"Bowling for Dollars"

Well it’s college football Bowl season. That time of year when a few excellent NCAA football teams are rewarded with a trip, schmoozed, given gifts, treated to dinner, exposed to future business “gonnections”, (Gatsby) and allowed a lot of freedom to carouse around and be young men. In recent years so many new Bowl games have popped up that even mediocre college football teams get to “go bowling”. A full line up of 35 Bowl games provide spaces for 70 college teams to go “bowling” out of a possible 120 Division I schools. There are scads of 6-6 teams in bowl games and one team (Georgia Tech) will play in a Dec. 31^st game with a 6-7 record. If you can get a won-loss record of 7-5 you will play somewhere. Angling for a specific bowl bid requires colleges to rev up the glad-handing, dinner buying, and promise making efforts towards “Bowl officials”. Essentially, like in politics, it’s who you know, who you buy off that secures your best “product” placement.

While it’s true that a team does have to have at least 5 wins against Division I schools and an aggregate total of 6 wins; you are allowed to pulverize at least one sub Division I school. That lopsided win counts toward your win total. All the schools do it. I mean how else you can explain a powerhouse like Michigan playing a football underling like South Dakota Bible College? Wins baby, and the more wins you have the better bowl game you can go to unless you are Boise State in which case you’ll be playing in Boise or Las Vegas (minor Bowls) no matter whom you beat. What do I mean by a better Bowl game?

Well, in addition to treating the players, coaches, athletic department personnel, and school administrations like they were royalty landing on a shore, the teams get boatloads of cash for their program. Members of the conference that aren't going to a bowl game even get some of the money generated by the ones that are.  It’s a “gesture” towards those schools in the conference that routinely get battered senseless by the power houses. Schools like Indiana, Wake Forest, or Maryland take their lumps every year for conference recognition and a small sliver of the big payout. Of course the weaker schools can (themselves) schedule even weaker and smaller schools like Bethany College, Trinity U. and South East Texas State’s and then beat them senseless for a few wins too. The big schools like Florida, Georgia, and Michigan get richer and stronger and the weaker teams don’t.  If you go to the Rose Bowl your school might get 5 million dollars along with the players and coaches getting I Pads  ski jackets, and a trip to Jay Leno’s show. However, if you play in the lowly Belk Bowl in front of 17,000 your team might  get at most 250 K  and instead of an I PAD each player would probably get an 8 track player and 2 tickets to see The Oak Ridge Boys. It’s financial Darwinism at its best/worst.

So it’s a money making venture for all concerned: Players get things they would otherwise have to steal, coaches get free trips so they can make contacts for future employment and their wives get to go along and spend his coaching money shopping and being placated for the fact that their hubby is gone 80% of the year. If they love their husband it’s a poor trade off, but if they don’t it’s a win, win, win! The athletic department top dogs get free trips and cozy dinners with the big boys (bowl officials) and School Admin personnel get trips and goodies just because their paid employees are good at the play for pay structure. Even the ball boys get a trip, and a new air pump and tickets to a movie.

The City hosting the game gets free national publicity for their city. Cool if you are sponsoring the San Diego Holiday Bowl. San Diego sells itself. But what if you are Washington DC sponsoring the Military Bowl and no one gives a shit about the teams playing (as they didn't this year) and you are trying to sell DC in winter, with politicians just down the road. The corporations potentially win because they get to sponsor football on TV and that means a boatload of commercials for everything from car belts to tacos. Some of the bowl games are (in fact) exciting, but alas with so many games, most are snooze fests. Nothing like San Jose State taking on Bowling Green to replace sleep aids.

Some of these Bowl games have become absolutely goofy over the years as more and more companies rush in to sponsor a game. Bridge Point Education, Mein eke Car Care, Chick-fil-A, Idaho Potato’s, Beef O Brady, MAACO, Little Caesar’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Outback, and Go Daddy are just some of the companies that sponsor a bowl game. Bridge Point Education, huh?

My favorite (no longer a sponsor) was the Poulan Weed Eater Bowl. But I don’t think the sponsors and Bowl games today really connect with football fans. The Pinstripe Bowl in New York? I know it’s playing on the Yankee pinstripes but wouldn’t the Empire Bowl or Big Apple Bowl be more apropos? The Sun Bowl was played in a drizzle. The Poinsettia Bowl doesn’t even connect with the city it’s played in, San Diego. Is San Diego the only place that grows Poinsettias and what if it was?

Well, do not despair I have come up with 6 new bowl games that would connect better with college football fans. And these games would be so much more interesting to watch. These would be fun games that match the times, the city, or the teams involved.

Here then (in my own humorous way) are the 6 Bowl games I think could be added:

1.       The Land o Lakes Lard Bowl

** To be eligible you must have at least two players 400lbs+ and 15 players 300lbs or more. Most teams would be eligible.

Playing this year: Iowa vs. Iowa State (those corn fed boys on the plains can really pack it on)

Singing the National Anthem would be: Aretha Franklin

Alternate names could be: “The No Neck Bowl”, “The Tub o Goo Bowl”, or ‘The HBP Bowl”

2.       

The Probation Bowl

** To be eligible you have be on current probation by the NCAA for multiple wrongdoings

 Playing this year: Penn State vs. Ohio State

Singing the National Anthem would be: Lindsay Lohan

Alternate names could be: “Hand in the Cookie Jar Bowl”, “The Felony Bowl” or “The Gotcha Bowl” 

3.       

The Dumb Mascot Bowl

** To be eligible you have to have one of the most annoying college Mascots ever created

Playing this year: Notre Dame vs. Texas (a leprechaun and Bevo a long horn steer)

Singing the National Anthem would be: Psy

Alternate names could be: “The Progressive Flo Bowl”, “The Allstate Mayhem Bowl” or “The GEICO Gecko Bowl”

4.   

    “The Countdown to Meltdown Bowl”

** To be eligible you have to have an out of control, ready to implode at any moment head coach.

Playing this year: Nebraska vs. Syracuse (Pelini vs. Robinson)

Singing the National Anthem would be: Chris Brown

Alternate names could be: “The Mental Health Awareness Bowl”, “The Bushwhacker 223 Bowl” or “The Mel Gibson Jew Bowl”

5.   “The Mensa Bowl”

** To be eligible you have to have at least one Rhodes Scholar on the team and 10 certifiable Mensa Club eligible members. This of course eliminates most all football teams in America but….

Playing this year: Yale Vs. Harvard

Singing the National Anthem: Dr. Cornell West (my brouther!)

Alternate Names could be: “The Bobby Fischer Bowl”, “The Hawking Bowl”, or the “Dr. Phil Bow

AND Last but not least

6.     

  “The Elitist Bowl”

** To be eligible every team member and coaching staff must travel with J. Crew, Abercrombie, and/or Calvin Klein apparel+ TAG Heur watches.

Playing this year: Stanford vs. Duke

Singing the National Anthem: Celine Dion

Alternate Names could be: “The Polo Pony Bowl”, “The Lord Grantham Bowl”, or the “The Snot Nose Bowl”

I jest, I jest……just having fun. 

