fleshpotflashes

OF RACE AND PREJUDICE: A REMEMBRANCE

2012-02-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

I watched a program on P.B.S. a few nights ago---I’m a real P.B.S. junkie---called “American Experience”, a series documenting important people and events in our history, about the Freedom Riders of 1961 who dared travel by bus to the deep segregated south, subjecting themselves to injury, abuse and arrest for the cause of Civil Rights. Interviews fifty years later with participants were fascinating and frightening,and I was amazed at their courage and resoluteness. Their whole approach, as you may recall, was inspired by Martin Luther King’s passive resistance and nonviolence, which, in turn, was spawned from Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent revolution in South Africa and India. Coincidentally, the same week I also watched Richard Attenborough’s Oscar-winning “Gandhi”, starring Oscar-winning Ben Kingsley.

My wife asked me after the documentary on the Freedom Fighters if I could have done that, and I quickly and instinctively answered, “Hell no, I’d have been scared to death.” I wish I would have had the courage, but I had to be honest. How many of you out there in cyberspace would have had the guts to do it? It took a special breed of devotion to the cause and of willing martyrdom to be a Freedom Rider.

We have come a long way in the last fifty years and made significant improvements in overcoming prejudice and racism. If you had asked me fifty years ago if we would have had a black President in my lifetime, I would have scoffed at the possibility. Yet here we are…

Looking back over my life in terms of prejudice and racism, the two major area of conflict have been Civil Rights for blacks and Anti-Semitism. I grew up in southwestern Ohio, and Ohio fought, obviously, for the North, the Union, in the Civil War, but that did not guarantee tolerance. I grew up in an era where prejudice against blacks was rife. No, we did not have Jim Crow, but the attitude about blacks was neo-southern. Snickers and racial jokes were common and the use of the N-word, Jigaboos,Jungle Bunnies, Night Fighters and the like were everyday pejoratives.

In my small town in Ohio, at the Greyhound Bus Terminal was a lunch counter, and even after World War II, blacks could not eat there, until in 1946, our cook’s son, a brave soul named Darrell Taylor, led a sit-in resulting in the opening of that lunch counter to the black community.

As for anti-Semitism, I even have some personal experience there. My grandfather was the American-born son of German Jewish immigrants from Bavaria. My grandfather Leo married a woman in 1889 of English ancestry named Gertrude Smith. He told my grandmother, “Gertrude, your Christian religion is more important to you than my Jewish faith, so raise the children any way you want”; hence, my father and his siblings, as well as my generation (since my father also married a Christian) grew up as Christians in the Episcopal faith.

When I went away to prep school, The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, for the first time in my life I ran into anti-Semitism. One of my classmates from Cincinnati, a supercilious ass named Gary, with whom I did not get along, knew of my family background and used to comment on it to his friends and make snide allusions to my Jewish background. I was puzzled, somewhat hurt, and had never run into such personal prejudice before, as my grandfather was deeply respected as a successful businessman and philanthropist in our area. I remember being home on spring vacation and mentioning these slurs to my mother. She looked surprised and said to me, “Gary said that? Why, he’s got more Jewish blood than you. His father is Jewish, and his family changed their name from Schlumberger.”

When I returned to school, one Saturday I was walking down my dormitory hall, and Gary saw me passing by and shouted, “Hey, off for the synagogue?” I put my head in the door and said, “Yes, Schlumberger, care to join me?” He looked visibly shaken, and one of his friends said, “What the hell does that mean?” “Ask Gary”, I replied and went on my way. After that, Gary was very quiet around me. This was in 1945 and even with a war winding down where Jews were victims of horrific tragedy this kind of anti-Semitism was out in the open in certain snotty Waspish circles

Don’t delude yourself that racism and anti-Semitism have gone; they are simply better camouflaged today with code words and flanking attacks. Look at the right-wing kooks and our President. I’m sure a large part of the hatred out there is racially inspired. And Jews have enough enemies in the Islamic world, not to mention envious and resentful Christians who grouse about and envy rich Jewish bankers and merchants. Too many narrow minds resent the success of American Jews who have set high standards of accomplishment under trying circumstances.

I must add, we are doing better and improving in our understanding and acceptance. We have come a long way in my lifetime on both racism and anti-Semitism, but have no illusions: those dragons still breathe fire in the dark areas of our lives and souls.

SUPER BOWL AND SUPER COSTS

2012-02-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

We stayed home last night and watched a good part of the Super bowl, or at least I did; my wife is not a fan of American football, considering it barbaric. I tell her it's good for male gladiator instincts. Then "Downton Abbey" came on P.B.S., and we are hooked on that soap opera of upper class life in England before and during World War I (or "the Great War", as it was known). I willingly switched over during the Super Bowl halftime show, which was much ado about nothing. I also knew, if I missed part of the second half, I could turn on another TV or later switch to ESPN and catch the major highlights, which, sure enough, I was able to do.

It was obviously a good and exciting game, and Eli Manning showed that he is definitely among the elite quarterbacks in the league. Brady looked good, too, under considerable pressure, and a couple of missed passes, especially one by the always reliable Wes Welker, spelled doom. You can be sure with little time left that Eli inevitably finds a way to pull a passing miracle out of the hat and will win.

I still gasp at the cost of Super Bowl ads, which are now in the three million range. I guess it's worth their while, but sponsors have to gulp occasionally at the prohibitive cost. With a couple of exceptions and noting that I may have missed a few when I switched channels after Madonna, I did not think most of the ads were exceptional. I can't remember which company it was (I'm an adman's nightmare!) had the funny ad about the kid dying to go to the bathroom who ends up back in the pool creating Lake Urine. I believe it was some Tax service, but I'm not sure. I realize it is a huge audience, and it must be cost-justifiable for some companies like Bud, Pepsi and Coke, but my parsimonious soul shudders at the cost.

My luck as a prognosticator held up: I predicted it would be the winner of the 49ers-Giants game and said it would be the Giants. That and ten bucks will buy me a Starbucks super deluxe latte and cookie.

GOT A MAGIC PILL?

2012-02-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

It would appear that Mitt Romney is moving closer to nomination as the Republican candidate for President after his resounding victory in Florida; that is, if he can remove his foot from his mouth long enough to accept the nomination. The man is gifted for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. I don't really think he intended to say he does not care about the poor, but it came out that way.

I'm fed up with the whole political process, which, as I have commented many times, takes too long and is unnecessarily redundant. Why do we need nineteen debates for the Republican candidates to make their positions clear? We don't, and now what happens is that the last campaign in Florida---and, I suspect, a few future campaigns---will be mud-slinging vituperation.

Newt Gingrich rises phoenixlike from the ashes of defeat and keeps fighting. i just read that "the Donald" Trump is endorsing Newt. That should be the kiss of death. As long as Sandy Adelson's millions keep flowing, Newt will keep talking. How many more Super-Pacs would you like to see?

On the other side of the political coin, the President keeps amassing his war chest and is spending an undue amount of time running, which takes time away from governing. I wish we had an impartial refereee who could call "Time Out"so that time could be spent in working through the economic problems besetting this country and the world, but that's simply my fantasy.

And Europe keeps fiddling while Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal burn. Explain to me how pure austerity solves the problems of southern Europe without financial stimulus to these moribund economies. Yes, belt-tightening is a necessity, but so is job creation.

My worldview has a dose of the flu, and it would appear to be an epidemic. A helluva lot of us are unhappy and hurting and need a global Alka-Seltzer. Or maybe Viagra, to stiffen our resolve!

MOVE OVER, ROGER AND RAFA

2012-01-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

The Australian Open has just ended, and I am still reeling from the impact of the final matches. I thought the semifinal between Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer a taut and exciting four-setter where every set was close but clearly won by Nadal. Then the other semi-final between Novak Djokovich and Andy Murray turned into a marathon five-set nail biter, won by Djokovich after four hours and fifty minutes.

As Al Jolson used to say, "Folks, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" Today Novak Djokovich barely outlasted Rafa Nadal in five sets---this time. in five hours and fifty-three minutes. Talk about a gladiator war in the Roman Coliseum, this match certainly qualified with two bloody but unbowed warriors barely on their respective feet at the end. Epic, monumental, unforgettable, choose your own awed adjective!

Novak Djokovich has developed all the qualities of a great champion. He won three of the four grand slams last year and has now, with the Australian win again this year,a shot at the calendar grand slam. The only one he failed to win last year was the French where he was upset in the semis by Roger Federer, who in turn lost the final to Nadal. We now have a triumvirate of greatness in Federer, Nadal and add Djockovich.

It was great seeing Rod Laver, the last Grand Slam Champion, on the revewing stand at the cup presentation. Laver won two Grand Slams back in the sixties and might well have won more if he had not been banned from playing for six years in the old days when they banned professionals from playing the grand slams. He won the slam in 1962, turned pro the next year and then won again after they allowed pros to play in 1969.As I've commented before, it's a different game now, technologically and physically. The new racquets are so powerful, and the best guys have the fitness level of Iron Man triathletes.

New game. new times---and still inspiring!

THE LONG HARD CLIMB

2012-01-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

The State of the Union address by the President was effective, although I agree with "The New York Times" that he needs to be even tougher in his views with a recalcitrant opposition party in Congress.

We need to cut the deficit and control spending---that's a given---but the first priority is to create jobs and stimulate the economy, Without reducing unemployment and putting more people to work, how can we generate more revenue to help lower the deficit? An interesting article by Tom Friedman in "The Times" called "Average is Over" highlights one of the major issues, the loss of jobs due to technology, the I.T. revolution and cheaper foreign labor. Friedman refers to an article in "The Atlantic" by Adam Davidson which points out that one out of every three worker has lost a job in the ten years ending in 2009, thereby erasing the gains in employment made the last previous fifty years. In addition, you are fighting not only cheap labor, such as in China, but better-trained foreign workforces. That is why the President emphasized new job training.

The President has made many mistakes over these last three years, although I cannot imagine John McCain would have done so well. I think the first mistake Obama made was putting the heavy emphasis on health care as his first major endeavour instead of putting the full force of his popularity as a new president on the economy. He expended so much human capital and energy on the health care battle, which was a polarizing issue at best, and it cost him dearly in good will. Mind you, I recognize the importance of the health care issue, but first things first: you need a healthy economy with more people working to build momentum before you deal with substantive changes like health care.

Another mistake was to ignore the recommendations of the special commission he appointed (Webb-Simpson) to study the tax code and deficit reduction. Eventually, some of the recommendations of that bi-partisan commission will have to be effected.

Another major boo-boo was to try to play the role of the Great Conciliator too long with an opposing Congress. O.K., give it a try, but it became apparent very rapidly that the Republicans were not in the mood and would resist anything the President
did. He has learned this lesson now, but again, he lost a lot of time.

Another failure: to hit hard the need for repairs to our infrastructure. In addition to making obsolete or exhausted resources valuable again, it can also create jobs at a time when jobs are desperately needed.

He has a chance to win reelection, but he is going to have to be forceful and effective. The Republican candidates, for the most part, are expert at shooting themselves in their own feet, which can only help him. The economy is still not good, although improving, and the economy is always the paramount issue in any election.

The President is going to be on the proverbial slippery slope, which he needs to climb hard and fast.

SOME MENTAL MEANDERINGS

2012-01-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

Do you feel a keen sense of loss now that Rick Parry has withdrawn from the race? I'll miss his foot-in-mouth disease and amnesia.

Will you be shocked to find how rich Mitt Romney is and why he's close to 15% taxes? The Fred Astaire of the political field is still tapping away or around the truth.

How many more revelations about his personal life can Newt Gingrich take? I'm sure there will be more.

Santorum and Paul keep chirping in the background, but the show is over.

Are the New York Giants the team of destiny? Eli Manning is incredibly poised and having the year of his life. But he lives in a golden era of q.b.s with the two Bs, Brees and Brady. I think the winner of the Giants-Forty-Niners game will go on to win the Super Bowl. I think the Giants, but the Niners continue to shock me.

I don't expect Syracuse will keep up this streak much longer. Parity is looking for real in the top ten or so basketball teams.

I suspect Peyton Manning may be playing elsewhere if the Colts can renegotiate that bonus deal of his. The Colts cannot pass on Andrew Luck. What a dilemma. Personally, I wish Peyton would hang it up and not risk his health. I see him as a coach-owner somewhere in the near future with his money and brains.

Next month will be spring training time here in the Fort Myers area where we can watch the Twins or the Red Sox in their brandnew facility. I always look forward to this training period.

Have you got your tax data together? I have not, but I'm going to do it in February and not procrastinate to early April. That's a promise!

If you haven't see the film, "War Horse", run, do not walk to your neighborhood multiplex theatre and see it. I saw the play in London and raved about it in a blog a couple of years ago. The Spielberg film is less intimate and definitely an epic and just as good as the play. A real upper---don't miss it. I knew Spielberg would do it up right...

AND THE CHAMPION IS...

2012-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

It looks as if Mitt Romney has secured his position as the next Republican candidate for President. His Super-Pacs and considerable wealth have simply buried the opposition. It looks as if it may be possible to buy the Presidency, although I suspect this has been done before, but not to the extent that the unlimited flow of money available in elections has manifested now.

Barack Obama has his work cut out for him. The economy is the central issue, as it so often has been. Remember Bill Clinton and "It's the economy, stupid."? We are showing gradual signs of economic improvement, but will it be fast enough to salvage a second term for the President?

An intriguing idea is floating among Democratic circles: a ticket of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Verrrry interesting... I think Joe Biden, although it would hurt, would be willing to make the sacrifice for the good of the party.

That could be a major fifteen rounder.

OOPS!!!

2012-01-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

I had a recent medical experience which in a way sums up the frustrations of health care, or maybe just a simple misreading causing a screw-up.

I have had a swelling above my left ankle for some time. I first noticed it in England a couple of summers ago, then it disappeared, but came back last summer. It is not painful, but I wondered what the cause is. My doctor had me do an ultrasound to make sure there was no blood clot---and there was not. Then I had a cat scan which showed a possible inguinal lymph node swelling in my groin. He also sent me to a vein specialist who did another ultrasound and told me to wear support hose for a month and then come back to see him.

In the meantime, a couple of weeks ago, I get a call from my regular doctor's nurse (he is taking a few days off at Christmas), instructing me to go see a surgeon in nearby Fort Myers with whom an appoitment for me had been made. No explanation, just go to this surgeon and a specific appointment date and time. So, i'm wondering what the hell is going on and beginning to imagine unpleasant possibilities. I go to see this surgeon, an ebullient and gregarious Tunisian-born man, who charms me with conversation and then checks my groin. I don't feel any pain, but he tells me I need a hernia operation. I tell him I don't feel any discomfort, but he suggests I make a date after the holidays. In fact, they called me right after Christmas to see if I'm ready to schedule. By this time I'm beginning to feel as if I am dealing with a persistent used car salesman who is trying to sell me an operation and I say I'm not ready.

Before I commit to any surgery and with this feeling I am being rushed, I call my regular doctor and make an appointment,now that he is back to work. I tell him about my date with the surgeon, and he looks totally puzzled. "I never recommended you see him," he says. He looks at my file and then looks up, chagrined. "Oh. my God," he exclaims, "I think the nurse misread the file and sent you to the wrong doctor, She must have misread your file where it says you have a hiatal hernia (a condition I have had for years for which I regularly take Prilosic or the like) and sent you to a hernia surgeon. My doctor checked me over and agreed that, if I had a hernia, it's an insignificant one. He suggested I see the vein guy who could probably deal with this swelling problem.

I had my date with the vein doctor yesterday, who told me my ultrasound showed some vein seepage or leaking in my left leg which would cause this swelling and affect the lymph node in my groin. He recommended I continue to wear support hose for two months, then see him and he will perform minor surgery to seal off this leak. This guy, I believe! wearing the support hose has helped the swelling, I might add.

Ah, the glories of medicine! A misreading by a nurse, a hungry surgeon. Thank God for Medicare! but what a waste of time and expense...

KICKSTARTING 2012

2012-01-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

I trust you all survived the holidays and are preoccupied with your many 2012 resolutions, which will probably take at least a month to break.

Today two of my daughters helped me dismantle the Christmas tree and pack up all the holiday accoutrements for storage in our basement. We have a cleaning lady whose significant other is a superb handyman with all the skills that I lack; they are coming tomorrow, and Mike will help me move all these items to the basement and, with unbelievable speed, fulfill my wife's "honey-do" list.

One of the two daughters is leaving this evening for her home in Atlanta, and the second leaves tomorrow afternoon to return home to Toledo. They are great women with the additional asset of being superb organizers, so the house is in incredible shape: clean, all laundry done, refrigerator organized and closets never neater. They are great company, as well, and we cherish them, My third daughter is also blessed with the organizational skills and is obsessively neat, so, when she is here, everything sparkles. (She left a few days after Christmas with husband and two sons to resume her life on the east coast of Florida, and now the two kids are back at school.) My only son is a good guy and not here, but he lacks those "clean genes".
We also had here two grown grand-daughters by my eldest daughter and husband of one of the grand-daughters who had to leave before the New Year to return to Myrtle Beach SC and their lives there.

Now we return to normalcy, as our Sanibel Island, which is a real showpiece of holiday lights and decorations will also get back to normal---only now with more people beginning to flow in as the cold weather strikes the north and the snowbirds arrive. Soon traffic will be horrendous on our main drag, Periwinkle Way, which is only two lanes. Sanibel also does not have traffic lights. If you want to get off the island in a hurry, you better plan to leave by 2:30 p.m., for after that it takes varying from one and a half to two hours to reach the causeway that connects us to the mainland three miles away. It will stay like this through Easter and then, gradually, the traffic jam will become less sticky until by May it is heaven again. But we like the tourists: they help the economy of the local merchants and restaurants as well as the condos and inns.

2011 was not the best year for America. Let's raise a late glass to better things to come in 2012. Certainly, in our case, we started 2012 with a bang after this great family holiday. We hope you do, too.

MY CRYSTAL BALL IS FOGGY

2011-12-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year for reflection, both looking back at the year ending and anticipating the New Year.

If you were to assign one word to describe 2011, “turbulent” comes to mind immediately.

Start with the weather: worldwise, I can’t recall one year with so many natural disasters, ranging from earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan to a plethora of tornados in America.

Then look at politics across the world: the Arab spring in northern Africa and the Mideast , a spring that is increasing to four seasons and even infecting Russia.

Then look at nations. Even the Chinese are facing problems of handling growth and a rising middle class wanting their fair share. India is going through growing pains. Democracy is beginning to sprout even in Burma (Mynamar). Iran is going through internal battles between the clerics and secular leadership with a suppressed democratic movement. Iraq, with the Americans out, seems to be heading for more religious warfare between the Sunnis and the Shiites. Syria is facing a civil war. Israel and Palestine are same old , same old, squabbling, hating and nullifying the attempted peace process.

Then look at the economies of Europe. Europe is in deep doo-doo with the southern members deeply in debt and the richer nations balking at long-term solutions involving their wealth. They are stemming the flow of fiscal blood but not facing up to long-term solutions to stimulate economies and create growth. The euro is feeling the pain.

Then look at us in the U.S.A. A bitterly divided partisanship has infected the governmental process, preventing us from doing what needs to be done for job stimulus, tax reform, growing the economy, et al. We would much rather call each other names and shout at each other, while governance suffers the consequences of inaction.

Yes, I think “turbulent” is the apt word.

And what for 2012? More of the same, I’m afraid. I hope the weather will improve with a minimum of disasters, but my crystal ball doesn’t work too well in that area.

Growing expectations among those seeking more from life will continue to be the norm, I’m sure; once you’ve turned that faucet on, it’s a lot harder to turn it off because of the pressure generated.

I worry about the Middle East and pray that Iran-Palestine-Syria-Israel won’t blow up, igniting a conflagration far beyond that geographical area.

2012 could be the year the euro either lives or dies. Right now it is in terminal condition.

Here in the U.S., perhaps the election will make us move in new directions and create some political and economic actions. But that isn’t until November, so we’re probably faced with more of the same problems of governing.. The only bright light is the economy does seem to be, slowly but surely, reviving.

What do you think and see? My crystal ball is wearing out. In any case, one sure thing, I wish you all the best for an improved and constructive and happy New Year.

THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE RECALL

2011-12-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

Recalls were held in 17 states, in 73 separate jurisdictions.
• The state with most was Michigan, with at least 30 recalls.
• 30 mayors faced recalls.
• 17 recalls were school boards.
• 11 were state legislators (by far the record -- the previous high was 3 in one year).
• 52 were city council members.
• One local prosecutor, York, Nebraska County Attorney, faced a recall.
• 34 jurisdictions held recalls on multiple days.
• Three jurisdictions adopted the recall

I got these statistics from an article in the Huffington Post called the Recall Blog, stating that recalls totaled in 2011 150, which is a pretty hefty number.

What is the significance of this number? First, it set a record---and the expectation is for this high trend to continue in 2012. Second, and most important, I think it indicates the sorry state of politics currently in America.

Politics is not attracting the high-caliber people needed but is appealing to many fast-buck glib types looking for an easy con and quick buck. If you make the right noises, playing to the crowd, you can create the illusion of “I have what this country needs”---only, most of the time, it isn’t. So many special interests have infested the political scene that it is hard to determine what and who is right. Washington has gained a reputation as a special club where influence, money and power make a potent cocktail. I’m afraid it’s true at the state and local levels, as well, but not so noticeably. The parasites and grubbers multiply in this kind of environment.

I would be happier if recall meant remembering our past glory and hoping for more in the future.

A HOLIDAY WISH

2011-12-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

Well---what do you know? The Republicans finally were imbued with Christmas spirit and passed the temporary extension of the payroll tax! Santa Claus, masquerading as John Boehner, must have got to them and must have done some serious arm twisting or maybe reminded them that their adamant refusal was not good politics. If there is one thing politicos don’t want, it is to practice bad politics; it causes severe electoral pains. So, all those recalcitrant boys can slink home now and get in the Christmas mode.

This year coming to a close (thank God) has been filled with Hairbreadth Harry finishes, thanks to the antics of Congress. They have helped to screw up our credit rating as a country, they have made the rest of the world wonder at our political sanity, and they have disappointed a large percentage of American voters. Aside from that, they haven’t accomplished much.

Let us pray for 2012 that some good sense and willingness to face up and deal with our many problems suddenly rises to the top of the priority list. Can it supersede politics and the election? Probably not, but maybe they can squeeze some positives among all the negatives long enough to aid the recovery.

That’s a Christmas and New Year wish from the heart.

And all the best of holidays and a fine New Year to all of you.

JOY TO THE WORLD OF POLITICS ET AL.

2011-12-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

I’m filling up with so much Christmas spirit that I can almost wish the Republican members of the House of Representatives a Merry Christmas. They have certainly given all of us a wonderful present: a tax increase of $1000, plus delayed unemployment benefits and pissed off a lot of doctors by delaying Medicare payments in the process. I hope that smiley elf called John Boehner is kept busy chasing the recalcitrants down and working on selling the compromise extension package. What a great group of misguided non-thinkers!

Ohio State got a nice present from the N.C.A.A. in adding more scholarship losses and no bowl game in 2012. I can’t waste too many crocodile tears on them. Urban is going to have to perform a lot of Urban renewal, it would appear, especially in recruiting.

A special chorus of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” should be sung to Newt Gingrich for redefining the Palestinians as a “contrived people”. Funny, I thought they had been around a few thousand years, but what do I know?

And special kudos to Mitt Romney, the political equivalent of Fred Astaire or Bojangles Robinson---the best tap dancer on the political stage.

And maybe I should include the whole Republican candidates’ debates: wholesome entertainment for the family. It makes a great puppet show featuring Punch and Judy beating on each other in the form of Rick Parry and Ron Paul---and then using Newt as the target. Michele Bachmann makes a great Scarecrow, or is it the Wicked Witch of the West?

One thing for sure---these politicos know how to keep us on our toes or on the edge of our seats. May Santa’s reindeers crap on them on the way back to the North Pole.

'TIS THE SEASON...

2011-12-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season to be jolly, and all those good things of the Yuletide. We are preparing for the invasion of family: three of our four children with two spouses and four of six grandchildren. Needless to say, we have a houseful plus a condo full!

