Happy Thanksgiving

A fun game

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Happy Halloween

My Wife Really likes Red Cars

It was pure luck that the (heavily discounted) 2007 show floor model happened to be red. It was bad judgment by the Volvo dealership to not make a reasonable offer on a V50. Had they done this, we would never have even visited the Saab dealership. On another note: It is a little odd that this time, having previously purchased new cars by Toyota, Buick, BMW and GMC--we only considered the two Swedish car makers. Of course those manufacturers are owned by GM and Ford.

:-( DIY Redoux

:-( DIY

Finally after many days of travel and such...

I Get a spot of exercise!

If you thought the Hummer was big...

Take a look at this.

I went to the International website and these go for between 80 and 120 Thousand. This is not such a bad deal when you consider that a Hummer (the big one)lists at over 50K and is basically an SUV. You can tow heavy construction equipement with one of these rigs and have room for a crew of 5.

Note: In case it seems odd that I didn't really post many pictures of D.C. The reason is that last time I was there, I took all kinds of standard tourist pictures. They are posted in the Jan 2006 archives--so if you want some nice pictures of The National Mall and the White House, go there (the Jan 2006 archives).

At the PDA/FDA joint conference in DC

Not much to post at this point: I took a few pictures when I got here, mostly of the Lincoln Memorial. It was quite a moving experience, mostly in reading the inscriptions carved into the walls: The Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address

Fellow-Countrymen: AT this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured. 1 On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, urgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came. 2 One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." 3 With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

I don't know the guy in this picture and do have one shot with just the statue, but I like this one because it gives some sense of scale.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Very difficult to not get choked-up reading those lines in that place.

Jemma goes to kindergarten

For two years she has watched her two sisters get on the bus. On this day she will get on too.

Happy anticipation...

All lined-up...

Getting on...

Gone...

Recession 2008?

This was the sobering title of an OP/Ed in last weekend's WSJ by John Makin. He starts out:

Over the past half century, every U.S. housing downturn as sharp as the current one has translated into a U.S. recession. U.S. house prices are falling at an annual rate of nearly 4%--an event not seen since the Great Depression--and the downward trend is accelerating.

I am no macroeconomist, but my pet theory for housing prices is that prices are based upon what people can afford per month. I don't think too many people purchase homes with cash, they get a 30 year mortgage. For example: Say a worker can afford $2,000/month on a mortgage. If the interest rate is 5% then he can afford a $372,000 loan, if the interest rate is 10% he can afford only a $228,000 loan. When interest rates are low, people can afford bigger loans and so they bid-up the prices of houses. When the rates are high, fewer can afford houses and sellers must accept lower prices.

The standard view on interest rates is that, once you account for inflation, the rate depends on the demand for money. When an economy is strong there are lots of good opportunities available and the demand for capital is high, which drives up interest rates.

Could a strong economy have in it the seeds of its own downfall? Yes, this is why macro always did make my head spin.

Only one run while in NH

A Running debate

A coworker brought this article in for me today: A running debate Competitors split on headphone ban at road races By Irene Sege, Globe Staff | August 20, 2007

I am certainly sympethetic to the view of people who think that the best running experiance involves awareness of the environment and of your effort. That is fine and on some zen-level, they are probably right. So what? Not everybody is out running to achieve oneness with nature. I run, mostly to allow me to eat a lot without getting fat. This is pretty much the opposite of spiritual.

There used to be practical considerations. When I was a younger, faster runner and the music devices much larger and heavier than the mp3 players we now have, my objection to running with music was that it looked really uncomfortable and not at all worth it. Now that an Apple Shuffle is about the size of a matchbook and holds about 16 hours of music, the practical problems are gone.

The whole controversy is about banning headphones in races. There is a whole liability issue, which in our risk-adverse society, makes it understandible for race organizers to entertain bans. A well-enforced ban might casue fewer runners to enter a race, so organizers will have to take that into consideration too. If I ever run a marathon distance again, I think it would be nice to listen to music--three and one half hours of just pounding the pavement with no entertainment doesn't sound fun to me.

Why would anyone else care? I mean, yeah it is all, "you're missing the whole spiritual side of running dude", but making rules involves telling people what they can't do. Most people are fine with rules when it is all about protecting innocent bystanders but if the only justification is that it ruines the experience, well that is tyranical or at least bossy and not in a good way.

I say, unless there are a few specific instances of accidents in races, traced directly to headphone use--let people do what pleases them.

So Sad...

Pooja time

UPDATE: Here are some more pictures of the event--Thanks Nithin!

The airconditioner in that little room (about 150 square ft) is 12,000 BTU and has proven to be a bit oversized. I got a large one because with all those windows, I figured it was better to over size it. In this case it was just right. There were about 20 people at the pooja and it was on an afternoon where the temperature was 90F. I had the unit set to 68F and it ran continuously and never got below 70F.

5 of us, 2 in-laws, brother and wife (2), Uncle and family (4), Aunt and family (4), Guest of Aunt (1), Guest from Brookline (1), Guest of Uncle and family. =20

Her name is Calypso

My Sunday run

I ran for 2 hours and really should have covered more like 15-16 miles in that amount of time. I would have done this too, but around mile 7 or 8 I lost all energy. I took around an hour for the first 8 miles and spent another hour on the final 5.

UPDATE:

I ran this again last Saturday and did it in three fewer minutes. If I can cut another 11 minutes off, I will be on the pace I need to do a 3:30 marathon. Assuming, of course, that I could run a 2nd 13.1 miler just as fast as a first one! dbp

Our new dog

Jemma just had to check out the pet carrier we got. The actual dog doesn't come untill Monday--Knock on wood. Update: Looking at the picture, I bet Dahlia could have fit. She wanted to try and crawl-in but I thought she was too big and would get stuck.

I was half-sleeping last night and watching HBO. I was awake for part of a show called Flight of the Conchords and it was great!

Here is a video by the guys from the show.

It is mildly not for kids.

Half-asleep HBO discovery.