"The Perfect Gift"

Recent tragic events in Newtown, CT. (which I will address in a future Post) have cast a pall over the nation. Since Christmas is about kids mostly, it makes this Christmas seem not very merry. But what are we going to do cancel fun for the rest of the kids? Of course not so we adults have to hold it together at least for another week and let the kids (in your lives) (yes even the grown ones) have a fun Christmas.

When I began to raise my son, alone, some 27 years ago I began the practice of saying to him, “I love you” whenever we would part. I said it when he went to sleep, when I dropped him off at day care and when he or I traveled. Pretty much we said it to each other virtually every day.  It became awkward for both of us later when he was a teen because I didn't want to embarrass him in front of his friends but we both kept saying it even if we had to cuff our hands over the phone and say it in a low, muffled voice.

I’m sure more than one person must have thought, what’s that all about, he’s a grown up, it’s weird.  Let me tell you why I still tell him I love you. It is because of what happened in Newtown, or on Flight United 93, Hurricane Sandy or Aurora, Colorado. We just don’t know if this time we part will be the last time we ever see each other. Do you absolutely 100% know you’ll see the person again? I sure don't. I always wanted the last thing I said to my son to be I love you. I wanted him to know I loved him to the very end.

The passengers on Fight 93 that crashed into the Pennsylvania field or the people trapped in the burning Towers, when they could reach a loved one on the phone what did they say to them, what was the last thing they said to them? That’s right, “I love you”. Austin will always be able to say the last thing my dad said to me was that he loved me. 

My family members never said that to each other and a couple of years ago when I started to say it to my sister Karla at the end of phone calls and there was this embarrassed, awkward silence and at first she just couldn't say it back to me but gradually over time she and my other sister have begun to be more comfortable saying they love me at the end of calls. It costs nothing to say and it could (god forbid) be the most important thing you will have ever said to someone.

I believe the kids killed in Newtown knew their parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters and friends loved them but I also hope that when they were dropped off they were told that. There was one brave teacher that huddled her kids into a storage room and by so doing saved them (and her). When interviewed by reporters about those minutes she told reporters that she told the kids to be silent and they were and that she then repeatedly told them she loved them because in her words she thought that if this was the last moments of their little lives, she wanted them to know they were loved. She burst into tears telling her story and I did hearing it.

You’ll get your kids nice gifts this year, your parents will get nice gifts (well most of them), and other family members and friends will too but the best gift you will ever give to your loved one is when the party or gathering is over and they or you are leaving, tell them “you’re a good girl, boy, husband, friend, dad, sister, granddaughter, grandson etc.) and that you love them. The gifts from the heart are never regifted.

“Merry Christmas” to all my readers from the Bailey Post / December 2012

"Yankee Observations"

I've been in New York City exactly 2 months. That + the fact that I visited here before on several occasions has led me to some “Yankee” observations.

#1: People walk a lot in NYC. I mean they walk A LOT. Yes, there are lots of cabs, some buses and the subway trains (the locals just call “trains”) often are full yet the primary method of daily travel is walking. What I have noticed that the walking here pretty much exactly matches driving in California. The road way (sidewalks) are crowded most of the time, and some people go faster than others. The fast walkers change lanes constantly in an effort to get around the “slowpokes”. You give a quick glance over the left or right shoulder and then a quick move into the next lane and step on it to clear. You have to signal intentions to avoid head on collisions. Occasionally someone will come to a complete stop in front of you and if you have kept a respectful distance between you and them you can avoid a rear-ender. Some people are totally reckless or just don’t give a damn and are all over the place, pushing the envelope and causing near accidents all the time. You try to get away from them as soon as possible. I've been known to take a sharp, sudden left or right turn at a corner just to get away from the drunken walkers, the road rage walkers, the elderly weavers, or those that just seem lost.  Here walking should require a road test and license. It’s uncanny the parallels between walking here and driving in California.

#2 People are polite but not real friendly in NYC. When you are out and about you can “glance” at someone but you do NOT look at anyone. A longer look is viewed as aggression. You may admire their outfit or hair style but don’t get caught doing a double take or looking too long. People here stay to them (selves) and you are expected to stay to yourself. Often on my daily walks,  most people that pass me by do not look at me AT ALL. Most people here have determined expressions on their faces looking straight ahead. They have somewhere they want to be and they are only interested in getting there; they aren't “mall walking” and they aren't "people watching". Tourists ( lookie lous) are tolerated but not liked.  I can’t avoid overhearing phone conversations as I walk by (Manhattan people openly air their business) and what I am mostly overhearing is contentiousness in the calls like: “Who gives a shit what he wants, I’m not interested in what he wants” “I didn't get the job because that bitch told me I didn't have no social skills”.  These are angry, argumentative, deal-making, business driven, conversations. I NEVER hear: “tell Avery, grandma loves her”, “I’m so proud of you”, or “I can’t wait to see you”. Usually someone is pissed off or “working it”.

#3 Spanish is NOT the language I hear the most other than English. You’d think so with the number of Hispanics in this city. I do hear a lot of Spanish but what I hear the most is Russian or Slavic/Baltic languages. You know the “stans”. (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iownastan etc.). That really surprised me. My building “super” is named Braho and he’s barely understandable. Patrick is the owner’s (of the building) representative and his Irish brogue is thicker than an Irish potato. He was the one that told me when I moved in that I could: “ga doun ta Toid avenue and sixty toid street n buoy yerself a hater, thot weigh ya won’t gat sa culd at naight”. This is a linguists paradise that’s for sure.

#4 Manhattan is many places, literally. Saying you live in Manhattan is like a person saying they live in San Diego. Rancho Bernardo is “San Diego” but so are Imperial Beach, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, and Lakeside. Yet all these places are distinctly different.  It’s the same with Manhattan.  Here are some areas:

Yorkville: This is where my son and his girlfriend and I live. It’s the Upper East Side between 70-85 streets and at the Far East end by York Avenue. Middle class and upper middle class live there. This is your Carlsbad type place.

Upper West Side: This is the wealthy and distinctly upper middle class. These are older people, rich and they have elevator buildings, doormen and Central Park or Hudson River views. This is the La Jolla part of New York)

East Village and Greenwich Village: Lower east side of Manhattan, from say Canal Street up to 34^th street. Bohemian artiste and trend setters live here. Lots of young people live here because it’s a “happening” place. There are lots of parties, night clubs, comedy stores, bars, art boutiques and so forth. It’s pretty costly to live here so lots of smaller studios or people partner up to afford it. On a Friday night in summer the streets are packed at 2 am. Think of a merger of Hillcrest and Ocean Beach.

Mid-Town: This is from around 34^th street up to 60^th street in the center of Manhattan. This is your tourist locale. The Empire State Building, Macy’s, Broadway shows on 42^nd street, Grand Central, Bloomingdales, Christie’s auction house, Madison Square Garden, Times Square are found here. More businesses than living spaces but the living spaces are pricey because you would be in a nice building high up. This is the Las Vegas Strip equivalent.

