We choose go to the moon...

On May, 25 1961 President John Kennedy gave a speech at Rice Stadium committing the country to a program of research and development that eventually lead us to the moon. He said...

"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." (full text of the speech here)

Why did he set such an audacious goal, and how could he possibly hope to achieve it? There was clearly a political motive. The Soviets had beaten the United States in both the first satellite and the first man into space. The Soviets had clearly taken the world by surprise in their conquest of space, and we were in a game of catch up.

I have a hard time playing the achievement off as purely a political move. Perhaps it's just that the times are so different now, but looking back I have a hard time thinking that Kennedy's plan was just a cold war chess move. I like to think of it in a little more romantic way. I think of it as a leader who pressed the nation to unite behind a goal, and make sacrifices to ensure that the goal is met.

That thought, the unity of our people behind a singular goal, is the reason for this post. I'm not sure if it's our vision less leaders, or the sad lemmings that are the populace that are to blame, but somewhere this country lost the ability to create and execute a vision. I'm speaking about our continued reliance on oil, and the lack of any plan to quench the ever growing obsession for it. It's a problem that is universally recognized, but no one seems to have a good plan for solving. President Bush acknowledged our countries "addiction" to oil, and his suggestion has been to drill for more in Alaska. A suggestion that seems akin to giving heroin to a heroin addict without a treatment plan, but there really haven't been any other suggestions that make any more sense or really take on the problem. Frankly, whether Democrat or Republican, none of our leaders suggestions make much long term sense. So what should we do?

I suggest that the best course is to set a national agenda to free ourselves from our oil addiction. I think our leaders need to stop looking at ways to cover up the problem, and instead provide incentives to solve the problem. I'm not suggesting that government create the solution, but rather that the government create the vision and the incentives. The free market will solve the problem if given the opportunity and the incentive.

So what am I suggesting? It's simple... I suggest that our leaders make the commitment that within 10 years we are completely free of the need for foreign oil. That incentives are created to ensure that every American can replace their petroleum addiction with a more practical more sustainable energy source. And finally... that our leaders are held to account for making that vision into a reality. It's a tough challenge, but one that this country is up to facing. I'd like to think that the descendants of the veterans of WWII, and the children of the scientists who got NASA to the moon might like a challenge of their own. A challenge that perhaps in 50 years or 100 our descendants will look back on and marvel at our ingenuity and tenacity in solving.

- ND

Adjusted Score - Deer 0 - Jeep 1

Well I guess my pessimism over the eventual totaling of my jeep was without merit. As it turns out, the people at the insurance company must think that repair is cheaper then replacement. Then end result is that my Cherokee and I will continue to have a long and happy relationship.

(This is a rendering of the moment of impact*)

- ND

Final Score - Deer 1 Jeep 0

I would like to clarify for all of the people who think that Bambi's mother was killed in a forest fire. The sad but true story is that she was snuffed out on the front of my Jeep Cherokee last night.

If you have never seen a deer fly, it's actually quite impressive. It's quite a bit like the way Santa's reindeer are drawn in all of the Christmas books. I was half tempted, in that slow motion second of impact, to look for a tiny red sleigh tied to the ass end of the poor beastie. Unfortunately, the only gift I will likely receive will be a $500 deductible charge for repair of the damages.

(I believe that this is what it looked like)

There were no winners in this epic battle of machine vs. flesh. The Jeep has a crushed in front bumper and grill, and a leaking radiator. In driving past the point of impact on my way to work this morning it appeared that the deer didn't fair well either. Frankly it looked quite a bit like a crime scene. The only missing elements were the chalk outlines and the crime scene police tape. At least it didn't suffer... It was gone, so I assume it is being made into sausage somewhere.

We'll see if the insurance company decides that my 10 year old vehicle is worth repairing, or if they choose to let it retire. So much for the idea of no car payment.

-ND

Catching up...

Sorry to all my loyal readers for being out of touch for so long. I will attempt to make amends here for missing a couple of weeks.

