Tea and Sympathy

In these tough times I find that my family and I take a rooting interest in the continued well being of our small local businesses. Thus, as my mom, Richie, Jo and I sat down to eat at a local Greek restaurant, Richie remarked how glad he was to see the place with some activity. Soon, there would be a little too much.

We all tend to set a timer for when each course should be placed before us. As the minutes passed and no food appeared, the conversation started to turn to the delay. While my wife and son were particularly patient and forgiving, almost nurturing in their sense of caring for the establishment, I started to get cranky. I was about to get a lesson in why I should just shut up and wait.

The noise level from the table behind us rose dramatically. First, the husband started with his animated complaints about the quality of the food. Then, in an ever increasing pitch, the wife began. She took nasty to a new level, announcing her disgust over and over, each succeeding time with a little more force. The owner of the restaurant, who had now come over to try to soothe the beast, was in full retreat. His apologies for the perceived wrong done to his customers only stirred them to greater levels of indignity. It was the ugly American on full display.

The show went on for at least 5 minutes. With each respite, we took a breath. Then it would begin anew. We heard the arguments for the second time about not paying the bill, saw the family get up and finally, finally depart.

Richie almost physically recoils from this type of confrontation. He was shaken by what happened around him. While I was still part alpha, and ready to begin my own muted version of this dance with the proprietor because of the delay in service, Jo and Richie counseled otherwise. Just sit and wait. We had no where to go.

A few minutes later our food arrived. The owner came to our table to ask how we were doing. The conversation turned to the scene we had just witnessed, and we questioned if there was a problem in the backroom.

We were told that the chef was having marital problems. It seemed that while he was still in love with his wife, the feelings were not reciprocated. He was crying uncontrollably. The owner had tried to calm the beleaguered employee, but it had been difficult. Life, it turned out, was the basis for the delay.


We became instant friends with the boss as we told him it was ok, everyone had a bad day and we understood. The dessert and tea were compliments of the owner. The waitress and hostess were smiling and laughing with us. We waved our goodbyes and promised to return soon.

The lesson, reinforced last night, was in the value of kindness and sympathy. The family that exited in a storm of angry rhetoric, will never feel gratitude like that shown us. While they may have left the restaurant with their money in their pockets, they went home poorer by far.

10 for 50

With the passing of Ted Kennedy, there is a half century retrospective that many of us are now undertaking. I was on a walk with my brother-in-law this morning and we started to talk about the 10 most memorable events from 1960 to the present. The list below does not include 'ongoing' issues like war, but rather moments in time. In chronological order, here goes:

1 The assassination of JFK.

2. The assassination of MLK

3. One small step for man

4. Woodstock

5. Nixon's resignation

6. The Berlin Wall crumbles

7. Monica Lewinsky

8. Hanging chads

9. 9/11

10. The inauguration of Barack Obama

I am sure you may disagree with some or all of the above, and find certain egregious omissions. Let me know.

Extinguished

And then there were none. With the passing of Edward Moore Kennedy an era of political significance for 3 brothers has come to a close. They were men of wealth and privilege. They were men who had flaws, revealed and hidden. They were however, above all else, men who dedicated their lives in the pursuit of their vision of a better more noble country.

From 1960 and for almost 50 years thereafter the name Kennedy carried a special meaning. I was born in 1952, the same year that JFK became a US senator from Massachusetts. I have never had a conscious thought of our country's political course without inclusion of someone Kennedy.

The family believed fundamentally in moving towards a truer democracy. From civil rights advances, educational reform and health insurance overhaul to scores of other positions vigorously defended by Jack, Bobby and Ted, we were asked to live up to the standards they demanded from our society. It was to be a country in which no one would be left behind.

There are no more brothers to whom the torch passes. The light that this extraordinary trio shined upon us has now been extinguished. It is a little darker in the world this morning. It is time for us to pay our last respects to 3 brothers who deserve our everlasting respect.

Savant

I am an idiot savant.

