A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

As consumer confidence levels continue to set new lows, while the global economy slips beneath the waves and our own post-free market hodgepodge of government-assisted capitalism experiences arrhythmia, I found this article to be useful. As the economic calamity migrates from Wall Street to Main Street, it behooves us to view the damage in a different way than watching Mad Money or Fox Business News, or even poring over WSJ or Investors Business Daily. This from the Christian Daily Monitor (jeez, when was the last time you read anything from them?):

Campaign 2008: Patchwork Nation: A gloomy economic picture darkens – presenting a bright spot for Obama...


It's kinda like looking at a national weather map of ongoing storm systems and all the counties that have storm warnings posted. A fascinating composition; the entire nation is measured and divided into 11 community "types". Each community/county adapts differently from a set of economic indicators. The result is the map above, released on a monthly basis.

And here to provide musical accompaniment to your instantaneous visualized economic analysis is our old friend, suave-meister Bryan Ferry. Here he interprets Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall". It's a truncated video clip, missing the first minute or so of the song. I include it because it's a classic Ferry moment of leather-clad models cooing along while Bryan warbles his fey lines to a bemused Bob Dylan, sitting front row:

YouTube - Bryan Ferry.A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall.Polar Prize 2000


Nothing gets a musical debate going better than to pit Dylan purists against Ferry/Roxy Music fans. And here's our Quote of the Day:

"The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake." -- Meister Eckhart

It's A Brand Moo Day

So my daughter and I are ready to fly back to Virginia from Chicago last Sunday night. It's late and the plane is absolutely packed. We've all gone through two complete bodysearch security lines. The departure time has been pushed back a couple of times. It's about 5 below zero, up from the near 20 below earlier in the weekend.

But everyone on the plane is in warm spirits. Smiles all around. It's readily apparent that most seatholders are bound to DC for Obama's Inauguration. Lotsa buttons, t-shirts and other campaign paraphernalia.

As we wait to get the plane de-iced, the pilot comes out of the cockpit. He looks down the aisle, studying the filled plane. Then he takes the microphone from a flight attendant and begins:

"On behalf of Southwest Airlines, I'd like to welcome you all to the Obama Inauguration Express" (Much cheering)

"Of the 5,248 pilots working, I am one of the few token Democrats, so I am very satisfied to be on this particular flight." (More cheers)

"You know, for the last eight years I've had to listen to whole lot of crap from my fellow pilots. To them I can say that it's payback time!" (Laughs all around)

"And to the rest of my Republican friends... HA HA!!" (Plane erupts in cheers, laughs, whistles, thumping of seats and trays, etc.)

That said, he smiles, turns back into the cockpit, and away we go!

The last few days have been remarkable for our country. Despite the ongoing death-spiral of our economy and its impending effects on our lifestyles, the mood generated by the Obama Administration has been fairly positive. How this will all play out in the coming months is anyone's guess. Here is The Atlantic's well-respected writer from the center-right, Marc Ambinder, on where Obama would like to be after the first 100 days:

Imagining 100 Days In The Future - Marc Ambinder#more#more#more#more

So many problems. So many opportunities. What an amazing time to be alive. If we can truly give up our "childish ways" our country has a good chance at working through the formidable challenges that confront us. For this, we all need to abandon our respective "herd mentality" and look at all things anew. Yup, it won't be easy - most of us have spent an entire lifetime developing certain perspectives.

To help us with "mashing-up" our points-of-view, here is a fine mashup, featuring Laurel and Hardy, dancing to The Gap Band (this must be seen to be believed):

YouTube - Laurel and Hardy Dance To The Gap Band

And now for our Quote of the Day:

"Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." -- theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

Eleven Days Towards Political Poetecstasy

Today I listened to Calvin Trillin, the "Deadline Poet", recite his latest poem on NPR. (No, Mr. Trillin is not pictured above.) Here it is:

Anticipating The Inauguration Of Barack Obama
Inauguration is the day
The nation's hopes go on display —
When through one man we all convey
Our dream that things will go our way.
His résumé we can't gainsay.
In politics, we know, his play
Is worthy of the NBA.
He proved that in the recent fray,
Though he had help from Tina Fey.
And now this solemn matinee
Awards the winner's bright bouquet.
First, Pastor Warren's going to pray
For everyone who isn't gay.
Obama then will stand and say,
"I take this oath that I'll obey
The statutes of the U. S. A."
In his address, he might portray
The dragons he intends to slay:
How Wall Street's sky will turn from gray
To blue as blues are chased away,
How workers will collect good pay
For turning out a Chevrolet,
How in Iraq we'll end our stay
With shortest possible delay,
How pay-to-play will be passé
So K Street suits will not hold sway.
Yes, how we'll triumph, come what may:
We'll rise up like a good soufflé
'Til life's just like a caberet.
Obamacans will shout hooray
And toast their man with Chardonnay
As commentators all make hay
Comparing him to JFK.
The Beltway types, those still blasé,
Might think that soon, with some dismay,
We'll wonder if his feet are clay.
But that's all for another day.

