A Quickie: Stuff that (Don't) Sting

From RT, also known as Russia Today:

In response to rapidly dwindling global honey bee populations - vital in pollinating a third of the world’s crops - environmental and food safety groups have sued the EPA for approving bee-ravaging pesticides despite damning evidence of their effects.
The Center for Food Safety filed in mid-December a legal brief in support of a lawsuit backed by many organizations that seeks a reversal of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) May decision to approve sulfoxaflor - a type of insecticide chemical known as a neonicotinoid that is associated with mass death among bee populations worldwide.
In fact, the European Union has banned neonicotinoids for two years based on scientific studies that have linked their use to sudden eradication of entire beehives - a phenomenon dubbed ‘Colony Collapse Disorder’ (CCD).

My response: declare honey bees an endangered species!

END RANT

Dem Factions

From MSNBC, discussing this "civil war" in the GOP.

Just over the last few months, we’ve seen reports from the New York Times, Bloomberg News, and the Washington Post on the simmering tensions between Corporate America and Tea Party Republicans, driving a wedge into the GOP coalition. With party primaries looming, talk of a “Republican civil war” abounds.

"N.Wells" had a great response:

My preference would be for Democrats to run as party members emphasizing unity with respect to a simple and largely positive platform that they promise to work in unison on, but which cannot happen if the voters elect another divided government.  Perhaps, "More jobs and decent pay", with a second emphasis on "Republican cuts and obstruction haven't worked". 

Here's where I slightly disagree: the Democrats do have factions: the conservative wing of the party, which is sadly dead when we need it, but maybe Charlie Crist and Joe Manchin can resurrect it, the more-liberal-than-normal wing led by Elizabeth Warren and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head and the mainstream of the Democrats, which is led by Obama himself. And then there's the far-left, lead by Bernie Sanders (who isn't even technically a Democrat but keeps the party's liberalism in check).

The difference though is that the Democrats always work together and don't have bloody primaries, while the GOP is in a state of disarray.

I'm still coming to the fact that New York is closing in on becoming the fourth largest state (down from third) in the nation. It's true: you do get what you pay for. That's a topic for another day. I can only hope that the nation's population peaks before New York loses anymore congressional seats.

Why the Tea Party Isn't Going Anywhere...and what the Democrats can do about it...

I've always enjoyed what is in the Atlantic, and although I do think that the Tea Party's love affair with the public is dead, the movement itself isn't. Something that helps the Tea Party is their anarchist-like organization style. Unlike the American libertarian movement, led mostly by Ron Paul, or the American-style socialist movement, led by (the awesome) Bernie Sanders, there's no head Tea Partier, unless you count Mama Sarah. If the Democrats are going to beat back the allure of convservatism and the wave of anti-Obamacare sentiment, here's a few good calls.

-The veteran factor. I've mentioned this before, and I think it's a good call for the Dems to go recruiting ex-military to run for specific offices. Voters who might be uncomfortable with voting for a traditional liberal might go for more of a conservative-looking Democrat. And independent voters tend to be more pro-military.

-Grabbing more moderates. The Democrats have been going to much to the left in parts of the country they have no business of getting leftist candidates. If Wendy Davis is going to succeed in Texas, she needs to show that she's not a Washington-type liberal.

-Run candidates open to Obamacare overhauls. Michelle Nunn, the daughter of the popular former Georgia senator, is one of them. Jason Carter's run is more uphill, but then again, his grandfather was in the same boat in January of 1976. That December he was President-elect. A lot can change in ten or eleven months.

Skocpol makes a really great point here:

After the immediate effort flopped and caused most Americans to further sour on Republicans, Cruz remained unbowed. And why not? After all, Cruz gained near-total name recognition and sky-high popularity among Tea Party voters. He now appears regularly on television, and his antics have allowed elite Tea Party forces to lock in draconian reductions in federal spending for coming rounds of budget struggles. Americans may resent the Tea Party, but they are also losing ever more faith in the federal government—a big win for anti-government saboteurs. Popularity and “responsible governance” are not the goals of Tea Party forces, and such standards should not be used to judge the accomplishments of those who aim to undercut, block, and delay—even as Tea Party funders remain hopeful about holding their own or making further gains in another low-turnout midterm election in November 2014.

If the Democrats want to do damage control, they need a HUGE get out the vote campaign. It's a matter that the Democrats not only were unpopular in 2010, but that the Democrats didn't have people get out to the polls as they should of. For the Democrats to minimize damage and make progress next November, there needs to be an enthusiasm surge.

But then again, I tend to vote across party lines at times. I've voted for Janet Duprey at least once, and I'm not afraid to do so again. She's someone who truly crosses party lines. She sees things truly in color, and is the last person you could ever think of being hypocritical. For instance, she was one of only two Republicans to vote for the Women's Equality Act in the state Assembly, and I recall reading somewhere that her reasoning was grounded on common sense. And plus, she's big on autism-related issues. Liberal on many social issues. Big on autism awareness. Doesn't matter what party you're a member of, I'm probably going to pull the lever for you.

Same goes for Bill Owens and why he's escaped political death twice. I hope the third time won't do him in. He's more with the Republicans on many economic issues, and is military-friendly. On social issues, he's also been lukewarm on a few of them.

Although I can't find the statistics, I think those statistics would show that regular voters (those who don't just vote every four years, but annually) tend to be more conservative. Personally, I'm not a moderate, but I also don't like intimidating candidates. Why are moderates polling strongly? They're not as threating, and in some cases, like that of Charlie Crist, a good record, a now former Republican (who went against his party's norm back in 2008 when the polls stayed open real late to accommodate everyone), have records that even win over Democrats. Moderates will win in 2014. The same reason is why federal level politics isn't really appealing for me. I'm only moderate in a few areas.

The most dangerous thing that can happen is more state governments turn dark red and both houses of Congress have veto-proof majorities. If that scary thing occurs, Obama could veto all he could want but the Republicans would have the upper hand. If the economy continues to do well despite the Republican economic decisions in Congress, the Democrats might have better chances in 2014,  but so far, the signs are there for the GOP: the Tea Party might not be going extinct, but what is going extinct is their voter likability.

To sum things up: the Tea Party isn't going anywhere because they tend to speak to the stereotypical American conscious: faith, the Constitution, free markets and most importantly, liberty. At the end of the day, what erks me about the Tea Party is this: their level of arrogance. But do I understand where they are coming from and why they are frustrated? Yes. A buggy government from Obama (in regards to both NSA and the ACA) is only helping to legitimize the Tea Party movement.

I'm going to be scared for the Democrats until next Election Day. The American electorate is not quite forgiving.

My views on EuroMaidan

For the last month now, Ukraine has been through civil strife as a result of the move for Ukraine to join the European Union. Protests have broken out all through the country,

Now we get to Svoboda, also known as the Ukrainian Tea Party. Svoboda is made up of skinheads and about the worst radicals that anyone could imagine. Some of their platform I obviously disagree with: abortion rights, LGBT rights, Ban on adoptions by non-Ukrainians of Ukrainian children (see Wikipedia for the original link), ethnic passports (like totalitarian states do and South Africa did for years), Ukraine being a member of the CIS (which is something I don't have a problem with). The idea of ultra-right Ukrainian nationalism scares me. Fascism never works.

Although I'm not rabid about Ukraine NOT joining the European Union, the EU and Ukraine would be a horrid fit. The value of the Euro would wreck the Ukrainian economy. However, I do believe that Ukraine should have closer relations with the West, even if that means at times alienating Russia.