Other places like: Soho, Sutton, Murray Hill, Turtle Bay, Chelsea, Tribeca, Nolita  and my person favorite  Dumbo. Dumbo is found way down south near the Brooklyn Bridge and encompasses several blocks between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Why is this middle to lower middle class region called Dumbo? Because it stands for: “Down Under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Overpass”.

Another Thing: Be thankful for your Ralph’s, Albertson’s and Vons. There aren't any here and the grocery stores here are half their size, lack many options and are expensive. You can eat at home but you don’t get that many choices.

HOWEVER, there so many more places to go get something to eat.  My god the number of restaurants, bodega carts, deli’s, bagel shops, and diners is endless. I could find a new place to eat almost every day. The hardest part is finding your favorites. The food is excellent at almost every place. The prices are high but you pick and choose wisely. They serve huge portions here. I think it’s because so many people walk and burn a lot of calories. I average 3+ miles every day. People burn calories here, they really do. I am not kidding when I say 8.5 people out of every 10 you see walking the streets are very fit.

#5 Iconography: There is a reason so many movies and TV shows are filmed in Manhattan. It’s one scenic, iconic location after another. It’s not just the famous places like Trump Tower, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center, Chinatown, World Trade Center, Central Park, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. NO, there are classic diners like Neil’s Coffee Shop, Green Kitchen, and some beautiful churches like The Church of the Heavenly Rest. It’s Jackie Onassis Reservoir, Strawberry Fields, Strand Bookstore, Flat Iron Building, the East River Walkway, and I could make a list of a hundred more. There are poetry & book readings, more Broadway and off Broadway plays than a person could ever attend and shops and boutiques along Park and Madison Avenue, and at least 10 interesting and famous museums. You can never tire of the things to do here. This place literally has something going on all the time. As Sinatra crooned, “it’s the city that never sleeps”. And one more thing, it has the most famous sports team in American history the New York Yankees.

:Perhaps I am Too Cynical"

Perhaps I am Too Cynical

#1: According to the front page of USA Today November 26, 2012 high school students nationwide are cheating less. In a poll of 23,000 high school students nationwide, only 51% say they've cheated on a test in high school whereas 2 years ago it was 59%. In addition, 2 years ago 27% of teens said they had stolen from a store at least once and now it’s down to 20%. Progress?

My take is: Since all you have to do to get a “C” in most high school classes is show up, behave and stay alive during the term there is less need to cheat. Getting a “B” is what I said above plus you tried to learn something. You know how it works, every kid gets a trophy and every kid gets into college (unless they are felons by age 18) and even those get in a third  of the time. The point is there is less need to cheat. 

Perhaps I’m too cynical.

#2: My friend is distressed because she doesn't have much “discretionary” money this year for Christmas gifts. That time of year, artificially created by business and greeting card companies, to guilt people (like my friend) into becoming big time spenders so as to give one last end of the year boost to company bottom lines.

My Take is: No I am not THAT cynical! I love Christmas, love the good feelings and warmth between people. I love the trees, lights, eggnog, church and connections. It’s a time for sharing secrets and hot cider. What I don’t like is our buying into the idea that we must BUY things even when to do so often stresses us and our familes. Okay, I get giving all those non-cheating students a gift, and it is a great excuse to buy the baby often needed clothes and supplies but adults giving adults gifts? I told her forget the adults, our gift to each other is each other! Where would we be without each other? The people I care about and who care about me is my gift. 

Perhaps I am too cynical.

#3: A thoroughly pissed off state of Texas wants to secede from the Union. Recently 116,000 + signatures were gathered (only needed 15,000) to get this on a future ballot.

My Take is: The sooner the better. It will cost everyone more for “imported” ribs and steaks and players will need passports to play any Texas teams, but hey, why we’re at it can we throw Alaska in with the deal. We don’t need a state that is geographically closer to Siberia than mainland USA and that elects Governors that shoot animals from a helicopter (Palin). While we are at it, let’s let go of Hawaii. I know it’s beautiful, and the people are friendly but we didn't even think enough of this place to defend it (Pearl Harbor), the driving there is treacherous and don't forget they gave the rest of us Don Ho. Now we are down to 47 states, my solution is dividing California into 2 states: Northern California and Southern California. I mean the people in Virginia were wise enough to dump those western Virginia hillbillies into their own state so why not let’s accept that Northern California is nothing like Southern California. Now we are back to 48 Continental States and that means we could get back to even rows of stars on the flag. 

Perhaps I am too cynical.

#4: Susan Rice the embattled US Ambassador to the UN will likely face a stern challenge to her apparent soon to be announced appointment to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.  She is embattled because she made the rounds of all the Sunday talk shows 2 days after we lost four Americans at the overrun embassy in Libya telling anyone and everyone that the attack was a result of a local spontaneous outrage over a stupid, tasteless video about Islam made by an American. She did this then and for days afterwards said the same thing repeatedly. Come to find out, she (as did all of the White House and intelligence agencies) knew, right from the beginning, it was a terrorist attack timed to coincide with the anniversary of 9/11. The point is the American people were deceived about what happened for 2 weeks. She was the point person.

My Take is: Why question her appointment for Secretary of State?  She takes orders from her bosses, does what she is told even if it’s unethical, puts on a good face, can appear sincere on cue, is a good bull- shitter, can lie with a straight face and has no guilt or remorse. She’s the Democratic version of Condoleezza Rice. Perfect! 

Perhaps I am too cynical.

#5: In a recently concluded UCLA study, older folks that had consistent physical activity also had a 5% increase in gray cells over sedentary older people. In the study people between the ages 69-95 had 5% more cerebral cortex (gray cells) (information processing) if they were physically active than people that were less active. The study is clear, stay active as long as you can and you’ll stand a better chance of staying mentally sharper.

My Take is: If you don’t stay active you won’t even make it to 69 to get in the +5% group. How much money was spent on this research breakthrough: the more active you are (and the longer)  the better you do both mentally and physically? Really?  OMG!! 

Perhaps I am too cynical.

** I have to stop now, I must go be active, can’t afford to take any chances!!

"Lance Armstrong"

I’m just asking:

RE: Lance Armstrong

    

The man that won 7 consecutive Tour de France titles and dominated the world of professional cycling  has had all his cycling accomplishments wiped out by the over whelming evidence of his having cheated. He did EPO (blood doping) and took other performance enhancing methods. The evidence comprises 40+ witnesses and a hundred or more pages of sworn testimony of teammates, friends, race officials and competitors. The evidence is so overwhelming that even his most loyal endorsement deals have been dumped. His seven Tour titles have been stricken from the books, all of his endorsements canceled for morals clause violations and he is getting an avalanche of bad press. It wasn't just that he cheated and devised an unbelievable amount ways to slip past the doping tests but he also intimidated teammates, friends and acquaintances and others by threatening to ruin their names or destroy them financially. After all he was the great “Lance Armstrong” and who were they? Most kept silent, his teammates for fear of their own doping sanctions if found out + fear Armstrong would drop them from the team, and others because Lance wielded an enormous amount of power. But this cheater, liar, manipulator, and bully is no more. The cycling emperor’s new clothes finally reveal all. 

