Quote of the Day -- Timely

Not only was H.L Mencken correct here but he and his quote are extremely relevant and poignant now, what with sports figures taking a knee about justice and injustice in our nation.

Entertainment Overnight -- I think Michael would be proud

True then, true now, Part II

Quote of the day

"Only a crisis—actual or perceived––produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. . . . Our basic function is to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable." --Milton Friedman, 1962

Hopeful signs from some Catholics

This is rare, isn't it?

Good news from a Catholic group.

It seems some Irish Priests have gotten together and are pushing for change in their Church:

Priests rise up in quiet revolt against Rome

Hundreds of priests gathered in Dublin this week in defiance of the Vatican. Might they be the Church's salvation, asks Malachi O'Doherty

It reminds me of a now-old joke:

Question: How many Catholics does it take to change a lightbulb?

Answer:

CHANGE???!!!


Anyway it's a fascinating, even hopeful article. If you're Catholic (God forbid--pun rather intended, sorry) or just interested, you might take a few moments to check it out:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/priests-rise-up-in-quiet-revolt-against-rome-16156033.html#ixzz1uU40CXgS

"Ch-ch-ch-changes..."

Enjoy your Sunday, y'all.

Please go to this link to sign a petition calling for a trial of the alleged killer of Trayvon Martin

Thank you in advance: http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin

Overnight entertainment

If ever this were true, it's now:

I'm so old...

...I remember when it was still Calcutta. THAT old.

(Easy?) Change we expected with this president

Sure, Sarah "The Quitter" Palin can deride President Obama when she asks "How's that 'hopey-changey' thing going for you?" and I'd respond "Pretty darn well, thank you very much."

Not perfectly, by any means but we saved General Motors--the whole company and all those jobs, working directly for them and all the associated companies and jobs involved--the economy is turning around, we got SOME health care reform, anyway, and the very discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was done away with, along with a lot of other good reforms (for a long list of more, see:   http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/19/805925/-90-Accomplishments-of-Pres.-Obama-Which-The-Media-Fails-to-Report)

But, admittedly, there are a few things I thought we'd get and that, I must admit, I thought we'd get long before now.  They are:

--Closing Guantanamo.  First, he said he would (and yes, I believed him) and second, it just doesn't seem it would be that difficult to do.  There were--what?--267 inmates at this thing?  I never believed for a minute that the United States of America could not or cannot handle 267 inmates of one kind or another.  We have to be that strong;

--Returning habeus corpus back to our political system.  The previous--George W. Bush--administration handily did away with this cornerstone of our Republic and our laws and I think, strongly, we should get it back.  I thought, being the law student and professor he was, that President Obama would see to this poste haste.  Far from it.  I thought he would do this one evening on the way to putting Sasha and Malia to bed one night, it would be that easy.  (Definition, for those needing it:  Habeas Corpus, literally in Latin "you have the body" is a term that represents an important right granted to individuals in America. Basically, a writ of habeas corpus is a judicial mandate requiring that a prisoner be brought before the court to determine whether the government has the right to continue detaining them. The individual being held or their representative can petition the court for such a writ.
According to Article One of the Constitution, the right to a writ of habeas corpus can only be suspended "in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety." Habeas corpus was suspended during the Civil War and Reconstruction, in parts of South Carolina during the fight against the Ku Klux Klan, and during the War on Terror.)

--I thought we'd get back "due process of law" (the principle that the government must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to the law) fully restored, too, with this president, particularly as relates to the people held in Guantanamo, at minimum.  More than anything, what I mean here is, if we're going to hold the prisoners at Guantanamo, we should file charges.  If we're not going to file charges--or can't--then they should be released.  We either have something on them or we don't, it's simple as that.  Or it was, before that last president.  To date, no such reclamation;
 
--Finally, I thought we would have seen the end of "signing statements" like those created under, again, former President George W. Bush.  The whole idea that a president could, yes, sign legislation into law but then make these "statements", before, during or after the signing, making it clear he (or she, one day) was going to disallow some portions of the legislation just signed seems anti-thetical to our government.  It wrests far too much power away from at least one other branch of government--the legislative--if not two, with the judicial branch, too, unless and until they ruled against this procedure. 
 
