Watch Ethan Facebook Debate with Miami Right Wing Republicans

Sorry to slip into the political realm on a blog that I tried to keep clean but this needs to be shared. Over the past three days, I've been debating with a Miami resident I was "friends" with and her loony friends on Facebook. This is who Democrats are up against in this election. Try to find the logic behind some of these postings, its comical. Only thing I've changed is the names of the incompetent. It all starts with Dariane posting a status update that reads, "Cuba voted for "Change" in 1959. Be careful what you wish for." Naturally, I couldn't resist an opening like that. Enjoy...

Ariadne says "Cuba voted for "Change" in 1959. Be careful what you wish for". 8:32pm - 37 comments

Lou Vega at 8:47pm October 22
you're sooooo right! :) it must run in the family ;) lol

Dariane Valley at 8:57pm October 22
Of course I am right....LOL......Brains and looks run in our family......;0....And look even Venezuela voted for "Change" and look what is happening there......I guess it has to happen here as well for people to say Holy Cow......

Bili Banz at 9:08pm October 22
Did you see the picture of the bumper sticker?! I had it on my Facebook wall! I'll send it to you.

Dariane Valley at 9:18pm October 22
My brother sent it to me earlier today and my best friend told me as she was driving that she saw it on someone's car....LOL.....But now I have it on here....Thank you......

Carmen Fernandez at 1:18pm October 23
Love it!!!!

Ethan Shapiro at 3:49pm October 23
Awesome history reinvention Dariane. Cuba didn't vote for "Change" in 1959. Fidel Castro took power when he overthrew Batista. But what would I know, I'm just a stupid gringo, right?

Dariane Valley at 4:25pm October 23
They voted him into power.......wait my grandparents voted him into power.......and then he took over......

Dariane Valley at 4:32pm October 23
he overthrew Batista, and had the people vote him into power.....and don't be calling yourself names unless you mean it.....cause I don't see anybody hear insulting anyone.....

Ethan Shapiro at 4:33pm October 23
See this is exactly why your arguments about Obama carry no weight Dariane, because you don't deal in facts. You can repeat something enough and 3 of your friends on facebook believe it to be historically accurate.

I'm sure your grandparents just went to the polls one day and the next day Fidel was their president. NOT TRUE. To those who agreed with Dariane’s status update, I suggest YOU speak to YOUR relatives again or just read about the facts here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Revolution. Oh and I can't wait for you to say that wikipedia is part of the supposed liberal media.

Bili Banz at 4:37pm October 23
Love your profile picture Ethan! ROFL!!!!

Dariane Valley at 4:39pm October 23
They backed him up financially and made sure Batista was gone and he was in power....he made lots of promises and the people believed him and made sure he was their next leader.....and he then never let go......I got my story straight from my grandparents....which I am sure many on here did as well......Don't try to tell me that Wikipedia is better than hearing it straight from those who lived through it.....You have no idea what my relatives have gone through.......

Dariane Valley at 4:45pm October 23
Wikipedia is also not exactly 100% acurate or factual sometimes it is actually based on someone's opinion......and I am not saying liberal....it could also be on the side of conservatives......

Ethan Shapiro at 4:47pm October 23
FYI, that's my daughter being held by our next President! He was very gentle and his eyes lit right up when he saw her. You all may not agree with me but you could tell he was a genuine, nice, father.

Dariane Valley at 4:50pm October 23
That is a great picture and one she will treasure for her entire life.....whether he wins or not.....You should be honored.....

Ethan Shapiro at 5:03pm October 23
Thanks for the kind words.

Back to our debate though, when you say that "Cuba voted for change in 1959" its insinuating that Fidel Castro came to power with a vote instead of a coupe/struggle/murderous rampage/torture, which we all know to be untrue. Whether you realize it or not, you're denigrating your relative's hardship and struggle against Fidel by revising history inaccurately and you make your argument less valid. Just my 2 cents...

Sora Fernandezia at 5:49pm October 23
So what if he was nice, Of course he wants to get all of the votes. Remember, hipocrits and liars do exist in this world and he is one of them...... Vote for McCain Obama is a Baby Killer!!!!

Ethan Shapiro at 6:50pm October 23
Rosa, I feel sad for you if you truly believe Obama kills babies. I guess it must be frustrating that your party is about to lose the election in a landslide because of your inability to offer new ideas and hope so I'll excuse your emotional outburst.

Do you agree or disagree with the simple question I raised with Ariadne's status update? Was Fidel put into power in 1959 with a simple vote for change? We're all waiting to hear your thoughts on that one...

