Scott R. Sullivan

May 25th, 2008 by Scott

I took a few quick pictures this weekend. On Saturday night, we were both working at a gig in Harrisburg. She was doing Digital Caricatures and I was in Harrisburg for magic for most of the day.

When she finished, we stopped by Perkins on the way home for breakfast at around 1 a.m.! While sitting there, I snapped a quick picture of my wife, Angie. Just thought I’d share.

I have been playing around with the 50mm prime lens I have. The 50mm is a great lens since it restricts your field of view. With a standard zoom lens, we too often just zoom in. With a 50mm, your stuck at, well, 50mm. So you’ve got to think about your shots a little more.

This picture of Angie was taken with the 50mm, then I desaturated it in Photoshop to give it a more artistic look. Portraits just look cool when done in Black and White. *grin*

This picture was taken at the front entrance of the Luxor Casino in Las Vegas. While out there two weeks ago, I took this picture with the same 50mm lens. Another great feature with the 50mm is that its a fast lens. This one is f1.8 and so I can get some great depth of field shots.

May 21st, 2008 by Scott

Three cheers. For what? Three candidates on the short list for McCain’s running mate.

I’ve been clear in the past that McCain wasn’t my first choice for the Republican nomination. There are many attributes that I do like about McCain, but I feel there are many others that represent the conservative base much more than he.

I have always maintained that Romney was more closely aligned with the conservative base than McCain.

In fact, I even posted an article back in March about the very real possibility of Romney being selected as the Vice Presidential running mate.

Well, the names are starting to surface and just as I had predicted, Romney’s in the top three. Not only that, but there are some very interesting things about the top three veep candidates.

First, all three are Governors. Gov. Romney (MA), Gov. Crist (FL), and Gov. Jindal (LA). I wrote a lengthy article in December of 2007 about how Governors have an advantage when running for the White House.

While anything can happen, I think this is very telling on how the 2008 general election will turn out in November. Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama both have history against them against Sen. McCain and GOVERNOR Romney, Jindal or Crist.

I think part of this advantage comes from the fact that a Governor of a state is like a mini-federal government. They preside over a House and Senate of the state. They have state budgets they work with. They have State Departments, Departments of Commerce, Transportation, etc. and are in control of the state militia, the National Guard.

Compare this to a Senator, like Obama and Clinton. They are just one of 100 of a group. They are part of the “problem” of Washington, not the solution. That’s why even though the President has an all-time low approval rating, Congress’ approval rating is even LOWER!

Back to the top three names. I’ll skip Romney for now, since I’ve discussed him in depth before.

Gov. Jindal looks very promising. He’s the youngest Governor in the country and has been hailed as the next Ronald Reagan! His voting record backs up these claims. He has voted for gun rights, to lower taxes, and most importantly, understands the global war on terror. This is a man we need in the White House.

Gov. Crist is right up there as well. He’s a hardliner when it comes to law and order: he’s for the death penalty, and was called “Chain Gang Charlie” because he favored using convicts to be used for roadside labor.

There is much more to both of these Governors. Of these two new names, I personally favor Jindal. He’s likable, young, VERY conservative, and brings some energy and enthusiasm to the table.

If McCain chooses any of these three, I’ll be happy. If he chooses Jindal or Romney, I’ll be VERY happy. Because, in all likelyhood, this Governor turned Veep will run for President in 2012. Its just a hunch, but I just don’t see McCain running for two terms, due to his age.

And… as I’ve said before, my Governor v. Senator race will mean so much more. Can’t wait!

May 16th, 2008 by Scott

I have found the most recent events involving a certain political candidate to be very revealing. Allow me to back up a minute and give some background.

This is Israel’s 60th anniversary as a nation. As part of the celebration, President Bush traveled overseas to Israel to speak. While there, he said the following:

“Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have an obligation to call this what it is - the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”
(Source: My Way)

First of all, he is one hundred percent correct.

Also, this is something the President has been saying for, oh, maybe seven years, starting back when he stood on the pile of rubble on Ground Zero with a megaphone in his hand telling the world that the men who blew up those buildings will soon hear from the United States.

Since that day, President Bush has maintained a consistent message: we don’t negotiate with terrorists. The Dems have never liked this. Too much of a “cowboy” approach.

So when he made these recent comment in Israel, immediately afterwards, a certain senator felt very vulnerable.

“It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence to launch a false political attack. George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the president’s extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel.”
(Souce: ABC News)

Now, call me silly, but I didn’t hear President Bush mention anyone by name. He was saying the same thing he’s been saying, talking in broader strokes.

But Obama obviously feels vulnerable since he responded so quickly and defensively about this. For him to turn this into a political issue so quickly and defend himself so dramatically just shows how self-conscience he is about his position on national security.

Why would he be self-conscience about his position on this? It might have something to do with a statement he made not too long ago. In fact I published an analysis about this just one month ago.

For example, take Iran (the “most active state sponsor of terrorism” according to the United States State Department, Turkey, and Britain).

