My little princess turns 1

This campaign has had me going so much, I’ve really neglected the blog, even for the most important of posts such as this one.

That said, on July 17, my precious little baby girl turned 1 year old.

I remember when Tara was pregnant with her, and we had Joshua running around. He was my pride and joy, the center of my life. I couldn’t imagine how another baby would fit into our lives.

Ella didn’t have any trouble fitting into this family. She’s a doll. And she even gets along with her big brother.

So, without further ado, click here for all the photos.

When our liberty is given away…

For many people, especially Obama supporters, the FISA bill brought a double-dose of disturbing.

First, for Obama supporters, was the candidate’s decision to vote for the bill with language that supported immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated with the federal government and turned over private records.

Second, for a far broader group of people, was the immunity itself.

H/T to folo.us for getting me to these two columns:

1. Glenn Greenwald: The political establishment and telecom immunity — why it matters
2. Nancy Soderberg: A good-enough spy law

The folo.us post is more about disappointment with Obama, so I’m not focusing on it. The two columns, however, are important pieces.

It can best be summed up by what Greenwald wrote:

I would really like to know where people like Soderberg get the idea that the U.S. President has the power to “order” private citizens to do anything, let alone to break the law, as even she admits happened here. I’m asking this literally: how did this warped and distinctly un-American mentality get implanted into our public discourse — that the President can give “orders” to private citizens that must be complied with? Soderberg views the President as a monarch — someone who can issue “orders” that must be obeyed, even when, as she acknowledges, the “orders” are illegal.

That just isn’t how our country works and it never was. We don’t have a King who can order people to break the law. …

The answer to his rhetorical question — where people get the idea that the U.S. President has the power to “order” private citizens to do anything — is fairly simple.

We have devolved as a society to the point that if we like the president, then we don’t care much what he does. And in this case, we’ve devolved to the point that we are willing to sacrifice our civil liberties, our freedoms, our privacy all in the name of national defense.

President Bush is merely our father, protecting us children from the big, bad terrorists. Who are we to question what our father does?

The answer to that rhetorical question is easy as well: We’re Americans. It is in our national conscience to question our government. Never should we put our faith so much in a leader that we ever let them tell us what to do with our own liberty, much less question their motives when doing so.

I’ve heard the arguments:

• The telecommunications companies had to do what the president said.
• If you’re doing nothing wrong, then who cares if the government looks at your phone records?
• They’re not looking at our records. They’re looking at their records.
• If we want to be safe, we have to sacrifice.
• You damned liberals will ruin this nation!

OK. So the last point is a blanket response from any differing mind who has no rational argument. The first four, however, are purely revolting arguments. They are absent of thought, reason and — in my opinion — national pride.

Telecommunication companies had no choice. Yes, they did. Had the federal government come asking for their R&D findings against competitors, a room full of corporate lawyers would have told Uncle Sam to stick it where the sun don’t shine. But this was in the name of national defense and hurt only the consumers, so who cares?

If you’re doing nothing wrong… Since when did you have to be guilty of a crime to be indicted by the federal authorities? The Justice Department under the Bush Administration has already been proven to be a political arm of the Republican Party. Furthermore, the warrantless use of phone records is used to build a case against someone where no case exists. It’s not used to further a case where other evidence points to the phone records. If the latter existed, investigators would simply get a warrant and review the records.

They’re not looking at our records. Poor schmuck. You actually believe this?

We have to sacrifice. Yes, we do. In the worst of times, we have to ration our food, our fuel and our natural resources. Our men and women must go to foreign soil and fight our enemies. But in the course of our nation’s history — and indeed in the birth of it — our civil liberties have been our most valued possession. Without the freedom upon which our nation is built, we have nothing for which to sacrifice. When we give our liberty to our government in any name — including and especially national defense — then we cease to be a free society.

Liberty and freedom are difficult ideas in that they are not readily tangible until they disappear. But we must study them, debate them and seek to defend them against any who would seek to take them. That includes our own government, who more times than foreign enemies seek to steal from us what our forefathers sought to guarantee.

