tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110326912024-03-07T00:53:52.827-07:00Two Guys from QuanticoAll The News That's Fit To Blog.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.comBlogger706125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-26036931985106409612023-02-20T11:24:00.001-07:002023-02-20T11:24:10.663-07:00How to Connect 2 Apple Studio Displays to a PC<p>I'm just going to park this here for anyone who has run into the same frustrations I have with Windows and Thunderbolt. I have 2 Apple Studio Displays and a current generation Ryzen processor with Thunderbolt compatible motherboard. Theoretically it should work, but I have had nothing but trouble, at one point just going back to regular monitors because I was done troubleshooting for hours. In the end, I actually did get it to finally work in a way that is sustainable and allows me to use the monitors in full 5K resolution (though the cameras and speakers aren't working - I'm prepared to make that sacrifice).</p><p>I know that I'm an edge case user, most people don't utilize 2 Apple Studio Displays on a Windows machine. But if you happen to be an edge case like me, here's how I solved it:</p><p>Attempt 1: Asus ThunderboltEX 4 card connected into nVidia GeForce 3060 RTX card via DisplayPort card. Then 2 Thunderbolt 4 cables from the Thunderbolt card to the Apple displays. These would work on and off, with a restart or moving the monitors often causing problems and leading to hours of work. Ultimately it wasn't sustainable.</p><p>Attempt 2: Upgrade the cables - now it's 2 8K DisplayPort to mini DisplayPort cables going from the GeForce card and then 2 upgraded 8K capable bidirectional Thunderbolt 4 cables to the monitors. Same result.</p><p>Attempt 3: Skip the Thunderbolt card all together, utilize 2 DisplayPort to USB-C cables that are designed primarily for VR headsets. Same result.</p><p>Attempt 4: Update motherboard drivers, update Thunderbolt drivers, go back to the 8K cabling. Same result.</p><p>Attempt 5: Get frustrated and call it a day. Live with other monitors.</p><p>Attempt 6: Figure out that there's one other option and connect the Thunderbolt card to the GeForce via the 8K DisplayPort cables. Connect the ThunderboltEX 4 card to a QGEEM Thunderbolt Hub. Connect the 2 monitors to the Thunderbolt hub. Rejoice because for the first time it is working without worrying that if you touch it or look at it wrong, it will suddenly turn off.</p>Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-32064130754566377922022-12-04T13:29:00.004-07:002022-12-04T18:28:47.687-07:00Utah State Republican Convention<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRHE27TTLCfvKNBwxj0_dp541uEhyphenhyphenJkqu2rwxyKZurRg_w6JKqLcj_EdJhnLR-fpnyvkM57yXcBA7i1I_l7ft2sYF5BFozi0kC8fR4iI88U1hSne_380oWTGcDOZNI2fU9DPG/s1600-h/photo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198977734769402098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRHE27TTLCfvKNBwxj0_dp541uEhyphenhyphenJkqu2rwxyKZurRg_w6JKqLcj_EdJhnLR-fpnyvkM57yXcBA7i1I_l7ft2sYF5BFozi0kC8fR4iI88U1hSne_380oWTGcDOZNI2fU9DPG/s320/photo.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>I've got a few pictures to add later, but I have to say that this year's convention was a much bigger production than two years ago. You had the Huntsman/Herbert tent, then you had the Leavitt/Shurtleff suite and the Cannon suite. Cannon's was the best overall, with a Wii, the best spread of the morning, and a Pepsi machine. Nothing beats an open soda bar! At any rate, my wife and I arrived at the convention expecting a good matchup between Cannon and Leavitt in a nice and interesting primary. If anybody could have knocked Cannon out in a primary, it would be Leavitt - he's got the money and he's got the name. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOk7Ga_p_l2vvFJ4VnRG9FPIdhHP9c8j2jq6cYjpGda4Z47gwI6YZYEazuWpJSWg0w5b34cJQfSyp7rclLJAQLCsLpksft8IsmS0T8inCxnFqZACo1YsI-P0eMXARhB-aVfP_/s1600-h/photo(2).jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198977739064369410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOk7Ga_p_l2vvFJ4VnRG9FPIdhHP9c8j2jq6cYjpGda4Z47gwI6YZYEazuWpJSWg0w5b34cJQfSyp7rclLJAQLCsLpksft8IsmS0T8inCxnFqZACo1YsI-P0eMXARhB-aVfP_/s320/photo(2).jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>At any rate, we got there and were immediately given more trinkets than you'd get at CES. We had water, donuts, bagels, pens, fans, candy, and more. It was great. One thing I didn't see a lot of was the candidates. We swung past all of their booths and looked before parking ourselves in some prime real estate, the balcony of the Cannon suite. There was the typical Mike Ridgeway challenge this and annoy that going on, but let's move beyond the usual and get the the real meat of the situation, the 3rd District vote.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lKIEAtekNiLvL4oycUUsEHgm57EniaBGkG6GKZzAT8iIkSHs96ftib2ZOrTRsTIc8H2dYpCzNSTEsgGjJeSraoFuJvhk-HknZ8c-ffVeL-zw5oWcnjAjviT3WZtW1773igO5/s1600-h/photo(3).jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198977739064369426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lKIEAtekNiLvL4oycUUsEHgm57EniaBGkG6GKZzAT8iIkSHs96ftib2ZOrTRsTIc8H2dYpCzNSTEsgGjJeSraoFuJvhk-HknZ8c-ffVeL-zw5oWcnjAjviT3WZtW1773igO5/s320/photo(3).jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>Of the legitimate candidates (sorry Stone and Joe, you weren't among them), David Leavitt went first. Right up until the end I was going back and forth between Leavitt and Chris Cannon. I still consider them both top flight candidates, and I would absolutely have voted for him if the circumstances were a bit different. Unfortunately, his presentation left me a bit cold. The video was the best, but I don't think he had enough substance for the angry rabble. They were looking for someone who would take Chris Cannon by the neck and rip his jugular out with his bare teeth. That someone was Jason Chaffetz. He got up there and gave everyone in the crowd the best string of one liners that I've ever seen. "Leavitt spent 6 times more than me!" "I like Jon Huntsman, but global warming is a farce! [note: I (Sorro, not Chaffetz, although who knows if he does as well or not) think that global warming is happening, I just don't think that it's the fault of humans so much as Mother Nature]" "We don't need another attorney in Congress!" Beyond that, he managed to sneak in a nice little last second attack on Leavitt with his despicable spying/taking out of context of a quote from one of Leavitt's Pizza and Politics meetings. That's always a sign of someone who's running a nice, clean campaign - dirty tricks, rabble-rousing, and generalized douchebaggery. At any rate, after he gave the same speech, ending with the same idiotic, cynical, and focus-grouped to death "God bless you and God bless the United States of America," Cannon came out. He actually did a pretty good job. I really like Chris. He's a fantastic individual and at the end of the day, the candidate I supported. At any rate, he's not the most articulate of the candidates, which is one reason why it's surprising he's lasted this long as our Congressman. He's had serious challenges every single term and for him to continue to represent us despite some of those challengers having a very gilded tongue means that he must be doing something right.<br />After Cannon's speech, we voted. After the results came back, everybody in the room was a bit stunned. Chaffetz was first with around 40% of the vote, Cannon was second with a 30% or so, and Leavitt was last with 20%. That was a shocker. Even though Leavitt's last speech wasn't great or anything, I still thought he was the best challenger. My wife couldn't stop saying how bad she felt for Leavitt - she had seen him sweating it out before the results were announced. It was clear to everybody that it was over for Leavitt except for the formality of a second vote. I was saying to my wife that if I was Leavitt I would have immediately started swinging the vote to Cannon. A few minutes later, that was exactly what I heard was happening. We had our second vote and Chaffetz jumped over 50%, getting most of the votes from the two fringe candidates in the process. Leavitt was officially eliminated, and I said if I was Leavitt, I would have all of my Orange Shirts grab Cannon signs and show all of my supporters that I was swinging to Cannon. Then lo and behold, I saw something that made me cheer with delight. Leavitt's people did precisely what I said - they came into the hall all carrying Cannon signs. After a fair amount of booing from the Chaffetz people, they left when the party leadership booted them for campaigning on the Convention floor. Then Leavitt and Cannon strode out, shoulder to shoulder, and walked around, meeting people. Of course, there was more booing, as apparently 2 people can't walk around together anymore (yes, I realize it was an endorsement, but nevertheless, there wasn't anything wrong with it). We cast our third ballots and waited. While we were waiting, my wife and I talked with Leavitt about how much we appreciated the way he ran his campaign with integrity. He knew who I was - not as a delegate, but he knew this blog and that I ran it. Not that it's very difficult to figure out if you try, but I didn't expect that from him. At any rate, we went back up to the Cannon suite and waited it out, hashing over different scenarios and whinging about how awful things would be if Chaffetz was our Congressman - you know, <a href="http://sorroforro.blogspot.com/2008/05/nostradamus-prophecies-again.html">all of that end of the world</a> stuff that my crazy aunt mentioned and whatnot. I seriously would write in someone else if he somehow makes it out of the primary. Anyway, after waiting around for a while, we discovered the tally - Chaffetz missed a 60% majority by 6 votes. 6 votes. That is amazing. I can't imagine anything closer than that, and I can't be happier because it means that Cannon will be back. Chaffetz can't compete against him for name recognition, and his austere campaign can't pat itself on the back if they suddenly start spending money to get him elected - after all, it's not fiscally responsible to spend money on a campaign. It's better to not win and be proud that you were so much better than everyone else because you were cheap.<br /><br />EDIT: Links to other reports from the floor:<br />Basically Speaking<br />Oblogatory Anectodes<br />Phil Windley<br />Leadership that Delivers (official GOP liveblog)<br />Sausage GrinderBeau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-37660688172857631232016-01-15T08:45:00.000-07:002016-01-15T08:45:12.489-07:0011/22/63 Alternate EndingI recently read the book <a href="http://amzn.to/234zztw" target="_blank">11/22/63</a> and found it extraordinary. It's rare that I find fiction that is as enthralling as this was, so much so that I went back and reread most of it within a week. That being said, the ending left me cold. As a result, I went back and created my own ending. While I may not have the experience with prose that King does, I gave it my best shot. I combined a lot of his prose and mannerisms and interspersed it with original text to move the story forward quickly. It still maintains ambiguity, but I've not always been a fan of bittersweet endings - I prefer ambiguously happy. I hope you enjoy it! (red text is mine, black is King's)<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I opened my eyes. The stink of the dirty abandoned restroom
had been replaced by the stink of a textile mill operating full bore in a year
when the Environmental Protection Agency did not exist. There was cracked
cement under my feet instead of peeling linoleum. To my left were the big metal
bins filled with fabric remnants and covered with burlap. To my right was the
drying shed. It was eleven fifty-eight on the morning of September ninth, 1958.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Harry Dunning was once more a little boy. Carolyn Poulin was
in period five at LHS, perhaps listening to the teacher, perhaps daydreaming
about some boy or how she would go hunting with her father in a couple of
months. Sadie Dunhill, not yet married to Mr. Have Broom Will Travel, was
living in Georgia. Lee Harvey Oswald was in the South China Sea with his Marine
unit. And John F. Kennedy was the junior senator from Massachusetts, dreaming
presidential dreams. I was back. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>6<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I didn’t walk to the chain this
time, but instead stood there for what felt like an eternity as I rehearsed
what I was going to do. I had plenty of time here in 1958, but only a few hours
in 2011 before Al’s death would padlock the diner and eliminate access to the
rabbit hole forever. I stepped back into the rabbit hole, going slowly up the
steps. With each passing step, I felt the atmosphere change, with the loud <i>shat-HOOSH shat-HOOSH</i> of the weaving
flats fading away. I bumped my head against the ceiling of Al’s pantry. As I
stepped out of the pantry, I looked around Al’s Diner. It looked like my 2011
again, as much as any 2011 could be mine any more. Spending 5 years of your
life in a different era will have that effect. As I exited the diner, I checked
Al’s Town Wall of Celebrity. Hanging on
the wall was the picture of Harry Dunning and I holding Harry’s diploma, with
his tie slightly askew. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I knew my time was short, so I
raced back to my house, tripping over Elmore in the process. I never had a cat
in the Land of Ago and forgot that I had one here in the Land of Ahead. It was
still just midnight, giving me 6 hours to prepare for my final trip back to
1958. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #c00000;">7<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got on the net—my heart beating so hard it sent dots
flashing across my field of vision—and called up the Dallas Morning News
website. After punching in my credit card number (a process that took several
retries because of my shaking fingers), I was able to access the archives. The
story about an unknown assailant taking a shot at Edwin Walker was there on
April 11 of 1963, but nothing about Sadie on April 12. Nothing the following
week, or the week after that. I kept hunting. I found the story I was looking
for in the issue for April 30.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
MENTAL PATIENT SLASHES EX-WIFE, COMMITS SUICIDE <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Ernie Calvert (JODIE) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">6</span>7-year-old Deacon “Deke”
Simmons and Denholm Consolidated School District Principal Ellen Dockerty
arrived too late on Sunday night to save Sadie Dunhill from being seriously
hurt, but things could have been much worse for the popular <span style="color: #c00000;">30</span>-year-old school librarian. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to Douglas Reems, the Jodie town constable, “If
Deke and Ellie hadn’t arrived when they did, Miss Dunhill almost certainly
would have been killed.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The two educators had come with a tuna casserole and a bread
pudding. Neither wanted to talk about their heroic intervention. Simmons would
only say, “I wish we’d gotten there sooner.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to Constable Reems, Simmons overpowered the much
younger John Clayton, of Savannah, Georgia, after Miss Dockerty threw the
casserole at him, distracting him. Simmons wrestled away a small revolver.
