The Thursday Ramble: The US Election

I voted early, it was simple and efficient.  The line was only four or five people in front of me, mid morning on a Saturday.  The ballot was custom printed for my precinct. I marked it, and it is read by the standard scanning machines.  Before I left the polling place I knew that my vote had been counted. Under state law, the totals on early voting won't be announced until after the polls close on election day.  I would normally vote on election day, but I will be traveling that day, and I didn't want a delay in travel to result in not making it to the polls.  

This is too important of an election to miss.  

The top race on the ballot is President and Vice President.  

The choice here is:

• The Convicted Felon
• Or the Career Prosecutor

To those that think that the prosecution of the former President was political; bear with me for a moment. He was convicted of directing that the books be falsified to make a personal payment of over $100,000 look like a tax deductible business expense. Our tax system relies in the honesty of business owners and managers to keep a set of books that reasonably report income, and necessary business expenses.  Paying off the boss's mistress to buy her silence, is not a business expense. It is a personal expense.   

When this kind of cheating on the bookkeeping is uncovered, when witnesses come forward, it is prosecuted to set an example for other businesses to keep an honest set of books. If we didn't prosecute these crimes, business owners would be free to fraudulently underpay their fare share of taxes. It is not political. Ask the imprisoned officers from Tyco and Enron who were convicted of the same kind of frauds. (The CEO of Tyco charged as a business expense shower curtains for his home.)  

This also paints picture of the former President's character. Not only did he cheat on his wife with a porn star, and pay her for her silence, he then directed that it be covered up and made to look like a legitimate business expense. 

Simply put, Trump is a lier and a fraud. Please don't vote for him.  If can't you bring yourself to vote for Kamala Harris, please don't vote in the Presidential election.  You can skip that item and vote the rest of the ballot.  

Personally I like Kamala, I have since I voted for her four years ago.  She is a woman of color, an experienced criminal prosecutor, she was attorney general of California, and elected to national office.  When I voted for Joe Biden in the primary, I was really voting for Kamala, I doubted that his health would not allow him to finish a second term in the most stressful job in the country.  

If you are looking for the American dream, Kamala is the daughter of immigrants, and a self made success story rising from poverty to the second highest elected political office in the country on her merits.  She is bright and not one to be intimidated by anyone.  

Any world leader who tries to second guess her, ignore her, or push her around is in for a shock, you don't where she is without being a strong advocate for your beliefs.  She is not a lier or a fraud. She is the real deal.  

My World of Wonders, aka The Wednesday Ws October 30th edition (really the right date this week.)

Where have I been this week? Out for walks, Huntley Meadows, Dyke Marsh (aka the Swamp), Aldi, Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Harris Teeter, Crystal City, to Vote, Fort Hunt Park, the library, the movie theater, the farmers market. 

What movie did we see? Conclave, with Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, it would be hard to beat.  A deep commentary on politics inside the Catholic Church and the role of women. Several surprise twists in the plot. 

Who have a talked with? Hmm, Sweet Bear - live a quiet life. 

Who have I traded messages with? Mitchell, they are getting settled in, he hopes to have internet access back today. 

How am I feeling? Better, the nasty cough is all but gone.   

What travel plans have I made this week?  Unexpected plans to go to a funeral, soon, and airline tickets to return from Scotland next spring. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen? I made potato salad (because I felt like it), a pear tart, baked beans, a saffron rice and chicken casserole,  tortellini, an experimental coffee cake, 

What did I say "yes" to?  I agreed to write a chapter on identity theft for a book on cyber crime that the American Bar Association will publish.  Twenty pages that I need to finish by January. 

Why did I say "yes"? It is not my favorite topic, but I know enough to do the research and fill in the blanks. I said yes, because I wanted to impose some self discipline on my writing.  Kind of like posting a blog post everyday, I did it to commit myself to doing something. 

What am I reading? A couple of books on scams and identity theft, then onto some fun reading on reading. 

