One more health care reform suggestion if its not too late

From what I’m told there is a big push on to get some sort of a health care bill through Congress maybe as early as this week. If its not too late , I’d like to see some language put into the bill that all generic drugs must have a user friendly nickname. Considering that the bill hardly resembles the health care reform we were promised, one more provision to drive the drug companies up a wall won’t hurt.

What am I talking about? If you are unfortunate enough or fortunate enough, depending on your problem, to be taking prescription drugs it would be nice to be able to clearly tell a medical provider what you are taking. For instance, suppose you are constantly going to the John because of an enlarged prostate. Solution, take one Flomax a day. Now along comes the insurance company which advises you that if you want your insurance prescription benefit to kick in it will be necessary for you to take one tamsulosin hydrochloride per day. It’s a generic form of Flomax. The problem I have with this switch is that its quite a mouthful. The pills aren’t larger. The name is too long and one that only a trained pharmacist is comfortable with. Why can’t generic Flomax be called something like Maxflo or Controlflo.

There are other examples. Pity the individual who suffers from a gastro-esophageal reflux disease. One Nexium a day provided the relief needed. Now it is strongly suggested that the Nexium should be replaced with one lansoprazole per day. I can hardly type the name , no less pronounce it. Why not call the drug Belchstop.

For those of you who are depressed ( I’m sure this post has worsened your condition), you may have been enjoying the benefits of Paxil. No longer, you need to take paroxetine, a name which would depress anyone at the thought that it was a necessary medication. Wouldn’t Parox do the job?

Fosamax is a foe of osteoporosis. Reportedly it has fought the good battle but if you want to get it paid for by your drug benefits be sure your doctor prescribes alendronate. Again, why not something like Genfosamax or Maxfos? Either one is easier to pronounce and signifies that it can lead the fight against osteoporosis.

I do not want to stir up added debate in Congress over this issue. If its going to give Pelosi and Reid fits, I will not be upset to see my suggestion thrown into the trash. I probably should deal with the FDA anyway.

Daylight Borrowing Time

Daylight Savings Time enters our lives on March 14. Once again we will go through the ritual of "springing forward" one hour at 2 AM, Sunday, March 14. I'm supposed to be enthusiastic about the prospect of saving daylight but I'm not. For more years than I care to say, I have saved daylight. One would think that I could withdraw some of those savings in the middle of winter and enjoy daylight twenty-four hours a day whenever I liked. Such is not the case. I tried it and found that the account was empty. There is some scientific explanation for this rip off but I prefer to blame it all on Wall Street. Daylight saving is no different than dollar savings. You save and save and then find that some MBA found a way to deinvest your savings.

Actually on March 14 we will be changing our clocks to "Daylight Borrowing Time". That's right, come Fall I must return my daylight savings and a receipt will not be required. That being the case, why should I bother to save. Better that I sleep through 2AM, Sunday March 14.

I came, I saw, I got the finger!

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement regretting the timing of the announcement that still more Jewish housing was to go up in Jerusalem . He couldn't’t leave it at that. He had to indicate that he agreed with the substance of the announcement, thus effectively giving Vice-President Joe Biden the finger.

So where does our push for peace between the Israeli’s and Palestinians go from here. Not very far. As I pointed out in my 7'28'08 post “ Joined At The Hip”, until the United States tempers its unqualified support of Israel there will be no peace in the Middle East. Israel has a right to exist but the Palestinians also have a right to a homeland. In return for our support The United States must insist ,not request, that Israel make meaningful concessions to the Palestinians. No administration to date has been willing to go that far. Perhaps a little finger probing will do the job.

Blogging Is Not For Sissies

While staring at my computer monitor, wondering if there was a blog post hiding there somewhere, I succumbed to a little web surfing. Sure enough there was a blog post hiding among all the pixels. I brushed the pixels around and there it was , an article in the Christian Science monitor which posed the question “ Has blogging peaked”? Obviously this was a must read article since I’ve wondered the same thing about my own personal blogging.

The article points out that “the demands of blogging have pushed many to abandon the form for faster, simpler word bursts on Twitter or Facebook". No surprise there, even TV network newscasts keep reminding you that they are on Twitter and would like you as a friend and it seems that you are anti-social if you are not on Facebook. After all you might even connect with someone you knew fifty years ago ( wonder why you have not maintained the friendship?). It turns out most of the blogger dropouts are the young bloggers or should I say texters. Again, no surprise. Faster, simpler word bursts or FSWB is the way to go for our young people.

Without my quoting the whole article ( I’m sure you will access it once your done with your tweets and have looked up your ancient prom date) , suffice to say that a key point that it makes is that good blogging is intensive. You can’t just blurt anything out, you have to think it through. And that is the post that was hiding in my computer monitor.

If my delete button could talk it would ramble on about all the posts I have deleted after concluding that they were posts for posts sake. My constantly changing the header of my blog and the title of my blog are evidence of doing something trivial instead of concentrating on coming up with a quality post.

I’m not alone in wrestling with the intensity of good blogging. A number of blogs I have followed are now in Blog Limbo ( as far as I know the Catholic Church has not heard about this, so let's keep it strictly in the blogosphere). Others are in Blog Purgatory, their owners constantly searching for a platform. Unfortunately some blogs I have visited have perished in Blog Hell. On the positive side, there are blogs I visit whose owners publish quality posts day after day. I realize that this paragraph would be much more interesting if I listed blogs that I visit regularly along with their links and a classification of Blog Limbo, Blog Purgatory, Blog Hell or Blog Heaven but I’m too chicken to do that. Besides ,all the blogs that I follow are great. Why else would I visit them?

Back to my blog. I’m not about to give up. At times my posts may resemble “tweets” and I may wax sentimental about some event or person in my past but I’m not ready for Twitter or Facebook. Life has moved on fast enough, I’m not looking for faster ways of communicating. Besides I’m not one of those bloggers trying to communicate with a vast audience. I’m just blogging for blogging’s sake. Its an ego trip. That’s my post for today. I have thought it through and deemed it worthy of publishing. By the way did I mention that blogging is not for sissies!

An arm and a leg

It’s not unusual these days for the citizenry to get up in arms and arrange for a tea party at the very thought of a tax increase but they tend to forget that it costs an arm and a leg to run a government that is responsive to their needs. In return for that arm and a leg , we expect government to get its act together and get its arms around the problem. Once that is done and the government starts lending a hand, we must be willing to pay the piper. Borrowing body parts is not cheap.

If it starts costing us two arms and a leg, it will be time to ask for a prosthetic. If it gets to two arms and two legs, it will be time to ask for a scooter ( made in China), free of charge of course. Perhaps after a modest deductible.

Its not the guns, its the criminals?

A potentially groundbreaking gun-rights case came before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. Once again the gun control debate makes the front pages.

In almost any gun control debate the argument is made “Its not the guns, its the criminals! A gun cannot think or act on its own“. That settles the debate. It would be foolish if not insane to challenge that statement. One has no choice but to agree that criminals are the culprits when it comes to thefts and murders. That inanimate instrument of terror called a gun is merely being misused by some low life or mentally challenged individual. If we go through the trouble to deprive the criminal of that gun or at least make it very difficult for him to possess a gun, he will only resort to the use of some other instrument of terror such as a knife, an ax or even his fists. It goes without saying that if someone is bent on killing, he will kill. End of debate!

Not so fast. I submit that we cannot acquit the gun whenever blood is shed on the streets Yes, guns cannot think or act on their own but with a little help these dumb instruments of destruction can wreak havoc. Ask any gun and they would tell you that if they had a brain in their chamber they would never allow a criminal to discharge them. Ask a criminal what his weapon of choice is and the odds are that it is a stupid gun that cannot think or act on its own. In the hands of a ventriloquist even a dummy can talk and in the hands of a human , guns will kill. Just as we pass laws in an attempt to thwart criminals we are entitled to pass laws controlling guns. The guns are guilty by association and are not entitled to a free pass because they cannot think or act on their own.

