0008 - 29OCT1012 - "Cold Civil War"

Sports… The Tigers were swept by the San Francisco Giants; the best pitcher in all baseball (Verlander) was pounded into submission in the first and only game he saw action in, and the best batter in several generations (Cabrera) stroke out looking, to make the last out of the last game… Who would have thought, after they seemed to be so strong against the A’ and Yankees? Oh well, the season was successful (better than 28 other teams) and there is always next year… The Gators lost and dropped from #2 to #8; nothing else is worth talking about in College Football… But in the Pros, brother did we have a weekend: Bucs, Lions, Dolphins and Giants all gave a good account of themselves… Good stuff!

Politics…New concept: “Cold Civil War”. Since the elections in the year 2000, when questions about 537 votes were left unanswered in Florida and bitterly contested elections results were never brought to proper closure for the benefit of the whole country, there has been this growing animosity, resentment, mistrust and plain old contempt between Democrats and Republicans, between Liberals and Conservatives, where they cannot stand each other and cannot ‘stomach’ the concept of working with each other, get something done, lest the other side get any credit for anything (oh no, that would amount to legitimizing them!). That ‘war’ is what has paralyzed the country, not Washington… We all blame Washington, as if “Washington” was this being with life of its own that comes out of an xBox, or Wii game; Washington is merely the tip of the iceberg which actually holds the whole Cold Civil War being fought on all 50 states, in all 2951 counties/64 Parishes (LA)/18 boroughs (AK), and in all the Federal Territories and Dependencies too numerous to name here… Now, how do we end this Civil War? I don’t know… All ideas are welcome…

Local… Went to the annual Hawks Bluff Halloween Extravaganza this past week-end… There were witches and warlocks, Bavarian Herr and Frau, French Courtesans, Country Singers, inmates, Ceasars, Cleopatras, busty country girls, pirates, gypsies, ‘cereal’ killers, grape bunches, etc… There were about six or seven types of soups, all delicious and perfect for the chilly weather, sausage and kraut, several types of cheese cakes (Pam’s pumpkin cheesecake was superb!); there was also live entertainment (country guitar music by Johnny Cash and ‘Captain Death’) and, overall, it was great! Thanks to the host and hostess and to all who contributed to make it a special affair…

On another subject, my thoughts and prayers go to the folks (some friends, some family, most unknown) in the North Eastern seaboard and wish them best of luck with Hurricane Sandy… One more reason I consider myself lucky to be living here where we live. Hope damage is minimal and recovery is fast!

Trivia… Of the 56 signers of the US Declaration of Independence, only two people signed on July 4th: John Hancock and Charles Thomson; most of the rest signed on August 2, and the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. Only one was catholic, Charles Carroll, and seven were foreign born; 25 were lawyers and there was one scientist: Ben Franklin.

Food for thought… 
“You spend years wishing your parents would get off your back only to realize they are the only ones that ever really had your back.”

- Anonymous 

So, appreciate them while you have them, my friends…

0007 - 24OCT2012 - I VOTED!

Sports… The Tigers swept the Yankees… Oh nooo! Oh well, the consolation for me is that I also like the Tigers and that the Venezuelan boys did very well… Now it will be the Tigers against the stinkin’ Giants! On college football, the Gators won (and that’s all that matters!); and, on yes, Michigan beat Michigan State; ho-hum… Regarding the Pros, Eli shone again – what a game!- but the Bucs and Lions lost (what Lions? Did they show up except in the last two minutes?)…Dolphins did not play…

Politics… On the 2^nd Presidential debate, MSNBC: “the President – without a doubt - won this exchange; what a comeback!” FOXNEWS: “Mitt was flawless; superb performance again; clearly two for two!” (And how dared Candy Crowley interject a fact? What a nerve! Where is Jim Lehrer when you need him?)… IMHO neither one of those assertions made by those two (news or mouthpiece?) networks come close to what I saw and heard. Either I was watching something else (I really wanted to watch the Yankees/Tigers game), or my understanding/comprehension of the English language is not where I thought it was… The President was much better this time than in his first debate (how could he have been worse?) and, by being engaged and engaging, performed as expected; and Mitt held his own, steady and articulate, also as expected. On the other hand, the President could not clearly put any positive/attractive spin to his record or his plans (?), and Mitt could not find his way out of a paper bag when it came to immigration, women issues and Libya; furthermore, neither one of them had any credible facts as of how they intend to perform magic to balance the budget – neither one of their shell game adds up (maybe they are counting on miracles like the multiplication of the fish and bread that happen about 2,000 years ago in Galilee)…Bottom Line: high in histrionics and low, very low, on facts (as opposed to misrepresented numbers) on both sides!

