What's in a (middle) name?

Much has been made in rude (Rush?) circles of President Obama's middle name being the same as the last name of G. Bush's favorite (late) dictator, Saddam Hussein of Iraq.  

Our 44th President wasn't quite sure how to manage this during the inauguration.  He was introduced as 'Barack H. Obama', when he stepped out into the D.C. sunlight on January 20, but he then declared his name fully as 'Barack Hussein Obama' during the oath of office.  

It's certain the President's middle name will be even less an issue now that he's taken office, but it's equally certain he won't be flaunting it either.  Just like most people - including other Presidents.  And that's a shame, since middle names have their own interest.

Gerald R. Ford's middle name was Rudolph.  Was he particularly fond of sleigh-pulling ungulates with so-bright noses? Could he more easily navigate on foggy nights? Or was he just a hapless victim of mirthful parents? In any event, he passed on the possible metaphorical image of a guiding light and just used 'R'.

Richard M. Nixon's middle name was Milhous, and not surprisingly kept that abbreviated.  Just the reverse of some of his staff and conspirators, who abbreviated their first names and accentuated their middles, like E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy.  Maybe if Matt Groening's 'The Simpsons' (around for 20 years now) had been on the air in 1969, Milhous might have had more panache.  But no.

George W. Bush's middle name is 'Walker', and there's not much odd about that.  It would have been much odder if his name was 'Trotter', or 'Runner', or 'Stalker'.  No, his middle name is memorable only in that it is just one name.  His Dad, George H. W. Bush, had two.  A true example of diminishing returns.

Dwight Eisenhower's middle name was 'David', but not always.  At birth he was David Dwight Eisenhower, and switched things around to 'Dwight David'.  I guess he thought 'David' was too common but didn't want to be 'D. Dwight', and so made the change.  He probably should have given it all up as a bad idea and called himself 'D. D.', or 'Deedee'.  (It worked for a Ramone).

Harry S. Truman was seen as a simple man - one of the people and not a sophisticate.  His middle name ably reflected that background.  It is 'S'.  Only the letter and nothing more.  And that befitted our most 'plain speaking' President.  (Either that or his parents were stumped and didn't have a good baby name book handy).

But many of our Presidents had even Harry S. beat when it came to simplicity, eschewing middle names completely.  George Washington himself, the father of our country, was middle nameless, as was Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.  All acknowledged as great Presidents, showing no harmful effects from having just a first and last name to write down in the annals of history.

However, I am not sad the simplicity trend seems to have vanished from Presidential nomenclature.  Middle names should be cherished and shown the light of day, and freed from the bonds of abbreviation.  They give parents a chance to salvage names their spouses vehemently refused to use as first names, often under threat of divorce.  Like 'Baines', 'Fitzgerald', 'Gamaliel', or 'Milhous'.

There is even a Day for middle names - Middle Name Pride Day, held on March 10.  

This year, let's all agree to use our middle names exclusively for that day, unless, of course, you are simpatico with Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, and don't have one. In that case, you'll either have to adopt a middle name for the day, or be left out of the party. 

I suggest 'Milhous'.  Enjoy!

Poetry Break - Hey Arnold!

Hey, Arnold - Mr. Schwarzenegger,
our Governator, true

Where would Californians be, if we
didn't have you?

$42 billion in debt,
(well, that's not really so bad...)

Increase our taxes?
(Why not? We'll give more and be glad!)

Cut funds for education?
(Yes! Gotta save a few cents. In this time of recession, that only makes sense.)

Hard moves and painful,

but we must try to be fair.

Have you a plan that will bring us, 

from not-so-nice here,

to much-better there?

One wonders in these days

of economic malaise,

can the actor govern - bring relief without delays?

Or is the governor acting,

drifting, reacting,

And we're all just props in his plays?

Hey Arnold - Mr. Schwarzenegger,
our Governator, it's true...

Do right by us, please,
We voted for you!

Starbucks Memories

A hot, smooth, Grande Latte - easy foam, please.  With full-fat milk to give it heft and authenticity, none of that non-fat or non-milk soy stuff, ok ?  And make it hot, almost enough to melt the plastic lid and that will be about right. Thank you.

Out to the car, start the engine, turn on the radio to 94.7 (easy listening, soft jazz to sooth the soul), and sip tentatively, memories of scalded lip and scorched tongue enforcing caution.

Ah, this must be what the first sip from a $100 bottle of champagne feels like, or an equally fine brandy. Definitely similar to a tall cold one on a hot mid-summer yard work day.  Heaven.