In the midst of his cheating, winning, bullying, and autograph signing he also developed testicular cancer.  He successfully beat his cancer but was (in the process) sufficiently “slapped upside the head” by one of nature’s nastiest calling cards that he began a cancer research non-profit organization several years ago. To date The Livestrong Foundation has raised some 450 million dollars for cancer research. Armstrong has been the face of The Livestrong Foundation and he has worked long and hard to raise cancer awareness and the importance for cancer research dollars. Livestrong has active pledges (right now) for 286 million more dollars. Armstrong has worked tirelessly for this organization and its efforts to save lives. In fact even his biggest critics acknowledge Armstrong’s contribution to a worthy cause. Sadly, just two days ago, The Livestrong Foundation dropped his name from the organizations letterhead and titles. Even they know his name is so toxic that in order to keep the Foundation going they had to drop the Founder’s name. 

How weird is that?

I was not shocked when the truth finally (rumors, whispers and tests had dogged him for over a decade) came out about how he had achieved “success” on the bicycle.  Why wasn't I part of the surprised and shocked fans about the all American boy Lance Armstrong? Because cheating is to athletics what lying is to public officials. It too often goes hand in hand. Whether you are deflating footballs, (doctoring up baseballs)  or conducting (“Spygate”with Bellechic and the Patriots), or doing any of the other hundreds and hundreds of other known cases of cheating, it’s if you aren't cheating you aren't trying. I would make a list of the known professional sports cheaters in history but it would take too long. He's just another in a long line of cheaters. What makes his cheating story special is the length of time and the lengths he went to to pull it off. Ten years or more of listening to him proclaim (smugly) that he never failed a drug test. Knowing he threatened people, bribed people, and worse. He is an ugly cheater that was finally caught and exposed as he should have been. So Mr  Armstrong join the long list of other dumb cheats that spend the rest of their lives telling people it was all a mistake.

However, I ask this question: do the ends justify the means? Separate out how Lance Armstrong got his fame, and focus for a minute on the millions he (ultimately is to be given credit for) has raised for cancer awareness.  I‘m wearing my Livestrong bracelet even while I typing this. I believe in the work of this foundation and have donated to it. So have so many others.

If one person is saved as a result of a breakthrough in a particular cancer research then isn't that truly good? What if when it’s all said and done a billion dollars has been raised and we are able to eliminate one or more cancers from the scourge list? Isn't that great?

Look, I  don’t care that Armstrong cheated and lied about it. I really don't. I see him as just another unethical athlete making money off gullible people that want to believe super human athletic things can be accomplished by will power alone. Two years ago there was the Tour de France rider languishing back in 34^th place that suddenly (one day) did the seemingly impossible. He road up the hardest alpine stage,  straight up the alps and down in super record time and no one could believe a good but not great rider could have broken the stage record and gone from 34^th to 1^st  in one day just like that and sure enough he (finally admitted under pressure) that he blood doped, and took performance enhancing drugs. If it seems impossible under normal circumstances it undoubtedly is. Now we know why Lance won 7 straight times, he cheated and got his teammates to set him up to win (meaning they were to not try to win themselves, just ensure no one else beat Lance. He’ll never be taken seriously as an athlete again and he won’t likely be hosting Saturday Night Live any time soon. Lance Armstrong beat cancer but if only he could have beaten his own audacity and ego.

Still I like what all that “Armstrong noise” turned into, a chance for cancer patients to live or have at the very least a prolonged quality of life. I think it was worth it. I will still contribute to Livestrong. Maybe the most ironic part of this story is this. Armstrong wanted to be known for, be famous for, and be remembered for his athletic accomplishments. Instead the profoundly selfish Lance Armstrong will likely end up being remembered the most for helping others. I'm okay with that.

"American Angst"

"The Long National Nightmare is Over"

So it’s come to this, it's finally over. After 6 billion dollars spent (on this election), 2 million ads run, countless photo ops, blathering on and on by so called experts like Axelrod and Gergen, 10 million comedy jokes, thousands of people able and (more disturbing) willing to spend 10K and up just to eat rubber chicken and get a picture with one of the candidates; and after having to look at Sheldon Addles ton  having to listen to Coulter, Hannity, O’Reilly, Cooper, Blitzer, Donner and Vixen I can’t take anymore. I can’t take anymore!

One editorial(ist) in the NY Times said, “We put too much emphasis on this one election; as if we were selecting the next Messiah”. I tend to agree with that assessment. All this build up, angst, hand-wringing, in-fighting, hair pulling, therapy seeking, relationship breakup causing, anxiety producing, and worry is too damn much. However, it is the sort of protracted melodrama we've come to see too much of in  American  life. Everything is a potential doomsday event, every election is about good vs. evil.

I don’t know if it’s our non-reality based reality shows that have convinced us everything is so important. I mean Snooki’s every move is covered, then analyzed, and speculated about both on TV and in print. Snooki got a haircut today; Snooki met with her agent today, Snooki had a shit fit over the Gorgonzola cheese on her pizza today. In a normal world, Snooki would be a greasy, bloated, obnoxious trophy wife from New Jersey that no one ever heard of. We live in a society that makes Honey Boo Boo the next Siddhartha. Why do I even know the name Honey Boo Boo?  Maybe we just live in a country with so much excess that as a nation (in general) we are bored. Why else would tractor pull events have anyone attending them, why would anyone care which steroid freaked out wrestling star in spandex briefs might win the Final Showdown 10 event?

We find buckets full of melodrama in: day time soaps, nighttime TV, fake reality shows, lottery results, celebrity lives, and even in the economy (we are approaching yet another over the cliff moment aren't we)? Melodrama is in every damn thing we do as people. Ever listen to high school kids? They talk in terms of “all” as in: “I’m all about this or that.” “It’s all fun”, things are “totally”, “way bad” (not just bad), “Oh my god” as if it matters to your God if Billy Buffguy slept with Suzi Creamcheese. Every day is a drama filled day at the high school with sex-ting  social media bullying, and fingers blazing all day long on their cell phones. They may not be learning the significance of the Boston Massacre, Emancipation Proclamation or the Civil Rights Act but they do know that “Chiffon got a dress just like Tiffany and now OMG Tiffany is like totally, totally all pissed off and threatening to go totally Rambo on her”. I used to say to my classes, “You know why there is so much high school drama? It’s because school is boring. If school were exciting (which it could be and should be) you wouldn't have to invent your own excitement.  They laughed but they never said I was wrong.

I don’t know how our country devolved to this anxiety riddled, insomniac inducing soap opera but here we are. Living in a world where the average American cares more about who is going to win “Dancing With the Stars’ or how Chance will survive that back-stabbing Aimee on “Survivor, Oahu” than we do about how the laws were gutted to allow rich fuck’s like Sheldon Addlebrain to try and buy the election, or foreign countries being able to put money into American presidential campaigns. Too many Americans continue to be uninformed, unenthusiastic  and unconcerned with their own lack of civic responsibility to stop the demise of it all. 

