The Hilton Life Web Log

A-Town HiltonLife Happenings

2009-09-08T23:24:00.054-04:00

Driving home the other morning I found myself 13 minutes behind an SUV and Semi-tractor trailer fiery collision.

By the time I diverted (I was running late leaving work to head home), the interstate, and road beneath the overpass was closed as firefighters arrived and battled the blaze.

Sadly, two persons were killed. Fortunately, for our family, one of them was not me, because that's exactly the route I typically take home in the morning after work. (Thanks for the delaying after-shift convo Hanna and Candice.. Without even knowing it, you guys (gals) rock!)
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Summers coming to a close?

If I have to close the pool, I'll assume that I no longer have to cut the grass.. Right? -Uh yeah. Probably not.

The kids had fun this weekend when hitting the pool. It was a bit cold, but they troop'd right through it. -Purple lips and all.

Grace was Noah's 'swim buddy', and I was Grace's 'swim buddy'.

I was out of the pool taking pictures as Noah flipped his aqua-aeroplane.. I jumped in without soaking/destroying our expensive Cannon digi and scooped Noah up-and-out.. He did Great! Held his breath, and did just what he was suppose to do.. BTW, the pic below was just mili-seconds before he took his underwater header.. (Note: the odd angle of his feet?)

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..I wanted to add this picture of my father-in-law, 'Bob'.

-Because he is SMILING, genuinely

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I made eggs and potatoes for breakfast last week..

-Grace woke up early the other morning and came in to tell me that she had made "eggs, for Mom, Dad, and Grace". -If curiosity didn't get the best of me, than safety did..

I smelled nothing burning, so I asked her to escort me to her 'surprise'....

It was great! The breakfast table was cleared, and three precisely place (raw) eggs freshly plucked from our refrigerator, sat waiting for our hearty consumption. (Did I mention that nothing was burning or broken?)

I thanked her, and assured her that these eggs really needed cookin'..

We did. -And Grace's breakfast was perfect. = )

Until next time,

-C

Michigan Furlough Day

2009-09-04T17:28:00.006-04:00

The Michigan Example

Wall Street Journal

How government investment in business failed to create jobs.

A central belief in Washington and most state capitals nowadays is that government should "invest" in certain businesses—"clean tech," say, or manufacturing—to drive job creation. We hope it all turns out better than it has in Michigan.

For the past 14 years, Lansing politicians have offered $3.3 billion in tax credits through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and spent another $1.6 billion in outlays to create and retain jobs. The subsidies have ranged from tax breaks for Hollywood, to money for new industrial plants, to millions for TV ads starring Jeff Daniels and Tim Allen talking about business and tourism in the state.

It's one of the largest experiments in smokestack chasing in American history, but one thing it hasn't done is create jobs. An exhaustive new 100-page study by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Michigan think tank, has reviewed where all the money has gone and what came of it. The study finds that for every 100 jobs that were promised with these tax credits over 14 years, only 29 arrived. Dare we call this cash for clunkers?

Economist Michael Hicks, a business school professor at Ball State, calculated the rate of return on the corporate tax credits. He found that for every $1 million in tax credits awarded, there were 95 lost manufacturing jobs in the counties where the companies were located—a result that is "strongly statistically significant." There was no gain in personal income in these counties. Perhaps more jobs would have been lost without the credits, but what is undeniably clear is that the businesses that got the government loot were not magnets for other employers.

Many of these handout programs were started in 1995 by former Republican Governor John Engler, who we criticized at the time in "A Governor's Gimmick." They have since been expanded 18 times under current Governor Jennifer Granholm. Two of the most celebrated initiatives were the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund and the Broadband Development Authority. Ms. Granholm's vision was that these grants and credits would create 500,000 jobs and $440 billion in new investment by 2010.

Liberals cheered this "progressive" alternative to tax cutting. But the jobs lured to Michigan were so few that the programs were killed in 2007. The broadband program's legacy was $14.5 million of bad loans eaten by taxpayers. Then State Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema, an original supporter of the telecom program, called it "one of the biggest flops in state government."

An even bigger flop might be the Michigan Film Office. The program provides movie producers a 42% tax credit for rolling the cameras in Michigan. But because the credits are "refundable," they are mostly cash subsidies to the film industry to make movies. The Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency recently found that "if a film production company spent $10.0 million in Michigan, the State will gain less than $700,000 in income and sales tax revenues but will pay out about $4 million to the production company." So in a state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 15%, taxpayers last year gave out $48 million in subsidies to Hollywood millionaires.