Such a hot latte from the nearest Starbucks (there was one nearer every year) was my best tool (jazz aside) for lightening dreary commutes from, oh, say, 1997 through 2004.  Coffee was as essential as gas and Starbucks was my particular grade of fuel.

Roll back a few years to 1992, or even 1995, and I would have scoffed (ha!) at the suggestion of paying 3 bucks (and up) for coffee - a thing you could make for yourself for pennies, or buy in it's common non-espresso form for not much more than a dollar from donut shops, fast food outlets, traditional coffee shops, and convenience stores everywhere.  Not to mention the free stuff from the office coffee pot - a travel mug and you were (on your way) home free.  

But, like every addiction, it all started with a first sampling.  Actually not the first, perhaps not even the twenty-first, since my innate cheapness fought hard against the urge, but certainly by the fifty-first I was hooked.  

A pick-me-up for the drive after long days or late nights at the office turned into a ritual, and then a habit ingrained by ritual.  When traveling on rare occasions sans latte, I would feel compelled to take every off-ramp where, through experience, I knew a Starbucks lay waiting.  More often than not, I gave in to the compulsion.

By the time I left the job which had me commuting 100 miles a day, I was up to three lattes every work day, and two a day on most weekends.  I never thought of cost at the time, but it must have averaged about $200 a month at the peak. 

An attempt at the consulting life (sort of a semi-retirement), saw me driving less and worrying more about money, and the frugally Scottish piece of my American motley ancestry gradually dulled and then defeated my addiction.  

Eventually, a Starbucks latte resumed a more natural place in my world, as a pick-me-up, or adjunct to good conversation, instead of a furtively-sipped drug used to simultaneously numb and sharpen a frazzled and glazed commuter.

Sad then to hear, now that I've beaten my Starbucks monkey from 500 lb gorilla down to rhesus-size, that the coffee company is facing crisis.  Earnings down 69%, open stores closing and fewer new stores opening.   

And layoffs. Layoffs? Layoffs!  From the one fast-food-type service employer most people were proud to admit they worked for? 

Shocking ...

Enough to make one choke on one's frappuccino.

Babbleocity 9

Scanning the news and my subconscious,  

for all that's fit to babble on about ...

Never say die - You have to hand it to Illinois' embattled governor, Rod Blagojevich, the guy's got chutzpah.  He's all but wrapped up and delivered to the nearest Federal penitentiary and a new friend named 'Butch', and there he is on Larry King protesting his innocence.  Likely pocketing a nice sum for his appearance too.  Meanwhile, back in Illinois, the politicos are beating the winter cold by staying inside and roasting Blago over a slow, hot, impeachment fire.

California Bum Rush - The Golden State has its hand out to Uncle Sam, needing cash to make good all those unemployment checks.  Facing $42 billion in deficits, Governator Schwarzenegger is looking for $10 billion in immediate help from the Feds.  One thing is for sure, no matter how far (not very) that cash infusion goes ..., he'll be back!

Doc Ock would be proud - The news broke today that a woman in Southern California just gave birth to eight (8) babies.  And broke is how the couple will likely be unless the usual advertising frenzy that accompanies such events is undimmed by the recession.  Some relief has already come - the children were delivered at a Kaiser Permanente facility, so the happy couple received a quantity discount (just kidding, KP lawyers!)  According to the story, the woman 'likely' used fertility drugs (yah think?).

Notes from a Walk - Bad Boyz of Biking

Walking in LA again. Vulnerable and exposed to the mundane and the unique, the seldom-seen, the sometimes uplifting, and the sometimes not so ...

Bad Boyz of Biking 

Moving down York Ave., I hear a scream from 4-cylinders and turn in time to see a pair of baggy-pants boys hoiking wheelies on Suzukis.   First one, then the other, then both.  Not too bad - the form is good, but this is no place to show off.   As a two-wheel fanatic myself, I'm embarrassed at the display.  

I look for shaking heads or angry gestures from the occupants of nearby cars.  None, but that's just luck.  I am deeply worried that one day some bureaucrat will want to ride up the career ladder by banning 'dangerous' bikes.  And the world will darken.

and the loud boyz too ...

The wheelie antics might have slipped by unnoticed, but indifference and obliviousness are no match for what came immediately after the two wannabe stuntahs.  Hot on their rear wheels roared a Harley, its brain-bucketed and be-chapped rider bolt upright with legs splayed, rigid against the breeze.  I describe the gear now, but at the moment the impact was aural and not visual.