In any gun control debate the wisdom of our Founding Fathers is also invoked. I came across this comment that someone posted in connection with a news article concerning gun control:

“So let me get this straight, our current political class is wiser than our Founders? The Founders predicted and foresaw all the problems we face as a society and we would prudent to heed their great wisdom.”

The gentleman was implying that our Founders in their profound vision had the social problems of today in mind when they crafted the Second Amendment. Beyond thinking of a militia which could rise up to defend the country, I doubt that the Founders had anything more in mind. Still gun owners and the NRA would have us believe that what they had in mind is that you and I not only have the right to arm ourselves for "sport" but we have the right to bear arms in order to defend ourselves against those whom we feel threaten us.

We tend to lay a lot at the doorstep of our Founding Fathers. Granted, they did a remarkable job in launching a new nation which would eventually be the most powerful in the world. On the other hand, to credit them with predicting all the problems we face as a society along with rights to surmount them is tantamount to deifying them. Credit them with the great wisdom reflected in dealing with the problems of their era. If we could bring them back to deal with the problems of today, I venture to say that they would not deal with them anymore effectively than today’s leaders. I doubt that they ever foresaw the diverse society which exists in America today. Our Founders were mere mortals with strengths and weaknesses. They deserve adulation but we need not worship them.

The gun control debate will go on and on. Crime statistics will keep climbing. We all will feel threatened and our streets will resemble the streets of Dodge City. Unfortunately there is no Wyatt Earp in site. In their infinite wisdom is this what our Founders foresaw?

( Were the Founders carrying as they deliberated on the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of The United States?)

Health Care 101

Several months ago, when there was still a faint hope for effective health care reform, I read T.R. Reid’s, “ The Healing of America”. In Reid’s book he details how other developed countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Canada and The United Kingdom provide universal health care, the results of which have a better outcome at a lower cost than health care in the United States. All developed countries except the United States consider health care for all a right. This is emphasized in Japan where their revered elderly even have the right of house calls. Not -for -profit health insurance companies which are not beholden to stockholders, well paid salaried doctors and nurses, low prescription costs through negotiated drug prices all contribute to making low cost health care available for all. The book is recommended reading if one is to better understand the ramifications of doing little or nothing to contain health care costs in this country. All those grey heads indulging in “tea parties” will find themselves hurting bad if our legislators don’t come up with health care reform.

My Not So Wide World Of Sports

In my younger days I found most spectator sports enjoyable and often mandatory viewing. As the years go by, my zeal for sports has waned considerably and as a result the number of sports that I zealously follow is less than a handful.

Boxing is an absolute no-no. I can’t believe that I actually attended a boxing match or that the Gillette fight of the week religiously occupied my Friday evenings on the boob tube. I’m reluctant to play the role of a Roman and watch two gladiators destroy themselves.

It seems that sports fans can not get enough violence in sports these days. NFL football is slowly losing me as a fan and NHL hockey never did hook me. Wrestling? I actually watched a bunch of vicious looking clowns throw each other around for awhile but it did'nt take long to relegate that “sport” to the trash heap. Suffice to say that athletes trying to maim one another is not my idea of a sport.

Then there is NASCAR. Politics cooled me off on NASCAR racing. How can individuals who make a living going left be such vocal right wing supporters? Basketball? March madness held my attention for awhile but the games interfered with baseball spring training games so I lost interest. I can’t remember ever watching a complete NBA game and hardly tune in to one any longer. The acrobatic basket shooting and the fast pace of the game is reality boring. Golf? Actually played golf for awhile but I decided that being the world’s worst golfer was not for me. Golf on TV captures my attention now and then but a golf fanatic I am not and it has nothing to do with Tiger Wood‘s escapades ( I always knew he had a powerful golf drive but never realized he had a sex drive to match).

Baseball remains my favorite sport. If anything my interest has increased over the years. The Cleveland Indians do not make it easy, but hey its still baseball.

How about sports spectacles such as the Olympics? Glad you asked, that’s what was on my mind when I started this tome. The Winter Olympics did not get my adrenaline going. The only reason why I watched about three hours worth of the Vancouver Winter Olympics over the past two weeks is that competing TV programs did'nt make it much of a competition. As for winter sports, I would have the following on the medals stand:

Gold - Cross Country Skiing
Silver - Short Track Speed Skating
Bronze - Half-pipe Snow Board

Figure skating has its moments but can be pure drudgery unless you are a student of the moves. Judging by the age of the women competitors, I’m sure that kindergartners will eventually be competing. As for the dance version of figure skating, whose wet dream ever made it a sport? And then we have curling. it’s a challenge to stay awake while watching this sport. They ought to sweep it out of the Olympics. At best it belongs in the Senior Olympics. I understand that curling is the darling of CNBC. Makes sense, only people who understand derivatives could understand curling.

What you can take away from my verbiage - I'm not a huge sports fan, I don't like violent sports, I'm lukewarm on the Olympics, Baseball is my sport.

Two more years and the media will be hyping the Summer Olympics. Fortunately they obviously take place in the summer and "the boys of summer" will be able competitors for TV ratings, especially if the Indians are in contention. The Summer Olympics do however offer some intrigue.Will Bob Costa's hair be able to survive another dye job? Will something better than Botox come along to rejuvenate NBC's anchors?

A war by any other name ,smells the same

I’m in shock, there is no Iraq War. What I mistakenly thought was an Iraq War is really Operation Iraq Freedom but not for long. The administration has called an end to Operation Iraq Freedom. It seems we have given up on freedom for the Iraqis. The Sunnis and the Shiites will go on fighting until the cows come home. That doesn’t mean that plane loads of American troops will be crowding the runways. No, in place of Operation Iraq Freedom , Operation New Dawn is being launched.

I thought we were winding down The Iraq War - oops, I mean Operation Iraq Freedom. New Dawn sounds like the beginning of something. We’ll have to wait for Operation Sunset to see an end to The Iraq War - there I go again, I mean Operation New Dawn which replaced Operation Iraq Freedom.

If naming that conflict in Iraq ( why didn’t they name it The Iraq Conflict) borders on the ridiculous , naming that conflict in Afghanistan really crosses the line. There is no Afghanistan War. Never has been. All those American lives being lost in Afghanistan are the result of Operation Enduring Freedom. An operation to secure enduring freedom is a tough road to hoe. It means we’ll be stuck in a rut. To make matters worseAfghanistan has no oil. Operation A Lick And A Promise would have been a better choice of monikers. Afghanistan will never experience freedom until hell freezes over.

All this war naming business does provide a ray of hope. It looks like we have given up fighting wars. We will submit to an operation now and then. I say now and then because operations are expensive. Health care reform is stalled in Congress so there will be little help from that quarter. Our operations will continue to be very costly ( I wonder if anyone has ever done a cost analysis comparing wars to operations?). Perhaps we should start engaging in exercises instead of operations. Better yet why not take an aspirin and hope the headache goes away.

Ed note: There are those like my high primal thinker who say that Iran will be the only winner in the Iraq War. I believe they are wrong. As long as we keep changing names, Iran will be so confused it will launch Operation Bide Your Time unless Secretary Gates copywrites it first.

The Woeful United States Senate

When all is said and done the woes of the Democrat Party or for that matter also the Republican Party and while we 're at it the country can be laid at the doorstep of the Senate. This body is hardly an example of Democracy in action. The legislative process in the Senate is stagnate and bullet proof to any attempts for constructive legislation. Mix in weak leadership for the majority and the politics of "No" for the minority and you have all the ingredients necessary to weaken any administration. Progress in this country is held hostage by the Senate. The Senate does not legislate, it pontificates. Lets face it, our founding fathers goofed. Why do we need two legislative bodies?

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Sorry Chief

Yesterday the Cleveland Indians announced a reorganization of the front office. Yesterday the Indians once again proved that their decision makers are wimps. Yesterday the Indians missed an opportunity to retire Chief Wahoo. (I'm beginning to sound like the Beatles). Yesterday the Cleveland Indians failed to recognize the curse of the Chief. Free Chief Wahoo tomorrow! There will be no championship until the Chief is retired.

