Brief Update

Hello!

Now that I'm sure no one comes here for updates I think I'll post a little something.

Daniel's Quickfacts:

• Campaign: After many months of work we came out ahead of our opponant in the primary and ended up at 54.5%. We're hoping that Palin will bring out more R's this next time around. Pretty dismal turnout, but we did well considering that we are in a swing district and Obama hype is in the air. 'Course being across the water from Portland is kinda telling in that regard.
• Campaign: Stephen came over to give me a hand for three weeks. He'll be back in the beginning of October and leave a week after the Election. It's nice to have extra help, and by the time he shows up again we'll really need it.
• Dialtone: We are getting close to being done! Our final edit has been completed and we are finalizing the score.
  
• Dialtone: The Craig Bro's TM are doing a superb job on the score. All involved have been amazed by how much good music enhances the film.
• Dialone: We are currently working on dialog audio correction, sound fx, visual fx, scoring, and color grading.
  

That's all for now!

VOIGHT: My concerns for America

From the star of National Treasure 1 & 2, Transformers, 24, and also the father of Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight has some pretty good thought on Obama.

From the Washington Times

We, as parents, are well aware of the importance of our teachers who teach and program our children. We also know how important it is for our children to play with good-thinking children growing up.

Sen. Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We cannot say we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry. We know too well that we become like them, and Mr. Obama will run this country in their mindset.

The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. It seems to me that if Mr. Obama wins the presidential election, then Messrs. Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers and Pfleger will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America.

The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds. I know this process well. I was caught up in the hysteria during the Vietnam era, which was brought about through Marxist propaganda underlying the so-called peace movement. The radicals of that era were successful in giving the communists power to bring forth the killing fields and slaughter 2.5 million people in Cambodia and South Vietnam. Did they stop the war, or did they bring the war to those innocent people? In the end, they turned their backs on all the horror and suffering they helped create and walked away.

Those same leaders who were in the streets in the '60s are very powerful today in their work to bring down the Iraq war and to attack our president, and they have found their way into our schools. William Ayers is a good example of that.

Thank God, today, we have a strong generation of young soldiers who know exactly who they are and what they must do to protect our freedom and our democracy. And we have the leadership of Gen. David Petraeus, who has brought hope and stability to Iraq and prevented the terrorists from establishing a base in that country. Our soldiers are lifting us to an example of patriotism at a time when we've almost forgotten who we are and what is at stake.

If Mr. Obama had his way, he would have pulled our troops from Iraq years ago and initiated an unprecedented bloodbath, turning over that country to the barbarianism of our enemies. With what he has openly stated about his plans for our military, and his lack of understanding about the true nature of our enemies, there's not a cell in my body that can accept the idea that Mr. Obama can keep us safe from the terrorists around the world, and from Iran, which is making great strides toward getting the atomic bomb. And while a misleading portrait of Mr. Obama is being perpetrated by a media controlled by the Democrats, the Obama camp has sent out people to attack the greatness of Sen. John McCain, whose suffering and courage in a Hanoi prison camp is an American legend.

Gen. Wesley Clark, who himself has shame upon him, having been relieved of his command, has done their bidding and become a lying fool in his need to demean a fellow soldier and a true hero.

This is a perilous time, and more than ever, the world needs a united and strong America. If, God forbid, we live to see Mr. Obama president, we will live through a socialist era that America has not seen before, and our country will be weakened in every way.

Jon Voight is an Academy Award-winning actor who is well-known for his humanitarian work.

Campaigning

I find that I have a tendency to write really long posts, if and when I actually post. This obviously takes a lot of time, and thus I tend to push blogging way down on the priority list. This is obviously not a good thing, as I feel I have a responsibility to keep certain folks updated. If you are not one of those folks, that’s okay, you can still read my posts.

In any event, I plan on updating more, but with shorter entries.

But to start it off, I’ll bring you up to speed.

First I’d like to say that my multi-month vacationing marathon around Eastern Europe and Australia has been interesting and enjoyable. The weather has been consistently nice, and the food is fantastic. The natives, however, are just as stuck up as ever against us Yanks. Regardless, that hasn’t stopped me from perfecting my surfing pro-skills and diving the Reef just about every day.

Oh wait; this is a blog post, not an addition to my summer wish list (which I've been meaning to start). Sorry.

Some folks still have no idea that I’m in still in WA, but in fact I’m working in Vancouver and will be until at least December.

I am the campaign manager of a senate re-election race, as well as the executive assistant to the CEO of a marketing firm. My day is split in two, focusing on the business in the mornings, and working on the campaign in the afternoon. Thankfully my boss is the same for both jobs, but it still can be confusing when trying to keep track of two very fast paced schedules.

