Happy New Year

2009 will be drawing to a close in a few short hours. Let's hope that 2010, and the next decade, will be better for all than this year past.

The blog itself was not as gratifying or interesting of a process as I thought it might be. A grand total of 20 posts throughout the year.

I am going to toy with the format a bit, change the writing style, and see if January and February of 2010 bring more fruit to the effort. If not, it will be another blog lost in the vast web.

Semi Pro Volleyball, PDX Style

I play volleyball. Rather, since moving to Portland I play volleyball. A lot. In as, five times last week I played the game.

How did this happen? Sunday night, Underdog Sports at Hillside Community Center. Monday night, at Fulton. Tuesday AND Thursday at Southwest Community Center. Friday at 24 Hour Fitness in Vancouver, WA. Yes, I have been to Washington now.

How the hell did I wind up here again (in the Pacific NW that is)?

Volleyball is a funny game. You mostly play it in Junior High and then never play it again. Out here it is big. Maybe because of the rain or maybe because people aren't very competitive out here and volleyball is an interesting sport.

It's not like basketball where one person can dominate. It has little to do with hockey or football where you hit people. I enjoyed that.

It's bump, set, spike. To me, there is very little athleticism in the sport. In the sense that it is a true team game, and people that know me well, no I despise these sorts of things. I prefer to go off and do my thing, or play an unorthodox style, or get into it with people.

Volleyball isn't really like that. Why do I play so much? I couldn't tell you. My father would probably say it has something to do with that I am all or nothing. There is truth in that. Besides, sprained ankles and broken noses are a bitch when you get older.

No mas.

Some People Got To Have It

Money that is. I've been paying keen attention to the economy, finance, and the politics of it all since the cookie started to crumble a couple years ago. I don't care to remember how many times I've read about SIVs or CDOs, Lehman Brothers, Ben Bernanke, and so on and so forth.

We've got a problem people. I wanted to understand what this was all about. Who was at fault and why? Where and how did things go wrong? Key moments and decisions made. The heart of the matter. My conclusion is that all of this is irrelevant.

The problem is that capitalism in our modern society will put everyone at risk.

Grand statement, right? Off base. Too strong. What do you mean?

We live in a world with limited resources and a rapidly growing populace. We've got a pizza pie problem here folks. Everyone wants a cut of the pie, the slices will get smaller, and there will be no more ingredients to get another pie in the oven.

The nature of capitalism caused the financial collapse. Its ethos. The idea that one can better themselves through material gains. See, everyone was playing the game. Some were skirting the rules sure. Others were oblivious for certain. The majority wanted their slice of the pie. That's what it's all about, right?

Right, and wrong in the sense that it cannot be anymore. We have a construct problem folks. Something that won't easily be fixed. It will require the majority to view life differently. It will require the actual usage of words like sacrifice, sustainability, and the common good.

Shit, I'm not sure that is what I have learned from the mass media the past twenty years or so. Man, do we have a problem. Where's my money?

President Obama's Prize

The boobs are out in full force since President Obama was awarded the nobel prize this past week. As one would expect, the central arguments against this decision focus on his lack of experience and results thus far in his presidency. The peanut gallery mocks, "What have you done?", in horror.

This isn't about experience or results folks. That is a ruse. This is about ideology, what one believes in, and those who stand to lose the most are outraged.

The general global disposition towards the US towards the end of George W's presidency was abysmal. The mere fact that President Obama was elected shifted perceptions towards our country literally, overnight and his pragmatic stance towards numerous issues has reinforced those early beliefs of those around the world.

Now, many are going to recoil in horror in that we are even paying attention to Europe, China, or otherwise. *This land is your land, this land is my land,* fra, la, la. Get over it people. The world has changed! The modern reality of economics, energy, health care, geopolitics, etc., et. al. This has changed too!!

Can you imagine that we are no longer in the same position we once were at the end of WWII? Could it be that the 1980s are over?

People may talk about experience and results when discussing President Obama. What they are really bemoaning is his ideology. It is not their own. For me, this is worthy of a prize in and of itself.

Sense & Sensibility

It has been interesting to note the Republican stance since President Obama has been elected. There has been the comedy of Sarah Palin, the lack of leadership, the obligatory red herring that is bipartisanship, and so forth.

