No words

I have no real words about what happened in Manchester. What I would say is what many have said: it's appalling, it's horrific, and it's terribly sad. I made a generic FaceBook post the other day when it happened to help put it into context of our failings as humans:

"What happened in Manchester is despicable. As an American, I keep thinking about how fragmented we felt after events such as the Boston Marathon, which, similarly targeted a broad range of people: men, women and children.  But at the same time, I think of Yemen. Two months ago, as the President had just come into office, the US admittedly killed up to 30 civilians in a botched raid which garnered no usable intelligence. Our media doesn't report what kind of civilians, but what if I told you that it was men, women and children? That raid wasn't a product of Trump, but of a broken international attitude (shoot first or be shot) and indifference to human life.  As we mourn those children who were murdered unnecessarily in Manchester, we also need to remind ourselves that we are not blameless for other, albeit, unrelated "terror" attacks. And, we should be reminding our government, both nationally and internationally, that an eye for an eye doesn't work.  We need to be better humans."

I received a number of comments about it.  One person asked me if I thought that we (Americans) were terrorists?  I guess that depends on perspective.  Certainly, the evidence emerging from Manchester is pointing to a group effort.  It could be argued that our fight against Isis on their home turf is not terribly different than agents from Isis fighting us on ours.  The example of the Yemen raid above, unfortunately is not an isolated event.  In today's news, this headline ran: "US military investigating if airstrikes caused nearly 300 civilian deaths."

Can you imagine?  The bombing at the Boston Marathon killed how many?  Three people.  I don't say that to diminish their lives.  Those were three people with futures, with families.  Innocent people who were intentionally murdered to make a political statement.  In Manchester, the purpose was the same but with greater horrific result.  So, imagine you're a Syrian at your mosque. By the time the distinct whistle of bombs is identified, it's too late.  When all is said and done, survivors are taken to make-shift medical facilities.  The targets have been reduced to rubble.  And, there's no one to blame.  There's no one to be held accountable except invisible nation-states and coalitions.  

Now, I know there's an argument where our military has identified that enemy forces hide arms and chemical agents and secret meeting places in these public buildings specifically to use the other occupants as human shields.  I don't know what the answer is for achieving our National Security goals when it's impossible to discern enemy combatants from civilians.  However, I do believe that when we make our mistakes, and we make many, it has the potential of acting as the catalyst to recruit others to take on the fight against us: both those in their countries as well as people living away from their homeland, sympathetic to their people's plight.  

What the terrorists have done in England, France, the US and all other nations is despicable.  However, with a wider world-view, we should also consider that our countermeasures can be equally evil.  Unintended, maybe...but we need to open our eyes to the whole picture, and overall, become better humans.

Greatest Show on Earth

Many of you may have noticed that, last week, there was a release of a previously un-purchasable Grateful Dead show, 40 years after it was performed.  And then again, maybe you missed it.  But, in jam band circles, this long awaited show, which has been touted as the "best Dead show ever" was finally released to critical acclaim...by "Dead Heads" and musicians alike.  Don't believe me?  Here's some of the reviews released in support of the recording (mostly on music-related sites):

Rolling Stone
Spin Magazine
Pitchfork
and, of course, Jambase

Why?

While the band played 2,318 shows between 1965 and 1995 (when Jerry died), the show performed in Barton Hall, at Cornell University on May 8, 1977 has consistently been hailed as the best show ever recorded.  Was it the performance?  I'm sure there were shows as stellar as this one.  How about the setlist?  While this show has many Dead staples such as Loser, Jack Straw and Lazy Lightning, as well covers like Dancing in the Street (Marvin Gaye), Mama Tried (Merle Haggard) and El Paso (Marty Robbins), there are many songs that I love which are missing...mostly because the show was a typical 2-set show, and they just couldn't play their entire catalog in one sitting.

