Oops

So my spelling is a little off. I'm on break... Yeah I know that is not an excuse.
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Forty minutes for a hot dog

Ok. So I go to Romano's in Redlands for a beer and a Chicago dog. Nice place but noisy. What you would expect. But to have to wait over 40 minutes for a hot dog is absolutely rediculus
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Tis the season... to waste a generation or two

The carnage has begun. The city of Colton has closed its libraries, Redlands is getting ready to lay off teachers, increase class size and reduce the services it provides to students. This appears to be a direct violation of the California state constitution which requires the state to provide a free and adequate education for all children. Next month the California School Boards Association will file a suit claiming this. It will be interesting to see just how all of this plays out. In the past the courts have sided with the state in such law suits, but with the massive amount of data available to support this suit, it just may realign what is considered to be an adequate free education. Since prop. 13 went on the books in California, public education has been hit hard. We went from 2nd in the nation to 47th in the amount of money spent per student. Rather sad when you consider that California has one of the largest and most diverse student populations in the country. After the budgetary ax falls, those who will remain will be rather angry, educated, and will most likely have really long memories. Budget cuts had better be fair and equitable as possible or my guess is that there will be hell to pay in the coming years. At will employees, Superintendents, and elected members of school boards throughout the state had better carefully consider all avenues of action as the political fallout of this impending disaster will last for years to come.

Whew!

It's been awhile, but I finally have my chapter 3 very rough draft done. Now comes the hard part. Editing the darn thing. Next I have to take the IRB online test, defend my proposal, get IRB approval, collect data and write it all up. If only my professional life would cooperate....

On another note, I attended a wonderful wedding reception for a former student. An interesting drink was served called a habanero margarita. Sweet and hot. Its base is a simple syrup infused with habanero pulp. Its a little too sweet for me. Now to get on with other doc. program stuff.

It's been awhile...

My professional life has been taking up every extra moment lately. That sucks big time. Time for some quality time in a bar....

The meaning of Herf...

Q. Recently I received an invitation to attend a cigar "herf". On looking through my dictionaries I found no entries for the term "herf". Do you have any information regarding this apparently new slang word?

A. This is a curious term, with an odd genesis.

It has now been firmly established, in part by the work of Barry Popik (see http://wwwords.org?HERF), that the term first appeared online:

I tried several when I first began smoking cigars and found them all to be very bland and almost impossible to herf, they were so tightly wrapped.

[A posting by somebody known only by his nickname Prince of Skeeves to the newsgroup alt.smokers.cigars, 21 Nov. 1996.]

A few months later the writer explained to the same newsgroup that he first heard the term at a "junior college in Clyde, Texas, in 1982 from a blueblood derelict friend of my named Stu" and that it referred to "the ungainly and humorous facial contortion required to deeply draw on a large, hand-rolled cigarette of unknown filling."

The word became popular in the newsgroup, leading to coinages such as "herfers", "herfnicks" and "herfaholics". A number of Web pages record that a herf, in your meaning of a meeting of cigar fans (a herf presumably being a situation in which one herfs) was arranged by members of the newsgroup in April 1997 under the title of The Texas Herf On The Lake. A newspaper report three years later about another meeting that had been organized through the newsgroup is one of the few times the term has appeared on newsprint:

They are cigar fanciers. More than 100 of them in all shapes

and sizes came to York recently to swap stories, down some

beer, and, of course, puff happily on their favorite stogies.

These get-togethers are called herfs, and they're a big deal

for people with computers, a love of cigars and a willingness

to travel.

[Daily Herald (Tyrone, Pennsylvania), 18 May 1999.]

"Herf" is well established within the cigar fraternity, though rare to the point of being unknown outside it. One site describes it as "A lively gathering of cigar-smoking comrades who meet in a club, restaurant, cigar store or home to share their appreciation of fine cigars."

That leaves us with the head-scratching problem of where the Prince of Skeeves got it from. I posed the question on the mailing list of the American Dialect Society. Douglas Wilson suggested it might be linked to the slang verb "huff", which is defined in the Historical Dictionary of American Slang as "to inhale the vapors of [a drug], as a method of becoming intoxicated", with examples going back into the 1960s. "Huff" and "herf" aren't so very far apart in sound.

Its been awhile...

Wow! Going back to work teaching really can get in the way of maintaining a blog. With all of the upcoming budget cuts and other public school matters like NCLB, one does not really have time to muse about the state of California.

