The problem is not that the stimulus didn’t work. The problem is that people don’t perceive that it did.
Erin Burnett is a CNBC economics analyst. On the today’s Meet The Press she had this to say:
MS. BURNETT: Well, I think it’s interesting, because by the way, I don’t think the stimulus has been a failure, and I think that you are correct that it is perceived that way. But I don’t think it’s actually true. Without that stimulus, we would be significantly worse off than we are right now. There, there’s really no question about it. You can ask any economist on Wall Street or any CEO. I see you shaking your head, I know you disagree. But, but, but, but my reporting would show otherwise.
MR. DIONNE: Keep going.
MS. BURNETT: I–look, I, I, I think the problem is you have the fastest job creation in this recovery than you have in any recession in 25 years, but it is still not enough. You aren’t going to win this on jobs, and that is the problem. It’s going to take a long time. I don’t know how you get around that problem, but technically speaking, this recovery has not been tepid.
I’m a big Yankee fan. I couldn’t watch them last night. Not on in my neighborhood, so I was looking forward to watching them tonight.
As always I looked around for my backup channel, to switch to while the commercials were on. That finished my Yankees watching for a couple hours, for there on PBS was the concert at the White House to honor Paul McCartney with the Gershwin award.
I was transfixed. Couldn’t look away.
First, as the Obamas walked in, I felt pride. I was so glad they were in the White House. I haven’t always cheered everything my President has done, but I couldn’t help but feel better about where my country is, despite the raft of tragedies and seemingly insurmountable problems facing it.
Then they introduced Paul McCartney. Sir Paul (an honor I’d never cared about before) and an eclectic variety of performers from Faith Hill to Elvis Costello and some I’d never heard of including a classical pianist each of whom took turns providing their renditions of McCartney tunes after an opening song by Paul of “Got To Get You Into My Life”.
Elvis played “Penny Lane”. Faith Hill sang “The Long And Winding Road” during which Paul could be seen nodding and smiling.
Somewhere in there it occurred to me that Beatles songs, McCartney songs, singing them in the car, listening to them on the record player and the radio, were like Dr Seuss books had been to me probably 6 or 8 years earlier. Something wonderful that would pop up to add a little joy and wonder to my life while I was growing up.
Its cliche’ now to say that Paul McCartney’s songs were the soundtrack of my life, but its true. So many songs. So often they can bring me back to a special and particular time in my life. Its strange to say but Paul reminds me of me. Never more pointedly than New Years Eve 1969 when I lay there in bed when the countdown to #1 (NUMBER 1,! number 1!) was playing on the radio and I had a reel to reel tape deck ready to record “good songs” for my brother, as the DJ played his way down the list. I was surprised my brother trusted me with, not the tape deck which probably was my sister’s, but with the choices. I knew when I thought about it, which song would be number one. And it was, and I recorded “Hey Jude”. Who knows where the tape is now. Tom has probably long forgotten that night, but I remember it.
So as I watched Paul McCartney, Sir Paul, playing “Hey Jude” for the first family, I realized that Paul McCartney’s time, was my time.
Imagine a kid stepping through the tunnel of the walkway and into the open light of a Yankee Stadium afternoon the second thing you notice after you are taken buy the sheer green of the field, is the cathedral like quality of the immense building.
Bob Sheppard’s crisp godlike voice echoes repeating exactly twice around the blue seats and somehow sounds like God.
Nestled at the base of the Catskill mountains, Stamford, NY, verdant and lively, holds the dreams of vacationers and adventurers alike, summer and winter, and oh God especially the fall.
Nurtured in a brightly lit studio in Stamford (as well as many other locations in the region) art is growing wildly. If you happen down the main drag in this bucolic little village any time in the summer however, you just might see Tim Touhey pounding on his bongos, soaking up the green and the scenery and opening his life to his experience of life.
You’ll need to get over the romantic notion that he’s sitting here watching the cars, stuck like so many creative souls, art blocked and desperate, for Tim lives his life with passion.
Step inside, the artist will gladly take you on a tour of his paintings, his sculpture, and his passion. And the passion is there. Tim’s art is high energy, brightly colored, electric stuff that jumps off the walls of his long and open feeling studio. Angular lines vibrate like the heads of the bongos pulsing with a wildness that affirms live and nearly bursts off his canvasses.
