Every age has its pop phenoms. Who can forget Tiny Tim singing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" in his first guest appearance on the "Laugh-In" television show in the late 1960s. He accompanied his high-pitched shrill voice with equally irritating ukulele strumming that first gained him attention on the streets around Harvard University's campus in Cambridge, Mass. His physical appearance, with long, curly red hair, a big hook nose and bulging eyes, was as strange as his music for that generation.
Still Tiny Tim was able to parley his street performing into a brief career as a novelty act that brought chuckles to the TV audiences of stars like Johnny Caron, Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason and others, as well as propelling him into a couple of movie roles and a stint as a Vegas night club performer. Entertaining people was less complicated in the 1960s and 70s than it is today. Good or bad, entertainers got on stage and did their thing in black and white or in living color. There was less hype, little techno-glitz and no ear-piercing electronics.
But the curiosities grab our attention in similar fashion today and the media is quick to sell them to us as being unique. Hence, the advent of Lady Gaga. A bizarre bundle of shapely high-strung glitter without the gold. Similar to Tiny Tim, there is very little of substance behind the Gaga performance artist and,if the lyrics of her tunes are understood, she is far from a lady.
Those limitations have not kept Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (the real name of this New York-born and trained musician)from turning a less-than-spectacular start in rock music into the latest pop style and sound super-nova in outlandish costumes and makeup. Dubbed electronic dance music, the cacophony of her performances apparently appeal to a tone-deaf generation brought up by punk and glam rockers. She understandably packs them in and is expected to do so next at the UCF Arena of the University of Central Florida in Orlando on January 3, 2010. What is less fathomable is the broad media attention that won this "lady" an audience with the real Queen of England and placed her on the front page of the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times on December 27, 2009.
Admittedly, 2009 was a slow year for enduring trend-setting statements in style, as the paper points out, but it calls Lady Gaga more than an ordinary pop star or fashion muse. She is the whole package, according to the Times, which sums up that "the voice without the package would equal a novelty act in a Singapore hotel lounge." That's pretty much the way Tiny Tim ended up. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga is laughing at us, laughing at her, all the way to the bank.
And, That's That...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Give 'em Hell, Obama!
As the U.S. economy starts to feel the blood flowing through its toes again, President Obama recently met with bankers to urge them to do more to stimulate greater circulation , but it's still not clear that they will administer the necessary transfusions of credit for a full recovery.
He reminded a dozen top bank CEOs at the White House that they received extraordinary assistance from American taxpayers to rebuild their industry -- and now that they're back on their feet, we expect an extraordinary commitment from them to help rebuild our economy.
"I made very clear that I have no intention of letting their lobbyists thwart reforms necessary to protect the American people. If they wish to fight common-sense consumer protections, that's a fight I'm more than willing to have," the President told them.
While most of the heavy hitters from the financial community were there to got the message it remains to be seen how they translate that into positive action. Among the most notable, Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO, of Goldman Sachs could not attend "due to inclement weather," the White House reported.
Mr. Blankfein and his firm, which is one of the biggest global investment banks, are the subject of an intriguing article in the January issue of Vanity Fair magazine. "Our return of the government's investment does not, in any way, end our obligations to the public interest," Blankfein reportedly wrote upon repaying the $10 billion that Goldman got in TARP funds. But, the article points out, "there are few concrete signs that Goldman is acting in accordance with that patriotic letter."
Instead, Goldman and other big players "are seeking exemptions to some proposed new (regulatory) requirements," according to the piece, that would shine a big spotlight on derivatives trading, which was a primary cause of the financial crisis. Obviously, Mr. Obama is going to have to get tougher.
And, That's That...
He reminded a dozen top bank CEOs at the White House that they received extraordinary assistance from American taxpayers to rebuild their industry -- and now that they're back on their feet, we expect an extraordinary commitment from them to help rebuild our economy.
"I made very clear that I have no intention of letting their lobbyists thwart reforms necessary to protect the American people. If they wish to fight common-sense consumer protections, that's a fight I'm more than willing to have," the President told them.
While most of the heavy hitters from the financial community were there to got the message it remains to be seen how they translate that into positive action. Among the most notable, Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO, of Goldman Sachs could not attend "due to inclement weather," the White House reported.
