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A Reader’s Question – Are Republicans and Democratic Politicians held to different standards by the Public and if so, Why?

Many of you like the questions and answers on this blog. I just found another one from ‘Okemos’ who asks

I know that Republican politicians are supposed to be conservative and all that, and when one of them gets caught up in a Scandal they usually are thrown out at a quicker rate than Democrats. I wonder why that’s the case. Mark Sanford is kind of mind boggling why he hasn’t resigned yet, given he’s a douche.

Answer: Republicans are usually more strict in their beliefs and their scandals are usually a bit more extreme than Democrats. Larry Craig, for an example, versus Edwards. Gay sex scandal vs cheating on his wife. Which happens more?

Tagged:Politics

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Why Your Golf Grip is so Important

Golf demands precise attention to so many details in order to play it successfully, there no part of this game that is more crucial than the correct grip. Everyone who plays the game strives for a few basic things in a comfortable grip, your swing should be fluid and continuous from the moment you line up the ball to the end of your follow through, and making sure you golf club head hits the ball square and not producing slices, you also want to bring enough power to the ball with a strong swing, but at the same time you need to change your grip in order to not have the club slip from your hands.

When selecting a grip for you, another type of grip is the light grip pressure, gripping too hard can cause thin, soft poor shots that slice, also the lighter grip will make the wrist hinge more a stronger power source in the way you swing, this light grip also allows for more club face rotation, thus making your chances better of squaring the club at contact with the ball. To be a good ball hitter, try to find a grip that will assist you putting the club head square to the golf ball when you hit it, a certain grip for me and a grip for you may not be the same, so don’t think that you have to hold your club the same way as everyone else,

in fact, maintaining a good grip is like art, you shape and mold your hands to the club until you find the most comfortable and pleasing grip. There’s the club and your hands, the hands will predict how you set up to the hit the ball, how does your club look on your back swing, what does the club face look like at impact of the ball and how fast are you swinging the club, spend some time learning the proper grip and you will see great results in no time at all.

1. With your body straight and arms loose and dropped at your side, look at how your thumb of your left hand dangles down and opposite for right side if your thumb hangs to the right, now put your thumb on the right side of the club, if it dangles to the center, then it should be placed in the center of the club.

2. You should move your thumb so that it is relaxed and comfortable for you, never let your thumb on your left hand go directly down the club and make sure it never lays down on the left side of the club, if that thumb lays on the left side of the club, you will have a very loose grip that will stop the wrist from flexing, you may like the feel, the only thing is you will not do very well.

3. Lets go to the other hand, pretend the palm of your right hand is the club face, the palm should be square to the club face, just as if it would be when hitting the ball, now spread your fingers, your lifeline on the right hand should fit comfortably on your left thumb then wrap the rest of your fingers around the club grip, hook the right forefinger around the club and spread it apart from the rest of your fingers, as if shooting a gun, gently press the palm of my right hand on top of my left thumb to make sure my hands are hooked together. Now, let’s see what is happening to your club face at impact. Simply grip the club like you would normally with just your left hand and raise the club up until the club is parallel to the ground.

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Obama’s open data order and its impact

Considering the positive steps that Obama has taken, open data is one of the major. As per the open data executive order, federal data would be made available to software developers. This is going to have a huge impact on agendas related to personal finance as well as software development for public welfare.

The open data policy which was passed on May 9^th is part of the US Digital Government Policy. The idea is ‘making open and machine readable the new default for government information’.

Under this policy, a resource by the name of Project Open Data would be made which is an online repository. This online repository would have tools and various schematics to help different agencies ranging from health care to the IT sector. 

The importance of this data to be made public can be understood from different applications that can benefit the masses.

For instance, there’s the Simple Energy mobile app. This application has been made using the data from San Diego’s ‘smart’ grid.

The benefit of this app is that it is possible for electricity users to compare their consumption of electricity with others and also opt for cost saving plans.

Apps like these are not only going to reduce the carbon footprint, but also add cost effectiveness to the notion of energy savings plans, like those from Commerce Energy and other similar energy ventures. 

With more federal data being made available, the scope of these applications can be enhanced at a magnitude where their positive impact extends further.

Back in 2009, president Obama launched a similar directive, Open Government Directive, but it lacked political will. However, the latest proposition looks more promising and is expected to have a bigger impact.

The idea of federal data and personal finance is linked in so many ways.

Many apps can use this data to make customized budgeting based upon location. The concept of economical living also becomes more real.

The San Diego smart grid project that has been described earlier was successful in saving about 11 percent of the total energy use in the area.

More data means more reach, and better functionality.

The current model of an economical living is based more on smart spending rather than a lot of saving.

By spending your money in worthwhile investments or on items that are efficient, you would be able to save money in the long run.

The digitalization of the data allows usage on a mass scale, rather than at micro-level.

With federal data on health care made available, the San Ramon Valley Fire Department had taken a wonderful initiative in the form of an iPhone app that gave a CPR specialist an alert when a heart attack emergency took place in their vicinity.

In addition, the pharma sector can have a larger dataset to work on and can potentially reduce side effects of their drugs.

The recession hit economy needs a number of smart solutions to keep up with bad credits and other aspects related to personal finance.

With the mass dataset available, financial solutions workable at individual levels can be made.

The kind of software development talent that is available means this could be done in no time at all.

Innovative apps related to smart buying choices, a good insurance, cost effective stocks etc are also expected in the near future. 

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