Babble-On 13

Musings ahead of the weekend ...

Coffee Renaissance

If you love coffee, there's reason to celebrate.  Or, I should say, if coffee is your favorite caffeine delivery system, there is.  Researchers have discovered that caffeine can prevent skin cancer.  It does so by messing with a protein that is critical for genetically-damaged cells to proliferate and form cancers.  Thus, in the presence of caffeine, fewer cells damaged by the ultraviolet rays from too much unprotected sunbathing - or too many visits to the tanning salon, will progress to skin cancer.  Better still, the researchers believe that topical applications of caffeine will be even more effective than ingestion.  Coffee baths, anyone? Coffee enemas?  I foresee a new business model for Starbucks ...

Mr. Jindal's Neighborhood

In covering Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal's rebuttal to President Obama's speech to the joint session of Congress, John Stewart (The Daily Show) invoked the image of Mr. Rogers.  It was a perfect analogy and send-up of the condescending, faux-folksy approach Jindal (or his handlers) chose to take.  At least the Governor didn't wear a sweater, or he would have made it too easy for Stewart, who needs challenging now that his career-making sitting duck, G.W. Bush, has departed for the sticks.

Startling Action

I don't know about you, but I've been stunned by the activity on show from the Obama administration, especially in the lead up to his recent speech to the joint session of Congress, and the announcement of his proposed budget.  A lot of work has been going on, apparently.  Can anyone remember where Bush's team was a month into his first term?  Having tea with Enron, I seem to recall.  After just returning from a post-inaugural rest at the ranch, clearing brush.  Someone should have a quiet talk with the President and ask him to take it easy.  He and his team are setting the bar way too high for future Chief Executive aspirants and their teams to manage. Plus, it makes the rest of us nervous.  We just aren't used to this level of hard work coming out of Washington.  It puts us on gullibility alert, and makes us question our core beliefs about the worthiness of politicians. At least at the national level.  Local and state politicos, at least here in California, are in no danger of exceeding our expectations...

Jindal Jangled

Why on earth would the GOP put its princeling-apparent on the spot in prime time?

Why on earth would Bobby Jindal agree to be put there?

These are questions that highly-paid republican think-tankists need to ponder in the aftermath of the 'rebuttal' debacle.

Not that anyone could have revived, let alone wowed, the emotionally exhausted TV audience after President Obama's rousing speech.  We haven't had a Prez with that kind of speaking ability since, well, since John Kennedy, and no one listening had much attention left to give.  Obama had even some senate republicans standing and cheering by the end, and there wasn't much of an interest in hearing a counter argument, just then.

You could almost hear the channels being switched in mass around the country.

Those diehard viewers who stayed on were either hopeful republicans or curious demos sizing up the competition for 2012 - or bloggers.

Everyone who stayed to witness Jindal's rebuttal got a chance to see what passes for stage-fright in a polished political speaker.  He got his words out and soldiered through, but you could tell by his phrasing and gestures that it was an ordeal.  

An ordeal made worse by the heavy-handed styling of the spot - the opening outside view of the well-lit governor's mansion mimicking the White House, Jindal's walk from around a corner recalling Obama's walk to the podium.  And then the attempted parallels broke down with his positioning at the mike - staring straight ahead into the camera lens.  It contrasted unfavorably with the President's ability to move and turn and look dynamic at the podium.  And it made Jindal look frozen - or was that the nervousness?

A light and deft posing it wasn't.

Then again, at this point, no one really cares.  Fortunately for Jindal and his republican backers, this mess-up will eventually be forgotten.  And, if Obama's administration has any measure of success with the economy and the 'war', it won't matter in 2012 either, and there will be even more time for forgetting ...

The Nice Glass

We see the exterior of a trendy LA pub.  It looks faded and drear, but the line outside says otherwise.  At the head of the line is a man dressed against the chill of the night in a trenchcoat, with a wide-brimmed hat shading his features.  His hands are in his coat pockets as he is let in.  We hear his thoughts as he looks around the crowded establishment...

'It's hot in here, like a greenhouse,'  [He unbuttons his coat, scanning the room. His face is still not clearly visible to us.]  'but with a decided lack of tomatoes.'

He moves to an open spot at the bar, next to a tall man in a baseball cap.  The bartender, a 20-something woman with piercings, comes over...

'Can I get you anything?', she asks, more with her eyes than words given the noise of music and chatter.

Now we see his face.  Not handsome and not as rugged as we expected.  More like George Costanza than Sam Spade. The voice, however, is pure noir.

'Stella, draft'

'Sorry, we don't have it in draft, only bottle.'

'What do you have, sweetheart?' he grimaces, annoyed.

The tall man to his right chimes in...

'Try the Peroni.  It's good' he says, sipping the last of a manhattan.

'Sure. I'll take a Peroni', our man concedes. 

The bartender brings him the beer in a plain glass. 

'You'll like that', ballcap man declares. [he drains his drink and gestures to the bartender] 'In fact, I'll take one too.'

The bartender is attentive.  She brings him his beer quickly, and in a tall, fluted, specially-engraved, Peroni glass.  Our man looks askance, enforced by a slight eyebrow rise and a tightening of lips. The contrast between his glass and ballcap's is blatant, and galling.

