Today is Thursday, May 10, 2012 - a beautiful sinny day with temps in the 70s (I'm going golfing an an hour).I,m grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."
Today I did yoga, the exercise ball and walked for 60 minutes = 3.3 milesfor a May total of 24.3 miles. My weight jumped to 164.0 pounds.
Yesterday I wrote about the 60-vote rule in the U.S. Senate. I said I would do some research and find out out why. Here is what I learned. (from Wikipedia)
What is happening in the Senate is something called "cloture" (or "closure" or, informally, a "guillotine.")
CLOTURE is the French word for "ending" or "conclusion." This procedure originated in the French National Assembly. It was introduced into the British Parliament to overcome the obstruction of the Irish nationalist party and was made permanent in 1887. It was subsequently adopted by the U.S. Senate and other legislatures.
This "cloture" procedure was invoked for the first time on November 15, 1919, during the 66th Congress, to end the filibuster on the Treaty of Versailles. The cloture rule originally required a two-thirds majority of all senators. So if all 100 senators were present and voting it would,take 67 senators to stop debate on a bill.
The cloture rule was changed in 1975. The Senate had 62 Democrats and that was enough to change the cloture rule down to 60. But as a compromise it always had to be 60 votes becasue the wording of the law now read "duly chosen and sworn" instead of "present and voting."
There have been attempts to change it to a simple majority of 51 but it has never passed because it would greatly diminish the ability of the minority to check the majority. So 60 votes will always be needed to stop debate on a bill.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,067 in my journey through life.
Today is Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - a sunny, breezy and chilly day with temps in the 60s. Again, I'm grateful for another day of "I,m HIV."
Today I did yoga, lifted weights and walked for 54 minutes = 3.0 miles for a May total of 21 miles. My weight was 162.8 pounds.
MY THOUGHTS TODAY.
I'm grateful Ruth Ann had a good report from Dr. Shah (her eye doctor) yesterday. Her visual fields test was good which checks her peripheral vision and her cataract has not grown significantly so he told her that if she can live with it as is there is no need to do surgery. She goes back in one year.
The morning paper had some news that UPSET ME A LOT. Yesterday, the Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a Democratic bill to preserve low interest rates for millions of college students' loans. The vote was 52-45 in favor of the bill. Common sense would tell you that when over 50% of the Senators are in favor it should become a law. But NOT in the U.S. Senate. This 52-45 vote was to give approval to begin debating the legislation on the floor of the Senate - it was not to pass the bill. In the U.S. Senate it takes 60 votes to make a bill eligible to be debated on the Senate floor. This is true even if the bill had 100% approval in the committee where it originated. So a 59 % approval vote will not be enough to get it on the floor to be debated. This is one of main reasons the Senate gets nothing done. It only takes 41 Senators of the minority party to block whatever the other 59 Senators of the majority party try to do.
I find the whole idea of the 60 vote rule very upsetting and it is simply stupid. To me this is not democracy in action.
I do not know where the 60 vote rule came from. But I want to find out. I'm going to see if I can find the origin of the 60 vote rule.
Today I did yoga, lifted weights and walked for 54 minutes = 3.0 miles for a May total of 21 miles. My weight was 162.8 pounds.
MY THOUGHTS TODAY.
I'm grateful Ruth Ann had a good report from Dr. Shah (her eye doctor) yesterday. Her visual fields test was good which checks her peripheral vision and her cataract has not grown significantly so he told her that if she can live with it as is there is no need to do surgery. She goes back in one year.
The morning paper had some news that UPSET ME A LOT. Yesterday, the Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a Democratic bill to preserve low interest rates for millions of college students' loans. The vote was 52-45 in favor of the bill. Common sense would tell you that when over 50% of the Senators are in favor it should become a law. But NOT in the U.S. Senate. This 52-45 vote was to give approval to begin debating the legislation on the floor of the Senate - it was not to pass the bill. In the U.S. Senate it takes 60 votes to make a bill eligible to be debated on the Senate floor. This is true even if the bill had 100% approval in the committee where it originated. So a 59 % approval vote will not be enough to get it on the floor to be debated. This is one of main reasons the Senate gets nothing done. It only takes 41 Senators of the minority party to block whatever the other 59 Senators of the majority party try to do.