Killing fleas with salt

My cat, Hemingway, has lived with me longer than my wife. Huey joined the family after we had been married about a year. In all of that time, we’ve never had fleas.

Undoubtedly, our apartment complex has fleas outside. Undoubtedly, when my two children play in the grass, they bring in fleas. Undoubtedly, those fleas have taken roost inside.

We’ve not seen a lot of fleas, but Hemingway is not happy. I’ve seen one on the toilet seat. Tara saw one on the floor while playing with Ella, our soon-to-be 1-year-old daughter.

Thus, we went exploring the Internet and found a safe, cheap remedy for fleas: salt.

So, off to Kroger I went. I purchased 12 boxes of salt at 33 cents per box. Tax and all, that comes to $4.24 later, I had a non-toxic remedy.

It took six boxes to cover the apartment. We let it sit overnight and vacuum in the morning. We’ll repeat in a couple of days.

For more on how to kill fleas with salt, read one of these posts:

1. GeekyHousewife.com
2. HowStuffWorks.com
3. eHow.com

I just hope my cats don’t lick the carpet…

Barbour wrong on Medicaid

The current debate over how to fund Medicaid is the most irrational, absurd, asinine political parlay I have ever seen.

There are two options on the table, and any reasonable person can see what the best one is. The two options:

1. Fund Medicaid by raising taxes on cigarettes.
2. Fund Medicaid by raising taxes on hospitals.

The clear choice is option #1. But we have a governor who is a former tobacco lobbyist, and he’ll roll over in his political grave before he allows a tax hike on cigarettes.

He almost did just that two years ago. Barbour’s approval ratings were in the 30s just three months before Hurricane Katrina hit, in large part because he decided to cut nearly 50,000 people off of the state Medicaid system.

Now he’s threatening a cut of $375 million to the program, which will be devastating to the people of this state who rely on Medicaid for health care.

Granted, the best solution would most likely be a combination of the two options. It would mix a revenue stream that is sure to shrink — a cigarette tax hike — with a more manageable tax that would not be passed on to sick people — a hospital tax hike.

But short of Barbour and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, who remains characteristically behind the coattails of who ever is leading him by the nose, accepting a compromise, then the House should drive forward with the cigarette tax and force Barbour to make the cuts.

While devastating, the cuts to Medicaid will most likely not have the same long-term affects of a tax on hospital beds. We don’t repeal taxes very often, and businesses are not going to take a tax hit without passing the cost along to the consumer, in this case a sick person who needs a bed in which to be treated.

Barbour’s logic in this is sick but not surprising. He is showing where his true loyalties lie, which are with big, corporate interests. In short, he’s never really stopped lobbying on behalf of cigarette companies. He’s just added governing on their behalf to his repertoire.

For more on this issue, here’s a few suggested reads:

1. Latest post on CottonMouth, this one by Jeff Walters.
2. Sid Salter’s column from Sunday.
3. John Mott Coffey’s piece in the Commercial Dispatch.
4. Sid Salter’s blog post on Phil Bryant.

In parting, let me say this. I had the great honor to serve the Speaker as director of the Democratic caucus in the House. There are few men I’ve met with his character and integrity.

Anyone who believes Billy McCoy would play politics with the well-being of thousands of Mississippians does not know this man’s true heart.

Unfortunately, I fear the same can be said of people who believe Barbour is acting in the best interest of our state.

Keeping cool and saving money

LifeHacker provides a tip on making your ceiling fans work for you.

From Simple Dollar via LifeHacker:

Most fans have a “clockwise” setting and a “counterclockwise” setting, each appropriate for a different season. Stand beneath the fan and turn it on. If you immediately feel a breeze from the fan, then it’s set on the “summer” setting, usually counterclockwise. Otherwise, turn off the fan, climb up near the base of the fan, and look for a little button or switch that sets the fan to run in the opposite direction.

Visit LifeHacker for the link to the full Simple Dollar article.

Flickr photo by !!!!scogle.

My current read: Founding Brothers

Here’s the book I’m currently reading: Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis.

Ellis won a Pulitzer Prize for this book, and after reading just the intro, prologue and the first “section”, I can see why.

