In his book “Capitalism and Freedom” (1962) Milton Friedman (1912-2006) advocated minimizing the role of government in a free market as a means of creating political and social freedom. Friedman was perhaps our country’s leading economist. Here’s an excerpt from a 1979 interview with Phil Donahue:

Those basic principals of sound economics stand in sharp contrast to the big government in store for us today. It pains me to see how far we as a nation are straying from the basic philosophy of capitalism. I hope we see the error in our ways before it’s too late.

I stumbled upon an article I’d posted a couple years ago about “Friday the Thirteenth” and thought I’d again share some of what I learned about the subject. At least a few of you, I’m sure, believe the day to be unlucky while others of you believe it to be nothing more than superstitious folklore. Regardless, it is what it is and, right or wrong, some folks take it quite seriously. Here are a few factoids:

A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia. (Say that three times quickly!) Months whose first day falls on a Sunday will contain a Friday the 13th. (Didn’t know that, did you!)

The first recorded incident relating to Friday the 13th refers to the massacre of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307. Pope Clement V viewed the Templar as a threat, so he decreed that they be eliminated. The Vatican was not directly involved in the massacre, but rather acted through King Philip IV of France. Philip sent letters to his forces all over the country with instructions to seek out and arrest all known members of the Knights, slaughter those that resisted, and capture Jacques DeMolay, the last known Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Another possible origin relates to the Last Supper. Judas, the thirteenth guest, was instrumental in the Crucifixion of Jesus, which is believed to have happened on a Friday. Other theories suggest that Eve offered the apple to Adam on a Friday or the slaying of Abel happened on a Friday.

Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they’re simply unable to get out of bed when Friday the 13th rolls around. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that more than 17 million people are affected by a fear of this day. A British Medical Journal study has shown that there is a significant increase in traffic related accidents on Friday the 13ths. (Despite that, representatives for both Delta and Continental Airlines say that their airlines don’t suffer from any noticeable drop in travel on those Fridays.)

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The New Year, they say, is about reflections, resolutions and high hopes for the future. We take time to reflect on the year just ended and look hopefully ahead toward the fresh new year just beginning. Too often, admittedly, our reflections are about last year’s uncompleted list of resolutions and, yes, I’m just as guilty as anyone.

Admittedly, 2008 was a challenging year for many of us – hopefully 2009 will be  better. But being the optimist you know me to be, I’m working hard to stay positive about the coming year. Color me “hopeful”.

I hope California’s government and  citizens find ways to work together for the good of the people and that the politics of negativity get buried beneath the overwhelming swell of goodwill that cooperation fosters.

I hope 2009 brings us closer to  a lasting peace in the Middle East and a positive conclusion to the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are good things happening in the region – we need to acknowledge and expand upon them. I hope the conflict between Israel and Palestine is resolved without more bloodshed.

I look forward with hope - and some trepidation - to the coming year. I expect it to be difficult, but I have the love of an amazing woman whom I cherish, children I am proud of, beautiful grandchildren I adore, and wonderful friends I respect and appreciate. I still look forward to retirement and more time with family and friends, good health, and greater opportunity for Dawn and I to continue checking things off “our list.” 

I’m an optimist. I see the year ahead filled, not with problems, but with challenges and opportunities,  the glass half full rather than half empty. Thank you everyone for helping make our 2008 all it could be. Dawn and I wish you all a safe, healthy and prosperous 2009.

Harley Davidson motorcycles are as American as apple pie, a part of our culture. Noted for their unique engine sound and retro styling, they have risen from near bankruptcy in the 80’s to a vibrant and profitable company.

To maintain growth, Harley has been trying to enter the Indian market but, with import tariffs nearly doubling the cost of the bikes to Indian customers, entry into that market has been a tough nut to crack. But India recently agreed to allow Harleys to be sold through dealers rather than directly to wealthy Indian consumers, a step in the right direction.

Some speculate it’s only a matter of time before exports to India become a reality. And once Harley establishes an Indian presence, look for the company to move toward manufacturing in that country. Some components are already being purchased from India so it wouldn’t be a huge leap. However, some loyal Harley enthusiasts fear that complete outsourcing might follow and that an Indian made Harley just wouldn’t be the same.

That concern led to the creation of this humorous PowerPoint illustration I received from my cousin Mike. Click on the image (requires MS PowerPoint or compatible presentation software and speakers) and follow the instructions. It’s a 2.2 Mb file, so allow ample time for it to download.

We’ll be taking tomorrow “off” to enjoy the long holiday weekend. See you Monday!

Dawn and I have a great deal to be thankful for, so making “thanks” a big part of our Thanksgiving is important to us. And a great way to begin is to remember and reflect upon how it all began.