Does it really matter that much who sits in the Presidential chair? When Obama won, the Republicans openly stated they would never work with him and their only goal would be to get him out. They held true to their word and with the exception of getting Bin Laden, and barely squeaking through his Obama Care Plan (remember they had to bribe the last voter, the Republican senator from Nebraska, Ben Nelson) to win by one vote, and a couple of deals like a compromise on the college loan repayment percentage not much has really gotten done. If Romney wins do you think the Democrats will welcome him with open arms?? No, they will surely announce that their goal will be to save Obama Care, get Romney out and we’ll have another 4 years of grid lock and partisan fighting.

When the system itself is broken, when the very people the system is supposed to be for could care less; when winning matters more than working together to solve problems then you tell me how much does it matter which frustrated man/woman is sitting in the Oval Office? When melodrama matters more to the average American than the truth, you get a nation of fat assed, glassy-eyed people working on their third quarter pounder, obsessing about what really happened to Michael Jackson on his last day instead of the fact that China is methodically, quietly buying up their country. By the time it’s too late, I wonder if these same average Americans will appreciate the bitter irony of the new owners having installed a teen aged Honey Boo Boo as Commissar of Culture.

   

"Sandy Dropped In"

“Frankenstorm” gets closer, and the Weather Channel is beside itself because now they have something to really report. They live for weather events like this. Oh I know they talk about how potentially destructive it could be, gale force winds and they get their serious face on, drop their voice 2 notches to indicate “the seriousness” of the situation but down deep  they can barely contain their glee and excitement. Finally, a challenge! I mean would you rather be a field reporter standing in the face of 60 mph winds sliding along the beachfront risking your life like reporters in war, or standing there in the sunshine in Georgia talking about how the uptick in temps the last few weeks could mean a bigger pecan crop?

In San Diego (California in general) the newscasters are so starved for real weather that the first time it rains ½ inch they break in on the show “The Young and the Useless” to announce full coverage of “Storm Watch 12”. Let’s go live to our reporter Crystal Glass as she is standing helplessly in the rain with a live update on how quickly the drainage ditches are filling. “Oh boy Tawney it’s really starting to come down now, over a 1/3 inch has been reported in more than one part of the county. Drainage ditches are filling, there is water running down the curbs and after an extensive helicopter fly over we found one street already beginning to pool water. If this keeps up we may have to call in Life Flight”.

"Let’s go to “Ben Dover” our reporter standing within 10 feet of a dirt hill in Del Mar". “Tawney, this entire hillside could come crashing down at any moment. If this water saturates the dirt, millionaire homes could become compost for the race track.” “ I've been told to clear this area but like any self-loving air-headed, fluff reporter I won’t. No, I will stand here as long as it takes to get the footage I need to apply for a job elsewhere”.

“We’re getting reports of a rescue that just took place in Mission Valley". Let’s go live to our new affirmative action reporter Kobyashi Maru on the scene”. “Tawney, apparently a woman driving a Fiat ignored 5 posted signs including the one with the skull and crossbones and the word Verboten on it and attempted to cross the Mission Valley river bed. When the water reached door height and she panicked. She climbed to the top of her car but because of the size of the car roof (Fiat) and the size of the woman (Fiat) she immediately rolled off into the knee deep swirling inferno.  She was pulled to shore by two bystanders. One of the bystanders was apparently overheard muttering “dumb-ass” but we don’t have confirmation on that. A happy ending here; but a really close call for one San Diego motorist, back to you in the studio”.

“24 Hour, non-stop, (redundant for effect) coverage of Storm watch 12” When the “event” is over, the “hairdo” on the news set typically says something like, “well, San Diego dodged a bullet this time”. “Our meteorologist Skippy Dohover says next weekend it might snow on Palomar Mountain”. 

I get it, when you have the job of reporting news (especially weather) you just want some news to report. So Hurricane Irene last year and now Sandy is threatening this year. Yes, trees will snap, power lines will dance along the concrete, somebody’s basement will flood and crying women will hold up the last remnant of the grandchild’s tricycle but in the end,  the power will come on, water will recede, insurance companies will pay out and the kid will a get motorized scooter.

I am taking precautions, trust me I’m not that cavalier. I just get a kick out of the melodramatic angst reporters go through when they finally get something real to report on, something they understand. Rain and wind are tangible and make more sense than the financial infrastructure of Greece.

"Notes from the Road #3"

I finally arrived in the Big Apple on Wednesday October 9. How many days in a row can you have adrenaline surges (to get things done, get over obstacles) before you have to finally stop and regroup? Maybe now I can exhale, take a day or two and regroup.

I finished my sojourn to Texas on Oct. 3^rd. I had finally gotten into a familiar routine having found the 24 Hour Fitness Center, and other key daily stops like McDonald’s for coffee and 2 scrambled eggs in the morning. Texans think big, and are big in heart but those 2 scrambled eggs were only 1 ½. They build 64 million dollar HS stadiums but have pot holes in the roads the size of Texas. You sit in style at the games but your car needs a new differential and alignment after going to them.

I picked up my bag of clothes (left on the way from Nebraska to Texas) at the Edmond, Oklahoma Best Western but left my cell phone charger during the same stop. The Best Western giveth and taketh away. Back in Nebraska I had 3 ½ days to ship some things and get ready to go to New York. That plus go see a night football game where my niece’s daughter was going to cheer. And cheer she did during the 42 degree weather game. Fortunately I brought my light jacket or otherwise I would have frozen to death. Oh, come to think on it I DID freeze. I got up after the game and walked to my car and could not feel my toes. I could NOT feel my toes.  If anymore of my foot were frozen I would have had to crawl to my car. Now I know how the Donner Party felt on one Tuesday before the next Tuesday when they started looking at each other as a potential entree.

Finally the day arrives to fly east. Of course when I go through security at Omaha’s Eppley Airport I am fumbling around like Inspector Clouseau. I dropped my watch, followed by my boarding pass and wallet. In a desperate move to retrieve them I knocked the lady behind me (making a bold move to go around me) into the other loading zone. Mutual apologies later she was back in line waiting for me to continue disrobing. I have lost 22 lbs. since summer but wear the same jeans (I call them potential recidivism jeans) and rely on my belt to hold them up but of course the belt must come off in the security line. So when I went through the scanner and you have to hold your arms up I could not lest I expose more to x-ray than anyone wanted exposed. I did the pull up and try to hold with knees apart and then put my hands up. It took several tries, much to amusement of the security personnel before I got it.