I am the person who can't figure out most of the uses for a cellphone and wouldn't know how to use an iphone if I was given a manual and a month. I can't really cut a bagel because I haven't mastered the art of slicing away from my wrists. I would need to take a course to be able to remove a key off a key chain. Trying to uncork a bottle of wine remains one of the mysteries of the world.

The simple tasks that I am unable to accomplish would fill the pages of a large notebook

Yet last night, presented with a mathematical challenge that had stumped multitudes, I found the solution to be crystal clear.

We all get hundreds of e-mails we immediately delete. It seems like half our time is spent hitting the trash this communication button. The forward from my friend would have found a quick grave, but for the fact that he and I spent part of last evening together. He told me that I had to look at this problem that would keep me up all night.

Fifteen seconds after I opened the email, I was on the phone with him. I have it solved, I told him. I explained the predicate for the 'trick', but was informed that I must follow the problem to the 'next screen'. This screen made it appear that the computer could read minds.

After trying 2 or 3 permutations, the answer appeared in front of my eyes. It was like the scene in "A Beautiful Mind" where the hidden codes arise from the pages of the newspaper to be viewed by the insane professor. There was no magic in my computer, just simple mathematical manipulation.

How could a 3 year old not see the clues? What was it in the brains of all the others that didn't allow them to follow a path that had been so obvious?

Last weekend we were at a 'black tie' wedding. The routine in our household whenever I have to try to dress myself in formal attire is for Joanne to come over to me and assist me in putting on my cuff links. I don't know how one could be expected to master such an intricate art form.

There are clearly parts of my brain that have long laid dormant, while others remain active. One day I would like these parts to meet and strike up a conversation.That would be worth the price of admission.

Farming for answers

Ok class, how many of you read the Op Ed 'A Farm on Every Floor'? What a wonderful concept. Let's see, "in roughly 50 years, farming as we know it will no longer exist"; "changes in rain patterns could diminish India's agricultural output by 30 percent by the end of the century"; "the amount of arable land per person.... is projected to decline to about a third of an acre by 2050 (from an acre person in 1970").

The piece goes on to extol the potential financial benefits of vertical farms, "we have the technology now we need the money", contending that "the iconic building could generate significant tourist dollars, on top of revenue from sale of its produce". This is literally pie in the sky farming, where our economic and food goals are satisfied through 21st century concepts of indoor agriculture.

It is suggested that "part of the financing should come from the city government, as a vertical farm would go a long way toward achieving Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s goal of a green New York City by 2030."

The author concludes by saying that "when people ask me why the world still does not have a single vertical farm, I just raise my eyebrows and shrug my shoulders".

Guess what, I have the answer. Are grandma and grandpa in harm's way? Is the baby unable to eat today? Is there any money in it for me at a time when cash is no longer growing on those trees you may want to plant?

Wake up and smell the Republican messages that are stinking up the airwaves. We are a country that responds to immediate threats. Are we at code red, or not? Is the virus entering my town today? Is the stock market collapse taking everything out from my account as we are conversing? Is someone pulling the plug on grandma?

The Democrats have not learned to speak in soundbites, with an urgency that captures the attention of the public. Ice caps melting sounds like something rather interesting to watch. Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" does not show that next year the condo in Florida will be gone, or that we will be forced to wash our cars only on odd days. Rising oil prices almost sounds like a sign of economic promise.

The message is getting lost on its trip to our ears. We are inundated with information. To move forward, you have to be able to capture our attention, not our imagination.

Released

I consider myself a 'bleeding heart liberal'. I don't agree with many of the concepts that leave people to rot in jails for a variety of crimes (eg drug possession) that don't warrant the punishment meted out. I am very far from an eye for an eye proponent. That being said, the recent decision of the Scottish government to release Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds is just wrong.

I believe he is in the final stages of prostate cancer, that will soon lay him to rest. Anyone's imminent death from cancer should not be a cause for celebration in a civilized society. But Al- Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of crimes relating to the murder of 270 people on Pan Am flight 103 on December 21, 1988. His life sentence is but a memory today. Why?