It is frantic but fun. Our three daughters take over the cooking and planning, taking pressure off my wife, who deserves a break after fifty-eight years of family Christmases. Actually, my daughters have been doing so the last few years, but now my wife welcomes the help and to have other people in charge. And this year we have a new family member: my eldest granddaughter's new husband, Tim, who will be a welcome addition.

We cram a lot into the days they are here. Naturally, the girls want to soak up the sun and get in a lot of beachtime. Our condo is right on the beach of the Gulf of Mexico only 120 feet from the water. The grandaughters spent their holidays here and have grown up with the kids of other condo owners, so it's old home week. The boys, son-in-laws and grandsons, love to go to a sports bar called the "Lazy Flamingo", noted for their Mesquite-grilled grouper sandwiches,. to-die-for seasoned French Fries, raw or fried oysters,spicy Conch Chowder and a plethora of beers.

We also go out for dinner a few times. We usually go out on a pontoon boat where we tour the waterways and islands around us. The sons-in-law have developed a tradition of doing a Seafood Feast Night where they purchase a wide variety of oysters, clams and other seafood goodies, including sometimes the product of successful deep sea fishing, which they prepare and serve.

As I say, it's frantic but fun---and what a holiday season should be---a chance for family to mingle and share the good times.

And that's what I wish all of you. Laissez les bons temps rouler,as they say in Louisiana. Happy holidays with good times, and let's hope a better New Year for the world.

ECONOMICS 101 OR MAYBE 102

2011-12-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

“So we are isolated, are we? Cut off, locked out of the room, left on the sidelines, cast out of the inner core – and any other baleful metaphors you can think of. Well, Britain has stood alone before, as I recall, and we defended the idea of democracy in Europe then, too. But we need not get romantically heroic about it. We just have to ask ourselves: what is it exactly that we are outside of? A burning building? With only our triple-A credit rating and our competitive financial industry to console us?

What just happened, after all? We jumped off a bus that was hurtling toward a brick wall. When it eventually crashes, the driver(s) of the bus – who will survive, this being a metaphorical bus – will probably blame us, claiming that if it had not been for our failure to co-operate, the wall might have evaporated. The crash, when it comes, will be truly dreadful, and all the more tragic because a delusional European elite refused to accept its inevitability.”

These are the words of a very talented and incisive political commentator in U.K. named Janet Daly whom I have admired for a long time. She is American by birth, graduated from Berkeley as a flaming liberal, went to England in 1965 and morphed into a political analyst and commentator on the right. She is very bright and insightful, and the above lengthy quotation is part of her take on the euro crisis and Britain’s veto of the proposed new treaty.

Most Americans don’t give a damn about the euro---but, judging by the market reaction, they should., because it is affecting our financial world and economy, as well.

Back in the early nineties when the concept of the United States of Europe was born and the resultant establishment of a common European currency, the euro, the U.K. chose to be part of the European Economic Community (the E.E.C.) as a trading partner for obvious economic reasons but opted out of accepting the euro as currency. When Tony Blair was Prime Minister, he was very pro-European and wanted to push U.K. into making the euro the currency of U.K. and entering into full partnership in the E.E.C. One of the few sensible things Gordon Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer (like Secretary of the Treasury) did was to resist this idea and stayed with the pound sterling as the currency. He was not so sensible when he became Prime Minister, and England is still paying the price of the mountain of debt he accumulated, necessitating the austere fiscal policy under which they operate today.

David Cameron, the current Prime Minister had the courage to face reality and reject the new E.E.C. treaty where strict financial controls and sanctions for failure are part of the proposed treaty. If he had not rejected it, I might add, he would have probably been drawn and quartered by his own Tory party! But the point is, he did so, to his credit.

Janet Daly has hit the mark right on in her column: Europe is a runaway bus heading for disaster. Yes, they may exercise some financial controls to stop profligate economies from running amok, but they have not addressed the question of growth and economic stimulation. (Does this sound vaguely familiar?) Austerity will be the order of the day, but it will not cure the matter of kick-starting the economy to get things rolling with work and jobs. I think it is going to get messy.

So, take heart, people, we have lots of company in this chaotic economic world. We don’t have an exclusive on problems; in fact, next to Europe, we look pretty damned good. I recall the old adage: “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” I guess we’re the one-eyed jack.

A SHAGGY DOG STORY

2011-12-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

I really miss not having a dog around. We haven't had one since I retired in 1995 due to the fact that spending three months of the summer in England isn't good or convenient for the dog or the owners. But now I don't think we'll be traveling that long or far.

For as long as I can remember when I was young we had dogs around the house. Where I was raised in Ohio, we had 24 acres, so it was ideal for kids and dogs. At one point, when I was eleven, we had ten dogs, and they never tried to kill each other.

The oldest was a black dachshund named Youser who was smart as a whip and greedy to the same degree. He would sit up on his haunches at the dinner table (back in the olden times when families sat and had dinner together), begging for a morsel. One time my middle brother teased him for a good five minutes before giving him a bite, and Youser never wavered. When Youser died at age ten in 1943, my father called my middle brother and me at our prep school in Pennsylvania to tell us. Youser was family.

The second was Sonia, a beautiful Great Dane bitch with the disposition of a lamb. She weighed about 180 pounds and was brindle-colored with unclipped ears. She used to race to meet the paper boy on his bicycle. If he was a new one, he would be ready to change his underwear at the sight of this behemoth hurtling toward him. Then she would sniff and lick his hand. Sonia was a lover, not a fighter and always a kid at heart. I remember playing in the snow with friends where we were chasing each other in a game of tag, and Sonia got in the act, leaped up on me, stealing the knit cap off my head and running away. looking over her shoulder at my prostrate body in the snow. Unfortunately, she either was poisoned or ate something that did so, and she died young.

The third was Rip, a black and white Cocker Spaniel, who was loveable but totally stupid, a characteristic many Cockers share from too much inbreeding. His main joy in life was to get thoroughy wet and then run through the woods and collect as many burrs as possible in his fur. I bet I spent hours detaching these burrs from his matted hide while he looked lovingly and gratefully at me, after which he would run outside and repeat the process.

Numbers four through nine were Bedlington Terriers, the English breed that look like lambs. Petzel was the name of the mother, and my father had her mated, and she whelped five male puppies. We gave away three to friends in another part of the country and kept two. They barely made it a year when they were shot by the police answering a complaint from a farmer-neighbor, a reclusive old bastard who claimed they were hurting his sheep. What doubtless happened was they ran into his yard and were chasing and playing with the sheep, and the sheep, stupid as always, would simply roll on the ground and be helpless. We were pretty pissed off at the police for a good while.

Number ten was shortlived in terms of residing with us, named Buck, a liver and white spotted Pointer who was three. Dad decided it would be nice to have a hunting dog available. but there was one small problem: this dog hated and would bite anyone except Dad and me, for some unknown reason. The other dogs shied away from him, as well. As you can imagine Buck didn't live here any more for long.

In our own time as parents, my wife and I had a series of dogs, usually one a time, although back in the sixties we did have two a couple of times. we had a wonderful Wirehaired Fox Terrier named Yankee---I believe we got him around the fourth of July; hence, the choice of names. He was stolen. Then we had another, Wirehair, Tigerlily, who got hit by a car.

Then we had two Minature Poodles, ChouChou and Brioche. ChouChou got hit by a car, survived but had her brain ratttled. My brother had a male poodle, so his kids and mine thought it would be a great idea to have a family wedding between our poodles. My son, about eight, was the priest, and my two daughters and a girl cousin were bridesmaids, while two male cousins were ushers. the service was held in our basement. With both families seated in this "chapel", the bride came down the aisle and must have been a bit overwrought, as she squatted to crap.

Then we had Duke, a big and lovable Alsatian hybrid, He also got poisoned, perhaps by some putrified carcass,who knows? He was a clown and ate for three. He was joined by another brown Minature Poodle, Charlie Brown, acquired in 1969 from an old friend. Charlie was everyone's favorite. He had an undershot jaw and crooked bite so that, even when his mouth was closed, you saw a small protuberance of teeth on his left side. Charlie fancied himself as a great hunter, and his rasping bark filled the air as he futilely chased squirrels and rabbits around the neighborhood. He was also very independent and showed affection only when he was in the mood. As he aged---he lived to 15---he mellowed out and became very warm. Like so many dogs, his greatest pleasure was riding in the front seat next to me with his head out the window. In his last two years he had seizures and had to be medicated daily. Finally in 1984 he could not fight the good fight, and I had him put down. I was alone in the house at the time with my wife in Florida and my kids grown or away at college, and I spent a weekend alone grieving, not going out of the house. I still keep his picture by my computer.

The last dog was Red, an Irish Setter bitch, whom my middle daughter had obtained through an ex-boyfriend, and she gave him to us to keep when Red was four in 1984. She was an endearing airhead who would wander off and be missing for a day or two until someone would call, having noted her name and phone on her collar, to say Red was in their house. One time we had two days of heavy rain and Red was missing. Sure enough, I received a call; the man heard my voice and called me by name, and I recognized his voice as an old friend from our church. In her last years I believe Red had a series of mini-strokes which slightly affected her gait. She used to sleep in the basement in her own bed, One summer night a huge thunderstorm with lots of lightning scared the hell out of her, and she raced up the stairs where the basement door must have been ajar, tore down the hall to our bedroom and jumped in-between my wife and me in our king-sized bed, making a perfect landing, whimpering and shaking as we consoled her. We used to drive to Toledo to stay with a daughter and family, and Red would spend part of the trip in the backseat, standing with her head resting on my shoulder while I drove. My granddaughter reminded me that my son, in Red's older years, on occasions would take some auburn dye and paint Red's whiskers to hide the grey! After I retired in October of 1995, we departed a month later for Florida and left her with my step-mother, who loved her dearly. In less than a month we got a call that Red had died.

So, that's my canine history. After sixteen years, maybe we're ready again. Then again, you have to be careful on an island with crocodiles. Many stories abound of dogs lost that way. We'll have to ponder this one awhile.

A MODEST PROPOSAL

2011-12-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

After incessant months of campaign rhetoric I am compelled to comment, because I know we have almost a year more of such persiflage, hyperbole and just plain bullshit to endure before the 2012 elections. I think it a tragic waste of time, talent and treasure to endure this lengthy political rite of passage every two to four years. I realize that the candidates need to perform, to show off their expertise (or lack thereof), and to attempt to convince the voters of their unique qualifications for office. It is particularly painful when a Presidential election is at hand. The Republican debates are a case in point; how long must we suffer this process of self-expression to be followed by an interminable series of primaries.

I believe we are the only nation in the world to make the Presidential electoral process last almost two years. Of course, I should admit, a lot of the world does not have an electoral process, so we should be grateful for this manifestation of democracy in action. In the U.K. and France, for example, the electoral process takes no more than three months. Now I realize, geographically, we have a much greater area and population to cover, but surely we could do it in, say, nine months. After all, nine months is the normal gestation period, so it would be reasonable, if you can whelp in that time, to produce a winning candidate in that time from that great womb of politics. Think of the time and money we could save, not to mention the peace and quiet we could anticipate by this abridged process.

Another thing, while I’m on a roll: why not push for an amendment to the Constitution to lengthen the term in the House of Representatives from two to four years? In reality, members of the House spend one year working (reputedly) and the second year running for office, in reality. Maybe this way we could get three good years out of their legislative effort.

I don’t want to set the world on fire, as the old song says, but I would like to start a small bonfire under the pants of our political candidates. I believe it would restore some reasonableness to the process and free up time for achieving the end game of politics called governing and enacting legislation. Do you remember that process? I think I do, barely.

IN MEMORIAM: JERRY STEEGE

2011-12-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

All of us here are mourning the loss of a dear friend, Harrison "Jerry" Steege, who died last Wednesday from the ravages of pulmonary fibrosis at 79. He had suffered from this malady for some years, but it was only within the last two years that it really affected his lifestyle where he was dependent on his tank of portable oxygen and living in a home which contained a network of tubes connected to his oxygen supply.

Jerry was truly the proverbial man of many parts. He was an Internist, a doctor in the Philadelphia area for many years. At some point many years ago in his medical career, he became an ardent Christian---not a lip service "I-go-to-church-every-Sunday" type of Christian but one whose life was infused and activated by a faith that motivated his every action. He was not sanctimonious: he had a great sense of humor leavening his lifestyle. I'm sure his compassionate manner, reinforced by his faith, must have been a source of comfort to his patients.

He was active in Faith Alive, an evangelical force within the Christian churches and often traveled to many cities to stimulate faith in action at Faith Alive meetings in a wide variety of churches. He was an articulate and inspiring speaker who could discuss his faith without embarrassment and with total sincerity. He did not wear his faith on his sleeve; it was woven into the fabric of the man.

He was also the possessor of a superb bass voice and was active in Philadelphia and here on Sanibel Island and the Fort Myers area in singing groups. In our church choir he was the anchor as well as our chief soloist. Earlier this year he finally had to give up singing because the demands on his breathing were excessive, and he could not sustain his voice. Our choir suffered a great loss. As a tenor in this choir, I was always reassured to hear his deep voice beside or behind me. He also "warmed us up" before choir rehearsals where his deep knowlege of singing techniques worked to improve our sound.

He also these last three years has been the guiding force behind a group of men in our church,called the Men's Ministry, who meet twice a month for an early light breakfast at 7:30 a.m., and then each member takes a turn presenting a program, after which we break into groups to discuss the program and then report our conclusions. Jerry kept us together and was our great communicator in reminding us of meetings and who was the speaker and who was responsible to bring the food that week. We sometimes as a group go on a retreat, and Jerry was always there with pertinent insights and unfailing good cheer.

Anyone who came into contact with Jerry Steege knew that him as an extraordinary and gifted man. Anyone who knew him was touched by him. Our hearts go out to his wonderful wife, Christine, and his family. We have lost a great man. God has regained one of His best creations.

E.O.M. SPORTING RUMINATIONS

2011-11-30T05:52:00.000-08:00

Well, sports fans, it’s been quite a month, I must say.

First, we had the Battle of the Titans. L.S.U. vs. Bama in a boring game, unless you enjoy war in the trenches as represented by two superb defenses.

Then we end the month with L.S.U. putting on a show of offense, after sleeping through the first quarter and falling behind 14-0 but waking up in time to wallop Arkansas 41-17 and authoritatively establish their unanimous choice as #1.

In between several major contenders fell by the wayside with Oklahoma losing twice, Oklahoma State once, Boise State down one and Stanford falling to Oregon. Now all we need is for Georgia to beat L.S.U. next Saturday to totally muddy the waters for the B.C.S.

The Big Ten finally sorted itself out to two contenders who meet next Saturday: Wisconsin vs. Michigan State. The Michigan-Ohio State turned, much to my surprise, into a doozie; I expected the Wolverines to rout them. But the two best teams are meeting for the title.

Will a B.C.S. title game between L.S.U. and Alabama be a scoring fest next time?

In other sports, basketball is off to a roaring start with a host of good collegiate teams getting warmed up. And UConn getting knocked off---what an early season shocker! In the meantime, the N.B.A. finally sorts itself out and will have a good part of a season. Baseball, surprise of surprises, reaches a long-term agreement quickly. David Stern better check to see what they were smoking.

Roger Federer, the old man at thirty, reels off seventeen straight matches to win three tourneys, including the year-ending prestigious ATP Tennis Championship where the top eight point finishers play off in a round robin format----and Roger doesn’t lose a match and is back at number three in the world. Plus he crushed his old nemesis, Rafa Nadal, en route to the title, 6-3, 6-0!

And the N.F.L., to say the least, has been lively. The Packers continue to be the class of the league, but I think someone will knock ‘em off before the end of the regular season. Aaron Rodgers is in some kind of nirvana as a quarterback with his unreal q.b. rating. New Orleans seems to be shaping up, while Houston is showing real class. The Niners continue to surprise while the Chargers disappoint. I don’t think the Brady Brunch will make it all the way in spite of Tom’s usual outstanding credentials. And Tim Tebow is living proof of the power of prayer. Dallas seems to be the Kardiac Kids. Pittsburgh has got its work cut out, particularly after so many injuries, trying to stop the Ravens. And my Browns continue only improving by millimeters---not enough. The Lions better put Suh on a tranquilizer. Sanchez finally had a good day for the Jets but maybe too late. The Giants are doubtful unless they reach new heights in December.

December and the New Year will keep us on our toes. Who will do what to whom? It’ll be fun finding out.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

2011-11-28T07:04:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving weekend. My wife, visiting daughter and I drove across Florida to join another daughter and family on the east coast for a very fine time. Believe me, we needed it.

The earlier part of the week was not so good, as I received an email from England and the realtor who advised me that, at the last possible minute, the proposed buyer of our English house, had withdrawn her offer because she discovered, in a surveyor’s report, that an electrical substation servicing a nearby college was located about 75 yards from our house, and she was alarmed by “an adverse health risk”. What a bummer! This substation is located near the bank of garages servicing our series of six town houses. It is a very small substation, contained within a link fence of maybe 20 square feet, I might add.

I pointed out to her in an email that it is not as if a grid of power lines was looming over the house and that the history of this complex is filled with people living into their eighties and nineties; in fact I listed the age of the occupants over the last thirty years in each of the six town houses and no one died less than 80! Of course, this will mean nothing to this silly cow who has a fixed fear in her head. So, back to square one by informing the realtors and getting them back in the hunt for a new buyer. In the meantime, the house is empty, except for a few items the buyer had said she would buy. We could have rented the house furnished temporarily until a sale was made, but now that is out of the question.

English real estate law is similar to ours in that either party can get out before a contract is signed, but in England there is no “earnest money” paid by the buyer at the start but only after exchange of contracts is made. We were in that latter process. And here the resemblance ends. Then in England they put a deposit down and later the full amount. The whole process is unnecessarily laborious and unfair for the seller. So, I’m literally out time and money.

Such is life. You pick up the pieces and carry on.

THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT

2011-11-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

Every day, in every media we are showing the strain. It is a worldwide phenomenon where dissidents the world over express their outrage at loss of freedom or the state of the economy---and the world, for that matter.

Here in the U.S.A. the demonstrations of the “Occupy Wall Street” have infected the whole country with growing demonstrations in major cities. I even read of one case in Memphis, Tennessee where “Occupy Memphis” proponents found some common ground with the Tea Party (can you believe it?), at least in their discontent with the state of the economy and the government. Adversity doth create strange bedfellows on occasions…

A few nights ago, I stayed up long enough---rare for me---to watch on P.B.S. the Charlie Rose Show where Charlie always has interesting and challenging guests. One of these guests the night I watched was Lawrence Lissig, a Harvard Professor who has just published a new book, “Republic Lost: How Congress Corrupts Politics and How to Fix it.” Charlie was questioning in his usual trenchant way about the book, and I became intrigued.

The essence of Lissig’s theme was the dreadful state of decay and total governmental paralysis in Congress, the major cause of which, according to Lissig, is the corrupting power of money, or “funders”, as he referred to them, on Congress, which has become totally compromised. The Super-Pacs and Lobbyists use their greedy hands to peddle their influences and extend their hold on Congressional personnel, who have a good thing going and don’t want to kill the golden goose. I was so impressed by his discussion that I ordered the book on amazon.com and am looking forward to reading it.

The idea isn’t original with Lissig; many of us have felt this way for a long time: that the power of the elite and moneyed .001 is pervading and abusing our government. How many times have you received an email, deploring the privileged benefits Congress has bestow upon itself and calling for reform, which is highly unlikely with the proverbial foxes guarding the henhouse, unless a political tsunami sweeps away the existing Congress? And it’s not simply Congress. The Executive branch is not above benefiting with political favors those who support them. Plus, we have a Supreme Court that I think is now tilted to support the status quo and resist change. It is not a charming portrait of government.

I’m usually a glass-half-full kind of guy, but I must say I have never been more worried about our country---and the world---than now. We have lived through World Wars, a Cold War and regional wars in our lifetime, but I have never had such a feeling of impending disaster, which, I suspect, will be an economic one and could have all of us at each other’s throats in a chaotic world. This feeling of malaise keeps growing stronger; I feel like I’m living near the edge of a precipice.

This is a new feeling for me, and I hope I’m dead wrong. I hope we can come to our senses and begin to right some wrongs. We need bipartisan cooperation to stimulate the economy; we need fiscal regulation to control the greedy impulses of a few; we need to push for democracy in the world and not by military might; we need to work internationally together to solve fiscal, climatic and political problems. I am fed up with any reforms being put off until the 2012 election---and then I wonder what and if the changes will be.

I don’t enjoy the winter of my discontent.

INTIMATIONS OF MORTALITY

2011-11-18T06:37:00.000-08:00

More frequently than ever, I am reminded of my mortality, although I have been blessed with exceptionally good health for my age. My primary doctor told me the other day my body is ten years or more younger than my actual age, and I am told I don't look my age. The fact remains, I'm a mid-Octogenerian.

My doctor also told me my genes are catching up with me. My father in his elder years had diabetes, and my blood sugar is elevated enough for my doctor to warn me to alter my lifestyle, unless, in his words, I want "to prick, prick, prick a lot". I don't have diabetes but am in the potentially dangerous zone.

All my family have terrific sweet tooths, lapping up chocolate, pies,cookies,ice cream---you name it. Now I have to start being sensible and make the sweet tooth an occasional luxury. I also have to watch the carbs----bread, pasta, pizza, beer, booze and the like. Fortunately, my wife doesn't use a lot of white flour or white rice, preferring whole grains and brown rice, which are lower in carbohydrate percentages. I'm sure one of the contributors to my elevation in blood sugar has been the summers in England where the desserts (puddings, as the Brits call them), heavy cream and great beer no doubt sabotage my blood sugar.

I also have had for some time a swelling above my left ankle. it may be a lymph node problem or, I found out yesterday after seeing a vein specialist my primary doctor referred me to, edema. I had an ultrasound of my legs and will see the specialist again in early January. In the meantime, he suggests I wear support hose and see if this helps. He feels he can take action to fix it. Since I wear shorts most of the time, I'm going to look pretty silly in support hose! I don't have pain and can still follow my normal gym and other active routines, so I'm not suffering.

As an old fart, these are really not major problems. I have been extremely lucky compared to most people my age. It's simply little reminders that the body parts don't last forever and the machine ultimately breaks down. I'll try a good maintenance program and see if I can extend the warranty a bit longer.

STRICTLY FOR THE BIRDS

2011-11-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

Periodically I like to keep you abreast of what is happening in our bird world.

As you may remember, if you have read this column for any length of time, we have a dead palm tree right next to our house, about fifteen or sixteen feet in height which has been inhabited for several years by red-crested woodpeckers. Later, we had a screech owl making his home there, but I don't think the woodpeckers made good neighbors, so he (or she) moved over to a neighboring strangler fig tree in front of our house. One of my neighbors had a creche outside his house at Christmas last year and came out one day to find the screech owl next to baby Jesus.

The woodpeckers are still going strong. Every morning , as I awaken around seven, I hear a drumming on the metal flashing around our chimney, and I know that one of the males is demonstrating his machismo. This drumming is to attract the females, just like some jock on a playing field preening and showing off for his chick. We put out some birdseed on a corner of our porch for our tenants as a neighborly gesture. One day I saw from our powder room window which overlooks the tree and that corner of the porch one of the females was partaking of the seed when a bigger male pileated woodpecker, whom I had never seen before or since, appeared and chased her away so he could eat. Then a crow arrived, and they eyed each other warily like a couple of old gunslingers before the pileated woodpecker moved on.

Then last week, as I was making my early morning potty call, what do I see out the window but a really big red-shouldered hawk, perched on top of the palm, surveying the kingdom. He was magnificent and looked every inch the part of the predator king of the neighborhood. One of my neighbors has seen him, and one day witnessed a fight for a fish between an osprey, an eagle and the hawk---and the hawk won that round!
I have seen him on the perch a couple of more times and called for my wife, but, by the time she got there, he was gone. Then, a couple of evenings ago, as we were backing out of the garage, lo and behold he was sitting on a telephone box on the edge of our property, and she got to see him before he swiftly winged off.

