This week’s bonus video selection comes to us from 1953, the age of atomic weapons and energy - people were worried and both government and industry (in this case, General Electric) created videos to dispel myths and quell fears among the public. As usual, this video come to us via the Internet Archive.

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Animated classic presenting what an atom is, how energy is released from certain kinds of atoms, the peacetime uses of atomic energy and the byproducts of nuclear fission.

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I had intended to get this up sooner, but I was having some very annoying problems with various video sites. Without further adieu, the State of the Union Address 2007, as aired on C-SPAN.

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All right, as promised, the following is my interpretation of the State of the Union Address with a bit of commentary thrown in. I was typing this out as I was watching the Address on C-SPAN, so I do want to make it clear that I missed a few things. These, however, are what stuck out to me. I’ll be adding a video later.

Introduction
As usual, I find the entry of all the officials a bit strung out and tedious, all the applause gets a tad annoying, but at the same time it is kind of nice.

Introduction seems to have the usual positive tone, as would be expected, but I’ll hold of my own comments for the real meat and potatoes of the speech.

It seems that Bush is calling out to the Democrats (and possibly fellow Republicans) to try for bi-partisan cooperation to do their best for our nation.

Economy
Forty-one months of job growth, wow, over seven million new jobs - the economy seems fairly decent. Balancing the federal budget gets a good set of applause, as does the goal to do so without raising taxes. He wants to cut earmarks through budget reform and cut the number and cost in half by the end of the session. Nice - I hope it works.

We need to keep Social Security and Medicare in tact and doing well for the children (such as myself). Bush thinks they can be fixed and saved, but how?

Education
We need to build on the success of the No Child Behind Act, through the right to choose to leave failing schools and special help for those who struggle. We need to strengthen math and science education, but he offers no real ideas how.

Healthcare
We need to increase availability of health insurance and make it more available, via a standard tax deduction, this will make it possible for people to purchase their own healthcare and make insurance more affordable.

Federal funding for states that provide free or discounted healthcare to the citizens in need, grants for the states.

We need to expand health savings accounts, make small business insurance cheaper.

Price transparency, medical liability reforms (a very good idea), make sure patients and doctors retain the right to make decisions.

Immigration
We need fair laws and secure borders. We are doubling the border patrol and increasing technology on the border.

Increase enforcement at workplaces, make verification easier.

No animosity and no amnesty, but we need to handle those already here. This means a call for comprehensive immigration reform.

Energy Policy
We need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil to protect our economy and national interests and security. We need alternative energy (solar, wind, nuclear), hybrid and clean diesel vehicles, new ethanol production methods.

He wants to reduce gasoline usage by 20% in the next 10 years - we will be able to cut imports by 75% from the Middle East. We also need to increase targets for alternative fuels and domestic oil production.

We need to double the capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

We need to work to help reduce emissions.

Justice
Federal court nominees should be given fair hearings and prompt votes to get approved (great shot of only reps standing)

National Security, Terrorism, and Iraq
National Security and the debates on it are essential - to win the War on Terror, the fight must be taken to the enemy.

There is no way to know what the plots may hold, but the government has stopped a great many since September 11th.

Success against terror brings rejoice, but we must remember that this is a nation at war. The threat will not stop until we win the war. The enemy wants to overthrow government and cause our nation to retreat as a protector of democracy.

In the time since September 11 the dangers have not ended, we must use all lawful means to find the enemies and stop the attacks. This is an ideological struggle and a fine balance. We must remove the source of the terrorism - we need to continue to help moderates and reformers in the Middle East and around the world. We must for the sake of our own security.

Recent developments in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq are examples of what can happen when people are given a choice through free elections. In Lebanon terrorists took the life of the Lebanese Prime Minister and have tried to overturn the government.

Extremists are also destroying places of worship, causing waves of sectarian violence and placing world security at risk - it would not be like us to abandon it.

We need to find our resolve and become victory in Iraq. We need to work with the Iraqi government and reinforce our troops over there - we need to help the Iraqi government secure the national and end the extremist and sectarian violence. More troops will allow this to happen and we will be victorious as will the free Iraq.

The Iraqi leaders need to begin using their own troops and bring security to the nation - to do this; we must help them secure Baghdad. If the US pulls out too soon, Iraq will be overpowered by fighting and could pull the entire region into chaos - this is extremist goal and our nightmare. We cannot allow this to happen; we must remember the lessons of September 11th and not let this happen.

The nation is perusing a new strategy Iraq and we must support them and give them time to end the fighting in Iraq.

Both parties and both houses of Congress should work together - there should be a taskforce to help make Iraq truly work.

Increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in five years. We should also form a Civilian Reserve Corps - giving a chance for more people to help.

We have to send a message to the world that we cannot and will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. We need to continue work with other nations to establish a Palestinian state.

We are working and need to continue to do so to prevent North Korea from doing anything with nuclear weapons and we need to stop tyranny around the world and the genocide in Darfur.

