Hey Jared,

I watched the violinist in Subway lobby also. Amazing isn't it? New Yorkers consider themselves so cultured. They support the arts, they attend the opera, the symphony. They attend expensive fundraisers to support all the arts, get all dolled up to attend this same man performing in a high brow concert Hall. But when he's standing there performing beautifully for free where hundred's even thoudand's passed by....only a few stopped and listened probably because that one wonman did...since people are basically followers. But yet only that one woman spoke to him.

This one little occurance speaks volumes about people in our society, our culture ...today. But more specifically it spoke volumes about New Yorkers.

Message I got from it? People stop!! Slow down!!Take time and smell the roses! The best things in life really are free!

Thanks Jared for sharing that with us!

Civil war in Mexico. Our tenuous borders. Yet another problem for our new administration. Hang tight . . . looks like we're in for a bumpy ride.

From: http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_11444354

U.S.
military report warns 'sudden collapse' of Mexico is possible
By Diana Washington Valdez / El Paso Times
Posted: 01/13/2009 03:49:34 PM MST

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon announces a new economic stimulus package in Mexico... (AP photo)

Related story: 2,000 fresh troops sent to Juarez as violence continues

EL PASO - Mexico is one of two countries that "bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse," according to a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats.

The command's "Joint Operating Environment (JOE 2008)" report, which contains projections of global threats and potential next wars, puts Pakistan on the same level as Mexico. "In terms of worse-case scenarios for the Joint Force and indeed the world, two large and important states bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse: Pakistan and Mexico.

Could Mexico collapse?
Do you think it is possible that the Mexican government could collapse in 2009?
Yes, the drug lords are taking over.

No, the government is still strong and will control the violence.

I'm not sure, it could still go either way.

"The Mexican possibility may seem less likely, but the government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and press by criminal gangs and drug cartels. How that internal conflict turns out over the next several years will have a major impact on the stability of the Mexican state. Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone.
"

The U.S. Joint Forces Command, based in Norfolk, Va., is one of the Defense Departments combat commands that includes members of the different military service branches, active and reserves, as well as civilian and contract employees. One of its key roles is to help transform the U.S. military's capabilities.

In the foreword, Marine Gen. J.N. Mattis, the USJFC commander, said "Predictions about the future are always risky ... Regardless, if we do not try to forecast the future, there is no doubt that we will be caught off guard as we strive to protect this experiment in democracy that we call America.
"

The report is one in a series focusing on Mexico's internal security problems, mostly stemming from drug violence and drug corruption. In recent weeks, the Department of Homeland Security and former U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey issued similar alerts about Mexico.

Despite such reports, El Pasoan Veronica Callaghan, a border business leader, said she keeps running into people in the region who "are in denial about what is happening in Mexico.
"

Last week, Mexican President Felipe Calderon instructed his embassy and consular officials to promote a positive image of Mexico.

The U.S. military report, which also analyzed economic situations in other countries, also noted that China has increased its influence in places where oil fields are present.

Craig

Thank you for your comments..

I'm glad you liked it! Mike also..

When i lived in Hollywood i had an office downtown also.

I lived at Franklin & Highland in the Terraces Condos on Highland I owned one.

I would walk down to Highland & Hollywood catch the Red Line downtown to 7th & Metro and would walk 2 blocks to my building on Wilshire. There were many times i would always stop and listen to the street musicians.. (Being that i'm also a musician and a Local 47 member the Musicians Union)

One of the reasons i moved to Simi Valley was that it was a little slower in how people do things and we can move a bit slower.

I ride a bike everyday to my office if it is not raining.. And i try to take slightly different route each day so that i might see something new..

From where i live i can walk about 3 blocks and i'll be in these open fields of wild oats. I love being out in nature..

wadada

Jared - I really enjoyed the link and the blog about missing out on things like music being played in an unlikely place, ect. The old "Time to stop and smell the Roses" wish we all have and promise to do in the future. Then things get hectic and complicated and you get caught up in the rat race. One thing I missed about working downtown LA, was going out to lunch and sometimes there would be a street musician playing the blues or folk songs on a guitar. If they were any good, I would stop and listen to them for at least a few minutes, give them a little cash and I became friends with at least one of them.

Yes Mike,

Bush is "slightly" humble now in the wake of the disaster he has left behind. And yes, he should have more regrets than he is exhibiting...but another saying maybe appropriate here... and that is...

too little...too late.

Guess who Obama picked as Foreign Policy Advisor!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShFlfGIR7kE

U.S. President-elect Obama has chosen president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Richard Haass, along with senior CFR-member Richard Holbrooke, and CFR-member Dennis Ross as special Foreign Envoys/ Foreign Policy Advisors, reporting directly to Obama (as reported by CBS News). Richard Holbrooke has also been a CFR director three times, as he is presently. Richard Haas is also a CFR director.

Even the CBS Evening News (reported by CFR-member anchor-propagandist Katie Couric) identified Haass as the president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Not surprisingly, CBS did not bother to mention that both Richard Holbrooke and Dennis Ross are also members of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Neither did CBS report that Richard Haass and Dennis Ross are also members of the Trilateral Commission, the more selective creation (1973) of David Rockefeller and Obama adviser/supporter Zbigniew Brzezinski. Richard Holbrooke is also a former member of the Trilateral Commission.

And of course, neither did CBS report that Richard Haass, Richard Holbrooke, and Dennis Ross, have each also been Bildberger attendees.

Thank you Mike..

So many people here think that i SO doom and gloom and that i'm not positive...

I am very positive on many thing when it come to people directly..