I haven't seen the woodpeckers for a few days, but I know they're around because of the drumming on the roof. I suspect they are still in the palm but lay low when the Godfather comes around.

I'm looking forward to new faces and new adventures in the bird kingdom. It's great entertainment!

P.S. My techie grandson came to visit and changed my music, which was overdue. Hope you like it. Go to the list below for your choice of ten.

BIRTHDAY MUSINGS

2011-11-09T05:24:00.000-08:00

I turn 84 today and, in the timeless words of former Prime Minister Clement Atlee, when asked how it feels to be 80, he replied, "Considering the alternatives, it feels rather good". My back acts up occasionally, my arthritis flares---but I'm here and still have my mind--- I think.

I'm the same age as Joe Paterno, but I'm sure I will have a much better day than he. I had sense enough some years ago to realize that my prime was past and it was time to retire. Joe read too many of his press notices and stayed too long. A movement to encourage him to retire surfaced in 2004, but he rode it out. It's one thing to want to continue to contribute to the world and keep occupied, but you have to realize when the hour to hang it up has come. Joe's came some time ago. Now enforced retirement---firing under a euphemism---is the only course of action. and what is left has badly tarnished the reputation of a university and permanently scarred too many young lives. What an unecessary and tragic waste.

My friend, Grumpy, wrote one of his usually wry and perceptive commentaries the other day on Bill Clinton and how good that era was. He's right---to some extent---and I agree that Bill Clinton intellectually was extremely bright. (His wife may be even brighter...) Bill Clinton was also extremely lucky to come along at a time when economic forces were on the rise, and he was smart enough to let them run. But I also hold him responsible for assisting in making the moral compass go awry. The seeds of our increasing immorality were already there; he simply personified them at the highest level.

I'm not talking so much about sexual morality as ethical morality, our value system. Why can't we fudge the rules a bit if we can make an extra buck. Screw the little guy---what's he done for us recently? Maybe fought a few wars, but that's history. The brass rule, not the golden: do unto others before they do it unto you. Recent political and business facts of life bear out my concern.

Actually, I think the roots of this moral decay go back to the Nixon era and Watergate when the great disillusionment set in. Then came the Gipper's time: Ronald Reagan personally was a decent man,but his administration set the tone for a selfish individualism which stretched the rules---it's O.K. if it felt good and if it worked. It never got any better under later administrations.

I'm so old I can remember (barely) a time when, if you shook hands, you had a deal. Want to try that today?

Forgive the rantings of an old man. i would simply like, in my remaining years, to see a return to CIVILITY, the ability to agree or disagree by listening to each other when in discussion, I'd like to see HONESTY, facing up to truth and dealing with problems. I'd like to see MORALITY, living within ethical standards when we deal with each other.

As I blow out the candles (with several breaths, I'm sure), I'll make that my wish.

POWER PLAYS

2011-11-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

Isn’t it amazing the recent rash of sexual allegations or, to use Bill Clinton’s classic adjective, “inappropriate” behaviour. First, Herman Cain gets accused of harassment and inappropriate advances which he has exacerbated by his clumsy handling of the whole situation. Now we get the sad and disgusting allegations against Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno’s longtime assistant and defensive specialist at Penn State, who has seemed to demonstrate another kind of specialty, accused of being a deviant sexual predator with young boys.

I’ve quoted before Henry Kissinger’s famous maxim, “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” Being in a position of responsibility gives the perpetrator a sense of invulnerability---I’m powerful and can do what I want. And sometimes that works for the benefit of the power broker, but, then again, it can backfire.

It is incredible how unzipping your fly can create seismic world changes on occasions. Look at Mark Anthony and Cleopatra, Napoleon and Josephine, Paris and Helen of Troy, to name a few obvious world shakers and movers. Then there are the just plain tawdry ones like JFK and Marilyn (among others), Bill and Monica, Eliot and the D.C. hooker. That tiny portion of the total anatomy has a disproportionately huge effect on occasions.

I think the Sandusky accusations particularly sad and capable of sullying the reputation of a very fine university, State University of Pennsylvania, and their legendary coach, Joe Paterno. Paterno had nothing to do with the sordid mess, but it certainly appears that his casual handling of the problem does not reflect well on his judgment. He fulfilled his legal requirements, but I don’t think he fulfilled his moral responsibility. Maybe at his advanced age he just doesn’t want to deal with it, but that is not a solution or resolution of the problem. I thought Ohio State’s recent mess a classic in mishandling; now it is more than matched by Penn State with many young lives tragically affected.

Sometimes I despair at the amorality and immorality so prevalent today. Maybe it’s always been that way, but we seem to have more than our fair share these days. It can drive a man to drink.

Bartender, make it a double.

THE SILLY SEASON

2011-11-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the world moves on, as population hits 7 billion. I’m glad I won’t be around in 2050 or so when it hits 20 billion! Sales of deodorant should hit new highs…

In the mean time, in our current world, we keep seeing the human comedy (or tragedy, depending on your viewpoint) whirling on like the merry-go-round life is. And the horses asses of the world continue as models of consistency.

I see that paragon of goodness and world benefactor, Kim Kardashian, is divorcing her husband, the N.B.A. Nets Kris Humphries after 72 days of marriage. Why was this not hard to predict? After the lavish and hyperbolic wedding, reality sets in. I hate to see marriage treated like a commodity on the market, bought and sold as the spirit moves you.

Congratulations to Michelle Bachman for her latest gem: that she doesn’t really care about the kids of emigrants being citizens. This woman invented foot-in-mouth disease. Ed Rollins, her former campaign manager, says she is “out of money and ideas”. Even the Tea Party don’t want her.

Congress and the Presidential candidates continue to put the emphasis on all the wrong concepts. Quit debating the health plan, emigration and tax formulae---just debate how to get jobs going and nudge the economy upward and onward. For once, put the good of the people ahead of partisan politics.

And the Super-Committee, charged with coming up with a fiscal plan to balance the budget ultimately, seems to be bogged down in partisan intransigence. Isn’t the idea of a bipartisan committee that both sides give a little? What am I missing?

And I note our dear friends, those pillars of American enterprise, the big banks, like Morgan Chase and B of A, are doing their usual p.r. miracles by charging fees for using debit cards---and then backpedaling furiously when the people---shock of shocks---revolt! Paul Volcker, the former fed Chairman and august pundit of matters economic, says the size of these banks need to be reduced and strict regulations applied. This man was one of your advisers, Mr. President, are you listening?

9-9-9 or solid 20. Come on, guys, get serious and really study improvements to the tax code. Cute gimmicky numbers aren’t the answer. Parry is spending too much time extricating his foot from his mouth and now Herman Cain has to tap dance around these recent sexual allegations.

Ah yes, the silly season is in full swing.

One wonderful note: Mona Simpson’e eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs, and quoting his last words: Oh, wow,” repeated three times. Do you think he saw what we hope we’ll see? That warms an old man’s heart. And that’s a good note to go out on.

NOT WITH A BANG BUT A WHIMPER

2011-10-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

It was a great World Series with one of the most exciting games, game six, matched only, arguably, by the famous Red Sox-Reds game six of 1975 when Carleton Fisk waved his home run fair. The final game I expected: the Rangers left their hearts on the field the night before, while the Cards were psyched up.

The Rangers stayed close for a few innings, but that disastrous three-run "gift" caused by three walks and two hit-by-pitcher sounded the death knell. A sad way to go out.

Actually, the relief pitching, one of the Rangers' fortes all year, went south in the series, and there was the difference. Clutch performances such as Scott Carpenter's pitching under pressure in the seventh game was a superb addition.

Having a mid-America series was a real treat. It's nice to know that money can't always buy happiness, so the Yanks and the Phillies sat this one out, while the Red Sox died a premature death in September. The Heartland has had a rough economic time for many years, and this psychological shot-in-the-arm was good for what ails us.

I have an affinity for the Cards, because they have a similar background to my beloved Cincinnati Reds: both river towns, German-burgher mentalities, big on culture and sports, hotter than hell in the summer, even though they hate each other right now, probably because they are so much alike!

At the same time, it would not have bothered me if the Rangers had lost their virginity and won a national championship. Nolan Ryan and his boys are doing a great job of building carefully and sytematically a dynasty.

In any case, the National Pastime got a good shot in the arm and is alive and well. Who says baseball is as exciting as watching grass grow?

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

2011-10-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are bored by tennis, but enough of you are nuts about it as I am. You can remember when the U.S.A. dominated the singles game, going way back to Bill Tilden, Don Budge, Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonsalez, Tony Trabert, Vic Seixas, Jimmy Connors, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, et al. Them days are gone forever or, at least, a helluva long time. In doubles, the current Bryan Brothers may be the best team ever.

In women, we have a similar tradition, going back to Helen Wills Moody, Alice Marble, Pauline Betz, Doris Hart, Maureen Connolly, Althea Gibson, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova (though Czech-born),Lindsay Davenport, The Williams sisters, et al. Same problem as the men---not many ranked players left.

Here are the current rankings of American men in the top 100: #8---Mardy Fish, #14---Andy Roddick, #23---John Isner, #36---Alex Bogomolov, Jr., #43---Donald Young, #60---James Blake,#73---Ryan Harrison, #93---Michael Russell. Note, one guy in the top ten.

For the ladies, #12---Serena Williams, #42---Christine McHale, #54---Bethany Mattek-Sands, #72---Irini Falconi. #77---Vania King, #92---Sloane Stephens. Got that? Nobody in the top ten. Incidentally, Venus Williams has dropped out due to injuries, but her best days are past.

What happened? Well, first, the rest of the world caught up and took up tennis with a passion. Look at the Russians, the Czechs, the Serbians and Croatians, the French, the Italians, the Argentines and Colombians, and especially the Spanish. In women the Chinese are coming on strong, and you can probably expect the men to make a big noise soon. The Aussies, once a powerhouse in tennis, have been in the doldrums, although a few new names are coming on strong. Even the Brits have a #3 in Andy Murray!

Second, the proliferation of competing sports like golf, in particular, track and field, soccer, rugby and the like siphoned off a lot of participants worldwise.

Third, America has individual training camps like Nick Bolleteri in Florida who has trained many of the world's best players, but no coordinated national program to develop talent. The Czechs, Serbs, Russians, Spanish and French put real emphasis on this, and the results are apparent.

It's a pattern we have known before. Witness Basketball, a truly international game now. We still tend to dominate when we seriously train and put a national team together who learn to play like a team and not as individual egos. If we don't, we have seen what has happened. Look at the number of international players in the N.B.A. now.

Golf is a another case in point. A few years ago eight out of the ten top spots in golf were Yanks. As of today. it's half of that with none in the top three.

It seems to be the way of the world, but it saddens me not to have a few Americans on top. Maybe next year, as we say in baseball!

OUR VALUE SYSTEM

2011-10-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

Do you get as concerned as I about some of the misplaced values in this current world of ours? I'm sure you do.

Here is a prime example. I read in the Huffington Post a column by Dan Solin, which really touched a nerve.

He mentions a guy in Shreveport LA named Roy Brown, who faked a stick-up in a bank (he pretended he had a gun), took $100.00 and told the teller he was homeless and needed food. He turned himself in the next day, stating he was not raised to be a criminal, and was later sentenced to fifteen years.

Then Solin mentions the one I was so hot about in my last blog, "The New Alice in Wonderland", where Citigroup was fined 385 mill and made to reimburse investors whose subprime mortgages Citigroup bet against by selling short. No jail, just a fine, which is like a slap on the wrist to these big firms who plead nolo contendere and walk away.

Then he mentions the countless real estate scams involving billions of dollars where the criminal sentences range from three months to eight years.

Is something wrong here? Is this the result of money and influence prostituting justice? It makes one appreciate the sentiments of The Occupy Wall Street protesters still making noises and gaining converts.

Another example to me of misplaced power and values are these new so-called "Super-Pacs", the latest legal way to get around the ban on large individual and corporate gifts. What really changes except the name? I also note both parties have 'em!

When money means power and power means influence---it's as old as time---you run this risk. I don't like what it means today in this lightning world of instant communication where everything happens quicker.

The value system becomes invalid.

THE NEW ALICE IN WONDERLAND

2011-10-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

"FOR Goldman Sachs, it was losses in private equity. For Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, it was a decline in the spread between what they pay for deposits and what they get on assets. For Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, it was the accounting lunacy that allowed them to extract profits from a decline in the value in their own debt."

This quote is from "The Economist", the beginning lines of an article entitled "Darkness Visible" regarding the woes of the banks.

Bank of America fell off its perch as numero uno, replaced by JPMorganChase. Both of them are having problems. Citigroup was found guilty and fined for the problems it shares with Morgan and Bank of America, putting together high-risk sub-prime loans in portfolios and then betting they would go down! They only were fined 95 mill but had to reimburse suing investors principal plus interest.

Can you believe this kind of chicanery and hypocrisy? To screw your investors and make money against them! That old-fashioned and obviously obsolete word comes to mind---MORALITY---where the hell did it go?

It's shades of George Orwell and 1984: right is wrong, war is peace, lies are truth.

What kind of hole has the modern Alice fallen into?

THE DEEP ABYSS

2011-10-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

“Median family income, adjusted for inflation, grew only about one fifth as much between 1980 and 2007 as it did in the generation following World War II, even though the postwar economy was marked both by strict financial regulations and by much higher tax rates on the wealthy than anything under current political discussion.”

This quotation from Princeton Economist and columnist for “The New York Times” Paul Krugman really shocked me. Klugman cited these statistics in a column in “The Times” called Losing Their Immunity regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement. The far right despises the Nobel laureate Krugman as a damned socialist and liberal. Krugman does not bandy about false statistics or information, believe me.

In his article Krugman points out the hypocrisy of the financial community in espousing how much they have done for the American economy and understands the wrath of Occupy Wall Street movement, which, it would appear, is now a national movement, at least in major urban areas.

1980 was the beginning of the Reagan era and Supply-side Economics. After George H.W. Bush lost the 1990 election by his famous reversal of “Read my Lips---No Tax Increase” and raising taxes, Bill Clinton got in. We were in a period of booming economic growth, and Bill Clinton was content not to screw around (economically, that is!) with this boom. Then we got W., and you know the rest of the story: the draining of our economy in two wars, the financial meltdown and the beginning of the worst Recession or mini-Depression since the big one in the thirties. And now we are in that wonderful era of Do-Nothing-Just-Screw-Obama by the Republicans, plus, I admit, Obama has not frequently helped his own cause.

Here we are with the top one percent getting richer all the time while middle and lower income people struggle to subsist. If income growth between 1980 and 2007 was one fifth of the previous era, what the hell is it now between 2008 and 2011? Don’t ask…

I would not be surprised if the Occupy Wall Street movement nurtures the seeds of an even broader revolt against the financial status quo. Certainly the polls demonstrate that the vast majority of Americans is fed up with the inaction of politicians. I think it could grow bigger and better than the Tea Party whose sole aim seems to be just cut the heart out of governmental expenses. Wouldn’t it be interesting if it galvanized some political action to take economic action?

Most of this country is in a deep abyss. Can someone throw a rope down there and help people?

IT’S 1940 ALL OVER AGAIN

2011-10-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

It’s like living in 1940. I can listen to the radio but cannot use my television or my computer.

It all started last evening, after returning from a birthday party for a dear friend., I tried to turn on the TV and, behold, a framed message from Comcast informed me that my service was interrupted and to call their 888 number. The last time I tried that, I waited over thirty minutes to reach a human being, and I was too tired to go through that Mickey Mouse procedure last night. So, this morning, bright and early, I got through, almost immediately. I was instructed by a very earnest and patient woman customer service person that I needed to get the serial number off all three of my digital adapters, a recent addition to my television sets. Comcast in the middle of June made these adapters a necessity to get the full range of channels. Since we were away for the summer and my TVs were “on vacation”, I didn’t have these adapters installed until our return in September. Two surly types came a couple of weeks ago and installed these gadgets, as if they were doing me a big favor, working me into their busy schedule.

Back to today, I barely had time to drink my black coffee, an absolute necessity to get my old body working. I shuffled from one room to two others, trying to read the microscopic serial numbers on the bottom of these 2 1/2” adapters, finally resorting to a magnifying glass to decipher them. The patient lady said it could be defective adapters or, possibly, the cable to my house may be in bad shape. I’m rooting for defective adapters, which will be gratis, whereas a worn-out cable will be at my expense. She then said she would have technicians come to our house tomorrow, the earliest they could come. I bowed to the inevitable.

I then went to my computer and was able to check my mail online. Among other messages was an email from our lawyer in U.K. that I needed to refill some forms regarding the sale of our house there and that then the deal could be consummated. I barely had time to answer her and thank her when my computer cut out. and I have been unable, all day, to use it. I tried all the old tricks of pulling the plugs on the router and the modem and then, after three minutes, reconnecting them---to on avail. So, the Comcast man will have double duty, and I’ll probably get stuck with an invoice, anyway.

Tonight, my wife and I will have conversations over a drink, as is our usual wont, and then, after dinner, we’ll talk some more and read. I can think of worse ways to spend an evening a good old-fashioned way

THE NEW (BUT REALLY OLD) REALITY

2011-10-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

What is it with so many frustrated types living in the “reality” shows of today? I guess it’s a kind of voyeurism, a Peeping Tom complex that lies dormant in us and then is awakened to action when titillated.

Who gives a ratsass if Kim Kardashian got married? She’s a pretty girl with a good body, granted, and she’s married now to this beanpole. Who cares what narcicisstic antic Paris Hilton is currently into? What have Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton contributed to the betterment of the world? If they are so clever as to glean all this publicity and garner followers sighing at their every move, couldn’t they do something of constructive value?

Maggie Furlong, on AOL TV wrote an amusing column about the planned four-hour Kardashian wedding and what alternatives you might have. One choice in that time span was to take sixteen showers. Not a bad idea…

Publicity seeking is a disease. Some avid seekers are successful. Look at Madonna. She may be out in space some part of the time, but she has made a contribution to the world in her art of singing and acting. That gives her a few credentials for opinions, even if some seem wacky. Or Lady Gaga---offbeat but talented.

In England they are as nutso as we about “reality” programs. One of the biggest is “Big Brother” where a bunch of lowlifes live together and the camera records every moment of their action, except perhaps going to the bathroom—and that may be on the agenda later.

Thoreau said it more than a hundred years ago: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” And to watch a gaggle of publicity hounds avidly sniffing their way to notoriety is, to me, quiet desperation.

But then I am a bit of a curmudgeon.

QUO VADIS?

2011-10-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

A treasurehouse of commentary has been written to eulogize the death of Steve Jobs, the visionary, innovator, independent thinker and genius. He epitomizes the best in America---the pioneer iconoclast who ignores the conventional wisdom and forages ahead, defying the odds.

In one of the obits, I read an interesting observation: the iPhones and iPads have inscribed on them words to the effect of "Designed in Silicon Valley, California, Made in China". That is an tronic epitaph for our times. We,the great inventors and innovators of the last one hundred years, now send our best ideas to China to be converted into real objects. Fifty years ago, this occurred---but only rarely. Yes, we brought cheap toys and china from Japan and China, but the manufacturing base in America was one of the bulwarks of our society.

How did this happen? Well, start with the maxim that business chases profit: go where you can make it cheaper and maximize your return. My own background is a case in point. My grandfather bought control in 1900 of an underwear manufacturer started the year before in our small town in Ohio. By the middle of the century, we were the largest employer in the town. A partner and I sold the company in the seventies to a midwestern conglomerate,who were excellent accountants and lousy marketers. By the late nineties the business was gone. Now I can put part of the blame on the lack of marketing expertise, but an equal part must be ascribed to the textile business going overseas to Asia.

New England was the original cradle of American textiles; then, in the twenties and thirties, it moved to the south. (We were always an anachronism, being located in the midwest, along with competitiors Jockey and Munsingwear, but the main business had gone south.) In the seventies the trend started to snowball downhill away from the U.S.A.

Another example: the last company I worked for, an Ohio-based manufacturer of jackets who had five manufacturing facilities in Louisiana, was just starting to import from Asia their first jacket when I retired in 1995. Last year, they ceased manufacturing any jackets in America: the last domestic jackers were the wool varsity lettermen's jackets---and they moved to Mexico.

Textiles are not unique in this phenomenon; it has happened in almost every industry in America. The whole clothing industry is long gone. Look at the steel industry. The automobile industry got a shot in the arm from governmental subsidies of two of the Big Three. The foreign competitiors are also manufacturing here for many years, which has helped the economies of the states in which they are located: BMW in Alabama and South Carolina, Toyota in Tennessee, Honda in Ohio, to name a few. The foreign competitors have frequently been the innovators of new ideas in automobiles, although I am delighted to see that American innovation and quality has improved dramatically.

India and China are becoming dominant in manufacturing because of cheap wages, stealing the best ideas, and brilliant engineering. We used to attract the best brains from around the world because of the opportunity for innovative thinking. Now a lot of the Indian and Chinese are staying home.

So, where are we going? Will we continue to become a Service nation and not a Manufacturing nation? Can job stimulus, if politicians can ever agree on anything, start an upward trend toward creativity and new fields of industry? I am not optimistic but faintly hopeful.

Remember the old Chinese adage: may you live in interesting times. Let me say, they are REALLY interesting.

THE SKY IS FALLING

2011-10-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

What the hell is going on in the monument world? First, I read the Washington Monument was damaged by the quake, and repairs are underway to ensure its stability, while visitors cannot go near it. Then I see that the National Cathedral in Washington, the main cathedral of the American Episcopal Church, is undergoing repairs at a cost of $25mm. Today I read that the Taj Mahal will need serious and extensive repairs to its wooden foundation and that already cracks are appearing and the domes are slightly tilted.

I think it rather symbolic that these landmarks are in trouble, reflecting the disrepair and decay so prevalent in the economic and political worlds of today. So many of our values and beliefs are undergoing stress tests in these hard times that you begin to feel the impermanence of our world more than ever. All the kings horses and men are having more trouble than ever with all those broken pieces and shards.

And it shows in our fragmented and divided thinking of what and how to do with the world. Republicans are still set in concrete; Democrats are still squabbling among themselves; the President is pushing for a jobs program that doesn't go far enough in dealing with our economic and political problems.

It looks like, at the minimum, we all need a good lube job. More likely, we need a systemic overhaul.

I hear Chicken Little screaming louder than ever.

LET THE JOY BEGIN!

2011-10-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

WRITTEN BY MRS FLESHPOT:

It's October 4, 2011, three days after our granddaughter Ashlee's wedding to Tim on the beach at Myrtle Beach SC. It was quite wonderful! While the surf was rippling in the background, Ashlee, looking gorgeous in her white swathed formfitting bridal dress, said her vows. And Tim readily replied.

Anne, Ashlee's Aunt and Godmother, read from Corinthians, followed by Celtic prayers read by Bebs and GooGoo, the bride's grandparents. The minister conducting the service was a friend of the groom's family who had known the groom all of his life.

The groom's brother was Best Man, while the bride's sister, Lindy, was Maid of Honour and cute as a button. What joy and jubilation followed! As sandals sank into the sand, everyone hugged each other on such a joyous occasion.

The reception followed under a perfect sky with a gorgeous half moon at a house just off the beach the bride's parents had rented with a big tent in the back garden near the beach. Everyone ate and drank well, and the party and dancing went on into the wee hours. And just a perfect evening with that half moon!

A LETTER TO ASHLEE

2011-09-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

(This letter is addressed to my first grandchild who will be a bride on October 1.)

Ashlee dear:

This can't be right---wasn't it the day before yesterday at St. John's Hospital in Toledo that I sat next to your mother's bed and held you? Your grandmother and I were almost as happy as your mother at contempating the first grandchild. And you were beautiful. Some things never change.

And wasn't it yesterday that I watched you pitch softball or set up your teammates on the volleyball team? And saw you graduate with high honors?

And it was just a few hours ago that we drove from your Central Florida campus (with you doing most of the driving) for Thanksgiving at your aunt's home on the east coast of Florida, wasn't it? And calling each other when Ohio State beat Michigan?

And here we are, back in time reality, looking forward to your marriage to a very good guy in Myrtle Beach SC on October 1.