'Hey lady, what's with the glass?' our man - call him 'Sam', asks, pointing to ballcap's drink.

'Yeah, why didn't you give my friend here the nice glass?' chimes in ballcap - call him 'Alfie'

'Oh, we were out of clean Peroni glasses when I poured yours' explains the bartender - call her 'Jules'.

'Fair ... enough' says Sam, hesitantly, shrugging slightly and resuming his scan of the pub crowd, after a long pull on his beer.

Sam sees a packed throng, about equal numbers men and women, with the women in pairs or groups of three.  The women look older, on average, than most of the men, but not by much.  Late twenties to early thirties would be about right.  Now that he's had a sip or two, he can see there are more than enough 'tomatoes' in this 'greenhouse'.  But he's not harvesting, he has a nice enough farm at home he thinks (and we hear in voice-over).  

Alfie is not so restricted, it would seem...

Alfie:  Nice group, tonight, don'tcha think?

Sam: Huh? Sure, I guess.

Alfie: You guess?  Are you dead, man?  Look around.  In fact, look over there. [he points to a Barbara Hershey look-a-like sandwiched between two nondescript men]

Sam: Cute. Your type?

Alfie: She's brilliant. Dark and troubled.

Sam: Taken, though.

Alfie: Tonight, maybe.  There's always tomorrow. [He grins wickedly, turning to Sam and pulling his cap brim down a bit]

Sam finishes his beer, and shoves the empty glass towards Jules, the barmaid.

Jules [noticing, but barely...]:  Another?

Sam: Please. 

Jules takes his old glass and comes back with a new one, freshly-filled.   The glass is as plain as the first.

Jules: And how about you? [asking Alfie, as she sees his glass is newly empty]

Alfie: Definitely - thanks. 

Jules goes away and comes back with Alfie's Peroni, again in the nice glass. Sam is flummoxed.

Sam: What the hell...? [gesturing to Alfie's glass] What am I, chopped liver? [but Jules is gone already - out of earshot]

Alfie: I'm lucky tonight. 

Sam: Yeah, right.  I'll bet you are lucky every night.

Alfie: What'dya mean? 

Sam: She likes you. Simple.

Alfie sidles up a little closer to Sam, twists his ballcap around brim backwards and circles his face with hands and then gestures to the crowd.  Now we can see he looks a little like Brad Pitt. A taller, thinner, mid-life Benjamin Button Brad Pitt.

Alfie:  It has nothing to do with liking me or not, my friend.  I'm lucky, but I also try to look like I fit in. One of the crowd, ya' know.

Sam: What are you sellin'?  You are my age or thereabouts, for sure.  And that's about a lifetime beyond these kids. What do you mean 'fit in'!

Alfie: Clothes.  Attitude.  I look and project 'older, wiser, but with it'.  You project 'musty, dusty, and Dad.'  Not that 'Dad' can't be good, in the right context. But so 'last century'.

Sam: You are one sick chicken, friend. [he squints at Alfie, then turns back to his drink. Alfie won't let him off that easily and is still on his soapbox]

Alfie: All you need is a change - a makeover, if you don't mind me calling it that. Just enough to make you look as 'with it' on the outside as I'm sure you are on the inside.

Sam: Like what, Mr. Blackwell, do tell.

Alfie: Scoff if you must, but a more youthful set of rags and a sage cut - you do have hair under that hat, don't you? If not, then a better hat - like mine. Anyway, that's all you need to ...

Sam [interrupting]: What? To get the nice glass?

Alfie: Yes, that, and more, mate. That and more. [he winks and twists his cap back brim forward and cinches it down. The Brad Pitt look recedes with the change to be replaced by Christian Bale.]

Alfie stops to drain his glass. Sam does the same, and this time it's timed right for Jules to notice.  Alfie gestures for two more, and Jules is back quickly with two brimming glasses.

'Well I'll be a son of a ...' croaks Sam, looking at his plain, ordinary, glass, and then at Alfie's fluted, special specimen. 'She did it again!' he exclaims, looking Alfie straight in the eye, after a fierce glance spiked towards Jules, now in fast conversation with Hershey-girl.

'See what I mean, mate?  It's the look and the attitude, the look and the attitude' says Alfie in response to Sam's gaze.  'But not to worry, ' he continues more softly, seeing daggers, or perhaps a shiv made from a sharpened butter knife,  in Sam's eyes, 'I have friends who can help you.'

Alfie pulls a card from out of his pocket and scribbles on it, then hands the card to Sam.

'There you go, mate.  Call those numbers and you will be on the right path.'

Sam hesitates, glances over at Hershey and Jules, then sighs and takes the card.  Hell, he may not be interested in harvesting, he thinks (and we hear in voice over), but it would be nice to be seen as a worthy farmer, at least.

'Thanks, pal.  I'll think about it.'  [Sam pockets the card]

'You do that, mate ... you do that.' says Alfie, giving Sam a long look, head tilted slightly to his right as if to better focus. [now he looks like Michael Caine circa 'The Ipcress Files']

Sam slams back the remaining Peroni in his glass, drops twenty and a tip (a small one) on the bar, nods to Alfie, then turns, buttons his coat, and shoulders his way out the door.