One observation though... the next several generations of children here in California will not be in a position to do much as they will be tested to death and then they will not be able to find any work when they come out of high school because most of the NCLB tests don't have anything to do with the real world... just factoids that might be used on a TV trivia program. I think that is one of the basic flaws of NCLB; it does not reflect what is needed in the real world. It reflects what some people think is needed in the real world. No "scientific" educational research has been done to see if the end results that NCLB is supposed to give us will actually be useful in doing a job. Speaking of "scientific" research, of the 6 major studies sponsored by the Bush administration, 4 showed no effect and two showed minor effects. Hummm. Could it be that there is a real problem with assuming that everyone is capable of 100% in school?

L-8-ter

School has started

Today is opening day for many California schools. It will be interesting to see how all of the High stakes mandates hold up during this period of economic turmoil. Public schools are being maxed out because parents can't afford private education. This could be a very interesting year for public education.
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Hummmm

It turns out that the county is going to make a habit of not depositing paycheck monies on the weekend. They are doing this, it appears, so they can accrue interest whenever they can. The problem is that once a notice of transfer has been mailed, they have to have the money actually transfered. If not then they have to pay interest to cover the funds not deposited. Check CA labor law. Teachers in Rialto did not get their paychecks until Tuesday! If this keeps up, there will be a royal labor dispute and will put management in a very weak position for any concessions they may try and get during the next round of labor negotiations.

The Plot Thickens...

Sources have confided to me that ALL educators in San Bernardino County were not paid on the first. All of them. The reason? The county did not release any funds. Why did they do that? No one is talking at the moment. That is really odd. I have in hand the statement of electronic fund transfer postmarked July 31, 2009. This statement has the date of issue printed on it which reads August 1, 2009. Although it is not a warrant and is non-negotiable, it still is a notice of an action that was supposed to have taken place. Actions like this will erode what little trust employees have in a system that just RIFFed several hundred teachers and others. It should be noted that some districts have rehired many of their RIFFed employees, but when things like this paycheck action happen, confidence in the leadership at all levels of the administration from the local school site, local school district and to the county and state level will wane. This is not what needs to happen during economic hard times. Transparency should be the watchword at all levels. Unfortunately, this appears not to be the case. Sadly, it will be the students who will be effected in the long run, and they are the future of this state. They will be the ones who will be paying for older Californians retirement, if there will be such a thing as retirement in the future. Grim, real grim.

This really SUCKS

RUSD or it might be San Bernardino County Schools, has not paid anyone as of this Saturday AM. Monies are supposed to be deposited in accounts by 8 AM on the first of each month. As of 10 AM nothing has been deposited. This is the last paycheck for the previous contract so why has the money not been deposited? Why have they not notified people? They have the ability to do this via district e-mail. This is a serious breach of good faith, and is not very conducive to harmonious labor relations which are so needed in times like this. What are they thinking??? On another note, San Bernardino county employees were shocked yesterday when they found their paychecks had been reduced by 20%. That is a really big hit. Here comes the depression... finally hitting home big time.

Been working...

I have been working on the dissertation.... might have some time to comment on the state of California tomorrow..... maybe not....

Pharisees on the Potomac by Maureen Dowd - New York Times Op-Ed columnist

I thought this was so right on I had to post it here. This appeared in the New York Times 7-19-2009.

Pharisees on the Potomac

By MAUREEN DOWD

Like cats that have lost their whiskers, the Republicans seem off balance now that they have lost their talent for hypocrisy.

They are still practicing the ancient political art of Tartuffery, of course, just without their former aplomb.

Who can forget the glory years, when the Gipper invoked God but never went to church? When Arlen Specter accused Anita Hill of perjury to distract from Clarence Thomas’s false witness? When Newt Gingrich and other conservatives indulged in affairs with young Washington peaches as they pushed to impeach Bill Clinton?

No one had more flair than W. and Cheney, crowing about making us safe as they made the world more dangerous, and bragging about fiscal restraint while they spent us into oblivion.

Now when Republicans get caught flouting the principles they dictate, they are not able to practice hypocrisy with such impunity.

Loverboy Mark Sanford’s career continued to go south last week as news organizations exposed his two-faced tactics on travel expenses. When he ran for South Carolina governor in 2002, he attacked the Democratic incumbent for “lavish spending” on hotels and planes. Once elected, he asked state employees to bunk together in hotel rooms when they traveled and chastised staffers who spent more than the $208 federal rate.