Trivia night in Jefferson City two Saturdays past was quite the event. Not only did the Paddy's team handily win the contest, but we alienated ourselves from the Catholic Church int the process. Apparently the good Padre at the next table didn't find our raucous behavior suitable for the event. Perhaps it was the hearing aid he was wearing that convinced him that we were doing or saying something unseemly, but it is with all honesty that I say we did nothing offensive. What comments we made that could have offended were made in Gaelic. Being of German heritage I suspect he wouldn't have understood them. I suspect he was just a bit of a curmudgeon.

To those who were there... I offer a the following table cheer... pogue mahone!

To update everyone on the homeowners fracas... there has been Herculean effort with little tangible result. The merry band of recall supporters has yet to achieve its goal despite great effort to collect proxy's for the as yet unscheduled recall vote. In a rather tabloidesque aside, it has been reported that several boxes of paperwork from the office of our clubhouse might have been taken by the soon-to-be-recalled trustee, and a towering blaze was set in said trustees backyard. Keep in mind, that this is second hand information and goes totally without investigation. It would however fit well into the character of the person in question. I suspect that the trustee might have served on Enron's board of directors, or in the Nixon White House before being elected to the current position. Not that I'm bitter about anything...

That's the update... enjoy!

- ND

All politics is local...

Once again i have dipped my toe into the political mess that is my homeowners association, and have found the experience to be a complete nightmare. After my last experience about 8 years ago, I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow I just assumed that things would have worked themselves out. The kinder, gentler homeowners association that I hoped to find simply does not exist.

So here's the story...

One of my neighbors came by a couple of weeks back to get my signature on a petition to recall the trustee from my neighborhood. (we call it a village) I gladly signed, since I have had a number of issues with the individual, and told my neighbor that I would happily attend the trustee meeting to air my grievances in person.

On the night of the trustee meeting I was appalled by the dysfunction of the trustees. They seemed to bicker and argue and get nothing done. They must have had some really bad meetings previously because it appeared that half of the attendees were there simply to bash one of the trustees for what they viewed as threatening behavior in a previous meeting. Based on my observation of the trustee in question, I'm sure that if he acted-out in a meeting, it was purely out of frustration at the environment.

So toward the end of the meeting, I gave what I consider to be a rather eloquent speech about the trustees role in representing the homeowners, and their obligation for transparency in their duties. Everyone appeared to echo those same comments, and I'd hoped that the board would move forward with business. Specifically the business of the recall election that was the catalyst for my attendance. That isn't quite the way it worked out. They simply reviewed some old business, and closed the meeting.

The following Tuesday, there was another meeting that was specifically to cover the recreation committees request for a budget to address some issues with the pool and playground. The same core group of people who attended the previous meeting attended to get some answers or action on the recall election. After they refused to address it in the meeting, which accomplished nothing on it's agenda either, they closed the meeting. I took the opportunity to address my trustee about the recall election, and got nowhere with her in the discussion. She simply said that they would have to discuss it further.

Now I'm not a lawyer or anything, but the point of having indentures, and for that matter a process for recall of a trustee, is so that it doesn't need much discussion. When the head trustee is the person who is being recalled, they in good conscience recuse themselves from the discussion completely. But, were not talking about people here who have a lot of sense, or for that matter an interest in serving anyone but themselves.

The community budget is almost $500,000, and that's enough money to make the choice of our trustees an important decision. I intend to continue to "fight the good fight" to get this trustee recalled. Her behavior through this experience has made my desire to see her recalled as quickly as possible more intense.

I'll keep you updated as things progress. If anyone has any suggestions... short of retaining an attorney, let me know.

- ND

Payback is supposed to be a...

Apparently someone decided that a little payback was in order for old grievances. Unfortunately, they have wonderful Photoshop skills and a complete dearth of creativity.

Figure 1
(The original)

(I like the picture of Tony Blair in the background - nice touch)

Figure 2
(The cheap knock off)

(Adding the clock at 3:00 in the background was a nicely veiled Hillary reference.)

Please people, let's get creative with the content of these things in the future. No one really believes that either of these people is dumb enough to get caught doing something this stupid. They make enough legitimate gaffes, so let's focus on those. If that's not enough to keep you smiling, be more creative in your abuse.