Mr. Blankfein and his firm, which is one of the biggest global investment banks, are the subject of an intriguing article in the January issue of Vanity Fair magazine. "Our return of the government's investment does not, in any way, end our obligations to the public interest," Blankfein reportedly wrote upon repaying the $10 billion that Goldman got in TARP funds. But, the article points out, "there are few concrete signs that Goldman is acting in accordance with that patriotic letter."
Instead, Goldman and other big players "are seeking exemptions to some proposed new (regulatory) requirements," according to the piece, that would shine a big spotlight on derivatives trading, which was a primary cause of the financial crisis. Obviously, Mr. Obama is going to have to get tougher.
And, That's That...
Friday, December 11, 2009
2010: 'Big Wait' for Better Times
Just days before the end of what Time Magazine calls "The Decade From Hell," and it's time to look ahead... no looking back. We all know where we've been and it isn't pretty on any score. Terrorism, the economy; natural disasters, the economy; street crime, the economy, wars; the economy...the economy...the economy.
No one issue has torn the fabric of our families, our communities, our nation and the world apart more than the economic meltdown of the past several years. The ability to weave those tattered fibers into a whole cloth of renewed prosperity is the most pressing concern for all of us as we look forward.
So what does 2010 and the ensuing years of the next decade hold in store for us? 2010 can probably be categorized as "The Big Wait." We'll all be waiting to see if the agenda set in motion by President Obama begins to turn things around in a meaningful way for the average person. Wall Street has recovered and the big banks, for the most part, have paid back their TARP bailout money with the huge profits they are already earning. Good for them. Even retail spending was on the mend in November and consumer confidence showed an up tick, the New York Times tells us today. Hopefully, that spending is not all on credit cards, which can make matters worse for everyone but the banks.
It remains to be seen how the bankers respond to the opportunity taxpayers have given them to now become a significant part of the solution for economic growth. A large increase in smart lending for business development would be an indication that they understand the error of their previous ways. But, hey, no recriminations.
The big unknown for the immediate future is what will happen on Main Street, where the current recession has been felt the deepest by real people. "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, but a depression is when you lose your job." That's how my father explained the difference to me long ago and he knew whereof he spoke. He dug up tree stumps for the WPA so that my mother could feed me Gerber's baby food in 1938.
So for one out of ten Americans we have been in a depression and it won't end until unemployment in the nation is at least cut in half. That will not happen quickly, according to the experts, who have told us that job creation is the last vestige of economic recovery. So there's no predicting how long the "Big Wait" will last. Meantime, white wine and bicycles will be in vogue in 2010, says an outlook by the Economist, among other prognostications made by the international economic magazine. Let's toast the coming of 2010 with positive anticipation.
And, That's That...
No one issue has torn the fabric of our families, our communities, our nation and the world apart more than the economic meltdown of the past several years. The ability to weave those tattered fibers into a whole cloth of renewed prosperity is the most pressing concern for all of us as we look forward.
So what does 2010 and the ensuing years of the next decade hold in store for us? 2010 can probably be categorized as "The Big Wait." We'll all be waiting to see if the agenda set in motion by President Obama begins to turn things around in a meaningful way for the average person. Wall Street has recovered and the big banks, for the most part, have paid back their TARP bailout money with the huge profits they are already earning. Good for them. Even retail spending was on the mend in November and consumer confidence showed an up tick, the New York Times tells us today. Hopefully, that spending is not all on credit cards, which can make matters worse for everyone but the banks.
It remains to be seen how the bankers respond to the opportunity taxpayers have given them to now become a significant part of the solution for economic growth. A large increase in smart lending for business development would be an indication that they understand the error of their previous ways. But, hey, no recriminations.
The big unknown for the immediate future is what will happen on Main Street, where the current recession has been felt the deepest by real people. "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, but a depression is when you lose your job." That's how my father explained the difference to me long ago and he knew whereof he spoke. He dug up tree stumps for the WPA so that my mother could feed me Gerber's baby food in 1938.
So for one out of ten Americans we have been in a depression and it won't end until unemployment in the nation is at least cut in half. That will not happen quickly, according to the experts, who have told us that job creation is the last vestige of economic recovery. So there's no predicting how long the "Big Wait" will last. Meantime, white wine and bicycles will be in vogue in 2010, says an outlook by the Economist, among other prognostications made by the international economic magazine. Let's toast the coming of 2010 with positive anticipation.
And, That's That...
