Michael Braun’s Blog

Though I voted for Obama in the Primaries and thought many of Clinton’s campaign techniques were sketchy (at best), I support her nomination for Secretary of State. Here’s why.

1. She’s very intelligent, hard working, and capable.
I think she would have made a great president. To those who do not believe she has what it takes, I think you’re not seeing the complete picture. While she has long stood in her husband’s shadow, as any spouse of the President tends to do, she has cut her teeth in the Senate and consistently demonstrated high intelligence and reasoning. For this position, I have no doubt she will be more than capable of understanding complex international issues and handling them with reasoned action.

2. Secretary of State does not mean hard negotiations in the trenches.
This is a position of dignity, ceremony, and poise. Clinton is all of these things in spades. She can hold her head high and represent the United States as a proud, experienced leader. She can help restore our dignity to the world and aid an Obama presidency with solid experience and leadership. No one expects her to resolve international crises all by herself; she will be a steady and intelligent leader of a well-qualified team.

3. Her nomination helps to unite the Democratic party.
If Obama fails to live up to his promise, butts heads with Congress, or loses favor with the American people, the media would look to Clinton as the first face of criticism. She would represent what could have been, especially as McCain fades to black. This could cause serious tension in the party and further weaken an Obama administration. This point requires imagining a difficult future for Obama, which I do not expect. But should the going get tough, all the better to have Clinton and Obama united.

It looks like she’ll get the official nod tomorrow, and I’ve very excited about that. While my initial picks for State (Richardson or Hagel) will not be nominated for the position, I’ve pleased to see Clinton agree to join the Obama cabinet. It’s shaping up to be the best cabinet of all time.

11/30, 0824. Potentially embarrassing update: It would seem that Dane county is under a Winter Storm Warning from noon today until 6 AM Monday.

I don’t want to be the person who claims that forecasters (or The Farmer’s Almanac) are wrong, only to die buried under a snow drift, but where’s the bad winter I heard predicted for this year? After last year’s terribly snowy winter blast, predictions put this winter as equally bad or worse. I’ve heard snowfall estimates from 125-150 inches.

If that’s the case, where’s all the snow? Thus far, we’ve had an inch or so of measurable snowfall. It was enough to make a few areas slippery, but the temperature today is supposed to peak at 45 degrees. It’s unlikely much snow will stick around through those kinds of highs. And while we’re supposed to get more snow tomorrow and again on Wednesday, it’s predicted to be light. A couple inches is nothing compared to what we’ll need for a consecutive record-setting winter.

Last winter, snow piled up so high because it kept coming. From January onward, it seemed like we had a big snow storm every week. But it got its start with chilly temperatures back in November. There was significant snowfall in November continuing on towards Christmas. While it didn’t stick around, it was a lot more than the sparse covering we’ve had so far.

I guess it’s too early to start calling those predictions fraud. After all, we got at least half a dozen inches in late March, prior to Lauren and me leaving for Paris. And it’s not like I want the predictions to be true. Driving to work and parking underground is paradise compared to walking on campus and depending on the bus. I had to pick up Tony last year from the bus stop during a storm. But now we’re both students again. What will we do?

Hopefully we will get some snow before Winter Break. I’ve got snowshoes that have been gathering dust since April. And my cross country skis have been sitting unused as well. Without snow (though it doesn’t have to be record-setting), these implements are useless! I need snow and snow needs me.

In other news, Lauren and I spent a wonderful afternoon yesterday with Steph and Amos. In the process, we discovered that Cafe Porta Alba’s dessert menu is absolutely delicious.

If I was teaching a course where we focused on writing skills, this is the advice I would give to my students. Maybe it’s my experience writing business emails (where I knew anything too long would go unread), but grading papers I almost always find bloated language and unnecessary words. If you are going to get wordy, at least make your logic tight! When it’s not, all the verbiage hides strong arguments.

For this course next semester, I’m hoping to implement some weekly writing assignments. A potential assignment: write a one page analysis of a piece of persuasive communication, using two persuasion theories. Now, edit that paper to a half a page, then to a paragraph, and finally to two sentences.

With so much focus on length requirements, students can easily be thrown off what is really important. Some students seem to strive to meet length requirements, with long introductions, telling personal stories, or excessively long definitional discussions. Others seem to cut inappropriately, letting their papers end abruptly. Even with a short paper, there are areas you cannot sacrifice.

But what general advice to give for paper writing? I’ve only got my personal experience to rely on. I’ve started a list below. Then, readers, what advice do you have to give to undergraduates still developing their chops? CONTRIBUTE!!

