Well the boys in Rome are at it again. I thought Catholics of every age were taught by nuns. Even cardinals and popes. You don’t mess with the good sisters. They can get back at you in strange and mysterious ways. And still the Curia says do it my way or the highway. It’s our ball and you play by our rules. No exceptions.

Fair enough. But you also seem like a bunch of old men trying to keep the status quo. I locked horns with a higher up whom I believe was a decent person. He simply stated that I could think whatever way I wanted, but in the end I had to step back in line and obey. You can probably imagine how that sat with TTG.

I was challenged last week by a good friend and reader to talk about things like women, religion and other tough subjects. Once again she hit the right buttons and Ted’s Head has been ruminating ever since. Here goes.

Status quo is so comfy. Play by the rules and don’t rock the boat. Agnosticism is not saying I don’t believe per se but that what you are professing just doesn’t make sense given reality and the current data available. To that person it is unknown or unknowable. Why does that scare us? Why do we want to rip that person to shreds in the court or dare I say church of public opinion.

It gets better as you surround yourself with believers. You all agree this or that person is a jerk. You can recite the catechism but do you really know what the Our Father is saying? You put some money in the plate but are you really charitable? This isn’t just religion but democracy, capitalism and a dozen other principles by which we lead our lives.

The gang in Rome, Washington and Wall Street all sing from the hymnal. A few are off key but you know the tune. Don’t you dare introduce something new. Even worse don’t introduce a new instrument. We know and you follow. They have this incredible ability to assume that they are right and ergo everyone else is wrong.

I have at various points in time doubted my faith. As you can probably tell I am doubting my religion right now. That to me is not a bad thing. Unless you really think about what you believe and doubt it to its core, it really is nothing more than rote.

And yet Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims fear agnostics and atheists. Liberals fear libertarians. Democrats and Republicans vote in lockstep. Gays. Straights. Whites. Blacks. Is it that we know we are right or do we really fear that we might be wrong that makes us so pigheaded? Are we coming from a position of strength or are we professing symptoms of fear.

I watched a fascinating interview between Charlie Rose and the neuroscientist, Jonah Lehrer. He has just written a book entitled “Imagine How Creativity Works.” He made a rather startling statement that K-12 does more to squelch creativity than any other period in our lives. Kids are unruly. Teach them to behave not explore. It is the only way we are going to get through this lesson plan. Gotta keep up.

As I thought more and more about life I realized it is probably a lot more than K-12. Do large corporations or our government embrace new thoughts? What about that partisan that really believes this or that law is wrong but has to vote for it? My God, why on heaven’s green earth would Augusta let women into their hallowed fairways?

Yes I crave a little chaos and change. If the dam springs a leak here and there it might get a little scary but then again it might irrigate some fallow ground. I should just ride off into the sunset. I should have all the answers. I should say the world will somehow make it. But there is this gnawing urge in my poor little brain to try and find a better way. Explore more. Challenge myself. Not exactly blowing things up but for sure spending time tinkering with the engine.

Bless me Father I have doubted you. I hold these truths to be self evident….sorta. I think instead of preaching to you I am just going to try to be a better person. Maybe something stupid like doing unto others. Maybe taking a little from Column A and Column B as opposed to being one dimensioned. You know when you have a chink in the armor and it is old, most of the time you fix it with a new and improved metal. I am no metalurgist but if  I am not mistaken that makes it stronger not weaker.

As always

Ted The Great

Factoids:

The human brain weighs approx 3lbs.It is a muscle and like all good muscles must be exercised or it atrophies.

We have 100 billion neurons in our brain or about the same number of stars in our galaxy. We have on the order of 70,000 thoughts per day. Some good. Some bad

The brain is 2% of our weight but uses 20% of the energy consumed by our bodies.

Juggling can change our brain significantly in just 7 days. Learning new things can change our brain dramatically. Imagine that.

Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Galileo, Da Vinci, Einstein et alia accomplished all they did without computers.

I spent some time this morning just thinking and jotting notes. We were about 300 miles from Denver and Kathy was doing the anchor leg. We had gotten to mile 1500 leaving Jacksonville on early Sunday. Rather than doing our usual run for home we decided to stop in beautiful Hays, Kansas. We gained an hour in time zones, so we left in the dark at 5:45 AM.

A cup of coffee and some great music had me drifting off into reverie as the sun’s first rays were caught by the newly greened plains. I love this time of the morning and it was great to just let go. I thought of our trip and friends far and wide, new and old. I thought of places and scenes and conversations that I only wish I could put into words better.

There were a few that stood out. One was a friend whose husband had died four years earlier. We had lost track over the years, so there was no way I could have known of his passing but I couldn’t help but feel a deep pang of guilt. She was gracious and welcoming and we spoke of fun times as she took us through the house and we stopped at this picture or that. A wonderful afternoon.

