what if?

The Enquirer is Sued

Oops!  It isn't the National Enquirer!  It's actually the New York Times.

Of course, these days, it becomes more and more difficult to tell one from the other.  (And some days, one actually insults the Enquirer with such a statement!)

Strange Bedfellows

And, to herald out the old year and welcome in the new - a video that demonstrates the impossible sometimes is most possible.

My thanks to niece Jenny for the link!

The Secret Life of Bees - and Birds

If you want to see a fine movie, then watch "The Secret Life of Bees."

If you wish to see a cockatiel enjoying a secret pleasure, then check out this photo.

 

One Mr. Mollo, relishing a morning repast of scrambled eggs and bagel, as he searches to find where "The Secret Life of Bees" is playing.

After stuffing his tummy, here is Mollo reading a new recipe for Thai soup.  He has a wide ranging palate!

 

Did You Hear the One about The Economist....?

Think that humor and economics are mutually exclusive?  Guess again.

If you're in the San Francisco area this coming weekend, you may wish to attend the first ever American Economic Association humor session.  As a preview, check out this youtube about Professor Mankiw's "Ten Principles of Economics" - translated....

I wonder if they'll do some jokes on how my savings were MIA this past year?

Reality Bites

This story from the Netherlands is one of the cheeriest I have read in a long time.

"The mistake we can never repeat is stifling criticism of cultures and religions for reasons of tolerance."

And--

Instead of reflexively offering tolerance with the expectation that things would work out in the long run, she said, the government strategy should be "bringing our values into confrontation with people who think otherwise."

And--

"We have to stop the existence of parallel societies within our society."

"Integration calls on the greatest effort from the new Dutch. Let go of where you come from; choose the Netherlands unconditionally." Immigrants must "take responsibility for this country" and cherish and protect its Dutch essence.

Perhaps there is hope yet!

Intellectual vs Practical

Both are critical; practical cannot thrive sucessfully without the necessary underlying theoretical work.

Yet, as this essay demonstrates, unless the intellectual can be translated into the practical, its worth can be rendered moot.  Some appreciate the value of freedom and individualism.  But, is theory evident today in the real world?

As our masters in Washington debate over which industries are to be the recipients of the taxpayers’ largesse, it is worth remembering Tocqueville’s warning with Friedrich Hayek’s admonition that “Economic control is not merely control of a sector of human life which can be separated from the rest; it is the control of the means for all our ends. And whoever has sole control of the means must also determine which ends are to be served, which values are to be rated higher and which lower—in short, what men should believe and strive for.” It is a commonplace to observe that freedom is difficult to achieve but easy, oh-so-easy, to lose. As Hume saw, it is generally not lost all at once, but step by step: government program by government program, regulation by regulation, entitlement by entitlement, until finally, as Tocqueville put it, we find ourselves “nothing more than a herd of timid and industrious animals of which the government is the shepherd.”

Too many I know either have no idea to what the above paragraph refers - or, they disagree with it.  I fear we all may understand it - only once we have lost what is so dear.

Honesty is the Best Policy

Deborah Howell, the ombudsman for the Washington Post, wrote her final column December 28th.  I never met Ms. Howell, but a number of my friends and clients in the Twin City area are journalists and knew her well.  That she has a fine reputation is not surprising, given the wisdom and courage she demonstrates in this column and others.  Ms. Howell speaks her mind and expresses the truth, come what may.

That a woman who has spent her adult life working in journalism would love her field is no surprise.  Not all, however, could be so blunt in their opinions.

The Wrong Question

Stuart Buck's blog is one of my favorites.  Almost always, some gem is posted that you will rarely find anywhere else - and it something of substance.  Here is such a post.

They have asked where poverty comes from instead of where wealth comes from.

We all know families where two children prosper and one does not.  Perhaps if we focused more on why and how some achieve heights, rather than why others fail - we could attain more of the former and less of the latter.

Win Ben Stein's Money

Some people know Ben Stein as an actor, some as a financial writer, and some from his Comedy Central game show, "Win Ben Stein's Money."  However you know him, Stein is assuredly one smart and very funny fellow.

A few days ago in the New York Times, Stein offers this parable about money, loss and life.  Stein explains why he escaped the Madoff trap that ensnared some of the best and brightest.  He also offers wisdom reminding us that we are not the sum of our 401K's (or, as I heard someone put it yesterday, our "101K's....)

We are more than our investments. We are more than the year-to-year or day-by-day changes in our net worth. We are what we do for charity. We are how we treat our family and friends. We are how we treat our dogs and cats. We are what we do for our community and our nation. If you had $100 million or $100,000 a year ago and now you have a lot less, you are still the same person. You are not a balance sheet, at least not one denominated in money, as was explained to me recently.

Losing and making money are not moral issues so long as you are being honest. You may have a lot less money as this year ends than you did two years ago. But you are just as good or bad a person as you were then. It is a myth that money determines who you are, and if you have gotten over that myth by now, then 2008 will have been a very good year.