I swear I saw a silencer on that hog, but the sharp pain in my left ear begged to differ.  I'm not talking psychic pain here, rather the kind that accompanies the death of cells.  Another handful of decibels lost from ears that have already seen more than their share of abuse.  

As the rider popped and banged away in his rugged-man performance, I could only pity those who'd soon be joining the audience.

and for the finale ...

Later, on Hollywood Boulevard, a trio of sport bike riders, redlining engines at full stop, looking to catch attention from someone, anyone, had me wondering. 

What do I seek when I ride?

Why Can't We ... ?

Now that we have left (let's hope) the era of 'What's in it for me?' politics and entered the era of 'Yes, We Can', it might be a good time to stop and ask,

Why can't we ...

Provide a competitive and affordable education for all of our children?  - Far too many of our kids emerge from the public school system unprepared to compete in the marketplace.  Worse yet, many struggle even to hold par in a world where the inability to read or write serviceably and do simple math condemns them to poverty.  We've spent enormous sums of public money and instituted enough standardized testing to alarm even the most jaded and cynical child psychologist, yet the problem continues.  And secondary education is becoming ever more expensive and out of reach for too many who manage to emerge otherwise qualified from our sick school systems.

Prevent gang activity and violence within our prisons? - Our correctional institutions often seem more like clubhouses for gangs, or training facilities for higher degrees of crime.  And they are so publicly and pervasively violent that homosexual rape and other assaults are assumed to be a natural consequence of incarceration.  This is unconscionable is a closed system where we presumably have full control of events.  If we don't, we need to be asking why we don't, and using the answers to solve the problem.

Enact a tax system that is simple and straightforward? - It's unforgivable that we still have a tax system that is so complicated that many people are forced to hire experts to figure out what they owe.  Sure, the complexity has spawned an entire tax service industry, but that's a silver lining not worth the cloud.

Provide fair and affordable health care for everyone? - There have been incremental improvements, but too few and too slow in coming from a reluctant healthcare industry.  The problem of ruinous cost and inconsistent access continues as a divisive burden on our society and economy.

These are only a handful of many such questions - about problems that have been around and unsolved for decades, and for which we seem capable only of reapplying failed solutions.  Questions we should be asking ourselves, here and now, in the era of 'Yes, we can.'

Brief Honeymoon

How long should a presidential honeymoon last? 

One year?  A hundred days?  At least a week?

It's beginning to look like President Obama's grace period has lasted just a day. 

Already, the press has begun to ask questions, ones that, surprisingly, ponder the new President's preparedness for the job.  As an example, read  'What we don't know about Obama', from Politico.com (and posted on Yahoo News). 

He's so new he needs a map to find the oval office, and we can't give him a break?

In truth, Obama has been under the microscope increasingly since the election.  It's a measure of how much America - the World, really - looks to him for answers.   In the vacuum that was the Bush administration in the second half of 2008 (some would argue longer), where else would we have looked? 

Inauguration Day, busy as it was, may have been the only 'honeymoon' Barack Obama will get.

Inaugural Memories

 A brilliant day in the cold sun of Washington, DC, with the light of History shadowing the outgoing, and illuminating the new.

A few memories of this day to share ...

The Parade of Presidents

Former chief executives and their wives, and their Veeps and their wives too, came out for the celebration.  There was Jimmy Carter, looking his age but vigorous and smiling his old campaign smile, with his wife Rosalyn beside him, also looking older than she did back in '77 but equally vigorous and well-preserved (must be that Georgia humidity).  Her smile was familiar - that same tight smile, which might be worry, she wore so often back in the day.

Next up came '41', George H. W. Bush, with his wife Barbara.  Senior Bush looked out of touch with his surroundings, and seemed a bit worse for wear, waddling like an arthritic penguin, grinning constantly, and patting and grabbing passersby for all he was worth. The phrase, 'cheerful old duffer' comes to mind, but I am not ready to grant him that innocuous tag just yet.  Barbara, amazingly, looked about the same as she did when the pair occupied the White House.  True, she looked old for her age back then, but she sure has held steady since.  

William Jefferson 'Bill' Clinton, an ego for the ages, came next, holding (barely) the hand of wife Hillary Rodham Clinton, the new Secretary of State.  Bill wore a disdainful scowl until he could tell the cameras were on  him, then the old roguish (but charming) smile appeared on cue.  Hillary wore a blue dress, I think.

