From the last two weeks: Optimist columns; memorable US dates; a conservative's view on the State of the Union speech; His Wall; Cuba cruise; border federalism; Putin's new friend; Davos, Switzerland; sheriffs' revolts; the new Cairo; the new 1984: surveillance capitalism; more teachers' strikes; Margret Thatcher, American style;

Optimist. Last two weeks' link 27 January and link 20 January.

Notable dates: 
     16 January 1978: NASA named 35 astronauts for the space shuttle program, including Sally K. Ride (1st woman) and Guion S. Bluford Jr. (1st African American), both of whom would later fly.
     17 January 1946: UN Security Council for first time.
     20 January 1945: FDR inaugurated for 4th term.
     21 January 1789: 1st American novel, WH Brown's "Power of Sympathy" is published. 2008: Black Monday on Wall Street.
     22 January 1946: President Truman establishes the CIA. 1973: Roe v. Wade decided.
     23 January 1973: President Nixon announced the Vietnam Peace Accord.
     24 January 1984: debut of Apple's Mac personal computer.
     25 January 1890: NY Times reporter Nellie Bly completed her 72 days, 6 hours and 11minute trip around the world. 1915: America's first official transatlantic telephone was completed between Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant, Thomas Watson, NYC to San Francisco.
     27 January 1951: the USAF air-dropped an atomic bomb on Frenchman Flat, Nevada; 1967: US astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee died in a flash fire on the Apollo launch pad. 
     28 January 1878: First daily college newspaper, Yale News, was published; 1980: Six US diplomats hiding in the Canadian embassy in Tehran were safely smuggled out of Iran; 1986: Space shuttle, Challenger, exploded moments are launch, killing all seven crew members, including school teacher, Christa McAuliffe.
     29 January 1863: The Bear River Massacre took place as the U.S. Army attacked Shoshone in present-day Idaho.

A world date to remember: 27 January marked the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz holocaust complex by the Soviet army.
     29 January 1820: King George III (aged 81), remembered as having "lost the American colonies," died at Windsor Castle.

State of the Union, no more? One would not expect this blunt condemnation from a Democrat-turned Republican, the president of Purdue University, and former governor of Indiana. Daniels opines that certain national civic ceremonies can be uplifting occasions (e.g. wreath-layings, outdoor naturalization ceremonies, state funerals, inaugurations); that a "fractured country needs, if anything, more such moments for reflection on common bonds and mutual obligations. Events that dignify, unify and signify our membership in this special polity, and all the reasons we should be grateful for it, faults and all. Mark me down as a big fan of them." 

     However, "The State of the Union is [now] a tasteless, classless spectacle. It must go...[I]t diminishes rather than elevates respect for the United States and its institutions." Daniels would prefer Trump taking a cue from Thomas Jefferson and "sending" his speech to Congress in writing. If this year's speech is delivered in the House, it would be highlighted by the Speaker very rarely applauding or "popping up," while the Vice President would look like a tall, perpetual bobble-head figurine. Indeed, the ever-narcissistic Trump might tailor his speech so as to keep "Nancy" seated as much as possible. 

Trump's Wall. Kathleen Parker's column began, "When F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, 'Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me,' he inadvertently foreshadowed the government shutdown of 2018-2019." There were more than a few public statements by the President and his family, cabinet members, and administration made that point, over and over and over. For example, Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce (who pads around in hand-crafted velvet slippers), seemed dismayed that furloughed workers would turn to a food bank rather than simply taking out a loan. There were numerous others who "shot themselves in the foot!"

Federalism at the border. Danielle Allen, noting we have a federal system, suggested a novel idea: "Let [the] border states figure out our border security policy." They are, after all, right there on the border!

Russia and Serbia. Foreign Policy writers Una Hajdari and Michael Colborne note that President Putin's recent state visit to Serbia turned into something of a love fest. The Serbian autocrat, President Aleksandar Vucic, gave Putin a puppy and a traditional local brandy named for him. Vucic wanted Putin to feel good about being in Serbia and assured his Russian guest that "all those people out there" had come to see him. Left unsaid -- again -- was Vucic's felt need to seek integration into the EU. Balkan politics has always been a messy, hazy business, the tug of western Europe and the large neighbor to the East.

