The Laubs are good cooks

Images that agree:
Sub-argument: Megan is a good cook

Italian Breaded Pork Chops with Couscous and Applesauce (the sauce was necessary because the chops were dry)

Image Background: Megan made this cake for my 35th Birthday. 35 Years of Laub (German for Foliage). Reason to agree that this image supports the above conclusion:
1. It takes thought, planning, creativity, caring, and love to be a good cook. The above cake shows that Megan poses those attributes.
2. Some frosting is gross. Megan makes good frosting.

Image Background: My birthday, 2012. Asparagus with red peppers, chicken wrapped in bacon, and some artisan  potatoes

Reason to agree that this image supports the above conclusion: 

1. The above photo shows a healthy meal, which is required to be a trully good cook

A cake Megan made for Ali on her 2nd B-Day

Megan: "As many of you know, Mike had a birthday at the end of January. To make his day extra special, we tried to make him a fancy dinner. The menu included: hazelnut crusted chicken with Gorgonzola sauce, wild rice, green and yellow beans, and IBC root beer. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the chicken a 6. I think hazelnuts are delicious with chocolate, but not so tasty with chicken. Also, Gorgonzola is one of those moldy cheeses. I don't need to purchase fancy, moldy cheese. I produce such cheeses in my fridge monthly; although, I don't usually eat them, unless I'm not paying attention. However, Mike seemed to like the meal, and I suppose that is what really matters."

Megan: "For dinner, we had Chicken in Tarragon Cream Sauce and White and Wild Rice with Walnuts. This is a Rachael Ray recipe—it was chosen because her recipes are easy and quick. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this recipe an 8. It might have received a higher score if we could have eaten it piping hot, but the kids just had to have dinner first, so our precious meal cooled while the kids ate their beloved and bland TV dinners. If you do choose to make this recipe, I suggest you accompany the dish with a chilled bottle of aged root beer or cream soda. We chose A&W cream soda in diet flavor. The subtle hint of aspartame really complimented the anise-like flavor of the tarragon. For dessert, we heated up frozen chocolate lava cake and tried to pretty it up with caramel sauce and magic shell topping. The magic shell was too runny and ruined the overall look of the dessert, but it tasted magnifique. Our Valentine's Chaperone and Our Dinner ***Note: I removed the stems from the chocolate dipped strawberries because I didn't want the greenery getting in the way of my mouthful of yumminess. But as I gaze at the photo, I see that my decision drastically reduced the beauty of chocolate covered strawberries. I'm not for butchering beauty. I'll make sure to leave on the stems next time.***

Megan: "For dinner, we had calzones. A big thanks to my sister for pointing me in the direction of the calzone recipe. They turned out tasty and even looked like calzones. Mike gave the recipe a 10 out of 10. Here it is if you want to try it: Real Italian Calzones. I changed a couple things in the recipe, though. I used mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar, and I used black olives and tomatoes instead of mushrooms. The only fungus that ever touches my pizza, or its calzone cousin, is yeast. I salute you, yeast...you are the specks of sunshine in the moldy and decaying kingdom of Fungi."

Megan: "For his cake, I decided Phil needed a theme, and the theme would be bouncy balls. We bought him a ball popper machine and a big, blue beach ball. On the cake, I was going to write: "Happy Birthday, Phil! Have a Ball." However, I ran out of room and enthusiasm, so I shortened "Birthday" to "B-Day" and let the reader infer "Have a Ball" from the cake's decor (bouncy balls and Sixlets®). Just to be clear, though, the moment the bouncy balls were purchased, my kids inferred "Have a Ball," so mission accomplished."

Sub-argument: James is a good cook

Images that agree:

Image Background: In McCall we didn't have marshmallows for s'mores but we made due with what we had.

Sub-argument: Mike is a good cook
Images that agree:

Image Background:  1995 in my parents basement.
It has been a while sense I used Tupperware and a knife to cook a hot dog 

Steve People's "Suggestion"?

See this news article from the Associated Press:

Would you consider that to be an accurate "reporting" of what Obama said. Instead of miss-characterize what he said, why don't "news" organization (and Steve Peoples) just report the facts?

AP implies that Obama used the word "help". However Obama gives 100% of the credit to the community, not the individual. Obama said; "If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."

Comments like that are a slap in the face to the American Dream and reveal the President's naïve view that government, and not the hard work, talent, and initiative of people, is the center of society and the economy. Clearly, this President doesn't understand how our economy works.