But, as Politico reports: “He routinely billed taxpayers for high-end airline seats, racking up more than $44,000 on business and first-class tickets. He often stayed in pricey hotels that far exceeded the rates he imposed on other state employees.” On a trade mission to China, Sanford spent $12,000 on business-class tickets, leaving aides in economy for about $1,900.

The religious boardinghouse in Washington where Sanford sought succor from fellow conservatives, where he agonized to pals about his tango with the enticing María, is also back in the news. Affiliated with a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the Fellowship — which also sponsored Bible study and prayer circles attended by Hillary Clinton when she was a senator — the pious dwelling is becoming a tourist attraction, a monument to Republican hypocrisy.

The C Street house, as the flag-flying brick rowhouse near the Capitol is known, serves as a residence and Bible study retreat for many Christian conservative lawmakers. But it looks as if what these guys were praying for was a chance to get lucky.

John Ensign, the Promise Keeper who broke all his promises, resides there. As The Washington Post reported, Senator Tom Coburn, who lives there, had an emotional meeting about forgiveness at the house with Doug Hampton, the husband of Ensign’s mistress. (Forgiveness plus bribery can often do the trick.) Coburn says he would not talk to a court or the Senate ethics committee about the episode because he was counseling Ensign partly as a doctor. (Coburn is an ob-gyn.)

Last week, The Associated Press revealed that the estranged wife of a former Republican congressman, Chip Pickering of Mississippi, had filed an alienation of affection lawsuit seeking damages against her husband’s gal pal, a wealthy former college sweetheart named Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd.

The suit charges that as a lawmaker, Chip used C Street as a divine love nest. “Ultimately,” it says, “Creekmore Byrd gave Pickering the option to remain a public servant or become a private citizen and continue relations with her.”

Republican hypocrisy fell flat at the Sotomayor hearings. After railing all week against the “empathy standard,” as Senator Jeff Sessions called it, the Republicans tried to play the empathy card by calling in two New Haven firefighters, one white and one Hispanic, who were on the losing end of Sonia Sotomayor’s ruling. Wearing their dress uniforms, the pair told their heart-tugging tales of studying for an exam that got thrown out after they scored high. Frank Ricci, who studied hard to overcome his dyslexia, used his finger to trace under the words as he read his testimony.

But the Republican complaint against Sotomayor in that case boiled down to wanting her to be more activist. They were upset that she sided with elected officials and precedent rather than intervening to strike down a result that many people, including me, found unfair.

Sotomayor’s syntax was unfathomable, but the Republicans’ language sounded positively archaic: dire warnings against activist judges, when the conservative majority on this Supreme Court has ignored or upended precedent in a slew of cases.

Judge Sotomayor kept her feelings in check, while her white male Republican interrogators dissolved into whining about wanting to keep their guns and nunchakus and wishing they could get back some sway over what women do with their bodies.

If they are so interested in women’s bodies, maybe they should just move to C Street.

And that's the way it is....

RIP Walter Cronkite ... he was one of my heroes and role models. When I did the news, I tried to imitate his style.

The State Budget... vs The Children of California

Catchy title huh? Actually this entry is about the battle royal over education funding in our fair (?) state. Plunging state income, way below even the most dire predictions, about $1.8 billion could wind up costing state schools as much as $8 billion in money that is owed them. What is brewing is a major fight over whether or not to suspend proposition 98, the constitutional guarantee to public schools that they will be funded. This is a battle that the Gov. and the California Teacher's Association (which by the way, was founded in 1863) had sought to avoid by asking voters to approve proposition 1B in the last election. What appears to be missing from this whole mess is what will happen to this state as a result of underfunding education. The effects of that could last for several generations and may never be able to be fully reversed. What am I referring to, you may ask? Well, lets think about this a bit. A student with a High School diploma is more likely to get and hold a job. That means they will be paying taxes, which will, in turn help the state, and that will, in turn help local communities. Now if we are lucky, that HS grad. is able to go to a community college or get into a 4 year university. This means that they will be able to make even more money and yep, be able to pay a little more in taxes. This is a very simplified look at what can be a complex thing. The bottom line is an educated population is a population that sustains a community, a state, a nation. Sacramento its time to get off your butt and fully fund the future of this great state and not get bogged down with your petty arguments over your pet pork projects.

