Yaaaaaaay- Brian and Meghan got married last night!

Check out the photos here!

Now it's golfing time with the fraternity!!

Yes! Harriet Miers has withdrawn her nomination to the Supreme Court!

She must have read my blog.

I love pumpkins.

Some of you know my political stance but for those of you who don't, I would consider myself a progressive Republican. I'm somewhat conservative with most issues however I can understand reasonable situations where being too conservative is a hindrance on the development of our country.

Although I'm being classified as a Republican, it pains me that we (the Republican party) have such a nincompoop as a leader. George Bush's recent decision to nominate Harriet Miers for a position on the Supreme Court drives me bonkers. But should we all be really surprised considering this may be par for the course for his decision making? *cough* FEMA Director *cough*



She's a smiling idiot who has very limited experience. And I don't even think Bush knows her that well because he claimed that he nominated her because he knows she has good character and described her as a good Catholic. In actuality, she's never been a Catholic and I'm willing to bet that the only reason why Bush thinks she has good character is because she's done pro bono work for small piddly peanut issues. What I actually suspect is that she probably felt that her services weren't worth any amount of money!

She helped a garage attendant for her firm's building complete an adoption. She won a case for a Nigerian woman who was fighting a deportation order. She lost when representing an indigent single mother who was denied disability benefits.

Ohhhhhhhh- big cases!! And now we're going to trust her with a position on the Supreme Court? And I thought George Bush had an easy path to the top!

There's one good decision that I think George made recently but I highly doubt he made it on his own. Putting in Ben Bernanke as Alan Greenspan's replacement was a good decision. He has a glowing track record and there are key elements in his personal life that also illustrate he is a man of good character.

I was reading an Australian newspaper this morning about Bernanke and his experience. Reading international papers about domestic issues is a great thing by the way- it helps you see the US as everyone else sees the US. Here are my favorite excerpts of the article on Bernanke:

His administrative experience, until a few years ago, was seven years as the chair of the Princeton University economics department, "where I had responsibility for major policy decisions such as whether to serve bagels or doughnuts at coffee hour".

...he taught himself calculus because his school didn't offer it. He entered Harvard with an admission score of 1590 out of 1600 and left with top honours after studying economics. A career in academia culminated in a 1999 speech for the annual conference of Federal Reserve governors in which he warned Greenspan and others present of the dangers of stock market bubbles in the US, and how the Federal Reserve might respond.

His prescription, in a paper with fellow academic Mark Gertler, a professor of economics at New York University, was sharp interest rate cuts - beyond what the usual economic data called for - to restore confidence to the system. It turned out to be the blueprint for Greenspan's unprecedented interest rate cutting program, following the bursting of the technology and internet bubble in 2000 and, later, the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Bernanke's star has been rising fast ever since. He was appointed to the board of the Federal Reserve alongside Greenspan in August 2002. He served nearly three years before the US President tapped him to become his economic adviser in June. That was a precursor to the Fed appointment - a strategy redolent of president Ronald Reagan's: Greenspan was also Reagan's adviser in the 1980s, before Reagan appointed him as head of the Federal Reserve in 1987.


The article in full.

Some of you know how much I dislike the Ethos Water business model.

Well- I recently went to the Ethoswater.com site and told them my thoughts. Here is what I said:

I have read that Ethos gives 5 cents for every bottle sold to help the cause of bringing water to underdeveloped countries.

Five cents for every $1.80 bottle of water sold is a scam. Masking your ridiculously priced water for huge profits under the impression that you are helping the underdeveloped countries is the biggest insult I have ever seen.

By playing on the bleeding hearts of society, you blatantly take advantage of those who truly want to help the underpriveleged. I can get Arrowhead bottles of water at Costco for 17 cents a bottle and I am paying RETAIL PRICES!!! There is no way your shipping costs are so inflated that you require a whopping 1000% more to deliver the same bottle of water. If in fact your shipping costs are that high, you're doing a shit job of finding a cheaper way.

Here's a tip - how about getting some of those delivery costs donated by transporation firms who also want to donate to the cause?

Let me know if anyone really reads this message. I doubt anyone will so I'm posting it on my blog.


Clifford


And after I wrote them - I purchased ethos-water.com. Now I'll be able to educate the bleeding hearts who purchase the water at ridiculous prices and show them that their money would be more effective through other mediums.

Today is a day of good and bad...

The bad: My mouth is killing me after having 6 teeth removed on Friday. Three wisdom teeth and three extra teeth that shouldn't have been in there. I calculated it out and those 6 teeth accounted for 17.6% of my entire collection. Oof!

The good: I will be a guest on the RadioGoDaddy.com show. Woo! I will be offering tips and advice for beginners at web building.

My phone locked up and everything that my little Treo had within it's little memory banks is gone. :(

E-mail me with your info.

c.

Most of you know that I serve as the chapter advisor for a business fraternity at ASU but many of you don't know the values for which the fraternity stands.

Our Creed:

Alpha Kappa Psi recognizes that
We live in deeds, not years;
In thought, not breath;
In service, not in figures on the dial.
We count time by heart throbs,
When they beat for God, for man, for duty.
He lives most who thinks most,
Is noblest, acts the best.

Our core values:

Brotherhood – Trust, respect, cooperation, companionship, and aid to Brother Members is the expected norm

Knowledge – Education and experience, whether gained in the classroom or the workplace, is emphasized and shared

Integrity – All actions, whether in business or in life, are guided by honesty, ethics, and fairness

Service – Sharing of time, talent, and treasure with both communities and with our Fraternity is a priority


Unity – A common understanding of our vision and values that transcends chapter, generation, and profession is utilized to anticipate and create the future

I just read this e-mail from a fellow brother in the fraternity - Jessica Hill (pictured below dancing)

Today the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation was notified that it will be receiving a $250,000 bequest from the estate of the late Carlton John Siegler, Columbia '31-Life. Brother Siegler passed away in August. With this bequest, the largest the Foundation has ever received, Brother Siegler becomes a 'first time donor' to the Foundation.

It was Brother Siegler's desire for the establishment of the "Carlton John Siegler Scholarship Fund" through the AKPsi Foundation, with only net income awarded annually to qualified students. This sizeable gift will add at least $12,500 a year in scholarships -- an incredible boost to our ability to support our student members!

Awesome.

Had a lot of fun this past weekend.

I don't have a lot of time to write about it now but here are a few pictures I took.

owie...
I just dislocated both of my shoulders playing a game where I had to swat used del taco wrappers from the open window in a hotel room.

How cool is this?

An AKPsi ASU chapter success story.

Yaaaaay for Brian!