Dariane Valley at 9:44am October 24
Everyone has a different belief as to when life begins.....I believe it is at conception......however some people do not......Obama does believe in late term abortions and those abortions are done when the woman is beyond the 6th month and that to me is killing a child since that child could survive out of the womb if given medical treatment......I know my son is proof born at 34 weeks and my sister born at 6 months.........

Ethan Shapiro at 9:48am October 24
Great, so by your argument Obama kills babies? Listen to yourselves.

More importantly, do you guys believe, as Palin does, that a woman who is raped should have to give birth to the rapist's child? Watch this video and tell me if you still support this policy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IS0PJdE0Cs

Dariane Valley at 9:51am October 24
I believe that a woman should have the right to abort if she is raped, incest or her life is in danger......same as McCain.........My vote is not going to change........McCain/Palin.....

Dariane Valley at 10:06am October 24
I don't think Obama himself is killing babies....but he does believe in that and I don't......

Ethan Shapiro at 10:16am October 24
Funny, you said that a woman should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy if her health/life is in danger. During the debate, McCain put up air/scare quotes around the "health of the mother." If you follow his actions to their conclusion, he basically called any woman that chooses her own continued existence over the potential future life of a fetus "extreme." Surely, you don't agree with this idea do you?

I'm sorry (trying to argue politely) but I think you've got his position wrong.

Dariane Valley at 10:24am October 24
You see, I was in that position once......I had melanoma.....level 3...oncologist, chemo you name it.......I was also pregnant with my second son at that time....and I was close to my 6th month.....I knew my child could survive if induced BUT I wanted to make sure he had a better survival chance if I gave him the chance so I was willing to give my life for my child......He was born early cause he wanted out......at 34 weeks and I was able to get treated for my cancer......

You see Ethan a real woman does not go around aborting cause a child is not convenient for her to have.....there are other options today for women.....

Ethan Shapiro at 10:37am October 24
Powerful story. Level III is not a good situation and your recovery is miraculous. Sadly, my good friend Damien's wife was in the same position with Melanoma and died this year after giving birth to their son at 26 weeks (6 months pregnant). They had the best treatment possible at Johns Hopkins but the cancer metastasized and she died on April 28, 2008.

Consider yourself very lucky but you should be thankful that you had the CHOICE to treat your health as you and your doctors saw fit. The LAST thing we need is men and legislators telling WOMEN how to control their own bodies and that, my friend, is what McCain advocated when he put air/scare quotes around the "health of the mother."

Dariane Valley at 10:41am October 24
My opinion will not change on this subject and I will tell you this.....How a mother can abort her child after feeling it move inside her, seeing it on an ultrasound machine and hearing its heartbest......is beyond me.....Life to me is MORE important......

Dariane Valley at 10:45am October 24
My recovery is miraculous and I still have melanoma here and there.....pre-melanoma here and there.....as long as I catch it on time....I will be fine....like the doctor said as soon as a mole changes let's get it tested.......

I am very sorry to hear about your friend's wife......my condolences....

Ethan Shapiro at 10:51am October 24
I hope your opinion doesn't change and I agree with you, its a mind numbing decision. BUT, there are situations where its necessary. Why would we ever legislate that decision and take it away from the person who should actually be making it? To me, that's the heart of our disagreement. You believe some guy in Washington should make that decision with a stroke of a pen. I believe each women should be free to make that decision with the advice of her doctor and the prayers of her family.

I don't understand why you can't let other people make their own decisions on the matter, especially if they may have differing opinions of the concept of life.

Maria Lewnin at 7:18pm October 25
I'm sorry but I couldn't not interject...Obama would have us move toward socialized medicine...the more the govt steps into our health care that is where we are headed...so it is ironic that the Obama supporter is saying that we don't need legislators trying to control our bodies...that's exactly where we are headed. If you think medicare and medicaid and HMOs or any other government run program runs so well than I guess you won't mind...

Maria Lewnin at 7:19pm October 25
Let's face it...abortion due to rape is one thing...but abortion as some sort of birth control is another...

Ethan Shapiro at 8:46pm October 25
Maria, your point is semi-legitimate but unfortunately is more fear than fact. Have you been to an emergency room lately? I have, when my father's implanted defibrillator shocked him 13 times for no reason. Not only did it take 14 hours to get a bed, he lingered in the hallway of the ER next to some of the grossest people on earth. Oh yeah, this was at Baptist Hospital Miami not some small time hospital.

At this point, I'm ready to take government involvement in our health care because THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN. Oh and Medicare actually works pretty well but the model of Obama's health care plan is the Congressional and Federal employees plan. You don't hear any complaints about that one, do you?