Last out of the chute walked '43', President George H. Bush, looking not a day older than when he took the oath for his first term.  I say 'walked', but my lasting impression was of a man in haste,  a man with serious brush to clear, ... or maybe a conscience.  Certainly something needed clearing, and he was in a hurry to do it.   His speed was checked by only two things: first, it's hard to walk quickly when your eyes are darting nervously (worriedly?) from side to side, and second, he had to match pace with his wheelchair-bound Veep, Dick Cheney, whose roll-along by the President's side made me think of Dr. Strangelove.  

First Lady Laura Bush did not walk stoically by the President's side, having earlier walked stoically by the side of Dick Cheney's wife Lynne.  Similarly, First Lady elect Michelle Obama walked out with Second Lady elect Jill Biden.

President elect Barack H. Obama looked somber, perhaps nervous, perhaps steeling himself for the sight of the huge crowd in the Mall, perhaps mentally rehearsing his speech.  The smile came with timing not quite as good as Bill Clinton's, but more natural, a sign of a generous nature and good humor.  (Both of which he'd need not much later when The Chief Justice got discombobulated during the swearing in).  It occurred to me, for just a moment, that this man was too thin, too frail, for the task - that his spirit was willing but the flesh might be too weak.  But once out into the light, facing the massive throng, and in full view of the world, he strengthened visibly, with determination clear in the set of his jaw and the look in his eyes.

Gaps in the chronology of this parade of presidents were obvious:  Ronald Reagan, who defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980, and Gerald R. Ford, who defeated nobody, were sadly missing.

An Invocation 

Reverend Rick Warren, a controversial pick by Barack Obama , gave a routine sort of invocation, not much to get excited about, and certainly not controversial.  That is, until he recited the Lord's Prayer, a no-no for a civil (and inclusive) service like an inauguration.

A Benediction
Still controversy is not power and it does not move hearts.  For power enough to move millions of hearts you need only have waited for the benediction by Reverend Joseph Lowery.  A veteran of the fight for civil rights, no one could have been better chosen to speak this day.  Beginning softly, as if he was loath to let go of the moment by speaking, Lowery's voice grew in strength, power, and poignancy until everyone within hearing surely must have felt both the burden of the past and the bittersweet joyfulness of the day.  There couldn't have been a dry eye in the crowd.

Moving Day

As if there wasn't enough to cover, CBS news focused its cameras on an operation taking place simultaneously with the inauguration.  A moving van was shown parked next to the White House, with workers scurrying to and fro.  The commentator told us they were moving the Bushs' furniture out, and the Obamas' in.  Out with the old stuff, in with the new.  

Trivial, true, but upon reflection it's a fitting metaphor for the change that was taking place on the Capital steps. Perhaps as fitting as any others the press could conjure on January 20, 2009.

Eco disasters I have seen ...

Saturday morning was unseasonably warm, bright, and beautiful here in Los Angeles, so I packed up my gear and headed out to Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, for a little SCUBA and relaxation.

Little did I suspect that I would soon be leaving the world of my misguided beliefs, and traversing the boundaries of the 'disaster zone'.

Disaster #1

On the ferry heading out from Long Beach, my first clue was the smell of diesel smoke, and the brown haze stretching as far as the eye could see around the coastline and out to sea.  I'd read about the environmental problems of diesel pollution at the Port of Los Angeles, but it had never looked (or smelled) this awful to me before.  

It looked for all the world like another series of forest fires were sending smoke tendrils out to sea.  This impression could have been due to a winter-time temperature inversion, which traps smog in a thick layer closer to the ground rather than allowing it to mix.  If so, it was truly an eye-opening and serendipitous re-introduction to a continuing disaster.

Disaster #2

Casino Point Dive Park, first dive.  Upon entering the water my usual euphoria at being back in the sea was rudely erased by a shocking sight: Where did the bottom go?  A solid wall of brown 'weeds' filled my view,  where once I would have seen rocky reefs covered with close-fitting algae and abundant life.  

As it turns out, these 'weeds' are an invasive species of kelp from Japan, called Sargassum muticum.  This invader has been around for a while now, but has only begun 'taking over' the seascape within the past few years.  It's so thick in the winter months at some spots now (like the Dive Park), that it cuts off bottom-dwelling native life from essential sunlight.  

Luckily, it dies off over the summer leaving the native life a chance to recoup a bit.  Still, it's getting thicker and more widely spread every winter.  This was my first view of it and, just like the diesel smog at Long Beach, it was truly eye-opening.  