Another was an evening we spent with a couple we hadn’t seen in thirty years. I called their number and when my buddy answered I pretended to be an insurance salesman. He hung up. Then as I kept calling, he kept hanging up. I used to sit next to him on Wall Street  so I was having a good laugh as I knew each call would get him more and more pissed off. You see when you work on a trading desk the thing you can’t stand is a ringing phone.

When his wife finally answered I managed to blurt out my name before I was clicked into oblivion. We went out to dinner and wound up talking for three and a half hours. It was amazing that after so long we were able to melt away the years. We spoke of nothing but good times.

The most poignant meeting I had was brief but startling. I was over at the beach smoking my birthday cigar with a healthy vodka and diet tonic. I chatted briefly with a fellow who was taking a break from a long bike ride. Feeling a little self conscious about my stogie, I quickly pronounced the significance of the date and that I had run 5 miles that morning. He seemed nonplussed.

We were soon joined by a very attractive young woman. God is good sometimes to TTG. She was in beach togs and a ball cap pulled down low and had an infectious smile. She was from L.A. A graphic designer in movie land. She was staying in Ponte Vedra for a couple of months. As she was talking excitedly, she knocked her hat off. She was as bald as yours truly.

Mayo Clinic was nearby. She was undergoing chemo and radiation for breast cancer. I didn’t ask how advanced but I knew it was not a walk in the park. We spoke of my work in hospice in a very matter of fact way. She came down to the beach every day after treatment. It was her reward for getting through the day. This very cool lady had her stuff together….at least on the outside.

All of us shared something of ourselves. She finally asked me if I was a merry go round or a roller coaster. Stumped, I asked for clarification. She stated a merry go round is very happy to go in circles. The ups and downs are more than predictable and appear on cue. A roller coaster is full of wild turns casting one’s self and anyone in the car on a dizzying ride. Both fun but in different ways. You’ll never guess which one I picked?

We chatted a while longer and then I left. A short talk. A lifetime of lessons. I was definitely taken by the siren’s song. No, not the pretty woman but the life by the sea. A day filled with what time I would play golf or have cocktails on the beach does have its allure.  Don’t worry Kath. It could be in Florida or Denver. That’s not the point. For all these miles I keep going over in my mind whether both rides can fit in the same amusement park. Will I ever know? Will you?

As always

Ted The Great

Crazy Things:

People in Missouri and Kansas are separated by one river, the Missouri. But they really hate each other. I thought it was a joke until I started asking around.Florida and FSU is the same but they are in the same state

There was a flashing sign in Colby Kansas…pop 5,000. “Golf Cart Replacement Batteries are In”. What? We didn’t even see a golf course.

Signs on trucks: Jones Septic Repair and Removal “We Suck”

Ace Electric Company…”We Can’t Wait to Get Into Your Shorts”

Crop Duster at 4:00…not a bogie but the time they do their work. When the winds die down.

Going through Kansas and Colorado there were oil wells and huge wind farms. In Florida we never saw wind turbines or solar arrays….anywhere.

We went through seven states coming and going. Signs everywhere….Help Wanted ?????? Also we saw a never ending line of big ass pick up trucks. All cruising and burning high priced gas. Business must be good.

I write this on the first day of my 67^th year. Like the screwball I am, I went out and ran 7 ½ miles on Saturday and then another 5 today. We all have our own definition of running, so stick it. I made it. That is all that counts.

When you run a fair distance you get into what is called a runner’s high. After a while you don’t keep track of the miles. They just keep going by. It is a great time to think. The only real bad part is that at my age I can’t remember how to get home. That only gets compounded when you are in a strange place. Kathy keeps hoping a large hungry gator will get me.

I decided to put on paper my commandments. These are for me and the rest of my life. I call them commandments because nothing is more motivating than Irish Catholic guilt. If you like them feel free to borrow. Add to or subtract.

I: No one is any better or worse than myself. I have learned on my trip that everyone has their slice of heaven. It would be arrogant to criticize. Hard as it may be I will try to love everyone…especially me.

II: I am trying the best I can. I may screw up but I am human. I may think I am real cool but I am not. Just don’t yell at me because I have a loud voice or that I clown around. That’s me.

III: Everything that happens in my life, good or bad, is the result of a decision I make. I cannot and will not be a victim. If I don’t like the outcome I only have myself to blame and should rely on me to get me out of it.

IV: I will apply the worst of what if to everything. Okay you screwed up. What is the worst thing that can happen. Keep applying “reductio ad absurdum.” Thing really aren’t that hopeless. I will survive.

V: Thou shalt not rue the day. I can’t take back what I wrote 5 seconds ago. I haven’t a real clue what will happen tomorrow. I will try to live in the here and now. It is really the only absolute.

VI: Thou shalt not kill….ideas, hopes, dreams, love. I will try to bring out the best in people and not put them down. My way is not the highway. Nurture discovery and creativity. Don’t be a cold wash cloth or downer. The world is your oyster….and everyone else’s.