Furthermore, Western Ukraine needs to embrace the eastern side of the nation. There will always be disagreements, but I think my age group (of Ukrainians) are more united than my parents generation. I think a good compromise is that Ukraine not entirely join the Union, but sign onto a couple of compacts, and for Russia's comfort, not join NATO. Also, Russia nor the EU should be bullying Ukraine on these issues. Ukraine will do things in a way that suits it best. That being said, Ukraine needs to do something fast. It's economy is in shambles, not only are tariffs high but manufacturing isn't competitive there and corruption is widespread. There are signs of process, for instance, travel in Ukraine is more civilized thanks to the UEFA competition.

What made me smile was this line from this article from back in November, spurred on by a comment on the Times article:

Youth is more supportive of the European integration of their country, as 65 percent of 18-29-year-old poll participants supported EU membership. Yet, more than half of the 50-60-year-old polled residents chose to answer yes to eventual EU membership for Ukraine, informs dw.de.

I do wonder how much Euromaidan support comes from eastern Ukrainians in my age group. Are they, like their elders, critical of the movement or supportive?

Overall, I do support the efforts of the Euromaidan to some extent. Ukraine, although having a majority of its ethnic roots in Russia, is not just strictly a Russian offspring state. And I do know of divided nations: I am the citizen of one.

The Insane Idea of Abolishing America's Income Tax

Rep. Jim Bridenstine has just become my least favorite congressmember by recently proposing a bill that would end income tax for Americans. I strongly disagree with this as income taxes pay for some very good things: good roads and infrastructure, schools and institutions of higher learning, public libraries and museums and public services like police, fire and EMT services, things I like to have. I do agree that the tax structure has become too complex and that we should go to a system that is graduated. If you make less than $14,000 a year, your tax bracket would be 9%. If you make $10 million, I would make it nearly 50% of your total income. Americans pay less in taxes now than ever before, and yet we complain about the federal deficit. I've said this before: you can't have your cake AND eat it.

I think there should be a .1% tax on every stock trade made. If you're selling $1500 in stock, expect to pay a penalty of $1.50 to go into a piggy bank that would be used to rescue our nation's economy in the event of an economic collapse due to stupidity in the stock market.

Sasha's commentary for December 12, 2013: Same old same old

This week, Senator Liz Krueger introduced a bill that would legalize marijuana in New York State. Although I support her move, I have different motives. Not only do I believe that marijuana is harmless, but legalization, if done properly and legalization in New York extended to non-residents, could benefit the state's coffers in a form of pot tourism. Folks, get ready for a contentious 2014 in the state legislature.

And while we're on the topic of pot, there's a mom who now lives in California who smokes pot to calm the symptoms of her cerebral palsy.

Between State senators David Carlucci and Diane Savino, I'm really finding myself liking the independent Democratic caucus. The conference (caucus) leader, Jeff Klein, came out with a comment that noted that an insult by the president of a gun lobby here in New York because the president of this group had a different standard than the state's lawmakers. I still argue that the state's gun laws should be revisited to ensure they're not overly restrictive.

Personally, I think gun laws should be a little looser in Upstate New York due to practicality, or even better, the state set absolute minimum standards and each county have laws to suit their needs. Erie County might do better with stricter gun laws than Franklin County due to urbanization. I'd introduce a bill in the state legislature that would require all bills to recognize that upstate and downstate have different needs in regards to laws, and that what works for downstate might not work upstate and vice-versa. In general, New York might be one of the safest states to live in, and I wish the rest of the nation were as sane as New York. Our economy could be better though, but then again, we shouldn't complain: our economy is as large as South Korea's, even though Upstate should be able to share in that. We're not some insignificant state. Instead, we should turn it around and make it work better, which was why I voted for Andrew Cuomo back in 2010.

I feel that all SUNY schools could ban smoking on their own and shouldn't have to wait for the state legislature to act. Inaction at times can lead to action.

Steve Stockman is one of America's most conservative members of Congress, and some of his tweets are beyond heinous. Some of them are just insulting and mock abortion.

Have some money laying around? You could own your very own airport! And it's a shame that this airport was left in a ghost-like, unfinished state. Air-rail links in my book should be near mandatory.

Last Saturday, Biman Bangladesh Airlines retired its last DC-10, and a shame too. But sadly, the DC-10 is an expensive plane to operate, and compared to its successors, vastly uneconomical. But it's like an old Cadillac: a great plane to fly. Me and a penpal are working out a deal to take an MD-11 flight next summer before KLM puts their trijets up to pasture.

I don't get why this woman in Rockland County murdered her newborn.

I worked at Sears for the first part of this year, and I'd dig ditches before work there again. I have my reasons, and that I will keep to myself. But the state of the company is really depressing, and I agree that Eddie Lampert has taken a great company and run it to the ground. And another tragedy of Lampert's deal? Putting store managers against each other!

Another pitfall of Sears? $7.25 an hour. If I'm going to do well, I'd like to earn at least $10. And I agree that no one should have to work just to struggle to stay alive.

Smoking does cause premature aging, and the "horrors" (for lack of a better term) are illustrated here. I'd like to believe my Momon-like lifestyle will in general be better for my health.

A teenager in Texas is literally getting away with murder because of something called "affluenza", where he lost touch with reality because of coming from a lenient home. Something's not right about that. If it were me, I'd be in jail for life.

UPDATE: Amtrak's been canceling several runs of it's premier Empire Builder train. A few years ago, it was a well-oiled train, and now it's an embarrassment for a passenger railroad I so deeply adore. BNSF, the railroad whose tracks Amtrak uses along with Amtrak itself need to work out an agreement to get the train back on the tracks again.

Black Sunday: The Ukrainian Issue

As I've said in past blogs, my views on Ukrainian politics and foreign policy is balanced in no way that would make sense to any Ukrainian. I'm for a middle way for Ukraine, one that is both pro-European Union and pro-CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), but I do object to Ukraine joining the EU on that the EU has put the union's economically struggling members in a vunerable position. Greece has no right being in the Eurozone. The Greek economic problems are those that no man could fix.

I wouldn't be surprised why Ukrainians are protesting: they live in an OVERWHELMINGLY corrupt society. When you can pay a traffic ticket right on the spot (for instance, speeding), something's not right about that. That's how I woke up in Donetsk while catching an early morning flight. What's even more sickening is how even the good guys are messed up: Yulia Tymoshenko, who looks like a saint these days, isn't really a stellar person herself. What Ukraine needs is a true reformer, a president who is willing to clean up corruption and make doing business in Ukraine more competitive, and safer. As much as Tymoshenko should be freed, it just will not happen in this environment.

According to Nicolai Petro, the EU hasn't done much to help the situation either, turning Ukraine's joining the EU into a "loyalty test". Right there I would have walked away and found some way to sign a lesser deal. And Ukraine does NOT need the Euro, which is so highly pegged (for instance one US dollar is about $1.37 in euros. And the hryvnia? As I've constantly mentioned, as much as the European Union might have a little to do with why there hasn't been massive bloodshed in Europe since World War II (excluding the Yugoslav wars), I'm not a fan either. The euro is an elitist currency in my eyes (although I might be over exaggerating on that one, but the idea of a multinational currency is an oxymoron in my eyes).

Right now, if I were an EU minister, I'd move to table Ukraine's entry into the EU for the time being until the political situation has died down. Or how about this one? A nationwide vote on Ukraine joining the union? Most Ukrainians support the move, to my surprise. And Russia? I don't think that even with Ukraine joining the Union, I don't see Ukraine being one of the more reliable members of the Union on policy matters, probably voting whatever way Russia feels. Groupthink, after all, can be dangerous.

Vladimir Putin, regardless, does not have many friends these days. Although he has kept Russia stable, something that just didn't exist under Boris Yeltsin's term as Russian leader, he isn't really fond of democracy. Until Russians my age come to power, democracy in Russia will be just a dream.

