Comes a Time

This is an historic day. The outcome of this election, in view of the last 8 years, will say a lot about where we go as a nation, and also a lot about where we are and who we are as a country. My daughter who is studying in Europe said the perception there is this is a chance for America to redefine ourselves. But the USA is a Big country, and our population and ideology is reflective of a lot more than the two coasts and the news media. Let's see what America believes early in the 21st century. It's a time for Hope, at a time when our country desperately needs Change.


"Comes A Time"

Comes a time
when you're driftin'
Comes a time
when you settle down
Comes a light
feelin's liftin'
Lift that baby
right up off the ground.

Oh, this old world
keeps spinning round
It's a wonder tall trees
ain't layin' down
There comes a time.

You and I we were captured
We took our souls
and we flew away
We were right
we were giving
That's how we kept
what we gave away.

Oh, this old world
keeps spinning round
It's a wonder tall trees
ain't layin' down
There comes a time.

--Neil Young

"Comes a Time" - 1987 Neil Young:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY78hECM8-0&feature=related

Metaphors for Living: The Marathon's End

Photos by Brooklyn Beat/TN

Get Ready to Rumble: No Electioneering Beyond This Point

Polling machines await at MS 51 in Park Slope.

What will the future hold?

Fouad Ajami in the Wall Street Journal, like much of the mainstream financial media, at least publicly, sees gloom and doom, in the Obama campaign's offers of Change. There will be no quick improvements. There may be more taxes. The country may be in for a realignment. But, while we await the Hope, and Fear, of Change, we need to acknowledge that, in view of 9/11. Iraq, Katrina, the severe economic downturn, health care issues, retirements, etc., things are not heading in the correct direction and new ideas are needed. That is the great secret of this election. We have nothing to fear but fear itself, but that is true everywhere -- People are willing to stick with the past, solutions that haven't worked, fear of elites, but also fear of the "GOP base", fear of religion, fear of losing my religion, fear of taxes, fear of financial derivatives of mass destruction...you get the idea.

The bottom-line: How can anyone be worried about Senator Obama, since look what a free-market oriented, neo-conservative, jingoistic President has unleashed. Damn, I don't expect miracles overnight, no one should or can, but at least there isa possibility of balance, a corrective to the 8 years of excess we have just experienced. The hope of this country is based on the potential of peaceful revolution and change. Think of these 8 years of radical neo-conservative realignment. The Marxists no doubt are viewing this as an inevitable ending to advanced capitalism. America needs to remain a democracy. That is in our soul, at the root of our being. But what the last 8 years have proven is that a country of our size and economic complexity cannot exist without a strong government to balance powerful corporations. Our social institutions will and must remain strong and democratic but economically, perhaps, we have unwittinlgly unleashed an economic explosion that has propelled our economis system, along with the rest of the world, through the looking glass and into a Brave New World.

America: 2008

Not sure of the source of these eloquent and poignant photos of an American candidate and a quintessentially American family. No matter how you cut it, we are living in interesting, challenging, yet very hopeful times. Wow.

Theater in DUMBO: Floating Brothel at Galapagos

The Galapagos Art Space, an intriguing space at 16 Main Street at Water Street in DUMBO, has a great program of upcoming events.

http://www.galapagosartspace.com/events.html

Of particular interest is "The Floating Brothel" on Monday October 27th, 8pm

A 1600 square foot indoor lake. Five actors telling the story of a ship full of convict women; the underbelly of London; unknown continents; all told within the confines of a 3'x6' platform that serves as the stage and world for this performance.

Ticket info here: http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=FLO6

Sen. Chuck Schumer: Sees Huge Margin for Obama

Politico.com reports that Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) predicted Tuesday that Barack Obama will win more than 300 Electoral College votes when voters go to the polls in two weeks. (The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States.)

“I think this is one of those rare tectonic plate elections where the deep plates beneath our politics move. I think it's changing things not just for an election cycle but, perhaps, for a generation,” Schumer, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman, said during an appearance at the National Press Club.

Schumer, appearing with GOP counterpart Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, said he expects an Obama win to come with coattails, but would not go as far as to forecast that the Democrats will have 60 seats when the Senate convenes next year.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14798.html

The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. In 2008, it will make this selection on December 15. The Electoral College is an example of an indirect election.

