Framing the Dialogue

Archive for February, 2013

Hiking Through

hiking throughSo I was early picking my wife up at the airport and had an hour or so to kill…more if her plane was delayed. I forgot my book and if you are not a ticketed passenger there are not many places you can go at the terminal. Fortunately there was a small newsstand open that had some books. I had selected a Tom Clancy novel and as I waited in line to pay I noticed a book called Hiking Through. I still purchased the Clancy novel, but when I sat down I noted the title and added the book to my Amazon Wish List and bought it a few days later. That chance “meeting” led me to a wonderful book and I only retold the story because it fits with the kind of magic author Paul Stutzman often describes occurring during his nearly 2,200 mile journey thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2008. Stutzman’s tale about his journey has many levels as hikers would enjoy recounting the struggles of the long journey; spiritual people obviously would appreciate the author’s struggles and conversations with God; and other just might enjoy the fellowship that develops between hikers sharing the journey.

You Lie

Obama-Lying-Book_There have been lots and lots of discussions and panels offering advice to Republicans regarding how to improve their brand. Some of the best “advice” comes from liberals who have absolutely NO desire to see Republican’s improve their lot with the electorate. It has been funny to me to watch these serious-faced pundits discuss Republicans as if they really wanted them to succeed. One only has to listen to their advice to know the truth behind their masks. They lie!

The Unquiet Bones

unquiet bonesI am fond of many different types of books and the easiest for me to be grabbed by are thrillers – fast moving world travel with high-tech weapons and the world on the verge of collapse. The Unquiet Bones features none of that. The hero of this novel is Hugh de Singleton, the local surgeon, who cannot bill himself as a doctor as he had not finished his schooling. Singleton’s skills, and some luck being near the site of an injured nobleman give him an opportunity to improve his station or at least his ability to make a better living.

The End of the World As We Know It

movie previewMy wife and I have been to a few movies recently and were both taken aback by the sheer number of what I would call “end of the world” type movies shown on previews. Not all were about the end of the world, but most featured either the end or battles against evil. The doomsday scenario was certainly evident. I am waiting for this new trailer…

SEQUESTER

White House Films

Written by B. Hussein Obama

Directed by B.H.O.

Produced by Barry Sotoro

To recap Obama Gloom and Doom…sequester will (remember it was his plan);

One Rough Man

one rough manIn One Rough Man the most successful black ops leader does just one last mission only to survive and face tragedy back home.  Unable to handle it he goes off grid until circumstances accidentally pull him back into his former life fighting terrorists on three continents as he tries to prevent the unthinkable. Author Brad Taylor introduces us to hero Pike Logan who is one rough man.

Parsimony – Good Green Jobs

green jobsI have to wonder if elected representatives, upon taking their seat in the legislature, are given a notebook with official buzz words to use. I doubt that there is such a document mostly because its existence would become known and published. Based on news reports newly elected officials are promptly “initiated” by senior elected officials and put in their place; nothing written; nothing recorded. This episode of parsimony features a Pennsylvania politician proposing to increase (i.e. FORCE) power companies to purchase more solar and wind power…

News Briefs – Volume XXXIII – Wild Wild West EPA

News briefs are a collection of interesting news stories. This edition is all about the efforts of Obama’s EPA to make their own laws via extra-constitutional regulations and shenanigans;

lisa jacksonBrief 1: The headline says it all; “Reckless and lawless EPA: Running on empty.” The EPA mandates that refineries purchase a certain percentage of cellulosic biofuels to support sustainable energy. The not-so-funny thing is that cellulosic biofuels do NOT exist yet not only did EPA levy fines, but upped the ante by increasing the percentage for 2013. You could argue that this is how big government works, but you’d have to ignore the fact that the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the EPA “exceeded its authority” in the original case.

The Machinery of Freedom

machinery of freedom“The purpose of this book is to persuade you that a libertarian society would be both free and attractive, that the institutions of private property are the machinery of freedom, making it possible, in a complicated and interdependent world, for each person to pursue his life as he sees fit.”

Though some of the examples are dated as this was originally published in 1973 and this second edition was five years later, the basic tenants of David Friedman’s “guide to a radical capitalism” are still appropriate today.  In The Machinery of Freedom does a thorough job of clouding the issues surrounding Libertarianism.  That’s not a bad thing as readers will come to know as complex issues are complex.  Mr. Friedman successfully uses many examples to make his points.

Clear…Err Choice – Electric versus Hybrid

electric carThere was a local article recounting an interview with a researcher from Carnegie Mellon University who looked at electric cars versus hybrid cars. To put it simply the hybrids use some gas while the electric use none. The hybrids have smaller batteries while the electric have very big ones. Ordinarily I do not read these types of articles because I expect bias and there probably is bias as the basis of the study was between electric cars versus hybrid cars…no mention of combustion engine cars. I’ll confess to not having read the study, but I was intrigued by the fact that the study supposedly did something that is so rare; the actually looked cradle-to-grave to estimate the impact of these vehicles.

Abraham Lincoln

lincolnOnly to better express myself…

Abraham Lincoln

A few days ago some of us acknowledged the birth (February 12, 1809) of President Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln may be the most written about figure in the brief history of the United States and I have read quite a few of the volumes. Lincoln is an intriguing figure, but one thing I find most interesting is how he used anecdotes to get his point across. This was highlighted in a book Lincoln On Leadership and illustrated in the recent Lincoln movie starring Daniel Day Lewis. Here are some of my favorite Lincoln quote to honor the man.