While working away, managed to post some quick words:

• VoIP Tech Chat: Blackberry desperate? RIM announces FREE Blackberry Enterprise Server Express
• Team Forrest: SIP Response Codes (just for a quick reference)
• Fat Freddy Says: Updated Review for Nick’s Original House of Pancakes, Ann Arbor

The trip to Albany was amazing and covered parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Cities included Toledo, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany. Normally, when traveling on the Interstate, you really don’t get to see much, and with this trip, we set that as our expectation. Gladly, we were wrong. I had never been West of Albany (yes, I’m one of those type of New Yorker’s) and the scenery simply amazed us. From the rolling hills and mountains to the lakes and rivers, the trip east absolutely provided some great views of the country.

While in Albany, Yeni and I enjoyed great food, great company, and a great time. The weather was slightly more wet than we had hoped, but being surrounded by family is like having a sunny day regardless of weather.

The trip home allowed Yeni to experience riding the Harley through some heavy rain. When we hit the Cleveland area, the sun came out and we enjoyed great weather until we reached the Ohio turnpike — where a very strong wind decided to throw us around until we made it home. Despite the rain and heavy wind, the ride was great and we’re looking forward to the next one.

Total miles: 1302

The amount of daylight surprised me. This picture was taken at 9:30 pm:

Sunset in Ann Arbor, MI

Anyway, this last weekend I:

• Celebrated mom’s birthday with my family (including my sister and our spouses)
• Had an AMAZING meal at Joe’s Stone Crabs (but, when do you not?)
• Celebrated Mother’s day with the family
• Worked a little in Boca Raton, FL
• Enjoyed a nice afternoon on the beach with my wife.
• Read some hilarious comments on the Gandy Dancer review

I’m looking forward to the drive up on Wednesday… love those Mountains.

• Got married (blogged @ yenifred.com)
• Reviewed the Gandy Dancer at Fat Freddy Says.com
• Had an AMAZING cake from Cake Nouveau (review coming)

And those are the biggies I guess.

Hey... I thought it was Spring!

So, last night Michael and I caught up over a few Bourbon’s at a TGI Friday’s down the road. The last time Mike and I visited Friday’s together? 1989. Anyway… as the evening wore on, the window showed us something I thought I wouldn’t be seeing again for a while — snow. And we’re not talking “oh just a little white powder” here, we are talking big, huge, white flakes. Big ones. Coming down like the ground was Macy’s and it was a 90% off sale.

The snow continued throughout the night leaving 4 – 7 inches on the ground (depending on which paper you believe). All I know is that Yeni had to break out the winter boots (She said, “Oh, Winter Boots I thought I would not see you again… but here you are.”) and I got to de-snow the cars yet another time this year.

I will say this though… Looking at snow is nice. Dealing with it, not so much. There’s more pictures below…

Starting the morning

View from our living room

Campus

Near the Lab

It is cold!

Downtown Ann Arbor

But this isn’t a post about Florida. This is a post about two law makers in Michigan that want to raise income tax.

Right now, the State of Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the United States. Right now (March 2009), the Michigan unemployment rate is 12%. And with GM getting ready to lay off thousands more in May, this number will rise quicker than it will fall.

So, with 12% of the state unemployed and (as the media reminds us hourly) one of the hardest economic times we’ve seen, Representatives lma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Township) and Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) are proposing that income tax be raised by more than a percentage point.

You see, unlike Florida, Michigan taxes the income of residents. So after you pay your Federal Income Tax, you get to make another check for the State. Right now the income tax for Michigan is 4.35% of your income. If Representatives Smith and Warren have their way, it will rise to 5.5 percent. What will this money go to you ask? They want to provide free college tuition to residents.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for higher education. But, I’m also someone who worked full-time while finishing my degree. I believe that college serves a great purpose but also isn’t for everyone. And more importantly, it’s not for the hard working citizens to pay for everyone to get a college education. The majority of students either work hard to get loans, get money from Mom and Dad, use financial aid to pay for college. The nice thing there is that when you have to answer to yourself (or to Mom and Dad) you hold some accountability. But that’s another discussion…

What I truly don’t understand here is how, when unemployment is so high, two lawmakers can actually believe that raising taxes will be a good idea. Here’s an immediate idea… all state representatives should earn a salary of $1 per year. Instead of making the position a full-time job, Representatives should be required to earn their income like the common citizen and instead serve the republic out of honor, pride, and sense of duty.

The Founding Fathers of our country expected Congress to be a sacrifice and not a full-time job. The pay rate of a Federal Representative in 1789 was $6 a day (and payment was only while Congress was in session). In today’s world, that would amount to around $1,500 a year. Sadly, the State and Federal representatives earn considerable more.

Perhaps this is a perfect time for nostalgia. After all, perhaps the best way for State and Federal lawmakers to better the economy is for them to depend on the economy for their livelihood — you know, like the citizens do.