Davos, a leaderless world? Fareed Zakaria reports from this year's annual meeting in Davos that the meeting was "subdued, cautious and apprehensive." No US or French presidents, a lame duck German chancellor, a dithering, distracted English government, only a figure-head Chinese vice president, no leaders from Russia, Turkey, or Saudi Arabia.
     Indeed, "the one area of consistent optimism among the attendees remains technology." This was expounded on, not by governmental leaders, but by various corporate heads heavily involved in artificial intelligence. Several leaders of smaller countries said, "When the Americans are engaged, we have a sense of direction. We might disagree on some points, but at least there is a larger conversation, some efforts at cooperation. Now the only energy is negative — worries about retreat, trade wars. That’s not a world in which it is easy for us to move forward. We are all stuck.”

Sheriffs' revolts. This controversy involves local sheriffs deciding whether or not duly enacted state laws need be enforced in their area, so-called "sheriffs' revolt."  Link to story about Washington state.

New Cairo, Egypt. There are plans for a new, Singapore-sized Egyptian capital some 49km east of Cairo. Foreign Policy dubbed it "an elephant in the desert." One unannounced purpose might be to shield the government from "Old Cairo," massively congested and perennially volatile. Who can afford/want to move into the desert is more problematical.

Capitalism's newest iteration: surveillance capitalism. Technology is being  increasingly scrutinized as its tentacles spread further and further. This article discusses this latest iteration by Shoshana Zuboff, "a professor emerita of the Harvard Business School, the author of 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power.'" Add this to your list of AI-related (artificial intelligence) articles.

Next round of teachers' strikes. This time the strike is in the nation's second largest school district (600,000 + students, 30,000 teachers), Los Angeles, a predominantly Hispanic (73%), Democratic-leaning district. Though last year's strikes were in Republican-leaning AZ, KY, OK and WV, major bones of contention in Los Angeles are largely the same: teacher pay, support staff, and infrastructure conditions. Teachers in the city have been working for over a year without a contract. Closer to home, Denver classrom teachers are also considering striking for better pay/working conditions.

Margaret Thatcher : Conservative party : England :: Elizabeth Warren : Democratic party : United States. Columnist George Will seems to think it is a fair comparison, if the Democrats "dare." Warren's "progressiveness" equates to an "inverted Thatcherism." Will is really pointing to a long, protracted, arduous, and acrimonious primary season for Democrats in 2020. Also see Richard Epstein on Senator Warren.



Thank you for reading. Endure this latest cold snap.

15 January 2019

This week's thoughts: Optimist; notable dates in US history; the Wall; the “new” politics; old age; Chinese science;

Optimist, 13 January 2019. Link here. Did you know that Jupiter is our "best" planet? A most precious gift to a most unusual person. How to combat racism in hockey. Eating to save the planet? So here is your unusual menu.

Notable dates.
     9 January 1914: Los Angeles county opened America's first public defender office. 1931: Bobbi Trout and Edna May Cooper broke an endurance record for female aviators with a flight of 122 hours and 50 minutes.
     10 January 1776: Common Sense, Thomas Paine's incendiary pamphlet advocating separation from England, was published anonymously.
     11 January 1908: President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Grand Canyon National Monument. 1935: Amelia Earhart began her flight from Honolulu to San Francisco, making her the first person to fly solo across any portion of the Pacific Ocean. 
     12 January 1959: Barry Gordy launched the fabled Mo Town record company.
     13 January 1941: Puerto Ricans were granted birthright US citizenship. 1968: Johnny Cash performed and recorded his Folsom prison performances.
     15 January 1919: A spill of an estimated2.3M gallons of molasses in Boston's North End killed 21 people. 1929: MLK, Jr., was born in Atlanta, GA.

Washington, D.C. metro. The stuff of science fiction? Unintended consequences? Did you know that your D.C. metro car was made in China and it might be capable of "spying" on you, or be "hackable" by a Chinese spymaster?