Rather than directly voting for the President and Vice President, United States citizens cast votes for electors. Electors are technically free to vote for anyone eligible to be President, but in practice pledge to vote for specific candidates[2] and voters cast ballots for favored presidential and vice presidential candidates by voting for correspondingly pledged electors. Most states allow voters to choose between statewide slates of electors pledged to vote for the presidential and vice presidential tickets of various parties; the ticket that receives the most votes statewide 'wins' all of the votes cast by electors from that state. U.S. presidential campaigns concentrate on winning the popular vote in a combination of states that choose a majority of the electors, rather than campaigning to win the most votes nationally.

Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress. Additionally, Washington, D.C. is given a number of electors equal to the number held by the smallest states.[4] U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College.

Watch Out What You Wish For: Senator Biden on "Augean Stables" and What Comes Next in This Brave New World

And, if the economy alone isn't bad enough, Senator Joe Biden is giving the dark low down on the likely crises faced by the next President. Whoever is lucky, or unlucky, enough to prevail in November faces an enormous load of issues, an "augean stable" of a mess to address, with the likelihood that the new President will have his mettle tested by international conflict. The fact that some view us as vulnerable at the moment suggests just how complicated things are:

Senator Joe Biden ABC :

Gird your loins," Biden told the crowd. "We're gonna win with your help, God willing, we're gonna win, but this is not gonna be an easy ride. This president, the next president, is gonna be left with the most significant task. It's like cleaning the Augean stables, man. This is more than just, this is more than – think about it, literally, think about it – this is more than just a capital crisis, this is more than just markets. This is a systemic problem we have with this economy."

Because I promise you, you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going, 'Oh my God, why are they there in the polls? Why is the polling so down? Why is this thing so tough?' We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking you now, I'm asking you now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this point because you're going to have to reinforce us."

"There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision'," Biden continued. "Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."

Biden emphasized that the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border is of particular concern, with Osama bin Laden "alive and well" and Pakistan "bristling with nuclear weapons."

One would hope that the next decade will pull Americans together into a post-partisan political partnership but Biden's comments suggest that the camps expect the US political scene to remain much as it has been in the past.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/biden-to-suppor.html

After the Fall: American Economics - Post-Boom, Post-Bust

I came across this article (from 1999) this weekend, by Dean Baker, written during the hey day of the first major dot.com bubble around the turn of the century (that has such a nice ring to it). It appeared in In These Times magazine, a publication that would best be described as progressive and might even have a little of the "S" word. I had printed the article out when it was first published, stuck it in a folder, and found it again in a box of clippings and stuff I was cleaning out at home. I know business cycles are structural, but Mr. Baker seems to have written the play book for the near future. The Wall Street Journal and much of the business press are not in the business of reality journalism. Oh, they report the economic news accurately, but in retrospect their whole worldview now appears to involve being cheerleaders from the sidelines as the spirit of the free market runs rampant across the land. We now seem to be about to reap a little of what we have sowed.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/issue/24/01/baker2401.html

A few excerpts:
Stock prices will plunge - it's just a question of when. Prices are determined by the psychology of investors. Their enthusiasm for stocks, no matter how irrational, may keep prices at inflated levels for six months, two years, even a decade. Economics and logic can't predict exactly when reality will catch up with this enthusiasm: They only assure that at some point it will.

Although the day of reckoning may be many years in the future, it is still worth thinking about what the post-crash world will look like. Most immediately, a large number of people will suddenly be far poorer. A 50 percent decline in the stock market will destroy more than $7 trillion worth of paper wealth. Some of the losers will be the Internet billionaires and other high flyers who richly deserve their fate. But most of the losers will be middle-income workers who were relying on the stock market to provide their retirement income.

A crash will also throw the economy into a tailspin. Currently the economy is being propelled by a stock-market-driven consumption boom. As people see the value of their stock portfolios rise, they go out and spend money. They are spending so much that the savings rate has actually turned negative in the last year, with people almost outspending their entire income. A stock crash will throw this pattern into reverse. As people watch the value of their stock portfolios shrivel, they will cut back their spending to try to rebuild their savings. This will lead to a large falloff in demand and almost certainly to a recession. A recession would likely raise the unemployment rate by at least 2 to 3 percent. Following historic patterns, this would mean an increase in the unemployment rate among African-Americans of 4 to 6 percent.

This new economic environment will require an entirely different political agenda. Millions of people will be desperate and angry. It will be important to be prepared to move forward with policies that address people's immediate needs and also set the path for an economic recovery on a more solid foundation. In the post-crash world, progressive ideas now seen as untenable suddenly will appear both reasonable and necessary."