VII: Always be different. Sing at the top of your lungs. Enjoy a good cigar or Middletons. Enjoy a great wine even if it is just by the glass. Show your kids and grandkids you have a whole lot of crazy in you. Listen to Rock and Roll, classical or jazz and turn the volume up real high. Air guitars and beer bottle mikes are allowed. Wear crazy shoes. A bow tie. It really feels good.

VIII: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods. Sure he may have more than you but does he really have as much fun? The grass is not always greener. If you had it all what would you have to look forward to. I guess I have a lot to anticipate. As for coveting your neighbor’s spouse we will have to discuss that dilemma in another forum.

IX: Do not waste time. Live every moment as if it was your last. It might be. Have a bucket list. You know the game where you are asked what you would do if you had a month to live? Why not do it right now.

X: Have fun each and every day. Don’t be so hard on yourself. It cost nothing to find some bay or stream or mountain and just look out at it. Hug your wife, your kids, your grandkids or whoever you are hanging around with. Scare the crap out of someone by coming out of nowhere and telling them you love them. Make someone’s day besides your own.

That’s it. I have a full day ahead of me. So much to do. So little time. Have a great day. I really do LOVE you all!

As Always

Ted The Great

The human heart only weighs around 10 ounces. They break. They soar. They finally give out. But what a run.

Actually the heart beats 2.5 billion times during a lifetime. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

The average worker wastes 2 hours a day at work. That adds up to $759 billon per annum.

The average lifetime in the U.S. is 78.3. The average healthy age is a little over 71 years. The highest average lifetime is 82 in Japan and Switzerland.

7 of the 10 Commandments are the basis of law in most Western countries.

I used to be one of the worst about first impressions and still falter significantly. As the song goes, “Just one look”. Not only on the personal side but of different regions of the country. I think that goes back to my days as a New Yorker. Of course there was nothing worthwhile west of the Hudson. Then I moved to New Jersey.

The old joke about what exit do you live on the New Jersey Turnpike has run its course. We lived in Morris County that was dotted with well to do estates and a park system second to none. I was actually quite happy more people were unaware of its beauty.

Then we moved to Colorado. Incredibly there are over 310 days of sunshine per year. Probably more with global warming creeping up. People used to ask what we did in the summer. Ski? Don’t you miss New York? Not exactly.

We have now crisscrossed the Sunshine state. Most do it by air. We are on the road. As we went from the east to the west coast there were miles and miles of farm land. (Actually the distance as the crow flies is about 140 miles.) Acres upon acres of citrus orchards. Towns like DeSoto, Okeechobee, and Arcadia. Who ever heard of these places? And yet like all the other states with burghs and villages, there are people that call it home and it is the source of their livelihood.

Forget about geography. How many people live in Florida? What is the percentage of those that are over 65? Over 45? How many miles of coastline? You can actually come up with 16 metropolitan regions. From the elite of Palm Beach, Vero and Naples to the urban venues of Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville. Gainesville, Tallahassee and the Redneck Riviera of Destin and Panama City. A lot more than meets the eye. By the way 18.8 million human beings call this home. 15% over 65. Believe it! And the population over 45 years of age does not equal the half way mark.

Megan and I were walking down the beach and there were kids celebrating spring break replete with kegs and music. Next door was an elderly couple on the beach. He was wrapped from head to toe in towels to avoid the sun. She was sunning by his side. Kind of just enjoying each other. Somehow this patchwork quilt works.

You have got to gravitate towards judging people. It is so easy to quickly categorize into groups of this educational achievement or economic strata. You see an old black man or woman and you automatically think poor and uneducated. You see a pickup truck and presto you have a redneck. You see an old Buick and of course they are old farts going to dinner at 4:30. It’s probably the way George Zimmerman looked at Treyvon Martin. Never asked. How sad.

New York City cops believe all Muslims are evil. The 95% are sure the 5% are out to screw them. The 5% believes the 95% are lazy pariahs. So many feel they are owed…entitled. So many are entitled by birth and feel they owe nothing. Have you ever gotten to know an Hispanic, an African American, a gay or lesbian? Our paintbrushes have such a wide stripe and see so little detail.

I don’t understand the plight of Israel. Afghanis, Iranians, Indonesians, and Afrikaners. I just don’t get how people could be such brutal segregationists? How you could own slaves? How you could have an abortion? How you could take joy in watching someone be executed? Are they just really lousy at explaining themselves or am I so stupid, I don’t know how to shut up and listen?

I have lost over 15 pounds. Of course I am smug about fat people. I can write a line or two and look askance because you can’t even finish high school. I am pompous about being a moderate. I have money and you are struggling to just get by. I wonder who is really ignorant here?

