The Greeks have the word for it---hubris---overweening pride. And that’s the problem with Anthony Weiner, former congressman and candidate for Mayor of New York: he’s got an overweening weenie, his pride and joy. He just loves to display it on the internet and sextexts under the name of Carlos Danger. He obviously gets his jollies this way.
He loves to compare himself with Bill Clinton as a morally damaged man in high (or hopes to be) office. He thinks by this comparison some of the Clinton magic will rub off on him, and he will be impervious to criticism and can win the Mayor’s race. Again, that’s hubris, because what kind of record of achievement does he have compared to Bill Clinton?
His long-suffering wife continues to stand by her man through this incessant scandal. I’m wondering if she is into self-masochism and just thrives on pain and martyrdom.
Anthony, put your weenie away for another day and don’t inflict this travesty on the voters of New York. Until the most recent revelations, he was the leading candidate, which is either a commentary on the paucity of qualified candidates or the moral code of the average voter.
Just go in the bathroom, Anthony, lock the door and have fun. But before you do that, please drop out of the race. We are sick to death of Weiner’s weenie.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
AND THEY NEVER EVEN TOLD ME...
What can I say? I was taken totally by surprise! They never even tipped me off that this was coming. I guess there was enough hooplah going on at the time of the royal birth that they were preoccupied with escaping the paparazzi and staying as low key as possible. I didn't need to be consulted, but I'm surprised they didn't tip me off in advance.
I am referring to the choice of names for the new Prince of Cambridge. It is an honor to have him named for my grandfather, George Alexander and then, totally a shock, to add my father's middle name, Louis. You never know what surprises these royals have up their sleeves.
In any case, I'm thrilled!
I am referring to the choice of names for the new Prince of Cambridge. It is an honor to have him named for my grandfather, George Alexander and then, totally a shock, to add my father's middle name, Louis. You never know what surprises these royals have up their sleeves.
In any case, I'm thrilled!
Monday, July 22, 2013
THE FOURTH QUARTER
At our ages---both mid-eighties---my wife and I know we are in the late fourth quarter of our game of life. Thank God, we both have our senses, which in this age of increasing dementia, is a blessing. My wife has undergone some health setbacks these last two years, including shunt surgery to restore balance, a mini-stroke of the left eye costing her vision in that eye and wildly fluctuating blood pressure. She is doing much better now and has the blood pressure under control, thank God, after experimentation by her cardiologist in finding the right balance of prescription drugs. As for me, I have the normal aches and pains of someone my age, including arthritis, more tottering on my feet, spinal degeneration in lumbars 4 and 5, causing sciatica on occasions and orthostatic hypotension ( the medical term for blood pressure decreasing on occasions when I stand up after lying down or sitting for long periods causing dizziness if I get up too quickly). Not too bad for someone my age.
We have debated going into care complexes where you pass through the stages of independent living, assisted living and final hospital and/or hospice care. We have two excellent facilities near us; in fact, we put a deposit on one, which was smaller and more attractive to us. But our hearts weren’t really into this kind of group living, plus they are quite expensive---over six thousand a month plus extra expenses like dining in their facilities if you choose not to cook. It is not cheap health insurance.
We have owned for thirty-six years a condominium on the beach here on Sanibel Island in Florida where we have lived permanently for eleven years. We bought the condo in 1977 as a get-away retreat which could be rented when we were not there. Over the years we have built up a sizeable clientele of renters and have earned some good income from rentals. It is a small complex as condos go with only thirty-eight units, and we know many of the owners there. We are particularly close with the board of directors (I served as a director for twelve years) and several of these directors and spouses have encouraged us to move into our condo permanently. They have a harmonious and good life together and take a collective interest in watching out for each other. “Don’t worry,” they say, “come join us and we’ll watch over you.”
So, that’s what we’ve decided to do. We will this fall put our house up for sale. We have started interviewing realtors and are encouraged that the market here is recovering nicely and condos and homes are being sold at improved prices. Sanibel, being a resort, never felt the decline like most places, with a decline of 15-20% maximum, but now prices are rising again and sales activity has increased. Yes, we will be giving up rental income, but the sale of the house should generate sufficient funds to enable us to live comfortably. With a panoramic view directly on a beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, life can be lovely.
If you are in the fourth quarter, try to enjoy the game. This solution should work.
We have debated going into care complexes where you pass through the stages of independent living, assisted living and final hospital and/or hospice care. We have two excellent facilities near us; in fact, we put a deposit on one, which was smaller and more attractive to us. But our hearts weren’t really into this kind of group living, plus they are quite expensive---over six thousand a month plus extra expenses like dining in their facilities if you choose not to cook. It is not cheap health insurance.