The government who robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. — George Bernard Shaw

Once upon a time, government budgets were balanced, our money was sound, the streets were safe, and taxes imposed by all levels of government took less than 10% of our income. — Harry Browne

Ann Arbor . com website

The Ann Arbor News (in Ann Arbor, MI of course) recently announced it’s closure. After 174 years, the Ann Arbor News could not see a way out of economic difficulties and will be relaunching as an online media company — AnnArbor.com. But this post isn’t about the closure… for information on that check out:

• AnnArbor.com
• The News to Fold in July
• Why We Grieve the Ann Arbor News

This post is on why I do not grieve the Ann Arbor News closure.

To be in business for 174 years is truly an amazing feat, and congratulations is due. Of course, the business became part of Mlive.com and was more of a conglomerate lately than a truly local paper.

This weekend, Yeni and I went to Meijer’s (the local supermarket) twice (long story). Both times we entered Meijer’s, we were greeted by two salesmen in a booth selling subscriptions to the Ann Arbor News. The approach was that one individual would stand in the entrance way and ask you to talk with him. When you said “No, thank you.” (like I did) he continued his pitch, and his style was effective — many elderly people were signing up for new subscriptions.

Businesses can and will fail. It’s the nature of, well, it’s the nature of business. Surely we can feel sadness for the persons who will lose their jobs and we can also feel sadness for the closure of a local institution, but to me, I feel more of a loss for the new subscribers I saw this weekend.

Traditionally, the elderly do not get their news online. I feel that selling subscriptions “hard” over the weekend for a business announcing it’s closure on Monday is in poor taste. And sadly, sometimes the last taste in your mouth is how you remember the meal.

I asked The Ann Arbor News what would happen to these new subscribers. They said:

“You’ll keep getting the paper as you do through July. We’re still working out what happens after that. You won’t lose what you paid though.”

To me, if they want my support, they’ll issue immediate refunds to anyone that bought a subscription this month. Full and immediate refund.

But, as Dennis Miller would say… That’s just my opinion.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. — Thomas Jefferson

The point to remember is that what the government gives it must first take away. — John S. Caldwell

We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid. — Benjamin Franklin

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. — Thomas Jefferson

I am for doing good to the poor, but…I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed…that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer. — Benjamin Franklin

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority. — Benjamin Franklin

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. — Benjamin Franklin

Never trust a government that doesn’t trust its own citizens with guns. — Benjamin Franklin

Once upon a time, government budgets were balanced, our money was sound, the streets were safe, and taxes imposed by all levels of government took less than 10% of our income. — Harry Browne

Benjamin Franklin

I’ve always liked Mr. Franklin. Some think he’s the only non-president on money… but those people probably think Mr. Hamilton was once a president. Anyway, Benjamin Franklin is perhaps my favorite American in history. I love his quotes and many of his thoughts can guide us still today.

Today’s the following Benjamin Franklin quote comes to mind:

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.

Which brings us to…

Ann Arbor Parking

Ok, although I’ve lived in Florida for the past 20 years (and love it), my family is traditionally northern in attitude and heritage. Often my love of Florida is mocked with southern jokes and generalizations. And if Florida somehow makes the news, my phone won’t stop ringing. I still get ribbed over Elian Gonzalez, the 2000 election, Terry Schiavo, and more.

But what does Florida have to do with Ann Arbor Parking? Two words: Sunshine Law. The Sunshine Law provides public access to government (no closed doors, let in the “Sunshine”) and Florida takes this very seriously. Besides criminal and civil penalties for violating the Sunshine Law, it has become such a part of Floridan culture that it’s hard to imagine not getting easy access to public information. After all, this is why the news loves Florida. If something happens in the Sunshine State, it happens in the Sunshine.

Enter the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. This publicly funded group receives their budget from taxes and parking fees. Oh, they also think I’m a security concern.

Yes, even though I have a very clean background (just ask the FBI), the A2DDA thinks I pose a security risk and have blocked my access to their website.

When I look at the list of things that my mom can be proud of, I think:

• Court expert on DUI and Marijuana
• Firearm “incident” in Gainesville
• and now, Security Risk to the Ann Arbor DDA

Thank you DDA for your hard work, and for bringing to mind this other Benjamin Franklin quote:

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid”

Which brings us to… (if you want to see more details on Fred vs. the DDA, click here)

Motorcycles

The weather in Ann Arbor warmed up enough to remove the ice and snow from the roads. And it’s been so long since I’ve seen a salt truck that Yeni and I decided to go for a quick ride on Saturday.

It was the first time I was able to ride since December and it took all the stress right from my face, replacing it with a smile.

Can you believe in today’s world that a government agency would conspire and discuss the control of public information? What if that information was a top secret as… parking space availability?

I’ve posted an article on VoIP Tech Chat detailing the Ann Arbor DDA doing just that. My response to them is at the end… Please enjoy.

Read the article on VoIP Tech Chat

• Ann Arbor Chronicle
• HD Teeter Talk
• Ann Arbor News
• Arbor Update

Anyway, we’re back online and I’d love to share a new geeky blog post I wrote: Diff’rent VoIP for Diff’rent Folks. Oh, and I was interviewed by the Ann Arbor Chronicle about the parking lot application. The preliminary video is on YouTube… But I also have a version below

Update — apparently the site was down due to a denial of service attack.

