INDY BOOMER

Give this a listen.

2011-09-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

The Decline of Unions and What It Means for Us All.

2011-09-10T22:32:00.001-04:00

Why is it that unions are so depleted? Because the Right has been running a vendeta against them for decades. It is so easy - and ignorant, I might add - to characterize unionists as "thugs." It is a stereotype that holds very little water; especially in this day and age. Jimmy Hoffa IS dead and "On the Waterfront" is a 57 year old movie. It is unions that fought to make work environments safe. It is unions that fought for a 40 hour work week and the 8 hour work day. The list goes on. Without their efforts, 6 and 7 day work weeks, 16 hour work days, workhouses and sweatshops would likely still exist in profusion here in America.

And what was the terrible crime that workers commited? They wanted to get a little ahead of the game. They wanted to live a little better than their parents. They wanted to leave a better world for their kids. Those filthy bastards!

The dwindling of the middle class goes along virtually step for step with the dwindling of unions. America's middle class is steadily being decimated and replaced with a widening gap between the poor and the very rich. Our society is well on its way to mirroring one more like that of India.

India is an almost purely capitalist society with very little government regulation or involvement with so called "entitlements." Everyone is pretty much on their own there. Is that the "ideal" that you right wingers aspire to? Do you not understand that unless you ARE very rich, that you and yours will likely end up on the same garbage heap right along with the rest of the great American unwashed who you hold in such disdain?

It is the middle class Right who are the dupes. It is the middle class Right who are the ones falling in line like obedient prep school children, standing in that line, keeping it straight, praying they don't piss themselves, while they march in lock step to the commands of the rich and the corporate mogels who are playing that marching tune on a continuously looped eight track tape.

The very rich have effectively blinded the middle class Right into believing that they give a crap about them. They reassuringly feed them bullshit about being good christians and standing on their own two feet just as our forefathers intended, as they deftly pull the rug out from under them while puffing on a $300 cigar and sipping 200 year old brandy.

No, the Koch Brothers and their like are not "thugs" in the usual sense of the word. Yet, what they are doing amounts to violence beyond what the worst union bosses could have ever imagined.

It is in their mindset that there is no such thing as being too rich. Wealth is all that matters. If you have a million, then you must have two. If you have ten billion, then you must go after another ten. They dazzle us all with the blinding light of promised riches, and far too many of us lay back with visions of owning rooms full of diamond studded 200 inch LCD TVs ensconsed in multiple McMansions scatterd about the world, and having solid gold condums with which, we too, can fuck the poor with our wealth without having to actually touch them. (That would be icky.)

It is neither unions nor socialism that will mark the downfall of this country. Rather, it will be the selfishness, the greed and the self righteous condescension of the Right and the contemptible religious moralists that will cause this nation to collapse into the fetid offal of obscene consumerism and sanctimonious bullshit.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/angry-liberals/#comments#ixzz1XWYDHUZI

2011-08-28T17:45:00.001-04:00

Here's the thing: The Right is eventually going to win the battle for power at the Federal level. They may or may not unseat Obama in 2012. Whether they succeed in that or not, it is only a matter of time until they wrest control of all the bells and whistles. History tells us that if the Dems retain control of the WH or either House of Congress in 2012, which remains problematic at best, the pendulum will almost certainly swing back the other way come 2016. The conservatives can afford to be patient if need be. While they may well succeed next year, success will almost certainly come their way 4 years hence.

In that eventuality they will race to enact their entire agenda - both social and fiscal - which will effectively send this country back to somewhere around the knuckle dragging state. They will deregulate about everything except, of course, our private lives, regarding which they might eventually be able to scrutinize, through the further development of eavesdropping technology, virtually every personal choice we make outlawing about anything and everything one can imagine. They will further their attacks on women and gays, and will do everything possible to scour the nation clean of poor people except for those few necessary to clean up rich shit of which there will doubtless be tons.

They will, as they go along, move this country toward a christian theocracy by trashing everything they disagree with in the Constitution and inserting god into government at all levels. Do progressives, liberals or lefties have the backbone and resolve to effectively resist this? Frankly, I've seen little sign of it. The rift widens. The abyss deepens.

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Jo and my anniversary - 39 and counting

2011-07-02T00:03:00.000-04:00

Hope this works.

Hot and Naked At the Movies!

2011-06-13T10:06:00.010-04:00

Movie projectionists are a small and seemingly in my admittedly limited experience, a very odd lot. I worked for several months at the Greenwich Theatre in NYC back in the early 1970s taking tickets, sweeping up the lobby and generally sitting around doing not much of anything. Not a bad gig, when you think about it.

One hot July evening a couple of folks from the audience came out to the lobby, disturbing my reverie, to complain that the movie, Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet," had stopped. There was no direct communication with the projection booth - a decades old intercom system no longer worked - so I was told by the manager to trudge up there and see what was going on.

Upon my arrival at the top of the auditorium I opened the door into the sweltering booth which was not air conditioned. There was the projectionist, a balding man probably in his fifties and perhaps forty pounds overweight, about ten feet away from me, sitting in a small plastic chair, stark naked and asleep - or I dearly hoped he was asleep. Now, do I really want to wake this guy, and if so, how? I had no great desire to walk in and shake his shoulder to wake him. The "ich factor" was strong in me, I can tell you. I didn't even know his name, had never knowingly laid eyes on him.

I rapped on the open door a couple of times to no avail. I spotted a rag of some sort on the floor in what appeared to be dubious condition within reach of the doorway. I picked it up, gingerly at first, but then thought: What the hell! I wadded it into a ball, and threw it at him fortunately hitting him in the neck and shoulder. It did the trick. He roused and looked about him momentarily disoriented. Upon seeing me, I thought he'd scramble to cover himself, but no. Unfased, he apparently gathered in the scenario, rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, and generally shook himself awake - which was, I might add, quite a spectacle in itself. He then got up and nonchalantly sauntered over to one of the two giant projectors in all his glory and flipped it on. He waved me off saying everything was under control while fumbling with a cigarette. I had my doubts, but wanted more than anything to get the hell out of there. I closed the door, descended down the balcony and back to the lobby whereupon I reported all of this to the manager. He just shook his head. Happily, the projectionist kept things moving without incident the remainder of the evening, presumably in his birthday suit.

Didn't God Say: Fire, Not a Flood Next Time?

2011-05-03T20:07:00.004-04:00

I write this in the trembling fear that all hope is lost:

Rising from my usual mid-afternoon nap, I peered out of my kitchen window just minutes ago, and there, right outside, was a strange light, an astounding and pervasive brightness. Only after some understandable hesitation I cautiously slipped out the back door and into the yard in utter, jaw dropping amazement. The "brightness" was dazzlingly reflected off the white aluminosity of our garage, and about everything else as far as the eye could see. Only areas apparently somehow sheltered from the as yet undiscovered source of luminescence remained in accustomed mottled dim & drab.

Looking up, what did I see but a firey incandescent ball of light literally hanging, or I don't know, maybe hovering - yeah, definitely hovering - in the sky well above the horizon. I was terrified! I could feel heat emanating from it. Nearly blinded, I covered my eyes and reverted my gaze downward in a desparate attempt to regain my sight. I wheeled around only to discover atop the still sodden grass at my feet what appeared to be the blackened image of my rotundity. I could only surmize it to be the ash from my incineration effected by the now hated molten orb. I sprinted back into the house despite my decrepit knees, screaming, the ash staying with me step for fearful step. As I ran I also noticed that much of the sky had taken on what I could only describe as an evil blueness in place of the usual, accustomed and comforting dark gray. I quickly returned to the relative safety of my basement lair yelling to my wife, Jo as I descended the stair, that she should follow me post haste, but to perhaps grab a couple of beers, a bag of chips and perhaps the jar of Kalamata olives on her way.

In my life I have heard stories of such horrors as this - of strange lights in the skies, of evil lurking in the heavens - but always dismissed them as myth, a terrible fantasy - akin to stories of Rob Schneider winning an Oscar. The world must be coming to a hellish end. What else could it be? I'm comin' home mama!

Royal Pains?

2011-04-29T13:09:00.000-04:00

How should one think of or respond to the British Royal Wedding? Answers to that question would likely be all over the map. Many, including a vast majority of Brits (80% according to recent polls) would say its all a total waste of time and money, an irrelevance. In fact, Americans on the whole seem to be more taken with the royal fairy tale than are the Brits. Depending on my mood at any given moment, I might well agree with the naysayers.

However, as I awoke this morning at the crack of nine, I spent some time while breaking my nightly fast and sipping my Maxwell House watching the rehashing of the morning's events in London. It appears that it was all quite lovely and went off with nary a hitch. How does one put it all into any kind of measured perspective?

We now live in an age where there are no heros. There is no magic. We've all come to understand, if begrudgingly, that everyone is human. That kings and queens, princes and princesses, presidents, dictators and celebrities of all shapes and sizes are all too human; subject to all the same failings and foibles that plague us all. None of them have been sprinkled with good fairy dust. Few are able to rise above it all. With the advent of the 24/7 news cycle and the constant, pervasive scrutiny of the paparazzi, royals, politicians and celebrities are able to maintain only the barest of privacy in their lives. Consequently, most at some time or other find themselves exposed to the world - warts and all. It is often the cost of fame and fortune.

When one considers what is going on around the planet at any given time, a lavish celebration like that now taking place in London presents a conundrum. There is an obvious disconnect. While the royal newlyweds ride in a 109 year old carriage, smiling and waving at the thousands of onlookers lining the London streets, as they make their way from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, thousands of people in the American south are reeling from the effects of hundreds of deadly tornados. Thousands of Haitians are still living in what amounts to little more than ramshackle leantos perilously teetering on bare hillsides in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of well more than a year ago. Thousands of Japanese remain homeless, hundreds remain missing and the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant remains a danger to the entire country as a result of their own earthquake and the devastating tsunami. People are being killed by warring in Libya and in anti-government demonstrations in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa. Not to mention the difficulties currently facing Brits on their own homefront with a flagging economy and drastic government cut backs. Obviously, I could go on, and this is always the case. It's difficult to reconcile such onerous events with ostentatious royal weddings.

Kate and William's nuptuals provide at least a brief respite from the more down and dirty realities of life. It is a welcome distraction for a lot of people. It's easy to criticize, but look at the billions of dollars we humans spend on "distractions:" sporting events, movies and plays, musical concerts and recordings, television, books and magazines, and literally hundreds of other hobbys and leisure activities. Few are free. I guess the occasional grand royal "wedding of the century" with all its pomp and circumstance, its high fashion and finery, isn't such a bad thing.

TLS

Push Me Pull You

2011-03-25T20:55:00.000-04:00

I feel the need to discuss an issue that's been bothering me since Saturday night when Jo and I watched the film "Man Push Cart." All in all a pretty good film, but I have a small bone to pick. The "man" did indeed have a "cart." But at no time in the film does he "push" it. It was just a whole lot of really arduous pulling.

The cart wasn't even designed to be pushed. It actually had a long tongue meant to be hooked to a hitch on the back of a car or truck --- for what? Pulling! Our hapless hero had no car or truck, so he was obliged to pull the cart through the New York streets every night to his appointed place to sell his coffee, tea and bagels. But there just seems to be a problem with our lexicon. We apparently haven't yet grasped the difference between pushing and pulling. Granted, I've never heard of a "pull cart," but still...

Some years ago my lovely wife, Jo and I had lunch in a restaurant on the Ohio river which was named [Somebody's] Tow Boat Grill or Cafe or whatever. Of course, we had to ask, after being seated, just what was a towboat? It was explained to us that the boats one sees in salt water harbours manipulating large ships into and out of port are called - as we all know - tugboats. Why, one might ask? Well, as it was further explained, a tugboat "tugs" or pushes the ships around, whereas towboats are found on rivers and they "pull" their appointed loads.

But wait a minute. Doesn't the word "tug" evoke images of pulling? Don't we go to family picnics and invariably play "tug" of war? Aren't we "pulling" on that rope? Did you ever try to push one? Don't tow trucks pull a vehicle behind it? And I must say, I retain clear images in my mind's eye of tugboats pulling ships and so called towboats pushing barges.

Also, I recall back during my brief flirtation with flying small planes that there was a particular model which had propellers at both the front and rear of the fuselage, and the flyers I knew referred to it as the "Push Me, Pull You" plane. Now, which propeller pushes and which one pulls? Confusion reigns.

So what's up with all this? Can one hope to come to a clear understanding of just what it means to be pushing or pulling, tugging or towing? This will no doubt be tugging away at my mind for the rest of the night. I just hope it doesn't push me over the edge.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/pushing-things-to-the-limit/#ixzz1Hf8Ix6LC

Fundy Social Agenda

2011-02-21T10:32:00.000-05:00

Behind all the noise and bluster about budget deficits, the national debt, union busting, immigration reform and so on, Republicans at both state and national levels are quietly enacting the conservative social agenda. They are going after same sex marriage, abortion rights, including Planned Parenthood, some even wanting to revisit Don't Ask, Don't Tell and so on. As they have control of a large # of state legislatures and governorships, there is little to stop them. At the national level the only thing that may stop some of this is the still Democratically controlled Senate and the Obama White House. That may well change come 2012. There is even some stirring the pot regarding legislation and even constitutional ammendments in some states banning the teaching of evolution in favor of intelligent design. Most of this type of legislation is on tap here in Indiana. Woohoo!

A few years ago, people - even many on the right - were saying that the religious fundamentalist movement was dead. Not hardly.

The country, perhaps with Indiana taking the lead, is on its way back to the "good old days" otherwise known as the Dark Ages.

TLS

THE BEGINNING OF THE END: GROUNDHOG DAY

2011-02-08T17:05:00.002-05:00

I just posted the following as a comment to one of my "friend's" postings on Facebook regarding her frustration with the musings of that infamous Pennsylvania woodchuck. I feel it imperitave that I get this message out there.

I have been looking into taking legal action regarding that unholy liberal celebration ostensibly known as "Groundhog Day.". It is difficult to determine just what came first: The groundhog - or more aptly, the whistle pig, the name known by those who recognize the danger signals - or the weather? Regardless, it is clear that a conspiracy is afoot - that the so called "shadow" is actually a left wing cabal intent upon establishing an inclimate radical muslim caliphate that will enforce sharia law in weather forecasting, and force us all to listen to a never-ending loop of Kenny G music. (In that regard, you MUST all gird your loins and remember - "If it ain't country, it ain't music.)

And that's just for starters!

Before we know it - and both the great Holy Man of our time, Glenn Beck, and the much beleaguered John Birch Society have duly warned us - America will soon become, in effect, the western arm of the New Ottoman Empire. Ponxitauney Phil indeed! If you perform a (commie controlled) Google search, you will see that "Phill's" first name has any # of spellings. Exceedingly interesting, no? How dumb do they think we are?

If you are having trouble following the logic of this, if this just doesn't make sense to you, well - that's just what THEY want. Simply close your eyes and listen. Listen to the Beckster. Concentrate. Now, remember how that left wing hack, the so called George H. W. Bush, used to tell us that "it wouldn't be prudent" --- to what? It wouldn't be prudent to look over his left shoulder (but you must remember- his left is your right. See? See how the maniacal Pinkos conspire to confuse good and true, god fearing, right minded, conservative Americans?!!!)

Why? - You may ask. Indeed! Well, isn't it clear why? I mean it's all right out there, plain as day. Keep in mind: We have proof! What proof? Well... never you mind! You must remember the motto of the true conservative: Don't ask, don't ask.

TLS

Just an additional note: RE: Girding of Loins: I am not altogether clear as to the steps to achieving proper girding.

More Senseless Violence

2011-01-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

Ever since President Obama took office, the right has incorporated violent rhetoric in their message. The Reps and tea party activists have "targeted" the opposition, they have suggested the use of "second ammendment" solutions. They have stated their intent to "take out" an opposition candidate. Any # of right wing political candidates at all levels used guns and targets - often human silhouette type targets, not just bullseyes - and language suggestive of violence against their oponents. Right wing TV - FOX, that is - has lauded the hits on medical people involved in abortions. Right wingnut radio dipsticks have made much more baldly violent threats against the left. Ann Coulter has accused all Democrats and anyone politically to the left of Atilla the Hun as being traitors.

The characterization of Obama, the Dems and the left in general as anti-american, as socialists, as communists, as fascists has fed the flames. Those who appeared at political rallies armed to the teeth reinforced the notion that violence was not only acceptable, but perhaps desired.

All these people can shrug and claim having no responsibility for todays massacre, but they ARE responsible. They know full well that there is and will always be a fringe element - on both extremes of the political spectrum - who are just crazy enough, just disaffected enough, just prone to violence enough to pick up the gauntlet and start shooting.

Ironically, among the worst of them are Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and Sharon Angle - the idiot triumvirate! Those three and all the others who make it a practice to use violent language and evoke violent images when speaking of their political opponents MUST accept responsibility and they MUST remove such allusions from their rhetoric in the future. They cannot be allowed to protest their innocence, but rather, must be held accountable by the public and, perhaps, ultimately, by the courts. To paraphrase the sheriff in Tucson who said in his statement earlier today in reference to the radio and TV pundits and pols' use of violent language - "It might be free speech, but it has consequences." Indeed it does.

TLS

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Appraisers and Fee Splitting with AMCs.

2010-09-20T23:53:00.002-04:00

I just sent the letter below via snail mail to Sandra Braunstein, who is working with others in her department of the Federal Reserve Board considering the portion of the Dodd/Frank Financial Reform Legislation dealing with home appraisal fees. We'll see if I get any response and/or if any response I receive will be anything other than a form letter.

For non-appraisers looking this over, this likely makes little sense and, doubtless is of little concern to you. However, if anyone who reads this happens to be an appraiser, or is in some manner connected to the mortgage lending industry - including any working for appraisal management companies - I'd appreciate it if you would read this through and make any comments - pro or con - which you may have. Especially let me know if you disagree or find any egregious errors in my letter. I won't mind hearing from you if you agree either. :)

Also, I would encourage other appraisers to send letters off to Ms. Braunstein in the hope of strengthening our position as regards AMC fee splitting. I think it's well past the time when we should stop being given the shaft by AMCs. Note that I obtained Ms. Braunstein's name and mailing address from the latest on-line edition of Working RE.

Sandra Braunstein
Director
Division of Consumer and
Community Affairs
Federal Reserve Board
1709 New York Avenue
Washington D.C. 20006

Ms. Braunstein:

I am writing this regarding the consideration currently being given to the portion of the Dodd/Frank Financial Reform Legislation concerning residential appraisal fees and the bill's language which indicates that those fees should be "customary and reasonable."

I agree with TAVMA (Title/Appraisal Vendor Management Association) that the language is vague. However, Appraisal Management Companies or AMCs are standing in opposition to any regulation or directives concerning appraisal fees.

First, a bit of history: AMCs are a relatively new phenomenon. They first appeared either in the late 1970s or sometime in the 1980s. They developed in response to changes in the mortgage lending industry - mainly its movement away from generally local and locally owned banks and other mortgage lenders to regional and national institutions. As it stands today, there are few local lending institutions. As this movement increased, it became less desirable for lenders to maintain local offices and staff and contacts with local appraisers. During the past 25 years or so, it gradually became more common for lenders to seek the services of AMCs from which to order appraisals. That, in and of itself, is fine.

However, in the early years, the change to AMCs was slow. Old habits die hard. It was often a hard sell. The chief problem was, of course, cost. Lenders did not want to pay any more for an appraisal ordered through an AMC than if they had contacted the appraiser directly. "No problem," said the AMCs. "We’ll simply take our portion out of the appraisal fees you are currently paying."

Observing this formula AMCs generally made contact with primarily younger or more accurately, less experienced appraisers who were perhaps having difficulty establishing a clientele. Many such appraisers were willing (if not happy) to accept lower fees in order to obtain work. More established appraisers were outraged at this. Fees for residential appraisals had developed over many years and were, for the most part, reflective of the time and expertise required to properly and professionally complete assignments. The lower fees being paid by AMCs were rightly seen as a threat to an appraiser's ability to be competitive, to continue to do professional quality work, and frankly, to make a living. This has been an ongoing fight within the appraisal industry for years.

The advent of the HVCC (the Home Valuation Code of Conduct) originally negotiated between Fannie Mae and the State of New York and then adopted nationwide, effectively mandated that lenders could no longer have direct contact with appraisers which then had the consequent effect of opening the flood gates for AMCs. When the HVCC officially went into effect in May of 2009, many appraisers literally lost all of their clientele overnight. They were left to scramble about, searching for and signing on with AMCs in the hope of getting work. Many gave it up and left the business entirely. There are today, fewer licensed or certified residential appraisers nationwide than at any time since the early days of nationally mandated licensing in the early 1990s.

