My Blog

Run Michele, Run...

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:12:59 -0400

What can I say! Living on the ocean is simply the best. Another beautiful sunrise over Broad Sound and Mass Bay. The camera was set to Aperture Priority mode with a F5.6, ISO 400, with -1/3 stop on the lens. The sensor calculated the exposure time as 1/2000th second.

Congresswoman Michele Bachman of Minnesota was in New Hampshire to address the GOP faithful last weekend. And to her great credit she once again showed the world just how stupid she is. In her opening remarks she referred to the “shot heard round the world” in association with New Hampshire. A great line except it is historically incorrect since Lexington and Concord happen to be in Massachusetts.

My fondest hope is that Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman both seek the GOP nomination for the office of President of the United States. I cannot imagine how much fun it would be to watch those two try to have a substantive conversation about the issues that face our country today. So I say Run Michele! Run!

Here are some more of her quotes:

“Not all cultures are equal.”

“And what a bizarre time we’re in, when a judge will say to little children that you can’t say the pledge of allegiance, but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it.”

“I find it interesting that in was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then and under another Democrat, president Jimmy Carter. And I’m not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it’s an interesting coincidence.”

“Gay marriage is probably the biggest issue that will impact dour state and our nation in the last, at least, thirty years. I am not understating that.”

“A woman (Terri Schiavo) was healthy. There was brain damage, there was no question. But from a health point of view, she was not terminally ill.”

“Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn’t even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas.”

“If we took away the minimum wage- If conceivably it was gone - we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.”

“There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, may of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.”

I can’t make this stuff up. These are just a few of the quotes I found online when I looked. Miss Bachman proves the point in today’s quote.

I’ve Made Up My Mind, Now Give Me The Facts...

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 11:29:29 -0500

Today’s sunrise demanded attention. It literally woke me up. After I opened my eyes and looked it was off to find the camera. I took this in Aperture priority mode and set set the camera to F5.6, ISO 400, -1/3 stop on the lens. The sensor calculated the exposure time as 1/320th second.

Yesterday was another staged hearing in which Republicans showed why they are unfit to govern by coming to the hearing having made up their mind before they heard the facts. The hearing was titled “The Consequences of ObamaCare”. Can anyone guess what was about to happen?

In her opening statement one of the Republican congresswomen declared to Governor Duval Patrick of Massachusetts that she was “Looking forward to what you have to say about a failed program in your state, MassachusettsCare.” Sounds like she has her mind made up before she hears any testimony.

Then Duval Patrick, who was the only person in the room who has implemented the Mitt Romney designed universal health care program in Massachusetts got to give them some facts; MassachusettsCare is working. The program has met many of its goals, the state has been fine tuning the law and Mitt Romney is to be given a great deal of credit. Oops!

In my view the hearing accomplished two goals: first It exposed the Republicans for what they are... Thoughtless ideologues who value their beliefs over the facts and, second it put another nail in the coffin of Mitt Romney’s presidential aspirations.

You have to feel sorry for the Mittster. He had the unfortunate luck to be living in Massachusetts when he decided he wanted to be President of the United States. He first ran against Ted Kennedy for the US Senate where he supported choice and gay rights. That didn’t work.

He somewhat rehabilitated his reputation as a politician by successfully turning around the 2000 Utah Winter Olympics. He returned to Massachusetts and was successful in pulling a coup on Jane Swift the then Republican Governor of Massachusetts. He was elected Governor in 2002.

After being elected governor Mitt spent the next four years traveling around the country and bashing the state of Massachusetts. He did not run for re-election in 2006. Supposedly because he wanted to concentrate on his run for the Presidency. The fact is that he couldn’t have been re-elected. He had already pooped in his own bed. Dumb.

But, he did one good thing; he worked with the Democrats to pass MassachusettsCare, now referred to by the right wing conservatives as RomneyCare. This and the fact that he is a mormon is why he will never win the Republican nomination for President.

Budget Showdown...

Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:44:08 -0500

It’s that time of year when I really long for warm weather and spring. The days are longer and the sun is a bit higher in the sky. You can feel the warmth trying to overcome the cold. I took today’s photo this morning using indirect natural light. The camera was set in Aperture Priority mode and set to F5.6, ISO 400, -1/3 stop on the lens. The sensor calculated the exposure as 1/50th second.

