Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Why Walk When You Can Run
Yesterday was a rainy Seattle summer day and Shawn called saying that he was heading to the Aquarium with the kids. As the Aquarium is just across the street, I offered to join them. It's so fun to see Sylvia really engaged in looking at the fish. It's as if she just realized that these are interesting alive beings. In any case, she is beginning to walk, run really, and squealing in delight the whole time, with only a little helping hand. Here are photos from our day.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Dissing On Big Oil And Other Topics
I'm getting a lot of emails from organizations protesting oil companies big profits and grab for more land to drill. The following from the Sierra Club.
August 19, 2008: In This Edition of the Insider Stand Up to Big Oil!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Drill of It All
Did you know that oil companies are already sitting on 68 million acres of leases that they aren't even drilling? Which kind of makes you wonder: Why are Big Oil and its allies suddenly desperate to get their hands on the last few places that are still protected -- our natural treasures, wildlife refuges, and pristine coastlines? They wouldn't use the concerns caused by high gas prices as an excuse to grab it ALL, would they?
Check out our map showing how much of our country Big Oil has already got and spread the word by forwarding it to friends who agree: Enough is enough.
So far, one woman has stood up to Big Oil. Let's thank Speaker Pelosi for keeping a cool head and holding out for real solutions.
Moveon.org sent one on ExxonMobil's big $13.5 tax break:
Right now, even as they make the biggest profits in American history, oil companies like ExxonMobil are getting $13.5 billion in tax breaks.
But in September, all that could change. Democratic leaders in Congress are bringing a bill to the floor that would strip these tax giveaways. Which means that solar and wind power would have more of a fair chance against big oil on the free market.
Of course, some Republicans are trying to block this from happening--oil and gas companies overwhelmingly support Republic candidates. So we need to make a lot of noise if we want Congress to listen.
They go on to urge voters to make their voice heard with by signing a petition that calls for "No more tax breaks for big oil companies. Invest this money in clean energy sources like solar and wind instead."
And it's not just Big Oil getting big tax breaks. Fuse recently sent an email: Close corporate buyouts tax loophole
It's so beyond the pale that it almost sounds like an internet hoax, but unfortunately its true. The "Buyout Billionaires" tax loophole allows wealthy buyout CEOs to pay a lower tax rate than regular folks like teachers, nurses and firefighters.
Using loopholes in the tax code, the titans of the buyout industry manage to amass incredible personal fortunes while their companies pay a lower tax rate than working class citizens. We believe these kinds of abuses undermine the basic notion of fairness that our tax system should be based on, as well as our country's economic health.
I couldn't agree more.
Finally this from a recent issue of Parade Magazine, The World's Richest Nation?
Despite what the Presidential candidates are saying, America is not the world's richest nation. If you run the numbers, Switzerland has a higher median household income ($62,000, compared on our $48,000). And, at $44,000, our per capita GDP (the amount of national income generated per citizen) has fallen to third: The tiny nation of Luxenborg leads the way, with $78,000; Norway is second, with $52,000. Last year, the number of millionaires in China, Russia, and India grew aster than in the U.S.
Income inequality also is greater in the U.S. than in other developed nations, and some economist believe that makes us more vulnerable to hitting the skids than the rest of the world. "Low-wealth children are unlikely to become high-wealth adults, while high-wealth children are very likely to become high-wealth adults," says Dalton Conley of the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank. That should sound alarms for policymakers."
One more article in the Seattle Times: Economy punches hole into American Dream, Standard of living hasn't risen in 5 years for majority polled, worry over kids' future.
Work hard, play by the rules and tomorrow will be better than today. That implicit promise has been at the core of American experience through good times and bad.
But now, whipsawed by plummeting home values, $4-a-gallon gas, rising food prices and gyrating financial markets, Americans increasingly fear that the national bargain has unraveled, that their once-steady march toward affluence has derailed.
And news that confirms everyone's suspicion that the few (corporate executives) are robbing their corporations, their workers, and the rest of American citizens, this from the Seattle Times Business section:
CEO Pay/ The Northwest's five top-paid CEOs last year received compensation worth a combined $93 million; however, the median bonus was down 16 percent, a reflection of the economic slowdown.
It occurs to me that while these CEOs are making obscene amounts of money in flagrant disregard to the well being of their employees, but also to the health of the economy, at the same time they are shipping jobs overseas in the interest of cost cutting and making other countrymen very wealthy. Where is the outrage, I ask, and so does a Wall Street Journal article: Why No Outrage. Through history, outrageous financial behavior has been met with outrage. But today Wall Street's damaging recklessness has been met with near-silence, from a too-tolerant populace argues James Grant. (WSJ, Weekend Journal, July 19-20, 2008)
'Nuff said.