I just hope you don’t judge this book by its cover. I have got a lot to tell. I think I will rework the jacket. Maybe a new picture. I’ll do the same for you. Then with a little luck we won’t be put in the “Bargain Bin” at Barnes and Noble…. just yet.

As always

Ted the Great

Factoids:

Florida:

1200 miles of coastline. Over 11,000 miles of rivers and canals.

The Everglades is made up of over 10,000 islands. The area has been inhabited for over 15,000 years. In the 1800’s John Audubon noted the sky would sometimes grow black with birds. 93% of the wading bird population has vanished.

Population 18.8 million. Over 65.. 3.2 million roughly 15%. 45-64…5.079 million roughly 27%. 25-44 ….4.7 million roughly 25%

At 38,000 square miles the state is roughly the size of England and Wales combined.

There are over 1000 golf courses in Florida

Greed, noun: excessive desire for more than one needs or deserves. Secondary: wanting to eat more than one can reasonably consume. I might be tempted to stop right there but there are too many pieces to this puzzle.

I have just finished a book on the last days of Bear Stearns. One cannot but be taken by the size of bonuses, the glitz and over the top spending on everything from offices to houses to jewelry. I am not going to get moralistic but rather be observant. The largess was shared by execs, traders and salespeople alike.

Now I try to put this in perspective with the Occupy Wall Street crowd. When they were here I went to the protest in Denver one afternoon. It is within walking distance of the Kenny digs. I really wanted to see what it was all about and talk to some of them.

They really had no distinct message which was disappointing. I was just looking for a starting point. Well, I will just find a leader. Sorry, none of those were around. It seems there were 20% who were just supporters. They were working but felt the message was right. Not bad.

Then there was about 20% who trying to develop a coherent philosophy of sorts. Good for them . But as I wandered through the tents and food lines, it was evident the last 60% was divided equally between professional protesters(some would say anarchists) and the homeless. If you are down and out who wouldn’t want a free meal and a place to stay? Disappointingly, I discovered the homeless were being actively recruited to swell the crowd. So much for spontaneity.

On my walk home I just started thinking about this greed thing and it occurred to me that maybe we are all guilty. The money is obvious. There is no one in this world that is deserving of $15-20 million per annum be they financier, athlete, or media star….unless it is their own money. That is not envy or looking to redistribute wealth but just amazement at our stupidity. When I look at all those dollars I just see them as something that could be better spent on education or R and D. The most galling aspect is that somehow I am paying for that pacheck either directly or indirectly.

Our corporations are so shortsighted towards long term planning and investment. Keep those profits rolling. Share price conquers all. Then the big guys can cash in their stock options. But the ordinary Tom Dick and Harry stockholders and analysts are screaming too.

But I also thought of greedy old people and I guess yours truly qualifies. We say we are entitled. There is not only the well off taking Social Security but the bulk of us who want to wring every dime we can out of Medicare and Medicaid. I see ads for scooters and medical supplies with the tag line “this will probably not cost you anything out of pocket” God damn it! You owe me whether I need it or not.

An educator is greedy in that they refuse to consider new methods and elimination of tenure. So many are great and so many are less than mediocre. There is no way to reward innovation or brilliance. This is true on the primary as well as secondary level. Do you know the average college professor teaches 1.4 classes per semester? Remember back to that deserve part of greed.

Are there greedy poor bastards? Do they work the system? Is it easier being on the dole than hard at work? Is everyone who claims to be a victim really so? Insurance  fraud. Medicare fraud. Tax cheats. A little here. A little there. Don’t worry no one will notice. And the beat goes on. 

We are all greedy with our time. We rush everywhere saying we are way too busy. We don’t have time to read, to explore our minds, to put in time towards charitable endeavours. Greed really embodies a total lack of sacrifice. You may be working hard but is it to make money or to feed your ego with trinkets?

This all sounds harsh but it is our problem today. We have cut off creativity. We have a whacked out set of priorities. We are greedy to maintain our own little worlds. This is industry and individual alike. Rich and poor. Many feel we should act like immigrants again. Look at this land of opportunity and not as the horn of plenty. I agree.

Take a real hard look at what you deserve. I know of very few of you who go to bed hungry at night. Who doesn’t have roof over your head? Who are really worrying about where the next nickel is coming from? At your worst where does that put you in the world? Maybe the top 5%.

 I am not preaching. I am going to confession because I am right up there in front. Greedy bastards? We all are. Let’s have Occupy the USA and really straighten things out.

As Always

Ted The Great

Things I Don’t Get

You can kill and poison insects but you get to go to jail if you do it to a dog or cat.

Bentley owners doing their shopping at Costco. Is that what they call trickle down?

Spending $1,000 on golf clubs and zero on lessons.

Spending $500 on dinner and putting $5 in the collection plate.

Fast food as our biggest growth industry.