We learned in school that the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, starred the Pilgrims, Squanto and the friendly Wampanoag tribe led by Massasoit, who celebrated a bountiful harvest and the promise of making it through the harsh New England winter. But here are some lesser-known facts about that first Thanksgiving in 1621:

Squanto was a Patuxet Indian who almost single-handedly saved the first Pilgrims from starving to death. He taught them how to catch eels and trap fish during their spring run, plant corn and pumpkins and trap beavers. He helped the Pilgrims despite having been captured and sold into slavery by an English sea captain. According to Peter Marshall and David Manuel in The Light and the Glory, Squanto was shipped to Malaga, Spain, where he was rescued by local friars, and eventually returned to Plymouth, where he discovered not one member of his tribe was left alive.

During that first Thanksgiving celebration, the Wampanoags brought fat wild turkeys to the feast and introduced the Pilgrims to a local delicacy called popcorn. Next time you enjoy some at the movies, thank the Wampanoags, not Orville Reddenbacher.

They celebrated that first Thanksgiving in October, not November. In 1941, Congress issued a national proclamation setting our observance of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.

During the winter of 1621-22, an influx of new settlers eventually forced the pilgrims to each live on a daily ration of five kernels of corn. At the following Thanksgiving, Marshall and Manuel noted, “the first course was served ‘…on an empty plate and in front of each person were five kernels of corn… lest anyone should forget.’”

We have a lot to be thankful for, as did those first pilgrims. And for all its faults, we live in a country where we can write, speak and worship freely, and where we can attempt to right wrongs without being thrown in jail or exiled. Solomon wrote, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Well, where there is no thankfulness, people sour, slowly, like leftover cranberry sauce. We need Thanksgiving, if for no other reason than to remember that, while there may be only five kernels of corn on our plate, there are still five, and the promise of harvest is only a season or two away.

It’s been seven years. Perhaps the emotions you experienced that day - terror, disbelief, anger - have faded. Perhaps you think that day is a horrible part of our history to be filed away. It’s not. The enemy is reforming and will strike again. The war against evil is now and forever a part of our lives. We must be vigilant. We must use all means to defeat the enemy or he will surely defeat us. That is the nature of war. And make no mistake - we are at war.

We must remember the act of war that brought us here. Take a few moments to watch this video. Do you remember that day? Were you angry? Are you still angry?

We are Americans. We honor our dead and we give aid and comfort to those who have suffered. But then we return to the battlefield to engage and defeat the aggressor. He is still there, plotting, planning to attack again. The war is not over…

Remember those who perished that day. Say a prayer for those who carry on without them. Never forget.

As we approach Independence Day and prepare for our annual backyard barbecues and “safe” fireworks with the kids, many of us reminisce about the “good old days” when cherry bombs, bottle rockets and Roman candles were as much a part of the holiday as The Star Spangled Banner and Aunt Minnie’s Dutch apple pie. But most states outlawed them years ago to reduce injuries and fires. Replacing them are “snakes and sparklers” and assorted thingies that do little more than whistle and smoke.

Apparently, “real” fireworks are still available in Nevada (if they have whores, they’re bound to have serious fireworks, right?) but our Governor has begged Californians not to buy them this year. No wonder; we already have more than 1200 wildfires burning through our landscape, and firefighters have no idea when they’ll get them under control!

All of which reminded me of a classic scene in the movie Joe Dirt, a conversation between David Spade and Adam Beach…

Now, I’m not telling you what to do or not do, but I’m with Arnold on this, at least this year. How ‘bout forgetting the “real” fireworks? Go to a controlled fireworks show in your area instead. They’re bigger and better anyway, right?

“I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.” - George Carlin

A groundbreaking observational comedian and a flat-out great storyteller, George Carlin died yesterday of heart failure at age 71. Known for his edgy, provocative material, he was shocking, irreverent and hilarious, yet somehow made you question things you thought you knew.

The last vote that George Carlin said he cast in a presidential race was for George McGovern in 1972. And when Richard Nixon, who Carlin described as a member of a sub-species of humanity, overwhelmingly defeated McGovern, the comedian gave up on the political process.

But while he may have stopped voting in 1972, America’s most consistently savage social commentator for the better part of a half century didn’t give up on politics. He read the papers, followed the news, asked questions and turned it all into a running commentary that focused not so much on politics as on the ugly intersection of power and economics. He didn’t want Americans to get involved with the system; he wanted citizens to get angry enough to remake the system.