Debate begins today in the House on a compromise bill to fund government operations beyond this Saturday, March 5th. If a comprise is not reached non-essential federal employees and departments will begin the process of shutting down. The main players in this game of brinkmanship are the cryBoehner led GOP congress emboldened by the Tea Party conservatives and the President of the United States.

Several weeks ago President Obama sent his budget plan to congress. In it he proposed a modest $1.4 Trillion reduction in spending over 10 years. The GOP led house passed a budget calling for a $61B reduction in spending between now and the end of September. Conservatives have attacked the President’s budget plan for being timid and not addressing Medicare and Medicaid.

The compromise spending bill being debated today in the house is a two week extension in spending authority but scaled back $4B dollars. This reduction in spending is in line with the GOP proposed budget bill but the cuts are directed more at the President’s budget priorities. Supposedly they would pass one week extensions with $2B in cuts each time. It would still require passage in the Senate before being sent to the President.

Last week I wrote about what would happen if we reduce spending to the levels demanded by the Tea Party and The Republicans. I said that it would cost 400,000 jobs over the next 7 months. Turns out I was wrong. Yesterday the Daily Beast reported “...Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi says the Republican plan to cut federal spending by $61 billion this year would destroy 700,000 jobs through 2012...”

A government shutdown will be a political disaster for sure. As to which party is blamed that question won’t be answered until the 2012 election.

I believe the American people want Washington to provide for the “common good” and “defense” of this nation. What we want them to do is provide a level playing field though sensible regulation and oversight that rewards business for creating jobs in America and punishes them when they do not.

What the American people want is a regulatory environment where the financial market system cannot simply collapse. What we want is a sensible energy policy that has the goal of eliminating our dependence in foreign oil. What we want is for the very wealthy to pay their fair share.

For sure this is not the Republican agenda. But, what the heck, I’m a highly partisan Yellow Dog Democrat.

A Million Points of Light...

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:03:54 -0500

Since the name of the Condo where Taryn and I live is Seal Harbor I thought I should demonstrate how we got the name. Today’s exposure was taken by Mike Rinaldi this past November. Mike is a fellow resident here at Seal Harbor. Mike lives on the north side of the condo (we live on the south) where the harbor seals can be spotted sunning themselves in the cooler months. He took this exposure using a Nikon SLR with a 300 mm lens. The camera was set at F8, ISO 400, and 1/1000 second. Thank you Mike...

The great thing about living on the south side of our condo is the radiant heat we get in the winter. Our heat pump seldom runs during the daylight hours. What’s even better is that our balcony is somewhat sheltered and as soon as the air temperature gets into the 30s I can sit out on the balcony in shirt sleeves. I’ve started working on my color already.

Today is bright sun and no clouds. The breeze is light from the northwest. I’ve been able to spend about an hour sitting on the balcony and intend to get a bit more before the sun gets much lower in the sky. While sitting and admiring the ocean I couldn’t help but think about all the light that was being reflected. I was as though I was looking into a million points of light that were constantly flashing and changing shape.

What a great day to spend on the ocean. Enjoy your day and hug someone you love...

Happy Birthday Brother

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:26:12 -0500

Today’s exposure is one of my favorites. I took this photo on this date in 2007. The camera was set to F11, ISO 1600, 1/640th second.

Today is my brother’s birthday. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell everyone that I think my brother, David, is a special guy. In fact I think my whole family is pretty special as I’m sure many of you feel that way about your family. There is just something special about being in a family. But, on this day, my hat is off to Anthony David Bailey. My brother, my friend, and an overall pretty good man. Happy Birthday brother!

Our mother Eve passed away in 1976. Her funeral was the last time all 5 of the Bailey siblings were all together for many years. We were spread all over the world busy with our careers and families. We would have occasions were three or four of us were together but not all of us. But in 1993 we had our first Bailey family reunion and have carried on the tradition since then.

Each year we gather at David and Linda’s house in Bartlesville on Thanksgiving Day and celebrate as a family. The crowd varies every year because the nieces and nephews are working on their careers, getting married and starting their own families, etc.. Except for Norma, Eve and AD’s crew are all there. It has become my favorite time of year.