The British Are Coming!

One of the targets of rightists and lately The Tea Party movement is what is referred to as big government. Somehow or other big government has to go. How to make it go is not very clear. Actually the solution to making big government small is to reduce what it has to govern. Fifty states , each with their own special needs breeds big government and raises the national debt. I submit the following plan which The Tea Party is welcome to:

1. Return the Louisiana Purchase to France for a refund. This would get rid of almost fourteen states.
2. Sell Alaska including Sarah Palin back to Russia. If they balk at Palin being part of the deal try Canada. If Canada wants no part of Palin, remind them that you can see Russia from her home. That should clinch the deal.
3. Give California its independence as long as they pay back all Federal subsidies.
4. Texas should be attractive to Mexico as a haven for disgruntled Mexicans. Again the Bush family must be part of the deal. I'm sure that "W" will relish the opportunity to bring real democracy to Mexico as he did in the Mideast.
5. Washington State should bring a handsome price from Japan.
6. Florida logically should go to Cuba but money may be a problem. Israel?
7. Free Puerto Rico!
8. Why not give Manhattan back to the Indians. That will certainly make a dent in big government.
9. Other than the original thirteen colonies , the remaining states could be auctioned off on eBay.

Implicit in all these sales is that people go along with the territory. Small government does not want to be bothered with the needs of its citizens. Its every man or woman for himself or herself.

Once the deals are completed , those citizens residing in the colonies can put on their three cornered hats and have one grand tea party celebrating small government. Unfortunately the celebration will not last long.

Saddle up Paul Revere's horse. The British are coming! The British are coming! They have unfinished business here!

Valentine's Day Dilemma

It is disturbing to me that one of the icons for Valentine's Day is an arrow penetrating a heart. I submit that any normal heart could not withstand such an attack. How can Valentine's Day be a happy day with such violence going on? In fact that silly looking Cupid with the bow and arrow should be picked up and charged with manslaughter. I don't want him anywhere near my high primal thinker.

A cupid bearing chocolate covered strawberries would be more than welcome except for a high cholesterol problem. Fillet Mignon for dinner might help celebrate the day but the word is out that red meat is bad for the heart. On the other hand, it is certainly better than an arrow in the heart. Fillet Mignon it is! ( The high primal informed me that the menu has changed - New York Strip Steak in for Fillet Mignon. Yes, she's cooking.)

Merry Valentine Day to all and to all a goodnight!

Parking Garage Etiquette

Having had the dubious pleasure of being a frequent user of The Cleveland Clinic parking garage the past three months, I have become an expert on parking garage etiquette. Navigating a multistory parking garage can be a harrowing experience. I submit the following suggestions as a way to make that experience tolerable:

1. SLOW DOWN! If you are late for an appointment, you don’t want to get there via the Emergency Room.
2. Do not show off your driving expertise by backing into a parking space and backing up traffic.
3. When turning corners, remember it is more likely than not that traffic will be coming from the opposite direction. A right angle turn versus a forty-five degree turn would be nice.
4. Yellow lines delineate parking spaces. They are meant to be used.
5. Trucks do not belong in compact car parking spaces.
6. Do not wear sunglasses driving around the garage - it is well shaded.
7. You can't call ahead for a parking spot so put the cell phone away! What can be so urgent that talking on a cell phone is necessary while searching for a parking space?
8. Its a given that a parking ticket will be required at the exit gate. Have it ready before you get there.
9. Take the bus!

A Piece Of Cake

Fuji The Toyota's gas pedal implant went well. No anesthesia was required and as Fuji said,"it was a piece of cake". Fuji felt so well that it insisted that we stop on the way home to get the high primal thinker some flowers for Valentine's Day.

Fuji is now resting comfortably in the garage and has assured me that any urge for a surge that may have existed is completely gone. Let's hope so. I wasn't in the procedure room ,so I can't be sure whether they implanted a steel shim or a piece of cake. The proof will be in the pudding.

I haven't had the heart to tell Fuji about the latest nasty rumors. There may be something wrong with its steering. What next?

Ed. note: I have made light of my problems with the Toyota recall. Underneath my mirth is a deep resentment about the way Toyota has handled the problem. For instance, I was supposed to wait for a formal letter notifying me to bring my car to a Toyota dealer for repairs to its gas pedal. Two weeks have gone by and there has been no such letter. Fortunately I found a dealer willing to fix my car without the formality of a recall letter. Now there are rumors that there may be other safety issues with my car.I have driven a Toyota for the last seven years. I thought I was riding with safety and reliability as my co-pilot . Now I'm not so sure. To be fair Toyota is not the only auto company which has had safety problems but it is a company which built its reputation on quality. Quality was its trademark! Now it has joined the pack. The experience of buying a Toyota will be no different than buying a Chrysler, Ford or Chevrolet. I guess that we need to remember that buying a car, no matter the brand, is not a piece of cake. There is too much of a chance of buying a piece of junk.

Fuji Cleared For Ambulatory Surgery

Tomorrow is the big day. Motorcars Toyota has agreed to place a shim in Fuji The Toyota's gas pedal at 9:45 AM. An overnight stay is not required, so Fuji should be back resting in its garage by noon. I'm glad to report that Fuji is apprehensive but eager to get this recall over with. I hope Toyota has done its homework and that this shim business is indeed a fix and not a temporary patch.


Fuji has requested that I get its oil changed as part of the surgery. Motorcars has agreed to do so. If any complications occur, we'll only be a short drive away from the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. I've heard a rumor that they have a gas pedal transplant study underway for Toyota.

Fuji's pre-op examination has gone well. Fuji is in top notch condition. Hope we can say the same tomorrow afternoon.

Now what?

Ora devo raccogliere i mei pensieri per questo blog or in plain English, the deed is done - From Tony's Keyboard' is my blog and I need to come up with some thoughts other than my Toyota's problem or my OCD.

Lets start with:

- The cloture rule makes sure that legislative pirates have a safe haven in the Senate.

- Will Tea Party activists be successful in plunging the country into political chaos? If so, will China foreclose the United States?

- Manufacturing jobs will only be created with government incentives. Once created they will be shipped to Asia in order to increase the bottom line line for stockholders who were against government stimulus funds in the first place.

- The Colts lost the Superbowl. The Browns should be thankful they have never had the opportunity for the same embarrassment.

- Baseball season is upon us. The Indians show no sign of doing the right thing about Chief Wahoo. In fact , they show no sign of doing the right thing about anything.

That's it - questo posto e finito!

ED Note: the Italian was a diversion to test my memory of a second language. It was found wanting.

Put your money where your mouth is

Japanese sure know how to apologize. After Toyada San's apology yesterday, lame as it was, the ills of Toyota cars were off The Plain Dealer front page this morning, other than a mention that their business page had some advice for anyone in the market to purchase or lease a Toyota. The article did not interest me very much. The advice I need is how do I determine that that the shim that is going to be inserted in my Fuji The Toyota's gas pedal will provide the safety I'm due. I guess that the answer is that Toyota knows what they are doing. If they don't, I'm sure that Toyada San will step forward and apologize. Apologies are cheap, good engineering is expensive. As the cliche goes, "put your money where your mouth is".

5 more days to Fuji's surgery

Keep Away!

Suddenly negotiating traffic has become easier with Fuji The Toyota. I've noticed that cars are not driving aggressively as they approach us. It's as though Fuji and I were driving with a "Caution" sign.

It's embarrassing.

6 days to Fuji's surgery!

Fuji The Toyota To Get A Fix

I heard what sounded like groaning coming from the garage and not so enthusiastically decided to investigate. The groaning turned out to be the wind trying to get in out of the cold. It was fortuitous that I investigated ,for I also discovered that Fuji ,my Toyota Corolla, was having a fit . Once I calmed it down with a shot of bourbon in the gas tank, I was able to make some sense out of all the rumbling. It seems that Fuji was upset because some hood said it should not be driven other than to abandon it at some Toyota service department.