Given the information you provided, it seems like the belief in question is that the media, and Steve Peoples in particular, are biased in their reporting of President Obama's comments about individual and communal contributions to success. Here are the pros and cons of this belief:

**Pros**

1. Encourages Critical Thinking: This belief promotes skepticism towards media reporting and encourages individuals to critically analyze the news they consume.

2. Promotes Media Accountability: Holding media to account for any perceived biases could lead to more balanced and accurate reporting in the future.

3. Highlights Possible Misinterpretation: By discussing the nuances in President Obama's statements, this belief highlights how comments can be interpreted differently depending on perspective.

**Cons**

1. Potential Overgeneralization: Labeling an entire news organization or an individual as biased based on one instance might oversimplify the complexities inherent in reporting.

2. Misunderstanding of Journalism: While it's important for journalists to be objective, it's also part of their job to provide context and interpretation to the events and statements they're reporting on.

3. Neglects Differing Viewpoints: The belief assumes there is a single "correct" interpretation of President Obama's statements and doesn't acknowledge that different interpretations can be valid.

a) **Beliefs one must also reject to reject this belief**: If you reject this belief, you might also reject the idea that media bias is prevalent or that journalists intentionally distort their reporting.

b) **Alternate expressions**: #MediaBias, #FairReporting, #NewsIntegrity

c) **Objective criteria to measure the strength of this belief**: One could analyze the reporting of different media outlets on the same issue, looking at their choice of words, context provided, and whether they include a variety of viewpoints.

d) **Shared interests between those who agree/disagree**: Both parties are likely interested in accurate, fair reporting and a well-informed public.

e) **Key opposing interests**: Those who agree might be concerned about media accountability and transparency, while those who disagree may be more concerned about defending journalistic freedom and acknowledging the complexity of reporting.

f) **Solutions**: Media literacy education can help the public critically analyze news. Improved transparency in journalistic practices could also alleviate concerns about bias.

g) **Strategies for encouraging commitment to a resolution**: Public dialogue, perhaps in the form of community forums or debates, could foster understanding. Regular audits or reviews of media outlets could also ensure adherence to journalistic standards.

Weather can be destructive

My Images that agree:

2012 wind storm at my parents house while we were visiting (Oldest son first on the site, came running in when it fell).

People seeking to maximize moral behavior in society should promote monogamy

Plants are interesting

Images that agree:

On a hike in mountains of Idaho (above McCall, off Lick Crick Road) my son found a flower that had 1 stem but 2 different types of flowers stuck together.

Reasons to agree:

1. Laub is German for leaves or foliage. I'm not exactly sure how that ended up being our last name, but plants have to be pretty dang interesting to name yourselves after them.

Websites that agree::

1. Laub Life: Parsley

Kids like fire works

Images that agree:

Ali watching fire works with Cousins in McCall, Idaho. 2012. It seems that we watch fire works at the Bolingbrook end of summer fire work show each year. But the best fire works are on the beach of the Payette Lake in Idaho. They bring a barge to the middle of the lake, and freak out the local wildlife. You can hear the explosions from the fireworks bounce off the mountains. They usually have a great show. Fire works are hard to capture on Camera, so sorry it is sort of a lame post...

Hiking is a good pastime

Reasons to agree

1. Hiking is good exercise. 

Images that agree:

1. 
• Lick Creek Road, Above McCall Idaho. My daughter with a stick and a flower that she found along our trip. (Photo: My brother, 2012) My brother's daughter carried our daughter on her shoulder, let her hold a big toad that she caught (James wouldn't hold it), and showed my kids the "zit tree". J was fast and stayed with his cousins, and so I got to walk slowly with Alison.
2. 
• My daughter and I on a rock (Photo: My brother, 2012)
3. 
• This is a big tree. Or as my youngest would tell us on this day, perhaps 300 times: "Trees are big".
4. 
• My daughter getting a ride from her cousin

Kids are good... when they are asleep

Background / Context: This is something my dad would always say: "Mike is a good boy... when he's asleep". Sometimes when you have had a tough day with one of the kids, they can seem like little devils when they are awake, but when they are asleep they look like such angels.

Images that agree:

1. 
• 2012-06-25. For some reason Phil does not like sleeping in beds. 
2. 

TNM

Our 1st Mission President: Bray, he finished up in  1996

Old Hickory, TN Co-workers: Christensen / Burt. Ross Brooks visiting us

Laubs are good dancers

Best Videos that agree: +4

No this is not sped up. The last few seconds are the best. James wasn't talking very well, but you can make out "Blitzkrieg Bop"

The last few seconds looks like she really got into the rythem. "All Apologies"

Mamma Mia

You should keep track, online what you did each week

Reasons to agree

1. Writing things online, as apposed to just to yourself, will force you to project outwards, spell better, be more careful, etc.
2. Even if no one will care, it is important to view your own life as important. Your life is the most important thing in the world to you. You only live once. The things you do, even if they are boring, are important. 
3. If you put all your boring stuff on 1 post, and keep updating that post, you can keep from wasting reading it unless they go out looking for that boring post. 
4. The act of forcing yourself to write, will help you realize what is going on. It will make you pay attention. And the unexamined life is not worth living. 

