Zan's Almanac
Archive through 2009
Zan’s predictions
The
economy
April 7, 2009 Good news and bad news: Looks
like a little light at the end of the tunnel.
The stock market has made a classical “V”. Is that the bottom? Maybe.
Probably. I think the market will test it soon. We’ll see it drop a bit,
hopefully not below the bottom of the “V”. – that’s
technical stuff which you can believe or not. I think it has some validity though.
We’re also seeing a few other glimmers of hope. Whatever you think about the long term wisdom of Obama’s actions with the budget, It will help turn the current economy. Buy now pay later. That’s what we have been doing for a lot of years anyway… why we are in this current mess. The economy has a big bellyache. Got to take our medicine.
The real problem will be employment. I can see
the worst of the recession for a lot of us improving some, but I also see high
unemployment, and all that goes with it, lingering for a very long time. Why?
Real estate: we won’t need a lot of fancy houses to be built. Autos: the
day of everyone buying big expensive cars is over… at least for quite
a while. And so on. We have been living way beyond our means. On fuzzy credit.
The day of reckoning is here. We won’t need a lot of the labor that fed
the bellyache. We will be living a lot leaner. So… I see an improved economy
over the next couple of years with high unemployment. Worldwide.
OBAMA
WINS
November 11, 2008 - Obama won the presidency! A black president! It really could happen in America. I am looking forward to what I hope he is, a leader with a sense of history, who will choose good advisors, and will listen to reality. Only time will tell, but I am hopeful. I am also hoping to see a fiscally responsible, moderate, Democratic administration. Contrary to those who predicted socialism. Only history will tell.
I also hope that this will bring more of the black community into the mainstream
of America, and that they might feel more a part of our society.
Furthermore, I look forward to a more ecumenical presidency, not one which takes
its orders from an exclusive, fundamentalist, god, but one which more represents
the god of our forefathers.
Our new president takes office facing more immediate and serious problems than
any president in many years.
The economy is most pressing. Even if the best possible decisions are made,
normalcy will take a long time to return.
We are engaged in a war that was lost irrevocably a long time ago. It was actually
lost before it started. The challenge of gracefully extracting our country from
that ill advised adventure will be difficult but doable.
Protection against “terrorists” has always been a “red herring.”
The World Trade Center tragedy was a horrible, but, for the terrorists,
lucky event. The chance of a repeat of anything like that is tiny, almost non
existent. For any American, in the coming year, it is much more likely that
they will die from the flu than from a terrorist attack.
Returning our country’s reputation in the world, to one of dignity and
moral leadership, is another task of the new administration. We must return
to wise and professional diplomacy in our interactions with nations. We have
endured an era of “speaking loudly and carrying a little twig.”
Now to return to the dictum of Teddy Roosevelt and “Speak softly and carry
a big stick.” War is only a last resort.
Social programs such as repairing our health care system and Social Security
system are important, but they must be taken on with a sharp eye to fiscal responsibility.
We can’t and shouldn’t “borrow and spend” any more than
we should “tax and spend.” Borrowing is just as much a tax as directly
taxing. It just catches us more subtly. It causes inflation which takes away
our money just like taxes. We have to be fiscally responsible.
Our new president has a huge task ahead of him. I pray that he is up to the
job. I believe he is, but only the verdict of history will tell.
I must say that Zan is a registered Republican. I have voted otherwise lately
because the Republican party has gone in a direction that I feel is bad for
the country and its own ideals. It has left the ideals of our forefathers and
taken up the banner of a narrow religious group. It has been dishonest by preaching
tax cuts while knowing that it must borrow to make up the difference. It has
not been conservative in the true sense. I hope the Democratic victory will
shock it into reforming its thinking into the great party that it once was.
Zan’s predictions
The
economy
April 7, 2009 Good news and bad news: Looks
like a little light at the end of the tunnel.
The stock market has made a classical “V”. Is that the bottom? Maybe.
Probably. I think the market will test it soon. We’ll see it drop a bit,
hopefully not below the bottom of the “V”. – that’s
technical stuff which you can believe or not. I think it has some validity though.
We’re also seeing a few other glimmers of hope. Whatever you think about the long term wisdom of Obama’s actions with the budget, It will help turn the current economy. Buy now pay later. That’s what we have been doing for a lot of years anyway… why we are in this current mess. The economy has a big bellyache. Got to take our medicine.
The real problem will be employment. I can see
the worst of the recession for a lot of us improving some, but I also see high
unemployment, and all that goes with it, lingering for a very long time. Why?
Real estate: we won’t need a lot of fancy houses to be built. Autos: the
day of everyone buying big expensive cars is over… at least for quite
a while. And so on. We have been living way beyond our means. On fuzzy credit.
The day of reckoning is here. We won’t need a lot of the labor that fed
the bellyache. We will be living a lot leaner. So… I see an improved economy
over the next couple of years with high unemployment. Worldwide.