As if this invasion was not bad enough, things may yet get worse:  another invasive species from Japan, Undaria pinnatifida, has also been spotted at dive sites around Catalina.  If anything, it is potentially more lethal to native kelps and other life than S. muticum.  

Return from the 'disaster zone'

My dive trip turned out OK, even with the unwanted and unplanned education in eco-disaster.  Below 50 feet the 'weeds' thinned out to nothing, and all was well in the underwater world.  

The ferry ride back to Long Beach was smooth and much less diesel haze was in view.

My relief at this reprieve, both below and above water, was nonetheless tinged with a bit of sadness at what may yet be lost.

Babble-Oh 8

As we near the end of the Bush 'Error' - some T.G.I.F. babbling, for your consideration ...

Thanks for the Legacy - President George W. Bush is making his push to preserve his legacy.  Followers of this blog know my view (the Lunacy).  George's own is a little different.  His main proof of success in the 'War on Terror' is that no major attacks have occurred in the US since 9/11.  That's no proof!  The terrorists have been working overtime in all the places we've opened up for them, like Iraq and Afghanistan, and by association Pakistan and India.  Why would they come all the way over here to fight us when they have plenty of opportunity in their own backyard?   Hmm, maybe that was Bush's idea all along?  Clever, then.

Alan Greenspan, where are you? - With the economy on buttered skids and heading ever more quickly down-slope to ruin, the best and brightest economic minds - gathered from both the present AND future administrations, can't seem to do anything effective to stop the slide.  I would have never believed it, but I miss Alan Greenspan.  Oh, what I wouldn't give to hear him warn us of 'irrational exuberance' again. . .

Peace or Pieces? - The news this morning included word that Israel might be close to a cease fire agreement with Hamas, brokered through Egypt.  That's encouraging, although believing it would definitely be a case of seeing it.  Some believe Israel's leaders want to wrap things up before Barack Obama's inauguration - sort of like a gift, or maybe an offering of peace, to sweeten the new President's 'honeymoon' period.  Or maybe they've already accomplished their objectives and really do want to bring the offensive to an end.  Either way, the lives of many Palestinians in Gaza are now in pieces - or gone completely.

Welcome aboard! - I'll bet that none of the passengers of US Airways flight 1549 expected a cruise as part of the package.  But on a boat (or three), plying the Hudson river, is exactly where the 155 passengers and crew ended their trip.  FAA accident teams are still determining whether a bird strike brought the jet down, or whether it's pilot had a minor stroke and thought he was commanding Pan Am's China Clipper. Either way it was a phenomenal display of flying/sailing ... 

Business 101, 2009 Edition

Scan any of the news channels this morning and you might be forgiven for believing the world was about to end.

And not end in some clean, quiet way, but in a furious blast of tangled econo-terminology and related 'dealing'.   As if business is really that complex.

It all boils down to this folks, as simple as ABC:

A.  If no one is buying, then no one can sell

B.  If sellers stop selling, then no one can buy

C.  Do whatever it takes to help buyers buy

Most of the web of 'transactions' we hear about from the news seem to be no more than sellers moving assets around between them and pretending that it's true commerce.  Somehow, somewhere, at some time, real buyers need to pay real money for products and services.  And those buyers need the resources  to make those purchases.

Resources like credit.  And salaries.  And freed-up money from lower taxes. 

So there it is.  Not too complex at all.  Put money in our hands and take less of it away for taxes, and we will buy.  Our buying will boost sellers, who will in turn hire more of us to help, giving us even more resources to use for buying.

And all that renewed buying and selling will spur a rise in stock prices and refill our deflated 401Ks.  Which will make us relax and - you guessed it, buy even more.

It will also generate more tax revenue to run our cities, states, and country.  

So, got that new administration, congress, and the federal reserve?   Yes? Good!

I know. I know.  It's easier said than done.  But that's why we elect you and pay you (it's not just so you can buy more too).  

So tune out the financial news channels and, as Jean Luc Picard would say, 'Make it So...'

Dubya's Days

The last days of George 'Dubya' Bush's White House sojourn are upon us, and we should treat them with the respect they deserve.  

In our millions we should watch and listen to his every word on TV and radio.  We should be watching, rapt, as he hands over office to Barack Obama and takes that long trip back to the ranch.

At every stage along his journey home to Crawford, we should turn out in person to witness his passage, waving and joyful as he goes by.

