Many people skimp on the wrong things… here is my list of must-have items that are worth the extra cost, and since the cost is dollars and not time, I consider them low-hanging fruit.
9-cell battery for laptop (or whatever longer-charge battery is available)
Extra power adapters around your office or house
Wireless network – either Wifi or cell based
Re-chargable wireless mouse (I recommend the Logitech MX 1000 Laser)
Docking station (if you have more than 1 peripheral device)
A big, uncluttered desk
If you’re a big traveller, I recommend getting multiple batteries and a multi-battery charger. Also, don’t forget to pack the charger and power adapters in your luggage rather than lugging it around in your laptop bag.
Clos Du Bois and Rex Goliath both use the term Shiraz even though they’re Californian… According to WikiPedia, “…in cases where the winemaker chooses to follow a new world style … they may choose to label their wine as a Shiraz. Under American wine laws, either name may appear on the label.”
I just read the latest free commentary from Stratfor…
Iraq and Afghanistan have absorbed a large percentage of U.S. ground combat capability, limiting U.S. military options elsewhere. An internal political crisis has further limited the Bush administration’s options. With the outcome of the November midterm elections uncertain, outside powers have a window of opportunity in which to take risks…
The Russians are not concerned about U.S. responses to their behavior [in Georgia]; they see themselves as having a degree of freedom of action that they lacked when the United States was in a stronger position.
…the military reality on the ground in Iraq severely constrains U.S. options around the world. That, in turn, constrains U.S. diplomacy. Diplomacy without even the distant possibility of military action is impotent…
The Americans either must dramatically increase the capability of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps or else decrease their commitment in Iraq. If the United States does neither, its ability to control and influence events in other regions will decline, even if the internal political crisis is resolved.
Great stuff… sign up for free alerts at their website or you can subscribe for a veritable wealth of commentary.
Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital “for commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There is also a shorter version as well as the making of. In the making of the commercial, you can hear car alarms going off when the balls are bouncing down the streets…
From the Newsweek Excerpt of Bob Woodward’s State of Denial:
…would another Senate confirmation overload the system? And, clearly, the conduct of the war in Iraq would be the subject of confirmation hearings for anyone Bush nominated to be the new secretary of defense.
Rove agreed that they did not want to do anything that would prompt hearings on the war. Jesus, no.
So, that might be a plausible reason why Rummy still hasn’t been fired… the fear of Senate hearings with a justifiable reason to have the Senate poking its nose in the Iraq War. Is Rove really that afraid of the Senate? Hasn’t his K-Street finagling taken care of the dissent?
The excerpt in Newsweek is pretty good, it’s the October 9, 2006 issue.
Jim Rogers‘ house is for sale: only $15,000,000, though with a Riverside Drive address and 10,000 square feet, it doesn’t sound like a ridiculous price…
