Breaking The Shackles

I want one of these! This was taken at the LA Museum.


Extinct, my ASS! from The Original Joe Fisher on Vimeo.

After thinking that I had escaped catching a cold that everyone seems to have had a couple weeks ago, I woke up today feeling pretty bleh. Just feel out of energy, runny nose, a mild cough, but the most annoying is the feeling like there is something tickling my throat. Guess I'll start taking medicine now, hopefully it won't be too bad.

Guess it may have been brought on from all the stress. Money issues + news of Grandma + Trying to think of what to do = exhausted and drained Tom.

I managed to convince my landlord to let me pay rent around the 15th of the month, which is when I get paid now. So rent will come out of my next paycheck, as this month wasn't a full paycheck. My landlord has me paying for 3 months at a time, so it would have basically taken all my money had I had to pay this month.

I'm going to go take a hot shower before I have to go to work.

I'm missing home already...

Another interesting article I found.

Texas Goes From "Oil Capitol USA" to Wind Leader
Jason Mick (Blog) - July 18, 2008 2:24 PM
(Source: AP)

Wind turbines spin busily outside Wingate, Texas at one of Texas' many wind parks. (Source: Lm Otero / AP)
Texas is rapidly becoming the U.S. leader in wind generated electricity

With oil prices and fossil fuel prices high, and with federal support of alternative energy expansion programs, wind power is picking up steam. The west is leading the way with Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, Texas, California, and Washington all having in excess of 1,000 MW of wind production capacity.

Of all the states, the greatest leader is Texas, with 4.296 GW in capacity -- and it's just warming up. Texas is not a state many associate with alternative energy. It leads the country in fossil fuel production, both for oil and natural gas, containing approximately one fourth of known oil reserves in the U.S. Typically, alternative energy conjures up images of California or Washington; both which do have strong wind programs.

However, these "green" states fall short of dusty Texas in green energy, thanks to the state’s leading commitment to wind power. And Texas needs it -- Texans consume the most energy in the country, both per capita and as a whole.

Texas plans to aggressively expand its wind capacity. Among its efforts, it just committed to the largest wind power infrastructure expansion yet, spending billions on power transmission lines to pump power from the park, located in remote but windy west Texas, to urban areas in eastern Texas. The project will solidify Texas' leadership position in the world of alternative energy, according to Texas officials.

The state's Public Utility Commission Commissioner Paul Hudson, who approved the move, states, "We will add more wind than the 14 states following Texas combined. I think that's a very extraordinary achievement. Some think we haven't gone far enough, some think we've pushed too far."

Patrick Woodson, vice president of E.On Climate & Renewables North America is among the wind entrepreneurs benefiting from Texans' thirst for wind energy. His company has 1,200 MW of capacity in operations or planned. He states, "People think about oil wells and football in Texas, but in 10 years they'll look back and say this was a brilliant thing to do."

Wind power has received a mixed response among the environmental community and from landowners. Some believe the energy source to be an essential step to generating clean energy and moving away from fossil fuel reliance, but others argue that the designs are inefficient, that they interfere with migrating birds, and that they bring down property values by marring the view. Landowners have protested expansion at Cape Cod in Massachusetts to Idaho and Texas' South Padre Island.

However, the new project is less controversial as it builds no new turbines in desolate west Texas. Rather it merely seeks to add power lines to better utilize the capacity, sending it to thirsty Texas cities. From five scenarios ranging from $3B USD to $6.4B USD, the PUC decided on a middle-of-the road scenario of around $4 to 5B USD. The PUC describes the timeframe stating, "It is expected that the new lines will be in service within four to five years."

Supporters laud the move saying it will encourage wind energy projects, grow jobs, reduce energy costs and reduce pollution. They're terming the project a "wind energy superhighway".

Citizens will be feeling a bit of financial impact from the project, paying about $4 more, on average, a month on their electrical bills, or about $50 a year. Tom Smith, director of the Texas office of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen says $50 a year is a small price to pay for energy independence.

He argues, "We have all these wind plants up and operating. What we're asking for is the superhighway to get the energy to the cities. This will send signals to manufacturers all across the world Texas is ready to be a world-class player in renewable energy."

Rate increases are expected to be a couple years away. The increases are no different in structure to those used to pay for power line expansion from traditional fossil-fuel burning plants. Wind does have the advantage of a 2-cents-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit from the national government, which is due to expire in December. Congress is currently mulling over a permanent extension. Tax credit or not, though Texas has made it clear that it seeks to be the dominate leader in the wind power industry.

Source

Found this article interesting - thought I'd share it with all of you.

Five Signs That You're Living Beyond Your Means
by Glenn Curtis
Monday, July 14, 2008

provided by
InvestopediaLogo

Many people in America are living beyond their means, as personal savings rates are at their lowest levels since the Great Depression, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Dwindling savings mean that U.S. households are taking on more debt and are less able to absorb a financial blow like the loss of a job or a downturn in the economy.