Congress, the Pentagon and industry experts have taken the warnings seriously, and now Metro will do the same. The transit agency recently decided to add cybersecurity safeguards to specifications for a contract it will award later this year for its next-generation rail cars following warnings that China’s state-owned rail car manufacturer could win the deal by undercutting other bidders....China makes no secret of its desire to dominate the global rail car industry. Its “Made in China 2025” economic strategy proposes to seek competitive advantage in that sector, among others.

There is no US company that makes rail cars, though we do manufacture freight rail cars; however, the Chinese may move into that market, too.

The Wall and yellow vests.  Columnist Richard Cohen writes, "Which side of the wall of decency are you on?" He thinks what the US workers need are about 1M yellow vests to be worn at public demonstrations. "No pay, no work!" This being America, Cohen suggests skipping Le Marseillaise, rather, strike up the band with a rousing rendition of "Whose side are you on?"

I do not suggest that federal workers follow the French example by taking to the streets and committing violent acts. I do suggest that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her Senate counterpart, Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), stop trudging to the White House to negotiate with Trump. Instead, they should take their case to the people and demand in the hallowed phrase of “a day’s pay for a day’s work” that the president pay his employees.

In his op ed piece the morning after the President addressed the nation about The Wall, Stephen Stromberg voiced a not uncommon thought: "In the Great Wall Debate of 2019, President Trump is losing on his own terms." He is backing himself into an ever smaller corner as the real economic pain of the government shutdown spreads -- even among his base. Just how long with a stalwart "Trumpian" worker continue to back a billionaire president whose pay is guaranteed and whose policy is now threatening the worker's family with mounting debt of back due bills for food, housing, health care?
     All for a symbolic barrier that does not really address very broad concerns involved with true border security?

New politics and politicians. The 2020 campaigns will be different, not just new names and faces, but, most importantly, new styles. Candidates can now gain instant name/face recognition using social media — much diminishing the need for, or allegiance to, the old guard of a particular party. Older candidates, especially “old, white gals/guys” may not be able to catch up. Neatly encapsulated by one writer who wonders: “What will happen when live-streams become the new fireside chat?”
     Other communications milestones include: William McKinley, first in movies, his inaugural parade, 4 March 1897; Herbert Hoover, first on radio, State of the Union address (6 December 1923); FDR, first on TV (30 April 1939); Truman,  first national TV address (5 October 1947); JFK - RMN debates (26 September 1960).
    Columnist Jonathan Caphart writes, "Everyone’s talking about Beto and Biden. But here’s another ‘B’ you should know." Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, IN, Harvard grad, Rhodes Scholar, progressive Democrat (in a red state), gay, married, a USN veteran (Afghanistan).

Old Age. How old is "too old" to be president. With November 2020 just over the horizon and several candidates in their late 70's, Evan Thomas' column poses that question. He discusses the political past, the interplay of past presidents and the so-called "Wise Old Men" who advised them.
    Thomas concludes, "So listen to your elders. But don’t necessarily vote for them."

Chinese scientific endeavors. This Economist article discusses what seems to be the aims of President Xi. This as the present administration is taking steps to rein in both US scientific endeavors and what the pubic will learn of what is actually being done. Censorship, in all its forms, is a dangerous tool.

A HUNDRED YEARS ago a wave of student protests broke over China’s great cities. Desperate to reverse a century of decline, the leaders of the May Fourth Movement wanted to jettison Confucianism and import the dynamism of the West. The creation of a modern China would come about, they argued, by recruiting “Mr Science” and “Mr Democracy”...Today the country that the May Fourth students helped shape is more than ever consumed by the pursuit of national greatness...China is hurtling up the rankings of scientific achievement, as our investigations show (see article)....A scientific superpower wrapped up in a one-party dictatorship is indeed intimidating.

     An op-ed by Namrata Goswami notes that the real space race from the Chinese perspective is about space exploitation, a permanent presence in space, not merely exploration. This is not the second act of the old Cold War and the US is not doing well in this contest.    
      In the end, the saving grace for the US and other western nations may be the capitalistic profit motive which will drive independent research. One can only wonder what happening at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), best known for developing the ubiquitous internet.

Thank you for reading. Enjoy the upcoming MLK, Jr. weekend.