What it comes down to is what constitutes "customary and reasonable" fees? Obviously, the AMCs want that figure to reflect what they generally pay appraisers for their work. The question then is: Why should the appraiser be expected to take less for the same work ordered by AMCs than he or she was normally receiving directly from lenders?

The services provided by AMCs do nothing to enhance the appraiser's condition. The AMCs would argue that they provide a major work source. That is a strawman argument as, if AMCs did not exist, lenders would still require appraisals. The work would still be there.

The fact is that ALL of the benefits of services provided by AMCs accrue to the lender. Lenders using AMCs, both before and since the HVCC, were and are provided the convenience of using just one or perhaps two or three AMCs as sources for most or all of their appraisal needs rather than maintaining long lists of appraisers across the country. As time passed, the AMCs developed reviewing capabilities which had the effect of reducing the work load for lenders. They could either eliminate staff and/or redirect their efforts in other, perhaps more profitable, endeavors. Again, all of these and other services which AMCs provide benefit only the lender. Why then should the appraiser be expected to pay for these services out of his or her fee?

It should be noted that some AMCs often receive as much as 60% or more of the total fee collected from the lender for an appraisal leaving what is often far less than half of the fee for the appraiser - the individual who actually performs the work.

It is my opinion, and one that is, I believe, shared by many in the industry, that if lenders elect to use AMCs (and it is still technically an election, not a mandate) that any monies paid to AMCs should be a separate fee, not connected to the appraisal itself. It is the appraiser who performs the inspection, who performs the research, who completes the report, and who is primarily liable for its conclusions. The lender should pay for services received. The days of "fee splitting" should end.

I understand in your capacity your primary concern is rightly for consumers, with what is best for them, and perhaps, what is best for the housing and mortgage lending industry as a whole. I also understand that appraisal fees are of little concern to the average mortgagor except insofar as they are obligated to pay them. But, there are other considerations.

Recent surveys conducted by various appraisal organizations and publications, of which I expect you are aware, have found that many appraisers feel that quality and reliability of appraisals have declined since the implementation of the HVCC. This decline is largely owing to lower fees with AMCs often awarding assignments to the lowest bidder, coupled with pressures on appraisers brought to bear by AMCs for quick turn-arounds of reports. Completed reports are considered due often as little as 24 hours after the inspection which doesn't allow for careful consideration of assignments. Well considered and accurate appraisals are vital to the current and future health of the mortgage and housing industries. A bit of justice regarding appraisal fees could be a small, but not insignificant step toward that goal.

Sincerely,

TLS

Honey Nut Clusters - Redux!

2010-09-14T17:24:00.020-04:00

As some may know, I have waged an on-going, and oft-times fruitless effort to find what has become my favorite breakfast food - General Mills' Honey Nut Clusters cereal. I have written, I think, at least three separate articles here in this regard. This, then may be number four.

Someone recently added a comment to one of my earlier "Clusters" posts stating that he (or she) had heard that GM had discontinued production of Honey Nut Clusters. Well, the latest information I received is that is NOT the case. I took it upon myself to once again contact GM and get the latest 'scoop' on Clusters.

According to the good folks at General Mills, they STILL make Honey Nut Clusters. I received essentially the same response to the same query a couple of years ago. They went on to say that shelf space in groceries is limited, and that the various grocery chains and individual stores must make the hard decisions as to what products they provide for sale. I find that a bit disingenuous in that the average cereal aisle in most of the larger grocery chains runs for about a city block with what seems literally hundreds of choices. It just seems that these stores could come up with the 8 or 9 inches needed to accommodate most cereal boxes for one little row of Clusters, but alas, apparently not. They have no trouble carrying volumes of "Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs," and their many variants which our increasingly pudgy and rotten toothed kids eat by the barrel full, much to the chagrin of nutritionists and dentists.

As I noted some time ago, I happened to find Honey Nut Clusters at a local Meijer store. I was thrilled and made periodic trips there usually buying 2 or 3 boxes at a time. No more. Meijer stopped carrying Clusters a few months back.

There remains only one store anywhere in the Indianapolis market where I can still get a fix for my Clusters 'Jones;' that being the Safeway store at 56th St. & Illinois on the north side of Indy. As it happens, I am a real estate appraiser, and I drive all around central Indiana about everyday. I find myself near the Safeway store probably a couple times a month. Other Clusters aficionados may not be so fortunate. If any other stores around here carry Clusters, I haven't found it or them. I even tried another Meijer store to no avail. I also filled out a product request card at our local Kroger store, which is where we normally shop, but never received a reply - and NO Honey Nut Clusters on the shelf! I recently filled out another such card. We shall see. Just as a suggestion, some of you Clusters junkies might try bugging your local grocer - fill out a few of those cards or whatever. You might have more luck at an independent or small chain store than at one of the gargantuan monolithic monster chains.

I believe Honey Nut Clusters can be purchased on-line through Amazon and perhaps other sites, but you must purchase an entire case at a cost of around $65. for what I believe is a dozen boxes. That comes down to $5.41 a box plus shipping. I think I pay around $4.75 per box at Safeway. They are, in any event, kinda pricey. But, hey, who cares when it comes to eating all that crunchy, honey, nutty, flakey goodness, right?

One not initiated to the wonders of Honey Nut Clusters might deservedly wonder what all the fuss is about? Well, just let me tell you...uh, not much really. There is really nothing particularly spectacular about Honey Nut Clusters. Yet, they are like anything people get a hankering for. For some it's beer - perhaps a certain brand of beer. For others, maybe it's some kind of chips, or chocolate, say specifically Godiva, or maybe just a good old Snickers bar. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I certainly can joyously eat most any kind of chips and most any kind of chocolate. Yet none of that comes down to a specific item for me. Nothing does, but Honey Nut Clusters. Go figure. :)

TLS

Hooray for Poetry and Hooray for My Son

2010-08-30T14:44:00.004-04:00

Some of you few who venture here may have noticed the cellpoems link I have provided on the right side of this blog page. cellpoems is a web site dedicated to publishing short poems - poems limited to the number of characters one can use in a single "Twitter" submission. The site has a steadily growing membership and has received submissions from a number of well known poets including Billy Collins, the former US Poet Laureate among many others.

cellpoems recently was the recipient of a $2500 grant from the National Book Foundation. A goodly portion of this grant has gone into a redesign of the site which is still underway, plus the addition of more efficient means by which poems can be received and distributed to the site's members. (All of this is free BTW.)

cellpoems is the brainchild of my younger son, Chris and submissions are evaluated by him and other poets. They are pretty tough to please.

A couple of weeks ago Chris received word that he has been chosen one of five winners of the Ruth Lilly Prize for Poetry given yearly to young poets across the country. The award is sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and its publication, Poetry Magazine. The prize includes a fellowship award of $15000. The poems submitted by Chris and the four other winners will be published in the November issue of Poetry Magazine. There were more than a thousand entrants. The submissions were evaluated by a group of esteemed poets, professors, etc. blindly - that is no names were attached to the works they judged so that only the poems and not the poets were being evaluated.

Ruth Lilly, a member of the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical family, passed away a few years ago leaving the Poetry Foundation and Poetry Magazine two hundred million dollars through her will. This gift raised a number of eyebrows at the time, but poetry was, perhaps her main love in life. Ironically, Ms. Lilly submitted a number of poems to the magazine over the years, none of which were published.

The four other winners include Brooklyn Copeland (also) of Indianapolis, Miriam Bird Greenburg of rural Texas, Nate King of Wellesley, MA, and Dora Malech of Maryland.

Note that a lifetime poetry award which includes a $100,000 prize was awarded to 94 year old Eleanor Ross Taylor of Charlottesville, VA

Kudos and WOOHOOs! to Chris and all of the other winners.

TLS

A Karaoke Night Out

2010-08-29T18:05:00.011-04:00

As this is the first time in 3 or 4 years all four Shannons have been together, we celebrated last nite by hitting a bit of the karaoke circuit. We kinda did two extremes: First, we hit Marty's at Carson Square. Low key. Kinda redneck. Lotta Country. Preferring to keep things at a highbrow level, I started off with Jim Croce's "Workin at the Car Wash Blues" Chris followed with Rod Stewart's version of "Reason to Believe." I came back with Jimmy Buffet's "Come Monday," a song I quickly realized I didn't know so well as I thought. Nick wrapped up our adventure at Marty's with a kick ass rendition of John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." Sadly, we could not prevail upon Jo to give it a whirl.

We left Marty's with our thanks and headed north, passing downtown Indy, and winding up on Illinois St at Downtown Olley's. Olley's is very Gay. It was also really fun. There was a much longer list of singers signed up, and we waited some time before our turns came along. Showing my age, I led off with Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" which garnered about as much approbation as anyone else's efforts to that point. But then Nick and Chris absolutely nailed Elton John's "Rocket Man" passing the lyrics back and forth and achieving some great harmonies. Comparatively speaking, it brought the house down. I loved it.

Once again, Joan demurred at the prospect of taking the mike. Maybe another time.

We then drove back to our humble domicile and had a late nite snack of homemade cherry cobbler (Jo made with cherries from our own tree) and ice cream and topped off the late evening by watching a couple of season one episodes of "The Wire." Good times.

TLS

Is Obama Imploding?

2010-06-27T17:02:00.002-04:00

A note of explanation: This is a comment I wrote in response to an article in the Politics section of Blogcritics Magazine entitled "And So It Goes: The Implosion of the Obama Presidency" written by one Joseph Cotto. The people I refer to - namely Arch and Baronius - are others who commented and, obviously, with whom I disagree. There was much discussion back and forth - this comment was #101.

This discussion is, as usual, going nowhere. Neither side is going to convince the other of anything they don't already embrace.

While it is de regueur of the right to denigrate the left and to dismiss any and all who stand with Obama as delirious fools,it is, however, my view that those such as Arch and Baronius among many others who are suffering from short sightedness and the aforementioned delirium. They have totally unrealistic expectations of government.

I have lived through several recessions in my 60+ years - none of them as bad as the current one. Yet, in no instance did the recovery take less than 2 or 3 years, often longer. A note to those pointing impatient fingers at Obama: Your naivete is showing.

If it were your guy (or gal) in the WH, you'd be doing just as Glenn, myself and a few others who comment here: You'd be telling their detractors that these things take time. And they do. Either Arch or Bar suggested above that no president nor administration can turn these things on a dime via their own efforts. This economy will recover in its own time. Obama, his administration and Congress can, if they show the insight and will, can nudge things along. It is clear to me that Obama has done his utmost to do just that.

Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans and even a few recalcitrant Dems from time to time have chosen to block virtually every effort to such an end. They claim ideology and care and concern for this country's fair citizenry, but it is, in the main, political.

Another level of naivete displayed by people on both sides of the coin is a belief that government should not be beholden to special interests. It is the nature of the beast. Many claim that government is evil by its very nature. Yet, humanity has, if reluctantly at times, come to the realization that we cannot behave ourselves. We must have overseers. Even moreso in a capitalist economy. Ironically, the ONLY societal construct which would allow for minimal or perhaps even no formal government would be a perfect socialist order. Alas, perfection is beyond us. Capitalism and its ties to the profit motive insures that a government must be in place to curb greed and its attendant abuses. We are incapable of conducting ourselves and, more to the point, our business, without regulation and oversight. A lack of government is by definition anarchy. Libertarianism is basically just one step removed.

It can be said that the gloves have come off. What passes for political posturing today is more akin to the harrowing days of the Adams/Jefferson campaign and the Alien and Sedition Act.

At no time in our history, save perhaps the era leading up to the Civil War, has politics been so heated and potentially violent. Every side believes it is situated upon the high ground. However, it is primarily the rhetoric and sound bites coming from the right which vehemently claims its opposition is willfully destroying the country. This hyperbolic drivel is, unfortunately, being taken to heart by many. This is sadly, becoming a more and more dangerous time to be alive.

TLS

One Goddamn Beautiful Iris!

2010-05-05T23:19:00.002-04:00

You haff papers?

2010-04-26T21:26:00.000-04:00

ARIZONA SUCKS!!!

Republicans - Tea Parties - Poor Losers - Violence

2010-04-17T10:32:00.003-04:00

The last time I looked, the current administration was elected by a strong majority of the voting public. The main thing one can take from the response since is that Republicans are perhaps the poorest losers in American history, or at least since the end of the "war of northern aggression."

Instead of graciously admitting defeat, licking their wounds and regrouping for the future, they opted to become totally obnoxious obstructionists whose only goals were to discredit Obama and bully their way back to power. If that "bullying" sparks some violence, so be it.

Republicans and the likes of Palin and other tea party leaders purposely use the language of violence in their speeches and comments claiming they are merely metaphors, but knowing full well that there are in fact those on the fringe who would love nothing more than to respond in the literal sense.

Should that happen, should there be another "Oklahoma City," or should some of the threats against Democrats or other liberal voices come to fruition, the Reps and tea partiers who used incendiary language can just shrug their shoulders, disavowing any responsibility - even so far as publicly condemning such actions - while privately smiling in satisfaction to themselves and each other.

The same thing happened after the last abortion doctor killing. The killer got tacit approval from much of the supposed "moral" right. Hell, FOX's Bill O'Reilly came out after the fact and openly said that the doctor had it coming.

I don't care how one characterizes the tea party movement. In large part, most of the people involved are just along for the ride. It's fun. It gets the blood flowing. Unfortunately, the blood may ultimately be flowing in the streets, not just in their veins.

TLS

BIG WHOMPIN' FORSYTHIA!

2010-04-03T14:00:00.004-04:00

It's Bigger. It's Better. It's Back!

Off-Spring Images

2010-03-03T00:51:00.003-05:00

Just a little proud papa stuff. My older son is an opera singer. These are just a couple of his promotional photos taken recently in a Berlin attic:

Republicans: The Party of No? Oh, Yes!

2010-02-12T16:33:00.002-05:00

The Republicans are truly "The Party of No." They have invoked the 60 vote majority rule in the Senate more times during this session than any Congress in history. Their hypocrisy is highlighted by the fact that many of the very people invoking it were, just a few years ago, campaigning in earnest to do away with it to thwart Democratic opposition.

They now claim that they are dutifully blocking bad legislation, when the truth is they are "blocking" President Obama. It is their obvious goal to completely block the Obama Administration from accomplishing anything. Additionally, they have blocked more than 60 Obama appointees which further ham-strings the administration forcing many agencies to operate without proper leadership including the Transportion Security Administration or TSA.

This is ALL political. The Republicans see this as being to their advantage come the mid-term elections, and perhaps beyond to 2012. How cynical is that? It has NOTHING to do with what is or is not good for the country. They are lying through their dazzling white teeth and chemically induced tans when they claim anything different.

The most maddening thing is that Obama and many Democrats are still talking about creating a dialogue, about fostering bipartisanship, about working together with Republicans on health care reform and other legislation.

That ship sailed months ago. The Republicans claim that it has been Obama and the Democrats who were/are unwilling to negotiate, but it is plain that the GOP had no intention of working with Obama even before he took the oath.

It has been Republican lies that fostered the advent of the tea-baggers – lies about T.A.R.P., lies about the stimulus, lies about health care reform and so on. Republicans claimed that the stimulus, which they ALL voted against, would produce NO jobs, and yet they fall all over themselves to make it to ribbon cuttings wearing big shit-eating grins back at the home front, taking credit when projects funded by the stimulus start turning over dirt.

The tea-baggers are largely either poorly educated and/or poorly informed, mostly older "moral majority" types who have been led by the nose into believing all the lying crap the Republicans have spewed over the past several months. Many still believe in "death panels" and the impending, untimely end to grandma. Many still harp on Obama's citizenship, and believe he is some kind of evil communist/fascist. Some believe he is the Antichrist. Some are just flat-out racists. All are bent on "taking back" their country when in fact, nothing has been taken from them.

On the whole, they are mindless dupes – just as were the Christian fundamentalists who were cajoled into backing Bush in 2000 and again in 2004. Most of them got nothing for their trouble except dismissal and derision from the Bush administration once the votes were counted.

The Republicans have no interests beyond their own political survival. That survival, as they see it, necessitates that they toe the line set down by the banks and mega corporations who fill their campaign coffers.

Most of the banks and big corporate interests look upon Obama as a wrench in their gears. The Republicans have been instructed to block Obama at every turn. If Obama praised "Mom and Apple Pie" the Reps would oppose it.

Unless and until the Dems grow a backbone, which doesn't seem likely, the Obama Administration will doubtless continue to go down in flames. The only hope I can see is that this all-out stonewalling of Obama could have unintended consequences as more of the voting public recognizes just how craven the Republicans are, and how this is far more hurtful to the interests of the country than anything coming out of the Obama White House.

The best thing that can be said for most congressional Republicans is that compared to many Democrats, they have far better haircuts and wear better suits. Basically, most fabrics tend to drape better over a tight ass

TLS

When God Created Boy Poet From Girl Poets Rib

2010-02-06T23:14:00.002-05:00

Read this and weep only from laughter.

In Defense

2010-01-31T00:36:00.008-05:00

As I've noted, I write and comment from time to time on Blog Critics Magazine.
The following is a response to an article and comments to same posted there concerning Obama's State of the Union address and his presidency in general. While the article avidly supports Obama nearly to the point of mindless adoration, most of the comments are negative in the extreme. Another commenter, who remains in support of Obama wrote that she thought all the negativity came from greed and fear. I wrote what follows - with just a few tweaks here and there for this venue:

"No, I don't think it's either greed or fear. Well, I suppose we all are subject to fear at some level. There is much we don't understand.

I think much of their rhetoric is, as I suggested above [in a prior comment], born of cynicism. I think we should be cynical to a point. Many people lie behind a smile and a handshake.

I don't, nor did I ever believe that Barack Obama was or is our deliverance. However, I look upon him as a source of some change. Not wholesale change. Not dramatic change, but change nonetheless, and for the better. It is likely to be incremental.

The nihilists who spread their messages of gloom and doom amongst the pages at Blog Critics and elsewhere feel - honestly, I presume - that pretty much all is lost - that this country of ours is, in a word, doomed. That the only means of saving it is to bring it down.

It is they who are naive. They believe their cynicism renders them superior and makes them wise. They are naive to believe that great changes can come somehow peacefully, or even relatively so. Or if not naive, then they are romantics who have watched far too many doomsday movies and/or played too many such video games, and who fancy themselves as the invincible hero in some dark soul blasting hell war.

In this, naivete once again rears its garish head, as they believe that such a purge would have the effect of some magical cleansing that would perhaps, if justice prevails, leave the world at the mercy of their wisened hands that will bring about peace and prosperity for all in a capitalist utopia.

Well, that's a load of crap. Wake up and smell the manure that emanates from your minds, down through your fingers and on to cyber world. You are the very soul of the worst of the conspiracy theorists who see bogeymen around every corner, behind every piller and post, and you are the source of mass negative energy that serves no useful purpose other than to massage your own egos. Enough!"

Now, I suppose my comments are a bit overblown and perhaps qualify as purple prose to some extent, but sometimes you must say what you feel. It's good for the soul. No?

TLS

Colts!

2010-01-24T22:41:00.001-05:00

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS! SUPER BOWL BOUND!! WOOHOO!!!

Peyton Manning And The Fleeting Nature of Sports Excellence

2010-01-18T21:41:00.006-05:00

The city of Indianapolis has enjoyed a decade of excellence. The Indianapolis Colts have put together an unprecedented 10 years of superior football. To one degree or another, so too have Boston and Pittsburgh. In years past Dallas, San Francisco and Pittsburgh (again) were also the beneficiaries of a prolonged period of excellence from their respective NFL franchises.

In other major league team sports there have been franchises which managed to play at the highest level of their particular sport for extended periods: the Boston Celtics, LA Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, and of course the Chicago Bulls in basketball. In baseball various teams have produced long runs at or near the top of their leagues - LA Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers and almost perennially, the NY Yankees among others.

I don't follow the NHL, but I'm sure the same applies to some of their franchises.

In the case of the Colts, I won't argue regarding which of the teams mentioned above during the past decade has been better. While the Colts have more regular season wins during the last decade than any other NFL team, their postseason record is rather lackluster. The obvious winner in that regard would be the Patriots with the Steelers running a close second.

The point, though, is when looking over the breadth of American major league team sports, the franchises which have performed at the highest level for an extended period of time are relatively few. It is a luxury.

NFL fans in Indy, Boston, and Pittsburgh have lived high over much of the past decade having understandably high expectations of their teams come each September. More often than not, they haven't been disappointed.