(You should also take a look at Homeless Dave‘s site for more interviews)

Yeni Weather Script

I have a new phone on my desk (or as Yeni calls it, the mesk). Why mesk? Combines messy and desk… but I digress (as usual).

As I was saying, I recently purchased a Polycom Soundpoint IP 450 phone. The phone is great — small foot print, clean, great speakerphone, and enables HD Voice. HD Voice is going to change the way we think of how phone calls sound. I admit, I was reluctant at first, but then I got to know Michael Graves; and after listening to him praise the benefits of HD Voice for many, many months, I decided it was time to embrace the technology.

Let me say this — HD Voice is amazing. I won’t say too much more, because I’m planning to write about it big time on VoIP Tech Chat and Team Forrest; but bottom line: HD Voice = amazing.

So the other nice thing about the phone? It has a little micro-mini browser. Which means what you ask? It means that know whenever Yeni asks me the weather… I can answer. A nice little Perl script checks the local Ann Arbor weather and gives me the temp (in F and C), current condition, and quick day’s forecast. The phone reads the website every 5 minutes and constantly displays the results. It’s nice.

Conga Time!

Welcome friends to 2009. Last night Yeni’s family and I went to Michael’s and were surrounded by family to enjoy the New Year’s Celebration. Last year, I was in New York City’s Times Square watching the ball drop after eating an amazing feast at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn. Wow, that was an amazing meal…

This year was more of a somber tone and I was very fortunate to be surrounded by family. I drank (a little too much) bourbon, ate 12 grapes, participated in an impromptu New Year’s conga, and ate a really good Cookie Cake.

Traditionally, people make New Year’s Resolutions and this year, I’ve decided not to. Did you know that roughly only 12% of New Year’s Resolutions are achieved? Most popular resolutions?

• Lose Weight
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get in Shape
• Quit Smoking
• Drink Less
• Reduce Stress

So instead of making a half-assed New Year’s goal, I’m just going to be happy. Think of it as an extended Thanksgiving mood… and I’m just going to be thankful for the friends and family in my life, cherish the good times from the last year, learn from the bad ones, and remember those who left us in 2008.

Happy New Year, Happy Birthday Orlando and Ryan, and Go Gators.

Fred with Bear in Montgomery, MI

I learned that Colombian tradition places a lot of emphasis on Christmas Eve.

Last night, after eating tamales and playing Wii at Michael’s, Yeni’s family and I returned to the house, ate more tamales with friends, and then opened presents. I received some excellent presents this year, including Spider-man trinkets and a new Harley outfit for the bear.

We crashed very late and woke up to find much of Ann Arbor closed. The snow had let up and the roads, although icy, were mostly clear — so Yeni and I loaded up the family in the truck and headed outside the house.

Earlier in the year, Yeni and I stumbled upon a great little area called Chelsea (during one of the Harley rides we could take before riding the Harley would result in severe frost pain). We thought it would be great to show everyone this quaint little town and took the very long way through some Michigan side roads. After detouring through Saline and Montgomery, we arrived in Chelsea. We played in the snow for a while, looked at the Jiffy Mix factory, and headed back to Ann Arbor.

Yeni playing Wii

Back in town, I introduced Yeni’s family to my family’s Christmas traditions — and headed to Great Lakes Chinese Restaurant. We sat at the last available table and it was standing room only for those unlucky soles who arrived just minutes after us. The place was packed, and after finishing our delicious meal, we headed back to Michael’s for some more Wii action.

A lovely day.

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

So in Colombian tradition (as I’m learning), Christmas is all about Christmas Eve. So today we are bringing Yeni’s family over to Michael’s for some great times with family, friends, and loved ones.

I wish everyone a safe Holiday!

And congratulations to Daniel… look out Cook County!

Happy Birthday Yeni!

Today is Yeni’s birthday… so Happy Birthday Sweetheart! 

So drop her a line, send her a tweet, or just think special thoughts. Today she is 25 years old (per her choice).

I love you sweetheart!

Today we are planning food, coconut shrimp, food, and maybe even shopping!!!!

Feliz Cumpleaños!

Again… we are selecting 25 for this year’s birthday. Next year: also 25.

In 2025, Yeni will turn 26.

Update

So, today for Yeni’s birthday we went to Outback Steakhouse in some nice, strong, big-flaked snow. Why Outback? Two words: Coconut Shrimp.

We enjoyed a great dinner (a little too much enjoyment… lots of food) and then came home for our dessert. Yeni is very into Ace of Cakes, so in the spirit of the show, we made and decorated our own cake. Ok, so I probably set expectations too high there, but the bottom line is the cake was homemade and decorated with the things that I thought would show her how much she’s loved… such as princess and Pooh candles.

Some family came over and we shared cake and laughs. A good night.

It says Yeni