Why doesn't this kind of industrial policy work? One reason is that the subsidies have to be financed by somebody, which means raising taxes more broadly on the rest of the state. The subsidized businesses may bring a few jobs, but the overall employment and investment impact is miniscule at best.

In Michigan these programs were responsible for 0.25% of all new jobs created in the last decade, according to the study. Meanwhile, in 2007 Michigan raised business taxes by $1.4 billion on other firms to pay for many of Ms. Granholm's favored companies. Despite all the giveaways, Michigan was recently ranked as having the third most antibusiness climate among states, in a survey of executives by CEO magazine. If Michigan had simply cut taxes for every business, as Mr. Engler did in the 1990s when the state briefly led the nation in new jobs, it's a good bet unemployment would be lower.

When Ms. Granholm gave her state of the state address earlier this year, she crowed about the similarities between the Michigan and Obama Administration strategies of using tax subsidies to aid favored businesses. "President Obama's priorities are nearly identical to ours," she declared, and we can only hope the results won't be.

Eat More Chicken

2009-08-30T14:27:00.003-04:00

Mooo..

LOGIC

2009-08-29T21:41:00.007-04:00

A Disabled Former U.S. Marine was randomly chosen to ask..

"I, David William Hedrick, a member of the silent majority, decided that I was not going to be silent anymore. So, I let U.S. Congressman Brian Baird have it. I was one questioner out of 38, that was called at random from an audience that started at 3,000 earlier in the evening. Not expecting to be called on, I quickly scratched what I wanted to say on a borrowed piece of paper and with a pen that I borrowed from someone else in the audience minutes before I spoke. "

HiltonLife 'Regulators''.

2009-08-27T01:31:00.016-04:00

As chaotic that life has almost instantly become, we're raising up some fine ranch hands to help keep justice and order around the Hilton house. Take Grace and Noah for example; They are ALL serious with their duties of maintaining order, and simply helping all around...

Around Lukes bathtime.. It becomes 'all hands-on'!

Next time if your visiting A-Town, you may want to watch your Ps' and Qs'. With these two Regulators on duty, there isn't much you'll be getting away with... Like drinking out of the milk jug, wearing dirty shoes in the house, or trying to use Noah's favorite "Linus" blanket.. Not gonna happen! -With "Steely Eyed Noah" and "Quick-thumb-draw Grace " Rowdiness is bound to end at sundown.. ...Regulators, lets ride!

-C

HOME, HOme, Home, home!

2009-08-18T23:02:00.014-04:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, it sure helps out my typing out posts.. Here are 11,000 amazing words about the HiltonLife Ranch. Moms home. Luke is home. Slowly getting back to life at home, together... Minus the regular sleeping pattern. (Does that apply to night-shifters?)

Noah is lovin' on his kid brother. Grace is doing the same; and then, Noah and I, are back to 'work' in the garden..

If you are a potential employer, Noah might not be super well suited to work on a vegetable farm. He tends to eat... ..Alot of the inventory. BUT, the boy certainly enjoys his work! (which might equates lesser wages? ; ) --Grandpa Hilton? I might give you the credit for teaching Noah to 'eat fresh off of the vine God has provided'.

Grace? Well, she's just excited that everyone is finally home together. She is incredibly maternal and 'Big-sisterly' to Luke. The above picture illustrates her joy as she impersonates, and teaches the boys how to do a late night 'Curious George'. (Note: banana and 'zoo bars'.)

-C

The Arrival of Luke Hilton

2009-08-11T22:01:00.007-04:00

08-11-2009
08:03am
7#12oz.
20" length
Started out quiet, but soon let the world know that he had arrived. = )

Thank-you Lord for the safe arrival of Luke, and the safety of Tess. We are humbled by your Grace and generosity. We pray that we are faithful stewards with what you have entrusted us with. Grant us your wisdom and truth to share for generations to come. Amen.

Do we have to?

2009-07-15T03:32:00.008-04:00

Grace and Noah are up north with my Mom and Dad for a week. -It is so weird not hearing them running throughout the house or getting into things. I miss them.

Tess has been doing better. Laying low, as ordered. I spent the night finally fixing the right front side of the Nissan. New tire, new strut, and new coil spring.. You'd think that something as critical as a coil spring wouldn't snap like that. It's downright dangerous. Regardless, the critical parts are fixed; later this week I'll do the left side and it should be all good. -I guess all that tinkering in my dads garage as a teen paid off.. For the most part. (Sorry for all the broken and missing tools Dad. I now understand).

