So I haven’t tumbl’d in awhile.

Lots going on and have to be a bit more careful on what I say and while I have a lot to say the recent unveiling of the Paul Ryan Road Map for America’s future really has me thinking. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal is a small sliver of the issues Congress is dealing with but is more broadly what is shaping the coming Presidential election as well as political hotspots around the country and as members of Congress go home they are having to answer to the voters, even Paul Ryan.

In the Paul Ryan video he got boo’d because he said that businesses and “the rich” paid their fare share of taxes.  Ryan goes on, to boos, to say that by keeping taxes low means small businesses create jobs.  To finish this logic train Ryan would content that creating jobs creates taxpayers (i.e. since we are an income tax based nation, those getting income from a job pay taxes) and these taxpayers can help create tax revenue to pay down the deficet — coupled with spending cuts of course.

So why are these people booing Ryan?  Well with lowering but still high unemployment and higher prices from what you buy at the grocery store to what you put in your car people see multi-trillion dollar deficits combined with stories that massive corporations pay no taxes or even get money back they get mad.  They get mad at politicians, corporations and basically anyone else who supports them.  Well I won’t defend these corporations legally not paying taxes or get returns but I will defend the economics behind it.  Below is the corporate tax rate structure as sourced from Wikipedia

Note the tax rates.  As your business banks more income the more the initial tax fee is plus the graduated percent of income you pay.  Bottom line if you make more money you pay more more money.  Granted there are dozens if not hundreds of “tax loopholes” or “tax breaks” available to companies.  For instance a company can write off business expenses such as travel, equipment or some leased services. 

In other words if I owe the government $1000 in taxes but I spent $1000 on 1 computer and a plane trip to setup a business deal that totaled $1000 in expenses in reality I would owe the government $0 in taxes. 

Folks, this is how corporations reduce their tax liability to almost zero (granted it gets more complicated than that and there are ways to “cheat” but by and large this is how its done). 

If you take away those deductions or worse increase the tiered tax rate percentage you can bet your ass I won’t be buying new computers or taking as many trips.  If a business buys less computers or takes less trips the Dell rep who I bought that computer from does not make her commission and American Airlines who I would’ve flown to take that business trip would not get my business.  If businesses spend less because they are paying the government taxes then the employees of those businesses or businesses who sell to those businesses would be hurt because they either pay employees less or lay them off completely.  If those employees get paid less or get laid off then they aren’t going out to restaurants, buying clothes, cars or sometimes even groceries or rent — if this happens than this lack of money cascades through the system hurting businesses and people along the way.

Thats a pretty dense paragraph, so read it again, the logic is there - you may not agree with it after you read it but it does make sense.  

A real world close to the vest example.  In my business I contract four software developers.  I am not the sole source of income for these developers but last year I was able to give enough work to one of them that they took their family of four on a 2 week vacation to Disney World. 

Now the guy did the work, the clients liked it and he (and I) got paid.  My clients chose us because our prices were competitive.  My prices are competitive for a number of reasons but one of the reasons is I pay very little taxes because I take advantage of those tax breaks described above as well as 1099 my developers (in turn I pay them higher than market rates since as a 1099 contractors they are liable for at least 7.5% more taxes under this arrangement). 

If the government were to raise the taxes on corporations by raising the rate or removing some of those tax breaks (or loopholes) then my prices go up.  If my prices go up I start selling less.  If I start selling less than in the case of the one developer, he may not be able to take his family on that vacation to Disney World this year.  If he doesn’t do that, then the hotel has one less family of four staying there for two weeks.  All the waiters/waitresses don’t get tipped, the planes are less full and the Disney stores have a few more stuffed animals on their shelves at closing time. Not to mention I am not buying as many computers or taking as many trips and those businesses that benefit from my spending lose out because instead of me buying their products I am paying it to the government.

I have way oversimplified “trickle down economics” here and there are lot of exceptions, work-arounds and unfair loopholes but by and large this system works. 