The fall from grace is usually a hard one. Most sports franchises can look back and point to one or more "glory year" periods (excepting perhaps the Detroit Lions, who have never been glorious in the Super Bowl Era). However, the level of play for most teams before and after those 'up' years was, more often than not, mediocre at best, and at times dreadful.

The current run of the Colts at or near the top of the league over the past decade is owing first and foremost to the presence of Peyton Manning, and almost equally to the team management which is the product of the efforts and the vision of owner Jim Irsay, president Bill Polian and the coaching staff, at least since their hiring of Tony Dungy and now his successor, Jim Caldwell. Much the same can be said for other long term successful sports franchises. The Colts have been so good for so long that we just expect them to win week after week. We expect the offense to score on virtually every series, and are dismayed when they don't.

Up until a few years ago, the Indiana Pacers was looked upon as a model NBA franchise. For several years — mainly during the Reggie Miller era — the Pacers managed to be one of the most competitive teams in the NBA, which, unfortunately, coincided with the glory years of one Michael Jordan. (Remember him?) Nevertheless, the Pacers were looked upon as a solid franchise from ownership and management to coaching and players. It appeared to be a well run machine. Then came the brawl in Detroit. It all went south for the Pacers from that moment onward, and they have yet to show any significant signs of recovery.

It can be assumed that whenever Manning hangs up his flack jacket that the fortunes of the Indianapolis Colts will at best be questionable. You just don't go out and seamlessly replace a Peyton Manning, or a Michael Jordan.

The lesson here, I believe, is for fans of great teams in whatever sport to savor the moments. They are ultimately fleeting.

HEALTH CARE REFORM - DO OR DIE

2010-01-08T23:26:00.010-05:00

Pretty much no one is happy about the current health care legislation. The Reps don't want it - regardless of their protestations to the contrary, IMO, most want nothing to do with any of it. They much prefer the status quo. After all, Rush informed us after his hospital stay in Hawaii, that our current health care system is just hunky dory. It is good to know that if you happen to make 33 million dollars a year, our health care system is working just fine.

The left doesn't like the legislation - especially the Senate version - because so much was given away as regards single payer or public options among other things. Some, from all over the political map, don't like it owing to abortion and/or immigration issues. There is significant anger at the apparent sweetheart deals gained by pharma and insurance providers.

There is no doubt that it is a watered down, bastardized, overblown pile of legislative dreck.

And I think it imperative that it becomes law.

Should this health care legislation fail to pass and be signed by President Obama, that is where any attempts at health care reform will end, probably for at least a generation. No president, regardless of party, will consider hanging his or her administration's hat on health care reform. It will be avoided like the plague. No one in Congress will bet their seat on any significant health care legislation. No one will touch it.

The calls by Reps and some left wingers for the current legislation to be trashed in order to start over are at best disingenuous. Obama has been attacked for pushing too hard, too fast on health care reform. Yet it is Obama who fully understands the reality: If it doesn't get done now, it will not get done. There will be no enthusiasm in Congress to take up health care reform again, especially as this is an election year. The fact is, if it fails, it will die. Again, most Reps would say Good! and good riddance! It should also be pointed out that the bill's failure would serve as a major nail in Obama's political coffin. There are those for whom that is more important than any health care reform. More than a few Republicans have stated as much.

Flawed as it is, getting this bill passed into law will at least make some positive changes - making health care more affordable and accessible to more Americans, among other things. It will at the least set the stage enabling further changes down the road. Hopefully, some if not all, of the crap in the current bill will get wrung out of it in the coming years.

Again, if it fails, its dead - for a long time.

TLS

New York, New York II

2010-01-04T22:02:00.007-05:00

Empire State Building from "Top of the Rock."

See the Reindeer?

New York, New York

2009-12-30T22:37:00.006-05:00

"The Bronx is Up and the Battery's Down."

This is midtown Manhattan as seen from the Brooklyn/Queens Expressway taken a couple days before Christmas.

My wife and I spent Christmas and a few more days in the Big Apple. I lived there some 40 years ago - drove a cab. While much has changed in the city, much remains the same.

While there is much to love in New York, it is also a really tough place to live and work. It's really hard to be middle class there.

We did and saw a lot in the 5 or so days we had: We saw "Fela" the new Broadway musical, we saw the movie "Avatar." We attended a Christmas Eve service at "The Marble Church" to hear my wife's cousin sing a great solo. We went to the "Top of the Rock. We walked around the Battery and Ground Zero. We toured Trinity Church and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where my son works. We strolled around Central Park and had eats at The Boat House Restaurant. We also toured MOMA which was absolutely packed.

But mostly, I guess, we spent a few great days with our younger son. Both of our kids live well away from home. We see them only rarely.

What takes a midwesterner's breath away about NYC is the cost. We stayed at our son's apartment in Brooklyn, so we didn't have to pay for lodging. Still, everything costs a bunch. Eating at restaurants can be really expensive, although it doesn't have to be. Transportation is very costly. When I lived in NYC the subway cost 20 cents. There were no monthly passes or anything. You just plunked down 20 cents for a token. (Hell, the Staten Island Ferry was a nickel.) Now a single subway ride is $2.25 (or $2.50, I can't remember which.) Now you can purchase monthly passes for $80., but for a variety of reasons, subways just weren't going to work for us. Most subway stations are 2 to 3 levels below ground. My balky knees just don't do well with steps. Cabs are really pricey. A cab ride from LaGuardia to my son's apartment would likely have cost us in excess of $60. The alternative? Car services. You call a car service and usually they appear within 10 to 15 minutes - sometimes far less. The cost? The LaGuardia to Brooklyn trip was $35. The trip from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan was usually $25. The same for the return. Still, after a few days it became apparent to us that we were spending a bunch on these cars, but there just wasn't any reasonable alternative. They are generally far better than cabs in that they are usually late model Lincoln Town Cars or something similar; far more comfortable than the average cab. They actually have suspensions. The car service drivers tend to be less manic than most cabbies - I know. Remember, I used to be a NY cabbie.

My wife had what she called her "New York" moment when an older woman accosted us down by the Battery asking for money. I didn't hear what my wife said to the woman, but the woman responded by calling her a cunt. Welcome to New York!

Good times.

TLS

Failed Aspirations

2009-12-10T10:50:00.005-05:00

I've always regretted leaving show business.

The Scourge of Nationalism

2009-12-04T00:57:00.005-05:00

While we are now deeply concerned and in conflict with radical religious fundamentalism, it is also true that nationalism is essentially equal to religious zealotry in its destructiveness. The wonderful British philosopher and essayist A.C. Grayling stands in agreement having stated that "Nationalism is an evil. It causes wars, its roots lie in xenophobia and racism."
.

The notion of "American exceptionalism" is not only bunk, it is at best insulting to the rest of the world. At its worst it marks us as delusional in the irrational belief that we are inherently superior to everyone else which sets us up for a hard fall. We are all Americans simply by the accident of our birth.

While we have long felt - and perhaps rightly - that our particular constitutional system is superior to any other, as we know all too well, it has been so bastardized in practice (if not in print) over the years that it is hardly recognizable. George, Thom, John & Ben would probably shake their heads in dismay at what we have wrought out of their hard labor in the Philadelphia heat.

However, I am not one who hankers back in the belief that we should return to our supposed governmental roots. The fact is, this country and the times in general have far outgrown our founding documents. That there are those who would amend our constitution for the sole purpose of depriving citizens of basic rights is perhaps a harbinger of worse things to come.

We are on the verge of being a global society. I won't live to see it, and perhaps no one alive today will witness it either, but it is coming, like it or not. It will be necessary to human survival. If it doesn't come, it will mean that we have blown ourselves back to the stone age to start again (if any humans do survive.)

Its coming will no doubt be violent and painful. If we think getting health care reform has been difficult, wait until the battle begins over the notion of a "one world" global government. Warning shots have already rung out with the collapse of the WTC. Nationalism and its cousin, regionalism, won't go quietly, not to mention the ongoing tussle over whose god can beat up all the other gods.

TLS

We Are All Connected

2009-11-12T22:09:00.003-05:00

This is neat.

Swans! Woohoo!

2009-10-28T23:08:00.004-04:00

A day for swans. These two majestic fowl ambled across our yard and settled for a time in a neighbor's front yard to calmly preen. I couldn't get any really good shots owing to their incessant preening, the little bastards! Oh well.

TLS

Something Special In Indy

2009-10-17T00:40:00.012-04:00

The above photo is of the Indianapolis Children's Museum. This place will flat knock you out!

I know Indianapolis is not a place many would think of to vacation, and rightly so. Our weather is hardly tropical. We have no water to speak of. No beaches. No surfing or sailing. It's not cold and/or snowy enough through the average winter to support winter sports.

But, there are some things of interest - primarily indoor sporting events which do draw fairly large numbers of visitors here. I believe Indy is hosting the NCAA Final Four next spring. We are hosting the Super Bowl in 2012. Of course, every year we have the very outdoor Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 auto races. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is now also hosting a yearly motorcycle event and we have drag racing national competition every year.

Outside of sports Indy does sponsor a national violin competition every couple of years. There are a number of a variety of conventions and other gatherings of large groups here throughout each year. However, I'm not writing here to boost those events. They seem to do all right without my help.

So, too, does the Indianapolis Children's Museum. It is, I believe, the largest children's museum in the world, and some will tell you it is the best. That, I don't know. I have visited only one other children's museum in Winnipeg. While that visit was several years ago, I will say that it was a pretty great place, and my wife, Jo and I enjoyed our tour of it. But, the ICM is, I believe in a class by itself.

Earlier this evening, Jo and I took a "behind the scenes" tour of portions of the ICM with my sister in-law and her husband. It was a pretty great evening. At one point I stood holding like a 65 million year old triceratops tibia. How cool is that?

During their teen years, both of my kids were active at the ICM working on a children's newspaper - The Children's Express - and otherwise volunteering in some of the exhibits. It had been several years since either Jo or I had been there. I was vaguely aware that the museum had been undergoing some expansion and general remodeling, but we were not prepared for what we saw earlier this evening.

I don't know the exact figures, but it seems to us that the museum has perhaps doubled in size. As the above photo illustrates, this is one damn big museum. But its size is only part of the story. The ICM hosts an ongoing rotation of a large variety of traveling exhibits every year. They have been hosting a King Tut exhibit since last summer which, unfortunately, will end next week. In December, they will be opening a "Barbie" exhibit in honor of her 50th birthday. While I can't say that Barbie is exactly my cup of tea, it should be remembered, it IS a children's museum.

But the museum's permanent exhibits are, for the most part astounding and at the very least are usually very interesting and masterfully presented. They are big on dinosaurs. If you look closely at the photo a bit left of center in front of the glass building is a very large dinosaur reared up on its haunches, whose head is actually protuding into the main lobby of the museum. There are other dinosaurs busting through walls and generally cavorting on the museum lawn.

The permanent ICM exhibits run the gamut of natural history, science, and all manner of stuff of interest to kids. They have a monster toy train collection, not to mention an actual well over 100 year old steam locomotive and caboose in the lower level. We toured a portion of their collections which has every toy any kid ever imagined having.

In the inner lobby is a fascinating "water clock" installed several years ago. One can stand and watch it operate for several minutes or even several hours. In the very center of the museum proper is a huge blown glass sculpture designed and largely executed by Seattle's Dale Chihuly. On the lower level is a great planetarium and on the top floor is a full size, fully operational carousel. Of course, this list just skims the surface.

The point of this little bit of shameless hometown promotion is that, while I doubt that many people would make a special trip to Indy just to visit the ICM - although, I'm sure some have, and it would not be a bad choice to do so, anyone who may be coming to Indy for whatever reason - sports, music, a convention, visiting friends and family - make a mental note to include a trip to the Indianapolis Children's Museum whether you have kids with you or not. You won't be disappointed.

In fairness, I should also note that the Indianapolis Museum of Art is rather amazing in its own right as is the Eiteljorg Museum of Indians and Western Art and the Indiana State Museum just a couple of blocks further west. We also have the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum and what I think has been dubbed the Hall of Champions at the national headquarters of the NCAA. There's probably more, but that's all I can come up with right now. If museums are your thing, Indy won't disappoint.

TLS

Who's That Uh... whatever

2009-09-27T21:23:00.002-04:00

An opera singer only a mother (and father) could love! My son in his role in Wurzburg production of The Magic Flute.

Guess what I found "Clustered" at Meijer?

2009-09-23T00:55:00.004-04:00

This has been a trying time for breakfast aficianodos. One of the truly great breakfast foods has all but disappeared from store shelves. Over the past several months I have been able to find General Mills' Honey Nut Clusters at but one store in the entire Indianapolis Metropolitan area - namely a Safeway store on the staid north side of the city. Frankly, it's been hell.

BUT WAIT!!!

I happened to be strolling through our local Meijer store a couple of weeks ago. Without realizing it I found myself sauntering down the cereal aisle when out of the corner of my eye, what did I spy? CLUSTERS!!!! YES!!!!! HONEY NUT CLUSTERS!!!!!! GENERAL MILLS' HONEY NUT CLUSTERS!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!! And much to my surprise, they were packaged as of old - the original happy yellow and blue box with the little squirrel near the top, not the more recent grown up sensible, and yes, handsome, brown and goldish box.

I had all but given up the search and assumed that if only one store in the city was carrying it, that Clusters would soon disappear altogether. But no! I mean Meijer is a pretty big whup, you know? I'd like to think my campaign here at Indy Boomer was the catalyst that forced Meijer to once again stock my beloved tasteless brown flakes and sort of nutty globs - er clusters - but I don't know. I've had no meaningful feedback. I do know that about 40% of all those who have dropped by here during the past several months have been searching Honey Nut Clusters on the net. Who knows? Maybe I did make a difference. Ah, but I must remain humble.

Now I know they still don't carry Clusters at our nearby Kroger store, and the other major, but local grocer, Marsh hasn't carried them for a couple of years. But now, I feel renewed. I'll check out Walmart and maybe Target. If I find them at either of those places, then perhaps I'll have the ammunition I need to cajole the Kroger and Marsh people to jump on the Clusters band wagon.

Life may be actually worth living once again. Power to the people! Could you pass me the milk and a couple packs of Equal?

TLS

MARY TRAVERS

2009-09-18T20:51:00.027-04:00

Folk singer Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary fame died Tuesday, owing to side effects from leukemia therapies. She was 72.

I have been a Peter, Paul and Mary fan almost from the moment they released their first self-titled album back in the early 1960s. They brought folk music into the mainstream owing to their superior harmonies, intricate arrangements, and the deft artistry of both Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey on guitar. They took the more rough-hewn recordings of Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and others, mainly from the American folk tradition, and added elements of musicianship and, yes, a bit of polish to the proceedings.

While I later became a Dylan fan, at first I was put off by his almost atonal performances. Dylan owes a good deal to Peter, Paul and Mary. His great songs might well have lingered in relative obscurity had PP&M among others not reincarnated them more pleasingly to the ear.

I have had four separate encounters with Mary Travers - all many years ago. They were all simply moments, nothing substantive, but in each case coming face to face with her towering personage (she stood at or near 6 feet) - with someone who to me was an icon - left a definite impression on me.

PP&M performed at the Indiana University Auditorium on a Saturday evening back in the fall of 1964. I bought tickets, and actually had a date, who didn't give a rat's ass about me, but was willing to go through what was likely for her an otherwise excruciating evening for the opportunity to see and hear them in concert.

The Friday before, I was in the IU Bookstore shopping for I don't remember what exactly, when, rounding a rack of books, I ran headlong into Ms. Travers coming the other way around. The force of our collision caused us both to drop whatever we were carrying. I stood for a beat, likely with my jaw dropping to the floor, as recognition set in. I was totally flummoxed. We both knelt down to retrieve our respective books, notepads and whatnot; me, with what I'm sure was a large, stupid grin on my face, doubtless mumbling something unintelligible. As we stood, I believe I did manage to utter some sort of apology, as did she, and we went our separate ways. I'm sure my heart rate took a good deal longer to return to some semblance of normalcy than did hers. I had me a tale to tell back at the dorm.

The next afternoon my dormitory's social committee had managed to entice Peter Yarrow to attend a kind of fireside chat, mainly concerning the whoop-te-do that was then being made over the lyrics of their hit song, "Puff the Magic Dragon," with charges by some that they were an allusion to smoking that evil weed, marijuana. At the appointed time about fifteen or twenty students gathered with Peter in the main lounge of the dorm. A while after the discussion started, Mary suddenly appeared and sat down outside the circle of us spread around Peter. Of course a bunch of us jumped up, again in a fumbling, rather spastic manner, imploring her to take a more central seat. She demurred, saying that she preferred just to listen, which she did, only interjecting a comment here and there. At one point our eyes met, and I felt an immediate flush of embarrassment, but she showed no signs of recognition. She just smiled and flipped her great blond hair back from her eyes.

By the way, Mary Travers was a very good-looking woman at that time. Most younger people know her, if at all, only from photos and videos taken in her later years. Not that she had become unattractive, but she had - as so many of us have - gained a good deal of weight. That, coupled with her fight against the leukemia, and just the effects of aging had taken a toll.

A few years later, yours truly found himself working for TWA (aka Teenie Weenie Airlines) at the Indianapolis airport. As I was pretty much a dud on the ticket counter, I was often consigned to "Baggage Services," the airline euphemism for lost and (occasionally) found.

One evening, while sitting at my desk in the tiny office set aside for Baggage Services, the door was flung open with a bang, and I looked up startled to once again see Mary Travers standing before me. She was quite addled. The airline had managed to lose one of her bags. (No, really!) She was, I must admit, rather beside herself and made only minimal sense while shouting out a plethora of colorful and generally denigrating metaphors to voice her displeasure at me, TWA, and pretty much the whole world, which, she assured me, had let her down all too often.

Fortunately, our PR guy soon appeared, took her in hand, and thankfully, out of my office. At that time it was widely believed that Mary, along with all people to the left of Joe McCarthy, were dopers. I suppose she may have had some kind of stash in the bag in question, I don't know. Keep in mind, this was back around 1970. The very first plane hijackings had only recently taken place. There were no airport security checks, no x-rays or luggage searches, no drug dogs. People could, and doubtless often did, fly about the country with their favorite recreational drugs stowed securely in their Samsonites and American Touristers. But again, I have no idea whether that was the case. I don't recall how it was resolved, but we all managed to survive into the next day, happily including Mary Travers with or without her wayward bag.

A year or so later I was living in the Big Apple where, among other endeavors, I drove a cab for about a year. One evening I had a fare from Manhattan out to the Pan Am Terminal at Kennedy Airport. I generally didn't like taking fares to any of the three NYC airports, as I usually wound up driving back into the city empty. But in this instance, I had just dropped off my fare when the rear door popped open and in slid two breathless people with luggage in hand. I only got a glimpse of one of them in my rear view mirror - a guy. Their destination: The Plaza Hotel. Yes!

I was aware the other passenger was a woman, but I could only manage to see a small slice of her head in the mirror without obviously craning my neck. I was generally not all that interested in checking out my fares anyhow, given the natural or acquired New Yorker proclivity for anonymity. After a while they all just became one faceless fare after another. But a few minutes into the ride back to Manhattan, the woman began conversing with her fellow passenger - who, I suppose, could have been her husband. Simply hearing her speak a few words, her voice was unmistakable. I craned my neck. Indeed it was she. Mary Travers was a passenger in my cab. Woohoo!

They settled in, and her companion was soon dozing, but she became chatty during the approximately half hour drive to the Plaza. I mentioned our run-in at the IU Bookstore a few years before and the subsequent discussion with Peter the next day. She had no memory of either. I admit I was rather crestfallen. I was so sure I had made an indelible impression on her. Alas, no. I had the good sense not to bring up the Indy airport encounter.

During the course of my couple of years living in NYC, I encountered a number of luminaries. Frankly, it would be unusual for anyone spending more than a few days in the city not to bump into or at least spot someone of note. But driving Mary Travers to the Plaza was perhaps my most memorable brush with the rich and famous. Even though she had no recollection of our bookish encounter, during her ride to the Plaza she was very talkative, funny, gracious, and, in the end, a good tipper.

I haven't brought myself to start playing PP&M albums just yet, but I'll probably slip one or two into my CD player in a day or so to hear Mary's plaintive voice once again.

Feeling a Little Mortal?

2009-08-27T01:44:00.018-04:00

Several weeks ago I began noticing, for want of a better term, a bit of pressure in my forehead, no pain, just a kind of pressure. I also noticed that along with the pressure came fleeting bouts of a kind of dizziness. If I turned my head quickly, it was like the scene before me kept moving a split second or so after my head stopped. I found that not just a little disconcerting.