1. No matter how short a paper, a simple introduction and conclusion are vital for cohesion.
2. Numerous adjectives can never be as descriptive as a well-chosen verb.
3. Passive tense almost always sounds weak.
4. When writing, make sure you know the definitions of the words or expressions that you use (for example, a celebrity, usually, should not be described as “infamous”; advertisers “vie” not “buy” for our attention; past events occur in “hindsight” not “high and sight”).

Any more suggestions?

If you’re like me, you thought that the title of Kanye’s new album referred to heartbreak, obviously, but then some area code or car tires or something. It’s proof of how far he’s fallen from my highest esteem back when “College Dropout” came out. That album changed how I saw modern Hip-Hop. It was filled with quality lyrics and hot production. Plus, the guest stars were unequalled, and the album was getting lots of play on the radio. I remember driving down to North Carolina for spring break in March 2005, dialing between Hip-Hop stations, and loving it every time a Kanye song came on (”Through the Wire” may be one of my all-time favorite songs, specifically because of that trip).

But things didn’t go so well between me and Kanye as his next two albums came out. I bought “Late Registration” and was very disappointed. It was bloated and hard to get into. The lyrics were good, but the singles weren’t as good. It seemed like Kanye was keeping his roots true but was also aiming for pop stardom. He admitted as much. As such, I didn’t buy his third album, “Graduation,” and only ripped it recently from the library. It was okay, but I haven’t listened to it more than twice.

When I started reading reviews of his fourth album, released early to take advantage of Thanksgiving weekend, I was skeptical. Reviews questioned his singing ability, noted sparse production, and wondered about the heavy use of the Vocoder, or auto-tuner (think T-Pain or Imogen Heap) on the vocals. But after reading a largely positive review from Nathan Rabin over at the AV Club, I went and listened to the 30-second samples on iTunes. For the first time ever, I listened to over half the tracks and liked everything I heard. So despite wanting to save money in preparation for holiday gift buying, I purchased it then and there.

In short, the album is amazing. Those 808s I was confused about refer to the Roland TR-808 drum machine. I love the production, which sounds quite different from what other producers are doing today and more importantly sounds very different from anything Kanye has ever done. More importantly, there’s solid pop sensibilities underlying each and every song. This isn’t sonic invention; it’s sonic reinvention. And it fits these songs perfectly. I’m not sure Jay-Z will show up asking for a song produced in the same style, but for the subject matter (breakups, deaths of mothers), it’s masterful.

I haven’t listened to the album enough to give a very complete review, but let me comment on the use of the Vocoder. 2008 is obviously the year when this vocal style went mainstream and way overboard. But on this album, Kanye does not remind me of T-Pain. T-Pain can actually sing, whereas Kanye’s abilities are limited. But like Billie Holiday, he can convey deep emotions with limited range. And the use of the Vocoder on his vocals reminds me of a combination of Lil Wayne (on his most recent album) and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes. Both distort their vocals that makes you wonder what they’re hiding. For Kanye, it seems a way to let himself be open but hold something back, as if hearing his real voice unfiltered might shatter our illusions of his braggadocio and supreme confidence. Overall, I like the effect a lot.

I think the album is absolutely worth a listen, even if you haven’t liked his past albums (and potentially even if you didn’t like “College Dropout,” as this new effort isn’t really linked to the past at all). It’s bold, it’s new, and it’s Kanye.

First, let me apologize. While the food described below was delicious, I didn’t keep records very well of specific amounts. If you do try to recreate this, start small and taste often.

Last night’s dinner started off rather lamely. I was going to go to the grocery store to buy some cornmeal so I could make polenta. But then my car windshield was covered in snow and ice and my scraper was in the garage. So I gave up on that idea and went back into the house to see what I could scrounge together. In the end, it turned out really well.

The chicken and potatoes are easy. I used two boneless skinless chicken breasts, rubbing them with salt, pepper, and ground cloves. Then I put them in a baking pan. I thinly sliced three large potatoes and one apple, coating them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and ground cloves. I put that in the oven at 400 degrees for around 40 minutes.

The Apple Mash was where things got fun. I quartered an apple (you might peel it and chop it more finely, but if you don’t peel it, make sure to keep the slices big so you can remove the skin when serving) and put it in a small pot with some balsamic vinegar, white vinegar, and chicken broth (about equal chicken broth to the two vinegars combined). I set it to boiling over medium high heat. I added ground cloves, salt, pepper, a little tabasco, ground ginger, and let it all continue boiling, occasionally mashing the apples with a potato masher. As it reduced some, I added a tablespoon of garlic. Soon, it became more like a sweet and savory apple sauce. Towards the end, I added a half tablespoon of butter and let it sit over low heat until ready to serve.

I also sauteed some spinach and garlic in olive oil, lime juice, pepper, and cinnamon, to serve as a side dish.

When plating, I put the apple mash over the chicken and potatoes. Overall, very delicious!