Post modern? Who knows? Expressionistic probably. But who cares about labels. Just stand in the white bright studio and let your eye wander over wild pastels and passionate oils. A year ago a friend and I stood there talking with Tim and feeling the art, each with our own favorites. Mine, sadly perhaps, were the more composed, controlled and defined sheets. Her’s the wild abandon more random choices. All colorful and lively. There were more than enough to make us wish we could buy that one and that one and that one!
The thing, well a thing, that makes the artist unique is that he’s persevered. He’s done the thing. Making a living creating art is difficult. Its easy to give up. Look down the hall in any magazine’s creative department, any manufacturer’s [for as an art teacher once told me "Anything that has been made, has been drawn first."] and you’ll see artists. All of them artists, and nearly all of them doing what they’re doing to make a living, and doing what they love in their soul in the after times.
Tim does what he loves every day. And he’s making a living at it. Its still a quiet living, in that quiet town at the edge of the Catskills. So go see Tim. Go feel the life in his paintings. And if you’re lucky he may even play something for you on his grand piano!
A man with this much talent, who does what he loves, must be appreciated. If you can … make an investment in art. You’ll appreciate it later.
Facebook – a war – a kid – a note. Hopefully Jon won’t mind me sending on this note from Afghanistan. If you feel you can … I’m collecting for the next care package to ship over there. They like Crystal Lite and jerky and snacky things.
Jonathan Westgate
oh hey, forgot to thank you for that care package you sent us. Haha those in the truck appreciate it greatly, as all them granola bars have been devoured.. our Interpreter likes them cheerio chex mix things lol as i find the empty bag and some cheerios on the truck floor. lol and the jerky good for when i sittin up in the turret for long periods of time. And of course the drink mix pretty good too, the taste of water gets pretty bland after a while ^.^ . So thanks again from me an the others in my truck.
Mr Wood brought his family, including his birds, for another entertaining show. He does a great job of rescuing birds as well as entertaining people.
I’ve seen the Crested Caracara in books but never live. It was great to see this bird. If I kept a “life list” I could have added one yesterday. Maybe I should keep one.
My friend’s daughter Anne, makes these incredible sculptures.
Something lives in these little beasties. Each one is an original hand made sculpture just bursting with its own personality. Check out the teeth and small fish inside the mouth of the the shark. Enjoy the wry wisdom and internal secret the cat won’t tell you. They’re great.
She has many more styles and don’t expect exact duplicates. Each one is hand made and unique. She’ll paint them for you too.
They’re light weight so shouldn’t be much to ship. At this point prices are negotiable.
In the old days of the Usenet, flame wars would break out. People saying bad things to each other. This lead to some unwritten internet laws. First on the list is:
Godwin’s Law
The most famous of all the internet laws, formed by Mike Godwin in 1990. As originally stated, it said: “As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” It has now been expanded to include all web discussions.
I fear I have engaged in a flamewar that could lead to an invocation, on one side or the other, of Godwin’s law. Is anyone else surprised at what people they went to high school now think?
I wonder if there is an internet law about how long it will take before you ignore someone on facebook. How DO you ignore someone on facebook?
A former classmate posted a video of Rush Limbaugh espousing a list of wrong things he claims the President is doing. I won’t post it here, it needs to be challenged on so many levels I really don’t wish to get that deep with her. But I did have time to post on her facebook page. I just asked her to not listen to him.
Here’s the question. Should I have? Or should I have just done whatever the facebook thing for ignoring is?
But people told me about it so I checked out the uniforms (uniforms?) of the ice dancers people were saying are inappropriate because they are imitative of? Reflective of? Inspired by? Aboriginal dress.
Reading crib notes off her hand has finished what was left of Sarah Palin’s political hopes. Even the conservatives think she’s incapable as evidenced by this segment of an article from Politico.
From Politico:
Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas Republican who ran a quixotic bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, was the top vote-getter Saturday in the Conservative Political Action Conference’s straw poll, capturing the support of 31 percent of those who participated in the contest.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who had won the CPAC straw poll for three consecutive years, took 22 percent of the vote. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin won 7 percent, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty garnered 6 percent. Pawlenty attended the conference; Palin did not.