I've never felt so old in my life at the prospect of my first grandchild getting married. But, I have to say, it's a nice old, like good wine and whiskey improving with age.

I like the way you turned out. You are very bright, brighter than you give yourself credit for and you are doing good things in your life. I think your value system is also in the right place. You deserve a good marriage and a good life. I was lucky enough to have one---and you should, too.

You came out of a strong background in your parents and that certainly shaped your character. And you, along with your delightful sister, have appreciated a loving and caring (they are not always the same) family.

I guess the point of what I'm saying is, i'm awfully proud of you and love you very much. I wish you and Tim a lifetime of the best. By the way, one of these days, make me a great-grandfather while you're at it!

Much love,

GooGoo

P.S. And thanks for giving me that ridiculous nickname for grandfather, which I'm stuck with (and learned to like)!

THE WORLD OF BEES

2011-09-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

My old blogging friend, billyann-journal.blogspot.com posted an interesting link. (http://www.truthout.com/conservatives-say-it-out-loud-they-hate-democracy/1316786695) which grabbed my attention. Every now and then I say to myself, enough of your pontificating about politics, you're getting to be a bore, so just stay off the subject. But I'm like a drug addict who has to come back for more when I read something like this link.

The gist of it is the old Ayn Rand business of an elite only entitled to run the world, a kind of fascist oligarchy where a select few should be in charge. I know I have a number of acquaintances who fit right into this philosophy. Screw the majority who don't know diddly squat and aren't entitled to any of the benefits of this world; it's only we the enlightened who should run things and reap the benefits. A few winners and a lot of losers.

When I was a kid of ten, I raised bees, with the help of a local farmer/beekeeper who taught me a lot about this fascinating world of bees. I kept bees for about three years and, thanks to the understanding this farmer/beekeeper imparted to me, I learned to handle bees without a problem; in fact, I only got stung once when I put my thumb on and squashed a bee in one of the frames in a hive.

Ayn Rand and the other monolithic far right would love the principles of a bee society. There is one Queen whose purpose in life is to procreate and produce eggs. 95% of the hive is comprised of worker bees, infertile females, whose sole purpose is to produce honey. The only other classification of bees are the drones, males whose only purpose in life is to service the Queen---and only one gets that privilege in a mating ritual in which the Queen flies higher and higher in the air, and the drone who can stay with her gets the score. Then, for a few weeks, the remaining drones sit around the hive, gorging themselves on honey and doing absolutely nothing for the benefit of the hive. Then one day, usually in early autumn, you come out to visit your hive---and see a mass of dead males pushed out the front of the hive. The worker bees have struck and wiped out the drones.

We are not bees, thank God. I know we have too many drones in humanity, but we can't just turn on them and throw their dead bodies out of the hive. We do have the ability to train some of those drones to be responsible contributors to life, but there will always be a certain untrainable number who are useless who become our responsibility. I don't think we want 95% of us to do nothing but work and to have no time to enjoy the benefits of work in their leisure time. and I don't think we want a single Queen in charge.

Some of the Republican candidates seem to be making Ayn Rand-like noises. I also really get worried when I hear of incidents like a certain campaign debate crowd clapping at the idea of letting the indigent go without health care and die. It is an exclusive elitist philosophy of individualism in an anti-democratic spirit. Democracy can be a pain in the ass many times. But I don't want to contemplate a life without it. John Donne said in the seventeenth century in one of his wonderful sermons at St. Paul's in London, "No man is an island unto himselfe,,," No, we still depend on and need each other.

I don't want to be in a bee society, thank you.

THE NEW GAME IN TOWN

2011-09-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

The world of sport and big money continues to amaze me. In the case of collegiate athletics, the tail---all that revenue from sports---is wagging the dog. Look at the recent changes in athletic conferences with colleges switcing conferences, or trying to do so. Why? more dollars, of course. the bigger and better the conference, the more chance for lucrative TV deals.

With the cost of education spiraling upward continuously, colleges are looking for any extra income they can get. Private universities are nearing stratospheric levels. My old alma mater, Hamilton Gollege is pushing $40,000 per annum. A little school like Hamilton with no prestigious sports team can expect no help from the athletic department in containing costs. The Ivy league schools aren't much better. Princeton or Penn usually have decent basketball---not football--- teams and make the March Madness tournament, which is good for some bucks but not much in the big picture.

The major conferences, the SEC, the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 (or 14 0r whatever it is, the Pac-10 or 12 or 14----there you see the big bucks. And it's like an insatiable monster, gobbling up new schools, spitting out old ones. Then, if you are part of the N.C.A.A hiearchy, you get nightmares wondering if the colleges formed their own March Madness tournament and pulled away from the N.C.A.A.'s auspices. Whee, it's enough to make one giddy!

It's the new version of musical chairs. Or Abbott and Costello---who's on first?

THE CONVICTS VS. THE CONVICTS

2011-09-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I will be watching on TV tonight The University of Miami (FL) versus The Ohio State University, to be formal. This game could be the beginning of a new bowl format---The Hypocrite Bowl.

Both these teams, to understate it. are not exactly bastions of virtue and integrity. In the case of Miami, they have a long history of player suspensions and even arrests. Remember, if you are old enough, back in the early nineties when Miami played Notre Dame, they created t-shirts reading "THE CONVICTS VS. THE CATHOLICS". Ohio State has a more recent record of transgressions. The recent mess was big news of Jim Tressell, the coach fired---or allowed to resign---because of covering up players selling jersey and other memorabilia for tattoos and the like, resulting in five players suspended for the first five games of the current season. O.S.U. also has its businessman/President, Dr. Gordon Gee, he of the darling bow ties, noted for his cute bon mots and for looking the other way.

Both teams are symptomatic of the problems facing college football. College football is by any definition BIG BUSINESS. I saw an article in the papers today on the revenues of various universities for football. Texas edged Ohio State in revenue 86.2 mm to 86.1 mm. That qualifies as big business, and there were many school in the 80-85 mm category.

Some commentators are calling for a reality check and accepting the fact that college athletes should be given some "spending money" or expenses so that they can resist the temptations of unauthorized gifts. Admittedly, it has to be hard for some nineteen year-old athlete who comes from a poor background and is in college on an athletic scholarship to turn down the blandishments of some folded lettuce slipped surreptiously into his palm by a well-heeled alumnus or the use of a brand-new car.

On the other side of the coin, these temptations have been around for years, and you know the ground rules when you enter school and should have been exposed to the caveats of the N.C.A.A.

Tonight will be prime exhibits of this dilemma. THE CONVICTS VS. THE CONVICTS could read the t-shirts or, more gently, THE SUSPENDED VS. THE SUSPENDED, or CANES, CASH, COLUMBUS. Take your pick.

SAME OLD, SAME OLD

2011-09-14T07:59:00.001-07:00

Now that I have settled back in our Florida home, I can only note the old French adage: "le plus qu'il change, le plus le meme"---namely, the more things change, the more they are the same.

I note that the Senate Minority leader, Mitch McConnell, in response to the President's latest stimulus plan, has said, "It's D.O.A.---dead on arrival." Attaboy, Mitch, kill, kill, kill, right from the gitgo.

I note in the recent Republican Presidential debates that certain members of the audience, Tea Partyists. no doubt, cheered at the idea of letting the indigents die if they can't afford health care. Nice attitude, guys and girls. Do unto others before they do it unto you.

I note that professional sports just can't possibly get along without the threat of a strike and lockout. The N.F.L. wasn't enough; now we have the N.B.A. Owners are the same in all professional sports: maximum return in revenue and minimum outlay for the players. What the hell, the customers will pay for it anyway...

I note the rate of poverty in America has now reached 46mm people or up to 16.1%. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to accelerate. And we don't need entitlement and tax reform? Not to mention job stimulation.

I note the Euro crisis continues to accelerate. Do you think maybe the euro currency is not such a hot idea and the United States of Europe a giant turkey?

Where have I heard this song before?

IS IT A BIRD OR A PLANE?

2011-09-13T06:36:00.001-07:00

Like Freddie Kruger, I'm back--- in the U.S.A.--- after almost three months in England and really glad to be home. My old body is slowly adjusting to the time difference; it takes longer now. I had a good night's sleep, so I'm almost there.

What kept me awake and excited was the great championship match at the U.S. Open between Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal where rallies of pure power hitting were frequently twenty-five times across the net or more. Talk about two heavyweights duking it out! Djokovic has taken the game to a new dimension, somewhere in the warp speed area. He moves with incredible grace and style, all the while with power and precision.

With so many young giants on the horizon,physically and artfully endowed with power and grace, you never know who will emerge to challenge Djokovic. I only wish a few more of them were American.

Serena let her big foul mouth interfere with her tennis and deservedly was beaten thoroughly by Samantha Stosur. It's been awhile since the Aussies had a champion---and Sam deserved to win.

I've commented before how the combination of new technology in racquets---and now in strings---plus the conditioning of today's athletes who are bigger and stronger has totally changed the game. Any resemblance between today's games and thirty years ago does not exist. It's literally a whole new ball game!

What new version of Clark Kent with a racquet will zoom down from the skies? It will be fun to see. For now, Novak Djokovic wears the cape.

MY LAST ENGLISH HURRAH

2011-09-03T05:04:00.000-07:00

This will probably be my last blog from England. We leave for America on 9/11, and this next week is going to be frantic, which it has been these last few weeks as we tried and succeeded in selling our house here in Eastbourne. The new buyer of the house, a charming lady in her sixties, is coming here on Tuesday to determine what of our possessions she wants. In England, everything not an integral part of the house is sold separately, and you must file forms showing these contents.. After she has picked her choices, we have arranged to ship certain items we like in furniture, cutlery, kitchenware and personal items by sea to our address in Florida. The day after we leave the shipping company will come in and pack up those designated items. After that is accomplished, an old friend who does cleaning for us will come in and pick up certain items chosen by her and put the house in order. Then the rest will be taken by an antique dealer/liquidator, who will come in shortly after we leave.

Then we must push to expedite the paperwork with the lawyers, hers and ours, so that we can sign the agreement, and some monies get transferred. Since we will be paid in sterling, I’m going to talk to our accountant here on how best at minimum cost to transfer the funds. Should I invest some of it in gold, in low-yield safe bonds or money market funds until final disposition is determined. That’s a nice problem!

All of which means, there is a helluva lot to do in the next eight days. Somehow we will muddle through and get it done. One of our daughters is here and can help in the disposal and packing process, thank God. Arranging the logistics for all these transfers of merchandise is tricky, but we will pull it off.

We are ready to come home. We have had a good time in spite of the English weather, which has forgotten to be summer a good part of the time. England is not the same---then, again, what is? Everything is expensive here, even more than in the states, and the mood of austerity and fiscal pain preys on everyone. As I said in an earlier blog, we’ll probably come back, health permitting, for shorter visits---but no more three months away, it’s too long.

I’ll blog at you soon from home soon.

THE END OF AN ERA

2011-08-29T04:11:00.000-07:00

By George, we’ve done it, in the immortal words of Henry Higgins. My wife and I have reached a sales agreement on our little house here in Eastbourne, East Sussex, England. I say “reached an agreement” because in U.K. a sale is never final until the final documents are signed before any monies are paid: no “earnest money” here, the sale really favors the buyer, not the seller. In any case, we will have a cash sale from a charming and, I suspect, affluent mother/daughter combination who live in a nearby East Sussex town. I think our house is intended for the daughter.

I am relieved to have this sale agreed before we leave for home in Florida September 11, but I hope we can expedite the legal paperwork, but, knowing lawyers, that won’t be easy. I’ve lost a few days to talk to our lawyer and the buyers because it has been Bank Holiday this past weekend through Monday, the equivalent of Labor Day in the U.S., just a week earlier. Time is running short. We have some household goods and furniture to dispose of, and I hope to get with the buyers to see what they would like to select from the house and then dispose of the rest, probably to Ali Baba and the forty Thieves, as I refer to liquidators who come in and pay 10 cents on the dollar, if you’re lucky.

We are taking some goods back to America and have made arrangements with an International shipper to come in, after we leave, pack up the items we want and ship by sea. When you ship by sea, it is not weight that counts but volume, and we will have a 25 cubic foot container for our stuff. We have a beautiful nest of four carved nest tables with silver inlays, inherited from my wife’s parents (who owned this house for sixteen years), plus another small table, some china items and personal effects.

On top of this, we have a daughter arriving for a short visit September1, who will return with us on the same flight to Atlanta where she lives, while we then fly on to Fort Myers, Florida. Naturally, we want to entertain her, but it is going to be a juggling act, doing things with her while we clear the house details. She is a great organizer and can be of help, but we also want her to have a good time.

It is the end of an era. My wife’s parents bought this town house, the middle one of three connected homes in 1977 and lived here until 1993 when my mother-in-law went into a nursing home and my father-in-law to live with my wife’s sister and husband briefly before he went into a nursing home. They died within seven months of each other in December 1993 and July 1994. So, it has been in the family almost thirty-five years.

We rented the house for the nine months we weren’t here and, in a couple of cases, for a year when we did not come to England. For the last ten years, we have rented, through an excellent letting agent to mature students who took good care of the house and would go home for the summer while we occupied the house. Their rent for nine months usually covered our expenses for the summer, which was a nice deal.

My wife and I,to a lesser extent, feel sad that we won’t be coming back to this house. It is in a wonderful section of town called Meads; in fact, Meads was once an independent village and, even now, has the characteristics of an independent village with its own center of town and shopping area. We are located next to the downs, beautiful rolling hills leading to the chalk cliffs overlooking the English Channel. We could even see the channel from our bedroom windows. We are about a mile from a famous lighthouse called Beachy Head, a light house standing next to sheer white chalk cliffs in the channel. This is the part of England over which The Battle of Britain was fought in 1940.

We’ll probably come back for shorter visits and rent a larger house or apartment for children and grandchildren when they visit, but not for three months.

Yes, it is definitely the end of a wonderful era in our lives.

THE SLIMEBALL OF THE SUMMER SWEEPSTAKES

2011-08-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

It’s always a close competition with so many horses asses competing for the title of Slimeball of the Summer, but here’s my list, in ascending order, of candidates. Change the order around any way you desire. You have to remember, I’ve been out of the country for over two months, so I may not be current on some recent sleazes that have not been brought to my attention.

10. Jim Tressell, former Ohio State football coach. Talk about really messing up big time. One of the plum coaching assignments, now kaput, because this Godly Man couldn’t tell the truth when he should have and made a bad situation worse. And the university for whom he worked is just about as bad.

9. Roger Goodell and his N.F.L. cronies. They almost cost us a football season. Drag it out, baby, and make ‘em sweat.

8. The Tea party for contributing to the gross ignorance of domestic and foreign policy. To hell with government, just CUT, CUT, CUT, the simplistic answer to all our problems.

7. Michelle Bachmann/Rick Parry---a dual entry for slander and untruths even above and beyond the pigsty of campaign politics. The wacky right is right on again for distortion and pure crap. Whose turn is it to be accused of treason?

6. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, a joint award. As leaders of the Republican congress, these two were so intent on making the President look bad and playing 2012 election politics that they pushed the country to the edge of a financial precipice. Politics first, the economy second has been the byword for too long.

5.. The Murdoch triangle of Rupert Murdoch/ James Murdoch/Rebecca Brooks and the swarmy, sleazy, hacking mess and abuse of power where covering your ass was carried to a brand-new extreme. They may not get out of this one quite so easily.

4. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, that pillar of French politics with the ever-open fly, who escaped justice, thanks to a pile of money and a disadvantaged victim with an inconsistent background. Will he run for President of France? Don’t bet against it. Stay tuned.

3. The Pakistani Intelligence Service for years of disservice to the U.S.A. who supports their country and mission, only to have these bastards help the Taliban by providing shelter and, I’m sure, intelligence. A special thanks for allowing the Chinese to photograph and get a piece of the skin of the Chinook helicopter that crashed in the bin Laden raid. Of course, you believe them when they say they didn’t know bin Laden was there. Right, and your check is in the mail.

2. Colonel Gaddafi---almost #1 in a photo finish for forty-odd years of tyranny and crazed fanaticism. I hope they hang him by his thumbs, or, better yet, by his privates when they find him. Lockerbie is remembered!

1. President Assam of Syria in a tight race edges out Gaddafi. Under the protection of our dear loyal friends and allies, the Saudis, he has got away with murder and despotism on a wholesale scale for years. Now his bloodbath is beginning to catch up to him when even the Saudis are turning against him. He has not been our friend for a long time, allowing his country to be a conduit for terrorists,and loves to fuel up the Mideast fire. I really rate him #1 because he is still a clear and present danger, whereas Gaddafi has had it.

I’m sure you can add a lot more---but here’s a good start!

AMERICA'S POOR GRADES

2011-08-23T00:21:00.001-07:00

The President in a recent speech to the country referred to America as an AAA country, defying the downgrading of American credit by Standard & Poor to AA1/2. I think the American people---well, at least a good part of them---are AAA quality, but the politicians rate a “D”. Furthermore, let’s not make S. & P. the villain of the piece. Let’s put a large part of the blame where it belongs: on the politicians. By their inflexible stands, political posturing and lack of leadership, we got, unfortunately, what we deserved.

Certainly politics played a major role in creating a climate of turmoil and suspense which made a bad situation even worse internationally. Things were bad all over in a good part of the western world with our recession showing no signs of abatement and Europe in a euro crisis with the weak members hovering on the brink of bankruptcy. And, I might add, below the surface, a few things are rotten in the state of China. Psychologically, the inability of America to resolve the debt crisis quickly and thoroughly really gave a setback to our standing as the number one nation. Don’t think that didn’t contribute to the S. & P. decision.

To exacerbate matters even more, the debt crisis solution is a bandaid---a temporary patch until the matter can be studied further and recommendations made. It is not as if the problem was brand new, but we have refused to deal with it constructively and thoroughly for much too long. The world is seeing this, and it does no good for our respect.

I’ve been on the soap box much too many times about the politicizing of America and the dangers of polarization. I’m now seeing it from a different perspective here in England and realizing how important our leadership is in the world. We haven’t done a good job of leadership by example. I wish I could see a change coming---but I don’t. It’s really well past wake-up time.

We are going to have to work extra-hard to be AAA in every way.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

2011-08-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

It’s a tricky subject, laden with emotional baggage, this matter of racism. Many racists lurk out there, carefully picking their spots to score points and speaking out in a carefully devised code. On the other extreme, you get the rigid politically correct who are too quick to look for and label any comment of criticism of blacks as racist.

A good example of the latter has caused a real brouhaha in U.K. David Starkey, a renowned historian who frequently appears on television, has been catching hell for remarks he made last Friday night on a program called “Newsnight” about the recent riots. Mr. Starkey was taken to task for daring to state that black “gangsta” influence of today had a major impact on the riots. In his words, “A particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic, gangster culture has become the fashion…It’s not skin colour, it’s cultural.” Even a few noted black supporters of education also condemned this influence. One named Tony Parsons wrote in "The Daily Mirror": “…without the gang culture of black London, none of the riots would have happened---including the riots in other cities like Manchester and Birmingham where most of the rioters were white.”

Starkey believes that it is a problem of social scale. At the top, numerous blacks have achieved success in the white elite world and been integrated seamlessly into that world. At the other end of the social spectrum, in addition to the black “gangsta” types, you have disadvantaged white youth merging into the same kind of culture and prone to the same uncontrolled behavior and destructive mores illustrated by the recent riots.

Where Starkey really touched a nerve---and many of his friends and supporters say he made a real mistake---was quoting Enoch Powell, a Northern Irish Member of Parliament back in the fifties and sixties, who was inflammatory and violently opposed to the immigration into Britain of colored races. He made a famous speech, known as ‘The River of Blood Speech” where he predicted racial war in Britain. Starkey brought Powell into the equation by reviewing historically the reaction of liberal elements in both the Labour and Conservative parties to Powell’s speech and their resultant efforts to combat racism by condemning the working class for their attitude on race and, to quote Starkey again, “…the white working class could never be trusted on race again. The result was a systematic attack over several decades on their perceived xenophobic patriotism”; in other words, race hatred became an excuse for super-patriotism and jingoism.

The result of this attack, this anti-Powellism, according to Starkey, was a loss of national identity. Starkey makes the point that in other areas of Britain, even where areas of deep unemployment exist, such as Wales, Yorkshire and Scotland, runs a deep streak of national identity in all classes. Interestingly, there were no riots in these areas. I’m no student of British sociological history or race relations. I do remember the impact of Enoch Powell forty years ago and his incendiary effect.

In America we have had more than our share of incendiary verbal as well as actual bombers, both right and left. Racial relations have been subject to pendulum swings throughout our history. I do believe, bit by bit, America is seeing the reconciliation of races, although it still has a long way to go. But, if you are old enough, think back forty years, and the improvement is palpable. I think---and hope---we are reaching a stage where constructive criticism, back and forth between the races, should be possible.

Part of this interracial dialogue should be the right to criticize on the part of both blacks and whites. If whites act badly, blacks should criticize and demand reform. And that coin has two sides: if blacks screw up, whites should have the right to criticize and demand a change---without being called “racists”. It is too easy a cop-out on the part of whites to call disadvantaged blacks shiftless and lazy. It is equally too easy for blacks to play the race card when it is unjustified. Fairness is a standard for both sides.

If we set and live by such a standard, then we won’t have to worry about black and white. Let’s chase the elephant out of the room.

A NEW DYNASTY

2011-08-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, I wrote a blog, extolling my new appreciation of Cricket. Since that time I have come to like it even more. I’m still a baseball fan, which some of you out there compare to watching grass grow in terms of excitement---but I don’t agree. Cricket is even more leisurely in pace, but, when the action gets underway, it’s plenty exciting and artful.

What makes it so interesting today is that England is entering into a dynastic period. England is playing India, previously the #1 team in the world, and has murdered them in three successive test matches, really routs, and is now ranked first in the world. All the sports writers and ex-players/commentators are saying it will continue this way for years to come. They are suddenly blessed with the maturation of young talent with a host of young players waiting in the wings for their chance to play for England. It’s rather like the Yankee dynasty in the forties and fifties or the nineties when nobody could handle them on a regular basis as new talent took over from old talent.

The major reason for England’s revival is a new emphasis on physical conditioning, plus intense analysis and practice in the arts of the game. In addition, County (remember here, a county is like a state) Cricket is similar to the minor league or a farm system where players have the opportunity to develop their skills. All the modern trappings of sport, like sports psychologists, trainers, masseurs, high speed photography---all the scientific and esoteric voodoo---are being utilized and turning Cricket into serious business.

The result is an Augustan Age where England is expected to dominate for many years to come. Many critics think that this current squad is arguable the best ever, matching or possibly exceeding the great Australian teams of the past. The Aussies have dominated the game over longer periods of time than anyone, but right now they are mediocre.

So, even if you aren’t an aficionado of the game of Cricket, it is still fun to witness the cream that has risen to the top. Supreme talent in any sport is fun to be a part of and to watch.

I am getting my kicks. I say, old boy, isn’t it brilliant? But I still check the baseball box scores daily…

AIRBOURNE EASTBOURNE

2011-08-14T23:31:00.001-07:00

In mid-August every year, our summer home, Eastbourne in East Sussex, England, hosts a fabulous Air Show with a wide variety of planes, present and past. It starts on Thursday and ends Sunday evening, this Eastbourne Airbourne, as it is officially known. On the Grand Parade, the main drag on the English Channel, which is famous for its Carpet Gardens of an infinite variety of flowers in an infinite range of colors arranged in geometric patterns, vendors set up stands in a nearby park area, representing a range of services from snack foods to t-shirts to toys to pennants to displays by the Royal Air Force, the R.A.F, with personnel to answer your questions.

One year the city fathers or Eastbourne Council, as it is known, really let greed get the best of them and decided to charge an attendance fee for those in this central area. DUH! How do you charge for air space or people looking up? It almost ruined the show. Everyone simply went elsewhere to view the show, and the vendors got really pissed off as their business fell off precipitiously because no one showed up! A couple of councilors who were up for election the next year got their butts whipped by indignant Eastbourners. The council did not try that ingenious “money maker” again.

