Here are the topics for this morning's Christmas Day blog and in keeping with the season, this week's items are upbeat: holiday advertisements; false legends; Yuletide in Denver and the mountains; Christmas carillon concert.
Tis the season. I know Christmas is approaching when I see the ads for alka seltzer, the clapper, and chia pets. Of course, the alka seltzer ads continue through New Year's; alas, my grocery discount coupons expire on 1/3/2015.
The North Pole and Greenland. Bummer! Seems the North Pole, traditionally thought to be the "home" of Santa Claus, is too far north for both trees and reindeer. By the way, Rudolph should not have horns -- either that or he is not Scandinavian because male reindeer in Scandinavia lose their horns in the winter. Oh, oh!
Lest we forget, "Yuletide" is a pagan festival period that is now firmly
entrenched in the Christian era. I suppose, though, there might be some
druid celebrants among my readers. As I wrote this portion of the blog (mid-day Saturday, 20th), the winter solstice celebration at Stonehenge was less than 24 hours away. I have not been to Stonehenge for any solstice celebrations. No doubt, the modern day congregants/believers and the curious tourists were on the plain to celebrate. For those interested, here is a link to the site. Later weather reports and webcam pictures showed it to have been a cloudy, overcast celebration.
Christmas-time in Denver and Breckenridge. On Thursday (18th), we visited the Denver Zoo to take in their extensive annual light display. For the first time visitor and children of all ages, the colorful animations using bright LED lights make for fascinating displays. A mountain lion that twitches its tail, jumping tree frogs, swimming penguins, all manner of other zoo creatures move about in the darkness. To enter one area you walk in through the brightly lit "mouth" of a hippopotamus.
In Breckenridge it was good
fun to see how the town was decorated and to watch the visitors stream in. The Christmas vacationers to the Breckenridge found the previous snowstorm had deposited some 36 inches on the slopes. More is predicted for later Christmas week. Some beginning skiers were probably unsettled as they had to make their first ever runs without being able to "see" their feet. Here in southeast Denver, we had a meager 2-3"; the 4 inches predicted on Christmas Eve night never materialized. Christmas morning has dawned clear with only a few clouds.
Christmas carillon. There was a special Christmas eve concert at Denver University. The university's carillon began with Silent Night and continued with other favorite hymns. It was meant to commemorate the very unofficial truce declared by soldiers along one section of those murderous trenches of WW I, December 24, 1914. Legend has it that the shooting stopped, Yuletide greetings refreshments and small gifts were exchanged, even a soccer game played in the mud of no-man's land. The carillon's wonderful sounds were heard over the entire campus and the story in the Denver Post drew many listeners for something special on Christmas eve, 2014.
Thank you for reading and I do hope your Christmas is enjoyable. Now it's on to the first blog of 2015!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Here are the topics for this delayed blog: P,P, & M; a monarch rediscovered; candle making in Sweden; winter in FL; a December college graduation; finally, holiday music.
PBS fundraising. It is that time of the year -- again: money-raising time for Public Broadcasting. Sometimes, though, PBS fund raising has its moments. Last Wednesday there was a music segment from Peter, Paul, and Mary, one of my favorite groups from the '60s. Their songs were interspersed with pictures and a bit of commentary on the day. For example, their appearance at MLK, Jr's March on Washington. No massive electronics or pyrotechnics, just three great voices with marvelous harmony. Good stuff!
Parking lots, lost churches, and DNA. Word came this past week about "them bones." Location, age, skeletal similarities, and evidence of multiple wounds had given rise to much speculation. Now, DNA has virtually assured the world that the bones recovered from a parking lot on the past site of the Greyfriars Church in Leicester, England, are indeed those of Richard III. After his death in the Battle of Bosworth (1485), his bones had not been thrown into the River Soar at the Bow Bridge -- as legend would have it. Another mystery solved. RIP, Good King.
Winter in southeast Sweden. My wife's relatives live near Helsingborg, Sweden, just across the Ōresund from Hamlet's castle in Helsingor, Denmark, just north of Copenhagen. Even though it is not, as they say, "far north," the sun goes down early and comes up late. A past Christmas holiday visit gave us our first taste of eating both breakfast and dinner by candlelight! Hence, their Swedish family ritual of December candle making. There are craft shops where you can try your hand, though the Delanders have "graduated" and now make their own candles at home. A fun family holiday activity.
Frostproof. Yes, that is the name of one small town in central FL. This past week I spent time not far away and, though it seems counter intuitive, it was just chilly enough that the orchards around Frostpoof were spraying the trees to keep the oranges from freezing. Counter intuitive, but true.
Graduations. It seems they are all the same and always involve the everlasting debate over timing! How to recognize graduates from all the disciplines, faculty (distinguished or otherwise), et. al. The most fervent hope is that the featured speaker does not drone on and on. Sadly, she did, so the ceremony for my grand nephew at the University of Central Florida was no exception, but a good time was had by all.
Holiday music. Like it or not, the season is upon us. The car radio gave forth with one of the more unusual seasonal melodies: Eartha Kitt singing that sassy ditty, "Santa Baby." You know her list: sable coat, '54 convertible, yacht, deed to a platinum mine, duplex and checks, tree decorations from Tiffany's, a ring (please, not on the phone), and do "hurry down the chimney tonight."
Another favorite that will come around more than once is "Frosty the snowman," now available with an accompanying animated movie. Believe it or not, my father and our piano-playing cousin once sang Frosty live on the local radio station. Sadly, dad's 78rpm vinyl has been lost.
One past mid-December, my wife and I took a trip to the UK. We spent one week in London (plays, museums, etc.) and a second week in a 300 year-old manor house located in Droitwitch, a famed spa city near Birmingham. (The town's salt baths date to Roman times.) The manor, Hanbury Hall, is now owned and operated as part of the National Trust. The manor has two third-floor apartments, but for our week we had the manor to ourselves. Quite decadent!
A sign on the bulletin board outside the Trust office noted an upcoming evening gala with Christmas carols, tea, hot mulled wine, and traditional mincemeat pies. When we inquired, all the reservations were taken, but the lady in charge said, "Oh, you are staying with us so do come down. There's always someone who does not make it."
What an experience. The local chorus were beautifully dressed in traditional garb and aligned themselves along the ornate railing of the tall spiral staircase between the 1st and 2nd floors. Glorious voices, but of the 15 or so carols on the program, we recognized only one! We were welcomed as manor guests for the refreshments and were told all the carols were all very traditional English holiday tunes. The warmth of the mulled wine spread more than enough holiday cheer. I happen to love mincemeat and the individual pies were divine; my grandmother could not have done better!
Thank you for reading and enjoy your holiday preparations.
PBS fundraising. It is that time of the year -- again: money-raising time for Public Broadcasting. Sometimes, though, PBS fund raising has its moments. Last Wednesday there was a music segment from Peter, Paul, and Mary, one of my favorite groups from the '60s. Their songs were interspersed with pictures and a bit of commentary on the day. For example, their appearance at MLK, Jr's March on Washington. No massive electronics or pyrotechnics, just three great voices with marvelous harmony. Good stuff!
Parking lots, lost churches, and DNA. Word came this past week about "them bones." Location, age, skeletal similarities, and evidence of multiple wounds had given rise to much speculation. Now, DNA has virtually assured the world that the bones recovered from a parking lot on the past site of the Greyfriars Church in Leicester, England, are indeed those of Richard III. After his death in the Battle of Bosworth (1485), his bones had not been thrown into the River Soar at the Bow Bridge -- as legend would have it. Another mystery solved. RIP, Good King.
Winter in southeast Sweden. My wife's relatives live near Helsingborg, Sweden, just across the Ōresund from Hamlet's castle in Helsingor, Denmark, just north of Copenhagen. Even though it is not, as they say, "far north," the sun goes down early and comes up late. A past Christmas holiday visit gave us our first taste of eating both breakfast and dinner by candlelight! Hence, their Swedish family ritual of December candle making. There are craft shops where you can try your hand, though the Delanders have "graduated" and now make their own candles at home. A fun family holiday activity.
Frostproof. Yes, that is the name of one small town in central FL. This past week I spent time not far away and, though it seems counter intuitive, it was just chilly enough that the orchards around Frostpoof were spraying the trees to keep the oranges from freezing. Counter intuitive, but true.
Graduations. It seems they are all the same and always involve the everlasting debate over timing! How to recognize graduates from all the disciplines, faculty (distinguished or otherwise), et. al. The most fervent hope is that the featured speaker does not drone on and on. Sadly, she did, so the ceremony for my grand nephew at the University of Central Florida was no exception, but a good time was had by all.
Holiday music. Like it or not, the season is upon us. The car radio gave forth with one of the more unusual seasonal melodies: Eartha Kitt singing that sassy ditty, "Santa Baby." You know her list: sable coat, '54 convertible, yacht, deed to a platinum mine, duplex and checks, tree decorations from Tiffany's, a ring (please, not on the phone), and do "hurry down the chimney tonight."
Another favorite that will come around more than once is "Frosty the snowman," now available with an accompanying animated movie. Believe it or not, my father and our piano-playing cousin once sang Frosty live on the local radio station. Sadly, dad's 78rpm vinyl has been lost.
One past mid-December, my wife and I took a trip to the UK. We spent one week in London (plays, museums, etc.) and a second week in a 300 year-old manor house located in Droitwitch, a famed spa city near Birmingham. (The town's salt baths date to Roman times.) The manor, Hanbury Hall, is now owned and operated as part of the National Trust. The manor has two third-floor apartments, but for our week we had the manor to ourselves. Quite decadent!
A sign on the bulletin board outside the Trust office noted an upcoming evening gala with Christmas carols, tea, hot mulled wine, and traditional mincemeat pies. When we inquired, all the reservations were taken, but the lady in charge said, "Oh, you are staying with us so do come down. There's always someone who does not make it."
What an experience. The local chorus were beautifully dressed in traditional garb and aligned themselves along the ornate railing of the tall spiral staircase between the 1st and 2nd floors. Glorious voices, but of the 15 or so carols on the program, we recognized only one! We were welcomed as manor guests for the refreshments and were told all the carols were all very traditional English holiday tunes. The warmth of the mulled wine spread more than enough holiday cheer. I happen to love mincemeat and the individual pies were divine; my grandmother could not have done better!
Thank you for reading and enjoy your holiday preparations.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Here are the topics for this week's blog: Thanksgiving; the huge paper; Christmas preparations; Tom Harken; business as usual; jobs or Obamacare; Gardner vs. Udall; SCOTUS and Facebook
Thanksgiving Day. I hope all of you enjoyed a pleasant day.
Advance warning. There had been the appropriate advance notice (warning??): Thursday's Denver Post would be the "biggest ever." Indeed, the morning paper was monumental, another testament to American excess! This was one day to be especially thankful for my electronic edition, a convenient way to find just the news without having to struggle through all the unwanted flyers.
Tis the season. The early evening hours in the neighborhood has begun to brighten as holiday decorations go up all along our gently curved street. Some we have seen before, but there are always some new additions. The trees along the nearby Denver Tech Center Blvd are now sporting their usual white trunk and branch decorations. Gated and near-gated enclaves are also decorated. Enjoyable seasonal sights.
US Senator Tom Harken (D, IA). Harken, who has served in both the House (1975-1985) and Senate (1986-2015), is retiring at the end of the 113th Congress. As a House aide in 1970, he photographed and then safeguarded the film which disclosed the existence of the South Vietnamese government's infamous "tiger cages." Harken was fired for his actions, but went on to be elected to Congress and became an unabashed champion of human rights. His efforts in this regard will be sorely missed.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), minority leader. It is often the less publicized, back-door maneuverings that reveal the true inner workings of any bureaucracy. Hence, the current brouhaha over a proxy vote for a House member unable to attend her opening caucus meeting. This is not just another low ranking representative; rather, the current controversy concerns Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D, IL), double amputee, Iran war veteran, and first disabled woman to be elected to the House. Complications with Rep. Duckworth's current pregnancy make her unable to travel. Rep. Pelosi refuses to change the caucus rules to allow Ms. Duckworth to cast an absentee vote on the question of who will be the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce committee. The real problem is that in all probability, Duckworth would NOT vote for Pelosi's preferred choice. Remember Kris Kristofferson's lyrics, "...rules are rules and any fool can see..." Many House Democrats are upset, but, bureaucracies being notoriously hide-bound, the Democratic caucus rules probably forbid using Skype.
Senator Charles Schummer (D, NY). The #3 ranking senate Democrat certainly made an alternative pitch when he opined that the party's number one goal (what the people wanted) -- should have been jobs for the struggling middle class, not health care. Interesting, especially with 2016 looming just off stage.
Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Mark Udall (D-CO). Chalk two up for Ski Country USA! Long time election-watcher, Stu Rothenberg, rated Senator-elect Garner (now Rep) as the "best candidate" of the [Nov] cycle; alas, Stu also rated the campaign of Gardner's opponent, the soon-to-be-retired Sen. Mark Udall, as the "worst run." You can't win them all!
"Fire in a crowded theater" Forget past dictums, this is the 21st century. Justice Holmes's famous phrase was uttered in 1919, the veritable media-dark ages in Schenck v. U.S. Mr. Schenck's public anti-war statements were about US involvement in WW I. Today's equivalent problem well be yelling "Ebola" in the theater.
But what happens today when someone uses Facebook to issue seemingly very public threats that emanate far, far beyond Justice Holmes's small theater? Is the "theater" now so much larger that the old rule no longer applies?
The Supreme Court heard arguments on December 1st, but will likely not hand down its decision until the end of the current term in June 2015. The case title is Elonis v. U.S. for those who want to follow the story.
Thank you for reading and have a good week.
Thanksgiving Day. I hope all of you enjoyed a pleasant day.
Advance warning. There had been the appropriate advance notice (warning??): Thursday's Denver Post would be the "biggest ever." Indeed, the morning paper was monumental, another testament to American excess! This was one day to be especially thankful for my electronic edition, a convenient way to find just the news without having to struggle through all the unwanted flyers.
Tis the season. The early evening hours in the neighborhood has begun to brighten as holiday decorations go up all along our gently curved street. Some we have seen before, but there are always some new additions. The trees along the nearby Denver Tech Center Blvd are now sporting their usual white trunk and branch decorations. Gated and near-gated enclaves are also decorated. Enjoyable seasonal sights.
