.: blog :.

“Love is all that I can give to you…., originally uploaded by Catherine :].

Beautiful photo. I may have missed the blooming of my bleeding heart at home, so I was happy to see it on Flickr! The Flickr-er also referenced the song L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole.

L-O-V-E

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you can adore

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don’t break it
Love was made for me and you

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you can adore

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don’t break it
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you

Unter mainer Laterne, originally uploaded by Postsumptio.

During a hectic day at work, this photo offered a brief window of serenity. That is the power of photography.

Birthday Party, originally uploaded by aawaken.

Ian had fun celebrating his second birthday! He enjoyed eating his cake one fingerful of icing at a time before digging into the rest. He’s a great little guy and the family had fun celebrating with him!

Art follows Nature, originally uploaded by *Mandana.

This is a beautiful, fanciful photo (as is the architecture)! I just wish there were a larger version of it.

Whitewater Rafting, originally uploaded by aawaken.

What fun to whitewater raft in the Rockies. If you’re like most of us, please remember: since a wetsuit doesn’t cover your ankles, you will get sunburned. Bad.

Super Tuesday is tomorrow, and something strange is happening in the presidential race. While having a female and a black candidate who have a chance at the presidency is certainly a first, there is a less obvious rarity at play in the race. In considering the evidence of leadership and achievement of each in the political realm (or in the civil realm, which may be even more significant), I realized that senators and congressmen really don’t have background and experience that would directly lends itself to being the President and Commander-in-Chief of the United States. While it might be obvious to some that a lawmaker doesn’t have proper training to become the leader of the free world, there has been no substantial discussion on the qualification of the candidates in the presidential race.

Here’s an interesting experiment: Go to wikipedia.com’s page on past US presidents. Do a little clicking around and count the number of past presidents who have their highest political ranking as senator before being elected president. How many? Did you have a guess beforehand? How does this number compare to your guess?

In my brief searching, it became quickly evident that most presidents are elected to the office either from a governorship or a vice presidency. As for the total number of senators who have been elected over the past 220 years or so? Two. (Correct me if I’m wrong!) The first was Warren G. Harding in 1921. However, he had previously served as lieutenant governor of Ohio so he did have more leadership experience than simply as a lawmaker. The second? John F. Kennedy, in one of the closest presidential elections in US history.

Besides the lack of significant leadership experience and razor-thin margins, I would argue that JFK as well as current candidates ride a wave of popularity from their cult of personality. Why do they have so many die-hard fans? (Why do Oprah or Steve Jobs have so many die-hard fans?) In the case of the presidential candidates, it has little to do with a carefully discerning electorate recognizing their qualifications and merits to be the next president of the United States, but more to do with a fascination with their celebrity status (hence my use of the term ‘fans’). Their rock star image is built up by careful PR and a swooning media machine that hopes beyond hope for their success. You may even have heard Obama referred to as his party’s Rock Star. Since a rock star ultimately makes a living by entertaining the masses, I wonder if this title isn’t entirely inappropriate. While Hillary was major media’s original pick for president, it seems that there has been a shift of allegiance over to her less “experienced”, but more star-studded and palatable counterpart.