These bouts have persisted and become somewhat more pronounced over the past few weeks. The pressure comes and goes, but often lasting a couple of hours or more, usually early in the day. These bouts make me tired, and all I want to do is lie down. Needless to say, this has been really disturbing. I kept my own council about this as the family - my wife, Jo and both of our kids - have enough problems to deal with without worrying about the old man.

About ten days ago I finally got in to see my doctor at the VA, and I apprised her of what had been happening. I'll take this moment to give kudos to both the VA and my primary care doctor out there, Dr. Rashida Shah. Dr. Shah didn't hem and haw, didn't hesitate. My visit with her was on a Friday. I had an MRI done the following Tuesday morning. Not bad.

I hadn't heard anything for a couple of days after the MRI, so I called the VA last Thursday and was first told that they didn't have the results. (The MRI had been outsourced.) However, within an hour, Dr. Shah called me back with the news that the MRI results indicated a "spot" on my frontal lobe. Not the news I was hoping to hear. The written report did say that it was not definitive and could in fact be an anomaly. Maybe I belched at the wrong moment, or, uh, something.

Nevertheless, Dr. Shah ordered yet another MRI, only this time using "contrast." Friday afternoon I was back getting my head examined magnetically once again. Last week-end was one of the longer ones I have ever spent. I didn't actually get the results until yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon when, again, I called the VA. I got the same song and dance that the results were not back yet, but again, Dr. Shah called me soon after, and in her words "you have absolutely nothing going on in your head."

Well, that's been suggested to me on many occasions - more than I would like to admit - but this was one time that I was glad to hear it. There are no masses, no lesions, no aneurysms, no "spots." The first reading was apparently a hiccup. Woohoo! Relief was just a phone call away. Of course, that still leaves me with this pressure, the dizziness, and the tiredness. What now?

Dr. Shah thinks that it might be a sinus problem. She has prescribed some kind of steriod nasal spray. She has also ordered an appointment for me with an opthalmologist to see if it could be something with my eyes. I hope to figure out what the hell is going on soon.

As the title of this piece suggests, I have been feeling quite mortal over the past few weeks. Brain thingys are not to be sneezed at; just ask the surviving Kennedys. My wife, Jo's oldest cousin succumbed to a brain tumor in about 6 months from diagnosis. She was in her mid 40s. So, too, did a fellow about my age who lived down the street from us a couple of years ago.

Of course, when I had been set up with the first MRI, I told Jo all about it. As of this writing, all my kids know is that I haven't been feeling well, and I'd been to the doctor. I know I'm not out of the woods yet. I suppose that the MRIs could have missed something. But, at least the reported results made feel less like I have one foot in the grave. I had about convinced myself that I did.

TLS

More Cosmos

2009-08-26T21:42:00.004-04:00

Just a few more Cosmos. A little closer this time.

Cosmos

2009-08-26T14:27:00.003-04:00

All god's chillin got Cosmos! You got your white, you got your purple, you got your orange, and if you look close in the bottom photo, you got your pink.

A Rose is a Rose, is a Rose...

2009-08-16T20:58:00.001-04:00

CHOCOLATE ROSE W/ANTENNAE

The Sky is Falling!

2009-08-13T10:30:00.005-04:00

Early Wednesday morning I was having trouble sleeping, which is unfortunately all too normal for me. Sometime after 3 AM I decided, what the hell, I'm going outside to check out the Perseid meteor shower. I slipped on a jacket and put on my old grass-cutting shoes and headed out into the darkness.

Well, it wasn't quite "dark." Unfortunately, high in the eastern sky was a nearly full moon which tends to wash out the view of most of the stars or anything else that one might care to see in the night sky, including meteors. Also, we live on the suburban south side of Indianapolis. While we are some five miles from downtown, there remains a great deal of ambient light from numerous sources which has the effect of washing out the sky even more.

Undaunted, I got a lawn chair and moved around to find a spot affording the broadest view of the sky while blocking out the moon as much as possible. So oriented, I sat watching for nearly half an hour, spotting nothing meteoric.

My first experience with the Perseids goes back to the mid-1960s (yeah, I'm kind of an old fart) on a clear, moonless night, spooning with a young lady out in northern Minnesota lake country in my dad's black and canary yellow 1965 Pontiac Bonneville (it was pretty cool, by the way). I didn't know of such things – meteors, that is. We stopped our "spoonin'" and watched amazed as literally dozens of the damn things whisked across the pitch-black sky. Hell, I thought we were being invaded. "War of the Worlds!"

Since that wondrous night, I have tried numerous times to catch more such glimpses of the Perseids and a number of the other yearly meteor showers with generally disappointing results. Oft times an overcast sky obviated even the possibility.

A few years ago local weather forecasters predicted that that particular year's Perseid shower would likely be the best in many a year – that at its peak, one might see as many as a thousand or more meteors every minute! Well, maybe not a thousand. More like three or four, but still... There was to be no moon.

I was ready, by God! I put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and brought a light blanket and a thermos of fresh coffee, as it was a rather uncharacteristically chilly and damp night for mid-August. I grabbed a lawn chair from the patio and, following the weather forecaster's instructions, set it up facing east and slightly to the north. I was comfortably ensconsed by about 1 AM - primed for checking out prodigious hordes of meteorites, or shooting stars, or "St. Lawrence's tears" as some refer to them.

I sat there for over an hour. Nothing. Nada. I then remembered the weather prognosticators had said that viewing would likely be best at around four to five AM. I was frustrated, but not defeated. Anyhow, I needed to pee. So, I went back inside, tinkled, then hunkered down in bed and caught a few Z's. I actually managed to wake up a little before five. Groggy, and somewhat less eager, I nevertheless toddled back outside and retook my seat, adjusting it to enable a view more directly overhead and to the west as per those afore-mentioned instructions.

There I sat. By a little before six dawn was definitely creeping up on the eastern horizon. The western sky remained dark, but, once again, nothing. Not one goddamn meteor! What a crock! The next evening's weather segments included ardent testimonials of those who had spent a glorious night being dazzled by literally dozens – nay, hundreds – of fantastic streaking meteors, a veritable light show. What the hell?! Were they watching the same sky I was?

Well, I digress. It appeared that my experience this time round was destined to mirror that of a few years ago. But, after a hapless half hour or so, and having shifted my position a number of times, I suddenly caught sight of a white streak directly overhead. Yippee! Then, just a few seconds later, out of the corner of my eye, I saw another, then one more. Holy Comet Tails, Batman! I moved my chair out further from the house, sat down and leaned back. Over the next fifteen minutes or so, I was treated to about a dozen more fiery streaks through the night sky. None of them was particularly dramatic or unusually spectacular. But they did make me smile.

Carrion Anyone?

2009-07-25T13:18:00.002-04:00

Have a nice day!

Mixed Bag

2009-07-01T17:52:00.003-04:00

July 1st was our 37th anniversary. On the same day Stephanie, one of my wife's nieces downed a few pills, slit her wrists and shuffled off this mortal coil lying on her bed. She was about 40 years old and the oldest child of one of my brothers in-law.

Her body was discovered by her 16 year old son. He called his dad and asked if he could come live with him. He was pretty sure his mom was dead because there was blood and she wouldn't wake up. He is a distrubed and disturbing child, but that's another story.

My wife, Jo and I went out to dinner that nite. What else was there for us to do? We celebrated our relationship which is ongoing and strong. We celebrated our love. We celebrated our kids. These observances allow us to pause and reflect on the ups and downs of our lives together over a good meal.

The obit for Stephanie, the now departed niece, was perhaps the briefest such notice I've ever seen. It stated her name, her age, the date of her death, and that services were pending.
Short shrift.

I knew little of Stephanie. I have known her since before Jo and I married. But in thinking back, I doubt that I have exchanged a hundred words with her in that time - mostly just "Hi. How are ya?" We rarely paused for the answer.

She and her husband had divorced a couple of years before. Her health had been bad as I now have been informed. She nearly died owing to complications in the birth of her 16 year old. She suffered from Lupus. She had a number of bad vertebrae which caused her significant pain. She had suffered at least three strokes. She had recently been informed of a spot on a breast. Shortly after her divorce she took to drinking heavily. She had a continually stormy relationship with her father. She was in a word, depressed. She was in a downward spiral into a black hole. With all that, her opting out seems almost inevitable.

Some are angry with her for committing the deed in such a way that it was almost certain that her son would be the one to discover her. That is unfortunate. Perhaps the "hole" was so black and so deep that she couldn't see beyond it.

Pointed fingers and recriminations are now being tossed back and forth between her father, her mother (the two divorced several years ago,) her ex, her siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. The bottom line is that everyone missed the signs, whatever they may have been. She tumbled away between the cracks.

What did her life count for? Consider the ongoing 24/7 coverage of Michael Jackson's death. Weigh the two. It's strange isn't it that two people, both born in Indiana, about a decade apart could have such disparate lives? Jackson's life and death will continue to be scrutinized for weeks to come. Stephanie got a line in the obit section. I suppose one could note that millions of people have lived and died without even that. Stephanie will receive the standard treatment - visitation Sunday evening at a well appointed neighborhood funeral home, a catholic mass and burial amongst other's in the family who have gone before. The family and her smattering of friends will take note of her loss. Prayers will be uttered. Some tears will be shed. That is in the end more than many will ever get.

My wife and I are now working on our 38th year.

Stephanie lived. Now she is gone.

TLS

Susan Boyle

2009-04-17T01:51:00.005-04:00

I've got to write about Susan Boyle. I imagine that about everybody on the planet has heard about her by now and that at least half of the world's denizens have watched at least one of the gazillion YouTube videos of her performance on Brits Got Talent. If we're not all tired of hearing about her yet, I suppose many will be in short order. No matter.

I have watched her performance maybe a couple dozen times since I first heard of her on CNN's AC360 a couple of nights ago. I fell in love with Susan the moment she walked out on stage, but I must admit, I honestly did not expect what followed when she began singing. It was a moment. A moment to behold. Everybody in the theatre and those who were watching the program live on Brit TV were treated to something special. That totally unexpected moment of victory for the underdog.

It's not only that she nailed the song, that she made it her own, that she could well have been Fontyn for those 2 or 3 minutes. "The Moment" came in the wake of her opening phrase and the responses from the 3 judges and then the entire audience. It was that magic moment that few of us ever have the opportunity, the privilege, to witness.

Some complain that those who prejudged her simply from her looks - her heavily browed face, her rather frizzy hair, her weight, her age, her "cheekiness" - were despicable. And so they were. And so most of us were. That's often the way of it.

Nevertheless, a star was born. What next? It may be that she will not be able to live up to expectations now. How can she top that first moment? It is likely that she can't. She may well wind up winning the competition, but where she goes from there is anybody's guess. Ultimately, the glow may dim. She may, in the end be a hard sell. This sudden attention may tear her life apart. Fame has its really bad side as most of us know.

I truly hope not. I hope that someone will step in if need be to help her cope with the changes that have already begun in her life. I hope somebody kisses her.

I tear up every time I watch. I sing enough myself that I can relate to what she did, to what it takes to pull off that kind of performance.

Ms. Boyle, I'm pulling for you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you have more great moments that you can share with the rest of us. Thank you. It was a joy.

And, for your further listening enjoyment and more of Ms. Boyle's vocal acumen click on this.

Terry S.

2009-04-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Hey, All You Honey Nut Clusters Fans!

2009-03-11T00:39:00.003-04:00

I've noticed that a whole bunch of people have been stopping by having an apparent interest in the availability of General Mills "Honey Nut Clusters" cereal. As I've noted in two previous posts, I've had a difficult time finding 'Clusters' in local Indy stores. To date, I have found them only at a Safeway store on the north side of town. I have written emails to General Mills about 'Clusters.' This was about a year ago. At that time I was told that 'Clusters' was still being produced, but that a number of stores had opted to pull them in favor of other, apparently better selling cereals.

If you are having similar problems, but still have a hankering for a bowl of "Honey Nut Clusters" give General Mills a jingle, or send them an email. Let them know that you want your 'Clusters' back. Let's get a campaign going. Hey, it worked for the TV show "Jericho" - for a season, anyhow. Why not for 'Clusters?'

It also might help if you start a barrage of emails, calls, letters, sit-ins, or whatever at your local grocery stores. In Indy, the major super markets are Krogers, Marsh, Meijer and Wall Mart. None carry 'Clusters.' All did so at one time.

If any of you choose to take up the gauntlet, let me know; especially if you have any success. I'd love to hear from you.

TLS

Hey Kids! What Day Is It?

2009-03-03T10:43:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody! Have yourselves a really great Square Root Day - 3/3/09. They only come 9 times a century. Grab all the gusto!

T

Filmdom's Old Blue Eyes - Paul Newman

2009-02-22T23:16:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting here and watching the Oscars. They just went through all the folks in the film industry who shuffled off their mortal coils during the past year.

I still can't believe this guy is gone.

Are Homeowners Really the Bad Guys?

2009-02-09T23:12:00.002-05:00

Yes, as it has been charged by many, various arms of the government did push mortgage lenders toward providing more people the opportunity to seek homeownership. However, many characterize it as "strong-arming" which is, in my opinion, misleading. It's difficult to envision the American banking system being "strong-armed" by anyone, even the Feds.

Mortgage lenders resisted until they discovered that they could make huge profits from such lending. It is the lenders who threw out all of the long standing protocols for processing and approving mortgage loans. It is they who dropped the ball in performing proper diligence in verifying borrower employment, income, credit standing, etc. It is the lenders who largely discarded appraisals, opting instead for "desk top" valuations and the use of AVMs or Automated Valuation Models which are often wildly inaccurate.

As to blaming the borrowers, while it's true that a few understood what was going on and took advantage of the situation to sate their greed, that is NOT true of most of the people who got caught up in this mess.

Most were and are young, expecting or at least hoping to be "upwardly mobile" and wanting to purchase a home - the supposed great American dream.

Scenario:

Hubby and Wifey test the waters only to find that their bank and/or some of the more traditional lenders to which they apply, deny them their quest. Something about a weak credit score. However, someone advises them to seek out a mortgage broker (the bane of our existence,) who can shop around for a lender who will, perhaps, approve their application.

The mortgage broker, Bobby Slick of 'We Saw Ya Comin Mortgage Services,' smiles broadly and invites them to have a seat. He takes their application, sometimes suggesting ways in which to "tweak" some numbers here and there. This may make the potential mortgagors a bit nervous, but Bobby just laughs it off, reassuring them that to do so presents no problem. He does it all the time. Keep in mind that nothing is said to these people about anything called "sub-prime" mortgages.

Bobby puts all of this "data" together, sends it off into cyberspace and then waits like a bluehaired grandmother playing nickel slots at a riverboat casino, until some lender bites. It's a rare occurance if not even one takes the bait. There are usually 3 or 4.

Bobby calls his marks, or, er his clients with the good news: Welendtoanybodywithapulse Mortgage is more than happy to take on their loan request. Woohoo!

Now a few days or weeks pass and periodically the broker contacts the clueless applicants with questions to answer, papers to sign, changes to make here and there - further "tweaks" to help grease the slide.

Our 'wannabe homeowners' are informed that with a convenient 'adjustable' mortgage having an up front low interest rate and consequent low payment, they can step into a lot more house than they originally believed. They don' gotta mess aroun' with that stinkin' 40 year old 1200 square foot, 3 bedroom ranch they been lookin at. Instead, they can go for the big enchilada, and get that glorious new, 2 story, 3000 square foot, 4 bedroom box in "Vinyl Village Estates" they were dreaming about. None of that "starter home" crap for them, by god!

Bobby may suggest to them that the mortgage payment will likely go up in a few years, but that shouldn't be a problem because they will no doubt be making a lot more money by that time as the buyer's "upward mobility" should be kicking in:

Bobby: "Am I right?"

H&W: "Uh, yeah, sure, we guess so."

Bobby: "Of course I'm right! Gotta keep the faith. You'll be king of the world by then!" Right? Right! You know I'm right!

Again, Hubby and Wifey are nervous about all this, and may ask a few questions, but further reassurances from 'The Slickster' and their own giddiness overcome all that. They are gonna grab the American dream by the goddamn throat!

Eventually, the processing gets done. The How Much Do You Need? appraisal company came in with a good figure. They've been approved! It's a go.

A few days later everybody involved in the transaction comes together to sit around a long table in some conference room at a title insurance company or some law firm and watch as these gullible folks sign their lives away. The new mortgagors are happy, a little squeamish, perhaps, but happy. But even happier are those walking out with big checks tucked securely in their wallets. Partay tonite!

Fast forward: Three or five or maybe seven years down the road our happy homeowners get the bad news. Their 4% mortgage has now crept up to 7% or 8% or more. They knew it was coming, but still. The reality is alarming. In the meantime, Hubby hasn't gotten quite the boost in income he had anticipated, and Wifey has not been working owing to the arrival of a couple of little critters. But they're struggling by. She gives piano lessons to a few kids each week, and he's been moonlighting at a convenience store. It's a little rough, but they'll get through it. It's only temporary.

Then, the shit hits the fan. Hubby gets his pink slip. His company has decided to "go in a different direction." His services are no longer required. "Here's a couple months severence. Clean out your desk NOW!!, have a nice life, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."

Ohmigod! Hubby looks up only to realize that about half or more of the houses in Vinyl Village are sitting empty because their former occupants got pretty much the same news in the weeks and months before his own comuppance. What the hell are they going to do?

Attempts to find another job paying anything similar to what Hubby had been making have been fruitless. He's even been turned down for lesser employment because he's "overqualified." Wifey has started cashiering part time at the local Giganto Mart while Hubby stays home and changes diapers and does the laundry.

The severance runs out all too soon and their income is only a quarter of what they need. They miss a mortgage payment or two because they don't really have enough to pay it, and they needed to pay the utility bills so they'd at least have some light and heat.

They avoid answering the phone. Caller ID informs them that the mortgage company is calling 8 or 10 times a day. Yesterday, their 2 year old Subaru Forester got repossessed. They are left with the rusting 14 year old Mercury Grand Marquis with the bad muffler and the electric windows that don't go up or down that they inherited from grandma's estate last year. It currently gets around 9 miles to the gallon and leaves a huge puddle of oil in the driveway, but, oh well. It's wheels.

Finally, these once proud, happy homeowners are informed that they have 24 hours to vacate the property before the county sheriff comes to evict them. They borrow Uncle Floyd's old pick-up and stuff it and the Grand Marquis hauling out what they can fit into them, leaving the rest. They are reduced to living in his father and mother's partly finished basement. Their American dream is history.

End of Scenario.

Were these people at fault for their own mess? In part, yes. They were not necessarily greedy, but more likely just naive. They wanted a home. They trustingly bought into the bullshit that Bobby Slick and perhaps the builder or a realtor fed them. Their desire to own a piece of the rock blinded them to the possibility that it could all blow up in their faces. Nevertheless, it did.

Commerce largely depends upon the naivete' of the buying public. When it comes down to it, the vast majority of products and services provided to the American market place are things we don't particularly need. Therefore, advertisers are burdened with the task of convincing us to the contrary.

Hubby and Wifey did not NEED to buy a home. They certainly did not NEED to purchase a 3000 square foot monolith for more than they could realistically afford. But, they were enticed into believing that they did in fact need it, and that given the prediction of a rosey future, they came to believe that they could afford it. They were wrong.

Those who lay the blame at the feet of people like my ficticious couple believe unswervingly in caveat emptor - let the buyer beware. Granted, we all need at least a modicum of such caution. But most of us don't assume that well established banks, lending institutions, realtors, etc. - the bulwark of our economy - should be equated with snake oil salesmen. When going after the American dream, we want to believe that the rose colored glasses through which we observe the world is not a distortion. Sadly, we often learn in our despair that the hue is not rose, but rather, simply the tarnish of lies and opportunism.

TLS

Just Another Day

2009-02-04T09:45:00.003-05:00

I inspected this little bungalow yesterday during what turned out to be about a four inch snow fall. To many, 4 inches of snow is no big deal. It normally isn't here in Indy either.
However, this snow fell atop approximately 12 inches we had received a few days prior. Also, it fell in a relatively short time and during our morning rush hour. Visiblilty was bad. A 30+ car pile up on an interstate north of the city took 3 lives.
My problem was, in addition to driving the 20 or so miles from my home to this property, physically measuring around this nearly 6000 square foot monster. The land slopes away and down at the rear making the footing even more precarious. But, I did it. I did all the measuring, taking of photos without doing myself harm. I spent nearly an hour inside completing the floor plan, taking notes, photos, etc. Upon completing my work, I bid the homeowner fairwell, walked out the door, down the walkway. Approximately 6 feet from my car sitting in the driveway I stepped into a bit of snow only to discover that beneath was solid ice. I went down like a sack of potatoes. The full force of my fall centered on my right arm and shoulder. What a crock!
I'm not sure just what damage I did, but I cannot lift my arm more than an inch or two without considerable pain. I don't believe I broke any bones, or dislocated anything. I'm fairly certain that I tore some tendons, ligaments or even some muscle. Have I gone to a doctor? No. What could they do?
I keep telling myself that I am entering my "Golden Years." - My ass!

