This week's notes. Optimist; notable US dates; foreign policy by tweet; truth; Secretary of Defense; an unusual export; Supreme Court news; end of an era in Germany; head "mother;"

Optimist, 23 December. Link here. A most unusual -- and needed -- present: firewood. What to do with your soon-to-expire frequent flyer miles? Donate them to people who want to, but cannot afford to travel, to see loved ones. This year's best/most notable photos.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/amp-stories/stories-year-in-photos/?wpisrc=nl_optimist&wpmm=1

Notable dates in US history.
     19 December 1998: the Republican-controlled US House voted to impeach President Clinton. In 1972: Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific ending America's lunar landing program.
     20 December 1803: The Louisiana Purchase was completed, adding 827,000 square miles (530M acres), nearly doubling the nation's size.    
     21 December 1620: the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, MA.
     22 December 1944: In the "Battle of the Bulge," U.S. Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe rejected a German demand for surrender, writing “Nuts!” in his official reply. The word instantly gained notoriety.
     25 December: two legendary singers died on Christmas Day; 1995, Dean Martin; 2006, James Brown

Colorado (CO) & the West.

• CO 7th fastest growing state: 1.4%, 1 July 2017 to 1 July 2018
• NV and ID topped list
• CO may be growing quickly, but a self-sufficiency study from the Colorado Center on Law and Policy found that a quarter of households in the state don’t earn enough income to cover basic living costs in the area where they live.  

The Wall: actual or idea? The shutdown. For the president there has to be a physical wall because everything has to be about him. The same for his "base?" Or is the base more realistic? Certainly many of those living near the Rio Grande know that a portion of the US's southern border "moves," that the border is wherever the river wanders.

Nuclear past. This High Country News (HCN) article examines one of the US's continuing problems from the nuclear past: the Hanford facility in Washington state, the site of our largest nuclear waste dump. "The scale of nuclear waste is like that: sprawling out into the metaphysical distance, too big for the human mind to hold."
     How toxic? "If you were to pull a shot glass full of liquid out of one of the tanks buried near us, it would kill everyone with[in] 100 yards instantly. And the danger would not disappear: Plutonium has a half-life of 24,100 years."
     Clean up? "The plant is supposed to start processing the most toxic waste in 2036. But construction has stalled out and most of the waste sits in underground tanks, some of which have begun to fail."
     “There’s a lot more work to do than there is money to get it accomplished,” Price [the tri-party agreement section manager for the Washington Department of Ecology, which regulates Hanford,] said. “We’ve really come to a fork in the road.” 
     That said, you probably should not buy any land "down stream" from Hanford!

DJT & foreign policy. The Donald does not need to consult anyone -- not Secretaries Pompeo (State) or Mattis (Defense), the Joint Chiefs, not the NSC -- his gut just tells him and he tweets for all the world to know. Our very own Caesar, if you will. For the latter it was the Senate and Forum, now for DJT it is the internet and a Tweet.   Lord, have mercy!
     Victoria Nuland in the Washington Post: "With his decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria, President Trump hands a huge New Year’s gift to President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic State, the Kremlin and Tehran." Surely by now, there is not a leader in the world that does not know how to "play" the Donald. If only he knew he was being played.

     E.J. Dionne: "The week before Christmas may go down as the strangest and most revealing [until now ?] of Donald Trump’s presidency. Over just a few days, his sheer thuggishness, venality and corruption were laid bare. But it was also a time for Trumpian good deeds that allowed us a glimpse at how he might have governed if he had been shrewder — and had a genuine interest in the good that government can do."

     Declare victory and go home?  Home to what?

RIP: Weekly Standard. Possibly, the GOP, too? John A. Burtka IV is the executive director of the American Conservative magazine and he noted "...a conference [was held] at Washington’s Niskanen Center titled 'Starting Over: The Center-Right After Trump.' The underlying assumption of the conference: It’s time for moderate conservatives to regroup and reconsider their relationship to a Republican Party that has been overrun by populists, nationalists and demagogues. Could this be the new American triumvirate, in alphabetic order: Conservatives, Democrats, Trumpers? 

Truth? From a Toles' cartoon in the Washington Post. Judge: "Ignorance is no excuse!" Trump: "But, I didn't know that."

Colorado River. As this HCN article notes, the growing water demands in the West point to future conflicts between upper and lower basin states over the dwindling water in the Colorado.

Secretary of Defense. Secretary Mattis' letter of resignation was a well written, scathing statement of what he saw as needed accomplishments and a rebuke of his president's feelings and actions regarding allies and our mutual He was pleased to have served the nation and the men and women in uniform. Nowhere did the Secretary say he was pleased to have served his president.
     Columnist Max Boot wrote, "Trump does not appreciate the deep commitment that troops feel to the causes for which they fight. His only enduring loyalty is to his bank account....Mattis’ resignation was his final act of devotion to a nation he has served his whole adult life...[Mattis, one] of the last remaining adults has left the building. The president is home alone with his Twitter account — and our nuclear arsenal."

Science news you may not find out about. This article speculates about what science news the president does not want you to know. Democracies only truly work with necessary information, truths.
     "Over the past few decades, one federal agency after another has thrown up barriers limiting the media’s access to researchers....Earlier this year, a Food and Drug Administration public affairs officer declined to put me in contact with an expert who could explain how the agency evaluates the safety of genetically modified plants, instead emailing me boilerplate."

Education, an export? As improbable as it may seem, Catherine Rampell makes the important point that America had, at least in the past, an important -- very lucrative -- export. "In trade terms, this means we run a massive surplus in education — about $34 billion in 2017, according to Commerce Department data. Our educational exports are about as big as our total exports of soybeans, coal and natural gas combined....[However, a] recent report from the from the Institute of International Education and the State Department found that new international student enrollments fell by 6.6 percent in the 2017-2018 school year, the second consecutive year of declines."
     Nations are reducing their "subsidies" for their students and working to improve their own educational systems. However, foreign students... " '[feel] they’re no longer wanted in the United States,' said Lawrence Schovanec, president of Texas Tech University, whose foreign student enrollment declined by 2 percent this year. Sixty percent of schools with declining international enrollment, in fact, said that the U.S. social and political environment was a contributing factor, according to the IIE survey."
     Is the "goose and the golden egg" worth recalling?

The new divide. Fareed Zakaria writes that a new dividing line in societies may be rural folk who feel neglected by their urban elites who "run" their nation's governments. He points to the spectacle of France's urban populists, the "yellow vests," joining the nation's far right populists....Just as in France, the United States and Britain, the movement appears to be a rural backlash against urban elites." The US now has a president who recognizes how he can profit by exploiting this new divide.

Supreme Court. A divided (5-4) court let stand a lower court's ruling blocking President Trump's attempts ban illegal immigrants from seeking asylum. Chief Justice Roberts voted with the majority. Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a lobe (with cancerous nodules) of her left lung removed.

Germany's coal industry...  officially shut down as 7 miners brought a lump of coal to the surface.

Reindeer mother. In the vast reaches of Finland's heavily forested Lapland, reindeer herders are keeping tack of their herds by attaching GPS-enabled collars to each herd's female leader. Finnish scientists hope to eventually shrink the size of the battery (now the size of a card deck) to a small chip that can be embedded in an ear tag.

