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?