Back to the abortion issue. It is Palin's belief that abortion should be ILLEGAL (AKA CRIMINAL) in the case of rape or incest. If you're not comfortable with that, sorry, you voted for her. I am not comfortable with that and the majority of this country isn't either.

Maria Lewnin at 9:15pm October 25
As a matter of fact I have been to the ER lately and both my father and brother are doctors. When it comes to medical advice I like to listen to their opinion as they live their life in this mess...and of course the system is not working but the government can't fix it!! The Congressional plan may work but it is not in a large scale...again you are fooling yourself into believing that government will solve all our problems and that the end result will be so much better than what we have. Do you really want to have govt tell you what doctor to see and get in line to wait for some basic procedure? Do you really want good doctors to decide this is no longer worth their while and leave the profession all together? I worked in a public school system for 10 years and I cannot begin to tell you the incompetence and inefficiency that I witnessed on a daily basis. You can throw more money at it, regulate it, bake it, fry it...it never worked.

Maria Lewnin at 9:23pm October 25
As for the abortion issue...every time a conservative runs for office this is always brought up. There is a fear amongst liberals that their right to choose will be taken away and they scare everyone else...Sarah Palin does not have the power to do that...The same stuff was said about Bush and guess what? we are still a country that aborts fetuses!! I do not regret voting for her..I am not pro abortion, anyway, but Sarah Palin is not a supreme court justice! I wish more of this energy could go toward the prevention of unwanted pregnancies...wouldn't that be great?

Ethan Shapiro at 9:26pm October 25
Maria, again, you're dealing in fear not FACT. I'm going to post directly from Obama's healthcare plan so you all can get the real story...pay attention to the last part, it'll scare the crap out of you ;)

"On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes - government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that’s why they’ve proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference."

Our education system is broken because intelligent people don't want to take jobs that pay $30k a year. My wife was in publishing before she got her masters in counseling and is now a 3rd year guidance counselor. She now makes half of what she made in her first year of publishing. Now how is that incentive for qualified teachers?

Maria Lewnin at 9:41pm October 25
Look, Ethan, you have missed my whole point...it doesn't matter what Obama is saying right now...Clinton said the same thing...the fact is we go back to the issue of cost and how to pay for all these wonderful promises. He can't do this and lower our taxes...so we are full circle with our argument.

Ethan Shapiro at 9:54pm October 25
Maria, you're right. People are scared about the right to choose because we see what the conservative agenda is and that is to criminalize abortion. This is indisputable. You know, I love asking a pro-lifer this question and maybe you all will be different but I doubt it.

Lets say your wildest dreams come true and all abortion is criminalized. What should happen to women who have illegal abortion? What kind of punishment is fitting?

If your point is that Obama can't fix health care and lower our taxes, and you truly believe that, how did we get in this situation? Any other answer besides George W. Bush is exactly why you guys are going to lose this election. He has been a disaster for our country and his terrible approval ratings prove my point, yet McCain and Palin love the guy.

I'm going to log off for the night but I hope you can find a place in your heart that isn't clouded by right-wing fear. I have and so will our country in 9 days when they elect Barack Obama.

Maria Lewnin at 10:11pm October 25
The problem here, Ethan, is that you have such blinders on that you have made all kinds of assumptions about me when you don't even know me. First of all I am Independent...I have not given a cent to either party. I never said I want to criminalize abortion. I said I was not pro-abortion which is true. Why must I fit in a little neat box? Must we be so narrowminded? My point is simple...this is politics...You can see only from one side and blame the other only...or you can see the good and the bad on both. Bush has made mistakes but our economy did actually grow under his presidency not long ago. Thank God our country has been safe as well. Has he made mistakes..of course, but we have a government full or individuals from both sides who have made mistakes. Unless you are willing to see that we you will never be objective.

You don't need to be sarcastic or mean to people because they have strong beliefs about abortion..you than kind of insult their religion as well.

Maria Lewnin at 10:13pm October 25
Lucky for me I have neither right wing fear nor left wing fear! It's a win-win!

Ethan Shapiro at 1:14am October 26
Oh Maria, both you and "Joe the Plumber" claim to be something you are not. When you opened up with a talking point from the Republican party on Obama's socialized healthcare, I'm sure that independent streak inside of you was just crying "let me out."

Please don't confuse writing with passion or belief in a position with being sarcastic or mean. If you think I'm insulting someone's religion, I apologize. That is not the intent here and I think you may have projected that onto yourself or others. I TOTALLY respect you or anyone else's belief that abortion is wrong. I deeply believe it should be avoided as much as possible, but you guys have to respect those who disagree and wish to have the CHOICE in the matter. That's the great thing about CHOICE. YOU can make YOUR choice and someone else can make a different one. Isn't that wonderful? No one projects their beliefs onto another person.