If you are concerned that your finances could be in danger, there is a way to tell whether you're in over your head. This article will provide you with five key indicators to watch for. If you find that one or more of them apply to you, it is likely time to reevaluate your spending and work on a long-term financial plan. Recognizing the problem is the first step to finding a solution.

Sign No. 1 - Your Credit Score is Below 600

Credit bureaus keep track of your payment history, outstanding loan balances and legal judgments against you. They then use this information to compile a credit score that reflects your credit worthiness. The numerical rankings go from a low of 300 to high of 850. The higher the better. It's this score that lenders use to determine whether they'll grant a loan. In general, any credit score below 600 means that you are probably in over your head.

If you aren't sure what your credit score is, contact any of the major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, Experian) and have them send you a copy of your credit report. This document will tell you what the bureaus - and ultimately lenders and financial institutions - think of your finances.

Sign No. 2 - You are Saving Less Than 5%

In 2005, the average rate of personal savings was an astonishing -0.5%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That means that not only were we spending all of our income, but also that a good number of us were also dipping into personal savings. This was the worst savings rate that Americans have recorded since 1933 when it was -0.7% during the Great Depression. The rate has bounced back into positive territory, but in 2008, it still hadn't cracked 1% (Figure 1).



A savings rate below 5% means you could be in real danger of financial ruin if someone in your family were to have a medical emergency, or your family home were to burn to the ground. With savings this low, it likely means you wouldn't even have the money to pay the necessary insurance deductibles.

Ideally, everyone should try to save as much as they can, but in terms of targets, the rule most financial advisors suggest is 10% of your gross income. Beginning at age 30, if you were to save 10% of your $100,000 annual income in your 401(k), or $10,000 every year, and earn a rate of return of 5%, that money would grow to more than $900,000 by age 65.

Sign No. 3 - Your Credit Card Balances are Rising

If you are one of those people who pays only the minimum due on their credit card balance each month, or if you send in only a small contribution toward the principal balance, then you are most likely in over your head.

Ideally, you should only charge what you can pay off at the end of each month. When you can't afford to pay off the balance in its entirety, you should try to make at least some contribution toward the outstanding principal.

The importance of paying down credit card balances as soon as possible cannot be understated. A person with $5,000 in credit card debt that makes the minimum payment of just $200 per month will end up spending more than $8,000 and take almost 13 years to pay off that debt.

Sign No. 4 - More Than 28% of Income Goes To Your House

Calculate what percentage of your monthly income goes toward your mortgage, property taxes and insurance. If it's more than 28% of your gross income, then you are likely in over your head.

Why is 28% the magic number? Historically, conservative lenders have used the 28% threshold because their experience has told them that this is the rate at which the average person can get by, make their mortgage payments and still enjoy a reasonable standard of living. Certainly, some homeowners can get by spending a higher percentage on their homes, particularly if they cut back elsewhere, but it's a dangerous line to walk.

Sign No. 5 - Your Bills are Spiraling Out of Control

Buying on credit and paying by installment has become a national pastime. It's much easier to buy a new flatscreeen TV when the salesman breaks down the price in monthly installments. What's an extra $50 per month, right? The problem is that all of these bills start to add up, and you end up nickel and diming yourself into bankruptcy. If your monthly income is being sliced and diced to pay for dozens of unnecessary installment purchases and services, you are likely in over your head.

Lay out all of your monthly bills on your kitchen table, and go through them one by one. Do you have a cell phone bill, a PDA bill, an internet bill, a premium cable TV package, a satellite radio bill, and all of those other gadgets that generate countless monthly bills? Ask yourself whether each product or service is really necessary. For example, do you really need a 500-channel premium cable TV package, or would you really notice the difference if you had fewer channels (and paid less)?

Some of the best places to find savings include your telephone bills (cell and land line), your utility bills (turn off the lights, and don't run the air conditioning if nobody is home) and your entertainment expenses (you could stand to dine out less and to pack a lunch for work).

Bottom Line

As a nation, we are digging ourselves ever deeper into debt. To avoid becoming part of the gloomy bankruptcy and foreclosure statistics, it's important to measure your financial health regularly. The five signs presented here are not a death sentence; instead, they should be seen as symptoms that allow you to diagnose a problem before it gets worse.

Found this on CNN while I was looking for a topic to talk about during a class. Found it quite interesting.

By Glenn Beck
CNN
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Editor's note: Glenn Beck is on CNN Headline News nightly at 7 and 9 ET and also hosts a conservative national radio talk show.
Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck says we should take time to celebrate what's right with America

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A few days before the Fourth of July, I read a column in The Philadelphia Inquirer that said America didn't deserve to celebrate its independence this year.

It claimed that all of our so-called atrocities have shamed the memory of our founding fathers and, as a result, we should cancel our parades, put away our fireworks and all sit quietly while we atone for our sins.

I guess that was one way to go.

Another way to go would be to fire up the grills, bring the kids to the beach,and gather the family on a blanket to watch as your tax dollars ignite into colorful bursts.

I'm guessing that most of us chose the second option.