According to The Daily Kos today, President Obama is, in fact, going to issue a "signing statement on Guantanamo restrictions." 
 
When "Dubya" issued "signing statements" originally, when signing laws, I was incensed, it was such a clear power grab.
 
That President Obama would continue the practice stuns and disappoints me greatly.
 
Hopefully this Right-wing, extremely conservative Supreme Court will rule on these statements and forever banish them from our government, if that's what's necessary to rid ourselves of them.
 
In the meantime, I still hope we get the above four issues handled.
 
And as soon as possible.
 
Links:  http://americanhistory.about.com/od/americanhistoryterms/g/d_habeascorpus.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_process
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2011/1/4/933248/-Obama-to-issue-signing-statement-on-Guantanamo-restrictions?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29

I'm so old...

--I remember when you could copy ANYTHING--and I mean anything--from a website and repost it.

--I remember when the "close" little "x" was ALWAYS--and I mean always--in the upper right hand corner of whatever opened.

--I remember when NO You Tube videos had commercials on them first.  NONE.  EVER.  THAT old.

Quote of the day--on challenging times, and hope

How can we not hope for a collective death-and-rebirth of society when the commercial interests of the powerful devastate our environment, our values, our quality of life, our education, our culture, and even life itself?  --Dr. Jean Houston

Link to original post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jean-houston/beyond-the-pathology-of-h_b_721610.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Whole new world

The American people, by and large, don't know that the world around them is changing, wholesale, in so many ways, and isn't going back to the way it used to be.

At all.

One study I saw recently pointed out how our workforce is going to end up being occupied, mostly, by females.

Don't get me wrong--I'm no sexist.

This, to me, is not a bad thing, it's just a matter-of-fact.

And the thing is, up to now, it's not been the other way around, uh, let's see--FOREVER?

And the thing is, it combines two factors.

One is that it is cheaper in the entire world, sadly, to hire women than men so that lends to this trend significantly.

The other thing is that, at least in the United States, more women are going to college than men--and that's a change, too, of course.

There are so many worldwide and nationwide changes that are taking place right now, it's hard to keep up.

Many, many political scientists and economists think that it's highly likely that the United States may have already lost its position in the world, politically and financially.

Smaller issues are about the fact that Caucasians are fewer in number all the time in the US. Hispanic and Latino populations are growing in size every year. We've already passed the place where "White" people were the majority.

If the financial situation pans out the way so many economists warn, America will have fallen from our place of power and strength, at the same time the White Man realizes he's lost his place alongside both women and Hispanics and Latinos.

Believe me, it's not a problem for me.

Let's hope it's not a problem for people of lesser educations and financial means.

News this last week

First things first, could we get over the fact that President-elect Obama (I still love saying that) requested Senator Clinton be his Secretary of State?

Why the big hub-bub?

Remember why she was running for the Presidency? Let's see--she's smart, hard-working, ambitious and intelligent. Why this should be a surprise fails me.

Let's get over it, embrace the intelligence of it and move on. So what if they were, at one time, competitors for this same job?

The same with his meeting tomorrow with Senator McCain.

Apparently we're so used to divisional politics, stupidity, narrow-mindedness and short-sighted moves from our politicians, we're awestruck by intelligence and intelligent moves, even if they are political.



The other news this week was an oft-repeated story about President-elect Obama possibly being our next FDR.

The obviousness of this, to me, is extremely apparent. It's great to say, sure, but seems very apparent.

In the first place, we're coming off a "do nothing", know-nothing dolt of a President, just as they did going into the first Great Depression. The only thing is, at least Hoover wasn't blatantly evil (my highly biased but common opinion) and in the pockets of Big Business, the way the current occupant is.

But secondly, and really, much more importantly, it seems that, unfortunately, we're apparently going to need just such a figure in this position, to lead us from Washington and the White House, given our current state of affairs.

Our economy and that of the world is going to heck in a handbasket right now, so we need this guy to do all the right things and put the people first, just as FDR did.

The one big difference between the two--FDR and President-elect Obama--besides their skin color, is that the first was born to wealth, making Obama's rise to power all the more magnificent.

