La Festa di San Giuseppe

Today is La Festa di San Giuseppe! I doubt that there will be a mention of it in the papers. No calendar acknowledges this feast but I have it on good authority that indeed today is La Festa di San Giuseppe. No parades, perhaps a homily, if anyone bothers to go to church on a Saturday morning anymore. In fact, compared to St. Patrick , whose "day" we recently celebrated, St Joseph is a loser. I had planned to write a lengthy post about  the  origins of St. Joseph's Day but it is best that I defer to this  link.

 So here we are, March 19, 2011, St. Joseph's Day.  I'm told that it's a time for feasting with zeppoli being the pastry of choice. I love zeppoli and if St. Joseph is responsible for them I am indeed grateful to him. In appreciation for his sponsorship of zeppoli, I feel that I should wear something red today. Why red? I'm not really sure, but  wearing red on St. Joseph's Day is akin to wearing green on St. Patrick's Day? It's "akin" but hardly anyone does. I'll bet part of the problem is knowing what shade of red to wear. The Irish have their Kelly green but I've never heard of a paisano red. Chianti red might be a possibility.  I would wear a Chianti red tie, but retirement has played havoc with my tie collection. Perhaps my red flannel shirt will do, it has a Chianti stain on it that won't come off. Some biscotti with espresso tonight should suffice for  the feast part of the  celebration. Did you know that St. Joseph is the patron saint of pastry chefs?  Not as exciting as chasing snakes out of Ireland. Pretty dull - I suppose that's why today will essentially be a day like all days. Oh hum, Erin go Bragh!

A schnoz by any other name smells the same

When charged an exorbitant price for a service or price it is not unusual to proclaim " I paid through the nose". Of course the larger the proboscis, the higher the price. If the price is so high as to be painful while exiting the schnoz it is fitting to tell the merchant " up your nose with a rubber hose" which I'm sure would not be welcomed. Beware however, that if this retort results in an altercation, you would not have a leg to stand on in a court of law. All in all, paying through the nose may be messy but it is cheaper than paying an arm and a leg.

Superpower - The Champion and Vindicator of Its People

Maureen Dowd's 3/12/11 column had just the answer I've been looking for in trying to assess whether it makes sense for the USA to be militarily involved in promoting democracy. She referred to David Rieff's book " At the Point of a Gun" in which he quotes John Quincy Adams about America: “Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy ... she is the champion and vindicator only of her own.”

Why not heed the words of John Quincy Adams. Beating the drums of war every time there is a burp in some area of  the world has not been productive. The neocons would not agree with Adams and would argue that Superpowers must exercise their military power to bring about "order". Perhaps it is time to reevaluate what a Superpower is obligated to do. In my opinion a Superpower is a power which has demonstrated that it has the power to be an influential voice in world affairs without exercising their military might and at the same time provides for the welfare and defense of its citizens. A Superpower should not be expected to be the policeman of the world. Isn't that what The United Nations is for?

What is it with Mother Nature?

The videos of the devastation in Japan from the earthquake and the Tsunami provide nothing but shock and sorrow. Sitting in a comfortable living room watching the faces of victims, I wonder how I would manage in a disaster of this magnitude or any magnitude for that matter. It's just not today and tomorrow that the victims will reap the wrath of Mother Nature. They have been sentenced to years of struggles and rebuilding. What is it with Mother Nature that she treats the inhabitants of this earth so horribly. Have we intruded where we don't belong? Have we outworn our welcome? Have we abused Mother Nature? The pundits say that Japan with its recent history of political instability and economic woes has received a wake up call. Methinks that Mother Nature has given the entire world a wake up call.

About My Body's Battery

It's 8:58 AM, so the clock says. My body insists that it is 7:58 AM, and it should know. I had every clock Spring Forward last night except my body clock. When I tried, it told me in no uncertain terms it knew how to tell time. What it didn't tell me was that the battery it uses to operate on needs replacing. Anyone will tell you that when changing clocks to comply with DST or ST or whatever, it is a good idea to change the batteries in the clocks, smoke alarms and CO detectors. Did that last night but I failed to find a way to change the battery in my body. My body came with a battery good for a lifetime. I've discovered that there is no way to replace it. I am fortunate that so far " good for a lifetime" is working out OK. The battery has lost some punch but it does its job except for keeping time. It gets me up late but it does get me up.

Chief Wahoo Musings

• Watching the Indians play the the Angels at Goodyear, AZ. What's this? Chief Wahoo is missing from the Indian's batting helmet. Sure enough that's a block C on the helmet. Is this a sign that the Chief is close to retirement?
• Hold the presses - the Chief is still hanging around. That's him adorning the sleeve on the jerseys. Damn, the Indians front office is sure making retirement for the Chief painful.
• I remember attending some spring training games in Florida. They were either sell outs or close to it . Today's crowd at Goodyear looks sparse. Bad omen!
• Back to the Chief - would A Day of Rage be in order to finally get him retired. The problem with this idea is that his supporters as a mascot have all the rage. The rest of us have the rhetoric. Still, it might be worth a try. At the very least , we might get Obama to attend opening day.
• The Chief must go!

Are we in this economic mess alone?

    Corporations are sitting on record amounts of cash , about 1.9 trillion dollars. While they sit on their cash, high unemployment rates continue to be the number one barrier to a robust economy. More jobs will only be created once the corporations loosen their purse strings but executives say they can't do that until the economy is on more solid footing. For the economy to be on more solid footing the consumer must spend more. So it comes down to the consumer spending more and more of his cash while the corporations sit on their cash waiting for the economy to get better. If ever the corporations spend more of their cash by hiring people and expanding, the consumer will be rewarded by a booming economy. Not quite! It all depends on where the money for  jobs and expansion goes. My bet is overseas. In the meantime the consumer may well be sitting on a record amount of debt with no job.
     You and I are American citizens while corporations are global citizens ( although the Supreme Court has ruled that they are American citizens free to spend their money to buy elections). Therein lies the problem!

About Challenges

Life is full of challenges. When faced with a challenge the usual advice is to take the bull by the horns. Of course this is bull shit. Try it and you will find that you have bitten off more than you can chew. and will probably stir up a hornets nest. Bulls do not like anyone messing around with their horns. If you insist on accepting a challenge , do it carefully. Take one step at a time, study the hell about it, and keep in mind that discretion is the better part of valor.. Before you know it , the challenge will not seem so challenging and may even disappear. You will have missed an opportunity to be a hero but at least you won't have a bull's horn up your ass.

Thoughts For A Rainy Day

• Now that Charlie Sheen has lost his TV show he should consider reprising his " Major League" film role (Ricky Vaughn) by applying for an assistant pitching coach role with the Cleveland Indians. His acting skills would be invaluable in getting the pitching staff to act like big league pitchers. The pay won't be good but the clubhouse snacks should keep him going.
• Lately it has been Christmas everyday when I bring in the mail. Without fail there's a gift for me. I now have enough return address labels to last for years. It seems that every charity with a postage stamp has discovered me and in appreciation sends me a "free gift" - mailing labels! In return I should respond with some sort of donation - I guess that's what the address labels are for. If my application for a government loan is approved, I'll see what I can do.
• It appears that the opposition in Libya is struggling to form a united front. It might have been a good idea if they had done this before taking to the streets.
• Qaddafi is an asshole but the SOB has the military on his side. He may actually retain power or leave on his own terms. Obviously Mubarak had the wrong playbook in the Egypt games.
• Speaking of playbooks, there is only one playbook in Ohio and that's Jim Tressel's Ohio State football playbook. The football saint screwed up and kept quiet about some silly game his players were playing - selling memorabilia for tattoos and cash. Tressel has been disciplined and the media would have you think everything else going on in the state and the world is irrelevant. I've never understood Ohio's love affair with football be it Little League or whatever they call its football equivalent, high school, college or NFL. Love affair is not quite the proper term - moronic affair is more like it!
• Why can't health care providers post a list of services and their cost for patients?
• Peter King (R-NY) must have aspirations of becoming the Congressional Grand Inquisitor as he goes after Islamic leaders. Islam is a religion and as such is protected by the First Amendment. King should cool it, Islamophobia has no place in the halls of Congress or anywhere else.
• Surprised to learn that King has been a supporter of the Irish IRA. I guess that means he's qualified to spot a terrorist when he sees one.
• Illinois has become the 16th state to eliminate the death penalty. Thirty-six to go, one state at a time.
• If it rains much more, I'll have to shovel the driveway!