August 19, 2008: In This Edition of the Insider Stand Up to Big Oil!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Drill of It All
Did you know that oil companies are already sitting on 68 million acres of leases that they aren't even drilling? Which kind of makes you wonder: Why are Big Oil and its allies suddenly desperate to get their hands on the last few places that are still protected -- our natural treasures, wildlife refuges, and pristine coastlines? They wouldn't use the concerns caused by high gas prices as an excuse to grab it ALL, would they?
Check out our map showing how much of our country Big Oil has already got and spread the word by forwarding it to friends who agree: Enough is enough.
So far, one woman has stood up to Big Oil. Let's thank Speaker Pelosi for keeping a cool head and holding out for real solutions.
Moveon.org sent one on ExxonMobil's big $13.5 tax break:
Right now, even as they make the biggest profits in American history, oil companies like ExxonMobil are getting $13.5 billion in tax breaks.
But in September, all that could change. Democratic leaders in Congress are bringing a bill to the floor that would strip these tax giveaways. Which means that solar and wind power would have more of a fair chance against big oil on the free market.
Of course, some Republicans are trying to block this from happening--oil and gas companies overwhelmingly support Republic candidates. So we need to make a lot of noise if we want Congress to listen.
They go on to urge voters to make their voice heard with by signing a petition that calls for "No more tax breaks for big oil companies. Invest this money in clean energy sources like solar and wind instead."
And it's not just Big Oil getting big tax breaks. Fuse recently sent an email: Close corporate buyouts tax loophole
It's so beyond the pale that it almost sounds like an internet hoax, but unfortunately its true. The "Buyout Billionaires" tax loophole allows wealthy buyout CEOs to pay a lower tax rate than regular folks like teachers, nurses and firefighters.
Using loopholes in the tax code, the titans of the buyout industry manage to amass incredible personal fortunes while their companies pay a lower tax rate than working class citizens. We believe these kinds of abuses undermine the basic notion of fairness that our tax system should be based on, as well as our country's economic health.
I couldn't agree more.
Finally this from a recent issue of Parade Magazine, The World's Richest Nation?
Despite what the Presidential candidates are saying, America is not the world's richest nation. If you run the numbers, Switzerland has a higher median household income ($62,000, compared on our $48,000). And, at $44,000, our per capita GDP (the amount of national income generated per citizen) has fallen to third: The tiny nation of Luxenborg leads the way, with $78,000; Norway is second, with $52,000. Last year, the number of millionaires in China, Russia, and India grew aster than in the U.S.
Income inequality also is greater in the U.S. than in other developed nations, and some economist believe that makes us more vulnerable to hitting the skids than the rest of the world. "Low-wealth children are unlikely to become high-wealth adults, while high-wealth children are very likely to become high-wealth adults," says Dalton Conley of the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank. That should sound alarms for policymakers."
One more article in the Seattle Times: Economy punches hole into American Dream, Standard of living hasn't risen in 5 years for majority polled, worry over kids' future.
Work hard, play by the rules and tomorrow will be better than today. That implicit promise has been at the core of American experience through good times and bad.
But now, whipsawed by plummeting home values, $4-a-gallon gas, rising food prices and gyrating financial markets, Americans increasingly fear that the national bargain has unraveled, that their once-steady march toward affluence has derailed.
And news that confirms everyone's suspicion that the few (corporate executives) are robbing their corporations, their workers, and the rest of American citizens, this from the Seattle Times Business section:
CEO Pay/ The Northwest's five top-paid CEOs last year received compensation worth a combined $93 million; however, the median bonus was down 16 percent, a reflection of the economic slowdown.
It occurs to me that while these CEOs are making obscene amounts of money in flagrant disregard to the well being of their employees, but also to the health of the economy, at the same time they are shipping jobs overseas in the interest of cost cutting and making other countrymen very wealthy. Where is the outrage, I ask, and so does a Wall Street Journal article: Why No Outrage. Through history, outrageous financial behavior has been met with outrage. But today Wall Street's damaging recklessness has been met with near-silence, from a too-tolerant populace argues James Grant. (WSJ, Weekend Journal, July 19-20, 2008)
'Nuff said.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sculptor James Kelsey
We were checking out property in the Port Orchard area and came upon an artist studio with this Tsunami sculpture and many other large sculptures dotting the large corner yard. I quickly scribbled the artists website into my notebook and visited his website today at www.jameskelseystudios.com.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
How Hot It Is! Staycation In Super-Heated Seattle
Shawn and Tom cool down with Andy and Sylvia in Colman Pool.