We have owned for thirty-six years a condominium on the beach here on Sanibel Island in Florida where we have lived permanently for eleven years. We bought the condo in 1977 as a get-away retreat which could be rented when we were not there. Over the years we have built up a sizeable clientele of renters and have earned some good income from rentals. It is a small complex as condos go with only thirty-eight units, and we know many of the owners there. We are particularly close with the board of directors (I served as a director for twelve years) and several of these directors and spouses have encouraged us to move into our condo permanently. They have a harmonious and good life together and take a collective interest in watching out for each other. “Don’t worry,” they say, “come join us and we’ll watch over you.”
So, that’s what we’ve decided to do. We will this fall put our house up for sale. We have started interviewing realtors and are encouraged that the market here is recovering nicely and condos and homes are being sold at improved prices. Sanibel, being a resort, never felt the decline like most places, with a decline of 15-20% maximum, but now prices are rising again and sales activity has increased. Yes, we will be giving up rental income, but the sale of the house should generate sufficient funds to enable us to live comfortably. With a panoramic view directly on a beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, life can be lovely.
If you are in the fourth quarter, try to enjoy the game. This solution should work.
Monday, July 1, 2013
LET'S BRING HISTORY TO LIFE
I watched a rerun of "60 Minutes" last night, featuring for most of the show an interview with David McCullough, the noted historian, author and voice of so many of the great Ken Burns documentaries. He was interviewed by Morley Safer in Philadelphia, the site of the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence, and then in Paris, in the late eighteenth century the hub of great thinkers and ideas where so many of the major figures of the Revolutionary War and the framers of independence were inspired. McCullough's enthusiasm for his subject of American history is infectious and compelling.
In the course of his conversation he climbed on his soap box to decry the "historical illiteracy" of so many of the young people of today. He mentioned how, some years ago on a college campus where he was delivering one of his stimulating lectures, he was approached afterwards by a female student who thanked him for his speech and said, "I had no idea the thirteen colonies were all on the east coast." DOH! Where did the Pilgrims land and where did the Jamestown settlers enter? And what ocean did they cross? Did she think some went around the bottom of the world to come around both capes to the west coast? McCullough thought this might be an isolated incident---but then it happened several more times at other college lectures.
He also decried the lack of specialists in education. Why, he asked, do you need to major in Education to be a great teacher? Can't you major in History or Chemistry or English and still be an inspiring teacher? I remember in school and college my most memorable teachers were not generalists but specialists in English and Latin and History.
Then he scored another point---one that I have been on the soap box about for some years: why can't families sit down for dinner and talk among themselves? It's amazing how much information can be gathered in such confabs. Being the patriarch of my family, I am by default the historian of family history and general knowledge. Who else can remember World War II, for example? My wife and I did. My wife lived through the Blitz in London; I lost a brother in WW II with another shot down who survived. I was in my teens, but it is still one of the illuminating memories of my life. In family gatherings at the dinner table, this kind of information erupts unexpectedly and haphazardly, but it gives a family a sense of personal history and identity. Ideas can flow when family is gathered and create a feeling of genuine solidarity and intimacy.
I know in our frantic world of activities and distractions of today, dining together is not possible every night, but surely it can be planned on a more regular basis. And, while it is being done, ban the kids of today from bringing their games, smartphones and tablets to the dinner table so that they can listen and talk and think.
Thank you, David, for the assist.
In the course of his conversation he climbed on his soap box to decry the "historical illiteracy" of so many of the young people of today. He mentioned how, some years ago on a college campus where he was delivering one of his stimulating lectures, he was approached afterwards by a female student who thanked him for his speech and said, "I had no idea the thirteen colonies were all on the east coast." DOH! Where did the Pilgrims land and where did the Jamestown settlers enter? And what ocean did they cross? Did she think some went around the bottom of the world to come around both capes to the west coast? McCullough thought this might be an isolated incident---but then it happened several more times at other college lectures.
He also decried the lack of specialists in education. Why, he asked, do you need to major in Education to be a great teacher? Can't you major in History or Chemistry or English and still be an inspiring teacher? I remember in school and college my most memorable teachers were not generalists but specialists in English and Latin and History.
Then he scored another point---one that I have been on the soap box about for some years: why can't families sit down for dinner and talk among themselves? It's amazing how much information can be gathered in such confabs. Being the patriarch of my family, I am by default the historian of family history and general knowledge. Who else can remember World War II, for example? My wife and I did. My wife lived through the Blitz in London; I lost a brother in WW II with another shot down who survived. I was in my teens, but it is still one of the illuminating memories of my life. In family gatherings at the dinner table, this kind of information erupts unexpectedly and haphazardly, but it gives a family a sense of personal history and identity. Ideas can flow when family is gathered and create a feeling of genuine solidarity and intimacy.
I know in our frantic world of activities and distractions of today, dining together is not possible every night, but surely it can be planned on a more regular basis. And, while it is being done, ban the kids of today from bringing their games, smartphones and tablets to the dinner table so that they can listen and talk and think.
Thank you, David, for the assist.
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