Thank you for reading. I hope your Christmas was joyous, filled with good fellowship.

Topics for the past week: Optimist; notable US dates; persons of the year; antisemitism; pollution controls; Russian intentions; an aging America; gentrification; "farewell" to the Senate; China, trade or tech war; bowl season; Christmas eggs; nuclear energy; Russian rap; centenarian sky diver; high school sports;

Optimist, 16 December. Link to the section.
     Basketball phenom. Fran Belibi is still learning, but she can play -- and dunk -- with the best. The young lady, a senior at Regis Jesuit High School (Aurora, CO), has settled on attending Stanford University, largely because it has a medical school on campus. Her parents are doctors and, at present, she has no plans to play basketball beyond college; she wants a medical degree.

Notable dates in US history.
     12 December 2000. The Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore effectively meant that George W. Bush had been elected president.
     14 December 1799. George Washington, our first president, died at the age of 67 at his home, Mount Vernon, VA.
     15 December 1791: The Bill of Rights went into effect with VA’s ratification.
     16 December 1773: There was a "tea party" in Boston, MA.
     18 December 1865: The 13th Amendment banning slavery was declared in effect.  In 1917, Congress passed and sent to the states for ratification the 18th (prohibition) amendment.  

Persons of the Year. This year Time magazine chose "Guardians of the Truth," including  Jamal Khashoggi, other journalists, even newsroom staffs. Lately, being a journalist has proved hazardous occupation.

Russian intentions. The guilty plea of Maria Butina for illegally trying to influence US policy seems to indicate that the Russian government deliberately tried to set the stage for changes they wanted, in this case working through the GOP and the National Rifle Association.  Ms. Butina agreed to cooperate in exchange for a lesser sentence. This is just one more bit of evidence in an evolving picture in which members of the Trump family and administration play a role, however unwittingly.

Antisemitism vs. freedom of speech. In Foreign Policy, Shibley Telhami notes, "The firing of Professor Marc Lamont Hill as a CNN contributor after his speech at a United Nations event commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People has generated considerable debate about free speech that goes beyond the case itself—what is legitimate criticism of Israel, and what constitutes anti-Semitism."
     On 14 May 1948, America became the first nation to recognize the de facto existence of the State of Israel. (Official, de jure diplomatic recognition followed in 31 January 1949.) Ever since, criticism of Israel and its policies has been a touchy subject for American politicians. Something to which Professor Hill can now attest. The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will be well advised to pay heed and carefully walk that thin diplomatic line, because, as Telhami also notes, Americans' views are slowly changing. The situation is becoming more nuanced.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's problems. As if there were not enough problems in the Middle East, the PM finds himself, to borrow a phrase, in the midst of his own "witch hunt," a "raft of bribery investigations...a collision between political survival tactics and the rule of law in a democracy." Misery loves company, does it not?

An anti-Muslim campaign on Capitol Hill. Ola Salem reports that "Gulf Arab monarchies are using racism, bigotry, and fake news to denounce Washington's newest history-making politicians." Specifically, the two newly elected Muslim women elected to the US House of Representatives, Ilhan Omar (D, MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D, MI), are being targeted.
     "On Sunday (past), Saudi-owned Al Arabiya published a feature insinuating that Omar and Tlaib were part of an alliance between the Democratic Party and Islamist groups to control Congress."  Also, "American conservative commentator and pastor E.W. Jackson complained on a radio show that Muslims were transforming Congress into an 'Islamic republic.' ” This chart from the PEW Forum is instructive about the US Congress compared with the American population.

Pollution in your area? The Trump administration is rolling back safeguards against water pollution. Hopefully you will not be among those affected.

Poverty in your area? A new study by the CO Center on Law and Policy reports that more than one quarter of Colorado families cannot afford the basic costs to sustain themselves. Where you live in the Mile High state matters a lot: $19,175 in Huerfano county (CO's poorest) vs. $30,369 in Boulder county. Statistics may have changed dramatically in your state, too.

America's elderly. In a letter-to-the-editor in the Denver Post, Mr. Phil Nash writes, "The United States is at a demographic turning point. Next year, we will be a nation with more people older than 60 than under 18. If our economy is to keep growing, competition for employees will intensify....We’re a half century behind in our thinking about the value of people over 60 who want or need to keep working. The U.S. also lags behind other nations in recognizing the opportunities to capitalize on older adults’ increased longevity....A thriving U.S. economy needs fresh thinking about human resources to capture the nearly unlimited potential of older adults to contribute."

Gentrification -- it is everywhere. Marfa, in dusty, rural west TX, has become an arts city and destination for artists and tourists alike. Jeffery Brown's PBS Newshour "American Creators" segment highlights the gifts, drawbacks, and unintended consequences of "becoming." One takeaway: gentrification is not confined to America's urban centers. Higher prices for housing, food, taxes, etc. have hit home in Marfa, just as they have in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, etc.

Fond farewells. This CSM article relates some of what was said by various US senators as they departed Capitol Hill for the last time. Too many see troubled times in the future.

China. Michael Morell and David Kris think the US should be most concerned about China's use of technology "to steal information and the theft of technology itself." This is, they believe, a new kind of Cold War. Whether or not President Trump shares their view is unknown; for him it all seems to be a continuing trade and tariff tiff.

New Mexico Bowl. Just think, if all 49 states plus Washington, D.C. were to join forces 100 more less than lustrous football teams could hope to fill their sports coffers with bowl revenue.

An egg at Christmas? At the Dominion Diamond Mines and Rio Tinto Group, a mine in Canada’s frozen north, 'tis the season! A 552 carat yellow diamond was unearthed. In the late 1800's, in "North to Alaska," it was gold they sought.

Nuclear energy. Those two words do not elicit favorable thoughts/responses for  many. None the less, the Idaho National Laboratory has restarted its nuclear waste processing operation. Discussions will reverberate throughout the energy and environmental community.

Russian rap. Some readers may remember the past when the Soviet government took a very dim view of American jazz. The leadership was astonished when Russians reacted to news that Louis Armstrong had cancelled his 1957 Moscow concert; how did Soviet citizens "know" jazz?  The leadership was equally surprised when the Dave Brubeck quartet opened to sold out audiences. "How did they know?"
     Now rap music is all the rage and President Putin seems to remember the past. He has announced that rap's components, "sex, drugs, protest," are a danger. He has pointed especially to "drugs," but the last, "protest," is the real target. Putin says “if it is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it.” Good luck with that, Vladimir!
     Singers, like Russia's beloved writers and poets, are not easily censored, nor banned. Do the names Pasternak, Solzhenitsyn, Yevtushenko, Bulgakov, Zamyatin, and Zamyatin not yet ring bells in the Kremlin? Even before the Berlin Wall fell and the beloved USSR were put in the rear view mirror, Russians and tourists alike flocked to the hill above Moscow to visit/mourn at Pasternak's grave at Peredelkino. Just as they now visit the monastery and New Donskoy Cemetery to visit/mourn Solzhenitsyn. No signs, no directions, none needed! As Dionne Warwick said, "...you know the way to..."