US Senator Tom Harken (D, IA). Harken, who has served in both the House (1975-1985) and Senate (1986-2015), is retiring at the end of the 113th Congress. As a House aide in 1970, he photographed and then safeguarded the film which disclosed the existence of the South Vietnamese government's infamous "tiger cages." Harken was fired for his actions, but went on to be elected to Congress and became an unabashed champion of human rights. His efforts in this regard will be sorely missed.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), minority leader. It is often the less publicized, back-door maneuverings that reveal the true inner workings of any bureaucracy. Hence, the current brouhaha over a proxy vote for a House member unable to attend her opening caucus meeting. This is not just another low ranking representative; rather, the current controversy concerns Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D, IL), double amputee, Iran war veteran, and first disabled woman to be elected to the House. Complications with Rep. Duckworth's current pregnancy make her unable to travel. Rep. Pelosi refuses to change the caucus rules to allow Ms. Duckworth to cast an absentee vote on the question of who will be the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce committee. The real problem is that in all probability, Duckworth would NOT vote for Pelosi's preferred choice. Remember Kris Kristofferson's lyrics, "...rules are rules and any fool can see..." Many House Democrats are upset, but, bureaucracies being notoriously hide-bound, the Democratic caucus rules probably forbid using Skype.
Senator Charles Schummer (D, NY). The #3 ranking senate Democrat certainly made an alternative pitch when he opined that the party's number one goal (what the people wanted) -- should have been jobs for the struggling middle class, not health care. Interesting, especially with 2016 looming just off stage.
Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Mark Udall (D-CO). Chalk two up for Ski Country USA! Long time election-watcher, Stu Rothenberg, rated Senator-elect Garner (now Rep) as the "best candidate" of the [Nov] cycle; alas, Stu also rated the campaign of Gardner's opponent, the soon-to-be-retired Sen. Mark Udall, as the "worst run." You can't win them all!
"Fire in a crowded theater" Forget past dictums, this is the 21st century. Justice Holmes's famous phrase was uttered in 1919, the veritable media-dark ages in Schenck v. U.S. Mr. Schenck's public anti-war statements were about US involvement in WW I. Today's equivalent problem well be yelling "Ebola" in the theater.
But what happens today when someone uses Facebook to issue seemingly very public threats that emanate far, far beyond Justice Holmes's small theater? Is the "theater" now so much larger that the old rule no longer applies?
The Supreme Court heard arguments on December 1st, but will likely not hand down its decision until the end of the current term in June 2015. The case title is Elonis v. U.S. for those who want to follow the story.
Thank you for reading and have a good week.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Here are this week's topics: an olde tome; immigration; a "white" Europe; identitarianism; words on war to ponder; Ferguson, MO; Senator Cruz (R, TX).
Old anatomy. If you are not vegetarian, then after you have dissected the holiday bird consider this nearly 500 year-old manuscript. You may have thought only Michael Angelo and friends were in the forefront of the interest in human anatomy, but there was also Andreas Vesalius.
Immigration policy. [This entry was begun on Wednesday evening after the time for President's national address was announced.] The 'fat's in the fire" — even before the speech's delivery. First, on the more trivial side, why the timing (8 pm eastern) instead of the more usual 7 pm eastern? To avoid conflict with the season finale of the now immensely popular TV series, Scandal, or the Latin Music Awards? Second, and more seriously, the inevitable before speech punditry about the possible long term impact of what some have already declared to be presidential over-reach. The "slippery slope" argument; though, as Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus noted correctly, “Presidential power, once expanded, is hard to contain." Indeed, some foresee that Republican howls of protest may be somewhat tempered by the "what if" scenario, i.e. they control both the executive and legislative branches after November 2016.
Identitarianism. Unfamiliar with this word? Apparently this is the new designation for those (mostly young white males) deeply concerned about the future of the white race, read as those adamantly opposed to "the perceived threats of multiculturalism, liberalism, and globalization." The Foreign Policy article, titled "The Bumbling Bigots of Budapest," related what happened when the Future Europe Congress began its two-day meeting in the Hungarian capital. Things did not go well; apparently Hungary's new strongman, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was not quite ready to side openly with such an openly racist group.
War and disillusionment. This Foreign Policy article ponders the too often un-/ill-considered consequences of war. Today's all volunteer army is one reason the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not simply re-runs of Vietnam. Many Vietnam vets did not volunteer for war but, none the less, suffered war's unintended consequences. Many of today's volunteers suffer these same uncertain outcomes.
A town, state, nation waiting and on edge. It seemed inevitable that the release of the grand jury findings in the death of Michael Brown would produce, at best, limited chaos. Michael's parents, the President, etc. have called for calm, no violence to degrade their son's death. My first hope was that the jury's findings would be issued early in the morning; it seems self-evident that the light of day will lessen the impact of any resulting chaos. All of the usual groups, pro- and con-, have plans in place; as do some new groups, e.g. the New Black Panthers and the Revolutionary Communists, to name just two.
For whatever reason, the grand jury's verdict was announced after dark at 8pm in Ferguson. There will be no charges filed against the Ferguson police officer who shot Michael Brown. Violence quickly ensued in Ferguson and many other widely scattered cities.We remain a nation troubled by our racist past.
Another deadline passed. The foreign news items included the passing of yet another missed deadline for the Iranian nuclear talks. A Foreign Policy article lists four considerations:
Thank you for reading and I wish you a pleasant Thanksgiving.
Old anatomy. If you are not vegetarian, then after you have dissected the holiday bird consider this nearly 500 year-old manuscript. You may have thought only Michael Angelo and friends were in the forefront of the interest in human anatomy, but there was also Andreas Vesalius.
Immigration policy. [This entry was begun on Wednesday evening after the time for President's national address was announced.] The 'fat's in the fire" — even before the speech's delivery. First, on the more trivial side, why the timing (8 pm eastern) instead of the more usual 7 pm eastern? To avoid conflict with the season finale of the now immensely popular TV series, Scandal, or the Latin Music Awards? Second, and more seriously, the inevitable before speech punditry about the possible long term impact of what some have already declared to be presidential over-reach. The "slippery slope" argument; though, as Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus noted correctly, “Presidential power, once expanded, is hard to contain." Indeed, some foresee that Republican howls of protest may be somewhat tempered by the "what if" scenario, i.e. they control both the executive and legislative branches after November 2016.
Identitarianism. Unfamiliar with this word? Apparently this is the new designation for those (mostly young white males) deeply concerned about the future of the white race, read as those adamantly opposed to "the perceived threats of multiculturalism, liberalism, and globalization." The Foreign Policy article, titled "The Bumbling Bigots of Budapest," related what happened when the Future Europe Congress began its two-day meeting in the Hungarian capital. Things did not go well; apparently Hungary's new strongman, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was not quite ready to side openly with such an openly racist group.
War and disillusionment. This Foreign Policy article ponders the too often un-/ill-considered consequences of war. Today's all volunteer army is one reason the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not simply re-runs of Vietnam. Many Vietnam vets did not volunteer for war but, none the less, suffered war's unintended consequences. Many of today's volunteers suffer these same uncertain outcomes.
A town, state, nation waiting and on edge. It seemed inevitable that the release of the grand jury findings in the death of Michael Brown would produce, at best, limited chaos. Michael's parents, the President, etc. have called for calm, no violence to degrade their son's death. My first hope was that the jury's findings would be issued early in the morning; it seems self-evident that the light of day will lessen the impact of any resulting chaos. All of the usual groups, pro- and con-, have plans in place; as do some new groups, e.g. the New Black Panthers and the Revolutionary Communists, to name just two.
For whatever reason, the grand jury's verdict was announced after dark at 8pm in Ferguson. There will be no charges filed against the Ferguson police officer who shot Michael Brown. Violence quickly ensued in Ferguson and many other widely scattered cities.We remain a nation troubled by our racist past.
Another deadline passed. The foreign news items included the passing of yet another missed deadline for the Iranian nuclear talks. A Foreign Policy article lists four considerations:
- Rouhani and Zarif have the power to cut a bargain. But neither is a free agent. Both have to ultimately deal with the aging leader of an authoritarian theocracy.
- Iran needs a deal, but how badly?
- Interests are more important than pride. Yes, but perhaps not for Iran's aging supreme leader.
- The Rolling Stones are [not] always right...Sometimes you really will hold out for what you want, not just what you need.
Thank you for reading and I wish you a pleasant Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Here are the topics for this week's delayed blog: polar news; a humorous/helpful voice lost; post election news; a faltering legacy; Earth's really big problems; morning autumn smells; new faces in the 114th Congress; The Berlin Wall, an unlamented passing; 21st century change; $ in politics; inequality; Catalina Island;a deserved statue in the US Capitol.
Arctic ice. Fast on the heels of last week's UN report on global climate change comes news of one of the lesser known impacts of global warming: likely changes in the Arctic Ocean. Melting ice is opening the way for greater access to not only the sea lanes, but also to the area's as yet unrealized mineral and oil potential. Governance of the Arctic and Antarctica are vastly different. This article from Wikipedia gives an indication of the situation for the latter, the world's fifth largest and most southern continent. Wikipedia also delineates the north polar region.
A lamented passing. If you have ever wondered "what's wrong with my car" or just been fiddling with the radio dial on Saturday morning, you may have bumped into Tom and Ray Magliozzi, "The Car Guys," NPR's Boston-based, on-air mechanics on "Car Talk." Those humorous discussions with their call-ins provided NPR listeners with more than a few chuckles, as did their ever changing sign-off litany of imaginary sponsors, e.g. their legal consultants, "do-we-cheat-them-and-how." Sadly, Tom passed away last week from complications of Alzheimer's disease. His zany antics will be missed!
Red is the new color. That's the color sweeping across Capitol Hill this post-election November. We will see if there are any truly fundamental changes.
On the Senate side of the Capitol, the very non-dynamic Harry Reid (D, NV) was replaced by the equally lackluster Mitch McConnell (R, KY). Not much dynamism at the top for either party.
The House will be even more solidly Republican-red. Perhaps you are old enough to remember the McCarthy anti-communist era when red was not a color of choice. In those days, what would we have called a Republican-dominated congress?
In his weekly Friday column, Charles Krauthammer remembered the President's comment in October that every one of his policies were on the ballot. Krauthammer continued, "They were, and America spoke. But it was a negative judgment, not an endorsement of the GOP. The prize for winning is nothing but the opportunity for Republicans to show that they can govern — the opportunity to seize the national agenda." Stay tuned.
President Obama's legacy. Sadly, what began with great hope has soured with time. It is possible that the President's greatest legacy may simply be: America's first African American president.
The really BIG problems. Following the elections there will be much said in Washington about problem solving, but what really matters down the road will probably not be part of the mix. The recent UN report on climate change pointedly alluded to a "tipping point," when the consequences of present day climate-related choices will become irreversible.
From Foreign Policy comes this past Wednesday's segment "A Small Step Backward for Mankind." There have been two recent steps backward for the American space program. The resupply shuttle for the International Space Station blew up just after lift off at Wallops Island, VA, and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Two space plane disintegrated while gliding back to earth from its mother ship. The article notes,
What now? If the planet is indeed in danger from our own economic activities and a growing population, our human-generated dynamics have to change. The Earth's future may well lie with something as yet only dimly imagined. Experimentation -- with its normal accidents -- must be continued. To whit, the successful landing of the European Space Agency's Philae on Comet 67P after a more than 10-year, 3-billion mile odyssey.
Apples in the morning. Ever so much better than napalm ("Apocalypse Now"). Just a short way along my "down the hill" walk, there is a prolific neighborhood apple tree. I am not certain how many of the apples are used throughout the growing season or how many harvested in the fall. No matter, those that hit the ground in the fall provide food for local varmints whose chewing releases the smell that reminds one very much of autumn. Now if we were just permitted to burn leaves.
The 114th Congress. Here is a National Journal link to a searchable data base of the new members. Interesting possibilities; check your state.
The Berlin Wall revisited. Communism's "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart" went up in short order (beginning 8-13-1961) but was dismantled even faster (10-23-1989). After its very unexpected construction, President Kennedy declared himself "a Berliner" (6-26-1963) and President Reagan famously implored Mr. Gorbachev to "tear it down" (6-13-1987). International events and the people of East and West Berlin brought it down. Here is a remembrance of the Wall's demise, 10-23-1989, by a young, not-quite-yet reporter, Christian Karyl remembers, who remembers the event very clearly. "The Wall looked strong on the outside. But that concealed a basic flaw in its design: It only worked as long as people still believed in its power. Once they stopped, it fell."
Chillingly, George Packer, who mirrors Karyl, writes in his essay, The Birth of a New Century, "It's possible to imagine Putin [an old fashioned autocrat] testing the integrity of NATO, hoping to find that it exists on paper only."
In 1965, while in the USAF, I stood at the heavily guarded and barbwire protected "Check Point Charlie;" as a tourist in 2012, I slowly strolled past an historical sign at what was now just another corner intersection.The Wall is gone and now paving stones trace its route through the cosmopolitan capital of the reunited Federal Republic of Germany.
Outmoded government. From Senator Mike Lee (R, UT), "Most systems we use to provide government services were designed decades ago, before the tech and telecom revolutions that have changed the way Americans do almost everything else. In 20 years, will we need, say, a Government Printing Office or Internal Revenue Service in anything like their current forms?" One can only wonder how many other federal departments, agencies, and programs are in desperate need of structural reform and modernization?
Money in politics, US vs UK. The 7th most expensive US senate race (Arkansas, $56.3m, $26.47/voter) cost more than the entire 2010 general election in Britain. The Economist notes that citizens in both the US and UK voice the same complaint: "Angry, distrustful British voters are convinced that democracy is being undermined by vast sums of corrupting money, to the point that elected representatives are essentially bought and paid for by wealthy special interests....[In sum]...this columnist agrees with those rooting for campaign finance reform. I just would not expect it to have magical effects on the public’s angry, distrustful mood."
Inequality. From the Economist (quoted in Foreign Policy): The most grotesque element of this existential threat to the American dream, to America's sense of itself and to its fundamental social cohesion, is growing inequality. In fact, it is inequality at historic levels. As reported in the most recent issue of the Economist, the top one-tenth of 1 percent of America's population is about to achieve a level of wealth equivalent to that of the bottom 90 percent.
Island of Romance. Have golf cart, will travel. A just completed cruise included a day on Catalina Island. You may remember the Four Preps and the lyrics, "26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina....the island of romance...." We knew our prearranged, self-tour and adventure quest of the island was via golf cart, but we were totally surprised that so many of the locals travel by cart. There is a long, multi-year wait for a permit to bring an auto onto the island; in fact, two vehicles have to be removed (disposed of?) for one new permit to be issued! A slow, wonderful day was had by all.
US Capitol, Monday, Nov 17th. A bust of Václav Havel was unveiled to mark the 25th anniversary of the "Velvet Revolution" that freed Czechoslovakia from Soviet domination. His is only the 4th bust of an international leader enshrined in the US Capitol. (Britain’s Winston Churchill, Hungary’s Lajos Kossuth and Sweden’s Raoul Wallenberg)
In 1989, three months after this peaceful revolution succeeded, Havel addressed a joint session of the US Congress and emphasized the importance of morality in politics and economics, saying we should base our actions on “responsibility to something higher than my family, country, my firm, my success.” Sadly, his words seem somehow foreign in the current political climate.
Thanks for reading. I hope you have a good week.