AS the quote you posted, yes government is the problem...

I never depend on the government i depend on people and myself...

wadada

Finally watched most of the president's press conference. President Bush seemed sad to be leaving the job.

He said he's going to make coffee and serve it to Laura on January 21st.

Then, perhaps, he'll contemplate his presidency. If he's lucky, he'll see what we've been experiencing for the last eight years. One can only hope . . .

Jared -

Thanks for sharing. Nice thoughts on stopping to appreciate beauty, regardless of where one may find it. Interesting experiment. I enjoyed his humble comment when recognized by the one on looker - his reply? A simple "thanks."

Jared to you - "Thanks."

PLM - One of my fave Reagan quotes:

"... government is not the solution to our problem, it is the problem."

http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/in_the_present_crisis-government_is_not_the/189030.html

And in response to President Bush's press conference, at least he showed some humility and (finally) addressed some things he would have done differently. I guess hindsight is 20/20 afterall...

-m

Hi Eric:

Love the morning crew, you and Sam are the best! A bit off track for this but thought someone should give everyone a Wake UP, I've always thought the SELLING of one's body was ILLEGAL, ie: Ebay latest isn't? So why then is hookers in Ontario, She's not that good looking either, but I'd pay a buck for a hit on it.

We need to slow down & pay attention, or look what we miss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.
During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work-

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing.
He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule-

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk-

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again.
Clearly he was late for work-

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.
All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on-

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it.
No one applauded, nor was there any recognition-

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.
5 million dollars-

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
00 each-

This is a real story.
Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people-

The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Obama On Whether He'd Hire A Special Prosecutor For Bush

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b-YXJ0PwJo

Under an Obama administration GW Bush will have a get out of jail card and Bush will get away with his crimes..

His answer was much like Nancy Pelosi's of "impeachment is off the table"..

PLM

Not that he perjured himself..

It is satire under what is known as parody.

You can say quite a bit as parody...

Okay Jared I read Snopes.. Still curious why an editor Michael Kinsley, of a major publication would perjure himself writing derogatory things about a then sitting president, and claiming that a former president wrote it? Why would anyone do that?

Bottom line is it is debatable whether Reagan actually wrote that entry or not. Maybe this passage is one that was not intended to get in the book but someone leaked it out because it was funny.

However whether it is true or not...oddly enough that’s exactly what most people think of him. Look at the polls.

I hope we all enjoy his retirement, more than we did his presidency!

"Shiftless" "N'er-do well" HAHAHAHA. Now, that's funny.

PLM

you can also look here.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/kinsley.asp

PLM

It is a nice Quote if it was factual

FROM: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/did_reagan_call_gw_bush_a_neer_do_well

Did Reagan call G.W. Bush a ne’er-do-well?
Status: False
This paragraph supposedly written by Ronald Reagan is currently circulating widely around the internet:
Direct quote from the just published REAGAN DIARIES.

The entry is dated May 17, 1986.

'A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work.'

Did Reagan really write this? Nope, he didn't. The quotation is pulled from an article titled "My Lunch with Reagan" by Michael Kinsley in the New Republic (vol. 237, issue 1, 7/2/07). And, not surprisingly, the quotation is taken out of context. In its original context it's easy to tell that it's meant as a joke:
The literary editor of The New Republic, Leon Wieseltier, brought the joyous news. "Guess what, Mike. You're mentioned in Reagan's diaries." The diaries were published recently by HarperCollins and were generally well-received. Edited by America's historian-on-steroids, Douglas Brinkley, The Reagan Diaries apparently reveal Reagan to be more thoughtful than he is normally given credit for. Of course, our standards in the area of presidential thoughtfulness have plummeted in recent years. Still, the fact that Reagan was writing it all down was news, and an interesting departure from presidential tradition. Traditionally, presidents use a hidden tape recorder.

But I was more interested in the me angle, frankly. And it was a puzzle. What on earth could Reagan have written? I indulged my imagination, and my ego: "January 22, 1983. Mommie [Nancy] says that Kinsley's column this week in The New Republic undermines the entire philosophical basis of my administration. O dear O dear, I had better not read it."

Or: "October 6, 1987. Why does Kinsley keep picking on me? He is the only thing standing between me and the total destruction of the welfare state. But, ha: I will destroy him--destroy him utterly-- or my name's not … not … not … . Say, they had 'State Fair' on TV last night. What a wholesome, clean-cut young man that Pat Boone is."

Or: "May 17, 1986. A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."

I watched the entire press conference, even if I had to switch mid point to CNN to do it!

Speaking about President Bush reminds me of something I learned early on in life. “If you don't have anything nice to say about someone....then don’t say anything at all”.

Well that obviously was way before the advent of the blog! LOL

...and that was also before GW became the worst president in modern history!

Of course to hear him tell it, he's the victim! This morning in his good bye press conference ...I believe he said something to the effect..of "Why did the bad economy have to happen on my watch?" He is so in denial of all the catastrophes that occurred while he was our president!

I am not going to list his horrible wrong doings because it's time to move on and to concentrate on the future... we have to get busy immediately working to overcome the past that “Dubya” left us!

Bush and his " Mis-under-estimation" ....Did he even go to College?

As difficult as it is to do...I will try to show our exiting President a little respect. I won't even call him "Shoe Boy" today. Instead I'll let Reagan a Republican, speak for me. This is something you may or may not have seen that Ronald Reagan wrote about GW:

"A moment I've been dreading. George brought his n'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida; the one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."

From the REAGAN DIARIES------entry dated May 17, 1986.

I rest my case!

Good bye and good riddance !