"Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true."
Francis
Bacon (1561-1626)
English
philosopher, statesman, scientist
Too true.
Too bad.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Siwwy wabbit!
OK, this is the Mother of All Silly
Exaggerations:
Ooops.
I guess what I'm saying here is the Mother of All……
You know what I mean, in a meta sort-of
way…..
Sunday, October 27, 2013
A kinder, gentler "Being There"…..
Here's a short remembrance, written by a Cherokee woman with a Cherokee
heart:
"Down in the edge of the woods a grapevine swings back and forth
in the dappled sunlight. Two squirrels, young ones, spend time swinging on the
vine, chasing each other up and down and crossing from tree to tree. Their
obvious joy in simply being alive is good to watch. We seldom do anything with
great joy."
It reminded me of Robert Frost. Mr. Frost didn't mention squirrels in "Birches," but he might have….
Here's an excerpt of what he did say, you'll recognize it:
I'd like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:
I don't know where it's likely to go better.
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
The wisdom of Sam Levenson (part 2)
“It's simple
to be wise.
Just think of something stupid to say and say the opposite.”
American humorist, writer, teacher, TV celeb and journalist
OK,
this approach might not be foolproof, but it gets you started on the right
track.
Nobody
ever INTENDS to say something stupid, right?
OK,
so that's not true….
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The wisdom of Frederick Collin
“There are two types of people --
those who come into a room and say,
'Well, here I am!'
and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.'"
Guess which of those types is interested in hearing your story.
Look in the mirror and admit which type you are.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
A little fooling around, and then….uh oh
Honestly, I don't go looking for this kind of thing.
I was on HuffingtonPost.com, so, really, I didn't think I was going to have
to turn away from an item on erotic large reptile literature….
No kidding, I never heard of "dinosaur erotica" before, never
came up in conversation or anything like that….
And hey, I'm a book lover, but, I mean, there are limits….
Still, I'm really very much a "live and let love" kind of guy,
I say po-tay-toe, you say pa-tah-toe, you know, consenting adults, their own bedroom,
as long as nobody gets hurt, yadda yadda….
So if reading a book about a horny T-Rex and an eager lady does it for you,
then, y'know, go for it, please don't be too noisy, make sure the kids'll never
find it on the top shelf and so on….
Still…."dinosaur erotica"....
Something about this whole thing is not quite right.
Something about this whole thing is not quite right.
I had to say that.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Gov. Christie gets interestinger….
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, an
unabashed opponent of gay marriage, has decided to stop fighting any of the folks
who are in love and want to get married.
Christie stepped right up to the
microphone the other day to say he will not challenge a New Jersey Supreme Court
ruling that says same-sex marriage is constitutional in the Garden State.
New Jersey is the 14th state
to legalize gay marriage. It had recognized only "civil unions"—which
Christie endorsed—since 2007.
I'm no fan of Gov. Christie, and I have
absolutely no opinion right now about his prospects for being the Republican nominee
for president in 2016.
I do think he seems to be getting smarter.
Monday, October 21, 2013
"Money can't buy me love!"
"Can't Buy Me Love" was one
of the Beatles' very first hits in 1964. I remember when it was a new release. Cool.
Now, for the Beatles, I'm not too sure
that there was anything they couldn't buy, as it turned out….
But here's a Fractured Fact: most Americans
couldn't buy too much love or anything else if only cash is accepted:
A recent survey you never heard of says that half of Americans have
less than $78 in cash in their wallets or at home.
Maybe they're not counting the coin jar in the bedroom.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Who's going to jail?
Rumor is that JPMorgan Chase is going to pay a $13 billion fine to settle mortgage-fraud charges, a record
penalty!
But it's really the same old story.
Not one of those rascally banker
criminals—the ones who caused the 2008 financial meltdown—is going to jail.
JPMorgan is going to pay up because
its employees, and employees of some companies JPM acquired, cheated investors
a few years back. You know that story: the bankers lied about bad loans
included in the mortgage-backed securities they were peddling.
But why aren't the bad guys going
to jail?
I'm talking about the highly paid top
execs and directors of JPMorgan, who collectively hold less than 1 per cent of
JPM stock, so this penalty isn't going to hurt THEM much.
Sure, $13 billion is a lot of money
to fork over, right?