What have I been thinking? How lucky I am to have time to read and think.  

What am I thankful for this week? Being able to vote, and I did. 

Who made me go, Huhh! this week?  The political advertising, a nasty mudslinging election. 

What is on my desk? A map of Bruges, one of the Chromebooks, my Kindle, and a mystery novel set in Medina Ohio.  

What thought do I want to share?  Public service, working to help others in society have a better life, is a noble calling. For most it is not the best paid work, the people who do it as a calling, they do it because they believe in what they are doing, trying to make the world a safer, kinder, healthier place for others.  This does not mean they work for free, though the jobs often pay less than for profit entities, the work historically has included good benefits and pensions - something that has been cut in most areas - sadly making it harder for those who believe in the work to make the sacrifice to do good work. The vast majority of persons in public service, are good people, doing good work, often under less than ideal circumstances.  There are always a few people, just as there are in the private sector, who are only there to feed their egos and bank accounts.  Don't let the handful of evil and corrupt, spoil the good work of the thousands that keep your streets safe, the water flowing, the streets drivable, the schools and libraries open and sharing knowledge, the legal system functioning, food and drugs safe, utilities working. Please don't vote for those who are only there to feed their egos.    

Travel Tuesday: Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum

Located in the artdeco showroom and design center of the Auburn Automobile company in Auburn Indiana, the Museum houses a diverse collection of cars, most from before World War II. 

 

Monday Mood: Contemplative

A shock last Friday evening, word that Sweet Bear's other brother died. Very much unexpected, he was 79.  He had not been feeling well, and told his girlfriend he was going to bed early and if he wasn't feeling better soon he would see his doctor.  She checked on him the next morning and he was dead on the floor of his bedroom. He was very private about his health, evasive in answering questions, so we really don't know what all might have been going on. 

What does this make me contemplate? 

How many more years do we have? 

A reminder that for most of us our life expectancy, is longer than our good health expectancy (by two or three years on average.)  So have fun while you are well enough to do so. 

I booked airline tickets to return from next springs great adventure the other day.  Airline tickets across the pond are expensive next May, and one way tickets are more expensive than round trip tickets (we are taking another cruise across the Atlantic.) After due consideration, and despite my feeling that I was spending needlessly, I booked Saga Class, aka business class / first class on Icelandair.  Bottom line was spending probably an extra $1,000 over the back of the bus (economy, coach, aka steerage.) I felt guilty about it, then a couple of days later we are reminded that we are not going to live forever, and when you are dead the extra few dollars don't make a difference. You are dead just the same.  

Another short trip for a funeral is coming soon. 

 

The Sunday Five: Public Transportation

1: Is there local public bus service available where you live? 

2: Is there subway (underground) train service where you live? 

3: Is there taxi service available where you live? 

4: Can you walk to grocery shopping from where you live? 

5: When was the last time you used public transportation? 

My Answers: 

1: Is there local public bus service available where you live? Yes, but I almost never use it. 

2: Is there subway (underground) train service where you live? 10 minute walk away. 

3: Is there taxi service available where you live? Yes, good service. 

4: Can you walk to grocery shopping from where you live? There are two specialty markets that are walkable. Not really the kind of a general grocery store I would like to be near. 

5: When was the last time you used public transportation?  Yesterday. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Adventures in Flying: All of this and I still fly?

It was a short flight, Lansing, Michigan to Detroit, less than 100 miles in a small jet.  I had been in Lansing for a couple of days facilitating meetings at a dysfunctional organization. I recommended that the CEO delegate a bunch of work, and trust people to do good work. She had a great staff.  Instead she resigned. 

