Barcelona is in Catalonia. And My Thoughts on Barack Obama.

I received an interesting request last week: Would I answer the questions a student, Jordi Secall, at the University of Barcelona had about my feelings regarding Barack Obama? Sure, why not, I thought. So I did. You can read the questions -- and my answers -- at La Política Ha Mort.

Interestingly, I also learned something very interesting about Barcelona: It's in Catalonia, which was annexed by Spain in the early 1700s. Catalan is still spoken there, and this particular blog (with the exception of question and answers in English) is written in Catalan, not Spanish. Sometimes we forget just how many rich heritages there are around the world. I am excited to learn a little bit more about Catalonia in the next day or two.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Let in Snow!

I must admit that I am loving the snow. I feel all cozy and warm, curled up inside with a good book. And, Gavin and I will go sledding in the backyard soon.

I do, however, hope that it will stop on the 26, since that is when we head up to my parents' house. We do Christmas here, and then go see family. It's less stressful that way.

Because I Couldn't Resist: President Bush's Great Reflexes

This was...an amazing feat of athleticism. Go President Bush!

FYI: The soles of the shoe, not to mention calling someone a dog, are among the worst insults in Arab culture...

Shameless Self-Promotion: Naked Hypocrisy Edition

I find this entire bailout thing -- including yesterday's auto industry bailout rejection -- rather hypocritical. It's the height of hypocrisy to bailout (read: reward) some companies for poor decisions and then hold other companies -- not to mention taxpayers -- responsible for their gaffes. So I'm outraged. Not a big fan of bailouts in general, but the naked hypocrisy involved outrages me more.

So, this week, enjoy a special edition of shameless self-promotion. One that involves a great deal of ranting:

1. More than $7 trillion has been allocated for economic stimulus so far. Sort of makes the $14 billion loan the auto industry is asking for look pretty cheap.
2. What if we helped ordinary Americans through universal health care? Perhaps that would actually stimulate the economy. Since funding large corporations hasn't really done the job. "Trickle down" doesn't seem to be trickling.
3. We'll throw truckloads of money at irresponsible finance industry CEOs, but auto industry CEOs offering to make sacrifices and present plans get nothing.
4. The stock market drops on the auto industry bailout failure.
5. Trying to figure out who's to blame for the financial crisis.
6. At least someone's trying to help small business.
   

Economic Stimulus and Bailouts: Rewarding Poor Decisions

I talked to my dad on the phone last night, and he was (rightfully) complaining about how we're rewarding poor decisions left and right. And we are. Citi is a prime example. The reason I like Citi as an example is because the company is so hypocritical about the whole thing.

Citi has been, in effect, saying this to upset credit card customers in good standing who are outraged over increases in their interest rates: "We're sorry, but it was your decision to carry a balance. We can raise interest rates whenever we want, for whatever reason we want. You'll have to live with the consequences."

Yeah, well, Citi, it you made a number of very poor business decisions yourself. But, unlike the rest of us who have to live with the consequences, you are getting a bailout (at our expense I may add), raising interest rates and still paying executive bonuses. It seems as though Citi is having a hard time practicing what it preaches. But that's okay. Because Citi is too big to fail.

A commenter on my Yielding Wealth blog had a different take on things. Remember that $700 billion bailout passed a couple of months ago? There is still between $300 and $350 billion left of it. Well, Bruhar suggested this in a comment:

Pay $100,000.00 taxable dollars to every tax payer with income $250,000.00 or less. This should equate to around three hundred billion dollars and result in instant stimulus to economy and housing and auto industry.

That money's gonna be spent. You know it is. And we're going to have to pay it back with interest. So, what if it was sent to us instead of the big guys? Sure, a lot of taxpayers have made unwise decisions. But the stupid decisions made by individuals aren't nearly as huge as those made by the corporations that are getting billions. Consider what someone in foreclosure trouble could do with a tax-free $100,000. Put it toward the mortgage and refinance the rest to an affordable payment.

I could pay off my student loans. And maybe I'd buy something, stimulating the economy. I mean, if they want instant stimulus, there could be a requirement that everyone has to spend $10,000 of the money on new consumer purchases -- whether it be a car or lots of little things. Our economy is basically one massive cycle of shifting money around and around and around. If you're going to spend that kind of money, you might as well give it lots of people who can make a bigger collective impact.

If we're going to reward poor decision-making, we might as well reward as many people as possible. And when you reward the taxpayers, at least some of the folks getting the reward actually made good decisions.

Oil Prices Fall: Now Is Not The Time For Complacency

Oil prices have fallen below $50 a barrel, and there are some predictions that they could fall in further -- to perhaps $40, $30 or even $25 a barrel. While this is a boon for many, especially since gas prices are falling, it does not mean that we should become complacent.

A few months ago, the interest in alternative energy was the highest it has ever been. As we struggled to pay more than $4 a gallon for gas, we were adamant that alternative energy had to be developed. Now we've been granted a reprieve from the gas prices, and that urgency to develop alternative energy technology is disappearing.

We shouldn't let it.

The fact of the matter is that fossil fuels -- coal and oil especially -- are limited resources. They will eventually run out. They are not renewable. This means that, over time, there is only one direction for prices to go as the reserves become scarcer: Up. Renewables, on the other hand, are just that: Renewable. They do not become scarce. As our technology improves and as their use becomes more widespread, the price of alternative energy will go down.

So it seems downright silly to waste this chance we have. If the government is going to insist on spending trillions on economic stimulus, we should encourage our representatives to make sure some of the money goes to developing alternative energy and infrastructure, which would be of enormous benefit in terms of jobs, and increased efficiency.

Instead of becoming complacent about how low oil prices are right now, we should use this chance to invest more in alternative energy. In our society based on instant gratification, we need to change our thinking and look to the future. Fossil fuels are the energy source of the 20th Century. We should be moving beyond them.

Trying Out a Mormon-Themed Card Game

I grew up playing games. I love games. So when my husband announced that his buddy at school had a prototype card game with a Book of Mormon theme from 3 Nephi, putting on the armor of God, I thought it would be fun to try it out. Mike brought the card game over, taught us to play, and Josh and I gave it a whirl. I won't go into too much detail because, well, I'm sure Mike doesn't want his awesome idea stolen. He's got lots of other ideas for Mormon-themed games as well.

Armor of God card game

As you might guess, the object is to collect pieces of the Armor of God. I can see where this would make a great scripture learning tool for kids as they collect the Breastplate of Righteousness, Helmet of Salvation and Shield of Faith, etc., etc. You battle it out by collecting points and trying to arm yourself before your opponent (only two players for this game) does.

It was a fun way to spend an hour, but I think the game might get a little tedious if you couldn't manage to reach the objectives and you kept playing for more than an hour and a half. The concept is creative, and involves a die as well as cards. There are a couple things going on, so the littlest kids probably won't be able to follow.

Hopefully, we'll see this on the shelves sometime. I think Mike plans to submit the game for publication.