Needless to say, he was not on message for 2008’s “change we can believe in” election season. No, his was a darker and more serious take on the crisis and the change of consciousness — sweeping in scope and revolutionary in character— that was required to address it. Like the radicals of the early years of the 20th century whose politics he knew and respected, he believed that free-speech fights had to come first. He always pushed the limit, happily choosing an offensive word when a more polite one might have sufficed.

By 1972, the year he won the first of four Grammys for best comedy album, he had developed his most famous routine: “Seven Words (You Can’t Say on Television).” That summer, at a huge outdoor show in Milwaukee, he uttered all seven of them in public — and was promptly arrested for disturbing the peace. When a version of the routine was aired in 1973 on WBAI, the Pacifica Foundation radio station in New York, Pacifica received a citation from the FCC and was ordered to pay a fine for violating federal regulations prohibiting the broadcast of “obscene” language. The ensuing free-speech fight made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled 5-4 against the First Amendment to the Constitution, Pacifica and Carlin. Amusingly, especially to Carlin, a full transcript of the routine ended up in court documents associated with the case, F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, 438 U.S. 726 (1978).

There will, of course, be those who dismiss him as a remnant of the sixties who introduced obscenity to the public discourse — just as there will be those who misread his critique of the American political and economic systems as little more than verbal nihilism. In fact, George Carlin was, like the radicals of an earlier age, an idealist — and a patriot — of a deeper sort than is encountered very often these days.

Carlin explained himself best in one of his last interviews. “…I don’t consider myself a cynic. I think of myself as a skeptic and a realist. But I understand the word ‘cynic’ has more than one meaning, and I see how I could be seen as cynical. ‘George, you’re cynical.’ Well, you know, they say if you scratch a cynic you find a disappointed idealist. And perhaps the flame still flickers a little, you know?”

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. You may also enjoy visiting the other journeyers: Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

Probably not the best banner for advocating English be our national language, ya’ think? A May 1 immigration reform story carried in the online Houston Chronicle featured this photo:

You have to love the irony!

Michael reminds me that today is also May Day. Ancient spring rites that related human fertility to crop fertility gave birth to most modern May Day festivities. May 1 is the traditional day to crown the May queen, dance around the maypole, perform mummers’ plays, and generally celebrate the return of spring. In Great Britain, the custom of “bringing in the May” involves gathering “knots,’ or branches with buds, on the eve or early morning of May 1.

Of course, the day is also linked to organized labor’s fight for workers’ rights and, since 2006, Uno de Mayo, organized demonstrations by illegal immigrants in an effort to gain legal status in the U.S. I prefer the more traditional May Day festivities of my youth: the celebration of spring and dancing ‘round the maypole.

Some of us are deskbound or lead otherwise sedentary lives. Regular exercise gets left at the gate when we’re scheduling our week, month, quarter. There are priorities, things that must be completed on time. Urgent things. So we don’t get enough exercise and our physical wellbeing suffers, right? “Secretary spread” some call it. (Shame on them!) Details, a Steelcase Company, offers a possible solution:

“The Walkstation is the fully integrated combination of an electric height-adjustable worksurface with an exclusively engineered, low speed commercial grade treadmill. And it’s the first product in the entirely new FitWork™ category of products from Details designed to bring healthy habits to sedentary workers while they are actually working.”

Seems a novel idea, doesn’t it? But I wonder how productive it would be in the workplace. I know from personal experience, for example, how difficult it is to run, or even walk at a pace sufficient for a descent cardiovascular workout, while reading. I can’t imagine doing it while performing routine office tasks like keying or taking notes while talking on the phone. Unless, of course, the pace is so slow, as the literature suggests, that you don’t even breathe heavily. In which case, what’s the point?

Well, it turns out there is one. Experts say any amount of exercise is better than none at all. And Sean McCance, a co-director of orthopedic spine surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, points out that sitting still all day is bad for your spine. “When you remain in one position for too long,” says McCance, “your muscles get stiff, putting pressure on the discs of the spine.” By getting up and moving around every 30-45 minutes or so, your back gets to change position, your blood flow increases, and fluid flows back into the area to rehydrate the discs that cushion the spine.

So, if a Walkstation would fit in your cubicle — and your boss will allow it — check it out. It could be just what the doctor ordered.

I ran across this reprint of a 1943 article published in Mass Transportation Magazine that gave me a chuckle. Times have certainly changed; we like to think for the better. The eleven tips in this article prove the point.

I especially like, “Older women who have never contacted the public…are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy,” and “…’husky’ girls - those who are a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.” The latter reminds me of advise from my grandfather: “Marry a fat girl. They’re less likely to run around on you,” and “Marry a girl with small hands…” But that’s another story.