Well, last year JPMorgan's profit—that's
profit, not revenue—was $94 billion.
JPM's operating profit margin was 38.4%.
That's a really nice profit margin.
Just for reference, your typical funeral home has an operating margin of
9.8%....
Your typical food store has a margin of about 2.3%....
Folks like the ones in top spots at JPMorgan are eating our lunch….metaphorically,
they're killing us….and they're making a
pile of cash doing it.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
We're cooking the planet (part 11)
Global climate change and
global warming are monstrously frightening. It sickens me and saddens me that our
grandchildren are going to live through it….
A few days ago the Los Angeles Times decided to take it to a higher level: LAT editors decided they will no longer publish
letters or comments from those who "deny" man's dangerous impact on climate
change. Editor Paul Thornton wrote:
"…when deciding which
letters should run among hundreds on such weighty matters as climate change, I
must rely on the experts -- in other words, those scientists with advanced
degrees who undertake tedious research and rigorous peer review . . . The
debate right now isn't whether this evidence exists (clearly, it does) but what
this evidence means for us . . . Saying 'there's no sign humans have caused
climate change' is not stating an opinion, it's asserting a factual inaccuracy."
Of course there's still much more
to learn about global climate change, we're far from knowing enough about the details
and understanding the impacts—and certainly reasonable people can and must debate
about what we should do to improve the future for our grandchildren. And of course
it's going to be frighteningly expensive.
Let's get on with doing something
about it.
Friday, October 18, 2013
The new "politically correct"….
Why do we keep re-electing the
people who won't do The People's business?
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Here's what the budget deal cost you….
About $3,000.
So, Congress finally passed a bipartisan budget/debt limit
deal.
What a relief! What a horror!
No time now to curse the hateful inability of Congress to
do The People's work.
Let's get back to work.
But here's the deal: the Reid/McConnell deal cost you a
lot, not only in terms of anxiety.
The New York Times very roughly estimates that the two-week
government shutdown, and the self-serving waffling about honoring America's debts
in the world market, and the failure of Congress
to pursue sensible economic policies in recent years, has cost you plenty.
You're paying more for credit card interest, loans and mortgages
because financial markets have been roughed up by Congressional stupidity.
Roughly a million more people would be working now if Congress
had been doing ITS job.
Roughly $400 billion was lost in national economic growth—if
you think of it as every household flushing $3,000 down the toilet, you're on the
right track….
Why do we keep re-electing the people who won't do The People's
business?
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
"But don't close the national parks in my state"….
Some states that eat in the federal
trough, like Wyoming and Arizona, are having a tough time in this hateful
government shutdown that has closed national parks.
National parks are operated with
federal dollars, but they generate tourist revenue that largely goes into state
coffers.
Now, a piece on DailyKos.com
underlined the obvious: Wyoming and Arizona are "red states"…their
voters went for Romney in the 2012 elections that gave a re-election mandate to
President Obama.
And both Wyoming and Arizona are
among the 32 states that receive more federal benefits per capita than they pay
in federal taxes and fees.
Now, some states are using their own money to re-open national parks
until Congress gets its act together.
But—Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead groused about the park shutdown in his
state, but his spokesman said: “Wyoming cannot bail out the federal government
and we cannot use state money to do the work of the federal government.”
Apparently Mead is OK with the federal government (that is, you and me and all
of us) bailing out the good folks in Arizona every day, every week, year after year….
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer wants to restore her state's tourist revenues
from the Grand Canyon, but she refused to pony up the $112,000 A DAY that the federal government spends to keep Grand
Canyon National Park open. She authorized a partial re-opening, using $93,000
Arizona dollars daily, and her spokesman explained, “The daily cost difference
is enormous, especially without assurances that Arizona will be reimbursed."
Would YOU like a little reimbursement for the piece of YOUR federal income tax
that helps keep the Grand Canyon open to the public?
I want Gov. Brewer to step up to the mike and announce that she's going
to send some of that Grand Canyon tourist revenue to Washington to help pay for
water supply management in Arizona, or something like that….
Monday, October 14, 2013
The wisdom of Sam Levenson
"The simplest toy,
one which even the
youngest child can operate,
is called a grandparent."
American humorist, writer, teacher, TV celeb and
journalist
The Three Laws of Grandparentotics:
1. A grandparent must do what the
child wants.
2. A grandparent must play until
the child wants to go to sleep.
3. A grandparent may not take the
biggest cookie.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Zoos and politics shouldn't mix….
This kid wants to see the animals. That's why he got all dressed up.
Keeping zoos open isn't the highest
and noblest function of our government….
But this is the hateful, stupid, annoying,
unbelievable, dispiriting kind of fallout we get when our representatives in Washington
play dangerous political games, and leave the rest of us twisting slowly in the
wind.
Why do we keep re-electing these people
who won't do The People's business?
Saturday, October 12, 2013
It ain't heavy, it's my money….
In case you were wondering, you CAN get away with it if you grab the
bank bag with the million bucks in it that falls out of the back of the armored
truck right in front of you.
Well, I mean you can actually run away with it….eluding the authorities
is your problem….
See, here's a Fun Fact:
A million simoleons in cold cash—$100 bills, mind you—only weighs about
25 pounds, your average fifth grader could easily grab it and run.
In fact, make it easy on yourself, I recommend you keep a trustworthy
fifth grader handy if you walk behind armored trucks a lot, you never know….
Friday, October 11, 2013
Advice to little girls, courtesy of Mark Twain
"Good little girls always show marked deference for the aged.
You
ought never to 'sass' old people unless they 'sass' you first."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Sometimes it takes old people a long time to grow up. Those among us who
are prone to "sassing" little girls should also take heed of Mr. Twain's
very considerate guidance.
On the other hand, if you do it in a really nice way, maybe….
And if the sassing is a prelude to ice cream, or pursuant to a pony ride,
then OK.
Mark Twain also said:
"Suppose
you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat
myself."
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The "I's" have it.
Our gerrymandered, corrupted primary election system allows a minority of partisan
ideologues to "pack" the House of Representatives with elected reps
who are beholden to them.
In this clearly written analysis, George Friedman of Stratfor.com
argues that "safely" elected congresspersons are the fundamental
cause of the hateful congressional gridlock and doctrinaire obstructionism
which has led to the current shutdown of American government.
Take a few minutes to read it through. You won't be glad you did, but
you'll be a bit better informed….
Why do we keep re-electing the people who won't do The People's business?
"The Roots of the Government Shutdown" is republished with
permission of STRATFOR.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Government shutdown, Down Under style….
Yup, the Aussies do more than
Foster's and shrimp on the barbie….
For example, in 1975, the
Australian government was shut down, a la Boehner and Tea Party and Company,
because the elected legislature wouldn't agree on a budget to fund government
operations.
But it's not a familiar story….
As WashingtonPost.com tells it, here's how it ended:
Australian Governor-General Sir
John Kerr, the queen's official representative, took action that isn't in
President Obama's toolkit.
Kerr promptly dismissed the
Australian prime minister, then the new P.M. immediately passed a bill to put
the government back in business, then three hours later Kerr tossed every member
of the legislature out of office, and immediately scheduled full national elections
to create a brand-new Senate and a brand-new House of Representatives.
And that, kiddies, was the first
and last government shutdown in Australia.
Put another shrimp on the barbie….
Monday, October 7, 2013
Getting ready for another rainy day....
I can't imagine who would feel resigned about the prospect of another sunny day....
When another rainy day is coming at you, it's a different story.
Sure, you can laugh about it, you can try "Walkin' in the rain . . ."
You can quack like a duck....
....or get on with it.
The other animals already figured it out: you get wet, you get on with it.
When another rainy day is coming at you, it's a different story.
Sure, you can laugh about it, you can try "Walkin' in the rain . . ."
You can quack like a duck....
....or get on with it.
The other animals already figured it out: you get wet, you get on with it.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
The voice of unreason….
He was talking about the dangerous government
shutdown yesterday, and one right-wing Republican in the House said it like it is:
“We’re not going to be disrespected. We
have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.”
This self-serving candor is from Rep.
Marlin Stutzman, R-IN. He helped create our problem, but he's not interested in
solving it.
This is not "big thinking about America."
This is not "government."
This is not "representative
democracy."
This is not "standing up for
principle."
This is not "doing the right
thing."
Why do we keep re-electing these
people who aren't doing The People's business?
Thursday, October 3, 2013
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