Clayton then produced the knife with which he had cut his ex-wife’s face and
used it to slash his own throat. Simmons and Miss Dockerty tried to stop the
bleeding to no avail. Clayton was pronounced dead at the scene. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Miss Dockerty told Constable Reems that Clayton may have
been stalking his ex-wife for months. The staff at Denholm Consolidated had
been alerted that Miss Dunhill’s ex-husband might be dangerous, and Miss
Dunhill herself had provided a photograph of Clayton, but Principal Dockerty
said he had disguised his appearance. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Miss Dunhill was transported by ambulance to Parkland
Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where her condition is listed as fair.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">Though I was never a crying man,
I fought back tears. If Sadie had died in Clayton’s attack, I couldn’t go back
to save her. Because she survived, I can return. I forced myself back to the
task at hand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alive. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie was alive. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alive, alive, alive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #c00000;">8<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I spent the rest of the night
finding ways to make my last trip to the Land of Ago safe. No more bookies, no
more betting. I needed safe, reliable money that would last for as long as I
had. While Al never bothered with the stock market, it was the best way for a
man from the future to turn the small amount of money he had into a fortune. It
had the added benefit of letting me avoid the Fratis, Eduardo Gutierrez, and Greenville
Avenue for the rest of my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">In order for me to feel good
about staying in the Land of Ago, I had to know what was caused by me and what
wasn’t. Because the past works to protect itself, I felt confident that I would
know if I were causing too many problems. On my last trip, the bigger the
change I made, the more that the past fought it. It never fought my time with
Sadie, so I felt confident I wouldn’t make too many ripples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">Nevertheless, from my conversation
with Zach Lang and the alternate future Harry, the primary way you can tell
seemed to be earthquakes. I searched out the main earthquakes between 1958 and
now – from Alaska in 1964 to Japan in 2011 – and wrote them down. If the earth
started to deviate from its course, I could always come back to the rabbit hole
and return to now. Scratch that…I only have until 1990 when Al moves his
restaurant down from Auburn. Once it moves on top of the bubble, it probably
becomes a one-way trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">The last thing I needed was
enough knowledge of the early 1960s to convince Sadie that I was a time
traveler. There will come a time where Sadie will want to remove the broom
between us and I can’t allow the Rolling Stones to pop out of my mouth again
and ruin everything. The timing will have to be right, and the only way she
will think I’m not a mental patient is if I can prove what will happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">Once I had everything I needed, I
turned off my computer and headed to Al’s Restaurant. It was 5:45 in the
morning. Time enough for me to go back to 1958 and live life with Sadie. As I
walked into Al’s pantry for the last time, all I could think was that s</span>he
might not want to have anything to do with me. We’re no longer going to be
thirty-five and twenty-eight; this time I’d be <span style="color: #c00000;">forty
</span>and I look even older. But I believe in love, you know; love is a
uniquely portable magic. I don’t think it’s in the stars, but I do believe that
blood calls to blood and mind calls to mind and heart to heart. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #c00000;">9<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I opened my eyes after my feet
hit cracked cement. It was once again eleven fifty-eight on the morning of
September ninth, 1958. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked to the chain and ducked under it. On the other side
I stood perfectly still for a moment, rehearsing what I was going to do. Then I
walked to the end of the drying shed. Around the corner, leaning against it,
was the Green Card Man. Only Zack Lang’s card was no longer green. It had
turned a muddy <span style="color: #c00000;">chartreuse </span>shade, halfway
between green and yellow. His out-of-season overcoat was dusty, and his
formerly snappy fedora had a battered, somehow defeated look. His cheeks,
previously clean-shaven, were now stubbled . . . and some of that stubble was
white. His eyes were bloodshot. He wasn’t on the booze yet—at least I couldn’t
smell any—but I thought he might be soon. The greenfront was, after all, within
his small circle of operation, and holding all those time-strings in your head
has to hurt. Multiple pasts were bad enough, but when you added multiple
futures? Anyone would turn to drink, if drink were available. I had spent an
hour in 2011. Maybe a little more. How long had it been for him? I didn’t know.
I didn’t want to know. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank God,” he said . . . just as he had before. But when
he once more reached to take my hand in both of his, I drew back. His nails
were now long and black with dirt. The fingers shook. They were the hands—and
the coat, and the hat, and the card in the brim of the hat—of a wino-in-waiting.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You <span style="color: #c00000;">have to go back</span>,” he
said. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I know <span style="color: #c00000;">that’s </span>what you <i>want</i> me to do.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Want has nothing to do with it. You have to go back one
last time. If all is well, you’ll come out in the diner. Soon it will be taken
away, and when that happens, the bubble that has caused all this madness will
burst. It’s a miracle that it’s stayed as long as it has. <i>You have to close the circle.”</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He reached for me again. This time I did more than draw
back; I turned and ran for the parking lot. He sprinted after me. Because of my
bad knee, it was closer than it would have been otherwise. I could hear him
right behind me as I passed the Plymouth Fury that was the double of the car
I’d seen and dismissed one night in the courtyard of the Candlewood Bungalows.
Then I was at the intersection of Main and the Old Lewiston Road. On the other
side, the eternal rockabilly rebel stood with one boot cocked against the
siding of the Fruit. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ran across the train tracks, afraid that my bad leg would
betray me on the cinders, but Lang was the one who stumbled and fell. I heard
him cry out—a desperate, lonely caw—and felt an instant of pity for him. Hard
duty, the man had. But I didn’t let pity slow me down. The imperatives of love
are cruel. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lewiston Express bus was coming. I lurched across the
intersection and the bus driver blared his horn at me. I thought of another
bus, crowded with people who were going to see the president. And the
president’s lady, of course, the one in the pink suit. Roses laid between them
on the seat. Not yellow but red. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Jimla, come back!” <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was right. I was the Jimla after all, the monster in
Rosette Templeton’s bad dream. I limped past the Kennebec Fruit, well ahead of
the <span style="color: #c00000;">Chartreuse </span>Card Man now. This was a race
I was going to win. I was Jake Epping, high school teacher; I was George
Amberson, aspiring novelist; I was the Jimla, who was endangering the whole
world with every step he took. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet I ran on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I thought of Sadie, tall and cool and beautiful, and I ran
on. Sadie who was accident-prone and was going to stumble over a bad man named
John Clayton. On him she would bruise more than her shins. <i>The world well lost for love</i>—was that Dryden or Pope? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I stopped by Titus Chevron, panting. Across the street, the
beatnik proprietor of the Jolly White Elephant was smoking his pipe and
watching me. The <span style="color: #c00000;">Chartreuse </span>Card Man stood
at the mouth of the alley behind the Kennebec Fruit. It was apparently as far
as he could go in that direction. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He held out his hands to me, which was bad. Then he fell on
his knees and clasped his hands in front of him, which was ever so much worse.
“<i>Please don’t do this! You must know the
cost</i>!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew it and still hurried on. A telephone booth stood at
the intersection just beyond St. Joseph’s Church. I shut myself inside it,
consulted the phone book, and dropped a dime. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the cab came, the driver was smoking Luckies and his
radio was tuned to WJAB. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
History repeats itself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #c00000;">10<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I spent a few days in the
Tamarack Motor Lodge, Unit 7 before I made my way back to Lisbon Falls. I
bought my Ford Sunliner from Bill Titus for $300 and made my way to Greenwich,
Connecticut. I arrived on October 1</span>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Derry, the Dunning kids are looking forward to Halloween
and already planning their costumes. Ellen, that little red-haired kut-up kutie,
plans to go as Princess Summerfall Winterspring. She’ll never get the chance.
If I went to Derry today, I could kill Frank Dunning and save her Halloween,
but I won’t. And I won’t go to Durham to save Carolyn Poulin from Andy Cullum’s
errant shot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">There is only one thing that I
have to do, and that is to make my way to Jodie and to Sadie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">After getting my degree from the
United College of Oklahoma, I was able to get on as a substitute at Greenwich
High, even though the school year had already started. I used my spare time to
go back and forth to New York City and build my stock portfolio. It grew slowly
at first, but within the first 6 months I had more than enough to make my
broker jealous and make my way south to Sarasota.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #c00000;">11<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I’m going to jump forward in the
narrative again. You’ve heard the story already. I substituted a year in
Sarasota, leaving at the end of the school year. Fortunately I didn’t have to
leave town in the middle of the night this time to avoid being char-broiled in
my rental house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I made my way to Jodie via
Dallas, arriving on the same day as I did five years ago. I passed the
billboard proclaiming that the Denholm Lions have JIM POWER at the corner of
Highway 77 and Route 109. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">One day this billboard would
scream a reminder that I am still a visitor here who should be in the Land of
Ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I stopped at Al’s Diner to have
a Prongburger and discuss <i>Catcher in the
Rye</i> with Miz Mimi and Deke. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">Sure, there were things that I
did slightly differently. I never made another bet, but I made sure to get vaccination
records and build a better history for myself. I didn’t know if it would get me
past Ellie’s review at the end of my first year teaching, but I figured that
having it beats not having it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I ended up back at Parkway Memorial
Hospital during my first year in Jodie to get a vasectomy. I knew from my
memories of the Chartreuse Card Man that if I had any hope of making this work,
I had to minimize the ripples I created as much as possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">Unfortunately for both Sadie and
me that meant not having any kids. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">While I was there, I also had
them clean up the lingering mess in my knee. It wasn’t as good as it would have
been in 2011, but that couldn’t be helped. I hoped that it would be enough to
dance the Hellzapoppin at Sadie Hawkins in a few years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I became a substitute at Denholm
Consolidated High School in the English department, and I even rewrote <i>The Murder Place. </i> I finished it this time, but it was an
exercise in keeping busy. I still directed <i>Of
Mice and Men </i>and changed Mike Coslaw’s future, but some things were meant
to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">At the end of the year Miz Mimi
and Deke Simmons made plans to marry and retire to Mexico. As before, I was
standing by the bandstand watching Doug Sahm, beer in my hand, when history
repeated itself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“George? Come here and meet someone, would you?” I turned.