In dealing with a state sponsor of terrorism, Iran, Obama has said, “My approach to Iran will be based upon aggressive diplomacy.”

So Obama is weak on national security. He has reason to feel self-conscience. And the funny thing is that I actually AGREE with what Mrs. Bill Clinton has been saying on this issue, since she’s on the same page as the Republicans; don’t negotiate with terrorists.

But it is telling that he felt that President Bush was talking about him. It is very telling.

I find the far-left to be so predictable. They think the world revolves around them. I’ve got a message to you: be a little more humble. Accept that the world doesn’t revolve around you.

UPDATE:
As of 3:00 pm Eastern, the White House has spoken about this eruption that has occurred. As I wrote above, it had nothing to do with Obama, despite his desire to be the center of attention.

Instead, the White House was speaking of former president, Jimmy Carter, and his meeting with terrorist group, Hamas. Here’s their statement:

“We did not anticipate that it would be taken that way, because its kind of hard to take it that way when you look at the actual words. … There was some anticipation that someone might say you know its an expression of rebuke to former President Carter for having met with Hamas. that was something that was anticipated but no one wrote about it or raised it.”

Time for Obama to insert foot into mouth.

May 16th, 2008 by Scott

Ok, reports of Big Oil making record profits over the past several years are rampant, correct? Bush is in the pockets of Big Oil according to the left, correct?

Now, I went to college for Aerospace Engineering, but I do live out in the country, so I may not be seeing things correctly (but I DID stay at a Holiday Inn last night). So someone correct me if I’m wrong.

If Big Oil = Record Profits and Bush = Big Oil, then shouldn’t Bush = Big Profits? After all, didn’t we go to war so Bush could get rich off oil?

So explain this article from The Washington Post:

President Bush’s financial fortunes appear to have declined over the past seven years, with his family assets dropping as low as $6.5 million, according to disclosure forms released yesterday.

Hmm. The President who’s in the pocket of Big Oil lost money, while Big Oil made money? Could it be that Bush ISN’T in bed with Big Oil? Let’s read further:

President Bush’s biggest asset is a 1,600-acre family ranch near Crawford, Tex., which is listed as being worth between $1 million and $5 million. Most of the Bush family holdings are in real estate and a blind trust.

What!? Most of his holdings are in real estate and a blind trust? I thought he was in bed with Big Oil?

And what’s this with Bush’s assets being worth only $6.5 million? I thought he’d be richer. Hmmm. Compare that to:

Hillary Clinton: Net Worth: $34.9 million (source)

Keep that in mind the next time someone claims Bush is raking in the big bucks from the oil companies.

May 9th, 2008 by Scott

The “global warming” activists haven’t been very active recently. Sure, Algore is telling everyone the recent cyclone in Burma was because of global warming.

This is unfortunate, because it contradicts all the REAL scientific data. April was actually the coolest April in 11 years and the 29th coldest April in 114 YEARS! And this is according to NOAA:

The average temperature in April 2008 was 51.0 F. This was -1.0 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average, the 29th coolest April in 114 years.
(Source: NOAA)

So lets go down the list of Democratic talking points:

Iraq - They said it was broken and the surge wouldn’t work. It did work and this talking point was dropped.

Global Warming - We’ve seen a global COOLING trend. This talking point has gone bye-bye.

The Economy - Democrats are hoping for a Recession so they can blame Bush for wrecking the economy. But unemployment fell to 5% last quarter, the GDP has GROWN (a recession needs two consecutive quarters of negative growth… despite Democratic yelling, it has remained in POSITIVE GROWTH).

One final note about the “global warming” crowd. Here’s the deal. Temperatures go up. Then they go down. The Earth is cyclical. Everything happens in cycles. Tides change every 6 hours, seasons change four times a year.

The temperature will go down for a few years, then it will go up again. Its just nature.

May 5th, 2008 by Scott

Glenn Beck has just written a brilliant analysis of Barack Obama’s character.

Sen. Barack Obama is moving away from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright so fast he may claim to be an atheist by next weekend. The ongoing sprint from such a polarizing figure is far from a surprise, it’s just the timing of it that is so odd.

Do I think for a second that Obama believes the government created the AIDS virus to kill African-Americans? No. But at this point it’s rational to wonder whether he is either lying or has an awful sense of judgment. He either knew Wright’s views and didn’t tell the truth about them, or he somehow missed the core beliefs of the man who was spending his Sunday mornings teaching core beliefs.

I’m glad Obama has come to the same conclusion that Wright’s critics came to long ago. I just wonder why it took me two minutes and him two decades.
(Source: CNN)

Brilliant.

May 5th, 2008 by Scott

Back in February, I posted some thoughts on anti-depressants and medications in general.

Today, the journal, Pediatrics, released a study that many are over-medicated both in the UK and United States, reaffirming my thoughts from February:

Experts say that’s almost beside the point, because use is rising on both sides of the Atlantic. And with scant long-term safety data, it’s likely the drugs are being over-prescribed for both U.S. and U.K. children, research suggests.