The premise behind the book is to explain one of the most important decades in our nation’s history — beginning in 1790 — through the prism of six events.

It’s a unique approach to historical storytelling, and it is really a fascinating read thus far.

I highly recommend it, and I won’t finish it for another day or two.

Race and politics in Mississippi

For the cuckoo-cuckoo for Coco Puffs out there who believe racism in America is dead (or even dying quickly), take time to sift through the comments on this story about Barack Obama’s chances of winning Mississippi.

I was born and raised in the Magnolia State. I love it here. For about two years I lived in Alabama, and the entire time I missed my home.

We have a horrible history when it comes to civil rights, but we also have a glowing history at the same time. Many battles have been won in this state, battles that have had national impact on the civil rights struggles.

And we have a ways to go before racism is stomped out. Perhaps that is what is most amazing about Obama’s nomination. It is not that black voters are turning out in record number. It is that young people — black and white, Democrat and Republican — are turning out to vote.

That younger generations do not focus first on color (or if they do, it is only for a brief moment) but instead on the message. That is the hope I see in his nomination, and it is the hope I pray we see from his administration after he wins the general election in November.

My plan for getting healthy and fit

So, “tomorrow” didn’t come as soon as I thought. Between work getting crazy and me getting sick, I’ve been swamped.

Excuses aside, here’s the next part of healthy lifestyle plan.

After deciding to not only lose weight but to get back to a healthy lifestyle, I outlined how I lost 30 pounds in six months last year. My method included better eating habits but no real exercise. While that formula can be effective for losing weight (and thus making you healthier), it is not the best way to improve your overall health.

So, here’s my plan:

1. Exercise: I’m up at 5 a.m. and in the exercise room by 5:15 a.m. I’ll do light cardio on the bike or treadmill and finish with weights. As I build up, I’ll increase my weight training. In the end, though, I’ll have only 45 minutes to give to exercise. But that’s better than nothing.

2. Eating: This will be strictly a calorie-counting exercise. I can eat whatever I want, within reason, so long as I’m careful to watch my calorie consumption. Once you are accustom to counting calories (or Weight Watcher points) then it becomes second nature.

3. Foods to avoid: OK. An addendum to the above. I will avoid all fried foods and consume “sweets” only once a week. I’ll increase my fruit intake as snacks. (I know, sugar. Must be careful.)

4. Water: I’ve already increased my water intake to 96 ounces a day. That alone can make a big difference. Water can help keep your metabolism up and keep you filled.

5. Tracking: I’m a big believer in accountability. I’ll track my progress daily and weekly in a few ways, all of which will be discussed in my next post. (And while it’s planned for tomorrow, I’ve learned never to publicly announce my next blog post unless it is written and scheduled to post automatically.)

None of these are revolutionary tips, and they are all commonsense. In fact, they are so simple that I’m reminded of what someone said on Twitter when I posted my last post.

“Is it really that hard to lose weight?” he asked, then went on to explain his method. He:

• Watches what he eats.
• Rides his bike everyday.

In short, no, it’s not that had to lose weight and stay healthy once you are in that routine. But breaking bad habits and getting into a good routine can be quite difficult.

Sometimes just writing it down and finding inspiration in others who have undertaken simple steps to reach their goals is needed to obtain what others find so simple. That’s what I’ve done, and I hope others (at least one person) finds the same from these posts.

Up next: My jumping off weight and sizes, my tracking methods and where I am after one week.

Losing 30 pounds in six months

Yesterday, I wrote a post announcing that I was getting back into a healthy lifestyle routine. Today, I’ll give you background on how I lost 30 pounds in six months without exercising, and why not exercising won’t work for me this time around.

My first newspaper gig was at The Rankin Record in Flowood, MS, under a publisher by the name of Tim Beeland. It was Tim who told me about the best diet in the world, though I would not “get it” until years later.

He subscribed to the Push-Away Diet. In short, once he was done with his plate, he pushed away from the table. If he knew something was bad for him, he pushed it away.