Reasons to disagree

1. Writing online will prevent you from being honest.
2. It can be damaging to think your views are important, without doing the real work of ensuring that your views stand up to criticism, or without putting the effort to say things better than have been said before. You are wasting people's time unless you say something new or better. 

September 28th, 2012

Carried the boy up the stairs, bumping his head each step up the stairs and saying "oops" each time his head bumped the wall... stopped to scare him with swirley's, but he has no fear and laughs at me.

#3 wakes up when I put #1 down, but does not yell / scream / cry like he is often want to do.

Worked extra 15 hours or so this week. Stayed up till 1 AM.



June 19th
Ali caught toads at the park today. There were 2, and they kept peeing on her.

James hit his head and didn't cry until he saw blood. Then he freaked out.

The week of June 17th, 2012:

• James scored another point yesterday in his soccer game. He has learned to set aside any regard for the safety of the goalie, and kicks it in if they drop it.
• I got a VHS to computer adapter, and have backed up all my family videos in a 2nd format. 
• I take the kids to the high school's hill. James takes his razer, and bike. He doesn't go to fast on his bike, and I didn't expect him to get going that fast on the scooter, but I look up and he is holing pretty fast... I tell him (shout at him) to slow down, which of course causes him to crash (sorry James). He got scrapes on his knees, and his hands. He was really tough, and cleaned his wounds himself (I didn't have to wrangler him down WWF style, like I usually do). When he scrubbed one of his knees, it had some blood, but it was mainly the road scid mark left on him, and he did not crayon all over the road...

You should keep track of important letters from your life

Images that agree:

I didn't like my textbooks at school. Shouldn't we have Yelp, or consumer reports for textbooks?

State Parks in Illinois are anticlimactic (compared to Idaho)

Reasons to agree:

1. Illinois doesn't have any mountains. Without mountains you don't have good rapids, sking, waterfalls, canyons, views, climbing, etc.
2. Illinois doesn't have very many clean rivers or lakes.
3. Millions of people go to visit Starved Rock State Park each year.

Reasons to agree: 

Having come from Idaho, I can say that Idaho might be lacking in metropolitan attractions as much as Illinois lacks in scenic natural attractions.

We have been to the Zoos, and Major Museums. Fine dinning isn't a big attraction with little kids, we don't go to plays, musicals, or any of that stuff. We often are looking for places to take the kids, let them look at some natural thing that's cool. In Illinois a 100 foot cliff over a river qualifies as a natural tourist attraction. According to their website, millions of people go to visit Starved Rock every year. 

However there is nothing much better from the natural work to look at here, and so I guess this is all we have... So we have driven there twice: One week before Phil tried coming early, and once Memorial Day, 2012.

Images that agree:

Here are some photos from 2010. J was 5, and A was 2:

The look out from the top of a 100' cliff that looks over a river

Look hard James. This qualifies as a mountain view in this state

Here are some photos from 2012:

French "Canyon"

The Lodge

Back of the Lodge

Coming down from the Lodge to the visiting center

You can see "Starved Rock" in the back.
We climbed to the top of it last week. The view is to scenic overlooks
what Mt. Trashmore is to the Tetons. 

Related Links:

• Near Chicago Tourism

Chicago Suburban Schools are pretty good

Images that agree:

1.  
• Punting Challenge 
2.  
• Climbing the Pole Vault judging thingy 
3. 
4. 
1. Not much of a hill, but enough for James to get some speed

Weight Watchers is the best weight loss program +3

Rumors that this is the chair I was using, are completely false

Reasons to agree: +2

1. After years of trying, I lost 40 lbs. About 2 lbs per week. I'm now at a healthy weight, and feel great. My blood pressure was prehypertension. Now it is 100/80. I enjoy cooking, and have not spent more money on food.
2. I didn't have to go listen to fat old ladies talk about their weight. I went to 1 meeting, got the app for my iPod touch, learned the points program, and didn't go to another meeting. Now that I am 186, I have about 10 more pounds I'm not loosing. and I sort of actually want to go to a meeting or two. I'm a life time member, and so now I can, if I ever want. 