His tenure has given us many things to forget but can't:  war, economic crisis, world derision, diminished personal freedom.  Bush's special touch has given these problems extra heft and power, and left us with a tough minefield of a road back to sanity.

But George's time in office has also given us some things worth remembering:  comedy (legions have earned a living off his foibles), humility (it's been hard to be proud), and a renewed public consciousness (formed in opposition to his policies).  

And there is one thing for which we should all be eternally thankful:   Dubya's Days have lead directly to the historic election of Barack Obama.  

Whether Mr. Obama fulfills his promise as President or not, his election is the main reason we should turn out to cheer Dubya home, with thanks from a grateful nation...

Walking Towards Venus

Last night was a beautiful evening in Los Angeles, so I took a long walk in celebration. A few miles out, and a few miles back.

For almost the entire return distance, Venus was shining brightly in the night sky, seemingly poised over the part of town where my house, and my family, waited for me. I couldn't ask for a better, or more inspiring guide.

On a night like that, with the planet so bright and present in the sky, it's easy to see why Venus was named after the goddess of beauty and love.  And it's easy to understand why Venus drew so much attention from ancient stargazers.

In the 1950's Immanuel Velikovsky published a controversial theory on the origins of Venus.  He believed our ancestors were so in awe of Venus because it nearly collided with Earth.  In his view, Venus had been ejected from Jupiter and had passed close by Earth, disturbing it's orbit and causing many of the catastrophes mentioned in the Bible.  No doubt a sure way to get attention.

But a lot of unnecessary bother.  I guess Velikovsky didn't spend much time outside looking at the wayward planet of his Worlds in Collision.  If he did, on a night like last night, he wouldn't need to postulate any complicated scenario for the ancient's fascination.

Skunked!

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, my brain awoke to growing alarms from shocked olfactory nerves, themselves blind-sided by airborne chemicals sucked in by my unsuspecting nose.

As the lights clicked on in my mental shed and consciousness dawned, a strong impulse to shut them all off again and lapse into a coma overwhelmed me. 

What the f... ?  Had a skunk family held relay races under, or God forbid - in - our house?  From the incredible strength of the odor I had the immediate impulse to glance beneath the sheets.  Was a skunk in bed with me?

The usual culprit in these cases is a skunk letting loose outside the house, but the smell is usually not so intense.  Still, on reflex, I opened a window and checked.  Fresh as a daisy outside! 

A quick walk around our darkened  house found the smell mind-foggingly intense in our bedroom, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen too.  However, a chilly walk with flashlight around the outside of our house and then a glance into the basement turned up no culprits on which to pin the crime.  The basement didn't even smell!

So what then? Did a skunk, normally a non-arboreal creature, crawl up on our roof and let loose down an air vent?  Did one sneak, somehow, into our house, take a few laps, then equally stealthily slip back outside?  Was the smell coming from a parallel, skunk-dominated, dimension?  Are there skunk ghosts?

Mystery unsolved, and with windows wide open (what thief would enter with this smell),  I lapsed back into fitful sleep. 

If it happens again tonight, I am selling the house, economy be damned!

Babble-Oh 7

Really, Really, T.G.I.F.

The Arrogance of The Long Distance Runner - Is everyone else as tired of hearing about Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich as I am?  If so, skip ahead, but if you are hanging on every soap-operatic moment, then read this Associated Press article on Yahoo.  Blagojevich was out jogging when he heard of today's vote to impeach him (114-1).  He, presumably non-ironically, compared his situation to that depicted in 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner', stating that the impeachment will be a 'long-distance run'.  What an arrogant ass.

That Experience Thing - Critics came out in force to protest President-Elect Obama's choice of Leon Panetta as head of the CIA.  It seems that Mr. Panetta has no experience in spying.  Who did they expect Obama to choose, Valerie Plame? 

A Quantum of Craig - From the 'what the heck was his manager thinking?' department:  Daniel Craig, fresh from his triumphal role as James Bond (007) in Casino Royale, and while the sequel to that hit, Quantum of Solace is still in theaters, has appeared in a movie (Defiance), which has him acting in a distinctly non-Bond accent.  Plus it's a war movie which has him looking tattered and generally not kempt (at least it's so in the trailers).   Good luck with the sequel ... (A Quantum of Defiance? The Defiance of Solace?)

Oh, Mama! - Barack Obama has shown the first flaw in his decision making.  He has somehow agreed to let his mother-in-law live in the White House.  What the consequences of this monumental blunder may be only time will tell, but if I were Obama I'd keep open an ambassadorship to some faraway place, just in case.  Senate confirmation would be assured and swift, most likely.