I'll close with one of my latest 'Graceneese' quoted conversations.

Me: Grace, you know that since you are the big sister it carries alot of responsibilities, right?

Grace: Yes Dad..

Me: And honey, you know, Mom is going to need alot of help since she has to rest?

Grace: Well yeah, sure Dad..

Me: Well honey, pretty soon you're going to have a new little brother to help mommy with, right?

Grace: Yes Dad.. But Dad?

Me: Yes Grace?

Grace: Since I'm getting a NEW little brother, what are we going to do with Noah?

Me: We'll keep him honey...

Grace: (Sounding almost disappointed.) Oh, well, okay....

Never a dull moment

2009-07-09T15:25:00.015-04:00

Busy around the HiltonLife Ranch.

The garden (our first year of planting) is doing awesome. It's amazing to watch all the prep ground work and plantings culmunate. Soil + seed = blossoming vegatables. Even though we sweat and prepare, God does the rest. (See Genesis). Even though we're sentenced to toil over the earth for our keep, God still provides what we could never do.

Our beloved Nissan Altima shattered a front coil spring and punctured the front right tire. Thank-God Tess was parked when it occurred. She came out of a store and had a flat tire. I got the call, tried to be a hero and drive in to change it for her, and found out the spring had broken and wrapped around the strut saddle. Weirdest thing. Coil springs NEVER break. -Never say never, I guess. Had it happened while they were driving, it would have been all bad.

After calling EVERYWHERE, I ended having a Nissan dealership in Holland find one for me... In Chicago.. -Pair of struts, bolt kits, coil spring, and new tire, $340.00. Didn't see that coming.

Tess is doing okay now. After a bout of contractions and a tense stay in the hospital this past weekend, we are trying to lay low (her, literally. Bedrest) at home. Any and all prayers are welcome and coveted. All we need is to get to 34 weeks.

...Well, time to go. I was going to keep on, as I havent posted in a very long time (partially due to the convenience of Facebook) but, I hear Noah calling. Naptime is over, back to Daddy-daycare time.

France Military

2009-06-03T01:28:00.004-04:00

With all the knocking around jokes about Frances inability to defend itself, I have to laugh at this picture I pulled off of Yahoo! news..

Presenting..... (Drum roll) Frances' Air Force ground crew. The butt of global military jokes materialized.

Nice 'combat' shorts! -thanks for the laughs!

-C

2009-06-02T01:53:00.000-04:00

Our Back Yard

Grace and Noah hypnotised
You've got to be kidding! -It's not time to wake me up Grace!!

Encouraging Words from YOUR bible

2009-05-28T19:09:00.001-04:00

"Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God."II Corinthians 2:17

Eat the Meat, Cut Out the Bones

2009-05-23T22:53:00.004-04:00

Self fulfilling Prophesy

2009-05-22T22:31:00.009-04:00

Where to begin for this update?

For as busy as it has been on the work-front (recalling the crazy amount of young men experiencing cardiac arrhythmias'), a burn patient (90% of his body) running into the ER screaming, and a few other complex cases this past week, I fell victim to my surroundings the other morning. (Osmosis?)

-No, I did not get burned, however I woke up Wednesday morning with a really weird and unsettling feeling in my chest.

I tried to shake it off and suck it up, but there were a few diagnosis running through my head that would be all bad if I let it go much longer. Grace had her final day of preschool picnic at the park that we were all preparing to go to, so I was hoping it would resolve itself before then. It didn't.

I couldn't get an accurate pulse on myself, so I grabbed my stethoscope to get more detail. I still couldn't get a good rate. It seemed to bounce around from 40, to 200 beats per minute.. I asked Tess to try. To no avail she couldn't get it either, so I walked next door for a good friend's second opinion of my own. ...and I quote, "Dude. You gotta get checked out." (I knew that, but I was just hoping that I might be wrong.)

Telling Tess that I was going over to where the local EMS usually stages, I was going to put myself on their cardiac monitor..

-Nope. Didn't happen. Of course they weren't where they were suppose to be. I called Tess and told her I was going to go into work to put myself on a cardiac monitor and see whats up. ..If it was nothing, I would just slip back out the door I came in, and get to the picnic. ..If it was SOMETHING, then, I would be in the right place.

