Taylor Swift...

...is an awesome singer.
Music video for "Love Story":


Music video for "White Horse":

Taylor Swift   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Published Post Number (PPN):102/108

Grammy's Out of Touch

Who are Robert Plant and Alison Krauss? And how did they win 5 Grammys with their folk album? They beat out the most popular and best artists this year, including but not limited to M.I.A., Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, Leona Lewis, Coldplay, Sara Bareilles and more!

>>>51st Annual Grammy's Award List

Published Post Number (PPN):101/107

HAPPY 100!!!

HAPPY 100th PUBLISHED POST!!!!!

Yes, this is my 100th published post (more about the number at the end) and I just wanted to give a recap of my more than a year of posts while being a little self-congratulatory! My first post was published Wednesday, January 23, 2008 (Oops, forgot to celebrate that) on Mayor Bloomberg's new coalition with California Governor Schwarzenegger to build a better America (I misspelled the title when I first published it, hence the 'ayor' in the URL. :P)

Shortly after that, I started posting about the shortfalls and criticisms of the Bush Administration. Throughout the year, I published more of that but also included events in my personal life (such as my graduation), politics-especially about the 2008 Presidential Election, my position that the environment needs to get more attention and action, and better healthcare. I also moved my news reporting from my site to the blog.

As the year progressed, and I became a commuter, I began to be very passionate about the funding woes for New York City's (and the nation's) mass transit systems. I have watched the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's fiscal situation (MTA) go from somewhat hopeful (May) to desperate (today).

If I had to pick my most descriptive and passionate posts, I would have to go with Car #1224, and my series of posts about what an extraordinary mayor Mike Bloomberg is (he is one of my heroes.)

So, although I know that I don't have that much of a constant readership, and no one really does comment (maybe I should switch to Wordpress?), I will continue to blog about everything that happens in my life and in the world. I have always been lost before I started blogging; I've always wanted to share some info or thought with the rest of the world, but never truly had the means until this blog (I did experiment with posting my thoughts on a Geocities page, but haven't maintained it in a long while.) So thanks for reading through this celebratory post and for reliving my thoughts with me and I hope you will continue to come by every now and then. And of course, comments are always welcome. Just be nice. :)

---
Last but not least, posts in the past week or two have included a "PostID." This is mainly for administrative purposes; a way to let me know the # of published posts / the # of unpublished posts (drafts). This has now given way to the "Published Post Number (PPN)," that is until I, in my rush to send a post hot from my keypad out inadvertently change it to something more easily remembered (PPID).

Published Post Number (PPN):100!/106

Say NO to Boxer/Inhofe Amendment

Currently, there is an amendment for the stimulus package proposed by Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and James Inhofe (R-OK) - Inhofe is a global warming denier - that would kill mass transit funding and give $50 billion for highway construction. I recognize the fact that having large-scale road construction is a more visible sign of stimulating the economy, but more roads = more cars = more demand for fossil fuels = higher prices for fuel, increased pollution, more funding towards potential terrorism. Tell your senators to vote NO to the Boxer-Inhofe amendment and to vote YES on Senator Schumer's (D-NY) amendment to the Murray bill (which was defeated) that would boost transit funding to (a still measly) $15 billion while leaving $40 billion in highway funding intact, either by calling them or emailing them. More information here:

Urgent Action: Oppose Highway Robbery in Senate Stim Bill
Urgent Alert: Oppose Wasteful Highway Funding Amendment
Tell the Senate: Vote NO on highways-only amendments!

PostID:99/105

Obama: Win & Loss in 2 Days

Yesterday, President Obama's nominee for both the Secretary of Health and Human Services as well the director of the new White House Office of Health Reform, Tom Daschle, withdrew from his nomination because of his tax troubles. Obama had counted on him, with his years of experience dealing with the health industry, to reform health care. Personally, I believe that Daschle should not have withdrew himself - everyone has a skeleton in their closet and he revealed it before he took office and was transparent about it in the past month or so about it. This is a major blow to the commitment that Obama made to provide better access to healthcare to the country. I hope he will find a replacement with as much (or more) experience soon.

Today, Obama overcame the sad news yesterday by ordering a pay freeze on executives of companies which were receiving taxpayer money from any bailouts. The salary would be capped at $500,000; any additional money paid by the companies would have to be issued as stock that cannot be sold until the company has paid back its government loans. This move is especially important, considering how companies still paid their executives over $18 Billion in bonuses last year, and many more bonuses, such as Wells Fargo continuing their annual tradition of an exclusive 2 week retreat for top-performing employees - this time a trip to the pricey Wynn in Las Vegas - until public outcry forced them to cancel it this year.

PostID:98/104