So, the AV Club writers just did a feature of their favorite imaginary band names. It’s about what you’d expect.

But it got me thinking about the hilarious band name that Tony and I came up with while hanging out with Zach one Winter Break. Zach Zachary Zach Zach Swagel and the Grass Cola Experience. Really, I can’t think of a better band name. But here are some more from over the years.

For a confusing marquee:
Saturday Evening Music in the Park
Closed for Renovations
Better Late Than Never Will Perform Next Wednesday

Real Fake Bands of Mine:
Yea or Nay
The Oh My Gods
Your Mother Is Dead
Green Means Go

Real Fake MC Names of Mine:
White Jesus
MC Society

I also recall that Tony had a Wiki page with funny band names. But I can’t seem to find it.

During my senior year of college, had I just thought about being at Ebling Library, I never would have considered entering the job market. Instead, I would have found a way that I could stay at that library forever. This morning, Lauren and I got off the bus a few stops early and walked here to Ebling to get some studying done. As always, the atmosphere is completely peaceful and academic. Did you know they have blankets at the front desk so you can stay warm while reading?

I think a beautiful atmosphere is ideal when studying. There’s something so motivating about looking out onto a snow-covered landscape, all while sitting in a comfortable straight-back chair and reading about television use in the elderly. I feel like I can accomplish anything all because of this amazing library.

It’s not quite as great as it was a few years ago. The building housing the library was built in 2004; I started coming here to study in late 2004. Back then, it was a long drive (or bus ride) from downtown, meaning I felt motivated to stay for at least four hours, to justify the trip. And due to my varied studying, there was something more fulfilling about a library. Due to more singular goals (like finishing two research proposals), sometimes I’m more productive if I just stay home. But Ebling is so beautiful and wonderful that it was worth it to come out here. I’ve got the whole day ahead of me; now, off to get started.

Rather on a whim, I searched to see if there were any open-source EMR (Electronic Medical Record) projects out there. I looked into one that I found (OpenEMR), which seems to have a lot of features (even with a relatively small developer base). I sent the project manager an email to see if there’s any way that I can help.
If you are a healthcare professional thinking about moving to an EMR, what are you to do? You could go with a big, expensive vendor like Epic or Misys or Cerner; with them, you’ll pay millions upfront and then spend years implementing. You could join a consortium of practices with the hope that they would take care of your computer needs. You could wait to start using an EMR until mandated by the government. Or you could take a look at some of the open-source options out there. With a little bit of tech savvy, you may have more success with such a project than with a big vendor. Here’s why.

1. Flexible code means easy changes to new standards.
Standards for EMRs are not currently set in stone. It’s likely that the new Obama administration will be responsible for crafting standards for EMRs across the country. This will likely mean a lot of EMRs need to be rewritten. For a big vendor, this may take months or years. Are you willing to compromise data portability for your patients because you went with a big name? With an open-source project, and simple, non-legacy code, the EMR can be changed to fit new standards with no hurt feelings, worries about previous time investment, or stubbornness. An open-source project is a continually evolving beast; if you want quick changes, open-source is the way to go.

2. Your needs can become the newest features for the project.
If you can think of a very useful feature in an EMR and decide you can’t live without it, you should be prepared to wait months or years to get that feature from a large vendor. You should also be prepared to repeatedly press the vendor to make the change, and in the end, may end up writing a large check just so you can complete your desired workflow. This is not the case with an open-source project, where your valuable knowledge and insight can guide the project in a new direction. You will not have that kind of input with a large vendor.

3. Open platforms, open data, open source code.
Do you want to be told what kind of computers to use in your office? Do you want to be stuck with one program for reviewing your data, or worse, be stuck with an antiquated, post-relational database storing your data? Do you want code so old that you won’t be able to hire a developer who knows how to change it? This is what you get with a big vendor. With open-source, you can hire someone today who can make changes to the code. And once you make those changes, that software becomes yours to do with as you please. Your data will be stored in open-source databases for easy access. And you can use OpenEMR on any platform - Mac, PC, you name it. You won’t find that flexibility with a big vendor.

In the end, most doctors will end up deciding by default what is best for their practices. While choice is huge in this field, the consolidation of healthcare will produce cross-practice solutions. If you are working in healthcare today and trying to make this decision, think about the level of control you want over your data. If you are fine sharing patient data with thousands of other doctors, yet not able to transmit data in a straightforward manner, go with a big vendor. With them, any doctor on your system can access your patient’s information - including your progress notes. But if you want to send information about a patient electronically, be prepared to find yourself stuck within your organization’s network. With open-source, however, the possibilities are endless and patient information stays between you and your patient, exactly where it belongs.