I find the whole idea of the 60 vote rule very upsetting and it is simply stupid. To me this is not democracy in action.
I do not know where the 60 vote rule came from. But I want to find out. I'm going to see if I can find the origin of the 60 vote rule.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,066 in my journey through life.
Today is Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - a beautiful sunny day in the 70s. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."
Today I walked for 36 minutes outside the Walmart store = 2.0 miles for a May total of 18 miles. My weight was at 163 pounds.
Yesterday afternoon I played 9 holes of golf with my 80-year-old golfing buddy Paul Lewison. I hit some of my best shots in a couple of years. I had been practicing in the back yard trying a slower and more complete backswing. I tried it yesterday and it worked most (but not all) of the time. As long as I went slow, extended my backswing and kept my head down my drives and fairway wood shots were the best I've had for a long time. They didn't work when I failed to keep my head down for the complete swing - I have a tendency to lift my head and I've got to work on that. I need to play more often to get more consistent.
I'm taking Ruth Ann to her eye doctor this afternoon so she can a a visual fields test and a check-up on the cataract in her left eye.
Today I walked for 36 minutes outside the Walmart store = 2.0 miles for a May total of 18 miles. My weight was at 163 pounds.
Yesterday afternoon I played 9 holes of golf with my 80-year-old golfing buddy Paul Lewison. I hit some of my best shots in a couple of years. I had been practicing in the back yard trying a slower and more complete backswing. I tried it yesterday and it worked most (but not all) of the time. As long as I went slow, extended my backswing and kept my head down my drives and fairway wood shots were the best I've had for a long time. They didn't work when I failed to keep my head down for the complete swing - I have a tendency to lift my head and I've got to work on that. I need to play more often to get more consistent.
I'm taking Ruth Ann to her eye doctor this afternoon so she can a a visual fields test and a check-up on the cataract in her left eye.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,065 in my journey through life.
Today is Monday, May 7, 2012 - A nice sunny day in low 70s. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV."
Today I walked for 27 minutes = 1.5 miles for a May total of 16.0 miles. My weight went down to 162.6 pounds.
I went to a funeral today. The funeral was for the husband of a former teaching colleague of mine (for over 20 years at West Middle School). Her name is Joan (Schneider Kuhns) Husman. His name was Jay Husman and it was the second marriage for both of them. Jay was a Navy veteran and served in Vietnam in the late 1960s. It was a military funeral in which two U.S. Marines came in at the end of the service and did the flag folding ceremony - very impressive - and very emotional as they presented the folded flag to Joan. I'm writing about this funeral because it is so much more satisfying to go to a funeral in 2012 than it was in the 1950s and 1960s. The funerals today are more of a celebration of life than 50-60 years ago. As I remember those funerals they were so morbid and sad. Today, as tributes were read from Jay's sister, his nephew, an old hunting and fishing buddy and his wife we actually laughed - it was simply refreshing to see this happen.
Other than the flag ceremony the other clincher to the funeral was the last song played over the loud speaker. It was a country western song entitled "Here for a Good Time." The lyrics went something like this "We're only here for a short time so I'm here for a good time." It was perfect send away for Jay as that is the way he lived his life.
Today I walked for 27 minutes = 1.5 miles for a May total of 16.0 miles. My weight went down to 162.6 pounds.
I went to a funeral today. The funeral was for the husband of a former teaching colleague of mine (for over 20 years at West Middle School). Her name is Joan (Schneider Kuhns) Husman. His name was Jay Husman and it was the second marriage for both of them. Jay was a Navy veteran and served in Vietnam in the late 1960s. It was a military funeral in which two U.S. Marines came in at the end of the service and did the flag folding ceremony - very impressive - and very emotional as they presented the folded flag to Joan. I'm writing about this funeral because it is so much more satisfying to go to a funeral in 2012 than it was in the 1950s and 1960s. The funerals today are more of a celebration of life than 50-60 years ago. As I remember those funerals they were so morbid and sad. Today, as tributes were read from Jay's sister, his nephew, an old hunting and fishing buddy and his wife we actually laughed - it was simply refreshing to see this happen.
