Friday, November 30, 2007

Presidential States!

With a new Presidential election fast approaching there are tendencies for voters to vote for people from certain states. But what is interesting is how many Presidents have come from the different 50 states. It should be no surprise that the eastern seaboard rules this list but with the population moving south and west there has been a shift but only slightly.

1. Virginia (8) - This state has had 8 Presidents with the majority of them coming in the first 10 presidencies. Notables - Washington (1), Wilson (28), Jefferson (3).

2. Ohio (7) - At second this state did not produce it's first president until 1869 with U.S. Grant. Six others have followed. With the exception of Grant no other Ohioan president lasted more than 4 years in office. Notables - Grant (18)

3. Massachusetts (4) - There is actually a tie for third with four. Massachusetts is always a hotbed of political conjecture because of the wealthy families hailing from that state. Notables - Adams (2), Adams (6), Kennedy (35)

3. New York (4) - Tied for third New York has a storied history of politics, some with a dubious past (Tammany Hall). Van Buren was the fist President from the Empire state. Notables - Van Buren (8), Roosevelt(26), Roosevelt (32)

5. North Carolina (2) - Polk (11), Johnson (17)

5. Vermont (2) - Arthur (21), Coolidge (30)

5. Texas (2) - Eisenhower (34), Johnson (36)

8. The following states have each has one president :

South Carolina
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Kentucky
Iowa
Missouri
California
Nebraska
Georgia
Illinois
Arkansas
Connecticut

Our current president was born in Connecticut. The current Presidential front runners were born in the following states.

DEM
Joseph R. Biden Jr. - Pennsylvania
Hillary Rodham Clinton - Illinois
John Reid Edwards - South Carolina
Dennis J. Kucinich - Ohio
Barack Hussein Obama Jr. - Hawaii
REP
Rudolph W. Giuliani - New York
Michael D. 'Mike' Huckabee - Arkansas
John Sidney McCain III - Panama Canal Zone, Panama
Willard Mitt Romney - Michigan
Ronald Ernest 'Ron' Paul - Pennsylvania
Fred Dalton Thompson - Tennessee

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

So I asked my boss for and IPHONE....

...and this is what he gave me!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Things I saw today while driving to work.

Traffic is bad anywhere you live but in Austin, it is notoriously bad. There could be many reasons why traffic is bad but I think it comes down to poor planning coupled with tremendous population growth. It used to be the rule that anytime someone gave directions that you always started with "get on MOPAC" (Loop 1), but even that has become the State's second biggest parking lot.

I usually pay attention to the road when I drive but I had extra time today to do some people watching while inhaling my daily limit of CO2. I noticed a few things that really bugged me about the commuters here in Austin:

* Women putting makeup on in the car.
- This is my single most biggest driving pet peeve. How selfish does someone have to be to endanger other people just so they can look better. I witnessed three women putting on makeup this A.M. and I only commute ten miles.

* Smoking and driving.
- As an ex-smoker I understand that driving and smoking go together but throwing your nasty cigarette butt on the highway is against the law. Why not put an empty can with liquid at the bottom in your car and then dispose of it later?

* People eating.
- This is preventable because you can eat at work or at home. If you cannot eat at work then eat in the parking lot when you get there. If you are going to be late by doing this then leave earlier.

* Aggressive Drivers .
- Men tend to be the most aggressive drivers because of testosterone but some women can be notorious culprits but in a passive way. I saw a man in a Mustang GT drifting in to my lane with about a third of a car length between my car and the car in front of me. He decided that he could just get in front of me with no blinker and I would know his intentions. Then when I didn't let him in he gets mad at me? WTF.

* Cell phone talkers.
- I am very guilty of this BUT I know when it is appropriate to talk and when it is not. Having a 30 minute conversation in traffic is not the appropriate time. A caveat to that is if a person is using a hands free device or sorts. This also causes a distraction but it is much less.

* Single occupant commuters.
- I am guilty of this everyday and we can make all of the excuses in the world but if 25% of the population in the Austin area carpooled then a traffic problem wouldn't exist but unlike other large metropolitan areas Austin does not offer HOV (high occupancy vehicles) lanes or a viable rapid transit option.

I think people are inherently good natured and that the people listed above were not behaving this way to intentionally anger anyone but if commuters could start paying a little more attention to their surroundings and a little less on themselves then we may all experience a safer and faster commute.

What is your biggest commute pet peeve?