Back to the airport. We boarded for the 20 minute flight to Detroit, and the Captain came over the speakers with the dreaded, we have a problem and we are going to deplane while the mechanics take a look at it.  20 minutes later the Captain comes into the terminal and makes an announcement.  "The plane is sitting on the ground with all the wheels firmly on the ground, but the indicator lights say one of the landing gear is up. It is a bad switch. With the right part and a screwdriver it will be fixed in two minutes.  The part is in Detroit.  We have two choices, we can sit here for two-hours while someone drives the part over from Detroit, or we can lock the gear down, put in the locking pins so the gear can't go up and fly to Detroit, in about 40 minutes.  We can't go over 10,000 feet, or over 150 miles per hour and it will be noisier than usual, but the plane is going to Detroit for the repair. If you want to ride along follow me to the plane, if not, Delta will have another plane here in three or four hours." 

About half of the seats were empty on the flight to Detroit.  I made my connection and was home on time.  

100 Tips to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience: #29 Money

 

"Don't leave home without it!" money that is.  Today credit / debit cards are almost universally accepted. Some business are cash free, accepting card payments only. So obviously credit or debit cards are the starting point for travel money.  Visa and Mastercard are the two most widely accepted.  American Express is a little less common.  Discover and others are less useful. 

I always have some cash with me, when I leave home or travel.  It is rare, but card networks can fail, or the power can go out.  Some merchants have a minimum transaction amount for cards, and paying cash can prevent needing to buy an unwanted candy bar to meet the minimum. An unwanted candy bar, as sad as an unwanted puppy.   

When I travel internationally I like to arrive with a little local currency.  For the Euro zone, England, and a couple of others I always hang onto left over cash when I return home, and it serves me well on the next trip.  ATM or cash machines in most airports and other points of arrival will also supply cash, though sometimes they charge a higher fee than machines at a bank in town.  My rule of thumb is I would like enough cash to take a taxi to the hotel, and have lunch when I step on shore.  

The Thursday Ramble: Toys

There is an old saying, that "he who dies with the most toys wins." My favorite toy, has four wheels and a top that folds up and disappears under the "boot" cover. 

My father had a list of a dozen reasons why a convertible was a bad idea. He could get quite adamant about how stupid an open top car was.  They leak, they cost more, they are noisier, they have no back seat room, they have no trunk space, and there are lots of moving parts that are sooner or later going to cause problems.  All valid points. 

When I was a teenager, a friend of mine had an MG-A, and open top British sports car that he and his father had completely rebuilt.  It had a rain cover for the passenger compartment, and no top to close.  I rode with him in it a couple of times, it was thrilling.  Then in my early 20's I had an affair with a lovely person who had an MG-B, in British Racing Green.  She let me drive it, with the top down, the radio turned up, and the wind in our hair (and I had hair back then.)  I fell in love with the idea of a convertible (cabriolet.) 

And my fathers tirade rang in my ears, and I looked past them to sensible four door sedans, and five door hatchbacks.  I have owned a lot of reliable but not thrilling cars, and a hand full of really nice cars. Only one, a Cadillac ever drew a real compliment from my father.  

And yet the desire for an open top never faded.  A sunroof, helped, but is not the same.  A few months after my father died, I had my reliable sensible little Mazda in for service, and I wandered around the dealers lot while I waited. They had a BMW convertible they had taken in trade, I looked at the price, and thought about the balance in my account and the light went on, that I could own what I dreamed about.  

I looked for 2 or 3 weeks, and came across the little white VW Eos. The top disappears at the touch of a button, it is comfortable enough.  It was a few years old with not very many miles on it. I bought it for a price I could pay cash for as a toy. I kept the sensible car and figured I would play with the toy for a couple of years and keep the sensible car.  Two years later, I sold the sensible car and kept the toy.  

Within reason, allow yourself toys, things that make you happy.  When the top goes down, the smile comes up. Same for me, as the man driving the Ferrari I parked next to the other afternoon at the bookstore.  

My World of Wonders aka The Wednesday Ws October 23, 2024

Where have I been this week? Out and about, the Hirshorn, Mt. Vernon, the Swamp, Huntley Meadows, Long Bridge,  I am trying to get out for a walk and see the wonders in my back yard. 

