Obama’s 27 Year Old Speech Writter…

Helping to Write History
By Eli Saslow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 18, 2008; Page A01

During the campaign, the buzz-cut 27-year-old at the corner table helped write and edit some of the most memorable speeches of any recent presidential candidate. When Obama moves to the White House next month, Favreau will join his staff as the youngest person ever to be selected as chief speechwriter. He helps shape almost every word Obama says, yet the two men have formed a concert so harmonized that Favreau’s own voice disappears.

“He looks like he’s in college and everybody calls him Favs, so you’re like, ‘This guy can’t be for real, right?’ ” said Ben Rhodes, another Obama speechwriter. “But it doesn’t take long to realize that he’s totally synced up with Obama. . . . He has access to everything and everybody. There’s a lot weighing on his shoulders.”

Especially now, as Favreau and the rest of Obama’s young staffers begin a transition that extends far beyond new job titles. Three months ago, Favreau lived in a group house with six friends in Chicago, where he rarely shaved, never cooked and sometimes stayed up to play video games until early morning. Now, he has transformed into what one friend called a “Washington political force” — a minor celebrity with a down payment on a Dupont Circle condo

Inspiring to see someone so young accomplishing so much, through composition alone.

We Refinanced Our Mortgage Today

We have refinanced (or at least started the process) and locked in at 4.96 after paying a point (it was 5.6 without the point, lenders wanting up-front money and assurance in today’s market). We are rolling in the point and closing costs into the new loan and we’ll still be saving $140/month over our current loan (and if we hadn’t rolled in the costs, it would only have saved us $21/month more).

Obviously, this may be biased, but here’s an article that helped me make up my mind:

Say Hello to the Best Rates in History
by Victor Burek
Posted Dec 17 2008, 08:11 AM

In today’s economy things are changing very quickly and you can chase rates for a while but you don’t want to miss the boat. I would advise all readers, determine a rate that makes sense as far as what it costs and how much you are saving. Once rates hit that level, lock, close and move on with your life. Rates can and will go lower, but there is much more room above for rates to go higher then below for rates to go lower. And keep in mind, LIFE happens, things can change, you could simple forget to make 1 payment to a credit card and your credit could fall and now you don’t qualify. One month ago, rates where 1% higher then they are now, 2 months ago rates where 1.25% higher then now. So, as you can see, things can move quickly.

Birth Control Pills Affect Women’s Taste In Men

I thought this was a very interesting article

Birth Control Pills Affect Women’s Taste in Men

It’s all about scent. Hidden in a man’s smell are clues about his major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, which play an important role in immune system surveillance. Studies suggest that females prefer the scent of males whose MHC genes differ from their own, a preference that has probably evolved because it helps offspring survive: couples with different MHC genes are less likely to be related to each other than couples with similar genes are, and their children are born with more varied MHC profiles and thus more robust immune systems.

A study published in August in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, however, suggests that women on the pill undergo a shift in preference toward men who share similar MHC genes. The female subjects were more likely to rate these genetically similar men’s scents (via a T-shirt the men had worn for two nights) as pleasant and desirable after they went on the pill as compared with before. Although no one knows why the pill affects attraction, some scientists believe that pregnancy—or in this case, the hormonal changes that mimic pregnancy—draws women toward nurturing relatives.

Sadness, No Home For The Blounts

We had gotten VERY excited about a house we were going to buy.

We made an offer, they countered, we accepted… all today (Sunday). We were waiting on the counter-offer-paperwork to sign and send back… well, instead of getting that, we actually got notified that the offer was retracted. Someone else made a better offer and we weren’t given an option to bid back.

Of course, this was after we’d told everyone and after we’d gotten really, really excited about this house. It really was perfect for us - expandable, large, great neighborhood, great character and charm… it really felt like us… the 30 other houses we’ve looked at all paled in comparison.

Now we’re depressed, we feel like we’ve looked at all the available houses in the areas we want to live in, which are large enough.

In the grand scheme of things, this is a minor annoyance. We’ve got our jobs, our health, our family and friends - and the most beautiful and perfect little girl… we’re doing great. But I’m still feeling very sorry for myself.

*pout*

Bad Time To Want To Buy A House

This Jan. we thought it would be a good time to start looking for houses, since the rates came down… but being slow and you know, having a child - we just recently got out and actually looked at houses.

