http://Ekhardt.com All Things Liam, Indigo, Asher, Tracy and Bill http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/469713591/1002 Paul Krugman has become my favorite economist. His recent Nobel Prize for economics boosted my esteem of him, but have enjoyed him for a while. I put a great deal of trust in his insight and mastery of complexities like our current economic crisis. He is doubly valuable because he is able to write so clearly to a lay audience. I commend his recent article, What to do: What the world needs right now is a rescue operation. The global credit system is in a state of paralysis, and a global slump is building momentum as I write this. Reform of the weaknesses that made this crisis possible is essential, but it can wait a little while. First, we need to deal with the clear and present danger. To do this, policymakers around the world need to do two things: get credit flowing again and prop up spending. http://ekhardt.com/home/article/1002 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/467787038/1001 So your birthday isn't until tomorrow for us, but I'm guessing you're already partying on the other side of the international date line in New Zealand. Hope you have a great birthday and the birthday fairy sends many happy wishes to Uncle Bret: And just in case they don't celebrate Thanksgiving properly in NZ (what's up with that?!??!!) we'll eat a little extra turkey for you. :) Love, The Ekhardt Gang http://ekhardt.com/home/article/1001 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/462171789/1000 http://ekhardt.com/home/article/1000 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/460325074/999 #flickr_badge_source_txt {padding:0; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif; color:#666666;} #flickr_badge_icon {display:block !important; margin:0 !important; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0) !important;} #flickr_icon_td {padding:0 5px 0 0 !important;} .flickr_badge_image {text-align:center !important;} .flickr_badge_image img {border: 1px solid black !important;} #flickr_www {display:block; padding:0 10px 0 10px !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#3993ff !important;} #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:hover, #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:link, #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:active, #flickr_badge_uber_wrapper a:visited {text-decoration:none !important; background:inherit !important;color:#3993ff;} #flickr_badge_wrapper {background-color:#ffffff;border: solid 1px #000000} #flickr_badge_source {padding:0 !important; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif !important; color:#666666 !important;} www.flickr.com http://ekhardt.com/home/article/999 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/460325075/998 Just got a little video of the kids today. Kids Playing 11-20-08 from Bill Ekhardt on Vimeo. http://ekhardt.com/home/article/998 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/454594103/997 Lost my iPhone for a day. It was not so hard to be without it. It was hard to accept that I would have to cough up $400 to replace it. Tracy found it tonight in Asher's room. Apparently it fell off the holster when I was putting Asher to bed last night. I am thankful it is back. I wouldn't mind having a break from it. I am glad I do not have to buy another one. http://ekhardt.com/home/article/997 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/451405438/996 Someone asked me what I would write about once the election is over. Judging from my posts since Tuesday, nothing. I have finished the first draft of my dissertation. I have made it through the election and my candidate won. I have attended an at-home dad conference in Sacramento... these were all the very edge of my event horizon. So what am I doing now? Playing with my iPhone. That on top of raising three kids and helping Tracy have time to study for her PICU Board exams coming next Monday in Chicago. Hmm... what else of note? I'm getting back to the gym after months of doing little but reading and writing. I bought 30 arch book bible stories to read to the kids. They are ready for more than the devotional bible book that we have read several times through. I went to the doctor this morning and he rather forcefully encouraged me to lose the weight I gained while I've been writing these last six months. Time to visit weightwatchers again. What else? I am following the Obama transition. Pundits are giving him and his team an A+ for speed and quality of work. In addition to feeding, clothing, disciplining and playing with kids, the last week has mostly been about finding cool new apps for the iPhone. I just added my Amazon order to my Deliveries App that keeps track for me of where my packages are and how soon they will be delivered. I could go on, but really, it my iPhone researching will just seem nerdy unless you own one. I will limit my nerdiness by only sharing the apps I put on my first page: SMSMail - I put the native app on the front screen to count email messages and then replace the bottom mail button with the google Mail bookmarkFacebook (this is an awesome little version of Facebook)Camera (native app)Remember The Milk - great to do list that syncs with my google mail, google calendar, and is on the intertubes and therefor on all of my 17 computers.Lifetick - for more serious project task lists. Also online and synced with Google CalendarTwitterific - my mobile TwitterApp Store (native)WeatherBug - very slick weather interfaceAlarm - a bookmark to the video camera in Asher's room in my security systemMaps (native)YouTube - don't go there much. Mostly for quick videos for the kidsPandora - very slick.Manifesto - my rss reader. Synced with my google readeriPod (native app) and finally, Settings. I have six more pages of apps. Those are the ones that made it to the first screen. http://ekhardt.com/home/article/996 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/443959389/995 It turns my stomach to see team mates stick it to each other in this way. I understand the motive to shift the blame away from oneself in the midst of defeat, but this is unsavory. http://ekhardt.com/home/article/995 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/443299028/994 I did not know that I could feel this way about a president. I am not starry eyed about how the substance of reality will change because of this election. However, Obama has become a hero for me. His temperament, his treatment of others - particularly those who disagree with him, his intellect and curiosity, his ability to draw people like Colin Powell, Paul Volker and Warren Buffet into his advisory circle, his ability to see our country from the perspective of someone who has lived outside of this country, for all of these reasons I respect and admire Barack Obama more than I ever have an elected official. To have the nation chose this candidate to lead our government is an astonishing moment for me. I know there are people who vehemently disagree with my position. I have at least one friend who I believe views everything about Obama through his position on abortion. For those who oppose Obama on these grounds, many consider him evil in his heart. More people than I can fathom have labeled him the antichrist. My prayer is that time will mollify this smoldering anger, and that people will be able to compartmentalize their positions on abortion as they esteem Obama. http://ekhardt.com/home/article/994 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ekhardt/~3/442913486/993 The conservative blogs tried to characterize Obama as an extremely liberal chicago style politician. That is not the man I listened to in small groups here in Iowa, whom I shook hands with twice. That is not the man who McCain congratulated and encouraged his followers to support. That is not the man who gave his acceptance speech tonight. Barack Obama genuinely does wish to be a president for all Americans. Obama praised the virtues of the Republican Party. He expressed his humility with his win. He told those who voted for his opponent that it was his job to earn their trust. He said that he could not accomplish what he believes American needs to accomplish without a working majority of Americans, which would be well beyond the 51% who voted for him. Obama says, I need your help. Change begins from the bottom up. We all need to sacrifice. This is our moment and the tasks before us will take unity and pragmatic common sense. Barack Obama is calling those forty-seven percent to join him, to set aside their differences where they can and join together with all Americans to meet the tremendous challenges of this moment. America today transcended its history in electing its first African American president. Obama is calling us to something far more bold than that. I pray Americans will come together to meet that challenge. http://ekhardt.com/home/article/993