The flight itself went fine except for air turbulence when we came down out of the altitude into Chicago’s Midway Airport. The bumping, rolling and banging had me praying. Even the flight attendants were told by the captain to stop what they were doing and take a seat. It was a tense 15 minutes. The flight to Newark, NJ from Midway was no less prayerful. To avoid a long gradual climb to above the clouds the pilot took off, put it at about a 45 degree angle and opened it up all the way.  We were above the clouds in less than a minute. Even if you were scared enough to pee your pants the centrifugal force wouldn't allow it.

On board were 10 families of orthodox Jews. Guys with the all black suits and cowboy hats and all their wives had the shoulder length jet black hair parted on the side and the bangs all going the same direction. They (wives) did not wear cowboy hats. They were all in the late twenty years old range and had multiple kids under the age of 2-3. I counted 18 kids between them age 3 or younger and they all sat together near the back of the plane.  Normally, not a big deal but I didn't get my boarding pass 24 hours before the flight (Southwest); I got mine 8 hours before the flight which meant that when I boarded the plane the only place left to sit was in the back. The entire trip it was shrieking kids, yammering kids, crying kids, and kid questions.

Somewhere over Ohio, I couldn't take it anymore so I looked down at my rubber WWDD bracelet (what would Debby do) and then called the flight attendant over. I first asked her if she would please slip some whiskey into the kid’s milk and juice drinks. She said no. So then I told her I was relying on her expertise to get me outta this nightmare and she came through. She told me to (and I quote) “think happy thoughts”. The only thing I could come up with was: "Well, at least I am one of the very few people in the world that can say they truly look forward to being in New Jersey". 

More Notes from the Road: September 25

More: Notes from the Road

Howdy y’all! This is second (of three) installments of notes from the road. I am still in Princeton, Texas visiting and I plan to be here until Oct. 3 or 4.  Then it’s back to Nebraska until Oct. 10 and then on to NYC.

Last week there were some tense times for me trying to get an apartment in NYC. My son, Austin and his GF Rebecca did the footwork looking for an apartment. They found one, a beaut on the Upper East Side. A ground floor apartment, with laundry in the building etc. but I didn’t get it. Why not?

I had to do a short sale on my “titanic at 2am” condo a year ago and the resulting lower credit score cost me. The owner of the building (landlord) just believed no one should do a short sale. So having his pick of potential renters he said no to me. However,  I did get one on 81^st street (Upper East Side and a ground floor as well) because that landlord thought it was a smart move on my part to short sale a property 95K underwater and especially because at my age there was no hope of it coming back (in my life time). You know the good money after bad concept. So there is the tale of the tape right there. To some people a short sale is a smart move very much like getting off a hopelessly lost, sinking vessel before you drown and to others the honorable thing to do is to go down with the ship or be made to go down with the ship.

Texas is hot but not like California hot. I can’t explain it but 95 here feel(s) like 86 in California. I feel scorched in California when it gets to 95 but here I don’t feel scorched. Can anyone explain why this is the case? I do know every one; every last person has A/C and good A/C. You just do here every day what Californians do the end of August and all of September, go from A/c at home to A/C in car to A/C at work. I will try to add a picture or two of how asphalt roads have been deformed (buckled) under the intense heat.

Texans it seems are slowly dropping their regional dialects, their drawls. I hear the occasional “y’all” or “howdy madam”,  or “purdy” (pretty), “pool” (pull), “pill” (pile) “drank” (drink) “mine” (mind), “hair” (here), “grain-kids” (grandkids) but not like it was years ago (or so I am told). 

Here is how the twang works:                      

“Howdy, y’all, ya shore luk purdy taday lil lady, and I don’t mine y’all pilling that thar sodee rail high. Just pill it up thar, and I’ll drank all aftanoon long. Y’all gat a rail nice place hair”! "Your grainkids will luv et"!

Seems that there are more immigrants, a desire to not stand out in the real world (businessmen traveling etc.) and in many cities and towns there is gentrification going on. Many don’t want to sound like old school Texans; they see themselves as more cultured. This is especially true with younger people. The older folk’s twang away unabashedly.

Texans are real considerate. When Rebecca’s (different from my son’s GF) van blew a tire and was on the expressway she called her mother and me and we went to rescue her and her two kids. So while I was standing there waiting for the AAA tow truck to arrive no less than 4 separate people stopped to see if we needed help. In California people don’t stop (as a rule). To be fair it is more dangerous to try and stop on California freeways what with very narrow shoulders. Still people will help you in this state and no one here has picked on me or given me a hard time about having California plates.

Friday night football is king here. I will try to enclose a picture of Allen HS football stadium which was built for 48 million dollars. Allen is a school of maybe 2400 students, and they have a 48 million dollar stadium. Even schools of less than 1,000 students have state of the art football stadiums. Football is to people in Texas what cabs are to New York, what corn is to Nebraska, what high gas prices are to people in California.

These personal narratives will end once I get to NY. Then it’s back to the acerbic social commentary.

In Texese:

"So much has pilled up thar to wret bout. I can’t wait ta sink ma computer kays inta that Akma fella from

I ran."

"Notes From the Road"

Notes from the Road

So someone tried to break into my car in Gallup, NM. They were so dumb they saw me going into the market at the gas n stop place but didn't wait till I got inside and so when my alarm went off I turned around and looked at them and they threw up their hands and ran to their junk-filled car and lumbered off. My windows were up and doors locked so they would have had to break the glass. Dumb ass!

I stopped at a restaurant in Albuquerque called the Waffle House. How bad can a Waffle House be? When I walked in every eye turned towards me and I could see there were more tattoos in the room than waffles. It’s was a mangy, rough looking bunch of curs the likes of which I haven’t seen since that all-teacher (staff) meeting in 1990.  I was eye-balled the whole time and of course being the white bread, non-tattooed, no-greasy haired suburbanite that I am, I couldn't have stood out more. A cheeseburger to go later I breathed a sigh of relief getting on the road. The burger had more grease in it than a 68 Ford Pinto. I had 2 bites and then I threw it back into the bag and felt my arteries hardening while I drove on in search of real food.

Aunt and Uncle talked my ear off. I do love them (my favorite relatives) but they each acted like they hadn't seen a person in five years. Pictures, hobbies, truck trips to show me the latest in Farm Equipment, more pictures, stories, medical reports (I didn't want to hear). Ai Ai Yi

After three years my aunt and uncle were finally were able to get over the loss of Shorty. (Son...no, field-hand...no, friend....no, neighbor...no) a dachshund. (He really was a "shorty"). Shorty was so beloved by them that they buried him in their backyard complete with an engraved headstone and they keep fresh flowers on the grave.

Well, they got another dog: a Yorkie, rat-terrier mix. BAD idea Donna and Jerry.... a very bad idea. First of all, Yorkies are attention deficit disorder, hyperactive, yappers that pee every time the doorbell rings and Rat-Terriers are bred to be put in buildings with rats because they are so aggressive they will root around, over and under things to get to every last rat and kill them.