Arctic ice. Fast on the heels of last week's UN report on global climate change comes news of one of the lesser known impacts of global warming: likely changes in the Arctic Ocean. Melting ice is opening the way for greater access to not only the sea lanes, but also to the area's as yet unrealized mineral and oil potential. Governance of the Arctic and Antarctica are vastly different. This article from Wikipedia gives an indication of the situation for the latter, the world's fifth largest and most southern continent. Wikipedia also delineates the north polar region.
A lamented passing. If you have ever wondered "what's wrong with my car" or just been fiddling with the radio dial on Saturday morning, you may have bumped into Tom and Ray Magliozzi, "The Car Guys," NPR's Boston-based, on-air mechanics on "Car Talk." Those humorous discussions with their call-ins provided NPR listeners with more than a few chuckles, as did their ever changing sign-off litany of imaginary sponsors, e.g. their legal consultants, "do-we-cheat-them-and-how." Sadly, Tom passed away last week from complications of Alzheimer's disease. His zany antics will be missed!
Red is the new color. That's the color sweeping across Capitol Hill this post-election November. We will see if there are any truly fundamental changes.
On the Senate side of the Capitol, the very non-dynamic Harry Reid (D, NV) was replaced by the equally lackluster Mitch McConnell (R, KY). Not much dynamism at the top for either party.
The House will be even more solidly Republican-red. Perhaps you are old enough to remember the McCarthy anti-communist era when red was not a color of choice. In those days, what would we have called a Republican-dominated congress?
In his weekly Friday column, Charles Krauthammer remembered the President's comment in October that every one of his policies were on the ballot. Krauthammer continued, "They were, and America spoke. But it was a negative judgment, not an endorsement of the GOP. The prize for winning is nothing but the opportunity for Republicans to show that they can govern — the opportunity to seize the national agenda." Stay tuned.
President Obama's legacy. Sadly, what began with great hope has soured with time. It is possible that the President's greatest legacy may simply be: America's first African American president.
The really BIG problems. Following the elections there will be much said in Washington about problem solving, but what really matters down the road will probably not be part of the mix. The recent UN report on climate change pointedly alluded to a "tipping point," when the consequences of present day climate-related choices will become irreversible.
From Foreign Policy comes this past Wednesday's segment "A Small Step Backward for Mankind." There have been two recent steps backward for the American space program. The resupply shuttle for the International Space Station blew up just after lift off at Wallops Island, VA, and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic Two space plane disintegrated while gliding back to earth from its mother ship. The article notes,
Both [accidents] are examples of what sociologist Charles Perrow famously dubbed "normal accidents": catastrophes that should properly be blamed not on the proximate cause -- a loose lever or jammed valve, say -- but on the inherent complexity of technologically intricate systems. As he wrote, "Risk will never be eliminated from high-risk systems." In fact, Perrow argued that singling out the particular thing that has gone wrong can be counterproductive: "Since [redundancy] is often added after problems are recognized, too frequently it creates unanticipated interactions with distant parts of the system that designers would find it hard to anticipate...But make no mistake: Nothing is simple in spaceflight. Unless you see a rocket launch in person, you miss just how improbable it is that the contraption works.While reading about the resupply shuttle explosion, a friend (a commercial aviator), his cockpit colleague, and myself were all remembering the famous short film we had seen years ago: a compendium of America's early space failures: rockets lifting off, only to crumple and disintegrate, falling sideways off their launch pads amid immense fireballs, the deadly Apollo capsule fire, etc.
What now? If the planet is indeed in danger from our own economic activities and a growing population, our human-generated dynamics have to change. The Earth's future may well lie with something as yet only dimly imagined. Experimentation -- with its normal accidents -- must be continued. To whit, the successful landing of the European Space Agency's Philae on Comet 67P after a more than 10-year, 3-billion mile odyssey.
Apples in the morning. Ever so much better than napalm ("Apocalypse Now"). Just a short way along my "down the hill" walk, there is a prolific neighborhood apple tree. I am not certain how many of the apples are used throughout the growing season or how many harvested in the fall. No matter, those that hit the ground in the fall provide food for local varmints whose chewing releases the smell that reminds one very much of autumn. Now if we were just permitted to burn leaves.
The 114th Congress. Here is a National Journal link to a searchable data base of the new members. Interesting possibilities; check your state.
The Berlin Wall revisited. Communism's "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart" went up in short order (beginning 8-13-1961) but was dismantled even faster (10-23-1989). After its very unexpected construction, President Kennedy declared himself "a Berliner" (6-26-1963) and President Reagan famously implored Mr. Gorbachev to "tear it down" (6-13-1987). International events and the people of East and West Berlin brought it down. Here is a remembrance of the Wall's demise, 10-23-1989, by a young, not-quite-yet reporter, Christian Karyl remembers, who remembers the event very clearly. "The Wall looked strong on the outside. But that concealed a basic flaw in its design: It only worked as long as people still believed in its power. Once they stopped, it fell."
Chillingly, George Packer, who mirrors Karyl, writes in his essay, The Birth of a New Century, "It's possible to imagine Putin [an old fashioned autocrat] testing the integrity of NATO, hoping to find that it exists on paper only."
In 1965, while in the USAF, I stood at the heavily guarded and barbwire protected "Check Point Charlie;" as a tourist in 2012, I slowly strolled past an historical sign at what was now just another corner intersection.The Wall is gone and now paving stones trace its route through the cosmopolitan capital of the reunited Federal Republic of Germany.
Outmoded government. From Senator Mike Lee (R, UT), "Most systems we use to provide government services were designed decades ago, before the tech and telecom revolutions that have changed the way Americans do almost everything else. In 20 years, will we need, say, a Government Printing Office or Internal Revenue Service in anything like their current forms?" One can only wonder how many other federal departments, agencies, and programs are in desperate need of structural reform and modernization?
Money in politics, US vs UK. The 7th most expensive US senate race (Arkansas, $56.3m, $26.47/voter) cost more than the entire 2010 general election in Britain. The Economist notes that citizens in both the US and UK voice the same complaint: "Angry, distrustful British voters are convinced that democracy is being undermined by vast sums of corrupting money, to the point that elected representatives are essentially bought and paid for by wealthy special interests....[In sum]...this columnist agrees with those rooting for campaign finance reform. I just would not expect it to have magical effects on the public’s angry, distrustful mood."
Inequality. From the Economist (quoted in Foreign Policy): The most grotesque element of this existential threat to the American dream, to America's sense of itself and to its fundamental social cohesion, is growing inequality. In fact, it is inequality at historic levels. As reported in the most recent issue of the Economist, the top one-tenth of 1 percent of America's population is about to achieve a level of wealth equivalent to that of the bottom 90 percent.
Island of Romance. Have golf cart, will travel. A just completed cruise included a day on Catalina Island. You may remember the Four Preps and the lyrics, "26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina....the island of romance...." We knew our prearranged, self-tour and adventure quest of the island was via golf cart, but we were totally surprised that so many of the locals travel by cart. There is a long, multi-year wait for a permit to bring an auto onto the island; in fact, two vehicles have to be removed (disposed of?) for one new permit to be issued! A slow, wonderful day was had by all.
US Capitol, Monday, Nov 17th. A bust of Václav Havel was unveiled to mark the 25th anniversary of the "Velvet Revolution" that freed Czechoslovakia from Soviet domination. His is only the 4th bust of an international leader enshrined in the US Capitol. (Britain’s Winston Churchill, Hungary’s Lajos Kossuth and Sweden’s Raoul Wallenberg)
In 1989, three months after this peaceful revolution succeeded, Havel addressed a joint session of the US Congress and emphasized the importance of morality in politics and economics, saying we should base our actions on “responsibility to something higher than my family, country, my firm, my success.” Sadly, his words seem somehow foreign in the current political climate.
Thanks for reading. I hope you have a good week.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Election Day, 2014. Here are the other topics for this week: TV ads; presidential trivia; parasitic capitalism and Ebola; Blackwater; Sir Nicholas Winton; Halloween;Ukraine; death with dignity.
George Will. Regarding the crush of TV ads, here is a prescient statement, if there ever was one, "Ads become audible wallpaper, there but not really noticed." Will's column is well worth reading, especially if you live in Illinois, which he characterizes as our "worst governed" state — hard to argue with given that four of the previous nine governors have been convicted and jailed on various corruption-related charges.
This was not a "presidential year," but here is a short bit from the trivia portion of last Tuesday's NPR Daily Presidential Trivia.
"Congratulations to David Schooler ..... for guessing [last] Monday’s trivia: Teddy Roosevelt is still the youngest person to assume of the office of the presidency; who is the runner up? The answer was: JFK." Though it should be noted that JFK was the youngest person ever elected to the presidency. [emphasis added]
Ebola.com This domain name was owned by Blue String Venture, and represents parasitic capitalism at its best. As noted in the linked story, the URL ebola.com was "flipped", i.e. sold for $200,000 for cash/stock for "a mix of cash and stocks, specifically $150,000 in Cannabil Sativa, Inc. The CEO of that company is none other than former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, now Libertarian Party provocateur, who in a recent Fox news interview suggested that marijuana might -- just might! -- hold a [unproven] cure for Ebola." Cannabis Sativa is yet another shadowy company with ties to the Weed Growth Fund, which may have ties to Russia. As Alice might have said, "This corner of the internet world gets curiouser and curiouse r."
Blackwater. Contractors, like the now-renamed, infamous US-based firm, are still a part of the developing face of America's approach to many defense-related endeavors. Can we now add the fight against ebola to this scenario? Who knows at what straws the government might grasp.
The White Lion. "An Old Man in Prague: the Discretion of Nicholas Winton" is the title of Roger Cohen's column in last Thursday's New York Times. For those who missed the 60 Minutes piece, Sir Winton is 105 years-young and his mind is crystal clear that “I didn’t really keep it secret. I just didn’t talk about it.” What he did not talk about was saving 669 (then) Czechoslovakian children, mostly Jews; he still mourns the last unsaved contingent of 250, lost to the horror of the Holocaust. He has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and last week was given the Czech Republic's highest honor, The Order of the White Lion. Statues in London and Prague attest to his legendary status.
Today, in a time rife with self-promotion, Sir Winton's self-effacement should be much celebrated. “In a way perhaps I shouldn’t have lived so long to give everybody the opportunity to exaggerate everything in the way they are doing today.” Not so, Good Lion!
Halloween, 2014. A steady stream of ghosts, goblins, and assorted other characters, from adorable to spooky, came to the door. More often than not, this year we were greeted with a cheery "Happy Halloween!" Perhaps, this was due to the fact that for the first time in several years no one felt rushed, no parkas over the costumes to ward off the cold. It was good to hear that in my native PA one of the nation's "most wanted" had been captured, putting the area's trick and treating back on schedule.
From New Delhi, India, came this story of a haunted courthouse. "In opening their investigation, the bar association joined a long list of other authorities who have taken complaints of paranormal activity seriously in India, a country that lives, it is said, in several centuries at once." A police officer was quoted, “We entertain all complaints, be it against zombies or werewolves," he told the Times [of India] earlier this year, speaking about another paranormal matter. “This is how everyone in India is brought up — listening to ghost stories,” said Sushil Sharma, a lawyer who has worked in the courthouse since 1989.
There was no full moon, but it was still a good night to re-read Washington Irving's classic short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Ukraine. This from the "Morning Brief," Foreign Policy (11-03). Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine elected Alexander Zakharchenko, a 38-year-old former mining electrician, as head of the 'Donetsk People's Republic.' The vote was denounced as illegal by Kiev and the European Union. Meanwhile Russia allegedly encouraged the exercise, though Moscow has yet to formally recognize the validity of the election. You cannot help but speculate: did the Kremlin orchestrate the election of Mr. Zakharchenko, a mining electrician? He calls to mind another electrician-turned politician, Poland's Lech Walesa.
Assisted suicide. However unpleasant, all that follows is food for thought that is driven by the unintended consequences of modern medical technology.
The states of WA, OR, MT, NM, and VT have laws which permit a physician to write a prescription for what may be a life-ending dose of barbiturate. A young woman, Brittany Maynard, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, made public her decision to end her life at an appropriate time. Her decision ignited the just-below-the-surface debate on what is often called assisted suicide. Indeed, on Sunday, November 2nd, Ms. Maynard decided to end her life, a decision that will most certainly further drive discussions of what she characterized as her "right to die with dignity on her own terms."
As painful as it is to contemplate, Ms. Maynard seems to have forthrightly stated both sides of the issue. In an interview with CNN, she said, I've had the medication for weeks. I am not suicidal. If I were, I would have consumed that medication long ago. I do not want to die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms. I would not tell anyone else that he or she should choose death with dignity. My question is: Who has the right to tell me that I don't deserve this choice? [emphasis added] That I deserve to suffer for weeks or months in tremendous amounts of physical and emotional pain? Why should anyone have the right to make that choice for me?
The following linked op-ed piece was written by Marcia Angell, a physician and senior lecturer in social medicine at Harvard Medical School and a former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. The article concerns the death of her late husband, Arnold S. Relman, also a distinguished physician who had been chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine; he knew very well what lay ahead of him. As a physician, Ms. Angel relates her dissatisfaction with the end of life situation forced upon her late husband.
Thank you for reading. I hope you are not too depressed by today's election results — besides, the results from GA and LA senate races could be weeks away!
George Will. Regarding the crush of TV ads, here is a prescient statement, if there ever was one, "Ads become audible wallpaper, there but not really noticed." Will's column is well worth reading, especially if you live in Illinois, which he characterizes as our "worst governed" state — hard to argue with given that four of the previous nine governors have been convicted and jailed on various corruption-related charges.
This was not a "presidential year," but here is a short bit from the trivia portion of last Tuesday's NPR Daily Presidential Trivia.
"Congratulations to David Schooler ..... for guessing [last] Monday’s trivia: Teddy Roosevelt is still the youngest person to assume of the office of the presidency; who is the runner up? The answer was: JFK." Though it should be noted that JFK was the youngest person ever elected to the presidency. [emphasis added]
Ebola.com This domain name was owned by Blue String Venture, and represents parasitic capitalism at its best. As noted in the linked story, the URL ebola.com was "flipped", i.e. sold for $200,000 for cash/stock for "a mix of cash and stocks, specifically $150,000 in Cannabil Sativa, Inc. The CEO of that company is none other than former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, now Libertarian Party provocateur, who in a recent Fox news interview suggested that marijuana might -- just might! -- hold a [unproven] cure for Ebola." Cannabis Sativa is yet another shadowy company with ties to the Weed Growth Fund, which may have ties to Russia. As Alice might have said, "This corner of the internet world gets curiouser and curiouse r."
Blackwater. Contractors, like the now-renamed, infamous US-based firm, are still a part of the developing face of America's approach to many defense-related endeavors. Can we now add the fight against ebola to this scenario? Who knows at what straws the government might grasp.