What have I been up to in the Kitchen? Steaks, chicken soup, an amazing apple tart, some nice salads, three pints of sweet pickled golden beets. 

What have I done for myself and others?  Vaccines - COVID, flu, and RSV.  The condo had an onsite clinic for residents. 

Who have a talked to this week?  My Sweet Bear,  . . . it has been a quiet week at home. 

How have We been feeling?  We have both had a nasty cough. We are feeling better, it has been a long week. 

What have I been watching?  Lots of Youtube.  Escape to Rural France, DownieLive, Tokyo Lens, The Pethericks, Glen and Friends, Brian's Life in France, and others.  

What am I reading? A Walk Around the Block - detailed explanations of the things we walk by every week and never really understand. When that one is finished I need to go back to the library again. 

When did I grimace and have to excercise great self control this week?  A political comment, by someone I have called an a$$hole in the past, and who continues to prove it. 

What have I been looking at? The family tree of my great-great-great grandfather, tracing his ancestry from 1794 back.  Back in the 1970s a foundation hired a genealogist to trace his ancestry, the oldest entry is from 1584. My grandmother had a framed copy, that went to my father, and is now here, hanging over my desk. 

Who deserves a big thank you this week?  The condo staff and volunteers who organized the vaccine clinic. It was fast and easy, and just a short walk to the community center. 

 

Travel Tuesday: Why the Air Force Museum - the Presidential Collection

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to see the Air Force Museum in Dayton was the Presidential collection, they have three presidential aircraft on display.  Starting with a plane that was customized for Roosevelt (with a wheelchair lift), one from Truman, and then the 707 that brought JFK home from Dallas, and took Nixon to China.  The planes are open, with a narrow glass corridor down through the middle, you can stand where Johnson took the oath of office. Sometime in the next decade or so, a 747 will join the collection.  I might go back for that. 

 

Monday Moods: Planning is half the fun

Back in my youth, Carly Simon sang "Anticipation is making me wait." Sometimes the planning is at least half of the fun, the pleasures that we think about before, are a match for the pleasures to come.  

I am working on planning for next spring's big adventure. The first couple of weeks of it, were planned in one step, fly to Ft. Lauderdale, spend a couple of nights, get on the ship, and someone else plans the next 14 days. Then what? 

Plans have shifted, to avoid a major festival, a couple of extra days were added in an old favorite as the list of gotta see places was longer than the time available and a spring bank holiday popped up on the calendar. Next I need to make plans to move on from there, and ultimately to return home.  There are people and places to see along the way.  A bit of old territory that is new to us, to explore.   In the book store the other day, I picked up a tourist guide to Scotland, someplace we have not been. 

As soon as I have the logistics worked out, I will reach out to a couple of people to connect with along the way. How best to get from London to Edinburgh?

So my mood this Monday, is the pleasures of planning for future adventures. 

 

The Sunday Five: Parenthood

1: At what age did you really leave your parents home? 

2: After you left home, did you ever move back into your parents home? 

3: Do you have children? 

4: Do you enjoy having children around? 

5: How many siblings do you have? 

My answers: 

1: At what age did you really leave your parents home? 22 

2: After you left home, did you ever move back into your parents home? No, late in life my father said his greatest fear was that the kids would move back home after we left. 

3: Do you have children? No 

4: Do you enjoy having children around? If they are quiet, but I really don't understand them. 

5: How many siblings do you have? Three. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Adventures in Flying: Thud again!

When my parents were still alive, I would fly to Florida a couple of times a year to visit. The year they died, I flew to Orlando 11 times.  

I was returning from a visit one Thanksgiving week.  To beat the crowds, I would fly down the Friday before the Thursday holiday, spend a week and fly back the day after the holiday. Planes were a little less crowded.  I was changing planes in Atlanta, Georgia. You can't go to hell without changing planes in Atlanta. Things were going well.  We were seated and settled in and there was a Thud and the plane shook slightly from side to side.  There is often a thud when the baggage doors are closed, but the side to side shake was not normal.  When the ground crew went to back the baggage conveyor away from the plane, they missed reverse and slammed into the side of the plane. 

