End of the Year!

The last day of 2018.  A time to look back or a time to look ahead?  Maybe a little of both, or maybe neither.

Let’s try looking back first.  Not much to like or praise.  Dysfunction, chaos, inward looking in the U.S.  And when looking outward, much the same.  A trade war that is lose-lose for everyone.  Betraying allies.  Betraying alliances.  No longer a country that stands for morals and humanity.

And other countries aren’t doing a lot better.  Inequality growing.  Global wars and violence continuing unabated.  Democracy losing ground to nativism.  As the U.S. retreats Russia and China gain ground.  Europe in protest.  Brexit a symbol of what’s wrong not only in the U.K.

Enough looking back.  How about looking forward?  Painful.  More of the same and the picture looks dismal.  Skepticism and cynicism abound.  Should we give in and give up?  I hate to say ‘yes,’ but if had to make a bet . . .?

So we’re left with the present, today.  Now.  That doesn’t look too bad.  The sun is shining.  I am in my bubble, able to not focus on all that bad stuff, but to be grateful for my many blessings.  I think I’ll relax and stay here for a while.

Happy New Year!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

The market is tanking and the Feds raise the interest rate.  Either they’re smarter than the rest of us or they’ve got a plan and they’re stickin’ to it.

CBS says Moonves will not get his $120 million severance.  Moonves is defending himself, to the tune of $20 in legal fees.  And CBS is paying his legal fees.  Wha???

Mourinho is out as Man U manager.  No surprise.  Again he doesn’t make it to three years with a club.  The usual outspoken one “is not talking” about his sacking.  Is Jose getting smart in his old age?

The new Mary Poppins movie is a yawner.  Again, no surprise.  As the song says, “When will they ever learn?  When will they ever learn?”

Flynn says he was tricked into pleading guilty.  The judge says Flynn has been a bad boy.  Flynn backs down.  Sometimes a retreat is the better part of valor.

The Trump Foundation, accused of being a criminal enterprise, closes up shop.  Another witch hunt?  Doesn’t look like it.  A scam?  There you go – now the picture looks right.

Vaping and nicotine are in a partnership.  More and more teenagers are vaping.  More and more teenagers are addicted and won’t stop.  All of a sudden people are getting concerned.  Where have they been?  Remember cigarettes?

Ruminations!

Bush 41’s death is a good excuse to compare what he represented and what we’ve got today.  Decency, patriotism, courage, humanity – versus – (fill in the blanks).

Does it mean anything that most of the people on the obituaries page are younger than I am?

If money is the root of all evil in American politics, what are the chances that it will not continue to be that way?

In reporting college results in the Chronicle sports section they refuse to make it clear whether the teams are male or female.  Must be some misguided attempt to demonstrate that they don’t engage in gender discrimination. 

The Dems are wasting no time in coming out of the woodwork for 2020.  Warren, Harris, Biden?  Yes, yes, yes.  Bloomberg, O’Rourke, Sharrod Brown?  Good possibilities.  And many more.

Will the Giants have a winning season in 2019?  Hope springs eternal in the springtime, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

As it stands, for the Brits Brexit is not a sure thing.  Will they, should they vote again?  From here it looks like that would be a good idea.  But here is not there, so who knows what’ll happen?

A trade war with China (or anyone else) is a lose-lose proposition.  Why, then, do so many people support it?  I don’t have an answer.

Is there a common thread for all this?  “Uncertainty” is the leading candidate.  In the fullness of time, all be revealed.  Maybe!