Among the most commonly used drugs were those to treat hyperactivity.

Dr. William Cooper, a Vanderbilt pediatrician, said the study shows the drugs are being used “without full understanding about the risks.”

“I find it really interesting that we’re now seeing increases in other countries besides the U.S., which suggests that the magnitude of this issue is global,” said Cooper, also an author of the 2004 U.S. study.
(Source)

So medications are being over-prescribed? Who would have thought.

Americans began this trend that is spreading globally, that everything can be fixed with enough pills. Now understand, I come from a medically trained family: we have doctors and RNs in the family.

Growing up, our family never had ADD or any other “hyperactive.” Instead, we played outside. We used up our energy playing with friends. We didn’t sit in front of a computer texting each other all day.

We actually burned calories playing!

We got dirty, got scrapes, got hurt, cried, then learned to deal with a few boo-boos.

Today, too many people want to find some magic medicine to cure their “pain” when they should stop focusing on the pain and focus on life. They are becoming less social and communicate only through text messages, emails and blogs.

We are seeing a realization of Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Though, instead of just television, we are seeing medication, television, video games and the infamous “ADD attention span” destroying any interest in reading literature and engaging in real social communication and discussion.

As a result, we are seeing a society that just wants to “feel good” and is ignorance of total facts, leading to the fascination with irrelevant pop “crack” like the latest Britney gossip.

Let’s kick our addiction to meds, pills and the diagnosis of ADD and instead go out and get a life.

Yeah, its harder. Yeah their will be some pain. But that’s life. And I love my life… pain and joy.

May 2nd, 2008 by Scott

I’m a bit late on this one, but wanted to expand just a little on my post on April 16, about Obama being “just another politician.” I wrote on April 16:

He isn’t the new ‘change’ everyone wants. He is just a politician, just like Clinton, twisting words, distracting and blaming others.

Obama’s paster, Jeremiah Wright, continues to stoke the flames. First, it was his quotes, “God Damn America” days after September 11. Now, he is going after Obama. On April 28, just 12 days AFTER MY ANALYSIS, Wright said:

He’s a politician. And he says what he has to say as a politician. He had to distance himself, because he’s a politician, from what the media was saying I had said, which was anti-American. (Source)

Yup. Obama’s just another politician. In fact, according to Rasmussen Reports, 58% Say Obama Denounced Wright for Political Convenience, not Outrage.

In the race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, it’s Clinton 46% Obama 44%. That’s the second straight day that Clinton has held a statistically insignificant two-point edge over Obama. However, that represents a ten-point swing since Wright’s press conference. Before Wright appeared at the National Press Club, Obama led Clinton by eight points. (Source: Rasmussen Reports)

As I’ve said many times, this is a fun election. *grin*

May 2nd, 2008 by Scott

While many in the media and the far Left-winged wait with anticipation for an official word that we are, indeed, in a recession, their faces only turn blue waiting.

You see, as I have mentioned many times over the past several months, there was no such thing as a 2007 or 2008 recession like so many claim.

Yes, many say that we are already in a recession. Some might acknowledge that while we are not, technically, in one yet, it is bound to show up sooner or later, so lets just call it one already.

Some are even saying that because for some, it “feels” like a recession, then it is. By extension, because it feels like leather, it is leather and not plastic.

A little background for those on the left that can’t stand my continual correct observations regarding the state of the United States’ economy.

recession n. - Two consecutive quarters of falling real gross national product (GDP).

According to the BEA:

Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to advance estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real GDP also increased 0.6 percent. Source

So, in Q4 2007, the GDP INCREASED. In Q1 2008, the GDP INCREASED AGAIN.

According to every definition of the word, there was NO recession during this economic slowdown.

I can hear you now, though. Ahah! So we ARE in a slowdown.

Of course we are in a slowdown. No one is denying this. But the slowdown has slowed, and has possibly reversed and is looking very much like stronger growth is in the near future.

After all, the unemployment rate fell to 5% last month (Source). And the job losses (yes, there were some 20,000 job losses) were 55,000 FEWER than expected. Only 25% of the expected job losses materialized. MUCH better than anyone had predicted.

They continued in that article:

In other economic news, the Commerce Department reported that orders to U.S. factories rose a bigger-than-expected 1.4 percent in March.

AND, the dollar isn’t doing to bad either. In fact, in a sign that the American Dollar is showing signs of a recovery and growth:

Futures traders are betting for the first time since December 2005 that the dollar will gain against the euro. (Source: Bloomberg)

With an economy turning around already, by November, we should have an even better economic outlook and the Democratics will have not a leg to stand.

The funny thing is, in order for the Democratic candidates to continue criticizing President Bush and the Republicans, they NEED a poor economy, which is why they have all been PUSHING for a recession for close to a year.

It’s gotta suck to be a Democrat in a position where you are rooting for Americans to suffer.