NYC

So Rachael and I went to New York City and stayed in Manhattan this Christmas. It was a chance for us to get away and go someplace where we have never gone before. We planned for the trip to be from Dec. 20th to Dec. 25th, but a blizzard in the Northeast caused our flights to be shifted from Dec. 22nd to Dec. 28th. It was too bad because we had Dave Letterman tickets for the Dec 21st show. Thank goodness the Doubletree hotel shifted our reservation and even gave us a free night!

So we made it into the Newark airport late Tuesday night on Dec. 22nd and we were a little worried about the train system during the late night so we took a cab to Manhattan. The quote for the cab ride was around $60 to get us to the hotel in Manhattan, but little did I know that I would also have to pay for the toll (both ways) which added up to $85. Welcome to New York. Suddenly, a train ride at night seems a little more appealing.

For our first day we headed to Time Square to buy some Broadway tickets. We found a TKTS booth and found some Orchestra tickets (16 rows back) for Mary Poppins for $60 a piece. Not bad. It was a great show. The set was amazing and of course the songs and performances was superb. If you make it to Manhattan, you have to watch a Broadway show. After the show, we went around the Midtown area and visited Rockefeller center, the Empire State building, and Macy's.

The second day we headed uptown to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) . We quickly figured out that you are required to make a donation to gain admission, so you can donate from $1 to the recommended $20 and beyond. We donated $10. The MET is an huge art museum with an impressive collection of art. We visited the Egyptian art, American art, and the art of the impressionists that had many Monet's, Van Gogh's, Manet's, and Degas. We then walked across Central Park and headed for the Museum of Natural History, which is the place were they filmed Night at the Museum. This museum is a great place to take kids, but I got a little bored. I did enjoy the planetarium though. I noticed that the theory of evolution was strictly taught in this museum. There was even a short video that defended the validity of evolution and how everything makes sense because of it. Their defense of it didn't make sense to me. After the museums we headed back to the hotel with quick stop at 5th Avenue to see all of the shops that we can't afford (Tiffany's, FAO Schwartz, Apple, Saks).

The third day was Christmas and we woke up early to see if we could get on the Today show at Rockefeller plaza only to see that they were not filming that day. We almost did a double take when we got back to our room to watch the Today show with all the regulars and they said it was Christmas. What a crock! After that, we headed down south to the Statue of Liberty only to find that the ferry was closed, so we walked a few blocks to Wall Street to find where all of the stimulus and bailout money ended up. Wall Street was an interesting area. All of the buildings were built very close together at a time when building codes in that area were a little more relaxed. Next to Wall Street is the famous Trinity Church which is well known if you happened to see the movie National Treasure. Rachael and I stopped by Ground Zero and then headed back to midtown to walk around for awhile.

The fourth day we headed down to the SoHo to visit an Artisan Market, only to find that it was fairly lame. So, we headed to Little Italy to a famous pizza place, Lombardi's, for some good pizza. We walked around the Little Italy, Chinatown area just to get a feel for the area. The Little Italy district was amusing as every restaurateur was a little pushy and would try to lead us into their door when we walked by. After that, we headed back to the Statue of Liberty and took the ferry to the island. I found that I bought the wrong tickets and we could not enter the base of the statue. Oh well. The weather was rainy and cold and I think that Rachael and I were ready to get back to the hotel.

The last day we met up with some friends from Boston who happened to be visiting Manhattan. They were a little more experienced with Manhattan and took us around town. It was a fun day. We started the day by visiting Redeemer Presbyterian at Hunter College to get an a very clear discourse on James 2 about "Faith without deeds is dead". We then walked to the Guggenheim Museum to see the special exhibit of Wassily Kandinsky who is said to be the father of abstract art. From there we walked around Central Park and then headed down to Chelsea to wait in line for some free tickets to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater to an late Sunday night improv show in a dirty old basement. The interesting thing about it is that some known comedians were performing including Horatio Sanz, a SNL alumni, Bobby Moynihan, a current SNL cast member, and Lennon Parham, who is a cast member on the CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose. It was a fun to at least go to the spots that tourists (like me) barely frequent.

The next day (Monday Dec. 28th) we headed home (taking the cheaper train to the airport) and said goodbye to NYC.