I explained to Fuji that there was no way I would abandon it and promised I would make another attempt to get it scheduled for a gas pedal implant.

I called the home from which I had adopted Fuji and pleaded for a service appointment. Not surprisingly I got the same song and dance. "Wait for a recall letter- once our technicians are trained and we have the parts, come in with the letter". I tried to explain that the letter could take weeks and in the meantime Fuji was as mad as a wet hen. That did it - the phone went dead. What to do? There must be more than one way to skin a cat.

Call another home? Why not, nothing ventured , nothing gained. Lo and behold, within thirty seconds I had an appointment to get Fuji fixed. February 11th is the day. Fuji can hardly wait and is purring like a kitten. As for me, I'll believe it when I see it.

( Ed. note - As for the hood, he turned out to be a Republican in Democrat clothing making trouble for the Obama administration and Toyota. He ended up swallowing his words.)

Just Be Patient

My Toyota Corolla is not very happy these days. The papers and Wolf Blitzer are taking all kinds of pot shots at it. At my car's urging I called my Toyota dealer and asked how soon I could bring the car in to get it it purged of a potentially sticky or even stuck gas pedal. "As soon as we get the parts and train our technicians". I could hear my Corolla (its nickname is Fuji) screaming, " That's not good enough, I can feel a migraine coming on!". The technician heard the frantic plea and shouted over the phone, " TWO WEEKS". I told Fuji to be patient. Maybe there was a Valentine's gift in store for it.

In the meantime Fuji is calm. doing its job, getting me around very economically and shows no signs of erupting. Stay tuned!

Kick Ass For Jesus

“Flock Is Now A Fight Team In Some Ministries” - the headline for this article in the New York Times made it a must read item. It seems that some evangelical churches are embracing martial arts in an effort to attract young men to their ministries.

“Mr. Renken’s ministry is one of a small but growing number of evangelical churches that have embraced mixed martial arts — a sport with a reputation for violence and blood that combines kickboxing, wrestling and other fighting styles — to reach and convert young men, whose church attendance has been persistently low“.

Some pastors say the goal "is to inject some machismo into their ministries — and into the image of Jesus — in the hope of making Christianity more appealing.”

Another pastor was ouoted saying , “what led me to find Christ was that Jesus was a fighter.” (He sure took one hell of a beating without going into a violent defense!)


In these so called ministries, compassion is secondary to violence. Violence can make someone religious , so kick ass and beat some body's brains out. That's the masculine way! Females need not apply! It’s a wonder that the promise of seventy-two virgins in the afterlife is not used to attract male losers. Could it be that someone in need of violent ways to prove their masculinity obviously suffer from erectile dysfunction?

Organized religious movements, be they Christian, Jewish or Muslim, preaching violence in the name of some prophet are the roots of war and enemies of peace on earth, good will toward men!

As luck would have it

In order to become the largest car producer in the world, Toyota wound up on the horns of a dilemma - quality or quantity. When all was said and done they chose quantity. A company renowned for a quality product now finds itself falling short on quality. What goes around comes around, so when quality suffers you must pay the piper. The recall of a few million vehicles will cost them a pretty penny. Not only do they have the embarrassment of a massive recall, they also have been forced to stop the production and sale of eight different models. Toyota now knows what is meant by when it rains it pours.

(Ed. note - This would have been a fun post but as luck would have it, a recalled 2010 Toyota Corolla sits in my garage. To put a good face on it, the gas mileage is very good.)

Antiphonists

There's a blog I like to visit, albatross necktie, that does not invite comments. No, it invites antiphonists. Being anti a lot of things , I must confess that I lend a comment now and then. I guess that makes me an antiphonist which I accepted until now. I am anti- cell phone - but antiphonist? It almost sounds pornographic. I finally got off my ass and consulted a dictionary to find out exactly what an antiphonist is.

It turns out that an antphon is a verse or song to be chanted or sung in response. I surmised therefore that an antiphonist is someone who is responsive. Being the mental giant that I am , I also concluded that an antphonist can indeed be someone who comments on a blog posting. What bothers me is that to be a true antiphonist I must learn to make my comments sound like a psalm utterance. Unless I learn to phrase my comments like a chant I will remain a boring commentator instead of an antiphonist.
Hmmmm, _ _ _ _, Ahhhmennnn!

If there are any antphonists out there your chants are welcome.

State Of The Blog

Fellow Bloggers and Readers,

I sit here at the keyboard today trying to assess the effectiveness of this blog. I must report that that I have fallen short on a number of issues I promised to myself that I would follow through on.- (Groans)

Fortunately I never promised you that I'd follow through with anything. (Applause)

To begin with, I have not ended the Iraq War. My connections in Washington say it will be a done deal by the end of the year - (Cheers) - but I must report that these connections are very fragile - (Boo's). To make matters worse even if the Iraq War ends I'll still have the war in Afghanistan to write about - ( Groans with a smattering of cheers).

I thought that by now gun control would take center stage as an issue to deal with, but again I must report that my blog has not influenced anyone - (polite applause with a few groans). I'm thinking of going underground on this one and joining the NRA but my sources say that if I attempt this I'll be underground for sure. -(Cheers). Incidentally why does the media report on body count in the Mideast Wars but not that on our city streets? - (Silence)

My attempts at being a political pundit have met with some success. There have been at least two comments on my posts. -(standing ovation). But even here , my connections in Washington have made it known that they don't need any help from me, just money. -(polite applause).

I could go on and on, - ( Groans and abusive shouts), but I think that I've made my point. My blog has not been effective in influencing any major, minor or minuscule issues in this country. I'll be interested to hear what my Washington connections have to say about their plans for the country when they take to the airways Wednesday. These connections by the way are an occasional few bucks to the DNC. - ( shouts of fraud)

For those of you who have concluded that my blogging days are over or should be over, I have news for you. Not on your life. -(Groans). It's too much fun! -(more groans)

Good day or night whatever the case might be and God bless America and any other country he or she sees fit to bless!

-(complete silence gives way to wild applause when everyone realizes this post is over)

Asian Crap Trumps Asian Carp

The Plain Dealer in a 1/25/10 editorial took President Obama to task for refusing to act on the threat to Great Lakes posed by Asian Carp.

“ U.S. Supreme Court justices who refused last week to issue an injunction forcing closure of Illinois shipping locks against Asian carp need to be overruled by wiser political minds. Saving the nation's most precious freshwater assets can't be left to technicalities. Otherwise, an ecological disaster for the Great Lakes will be inevitable.
The bighead and silver carp have worked their way up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers toward Lake Michigan over the last decade. They present a real and grave danger to the Great Lakes' ecosystem and its multibillion-dollar commercial and sports fishing industry."

Obama the editorial states , “ needs to step in to stop the Asian carp's advance on the Great Lakes -- .

Although the editors make a compelling argument for White House action needed to stop the incursion of Asian carp, they fail to realize that Obama is too busy dealing with double digit unemployment nurtured by the incursion of Asian crap. Crap trumps carp!

The Lobbyists Are Coming!

The lobbyists are coming! The lobbyists are coming! The Supreme Court has unleashed an onslaught by lobbyists which will result in a takeover of our government by corporate and special interest groups. Money talks and that will be evident more than ever in legislative agendas and election campaigns. Who will come to our aid? Congress should but will they? Only if our representatives have the balls to tell lobbyists to fuck off. That will be a cold day in hell!