So yesterday, when the President-elect announced he'd be releasing, each week of his Presidency, a video on Youtube for his weekly address, instead of on the radio as all his predecessors since the Depression did, he at once connected to FDR and, in effect, brought us in closer. I'm surprised I haven't seen anything written, yet, about this. This makes the "fireside chat" even more personal and relatable. It's fascinating.

It also takes him (Obama) and the fireside chat and us--all of us--into another "next generation moment" for his campaign, his Presidency-to-be and the nation.

The thing is, it was a very deft, intelligent, simple but brilliant and obvious move.

For everyone on computers, it was the obvious next step for that venue.

Now, instead of no one listening for and to the President's weekly radio address, virtually everyone will be tuning in to Youtube for it.

And we'll do it partially because it's so new itself, partially because it's our new President, partially because it's President Obama himself and, finally, because our economy and country are in such a bad condition and we need to know what new thing will happen next.

Again, it's a brilliant, simple, important move that will be very welcomed by the nation.

Finally, our President-elect evoked another of the most important of our country's former Presidents yesterday, when formally relinquishing his Illinois Senate seat:

"In his published letter, Obama quoted Abraham Lincoln, 'another son of Illinois' who had left for Washington, 'a greater man who spoke to a nation far more divided.'"

"Lincoln, Obama wrote, said of his home: 'To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.'"

"Obama wrote, 'I feel the same, and like Lincoln, I ask for your support, your prayers, and for us to `confidently hope that all will yet be well.'"

President-elect Obama is not perfect. Far from it. He has never claimed to be.

But our hopes, as a nation, are high and we have high expectations. He'll disappoint us, sure. He won't be able to do everything we want or need him to do.

But he's making the right moves. He's thinking and acting deliberately (which is a huge and very welcome change from the previous administration, of course). He'll ask us to sacrifice and work hard.

It seems we've turned a corner and can have hope again.

New take on an old ad

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Sure, I'm ripping off Bowie, like so many people have, in an effort to point out how we're in the midst of some great changes but, hey, I like the song and David Bowie, both. Sue me.

But really, when you look around the nation and the world, don't you think we're all in the middle of some great, fairly radical change and changes? I know I do.

The one that hits me biggest is the whole Democratic Party candidates for this year's Presidential election. A white woman almost came out the winner. And if that isn't enough, her biggest competition was a black man. Who did win.

Wow.

We all need to soak that in. That's pretty revolutionary for this country.

Sure, it's way overdue but, still, dem's some pretty big differences from the past.

Usually, it's been like the Republican Party still is--just a passel (an even dozen this year) of old, rich, white men.

No more.

A Hispanic--Bill Richardson--Hillary and Barack were part of the top 4 candidates.

People of color and women around the world are more coming into their own power.

Increible'.

But it's more than that.

Oil is around $4.00 a gallon here in the States.

The United States' dollar is nearly worthless. It's becoming an "also ran" in world monetary denominations. (It will stay there if we don't change things here in the States, financially and fiscally.)

Smaller countries, because of all that new petro-wealth. are becoming powers to be reckoned with.

The old, more traditional power positions of the world seem to be falling--most notably, the United States.

The Middle East playing far too large a role in world politics, again, because of the role oil plays in the world, and due to that high price of oil.

Our climate seems to be changing--something we can't too much control--but something we can react to and change, because, it seems, we have to.

Food prices.

The food supply itself.

Health care here and 'round the world and it's availability.

So many things.

And I don't think it's just because I'm into my 2nd century (barely!) and paying more attention. I've watched politics and power since at least high school.

No, I think a great deal is changing.

Some things we can see. Some, no doubt, we cannot. Some, for some of us, we're fighting, ignoring or denying. Some of the change is actually for good. Some, not so.

But it's change. Oh, yeah. And there seems to be quite a lot of it.

And we all hope we come out okay on the other side.

Right?

A Change is comin'

You know what? I got to thinking today that I'd write about the lack of sustainability of the way we-mankind-live today. I had written down several salient, pertinent points about the whole thing. How we're basically killing ourselves and wiping out all our resources. It had nothing to do with this being Earth Day, too. It just all came to me and I knew it was true and right.