California Water and the Peripheral Canal - the heart of the state's water problem

Here we go again. Legislators, farmers, fishermen, environmentalists and community activists have come out against the proposed peripheral canal that would shift Northern California water southward around the delta. The delta is an important part of the water system here in California as most of the drinking water in our state flows through it. Because of the drought conditions that have plagued our state for the past three or four years, there has been a significant lack of water flowing into the delta. This in-turn has allowed salt water from the bay to flow inland causing all sorts of problems. Farmers need the water for their crops and people need the water for drinking. Its a classic fight here in the Golden State. The proposed canal would redirect about 15,000 cubic feet of water a second through a 500 to 700 foot wide, 47 mile long canal into the southern part of the state... where I live by the way. Critics claim that the delta cannot sustain that kind of diversion even if we were not in a drought. Sport fishermen say the canal will destroy delta fisheries, water quality and waste tens of billions of dollars and severely damage the delta's economy not to mention the increase in litigation over the use of water. One state assembly member said that building the canal would be the biggest public construction made in the United States, equivalent to building the Panama Canal.

Hummm. Sounds like that person is not very well schooled in history. I suggest they take a road trip to Boulder (Hoover) Dam on the Colorado River, and then follow the river down to the Davis Dam, then turn right and follow the aqueduct so they can get a sense of just how small the canal project is compared to what was built in the 20th century. Here in the west, water is the life blood of everything. Mess with it and there will be hell to pay. People living in an area that has, at times, an abundance of water, appear to care very little for those who live in areas that are arid or semi-arid. The battle continues.... the film Chinatown comes to mind. I need a drink of water.

Its Thursday.... is California still alive?

I just noticed that some people are selling state issued IOU's on Craigslist and eBay. I guess some people think those notes are worth more that their face value. Recession? What recession.... its a full blown depression.

The state has up and running a website with links to almost every database the state maintains. It includes everything from health and employment, county by county demographics and projections to the year 2050, transportation data and lakeside marinas. If you are a data nut, this site is for you go to http://www.ca.gov/data.html

Pomegranates. Love them. They are filled with lots of good things and their juice makes an excellent addition to an evening cocktail. They also provide the raw material for making grenadine, a "must have" flavor in any cocktail bar. Most of the pomegranates grown in the United States are grown right here in the Golden State. About 250 farmers have about 35,000 acres in pomegranate production. The harvest is worth about $75 million annually.

The largest producer and distributor of this fine stuff is POM Wonderful, named after one of the varieties of pomegranates they grow. Here is where it get political. The owner of POM Wonderful is Stewart Resnick who just happens own The Franklin Mint, Teleflora, and Paramount Farms. He is a billionaire, and a significant figure in California Politics. He is a major donor to legislators of both political parties, and political campaigns. In 2007-2008 he donated $197,000. So what? Well, there is a bill pending in Sacramento, SB 190 that would define what 100% pure pomegranate juice is. Big deal you say. Many marketers of juice cut their product with juice from other fruit. It helps keep the cost down and the profits up. If this bill passes, it would freeze out other produces of this juice because their product would not meet the chemical profile in the bill. As it is with the legislative process, this bill has been changed many times, but it would still favor POM. Critics say this is a matter for the Feds, not the state because juice production is regulated by the FDA. They also say this bill would tie the hands of California processors. Notice this is not about helping all people, its about protecting one company and its vertically integrated economic model. Shades of Carnegie and his steel operations at the turn of the 20th century. Politics... As Patrick Shannon wrote, "Everything is political." Think I'll go get juiced...

Monday, Monday

Hummm. Did a lot of reading and writing today. Trying to get this dissertation done. It looks like rice and beans for the rest of the month. The tree, the car the water heater, the water bill... they all arrived on my desk today in the form of bills. The economic crunch has finally hit home.... in my wallet. Ouch. Its like being a first year University student all over again. Oh well... got through that so I guess I can do it again.

Later.... Oh, the wedding was FABULOUS. Everyone had a great time. Dancing, drinking, eating and celebrating... just like it should be.

The wedding

I now know what a $50,000 dollar wedding is like. WOW.
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The Wedding.

Wow. What a wedding. The ceremony was delightful. The Cocktail hour was great and the dinner consisted of Wine country salad, Chicken Chili Relleno and an after dinner buffet. The party lasted until 1AM. The wedding cake was 5 tiers tall and covered in gold leaf.
What an interesting mix of people. Cal and Bob and their entourage filled up one table. A good time was had by all.