Off with their heads

Not being crazy about tea drinking, I have never been invited to a tea party. Even if I were invited I'd be crazy to go. As a result I'm completely out of touch with the tea parties which have been sprouting up all across these disunited states. I was surprised to learn that instead of a polite event these parties are rather rowdy. In fact they resemble the tea party that The Queen of Hearts gave. Some of the party goers have been known to shout the Queen's favorite saying, "off with their heads". I'm told that they referring to liberals and in particular Obama. The conversation at these parties centers around taxes, the national debt and the stimulus package, in fact anything to do with funds necessary to run a country. Those partying are convinced that these funds must be be drastically reduced and that government is our biggest enemy. If this comes to the attention of the Queen of Hearts , I'm sure "off with their heads" will have another target. I'm tempted to say that these parties are a tempest in a tea pot but I'm not so sure. The prospect of no taxes to pay and no government run programs is too tempting for many red- blooded Americans. What they don't realize, is that they will be pawns in the hands of a few blue-blooded Americans. The prospect of a TEA PARTY makes me glad I'm not a tea drinker. The prospect that a Tea Party will not be a tempest in a tea pot might drive me to drink. I wonder if Starbucks would be interested in sponsoring some coffee orgies where we could all chew the rag about giving our government a shot in the arm and making it stronger?

D-Day For Health Care Reform

Unbelievable! In one short year the success of the Democratic agenda depends on a Senatorial race in Massachusetts. In the spirit of Laurel and Hardy, Obama might well sigh "Another fine mess you got me into". The mess is created by a dysfunctional leadership in the party but Obama must take his share of the blame for not assuming the mantle of a tough leader.

I hope the Democrats do not resort to shady legislative means to pass a health care bill if they lose in Massachusetts. Let the chips fall where they may. If it passes, fine - if it doesn't, it's a lesson learned. They should not risk creating more of a backlash among voters than presently exists. The bill as cobbled together is not worth the political damage which may be caused by questionable maneuvering.

Ted Kennedy must be rolling around in his grave at the possibility that his state might very well cause the demise of health care reform.

Breaking News : The bad: Republicans take Massachusetts Senate seat. The good: Lieberman loses his clout since his vote is no longer crucial..

Great Sports Commentary

Bill Livingston's NFL on Television: Commercial failure (The Plain Dealers 1/16/10) is perhaps the best sports commentary I have read in a long time.

One of the best lines in Livingston's commentary concerns the popularity of pro football on TV, Its appeal is, in large part its violence. There is a voracious appetite for vicarious violence in this country. How true. Livingston does not go this far but the next thing we will witness is an intoxicated, frenzied crowd giving the thumbs up or thumbs down as a 300 lb beast crushes the quarterback - not unlike the Romans and their gladiators.. One could also muse as to whether or not our fascination with a violent sport is the reason behind wars which seem to never end, mayhem on the streets, capital punishment and our insistence on the unfettered right to bear arms.

Livingston has much to say about commercials - Programs devoted to the best commercials from here and other countries crop up year around, like dandelions in the spring. The punch line - People love material things and the commercials about them.

An appetite for vicarious violence and a love for material things. Does that describe the mainstream American?

A Touch Of The Creature

Whoever said that we have a two party system must have had a touch of the creature. It is commonly viewed that there are two parties that control the politics in this country, the Democrats and the Republicans. Exactly who are the Democrats and the Republicans? Trying to define the parties, it is tempting to say that one champions a liberal agenda and the other preaches conservatism. This really does not work. There actually are no Democrats or Republicans. Sounds like I've had a touch of the creature myself but examine any debate in Congress and very little is about Democrat vs Republican. A close examination reveals that we are dealing with liberals, progressives, populists, moderates , blue dogs, conservatives, right wingers, extreme right wingers, Republicans in Donkeys clothing and Democrats in elephants clothing all fighting to get their agendas into every piece of legislation. The result is a monetary deficit the size of which is incomprehensible, an interminable war in the Mideast, double digit unemployment, a health care mess, a nation of consumers rather than producers and a declining superpower. Until the parties start pruning their various branches even if it means a third or even a fourth party, there will be no timely or effective legislation coming out of Washington. Introducing a Know Nothings party should effectively accommodate a lot of tree pruning. With that I'll indulge in another touch of the creature.

Baseball's Steroid Problem Revisited

Mark McGwire has made it official. The 1990's indeed can be called baseball's steroid era. Like others before him he has profusely apologized for using steroids. Of course he did not use them to gain muscle mass - he used them to be able to play while injured. After all he was earning millions and it would have been unethical to go on the injured reserve list. I don't believe anyone has admitted yet that they used steroids to become better players. The apologies admit wrong doing but with qualifications. Yes they say, taking steroids was wrong but the intent was not to break a record but to heal injuries. Their apology borders on rationalization.

So far Barry Bonds has resisted the temptation to admit using steroids and throw himself upon the mercy of fans. After all he allegedly only used steroids to mask injuries.

Baseball's steroid era certainly deserves one big asterisk and perhaps a trip into anonymity for those who created the era. A New York Times article worth reading is "Why Baseball Should Be Talking About The Past" - it puts the steroid era in its proper perspective for the future of baseball.

A lick and a promise

A lick and a promise is often used in connection with the daily cleaning chores. More often than not a lick is sufficient with the promise to do a more thorough cleaning tomorrow. It can also be applied to attempts at health care reform. Consider the bill that Congress is wrestling with. Everyone has gotten their licks in. The resulting legislation at best will be a lick and a promise- a promise for something better in the future.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder???

In my previous post I confessed that making changes to my blog borders on an obsessive compulsive disorder. Actually it's a contagious disease which was spread in our household by the high primal thinker. I submit that anyone who meticulously cleans six pair of glasses every single day for as long as I can remember suffers from an obsessive compulsive disorder and is a carrier of the disease.

To make matters worse, the glasses are not all of the same prescription. How she keeps track of which pair of glasses is which, is a testimony to her high primal thinking. Prior to cleaning, the glasses are laid out in some order only known to her.

I wish I could say that a daily cleaning of six pair of glasses makes her see things more clearly but unfortunately that is not compatible with being a high primal thinker.

Spelling And Fashions

You write al-Qaeda and I'll write al-Qaida. You write al- Qaeda and I'll write Al Qaeda. After almost a decade we can't even make up our minds as to what to call our enemy. Pronunciation is yet another thing. You say chi-da and I say k-da. Lets call the whole thing off but unfortunately that is not an option. What is clear is that al-Qaeda's taste in shoes and underwear will not make the fashion magazines.

A late New Years Resolution

I will never, never merge my blogs again. Fun With Cliches and According To Marge will stand on their own two feet ( left over from Fun With Cliches). My merging and un-merging has been the envy of Adrian Monk. This is about the fifth time I've changed my mind but never,never again.

I forgot to mention that the high primal thinker was not very enthusiastic about my merging her blog into this one. I know which side my bread is buttered on (how many more cliches were leftover?).

How can anyone be so obsessive compulsive about a blog? It's really not difficult but it's not acceptable.

Living up to my New Years resolution

Resolving to only indulge in posts that reflect quality is proving to be difficult. Three days into 2010 and I have not come up with anything qualifying as quality. I even tried my hand at dissecting the meaning of Jihad and actually published it. Don't look for it - the delete key put it in the trash can. I considered a humorous post about putting Christmas in a box but decided there was not anything funny about taking down Christmas decorations in near zero weather. If I wait for the right post, it could come dangerously close to wishing everyone a Happy New Year again. New Years resolutions I'm told are meant to be broken. It's an option that I am taking advantage of. Quality in writing is a lofty goal which I will leave to the professional writers. Now that I've resolved the quality bit I should be able to start posting. The problem is that even crap does not come easily. I'll take a Dulcolax and hope for the best.

I hereby resolve .....

My last few blog posts are starting to resemble Twitter. They might even be classified as litter. Could it be that my blog is out of kilter and has lost its glitter? My lack of creativeness is apparent and has made me bitter. I don't want to fritter my time away so I hereby resolve that in 2010 my aim will be quality and quantity be damned. I think I've twittered again but it's still 2009!

I could write a nauseating tome about the meaning of Christmas - instead I'll opt for

BUON NATALE A TUTTI !

My 2 min of Fame

It took bypass surgery but I made CBS NEWS. Take a look at "Study: Finishing Heart Rehab Aids Survival".

Bo sighted

Bo is out of the White House dog house. He was sighted yesterday romping in the snow without a leash. Coincidentally, Obama evidently will get some sort of health care bill with the support of "blue dog" Democrats. It looks like the "blue dogs" have been unleashed in the Senate. The question now is whether or not Bo will be invited to the health care bill signing ceremony - if it really gets that far.