- ND

The other PC...

I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you that I'm just sick and tired of the pervasive political correctness that drives almost everything today. It seems that everyone spends nearly as much time vetting their words to insure that they are politically correct as they do assembling them to be politically important. I'm sure that you're thinking, what did Nabor Dan see or hear from the campaign trail that raised his ire this time? Guess again... it didn't have anything to do with the campaign season. This diatribe was generated by a link I was sent to a video that perfectly expressed my view of the nature of our PC society. Have a quick watch...



This is not about Islam, it's about the perversion of beliefs. A perversion that has run rampant in our society, and for that matter, all of the western world. The belief that we must choose to tread on no one has made western culture the doormat of society. By believing that we must be sensitive to all cultures, we lose the very value that our culture is founded on. Yes, we must embrace tolerance of others beliefs and values. That is a point that I will not disagree with. But we must keep a watchful eye that we don't sacrifice our dearly held beliefs in granting that tolerance. We become the worst kind of people when we fail to acknowledge the ills of others because we fear offending their sensibilities. These same people who we are so careful to not offend are the first to criticize our culture as offensive.

We need to open our eyes. We need to see that both ends are being played against the middle. We either need to drop our PC attitudes and address things in the open, or admit that we are a culture in decline.

- ND

Look alike...

I received some pictures which were taken at a "The Real Me" gig over the weekend. I thought that the pictures were pretty good, which is not normal for me, so I showed them to a friend at the office.

One of my co-workers suggested that in the picture below I look like Tom Arnold. We conducted a poll by printing out these two pictures for comparison.














My co-workers unanimously agreed that I did in fact look like Tom Arnold. Honestly, I didn't see the resemblance. I have another picture of me from the same evening with glasses on, and everyone agrees I look less like Tom Arnold with glasses. Either way, I think they are dead wrong.

So I'll leave it up to you, my readers, to decide for yourselves. You have now seen both pictures, so please let me know what you think. I have created a poll for you to express your opinions. Don't let that stop you from commenting.

- ND

For those that haven't seen it...

Watch those pins get OWNED by Nabor Dan!



What can I say? If you're gonna do it... do it like a man!

- ND

Who's responsible...

I was watching the victory speeches this evening and heard something that galled me. I'm used to listening to the pandering speeches, with all of their empty promises in words spun so tightly that their meanings are lost in their staccato delivery. But sometimes... I hear something that I just can't digest.

Everyone who is not in a persistent vegetative state has now heard of the "mortgage crisis". It's in the media every day, and tends to be linked with the term "recession". More often then not it's credited as the root cause of the lack of confidence that has developed in the resiliency of our economy. The thing that bothered me this evening wasn't the mortgage crisis, or the recession fears that are being fanned, but rather the way that the entire crisis was being characterized. My issue was that the politician blamed the crisis on "predatory lending".

So at some point... lenders became predators.

What galled me was yet another subtle example of the continued slide of self responsibility. At what point will people finally decide to take responsibilities for their actions? If you decide to buy a home, who is responsible for ensuring that your loan is the best possible rate? The lender? Are you kidding me? Obviously the purchaser is responsible. Yet somehow, lenders have been labeled the predator. Are there examples of situations where a mortgage banker or broker acted in self interest over the interests of their client? Sure. Does that release the consumer from responsibility for their own self interest? Of course not. In Latin it's caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware.

OK people, let's all take this Nabor Dan wisdom to heart...

If you have reached the age of majority in your state be careful what you sign. If you don't understand what your signing... don't sign. Take the time to find someone who can explain it to you. Don't assume that anyone who has an financial interest in the transaction will offer you advice that is in your interest. And lastly... if you get screwed on something that you signed, suck it up and take responsibility for it. The only thing worse then someone taking advantage of you, is you not taking responsibility for yourself.

- ND

Tax rebates...

Sorry for the delay in getting a post out. My bout of the illness that has been going around is in full swing, and I'm enjoying a lot of napping when I'm not at work. Thank you for your patience... now on to the post.