Not reading yesterdays oped because it is a day old

The Donald’s Hair..he actually thinks he looks good

Calling a fancy restaurant for a 7:00 dinner reservation and they tell you all they have is 6:45 or 7:15

This is not as easy as it looks. I start out with an idea and then shift gears. After all it is Ted’s Head. I have never found a thought that I couldn’t take a totally different turn at things in a matter of seconds.

Kathy and I have traveled cross country. We have set our sights on the Sunshine State, Florida. This is really a tour with many facets. We are visiting friends and family. We hope to give our daughters some respite with kids in tow. Gammy and Padge will work overtime for a week. And finally we will spend time just like the old farts I give a hard time to with a little R and R together on Sanibel.

As we travel the miles my mind wanders endlessly. I take in the local color and industry. I am searching for that thing I call rhythm. We listen to a book on tape and I drift between plot line and the broken or dotted lines on the highway. I continually try to understand this crazy quiltwork of a country we have. Tough if you use 2000 miles as your playground.

I am looking for an issue that will tie us together. One that will unite us, not tear us apart. Aha! How can you argue with infrastructure? Roads reflect the state of the state. Forging from Missouri to Illinois is dramatic. The smooth ribbon of highway becomes pitted and uneven. Maybe this is Chicago politics on the macadam. The problems can’t be ignored.

By some stroke of genius or military luck, President Dwight D
Eisenhower championed the Interstate Highway system. We needed highways and biways to span our country north, south, east and west. Not two lanes with stop lights but non stop freeways, coast to coast. Top to bottom.

Very cool. And he said we will pay for it with a tax on gasoline. In those days it was probably 15-25% of the cost of a gallon of petrol. Seemed fair. There would be some tollways but you could now avoid them for the most part. America was on the move.

Enter Cerberus, the two headed monster of decay and inflation. Either poorly built or just getting tired, roadbeds, off ramps, and bridges had to be replaced or get some heavy duty maintenance. But kicking the can down the road wasn’t invented by our current crop of idiots. They learned from the best.

We have not changed the gas tax since 1992. Assuming it was 15% of the price of a gallon back then it now represents less than 5%.

That was twenty years ago. Automobile usage has quadrupled but with new gas efficient car, the revenues continue to plunge to the point where the national highway trust fund teeters on bankruptcy.

Now TTG is not a rocket scientist but I think I get it. Raise the tax or create tollways or both. If you use it, you pay. Duh! What a profound concept. I may get a Nobel. And yet today on the floors of the House and Senate this gets shelved and shuffled.

The bridge collapse in Minneapolis should have been a call to action. That was five friggin’ years ago. I am sorry. What was I thinking? It is in committee. For five years. We have more important things like Iraq and Afghanistan to occupy our brain trust.

Okay gang. I will go back to chilling. It’s what everyone else does. Why do you think about all that negative shit anyway, Ted? Let’s talk golf. Football. Manning. Where are we going for dinner? These are the things we should be concentrating on. Where was I in that book on tape?

As always.

Ted The Great

Factoids:

The Interstate Highway System is 47,000 miles long. There are 14,750 interchanges. There are 55,512 bridges. 17% or almost ten thousand are in serious disrepair.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 of bridges of all shapes and sizes are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

The longest interstate is I90 stretching 3020 miles from Boston to Seattle. North South the winner is I35 from Laredo to Duluth. I95 goes through 16 states. I 80, 11 states,

Our current funding for highways is $38 billion per year. We need $56 billion and climbing. But then again it is an election year.

The mighty warriors are starting to stir. Let’s bomb Iran. Let’s inflict sheer terror on Syria. Let’s show them bastards. I am with you every inch of the way they say. Well maybe just a little behind you…. but let’s go get them.

Today you line up on either side of the spectrum. You are either for or against war. There is a little in between but not much. War is like being almost pregnant. I have my own opinion which I will share later.

Nowhere is this more apparent than on the floors of our Congress. It makes great press either way. Especially in an election year playing to the “The Base.” Bring our boys home or let’s finish what we started is the battle cry on either side of the aisle.

War is not fun. War is not romantic or heroic. To be shot at is not to be taken lightly. You wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy. Today in Afghanistan some of these troops are coming under fire two and three times a day….day after day. You see someone maimed or with their headless torso laying in your lap. That is not something that goes away with a little Rand R.

Yet we are so quick to stand at a football game with the stealth fighters going overhead while we mouth the National Anthem. We give the guys a first class seat or buy their dinner and drinks when they are in uniform. Yet are you ready to go? Or how about your son or grandson?

I watch the PBS News at night. They project pictures of the armed forces who have died from the previous few days. There are usually 10-12 in number. They are for the most part young. They are from Nowheresville. You don’t see many big cities. You don’t see congressional or presidential kids. You don’t see Wall Street or Big Business kids. You don’t see Halliburton kids. But they are someone’s son or daughter.