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Morning Newspaper items

It’s curious that Americans consider cheating on taxes less reprehensible than cheating on a spouse, because there is a lot of extramarital sex going on. - Seen in the N.Y. Times this morning.

My how times have not changed. Only the players have. Maslow's hierarchy of needs in action. More thoughts on this intriguing subject later.

Unemployment is up.... highest its been in 26 years... 9.6%. Looks like this is going to be a long, difficult time for many. I am so glad that I have a job. I have been overhearing 20 somethings talking about the things they have to do to just get an interview, like get dressed up and drive 50 miles. Life is tough.... and then you have to do things you don't like.

Sacramento is still jacking the state around. IOU's for Christ's sake. Its time for both sides to get their heads out of their behinds and get this state back on the road to recovery.

Observation

Today I noticed three different families eating breakfast. That in itself is not odd. What struck me was each family was SHARING one order. They even used a coupon to help pay for the food. Is this a picture of things to come?
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What is going on up in Sacramento???

Sacramento CA 7/1/2009 The state Senate rejected three bills that would have lessened the state's immediate cash crush by billions of dollars in a surreal late-night session in which a packed Senate chamber quietly counted down the minutes to the new fiscal year. The bills' failure eliminates about $7 billion in budget solutions that had been embraced by Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and means the state will begin issuing IOUs as early as today. - Capitol Weekly.

I have had enough of this merde. What the hell in God's name do those elected officials think they are doing? The state is in financial crisis, people are moving out of the state, taxes are at an all time high and now they are starting to drive business out by their inability to solve the budget problem. They have to face facts. It's time to rewrite the state constitution. Term limits have to go. All that does is give the veteran lobbyists fresh meat every two years. In effect its the lobbyists who are running the state and they are available by the hour. Just like members of the oldest profession and I am not talking about bankers here. Ideology is getting in the way of solving a crisis. Its time to put differences aside and come up with viable solutions... or there will be hell to pay come election time... that is if there is anybody left living in the state who will be willing to vote. Grumble....

The Car....

Well. My car appears to have a steering system problem. The rack may have to be replaced. Needless to say I am not a happy person. At least I was not on a trip when this happened. The fallen tree continues to be whittled away and soon I will have my yard back.

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California faces a $24 billion budget shortfall !!!!

This is a must read bit of information.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. 6/29/2009 (AP) - California faces a $24 billion budget shortfall, an eye-popping amount that dwarfs many states' entire annual spending plans.

Beyond California's borders, why should anyone care that the home of Google and the Walt Disney Co. might stop paying its bills this week? Virtually all states are suffering in the recession, some worse than California. But none has the economic horsepower of the world's eighth-largest economy, home to one in eight Americans. California accounts for 12 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and the largest share of retail sales of any state. It also sends far more in tax revenue to the federal government than it receives - giving a dollar for every 80 cents it gets back - which means Californians are keeping social programs afloat across the country.

While the deficit only affects the state, California's deepening economic malaise could make it harder for the entire nation's economy to recover. When the state stumbles, its sheer size - 38.3 million people - creates fallout for businesses from Texas to Michigan. "California is the key catalyst for U.S. retail sales, and if California falls further you will see the U.S. economy suffer significantly," said retail consultant Burt P. Flickinger, managing director of Strategic Resource Group. He warned of more bankruptcies of national retail chains and brand suppliers.

Even if California lawmakers solve the deficit quickly, there will likely be more government furloughs and layoffs and tens of billions of dollars in spending cuts. That will ripple through the state economy, sowing fear of even more job losses. Californians have already been scaling back for months as the state's unemployment rate has climbed to a record 11.5 percent in May. Increases to the income, sales and vehicle license taxes approved by lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in February acted as a further drag on spending. Personal income declined in California in 2008 for the first time since the Great Depression, and income tax revenue fell by 34 percent during the first five months of this year.

The decrease in spending is especially evident in automobiles. California is the nation's largest single auto market, and sales are down 40 percent from last year. Auto dealers see little hope of a quick turnaround, especially after a 1 percentage point increase in the state sales tax and hike of the vehicle license fee. State agencies also canceled contracts for hundreds of new vehicles, retroactive to March, said Brian Maas, director of government affairs for the California New Car Dealers Association.

