Baumblog EST 1968 - A blog for the Baumbachs who originated in Syracuse, NY

Glass cleaning 101
posted by GJ on April 10, 2007 @ 9:09PM

6 comments | Tags: hockey, video, funny

Harry Potter and the Mysterious Ticking Noise
posted by GJ on April 10, 2007 @ 8:10PM

This is insane. Please watch it until the end, but if you don't know the Harry Potter books, it won't be as funny.

2 comments | Tags: video, funny

Boomer Car Quiz
posted by GJ on April 10, 2007 @ 8:03PM

I scored a 67% on this quiz. See how much of a car nut you are....and no cheating!

I expect Dad will score over 85%. Steve...maybe 80%. Geoff....maybe 50%. :)

7 comments | Tags: quiz, cars

Easter Humor
posted by Steve on April 10, 2007 @ 7:54PM

2 comments | Tags: video, funny

Kids with too much time on their hands....and a '69 Olds.
posted by GJ on April 10, 2007 @ 1:10PM

7 comments | Tags: video, funny

Looming Threat: Iran
posted by GJ on April 9, 2007 @ 5:42PM

For those of you who've pegged me as a tried and true liberal, prepare to be shocked. Iran's president announced today that it has hit another major milestone in its efforts to produce nuclear power: the ability to make nuclear fuel on an industrial scale.

Make no mistake about it--what he's saying is, "We are very close to having the ability to nuke Israel, and possibly the U.S. if we feel like it."

Iran has a huge glut of oil--it is one of the world's biggest exporters of oil. Don't kid yourself--they have no pressing need for nuclear energy. The only thing they need nuclear refinement for is creating weapons grade uranium.

So, what to do? Iran learned from Iraq--a single well-planned bombing campaign will not disable their nuclear industry, or even really dent it. Are we to simply sit around until Iran announced that they have the bomb and issues draconian demands to keep it housed? Or...do we find out when Tel Aviv ceases to exist?

It's unfortunate, too...in another 10-20 years, Iran could well turn into a vibrant democracy as the young and newly wealthy Iranians embrace capitalism over religious fundamentalism and wrest control of the government away from the morons that run it now.

The next President will have the very unenviable task of dealing with this rogue nation. That's something to think about when you vote for the next guy or gal for that office.

7 comments | Tags: politics

Geoff said about 8 hours later

You'd think the Russians would be more timid of Iran acquiring nukes...seeing how close they are to them. I guess they are pretty confident that Iran would use nukes against all US interests, which is probably in Russia's best interest!
GJ said about 15 hours later

Russia doesn't have much of a beef against the US. They're having the same problems with radical Islam that we are. They are friendly with Iran mostly for the cheap oil and to try to drive a wedge in the radical Islam forces arrayed against them. Now, 30 years ago, it was a different story--they wanted to be Iran's buddy for strategic anti-US reasons, which is why they invaded Afghanistan. Of course, that helped ferment radical Islam against them.
Steve said 1 day later

Yup, the next presidential race is going to be interesting. MY big ticket items, in order of importance to my near and dear heart...

1. Economy - get Japan to stop manipulating the yen, convince the world that in order to have free trade with China, China needs to offer a free market in their home country, which they currently do not. Thank George Bush for helping get them into the WTO.
2. National Health Care System - that is, create one, and eliminate the ridiculous health insurance industry. That would be the #1 biggest help to US auto companies possible, other than banning all imported cars, which would be wrong.
3. National Security - just nuke the middle east and get it over with, ok? That's the most cost effective solution to that problem.

Geoff said 1 day later

I totally agree with the nuking. While more terrorist cells are bound to spring up, we can still nuke them too.
GJ said 1 day later

Cool. My big ticket items:

1. Fiscal Responsibility - I want more than a balanced budget, I want our deficit gone, and deficit spending curtailed...permanently. Yes, I realize a president can't do this on their own, but they can do a lot to help.
2. Focus on the Power Problem - We use a LOT of power. So will China in the very near future--and so will India (not like it doesn't use much already). This is a basic scientific concept: all of our energy comes from the Sun, one way or another. Most of the energy we use today was deposited by the Sun millions of years ago. We are chewing up energy far faster than the Earth is currently absorbing from the Sun. It doesn't take an idiot to see the problem, and I'm not talking about global warming. We must figure out how to capture energy directly from the Sun, and the sooner we do that, the better.
3. Resolve the Radical Muslim issue - nothing destroys religion, especially intolerant religion, as does wealth and education. We don't have the stomach for the military solution, nor should we, because it would be genocide to wipe them out.

I have a far longer list--but getting even one of these things done would be huge.
Steve said 2 days later

Power problem ==> increase the use of nuclear power. It will only be a short term fix (<50 years), especially if we continue to increase power consumption like we have.

Instead of each country trying to develop nuclear power, why don't we all work together? How about if the big knoweldgeable countries that already have nuclear power offer to build nuclear power stations for other countries? The only catch would be that the nuclear powerplants would need to be gaurded by NATO, or some other "unbiased" military force. Heck, we could make a little money (don't force ridiculous prices down their throats though). It would be a wonderful peace offering to offer the ability to get cheap power. Sure, infrastructure would take some time to develop in some countries. But how about Iran? Couldn't we just offer to build a couple of plants along the Iraq/Iran border, providing nuclear power to both countries, while putting them on the coast to not only provide the needed large water supply, but also provide a quick exit strategy in case the plants are attacked? Though, I'd have to say, if the power plants are beneficial to the countriess, they would be much less likely to even want to take them over, especially if they know that retaliation for doing so would be most severe.

I see helping other countries out by providing what they really NEED is one of the best ways to reduce terrorism and hatred against us.
Steve said 2 days later

Did I really just type countriess? LOL

Congratulations to the Champs, and NHL Playoff Predictions
posted by GJ on April 9, 2007 @ 1:18PM

Congratulations to the Motor City Madmen, champions of the 2007 Baumbach Fantasy Hockey Cup. I'll post the final overall standings soon, but Steve managed to both knock off the defending champ in the semis and then demolish his opponent in the finals. This marks his first win.

OK, time for my first round NHL Playoff predictions:

Western Conference:

(1) Detroit vs (8) Calgary. I'll take Calgary in six. Hands-down, Detroit is going to lose this series.

(2) Anaheim vs (7) Minnesota. Anaheim in seven, though it wouldn't be a shock to see Minnesota in seven.

(3) Vancouver vs (6) Dallas. You're kidding me, right? Vancouver in five.

(4) Nashville vs (5) San Jose. This will be the best series in the West. Nashville in seven....or San Jose.

Eastern Conference:

(1) Buffalo vs (8) New York Islanders. Buffalo is a scary, scary team. New York isn't. Buffalo in five.

(2) New Jersey vs (7) Tampa Bay. I think the last second coaching change is going to hurt the Devils...in the second round. New Jersey in six.

(3) Atlanta vs (6) New York Rangers. New York is hot. Atlanta is not a playoff team. New York in five.

(4) Ottawa vs (5) Pittsburgh. On paper, this series is pretty close. On ice, it's not. One reason: Ray Emery. Pittsburgh in six.

1 comment | Tags: fantasy, hockey, playoffs

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