By now the rates are over 6% for a standard 30yr mortgage. We have perfect credit and decent everything else… but the lenders are just not passing along the reduced rates.

Furthermore - the costs of houses are unstable… in some ways that’s good for the buyer, as we could haggle more effectively… but the down side of that is - if we buy a house, in 2 months, the house may well be worth less than what we paid for it. That’s the whole problem with most of the junk loans and though ours wouldn’t be as serious as the ones all over the news, it’s still an issue.

– references –

http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/credit/2008/03/17/why-bernanke-is-ignoring-you.aspx

You’d think that lower interest rates would help out struggling borrowers. Yet while the Federal Reserve has moved repeatedly to cut rates, the positive effects of those cuts aren’t getting to those who need them most.

Unfortunately for many borrowers, however, the Fed’s actions aren’t
having the effect they might have hoped for. After dropping
substantially in January, mortgage rates have risen back toward the
range they traded in before the Fed started making cuts.

But just because rates are falling, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to
take advantage of them. Because of tighter credit terms, you won’t
necessarily be able to get a loan. Falling home prices mean that you
may not have equity left in your home to borrow against. It’s a bad
situation for everyday borrowers and consumers.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/03/18/economic_quicksand/

Many economists expect Fed policy makers to cut the central bank’s key
interest rate by 1 percentage point, but they worry even this reduction
won’t halt the erosion in confidence undermining the economy. Lower
interest rates, which aim to boost the economy by enticing consumers
and businesses to borrow and spend, provide little help if lenders
aren’t loaning money out of fear they won’t be repaid.

…

The Fed has cut its benchmark rate by 2.25 points since September, but
the economy has continued to deteriorate. Most economists believe the
United States has entered a recession, and many increasingly expect it
to be longer and deeper than the recessions of 2001 and the early
1990s, both of which lasted eight months.

Prescription Drugs In Drinking Water

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows

To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit, Michigan, to Louisville, Kentucky.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/10/pharma.water1.ap/index.html

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88062858

I almost hesitate to have relayed this information. One more scare-story isn’t exactly what I’m into… but for some reason this story struck me as something that should be spread some… it seems like something people ought to have in the back of their head and if enough people asked about it, perhaps it wouldn’t get swept under the rug so easily. perhaps.

Chirstmas In Louisville - Blount/beatty/mcclure/weatherman

A good and busy Christmas this year.  We stayed in Louisville because Anita’s too close to due-date to travel.  Had 7 different family engagements in two days and enjoyed every one… though at the end of things we are certainly tired.  We had too much food and too much sugar, enough sleep and a great amount of fun.

Photos of Christmas:

PS: +Facebook

Also - I setup a facebook profile +photos, because it’s the thing to do.  I had one a long while ago, but ignored it because most people I knew were on myspace.  Back to facebook, because it’s a heck of a lot more clean and easy to use. (anyone who disagrees is only doing so because they are used to myspace).

Inside Toyota’s Hybrid Factory | Cnet

Inside Toyota’s hybrid factory | CNET News.com:

TOYOTA CITY, Japan–While you’re touring the assembly area in Toyota’s Tsutsumi auto plant, your mind keeps telling you that you’ve been here before.

Then it hits you.

It’s a lot like the Snow White ride at Disneyland. Robotic cars filled up with wiper blades and other parts amble along a track in the floor, taking parts from the procurement department to other ends of the factory. So that workers don’t back into them, the robots emit an upbeat four-note ditty as they burble about. Overhead, chairlifts that look like they came from Disneyland’s PeopleMover bring doors from one side of the factory, where they get removed from their cars, to another, where they get reunited with their parents after getting fitted with handles and interior panels.

Sarah And Molly - Brown Bagging It

Check out this wonderful (heh) picture of molly and Sarah going to Sarah’s wedding…

News: Engineered Cells Beat Cancer In Human Test

Engineered cells beat cancer in human test | Chicago Tribune:

In a small study of patients with terminal skin cancer, Maryland scientists have demonstrated for the first time that genetically engineered immune cells can kill off large tumors.

The research, conducted by a team at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, remains highly experimental, and it worked on just two of the 17 patients in the study.

But excited government scientists said it is the first time gene therapy has vanquished an advanced cancer. More important, the technique could serve as a potent new assault weapon against breast, lung and other, more common cancers, researchers said.