What it really is about is money. Isn't it always?

If anyone think the battle over health care has been notable wait until the cap and trade legislation gets going. That will be real folly.

The people will be the ones that lose. The so called electorate. *chuckles*

Off the Wall

Michael Jackson died on June 25th, 2009. I have been wanting to write about this for weeks now, but have been unable to do so until now.

I loved Michael Jackson. His talent, drive, charisma, and remarkable showmanship, often sent chills down my spine. You knew you were watching a great in action. There was the days of ABC, 123 when I was a little boy. Off the Wall will forever remain my favorite album of all time for its sheer electricity. The release of Thriller was time to behold, and to be glued, to MTV. My first concert was The Jackson's Victory Tour in the summer of 1984.

I've got soul, and I have always loved his music.

Then it went away. I went first, losing interest in Bad and the later albums, as his life became more about theatre and less about music. He went later, due to rumor, allegations, and innuendo. Finally, the passage of time.

Then, suddenly, he was gone and all that was old was new again. His death, has stayed with me, moreso than any I have experienced save for my grandfather. He too, who passed far too young in his life and for my own selfish reasons that I've pondered about through the years.

Michael is magical. That will forever remain. He was able to reach people, in a style and fashion that he was most likely unable to reach himself. I have gone back to the tapes, and the videos, pictures, and all. The talent, raw and real, was always there.

I can empathize with Michael Jackson, if only because I can relate to the distance and loneliness he must have felt. The passage of time, and pain that does not go away but goes numb.

We all live. Our lives unfold before us, decisions we make and the fate of chance, and we are left to move forward.

I will always love the sound, dance, and passion of the artist. RIP Michael. May you find peace and better days.

The Grand Decline

I believe the United States has seen better days. We are amidst the Grand Decline. This isn't akin to the Great Recession which is a worldwide phenomenon. The Grand Decline is specific to the United States.

It begins with apathy and selfish indolent behavior. It ends with the United States a mere player on the world stage along with China, Russia, European Union, and other emerging markets.

How did this happen? Well, we bought a lot of crap without the means to pay for it. This is everyone mind you from consumers, to business, and of course, the government as well. The wonderful consumer culture has left everyone leveraged to the hilt, and guess what, the bill has come due.

You can't forestall the inevitable once the game has changed, and change it has. There will be no rising real estate values or tech stock bubbles to bail us out this time.

I believe the most difficult aspect for this transformation will be psychological. What will it mean for the average US citizen when we aren't number one anymore?

USA vs. Brasil

I have been watching futbol since Paolo Rossi's romp in the sands of Spain during the 1982 World Cup. My next door neighbors were from Italy and it was exciting to see the passion behind a game that was foreign to most Americans.

Team USA has been slowly making progress ever since.

The dramatic 2-0 blanking of Spain in the semifinals has been cited as a critical moment in the team's history. Can they possibly beat Brazil tomorrow in South Africa?

I hope to some day attend a World Cup myself. Futbol is not America's game, but it is mine all the same.

Back In Black

I took a vacation from this blog. No compelling reason other than that my Dell computer died and I got busy at work.

These things happen. A lot of things happen in life.

I am back in the blogosphere for the nobodies that don't care judging by my site meter. That being said, no one reads anymore and if you don't believe me you should check out the incredible shrinking content and rising price of the New York Times.

There Is No Free Lunch

No matter where you look these days, we are paying for financial follies. All of those home equity loans, grandiose debt to income ratios, monster salaried CEOs, leveraged credit cards, and get rich schemes came with a cost. It's time to pay up people.

It really doesn't matter who should foot the bill when you start talking about an economic crater of this size and magnitude. When it is all said and done, we will be talking trillions of dollars vanishing from balance sheets.

We are all poorer these days.

I wonder if integrity will make a comeback. It has been out of fashion for some time. The modern society is most interested in instant gratification.

What will our new future look like? It may be a long time before we can tell.

The idea that we can pay this tab quickly and move on is ridiculous. You can already sense the public's fatigue to the situation. It isn't going anywhere anytime soon. We don't have to like it, but there is always a cost, a rub, etcetera, and this time is no different.