He's only a couple of blocks away, when Alfie leaves, Hershey-girl on arm.  Outside, Alfie takes off his cap and we can see he looks now like Rutger Hauer.  They both move quickly to an immaculately restored and preserved, black BMW R75.  Alfie dons helmet and swings a leg over, Hershey-girl snuggles up close, wearing the spare helmet Alfie always has on hand for this purpose, and they roar off into the night, right past our Sam.

Sam turns at the noise and sees the passing duo, then looks up at the heavens, the light from a nearby street lamp giving us a clear view of his face, which now resembles Rodney Dangerfield.

'Nice glass' he says, out loud, fingering the card in his pocket.

Meanwhile, back in the bar, Jules has transformed into Janine Garofalo, and, spotting Gary Shandling sidling towards the bar, prepares the plain, ordinary glass...

Babble-On 12

I'm not sure if T.G.I.F applies today.  Friday, February 20, 2009, is not one for the record books.  Let's hope the weekend cools heads and warms hearts, and next week is better - even if only a little...

Penny Stocks - Formerly the preserve of failing dotcom and biotech stocks, the less than a buck a share ranks have swelled with some big names, notably financial stocks.  AIG and Fannie Mae, each once worth north of 50 dollars a share, are now clinging to life at barely more than 50 cents.  And there are others heading in that same direction:  Bank of America, sinking below $4 per share, and Citibank less than $2.  How long before they join the penny-fund?  It's a cliched saying that 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall', but evidence of it's inherent truth is all around us.  If you own any of these stocks, but especially AIG, Fannie, or best of all, Washington Mutual, which went to zero and died, I hope you got out early or bought late in the game and didn't ride them all the way down.  If you did, though, there's some consolation.  I plan to use those stocks to wallpaper our bedroom - to remind me in my now less-than-golden years what getting screwed is all about.

Left side, Right side - There is a lot to love about the British - Shakespeare, The Beatles, buttered scones and tea.  They gave us Monty Python, too, and Hugh Laurie.  But the legacy of that Island nation is not unblemished, for they foisted upon us the wholly wrong-headed notion of driving on the left side of the road.  Some nonsense about bringing your sword-hand (the right one) closer to passersby.  Very medieval.  And the Brits are apparently determined to take this into all areas of travel.  Witness the recent collision of British and French nuclear submarines in the Atlantic.  No one is giving details, but imagine this: heading towards each other, the Brits go left, and the French go right, and Whamo!  There may be more incidents like this to come.  Everywhere the British empire landed around the world, left hand driving became the norm - everywhere, that is, except for us.  Here in the USA, we resisted.  It might have been due to our inherent rebelliousness, or we may have the French to thank for that.  Viva Lafayette!

Gassing up - I guess I will never understand modern economics (e.g, my stock successes outlined above).  How is it possible for oil prices to be lower than a month ago and yet have gasoline prices higher?  For a while oil and gas followed an understandable pattern, oil up, gas up, oil down, gas down.  Simple.  So what's the story with these oil and gas companies now?  Beats the hell out of me.  But If I were President Obama, I'd make like Teddy Roosevelt and go all trust-busting on their asses. 

Sanford & Son, 2025 - Not to be outdone by the British and French submarine tango, the USA and Russia got into it in space.  A Russki satellite fizzed out of it's orbit and collided with an American counterpart. Whamo! (but silently - in space, unlike the ocean, no one can hear you whamo).  The resulting debris cloud was last reported spreading out at upwards of 17,000 miles per hour.  No immediate danger to the space station or other orbiting mobile homes was announced, but there's no guarantee.  Scientists, or better yet, salvage and waste management experts will have to figure out a way to collect and contain this garbage in the future, but it will likely be a hazardous, heart-stopping job.  I'm coming, Weezy!

TV's Saving Personalities

There are good actors and there are good acting personalities.  The former need a good script and direction to flourish, the latter can do well with a script written by a 12-year old and directed by ..., well, by anybody really.

As an example of what an intense personality can do, check out 'Lie to Me', the FOX channel's answer to 'The Mentalist' (CBS).  'Lie to Me' stars the Brit ex-pat Tim Roth, a veteran of the big screen, most recently in 'The Incredible Hulk'.  'The Mentalist' stars Simon Baker, an Aussie who hasn't quite the movie pedigree of Roth, but who's paid his dues in TV.

Of the two shows, 'The Mentalist' is the better written and directed.  The scripts mix dry wit, mild humor, drama, and a little action in a pleasant stew reminiscent (in the best way) of TV crime dramas of the 70's.  It's mild but entertaining stuff, and might succeed even if led by a merely talented actor.  Baker, however, as the former entertainer (a mind-reader) turned investigator Patrick Jane, does more than deliver his lines well.  His characterization rivets your attention. Even when the action comes to a full stop the show is never boring when his character is on screen.  

'Lie to Me', takes a step downward in concept and writing, and makes Roth's presence more critical for the show than Baker's to his.  No one on TV today has a screen presence more intense than Roth's (although fellow-Brit Hugh Laurie of 'House' might challenge), and he carries the show, despite the awkward staging and unrealistic dialogue his character, Cal Lightman ('the world's leading deception expert'), must endure and deliver.  The producers of this show must find a way to work Roth into every scene, even if it's only a brief cutaway to show us his face, deep in thought, or flashing skeptical, whimsical, and quizzical looks.  To do otherwise would be to risk viewers actually second-guessing the plot, which, unless the writing improves with subsequent episodes, might be fatal to the project.