Sasha's commentary for December 5, 2013: Everything I didn't get to yesterday

Yesterday the world received the awful news that Nelson Mandela passed away. I believe the article summed it up best: he is the one politician that we will really, truly miss. And not Ronald Reagan, whose legacy has been mixed. Would I say Mandela is the first? If not the first, pretty darn close. Although a tacky article, it is a funny yet moving tribute to the former South African leader. In his autobiography, Sir Richard Branson (known for the Virgin Group) mentions his fondness for Mandela, and his account of meeting him.

In regards to dating, NO ONE should have sex on the first date. That is just way too soon. I do believe in modesty in dating. Certain romantic gestures? That's sort of overdoing it, I'm just saying. But being clear about going steady? That's a good call.

Also, keep in mind that dating is tricky, regardless. Not all girls like the idea of dating in general, so if you like a girl who doesn't want a boyfriend, or vice versa, your best bet is to simply deal with it and move on or just staying close friends. And if a girl notes that she does have some feelings for you, just stick at it. She might eventually warm to the idea of a relationship.

I don't think it's fare to blame socialism for a power outage.That being said, the Venezuela government should throw some money into improving infrastructure.

This world is twisted when a young man with an intellectual disability is murdered over a pair of headphones. Christian Massey, despite his struggles, was a man who people loved and cared about so much.

Surprisingly, I applaud Martin Bashir's decision to resign from MSNBC. As much as I really agree with him, I will say: saying that Sarah Palin should have someone s**t in her mouth is just wrong. Does this mean we will see Roman Farrow as his replacement?  Regardless, as we saw with Keith Olbermann, when you get suspended from a show, coming back is difficult, and usually your run is over.

Meanwhile, in Maine, I understand governor Paul LePage's twisted logic: I understand why he would support scrapping child labor laws. After all, he was a child worker, having had an EXTREMELY rough childhood. And students having free time to work? Unless you're super bright, I wouldn't bet on it. And the labor market needs less people employed who don't need a second job to get by.

I do like the idea of a reversible USB plug, but it also needs to be a standard everyone but Apple adopts. That being said, I am very happy with the way USB currently is done. Preferably, I'd like this only for new devices and not for computer motherboards themselves.

Although I am struggling financially, I guess I'm not doing too bad at all, quoting a line from the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Searchin'". I have a roof over my head, clean clothes and food in my stomach.

I would have thought Ukraine, with its recent issues, would be the most corrupt. The dishonorable award goes to none other than a three way tie: Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia. The least? New Zealand? Ukraine? Highly. In fact, Ukraine ranks worse than Russia. I beg Ukraine to fix its problems.

I'm honestly confused on Dick Cheney: I thought he was lukewarm on marriage equality, not actively advocating for it but still in favor of it? Sometimes you need to stick out of your kids politics. I wonder how Justin Trudeau would feel if he found out one of his kids was going to be a card carrying member of the New Democrats in Canada?

Since AT&T isn't subsidizing your phone if you bring your own, how about giving customers a break? I applaud AT&T on this move even though I wish it were a little sweeter. Personally, I'd like to see more consumer protections and more community-wide hot spots. And how about the feds throw some cash

My condolences to this woman who lost her husband in a car crash, and found out via Twitter. But Twitter though, even live tweeting the accident? Traumatizing. I fear losing a family member in an auto accident. I really do.

I have in the past had the privilege of working with Jessica Suchy-Pilalis, a professor of the harp and music theory at SUNY Potsdam. She's started a Pan-Orthodox mission, and I must say, her devotion to the organization is immense. Anyways, it turns out she comes from a family with huge musical talent, and her mother is 90 and still a performing musician.

Sasha's commentary for December 4, 2013: 2013's Sunset is Near

Abortion is something no woman ever wants to go through, but when politicians in conservative states are passing laws that make medically necessary abortions illegal, that bothers me immensely. Knowing these laws are on the books in Nebraska and Oklahoma are enough reason that I could ill afford to live in these states. I respect the pro-life movement, but not those who are turning it neurotic. How about instead of outlawing abortions, let's destigmatize birth control and contraception as a whole.

When I heard about this crash, I thought of a girl I know from Clifton Park along with the accident in the Malone area (not sure if it was North Bangor) which happened nearly two years ago. The crash on the Northway happened last year, the one in my area happened two. In both accidents, a student athlete was killed, and drugs were involved. Regardless, these affects of these accidents are lifelong; the guilt, the sorrow, the physical and mental issues. But for Bailey Wind, losing a boyfriend in the accident made a tragedy even worse. Granted though, the human spirit that can result in someone standing tall and continuing to carry on is sometimes the best psychological treatment one can receive. Props to the diver from Colonie!

This weekend, the GOP tweeted that racism is over. It isn't, far from it in fact. Even prejudice towards certain groups of Caucasian Americans isn't over. Try being a disabled American, regardless of race. The GOP even had to correct the tweet they had made.

Bismark, North Dakota. Almost as irrelevant as Plattsburgh, New York. Awesome, right? WRONG! Perfect for Ron Burgundy, also known as Will Ferrell. Here's one for the girls: I want to take one of you to see Anchorman 2 when it comes out.

For every mother out there who have dealt with BS while trying to breastfeed, Holly McNish is your new hero. And the young mother has a darn good point. We've become boob obsessed in bad ways. A woman shouldn't have to resort to a bloody restroom stall to breastfeed.

Yeah, props to this interior designer for pointing out the fallacy of sitcom apartments. They're not realistic. I was born in a grungy hospital to a couple living in a one-bedroom apartment.

To the woman who wrote this: GET A GRIP! I understand that you are traumatized by having a child with autism. Here's the thing: you use fluoride when you brush your teeth, I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for acetaminophen. Yes, I came close to death as an infant. A lot of things cause autism, but you're buying into the Autism Speaks baloney train. Heck, if they had oxytocin treatment, I'd sign up for it. Sure, I'd still have my weird interests and whatnot, but at least I could be a proper social animal and not make an ass out of myself! As long as the oxytocin didn't turn me into a nutcase, I'm good.

I'll admit, when I was dating Cayla, strange stuff started happening with me. Sure, I put on weight, but I also started feeling a high (the same one when I started back in Brewster in the fall of 2005), heck, in fact, most of the stuff described in the Huffington Post article happened to me. My question is this: when do the changes take place? Is it an overnight sort of thing?

Guys, if you're engage, don't go fooling around with another woman, because she might crash your wedding. And don't get her pregnant, either. That's just asking for trouble.

I'm proud that the Obama administration spent $600 million on railroad improvements. The railroads pay taxes and own their right-of-way. It's time we help them out a little. Tax private toll roads? AWESOME!

Buzzfeed is right: New York kicks butt when it comes to the holidays. 999 out of a 100 Americans agree with me that New York idyllic during this magical time of year. Now give me some mistletoe, darn it!!! (I'm also aware of the HORRID, as 999 out of a hundred makes no sense, but I felt like putting it down).

The horrible train accident on Sunday was by no means in part due to a push-pull configuration. Absolutely NOT. Inattentive? maybe. Human error has become quite common as the cause of American railroad fatalities. The engineer should be as part of the investigation required to have a physical, including heart tests. He might have passed out, and his foot on the dead man's pedal would have still been applied. The alerter should have ideally thrown the emergency brakes on. I hope that Metro-North, as part of the positive train control, adopts a tracking system for it's trains. NOTE:  98% of the Hudson Line trains operated today, quite a feat of engineering. I applaud the MTA's quick response to this effort, but it's heartbreaking that this had to happen in the first place, not to mention that a trainset is out of service. I believe earlier today there was a forcast of the MTA not being able to restore nearly full service until next week.

Better yet? Full Hudson Line service tomorrow!

I have a funny feeling that once Francis steps down from the pontiffhood, he's going to come out of the closet. He's the most compassionate pope in a while, and the craziest. He's a human being, and the Catholic Church could use some of that. Do I care that he was a bouncer at a nightclub? Yes, in a good way. It means that he's, despite the title, your average Joe, or should i say Jorge.

And finally, my life is indeed going nowhere. The Onion article describes my life to a "T".

Black Sunday: A Bad Year for Metro-North

This morning, tragedy struck Metro-North Railroad, when a morning train from Poughkeepsie derailed in Spyuten Dyuvil, in the Bronx, about 15 minutes from Grand Central Terminal, the trains destination. That could have been me on that train. Regardless, my heart goes out to the friends and family of those on the train, and especially to the families of the four who died. As far as I can recall, this is the first fatal accident in Metro-North's thirty-year history (and the "experts" at Wikipedia can back me up on that), but looking at that, Metrolink, which serves the nation's second largest metropolis, has had two fatal accidents in the last ten years.

Years ago, I considered working for Metro-North, even the idea of being the rail carrier's president crossed my mind. To have Howard Permut's job for me would require me doubling my meds. This has not been a good year for my favorite commuter rail carrier, and this is also the thirtieth anniversary of Metro-North's 1983 launch. The reasons are numerous: (quoting NBC New York)

— On Sept. 25, a feeder cable in suburban Mount Vernon, N.Y., failed, knocking out power for 12 days to Metro-North's New Haven line, which carries 132,000 commuters daily. NOTE: that resulted in me forgoing plans to see my stepaunt and stepuncle.

— On July 18, 10 freight train cars hauling garbage derailed in New York City, and service was suspended.

— On May 28, track foreman Robert Luden was struck and killed by a passenger train in West Haven, Conn. The National Transportation Safety Board says he had requested a track section be taken out of service for maintenance, and the section was placed back in service too soon by a student traffic controller who didn't have the required approval.

— On May 17, an eastbound train derailed in Bridgeport, Conn., and was struck by a westbound train. The accident injured 73 passengers, two engineers and a conductor. NOTE: that was caused by a broken rail, and took two sets of M8 railcars out of service.

Some weird coincidences: In the Hudson Line schedule, the 5:44am weekend train out of Poughkeepsie is numbered 8808. Four people died this morning. Four people also died in a plane crash in Alaska as well. And eight people died in a helicopter crash in Scotland. What am I saying here? The number 8 ain't so lucky anymore. 8 is divisible by four. But that's regardless. As a frequent rider of both Metro-North and Amtrak (MNRR is Amtrak's sixth busiest host railroad!) I am ANXIOUS about finding out the results of this investigation. I am only seven years younger than Metro-North, and I rode on Metro-North intensely during it's adolescent years. 

Whatever it is, it's going to take money to fix: track improvements, positive train control, enhanced crew training. In the end, it's going to mean a safer railroad, and the four who died this morning will have not died in vain, even though it appears this accident could have been clearly avoided. Who knows if the train had gone a safe speed it might have arrived at Grand Central only five minutes late. I'd rather be late and safe than on-time and dead.

And the Spuyten Duyvil location? Home to a wreck in 1882.

Grandma Got Ran Over by Black Friday Shoppers

No, the title has never happened to me personally. I just thought it was eerily fitting.

Tomorrow I am taking a friend on a casual date. A trip to the mall, maybe lunch afterwards, time (and boredom) permitting. It's nice to know there are girls out there who share my view of the craziness that sometimes happens. And crazy is something there's not a shortage of.

Black Friday has been around now for ages. But for the first time, it's getting a massive amount of attention. Whether it be South Park's three part trilogy, or a shorter shopping season for Christmas (all I need this year is my family home), America has gone berzerk. HINT: you could have started shopping weeks ago!

And here are some of the stories: a stun gun attack at a Philadelphia mall, a brawl breaking out at the Danbury Fair Mall (a mall I braved many Christmas shopping seasons with my folks when I was a little squirt), Walmart protestors (but then again, most retailers have a rough history with their employees). And there's a site that details all this: Black Friday Death Count. Five by their records, and who knows if that count will increase.

I know this, says my sick and twisted side: I'm going to sit back and enjoy the free entertainment of people fighting over commercialism! There's a war on Christmas, and it's being fought in our nation's malls.

Autistic militarism: turns out I'm not alone in believing in such a thing

I've argued that some on the autism spectrum are so extreme in their views that they would rather live on a different planet (how the Wrong Planet website got it's name). Although I have far from a problem with the autism pride movement (same goes for any pride movement that doesn't hurt anyone or any group, which includes deaf and LGBT pride movements), there are some in the autism community who I have encountered over the years whose views on autism are on the verge of arrogance, both from a neurotypical (NT) and self-autism standpoint. I think there are more than three types of paths one on the spectrum/an individual personally affected by autism. I see myself as an autistic moderate, mostly because I have both NT and autistic traits. Although this blogger in this post is more arguing autistic cohesion (like I support myself) he more argues the view that many have, that autistics are serial killers and psychopaths. I guess the problem is I agree with this individual more than disagree, even though his blog is just creepy.

But it's true: there are plenty of autistics that are more militant in their view on autism: that all NTs are wrong and that's the end of it. However, as of recent, the autistic militants have gained validity in their views. When John Elder Robison resigned his advisory post with Autism Speaks, it was a sign that even for those on the spectrum willing to work with Autism Speaks, the organization had jumped the shark. But I also view Autism Speaks as more of a group that focuses on those on the spectrum with larger challenges than my own. The sad thing: Autism Speaks spends almost none of its money on these individuals. And there are plenty of people who believe that Autism Speaks has misused their funding: news stories included, heck this one made it look like Autism Speaks is the Mafia! NOTE: I will update this entry if I can find something specific on how much of their funding goes, as this article just ain't cutting it.

My experiences with the organization have went like this: pushy, cold and believing that autistics don't want to include neurotypicals in their endeavors. When I tried bringing Autism Speaks U to SUNY Potsdam, I felt like I was trying to reason with Goliath. Looking back, had Autism Speaks U come to Potsdam, our required SGA group constitution would have come into direct conflict with what Autism Speaks requires of its collegiate outreach groups. Looking back, me and my friends dodged a bullet.

Funny I should say this: I wrote to Autism Speaks earlier this year. Several months later, I have yet to get a reply.

Does autistic militarism exist? Seeing things now, yes. Sure, I will see a problem with autistics trying to corner themselves off from the rest of the world, but with the way things are, I can see why they would want to. And the world for autistics is changing, and now we need to hold Autism Speaks accountable for any of their misleading actions.

But then again, I don't tend to be the average autistic individual.

My AQ score is 36 on Simon Baron-Cohen's scale, and according to the group at the Aspie-Quiz website, my Aspie score is 119 out of 200 and my NT score is 113 out of 200. So I am one of those fringe Aspies, I guess.

*I might not have made my post on autistic militarism public, but this one comes close.

Autism Speaks Just Jumped the Shark

...and pretty much told most of the autism community to take a hike!

I've made no secret of my issues with the organization, which have included launching an Autism Speaks U chapter at SUNY Potsdam that I now thank God that it never really got off the ground.

This past week, Autism Speaks finally jumped the shark. Suzanne Wright posted a note on the Autism Speaks website about their autism action summit, and put it in harsh words, like "We will demand a national response" and "These families are not living" and, quoting both the not and a Fortune article, our families are living "… moment-to-moment. In anticipation of the child’s next move. In despair. In fear of the future." And it's true. I believe that Autism Speaks has a bias slant towards non-verbal autistics and their families, the stereotypical "hand flappers". Autism Speaks ignores the fact that individuals on the spectrum make HUGE contributions to their communities. Chris Tuttle is a perfect example of one of these individuals, although how severe his Asperger's is I'm wondering, but I don't know him, so I can't tell, but if people are in an uproar that a customer insulted a really nice person for being a little slow, well, he has a great group of supporters. It's people like Chris who help make up the fabric of our society.