Does anyone find it odd that the government proposes stimulating the economy by handing out tax rebate checks? Somehow putting $600 (or some other like amount) into the hands of nearly everyone is somehow going to change the national mindset about a looming recession? That's just crazy.

And why are so many people pumped-up about the government writing them a check for some of their own money? Won't this just add to the deficit that already exists between revenue and spending? Are people really silly enough to think this is a good thing?

Wouldn't it make sense if the government controlled its spending, and by doing so, found a way to lower taxes over time. By giving us a tax rebate, aren't they just ratcheting up the taxes that will eventually need to be collected to cover this new debt? And who do they expect to pay those future taxes? I can only assume that it's me, and you and everyone who pays taxes.

The projected surplus that was talked about 7 years ago is a thing of the past. Bigger government and wars in the post 9/11 world have ensured that we won't be seeing any surplus in the near future. Why do we keep thinking that we can spend today and pay tomorrow? Is it the same thinking that has caused the financial problems of such a large part of our citizenry? I suspect so.

In this election year, I think that these questions are especially important. Will we continue to elect people whose ideas are rooted in this same "well take care of everything for you" philosophy, or is the problem that we don't know who we are as a country? Are we the independent individualists we think of ourselves as, or have we become something else? Who does this government serve? I suggest that the answer is no one...

- ND

Remastered...

On the occasion of my 20th high school reunion I have taken it upon myself to digitize and remaster my high school movie. For those who are not versed in the tale, it goes something like this...

The Obese Beast

Basic plot summary:

The Obese Beast (seen above) escapes from prison to find Hostess Ho Ho's. In his pursuit of the snack he goes on a murderous rampage. The police investigate his escape. Much mayhem and hilarity ensue.

Being interviewed by the cops

I estimate a spring release of the remastered all digital version of the Obese Beast, with perhaps an exclusive screening at one of the upcoming film festivals. There is no distributor under contract for this film.

- ND

The dead pool...

For any of you that catch the mainstream media on the average day, you will by now have taken notice of the incredible number of celebrity deaths in the last several days. Being just the third week of January, the numbers seem out of place. Pleshette, Fischer, Renfro, Ledger, and Hillary, being a less then comprehensive list.

At this rate, will there be any celebrities left at the start of 2009? Will Paris and Lindsay be the only two celebs standing? All I can say is this... who cares.

If anyone has interest in creating a celebrity dead pool I'm in. I'll find a way to add it to the site. If things keep happening at this rate, any guess is a good one.

We live in a sad culture.

- ND

New feature...

I've added a new feature on the blog. It's a "how much I've saved by not smoking" counter. You will notice it right below the time counter on the upper right of the page. I have been looking for something like this for quite some time, and really haven't found anything that was what I wanted. That's still true, but I have settled on the one that is currently on the page.

Anyone who wants to write a little client side Javascript for me is more then welcome to get in touch. I never learned to code, and I don't intend to start just to put a counter on my page. If you're reading this and are a wiz-kid web author or hotshot Java monkey and you feel compelled to help, I won't turn you away.

I'm sure someone will be beating my door down any second to get on board for the project.

- ND

Nothing like a cold drink...

I had an experience the other day that took me back to childhood. I filled a big glass of ice water and immediately started to it chug in an attempt quench a monster thirst. As I downed the pint glass of water I noticed that as I reached the end of the glass the water was much colder then the original few gulps. Immediately I was drawn back to a moment in my youth.

I remember many times as a kid having a glass of kool-aid on a hot summer day. Often the kool-aid was warm and the attending adult would add a few ice cubes to cool the drink down for me. When I was young I required immediate satisfaction when I was thirsty, and typically gulped the small glass of liquid down in a few large swallows. I always noticed that the last gulp was cold and the first was warm. I remember, even as a child, that I scolded myself for not being more patient in drinking my kool-aid. If I just had the patience to wait, the first gulp would have been as cold as the last.

As an adult who understands the way things work, I can't help but look back at childhood and smile. Adults recognize that the quantity of liquid and the surface area of the ice play a direct role in the temperature of a liquid. Less liquid over more ice makes for a colder beverage. More liquid over less ice has the opposite effect. It's a simple rule of nature. As a child who has no grasp on the mechanics of how things work in nature, I blamed my warm beverage on haste.

