Blog Here Now

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation included the following graphic in the car registration materials they sent me. Apparently it is intended to explain how to use the new roundabouts in the area-

Somehow I doubt that this will put those uncomfortable with roundabouts at ease…

Here’s a rule that any dog would love-

First day of June, not a cloud in the sky, 80-some degrees, slight breeze… perfect conditions for a 25-mile ride (round trip) along the Wiouwash trail – a biker’s dream – between Larsen and Hortonville-

Featuring lovely wetlands-

And geese with rapidly growing goslings-

Not to mention some fetching flowers along the trail-

Happy summer, everyone!

I recently began studying taichi ch’uan, an ancient Chinese practice that develops strength and balance, reportedly has positive effects on mental and physical health, and can be used (in its advanced stages) as a method of self-defense. A book my teacher recommended, “Master Cheng’s New Method of Taichi Ch’uan Self-Cultivation” by Cheng Man-ching, contains the following nugget of wisdom in a chapter entitled “Three Types of Fearlessness”-

Do not fear losing. The fundamental principle of taichi is: “Yield to follow others”. Yielding up your position to follow your opponent is, most decidedly, losing. … While listening to your opponent’s advance and attack, not only should you not resist, you should not even consider a counterattack. Simply adhere and stick to him, then you can lightly turn and neutralize. Moreover, a beginner cannot possibly avoid losing and defeat, so if you fear defeat you may as well not even begin. If you want to study, begin by investing in loss. An investment in loss eliminates any greed for superficial advantages. Greediness for petty advantages results in minor losses, while greediness for large advantages results in major losses. On the other hand, a tiny investment in loss brings minor benefits, while a large investment in loss brings you great long-term benefits.

A Google search for the phrase “Invest in success” came up with 33,000 hits. A search for “Invest in loss” came up with 7,340 hits, most of which were connected to sites associated with taichi or other Asian systems of thought. Of course, the point of investing in loss (at first) is eventually to benefit. But investing in success is direct, short term, and anything but subtle; investing in loss to eventually gain benefit is indirect, longer term, and subtle. It will be interesting to see which approach – and which culture – survives in the distant future.

Says the T.V….

I’m always looking for more reasons to hate the mass marketing scheme known as facebook. Here’s a couple of good ones I hadn’t heard before:

First, facebook’s CEO confesses that he doesn’t really think privacy is important, or at least that most people don’t care about their privacy any more (and he’s quite happy about that). I think that most people on facebook are actually quite unaware of just how much privacy they are giving up when they think they are posting only for “friends”. (See also, more recently, this story).

Secondly, facebook hosts a 1,000,000 strong group praying for President Obama’s death. Should Obama supporters hold that against facebook? Why not? Other mass media – like tv and newspapers – are held responsible for their content, which is often supplied by others (like the wire services). Facebook similarly tries to make money on content provided by others, so why shouldn’t they be held responsible for that content?

I’m not much of a sports fanatic. I rarely read the sports section of the paper, couldn’t cite sports stats for the life of me, and always record events so I can fast-forward to the good parts (or at least through the slow parts). But there have been a few major sports stories that have fascinated me: in tennis, Roger Federer’s incredible run at majors, the Agassi-Sampras and Connors-McEnroe rivalries, the Williams sisters’ incredible success. And having lived in Los Angeles for 25 years, I became a dedicated Lakers fan. The peak of my interest in the team occurred in the mid-80s, when Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, surrounded by the Show Time supporting cast, showed the world what fast-break basketball could be. Thanks to the sportscasters, who knew how to play up a good story, I was aware of Magic’s rivalry with Larry Bird, but having never followed college basketball, I didn’t understand the source or the depth of it. Now, having watched HBO’s impressive documentary on the subject, I do. And like every good sports story, it’s quite stirring, even if you’re not a basketball fan. The preview doesn’t really do the show justice-

Here’s a little personal anecdote about Magic Johnson. One day in the late-80s I was walking down a street near Radio City in New York (of all places) when I saw Magic across the street walking in the opposite direction. He must have seen me gawking at him (although I thought I was being cool); he flashed me that huge smile and waved. Now that’s how to treat a fan.

After Scott Brown won the Massachusetts special election in January, I asked a simple question-

Will the House Democrats have the fortitude to hold their noses and vote for the Senate bill? Or will a year’s worth of work go down in huge bonfire flames, over which the Republicans can brew tea for at least the next three years?

The answer is finally clear: yes, they voted for the Senate bill, as well as a set of changes that the Senate has apparently pre-approved. They did it. Finally we have a framework for dealing with systemic health care problems in the future. Since I know of at least two self-employed folks who will benefit from this bill almost immediately, I have only one thing to say-

Since venturing with some trepidation into the Letters To The Editor section of our local newspaper, I’ve received two snail-mail responses. The first was from an ardent New Dealer expressing appreciation for my first letter to the editor about the “Impeach Obama” billboard. This gentleman sent me xeroxed copies of old newspaper photos of Truman and Johnson signing social legislation.

