Sunday, July 22, 2012

There is no joy in Mudville


2 random recent events highlighted an interesting void is our current, pathetic presidential race. 

The first was a Beach Boys documentary DVD (the excellent “Beach Boys – An American Band”) that included a funny clip of President Regan.  The President was hosting a Rose Garden event with the Beach Boys.  Regan was intervening in what had become a minor national uproar, when Secretary of the Interior James Watt decided that the “hard rock” band the Beach Boys we not suitable July 4th entertainment on the Washington Mall because they would attract the “wrong element” – he had booked Wayne Newton instead!  The President was funny, relaxed and clearly enjoyed hosting the band and poking good natured fun at Watt as he overturned Watt’s decision.

The second thing that got me thinking was a recent dinner party where a liberal guest challenged the conservative host to name one Democrat he liked, he responded “Bill Clinton.”

It struck we that one of the things that unite Clinton and Regan (besides presiding over successful Presidencies – no small matter) is that both clearly enjoyed being president.  On a recent Washington Week show one of the reporters joked that there were still claw marks on the woodwork of the White House where they dragged Clinton out at the end of his second term. 

I think remembering both President Regan and Clinton (regardless of your political persuasion) helps highlight the joyless, humorless campaign of Obama vs. Romney.  Leadership in a President is a combination of a vision for the nation coupled with an outline of the policies that will achieve that vision.  Neither of these men seems capable of elucidating any real positive vision, or even making a passion argument WHY we should vote for them.  At this point in the race the “argument” on both sides is simple; the other guy sucks (true in both cases) so you should vote for me (untrue in both cases).  Sadly I think a subsequent Presidency by either man will also be a visionless, humorless and joyless 4 years, why would we expect anything else? 

As such, this pitiful exercise is so tedious and depressing that (all evidence to the contrary) it seems America MUST deserve better than this!        

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Spotify

Have I mentioned lately that the online streaming music site Spotify is DA BOMB!!! - now the second program I open on my computer every morning.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Step right up and see Corporations love, cry and dance

Jack and Suzy Welch wrote a piece in the Wall Street Journal today titled; “It’s True: Corporations are People.”  Here are some samples:


Of course corporations are people. What else would they be? Buildings don't hire people. Buildings don't design cars that run on electricity or discover DNA-based drug therapies that target cancer cells in ways our parents could never imagine.


And later in the article:


And while they're doing that, people in corporations do indeed love and cry and dance.  (this “cry and dance” language is a reference to a speech by our own Elizabeth Warren that begins the article).  If you don't know that, you've never been part of a team that has pulled together over coffee and late nights and shouting and laughing and created something amazing to hit a deadline. You've never been in the room when a longtime client says it's not working anymore and she's taking her business to your biggest competitor. You've never sat in the lunch room when someone runs in and says the new medical device that no one thought had a chance, the little heart valve or something like it that every engineer in the place has been working on for two years, has just passed its first human clinical trials with flying colors.


 


REALLY Jack and Suzy, corporations are “people” because people happen to WORK there.  SO if I happen to have a job at legally created, state (not federal) business organizations (corporation) and I “cry and laugh” then the artificial business organization takes on my human attributes.  Furthermore if I happen to not see this magical corporation/human transformation then I am anti-business as they explain in the closing section of their op-ed:


This fact is so obvious that there can only be one conclusion drawn when we hear the pronouncement, "Corporations aren't people"—that it's doublespeak. That is, when people say that corporations aren't people, what they really want to say is, "Business is evil."


 

Please keep in mind that this really is a magical transformation worthy of Harry Potter.  This state created business organization, whose primary function is to make a profit AND is granted (thru the corporate structure)  limited liability of its shareholders and employees is granted human properties (after all Jack and Suzy tell us this legal creation can "cry and dance")!  


Maybe you are saying what I said after I read this today, “it took 2 people to write this pile of moronic drivel?”  The great business leader and his wife can’t come up with a more salient, focused and intelligent defense of corporations and business then this?  He dissed Elizabeth Warren; Mitt Romney was praised along with the (by inference) “Citizens United” case, wonder if there were any ulterior motives at work?, after all it is hard to believe this imbecilic article was simply meant to stand on its own.

The Beach Boys






Went to see The Beach Boys at the Pavilion in Boston a few weeks ago; the 5 surviving members have reunited for the bands 50 year anniversary.   Backed by a large group made up of Mike Love’s and Brian Wilson’s superb touring bands the group sounds good as they moved thru a 2 set show playing a generous 47 songs.  It was fascinating to see the bands long running dichotomy still playing out after all these years.  The twin peaks of America’s great band is, of course, the pure pop genius of Brian Wilson juxtaposed with the showmanship of Mike Love.  This was manifested in the audience as well, baby boomers there to grab a bit of nostalgia and those of us there to hear them play the high art that was Brian’s musical output in the 1960’s.  The nostalgic attendees (like the 60+ women in front of us who was bound and determined to “dance” to every song no matter how inappropriate) reacted loudly to Mr. Love and Bruce Johnson’s sing-along’s and cheerleading but a deep round of applause went up when Brian Wilson took the mike 4 songs into the opening set with “Hawaii.”  The Beach Boys sounded excellent and, contrary to several early reports, did seem to sing a vast majority of the vocals and harmonies.  Brian cannot do his signature high falsetto harmonies anymore so those are ably handled by his long time band mate Jeff Foskett.

I must say that it is an unnerving experience being at one of these baby boomer “reunion” type shows.  There are folks there that clearly do not go out to hear live music much and for whom the show is some weird exercise in reclaimed youth.  This was vividly played out when an old coot in suspenders sitting in front of our 60+ year old go-go dancer leapt to his feet to “dance” to (of all things!) “When I Grow up to be a Man.”  Not sure if he got the strange, surreal irony of that, made me think if you did not get your youth right the first time forgetaboutit!


Thursday, July 12, 2012

NPR


When discussing NPR with my brother recently he opined that the perfect NPR report would go something like this:  “World to end tomorrow; minorities and women to be disproportionally affected.”