Look if you give me, a small business owner, more money (through less taxes) my business will spend it on expenses or pass it on as lower prices and get more business for my employees.  If my business spends it or my employees work more than that is more money trickling (or flowing) through the economy.  If money trickles through the economy it is a capitalistic principle that people will be able to dip into this trickle of money as it flows through businesses.  You may hate the people advocating the position or even how they propose to implement it but the logic is there and like most people I am skeptical on these theories being translated to effective policy but as GI Joe says, Knowing is Half the Battle.

theeconomist:

Protesters meet police on the streets of Cairo. Our Lexington columnist fears the American government will find sitting on the fence increasingly uncomfortable as events unfold.

My early favorite for photo of the year. 

fuckyeahcomputerscience:

The bartender doesn’t acknowledge him.

Having a hard time resisting the urge to use this joke on a date. 

I really like the Sunday shows.  Not for the guests, just the last 30 minutes with the panels.  The guests are always boring because they are usually elected officials or high-level aides regurgitating talking points you read a few days ago.  The ones who make it on the Sunday morning shows are quite adept at staying on point even at the tough questions.  Which is why I never watch the guests.  Every once in awhile you get a great guest who is worth watching.  Today Justice Stephen Breyer was on Fox News Sunday discussing his new book and he touched on a core point of contention between liberal and conservative principles - how to interpret the constitution.  Are you closer to an Antonin Scalia who is a self described “strict constructionist“  or a Stephen Breyer who takes a more interpretative view of the constitution?  The clip above is the clearest explanation of the interpretative or non-constructive (i.e. sometimes referred to as liberal) point of view and he uses the internet and alludes to privacy to make the point.

If we’ve argued politics or policy before we’re friends (personal rule, I (try) only argue with people I like) and you probably know digital privacy rights are a topic I study and argue a lot.  I think privacy, especially as it relates to our own personal data trail we leave behind will bring about some of the most important and interesting legal questions of our generation. 

Breyer brings up a good point that the framers could not have envisioned or even conceptualized the internet when they were writing the constitution and it is up to our judicial system to apply common-sense interpretations that “interpret” the intent into modern day rulings.  Once one brings “interpretation” into legal rulings it’s basically allowing judges to create or alter laws at will.  These judges, are not elected and at the highest levels (the Supreme Court) do not answer to the people. 

While civil rights and personal rights were the hot button issues of the ladder half of the century with citizenship and POW rights dominating the turn of the century we have turned into a world that runs on intangible information rather than the tangible widget.  This information is being bought, sold and traded upon daily and we will find that the while the constitution does not specifically address this we will need our government to create new laws on it, carry those laws out and interpret those laws in regards to their constitutionality.  While I disagree with Justice Breyer on ideological grounds I do like the fact that he is intellectually thoughtful enroute to his conclusions and hope that similarly thoughtful jurists with a wide variety of judicial philosophies are included in the mix as the court sets itself up for the next fifty years.  

legos:

riadiz:

LEGO CHRISTMAS TOWN

I love, LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE building cities.  

I want my parents to ship me all my Lego’s for Christmas.

(via mattsbrickgallery)

So this is not a food blog at all.  That being said there are like 4 things I can make foodwise.  Three of those items when combined (think Captain Planet or the Autobots) make up the greatest dessert known to man.   I have only made this twice (due it size, price, weight, and caloric rating - its rumored you get diabetes just from looking at it).  So this time around I have documented it. 

So lets start with the ingrediants:

1 package of bisquick

4 eggs

1 half gallon of chocolate  milk

2 sets of pre-made pie crusts

1 13x9 glass pyrex cooking dish

1 cookie baking sheet

1 disposable cooking pan (for brownies)

1 thing of wax paper

3 cans of your favorite frosting

A little bit of oil

1 tub of premade cookie dough

1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2-3 of your favorite beer

2 of your favorite ice creams

1 tub of Cool Whip

3 hours 

If it wasn’t apparent by the ingredients, you are making an 8 layer pie-cake.  I call it a pie-cake cause its layered like a cake but has that pie crust we all know and love.  The first layer is a pie crust followed by a layer of my famous chocolate chocolate chip pancakes, followed by another layer of frosting then a double batch of brownies followed by another layer of frosting then a pan sized chocolate chip cookie topped off with (you guessed it) frosting and then topped with a pie crust.  Baked then served warm. 

