Laughter

Visiting my daughter’s home Saturday morning we babbled for a few minutes and then chatted about miscellaneous topics and suddenly laughed out loud at quirky statements that popped to mind and were uttered. A phone call came in from my ex wife (daughter’s mom) saying she was coming by to drop off something. They did and we sat for a few minutes and chatted. Suddenly the room was filled with laughter.

Honest, heartfelt laughter.

My spirits were instantly lifted. I had been troubled with some short term projects and those had tugged down my spirit. I was not bouncy. There are those in the family who would never describe me as bouncy, but I think of myself as such normally. Go figure!

That point comes with a discussion on mellowness – does dad have that or not? I think the consensus would be not. I would disagree. My mellowness internally is much greater today than it has ever been. It just isn’t on display. After all, the family doesn’t see what I’m wrestling with day in and day out so how would they know if I’m coming through the battles with mellow outlook?

But laughter. Now that’s something else. When it happens it is best unexpected. Somehow that makes it richer. More poignant. Far better a reward, too.

For instance, take a slip of the tongue. Unexpected and unplanned. It makes a common statement ridiculous and potentially funny. That may lead to a pun offered on the fly which, if it strikes gold, leave the room rolling with guffaws! One can hope! But the result is delicious.

There are times in ordinary days when you meet a small group for breakfast to conduct soft business. Camaraderie heightens the expectations of  pleasantness which sets us all up for fun with people we have not seen recently. Good feelings sprinkled with a little joy creates a ready ground for humor. Early in the morning I find many people hopeful for the humor, you know, delaying the onset of the day’s more serious side. With relief we laugh. Even look forward to it.

How lovely is a laugh!

May your week begin with such. And then carry it forward wherever you go for the rest of the day!

August 31, 2015

Thought for the Day

Today’s quote comes from Maya Angelou. Her legacy is deep and will likely last an eternity. See for yourself:

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

That deserves some time to think about. Absorb!

August 29, 2015

Vacation Bliss

Well, we are back from our vacation. We explored, drove, sat, basked and took time to think. And now we are back to what is considered the grind for retired people – more basking, thinking, sitting, napping, driving and exploring. Not a surprise, huh?

Well you might be surprised to learn that we probably drove a grand total of 250 miles on our trip. But we did see the world in those few miles.

First, we visited the doctor, engaged in blood tests, had a hair cut, bought gas for the car, and then had the car examined, oil changed, filters of all sorts changed, and washed. We were then ready for our first leg of the trip.

And that was – the Morton Arboretum. We were so enthralled that we bought a membership for one year. We had lunch there. We walked a little until our hips locked up (and knees!), wobbled back to the car and drove through the east side of the park. The wonders we found were special. Wide open spaces, close in woods, savannas of mature trees of many species, and aromas galore. We sat on a bench under a spreading oak tree. Midwestern gnarly, but magnificent, the oak was probably over a 100 years old. The grasses were natural as were the shrubs. A warm day with gentle breezes cooling us, we could smell plant life. We don’t get that aroma at our apartment complex. No sir! But at the Arboretum we reconnected with nature.

Later that day we returned home for a nap. We were reintroduced to our own private bathroom facilities (a pleasant feature of retired life!) and our precious dog. We went out to eat. Nothing fancy, but very filling and enjoyable.

The next morning we considered our options. To the country, the lake, an urban core, or some other attraction? We chose a trip to Wisconsin and Lake Geneva. Evidently that choice was shared by a million others and the traffic was horrendous. And tiny Lake Geneva was teeming with people trying to get in one more weekend with the kids out of school. You could have walked over the lake on the boats in the water! There were no parking spaces in the town, not even handicapped slots! So we made it to a Burger King for bathroom duty, then back in the car for a ride home farther out in the country away from traffic. We found a good route. GPS does come in handy in such circumstances!!

Then we visited Maggiano’s for a delicious pasta dinner. The added bonus is the free take home dinners they offer with some of their selections. So we had Sunday’s dinner covered!

Because we were in town (on the sly) we made a surprise appearance at church where we were honoring all members of 80 years of age. The church was packed with families and the good feelings just kept coming. Fun and rewarding service. Then home for a quick nap. That afternoon we revisited the Arboretum and drove through the west section of the park. More savannas, but now a prairie or two were featured as well. Tall grasses with even deeper root systems were on full natural display. The wind was heavy this day and the grasses sprang all around us in a dance more inventive than the ballet! And once again the aromas enveloped us. Beautiful, simply beautiful.

The rest of the week we kept away from usual routines and haunts. We focused on naps, TV entertainment, internet discoveries, and writing. The phone was silent. The email traffic slowed. Quiet and stress free conditions prevailed. A few new thoughts were born, too!

So, a pretend vacation or ‘stay-cation’ was very worthwhile. And the cost cannot be beat! Less gas consumed than normal. Less wear and tear on the body. More nap time. And very good food we normally deny ourselves.

Our ‘trip’ occurred just when gas prices went through the roof due to market manipulations by the oil companies. Little do they realize how much this lowers sales at restaurants on travel routes, gas sales on tourist routes, and motels and hotels. When America is subject to gas price robbery, other industries hurt.

But we are resilient. We found a way to enjoy time off without all the other fuss. If you haven’t tried this, please do. You might be surprised just how pleasant this type of vacation is.

Bon Voyage!

August 28, 2015

Stock Dump

Well I told you so! The stock market is down. Big time. But then every ‘expert’ claimed this slump was predictable. All I said was that many – too many – ‘experts’ were conjuring up headlines to grab attention. In a jittery market claiming a huge down cycle was imminent gets a lot of attention.

And how.

The next prediction: (and this one is from me, not Jim Cramer!) huge profits on the market are possible if you dump all the cash you have into the market now when it is down. The reason: the market will go up. The only thing we don’t know is how quickly the market will rise. But it will rise.

Yes, folks, what goes up comes down and vice versa. There is little science in this. Besides, the other day I shot down any expectations that economics (that includes the stock market!) is science. It is only a social science, the so called soft sciences, in which no empirical connections can be made unless you tie your mathematical minds into tiny little knots to prove something or other about movements of data having some small relation with economics. Mental gymnastics. That’s all that is. So no; empirical science does not attach to economics, money, market value or anything else.

This means we can talk the market down. You have just witnessed this.

But it also means we can talk the market up. Here’s how.

First of all we have an enormous pent up demand in the American economy. The demand is for innovative housing, innovative transportation and innovative energy sources.

Second, we have an enormous pent up demand for public infrastructure renewal. In many cases the renewal goes well beyond to full replacement and expansion. Besides, with innovative transportation, energy and housing coming around the bend, infrastructure will need innovative responses, too. So you see there is demand just sitting there in front of us.

Third, job growth in the private sector has carried the day in the current economy. Without concomitant growth in the public sector (government), the private sector’s growth is dampened. Public sector employment growth is artificially restricted by congressional inaction and ideological budgeting. Government hasn’t grown with the exception of military and public safety agencies (CIA, NCIS, FBI, Homeland Security, etc.). If we unleashed the pent up demand for public sector growth, the private sector would take off.

Fourth, whole new industries are begging for discovery and expansion. All you have to do to know this is to work with entrepreneurs as they struggle to start new businesses with fresh new ideas. They are boundless in energy and ideas. Hold onto you hats! The whoosh you hear will be the formation of millions of small businesses doing what a lot of people refuse to do: take on risk to do new things.

Fifth, the accumulated knowledge held in archives of universities, colleges and research and development organizations is astounding. Putting these bits and pieces of knowledge together in new synergies will power the economy to new heights.