Because California's $1.7 trillion annual economy is so important, the state's treasurer has asked for federal help - in the form of a guarantee that would allow California and other states to take out short-term loans at lower interest rates. A federal guarantee would cut the interest rate on the state's borrowing by as much as half, saving California taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. "It's not that California got itself into trouble and wants the federal government to bail it out," said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Los Angeles. "California wants the federal government to do for a fee that which Wall Street would do for a fee if Wall Street wasn't broken."

But some members of Congress worry about setting a precedent for bailing out local governments.

"You've got many states throughout this country, you've got many cities that are in tough financial problems, so they will all come for help," explained Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield. Any extra federal assistance is sure to be a hard sell in Washington and elsewhere because of California's free-spending image. That may have been true before the recession, but the state cut $15 billion in government spending in February and plans to solve most of the $24 billion deficit through even more cuts.

Government workers face the possibility of three-day-a-month furloughs, teachers are being laid off, lower-income college students stand to lose their grants and hundreds of thousands of poor children could go without health care. The recession is behind this fiscal turmoil. Some 1 million jobs are expected to be lost in California in two years and unemployment is estimated to peak at 12.3 percent in early 2010, said Jeff Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Schwarzenegger has repeatedly stressed that he hasn't asked for a bailout and doesn't want any special treatment for California - though he likely wouldn't reject more stimulus funding if it came his way. Economist Stephen Levy, director of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto, has argued for another nationwide stimulus package to help all states avoid further cuts to social programs intended to help vulnerable people. "If we are the bellwether, I would have Californians reach out to other states and really make a plea for national assistance," Levy said. "The recession is not our fault."

As goes California, so goes the rest of the nation.... That is a sobering thought.

From The Economist....

"A DECADE ago it would have been unthinkable, but on June 12th, Congress passed the toughest anti-tobacco bill in American history. Those who had waged a long fight against “Big Tobacco” rejoiced. Senator Edward Kennedy hailed the bill as proof that “miracles still happen” in Washington, DC.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) broad power to regulate tobacco products and marketing efforts. Health advocates have long complained that the FDA has oversight over more innocuous products, like lipstick, but not cigarettes, which are responsible for more than 400,000 American deaths a year. The new law will require disclosure of all product ingredients and the placement of more prominent warning labels on packages. The FDA will also have the right to review all new tobacco products before they go to market and to ban companies from advertising any of its products as healthier alternatives by describing them as “lite” or “mild”, for example.

The bill focuses on deterring young people from puffing away. It will outlaw flavoured tobacco (except for menthol), which some claim lures children, and bar tobacco advertisements from appearing near schools. The Congressional Budget Office says the new legislation will reduce the number of young smokers by 11% and adult smokers by 2% by 2019. Some say the legislation will save many more lives. Nine out of ten smokers start before the age of 18, reckons the American Cancer Society’s advocacy affiliate, so hindering tobacco companies’ access to youth could reduce the number of smokers dramatically in the long term.

The new law adds more pain to the tobacco industry, which saw a federal tax on cigarettes nearly triple earlier this year and the imposition of many new state-level bans on smoking in public places. Now the tobacco industry must finance the government’s new regulatory activities by paying fees according to each company’s share of the market. The total cost of the FDA’s tobacco regulations will begin at $85 million a year and rise to over $700 million in ten years. The battle is not over, though. The tobacco companies are expected to go to court, contesting the advertising restrictions as an infringement of the constitutional right to free speech."

The above ran in the Economist on the 18th of June, 2009. The question now is who will gain from all of this? I doubt very much this new government intrusion into the lives of citizens will do much to cure cancer, or prevent heart attacks and whatnot. Congress must have a very short memory. Look what happened when they banned the consumption of alcohol. We had almost everyone breaking the law not to mention a host of colorful characters making bathtub gin and selling it in speakeasies. The word Gangsters comes to mind and I'm not talking about Rap music here.

It's Another Manic Monday....

Had coffee this AM at Panera. Good conversation and some time to read and think about research methodology.

Looks like some tropical moisture is being drawn up from Mexico... lots of clouds in the sky and its currently 85 degrees. That means its going to be a humid day. Think I will stay inside and keep cool...

