| John 的个人资料EDENHILL照片日志列表 |  工具  帮助 |
|
11月15日 Contract for Frustration I woke up early today, relaxed with a cup of coffee and my usual reading of the news online. Then I showered and went to the old house to clean out the last of my furnishings. I wanted to get home by 11am because an electrician was supposed to install my chandelier above the dining table today. He was supposed to arrive between 12 noon and 1pm. It's 4pm and he still isn't here. He hasn't called me either. I called him and got his voice mail. My message hasn't been returned. Why do the vast majority of contractors have no customer service skills? Because they don't care and they don't have to. Every time (literally) that I have worked with a contractor, there have been problems, delays, and a lack of communication. Then, add to those frustration that the relationship always ends with me, the sucker, writing a huge check - usually for an amount over the original estimate. Now I'm frustrated, I feel like much of my day has been wasted and I doubt I will get this work done prior to Thanksgiving, which was my original goal. When I call another electrical contractor, I have no doubt I will face similar problems. These guys have less education than me, they make more money than I do, and they don't care about treating customers with respect. I hate contractors. They rank down at the bottom of the list with cars salesmen and criminals. If I had a child and he grew up to be a contractor, I would feel ashamed of my failure as a parent. 11月11日 Probably Not in My LifetimeThis says it all. Shame on those who refuse love and forget history. Yes, hate can be perpetuated with just one vote. Yes Americans, you don't like it, but you - we - are still full of hate. If you think my love is less valuable than yours - you hate me. That isn't an extreme position - it is the reality you don't want to face, and the reality I must live with. Refuse to Hate from Refuse to Hate on Vimeo. The Next Adventure We made the final decision last night. For several months I've had a Caribbean scuba vacation on my calendar. Now Derek is going to join me. In just five weeks, we set off on this new adventure. For me, its a first time vacation experience. We are going to the Netherlands Antillies island of Bonaire - about 50 miles north of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. I booked the trip through Undersea Expeditions. They offer scuba trips for gay men and women at dive destinations around the world. For a week we will stay at the Divi Flamingo resort. I will be able to dive up to three times each day on the resort's scuba boat. Derek can relax and lie in the sun. The hotel includes two restaurants, a bar, and a casino. It's within walking distance of the main town on the island - Kralendijk. I'm very excited about this trip. I've never stayed at a Caribbean resort before. Until this time, I've always experienced the Caribbean as part of a cruise. Now I'll have a chance to enjoy a single and deeper cultural experience. I did dive once on Aruba and it was terrific, but that was only one day. I didn't really have a chance to experience the island as a whole. This time, Bonaire will get my full attention. Also, this will be the first time I dive with a gay group. On all my dives in the past I've had a feeling of being alone, like I didn't really fit in very well. It's a common feeling for gay people - a sense of holding back, being on guard. Clearly, the advantage of going with a gay group tour is the opportunity to spend a week getting to know people with whom I share a personal connection not only because of our common orientation, but also because of our common hobby. I'm really looking forward to that - as well as spending a whole week with Derek! It sounds very romantic. Take a look at the promotional video below for a preview of our upcoming adventure. It's A Matter of Minutes I just talked with Marcus. He is among the crowd of 70,000 in Grant Park, Chicago. Seldom has America seen what we are seeing tonight. It's likely that more than 250,000 people will gather along Lake Michigan to celebrate what is now virtually inevitable. America will never be the same. In less that 30 minutes polls will close on the Pacific coast. California, Oregon, and Washington are unquestionalbly going to Obama.
The clock is ticking down to victory.
America is Feeling BlueIt's almost 7pm PST. All networks are projecting Ohio for Obama. The evening just changed course. Florida is too close to call, but things are looking good for Obama there. New Mexico was just projected for Obama by all networks. There is no McCain path anymore. Joe Scarbrough just said it - "The thread has broken," and any hope for McCain has vanished. I suspect the inner circle at the Phoenix Biltmore is talking quietly now.
We will hear from McCain within 90 minutes I believe, then Obama. Yes. The loser always speaks first.
It looks like for the first time, a man of my generation will soon be the president elect.
I will remember this night for the rest of my life. 11月2日 Passing the Torch?