When I did hiring for Apple, I always checked out people’s profiles on facebook. Never once did someone’s profile hurt them. One person who applied did have a sketchy profile, but he never followed up with his resume, thus absolving me from any bias. Similarly, a professor I know (who shall remain nameless) reported to me that she checked all facebook profiles for students applying to her department. She also said that there was no negative impact from looking at the profiles (and in fact, she found some candidates MORE appealing after looking at their profiles, as it gave them some pizzazz that their application materials lacked).

But when does having an unregulated facebook profile actually work against you? Are there times when being open about your life is actually TOO open? No doubt, thousands of people have been negatively impacted by information they’ve placed on the web, but I don’t really care about employment considerations. Have you looked up one of your professors on facebook and been disturbed by what you found?

I just did this today - AUGH! As much as it makes me think of this certain professor as a “real” person, I did not really want to see him in social settings! I’m not disturbed by what I saw, but I generally have an expectation that someone who is very professional in the classroom is probably the same way in the outside world. Once again, my expectations have been betrayed.

Here’s what facebook needs - an easy way to setup a “public” profile that different from the one your friends see. And I’m not talking about being able to select different modules for display to different audiences. With some tinkering, you can already do that. I’m talking about being able to display different music, different interests, different everything for people who aren’t your friends (or even potentially different friend groups). This way, someone can interact with students via facebook, but not have to worry about being embarrassed when personal and school lives intersect.

Actually, looking up professors on facebook (I’m already friends with my advisor Lyn, so why not my other professors too?) makes me want to change my settings so my students could see some of my information. I think this is possible, though we shall see. If facebook is ever to become a truly respectable communication medium, it ought to work to segregate information. After all, communicating by email with a student can be completely professional, even if my other emails are nothing but forwards about pornography, prostitutes, and vampire fetishes.

High praise for Gov. Jim Doyle for vetoing legislation that would have allowed health care workers in Wisconsin to opt-out of procedures, beyond abortion and sterilization, that they find morally wrong. The legislation would have also protected health care workers who did not refer a patient to another doctor for the desired procedure. So while I still believe that health care workers should not be allowed to opt out of any procedure, at least this legislation didn’t further erode the rights of patients.

To those who support allowing health care workers to opt out of procedures they don’t agree with, let me highlight my opposition to this legislation.

We do not have the right to question, in an official capacity, the religious beliefs of others. I was advised, during TA training, that if a student says she must miss a class due to a religious observance, I was not to question it - even if it was a religion that I was sure she made up. While we were informed of what we should do if a student repeatedly skipped class (let her know that she would be better off dropping the class and taking it when it better fit her schedule), the imperative was on us to not attempt to discern what is a “real” observance.

So if we do not have a right to question a person’s religious beliefs, why should health care workers be allowed to opt out on some procedures and not on others? Perhaps a nursing assistant has a religious objection to emptying bed pans. Should we allow him to not perform this part of his job? Opting out of one procedure is not different than another; the state is not allowed to make judgments on the validity of a religious belief; and we need health care workers to WORK, not to bicker about moral objections. If you can opt out of one procedure, then you should be able to opt out of all; this would cripple our health care system.

And why should we limit this law to the medical profession? What if I have a religious objection to judging someone and thus I don’t feel comfortable giving grades to students? This is a vital part of my job as a TA, but my morals prevent me from participating in it. Should this be allowed? If I cannot perform a vital part of my job because of religious objection, then I should not have taken that job in the first place. The same should be said for health care workers. If you are a Christian Scientist surgeon, you should not be allowed to pray rather than cut when it comes time to save a life.

It is morally right to heal someone, not to let your own morals trump those of the patient.

Recently, government chatter has included the possibility of using the $700 billion authorized for unspecified “bailing” activities to be used to help the struggling “Big 3″ US auto makers. Republicans (evidently following John McCain’s strategy and permanently giving up on Michigan) are against it. Democrats are for it. As for me, I’m having some trouble making up my mind.

Here’s the Pro/Con of it.

1. Keep workers in their jobs, until they produce so many vehicles that no one buys that GM goes bankrupt anyway.
It’s not like the money will be put towards designing cars that people actually want to buy - you know, like a fuel-efficient, cool-looking, reasonably-priced, highly-reliable cars (see Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic). No, that would make too much sense. So what do we do? Use tax dollars to keep GM churning out SUVs? GM is losing cash fast, but it sure isn’t because they are spending so much on R&D.

2. Allow the companies to make the switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles, which they will fight tooth and nail about having to do.
The government tried to help the auto industry last year, by mandating higher fuel standards and offering them money to do it. Detroit was having none of it! They attacked and attacked the additional regulation, arguing that such standards would bankrupt them. Looks like they were so upset, they didn’t even wait for the regulation to go into effect. They went bankrupt in protest!