How bad were things? John Elder Robison, one of my heroes, decided that it was time for him to leave his advisory position. He's a true role model, not Bob and Suzanne Wright. So does this mean I can't go on MSNBC now? (Bob Wright was the head of NBC Universal for a while). Robsion has made his move (which I agree was a good one), so I expect our good friend Alexis of Cut Bank (Wineman) to make the same move and speak out on the harsh words said by Suzanne Wright. Some of us might not be able to speak and others not able to speak much, but we can hear every single word you have to say (and I had to restrain myself from using the f-word in that sentence). Autism for me has not been complete misery, just a significant inconvenience. (Also, I really need to learn to spell "inconvenience" without spell check, I really do!). Being on the spectrum has instead given me a drive to show the world that there's not much we can't do. If Autism Speaks was trying to make progress, they went back not several steps, but several miles. The people who lead Autism Speaks truly have their head in the clouds.

And how about this one: "This is a national emergency. We need a national autism plan – NOW". Relax Mrs. Wright! It's not an emergency. People dying mysteriously, now that's an emergency. With any disorder, I take one day at a time, even if I don't take my overall life one day at a time. I find it easier to take one day at a time when I don't have a job. And just like what John said, I embrace the gifts I have with autism: a gift for politics and my ability to solve political issues (well, need to put that into practice!) through compromise and careful analysis. Let's help everyone on the spectrum, and not judge someone who might be on the spectrum just because they might not appear to be. They might be fighting a tougher battle than you are. And that's another thing: autism comes in all shapes and sizes.

And Autism Speaks has given voice to people whose positions can be seriously questioned, the best example being Jenny McCarthy. There's going to be a good chance that a serious epidemic will be the result of a few parents watching her on television discuss how autism is caused primarily by vaccines.

And finally, also recently, with my own bout of stomach issues, I wonder if I might have fallen susceptible to the stomach issues that us on the autism spectrum deal with day in and day out. But a connection with anxiety? My ears are open.

I'm going to partly quote Karl Marx's famous "Workers of the world, unite!" slogan with my own: AUTISTICS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!!! And let us stay classy while uniting! :P

UPDATE: January 15, 2014: 

Yet, we seem to have forgotten our children - and our children are our future.
Each day across this country, those three million moms, dads and other care-takers I mentioned wake to the sounds of their son or daughter bounding through the house.  That is - if they aren’t already awake. Truth be told, many of them barely sleep—or when they do – they somehow sleep with one ear towards their child’s room—always waiting. Wondering what they will get into next. Will they try to escape? Hurt themselves? Strip off their clothes?  Climb the furniture? Raid the refrigerator?  Sometimes – the silence is worse.
These families are not living.
They are existing. Breathing – yes.  Eating – yes. Sleeping- maybe.  Working- most definitely - 24/7.

When I read the thing closer, I realized how much more nauseating the op-ed was. Of course, this IS MY OWN OPINION, and I stress this. So apparently us autistics stress out marriages and make families not thrive? I call malarkey. My mom, stepdad and other relatives have enjoyed seeing me blossom into the person I am today. Yes, I had my share of meltdowns. But the quality of life improves, at least it has for me. (The same can't be said about my dating life and relationships!)

Sasha's Commentary for November 14, 2013

As I argued last night in a Facebook post (which I'll later regret), the nation's anti-union mentality has gotten to the point where our nation's well-being is at stake. Even after-school activities are only exacerbating the problem. I'm glad there are groups that fund after school activities in lower income areas, as these groups are crucial in helping youths avoid making bad decisions that might cause their futures to turn sour. But in general, being a youth in today's generation is as hard as anything. I'll agree that being a youth has always been a financial nightmare, but I've heard horror stories about friends having to move out of the area to find work. I don't have money up front to do such an endeavor. I'll still argue that something needs to be done with corporate pay and wealth inequality before more people lose their jobs. For instance, Heinz is closing a plant in Canada. We need processing and manufacturing jobs in the Western Hemisphere. 740 jobs is a lot.

I must say, Janet Yellen's move to be the Fed Chair might be good. Although inflation should ALWAYS be a concern, I learned in macroeconomics that it's good to have low interest rates when the economy is good and higher interest rates when the economy is on full cylinders. Her view has been full employment is more important than inflation. Even if it does take ten years for the economy to continue to recover, it might be worth it if financial regulations can return AND job growth is slow and steady. No more financial roller coasters. But as I've said earlier, I'd rather have Paul Krugman or Robert Reich serve as Fed Chair. Or even head of the Treasury.

Part of the bigger problem (and I think this is a global issue) is that population growth is outpacing job growth. No one needs to have a thousand kids (why I'm no fan of the Duggar's) and to parents out there who are begging their kids, who don't want to have kids, have kids of their own? Don't nag. Your childless children are doing the world a small favor, as extreme as that sounds. My argument is like a few others: more people are scrambling after fewer jobs.

Mother's right: the soft sciences are still important. Good science also involves a little bit of good writing. Even the late Steve Jobs got it:

Focusing our educational resources toward any one endeavor in narrow isolation creates a destructive imbalance. We must correct this imbalance now, before it is too late.
This, then, is a critical "teachable moment" and we as a society must embrace it. We must enthusiastically support and fund the study of the arts and humanities as the building blocks of a successful global future. And for everyone concerned with how this translates into a sound economy and a sound financial future, simply recall what Steve Jobs told graduates of Stanford University in 2005: One of the most influential experiences in his brief time at Reed College was his exposure to the fine art of calligraphy. It taught him the important lesson of the relationship between discipline and creativity.

If it weren't for that calligraphy class we wouldn't have clean computer interfaces like we do today. And when "The National Assessment of Educational Progress test shows that less than a quarter of eighth- and 12th-grade U.S. students are proficient in reading, writing and civics", I am concerned. Civics are important, as we need an electorate that is at least well-informed and making sound judgements at the polls.

And it is indeed worrisome that our nation's union membership is declining. Unions are why we have a forty-hour work week, that holiday that marks the end of the summer season, safer work environments. I still believe substitutes aren't quite cutting it. I do applaud companies that do treat their employees fairly, like Starbucks or even Southwest Airlines. Blame this nation's fear of socialism? Yeap.

Stupid question on this one, but is this contraption homebirth friendly? The Odón device seems cool, but will it do more damage, like cut off air to a newborn taking his/her first breath? At least they've done safety tests, and everything checks out. Here's another tip: if it's safe enough to, have a child at home, if you can.

I don't think it's a bad thing for twenty-somethings to get married. I'm even more glad that there are good reasons to get married in your mid-twenties.

Speaking of the twenty-something, some of the recommendations in this article I should really take up. I'm going through a quarter life crisis, no doubt about it. Number 8 is a big one for me: "Approaching your life from a “one day at a time” perspective will keep your sails blowing longer than if you’re fretting about what you’ll be doing five years from now."

While I'm at it, I should bring fresh blood to Sullivan County, as it turn it into another Ulster County. What does Ulster County have that Sullivan doesn't? And if that doesn't work, there's always either Columbia County or somewhere else near Albany!

Note to self: take personality test.

And on a funnier note: Chuck Lorre is hilarious!

And as a reminder

These blog entries are my opinions only and not the opinion of any employers are are more commentary than anything else. If anyone who views this blog takes offense to something not only will I remove what is offensive but clarify why I wrote what I did and why I took an particular opinion on a given issue.