Foreign Affairs
We need to provide food and medical assistance around the world - including helping with HIV/AIDS in Africa. In three years the people getting drugs has gone from 50,000 to 800,000.

Two and a half billion dollars to help fight malaria.

Trade and debt relief to help lives and eliminate poverty.

These show the strength and generosity and reflect the spirit of our country.

Personal Honors
We are proud of those who come here and become citizens of the United States to make their lives better.

We are proud of our entrepreneurs and those who work to help protect our children.

We are proud of the heroes (even if they refuse the title) who save the lives of their fellow Americans even at the risk of their own.

We are proud of our troops who make sacrifices every day and who put our country ahead of their own lives. They have earned the gratitude and respect of our entire country.

We see the character and spirit of America in there people and others everyday - we must honor and respect them and thank them for their sacrifices.

Closing
The usual thank yous, fanfare, and handshaking as the President left the room.

As I write this, we are mere minutes away from the 2007 State of the Union Address. I’m sure everyone knows that just about every network will be covering it, and it should be easy enough for everyone to find and view it.

I will be posting a video of the Address as soon as possible after it ends and I’ll be sure to include my commentary as well.

I’m a little surprised that I find myself having to concede this, but I’d like to offer the Democrats a hearty congratulations on completing the 100 Hour Plan yesterday evening, and successfully blowing my expectations out of the water. If they manage to maintain the pace, this could prove to be a very interesting two years. As the measures still await a trip through the Senate and the signature or (as the case may well be) veto of President Bush, I’m still willing to bet that about half of the changes will never see the light of day.

As many of you know, the 100 Hour Plan consisted of a number of laws and policy changes that the new Democratic House of Representatives wanted to pass in the early days of their reign. These ranged from repeal of tax cuts to an increase in the minimum wage and just about everything in between. According to Wikipedia, the points were:

• “Break the link between lobbyists and legislation” with new House rules
• Enact all recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission
• Raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
• Grant federal funding to a wide variety of stem cell research projects
• Cut interest rates on student loans in half
• Allow the government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies, securing lower drug prices for Medicare patients.
• Institute a “pay-as-you-go” policy to reduce the deficit
• End the Bush tax cuts for the Americans “at a certain level” (those making $250,000.00 a year or more)
• End large tax subsidies for large oil companies

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Hour_Plan

I’m not sure that there’s really much more to say on this, but it almost goes without saying that I will be keeping a close eye on what happens in the Senate and when the bills finally get to the President.

I also have a bit of a mistake to admit - I had misunderstood what exactly was meant when they announced the ‘100 Hour Plan’ - I wrongfully assumed that it referred to the first 100 hours of the new Congress, not just the first 100 working hours. Not that it really matters, not that this is any defense of my predictions, I simply want to make my mistake clear and be honest with my readers.

As any of you that live in Oregon, Washington, or the Northwest in general well know, the snow is falling and has been for a few hours. In Beaverton, near the 185th and Highway 26 overpass, we’ve got over an inch and I would not be surprised if we hit two real soon.

Just about every school district in the greater Portland Metro Area has closed or is on a 2 hour delay, even as I sit in school and type this, Beaverton remains open, with people still arriving more than 45 minutes late. Buses are stuck on various roads, some roads are turning into ice rinks, and accidents seem to abound.

I have heard of students who got into fender benders out there, and rumor has it that one teacher slipped on the ice and may have broken a rib. All I have to say is ‘Thank You,’ Beaverton School District, for calling yet another weather-day wrong. Not!

Breaking News at 8:35 AM: They are sending us home! But I’m not looking forward to the trip home. We’ve got 300 to 400 students at a school of 2600, more than 45 minutes into the day. Many staff are gone as well. This should be interesting.

Update: As it turned out, the 8:30 decision (it took a few minutes before they told us) was only the beginning. Even though all the buses that would end up being there were at the school by 9:00AM (presumedly they were late dropping off kids and simply decided to stay), none of the buses actually left until about 11:30AM, at which point we made it home almost as quickly as on a normal school day. I am under the impression that the district policy is not to release until enough buses are at the schools to release them all at once. Although the policy makes sense, Westview (and I was under the impression that Sunset as well) had buses chained and ready to go, sitting for almost three hours while who knows what was going on with the central office.

They were nice enough to order pizza for students waiting for the buses, which I thought was a kind gesture, but I wish they could have simply sent us out more quickly. I guess it doesn’t really matter, though, as everything worked out in the end.

I’m not sure why the administrators didn’t make the call earlier, but I heard something on the news about it being too hard to stop the process of starting a school day (and sending out buses) once it had begun. Great, but as one teacher put it, “They’re oh-for-three this year” (meaning not closing one day that most other districts did when there was some ice and at least one student getting into an accident as a result, closing for the day after the windstorm (December 15th) when most of the district had no real problems, and now today for putting thousands of staff and students in danger by not closing until 8:35AM.