The second letter I received just yesterday in response to my follow-up letter to the editor. It has a slightly different tone-

As best I can tell, it reads as follows:

Why are all you people so in love with Obama. God said in the Bible before the world comes to an end I will give you floods, fires, and earthquakes and then I will send you Obama to finish you off – The End – Obama is the AntiChrist. Certainly people should be protesting against him, it’s they’re [sic] moral and religious duty and right. Obama wants to skip Socialism and go right to Communism. And we’re all going to need a Wheel Barrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread while he’s out flying around. Thank You.

Can’t argue with that!

Don’t forget, lest you be an hour late… On the other hand, what a great excuse!

Apparently the jury is out on whether the shift to Daylight Savings Time is a net benefit or a net harm. Some folks think that it would be simpler to just shift work hours than to change clocks (especially since so many devices have clocks these days). But think about it… all those signs that would have to be changed, and you’d still have to remember to alter your schedule.

Anyway, you may have noticed I haven’t posted much in the last week or two, and this barely qualifies as a post… The temperature has been up in the 50s, and I’ve been dedicating what little free time I have these days to being outdoors after a long winter. Katie, our dog, has been getting lots of walks – we’ve been told she needs to lose five pounds (something she and I have in common). Posting will continue apace soon… if there is anything worth posting about (health insurance reform anyone?). Zen master say: Speak not, unless by speaking one improves upon the silence. Talk about a high bar…

You hear ‘em before you see ‘em, but either one does tend to lift one’s mood after a long cold winter-

I know that we’re in for some lousy weather between now and True Spring, but I can’t help but celebrate the first teasing signs.

Recently I noticed some mysterious registrations for this blog by users that have never commented and whose names/email addresses I do not recognize. It’s odd, actually, that anyone would bother to register here, since I have not restricted comments to registered users for many months. However, given the dangers of leaving my site vulnerable to being hijacked by nefarious bots, I’ve decided to institute a simple “Captcha” task before any registration or comment will be accepted. You know the routine: just type in the characters embedded in the graphic above the “Submit” button.

If I have deleted your registration by mistake, and you wish to be a registered user, please take a moment to re-register. But remember that you need not be registered to comment on a post; you just need to submit an email address (which will not be visible on your comment).

As I was channel surfing tonight I stumbled upon an Austin City Limits show featuring Esperanza Spalding. Man, can this young woman sing and play bass. Her band is also quite impressive. You can catch the ACL show at the link above. That’s the best video recording of her I’ve found, but I did find this segment from the Jimmy Kimmel show, and it comes close.

I mean a chimpanzee’s uncle. Proudly-

Check out this hypnotic little number from Jimmy Wahlsteen, called “Shifts of Attention”-

Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post has written a nicely succinct critique of the recent Supreme Court decision that protects corporations from laws prohibiting unlimited spending for political advertising. Here are a couple of paragraphs dealing with the censorship and “corporate personhood” issues-

First, the majority flung about dark warnings of “censorship” and “banned” speech as if upholding the existing rules would leave corporations and labor unions with no voice in the political process. Untrue. Under federal election law before the Supreme Court demolished it, corporations and labor unions were free to say whatever they wanted about political candidates whenever they wanted to say it. They simply were not permitted to use unlimited general treasury funds to do so. Instead, they were required to use money raised by their political action committees from employees and members. This is hardly banning speech.

Second, in the face of logic and history, the majority acted as if there could be no constitutional distinction between a corporation and a human being. Untrue. The Supreme Court has long held that corporations are considered “persons” under the Constitution and are therefore entitled to its protections. For more than a century, Congress has barred corporations from making direct contributions to political candidates, with no suggestion that it must treat corporate persons the same as real ones; that prohibition stands, at least for now. The “conceit” of corporate personhood, as Stevens called it, does not mandate absolute equivalence. That corporations enjoy free-speech protections does not mean they enjoy every protection afforded an actual person. Is a corporation entitled to vote? To run for office?

It’s worth reading the whole thing.

What is it with Dictators and Writers, anyway? Since before the infamous Caesar-Ovid war they’ve had beef. Like the Fantastic Four and Galactus, like the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, like the Teen Titans and Death-stroke, Foreman and Ali, Morrison and Crouch, Sammy and Sergio, they seemed destined to be eternally linked in the Halls of Battle. Rushdie claims that tyrants and scribblers are natural antagonists, but I think that’s too simple; it lets writers off pretty easy. Dictators, in my opinion, just know competition when they see it. Same with writers. Like, after all, recognizes like.