Sasha's Commentary for November 12, 2013, Part II: Still Need A Life

...brought to you by Dr. Steven Brule's trigger happy replacement. If you haven't seen Brule's Rules, I suggest you do so. John C. Reilly is a character. Just a character.

Google has been building mystery barges for the longest time (the last few months). Turns out they are going to be mobile interactive learning spaces, although they seem more like interactive learning centers.

When 49% of Texan GOP voters think that Senator John Cornyn isn't conservative enough, something isn't quite right. Here's an idea: elect Wendy Davis and improve schools in Texas. Nonetheless, the Texas GOP, which seems to be steering the national party, is scary.

While we're on the Google topic, they might track your moves, but they want to be the only ones tracking your moves. Thanks Google, now I'm not so scared of you. But seriously, it's nice to see the company screw over the NSA. And it appears that the feds have been hacking Google, but why it's low-key is beyond me. The NSA has been recording Google's data movements between servers, and now the company is encrypting the transmitted data to prevent eavesdropping. I thought they already did that.

As my current crush (and future girlfriend, as it's going in that direction) has a couple of weird pets at home, the words "this article is enlightening" pretty much applies. This one is funny: "Cats are literally trained to shit in the house and live 20 years. I’ll pass." Nope, I'll take it!

Poor Jeff Wagner. He didn't get elected. On the upswing, 35 candidates? Neato! And to make it better??

Rybak’s decision, along with the city’s paltry $20 filing fee, led to a massive ballot of 35 candidates, many of them gadflies. Voters were confounded further by the first real test of ranked choice voting, which eliminated the traditional primary that would have thinned the field.

Minneapolis, thanks for being a national guinea pig!

I have condolences to the family of the state police offer who was killed while a truck driver was browsing the internet while driving. Truck drivers should know better. Also, this same guy was apparently masturbating at the same time. Can't find proof of that now.

I question Wisconsin governor Scott Walker's anti-high speed rail policies when the state desperately needs the new Talgo equipment. Want more Hiawatha frequencies? Can't do it, as there's a lack of equipment. And Madison needs rail service BEFORE the thought of high speed rail even happens.

President Obama, I'm with your most recent Democratic predecessor on your healthcare law. Something needs to be done. Delay something, extend the enrollment period!

Working conditions in China are beyond deplorable, thus why I'm proud to build my own computers out of, sadly, Chinese-made parts. My flash drive surprisingly was assembled in the States. So where are all these manufacturing jobs? Something's a concern when our household goods are being assembled by slave labor. I'd rather pay more and know that an American is assembling that thing, because in the end, that manufacturing job might be mine.

Something about the hookup culture actually makes me a little uncomfortable. Then again, sex in general makes me slightly nervous. Actually, how do you get to a point where you can sleep with anyone? Are there levels of social ability? Well, it's nice to know that casual sex is terrible for trying to achieve an orgasm. In my view, sex is supposed to be an emotional tie.

Anyone remember this woman? (Link is from Current's version of Countdown with Keith Olbermann when he did a quick segment on the crazy lady).

And this is why I need a life: I spend too much time blogging.

Sasha's Commentary for November 12, 2013: Need A Job and a Life

These blog entries are perfect reason why I need a life. I will work for food and money to pay off my college loan!

"Driving may damage your ovaries." Why I don't plan to visit Saudi Arabia anytime soon. There are women truck drivers in the United States, and I've had a few women who were my school bus drivers. Also, women have been known to be safer drivers.

As of recent, many governors are not living in their state-owned homes is becoming a common trend. And it's entirely understandable. You don't own the house, in fact, nothing in the house is yours. California went as far as selling its governor's mansion in the 1970s. At least New York's current governor takes fair advantage of the home.

Thank God I didn't go to college in Alabama. I've made no secret of my dislike for Greek life. It's too elitist. And it seems in Alabama nearly 1/6th of the University of Alabama's student body is a member of one. Let's keep in mind that Alabama tragically was where Natalie Holloway was from.

A study conducted last academic year by Phired Up Productions, a fraternity and sorority consulting company based in Carmel, Ind., ranked Alabama's Greek system as the nation's largest by membership. This year, the campus has more than 7,200 fraternity brothers and sorority sisters.

That's a lot of Greek if you ask me. Spending $200 million on Greek house improvements? Well the upswing is that the construction industry does well.

Although this article is a little old, it does show how in some states being a governor is a path to a decent paycheck. Heck, being in Congress pays more. The problem? I think our governors are more important than our Congress. Our governors are state presidents, state executives.

Modesty and beauty pageants don't usually mix, but for the girls who pull it off, hats off to them.

Cuomo has one bill to sign to help out the transit systems in upstate New York. And upstate voters would be indebted to him, at least the ones in the metro areas.

Co-sleeping. Isn't that what Mayim Bialik invented? Just joking, she's an advocate of attached parenting, but co-sleeping falls into that same category. If you're going to co-sleep, be smart about it. And there are some who are just understandably against the practice. And kids need to know that there's no such things as underbed monsters.

Virginia Tech is working on designing new Amtrak stations. As long as they don't look like total crap, that's what matters. Or like the bus station in Monticello.

There are, according to this article, thirty-five things that every couple needs to agree with before getting married. I'll need to run this by my mom. For me, cold pizza is a must, although rare with me. Mayo is the way to go, along with the train.

Sasha's reflections on the 2013 elections

Last night was a mixed signal for the Democrats and the progressive movement in general.

The big news was Bill de Blasio getting elected mayor of New York City. I have to say, that's some serious stuff. I thought the margin of victory would be thirty, forty percent at most. Nope, forty-nine point margin as of 7:20PM Wednesday evening. To make things even better, de Blasio's daughter Chiara flew all the way from California to surprise her dad on Election Day, and cast her first ballot in a . How that didn't get out of the bag is a surprise. But there's a reality for de Blasio: an increase of affordable housing in the city will be much easier than trying to get pre-kindergarten implimented. de Blasio is also going to have a $2 billion shortfall to deal with. I wish the mayor elect the best, as he has an uphill challenge.

If your last name is Suozzi, last night was a catastrophe. Not only did Ed Mangano (who I think is a jerk) win in a landslide, former County Executive Tom Suozzi's cousin Ralph in Glen Cove also losing reelection.

In general, last night was a bad night for New York Democrats downstate. Races in Rockland, Westchester and Orange all went for Republicans. The Dutchess County Legislature stayed in Republican hands and even gained a seat. Here's a message for Cuomo: pay attention to the state and stop trying to run for President. You're already President, except it's technically not the "Office of the President of the State of New York" but instead "Office of the Governor of the State of New York" But granted, he's as powerful as let's say, the president of a small European nation. Switzerland, anyone? I don't think they have a president though. Here are some of the election results, sans Sullivan County.

But not all was bad. Three of the big four upstate cities now have women mayors: Katherine Sheehan in Albany, Lovely Warren in Rochester and Stephanie Meyer Miner won reelection in Syracuse (and apologies for the Twilight confusion). It would have been nice if scandal-plagued Byron Brown in Buffalo got booted by a woman. That's a goal for 2017: a majority of the cities in Upstate NY run by women. Buffalo, you're next. But in mayoral races there were setbacks: in addition to Ralph Suozzi in Glen Cove, Mary Foster in Peekskill (still a significant city) appears to have gotten the boot. But there were some inroads: Kelly Decker will be running the city of Port Jervis, and Rick Davis will be running economically depressed Tonawanda. He has SEVEN kids. Wow!

Five of the six propositions passed last night. Proposition One did better than I expected. And as I predicted, Sullivan County would be the county where Prop One would have it's best margin of victory: 76-23% On the other hand, most of Western New York voted against the measure, making me wonder if it's just a rogue issue, if Western New York is truly Republican or if Cuomo has no support in WNY.