Yeah. My heart rate was variable at about 190 beats a minute. I was in atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response. I called a buddy over to do a quick 12 lead EKG, and sure enough. It showed the same. A-Fib with RVR.

We showed the attending physician the EKG. "Interesting.. Whose is this on"?

I raised my hand and said, "Uh, that would be me, Jim". "You'd better have a seat Carl.."

So the story goes, they got an IV going, I got two doses of Cardizem to slow my heart rate down, but the atrial fibrillation wouldn't convert, so they prepared to cardiovert (shock) me. Tess called on the phone when she was about two minutes away, and I told her what was going to happen. She made it there before they put me down and shocked.

Thankfully, they sedated me enough with Diprivan that I don't remember a thing. Just a sore shoulder and defibrillator pad marks left over on my upper right chest and lower left flank. It only took one shock to get me back to the cardiac rhythm that I needed to be in. After getting the fogginess out of my head, a cardiologist with West Michigan Heart came down and we agreed to a diagnostic cardiac echo in the coming weeks.

So I'm left to wonder; why I went into A-fib with RVR, and been forced to join the ranks of the cardioverted at the age of 37. Not that it's a big deal. I can calmly say that even though I was anxious prior to the cardioversion, during the time I was put out, my heart was shocked enough to stop-and-restart, and my breathing momentarily stopped, I was at peace. Whether it be grace and peace given directly from God Himself through assurance of whom I belong to, or a pseudo-peace from the sedation, it was amazing.. And so, I am still here. Still in minor disbelief that it even occurred; meditating on what God is speaking and teaching. -And grateful to be able to hug my family and freinds.

Weird.

On a lighter note; here is a picture I took yesterday of our newest HiltonLife Ranch tenants.

Cheers!

-C

Ka-boom in the UAB emergency room..

2009-05-16T12:19:00.004-04:00

Busy night last night. Not so much high volume, but, high acuity. Alot of younger people. (men age less than 50) have been in some seriously critical crazy cardiac rhythms that have had to be corrected. -Just last night we had to sedate and shock (cardiovert) two more. Weird. I think I sense my own mortality a bit more on days like this..

Well, I'm off to bed. It's way late, and way past my "bedtime".

Have a great sunny Saturday. I'm sleeping Friday off.

I'll post the scanned EKG of the last V-tach/WPW syndrome from Friday. It's seriously WAYYY cool if you know what your looking at.

God's blessings and peace,
-C

2009-05-15T13:18:00.003-04:00

So a new web logging year is now in effect. Most everything is back in place. -I (finally) repaired my laptop, new batteries for the digi, and finally....It's Summertime! (Great photo ops!)

There will be less medical cases profiled for a number of reasons; the top three are as follows:

We are in a recession.
I am happy to be gainfully employed.
I don't want to cross any confidential grey lines, even if it is well within hipaa and PC, that might risk or put #2 in jeapordy. -After all, we are in a recession.. Right?

Well, that was a nice short update. I'm off to 'quiet time' to get a nap in before the long work weekend. Later,

-C

Happy 4th Birthday Princess Grace!

2009-04-28T09:15:00.008-04:00

Wow! Happy Birthday Princess!

Each day you become more and more beautiful, and each day we see how God has laid His own hand upon you. You bless our lives and bring us great joy! Being your parents teaches us the special love and feeling of protection that God felt (Feels) for His very own son. Blessings to you on your special day sweetheart!

-Much Love, XOXOXOXO

Mom and Dad. (And even your little brother Noah)!

Happy Resurrection Sunday

2009-04-12T14:47:00.002-04:00

Friday Tech Insight Update

2009-04-10T07:48:00.017-04:00

Hackers reportedly have embedded code in power grid

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Computer hackers have embedded software in the United States' electricity grid and other infrastructure that could potentially disrupt service or damage equipment, two former federal officials told CNN.

The ex-officials say code also has been found in computer systems of oil and gas distributors.

The code in the power grid was discovered in 2006 or 2007, according to one of the officials, who called it "the 21st century version of Cold War spying."

Department of Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano would not confirm such a breach, but said Wednesday that there has been no known damage caused by one.

"There have been, to my knowledge, no disruptions of power on any grid caused by a deliberate cyberattack on our infrastructure -- on the grid," Napolitano said. "Nonetheless, we remain in constant protection, prevention, education, resiliency mode and we work with the utility sector particularly on that." Watch security officials explain threat »

The U.S. power grid isn't the only system at risk. The former officials said malicious code has been found in the computer systems of oil and gas distributors, telecommunications companies and financial services industries.

