I Am Not Happy

I’m not happy when I see leaders (administrators) who spin their poor performances and poor leadership by sending emails glorifying achievements they accomplished not by their own decisions but through the luck and the good fortune of the situation.

I’m not happy when I see the only two choices I have for Governor is a candidate who is a puppet for the labor unions and Willie Brown Democrats and a candidate who thinks the best way to solve a problem is click the delete button.

I’m not happy that I cannot spend more time with my father.

I’m not happy when RR in Ann Arbor has an attitude about his job after only three wins over average at best teams, Mr. R you still have to beat that school to the south before you get to keep your job.

I’m not happy Stevie Y is in Tampa Bay, he’ll be back in Hockeytown.

I’m not happy until I get a “ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ snack”.

I’m not happy most drivers still cackle on their cells phones while driving and never use their turn signals.

I’m not happy when nieces and nephews do not send “thank you” notes.

I’m not happy when I drive on the I-94 freeway from Chicago to Detroit and there is a mileage marker every .2 miles – a waste of money and it drives you nuts.

I’m not happy that Representative John Boehner can get away with having a “fake” tan.

I’m not happy when I see Graduate students unable to write a complete, simple sentence or know how to research a subject.

I’m not happy when I see awarded Graduate degree individuals unable to write a complete, simple sentence or know how to organize their day or communicate effectively with others.

I’m not happy that I probably will have to pay more taxes this year.

I’m not happy when I have to share a bathroom.

I’m not happy when I do not know who is Mike Villines.

I’m not happy that it costs $9.00 for a watered down beer at the L.A. County Fair.

I’m not happy when I see the only qualification for working on L.A. local news is cleavage and knowing how to say “breaking news” in as many ways as possible.

I’m not happy when I cannot cheer up people I love who are sad.

I’m not happy when I have to drive Foothill Boulevard.

I’m not happy when I realize I have more email accounts than pairs of pants; I must be a “geek”.

I’m not happy that the only decent bar/restaurant east of Pasadena is in Arcadia, Matt Denny’s.

I’m not happy when organizations must resort to telemarketing firms to solicit donations instead of using their own employees and students.

I’m not happy that after 45 years of playing golf I still stink!!!!

I am happy now; I appreciate the opportunity to vent.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 9/25, number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) head to Arkansas (3-0) to take on number ten ranked Razorbacks at 1:30 PM ET, CBS. The Tide are four point favorites, give the points and pick Alabama to continue to be the best team in the country. Season to date (3-0).

NFL PICK OF THE WEEK – Sunday 9/26, Detroit Lions (0-2) @ Minnesota Vikings (0-2) at 1:00 PM ET, CBS. The winner of this game has a chance at a decent season, the loser can get ready for hockey. Minnesota is a ten point favorite, we take the points and go with Detroit to begin the long road back. Season to date (1-1).

SMALL COLLEGE PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 9/25, The Dutch of Central College (3-0) at The Kohawks of Coe College (3-0), 2:00 PM ET. The Iowa Conference has never had two top ten ranked teams meet before. We take Coe to beat Central College by a score of 21 - 17, in this huge inter-conference game. Season to date (2-0).

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Michael Douglas (66), Faith Hill (43), Guy La Fleur (59), Tom Lasorda (83), Sophia Loren (76), Bill Murray (60), Lute Olson (76), Bruce Springsteen (61), Ava Suffredini (5), Julius Walecki…famous economist.

OUTLAW PLASTIC BAGS IN CA - The bill, carried in the Senate by Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles, received just 14 votes on the final night of the legislative session. Six Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the measure to ban single-use plastic bags statewide. The bill "had been the subject of a furious lobbying campaign by the plastic bag manufacturing industry, which called it a job killer. It would have been the first statewide ban, although a few California cities already prohibit their use."

Will we ever have leadership in environmental policies in this country? With plastic bags in California and throughout the country and wet lands recovery in Louisana – this generation of leaders is leaving the world a far worse place for the next generation.

MEDIAWATCH - “News-hungry public still using 'old media,'” by Howard Kurtz (“Media Notes” column on Style front): “A new Pew Research Center study says that on a given day, Americans spend 57 minutes getting the news from television, newspapers or radio, just as they did in 2000. But they spend an additional 13 minutes each day consuming news on the Web -- a figure that doesn't even include stories viewed on cellphones. … Andrew Kohut, the center's president, … noted that nearly one in 10 people under 30 volunteered that they read the New York Times online when asked to name a few Web sites they use for news and information.”

COMING SEPT. 24 -- “Waiting for 'Superman,'” a sobering documentary by Davis Guggenheim, director of “An Inconvenient Truth” - Synopsis, from Paramount Vantage and Participant Media: “The movie exposes several uncomfortable truths about the present state of public education in the U.S.: A shocking number of students in the United States attend schools where they have virtually no chance of learning-failure factories likelier to produce drop-outs than college graduates … In many school districts around the country, admittance to the best public schools is determined through a lottery system, where our kids are either 'winners' or 'losers' … Most school districts are unable to reward great teachers or fire bad teachers, so instead they're transferred from school to school, or suspended with full pay for years, doing nothing.”

The call to action and reform, spelled out on screen during the credits: “Our system is broken And it feels impossible to fix But we can't wait … We know what works -- quality teachers, more classroom time, world class standards, high expectations, real accountability … The problem is complex - but the steps are simple: It starts with teachers becoming the very best, leaders removing the barriers to change, neighbors committed to their school, you willing to act.

LOST DECADE INDEED - No way to spin the Census numbers as anything less than horrifying. The aughts were simply terrible for the non-rich in America. Just a couple of the grim facts: poverty rate up to 14.3 percent in 2009; median household income adjusted for inflation down 4.8 percent. Bottom line: Life in middle class and below America is getting steadily worse and there is nothing on the horizon likely to change that. And we wonder why so many people are really, really angry and casting around for something different.

COLIN POWELL, who endorsed Barack Obama in 2008, tells NBC's David Gregory on "Meet the Press": "The President ... has to, I think, shift the way in which he has been doing things. I think the American people feel that too many programs have come down. There are so many rocks in our knapsack now that we're having trouble carrying it. I think the president has to, like a razor blade, just go right after the single issue that is uppermost in the minds of the American people, and that's employment. And he's done a lot with health care, with cap-and-trade, with education. And I understand the importance of all of that. But as far as the American People are concerned, the main attack is employment. ... I think he has lost some of the ability to connect that he had during the campaign. And it is not just me picking on the President. It's reflected in the polling."

HIGHLIGHT REEL – Michigan State Spartans “great call” to beat Notre Dame this past Saturday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNdCbC36Qyk

Next week: Our monthly economics review and our Jackass of the month.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
September 20, 2010