Thanksgiving 2008 Slideshow

This is a slideshow done for my CMJ236 (writing for the mass media) class:
Click this for the slideshow

Soda Drinkers, don’t forget your free Dr. Pepper

Some of you may have heard the DR. Pepper said they would give out free sodas to EVERYONE if Guns N’ Roses finally released their album “Chinese Democracy.” Well Guns N’ Roses has released the album and Dr. Pepper is delivering their promise. See the link below for more details.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081120/ap_on_en_mu/guns_n_roses_dr_pepper

You can vote however you like!

Found this video and thought it was great! Although it is a shorter version of the actual performance it is one of the few that actually has clear audio. If you are interested in seeing others, they are all over YouTube!

Provincial law steps in to save those without common sense

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/12/20/quebec-snowtires.html?ref=rss

Unfortunately I can’t get the above text to be a link, just copy and paste it into your browser for the article please…

Everyone has different thoughts on how much the government should intervene with our safety. Over the years we have seen seatbelt use being required by law and helmet laws in many places. Well finally Quebec has gotten on top of irresponsible drivers who fail to switch their all season tires over to winter tires. This is a great idea. Not enough people understand how the cold and snow drastically hampers the effectiveness of their tires. Even an all season tire which is designed to be able handle snow will turn drastically hard and lose it’s performance in temperatures below 40 degrees. While some people may say this law is trying to control people too much and that people should be able to make their own judgment calls, they shouldn’t! Just the other day I was walking into a store and noticed a car with a baby seat in the back and bald tires on the vehicle. The first thing I thought of is this driver is a complete moron. They could possibly have their child in the back, yet they are driving on tires that posses almost no maneuverability or braking ability. Now to get selfish, I really don’t want to be going through an intersection only to be T-boned by this moron who hasn’t taken care of basic maintenance and upkeep of their vehicle. My favorite groups of people are those SUV and truck drivers who think they are king of the road once snow falls. Well guess what you aren’t and common sense should tell you so. Seeing as so few people seem to have common sense with automobiles it looks like this needs to be spelt right out for them. AWD/4WD only makes you get up and start better, once you are in motion it really has very little effect, especially once the vehicle is out of control due to improper tires. AWD doesn’t help you stop better in snow and doesn’t help you corner any better in snow. The rubber on the vehicle controls these characteristics. The optimum setup that would provide the most safety and performance is the setup that educated drivers use; a dedicated set of summer tires and a dedicated set of winter tires. You have summer tires to provide you with optimum grip in the warm months; and winter tires specifically engineered out of different materials to handle the winter weather. Winter tires meet the industry’s severe snow service requirements and are branded with the snowflake-on-the-mountain-symbol.
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Broadcast story

For my broadcast story, I Will be looking into the investigation of the fire in Milo. I will be talking to the police and fire departments trying to figure out who actually started it and where they currently stand in the legal process of prosecuting him.

Andrew Lahde bows out thanks to the idiots, time to go smoke pot

Andrew Lahde, boss of a successful U.S hedge fund company bows out as a wealthy man due to “idiot” over privileged rivals and “stupid” traders after he saw nearly 1000% in profits. Here is a copy of his exit letter, it really is quite a humorous read.

“Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.

Recently, on the front page of Section C of the Wall Street Journal, a hedge fund manager who was also closing up shop (a $300 million fund), was quoted as saying, “What I have learned about the hedge fund business is that I hate it.” I could not agree more with that statement. I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy, only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.

There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list those deserving thanks know who they are.

I will no longer manage money for other people or institutions. I have enough of my own wealth to manage. Some people, who think they have arrived at a reasonable estimate of my net worth, might be surprised that I would call it quits with such a small war chest. That is fine; I am content with my rewards. Moreover, I will let others try to amass nine, ten or eleven figure net worths. Meanwhile, their lives suck. Appointments back to back, booked solid for the next three months, they look forward to their two week vacation in January during which they will likely be glued to their Blackberries or other such devices. What is the point? They will all be forgotten in fifty years anyway. Steve Balmer, Steven Cohen, and Larry Ellison will all be forgotten. I do not understand the legacy thing. Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.

So this is it. With all due respect, I am dropping out. Please do not expect any type of reply to emails or voicemails within normal time frames or at all. Andy Springer and his company will be handling the dissolution of the fund. And don’t worry about my employees, they were always employed by Mr. Springer’s company and only one (who has been well-rewarded) will lose his job.

I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years. I am content sitting on the sidelines and waiting. After all, sitting and waiting is how we made money from the subprime debacle. I now have time to repair my health, which was destroyed by the stress I layered onto myself over the past two years, as well as my entire life — where I had to compete for spaces in universities and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management — with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not. May meritocracy be part of a new form of government, which needs to be established.

On the issue of the U.S. Government, I would like to make a modest proposal. First, I point out the obvious flaws, whereby legislation was repeatedly brought forth to Congress over the past eight years, which would have reigned in the predatory lending practices of now mostly defunct institutions. These institutions regularly filled the coffers of both parties in return for voting down all of this legislation designed to protect the common citizen. This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government.

Capitalism worked for two hundred years, but times change, and systems become corrupt. George Soros, a man of staggering wealth, has stated that he would like to be remembered as a philosopher. My suggestion is that this great man start and sponsor a forum for great minds to come together to create a new system of government that truly represents the common man’s interest, while at the same time creating rewards great enough to attract the best and brightest minds to serve in government roles without having to rely on corruption to further their interests or lifestyles. This forum could be similar to the one used to create the operating system, Linux, which competes with Microsoft’s near monopoly. I believe there is an answer, but for now the system is clearly broken.