TLS

2009-02-01T10:59:00.004-05:00

This is a link to a very nice little story (just a couple of pages) that appears in the latest issue of the New York Times Magazine written by a friend of my son, Karen Russell. She is a writer living in NYC who has published one book of short stories and has a novel about ready to hit the market. She is one of my son's favorite people.

Read it, you'll like it.

TLS

"The Shack"

2009-01-30T13:28:00.012-05:00

The photos here are of a small building measuring about 4'x6' resting in the back yard of the place where I grew up on the east side of Indianapolis. It's a fairly innocuous little structure, too small to really be useful as a workspace or for serious storage or much of anything else except for it's original intended use: a playhouse.

My father built it for me when I was about eight or nine-years-old. My childhood friends and I had spent a number of damp, itchy, nights in small, smelly canvas pup tents and had built a number of makeshift structures in our backyards out of whatever we could get our hands on including a hodgepodge of wood for framing, cardboard boxes, and even on occasion old scatter rugs, which really got funky when rained on.

I voiced my desire for some kind of a clubhouse or "fort" to my dad, who at first dismissed the idea. Undaunted, I drew up plans for what would have been, if built, larger than some of the neighborhood houses. I conceived a structure which would be large enough to house around four fold-down cots, at least a couple of chairs, a table, a cook stove, and a ladder leading up to what would have been a small cupola for a "lookout." Dad informed me I was nuts.

A week or so later I spied my Dad pulling into the garage one evening with the trunk of the car ajar, the lid tied down with sisal twine. Protruding out the rear were four or five wood pallets he brought from his business.

My father was a partner in a small printing company. Paper was delivered to them on wood pallets. These pallets had well made 'two by' frames and the tops were solid 1'x8' pine wood planks unlike most skeletal type rough hewn pallets one usually sees today. Over the next couple of weeks, Dad appeared with more of these pallets, odds and ends of wood, and other paraphernalia. Through it all, he remained mute regarding his intended use for all this stuff.

One Saturday morning I arose to the sound of hammering coming from the back yard. I threw on some clothes and sauntered out to see what was up. My dad had laid out two of the pallets now braced together with three 2x6s vertically affixed underneath. This was the base and floor of my "fort."

Over the course of the next several days — evenings after dad came home from work and a couple more weekends — what ultimately became known as "the shack" took shape. Other pallets were fashioned into the walls and roof.

Small as it is, dad included a lot of detail. The structure has a nicely gabled roof and there are several windows. At the front there is a small window built into the narrow door and a fairly large window to its right. Additionally, there are two smaller windows on either side and two at the rear. The six windows on the sides and rear were hinged and could be opened. They were all screened. They even had outwardly-angled sills to insure proper runoff of rainwater.

If you look closely, you'll see there are two small hatches, front and rear, near the apex of the roof, which could also be opened to encourage some airflow. These were also screened. Gotta keep those bugs out. The interior walls were never "finished" but the floor was ultimately covered with linoleum.

As I noted, my father partnered in a small offset printing firm. All of the exterior "siding" is actually old litho printing plates Dad brought from work and then tacked on over the roof and all of the exterior walls. These "plates" are approximately 3’x3’ aluminum and zink squares - the kind of thing you can shake to make "thunder" sounds with, and the mishandling of which can slice you up pretty good. The only exposed wood is the door and the window frames.

You may also note that there is now a rather large, gaping hole near the bottom of the door. Time, and perhaps some abuse, has apparently taken its toll. Other than this, though, the shack appears to be pretty much as I remember it. There may have been a couple coats of paint added, but the damn thing is still there and apparently in tact after some 50 years, more or less. (I'm a fairly old fart.)

At first I was rather dismayed at the downsized version of my planned "fort," or whatever it was that I had determined it would be called. But my neighborhood friends and I quickly took to it and made good use of it for a number of years. We had several campouts.

Owing to its spacial limits, no more than three of us could sleep in it at a time, but that was quite enough. Usually, it would just be me and one other pre-pubescent neighborhood goof ball.

Dad even ran an electric extension into the shack from the adjacent garage so as to provide some light. We would sometimes plug a radio into it as well and listen to Dick Summer's Summertime, an evening rock and roll program on WIBC radio.

This show came to us "live" from Merrill's High Decker, a local Indy drive-in hamburger joint on 38th St. across from the State Fair Grounds. Summer broadcast from a small glass booth atop the restaurant spinning his 45 rpm golden wax. I remember feeling betrayed when he left Indy and wound up having pretty much the same gig on WBZ in Boston.

During those campouts we would eat whatever passed for junk food in those days and play cards or games or various versions of grab ass as young boys are want to do. On one particularly hot summer night, Dad appeared out of the darkness with an ancient, small, black electric fan that he mounted inside at the highest point on the front wall over the door. It felt great.

At other times, we would variously use the shack when playing cowboys, army, cops and robbers, or whatever. During humid midsummer days it was usually far too hot to really spend any time in it despite having the windows and vents open and the fan going. It was best used during the evening and overnight. Needless to say, there was no heat.

Of course, as we got older, the shack fell out of favor. It ultimately came to be used as storage space for perhaps a bicycle, a lawn mower, a birdbath, and a lawn chair or two.

My father died in 1978. My mother lived on until 1999, dying at age 92. She sold the house and the shack along with it in the early 1990s. A young couple purchased it, the girl expecting their first child. Apparently they separated and divorced a couple of years later. She moved away and the guy stayed. He lived alone in the house for a few years, but then contracted some type of disease or condition that ultimately killed him - or so said a neighbor we occasionally heard from.
Afterward, the house sat empty for a year or more. For a while it was apparently owned by an investor who rented it out, but then, he (or she) too, lost it. It once again sat fallow for several months. Happily, the home is now occupied. I don't know if by the owner or more tenants.

There's no magical ending to this tale. I've sometimes thought of inquiring about purchasing the shack and moving it to my home, but the logistics have always seemed too daunting. I imagine the thing weighs a bloody ton. At any rate, I've never had the money to spend on such an indulgence, and I'm not really sure what I'd do with it. I doubt that I would have any campouts.

The view I had of it the other day when I drove by and took the pictures was not close enough to really discern its condition. Obviously, the door needs work and another coat of paint appears to be in order, but otherwise it does look pretty much the same. I do hope that over the intervening years, some other kids have had a few campouts eating junk food, playing cards, games, and grab ass.

What Fresh Hell Is This?

2009-01-15T23:24:00.021-05:00

Do you see that? -->

Is General Mills screwing with our minds?

On the left in the photo is the box we Honey Nut Clusters devotees have all come to know and love.

The box on the right?

Where's the bright blue, the sunny yellow? Where's the damn squirrel?

It's a new box. It's sensible. It's staid. It's "adult."

It's boring! How did they manage to juxtapose the words "Honey," "Nut" and "Clusters" with sensible, staid and adult? It is obviously an insidious plot to do away with our beloved morning munch. This is tantamount to a knife in the very heart of Honey Nut Clusters and those who live for that magic blend of bland, more or less tasteless multi-grain flakes and small globs of nut crumbs.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the one and only store I have found in Indy that still carries Clusters. I scanned the cereal aisle looking for the blue and yellow box with uh, "Clusty" - yeah, that's it, Clusty - Clusty the Squirrel, but alas. I looked left and right, up and down. No! No bright blue. No sunny yellow. No squirrel.

I started shuffling back toward the front of the store deflated, defeated and dejected. The last bastion of HNCs gone. But then, something caught my eye. In my peripheral vision on the bottom shelf I spied that magic word: Clusters! I turned only to see in sensible (but admittedly not unattractive) earth tone colors "Honey Nut Clusters!!" Yes!!! I lunged forward and grabbed one, then two boxes with spittal suddenly running down my grizzled chin. I looked about with fright and suspicion, ready to strike out at anyone getting too close. (Back! Back I say!) I made my way like a launched arrow to the check out nervously expecting a mob of other HNC crazies to attack in a mad frenzy over the check out ripping my two humble boxes of Clusters to shreds in their desparation. But no. I was handed my never to decompose plastic bag and briskly headed to the door, out into the parking lot and hot footed it to my car, constantly on the alert. Nervously fumbling with my keys, I finally made it into my old Buick unmolested. I immediately locked the doors and looked around seeing no one who appeared to be aware of me or my Clusters. Were they trying to put me off my guard? I wouldn't put it past them. We Clusters fanatics are a wiley bunch. Suddenly I glanced up into my rear view mirror believing I caught some movement in the back seat. I spun around only to see just the unmoving pile of coats, boots, shoes, gloves, hats and other crap I keep on hand in case of a dire emergency.

Before I started the car, I grabbed a towel out of the mess in the back to wipe the flop sweat off my brow, my face, my hands and my pits. I left the damp nether regions for a more private moment. Suffice it to say, I made it home without incident. I ate my Clusters with glee, but with the troubling fear that something is afoot.

What is General Mills up to? I'm telling you, it's a death knell. It's only a matter of time.

TLS

THE WALL

2009-01-09T23:25:00.003-05:00

If you've got some time to kill and you like Pink Floyd settle back and watch "The Wall." Yeah, the whole thing!

2009-01-06T21:22:00.006-05:00

SUNSET AT

MARSEILLES

2008-12-13T01:04:00.007-05:00

I've been writing a blog now for better than 3 years or so. Owing to a number of reasons, I have never conjured up much of an audience. This blog has virtually no readership. It doesn't much matter. While I have enough of an ego to want to be read, to want people to comment and so forth, I guess the writing itself is really enough. It has it's own therapeutic value. Writing serves as a means to organize one's thinking, to consider how best to present an argument or to tell a tale. It allows for a certain amount of emotional venting.

As I noted in an earlier post, things are not going well for us financially. The problem I find is that for me, it has a paralyzing effect. There are a number of things I could be doing during this extended hiatus from day to day work. Actually, I did a great deal up until the winter weather came whooshing in. We had unseasonably warm weather consistently up to and including Thanksgiving and even a couple of days beyond.

During that time I managed to gather up by various means what amounts to nearly an acre of maple leaves. I cut back rose bushes and some grasses. I weeded and mulched some flower beds, stowed away the patio furniture, etc., etc. I even managed to clean and winterize my mowers and some of my other lawn and garden equipment and tools.

But that's done.

There are obviously things I could be doing in the house. There are a number of things that need attention - a slow running drain in a bathroom lavatory, an accumulation of dust and dirt in my little basement office, probably a number of other things my wife could suggest.

I have made a few half assed attempts to deal with a few "housekeeping" type things, but I find that I spend more and more time sleeping. I read a bit. Watch some TV. But doing much else just doesn't happen. I guess the more I am unconscious, the less time I'll have to be aware of just how precarious our situation is. I don't drink or do drugs. Sleep is my only escape.

I got a little work in on Thursday. Each time that happens, I hope it is the beginning of a trend, that more business will come on its heals. But, nothing more appeared on Friday.

These week-ends have been long. It is rare, even during busy times that I get any new work on Saturday or Sunday. Of late, I have actually gone entire weeks with no work whatsoever. I haven't received more than 2 or 3 assignments in any given week since sometime in September or perhaps early October. When busy, I get 10 or 12, sometimes more.

I was and am very happy that Barack Obama won the election in November. I believe that he will bring about some truly positive change in this country in the coming months and years. However, on a practical level, for us, on a day to day basis, I don't see that his efforts will be particularly helpful to our situation. In time I suppose the economy, and in turn, our business will improve. But there are still some tough times in the offing. Many keep saying that it's still going to get worse before it gets better. Hearing that just makes me want to curl up on the couch and zonk out.

TLS

2008-12-11T23:38:00.003-05:00

If you like acappella groups, check out "Straight, No Chaser" You'll like it - or them.

TLS

What a Crummy Week!

2008-12-08T19:54:00.009-05:00

I've spent the past week - the past 10 days really - fighting a really bad cold. Some have suggested that I have the flu. Could be, I suppose, but I did get a flu shot about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I haven't had a fever that I know of.

Nevertheless, I have spent the last several days amongst a veritable sea of used kleenex. I finally went out to the VA Hospital on Friday, where not having an appointment, I was obliged to spend the better part of 6 hours waiting before I finally saw a doctor. She listened to my chest and heard nothing disturbing, but sent me to have a chest x-ray anyway. Apparently, nothing came of that either. I did get what has become the obligatory Z-Pak of which I have one more dose to take tomorrow.

I suppose I am on my way to shaking this thing, but I still have a bit of a cough via which I am still expectorating stuff that remains a fetching shade of green. (Aren't you glad you started reading this?) The most bothersome symptom remaining is an unrelenting sore throat - specifically at my soft palate. It pisses me off. It actually went away for a few hours yesterday afternoon, but came back just as before by evening and has remained all day today. I suppose with respect to how rotten I have felt over the past several days, it's been good that I haven't had much work to do.

However, the bad thing is that I haven't had much work to do - which has been the case for pretty much the past 6 weeks or so. It's starting to get pretty dicey for us. We are essentially living off of the small amount of money I've earned from the piddling amount of work I've completed during the last several weeks and credit cards - all of which are mounting up to near their limits. I see no end in site.

In the 20 plus years I have run my little business, I have had a number of ups and downs, but this is a different animal all together. I have never seen it quite like this. If I was a drinker... man, I'd be plastered from dawn to dusk and beyond. I guess the upside of this cold I've had is that I've spent a good deal of time over the last several days sleeping - except, of course, the entire night I spent coughing. But, when one is coughing - constantly hacking, one doesn't spend a great deal of time worrying about the state of one's bank account.

I hear Obama's hiring.

TLS

Oh, and the pic? Those were the days. Don't bother looking for a hummingbird. There isn't one.

Talking to Mom and Dad

2008-11-25T23:53:00.024-05:00

I just read a post at a fellow blogger's digs that set me to thinking about my own relationship with my parents and family.

All of my parental figures have long since shuffled off their respective mortal coils - the last to shuffle, my mother, died in 1999 aged 92. I've written of my relationships with my parents before at my other blog site. But the post I mentioned above started other thoughts and memories bouncing around in my vacuous little mind.

We all have unique relationships with our parents. Some are great, some awful. Most, I'm guessing share at least a little of both good and bad. Really communicating with parents seems to be perhaps the single biggest bugaboo that many experience. Most of us don't care to be judged, and that seems to be the natural proclivity of many parents. So, we tend to clam up. We feel, and often rightly, that our parents don't understand us or the lives we lead.

That's due partly at least, to the fact that today's world changes so quickly and dramatically. In times past people's lives, the social order in which they lived, changed little from generation to generation. The rules were the rules. But, in looking back over the past century or so change has become the norm, not the exception. The "rules" are far more difficult to define. What was good for the goose is not necessarily good for the goslings.

When challenged by parents, it is often difficult to explain just how things have changed, and how those changes have affected the rules. In order to live in the contemporary world, it is often necessary - and likely desirable - to reject the old ways that just no longer work for us. Therein lay the rift, the chasm that becomes too wide to leap across.

The same may be true with other family members - with grandparents, of course, aunts and uncles, perhaps, but also at times with siblings as well. My eldest brother was 18 years my senior, my other brother 4 years older. Each of us came of age in rather different times.

My eldest brother graduated high school in 1947, in a country freshly over the scourge of war, and on the winning side (Yay!) My middle brother graduated in 1960, the age of button down "Ivy League" collars, narrow ties, Dobie Gillis and Maynard Krebs. Both of my brothers rode their lives down a more or less straight and narrow path. I graduated in 1964 and could have followed suit, but owing to some nefarious alliances, I sauntered down the road to rack and ruin with the youth culture of the day. I inhaled.

More than that though, I have always been the reflective one in my family. I wasn't much of an academic in my youth, but I've always had a kind of personal dialogue going on in my head (the very thing that Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan warned against engaging in) that tended to remove me from the action as it were. I may have done that at least in part in self-defense. My father and both of my brothers did not get along well. They were often and openly confrontational with each other. As far as I know, it never became physical, but, nevertheless, it seemed a harsh and dangerous place to be in the middle of. I ducked. I generally avoided such confrontations.

What I would do, is talk my way through mythical battles with my dad, my mom, or perhaps with one of my brothers in my head. Actual confrontations rarely materialized. On those occasions when they did, they never seemed to go as I had rehearsed. My watertight arguments generally dissipated in the wind.

But, I suppose the above is not central to what I started out to say. That my parents and my oldest brother are gone saddens me. But, I imagine that if any or all of them were still around, I would still not "get into" anything substantive with them. The limiting parameters of our long established relationships would still apply. Reticence would rule the day. My surviving brother and I don't mix it up much. We stay in safe, innocuous territory. Our conversations rarely become contentious. We talk about movies or TV shows, or dinners we had at restaurants, or something else having few, if any, sharp edges.

For me, the shoe is also on the other foot. My two sons are adults. How we communicate has evolved over the years. There is territory which we generally avoid. Both of them communicate more fully and easily with their mother. Both Jo and I try our best not to be judgmental. Doubtless, though, at least some seeps through in our conversations.

There is a qualitative difference though, or at least I think so. Both of my sons are very smart and creative people. I suppose the younger of the two tends to be more contempletive than his older brother, but they both are thoughtful and reflective. They see and understand things about people and relationships, that neither my parents, my brothers, nor even I ever considered. What is so clearly black and white to many is viewed through a far broader spectrum by my kids. I think that is as it should be.

TLS

A Life Cut Short

2008-11-20T02:10:00.017-05:00

My wife and I had to make a visit to a funeral home this afternoon. It was a rough one. A former school mate of both of my kids fell off a 5 story building a few days ago. This is the 2nd of their school mates to have died (that I know of) since my sons left high school in '97 and '99.

A few years ago a girl, who was my older son's friend and classmate, was killed in an auto accident. The girl's parents attempted to get custody of their baby granddaughter. The father fought against them and lost. Before they could get the little girl back he killed both himself and the granddaughter. Nice story, huh?

This fellow we went for today was a teacher who was very popular with his students as well as a large number of friends, former school mates and of course, his family. The visitation began at 3PM. We arrived at around 3:30. The line was out the door. We waited for a good 45 minutes until we made our way to the small receiving line consisting of the young man's mother, father and wife.

The father seemed to be holding up reasonably well as did the wife. For the mother, though, it was apparent that this was more than she could handle. Her eyes were red and hollow, her face tear stained and pale. She appeared dazed, disbelieving. We spoke with them briefly, offered our condolences, lame as they may have been, stood before the casket a short while, observing the young man's obviously broken body, noting a small scratch just below his temple. We turned away and toured the room taking in the flowers and several photos recounting his life and work. We then wound our way back through those still waiting, nodding to a few whom we recognized, and finally out the door.

As parents of 2 boys of essentially the same age as this young man, I can't imagine what it is his parents are going through. One of our sons is in Germany, the other in New York City. We only get to see them a couple of times a year. We haven't been together with both of them for over 2 years. Yet we remain in constant touch with them via phone, email and occasional cards and letters.

We obviously have little control over either of their lives. My wife and I have a strong faith in them as reasonably mature adults. Yet, it is hard not to worry. It's what parents do, I guess. Neither of us, I think, are obsessive about their daily safety and welfare, but it's something that's always there, couched in the recesses of our minds. If we thought about it often, it would likely drive us to distraction.

As far as I know, the young man we saw today was a good person. He was married, had a good job and a loving family. Perhaps it's fortunate that he had no children. Nevertheless, I feel deeply for his wife, his parents, siblings, students and his friends. It's just too sad.

TLS

Autumn In Indiana

2008-11-20T01:57:00.008-05:00

These are some pics I took down in Brown County, Indiana within the last couple of weeks. My blog friend Bloomer has posted some really great pics taken right in her back yard. Mine don't rival hers, but they aren't bad. I like them at any rate. (Click on each pic to enlarge it. Click the back arrow to return.)

Sometimes you just stop and look about you, and suddenly realize the wonder.

TLS

Yay! Obama Wins! What Next?

2008-11-07T01:28:00.011-05:00

I am quite happy with the election results. While I was generally cautious with my predictions prior to election day, I had a sense or a feeling that it could turn into a landslide. In the end it did and yet, it didn't. Certainly, the electoral results were stunning. But, while the popular vote results were definitive, McCain still managed 46% of it in a year when one might have expected a clean sweep by the Democrats. (It is interesting that there are now no GOP members of Congress from any of the northeastern states.) Credit must be given to McCain, in spite of his tortured and fractured organization and the ghastly legacy of the Bush years from which he could not wholly separate himself.

