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.

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.

1. 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.  
2. 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!

Negative ads. I approach the last, furious days before November 4th with this in mind:

1. Any person/organization that spends money for or against a candidate or issue expects/hopes for something in return.
2. The more money spent, the more that is expected in return.
3. Candidates like to run ads with the phrase, "I approved this ad," which now requires a positive ad.
4. 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. 
5. An obscene amount of money is being poured into negative ads. A sad, sad state of affairs for the American Republic.

Cost of mid-term 2014. To moi, it is ridiculous that more than $4B will be spent electing 435 representatives, 6 delegates (from the our overseas possessions), and 36 senators. On average, $8,385,744 & change for each elected official. Admittedly, this is a badly skewed figure, but it seems a gross misuse of our wealth. However, if the Koch brothers (Republican) and American Bridge 21st Century (Democratic), et. al. expect future favorable treatment, they are paying handsomely -- and willingly -- to get their man or woman elected!

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.

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.

1. Exaggerating the threat
2. Squandering US leverage
3. Failure to set clear priorities
4. Assuming others share our worldview and our interests
5. 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. 

Thanks for reading and have a good fall week.

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

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.

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.