Everyone in Eastbourne can look up in their own backyard (or garden, as it is known here) in the late morning or afternoon and hear the drone of propeller planes or helicopters or sonic booms of the jets. One year, in 2005, on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of WW II, I was sitting in our garden one early afternoon when I heard the roar of multi-engines and looked up to see, descending over our house, a Spitfire, a P-51 Mustang and a B-24 Liberator bomber---shades of 1944-45! I was excited since my brother was Navigator on a B-24 in Italy, and I still get my kicks by the sight and sound of WW II planes.

Sometimes, when we were younger, we would climb up one of the steep downs (small mountains) and watch from the plateaus on top of the downs. Other times, including this year on Saturday, we would join my wife’s sister and husband, who live in Eastbourne, and view the air show from one of the rocky beaches where you could get an excellent prospect of the show.

Today, Sunday, we walked down to Helen’s Park, a half mile gentle walk downhill from our house. Helen’s Park has a beautiful expanse of green, plenty of park benches, a putt-putt eighteen hole golf course, children’s play area and a special section, surrounded by shrubs where local teams can bowl on the lawn, wearing their all-white outfits. We had a wonderful view of the air show from there. It is an idyllic setting, overlooking the English Channel, which today was in full glory, its colors ranging from aquamarine to deep royal blue, dotted by an armada of sail and power boats with an unrestricted view of the show. The park, as you would expect was loaded with families, filling the grass and benches. It was a Sunday summer scene the world over with the added benefit of a constantly changing air shows, ranging from sleek jets testing the limits of the viewing sky to old bi-planes turning on the smoke while they do barrel loops and figure eights.

The highlight each day is a spectacular display of precision flying and acrobatics by The Red Arrows, the RAF’s pride and joy, their equivalent of our Blue Angels. They give you your money’s worth in a show of forty-five minutes, including streaming red, white and blue smoke in arcs, circles and a final heart, after which they flip over in a victory salute and head back to base in Sussex.

Ah yes, summer time---and the livin’ is easy. And the Eastbourne Airbourne is real easy watchin'.

BURN, BABY, BURN REVISITED

2011-08-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

I think I was premature in a recent blog when I quoted W.B. Yeats: “Things fall, apart, the centre cannot hold”. After watching TV and seeing the newspapers reporting the devastation of London and other major cities in Britain by the vicious mobs, I think the quotation is even more apt now. Scenes of total anarchy fill global television sets, I’m sure, by now. My wife and I are lucky enough to be in a smaller town on the southeast coast, Eastbourne, and so far we are unscathed.

It reminds me of the late sixties at the time of civil rights turmoil when major cities like Detroit and Los Angeles were beset by the mobs with fires and looting. Anarchy is never justified; revolution and protest, yes, under compelling circumstances---but never berserk frenzied mob rule. That is what Great Britain has been experiencing these last few nights.

The police are suffering from an image problem. So much emphasis in the last twenty-five years has been on stressing community relations, cultural and racial sensitivity and trying to seem like nice guys that in a trauma such as now they don’t have the respect for authority among the multi-cultural sections of London and the other big cities, who have only seen spasmodic acts of authority on the part of the police, especially the young.

Many factors contribute to this anarchy. Britain is in a period of increasing austerity with cost of living high, unemployment, as well, and a general paranoia that the system is against the disadvantaged. The Conservative government is trying to limit welfare expense and to undo a system that has frequently made it better to be unemployed and collect a benefit check than to look for a job. In tough times, the general resentment is aimed at anyone in charge.

Then add in another surefire ingredient to guarantee trouble: lack of familial authority. How many of these kids have only a single parent, who spends a good part of life, if she (or he) is lucky, working? Without or with a minimum of parental guidance, kids flock together and look for things to do, quite often involving trouble. Today, in an age of sophisticated digital communication with countless ways to stay in touch, to reach increased number of people, it is so easy to spark mass action. The word spread from one enclave of rioting and looting to many more pockets of discontent where new recruits could eagerly and quickly be recruited into action.

Somehow a respect for the authority of police has to be re-emphasized and restored. As one columnist put it, we have to have a police force, not a police service. Right now, the prime minister has told the police to get out there in maximum numbers, and 16,000 were on the streets of London last night. I don’t advocate in normal times the use of water cannons, but it is time for their use and a good blast of tear gas, as well.

The whole horror story is crystallized in the House of Reeves, a furniture business in the Clapton area of London where five generations of the Reeves family had earned a living since 1867. The Reeves had survived in three centuries, through two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the London Blitz. Rioters burned it to the ground two nights ago. They could not loot it because furniture is too big to carry any distance, so to hell with the Reeves, burn it down.

Sounds of the sixties---burn, baby, burn. It is not the answer. A new legion of youth needs to learn that fact.

P.S. After I wrote this blog, today I saw the headlines: an eleven year old boy, a well-educated young woman of nineteen and a thirty-one year old male teaching assistant were among those arraigned. Go figure!

ELITISM---I'M ALL FOR IT!

2011-08-08T23:36:00.001-07:00

The headmaster of Eton, the famed British public school, known to many Americans who are Ian Fleming fans or crossword puzzle devotees as the school attended by James Bond, 007, has made an interesting statement. Tony Little, the headmaster, caught the attention of the British world by defending “elitism”. This term has come to mean to most of the politically correct snobbery and class consciousness and therefore to be avoided.

Eton has certainly appeared to the politically correct as the bastion of class consciousness and snobbery. In the process, it has turned out countless prime ministers, prominent politicians and business leaders. William and Harry both attended there. It is safe to say the alumni they have turned out can certainly be classified as “elite”. Eton, Mr. Little points out, offers financial assistance to those academically gifted but in need of help and is looking into building endowments to help such students. He admires the way major American Universities have stressed such campaigns to augment endowment.

Mr. Little makes a valid point: the term elitist needs to be “reclaimed” as a measure of excellence in all walks of life, according to an article in "The Daily Telegraph". I agree totally with him. To me, and I’m sure to Mr. Little, elite should be a term of achievement. It has nothing to do with class or birth but with merit. Little points out elite is often applied to sportsmen of the highest caliber. “I would like the plumber I engage to be an elite plumber, and I want to see an elite doctor. It has to do with excellence,” Mr. Little stated.

The class system in Britain was much too powerful in the past. If you were born well-to-do or had the proper pedigree or background, “the old boy network” as it was known, in the old days you had a head start over less affluent or the middle and lower classes. The Old Boy Network is slowly but surely being pruned out of British life with a new emphasis on creating a meritocracy. It still has a long way to go, but the difference between now and fifty years ago is striking.

In the U.S.A. we have frequent instances also of the Old Boy Network: right family, right schools, right connections still are in evidence, although not even close to the extent of Britain. America has been, on the whole, a shining example to the rest of the world of opportunity unlimited for those who aim high, work and achieve the proverbial American Dream.

Now, unfortunately, in the last few years, we are witnessing an increasing emphasis on mediocrity. Don’t set the standards too high, or you might damage irreparably the psyches of the little darlings in school. Make the grade of "A" easier to get so that the kids can enjoy “achievement”. Such nonsense! What we need to do is put a new emphasis on challenging the students, making them strive for higher achievement and becoming the true elite. We need to create elite standards at which our students can aim.

Setting high standards gives meaning to achievement. Let’s start to build a new truly elite.

ILLUSIONS AND REALITIES

2011-08-05T23:47:00.000-07:00

“Pundits and political wise men have long dreamed of a “grand bargain”, which would arrest the growth of entitlement spending while raising tax revenue by closing loopholes. It is more or less the only formula that solves America’s budget woes while sharing political pain equally between the two parties. It is no coincidence that such a bargain lies at the heart of most recent bipartisan deficit-reduction schemes, including those put forward by the Senate’s “Gang of Six” and the president’s own fiscal commission. Both plans would have cut the deficit by roughly $4 trillion over the next decade, enough to put the debt on a downward path relative to GDP. Many hoped the debt-ceiling increase would be the vehicle to deliver it.”

The above is a quotation from one of the most respected magazines in the world, "The Economist", whose analytic style and skill are frequently “right on”. I am at a loss to understand why the President chose to ignore his own commission and the so-called Gang of Six, both of whom recommended reform of the tax structure and closing loopholes, as well as analysis for reform of entitlements. On too many occasions he plays the part of The Great Compromiser to our detriment.

The Republicans can spout from their soap boxes that increases in taxes will spell doom. The Democrats can climb on theirs and orate on the inviolability of entitlement programs. Somewhere, somehow, something’s gotta give, as the old song goes. Tax revenues have to increase by means of tax reform, and entitlement programs must be made more efficient and capped. There is no other way. One day reality has to sink in when serious and responsible congressmen, the President and assorted think tank pundits must get serious and down to work in dealing with the problem. Cut out the sound bites, the nonsense, and deal with the future of our nation.

I hope it’s not too long a wait. I’m getting really old, and I’d like to see it in my lifetime.

IT’S A RAINY DAY

2011-08-04T03:34:00.000-07:00

It’s a rainy day in England after over a week of gorgeous sunny weather with the temperature ranging from 75F to 82F. It is reasonably rare to have over a week without rain here in Old Blighty, but now we’re getting a few days of miserable rainy and cool weather to teach us not to get complacent.

It’s a rainy day, a day to stay in and think about the miseries in the world.
Anywhere you go today, you are faced with malaise and pessimism about our lives. Ranging from Somalia and the Sudan suffering from severe famine and a mounting death toll, especially among the young, to the Arab spring-now-summer and the problems in Libya and Syria, to the usual standoff between Israel and the Palestinians, to the Eurozone debt crisis and the precarious state of the Euro and the possibility of more European nations in crisis, like Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland, to even the Chinese economy slowing down, to Japan’s radiation and clean-up problems to the recent soap opera in America with the battle of the debt limit increase---the world has the blues; it’s not just the U.S. A. hurting, it’s all over.

It's a rainy day. We are all so interrelated and interdependent today in this global village that if America coughs, Europe sneezes, Africa has a headache and Asia takes an aspirin. Headlines today in the Business section of The Daily Telegraph read: ”U.S. Recession Fears Hit Europe”. Stock markets around the world are nose diving at the news yesterday that the U.S. economy’s growth has slowed to a standstill.

It's a rainy day. I can’t tell you how many articles or radio/television comments I’ve heard during and after the debt standoff in America, shocked at the confrontation of the two parties and the inability to compromise and reach an agreement until the eleventh hour and fifty-nine minutes. Let me tell you, that display did not add stars to our crown. A few talking heads are wondering if this was the outward and visible sign of the beginning of the Decline of the American Empire. I must admit, the thought has entered my mind as I have witnessed from afar this ridiculous game of chicken.

it's a rainy day. So much constructive time to deal with our major problems has been wasted on this confrontation, time that should have been spent considering, analyzing and seeking solutions to our recession: time to study the Medicare and Health Insurance dilemma, the problems of our infastructure’s deterioration, the Income Tax reform, Social Security, unemployment---add your own pet peeve to the list. We seriously need to address the issues. This is doubtless a pipe dream as the extreme partisans of right and left want to slug it out some more in the 2012 elections.

It’s a rainy day, and, as William Wordsworth said, “The world is too much with me./Getting and spending we lay waste our time.” I’m tired of the waste.

MY NETWORK UNSOCIABILITY

2011-07-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you are bound to be aware that I am not a fan of the social networks and refuse to join them. I get all kinds of “come-ons” on the net, imploring me to open their emails , such as I have three classmates from school just this month enquiring about me, or that I have been tagged for such and such’s birthday. I’m sorry, I know I am probably missing out on golden opportunities to expand my personal network, but, frankly, I don’t give a rats ass. I’ll just go on being an old misanthrope who likes the friends he got the old-fashioned way, even if many of them in my age bracket are gone now.

The potential and actual intrusions you frequently hear about always bother me. For example, I read in the newspaper of a case of a young woman in England, selected and serving on a jury, who then tried to contact the defendant on the internet. That’s just plain stupid. I’m sure British courts are similar to ours, since our legal system was based on Britain’s, and insist on never communicating with the defendant in view of the need for total impartiality and objectivity. This dingbat tried to contact the defendant on Facebook. It comes as no surprise that she is in a heap of trouble.

A whole litany of potential problems has been associated with social networks and the invasion of privacy. Now I don’t blame Facebook for this young woman’s stupidity or impulsive action, to be more charitable, but it is part of the danger which can occur with those who become almost addicted to the social network. I don’t like the potential problems and, especially, the loss of privacy. I know, you are supposed to be able to decide what you want known and enter only data you choose, but I think too many, like this British young woman, live on their social network and consider it an essential part of life and never consider the potential pitfalls.

That’s what I like about a blog . I can keep my anonymity, if I choose, and still write about things that concern me or experiences I’ve had. I probably don’t have a wide following, but I don’t really care, except to hear from those I care about or other bloggers I’ve come to appreciate.

Sometimes it’s fun being a misanthropic old fart.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

2011-07-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

One of my most respected economic thinkers here in U.K. is Jeremy Warner, who publishes a column in "The Daily Telegraph". He is obviously well educated in the fields of Economics and Commerce, plus he writes fluently, and frequently hits the bullseye in analyzing the economic problems of today.

Yesterday he did not have a column in "The Telegraph" but a full-fledged article entitled "AMERICA FACES A DECISION THAT WILL DEFINE ITS FUTURE---AND OURS". Let me quote some lines that will give you the essence of the article.

"Economic might is as much to do with confidence and perception as reality. The spectacle of a nation so lacking in credible political leadership that it cannot resolve its differences, threatens to default on its debts and would rather print money than face up to its underlying economic challenges, is already perilously close to breaking the spell. America needs to wake up before it's too late."

The spell he refers to is the perception of America as the land of economic miracles and leadership, setting a standard for the world. He feels the present deficit crisis is underminig that confidence in and perception of America.

Sometimes it helps to have an objective viewpoint in analyzing a crisis. Obama and Boehner, plus a host of others, please heed.

Another final quote from Mr.Warner: "For the U.S. to forsake the principles that have underpinned its economic success for more than two centuries would be a disaster, not just for the country, but for the world."

THE BLAME GAME

2011-07-22T00:25:00.000-07:00

Here in U.K., unless you are confined in a cave underground and never see the papers or watch the telly (as the Brits call it), you are saturated with the hacking scandal and the hearings in the House of Parliament where the M.P.s have had their shots at the Murdoch empire and the Prime Minister.

Rupert Murdoch showed the proper degree of contrition and even announced that “this was the most humbling day of his life”. He also appeared as a doddery old man. It really was embarrassing to have that idiot throw a plate of shaving cream at him. His younger wife, Wendy, looks like the Dragon Lady from the old comic book days of “Terry and the Pirates”, and this Chinese lady showed one potent right jab as she leaped up and swatted the man who dumped the cream on her husband.

James Murdoch, the C.E.O. of European operations and second son of Rupert, came off as the archetypal M.B.A., filled with smooth corpspeak. He was polite, evasive---and came off as a slime ball to me.

Rebekah Brooks, under that incredible umbrella of red Medusian curls was another portrait of slick evasiveness, phony sincerity and incredible memory lapses.

In fact, they all must suffer from some sort of Alzheimer’s Disease. Of course Rudolph is old enough to qualify, but the other two must have premature Alzheimer’s. It’s sad in those so young.

Seriously, it’s the old corporate game played at the highest level. What you don’t know won’t hurt you. You can just hear these high-powered executives, titans of industry, telling their key subordinates: “Just get the job done, whatever it takes. Just don’t involve me and put nothing in writing.” This game has been played forever in the corporate stratosphere (and on the lower levels, too) so that layers of insulating fog cushion the top echelon from the muck and sweat below. It’s obviously taken to a new level in the communications world of television and newspapers.

James Cameron, the P.M., also found out what hits the fan in his time before his fellow M.P.s. He struck, I thought, a good balance between contrition and dignified defense. He admitted his mistake in hiring Andy Coulson, the man in the eye of this political and economic hurricane. Even the royal family is pissed off at the P.M. because he hired Coulson, the man who had been editor of “News of the World” when two reporters hacked the phones of aides in Clarence House and even William’s phone. David Cameron’s political stock has taken a swift and deep fall. He is going to have to work extra-hard to restore it.

It continues to get messier, involving not only the Murdochs,their people and the P.M, but the Metropolitan Police whose two top men have resigned. The blame game will look like a badminton match with the shuttlecock flying all over the place.

Then we get our turn in the U.S. of A---hooray!

"THINGS FALL APART"

2011-07-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

Really, I almost hate to pick up the newspaper or to go online. What is going on in this chaotic world? We are witnessing the fight over debt limit in the U.S. or the Eurozone debt crisis or the Murdoch empire intruding into our lives. As we all tremble on the edge of a financial precipice, we also find our privacy violated ---or perhaps ravished would be a better word.

Obama and the Republicans are playing chicken---or is it Russian Roulette---on increasing the debt limits. The Tea Partyists are pushing the G.O.P. toward this precipice as August 2 looms nearer and nearer. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral revisited.

Meanwhile, here in jolly old Blighty, things are going to hell in a hand basket at increasing speed. Now the Prime Minister, David Cameron, is having his credibility sorely tested and, even more important, his judgment and leadership qualities questioned. Hiring Andrew Coulson, former Editor of “News of the World”, as his Press Secretary---against the advice of a host of confidants, including the deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, was a boo-boo of classic proportions. Also, being palsy-walsy with the Murdoch clan, having Christmas dinner with Rebekah Brooks, the recently deposed Editor of the now defunct “News of the World”--- all these associations do not sit well with the general public.

A man has a right to pick his personal friends, but is it judicious for the P.M. to get so buddy-buddy with yellow journalists and power brokers who love the chance to influence him? I think you can guess who were major contributors to Cameron and the Conservative cause in the General Election.

The opposition,the Labour Party, who has been in disarray since losing the General Election in 2008, is suddenly finding new life, a whiff of oxygen, in this scandal, and Ed Milliband, the Labour Party leader, is jumping on the Conservatives, and Mr. Cameron in particular, with both feet, demanding investigations, questioning Cameron’s veracity and leadership and keeping the Conservatives on their back feet.

I’m reminded of lines from W.B. Yeats:

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."

That’s what scares the hell out of me---all that passionate intensity for the wrong reasons.

THE NEW BLACK PLAGUE

2011-07-16T00:26:00.000-07:00

I see from the papers that the disease is contagious---the Murdoch plague.

The news is dominated by the hacking scandals of the "News of the World", the tabloid that has for 143 years been Britain's largest tabloid. Now it is gone, but the scandal carries on. And, I note from the papers, Congress is proposing to investigate Rupert Murdoch and his Evil Empire---really the dark side.

Murdoch is not the first journalist baron to abuse the public. Remember Robert Maxwell, Lord Beaverbrook, Conrad Black and Randolph Hearst. Abuse of power goes with the territory. Journalism is a competitive game, and you are always seeking the competitive edge. The story justifies the means. How many old films have you seen where the reporter will do anything to get the story?

One prestigious lady journalist, now knighted, remembers her early days as a reporter when she was doing a story on a notorious man confined to a hospital. She naively went directly into the hospital and asked at the reception desk to see the patient and was, of course, refused. Then she saw several rival reporters dressed as hospital aides and one even as a doctor! So, tricks to get a story are nothing new.

But a total invasion of privacy by hacking phones and paying off cops to get confidential information is a form of rape, as far as I'm concerned. The F.B.I., I understand, is now checking out the possibility of hackers and the 9/11 victims.

I'm sure our skirts are no cleaner than the Brits, and Rupert Murdoch isn't the sole villain by any means. Before this nasty business is over, I predict there will be a plethora of villains on both sides of the Atlantic.

Murdoch is simply the worst example of what greed and power---they go together---can wreak in order to get what is wanted. We have too much of such abuse in positions of power in too many places. No, it's not a British disease, nor an American one, but all over the world, unfortunately.

And they haven't found the vaccine to cure it.

AN ENGLISH ODYSSEY---PART 3

2011-07-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

The next day started with a visit to Holt, a beautiful Georgian town which was completely rebuilt in the stately Georgian style after a devastating fire in 1708. We walked around this beautiful town in a gentle rain which only lasted a few minutes, and it was well worth the stop. We drove through a north coast village, Wells-Next-to-Sea, called “Next-to-the-Sea” because it is no longer “By-the-Sea” due to time and erosion creating a silt deposit which moved the town inland.

We later arrived at the village of Thursford, home of one of the most unusual museums I’ve ever seen. The museum was created by George Gushing whose passion was steam engines and steam machines of every kind. George had worked for the village in Victorian times when steam power was in use. The village decided they did not need his services full time and let him go. Not a bit deterred, George found much work and obviously did so well that he eventually owned an astonishing number of steam-powered machines, the largest in the world. He also ended up doing work for the village and probably charged them more than it would have cost them if he had stayed an employee!

In addition to all the steam machines, George had a passion for organs, calliopes, carousels and amusement rides, all steam-driven originally, so he created this unique museum in Thursford which has become a major tourist attraction. From humble beginnings it has grown into a cavernous building containing a magnificent Wurlitzer organ, the kind that rises from a pit and is capable of being a one-man band. Daily two concerts are held in which a master organist puts on a half-hour show of classical and popular music. In between these concerts, you are kept busy by a battery of concerts emanating from a series of ornate Rococo-style calliopes performing concerts, ranging from opera to marches from John Phillip Sousa and other bandmasters. If you get tired with the concerts or of walking around, jump on the most beautiful carousel I’ve ever seen or a mini-roller coaster. Naturally, they now have a restaurant and gift shop to relieve you of some funds.

The steam machines can only be described as magnificent and maintained, by terms of George Gushing’s will, in perfect working order. The paints on these machines are gorgeous, usually either a British Racing Green or Burgundy with brass fittings blindingly polished. They are truly works of art and an engineering enthusiast’s dreams. I’m no engineer and I was still awed!

The next day we drove to the Imperial War Museum, Air Division, at Duxford. We spent the whole day there and did not see it all. The museum is housed in seven different buildings, plus entry building with ticket stand and gift shop, plus an airfield where they put on air shows during the summer. While we were there, the air show featured German Messerscmidt 109s, American P-51 Mustangs and British Spitfires---a mini-World War II.

We concentrated---and it took most of the day---on three buildings. The first contained most of the British aircraft of the last thirty years, including the Concorde SST, now no longer in service and originally created by a consortium of British and French aircraft designers and builders. You are allowed to tour through the Concorde, which even has a section of seating to show the configuration of seats in the plane. As you tour, you note how small the windows are, about 6”X6”, and then you realize at supersonic speeds you could not have larger windows due to the danger of them blowing out at such speeds. Some of the electronic systems of the plane are exposed and displayed, as well.

The second building contained “The Battle of Britain” with the planes of that period, 1940, including German Messerschmidt 109s and Junker dive bombers, British Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires. The display also included a simulated Andersen shelter, what we used to call Nissen huts, with a family inside having tea. They even have the German V-1 “doodle bug” rocket that created so much havoc in the latter stage of the war in 1944 and 1945.

The last building was devoted to American aviation from WWI to today. They show a film about World War II, and I thought the voice of the narrator was familiar. Then it hit me---Charlton Heston. It turns out his name is on the wall as Chair of the fund-raising campaign to build this museum in 1997. One of the highlights of this section which really attracts the crowds is the Blackbird, the original Stealth plane whose ominous sleek lines draw huge crowds.

This Imperial War Museum is the second-best air display I’ve ever seen, beaten only by the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.

We drove home the next day, weary but elated al the sights and scenes we had covered. East Anglia was worth the effort.

And that completes our English Odyssey!

AN ENGLISH ODYSSEY---PART 2

2011-07-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

Our second day started with a visit to Beth Chatto Gardens, a so-called “informal” garden of infinite variety. The English national hobby is gardening: even the most modest homes have gardens. The climate here, with few days of excessive heat (they consider the mid-eighties a heat wave!) and lots of rain, promotes floral growth of diversity and magnitude. The roses have heads frequently as large as our chrysanthemums. Chatto Garden had wonderful rose beds as well as every floral variety you could imagine and a dazzling array of trees. They had several oaks that had to be 150-200 years old. You wander past endless beds of flowers into tree-lined groves with lakes and streams. While the women were oohing and aahing, all I could think of was how glad I am that I didn’t have to tend such a garden.

