Too, too many to list, but before I return to my deadline, a couple of items from this weekend:
A happy, happy, happy marriage. My Bride is just amazing, and I marvel that she tolerates me, much less loves me like she does.
Our son's 18th birthday yesterday--I could go on endlessly about The Boy, but he would object, which is one of the reasons I admire him so.
Our daughter's 25th birthday last week--see above for why I don't go endlessly about her either. She's on the road, celebrating at a friend's wedding.
The two kids are so different in temperament and interests, and each one already has made a huge positive impact on their worlds.
Yesterday, we celebrated with a cheap Chinese lunch, and The Boy and My Bride and I enjoyed Julie & Julia yesterday afternoon. It was delightful, moving, inspiring--and I am very hard to please. Usually, when I go to a movie, I'm bored to tears and sleep through it. I savored every frame of this one.
I do work I love.
Golf.
Four affectionate dogs, and four cats. 'Nuff said there.
And, to leave you with a thought, here is the epitaph the real Julie wrote about the real Julia five years ago. Grab a Kleenex before you click.
Back to work--deadline looms.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
How Much Is 12.1 Trillion?
So, I'm taking a break from the day's project on deadline, and this story keeps popping up:
Timmy Geithner's letter to Harry Reid on Friday, telling him Congress needs to raise the US government's debt limit to 12.1 trillion(that's with a 't').
Otherwise, there's a possibility of default in October.
The 'D' word. That's not good!
The House is in recess, with the members hiding from their constituents, and shaking down the donors for 2010. Lots of folks on what vacations they may muster, and not paying attention, at least that's what the Obama administration hopes.
I can't think they'll be happy to hear that the letter's existence is now out in the open.
So, how much is 12.1 trillion dollars?
A billion is a thousand million. That's a lot of dough.
A trillion is a thousand billion. That's a lot more dough.
So, now we're at 12 times a thousand times a billion, this year alone.
That little 'point-one' stands for only a hundred billion--chump change for the Obama administration.
There are about 300 million people in the USA. So 12 billion(no need to worry with that 'point-one' divided by 300 million is....
(Had to do this on my spreadsheet, as my calculator won't do this..)
40,000 dollars for every man woman and child present in the country.
For just this fiscal year.
That's just the budget shortfall for this year.
That's what Congress is borrowing in your name, this year alone.
That's not factoring in that maybe 20 million of the 300 million are illegal aliens, and of course in every population there are those who cannot/should not work, such as the aged, small children, the ill and infirm. So, that 40,000 per person actually is a conservative estimate, and we'll ignore that 'point-one', since those in charge aren't too concerned about it, either.
This is before ObamaCare, or another 'stimulus' bill now being chattered about, or some emergency like another bad hurricane, or a war breaking out, or a bunch of biiig bank failures, etc.
Federal tax revenues are down 18% year-over-year, by the way, and real unemployment is well over 10%.
And Nancy Pelosi seems confounded that the voters are upset at their local Congressman/woman? She thinks it's just kooks, wackos and neo-nazis showing up to act ugly...
Maybe she's just out of touch and overworked.
Timmy Geithner's letter to Harry Reid on Friday, telling him Congress needs to raise the US government's debt limit to 12.1 trillion(that's with a 't').
Otherwise, there's a possibility of default in October.
The 'D' word. That's not good!
The House is in recess, with the members hiding from their constituents, and shaking down the donors for 2010. Lots of folks on what vacations they may muster, and not paying attention, at least that's what the Obama administration hopes.
I can't think they'll be happy to hear that the letter's existence is now out in the open.
So, how much is 12.1 trillion dollars?
A billion is a thousand million. That's a lot of dough.
A trillion is a thousand billion. That's a lot more dough.
So, now we're at 12 times a thousand times a billion, this year alone.
That little 'point-one' stands for only a hundred billion--chump change for the Obama administration.
There are about 300 million people in the USA. So 12 billion(no need to worry with that 'point-one' divided by 300 million is....
(Had to do this on my spreadsheet, as my calculator won't do this..)
40,000 dollars for every man woman and child present in the country.
For just this fiscal year.
That's just the budget shortfall for this year.
That's what Congress is borrowing in your name, this year alone.
That's not factoring in that maybe 20 million of the 300 million are illegal aliens, and of course in every population there are those who cannot/should not work, such as the aged, small children, the ill and infirm. So, that 40,000 per person actually is a conservative estimate, and we'll ignore that 'point-one', since those in charge aren't too concerned about it, either.
This is before ObamaCare, or another 'stimulus' bill now being chattered about, or some emergency like another bad hurricane, or a war breaking out, or a bunch of biiig bank failures, etc.
Federal tax revenues are down 18% year-over-year, by the way, and real unemployment is well over 10%.
And Nancy Pelosi seems confounded that the voters are upset at their local Congressman/woman? She thinks it's just kooks, wackos and neo-nazis showing up to act ugly...
Maybe she's just out of touch and overworked.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Jimmy Carter, Where Are You?