Junot Diaz -The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Haiti earthquake damage (APTOPIX)

After seeing the news reports on the 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday, I found myself remembering the 1994 Reseda (aka Northridge) quake that Cheryl and I endured. Although it registered a mere 6.7 on the Richter scale, we lived only 3.2 miles from the epicenter and, according to Wikipedia, “the ground acceleration was one of the highest ever instrumentally recorded in an urban area in North America”. I vividly remember being awoken at 4:30am by the surreal shaking and a sound that’s very hard to describe, partly because, like some sort of cosmic bass synthesizer, you heard it through your body and not just with your ears – a sort rolling rumbling accompanied by the cacophony of a zillion things tumbling and breaking. The main quake lasted only about 20 seconds, but when it was over it looked as if a tornado had blown through our apartment. Nothing was where it had been a few moments before; the pipes had broken under our sinks; our toilet reservoir had broken in two; a two-story wall with four plate glass windows the size of patio doors had buckled in the middle and was leaning inward at about thirty degrees. Power was out; hundreds of car alarms had been triggered, adding to the ambiance of emergency. I remember the dazed feeling of not having the foggiest idea of what to do, except to try to get out of there before the next tremor hit. Not easy to do when we couldn’t even find shoes to keep our feet from being cut on all the shattered glass, or a flashlight to help guide us through the chaos.

The tremors continued for the next 36 hours every few minutes. Had this been the legendary “big one” that would someday occur along the San Andreas fault? Hearing that it hadn’t been, we couldn’t help but worry that this quake might have been its immediate precursor. I recall sleeping in the back seat of our car that night, being awoken every 30 minutes or so by a large aftershock, when the trauma – which I had managed to keep under raps throughout that first day, when survival seemed all that mattered – suddenly hit home.

We were lucky. Our apartment had been constructed to fairly modern quake-related building codes. Like a big tent, it swayed with the tremors instead of resisting them, and so didn’t entirely collapse. Also, it hadn’t been built atop a parking garage, many of which – like the one below – hadn’t made it through the quake-

1994 Reseda quake damage (USGS)

We were also lucky to live in one of the richest places in the world, where first-responders could relatively quickly provide aid to those who needed it, and there was plenty of food and other supplies in the markets. In those days FEMA was well-managed; I remember receiving a check for a couple thousand dollars only a few days after the event, and based only on our address. That helped to pay for the hotel room we needed for the next couple of weeks, while the damage to our building was being assessed.

I can only imagine what the residents of Port-au-Prince must be going through – the anxiety caused not only by the quake damage, but also by the concern that food, water, and civility might soon be running out. Help them by donating to the Red Cross or text Haiti to 90999 to donate $10 directly to Haiti relief via your cell phone bill.

Searching for a Pat Metheny acoustic solo or duet to post on this cold January night, I stumbled upon this curiosity: Pat and Charlie Haden playing “This Is America?”, with an intro by Elvis Costello, and – if that were not enough – Bill Clinton spreadin’ the love as only he can.

By the way, if you like the music, check out Pat and Charile’s Beyond the Missouri Sky.

A couple of nights ago I took advantage of Seattle’s art-house film scene to see Collapse, the movie featuring peak-oil doomsday-theorist Michael Ruppert. The film itself is pretty cheesy, constantly cutting away from the interview to use somewhat inappropriate stock footage to illustrate Ruppert’s points. For instance, Ruppert suggests that people all over the world have already started to riot in response to the recent economic difficulties (the film was made in March 2009), but it’s pretty clear that the riot footage is pulled from a wide variety of sources, many having nothing to do with those difficulties. There’s also a rather huge leap of logic connecting the real estate and derivatives bubble with peak oil concerns. While there may be evidence somewhere of such a connection, it is not presented in the film. Finally, Ruppert’s fundamental view of the economy-as-pyramid-scheme seems to overlook the obvious fact that the economy is not a closed system, but rather allows for new inputs from improved technology and – perhaps most importantly – social innovation. (As a side note, it also never fails to amaze me that folks who downgrade paper money as ultimately worthless nevertheless upgrade gold to the status of God Almighty, as if a relatively rare metal were somehow inherently valuable… my point being that all economic value is either directly related to satisfying biological needs, or else is a matter of mere convention).

But while it is easy to write Ruppert off as a paranoid conspiracy theorist, partly because he focuses so selectively on data that support the worst case scenarios for the near future, and partly because he self-servingly refuses to debate those at least as well-informed as he is, it’s hard to simply dismiss his impassioned insistence that we should work much more urgently to develop plausible alternatives to oil for energy production. The correlation between the onset of the petroleum economy and the 20th-century population explosion is enough to make you think quite seriously about the consequences of an inevitable future decline in oil production, with its apparently unavoidable effects on agriculture and transportation.

Here’s the trailer for Collapse-

Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas.