Links of Note

Commentary: Libertarian ideas to stimulate economy

I agree with a lot of what is said in the above piece of commentary. Areas I differ, namely pulling out of Afghanistan, and the expansion in immigration. I would need to know more about the latter, and I disagree with the idea that immigration has much effect on the homelands of migrants other than funneling American cash outside of the U.S. There may be something to be said for improving scientific and engineering productivity, however I would need to see evidence before I could take a solid stance on that issue.

Commentary: Government shouldn't decide executive pay

An excellent piece by Carly Fiorina, one of many people who probably should have been higher on John McCain's VP list than Sarah Palin.

Obama: I heard God on Chicago's streets

And yet another double standard, when Barack says stuff like this he is wonderful and in touch with the people. When W said it, it was taken out of context and he was painted to be a mad religious zealot. (Although I think W's remarks had implied ties to the war on terror if I remember correctly.... which is perhaps troubling since so much of that was focused on religious extremists)

Obama is eloquent and a much better communicator than Bush, this prayer, double standard aside, is quite a nice piece of work, an excellent example of why he has such great popularity. Ooooh... I said something nice about Barack. Unfortunately there are a ton of people out there praying... and I'm not sure that is going to patch up the economy any time soon.

A shrine to "The One"

This has been in a Central Square shop window in Cambridge since just prior to election day. I suspect it was created in legitimate adoration of Obama, however, ironically, I find that it makes an excellent satirical point of the absurdity of Obama worship.

In other news Daschle actually stepped down, (after Obama caved under pressure).

Check out the CNN clip where Obama admits to "screwing up". Well at least he admits it, what about the 3 other appointees with questionable background, Geithner, Holder, and now the latest and tax evader (or supporter of tax evasion for campaign contributions... as in the case of Eric Holder) Nancy Killefer who was going to be appointed to "A chief performance officer to make the entire government run better".

February Begins

(un)happy Groundhog Day....

The damn rodent saw its shadow and of course that means more winter.

This past weekend was a good start to the 2nd month of 2009. I some how managed to not watch any of the Superbowl in years. Instead Kate and I had a busy weekend. Saturday night we had a nice meal at Antonio's of Beacon Hill. The atmosphere and food were great, although the service was a bit amusing. Rather "rough around the edges" Italian guys gruffly take orders and deliver food with a curt but efficient manner.

After dinner we saw "The Wrestler" which was very well acted but very depressing. Next time I think Kate and will opt for something a bit more "feel good" or "escapist". The film is essentially about several tragic characters who are victims of an environment that they actually participate in perpetuating for various reasons. It was realistic in other words....

On Sunday Kate ended up having lunch at Panera. We had intended to have breakfast at Zaftigs, but there was an hour wait so we opted out. We walked from Coolidge Corner to the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum. Kate and I had been meaning to go here for a long time. I was really pleasantly surprised at the museum, it is absolutely gorgeous and went far beyond my expectations. Isabella Stewart Gardner was a collector of art and artifacts and she created this museum for the public in 1903. Apparently Gardner was even a Red Sox fan, despite having been born in New York City. Anyway, Gardner apparently meticulously set up the displays her self, and many of the rooms in this building would be at home in a palace in Europe. The courtyard is perhaps the most surprising feature of the structure. Looking out into it you would never know it was the heart of winter.

After walking through the museum Kate and I headed over to "The Pru" food court for a snack before parting ways.