Breaking News at 5:45PM: It looks like they’re getting more on top of it. Beaverton has just announced (at 5:35PM) that they will be closed tomorrow (January 17) as well.

• All schools and District facilities will be closed on Wednesday, January 17, 2007.
• All after school and evening activities have been cancelled for Wednesday, January 17, 2007.

Beaverton School District via Portland Information Network.

This week’s weekly video is one of my absolute favorite that I have downloaded from the Internet Archive. I’m talking about the classic Civil Defense and preparedness film, Duck and Cover.

Be it the catchy tune, the look into the culture of the early 1950s, or the advice it gives so sincerely that we now think to be almost pointless. Regardless of whether you saw this as a child or have never seen is, I highly recommend this film to everyone - for the entertainment vales alone.

From the description:

Selected for the 2004 National Film Registry of “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant” motion pictures.

Famous Civil Defense film for children in which Bert the Turtle shows what to do in case of atomic attack.

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As you can see, News. Views. Common Sense. has a new theme. The biggest functional difference is the elimination of both sidebars, which both decreases site load times and allows for better compatibility with all monitor sizes. The change may take some getting used to, but all of the previous sidebar options are accessible from the top menu bar. Speaking of the menu bar, you can simply click a main link on the menu bar to open a menu with more choices directly below. Go ahead, try it!

The new theme should be working, but is still ‘Under Construction’ and as such, bugs of some sort may be present. If you experience any problems with the new site design please let me know at Jan07Redesign@newsvc.us or by leaving a comment. Also be sure to let me know what you think of the new design.

Seeing as how this is Friday, there will be a weekly video up within a few hours - something to look forward to.

Well folks, as you have most likely heard, today was the transition to the 110th Congress of the United States of America. What is particularly interesting about this transition is that the Democrats are taking control of both the House and the Senate. I’d love to sit here and make doomsday predictions about how bad everything will be, but I feel safe enough that we will not have to. My reasoning is simple, and can be broken down into a number of simple points.

• The a large proportion of the Democrats who won seats previously held by Republicans are fairly moderate and not all that likely to support terribly liberal and leftist laws and programs.
• Although we have lost our majority, there are still a good many Republicans in both houses, enough that only a few democratic votes would have to ‘defect’ in order to prevent overly partisan legislation.
• President Bush may have only made one veto in the past, but I have a feeling we’ll see a lot more in the coming months and years. He may have a tendency not to satisfy the conservative base, but I have enough faith that he won’t allow the Democrats to destroy anything at the same time.
• The Democrats know that a lot of their support in the 2006 Election, especially in swing districts that had previously gone Republican, is due to moderate people who are fed up with the Republicans of the 109th Congress. Because of this they are going to have to avoid any radical policies and laws to have any real chance of keeping their majority in 2008.

With that and more in mind, I’d put the chances of the Democrats of making any real changes at about 20%, although I really don’t want to commit myself to that number. What I am fairly certain of, though, is that there is no way the ‘100 Hour Plan‘ will be enacted in 100 hours. While most of the 100 Hour Plan is actually pretty good and moderate, I just don’t think it will happen. I could be wrong, but I would be surprised.

To be honest, changes in Congressional rules and procedures aimed at greater accountability - regardless of the party sponsoring them - are something I would support with open arms. Hopefully, these rules will extend to the pork barrel projects that waste billions of taxpayer dollars every year. Repeal of tax credits for oil companies and the wealthy - although not something I’d support - are probably a good idea and will make a real dent in the deficit.

Besides marking a new Congress and a new majority, today marks a milestone in United States History. Shortly after the Democrats took power, Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, California took was elected Speaker of the House. Although I do not support her politics, I view this as an important advance for women’s rights and one step closer to ending affirmative action - I hope. Although I do not have a video of the vote and ceremony which followed, you can view a clip from FoxNews over at HotAir.com along with more information on the transition.

This post is getting to be a little long, but in closing let me say that I am looking forward to these next two years - not because I’m looking forward to the Democratic actions, but because I think this is going to be a great biennium for politics and political news.

Correction: There was a typo with this article, the incoming Congress is the 110th, not the 100th.

You may well have seen ‘The Coolest 8 Year Old In The World‘, the controversial YouTube video which spread around the internet and caused calls of everything from child abuse to people that loved it. Regardless of your take in that video, someone on the right has finally taken their own shot.

The new video, which appeared on the website VidShadow.com on January 3rd, is entitled ‘The Smartest 8 Year Old Boy in the World‘, provides a surprisingly intelligent and refreshingly conservative retort to the leftist nonsense of the previous video.

Regardless of your political views, I urge you to check out both videos (if you have not yet done so) and perhaps take action of your own. Take the kids with a grain of salt, as we all know they had help in this, but do listen to what they have to say.