Overall, this was a fun trip . The landmarks and buildings are spectacular and it is one of the main epicenters of art, business and culture. It was great to see all of the well known sites and get a taste of Manhattan. On the other hand, Manhattan stresses me out. It is too crowded, very impersonal, and too expensive. I think if I ever visit again, I would steer away from the well known and overcrowded Midtown and the Wall street districts and visit either the Uptown areas or the Chelsea and Greenwich districts.

Observations of Manhattan:

• Manhattan is expensive. It seemed that the food was twice the price no matter where you went. Or perhaps it was because we were in Midtown. There are places where you can get a good meal for a decent price, you just got to look for it.

• People are not very friendly in Manhattan. The cashiers were usually impatient, they were not very helpful, and it seemed as if they were just trying to rip me off. We hit most of the tourist spots so it was fairly crowded and perhaps they just had to keep the line moving. I guess I am used to southern hospitality in Austin.

• Probably more that half of the people around us were speaking a different language. Again we were in the tourist section, but after awhile I was surprised when I heard someone speaking English.

• The subway system is great! We were able to get just about anywhere in Manhattan using the subway. It might be easier to take a cab but it is a lot cheaper to take the subway.

• Manhattan is dirty. The subways are great but the stairs and waiting areas are caked with filth and muck. I am not a germaphobe, but still, I would not recommend touching anything. If you look closely in the sewers and lower tracks you can see rats and mice.

• Central Park is beautiful and very well done. I had a chance to take a morning run around the park to the well known spots. Only until the last day did I find the well known bridges, fountains, etc. in the southern end of the park.

• I don't think I would last in NYC. I am a little timid and tend to be a too nice. It seems that you have to be a little pushy and rude just to survive. You have think on your toes and you have to call a scam for what it is. Just be prepared.

Watch Out!

Another Becker will soon be gracing those around us coming around June 11th, 2010. If you have not guessed it, Rachael is pregnant. We will find out if it is a boy or girl this January. As of December 14th, Rachael is in her 14th week and will be excited once the morning sickness subsides. Why do they call it morning sickness? I think it should be morning, afternoon, evening, night, weekends, weekday, holiday, worktime sickness.

Rachael and I are very excited and a little nervous. We feel blessed to be able to bring a life (that God gave us) into this world, but are a little apprehensive about whether the baby will be healthy, whether we will be good parents, and whether we will have jobs in this fickle economy.

If you have any advice that has been helpful, please let us know. Merry Christmas!

The Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin

With today's economic turmoil and near collapse of the banking system you have to ask yourself a) Why does the government continue to bailout the banks and their high risk schemes and b) how is it that a bank or investment firms can receive a bailout and less than a year later give out $20 billion in bonuses? After reading "The Creature from Jekyll Island - A Second Look at the Federal Reserve" by G. Edward Griffin, I can easily see why. This book is probably as lengthy and informative as a college textbook, but not as boring. It reads like an adventure through history and uncovers little known scandals that have occurred in the U.S. and the world during man's pursuit or gluttony for money and power.

This book gives a thorough explanation of the history of banking and finance, it give clear definitions and examples the terms of fractional-reserve banking, fiat money, inflation, assets, liabilities, etc. After understanding this, G. Edward Griffin follows the trail that led to the establishment of the Federal Reserve. He doesn't stop there. G. Edward Griffin clearly explains the thought behind the Federal Reserve and how it steals from the pockets of honest American workers and feeds the big banking industry...the same industry who pulled the right strings to put the Federal Reserve in place.

This book explains how putting the monetary policy in just a few hands caused the boom-bust cycles, wars, depressions, etc. It explains how big banks can easily survive and profit from the loss of others and will continue to do so. It explains how the U.S. is being destroyed by the hidden tax of inflation.

I warn you that this book will make you angry. You will never trust a banker or a politician again.

Health Care Bill Reading

This is an interesting article about how some Republicans have asked for the entire health care bill to be read...all 2074 pages. Apparently this is according to strict Senate rules.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/19/health-bill-could-get-34-hour-reading-senate/

Can you imagine if they chose someone like Ben Stein to read this?

Penalties!!?#@?

I am watching the Nebraska vs. OU game while I am writing this. This is my outlet as I am extremely frustrated with the number of penalties by the Nebraska offense and special teams. I think I saw 4 penalties in 7 plays. I am just fuming. This has been a reoccuring theme...see NU vs. Va Tech. Why can't the Nebraska coaches and players learn from their mistakes??