From Chatto Garden, we drove to “Constable Country”, one of the most beautiful sights in this “green and pleasant land” of England, as the poet William Blake described it in his poem “Jerusalem”. John Constable, who was born July 4, 1776 and died in 1837, was not a Yankee Doodle Dandy but one of the greatest English landscape painters of all times, famed for his pastoral scenes and, especially, for his skies filled with puffy cumulus clouds. No one ever caught the beauty of clouds with such a luminous ethereal quality. We were at an area called Flatford Mill, which Constable made famous with his painting of the mill and scenic bridge next to it. As a matter of fact, his father owned the mill and was a prosperous merchant of the time. Also nearby is Willy Lott’s cottage. Willy Lott, a farmer, is only known because of Constable’s famed painting of his cottage. A lovely walk across the bridge leads to a panoramic view of the unforgettable rural scene.

From the Constable country, we went east to the coast where a series of picturesque fishing villages dot the North Sea. We wandered through a maze of narrow country roads, many of which are one lane only and a test of our nerve and playing “chicken”. (Actually there are frequent wider spots in the road where you can pull over to make room.). Eventually, after meandering through these fishing villages, we made our way to Lowestoft, a port in Norfolk (the name of the county, and counties are more like states) where we spent the night.

Every night we stayed in Premier Inns, a relatively new chain in U.K., much appreciated by traveling men and economy-minded travelers. They are spotlessly clean and new---but also VERY BASIC. Of the five nights on the road when we stayed in them, only three had telephones in the room. No soap bars or shampoos---only a soap dispenser on the wall over the basin and in the shower. Two bath towels and two hand towels. The beds were good, and, yes, they did have TV. Decent restaurants were attached or right next to them.

The next day we made our way northwest passing through one of the larger ports in England, Great Yarmouth in the county of Norfolk. South of great Yarmouth was a broad expanse of sandy beach overlooking the North Sea where we took a long walk along the promenade above the beach and enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs. We then drove through the Norfolk Broads, a series of canals and rivers where boating is prevalent. The water is muddy and not very appealing, but the boaters enjoy it and are frequent. We did find a charming pub on one of the waterways where we enjoyed a good lunch.

We drove to Horning, a beautiful tourist spot where a “Mississippi” paddle-wheeler runs up and down the waterways frequently with loads of tourists. Nearby we went for a wonderful walk through the woods of 1/2 mile or more and ended up on a large lake where boats of all shapes and sizes were plying the waters. A large houseboat, which can sleep 6-8 people was tied up to the dock, and we struck up a conversation, and my wife even sat on the stern of the boat, talking with a charming Scot from Lockerbie (remember the terrible PanAm tragedy?) who was traveling with son and wife and their two kids. He particularly approved of my wife whose father was from Glasgow and maiden name was Scott!

More of our saga next time!

AN ENGLISH ODYSSEY, PART 1

2011-07-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

If you wondered whether I was alive and still writing blogs, I'll explain that my wife and I have been away with friends from the London area for a five-day tour by car of East Anglia, a part of England with which we are not familiar. We covered 500 miles, which is like driving double that in America.

I won't bore you with every stop or place but give you some of the highlights. First, some background. I have to say my friend John, who is the youngest and spryest 86 I've ever seen, did all the driving---and he is a superb driver whose relexes are still keen. John and wife Joan have a Honda Accord, two years old, which he keeps immaculately. Joan does not drive but excels as a backseat driver with lots of unneeded and unheeded advice. John also has a GPS in the car, whom we dubbed "Susie", with a refined and quiet voice as she instructs us on our route. John loves to wander on the back roads or take some deviations from the established route, so every now and then we turn Susie off, and I, in the front seat, help John as navigator with very detailed maps of which the Brits have many. Joan any my wife are obviously in the back where my wife occasionally gets a word in.

As for the highlights, in chronological order, the first stop was at Ightham Mote, a magnificent manor house in northern Kent, which is part of the National Trust, an organization that is a multi-million pound corporation, owning and maintaining many of the stately homes of Great Britain, charging admission to view these homes. I might add, some of these homes are castles or the equivalent. Ightham Mote, interestingly enough, was owned by an American who restored it to its fifteenth century glory days. Harold Robinson was a manufacturer of top-quality paper in Portland, Maine. As a young man, after college, he did a bicycle tour of England, spied this manor from the road--and fell in love with it. Years later, after he had amassed his fortune, he bought it and restored it beautifully. After his death, he bequeathed it to the National Trust. You can spend a day there, wandering through the maze of rooms and walking the beautiful gardens. All of us had seen it before, so we did not spend the day there but still put in two hours. One of the highlights was the master bedroom, painted in a light grey with white trimming of the panels, a perfect combination of colors to accent a collection of paintings on the walls. Robinson brought over from America a stunning oval Federal mirror, which hangs over the fireplace, and it is great to see a bit of Americana in this English setting. and it fits in well.

I'll continue this in future blogs so that I don't overdose you with our travelogue!

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN---AND HER MONEY

2011-07-02T00:17:00.001-07:00

The Queen, God bless her, has got a few money problems. The monarchy is an expensive proposition, and some republicans in this country would like to replace the monarchy with a republican form of government. As you know, the power of the monarchy is purely symbolic,while the government is run by elected officials, M.P.s (Members of Parliament), one of whom is chosen for Prime Minister to run in a general election and become head of state. The majority of the people, however, still like the symbolism of the monarchy, the pomp and majesty of a tradition dating back to 1066 when William the Conqueror of Normandy, after the Battle of Hastings where his forces defeated Harold and the Anglo-Saxons, became William I, King of Great Britain.

The headlines of one of the major newspapers today states: MONARCHY ‘SHORN OF ITS DIGNITY’ TO SAVE MONEY”. What the paper was referring to was an attempt by the government, in its continuing effort to get a handle on expenses in these austere times, to rein in some of the royal expenses. In fact, it has been proposed to cut the Queen’s budget by 10% over the next four years. George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Secretary of the Treasury), has proposed that the Queen’s budget be subject to governmental review in the form of a new law, agreed to by the Queen, called the Sovereign Grant Bill which would give the National Audit Office the right to scrutinize royal expenses and try to keep expenses in line.

Being a Royal is an expensive proposition. You can imagine that the honeymoon-cum-p.r. trip of William and Kate to Canada and California will cost considerable shekels. The clothes budget for Kate, who is the new Diana, the showpiece of the royal family, has got to be a small fortune. Actually, by the time William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, become king and queen, King William V and Queen Katherine, the monarchy will have changed, slowly but surely. I’m sure they will have the common touch, popularizing the monarchy in a new way. I doubt if I will be around to see that Coronation.

Speaking of coronations,my wife and I were on our honeymoon in 1953 when Elizabeth II was crowned, and we were lucky enough to be in the throng crowding the Mall when her golden coach passed on the way to Westminster Abbey. We had stood in our spot for five hours waiting to catch a glimpse of the Queen. The crowd was fun and good-natured. If you had to go to the bathroom, they would save your place when you returned. Just when you thought you would fall asleep standing up, vendors came with an extra edition of the newspapers, informing us that Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norkay had become the first to climb Mount Everest. Can you imagine the roar from that crowd? I can still goose pimple remembering the pomp and circumstance, especially the sound of the various regiments as they were called to attention when the Queen neared, snapping their boots together with a sound like artillery fire. It's an indelible memory--and we’d do it all over again.

That was a different time and a different place than today. As Bob Dylan would say, “The times, they are a-changin’!”

THE NEW AND THE OLD

2011-06-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

As I said in my last blog, Wimbledon is in full swing, and my wife and I watch it by the hour. The coverage is fantastic with a host of good and knowledgeable announcers (or presenters, as the Brits call them), the king of whom is John McEnroe. By the time of the semis and finals next weekend, McEnroe will have moved from BBC to NBC to fulfill his commitment to American television. McEnroe, more than all the others, has the ability to transmit what is happpening in the players' heads, and some of his comments seem almost prophetic.

I won't bore you with any more match details, because most people aren't as nutty about the game as we are. I do want to comment, however, on the Williams Sisters. Many times in the past, I felt they have played the race card too often, especially Serena, but I do have to agree with Serena's recent complaint that they are not getting enough time on the "show courts", Centre Court and Court #1. Serena is, after all, the defending champion---yet she has only played once on those major courts. Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic have played on these venues several times.

I readily admit to being a male chauvinist on tennis in that men's matches are usually more exciting to watch, although this year several of the women's matches have been truly suspenseful. In general, due to the power, variety and length (five sets potential for men against three set maximum for women), the guys have more excting matches.

Wimbledon is slowly evolving, but the Old Boy Network is still in charge and has definite ideas on what they want. How many times at the U.S. Open, when you survey the crowd, do you see a liberal sprinkling of suits and dresses? Of course, Wimbledon has the Royal Box with obvious dress requirements, but even beyond the Royal Box, some suits and dresses with big hats, like the Kentucky Derby, are in vogue.

Doubtless, the Williams sisters collide with the old traditions and values. Usually, they are very tactful and play the game, literally and figuratively. In this recent case, Serena did not rant and shout but quietly noted by inference that she and Venus felt they were not being featured enough on the show courts.

It will be fascinating to see what happens in the future. The papers here are noting Serena's complaint, and commentators are weighing in. Tradition vs. the New World. It could be,as Arte Johnson used to say on "Laugh-in", VERRRRRRRY INTERESTING!

SETTLING IN IN OLD BLIGHTY

2011-06-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

I am alive and taking nourishment in England. My wife and I arrived Monday morning at 7:15 a.m. G.M.T. (2:15 a.m. E.D.T.). We took a nap in the afternoon and then stayed up to 10:00 p.m. when we crashed and slept well. I must have had a small bout of food poisoning which had me barfing, followed by the shakes, right after I went to bed. But the shakes didn't last long and then I slept well. I've been fine ever since.

We went on a big shop yesterday at one of the finer supermarkets in England called Waitrose. They cost a bit more, but the quality is excellent. Let me tell you, we all gripe at food costs at home, but, wow, they are really high here. The real bargain are English strawberries and raspberries which are in season and at reasonable prices.

The weather is very English; in a word, variable: lots of showers mixed in with patches of sunshine, in the low sixties. After weeks in the nineties in Florida, it's a welcome change. This weekend it is supposed to be fair and in the low eighties. That we'll take, with pleasure.

We are in hog heaven, watching superb coverage in depth every afternoon of Wimbledon. The announcing is excellent: these commentators, including John McEnroe, know just what to say and when to say it. They are not afraid of some golden silence and letting the action speak for itself. Yesterday was one of the finest women's matches we've ever seen when Venus Williams barely prevailed in three sets over Kimiko Date-Krumm. The combined ages of the two women were 71 (Date-Krumm, 40; Venus, 31), but they played and moved like kids. Date-Krumm almost blew her off the courts in the first set, leading 5-1, when Venus rallied, took it to a tiebreaker and then lost. Venus won the second set 6-3, leading to a suspenseful third set which Venus won 8-6. We'll be glued to the box through the weekend after next with this spectacle.

So, we are settling in, adjusting to a different but enjoyable life style. We have many friends here and will soon be in touch with them, plus we have my wife's sister and husband nearby, and we have good times together.

Our small house is in good shape: we had German students renting it for nine months, and they took good care of it. Our small but lovely garden is in top form. You don't know what flowers are until you see English gardens. The temperate climate here with rain plus a chalky soil make roses look as big as peonies, for example.

The economy here is hurting with lots of austerity measures. Almost everything you buy has a V.A.T. (Value-Added Tax). It used to be 17.5% but is now 20% and really adds substantially to the cost of everything. For example, let's say you bought metal curtain rods. The metal producer pays V.A.T.; so does the middleman/distributor; and then the retailer tacks it on. You get the idea...

So, we are back in business here. More soon.

JUST BEFORE I GO...

2011-06-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

This will be my last blog for awhile, as we are preparing to go to England for the summer. My British-born wife, an American citizen for many years, inherited in 1994, after the death of her parents, a small retirement house in The Meads, a former village now part of Eastbourne, E. Sussex, 17 miles east of Brighton, 70 miles south of London, on the English Channel. We leave Sunday, June 19 and will return September 11 ( no, I'm sure security will be at its max that day.). We're going to put the house up for sale this summer, and future visits will be shorter, and we should have no problems in the future finding short-term rental apartments.

All I can do is hope that somehow the economic malaise of today improves, but I don't see many signs that the polarized politics of today will improve enough for much good to be accomplished. The Republicans don't want to do anything to help the President, and their sole mantra is "Beat him Big in 2012". The Democrats aren't a helluva lot better in offering constructive programs (except to defend Medicare to the death), and even the President seems caught up in the quicksand of being the great compromiser and consensus builder. Where I'm going this summer, politically isn't any better---maybe worse as the austerity measures of the Conservative government have taken affect.

If the world is too much with you and you want a brief escape, go see "Midnight in Paris", the latest Woody Allen film starring Owen Wilson. It is not one of those Woody-being-neurotic-and-kvetching films. It is really an old-fashioned Romantic Comedy. The photography of Paris is like old post cards with every site in Paris shown, day and night, rain or shine. Woody's music, as he is jazz-oriented (like I am), is spot-on. Owen Wilson is also spot-on as a frustrated young American screenwriter who wants to write the great American novel. He is magically transported back to the twenties where he hobnobs with Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Picasso, Gertrude Stein and the great artistic circles of Paris of that era. The character acting is perfect. It is funny, tender and, best of all, entertaining. I've said enough: go see it and enjoy a break from our tense world.

I'll be back at you soon. Have a good summer.

HOW TO KNOW YOU'RE OLD

2011-06-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

I know there are many symptoms of old age: arthritic pain, senior moments, balance problems---you know, the usual suspects. But, if you really want to know you are obsolete, go into an Apple store.

Twenty miles south of us is a mega-mall called Coconut Point with every store you've ever heard of---and quite a few you don't know. My wife and I drove there Saturday because I needed to go to the Apple Store to check out my iPod.

Last summer in England, I cleverly knocked a glass of red wine with my elbow and saturated my iPod. I desperately and immediately sopped ip up with paper towels. It played in a muted way briefly and then conked out. I rarely use it here since I have it on my computer, but I figured, if I were to use it in England this summer, I better see if it were salvageable or needed replacement, so to the Apple I went.

We walked into this chromium and glass palace, a high-tech heaven, where the first thing I noticed was that I was light years older than anyone else in the place. At least 75% were teenagers or younger. and most of the remaining 25% were probably their parents.

I blithely walked up to one of the blue t-shirted floor walkers and started to explain my problem. He politely cut me short and explained I had "to make an appointment" and took me to the back of a store where another attendant, who looked seventeen, registered me on his iPad and informed me it would be twenty minutes before anyone would be available to help me.

We looked around the store, laid out in a series of tables filled with laptops, iPads and iPods, chockablock with people and sales personnel, testing, playing and explaining the variety of wares. It became increasingly apparent that this relatively young company is a sellers market. How many products do you know that generate 20 billion ($20,000,000,000!!!) in sales their first year---but that is exactly what the iPad did! They are brilliant marketers, creating a mystique that they are a special world, and you are lucky to be able to partake of it.

Within the twenty minutes, a sales rep came up to me. He in turn turned me over to another rep, who turned me over to another---a real double play. The first rep took care of my old iPod; the second sold me on the new iPod; the third explained it to my wife and me. I ended up with an iPod Nano and. by recycling my old red-wined iPod,got a very good deal on this new one. It is about 1 1/4" square, a quarter of the size of my previous iPod and has four times the capacity!

Now I know I'm truly obsolete! But, wow, I'll play a megaton of music.

I HEAR YOU, BIG BROTHER

2011-06-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

“By drastically expanding the scope of freely available information, the Internet has fundamentally altered the concept of privacy as well as how people form opinions of anything and, perhaps more significantly, anyone. The proliferation of blogs, online forums, and social media has created a space for fruitful exchanges of information between people across the globe. While readers often take what they find seriously, such content should not always be considered at face value. When it comes to information about people, the Internet and search engines often call up information that is private, untrue, or out of context.”

This quotation is from an article by Deanna Glick on AOL entitled “Weiner Provides Valuable Lesson About Online Privacy”. It rings true to me,

As one of the “proliferation of blogs” types she mentions, the article caught my attention. Anyone who has read my blogs has seen me decry the loss of privacy in the cyberworld, especially in the form of the social networks. I am an old fogy who refuses to join the world of Facebook and Twitter because of these privacy concerns. I have family and friends who are in the social networks, and I understand it’s a good way to keep up or rekindle friendships, but it is not for me. I’ll find other ways, thank you, to keep up with friends or refind old ones.

The world of the computer and the internet have put us in a new and exciting Age of Information. In the future when history is written, or whatever the future form of communication will be, we will be part of this Age of Information, just as people in the nineteenth century were part of the Age of the Industrial Revolution. It has created miracles and wonders for our lives. But with every blessing comes the flipside, and ours is loss of privacy.

All kinds of weirdos are out there: horny, frustrated, venomous, lonely---you choose the adjective---and they want the world to know it. It is a cry of frustration or a plea for attention. Look at Representative Weiner, a man of intelligence and ability, who has just screwed up his life by exposing himself, literally and figuratively, by his email “mistake”. On the net, you can’t take back your mistakes, as he so grievously discovered.

George Orwell in “1984” described “Big Brother”, the super-tyrant who controls our lives. In the cyberworld Big Brother lurks, and we all hear his footsteps too close and too often. Privacy is our last refuge. Let’s keep the door locked when we hear those footsteps.

WAY TO GO, DELTA

2011-06-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Those wonderful folks who bring you Delta Airlines have struck another blow for clumsy inept public relations by the recent to-do about charging soldiers returning from Afghanistan $2800 in excess baggage charges. It isn't enough that these soldiers have undergone the trauma of service in that hellhole, but then they have to be soaked by "America's favorite airline". I read in the "Huffington Post" that Delta made 3.7 billion in ancillary revenue in 2010 for food, drink and baggage--a very nice profit center, I would say.

34 soldiers were charge the $2800.00. A Sgt. Robert O'Hair did a Youtube interview and told of his charge of $200.00 for the fourth bag---his weapons case.

Delta better smarten up and allow airport reservation personnel to have some freedom to exert common sense. Probably most of that personnel have a thick procedural guide book spelling out the operating procedure, and the personnel are probably scared shitless to violate its sacred principles. Common sense and decency should still dictate action on the spot.

How to make friends and influence business, the Delta way. Not the right way.

THE WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND

2011-06-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. I wrote a blog last October about Senator Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) holding up the nomination to the Federal Reserve Board of Peter Diamond, a Nobel Prize winner and authority on joblessness, expressing my frustration that a man of this intellectual quality and with specific gifts to analyze the problems of joblessness in this threatened economy should have his nomination blocked.

Well, people, Dick Shelby and a bunch of bloody-minded Republicans and, to be fair, a lacklustre feeble effort by the Obama administration in support of their nominee have caused Peter Diamond, after fourteen months of frustration, to withdraw his name. Shelby smugly stated that he hoped the administration would come up with someone with "more bipartisan appeal".

Nice work, everybody. It symbolizes the state of inaction and impasse currently the standard oerating procedure in Washington. Just play politics, postphone important decisions until the election. The Republicans don't want to do anything that might give credit to the Obama administration. But Obama and his people aren't a helluva lot better right now in putting everything aside, including job stimulus, to deal with the deficit. I know the deficit is important---but job creation can help to get things going, spark the economy and improve the deficit situation. All we have is intransigence, scolding each other---and not getting anything done.

Let's get off this merry-go-round and let's go somewhere! In the meantime, a brainy man named Peter Diamond, who might have some good ideas, is walking away. It's a bloody shame.

WHAT A TRIUMVIRATE IN A NEW WORLD

2011-06-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

My favorite sport is tennis, and what a smorgasbord of talent and great matches was on display in the just completed French Open. To no surprise, Rafa Nadal, the number one player in the world (but just barely) maintained his number one ranking by beating Roger Federer in a suspensful match 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1. Every point was fought as two gladiators fought to the death for the first three sets before fatigue and Nadal's unrelenting pressure broke open the last set.

It is a real treat to have two players of the stature of Nadal and Federer---and now made a triumvirate by the fantastic streak of Novak Djokovic who won 43 straight matches from December of last year until beaten by Roger Federer in the French semi-finals two days ago. If Federer had beaten Nadal in the finals, Djokovic would have attained the number one ranking.

I have been a tennis buff since my early teens when tennis replaced baseball as my favorite playing sport. We have had a galaxy of stars over the years, but I think the present period, with these three collosi bestriding the tennis world has the greatest depth of talent I've ever seen. Of course, the game has radically changed since I was a boy. From the days of wooden racquets with Jack Kramer and Pancho Gonzalez or the Aussies Sedgman, Laver and Newcombe,or John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, to name a few, the game has morphed into a new dimension.It produced Sampras, Agassi and then the latest crew headed by the triumvirate.

Why and how? Several reasons: new equipment: major innovations in space-age materials to create new racquets with the velocity (it seems sometimes) of guns; new mixtures of nylon ang gut strings in new configurations; the incredible emphasis on top physical conditioning of today which has created a new breed of fit warriors;
the mechanics of the game where it has even changed the way the ball is struck. In the old days, flat line drives and "cuts" with emphasis on serve and charge the net to volley were the standard operating procedures. You hit the ball with a "shaking hands" eastern grip or a modified slight turn of the racquet to a Continental grip for serving or volleying or a more pronounced turn of the wrist for a backhand. Now they hit with Western grip where the racquet is turned over in the hand and the swing, instead of pointing to the net, ends up somewhere over your head, while the ball rockets into the opponent;s court and has a high kick when it lands. It is a totally different game. If I tried to play it, I'd get killed!

And then you reach 2011 with this dominant triumvirate, and,in the near background moving up fast, are a host of young giants ranging from 6'5' to 6'9" who are readying for a challenge. And they are all fast and fit!

Ah, it's fun to be alive and see this treasure trove of talent. It's going to get even better---you watch.

THE ULTIMATE GAME

2011-06-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

I note that Sukanya Roy, a fourteen-year-old Indian-American girl, won the National Spelling Bee last night. The winning word was CYMOTRICIOUS, meaning "having wavy hair", as any idiot should know. I often describe myself as being cymotricious. O.K., I'll put out my funny cigarette and get serious.

I happened to watch some of this spelling bee at lunchtime on ESPN2, while I was hoping to see the French Open, but found it fascinating and. in its unique way, suspensful. Sukanya Roy was the fourth straight Indian-American winner of this event. By far the largest proportion of contestants were of Indian or Oriental descent.

Why do I note this? Am I a racist? Hell no, it simply goes to show that the work ethic and desire of students whose parents had to struggle to achieve the "American Dream" (which is currently a bit of a nightmare, I might observe) passed on these achieving genes to their progeny. For many years, it's been the same story: at most high school graduations, the valedictorian of the class is Indian- or Oriental-descended. It has been this way for thirty years or more. I remember when my kids graduated from high school in Ohio thirty-odd years ago, the valedictorian was either Korean, Chinese or Indian.

What do we have to do to light this kind of fire in other kids, Afro-American or Caucasian? I know there are many notable exceptions, but as a rule my theorem holds true. I also realize that in today's world where stay-at-home moms are a rarity and both parents are working and struggling to make ends meet it is not so simple. I know Arne Duncan, the excellent Secretary of Education, is fighting hard to lift academic standards, weed out deficient teachers and to challenge students and their parents to strive for excellence. If only we could make academic achievement as important as sports. And I love sports, but I try to remember they are games.

Achievement in life is the ultimate game. I hope more American kids from a wide range of backgrounds learn to play it well.

IT'S BIG BUSINESS---AND IT STINKS.

2011-05-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

I just saw the news flash that Jim Tresell has resigned as football coach at Ohio State. All I can say is, it's about time, and he has done the right thing. I suspect he was "encouraged" by the O.S.U. administration as well as pressure from the N.C.A.A. Ohio State's reputation as a football factory with the win-at-any-cost philosophy should be an embarrassment to a host of Buckeye alumni and subway fans.

