My son is here in town, and Connie's son is able to come over.
The morning started with our traditional "Dutch Honey Bread." Here is an example recipe.
This is Saint Nicholas eve, and we always try to honor and recognize that.
Emmi suggested this book, which I have not read yet. I do like the title, though. It is described on Amazon as "A veteran journalist's acidically funny, righteously angry lament about the glorification of ignorance in the United States."
It is so strange, from an historical perspective. Why, in a nation that has always valued education, has tried to provide public education to nearly everyone, have stupidity and ignorance become virtues? On the one hand, we do value "geeks" now. There are a lot of them, and they are respected, at least by many. Yet, at the same time, we seem to respect stupidity equally, or more. So at least some of us do.
Now we have perhaps the smartest man ever to be President in office. (I say that not only from my own impression, listening to him talk, and also from knowing smart people who know Obama personally). Or perhaps I should say, the smartest since Thomas Jefferson--although, yes, there have been a number of other intelligent presidents.
Did you hear his statements about the unemployment problem? I was impressed. Anyhow, we have gone from one of the dumbest men ever to be president--who presided over disaster after disaster in foreign, domestic, and economic policy--to having one of the brightest "for a change."
And he is hated, simply hated, by quite a lot of people. You can buy tee-shirts that proclaim your animosity. I do struggle to understand this. Is it because stupid people hate smart people? Is it because racist people hate black people--especially "uppity" ones who are dramatically better than they are? Is it because television, instead of educating people (as we thought Sesame Street would help do) has driven down the level of knowledge and civic discourse so greatly? Is it the internet? Is it sheer economic frustration (which is understandable).
Is it because for the past two decades so many of our brightest young people went into finance, worked on Wall Street, instead of doing some helpful and productive, making a contribution toward a better world? Why is it?
Guess I need to read the book. Thanks for the suggestion, Emmi.
My brand new portable hard drive "melted" and the top came off!
Looking on-line, I see that some others have had this same difficulty, too. Kind of shocking. Brand new! I guess it must run pretty warm in making a Time Machine backup, but shouldn't such things be tested for? That is "normal use."
Where was it made? China. Isn't everything now?
Actually, I was told at the Apple store that Iomega doesn't make its own drives, but that Western Digital does.
In other regards, it is very nice. Triple interface: firewire 400, 800, and USB 2. (No eSata, though).
At the moment I have sitting on my desk for various reasons six different hard drives, plus the one in the computer itself. The melted one is the prettiest!
We had our first snow of the year last night. Just a tiny bit, but it did stick to the ground (but not the driveway). I had an appointment with a nurse (kind of a vampire, really) yesterday and she said many appointments had been cancelled because of the prospect. Apparently lots of older folks are really fearful about going out in it (although, like I said, nothing happened).
Here is a graph of some of the larger companies. "Subaru" is Fuji Heavy Industries. (I wasn't able to clip all the way to the bottom, so some of the smaller manufacturers are not included).
It is interesting to see the extent to which Toyota, General Motors, VW and Ford dominate the market. I've often thought that a Toyota Camry could amply meet the transportation needs of about 90% of the motoring public.
Subaru has been running a lot of ads and, yes, I do notice their cars much more now that I have one. I hate to see those that are a perfect match in color and trim! But still, I also feel a kind of "brotherhood of the road."
No Apple logo is shown, but I would expect one.
Glad I bought some (well, a little) Apple stock at $15. Now it is around $200. How high can it go?
This is how we will be "reading" publications. And apparently, it also is the way that textbooks and other books will be published. It is all speculation--but it is going to happen.
Isn't that basically what American politics boils down to now? These two individuals are the most prominent representatives of their respective political parties, Democrats and Republicans--both organizations which have had a significant history and have made important contributions to our nation. Who is it we the people think can better manage our nation, provide leadership on the economy, for the military, for Congress, and on the world stage? And why?
They of approximately the same age: Obama was born in 1961, and Palin in 1964. They might have been in high school together. Both grew up in relative "backwaters," outside of the main stream. Both do look good on TV, practically a necessity since John F. Kennedy (although George W. Bush certainly lacked command of the medium).
I can understand why some people condemn Obama as being some sort of "elitist." He is smarter than they are (and smarter than me, too). But really, he is the embodiment of the American dream: humble beginnings, worked hard, got educated, became at least a minor league success, and then had his considerable talents recognized. He proves what we always say: that in some sense anyone can grow up to be the president of this great nation.
What about Palen? Well, she had her talents recognized too, although initially by a very much smaller group. She entered the presidential contest really as an unknown. But is she "elitist" too? Very few women enter beauty contests; few would have any hope of winning; and they aren't generally expected to have much to say about political issues (except that they support world peace or love furry animals). We watch them of course, they decorate nearly every magazine cover--and I watched part of the Victoria's Secret fashion show last night--and have been wondering which telecast attracted the larger audience, Obama's address concerning the Afghanistan situation or the lengthy parade of stylish, minimalistic underwear. I imagine the latter, actually.
Anyhow, being a beauty contestant is to be part of an elite, not available to most of us; just as is earning a Harvard Education a rare distinction.
The Secrets women were attractive, for sure--but I didn't spot any that I would like to have serve as Secretary of Defense or Treasury, Secretary of State, or even Postmaster General. Actually, it turned out that Ms. Palin (who made it clear that she doesn't know what the U.S. Vice President actually does, and that she doesn't bother to read about domestic or foreign affairs) wasn't interested in performing the job to which she was elected, and simply quit.
I don't really mean to be demeaning. My butt could use some firming up, too! Am I underestimating their abilities? Are there neurosurgeons or Supreme Court clerks among the models? Those questions weren't given much attention during the show.