Sky diving with a purpose. What do you when you are 102 years-old Australian and want to help raise money to fight the motor neuron (ALS) disease killed your daughter? If you are Irene O'Shea, you use your cane to get to the aircraft that takes you up to 14,000 feet, and you jump out over Langhorne Creek; this was her second jump and may well garner her the designation as the world's oldest female skydiver.

Volunteer craftsmen, Santas all. The factory workers are older senior citizens, the painters are prison inmates, the young recipients around the world are thankful to both. The average age of the toy craftsmen is 80. Deliveries take many forms. One long-haul trucker stopped at the Tiny Tim's Toy Foundation in West Jordan, UT, and was given 5 boxes (575 toy wooden cars) which he distributed at children's hospitals along his route.

Thank you for reading. May your winter solstice be "merry and bright."

This week we note: the Optimist; notable US dates; election fraud and voter suppression; 115th new folks and business; #MeToo, unintended consequences; Leninist China; Saudi Arabia; holiday silliness; climate and the Nobel; Hungary; the good guy with a gun; homelessness; John Dean; "Who, me, chief of staff?"

Optimist, 9 December. Link here to the entire section. A worldwide search. The internet may help save a child's life as appeals are made for donors with her most rare blood type. Hope springs eternal.

Notable US dates. 
     5 December. In 1848, a speech by President Polk triggered the CA gold rush. In 1933, prohibition was ended when UT became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment. In 1945, USN Flight 19 and a recovery plane disappeared in the infamous Bermuda Triangle, yet another disappearance story for this area.
     6 December. In 1790, Congress moved from Philadelphia to New York. In 1865, slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment when GA became the 27th state to ratify.
     7 December. In 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked. In 1789, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution.
     9 December 1965: The animated "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was first shown on CBS.
     10 December. In 1869, WY Territory granted women the vote, becoming a footnote in the suffrage movement. In 1964, MLK, Jr., received his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.
     11 December. In 1972, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt landed on the moon, becoming the last two humans (to date) to walk its surface.

Election fraud and voter suppression. Amid the stories about still undiscovered election fraud, the only substantive one seems to involve one from NC, about an operative who worked for a GOP congressional candidate. Leslie McCrae Dowless, who has been at the epicenter of the alleged voter fraud controversy, now finds himself under close scrutiny in a congressional race which has yet to be declared.
     Professor Donald Moynihan talks about what's happening in his state (WI) and elsewhere to disenfranchise voters. Dana Milbank notes the flurry of bills being introduced in WI and MI to limit what can/cannot be done, "...to weaken the power of the incoming Democrats and to deter future Democratic voters. A similar effort is underway in Michigan." In WI, the in-coming governor says he will ask now-Governor Scott Walker to veto these bills.
     Why all these machinations? Leonard Pitts' again notes conservative's worst fears. "It casts them [conservatives] as the real victims here, contending with a widespread conspiracy of voter fraud in which armies of  'illegals' vote early and often, to the detriment of good, God-fearing conservatives." Climate change is happening, just as is America's voting population is changing. Denial flies in the face of reality! Voter suppression cannot bode well for democracy.
     In MS, multiple former public officials, including a former police and fire chief, were arrested on election fraud charges. In UT, a newly elected county commissioner will tackle the election mess in what the state's governor called the "epicenter of dysfunction in election affairs."

115th Congress' first business. Forty-six newly elected freshmen Democratic members have sent their leaders a letter stating that the first business of the new Congress should be legislation -- not investigations. Question: Will Representatives Pelosi, et. al. pay them heed. Interestingly, most pundits and congressional watchers have voiced the same view. Being re-elected in two short years may hinge on what they have actually accomplished (enacted), not what they fulminated about.
     They have also requested "holding monthly meetings between top leaders and freshmen, seats on the most powerful House committees, more committee hearings held outside of Washington and a 'set calendar' that will allow members to balance their political life at the Capitol with time back home in their districts."

#MeToo. Fewer women in positions of power/importance? Inevitable unintended consequence? "The story called these collateral adjustments the 'Pence Effect,' referring to Vice President Pence’s personal rule of not dining alone with a woman who isn’t his wife."

Leninist China. This article from Foreign Policy examines how under President Xi Jinping, "[T]he CCP Central Committee—the center of political power in China—is returning to its own organizational strengths as a Leninist political party to push its interests in the global arena....The 19^th Party Congress declared that 'north, south, east, west, and center—the party leads everything.'" The goal is the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Deviation is unacceptable.

Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Selected US senators were briefed by CIA Director Gina Haspel and reportedly most tend to believe the CIA's assessment  that Saudi prince MBS was involved in, probably ordered, the murder and dismemberment of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. President Trump has said in effect that whether the prince was or was not will not affect our economic relationship with the Saudis. Similarly, few believe that murder of Russian dissidents could have occurred without the knowledge/direction of President Putin. 
     "Bob Corker, the Republican who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, declared that 'if the crown prince went in front of a jury, he would be convicted in 30 minutes' of murder." Bipartisan furor is increasing in Congress.

Silliness, PETA and songwriter Frank Loessar. The public is weighing in with more than 90% favoring "Baby it's cold outside," with its lyrics being questioned by the #MeToo radicals. Now PETA questions the use of "kill two birds with one stone" and "beating a dead horse." As if there were not far more Mother Earth-shattering news to consider.

Nobel Prize for economics. This year's recipient will be "...economist William Nordhaus [of Yale University for] his profession’s .... research on global warming...that’s been hugely influential—and entirely misguided..." Obviously, not everyone finds the award so noteworthy. At this point, though, any recognition of Planet Earth's dire straits should be welcome news.

Rising autocracy. This article "The New Autocrats," examines worldwide trends that do not bode well for democracy.


Hungary. Foreign affairs columnist, Anne Appplebaum, discusses the Hungarian government's recent decisions that fly in the face of NATO policies by following President Trump's cues, championing the latter's versions of "sovereignty" and "nationalism."

Trump's heartland: still misunderstood. Gary Abernathy, a contributing columnist for the [Denver] Post, is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor based in Hillsboro, Ohio. Abernathy writes from "Trump country" and contends that much of the mainstream (partisan ?) media, having misread events in election 2016, still does not understand "Trump country." He say, "Americans — left, right and middle — remain in desperate need of a more comprehensive and balanced informational narrative across the media spectrum." Fox News is not enough.

The questionable "good guy." In this CSM article, Patrik Jonsson wonders, "Is it safe for a black man to be the [NRA's vaunted] 'good guy with a gun?' " Questions arise after several recent incidents in which black men, who were indeed the legally armed "good guys," were shot and killed by police. Further, it would seem that due deference is not paid to black heroes compared to white heroes.

Homelessness. It is probably impossible to find a city of any reasonable size where the number of homeless is decreasing. Oakland, CA, like other cities is experiencing gentrification and rising housing prices, both of which drive up the number of homeless. The city is turning to bold experiments with programs designed to "stop it before it starts." Economic statistics point to the fact that well run programs that help prevent foreclosures, often a precursor to homelessness, are less expensive in the long run.

John Dean. Dean, who has some experience with presidential impeachment proceedings says the future does not look pleasant for "Individual 1" (President Trump ?) or the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives in the incoming 115th Congress.