Whatever Happened to Bo

The last I heard, the Obama's had a Portuguese water dog named Bo. Bo's arrival at the White House was front page news. Whatever happened to Bo? I haven't seen him lately. My hunch is that he is too much to handle. Could it be that he is a "blue dog"? If so, Bo is certainly in the dog house. There are probably several other "blue dog" Democrats in Obama's dog house.

BREAKING NEWS - I have been informed that Bo was present at the White House tree lighting ceremony. I have also been informed that he proved too difficult to handle for the photo-op. That proves that he is a "blue dog". No other "blue dogs" were invited to the ceremony although several tried to crash the event.

On The Subject of Money

Money doesn’t grow on trees unless you're a landscaper.

Money can’t buy you love but it’s worth a try.

Money can’t buy happiness but it can give you happiness.

Time is money, that’s why we have Daylight Saving Time.

Putting your money where your mouth is invites instant silence.

Pay your money and take your choice - a nobrainer!

Where in the world did this one come from? She goes through money like a fart through a pair of jeans.

Christmas comes but once a year

"Christmas comes but once a year" is heard very often this time of year. I'm sure this cliche is the product of some retailing conspiracy. It seems to be saying spend 'til you drop even if you can't afford it.

All I want for Christmas is a health care bill

Apparently Obama wants a health care reform bill in his Christmas stocking no matter how it's packaged. In the ecumenical spirit, Lieberman is doing all he can to give him a bill wrapped by the insurance lobby. Santa may yet get into the act and put coal in Obama's stocking. Actually Obama has compromised his health care reform wish list so much that he could easily mistake the coal for the health care bill being crafted in the Senate - both are dirty. The beating Obama is taking on this issue may very well have him wishing for two front teeth next Christmas.

Those Golden Years

Referring to life after retirement as the golden years is a misnomer. The word"golden" is the culprit. Anything that is golden implies something grand. The golden years I have discovered, simply means the time of life after retirement from active work and nothing more. In other words, life goes on as before and hopefully you are fortunate enough not have to work to sustain yourself. There is nothing golden about the golden years. They do not glitter with all sorts of glamorous events. You are still challenged by life's bumpy road as you always were. As you navigate the road you are confronted with the pot holes as well as the smooth spots. All in all the term golden years describe a point in life where the aging process makes itself known and nothing more. At some point it will be time to turn in your license and get off that bumpy road. In the meantime be glad you are alive to witness what life has to offer.

Diodes,Transistors,LED's - Reminiscences

I once had a website in which I recounted some early engineering and manufacturing experiences with diodes , transistors and LED's. The website was inspired by an article in the Plain Dealer on 11/9/2001 which pointed out that "when two Bell Labs scientists invented the transistor in 1947, it was as tall as the face of a wristwatch. Now , another Bell team has made a transistor from a single molecule - small enough to fit about 10 million on the head of a pin."

Reading this article brought to mind the early days of semiconductor engineering - germanium diodes, rate grown transistors, junction transistors, zone refining, Czochralski single crystal growth, float zone single crystal growth, germanium vs. silicon as a material. The website is long gone but my reminiscences still haunt me, thus this lenghty post.
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(For some vintage photos visit http://picasaweb.google.com/asrmjr/Semiconductors?feat=directlink )
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I remember a young engineer in 1948 whose interest in materials drew him into the pioneering days of semiconductor technology. I also remember a more mature individual who ventured from the world of diodes and transistors into the world of Solid State Lamps (GE Lamp Division's name for Light Emitting Diodes).

My introduction to semiconductors was the germanium whisker diode. Interestingly, GE chose to pilot the manufacture of germanium diodes in their Quartz Crystal operation at Electronics Park in Syracuse , N.Y. What the two products had in common was the equipment used for slicing quartz crystals and germanium billets. I use the term billets in reference to germanium rather than crystals for in 1948 germanium single crystals had not found their way into semiconductor manufacturing. The germanium pellets used in diodes were polycrystalline. Material preparation basically consisted of the reduction of germanium dioxide to germanium melts followed by a process which was known as progressive crystallization. The latter was designed to purify the melts by directional cooling. Progressive crystallization was later replaced by a more effective process called zone refining.

The point about polycrystalline germanium was made to recount some primitive engineering that was attempted. Shortly after the announcement of the transistor by Bell Laboratories we attempted to make a few transistors in our operation. Since single crystal germanium was required we modified the progressive crystallization process so as to produce billets with a larger than usual crystalline structure. The task then was to cut out "single crystals" from the germanium slices or wafers. Our quartz cutting specialists were equal to the task. A few working transistors were actually made using some of the quartz crystals metal cans.

GE's millionth diode was produced in Syracuse , N.Y. in May of 1950 . Shortly thereafter a manufacturing plant was established in Clyde, a small village in rural upstate New York. The village fathers proudly proclaimed Clyde " The Diode Capital of the World". Clyde would also be the manufacturing site for rectifiers - notably the controlled rectifier. (The Clyde Plant will always be special to me . I met my lovely wife in Clyde. Our first son was born there.) The pilot line operation in Syracuse evolved into the Semiconductor Products Department. The Semiconductor Products Department in Electronics Park , Syracuse would become the focus of transistor engineering and manufacturing. In later years it would establish a manufacturing facility in Buffalo , N. Y. and eventually in Dundalk, Ireland .The Clyde Plant became essentially a rectifier production facility with transistor manufacturing being concentrated in Syracuse, Buffalo and Ireland. Eventually the semiconductor business was split into the Semiconductor Products Department with headquarters in Syracuse and the Rectifier Products Department with headquarters in Auburn, N. Y. In the late 60's both departments were once again merged into a single Department, namely; the Semiconductor Products Department.

After more than fifty years, the details of products and processes escape me. Even dates in some cases become hazy. The internet is full of websites recounting the early days of semiconductor manufacturing and the history of the transistor. Some suggestions are http://www.pbs.org/transistor/, The Transistor Museum and Addison Sheckler's recollection of GE's role in semiconductors.
Getting back to diodes, I experienced my first lesson in the importance of product quality when a major problem developed in the field. It came as a shock to learn that diodes were "opening up". It turned out that under humid conditions, moisture was leaking thru the bakelite case and caused the whisker to separate from the pellet. The fix? Impregnate the diode with wax in a pressure cooker. Messy? Absolutely! A better fix - hermetically seal the diode.

On the more humorous side there was the problem of how to dispose of the reject (there were a few) diodes . The Clyde Plant Manager came up with a solution. He was putting in a new driveway and needed some fill. The reject diodes found their final resting place on Galen Street in Clyde. Why were there rejects? Device design engineers complained about the quality of the germanium or silicon and of course the materials engineers pointed out that poor design was perhaps a larger factor. Thus was born the constant struggle between device and materials engineers. Looking back it was stressful but rewarding in that from these struggles evolved better products.

I referred to the quality of germanium and silicon as an important factor in device characteristics. This brings to mind the germanium versus silicon debate which took place. Unfortunately for GE, those responsible for its engineering decisions stuck with germanium far too long. Little known Texas Instruments leapfrogged into silicon transistors and usurped the leadership position GE had long held.



Looking back, whether it was transistors, integrated circuits or light emitting diodes GE never had the entrepreneurial leadership which semiconductor technology demanded. In spite of outstanding research and inventions from the likes of Bob Hall, Crawford Dunlop, Hub Horn, John Saby , Nick Holonyak and others the early lead GE had was squandered and eventually GE was no longer a significant producer of semiconductor devices. Not withstanding the eventual demise of the GE semiconductor business the early years were exciting.

Noteworthy was participation in the Signal Corps Industrial Preparedness contracts in the mid fifties. Contracts were awarded to prepare for the manufacture of specified semiconductor devices meeting the requirements of military specifications at specified rates of production, and to reduce the time required for the delivery of devices in large quantities in the event of an emergency. Concurrently there was the Air Force Production Refinement Program which played a large role in the engineering of silicon production refinement processes and equipment. Government support was vital in accelerating the growth of the semiconductor industry.