OBAMA
WINS
November 11, 2008 - Obama won the presidency! A black president! It really could happen in America. I am looking forward to what I hope he is, a leader with a sense of history, who will choose good advisors, and will listen to reality. Only time will tell, but I am hopeful. I am also hoping to see a fiscally responsible, moderate, Democratic administration. Contrary to those who predicted socialism. Only history will tell.
I also hope that this will bring more of the black community into the mainstream
of America, and that they might feel more a part of our society.
Furthermore, I look forward to a more ecumenical presidency, not one which takes
its orders from an exclusive, fundamentalist, god, but one which more represents
the god of our forefathers.
Our new president takes office facing more immediate and serious problems than
any president in many years.
The economy is most pressing. Even if the best possible decisions are made,
normalcy will take a long time to return.
We are engaged in a war that was lost irrevocably a long time ago. It was actually
lost before it started. The challenge of gracefully extracting our country from
that ill advised adventure will be difficult but doable.
Protection against “terrorists” has always been a “red herring.”
The World Trade Center tragedy was a horrible, but, for the terrorists,
lucky event. The chance of a repeat of anything like that is tiny, almost non
existent. For any American, in the coming year, it is much more likely that
they will die from the flu than from a terrorist attack.
Returning our country’s reputation in the world, to one of dignity and
moral leadership, is another task of the new administration. We must return
to wise and professional diplomacy in our interactions with nations. We have
endured an era of “speaking loudly and carrying a little twig.”
Now to return to the dictum of Teddy Roosevelt and “Speak softly and carry
a big stick.” War is only a last resort.
Social programs such as repairing our health care system and Social Security
system are important, but they must be taken on with a sharp eye to fiscal responsibility.
We can’t and shouldn’t “borrow and spend” any more than
we should “tax and spend.” Borrowing is just as much a tax as directly
taxing. It just catches us more subtly. It causes inflation which takes away
our money just like taxes. We have to be fiscally responsible.
Our new president has a huge task ahead of him. I pray that he is up to the
job. I believe he is, but only the verdict of history will tell.
I must say that Zan is a registered Republican. I have voted otherwise lately
because the Republican party has gone in a direction that I feel is bad for
the country and its own ideals. It has left the ideals of our forefathers and
taken up the banner of a narrow religious group. It has been dishonest by preaching
tax cuts while knowing that it must borrow to make up the difference. It has
not been conservative in the true sense. I hope the Democratic victory will
shock it into reforming its thinking into the great party that it once was.
Zan’s predictions
The
economy
April 7, 2009 Good news and bad news: Looks
like a little light at the end of the tunnel.
The stock market has made a classical “V”. Is that the bottom? Maybe.
Probably. I think the market will test it soon. We’ll see it drop a bit,
hopefully not below the bottom of the “V”. – that’s
technical stuff which you can believe or not. I think it has some validity though.
We’re also seeing a few other glimmers of hope. Whatever you think about the long term wisdom of Obama’s actions with the budget, It will help turn the current economy. Buy now pay later. That’s what we have been doing for a lot of years anyway… why we are in this current mess. The economy has a big bellyache. Got to take our medicine.
The real problem will be employment. I can see
the worst of the recession for a lot of us improving some, but I also see high
unemployment, and all that goes with it, lingering for a very long time. Why?
Real estate: we won’t need a lot of fancy houses to be built. Autos: the
day of everyone buying big expensive cars is over… at least for quite
a while. And so on. We have been living way beyond our means. On fuzzy credit.
The day of reckoning is here. We won’t need a lot of the labor that fed
the bellyache. We will be living a lot leaner. So… I see an improved economy
over the next couple of years with high unemployment. Worldwide.
OBAMA
WINS
November 11, 2008 - Obama won the presidency! A black president! It really could happen in America. I am looking forward to what I hope he is, a leader with a sense of history, who will choose good advisors, and will listen to reality. Only time will tell, but I am hopeful. I am also hoping to see a fiscally responsible, moderate, Democratic administration. Contrary to those who predicted socialism. Only history will tell.
I also hope that this will bring more of the black community into the mainstream
of America, and that they might feel more a part of our society.
Furthermore, I look forward to a more ecumenical presidency, not one which takes
its orders from an exclusive, fundamentalist, god, but one which more represents
the god of our forefathers.
Our new president takes office facing more immediate and serious problems than
any president in many years.
The economy is most pressing. Even if the best possible decisions are made,
normalcy will take a long time to return.
We are engaged in a war that was lost irrevocably a long time ago. It was actually
lost before it started. The challenge of gracefully extracting our country from
that ill advised adventure will be difficult but doable.
Protection against “terrorists” has always been a “red herring.”