This week's notes: Optimist; notable US dates; November 2020; America first; walls; freedom of speech; 116th Congress; two scientific firsts; a good YouTube; China and Trump; tax refunds.

Optimist, 6 January. Link here. Practically perfect. Even Mary Poppins admitted she was absolutely perfect, so Nneka McGuire suggests that we stop trying and be happier in 2019. Now the public domain includes Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." And a huge treasure trove of other works that, as of 1 January 2019, are no copyrighted. McGuire concludes with the obvious: "Appearing soon on a coffee mug near you."

 Notable dates in US history.
      2 January 1900: The "Open Door" policy began with regard to US trade with China. 2006: a methane explosion at the Sago coal mine in WV killed 12 miners. A year earlier (2005), Sago officials had been cited 208 times for safety violations and the deadly explosion was the subject of investigations by the US Labor Department, as well as the US Senate and House.
     3 January 1977: Apple Computer was incorporated in Capertino, CA.
     4 January 1896: UT was admitted to the Union, the 45th state. 1965: President LBJ introduced the "Great Society" in his State of the Union address.
     5 January 1925: "Democrat Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming took office as America’s first female governor, succeeding her late husband, William, following a special election." 1933: construction began on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
     6 January 1759: George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis were married. 1838: Samuel Morse's first public demonstration of the telegraph. 
     7 January 1999: The impeachment trial (only the nation's second) began in the US Senate as President Clinton faced charges of perjury and obstruction of justice; he was acquitted when less than the required 2/3rd voted to remove him.


November 2020. First shot across the Republican ship of state's bow? On 2 January, Mitt Romney's Washington Post op-ed was titled, "The president shapes the public character of the nation. Trump’s character falls short." It is increasingly clear that more and more of the president's time will be taken up, not with the nation's pressing domestic and world affairs, but with considering his next tweet: the defense of yet another decision (one not been well received on either side of the isle) or an outburst against yet another "detractor," Democrat or Republican. Soon-to-be Senator Romney (R, UT) alludes to the fact that someone with a narcissistic personality is first concerned with her/himself, not the greater good.

America first? Anthony Blinken and Robert Kagan write that " 'America first' is only making the world worse."

Walls. As this Foreign Policy article notes, walls have never delivered all that was hoped for. However, President Trump is not into history and probably never pondered Hadrian's or China's attempts. Never watched "The Great Escape," the fictional allied example of determined tunneling. Never discussed with Bibi Netanyahu, Israeli's prime minister, the problems associated with actual tunneling.

Freedom of speech. This Foreign Affairs article examines current laws across Europe relating to blasphemy, four years after the Charlie Hebdo incident in France (7 January 2015) and thirty years after the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s fatwa calling for the assassination of Salman Rushdie.

116th Congress. From the Economist. "The 116th is the most female and most diverse Congress ever, though that diversity mainly exists on one side of the aisle. The number of Republican women actually declined in November’s mid-terms. In the room where members are sworn in, there were multiple versions of the Bible, alongside the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, a book of Buddhist sutras and the constitution (for Kyrsten Sinema, a newly elected Democratic senator from Arizona, and, according to the Pew Research Center for Religion and Public Life, the only member of Congress who identifies as religiously unaffiliated)." (emphasis added)

Really far, far out. Once again those NASA scientists, huddled around their computer screens, often seen as taciturn, bounded up as one to cheer yet another success. This time pictures of the most distant object ever explored by mankind, Ultima Thule. A small piece of our solar system's earliest days, 4 billion miles out there. That amounts to 12 hours (at the speed of light) before worried frowns turned to smiles and jumps of joy!

And in the dark. Chinese scientists were also ecstatic this week as their space probe made mankind's first soft (safe) landing on the far side of the moon. Their craft is designed to explore the moon via "rover" and drilling machines. Because of earth's gravitational pull, we never see the always-dark far side.
     NASA's Apollo 8 mission orbited the moon, New Year's eve, 24 December 1968. The mission resulted in the now iconic first picture of an "earth-rise" against the black of space. The astronauts also read the creation story from Genesis, chapter 1, verses 1-10.

