Friday, March 21, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Evening With Sabs: The Best Of Segment
Coming up for Post 175, everyone here at Evening With Sabs will try to come up with a "Best Of" segment. Why try? Because narrowing down 175 award-winning posts to a list that is only 9 or 10 is a feat that is barely achievable by mear mortals. Still, we will harness our strengths in numbers and whittle down our immense archive to a Best Of Post.
The big question will be what will this 'Best Of" Include?
Date of Release: Sometime in May
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Just the Facts
Let me make this clear before I start this column. I didn't vote for Bush in 2004.
I'm not a big fan of the guy.
I remember the day we invaded Iraq back in 2003 while in Europe watching the events unfold on CNN World. My wife and I both said almost simultaneously that we aren't leaving here anytime soon. I distinctly remember saying that this is going to be street warfare at its worst. Any local or national news program today will confirm that assessment we made back in '03. Little did I know that this would continue for more than five years. Three years, I thought, maybe four but definitely not five plus as it looks now. I have no formal education on foreign relations or a doctorate in middle eastern studies. Yet yet my analysis that day of what would happen as the fighting would esclate wasn't that far off unfortunately. Many others the same writing on the wall. While this has no direct relation on what this blog is about, I felt it necessary to establish this before I continue.
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I have heard alot of comparisons/contrasts to the last 8 years of Bush to the previous 8 years under Clinton and what might happen if a democrat (Obama or Clinton) gets into office versus John McCain who just won the GOP nomination. Many are trying to compare/contrast the economy, the global landscape (how will Iraq be handled), domestic programs, etc to how it was under Clinton (1993-2000) and Bush II (2001-2008) to what might happen in the years 2008 through 2012.
Foreshadowing any of these areas would be an exercise in futility for me. So I've decided to keep it somewhat simple to what I know...that ain't much I confess.
The purpose of this writing isn't to sway an opinion either way but rather to lay out some facts on two distinct, hot-button areas: The Economy and Foreign Policy. I'm not an expert in any of these areas. I don't pretend to be. What I try to do is put issues in their proper national context with information that I do know. Information that is not suspect or debated. Information that is void of political dogma. Information that is not jaded or purposefully leaning to the right or left. Information that might not be on the evening news. If the conclusions that you draw from these facts are left-leaning? Great. If they are right-leaning? Great. I could care less either way. Here are a few I found listed in no certain order...
From 2002 until late 2007, the stock market has regained all that it lost after the dot com bubble burst in from 2000 to early 2002. Since March of 2007 through March 2008, the S&P 500, a pretty good measure of market growth, lost 3.9%.
The unemploymment rates for the presidents from Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II are as follows: 7.6%, 6.4%, 5.1%, 5.3% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These numbers are found by taking the average employment level throghout each presidency.
The manufacturing sector employment numbers have fallen sharply over the last 10 years from 17.6 million in June of 1998 to 13.8 in June of 2007, a decline of almost 22% according to the BLS.
We have now occupied Iraq more than 15 months longer than World War II. The military lives lost over the last year is more than in the previous 4 years.
Our relationship with the middle east has existed since the turn of the century. Based on that fact, the relationship seems to be driven by oil. Anyone will find it hard not to argue against this fact.
We had oil independence (from the middle east) until the early 70s when the middle east nationalized their oil companies. Most of the information on these companies are national secrets so much estimating is done to gauge quantities and production. The spike in oil prices is due to a combination of middle east unrest (no doubt our occupation of Iraq a huge contributor), increased demand in China and other "developing" countries, Venezuelan political unknowns (Chavez isn't exactly running his country with his people in their best interes--huge infrastructure problems, weather, terrorist attacks and a decrease in supply from many countries belonging to OPEC just to name a few.
My thoughts on what I would like to see from 2008 to 2012 coming in Part II.....
I'm not a big fan of the guy.
I remember the day we invaded Iraq back in 2003 while in Europe watching the events unfold on CNN World. My wife and I both said almost simultaneously that we aren't leaving here anytime soon. I distinctly remember saying that this is going to be street warfare at its worst. Any local or national news program today will confirm that assessment we made back in '03. Little did I know that this would continue for more than five years. Three years, I thought, maybe four but definitely not five plus as it looks now. I have no formal education on foreign relations or a doctorate in middle eastern studies. Yet yet my analysis that day of what would happen as the fighting would esclate wasn't that far off unfortunately. Many others the same writing on the wall. While this has no direct relation on what this blog is about, I felt it necessary to establish this before I continue.
--------------------------------------------------------
I have heard alot of comparisons/contrasts to the last 8 years of Bush to the previous 8 years under Clinton and what might happen if a democrat (Obama or Clinton) gets into office versus John McCain who just won the GOP nomination. Many are trying to compare/contrast the economy, the global landscape (how will Iraq be handled), domestic programs, etc to how it was under Clinton (1993-2000) and Bush II (2001-2008) to what might happen in the years 2008 through 2012.
Foreshadowing any of these areas would be an exercise in futility for me. So I've decided to keep it somewhat simple to what I know...that ain't much I confess.
The purpose of this writing isn't to sway an opinion either way but rather to lay out some facts on two distinct, hot-button areas: The Economy and Foreign Policy. I'm not an expert in any of these areas. I don't pretend to be. What I try to do is put issues in their proper national context with information that I do know. Information that is not suspect or debated. Information that is void of political dogma. Information that is not jaded or purposefully leaning to the right or left. Information that might not be on the evening news. If the conclusions that you draw from these facts are left-leaning? Great. If they are right-leaning? Great. I could care less either way. Here are a few I found listed in no certain order...