One of Jimmy Carter's momentous decisions during his ill-fated Presidency was his decision to leave the Shah of Iran to his fate, and stand by while Khomeni and company transformed the country into an Islamic republic.
His reasoning was that the Shah was a despicable tyrant who violated human rights, thus we must wash our hands of him.
Now, thirty years and a few hundred thousand deaths later, we see an Iranian regime that seems bent on both crushing its own people and developing the means to terrorize the region with nuclear weapons.
Oh, Mr. President, champion of Human Rights and Free and Fair Elections in all corners of the earth, could you please explain your silence about the show trials of Iranian dissidents now underway?
(Silence, broken only by the chirp of the cicadas in the summer heat of the Georgia evenings...)
Mr. President???
(Silence, broken only by the chirp of the cicadas in the summer heat of the Georgia evenings...)
His reasoning was that the Shah was a despicable tyrant who violated human rights, thus we must wash our hands of him.
Now, thirty years and a few hundred thousand deaths later, we see an Iranian regime that seems bent on both crushing its own people and developing the means to terrorize the region with nuclear weapons.
Oh, Mr. President, champion of Human Rights and Free and Fair Elections in all corners of the earth, could you please explain your silence about the show trials of Iranian dissidents now underway?
(Silence, broken only by the chirp of the cicadas in the summer heat of the Georgia evenings...)
Mr. President???
(Silence, broken only by the chirp of the cicadas in the summer heat of the Georgia evenings...)
Friday, August 7, 2009
Interestinger and Interestinger...Congress Hears From The Voters
My, oh my, oh my. It is getting interesting out there...
It's obvious Congressman Bishop is severely out of touch with life, and his voters know that he knows that they know he's a fraud.
Our local congressman, John Tanner, lacks the bollocks to conduct one of these, inviting one and all to participate in a 'phone-in' town hall meeting, at the end of August.
Pelosi, Geithner, and Himself can claim it's all getting better.
Problem is, the voters know better.
It's Friday!
It's Friday, when we all settle in for the weekend, and the bank examiners swoop down on the next group of failed banks.
Calculated Risk features 'BFF', or 'Bank Failure Friday' weekly. We're at 69 and counting, with the readers participating in a game of 'how many and which ones'.
Calculated Risk features 'BFF', or 'Bank Failure Friday' weekly. We're at 69 and counting, with the readers participating in a game of 'how many and which ones'.
Dan Hannan Visits D.C.
Dan Hannan in fine form!
Little need be added, just a strong encouragement to listen and take his words to heart.
Little need be added, just a strong encouragement to listen and take his words to heart.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
1809 Was A Very Good Year
Cranmer is essential reading every morning.
This morning, he commemorates the 200th anniversary of Alfred Lord Tennyson's birth.
1809 was a very good year, and there is a bit of hope in the recalling of it.
The French Revolution had come and gone, spilling oceans of blood. In its wake arose Napoleon Bonaparte, who spilled even more, and in 1809, dominated the world stage.
It was not a good time, by many measures.
But, in a cabin in Kentucky, in a prosperous family of Leipzig, and in a vicar's family in Lincolnshire--three boys were born: Abraham Lincoln, Felix Mendelssohn, and Alfred Tennyson.
Their lives headed off in dramatically different directions, but what a contribution each made!
So, mom and dad--that little rug-burner tossing his Cheerios off the high chair holds infinite promise for us all. Nurture that kid--who knows what might happen?
So in honor of Tennyson, his elegaic Crossing The Bar:
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
This morning, he commemorates the 200th anniversary of Alfred Lord Tennyson's birth.
1809 was a very good year, and there is a bit of hope in the recalling of it.
The French Revolution had come and gone, spilling oceans of blood. In its wake arose Napoleon Bonaparte, who spilled even more, and in 1809, dominated the world stage.
It was not a good time, by many measures.
But, in a cabin in Kentucky, in a prosperous family of Leipzig, and in a vicar's family in Lincolnshire--three boys were born: Abraham Lincoln, Felix Mendelssohn, and Alfred Tennyson.
Their lives headed off in dramatically different directions, but what a contribution each made!
So, mom and dad--that little rug-burner tossing his Cheerios off the high chair holds infinite promise for us all. Nurture that kid--who knows what might happen?
So in honor of Tennyson, his elegaic Crossing The Bar:
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
Three Minutes, Twenty-six Seconds of Inspiration
Another nominee for the Green Shoots Award.
Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, an excerpt here provided from the final movement.
You don't have to love classical music to love this!
This group and conductor seem to all share the same heartbeat.
It doesn't happen often, and everyone deserves the opportunity to experience it.
About eighty virtuoso musicians, working together, each dedicated to creating a whole much greater than the sum of the parts...what would the culture look like if people learned how to do this on a regular basis?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Where the Recession Isn't
I'm allergic to shopping malls in general. Artificial, overpriced, all look the same, modern pagan temples to conspicuous consumption; and 'scuse me please, but the Victoria's Secret window displays are embarrassing.
But yesterday, I was in one, getting one of my kids fitted for a new pair of glasses via Lenscrafters--it was a good sale, and I took them up on it.