Both actors are perfectly cast for their roles.   Try to imagine switching them for a moment.  See Tim Roth as Patrick Jane and Simon Baker as Lightman.  Now run a few scenes of each in your head - not very good, 'eh?  Even if Roth would discard his British accent and Baker re-assume his Aussie one for the swap, it wouldn't make a difference.  Some sort of special award ought to go to the geniuses who cast these two in their proper roles.  (They are almost as brilliant as the bright person who cast Hugh Laurie).

It remains to be seen which of these shows will succeed in the long run.  'The Mentalist' has the better chance, due to it's overall higher quality, making the presence of Baker the tasty icing on an already edible cake.  But 'Lie to Me' might make it too.  If it does, it will be almost entirely due to Tim Roth.

California, The Golden Stasis

Rushing to join the nation as the 31st state, hot on the heels of the Gold Rush, California has always been in motion.  Cars swarm the plentiful roads and freeways, and the state boasts the country's second largest city - bustling and diverse Los Angeles.  Millions have arrived from other, colder, perhaps less mobile states, and more have immigrated  - legally or illegally, from other countries.

Why then, when blessed/cursed with such an innate desire to be on the move, does California find itself stuck at full stop, in a budget crisis of such epic proportions even Cecil B. DeMille couldn't make a movie out of it - let alone Arnold Schwarzenegger?  Der Governator has tried, but so far failed to terminate the stalemate, just one recalcitrant Republican state senator short of the goal.

Part of the problem is likely to do with California's latent political schizophrenia.   For a state that deems itself progressive, and votes-in a democratic, mostly liberal, majority in the legislature, California has frequently turned to more conservative, often Republican, leaders as the state's executive.  As a result, California politics has for many years been a debacle of political infighting, brinksmanship, butt-covering, and lethargy.  So much so, the state's voters are routinely tasked with making laws at the polls by voting on ballot propositions containing measures too prickly for the careful politicians in Sacramento to tackle.

That thread of political insanity aside, the current crisis also stems from the realities of the economic depression affecting the nation and the world.  Revenues are dropping everywhere and governments at all levels are faced with a balancing act: cutting services and jobs and raising taxes in just the right mix to offend the fewest.  That's an incredibly difficult task anywhere, but in California it might just be an impossible mission.  

The state's democrats insist on tax increases as part of the package - softening the blow by calling them 'temporary', and in turn have agreed to substantial (and painful) program cuts.  The republicans, however, almost uniformly resist any tax increases - in fact, would like to see tax cuts.  They feel so strongly about this they ousted their leader, who pushed for compromise, and installed an arch conservative in his place.

Meanwhile, Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered the mailing of thousands of pink slips laying off state employees, and ordinary Californians everywhere are waking up to the realization that, this time, the result of Sacramento's political shenanigans could really be bad ...

Rating The Presidents

We seem inclined to rate and rank everything these days (just look at my 'top 5' lists on this blog), so Presidents are an obvious target.  (Hmm, if I say 'Presidents' and 'target' in the same sentence, will I get a visit from the FBI?  If I say 'Presidents', 'target', and 'FBI' will I?  Oh well, I hope they send Olivia Dunham and not Clarisse Starling ...)

What was I writing about?  Oh yes, rating the Presidents.

The Associated Press weighed in (via Yahoo News), letting us know that Abraham Lincoln took top spot on the 200th anniversary of his birth.   Looking at the overall history of presidential rankings, Lincoln has pretty much had a lock on that spot, with brief nods here and there to Fanklin D. Roosevelt and George Washington.

Fair enough I say. 

And fair enough that George W. Bush is in hot contention for Worst President honors.  It will take some time and a few polls to see if he can compete with the likes of Harding, Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan for the staying power of their historical incompetence.  I'd say he has a shot. 

And what of our new President?  Barack H. Obama has an opportunity, like Franklin D. Roosevelt, to be viewed as great by steering us through a difficult economic time, a time that FDR would find all too similar to his own.  With luck and diplomacy he won't have to deal with a really big war too, although George Bush has done his best to give him one.

Whether Obama will ultimately be ranked amongst the greats, or languish mid-pack (or worse), will partly depend on the outcome of some events beyond his control, but that's been true for all Presidents - of high or low regard.  If the Confederacy had won the Civil War, Lincoln would almost certainly be ranked (if a USA still existed) near the bottom rather than the top.  If the hostage rescue attempt had succeeded and not failed in the Iranian desert, Jimmy Carter might be further up the ratings ladder.  If Nixon's aides had said 'Nah, not worth it, don't bother' when contemplating the Watergate break-in, Tricky Dick would be (slightly) higher in the ratings.  If electoral justice had been served, George W. Bush wouldn't be ranked at all...

Aside from luck and a few breaks coming his way, Barack Obama will need years of steady decision making and the right actions of hundreds, maybe thousands, of dedicated and crafty bureaucrats, to achieve the kind of success history will consider greatness. 