It all starts out with a trip to the grocery store.  If you know me then you know that me perusing a grocery store is like a teenager in a sex shop, I am quite intrigued but don’t really know what I am looking at.  I chose to go on a Friday evening this time around (since I had to have my pie-cake for the next day) and as usual got some pretty awesome sideways looks as I loaded up the conveyor belt with the ingredients pictured above.   But screwem with their lettuce, fruits, tomatoe sauce, frozen macroni and kashi cereals, if they only had my vision.

The first thing to realize when you start this whole process is that its a juggling act.  Like a line dance or that weird Olympic sport where everyone does headstands underwater for 5 minutes this requires some precision timing and nerves of steel.  

First thing you do is mix the brownie mix.  Now many of you will probably buy two of the same brownie mixes (remember its a double batch for thickness) - this quite honestly is what your mom would do (I am sure shes a nice lady) but in reality is where most people miss a golden opportunity to create something awesomer from something that is normally just awesome.  I chose Dark Chocolate and Double Fudge (but feel free to experiment).   

After mixing in the double batch of brownies get that thing in the oven cause its gonna take about an hour to bake (remember its a double batch).   Be sure to put it in a metal disposable pan with a layer of wax paper on the bottom so you can easily remove it when its done. 

Once that bad boy is in the oven its time to mix the pancakes.  Now I gotta say, just like a triathlete is pretty good at all the events but probably really good at one event I am pretty good at the cookie/brownie layers but I really excel at the pancake layer.  When I go home my mom asks ME to make pancakes just like I made them growing up not the other way around - thats how good they are.  

Start by making a regular batch of pancakes (follow the instructions on the bisquick box).  One of the few key differences is I like to throw just a tad more milk in there than it requires as it seems to puff up more when you flip.  And by milk I really mean chocolate milk. 

Now its time to prep the stove for the pancake cooking.  First thing you gotta do is pre-heat the pan.  Make it really hot, like hot enough your worried that your significantly contributing to global warming.  Then you drop a test pancake on there, I like to think of it as the penguin who gets shoved off the iceberg to make sure their aren’t any sharks below. 

The first pancake is always a little bit over done and after seeing the first one you can reset the flame to accurately cook the next pancakes into a perfect golden brown.

Now most of you must be wondering that if I am making chocolate chocolate chip pancakes why have I neglected to mix the chocolate chips in yet?  Cause if I did that’d be a ROOKIE MOVE.  I mean who puts the chocolate chips in the batter and leaves to pure chance that the chocolate chips will evenly distribute themselves upon pouring onto the pan??!!1 FAIL. The chocolate chips must be added at the exact point of perfection right before you flip the pancake (i.e. when you start seeing air bubbles in the batter).  This ensures an even distribution as well as chocolate chip molecular integrity throughout the cooking process so when you bite into that pancake you get the full chocolate chip not some melted former shell of a chocolate chip. 

This is that “point of perfection” - now add the chocolate chips.  Oh and yes, that’s the exact size the pancake should be (you should have enough batter to make just 3).  If your too scared to make them that big then go make an ice cream sundae or something cause you can’t handle this dessert. 

Once you have made the pancakes you can set them aside to cool for a little bit as its now time to prep the cookie.  Remember your brownie should have already been cooking for about 25 minutes at this point. 

Now, were not making 30 normal sized cookies and then layering them on there - this isn’t amateur hour.  We are making one pan sized chocolate cookie that we can just plop in there to make one single layer of chocolate chip cookie sumptuousness (eff spell check that’s a word). 

Notice the use of wax paper again, remember we want to be able to easily remove the cookie and place it in pyrex pan.  If your wondering how I know how big to bake it, just like a 16 year old boy figuring out the girls bra size, I eyeball it. 