Sixth, expanding education effectively to everyone who wants it and is capable of it at whatever level, will push the economy over the top in invention and discovery.

Seventh, the global economy has been shackled for generations by antiquated international laws and treaties. If free markets were to prevail within the global community, breathtaking expansion of living standards and quality of life will astonish us.

Eighth, quality of life in general is in need of a fresh re-balancing. What matters most to each of us has nothing to do with money. It has to do with feelings, wellness and attitude. Build positive attitude and watch wondrous things happen. Peace maybe?

The stock dump is really a blessing in disguise. It is our opportunity to get in touch with ourselves, especially our inner selves, and discover what we value the most. The stock market will take care of itself. It will continue to fluctuate. That’s about as scientific as I can get in economics!

So it is up to all of us to deal with what is left. Life. And that’s a very good thing indeed!

August 27, 2015

Trump Wagon

Give me a break! Trump this, and Trump that. Reports everyday throughout each day about Trump and what he said, did, or didn’t say or didn’t do. This is not a Trump Report. This is Trump Frenzy. And it didn’t start with the Donald. No. It started with the media.

Why? Because it is worth ratings which equal money. Simple as that. Doesn’t get any simpler.

Perhaps the best discussion of this is contained in a slice of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show with guest Rachel Maddow. Their discussion of the Donald and what ‘it’ means is priceless. And funny. In fact, it’s comedy at the highest echelon.

Bless Rachel Maddow. She is brilliant and intelligent. A winning combination.

But there is more to this ‘story’. Sad but true. Seems 57% of republicans now believe the Donald is destined to win the party’s nomination and will be the standard bearer of the party in the 2016 Presidential election. Now that’s a turn to note. A few weeks ago the republicans were downright embarrassed by Trump. They did not want ownership of him, nor his ownership of the party label. Still, the happening is taking shape.

There is plenty of time for this to become undone and The Donald to slip into obscurity well before the nominating convention. But will the damage have been done? Might that damage be too much for the party to repair in time to win an actual election?

There’s two ways to look at this actually.

First, Donald wins the nomination and runs against the Democratic ticket.

Second, Donald loses the nomination and someone else runs against the Democratic candidate.

Both are not good for the republicans. And here’s why.

First, Donald only gives quick snips of issues. Christmas? Don’t we have more important things to think about than Christmas and keeping the religious message in the holiday? Give us all a break. Ours is a diverse society. We have Christians, Jews, Muslims, evangelicals, nut jobs, atheists and agnostics in our mix. Each has the freedom to believe as they do. It is not up to the rest of us to insist anyone follow our lead in supporting one religion over another. In fact to do so would be downright un-American!

Second, so you don’t like gay and lesbian issues to talk about? Then don’t. No one is making you talk about these themes. But Donald wants you to. It is easier that way so you don’t realize he doesn’t have anything substantive to chat about.

Third, immigration reform? Please! Neither party has been able to wrestle this issue to the ground and solve it. Both parties working together haven’t been able to do so either. So at some time or other we as a nation have to determine if immigration reform is an issue or not. Right now it is not. It does pose political grist for nonsense distraction. We will not build a large wall between Mexico and the USA. Mainly because we have thousands of miles of coast line that are even more permeable than the land border with Mexico. Given that reality, what’s next to do? And don’t forget we have that other border to the north with Canada that is entirely land locked. What do we do there? If we do one thing to the south and another to the north, doesn’t that make us look more than a little ridiculous.

Fourth, job creation is not all about the private sector. A kajillion jobs (technical term, look it up) are with the federal and state governments. Military for one. National Guard for another. Road maintenance, college teachers and professors, clerks, court personnel, police, fire, park employees and millions of library workers. Who do we think does all this work? It isn’t done by companies. They say they want profits. So the public sector is left to do the heavy lifting. And that takes employees, careers, dedication, professionalism and all the rest. To attract those workers we need to pay marketable salaries and offer competitive benefits. Would you work for nothing and with no benefits? Well neither to public employees. They are not feeders as the public trough!

Fifth, economic improvement comes when risk takers are willing to take risks for the attractive paybacks offered in such undertakings. No one is guaranteeing success. It is their task to assume. Government policies can help in this arena. Stimulation of risk taking often is the subject of government policy. It is not a bad thing. Just look at the Koch brothers. They lobby for government policy so they can earn more money! They also lobby for more risk coverage by government so they have less to lose. That’s what all the lobbying is about!

OK. So we have covered the above 5. When we all realize that the above are distractions to the really big issues we need to attend to, then we might actually get something done.

You begin to see? The republican party has not provided the country with a viable plan or set of ideas for 40 years that would make a good difference in all of our lives. Why then do we allow them to play in our playground? Bullies? Maybe that’s it.

Whatever, it’s time for serious people to talk seriously about the issues that truly matter to our well being, quality of life, and world peace. If the only thing that turns you on in these matters is “Making America Great Again”, then realize that is through power, force and military might. That does not bode well for world peace. So drop that line of thinking and get back to work.

Only the serious need apply. So far that is Hillary and Bernie. Maybe we should move up the election and get this over with. Then let Obama finish out his term and let Hillary and Bernie team up and prepare for their administration.

Oh. One last thing. Let’s get rid of the political party labels. No more republicans and democrats. Let’s just call them the good guys and the bad guys. After all, the bickering demonstrates that’s all the media cares about anyway. So let them.

Meanwhile, serious people will be at work getting things accomplished.

Yea team!

August 26, 2015

Stock Market Swings

Ever wonder why stock market indexes swing high and low so much these days? Ever think who’s behind market fluctuations? You say the stock market is a free, open market, right? Would it surprise you to learn otherwise?

No. I suppose you wouldn’t. Not in this day and age.

There is another side to this story. And it is in full view for you to see and read. The facts:

1. Bloggers tout dangers of current stock values; they warn you to be ready for the next huge drop in values
2. Respected journalists with highly respectable publications tout the same thing as the bloggers; Wall Street Journal reports are an example; same for The Street
3. Jim Cramer of CNBC releases stories with alluring, hot titles niggling the reader about the next big drop in a big name stock; or he ponders when the next drop in the Dow will happen
4. Politicians jealous of others and their association with the successful rebound of the stock market averages attempt to sully the credit for strong markets
5. Politicians predict dire results if polls for competitors show possibility for their winning office
6. Playing public relations games with which way the Federal Reserve Board will go in setting interest rates for the open market
7. Gaming interest rate swings: why they should go up; or why they should go down; or what awful things will happen if the rates swing one way or another
8. Touting real estate sales as an indicator of good things; then touting that real estate pricing is going too fast up or down, or sideways…
9. Over emphasizing short term changes in important financial data: job growth; inflation; deflation; commodity price gains (or drops); weather patterns affecting agricultural output; and any of 1000 bits of data, none of which actually portends anything in small bits over short time periods
10. Over emphasizing the ‘small picture’ when the ‘big picture’ should always be the one in focus (i.e. making something out of nothing!) 

Well, I’m sure there are other stories and sides of stories that can be misused in propagandizing economic data for personal gain. It happens all the time. In all the financial news channels. Worried faces on CNBC newscasts, panel discussion shows over the weekend, and so many other venues. You know what I’m talking about. You see it all the time, too. Don’t you?!

If all of this hype is effective in pushing people into making financial decisions, then the hype has an effect. Those effects are not based on reality so they have an ill effect on market valuations. You know what they say about a million butterflies flapping their wings in Japan, right? They say that activity moves enough air to alter wind currents that will eventually affect jet stream pathways and alter rainfall patterns in Seattle! As if Seattle rain patterns need any altering whatsoever! Jeesh!

