What is Happening to Our Country?

What’s happening in this country of ours is truly mind-boggling. The official unemployment rate is 9.2%, about 14.1 million Americans. The New Yorker magazine estimates the actual rate is 16.2% if those who have given-up, run out of unemployment compensation etc. are counted. That’s nearly 1 in every 6 Americans without a job. Further layoffs announced in June totaled 41,432. So far announced for July are another 23,000 jobs going away. Goldman-Sachs plans on 1000 layoffs before the summer is over. On top of these figures, 142,000 employees of governmental entities have lost their jobs since the first of the year. These are not just numbers. These are people and families who are hurting.  They are hurting in many ways. Poverty hurts!               

 Recent figures indicate the financial gap between the well-to-do population in America and the rest of us is greater than it has ever been. The financial gap between the white population and the Hispanic and Afro-American populations is mind-boggling and that gap is growing wider all the time. Something has to change. We are a country (I thought) that values all of our citizens and that feels we have a responsibility to support those in poverty and those with special needs. Why, at a time when unemployment is high, more and more people are losing their homes, going hungry and living in poverty is our Congress looking for more ways to withdraw much needed services. Now would be the time for the rich folks and corporations to step forward and take some responsibility. But no, they want more tax breaks and more wealth. What has happened to our compassion?   

 In Washington DC they argue on. They avoid addressing the real issues in our country. We need a re-assessment of our values and to behave consistent with those values. When will we truly address unemployment? When will we acknowledge the inequities in our country being that are being furthered by the fanatical Republicans and the Tea Party? Even the Democrats are failing to provide strong leadership which would move us towards addressing the real issues we must face.

Meanwhile, the two wars the U.S is involved in grind on and on. Latest figures show that 4,465 Americans have died in Iraq. With 11 more reportedly killed this last week in the Afghan War, that’s 1663 servicemen lost there so far. When does it stop? When do we become peaceful abroad and start focusing on re-building our own country? We could well be on the brink of disaster if our direction doesn’t change.

Stan the Man  

Embracing Technology

I’m always struggling to keep up with the latest mind-boggling technological advances. My efforts aren’t always successful but I keep trying. Some years ago I did a series of trainings encouraging people to be cautious of techno-stress. I was saying, “It’s not all good. We need balance in our lives.” Now I think it was too early in the tech revolution. Not many people were ready to hear my message. Now I think 2011 is too late. Everyone has embraced the multiple technologies that rule our lives. Like I say, “I try.”

Yes, I have a BlackBerry, a cell-phone, multiple e-mail systems, write posts on this blog, store my writings on the Dell laptop that travels with me everywhere I go and on and on. Now I have taken another step that I never thought I would take. I love books. They are one of my greatest possessions even though the number has dwindled as we move from place to place. I won’t ever give up books, real books as a major contributor to the richness of my life.

But I bought a Barnes and Noble NOOK. It’s like Amazon’s Kindle. Electronic books, downloaded instantaneously. Mine is in color and came with 100 Classic books, free. These 100 books range from Moby Dick to Edgar Alan Poe’s best stories to the Odyssey. The photo to the right shows my old fashion pen next to the “chip” that holds all of the classics. Yes that’s correct. That dinky little thing has 100 classic books on it. The Nook will hold over 3000 full length books. You can read easily in the dark, the sunlight or anywhere. It is truly mind-boggling.

I only hope I’m not contributing to the eventual demise of books and bookstores. As I mentioned they will always be important in my life. The experts say there are enough book fanatics like me to insure bookstores with hard copy books will survive well into the future.

I have read Visit From the Goon Squad, Room and Star Island as my first three Nook books. Now to start on the Classics.

Stan the Man

Random Thoughts Can Be Mind-boggling. Can't They?

Random thoughts represent the condition of my mind these days. I seem to have lost the ability to focus. However, I have little doubt that my mental acuity that makes it possible for me to focus will come back from vacation soon (I hope it hasn’t retired). In the meantime I will, as they say, “Just go with it.”

 The man in the picture to the right is being observed from our Manhattan apartment window. That’s quite a lunch he’s eating, a New York pretzel. Do you think he can eat the whole thing? Yep, he did. Right down to the last crumb.

Item from the New York Times: Three American Soldiers killed in Afghanistan. They were a 22 year old, a 24 year old and a 28 year old. No details of how they died or if they had families or anything like that provided. They are simply statistics. And a total of 1,640 American service members have died in the Afghan war so far. Actually I believe several more have died since the Saturday paper. What a waste of young human lives.

Meanwhile the wrangling goes on in Washington DC. The Democrats, the Republicans and the Tea Party folks are arguing and arguing about what to do about the national debt. Should we raise taxes? Should we cut expenditures? Should we raise the debt ceiling or default? And on we go as billions and billions of dollars are spent on what appear to be useless wars. There’s never any discussion of the military on the table.

Just another random thought: What ever happened to the idea of a paperless society? Computers and other technology were supposed to do away with the need for hard copies. Then why is one of the most common trucks I see on the streets of Manhattan those that promise to shred your paper for you. Today I saw one that is labeled, Information Destruction Systems?????

Who would ever guess the challenges one can face traveling up and down the East Coast of the USA by air. I left Miami International on a flight back to New York LaGuardia Airport. It is typically a three hour flight. We left Miami about 45 minutes late, then over North Carolina we were put in a holding pattern. We circled Raleigh-Durham for over an hour. It was not a smooth ride so we were told to stay in our seats with our seatbelts fastened. That pretty much determines I need a bathroom run. No fun. Next we are told we are running low on fuel and we must land in Raleigh-Durham to re-fuel. We spend over two hours on the ground waiting for clearance to go on to New York. Apparently we were waiting for thunderstorms around NYC to clear. I had arrived at Miami International at 10:30AM and finally arrived in New York City at 8:30PM. A three hour flight turned into a 10 hour endurance experience.

One last random thought: Phillip Roth is a mind-boggling author. His novels demonstrate his mastery of irony. I recommend you read something by him. His most recent book is Nemesis. I just finished The Anatomy Lesson. Great read! He also wrote Goodbye Columbus and Portnoy’s Complaint.

Stan the Man

  

John Wanamaker's Vision; A Mind Boggling Organ!

The Wanamaker 100^th year anniversary was an unexpected celebration of both the largest pipe organ in the world and my son’s 33^rd birthday. As an organist, and being nuts about Bach, the pipe organ has held me spellbound ever since my dad, the church “Mr. Fixit” would let me tag along while he tinkered with the technical components of the Mueller organ at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Kennewick, WA.  What an opportunity to play the organ, an extension of the years of piano lessons already…just add feet! Going into the organ chamber to see the mysterious workings, and ranks of pipes, I wondered how the music reached from the keyboard console several yards away to these pipes.  In another room the old “squirrel cage” blower, usually the weakest link, whirled and wheezed air to be funneled into each pipe played.

Who would have thought this grand Wanamaker organ, which was built for the Festival Hall at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, would now be the center place show at Macy’s in Philadelphia?  While my son shopped for shoes one day he heard the daily noontime concert wafting Bach throughout the departments. He was awestruck!  The following weekend he invited us down, took us on casual stroll, giving us a ruse about having to shop at Macy’s. Marvelous! Stan the Man and I were surrounded with the sweetest flute notes of a Bach Fugue. Now, once again, with great joy we heard beautiful music as, Peter Richard Conte, the Wanamaker organist, played multiple celebratory venues. Then to top it off, we toured the organ chambers with knowledgeable organ technicians, and guides. The size and scale is mindboggling…the 32 foot pipes vibrated the floor and traveled the entire length of our body, while the smallest pipes were the voice of a songbird.

I invite you all to go to the website www.wanamakerorgan.com to take a virtual tour and click on the Hear Music icon if you can’t go in person.  The grand Wanamaker organ has had an incredible history on its journey through time.

Writing from beautiful Bal Harbour, FL for the 4^th of July Holiday,

Katherine the Great!