Kindness

A few days ago Lorena asked me where I got the first quote over to the right about kindness. I couldn't remember but got curious, best I could find is that Plato was the first to say a version of that and many version have been said many times since then.

I also came across a website that I like very much called Quotations About Kindness. There were many good quotes, I will only share a few so go to the site to read the rest.

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. ~George Washington Carver

I have to say that this comes damn close to the heart of my own personal philosophy.

Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

If every man's internal care
Were written on his brow,
How many would our pity share
Who raise our envy now?
~Peitro Metastasio

One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him. ~Booker T. Washington

Life is short but there is always time for courtesy. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson,Social Aims

The Stimulus

Image via Wikipedia

Despite what everyone says Obama's stimulus WAS successful, it kept us (and possibly the world) from going over the cliff. The problem was that it was too small, which Paul Krugman tried to warn them about.

The Obama team made 2 major miscalculations; the first was that they underated the severity of the recession, they didn't think they need something huge, that the economy would bounce back like it always does, boy, were they wrong. The second was that they thought they would be able to come back and do a second stimulus, not realizing that there was no rationality left in the Republican party, they were perfectly willing to let the economy collapse in order for them to get elected and win back majorities in both houses.

Ezra Klein goes into more detail, here's an excerpt:

Ten percent unemployment and a terrible recession ended up discrediting the people trying to do more for the economy, as their previous intervention was deemed a failure. That, in turn, empowered the people attempting to do less for the economy. So rather than a modestly sized stimulus leaving the door open for more stimulus if needed, its modest size was used to discredit the idea of more stimulus when it became needed.

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23rd Kinda Annual Dead-Dog Party. . .

. . . at the San Diego Comic Con International. Bob Chapman and I have worked together for almost 20 years but I've never made it to his well-known, end-of-Con party because I've never stayed until the end of it and haven't been there in years.

I've even done separations and films for all Graphitti Designs' official Comic Con T-shirts, and Volunteer tees, over the years. Maybe next year I'll make it.

I've even helped him put together a number of invitations for this party over the years, so it was fun to find these photos. Lots of famous comic people there, only a few have I actually met, although I've worked with many of them. I've worked on their art to turn them into T-shirts and books and things but always through Bob.

The image below is Bob and his wife, Gena.

See more images here..

Antennagate

Image via Wikipedia

I don't own an iPhone and never have, that's because I'm with Verizon where I have no dropped calls or reception problems at all in the last ten years.

Steve Jobs showed everyone how other smart phones had the same problem, that it's perfectly normal. So I took out my VerizonBlackberry Storm and covered it with BOTH hands in multiple places to see if I got a drop in bars. Nothing. I completely covered the thing with both hands and it never went down from 5 bars at all.

I think it's clear that it's ATT that's the problem, which is why I don't have an iPhone. The rumor is Verizon will have them in January 2011 if that is true then I will get one. Works out perfectly for me since my contract is up in November.

I think I will wait a month, after it comes out, though, to make sure there are no major problems.

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Republican Logic

The Republicans have their new strategy - they are against the deficit as an evil, horrible, awful thing that is causing joblessness, and they want to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich. If those two ideas seem to be diametrically opposed, well, they are. But the Republicans aren't ones to let the facts get in their way.

Their narrative now is that tax cuts don't add to the deficit and don't have to be paid for. This is complete nonsense and even they know it, but that doesn't matter if they can get people to vote for them.

If you look at the chart you can see this is completely false, the tax cuts are THE reason for our current deficit, adding up to almost as much as both wars, the recovery, TARP and the economic downturn combined.

Yet the Republicans think they can get elected by stopping unemployment insurance for those out of work because it MUST be paid for and can't be added to the deficit. You know how much those unemployment benefits will add to the deficit? .01%. Yes, you are reading that right, one tenth of one percent. The Republicans won't add that to the deficit but are willing - and even anxious - to keep those tax breaks for the very rich when they will be 45% of the entire deficit.

And those tax cuts to NOT increase economic activity, each dollar spent in tax cuts results in $.35 of economic activity. 35 cents on the dollar, while unemployment payments creates $1.64 for every dollar spent. The rich put those tax breaks into savings or off shore banks to avoid taxes so there is little economic stimulus, while unemployment checks go to people who are struggling and all of that check gets spent, causing economic activity.

The sad part is that this ridiculous ploy will probably work because most voters are stupid.

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