I hope---but wonder---if this scandal will change the ethics in Columbus. College football is big business everywhere, but none more so than at that mega-monster called the Buckeyes. I have always been a rooter for Ohio State from childhood when my father took me to games but have become increasingly dismayed as the Tresell and his players scandal erupted and further bespoiled the moral landscape. Tresell is symptomatic of the problem besetting college football, no longer a game but one helluva big business. Tresell has plenty of company in the ammoral and usually immoral world of college football where winning anyway possible is the basic tenet.

Alumni and rabid fans have to take their share of the blame. There are few more obnoxious sights in the world than a group of Buckeyes in a bar, screaming and being total asses. They give real meaning to the term chauvinists (not in the sexist sense). We have our share of them here on my Florida island. The pressure to win and the under-the-table "gifts" to players create the wrong moral climate. Maybe the Big Ten has the right idea to end this hypocrisy by allowing the players to accept some "expense money". It's happening anyway, a fact of life.

But I still get hung up on one fact: it's still a damn game, even before it was a business. The Jim Tressells of the world are always around, and, unfortunately, so are the college administrators who look the other way and are busy counting the mega bucks. I suppose, with the prohibitive cost of colleges today, they love to keep that money flowing in.

The word "amateur" derived from the Latin "amare"---to love. It is naive and obsolete to expect sports players and watchers to be pure lovers of the game, especially when many coaches and players do it for money. There's a name for that, too---prostitution.

Morality. I should have known, interferes with profit. Just another sign of my age.

THE MINE FIELD OF LIFE

2011-05-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

I often feel when I describe my political philosophy as a moderate that, to many minds of the polar extremes of right and left, I must sound like a wimp. I had one extreme right-wing friend, in the heat of a debate, tell me I was gutless, afraid to take a position one way or the other. This is a frequent admonition of extreme thinkers who only see black and white and no shades of grey or can brook no deviation from their political positions.

I have always admitted we need these extremes of both political poles. What they frequently succeed in doing is opening up the field for discussion, for analysis and the opportunity to seek solutions, frequently in compromise, that dreaded word which conjures up images of surrender to the extremists. Yet, miracle of miracles, that is how most political change comes about, the result of people hashing out differences and finding a workable if imperfect solution to problems.

I have often, as well, used the phrase that I am a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. This phrase really drives the extremists to the edge of madness. How the hell can you be liberal and conservative at the same time? That’s a contradiction in terms. Not really. To me it is possible to believe, for example, that certain area of social responsibility should be directed by the federal government, such as educational standards, health care and social entitlements, which are of national interest, but that they should also be run efficiently and judiciously---not wastefully. In this connection, if local government can do certain programs better than a national agency, so be it. If this be a contradiction in terms, then I am a contradicter and contrarian in my life beliefs!

I earned my living in the field of business or commerce, if you will. I believe in the free market system and that entrepreneurial success should be rewarded. But I also believe that greed is a frequent companion to success and that many can never have that greed satiated. Enough is not a word in many business lexicons. If it were, would we have the economic problems of today and the worst recession since the big one in ’29? It’s that old question: how much is enough? There seems to be no limit sometimes.

This world is exploding in many ways: new nations, new search for democratic freedom, new demands for social betterment and justice---and some new menaces in religious and economic extremism. If you don’t keep your sense of balance and the ability to adopt to new ideas, you can take a hard and dangerous fall.

This old moderate will still seek to find the workable way through this puzzle we call life, treading carefully through a changing and dangerous world.

WILL SHE GO BLIND?

2011-05-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

I learned something new today. It's National Masturbation Month, which is celebrated all over the world, according to Dr. Carol Queen, a sexologist for "Good Vibrations", a sex toy shop in San Francisco (where else?). Meat beaters and dildo diddlers of the world, unite, you have nothing to lose but your you-know-what.

Even more interesting, in Brazil a court has declared it legal and acceptable that Ana Catarian Bezerra be allowed to masturbate at her workplace. It seems she suffers from extreme anxiety and finds relief in masturbation, which she has done up to forty-seven times a day. A doctor has put her on tranquilizers and reduced the need for such play to eighteen times a day.

It makes me nervous and tired just to contemplate that much manual action. I don't somehow think this action will become commonplace in the American workplace. Too distracting and detrimental to office efficiency. But I've been wrong before...

THE ULTIMATE APHRODISIAC

2011-05-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

I was fascinated to read in the papers this morning of the arrest for alleged rape by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund and a contender to replace Nicholas Sarkosy as President of France. The victim was a 32-year old African maid at his posh New York (three grand per night) hotel suite. M. le ministre Strauss-Kahn has a long record of infidelities and, to put it mildly, a prolific and active sex life.

The first thought I had was how difficult it will be for the maid who doubtless will be facing a battery of the highest-paid lawyers big money can buy. The second thought was to remember an adage from Henry Kissinger: "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac."

It is quite amazing the number of powerful politicians or power brokers who are frequently caught with their flies open. The obvious Presidential types like John Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Warren Harding (who, in case you didn't know it, was caught IN FLAGRANTE DELICTO in a closet under the stairs in the White House with his secretary who was doing more than taking dictation), Thomas Jefferson and, I’m sure a few others. Joe Kennedy was a master diddler and, among many others, had Gloria Swanson as a mistress. Randolph Hearst for many years “sponsored” the actress Miriam Davis when they lived in his palace, Xanadu, in Big Sur. Congress is filled with tales of lust and many forced out of office by sexual scandals. In any case, power and lust are partners like bread and butter---they just seem to go together.

Power seems to go the head (which one, take your choice---both, to my mind) and makes the instigator think that somehow he is immune and above the law. In the old days, it seemed this was true. For example, the press liked Jack Kennedy. They knew he was playing around constantly but they looked the other way. Watergate and Vietnam changed all the journalistic ground rules, and the doors were flung wide open. But that doesn’t stop the sexual predator who looks on conquests as a game and feels he will always be the victor.

It will be interesting to see how the Strauss-Kahn case turns out. Of course, the French, the Italians and the Greeks are used to these political shenanigans and simply shrug their shoulders. But getting charged in New York and a probable trial might even get their attention..

As Fats Waller used to say, “One never knows, do one?”

THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY

2011-05-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is weird. I wrote a post yesterday under the above title---and it's nowhere to be found, lost in cyberspace. I'll try to reconstruct it.

May is one of my favorite months here in Sanibel Island on the southwest coast of Florida. The weather is usually wonderful, even if this year is a bit warmer and more humid than usual, but still bearable. By this time the tourist season is over. Normally it is over by late April but, due to the late Easter this year, the tourist season extended into the first week in May. We restless "natives" (that is, anyone who calls this home whether here a year or thirty) are catching our collective breaths and enjoying the comparative peace and quiet. On June 1, hurricane season starts, lasting until November 1. We had a bad one in 2004 which severely damaged our condo on the beach, a prime rental property (which we have owned for thirty-four years) reopened for rental in 2005. We also had limited damage to the house: a pool cage knocked down, which in turn damaged our antique fountain---all fine now. The weather in the summer becomes a steam bath with late afternoon showers the usual rule, but by October it is usually great.

Spring is at its best right now. We had a hard rain a few days ago, which was needed, and nature then exploded. We have a Strangler Fig tree in the middle of our front lawn, surrounded by flowering shrubs, in which we have periodically added orchids which are showing a profusion of white blooms. We also have a Hong Kong Orchid tree in the front, the pride of the neighborhood, which normally is covered with pink flowers from November to March; this year, it's still showing lots of pink in May.

Our backyard is right on the second fairway near the green of the Beachview Country Club, so, when we built the house nine years ago, we decided we had enough grass with the fairway and concentrated on native plants and some exotics in our back garden. The bougainvillea were exceptionally fiery this year, especially in March and April though still showing lots of red. Bottlebrush trees, exora, yucca, clumps of native grasses and lots of yellow dune flowers make a bright display and attract birds and butterflies. We also have a swimming pool enclosed in a large and sturdy screen enclosure to keep birds and critters out. In the corner of the pool is our antique fountain which my grandfather purchased in Florence, Italy in 1905, had at his house in Ohio for many years, after which I moved it to my home in Ohio for forty years---and then moved it down here.

As for birds, we have a lot. I've told you about the woodpeckers who made apartments in a dead palm next to our house. They must have got "territorial" and decided that the screech owl should not have an apartment there. So much for my multi-ethnic neighborhood! I'm happy to report, however, we have spied the screech owl who moved over to the Strangler Fig and made a nest there, so he's still in the neighborhood! The only nasty ones are some noisy crows who sometimes come in flocks and make their annoying "uh-uh" sound. We have lots of herons and egrets who travel in flotillas and are prevalent especially after a good rain when they can eat worms and insects. it looks and sounds like a ladies' club meeting when they congregate. You have to be careful driving on the street, because these congregations take their own sweet time crossing.

We love Sanibel anytime---but it's extra-special in the merry month of May.

MORE MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKING

2011-05-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

As one would expect, the contrarians are weighing in on the assassination of Osama bin Laden. As expected, Fidel Castro thinks it wrong and an unauthorized invasion of national sovereignty. Angela Merkel, the German prime minister, caught hell for saying it was a good thing from national newspaper, "Die Welt" and the German foreign minister, Guido Westewelle said we must be careful lest it send the wrong message to extremists to incite them. As if they needed further inciting! The prime minister of Spain, Juan Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, decried the killing and not bringing bin Laden to trial. Human rights lawyers all over the world are adding their fuel to the fire.

I am not one under normal circumstances to advocate violation of national sovereignty or assassinations. But would you consider "normal circumstances" the war on terror? Yes, note the word "war". Whether you like it or not we have been engaged for ten years in a war on terror. I am not saying we always did it the right way, for I have consistently thought, since the beginning, that Iraq was a mistake, that we could have undermined and forced Saddam Hussein out another way---but that's another story. In wartime civil rights and many democratic prerogatives are temporarily suspended.

Remember the Civil War when Abraham Lincoln, the epitome of the soul of democracy, suspended habeas corpus? The ground rules often change in wartime, and we are forced to do things we normally might find repellent. Harry Truman caught a lot of hell for dropping the atomic bomb, but, personally, I think he did the right thing. If you had been told by your trusted military advisers that the invasion of Japan would mean a million casualties, wouldn't you have considered the bomb?

We might also remember that Congress on September 18, 2001 passed the Authorization to Use Military Force, a broad measure giving sweeping power to the President to act with wartime powers against the extremist terrorists, especially bin Laden.

It's not a lovely abstract game played on a board or on paper, world politics and war. Do you think the Nazis or the Japanese in WW II played by the rules? The idea in a war is to win.

Osama bin Laden was another Hitler or Stalin; he was Public Enemy Number One and a threat to all democracies. He had to be taken out, and it took a helluva long time to do so. When we had the chance to do it---and it was a risky chance our President took, to his credit---, we had to strike. and that is how war works.

So, drop the Monday morning quarterbacking, and just appreciate an awful but necessary job that had to be done.

MUSIC TO MY EARS

2011-05-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

"I'd rather have the committee working with the Senate and the president, focusing on savings and reforms that can be signed into law."

These were the words of Dave Camp (R-Mich), Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, referring to the failure of the House to repeal the Health Care Law and the need to work on modifying the existing law.

Thank God. How much time has been wasted on this repeal effort, which was doomed from the beginning, Now they can get down to the serious business of analyzing the law, fixing its weak points, perhaps stripping away some of the earmarks and irrelevancies attached to the old bill and just plain repairing it. We need a worable health plan. Maybe, just maybe, some bipartisanship might appear? MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, SOME THINKING OF THE NATIONAL INTEREST?

LEST WE FORGET

2011-05-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

My son-in-law just forwarded the op-ed listed below. Mind you, I believe the killing of that monster, bin Laden, totally justifiable, but Mr. Black raises some pertinent factors that we should note and apply and some challenges we need to consider. it is like I often say: simple answers are easy but not always right.

Sovereign Man
Notes from the Field

Date: May 2, 2011
Reporting From: Montevideo, Uruguay

Despite being one of the most cerebral societies in the history of the world, the Ancient Greeks condemned one of their greatest philosophers to death for asking too many inconvenient questions and pestering the status quo.

Certain things, as it turns out, are sacrosanct and beyond debate.

Good citizens, whether in Ancient Greece or today, are expected to fall in line with what they're told, and any measure of dissent or intellectual discourse is met with derision and public ridicule. Anyone who questions the nation's hallowed truths is labeled as an enemy... or at least, accused of supporting the enemy.

If Socrates were alive today, though, he would be busier than ever. As uncomfortable as it may be for many people, there are difficult questions that need to be asked.

Is it the nature of justice in America to order the assassination of someone located in another sovereign nation who has not been put on trial, no matter how evil he has been made out to be?

When a country spends 10-years and billions of dollars to chase a man around the world, only to find him 'hiding in plain sight' right next door to a country it has invaded, what does it say about its capability to keep the citizens safe?

As the mainstream media is presenting all the information passed along by the US government without questioning any of it, could there be another side to the story that is not being discussed?

In light of such an apparent 'victory', when will the civil liberties and financial privacies that have been taken so rapidly since 9/11 be reinstated?

Regardless of any short-term euphoria, is the country headed in the overall right direction? Moreover, has there been any change in the ability of the nation's leaders to forge real solutions?

Understandably, it's an easier course of action to celebrate in the streets right now than to ask questions. People are weary of war, and as they have now been told that a grotesque symbol of evil has been put down like a mangy dog, it is no doubt a cathartic moment for those who are emotionally invested.

Yet seeking the truth is not an act of sedition, but one of patriotism. When a society slanders independent thinkers and dismisses those who do not fall in line like chanting Zombies, they're simply borrowing from the same playbook that the Soviet Union used.

In time, the exuberance will fade, and western nations will once again find themselves facing indelible challenges. Most of them are already past the point of no return.

The dollar remains fundamentally weak. Commodities and precious metals did fall immediately following last night's announcement (giving our partner Tim a tidy profit on the short silver position he wrote about last week), though the long-term trend on all tangibles remains bullish over fiat.

Even against other fiat currencies like the euro, yen, and Swiss franc, the dollar is weakening. Debt problems remain unaddressed. The Fed's balance sheet remains inflated. And a tiny handful of men still controls the money system that has been wrecking the lives of ordinary people around the world.

Roughly 3,000 people died in the September 11th attacks. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians around the world have died in retaliatory conflicts since then. Millions of people have seen their lives change for the worse as a result of the consequent erosion in civil liberties. Billions of people are facing a critical pinch from rising food and fuel prices.

Yes, the boogeyman we have been told to hate for the last decade has been put to rest. But if we choose to ignore the real evils that remain in the world for the sake of short-term euphoria, we're simply dancing in the streets while Rome burns.

Until tomorrow,

Simon Black
Senior Editor, SovereignMan.com

JUSTICE IS DONE---BUT...

2011-05-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

OSAMA BIN LADEN: 1957-2011

It took awhile, but we finally got the bastard. I am delighted the administration let actions speak louder than words, unlike George W. who frequently talked about the chase and vowed numerous times to get Bin Laden. This is the way a covert operation should work: no fanfare, just stealth, meticulous attention to detail and reliable information.

We are kidding ourselves if anyone thinks this will be the end of Al-Qaeda. Bin Laden has assumed mythic heroic proportions in the minds of many zealous Muslims, and his “martyrdom” will spur the crazies on, and those who hate America will continue to do so. His killing, nevertheless, demonstrates our sense of purpose and determination to the world not to bend to the will of the Muslim extremist.

More than ever, we will have to stay alert.

BLOODYMINDNESS AND THE BANK

2011-04-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Brits have a a wonderful word for stupid obstinacy---bloodymindness or being bloodyminded. I have just finished a wonderful example of same.

I just got off the phone after 23 minutes of dealing with the Collections Department of my bank, the Fifth Third. It seems I owe them $86.84 for a Visa charge. The only time I use this Visa card is to cover overdrafts on my checking account. Some months ago, as those of you who read me regularly may remember, I got hacked and changed to a new bank account. I kept the old one open with a small amount to cover last-minute incidental expenses. What happened was a bill got through to the old account and overdrew it so, whacko, the bank nails me. Then, my own fault, I must have overlooked the bill and got a late charge.

I just received a new bill, marked due 5/9/11 including the late charge, for $86.84, so I decided the expeditious thing to do was to call and pay electronically over the phone. I was told I could do so but then would have to call the credit card division to see if there were more charges. I went around and around with some lady and finally asked for her supervisor, This gentleman then told me I would be charged an additional $17.75 processing fee, plus the $86.84. After a brief stunned silence, I repied,"You mean to tell me that, by trying to do the right thing and pay the bill at once, I'm going to be charged extra?" "Yes,sir," he replied, "that is correct. "Would there be a charge,"I then asked,"if I mailed the payment in?" "No, sir," he answered.

So, I paid the bill by mail, which cost me an extra 44 cents for the stamp rather than pay a service processing charge of $17.75. The bank could have had the money today but now will have to wait at least two or three days before receiving it and then processing it. Of course they would have made more from the fees.

Now that is what I call "bloodyminded". And also greed...

NOW WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?

2011-04-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Attention, all you knuckleheads, nuts and neo-cons! Are you happy now or just pissed off that the issue is dead? The President has shown his real live birth certificate, much to your disappointment, I know.

What a ridiculous distraction and smokescreen this whole tempest-in-a-teapot has been. How much time has been wasted in this futile endeavor? Those who hate the President---and there are too many---will have to come up with some new verbal vitriolic acid to throw at him, but I have every confidence you will find something grotesque and nasty to replace this issue.

Of course, The Donald thinks the birth certificate should be inspected for authenticity. Right, Donald, President Obama would be stupid enough to issue a bogus one---duh.

We spend too much time inventing elaborate fabrications to cover up the real gripe many rabid conservatives have with Obama: they think he is a damn Muslim (and probably from terrorist roots, if not an actual one himself), or he's a closet Commie, or he's---oh, horrors---black. Never state your real reason when you can hide behind a subterfuge.

Issues, people, real issues. That's what we have to deal with. Let's talk about the future course and direction of government, entitlements, the economy, world affairs, the real gut issues. Forget this cover-up nonsense. Deal in facts, not fictions.

MY MULTI-ETHNIC NEIGHBORHOOD

2011-04-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I bring you up-to-date regarding the woodpeckers who inhabit a dead palm next to our house, the best view of which is from the powder room whose window is right next to the palm. Well, there have been some changes made.

A couple of weeks ago we noticed a strange small brown object attached to the right side of the tree, as we view it from the powder room. We could not figure what it was: we even got binoculars, but they were too strong for a tree that close and did not help. Then, a few nights ago, we had friends who are great birders here for dinner, and they looked and determined that this new object is a small screech owl.

Every evening the owl disappears but is back attached to the tree in the morning. Of course, owls are nocturnal and out doing their thing at night. But I had not seen the woodpeckers or even heard them greet me when I go out early to get the paper, so I figured perhaps the owl had scared them away.

Then this morning, as I went out to get the paper, I heard that familiar drumming sound on the roof and looked up to see the pecker, who then greeted me. As I came back up the steps, the woodpecker flew to her nest on the lower portion of the front of the tree, poked around a bit and then went in her hole. Prior to her entering the hole, I stood for a few seconds watching her, and she simply went about her business.

So, I'm happy to report, it's business as usual in the neighborhood---but now we are politically correct with a multi-ethnic dwellong. Ain't democracy great?

And, while I've got your attention, have a wonderful Easter. We will have two daughters and a granddaughter with us, which makes it extra-special. And we hope yours is, too!

POLITICS AS USUAL

2011-04-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

The political landscape is starting to heat up slightly as presidential candidates start making noises. The early showing of "The Donald" Trump does not surprise me, as he manages to stir the pot and grab attention with his "birther" obsession with Obama's legitimacy as a citizen. Americans often get suckered by these petty potboilers who press the right nerves or stir up the frustrations and resentments stored up by many. The Donald wraps up those stirrings of the discontented in a nice little bombastic package that has something for everybody with a bitch or gripe.

We love simple answers to complex problems: the simpler and catchier the key phrase, the more they eat it up. We refuse to admit---or don't want to take the time and effort to find out---that most of our real problems don't lend themselves to one-sentence solutions.

Sometimes I feel like Diogenes of ancient Greece, going around searching with his lamp for an honest man. In the political clime of today, with so many complex problems, most of us are overwhelmed, and few politicians have the courage or balls to deal honestly with the real problems. One conservative I do respect (although I do not always agree with him) is Mitch McDaniel, the Governor of Indiana, who at least faces and tries to deal with fiscal problems. He comes close to calling his shots straight.

So brace yourself. We're going to hear a lot of furious words, resonant and babbling, but with little real attempts to find honest solutions.

It's the beginning of the silly season. Look at Arizona: they're leading the way to Kooksville. It happens every four years and sometimes more often.

A FALL FROM GRACE

2011-04-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

The whole Barry Bonds trial was really a fiasco. We all know in our hearts that he was guilty of using steroids, but proving it under the legal system is another matter. In a democracy we bend over backwards to protect individual rights and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, but sometimes the system misfires or misfunctions because the burden of proof depends too much on hearsay evidence or is too difficult to prove absolutely.

If you think Barry Bonds never knowingly put steroids into his body, step forward and I will put a dollar under your pillow tonight for the tooth fairy and, while I'm at it, sell you preferred shares in the Brooklyn Bridge.

At least the government succeeded in making the obstruction charge stick. I hope it is enough to keep the asterisks on his records and to keep him out of the Hall of Fame.

Barry Bonds was a brilliant talent and a leadpipe cinch to make the Hall of Fame, until his ego got in the way and he just could not stand to leave the home run record in Hank Aaron's drug-free hands. Resultingly, he became the sports equivalent of The Incredible Hulk in order to take this title.

As I said sometime ago in an earlier blog, being a nice guy is not a prerequisite for the Hall of Fame---look at Ty Cobb,a really nasty piece of work, from all reports. I'm even for allowing Pete Rose in, now that he has admitted his gambling, and he was far from lovable. But Barry Bonds, even if he falls on his knees and admits his sins. should never be allowed in the Hall because he did not earn the right to be there legitimately or legally. When you stuff your body with steroids and thereby artificially enhance performance. you are dead meat as fas I am concerned.

Aristotle defined tragedy as the fall of a man of high estate from grace. In the sports world, Barry Bonds is truly a tragic figure.

A REAL ONE-LINER

2011-04-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

I'm at an age where one reminisces a lot, or younger family ask about things back in "the dark ages". when I was young. My wife reminded me of a beauty, one of the classic put-downs of my salad days.

I graduated from prep school, The Hill School in Pottstown PA, in June of 1945 just as World War II was over in Europe and, two months later, would be over in the Pacific as well. The war was still on in June of '45, so I figured I would accelerate and start in college right away that summer and have some credits under my belt before I was drafted in the Army. (As fate would have it, the war ended in August, and I didn't go into the Army until Korea time in 1950.) I was accepted at Princeton, In the meantime, my prep school roommate and staunch friend took the summer off, and then in the regular fall term entered Princeton. He was the one who had talked me into attending Princeton: I had been accepted also at Harvard, but Bob talked me into being with him.

Bob and I had come out of the strict almost monastic milieu of prep schools, in these days modeled on the British "public" schools system where discipline and austerity were supposed to be character-building. Personally, I think they only succeeded in making us hornier and ready to raise hell. I made it to my Junior year at Princeton before they caught up with me and kicked me out, saying I should go home and mature a bit and then they would reconsider my readmittance if I showed the proper maturity and contrition. Before they nailed me, however, Bob, who always was smarter than I, goofed off and got kicked out after his first term.

We got the news just prior to our going home for spring vacation. We huddled together and came up with a brilliant strategy where Bob would deliver an impassioned speech in defense of his record, promising to mend his ways if given a second chance. We wrote the speech together; he practiced delivering this speech while I watched critically. Finally the big day arrived, and he got an interview with the Dean of the college, Francis R.B. Godolphin, whose nickname, for obvious ironic reasons, was "Smiley".

Bob appeared at Dean Godolphin's office, filled with fire and zeal, ready to launch into his passionate defense. He entered the Dean's office and fired his opening salvo: "Dean Godolphin, I know I've made a bad mistake". The dean never changed from his stern and stoic visage and quickly replied' "Bad? Heh-heh, fatal!"