3. Give Detroit time to retool so they can produce vehicles people want, which will be ugly, under-powered cars that no one wants.
Ford has the Focus, which has sold well. It starts at around $15,000 for a 2009 model. GM has like 12 cheap models that no one wants. Chrysler has… oh who cares. They’re dead. Really, why haven’t they gone under yet? The point is that only Ford has the products to make it out of this mess (if any of these companies can). GM can’t make a car that people want and neither can Chrysler. What makes anyone think that giving them money will possibly change that fact? Go check out their websites. Only Ford puts gas mileage right with the model. The other two know they’re screwed.

4. Coffee on a snowy day is extra delicious.
That’s not about the auto industry; that’s just the plain truth.

Anyway, the point is that bad management, poor design, and a ridiculous lack of foresight lead these companies to where they are today. It has nothing to do with the credit crunch or a global economic downturn. Even gas prices have been an issue for years! While a cash infusion is likely to keep workers on the line longer, they must know that their time is coming to a close! These companies are on their last legs. Best thing to do is some euthanasia, rather than life-support. When you look at it that way, I’m surprised the issue breaks the way it does between the parties.

I’ve wrapped up all writing responsibilities, save final papers, for the semester. And I’ve completed all but one stats test. This means I have nothing to do prior to the semester ending, EXCEPT write two research proposals. That’s a lot to do, but I’ve gotten a good start this weekend, spending a fair chunk of Saturday looking thru abstracts and finding relevant articles. I’m now working on outlines and reading articles. Hopefully I will have a more detailed outline completed by next weekend.

So, what am I working on?

1. Changing Uses and Gratifications of Television Viewing Before and After a Move to an Assisted Living Facility.
Uses and Gratifications (U&G) is a broad field in Communications these days. Sure, we can find out how much television people watch, how much time they spend reading newspapers, how much time they spend online - but isn’t the important question, and the one whose answer allows for more prediction, WHY people use media? Wouldn’t we expect that a person who watches TV to stay informed about current events to be different from a person who watches TV because he needs something to fill up his otherwise unstructured day?

The problem with a lot of the research in this field, both on the general population and on older people, is that the data is cross-sectional (in other words, the information is gathered once for a variety of ages or situations, and then analyzed). Because this data still offers hypotheses about certain contextual variables (mobility, social interaction, et cetera) affecting media use, I plan to use longitudinal data (two measures, at least) of older people before and after they move into a retirement home or assisted living facility. By measuring the contextual variables as well, we should get a better sense of what changes when a person makes that move and how those changes might impact their viewing. Believe it or not, no one has done a study like this before. CRAZY!

2. Image Theory and Decision Regret.
Image Theory is a model for decision making that says we make decisions by taking into account what matters to us, rather than the rational decision makers that economic decision making models posit. Those with strong Value Images are more likely to make good decisions. But what about the reverse? If a person has a weak Value Image (is not able to clearly state his values), will he be more likely to regret the decisions that he makes?

Regret is an area of decision making that is, in my opinion, largely understudied. While there are many areas of study explaining how we make ourselves happy with our decisions, very few studies have been done to predict when we will NOT feel happy with a decision. And while there are measured areas that seem to correlate with increased regret (including depression), no one has combined Image Theory and regret into one study.

Anyway, so that’s what I’m working on! So far, so good, though I’ve never written a research proposal before, so I’m trying to read as many literature reviews as I can to make sure that my formating is correct. It might also be time to break out the old APA manual for a quick refresher. Hopefully, the end of the semester won’t come too fast!

Lauren and I haven’t gone anywhere for a vacation since Paris in March. That’s 8 months! Knowing that we have a long, relaxing Winter Break (ah, the perks of student life), we’ve been thinking about getting away. While Europe is obviously where we’d like to be, a domestic vacation seems in order, as we’ve really never had one of those (besides visiting friends in Colorado, in July 2007). In the spirit of patriotism, we’ve settled on Washington D.C.! It has the splendor (and fine public transport) of a big city, with lots of indoor entertainment (vital, as we’ll be there in January).

Prices could not get any lower, either. Purchasing flight and hotel together, we can stay in a nice hotel mere blocks from key destinations and fly directly from Madison to Reagan International for $515 per person. How is that even possible? We’re planning to buy our tickets tonight.

We’re also planning to head down to Chicago next Saturday. While I was just there a few weeks ago, chilling with Dan, Woodie, and Anthony, this time will be focused on touristy things. Perhaps an art museum? Or an aquarium? Or something else noteworthy? Who knows. Most importantly, it will be the first time that Lauren has met Anthony. How is it possible that they haven’t met yet? I have no idea.