That’s rather simplistic, but it’s the most effective diet in the world. And I would say it is no harder than giving up certain food groups. In fact, with the Push-Away Diet, you can eat what you want, so long as you push food away once you’ve reached your predetermined limit.

All joking aside, this is how I lost my weight. There was no intense exercise program, no fad diet, not cutting out bread and eating red meat like it was going out of style.

Simply put, after I did a little research, it became clear that the simplest approach was to eat fewer calories than what I required. Once I found a way to count calories without it being a crunch on my time or an inconvenience at meals, I was ready to go.

Before I go further, let me say that I’m a political consultant, freelance writer and former journalist. At no time have I professionally worked in the health field. This post includes my thoughts, observations and tips that work for me. They may not work for you — or anyone else, for that matter.

What my research showed

The best diet in the world is not really a diet. It’s a study of how your body gains or loses weight. It’s semi-scientific approach to understanding the relationship between what you eat and the fluctuation in weight.

The Hacker’s Diet was written by John Walker, founder of Autodesk, Inc., and co-author of AutoCAD.

If you are serious about weight loss, I would recommend sitting down and reading it. Mind you, it is a long piece. It has worksheets (that I don’t use) that illustrate the points made and that can help you along the way.

The key points of the Hacker’s Diet are as follows:

• Approach weight loss as an engineering problem. While this may not appeal to anyone but engineers, think of it as a mystery. It can be a coding mystery for you programmers or a simple puzzle for those who like mind games. The point is to approach weight loss (and a lifestyle change) not from the point of view of “this is what I have to do to lose weight” but “what do I have to do to lose weight?” If you go at a diet saying, “The Acme Diet says I can’t eat anything that I like,” then you will fail. But if you take a hard look at your lifestyle, recognize what changes need to be made and then voluntarily make them, you have ownership over the plan.

• Continual monitoring keeps you focused. I have a wee bit of a compulsive personality. The whole idea of weighing once a week kills me. I’m on the scale every day, same time of the day, to see my progress. Granted, I know results do not happen overnight and that many factors can contribute to slight ebbs and flows in one’s weight. That said, it is the daily tracking — at least mentally — of where I am that gives me the input I need to make it through the day in a healthy manner. The Hacker’s Diet prescribes just that. Continual tracking and monitoring — going so far as to plot certain things on a spreadsheet, for the truly obsessive — can help you not only see the effects of the changes you have made in your daily habits, it can also encourage you (or shame you) in your efforts.

• Exercise or the lack thereof. Walker writes: “You don’t exercise to lose weight (although it certainly helps). You exercise because you’ll live longer and you’ll feel better.” This is what sold me on The Hacker’s Diet, and I’ll tell you why. Exercise is important. It does help you live longer, and it does make you feel better. But for exercise to be an effective weight-loss tool, it must involve a rigorous, time-consuming routine for which most average people do not have time. Once I understood exercise’s role, I was free to focus on my eating habits as weight-loss and finding time for exercise became secondary. I no longer felt like I was failing in my “dieting” if I did not exercise. I just felt like, “If I exercised more, I’d feel better and have more energy. But, hey, look how much weight I’m losing. That helps, too.”

One important note. Walker is quick to point out that he is not a doctor or nutritionist. In fact, he says The Hacker’s Diet “is a diet book by somebody who spent most of his life fat.”

Hacking the Hacker’s Diet

As with any diet, it only works if you custom-tailor it to your life. If you can afford a gym membership and have the time to go for an hour or two every day, then by all means do it.

For me, I hacked The Hacker’s Diet this way:

1. Weight Watchers. If you want a mainstream diet plan, this is the way to go. This is the easiest way to count calorie-, fat- and fiber-intake. While the program itself can be expensive, you can find online counters (even for your iPhone or other mobile device) that help you judge the points. A cursory search with Google will produce charts for you to decide how many points you need. And, if you have the spare change, signing up for a month or two to get the materials may be worth it. It was to my wife and me.

2. Home cooking. My wife cooked every dinner. I went home most every lunch. By doing this, we not only saved money, but we avoided the grease and fat of restaurants. If you can’t go home for lunch, take your lunch with you to work. And don’t be daunted by cooking at night, especially you busy parents (like us). There are great cookbooks out there that are geared toward quick-and-easy meals.