A friend of mine today railed at the SEC; how they could have and should have done more to protect people.  Perhaps so; I am not knowledgeable enough myself to make such judgments.  I do, however, have familiarity with human frailties and a desire to believe in the Tooth Fairy.  Alas, I have succumbed to her charms more than once myself.  Neither the SEC nor anyone else can offer a shield strong enough to save all of us from greed, sloth, wilful ignorance and a host of other human sins.

I don't know if 2008 saw much of Ben Stein's money vanish.  I do know that too much of mine went on holiday - along with trillions of others' wealth, too.  Yet, when I face the pain of mutual funds with gaping holes and stock quotes that seem to have shrunk in the wash, I do my best to let Stein's wisdom cheer me.  I remain rich in family, friends and pets, vocation and avocations.  I tell myself to try to do a bit better next time around - despite appreciating that perfection is a goal I'll never reach.

And next time you are promised returns without fail, run.  All that will happen is those who promise you riches will ultimately Win Your Money.

Learning from The Masters

Too close to the truth for my liking!

 

Friends

Friends come in all shapes, sizes and interests.  I have my bridge buddies, my friends from work, my girlfriends from the beginning of time and my philosophical/political cohorts.  Of course - there are additional categories - not the least of which is my blogging comrades.  One of the most special is Professor Keith Burgess-Jackson.  While we do not see eye-to-eye on every topic, you can rest assured that the Professor always has something worthy for your eyeballs, each day of the year.

And - to be sure, Keith is one good friend.  Every week, Keith offers a post including "Peggy Noonan's most recent column, and Peg Kaplan's most recent post."  LOL!  I love that Keith has me side by side with a famous speech writer and columnist for the WSJ.  It reminds me of frequent questions I get from the bridge world about Edgar Kaplan, one of the best bridge players who ever lived, and a heralded theorist and ethicist about the game.

"Are you related to Edgar?" people will frequently inquire when we meet.  "Oh, Uncle Edgar?" I respond - though there is utterly no connection between us other than our last name, and I only wish I possessed talent approximating that of the Great One.

So - I laugh when I see my name adjacent to a "Peg" that everyone recognizes.  Thank you, Keith - and thanks to all those who stop by to read my blog, 'cause my good friend routes you this way!

Aren't Ya Glad We Bailed 'Em Out? - Part II

No Golf Course Left Behind.

Aren't Ya Glad We Bailed 'Em Out? - Part I

Where your tax dollars go.

The Other Alternatives

Yesterday, columnist Joel Stein explained why liberals have a more rational view about their nation than conservatives do.

I still think conservatives love America for the same tribalistic reasons people love whatever groups they belong to. These are the people who are sure Christianity is the only right religion, that America is the best country, that the Republicans have the only good candidates, that gays have cooties.

Hmmmm.  Well, for starters, poor Mr. Stein should know that believing in small government and more freedoms does not always equate with being Christian and homophobic.  In addition, although I think of myself as embracing more conservative principles in government than liberal, I still believe that there are many fine people who run as Democrats (and - alas - some not so good ones who run as Republicans).

But, back to Mr. Stein's original point, that conservatives are simply "we're Team USA" lovers, who would embrace any nation to which they were born - and that the underlying principles of our country are irrelevant to our admiration for he U.S.

As Winston Churchill once said of our form of government:  "Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

Our country has serious flaws, has made egregious errors - and will never come close to perfect.  Yet, as Doug Ross explains, we nevertheless have a host of reasons to admire and embrace American exceptionalism. 

America is worthy not because of its team name or because anyone in particular was born here.  It is a great nation because of its Constitution, its principles and its people who, in general, keep the faith with it all.  And - I for one am grateful.

UPDATE:  As always, Ed Morrissey has additional insightful contemplation for us.

Can't Top This

As I've said more than once, perhaps the biggest story of 2008 was the media.  2008 was the year that journalism gave up any pretense of objectivity and equity.

Many a tale highlighted the disparity of reporting for Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative.  This example, however, may be the one that cannot be topped.  If anything captures how the press loves Obama and hates Bush - this has got to be it.

Happy Holidays!

From my woods to you - best wishes for the holiday season and 2009.

Not Fit to Print?

Every day, the New York Times heralds:  "All The News That's Fit To Print."

If the decision were yours, would you find this fit to print? 

Read it.  Then, you be the judge.

Blacks Only

My childhood began in the '50's in Skokie, a town with the highest percentage of Holocaust survivors.  Jews then still faced plenty of prejudice.  Some had difficulty getting jobs due to anti-semitism; Jewish companies and physicians would meet with resistance from non-Jews.  As a result, it was not uncommon for members of the Jewish community to want to be supportive of fellow Jews for business and services.

Still, I never recall this inclination to be an "absolute."  That is, while some would go out of their way to utilize others in the Jewish community, they surely would also visit non-Jewish businesses. 

A black family in Chicago, along with others in the "Ebony Experiment" are doing something similar.  They are choosing to support all sorts of black owned businesses and operators.  Nevertheless, this program is a bit different from the practices of my youth; black and black only is the plan.

The Age of CYOA

Man has seen the Age of Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, the Renaissance Age and the Industrial Age.

Today?  We seem to have arrived (at least in the great state of California) in the Age of CYOA - otherwise known as Cover Your Own Ass.

Even 14 Carrots Won't Do It