not provide an excuse to forget their sacrifice. The 109,000 Americans who died in World War I deserve to have a memorial on the Mall just as the 450,000 Americans who died in World War II do. The memorials on our National Mall serve a dual purpose: to both honor those who served and to remind us the terribly high cost of our freedom.
I've got some contacts here in DC that I will be drawing on to see what I can do to get this memorial refurbished and returned to a condition that honors the veterans who sacrificed so much. The memorial has a seal that indicates the Great War to be "a war for civilization." Civilized society must never forget the wrenching battles that helped forge its existence, and I plan to work hard to see that this does not happen.
There is a photo album of pictures that I took on Saturday. You can view it here.
Updated at 11/19/2007 @ 9:43 pm
2:26 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Contemplation
November 17, 2007
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1:47 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Maryland, Metro, Northern Virginia, Washington, DC
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9:40 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Technology
November 15, 2007
Every teenager knows that if you have a tough topic to talk to your friend about, you can do it on IM (that's instant message, for you old folks) and avoid the embarassment that often comes with face-to-face confrontation. But now there's evidence to back it up.
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9:49 am | Comment (5) | Print | Categories: Friends, Statistics, Technology
November 14, 2007
Roy Pearson, the DC Administrative Law judge who sued a dry cleaner for $67 million alledging a pair of lost pants, has lost his job.
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11:40 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Jobs, Washington, DC
November 12, 2007
A photo album of today's adventures can be found here. As you will see, the colors are splendid and I had a great time heading out with Claire to take pictures of the fall foliage. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!
7:41 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Adventures, Holidays
November 11, 2007
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Whereas it has long been our customs to commemorate November 11, the anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the heroes of that tragic struggle and by rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace; and Whereas in the intervening years, the United States has been involved in two other great military conflicts, which have added millions of veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of this Nation; and
Whereas the Congress passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926 (44 Stat. 1982), calling for the observance of November 11 with appropriate ceremonies, and later provided in an act approved May 13, 1938 (52 Stat. 351) , that the eleventh of November should be a legal holiday and should be known as Armistice Day; and
Whereas, in order to expand the significance of that commemoration and in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to the preservation of this Nation, the Congress, by an act approved June 1, 1954 (68 Stat. 168), changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day:
Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America , do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 , as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.
I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings on Veterans Day.
In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.
Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this eighth day of October in the Year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-ninth.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
11:11 am | Comment (4) | Print | Categories: Contemplation
November 9, 2007
A CSX train carrying coal (probably from West Virginia) derailed today in Southeast Washigton, DC while it crossed a rail bridge over the Anacostia River. No one was reported injured and the bridge survived the accident. The site is a mess, though, as is expected with a load of coal being dumped into the river. Authorities are working with the company to clean up the spill of coal.
11:25 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Accidents
Even the most brilliant technicians make bonehead mistakes sometimes.
I know. I'm one of them. Continue Reading...
10:09 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Technology
November 8, 2007
We built Facebook to make it easy to share information with your friends and people around you. We understand you may not want everyone in the world to have the information you share on Facebook; that is why we give you control of your information. Our default privacy settings limit the information displayed in your profile to your networks and other reasonable community limitations that we tell you about.
That's the opening paragraph of Facebook's Privacy Policy which promises, among other things, that users have the right to control their information, how they want, when they want.
Then why is Facebook selling out its users with "social" advertisements? Continue Reading...
10:14 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Facebook, Friends, Technology
2:59 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Bizarre, Facebook, Technology
The Washington Post published an article today about DC tax employees that stole $20 million in refund money over three years, issuing over 40 checks to friends and family members. With an average theft of $6.7 million a year, one has to ask: how does this happen?
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9:48 am | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Crime, Washington, DC
November 6, 2007
With oil's seeming unstoppable march forward, many of you (my friends) have asked me about what it means to the global economy and to our economy in particular. I am writing this as a hopeful way to avoid the questions that I receive and to provide a clear example of exactly why the economy is in its current state of affairs.
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9:59 pm | Comment (0) | Print | Categories: Economics, Politics, Washington, DC
...I hear a street band playing Pachelbel's Canon in D....
...agh he's following me, too!
4:55 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Mobile Post, Pet Peeves
November 5, 2007
Ever get an e-mail from somebody that contained way more than was needed to answer the subject? That happened to me last night (actually an e-mail followed by an almost-identical Myspace message). It frustrated me, not because I was particularly upset about the e-mail, but because it contained way more information than was needed to complete the intended purpose.
When I was a senior in high school, I had a teacher who taught a lesson on saying what you mean in as few words as possible. To be succinct was her goal; she wanted us to be specific and not mince words. The lesson had an impact on my writing style and I've worked hard to employ it ever since.
Thus it is frustrating to get e-mails that are overburdened with additional and excess words that really do not fit the chosen description of the message. To get it twice is even worse, but to get it at all is pretty bad. To be succinct is an important skill that seems to be lost on my generation. Perhaps we need our own Dragnet, complete with a "just the facts, ma'am" character.
Instead we seem much more like Macbeth: tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
2:42 pm | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: Pet Peeves
November 4, 2007
When you read about terrible crimes in the newspaper, they're usually far away from where you are. Distant people in distant cities are victims of horrendous crimes. Tonight, those crimes weren't far away, but right down the street.
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12:01 am | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: Bizarre, Crime, Washington, DC
November 3, 2007
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5:59 pm | Comment (10) | Print | Categories: Traffic
I needed to update everybody on some blog administration things.
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5:54 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Blog Administration
Yesterday I got new contacts from my optometrist, as well as ordered a new pair of glasses (to wear when I can't/don't want to wear contacts). I'm looking forward to having contacts instead of glasses, which I've had since I was in the 5th grade. Not to mention this will take away one of Ryan's main reasons for making fun of me (not that he doesn't have plenty more...)
9:58 am | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Adventures, New Glasses
November 2, 2007
When interviewed regarding the mayor's decision to move ahead with time-and-distance meters instead of the zone system currently in place, Mr. Wright was quoted as saying "The mayor did his thing again. ... He's catering to the public. He doesn't care about the cabdrivers."
Yes, Mr. Wright, Mayor Fenty is catering to the public. After all, they elected him to his position as mayor. And since they ultimately get to reelect him or not, I would think it would make sense for him to cater to the public, don't you? After all, it's the public who placed him in his job.
So for your ignorance, you win the Dumb Quote of the Week Award.
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7:40 pm | Comment (4) | Print | Categories: Taxicabs, Washington, DC
November 1, 2007
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10:01 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: CACI, Jobs, Technology