Mimi was coming down the slope of the lawn with <span style="color: #c00000;">Sadie
</span>in tow.<span style="color: #c00000;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">My mind flashed forward (or was
it backwards?). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #c00000;">I saw </span>Sadie dancing the
Madison, color high in her cheeks, laughing. <span style="color: #c00000;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie telling me to lick her mouth again. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadie asking if I’d like to come in and have poundcake. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One man and one woman. Is that too much to ask? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know, I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="color: #c00000;">But I know I have to try.</span>Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-10728114074459664302013-02-13T21:07:00.000-07:002013-02-13T21:07:04.505-07:00Are You Ready for Some Hash Browns?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/photos/crispy-hash-browns-2.jpg?ea6e46" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/photos/crispy-hash-browns-2.jpg?ea6e46" width="320" /></a></div>
I know that most of the Western world has had hash browns before, but how many have had good ones? I mean the kind that you'd pack on 30 pounds or so just to keep shoveling in your mouth. What are the keys to these hash browns? <br />
1. They've got to be crispy. Soggy hash browns are the worst. You know that they're just as unhealthy for you as the crispy ones, but somehow something got in the way and as a result you're eating strings with a texture that is approximately that of dog slobber. They're just horrendous, and not at all worth the calories<br />
2. They've got to be seasoned. If you have to put ketchup on them to get them in your mouth, they've done them wrong. They should have enough flavor that your mouth screams out for more, just like a great steak.<br />
3. When in doubt, add fat. My dad made killer hash browns (still does), and what made them even better? Cheese. Heck, add bacon while you're at it. Bacon makes everything better.<br />
<br />
So how can you guarantee great hash browns every time? Not only that, but to also get them about as healthily as you can with potatoes, cheese, and meat? Thanks to the good folks at <a href="http://foodbeast.com/content/2013/02/06/these-waffle-hash-browns-have-tater-craters-for-tabasco-sauce/">Foodbeast</a>, now we know. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://slimages.macys.com/is/image/MCY/products/4/optimized/937494_fpx.tif?$filtermed$&wid=164" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://slimages.macys.com/is/image/MCY/products/4/optimized/937494_fpx.tif?$filtermed$&wid=164" /></a></div>
<br />
Step 1: Preheat waffle iron.<br />
Step 2: Instead of using the stuff that they sell as "hash browns" in the store, microwave until warm and then smash up tater tots.<br />
Step 3: Toss those tots on the scorching waffle iron<br />
Step 4: Season All - enough to give it some nice flavor, you want to see it.<br />
Step 5: Smash that iron down, give it at least 2 waffle cycles or until at your level of crispy heaven<br />
Step 6: Top with cheese and/or bacon. You can either give it another grilling or let it melt on top<br />
Step 7: Try not to eat it all in the first minute out of the waffler.<br />
<br />
This uses no oil! How about that!Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-7632371283085932982012-08-31T10:40:00.002-06:002012-08-31T10:40:26.454-06:00Dragon's Keep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mjxds_Ui5oQ/UEDhkDI-EkI/AAAAAAAADzs/Jz1IQPKOsJ0/s1600/poland+%25281+of+1%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mjxds_Ui5oQ/UEDhkDI-EkI/AAAAAAAADzs/Jz1IQPKOsJ0/s640/poland+%25281+of+1%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
One of the great things that my wife and I get to do is travel around the world. On our most recent trip, we spent a few nights in Krakow, Poland at the Sheraton on the riverfront and got to have this be our skyline. One of the interesting stories about the castle is that it had its own dragon for a long time - you could even go down into the dragon's cave or buy a dragon souvenir. It likely came from the Vistula River getting into the caves and starting a reaction that let off steam. Nevertheless, it was a fun story!Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-17955102578591111272012-06-14T18:13:00.000-06:002012-06-14T18:13:45.232-06:00Don't Get Insurance from Liberty Mutual <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB809YmwbZYiVZyd09-ZyZkzt3VVZnesi-SOjt6zGbiauSuN3laZ7l4cQz-ARk24o26WYmZIXA_wrjmNZDuQAJwC9-caB92RQDDlAR8PQSihywzvlCshyphenhyphen6WXmvMGvFXveD6BO5/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB809YmwbZYiVZyd09-ZyZkzt3VVZnesi-SOjt6zGbiauSuN3laZ7l4cQz-ARk24o26WYmZIXA_wrjmNZDuQAJwC9-caB92RQDDlAR8PQSihywzvlCshyphenhyphen6WXmvMGvFXveD6BO5/s400/IMG_1682.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
I know, I know...posts like this are a dime a dozen. Some go viral, some languish, and some sit in the middle. Nevertheless, I want to hopefully save someone some degree of pain and suffering from having to go through what I have so far. Thus, my story begins...<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>May 30, 2012</b>: I was driving along a residential road between my work and home and stopped at a 4 way stop. I went through the intersection and was T-boned by a driver who didn't see the other stop sign and hit me at about 20 MPH. He was driving a Ford F-250 and pulling an 8000 lb cement mixer behind his truck. I calculated later that I was hit with 32 tons of force. It did the damage you see above.<br />
The police came, took statements, and left. I called my insurance to report the accident and then called his to do the same, as the claim would go through his. He was ticketed, he ran the stop, so it's pretty cut and dried as to who would be responsible. They took my statement and asked me to call the other driver (their customer) to have him give his statement. It was at this time I had my first contact with Liberty Mutual. Their initial point of contact was Ashley, and he was very pleasant.<br />
<br />
<b>June 1, 2012:</b> I called Liberty Mutual back as I hadn't heard from them. I dialed Ashley's extension, got voice mail like I expected, then hit 0 as instructed to talk to another team member. 40 minutes later, I finally talked to a live person. They said they would cover 100% at that time and had me authorize getting my car moved from the tow lot to Larry H Miller Collision in Orem. They also set me up with a rental car from Enterprise after I requested it. Based on my later conversations with them, if I hadn't said anything, I doubt I would have seen one.<br />
I also sent the following tweet before they answered:<br />
I've been on hold w/@libertymutual for 40 minutes now. I wonder if I'll ever get to a person.<br />
Fortunately their social media person was on the ball and helped me to the best of her ability.<br />
<br />
<b>June 5, 2012</b>: I called Liberty Mutual again as I hadn't heard any details of what would happen with my car yet. They said they hadn't heard from the adjustor yet, but would get back with me when they did.<br />
<br />
<b>June 6, 2012: </b>The car was totaled. They called me this time, and I talked with Ashley again. He said that he was finished with the claim and now it would go to their total loss department<br />
I went to Larry Miller Collision, where the estimator told me that the damages were $14,500, which was just over Liberty Mutual's 75% threshold, so I should expect around $20,000 plus tax and title for my car. <br />
<br />
<b>June 8, 2012</b>: I called and found out who my total loss representative was and to see the status of my claim. I was told she would be back in touch with me. They said they would cover the accident 100%.<br />
<br />
<b>June 12, 2012:</b> I finally heard from Andrea Jesse about the valuation on my total loss claim. Her estimate, based on a call to a car lot called Autosource? $15,668. That was the total amount, with taxes and title built in. I told her that that was way too low based on my research, and asked for her email address to send her the documentation on that. Below is my email to her:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Andrea,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Thank you for chatting with me earlier today. Here is
the research that I have done with screenshots and other documentation as
needed:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Here are the sites that I’ve checked with regards to my
vehicle. It was in outstanding condition and had low mileage, and you can
see that reflected in the Kelley Blue Book, NADA, and Edmunds quotes for
replacement value via a dealer. As is expected, based on the different
people these 3 guides are targeted at (KBB as a dealer’s sticker price down to
Edmunds as the actual cost that a consumer should pay if they’re a good
negotiator), there is some variation. As such, I would propose that as
there are no direct comparables in the market, we should base valuation here.
<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>KBB: $21,413<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>NADA: $19,600<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Edmunds: $18,479<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Average cost of a 2006 Infiniti G35x with my options:
$19,830<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>From that we can then calculate the sales tax. The
sales tax for Murray, UT (where our local Infiniti dealer is) is 6.85% per the
Utah State Tax Tables: <a href="http://tax.utah.gov/sales/rate/12q3combined.pdf">http://tax.utah.gov/sales/rate/12q3combined.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Before we can get that though, we have to look at the cost
of additional items on the car. I have enclosed also a copy of the
contract of sale of my G35 from Tim Dahle Infiniti. The dealer
documentary service fee is $398.50. License and registration is
$205.50. In addition, I bought an extended warrantee that took the stock
Infiniti 4 year/60,000 mile warrantee and added a 3 year/40,000 mile term to
the end. This should also be factored in on a prorated basis. That
puts us at a $2195 extension prorated over 3 years at just over
$60/month. I had 15 months left at the time of the accident, thus
$2195/36*15=$914.58 That puts us here:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Average cost of a 2006 Infiniti G35x with my options:
$19,830<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Remainder of the warrantee: $914.58<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dealer Documentary Service Fee: $398.50<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>License and registration: $205.50<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Utah State Sales Tax: $1462.38<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>TOTAL COST OF REPLACEMENT: $22,810.95<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This is in line with what your estimator at Larry H Miller
Collision told me when I went in to collect personal effects from the car.
He told me damages were at $14,750, which put it right at the 75%
threshold where he indicated a total would occur…which puts his valuation for
the vehicle at $19,666.67 ($14750/.75). Where your estimator using your
program told me that, I believe that that’s a fair indication of what we should
be looking at.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I have also attached the closest possible comparables, one
from a private seller who you would expect to be lower than a dealer, and the
other from a dealer. Because my car had lower miles than either of these,
and because I bought my car new from an authorized Infiniti dealer, I propose
the dealer value as that is where I will be going to replace my car.
Therefore, using the dealer valuation, plus transfer fee as a base is the
minimum necessary for me to leave this transaction feeling good about things.
<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Carmax Infiniti G35x: $18,748<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Transfer fee from Oak Lawn, IL to South Jordan, UT: $699<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Remainder of the warrantee on my car: $914.58<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dealer Documentary Service Fee: $149.00<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>License and registration: $205.50<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Utah State Sales Tax (South Jordan, UT): $1294.76<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>TOTAL COST OF REPLACEMENT: $22,010.84<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This leaves us with a narrow range of possibilities –
essentially between $22-23K. I know that your job is to secure the lowest
cost for Liberty Mutual in regards to this payout. My job is to cover the
cost of a replacement vehicle that is comparable to mine. Thus, I would propose
the following: we split the difference at $22,500.00. I honestly will not
accept anything lower than $22,000. I feel that the estimate you gave me
earlier today was not honest, and I have talked with a former insurance General
Adjuster and with an uncle who is a used car dealer and both said that this was
a very low offer. I don’t feel that I am being unreasonable, considering
that this is the actual cost to replace my car, that I was – through no fault
of my own – hit by one of your members, that this was my dream car, purchased
brand new with 8 miles on the odometer (enough for it to be tested and driven
on/off of a boat and car carriers), that I have no chance of doing that again,
as the vehicle is no longer in production, and with several factors not
considered in my above valuation (tires I bought 6 months ago for $550 and an
iPhone integration kit that cost $185 for the product + install).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Therefore, at this point it is my opinion that it is most
advantageous to Liberty Mutual and its associated stakeholders to accept this
valuation – by continuing to dispute and fight it, it prolongs the cost of the
rental car, it costs time and money in the form of your salary and that of your
associates, and if it were to drag out long enough, it would take additional
time billable at $200/hour or so from your corporate attorneys. In
addition, the longer the time it takes to resolve and the more that you all try
to dicker over a very reasonable Replacement Cost Value, the more frustrated I
get – which isn’t good for future business, especially in our social media
driven world. As a result of these factors, I feel that it would be
better instead to come to a quick agreement that minimizes the cost associated
on both our sides.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Thanks for your time,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3d-XgQy1d0e7ot8K4oTy6Nxh6mANZ3W-Nmhm1QeHhIQyF1IJRND8yAnu8jIYwDTlh1xZIcerTjmqIrTfmzHAobjiAqcYn55C5tDaMFconUU3u2rQoVwdbuOzklujhyphenhyphenjEeDGkZ/s1600/carmax.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3d-XgQy1d0e7ot8K4oTy6Nxh6mANZ3W-Nmhm1QeHhIQyF1IJRND8yAnu8jIYwDTlh1xZIcerTjmqIrTfmzHAobjiAqcYn55C5tDaMFconUU3u2rQoVwdbuOzklujhyphenhyphenjEeDGkZ/s320/carmax.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>June 14, 2012</b>: I heard back from Andrea Jesse. She said that the quotes I had sent her were lower than what she had offered, but nonetheless, she talked with her manager, Mike Curtis, and they were willing to generously offer $18107 for my car. I said I didn't see how that was possible as the quotes I sent were higher than what she said, when she said those 2 magic words: "trade-in value." I asked her why they were offering trade-in when I should get the Replacement Cost Value of the vehicle. I'm not trading in my car, I wasn't planning on doing so for a long time. Therefore, you're giving me $4000 less in value because you're not valuing it on the Replacement Cost. She said to contact my insurance company. I told her that I would and that I wouldn't accept her offer. <br />