OUT OF STATE

As we all knew, Barbara Buono was left for dead politically by the Democrats. Chris Christie's landslide is kind of scary, as it gives him ammo for an all but obvious presidential run. As we all know, Jon Huntsman is the only Republican I would be comfortable voting for President. The minimum wage was raised in NJ to 8.25 an hour.

In Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, as expected, was elected governor of Virginia, breaking a forty year old trend of Virginia voters electing governors from the opposite party of that of the President, which could be a good sign for next November. Obamacare nearly did kill McAuliffe, but I'm going with McAuliffe supporters staying home, thinking that he had this in the bag along with voters getting cold feet-a reason why the margin of victory for de Blasio back in in New York was so surprising. I thought New York voters would get cold feet. In Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli came pretty close to winning, an example of why the Democrats NEED to continue to get electable candidates. They were lucky, as even the press had not much good to say about McAuliffe. Thankfully for the Democrats, Cuccinelli was too extreme for many Virginians, but at the same time, McAuliffe needs to govern as a moderate. But the press is having a field day over this one, especially with the skewed poll numbers. Even Rasmussen Reports, which for a somewhat conservative polling group, looking back, favored kind of well. One letdown: Cuccinelli has yet to call the governor-elect with congratulations, and I would be surprised if a congrats is never given.

One of our last lookbacks to this year's weird race in Virginia: his kids. One reader said "His kids look like they have not seen the daylight in a decade. Does he homeschool?" I'm starting to wonder the same thing.

All and all, except for some local races and New Jersey, progressives didn't have a bad night. And to make a bittersweet victory even better, the Tea Party got trashed in Alabama. And a Boston area executive was getting the strangest phone calls. The wrong Marty Walsh though is apparently no stranger to politics: he was an aide to the late senator Ted Kennedy, so I guess being the president of a small company is power in itself. Two Marty Walsh's in Boston politics. Somehow I like this! Rock on!

And Mayor-elect Walsh? He's unmarried but he and his longtime partner have a daughter not much younger than me. So it turns out having a child out of wedlock with it's his partner's daughter.

The Tea Party got a rude wake up call last night. :)

Maybe ten years from now I'll be celebrating an election myself. I can only hope, right?

Sasha's Commentary for November 6, 2013, Part II: Why We Still Can't Have Nice Things

And thanks to a glitch, most of my links from yesterday went missing! Great!

A Russian teen, 18-year old, who goes by "Shatuniha", is selling her virginity as she is "in urgent need of money" so she is "selling the most precious thing I possess." If this is what capitalism does to people, I need to question capitalism's lack of safeguards.

Then again, the poor girl is gorgeous. Do I feel bad for her that she's in a bad spot? Yes!

About pretty girls, I've always wanted to date a redhead. I have given up on that one. I've never met a redhead I didn't like, but then again, plenty of people I've met have told me to get lost. And many of them have been redheads.

Our good friend Charlie Crist, who is now part of the new right wing of the Democratic Party (which needs a right-wing, just like every good political party) looks like as if he's going to have no problem getting his old job back. Turns out rejecting high speed rail funding was a way to save face for now governor Rick Scott. We expect more from our politicians, and shouldn't be getting contradictions. It's nice to see a handful of conservatives (current or former) who actually give a crap about high speed rail. It's crucial to both our nation's manufacturing recovery AND for our energy independence. There's too many reasons to list the importance of intercity rail. Too many. The good news? Between All Aboard Florida and the potential of a 2014 return of a Democratic Congress, we might see some fiscal sanity. Here's a hint: kill the Bush era tax-cuts, work with the Defense Department on a rational funding scheme AND raise the national gas tax. Poor roads affect my car's condition and fuel economy.

I stand in solidarity with this group who plans to do a read in in protest of Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana, who is apparently no fan of Howard Zinn. The late scholar of American history defended America against fascism and totalitarianism, and this is the way you repay his legacy, by making student unable to have access to the book? Zinn, I hope you are looking down in pride.

My professor from college, Phil Neisser, a brilliant scholar of political cooperation (in the sense of contrasting political beliefs coming together for the common good, something that is rare), shared an article with some people written by his co-author Jacob Hess. I need to one day read their book You’re not as Crazy as I Thought, but Hess makes some decent points, including how our conservative rivals have similar goals: job creation, healthcare reform. Although I am a European-style socialist (in the European political ideology scale, which I believe differs from America's, I'm in the left-center), I do believe in cooperation with all ideologies. Diplomacy is the only way that any political process can be made, and I hope the next few years bring new faces to our state capitals and Washington D.C. who are willing to "shake hands" and write win-win legislation. At the same time though, our friends on both sides of the aisle need to use more common sense in the legislative process, regardless. I hope to see some Democrats in 2015 willing to not agree with the mainstream of the party on the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare (i.e. Democrats who are in favor of serious review of Obamacare and willing to work with moderate Republicans to write a true bipartisan healthcare reform bill that keeps the best of Obamacare.

The right though has been putting good spin on the perils of Obamacare, and only Jon Stewart and his "journalistic integrity" can stop it. Or not.

I've never been a big fan of Rob Portman, but what a way to defend your son: giving up on the vice-presidency, and threaten to . Seeing what it did to madam Palin probably helped to make your decision.

To the north in Canada, to be more precise, Toronto, Ontario, we have a coke-smoking mayor. The CBC has some good warnings about why crack is dangerous.

Scientists have found a new body part, it's part of your knees. I didn't even know that was possible!

The woman who wrote this blog entry has a darn good point: and we need to follow it. Wise beyond her 29 years. There are a lot of cool younger moms out there.

So it is true: there are some girls who do have "waiting list" for guys who want to date them. I don't know how that is even ethical. I had a similar note from a girl who was two years older than me, sexually active (trying to have a baby no less) and wanted to go out with me. Either I passed up a good opportunity to help get her life straight or I dodged a bullet.

A new goal in my lifetime: own a shortline railroad, refurb the tracks and maybe add passenger service. This guy in the Midwest Pacific Northwest did it (that's where the line is), and I have to say, how he pulls it off is beyond me. NEW GOAL: volunteer with a tourist railroad and get FRA certified. Better yet: he's only 30.

I'll say this again: Kate Upton is cute (she even has a nice voice) but I still find Alexis Wineman (see Miss Montana and my other posts) much more attractive. And Kate, can't you do something with your life other than model and date great looking guys? Sharing food on a date? I kind of like that, it's I guess a bonding sort of thing.

Why did I enjoy college? Let me see: I had low expectations of what college and college life would be like. It also reflects in my GPA.

In an hour: a blog on my reflections on the 2013 elections.

Sasha's commentary for November 6, 2013: Part 1

"I strongly recommend that best friends fall in love" And I couldn't agree more, as the principal is rationally sound and if you are already friends, a rapport that is necessary for a strong relationship is already there. Heck Seth, I'm in the same boat: I would be honored to marry my (a) best friend of the opposite sex. As Miranda Kilgalen once said "all good relationships start out as friends", or something along those lines. It also helps that I have Asperger's. My standards for dating and marriage continue to drop. But this standard Utah Mormon is a guy with just a big heart. And for him and his now-wife, there was some romantic attraction from the start. Heck, even their marriage announcement is interesting. The prince, after some technical difficulties, got his Cinderella. I wish these two the best, as it's rare to see someone so objective in a relationship. Objectivity. Open-mindedness. And for a husband to know that he's emotionally lousy and needs to work on being more selfless in his marriage? Listen loud and clear Kim, if you leave Seth, you're making a huge ass mistake.

The writer of this Atlantic Monthly online blurb has a good point: is daylight savings time really worth it? If it is costing our nation more money than it is bringing in, let's go standard time for the entire year.