From 2002 until late 2007, the stock market has regained all that it lost after the dot com bubble burst in from 2000 to early 2002. Since March of 2007 through March 2008, the S&P 500, a pretty good measure of market growth, lost 3.9%.
The unemploymment rates for the presidents from Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II are as follows: 7.6%, 6.4%, 5.1%, 5.3% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These numbers are found by taking the average employment level throghout each presidency.
The manufacturing sector employment numbers have fallen sharply over the last 10 years from 17.6 million in June of 1998 to 13.8 in June of 2007, a decline of almost 22% according to the BLS.
We have now occupied Iraq more than 15 months longer than World War II. The military lives lost over the last year is more than in the previous 4 years.
Our relationship with the middle east has existed since the turn of the century. Based on that fact, the relationship seems to be driven by oil. Anyone will find it hard not to argue against this fact.
We had oil independence (from the middle east) until the early 70s when the middle east nationalized their oil companies. Most of the information on these companies are national secrets so much estimating is done to gauge quantities and production. The spike in oil prices is due to a combination of middle east unrest (no doubt our occupation of Iraq a huge contributor), increased demand in China and other "developing" countries, Venezuelan political unknowns (Chavez isn't exactly running his country with his people in their best interes--huge infrastructure problems, weather, terrorist attacks and a decrease in supply from many countries belonging to OPEC just to name a few.
My thoughts on what I would like to see from 2008 to 2012 coming in Part II.....
Friday, February 29, 2008
My Nephew Evan
I've been meanin to post pictures of my nephew Evan, now almost 8 months old hanging out.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
More Elaina, Nathan Pictures
Some of these were taken without the flash which accounts for the golden shade on some photos.
Monday, February 25, 2008
ELAINA 4 MONTH UPDATE
Elaina just had her 4 month checkup. She's as healthy as ever. The cereal experiment is, well still an experiment. She's taking to it about like how take to lima beans, gagging and screaming while choking them down with a drink of water.
Even more noteworthy, Elaina's weight and height are OFF OF THE CHARTS. In fact, her weight is higher than average nine month olds as indicated by my handy graph below.
Even more noteworthy, Elaina's weight and height are OFF OF THE CHARTS. In fact, her weight is higher than average nine month olds as indicated by my handy graph below.
As my mom tells me, it must come from my side of the family.
She also rolled over in her crib yesterday afternoon.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Uncle Fidel Resigns
Not much of a shocker here.
We all knew he was in ill health. But what surprised me was that this news took a backseat to other news of the day this morning. Granted, the communist threat is a passing thought nowadays compared to what it was say in the 1950s through the 1980s but it probably deserved a little more coverage locally. In Ohio, the presidental candidates are heavily campaigning for the Democratic nomination which truthfully is a bigger story here in 2008. If this were the 1984 election year, Fidel's demise would be at the forefront.
We all knew he was in ill health. But what surprised me was that this news took a backseat to other news of the day this morning. Granted, the communist threat is a passing thought nowadays compared to what it was say in the 1950s through the 1980s but it probably deserved a little more coverage locally. In Ohio, the presidental candidates are heavily campaigning for the Democratic nomination which truthfully is a bigger story here in 2008. If this were the 1984 election year, Fidel's demise would be at the forefront.
His brother Raul, temporary president of Cuba since July 31, 2006 could well become the permanent President.
The other possibility would be Carlos Laga, Cuba's Vice President.
Its amazing that most of the younger generation has no knowledge of a world with an iron curtain. A world before the fall of the Berlin Wall. A college freshman this fall was not born when the wall fell. Maybe this is just a function of me getting older and feeling like my parents' felt back in the 70s and 80s as they grew into adulthood and ensuing out-of-touch life that surfaces when you become a parent.
You heard it hear first. Within 10 years, Cuba's communist government will be dissolved similar to what happened in the Soviet Union in 1990. Let us just let it happen naturally without military intervention.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
80s nostalgia continued...
What movie is this from?
It was in this movie, WarGames, that I was introduced to computer modems.
Before my buddy at "The2DollarBill" criticizes me for not writing about Super Tuesday, let me say that I am very surprised that McCain is still going strong. My prediction on the Dems: Hillary gets the nomination. You heard it here first!
Monday, February 04, 2008
The 80s Revival Continues...
The 80s revival continues and its hotter than ever. Thankfully without Gary Coleman.
Indiana Jones is scheduled for release this summer, Rambo is in theaters and now Knight Rider is coming back to television on NBC!
Its fast, high octane, non-stop 80s action.
Here's my synopsis of what's coming:
A 65 year old Harrison Ford digging up ancient ruins, a 61 year old Sly Stallone fighting in southeast asia...again. And now, David Hasselhoff is back with more Knight Rider action. What one of these classic film series will work with the viewing public more than the others? Do I really need to answer this?
NBC sent out an official press release on the upcoming new Knight Rider series. Evidentally "The Hoff" will make a special appearance.
If your not convinced, here is a comment from one Knight Rider fan on the upcoming series:
"Wow, they've finally done it... they've found an idea that sucks worse than TKR. Not only do Ford vehicles look ordinary as hell, all this "hack any system", shapeshifting bullshit is derivative box-office zombie crap, obviously cooked up by someone who thinks that as long as it's a black car that talks and David Hasselhoff makes an appearance, it's Knight Rider. Personally I'd rather see YouTube footage of Hasselhoff yelling at his kid and trying to eat a hamburger."
If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is.
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