After a couple of minutes we were asked to deplane, and wait in the gate area. About half an hour later, the pilot took the microphone and said, "as you know the baggage handlers bumped into the plane, and dented it. The mechanics have checked it, sent photos to engineers at the manufacture, we have tested the pressurization, and they assure us it is safe to fly. We are going to go, if you want to go please board, if you are uncomfortable flying in this plane the gate attendants will book you on the next available flight."  

The seat next to me was empty on the flight home that afternoon.  

100 ideas to slightly improve your travel experience: #28 Subways

In many major world cities, subway trains are often the best way to get around the city, for any distance to far to walk.  Don't try to drive in New York, London, Boston, Paris, Chicago, Rome, or Washington DC, traffic is almost always terrible, parking is hard to find and can be incredibly expensive. 

A few tips on how the systems work. 

Find where you are on the system map, and where you want to go.  Identify what line(s) run there, and in that direction. Most systems identify the direction of travel by the station at the end of that trains route.  Where I live, if I want to go into Washington DC, I find my nearest station Huntington on the map, and then look into the city on the map and find that the Yellow line will take me in ending at Mt Vernon Square, or along the way I can change to the Blue line in the direction of Largo - it crosses the city in a different direction.  So I want a Yellow to Mt Vernon Square or go in a couple of stations and I can change to a Blue in the direction of Largo and those will take me into the City.  It take a couple of tries, but once you get used to it, it is a fairly simple system.  

Not if, but when, you get on a train going in the wrong direction, go the the next station, get off, and get on a train going in the other direction. Don't panic, it will add a few minutes to your trip but you will get there.  It happens to all of us sooner or later. 

In some of the older systems, there are separate stations for trains traveling in different directions, so in New York if I want the #1 line, north or uptown I enter on the east side of the street, if I want it going downtown or south, I enter the station on the west side of the street. If I go in the wrong side, I can't get where I want to go without exiting the station and changing to the other side of the street. 

Increasingly subway systems allow payment with any tap and pay credit or debit card or phone pay system.  Check to see if they do before you buy a fare card.  Some systems have a specific phone app for payment. Almost all have a fare card system.  The cards are generally sold in vending machines in the stations. There is usually a small fee for the card, a dollar or two. Most of the cards are reloadable. The disadvantage of a fare card is you will almost always have a balance on it when you leave the city, and most of the cards expire.  I have seen donation boxes at airport stations where the balance on the cards is passed onto charity.  

In my hometown, the DC Metro Rail system has a smart phone app, and fare cards.  Chicago and New York now accept tap to pay credit or debit cards, and have some kind of smartphone payment available.  I have had a London Oyster card for about 20 years, and the last time I was there I was pleased that it still works.  

The Thursday Ramble*: Knowledge

Never in the history of humankind, have so many people, had such easy access to so much knowledge, information, and facts.  At the click of a keyboard and mouse, I can access an almost endless library.  I just have to ask the question, and then evaluate the answers to sort the real facts, from the alternative facts.  The internet as a resource is less than 50 years old.  

Earlier this year I read a book on the history of books. 250 years ago, public libraries as we know and love them in the United States, didn't really exist.  Libraries were private, belonging to institutions or individuals. The first lending libraries in the USA were membership organizations.  Each member paid an annual fee that was used to purchase books for the collection, that the member could then borrow from the library. Today I can walk into my local public library and borrow any book on the self, and they will order in for me anything in the system. Very much any question I have, the library can help me find the real facts; alternative facts are in the fiction section. 

I am fortunate to have earned and paid for a solid education.  I learned how to learn, how to structure inquiry that leads to facts, and rules, that lead to logical conclusions.  Only one of my grandparents had more than a grade school education (8 years of education.) And yet, they knew the basics of how to learn, how to read, how to frame an issue, how reach a conclusion based on the facts.  The challenge for them was often access to knowledge.  They left school to work on farms and in factories, to keep their families alive.  