No, what made this show spectacular was the fact that a recording, direct from the soundboard, was leaked in the 80s and widely circulated.  The website Nugs.Net hosted a digital copy for years taken from a taped copy.  (Nugs.net morphed into LivePhish.com and a new standard in live recordings was born, more about this another time, ed.).  To quote Stephen Thomas Erlewine on AllMusic.com, "Sourced from the original soundboard recordings by [sound engineer] Betty Cantor-Jackson, the sound is colorful and vivid, an excellent complement to a prime Dead performance. What makes this such an exceptional performance isn't that it's the Grateful Dead at their most experimental... but at their warmest.... If this isn't the best Grateful Dead show ever – a hard thing to quantify – it's nevertheless at the sweet spot of providing hardcore Deadheads with plenty to savor while offering a good introduction for neophytes, which is more than enough to make it essential. "

Translation: it's an easily digestible first show to listen to...maybe after you've consumed some of their more popular studio recordings (American Beauty) and live releases (Europe '72), because the show flows.  It's not without human error.  Bobby and Donna both flub entrances to songs.  Jerry's noodling drifts in and out of key at one point (typical), and there's the pre-second set reminder to not squish everyone in the front for wanting to be closer to the musicians: "Take a step back, and then another step."  Also, and my father-in-law will love this feature/omission, this is a show that doesn't contain often disjointed and experimental "Space" and "Drums," the latter which was played in both shows immediately preceding and following this one.  Suffice it to say, this is an easy listen even without 1970's tabs of acid. 

(Check out this 10-minute mini-doc on the release!)

Do I like it?  I love it.  Again, it's because the source is so crystal clear.  Listening to this recording compared to several other commercially released Dead Shows (read: Dick's Picks) is like apples and oranges.  There's no comparison.  The bass is rich and heavy.  Jerry's licks are crisp, and, at times, the two drummers are split, right and left speaker.  Piano/keyboard is also easily discernable.  It's a classic show, but with modern production, and it's awesome.  I can't stop listening and it's easily become one of the top three shows in my rotation.

Listen, if you're curious about the Grateful Dead live experience, or you want to fill out your collection with a representative show from a very strong iteration of the Dead, then you need to get/own/listen to this show.  It's definitely worth your $20 (Amazon) and your 2 and a half hours.

Poll Dancing

I like independent surveys of regular "Joe" and "Jane" citizens with regard to the current political climate.  If FaceBook is merely an echo-chamber of one's personal and political beliefs, then it's fair to say that, if you look hard enough, you can find a poll to suit your personal life view.  Therefore, it's imperative that we try to use non-partisan surveys to gauge political sentiment: our Nation's view of acts and actions.

This week we were privy to the President's Apprentice-style execution of (now) former FBI Director, James Comey.  Trump's historic opinion of the director could only be described as "up and down" as praises of Comey's decisions in the Fall of 2016 have now been cited as the former-director's downfall.  "But, the e-mails..." you might say.  Yes, even during recent testimony last week, Comey admitted that he was sickened by his perceived need to go down that rabbit hole, thereby (somewhat) influencing our electoral process.  He's paid the price now for lack of discretion then...but, due to his involvement in an ongoing investigation into election meddling and potential collusion between this President and the Russian State, Comey's shame is Donald Trump's cross to bear.

Let's get it straight: the President has the right to fire the director of the FBI for no reason.  However, the appearance of skullduggery in Trump's decision has lead to a not-so-kind review of the Cheeto-In-Chief, which brings me back to polls.

First, some qualifications which are undeniable: the Asbury Park Press is an esteemed daily which runs in NJ along the shore, is an award winning publication well respected nationally for its investigative reporting.  Say what you want about accuracy of Wikipedia, their list of awards for the APP is current and defensible.  


To quote the Quinnipiac Poll's own web page, "Frequently cited by journalists, public officials and researchers, the independent Quinnipiac University Poll regularly surveys residents in Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and nationwide about political races, state and national elections, and issues of public concern, such as schools, taxes, transportation, municipal services and the environment."

The Asbury Park Press wrote, "The Quinnipiac University Poll is considered the gold standard in the business, frequently lauded by USA Today and other national media organizations for its information and accuracy."  (Say what you want about the APP, they're legit and Say what you want about accuracy of the APP, but Wikipedia's list of their awards is current and defensible.)