Wars are fought at the top with the grunts and sailors as the pawns on the chessboard. I was supposed to drive my Swift Boat in an op one night. It was the brainchild of a commander or captain who flew in that morning from Saigon. He wanted to endanger a vast majority of the boats in our division.

As he laid out the plan many of us were suspect or at least wary. Not of combat but a suicide mission. Tempers got heated and I offered the senior officer the symbolic keys to my boat and said “you drive”. After a period of time things cooled down and I asked him what he was thinking? He spoke and the words rang in my ears. ”It’s the only war we got, buddy!” He left on the four o’clock chopper to make happy hour at Tan So Nhut. Scary is the only word I can conjure up.

My opinion is simple. Sometimes you have to fight a war. You don’t want to but you do. The Iraq war was the creation of Rumsfeld and Cheney. The Secretary of Defense was convinced that he could fight a quick strike battle with a nimble force. He wanted to prove his brilliance and the size of his ego. Halliburton Dick was right behind him. Look what it got us.

They violated every rule of combat and so many poor bastards had to pay with their lives. They were poorly equipped. McNamara did the same thing in Viet Nam and then blithely explained it away in his memoirs as a miscalculation.

My solution is simple. No one can vote to go to war unless they have been there or their kids and grandkids are in the armed services. I don’t care how small the number is, that is the voting requirement. Should we have gone to Afghanistan? Maybe. Iraq? No way. After ten years I think we have done enough.

I respect John McCain like no other. Yet I was blown away when he called for air strikes on Syria  and or Iran. Just take a deep breath and really tell me you want us to go into another conflict in the middle East. Didn’t we figure this out the last time around?

Israel is scared and also trigger happy. I really have mixed emotions. Obama is saying we got your back. What would our response be in a non election year? Red herrings like the Gulf of Tonkin and WMD. Is this another one?

We have spent 10 years, over a trillion dollars and thousands of  our children trying to bring sanity to this wasteland. The rest of the world has been cheering us on and building their own nations while we battle. Nuke’em? Go right ahead. I think we should sit this one out. Or if not how about I  let you be the lead singer.

As Always

Ted The Great

Factoids:

Cost of War to date:

Iraq…$801,757,000,000

Afghanistan…$508,790,000,000

US KIA

Iraq…4486

Afghanistan…1910

US Wounded

Iraq…33,184

Afghanistan …9773

Some names….Kenny, Kelly, Lynch, Harrison, Flynn, Wilkins, Mc Carthy, Williamson. Sound familiar don’t they.

I am going to put on my old steel helmet and flak gear. Pull the pin, TTG. This is the part where Kathy leaves the room. We are going to talk about religion. What? In today’s day and age, are you nuts? Of course. Actually I am just trying to think outside the box. I am not a theologian by any stretch but I have given it a lot of thought.

It started with a pamphlet about Lenten meditations that they gave out in church on Ash Wednesday. Of course I took a look at it when I got home and promptly lost it in the pile of stuff on my desk. Cleaning out today, there was a resurrection. Sorry.  Bad joke.

I have done mainline meditation before and it is very cool. Today’s world could use a lot more of it. You turn off the TV, phones etc and try to blot everything out of your mind for the moment. You try not to be distracted by random thoughts but just concentrate on the here and now. You try to listen to your body and maybe if you are really good you can hear your soul. There is a thing called peace.

As I went through certain Scriptural passages the light bulb went off. I call it prayer and you call it whatever but it is getting in touch with inner feelings. It is being open to the word of God or the word of life. Your choice. But you rip away all the material things and try to find out just who you are. You cogitate on the real meaning of existence. You just listen. Maybe this is that thing they call truth.

So much of our life is scripted. We are all on a stage but we rarely question the dialogue. We have acted this part or another and we know it by heart. Our makeup gets heavier every day and we wouldn’t dare take off the residue because that would reveal the real us. Some of us haven’t aged very well but deep down we are all natural beauties.

You know we all love being in control. Delving into the unknown? There is an ultimate discomfort in chaos and playing it loose. Not knowing where the road is leading right now. Boy routine feels good. I know it all and have it all figured out. Wanna bet?

Some of you are very successful and do not have many wants. Some of you are hurting bad deep down inside. Some of you have never known contentment because after all life as you know it sucks or is a bitch. Some of you have never looked for your self. You mistake ego for soul. You are described by your things and relationships but have never let anybody see inside. It has taken me awhile and a lot of dead ends.

Maybe people are cranky for a reason. Maybe that gnawing inside of you is something that wants to get out. It’s tired of being penned up. But oh baby are you afraid to let it go. You don’t know what it looks like or what it will do unchained. Let’s  just not go there.

My buddy Leonardo would sometimes sit on a rock and just think. It could be a problem to be solved or an inspiration that needed some seasoning. He was baking in his mind  and he had to wait until it was cooked just right before he served it up. Best of all for him and I hope us, the recipe changed every time. And it still came out just right. He never really worried about being judged.