Monday, December 7, 2009
Feed the 'Tiger' of Wisdom
Ever since our ancestors first started chasing rocks around a field of play, we have demanded too much from the character of our athletes. Talented though they may be at their respective games and as valuable as that is to mass marketers, anyone who makes a living playing with a ball into adulthood probably suffers from arrested social development. We, therefore, should not be surprised when some of the best of them misstep off the playing field, especially when we heap so much praise and "dinero" on them. Sports figures and other entertainers (that's what they are, really) are not the only notable transgressors of late. You need two hands to count the number of politicians that have been caught with their pants down recently. It seems money and power make some people think that they can get away with almost anything. Who can forget Bernie Madoff?
That's our mistake as a society. We place too much value on competitive games, like politics and sports, and the people who play them. Not enough on character-building endeavors in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. That's just not sexy enough.
The next frontpage of the New York Post should picture a math teacher from Queens with two starlets on his arms as they hit the night clubs. Maybe that will excite more kids about learning from real role models, who can provide the tools for a productive and realistic life. Then, maybe it will matter less about how many scores are on Tiger's golf card.
And, That's That...
That's our mistake as a society. We place too much value on competitive games, like politics and sports, and the people who play them. Not enough on character-building endeavors in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. That's just not sexy enough.
The next frontpage of the New York Post should picture a math teacher from Queens with two starlets on his arms as they hit the night clubs. Maybe that will excite more kids about learning from real role models, who can provide the tools for a productive and realistic life. Then, maybe it will matter less about how many scores are on Tiger's golf card.
And, That's That...
Health Care Reform on the Backs of the Elderly?
There's something about the air in Washington, D.C. that apparently addles the brain of lawmakers. Witness the debate in the U.S. Senate on proposed cuts to home health care services for the elderly in order to pay part of the bill for expanding health care coverage to 30 million additional Americans.
Under the proposal, according to the New York Times on Saturday (December 6, 2009), home care would absorb a disproportionate share of the cuts.It currently accounts for 3.7 percent of the Medicare budget, but would absorb 10.2 percent of the savings squeezed from Medicare by the House bill and 9.4 percent of savings in the Senate bill, says the Congressional Budget Office. Over the next 10 years, that translates into a $55 billion cut if the House version prevails or $43 billion if the Senate has its way. Any way you slice it, that's a substantial reduction to a service that you'd think would be untouchable, because it keeps the elderly out of hospitals and nursing homes, which are more costly to the Medicare system in the long run given the rapidly aging population.
Perhaps U.S. lawmakers should check out a new report on health care strategies for an aging society that was prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (www.GetinsideHealth.com) before slashing coverage for the elderly. The international news magazine was commissioned by the Phillips Lifeline medical alert service to explore future directions for health care systems.
"People tend to put older people in a ghetto and talk about them as an added burden for everyone else. We have to 'mainstream' aging, and not keep it a segregated issue," says Susan Eng, vice president, advocacy for CARP, the largest advocacy association for older Canadians, in an advitorial for the study. That seems like sound advice for lawmakers who are coming up for re-election next year.
And, That's That...
Under the proposal, according to the New York Times on Saturday (December 6, 2009), home care would absorb a disproportionate share of the cuts.It currently accounts for 3.7 percent of the Medicare budget, but would absorb 10.2 percent of the savings squeezed from Medicare by the House bill and 9.4 percent of savings in the Senate bill, says the Congressional Budget Office. Over the next 10 years, that translates into a $55 billion cut if the House version prevails or $43 billion if the Senate has its way. Any way you slice it, that's a substantial reduction to a service that you'd think would be untouchable, because it keeps the elderly out of hospitals and nursing homes, which are more costly to the Medicare system in the long run given the rapidly aging population.
Perhaps U.S. lawmakers should check out a new report on health care strategies for an aging society that was prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (www.GetinsideHealth.com) before slashing coverage for the elderly. The international news magazine was commissioned by the Phillips Lifeline medical alert service to explore future directions for health care systems.
"People tend to put older people in a ghetto and talk about them as an added burden for everyone else. We have to 'mainstream' aging, and not keep it a segregated issue," says Susan Eng, vice president, advocacy for CARP, the largest advocacy association for older Canadians, in an advitorial for the study. That seems like sound advice for lawmakers who are coming up for re-election next year.
And, That's That...
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