This very well might be the most important presidential election of my life. For the first time someone of my generation could be president. November 4th ApproachesThe fact I support Barack Obama is no secret to anyone who knows me. I mailed in my absentee ballot earlier this week, so my obligation as a citizen is complete. If the polls are to be believed, our country seems bound for a historic moment - the election of our first black president. In fact, the first democratically elected black leader of a major power. What has led to this moment? The legacy of slavery, racial relations, immigration, and colonial imperialism are the driving forces which have guided us to this moment. But those centuries old political and social forces are too enormous and complex for me to analyze on this personal blog. The immediate circumstances of the last 12 months are more within the scale of my abilities. In short, John McCain will be marked as responsible for his own defeat, while Barack Obama will be seen as fullly responsible for his win. Each man wants to be a leader, so each man is responsible for his success or failure. That is a requirement of the job. John McCain has done almost everything wrong. He is no longer a "maverick" driving the "Straight Talk Express" of 2000. It's sad to see. Apparently he learned from George Bush that a Republican must pander to the highly conservative base of the Republican party in order to succeed. But once he was victorious in the primary season, he didn't move toward the center. He chose to run a campaign filled with personal invectives like "socialist, elitist, communist, liberal" which allows McCain to avoid actual policy debates, but doesn't satisfy the needs of the electorate. Then McCain nominated Sarah Palin, which energized the Republican base in a way he never achieved on his own. But she too only attacked Obama with sound bites like "un-American, elitest, and radical." She may be an exciting speaker for foaming at the mouth conservatives, evangelicals and the racist fringe, but she clearly doesn't have the intelligence to answer policy questions thoughtfully. Palin embarrassed herself repeatedly. At her core, she is an anti-intellectual. The McCain campaign trained Palin like an attack dog, which was clearly evident in the VP debate and subsequent rallies. Add to that, the element of radicals shouting things like "nigger, kill him, terrorist, arab, muslim" and the entire campaign took on an aire of angry racism and radicalism. These rhetorical tactics, added to an uneven policy message which virtually ignored the economic crises, has turned off many Americans with views in the political center. Those are the voters McCain needed. I used to think the Palin selection was smart because it would allow McCain to move toward the center while Palin maintained the rabid base. The choice also gave his campaign new vigor. Let's be honest, McCain's age is a drag on public perceptions related to his energy and ability to govern over the next four to eight years. However, I was wrong about Palin. She maintained the base by appealing to the most radical elements. Her media gaffs and McCain's refusal to move toward the center has doomed his campaign. McCain chose to give up the political center and try to win using the techniques of Karl Rove. It was a stupid move, because after eight years of the Bush administration, Americans want something new. McCain could have changed course after the Republican convention, but he didn't because he was afraid he would lose his base. I think that was a fatal mistake. He focused too much energy on his war hero status. The Obama camp, on the other hand, has run a nearly flawless campaign. Other than his comment at a private party that middle America "clings to guns and religion" during tough times (which, by the way, is true), he has made virtually no rhetorical mistakes. Obama has been on message and positive for the last 12 months - and especially so since the Democratic convention in Denver. He has never used political attack words against McCain or Palin. He has attacked only policies, McCain's close relationship with Bush and the McCain/Palin campaign tactics. Also, knowing he was short on foreign policy experience, he chose a tested and experienced man in Joe Biden. Though Biden has been known to stick his foot in his mouth occasionally, during this campaign he has been restrained and cautious - even during the VP debate when Palin was clearly and repeatedly spouting false talking points. She came across as sarcastic - Biden as measured and focused. Again and again, Obama has presented himself as restrained, steady, calm, well reasoned, intelligent, thoughtful and inspirational. In other words: Presidential! During a time when 70+ percent of the voting public thinks the US is heading in the wrong direction, this election has always been about change. But during a time of war and economic upheaval, a straight talking calm maverick with well reasoned judgment and experience plus an aura of change could have won. McCain could have developed that reputation in the eyes of the electorate, but instead he chose pandering to the far right - all because he lost the nomination to Bush in 2000 when he played the middle ground. Ultimately, McCain has run a campaign which, to a great extent, is inauthentic with the man he is inside. American's picked up on that and wondered what happened to the McCain of 2000. Sadly, he sold his soul to the neo-conservative fringe and the evangelicals in order to gain the White House. Now he has lost his soul and will lose the election. I predict Obama will easily win in the electoral college with somewhere between 300 and 320 delegates. But I also predict he will carry between 53% and 57% of the popular vote. The Democrats will pick up more seats in both the House and Senate. For the first time since Reagan in 1984, I believe President Elect Obama will have a popular mandate. My big question is, will he be able to restrain congressional Democrats and steer a steady course just left of center? That task will be far more difficult than running a 2 year campaign for POTUS. |
|
|