YouTube, a piece of your past returned. Just when you might be losing faith in the worth of modern technology. Chris Harry got an unexpected text from his brother in CA. "Ever seen this?" It was a YouTube link forwarded by someone his brother did not know; someone with an interesting avocation. What unfolded for the Harry brothers was a part of their family history that had become lost.

China and Trump. Columnist Catherine Rampell warns, "Team Trump should be careful what it wishes for on China." The health of the world's second largest economy has to be a concern of the US. "When China sneezes, the rest of the world can catch a cold," she writes.
     The administration does not seem to see the harm in its uneven, ever-changing policies with regard to China, especially on trade. The Chinese have for millennia viewed the west as unschooled "barbarians," and President Trump's back-and-forth does nothing if not underline China's view as correct. Tariffs provide a good example. Rampell notes, "most Chinese imports targeted by Trump are inputs that U.S. firms need to manufacture their own  products." Now how smart is that?

     Finally, Rampell mentions the larger implications. "The global fallout from a Chinese recession would be devastating. It would harm many of our closest allies in East Asia — including South Korea and Japan — which count China as one of their most important export markets....And, of course, there is the fallout for U.S. firms that do business in China..."

Tax refund coming? In the "does this make sense" category, consider this: If the government shutdown continues, your tax refund check might be processed by an IRS employee who has been called back -- but not being paid!

Thank you for reading.

For this week, the last of 2018: Optimist; notable dates in US history; notable passings; CO and the West; shutdown and sell-offs, who is to blame?; Russia in the Americas; 2019, a dangerous year in China; the military vote; deadly year for journalists; designer babies; Oz;

Optimist, 30 December. Link here.

Notable US dates:
     27 December 1947: the original Howdy Doody show debuted on NBC. In the early 1980s I saw "Buffalo Bob" Smith, Howdy's real-life pal, in an entertaining one-man-show at the Warehouse cabaret in Denver.
     30 December 1853: The US and Mexico signed the Gadsden Purchase transferring 45,000 square miles to the US finalizing the current southwestern border of US (AZ and NM) and Mexico. Soon to be defined by The Wall?
     31 December 1879: Edison first demonstrated his incandescent light bulb in Menlo Park, NJ

Notable passings, 2018. One enjoyable source is the "Hail and Farewell" segment of CBS's Sunday Morning. Not mentioned were Milos Forman (flim director), Winnie Mandela (first lady terrible of South Africa), and V.S. Naipaul (writer, Nobel Laurette),

The shutdown. One example of a significant governmental source of information, used worldwide, that has been silenced is the USGS which supplies information/data on earthquakes and expected tsunami activity. The government has suggested that employees whose paychecks are in limbo bargain with their landlords and creditors. I do not imagine that the paycheck for President Trump, Vice President Pence, cabinet officers, or elected congressional branch members, or federal judges are much endangered. 
    Several other stories noted that large private equity firms have been quietly disposing of properties, declared bankruptcy, and left the former employee's pension funds in the lurch. Just hard-headed business as usual for the billionaires, financial disaster for the underlings. But, hey, that is what our current administration is all about: unfettered capitalism of which John D. Rockefeller and his kindred spirits would heartily approve.
     On Friday, 28 December, the President froze federal wages for 2019. Congress might pressure a change, but then again..........

Christmas Eve and Day: I hope yours was spent among family/friends.
     Sadly, it seems the most powerful man in the world was enjoying his alone in the nation's capital, one largely devoid of his high level staff, appointees and congressional friends. Did he realize/care about the thousands of government employees who got a lump of shutdown coal in their stockings, with no paycheck forthcoming. “It’s a sad and pathetic moment when on Christmas Eve the president of the United States is firing downer tweets in a petulant, loner mood,” said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. “This is like Charles Dickens’s Scrooge on steroids.”
     Even Richard Nixon was not as "alone" on Christmas eve, 1973, as the Watergate scandal was building towards its inevitable conclusion (9 August 1974.) Historic parallels?

December 2018: No Santa Claus/holiday bump this year. There has to be a reason and, of course, someone to blame for the worst December since the Really, Really Big Depression. Do not, however, blame President Trump, who can only stand to be congratulated when he is successful.