The very first thing each of us has to understand is this: Economics is a social science, not an empirical science. The latter acts and reacts in exacting manners that are traceable for cause, effect and results. The tracking will show immutable causes, effects and results. Every time they are tracked you will see the pathways in replicable forms.

Not so in social sciences. This genus of science is based solely on the actions of human beings, their physical needs, their social needs, their psychological needs, and also of all of their erroneous thinking. Studying a social science is exciting! For the simple reason that it is unpredictable 100% of the time. You can make lucky guesses but you will never be 100% of any result by prediction.

Social versus empirical science. Math is empirical. Physics and chemistry are empirical. Astronomy, too. Social sciences include history, economics, psychology, political science, advertising and marketing, etc. The list of modern day subject matter that is social science based is nearly endless. Empirical sciences are contained by a short list.

So, stock markets go up and down due to social influences. The ups and downs can be tracked and measured. That part is empirical. But the cause is not empirical. The whip of an idea causes the value of something to go up or down. Try predicting what the idea is or its effect on pricing and value on anything. You cannot do it.

Neither can writers about the economy. They can attempt to explain what’s going on, but they cannot know the why. If they cannot know that, they cannot know who or what is to blame or cause of the negative happening. Any such prose is 100% suspect.

So, read what the markets did for the day. Utter a groan or an aha! as you will. But please, do not pretend to know why.

Else the cause – effect – result – will be out of my hands!

August 25, 2015

Gas Pump Prices

Here’s what’s wrong with current gas prices.

In suburban Chicago we have gas prices ranging from $3.20 per gallon to $3.69. That doesn’t include Chicago which includes more taxes, fewer gas stations per capita, plus Cook County taxes. Chicago pump prices are most likely $3.69 to 3.99. And that’s for regular, non-premium octane product.

News reports state that a mechanical problem struck the Whiting, Indiana BP-Amoco refinery causing it to shut down operations for 5 weeks. That causes a shortage of gasoline for the Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota markets directly. Prices have jumped from $2.49 to 3.49 in days.

With world oil prices in its first major slump in decades, world prices should have gas prices under $2 per gallon. In many areas in the nation this is already a fact. But not in the Midwest! No. And that’s an unusual thing. Even discounting the Whiting refinery incident.

First of all, the Whiting factor is not a large disruptive cause for price fluctuation. Just because BP says it is doesn’t make it so. It is not the only refinery in the region. There are plenty other sources for refined gasoline product. One refinery does not make this a make or break proposition for pump prices.

Another thing, 20 years ago or so, maybe less, the oil industry found itself with a refinery overcapacity. So they shut them down. Shell Oil shut down several in Illinois and abutting states. They were fully functioning and performing well. The problem was they were producing an over abundance of stock products and prices reflected the downward pressure. So refineries were close, even destroyed. The result? Refinery capacity dropped like a rock and spot shortages began appearing regularly. Thus prices firmed up at the pump and remained that way until today.

This is not a free market phenomenon. It is an oligopoly market intentionally made to produce higher prices to boost oil company revenues and profits. Monopoly is one kind of market. Oligopoly is another – large and few competitors arranged so they can control prices of their common class of products.

Timing of refinery shut downs is another man made pricing tactic. Shutting down refinery capacity at critical times to optimize price pressure is a tactic with criminal intent. If the shut downs were caused by explosions or massive storm damage, public suspicions would be contained. But not when the companies do this intentionally.

If this is such a large problem for them, the solution is expanding refinery capacity.

We must remember several overarching principles. First, all oil drilling and pumping of raw crude from the ground, was given favored status by US government policy for generations. They were even able to take a ‘depletion allowance’ which was in place to mark the reality that all oil wells are finite. They have an end to productive life when the crude oil deposits are fully depleted. So, they received a tax credit of 20% indicating the assumption that crude would be fully depleted from each well within 5 years. Only the life of a well stretched on for 20 years or more! So we taxpayers PAID oil companies huge sums of money just to do business. We also gave them tax credits for exploration, new refineries, new pipelines and new drilling operations.

Once those sweetheart deals were in place, oil and gas markets were controlled so the companies were protected from downward swings of profitability. If geopolitical pressures threatened foreign crude flow, wars were waged to favor American markets. That may seem an oversimplification of history to some readers, but I invite the doubters to do their own research and learn just how oil markets are not free markets. And you and I as consumers pay for it daily. As well we pay annually in our tax system.

You’ve heard of ‘most favored nation’ foreign affairs designations? Well, we have a ‘most favored industry’ category that signifies the hegemony of oil companies.

It is a shame. Our own government doing this to us. Our own ‘free’ market system being used against us and being anything but free.

Economic policy is supposed to guide governments to maximize economic good for the most people at least cost. The policy ought to protect the risk takers to do this work for the good of the people by allowing them to earn reasonable profits through thick and thin. But our form of government ought never be used to eliminate failure from the business dictionary. Risk takers know they could lose. They take the risks because if they win, they win big. The trick is to encourage them to take risks and reward them, but not to enslave the rest of us in the doing.

Gas pump prices should range today from $1.99 to 2.49 a gallon. They don’t, and that’s not only unfair, it is destructive of the travel industry, restaurant industry and auto industry. If gas prices rise, we cannot afford to take a vacation or even a short trip. High gas prices directly reduce consumption at local diners and eateries. Ask the owners of those businesses how they have fared these past 10 years with out-sized pump prices. They will tell you quickly their problems!

Same results occur for other common retail outlets.

If we are serious about building economic stability for the new millennium, free markets need to be free, or all players need to be informed of how they are not free and what hidden costs make this so.

Linking the oil industry to other aspects of energy markets and automotive manufacturing further exemplifies how insidious policy is haltering market prices, how engineering redevelopment of transportation is limited, how environmental protection goals are hampered. Think about it. National policy is making larger problems on our horizon. All of them can be avoided. But only if we unlink energy, oil, automotive and environmental law from each other.

A whole new industry of invention is waiting for us to adopt. Why do we let others thwart this progress?

August 24, 2015

Thought for the Day

George Washington was known to have slept all over colonial America in the 1700’s. But he was also known for his quotations. Here are a few to ponder over the weekend.

“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and

harmony with all.”

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”

“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.”

“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.”

That’s more than enough to ponder. Enjoy!

August 22, 2015

Getting Away

By the time you read this we will be on the road. A vacation getaway. Something we haven’t done for quite a few years. Health and finances limited us. Still do. But the lure of the open road has caused us to save a few pennies to buy gas for our hybrid car and plan an escape for a few days.

Bottom line: this blog may be on and off a bit for the next week!

Oh, I’ll put up this blog and arrange to post the ‘Thought for the Day’ item for tomorrow. But come Monday there may or may not be a blog posting. We shall see. I’ll take the laptop with me and if we get a wi fi signal I’ll post something about the trip. How’s that?

Lately I’ve scanned the internet articles on “The 10 Road Trips That Are A Must in America”, the “Top 10 Natural Wonders To Visit”, and “Out of the way places you should visit before you die”. There are still articles on “seeing America on $10 a day”. Really?  I sincerely doubt it. I can’t live at home on $10 a day!

There are several places I want to revisit before I kick the bucket. There are several places I have yet to see for the first time. I’d like to check them off my bucket list, too.

Mostly, though, all I want is the freedom to drive down the road at a reasonable pace, smell the fresh air, smell the aromas of regional flora, and experience what life is like in this place and that. Nowhere specific. No need to be specific at all. Just be somewhere other than home and drink in what it is like there.