Are there no prison hospitals that could render compassionate care for Al- Megrahi? Is there no way in which those who are closest to Al- Megrahi can be permitted access to him in prison in his final days so that there can be some closure in the family? Is the only way in which to demonstrate compassion to hand him a ticket back to Libya where he was treated by many as a homecoming hero? President Obama suggested that house arrest in Libya is what was warranted,once Al-Megrahi touched down. The welcome given to Al-Megrahi was his answer.

To me, there is something rotten that is the predicate for this release. It is one government negotiating favor with another. Al- Megrahi is but a means to a political end that has little to do with compassion for a fellow human being.

I long ago represented a family member of one of the 270 victims in a matter in which proceeds of life insurance on the victim played a pivotal role. I saw his mom and brother and learned first hand of their pain. For them, and for many others, I believe that the decision to release Al- Megrahi is not one that can be understood or accepted.

A love story (sort of)

WHENEVER I TAKE A DRIVE UP TO THE BERKSHIRES, I LISTEN TO MY FAVORITE COUNTRY STATION- IT MAKES ME WANT TO WRITE A COUNTRY MUSIC SONG- HERE GOES




I know I drank too much last night.
I can tell by the ache in my head.
I know we had a big, bad fight.
I just can't recall what I said.

Messing up is what I do best.
I can't get out of my way.
Someday soon I'll give stupid a rest.
I can't wait to get to that day.

But for now, won't you please just open the door
I'm freezing out here in the rain
I'm bare assed and bare foot and soaked to the core
I'm an idiot who's in severe pain

I've slept outside for the very last time
Let me back in our home and your heart
I've been punished again for committing a crime
For today give me a fresh start

So for now, won't you please just open the door
I'm wheezing out here in the rain
I'm bare backed and bare head and soaked to the core
I'm in shock, I'm in need, I'm in pain

The windows are locked, the neighbors are staring
I can feel you just looking at me
Have some pity in your heart, a small bit of caring
I'm exposed for the whole world to see

Come on now, won't you please just open the door
I'm sneezing out here in the rain
I'm barely alive, I'm soaked to the core
I'm a wreck, I am naked, full of pain

Wanted Dead (Not Alive) - Chapter 1 of a tale of fiction with an uncertain future

It had been a disastrous year for him.His marriage of over 20 years had crumbled due to his abuse of drugs and his wife, not necessarily in that order. He had lost half of his net worth in that battle. With the costs of alimony and child support, the landscape was changing dramatically.

The stock market had swallowed up large portions of his remaining assets. He had some of his portfolio with one of the feeder funds to Madoff, and that had disappeared.

He had been left with his interest in the record company he had founded. It's value had not crippled him in the divorce, as the industry in general was staggering, and his company was hemorrhaging money. Bad choices in artists, bad management and bad luck had left him barely holding on. He was one step away from nowhere.

In looking back, it was easy to see why he had chosen this path. But, to the world it was to be a shock.

It all began innocently enough, as these things often do. He had been reading the newspaper when 2 stories collided in his mind. The first was a true tale involving a cop turned TV personality. He had developed a popular show tracking down criminals. He had made a habit of being the first on the scene to investigate. The police wondered for years how he was always able to get a jump on them. It turned out that he had been hiring killers to commit these murders, so he knew the how and when. He had become a murderer for increased TV ratings.

The other story involved a rival label. They reported that shortly after the death of Michael Jackson, there had been increased revenues of over $100,000,000. Michael's death brought renewed life to the company.


Michael and Elvis had, truth be known, seen better days way before their deaths. Michael was attempting a comeback tour at the time of his accidental overdose. Elvis, battling weight and a music industry that had in large part moved onto to another sound and another generation, was hoping to resurrect his career when he too was felled by a lethal dose of drugs. Many years after his death, the Elvis industry still produces much more revenue than it would have had the King survived.