Will he be like Bill Clinton, inspiring and intelligent, but too hampered by politics and personality to achieve much?  Or will he avoid the pitfalls of power, stake out a legacy like FDR, and be a hit in the future presidential ratings?

I am sure the raters will let us know.  In the meantime, I am waiting, Olivia ...

Valentine's Day Babble 11

It's a lovely sunny day here in LA, suitable for the ministrations of St. Valentine...

Top 5 Valentine's Day Tips:

5. Call your parents. Moms and Dads expect a call on V-Day. No one knows why.

4. Don't give your pets candy. It seems like a cute idea, but it's not...

3. Don't send V-Day requests or cute e-'animals' on Facebook.  That's irritating...

2. Never give your loved one cheap wholesale boxed candy, unless they have a solid sense of humor.

and,

1. Avoid dark, abandoned garages ... (only slightly more dangerous than #2)

China solves over-population

It seems that the world's most densely populated country has come up with a solution to overcrowding - breeding smaller people!  World news was lightened yesterday by a story about a 26 inch tall 'fully mobile' Chinese man.  If the process can be perfected, enough energy and space can be saved to allow a quintupling of the current world population - or - the current world population can move to California.

Michael Phelps - Public Enemy #1  in Columbia

Columbia, South Carolina, that is.  It seems the Sheriff thereabouts is investigating the Golden Olympian as a result of those photos showing him sucking on a bong.  There must not be much in the way of real crime to occupy the Sheriff's attention, but public sports figures do make good publicity for ambitious district attorneys.  After all, it's been a while since law enforcement in the Carolinas have had prominent sports figures to prosecute.  Not since the Duke Lacrosse Team.

Wherever you are in the world today, remember to kiss your special loved one and let them know you care.  If you are 26 inches tall, get a picture standing on a ladder giving a kiss, or your loved one bending over to plant one on you.  But if you are a sport celebrity in the Carolinas, don't take pictures...

Two Movies, Two Careers

What goes up must come down.

This is true of rocks thrown in the air, my bank account, and the careers of movie stars.

But sometimes it comes back up...

In the case of movie careers, we are often cursed to witness the fall, but every now and again privileged to see a reversal of fortune, a return, however tentative, to form.

I was recently able to see an example of both directions of fate, in the form of two movies and two careers.  

'The Day The Earth Stood Still', a remake of course of the 1950's classic, featured Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, the alien come to earth to decide whether the human race lives or dies.  After asking to speak with the leaders of our world at the UN, he forgets that request and instead decides our fate over fast food with a fellow alien disguised as an elderly Chinese-American.  The rest of the movie is all about an attractive scientist (Jennifer Connelly) trying to convince him to let us live.  Aside from the ill-advised plot changes from the original, and assorted weaknesses in continuity, the movie is still visually enjoyable.  Too bad then we are forced to watch Keanu hit the self-destruct button on his career.

Reeves, after an interesting role in 'Street Kings', reverted to his Matrix formula for this one, and dripped out a performance that made Klaatu's mute robot guard seem effusive.  If it is possible to reduce a living actor to a CGI creation, then the makers of this movie have achieved the feat.  Keanu Reeves looks increasingly like all of the living force has been squeezed out of him, and there's no emotion left in him to act.  If his next project doesn't show some range, or force him to do more than clench his jaw muscles and give an occasional expressive look, he'll soon find himself joining Morpheus on CSI.

'Yes Man' - not a remake, but all too similar in conceit to 'Liar, Liar', is Jim Carey's comeback to pure comedy.  And, despite critic's complaints, it's a fun film.  He plays a sympathetic character that gets involved with an eccentric played nicely by Zooey Deschanel, and the two even make a believable pair.  The central joke of the film centers around a decision Carey's character makes after landing in a self-help seminar led by a fiercely charismatic Terence Stamp - to say 'Yes' to everything.  All sorts of predictable, but still funny, hijinks ensue.  

Not as outrageously funny as the best moments in  'Liar, Liar', but also showering us with less of the sappy silliness of that earlier movie's ending, this new movie gives Jim Carey a chance to be a comic again.  Only this time the comic has grown up, toned down, and learned to pace himself.  We are treated to some of the great schtick we've come to expect in a Carey film, but with a dash of the mature comedy on display way back when in 'The Truman Show'.   This could be Carey's turnaround film, bringing him back to feature film comedy success.  Or, he might just be a defeated and deflated actor, sleepwalking through a role he'd rather not have taken.  Let's hope it's the former.

Fragile Trust

Trust is a hard won emotion.  It's a thing that can't be trifled with, can't be played fast and loose.

President Obama won the trust of most of the people, through his dignified and historic campaign, and through the carefully measured moves he made during his transition to office.

Now he risks losing it.

The trust given the President was given to a passionate, yes, but above all calm, thoughtful, and steady leader. The people longed to lay the burden at the feet of someone clearly competent who also wouldn't panic, or at least not show panic publicly.  We wanted to relax and get a good night's sleep.

Lately, however, President Obama has begun to show he may not really understand the bargain that was made. He may not know he was meant to be our confident and reassuring leader. He seems to be reverting to politicking without regard to impact on the public.