Probably the most diverse of the two jobs would be campaigning. I run the Senator’s schedule, coordinate endorsement and fundraising meetings, take all the campaign phone calls that come in, recruit volunteers, and file the contributions that come in with the Public Disclosure Commission every week (they keep track of all funds received and spent in every race for public office in the state).

I work with a WSU grad, Jami, who is our communications director. She does our press releases, updates our website and Facebook page, and coordinates our events with our volunteers.

“Doorbelling” makes up a large part of campaign work. Studies have shown (don’t ask me when or where) that physically handing information to someone and giving them a quick pitch, as opposed to strictly sending them mail pieces, cements the name of the candidate in their mind and acts a follow up to your other name recognition efforts (road signs, parades, etc.). All this is done with the hope that the ever forgetful voter will recall his sentient of good feeling or trust towards the candidate that he has perhaps gained when it comes time to check the box near his name.

I have plenty of stories of what happens on some peoples doorsteps, but for starters let me just say that the average voter, yes we’re talking register voters here, is horrendously under-informed (A.K.A Ignorant).

Most of the folk I talk to know only who they are voting for in the Presidential race. Other than that they don’t seem to care, at all. This apathy drives me out of my mind because they have no idea how much more state politics affects their everyday lives as opposed to national politics. :end of rant:

Another thing I've learned is that a lot of voters like to vote for the winner. It seems that if the voter percives a candidate as being likely to win, they will join what is called the "bandwagon" effect.

Well, thats all for now. Check back for more frequent (albeit random) updates from the life of a campaign manager. If you dare.

My Pal Is Married!

Well, I’m back. Again. The past two weeks has been a whirlwind of activity, only, a whirlwind that goes on for two weeks (which normally doesn’t happen in real life, thankfully). However, unlike the destructive nature of whirlwinds, the past two weeks have been positively inspirational, recreational, and educational.

First I’ll start with the Inspirational –

Two weeks ago I flew into Charleston, SC to take part in one of my best pal’s wedding. Tait Zimmerman and Lauren Fitzhenry made solemn and Christ-honoring vows to each other under the full blessing of both their parents.

I, and the other two interns (Christopher and Jason), met Tait right at the start of our internship. This provided us the opportunity to encourage (and tease) him during his two year pursuit that finally concluded in marriage.

The outdoor setting was beautiful, the family and guests were happy and excited, and the spirit of the entire event was one of great encouragement.

This couple, young as they were, got it. They understood the importance of the family and the structure God had outlined for it. They entered a covenant together with much more maturity and council than most couples do throughout our entire nation. Because they have heeded the many years of advice they each have received from their parents and godly influences in their life, I know that Tait and Lauren will be might weapons in the hands of the Creator in their new life together.

Congratulations!

I'm Back!

After about three straight months of pure scheduling mayhem I have finally arrived at a time where I can sit down, think for a moment, and realize that it's not going to get any easier!

So, I've made up my mind to return to my blog and my loyal readers, come what-may.

Thanks to the dedicated updates from Stephen and Jacqueline, everyone should be well aware of the happenings of the larger faction of the Bittner clan.

I, on the other hand, have much explaining to do.

To bring everyone up to speed, I completed my third session in the Senate during the same week the movers packed away all of the family stuff.Our biggest accomplishment this year was to finaly pass a law to tighten a loop hole regarding sex offenders. After three years of work, we finaly did it! You can read, and watch, the story here and here.

After that I was hosted at the Rowlands home for a week. During that week my family and I said our goodbyes to each other and I remained behind.

With about five days left of "free time" before I had to head down to Vancouver for my new job, I hurriedly worked with the rest of the GP Crew and organized an insane 4 different film shoots. Somehow we pulled them off thanks to the amazing coordination from many different volunteers.

I then headed down south to my new home in Washougal, and my new job in Vancouver. I have been graciously welcomed into the home of Jon and Sarah Russel for the extent of the elections. I am becoming welcomed by their 2 year old daughter, Eve, who I think is leaning towards liking me.

I now split my work day working for a national consulting group as an executive assistant to the president/national consultant, and also working as the senate campaign manager for the same guy. He is the Senator I have been working for in the Senate for the past three years.

The campaign has been very interesting so far as well as the consulting work. I will be sharing those interesting tid bits in the days to come.


So, that pretty much brings everyone up to speed to where I'm at (with the exception of a few details).

I have recently taken a liking to the ever popular, private social networking site, Facebook. I have many pictures and updates that are there that I probably won't post on this public blog, just because I'd rather not share them with un-friendy's of the campaign, such as local newspapers, that are just waiting to find out things that could be used as cannon fodder.