Hey... how about that Madoff sentence? 150 years for a 71 year old person. If they think that will be a deterrent to others who will bilk people, I think they have it all wrong. Humans will figure out a way to swindle each other. Greed seems to be part of what it means to be a human. I think society has to rethink what it means to be successful. I remember seeing t-shirts with "The one with the most toys wins." printed on them... and grown people were wearing them. That attitude is part of the reason why our country is in this economic depression. If there is a basic flaw in Capitalism, it is its failure to take into account and deal with greed. Human history is filled with tales of greedy people and the harm they have done. Sigh.... I'm sounding like a postmodernist....

Sunday

Had a relaxing time reading all about Phenomenological research methods. Its all about the writing and rewriting! Tomorrow I start my chapter three rough draft. This should be interesting.... gonna have to lay in a mega supply of cigars.

The gardener has started clearing the debris from the fallen tree. Not only did the tree take out the ornamental plum tree it also smashed the acacia tree. Looks like I'm in for some major landscaping time. Hummm. This may be the time to consider a victory garden.... naw, the gophers would get way too fat. Oops... its after 5... gotta go and get that Manhattan...

Wow...

More on the falling tree episode. Edison arrived 45 min after I called and power was restored soon after they arrived. Verizon arrived 1 hour after I called and restored FIOS after re-hanging a new fiber optic cable. The employees of both of these utilities did a great job. Not what I have come to expect from mega companies. It was a refreshing experience.
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Trees rule the World!

At 5 this morning a rather large tree in my back yard decided to go wandering. It fell and took out the power, FIOS, and copper phone lines. Edison responded in 45 minutes, Verizon said the would be here between 8 AM and 7 PM. I am going to have a lot of wood to cut as the tree was over 50 feet tall. I know what I will be doing all next week. Girrrr.
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Friday Evening

Well, Capt. Spaulding is enjoying Manhattans at his favorite watering spot... The Vault.
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A Phenomenological Study it will be.

The meeting with my Chair went well. More later.
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Friday ... TGIF

Well we have made it to Friday with two celebrities dead, one Governor having an affair in another country and the California assembly looking like it will not pass a budget. What a week. Oh... and my car is still not fixed. Bummer. Hopefully the car will be up and running soon as I have lots of errands to do.... Read a book on qualitative research design this morning in preparation for a meeting with my dissertation chair. Its going to be a "fun" afternoon.

What a Day!

One of Charlie's Angels dies, then Michael Jackson. What a day. Time to say Good Night. Good Night.

Michael Jackson

The Associated press has just reported that Michael Jackson has died.

No matter what you think of his rather strange life, he did have talent. When he teamed up with Quincy Jones the result was the Thriller album, which I think was his best effort.

RIP Michael Jackson, 1958 - 2009.

The Vault

Ah yes. A Martini bar. Two dollar Tuesdays, Live music on the weekends, and a good crew mixing up the drinks. (Natalie, Daniel, Jerrod, Christian, Alan, and Damon do the honors= there are others but I can't remember them as I write this.) This is one of the few places that has a outdoor patio where one can smoke and enjoy your drink. Its a good place to unwind after work. I hear they are now serving Hanger 24 beer on tap. Check them out at 20 E. Vine street in Redlands, CA Phone 909-798-2399. Open from 4:30 PM to 2 AM Tuesday through Saturday, and they open later in the evenings on Sundays and Mondays.

They have DJ's several evenings each week, and the one on Friday evenings, well, to put it as nicely as I can, plays way too much house/trance stuff and it brings out a rather odd crowd.

Things get really going around 9:30 PM. This when people start walking in from the other bars located within walking distance. Almost all the bars worth visiting in Redlands are within walking distance from each other. Oh, and The Vault makes a great Manhattan. This is Captain Spaulding's favorite watering spot.

Another Day

It is a really strange feeling not to have a car available when I want one. This power steering issue is going to drive me nutz! I guess I will just have to get use to it until its fixed.

On another matter... the Republican party keeps on imploding. What's up with that? The latest victim is Gov. Sanford of South Carolina. In the history of our country, South Carolina has been the colony then state, that has always been at the center of controversy. It was S.C. that demanded the section condemning slavery in the Declaration of Independence be removed. Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, is in S.C. Now another promising republican presidential contender bites the dust because of a desire to be with another person other than his wife. Human beings... Mazlow had it down with his hierarchy of needs. The republicans need to know, and understand Mazlow's hierarchy, then they may be able to rebuild their party.... but I doubt it.