Post-Debate Unease: Turdblossom on Barry O vs. All Forms of Whiggery

Senator McCain threw everything including the kitchen sink at Senator Obama last night and some of it may even have stuck but it didn't seem to matter..McCain may be misreading the temperament of the electorate. Is it possible people want a leader, not an angry Whig. While Sen. McCain was effective on the attack, it seems that among independents and people on the fence, those attack issues are just a distraction right now. No one cares about them right now (even the war is a distraction from the economy -- how bizarre is that?)

"Barry O" is taking his time, exercising care and all due diligence during the debate, since apparent frontrunners like to avoid being cast as "incumbents" so it is a slippery slope right now. And despite the apparent poll leads, and the desire for the American public to indeed make a swing away from the neo-con GOP ideologues to a more liberal-interventionist Democratic model with the Deep Pockets and Magic Money Machines that seem so essential at this moment, care must be taken not to overreach or over-assume by a campaign.

Meanwhile, Karl "Turdblossom" Rove states in the Wall Street Journal (will that paper soon need a new title ?) that perhaps Senator Obama hasn't yet closed the sale with the American electorate:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122411909182439021.html


There's hope, there's vision. And while Senator Obama seems to be running the only true, sane game in town, we can only pray that "We Don't Get Fooled Again"...

Go down, Moses...

Pre-Debate Chatter: Senator Obama's Campaign Issues Debate "Talking Points"

According to the Drudgreport.com, Senator Barack Obama's Presidential campaign has issued talking points to the media in adance of the debate. The email below was issued by Sean Smith, the Press Secretary to Senator Obama:

-------- Original Message --------
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:37:27 -0500
From: Sean Smith [****mith@barackobama.com]
To: Sean Smith [****mith@barackobama.com]

* This is John McCain's last chance to turn this race around and somehow convince the American people that his erratic response to this economic crisis doesn't disqualify him from being President.

* Just this weekend the weekend, John McCain vowed to "whip Obama's you-know-what" at the debate, and he's indicated that he'll be bringing up Bill Ayers to try to distract voters.

* So we know that Senator McCain will come ready to attack Barack Obama and bring his dishonorable campaign tactics to the debate stage.

Obama continues to lead on the economic crisis with a rescue plan for Main Street.

* Over the course of the campaign, Barack Obama has laid out a set of policies that will grow our middle class and strengthen our economy.

* But he knows we face an immediate economic emergency that requires urgent action - on top of the plans he's already laid out - to help workers and families and communities struggling right now.

* That's why Barack Obama is introducing a comprehensive four-part Rescue Plan for the Middle Class - to immediately to stabilize our financial system, provide relief to families and communities, and help struggling homeowners.

* This is a plan that can and should be implemented immediately.

* Obama has shown steady leadership during this crisis and offered concrete solutions to move the country forward - and his Rescue Plan for the Middle Class builds on the plans to strengthen the economy and rebuild the middle class that he's laid out over the course of this campaign.

* Already in this campaign, he's unveiled plans to give 95 percent of workers and their families a tax cut, eliminate income taxes for seniors making under $50,000, bring down the cost of health care for families and businesses; and create millions of new jobs by investing in the renewable energy sources.

* John McCain has been erratic and unsteady since this crisis began - staggering from position to position and trying to change the subject away from the economy by launching false character attacks.

END

AUTUMN SUNDOWN: Red Hook

Down by the Red Hook Waterfront,we made one of our brief run throughs of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Show, Free Fall which has two more weekends and is well worth a visit. Be sure to catch Anna Annus Hagen's and Tom Hagen's virtual studio set up, Dawn Petrlik's installation that explores the GOP VP candidate in the wild, my better half's, Judith Tantleff-Napoli's, mixed media sculptures and lots of other inspiring and provocative work by BWAC's host of artists. We also caught a super ragtime and blues performance by Frank Hoier. And, last but not least, after a quick visit to the always bustling Fairway, we were loading up the car and caught the magnificent sunset above. Free Fall at BWAC continues through October 26th. Catch this impressive show before it's too late. And remember to take a look at the BWAC auction and lots of great work for sale by exhibiting artists. Remember too, support living artists !