So "Frisky" is an attention deficit disorder, piddling, yapping, aggressive little “Hitler-Dog" He ran around biting my ankles, pissing on my shoes and on one occasion went for my crotch. Had he bitten my "frisky" it would have been the last thing their "Frisky"  would have ever done. Then there would be 2 headstones in the back yard and my aunt and uncle's flower budget would have doubled. They were smart enough (my aunt and uncle I mean) to keep Frisky away from me as best they could. I like dogs......I didn't like “Frisky”.

Later, I told Karla, my sister, that if I had wanted to be bugged by attention deficit disorder, aggressive, yappers I would have stayed in full time teaching.

 Now I am a refereeing between my squabbling sisters and their kids.

"She owed me a hundred dollars for watching their yappy, pissing dog but only paid me eighty"

"We only owed her eighty because we had to cut short our vacation because she said she was going to put “Snoozer”  out on her doorstep the next day tied to a tree” Rather than have “Snoozer” tied to a tree outside (for God’s Sake) they drove 12 hours straight.

So let me see, you don't like each other for 2 years over 20.00 and a yappy, anorexic dog named “Snoozer”. That makes sense, let's not have it be over something big like calling each other petty and dumb......noo.......lets' not do that.

I offered to pay Karla 20.00 and to kill the dog to end the feud.....she just stared at me.

I told you before; weird events gravitate toward me like BS to a politician.

Who knows what happens on my way to and in Dallas the end of this week.

"Va ya Con Dios"

My recent health scare (I’m okay)  got me to realizing just how little I have seen my son over the last 5 years.  Robert Herrick the 17^th Century English poet wrote those famous lines (thanks to the movie “Dead Poets Society”)

GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

He was encouraging young women (virgins) to give up their pursuit of chastity in favor of FUN, ROMANCE, and ADVENTURE. Clearly a scandalous poem in his day it has come to have a slightly different meaning today. Today we needn’t fear too many virgins floating around in pursuit of chastity.

The meaning today is doing what you want/need to do right now. The longer you wait, the greater your chance for not doing it at all. We live in a society that promotes waiting.  Retirement is a waiting game, social security is a waiting game, and whole life insurance pays off the most at the end of your life. Wait in lines, wait for love, and wait to have kids, wait for that promotion at work, and wait to get married, wait, wait, and wait. Then one day something happens and what was the point of waiting?

Should “fools” rush in? Should we act on every impulse? Of course not, maybe if you do wait till the end of the calendar year you will get a much better deal on a car or furniture and maybe waiting to make sure Mr. Bachelorette isn’t a frigging nightmare is a good idea. But something’s should NOT be put off. Hugging your kids today or your parents if you can, telling that loved one how special they are or even going to spend time with your son on the east coast. I retired two years ago, and here I sit waiting to go spend time with him. He left 5 years ago, I've seen him 1.9% of all the 1,835 days since.

The bloom does fade quickly from the rose. You have your opportunities and you need to act. So Wednesday of this week, my Acura (God willing) will pull away from the curb with me at the wheel and I will “Vaya con dios”.

Do I want to leave the incredible weather of San Diego? NO Do I want to miss my friends? NO Do I want to, or can I afford to wait any longer to get the next phase of my life going? NO I have no illusions that it will be all wonderful, that’s the good part about living longer you know all happiness and unhappiness is on a sliding scale. Life is almost always “more or less”.

Well, The Bailey Post will continue no matter what the zip code and my e-mail addresses remain the same as does my phone number. Staying in touch is pretty easy these days and I plan to be back here at the very least early 2013. This will be my last “personal” entry for a while. My blog (as most of you know) is about current events and the crazy side of life. I am backlogged on those stories so my next one will be more about what it is about our world that makes us grind our teeth at night. You've all been terrific and moving on isn't easy but I need to

Gather my rosebuds while I may.

"Will, the Cautionary Tale"

Most of you know that I had a serious health scare recently. I found out on August 7 that I did not have prostate cancer. I can assure you that my doctor believed I did, absolutely, and I believed it because he believed it. I did know there were also extenuating circumstances specific to me that he seemed unwillingly and uninterested in hearing about. It was all about the numbers to him. The numbers don’t lie. But in my case the numbers didn’t add up to cancer. I do not want to go through my case with point by point details but rather focus on the bigger message about how important trusting your own instincts are about you and your health and to always, always get second opinions if you believe the doctor’s diagnosis doesn’t seem quite right.

In fall 2001, I got a urinary tract infection. I am certain that is what I had and I went to my doctor for antibiotics but he told me, men don’t get UTI’s much at all and instead sent me home to drink cranberry juice. I left thinking, “I don't think he got this right” but I was raised to believe doctors know what’s best for you. If your doctor says drink cranberry juice you just go hone and drink cranberry juice. I didn’t get a second opinion; I didn’t get any antibiotics. 4 months later my PSA number (a number that indicates prostate health) had risen out of the normal range and I immediately went off to my first Urologist. He was a cool guy and told me that usually the number rises if you have prostatitis (think of tendinitis of the prostate). A biopsy and thorough examination of my whole system later he told me I had had a serious UTI that went untreated and had damaged my prostate.  In fact he said it was so bad it atrophied 2 smaller (less necessary) glands. I should have gotten a second opinion. I needed the antibiotics.

I eventually fought off the infection but not the lasting effects.

Over the next 10 years I have had (2 more urologists) an MRI, 2 more extensive biopsies and more scary days thinking I had cancer than you can shake a stick at. By my count I have been stabbed by a biopsy needle 56 times in total and had a metal tube shoved up over my prostate for the MRI. The diagnostic testing has caused more disruption to my prostate than my prostatitis. They have no idea how to prevent the prostate from being inflamed. There appears to be no cure. Some people get this and some do not. My latest round of scary days lasted 45 days since I had to wait my turn for the MRI, the biopsy and the results. My doctor (I call him Dr. Alarmist) was distinctly not comforting. I am a professional worrier so you can imagine what even 24 hours was like for me.

I asked my doctor if he would just take the damn gland out and he said no. They won’t take it out unless it has cancer. This EVEN though once you get past 60 the gland is relatively worthless to a man. Its only purpose is fertility. It controls erections but more importantly keeps sperm alive for 72 hours so you can procreate. If you don’t plan on having kids after 60 and you are the least bit creative a man doesn’t need it at all. Post 60, the prostate can cause you major distress, freak out Urologists, and maybe even kill you but you don’t need it and they won’t take it out. Go figure.

My point is this, had I gotten a second opinion, trusted me to know my body more that Dr. Strange- love, I would have gotten the antibiotics I needed and treated my urinary tract infection then. Chances are I would have been able to avoid all this unbelievable aggravation both to my prostate and my psyche.  Please, please get annual physicals and check out every area that could cause aggravation. Don’t let doctor’s scare the shit out of you, I did and it caused me a lot of sleepless nights. Above all else know you, if you think you have something (you see clear indicators like I did with the UTI) then get another opinion. 56 needle stabs later, and the equivalent of 14 weeks’ worth of sleepless, anxious nights I sure wish I had!!! 