The White Lion. "An Old Man in Prague: the Discretion of Nicholas Winton" is the title of Roger Cohen's column in last Thursday's New York Times. For those who missed the 60 Minutes piece, Sir Winton is 105 years-young and his mind is crystal clear that “I didn’t really keep it secret. I just didn’t talk about it.” What he did not talk about was saving 669 (then) Czechoslovakian children, mostly Jews; he still mourns the last unsaved contingent of 250, lost to the horror of the Holocaust. He has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and last week was given the Czech Republic's highest honor, The Order of the White Lion. Statues in London and Prague attest to his legendary status.
Today, in a time rife with self-promotion, Sir Winton's self-effacement should be much celebrated. “In a way perhaps I shouldn’t have lived so long to give everybody the opportunity to exaggerate everything in the way they are doing today.” Not so, Good Lion!
Halloween, 2014. A steady stream of ghosts, goblins, and assorted other characters, from adorable to spooky, came to the door. More often than not, this year we were greeted with a cheery "Happy Halloween!" Perhaps, this was due to the fact that for the first time in several years no one felt rushed, no parkas over the costumes to ward off the cold. It was good to hear that in my native PA one of the nation's "most wanted" had been captured, putting the area's trick and treating back on schedule.
From New Delhi, India, came this story of a haunted courthouse. "In opening their investigation, the bar association joined a long list of other authorities who have taken complaints of paranormal activity seriously in India, a country that lives, it is said, in several centuries at once." A police officer was quoted, “We entertain all complaints, be it against zombies or werewolves," he told the Times [of India] earlier this year, speaking about another paranormal matter. “This is how everyone in India is brought up — listening to ghost stories,” said Sushil Sharma, a lawyer who has worked in the courthouse since 1989.
There was no full moon, but it was still a good night to re-read Washington Irving's classic short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Ukraine. This from the "Morning Brief," Foreign Policy (11-03). Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine elected Alexander Zakharchenko, a 38-year-old former mining electrician, as head of the 'Donetsk People's Republic.' The vote was denounced as illegal by Kiev and the European Union. Meanwhile Russia allegedly encouraged the exercise, though Moscow has yet to formally recognize the validity of the election. You cannot help but speculate: did the Kremlin orchestrate the election of Mr. Zakharchenko, a mining electrician? He calls to mind another electrician-turned politician, Poland's Lech Walesa.
Assisted suicide. However unpleasant, all that follows is food for thought that is driven by the unintended consequences of modern medical technology.
The states of WA, OR, MT, NM, and VT have laws which permit a physician to write a prescription for what may be a life-ending dose of barbiturate. A young woman, Brittany Maynard, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, made public her decision to end her life at an appropriate time. Her decision ignited the just-below-the-surface debate on what is often called assisted suicide. Indeed, on Sunday, November 2nd, Ms. Maynard decided to end her life, a decision that will most certainly further drive discussions of what she characterized as her "right to die with dignity on her own terms."
As painful as it is to contemplate, Ms. Maynard seems to have forthrightly stated both sides of the issue. In an interview with CNN, she said, I've had the medication for weeks. I am not suicidal. If I were, I would have consumed that medication long ago. I do not want to die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms. I would not tell anyone else that he or she should choose death with dignity. My question is: Who has the right to tell me that I don't deserve this choice? [emphasis added] That I deserve to suffer for weeks or months in tremendous amounts of physical and emotional pain? Why should anyone have the right to make that choice for me?
The following linked op-ed piece was written by Marcia Angell, a physician and senior lecturer in social medicine at Harvard Medical School and a former editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. The article concerns the death of her late husband, Arnold S. Relman, also a distinguished physician who had been chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine; he knew very well what lay ahead of him. As a physician, Ms. Angel relates her dissatisfaction with the end of life situation forced upon her late husband.
Thank you for reading. I hope you are not too depressed by today's election results — besides, the results from GA and LA senate races could be weeks away!
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Here are this week's topics: TCM; book bub; a cold war classic; election 2014, Mars in AZ, fun facts, negative political ads.total costs, CO politics; US - China relations; ISIS; the Hillary bus; reading, non-fiction, John Jacob Astor; Charlie Bowden and Edward Abbey
Turner Classic Movie channel. I usually take a daily look at TCM's offerings (via our Comcast "guide"). Not that I watch, but, it is interesting to see "whose day it is," i.e. a continuous string of movies starring Actor/ress X, indicates it is that star's birthday and the string also provides a remembrance list of many great movies of the past.
E-books. I receive a daily email from bookbub.com (which can be tailored to suit your reading preferences). The email is a quick read, usually takes less than 2 minute to peruse. I occasionally place an order or, more often, add the book to my public library hold list.
The Manchurian Candidate. I received a bookbub offer for Condon's cold war thriller, panned at publication by most reviewers. I had seen the movie of the same name (Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury) and was curious about the book. As is so often the case, the two were quite different and, if you enjoy one, the other may be worth investigating. Incidentally, there is a 2004 movie update (set in the Middle East) starring Denzel Washington and Merle Streep.
Election 2014. I am following the Rothenberg Political Report, which lists the current status of the various campaigns for US House and Senate and gubernatorial seats. The Report lists races in these major categories: currently safe, seats in play, pure toss up, toss up/tilts Democratic, lean Democratic, Democrat favored, currently safe Democrat. The Republican possibilities are then listed in the same order. Yes, one can opine that Rothenberg leans Democrat himself or, rather, that the parties are simply listed in alphabetic order. Find you state and take a look.
In CO's Senate race (nation-wide, 36 seats in play), Rothenberg sees Mark Udall (D) as a "pure toss up;" in our gubernatorial race (also 36 seats in play), John Hickenlooper (D) is rated as "toss up/tilt Democratic."
On to the House, were it gets pallid and colorless. There are 435 representatives, with only 6 seats going vacant, and Rothenberg sees 386 as "safe" for the incumbent -- amazingly only 49 are thought to be really contested. While there might be an upset or two, Rothenberg's call of 386 seems to bear out the old political saw: "my congressperson is OK, the others are the problem."
In CO, of our 7 congressional districts, only the 6th is thought to be a contest, with Mike Coffman (R) rated as a "toss up/tilt Republican." Hopefully, my very, very safe representative, Diane DeGette (D), did not spend even a dime! But, then again, down the road a retiring representative or senator can simply walk out and keep whatever funds remain in her/his campaign war chest.
Fun election facts. Here are two; feel free to send comments with your own.
CO politics. This article, from the admittedly left-leaning NY Times, nicely summarizes how politics is changing in one western state with elements of both left (the Republic of Boulder) and right (gas and oil rich Weld county). The article looks at Erie, CO, a growing northern bedroom community located smack dab between these two areas.
People's Republic of China (PRC). The world's most populous nation, one with ever-growing economic clout, is now beset with yet another restive region -- and bears watching. An article in The American Interest notes that the most recent restive area in question is not far off Xinjiang or Tibet, but centered in Hong Kong, where a rising tide of locals are demanding a greater voice in selecting candidates in their upcoming local elections. "The yellow umbrella" revolution has been born. Even more importantly, this latest disruption has implications for mainland China's hopes of ever bringing Taiwan back "into the fold." The authors note that extreme caution is the watchword. Today's electronic technology would make a Tiananmen-like massacre terribly counterproductive. Despite the PRC's ongoing attempts at internet censorship, news of violence in Hong Kong would spread instantly, both inside and outside the mainland. For proof one need look no further than the world-wide coverage accorded the Party's treatment of the current largely peaceful protests.
IS. On the non-lethal terrorist front: a Belgian-based candy company has re-branded one of its products, deciding the initials "ISIS" would not bode well. On the lethal side of the coin, come these stories.
David Ignatius's recent column (10-24) is replete with references to this or that tribal leader or group. Tribalism is precisely the problem the US cannot seem to get its head around: there is no unifying group or figurehead to support the Syrian - Iraqi - Afghani theater of operations. There is far too sense of nationhood. Sunday's talking heads (including Charlie Rose on Face the Nation) seemed ignorant of, or unwilling to raise, the issue of tribalism vs nationhood.
The Canadians, our stalwart, stoic neighbors to the north, experienced their first terrorist attack with what may have been an IS-connected, lone wolf attack in their Parliament Square. The now dead assailant left behind no answers, only questions. In the NYC borough of Queens, a man thought to have been a self-radicalized, lone wolf launched a hatchet attack on four policemen; he, too, was shot dead leaving authorities with only speculation regarding his motive(s).
When will Hillary's bus be ready for boarding? The best guess is early next year, but the article from American Prospect looks at the Democratic party's political landscape and the potential challengers should her candidacy be derailed. First name up: Elizabeth Warren (D, MA). The clues will, of course, begin to emerge -- be leaked -- after Election Night, 2014.
John Jacob Astor. This link is to a review of a recent book dealing with Astor's little known business foray that followed by a few years Jefferson's better known Lewis and Clark Expedition. One sentence near the beginning of the review caught my attention. "As a model of global trade, Astor’s practice foreshadows contemporary international business. It is a story well worth reading, serving as a reminder of the engine of greed that drove Manifest Destiny — an engine still running full-bore in the West today." Manifest Destiny is not usually associated with the 21st century. Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire:A Story of Wealth, Ambition and Survival Peter Stark, 366 pages, hardcover: $27.99. HarperCollins, 2014.
Charlie Bowden and Edward Abbey. Bowden and Abbey were cut from the same mold and both had a love - hate relationship with the west and its issues. Here is a link to one of Bowden's last essays.
Thank you for reading, have an enjoyable week, and a pleasant Halloween evening.
Turner Classic Movie channel. I usually take a daily look at TCM's offerings (via our Comcast "guide"). Not that I watch, but, it is interesting to see "whose day it is," i.e. a continuous string of movies starring Actor/ress X, indicates it is that star's birthday and the string also provides a remembrance list of many great movies of the past.
E-books. I receive a daily email from bookbub.com (which can be tailored to suit your reading preferences). The email is a quick read, usually takes less than 2 minute to peruse. I occasionally place an order or, more often, add the book to my public library hold list.
The Manchurian Candidate. I received a bookbub offer for Condon's cold war thriller, panned at publication by most reviewers. I had seen the movie of the same name (Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury) and was curious about the book. As is so often the case, the two were quite different and, if you enjoy one, the other may be worth investigating. Incidentally, there is a 2004 movie update (set in the Middle East) starring Denzel Washington and Merle Streep.
Election 2014. I am following the Rothenberg Political Report, which lists the current status of the various campaigns for US House and Senate and gubernatorial seats. The Report lists races in these major categories: currently safe, seats in play, pure toss up, toss up/tilts Democratic, lean Democratic, Democrat favored, currently safe Democrat. The Republican possibilities are then listed in the same order. Yes, one can opine that Rothenberg leans Democrat himself or, rather, that the parties are simply listed in alphabetic order. Find you state and take a look.
In CO's Senate race (nation-wide, 36 seats in play), Rothenberg sees Mark Udall (D) as a "pure toss up;" in our gubernatorial race (also 36 seats in play), John Hickenlooper (D) is rated as "toss up/tilt Democratic."
On to the House, were it gets pallid and colorless. There are 435 representatives, with only 6 seats going vacant, and Rothenberg sees 386 as "safe" for the incumbent -- amazingly only 49 are thought to be really contested. While there might be an upset or two, Rothenberg's call of 386 seems to bear out the old political saw: "my congressperson is OK, the others are the problem."
In CO, of our 7 congressional districts, only the 6th is thought to be a contest, with Mike Coffman (R) rated as a "toss up/tilt Republican." Hopefully, my very, very safe representative, Diane DeGette (D), did not spend even a dime! But, then again, down the road a retiring representative or senator can simply walk out and keep whatever funds remain in her/his campaign war chest.
AZ House of Representatives district 1. The Roll Call headline (10-24) was just too enticing to pass up: "Life on Mars, or Running in AZ's 1st district." For those readers who live in more urban/suburban congressional districts -- or who have never traveled through the more desolate areas in the west -- "Mars" might seem an appropriate description for the area surrounding Tuba City, AZ. The article opens, "Arizona's 1st district is so vast and diverse that running for political office involves time travel." Indeed!
Tuba City is located on the 27,425 square mile Navajo Reservation. (By way of comparison, when compared to all 50 US states, the "Rez" would be placed at #11 in land area.) I have twice traveled to/spent time with the Diné (Navajo) and travel on the reservation does take time -- lots of time -- most often over hard-packed dirt that turns absolutely "ice-slick" when it rains or snow is melting.
Normally the skies are cobalt blue, the horizons far distant, and, absent a dust storm, the scenery crystalline. Spend time here and you begin to understand why artists fall in love with the light in the southwest. (Georgia O'keefe, et. al.)
Fun election facts. Here are two; feel free to send comments with your own.
- From my home state of PA: Ever since WW II, every 8 years the governorship has alternated between Democrats and Republicans. That string may end this year, though, as restive Keystone State voters seem poised to toss out first-term governor, Republican Tom Corbett.
- From KS: No Democrat has been elected to the Senate since George McGill won a special election in 1932 -- and he was summarily thrown out in 1940, having been elected just once in his own right. The senate race there is shaping up to be a doozy!
- Any person/organization that spends money for or against a candidate or issue expects/hopes for something in return.
- The more money spent, the more that is expected in return.
- Candidates like to run ads with the phrase, "I approved this ad," which now requires a positive ad.
- Therefore, negative ads have to originate with an "outside" source. Of course, when asked, every candidate will gives a "winky-winky," deplore those negative ads. and disclaim all knowledge concerning those outside, negative ads.
- An obscene amount of money is being poured into negative ads. A sad, sad state of affairs for the American Republic.
CO politics. This article, from the admittedly left-leaning NY Times, nicely summarizes how politics is changing in one western state with elements of both left (the Republic of Boulder) and right (gas and oil rich Weld county). The article looks at Erie, CO, a growing northern bedroom community located smack dab between these two areas.
People's Republic of China (PRC). The world's most populous nation, one with ever-growing economic clout, is now beset with yet another restive region -- and bears watching. An article in The American Interest notes that the most recent restive area in question is not far off Xinjiang or Tibet, but centered in Hong Kong, where a rising tide of locals are demanding a greater voice in selecting candidates in their upcoming local elections. "The yellow umbrella" revolution has been born. Even more importantly, this latest disruption has implications for mainland China's hopes of ever bringing Taiwan back "into the fold." The authors note that extreme caution is the watchword. Today's electronic technology would make a Tiananmen-like massacre terribly counterproductive. Despite the PRC's ongoing attempts at internet censorship, news of violence in Hong Kong would spread instantly, both inside and outside the mainland. For proof one need look no further than the world-wide coverage accorded the Party's treatment of the current largely peaceful protests.
IS. On the non-lethal terrorist front: a Belgian-based candy company has re-branded one of its products, deciding the initials "ISIS" would not bode well. On the lethal side of the coin, come these stories.