It's hot in Seattle so Tom and I have been making the most of it. On Friday, we headed to Colman Pool for the family swim. It's the closest to a resort you'll find in public pools in Seattle. It's a large salt water pool on the beach facing Puget Sound and Vashon Island and they have lots of pool toys for kids, including 100s of little rubber duckies. Sylvia immediately grabbed a little duck in each hand and didn't let go until we left the pool. We finished with dinner on the beach there complete with roasted marshmellows and an incredible flaming red sunset. On Saturday, we took our boat from Ballard, stopping several times to jump in the water and swim for a few minutes, before picking up Cherise, Shawn, Andy and Sylvia from Magnuson Park and heading across to Yarrow Bay for dinner. It was a beautiful dinner above the water and best of all, next to us in the square, a group of families had gathered to watch an outdoor movie. Despite my best pleading that Sylvia really wanted to see The Goonies, Cherise insisted it was super late and little kids had to go to bed. In fact, Sylvia was asleep before we got across the lake. Andy, on the other hand was standing up saying -- "faster, grandpa, faster." Cherise has all of the great pictures of the evening on her camera so stay tuned.
Tom and I then headed down Lake Washington on a still very warm evening to anchor off Seward Park where we slept on the deck. It never cooled down but at some time in the night I awoke to distant thunder and lightening followed by a very tropical-like burst of a brief, light rain. We didn't even get wet, it must have evaporated quickly. Can anyone say -- Global Warming? The next morning, still very warm, we both jumped in the water before having tea and breakfast on the boat. We spent the entire day swimming our way back, stopping for lunch at Ivar's before reluctantly taking the boat out in Ballard.
We've made the most of the heat wave this weekend. Tomorrow, it's supposed to rain.
It's hot in Seattle so Tom and I have been making the most of it. On Friday, we headed to Colman Pool for the family swim. It's the closest to a resort you'll find in public pools in Seattle. It's a large salt water pool on the beach facing Puget Sound and Vashon Island and they have lots of pool toys for kids, including 100s of little rubber duckies. Sylvia immediately grabbed a little duck in each hand and didn't let go until we left the pool. We finished with dinner on the beach there complete with roasted marshmellows and an incredible flaming red sunset. On Saturday, we took our boat from Ballard, stopping several times to jump in the water and swim for a few minutes, before picking up Cherise, Shawn, Andy and Sylvia from Magnuson Park and heading across to Yarrow Bay for dinner. It was a beautiful dinner above the water and best of all, next to us in the square, a group of families had gathered to watch an outdoor movie. Despite my best pleading that Sylvia really wanted to see The Goonies, Cherise insisted it was super late and little kids had to go to bed. In fact, Sylvia was asleep before we got across the lake. Andy, on the other hand was standing up saying -- "faster, grandpa, faster." Cherise has all of the great pictures of the evening on her camera so stay tuned.
Tom and I then headed down Lake Washington on a still very warm evening to anchor off Seward Park where we slept on the deck. It never cooled down but at some time in the night I awoke to distant thunder and lightening followed by a very tropical-like burst of a brief, light rain. We didn't even get wet, it must have evaporated quickly. Can anyone say -- Global Warming? The next morning, still very warm, we both jumped in the water before having tea and breakfast on the boat. We spent the entire day swimming our way back, stopping for lunch at Ivar's before reluctantly taking the boat out in Ballard.
We've made the most of the heat wave this weekend. Tomorrow, it's supposed to rain.
Peter's in Prague Collaborating On A New Book
Peter in in Prague for a month, renting his Czech friend Robert Barta's apartment (he is a wonderful artist whose art work is featured above). He is there to collaborate with his university colleague and fellow professor (in Turkey, thus meeting in Prague) Tom on a new academic book. But pictures I am receiving show no serious book writing sessions, only mushroom gathering and eating, jam sessions, wine drinking, touring, and plenty of fun with old friends. Knowing how prolific Peter is, he is writing when he isn't touring, drinking and having fun. Glad you are keeping us posted, Pete.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Aquarium Visit, Sylvia's Almost Walking, Shawn's 34 Birthday
Shawn turned 34 last night and we celebrated at Anthony's Pier 66. It's usually a safe bet with children. Both kids wanted to sit on grandpa's lap and afterward Tom, who is usually neat as a pin and quite dapper, had tomato sauce down the front of his pants. The family photo was taken at the end of a nice evening.