In other news, there’re two volleyball games this weekend. Tonight, the Badgers will crush Minnesota. And on Sunday, they’ll decimate Iowa. Actually, the Minnesota game is likely to be tough. I have faith in the Badgers though. This is a must win if they are going to make the NCAA tournament this year. It should be fun, no matter the outcome.

The news media has been salivating over Palin’s juicily stupid answers and her seemingly unlimited ability to give interviews. Where was this Sarah during the campaign? What does it even matter? In their pursuit for a good story, most media sources are asking what will be her next move. Few think she will fade into obsolescence. Instead, they proclaim her future to be bright, without asking the important questions.

1. Is she smart, just politically savvy, or neither?
Say what you will about George Bush, but he did manage to go to two very fine schools. And he graduated from Yale with the same grades as John Kerry. Whether admitted solely due to family association or not, he still graduated. Sarah Palin, however, took 6 years at 5 different universities to finally graduate with her Bachelor’s degree. And in these interviews, she doesn’t exactly come across as the best and the brightest. While intelligence should not be the single defining factor for presidential readiness, compared to Obama she’s not even a dim bulb. She’s a factory reject.

2. What are her real religious views?
Other people who practice Palin’s same religion believe that humans and dinosaurs were on the earth at the same time. They have no respect for science or education in general. They distrust experts and rely completely on the Bible for information about the past and guidance for the future. And what about that whole “end times” thing? Does Sarah Palin think like they do? If so, can we really afford (as Americans; or, can Republicans really afford) a candidate with such backwards views? What happens when we need to push ahead in the world? If Kennedy had believed the moon to be made of cheese, would he have called for us to land there? If Palin believes the end times are at hand, will she invade Iran to bring down Yahweh’s kid even faster?

3. Does she have original positions or unique leadership to offer the nation?
Sarah Palin did a great job of echoing the important talking points of her campaign. When she had to express her own opinions or judgments, she failed miserably. Remember her response to what magazines she read? “Any of them. All of them.” She is completely untested in a leadership position. This may change by 2012, as she will have been governor for at least one term, but overall, she doesn’t seem to be anything unique, aside from the fact that she’s a psycho-Christian from Alaska, something you don’t see regularly in politics.

There are a dozen more questions that the news media fails to ask, no surprise. For Palin’s sake, I hope she doesn’t take their flattery to heart. She got buttered up once already by being asked to be Vice President. The more she takes flattery as truth the more she’s likely to look like a fool on the national scene.

I am not even kidding. Sarah Palin is planning to release a Hip-Hop album to help increase her support among African-American voters. She feels she must win these voters if she is going to beat Obama in 2012. I have actually managed to get one of the verses from her first single, to be released shortly after the inauguration. So dope!

The Pitbull’s Gonna Bite

Yo, ran the campaign and ran it hard
I thought Barack would get stomped in the yard
Didn’t work out that way, but I won’t dwell
‘Cause the pitbull’s back in 2012!
Got Todd and the kids loaded up in the truck
We gon’ hit this nation until we bust
From Florida to Maine, then head out West
Leave it all out there, till we got nothing left
Even Trig is gonna get in on the game
There’s nothing I won’t say, I got no shame.
Once Bristol has the kid, our ranks grow stronger
The pitbull barks harder and longer
Barack’s a good man? Their words a sham.
he’s no maverick like they said I am
Skeptical that he knows the real America
I’m the pitbull, he’s just a terrier.

The pitbull’s ready to bite, WOOF!
The pitbull’s ready to bite, WOOF!
The pitbull’s ready to bite, WOOF!
And you know I’m ready to fight, WOOF WOOF!

“This whole notion that everybody’s entitled to own a house — that’s a bunch of crap,” says Michael Bednark, who lives in Tigard, Ore., and works in sales of heavy truck equipment. He says he’s upset about efforts to cut more deals for people who can’t pay their loans, especially where taxpayer money is involved.

“People who bought more home than they are entitled to own are getting bailed out on my back,” Bednark says. “It’s insane, what they were doing. So where is the personal responsibility?”

This insightful commentary was part of a story on NPR’s Morning Edition this morning. Oh, Mr. Bednark, if only I too could share your simplistic worldview and shallow understanding of economics! Kind sir, let me explain to you why you cannot afford to let these mortgages default.