Main Street vs. Wall Street

Who do you think is going to come out the winner in this one?

Wall Street roared back from the doldrums today with a near 500 point gain of the DOW post Timothy Geithner unveiling the latest, and greatest, banking bailout plan. Too bad businesses don't pass down gains to consumers.

I don't see consumer spending, wage growth, or job gains returning anytime soon.

Stocks probably touched their low while the market hovered around 6,500 earlier this year. Have Joe and Jane Doe touched bottom yet?

I doubt it. Everyone will have to pay for the many years of loose credit and over spending. We won't get a bailout.

That I can guarantee you.

Globalist

I had the unique experience to attend two lectures by world renknowned journalists, Thomas L. Friedman and Fareed Zakaria, yesterday in Portland.

There was a common theme to their respective perspectives.

That is that we are in a new age that is defined by globalism and that the United States of America is no longer the only game in town. Try telling that to your average American who believes in manifest destiny and "This land is your land ... from sea to shining sea."

The rules have changed. All markets are global. It is not relevant whether we want to recognize this our not, but we will fall behind as a nation if we fail to do so.

We need to recognize the challenge before this and get serious about electing politicians who will pursue progressive policy moving forward. There is no more time left to squander the future. The world is "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" and we are in "The Post American World."

At What Cost

As President Obama seeks to bring fiscal responsibility back to the White House, one is left wondering the future our nation will have.

The pols of recent past sacraficed the future to satisfy the demands of lobbyists. They mortgaged the nation's long term security at the whim of their own present day interests. We, the people, are left holding the bill.

Everything is in question. The economy, education, geopolitics, health care, energy policy, social security, national infrastructure, and on, and on, and on.

There are many to blame.

Partisan politics has blocked most attempts to pass tangible legislation over the past three decades. The American public has been too interested in our own selfish wants and needs at the sacrafice to the common good. Real leaders, to often, have been nowhere to be found.

America was caught flat footed after the fall of communism and the Soviet empire only to lose respect among many of our global bretheren in responding to WMDs in Iraq post 9/11. The health care system is bloated beyond repair. The education of our children continues to lag behind our competitors. Bridges fall down, roads stretch to nowhere as mass transit lays idle in the 21st century and only now do we get serious about global warming and our energy future.

Enough is enough. It is time to get real.

Financial Follies

Every day is a new day, except in the financial crisis where the news keeps getting worse, the problem continues to spread, and the culprits are many and not the few.

It is obvious that many, if not the majority, of national banks are insolvent. The only question is when this will be recognized by the government. The charade is coming to an end.

There was no tangible regulation. Underwriting standards were nonexistent. Cost of capital was too cheap. Highly leveraged institutions became the norm. Borrowers were happy to use their home as an ATM.

"Everybody plays the fool sometime; There's no exception to the rule." - Aaron Neville

Yet, the average citizen is still in the dark about financial affairs. It is really a surprise that businessmen would choose the "free lunch"?

"There's a sucker born every minute." - PT Barnum

A Tale of God's Will

I saw Terence Blanchard perform earlier tonight on the opening night of the Portland Jazz Festival at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

Mr. Blanchard performed tracks from his latest album, "A Tale of God's Will". The music was composed in response to Hurricane Katrina. I became familiar with Mr. Blanchard and his work after viewing Spike Lee's "When The Levees Broke". He is a resident of New Orleans.

Powerful.

The man had real presence and his music wove a devastating tale of woe and desperation, a call unheeded.

The government's response to Hurricane Katrina at best horribly inadequate and at worst, pure criminal. You wonder what lies in the souls of men?

There is a famous photograph of George W. Bush observing the aftermath of the hurricane from the friendly confines of an airplane cabin. This was powerful art as well, yet it told a different story. This is a man who fears reality.

Terence Blanchard lived it. It is a part of his soul.

Ideology & Policy

I asked my apartment manager why ideology and policy are separate when charting a political agenda?

It would make sense to craft policy to build the framework in support of an ideology or vision. Partisanship aside, isn't that how succesful non for profit, private, and public entities work? Not in modern politics however, because there must only be pragmatic solutions.