Certainly, race was an issue for some voters considering that some of McCain's strongest showings were in the old south. Happily, this was partly broken by the results in Virginia - the home of the Confederacy, North Carolina and Florida.

All of us who have relished the last couple of days should now get over our giddyness and settle in to see how our new president carries out his duties. The proof will ultimately be in the pudding. What will the pundits in the media or even bloggers here on the net be saying in 6 months; in a year?

Of course there are those who hate Obama simply because he's drawing breath. Nothing he could do short of proving beyond a doubt that he is the 'second coming' could assuage those feelings.

I am in hopes, and actually, I believe that Obama will surprise many. Many right wingers believe that Obama will attempt to govern from the far left, that we will all be obliged to read Mao's Red Book and wear gray pajamas to go work in the "collective" in the coming months.

I don't. I believe that Obama will do much as Clinton did and govern much closer to the center. That is, IMO, the only manner in which he can hope to govern. Such a move will disappoint, even anger some with a more leftist agenda who expect Obama to carry their interests to Washington. I don't expect him to abandon the left altogether, but he will prove to be far from the Marxist many have warned about.

I believe Obama will be far superior to Clinton owing to his personal discipline, his ability to focus, to demand and receive respect and loyalty. I truly doubt that Obama will fall victim to any of the, uh, distractions in which Clinton indulged himself.

Perhaps much to the chagrin of those who continually lambasted Obama regarding his lack of "executive" experience, he will in fact prove to be an excellent and adroit chief executive - certainly superior to Ms. Palin, who I understand is even now making plans to visit the "country" of Africa.

But again. This is all yet to be seen. Undoubtedly, Obama will not live up to all (or perhaps even most) of the expectations many have for him. He will disappoint. He will anger. He will at times screw up. Just how badly, and to what effect we are yet to witness. But, on balance, I expect him to perform at a high level. All I can say is, that I'm glad it's him and not me, and NOT John McCain.

In the mean time, life goes on.

TLS

The Time For Change Has Arrived.

2008-11-04T23:45:00.005-05:00

President Elect BARACK OBAMA!

yes!

Blood and Guts Politics in America

2008-10-30T01:08:00.005-04:00

We Americans are a bellicose bunch. All in all we really don't like each other very much. The "I've got mine, so fuck you" attitude that many here carry around lends itself quite seamlessly to multiple gun ownership and rabid support for it. It's no wonder that our politics are so full of vitriole and hate. It's simply an extension of our desire to shoot one another.

A great number of Americans retain the old wild west, shoot from the hip cowboy, persona that has been reflected quite aptly by the current presidential administration. John McCain hopes to carry that tradition forward for another 4 to 8 years.

Yes. Many Americans may publicly complain about negative attack ads, but they do tend to lap them up with a similar enthusiasm as those who used to attend public executions and lynchings. Obviously, we're not alone in this. Remember scenes of beheadings performed during breaks in soccer matches in Afghanistan by the Taliban. When the sword came down, the cheers went up. The French loved to watch the guillotine in action, but of course to be fair, that was 200 years ago.

Now, in the U.S. we don't publicly execute criminals any longer, although there are some who ardently wish we did. Lynchings are rare. Generally, the news media take great pains to prevent explicit scenes of violence from hitting the airwaves. I saw Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswalt live on TV. With the standard 7 second tape delay utilized for virtually all so called live television broadcasts , such a thing will likely never be seen here in the U.S. again. We Americans just don't get to see much blood letting.

Aside from sports and some so called "reality" TV, there's not much we can see that will satisfy our lust for blood and gore. I suppose that's why "hack-em up" horror flicks are so popular, but they ultimately aren't very satisfying because after all, it's just make believe. Hell, now that Mr. Blackwell has shuffled off his mortal coil, we won't even get his killer "worst dressed" lists anymore. We can only hope that another smug, condescending "fashion maven" will take up the Blackwell gauntlet.

Political campaigns are about the nearest we get to a blood sport (that's not actually a sport, anyhow.) Generally, the most we can hope for is a cutting sound bite. Unfortunately, while we begrudgingly settle for such moments to sate our hunger for political "red meat," our country is tumbling willy-nilly over the waterfall, its arms and legs flailing helplessly about on the verge of being smashed on the rocks below.

The Photo: Sadly, I was not quick enough to get a shot of this lovely lady from the front. As she walked passed my wife and I after the Indianapolis Obama rally last week, I smiled and waved at her. She answered saying with a scowl: "Obama Bin Laden," spat on the ground and slammed her staff down on the asphalt walk for effect. Hooray for our side!

Myth: John McCain: Patriot and War Hero

2008-10-15T00:31:00.012-04:00

Senator and Republican presidential nominee John Sidney McCain III spends much of his stump time regaling his devotees with stories of how he is - at least since his release from North Vietnam's "Hanoi Hilton" - a genuine war hero who has always put "country first." To the contrary, there is evidence that he has always put John McCain first.

A recent Rolling Stone article written by Tim Dickinson, "Make-Believe Maverick", goes some distance in casting a shadow over the Arizona Senator's supposed hero status.

McCain freely admits that he led a lackluster youth, much of it spent carousing and womanizing, and that he was a poor student at the Naval Academy graduating fourth from the bottom of his class. However, he rarely, if ever, has mentioned how he repeatedly took advantage of his family ties — both his father and grandfather were U.S. Navy admirals. It was his family connection that got him admitted to the Naval Academy in the first place, something that he likely would not have otherwise accomplished. It was through his father's intervention that John III was saved from expulsion from the Academy on more than one occasion. He used this same influence in obtaining assignments during his military career.

Nor does he mention that he was a less than able pilot. Beside the "Tinker Toy" bomber that blew up on the deck of the USS Forestal and the A4 jet lost when he was shot down over Hanoi, McCain managed to lose no fewer than three other planes owing to his lack of piloting skills. None of these incidents involved combat, and all took place before his imprisonment in Vietnam.

Dickinson includes statements from a number of McCain's naval colleagues and other acquaintances who claim that he was a short-tempered, spiteful bully and misogynist both before and after his time as a POW.

Much has been made of John McCain's POW experience in Vietnam during the last several months of his presidential campaign. No one will dispute that it was an horrific experience. But Dickinson claims there are issues regarding McCain's version of events during the five-plus years of his captivity. McCain claims that he was tortured and left to die until his captors discovered that he was the son of an American admiral. What he doesn't relate is that it was McCain himself who informed the Vietnamese of his family ties. According to some fellow POWs, McCain rather readily gave up much more than his name, rank, and serial number while held captive.

To be fair, very few POWs actually manage to adhere strictly to that honor code. However, according to fellow POW, Air Force Lt. Col. John Dramesi, McCain's behavior as a prisoner, while certainly not dishonorable, was also not exceptional. He managed generally no better nor no worse than the average POW. He did what was necessary to survive. There is no dishonor in that. But, that McCain has chosen to highlight this experience and create the sense that his conduct was exceptional and heroic, leaves a bad taste in the mouth of many former POWs. McCain has and continues to use his POW experience expressly to further his political fortunes.

There is a great deal more to discover in Dickinson's article. McCain's tireless propensity to promote John McCain above all else continues throughout his political career. Dickinson notes that despite what a number of his fellow Senators may say, McCain has few true friends. He is just not a particularly likable guy. The portrait Mr. Dickinson paints of John McCain is far different than the one the Arizona Senator would like you to see.

TLS

2008-10-14T13:34:00.002-04:00

Earlier today I tore much of my garden down. I pulled up all my tomato plants, the cages and the stakes. I rolled up most of that black underlayment and raked a layer of grass clippings over the area. When I get everything down in the next couple weeks after a killing frost, I'll till it all and cover it all with tons of maple leaves. It's a job that I don't take a great deal of pleasure in.

Opening up a garden in the spring is a much more hopeful task. It marks a beginning. Planting the young tomato plants, placing the cages around them and so on signifies the new season of growing with the promise of the harvest down the road.

Autumn in Indiana is a truly lovely time of the year. We usually enjoy what I consider our best stretch of weather from the last couple of weeks in September sometimes through the first week or two of November. Daily temperatures begin to drop off from the more intense levels of August. The humidity drops. We get but little rain. While it doesn't always work out that way, more often than not, it does.

The gradual cooling urges the leaves to begin turning from their deep late summer green, first to yellow/gold, then to red, usually peaking in color and contrast by mid-October. As lovely as it is, it is also a time tinged in sadness. Another summer season is gone.

I'm not a fan of winter. I can appreciate it, say, up until about New Years Day. By then we've had at least a taste of winter weather - some bracing cold, some snow. But January, February and much of March are often pretty bleak times in Indiana. With a few exceptions, the weather is not pretty. We don't get the heavy snow and deep cold that more northern or mountainous regions usually get. This ain't ski country.

Nor do we get away with wearing just a sweater and light jacket in January as they may in more southern climates. Our winters generally fall somewhere in between - just cold enough and wet enough to be miserable most of the time. Bad weather often lingers off and on through most of April, sometimes even well into May. There are usually a number of glorious spring days starting sometimes as early as late March, but winter just won't let the other shoe drop until deep into spring.

Then, we often do an about face into hot, humid summer weather in early June. We often swelter through much of the summer. Again, it isn't tropical or desert like. But just hot enough and humid enough to be uncomfortable, to sweat, to find it hard to remain outside come mid-afternoon.

So the fall is prime time for Indiana weather. Unfortunately, winter is on its heels. Come February, I'll likely start some plants under lights in my basement. That's always fun.

TLS

Appraisals: A Disappearing Act

2008-10-08T20:36:00.005-04:00

The following is a letter I sent earlier today to Sens. Barack Obama, Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar. I know it's a bit presumptive of me, but what the hell.

I have been a real estate appraiser working in central Indiana for more than 20 years. The following are some observations and suggestions for perhaps solving some of the problems facing our economy - specifically problems in the housing and mortgage lending industries:

Whatever happened to appraisals?

The troubles in the housing industry have many sources. Among them are the processes adopted by various mortgage lenders over the years in determining the value of real property to be secured.

In years past - certainly prior to the S&L melt down in the early 90s - most mortgage lenders required detailed valuation reports which included full exterior and interior inspections by approved appraisers. However, over the last fifteen years or so that requirement has changed significantly. Now, a large portion of properties secured by mortgages are not backed by thorough "on the ground" inspections and detailed written appraisal reports.

So called drive-by reports have become far more popular which are, as the name indicates, literally done by "driving by" a property, usually taking one or more photos of the front of the house from the public street, usually having no observations from the rear and no access to the interior. Some lenders are also relying on even less detailed and reliable "desk top" appraisals completed without any inspection of the property at all.

Even more troubling, given the current dire situation in the housing industry, many lenders have adopted the use of Automated Valuation Models or AVMs in determining the value of real property. There are now several companies offering AVM services to both the lending industry and individuals for both residential, and more recently, for a variety of commercial properties as well. AVM reports are computer generated valuations utilizing property and sales data acquired from a variety of sources all over the country. These reports also do not include any type of inspection of the properties. They are all done sitting in front of a computer screen. It is unclear just what oversite exists and to what standards these companies must adhere.

It has been my experience that AVM data is lacking in detail and is often inaccurate. While these models may at times work fairly well for properties located in large sub-divisions having a high number of recent sales, their reliability drops off drastically in areas of less homogeneity. The end result is that properties are often improperly valued through this process. While many people rightly repeat the mantra of 'location' being a primary factor in the value of real estate, there are also other factors having significant influence as well. An AVM generated report cannot make any determination regarding the condition of any improvements on a property, nor as regards quality and amenities. AVM reports usually cannot adjust for recent additions in living area or remodeling, etc. Neither can an AVM report adjust for unknown damage from storms, floods, fire, etc. If the core data is in error, there is no way in which an AVM valuation can be accurate.

There is no substitute for a complete exterior/interior inspection of the property and a full, well considered appraisal report completed by a qualified and impartial appraiser.

Pressure!

The word "impartial" is vital.

All too often appraisers are pressured by mortgage brokers, loan officers, realtors, buyers, sellers, etc., to arrive at or above a specified figure. Since the current system allows these brokers and loan officers to choose their appraisers, they then become beholden to those brokers and loan officers for their very livelihood. Consequently, inordinate pressures can come to bear upon appraisers torn between doing one's job impartially, and the need to have an income.

Up until a dozen or so years ago, FHA maintained a panel of appraisers from which FHA, not the broker or lender, made appraisal assignments in an ongoing rotation. Pressures from the lending industry, and, I believe government cut backs caused HUD to abandon that system in favor of allowing individual brokers and lenders to maintain their own lists of FHA approved appraisers from which appraisal assignments are made. The effect of this is the loss of the "arms length" relationship between the lender and the appraiser. As you may know, most banks and mortgage companies have, over the last several years, done away with employing "staff appraisers" owing to the appearance of a conflict of interest. There is though, from the appraiser's perspective, little difference in being an employee or an independent contractor. The relationship remains largely the same.

Lastly, it has been suggested in some quarters that regional or national appraisal management companies or AMCs should be given the task of making all appraisal assignments. While on the surface this may seem an attractive answer, it does not adequately create or maintain that "arms length" relationship owing to the fact that the AMCs are beholden to the lenders. Some appraisal management companies are owned by lenders. AMCs are NOT impartial.

What to do?

It is my contention as noted above that most if not all mortgage transactions should require full exterior/interior inspections and written appraisal reports completed by
licensed or certified appraisers with assignments made through a government entity to insure impartiality. I realize that I am talking about more government bureaucracy, but the consequences we now face, which are at least in part the result of lax lending procedures including the improper valuation of properties, weighs far heavier on us than what would be a relatively minor addition to government. The banking industry has pushed and shoved its weight around in its effort to divorce itself from responsible lending practices. Closer oversight and involvement by government could go a long way in preventing another such financial catastrophe.

I understand that I have an abiding interest in this issue. I could possibly benefit personally if my suggestions were adopted. I certainly don't deny that. However, that does not obviate the problem nor invalidate either my concerns or the course I suggest to remedy the problem. Accountability and transparency are at issue. Accurate and impartial valuation of secured real estate is essential to achieving both.

TLS

SUPER JOHN MCCAIN TO THE RESCUE!!!

2008-09-25T10:23:00.004-04:00

I can see it now.

The scene opens on Senate members embroiled in hashing out terms of the "bail out" in a smoke filled room (of course there's no smoking allowed - it is "green" smoke - biodegradable and non-toxic,) having made absolutely no progress, loudly bickering amongst themselves, when in rushes SUPER JOHN MCCAIN, decked out in his red cape and tights , to the rescue! (Trumpets sound heroically) "Bom pa, da, da!"

SJ: "All right men - and (smiling and winking deferentially) you pretty little ladies - gather round. I'm here to save the day! I'VE GOT THE PLAN!

Now, I don't pretend to understand much about the economy, but me and my boys - uh, you've all met my boys, haven't you? (motioning toward the doorway where four or five tuffs in dark suits, white ties and fedora hats stand menacing - feet wide apart, the Senators silently nodding, slack jawed in fear and awe) - yeah, me and my boys got this bail out thing all figured out."

Random Youngish Senator: (Enthusiastically) "What are ya gonna do SJ? Set up a strict regulatory commission with veto powers and oversight to insure transparency?"

SJ: "What? Regulatory commission? Hell no. What we're gonna do is bomb Fannie Mac and that Freddie Mae, and then - bingo - we're gonna do the same to Wall Street. That's the kinda straight talk I'm talkin' about, by god!" (The four or five tuffs nod and chime in saying: "Dat's right boss." or "You said it, SJ.")

Another Random Senator: "Of course! That's the ticket! Brilliant! That'll show those elite New England, Ivy League bastards. (Smiling broadly, conspiratially) Hey, maybe that would be a good day to arrange to have The Honorable Senator Obama ring the closing bell at the stock exchange, no?"

SJ: (Suddenly slumping over in a chair) "Ooooooooooooo."

Back to the First Random Senator: "Omigod! SJ! What's happening? What's wrong? Are you all right?" (Kneeling down, taking SJ's hand in his, surreptitiously kissing McCain's palm.)

SJ: (Now barely audible) "I can't hide it any longer. I'm finished. I have terminal hemorrhoids. I'm bleeding out."

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison: "Eeeew"

SJ: (Briefly rallying) "Never fear though, Sister Sarah has a firm hold on the reigns of power. She'll lead you on into the 21st century steadfastly, keeping the witches at bay, not to mention that she'll share some really great moose stew recipes." (Dies)

Still Yet Another Random Senator: "He's dead! The Great Maverick is dead! God save the Great Maverick! (Gnashes teeth as the scene fades.)

Announcer: (On camera) "Stay tuned for scenes from next week's all new episode of D.C. Looney Bin." (Whonk! - Announcer gets hit with a rubber chicken.) Muted trumpets play a descending scale - Wa, wa, wa waaaah. (Fade.)

(Insert Cialis Commercial)

TLS

The Appraisal: One source of our economic woes.

2008-09-24T02:25:00.007-04:00

Out of all the cacophony caused by the current meltdown of this country's financial industry, one of the sources in the grass roots mechanics of how all this housing mess came about has been largely ignored: The appraisal.

In the past, until a few years ago, FHA maintained a list of approved appraisers who were given assignments by FHA, not the lender. While there is no sure thing, this system made it more likely that the appraiser would be impartial, that she or he would be an advocate for the property - not the lender, the buyer or seller, or even the realtor, if one was a participant. This system allowed the appraiser to maintain an arm's length relationship with others involved in the transaction.

Under pressure from the banking/lending industry, plus the efforts in Washington to downsize government, FHA abandoned that system in favor of allowing each lender to choose its own appraiser. While HUD still requires that those performing appraisals for FHA-insured mortgage loans be approved via application and testing, the arm's length situation that formerly prevailed is no more.

Also, until a few years ago many banks and other mortgage lenders employed one or more staff appraisers, who valued properties being secured by that institution for conventional or insured conventional loans. A few lenders still maintain appraisers on staff, but the obvious appearance of a possible conflict of interest finally made the maintenance of them untenable for most lenders. On the surface, this seemed to be a good thing - not for staff appraisers of course, but for the lending industry as a whole - in that it would promulgate that arm's length relationship.

That, however, has not been the case. Pretty much across the board, lenders maintain a list of approved appraisers who are not employees, but who are, in effect, fee paid contractors. The same pressures remain; in order to remain on that approved list, each appraiser must play ball, as it were.

Of course, it has become more complicated than that. Three major factors have developed over the past 15 to 20 years:

First, the advent of so called "mortgage brokers." By and large, over time, these people became the real bottom feeders. Most of their clientele were people who could not obtain approval from any of the more mainstream lenders. If purchasing a home, many of these wannabe mortgagors came into the game often with little cash, questionable income, spotty employment records and weak credit scores. If refinancing existing loans, many brought to the table some or all of the above, plus the added problem of attempting to borrow against a property having little or no equity. More often than not, these were the people on behalf of whom mortgage brokers were attempting to obtain approval. Note that a mortgage broker makes nothing unless the loan is closed.

Herein lay the problem for the appraiser. Especially with refinances and home equity type loans, the pressure came loud and clear from brokers that a certain figure must be met in the appraisal for the deal to work. Failure to comply meant that the broker would simply make a phone call or two until he or she found an appraiser who would get the value up where it needed to be.

Second: The advent of computer generated Automated Valuation Models, or AVMs.
AVMs are created via large data bases maintained by companies which gather real estate sales data, much like locally maintained multiple listing services (MLS), but on a regional or national level. These AVMs use this accumulated data to determine the value of individual properties via computer generated models. Many lenders have adopted their use in lieu of standard appraisals. In some instances, an AVM valuation may be backed up by a so called "desk top" or "drive by" appraisal performed by either appraisers or real estate brokers. Neither the desk top nor the drive by report involves an actual "feet on the ground" inspection of the property.

AVMs tend to work best when there is an ample amount of data - say for a 1200 square foot, three bedroom, two bath, brick veneer ranch home built on a crawl with a 2 car attached garage located in a subdivision of hundreds of other 1200 square foot, three bedroom, 2 bath, brick ranches having large numbers of recent sales. However, their dependability wanes dramatically in areas where there is less homogeneity. Also, the data compiled by these AVMs is often spotty at best; and at times, wholly inaccurate - far less complete and accurate than data typically found in traditional MLS data systems.