Each year after the Thanksgiving dinner is cleared we have a grudge Trivia Pursuit game; girls against the boys. Current bragging rights belong to the boys and we’ve been trash talking the girls all year. But I don’t expect that to last forever and expect we’ll hate the entire year the next time we loose to the girls. I know I will because Captain Bailey certainly knows how to trash talk.

So today, I celebrate my brother David! Thanks for being you. Thanks for being a big brother I can be proud of.

Creating Jobs...

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:34:47 -0500

Today’s exposure is yesterday’s sunrise. I woke up and saw this out my bedroom window and made a mad scramble to get out of bed, get my PJ’s on and get myself onto the balcony to catch this shot. The camera is set to aperture priority mode; F4, ISO 400, -2/3 stop on the lens. The sensor calculated the exposure time as 1/800th second.

The Republicans swore to the American people that they were going to be focused like a laser on job creation. But let’s look at what they have actually done. They have been in power in the house for over 4 weeks and have not passed a single bill that will create a job. In fact they have done exactly the opposite. Yesterday they passed a interim spending bill intended to fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year ending September 30th. This bill reduced funding by $60 Billion dollars. A real savings for the American taxpayer. Really?

Let’s look at what this bill would really do. First of all, when analyzing any budget you should assume that 2/3 of the money goes to people and benefits and that 1/3 goes for materials, etc.. In that case American businesses are going to lose $20 B in payments for goods and services from the government for stuff and there is going to be a $40 Billion payroll savings. That $40 B adsorbed over the next 7 months will come out to the elimination of about 400,000 jobs. That’s not job creation folks that is job destruction.

The Republican’s do not have a clue what they are doing. Does anyone think that putting another 400,000 Americans out of work is a good idea. I don’t.

But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The senate is unlikely to pass a funding bill anywhere close to the house bill. And, if they did the President would veto that bill. So it isn’t going to happen. It just isn’t going to happen. But what does that likely mean.

Well cryBoehner, the Republican Speaker of the House, is unyielding in his position and says that there isn’t going to be a compromise on funding for the rest of the year. That sets us up to see a shut down in the federal government. May cryBoehner should give Newt a call and ask him how it worked out last time.

Until someone starts having an adult conversation about how to run this country and how to solve our financial difficulties it is the American people who are going suffer. But the ideologues have no intention of discussing anything that works. Until we implement a tax policy that has the wealthiest of us paying their fair share, until we have a sensible energy policy, until we figure out that we can’t spend $1.3 Trillion a year on the military and two wars we are not going to make progress.

The Republicans say they are about jobs. Bull Shit! They are about the wishes of the very wealthy. They don’t care if you have a job at all. Look at what they do not what they say!

And as usual I can’t pass up taking a shot at the Catholic Church. They have been apologizing for the sexual abuse crisis repeatedly over the last 9 years. But what have they done. They have fought fundamental change at every opportunity. The have denied, lied, obfuscated, and a bunch of other stuff and continue to do so in hopes that the problem will just go away.

What got me going is that Boston’s esteemed Cardinal Sean O’Malley is leading a “service of lament and repentance” this morning in Dublin, Ireland. I’ve got news for Cardinal O’Malley and the rest of the Princes’ of the Church. The world does not care about anything except that you take action. Talk is Cheap! Every day that goes by without the church taking strong action it farther erodes any remaining moral authority they might have had.

Say it ain’t So Joe...

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:34:16 -0500

Sunrise is my favorite time of day. Why wouldn’t it be since we live on the ocean and our bedroom faces east. I often wake before sunrise and roll over to see what kind of sunrise we are going to have. And often, as it did today, got me out of bed. This morning was overcast and calm. The whole sky was red. I took this exposure with the camera set to F5.0, ISO 400, 1/1250th second with a -2/3 stop on the lens.

Yesterday it was reported that the man who provided the “smoking gun” information for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq fabricated the story. Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, a chemical engineer and an Iraqi defector, said he did it so that the US would invade and overthrow Sadam Hussein. This man supposedly worked on Iraq’s mobil chemical warfare factories.

Last evening, Frances Townsend, one of the Bush security advisors, who is now a CNN analyst, was incensed over this revelation. She was demanding we “prosecute this man to show the world you couldn’t lie to the US government and get away with it.” She said “it absolutely makes my blood boil”.