America has consistently short changed itself by adhering to the status quo.

Now we are behind the 8 ball and it will take more than magic to reverse our course. We cannot continue to mortgage the future for the sake of the present. Trickle down economics has led to income inequality. Reliance on foreign oil has crippled our geopolitical agenda. The lobbyists have crippled our health care system.

This isn't about politics anymore. It is about our future and whether our children and grandchildren will have one that is true to the revolutionary spirt of America.

Right now, they will be left holding the bag.

Gravy

There are moments in life that are frozen in time. The New York Rangers and the Stanley Cup championship season of 1994 is something I will never forget.

Tonight, one of my heroes held back tears as his blueshirt was raised to the top of the blues in Madison Square Garden. Adam Graves was the heart of the team that season. It was the best year of his career and the Ranger's first title since 1940.

Hockey was a big part of the Cross household and the men that lived under the roof of 123 Sycamore Avenue. It is our common bond.

My heart soared tonight.

I couldn't help but remember how I felt growing up playing street hockey in my driveway. The many nights at The Meadowlands watching the Devils and Rangers create a fierce rivalry through the years. The excitement I first felt heading down 33rd between 7th and 8th Avenues. Walking the hallways of the World's Most Famous Arena. Catching the SI Ferry ride home after taking in a weeknight game against the Capitals, Penguins, or Flyers in the middle of the Winter.

Those days and nights will forever be a part of me.

The Great Divide

Earlier this week the House passed the stimulus bill with no G.O.P. votes.

Not a one. Partisan politics are alive and well. The Democrats and Republicans have been ideologically opposed on most major fronts for as long as I can remember.

The American public itself is divided too. There has been much talk of red states and blue states. President Obama was elected with 52% of the popular vote. A victory for sure but far from a land united.

Progressive ideas are needed to move forward in the 21st century. Leadership is possible when people are willing to be led. The times call for swift action, decisive meausres, and pragmatic solutions.

I wonder if the strokes will be bold enough to overcome the sheer folly of it all.

Strange Days Indeed

You can't possibly blame anyone if they fail to grasp this recession.

We have never lived in one. Not in my lifetime for sure. There were the bubbles of course, a savings and loan crisis, stagflation in the 1970's, a dot com bust, and otherwise.

This feels different to me. It as if what was once old, is indeed old and never to be new again.

Deregulation was sheer folly. Alan Greenspan was no genius. Wall Street will cease to exist as it once was.

I notice that people seem dumbstruck by the course of events. They appear as stale, glazed donuts. The endless optimism of recent days seems forever ago. It has all come to an end. For now at least.

I will argue that unbridled zeal for free market capitalism has seen its last days.

There are a variety of reasons to support this claim. First and foremost, I believe (and have stated for quite some time) that the scope and scale of this situation is far worse than people tend to believe. Beyond that, I am curious as to where future growth lies. We are all bankrupt of course, if not leveraged to the hilt.

This may be a good thing. There is probably more to life than a Hummer, suburban McMansions, and triple, grande soy lattes. Don't tell my Starbucks barista however, because I pick up the NY Times there every morning. At least while it is still in print.

I Am American

The prevailing thought was that he would evoke FDR. Lincoln seemed inevitable. A reference to Camelot perhaps, considering the sacrafices that must follow today.

Instead he delivered General Washington. May we cue the revolution (CleanTech) now?

Leadership was absent from the Oval Office under the direction of George Walker Bush. No more. President Obama was able to stand and deliver.

Now we move forward. We can no longer afford to be short sighted as a nation. There is no time to ignore the prevailing issues of the day. America has a responsibility to be a beacon of light to all people. That is our Democracy.

There is much to overcome.

Yet, we have recently witnessed history. If you have a vision, and you believe you can make it true, than indeed, yes, we can!

America has become complacent. We are often indifferent to those around us. Cynicism and sarcasm are too common amongst all men.

President Obama's greatest quality may be that he can bring a community together. Now, in the modern age, when considering the scale and scope of our problems there may be no greater challenge.

The moment is upon us. An engaged electorate has put into office the 44th President of the United States of America. He may be an everyman.

I am proud to be an American today. Yes, we can.