I did notice that they hated to "lose." Some cried. It apparently means the world to them, to get to walk down that runway! And I bet Ms. Palin simply hated to lose--which is why now she is trying to blame everyone else in sight in "her" book.
Don't you believe that, if Obama had lost, he would have said it was his own fault? "I am the candidate, I call the shots. The buck stops here."
For Sarah, I think, it is all about the spotlight.
For Obama, it is all about the responsibility.
Whom do you want as your president? Which party makes the better choices concerning leadership?
In my mind, there are a handful of facts that everyone ought to know. Taking them in chronological order, the first is that agriculture and civilization were "invented" about 10,000 years ago. The second is that the American post-war baby boom last from 1946-1964, with the midpoint then being 1955. (You remember those good old days, don't you? That was the only year that the Brooklyn Dodgers won a world series. That also was when Ray Kroc opened a MacDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois--we drove by it just the other day. That was when "rock around the clock" was a smash hit, opening the door for a lot of other rock music). Back then, we were young, innocent, and hopeful. At least I was.
The third great and important fact is that, from the point of view of the participation of regular folks in the American economy, 1973 was the last good year. Here's why:
Throughout the post WWII period, an American working man could (on average) expect to get ahead financially as he got more job experience, aging and rising in seniority. However, the sad fact is that those wage gains ended (according to the best statistics available) in 1973. After that, family incomes did continue to rise--but only because so many households had two wage-earners. Wives had left the home for the office or factory. The graph on the left above tells that story.
This description is one of the most important facts of modern times, but it doesn't address a different but not unrelated trend--that most of the income growth of the last couple decades has been concentrated among the wealthiest Americans, and not the average Joe's and Jane's. The American Dream (short of winning the lottery) is, for most, really dead. Even with two incomes, which tend to be taken as a necessity. Getting an education, working hard, being responsible--those are no longer a route to "prosperity," or even to reasonable financial security.
If you want to read the article from which I clipped these graphs, see American Without a Middle Class, by Elizabeth Warren, who is the chair of the Congressional Panel that is trying to oversee the banking bailouts and a Professor of Law at Harvard. Her commentary is worth reading. Actually, it is worth sending to your friends. It might be worth memorizing.
"The rich get richer and the poor get poorer"--that's an old saying, but it wasn't especially applicable to the 1950s and 1960s, when not only was the American middle class advancing, but there also was a concerted effort to aid the most economically disadvantaged--especially the elderly, Appalachian whites, Deep Southern blacks, and inner city neighborhoods. That all changed around the time of the election of Ronald Reagan in late 1980: the goal of public policy came to be helping the very richest become richer still, and to let the middle class get suffer. That was when "homelessness" began to be a major national issue. Not hunger; that happened much sooner. Homelessness, not only of the mentally ill, but homelessness among families.
Some people are critical of governmental efforts--actually, I am certainly critical of the 40+-year failure to eliminate billboards, which was promised in 1965--but in this case the aim of public policy was in fact fully realized. The rich got richer. And, most interestingly, the Republican/Wall Street elite was able to figure out ways to get those who were most economically injured by their policies to vote in support of them on election day. And that is true still. Nice trick!
Of what was it said that there is one "born every minute?" Oh, I remember: a sucker. That's right: a sucker. If you are working class, or lower or middle middle class, and you are voting Republican, and opposing health care reform, or going to the "tea parties" to disrupt democratic discourse; if you are getting your perspective on the world from Fox News, if you think Sarah Palin might make a fine president--then you (sadly) are numbered among those very very numerous suckers.
And, partly because of you, you aren't likely to see a "good year" again for a very long time. Deservedly so. The country did itself tremendous disservice by supporting the Geo W. Bush administration through two whole terms. That, on top of what went on before, did damage that perhaps we can never recover from.
Barack Obama is black; he is your; his experience is definitely limited, and he is very moderate--not at all a radical, but predisposed to listening, to compromise, to bi-partisanship. Some may see these characteristics as weaknesses, as hesitancy, as over-cautiousness. But he is smart, and he is wise, and he really is our last best hope. And the people who got us into this multi-faceted mess lacked all reasonable caution and care.
Abe Lincoln said it: "My dream is of a place and time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."
Anyhow, it is time for all of us to step up to the plate. It isn't just the time for patriotic spirit, for good followership of good leadership. It may well be the only time we have left.
Sorry to be so non-PC. Just telling it like it is. Was, and is.
And--next time you walk by someone on the street who is really, really obscenely wall-off, be sure to ask him to thank you. The money he or she is spending is money that, at one time in the past, would have deservedly been yours, your savings and your wages.
I've ended up buying two 13" MacBook Pro's, one first for my wife, and then one for my son.
But none for me! What is wrong with this picture?
They are great computers, though. Top drawer. Both recipients are thrilled. (You can see I sometimes distribute presents early).
Two of my wife's children have 15" versions of the same basic computer. Larger screens are helpful for video work.
Here is the video and text of the President's address tonight. It is such a change to have a president speak who tries to lay out facts, to tell the truth, to assess risks and costs. To have a President who is capable of being an adult.
Exactly why did we attack Iraq anyhow? When that wasn't where our enemies were? I am trying to remember. I don't think there ever was a very good explanation offered.
One thing that struck me is how young the West Point cadets appear:
(The photo is from USA Today, which I really have come to consider quite a good newspaper. We read it when we travel. Often it is distributed free at motels).
Links from my Neighborhood
Congressional Budget Office...
An official, bi-partisan research organization.
The Urban Institute | Resea...
The Urban InstituteGATHERS data,CONDUCTS research,EVALUAT...
Scenic America dedicated to preserving and enhancing the ...
Barack Obama | Change We Ca...
Obama news and info
U.S. Government Accountabil...
"The investigative arm of Congress" and "the congressiona...
