I read the following in a customer review on Amazon for The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media’s Favorite Candidate.  Now, I don’t want to come off as a right-wing nutjob.  I’m really trying to spend time understanding how either candidate will be better for the country.  Unfortunately, there are few unbiased discussions taking place, so I end up lurking in the trenches on both ends of the spectrum and usually needing a shower after.

So, back to the comment… one of the things that does concern me about Obama is that several of his plans have a ring of socialism about them.  That’s a non-starter for me.  So, does anyone have any information that shoots holes in the historical parrallels layed out below?  I just don’t know enough here.

After reading the book I realized it is the kind of writing that people either ferociously agree with its message or hate the author for undermining someone whose qualifications make him worthy of being elected president of the most powerful nation on Earth. 
I am not going to agree with either side. All I wish to express as a former Cuban exile, is that Barack Obama and Fidel Castro share many personality traits, ie: 
Both were abandoned by their fathers at an early age. 
Both are charming, elocuent lawyers that say exactly what people want to hear at the right time and place. 
One never led the nation to suspect he was a communist at heart, the other doesnt mention the word socialism when in reality this is exactly what his agenda stands for. 
Neither Obama nor Fidel ever held a real job either in government or in private enterprise for they think of themselves as demigods unworthy of soiling their hands when their destiny is much larger than their own realities. 
Both were virtually unknown until they began to use the word “change” as their main political motto. 
Both have egos as tall as the twin towers, yet they manage to present themselves humbly, one in soiled military fatigues and the other sweating and with an undone tie. 
Both have the unique ability to distort truth and lies as if they were the same. 
Both have the ability to hypnotize the ignorant and fool the wishful thinker and to divide a nation in classes, (divide and you shall win) In Fidel’s case he divided the rich against the poor, the illiterate against the educated and the black against the white. 
In Obama’s case even if by omission, he’s de-facto dividing the races already. 
Another resemblance between Obama and Fidel and one that shall never be forgotten is that the American media supported the “Twentieth Century Latin American Liberator” (Time Magazine) with the same degree of irresponsibility devoted to Barack Obama today. 
And lastly I’ll use the words of Jorge Santayana to finish my case in point: “Those who can’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 
And in the words of Sir Winston Churchill: “The inherent vice of Capitalism is the unequal distribution of blessings, the inherent vice of Socialism is the equal distribution of misery. 
GOD SAVE AMERICA! 
Signed: Andrew J. Rodriguez, Author of “Adios, Havana,” a memoir.

In past lives, I’ve been accused of falling into “dark moods”. It wasn’t about the glass being half full, but more screaming out “who gave me such a big fucking glass?!?” What did people think I need such a big glass for? What the hell am I ’sposed to put in there? Someone will just come along and piss in it because that’s what people do… they get shit-faced and then need a place to piss and here will be my big fucking glass and they’ll say “hey, here’s a big glass that’s only half full… there’s plenty of room for me to piss in it… woohoo, my lucky night… I’ll take a piss and then get back to this party and score with that hot chick I’ve been hitting on!” and then what will I have? A big fucking glass full of piss and then I’ll have to smile about it… It’s not like I can complain cuz my glass is NO LONGER FUCKING HALF FULL! People will tell me, sure, it’s got piss in it, but it’s only HALF FULL OF PISS… look on the bright side! So, I’ll smile and not let on that someone pissed in my big fucking glass! Then I’ll just be this ass walking around with a big fucking glass full of piss slopping all over my hands with a stupid ass grin on my face while some other guy gets lucky with the sloppy drunk co-ed. SCREW ‘EM! TAKE YOUR GLASS AND YOUR PISS AND GO TO HELL!

um… heh… well… like I was saying… that was in past lives… I’ve moved on. Let the anger go, if you will. Fill my glass up, brother… it just keeps getting bigger! But, the point is, The Bloggess, my favorite blog authoress, passed on a tweet to everyone with the following song.  It reminded me of the good ole days of anger, depression, self-loathing, denial, frustration, hate, despair… um… yeah, the good ole days.  So, I wanted to share it with both all of you.  I leave you with this on a Friday, to top off your week.  Life could be worse, your attitude affects everyone around you, so grin that big dopey grin and try not to spill any piss on your hands!

Again, I’m just going with some random perspectives on what I saw and experienced… very much train of thought.  You can see the pictures I took here.

• •The people are incredibly nice. Often, they want to practice their english with native speakers, so you will find yourself being engaged in conversation with everyone.
• •Even though you may be tempted, DO NOT ORDER A STEAK AT ANY RESTAURANT. It’s not that they will be offended. If it’s on the menu, it’s there for a reason. It’s not going to be good, though. I told a friend I was going to India and going to have a steak, so I felt obligated. It’s not that I wanted to offend anyone, I thought it would be ironic. Little did I know the levels the irony would take. It was the most dreadful piece of meat I’ve seen. Not only did that cow die of old age, it must have laid alongside the road while someone performed some ceremony for days on end. (more…)

When solving a problem, if you do not have full context to the issues, your perspective will be skewed to a point where the chances of establishing a clear, effective solution are low.  You might end up “solving a problem” that doesn’t even exist or, worse, is not a problem at all.  This really comes into play when reviewing business requirements.  It’s the teams responsibility to not just read the requirements, but understand the context they were written.  Most requirement documents are fairly light and 2 dimensional.  They assume you understand the motivation behind the requirement… why each one is being asked for.  Perspective and context changes meaning.

When I was a kid, I loved the Garfield comic strip.  Now, not so much.  But take a look at Garfield Minus Garfield.  As the site says:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Now, my kids love Garfield.  But this new missing context Garfield brings a new perspective to this strip that I find amusing.  It really illustrates the point.