David Ignatius's recent column (10-24) is replete with references to this or that tribal leader or group. Tribalism is precisely the problem the US cannot seem to get its head around: there is no unifying group or figurehead to support the Syrian - Iraqi - Afghani theater of operations. There is far too sense of nationhood. Sunday's talking heads (including Charlie Rose on Face the Nation) seemed ignorant of, or unwilling to raise, the issue of tribalism vs nationhood.
The Canadians, our stalwart, stoic neighbors to the north, experienced their first terrorist attack with what may have been an IS-connected, lone wolf attack in their Parliament Square. The now dead assailant left behind no answers, only questions. In the NYC borough of Queens, a man thought to have been a self-radicalized, lone wolf launched a hatchet attack on four policemen; he, too, was shot dead leaving authorities with only speculation regarding his motive(s).
When will Hillary's bus be ready for boarding? The best guess is early next year, but the article from American Prospect looks at the Democratic party's political landscape and the potential challengers should her candidacy be derailed. First name up: Elizabeth Warren (D, MA). The clues will, of course, begin to emerge -- be leaked -- after Election Night, 2014.
John Jacob Astor. This link is to a review of a recent book dealing with Astor's little known business foray that followed by a few years Jefferson's better known Lewis and Clark Expedition. One sentence near the beginning of the review caught my attention. "As a model of global trade, Astor’s practice foreshadows contemporary international business. It is a story well worth reading, serving as a reminder of the engine of greed that drove Manifest Destiny — an engine still running full-bore in the West today." Manifest Destiny is not usually associated with the 21st century. Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire:A Story of Wealth, Ambition and Survival Peter Stark, 366 pages, hardcover: $27.99. HarperCollins, 2014.
Charlie Bowden and Edward Abbey. Bowden and Abbey were cut from the same mold and both had a love - hate relationship with the west and its issues. Here is a link to one of Bowden's last essays.
Thank you for reading, have an enjoyable week, and a pleasant Halloween evening.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Here are the topics for this week's blog: Indian summer; Athabasca tar sands; pandemics of the past; a new czar; Wheaties; Jeopardy; campaign 2014; Molly Brown; US foreign policy; the new Attorney General; and, finally, a local symphony
Indian Summer, extended. Would you believe, mid-October and it is a sunny 70+, even an occasional low 80s. Perfect weather for those tasks you neglected as September wound down.
Tar Sands. The article from The Nation is entitled, "Tarred Industry: an indigenous movement blocks the energy industry" (The Nation, September 29, 2014, p. 5+) and tells the story of Canada's indigenous people who are attempting to deal with the massive development in the Athabasca tar sands of Alberta province. Reportedly this project sits atop the world's third largest oil deposit, is currently the world's largest industrial project, and is large enough to be seen from the international space station.
In the US, the project is known as the Keystone Pipeline, for the pipeline that will deliver the tar sands's oil to refineries on our Gulf coast. The entire project provides ample fodder for the discussion of how energy development is changing our world -- physically and spiritually. As might be expected, the industry sees only the upside, for them and the world. However, if the project is "in your backyard," that upside is definitely clouded.
Flying into Denver International Airport this past week provided a bird's eye view of the huge oil/gas developments just to the east of the metro area. What were once mostly irrigation circles amid the tilled farm fields now share space with energy development. A labyrinth of access roads are clearly visible, threading their way to each well-head.
Pandemics. These deadly outbreaks are not unknown. Most readers know of the deadly bubonic plague in the middle ages, though fewer are likely to have heard of the deadly Spanish flu out break of the early 1900s. This article from The Daily Beast gives a summary of how past presidents have dealt with these deadly health pandemics.
With the mid-term elections barely three weeks away, this comment from the article bears special note, “One thing we can say presidents tend to be held responsible for responses to emergencies,” says Bill Galston, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution." While President Woodrow Wilson escaped blame for the Spanish flu pandemic that felled hundreds of thousands in America, 21st century communications and transportation have profoundly altered the equation of whom may be held accountable.
Our second "home grown" ebola case caused President Obama to scrap his schedule and convene an emergency meeting of government-wide health care officials. While simple quarantine measures may have worked in the past, the speed and ease of modern day transportation have made quarantine questionable except as an "after the fact" technique. Over the years there have been more than a few governmental missteps, something President Obama would prefer to avoid. For example, only an outspoken, forthrightness of Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, "saved" President Reagan from undue criticism for coming late to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Koop, however, was that rare gem not much seen of late in Washington!
An ebola czar? Oh, but of course, it's so American. One of the lead stories in last Friday's PBS Morning Line was about the need for yet another Czar. Have a new national problem? Then, by all means, appoint a Czar. President Obama's appointee, Ron Klain, was immediately panned as having no public health experience. Inconveniently, the president's appointment for Surgeon General is stalled in the Senate.
The new Wheaties champion. Check the newest box on the shelf. Perhaps the president should try and persuade Madeline Albright to come out of retirement. After all, Wheaties only picks winners!
A winning romance novelist. The literati among the this week's readers might want to take note: last Thursday's Jeopardy champion was a young romance novelist from Massachusetts; perhaps the show's first? The author increased his winnings on Friday with a second victory - a very good payday for a struggling writer.
Campaign 2014. The unfolding ebola situation has forced President Obama and a host of other candidates and their backers to alter their pre-election campaign schedules. This November, in addition to the senatorial races (which could give Republicans control of the Chamber), there are an unusually large number of gubernatorial contests, many for first-term governors (e.g. Colorado).
Signs of running scared. I have good friends who enjoy an occasional trip to Las Vegas. Their trip mantra is "You can't win with scared money!" Be that as it may, CO's Democratic Senator, Mark Udall, has reversed the content segments of his latest political ads. Now these ads begin with his picture (in western denim, of course) and the obligatory voice-over mantra, "I approved this ad." This sequence used to come at the end of his ads and I opine that he (and his campaign staff?) finally realized that the mute buttons were silencing his message. Really? Several respected political polls now have the incumbent senator trailing his opponent. "Scared money" here?
Enjoyable redux. Here in Denver the story of Mrs. Margaret (Molly, the Unsinkable" Brown has hit the boards yet again. It was an enjoyable evening with new songs woven among the old reliables from the earlier Broadway show and the movie. Denver's young Molly was as just as sprightly and feisty as was the older Debbie Reynolds.
American foreign policy. This article from Foreign Policy opines that in the Middle East, the US reaction to IS seems to be repeating the foibles of the past; our hubris knows no bounds. The reality is that other states, tribes, sects, and groups have their own interests, and those interests don't conveniently coincide with the prevailing orthodoxy in Washington, D.C. That doesn't mean their view is right and that U.S. politicians are wrong, but successful diplomacy has to start by recognizing that no two states see things exactly the same way and others sometimes understand their own interests better than we do. Then, you have to work to find whatever common ground might exist. And if there isn't enough common ground to make the strategy work, be ready to walk away. Walking away, though, does not seem much in vogue in Washington.
The article lists 5 failures of our current foreign policy.
Thanks for reading and have a good fall week.
Indian Summer, extended. Would you believe, mid-October and it is a sunny 70+, even an occasional low 80s. Perfect weather for those tasks you neglected as September wound down.
Tar Sands. The article from The Nation is entitled, "Tarred Industry: an indigenous movement blocks the energy industry" (The Nation, September 29, 2014, p. 5+) and tells the story of Canada's indigenous people who are attempting to deal with the massive development in the Athabasca tar sands of Alberta province. Reportedly this project sits atop the world's third largest oil deposit, is currently the world's largest industrial project, and is large enough to be seen from the international space station.
In the US, the project is known as the Keystone Pipeline, for the pipeline that will deliver the tar sands's oil to refineries on our Gulf coast. The entire project provides ample fodder for the discussion of how energy development is changing our world -- physically and spiritually. As might be expected, the industry sees only the upside, for them and the world. However, if the project is "in your backyard," that upside is definitely clouded.
Flying into Denver International Airport this past week provided a bird's eye view of the huge oil/gas developments just to the east of the metro area. What were once mostly irrigation circles amid the tilled farm fields now share space with energy development. A labyrinth of access roads are clearly visible, threading their way to each well-head.
Pandemics. These deadly outbreaks are not unknown. Most readers know of the deadly bubonic plague in the middle ages, though fewer are likely to have heard of the deadly Spanish flu out break of the early 1900s. This article from The Daily Beast gives a summary of how past presidents have dealt with these deadly health pandemics.
With the mid-term elections barely three weeks away, this comment from the article bears special note, “One thing we can say presidents tend to be held responsible for responses to emergencies,” says Bill Galston, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution." While President Woodrow Wilson escaped blame for the Spanish flu pandemic that felled hundreds of thousands in America, 21st century communications and transportation have profoundly altered the equation of whom may be held accountable.
Our second "home grown" ebola case caused President Obama to scrap his schedule and convene an emergency meeting of government-wide health care officials. While simple quarantine measures may have worked in the past, the speed and ease of modern day transportation have made quarantine questionable except as an "after the fact" technique. Over the years there have been more than a few governmental missteps, something President Obama would prefer to avoid. For example, only an outspoken, forthrightness of Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, "saved" President Reagan from undue criticism for coming late to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Koop, however, was that rare gem not much seen of late in Washington!
An ebola czar? Oh, but of course, it's so American. One of the lead stories in last Friday's PBS Morning Line was about the need for yet another Czar. Have a new national problem? Then, by all means, appoint a Czar. President Obama's appointee, Ron Klain, was immediately panned as having no public health experience. Inconveniently, the president's appointment for Surgeon General is stalled in the Senate.
The new Wheaties champion. Check the newest box on the shelf. Perhaps the president should try and persuade Madeline Albright to come out of retirement. After all, Wheaties only picks winners!
A winning romance novelist. The literati among the this week's readers might want to take note: last Thursday's Jeopardy champion was a young romance novelist from Massachusetts; perhaps the show's first? The author increased his winnings on Friday with a second victory - a very good payday for a struggling writer.
Campaign 2014. The unfolding ebola situation has forced President Obama and a host of other candidates and their backers to alter their pre-election campaign schedules. This November, in addition to the senatorial races (which could give Republicans control of the Chamber), there are an unusually large number of gubernatorial contests, many for first-term governors (e.g. Colorado).
Signs of running scared. I have good friends who enjoy an occasional trip to Las Vegas. Their trip mantra is "You can't win with scared money!" Be that as it may, CO's Democratic Senator, Mark Udall, has reversed the content segments of his latest political ads. Now these ads begin with his picture (in western denim, of course) and the obligatory voice-over mantra, "I approved this ad." This sequence used to come at the end of his ads and I opine that he (and his campaign staff?) finally realized that the mute buttons were silencing his message. Really? Several respected political polls now have the incumbent senator trailing his opponent. "Scared money" here?
Enjoyable redux. Here in Denver the story of Mrs. Margaret (Molly, the Unsinkable" Brown has hit the boards yet again. It was an enjoyable evening with new songs woven among the old reliables from the earlier Broadway show and the movie. Denver's young Molly was as just as sprightly and feisty as was the older Debbie Reynolds.
American foreign policy. This article from Foreign Policy opines that in the Middle East, the US reaction to IS seems to be repeating the foibles of the past; our hubris knows no bounds. The reality is that other states, tribes, sects, and groups have their own interests, and those interests don't conveniently coincide with the prevailing orthodoxy in Washington, D.C. That doesn't mean their view is right and that U.S. politicians are wrong, but successful diplomacy has to start by recognizing that no two states see things exactly the same way and others sometimes understand their own interests better than we do. Then, you have to work to find whatever common ground might exist. And if there isn't enough common ground to make the strategy work, be ready to walk away. Walking away, though, does not seem much in vogue in Washington.
The article lists 5 failures of our current foreign policy.
- Exaggerating the threat
- Squandering US leverage
- Failure to set clear priorities
- Assuming others share our worldview and our interests
- Over promising and under delivering
A new Attorney General? A Roll Call article (10-21) has a list of 10 questions likely to be posed by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee when the President advances his nominee. The confirmation hearing is certain to draw immense media attention. One wonders, who in their right mind would want to be President Obama's "lame duck" AG? It is certain that any Democrat with an eye on 2016 will "fight shy" of being named. So who's in the "second tier?" My guess would be either someone as unknown and lackluster as the president's new Ebola Czar or a relatively well-liked US senator known to be planning on retiring when her/his term ends in 2016. But, this is the political prognosticator who did not seem LBJ's denouement coming!
Aurora Symphony Orchestra. The ASO has long been a part of the local cultural scene. A long-time friend is now the principal bassist. This season's opening concert was very well done. The three selections were Debussy's Prelude to a Fawn; Mozart's oboe concerto in C major, and Beethoven's 7th. Max Soto, who plays with the the Boulder (CO) philharmonic orchestra, was the guest soloist.
This is the second season that the ASO will be led by Norman Gamboa, who hails from Costa Rica. Norman delights in introducing each piece in what he calls his "tropical accent" and always circulates among the audience at intermission and after each concert.
Aurora Symphony Orchestra. The ASO has long been a part of the local cultural scene. A long-time friend is now the principal bassist. This season's opening concert was very well done. The three selections were Debussy's Prelude to a Fawn; Mozart's oboe concerto in C major, and Beethoven's 7th. Max Soto, who plays with the the Boulder (CO) philharmonic orchestra, was the guest soloist.
This is the second season that the ASO will be led by Norman Gamboa, who hails from Costa Rica. Norman delights in introducing each piece in what he calls his "tropical accent" and always circulates among the audience at intermission and after each concert.
Thanks for reading and have a good fall week.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Here are the topics for the vacation-delayed post: a Wisconsin (WI) fall; civil disobedience in American history; trees along DTC parkway; evacuated; Hunter's Moon; PTSD; Nobel awards; political spending
AP US history curriculum. I suppose you have seen/heard about the members of the Jefferson County, CO, school board who want to cleanse the AP US history curriculum of topics having to do with civil disobedience. The board members are, of course, very patriotic, pro-Americans, and, therefore, one assumes, would not want to cleanse the curriculum of the Founding Fathers and the Revolution, not to mention the tumult surrounding the Civil War. Somehow they don't see the largely disgruntled FFs, the Olive Branch petition (rejected by England's parliament ), the Boston Tea party, Tom Paine's incendiary pamphlet Common Sense, the brouhaha over the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War amendments, etc. as having anything to do with civil disobedience. Dah!!!
They seemed more concerned with MLK, Jr., Caesar Chavez, Occupy Wall Street, etc. I was happy that teachers and -- more especially -- students seized the bull by the horns and repeatedly walked out or called in sick. The students loudly announced, "If they won't teach us about civil disobedience, we'll teach ourselves." AP students could certainly put together some excellent "teach in" materials. Student-led teach-ins would certainly draw a number of their otherwise uninterested fellow students.
Protesters actually forced the closure of several schools, confronting the Board with the possible loss of state revenue if things were not somehow settled before the magic "student-head-count" day at the end of September. Needless to say, the purse strings prevailed and both sides have backed off -- for now.