This mall was not dead, only a couple of empty spaces, but it wasn't hopping as in previous years.
However, the kid wanted to check in at the Apple Store to price an upgrade to his computer.
Holy Cow! This place had thirty customers in their modest space, at 8:00 pm. I saw little kids in strollers playing with iPhones. Pretty amazing...
The nice sales lady said they were gearing up for Tax Amnesty Weekend, when the State of Tennessee lifts its 10% sales tax finger off the retail sector for three days. She said the line outside the door would stretch to a three-hour wait.
To quote Jerry Springer: 'What have we learned here?'
Well, Apple makes products that really work, are great fun to use, and dramatically improve people's lives.
And, when the State ceases to punish people who engage in economic transactions--you know, making stuff, selling stuff, buying stuff--business blooms.
Hmmm...
Maybe, if the State were smaller, and taxed its citizens less, the citizenry would thrive better.
Maybe, if business could concentrate on making and selling stuff people really want, (unlike GM and Chrysler) people would buy their stuff without Mr. Obama paying them cash to shop.
Hmmm...
But yesterday, I was in one, getting one of my kids fitted for a new pair of glasses via Lenscrafters--it was a good sale, and I took them up on it.
This mall was not dead, only a couple of empty spaces, but it wasn't hopping as in previous years.
However, the kid wanted to check in at the Apple Store to price an upgrade to his computer.
Holy Cow! This place had thirty customers in their modest space, at 8:00 pm. I saw little kids in strollers playing with iPhones. Pretty amazing...
The nice sales lady said they were gearing up for Tax Amnesty Weekend, when the State of Tennessee lifts its 10% sales tax finger off the retail sector for three days. She said the line outside the door would stretch to a three-hour wait.
To quote Jerry Springer: 'What have we learned here?'
Well, Apple makes products that really work, are great fun to use, and dramatically improve people's lives.
And, when the State ceases to punish people who engage in economic transactions--you know, making stuff, selling stuff, buying stuff--business blooms.
Hmmm...
Maybe, if the State were smaller, and taxed its citizens less, the citizenry would thrive better.
Maybe, if business could concentrate on making and selling stuff people really want, (unlike GM and Chrysler) people would buy their stuff without Mr. Obama paying them cash to shop.
Hmmm...
Monday, August 3, 2009
All He Wants To Do Is Dance, Dance...
George Stephanapoulis at ABC's This Week has an unenviable task: getting people in our political leadership to simply answer simple questions in a direct manner.
He himself is a master of the double-speak-spin-till-you-drop school of linguistic obfuscation, as Bill Clinton's former press secretary. Bill and Hilary operated by rendering the English language meaningless, wearing down friend and foe alike with a flood of sound that sounded sort of like English, but really meant inherently nothing.
Bill's classic line sums up his life: 'It depends on what your meaning of 'is' is.'
It will be counted a tragedy of our culture that he was allowed to get away with it, allowed to finish out his term, allowed to deconstruct the only thing we have to communicate ideas--language.
Tim Geithner learned the lessons of Bill Clinton well.
As you read the transcript of today's interview, notice how the Secretary begins to chatter verbiage at every juncture where a simple question is asked.
Questions like: Doesn't this mean a tax increase? Can you assure those Republicans that make the attempt to work with you that you won't betray them in the end?
At every juncture, every simple question is answered with a torrent of verbiage, that once read, really means very little. Secretary Geithner is attempting to run out the clock, while sounding erudite.
Meanwhile, back in the land of reality: An acquaintance needs to fill a secretarial position in a small academic department in a small college in a small town. 150 resumes to pore through. Another has a newspaper staff position to fill. 250 resumes, many with master's degrees, and more arriving every day.
For these people, words have meaning, even if they don't for the Treasury Secretary.
They live in the world he and his created for us...
He himself is a master of the double-speak-spin-till-you-drop school of linguistic obfuscation, as Bill Clinton's former press secretary. Bill and Hilary operated by rendering the English language meaningless, wearing down friend and foe alike with a flood of sound that sounded sort of like English, but really meant inherently nothing.
Bill's classic line sums up his life: 'It depends on what your meaning of 'is' is.'
It will be counted a tragedy of our culture that he was allowed to get away with it, allowed to finish out his term, allowed to deconstruct the only thing we have to communicate ideas--language.
Tim Geithner learned the lessons of Bill Clinton well.
As you read the transcript of today's interview, notice how the Secretary begins to chatter verbiage at every juncture where a simple question is asked.
Questions like: Doesn't this mean a tax increase? Can you assure those Republicans that make the attempt to work with you that you won't betray them in the end?
At every juncture, every simple question is answered with a torrent of verbiage, that once read, really means very little. Secretary Geithner is attempting to run out the clock, while sounding erudite.
Meanwhile, back in the land of reality: An acquaintance needs to fill a secretarial position in a small academic department in a small college in a small town. 150 resumes to pore through. Another has a newspaper staff position to fill. 250 resumes, many with master's degrees, and more arriving every day.
For these people, words have meaning, even if they don't for the Treasury Secretary.
They live in the world he and his created for us...
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