A byproduct of the Production Refinement and Industrial Preparedness contracts was the realization that a successful semiconductor business could not be built solely around "top hat" or metal can transistors. Consumer electronics required a much lower cost product. A brief period of entrepreneurship took place and GE came up with the plastic transistor design together with high volume production equipment. To further reduce cost, manufacturing was moved offshore to Ireland - a novel idea in those days.

Perhaps one of the most rewarding experiences during the heyday of GE's semiconductor business was participation in the various licensing agreement GE had developed with foreign firms. Interaction with representatives of firms such as Telefunken, Siemens, French Thompson - Houston and Sony was fulfilling both professionally and socially. The highlight of this precursor to globalization was my experience with the Sony Corporation. Sony had made a bold entry into the consumer electronics market and was eager to soak up any semiconductor technology which GE had to offer. ( A visit to the Sony Corporation in 1958 is covered in a previous post - How Times Have Changed )


Another sidelight of the Sony experience was being introduced to Leo Esaki who had recently presented a paper on tunnel diodes. I later had the pleasure of entertaining Mr. Esaki at my home. Little did I know that in 1973 Leo Esaki would be awarded the Nobel prize in Physics for his discovery of tunneling in semiconductors.

A more humorous but again indicative aspect of our visit occurred when we were invited to Akio Morita's home for dinner. We were expecting a traditional Japanese dinner and were surprised to be served Salisbury steak cooked by Mr. Morita's wife.

Our visit to Sony culminated in a meeting with Sony's Board of Directors where we were asked to comment on Sony's semiconductor progress. A flattering event for two young American engineers.

By 1971 economic clouds hovered over GE's semiconductor business. Domestic manufacturing was almost non-existent. The Clyde Plant had been shut down and the building was donated to the Village of Clyde ( a grateful village named a street after Berkley Davis , the GE VP who reigned over the semiconductor business ). The Buffalo Plant would cease operation in 1972 and the Auburn Plant (rectifier products) was on it's way out. In addition SPD's foray into integrated circuits proved to be non-spectacular. In short GE's commitment to semiconductor production had waned considerably.

About this same time GE's Lamp Division in Cleveland, Ohio was piloting Solid State Lamps a.k.a. light emitting diodes or LED's. Nick Holonyak had invented the first visible spectrum light emitting diode while at GE's Electronic Laboratory in Syracuse, NY. The Semiconductor Products Department within whose charter fell light emitting diodes never was able to commit the funds to develop a manufacturing capability for LED's. It gallantly acquiesced to the manufacturing and marketing of LED's or Solid State Lamps by the Lamp Division. Amongst the rank and file it was rumored that the Lamp Division had deep pockets and would undoubtedly be successful with its Solid State Lamp Project. So it was off to Cleveland to be on the ground floor of another semiconductor venture. Indeed by 1972 a manufacturing facility was established in Chesterland, Ohio.

Almost as suddenly, the plant was shuttered in 1975. The deep pockets were gone! The Lamp Division was not as independent as it once was and had to more closely adhere to the dictates and management philosophy of "headquarters". The Solid State Lamp project was not cutting it and was dragging down the bottom line of it's parent department. Why? Trying to do too much too fast in order to catch up with more established producers of LED's, the failure of mass production equipment designed and built by people unfamiliar with smiconductor technology, insisting on using gallium phosphide rather than gallium arsenide


At the onset I pointed out that these reminiscences were inspired by an 11/9/2001 Plain Dealer news story announcing that a Bell Labs team had made a transistor from a single molecule. These reminiscences will end on an ironic note - on 9/26/2002 The Plain Dealer ran another story under the banner of "Bell Labs Research Rings False". Apparently the breakthrough claimed the previous year was based on fraudulent data . Quite a comedown for the birthplace of the transistor. My reminiscences? Fraudulent only to the extent that some of the details may have become a bit clouded

EPILOGUE

Never in my wildest dreams did I envision L.E.D’s illuminating the Empire State Building. Such is the case per a New York Times story on 04/20/2007 reporting a contest that “bathed the building in “intelligent illumination,” employing a new generation of computer-controlled high-brightness light-emitting diodes — or L.E.D.s — that are capable of producing millions of different colors and an infinity of patterns”.

(GE making big move into LEDs for homes , GE's Hate /Love Affair With LED's, bring the GE position on LED's up to date.)

On 11/30/2006 it was announced that French telecom gear maker Alcatel SA completed its purchase of U.S. rival Lucent Technologies Inc. for $13.4 billion in stock. Bell Laboratories is part of Lucent. The headquarters of the new company is in Paris. Thus France has become the foster parent of the laboratory that gave us the transistor. How sad!

Life is just a bowl of cherries

Whoever said that life is just a bowl of cherries is full of beans. The cliche is supposed to indicate that life is simple and pleasant. What's so simple and pleasant about a bowl of cherries if you don't like spitting out pits? Have you ever found a rotten cherry in a bowl? On the other hand, maybe life is just like a bowl of cherries. Life can be rotten and there are pitfalls but if you like cherries, life isn't so bad. If you don't like cherries, you might be more comfortable with life is just a bowl of Cheerios.

Excessive libido - so who cares

The Christmas season has been preempted by the problems of a certain golfer concerning his driving skills off the golf course and his libido. Too bad! The story does not deserve the coverage it is getting. It raises the question of why sports figures and yes, politicians are held to higher moral values than the guy picking up garbage or the corporate CEO . One response may be that sports superstars, governors, senators and presidents are role models for our children. Nonsense, the only role model of importance is a parent. Unfortunately that's where the real breakdown in moral values is - not enough parents willing to be parents.

If you like golf, the only thing that should matter is how well a golfer plays on the course not in bed. As for politicians,send packing those with double standards and those who would rather romp than lead.

In the meantime, put Santa on the front page unless he is being unfaithful to Mrs. Claus.

I wish every golfer and politician a Merry Christmas and hope Santa gives them all zipper less pants.

When Bad Things Happen

When bad things happen , the tendency is to dismiss them with a "that's the way the cookie crumbles" or "that's how the ball bounces". If something really bad happens we rely on "shit happens". Where does that leave us if our favorite cookie is one that does not crumble, or if the ball is a football? What if one is prone to constipation? When bad things happen it is best to dismiss them with a "that's life", because that's what it is.

Musing About Wars

As the President eloquently speaks of war and victory, the camera surveys the youngsters who will be commissioned to seek those victories in the future. Back to the President as he talks of strategy, then back to the audience for a close look at those with stars on their shoulders and a chest full of ribbons attesting to their prowess at executing strategy. The theatrics beg one question. When is the last time the most powerful nation on earth won a war?

Since World War II, there have been no clear cut victories unless we count Reagan's little war with Grenada in 1983 and the elder Bush's invasion of Panama in 1989. There have been stalemates - Korea, there have been defeats - Vietnam. The votes are not all in yet on Clinton's little war in Bosnia.

The War on Terror? Misnomer to call it a war. Terrorism will not cease because of a war. It will always be there waiting to strike. We will be fighting terrorists forever. A terrorist is the most persistent coward to be found and he does not fight wars. He fights innocent civilians. Homeland security is the best defense against terrorism.

So where does that leave Afghanistan and Iraq. Money down the drain. We will go thru the deadly motions of fighting a war, we will find a way to declare victory and then leave both countries. Whatever nation building was done will be violently eroded. Afghanistan will become an Afghanistan ruled by tribes. Iraq will be a satellite of Iran until its own tribes will destroy any semblance of a nation.

Perhaps we should stick to those "little wars".

Xmas Is Here- Christmas Must Be Coming

Xmas is here! There is no doubt about it . Black Friday has already been endured and tomorrow thousands of computers will be loaded with Malware as we celebrate Cyber Monday. The papers are full of holiday ( code for Christmas) bargains. Editorials impress upon us how important it is for the economic survival of the United States that we shop until it hurts. Xmas is here! Some say that this Xmas spending splash is a prelude to a holiday that has nothing to do with the jing-a-ling of cash registers. Could they be referring to Christmas?