Yes We Can't Right Now

It's been reported that military tribunals will resume at Guantanamo. It looks like "Yes We Can" lost out again. Guantanomo will not close as the Obama Administration increasingly moves to the center. The Happy Warrior of 2008 is rapidly becoming the Pragmatic Warrior of 2012. The road to the White House in 2012 will be full of middle of the road drivers and a few dedicated  to driving on the extreme right side of the road. The left lane apparently will be closed to traffic. Not to worry, Wall Street will be directing traffic. Too bad! The only consolation I have is that no matter how he drives, Obama still looks like the best driver. I can't help but wish that he takes his eyes off the GPS and makes a few left turns on the way to re-election. Ending the Afghanistan War would be nice. There is a war going on in Afghanistan even though the Middle East turmoil, North Africa rebellions and the bad economic news monopolize the front pages. If only Afghanistan had oil. By the way, is it true that GM is working on an engine that will run on poppy seed oil?

Just to change the subject, perhaps Obama had it right when he decided to put the space program on a back burner. NASA's latest rocket shot to put a satellite into orbit landed in the Pacific Ocean. It's nothing to be too concerned about. Everything can wait until we train the preschoolers to be the rocket scientists of the future. We can't do it right now, but what a future awaits us. Just wait for the next State of The Union address.

Seniors Can Be Funny

The video in the link below will generate a few chuckles, especially if you are a senior. Thanks to David Mixner - Live From Hell's Kitchen.

DavidMixner.com: Video: Seniors Rock! The Funniest Prayer I Have Ever Heard

Change

No blog posts screaming to get out of my keyboard. Not even a rant! What to do, I'm bored silly. Mess around with the aesthetics of my blog, that's what I'll do.

My addiction for change is getting the best of me. Dare I change the title? What the hell for, I've gone through so many title changes and still haven't found the one I want. " From Tony's Keyboard" will have to do - no title change!

How about the format? Now we're talking. An innocent change. It will satisfy my craving for change ( which Obama never delivered on) and give me a blog post at the same time.

This blog is on a new template! Not true, I used it once before. It's still new for 2011. Notice the fleeting birds - much like my thoughts. The sidebar changed some and my, oh my, I learned how to use tabs - just another blog feature to fool with.

You see Mr. President, change is not so difficult to come by even if it's only cosmetic. If the change you are considering is to mask yourself as someone who resembles a moderate Republican, I want no part of it . Haven't you heard that lefties have the edge over righties in baseball when it comes to survival. It might apply to politics also.

Rant of The Day - Vote! Vote! Vote!

The paper was late again this morning. Together with the after effects of a fall I took a few days ago it put me in a particularly bad mood. The mood got even worse as I browsed through the paper. I do mean browse, since I could have written this morning's edition yesterday. The news stinks! Ohio has practically succeeded in busting teacher's unions. Some nut in Georgia is trying to get legislation through to make abortion equivalent to murder and punished accordingly. The Middle East is in turmoil and we haven't quite figured out what to do about it. The price of oil keeps going up which means that the price of almost everything will keep going up. The news about Republicans bent on rolling back the gains of workers in their struggles with corporations and governing bodies really got the BP up. The BP went up because it occurred to me that many of the people protesting theses actions must have either voted for Republicans or not voted at all. Somebody put the Taliban wing of the Republican Party in power and it wasn't just Republicans. I suspect that that some of what Republicans preach appeals to the greed in Democrats. When they look beneath the cover , they find that the agendas are really in conflict with their well being and out goes the call to arms. The point of this rant is that regardless of the big money in politics these days, we still have the power to to elect those who oppose taking America back to the 19th century. That power is in the election booth- the power of the vote.

Blame it all on Henry Ford

I picked this up yesterday from my son's Facebook page :

Newscasts tonight leading with rising gas prices. You can bet Americans will rediscover the joys of despotism in the middle east in about 72 hours.

I tend to agree. In spite of all the rhetoric about weaning ourselves from our dependence on oil, the reality is that we are still dependent on oil and will be for some time. When push comes to shove, the decision unfortunately will be to not upset the applecart or should I say the tanker. If it was otherwise, the Marines would be on the shores of Tripoli right now.  Like it or not our dependence on foreign oil will continue to dominate foreign policy. Blame it all on Henry Ford.

The Old Fart Did It!

I know I'm getting old when I can't navigate  a sidewalk which has some "down" steps in it to another level. As fate would have it, I completely missed the steps. Next step was to the emergency room - hand laceration. broken toe, broken thumb, extreme embarrassment. My next purchase is some sort of radar to help me keep my feet on the ground.. Getting old is not for sissies - I learned my lesson. Keep your eyes on the ball!

The high primal objects to my using the term old. She claims I'm merely elderly. Which brings to mind - a rose by any other color smells the same

The best part of the story is that I'm being waited on hand and foot for a few days

You're Cute!

The high primal and I were walking to our car in a shopping center parking lot yesterday. As we approached our car , another car stopped and the lady driving, rolled down her window and with a smile exclaimed, " you're cute". We looked perplexed and she proceeded to explain, " you're holding hands". Yes we were. We thanked the smiling lady and continued on to our parked car.

We hold hands frequently as we walk and up until the "you're cute" incident, never gave it a second thought. This time I gave it a lot of thought. Was it because we are elderly that prompted the remark? Probably. Was it because there is so much anger in society these days that an innocent display of love  warranted a second look. Probably. Was it purely a well meant compliment? Certainly.

The incident also reminded us of a visit with a very good friend years ago ( years ago but  even then we were in the elderly category). During the course of a dinner conversation , this good friend volunteered  how silly and juvenile it was to see two elderly people holding hands. Our friend was a bachelor and pretty much self- centered. He had no concept of what made elderly people unconsciously demonstrate a bond between them by holding hands.

The elderly hold hands because of love for each other. The elderly hold hands as a means of demonstrating to one another that they are there for each other. It may be cute but as we age it is absolutely important that we support each other. After a lifetime of sharing happiness as well as grief and sorrow, holding hands is spontaneous and reassuring.

Republicans Want To Destroy New Deal

DavidMixner.com: Robert Shrum: Republicans Want To Destroy New Deal

The Shrum article is excellent. It makes you wonder where we are headed for and what it will take to stop the erosion of the rights of the Middle Class. Republicans can't be so naive that they think they can brain wash people into thinking that hard fought for rights must be sacrificed for the good of the country.

Late News

My daily newspaper is getting very lazy. It arrives at my garage door later every morning, making the enjoyment of my breakfast less than satisfactory. Weight gain is not thereason for its slovenly behavior. The paper is as thin as a rail. So what's the point of all this? Nothing important , other than not having a newspaper to read while having my cup of coffee gets me off to a grumpy start. Actually that's not true. I've always been off to a grumpy start, the late paper just makes it a grumpier start.

There is a solution to this problem. No, it's not cancelling my subscription. No paper at all would drive me up a wall. In comparison to the resulting anger my grumpiness would look like a virtue. The solution is very simple, I'll start getting up an hour later in the morning, put the garage door up and pick up my vanishing newspaper. There are other benefits to this solution. The high primal might be up, and will wonders never cease, might even make my breakfast.

Now if only I could find a newspaper that had something in it besides stale news. I'm afraid that  the only way to get " news as it is happening" is to use the Internet and perhaps get a Twitter account. The benefits to abandoning the thin paper with the stale news is that it would permit me to maintain my current morning schedule, get up to date news and forgo going out in the cold to pick up an anemic newspaper. I might give Twitter a try, but I do not have the option of cancelling my newspaper subscription. The high primal would not hear of it. According to Marge, you can never get too much news. Whether it's fresh or stale, good or bad, you just have to learn to be selective. She doesn't make my breakfast but oh those lunches and dinners!

 What in hell would be a good user name for Twitter? Grumpy?

A Day of Rage

“A Day of Rage” will soon rival New Years Day as a celebration of sorts through out the world. The latest nation to adopt “A Day of Rage” is Iraq. It all started in Tunisia followed by Egypt and embraced by Bahrain, Yemen and of course Libya. But are these countries really the birthplace of “A Day of Rage”.

The celebration of rage belongs to no nation. I think rage started in human beings when Adam took that bite from the forbidden fruit and found it more like rotten food. From that point on rage has been the weapon of choice when a single human or a group of humans decide they have had enough of some less than satisfactory situation, at least from their point of view. The celebration of rage takes all kinds of form - a massacre, a revolt, mass executions, shouting and competition for the most clever signage.

I do not mean to make light of attempts to right a wrong or or to belittle movements to rid a country of a despot. I do mean to question the necessity for labels such as "A Day of Rge". The problem with labels is that humans feel they are missing out on something if they do not have their label day .