Sylvia is standing, sometimes unaided, and walking, always aided. The once tranquil baby is now entering her active, exploration tot phase. In my office she pulls out paper from my printer, she feels around the table top for anything she can pull off, she's now opening kitchen doors and cabinets, and in my bedroom pulled everything out of two drawers leaving a pile on the floor before she took off to another room. As she was exploring my grandmother's credenza, I realized that she is the third generation to do so. Her hair is turning a golden brown and her eyes a baby bluish-gray. She'll be one years old next month.
While Cherise worked on a pressing deadline, I took the kids to the Aquarium across the street. Andy is getting old enough to really appreciate the touching pools and spent a great deal of time there. Sylvia is just beginning to engage in new surroundings and seemed much more aware of the fish, pointing and saying "that". Andy was exceptionally well behaved and is really trying hard to gently hug Sylvia. But as you can see from the picture, his best intentions are not always welcome. Andy wanted a picture in the octopus. Right after, a young man was being photographed by his wife and Andy suddenly popped into the photo with the man. Oh yeah, the octopus with two heads. I only wish I captured the surprised look of the man and the happy smile of Andy, but alas, it's on someone else's camera.
Sylvia is standing, sometimes unaided, and walking, always aided. The once tranquil baby is now entering her active, exploration tot phase. In my office she pulls out paper from my printer, she feels around the table top for anything she can pull off, she's now opening kitchen doors and cabinets, and in my bedroom pulled everything out of two drawers leaving a pile on the floor before she took off to another room. As she was exploring my grandmother's credenza, I realized that she is the third generation to do so. Her hair is turning a golden brown and her eyes a baby bluish-gray. She'll be one years old next month.
While Cherise worked on a pressing deadline, I took the kids to the Aquarium across the street. Andy is getting old enough to really appreciate the touching pools and spent a great deal of time there. Sylvia is just beginning to engage in new surroundings and seemed much more aware of the fish, pointing and saying "that". Andy was exceptionally well behaved and is really trying hard to gently hug Sylvia. But as you can see from the picture, his best intentions are not always welcome. Andy wanted a picture in the octopus. Right after, a young man was being photographed by his wife and Andy suddenly popped into the photo with the man. Oh yeah, the octopus with two heads. I only wish I captured the surprised look of the man and the happy smile of Andy, but alas, it's on someone else's camera.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
A Little Piece of Earth
A few months ago, Andy saw the moon in the sky and he said, "That's the moon. It's like a little piece of the earth." Cherise told me they had been learning about the earth at school, but to hear the word "earth" come out of a 3-year-old's mouth seemed really smart.
As soon as Sylvia could crawl, when she heard music she brightened up, promptly crawled to the piano, lifted herself up and, without even being able to see the keys, reached up and began to play with her little fingers. The kid knows music. (She was only about 8-9 months old when she revealed this talent.)
Both kids love to dance. A few weeks ago, I was taking care of both of them -- all day -- and in a desperate act, played the song Mamma Mia and picked up Sylvia and started dancing. Andy wanted to dance to so I put down Sylvia who promptly began to cry her complaint. What else could I do but pick up both kids, one in each arm and dance to not only that song but a few others by ABBA. Both kids thought it was pretty funny and fun and were laughing with each other. I, on the other hand, had sore arms as I was holding about 70 pounds together. By the end of the day, I was ready for the soaking tub and a glass of wine - or two.
The other day, Tom and I were bringing both kids to the pool in our car. Andy promptly fell asleep in his car seat. Sylvia, unaccustomed to not having to compete with Andy for our attention (he's very communicative these days), began talking very loud in a continuous stream of blabber but with the cadence of words. We couldn't see her (her seat faces the back of the car)and she couldn't see us, but that didn't stop her from getting her two words in while she could.
As soon as Sylvia could crawl, when she heard music she brightened up, promptly crawled to the piano, lifted herself up and, without even being able to see the keys, reached up and began to play with her little fingers. The kid knows music. (She was only about 8-9 months old when she revealed this talent.)