Let me see if I have this correct. An Iraqi national, who had defected to West Germany, fabricates a complete lie and passes it on the the West German security services. The West Germans can’t verify the information but they pass it on to our intelligence services. The CIA didn’t speak with al-Janabi or verify the information but gave it to the Bush Administration. Then the Bush Administration used that information to justify to the world and the American people that we should go to war. Now Mr. al-Janabi recants and says that he fabricated the whole story and Frances Topwnsend wants to prosecute the man! She has a serious disconnect!

Is it just me or is there something wrong with that little story? George W. Bush lied to the world and American people because he and the neocons wanted to go to war and avenge America’s loss in Viet Nam. We now know that the President and Vice President approved the use of torture (thus committing a war crime) and we have yet to honor our international treaties and turn them over to the International court. We’ve spent over a trillion dollars and thousands of men and women dead and injured and some analyst is incensed that she was lied to! Give me a break!

The outrage is not the lie this Iraqi national told but the lie that the last Administration told the American people and the congress to justify going to war. I do agree with Ms. Townsend in one respect; I think someone should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That would include former President Bush and Vice-President Dick “Darth Vader” Cheney. We should be prosecuting those people who believed a lie, ignored the facts, packaged that lie as a justification to war and then took us into war.

Iraq has been a tragedy from the first day. It was neither necessary nor in our best interest as a nation. Not only has it cost in excess of $1 Trillion it has squandered America’s most precious asset; over 5,000 lives lost and 25,000 injured among our men and women in the military.

I have one thing to say to Frances Townsend; Screw you and the horse you rode in on! How’s that for original.

February on Mass Bay...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:16:55 -0500

Another dawn over a cloudy horizon, low teens with wind from the Northwest at 30 knots gusting to over 40. That’s cold, really, really cold. No kidding. I shot todays exposure at F11, ISO 400, 11/250th with a -2/3 stop on the lens.

President Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal 2012 calls for program cuts that will total $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years. And before the document can be reviewed in any thoughtful way it is meeting with wide based criticism from conservatives. They like to talk first and think later. The ironic part, of course, is that the conservatives put us this position in the first place.

One of the proposed cuts is the defunding of a alternative engine for the F-35 our latest joint strike fighter jet. Defunding will cost the city of Lynn, MA about 400 jobs at the GE jet engine development center. The Pentagon has called for the elimination of this program for the last three years including Mr. Bush’s last year in office. But the Massachusetts delegation has been able to get it funded every year costing the American taxpayer about $250 million a year. Even our Tea Party backed junior senator, Scott Brown, voted for funding the project. So much for fiscal conservative principals.

Considering the size of the Federal budget this is not a lot of money. But try looking at it this way. How many other pork barrel projects are still laying around the federal government. Projects that keep jobs in towns and cities all over the country regardless of which political party is in power in the jurisdiction. Because, let’s face it, a politician’s job is to bring home the bacon.

The conservatives want to balance the budget on the backs of the very poorest of our citizens. They are unwilling to make cuts to the military and have not weighed in on Medicare and Social Security. They keep complaining about the high tax burden but the facts show that we are paying the lowest per capita tax load since Eisenhower was president. I don’t mind the lying but the inaccuracy is driving me nuts.

The simple truth is that we cannot afford to be in Iraq or Afghanistan. We never had any interest in Iraq and only marginal interest in Afghanistan. These two wars have cost us well over $1 Trillion in last 10 years. Tommy Franks outsourced the capture of Bin Laden to tribal militias in the mountains of Tora Bora. Since he blew that mission we haven’t had a reason to be there. We should leave them both... Now!

It is also true that we cannot continue to survive with our current energy policy. We need a massive reduction in military and defense spending and a subsequent rise in renewable energy and developing transportation and energy solutions that are not carbon based. This even before we take on global warming.

Our tax policy is completely upside down. We reward corporations who send their manufacturing jobs over seas to foreign workers by giving them lower taxes. We give the wealthiest among us a tax break that they did not need and only invested marginally in the American economy over the last 10 years. We allow financial corporations to fail and then we bail them out only to watch them begin to abuse the system to their own advantage again.