Throw it in the oven with the baking brownies and keep an eye on it as it should take about 20 minutes to bake and the brownies should have about 30 minutes left to finish.

Now we start constructing the pie-cake.  First thing we do is take our pre-made pie-crusts and unroll them to form a foundation of deliciousness at the bottom of our 13x9 inch clear pyrex casserole dish (high-walls to hold the layers in).  Then we start laying in the pancakes and on top of that applying our first layer of frosting.

When your done applying frosting it should look like below.

After your done, check your brownies and cookie.  You may have a little time before the brownie is done so nows a good time to shotgun a beer.  When both layers are done be sure to let them cool for about 10 minutes before you start handling them.

After cooling and you know chugging another beer start by lifting the brownie out of the pan via the wax paper. 

Don’t be alarmed by the heft, remember this is a double batch of brownie goodness.  You are going to have to carefully finagle the brownie over to your pyrex pan and flip it over (so the bottom is facing up) into your ever growing pie cake dish.

Notice how it fits perfectly into the pyrex dish.  YOU CAN’T TEACH THAT.  Now apply another layer of frosting ensuring that all the nooks and crannies are covered.  For this layer I chose a whip butter cream frosting to even out all the chocolate.  

After this you must do the same with the cookie, applying it right over your layer of frosting (think of the frosting as the cement to this architectural masterpiece).

Look at how that cookie hugs those edges, remember their was no measuring tape, that was eyeballed.  I’d like to say I could teach you how to do the same but talent is god-given not taught. 

After the cookie layer goes (yes you guessed it) another layer of frosting. 

Some of you may have been worried throughout that there are too many layers and not enough dish wall to support said layers.  Valid concern but trust me, I wouldn’t lead you astray, it’ll fit (that’s what she said). 

Finally you add on the top pie crust.

Make sure to add those slits at the top.  You might think its for decoration. FALSE.  They are critical to making sure the frosting oozes out the top so as not to burst a seem along the crust sides.

Right before you put in the oven you gotta weigh it.  Why do I weigh it?  Well to see who can get a heavier pie-cake of course!  This wouldn’t be my style of baking unless their was some sort of points system.  I got 13.6lbs on this one, beat that bitches.

When its done baking you can refrigerate until you serve.  But when you do serve make sure you serve it warm, so drop it back in the oven for 15 minutes or so before you cut. 

This is what it will look like when it comes out of the oven.  No ladies, it won’t have your babies.

Also, its critical that you pair it with some top quality ice creams.  This time around I chose Butter Pecan and Reeces Peanut Butter Cup but feel free to experiment.

This is what a serving looks like.

Look a the striations on that thing, doesn’t it make the Grand Canyon look ugly?

Title:  ”East Capitol”  || DC@2AM || 2 of 2

Title:  ”Connecticut & Macomb”  || DC@2AM || 1 of 2

With the coming of winter comes the end of campaign season.  Tonight was a nice way to kill some time.  Tonight also reminded me that I should buy a tripod.  If  you convert to grayscale in post-production it hides the noise created by the shaking.  

The one above is a shot of one of the busiest intersections in DC and when I lived in NW DC was often the bane of any of my driving existence - in about 3 hours these lanes will be near gridlock.  Also, you will note this in a lot of my shots, I really like the trees that line DC streets.  I can’t name a single city that has a similar amount of tree lined streets and I think is one of the unique features that (should) set DC apart from other cities like Chicago, San Francisco or New York.

The one taken facing the Capitol from the east is one of my favorite views coming into D.C.  I don’t have the lens to reproduce your naked eye witnessing this live - but walking up and down Pennsylvania Avenue right around 7th or 8th street on a sunny day is just a great view. 

Location:  NW DC and the Mall

# of pictures taken: 42

# of pictures that made the cut: 2

Equipment:  Canon Rebel EOS XS, kit lens

Post Production:  RAW output modified in Adobe Photoshop CS4 

Hey thanks!  Good luck on the comps as well!