Dogs and politicians: Columnist Jennifer Rubin on the dogs of Capitol Hill. The herders (Rep. Pelosi, D, CA); hounds (reporters); working (Sens. Christopher A. Coons [D-DE] and Mark R. Warner [D-VA]); sporting (late SenMcCain, R, AZ); non-sporting (Fox news), toys (Parkland, FL, kids), terriers (Freedom Caucus).

Russia and Venezuela. President Theodore Roosevelt would have been appalled if this intrusion had occurred on his watch: the growing control Putin's Russia has acquired in Venezuela, not now exactly a friendly western hemisphere nation, which also happens to harbor the world's largest known oil reserves.

Vanishing invincibility. Conservative columnist Robert Samuelson discusses the degree to which America's vaunted military and technological superiority is abating, even as China and Russia increase their strength. The recent cyber intrusions clearly indicate their intentions. "Skeptics,...[should] read the recent report of the congressionally created National Defense Strategy Commission, a group of civilian experts and retired military officers"
    Leaving aside Chinese and Russian intentions, "We can address..[the other] two...causes...the shifting nature of warfare [and our],unwise cuts in defense spending. President Trump's declarations to the contrary not withstanding.


2019, China. Apparently, in China, years ending in "9" must be watched closely. In 1989, there were looming, worrisome societal divisions. Now, 2019, looms equally febrile. March: 30th anniversary of martial law in Tibet. Also, 60th anniversary of Dali Lama's flight to flight to exile in India. May 4th: 100th anniversary of the student movements that led to the party's founding that also inspired Tiananmen Square and its subsequent massacres. October 1: 70th anniversary of founding of Communist China.

Military voters. This once a reliable Republican bastion seems to be changing. Though this story's headline speaks of feminine service personnel (60-36, Democrat - Republican split), data from VoteCast indicated a similar 58-39 split among military males. During his recent visit with troops in Iraq, the President's face-to-face, bald-faced misrepresentation of recent military pay raises probably did not boost his appeal. (Their two recent raises, nowhere near his stated 10%, when adjusted for inflation were indeed meager. Much like Scrooge at Christmas.)

JOURNALIST GROUP COUNTS 94 SLAYINGS OF MEDIA IN 2018. An international trade association says on-the-job slayings of journalists and news media staff rose again in 2018 following an overall decline during the past half-dozen years.

     The International Federation of Journalists said in an annual report set for release Monday that 94 journalists and media workers died in targeted killings, bomb attacks and conflict crossfire this year — 12 more than in 2017.

Before the declines seen in five of the past six years, 121 people working for news organizations were slain in 2012. Since the federation started its annual count in 1990, the year with the most work-related killings, 155, was 2006.

The deadliest country for people who work in the news media this year was Afghanistan, where 16 of the killings occurred.

Designer babies. Among the ethics-related news stories in 2018 is one related to so-called designer babies. Want a boy or girl? You may turn to IVF to guarantee your wishes.
     "The news sparked an uproar in Britain, where screening embryos for gender is prohibited at IVF clinics. Unruffled, [Danielle] Lloyd, 35, began checking out clinics in the few places on the planet where the service is readily available: Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates — and the United States."

The Wizard of OZ.  The past weekend's news stories from Sen. Lindsay Graham (R, SC) and President Trump opined that perhaps the President was rethinking his Syrian withdrawal plans. Senator Graham's back-and-forth about the president's plans could not help but call to mind three characters in the "Wizard of Oz." At various times, Graham and Trump have resembled "Scarecrow, who wants a brain, the Tin Woodman, who desires a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, who needs courage." Ah, the Wonderland that is Washington!

Finding a real job. While this story focuses on Scott Pruitt, formerly of the EPA, it has innumerable parallels across Washington. How does one explain why he/she is no longer in the employ of the President? Dismissed by a Tweet or just gone. How to explain one's "deals" that went wrong? Were the ideas  just poorly thought out or simply imbecilic, deserving of a Dinozzo head slap?

Thank you for reading. I sincerely hope your New Year has begun well, much better than Washington's.