That is the essence of travel to me. Seeing a mountain, a lake, or a national monument if dandy, but not the end-all of the trip. I’d like to see the “Going to the Sun Road” in Glacier National Park, Montana. That’s a special place I’ve read about and seen in documentaries, but never visited. It sounds terrific. But it is 1500 miles from Chicago and that means about 3500 miles round trip. That’s a lot of road meals and motel stops. And all of that costs too much for us to digest at this point of our lives. But just imagine being on that road! High up in the Rockies, aiming for the sun and the Canadian border. Snow capped peaks in the distance, maybe close by, too! Fresh air, pines and thin-air scrub. The smells beckon, don’t they. Can’t you just feel the dry air, cool but stingy from the sun?

Well, let’s come back to earth.

Coming home from supper last night with a family member, we drove through a horrendous rainstorm complete with competing tornado sirens from several communities. The din was terrific. We thought the tornado was on top of us and expected trees to topple over the road and a giant scoop of air to pull us skyward! Puddles were small lakes and we created wakes for 10 miles until we found safety in our concrete bunker apartment building! In the garage we found people sitting on lawn chairs waiting for the storm to pass! They thought for sure the storm was about to get us.

Well it didn’t. It passed over us dropping 3 inches or more of rain on its route. But we were chastened and reminded that there’s plenty to see, hear, feel and smell right here at home.

Well, we shall see from our own road trip anyway. I’ll keep you posted on what we see, hear,…..

August 21, 2015

Commentary

My readers know that I avoid canned news programs on TV – both network and cable news channels – in favor of reading source material and internet stories found in out of the way places. I prefer to do my own thinking. Yes, I do use websites like MSN, but lately some of them disappoint.

They are now displaying ‘sponsored’ articles. Clicking on them you get an initial report that is intriguing, but soon learn that this all leads to a sales pitch to buy some product you simply cannot find elsewhere. Phooey! This is more made up news to line someone’s pocket. It is advertising and hucksterism raised to a fine point. Still, it is rot and bosh.

Shame on MSN and any other major website for doing this sort of thing.

With his storied billions, Trump even has paid for sponsored ‘news’ stories that pull you into a poll on his popularity. The term ‘trumped up’ has acquired new meaning! He is not a serious person let alone a serious candidate for the White House. If I’m proved wrong on this point, woe to the nation should he become President. That’s is more than a nutty proposal; it is a tragic drama with horrors too many to contemplate.

Power saving stories, energy boosting tips to save on gas, electricity and more, also pave this road of nonsense on the internet. If these stories were true then commercial success would be banging down doors. We would already be in the new age of consumer power generation, the fading away of the gas pumps and the skyrocketing electric bills. Yes, we would be in a new age of technology and manufacturing in which homes would be powered by physics not fossil fuels. And cars would be powered by similar power plants based on new, portable physics concepts. Imagine a car that travels hundreds of miles without costly or time consuming refueling. And the companion benefit of no pollution!

Those days are not with us yet because too many special interests are fighting the advancements. Think the energy companies who don’t want to lose the value of their oil deposits already found, and their refinery plants already invested in, and the auto manufacturers already committed now for 100 years to the infernal combustion engine. Yes, special interests rule congress, manufacturing and the military/industrial complex. No wonder so little progress emerges from their hallowed halls.

It’s a wonder we got the transistor. Or rocket ships to the moon. Or the microwave oven. Or GPS  or any of a hundred thousand ‘inventions’ emanating from the space program.

Perhaps we need another space program or serious military threat to get us off the dime of discovering what our next new thing should be? The revolutionary life is the one we invent ourselves to meet the needs that demand attentions. And we need not resort to trumped up wars to make any of this happen.

Cheap energy is one. Accessible drug development for the pharmaceutical industry is another. Flexible and less costly housing would be a good goal to focus on. Excellence in education, as well as accessible education to meet the needs of each person while at the same time serving the needs of society fully is another goal worthy of our inventive minds.

Non pollution should be high on our list of accomplishments as well. After all if we poison our home planet where will be live? What is quality of life all about. More consumerism, or appreciation of what life truly is?

Appreciating life is not all about drugs, sex or luxuries. It is rather much more simple. Knowing and feeling time, air, relationships, mind and intellect; those are the simple things that matter. And what we do with them.

What we do with them. It is not about screeching tires on pavements on the way to a drug/dance or booze fest. It is what we do with our good gifts to make life pleasant and interesting to others and self.

Maybe we should start even more simple. Like being of use. To the world. To the family. To others.

To be of use. Now there’s something we can embrace!

August 20, 2015

Dudley Do-right

We all know a Dudley. He’s the guy who quietly does his chores, his job, without a question. He picks up the stray bit of paper on the ground. On weekends he might be found along the roadside picking up litter. Or maybe going door to door to find out who lost a glove, a left handed one. Looks good; thumb end is a bit frayed, but you know the darn thing has a lot of life left in it. Especially if matched with the pairing glove.

Dudley goes to the market and picks the produce that looks wilted and bruised. He buys it because he knows no one else will select it. Somehow he feels its abandonment before it happens. But he knows; he feels.

Same with the dented used car. Otherwise it is a handy thing, lots of life left in it. It’s the kind of car that will go 150,000 miles without a hiccup. Not stylish, but serviceable. But it’s the last one left on the lot. Eventually the lot owner rotates it to the auction lot and if not takers are found there, to the scrap yard. A tear might seep from Dudley’s eye if he dwelled on it long enough.

Anyway, Dudley does things because he feels the action is good and appropriate. He avoids action that feels at odds with him. He just knows it. He feels it. In his bones. He can’t explain it to you. No; you have to ‘get’ it on your own.

Dudley doesn’t spend money he doesn’t have, either. Oh, for convenience’ sake he will use a charge card or debit card, but when the credit card invoice arrives, he’s Johnny on the spot to pay the balance in full. He doesn’t look forward to buying anything, really, because it ramps up his expectations and doesn’t want to overdo that and buy before he has saved up the money. Buying cars in this manner is a major project as you can well imagine. Well, Dudley has that figured out. Used cars do just fine and his savings pay all repair and maintenance bills as they arise. So he really doesn’t miss the new car smell.

It’s the gadgets sold in the car he has a small hankering for. So far, though, he has controlled his impulse to buy a car with self applying brakes, back up cameras, and GPS systems. He bought a Garvin unit on the cheap and that’s pretty nifty to him. It’s all he needs.

He used to read a lot of books, buying them one at a time in a book store. People younger than Dudley don’t know about those stores; they read their material off the internet or electronic readers. Dudley, however, buys from used book sales and sometimes buys books that the local library has surplused.

And of course there is the library itself. At first Dudley couldn’t believe his eyes and ears! Books, lots of them, all for him to read if he so chooses and at no cost to him. He can even explore previous unknown titles, authors and subject matter and see if he’s interested in them. Slowly he builds interests. And he reads more. And more broadly.

Dudley has learned to repair his own home, too. From the books in the library, he especially liked learning about how the toilet works and how to make simple repairs. Dudley has never bought a replacement toilet. He just doesn’t feel the need. The old ones work just fine, thank you.

Dudley sometimes takes time to sit and think about things. What’s important and what’s not is the most common wonderment Dudley fiddles around with. Meanwhile, others wonder what makes Dudley happy. They don’t get it. They don’t realize that a Dudley can be happy without all the fuss and muss of buying stuff.

Of course, retailers do not like Dudley or others like him! They scratch their heads trying to figure out how to attract Dudley into their stores and spend some money. So far they have come up with nothing that works.

Dudley just keeps on his simple track. He consumes little and enjoys what he has a lot. Mostly that is time and uncomplicated surroundings.