Avoid a Nightmare this Halloween: Thirteen Questions to Ask When Interviewing General Contractors

As you all may or may not know, I work as a Project Manager for IBM. We're in the process of renovating our house and I recently spent some time looking for advice on interviewing and selecting a General Contractor. After looking around for a little bit, I couldn't find a single source for obtaining a list of questions every homeowner should ask when interviewing or evaluating their GC. So I came up with the idea of using my experience in Project Management and surveying my friends and family to publish a word document for others to use as well.

Here are some of the questions I've included in my Word doc:

• How long has your company been in business & what is your license number for the county?
• What level of insurance do you carry and would you provide a proof of insurance for our review?
• How many people would you use? Are they staff or brought on as needed?
• What work do you subcontract and what do you do in house?
• Would you accept a project with milestones, penalty clauses and early finish bonuses?
• How do you handle changes to the project discovered during the job?
• What types of contracts would you prefer: Fixed Price, Cost + Materials w/ Profit, Not To Exceed?
• What will the payment schedule look like?
• What kind of warranties do you offer on your workmanship?
• Who will be the project or site supervisor and will that person be on site full time?
• Can we expect to see the same workers on site everyday?
• What other projects are you working on right now? May we visit a site where work is in progress?
• Please provide names & phone #’s of 3 homeowners that you’ve completed projects for:

Feel free to send comments/feedback so that we can improve this document and make it as good as possible. The list of contractor horror stories grows every day and if we all did a little due diligence prior to hiring, hopefully we can weed out the good from the bad. Best of luck.

Link to the word document - Questions for General Contractors.

Google Killer Zotspot Launches - Users Get Paid to Search

Recently I attended the launch party for an intuitive website and I have a prediction to make. Search engine, Zotspot.com has just launched the next Google killer. I'm sure we've all read the headline before but I truly think Zotspot is onto something.

Eveyone knows that Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask and the multiple other search engines/portals achieve their revenue primarily through advertising. Isn't the next evolution of that business model to reward users of the respective search engines? I think so.

Enter Zotspot.com, an Internet Searh Engine that pays its members to use it and refer others. Started by Mark Davis a graduate of Duke University and his brother, Zotspot's mission is to "share the riches of the Internet search industry with you, the consumer." Users earn money by using the engine (no, clicking on ads will not earn you more) and referring other users. For those who don't feel comfortable ripping off Madison Avenue for your own personal gain, you can donate all or a portion of your earnings to charity.

How much can you make referring people and using the site? Zotspot estimates that each referral who uses zotspot as their primary search engine will generate between $0.25 and $0.50 for you per year. That may not seem like a lot, but it adds up quickly. Here is an example of how much money you can earn:



Anyways, I thought I'd write up a quick blurb on this fascinating website that I just recently learned about. Hope you all enjoy using it and feel free to click this banner to get me a referral. After that, just create an account (they will never spam you) and viola!

For Guys About to Pop the Question

I'll start things off on the new blog by discussing a topic that a good friend of mine (wink wink) knows very well. That good friend ;-) hasn't officially popped the question to his girlfriend yet but has made incredible strides in preparing to do so.

If you've ever wanted a way to comparison shop that jeweler of yours on the diamond that they just pitched you, check out Pricescope.com. Not only does Pricescope let you comparison shop online vendors for loose stones but they have tutorials on diamonds, a vivrant forum where you can read about all aspects of diamonds, catch up on proposal ideas, see pictures of other people's diamonds and settings (which could help you or your girlfriend decide what looks good) and they also provide tips on buying safely.

You must be saying to yourself, how reliable is it to purchase a stone off the internet? Ah hah! They also provide links to local independent appraisers and discuss what you should expect from working with an appraiser.

One quick story and then I'll end this entry. A few weeks ago, after meeting with a local vendor and obtaining copies of the GIA certificates for the stones he showed me, I went on Pricescope to compare his prices. I entered in the same specs for one of the stones he showed me. To my surprise, not only did I find the same specs but I was looking at the same exact GIA certificate number. The stone was being sold through multiple vendors online for over $1k cheaper than the local vendor was offering.

To sum things up, over the past few months, I've been doing my reading online, visiting with local vendors for loose stones and comparison shopping them online. I worked with an appraiser here in NYC and had multiple stones shipped to the appraiser for viewing without spending a dime out of my pocket. When I found the one I liked, I wired the $ to the online vendor and I walked out of the appraiser's with the stone in my hand.

If anyone wants to become more informed, comparison shop your jeweler or save a large chunk of $, check out the Pricescope approach. I did!