I got a message from Mike Curtis saying that he heard I was dissatisfied with their offer and asked me to call back. I did, and left a voicemail.<br />
<br />
Here's where we're at now. If I'm wrong, let me know here, but I can't see any problems in my logic. Does anyone else see this differently? Right now, I'd love to see this spread far and wide because I don't want this to happen to anyone else - but I'm willing to change that opinion if I'm mistaken and shouldn't be frustrated about it.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-11150013665407537332012-04-23T10:09:00.000-06:002012-04-23T10:11:21.365-06:00Utah GOP Convention in a Few PicturesI went to the Utah Republican Party Convention on Saturday to help out a few candidates with their campaigns, but I made sure to get some photos while I was there. All were taken with an Nikon D700 at 3200 ISO.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKFdJqv27SCMxHLFFfeQ6McMxmevtbPJkEKe-OYGDLXrgmZpVqJhvJPzCChNoIvU7v3rylV-WHXsLHHNpO9zg7mtLPLPvTxKAanKpef0dV0z-3Pai8-LVZZ1_-FiYsR2tpaG4/s1600/gop+(3+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKFdJqv27SCMxHLFFfeQ6McMxmevtbPJkEKe-OYGDLXrgmZpVqJhvJPzCChNoIvU7v3rylV-WHXsLHHNpO9zg7mtLPLPvTxKAanKpef0dV0z-3Pai8-LVZZ1_-FiYsR2tpaG4/s400/gop+(3+of+2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ben Franklin - inventor of the cell phone*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnl3m6Pw5uUsn6ZHwt8tJO9t_OEdDrI0GEY6Ud5tJ2zsRYxcvPuC6iUQhcCsPoDa2HEFTxD8ZpxN9H1knRiWsoML9ziZplGmbKB2dqhESos-ElyYfjiLS8O-vh9sXSdl0l61z4/s1600/gop+(2+of+1)-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnl3m6Pw5uUsn6ZHwt8tJO9t_OEdDrI0GEY6Ud5tJ2zsRYxcvPuC6iUQhcCsPoDa2HEFTxD8ZpxN9H1knRiWsoML9ziZplGmbKB2dqhESos-ElyYfjiLS8O-vh9sXSdl0l61z4/s320/gop+(2+of+1)-2.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIyLqH-ZXq-2YNUHB3K_9jbDGgyGe9FgBuHlN8UxOVMJOir2JEzeRRCckhMIbaV5szWJAyVVK4AqvKECVwizohIUKo0WyYnAsVpv8SZ2w9dAtePYdLKuQaY7mApVFIBZPCi1Vg/s1600/gop+(2+of+2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIyLqH-ZXq-2YNUHB3K_9jbDGgyGe9FgBuHlN8UxOVMJOir2JEzeRRCckhMIbaV5szWJAyVVK4AqvKECVwizohIUKo0WyYnAsVpv8SZ2w9dAtePYdLKuQaY7mApVFIBZPCi1Vg/s320/gop+(2+of+2).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Orrin Hatch vs Dan Liljenquist - the primary battle begins!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGppyWLGXbW8Fo_SslzBzz6d__kZdFNuIL5gRQcFIaC63IUK3I2yLIilXldhC6FfQLnVqmNhomUq-nbKpEa757C9qXiKge6dNJa4OG1oVJQRxjXp_SGReTjYXx8xL1_r2Q-CfC/s1600/gop+(2+of+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGppyWLGXbW8Fo_SslzBzz6d__kZdFNuIL5gRQcFIaC63IUK3I2yLIilXldhC6FfQLnVqmNhomUq-nbKpEa757C9qXiKge6dNJa4OG1oVJQRxjXp_SGReTjYXx8xL1_r2Q-CfC/s400/gop+(2+of+1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I guess Sandstrom thought if it works for Salisbury Homes and Little Caesar's Pizza, it must work for him too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1b_rdhvryQv-a9ZoHlyhigvDDyeBflvNvUB52aKljeB0wFunnYm__9erA2iqFUzXOj1RmTqDIdcrSW5V3oMxfSg9jc9VEU-yIiG_xDBb2HKGKbnHcDTGj_wyQpH9dQBOhSnT/s1600/gop+(1+of+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1b_rdhvryQv-a9ZoHlyhigvDDyeBflvNvUB52aKljeB0wFunnYm__9erA2iqFUzXOj1RmTqDIdcrSW5V3oMxfSg9jc9VEU-yIiG_xDBb2HKGKbnHcDTGj_wyQpH9dQBOhSnT/s320/gop+(1+of+1).jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The image is a bit blurry, but his mom told him to smile for the photo after this. He clearly wasn't the happiest camper in the world!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*Note: I know Ben Franklin didn't invent the cell phone.</div><br />
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type">Utah Republican Party Convention</span> by <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="http://sorroforro.blogspot.com" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Beau Sorensen</a> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>.<br />Based on a work at <a xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" href="http://sorroforro.blogspot.com/2012/04/utah-gop-convention-in-few-pictures.html" rel="dct:source">sorroforro.blogspot.com</a>.<br />Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-48297467085561243512012-04-20T08:59:00.003-06:002012-04-20T10:31:26.580-06:00Jolly Old Fellow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LjXieZKoyWk_MoMYW3PDMO5Z-zM8ZecPcLgyn-hwKCwWfx1zvwYRmwx1Wh6vCkH7ySIQcl3aW2qMOGFrkfPfsAPQ3gdX62o4Ptve37jnbHts6DC1h5XaiZlAseQfcBbtq3ws/s1600/grandpa2+(1+of+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LjXieZKoyWk_MoMYW3PDMO5Z-zM8ZecPcLgyn-hwKCwWfx1zvwYRmwx1Wh6vCkH7ySIQcl3aW2qMOGFrkfPfsAPQ3gdX62o4Ptve37jnbHts6DC1h5XaiZlAseQfcBbtq3ws/s640/grandpa2+(1+of+1).jpg" width="520" /></a></div>
One of the areas of photography that I'm really working on is getting good portraits. My kids are part of what's driving it - my daughter is a poser extraordinaire, but my sons are no good at it, so I have to be good at capturing it. This is an image of my grandfather that I took at a restaurant with surprisingly good lighting.<br />
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/3.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a><br />
<span href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">Jolly Old Fellow</span> by <a href="http://sorroforro.blogspot.com/" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL" xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#">Beau Sorensen</a> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>.<br />
Based on a work at <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LjXieZKoyWk_MoMYW3PDMO5Z-zM8ZecPcLgyn-hwKCwWfx1zvwYRmwx1Wh6vCkH7ySIQcl3aW2qMOGFrkfPfsAPQ3gdX62o4Ptve37jnbHts6DC1h5XaiZlAseQfcBbtq3ws/s640/grandpa2+(1+of+1).jpg" rel="dct:source" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">1.bp.blogspot.com</a>.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-62880887863427605102012-04-16T17:51:00.000-06:002012-04-16T17:51:05.766-06:00The St George Temple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb0dewR9qX4mxTf4qQx615g8bWqsyqoC5NRvcZgV9KUzUya7f9hyAK0V42RJsS5tCWSXVf1giQfaLZVzn5c4eWcF0NbLaFA9xzpdElmJe847WSOhmlK5VAWxkESh-m8ulI0C-/s1600/st+george+temple+(1+of+1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb0dewR9qX4mxTf4qQx615g8bWqsyqoC5NRvcZgV9KUzUya7f9hyAK0V42RJsS5tCWSXVf1giQfaLZVzn5c4eWcF0NbLaFA9xzpdElmJe847WSOhmlK5VAWxkESh-m8ulI0C-/s640/st+george+temple+(1+of+1).jpg" width="374" /></a></div>
Rachelle has told me I ought to start posting some of my photos on the blog since it doesn't get as much use anymore as a "stuff to say" outlet. This is an image from just a few days ago when we were in St George. The temple there has been around since 1877 and they somehow manage to keep it extremely white. I don't know how with the copious red dust, but they do it! <br />
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" rel="license" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/3.0/88x31.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;" /></a></div>
<span href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" property="dct:title" rel="dct:type" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">St George Temple at Dusk</span> by <a href="http://sorroforro.blogspot.com/" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL" xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#">Beau Sorensen</a> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>.<br />
Based on a work at <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsb0dewR9qX4mxTf4qQx615g8bWqsyqoC5NRvcZgV9KUzUya7f9hyAK0V42RJsS5tCWSXVf1giQfaLZVzn5c4eWcF0NbLaFA9xzpdElmJe847WSOhmlK5VAWxkESh-m8ulI0C-/s640/st+george+temple+(1+of+1).jpg" rel="dct:source" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">2.bp.blogspot.com</a>.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0St George, UT, USA37.0952778 -113.578055636.9939563 -113.7359841 37.196599299999995 -113.4201271tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-49678684594883874642012-04-02T11:40:00.001-06:002012-04-02T11:40:39.545-06:00So You Want to go to Tokyo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkG3bVx8fgasnEiLvpL287iZqpKxAcBOadDoC8igUhOo0E_M8pkptinfgjFNEstG4gRzAY6zF5lVSQ1gNnb_aLXx98Wrfg05-JGOx7ucmgacl7Suf2YkCw_ZgkK1z1DwiQ8Gi/s1600/DSC_4896-Edit-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkG3bVx8fgasnEiLvpL287iZqpKxAcBOadDoC8igUhOo0E_M8pkptinfgjFNEstG4gRzAY6zF5lVSQ1gNnb_aLXx98Wrfg05-JGOx7ucmgacl7Suf2YkCw_ZgkK1z1DwiQ8Gi/s400/DSC_4896-Edit-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Tokyo is one of the most amazing cities in the world. It's a huge area though, filled with a lot of sub cities and interesting areas for photography and people watching. Hopefully this guide will help you out. One thing to note when using these sites is the Japanese are extremely punctual. <span style="color: red;">If they say they will leave at a certain time, they will leave with or without you.</span> Thus, their timetables are very accurate. In addition, Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. I would think nothing of walking around with gold bars in my hands. It's a great place to visit!<br />
<i>NOTE: While I am using a conversion factor of approximately $1/100 yen (it's the quickest way to convert), the exchange rate as of 4/2/12 is around $1/82 yen, meaning that prices are 20% more than what I'm quoting here.</i><br />
<b>1. How do I get around? </b><br />
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My preferred method of transportation is by subway. Bicycle is preferred, but typically that's only if you're a resident. As a tourist, the Japanese subway and train system is extremely comprehensive and user friendly. You can get almost anywhere in the city relatively quickly using rail transport. These maps <a href="http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/info/map_a4ol.pdf">here</a> (JR routes only) and <a href="http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/routemaps/pdf/RouteMap_majorrailsub.pdf">here</a> (JR+Subway) give you an overview of the places they serve. One of the best ways to do this is via a <a href="http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/eastpass/pdf/pamphlet.pdf">JR East Pass</a>. JR is the national train system and they have extensive lines almost everywhere in the country, so if you want to get somewhere, they may not be the quickest route, but they will likely do the job. At $200 for 7 days, it's a great price if your travels take you outside of the Tokyo area. If you will be primarily in the Tokyo area and won't be using the bullet train (shinkansen), a more economical way would be to get the <a href="http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pdf/pamph_ticket.pdf">Tokyo Furii Kippu</a> (Tokyo Free Ticket). For just $15/day you can use all the subway lines and JR lines in the 23 wards (downtown) area. The final option is the <a href="http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/kantoareapass/index.html#category02">JR Kanto area pass</a>. This is $80 for 3 days and covers Tokyo, Yokohama, north to Nikko, and east to Chiba. One way that I may do this is buy a Kanto area pass that covers at least one of the days I go to the airport (which I'll cover shortly), because a train ticket to Narita is about $35 by itself. These tickets can be purchased in many train stations, or at the <a href="http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/service_center.html">JR East Travel Service Center</a> in Narita airport.<br />
The nice thing about all of the train lines in the Tokyo area is they are very English friendly. The stations and ticket machines all have lots of English so that you can know what to do and where to go. In addition, trains run early (around 4 am) and late (finishing at around midnight) so you won't get stranded.<br />
One word of caution: I wouldn't use a cab unless I had to. While they're great to get a picture of, the taxis are extremely expensive. To get in it will cost you $6. To travel 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) it costs $12. Meanwhile the comparable train ticket is $1.50.<br />
<b>2. What about the airport?</b><br />
<a href="http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/">Narita International Airport</a> is about 90 minutes by train from central Tokyo. If you were to take a cab, it would cost around $300, so I would recommend one of the following options. I've only done this 3 times, so my traffic times may be wrong, but I think I'm relatively close.<br />
<i>Option 1</i>: <a href="http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com/pc/english/common/timetable/e_nex_u/05.html">JR Narita Express</a>. If you are going to the Tokyo station, Shinjuku, or Shibuya areas, this is often the best option. If you are using some sort of JR pass, it's an even better option as it is covered by the JR East Pass and JR Kanto Area Pass. From the airport to the station, you're usually around an hour out.<br />
<i>Option 2</i>: <a href="http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/">Keisei Electric Railway</a>. This is a great alternative if you're in Ueno or Shimbashi or if you don't mind a transfer with luggage to another train. They are less expensive than JR if you don't have a pass or will just be using a Tokyo Furii Kippu.<br />
<i>Option 3</i>: <a href="http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/">Friendly Airport Limousine Bus</a>. Traffic along the route can get heavy, so the timings may be off, but it should take about an hour and 45 minutes and they have some great time listings on their website.<br />
<b>3. I want to see some interesting people. Where do I go?</b><br />
One of the great things about Tokyo is the different people you come across. If you're looking for the widest variety of interesting folks though, there are really 2 areas that you must visit.<br />
1. <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x60188b5789e3c191:0x98dadeb0d2e1d297&q=Shibuya+Station,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CA8Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=IcN5T9OPM4j9iQLWgPWqBQ">Shibuya</a>. This is ground zero for the <a href="http://i48.tinypic.com/xcp16a.jpg">gyaru</a> culture, which really has to be seen to be believed. Most of the action is on the northwest corner of the station. It's home to Hachiko, the largest intersection in the world, and something that really puts Times Square to shame. The largest outdoor video displays in the world are found here. The area as you walk towards the HMV sign is a veritable cavalcade of people and interesting things.<br />
2. <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x60188ca4f3da7047:0x4f1ed62d736c8034&q=35.668561,139.705336&ved=0CA4Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=8ch5T9TwKMnRiAK5qpS5BQ">Harajuku</a>. Harajuku is...hard to describe. Kind of like Shibuya, but kind of not, they have some amazing people here too as well as some great side streets. If you cross the train tracks, you walk right into Meiji jingu, the biggest Shinto shrine in the world. It was rebuilt after World War II, but it's still very interesting to see, and most of the time it's very peaceful.<br />
<b>4. I want to see some interesting things. Where do I go?</b><br />
Tokyo has an interesting mix of things to see. One thing to note though, is that most of the "old" stuff in Tokyo is reproduced as a result of the city being destroyed by an earthquake in 1923 and then firebombed in 1945. As a result, cultural heritage is not something it has a lot of. Nevertheless, there are still some parts of old Japan that survive, though you may want to consider a day trip (described below) in addition/instead.<br />
<i>Old Japan: </i><br />