Other than the flag ceremony the other clincher to the funeral was the last song played over the loud speaker. It was a country western song entitled "Here for a Good Time." The lyrics went something like this "We're only here for a short time so I'm here for a good time." It was perfect send away for Jay as that is the way he lived his life.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,064 in my journey through life.
Today is Sunday, May 6, 2012 - it cloudy but nice - in the high 60s. I'm grateful for another day "I'm HIV."
On Sundays I just walk instead of doing all my other exercises. This morning I walked for 45 minutes = 2.5 miles for a May total of 14.5 miles. My weight was at 163.4 pounds.
Ruth Ann and I went to 10:30 church. It was fun to watch the elementaty Sunday School kids sing two songs. The first one was to list in order all the books of the Old Testament and the second was about how David slew Goliath, the Philistine giant. Theie actions were so humorous. Church is so much more interesting when we have performances like this.
MY THOUGHTS TODAY; I've been reading the Sunday paper. I read an article that there is big disagreement about how effective the Bush/Cheney enhanced interrogation (water boarding) techniques were in obtaining information from al-Qaeda detainees. Most experts on torture say it is counter-productive as prisoners will say anything, including fabricating information. And it also puts American POWs at greater risk of being mistreated when they are captured. A country like the U.S., that places so much emphasis on civil rights, shouldn't resort to violating international standards for the humane treatment of prisoners in the false belief that it will keep us safe.
What I'm getting at is that I'm grateful that President Obama, in 2009, banned the CIA from using torture anymore. Even John McCain agreed with his decision as he knows what torture is like, having gone through it in a North Vietnamese POW camp for six years.
On Sundays I just walk instead of doing all my other exercises. This morning I walked for 45 minutes = 2.5 miles for a May total of 14.5 miles. My weight was at 163.4 pounds.
Ruth Ann and I went to 10:30 church. It was fun to watch the elementaty Sunday School kids sing two songs. The first one was to list in order all the books of the Old Testament and the second was about how David slew Goliath, the Philistine giant. Theie actions were so humorous. Church is so much more interesting when we have performances like this.
MY THOUGHTS TODAY; I've been reading the Sunday paper. I read an article that there is big disagreement about how effective the Bush/Cheney enhanced interrogation (water boarding) techniques were in obtaining information from al-Qaeda detainees. Most experts on torture say it is counter-productive as prisoners will say anything, including fabricating information. And it also puts American POWs at greater risk of being mistreated when they are captured. A country like the U.S., that places so much emphasis on civil rights, shouldn't resort to violating international standards for the humane treatment of prisoners in the false belief that it will keep us safe.
What I'm getting at is that I'm grateful that President Obama, in 2009, banned the CIA from using torture anymore. Even John McCain agreed with his decision as he knows what torture is like, having gone through it in a North Vietnamese POW camp for six years.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Pete Bungum's BLOG - Day 26,063 in my journey through life.
Today is Saturday, May 5, 2012 - a cloudy day with temps in high 60s and low 70s. I'm grateful for another day of "I'm HIV." (I'm going to continue to write this - my hope is to say it every day for many years to come. "I'm HIV" means "I'm healthy and I'm vertical." - without good health my life would be more difficult.
This morning I walked 54 minutes = 3.0 miles for a May total of 12 miles. My weight was at 164.4 pounds.
At 11 am this morning Ruth Ann is getting a perm. She got her nails done yesterday and her hair today - she will be stunning. I've often wondered how women throughout history took care of their hair before the creation of the beauty salon. But salons do a good job of making women happier because women always feel happier when they come home with a fresh hairdo. So beauty salons are one more thing I'm grateful for.