White House Chief of Staff. Apparently, at least four possibles -- loyal Republicans all -- have declined President Trump's offer. When his first choice said "no," there was no Plan B. While in any previous administration might have been considered a real "plum," it seems to now be a thankless (hopeless ?) pursuit. In any number of countries, such machinations would bring knowing nods, smiles, and thoughts to be associated with a less sophisticated country.

Thanks for reading.

For this week: Optimist;  notable dates; churches no longer; new Democratic blood; Mexico's new president; hemp; federal and state monies; juvenile sex trafficking; gerrymandering; Paris unrest; climate change; a (female) war correspondent's remembrances.

Optimist. Link for Sunday's 2 December. George H.W. Bush, our longest lived president passed away. In our harried, troubled world, all may not be lost; there are still kind, caring people out there. Stephen Hillenburg, an ALS victim, used his "Sponge Bob" cartoon, to provoke laughter help to save the world's oceans.

Notable Dates.  29 November 1864. Sand Creek, CO. The Colorado militia killed 150 peaceful Cheyenne men, women, and children.
     2 December 1823. President Monroe announced his doctrine, seeking to eliminate European forays into the western hemisphere.
     3 December 1833. Oberlin, America's truly first coed college, began holding classes.
     4 December 1978: San Francisco, that west coast bastion of liberalism, installed its first female mayor, Diane Feinstein, to replace the assassinated George Moscone. 


Missing: your church? This Atlantic article notes the re-purposing of many American local church buildings. Interestingly, the long standing (often debated) tax exempt status of church property and structures has not saved many from bankruptcies. Declining membership, smaller offerings, and the so-called mega churches taken their toll.

New Democrats. Once upon a time there was FDR's New Deal. What the Democratic party desperately needs now are New Democrats. With all three of the party's House leaders pushing 80, the younger party members remain reluctant to do more than talk a good fight about replacements. More than a few have been dissuaded by the political plums offered by Speaker-apparent, Nancy Pelosi.
     A recent Toles political cartoon in the Denver Post featured an early, morning-after encounter with a hungry soul confronting brightly lighted 'frig packed, not with left-over turkey, but a crumpled Nancy Pelosi! This Mother Jones article discusses Beto O'Rourke and his very unconventional, nearly successful campaign to unseat Senator Ted Cruiz (R, TX). The presidential election of 2020 is providing yet another reason for the "Pelosi Crew" to hang on" and not even announce their retirement.

Mexico. There's a new president in Mexico City, a leftist, the first in more than 70 years. He is Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his relationship with President Trump may be very interesting. His inauguration was marred by the killing of one newspaper reporter and an attack on police station.

Industrial Hemp. This non-drug relative of marijuana may be legal once again. This story is datelined, Albuquerque, NM, but Senator Mitch McConnell (R, KS) is "leading the charge" to include legalization in the pending farm bill. Hemp has not always been out of favor. During WW II it was heavily cultivated for all manner of defense-related purposes. In 1942, a black and white movie, "Hemp for Victory," touted its use.

Federal and state finances. With a government shut down a possibility, some states are wondering if they will once again be forced to spend state revenue to maintain needed services. AZ, CO, NY, and UT have had to use state funds to keep their national monuments and parks open.

Juvenile sex trafficking. Columnist Leonard Pitts notes the series by the Miami Hearld's Julie Brown on young girls trafficked for sex and how some high level officals are involved with this sordid story. The Washington Post story talks of billionaire and Trump friend Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 guilty plea.

Gerrymandering. Add Missouri to the list of states that moved this past November to try and end the partisan gerrymander. Theirs will be a mathematical "fairness" approach.

Paris mayhem. Columnist Anne Applebaum thinks the "democratic world" would do well to note what happened last weekend in Paris -- and why. "With their origins firmly in cyberspace, the gilets jaunes [for their reflective yellow safety vests] aren’t connected to any existing political parties, although several [far left and far right] are already trying to claim them." Mundane, bread-and-butter issues like "green taxes" that have raised gasoline prices and highway speed limits are among the complaints. In a country whose elders remember the Paris riots of 1968, the advent of easily spread social media-based anger is not welcomed. The young, of course, have no recollections of their city violent not too distant past.

Climate change. It is hard to imagine a more improbable site for the UN's annual climate summit than Katowice, Poland. This city, in Poland's Silesia district, is synonymous with the coal industry. For obvious reasons, Silesia was a target in WW II of both Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. Its abundant coal continued to supply the USSR throughout the Cold War. 
     This statement by Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, was an upfront truth. “We are trying to save the world from annihilation, but we must do this in a way that those who live with us today in the world have the best possible living conditions...Otherwise they will say, ‘We don’t want such policy.’” Of course, that's if there is a changing climate in President Trump's world!

Uyghar, heartland. The "disappeared" may be usually thought of in connection with Argentina's rightist juntas' efforts to rid themselves of their nation's leftists (i.e. communists). But, as this CSM article notes, the ethnically Han Chinese Communist Party very much wants to divest China's Uyghars of their ethnic identity. Thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, are in "training prisons" (i.e. "re-education centers") scattered throughout Xinjiang province (far western China). Probably not a topic broached between Presidents Trump and Xi.

War from the female point of view. The Face of War, Martha Gellhorn. Of course, Ernie Pyle and his colleagues had access, but for the distaff side it was a different story. Ms. Gellhorn leapt into the fray in the Spanish Civil War, which, if it is remembered at all by the general public, is by way of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. As she proceeds through the world's succeeding conflicts there are subtle hints of what feminism was only occasionally an asset. She remembers that after the horrors of seeing Dachau and the A-bombs she nearly gave up, "left war altogether."

Thank you for reading. I hope your December has begun well.

This week's stories of note. Optimist; notable dates; US House; nationalism; ionic wind; separation of powers; noted passing; upcoming year; climate change; a different immigration battle; good and bad in metro Denver; designer babies.

Optimist. 25 November, link here. Eat your bananas, mother; they have the potassium that will save your life. A son, Daniel Krauthammer, remembers the advise of his well known, columnist father, Charles. Three very bright, tough budding scientists

Notable Dates.
     21 November 1927: In Serine (northern), CO, at the Columbine coal mine, six striking miners were killed by state police. The more infamous "Ludlow Massacre" had occurred in 1914, leaving 20 dead (men, women, and children).
     22 November 1906: SOS was officially adopted by the International Telegraphic Convention in Berlin.
     22 November 1963: JFK was assassinated and, for those of a certain age, the "Where you when...." question was born.
     24 November 1859: Darwin's On the Origin of Species was published.
     26 November 2018: After the dreaded "7 minutes of terror," [radio silence occasioned by Mars' 100M+ miles distance] at 12:01PM EST NASA's InSight probe seems to have successfully landed. Now for more checks of the satellite and its instrumentation and then on to the remainder of the mission. Sarah Kaplan's story notes that "the last 3 billion years have been a slow-motion disaster for the Red Planet. The dynamo died, the magnetic field faltered, the water evaporated and more than half of the atmosphere was stripped away by solar winds. The InSight mission is designed to find out why."

