Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Rally with Joe Biden in Tacoma

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Yesterday I took part in the the “Change We Need” rally with Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden in Tacoma, WA. Although it was a chilly morning with a lot of waiting, the sun eventually broke through and I was fortunate enough to be selected to sit behind the podium area. The energy was high, the people were friendly, and the message was on point. It was a fun experience.

Here’s a picture from the event – see if you can spot me in the crowd (I’ve made it pretty easy).

Obama/Biden Rally - Tacoma

Remember to get out and vote on November 4th – and don’t forget to bring your friends and family too!

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The Economic Crisis

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

After listening to and digesting much of the economic news (and related bailout) over the past several days, I keep coming back to one question:

Why aren’t our government leaders reaching out to the best economic and financial minds in this country for guidance and expertise as they craft this immensely critical piece of bailout legislation?

It strikes me as odd that a bunch of lawyers and career politicians are tackling a problem they are so fundamentally ill-equipped to solve. These legislators are not experts by any stretch of the imagination in the fields of economics and finance. And once you add into this ignorance some partisanship, pride, and ego – viola! – you see what the result is – a paralyzed and ineffective group of bickerers and finger-pointers with nothing to show for themselves. So why are we expecting them to deliver a carefully thought out and effective plan to save our market? Why?

Politics are threatening to bring down our economy. This is not a time for scoring political points. Our government should be assembling the best economic and finance experts this country has address this problem. Congress regularly brings in experts to testify and also to serve on investigation commissions. We have the brain power to solve this effectively and appropriately. Our leaders must not let pride and ego get in the way of reaching out to those with the knowledge and expertise to stop this bleeding.

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The Last Lecture

Friday, July 25th, 2008

Randy Pausch, Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, died today, June 25, 2008, at the age of 47 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. If you’ve never heard of Mr. Pausch, you really are missing out on the life lessons of one extraordinary human being. On September 18, 2007, Mr. Pausch gave a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University as part of their “Last Lecture” series entitled, “Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” It was an incredibly moving, meaningful, and emotional lecture, and if you haven’t seen it, I highly, highly recommend you take the time to watch it. I have included the YouTube video of the lecture below. He also wrote and released a similarly titled book, “The Last Lecture.”

Rest in peace, Randy – and thank you for all of your contributions in this life.

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Rest in peace, Mr. Russert

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

I’m not entirely sure why, but the news and ensuing coverage of Tim Russert’s death has really been affecting me over the past few days.  I certainly did not know the man personally, but I did know him in the celebrity sense – I watched him on so many occassions on NBC and MSNBC and I guess after awhile you just get familiar with someone even though, oddly enough, you never met them.  It’s really strange how that works.  In any case, I will really miss his work and dedication to politics, accountability, and fairness.  He brought an insight and enthusiasm to politics that I think very few can or will match, and there will be a definite and glaring absence as we continue through this very important political season.  I know that when he came TV, I’d be getting the best.

Rest in peace, Tim Russert – and thank you.

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