1. Personal responsibility extends far beyond those home buyers who bought more house than they can now afford.
Here’s a simplistic explanation of the history so that most anyone can understand. First, we’ve got a tech boom, which leads to a lot of money. That means a lot of people have cash to burn. What safer place to put it than in home construction? This means a lot of homes need to get sold. Builders put out a lot of incentives to BUY, BUY, BUY! Deregulation leads to lending companies with the ability to lend money to ANYONE on ridiculous terms. Because they aren’t responsible for the payback of the loan and are making beaucoup bucks lending money to anyone, they keep doing it and get a little dishonest in the process. Furthermore, home buyers see housing prices rising, meaning they can buy a home now and refinance to pay their mortgage when prices rise. Increasing housing prices means increasing rent, making buying an even more attractive option. When the bottom falls out, these people are stuck with a home worth much less than they paid for it, skyrocketing mortgage payments, and no help in sight. They got duped. A lot of folks should have had some personal responsibility, but it didn’t exactly work out that way, and it doesn’t start and end with homebuyers.

2. Where are the good rental properties in your area?
If I want to rent a house in the city of Madison, I will be shelling out a whole lot of money. Housing prices are high here and haven’t fallen much since the mortgage crisis. But if you are a family of 5, where do you go to find a place to live? This isn’t a big city, with lots and lots of apartment options. Nor do we have good public transport, such that you could live far outside the city and take the train in. Buying a house, if you can get a mortgage, feels like the logical choice for many, many families. And when your payments start out where you can afford them, what is the incentive to rent a poor quality, bad location, too small apartment?

3. Do you ever plan to sell your house?
Let’s face it, the largest part of most American’s assets is their home. Especially in the last 50 years, homeownership has become a way to grow wealthy over time. When you sell your house, you reap the money, time, and sweat you’ve invested over the period of ownership. But, if we see a lot of foreclosures or defaults, home prices will keep dropping. Maybe they’ve already fallen in your area, Mr. Bednark. What will happen if your home price drops so far that you can’t sell it for a reasonable price? What if you need to move to a different city or into a different house? Good luck to you!

4. There are solutions to the problem that you can agree to.
There are a lot of homeowners who are stuck in a mortgage with ridiculous terms. A moratorium on foreclosures for a period of months while the banks sort out what kinds of loans they can give will help everyone. For those homeowners unable to refinance because they really don’t make enough, they will be able to search for another place to live. Perhaps they could be allowed to stay in their home, paying what they can, until the house can be sold (if we do this, we now have a lot of good quality rental properties). No one has proposed that the government pay off people’s mortgages or give people money to stipend their increasing payments. This wouldn’t make sense for the financial industry or for America. After all, most of the governmental help has gone to banks who bet everything on rising home prices and ridiculous derivatives. If professionals in the financial services industry couldn’t make good choices, how do we expect prospective home buyers to navigate through this minefield?

In the end, you must remember, Mr. Bednark - the government has the stability of the US economy as their primary goal. Even if you blame mortgage holders, a stable, growing economy will help you too. Are you willing to foreclose on your neighbors just so you feel righteous about your own choices?

I think I know how McCain could have won the presidency (the only way he could have won, if it was at all possible).

1. Declare that he will only serve one term.
This allows him to say that he won’t make decisions based on what is popular for his party, but rather based on what is required to get the nation back on track. It means he won’t be politicking while in office and shows that he understands that he is very old. And there would be no penalty for him running again, should he be very popular.

2. Pick an experienced running mate, even if they are boring.
Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge may not be the most exciting of candidates, and they sure can’t stir up the “base” with their pro-women’s rights positions. But they would have helped McCain make the claim that he was going with experience. They also would not have drawn attention away from the campaign and to clothes, stupid statements, and baby-making daughters.

3. Experience, experience, experience.
McCain should have never left the message that he was the experienced candidate. “My friends, Barack Obama is a good man, a great politician, and someone who has a bright future. I look forward to working with him in whatever capacity I can. But this election is about putting our country back on track. In 4 or 8 years, Barack Obama will be an experienced candidate, and I would encourage him to run again, if he doesn’t win in this election. Right now, however, this country needs experience. I will come into the job, ready on day one, with my only mission to get this great nation back on the rails. I will get it into good shape, and then be more than happy to hand the reins to someone else. But in order to do that, I need you to vote for me, the candidate with experience to lead.”

All of a sudden, if you liked John McCain in the past, he now seems to be doing something both “maverick-y” and realistic. He forgoes politics to serve his nation - who could reject that argument? I think Obama would have had plenty of counter-arguments. “If John McCain has the solutions now, where has he been for the past 8 years? George Bush, a man he voted with 90% of the time, was in office. Why couldn’t John McCain have told the secrets to him, so we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place? It’s no argument to say you’re the only one who can fix the mess when he and Bush are the one’s who made it in the first place!” And I also doubt McCain’s ability to stay on message, so the whole thing might not have worked. But I think a strategy like that would have been McCain’s only chance to win.