Napolitano said the vulnerability of the nation's power grid to cyberattacks "has been something that the Department of Homeland Security and the energy sector have known about for years," and that the department has programs in place to fight such attacks.

Security experts say such computer hacking could be the work of a foreign government -- possibly Russia or China -- seeking to compromise U.S. security in the event of a future military conflict.

Former CIA operative Robert Baer said he is not aware of a specific breach like the one the former officials describe. But he said people in the intelligence community assume that such attacks from countries like China go on all the time.

"Their foreign intelligence service has been probing our computers, our defense computers, our defense contractors, our power grids, our telephone system. ... I just came from a speech at the national defense university and they were hit by the Chinese trying to get into their systems," Baer said.

"They are testing and have gotten in portals. It's a serious threat."

Baer said if the software was embedded by a foreign government, he doubts it would be used to launch a surprise attack. Instead, he said, that government likely would keep the bugs in place in case of a future conflict with the United States.

"It's deterrence in the event of war," he said. "They will have another weapon at their disposal, which will be to turn off our power."

When the coding is found, it can be destroyed. But experts said that's easier said than done.

"If you have somebody who knows what they're doing writing that code and embedding it in a clever way, you can look right at it and not recognize it," said Scott Borg, director and chief economist at the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, an independent research institute.

And even when it's found, Borg said, confirming the source of a cyberattack can be next to impossible.

"Anonymity is a fact of life in the cyberworld," he said. "It's very easy to run an attack through somebody else's computer. It's very easy to embed code in Russian or Chinese when you're not Russian or Chinese.

"So it's very difficult to be confident on where anything like this comes from."

Critics of the utilities industry have accused it of not doing enough in the past to defend against cyberassaults. But Ed Legge, spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute, which represents shareholder-owned electric companies, said the industry takes the threat seriously and has made progress in closing some of the loopholes that would allow such attacks.

President Obama has started a 60-day review of all the nation's efforts at cybersecurity that is expected to be completed by April 17, Napolitano said.

While utility grids are owned by industries, not the government, Napolitano said her department will continue working with power companies and other industries to help prevent an attack that could cripple power or other vital services.

"Can we continue to work to enhance efforts within critical infrastructure like the utility grid? Yes," she said. "Are we continuously looking for ways to enhance and educate for the prevention and protection of the cyberworld? Absolutely.

"Is this a priority of the president's and of all of us that are involved with safety and security? You bet."

Rendition of Palm Sunday.

2009-04-05T00:59:00.013-04:00

Last week after my "pre-work" afternoon nap, I was greeted by 'this'. -Now, at 01:09am early Palm Sunday morning, it finally hits me;

Making do with what you've got:

Pull-ups instead of Palm branches.. The stairs instead of the entrance of Jerusalem.. Noah, playing the part of Jesus!

So there is your pre-easter, 'Out of the mouths and imaginations of babes', Palm Sunday rendition.

-C

We LOVE spring!

2009-03-20T12:53:00.004-04:00

-This is spring, right?..

Fuel Reserves, an interesting read

2009-03-07T08:55:00.003-05:00

The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April ('08) that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but it was big. It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since '95) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota ; western South Dakota ; and extreme eastern Montana ...... check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay , and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels.. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable.. at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.

'When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea.' says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.

'This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years.' reports, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin , but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' And it stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada . For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves.... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!

That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 41 years straight.

2. And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from TWO YEARS AGO!

U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World!
Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted. With this motherload of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?

They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:

- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
- 18-times as much oil as Iraq
- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait
- 22-times as much oil as Iran
- 500-times as much oil as Yemen
- and it's all right here in the Western United States ...

HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy....WHY?

James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East -more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post.

GOOGLE it or follow this link. http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911

Dogs or Cats

2009-03-06T17:39:00.004-05:00

Lost!

2009-03-06T02:28:00.008-05:00

One Last Time.

According to the submitter:

"The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. -Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. 'I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,' she said. 'I think that's what he would have wanted.'"

Enjoy the simplicity of your falling stocks and depreciating retirement funds.. You have no idea what real pain, really is.

Pleasant dreams.

-C

Stalking the Mail person

2009-02-27T12:09:00.003-05:00

I am impatiently waiting for my new i Touch from eBay. It should be here today. If the post office delivery person drives off without delivering it because they do not want to actually drive up to the house... -I might be uptight.

Waiting for a gift to be delivered has never been my strong suit.
-C