"BP is Baaack"

As some of you know, I had a recent health scare that took almost all my energy and concentration in recent weeks. A future blog will be written on the importance of (medical) second opinions. For now I can report I had a good result on my lab tests and so I say to you with happiness: “I’m baaack”

The Olympics

Opening and closing ceremonies took forever and were what I imagine being on LSD is like. The English are eccentric and these ceremonies certainly proved that. I wish the front page of the Union Tribune wouldn’t have had the medals count. Like a score card it lets us know how many medals we won versus say China and Russia. Of course we ended up with the most medals but what if we hadn’t? What then? Panic in the streets? Super PAC funding for the next Olympics? Perhaps we would have had a collective national depression. Must it always be about winning? Is that even the Olympic spirit?

Ever notice athletes win gold medals, settle for silver and are lucky to get the bronze. Finish fourth or below and well you got a nice trip and some cool clothes but you aren’t a winner. The fourth place finisher could mop up the streets with any of us but they slink home having to wear the mantle of “what happened”? I don’t like that part of the games.

Paul Ryan

Finally Mitt chooses. I would have thought Marco Rubio from Florida would have made a better choice for obvious reasons but maybe he didn’t want it. Ryan appeals to the more right wing of the Republican Party, and he has authored an economic plan. Plus he is younger at 41 years of age. He’ll be good on the campaign trail and he’ll bolster the idea the Mitt is the choice if you want the economy fixed. Still and all it’s still an old white man running with young a white man. I think it means that Mitt is all in on the economy. He is going to make the economy the biggest and only topic. That may work since the economy still sucks and Obama doesn’t have much of a plan beyond telling us he has a plan, that and to just trust him. But if other issues come up like: Afghanistan, illegal immigration, and social issues like abortion or gay marriage these two could be hurting. Ryan won’t hurt Romney like Palin hurt McCain but will he be enough to bring it home?

California Tax Bill in November

The Guv’ has made it clear to Californians that if they don’t vote to approve his request for some higher taxes this November it’s going to be a Grapes of Wrath type disaster. Of course the schools will take it on the chin. Immediately San Diego City Schools have said they will cut back to 160 teaching days (from the current 170 already which is already down from the high of 177 a few years ago). So parents either raise your own taxes or make plans to have your kids at home 202 days a year. That ought to scare the shit out of the adult voters.  There will be cut backs with cops and fire department personnel as well. As the Guv’ puts it, either vote for this tax increase or watch your home potentially burn to the ground, or maybe no cops to protect the kids that are out on the street with so much time on their hands. Of course the politicians wouldn’t think of not spending oodles of money on illegal alien kids in schools, or maybe get rid of the stupid and incredibly costly state testing which most teachers believe is only PR driven and a waste of time. Nope, we’ll keep the tests and get rid of the teachers, teaching days, cops and fire fighters. Brilliant!!

Betrayal

Recently a high ranking Army Officer and 2 aides met with local Afghan officials to discuss transition and other local issues. After they finished supping together the Afghani stood up, withdrew his weapon and shot all three servicemen to death. It illustrates for me yet again the basic principle that our country (I speak of our military non-leadership and politicians) refuses to learn. Many countries’ want us to take care of their immediate problems (Usually a thug in charge) but they really don’t like us in their country. The longer we stay the more the locals (the ones that once welcomed us) turn on our servicemen. Do you know how many servicemen have been killed by Afghani’s dressed in Afghan police uniforms or invite our servicemen to dine with them and then blow them up? Countless numbers and more every week. This happened in Iraq, Vietnam, and Korea. The point is they don’t want our religion, our “superiority”, our western ways or our “democracy”. Thank you for getting rid of our latest bad guy now get the fuck out seems to be the operative thought process. When we don’t (get out) they start killing us. This happens over and over and over again. Stupid is as stupid does!!

"I'm Just Saying...."

Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you found you saying, “I’m just saying”? We do that when we think maybe the person we have told something to have not quite gotten our point. Another application is if you want to merely make one point.  Goes like this, “I’m just saying reality TV is not really reality TV. Finally, “I’m just saying” can mean you are simply tossing out an idea for consideration, probably with your opinion attached.

With this in mind I have a few things “I’m just saying” about:

I’m just saying:

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•            It wouldn't be good for Mitt Romney’s campaign if he has in fact squirreled away his money in off shore Cayman Island Swiss bank accounts so he doesn't have to pay taxes on them! I mean it’s not doing him any good not releasing the tax returns but at least it could be less damaging than the potential worse news if he did. I’m just saying what’s going on Mitt?

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•      Why do Americans need guns and heavy armor? Second amendment rights were designed to protect settlers because they couldn't trust that the newly founded U.S. Government might not want to become a Monarchy again with a King. Also, danger from Indian raids and pushing westward were reasons to have guns.  I’m just saying do any of those reasons apply today?

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•                A political pundit on public radio was asked why Americans would want to elect Barack Obama a second time and he said so we could have 4 more years of the same. Do many people want 4 more years of the same? How much has really gone right?  I’m just saying if he’d done the job he said he would do, wouldn't he be ahead by 20 points?

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•         Is Joe Paterno being treated more harshly than Jerry Sandusky? Sandusky is salted away but all memory of Joe is being eradicated / obliterated.  Joe foolishly and selfishly kept silent but Jerry was the one that committed the crimes, right? I’m just saying where is the sense of proportion?

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•            Collegiate sports should be a part of the college experience not above it like they have been for so long.  I’m just saying a slap upside the head (Penn State) is maybe what they all needed.

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•     The professional team the Miami Heat won the NBA basketball championship a month ago and was declared World’s Champions. So why do the same players play again in the Olympics to determine a world’s champion? I ‘m just saying the Olympics should use amateur players.

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•           T he opening ceremony to the Olympics was so weird. A disjointed jumble of British history and British icons that few outside the US and Britain would know. A nice symphony orchestra version of Chariots of Fire disrupted by Rowan Atkinson’s shenanigans rendering the classy orchestra to comic bit players. Kids in pajamas singing God Save the Queen, gargoyle like evil balloon figures and a 35 minute tribute the British National Health Service?  I’m just saying it was 4 hours of weirdness.

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•            Scientists have to come up with some explanation of this summer’s heat (and last summer’s and the summer before that). Is it cyclical (1936 for example was a summer as hot or hotter) or is it a growing trend that indicates the US will get even more drought ridden and hot as each year progresses? When do we begin to make plans to move to Seattle or Canada? Over 2,500+ hottest days on record just in the month of July in the US. That’s a lot of cities melting. I’m just saying it’s not humorous chit chat anymore.

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•        When do the social media networks finally collapse? Like all new (and maybe good) things it reaches a peak of popularity (housing market, Glee, American Idol) and then either slides rapidly into oblivion or totally crashes. The stock for Facebook, Twitter and so forth have dropped significantly in the last 3 months and there have been enough cyber crimes to make people pause and ask what am I doing? What are we all doing? There was the Greek athlete the twitted her way off the Olympic team as an example. I’m just saying maybe it’s not healthy to know everything about what other people are thinking and doing 24/7.

What are your “I’m just saying’s?