Thursday, January 29, 2009

Obama Inauguration - Zennie Gets Home In First Class

After being stuck in Dulles for about three days after the Obama Inauguration I finally got out -- to Chicago. But then stayed overnight and then got a nice treat on the way back to the SF Bay Area.

Obama White House Unbuttons Formal Dress Code

More at NYTimes.com: “WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

-- When I first saw this, I thought they were referring to the shirt open at the neck, but to me, this is still formal. It's not business casual.

House Passes Obama Economic Stimulus Package 244 - 188

More at washingtonpost.com: “The House approved an $819 billion stimulus package on a near party-line vote yesterday, a plan breathtaking in size and scope that President Obama hopes to make the cornerstone of his efforts to resuscitate the staggering economy.

Obama engaged in an all-out lobbying push for the bill, which is among the most expensive pieces of legislation ever to move through Congress, and marked a big victory for his presidency a little more than a week into his term. He will now turn his attention to the Senate, where Democrats are scheduled to begin debate on the measure on Monday and the price tag is likely to reach $900 billion.”

-- I still think it's not enough. We're looking at a spending need of almost 4 trillion to get ourselves on the right economic track.

Black Juan Williams On Fox News Seen as "Black Basher" By Many - AlterNet

More at AlterNet: “"… The matter is that, when Bill O'Reilly gets Juan Williams, the eternal happy Negro, on his show to congratulate him on his racism, that's like Hugh Hefner getting a stripper to come on the show and tell him that he's not a sexist.” --Syracuse University Professor”

-- And he does it for money, which means in his case we do not know how he feels, but that he can't be trusted.