Sequester this and sequester that

Lately, the word sequester is the most overused word in the United States.  Another example of a catch phrase of the day.  Lockbox anyone?  WMDs anyone?  It's all smoke and mirrors again. 

Even worst word, sequestration, sounds like castration.  Yes, it's like removing the balls of the economy.  Or is it?  What jobs will be really affected?  Time will tell us. 

Right now, my bet is: life will go on and the impact of the budget cuts won't be as dramatic as painted by both Republicans and Democrats.  Why?  Because all that talk about economy collapsing and huge impact on the markets was just a vessel to our packets to extort more money by another tax.  I will leave it at that.

Some articles:
New York Post
Washington Post

Time travel: back in time or into the future?

Last night, my nine year old son, asked me a simple yet baffling question: If you could time travel and had to choose between going back in time and going into the future, what would you choose?

Simple question with enormous consequences of your choice.  

For starters, let's establish some ground rules of the time travel based on the solid scientific knowledge drawn from the top 50 time travel movie hits.  My picks include only the movies I've seen, sorted by likeness.  Also, the assumption is that you could come back after your time jump.

Groundhog Day (1993) - my all time favorite movie with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell based on the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  The movie was actually filmed not far from Chicago, in Woodstock, Illinios.  The bed and breakfast manor was actually for sale couple of years ago.  
Rules: there are no rules or consequences 

The rosiest, make-you-feel-good time travel trilogy with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd:
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part II (1990)
Rules are simple: you need a DeLorean with flux capacitor, any change will affect the future.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) - first movie of the Austin Powers trilogy starring Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Elizabeth Hurley, Seth Green, and Mini-Me, Verne Troyer.
Rules: you can travel into the future in cryonic state, you keep your mojo.

Planet of the Apes (1968) - this one is a classic with the great Charlton Heston and awesome special effects.
Rules: you need a spacecraft with hibernation technology, respect the monkey.

The Butterfly Effect (2004) - without a doubt, this movie makes you think about the consequences of your actions, heavy flick but Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart are great in it.
Rules: to change the future, you must change the past, your actions affect lives of people you love.

12 Monkeys (1995) - who doesn't like Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt in this disturbing hit? The movie brings a lot of questions regarding our actions that destroy the future.
Rules: you can't bring any technology with you to the past or the future, unreliable time travel, hit or miss destinations.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) - the best movie when it comes to fixing your present time.  Your knowledge of the history, technology, and music can pay off nicely.
Rules: you need a magic hot tub with Russian energy drink, steal any idea from the future.

Timecop (1994) - he's no Bueller, but Jean-Claude Van Damme fights for his true love played by Mia Sara. 
Rules: you need a high-tech delivery system and, apparently, your own power plant. Change your future with no regrets.


Deja Vu (2006) - Denzel Washington is just good.  Even when it comes to time travel.
Rules: you can only affect the past four days, limited travel

Looper (2012) - Bruce Willis just likes time travel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt figures our the paradox, and I just like Emily Blunt.
Rules: you need friends at Triad to access the time travel capsule, you can take technology and metal with you.

The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) - movie is based on the actual US Navy experiments during WWII.
Rules: you need a giant destroyer

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1988) - besides Keanu Reeves, how come Alex Winter and George Carlin didn't get the Matrix roles?
Rules: you need a phone booth and you can bring/take anything/anyone from the past 

Finally, the Terminator saga started by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton.
The Terminator (1984)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Rules: you can only travel to the past, you can't take any weapons, I guess you would need to be a mighty hacker to actually change anything related to Skynet.

It looks to me that travel to the past is a more efficient way of changing your future, meaning present time.  So, I will go with traveling to the past.  Of course, I would choose the time travel technology that would allow me to take a laptop or some almanac to play the stock market or build a web search engine UberNoogle.  The possibilities are endless and your imagination could run wild.  

As for my son, remember: all you need to change your future, is to make smart choices in your life and the good things will happen.  I know you will.  Tata.