It’s a pity, isn’t it? Poor Dudley. We wonder when he will get it!

Meanwhile we just watch him. And wonder.

August 19, 2015

Dog Days of Summer

August is the month of summer heat, humidity and maybe indolence. You know, the lazy, hazy days of summer, where sameness of weather wears you down and makes you sleepy and absent minded. When I was a kid, especially a teenager, I remember those lazy days. All I had to do to earn pocket change was mow lawns. And I had a few.

Between lawn mowing gigs, however, I had plenty of time to read, listen to music, ride the bike in the back pathways of New England, and generally commune with my inner self. Yes I was bored. But I learned to deal with it.

As an adult I didn’t have time to be bored. There was commuting to do. A job to go to. On the weekends the house and yard begged for attention. Evenings during the week were spent reading official material and watching some mindless TV. Then early to bed to prepare for the early to rise commute routine.

In retirement I sometimes catch a glimpse of the teenage years when time was more lazy and unformed. Now 55 to 60 years later, I have more on my mind and with more consequence than when a teenager. Still my time is amorphous to a point. I can do what I want whenever I want provided energy and health allow!

I keep myself busy and involved in several projects. SCORE provides a lot of focus. I work with clients alone or with partner mentors. I help clients focus on their business dreams, one idea at a time, one business at a time. This is a pleasant challenge. It is a huge issue for them, but an easy one for me. I think of the easiness. It was not always so.

I think what comes easy for me today is the ability to observe and process multiple threads that impinge on a central idea. The gestalt of our worlds are complex, but they are perceivable, watchable if you know what to look for. For those people caught up in the detail it is not always easy or possible to notice things that matter. That’s where distance and perspective make a difference.

I know. Some people would call this accumulated knowledge. Maybe even wisdom. I’m not sure what it is. But I do know something real is happening.

The other day I sat down with three clients at the same time. They were attending a 6-meeting workshop series on business plan writing. At sea with the details, but focused on their own business idea, it was easy to spot where each person’s development of process was. One was very advanced. Intuitive and then explosive when teamed with the right order of ideas. Fun to watch the eyes pop open and the jaw drop. Discovery. It is exciting. To experience and to behold.

Another is fairly well focused but still playing around the edges of the particulars. The plan is taking shape but in fits and starts. Her style is to be documented from the beginning and in narrative form. That’s OK. It is slow but it is certain. Very much like how I would handle it.

The third party was amorphous to the core. He doesn’t really know what he wants. He is capable of much. A gem of a past career. Great preparation for the future. But the options are many and narrowing down what is best and practical is time consuming and painful. Remember when you had several choices but each decision eliminated something you were still interested in? We can’t do everything we are interested in. Not enough time, energy or other resources. We have to choose something. Which means we choose not to do something else. He’s in the middle of that process. It cannot be rushed. He must be very frustrated.

Each client needs nurture different from the others. This is a challenge for them. But also for me.

On the other hand, I am energized by this work. When I get home, I reflect kindly on it, and then fall into a deep nap! I waken afresh ready for more.

Thank God for email, computers and interesting people. They make life worth living each and every day.

August 18, 2015

Cheap Talk

I could offer this posting as a Miscellany, or Bits and Pieces. But all of the comments circle around ‘cheap talk’ associated with each of the items.

First, republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio declaims President Obama for his diplomacy towards Iran and Cuba. Hello? This is what presidents do. What would you do Marco? Threaten to bomb both Iran and Cuba, or keep Cuba at arms length for another 50 years? Being a leader is about changing the status quo towards something more positive and helpful for the global community. It is not about maintaining hardliner political positions to gain fans but accomplish nothing.

Second, my non-capitalization of the proper noun ‘republican’. In my mind the political party captioned is not properly respectful and thus does not deserve capitalization. When it improves its image, trustworthiness and intellectual acumen, then I’ll consider capitalizing their name. Progress is up to them. Meanwhile I refuse to lend credence to them or their message unless they make a good point. For the last several years they haven’t. I’m not the only one noticing!

Third, recession or not? Now here’s a topic. We experienced a serious recession beginning in 2008. Its roots were in 2006 and 2007 but we really knew we were in the soup sometime in late 2008. It has been one of the worst recessions we have ever experienced. There were times we wondered if a depression were near at hand. But then perseverance and hard work paid off. We are not out of the woods.

No. Not out of the woods. There are many pieces to our economy that remain distorted, sick, and some even dying. Not to worry; old things fade away and are replaced by the new. New technology is one. New land use is another. The internet has changed retail operations nationwide; it will drive land use change as well. But jobs are being created. Unemployment is falling. What’s still in need of mending are these: 

• Improving salaries and wages; we have been shut down for growth in this arena for far too long.
• We need less chaos in the workplace; too many jobs were eliminated leaving the same work to be done by fewer people; they are burning out and need help
• We need to reinvent careers to shift to emerging areas of activity
• We need to reeducate older workers who have outlasted the technology and career base of old and shifted to new industries
• We have infrastructure throughout the nation that needs replacement or major maintenance attention
• We need massive growth of alternative energy to fuel our future safely, cleanly and plentifully
• We need an education system more responsive to major cultural change 

With all of these problems still existing, why would anyone claim our economy is aiming toward another recession? We have not truly emerged from the last recession. Claiming otherwise is cheap talk to make political points.

Our economic present and future remains a work in progress we all have to work on. Making political noise over this is insanity. And counterproductive.

Fourth, Jeb Bush tells us ISIS is the result of Obama and Clinton policies. Now that’s just plain dumb. 9-11 happened and a lot of things changed. For one we went to war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We were making progress there when we were distracted by making war against Iraq. War made many enemies. It exploded tensions among religious zealots which in many skewed violence, death and destruction in Iraq in hideous ways. We certainly got more than we bargained for. Concurrently we were losing the momentum in Afghanistan.

These developments were George W. Bush’s dealings gone bad. And Cheney aided and abetted the insanity. Ill shaped patriotism took us the rest of the way and created chaos on top of chaos. No republican politician today can claim the Iraq and Middle Eastern mess is anyway connected to poor handling by Obama and Clinton. This was a republican mess from the start. They own it and should keep their fingers of blame pointed back at themselves. Because that’s the way it is in a factual world! 

Cheap talk is empty talk. It has little factual basis. Rather it is propaganda nonsense uttered to attempt to damage a political foe and earn votes for the ranter. Let’s all prove them wrong and ignore them.

We have work to do. So let’s get to it. We have all the time we wasted with the other jerks; now let’s use that time to good use.

August 17, 2015

Thought for the Day

I think we make too much of ourselves. All the time. It ought to embarrass us. Why doesn’t it?

Think about that this weekend. Perhaps we need a rest from ourselves? Now there’s an idea for a vacation adventure!

August 15, 2015

Emails – Legal or Otherwise

Hacking data bases, computer systems and email seem to be topics of large interest these days. What is being said, by whom, to whom, and for what purpose is all the rage. And the interest, embarrassment and political gains to be made from sharing such information is driving the topic.

I think this is too bad. We assume privacy is a right. I’m not sure it is a right. I would like to be provided the courtesy of privacy. I doubt what I’m thinking and saying is of much interest to others. I write a letter to my granddaughter who is spending a couple of weeks at music camp. Are their people who really want to know what I’m saying in that letter? Or her response? What about my letters to my 101 year old mother? She is too old to respond, so the correspondence is one-way and awkward. Do you want to be a witness to that? And if so, how much time to you really have on your hands?