He knew both of these performers had been icons, and he could not envision any of the old timers in his stable being able to create that kind of profit for him if any one of them died. There were certainly 3 or 4 who had been among the pantheon of stars in the 1970's and 1980's. They were still around, still on his on his label, but they hadn't generated a hit in years. Yet, for the baby boomers, and maybe for their children, there would be renewed fervor after death.

He also had several current stars who had seemed to be on the edge of greatness. One more hit, one more CD, one more dalliance with a movie star, or made up celebrity, and maybe. But not yet.

There was one performer however that was of particular interest.

He dismissed these thoughts from his mind. Times were tough, but they were tough for everyone.He would be able to find a way out without resorting to this madness.

But, as the days of summer turned into fall, the reality of the depths of his financial woes descended upon him. The company was on the verge of collapse. The endless pool of money into which he dipped with abandon through the years was now but a memory. His car payments, mortgage payments, alimony payments, college payments and the constant nagging of his ex-spouse created a crescendo of noise that he couldn't turn off. There was no escaping the reality that presented itself before him.

His mind returned to thoughts of murder.

Shrinking

I imagine a cartoon of Barack Obama holding aloft the tiniest scrap of paper in his hand and exclaiming to the gathered throng that we have pushed through health care reform of monumental significance. Or another one of him, holding a sow's ear, with a caption, "trying to make a silk purse".

It seems that the power of hope has somewhere been misplaced. In the maze of bureaucratic red tape, special interest groups, media's distorted view of fair and balanced (giving equal time to nonsense), we have lost our way. Environmental changes have been watered down, or put on the back burner. We have learned of the abuses of the Bush administration but seem resigned to doing little or nothing about them. We are closing Guantanamo but can't even find a place to put the prisoners.We have seen the financial markets abused to the point of collapse, but for those who were the worst sinners it is still business as usual. And yet all of these disappointments seem to pale in relation to the failure to move the health care issue where it should be directed.

It appears that the President is either unwilling, or in an even worse scenario, unable to counter the forces that align against him. He is making deals with pharmaceutical companies that appear to do little more than allow them unfettered ability to continue to charge outrageous sums for their products. The lobbyists for the insurance companies have forced the President to discuss abandoning the only real prospect we have for trying to keep these companies in line. The replacement concept of some "co-op" that could seriously put a dent in the status quo for the insurers seems a remote and unrealistic possibility.

We don't seem to be governed by those who should be governing us. I imagine yet another cartoon of Obama standing in the corner, small and alone, while those that now seem to have the upper hand are gathered together large and imposing. They ask the question of him "Do you have anything else up your sleeve, or is that the best you can do?". We are waiting for the President to give them, and us, the answer we want to hear. For the moment, he seems to be saying nothing.

Death and taxes

We are back to death and taxes. We had added a third item to the list, but took our eraser to it yesterday. Tiger Woods leading a major going into the final round no longer equates to an automatic victory.

We knew, somewhere in the recesses of our mind, that this day might come. Tiger has 'only' won about 30% of the tournaments he has played in as a professional. (forget that there is no one on today's tour even remotely near him in percentage of wins). He missed the cut recently in the British Open while that other TW (Tom Watson) stole his place in the spotlight.

But, just because there was a statistical understanding of the impossibility of his NEVER losing when in the lead of a major, doesn't make it feel any less surreal to be confronted with Tiger's golfing mortality.

The best ever tag is a heavy one to lug around with you, especially when the expectations are so high almost from the moment of your birth. He was a phenomenon at 3 and has remained a phenomenon for 30 years. It wasn't that he didn't know how to lose, it was that he always knew how to win. Victory seemed to follow him around the course. It has now abandoned him, maybe only for the briefest of moments.

He still wins with incredible regularity. It often appears these days that he is somehow not nearly his best even in victory. Yet, one wonders if this is the beginning of the end of the dynasty. For the first time since 2004, no major titles were part of this year's collection. Beaten in the PGA by a much lesser light, in a mano-a-mano struggle, only reinforces the 'concern'.

Only time will tell if Tiger will lick his wounds and come back even fiercer next season. In the meantime, there is one less certainty in the world.