Consider a trip to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x60188ec2047f5333:0x7c84fd3881c74067&q=Asakusa,+Taito,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CA0Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=q9J5T5jdCMnQiAL-l-W1BQ">Asakusa's </a>Senso-ji temple and environs. It's nestled in the middle of standard Japanese housing and buildings, but it is a very cool looking area. In addition, you can find some of the best souvenir shopping around in the mall leading up to the temple.<br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=2747784741763569529&q=Imperial+Palace+East+Gardens,+Chiyoda,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CBQQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=nNN5T9fkNMHRiAKwkqyrBQ">Imperial Palace</a>. The palace was untouched by World War II, but unfortunately you don't get to see much of it. It's a brief walk from Tokyo station, with its 1900s facade. They do have an amazing bonzai garden in front of the palace as well, if you like that sort of thing. If you are in this area, consider a side trip to the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=14180262925732488765&q=Tokyo+International+Forum,+Chiyoda,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CBQQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=odd5T7ueBMHRiAKwkqyrBQ">Tokyo International Forum</a>, where Trey Ratcliff got <a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WA6lGfoe0bQ/TgtZEe9guNI/AAAAAAABSfk/U9gIHzCY18M/s1176/4077315602_181deefdf5_o.jpg">this shot</a>.<br />
Meiji Shrine. See above!<br />
New Japan:<br />
Besides the aforementioned Shibuya and Harajuku, consider a couple of other destinations.<br />
First is <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x60188be701836fbb:0x604685b30ba99851&q=Ginza,+Chuo,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CA0Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=99N5T_f5GZHRiALupayyBQ">Ginza</a>. There is some amazing (albeit expensive) shopping, but Ginza is one of the best places in the city for seeing the modern side of Japan. It isn't as garish as some other districts, but a little more toned down.<br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x60188ea7de0dbf97:0x244fc8daadeab6f&q=Akihabara+Station,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CBEQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=ftV5T9O-MMnRiAK5qpS5BQ">Akihabara</a>. This is the electronics capital of the world. Tons of garish lights to distract you into their stores to spend lots of money. In addition, they've got an amazing market below the train tracks where tiny vendors sell electronics scraps like transistors, vacuum tubes, and all sorts of other good stuff.<br />
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<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x60188cd0b91bd8c7:0xdeed3dee72419b05&q=Shinjuku+Station,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CA8Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=kdV5T6_kJsnQiAL-l-W1BQ">Shinjuku</a>. If you like skyscrapers, this is the best part of the city for them. It's the most stable ground in the area, so as a result most skyscrapers were built here. Some interesting buildings of note are the <a href="http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/japan_picture/albums/upload/tokyo/metropolitan_government_building/normal_tokyo_metropolitan_building_IMG_1890.jpg">Tokyo City Building</a>, the <a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/honeymoons/1/0/P/u/1/01Exterior-tph.jpg">Park Hyatt Tokyo</a>, and Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (shown here)<br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x60188b9d3c1c9187:0x48f9c248e9169cfe&q=Roppongi,+Minato,+Tokyo,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CA0Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=OtZ5T-T4Noe0iQKw1dCPDQ">Roppongi</a>. More foreigners spend their time here due to the proximity of the US Embassy, and as a result, there is a lot to see. Be cautious, as it's not a criminal area per se, but it is one where you may want to avert your eyes from time to time as it's a prostitution and seedy nightlife hotbed. They do have <a href="http://insomnia.ac/japan/images/roppongi_hills/roppongi_hills.jpg">Roppongi Hills</a> (a 55 story building with a great cityscape view - if you're looking for sunset shots with Mt Fuji in the background, this could be the place to get it. It's about $10 to get to the observation deck) and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1azGb0MWS0WQtvOGbnir9JN3NhvsV1x8HlnzdrbUBnn8L5CLyhnLJGtLqNFenvjhUTbfAHOYxk8wRnmKB5CESMksdHoVg04vH_i61UitBlni1GgY8KjBCYu9ZijVctR8f3Rx/s320/Tokyo-Tower-Japan.jpg">Tokyo Tower</a> though, so it's worth a trip in.<br />
<a href="http://spinshell.tv/know/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/inokashiraparksakura.jpg">Inokashira koen</a>. If it is still hanami (cherry blossom season), this is the place to see and be seen in Tokyo. It's outside the south exit of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x6018ee47f6226cc3:0x34e6b69989d52a4e&q=Kichijoji+Station,+%EF%BC%92%E4%B8%81%E7%9B%AE-%EF%BC%91+Kichij%C5%8Dji+Minamich%C5%8D,+Musashino-shi,+T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D-to,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CA8Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=K9t5T5jeIpPKiALe7KisCg">Kichijoji </a>station on the JR Chuo line.<br />
<b>5. I want to get out of the city for a day. Where should I go?</b><br />
There are 3 very doable daytrips out of Tokyo and one that is more difficult that are worth considering. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJYk7FaPcSsZz8kglBIC3jvfGm-03wbYjb1b079CbeFxzhc8IJchDsoQWoKpIfj7oxMmuXpyQLx-wQB2qSx78pGa9qxcXLbeIgTDHHDwQj96o_FqyponCUzHGKs8ngaOPRyHg/s1600/DSC_5162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJYk7FaPcSsZz8kglBIC3jvfGm-03wbYjb1b079CbeFxzhc8IJchDsoQWoKpIfj7oxMmuXpyQLx-wQB2qSx78pGa9qxcXLbeIgTDHHDwQj96o_FqyponCUzHGKs8ngaOPRyHg/s320/DSC_5162.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>1. Kamakura</i>. Kamakura is the former capital of Japan and is unscathed despite the calamities that have befallen Japan in the last 100 years. It's approximately 90 minutes from Tokyo and it's got some amazing buildings and people seeing that you will not get in Tokyo. If you want to see Japan as the tourist brochures see it, this is the place to go. Consider traveling in via the JR Yokosuka line from Tokyo or Shinagawa stations, getting off at <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x6018459ef1474ff1:0x9d9582f9739c4f6b&q=35.337217,139.545088&ved=0CBAQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=NNl5T6-JBKrYiQKR9cm-BQ">Kita-Kamakura</a>, and walking past some of the best Japanese shrines - Engakuji, Meigetsuin, Kenchoji, and Hachimangu, on your way to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x601845c22b871c07:0x6b286f26515f8c49&q=35.319107,139.550549&ved=0CBAQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=DNp5T4PNFoquiQL5htDKBQ">Kamakura </a>station, where you will take the Enoshima line to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x601845f1aed9da29:0xbaf7ba8d86929408&q=35.311236,139.536049&ved=0CBAQ-gswAA&sa=X&ei=Kdp5T4yvKYqSiQKpq-zMBQ">Hase</a>, where you can see the daibutsu (a huge metal buddha statue) and Goryo shrine, which has some great views of the city.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsNqvSOcqSiqQ1TucxNOOWu-1rN6V1VFUsuTPCZwONJ25rjkd6rEy5K8zyVCkr7j8Hadw_ifhQ6J43jXmMhKIzmo__uDorOiMrWbrmDg1halkN04EVUI2eQlAmYfeFu-es0yJ/s1600/DSC_5316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsNqvSOcqSiqQ1TucxNOOWu-1rN6V1VFUsuTPCZwONJ25rjkd6rEy5K8zyVCkr7j8Hadw_ifhQ6J43jXmMhKIzmo__uDorOiMrWbrmDg1halkN04EVUI2eQlAmYfeFu-es0yJ/s320/DSC_5316.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>2. <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x601fa4b7c69ac8d1:0x6f526b42961dd1c0&q=Nikko,+Tochigi+Prefecture,+Japan&hl=en&ved=0CA0Q-gswAA&sa=X&ei=g9t5T_qVK-bTiAKjtK2iBQ">Nikko</a>.</i> Nikko is more difficult to get to than Kamakura, but if you don't mind, it's amazing. You can take the bullet train to Uchinomiya, then transfer to a small local line to Nikko if you have a JR pass or take the Tobu Nikko line from Asakusa to get there. Either way, it's about 2.5 hours outside of Tokyo, so it's a bit more time consuming. If the cherry blossoms are gone in Tokyo though, you have an excellent chance of seeing them here. The highlight of Nikko is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrines_and_Temples_of_Nikk%C5%8D">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a> that includes the shrines and temples built by Tokugawa. Out a bit further is the Nikko National Park, which has some amazing sites as well.<br />
3. Mt Fuji. Unfortunately I've never done this, so I can't speak to it, but it's supposed to be phenomenal. You can take the bullet train from Tokyo to Odawara and then take local lines from there into the park.<br />
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4. Kyoto. Yes, Kyoto is about 3 hours away by bullet train. Yes, it's a really long trip and a lot is just scenery passing you by. Yes, Kyoto is amazingly worth it. If you were to do this, you'd want to take as early a train as possible so you can fit in as much as possible. My wife and I did this as a day trip and it worked. Kyoto has a good bus system that will get you to the prime sites (Kiyomizu dera, Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, Nijo castle, and Ryoanji) and there's a lot more to see here. Really, it's not a day trip, but if you want to see this and you don't know when you'll be back, it may be worth the trip. If you do come down here from Tokyo, consider the <a href="http://www.jrpass.com/?gclid=CMuw5LXUlq8CFQ-ChwodXlfpxw">Japan Rail Pass</a>. It's $340 for 7 days, but you'd spend that on one bullet train trip.<br />
<b>6. I want to eat. Can I do that?</b><br />
Eating is easy in Japan! You can eat any non-Mexican food at any price point you want. You may want to consider a yakiniku (grill your own meat) place - though if you do, do it at lunch as it's significantly cheaper. Yoshinoya is a chain of meat bowl places that is available around the country, and they are really good. In addition, there are vending machines and convenience stores on almost every corner, and they have a lot of things available to satiate your hunger.<br />
7. Packing.<br />
See <a href="http://sorroforro.blogspot.com/2012/03/corpulent-traveler.html">my earlier post</a> on this topic!<br />
<br />Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-56419971262878522392012-03-30T09:10:00.003-06:002012-03-30T09:10:41.766-06:00Obamacare for the Supremes<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While I didn't get the opportunity to actually participate and be in the gallery when the Supreme Court heard the challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), I was busy going back and forth across Capitol Hill all day and as a result, I was able to see one of the great debates of my generation on both sides. The first time I went from the Senate side to the House side, I was concerned about the general state of the protests. I'm not a fan of the act, but it seemed like everybody who was up there was organized to support it - generally a bad thing if you're on the other side. They had an incredibly catchy chant, and the opposition was few and far between. I saw the same scene when I went back from the House side to the Senate for my next appointment.</div>
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The third time was different. I crossed back from the House side to the Senate after lunch and they must have done shifts because now the folks who opposed ObamaCare were in front of the court. They didn't have a chant, but there were a lot of them there.</div>
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It seemed like the longer the day wore on, the more heated people got. You can see one of the folks down below - he got in a heated argument about how you can't support Israel and support President Obama. Meanwhile, someone else was arguing about illegal immigration with a Native American - the one person in the world who has the most legitimate claim on our lands out of anybody. </div>
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I was really happy to be there to see one of the defining court cases of my time and get some documentation of it. Take a look:</div>
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<br />Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0NE 1st St & NE Maryland Av, Washington, DC 20543, USA38.8905651858898 -77.00570583343505938.8890201858898 -77.008173333435053 38.8921101858898 -77.003238333435064tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-66195053239911874432012-03-24T09:52:00.002-06:002012-03-24T12:36:41.591-06:00The Corpulent Traveler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the things I've noticed during my time traveling is that it seems like we don't seem to bring less while traveling, we actually bring more. Regardless of how many people there are, most folks show up at the airport with an SUV full of equipment and a couple of sherpas to pack it. I have consciously decided to go against this trend as much as possible. As such, here are some thoughts on how you can too. If you really want to pack a dead yak inside of your luggage, then try to cram that bad boy in the overhead compartment, I really can't stop you, nor is this post for you. I would just say good day, and enjoy yourself. On the other hand, if you're interested in making your trip to your destination enjoyable too, by all means read on.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Genesis: </b>
I used to pack a lot more than I do now. Some of this was because I was inexperienced in the art of travel, and part of it was because I could. I've been an elite with Delta for quite some time now, so I've been able to take a full set of weights in up to 3 checked bags for what seems like an eternity. However, I had an epiphany 2 years ago in San Francisco. My wife and I had taken our (at the time) 2 kids on a trip to Northern California, flying into Sacramento and out of San Francisco. Because our daughter was getting a little old for a stroller, we took 2 separate umbrella strollers so that we didn't have to carry them both everywhere, along with a set of clips to hook them together if the need arose. We had a single mid-sized piece of checked luggage for the 4 of us along with 2 rollaboard suitcases. We both also had on regular sized backpacks. This was a little heavier than we normally would pack, but because the only time we'd have it all together outside of a car was riding BART to San Francisco International, we thought we could manage. Of course, we stuffed them to the rafters on the way out and forgot about getting some souveniers and bread from Boudin. By the time we were actually on our way to BART (via a city bus), we had the rollaboards, a plastic bag, a box of bread, 2 backpacks, and 2 separate strollers. It was a NIGHTMARE. Let me say that again. It was a NIGHTMARE. We must've looked like the upper crust of homeless people, frantically shuffling all our earthly posessions to a bus so we could catch the bus to the train to the airport. It didn't stop there. Have you ever tried taking a house from street level down 50 feet underground? Well, it's not easy. We had to make separate trips, leaving kids freaking out and unattended because they were scared of the escalators and we still had to take down enough possessions to take care of Sherman's Army on its march to Atlanta. It was at this very moment in time where we decided enough was enough. No more!<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Principles:</b>
We came out of this with 2 principles that drove everything else:
1. Keep your hands free at all costs. With 2 kids, you need those hands. With more, you need them more. With less, it's nice to know you can use them.