The appraisal has long been considered by lenders, realtors, and even sellers and buyers, as a fly in the ointment. An appraisal that fails to meet the sales price or whatever the minimum value estimate necessary to attain the prescribed loan-to-value ratio is, will kill the deal. Lenders have done everything possible to remove the appraisal - and consequently the appraiser - from the equation. The excuse usually raised is the cost factor. This argument is bogus in that the cost of the average appraisal in today's market is somewhere between $275 and $350, or so. (Fees vary from region to region and the cost for larger, more complex properties may be higher, but such properties are generally outside the norm.) That cost pales when measured against the average total costs of closing a mortgage loan. The real reason is control. The lender generally has less control over an independent appraiser. An appraisal which comes in with a low value estimate, as noted, will either kill a deal outright, or at best, cause a delay while another appraisal is sought, in the hope that the second appraiser, perhaps with a little nudging, will "see the light."

The marriage between computer geeks and the lending industry has brought about the development and use of AVMs in the effort to obviate the need for on-the-ground appraisals. However, as noted, these models are often based on inaccurate data. It is also much easier for anyone generating these reports to selectively piece together data which supports whatever value the lender is seeking, owing to less oversight. It is not clear as to what standards the AVM providers must adhere. Keep in mind that in these instances, no one ever so much as lays eyes on the property in question. By comparison, a full blown Fannie Mae appraisal is a fairly detailed and painstakingly developed report, often consisting of 20 to 30 pages or more, which must meet a number of specific guidelines set forth by Fannie or Freddie and/or HUD and/or the VA, plus possible additional requirements of the individual lenders. Detailed explanations must be included in the event any aspect of the report does not follow the aforementioned guidelines.

Third: The emergence of appraisal management companies (AMCs). These are generally regional or national companies which act as a sort of clearing house or middle man for lenders to obtain appraisals and in some instances various aspects of loan processing, including credit checks, verification of borrower information, title work/insurance and even closings. In their middleman capacity, AMCs take requests for these services and then assign them to appraisers, title companies, etc., who have applied to and been approved by the AMCs.

As little as most appraisers like it - because this necessitates fee sharing - this arrangement does once again create an arm's length situation between the lender and the appraiser. At this juncture, I am not sure just what percentage of current residential mortgage appraisals are being handled through AMCs, but the number has been steadily rising over the past two decades or so.

As with the S&L debacle in the early 90s, there are certainly some appraisers who have been culpable in creating the current financial mess by succumbing to pressures and inflating values. On paper a skilled appraiser can make pretty much any property appear to be worth whatever figure a lender or broker stipulates.

In defense of appraisers though, it is a tough, competitive industry for them, just like most everything else. An appraiser's livelihood usually depends wholly on the favor of loan originators or loan processors, AMCs and, yes, mortgage brokers. Their loyalty to appraisers only goes as deep as the success of recent loans. "What have you done for us lately?" Happily, most appraisers operate above those pressures, but it is precarious at best. Appraisers have to eat like everybody else.

While I certainly don't contend that what is happening in Washington even as I type, is solely or even primarily due to bad appraisals, bad appraisers, or even to the evil mortgage brokers and AVMs, nevertheless, they are and have been players in all this. A return to more traditional lending and valuation procedures could go a long way toward a more equitable and transparent lending process.

TLS

Rupture is Back! Rupture is Back! Rupture is Back!

2008-09-13T15:57:00.000-04:00

Hey! Rupture Is Back!

After being badgered by literally hundreds of my avid readers (well, one or two - maybe,) I finally gave in and decided to resurrect Rupture the Rapture (rapturenutballs.blogspot.com.) Now, any articles I write involving religion and/or agnosticism/atheism will be posted on Rupture. All other stuff will remain here in the hallowed halls of Indy Boomer.

I know. The excitement is palbable. The press is, as I write, gathering in my front yard, having been pulled off of the campaign trail and coverage of Hurricane Ike. I will have a press conference with more details along with an announcement of a special "Rupture" giveaway including a top prize of the "End Times" package for two at the Armageddon Hilton.

Hooray!

A Further Look at Sarah Palin

2008-09-07T13:57:00.000-04:00

Senator John McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate was smart, perhaps brilliant, from the standpoint that it was totally unexpected and has obviously shaken things up in both parties, perhaps even more so in the media.

The announcement and its timing took the air out of Barack Obama's acceptance speech and the culmination of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), effectively reducing any 'bounce' in the polls that the Dems might have otherwise enjoyed. There was a reported bounce in most polls, but it was a couple of points less than the norm for candidates coming out of their conventions, and McCain's pick, announced last Friday just hours after the close of the DNC, had a lot to do with that.

Palin's selection was a master stroke from a "Madison Avenue" perspective. She is very appealing in both her look and her story. There certainly are any number of others, including several women within the Republican Party who are far better qualified, but that obviously wasn't what the McCain camp was after.

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Obama's credentials, or how one compares them to Palin's, the fact is that the prospect of her taking the seat behind the Oval Office desk is not a particularly comforting one. Of course, the fact that the White House has been run by a totally inept idiot for the better part of the last eight years should actually give us heart. While overall, the Bush Administration has been an unending cluster fuck, which many Republicans still inexplicably embrace with pride, we can periodically wipe the flop sweat from our collective brow in the knowledge that we haven't all been blown into a pink mist - yet. So, I suppose, in the presumption that Ms. Palin would be "handled" by McCain's surrogates in much the same manner as Mr. Bush, in the event of her ascending to the top spot after, say, another unfortunate 'pretzel' incident that in this (hypothetical) case ends badly, would help ease our angst - and, presumably, hers.

Another element to consider in McCain's VP selection is that now we have two - count 'em, two - Republican nominees who must be handled with kid gloves. The Reps must be mindful of treading lightly over racial matters, but now the Dems must walk on egg shells over both McCain and Palin. The Dems must not besmirch McCain owing to his POW status. Every time a democrat sets out to criticize McCain, their attacks are always prefaced with recognition of McCain's ordeal and praise for his heroism which is proper, but has the effect of taking the edge off of anything they say afterwards.

Now they can't go after Palin regarding, well, about much of anything. Obama and, especially, Biden must be very careful in how they attack her. They can't refer to her being a member of the fairer sex except in praise. They can't touch her family situation. They must be very careful in challenging her evangelical proclivities which are, by the way, significant. And they cannot diminish her "executive" experience as the president of the PTA. They can't even bring up her lack of experience and knowledge regarding international affairs because, as has been aptly pointed out, Russia is so close to Alaska. Palin and McCain can stand up and challenge Obama and Biden to "Bring it on. Give us your best shot," but do so in the full knowledge that any perception the voting public may have that Dems are piling on, or hitting below the belt will have negative repercussions for them (the Dems.)

I can tell you that being the mayor of a town the size of Wasilla is hardly a full time job. My brother is a friend and former associate of Stan Hooley, the executive director of the Iditarod which has its home base in Wasilla. In that capacity, Mr. Hooley is the second most well known resident of the town next to Her (former) Honor, the Mayor, Ms. Palin. During her mayoral tenure, he met with her on a number of occasions. While she had an office, she did much of her work at home while tending the kids, cooking supper, cleaning her guns, etc., which is fine, even admirable, but that does indicate that the mayor's job in Wasilla was not so demanding that she had to be present in her office everyday.

Joe Wright, the current mayor of Beech Grove, Indiana, a town of around 10000 residents spends more hours in the day tending to his laundromat business than he does on the business of Beech Grove. My brother in-law ran for (and lost) the BG mayor's job to Wright last fall in the knowledge that it would take little time away from his business and that the job offers great health insurance benefits.

The current mayor of Southport, Indiana, a smaller community of around 3500 residents, puts in about 12 to 15 hours a week in that capacity. The gist of this is, let's not make too much out of one's having been the mayor of a small town. In most cases, it's just not that big a whup.
Palin's quick rise to the Alaska governorship is impressive, and her actions and approval rating are, likewise, not to be sniffed at. I would suggest however, that taking on the power structure in Alaska is not quite the same thing as bringing about significant change inside the Beltway. She, along with fellow "maverick" John McCain might shake things up in D.C., but I wouldn't hold my breath. Even if they succeed to some extent in that regard, one must consider whether that is necessarily a good thing. After all, what things do they intend to shake up, and just how do they intend to shake them? What will be the end result? Will any changes they manage to make result in a more efficient, more responsive federal government? Or will it simply create more entanglements, more red tape and more political wrangling?

It has been repeatedly noted that Palin flip-flopped on the 'bridge to nowhere' ("She was for it before she was against it,") but not much notice has been paid to the fact that as mayor of Wasilla, largely through the efforts of paid lobbyists, she managed to obtain over 25 million dollars in federal "earmarks" for the town; just the kind of thing that is supposedly anathema to McCain.

Also as governor, she championed a deal which now brings in a payment of $3200 for each and every citizen of Alaska from the oil companies' profits. This arrangement was originally set up in 1982, but Palin formed a coalition with Democrats and some apparently reluctant Republicans in the Alaska legislature to up the ante to the oil companies.

Alaskans pay no state income tax largely due to the revenue the state gets from big oil. Hmmm. How is that fundamentally different from Obama's campaign promise to tax the oil companies' "windfall" profits? It's okay for Alaska, but not the rest of us? Am I reading that correctly, comrade?

I would venture to guess that had Palin been the Democratic VP choice, the Republicans would have jumped on her just as hard or harder than the Democrats have done. They would have picked over her thin resume in much the same way as is now being done, and it's likely that one or more self-righteous, Bible wielding, evangelical preachers would have risen up in condemnation of her daughter's licentious behavior.

Today, politicians are looked upon in much the same light as celebrities by most people and especially, the media. What did the McCain people expect? It has been no less vicious with Obama. His life has been scoured, picked and prodded up, down and sideways, with all manner of distortions, half truths and outright lies bandied about since he announced his candidacy. Now, that is all topped off with Jerome Corsi's disgusting book, The Obama Nation which has taken all the above noted crap, added more, and condensed it under one convenient cover. This book sits near the top of the New York Times best seller list.

The political arena is not a place for the faint of heart. The scrutiny of Palin is still in its first phases. Many more will follow. It ain't gonna get any easier. All of you folks who claim such indignation at how Palin has been treated are a bit much. Again, what the hell did you expect?

TLS

Our Childish Little Pastime

2008-08-30T01:10:00.000-04:00

The following is a rather extended comment I made on a post at Blog Critics Magazine regarding McCain's VP pick yesterday. It probably qualifies as a rant, but what the hell. The only difference is, I cleaned up some of the language and syntax that I had messed up but didn't catch in editing over there.

You know? When it comes down to it everyone commenting here (at Blog Critics,) myself included, is full of shit.

There's not a damn one of us who knows diddly squat about any of this. All of our charges, all of our predictions amount to meaningless crap.

Writers here at BC repeatedly lambast the MSM and the various pundits who blather on about this and that, yet, that is exactly what we do here. Most of those who appear on the various television networks, radio broadcasts, and most of those who write for the major news magazines and newspapers are people who have spent most of the their adult lives involved either actively in politics, and/or reporting on and/or analyzing it. Many of them know the pols personally. Some have held public office at some level or other. Yet, for the most part, their various analyses and prognostications wind up going wide of the mark, much the same as economists who make their supposed educated guesses about the direction the economy is likely to take. Weather forecasters have a far better track record than most political pundits. Generally, for the few who do get it right, it's just the luck of the draw. Someone's going to win; someone will lose.

Pretty much all of us here (at BC) are hacks at best. We all have our opinions, and we are certainly free to share them. What I find so disturbing and maddening is how often most of us, again, myself included, are either totally uninformed, or it's discovered that many of our so called "facts" are gleaned from other WEB sites and publications having a heavy bias, and therefore, no better than questionable credibility. Yet we brazenly come here and repeat the drivel that these places publish as truth. Who knows the truth? What the hell IS the truth?

Everybody here claims to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Obama, or McCain, or the Clintons, or Bush, or Cheney are lying, cheating, stupid, ass kissing, overbearing, groveling, elitist bastards. But, not one of us knows any such thing.

I have often stated how I despise George Bush, but when it comes down to it, I really don't know anything substantive about the man. I think his performance in office has been abysmal, but as a man, he may be, hell, I don't know, charming, funny, a pleasure to be around. The same may be true of McCain or Rumsfeld.

I have often been told that Bill Clinton, in a one on one situation, is absolutely captivating. Apparently, he is able to charm the pants off of some people. My brother in-law talked with a couple who had Obama come to their home here in central Indiana to discuss their lives, and their economic situation. (The guy, Mark Fisher, even spoke at the Dem Convention last Monday night.) They told him that Obama was very friendly and seemed honestly sincere. During that visit, my brother in-law's wife met and spoke with Michelle Obama. She was also said to be funny, very personable and unassuming.

There are people here on all wave lengths of the political spectrum who spout their hatred - real hatred - for any or all of the candidates, their wives, probably their kids, and many other politicians as well. Many claim to have personal or "inside" information about this or that person, but again, most of that so called "real poop" is no more credible than 95% of all the crap that gets bandied about here at BC.

Many such people either are, or are verging on being, nutball conspiracy theorists, who imagine that the candidates and politicians they have chosen to oppose, and, therefore, hate, are the embodiment of evil in league with equally evil forces that supposedly run the political machine. Fortunately, I have so far avoided that trap.

I have spent most of the previous hour just reading a few articles and several of the comments here (in the 'Politics' section of Blog Critics,) including my own. Upon some reflection, for the most part, it's all childish, inane bullshit, having generally less, and certainly no more, veracity than the same kind of bantering we see and hear ad nauseam on the boob tube.

We need to grow up, and perhaps get ourselves a life.

TLS

Hillary Hits a Homerun Just Where She Aimed It.

2008-08-27T22:10:00.001-04:00

Well, I watched Hillary's speech, as I'm sure many folks did as well, and it was a damn good one! She touched all the bases, even stomped on a few of them. It was the best speech she has ever given. No doubt the McCain people and conservative pundits will go to great lengths to find cracks in it, but they will be hard pressed to do so.

Hillary graciously thanked her supporters and reflected on how great it was to have met people on the campaign trail who were ardently behind her. But then she hauled them up and stated flatly that they must get behind both the Democratic Party and its candidate, Barack Obama. There was no equivocation. No half-hearted or left-handed compliments. If her words were not genuinely felt, she hid it very well.

I, along with many others have felt that, since the end of the primary season, both she and hubby Bill have been less than enthusiastic in their support of Obama . Although, in recent weeks Hillary has been out stumping for Obama, and according to some, has done so with apparent energy and sincerity. It will be incumbent, first upon Bill to deliver the goods Wednesday evening, and then on both of them to follow up in the coming days and weeks all the way through to November, maintaining highly visible and sincere efforts on behalf of the Democratic ticket. Anything less will tarnish both of them for years to come.

To me, it was understandable that the Clintons did not immediately jump on the Obama bandwagon, given the circumstances. Most of us will never know what went on behind the scenes during their protracted primary campaign against each other, or how intense the rancor must have become. I doubt that the Obamas and the Clintons will ever be bosom buddies, hanging out together at the mall, but the Clintons did definitely drag their feet far too long, to the detriment of Obama and the Democratic Party. Nevertheless, Hillary's performance Tuesday night went a long way toward mending many of the broken fences within the Party.

Hillary had some good lines bashing McCain - some that may be taken on as campaign mantras like "No way, no how, no McCain." Now, both Bill and Joe Biden must take the campaign against McCain to a much higher level on Wednesday evening.

The Republicans will spend virtually every waking hour of their convention bashing Obama and Biden. If Obama is to prevail, all thoughts of avoiding negative campaigning must be tossed out the door, just as the McCain campaign has done since June. They must hit McCain hard, and hit him often. Should Romney be McCain's choice as running mate, then every charge, every slight Romney made against McCain during their less than amicable primary battle must be brought out and brandished for all to see. McCain should be brought to task for playing his POW card every time he can't think of anything else to say. The Democrats must remind voters of McCain's determination to install conservative justices on the Supreme Court, in order to reverse Rowe v Wade.

Anytime McCain's people, or McCain himself, make any reference to Obama being an elitist the Democrats must show just who the elitists really are. Say, let's compare the McCain/Romney net worth against Obama/Biden's. Let's count houses. Let's remind people that McCain has never lived as most blue collar or middle class people must live - paycheck to paycheck. McCain's POW experience was a singular event shared by a select few. It was, no doubt, a horrific experience. But it does not lend itself to McCain's having any real understanding or empathy for what it is to live as most working and middle class Americans, let alone the poor, must live. Let's remind people that McCain, in his patented condescending and dismissive fashion, stated that anyone earning less that five million dollars a year should be considered "middle class," and that a viable solution to problems in the middle east is to "bomb Iran, bomb, bomb Iran."

It should be pointed out that McCain comes from a long line of career military men, and that he actually was very reluctant to join the military. He wanted to study literature. It should be pointed out that other than his POW experience, McCain did not distinguish himself greatly through his command experience. McCain has only briefly held any real jobs in the private sector. Except for his military experience, most of his adult life has been spent in the political arena.

McCain is mean spirited, short tempered and has been seen to be personally cruel and disrespectful publicly to his wife and on some occasions to members of his staff, as well as to members of the press. The Democrats must NOT allow McCain to take a pass on all this. He is not a delicate flower who must be handled with kid gloves. He is a grizzled political veteran who must be dealt with accordingly. The gloves must come off.

TLS

When Your Kid Does Good, Ya Gotta Give It Up For Em!

2008-08-23T17:38:00.001-04:00

Gotta do a little hootin' for my kid. Give this a view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNowIzuRO6M

The video is a short snippet likely taken with someone's cell phone or digital camera of a staged production of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" performed in Hengelo, Holland on Friday, August 22. It was an elaborate, fairly high tech, multi-media production using a mix of live shots of the performers and drawings being done by an artist projected on various screens around the stage. It featured a rock band, a small orchestra and a children's choir. My son was 'Pink." There are two other Youtube videos of the actual performance. They are interesting, but show even smaller bits of my son's performance. There are a couple of "rehearsal" videos and other miscellaneous videos of the band setting up, etc. These can be found by typing in something like Pink Floyd's The Wall Hengelo and the like. I know hundreds, nay, thousands of my loyal readers will trip all over themselves just for the opportunity to watch all that.

They had an audience of around 7000. They were expecting something around 10000, but it rained pretty much the entire evening which likely discouraged lots of people from attending. Apparently my son had taken a fall just prior to the clip when he hit a wet spot on the stage.

My son, the rock star!

TLS

Clusters Victory!!!!

2008-08-21T22:45:00.000-04:00

As they say "perseverence will out." I refused to give up. I stayed the course. I found Honey Nut Clusters!

Woohoo!

I had made further contact with General Mills. (See July 31st post below.) They sent me a fairly comprehensive list of several stores in the Indy area which had ordered Clusters over the last ninety days. The list included some heavy hitters: Marsh, Meijer, K-Mart, and yes, Wal-Mart! Of the twelve stores on the list, I actually went to seven of them only to discover no Clusters. None. I called a couple of others, but couldn't get definitive answers from them. I have to admit, I was down, dejected. What was I to do? My very will to live was waining.

I was out and about yesterday afternoon up on the tony north side of town, the Meridian-Kessler area, when I drove by a Safeway store. Safeway is not a major player here in Indy. They have but seven relatively small locations scattered about the city. No Safeway stores were on the GM list. But, I had a few minutes. I thought, what the hell, right? So I pulled into their small lot and angled into the space closest to the door. Good omen, I thought.

I walked into the store and had to wait while my eyes adjusted to the relative darkness. I then scoped out the cereal aisle. Only a few steps in and I spotted them. In almost every instance that I can recall Clusters have always been situated on the top shelf. But Safeway had placed them about midway down. Nevertheless, there they were! I spotted them immediately! Perhaps a dozen or more boxes of Honey Nut Clusters silently waiting for me to grab as many of the beautiful gold and blue boxes as I could carry. Personally, I think they all wanted to go with me. But I restrained myself. I latched onto only three boxes. I didn't want to deprive others of the wonderfully more or less tasteless brown flakes and globs of generic, sugar infused nut pieces. And I didn't want to seem like a complete idiot at the check out. I once bought four boxes and got looks that have since haunted me. Three boxes seem to be the limit. With three, I get smiles. With four or more I get "looks."

I had a bowl of Honey Nut Clutsters this morning. Life for me has returned to some semblance of normalcy. I can go into the morning knowing I have started my day just as I should. Life is good.

TLS

Where Do They Get These Clowns Who Run For President?

2008-08-18T12:24:00.000-04:00

I can't recall a presidential campaign in which all of the candidates were not considered by the majority of citizens to be no better than dolts, with voters lamenting the necessity of either casting their ballots for whom they consider to be the lesser of two evils, or not voting at all. Some have gathered around a "third party" candidate, largely to no avail.