The hidden truth behind mass food production in America

If you care about the food-related health issues in America, you must read below articles. By the health issues, I mean obesity, coronary disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypersensitivity, and other food-related issues. By America, I mean the United States of America. Thanks Mike and Moira for sharing those articles.

I urge you to read it whole. It’s amazing. And by amazing, I mean WTF!

The New York Times: The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food
100 Days of Real Foods: Food Babe Investigates: How Food Companies Exploit Americans with Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

One comment. If you indulge in junk or processed foods, you better save those receipts because my suspicion is that in the near future, the class action suits against major food corporations and fast food chains will follow. Just my 2 cents.

Government is not hurting the economy – service economy it’s hurting itself

The Washington Post article by Ezra Klein, “Government is hurting the economy – by spending too little“, brought to my attention by my friend Michael, attempts to convince us that the government spending is the key to the robust economy. The statistics seem to work in Mr. Klein’s favor. The government spends less, the economy dunks.

Source: Der Spiegel 5/11/12

We all know, the statistical data can be interpreted in dozen different ways. One obvious conclusion from this article is the increased dependence of the service economy on the government spending. Just take a look at the Der Spiegel graph showing the correlation between the national debt, manufacturing jobs, and foreign trade deficit. Loosing well-paying factory jobs leads to an increasingly unstable service economy.

Want a proof? Why would a real estate bubble affect the US economy in such a devastating way? No, it’s not because of the foreclosures but because of the lost construction jobs in both residential and commercial markets. Housebuilding is one of the last, true manufacturing niches that remain in the US. Of course, until, someone in China develops an inexpensive way to build modular homes and ship them with ready-to-assemble manuals.

The basic foundation of Mr. Klein’s article if simply misleading. How is the “government” founded? Government this and government that. Government would not exist without OUR money. So really, we are already spending the money and helping the economy, except, in the confiscatory manner.

Is the private sector without a fault? Of course not! shipping thousands of jobs abroad to raise profits for selected few, killed the internal balance of making and spending money by the middle class (if such still exist). Service economy will never be able to fill the gap left by the heavy industry.

US government to the rescue. The interconnected paths of the private and government spending is becoming more and more important to the economy. With the federal government spending our money in every possible way, no wonder private companies look up to the mighty uncle Sam to throw them a bone. Cash for clunkers anyone? Electric vehicle credits? Military contracts? Shovel-ready jobs? Everyone jumps on those government contracts.

So the real question is, how can US survive without the artificial government spending? The larger slice of the economy is overtaken by the government, the more risky the economy becomes. PIIGS countries anyone?
Unfortunately, once the government starts growing without a control, going back is almost impossible without an unpopular and devastating cuts. By the same token, there is a limit of taxation by the government. How much tax confiscation will take for people to revolt? Learning from Gerard Depardieu and Nicolas Sarkozy, about 75%.

Finally, I would read Mr. Klein’s post as a warning and a lesson. If we continue to depend on the government spending, let’s just nationalize the economy and stop pretending that our current system is a pure capitalistic ever-profit-giving golden goose. Perhaps Mr. Obama should put aside the popular replacement issues (healthcare, immigration) and concentrate on what’s the most important at the time – our wallets.

Manti Te’O: Top 10 list of new names

Story of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te’O (MAN-tie TAY-oh) fake girlfriend, Lennay Kekua (leh-NAY kay-KOO-ah), took over the American media like an undocumented immigrant taking over roofing jobs in Chicago.  Of course, we don’t buy his explanation of a practical joke orchestrated by his “friend” Ronaiah Tuiasosopo (roan-EYE-ah Too-eee-ah-suh-SO-po).

Those pesky Hawaiians have their revenge for taking over Hawaii by the United States in 1893 and overthrowing Queen Liliʻuokalani, born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha. Easy for you to pronounce it. Ha.

Obviously, Manti had high hopes for boosting his career. The near future will show if NFL turns a blind eye on this dent in his resume.