Hold The Campaigns

Thomas Friedman's op-ed article Advice From Grandma has a lot of food for thought. One point which he brought up really hit home with me - a permanent presidential campaign leaves little time for governing. It seems like yesterday That Barack Obama was sworn in as President of The United States but less than a year later his stature as a President is already being critiqued. It seems that every move in Washington is being made with an eye on 2012. Obama has hardly found his way around the White House and already there are those suggesting that he shouldn't bother to make himself at home. All that is lacking right now are the campaign buttons.

As Mr. Friedman suggested there is little time for governing. The health care reform legislation is a good example. Everyone is in agreement that health care reform is long overdue. Unfortunately too many agree that health care reform must be used as a vehicle to enhance election chances in 2010 and 2012. As everyone postures themselves, a garbage bill evolves with little chance of passage. Just what the doctor ordered - a campaign issue for 2010 and 2012.

It is totally unreasonable to expect a turnaround in domestic and foreign affairs in less than a year. It is ludicrous that the failings of the previous eight years are so easily dismissed. It is time to back off and give those we elected a chance to govern.

The lobbyists cannot stomach the very thought that our elected representatives would dare govern for the people and are doing everything possible to foment distrust and fear. A perpetual presidential and congressional campaign and the subsequent need for funds serves them fine. A perpetual presidential and congressional campaign does not serve democracy.

Whither the postal service or is the USPS withering away

My mailbox needs painting. In fact it probably should be replaced. Is it really worth spending money on something which I'm told will soon be obsolete? It has even been suggested that encouraging mail delivery is bad for the environment. All that junk mail , bills from creditors and the occasional personal letter use paper. Paper comes from trees. Deforestation is causing climate change. Go paperless and save the world! Go paperless and watch postal service grind to a halt. Its inevitable. We innovate and some service becomes obsolete.

The horseless carriage brought an end to blacksmith shops. The iron horse brought an end to the stage coach. The airplane brought an end to train service. The first two instances brought new jobs. The last one screwed the consumer. I guess two out three isn't bad.

Fast forward to the age of the computer and Internet and we see the groundwork being laid to make mail service obsolete. E-mail, on line banking, Facebook, Twitter and smart phones are changing the way we communicate and conduct our financial affairs. The United States Postal Service is left sucking hind tit. Of course the USPS has a response - raise postal rates, cut service and close facilities. That's what the railroads did when they raised the white flag to airliners. Now we have an abundance of freight trains, gas guzzlers on the road and guess what - a struggling airline industry. Soon we'll have FedEx, UPS and a struggling USPS delivering packages - no mail. The consumer is left hanging once again. Become computer and Internet savvy or become obsolete along with postal service.

One bright spot in all of this. I can save a buck by forgetting about the condition of my mailbox.
Come to think of it maybe I should refurbish it - I'm sure it will soon be an antique which can turn a buck on e-Bay.

You're All Wet

You're all wet if you think it can rain cats and dogs. This is has been prohibited by the Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals ever since sewers were improved. . Once upon a time, early in the eighteenth century, during torrential rains, sewers would back up drowning cats and dogs. Some wise guy said it had been raining cats and dogs.

While we're at it, your all wet if you think it never rains but it pours. Everyone knows that every cloud has a silver lining. Your all wet if you believe that the sun always shines after the rain. Have you ever been out when it's raining at night? Finally, you will get wet if it rains on your parade.

About Shots

The big shot wanted to be re-elected badly. Although he was running against a long shot the big spender bit the bullet and shot his wad anyway. Lo, and behold the long shot made some clutch shots and almost beat the big cheese.
Translation: Bloomberg spends millions to squeak out an election victory over an underdog.

Miscellany Or Junk

I understand that part of blogging etiquette is to assign a label or category to a post. A label categorizes a post and in turn helps readers find other posts that might be relevant and of interest to them. I'd like to accommodate my readers but honestly, labels drive me nuts. I do fine up to a point, then fall victim to a label called "Miscellany".

Miscellany is defined as a miscellaneous collection of articles or entries. So why not use Miscellaneous as a label? Its obvious - Miscellany is so much more literary. Miscellany does what it is intended to do - it provides a home for blog entries of various subjects.

One must ask that if Miscellany provides a home for blog entries of various subjects why use other labels. The whole blog consists of miscellaneous entries. The answer is simple . Some entries cry out for a distinctive label, other entries defy labeling. Miscellany is therefore a home for orphan entries.

A home for orphan entries? That sounds familiar. After reviewing a previous post about junk drawers I can only conclude that Miscellany is the junk drawer of my blog. It is difficult to admit but a review of entries bearing the "Miscellany" label does reveal a fair amount of junk. That's okay - that's what junk drawers are for.

I have now arrived at the point where I must assign a label to this post. Oh oh, I must assign a label? That's how I ended up with the "Miscellany" label. Is this miscellany or junk. Junk it is: a rose by any other name would smell the same.

No thanks Macy's

Using a department store credit card (or a charge-a-plate per my high primal thinker) was a relatively simple transaction. Pay off the balance each month and avoid astronomical interest rates or run up a balance and enrich the card issuer. Not good enough for Macy's!

A notice of change in terms arrived in the mailbox recently. At first glance it seemed innocent enough. As usual the APR on balances was going up but so what. Pay off the balance and forget about the APR. Not so fast.

Macy's sales are down so it appears that their MBA's were put to work to come up with some credit card changes which could generate more income. Section 5 of the notice pictured above was the result. The key phrase:

" We will begin charging interest on purchases on your Revolving Account Type on the transaction date"

So my statement would now show a monthly interest charge even though I paid off the previous balance? Not exactly , Macy's had provisions for refund on the following months statement provided I met certain conditions. In the meantime they had the use of my money.

Those "certain conditions" are stated in something other than plain English. The best I can determine is that there is a 50-50 chance that I would see a refund for the interest charged (my lawyer is still going over the fine print trying to decipher exactly how I get this refund or rebate).

Its the fault of Congress! They declared war on predatory lenders but are losing the war before it really gets started. The lenders have more MBA's armed with all sorts of gimmicks! What the lenders forget is that the consumer has some amunition.

Concluding that Macy's is trying to screw me, a Macy's credit card no longer graces my wallet.

As I keep telling the high primal thinker, department store charge-a-plates stink!

Ring if you need me

Let it be known that ring if you need me is the cliche of all hospital cliches. The implication of ring if you need me is that a nurse will rush to your bedside in your hour of need. Assuming you can find the call button , the results leave much to be desired. In all fairness ring if you need me does beat have a good day.

Why can't I make hay

Having undergone quadruple heart by-pass surgery as well as carotid artery surgery recently, I thought that my experience would provide me with mounds of material to write a humorous post about my hospital stay and even a post extolling the skill of surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic. In keeping with the times I now had voluminous bills which could attest to the high cost of health care.

There was nothing funny about my hospital stay, the surgery lived up to its billing and it was expensive. I'm home healing with the aid of my high primal thinker, I'm thankful for the skill of the surgeons at the Clinic and I'm thankful for that public option thing called Medicare as well as the health insurance earned after forty years of service in a major corporation.

So why can't I make blogging hay out of an experience aching to tell its story? Because thoughts about mortality keep running thru my mind. Major surgery can do this - some call it the blues or depression, I call it facing reality.

The reality is that an old clunker can be repaired only so many times before it heads for the scrap heat. Having said that I must admit that I'm not ready for the scrap heat and will take every advantage of my major overhaul while keeping in mind the scrap heap is inevitable. In the meantime I'll enjoy a great and caring family and my high primal thinker.

Never did find out when discharged from the hospital when the old ticker will be able to absorb a Bourbon Manhattan on the rocks.

( They say that open heart surgery can affect brain functions for awhile. Maybe I should have waited to resume blogging but whoever said you need a well oiled brain to blog?)