Wait!  I thought this was about religion? Last night I watched the archbishop of Dublin be as forthright as any church official I have seen on the horror of abuse. I saw people this week being killed over a Koran. There was a fool who cast the first stone and called a young girl slut while he is working on his fourth wife. We have an Ayatollah who says we should wipe a nation called Israel off the face of the earth. How did we warp this so far out of control?

I just think it is a very special thing to sit alone for some period of time during the day. Could be ten minutes or an hour. You don’t have to be a holy roller. I’m not. But you just put the distractions of the world aside. You sit quietly and you listen. I listen to God. You can listen to whomever. But you do look at the world around you and be grateful for its beauty, remembering how much there is to life.

Some of you might believe this is all evolution and ergo man made. Some of you might believe in a Creator that is all merciful and powerful. It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that we are not separate pieces of space drift but part of a very complex thing called society. Sure we view things differently but that doesn’t mean we all aren’t worthy of love and consideration. We breath the same air. No one is better. No one is worse.

Relax. I am not claiming to have had a vision. The Lord is way too busy for that. I just feel like I have had a morsel of understanding and it tastes pretty good. I am going to look for more. That thing called truth. I have a long way to go but I hope I am on the right track. I hope you are too.

As Always

Ted The Great

Factoids: None. I am just going to let this piece do the talking.. Have a great week.

Author’s Note: During my one week sabbatical I received messages that were caring,inquisitve and derisive. All were greatly appreciated. I am glad someone noticed.

Ah, the sounds of spring and another political campaign. I have decided to take Ted’s Head up to 30,000 feet. I live at Mile High but the airwaves are too crowded and the air a bit fetid in an intellectual way. I need to step back.

If you care to, join me. I need you to take off  your cloak of red or blue. We are going to look at our world in a rather dispassionate way. Kind of like a business problem and not a crusade. You see, on my week off I have been thinking about polarization and its implications.

Forget about which side you are on, realize that whoever gets elected there will 50% of the voting populace that didn’t like him. That’s a whole lot of millions who want to skewer the victor. Now if that just went away with time, all would be well. In reality as soon as the votes are in we spend the next two to four years using every machination we know to make sure he or she fails. Fun in chess but we are talking about our country.

How did this all come to be? Well it starts with the concept that if I am right, you are wrong. Fair enough. Like a good type A country we have amped this up to I am now good and you are evil. That is heavy duty.There is no in between. No compromise available. You are a jerk and even worse, your line of thinking will bring down the Republic as we know it. Now it is getting ugly.

We are talking about raw emotion. Cue in love and hate. Love gives you a warm and flighty feeling in your heart. It’s great. It is spring. The sky is blue and you have a strange but comfortable feeling in your soul. Things bounce off your back. Man this feels good.

Hate is something else. It is a visceral and raw feeling in your gut. Your temperature rises at the thought or sight. You are physically repulsed. The rage is building. You seek out kindred spirits to vent your wrath. Aha, let’s watch or listen to the talking heads of your particular persuasion and just grovel in the inflammatory. I don’t want it subtle. Let’s just bring those bastards down. This is not good.

Our particular two party system leaves no wiggle room. Overseas there are coalition governments. No one has a clear majority. They have got to work together. I am not advocating overthrow but we really have to figure out a different way to make this work. It is actually quite amazing to me that the pols think the hopes and dreams of 300 million plus people can be capsulated in two party platforms. I don’t think so.

I am an independent and if pushed I would call myself a moderate although I feel more comfortable with pragmatist. A local conservative talk show host who feels intellectually superior to most of  the world announced that the word moderate is not to be considered in the political lexicon. I rest my case.

So now we are looking down at this quandary from a distance. We have got severe but not insurmountable problems. They are right out there. We see them. Why don’t they? We get it. They have let their emotions and petty strivings for personal gain blind them. Is it me or do they really look foolish?

Our problems are social and economic. Unfortunately we have to address the material first. We have got a business to run. We have to make tough and sometimes surgical choices. Fourth quarter earnings suck. Production is down big time. But guidance is looking better. With some prudent thinking and a sense of cooperation we can get this thing going again. We need concessions from both labor and management. We have to think long term and not worry about the current share price.

Hmmm. this might not be easy. There is mistrust on the board. We have political creatures making economic decisions. Forget about reality. Let’s just look good. Play to the base. We really might want to replace the whole lot of them.

Once again it comes down to hate and love. The hate seems so deep rooted. As pure adrenalin it is much easier to maintain. It is so much easier to do than saying I might be willing to listen or God forbid not be 100%, AAA, right. Give in? Are you nuts? That would be Unamerican. Unfortunately that might be the case today.