On the 3^rd debate, there seems to have been a concerted effort for both candidates to appear to be on the same presidential/commander-in-chief/level headed page. All I saw was Obama trying to attack Romney from each and every angle (two debates too late!) and then I swear I heard Romney say “I am ready to endorse you, Mr. President”… Don’t really know now what to make of it…

Well, it is all done! I voted already! So, even if Trump proves that Obama was born in Timbuktu, or if Harry Reid proves that Mitt got tax refunds for five out of the last seven years, it does not matter!

Trivia… The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. Hmmm…

Food for thought…

“A politician speaks of the next election - a statesman, of the next generation.”

 - James Freeman Clarke

So, listen carefully, my friends…

0006 - 15OCT12 - Soap box...

Sports… The Tigers are already killing my Yankees (2-0). The Yankees have been my team forever (I was born during the 6^th game of the 1952 World Series when the Yankees beat the Giants – again); on the other hand, although I have admired the Tigers since the late ‘60s, I’ve come to appreciate them more in recent years, and they have several Venezuelan players in their roster, one of them being the triple-crowned Miguel Cabrera… That means that I will be rooting for the American league in the coming World Series… Football-wise, went to Rome, GA this past weekend to watch a game between the Ave Maria University Gyrenes (Div. III) and the Shorter University Hawks (Div. II). You see, #77 of the Gyrenes (Gyrenes, by the way, it is an old – circa 1894 - yet valid name for Marines), their Left Offensive Tackle, on the blind side, is Jesse Temperilli, my confirmation God-son; the Gyrenes lost, but #77 made a superb account of himself! On the NFL, Dolphins, Bucs, and Giants won and Dallas lost; all is good! The stinkin’ Jets and Bills won; all bad! The Gators (new #2, baby!) took care of business against a local favorite, Vandy …and, oh yes I almost forgot, UM North and Michigan State also won, while UM South lost (‘Noles don’t matter)…

Politics… No comments on the VP debate (does it really matter?) Looking forward to the next Presidential debate tomorrow…

Soap Box Issue: Health Insurance… When my first daughter was born, 32 years ago, my out-of-pocket costs were $10, out of a total of over $1,400; when my last one came around, 11 years later, my out-of-pocket was over $3,700 (and I forgot the total cost!). A friend of mine’s daughter recently went to the hospital with an unidentified pain; after four hours of tests and treatment, her bill was $25,000. My 3^rd daughter, brand new in the work force and as healthy as a 22 years old can be, can only afford insurance with a deductible of about 6.67% of her annual gross salary (Obama would have to pay $27,000 and Mitt about a cool $2,000,000 out-of-pocket before their insurance would kick in; what are the odds of that?). A hospital in the West Coast bills the insurance companies $4,200 for an MRI; the negotiated discount rate (what the hospital gets from the insurance company) is $2,200 (and they get to declare the other $2,000 as loss); however, a walk-in patient can get one done, as long as they pay cash, for $200. So, if they can do it for $200, and still make money, why do they bill $4,200 to start with? You ask a doctor about the costs, and they tell you that it is driven by the cost of insurance; you ask a hospital and they tell you that the costs are driven by the cost of insurance and the cost of caring for the indigent; everybody is making money hand over fist, and the ones making the most, in obscene fashion, are the insurance companies… Now, there are many good people among us who say there is no need for Health Care Reform and oppose it vehemently; they argue that, with a deregulated market and open competition (more deregulated and open that now, how?) these same insurance companies will take care of ‘self-regulating’ and ‘the market forces’ will bring the cost of Health Care to a level affordable by all… Never been one to indulge in, but I certainly would love to take a hit – or two - of whatever they are smoking!

Trivia… For those of us who think we do not have enough diversity and that we are not a melting pot of all sorts of people, I have this story for you: did you know that there is a Medical Doctor who is also an US Representative for an electoral district in Georgia who said – in a public gathering - that the whole evolution theory is “hog wash from the pit of hell” and that the earth is only 9,000 years old, as the Bible implies? This is an US congressman saying this, ladies and gentlemen… Do we have them in all kinds, sizes and colors, or what? Furthermore, and here is the kicker, this US Congressman sits in the US House Select Committee for the Advancement of Science and Technology; do you think are we going anywhere fast in this area? You be the judge…

Food for thought…

“Not gold, but only man can make a people great and strong; men who, for truth and honor's sake, stand fast and suffer long.”

 - Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, keep your values straight, my friends…

0005 - 08OCT12 - "...and down the stretch they come"... (for Elections and Baseball)

Sports…“…there is an event about to take place (one of the rarest in all sports) which has not happened since 1967: a winner of the baseball Triple Crown which means leading the league in batting average, Runs Batted In, and home-runs. The 3^rd baseman of the Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera, is about to achieve that…”  And he did it! Continuing with baseball, the team from Atlanta will be renamed, from Braves (they don’t deserve that name) to Wannabes; they just don’t – uh – amount to anything… Oh, and the fans were very classy, indeed, with the show they put on at the end of the game, pouting and littering the field… Moving on, so far the Divisional Series, both leagues, have been great! Football: Dolphins finally won; Eli and the Giants were something else (Bucs and Lions did not play); good game last night between Saints and Chargers… Some last words: GO GATORS, baby!

Politics… If you ever hear me talking about political analysis again just shoot me! Here are the points I thought were mandatory to talk about in this first presidential debate, and I was sure (I would have bet the house on it!) somebody would bring them up:

·         Foreign Affairs (The Libya debacle – isolated incident or the real status?)

·         The economy (are we better off?)

·         The 47% (what precisely is the meaning/concept here?)

·         Health Care (Obamacare vs. Romneycare – differences and similarities)

·         Immigration Reform

·         Tax Code reform (or lack of disclosure of tax returns)

·         Gay rights

·         Birth control

Only three, the ones highlighted, were brought up by the contenders or the moderator (was there really one?), and two of them only partially… Oh well. That ought to tell you something about my political analysis prowess…

Here are some political quotes from this past week:

From the Obama side: “Are we better off today than four years ago? You bet! This guy took over as Captain of the Titanic after it had hit the iceberg and we are not only still afloat but are gaining steam!”

From the Romney side: “Obama spent the first two years of his term, when he had a blank check (a Democrat congress), pushing Obamacare down people’s throats. If he really cared so much about the middle class, why didn't he push for jobs?”

Trivia… Did you know that the only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-stars Game?

Food for thought…

“If we consistently act on the optimistic hypothesis, this hypothesis will tend to be realised; whilst by acting on the pessimistic hypothesis we can keep ourselves for ever in the pit of want.”

- John Maynard Keynes

(From 'Essays in Persuasion') 

So, stay/think/act positive, my friends…

0004 - 01OCT2012 - Times are achanging...

So, this past Friday, September 28^th, 2012 we held the 1^st Annual Wine & Cheese festival in the Bluff… You see, during this time of the year, one of our favorite events in the world is being held: the EPCOT Wine & Food festival, which we used to attend every year when we lived in Florida and now we’ve missed for two years in a row. So, we decided to honor that feeling or mind set and hold our own version up here on the Plateau… Friends and neighbors brought a preferred wine with an accompanying preferred cheese and (at Pat Ross’ relentless insistence) presented it to the rest of the wine drinkers and cheese eaters… To my satisfaction, and a little bit of a surprise, my preferred wines turned out to be a couple of whites, Pinot Gris and Country White, made by a local winery: Stonehaus in Crossville; they were great! Other wines (actually, all the ones I sampled) were between good and very good and the cheeses were excellent. But what made it special, truly special, was the people and the fact that our Leah drove up from Gainesville, FL and joined us! This will be repeated! Here are some photos…

I am almost ready to stop watching and chronicling anything about football… Another awful weekend! The Dolphins, Bucs and Lions all lost their games and, to top it off, the Giants also lost! I am almost done, folks! The only thing that is keeping me still alive, on the proverbial football respirator, is that the Gators did not lose this past Saturday (they did not play) and UM won (that’s University of Miami). Rough, rough times, I’m not gonna lie to you… On the other hand, the baseball playoffs are almost here and some of my preferred and favorite teams are in; furthermore, there is an event about to take place (one of the rarest in all sports) which has not happened since 1967: a winner of the baseball Triple Crown which means leading the league in batting average, Runs Batted In, and homeruns. The 3^rd baseman of the Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera, is about to achieve that…

We are starting one of the best times up here in the Plateau: the changing of colors! All shades of yellow, orange, and red are starting to show and blend… And, when you add the changes in the weather, getting into the 40s at night and up to 70 during the day, it really makes is simply glorious! For those of you who are here, enjoy and treasure. For those who are not, wish you were here!