Images that agree: +1

This image proves that weight watchers works

Websites that agree: +1

1. http://www.weightwatchers.com

Websites that disagree: -1

1. http://www.jennycraig.com/

Total Score: +3

Background, and context
5/26/2012

I've lost 26 pounds in weight watchers in the last 11 weeks

Before I signed up I didn't really see how listening to strangers sit around and talk about their weight would help me. But my company paid 1/2 the price, and I figured it couldn't hurt.

But using their "points plus" system of tracking food points, I was able to loose an average of 2.36 pounds per week. They don't force you to go to the meetings, and so I didn't go (that 1st meeting wasn't that bad. They had trained professionals running it). They mentioned the iPod app, and I'm an aspiring technologist, and so I tried it out, and it was pretty cool.

Before I didn't think I was that much over weight (I'm 6'-3". Weight watchers says I should be between 160 and 200 lbs). Now I'm so glad that I have lost 26 lbs, and wish I would have done this much sooner, or never added the weight in the 1st place...

May 10th I weighed 126 lbs. This morning I weighed in at 199.4. In 11 weeks, I lost 26 lbs.

I'm shooting for 180, and so I still have 20 lbs to go. At the end of this I will have lost 46 lbs. That is more than my 2 year old son, who is very big for his age.

Things that worked for me:

1. The weight watcher system uses grams of fat, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein to calculate points for each food. Based on your height and weight you get a certain amount of points. You have to learn the system, but it is really cool to figure out what foods are "good" (according to weight watchers) and what foods are bad. I really could have never done this on my own. I never went to a meeting. I never had to listen to share my feelings about eating or anything like that... 

1. Thinking about what I ate is sort of fun. I don't know that much about cooking, but planning things out and thinking about it is a little bit of work, but it is sort of fun and I'm glad I've done it...

If you want, I have a pretty cool excel document that I set up to help me out. Just send me an e-mail and I'll send you a copy.

I'm really glad Megan figured this all out years ago, let me take my time, and helped make healthy meals!

August 25, 1994 (my Sr. Year) I was 74 inches (6'-3") and 164 lbs. That was 6.4% body fat. By March 2012 I weighed in at 226 lbs. That is 62 lbs in 18 years or 3.4 lbs per year. I WISH I would have tracked it.

That's about it for now...

Sep 28th 2012

I've lost 40 lbs so far... I would still like to loose 10, but don't seem to want to loose the last little bit...

Moving on to other things.

I can now do 100 pushups in the space of 15 minutes, in sets of 10. Think this would be a good goal to maintain  I'm in mid 30s now, and would like to do it in my 40s, 50, and maybe even 60s?

There was a nice guy who came to straighten our carpet, that was probably in his late 50s... That would be cool.

You should keep old school work

Images that agree:

1.  
• James, 2012. Their little mistakes are cute, because they remind us how much there is to learn, and reminds us when we were little, and trying to figure stuff out. If you look carefully you will notice the following: no "x" in the alphabet, includes "and" as a letter on the keyboard, as = us, momy = money, nise = nice. That's my son. And just so adults don't get too high and mighty, you might notice that the question omitted the word "give". 
2.  
• James, 2012: James: "She will make a thump!" I love breakfast! Today I had jeltin and cereal. The jeltin was shalbe flaber. The cerial had brownshager. on it. Do you like breakfast? Items in the above image: James sitting at our table. Megan climbing under the table. She will make a thump. A fly in our Kitchen. The ceiling fan, faucet, and cupboards.
3.  
• James, 2012: "When I grow up I want to be a zoo keeper. I want to be a dophim chaner. I want to swim with dolphim. I want to look at Dolphim emery day. I will never choe my jod. I like dolphim. I want to make sher that the dolphim are helfy. And thay git lots of exersise. I want thme to be good. the end. James" 
4. 
5.  
• James, 2012, Dolphin are sort 
6.  
• James, 2012: "My fabrite animal is a humpback whales! It lives in the sea. It eats crill"

Some women want to have kids

Photos that agree:

The bubble is a photo I took of my wife when we were trying to have kids, but couldn't. We bought an outfit for a cousin, for their baby, and I came in on her when she was holding it like a baby, and a little bit of a tear in her eye.

My kids enjoy visits from their grandparents

Images that agree:

1. 
• Friday Morning Walk around the block. 
2.  
• Grandma didn't get as many hugs last time. She is very happy this time 
3.  
• Ali also likes her Grandpa. 
4.  
• Phis is doing better staying in his stroller. Stupid camera strap. Phil's shoes were wet from yesterday at the duck pond so he went for his walk in in PJs and shoe-less.