On a similar note...I went to the Nebraska vs. Baylor game last week and was completely amused by the personal foul given to Ndamukong Suh for tackling the Baylor quarterback. The call was charged to #95 (Pierre Allen) of Nebraska for roughing the passer after the play was dead, even though Suh was the one who tackled the quarterback before the whistle was blown. Good call ref. I think they have never seen a quarterback thrown down like that and had to make up something.

I feel better now.

Toastmasters Speech #6 "Vocal Variety"

The Monster From Jekyll Island

It began one dark and scary night in the year 1913 on Jekyll Island. Seven very powerful bankers had a secret meeting and set out to devise a scheme to create a monster. Now, you ask yourself, why would these bankers create this monster? Do these men want to hurt others? Well no, in a sense, but these bankers are willing to sacrifice others if they can gain more power and money. The bankers created a monster that is so deceptive that it deceived the US government to accept it. This monster is so cunning that it can burden, and effectively tax the US workers without their knowledge. This monster is alive today and affects all of us. Now, you may ask, what is this monster? I will tell you, but first I must say that this monster is so powerful that it can control many of the banking systems in the US. It is the Federal Reserve. Today, I will explain why the Federal Reserve is such a monster.

First, the Federal Reserve is such a monster because it leeches off hard earned money of the US taxpayers without their knowledge with the hidden tax of inflation. It does this with its magic powers that can make money out of nothing. The Federal Reserve is able to create money, which increases the money supply and causes all of the money as a whole to become devalued, which causes inflation. You might ask yourself, is the Federal Reserve counterfeiting? Yes, but it is perfectly legal. The US government backs the money created by the Federal Reserve as legal tender and it is illegal for anyone to reject the currency created by the Federal Reserve.

Second, the Federal Reserve is a monster because it effectively supports the banking industries risky behavior. The men at Jekyll Island created this central Federal Reserve in order that they could loan out this created money with minimal risk. Before the Federal Reserve, the banks could only loan out as much as they had in deposits. With the Federal Reserve, the loans are not made with deposits but money created out of thin air. Banks can loan the money, collect the interest, and minimal deposits are required, thus taking away most of the risk. Even more scary, is the fact that if many of the loans went default, the government would just bail out the bank if it was deemed “Too big to Fail”…leaving smaller banks on their own. This only encourages bigger banks to give out more loans, yes even risky, high interest loans, with the knowledge that the Federal Reserve will bail them out when they fail.

The final and most frightening part of the Federal Reserve is that it is almost impossible to kill. It affects all of us. Most of the money used today is based on credit supplied by the Federal Reserve. We have credit card loans, car loans, and house loans. Even the US politicians feed off it. The US government controls the Federal Reserve and anytime it needs money, then the Federal Reserve prints it. It gives politicians the power to deceptively tax US citizens without their knowledge. This allows US politicians to fund their special projects, social programs, and stimulus projects to keep their constituents happy, so they can continue to get reelected. The politicians would never remove the monster of the Federal Reserve that helps their career.

Now, I would like to tell you that this is just another scary story. Oh no, no, this perhaps might be the scariest story… because the monster still exists. The Federal Reserve feeds off unsuspecting US citizens with the hidden tax of inflation. It encourages big banks to continue in risky behavior knowing that the Federal Reserve will bail them out. Last of all, the monster of the Federal Reserve cannot be stopped, because the very government that can end it loves to feed off of it.

Go for a repeat!

President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee explained that he won the award because of his "international efforts to strengthen diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".

Is anybody as surprised as I am about this? It would great if my first response was congratulations, but when I heard this, I could not think of any concrete things that President Obama actually did, except "open dialogue". Does having talks about nuclear disarmament or having talks with the Middle East constitute a good reason for President Obama to win this (formerly) prestigious award?

I am getting tired of this "love affair" that the media has with President Obama. He is just a man. President Obama has high aspirations for a better world, just as any 3rd grade student does, and I commend him for it, but having these aspirations versus actually achieving them are two different things. Giving the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama seems a little premature and (in my opinion) somewhat taints or devalues the award. I feel that out of the list of more than 200 candidates, there has to be someone more deserverving, who has sacrificed time and money for peaceful causes.

Perhaps the Nobel committee should save time in the coming years and just give President Obama the award for the next 3 years for what he aspires to do. Oh, and did you hear, President Obama has just been added to the list of candidates for the Heisman Trophy.