Today is also "The Cinco de Mayo Holiday" in Mexico - it is also celebrated in the U.S. I'm guessing most people do not know the who, what, when, where, and why of this holiday. For years I did not know myself until I finally did some research to satisfy my curiosity. Without much detail here is a brief history of Cinco de Mayo as explained in the morning newspaper.
"In 1862 the Battle of Puebla took place in Mexico as forces loyal to Benito Juarez defeated troops that had been sent by Napolean III during the so-called French Intervention. The Cinco de Mayo holiday commemorites Mexico's victory."
At least we know the who, what, when, where and why of Cinco de Mayo. Many people think this holiday is Mexico'a Independence Day - that day originated in 1910. I don't know the day, however.)
This morning I walked 54 minutes = 3.0 miles for a May total of 12 miles. My weight was at 164.4 pounds.
At 11 am this morning Ruth Ann is getting a perm. She got her nails done yesterday and her hair today - she will be stunning. I've often wondered how women throughout history took care of their hair before the creation of the beauty salon. But salons do a good job of making women happier because women always feel happier when they come home with a fresh hairdo. So beauty salons are one more thing I'm grateful for.
Today is also "The Cinco de Mayo Holiday" in Mexico - it is also celebrated in the U.S. I'm guessing most people do not know the who, what, when, where, and why of this holiday. For years I did not know myself until I finally did some research to satisfy my curiosity. Without much detail here is a brief history of Cinco de Mayo as explained in the morning newspaper.
"In 1862 the Battle of Puebla took place in Mexico as forces loyal to Benito Juarez defeated troops that had been sent by Napolean III during the so-called French Intervention. The Cinco de Mayo holiday commemorites Mexico's victory."
At least we know the who, what, when, where and why of Cinco de Mayo. Many people think this holiday is Mexico'a Independence Day - that day originated in 1910. I don't know the day, however.)
Friday, May 4, 2012
Pete Bungum's BLOG - Days 26,062 to 26,066 in my journey through life.
Today is Friday, May 4, 2012 - it is warm and humid with temps in the 70s. I continue to be grateful that I can say for another day that "I'm HIV"
On days 26,062 to 26,065 Ruth Ann and I were at the Isle of Capri Casino in Waterloo, Iowa. We had a good time but I did not come out ahead on the gambling end but I'm still way ahead as I made $685.00 in February. So I'm not crying.
I played golf with Paul Lewison yesterday when I got home. Neither one of us has improved from last year - it must be our ages - I'm 71 and he turned 80 a couple of months ago. We play best shot which helps keep the score down a little. When people ask how my golf game was I can say I had a 42 or 43 or 44 or 45 - I don't tell them I was playing best shot with Paul. What they don't know won't hurt them. It sure sounds better than saying I had a 51 or whatever.
We're going to Cedar Rapids this afternoon so Ruth Ann can get her nails done. I've often wondered how women got by throughout history without having their nails done. I guess life was a lot tougher then.
I also need to pick up a screen door from Menards for Carron's mobile home. The wind wrecked her other one.
On days 26,062 to 26,065 Ruth Ann and I were at the Isle of Capri Casino in Waterloo, Iowa. We had a good time but I did not come out ahead on the gambling end but I'm still way ahead as I made $685.00 in February. So I'm not crying.
I played golf with Paul Lewison yesterday when I got home. Neither one of us has improved from last year - it must be our ages - I'm 71 and he turned 80 a couple of months ago. We play best shot which helps keep the score down a little. When people ask how my golf game was I can say I had a 42 or 43 or 44 or 45 - I don't tell them I was playing best shot with Paul. What they don't know won't hurt them. It sure sounds better than saying I had a 51 or whatever.
We're going to Cedar Rapids this afternoon so Ruth Ann can get her nails done. I've often wondered how women got by throughout history without having their nails done. I guess life was a lot tougher then.
I also need to pick up a screen door from Menards for Carron's mobile home. The wind wrecked her other one.
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