Take his recent statements about the stimulus package in the Senate, that it must be passed now or else risk a downward spiraling catastrophe which we might not be able to correct. It's clear to acute observers that this was aimed at Republicans and recalcitrant Democrats who threatened the legislation's passage, but what about the rest of us not-so-acute, not-so-political, observers?

It scared us, that's what!

In telling us that this bill may be our last chance to stay off the streets, the President triggered visions of bread lines and tent cities and all that other old depression era newsreel-depicted badness. What if the stimulus failed to pass?

By telling us that doom was near, the President painted himself into a corner should the bill have failed to clear the Senate. Would he have then turned around and said he didn't really mean it, that we can still fix this, that we still have hope?

President Franklin Roosevelt said 'We have nothing to fear, but fear itself'. It would be a good idea for President Obama to take this to heart and act on it.

Otherwise he risks losing that public trust in his leadership we all so dearly need him to keep.

On the Cusp of Possibility

There are a handful of moments in history where dramatic changes in direction are possible.   And it is possible we are in one of those moments now.

The entire world is in shock from the blitzkrieg recession of 2008, and are looking to the US and its new President to lead the way out of the worsening mess.

The middle east is in shock from Israel's Gaza incursion, seemingly waking up for the first time to the ferocity of the Jewish nation's dedication to its own survival.  

Corrupt regimes in Africa result in such misrule old scourges like cholera return to savage the populace.

Aggressive rulers of oil-producing nations have backed off their rhetoric in the face of falling oil revenues, realizing their power is propped on the value of a commodity, and not much else.

India and Pakistan inflame old hatreds, but clearly see the dangers that lie down that path.

It seems like every conflict or enmity, whether ethnic, religious, territorial, or philosophical, is reaching, or has already reached, a point of decision.  There is no mood for temporary patches, no tolerance for retracing old routes.

The world and its peoples have slipped down the mountain and struggled in the valley for too long, and are collectively looking upwards to higher ground.  We are looking for leaders who will get us out of this stinking valley and take us up the mountain again.

We are on the cusp of possibility, waiting ...

Deep Boredom

It's easy to get bored, caught up in the same old same old daily routine. 

In fact,  you might be bored right now. 

That might be why you are here, browsing this blog instead of working on that presentation, or shoveling snow, or blogging yourself (go blog yourself?)

So, if you are bored, might as well go Deep, and give yourself a chance (a very small one, mind) of participating in the discovery of new life.

ORCA, the Ocean Research and Conservation Association, has a streaming web camera - it's 'Eye-in-the-Sea', planted at the bottom of the ocean, 3000 feet down, off the coast of Monterey, California.  The 'Eye' brings you live black and white images of whatever creatures swim/float/undulate by. 

A friend of mine sent me the link to this site, with the best of intentions I am sure.  Of course, he didn't figure on me being the easily bored type (which I most definitely am), and had no idea of the damage he would be causing.  I assume I will tire of this deep watch at some point, but for now I am hooked.

It's a small price to pay for a chance at a new discovery.  (I see a Nobel in my future ...)

[Note: I am watching the 'Eye' as I type and I am seeing what appears to be a sea-snake. Dorso-ventrally flattened and with a slightly widened 'paddle' tail. It undulated into view and now sits coiled with head facing the camera. Never heard of sea-snakes in cold, deep water, and snakes would need to surface to breath, so it must be an eel or a mighty strange, elongated fish, but it looks just like a sea-snake. Trust me.]

Sicko Revisited

Just in time to presage the coming changes in healthcare policy (that is, if the economy allows), Michael Moore's 'Sicko' is being re-run on the tube.

Moore's documentary, slanted by his fervently anti-Bush views though it may be, raises powerful questions about how a democracy should treat its people, and what people should expect from their government.   Does a government have an obligation to protect the people from catastrophic medical expenses?  Or should it be survival of the fittest (sink or swim)?

The questions raised in the movie have no uncomplicated answers, but we must find answers. And soon.

Universal healthcare would be expensive and raise taxes, but would free many people from crippling debt, allowing them to spend that money -  otherwise gobbled up by healthcare alone for a broader range of goods and services. On the other hand,  blunting the profit motive in healthcare might reduce competition and perhaps adversely affect new discoveries.  Then again, what good are new discoveries if only a privileged few are able to benefit. (Unequal distribution of quality medical care in a society is not the same as uneven distribution of the latest electronic gadgets.)

Sicko's at times painfully heavy-handed tactics don't obscure its core message: It is absolutely embarrassing, and close to criminally unfair, for the richest country in the history of the world to have such unequally-applied healthcare.  It is so wrong it hurts to contemplate, that one citizen can get the best possible care while another dies or is permanently damaged because that same care is denied.  It is incredibly evil to force anyone to choose between financial disaster for their family and the medical care needed to save their lives.

Critics might say that healthcare is available to anyone who works hard, saves money, and buys the right insurance.  But Sicko puts that idea into question as well.  Claims denied over the slightest and most inadvertent mistakes on complicated applications.  Benefits canceled because of a minor illness suddenly, and retrospectively, considered a 'pre-existing condition'.  Insurance canceled after a long illness, with the victim unable to obtain any other coverage.  It's a nightmare that plagues the sleep of millions of hard-working Americans.  And it is especially frightening for the large but aging 'baby boomer' segment, who are the most prone to debilitating chronic illness and who will depend the most on reliable and affordable healthcare.