So, where the heck is Jimmy Hoffa? That’s a rhetorical question, folks… Those of you who know (under the I-43 & I-794 bypass in Milwaukee, right?) will keep it quiet, as you've done for decades; those of you who do not, but pretend to, will continue to lead the cops on wild geese chases…

Some interesting points to look for in the upcoming presidential debate on Wednesday, October 3^rd…

•      Foreign Affairs (The Libya debacle – isolated incident or the real status in the Middle East?)
• The economy (are we better off?)
• The 47% (what precisely is the meaning/concept here?)
• Health Care (Obamacare vs. Romneycare – differences and similarities)

There may be some others topics like Immigration Reform, Tax Code Reform (or absence of tax fillings disclosure), Gay Rights, Birth Control…

And now, food for thought:

“Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” 

- Ronald E. Osborn

So, stretch your goals, my friends…

0003 - 26SEP2012 - The Transition Continues...

Mike LaPointe is the name of the good person who takes the time, effort and dedication to be mowing around Hawk’s Bluff phase I. Many, many thanks Mike and Brenda! Also, regarding the issue of a business opening on Hawk’s Bluff Phase I, it appears that Paragraph 14 of our covenants grants the developer, for as long as they own at least one lot, the rights to give any owner a release from any of the covenants and a waiver of any violation, if any occurred. Rocco still owns several lots in Phase I, so he has the rights to adjudicate releases and waivers. In other words, as long as the Warners got from Rocco a release from the covenants, the Warners have the rights to do whatever they want in their lot…

Good grief! This past week of football was simply awful… The Dolphins, Bucs and Lion all lost good games that they should have won; especially the Dolphins missing several field goals and the Lions going for that ill 4^th down were horrible! The only bright light is that, on Thursday night, when nobody gave them a chance, Eli and the Giants dismantled the Carolina Panthers… On the college side, the Gators won (and MSU also won, but only Chuck cares about that) and Michigan lost; Michigan lost to Notre Dame; Notre Dame beat both of them (Michigan and Michigan State); Father Tony could not be any happier… Oh well, there is always next week!

After a horrible week of NFL football, the cork on the bottle was that game on Monday night when the Packers were robbed of a game, plain and simple; I am not a Cheese Head, but that was a felony!… Some purists may say that it is the Packers fault because they would have never let the game come to that situation… Well, does that mean that, unless you are winning by several possessions, you have the risk to have the game taken away from you? That’s B. S.!

Fall is here! This past 22^nd we bid good bye to one of the mildest summers we have had since 2008 and, from that point on, we have had glorious weather… It’s been sunny, clear, dry and cool (from 40s to 60s). Not bad!

So Jan and I are trying to incorporate walking into our daily routine… We are rediscovering muscles we forgot we had, and now they come with aches and pains… Ahhhh, the glorious experiences of growing young… We try to walk for, at least, ½ hour a day (from our house to DeSalvo’s and back – 1.5 miles door to door) with the plans of increasing it 5 minutes each week until we get to 1 hr.

Recommended book: “Mila 18”, by Leon Uris. Taking as context the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, and specifically, the institution of the Warsaw ghetto, Uris masterfully inserts characters who take us through the struggles of the Polish resistance and the day-to-day life and survival – including romance - in and outside the ghetto.

And now, food for thought:

“None are as old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”  

- Henry David Thoreau

So, stay young, positive and enthusiastic, my friends (it actually costs the same!)

0002 - 17SEP2012 - The Transition begins...