US House. It was the Constitution that mandated a two-year term for US representatives, keep them close at hand and accountable. Federalist, 52 and 53. In 1787, the pace of politics and communications was much slower, the viewpoint of representatives much more parochial. The need to raise money for re-election much less.
     Now, in the 21st century, all that has changed, especially the money required to win. House winners this past 6 November were already having to think about how much money they would have to raise to win again in 2020. Even if you had a so-called "safe seat," dollars were intruding on your dreams. Perhaps it is time to lengthen a House term to four years.
     Check the nonpartisan site, 538, for their 2016 predictions. The map which shows the number/location of solidly Democratic and Republican seats is instructive.

Nationalism. Much ado about nothing? Or more of a loaded word.
     George Orwell. [A]uthor of “Animal Farm” and “1984,” described patriotism as a benign “devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life” with “no wish to force [it] on other people.” Nationalism, he argued, was the malign “habit of identifying oneself with a single nation … placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests.”
     President Trump. "America first." "I'm a nationalist." Who is included or who is excluded?
     President Marcon, France. Stiring “the old demons” that had contributed to two world wars.

Ionic Wind. A model airplane whose propulsion system has no moving parts. Perhaps, just maybe, who knows? Just remember, more than a few people thought the Orville brothers were a bit off. See the following story.
Star light, Star bright....[Anonymous] The third brightest object in the night sky is the ISS (International Space Station), now in its 20th year circling the globe, 16 orbits each day. There have been 230 ISS residents from 18 nations. Over the years, ISS projects have been big and very little, mechanical to biological.

Separation of powers. Apparently it remains an unknown concept for President Trump. The president's recent remarks about "Obama and Bush judges" drew a swift and unusual public rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts. “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges...What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them." Amen!

Noted passing. Ray Chavez, widely recognized as the oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, died at the age of 106. At 0345, 7 December, Chavez's ship dropped depth charges on a suspected Japanese submarine just east of Pearl Harbor. He was asleep later in the morning when his wife awoke him with news of the attack.

Leonardo, 500 years on. This article from the Economist notes how different 2019 will be from 1519. Supposedly, a page from a newly discovered journal of Leonardo da Vinci relates a visit to him by a "time traveler" who took him 500 years into the future. (Note in the picture, the Master's two 21st century accoutrements.)

Climate change. The president's contrarian thoughts not withstanding, a National Climate Assessment was released on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday. Fridays are the preferred choice when an official agency hopes a necessary, but unwelcome news item, will be "lost" in the upcoming weekend rush. The tactic is called a "Friday news dump." The Trumpians obviously did not remember another so-called "Black" day from American history: the stock market crash in 1929.
     The predictions of the upcoming climatic changes were dire, to say the least. The Atlantic article reports that the study was "endorsed by NASA, NOAA, the Department of Defense, and 10 other federal scientific agencies— [and] contradicts nearly every position taken on the issue by President Donald Trump." Without major worldwide modifications/changes Planet Earth faces a precarious, most uncertain future.
     “Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities,” declares its first sentence. “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid....Without substantial and sustained global mitigation and regional adaptation efforts, climate change is expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property and impede the rate of economic growth over this century"
     From Mother Jones comes this article, echoing other reports.

Japanese immigration. Here the controversy is not about whether or not to admit immigrants. Japan, with an aging, declining population, is in dire need of immigrants. Rather, the concern is for the treatment of its guest workers.

Metro Denver: NCAA and the arts scene. Two very different stories. First, the good. In metro Denver, the SCFD (financed by sales tax revenues) has been supporting arts, science, and culture for 30 years. Organizations large and small, in the city and surrounding areas, receive support. The more troubling story surfaced when it became known that the University of Colorado's head football coach had been fired, but would receive his multi-million dollar "golden parachute." Questions now abound about the taxpayer and/or booster money involved.

New friends? Remember Mr. Rogers? When Great Britain leaves the EU, one has to wonder who will be the US's new best friend. Michael Burnbaum notes, "A once-indispensable proxy in Europe no longer has clout that it can exercise on Washington’s behalf." Indeed. President Trump has heaped scorn on NATO and many of its EU members, leaving a wake not unlike Sherman's fabled scorched-earth march from Atlanta to the sea.

Your special baby. It had been talked about, worried over, and now it has apparently happened. A doctor in China claims to have created "gene-edited" babies. Now the scientific and ethics debates have a new reality with which to deal. The AP story noted that "[a] U.S. scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States because the DNA changes can pass to future generations and it risks harming other genes."

Unaffiliated, but unelected. In CO, unaffiliated voters outnumber either registered Democrats and Republicans. However, as Anna Staver reports in the Denver Post, candidates who ran as unaffiliated were not successful. "Ken Bickers, a political science professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, noted 'The proportion of true independents is relatively small...There’s not a third party in the state that’s larger than Democrats or Republicans. That’s a very different kind of thing.' ”

Thank you for reading.

This week's short list of items. Optimist and Mexico

Optimist, 19 November. Stan Lee, artist and crime fighter, comic book legend. A child's remission, a very good reason to be thankful. The terror of finding out your12-year old's sore knee is not a fracture -- it is a tumor. Wally-isms and other words of wisdom. Wally Richardson is 95 years old and every school day "his" young middle schoolers love his fist-bumps, witticisms, and quote him to anyone who will listen.

 Mexico. A week in a small, spotlessly maintained hotel in Puerto Vallarta was a nice way to prepare for the upcoming wintry ski season. Like many venues, the Flamingo hotel (on the Marina) can be enjoyed either as an all inclusive or simply a restful hotel. There are so many tasteful restaurants that it is a shame to be tied to the hotel's restaurant.
     We did spend one day with friends in Nuevo Vallarta at their very new, modern multi-story, all inclusive resort. As you look around the surrounding countryside, it is obvious that there is a very large disparity between these areas and the much humbler every-day life of the Mexicans in the area.

Thank you for reading.

This week's notable stories. Optimist; mid-term results; AG Jeff Sessions. 

Optimist, 11 November. Link here. Too young, too old? At a time when molds are being broken, how much of an age difference is too much? Ruth, 35 year-old, finds herself the spokeswoman for wives much younger than their husbands; hers is 70. Cheerleader -- or player? Mimi Britt decided she would rather play on -- not cheer on -- her high school football team. She's not alone in making that decision, though she is a position player, not just the team's punter or point kicker.


Notable dates in America.
     7 November 1874: Thomas Nasts'  "Republican" elephant debuted in Harper's Weekly. 1916, Janette Rankin (R, MT) became the first woman elected to Congress, the House. She was defeated in a bid for the Senate in 1918 after casting a "NO" vote on entering WW I. Re-elected to the House in 1940, she cast the lone "NO" vote against entry into WW II; she opted out in 1942.
     11 November 1918: WW I ended. 1831. Nat Turner, who led a slave revolt in VA, was executed in Jerusalem, VA.