The Advanced Placement organization also weighed in, saying that AP college certification might be withdrawn if the curriculum were modified. I honestly do not think these three disgruntled Board members realized the can of worms they were opening, especially misjudging their students's reactions.
Evacuated from above. Christine and our friend, John, volunteered to be "rescued" from the gondola by the Breckenridge ski patrol during the patrol's annual evacuation training drill. The patrol staff work their way down the gondola cables, open the cabin doors, put a harness on each person, then lower them to the ground. Safe, sound, plus a free lunch, with fortuitous timing, too, because it snowed the next day.
WI in the fall. We visited with my wife's brother, sister-in-law, and several other family members and friends this past week. This was our first fall visit to southeastern WI in a number of years. We made a boat tour of the entire shoreline of Lake Geneva, where my wife spent her early summers, away from the Chicago heat. Some of the old haunts have survived, others replaced by new businesses. The lake has a mix of large, beautiful mansions and more modest dwellings, some old money (e.g. Wrigley), some new money (to date not so well known, not all upstanding).
The Saturday Dane county farmers market in Madison spreads along the sidewalks surrounding the WI state capitol building/square. A wonderful array of vegetables, fruits, flowers, cheeses (of course), honeys, craft items, local organizations/causes. The Capitol building itself is an architectural treasure, open and on display for the public. No visible armed guards or electronic scanners. Walk in, get warm, use the free restrooms, and/or just enjoy looking at the varied stone work.
The Anderson Japanese Gardens are located in Rockford, IL, a city variously noted as the state's 3rd or 4th largest city. This is certainly an unlikely Scandinavian name to be associated with an oriental garden. As is so often the case, Mr. Anderson's fascination with the concept began somewhere else, in this case with the Japanese Garden in Portland, OR. With the assistance of Hoichi Kurisu, a master Japanese gardner, Anderson's swampy back yard was transformed. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.
All along the roadways the fall colors were on full display and much varied, as opposed to CO's largely aspen-gold hues.
AP US history curriculum. I suppose you have seen/heard about the members of the Jefferson County, CO, school board who want to cleanse the AP US history curriculum of topics having to do with civil disobedience. The board members are, of course, very patriotic, pro-Americans, and, therefore, one assumes, would not want to cleanse the curriculum of the Founding Fathers and the Revolution, not to mention the tumult surrounding the Civil War. Somehow they don't see the largely disgruntled FFs, the Olive Branch petition (rejected by England's parliament ), the Boston Tea party, Tom Paine's incendiary pamphlet Common Sense, the brouhaha over the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War amendments, etc. as having anything to do with civil disobedience. Dah!!!
They seemed more concerned with MLK, Jr., Caesar Chavez, Occupy Wall Street, etc. I was happy that teachers and -- more especially -- students seized the bull by the horns and repeatedly walked out or called in sick. The students loudly announced, "If they won't teach us about civil disobedience, we'll teach ourselves." AP students could certainly put together some excellent "teach in" materials. Student-led teach-ins would certainly draw a number of their otherwise uninterested fellow students.
Protesters actually forced the closure of several schools, confronting the Board with the possible loss of state revenue if things were not somehow settled before the magic "student-head-count" day at the end of September. Needless to say, the purse strings prevailed and both sides have backed off -- for now.
The Advanced Placement organization also weighed in, saying that AP college certification might be withdrawn if the curriculum were modified. I honestly do not think these three disgruntled Board members realized the can of worms they were opening, especially misjudging their students's reactions.
DTC Parkway. One portion of the parkway leading south from southeast metro Denver through the Denver Tech Center is lined with ash trees which turn a smoky, rust color in the fall. Sunlight, especially in the early evening, causes the trees to glow, a beautiful sight.
Evacuated from above. Christine and our friend, John, volunteered to be "rescued" from the gondola by the Breckenridge ski patrol during the patrol's annual evacuation training drill. The patrol staff work their way down the gondola cables, open the cabin doors, put a harness on each person, then lower them to the ground. Safe, sound, plus a free lunch, with fortuitous timing, too, because it snowed the next day.
Hunter's Blood Moon. This October's Hunter's Moon coincided with a lunar eclipse, visible in much of the United States. The result was the a so-called "Blood Moon," which received more than a little You Tube coverage.
PTSD. An article in a recent issue of Foreign Policy discusses this deadly, silent problem experienced by an estimated 21-29% of America's service men/women. Interestingly, the article notes there were authors writing about what we now call PTSD in the Iliad, the Odyssey, as well as letters to loved ones from the our own Civil War. Here is a short excerpt from Walter Lee's letter to his mother in 1862: "I don't believe I am the same being I was two weeks ago...I don't think as I used to and things don't seem as they did." A woeful, simply stated self-diagnosis of a profound problem, one often noted but little studied until recently.
Nobel Peace Prize. Two prizes were awarded this year. One to Malala Yousafzai, the now-famous seventeen year-old Pakistani girl who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban for daring to go to school and speaking out in behalf of education for all young girls. The second prize was awarded to sixty year-old Kailash Satyarthi who has worked tirelessly in India to save children from the low wage-slavery that is a key element in India's developing economy.
$$$ poorly spent. The lead article on the 10/14 Roll Call website estimates that overall spending for the 2014 midterm political races has now topped $1B, with three weeks remaining before Nov 4th. Ridiculous, when you think of the worthy alternative uses to which that money could have been put. For example, how many hospitals could be equipped to handle ebola patients and their staffs trained? The list of worthy alternatives is long -- and largely ignored.
$$$ poorly spent. The lead article on the 10/14 Roll Call website estimates that overall spending for the 2014 midterm political races has now topped $1B, with three weeks remaining before Nov 4th. Ridiculous, when you think of the worthy alternative uses to which that money could have been put. For example, how many hospitals could be equipped to handle ebola patients and their staffs trained? The list of worthy alternatives is long -- and largely ignored.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the fall weather. It is predicted to be mid-70s and low-80s for the next two days here in the Mile High City.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Sep 30 Here are the topics for this week's blog: Ken Burns and "The Roosevelts;" myths about ISIS; the US Supreme Court; a sad passing; DDE; Memphis; school walkouts and boycotts; aspen gold; autumn rainbows; continuing runoff; new phrases; the fun to come; barbarians
TR, FDR, and Eleanor. This undertaking, like his other disparate programs, presents history writ large. Burns weaves an interesting tableau as he relates the story of this famous family. If you missed all/part of the program go to PBS.
In her National Review article, "Progressives Enthroned," Amity Shales likens the program to an extravaganza. A central point is that "The Roosevelts [FR and FDR] both favored active progressivism and denied that any other presidential posture could do the trick. What “26” and “32” hoped, as one of the commenters in the film, George F. Will, notes, was that 'the role of the central government from now on [would be] to secure the well-being of the American people.'” If it can be argued that TR & FDR re-defined the possible role of the president, Eleanor, then dramatically continued that tradition as she proceeded to forever re-define the role of First Lady, for herself and all future presidential spouses.
The subjects of Burns's other documentaries are truly diverse: The Civil War, Baseball, The [Second World] War, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, Prohibition, and The Central Park Five. It was, of course, The Civil War (September 1990) that first brought him national and international acclaim.
Myths of the current crisis with ISIS. An article from Foreign Policy lists five and I leave it to you to read (or not) the entire article.
In her National Review article, "Progressives Enthroned," Amity Shales likens the program to an extravaganza. A central point is that "The Roosevelts [FR and FDR] both favored active progressivism and denied that any other presidential posture could do the trick. What “26” and “32” hoped, as one of the commenters in the film, George F. Will, notes, was that 'the role of the central government from now on [would be] to secure the well-being of the American people.'” If it can be argued that TR & FDR re-defined the possible role of the president, Eleanor, then dramatically continued that tradition as she proceeded to forever re-define the role of First Lady, for herself and all future presidential spouses.
The subjects of Burns's other documentaries are truly diverse: The Civil War, Baseball, The [Second World] War, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, Prohibition, and The Central Park Five. It was, of course, The Civil War (September 1990) that first brought him national and international acclaim.
Myths of the current crisis with ISIS. An article from Foreign Policy lists five and I leave it to you to read (or not) the entire article.
- Airstrikes Without Boots on the Ground Can't Be Effective.
- Terror Is a Strategic Threat to the Homeland.
- Obama Is Responsible for IS's Rise.
- Assad, Hezbollah, and Iran Are Our Friends.
- We Can "Ultimately Destroy" the Islamic State.
For the history buffs, there this largely unremembered factoid is noted in Myth 2: "Sept. 11, 2001, was the second bloodiest day in U.S. history, only surpassed by Sept. 17, 1862, during the battle of Antietam." [Emphasis added] Notable, given the relative disparity between the "weapons" of war available on those two dates, 139 years apart.
SCOTUS. The Supreme Court has always be a bit of mystery for most Americans, from its composition and how the justices are chosen, to the results that flow from its decisions. The vast majority of the Court's decisions do not touch the average citizen in any tangible way. Occasionally, though, there are the historic exceptions, e.g. Oliver Brown, et.al. vs the Board of Education of Topeka (1954, school desegregation) or, more recently, Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission (2010, campaign spending limits).
SCOTUS. The Supreme Court has always be a bit of mystery for most Americans, from its composition and how the justices are chosen, to the results that flow from its decisions. The vast majority of the Court's decisions do not touch the average citizen in any tangible way. Occasionally, though, there are the historic exceptions, e.g. Oliver Brown, et.al. vs the Board of Education of Topeka (1954, school desegregation) or, more recently, Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission (2010, campaign spending limits).
A recent Roll Call article (September 24) about associate justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, touches on whether she might/might not retire given the current manner in which supreme court nominations are handled by the US Senate. In a rare interview (Elle magazine), Justice Ginsburg is quoted as saying, "If I resign any time this year, he [President Obama] could not successfully appoint anyone I would like to see in the court,” pointing to the change in procedure that “took off the filibuster for lower federal court appointments, but it remains for this court.” This is a rare (unique ?) instance in which a Supreme Court justice has openly voiced a personal opinion about her/his probable replacement. I heartedly recommend reading the entire Elle interview.
PBR, no more. For beer drinkers, there was the sad news that the beloved pedestrian, working man's beer, PRB, may well become PRR, Pabst Red Ribbon. It seems that Pabst, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, and Colt 45 have all been bought by Oasis Brewing, a Russian company. Ben Franklin is wistfully -- but incorrectly -- thought to have said “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Even if you don't have an occasional "brewski," lighten your day by enjoying a few minutes of laughter with "Newman" Stephen Colbert as he recounts the passing of a sacred American institution.
A future D.C. landmark, the Eisenhower Memorial. The Memorial Commission has one less member after Senator Jerry Moran (R, KS) quietly resigned by slipping his resignation notice into the Congressional Record. The monument's design, by noted architect Frank Gehry, has continued to be controversial. One cannot help but wonder, "What the quiet gentleman from Kansas make of this latest brouhaha in his name?"
Might he not wonder why it has taken more than a decade to reach yet another impasse?
Memphis, the play. The performance at the Arvada (Colorado) fine arts center was most enjoyable. The AC has great acoustics and there really is not a bad seat in the house. The performance was well stage and the actors/singers were great! I heartily recommend the play.
School boycots and walkouts. Students in Jefferson County, a western metro Denver suburb, have begun staging walkouts and boycotts over proposals by the Jeffco School Board to alter the county's US Advance Placement history curriculum to eliminate material about civil disobedience and peaceful protest. The board, apparently, does not care that the national AP tests may well have questions concerning the material they want to eliminate. The national AP organization has weighed in saying that any AP course that does not cover the prescribed curriculum will not be considered AP and students will not be granted college placement credit.
Imagine a future student's reaction to a question about Martin Luther King, Jr. "Hey, the only Martin Luther I've head about was some European religious guy long ago." But, wait, that probably would not occur to the students because the Jeffco world history curriculum would also have been stripped of all references to religious turmoil. As a colleague loved to say, that group "is a real piece of work."
Gold in them 'thar hills. The aspens are turning the hillsides golden -- even some light reds here and there. Aspens, which grow from an underground root system and different groves are actually classed as separate "living organisms," often having their own shading characteristics. One aspen grove in UT is thought to be among the largest living organisms ever found.
Even more color. Late Saturday afternoon a light autumn rain and oblique sunlight from the west produced a complete rainbow over the valley at Breckenridge. If you were a believer, the twin locations of the leprechaun's pots of gold were distinctly visible. As an added bonus, there was even a faint, partial double rainbow on the northern end of the valley. The average camera/phone camera could not do justice to nature.
Water runoff. Along I-70, on the eastern side of the Eisenhower and Johnson tunnels, various rivulets run down to the highway, providing drainage from unseen upper snow fields. Last year there was no visible runoff after mid-July. This year, however, the runoff has continued all summer, even now into September. Local weather prognosticators say the coming winter will have above average snowfall. Good news for the skiers, reservoirs, and "salt-sellers," but not so good for CODOT's road crews.
Words/phrases. "Ramped up," as in "he's ramped up his out-of-state travel schedule," is one of the current catch phrases of the day. Wouldn't "Increased...." suffice? "Amp up" is an oft used variant. "Absolutely" still clogs the paper and airwaves rather than a simple emphatic "Yes!"
Good times, Republican style. This Roll Call article previews the probable talking points of Sens. Paul and Cruz, should either throw his hat in the ring. But then, as the old saw goes, "You ain't seen nothing yet!" Far different fare than voters can expect from Hillary or Biden or ???
Barbarians. Over the weekend, House Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) dismissed ISIS saying, "These are barbarians." An interesting word choice. Does the Speaker remember that even though the Chinese deigned to host Marco Polo, they considered him, indeed, all westerners as barbarians? Of course, as Marco Polo talked with the Chinese, only Native Americans peopled the forests of what would much later be Ohio and Boehner's kinfolk undoubtedly considered these First Americans as little more than savages, violent barbarians.
Vacation hiatus. I will be in and out so I'll post again on October 14th. Enjoy these first weeks of fall. Thanks for staying tuned in.
PBR, no more. For beer drinkers, there was the sad news that the beloved pedestrian, working man's beer, PRB, may well become PRR, Pabst Red Ribbon. It seems that Pabst, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz, and Colt 45 have all been bought by Oasis Brewing, a Russian company. Ben Franklin is wistfully -- but incorrectly -- thought to have said “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Even if you don't have an occasional "brewski," lighten your day by enjoying a few minutes of laughter with "Newman" Stephen Colbert as he recounts the passing of a sacred American institution.
A future D.C. landmark, the Eisenhower Memorial. The Memorial Commission has one less member after Senator Jerry Moran (R, KS) quietly resigned by slipping his resignation notice into the Congressional Record. The monument's design, by noted architect Frank Gehry, has continued to be controversial. One cannot help but wonder, "What the quiet gentleman from Kansas make of this latest brouhaha in his name?"