If this is true, if all the candidates have been less than stellar, whose fault is it? Shouldn't we look to ourselves as the ultimate culprit? It is all of us collectively through our involvement, or actually in most instances our lack of involvement, that produces the party nominees. If we are unhappy about the results, isn't it then owing to our own failure?

We can complain that candidates are produced by party power brokers. If so, then perhaps complainers should endeavor to become power brokers themselves; to gain access through whatever means to those centers of power.

Some say, well, most of the power within the respective parties is held by the rich. But don't we hold the rich in awe? Aren't they the embodiment of what our economic system is all about? Aren't they the winners of the game? If that is true, then isn't it also proper that these "winners" should be awarded the privilege of wielding political power as well? Shouldn't their apparent business acumen allow them access to the centers of political power, and major influence over who is to run for what office?

Continuing; if these rich power brokers are, by default, the best equipped to carry out the task of selecting and promoting our political candidates, then how is it that they appear to do such an unerringly bad job of it?

A number of people who post and comment here at BC look upon our current crop of major party candidates as clowns or lightweights. Well, if that's the case, how in the hell did they get where they are? It didn't happen with a puff of smoke. They didn't suddenly appear on the horizon with us blinking in dismay. They were selected through our system functioning rather painstakingly over an extended period of time, just as it was designed to do. Those who are unhappy with the results can only look askance at each other and shake their heads at their own apparent failure

TLS

The photo above was the scene in Indianapolis just prior to Obama's appearance back in early June. Some 30000 people came to see and hear him. That number has of course been eclipsed a number of times since, but it did serve as a harbinger of his future campaign appearances and his speech in Berlin.

Left Wing Tax-and-Spenders & the Rose-Colored Dream of John McCain

2008-08-04T18:53:00.000-04:00

I hear the old crap about liberals "loving" to tax and spend - as if that, in and of itself, is their goal, just for the hell of it. And now some say that Obama creams his Armani slacks just thinking about it. Boy, you righties sure have all us lefties figured out. We all fit snugly into a nice neat, if elite, little box. Given our rather incredible 2009 estimated budget deficit of around a half trillion dollars and our current national debt of over nine and half trillion dollars, I wonder just "who" are the real "spender offenders" in government?

Let's see.

The Dems tax and spend. The Reps just spend, and spend some more. "We don't need no stinkin taxes!" Hmmm. Which scenario is better? The Bushies, and now McCain, touting how wonderful all the tax cuts have been, and how they should be extended into infinity while the spending goes on willy nilly.

We've managed to spend nearly five and a half trillion dollars in Iraq alone. Now where could a major portion of that pesky national debt have come from? I know! I know! I know! I know! It's those damn welfare queens! We ought to pack up their freeloading asses and send them to Iraq, by god! That'd show em.

And now we're all supposed to believe - just take it on faith, I guess - that given another four to eight years, the Republicans can put all the pieces back together again. Humpty will be whole! We will march out of Iraq with a shining victory and a flourishing democracy firmly in place. The Taliban and Al Qaida will be history, given only to considering the Feng Shui of their respective caves or pits in hell.

We'll be veritably drowning in home grown crude, and gasoline will be like 38 cents a gallon. Alternative energy sources, though no longer a real concern, will nevertheless be fully developed, cheap and plentiful.

Government will be pared down to a bare minimum - most regulatory agencies and government oversight of the private sector will largely also be a thing of the past as business will responsibly regulate itself through the permutations and pressures of the market place. Unions will be unnecessary (and unwanted) as, again, owing to forces in the market, all workers will be working in totally safe environments for competitive wages with equally competitive benefits.

Social security and medicare/medicaid will either be history or well on their way out as most everyone will have and be managing their own retirement accounts. Health care will be totally privatized and ALL citizens will have full access as they will have more than adequate funds with which to pay even catastrophic medical expenses.

The only remaining government subsidies will, of course, be for the tobacco industry. You can't turn your back on such deserving folks, now can you?

Obviously, there's more - we will likely be cleaning up after four or five years of constant, intense bombing throughout Iran - but Halliburten will have all that well in hand.

Congress will pass a measure providing for a large bronze statue of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter (hopefully wearing a short lace teddy) and others depicting them playing "ring-around-the-liberal" to be erected on the Capitol steps. The "liberal" chosen will probably be Al Franken. Little Annie, bless her pea-pickin' heart, will be posed digging a spiked heel into Al's crotch.

The world will be good. The air crisp and free of liberal whining as all on the left will have either seen the light and wisely and properly shifted their allegiances to the right, or those few who remain obdurately "pinko" will have been "encouraged" to remove themselves, to China, North Korea or Russia - or whatever's left of them.

We will all be able to vacation in a "free" Cuba - Havana will be the new Aruba.

Yippee!

Oh, and just a note about the photo above. It is a not particularly interesting shot I took a few weeks ago in Gainesville, Florida. Enjoy!

THE END OF AN ERA?

2008-07-31T10:30:00.000-04:00

Could be.

I have been a devoted consumer of General Mills' Honey Nut Clusters for many years - almost from the moment they first hit the market. For the uninitiated Honey Nut Clusters is what are actually fairly bland multi-grain flakes, infused with small "clusters" of sweetened nut fragments. Sounds great, huh? It matters not. I've come to love the damn things, or at least to depend on them.

Well, above is an image of what is likely my last box of Honey Nut Clusters. Fittingly, the small pewter statue before it is of Thomas Jefferson. Honey Nut Clusters have always represented for me "truth, justice and the American way." ( I know, that's a Superman thing, but I don't have a statue of Superman - pewter or otherwise. So Jefferson will have to do. Anyhow, I think old Tom would pretty much buy into the "truth, justice and the American way thingy, don't you?)

This all started about a year ago when I noticed to my horror that our neighborhood Kroger store no longer carried "Clusters." They were instead, opting for more of the varieties of GMs "Total" line up. (To me, the Total cereals taste more like so many variations of cardboard, but that's another story.)

Anyhow, I made a bee line to a nearby Marsh store, a large, local chain here in Indy, and to my delight, there on the shelf were several boxes of my beloved Honey Nut Clusters. So Marsh became my adopted source to satisfy my "Clusters" jones. But then, a couple of months ago they disappeared from the Marsh shelves as well. In desparation I scampered to a Meijer store. Finding them there, I stocked up with 4 or 5 boxes, but, soon after Meijer also stopped carrying them. My last local source, Wal-Mart just recently discontinued them as well. I did find a few boxes of "Clusters" at a Publix store in Gainesville, Florida a couple of weeks ago, but that's not particularly handy for me here in Indy.

At any rate, I have had conflicting responses from General Mills. An earlier email communication stated that Honey Nut Clusters were being discontinued. A more recent message stated that GM was still producing them, but that each store had to make choices regarding what products they do or do not carry, usually owing to strength of sales and/or how much display room they can dedicate to various products. But, hell, I've single handedly devoured enough of that stuff to keep the entire corporation and their retail outlets afloat!

I remain hopeful that I may yet stroll down a cereal aisle, look up and at least once more, find boxes of Honey Nut Clusters proudly gleaming in the ghastly flourescent light. Perhaps others, equally disturbed by the apparent demise of this great cereal will wage a campaign to "Save our Clusters!!!" Even so, it would likely be to no avail. For General Mill's part, I imagine they will say that it all amounts to just a business decision. As usual, "business" trumps love.

I have been desparately experimenting with other cereals - a new one hits the shelves about every week - but so far nothing has tickled my obligatto. Some are okay, some are god-awful. Sadly, none are Honey Nut Clusters.

Life is hell!

TLS

2008-06-29T14:28:00.000-04:00

If you've got a few minutes, here's something you might enjoy:

http://wherethehellismatt.com/?fbid=JFsXx

Praan, by Garry Schyman, the music from "Where the Hell is Matt?" Lyrics from Rabindranath Tagore's poem "Stream of Life":

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

The poem in the original Bengali is as follows:

Bhulbona ar shohojete

Shei praan e mon uthbe mete

Mrittu majhe dhaka ache

je ontohin praan

-----

Bojre tomar baje bashi

She ki shohoj gaan

Shei shurete jagbo ami

-----

Shei jhor jeno shoi anonde

Chittobinar taare

Shotto-shundu dosh digonto

Nachao je jhonkare!

Got it?

The vocalist is Palbasha Siddique and the concert master is Belinda Broughton, drums and engineering by Dan Blessinger and on guitar, Kevin Dukes.

TLS

George Carlin

2008-06-23T11:05:00.001-04:00

This is getting to be a habit; bemoaning the loss of someone known to many.

I find it difficult to consider following the ebb and flow of the current presidential election campaign without Tim Russert.

Likewise, I now am saddened by the prospect of no longer hearing George Carlin's take on politics and the social order. Carlin was an intelligently funny man. He was facile in his ability to cut through the crap and get down to the base hypocracy and ludicrousness of political shenanigans and social mores.

My current "stand up" heros are Carlin, Robin Williams and Lewis Black. Of the three, Carlin was again, in my opinion, the most intelligent and most on target with his often scathing commentary. I hate like hell that he is gone.

TLS

Floods, Bad Knees & Gettin' Old

2008-06-20T21:26:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks have been trying for many people in the middle western U.S. The late spring weather has brought havoc to large portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana among other states. Currently Iowa and points south are still suffering the brunt of flooding resulting from drenching rains.

Indiana had its own round of tornadoes and unprecedented rains. The last really soaking rain that ran its course through central Indiana poured as much as eleven inches of precipitation in some communities. Here on the south side of Indy we got around seven inches of it.

My wife and I have been in our current home since January of 1994. It is a very typical one level ranch style home wrapped in Bedford limestone, which is fairly ubiquitous in this neck of the woods. It has a full basement which is wholly finished including Berber carpeting in the rec room. The home was built in 1961. It has always and ever been dry.

At around noon Saturday, June 15th it had been raining pretty much steadily since late Friday evening. My wife noted that water in one of our three sump pits was rising. The pump in that pit has never functioned. I was concerned, but didn't really know what to make of it.

Suddenly, I heard my wife exclaim "Oh my god!" Water came gushing up through both of the basement's floor drains. Within seconds the water was pouring across a portion of our rec room into the laundry area. We soon discovered that water was also spouting up and out of another sump pit with the pump sitting submerged in silent stillness. At its peak, we had something like two to three inches of water eagerly flowing across this portion of the basement. It lasted for perhaps as long as an hour, subsiding only sometime after the rain finally abated outside.

While the apparent flow was limited to a relatively small section of the basement, when we started checking around, it became apparent that water had been absorbed into all but the furthest reaches of the carpet. After about three days of endless vacuuming with super-sucker wet/dry vacs and a half dozen fans, including two borrowered actual carpet fans, blowing air continuously making the basement sound like some kind of factory, we gave up the ghost. The carpet was a total loss. It stunk. Had we pulled it out within the first 24 hours and gotten rid of the pad, we may have had a chance of saving it, but that's not what we did.

Now, before you sit back and say: "Well, boo-hoo. You lost some friggin carpeting. Big friggin deal! Thousands of people have lost everything: their homes, their cars, most, if not all, of their other personal belongings, their businesses, their jobs. Some have even lost loved ones. So who gives a rat's ass about your friggin Berber carpet? Well, yeah, I'll give you that. Our carpeting is a piddling loss by comparison.

I guess the point of this is that, while we lost relatively little, it still represented a major glitch in our lives. We have always lived pretty close to the vest, having little in the way of reserves or disposable income. We cannot replace the carpet. Given that, I cannot imagine what it must be like for those who have, in fact, lost it all; those who are living in some middle school gym or sleeping on a grandparent's living room floor; those whose jobs are gone and no money coming in. No prospects. No insurance. FEMA, in its typical fashion, moving slower than the Mississippi in the dry season.

With all the unsettled weather here and elsewhere, even a rare midwest earthquake a few weeks ago, my wife likened the world to a large dog shaking back and forth trying to rid itself of us "fleas." I make no claims about this stretch of weather being symptomatic of global warming. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But thousands of people are reeling in despair and disbelief. Global warming is the least of their concerns. Some may succumb to that despair. Most will ultimately prevail, but it will likely take at best, months, and for some, years to get their lives back on any kind of meaningfully normal track.

Fortunately for us my younger son flew in from Florida on Wednesday and did the lion's share of work in pulling out the wet, stinking carpet and pad, and doing much of the clean up. To further complicate things, I had had surgery early the Monday after the flood on my ailing left knee. For the next several days, while there was untold work to be done, I was hobbling around on crutches and eating Vicadin. My wife assisted our son as best she could, but she has some of her own health issues which limits her as well. I can't begin to describe just what a life saver our son's presence has been.

I am now on the cusp of my "old fartdom." All of the above events have been unsettling at best. What has been hardest for me to absorb is that owing to my age and still relatively minor, but nevertheless escalating, infirmities, I can no longer take part in the day to day maintenance of our home, our lives, at least not as I have always been able to do. It is my first time feeling, at least to a degree, impotent. Not in the sexual sense, but in the sense of being an adult, and, yes, being a man. It was killing not to be able to dig into the mess and do my part in making it right. It's a helpless, disturbingly emasculating feeling.

What makes it perhaps more difficult is the knowledge that time will continue to take its toll, that we will continue to decline physically, perhaps mentally over the coming years. I don't obsess about this. I don't dwell on it with any constancy, but recent events have had the effect of bringing it all to the surface. It's always there at my finger tips, as it were. Little reminders: a twinge here, a forgotten name there.

I am reasonably confident that I will recover adequately from the knee surgery (just a scope and clean out, not a replacement) in due time resulting in a bit less pain and a bit more mobility. I'm not ready for a permanent spot confined to a wheel chair staring out the window of a nursing home cubicle as the world continues moving onward without me. That day may perhaps come, but not yet. Not just yet.

I intend to stave off this aging process, and remain active and effective in keeping my house and home and my family as safe from harm as any one person can hope to. It will require of me a concerted effort and, I'm sure, a great deal of mental and emotional strength. At this juncture I don't know that I have those in great enough supply. I guess we'll see, won't we?

I hope to take heart in the dauntless spirit of those who have lost so much more than we, those who will persevere and rebuild their lives from their catastrophic losses as so many have done since the devastation of Katrina. I also take heart in the selfless, loving and tireless efforts of my son in this instance, and from the love, gentleness, intelligence, enthusiasm for learning and the creative energy of both of my sons, and my wife as well, who has hung in there with emotional strength and humor.

TLS

Tim Russert

2008-06-13T17:50:00.000-04:00

I'm sure that anyone taking the time to read here has already heard of NBC newsman Tim Russert's passing, so this post is not meant to be "news."

Many people have little good to say regarding the mass news media. But Tim Russert was, in my opinion one of the best. He became the face and voice of "Meet the Press," and his tireless enthusiasm for politics and the election process in particular was infectious. At least since the 2000 election, I can remember him zeroing in on the state or states that the respective elections would turn on with his white marker board. His love for his job and his thoroughness in doing it was always obvious.

Much more has and is being said by Russert's colleagues regarding his professionalism and his humanity; much more than I can offer. I can only say that I will personally miss his broad, smiling face and excited energy in the coming weeks and months as the presidential campaign progresses.

TLS

First Up!

2008-06-12T10:45:00.000-04:00

This is my first entry on this site. I know it's pretty much bare bones at this stage, but I just wanted to get something rolling. For those of you who are uninitiated, I have been blogging at my original site, Rupture the Rapture for a couple of years. I have ceased posting there as I felt I had painted myself into a corner. I want to write and be read by those having broader interests than just atheism/religion.

I am an atheist and I will still deal with that and related issues. But I am a lot of other things as well. As is obvious, I am of a certain age - nearly 62 years - and have concerns regarding the maintenance/deterioration of my mind and body as I approach what some laughingly refer to as "the golden years."

Politics will be at issue here at IB. Like it or not, this has so far been a long and at times fascinating presidential season here in the good ole US of A, and the real campaign is just beginning. I will almost certainly be voting for Barack Obama come November, but there are and will continue to be issues that will ebb and flow over the coming months worthy of comment. I welcome jabs from right and left, from Ron Paulistas, Ralph Naderites, Greenies, or whoever.

In a lighter vein I always like to find humor wherever I can. We all too often take ourselves and the world much too seriously. When looked at in a certain light, most of what we say and do is a bunch of silliness. For those of you (there must be, I don't know, four or five, at least) who took the time and effort to peruse at least some of my Rupture rants know that I find the ironic and ridiculous in things like trips through airport security or knee surgery.

I welcome, in fact I am pleading, with any of you to comment early and often (you know, like voting,) whenever the spirit moves you. Don't be shy. If you think I'm an idiot, or a son of a bitch, let me know. I won't mind if you let me know that you agree with me either. (Stranger things have happened.)

I know this amounts to a rather inauspicious beginning. I haven't even thought this piece out very well. But it's the best I've got right now.

Just as an update, to bring my situation current in some respects, here's the latest poop from my end, er, I mean ... well, you know what I mean.

I had been invited to be an editor over at Blog Critics Magazine in the politics section - I even had my name listed as an editor for the last few months. However, I never managed to edit anything. I felt that I was biting off more than I could chew. It required, I believe, a computer literacy that I don't possess. So, ultimately, I passed and my name is no longer in lights at BC. Que sera sera.

The incredibly bad weather that has plagued much of the midwest in recent weeks finally caught up with us last Saturday. We had around 7 inches of rain at our place from Friday evening through Saturday afternoon. It proved too much for our house which has remained dry since it was built around 1961. My science guy brother in-law said that our basement foundation and floor succumbed to "hydro-static pressure." At around noon water began spouting up through our floor drains by the gallon. A portion of our carpeted basement was suddenly under 3 to 4 inches of water with no obvious means to stop it. We have 3 (count 'em - three!) sump pumps, but one failed to function. It finally ceased to rain some time in the early afternoon and the flow subsided, but we still had volumes of water trapped in the basement.

I won't go into all the gory details, but eventually, using a small electric pump borrowed from my science guy brother in-law and 2 gigantic shop vacs I frantically purchased at our local Lowes store, we managed to get most of the water out. (We figured that we dumped something like 80 to 1oo gallons of water from the shop vacs into the main sump pit. I have no idea how much water the little pump moved. Since then my wife has been trying every trick in the book to save our precious Berber carpet. (Ironically, we obtained this carpet from some friends whose basement flooded a few years ago. The carpet had been pulled out of their basement by the good folks at Servicemaster. We trucked it over here and fortunately had several consecutive warm dry days during which I dried out all of the 6 or 7 pieces on our concrete drive. We found a carpet guy who brought some mongo commercial padding and installed the whole lot for about $450. This carpet now runs for around $40 a square yard. If we can't save it, we'll probably have to revert to trash bags and newspaper for our basement flooring. Of course, we have no insurance. We're not in a flood plain, or we weren't at any rate.

As I write, my wife has given up the ghost, and is having my younger son, who flew in last nite from Florida, pull up and remove the carpet. The smell is becoming pervasive - kinda like a few dozen cats wandered into the basement and tinkled in every corner.

In the mean time, Monday morning I had my left knee surgically mauled, I mean - repaired, at Methodist hospital here in Indy. I had been living with what I was convinced (and later proven correct via a series of MRI images) that I had torn my miniscus which I had done to the right knee a couple of years ago.

Apparently, the damage was more severe this time around, and I also had a nasty bone spur which the good doctor filed off as well. Consequently, the surgical trauma was greater and the recovery will be slower, more drawn out, and, of course, more painful. This being Thursday afternoon, I detect little, if any, improvement and will likely be constricted to crutches for several days to come. This really sucks. Thanks be to science for Vicadin. On the up side, I've been sleeping great.

Enough of that.

In the future, I hope to be writing of things like the upcoming election, religion and the election, gay rights and the election, but also things like Indy getting the 2012 Super Bowl, the fall from grace of the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana University basketball program. (Note that I am not a sports nut perse, nor am I any kind of expert, but I have some interest in such things and how they may impact life here in Naptown.

I will also endeavor to further discuss a recent trip my wife and I made to Germany to visit our older son. I wrote a couple of pieces about the trip over at Rupture which I invite anyone who stumbled in here unknowingly to give them a read.

I may from time to time steal a post from Rupture and re-post it (them) here if I believe it (they) might have some timely relevance, or perhaps if I'm just feeling lazy.

As I mentioned, I will endeavor to flesh this site out more as time goes on. I will add a blog roll and other features; perhaps a nice toaster oven. But for now I will include one site which I heartily recommend, that being a complicated salvation by my blog friend Zoe. If you have or are contemplating leaving the church, or have an interest in womanly concerns, or just the world in general, ACS is the place to be. She does good stuff there.

Till later,

TLS