Details on upcoming performances are here:

www.bwac.org

"THE END OF AMERICAN CAPITALISM ?" : Closing of World Markets? - A Brand New Day

Has advanced capitalism in fact swung so far in a free-market direction that it now must be restrained, into a more central/nationally controlled model as we see in China and other nations ? That's how things are looking...

Italy's Bloomberg, Silvio Berlusconi, reports that thought is given to closing world financial markets in order to retrench and regroup:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aP5mpMUORBWM

Washington Post: "With the U.S. government's current push toward intervention and the soul-searching over the role of deregulation in the crisis, the stage appears to be at least temporarily set for a more restrained model of free enterprise, particularly in financial markets.

"If you look around the world, China is doing pretty good right now, and the U.S. isn't," said C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "You may see a push back from globalization in the financial markets."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/09/AR2008100903425_pf.html

Spiritual Technology: Getting Unstuck on Yom Kippur

Well, the pleasant reflections of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, that usher in the Days of Awe are over and it is time to get down to business, so to speak, with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Despite the social, political and economic ramifications, past, present and future, that are swirling around the current economic realignment, it always comes down to The Personal. The assessment of the Who, the Why and the What of One's Life, where I've been and where I am going. Beyond the legal and ethical, the morality and spirituality of existence on this gorgeous blue orb hanging in the firmament, that may be just a spark in existence, if not fashioned, then perhaps emanating from the "Source." If all politics is ultimately personal, and despite the complex questioning inherent in Bill Maher's Religulous, then surely, at the end of the day, Spiritual (if not "religious") matters.

Somehow, whether anyone or any higher power is concerned with our behavior or actions is not ultimately the issue. As living, breathing, thinking beings, we have knowledge and internal lives, and somewhere depth and knowledge. To live in some kind of harmony first and foremost with ourselves, this offers a time for reflection, for consideration, and perhaps, although there are never any guaranteees, for growth.

I heard from our oldest daughter who is in Study Abroadland and who I miss alot and who sounded somewhat detached from this new season. I sent her the article below which I found and seemed to offer a little Spiritual Technology and prodding on getting a handle on the day of Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown tonite. See you on the other side.

http://www.aish.com/hhyomk/hhyomkdefault/Getting_Unstuck_on_Yom_Kippur.asp

Bounty in Brooklyn Heights: King Harvest Shall Surely Come

An amazing day in Brooklyn Heights. The graceful rays of the autumn sun, the air temperature just perfect, brought out the lunchtime crowds to the Tuesday Greenmarket on Cadman Plaza near Brooklyn Borough Hall and the Supreme Court Building. Tomatoes, fruits, flowers, dozens of types of fresh fall apples (with many to sample), baked goods, and of course, pumpkins and gourds as a reminder that autumn is here. The crowds are quiet, almost contemplative, of nature's bounty and the pleasure of a Fall afternoon. I don't always get out of the office at lunchtime, although I know I should. But a fantastic day like this, almost lets you forget for a moment, almost, about politics, economics, and the like, and just revel in the simple pleasure of being another working stiff on a lunch break, on a lovely day, surrounded by natural colors, in Brooklyn Heights, New York.

Into the Abyss: Global Economy = Terra Incognito

This is edgy stuff. The Financial crisis moved into the Wall Street crisis and now, It is morphing into a global economic crisis. What does it mean? Where will it all go? We are in uncertain times. All bets--and assumptions-- appear to be off.

Mad Dog on the Markets: Get out now unless you can handle a lonnnnng wait:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27045699

NY Magazne on Wall Street, Fall of 2009:

http://nymag.com/news/businessfinance/bottomline/51007/

Dow drops under 10,000. WSJ: "Deepening fear that the global economy is ailing beyond the capacity of policy makers to cure it sent stocks sharply lower on Monday."

"The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 10000 as financial turmoil in Europe heightens. WSJ's David Gaffen parses the reasons behind the drop and how soon we can see the effects of the recently passed bailout bill. "(Oct. 6)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122328868571207285.html

The Euro is a coordinated currency among member nations without a central bank. Only the US can pump out cash as we are doing now, although its ultimate impact is unknown. The American dollar and Treasury strengthens as it is called on to provide reserves to other countries:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/3141428/Germany-takes-hot-seat-as-Europe-falls-into-the-abyss.html

But always a ray of sunshine; Capitalism to the Rescue: venture capital & emerging green technologies. The Next Frontier?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/magazine/05Green-t.html?ref=magazine