2. 1 suitcase only. I don't care if you have a dozen kids. Find a way to get it into 1 suitcase or less.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Application:</b>
The first thing we did when we got back was to get a new double umbrella stroller. I know that they have these SUV sized beasts that have cupholders, cruise control, and 20 inch rims these days, but those will help you naught as you work to bring your travel corpulence in line. The fact of the matter is that a double umbrella stroller folds up smaller than anything else. You can gate check it and it's light enough to manuver through checkpoints and such. Beyond that, it's insanely cheap. We had had one of these, but 2 years of kids and travel around the world had destroyed it. We immediately reupped our commitment and got one.<br />
The second thing we did was ditch the rollaboard suitcases. We've been huge fans of the Amazing Race for years and years and one of the main things I noticed but never truly paid attention to was the fact that every team that was of any threat to win the race had on hiking backpacks (you know the kind - internal or external frame, they run from about your butt to your head). We went to REI and picked up one. I tested it out on my next business trip to Washington DC before giving it a thumbs up, and it came through brilliantly, holding my camera bag, 2 suits, and assorted other whatnot. My wife has continued to use a slightly larger than standard backpack instead, and so far it's been so good - we haven't needed 2. In my opinion, this is the best travel invention known to man. I know that it can get heavy (I've loaded mine down with upwards of 50 lbs of stuff), but you'll feel light as a feather knowing that you aren't carting something around behind you. You can go up stairs, you can go over uneven paths, you can do anything. You are only limited by your feet. There's a reason that serious Amazing Racers use them. It's because they just work. Your arms are free to take care of what they need to - be it take care of your boarding pass or fend off an attacker with a knife.<br />
The third thing we did was eliminate our aversion to washing things while on vacation. I know that hotels charge you a kidney for any laundry they do. Who says they have to do it? They provide you with all the essentials in your room - soap, water, a washboard, and a drying rack. You can scrub your clothes in the sink, using the porcelin and granite to function as the washboard and then wring them out and dry them on the shower curtain rod or other drying implements. You can even use the in room hair dryer to speed the process if you desire. As a result, we've dramatically cut down on the amount of clothes we take. Typically you can do 1 change of clothes on your back and 2 in the bag per person. One thing that we also like to do is get travel Febreze and wrinkle release to freshen up your clothes.<br />
The fourth thing we did was figure out what we could buy in country. It's worth it to go out with less diapers or baby food if you can get it where you're going relatively easily. You don't want to spend your entire trip looking for a drug store, but do a little research beforehand and discover what is available and where you can find it.<br />
Fifth: get a bigger checked bag. I wouldn't go out and do this immediately, unless you've got a big family. My rule of thumb is 2 adults + 2 children can fit in a medium sized checked bag. If you've got more than that, you're going to need to super size that bag. Get the largest one that fits an airline's definition of checked bag. We got an Ogio 9700, so named because it has 9700 cubic inches of space. It just barely squeezes in under their definition of a checked bag. "But what about weight?!" I hear you saying already. Fret not! Pack clothes and/or diapers in here. Nothing else. If you have to because of the TSA's liquid restrictions, make sure it's in lightweight plastic - preferrably ziploc bags (that way you can collapse them as the need arises). For everything else - books, media, shoes, etc, that's why you have that nice hiking backpack from step 2.<br />
Sixth: Get an iPad. I realize that we're getting expensive here, but hear me out. Not 3 months before Steve Jobs took to the stage to announce the iPad, we bought our kids one of those cool portable DVD players for our upcoming trip to Japan. The only problem? It was a pain in the butt! 2 hours of battery life, the size of a goat, and the need to take your entire media library with you. He announces it, and I immediately get it. It was an absolute godsend on that trip. It's changed our travel lives. We now have 3 (one for me, one for my wife, and one for the kids). It's got enough battery life to get you between almost any 2 airports in the world. Not only that, but it holds hours of movies, it does books, it has games. We have replaced a foot high stack of books (each) with a little piece of aluminum and glass less than an inch thick. We've gone from 10 lbs of trees to a pound of tech. It's absolutely astonishing, and it's a must have travel companion.<br />
Seventh: You don't need all that crap. Yes, there are some toiletries (hair treatment, toothpaste, makeup, etc) that the hotel/motel/cruise ship/campsite won't have. Get sample sizes of these (available at Target or Walmart) and use those. Don't try to pack your whole beauty regimen in a suitcase. It's a recipe for disaster.<br />
Eighth: Ship it. I've done some speaking engagements for various conferences that have required handouts. I'll do research to find the nearest Fedex Office and go print my stuff there. If it's materials like books and whatnot, I'll send that stuff a few days early to my hotel via USPS or UPS so that it's there when I need it at a reasonable cost. It's not worth lugging it yourself.
<br />
<br />
<b>Finally, here's my packing size guide for families: </b><br />
Yourself: 1 hiking backpack.<br />
Yourself + Significant Other: 1 hiking backpack + 1 small backpack<br />
Yourself + child: 1 hiking backpack<br />
Yourself + S.O. + child: 2 hiking backpacks (ideally) OR 1 hiking backpack + 1 rollaboard sized checked suitcase<br />
4 people: 2 hiking backpacks OR 1 hiking backpack + 1 standard sized checked suitcase<br />
5 people: 2 hiking backpacks + 1 rollaboard checked suitcase OR 1 hiking backpack + 1 small backpack + 1 full sized checked suitcase<br />
6 people: 2 hiking backpacks + 1 standard sized checked suitcase OR 1 hiking backpack, 1 small backpack, and 1 full sized checked suitcase.<br />
<br />
Ultimately you can do this. We just went to Tucson last November and because we didn't want to pay for car seats we still managed to stuff all of this in just 1 full sized checked and 2 backpacks, despite having 3 car seats. Give it a try...once you feel the unfettered freedom of walking through the airport without dragging things behind you, you'll never go back!Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-45802004332051005542011-11-01T10:01:00.000-06:002011-11-01T10:01:46.429-06:00Thoughts on ForgivenessI just finished reading <i>Unbroken </i>by Laura Hillenbrand, and this post will discuss it in some depth, so if you haven't read it but want to without spoilers, feel free to do so now.<br />
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I've read quite a few POW books and quite a few World War II books, and it seemed like <i>Unbroken</i> would be the same kind of story...average joe (well, usually they are more than average - they had some sort of popularity before the war) who is thrust into atrocious circumstances and survives despite the odds. For the first while, that's how it was. Louie Zamperini was a world class runner who ended up crashing in the ocean. After spending some 40 days on a raft going 2000 miles across the Pacific (see below), he <iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Kwajalein+Atoll,+Marshall+Islands&daddr=United+States+(Palmyra+Airport)&hl=en&geocode=%3BCTaLP9QeqZNlFaDGWQAdpw9X9iFD8iLxTHZBEg&aq=1&sll=6.358975,-161.809387&sspn=2.505652,4.01825&vpsrc=0&mra=ls&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=7.830604,-177.618862&spn=3.9004,31.111011&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
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was captured by the Japanese on Kwajalein Atoll and then sent to Ofuna camp (Kamakura area), followed by 2 tours (one at Omori - in Tokyo Bay, just north of Haneda airport and one at Naoetsu, on the Sea of Japan) under one of the most sadistic camp guards in the Japanese system - Mutsuhiro Watanabe, aka The Bird. He was so bad that he ended up being a Class A war criminal, right up there with Tojo. He was irrepressibly brutal to the POWs, beating them on a daily basis, debasing them, and doing everything he could to make life miserable. Life in the camps wasn't exactly like staying in a Hilton, it wasn't even as good as life in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi_Hilton">Hanoi Hilton</a>. After the defeat of the Japanese empire, Zamperini went home, but couldn't bring himself to forgive his captors. <br />
This inability to forgive didn't help Louie get over the war. Instead, night after night, he had nightmares where The Bird was trying to kill him and he was trying to kill The Bird. As Hillenbrand said, Louie was the captive of The Bird even after he returned from the war. This spilled over into his personal life, ruining relationships and driving him ever deeper into alcoholism. Finally, as his wife was about to leave him, he found religion and forgave his captors. <br />
How do we apply this to us? The first thing that struck me was how the principle of forgiveness has been misunderstood. We assume that it's for the other person - the one who has wronged us. We get wrapped up in whether they deserve forgiveness or not. Instead, it's not about them - it's about us. We are required to forgive everybody because ultimately it hurts us if we don't. The Bird went about his life and made millions, never knowing or caring whether Louie forgave him or not. Louie couldn't move on until he had forgiven The Bird. <br />
I know that there are people who have done horrific things to others in this life, should they be forgiven? I think this is a bit of where the problem comes in. If they do something to me, I should forgive them...whether they should be forgiven or not for their sins is up to God and God alone. However, as long as we continue to harbor ill feelings towards them, we are in their power whether they know it or not. As we decide to forgive and forget, we are set free from the prison of hatred and despair that keeps us bound to the past and can move on with our lives, free with the knowledge that God is just and that He will return good for good and evil for evil. He is a perfect judge and will do what is best for everyone. Stephen Covey says "it isn't the poisonous snake bite that does the harm. It's chasing the snake that drives the venom to the heart," and that's what not forgiving someone does - it eats at us day by day until we finally stop and rest from our obsession and allow the cleansing power of the atonement into our lives, and with it, the peace that forgiveness and letting go can give us. <br />
One of the big things that I've been learning is the power of letting go. We can't control everything and if we try, I think it slowly drives us crazy. Not in the institutional sense, but stress wise it pulls us tighter and tighter as we try to balance everything in our lives. As we get pulled tighter, little things that may otherwise not be an issue can cause us to snap. By letting go of some of these things, we can acknowledge the reality that we can't do everything ourselves and let grace take a role in our lives. It's an eternal paradox that by giving up control of some things, we gain control of all things.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-56217177488921745202011-10-04T23:10:00.002-06:002011-10-04T23:10:53.629-06:00Gender and the Priesthood
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">On <a href="http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2011/10/official-declaration-3/">Times and Seasons</a> today, they had an interesting post that hypothesizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints puts out a declaration that mandates leaders come from minorities because too many Caucasians have leadership roles. In the end, it was to talk about women getting leadership roles in the church. Right now in the LDS Church, just as in most churches, the Priesthood leadership is made up of men. Is there a possibility in the future that this could change? Sure. If it does, I will certainly support it. At this time though, I don’t believe that it would happen, nor do I think it’s wise. Why is that? Read on for my top 2 reasons:</span></div>
<ol class="ol1">
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">The Proclamation on the Family. The church has pushed the importance of traditional family roles, with the father being a provider and the mother at the center of the family. What if women were suddenly available to be Bishops, Stake Presidents, or General Authorities? The church is now taking them out of their traditional roles and putting the father there. While I think I do a great job with my kids, I can’t imagine putting me in that role instead of my wife. She is absolutely incredible with the kids and I’m so grateful that she’s able to stay home with them. To take her away from that for extended periods of time would be absolutely incompatible with established church doctrine, not to mention harmful to the most important group in the church: the family.</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">The blending of the genders. This is something that I’m really not a fan of. I know it runs counter to the past 40 years, but there are some fundamental differences between men and women. For starters, there are the obvious physical differences, but there are also other differences too. Men and women mature differently. They have different types of brains. I’m not just making this up, there’s a whole host of scientific data to back it up. I hate to break it to people, but there is a big difference between your typical man and your typical woman. I certainly think there are areas where it can blend, and gender equality is important, but so are having specific roles. Women tend to be better multitaskers, they tend to be more maternal, and they tend to be more empathetic. Men tend to be better at cutting through a single task, they tend to be more aggressive, and they tend to be more aloof from a situation. What is it that children need? I would argue that while they need both, if they had to have one or the other, I’d choose the female traits. It’s not to say that either is better than the other overall, but I would absolutely argue that in the most important area of life - raising the next generation - women are better than men. As such, I think that commoditizing women and their role by tossing them together with men eliminates the things that make them special in the first place.</span></li>
</ol>
Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-61248696603453184642011-07-05T21:13:00.000-06:002011-07-05T21:13:49.373-06:00Playing Chicken with the Debt Ceiling<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/12/14/sheehanillo_wideweb__470x415,2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/12/14/sheehanillo_wideweb__470x415,2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Right now there's a big debate in Washington about whether we should increase the debt ceiling or not. To hear each side of the argument, I believe the world will end if they don't get their way. What actually would happen if August 2 rolls around and there isn't a deal in place to push the debt ceiling up? Right now the government will only be able to afford 44% of its obligations in August if a deal is not reached. Here's my projection about what would happen. There's a lot out there, and some people like to say it's the Mainstream Media scaremongering us into acquiescence, but the fact is that there are very serious repercussions of hitting our limit and running out of money, so to speak. Our choices would be as follows: pay the social obligations (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security). Pay interest on the debt, some government, and the troops. Pay some of each. Here's what would be most likely, just based on common sense. Of course, common sense says to stop the showdown and make a deal, so here we are.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Scenario 1</span><br />
August 2: All non-essential government personnel are furloughed. The Departments of Education, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture are shuttered because there is no need for them to stay open as they will not be processing any outgoing funds. National Parks are closed. Airlines and airports are forced to pick up the tab for TSA or else cancel flights. They do in hopes that things will resolve soon. Interest rates on US debt (and thus on credit cards, mortgages, car loans, and any other loans originating in the US) begin their long climb higher. The US loses it's AAA credit rating.<br />
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August 3: Social Security checks are withheld. This is the only possible option. To do anything else would be even more catastrophic. This means that millions of seniors who are living hand-to-mouth run out of money. 15% of seniors depend wholly on their Social Security to survive. They would be forced to food kitchens or other options out of necessity. Additionally, to make things worse for them, the government stops Medicare checks to providers. This includes hospitals, nursing homes, hospice, home health care, and every other segment of our health system. Because these companies cannot shoulder the burden for long, every senior getting health care is on borrowed time. By the end of the month, thousands of health care workers are let go and millions of seniors no longer get health care. <br />