The 7.2 % Solution - Slightly more potent that Sherlock Holmes's favorite recreational medication, the latest number released for percent unemployment in the US shocked the markets today.   What's worse?  About half of the jobs lost in December were in service positions.  What that means is many of us  have been laid-off from jobs we probably hated, but were all we could get (despite that MBA from UOP).  Watson! The Needle!

The Picture of Dorian Bush

Ever notice how the office of President ages its occupant?

At a press conference this morning, Barack Obama already looked older and more careworn, and he's not even taken the oath yet.

Jimmy Carter aged more in his four years of office than he has in the 30 years since.

George H. W. Bush (aka '41') exhibited the wearing effects of the responsibility of office in his four-year stint.  He started out fresh and ended up barfing all over the Japanese prime minister.

Richard Nixon did not age gracefully during his terms, but then he had extraordinary pressures.  Tracking 'enemies' and keeping his ex-CIA mafia in line took a fiendish toll.

Ronald Reagan was helped by already being old when he took office and by being an actor who knows makeup, but by the end of his eight years he was applying the pancake like Bozo the Clown.

No one deteriorated more or as quickly as Lyndon Johnson.  LBJ wore the burdens of war and domestic revolutions (political and cultural) visibly.  By the end the formerly robust Texan looked more gnarled and withered than a bristlecone pine, only without the longevity.  He didn't last long past his Presidency.

No so President George '43' Bush.  He slipped into office looking every inch the happy frat boy, and no visible care has lined his face since.  Given the horrendous events of his terms, you would think he'd look like Ross Perot by now, but not so.

Mr. Bush must have a secret.  Maybe it's simply a positive attitude, as in 'the sun will come up tomorrow', maybe it's the ability to keep short office hours and take frequent naps, maybe he is too shallow to feel the weight of responsibility, or maybe he just delegates everything to someone else and has a beer.

If the latter, I think I know who it has to be ... Dick Cheney.  

Consider this:  who has exhibited the greater physical toll of office, Bush or his VP?  Which of the two has spent more days in a hospital, or secluded in a secure and undisclosed location?  Which of the two shuns public appearances the most?

It's like a twist on 'The Picture of Dorian Grey',  Cheney is the picture to Bush's Dorian.

Whatever Bush's trick may be, I think it's fair to observe that concerned, engaged Presidents take a physical and emotional beating in office, and Bush isn't and hasn't.

Taxes are Taxing

California is in the red.  Money hemorrhaging from every bureaucratic 'poor'.

Problem:  massively decreased tax revenue due to the drop in home ownership, failed businesses, lost jobs, and reduced consumer spending, combined with a budget which swelled optimistically during the 'good' times.

Proposed solution: raise income and sales taxes, and any other taxes that might help.  

Status: the state assembly passed it, the governor is holding it up and looking for a compromise.

Reality: in the depths of recession, no government in its right mind increases the burden on already hammered families by raising their taxes.  Not without truly exhausting every other option first. 

Reality, Part 2: at current levels of state income, all services can't be maintained.  Some of these can be cut back or put on hiatus, others just simply can't.  

Possible solution: seemingly counterproductive though it may be, some tax increase is inevitable.  But it has to be reasonable and have a firm expiration date.  Increasing the state income tax is NOT a good idea at all since it is already high and there are few exemptions. Increasing business taxes isn't smart either, since businesses are failing everywhere.  Raising property taxes would be a bitterly ironic blow to frazzled homeowners scrabbling to remain homeowners.  Better a sales tax increase, only a graduated one and in the reverse of the usual pattern of such things.  Increase the sales tax by a quarter of a percent on items that cost less than $500 (as an example), but leave everything else the same.  That way, the state would be sure to get some extra money rather than just further curbing the purchases of already hard-hit big ticket items like cars.  And consumers would be saved big pain if they happen to need, say, a new car.   Any tax increase must have a concrete and unchangeable expiration date, or its expiration must be tied to a simple, easily measurable, verifiable, economic indicator.

Possible solution, Part 2: Bite the bullet and cut state spending wherever possible. Throw partisanship aside and trim, trim, trim.  Delay projects. Freeze budgets.  Whatever it takes. It's OK to prioritize so that critical safety and infrastructure functions are preserved, and ensure that cuts to education are absolutely necessary, and even then as minor as possible, but everything is open to scrutiny.  Painful, but what else should responsible people do?  And California's reps are responsible people, aren't they?