But just because I had fun with friends and family doesn't mean that I believe America is perfect. It just means that, for one day, I chose to celebrate the fact that America is still closer to perfect than any other country in the history of the world.

For 364 days a year we talk about high gas prices, crooked politicians, and how much people from one political party allegedly hate everyone from the other. But for 24 hours we get to put it all aside and marvel at how a few brave men risked their lives to stand up for what they believed in. Of course, I would prefer we celebrate that every day, but for now, or at least until that Inquirer columnist gets elected president and bans it, I'll take the one.
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As someone who works in the media in New York City, I'll admit that I am part of the chorus of people who talk about our problems. But there's nothing wrong with that, so long as you also occasionally take the time to talk about the other side. And that's what I want to do now by asking the question that never seems to be of interest to the mainstream media: What's right with America?

Let's start with our much maligned economy. I'm not trying to sugarcoat it, times are definitely tough for an awful lot of families right now. But you know what? We've made it through a depression; we've made it through wars, oil shocks, and major terrorist attacks and we're still standing. In fact, we're not just standing, we're towering over the rest of the world.

Our economy is almost as big as the next four largest economies on Earth (Japan, Germany, China and Great Britain) combined. The state of California alone has an economy as large as the entire country of France. Illinois has the same GDP as all of Mexico. New York matches the entire GDP of Brazil. Florida's economy is as large as South Korea's. Texas has a GDP roughly equal to Canada's. Michigan's economy is as large as the entire country of Argentina.

It takes a lot longer to turn around an aircraft carrier than it does a dinghy, but the problem we have is with our ship's captain -- the pea-brains in Washington -- not her crew.

What's right with America? How about the way we educate our children. Sure, I complain a lot about left-wing professors and how some wealthy private universities hoard their billions while charging obscene amounts for tuition, but the truth is that our universities are always ranked among the best in the world.

Students aren't fleeing America to go to college in Japan, India, or China -- it's the other way around. We open our colleges and universities to more than 80,000 foreign professors, scholars and educators a year and we have more students in college right now than those three countries combined.

What's right with America? Our world-class universities don't require you to have an elite family name or Rockefeller-type wealth to get in. We don't care about your race, gender or nationality. You just have to be smart enough and work hard for it. What a concept, huh?

What's right with America? How about the way we treat the less fortunate? With no help from our government, Americans gave a record $306 billion to charities last year alone. We give twice as much as the next closest country and, relative to the size of our economies, we give 1,000 percent more than the French.

What's right with America? It's not just the wealthy who are generous. Two-thirds of American families making under $100,000 a year give to charity. Compassion is ingrained in our culture like no other.

What's right with America? How about our supposedly third-world health care system? We spend more on health care per person than Switzerland, Germany, Canada, or any other country you can think of. Do we still have problems? Absolutely, but don't fall for "the grass is greener" crowd; every country has health care problems.

What's right with America? We love our country. World Values Survey found that 77 percent of Americans are very proud of their nationality. That puts us in a first place tie with the Irish. Australia was next and no one else was really even close.

I could go on and on, but my point is that we don't need the so often wished for "change" in this country, we just need perspective.

While most of us inherently know that we've won the lottery by living here, we don't often think about the reasons why.

So, for at least that one day, let's just remember that America still leads the world in the principles that matter most: The rule of law, freedom of religion, equal rights, freedom from an oppressive government and, fortunately for the Philadelphia Inquirer, freedom of speech.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer

Labels: America, Freedom, Pollitics

So the iphone 3G was released today. I really like what they did this time around... Considering getting one.

I've added a chat box at the bottom too. This should allow you to chat with me when I'm connected to my IM from the website.

Think of the Shoutbox as leaving a note for anyone to see, think of the chat box as a personal chat with me.

~Tom

Added a place for the weather on the right hand side... Still working on getting everything lined up properly... It's becoming quite a challenge.. :(

A few more changes... How's everyone doing?

I went and saw Hancock with Doug, my gf, and a couple of her co-workers yesterday. I enjoyed it quite a bit, although I felt it dragged a little bit in the middle and was a little predictable from the get-go. All and all, I was satisfied with it.

Good Night!

Almost done - a few more things to do and it'll be all good.

Well on the computer here at work, the formatting looks wrong... Will attempt to fix it tonight.

Well, I've updated the look of my blog. I hope everything is working...

On the right side, you should see:

About Me info - the email address is an image to protect from SpamBots
A Shoutbox - Use this to leave messages on the blog amongst each other... Think of it like a message board.
Track me is supposed to display a feed of all the other websites and things I do. Like if I upload a new youtube video, you should be able to see it in there.
recent posts - lists recent posts
recent comments - lists recent comments
archives - previous posts
flickr photos - my photos posted to flickrs
blogrolls - links to other places
world visitor map - shows where people are when they visit the blog

the backgrounds of the posts should be white - I noticed that on some of the longer posts, that background gets messed up. I hope to fix this soon too.

Hopefully, this style will be easier to read than the last one. Let me know what you think.

~Tom