Just Too Close To The Truth

Part of my New Year's resolutions involve being a more open-minded guy. Towards this end, I have posted an image of 60 Minutes war correspondent, home-wrecker and former swimsuit model, Lara Logan. What, would you prefer I post up Dick Cheney?

For a near-frighteningly prescient look at the Bush Administration's eight year reign of terror, here is The Onion, goofing on a GWB "speech" before his 2001 inauguration. Yes, this was originally published on January 17, 2001. Sometimes satire mirrors truth too closely:

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over' The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Wow. And with that, I resolve to no longer deride our current president.

On a different note, but using the same broad brush of satire, here is an example of the wonderfully loopy fan-supplied humor vehicle called MLB Dugout. My favorite Dugout is called WordUpThome, which mocks the Velveeta image of White Sox slugger Jim Thome. Here is a variation from the Atlanta Braves as they adjust to the recent acquisition of former White Sox pitcher, and head case, Javier Vazquez:

The Dugout: Fun With Allegory - MLB FanHouse

Oh, you can't beat fun at the old ballpark. For more fun, let's visit with the supposedly deceased Andy Kaufman for one of his iconic bits of guerrilla humor:

YouTube - Andy Kaufman Elvis impersonation (1979 Johnny Cash show)

Kaufman succeeded because he recognized the truth in things and tried to play it straight, no matter how twisted the scenario was that he envisioned. And that's quite a combo platter: Johnny Cash, Andy Kaufman and Elvis Presley.

And for our Quote of the Day:

"What's real? What's not? That's what I do in my act, test how other people deal with reality." -- Andy Kaufman

King Midas In Reverse

Of course the news of the day is all about Israel pushing its troops into the Gaza Strip, seeking out Hamas missles and members. To say it's a mess is the understatement of the new year. But did it have to be this way?

At this point, it seems merely vindictive to place much of the blame here at Condoleezza Rice's desk. But gosh darn it, if the shoe fits, wear it. Let's cast our minds back to late January 2006. Condi and her fellow neocons had been pushing Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to hold general elections for their Parliament.

Abbas didn't want to do it because he knew Hamas would win. Israel told Rice the same. So did the CIA and voices in her own State Department. In fact, there were few outside of the Bush Administration cabal of retards who did not believe Hamas would win in a walk.

But Rice pressed on, insisting the elections go ahead; after all, she was promoting her boyfriend's Freedom On The March agenda - the winds of Democracy would blow freedom throughout the land.

So the elections were held. The next morning, as Condi got onto her elliptical machine, she watched in stunned horror as CNN reported that Hamas had swept the elections. The monster had been made a state player.

Thanks Condi, and thanks George, for the vision thing.

And it is Bush, really, whose Midas in Reverse touch will continue to cause havoc and disaster for years to come. It is difficult to imagine someone coming into office and deliberately devising ways to destroy this country as successfully and unintentionally as Bush has done.

But enough vitriol. Here is a fun list of Bush statements culled through the years. It's pretty light, and omits some of my personal favorites ("You really pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory" to Iraq U.S. commander General Odierno) But it will do:

Bushisms over the years - Yahoo! News

Here is a broader and funnier collection of inane statements from the only president we have got:

Bush Quotes - The 50 Dumbest Things Bush Ever Said


Really, we could have elected a turtle and it would look good in comparison.

Goodbye to all that - Happy New Year!!

It's good to be back again, after being out of town and otherwise occupied!!

May the new year of 2009 bring to us all good fortune. May it bring us what we all need. And may it bring us all closer to enlightenment.

Here is a nice video clip of the magnificent countdown and fireworks display in Sydney Harbour, Australia. There isn't any better setting for a barrage such as this... (ignore the screen comments which pop up at first)

YouTube - [HD] New Years Eve 2009, Sydney, Australia MIDNIGHT FIREWORKS!!

And to keep us in a positive, perky mood, here are The Turtles in a dopey, but fun, crudely made video from 1967:

YouTube - THE TURTLES - Happy Together (1967)

That's it for now. Remember: too much football makes the baby go blind.