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August 15: Interest rates on the 10 year T-Bill (currently at 3.125%) are at 15%. With no end in sight, the Treasury department tries to roll over $500 billion in maturing debt. Existing bondholders, concerned that they will take on too much risk by participating are lured in by higher interest rates. A spike in rates to 20% costs the government trillions and leads to a massive selloff in stocks. The Dow drops from 9,000 to 7,500 in just a few minutes, wiping trillions of dollars of value out of the market. The dollar drops to an all time low against the Euro, hitting $1.75/euro. It likewise falls against every major currency in the world. Meanwhile, the housing, auto, and lending markets lock up as consumers are unwilling to pay the interest rates. This causes a massive selloff in financial stocks, leading to the collapse of Bank of America. Because the government is unable to use any funds to pay FDIC insurance or drive BofA into another bank's arms, millions had their life savings wiped out in the blink of an eye. The US credit rating descends to Junk status, below that of Greece, Portugal, and Ireland.<br />
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August 20: Hundreds of thousands of protesters gather in Washington DC demanding an increase in the debt ceiling. These protests start out peacefully, though anything could turn it into a powder keg. The state of Texas announces its plan to float its own currency. It is in negotiations with several other states on how to bond together to protect their citizens<br />
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August 25: The Dow is at 6,000. Major corporations announce their withdrawal from the US market. Due to unrest and uncertainty, over 1 million illegal immigrants have left the country. This leads to a lack of labor for the upcoming harvest. By the end of fall, millions of pounds of food will have rotted in fields. The dollar went below $2.00/euro. Gold is over $2500/oz and silver has skyrocketed to $60/oz. Oil prices have skyrocketed due to the currency fluctuations and currently stand north of $200/barrel. This has led to gasoline prices over $7.00/gallon in some places. People have abandoned their cars in many places because they can't afford to fill their gas tanks. The combination of people out of work and no credit has impacted every aspect of American life. American Airlines went out of business. The combination of record high oil prices and having to pay for airport security was too much for the venerable company. Delta, United, Southwest, and US Airways have drastically cut schedules as they cannot afford to fly and neither can the public. What started as a peaceful protest in Washington has descended into something more akin to anarchy. On the third day some protesters got violent with Capitol Police. The police struck back in self defense, but that incident led to the National Guard being called into service. Because of the situation in the country, they were only able to get half as many troops called up as they anticipated. President Obama will address the nation tonight from an undisclosed location and declare Martial Law will be in effect, along with suspension of habeas corpus until things have calmed down. Congress is said to be within hours of finally brokering a compromise package that has become dramatically bigger than was previously necessary due to interest rates compounding the debt crisis. This package includes drastic cuts in government spending and large tax increases on the wealthy. It is estimated to save $4 trillion over 10 years. Meanwhile, the budget deficit is projected to increase from $14 trillion to $28 trillion due to increased borrowing costs during that time. <br />
<br />
August 31 - President Obama signs into law a debt ceiling increase of $4 trillion dollars. The markets have stabilized on the news with the Dow at 5000, the S&P at 500, and the dollar bottoming out at $2.10. Meanwhile, yields on T bills are slowly dropping back to earth. They will slowly drop from their peak at 35% and end up at around 15% over the mid term due to the increased instability that our new credit rating implies. We have our agreement, and it only took erasing $10 trillion in assets to do it.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Scenario 2</span><br />
<br />
August 2 - President Obama, invoking the 14th Amendment, declares the US debt limit has been raised to $18 trillion. Congress immediately sues. As the case winds through the courts, credit markets are soothed. The case makes its way to the Supreme Court, where President Obama declares that he will follow FDR's path - if the Supreme Court doesn't see things his way, he will immediately appoint 6 new justices to the court. Chief Justice Roberts sides with President Obama's interpretation. His leadership will get him reelected in 2012 by a landslide. Meanwhile, Congress passes back into Democrat hands as the tea party members of the Republican party are defeated in an historic fashion.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Scenario 3</span><br />
<br />
July 22 - With hours to spare, the two sides make a deal that involves spending cuts and some tax reform. The economy is spared and life goes on as normal.<br />
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I know that some of this may seem outlandish, but something to remember is that when Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, we plunged into the Great Recession. That was an investment bank. This is the largest economy on Earth. It's a matter of scale, and this is not at all out of the question. It may be a more worse case scenario, but it's definitely not out of the realm of possibility. Unless the two sides realize that they need to broker something so both sides can win, one way or another, everybody loses.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-16395082202507615392011-06-15T16:03:00.001-06:002011-06-15T16:03:21.420-06:00Illegal Immigration, The LDS Church, You, and I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.worldnewsheardnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/illegal-immigrant-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.worldnewsheardnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/illegal-immigrant-sign.jpg" /></a></div>Last Friday the LDS church again made mention of its <a href="http://newsroom.lds.org/article/immigration-church-issues-new-statement">specific immigration policy</a>. Again, there was heated debate over why the church would do something like this. Does it mean that we don't believe in the Thirteen Articles of Faith? Does it mean that the church PR department is off the rails? Does it mean that they're just wrongheaded and don't know what they're talking about. All these are issues that I'll comment on, however, this is just one guy's opinion. I want to preface this with that. Just because my opinion is different than yours doesn't mean that either one of us is "right." Neither does it mean that either one of us is good or bad. They're just opinions. Hopefully I can add to the discussion.<br />
<ul><li>Why does the LDS church support HB116 when it clearly is a violation of the law?</li>
</ul>I think there are a couple of reasons for this. Because I'm not a representative of the church, it's hard for me to say what they are, however, they did articulate some of them in their statement. First, by pushing just enforcement, it kills compassion towards illegal immigrants. Rather than giving them a helping hand, it kicks them to the ground. It drives them into the arms of criminals and others who can protect them, rather than allowing them to be open, fruitful members of society.<br />
I'm going to use an example from literature here. Imagine you are Jean Valjean. You steal a loaf of bread and suddenly you are in prison. Then, you get out of prison, you get the work card that says you are a prisoner and it's difficult to get honest work because of that yellow ticket. What does he do? He turns to crime again. What stops him? A priest who shows him a better way...which again, involves breaking the law. That's what we're doing to illegal immigrants. They come here looking for a better life for their families, but soon find that it's a lot harder than they think. In order to make it work, they turn from honest, law abiding activities to things like identity theft so they can get the identification to get to work. That is a very real side effect of our illegal immigrant hunts. You have to steal a SSN to survive, and that kills somebody's credit.<br />
By turning these people who are, by and large, honest people who are stealing a proverbial loaf of bread into yellow ticket carrying criminals, we make an extraordinarily large segment of the population (at 12-30 million, that's 5-10% of people in this country) into proverbial Jean Valjeans as we play Javert. Who watched <i>Les Miserables</i> (or read the book) and thought "I'd like to be more like Javert?" Instead, we should not condone what they did, but rather, give them an opportunity to atone for it through being productive dues paying members of society. While not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, HB 116 comes closer to that than anything else we have.<br />
Second, it changes the focus of the debate. Too often it is so emotionally charged that the rhetoric turns into "you hate Mexicans" and "no, you're an Anarchist." I think that the Church feels that is damaging for society as a whole, so let's try to move beyond that and focus on a compassionate way to treat everybody like people who are trying to do best instead of chattel to be used as pawns in a battle against the Federal Government.<br />
<ul><li>Isn't giving these people who broke the law any form of amnesty condoning their behavior and thus subjecting us to more illegal immigration in the future?</li>
</ul>It certainly would seem this way. It's basic Broken Windows theory (i.e. if you leave a window on a building broken instead of fixing it, you invite people to break more, to vandalize, and otherwise despoil your property), which I am a big believer in. If you offer amnesty, you open the door to an additional 12 million illegals who will want to take their chance on the next opportunity. The difference between this and classic Broken Windows is that with our immigration system as it is, we're already offering incentives to break those windows. People aren't coming over our borders hoping for amnesty, they're coming over because they don't want to wait in the world's longest line. It's like when Apple releases a new product concurrently on the internet and in stores. I could go wait in a line for hours, or I could order it online and have it shipped to my house. Sure, I may not get it as quickly as when I wait in line, but at the same time, I can get on with life. Of course, there are differences of scale. Waiting in line for a green card is a Kafkaesque nightmare, while you risk your life crossing the border. Both are bad choices, but expediency trumps waiting every time. The bottom line, and I think the Church sees this, is that we will not be able to stop illegal immigration without the federal government's help. When states take it upon themselves to enforce federal laws, it opens up a world of problems. 1. We don't have a fence around the state. Indeed, we can't. 2. We don't have border guards watching for people coming across state lines. It's the same issue.<br />
I know that Rep. Chris Herrod has a statistic that since Arizona has implemented its enforcement law, they have had an outflow of 500,000. While I'm sure the law had something to do with it, the drop in illegal immigrants nationwide shows that there's more to it than their law. Indeed, in the US between 2007-2011, illegal immigrants went from 12 million down to 11 million. Arizona accounts for a good portion of that, but so do other states. The common thread here is the US economy. If it picks up again, I would bank on an increase. If it stays moribund, we're going to stay in a holding pattern. Where there are jobs, people will go - especially if they are relatively good jobs, relative to their current one, that is.<br />
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<ul><li>What can we do to change things? This is ridiculous!</li>
</ul><br />
I have to agree there. It's ridiculous that people have to wait in a neverending line to get into the United States. It's ridiculous that the border is as porous as it is. It's ridiculous that the immigration debate gets heated so quickly and turns into nastiness. It's ridiculous that nobody can fix it. <br />
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<ul><li>I might as well live in Mexico - look at all the Spanish around me!</li>
</ul><br />
This is a tough one. There is a lot of Hispanic centered marketing around, and it can be hard to communicate. It can also be hard to talk to my computer rep in Bangalore. It's one of the downsides of our world economy, unfortunately. There is a silver lining to this cloud though: it's happened before. It happened with the Poles and Chicago. With the Germans and Milwaukee. The Chinese and San Francisco. The Italians and Boston. Everyone and New York. When an immigrant wave comes, the first generation needs the support that is exemplified by all the signage and marketing in a foreign language. However, the subsequent generations quickly become Americanized and soon speak just as well as anybody else. They aspire to learn English, to fit in. They move from their localized areas and meld with the rest of society. What's better is that the second generation of Hispanic immigrants are doing this at a pace that leaves every other group in the dust. They have become and are becoming Americanized far more rapidly than anybody else in our nation's history.<br />
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<ul><li>They're bankrupting the nation!</li>
</ul><br />
They're also paying into our nation. I know an illegal who had a social so she could have a job. Her employer found out, and she was let go. However, all of the money she earned was taxed. She didn't get anything from it, and never will. That's money that goes into the system. It's free money. This happens with everyone who gets a fake SSN to be employed. That's not saying they make it up, but I would think we're pretty close to a wash.<br />
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Here would be my simple (though probably not politically simple) plan:<br />
1. Stop demonizing the other side. Those against illegal immigration aren't bigots. Those who favor keeping illegals here aren't buffoons who just don't get it. Likewise, not every illegal is a criminal, just as not every speeder is a criminal.<br />
2. Control the borders. I'm not talking about a giant fence straight out of Berlin. I'm talking about better patrolling, spot checks, and the use of satellites and other technology to make sure we're secure. I don't care about the migrant worker coming across. I am concerned about the drug cartels and terrorist organizations who can move across willy-nillily.<br />
3. Liberalize immigration. Quotas of people who can come from certain countries or for certain visas is an archaic notion that smacks of institutional racism. It did in the 1900s and it does now. Let people in if they pass a simple background check. We don't want criminals, but we don't want to penalize entire nations with ridiculous restrictions. We want the best and the brightest. We want those who want a better life. We want people who will contribute to society so that we won't sink under the greatest Ponzi scheme of all time - Social Security and Medicare. Without immigrants, that's impossible. Let's make it easier for them and for the rest of us at the same time.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-68772329748726809282011-06-03T22:40:00.000-06:002011-06-03T22:40:33.988-06:00Why I Can't (At Present) Support Jason Chaffetz<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Politics/396/223/chaffetz_hatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Politics/396/223/chaffetz_hatch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rep. Chaffetz/Sen. Hatch. from Fox News</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A lot of the hullabaloo in Utah right now is about Jason Chaffetz running against Orrin Hatch for his Senate seat in 2012. I hope he either chooses not to run or is defeated. This doesn't come down to policy reasons, but to a couple of practicalities:<br />
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1. Rep. Chaffetz' staff in Washington are not helpful. I go to Washington every year to lobby for my industry and company. I have been greeted and treated warmly by the staff and offices of the following individuals: Rep. Cannon, Rep. Matheson, Rep. Bishop, Sen. Hatch, Sen. Bennett, and Sen. Lee. Some have been okay, some have been good, and some have been great. Sen. Hatch's staff fall in the latter category. I would put Sen. Lee's staff above them, in large part to his amazing Chief of Staff, Spencer Stokes. They really were incredible for us this past year. You'll notice that I didn't put Rep. Chaffetz' staff in this list. The reason for that is because, while they have been kind enough to meet with us, the niceties ended there. We were herded in like cattle, asked what the bill number was that we wanted him to support, told he doesn't sign letters, and then, when we asked his office to make a call to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on our behalf to stop a rule that was almost universally called ridiculous, told that they were too busy for such trivialities. I know that calling hearings about the latest TSA insanity or talking about how illegals are ruining the country are great kabuki, but when it actually gets down to what he should be doing - representing his constituents and their concerns, he's fallen short. <br />
One thing I would like to make clear is that this is not a blanket condemnation of everybody who's worked with him. I know great people who have been a part of his campaign and/or regional offices, but where it really matters, in representing my concerns on my behalf to the Federal Government, he's so far behind Senator Hatch that I could never make the switch without a complete 180 on their behalf.<br />