Oh, screw waiting, yes, the guy will make ton of money and he will laugh all the way to his gold plated ATM in his new Lamborghini. There.

In case Manti Te’O needs to change his name to accelerate his career ever further, here’s the top 10 list of new names.

1. Wrongtie Yell’O
2. Lanai Spray’O
3. Manshy Hands’O
4. Taipei Pa’O
5. Gentile Tov’O
6. Meatpie Beat’O
7. Turdfly Lam’O
8. Moontie YoYo
9. Mantie Thong’O
10. Bowtie Telltal’e

Gun debate served on a gun sandwich

After all the shootings and the outraged public, president Obama decided to take action signing 23 executive orders to curb gun violence. See the White House list below:

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.

2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.

3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.

4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.

5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.

6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.

10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.

11. Nominate an ATF director.

12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.

13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.

14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.

15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.

16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.

17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.

18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.

19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.

22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.

23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.

As responsible adults, we can all agree that those are very important changes dealing with the increasing gun violence. However, the core of the shootings and killings are committed by criminals. Yes South Side Chicago, that's you as well. 

With all those knee-jerk laws dealing with a long overdue problems, those executive orders are essentially worthless. 

Why? Because with 270,000,000 private weapons in the United States (www.gunpolicy.org), the real issue behind the gun violence is the criminal underground. And what criminals do? Yes, they don't care about any laws. 

Let me illustrate this UberNibbler style with the gun sandwich. Usually, the general population responds better to visual aids. So bite on this.

As you can see, the legal gun owners are the squeezed cheese and the crazies are a baloney. So you can issue as many executive orders or new laws as you want – they won’t solve the problem. BTW, Congress, get to work already. Enough with the party line this and party line that nonsense. We are the people and we demand real actions from the Congress and the States. Get to the bottom of the violence: poor areas, uneducated people, lack of jobs, lack of support, single-parent families. Heal the society and you will disarm the violence. 

Like what you see? Spread the sandwich. Where’s Jared Fogle when you need him?

Sandy Hook shooting and another gun debate

After the tragic shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 young children and 7 adults (6 teachers and killer’s mother), were killed by the gunman Adam Lanza, the gun control debate is taking over the mass media – yet again.

Sandy Hook is different.  The killer had some major mental issues recognized by his mother who, as reported recently, was trying to commit his to a mental institution.  Mother’s plans prompted Adam Lanza to kill his mother and the other 26 innocent people.

Unfortunately, the guns used in this horrific crime came from the mother’s firearm collection.  She was a legal and licensed gun owner in Connecticut.  However, the law, and apparently the common sense, couldn’t prevent this disturbed 20-year-old from using the guns to kill.

Could this tragedy be prevented?  Obviously, the mother knew about her son’s condition and totally ignored the fact that her son had access to firearms.  Could the law be changed to screen for households with mental patients?
If they had been register somewhere – yes.  Knowing the lack of true mental screening net in the United States, those laws are ineffective.

The other side of the coin is the subject of the taboo.  We can’t pretend that guns don’t exist.  Perhaps high school students should receive a hands on training in a ROTC or police-like class?  After seeing a deadly effect of the gun, safety training, and satisfied curiosity, most of the young people would just move on to another subject.

What can be done in the mean time?
On Roe & Roeper show, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry F. McCarthy, brought up a very interesting idea used in New York City already.  Since most shooting are still committed with the illegal guns,  registering each gun sale, would put pressure on the legal gun owners to follow the background check laws.  Even with private sales.  In other words, guns would be treated like cars or motorcycles with title changing hands in the open.

Besides the stringent laws, banning all assault rifles is again on the table.  Can well regulated militia use shotguns instead?  I’m sure that would be fine.

We all know that one law will never change.  It’s the right to posses a firearm.  I have a feeling that in a very near future, a handgun will become the only firearm available for self defense.  It’s time to put that .50 cal sniper rifle away.