There is no question in my mind that the oppressed have their right to anger and if turning that anger into rage is the only way to move their cause forward, so be it. Rage for the sake of rage: however, has its problems. If it is used as an excuse to inflict harm and even death without recourse to systems of justice which are in place, it is just wrong.

You can see  that I’m having my “ Day of Rage”. I worry that rage will become the only emotion for bringing about change. I worry that days of rage will become fashionable. I worry that rage will foster more ills than those it is trying to cure. I worry that indeed rage will find a place on every nut's calendar. I worry that it will be a date to look forward to. I worry about the celebrations that will ensue. I worry that I will be forced to adopt  rage as a means to solve problems.

 Speaking of rage or more accurately, writing of rage, I vow not to become a Tea Partier. At the rate they are going, they may want to substitute " A Day of Rage" for Election Day.  " A Day of Rage" may be necessary to rid a nation of despots but it does not belong in the politics of a democracy. By the way, who comes up with these labels? The media? Some PR guy? Does it really matter. Every dog must have his day. Now I've done it - the SPCA will be knocking at my door. I use that metaphor only because dictators and strongmen treat their citizens like dogs, except in this country where the SPCA protects our interests.

Skipping a good breakfast results in posts such as this. I’ll feel better after lunch. Grrrrrr!!!!!

It's the war, stupid!

When it comes to deficit reduction, Democrats and Republicans alike can't see the forest for the trees. They are both barking up the wrong tree. I'm beginning to think that the powers that be don't know their ass from an elbow. If they would rack their brains a little, they would conclude that ending the Afghanistan War would get us all off the hook.

Translation:
When it comes to deficit reduction, Democrats and Republicans are focusing on the unimportant , rather than the important things. They are overlooking the obvious, which makes one think that our leaders don't know anything. If they strain their brains a bit , they will conclude that terminating the Afghanistan War will solve the problem.

Stranded In Space

    The space shuttle Discovery is making its last trip to the International Space Station. Endeavour will make its last trip to ISS on April 19 and Atlantis makes one last trip on June 28. American shuttles will then be relegated to museums and become the subjects of countless books. The ISS occupants will be relying on Russian shuttles for supplies and crew changes. If I were on the ISS I would be trying to book a flight back home as soon as possible.
     All of a sudden the good old U.S.A. has put space travel on the back burner. Sure, Obama has spinned a program which will supposedly have systems in place to get us to Mars in 2035. WOW! 2035! That's quite a commitment. Kennedy must be rolling over in his grave. I'll bet my bottom dollar that there will be all kinds of changes to that program well before 2035, reducing it to a trip to Disneyland for a simulated ride to Mars.
    What all this means to me is that our wars have stripped our pocketbook. I would liken it to an unemployed father explaining to his family that they will have to forgo that vacation trip  to Florida this year but maybe they can go to Europe in about twenty years. In the meantime, while he looked for a job, the children might be be able to hitch a ride to Florida with their neighbor.
     In case Russia falters on its shuttle program, it has been suggested that private corporations will come to the rescue with a commercial space shuttle. That ought to be an expensive ride which we can't afford. It all adds up to getting those fearless astronauts on the ISS back home as soon as possible. Why not use the last flights of Endeavour and Atlantis. You ask what is to become of the International Space Station? I'm sure the Chinese will be glad to lease it as a rest stop on their way to Mars by 2025.
  

On a silver platter

If you hand or give something on a silver platter to someone, you let them have it too easily. The question must be asked - have we handed the Middle East to Iran on a silver platter. After billions of dollars spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and thousands of American lives lost, Iran is poised to reap the benefits of our sacrifices when we inevitably leave the field of battle and finally admit that nation building in the Middle East bears too high a price. As one Arab nation after another rises in revolt against ruling despots, Iran is again on the sidelines like a vulture waiting to feast on the rotting corpses of Muslim nations. Not to despair, the light at the end of the tunnel is that  like many other  nations, Iran will discover that in  gaining alliances in the Middle East it must pay the piper who exacts a high toll. They say that every cloud has a silver lining - the United States will finally bite the bullet and ween itself from its dependence on oil.

All About Hats

    As far as running for a party’s presidential nomination goes, writing a book is the choice of most politicos to signal that they are in the race. If he is running for a lesser office, he must make do with “ my hat is in the ring”. Unfortunately the latter cliché also signals that the aspiring candidate is being less than honest. When is the last time you saw a politician wearing a hat?
    Come to think of it, hats just are not popular anymore except on a frigid day. Gone are the days when the drop of a hat would signal the start of a fight or a race. A gun is much more effective. For the timid , a wave of a green flag is the weapon of choice.
    To show respect for someone it is customary to approach the individual with hat in hand. With the demise of hats , respect is a thing of the past.
    More on “ hat in hand”. Organizations in need of money used to approach a government agency with hat in hand. Lately it has been found that a bribe is much more effective.
    Some people have too many hats. Someone who wears many hats is busier than a one armed paper hanger with the clap, never mind that he looks like a clown.
     Hats are frequently used by magicians. Just ask our President. Obama who is desperately trying to pull a rabbit of the hat in order to gain a second term as one crisis after another falls at his doorstep. One thing for sure, he can't sweep them under the rug. When informed of the Egyptian uprising, it was reported that his first words were, " I need that like a I need a hole in the head".
    As long as I'm targeting politicians, it was also reported that after receiving the Speaker's gavel from Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner whispered to her, " here's your hat, what's your hurry".
    I asked my spouse for her opinion of this post. After a quick review, she questioned some of my grammar. I took issue with some of her comments, after which she told me in no uncertain terms to go shit in my hat. First thing this afternoon, I'm going out to buy a replacement hat.

Are social networks that powerful?

DavidMixner.com: Internet: Lessons For Us From The Middle East

The above link is typical of the credit being given to Facebook and Twitter as the powerful communication weapons which facilitated the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. They have also been invaluable during natural disasters. I must confess that I do not fully understand how this is done. One thing for sure, I need to become more familiar with the power of social networks and how they are used in movements which are capable of bringing about reforms and changes in government. Up until now I had dismissed them as purely sociable and trivial, friend to friend communication, primarily designed for the young. Facebook and Twitter have obviously become something more, and I don't want to be a social network Luddite. Interesting that Mr. Mixner considers the "right to the Internet" as akin to the right to bear arms. I wonder what the NRA thinks? Could Facebook be used to curtail the abusive lobbying powers of the NRA? That I would like to see. In the meantime , I'm keeping my Facebook page and pondering whether or not to get back on Twitter. It might come in handy if I ever figure out how to use it as a rallying point for the silencing of gun fanatics. Just a fantasy!

Cleveland Indians - 2011

Ordinarily this is the time of year to get excited about the baseball season. Not the case with the Indians. All the news is "iffy". If Fausto Carmona pitches well, if Hafner hits with power (Hafner has a head of hair again -a good sign that his power may be back), if Sizemore's knee holds up, if Masterson's wins are in double digits, if Laporta has a breakout season, if,if,if....! The bottom line is that as usual the Indians are rebuilding. The Pyramids were built in a shorter time than it has taken for the Indians to rebuild! Rebuilding is the modus operandi for Cleveland. The Indians are rebuilding, the Cavaliers are rebuilding, the Browns are rebuilding, the city is rebuilding. Lets face it - Cleveland has written the book on rebuilding. Too bad they never finished the last chapter - Cleveland wins, Cleveland wins! No matter, it's still baseball.

Spring training games start 2/28 in Goodyear, AZ for the Cleveland Indians. They will be playing the Reds. Apparently the Arizona authorities are not yet aware that Reds are operating in Arizona. Will they deport them when the Reds take the field? And what about all these players with funny names, have they got papers?  When the Arizona Governor called the Home Security Secretary with the funny name and complained about terrorists infiltrating the national pastime of baseball, she was told that maybe paranoid Arizona should secede. As Arizona ponders secession, all those players with funny names are arming themselves with bats and body armor. Let the games begin!
 
BREAKING NEWS!


I want to retire!


It looks like the Chief Wahoo curse will continue for another year. Indians uniforms are still sporting his ridiculous caricature.

Make Prayer Not Politics

    The New York Times article, "Next Question for Tunisia: The Role of Islam in Politics" by Thomas Fuller, poses some interesting questions about the role of Islam in the aftermath of revolution and raises visions of our own revolutionists who made the separation of church and state a pillar of our Republic. Last Saturday, thousands of Tunisians marched through the capital demanding the separation of mosque and state. One of the slogans on their placards read “ Politics ruins religion and religion ruins politics”. Strong words - words we should heed in this country as zealots chip away at the separation of church and state pillar. A sign that the Tunisians will succeed in maintaining the separation of mosque and state is their support for  their brothels, which raises the question, do we need more whore houses in this country? As rogue ministers tamper with politics, would more pimps as activists be a force in  preserving our Constitution?
    The biggest danger of the uprisings in the Arab world is that extreme Muslims will seize control of society and government. More power to the Tunisian protesters who would rather have the extremists in a brothel and not the state house.