Our politicians have yet to engage in any adult conversation about how to fix economy or correct the deficit. They are too beholden to special interests. They much prefer giving lip service to the problems and insist on funding bad project after bad project.

I don’t now about you but I don’t think this is looking too good. We need miracle... A shift in the wind...

In a Heart Beat...

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:58:37 -0500

Happy Valentine’s day to all of my friends. I shot today’s sunrise with the camera in Aperture priority mode set to F11 with a -1 stop on the lens and an ISO setting of 400. The sensor calculated the exposure as 1/125 second.

It’s good to be here today. On the ocean getting ready to celebrate not only my 65th birthday but my 6th Valentine’s Day with Taryn. It is how I measure time now; by how many times I’ve gotten to share it with my sweetheart.

I am especially thankful for this birthday and Valentine’s Day because it almost didn’t happen. I have been through a lot in the last 14 days. First the car wreck, finding out about a new heart condition, fixing the problem with a pace maker, and now working through all of the emotion that comes up around events like these.

Taryn says I am a lot calmer now. I think perhaps I am. I’m pretty sure most of the stuff I get excited about doesn’t really need all that much energy. That doesn’t mean I’ve lost my passion. Rather I find my passion more focused. New stuff and I’m not sure what to do with it.

Some things will never change. I’m still disappointed as ever with the politicians of our day and will continue to write about their proclivity for doing stupid stuff. The Catholic church continues to amaze me. I can’t believe they are still in business but they are and I will continue to aim some of my ire at them. And, of course, the politicians in the state of Massachusetts. You just can’t believe some of the crap they pull. Talk about a crime syndicate... The Massachusetts Legislature.

What I know is that it can all be over in a heart beat. A single beat of a heart can change everything. I had the merest of warnings; a little clammy sweat, a little nausea, and then I’m down. The next thing I know someone is knocking on my window and asking if I am OK!

So, my friends, celebrate today. Because you are loved and cherished. Because you can.

Love Boat 2011

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:31:45 -0500

“There’s going to be a heartache tonight, heartache tonight, I know...”

The congress will gather to listen to the President’s State of the Union speech at 9 PM this evening and in the spirit of bipartisanship will forgo the normal practice of segregating by party. Instead they are having what some are calling a “date night” and members will cross the aisle and sit with an apposing member of congress. I don’t know about you but that really gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling all over (does the sarcasm come across in my writing?).

I want to know who is going to be Joe Wilson’s date? Will they be able to keep him in line or will he continue his practice of calling the President a liar whenever he hears something he doesn’t like. Any respectable date would be embarrassed. But, then again, maybe Nancy Pelosi will snuggle up next to him. I bet he will put a bag over his head.

Eric Cantor announced that the official Republican response will be delivered by Paul Ryan from Wisconsin. But the Tea Party has a different idea. Their response will be delivered by none other that MIchele Bachman of Minnesota, the only Republican politician less intelligent than Sarah Palin. I wonder if the Republican party has any idea of how dangerous it is to be in bed with the Tea Party?

The President is going to ask the congress to begin investing in rebuilding American infrastructure and education. One of the national engineering groups has stated that there are over $1.6 Trillion dollars of repair and replacement required to get America in good shape. He will make the argument that this investment is needed to insure the future competitiveness of America in a “Hot, Flat, and Crowded World”. Not to mention the millions of jobs that it would create.

And the Republicans are going to insist on cutting back to the spending levels of 2006 before they do anything else. That would be a net reduction in spending of $2.6 Trillion dollars. How many Americans will lose their job in that move.

I find this theater laughable. But that might be what the congress intends. To give America a good laugh before getting back to the business of selling the country down the road.

I’m betting we see not one substantive effort at bipartisanship for the remainder of the year. The Republicans want to gut every government program they can and the Democrats are equally committed to them not doing it. I am thinking that the rest of this session of congress will be no more productive than the first three weeks have been. Which means that they won’t do anything to move the country forward.

And the American people will be the one’s with the heartache. Is this a great country or what?

Today’s exposure was taken on July 25th 2010. It is the Winthrop Standpipe under a full moon. The camera was in Shutter Priority mode with the exposure time set to 10 seconds, F11, ISO 400, with a -1.33 stop on the lens. This is one of my very favorite exposures.