So....if you don't have an account you should at least check out the site and see how many folks you know are already there (I should be getting paid by Facebook for this).


That's all for now! I'll be back! Sooner!

Physics of life at 40 below

As I sorted through my files this eveing before I back up my hard drive, I ran accross this article that I tucked away when my family thought that we
 were heading to Alaska last year.

I instantly thought of my Zimmerman friends up there and thought I'd post this so that the rest of you "lower 48'rs" can see what AK living is like. 

A father wakes, rolls out of bed and steps on cold carpet. He grabs a flashlight and shines it outside the window. The thermometer reads 40 below zero, the only point at which the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales agree. The red liquid within his thermometer is alcohol; mercury freezes at 38 below.

His little boy wakes, dresses and hands his father birch logs to add to the wood stove. The logs are heavy, cut last fall and not properly dried. The green wood contains almost 50 percent moisture, compared to about 30 percent in cured wood. The logs hiss amid other burning logs. They give off no heat until the moisture is driven off.

Outside, the car is plugged in. The father remembered the night before to activate the heating element that warms his antifreeze, which in turn keeps his motor oil just viscous enough to allow the pistons to move. A heat blanket, another northern adaptation, has kept the battery at about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, just warm enough to permit 50 percent of the cranking strength available in summer.

After breakfast, the mother dresses her boy so he can wait outside for the school bus. She pulls a big pile hat over his head, knowing that's where the human body loses the most heat, followed by the neck, the sides of the torso under the arms, and his groin.

Mother and son walk outside, crunching the snow on the driveway as they break the bonds between snow crystals. The dry snow is cold enough to prevent skis from gliding. The air is so cold it robs the interface between ski and snow of heat produced by friction that creates melt water on which to glide in warm temperatures.

On the road, car headlights cut through the ice fog that hangs over the road like cotton candy. Exhaust, about 250 degrees in the tailpipe, cools to minus 40 in less than 10 seconds after it comes out of the vehicle. Water cooled that fast turns into tiny particles that make up ice fog. Cars and trucks aren't the only things that make ice fog. Any source of water vapor will do, including people.

Waiting for the bus, mother and son turn to the sound of a nearby train. Though the train is more than five miles away, a temperature inversion makes it sound as if it's coming down the street. The inversion, created when warm air rests on top of colder air, acts as a tunnel in which sound waves bounce for great distances.

The boy sees a raven flying above the ice fog and points to it. Ravens often roost close to town during a cold snap. As the black bird flies through the air, its hyper metabolism keeps its body temperature at about 107 degrees. Through various adaptations, most animals are bothered very little by the cold, though chickadees adapted to life at bird feeders will probably die if people stop feeding them now.

School is rarely closed by cold weather in Alaska (the Fairbanks North Star Borough has no official temperature cutoff), so the bus arrives on time. The mother walks back into the house, her toes tingling as her extremities go through a normal cycle of warming and cooling. Her toe temperature rises to 68 degrees after falling to 50 while waiting for the bus.

The father starts a sluggish car engine. During the cold start, his engine spews a large amount of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and a whole slew of hydrocarbons. After five to 10 minutes, heat from the engine warms the gasoline, which changes more readily to vapor, allowing more gas to ignite and reducing the pollutants out the tailpipe. As he pulls out of the driveway and into the fog floating above the street, his car bounces due to a tire that has retained a flat spot. He bumps down the road slowly until the tire warms enough for the rubber to become more flexible. Life rolls on

-Ned Rozell
ALASKA SCIENCE

:hibernating:

Well, for those of you who are in close contact with me you probably know that I am currently infatuated in a plethora of activities which are constricting, and or otherwise inhibiting, my ability (or energy) to update this blog on a more consistent basis.

And the fact that I just wrote that obnoxious paragraph just proves how stretched out I am.

Currently I am working once again as the Session Aide to a Senator here in the WA State Senate. In my spare time I am helping dad get our house ready to sell, as we are moving to the East Coast next month. I am also working as a contractor doing web work.

But that is just part of my day.

The rest is filled with the thousands of unknown known’s (a quote from Donald Rumsfeld that you should Google) that pop up when you are producing a film.

Brian and I have been working tirelessly to keep DialTone on schedule and shot before we move in March. Thanks to a fantastic crew we have been doing very well so far and are well on our way to getting it done in time.

In any event, I’ll be taking a break from blogging here for the next month or so. You will find me over at germaneproductions.blogspot.com instead.

By the way, if you support Christian filmmaking please consider making a donation to Germane Productions. We need you help! It’s amazing what costs are incurred when you make a film, but trust me, it costs!

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon.