Month: June 2009

Posted on

if it’s 7pm it must be Greece!

traveling with the fam!
traveling with the fam!

UPDATE: First set of pictures from the trio!

Were they happy to see me or were they gloating, or both?  I screen captured the picture above from our most recent  ‘Skyping’ session ( video conference call … 9 am my time and 7 pm their time). By the way, Laura is brilliant … but troubled in trying to keep time zones straight in her mind… even with a helpful chart I made for all possible locations, a phone that does world time and a computer… she still gets lost. I am glad I have something I can help her with!

From what I have learned, Laura walked our two daughters around Athens everywhere! Laura also shared some of my homemade Baklava with Karen and Kristin. In fact, I think both Karen and Laura had two pieces… Jenny Craig will just have to understand! By the way, it’s over 90 degrees there right now… 36 degrees centigrade or 96.8 F. I’d say that was a bit ‘warmish.’

Tomorrow, they have to do what they came to do in the first place… they present at the 3rd International Conference in Psychology. My ladies have always embraced technology, the internet, web design, social media sites and ‘twitter.’ They know html and where their ‘executive bat file’ happens to be located, how cool is that? I do the best I can to keep up. Eventually, Laura and Karen’s interests found common ground resulting in a research project and a presentation!

Fortunately, they keep everyone updated by uploading their pictures on Facebook and blogging. Technology keeps us all in touch!  Just one piece of advice, ladies:

“Take every opportunity of enjoying yourself!”–Mrs. Bennett in “Pride and Prejudice.”

accommodations in Athens: St. George

Athens.Com

3rd International Conference in Psychology

Love — Dad


Posted on

California’s FLAT tax proposal is curious

'flat' tax or 'fat' tax... there is a difference!
'flat' tax or 'fat' tax... there is a difference!

Californians don’t really agree on many things, but nearly 80% of us came together to vote for Arnold the first time and a bit less the second time. We had hoped to see plans to get California economically moving forward but I never saw anything, did you?   Another great hope was to see state and local taxes get under control, but the rates, fees and other euphemisms for ‘tax’ are ever increasing.

The  concept of a ‘flat tax’ has been around for a long time. The rich pay more and the burden or ‘pain’ is spread relatively on a percentage basis — in many people’s minds — more fairly.

The problem is that WHO is going to determine what that flat rate is? Unfortunately, the answer to that problem would be formulated by the same people who don’t want to make other tough decisions in Sacramento, today. Once a percentage is determined, could it be increased?

I won’t say that the Governor has disappointed me, completely. I didn’t expect a lot.  (However, he did appoint  a certain individual to the CSU Board of Trustees who — in my humble opinion — is a very unfortunate human being.)  I know California’s tough fiscal situation, but I would first like to see some real problem solving before any politician ask us to take a leap of faith with a new tax code.

The rationale the Governor and others are using to pursue this aggressive tax gathering strategy is to level out revenue ( mostly income from taxes and fees) volatility. The truth of the volatility being experienced in tax revenue  is probably due more to an inconsistent and incrementally increasing taxation policy than general economic conditions… plus little evidence exists for reversing any of these well entrenched anti-economic policies. Here’s how California is presenting the issue.

California politicians rank below troubled bank executives and greedy investment folk… and that says a lot. Trust needs to be earned and few of us are there, yet.

Roger Freberg


Posted on

More Skyping….

Testing out SKYPING
Testing out SKYPING

Laura and I have skyped with out daughter Karen while she was in Amsterdam and at her home in Tennessee, but we really wanted to test our systems together before Laura met Kristin and Karen in Greece… and hopefully, find time to call ol Dad once in a while. I like to get calls that don’t involve trying to solve long distance issues… but it’s good to get any call sometimes.

So, what was or final ‘acid test’ you might ask? Laura is in Los Angeles International Airport ready to board a plane for Greece and Skyped me! Well, we learned fairly quickly what a big drain on the battery the video was and decided that Laura would have to run it while plugged in over in Greece. Fortunately, she has the plug converters needed for virtually any country… something we also anticipated on a trip years ago to Australia.

Anyway, it doesn’t quite make up for being here and they being THERE… but it’s fun  — in a way — to share the experience in their faces.

Have fun, ladies!

Roger


Posted on

Skype me baby, part deux

Here's looking at you kid!
Here's looking at you kid!

Here I am in our little computer room designed as though it is a fast food operation… which means, if you are not bumping into the other person cheek to cheek, well… you have too much room. Let’s just say it is cozy.

With my family often off in far flung places it’s nice to have a way to see and communicate with them. I do remember the old days of video communications that would update a ‘picture’ of the person you were speaking to every 15 seconds… this is far more fun. I still wish that it would show multiple videos than just the one-on-one that is currently available.

I updated to something that has a nice resolution. Isn’t technology fun?

Roger