Mid-term results. Remember Mr. Abell's dictum to his American government students: "If you don't vote, you can't b****." As to the meaning of the mid-term results, perhaps the least quoted past president (and one of the founders of the Democratic party), Martin Van Buren, said it best: "The government should not be guided by Temporary Excitement, but by Sober Second Thought." [emphasis is Van Buren's]

The government should not be guided by Temporary Excitement, but by Sober Second Thought.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_van_buren_310841

The government should not be guided by Temporary Excitement, but by Sober Second Thought.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_van_buren_310841

The government should not be guided by Temporary Excitement, but by Sober Second Thought.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_van_buren_310841

     Colorado. Significantly, the largest single block of votes are not Democratic or Republican; rather they are the "unaffiliated." Preliminary indications are that a majority of these votes went to the Democrats. Looking ahead to 2018, this huge pool will no doubt receive the attention of both major parties.
     There was a Democratic sweep of all four statewide offices: governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and treasurer. Jared Polis became the nation's first openly gay governor. Did Polis' self-contributed $23M swing the election? It certainly did not hurt his cause. In that vein, voters decided not to change (by amendment) the state's campaign finance rules/limitations.
     CO's 6th congressional district flipped with first-time Democratic candidate, Jason Crow (D), ousting long-serving Mike Coffman. As a result, in the 116th House, CO will have 4 Democrats and 3 Republicans.
     The CO house, state senate, and the executive will all be controlled by the Democratic party.
     The state's post 2020 census re-redistricting will be changed with the approval of constitutional Amendments Y& Z. 
     The age to for election as state representative will remain 25.
     Money for infrastructure will not be forthcoming. Beware the deepening mile-high potholes!
     Education will not be receiving any more dollars. Teachers' strikes may be in the future.

     Florida. An estimated 1M potential voters may be added to the voter rolls. Felons who have served their time (prison and are on parol) will now be eligible to vote. Convicted murderers and sex offenders will not be included.  
     Automatically generated recounts have been ordered in the races for governor and US Senator.

     Nationally. It was a mixed message. There will be more women in Congress than ever before: African American, Latina, Native American, Muslim, former teachers, even an ex-CIA operative. The OWM (old white male) Senate will be little changed. See E.J. Dionne for a reasonable summary and thoughts on the "new" Trumpian-Republican party. See Stephen Stromberg for the looming effect of millennials in 2020.
     US House. The Democrats are now the majority party. Two prominent questions for the party are sorting out the leadership questions  (Old Guard vs. Young Turks) and laying out a positive legislative program. (That is avoiding and overtly obstructionist anti-Trump stance. There will be a diverse group of more than 100 women in the new 116th Congress.

AG Jeff Sessions. As expected, President Trump fired his attorney general and appointed Sessions' assistant, Matthew Whitaker, who became the nation's first AG not to be confirmed by the Senate. Sessions published his resignation letter which made it clear he was being fired.

Thank you for reading. Publishing early this week as vacation calls.

For this week: Optimist; notable dates; opioid deaths; political ads; moon landing; historic preservation; Pittsburgh; birthright citizenship; congressional compromise; trade war and Vietnam; Iraq and Saudi Arabia; 3D printing; unraveling; David Brooks; midterm elections. 

Optimist, 4 November. Halloween costumes with a difference. What to do when you are a kid in a wheel chair. See two links below in "Pittsburgh."


Notable dates in American history.
     31 October 1926. This date in 2018, Halloween, was the fitting date to note the death of magician Harry Houdini.
     1 November 1765: The hated Stamp Act went into effect, propelling the colonies headlong towards the Revolution. In 1952, the US exploded the first H-bomb, code-named “Ivy Mike,” at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
     3 November 1911: Chevrolet Motor Company was founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet.
  
Opioid deaths. Deaths due to drug overdoses have now reached 200/day. Nevertheless and against the advise of its own advisory panel, this past week the FDA approved a drug reportedly 5 to 10 times more potent than today's most misused opioid. "Drug overdose deaths hit the highest level ever recorded in the United States last year, with an estimated 200 people dying per day, according to a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration." Does this sound like a "well country?"

True/False political ads. Of late there has been much concern about meddling in our elections by foreign government/groups, as well as in various social media forums. Given these well voiced concerns, in a Denver Post letter to the editor, Randy Flipse (of Golden, CO) wonders why we allow (countenance) political ads that are "distorted, full of half truths and sometimes just false." Why, indeed?

Armstrong, moon landing. Armstrong's sons auctioned off many, many pieces of their father's memorabilia. Their stated reason: to make it available to people who were alive in that era and to excite the public, to further the future of space exploration. Left unsaid, obviously, was will benefit from the auction's proceeds. Reportedly the auction brought in $7.5M.

Preservation. This subject generally get little press, unless, of course, the "subject" is somehow noteworthy locally. What about Rome's Pantheon? As a very young man, a visit to the Pantheon forever changed the life of William J. Murtagh, later to become known as the "pied piper" of American historical preservation.

Pittsburgh. Even the memorials/funerals being held after the Tree of Life synagogue shootings were not without dissent: the President and First Lady were not welcomed by all as they paid the respects by placing traditional stones and white rose buds on each victim's cross on the front lawn of the building. Here in Denver, we thankfully learned that a former neighbor's daughter, a physician living in Squirrel Hill, was not among the dead and injured.
     Magda Brown, a 91 year-old Holocaust survivor from Skokie, IL, was scheduled to speak in Pittsburgh the day after the shooting. A wise trip now? Of course I will go she said!

Birthright Citizenship. This largely unremarked topic was thrust into the news when President Trump asserted his ability to deny the right by executive order. Most legal scholars do no think that is possible. Even some Republicans (e.g. House Speaker Ryan [R, IL]) said it could not be done.

Compromise in Congress? On Capitol Hill, is compromise now a dirty/toxic word? One group, the Problems Solvers Caucus, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, is attempting to do just that. They are laying plans for the 115th Congress. With ratings lower than used car salesmen, hope springs eternal for a more functional legislative branch.

Trade: China, US, and Vietnam. One of those historical points the US missed on its way into the Vietnamese war: the long history of distrust and outright conflict between China and Vietnam. Now that the Beijing and Washington are hard at their trade war, Hanoi is only too happy to "pick up the pieces." Indeed, to cite but one example: one Samsung cell phone manufacturing complex accounts for one quarter of Vietnam's exports. The Vietnamese are also happy to play off - and profit from -- competition between American and Russian defense contractors.
     When you have lived with such a dominant neighbor and beaten so strong a once-enemy, you have learned how to "get along, to go along."

Iraq and Saudi Arabia. 1979 : Saddam Hussein :: 2016 : Mohammed bin Salman. A good comparison? This Foreign Affairs article examines the similarities and differences in our international relations. The modern US -- Iraqi affair began in 1963, the JFK administration. The US -- Saudi relationship is, of course, longer dating to the beginnings of Aramco oil in 1933 in the FDR era.

3-D printing. In the not too distant past, there have been stories about college engineering students at University of Central Florida who developed a 3D printing program to make a hand for a young girl born without one. They then put the program in the public domain, free for anyone's use. A young Penn State grad has developed a program to build a personalized running shoe. One his Saturday CBS program, Moe Rocca introduced a young German who is perfecting a 3D-printed wire mesh bicycle tire. Goodbye flats!

David Brooks. On last Friday's PBS News Hour, columnist David Brooks characterized a feeling among both Democrats and Republicans as that of an "unraveling" from the expected of the past.

Midterm elections. The lead article in a recent Economist article, "Why the mid-terms matter," pointed to the increasingly toxic problems of  partisanship and ideology. No one appears without fault: executive, legislature, Supreme Court, the media, the populace. "Just as American politics did not sour overnight, so the route forward is by many small steps, beginning with next week’s elections. And the first of those steps is for the House, at a minimum, to switch to Democratic control.This matters because Mr Trump should be subject to congressional oversight."