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2. Seniority. Senator Hatch beats this drum, and it's a legitimate claim. Assuming the Republicans gain control of the Senate (a very real possibility) he'd be chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, while Senator Chaffetz would be a junior Senator and member of some randomly picked committee. You know who would be chair of the Senate Finance Committee if he was defeated? Olympia Snowe. You may feel that Sen. Hatch is too liberal, but you don't know the meaning of the word if you think he'd be worse there than Sen. Snowe. Not that she's a bad person, just that if you care about the makeup of the people who hold the pursestrings to the nation, you may want to reconsider who you're supporting.Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-47586886335095601942011-06-02T21:01:00.000-06:002011-06-02T21:01:25.844-06:00A Change in FocusSo I'm changing this up. For starters, a blog post here and there. Secondly, it's not going to be, as my brother so fondly puts things, "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422093/">The Diary of a Mad Black Woman</a>." I've done a little of that in my time doing this blog, perhaps more than I should have. Instead, it's going to be long form thoughts that are too much to put in a Twitter feed or in a Facebook post. Sure, I'll link from there, but that's what it is, long posts that I would like to chat a little about. I think that I, like many others, fell prey to what I'll call "Ender's Syndrome." For those who don't remember or haven't read it, it's from the book <i>Ender's Game</i>, where Ender's sister Valentine and his brother Peter anonymously blog (for lack of a better term) to the betterment of humanity, or so they believe. That "anonymous individual bettering humanity" angle is why I think a lot of people blog and blog about what they blog about. Yes, I used blog 3 times in less than 10 words. At any rate, this is now a forum for me to fully flesh out ideas that can't be described as pithily as other formats require. Hopefully it is a fruitful transition! <br />
Oh, one other thing. As much as possible, I'm avoiding negativity on here. There will be times when I have to talk about why I'm not in favor of something, but hopefully I can keep it positive. Feel free to comment here or on Facebook or Twitter. I'll be happy to respond!Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-28786956214808694482010-05-08T09:43:00.011-06:002010-05-08T16:02:09.933-06:00The Utah State Republican ConventionI was going to do something using Cover It Live for the convention, but because the iPad doesn't do multitasking like computers do, I decided against it. I'll do this instead, updating as I go. <br />
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9:45 am. The convention is about to convene and if I were a betting man, I'd say Bob Bennett is a dead man walking. I like him a lot and think he's a good man, but he's fighting against a lot today.<br />
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10:15 am. We had the prayer and pledge, and I love how interesting it is to hear prayers from other religions. <br />
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10:20 am. I'll post a picture later, but the Cherilyn Eager shirt is the nail in the coffin for me. The tag says "made in the USA because it matters." Ugh. <br />
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10:25 am. And here comes the annual delegate challenge from people who don't like what we do and how we do it. When will they stop? Fact is the party is fine with it and so are the delegates. <br />
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10:27 am. Chairman Dave Hansen just shut down the annual debater on automatic delegates in a way that was just stupendous. Thanks so much for doing it how you did. I've never seen it handled so well. <br />
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10:35 am. I have to say that I am again impressed by Chairman Hansen. He has done the best job of running a convention of anybody I've ever seen. He just diffused the usual acrimony and booing that would happen after the mudslinging fiesta we've had in this Senate race.<br />
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10:45 am. I don't think that Bridgewater's speech is doing him any favors. He's got some clap lines, but nothing that makes me think "this guy has to be my Senator." <br />
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10:47 am. You can always count on some big applause when you rail on the UN. <br />
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10:50 am. Wow, Bennett just pulled Mitt Romney out of his pocket. I think that has to help him. I think that right now he's got higher poll numbers here than most deities. <br />
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10:54 am. I still don't see any way that Bennett will make it out of the convention. He's got too many people who are done with him here. Also, AT&T has terrible service here at the Salt Palace. I've got full bars but no connection. <br />
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11:00 am. Jeremy Friedbaum seems like a nice guy, but he's got too many religious references. It has made things a bit uncomfortable. <br />
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11:05 am. Friedbaum wants a Congressional power grab from the Supreme Court. Whether his ideas are good or not, that's a bad idea. The last thing we need is more Congressional power. <br />
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11:15 am. Perennial candidate Merrill Cook is speaking and he's got to be the Don Quixote of Utah because he's going to go out on the first ballot. Nothing new here, move along. Although the interesting thing is he had somebody introduce him that nobody knew. Why was that guy up there? <br />
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11:20 am. David Chiu just compared Sarah Palin to Abraham. That is a huge dis on Abraham. <br />
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11:25 am. Mike Lee has the most interesting speaking cadence. He sounds like a storyteller a la Ken Burns, not a politician. <br />
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11:27 am. Based only on applause, I think that Mike Lee is going to win this thing in a walk. We will see what ballot it will be on. I don't think he's my first ballot candidate, but I think he is it for a majority of the people here. <br />
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11:32 am. Cherilyn Eager just told an amazingly pointless story about some kid with an unnatural desire to hold a globe. <br />
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11:33 am. And there's Eager's isolationist streak again. If it were up to here we would be back in the 30s with high tariffs and a useless League of Nations. <br />
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11:34 am. I might have misinterpreted this, but it seems like Eager just blamed Mexico for terrorism in the US. Near as I can tell there hasn't been a single terrorist attack perpetrated on our nation that has come from Mexico. She just sounds shrill to me.<br />
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12:09 pm. In other convention news, Bennett is beating Lee in the "best spread for the delegates." Lee was ahead this morning thanks to donuts and muffins, but the cookies, chips, and soda of Bennett's are putting him in the lead. He could win something today, even if it is something as ridiculous as the spread Sorro likes the most. <br />
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12:21 pm. Richard Martin is speaking and bringing up some good points, but nobody's really listening. I do feel bad for him in this regard. Being the first after balloting is a bad position to be in. I hear his criticisms, but he doesn't have any plan to fix it. <br />
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12:23 pm. "I've written 33 books" is not a good reason for me to vote for you for Governor. <br />
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12:24 pm. Neither is "Thomas Jefferson is my grandfather" or "my father was in World War II."<br />
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12:25 pm. Super Dell Schanze is up...this should be good<br />
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12:26 pm. Some other guy is speaking for him. I am seriously disappointed. <br />
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12:31 pm. Oh yeah, I remember this guy now. He's just repeated his promise from 2 years ago and said that Super Dell will also help us "4x" to "100x" our income. <br />
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12:33 pm. Back to serious candidates now. We've got Dan Oaks up. <br />
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12:37 pm. Oaks thinks that Utah being the best managed state in the US is not a good reason to keep Herbert in. I think that he knows he's in trouble. <br />
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12:40 pm. Governor Herbert is up and it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that he will win. The only way he won't is if he gets up and proceeds to go on a killing spree in front of the delegates. <br />
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12:54 pm. Rob Bishop is speaking and his speech is just rambling enough that you know he knows he's safe. <br />
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12:56 pm. Mike Ridgeway is up. As he is a perennial thorn in everyone's side, I'm curious to see what he says. For those who don't know, he is the kingpin behind the anti-automatic delegate movement. <br />
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12:59 pm. Ridgeway's original beef is with Rob Bishop. It seems like he has pulled that out to the entire party, saying that the corruption from the time when Bishop was chair is still here today and that we are under the thumb of a tyrannical group. Whether Bishop was a problem or not, I don't know. Nevertheless, it's interesting to hear his history. <br />
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1:15 pm. Nothing much to report from the second district candidates. Nevertheless, I just saw one of the most amazing beards I've ever seen. <br />
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1:29 pm. I know that Jason Chaffetz is the golden boy of the Utah Republican Party, but I'm still not a big fan. <br />
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1:34 pm. Chaffetz' standard sendoff just seems so trite and focus grouped. <br />
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1:35 pm. Mike Lee 28%. Bridgewater 26%. Bennett 25%. Eager 15%. Now we are going to see Eager's people switch to probably Bridgewater with maybe some Lee. I think that Bennett is done, but you never know. <br />
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1:53 pm. I think Mike Lee just committed political seppuku with his speech. He spent his time complaining about how he's been beat up, and he has. Unfortunately for him, he came off looking like a spoiled child. Bennett's been beat up the most and you haven't heard boo from him. <br />
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2:04 pm. Just hit 50% on my iPad battery. That's 5 hours of total bad connections and updates. Not bad Steve Jobs. <br />
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3:20 pm. Now I'm just waiting for results. Let's get this thing done so we don't run into the Jazz. <br />
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3:30 pm. Bridgewater 37%, Lee 36%, and Bennett with 26%. It is pandemonium here. I've never seen such a cheer rise up from the delegates. This is one discontented group!Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-53216332553415135342009-12-01T08:51:00.000-07:002009-12-01T08:51:56.018-07:00The Twilight PhenomenonI know that the chicks dig all things Twilight, and here are a couple of amazing parodies that I love that give you a feel for if you want to go see it (again) or not:<br />
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<object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Ze2EnFNuQQLjoBA8ouWahA"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Ze2EnFNuQQLjoBA8ouWahA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object><br />
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<object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/dXOQ9yUhO8vGzg7z77LxCg"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/dXOQ9yUhO8vGzg7z77LxCg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object>Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-50299255921771873922009-12-01T08:50:00.000-07:002009-12-01T08:50:33.875-07:00Franz Kafka InternationalAfter watching The Amazing Race on Sunday where the racers had to go through a Kafkaesque bureaucracy because they were in Prague, this made me laugh. It made me laugh even more when you realize it's somewhat similar to travel today anyway.<br />
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<object width="480" height="430"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.theonion.com/content/themes/common/assets/onn_embed/embedded_player.swf?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theonion.com%2Fcontent%2Ffiles%2Fimages%2FKAFKA_AIRPORT_article.jpg&videoid=94031&title=Prague's%20Franz%20Kafka%20International%20Named%20World's%20Most%20Alienating%20Airport" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.theonion.com/content/themes/common/assets/onn_embed/embedded_player.swf"type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" width="480" height="430"flashvars="image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theonion.com%2Fcontent%2Ffiles%2Fimages%2FKAFKA_AIRPORT_article.jpg&videoid=94031&title=Prague's%20Franz%20Kafka%20International%20Named%20World's%20Most%20Alienating%20Airport"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/video/pragues_franz_kafka_international?utm_source=videoembed">Prague's Franz Kafka International Named World's Most Alienating Airport</a>Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-52508254190079372402009-11-18T09:18:00.000-07:002009-11-18T09:18:47.053-07:00Taxing the Little ManSome Democrats have proposed taxing stock trading in order to help pay for all of the ridiculous spending plans that they have (health care, the original stimulus, another stimulus) and say that somehow individuals won't notice it because "...it’s very small, likely 0.25 percent of each trade." That warms the cockles of my heart...it's small, so I won't notice it!" While on my individual trades I may not notice, I will start seeing it when it hits the mutual funds in my 401(k) and when it hits the broader market and all my stocks go down as a result. Why is it a good idea for the government to get a piece of every transaction whether it's a gain or a loss on top of the extra 15% they take for every gain you have?Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-35823472347471576942009-10-27T07:31:00.000-06:002009-10-27T07:31:24.888-06:00Football HeroWhen plastic guitars just aren't enough:<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0XjwoVqM_qE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0XjwoVqM_qE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-36220250123622952982009-10-26T11:33:00.003-06:002009-10-26T11:52:24.219-06:00Another Reason Keith Olbermann Should Have Stuck with ESPNIf there is another person out there who drives the discussion into the gutter more than Olbermann, I'd like to know who they are. Any time that you label someone who makes a comparison that may be slightly out of bounds (at least in your opinion) as "one of the worst people in the world" perhaps you should toss yourself up there on the screen as well. On top of that, it takes a certain amount of hubris to lecture a former Supreme Court candidate on law when you yourself are a former sportscaster and current full-time blowhard. How could this have been different if, instead of doing a drive by defaming, Olbermann actually asked Elder Oaks for an interview where he could have had a civil conversation? Oh, that's right. Oaks would have been seen as the rational one, which would have completely ruined Olbermann's point. Take a look at Elder Oaks' clarifying comments below the MSNBC video:<br />
<div><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/33319827#33319827" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">Breaking News</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">World News</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">News about the Economy</a></p></div><br />
<object width="425" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/media/mediaplayer.swf?media=http://broadcast.lds.org/newsroom/video/flv/Elder_Oaks_BYUI_13Oct09.flv&type=FLV"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param><embed src="http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/media/mediaplayer.swf?media=http://broadcast.lds.org/newsroom/video/flv/Elder_Oaks_BYUI_13Oct09.flv&type=FLV" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" width="425" height="300"></embed></object>Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11032691.post-12582357511232697922009-10-19T09:34:00.000-06:002009-10-19T09:34:26.866-06:00Ladies and Gentlemen, the LA Convention Center!I was in LA last week for a convention (no, not Adultcon - that was 2 weeks ago) and in my travels around the convention center, I came across some bathrooms that looked like I had walked through a portal to the third world. Take a look below - a stainless steel trough urinal. I couldn't believe it! Here's one more sign that California is bankrupt.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXB8H0a8nwAQAKsDYb-IidRoeWVPEQLVs6969BzGcYumyqpcZW57c24hbG1KMN0mjAJcboMxNEgeYgfdA8nH1iV5N6cq0SW9mugEKh2pI-NON1F1mefg3jQs9_VGrmEb-K65_D/s1600-h/IMG_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXB8H0a8nwAQAKsDYb-IidRoeWVPEQLVs6969BzGcYumyqpcZW57c24hbG1KMN0mjAJcboMxNEgeYgfdA8nH1iV5N6cq0SW9mugEKh2pI-NON1F1mefg3jQs9_VGrmEb-K65_D/s320/IMG_0570.JPG" /></a><br />
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Also, just for Logan, here's the carpet:<br />
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</div>Beau Sorensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03670899760967950373noreply@blogger.com0Unknown location34.040284904540641 -118.2705688476562534.022503904540642 -118.29975134765625 34.058065904540641 -118.24138634765625