The National Security Agency (NSA) is reported to screen most electronic communications coming to and from the USA. Can you imagine that?! I realize their computer systems are doing the scanning and screening, looking for specific words or phrases that might contain language involving a threat to the nation. But really; think of it. Every communication passing through some Ethernet screening software; billions and trillions of messages. How utterly boring. How can this be of any value to anyone?

Well, let’s say it is of use, just for argument sake!

I know Secretary of State John Kerry thinks his emails are most likely being read by China and Russia on a regular basis. Instead of feeling violated, however, I think this is terrific! Think about it. Kerry has the inner ear of China and Russia. If they truly are listening in, be honest and let them know what you feel would ease international pressures and what they all should be working on for lasting peace! What a concept. Rather than be hesitant or secretive, why not try plain old honesty and directness?

We could possibly cut light years from the diplomatic process! We might even find things of mutual interest upon which we can craft a great relationship of cooperation and collaboration.

When you reflect on modern day communications and what we fill it with day in and day out, it amazes me that positive developments do occur at all. Just think of the program material on public television channels these days. And cable networks. The mind reels with the junk that we sift through to find something of interest and value.

I bet there is similar junk filling our email and office video channels, too. Gossip is one such filler of time and space. Jokes, too. And then there are office politics and the social side stepping involved in not making someone mad. Here too is an opportunity for dealing directly with our communication partners.

If we organize our thoughts, clarify our statements, and move forward toward mutual understanding and respect, might we expect better results from our working together?

All this snooping might be proving something we should have been doing all along. Speak loudly and clearly. Think kindly upon those you wish to build understanding among. Then state your interests clearly and directly. Ask for the same in return. Then work on the stumbling blocks that normally stifle agreement. Work on it a bit more until the agreement is reached.

Voila! Such a masterful step in the right direction.

Maybe Wikileaks was a good thing? And the other whistle blowers? What does Angela Merkel’s communication contain that would be embarrassing to her or the United States? I bet not much.

So, we have work to do. Let’s get to it with open minds and clear voices. And emails!

August 14, 2015

Core Issues

Yesterday’s blog admitted I repeat themes but only because they remain with us without improvement or solution. Themes, issues, topics, priorities – whatever, these are the issues we need to do something about.

I see them as being of three kinds: personal, communal, global.

Personal issues are those we all deal with: love, birth, death, family, home, financial stability, health, culture, education, philosophy and values.

Communal issues are those that our immediate communities need to deal with, and then those communities farther from our home territory – county, region, state, nation. Such issues include water, sewer, roads, law and order, public health, schools, and emergency services. Cultural services, too.

Global issues are the topics that every human being on the planet needs to be assured will be managed for long term survival and stability. These include: clean water supplies, sanitation standards managed, peace and international relations stability, education, health care, pollution free environment, and stable financial environment.

Some populations do not worry much about these issues. They are in a good and safe place in their lives. Others, however, are on the bottom of good and safe. They are in dire peril of death caused by unsustainable living conditions. Others are living OK but are worried about long term futures, especially peace and safety.

It seems to me that if we each imagined ourselves living on a planet that is being threatened by another planet, we would live differently with each other and rely on a common defense of our planet from unfriendly advances by another planet. It doesn’t take much imagination to do this exercise.

Nor does it take much imagination to realize that our planet is in peril from war, health, pollution and other causes. We are involved in a life and death struggle in so many ways. Why don’t we pay attention to the trends and warnings that inform us that we need to act together as a common humanity to ensure our long term survival?

The peril is with us now. The consequences may be a few years or many generations away from the present. But consequences nonetheless will be encountered. We are the stewards of our own planet. To allow greed to take a toll that endangers the lives of each of us, is insane. It does not matter if this is a hot issue in the USA, or Brazil, or France, or Russia. The issue is with us in many places. We need to handle this intelligently wherever we are. And help others do the same in their regions. It makes good sense for us to think and live in this way.

Why then don’t we? That’s the golden issue, isn’t it? Why don’t individuals stand up and proclaim the need to do something when it is in our common interest to do so?

When we simply gaze over the political conversations occasioned by the early stages of the 2016 Presidential campaigns, we see what the ‘leaders’ feel are the issues we should be concerned about. Are you? Concerned about the topics they are touting? I doubt it.

I’m not concerned about abortion. That’s a personal issue best left to the women involved, the families affected, and the men who may have created the problem in the first place. I’m not concerned about immigration; I’m proud that so many people view the USA as a land of opportunity and freedom that they find ways to enter the country and begin their lives here legally or illegally. The system is broken; so fix it; but don’t stop the flow of freedom seekers. They are us!

I’m not supportive of anyone who bloviates about war and peace and settles too willingly on making war. And financially gains from war as well at the same time.

I don’t think we should be talking about gay marriage. It is the law of the land. Accept it and move on. I don’t think we need more religious freedom. We have plenty and no one is making me believe one way or the other. I’m free to make up my own mind. Such issues are merely distractions so we won’t pay attention to the more important ones.

I’m also not concerned about the Confederate Flag. It is an historical relic and is part of our nation’s history. It doesn’t define a region, the nation, or me. Again, it is a distraction from the more important issues.

So pick the topics that interest you and find a candidate that mirrors your thinking. Now consider the freedom of others; are your positions attempting to remove the rights of others to believe as they want or will? If so, perhaps you should rethink your topics of choice.

Now, let’s get down to a campaign that matters. And track them. Are we easing personal, national or global issues? Which are the more important? Are we being good citizens in these matters? If not, why not? Is there someone who does help us be good citizens and address the issues that matter?  If so, align your support where it counts.

Wherever that is. Whomever it is.

Just do it!

August 13, 2015

Selecting Topics

When I first began this blog I planned on providing a commentary on current events and emerging issues. I wanted to do this for a number of reasons. First because the news was filled with unresolved issues that continued their march to evermore critical status. I mean, when will we solve some of these issues so they are not critical news items anymore?

Second, I needed to vent my personal frustrations over items of interest to me that I felt were being mishandled. More importantly, I still feel these items are being mishandled to the detriment of mankind. Truly, the globe is endowed with the intelligence, the will and the resources to mend many broken things; we do not do so. Maybe the reasons are many, but still, if mankind is to survive and live well, what is blocking our progress? And how do we move beyond these points?

Third, I wanted to identify what each of us could do to ease the burdens of the world and help make a difference. Along the way I learned a lot of things I could do; I’m doing many of them. Not all, but many. Some things I have tired to do and learned I could use my time and energy better in other ways. So I’ve made adjustments in my activities and doing just fine, thank you!

Fourth, I yearned to understand what life was all about as I entered the senior years. It is not always easy to accept one is entering that hallowed phase of life (!) but one does slip into it pretty much unannounced. One day you get it: I’m now officially old. But my mind is still functioning so I might as well use it.

Fifth, I hoped to gain wisdom along this journey. I feel as though I have. I hope it is a fact and not a figment of my imagination. At any rate here I am, 72, in fairly decent health and able to continue doing interesting and valuable activities. I hope they are for you as well.

So, with all that being said, how do I select topics to write about on a daily basis?

The answer is not all that disciplined. I tend to read through the news on the internet, allow it to percolate a bit, and then an idea comes to mind and I write about it. That’s it. Pretty simple.

Over time I realize I repeat themes often. I don’t intend to do that, so pardon me if I’m boring you. On the other hand, I repeat important themes simply because they are still burning issues and nothing much is being done about them. So the pressure to solve issues remains with us. Why do we allow important things to dribble on incessantly for years and years before we finally get around to doing something about them?  I see this as a major failure of leadership in our nation and global community.

Yes. Global community. It exists. And you and I are part of it. Very much a part of it. And it is time we all realized that.