But then, by the end of the day, I also realized that I'm not educating anyone; I'm not saving anyone--least of all mankind.

Millions of knuckleheads went out and voted for George W. Bush for President, not once but twice, unbelievable and anathema to me as that is. And no one is going to stop doing incredibly stupid stuff like that because of anything I write. Corporations and rich people are going to go on being incredibly selfish, self-centered, greedy and downright ugly and, yes, stupid. Nothing is going to change.

So you know what?

To hell with it.

Yeah. No kidding.

I don't want to be some bitter, old, well-informed fool who tries to go around letting people know what's "right".

I have my opinions and I'll just keep them.

I sent my brother an email with the information from Harper's, below--my earlier entry--on how the President is no doubt the worst one ever.

His response? He wrote back that he didn't want to hear negative things.

Yeah, well, good for him, right?

And that's the way it is with America. They don't want to face that their own brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, friends and soldiers are being killed for them and in their name. They don't wanna hear about Iraq. (It's the 4th highest priority right now, according to polls, in terms of importance, to the American voting public). They don't want to hear about how they need to sell their 8 cylinder automobile and conserve fuel.

They don't want to hear anything that's corrective. Nothing could possibly be wrong with the United States, could there?

Ralph Nader is right about America and corporations but hardly anyone cares.

Understand, this is not a response to my brother's email response. His stance is just typical of America. He's going along.

My response is more a desire on my part to try to just be pleasant and positive and not think or feel that I have to be aware of every problem in the United States--or the world--so I can write about either the wrong, what we should do to correct the wrong, or both.

Screw it.

I'm changing this blog to be one about photography, humor and beauty, if and when I can find it.

No one's looking anyway.

A Sign Of The Times

This comes from http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/

Professor Depew is writing The Wrong Company for the Wrong Times.

There are perhaps few companies more directly associated with positive social mood and the long-running bull market than Sharper Image (SHRP). Yesterday the company filed for bankruptcy protection, citing declining sales and profitability.

With more than 180 retail stores, half of which the company will close, it would be easy to dismiss the company's descent into bankruptcy as simply another case of a company failing to adapt to a shifting retail environment fueled by changing consumer shopping behavior and online sales functionality; a sign of the times. Indeed, it may yet be a "sign of the times," but what sign, and of which times?

Sharper Image was born in San Francisco in 1977 as a catalog company selling jogging watches. Within 10 years the company emerged as a publicly traded pioneer in catalog shopping.

Now there is a good chance the company will forever rest beneath a granite-engraved epitaph portraying it as an iconic retailer of nothing but bull market frivolity; automatic massage chairs, vacuuming robots, turbo-charged nosehair trimmers, digital breath alcohol analyzers, whatever you don't need, whenever you don't need it, at prices you couldn't care less about because, hey, if you need to ask how much an electric peppermill that you don't need or want costs, you probably can't afford it anyway.

Sharper Image stores and products have always been busy, frenetic, mirroring a busy and frenetic social experience and the happy optimism of a bright social mood. Of course we need turbo-charged nosehair trimmers; or more precisely, of course we want turbo-charged nosehair trimmers. They're nosehair trimmers. And they're turbo.

Unfortunately, those days of consumer gadget frivolity are quickly fading, a victim of darkening social mood; confusion, lack of control and insecurity force changes in our perceptions that manifest externally as spacial reductions, limitations, the stripping away of clutter and excess that feels heavy, like a weight, like debt.

The new Sharper Image, the right company for the right time, would likely be a company devoted to a single product sold with a minimalist aesthetic via an old-fashioned medium, like, perhaps a company that sells jogging watches through magazine ads. Sounds familiar.

As I stare in amazement at products like the JumpSnap Ropeless Jump Rope I am wondering, How the heck did I ever get along without that? But somehow, as social moods have changed, it's no longer cool to be sharp.

Professor Depew had this take on sharper images and social mood:

One of the oft-discussed themes here in the 'Ville is the change in social moods the unwinding of our debt-based economy is likely to cause. Indeed, consumers' refusal to purchase ropeless jump ropes and other superfluous, overpriced gadgets shows this shift is already occurring.