More now, in this time of economic crisis and uncertainty, than ever before in the history of this country, the potentially crippling expenses of medical care rise to the very forefront of millions of American's fears.  Sicko is a shout for us to pay attention, to get it right, and soon.

Old Friends in Cold Places

Lately there hasn't been too much to smile about.

Oh sure, we've had an historic, much-celebrated Presidential election.  We've had a plane crash that was more landing than crash, in which no one was killed, and which gave meaning to that spiel about water landings you usually ignore. Those were good.

But we've also had to watch our government in action, which is never pretty, whoever's in charge.  Botched presidential appointments, partisan (as ever) bickering, and stimulus packages that are either too bloated or not bloated enough, depending on the color of your state.

We've also been riding an emotional roller-coaster in lock step with the stock market, and the crazy gyrations have left many of us in a semi-permanent state of quease.

Add to all of that the sad truth that too many of us are unemployed, or underemployed, or self-employed (which these days is the same as the first two, it just sounds better).

All of that is bad.

Imagine, then, hearing from an old friend calling from a cold place, far away:

Rrrnnnggg ....

'Hello'

'Hey Buddy, it's [friend].  I'm sitting here in a Bavarian-style eatery sipping an ice-cold Bitburger.  It's 36 degrees (F) and I'm outdoors.'

'Are you nuts?'

'No, but I'm having some with the beer.  Hey, I just got an urge to call and see how you were.  Something about the beer and nuts made me flash on you, and I thought I'd call.'

'Great, so how are you?  Hanging in there in the frozen north?'

'Yeah.  It's a change and the transition hasn't been perfect, but I just keep on truckin'.  What else is there to do?  Wish I was back in sunny California sometimes, though.'

'Yeah, but it's raining here right now.  Outside, no rain, with a nice cold Bavarian beer and maybe a bratwurst or three... sounds like heaven.'

'Well, I'll drink this beer in your honor...'

A few minutes more of conversation featuring personal and work updates, horror stories about dumb-ass stock moves (both of us, but more me), and sundry other remembrances, ensued before my friend had to sign off.

Simple stuff, but the moment had worked it's magic.  Not much later I received an email telling me I'd missed the cut for a job I really wanted, but the blow was lighter and caused less damage thanks to that call.

How did he know?  Telepathy?  Empathy?  Telempathy?

Perhaps it was only coincidence that he called when hearing an old buddy's voice was something that would help me.  My friend might have just himself been seeking a familiar voice, a voice associated, however peripherally, with his own better memories. A voice to weaken the pack ice that had him feeling stuck in his cold place.

If that's so, I hope it worked.  

His call, perfectly timed, worked for me.

Morning Babble 10

Early minutes of Friday morning, and I find myself half-watching a movie on the tube called 'Last Night', about a group of people making their way through the last few hours until the end of the world. Not an edge of your seat flick, and not cathartic in any sense other than a reaffirmation of the mystery that is Canadian film. 

It made me think though.  If the world was really ending, would we pay as much attention to the 'news' that floods us from LCDs, plasmas, speakers, and (yes, still) paper?  Could we, in our last contemplative hours of existence, give any time or credence to news stories like ...

Prehistoric Big Snake Ate Crocs - It seems they've found the vertebrae of a 43-foot long, 2500 lb 'Titanoboa' in the Amazon.  They postulate it ate crocodiles and giant turtles while slithering about the hot tropics about 60 million years ago.  Snakes had been around during the dinosaurs, but once that dominant crew were wiped out by the meteor, the serpents crawled out from their bomb shelters and grew into the top predator role.  But that's not the best part.  The discoverers believe the sheer size of the snake indicates that the tropics were much hotter than previously thought possible, upping the limit on possible mayhem global warming could do to that sensitive habitat in our time.  They say that it had to be hotter to allow a snake that size to keep warm.  But, wait - isn't it true that animals tend to get larger in colder climates, and not warmer?  After all, the larger an animal gets the less surface area it has in relation to its mass, reducing heat loss.  True, it's tougher to warm up too, but it's a big leap to conclude the tropics were a broiler without further study.  But then this wouldn't really be acceptable nature news without some scary global warming tie-in, would it?

Aquaman gets off the box - In the wake of a pic showing that Michael Phelps, Olympian extraordinaire, does indeed inhale, Kellogg has dropped Phelp's from his contract to flog cereal.  This is a huge mistake.  It occurs to me that those who actually inhale on a regular basis ought to be the most rabid consumers of the kinds of cereals and snacks Kellogg makes...

Eight is NOT enough - Just a few days after releasing the heart-warming Guinness-friendly news of the birth of octuplets to a southern california woman, the press sheepishly and belatedly told us that a) she's single,  b) she already has 6 kids at home, and c) they were all conceived using fertility drugs.  Aside from the sheer sad horror of a system that supports such a freak show, what the heck happened to fact-checking stories before reporting them?  Seems accurate vetting isn't a problem reserved to just President Obama's appointment team...