I know life is busy. We each have much to do just to manage our own lives, our family’s life, our household, our careers and our community’s. But we really need to do more and move beyond our own personal thresholds.

The challenge is this: how do we get outside of our own lives enough, often enough and far enough, to learn that the communities beyond our immediate reach are important? In focusing on those issues we discover much about our own lives. We find the inner strength to prevail in more important venues, with larger consequences for us all. This is important stuff. It deserves our attention and labor.

I’ve heard many people complain about their situation. I’ve watched many people suffer through major illnesses and personal crises. I get it. There are things that absorb our energy like lost jobs, heavy debt loads, foreclosures, bankruptcies and family worries. I’ve experienced some of these as well.

However, I have also observed that people who move beyond their own troubles and into easing the load for others find peace, serenity and wisdom. They not only help others, they help themselves by leaving their own troubles behind. At the same time they make the world a better place in which to live.

Now there is a topic for us to contemplate! Some will say this is false idealism. Others will claim I’m a Pollyanna. Still others will accuse me of hiding my head, not in the sand, but in the clouds.

My response is merely this: making good things happen teaches us what those things are, their value, and enriches the spirit of our own lives. Try it. You’ll see what I mean.

In the meanwhile, you will be reducing the ills of our communities, enriching our lives together, and enjoying life in ways unimaginable.

I’ve learned that I’m never too old to learn this and value it. It works for you, too!

August 12, 2015

Deal With Iran

Two things at the very least are at stake in approving the international agreement with Iran on controls against them developing nuclear arms capability.

First, international agreements designed to protect the global community from nuclear blackmail. The ‘deal’ under discussion is not an agreement between Iran and the USA. It is a global powers agreement. If the US Congress does not approve the agreement, they dash the hopes of future agreements and foreign policy initiatives designed to protect the peace and hope of billions of people long into the future.

Second, Israel is not a direct party to this agreement. Yet they are vetoing it via advertising and public relations dollars spent to influence the congressional vote to approve or reject the agreement. This is a direct violation of our constitution. Israel is a friend of ours and receives huge financial support from the USA. They also benefit from economic, educational and military grants in aid. This special relationship has survived many decades. Yet they feel free to treat us as enemies whenever our actions appear the least bit unsupportive of their interests.

In the first instance, international agreements are crafted to gain the most for the most people by costing the fewest people the least amount of discomfort. This is not easy to do. It takes months if not years to gain trust of the negotiating nations. The details are many. The consequences of success or failure are huge. Only a handful of people are directly involved in the negotiations to maintain focus and enhance success of the process.

If such agreements are subject to endless second guessing and tweaking, nothing much of value gets accomplished. Meanwhile congressional personnel were kept in the loop during negotiations. So too were international persons of interest. This is a global community agreement, not one between only two narrowly defined participants. The deal is not designed to please Israel, or the US, or Russia, or China, or the rest of the Middle East. No; the agreement was made with all of those parties in mind and compromises were made to gain the support of each of the interested parties. The primary goal, however, is world peace, enhanced by keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran.

That is good for all of us. Israel. Iran. Saudi Arabia. Egypt. The rest of the Middle Eastern nations. All of Europe. Russia, China and the Pacific Rim nations. All of us. Safety and security were the aim. Is that not the result of this deal?

Israel says no. But this is Netanyahu’s stubborn voice again crying foul like the wolf who complained too often. Same of the conservatives in the USA. They complain but never offer a program of their own. Only to deride the sitting President, never to actually work for the good of the country they say they love. I wonder if they truly do? Perhaps it is their hubris they love? Or their party? Or their ideology?

While others are doing the work of the nation and the global community, the republicans, Israeli sympathizers, and conservatives continue their destructive campaign that leads to no good.

If world peace is to have a chance two things have to happen. First, the good guys have to work together to ensure they are all pulling together in the same direction to give peace a chance. Second, the first group has to band together to make sure the bad guys are boxed in so they do the least damage.

Armed with that simple standard, where does the international agreement with Iran stand? I think it is in the first group of good guys working together for the common good. There may be a middle ground position here, but those folks didn’t make the final cut of the agreement. So it is option the first, or option the second that must be decided between. Which will it be?

Time will tell who sits where in the spectrum of choice!

August 11, 2015

  

Planned Parenthood Fracas

‘A’ as in ah, ‘A’ as in abortion?

It depends on which side of the political fence you reside. If you are conservative, you are against abortion. If you are liberal, you are for freedom of choice which includes having an abortion or not. Actually, middle of the road folk have been pro choice all along. So it really is not liberal or conservative, just conservative.

Funny thing, choice is also directly linked to freedom. The concept of freedom is not to have any governmental force, rule or regulation tell you to do or not do anything specifically. Having an abortion is a woman’s decision; not the government's. It is a freedom thing, don’t you see?

Having any government tell you you cannot make a decision for yourself really ought to be the antithesis of conservatives. But in their upside down world they don’t seem to get that message. No, they equate abortion with murder. Interesting thought process there!

But never mind the logic. Let’s jump right to the political power issue. Who can make abortion the political leverage point to win elections and otherwise distract public attention from other important issues even if the abortion issue loses traction?

The conservatives feel they can manipulate this issue well enough to gain power elsewhere. So they do – manipulate the issue for their own gain.

That’s where Planned Parenthood attacks enter the picture. You see, Planned Parenthood exists to help women of all ages deal with issues that uniquely affect them. Not men. Not employers. Just women in all their gender winning wonder.

To have a baby or not, or when to have the baby, are life altering decisions uniquely affecting women. They can use help from time to time to deal with this awesome decision. Best if loving family members are available for counsel and comfort, but when not, or if in doubt, it would be great to have an organization dedicated to this sole function.

That’s where Planned Parenthood comes into play. It was started by a lot of caring people wanting to help young, unmarried women make critical decisions that would affect their present and future life. Mature women who wrestled with career decisions affected by child bearing also needed assistance. Single women wanting children without a spouse also sought counsel. Women with DNA histories of disease asked for help, too. Aging women who still wanted kids had their own set of problems in need of research and help.

Along the way, abortions became a stock in trade for the organization. It was not the only answer discussed by counselors with patients, but it was an option that belonged in the mix of considerations. Over the years abortions were advised as appropriate and if agreed upon by the client.

With abortion came questions of residual use of fetus cells and tissue that could be used in medical protocols for treatment as well as medical research. Nationally this whole arena became the subject of deep ethical discussion, debate and research. The jury is still out – do we make good and prudent use of unused fetal tissue to improve the health of others? Or do we destroy the materials for ethical reasons. If the material is vitally important, the logic goes, it becomes valuable monetarily. And that could lead to unethical ‘farming’ of the material by the rapid rise of abortions.

Smells of conspiracy to me, but then America is the home of conspiracy! Why we can’t seem to see a conspiracy exists between drug companies and health insurance companies and lobbyists, is a mystery to me. But abortions? Right! That’s the real home of conspiracy. Bosh!!!

At any rate, conservatives, also known as republicans, conjure up hate campaigns against Planned Parenthood. The organization is regulated within an inch of its life and is subject to minute inspection of its operations. Still, the conservative forces stoop to making up false accusations and videos to blacken the name of Planned Parenthood.  All the while they stoke the flames of conspiracy theories about abortion and anyone who is not conservative enough to ban abortions outright.

And while all this bosh is ranting through public media, public attention is pulled away from the Anti Nuclear Deal With Iran, commonsense gun controls, access to education at all levels of intellectual development, and elimination of student loans. Pollution, energy research, drought, clean water supplies, economic development and other key issues are also ignored while our attention is distracted to the debate over Planned Parenthood.