Might he not wonder why it has taken more than a decade to reach yet another impasse?
Memphis, the play. The performance at the Arvada (Colorado) fine arts center was most enjoyable. The AC has great acoustics and there really is not a bad seat in the house. The performance was well stage and the actors/singers were great! I heartily recommend the play.
School boycots and walkouts. Students in Jefferson County, a western metro Denver suburb, have begun staging walkouts and boycotts over proposals by the Jeffco School Board to alter the county's US Advance Placement history curriculum to eliminate material about civil disobedience and peaceful protest. The board, apparently, does not care that the national AP tests may well have questions concerning the material they want to eliminate. The national AP organization has weighed in saying that any AP course that does not cover the prescribed curriculum will not be considered AP and students will not be granted college placement credit.
Imagine a future student's reaction to a question about Martin Luther King, Jr. "Hey, the only Martin Luther I've head about was some European religious guy long ago." But, wait, that probably would not occur to the students because the Jeffco world history curriculum would also have been stripped of all references to religious turmoil. As a colleague loved to say, that group "is a real piece of work."
Gold in them 'thar hills. The aspens are turning the hillsides golden -- even some light reds here and there. Aspens, which grow from an underground root system and different groves are actually classed as separate "living organisms," often having their own shading characteristics. One aspen grove in UT is thought to be among the largest living organisms ever found.
Even more color. Late Saturday afternoon a light autumn rain and oblique sunlight from the west produced a complete rainbow over the valley at Breckenridge. If you were a believer, the twin locations of the leprechaun's pots of gold were distinctly visible. As an added bonus, there was even a faint, partial double rainbow on the northern end of the valley. The average camera/phone camera could not do justice to nature.
Water runoff. Along I-70, on the eastern side of the Eisenhower and Johnson tunnels, various rivulets run down to the highway, providing drainage from unseen upper snow fields. Last year there was no visible runoff after mid-July. This year, however, the runoff has continued all summer, even now into September. Local weather prognosticators say the coming winter will have above average snowfall. Good news for the skiers, reservoirs, and "salt-sellers," but not so good for CODOT's road crews.
Words/phrases. "Ramped up," as in "he's ramped up his out-of-state travel schedule," is one of the current catch phrases of the day. Wouldn't "Increased...." suffice? "Amp up" is an oft used variant. "Absolutely" still clogs the paper and airwaves rather than a simple emphatic "Yes!"
Good times, Republican style. This Roll Call article previews the probable talking points of Sens. Paul and Cruz, should either throw his hat in the ring. But then, as the old saw goes, "You ain't seen nothing yet!" Far different fare than voters can expect from Hillary or Biden or ???
Barbarians. Over the weekend, House Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) dismissed ISIS saying, "These are barbarians." An interesting word choice. Does the Speaker remember that even though the Chinese deigned to host Marco Polo, they considered him, indeed, all westerners as barbarians? Of course, as Marco Polo talked with the Chinese, only Native Americans peopled the forests of what would much later be Ohio and Boehner's kinfolk undoubtedly considered these First Americans as little more than savages, violent barbarians.
Vacation hiatus. I will be in and out so I'll post again on October 14th. Enjoy these first weeks of fall. Thanks for staying tuned in.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Here are the topics for this week's blog: Two votes, Scotland and Sweden; ebola; ISIS; wonderful concert; climate change; fall rain; election ads
Scotland, a historic vote. As I typed this entry the vote was still two days away, but political junkies the world over were busily speculating on the results, no matter which way the vote went. It was a stark, straightforward choice. YES = Scotland would separate itself from the United Kingdom, becoming western Europe's first new 21st century nation. NO = Scotland would remain in the UK with its current governmental arrangement.
Until this vote became newsworthy on our "side of the pond," I venture that few Americans were unaware that the current Scottish parliament exercised freedom on virtually all domestic issues; only in matters of defense and foreign affairs did #10 Downing Street hold sway.
In the end, the "NO" vote carried the day and so the United Kingdom remains in tact, having "muddled through" this latest crisis.
Sweden. Though it was little noted in the American media, last Saturday there were national elections in this largest Scandinavian country. Swedes voted for a loose, shaky, unlikely center-left coalition. A young lady whom I know — the epitome of the classic multitalented, daring, small business entrepreneur — viewed the results with despair. Her verdict: four years of "chaos politics." Welcome to the parliamentary equivalent of our own presidential separation of powers / deadlocked Congress dilemma.
Ebola. President Obama made the inevitable announcement: only the US had the capability to help the world's health care organizations cope with this steadily expanding epidemic. Health professionals fear this epidemic could be the 21st century replay of the plague of the Middle Ages, only this time centered on Africa, not Europe.
Health agencies have begun to outline the massive task facing the world. The ease with which we travel today, something hardly ever considered a problem, further complicates the issue. Congress reacted quickly and favorably to the President's call to action. A silent chorus went up, no doubt, from the 535 members, "Thank God! A nonpartisan issue we can vote for without fear of backlash — even if we are being terribly frugal and late in reacting."
ISIS. Boots on the ground, i.e. American troops? The president says, "No," but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says, "Maybe." Most Americans do not hear the whole story if/when it is mentioned, usually as a footnote, that there are now American troops on the ground: trainers and, more importantly, special forces,
In a recent column, Thomas Friedman talks about the central, convoluted role played by the Saudi Arabians throughout the region and the US reluctance to call out the Saudis over their financing of ISIS and like-minded strict jihadists. And, for that matter, the US seems reluctant to acknowledge publicly that nations like....
Gordon Lightfoot. For many reasons, my wife and I are infrequent concertgoers: exorbitant ticket prices, traffic/parking congestion, special effects that too often overshadow the performer, sound that also is also overpowering. That said, what about reasonably priced tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot in concert at Denver's venerable Paramount Theater? My first thought was that Lightfoot is old enough to remember when a concert was all about the songs and the performer's vocal ability.
We were not disappointed! It was a most enjoyable concert. No overpowering light show or music! Just Lightfoot and four accompanists: keyboard, bass guitarist, lead guitarist, and drummer. No unnecessary vocal accompanists to muddy his still vibrant voice. One line from his song, "Carefree Highway," asks "Wonder how the old folks are tonight?" More than a few in audience cried out to the effect, "We're here and doing well."
Climate. One of the stories of the week announced what we all have felt: summer 2014 would go down as the hottest on record. This news gave added import to ongoing discussions about the earth's changing climate. Questions about change will continue to consume reams of paper and hours of discussion: how quickly, why, and what steps can be taken to ameliorate what has increasingly come to be accepted as fact? (Florida's Governor Scott, not withstanding.) Recent articles have predicted a dire climate future for we earthlings.
A fall rain. As I typed blog entries Sunday evening, the sounds through the open window beside my computer, announced our first fall rain storm. Short-lived, with relatively quiet thunder and far off lightning were reassuring. I called a friend to pass along my thanks for him having turned on his sprinkler system to water his too-dry back yard. It never fails.
Premier week. Beginning this week all of your favorite (or not-so) shows will be taking up where last season's cliff hangers left you. On Sunday, we passed up "The Good Wife" and "Madam Secretary" in favor of the final segment of Ken Burns's wonderful series, "The Roosevelts" (PBS). It will be interesting to see how "Madam Secretary" (CBS) is received. The subject and Hillary's probable run for the presidency seem oddly timed — will there be questions about network neutrality?
Mid-term election spending. As noted by PBS, money is flooding into mid-term election campaign coffers at record pace. The January 21, 2010, Citizens United decision loosened the purse strings of the ultra-wealthy: thus far, $228 million and climbing.
All of the local TV stations in metro Denver (in your RV market?) provide what amounts to a sort of "truth in advertising" assessment of many candidate/issue ads. Without fail, each ad is found to contain a varying mixture of the true, the misleading, and the incomplete (i.e. needs context). Only rarely, though, can the truth squad point to a totally false statement. Candidates and issue ad-makers are quite adept with their shading.
Thank you for reading. Enjoy the upcoming first official week of Fall 2014.
Scotland, a historic vote. As I typed this entry the vote was still two days away, but political junkies the world over were busily speculating on the results, no matter which way the vote went. It was a stark, straightforward choice. YES = Scotland would separate itself from the United Kingdom, becoming western Europe's first new 21st century nation. NO = Scotland would remain in the UK with its current governmental arrangement.
Until this vote became newsworthy on our "side of the pond," I venture that few Americans were unaware that the current Scottish parliament exercised freedom on virtually all domestic issues; only in matters of defense and foreign affairs did #10 Downing Street hold sway.
In the end, the "NO" vote carried the day and so the United Kingdom remains in tact, having "muddled through" this latest crisis.
Scotland, again. This time, though, the story is about an article in the August 2014 issue of National Geographic, "The First Stonehenge: Scotland's Master Builders." Beautiful pictures, as always, accompanied the explanation of this pre-Stonehenge site (ca 3,200 B.C.) in Scotland's northern Orkney Islands. Worthy of the bucket list, if you are headed that way!
Sweden. Though it was little noted in the American media, last Saturday there were national elections in this largest Scandinavian country. Swedes voted for a loose, shaky, unlikely center-left coalition. A young lady whom I know — the epitome of the classic multitalented, daring, small business entrepreneur — viewed the results with despair. Her verdict: four years of "chaos politics." Welcome to the parliamentary equivalent of our own presidential separation of powers / deadlocked Congress dilemma.
Ebola. President Obama made the inevitable announcement: only the US had the capability to help the world's health care organizations cope with this steadily expanding epidemic. Health professionals fear this epidemic could be the 21st century replay of the plague of the Middle Ages, only this time centered on Africa, not Europe.
Health agencies have begun to outline the massive task facing the world. The ease with which we travel today, something hardly ever considered a problem, further complicates the issue. Congress reacted quickly and favorably to the President's call to action. A silent chorus went up, no doubt, from the 535 members, "Thank God! A nonpartisan issue we can vote for without fear of backlash — even if we are being terribly frugal and late in reacting."
ISIS. Boots on the ground, i.e. American troops? The president says, "No," but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says, "Maybe." Most Americans do not hear the whole story if/when it is mentioned, usually as a footnote, that there are now American troops on the ground: trainers and, more importantly, special forces,
In a recent column, Thomas Friedman talks about the central, convoluted role played by the Saudi Arabians throughout the region and the US reluctance to call out the Saudis over their financing of ISIS and like-minded strict jihadists. And, for that matter, the US seems reluctant to acknowledge publicly that nations like....
...Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia have far more at stake in this than the United States. So long as they believe that the United States will attempt to control the situation, it is perfectly rational for them to back off and watch, or act in the margins, or even hinder the Americans. The United States must turn this from a balance of power between Syria and Iraq to a balance of power among this trio of regional powers.Just now, as I am about to "go to press," President Obama addressed the nation (at 10:14AM on a work day?) about the airstrikes he had just ordered in Syria. More fat in the fire?
Gordon Lightfoot. For many reasons, my wife and I are infrequent concertgoers: exorbitant ticket prices, traffic/parking congestion, special effects that too often overshadow the performer, sound that also is also overpowering. That said, what about reasonably priced tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot in concert at Denver's venerable Paramount Theater? My first thought was that Lightfoot is old enough to remember when a concert was all about the songs and the performer's vocal ability.
We were not disappointed! It was a most enjoyable concert. No overpowering light show or music! Just Lightfoot and four accompanists: keyboard, bass guitarist, lead guitarist, and drummer. No unnecessary vocal accompanists to muddy his still vibrant voice. One line from his song, "Carefree Highway," asks "Wonder how the old folks are tonight?" More than a few in audience cried out to the effect, "We're here and doing well."
Climate. One of the stories of the week announced what we all have felt: summer 2014 would go down as the hottest on record. This news gave added import to ongoing discussions about the earth's changing climate. Questions about change will continue to consume reams of paper and hours of discussion: how quickly, why, and what steps can be taken to ameliorate what has increasingly come to be accepted as fact? (Florida's Governor Scott, not withstanding.) Recent articles have predicted a dire climate future for we earthlings.
A fall rain. As I typed blog entries Sunday evening, the sounds through the open window beside my computer, announced our first fall rain storm. Short-lived, with relatively quiet thunder and far off lightning were reassuring. I called a friend to pass along my thanks for him having turned on his sprinkler system to water his too-dry back yard. It never fails.
Premier week. Beginning this week all of your favorite (or not-so) shows will be taking up where last season's cliff hangers left you. On Sunday, we passed up "The Good Wife" and "Madam Secretary" in favor of the final segment of Ken Burns's wonderful series, "The Roosevelts" (PBS). It will be interesting to see how "Madam Secretary" (CBS) is received. The subject and Hillary's probable run for the presidency seem oddly timed — will there be questions about network neutrality?
Mid-term election spending. As noted by PBS, money is flooding into mid-term election campaign coffers at record pace. The January 21, 2010, Citizens United decision loosened the purse strings of the ultra-wealthy: thus far, $228 million and climbing.
- North Carolinians, for example, are being subjected to all the TV ads that $22 million can buy, roughly $23.15/person (not just per voter).
- Floridians are dealing with a gubernatorial race that what may well be the most expensive race of the year;
- We Coloradans are enduring ads totaling $14 million, or $2.65/person. (US Census Bureau statistics)
All of the local TV stations in metro Denver (in your RV market?) provide what amounts to a sort of "truth in advertising" assessment of many candidate/issue ads. Without fail, each ad is found to contain a varying mixture of the true, the misleading, and the incomplete (i.e. needs context). Only rarely, though, can the truth squad point to a totally false statement. Candidates and issue ad-makers are quite adept with their shading.
Thank you for reading. Enjoy the upcoming first official week of Fall 2014.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Here are the topics for this week's blog post: tea for two?; autumn in the garden; nonfiction reading, baseball; Pippin, the musical; Indian summer
More political fireworks? If you thought the political situation was all too confusing, guess again. In the Daily Beast, Sally Kohn investigates the case for a left-wing Tea Party. That is, a group to steer Democrats further left, just as the original Tea Party had drawn Republicans further to the right. Imagine, a "dark side" group for both the liberals and conservatives. Oh, joy!
Fall veggies. As the days shorten and temperatures fall at night, the green in the garden slowly ebbs. A few tomatoes and squash remain to be harvested, but fall is definitely in the offing. Yesterday, the afternoon rain storm brought a short-lived dusting of snow to some of the highest peaks. The local weather prognosticators are busily assembling their models to tell us when the first frost and snow will occur here in the city.
Nonfiction reading. I Don’t Care If We Never Get Back: 30 Games in 30 Days on the Best Worst Baseball Road Trip Ever. I found the title on a friend's blog. He thought it an enjoyable read, even though he is not a baseball aficionado. Several friends and I very much enjoy reading about baseball, then the author throws in a "road trip?" Should be good.