There has been a question circulating, via e-mail, amongst some of us Bluffites… It has to do with one of our neighbors in Phase I converting their property into a nature farm and opening it up a business. The question has literally been ‘Is anyone concerned about this?’ It includes the link to the mentioned business http://bakermountainfarm.com/index.html.  There have been some answers (six to be precise) with different levels of acceptance or tolerance; no expressed definite concerns at this time. I guess that folks have other more important things to worry about… Personally, I’d rather not see it there since it goes against the Hawks Bluff covenants we all signed and bought into. Others are of the opinion that, as long as the farm is not detrimental to the community and it does not become a nuisance, there’s nothing to worry about. Regardless of our opinions, whether we are bothered (or not) by the existence of the farm as a business within Hawk’s Bluff, there is a danger of precedent setting. If we all passively allow this breach of covenant, one of these days another neighbor/owner may decide to open up a pig farm or an animal hide tanning facility (both stinky as hell!), which are also against the covenants, and we would have lost all moral authority to object. (Sue Taylor mentioned the idea of a brothel… You go, Sue!) 

Gators beat Tennessee – convincingly - and Michigan came back to the winning ranks… All is good in the world! The rest is miscellaneous like FSU beating the Little Sisters of Wake Forest or the ‘Canes beating the Blind Saints of Bethune-Cookman, yeah, yeah, yeah… FSU is ranked higher than the Gators; however they have not beat (or have in their schedule) a top 20 ranked team; wassup with that? On the other side, MSU (Michigan State University, for those of you outside if the Midwest) battled with Notre Dame to a painful loss. Father Tony Mulderry is happy (the Irish won); my friend GPCharles less happy; oh well. On the Pros side, the Dolphins won (yeah!) proving that miracles do happen, and then very mixed emotions with the Giants win at the expense of my Bucs… The stinkin’ Jets did not play Tebow and lost; serves them right! And later, the Lions lost to the 49ers in a game in which only the 4^th quarter was worth watching since that’s when the Lions showed up…

Ahhh… Dove hunting… Humility at its best… Went hunting and this time there were only two of us: a local kid by the name of Ethan Hillis, 22 years old, he has been hunting since he was two, got his first shotgun when he was five; and then there was I, a guy who started two years ago, never having shot anything on the fly!… He got ten doves; I got seven; very respectable I would say. Ethan graciously gave me his doves; I cleaned them up and now I have available 34 bites of dove breast (one breast per dove; two bites per breast). I have to say that my seven doves came on 1 ½ box of shells, giving me a ratio of 36:7 or roughly a ‘batting average’ of .194, mediocre for Base-ball standards, but almost normal for dove hunting standards, and pretty damn good for me!

So, some marginal right wing extremist, a low-life with a criminal record, produces a homemade movie in which he expresses views offensive to all and especially to Islam believers; he publishes it to the Internet via YouTube. Some small groups in some Islamic countries  launch protests in front of American Embassies and consulates; some particular militia (out of the over 40 known) in Libya decided to do this on the anniversary of 9/11. We lose the ambassador and three other diplomats. Tragic; cannot be allowed; people who are responsible for these acts need to be dealt with swiftly and publicly. And then some amongst us chose this moment of international turmoil to make political attacks; not cool; we fight in-house but we always unite when attacked from outside; ill-conceived and irresponsible leadership. Now, we are all shocked and surprised by these protests; think about this: most of the countries experiencing protests have new democracies. Before the democracies they were ruled and oppressed by ruthless dictators whom we supported for years and decades… Does it come as a surprise to anyone that now, when they find themselves with some freedom and without the US-supported-dictator, some people protests against the US?  As they say on ESPN, c’mon man! It is part and parcel of the whole ‘world power’ gig, and a consequence of the strategy we’ve followed for centuries…

Recommended book (oldie but goodie):”In Search of Excellence” by Tom Peters & Bob Waterman. The by-line reads ‘Lessons from America’s best-run companies’. They found that, regardless of the field they operate in, top companies share the same eight basic principles of management

Some weeks ago, in the ‘Food-for-thoughts’ section, I published an anecdotic dialog between father and son regarding how when you break a plate it gets broken forever and, even after you apologize to it, it remains broken. The actual moral of the story is that words and time are two irretrievable dimensions: once past or spoken, they cannot be reverted.  The ensuing recommendation was to think twice before speaking or writing… As time has passed, I’ve learned there are people for whom thinking twice or more times would not change what they want/need to say at all; they cannot help it; they will say it because saying it is the most important thing to them.

And now more food for thoughts:

“I’d rather be happy than right; that’s the key for 25-plus years of wedded bliss”

 - Ice T, the rapper

So, keep your important things in front of you, my friends.