Lastly, while I still have an audience, I would like to bring attention to an alternative food and energy source. You won’t see it included in BP’s, “Feel good. We are working on sustainable solutions,” television commercials, nor is it mentioned in ADM’s similar commercials. But hemp has been used for at least 5,000 years for cloth and food, as well as just about everything that is produced from petroleum products. Hemp is not marijuana and vice versa. Hemp is the male plant and it grows like a weed, hence the slang term. The original American flag was made of hemp fiber and our Constitution was printed on paper made of hemp. It was used as recently as World War II by the U.S. Government, and then promptly made illegal after the war was won. At a time when rhetoric is flying about becoming more self-sufficient in terms of energy, why is it illegal to grow this plant in this country?

Ah, the female. The evil female plant — marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other additive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources. Our policies have other countries literally laughing at our stupidity, most notably Canada, as well as several European nations (both Eastern and Western). You would not know this by paying attention to U.S. media sources though, as they tend not to elaborate on who is laughing at the United States this week. Please people, let’s stop the rhetoric and start thinking about how we can truly become self-sufficient.

With that I say good-bye and good luck.

All the best,
Andrew Lahde”

Cleanup and Rebuilding in Milo Continues

MILO, Maine — Town manager assures that there are no environmental hazards due to the fire as clean up and rebuilding efforts in Milo continue.

Last month’s fire destroyed five buildings and damaged another in the town of about 2,300 people. One of which was the Milo True Value hardware store. Town manager Jeff Gahagan said that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Environmental Protection had been extensively checking the site. All paints in the store were water based and petroleum based products had all burnt off. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms destroyed all ammunition and all guns had been accounted for after the fire.

Milo True Value, the Hobknobbers Pub and the Milo Flower Shop all had insurance, but the Game Spot and Milo Theater did not. Total damage due to the fire is about $131,540. The Milo House of Pizza did not burn, but suffered damage from smoke and is closed for at least another month.

The town has plans to redo the area. Gahagan says that there is a lot of interest to rebuild in the area and many ideas are being discussed. Hobknockers Pub owner Valerie Robertson says she plans to rebuild. She has purchased land closer to the water so her customers can also have seating outside along the river.

The Town also has plans to turn the area into Veterans Park Waterfront. These plans include enhancing walkways and the gazebo currently there, creating more green space and parking and beautifying the area.

Gahagan says a burglar trying to cover his tracks at the Hobknobbers pub started the fire. He says that the police do have a suspect, but they are unsure if they will be able to charge him, he did not give a name.

• Veterans Park Waterfront Sketch (Click for enlarged view)
  

My beat

I would like to be able to touch upon both business and science. This year will hold a lot in store for the automotive industry; from the current economic crisis playing a role in loans to the development of alternative fuel sources. I would like to look at some of the most important changes taking place in the industry. I chose this topic because I am an avid automotive enthusiast and have been heavily involved in the industry in various ways for several years now.

 

Origin of the word news

As long as I can remember, there has always been news. I have no idea when the word was first used or what it means, but it is interesting to think about it. It looks like news was meant to mean the new happening things. It really is just the word new with an s at the end, as if it’s referring to multiple new things. In modern times however, we use the words news to refer to the reporting of recent events or people. In modern times, we can receive news from all over the worlds. It is ironic then that news is spelt with each letter found on the compass. North, east, west and south as if to tell us that news happens everywhere, and these important events are what make our news.  According to the dictionary, news is a noun, but I think it could also be an adjective in disguise as a noun.

Political ignorance or just plain stupid?

Take the time to watch this, hopefully you can make it through it without being completely dumbfounded by this woman’s rant:

Is it political ignorance, or is it fair to say that some people are just plain stupid? How can a person honestly justify those actions and words? This woman refers to Presidential Candidate Barack Obama as an “A-rab” and uses that as her justification as to why he should not be our next president. She claims that the fact he is an Arab is completely insane and unacceptable, yet provides terribly weak justifications for her reasoning. She demonstrates perfectly what racial profiling is all about; she takes an incident that occurred with American soldiers and thinks all Arabs must be the same. I bet she has never heard of any of the accounts of American soldiers harassing and humiliating middle easterners.

She also makes some crazy claims that are completely wrong. She at one point claims we are at war with Iraq and Iran, last time I checked I was pretty sure we weren’t at war with Iran. She sounds disgusted and says “Come on American people?” I think she needs to take a good look at herself and the facts before she starts criticizing other Americans. Barack Hussein Obama, she repeats him name many times with emphasis in his middle name. I laugh when I hear people using his middle name as a justification to not vote for him. How can one judge someone’s character by his or her name? I guess people can still judge a book by its cover.

 Now, I am far from a raging liberal, I actually wouldn’t consider myself all too liberal at all, but even I can see that her argument makes no sense, she can’t move on past two points. I would love to ask what her views on different domestic and foreign policy’s are, granted she even has any knowledge on them which it sound like she doesn’t. I really just don’t understand how people can make such important decisions to vote with no knowledge about the candidate whatsoever. I wish people like this would go educate themselves on political issues or please, stay home from the polls and let the informed and knowledgeable vote.