The World Trade Center tragedy was a horrible, but, for the terrorists,
lucky event. The chance of a repeat of anything like that is tiny, almost non
existent. For any American, in the coming year, it is much more likely that
they will die from the flu than from a terrorist attack.
Returning our country’s reputation in the world, to one of dignity and
moral leadership, is another task of the new administration. We must return
to wise and professional diplomacy in our interactions with nations. We have
endured an era of “speaking loudly and carrying a little twig.”
Now to return to the dictum of Teddy Roosevelt and “Speak softly and carry
a big stick.” War is only a last resort.
Social programs such as repairing our health care system and Social Security
system are important, but they must be taken on with a sharp eye to fiscal responsibility.
We can’t and shouldn’t “borrow and spend” any more than
we should “tax and spend.” Borrowing is just as much a tax as directly
taxing. It just catches us more subtly. It causes inflation which takes away
our money just like taxes. We have to be fiscally responsible.
Our new president has a huge task ahead of him. I pray that he is up to the
job. I believe he is, but only the verdict of history will tell.
I must say that Zan is a registered Republican. I have voted otherwise lately
because the Republican party has gone in a direction that I feel is bad for
the country and its own ideals. It has left the ideals of our forefathers and
taken up the banner of a narrow religious group. It has been dishonest by preaching
tax cuts while knowing that it must borrow to make up the difference. It has
not been conservative in the true sense. I hope the Democratic victory will
shock it into reforming its thinking into the great party that it once was.
From the Reading List:
Einstein:
His Life and Universe
By Walter Isaacson
I am Reading the new
biography on Albert Einstein. Every once in a while, I read a book that I find
fascinating and can’t put down. Sometimes it is fiction, sometimes non
fiction. This biography is one of those books. Warning: the technical chapters
are hard and maybe should be skipped or skimmed by those not interested in trying
to understand the science.:
Simon & Schuster, 675 pp., illustrated, $32 --- for a review from the Boston
Globe go to /http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles
/2007/04/15/eternal_einstein/
The Omnivore's
Dilemma
---------------------Michael Pollan
I enjoyed The Botany of Desire by the same author,
so I thought I would read this. I have only read a little, but after reading
about our feed lot fattened cows, I don't think I ever want to eat another bit
of regular U.S. grown beef. -- I highly recomend the book.
H.M.S.
Surprise
---------------- Patrick O'Brian
This is the third book of the series that starts with Master and Commander,
novels of the Napoleonic Wars featuring Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. I have
read the entire series before and am now re-reading it. They are great seagoing
historical novels, but might be hard going if one know quite a bit about old
time sailing ship terminology.
A
PAINTERS GUIDE to DESIGN AND COMPOSITION.
--------------- Margot Schulzke
It is an excellent book I
knew her several years ago. She is now a well known painter in oil and pastels.
A
Canticle for Leibowitz
------------- Walter M. Miller, Jr.
It is a Science Fiction classic of the fifties having to do with the aftermath
of global atomic war.
The
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
-------- Alexander Mc Call Smith
First of a series of heart warming detective stories. The stories are set in
the African country of Botswana, and the detective is a rather large native
lady. You see a side of Africa that you don't usually see in the news. Read
this when you need cheering up.
Cold
Service --- Robert B Parker
The Spenser series. Great "hard-boiled" detective fiction. It is softened
by some classy, though tough, characters, and some of the best dialog written
today. Worth reading. Maybe best to start with the earliest Spencer books and
work forward. Even fictional characters show some change and growth over the
years.
Skeleton
Man --- Tony Hillerman
I think I have read all of this series so far. Light Detective Fiction with
a Navaho tribal cop. A lot of interesting information about the Navahos and
Hopis. Good reads.
Oliver
Twist --- Charles Dickens
Buddhism Without Beliefs
--------------- Stephen Bachelor
An attempt to separate Buddhist practices from religion. I think it is worth
reading for a Westerner who likes the principals of the Buddha but is put off
by the esoteric religious dogma. Only 127 pages.
The Broker ---------------
John Grisham
Light fiction. good reading. I have read most of Grisham's
books.
Theodore Rex ------------
Edmund Morris
A thought provoking biography of Teddy
Roosevelt's presidential years. Worth reading.
The
History of Western Philosophy, -------------------------Bertrand Russell
So far, in the last 40 years, I have worn our 3 copies. It is very readable.
Enders
Game (as well as the next 3 books of the series),
------------------------------------Orson Scott Card
A Classic in modern science fiction. Worthwhile, even
for non SF readers.
The
Pickwick Papers,---------------------Charles
Dickens
A fun look at 19th Century England
Notes
on a Trip to America, ------------- Charles Dickens
Interesting comments on the underside of 19th Century America
Pride
& Prejudice --------------------------- Jane Austin
A great 19th Century romance comedy. Easier if you have Cliff Notes by your
side. Quite a different England from Dickens'
Lots of Mystery-Adventures.