Bob's speech flew out the window, and he left the office totally crestfallen and mumbling to himself.

You have to give Smiley Godolphin credit---what a one-liner put-down!

P.S. I went on to graduate from Hamilton College and got low honor grades. Bob went on to Brown (he was from Providence RI and his family had connections) and graduated SUMMA CUM LAUDE, then got his Masters and Phd. in Psychology from Harvard and at one time taught at Cambridge in England. He died twenty years ago tragically of a brain tumor.

RING ROUND THE MOON

2011-04-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

I read an hilarious blog today from Bill Boggs (billyann-journal.blogspot.com) in poetic form about the glory days of outhouses---and, wow, did this trigger a memory.

Many years ago, back in the Dark Ages when I was twelve or so, my father took my two brothers and me fishing in northern Michigan. We stayed in a wonderful log cabin that had water but the plumbing was "out back".

I had never used a privy before, and it was a single holer. but, being a smart and logical kid, I quickly figured it out. I carefully spread that white powder around the hole of the seat and then sat down and did my business.

Shortly thereafter, I wondered why my butt was burning, and it got worse as the day progressed. That night, when I undressed, my oldest brother commented, "What the heck is wrong with your butt---you've got a red ring around it." My father came over and took a look and quickly hit on the solution. "Did you get some of that lime on your rear when you put it down the hole?" I then confessed that I had put it around the hole, not in the hole.

I heard about that one for years!

FISCAL CHICKEN

2011-04-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Ain't politics wonderful? Watching John Boehner and Barack Obama duking it out in the main bout, with plenty of preliminary bouts between other politicos, on the federal budget. It's the old game of chicken: one pushes the other to the edge of the cliff. In the meantime, we spectators sit there and watch, wondering if we will have an operative government or will Washington shut down for a few days.

I almost feel sorry for John Boehner (but only with crocodile tears) as he tries to play a balancing act between responsible Republicans and the Tea Party wackos who keep pushing him for more and more cuts and less and less government---the proverbial rock and a hard place.

OK, we all agree we have to get a handle on the deficit, but the other part of that rock and a hard place is the need to stimulate the economy and create jobs. First things first. since I'm dealing in proverbs, and the revival of the economy comes first.

But we are going to continue to play chicken with lots of sonorous soundbites from both sides: "sound and fury, signifying nothing." It's the way the game is played, folks.

I hope I'm wrong, but i think the government will close for a few days. Occasionally, though, politicos surprise me---not often---and do the right thing.

Stay tuned.

DAVID VS. DAVID

2011-04-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

What a wild and chaotic March Madness we experienced! Who would have thunk it: a number 8 versus a number 11 seed for all the marbles!

My midwestern blood emerged as I rooted for the Butler Bulldogs. My eldest granddaughter will probably write me out of her life, as she is engaged to a guy originally from Connecticut, and she did not approve of my choice. (Come football season, her heart belongs to Ohio State, while her fiance roots for Notre Dame, so all will not be pure bliss and harmony.)

UConn deserved the title, playing unbelievable defense in a title game with the lowest total points in years. it was not David vs. Goliath: it was two Davids duking it out. The iconoclast in me likes to see the mighty toppled and witness two underdogs competing for the title.

I have always been an Ohio State fan, and I was shocked when that great club was upset by Kentucky. I must admit, I am also getting a bit fed up with the hypocrisy of major sports, prime example of which are the Buckeyes and their Godfearing coach, Jim Tressel. UConn, with five talented freshmen, looks like they will be around for awhile. Basketball has so many surprises these days one never knows who is suddenly going to energe from obscurity at the propitious moment to demand attention.

That is the essence of the joy of sports.

ECONOMICS AND HOBSON'S CHOICE

2011-03-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

Many of the major nations are undergoing painful economic choices and decisions. As I write these words, a demonstration of 250,000 peacefully marched in London, except for a minority of 500 who became aggressive, throwing ammonia-filled light bulbs at police, smashing windows and scrawling graffiti on bank and corporate buildings. France has had a series of strikes and demonstrations with cars burned with Molotov cocktails or overturned. Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Italy---you name it---all are fighting fiscal chaos. Wisconsin and Ohio have witnessed, for the most part, peaceful but noisy demonstrations against attempts to cut services or to limit the public unions from collective bargaining, and these conflicts illustrate the malaise and pain of today.

Most of the winter of discontent centers around attempts to get a handle on fiscal expenses and deficits, which have necessitated cutting large chunks of public service, education , medical services and other matters dear to the public heart. Large unemployment and slowed economies complete the dismal picture of countries in economic distress. It would appear from the international scene that drastic fiscal cuts in an effort to stem the deficit are not always successful. In the short term, such cuts may appear to have saved money, but, in the long view, revenues eventually suffer and the economy stalls. Whatever choice you make, it is bound to be painful.

My inclination is we still have to emphasize job creation, and that means priming the governmental pump to create jobs or making incentives to stimulate business. It is pure astigmatism to cut education when we are facing an international market where emerging nations are closing the educational gap or, in some cases, have passed us. It is totally self-defeating to cut that area where we need to train a better work force and to preserve the flow of new ideas for which America has been famed.

We also still have to face the major task of dealing with entitlements, those areas which comprise the major part of governmental expenditure: reforming the income tax code, controlling medical costs and developing a workable health plan, and streamlining social security---the real guts of our economy. Moreover, I hate to say it, it may well mean in the future raising taxes, even after we clean up the income tax code. Without jobs and without training for the future, we are going to slip into mediocrity. Without dealing with the major areas of expenditures, we are going to continue increasing the deficit and further mortgaging future generations. But the first thing we have to do is get people working. It is amazing what that can do for morale and a positive “can-do” attitude.

Yes, it is Hobson’s choice: whatever we do will hurt, for sure. But it has to be done.

THEY WERE RIGHT: GROWING OLD IS NOT FOR SISSIES

2011-03-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

I noted in an early blog this month that I took a fall, slipping and falling hard on the garage concrete floor. I had a doctor's appointment by pure chance that day, and he gave me a lookover and saw nothing was broken. At that time I had a small bruise on my butt, but, wow, did that expand: in the next few days, it looked like I was wearing purple underwear as I was deeply bruised from groin to full right cheek of my butt. He later x-rayed me and confirmed no break but also confirmed that my L-4 and L-5 lower lumbar discs were severely compressed and suggested I see a neurosurgeon.

I did so yesterday, and the neurosurgeon is suggesting a round of three shots and extensive physiotherapy. It is obvious that the fall aggravated my sciatica and, he and I hope, the treatment will give me some relief. That failing, he could operate for a stenosis, a narrowing of the spine putting pressure on the sciatic nerve, which can be opened up to relieve the pressure through surgery. Naturally, I would prefer not to be cut. I always remember an old friend who used to say, "Doctors practice---and I don't want them practicing on me."

It has not been a fun month, as walking, sitting,bending and most activities hurt. In the last few days I can walk without pain and the bruising has finally gone, so at least I feel human again.

I think I'll cancel the month of March and start over again!

ELIZABETH TAYLOR: 1932-2011

2011-03-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

A legend is now gone. How often do you see an obituary for other than a world leader on the front page of the New York Times, a full page on the obituary page, plus two other articles on her life?

I did not know Elizabeth Taylor but I once saw her and am still reeling from the impact of her presence. It was 1951, and my father had taken me on my first trip to California. One night we were having dinner at Chasen’s, a Hollywood landmark of the celeb world, when this girl came in with her escort. It was Liz Taylor and her first husband, Nickie Hilton, who were escorted to the table next to ours. As she sat down, she looked around the room. I saw those incredible eyes full blast. They were not violet, they were PURPLE, and I felt as if I had been hit in the chest. “My God,” I gasped, turning to my father, “that’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen!”

My older brother literally had an encounter, so to speak, with her in the early sixties. He was on a business trip to New York and was staying at the Drake Hotel where he and I often stayed when in the Big Apple. Hank, my brother, had just picked up a copy of the Wall Street Journal outside the hotel and came into the lobby and then into the elevator, engrossed in the paper, not watching where he was going. Suddenly he felt a pneumatic thump on his chest and looked up to see he had frontally assaulted Elizabeth Taylor. He gasped, stuttered and apologized profusely, feeling like an idiot---but a very happy one. She got off the elevator before him and even smiled. For obvious reasons, he never forgot that incident and often joked about how he had “bumped into” Elizabeth Taylor.

The only other beautiful woman who ever had that effect on me I saw in 1952. I was living in New York. King George VI (the king of the acclaimed “The King’s Speech”) had just died, and the British actors then appearing on Broadway, includimg Laurence Olivier and Brian Aherne, organized a memorial service at The Little Church Around the Corner, an Episcopal landmark on lower Fifth Avenue. My mother had an older cousin living in New York who invited me to join her at this memorial service. Olivier gave the tribute to the late king, and it was a memorable service and tribute. The literati and glitterati of New York were abundant in that church.

After the service ended , the church emptied from the front pews to the back. I was waiting my turn in an aisle seat when this girl came by and happened to turn her head in my direction. I felt the same kind of thump in my chest as I saw those gorgeous brown eyes. It was Audrey Hepburn, then nineteen and appearing, prior to her Hollywood fame, in a Broadway production as a sea nymph in Collette’s “Ondine”. She was a close second to Elizabeth Taylor. Sadly, she’s also gone.

Sixty years later, the memories of those two beautiful women are still ever present.
In addition to their beauty, both gave much to the world, and they were equally beautiful in spirit. They are missed.

PLAY BALL IN TROPICAL SPRINGTIME

2011-03-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

A good friend gave me two tickets to the Red Sox-Rays game last night at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers FL and asked me to take a younger British visitor to our island to a baseball game and explain the game to him. We had superb seats, directly behind the catcher with the protective netting to keep us from getting nailed by a plethora of hard foul shots.

It turns out, Patrick, the British lad, is a sports nut and follows baseball on Sky TV in U.K. when they show games. He was very astute in understanding the strategies and nuances of the game. About the only thing I could teach him was to keep a box score in his program. We did this for a few innings and then we said to hell with it and just watched the game, but he caught on to scorekeeping quickly. In exchange he gave me some greater appreciation of cricket, which I am beginning to enjoy when we summer in England. As I said, he is a real sports nut, very keen on Football (Soccer, that is!), American Football and even Basketball.

I don't get too many baseball games these days, but City of Palms Park is an ideal setting, surrounded by Royal Palm trees, plus the weather was in the seventies with low humidity. The park was sold out---over 8000 at the game---and you would have thought I was in a tropical New England judging by the nasal Yankee accents I heard. "Where did ya pahk the cah, Harry?", one woman behind me asked. I felt out of uniform without a Red Sox replica jersey. Patrick and I, just to be contrary, cheered for the Tampa Rays, who, incidentally, won 7-4.

I know many people find baseball as exciting as watching grass grow, but, again, I'm a contrarian: I love the symmetry of a baseball diamond, the grace of the fielders in action, the crack of a solid hit and the base running. It was my game as a kid, and the kid in me still loves it. It is a kind of pleasure to see a competition where body contact is incidental and secondary to the individual talent of each player.

A good super hot dog and a couple of excellent Belgian beers made the evening complete. Anglo-American relations were never better than at the old ball game. By the way, a cute young high school girl did a great job on the national anthem a capella---and she knew all the lyrics!

You can take me out to the ball game anytime when it's like this!

SIGNS OF SPRING

2011-03-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

You in the frozen north are more than overdue for some thawing relief. March in the north can be a real mixed bag, as I remember, with brief hints of spring followed by one last snow storm. I hope relief is on the way for you.

We have had gorgeous weather here the last few weeks with warm days without humidity and cool nights. Now I am perceiving the subtle signs of spring which are not so obvious as they are in the north. Some of the signs are:

(1) The air is getting a softness, a gentle touch where, even when the winds come up, the bite of the wind is missing,

(2) The nights are softer and the stars even brighter. We are blessed with relatively unpolluted skies so the stars are a great display.

(3) The leaves of the trees are glistening with new growth. In late winter the leaves start gradually to fall, but the trees are never bare. Now the new growth is taking off.

(4) The woodpeckers in the dead palm next to our house are back home in the palm and very active. The female is always pecking away, arranging the nest holes. They are either gone further south in the so-called winter or hibernating. Every morning, when I go out to get the paper delivered to my driveway, they sound off. It's probably a warning, "Look out , the big jerk's around," or, I choose to think, they're saying, "Good morning!" Whatever, they're back and great fun to watch. Fortunately, there's no wood in my house: a tile roof, stucco, plastic and aluminum are the main materials, although I hear them in the early mornings pecking at the tile roof.

In another few weeks in April, the humidity will rise and the temperatures start to soar, so we enjoy this brief episode of spring. Carpe diem!

TWO RULES OF LIFE---BY FLESHPOT

2011-03-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

Reading in the papers about Jim Tresell, coach of Ohio State, and his slap on the wrist from Ohio State, who fined him $250,000 and banned him from coaching the first two games of next season for failing to report in a timely manner his knowledge of the sale (or bartering) of Ohio State clothing by several key players, makes me chuckle. Just more of the moral hypocrisy of the sporting world. Oh, perhaps the N.C.A.A. will impose a more severe fine on him, but I doubt it: look what they did to Jim Calhoun, the UConn basketball coach who has a record of infractions that makes Tresell look like an archangel.

I also note Tresell has written a new book: "Life Promises for Success: Promises from God for Achieving Your Best." Is the book as long as the title?

All of which leads me to two rules of life that I have learned from bitter experience which I will pass on to the three or four people (just kidding!) who read my blog. The first rule was gleaned from bitter experiences, especially with a crooked business partner and many other phonies whom I have run into during my life. The second rule came from many years of human observation.

Here are my two cardinal rules:

(1) Never trust anyone who injects the name of God or Jesus Christ into a business situation or deal---you will for certain be screwed.

(2) You can be certain that principle will never get in the way of profit.

These two simple rules have never ceased to amaze me and have rarely, if ever, not come to pass. I would be delighted if I could be proved regularly wrong.

TALK NOW, THINK LATER

2011-03-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

“How can any reasonably intelligent person, you might ask yourself, accept the big lie that many conservative Republicans have long touted: that the simple formula of lower taxes and limited government will somehow solve all of the complex economic and social problems in an globally integrated world? And yet that is the pabulum that a whole host of Republican presidential hopefuls offer again and again to their base, and, through media coverage, to the rest of us. If you repeat the big lie often enough, some people -- many people, in fact -- begin to believe it.” I’m quoting from an article in the Huffington Post by Paul Stoller, a Professor of Anthropology at West Chester State, and to me he’s right on the money.

Today seems to be a new era of simple answers, The Age of Simplicity, historians might call it. I realize the average joe likes to have his ideas chewed, swallowed and digested so these ideas are in a nice easy cud and he can just reach out and grab a convenient one and take it for his or her own. Stoller is right: it’s pabulum.

That’s why in Congress sound bites have become the order of the day. They sound sonorous and ringing as they trip off the congressmen’s tongues. But, I ask you, are they thought out, thoroughly considered?

I simply wish they would form committees, bipartisan, of course, sit down and think things out, argue, find points of agreement, compromise and submit rational plans. That’s the way democracy is supposed to work. I do believe that is what the founding fathers had in mind when they signed the Constitution. I don’t mind fiery debates, that’s part of the process. Deal with the essentials honestly and realistically. But start the process, for God’s sake---and for our economic and social health. And some of these Presidential hopefuls might like to join the process, too. It would be refreshing to hear them say something thoughtful and meaningful.

Maybe that’s too simple in this Age of Simplicity

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...

2011-03-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Having been inspired by the fact that the Oscars were just awarded, I must make my A.O.M. (Asshole of the Month ) awards. It is a stiff competition with many contenders, but here goes in ascending order:

(5) Christina Aguilera. Botching the National Anthem at the Super Bowl was pretty bad. but then add in the recent arrest for DUI for her and her charming boyfriend makes for a total package.

(4) Hugo Chavez. The Venzuelan President has always suffered from foot-in-mouth disease, but El Presidente exceeded his lunatic standards by offering to support his buddy, Monmar Gaddafi.

(3) John Galliano. The British-born designer for Dior shot off his mouth loud and clear in bars, restaurants and other public venues on several occasions with virulent anti-Semitic remarks. He is being indicted in Paris, and it cost him his job.

(2) Charlie Sheen. What gives with this guy? A pure case of self-destruction generated by his drug and booze life style. A couple million per episode of Two and a Half Men obviously doesn't buy happiness.

(1) And the winner is----Monmar Gaddafi. Overwhelmingly the winner for a lifetime of butchery, corruption and pure evil, culminating in the Libyan revolt. May he be deposed and rot in hell.

Many more contend for this list. Feel free to add your own choices.

SCREW THE GOLDEN YEARS!

2011-03-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

While returning from my driveway this early morning after retrieving the newspapers, I slipped and fell hard on my right hip. I think I'm O.K., just bruised, but it so happens I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon---happy serendipity---and he can check me out. My sprinkler system comes on three days a week in the early morning, and I think wet sandals caused me to slip once I came into the garage with its concrete floors. I've noted before concrete does not get softer with age! The old cliche about growing old is not for sissies immediately came to mind. Falling is one of the frequent misfortunes of getting old as our balance becomes more precarious. My wife forbids me to get on a ladder, other than a small one, to change a light bulb, and even then she hovers next to me.

I feel lucky compared to a recent fall by our woman priest's husband. He is a big guy, 6'5" and a good 250 pounds. While his wife, the rector of our church, was in Chicago at a meeting, he was being the good husband, clipping overgrown vegetation off his porch. He leaned against the railing to reach one more errant branch, and the railing, which turned out to be rotten, collapsed and he fell twelve feet, breaking two ribs and fracturing his spine at L1 and L5 (that is high and low). Somehow, he staggered to his feet and made his way up the steps and lay down on his bed. His wife happened to call to check in; he reluctantly told her the story, and she called a doctor friend nearby who came over and promptly called the ambulance. As I write this, he is undergoing surgery at the local hospital.

A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law in England was on a ladder clipping overgrown grape vines on a trellis, and he fell off the ladder, smashing his face against a stone urn below. He is a retired Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army and keeps fit by running. In his state of shock, he grabbed a tooth that was knocked out, staggered, holding a towel to his bleeding face, to his dentist a couple of blocks away. The receptionist almost screamed when she saw him and called an ambulance. He was rushed to the hospital. Speaking of serendipity, guess who was on duty that day? Another Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army who happened to be a facial surgeon! Three and a half hours later, seven plates and fourteen titanium screws later, his face was repaired---and you can't see a scar today!

That is why we old farts have to be careful, lest we tarnish these "Golden Years"!

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS...

2011-02-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

My old friend and fellow blogger, Grumpy (grumpy-olddog.blogspot.com), recently wrote a blog about a summer job which he hated, and this blog triggered memories of my summer jobs.

My grandfather in 1899 bought control of an underwear company in our small town in the midwest, and for 75 years my family was active in that business until I sold it to a conglomerate in the early seventies. My father and his brother as kids worked in the company, and later my father became President of the company in 1934 and ran it until he retired in 1956---to be replaced by my older brother.

My father had three sons, and all of them worked at the factory as teenagers in the summer. My oldest brother was the one who became President after our father. He really did not plan on going in the family business; our middle brother was the one always interested in the business and probably the most natural businessman of the three. Unfortunately, he was killed in World War II and never got the chance. My surviving brother left the company in 1968 and a partner and I bought control of the business from my father and ran it until we sold the company.

Back to the summer jobs, I have some great memories. When I was sixteen, as the young hormones were raging, I had a crush on my first girlfriend, and one night we headed for one of the local parks where we indulged in some heavy necking and petting---to use old-fashioned terms. The next evening, at the dinner table, my father quietly turned to me and said, "Did you have a nice time in the park last night?" I almost dropped my fork , blushed and stammered. Typical of a small town, one of the employees was walking in the park and spied my girl and me behind a bush, told her foreman, who told the plant manager, who told my father---a sort of Tinkers-to-Evans-to-Chance gossip double play. Moral of that story: get out of town if you plan to play. a lesson I never forgot.

Another funny remembrance was, about a year later, I had endured a very late night but managed to get to work on time at 7:30 a.m. By lunch time I was exhausted and decided to take my box lunch and curl up in the stockroom where bags of knitted cloth were stored. The bags on the lowest shelf made a wonderful bed. I promptly fell asleep. I was awakened by the sound of voices and spied two sets of shoes from my low vantage point in the bins. A very familiar voice said, "I hope we're not disturbing you. but you are supposed to be at work---it's after one." The shoes belonged to my father and the plant manager and the sarcastic voice was, of course, my Dad.

Later that same summer the girl friend and I, on a particularly hot and steamy (weatherwise and personalwise) midwestern Sunday summer night, were parked by the local lake. We impulsively decided, hot as it was, to go skinnydipping. Afterwards, I took her home, earlier than normal because she had to go somewhere with her parents early the next day. I got home and walked from the garage into the kitchen where my parents were having a late evening snack. We chatted for a few minutes and then I announced that I better get to bed because I was going to have a particularly busy work day on the Monday and bid my parents good night. My father answered, "Good night---and, by the way, your t-shirt is on inside out." How do you follow a line like that? I simply slunk up the stairs.

This is the stuff of youth and memories in a carefree time.

ATTENTION: G.O.P. & DEMOCRATS

2011-02-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

“We are the benefactors of unprecedented growth that began in the 1780's and really did not slowdown until the 1970's -- two full centuries of it. Our prosperity was not granted by some invisible powers nor from destiny but from fortune and well applied hard work that may not be so simple to reproduce.If we want to be prosperous in the future we need to understand that our prosperity will not persist on its own, we must deliberately set out to make it exist in the future. We must be mindful of reducing the debt but we should not impoverish our people just to do that. We must borrow and spend wisely to develop a strong and sustainable economy.

The Republicans are hampered by magical thinking about cornucopias and self-regulating free markets. They are like people who gamble because they believe that luck is not related to probabilities but to invisible forces, and lose all their money in games where the house has the odds in its favor. They think that despite past history, the private sector will suddenly become our savior, will suddenly give us jobs and domestic industrial prosperity, if we just cut taxes and regulations.”

This quotation is from a blog I saw online on nytimes.com from a person who signed the name as “Casual Observer”. I think this commentary contains a lot of perceptive common sense and insight.

I earned my living in the business world, so I would be a real hypocrite if I denied all the value I saw in that world. I was, however, also realistic enough to see the vices as well as the virtues of that world . Free enterprise has created miracles in economic growth and been responsible for many of the benefits of our lives today, but the flip side also rears an ugly head in the extremes of greed and utter selfishness displayed frequently in the process which have been evident throughout history but especially in recent times.

You cannot totally free business from regulation. When totally unbridled, the result frequently is callous disregard of the good of the majority of people and the enrichment of the few at the expense of the majority. “To hell with you---I’ve got mine” is the watchword of these greedy ones.

Look at this standoff between public employees and the governor in Wisconsin---and Ohio, for that matter. Both governors of these states are out to stifle the unions as part of efforts to control state budgets. In the process they are trying to limit the power of collective bargaining. Unions were created for a very good reason: to control the excesses of capitalism that trod on workers’ rights and stifled their pay. No doubt, sometimes union demands became excessive and were in their own way stifling to economic growth. (Then you also had the auto companies who in good times conceded too much to union demands and paid the price in recent times.) To take away collective bargaining is to deprive workers of the basic right to present and argue for their demands. Balance is everything: rights for both workers and management must be found.

The Republican Party, in their newfound zeal and frenzy of cost cutting, are really playing games. I don’t think the Democrats or our President are much better in the game playing going on in cost cutting---with symbolic cuts in individual programs and not dealing with the real money in entitlement programs. We need true bipartisanship to form committees to sit down and come up with realistic programs for Social Security, Medicare and Health Care---where the real action and attention is needed. Some commissions have made recommendations. Now we need select brains to sit down, sift through the variety of proposals and adopt some sensible proposals to deal with the real problems in entitlements.

“Casual Observer” hit the nail right on the head; it bears repeating: “We must borrow and spend wisely to develop a strong and sustainable economy.”