Higher education has never been more available, or more unaffordable in the United States.  I have a four year degree, a BA degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.  Rollins is a nice private liberal arts college, frequently ranked as one of the best small colleges in the country.  Tuition and books are now estimated at $61,500 per year, nearly $250,000 (plus living expenses) for a University degree. I don't know what I paid, it certainly was not that much. I went to college part time, worked full time and paid for it as I went.  

In the United States, law is a graduate degree, a doctorate.  You have to have a four year University or college degree to be admitted to most law schools.  For law school, I went to a state school, with instate tuition, at the University of Louisville. Currently the cost of tuition, books and mandatory fees is just over $33,000 a year - and it is a three year program, overall the total would be right at $100,000.  This does not include living expenses, those are estimated at another $25,000 per year, at least they will let you borrow that much, meaning that most of the graduates from this mid-level state law school are going to owe about $175,000 when they finish.  When I finished in 1999, and I had borrowed what was allowed, based on the calculated cost of attendance, I owed about $45,000.  

Why has it gone up so much in 25 short years? States expect more from the Universities, and fund them with less money.  The state expects higher graduation and employment numbers, but has not increased in a meaningful way the funding needed to make that happen.  

When Joe and Kamala talk about forgiving student loans, they are is really saying the Federal Government will pay off the loans. In essence the government is spending money today, that it should have spent over the past 25 years supporting higher education.  

An educated populus earns more, makes better informed decisions, commits fewer crimes, helps to build a better society.  Educated people are more likely to be able to tell the difference between facts, and alternative facts.  

 *Ramble, or is it more of a rant?

My World of Wonders, aka the Wednesday Ws October 16, 2024

Where have I been this week?  Close to home, the grocery store / pharmacy, a walk at the airport, a walk on King Street, the library, a walk in the swamp at Dyke Marsh, the farmers market, a walk and out to lunch, and the Hirshorn. 

What have I been cooking this week?  I bought a whole beef tenderloin and cut steaks and roasts from it, so we had steak the other day, chicken noodle soup, a lemon custard pie, 

Who have I heard from?  Kim, and old co-worker from my home builder days in Florida.  She wants to know when I am going to come for a visit, it has been a long time. 

When will I start planning the next adventure?  Already have, and figured out this week why I was having trouble finding a hotel in Amsterdam.  It is Kings Day weekend, we will be skipping Amsterdam on next springs adventure. 

What is the sculpture above?  The end of last month, Angus from St Andrews was here in Washington DC. He posted a photo of this, I instantly knew where it was, it is along the side of the a Catholic church near Gallery Place.  I have walked or ridden a bike past it a thousand times in the past 16 years. The church does a lot of outreach to homeless persons in the community. There was a lady a block or so from there who lived in cardboard boxes for years. She would always smile and say Hi when I walked by. She would tell anyone who would listen, that she was owed money.  A volunteer took her serious one day, and discovered that she was entitled to a federal pension based on 30 years of work in a government office.  She had failed to cash the checks during a period of mental health issues, and the payments had been put on hold.  She was owed a decade of back pay, and enough of a monthly payment to live with dignity.  

What made me go "Huh!" this week?  Politicians, and a family member, who think that the government is manipulating the weather. Untreated mental illness is a real problem at times.  

What made me sad this week? I walked past the White House a few days ago, and the 20 foot tall riot fence has been put back up.  This is an additional barrier, about 250 feet away from the usual spiked fence around the Presidential Residence. It is good to see that they are prepared in case a sore loser decides to send his mob to forcibly attack the White House, very-very sad that it is necessary. I hope the police are well armed and authorized to shoot if attacked. 

What made me sad part 2? An old friend is in poor health, heart failure, kidney failure, he has been in the hospital for five weeks. 

Travel Tuesday: Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio Experimental Display