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JEFF GIDDENS
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Dec 02
Nov 24
Road Trip
“The CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler may have told Congress that they will likely go out of business without a bailout yet that has not stopped them from traveling in style, not even First Class is good enough.” via ABCnews
“It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high-hat and tuxedo.” Rep. Gary L. Ackerman of New York via NPR
Totally despicable, right? The CEOs of the Big Three US Automakers have the gall to fly to Washington in their private jets and ask for a $25 billion bailout. No wonder Pelosi sent them home!
But, in fact, it is not necessarily their choice to fly in style. The GM board, like many corporate boards, requires its top executives to fly on private planes for security reasons. Per the president of the National Business Aviation Association, about 11,000 U.S. companies operate jets or powerful prop planes, and more use smaller planes.
In response to the uproar, GM announced the elimination of two of its five corporate jets, though the top executives still plan to use the private jets. And Ford “explored” the sale of its private jets. They should consider NPR’s solution for December 8:
…if they really wanted to touch the purse strings of Congress and the public, they should have driven from Detroit to Washington in a hybrid sub-compact — the three of them taking shifts at the wheel during a nine-hour drive through Toledo, Akron and Pittsburgh, stopping to get out and stretch at all-night doughnut shops, calling in to all-night talk radio shows, as reporters sent iPhone snapshots from along the road. Then the CEOs could step out of their car just in front of the U.S. Capitol, stretch their legs, rub their all-night beard, and say, “Door to door, nine hours, not bad, and on one tank of gas. How ‘bout that!”
Oh, wait. U.S. car companies don’t make a hybrid sub-compact, do they?
quite interesting.
Nov 19
“ I feel more and more alone as a person of faith. It’s not just rock stars who aren’t cool if they’re religious—it’s like it’s a taboo for any young person to be religious now. If you love someone, and you know that love is real—that’s how I feel about God. I’ve had feelings I can’t describe that are unexplainable to me, unless there is a God. But if I say that, people look at me like I’m crazy.
—
Brandon Flowers (via skylerelizabeth) (via whatson) (via soupsoup)
I think that’s because when you say you’re religious, it’s like telling people you have a weapon that you’re thinking of using on them. The general perception of “religious” people in this country is “people who have faith in something they cannot prove and who use their faith to justify imposing their system of moral beliefs on others without rational and logical evidence to back them up.”
Not all religious people are like that, but when a stranger tells you they have something that could be used as a weapon, your first instinct is to look at them sideways and slowly start to back away.
It’s like “Ok.. you think you know about God. What is ‘God’ telling you to do to me right now? Is he telling you to hate me for being gay?”
(via dalasverdugo)
processing this quote and Dalas Verdugo’s response today -
Nov 18
Nov 17
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
After a short survey, the question my friends most want to ask me is”What are you listening to?”. My blog rarely tries to answer that - until today.
I just picked up this Waylon Forever record that features tracks recorded by Waylon Jennings a few years back with his son, Shooter. Apparently in their original form, the music was offbeat industrial and even hip-hop. Luckily, Shooter had the sense to re-cut the tracks with his band, the .357’s (a little forced), and give us a modern, rocking take on Waylon’s country swagger. I love old music, especially old country music, but often the low quality of the recordings hamper my enjoyment of the records. This sort of thing solves that problem, and I wouldn’t mind hearing more of it.
Nov 12
Today while on a rare LinkedIn browse, I noticed the CIA advertising for “clandestine service careers.” It is slightly disheartening to know that our government has to buy banner ads to entice professionals to become spies. If I had known they were in need, there is no way I would be working where I am.
Oct 28
caro:
Why I can’t help but love MTVMusic.com.
Am I the only one who thinks this site’s name is terribly redundant? Calling a site MTV Music is like calling the lead singer of this band David Byrne David.
Oct 22
“ Genius, in the popular conception, is inextricably tied up with precocity—doing something truly creative, we’re inclined to think, requires the freshness and exuberance and energy of youth.
—
Annals of Culture: Late Bloomers: The New Yorker
Love him or hate him, Gladwell makes you think.
Oct 14
“ So what should the government do? Eliminate those policies that generated the current mess. This means, at a general level, abandoning the goal of home ownership independent of ability to pay.
—
Commentary: Bankruptcy, not bailout, is the right answer - CNN.com
Jeffrey Miron hit the nail on the head with this article pre-bailout, and seems to share my mantra: If you cannot afford something, you cannot own it.
Oct 13
» 7-Eleven is doing their own presidential poll
sds:
ben:
When you buy coffee, you pick an Obama or McCain cup. So far, Obama is slaughtering McCain among 7-eleven customers.
I have bought a 20z french vanilla cappucino every day for the past week and a half, and i have grabbed whatever cup was on the right, as I am right handed. Some days its Obama, some days its McCain. Apologies for my nonpartisan poll skew.
Oct 10
Question of the day - In Presidential debates, why aren’t the candidates sworn in? If they were under oath, wouldn’t that help a few problems?
Oct 08
Hulu would be awesome
if I could watch it easily on my TV.
Imagine how great it would be if they struck a deal to make Hulu available on the Apple TV, Xbox 360, or PS3.
You’d see a lot more geeks canceling their cable service.
great idea, but not on Apple TV, Xbox, or PS3 - on the actual cable/satellite network - and not just Hulu - Youtube, Vimeo, etc.
Read my boss’ post on this -
http://blogmaverick.com/2008/07/14/the-way-to-save-internet-video/