Thank you for reading. Enjoy the absence of political ads!

This week we note: Optimist; a truly American day; "The" Caravan; environmental case; Chinese century; individual wealth; the new (?) China.

Optimist, 28 October. Link here. Seeing America while he still can. Josh Bangert's bucket list has a deadline: what he can see in the short time remaining before he goes blind. Sweden's "King Arthur" is a young 8 year-old girl who found what experts think may be 1,500 year-old Viking-era sword. Swedish archaeologists also found a brooch from the same era and are not sure what else may lurk in the lake's waters. As for "Queen Saga," she wants to be a veterinarian, maybe an actor in Paris. 

On this date. 24 October 1861: The first transcontinental telegraph message was sent by Chief Justice Stephen J. Field of California from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., over a line built by the Western Union Telegraph Co.
     24 October 1945: The United Nations officially came into existence as its charter took effect.
     28 October 1886: The Statue of Liberty was dedicated.
     28 October 1962: Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, told the UN he was dismantling the missile bases in Cuba.
     29 October 1929: Stock market crash on Black Tuesday.

Caravan. Central Americans, yes, but just migrants, or terrorists, and violent gang members? The one very clear point: President Trump will try to stage manage the issue to his advantage, both for this year's upcoming midterm elections and 2020.

Environmental case. Can the federal government be sued for failing to provide a plan, a blueprint for limiting the continuing increases in carbon dioxide pollution? In Juliana v. the United States, twenty-one young Oregonians (ages 8 to 19) and an environmental watch-dog organization have sued the feds, charging that the lack of such a federal plan means the youths' life, liberty, and property rights are being violated. A similar suit in Washington state was recently dismissed because, the judge said, the matter was political, not legal.

China. This article from the Economist discusses the impact of China on the world's economy. Population, 2018, UN estimates: world population 7,7B; China 1,415,045,928 (18%); U.S. 327,482,993 (4%)

"China has already replaced it [America] as the driver of global change....[O]n a purchasing-power-parity (PPP) basis, which adjusts currencies so that a basket of goods and services is worth the same amount in different countries, the Chinese economy became the world’s largest in 2013...Since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, for example, China has accounted for 45% of the gain in world GDP. In 1990 some 750m Chinese people lived in extreme poverty; today fewer than 10m do. That represents two-thirds of the world’s decline in poverty during that time.

The world's 1%. This second Economist article ("The wealth of the 1op 1% may have peaked") examines the plight (?) of the world's richest people.

Voter access. With the midterm elections fast approaching groups in several states are challenging what they view as attempts to keep minority voters from casting ballots. In ND, "Tribes unite to combat new North Dakota voter ID law." ND has been the site of the recent Dakota pipeline controversy.
      In GA, "Deadlocked Georgia governor race tests power of voter restrictions." Interestingly one of the candidates for governor is GA's secretary of state, a Republican, who is in charge of voter registration. Also, the challenger, Stacey Abrams is an African American woman, a former state legislator, who undoubtedly stands to gain/lose the most from the African American votes.
     Vox notes that, "Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, and New Hampshire, among other states, are facing restrictive voter ID laws and purges of voter names from the rolls." In OH, Governor Kasich has been a vocal critic of the purges to the state's voter rolls. Other area, even New York City, suffer from problems that may be more related to antiquated system hardware than any ill intent. 

Renewable energy. While large wind and solar get most of the billing, it has long been said that even major energy producers of coal are investing their profits in renewables, not their own mines. In the very rural, conservative area around Delta and Montrose in CO, the citizens have voted to allow the Delta-Montrose Electric Association (their rural electric co-op) to sell stocks in order to sever their contract with their current coal-based provider. "DMEA is one of 43 rural utilities across four states that have contracts with Tri-State but would be only the second to break with the provider. In 2016 the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative in Taos, New Mexico, paid $37 million to sever its own contract."

China, 1969 & 2018. China's past, horrendous cultural revolution seems to be re-playing itself in the nation's immense western expanses as the Communist Party of China (CPC) rounds up and detains perhaps as many as one million of non-Hans and interns them in "re-education" camps. Even though the Han number just over 90%, the immensity of these round-ups is vivid proof of the CPC's fear of being displaced -- something that seems most improbable in the near term.

Thank you for reading.

For this week: Optimist; Artful Travelers; the bottom 90%; expert opinions; European jobs; America's political parties; tax returns; whose science?; U.S. Congress; taxes and the IRS; economics, kids and parents; Oscar uproar; the RC Church in Poland and the U.S.; a sad date in American history; judicial independence; China and the U.S.; the dimming of the world's "eyes in space;" Sears, gone; beyond the current news glut; in CO: fracking, jobs, $, and the neighborhood; myth of the modernizing dictator, 2018; too much cash; English only? Throughout, CSM references the Christian Science Monitor.

Optimist, 21 October. A very giving couple: hugs, meals, unexpected presents, including a kidney. Bob Ross, PBS's beloved "artist in residence." Pakistan's Johnny Appleseed, and then some. Do your part, ten steps in your everyday life that can help to slow global warming.
      14 October. Horses remember you, at least Liam Nessen thinks they do. At 85, he was still helping and working, then his customers stepped in. Who has been using your phone lately? Maybe your pet gecko?

Artful Travelers. The last cruise my wife and I took was with Artful Travelers. If you want more than just cruise stops at interesting places, you might want to visit artfultravelers.com  Our cruise had a "spotlight on PBS and NPR."

Bottom 90%. Adding to last week's entry, another report on how those with lower incomes are faring. The 2008 debacle hit everyone hard, but the top 10% have recovered nicely. Author Matt O'Brien says, "...the ultimate luxury good of the past 10 years has been the economic recovery itself." Of course, most any set of statistics can be used to play many tunes.

Talk to yourself? "Yes, of course I do. Sometimes I need an expert opinion."

Austerity Mexican style. Mexico's president elect, López Obrado, will sell his nation's presidential Boeing Dreamliner and fly commercially and take a 60% pay cut. Lopez is following the lead of several other austerity-minded leaders in Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador.

European job generators. They may not be in these nation's capitals. Lille, France's 10th largest city, provides an example. From the Economist, "A city [that was] battered by the loss of industry and the closing of the northern French mines is reinventing itself as a techy [sic] business hub."

Democrats, Libertarians, Republicans, Others? Joseph Postell (University of CO at Colorado Springs) argues that one of the nation's serious problems is that today's political parties are not strong enough. Professor Postell argues that, "Great political parties of the past put party principles above candidate personalities and institutionalized resources to maintain coalitions based on principle." An interesting thought.

Your tax return. Are you paying your fair share? In the CSM, Peter Grier opines that most Americans expect others to pay their fair share. "After all, the entire United States tax system rests crucially on self-assessments."
     Presidents are expected to release their tax returns. Nixon's were not all that favorable; Carter's showed his modest, uncomplicated wealth. What of President Trump? "This is the context for the New York Times’ massive investigation of the “tax schemes” President Trump participated in during the 1990s – actions that included instances of “outright fraud,” and greatly increased the fortune Mr. Trump received from his parents, according to the Times."