Graft, greed, and corruption seem to run deep in the current republican party. I think they have lost sight of what it really means to be a Republican in America. Do they really know what it means to be a conservative? Or are they just a bunch of ditto heads following some radio personality? Remember, radio show hosts have to keep the number of listeners up so they can keep their jobs. They will do whatever it takes to get and keep listeners. One has to be really careful and dig deep to make sure they are not being fed a bunch of merde. But of course that means using critical thinking and listening skills and taking time to do research and read background material so that one is able to verify what someone is saying. Now how many people do you know who do that? Most don't because it's hard work and it takes time.

This one reason why our country is having problems. Critical thinking and listening skills do not come to one naturally, they are skills that one has to learn. If you don't learn and use these skills, you are open to being lead around by anyone. Just like a bunch of herd animals. It is the nature of humans to take the easy path, the course of least resistance, and the result is what we are living now. Humans also have the ability to change and adapt, so there is hope.

More on this as time goes by....

Good News - Bad News

Well the good news is that my Art bag was found unmolested, the bad news is that my car is still leaking. Looks like a new power steering hose is in order. Oh well. I guess that was a sign not to take any time off from the dissertation. At least cocktail time will be a little more relaxing this evening.

Girrrr. Lousy Day

Just one of those days. My car's power steering system has sprung a leak and I have lost all of my watercolor brushes, paper, drawing pencils and carrying bag somewhere in Redlands today. When it rains it pours. Bummer.

The Humidor

Looking for a cigar lounge? This the place. 12 E. Vine Street in Redlands. Large selection of cigars and accessories to choose from. If partaking of tobacco is part of your lifestyle, then this is the place for you.
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Innabi Mediterranean Grill

Tucked away in a strip mall that has a mental health clinic, a massage parlor, a nail shop, a fried chicken place and a liquor store you will find a little resteraunt that has amazing deli sandwiches, huge breakfasts and dinners at great prices. I counted over 108 items on the menu. If you are looking for ambiance, this place may not be for you. But if good food at reasonable prices is what you are looking for... This is the place. Check them out at 820 W. Colton Ave. Redlands CA. 909-335-3441
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Weather and stuff

What a gloomy morning. Its supposed to get up into the 90's today. We'll see.

Had a great conversation on the nature of Socialism, Capitalism, The Builderbergs, The Power Elite, globalization, and Communism and their relationship to the current economic crisis in America.

Coffee

I find it interesting that the conversation at coffee has, for the last 100 days, not included any negative stuff about the current national administration but tons of comments about our gov. Arnold.
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Wednesday AM

Can things get any worse for the small business person? Nobody is spending money, tax collection is way down and the the price of living has gone up. Ouch!

I think I will spend the day doing watercolors, and try to not think about the financial hardship that many people are starting to feel here in the Golden State.

More thoughts

Hah! I now can post from my BlackBerry Storm! Way cool.
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Random Thoughts

Just got done reading Pragmatism, Bourdieu, and Collective Emotions in Contentious Politics by Emirbayer and Goldberg from the Journal, Theory and Society. It was published in 2005. What an interesting topic... no really. It was all about how words (symbols) are used to elicit emotions and create power for their users. Think about that old rhyme, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Seen in the light of this monograph, nothing could be further from the truth. Words are powerful and it amazes me just how many people don't think about how they use words. The authors cite pragmatists Pierce, James and Dewey along with Freud and even Kant to make their point. Strong stuff. I'll never teach the same way now that I have read this.

Tuesday evening.

Well things are not looking so good for the personal services sector. The person who cuts my hair is making about $70 dollars per day. This is not good. It looks like its going to be a very lean July. So much for the economic recovery here in California.

Evening time...

Off to Mo Valley. Why? Good question.... Friends live there.

10:30 - time for a break

OK, so I have been researching and writing about early 20th century American philosophy since 6 this morning. My head hurts and its time to do something that does not take much effort like clean the cat litter box or pull weeds. On second thought, I think I will just vegetate and think about having a cigar....

Coffee Fueled writing

Up real early, started this blog, and am running on high test coffee. Delving into the nature of truth from the perspective of the Pragmatists. Interesting stuff.
According to William James, Truth is a condition that happens to an idea through the course of events as experienced and analyzed by human beings. Truth is not a stagnant property inherent in an idea, apart from the process of its emergence in history and and from its possession by human beings interacting contingently with each other and with the larger natural world.

A new blog in town

It may take a while to get this going. Still working on my dissertation.