California, like most other states, have fiscal problems the like of which haven't been seen since, well, the Great Depression, or the 1970's New York City bailout crisis.  And they can't easily borrow their way out, given the worldwide credit crunch.  And, oddly, the federal government isn't rushing to grant them 'bridge' loans, bailout money, or any other kind of fiscal assistance, even though most states could get by with a few billion here or there, California included.  Chump change against the 700 billion financial bailout and the upwards of 500 billion proposed economic stimulus.  And money given to the states would arguably improve life (or at least maintain its quality) for more people than will benefit from the other giveaways, at least in the near term.

Absent any federal help, though, the states are on their own.  California must solve it's problem in the most rational and reasoned way possible.  All petty politics must be put completely aside in an effort to spread the burden as fairly as possible when increasing taxes and cutting budgets.

Whatever the state assembly and the governor ultimately work out, California's voters need to watch closely and take notes and names.

Morning Babble 6

The first Monday of 2009.   This may be a long year...

Blast!

An article appeared on Yahoo recently, reporting an unusual increase in the numbers of earthquakes in and around Yellowstone National Monument.  Now, I watch a lot of 'science' TV, so the news immediately re-ran the 'Supervolcano' programming on my mental monitor.

Yellowstone is apparently one, enormous, 'super' volcano, with an unimaginable amount of molten magma percolating beneath it, just waiting to burst forth and ruin our day. That knowledge puts 'Old Faithful' geyser, and those picturesque springs, weeps, and bubbling sulfur ponds, in a different sort of perspective.

The kind of blast we are talking about would take out my home port, Los Angeles, and much of the western US.  The gloomiest of doomsayers predict the affects of all that ash from the volcano (and burning cities!) would screw up the world weather so badly that much of life on earth would be whacked.  

One of the last programs mentioning this Yellowstone Supervolcano story said scientists believe Yellowstone has entered the 'Red Zone'.  One of the tell-tales of an impending blow-up is an unusual increase in earthquake activity.  

Hmm, remember that Yahoo story  I mentioned?  

More Muddlier Than Ever

Back to 'The Muddle East' again, and the US still can't make the right moves.  

Sure, Israel had good reason to retaliate against Hamas rocket attacks, which had increased in number to several hundred in the month of December alone (according to an article in 'The Economist'), but is Israel's response acceptable?   I suppose that depends on whether you believe Israel can do no wrong and the Palestinians are all evil, or have some less black or white take on the situation.  

What is certain, is that whoever is really in charge in Israel and in Hamas can't play nice, don't want to play nice, and wish we'd all stop looking at them and spoiling their game. And the current US administration obliges.  

Meanwhile, men, women, and children who wish nothing more than to work, be with their families, practice their religion, and enjoy life are getting hurt everyday, in Gaza and in Israel.  

The Lunacy

There have already been musings in the press about the legacy of George W. Bush, and there will only be more as January the 20th approaches.

It's natural to wonder how the future citizens of this country and the world will view our departing President, but now is not really the best time to ponder this subject.  We are still too close to the disappointment, the memories of lost opportunities and wrong paths taken, to make sound judgement.

As an illustration, my current view on Bush's legacy is negative.  Actually, calling it negative is like calling a black hole dark, a vacuum airless, or Wall Street a black hole.

Perhaps I will think differently in the future.  Perhaps time and a restoring democracy (and economy) will soften my view.

Perhaps. 

But right now, to my mind, the legacy of these past eight years might best be called a 'lunacy'.

And In With The New ... Welcome 2009!

For a while there I thought 2008 was going to be the year without end. 

Not that it was a completely terrible year.  We did have (finally) an election outcome that was not only hoped for by the majority, but which the majority actually won.  Eight miserable years of pain and diminishing world respect ended, and replaced by hope.  We hope.

But I won't be missing 2008.  There was pain enough that needs forgetting.  So much and so raw still that I don't need to make a list. 

As the clock tipped past 11:59, December 31st, 2008, I personally twisted the key in my memory lock on the year, tossed the key in the messy drawer of time, and turned to face ought-nine.  The beginning of the last year of the oughties.  

Not the 'naughty-oughties', they haven't been fun enough.  We have one year to turn this blank hole of a decade into a time worth remembering for more than 9/11 and the Bush hegemony.  One year to turn this from the 'Survivor' decade of 'the Lost' into, maybe, the beginning of a golden age.

Hello and welcome,  '09