So many things change as you age. You gain wisdom, and patience and come to understand the mechanics of how things work. You lose the the simple ideas and solutions that a child creates to explain the nature of things. Some things never change... like the desire to chug a beverage to satisfy an overwhelming thirst.

- ND

The first act...

Today officially begins the presidential race with the Iowa caucus. It only makes sense that the most ridiculous and least democratic method of selecting a candidate should be the first of all of the primaries. (please find no sarcasm in the last statement) Today, a handful of Iowa's eligible electorate will attend the caucus for the Democratic and Republican candidates. These caucuses are separate events for the Democrats and Republicans, and have different rules about how delegates for candidates are chosen.

For a full primer on the event visit visit npr.org

With a population of about three million, Iowa will likely have less than 200,000 people attend its caucus. Being the first event of the primary season, the media coverage of the event will be disproportionate to the value of the delegates gained through the process. The coverage will create the front runners for both parties and eliminate the stragglers. The cash to the candidates who don't appeal to the Iowans will dry up, and the rest of the nation will have fewer choices for our leadership. All from a couple hundred thousand Iowans who participate in a process that eliminates a fair segment of the potential electorate by its nature. Somehow I just can't get my arms around why we pay attention to this mess.

For those of us that actually follow politics, this is the start of an interesting year. Unfortunately, it will start with a process that doesn't make sense, and will limit our choices in the future. Keep in mind if you watch the news tonight, that there are candidates for this country's highest office that might not be around next week because the Iowa Republican and Democratic parties insist on being glactically backward in how the elect their delegates. If it's not your candidate then you probably won't care. If it is your candidate blame Iowa. More specifically the less than ten percent of Iowans who will make it to the caucus today.

I'll be watching, and I'm sure that tomorrow I'll have a stiff neck from shaking my head in disgust. When will we finally understand that good government involves the participation of the people.

- ND

Site updated...

I suddenly realized that I was constantly giving the latest update on days since I quit smoking. While the achievement for me is a significant one, I don't think that it needs to be a daily topic for posting.

I implemented a new feature on the blog today. Just below my profile on the right, I inserted a counter to track the days since I quit. Hopefully this will limit the updates to topics that are not about quitting, or topics that are about quitting but somehow insightful.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support.

- ND

The battle to spend the FSA...

Much like last year, I had a bunch of FSA dollars left to spend in 2007. Here is the breakdown of the stuff I purchased "tax free" this year...

1 hypnosis session to quit smoking
2 new pair of glasses
1 prescription for smoking related meds
1 huge purchase from drugstore.com

The glasses are a last minute decision. I didn't know how to kill some of the remaining dollars, so eyeglasses are always an easy choice. This year I went with some rimless glasses for daily wear, and a new pair of prescription shades.

Drugstore.com probably had a record day. I purchased enough stop smoking stuff (patches, lozenges and such) to get me through an extended nicotine dependency. That wasn't quite enough to eat all of the funds, so I purchased a bunch of stuff that I probably will use throughout the year. Antihistamines, band aids, antacids and a variety of other regular use items. Nothing is cooler then creating your own personal "everything is 30% off sale" at the end of the year. (thanks to the pre-tax nature of the FSA)

keep an eye out for the new spec's I'm sure that I'll be looking good!

- ND

Bert exposed...

For the person who has never seen the evidence...




The truth is out there...


- ND

Image courtesy of Bert is Evil

Ringing in 2008...

Happy new year to everyone. I hope you all had the opportunity to spend time with your families and friends over the holidays.

Tomorrow begins the third week of being a non smoker. One of my friends told me today that he was proud of me. I didn't thank him, but I probably should have. It hasn't been the struggle that I anticipated. I haven't had to constantly fight the battle of "my will is stronger than the addiction". As such, I'm happy he's proud of me, but I'm not sure that I have earned the praise. If I had known that hypnosis and the patch would have the effect that they have had, I would have tried this years ago.

- ND