If you’re curious how President Bush’s Social Security proposals, including privatized accounts, would affect you then check out the calculator below. The calculator was designed and originally distributed by the Heritage Foundation.

HT: Kevin at The Eckernet who said:

Using the proposed Bush plan for Social Security I would come out about 28% better. Of course, under said Bush plan I have the choice to be a dumbass and stay under the old way of doing things.

So let’s see. I get the choice to make more money with my own money to use in the future so I don’t have to use someone else’s money as my money??? I keep missing how that is bad…but then again the DFL is smarter than the rest of us.

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The Night Writer and Night Visions teamed up with Jo and Marcus Aurelius from The Attic to form the “People Who Know Stuff” team and to tie the Fraters with 23 points each (after a recount) for this week’s Trivia Title.

As the Freedom Dogs said, “The legend grows.”

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The Night Writer and the lovely Night Visions have been preparing all week to roll back into Keegan’s to defend last week’s trivia title. Unfortunately, I should have been putting more time into preparing for my trip to New York.

As it is, we have a 6:30 a.m. flight Friday morning – and I still have way too much to do. If I can rally, we might still make it by 8:00 p.m. If not, the Fraters will just have to wait until later to deal with this impudence.

Sorry.

P.S.
Stay tuned for Gotham-blogging!

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Nuclear Option? Feh. Just don’t let this fall into the hands of the MAWB Squad (because you know sooner or later the Senator is going to be pushing the buttons).

Does anyone have the coordinates to 425 Portland Ave, Minneapolis?

Hat Tip: Varifrank

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Portia Rediscovered has a great photo from a Syrian street protest. Someone has been having fun with the image (ya think?), but it’s a funny shot to go along with the following caption:

Bus fare to anti-war protest rally: $0.50
Paint and canvas protest signs: $32.00
Asking a retired US Army sergeant to translate your protest signs: PRICELESS.

Check it out!

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The team “Night Writer Plus” consisting of myself, the lovely Night Visions, and two fortunate souls sitting next to us with nothing better to do (but knowledgeable about the Grammys), boldly stepped into the vacuum left by the absent Fraters and won the Thursday Night Trivia Contest at Keegan’s.



Fraters: We have the title. We have the free drink tickets. We have no fear! See you next week.

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There have been times over the years when I’d be so vexed and miffed with the local newspapers that I’d think about starting my own. Actually it was more like fantasizing than thinking, because once thinking actually entered into the the daydream I’d think of the enormous start-up costs for a plant and equipment, the challenge of vetting reporters, recruiting advertisers, dealing with unions and worrying about things such as whether my delivery staff was actually delivering the paper or sitting at Krispy Kreme. I’d then find more pleasant uses for my imagination.

Then the blogosphere began to coalesce and a wide variety of opinion, analysis and even news reporting became easily available. Clicking between multiple voices from various sides of an issue and across the political spectrum increased my awareness and understanding (especially once I discovered the MOB).

Much is written and disputed in both the print and online media these days about the shrinking influence of the old model of journalism and the new wave. I won’t rehash the arguments for and against here, but I was very intrigued by this post today from Jay Rosen (PressThink) on the “stand alone journalist” and his description of virtual newspapers where writers could submit news and punditry for purchase and posting. More details on this concept are available here and here, and a Minneapolis edition can be found here.

I think it’s an interesting concept, and while I’d still make my daily visits to the Fraters, Mitch, the Captain and the other NARNians as well as MOBsters such as Bogus, MAWB Squad, Kool Aid Report, the Psycmeistr and Centrisity (to name but a few), these are all strong voices that would be great regular contributors to a consolidated Minnesota site – and even better if they could make a few bucks in the process!

Granted, I’m new to the blogosphere and perhaps this type of thing has been tried and found wanting for reasons not readily apparent to me. If any bloggers have already looked into the NewsMinneapolis site, or choose to look into it now, I’d be very interested in hearing your reactions.

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I’ve been thinking about family dynamics a lot lately, so Varifrank’s “writing between the lines” on an article about the negative reaction of Pope Benedicts’s older brother to his sibling’s elevation cracked me up.

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This popped up in today’s “The Writer’s Almanac:”

It’s the birthday of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, born in A.D. 121. He is not as well known for his leadership abilities as he is for his deeply philosophical nature. He was a kind and tolerant ruler who freed many slaves and tried his best to rid Rome of corruption. But Aurelius is best known for the writings he left behind. They were diaries and reflections he wrote every day, and were not meant for publication, but were his own personal insights into the stresses of ruler-ship and of everyday life, and fears about his own personal inadequacies. His writings, now known as the Meditations, also mark his beliefs in the doctrines of Stoicism: that we must get through the problems of our lives with patience and endurance, drawing on our own inner resources to see us through. He believed that most of life was predestined, but that much of it could be improved by our own discipline and will power.

He wrote: “If you work at that which is before you, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract you, but keeping your divine part pure, as if you might be bound to give it back immediately; if you hold to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with your present activity according to nature…you will be happy. And there is no man who is able to prevent this.”

The original Marcus Aurelius would have made a good blogger. The MOB’s version isn’t bad either: stop over at The Attic and get some cake and check out today’s take on a flat tax vs. a national sales tax.

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My father’s heart surgery was a complete success, although we did have some difficult moments and some late hours over the past few days. I’m back in front of my home computer, and used the long drive to ponder some of the new insights I’ve gained this week on the dynamics of family, faith, aging, love and fear. I’ll be sorting these out and posting on these soon, but right now it’s just good to be home. I appreciate those of you who have prayed and emailed or posted support. Thank you, it made a difference.

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