Pippin. This musical is only very loosely based on history. It was well staged, an enjoyable evening, but as is so often (too often?) the case, the staging overpowered the story. It was not unlike many current concerts where the theatrics overshadow the performer. On Saturday (20th) we have tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot at Denver's Paramount theater. Hopefully.........
Indian Summer seems to be in the offing for the next week or so. We have only had a very light frost here in the city.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the upcoming week.
More political fireworks? If you thought the political situation was all too confusing, guess again. In the Daily Beast, Sally Kohn investigates the case for a left-wing Tea Party. That is, a group to steer Democrats further left, just as the original Tea Party had drawn Republicans further to the right. Imagine, a "dark side" group for both the liberals and conservatives. Oh, joy!
Fall veggies. As the days shorten and temperatures fall at night, the green in the garden slowly ebbs. A few tomatoes and squash remain to be harvested, but fall is definitely in the offing. Yesterday, the afternoon rain storm brought a short-lived dusting of snow to some of the highest peaks. The local weather prognosticators are busily assembling their models to tell us when the first frost and snow will occur here in the city.
Nonfiction reading. I Don’t Care If We Never Get Back: 30 Games in 30 Days on the Best Worst Baseball Road Trip Ever. I found the title on a friend's blog. He thought it an enjoyable read, even though he is not a baseball aficionado. Several friends and I very much enjoy reading about baseball, then the author throws in a "road trip?" Should be good.
Pippin. This musical is only very loosely based on history. It was well staged, an enjoyable evening, but as is so often (too often?) the case, the staging overpowered the story. It was not unlike many current concerts where the theatrics overshadow the performer. On Saturday (20th) we have tickets to see Gordon Lightfoot at Denver's Paramount theater. Hopefully.........
Indian Summer seems to be in the offing for the next week or so. We have only had a very light frost here in the city.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the upcoming week.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Here are the topics for this week's blog: a wonderful, unusual rain; non-fiction reading; education funding; immigration; ebola outbreak
Rain. This past Thursday was an unusual evening and night here in Denver. It began raining in the evening about 8 and continued on/off all night. We are not often lulled to sleep by gentle rains; if at all, it is more likely to be the sounds of intense rain, thunder, and lightening of a late evening thunderstorm. Barring unpredicted heat and hot winds, the greenery and lilly pond will need no attention for several days.
Reading, non-fiction. I continue onward through Exile from the Land of the Snows, the story of the 1950s subjugation of Tibet and the exile of the Dali Lama. The "roof of the world" ceased to be free as the People's Republic of China (PRC) sought to close off the avenues of attack from the west from either Russia (USSR) or India. As had been the case in Eastern Europe, the western world turned a blind eye to China's conquest. Consequently, by 1950 Russia had its Warsaw Pact buffer and by the mid-1950s China had secured Tibet.
It is worth remembering that this was when the US officially viewed China and the USSR as friendly communist nations hell-bent on world-wide domination. Serious students of international relations with contrary views were summarily dismissed, even persecuted, as "commie pinko, fellow travelers." Senator Joseph McCarty (R, WI) was alive and well.
Only later did Washington awaken to the fact that China and the USSR were deeply distrustful of each other. Not until President Nixon's 1972 trip to China did the US
venture to establish formal relations with the PRC.
The Dali Lama, revered world-wide as a man of peace much to the displeasure of the Chinese government, has visited the US, the UN, met with the president, and other world leaders; he has even visited Denver for a youth peace conference.
Education Funding. As children head back to school, it is uncomfortable for me to remember how much spending on education in CO has decreased. According to the Pew Research Center’s analysis of 2010 census tract and household income data, residential segregation by income has increased during the past three decades across the United States and in 27 of the nation’s 30 largest major metropolitan areas. Robert Reich notes, "This matters, because a large portion of the money to support public schools comes from local property taxes. The federal government provides only about 14 percent of all funding, and the states provide 44 percent, on average. The rest, roughly 42 percent, is raised locally."
Immigration. This hot button political issue touches every state in the nation. President Obama's earlier pronouncements, made with so much fanfare, are now being summarily retracted. This story from Roll Call (9-8) contains an excellent example of a finely nuanced retraction on a politically loaded question. You know, "Well, we'd love to, but, you see, we can't because..." In August, the nation's business was held in abeyance during Congress's vacation; now the roadblock is the coming November election.
Go back to the 1840s and ask, "Would the Irish and other Europeans have flocked to America if there had been no potato famine and/or they has wanted to escape the revolutionary violence that swept the continent?" Very probably not so much. Today, it is political violence (Mexico, Central America, and elsewhere) and America's relative prosperity that spurs immigration to our shores.
Ebola epidemic. This article from Foreign Policy draws comparisons between the world's response to the Asian tsunami and the current ebola outbreak in Africa.
Thanks for reading. I hope your week goes well.
Rain. This past Thursday was an unusual evening and night here in Denver. It began raining in the evening about 8 and continued on/off all night. We are not often lulled to sleep by gentle rains; if at all, it is more likely to be the sounds of intense rain, thunder, and lightening of a late evening thunderstorm. Barring unpredicted heat and hot winds, the greenery and lilly pond will need no attention for several days.
Reading, non-fiction. I continue onward through Exile from the Land of the Snows, the story of the 1950s subjugation of Tibet and the exile of the Dali Lama. The "roof of the world" ceased to be free as the People's Republic of China (PRC) sought to close off the avenues of attack from the west from either Russia (USSR) or India. As had been the case in Eastern Europe, the western world turned a blind eye to China's conquest. Consequently, by 1950 Russia had its Warsaw Pact buffer and by the mid-1950s China had secured Tibet.
It is worth remembering that this was when the US officially viewed China and the USSR as friendly communist nations hell-bent on world-wide domination. Serious students of international relations with contrary views were summarily dismissed, even persecuted, as "commie pinko, fellow travelers." Senator Joseph McCarty (R, WI) was alive and well.
Only later did Washington awaken to the fact that China and the USSR were deeply distrustful of each other. Not until President Nixon's 1972 trip to China did the US
venture to establish formal relations with the PRC.
The Dali Lama, revered world-wide as a man of peace much to the displeasure of the Chinese government, has visited the US, the UN, met with the president, and other world leaders; he has even visited Denver for a youth peace conference.
Education Funding. As children head back to school, it is uncomfortable for me to remember how much spending on education in CO has decreased. According to the Pew Research Center’s analysis of 2010 census tract and household income data, residential segregation by income has increased during the past three decades across the United States and in 27 of the nation’s 30 largest major metropolitan areas. Robert Reich notes, "This matters, because a large portion of the money to support public schools comes from local property taxes. The federal government provides only about 14 percent of all funding, and the states provide 44 percent, on average. The rest, roughly 42 percent, is raised locally."
Immigration. This hot button political issue touches every state in the nation. President Obama's earlier pronouncements, made with so much fanfare, are now being summarily retracted. This story from Roll Call (9-8) contains an excellent example of a finely nuanced retraction on a politically loaded question. You know, "Well, we'd love to, but, you see, we can't because..." In August, the nation's business was held in abeyance during Congress's vacation; now the roadblock is the coming November election.
Go back to the 1840s and ask, "Would the Irish and other Europeans have flocked to America if there had been no potato famine and/or they has wanted to escape the revolutionary violence that swept the continent?" Very probably not so much. Today, it is political violence (Mexico, Central America, and elsewhere) and America's relative prosperity that spurs immigration to our shores.
Ebola epidemic. This article from Foreign Policy draws comparisons between the world's response to the Asian tsunami and the current ebola outbreak in Africa.
Thanks for reading. I hope your week goes well.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
These are the topics for this week's delayed blog: the Putin Doctrine; economic inversion; another journalist's death; a welcomed visit.
1823 vs 2013, Monroe v. Putin, so to speak. Tension continued to mount in eastern Ukraine. This from Foreign Policy, Aug 26th.
In 1823, the US warned off European powers, declaring the western hemisphere out of bounds to further European colonization. Today, a "wounded," distraught Putin, shorn of his Russia's empire, seems to be adapting the US example.
"Where's the beef?" Sometimes today's news triggers old memories. Remember Clara Peller, Walter Mondale, and Gary Hart (1984)? Ms. Peller did Wendy's humorous TV "Where's the beef" commercial with which Johnny Carson (et. al.) had a field day. Then Walter's political ads questioned Gary's "insubstantial" political platform. This past week's news put Burger King in the crosshairs as this iconic US corporation announced plans to buy Tim Horton, the Canadian fast food chain, and "invert" in Canada to cut its
tax bill. Just as with the original ad, controversy erupted.
Steven Sotloff. Apparently second American journalist has been murdered by ISIS. The following quote is noteworthy. "The Death of Steven Sotloff," Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 9/2/2014.
Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian historian, told us that war is the continuation of politics by other means. What he meant was, wars are fought to advance political objectives. When the objective is attained, or when an army exhausts itself trying, the war ends. The Clausewitzian rule is true whether a war is noble—going to war to defeat Hitler—or ignoble—sending tanks into eastern Ukraine to set up a vassal state. The point is that, for Clausewitz, violence is an instrument used to secure a political objective.
A most enjoyable visit. An ex-USAF colleague and his wife arrived from Boston and spent several days with us in Breckenridge, CO. The weather gods provided two glorious days with sunshine and cobalt blue skies.
Thank you for reading and I hope your Labor Day weekend went as well.
1823 vs 2013, Monroe v. Putin, so to speak. Tension continued to mount in eastern Ukraine. This from Foreign Policy, Aug 26th.
The Putin doctrine -- the belief that Russia has the right to act to protect Russian-speakers, no matter where they are -- puts NATO nations such as Estonia, Latvia, and Poland at risk. Each of these countries has citizens who speak Russian; the Kremlin has suggested it would penetrate those borders if Moscow thought those populations were threatened.
In 1823, the US warned off European powers, declaring the western hemisphere out of bounds to further European colonization. Today, a "wounded," distraught Putin, shorn of his Russia's empire, seems to be adapting the US example.
"Where's the beef?" Sometimes today's news triggers old memories. Remember Clara Peller, Walter Mondale, and Gary Hart (1984)? Ms. Peller did Wendy's humorous TV "Where's the beef" commercial with which Johnny Carson (et. al.) had a field day. Then Walter's political ads questioned Gary's "insubstantial" political platform. This past week's news put Burger King in the crosshairs as this iconic US corporation announced plans to buy Tim Horton, the Canadian fast food chain, and "invert" in Canada to cut its
tax bill. Just as with the original ad, controversy erupted.
Steven Sotloff. Apparently second American journalist has been murdered by ISIS. The following quote is noteworthy. "The Death of Steven Sotloff," Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 9/2/2014.
Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian historian, told us that war is the continuation of politics by other means. What he meant was, wars are fought to advance political objectives. When the objective is attained, or when an army exhausts itself trying, the war ends. The Clausewitzian rule is true whether a war is noble—going to war to defeat Hitler—or ignoble—sending tanks into eastern Ukraine to set up a vassal state. The point is that, for Clausewitz, violence is an instrument used to secure a political objective.
A most enjoyable visit. An ex-USAF colleague and his wife arrived from Boston and spent several days with us in Breckenridge, CO. The weather gods provided two glorious days with sunshine and cobalt blue skies.
Thank you for reading and I hope your Labor Day weekend went as well.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Topics for this week's blog include Election Day, Nov 2014; TV ad buys; Jihadists from Great Britain; democracy and human rights; the Roberts Court; fall in the high country
Let the race begin! The following caption from the lead photo in PBS "Morning Line" (Wednesday, 8/20) foretells nicely what we can expect between now and November 4th. "With the Alaska results, the stage is now set for the fall’s most hotly contested races that will decide control of the Senate." A letter to the editor (Denver Post) predicted (as I have) that between now and election day there will be substantial sales of new TV remotes as "mute" buttons begin to fail.
TV ad "buys" by both sides of the aisle are at all time highs. Listen carefully once to your favorite ad and note that all the other ads will be only slightly different -- all filled with half-truths about the other candidate/issues. To use CO as an example, any political ad for US Sentor Mark Udall (D, CO) that goes beyond, "Hi, my name is Mark Udall and I am running for re-election. I'd like to have your vote this coming November" will quickly devolve into half-truths about his position(s) and those of his opponent. It is time to sit back with a good book and listen to some soothing music!
News from the US and Great Britain that you did not see on the 5 O'clock news, at least not before the recent beheading of American journalist, James Foley. This story comes from the British magazine, The Spectator, and the article notes other violent, troubling jihadist events that have gone largely unmentioned, especially in the American press.
Into the Future. In his recent New York Times op-ed, Russ Douthat cautioned, "The ideals of democracy and human rights are ascendant in our age, but their advance still depends on agency, strategy and self-sacrifice, no matter what date the calendar displays." The increasing economic inequality in the supposedly "developed" world does not bode well for capitalism or democracy.
SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the US). These three recent books examine recent decision of the Court headed by Chief Justice Roberts.
Fall. The temperatures are dipping, fall is definitely in the air in Breckenridge, and the late summer monsoon rains are a daily occurrence. The aspens have not yet taken on their customary golden hues, but this spectacular fall show cannot be far off.
Thank you for reading and I hope your week goes well.
Let the race begin! The following caption from the lead photo in PBS "Morning Line" (Wednesday, 8/20) foretells nicely what we can expect between now and November 4th. "With the Alaska results, the stage is now set for the fall’s most hotly contested races that will decide control of the Senate." A letter to the editor (Denver Post) predicted (as I have) that between now and election day there will be substantial sales of new TV remotes as "mute" buttons begin to fail.
TV ad "buys" by both sides of the aisle are at all time highs. Listen carefully once to your favorite ad and note that all the other ads will be only slightly different -- all filled with half-truths about the other candidate/issues. To use CO as an example, any political ad for US Sentor Mark Udall (D, CO) that goes beyond, "Hi, my name is Mark Udall and I am running for re-election. I'd like to have your vote this coming November" will quickly devolve into half-truths about his position(s) and those of his opponent. It is time to sit back with a good book and listen to some soothing music!
News from the US and Great Britain that you did not see on the 5 O'clock news, at least not before the recent beheading of American journalist, James Foley. This story comes from the British magazine, The Spectator, and the article notes other violent, troubling jihadist events that have gone largely unmentioned, especially in the American press.
Into the Future. In his recent New York Times op-ed, Russ Douthat cautioned, "The ideals of democracy and human rights are ascendant in our age, but their advance still depends on agency, strategy and self-sacrifice, no matter what date the calendar displays." The increasing economic inequality in the supposedly "developed" world does not bode well for capitalism or democracy.
SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the US). These three recent books examine recent decision of the Court headed by Chief Justice Roberts.
Fall. The temperatures are dipping, fall is definitely in the air in Breckenridge, and the late summer monsoon rains are a daily occurrence. The aspens have not yet taken on their customary golden hues, but this spectacular fall show cannot be far off.
Thank you for reading and I hope your week goes well.
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