If any institution has earned its stripes with the public, it is Planned Parenthood. Congress on the other hand, still struggles to earn any respect at all. No wonder!

If there are any candidates left to be considered for the Presidency, please, let them focus on the issues that truly matter. We have religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to own guns and a whole lot of other freedoms. What we don’t have is freedom from politicians up to no good.

Now there’s an issue for public discussion!

August 10, 2015

Thought for the Day

Lasting values. What are they? Family for one. Mindset and thinking process. Beauty in whatever form matters to the individual. Music. Scenery – of Mother Nature, gardens, woods and forests, wildlife seen in their own habitat.

Us in our own habitat, comfortable in our own skins. What makes us comfortable? What doesn’t?

Things to think about his weekend.

August 8, 2015

Slumping Gas Prices

Well Howdy! Step right up, folks, and watch the great decline in gas pump prices! The only question left is – “How far will they go, down that is!?”

Well, I have another question: “Why did it take so long to happen?” The gas price decline was inevitable. The length of the decline and how much time it will take to recycle to higher levels are still unknowns. But there are embedded issues lurking here that need public disclosure and investigation.

First, why have the oil companies been so slow in researching and producing alternate fuels? I know, I know; they don’t want to devalue their oil and gasoline stocks too much before they are ready to fully replace the revenue streams with the new products. But hey! That’s competition. That’s risk assessment. That’s free markets. That’s capitalism.

We know there are alternative fuels available. We even know the specific purposes of those fuels. Some are for automobiles. Some are for home heating, home air conditioning, big store, manufacturing plant heating and air conditioning, too.

Second, why have the automotive manufacturers and energy companies been sleeping with each other for so long? Their long term futures do not compute. Only the past and the short term present. The future is forever. It spans the unknown for uncountable years.

Ford, Chrysler and GM: invent the transportation modes that will be good for people and their economics. Do so now. Do not wait for the energy corporations. If they don’t follow you soon, replace them with your own vertical business opportunities. Or vice versa.

Third, housing options will follow human needs. We don’t need gigantic. We do need comfortable depending on how many occupants are in the household. Shifting to smaller enclosures is a good trend to follow. It also reduces consumption of energy supplies, water and sewer demand, as well as interior design/décor/consumption of products. This trend may be bad for some retail opportunities, but new ones will spring up.

One such spring-up should be cultural involvements and community interaction. Plays, concerts, entertainment venues shared with other people as well as educational pursuits, will take the place of buying things to store in the house. Think of the fun of knowing other people, expanding our minds, and building an exciting future – together! The mind reels at the possibilities!!

Endless consumption does have an end. It must. Our markets and supplies are not infinite. The world is not infinite. Water is not infinite. Energy is not infinite (or maybe it is but we still haven’t done the research to make this claim!).

In ‘developed countries’ we are taught to expect more and more things and pleasure. We are raised to expect unlimited supplies of what makes us happy. Unfortunately, all too often that costs somebody else somewhere else in the world their peace and tranquility. Mining for rare earth minerals, energy supplies, and what not tends to destroy soil, landscapes and cultures in other lands. So far from home we even make things happen that are injurious to others. Think of Bhopal, India and the enormous death toll from leaked chemicals. Think of spoiled rivers and lakes due to mining and unsupervised dumping of wastes. Think of the same for our oceans.

We humans are despoiling our planet. Americans do so at a voracious rate far more so than other nationalities, but they, too, will catch up to our rapacious speed of despoliation eventually. Unless, that is, we change expectations and values of what truly makes us happy.

Far too late we discover peace and serenity is a mighty reward of happiness. It comes not from the endless search for wealth and power. No; it comes from halting our busy pace and thinking on what really matters to us.

We find peace in this process. We save time, as well. And money. We are in the process of downsizing not only our living accommodations, but also our expectations of what makes us happy. This allows more surplus for others to enjoy.

It snuffs out greed, too, along the way. I surely hope this is a lasting happenstance. Because greed causes too much longing for what belongs to others. Best to leave them alone and find our own at rest moments to cherish.

Peace. Shalom!

Now, just a little more time and gas will sell for $1.99 a gallon!  Gasp!!

August 7, 2015

Commercial Real Estate

At times I wonder if I am a broken record. Of course there are those who don’t know that term – broken record. For the young among us, used to be records were vinyl discs with groves that contained music (and other voice recordings, too). The music was sounded by way of a flexible stylus with a diamond tip following in the grove of the disc. The vibrations of the tiny bumps in the groove were amplified and the music was reproduced. In surprising clarity and resonance. Unless, of course the record was broken, a groove erupted into another groove, usually by way of a scratch or other damage. In such situations, the music played over and over again in the same phrase, never advancing any farther.

So, sounding like a broken record is the same as iterating the same message over and over again.

Sometimes I feel like that. As a parent you also feel the pain! The lessons we teach our kids are often done so through repetition. Even then we rarely know if the lessons were learned!

Well, writing a blog is a lot like that. Very little feedback from the readers, but one doesn’t expect that anyway. Still, I write my messages daily, publish them, and in time I no doubt repeat enough of the same messages to seem like a word for word repeat. But I don’t do that.

What I do do is revisit the same topic, or encounter the same topics via other routes of discussion and discovery. Such are the entangled natures of current events. They are often overlapping. Take pollution and corporate greed. They are related. Uncomfortably so. Also, real estate issues are stubbornly entwined in many economic issues which compound still other issues.

The fact that these intertwined issues remain with us for repeated correction and suffering, is what I mean when I think I must sound like a broken record, repeating myself over and over again.

An example, the current recession may be abating but continuing problems persist. A few of those problems:

• Housing patterns have shifted from normal; the shift is not only prolonged, but might not get back to normal; a NEW normal is most likely taking shape
• Commercial real estate is shifting in major ways: shopping malls are falling out of favor; store vacancies are profound, enough so that owners are reprogramming the space for other purposes – law offices, small convenience banking branches, service outlets, etc.
• Internet shopping patterns are decimating retail store traffic. Malls may actually become home to high rise apartments and condo complexes, both of which will draw restaurants, services (laundry and dry cleaning for example) as well as medical clinics, and other personal services to adjacent mall spaces
• Office spaces will become less large single employers and more small office tenants; that trend will offer the opportunity to mix and match specialty services the other tenants would find convenient in their own building 

The message here is direct: problems or threats to our way of life are opportunities when turned on their heads; the opportunities provide exciting new possibilities to reward our lives.

I suspect the automatic reaction to a problem is fear and trembling. Even avoidance! Heads stuck in sand is an image to ponder. And then to run from!

Flip the threat or the problem. View it as a challenge. Find the fresh idea embedded deep within it. Now work that idea as a fresh proposition, a business proposition?

That’s what entrepreneurs do best. But each of us is an entrepreneur of some sort. Most housewives have to be. That’s what makes them adaptive and productive small business owners. Men are more used to organizational life and find it more difficult to adapt to life on their own, as an entrepreneur.

I have found, however, that a simple trick of flipping our thinking apparatus 180 degrees often proves helpful in developing solutions.  From that point it is a short distance to a new route to success.

Try it. You’ll like it!

August 6, 2015

PS: Sears and K-Mart are a huge example here. Once successful retailers, they discovered that the land the stores were standing upon were more valuable than the retail trade they were home to. Unfortunately, that observation worked in a heated real estate market environment. They thought they could sell or leverage the land. With the heavy decline of retail trade and patterns for future retail trade, Sears and K-Mart are stuck with vast acreages and empty stores with no one interested in them. They are now stuck and will likely disappear completely, hoisted on their own petard, don’t you see?