Although, consider this anecdote. While visiting family on Sunday, I got into a discussion about politics with my uncle, a self-identified conservative Republican who works in the financial services industry. He asked me who I thought he voted for. I didn’t wager a guess, as he had previously said good things about McCain. Turns out he voted for Barack Obama, because of the prayer that Obama put in the Wailing Wall. If McCain can’t even get my uncle’s vote because Obama was such an inspiring candidate, then maybe there really was no hope for McCain. Thank goodness.

Take a look at these two pictures. Who looks like they have more power?

One way that an individual can show authority is by one-sided touching. The individual who can touch is the individual with the power. Think about trying to do the LBJ handshake with your friends (right hand shakes, left hand holds upper arm) - hilarious! Now imagine doing that at a job interview - awkward!

It’s like Michelle and Barack saying, “hey, it’s okay you destroyed this country. At least you kept the White House in good shape for us.”

Usually on Mondays, I head down to campus with Lauren. But today, due to a paper I have to finish for tomorrow and a take-home stats exam due Thursday, I decided to skip the bus and relax at home. Aside from the construction vehicles building on Mineral Point and Yellowstone, it’s been decidedly quiet and pleasant.

Right now, a cup of tea steams to my right and Penelope is curled up in a sunbeam on my left. I’ve got books and notebooks spread out before me, as well as a calculator. Statistics, with no time pressure, can be downright fun. Writing a paper could be too, but I’m at the editing phase and will re-read just a few more times before handing it in.

I registered for classes this morning. My schedule looks better in some ways, worse in others.

Better:
1. No 4-Section days. My Wednesday this semester is 4 sections in a row, then a 2 hour seminar-style class. Not exactly easy. Next semester, I have a 3 section day and a 2 section day. It’s a much better balance.
2. No class until 9:55. This means I can take a later bus! I don’t mind taking the 8:15 or 7:45, but it severely limits what I can do in the morning. If I don’t have to take the bus until 8:45, I could conceivably go to the gym at 6:30 and still catch the bus.
3. New, exciting classes! I’ll have second semester stats, “Mass Media and Youth,” and Lyn’s grad. level persuasion seminar. I’m definitely excited.

Worse:
1. No more 4 day weekends. Sure, I still go down to campus Monday and Friday, but next semester I won’t have the option to sit at home on a Monday afternoon.
2. No sparsely populated sections. I really like my 8:50 AM Wed. section because there are only about 12 students in it. It can be a lot of fun. Next semester, things should be better distributed, somewhat limiting my creativity.

Anyway, back to statistics! Hope you readers are having relaxing Mondays as well.

I’ve enjoyed looking at CNN.com once again, finally able to read their news without fear of seeing some article that will make me think that Obama was not going to win the presidency. Now that our next four years are secure, I can read their trash news again. One exciting thing about reading political news is speculation over who will be appointed into Obama’s cabinet. A lot of speculation centers around current US Senators. While I do not doubt that some senators are on Obama’s shortlist, I’m skeptical that he will award a majority of his cabinet positions to current US politicians.

I went and took at look at Bush’s first cabinet. Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation, was a US Congressperson. Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy, was a US Senator. All other members of his first cabinet never served in Congress. One could say that this was a mistake, but I think Obama, like Bush, will fill many of the positions from individuals outside the current Congress.

Some of my picks:

Secretary of Defense
Keep in Robert Gates. He’s been a straight-shooter and this will beef up Obama’s position on Iraq. If Gates can oversee a withdrawal, it will lead to less criticism from Republicans for “surrendering.” Plus, Gates has been a uniting figure, willing to speak truth to Congress, unlike Rumsfeld.

Secretary of State
Bill Richardson. Okay, maybe I’m biased towards my initial pick for the Democratic nomination, but I think Richardson truly has the good sense and discipline to be Secretary of State. If not Richardson than I think Chuck Hagel, current Republican Senator from Nebraska would be a great choice. Again, putting a Republican in this high slot lends credence to Obama as a uniter, someone willing to transcend politics. I’ve heard that Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry is angling for the spot. That would be a stupid choice, President Obama, so please don’t pick him!!

Secretary of the Treasury
Paul Volcker!! Volcker is old (81) but he’s also well-respected and super-smart. He served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1979 until 1987 and would be a stabilizing figure to put in place. Though he shouldn’t be expected to serve for more than a year or so, he would be perfect to guide our country onto the path of economic recovery. He’s also someone both parties respect.

Chief Technology Officer
Vint Cerf!! Goofy name, super smart guy. He’s currently over at Google, and has helped to make that company a success. He’s smart, creative, and sure to help our country achieve technology growth. Obama will be responsible for guiding another tech boom through carefully spent government funds, as well as creating policy on important issues like net neutrality and P2P networks. Cerf would be an excellent person to advise him.

Who do you want to see make it into Obama’s cabinet? What position are you yourself holding out for? Is Obama the most kick-ass president ever, or what?