Vacation In Houston

Anita, our step sister Maddie (14), and I went to Houston, from July 20 through August 1st.  We drove.

[map
First, we drove to and camped at the Hot Springs National Park, during the hottest part of a heat wave.  Our A/C could occasionally not keep up, it was so hot… so when we ended up at the park, we went wading (which turned into swimming for some) in a creek that ran through the park.  The park itself was nice enough.  A little more developed than I would like, but at the same time much more less than most commercial campgrounds and pretty much what you might expect form a National Park.  There were some good trails we barely explored and the setting was pretty, no doubt.  It ended up being so hot, Anita and I slept outside of the tent - preferring insect affliction to heat.

[map
We then finished the drive to Gainesville, TX, quickly - visiting my Uncle Bob and Aunt Doris.  We played Chicken Foot, ate food, went for a drive around town and a walk around the cemetery (I have lots of names I should associate on stone there).  Doris and Bob both looked good, and were as warm and friendly as always.  They had a small dog (Shitzu) which was actually really cool for a small dog… unusual.

[map
After spending the night and the morning in Gainesville, we drove to Rosenberg, TX (southwest of Houston); finally at my mom’s house.  Here we started a pattern we often repeated: playing games, eating food, occasionally starting/doing projects, a lot of waiting on things to start, and enjoying glorious proximity.  Some of the highlights include: doing clay projects on mom’s potter’s wheel, playing with the chickens (not really playing, but it felt kinda like that to us “city folk”), setting up and using the above ground pool (~15′ diameter), playing ping-pong (I got beat by Lucilo), and several good meals.  We planned on going fishing in Galveston, but weren’t able to because of rain - but that didn’t stop clay work nor going to museums.

One of the main things that happened was the preparation for and attendance of the “Celebration of Life” Memorial Service for my Grandmother: Margaret RuthPennington (Penny).  She died of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease, after a 15 year struggle.  It was sad, but after that long, and her being progressively debilitated for so long, it was almost a relief (for her sake).  I plan on writing something specific to her at some point, so I wont go into it too much here, but it was a huge part of that trip - a theme which brought us together and made us hold on to each other. 

[map
After the service and another day of hanging out with family, we headed back home… at the begining of yet another heat wave.  We stayed in a hotel that night, somewhere around Memphis and made it to Louisville, early afternoon on July 31.  Anita and I made it back to Columbus on August 1st and tried to relax, as best we could.  (~2500 miles traveled)

2004 Election Stolen? (yep)

Was the 2004 Election Stolen?
Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted — enough to have put John Kerry in the White House. BY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.

This is a great article, full of well cited and reasoned points… pointing towards a conclusion which may well get you branded as a conspiracy theorist… but still seems the most likely explanation.

But what is most anomalous about the irregularities in 2004 was their decidedly partisan bent: Almost without exception they hurt John Kerry and benefited George Bush. After carefully examining the evidence, I’ve become convinced that the president’s party mounted a massive, coordinated campaign to subvert the will of the people in 2004. Across the country, Republican election officials and party stalwarts employed a wide range of illegal and unethical tactics to fix the election. A review of the available data reveals that in Ohio alone, at least 357,000 voters, the overwhelming majority of them Democratic, were prevented from casting ballots or did not have their votes counted in 2004(12) — more than enough to shift the results of an election decided by 118,601 votes.(13) (See Ohio’s Missing Votes) In what may be the single most astounding fact from the election, one in every four Ohio citizens who registered to vote in 2004 showed up at the polls only to discover that they were not listed on the rolls, thanks to GOP efforts to stem the unprecedented flood of Democrats eager to cast ballots.(14) And that doesn?t even take into account the troubling evidence of outright fraud, which indicates that upwards of 80,000 votes for Kerry were counted instead for Bush. That alone is a swing of more than 160,000 votes — enough to have put John Kerry in the White House.(15)

Meditation Relieves Stress… Anyone Surprised?

According to the article: Transcendental meditation good for stress: study it goes a bit further than just getting relaxed…

Practicing transcendental medicine not only mellows the mind but may also calm the body’s damaging responses to stress that leads to heart disease and diabetes, researchers said on Monday.
…
Meditation has been previously shown to lower blood pressure, but researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, found it also decreased heart rate variability and insulin sensitivity.

hurry up John… help some old people.