On Artichokes and Manners

Evidently the menace of artichokes exists for others.

DavidMixner.com: Hell's Kitchen Journal: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, The Artichoke And Me

Go Miniature Schnauzer!



He's #1


  Tonight the high primal, with her dog encyclopedia handy, becomes a rabid sports fan. It's time for The Westminster Dog Show, the Super Bowl of dog shows. Her favorite will once again be a Miniature Schnauzer - that's like rooting for The Indians to win the World Series this year. If the Schnauzer is a long shot, anything cute will do ( but not as cute as a half naked poodle). Large dogs are not in the running as far as she is concerned. It has something to do with a Saint Bernard who slobbered all over her when she was four years old. The strange part of all this enthusiasm for a dog show is that we have never owned a dog. The closest we have come to being dog owners is to function as dog sitters for our granddaughters dog who happens to be a Miniature Schnauzer. The bad thing about the high primal's enthusiasm for the dog show is that dinner usually gets short changed. Not this year though. It's Valentines Day and the high primal is taking me out to dinner. I like treats.

Celebrating Egypt's Revolution May Be Premature

Somehow I can't get caught up in Egypt's wild celebrations. True the people brought down Mubarak. Did they achieve a true democracy in Egypt? I think not. The celebrating reminds me of a wild New Years Eve party. The hangovers are bound to follow. If there is a leader committed to bringing major reform in Egypt he has not been identified. The only leaders mentioned are the military. Is there some strong civilian leader lurking in the background (a man of the cloth does not qualify as a civilian in the Mideast, at least as far as I'm concerned)? At this point, all that can be safely said is that the Egyptian uprising brought down Mubarak. It's a starting point for reform but it is a fragile one. The  Egyptian people do not have the option of back to life as usual. They have much work to do to determine their future. Lets hope it is the true democracy and freedom they so emphatically rallied for. Let's hope any attempt by Muslim radicals to take control is thwarted. Let's hope that in the face of a changing Middle East, the United States comes up with a strategy which will insure our safety and at the same be supportive of true reform in the Middle East. At the moment there are more questions than answers which means that high alert trumps celebration. One more question. Has the United States learned that we cannot boast about our freedom and democracy and at the same time prop up despots who we choose to call an ally?
(  Today being Abraham Lincoln's  birthday makes be wonder if there is an "Abe Lincoln" somewhere in Egypt who will heal the nation)

Bless me Father for I have sinned!

    The Catholic Church has approved a Confession iPhone app. I always thought that the Catholic Church would choose to enter the twenty-first century by permitting its priests to marry and even permitting women to be ordained as priests. Instead it has chosen an iPhone app.
    Devout Catholics will now be only a touch away from one of their most cherished sacraments after heaven forbid committing a sin. Imagine that wayward husband having the time of his life with his best friends wife, rolling over in bed , grabbing his smart phone and asking the phone for forgiveness. Actually it won’t be that easy. He will not get forgiveness - only preparation for a good confession in a smart church. Damn, the Church just won’t make being religious easy. With that, our wayward husband will probably terminate the prep, roll over, grab another condom and have another go at it.
    There’s another problem with this new app. You need a smart phone to take advantage of it. What about those of us who have a dumb phone. How do we prepare for a good confession. We don’t!  If you are smart enough to have a dumb phone, you are exempt from a good confession.
    Actually the confession app is not a problem for me and my dumb phone - I don’t sin. Besides it wouldn't be worth $1.99 . I,m not sure whether or not it is a one time charge. If the charge is $1.99 per sin , it could be a big money raiser for the Vatican.

( It is rumored that the Catholic Church is ready to launch a new app for the sacrament of Extreme Unction. I doubt that it will fly. Anyone needing Extreme Unction will be so close to death that they will never be able to turn the phone on, no matter how smart it is.)

Super Bowl Sunday

The nice thing about Super Bowl Sunday is that late Sunday evening the football season will finally be over and the mayhem they call NFL football will appropriately return center stage to the mayhem in Tahrir Square. The best thing about Superbowl Sunday is that it brings us one week closer to Baseball Spring Training.  Oh well, I might as well join the prognasticators - Steelers 21 Packers 9.

DavidMixner.com: Editorial Cartoon of the Week: Tattoo Removal

DavidMixner.com: Editorial Cartoon of the Week: Tattoo Removal

The First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The Egyptian uprising as well as turmoil in other parts of the world make me realize how important our First Amendment is. Until words similar to our First Amendment become the resolve of every nation, there will be no lasting peace in our world. Idealistic - yes. Impractical - probably. Worth fighting for - definitely. Should aid to a nation not subscribing to the principals of the First Amendment be cut off? Of course, but the interests of "big money", powerful religions and ethnic lobbyists will not permit such bold action. So what's the point of all this? We should thank God, Allah, That Great Spirit In The Sky or any other supreme being for our First Amendment. We should be euphoric about our First Amendment and make sure that it is never, never infringed! Our foreign policy should always be mindful of the failure of others to subscribe to the principles of the First Amendment. 

Execution Crisis

    Ohio (as well as other states) has a crisis of major proportions on its hands. Creating jobs? No, per the new Governor that's a piece of cake. Supporting schools? No, per the Legislature the status quo is just fine. Health care? No, that's Obama's problem. Killing people? Yes indeed! Lethal injection is the weapon of choice in Ohio. The problem is that the drug of choice, sodium thiopental, is no longer available. A drug company actually has a conscience and has stopped production of the drug to protest executions. Not to worry, the innovative Ohio Department of Corrections is prepared to substitute pentobarbital. One hitch. When the manufacturer of pentobarbital learned that its drug would be used to kill people rather than to make them well , they formally asked Ohio not to use the drug for executions. In blazing speed for a bureaucracy, Ohio announced that it would stick with the new drug. How can they do that? Apparently there is enough of a supply of the drug in the hands of distributors to satiate Ohio's appetite for putting people to death. As one official put it , " it is available, effective and humane". I guess what he meant is that no dog has ever complained about its use.
    Why not abandon capital punishment - it seems to be full of problems that no one has adequately addressed. When will we stop being hypocrites - admonishing Iran about the number of executions it carries out. Is a quota system more humane? And that is my rant for today !

What Price Ego

Mubarak is eighty-two years old, old enough to retire by any standard. He's been at the job for thirty years and has surely earned a good pension or stolen enough to live happily ever after. So why does he want to hang on until September. Ego? To have the pleasure of going out on his own terms? To buy time for a "counter revolution"? All of the above? Probably, but if he is miscalculating, an assassin's bullet may be awaiting him. He needs to leave now! The United States must make this clear to him in no uncertain terms now. If we are the voice of democracy ,lets start using that voice in a bold manner.

Whether we get on board with the protesters in a solid manner or not , our diplomats had better start honing their skills to deal with the new Egypt. Here's hoping for an Egypt dedicated to freedom for its people and an Egypt that is a democracy and not a theocracy.

About Friends

    What are friends for? Normally one would think that friends are people you share your personal concerns with, that friends are people  you share your successes and personal disappointments with, that friends are people you socialize with. In this day of social networks; however, friends are people who patronize Facebook. Facebook urges us to accumulate hundreds of " friends". In fact the cliche, 'a friend of yours is a friend of mine' could very well be Facebook's motto. I dare say that many of the "friends" accumulated on Facebook are fair weather friends. I don't mean to make a big deal of Facebook 'friends'. After all , what's a little hypocrisy among friends.
    As an aside, although I would have liked to have seen a stronger response from the United Sates on the side of the protestors in Egypt , I'm sure Mubarak used the friend card with Obama - what are friends for! If he did , I'm sure he didn't do it thru Facebook - he's not a fan.

Read my lips

   Passing a group of women engaged in conversation , I heard the words, "Do you see what I'm saying?". I had to pause and reflect on what I had heard. The first thought I had was that she was obviously talking to a friend who was a lip reader. If so, why didn't she say, " read my lips", it would have been less confusing. Then I speculated that if  I stood there long enough I probably would hear her interjecting " do you see what I'm saying" several times during her conversation. The absurd thought popped into my mind that the phrase being part of her speech, she probably would use it while talking to a blind person.
   Being careful to insure that everyone is hanging on to every word we say is not limited to casual conversations. How many times does Obama say, "let me clear" during a speech or news conference.
   Actually, we all probably repeatedly use some sort of superfluous phrase during our conversations. You know what I'm talking about?