Before you’re too critical of the managers and supervisors of 1943, remember that it was war time and the majority of male factory workers had enlisted or been drafted and were stationed away from home. To keep the factories running, women were hired to fill the jobs formerly performed by men. Managers and supervisors of the day had little, if any, experience supervising and training inexperienced female workers, so articles like this one attempted to help guide their dealings with their new workforce. It was new and awkward for everyone, workers and management alike, and a testament to our determination to support the war effort that we were able to pull it off!

Click on the thumbnail image of the article and give it a read. For those of you old enough to remember WWII, it’ll be a walk down memory lane. For those of you too young to remember, it’s a piece of history that shows just how far we’ve come.

Apparently, if we’re to believe a new study from Germany.

The study by Hamburg Sex Researcher Professor Dr Werner Habermehl looked at the sex lives of hundreds of German women and compared them with their hair color. “The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair color, with more partners and having sex more often than the average. The research shows that the fiery redhead certainly lives up to her reputation,” he says.

According to Habermehl, women who dyed their hair red from another color were signaling they were looking for a partner, and added, “Even women in a fixed relationship are letting their partners know they are unhappy if they dye their hair red. They are saying that they are looking for something better.”

Psychologist Christine Baumanns notes, however, that it may not [have been] the women who were to blame for the better sex lives of redheads. “Red stands for passion and when a man sees a redhead he will think he is dealing with a woman who won’t mess around, and gets straight to the point when it comes to sex.”

Don’t you just love studies like this? I often wonder what drives someone to embark on such a “study”. And what is the intended benefit to humanity? Perhaps the good doctor was trying to help German men narrow their hunt for “hot” German women. I’m still wondering.

My wonderful wife, Dawn, often challenges me with questions I usually try to answer off the top of my head. But if my answer fails to satisfy her, she assigns me the task of finding the “real” answer and getting back to her. Such was her question about the origins of the Easter Bunny and its colored eggs since, we all know, rabbits don’t lay eggs and the whole Easter Bunny thing isn’t even mentioned in the scriptures. Well, I’ve put it off for as long as I can. Easter is this Sunday and I was reminded that the question is still “out there.” So I did some cursory research and here’s what I learned.

The answer lies in the ingenious way that the Christian church absorbed pagan practices. After discovering that people were more reluctant to give up their holidays and festivals than their pagan gods, the church simply incorporated pagan practices into Christian celebrations. As recounted by the Venerable Bede, an early Benedictine monk, clever clerics copied pagan practices and by doing so, made Christianity more palatable to pagan folk reluctant to give up their festivals for somber Christian practices.

In second century Europe, the predominate spring festival was a raucous Saxon fertility celebration in honor of the goddess Eostre (Ostara), whose sacred animal (or consort, depending on which version you choose to believe) was a hare. One story holds that Eostre hurled the hare into the heavens after giving it the power, once a year, to lay colored eggs. Another popular piece of folklore is that Eostre once saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning it into a hare. Because the hare had once been a bird, it could still lay eggs, and eventually became the modern Easter Bunny.

But the eggs associated with the hare also have another, even more ancient, origin — The eggs associated with this and other vernal festivals have been symbols of rebirth and fertility for so long, the precise roots of the tradition are unknown and may date to the beginning of human civilization. We know, for instance, that ancient Romans and Greeks used eggs as symbols of fertility, rebirth, and abundance.

And eggs were solar symbols that figured in the festivals of numerous resurrected gods. Pagan fertility festivals at the time of the spring equinox were common and it was believed that, when day and night were of equal length, male and female energies were also in balance, hence the connection to fertility. In this context, the hare was often associated with moon goddesses; the egg and hare together represented, respectively, the god and goddess.

Moving forward fifteen hundred or so years, German children awaited the arrival of Oschter Haws, a hare who laid colored eggs in nests made from children’s caps and bonnets to the delight of those who discovered them Easter morning. Abandoned plover nests found in the spring were said to have been those of Oschter Haws in which he laid his colored eggs. It was this German tradition that popularized the Easter Bunny and Easter basket in America when introduced into American culture by German settlers in Pennsylvania.

Many modern practitioners of neopagan and earth-based religions have embraced these symbols as part of their religious practices, identifying with the life-affirming aspects of the spring holiday. The neopagan holiday of Ostara, for example, is descended from the Saxon festival. Ironically, some Christian groups have used the presence of these symbols to denounce the celebration of the Easter holiday and many churches have abandoned the pagan moniker in favor of more Christian oriented titles like “Resurrection Sunday.”

So there you have it, Dawn. I hope this gets me off the hook on this one so I can move ahead with some of your more recent “questions.”