I'm Rooting For Ya!

I have been remiss in finalizing my list of goals for 2009. How are you all doing on yours?

The big ones for me this year are:

Fluency in Spanish - It's so overdue!
Expanding my business - I made this year's goal for my business before the real estate bubble burst, I'm hoping an uptick is around the corner ...
Elevating my cooking game - I talk a big game but I have miles to go
Staying fully employed - A good one for us all I think

Of last years goals, I'm proudest of the fact that I've been "tobacco" free for a whole year. :-) It was a lot easier to do than I imagined.

Have an awesome and safe time tonight. I'm rooting for all of you to do big things in the coming year.

The Take All Guns Away From White People Program

Andrew Sullivan is asking folks to vote for the year's "best" examples of various types of political discourse. For example, you can vote for the Hewitt Award:

The Hewitt Award - named after the absurd partisan fanatic, Hugh Hewitt, is given for the most egregious attempts to label Barack Obama as un-American, alien, treasonous, and far out of the mainstream of American life and politics.

One of the nominees for the Hewitt Award is Steven Calabresi, Law Professor at the Northwestern School of Law, who published this in the Wall Street Journal:

"If Mr. Obama wins we could possibly see any or all of the following: a federal constitutional right to welfare; a federal constitutional mandate of affirmative action wherever there are racial disparities, without regard to proof of discriminatory intent; a right for government-financed abortions through the third trimester of pregnancy; the abolition of capital punishment and the mass freeing of criminal defendants; ruinous shareholder suits against corporate officers and directors; and approval of huge punitive damage awards, like those imposed against tobacco companies, against many legitimate businesses such as those selling fattening food,"

Another award being voted on is the Malkin Award:

The Malkin Award - named after blogger, Michelle Malkin - is for shrill, hyperbolic, divisive and intemperate right-wing rhetoric. Ann Coulter is ineligible - to give others a chance.

In contention for the Malkin Award is Michael Barone, a political commentator and regular contributor to US News & World Report, and Fox News. His gem of an entry below:

"The liberal media attacked Sarah Palin because she did not abort her Down syndrome baby. They wanted her to kill that child ... I'm talking about my media colleagues with whom I've worked for 35 years,"

Vote and reminisce. And because parody and satire do it best, after voting, re-watch this gem:

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

One Day Batteries Will Rule The World

This weatherproof, solar powered battery charger by Energizer is so logical it's a wonder it's even being built. Perfect for camping and sunny locales. If you live in Seattle, you can juice it up the old fashion way. Not sure when these will be available.

Virtual Calling Card - Cool!

Needing to call a friend in Paris but not having a land line, I figured I'd buy a calling card and dial them that way. A little googling, however, led me to a much cooler and easier solution. Instead of buying a calling card at my corner bodega, an Acapulco perhaps, and going through the hassle of dialing an 800 number, entering a long PIN, then placing the call, I found a calling service called Rebtel that operates by converting long distance numbers into local numbers. The idea is that with a local number you'll be able to dial from your mobile phone (or any phone for that matter) without getting socked with huge long distance fees.

It works like this. Once you create an account at Rebtel, you enter the foreign number you wish to call - which can be a landline or mobile number - and give it a name, "friend in Paris, for example. Rebtel then supplies you with a local number, in my case, a "646" area code, that is linked behind the scenes to the foreign number you provided. Once the local number is created for you, you add a few bucks to your account with Rebtel - I added $10 - and you can start making calls. There are no long pin numbers or 800 numbers to dial, and there are no connection fees or monthly service fees; just dial the local number and you are connected to your party abroad at extremely low rates. A 32 minute call to France cost me $.31 - about a penny a minute. As soon as you complete a call your account page on their website is updated to show the length of the call and the amount deducted from your balance.

The local number that has been created for you does not expire unless you delete it from your account or it becomes inactive for a lengthy period of time; if you call the number with any frequency (once a month?), it becomes, in essence, a permanent number. Call quality is excellent and calls are placed instantly. With bargain rates to countries across the world, this strikes me as a killer retooling of an old idea; the calling card made virtual and better.

Highly recommended.

So Fresh And So Clean

You know, if you can't afford the yellow and purple Hyperdunks all cash, you shouldn't get them!!!!! Layaway, now offered by Foot Locker. Sigh.

Skillz, He Has Them