The State of The Union

As for Obama's State of The Union address I have to agree with Paul Krugman' s blog post. As Krugman concluded:

 "We care about the future! But we don’t want to spend!"


There was much cheer leading last night but no trip ticket. After consulting AAA, the speech writers must have decided that it was to risky to take the trip. Probably because the road is full of potholes and there is no money to repair them!

It's going to be a rough ride the next two years. My personal opinion is that Obama's pleas for bipartisanship are falling on deaf ears. Let's hope that the partisanship which will inevitably prevail does not take us over the cliff.

I do need to make provisions for an electric car charger in my garage. Obama said I'd need one by 2015 .

Can Obama really keep his pledge to veto any bill with earmarks? I doubt it. Earmarks are what get Congressmen elected.

As for the Republican response, I still can't swallow the tea being served to the G.O.P. by The Tea Party.

Amend the Second Amendment?

The following appeared this morning in The Plain Dealer feature called Monday Moaning. No commenter's name appeared, but whoever wrote this provided a plateful of food for thought .

"I'm tired of hear about Second Amendment rights. I'm tired of politicians cowering at an NRA low rating. What does that mean anyway? Nothing. Your right to bear arms is not inalienable, not a human or civil right. It's was a necessity for that time. It's an Amendment like the 18th, Prohibition, which was a good idea at the time that created bad consequences and was quickly repealed by another amendment that made more sense. The same can be said for the Second Amendment. It was necessary and a good idea in 16th century proto-America. No one, even liberals, wants it repealed, just amended to reflect 21st century America."
-- Cleveland

Step right up and see the tattooed man!

As a child, the circus coming to town was a big event, rivaling the rock 'n roll concerts of today. Many of us did not have the price of admission to the big tent and we had to be satisfied with the sideshow which featured attractions like the Fat Lady, the Fire Eater, the Snake Charmer, the Bearded Lady and of course the Tattooed Man. While doing some mall walking the other day, it occurred to me that some of the people normally found in the old circus sideshows were parading around in the mall. I didn't see any Fire Eaters other than the few individuals breathing fire while talking to a customer service rep.   The dudes putting the make on some comely young ladies could qualify as Snake Charmers. There was no question about the presence of the Fat Lady - she was everywhere ( the Fat Man also for that matter)! The character that rivaled the presence of the Fat Lady was the Tattooed Man. He actually outnumbered all the walkers - as did the Tattooed Woman. Most of the tattooed individuals looked normal in every way except for their skin. I don't understand why anyone wants to make themselves a walking bill board. We used to call the sideshow performers freaks. Applying that term to the sideshow equivalents one sees in the mall would not be politically correct but it's apropos. I didn't see any bearded ladies during my walk unless I can count the individual that I'm sure was a transvestite. The more I walked, the more I classified everyone as some sort of freak. I brought my walk to a halt and headed home when I realized all of the freaks were looking at me as though I was a freak. After I got home, I realized why. Does anyone walking around with his fly unzipped qualify as a freak? Serves me right, it's about time I got into the twenty -first century. Just where should I put that tattoo?

So much for national unity

I understand that Obama will press a centrist agenda in his State of The Union address. Good old Obama thinks that  unity and renewal should be the nation's buzz words. Apparently the New Hampshire G.O.P. will take his message to heart - at least the renewal part. A Tea Party activist has taken over the party. As  see it, Obama is moving his party to the center and The Tea Party is moving the G.O.P more to the right. There goes any chance for national unity.

 By the way, the State of The Union can be stated very succinctly - union membership is rapidly declining. Another blow to national unity.

 No ranting, no raving, just the facts and I broke my writer's block. I'm not blank for the time being at least!

Some Fleeting Thoughts

• Watching it snow outside, diversity came to mind. No two snowflakes are the same.  As the snow flakes reach the ground they forget their differences and join together to form a blanket of snow. No two human beings are the same but unlike snow flakes, their differences linger on in the form of bigotry, racial tensions and religious intolerance.
•  The competition among credit cards concerning rewards and cash rebates is becoming fierce. Moreover the fine print defies understanding. It looks like the time is ripe for a " credit card reward financial advisor" and maybe a listing on the NYSE.
• Are social networks like Facebook creating a bubble which is bound to burst as personal privacy is sacrificed more and more?
•  Why is it so important to be connected most of one's waking hours?
• As dashboards in cars become more complex, how many accidents have to occur before there is a clamoring for the ultimate gadget- a horse!
• Boehner's House has passed legislation calling for the repeal of the Health Care Act. Repealing so called Obamacare is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
• Do we really need a State of the Union address by the President?

I could have been a contender!

My favorite blogging key

I did it again, I changed the appearance of my blog! Whether or not it is an improvement is not the question. The question is why. Why do I keep changing my blogs or worse yet my blogs? Yes, my blogs! Fun With Cliches, According To Marge, Pensieri Casuali - merge and unmerge, merge and unmerge! Presently they are all standing on their own two feet. I don't think they will be merged again any time soon. It's just too much fucking trouble.

 I've been known to do the blogging unthinkable - I actually DELETE a post now and then after it has been published. If that's unthinkable , think about this or better yet try to remember, Pensieri, From Museful's Keyboard, A Little Ado About A Few Things, From Tony's Keyboard. Sound familiar? Only if you are an avid reader of this blog. Since there are few , to tell the truth - very, very few avid readers, let me me enlighten you ( incidentally emlightening the world was the purpose of the blog as originally concieved but the light went out - low battery power). They are all blog titles, the predecessors of Pensieri Casuali. Why would any blog title have a predecessor? Insecurity. It's something like being in the witness protection program. I wonder? Could that be a reason for so few followers of this blog. No one can find it! But I digress.

 I started to explain why this blog keeps constantly changing in appearance, title and content. After several sessions with a blog shrink - let's call him Tony, no make that Museful - it became obvious. Every time a blogging change has been made it's been the result of being bored silly. I get bored and I make a blog change. The shrink and I  concluded that it qualifies me as  an addict. I'm addicted to making blog changes.

Like a typical addict, I've compromised what up until now was a secret ambition. I dared to dream the impossible dream of being a journalist. It was my quest to contend for the Pulitzer Prize. Instead I became the Don Quixote of the blogosphere. Had it not been for my addiction I could have been a contender!

If it's not too late to make a resolution for the New Year, I'd like to give it a shot - in the interest of civility and out of respect for the victims of nuts who go around shooting people , make that " give it a try".

I resolve not to make any more changes to my blog or blogs as long as one of the following happens this year :

• The White House and Congress make an honest effort to repeal The Second Amendment.
•  Israel and the Palestinians agree to a fully autonomous Palestinian State.
• Iran and North Korea dismantle their nuclear capability.
• The Cleveland Indians win the 2011 World Series
• The Cleveland Indians retire Chief Wahoo. 

Talk about the impossible dream, that resolve fits the bill.  I'm already contemplating a change in my blog title which is more suited to my blogging style? How about " The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind". I like it but there is a small problem - someone else is already using the title. Oh well, there's no rush. Did you notice that I changed my blog photo? Hold on, I just noticed those birds flying around in the template I'm presently using. " Fleeting Thoughts" might be a good title. It really would, that's what happens to all of the great thoughts for posts I come up with, they fly off into a black hole . On second thought, I ought to give my New Years resolution a reasonable chance - Pensieri Casuali it is for now.

At this point anyone who accidentally came across this post might ask, " What in hell is this demented guy writing about".  Isn't it obvious, I'm pretending I've got something important to say and  more to the point , I needed a blog post.

My name is Tony. I'm a blogger who could have been a contender but settled for being a blog changer!

Cutie goes to college

Epilogue to Cutie is a whore

Cutie (the Netbook) is now going to college! She is still working in coffee houses but has also become an integral part of my son's lectures at Kent State University. My son informed me that Cutie is performing very professionally. She now can boast that Power Point as well as Kindle is part of her hard drive. When informed of Cutie's  activity at the high primal's Alma Mater, the high primal's condescending response  was, " I didn't know she could do that". Sour grapes?

Good luck Jim Thome

I read this morning that the Minnesota Twins have signed Jim Thome for the 2011 season. That means that Thome will hit his 600th home run in a Twins uniform. Congratulations to the Twins for having the sense to re-sign this gentleman ballplayer. Why Cleveland didn't put out some bucks to sign a great player they developed is mind boggling. Hope Thome hits home run #600 in Cleveland's Progressive Field.