Would any of these stories hold the same interest if the world was about to end in, say, 15 minutes?

Would I have watched a Canadian film?

Rejuvenating Sports (of Sorts)

A great writhing mass of baby boomers are moving into their golden years, looking mortality in the eye, and swearing to not go quietly, and not without a fight.

Trouble is, many boomers are not in such good shape.  Forget fighting, a mild scrap could bring on a coronary.  

But physical condition, strictly speaking, is not the greatest problem - it's attitude.  It's feeling old and acting old that can put a boomer in a grave sooner than might be desired.  And anything under 100 is sooner than desired for most of us.

I believe I may have found an answer in sports.  Not just any sports, though.  Not sports like tennis, golf, badminton, handball, bowling, pool, or even ping pong.  All of those are too aggressive.  They make you angry and that's not good.  Pissed off people rarely make it to 100 and beyond. In fact, if you are (were) a routinely angry boomer you are probably dying (dead) already.  Doesn't that just piss you off?

No, what boomers need are life-affirming, adventurous sports, and I know two good ones:  SCUBA (diving) and Motorcycling.  I know, I know.  Some of you cynics out there won't think of these as true sports, since (unless you are in a spearfishing tournament or racing) there isn't any obvious competition.  But I respectfully disagree, since both hold an element of competition, it's just that it's with yourself, a constant contest to become more skilled at each.

If you don't know anything about SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus), then look up, a) a documentary about Jacques Cousteau, or b) old episodes of Sea Hunt.  Lloyd Bridges' Mike Nelson is indelibly stamped in most boomers minds as the archetypical diver, but Cousteau had the Calypso and the advantage of being non-fiction (mostly).

If you want to know the thrills of motorcycle riding, watch the following, in order:  Easy Rider, old episodes of Then Came Bronson, On Any Sunday, The Road Racers, and Faster.  If you are short on time,  just watch 'On Any Sunday', it pretty much says it all, and Steve McQueen's in it.

These sports are perfect for creating and nurturing an adventurous spirit, and are not too hard to pick up at a level of basic competence.  Significant training is required to be really good at either, but that is also part of the appeal - learning is a forward-thinking and hopeful activity.

Both can be dangerous, but, again that's part of the invigorating appeal.  And, let's face it, when you reach the number of birthdays most boomers have already celebrated, just waking up is a risk.

And both SCUBA and motorcycling reward late-blooming beginners in a unique way.  If you had taken up either when you were in your teens or twenties, chances are you would be a physical wreck by now - there is a price to pay for a long lifetime of active involvement in either. However, by starting them later in life, their life-enhancing joys can actually make you feel younger, more alive, and possibly help you live longer as a result.  

Kind of a miracle.  But if you happen to be one of those boomers who has racked up a lifetime in either of these sports (God forbid both!), you might not see it that way.  You might think it's unfair and get really pissed off about it.  

But if you do, you might not make it to 100 and beyond - so don't.  Just hobble on down to the water, or swing that gimpy leg over your bike, and keep on keeping on.  You might be battered, but you will be an expert, and can give all the Johnny-come-latelys a hand...

Inefficiency Desperately Needed

In the teeth of this howling recession, corporations are scrambling to find 'efficiencies' to bolster the crumbling bottom line.

And efficiency is good, right?   

Could this be one of those silver linings we hear so much about?  Something good that will come out of all this pain?

Maybe.  But take a closer look at the 'efficiencies' these companies are implementing.

For most of these companies, most of the time, increasing efficiency simply means holding the line on profits by cutting costs, and this cost-cutting most often means slashing payroll.

The economic news of late has been a litany of company after company announcing job cuts.  And, usually, the news is greeted with approval on Wall Street, and the stock of these companies gets a lift in value (if ever so briefly).

The reality to the customers of these companies - unless they also happen to be stockholders, is less rosy.  They get to enjoy reduced customer service, and sundry other 'inefficiencies' resulting from an overworked, stretched-too-far workforce.  And a workforce, it should be noted,  that has been made fatalistic and cynical.  Just the attitude you want coming from someone on the other end of a line or email whose helpful attention you need.

So - is there an answer to this situation?

Yes!

Starting now, from this minute forward, let's urge all the CEO's we know, or can lookup in Lexus Nexus, to implement inefficiency. Urge them to start with the biggest of all, and that's to add jobs.  

And add them inefficiently, with no thoughts of whether the new positions are really needed - or for what they are needed.  Just hire talented people, the kind of people any company would want, give them a desk and a clean slate and tell them to, 'make something happen'.

Chances are they will too.

Sloppy and slapdash as we often are, as demanding and difficult as we can be, there is nothing so magnificently good for business as an inefficient human being given a nebulous and open mandate.  

Out of nothing, people can make something.  

Business 'leaders', Wall Street boffins, and just about everyone on the business news channels forget companies are people.  Corporations are not simply buildings, contracts, materials, and products.  

With too few people, companies are like zombies, staggering along, capable of doing only what's been ingrained in them, and creating nothing new.  Without people, they are just dead, spirit-less bodies, awaiting the embalmer...

Or perhaps awaiting a new possession and infusion of people.

An infusion of delightfully inefficient people.

And right now, inefficiency is desperately needed ...