I see the dropping of the blackout rule as a benefit for the Buffalo Bills, as they could make a point that they are a team that lets you watch the game, whether you're a Buffalo transplant or a Western New Yorker.


Jason Thigpen, a GOP candidate FOR CONGRESS, no less, party switched, saying that:

“This same group of spineless legislators piggybacked a motorcycle safety bill with legislation intentionally geared to shut down women’s health clinics because of their ‘right righteous’ beliefs on abortion, while then cutting funding to the programs which help feed and provide healthcare to the babies they invariably forced the same women to have. Sounds like the Christian thing to do, huh?”

Take note GOP, unless you want the Democrats to have a rational conservative base, kick the Tea Partiers out. They're not conservatives. I believe they are more ultra-nationalist and (gasp!) even fascist.

Once again, autism discrimination is alive and well, and to make it worse, this case is coming from Australia. My argument is this: if she can handle being away from her family for a night, she probably can handle an overseas trip. I do understand the concerns of someone with an ASD traveling overseas, but I have an ASD and I've traveled overseas. Autism is compatible with overseas travel. A little more difficult, but doable.

Cory Booker is definitely someone that can be shaped and molded by his surroundings. He's not only intellectual, he's objective.

As Donkey once said "Celebrity marriages, they never last, do they?" In this case, Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchinson's marriage is as good as dead. Letting your 16-year-old marry someone old enough to be their dad? I don't give a shit about the whole "they're in love thing."

Sasha's commentary for November 1, 2013: I have more important things to do

...like maybe write a letter to run for a position on the National Association of Rail Passengers (NARP) Council of Representatives? Or look for a job?

This article from The Atlantic's website I found disturbing. A real time map of births and deaths. Needless to say, when there's way too many babies being born and way too few people dying, it's a demographic crisis. I don't think our planet is prepared for another three plus billion people, unless we're all prepared to pay a lot more for stuff and/or take a cut in the quality of life? Why are things so much more expensive? Overpopulation. Why can't you find a job? Overpopulation and technology.

*NOTE: I am not advocating for genocide or war, both things I am against, but instead for cultural shifts and birth control. People shouldn't be forced into having kids they don't want/can't/shouldn't have.

Here's my message to the Times Union: do YOU guys have AN ALTERNATIVE to gambling that would bring in revenue for the state? Sadly, for New York to succeed, the state needs to lower its own standards.

Politicians should stop trying to pass legislation to make themselves look good. Or vetoing legislation. If I were a legislator, and if my governor did that, I'd move to have him impeached. Sure, it wouldn't work, but the point remains.

All being said and done: the sooner this nation adopts a parliamentary style government, the better. The founding fathers must have thought that all men were created perfect. Or that we'd always be a small nation.

Another reason I am critical of the Jewish community in New York: they tend to vote as a whole. Want to destroy a referendum in New York? Bring in the Jewish community! Well, just the Hasidic community, whose votes I would sadly need if I were to get elected to countywide office in Sullivan County. I'm not against the Hasidic community, just at their voting mentality.

Chris Christie vetoes a bill that is that simple. Protecting pigs from inhumane conditions, in a state that has barely any pig growers. Any politician that does political moves for the sake of a presidential run should be disqualified from running.

I am also worried that Obama has taken a political hit from the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act, and I'm worried that it's only snowballing. If he doesn't straighten this out, the GOP gets a supermajority in Congress, and then the White House in 2016, no matter what Hillary Clinton does. But as I have said countless times, I am Bernie Sanders on health insurance. I'm not only anxious, but paranoid of a super Tea Party. The Obama administration will go down in history for having high expectations but a lack of competency. And the Obama administration should have been clearer on making the insurance companies keep existing coverage, and I would have made it that even if one's current coverage did not meet ACA requirements, they could still keep it if they were happy. In general, we let big business get away with murder in this country.

It's obvious that I'm not the biggest fan of Maggie Gallagher, in fact, she's a hypocrite in a different manner (but at the same time she's not as very few women choose to be single mothers). But I'm glad she's realized that fighting against marriage equality is no use anymore. Even Chris Christie gave up on it earlier in October.

I believe children have bigger hearts than adults because they don't have a lifetime of experiences behind them, not to mention that they've grown up in a more socially accepting world, or so I would like to believe. The responses from kids on a recent Cheerio's ad is proof enough. The kids just don't get the point-and that's what we should want! For them, interracial families are normal.

In some states, abortion restrictions are so bad that some women have to cross state lines to have one, even if they don't want one and are only having the procedure done as a result of a severe birth defect. The Davis' are not much older than I am, and Jessica is 23, so she has to have graduated high school the same year I did. I know, these things are mind-boggling, I know. And the fact that you're not financially ready and yet raising three children is not only not easy, but I would have to call that nuts, but if you can do it, props to you. I know I couldn't, but it might also be a cultural thing too. It's just odd that may people my age and younger are not only married but also having children, and I still live at home. Failure to launch, anyone, or am I just naively wise? Gynecology has made lightyears worth of advancements since my mom was born, and we now know that for some women, a pregnancy can be fatal unless it is terminated because of a birth defect so severe, or the mother's life is at risk. It's happened before.

And to finish an argument: I'd like to believe that at almost 23, I'm ready to settle down, and in some ways, I am, but I am ill-prepared to do so. But in no way am I trying to bash young parents. I give them all the credit in the world. Their role is by no means an easy one.

The autism cause gravy train has another stop added: weight gain during pregnancy is now suspected as being a cause of autism in children.

Maybe I am hopeless, as I scream "loser". I'm an autistic Ukrainian and Russian American living in New York State. I'm drowning in a pool of "can't do jack right".

Anything to do with that I suck at arguing?

Accepting Asperger's

For the first time, the complaining and whining of other individuals on the spectrum is finally starting to get to me. It's like being a skateboard fanatic HATING other skateboard fanatics. I've accepted being on the autism spectrum because I can't help it; that's just how I was born. God's roll of the dice was against my odds. It has been in so many ways. But I've been blessed in others. I have a loving stepdad, I still have my loving mother, I have a college degree (that I'm finding paying back is becoming difficult) and a life ahead of me. When I read this person's blog post, it made me feel better about myself in so many ways. I know that I am far from alone.

But it's given me a voice to help others. It's given me passions. It's like what Ralphie May once said: "God's officially given us lemons, let's make lemonade." I've had my share of adversity in my life, but I've found ways of overcoming them. For instance, I tend to be a good social networker, adults my mother's age and senior citizens adore me, I'm a bit analytical, which allows me to also jump into a social scene and feel comfortable shaking hands and making small talk (something I do poorly) and in general not so much be the life of the party but instead play social diplomat, for lack of a better term. I want to put that into practice when I relocate over the winter.

True, there are some days where I wish I had an opportunity to see what it would be like to be neurotypical. For one day, I'd like to know what it is like not having certain sensory issues, what it would be like to have more self-esteem, what it would be like to date more often.

But I have a lot of big goals, and those goals are only made stronger by having autism. I want to be America's first elected official who is open about being on the spectrum, (as I've said before, I look up to the late Harvey Milk). I want to speak at the Democratic National Convention in a few years. I want to help parents navigate the tricky waters that come with having a child on the autism spectrum. And I want to help those who don't have autism too. Some of my political goals (if I am lucky enough to get into elected office) are to create an environment that is friendly towards job creation, find ways to fix crumbling infrastructure, making honesty and transparency in government mandatory and attend to the greatest needs of the communities I would serve.

We all have challenges in our lives and I just happened to have been born with a big one. I've heard the old "Autism doesn't define me. I define it" lingo, but as I've said, I redefine what it is to be an American twenty-something with autism.

I can't quit now-I've come too far. That being said, I do need to refocus my efforts onto productive things.