As time goes by.......

As time goes by the big news becomes ordinary news and before long only an anniversary to be noted. It took less than a week to get the horrific Tuscon Massacre off the front page, at least the front page of The Plain Dealer. It seems that the front page, the past few days, has been reserved for the selection of a new Cleveland Browns football coach and the inauguration of a "get tough" governor. I guess it makes sense if you need to get your mind off making the hard decisions for promoting civility in our life style. Publicising the new mentor of head butting and " take him out" sports is just what we need. A governor bent on destroying the rights of the working man will certainly put civility in its place. As time goes by, civility will not seem that important as long as a touchdown is scored or a political party is put in its place. Hope I haven't crossed the line when it comes to writing in a civil manner. Go Browns - that should do it!

Cutie is a whore!

 Cutie is a whore! That is what the high primal has declared. The high primal is not prone to label people and in this case she may be excused. You see, Cutie is a computer - a Netbook at that. Why has Cutie been labeled a whore? Before answering that let me give you a little history.



Marge and Cutie hard at work



It has been a struggle to get the high primal to embrace the wonders of computers. One of the most recent efforts to help the high primal to become computer literate was to purchase a Netbook almost a year ago. Why a Netbook? It's cute, thus the name Cutie ( in our household most inanimate objects have names). Initially Cutie was a hit and did a fair job of helping the high primal develop some computer skills. The high primal learned how to use a mouse and to some extent Cutie's pointing device. Accessing the Internet became almost routine although surfing was limited to shopping and reading the New York Times - no surprise there.

Sadly in recent months Cutie was neglected by the high primal. Apparently the high primal's computer literacy got to the point where she became envious of my seventeen inch screen. Cutie just didn't cut it anymore with her ten inch screen.

To make a long story short, which I'm sure the reader would appreciate at this point, I convinced the high primal that there was absolutely no problem with her sharing my computer. Actually we now refer to it as our computer. I don't understand why she hasn't given it a name but I'm sure that will happen in time.

As for Cutie, she was put up for adoption. Our son seized the opportunity to adopt Cutie and promptly put her to work in various coffee houses. Not surprisingly, Cutie began to feel like a real computer. So why is she a whore? The high primal detests Kindles. She make no bones about her feeling that the use of Kindles is obscene. When the high primal found out that Kindle for PCs had been downloaded to Cuties hard drive she screamed at our son, "You've made a whore out of my Cutie!".

(I must confess that I didn't know that you could download a kindle for an ordinary PC and it free ( if it's free how could Cutie be accused of being a whore?). Free is good, so now this computer has a Kindle for PC's on its hard drive! The Kindle icon does not appear on my Desktop - the high primal is not computer literate enough to locate the program. I wouldn't want the high primal interacting with a whore.)

Talk in a way that heals, not a way that wounds

The President spoke tonight at the memorial service of the Tuscon massacre victims at the University of Arizona. The pundits all pointed out, for the benefit of us ordinary folk, that Obama's speech was an opportunity to turn his presidency around. I listened and I liked what I heard. What the effect will be on his presidency only the pundits and history will determine. As far as I'm concerned he hit a home run in his plea for civility. The following quote from his speech should standout for all Americans  - especially for our representatives in government.

“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized, at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.”

 There is no better way to honor the victims of the Tuscon tragedy. These are words to heed as we write,  as well as when we speak.

Dealing With Tragedies

How do you deal with a tragedy such as occurred at the Tuscon mall a few days ago?  In a letter to the editor in The Plain dealer this morning , one writer had all the answers. First you angrily point out all the vitriolic remarks that Democrats have made including the President and the First Lady, then you make a plea for everyone to take advantage of the right to bear arms which is given to all red blooded Americans by the Second Amendment. Once this is done, you carry! If you stumble upon a shooter in the mall, you take him out  (even though he is exercising his right as a red blooded American to carry a Glock which can fire off multiple shots in a flash ) . He should have added to it would be advisable to be very accurate lest the protector becomes guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Is it too much to ask for gun owners to tune down their "wild west" rhetoric?

What is a quagmire?

As the new year starts to take root, our priorities as a nation also start to take root . Number one on the list is the coming presidential election in 2012. Number two on the list is the coming presidential election in 2012. Number three on the list is the coming presidential election of 2012. Wait a minute! Are our priorities that limited? I think they are. Power is the name of the game and any initiatives out of Washington whether from the White House or the Congress will have to pass the propaganda test. Will they provide ammunition designed to gain votes in the coming presidential election of 2012. Which brings me to quagmire. One of the definitions of quagmire is a situation from which extrication is very difficult.

•  Mixing legislative agenda and presidential politics is a quagmire!
• Everyone knows that by this time our troops should be home from Afghanistan.  Afghanistan  is a quagmire!
•  Campaign promises are explicit. "Wish I hadn't said that" prevails after the campaign. Campaign promises are a quagmire!
•  Israeli and Palestinian negotiations on a Palestinian State are stuck in the  quagmire of Israeli settlements in the West Bank!
•  Outsourcing of American jobs in the midst of an economic downturn is a quagmire!
•  Blue Ribbon Panel or Presidential Commission recommendations are quagmires!
•  Pakistan as an ally is a quagmire!
•  The Senate filibuster rule is a quagmire!
•  The Cleveland Indians finishing last in their Division is a quagmire!
•  Using Chief Wahoo as a sports logo is a quagmire!
•  The Second Amendment is a quagmire!
•  The role of lobbyists in government is a quagmire!

 Judging from this post, it appears that we are surrounded by quagmires!

 Am I sure I know what a quagmire is? Things could not possibly be this bad.

Make up your mind, delete or publish!

This post is a quagmire! Help! I've fallen into a quagmire and I can't get out!

EITHER HIT THE DELETE BUTTON OR PUBLISH THE DAMN THING, YOU FOOL!

(Quagmires do that to you - you start having a conversation with them and find it difficult to stop.)

Not before I once again declare that the preparations for the coming presidential election in 2012 are a quagmire!

Maybe I should save this as a draft?

I haven't got all day , sh#t or get off the blog!

PUBLISH! May the Blogging Gods forgive me.

It is now official!

It is now official, the politics of rage, the lack of effective gun control and the power of lobbyists has brought us one step closer to being a banana republic. The loss of life and critical injuries as a result of the Arizona massacre today is tragic for this country and our society as well as the families of the victims.

Required reading for assholes and non-assholes

One of my most enjoyable Christmas presents was " The No Asshole Rule" by Robert I. Sutton, PhD. The book is billed as "the definitive guide to working with ---and---surviving--- bullies,creeps, jerks, tyrants, tormentors,despots, backstabbers, egomaniacs, and all the other assholes who do their best to destroy you at work". Dr. Sutton is an advocate of establishing a civilized atmosphere in the workplace. It starts by discouraging  assholes from applying their trade. In a civilized workplace firing an asshole , no matter how talented he or she may be is not out of the question.

 It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It took me back to my working years and brought back reminiscences of the many assholes I encountered over forty years. If only Dr. Sutton's book had been in my library during those years, I would have recognized the "bullies,creeps, jerks, tyrants, tormentors,despots, backstabbers, egomaniacs" in a more timely manner and dealt with them more adroitly rather than confronting them in a belligerent manner. Does that make me an asshole? According to the book, at least a temporary ahole. No matter, the book's message is applicable to  my present environment. It provides insight for dealing with neighborhood gatherings, supermarkets, big box stores and various organizations where aholes abound. Then there are the 24/7 news programs with their pundits. If at least one of them applied the No Asshole Rule it would  make listening to the news commentaries a lot more enjoyable. My newly acquired knowledge of what makes an asshole will also come in handy today if I watch the opening day ceremonies of Boehner's House of Representatives. The book had little to say about applying the No Asshole Rule to politics. I suppose it would be next to impossible to find a sponsor, never mind enforce such an enlightened rule. As Sutton suggests, the No Asshole rule brings about a more civilized workplace - a good place to start, the probability of spilling over into politics and our daily lives is certainly there.

 Of course each one of us has an asshole. We must wonder at times if our asshole has taken over our personality. Dr. Sutton to the rescue. Take a self exam by visiting this site, Are You a Certified Asshole. I took the exam but I'm not revealing the results. I wonder why I received the book ?

( As an aside, I once heard a proctologist ( colorectal surgeon in today's lingo) say that he chose the field rather than obstetrics in order to have twice as many patients. He was a jovial asshole.)