3. Don’t forget to cheat. I used the FlexPoints plan of Weight Watchers, which gives you extra points each week. This allows you to cheat. And cheating is not bad, so long as you do it in moderation. For instance, my cheats might be a beer or a glass of wine each night. Perhaps it was dessert at my favorite restaurant. Or maybe I would have that cheeseburger I wanted. It was rarely more than weekly, and it was rarely — if ever — a binge.

4. Adapting to change. You may read the cheating point above and say, “My problem is that I always binge.” That’s because you are trained to do so. If you can make it through that first week of counting points or counting calories, then your body will start to adapt to your new eating habits. The hunger pains can be tough, but cucumbers, radishes and other crispy veggies will do away with them in short order. And once you have adjusted to the new eating habits, the desire to binge will go away. In fact, when you do cheat just a little, your body will not like it.

For me, starting with Weight Watchers helped train me to know what I could and could not eat without taking in too many calories. I learned portion sizes as well. Eventually, I stopped counting the points because eating healthy foods in the right portions became second nature.

And what about exercise?

When I began this new approach last year, I said I would start exercising again. Several months before I had been exercising every morning. I’d ride my bike and then do a light weight routine. When my wife and I moved, I got out of the habit.

However, while I changed my eating habits, I never got back to my exercise routine. For me, it didn’t matter as much during those six months. I weighed 205 pounds when I started. For a guy who stands only 5′9″, that’s a hefty load.

Losing the weight gave me more energy and made me feel better. Plus, it helped my life expectancy.

Now, however, I’m only slightly overweight. My target, which I’ll discuss more tomorrow, is now not so much about weight as it is size. I want to get from my size 36 pants to a size 34. I want to get rid of my beer gut. And I want to have more energy and feel healthier. Losing just a few pounds will achieve the first two, but it won’t do as much toward the second.

My new plan includes a daily exercise plan, but it’s not to lose weight. If I miss a day of exercising, it’s just going to make it a longer day. It won’t really play a part in my weight loss.

Tomorrow, I’ll outline my goals, both for losing weight and for exercising.

And if you take nothing else from this post, take that the two (weight loss and exercise) can be — and for most of us, should be — exclusive, even if they are equally important.

My plan to get back to a healthy lifestyle

Like many people, I’ve wrestled with my weight and lifestyle habits. There have been times of regular workouts but poor eating habits and times of great eating habits but no workout plan.

Last summer, I vowed to do something about it. After a bit of research online, I came to the conclusion that I already knew: If you want to lose weight, take in less calories than you burn.

From June to December of last year, I lost 30 pounds without doing the slightest bit of exercise. Mind you, I’m not advocating no exercise, but my point is simple: You can lose weight without exercising.

I’ll get more into what I did in a later post. For now, know that I did not starve myself. I ate regularly — four to five times per day — and sensibly.

For most people — myself included — the 30-minute workouts will do little to burn enough calories for weight loss purposes. If you want to lose weight through workouts, you have to be dedicated to a rigorous schedule.

Without getting into the debates of cardio vs. weights (a healthy combination of both is the way to go), exercise for me is not about weight loss. It is about building up my metabolism, being healthier and generally feeling better throughout the day.

Leo Babauta at ZenHabits just started a new blog to track his workout progress. Mind you, he is already a runner and in good shape. Were I where he is, I’d be happy.

After five months of slacking, not to mention gaining back seven pounds, I’ve decided to rededicate myself to getting healthy. Two recent posts from ZenHabits, the announcement of the Unbelievable Lightness of Being Club and 17 Tips to Help You Get Leaner and Fitter, were good inspiration.

Therefore, this is the first of a four-part series and regular blog posts. Here’s what I plan to do:

1. Background: What I’ve done before in weight loss and exercise, including more details about how I went from 205 lbs. to 175 lbs. in six months.

2. Goals: Weight loss, waist size, workout and morning routine.

3. Tracking: Blog, eating diary, etc.

4. Daily blog reports: The key to being successful is being vested. If I commit to telling the world about it, then perhaps the shame of failing will keep me going.