Science, mine or yours? U.S. District Judge William Alsup has admonished the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for "cherry picking" its scientific facts it used to make a recent ruling in an endanger species decision. He has ordered a review of the decision.

114th Congress. With all the back and forth over the Kavanaugh nomination, one might ask just "who" serves in Congress. Here is a link a profile of the 114th from the Congressional Reference Service. Fn 1 notes: "[These figures include]... 100 Senators, 435 Representatives, 5 Delegates (from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands), and 1 Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico."

DJT and the IRS. One important take away from columnist Catherine Rampell is that "Beyond all the Trump-specific takeaways — such as, duh, we need to see his tax returns — two much broader policy conclusions shouldn’t get lost here:

1. We need to adequately fund the IRS.

2. What’s scandalous here isn’t just what’s illegal. It’s also what is legal."

     What the upper 1% can legally avoid paying may be just as important as what may be outright illegal. As to your chances of being "caught," Rampell notes, 

This year, we are on track to notch the fewest tax fraud prosecutions on record, about one-third the level seen 30 years ago....Since fiscal 2011, the audit rate for big corporations (those with at least $10 million in assets) has fallen by half; for house holds making at least $1 million in income, it’s down by two-thirds.

Welfare queens beware! Upper 1%, not so much!

Economics, kids and parents. A study from Harvard deals with downward mobility. "[T]he data released this week strongly suggests that the same forces holding lower-class kids back are creating difficulties for middle- and upper-class families, as well." If correct, this signals a problem with a long-cherished dream: parents should be able to insure their children should become more prosperous than their parents.

Oscars, 2018. It appears that some directors, actors, even individuals associated with several Oscar-nominated films will not be able to attend this year's presentations. At least one, a Syrian and member of the "White Helmet" rescue organization, was nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. President Trump's travel ban is the culprit. Should any be among the winners, the presentation speeches of their replacement-receptors are sure to be widely broadcast.

Roman Catholic Church. Link to a story about the Polish film "Kler." (A disparaging term for clergy.) Note the startling statistic: the opening weekend set a national record and in the film's first three weeks reportedly 10% of Poland viewed the film. (That would be equal of 30,000,000 viewers in the U.S.)
     In the U.S., the Justice Department has entered the fray, issuing subpoenas in several states relating to recent stories regarding state investigations of clerical abuse, both alleged and admitted.

20 October 1947: A sad date in American history as the U.S. House Un-American Activities committee began its anti-communist witch hunt hearings, making Senator Joseph McCarthy (R, WI) a national figure. McCarthy was later censured by the Senate. The committee's chief counsel, Roy Cohn (a controversial figure in his own right), also became newsworthy; he went on to be an early legal adviser to President Trump.

Judicial independence. George Will's latest column discusses the vote in AZ on judicial independence. Including its ties to the recent Kavanaugh appointment.

China and the U.S. A new cold war in the offing? This article, from the CSM, examines the view from both sides. Many in the Chinese government may well still harbor their ancient disdain for the "barbarians" of the West. Important, too, one can only wonder how much of the "Big Picture" may not be apparent to the neophytes in the president's State Department.

Eyes in space. This article from Space News discusses the consequences of inadequate planning and funding for the inevitable problems as Hubble, Chandra, and other space-based telescopes age and go off-line. In the not too distant future we may be back to the earth-based telescopes which are very good, but still hampered by being down "here," not up "there".

Sears' bankruptcy. In this remembrance piece, Micheline Maynard reflects on the place of not only Sears' many stores, but each department store in both big-city and small-town America.

The Big Picture. Those of a certain age may remember yesteryear's TV show of the same name. Columnist  Fareed Zakaria reminds us that with the world's on-rushing, 24-hour news cycle we need to search "beyond the madness." So true!

Fracking. Voters in CO will vote on "Colorado Proposition 112, Minimum Distance Requirements for New Oil, Gas, and Fracking Projects Initiative." (This issue was noted in an earlier blog.) Significant amounts of outside money are being poured into advertising, both pro and con. Against: loss of jobs and tax revenue. The initial opposition ads emanated from and featured easily identifiable industry-related figures. In these days just prior to the election, those opposed have shifted gears, assembling an interesting group to make their point: former mayors, governors, revered clergy, sports figures, all from diverse groups. For: safety, health, and esthetics. Those favoring 112 have produced no really new ads. Unfortunately, those concerns which open this story from the Christian Science Monitor seem not to have been replicated in the TV media market.

Immigration. As the so-called immigrant "caravan" wends it way from Guatemala through Mexico towards the Rio Grande, President Trump vows to deploy as many military units as it takes to seal the border. The CSM has begun an entire series devoted to immigration.

 

It’s not because of immigration itself that immigration has become such a divisive issue, says Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute in Washington. Rather, it makes some people nervous about their neighborhoods and their jobs.  
“There’s a lot of symbolic politics,” he suggests. “I think immigration is a touchstone for other fears. Fear of demographic change is a major issue. Fear of economic change is another issue, and fear of not controlling our borders.”

2018, MBS, this year's Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, et. al..... Robert Kagan discusses the persistent myth of the "modernizing, reforming" dictator. The myth continues to embarrass all those who profess belief, as Jared is learning. Alas, Kagan writes, "Only a 'revolution from above' held any promise of reforming that traditionalist, hidebound society. You know — omelets, eggs."
     Even more sophisticated observers were proven incorrect.

During the 1960s, the political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argued that what modernizing societies need is order, not liberty. During the late 1970s, Jeanne Kirkpatrick used this argument to defend supporting “friendly” right-wing dictatorships — on the theory they would eventually blossom into democracies if the United States supported them against their opponents, but would give way to radical, communist governments if the United States withdrew support....It is remarkable how much power these kinds of arguments retain, despite their having turned out to be mostly nonsense. Kirkpatrick had it exactly backward. Communist governments were the ones that undertook reforms that led to their unraveling and a turn to democracy, however feeble.

     Our hopes for the modernization/reform of the Communist Chinese serve as the current best, big experiment. But the Chinese have long been considered themselves to be enlightened; we, the barbarians, much less so. 
     Kagan concludes, "Dictators do what dictators do. We are the ones living in a self-serving fantasy of our own devising, and one that may ultimately come back to bite us."

Dying wealthy? This series of links highlight how the U.S. tax system is structured for the benefit of the wealthy -- the so-called Giving Pledge not withstanding. Paul Allen. Article by Helaine Olen. Then, "[t]here’s an argument that no matter how well intentioned, the scale of the money being directed toward philanthropic efforts by the wealthiest Americans is further contributing to an unequal balance of power in society, even as the givers claim that’s exactly what they are attempting to address."

New candidates. The National Education Association says there are more than 1,400 teachers running for state legislative seats. Perhaps the recent spate of teachers' strikes and resultant victories has spurred a willingness to run, hopefully win, and make an impact on educational policy.

Too much cash. Vancouver, Canada, is moving to stem the flow of money coming into the city, most funds are illegally coming from China. There are estimates of as much as $800B being deposited in safe accounts in Canada.

English only? Link to a recent confrontation over language at the City Market in Rifle, CO. One can only wonder, has Ms. DeWire ever traveled to a Spanish-speaking country and just how fluent is she --  beyond, of course, finding the bathroom?

Thank you for reading.