Bring it on 2011

High primals are not noted for being highly organized as proven by the above note ( with all due respect, the high primal did not have her glasses on). It  did get us through New Years Eve and New years Day was a crowning success, proving that there is no challenge that 2011 can offer that we can't deal with. Bring it on!

Not A Bad Year

It's almost time to say farewell to 2010. After you flush all the bad that happened during the year down the toilet, it wasn't such a bad year. These days I tend to judge the years in terms of survival and the quality of life. The fact that I'm sitting here, pain free and with my wits intact ( yes, I know that's debatable), writing a post and looking forward to a new year , tells me that 2010 was a good year. The fact that the high primal continues to be at my side, tells me that 2010 was a good year.

As with any year there was the good , the bad and the ugly and I'm sure 2011 will have its share of the good, the bad and the ugly ( which by the way was a great spaghetti western). As long as we enjoy the good, fight the bad and ignore the ugly, we'll be  in good shape.

 A toast to 2011!

2010 was a good year, maybe not a very good year, but all in all, a good year. We feel fortunate that we were around to agonize over it and more importantly to savor it. Here's looking at you 2011! Looking forward to seeing a lot of each other.

According To Tony

In an effort to maximize income, Joe The Plumber has been hired by Wall Street firms to plug the leak that results in trickle down economics? If Joe The Plumber is not successful, Han Bricker , of dyke leak fame, will be asked to use his finger to plug the leak. Unfortunately, Hans does not like playing second fiddle and gave the finger to Wall Street. As a last resort , Wall Street will ask The Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of trickle down economics. If its friends on the Court screw up and rule that trickle down is constitutional, Wall Street is prepared to launch a campaign to make " let them eat cake economics" the law of the land. The incoming Speaker , John Boehner - R (Ohio), tearfully announced that a" let them eat cake economics"  bill will be fast tracked in The House that Wall Street bought.

Peace on Earth, good will toward men!




Christmas past - Frank A. Rugare 1892-1971

 

Facebook Update #2

I've been on Facebook for four months now and it's time to decide on my Facebook future or better put, it's time  to sh#t or get off the pot ( thought I'd sneak in some fun with cliches). I guess I'll sh#t! Facebook appears to be serving the purpose I was seeking - keeping in touch with family. I've learned how to tune out most of the cute information and trite comments. I've learned how to restrain my inane comments. I don't feel like a voyeur ( most of the time). The high primal likes having a Facebook page and she has the deciding vote. I probably have the fewest  Facebook "friends" on record - that's the way I want it. Actually I share Paul Krugman's views in his blog post, I Don't Want to Be Your Friend,  but not wanting to make waves, there  will be no more vacillating about my Facebook participation -end of Facebook story.

Twitter is another story. I took Twitter up on it's comment that many people who have a Twitter account neither follow other twitterers or tweet. Tweet, tweet - it hasn't been fun. Tweet.tweet - Twitter for me is history!

Label Me A Pragmatist

On Dec. 13 a No Labels movement was launched at Columbia University by a group of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The movement is designed to fight hyper-partisanship in American politics. Prominent among the supporters was Mayor Bloomfield. Just what I was looking for - a political movement devoted to sensible and pragmatic ideals without label warfare. Today I’m not so sure. Frank Rich in his Dec. 19 column, The Bipartisanship Racket, questions the success of a No Labels movement. The part of his reasoning which got me questioning the No Label movement was this paragraph:

"The notion that civility and nominal bipartisanship would accomplish any of the heavy lifting required to rebuild America is childish magical thinking, and, worse, a mindless distraction from the real work before the nation. Sure, it would be swell if rhetorical peace broke out in Washington — or on cable news networks — but given that American politics have been rancorous since Boston’s original Tea Party, wishing will not make it so. Bipartisanship is equally extinct — as made all too evident this month by the pathetic fate of the much-hyped Simpson-Bowles deficit commission. Less than a week after the panel released its recommendations, the Democratic president and the Republican Congressional leadership both signed off on a tax-cut package that made a mockery of all its proposals by adding another $858 billion to the deficit. Even the Iraq Study Group — Washington’s last stab at delegating tough choices to a blue-ribbon bipartisan commission — enjoyed a slightly longer shelf life before its recommendations were unceremoniously dumped into the garbage."


As usual , Rich’s writing provides much food for thought. Perhaps the No Labels movement is destined for yet  another label - Idealists. Liberals, Conservatives, Progressives, Independents and now Idealists all fighting for our political minds. I suggest throwing one more in the mix, Pragmatists. This would certainly make for a rancorous group rivaling the original Tea Party.

Hyper-partisanship will probably continue to rule our politics. If so, the fight will be brutal and eat away at the fabric of our Republic. A solution is not in my arsenal of thought but I do know that unless we start doing things differently, we will go the way of the Roman Empire. If the No Label movement morphs into the Pragmatic Movement , we might have a beginning to the solution. Label me a Pragmatist!

Never go mall walking 7 days before Christmas

The weather has played havoc with my daily walking routine. For some inexplicable reason, sidewalks are not cleared after snow falls in my neighborhood. Fortunately my stationary bike has come to my rescue. Actually, the bike provides a more vigorous exercise than walking but after cycling four miles I find that I haven't moved an inch.

When the high primal announced that she had some last minute Christmas shopping to do at the mall, I seized the opportunity to go along with her - not to shop but to walk the mall. Big mistake! Something must be triggering the economy. Parking spaces at the mall were at a premium. Once inside, walking space was at a premium. The mall was wall to wall or rather store to store with shoppers.Obama must be smiling - I know most store executives are smiling.

As for my walking, I did manage to get in about forty minutes of walking without ever entering a store. I'm sure this feat qualifies me as an NFL running back . As for the high primal's shopping - a catastrophe! The check out lines were too long, she didn't see what she wanted, she was too tired and wanted to go home.

I forgot to mention that Santa was busy. I would estimate that there was a twenty minute wait to place the toddler on his lap so that he or she could receive a candy cane. By the way when Santa walked to his throne , I noticed he was using a cane. Probably suffered a leg injury negotiating his way through the crowd.

The moral of this story is that a stationary bike is not such a bad way of exercising a week before Christmas.

Kudos to Amazon.Com

In the midst of the Christmas shopping rush, errors in orders are bound to be made. In my case , a book I ordered using my Amazon.com account did not arrive as promised. I should modify that last statement, according to USPS it was delivered on 12/11/10. If indeed it was delivered. the poor order arrived at someone else's home. Could it be that someone is enjoying my book gratis? That's beside the point. On December 14, I decided to contact Amazon's customer service in an effort to resolve the problem. Much to my amazement there were no if, ands or buts. I received a commitment that if the order did not arrive by December 16, Amazon would be glad to to either give me a refund or ship a replacement. The order did not arrive on December 16 and I elected a refund. On December 17, I received e-mail confirming that my credit card account had been credited for the price of the lost order. No hassle, just plain courtesy. I understand that this is standard practise for Amazon.Com. They certainly have earned my loyalty.

Doesn't know sh#t from shinola

Listening to Eric Cantor recently as he waxed eloquently about the virtues of the Republican agenda, I found myself uttering these words to my shocked TV set , " He doesn't know shit from shinola!". No sooner had I gotten the words out of my mouth I began to wonder how many people today would make any sense from that phrase. If you have never shined your own shoes, comparing sh#t to shinola makes little sense. Even if you shined a pair of shoes, the phrase may be difficult to digest. The following excerpted from The Phrase Finder may help:

Shinola was a brand of shoe polish previously manufactured in the USA. The alliteration and the fact that the two commodities in the phrase could possibly be confused is the derivation. The distinction is well made; only one of them would be good to apply to your shoes and only particularly dim people could be expected to muddle them up. Of course, outside America, most people don't know Shinola from anything at all, as they've never heard of it. Even in America it would probably not be widely remembered but for this phrase.

Translation:

•  When someone doesn't know anything about what they should know something about, they don't know sh#t from shinola.
•  Someone possessing poor judgment or knowledge doesn't know sh#t from shinola.

Of course the honorable Eric Cantor is not alone in the world of sh#t and shinola. Listen carefully to the garbage being spewed by most of our politicians and you would have to conclude that there will be a lot of shoes covered with shit, I mean covered with sh#t, making their way to the halls of Congress. What can we expect come 2011? Does garbage in , garbage out cover the legislative agenda?

Who said the government does too much?

The weather outside is not delightful, in fact it's sh#tty! I haven't ventured outdoors yet, preferring to embrace the comfort of my keyboard. A few minutes ago I received a recorded call which made me feel warm. The call was from the Department of Aging cautioning us old codgers about the near blizzard conditions we can expect the next couple of days. The caller essentially said, don't do anything stupid and remember your age. The caller furthur advised the aged to have a friend check on them and to call 211 if help was needed to cope with the weather. Of course in case of an emergency, 911 was the way to go.

