One of the most popular New Year's Resolutions is to get fit..

It's been consistently one of the most heard New Year's Resolutions, either "I want to be in better shape" or "I want to lose weight" - with traditionally this being the time where fitness equipment is bought, gyms joined and as each month passes? It's used less and less...

Unless you really have a plan and you are doing it because you really want to as opposed to feeling as if you should...I personally like Karl Ruegg's suggestion. Ask yourself "why?" five times before you make any resolution to see if the underlying reason behind it is something else, because that's the way to find a resolution that will work.

Ruth Marcus forgets the "if it's wrong, it's wrong" theory

While Ruth Marcus is attempting to make a point in Democrats and Politics as Usual, she also demonstrates some politics as usual behavior of her own. Justification by claiming the "other guys" did it or did something worse. This is the opposite of the "if it is wrong, it is wrong" theory. Especially this part because she forgets something very important:

If anything, the Democratic deal-making looks tame by comparison to the Republican arm-twisting in advance of -- and during -- the House vote on the prescription drug program for Medicare in 2003. In the most egregious example, then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, offered to endorse the son of retiring Michigan Republican Nick Smith if he agreed to vote "yes" on the bill. Somehow I don't recall the Limbaughs of the world getting the vapors over DeLay's behavior.

The Democrats at the time made a huge deal about this, it was in fact one of the ethic violations that DeLay was cited for. Our party called for him to resign, Democrats used DeLay as an example of why they should be elected. There were some major histronics over it, which means, Democrats did the exact thing Republicans are doing now, politics as usual...and instead of demanding better behavior from our own? Some justify it...which means just as I predicted during the presidential campaign, there is no change, there is not even any hope there will be change because we don't demand better from our own party. It will always be politics as usual for those who do not embrace a very simple ideal. "If it's wrong? It's wrong."

There is little political upside for Democrats in passing this bill

I'd love to disagree with The Health Care Bill Is Political Suicide...But I can't.

Not only will some of those who pass this face the wrath of independent voters but from within their own party. Part of an e-mail I received today:

Progressives vs. Sherrod Brown?

BREAKING NEWS: Conservative Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) announced today he will be the 60th vote to allow the Senate health care bill to move forward...after fellow Democrats agreed to new restrictions on abortion.

This comes after Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) also agreed to be the 60th vote...after fellow Democrats agreed to remove a public health insurance option -- while mandating that millions of people buy insurance from private corporations.

We have a very serious question for our Ohio members as we plan our next activism steps: Do you think Sen. Sherrod Brown has fought strongly enough on behalf of the public option? And would you support pressuring him to be stronger?

Here's why this matters. The Senate and House will soon go to "conference committee" to iron out differences between their bills.

The House has a public option in their bill, but advocates for the Senate bill will have all the power in negotiations unless progressive senators like Sherrod Brown stand up now and publicly threaten to block a final bill unless it has a public option.

This is what Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson did. But unlike them, Sherrod Brown would be advocating on behalf of the overwhelming majority of people. This past week, we commissioned a Research 2000 poll with our friends at Democracy for America. Check out these numbers:

* Voters want the public option: 59% to 31%.
* Support for current Senate bill (mandates without a public option): 33% to 56%.
* 63% of voters say President Obama didn't fight Joe Lieberman hard enough. (Democrats: 87%)
* 81% of Democrats want Joe Lieberman stripped of his powerful committee chairmanship.

If Sherrod Brown and other progressive senators threatened to block a bad bill, President Obama would face a choice: Strong-arm Lieberman and Nelson to support the final bill, which has huge popular support OR strong-arm progressives into supporting a bill with 33% support. The smart choice is obvious. But it's up to progressive senators to force that choice.

Brown said recently, "There's no negotiations as far as I'm concerned. We've compromised the public option three times, maybe four, depending on how you define it. This bill is not going to continue to become more pro-insurance company."

That was said when the public option was still in the bill. Since then, it's become way more pro-insurance company. When push came to shove, where did Sherrod Brown go? He and other progressive senators allowed themselves to get rolled by Lieberman. But it's not too late to fight back.

Unfortunately it may be too late to fight back, it doesn't seem as any of the 60 are listening...

Life is a river flowing back to the Sea

I realize the title may make some of you think of the Alan Parsons Project song, Time but there's a deeper purpose to this post. A friend called me tonight because her best friend died. I'd been avoiding thinking of death since the anniversary of my father's death was last week. That date is embedded in my heart and soul, yet now it seems few remember so it's something I share alone. Which is okay, the reality is losing someone you love whether it is a friend or a relative is really a private thing. Words can never properly express what that person meant to you and while people try to give you platitudes which may be very sincere, that does not make the pain go away. Time does make it fade.

Which then got me thinking again about life and death in general. I came across this site, The NDE and Pre-Birth: Kevin Williams' research conclusions and some of the material written there is rather profound. Especially this:

If our experience as a human is analogous to a journey down a river, then our experience as a spirit is analogous to the entire water cycle. Each of us is like a raindrop which fell from a cloud and ultimately entered into a river for the journey back from where it came - the sea. Then the cycle is repeated.

In the same way that a drop of water is a part of the sea and contains within itself the nature of the sea itself, so our spirit is a part of God containing within it the Whole of God itself. This concept of a something being both a part and the Whole is called in science terminology a fractal.

By becoming a droplet in the water cycle, we can experience wonderful adventures which ultimately help us to understand ourselves and the sea even more. Which river of life we choose to travel down is up to us. Once we begin the journey, we are partly at the mercy of the river and the course it takes us. How we chose to flow down the river is our decision.

This river which represents the course of our life that leads us back to God is an archetype that is familiar to us. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we feel drawn to rivers and why we regarded them as sacred. In ancient cultures, religions and even in near-death experiences, this archetype of life being a river appears. On the river, we are always moving forward from a source and toward an end. Life starts out as a small creek and grows into large river with rapids, forks, tributaries, rocks, and sometimes floods. Rivers have a history and are evolving. The river of life can take us to a variety of destinations on shore. There are many decisions and choices to make while traveling the river. Sometimes we have no choice at all but submit to the mercy of the river. At times we can relax and go with the flow. Other times we can shoot the rapids. We can row our boats gently down the stream. But if we just remain on the shore, we will never reach our destination and goal. Wisdom means knowing the best course of action to take as we travel down the river.

I strongly recommend those of you remaining on the shore, think about diving in, before your boat passes you by...

Tiger Woods to slink off into the sunset...

He admits he was unfaithful and does what most celebrities do, either take a temporary break or go into rehab...From his website, www.tigerwoods.com.

I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try.

I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What's most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.

After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.

Society seems to dictate that a penance time period be served, after an apology is written, it worked for Kobe, Vick and many more as to scenairos where it was felt the fans would never forgive, but? They do...and before you know it? Family photos of the Woods family enjoying orlando vacations with everyone posing and happy for the cameras will be out there.

I'm not a fan of shopping...

Perhaps part of the reason I'm not a huge fan of Christmas has to do with the commercialization aspect and the fact that I'm not really a fan of shopping, especially when it entails having to fight the crowds, whether it's Black Friday or White Monday. Whenever possible I buy things online, that way I don't have to try to find the right size or color, if it's in stock? Voila, it's ordered and on it's way.

So far the only decoration in the house is I bought a blue pointsetta...

:-)