My next post will be in the morning after I exercise.

And by the way, I started out right this morning. I was up at 5 a.m. I rode my bike and did a light weight routine. I ate toast (plain) and yogurt for breakfast. (3 points if you are doing Weight Watchers.)

Think like da Vinci

As I filter through a week’s worth of links, I came across a post over at LifeOptimizer that summarizes Michael J. Gelb’s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.

I love da Vinci, and I love books of this sort. Needless to say, I just downloaded it from Audible.com and will give it a listen.

Check out the post. It’s a great read.

Race and politics in MS-01

Anyone who believes race is not an overriding factor in politics — especially Southern politics — need only to look at the Mississippi First Congressional District race to see the falacy in such an idea.

For certain, Republican candidate Greg Davis has done more race-baiting than either of the two candidates.

A New York Times article today highlights some of this.

Former Gov. William Winter, a Democrat, expressed shock at the current campaign.

“I am appalled that this blatant appeal to racial prejudice is still being employed,” said Mr. Winter, who lost the 1967 governor’s race after his segregationist opponent circulated handbills showing blacks listening to one of his speeches. Mr. Winter went on to win the governor’s office 12 years later.

“I had thought we had gotten past that,” Mr. Winter said. “That was a tactic that was used against me in the 1960s.”

The chairman of the University of Mississippi’s department of public policy leadership, Robert J. Haws, said he had also noted the use of race in the contest. “Does this reflect a certain level of desperation?” he asked. Dr. Haws also said he had detected a “real reaction from people I know, Republicans” against the ads.

The Republican candidate, Greg Davis, said in an interview he was not raising racial issues, but was instead pointing out that his conservative values made him a better fit for the district.

“We’ve run ads against him with John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi,” said Mr. Davis, referring to Mr. Childers. “Just because one of them happens to be African-American has no bearing on it.” Mr. Davis, 42, is a former state representative who is now mayor of Southaven, a fast-growing Memphis suburb.

Davis has also released a couple of ads talking about Sen. Barack Obama’s endorsement of Childers. Here’s one ad, and here’s the other one. Both are pretty bad, though the first one is flagrant race-baiting.

While I’m appalled, I’m not surprised. I’m numb to the efforts of Republicans in Mississippi when it comes to race-baiting.

In 2003, Gov. Haley Barbour was helped along in his victory over incumbent Gov. Ronnie Musgrove with a “whisper campaign” based on the state flag. “Change the governor, not the flag” read signs and bumper stickers.

And if you are a Republican candidate, one of your campaign speaking engagements will most certainly be the CCC.

But when I saw that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released this mail piece, I was certainly not numb.

The claims are paper-thin, first off. It is grasping at straws and leaves Childers open to a defamation of character lawsuit.

Past that, it’s just not what we should do. It would be different if Davis openly campaigned for a statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest to be moved to Southaven, or if Davis was caught with a white robe. Then, by all means, go after him.

But this is fear-mongering. This is cheap. This is base. This is not what Democrats should be about.

Childers should denounce it. He should denounce it now. And the DCCC should ask around Mississippi a bit before going with another stupid mailing like this.

Following local Twitterers

I joined the Twitter bandwagon a few weeks ago. I’ve not really posted too much. Joined more than anything for a client.

That said, after reading this post over at ReadWriteWeb, I found a few people in and around the Jackson area and added them to my list.

I’ll try again to join the fun, see what it’s all about. Who knows, I may or may not like it.

Ramblings and quick shots

I’ve added a new tab on my blog: Ramblings. This is for quick posts, thoughts that pop in my head I want to share and a place to be lazy and not write much.

See, this is one of those posts. Short, huh?

Keeping God in your plans

For whatever reason, this post showed up in NetNewsWire.

It’s from February, so it’s not recent. I’m sure there is a technical reason behind the return of the old post, but for now I’ll take it as God tapping me on the shoulder.

From Where I Sit is the professional blog of Michael S. Hyatt, president and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. It’s a great blog. I’ve learned a few productivity tips and some wine offerings from reading it.

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