What's the point of all this. Damn it , I appreciated the call and trite as it may sound it made me feel that even outside my family there was someone who cared. What frosts me, no pun intended, is that I'm sure the Department of Aging is on the list of agencies we can do without or cut down to size. I hope that the powers to be will tread carefully when it comes to pruning government. A robo call in the midst of blizzard conditions is a good example of not wasting  taxpayer money

Jiminy Christmas, it's almost Christmas !

My idle musing led me to investigate cliches associated with Christmas. Much to my amazement I only came up with one - Jiminy Christmas. A search using Xmas and Santa produced zero results. Upon reflection there is nothing trite about Christmas, thus the dearth of Christmas cliches. But what about Jiminy Christmas?

Jiminy Christmas is used to express surprise and is associated with the Walt Disney character Jiminy Cricket. As far as I can determine , both Jiminy's are expressions of surprise. I was astonished to learn they are used by the devout as a substitute for "Jesus Christ!" when exclaiming surprise. Jiminy Cricket and Jesus Christ. JC and JC. Jesus Christ, it's remarkable - sinning is avoided and the soul is saved!

Jiminy Christmas, look at the calendar! It's almost Christmas -time to wish one and all a Merry Christmas and to all a good day!

(A more thorough treatise about Jiminy Christmas can be found in the Jiminy Christmas post on  Patrick Guanciale's blog.) 





 




Spring Forward One Month or How To Avoid Christmas Shopping

Every year about this time I become grouchier than usual. The high primal has confirmed this in no uncertain terms. The cause of my malady is Christmas shopping. I don't have a problem with Christmas - family gatherings and sumptuous meals are the perfect prescription for bringing a smile to a grouches face. Waiting until Christmas to get rid of my shopping induced bad personality trait gets to be more difficult each year. This year I resolved to do something about it. The solution was remarkably simple. One trip around the house flipping a page on the calendar and a session on the computer's Control Panel and suddenly it was January 10, 2011. No shopping deadlines, no crowded stores - the Christmas hassle was a thing of the past. Just as with Daylight Savings Time , I will have to find a way to even things up. No problem, on February 1, 2011 I'll simply flip back the calendar back  to January, 2011.

 I have the eerie felling that this fooling around with the calendar will never be embraced by the  Chamber of Commerce and the religious community. The blow that really caused me to trash my idea however, was when the high primal pooh-poohed it with, "even Rupert Murdoch can't do that".  I'm not so sure that's true - FOX News does a fine job of distorting everything else. I learned long ago not to argue with the high primal so it will be much easier to endure the shopping, leave the calendar alone and put a big smile on my face.

Have A Chinese Merry Christmas

The Chinese have a lot to be merry about as the holiday season gets into full swing and they shower us with "Made In China" toys, housewares, clothing and Christmas decorations. The latter is especially important. Without Chinese prelit trees, LED light strings , wreaths and yes, manger scenes it would indeed be a drab Christmas.

 In appreciation for drowning us in cheap manufactured goods , let us join in saying Merry Christmas in Chinese? (For the uninformed , Merry Christmas in Chinese is Sheng Dan Kuai Le (Traditional: 聖誕快樂; Simplified: 圣诞快乐).)

 I'm sure the Chinese will not be offended if our unemployed Americans do not join in the greeting. As long as the Treasury keeps paying the interest on our massive debt , the Chinese could care less. Bah! Humbug!

Put A Cork In It

 I've concluded that I have been suffering from political diarrhea.  In the future I'm going to put a cork in it. If that does not work, maybe putting a sock in it or better yet zipping it will do the trick. Ranting and raving on my part lends little or nothing to what I perceive as messy politics. Let those who are true students of politics handle the serious blogging . I may indulge myself with some humorous satire dealing with politics now and then but as far as the serious business of politics is concerned I'll limit myself to pointing out informative links . Having said that, I sincerely hope that Obama and his team get it right soon. They don't need me to point out their mistakes and they obviously don't need me for solutions - they are on their own. Blogging is fun and I'm going to try to keep it that way. Does this make me a blogging sissie? No, just a blogging realist.

Is Our President AWOL?

Frank Rich’s  All the President’s Captors (New York Times, Dec.4)  article is a must read for anyone who voted for Obama in 2008. It’s beginning to look like President Obama is AWOL on the issues which gained  the presidency for candidate Obama. As Rich puts it:

The cliché criticisms of Obama are (from the left) that he is a naïve centrist, not the audacious liberal that Democrats thought they were getting, and (from the right) that he is a socialist out to impose government on every corner of American life. But the real problem is that he’s so indistinct no one across the entire political spectrum knows who he is. A chief executive who repeatedly presents himself as a conciliator, forever searching for the “good side” of all adversaries and convening summits, in the end comes across as weightless, if not AWOL. A Rorschach test may make for a fine presidential candidate — when everyone projects their hopes on the guy. But it doesn’t work in the Oval Office: These days everyone is projecting their fears on Obama instead.

After all his campaign rhetoric, it now appears that Obama once again will cow tow to the G.O.P. . This time around he will cave in on his promise to end the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. The middle class will be the major source of revenue for the government - the wealthy will get essentially a free ride. They paid for it in the midterm elections! With this shameful retreat , his legacy may very well be highlighted by a financial meltdown rivaling that of Bush’s 2008 meltdown. From Rich’s article:

We’re now at the brink of a new economic disaster that will eventually yank a chicken out of every pot. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities calculates that the extended Bush-era tax cuts will contribute by far the largest share to the next decade’s deficits — ahead of the recession’s drain on tax revenues, Iraq and Afghanistan war spending, TARP and Obama’s stimulus. The new Congress’s plan to block any governmental intervention on behalf of 15 million-plus jobless Americans guarantees that the unemployment rate, back up to 9.8 percent as of Friday, will remain intractable too.

These words scare the s#!t out of me. I know what it’s like to see a chicken yanked out of the pot and it’s not the kind of future I want for my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Obama's State of The Union message may very well be the defining moment in his presidency. He'll either renew hope for an end to our wars and a revival of the economy or he will go down as just another ward healer. According To Marge, " Obama is beginning to find out that the skills he acquired as a community organizer in Chicago's South Side neighborhoods are not enough to make him an effective President of The United States".  

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia ( but not in my living room)

You know you are getting old when you fall asleep while watching It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. My granddaughters raved so much about this TV show that I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Three times I tuned the show in and three times I fell asleep before the first commercial. It's inexplicable. The time, ten o'clock, should not be a problem. I've watched many, many episodes of Law And Order in that same time period and never fell asleep - well only a very few times. Could it be that It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is not my cup of tea which is another way of saying that the show is not aimed at old codgers. If so , why don't the commercials for the show have a disclaimer - Not recommended For Anyone Over 80. I did find out that you can watch clips of the show on the Internet. Maybe some sunny afternoon, I can watch them on my computer. If I fall asleep I'll have to settle for some some Law And Order episodes.

All About Mates

In the midst of a Korean crisis, the Wikileaks,  a Mideast crisis and serious problems with the economy, it seems appropriate  to indulge in a little levity - especially since I'm out of the loop when it comes to solving these problems. Here it goes -
______________________________________________________________

Q - What's a soul mate?
A - Anyone celebrating a Golden anniversary

Q - What's a stalemate?
A - Anyone with prostate problems.

Q - What's a shipmate?
A - Anyone you mate with on a cruise.

Q - What's a classmate?
A - A classy spouse.

Q - What's a checkmate?
A - The other half of a joint checking account.

Q - What's a first mate?
A - An ex-wife.

Q - What's a teammate?
A - The opposite of a mateteam.

Q - What's a running mate?
A - A domestic abuse victim.

Q - What's a cell mate?
A - What you find in a unisex prison.

And now for the jackpot- what is a mate?
A - A matching sock.

Give the man his money!
Boo! Give 'im the hook!

Give 'em hell, Barry - not the other cheek

Breaking news - Obama cow tows to the G.O.P  Our tough  leader who took an elbow to the lip requiring 12 stitches, used that same lip to apologize to G.O.P. leaders for not reaching out to them in the past. Shocking! I knew that the Democrats lost the midterm elections but I didn't appreciate that one of their prizes was control of the White House. Is Obama ready to sell his soul to the devils? My post about civility referred to the need for Obama to adopt a little bit of the Truman touch. Doesn't look like it's going to happen. More and more , it looks like the fire is out in Obama's belly. I can understand why, but I don't like it.