We are landing now. Our destination is everyday. We can be refreshed and enlightened by the respite or we can get back to the samo samo. Somehow “I hate you” might feel better in the short run but it is really not a long term solution. Believe me I am one of the best at vitriol. But I have to change. You are all very smart people. Have I missed something?

As always

Ted The Great.

Factoids:

131 million people voted in the last election. That’s 63.6% of eligible voters. In theory 66 million of 330 million people elected the president.

If you were president of the company, would you present a budget  while hemorrhaging cash that didn’t mention entitlements? If you were the board would every one of you publicly refuse in any which way to raise taxes even with 1$ of taxes for every $10 of spending cuts.

Congress has an approval rating of under 10% but sitting members get returned every two years 98% of the time.

There are 20,500 nuclear warheads in the world. We own 8500 of  them.

Two more kids died in Ohio today. Please don’t tell me hate is not a crime.

We went to the symphony Friday night with some dear friends. The hall is mostly circular. We sat in the dress circle which put us at eye level with the orchestra about thirty feet away. A great spot to not only listen to the music but a wonderful vantage point to watch them in action.

As the maestro gave the downbeat you could see all the violin, cello and bass bows work in perfect synchronicity. The horns were raised and provided right punctuation  for the piece. I love trombones and French horns the best. Brassy but a little more subtle than the brash trumpets. Like me. Ha!   Fill in with percussion, oboes, flutes and a harp and there you had it. A well meshed group providing a single sound. Very cool.

It had been a crazy week. I found myself deep in thought trying to figure out this world of ours and making some sense of my own. Don’t get me wrong. I love it. But it was just great to sit there and listen to warmth on a winter’s night. It was great to hear community.

On Sunday we went to mass in new parish we have joined. This place is special in all aspects. You go to church not because you have to but you want to. The place is packed for all different times and they just added another mass on Sunday evening. Quite an accomplishment in this day and age.

It could be the music. There is a choir of at least fifteen and sometimes thirty at all masses. The female director has a fantastic voice and accompanies with a violin that has an Irish lilt to it. The great part is that the solos aren’t always by the all stars. Some of the lesser divas stand up and belt out this or that with something less than perfect pitch. Doesn’t matter. And the shock of all things is that everyone in church sings. For you non Catholics that is not our forte.

Maybe it is the priest. A really great guy named Pr. Pat. He connects with people like the best of them. He writes a lot of the music for mass. He has a strong voice both musically as well as verbally. The church is in the round.  He is dramatic as he circles the altar with ease during his homily, making sure to have eye contact with all. He is down to earth and yet learned. It is a sight to behold.

We had a baptism yesterday. Not just a splash of water but a full scale dunking. The kids of all families in church gathered around. Pat makes it a celebration not just a rite. At the end he packs the infant under his arm and walks around the church introducing him to the parishioners as they touch and clap for him. This is good stuff.

The people are engaged. They smile, sing and pray together. This is not Rome’s church. It is theirs. It’s not so much a revival meeting as it is a group of people who feel pretty good about their God and their religion. Nice to see.

As I am sitting back and relishing these events you can’t but help to drift towards what is going on today. Take your town, state, country or world and look at it as an orchestra or a parish. If for one moment we didn’t worry about who was trying to screw us and instead saying what can I do for you, where could we be?

It’s Monday as I write and the usual diatribes are coming across in the emails. Imagine if all those clever individuals put some time in on solving problems instead of calling people out, where we could be? We had great employment numbers. The candidates and Rush spent all weekend explaining why they were bad. Obama has the GOP candidates killing one another and he decides it is smart to take on religious freedom. None of these guys will be invited into Mensa just yet.

I saw some kids competing on a science contest for eighth graders. There were great devices and theories. A lot smarter than me. I thought of Solyndra. Imagine if we spent that $500 million on 5,000 $100,000 prizes to kids for worthwhile inventions. Or better yet 500 $1million prizes to industry. I like that way better.

Imagine if we were all like an orchestra. Sure we would have a solo here and there but we would come back to the same melody. We would pick up some one who was faltering and help them along instead of putting them down. Sure there is a conductor but he is there to guide and not dictate. We would all be in there together. There would be a long standing ovation. What sweet music we could make.

As always.

Ted The Great

Factoids

Wonders of the World,

The Great Pyramid, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus at Mt Olympus, Colossus of Rome, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Mausoleum of Halicamassus

15 million people in the US live alone. The highest percentage in DC and New York. 50% of the households are one person.

1/3 of taxes in Greece are just not paid. This equals the deficit per annum.

There are 25 million more male children in China than there are female. Nice odds if you are on the right side.

There is only a three month supply of Methotrexate which is the optimum treatment for childhood leukemia. A bill aimed at resolving this shortage is sitting in limbo in Congress. No action being taken because the Dems want to give the FDA more power to correct the problem and the GOP doesn’t want to give them any more power. Ergo stalemate and kids could die.