Both kids love to dance. A few weeks ago, I was taking care of both of them -- all day -- and in a desperate act, played the song Mamma Mia and picked up Sylvia and started dancing. Andy wanted to dance to so I put down Sylvia who promptly began to cry her complaint. What else could I do but pick up both kids, one in each arm and dance to not only that song but a few others by ABBA. Both kids thought it was pretty funny and fun and were laughing with each other. I, on the other hand, had sore arms as I was holding about 70 pounds together. By the end of the day, I was ready for the soaking tub and a glass of wine - or two.
The other day, Tom and I were bringing both kids to the pool in our car. Andy promptly fell asleep in his car seat. Sylvia, unaccustomed to not having to compete with Andy for our attention (he's very communicative these days), began talking very loud in a continuous stream of blabber but with the cadence of words. We couldn't see her (her seat faces the back of the car)and she couldn't see us, but that didn't stop her from getting her two words in while she could.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
More Andy Photos
We took Andy to soccer this week and afterwards we headed to the water for a quick dip on a hot and muggy day. The skidoo belongs to some nice young men who graciously let Andy sit on top and pose. Of course Andy was all -- "I want to ride it..." -- not yet Andy, maybe in 16 or so years. When we brought Andy home, Cherise and I heard plenty of "music" coming from the living room. There was Andy and Grandpa, playing about a dozen instruments together. It was pretty cute.
8-8-08 Lucky Birthday for Cherise
8-8-08 the Olympic Games began in China and Cherise celebrated her 37th year. To celebrate, we treated Cherise, Andy and Sylvia (Shawn was working)to a leisure lunch at Saltys (West Seattle). Andy drove our boat to the restaurant. The boy loves speed and not only steers the boat but puts on the gas. We sat outside in the perfect spot overlooking Elliot Bay and Seattle, and had a great lunch of seafood all around. It was pretty festive, what with Cherise's princess crown and all. Cherise then went home to prepare for a night out with the girls and Tom and I headed to Magnolia to swim with the kids. When we finally got a very tired Sylvia and Andy home to bed, Andy said, "this was a fun day." And it was.
Bike Oregon Adventure
Two days after returning from the Bay Area, we packed our bikes in the tricked out Ford Van -- Tom has put in a couch/bench (with storage underneath) that converts into a full-size bed(as my daughter said, "what, you can't sleep in a motel?") and we headed off to Astoria, Oregon for a three-day Bike Oregon trip that included some 2,000 other bicyclists. We arrived on Friday afternoon at Ft. Stevens, which sits on a spit of land that reaches out to the Columbia River on one side and the Ocean on the other. Soon after checking in, we got our dinner and settled in for a night of music (four great local bands played until 10 p.m.) There were plenty of families and kids were winding their way on bikes through the diners, people were dancing, and the weather cooperated with sunshine and perfect temperature. The next day we headed out on (what we thought was a leisure) ride of 40 miles. Some people went more than 60 miles. Everyone, including a father pulling behind him his three daughters, passed us up -- "on your left, on your left....". Of course we did have heavy all-terrain bikes with wheels two or so inches thick, still... Given our slow, labored speed, I thought -- seriously, we aren't young, we could have a coronary!" We completed the course and enjoyed dinner and wine and music and lots of camaraderie that night. But instead of heading out on a 60-mile course across the Columbia River on a narrow 4-mile bridge with the other couple of thousand people, we drove across and camped in Fort Canby on the Washington side, enjoying the beautiful beach (called Wakiki Beach for a reason) and the park that extends from the southern most point of land up quite a ways to Long Beach. We ate the Pelicano restaurant in Ilwaco that night (we brought no provisions, or utensils for that matter) and the staff and chef/owner were friendly and the food good (I highly recommend it if you are in Ilawco). The next day we biked around the park, hiked one of the Lewis & Clark trails, then headed up Long Beach and over to the park beyond Oysterville on Willapa Bay. We enjoyed Willapa Bay, and lingered so long, that we stayed the night on the other side of Willapa Bay in a campground. On the way out we purchased the best fresh Oysters and clams from a family-owned producer and when we got home invited our neighbors Bonnie and Byron to eat them with us, wanting to share our bounty.
I would highly recommend Bike Oregon and hope to do this again next year. We now know that we will need to train throughout this year to not only prepare us for Bike Oregon's weekend ride next year but for our bike trip in Croatia. (We have friends who tuned us into this bike trip and promptly signed up for Croatia 2009.)
I would highly recommend Bike Oregon and hope to do this again next year. We now know that we will need to train throughout this year to not only prepare us for Bike Oregon's weekend ride next year but for our bike trip in Croatia. (We have friends who tuned us into this bike trip and promptly signed up for Croatia 2009.)
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