So, we've established that both the APP and Quinnipiac are respected institutions.  Well, take a look at this.  Trump's approval rating has taken a Christie-like nose-dive.  Just take a look, 1/3 of the way down the page at the words most associated with Trump; top three: idiot, incompetent, and liar.  In fact, of the 527 responses where more than 5 people said the same thing, 63% of them had negative connotations.  This isn't surprising.  According to the poll, only 36% approved of his time in office while 58% disapproved of the job he's doing.  The poll also captures some demographic information about the shifting opinions, and it seems that, the longer he stays in office, his popularity is declining "...among white voters with no college degree, white men and independent voters [i.e. members of his base]." 

Even 538.com, Nate Silver's (and now ESPN's) statistics based website offers a view of Trump's approval ratings, which is a weighted amalgam of other polls, has 52.8% of Americans disapprove and only 41.3% approve of Agent Orange.  Not a historic low, but maybe more accurate?

I think the takeaway from all of this is that we need to keep pushing for the truth.  We need to prop up our investigative journalists so they can reveal dark hidden secrets that government doesn't want us to know.  Also, it's important to not just repost jargon...but to read the bills that our Congress is trying to pass off as good legislation...you know, stuff the House of Representatives can't be bothered with. Then, we need to call our Bible-Belt relatives, or our Bubbys in Florida, or our mid-western friends, and urge them to review the facts that aren't reported on Fox News (the same Fox News who initially reported that Comey resigned).  

Ultimately, we need to further the efforts of Mulder and Scully, because the truth IS out there.  

(P.S. Yes, I do understand that polls also, incorrectly, predicted a HRC win.  I don't need the trolling, please. Pobody's nerfect.)

It's about size

I am far from svelt.  This is probably the heaviest I've been, and it's exhausting.  While I believe that I am "active," you can trace my activity to twice-a-day walks with my senior citizen equivalent dog, and merely keeping up with the kids.  Admittedly, I need to exercise (more), but it's also clear that I am not alone.  

There is an epidemic in our rich society, so much so that the Centers for Disease Control has studied this issue for decades.  To quote the CDC: "The medical care costs of obesity in the United States are high. In 2008 dollars, these costs were estimated to be $147 billion. The annual nationwide productive costs of obesity obesity-related absenteeism range between $3.38 billion ($79 per obese individual) and $6.38 billion ($132 per obese individual).Aug 15, 2016"

So, it's expensive, and it's clearly unhealthy.  Here's the CDC's list of the effects of obesity:

• All-causes of death (mortality)
• High blood pressure (Hypertension)
• High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
• Sleep apnea and breathing problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver)
• Low quality of life
• Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
• Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning

That sounds like a shit life.  No wonder why it's so expensive.  And, the number of obese adults who are chemically addicted to food is around 25% according to the National Institute of Health.

Now, compare that to marijuana.  The ACLU reports that "Enforcing marijuana laws costs us about $3.6 billion a year, yet the War on Marijuana has failed to diminish the use or availability of marijuana."  That's not the same as treating it, but it's a number.  As with most minor crimes, "enforcement" happens to far more people of color than whites too.  But that's not all, the National Institute of Health's Institute of Drug Abuse reports that "studies suggest that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it."  That figure may creep higher for teens who regularly use the drug.  Simple math says that 9% isn't 25%.  But, addicted is addicted, and that's bad.

However, that's not the only story.  NPR has reported that when weed is legalized for medical use and made readily available for a host of issues like like chronic pain, anxiety or depression, States "saw declines in the number of Medicare prescriptions for drugs used to treat those conditions and a dip in spending by Medicare Part D, which covers the cost on prescription medications."

Marijuana is saving consumers and the insurance industry money when used responsibly in place of heavily addictive opioids.  I would challenge anyone who would argue that obesity studies show clear fiscal and social health benefits.  Which brings me to New Jersey.

Recently, our Governor has indicated that people in favor of legalization are "stupid."  This is the same governor who used his bully pulpit to talk about his dedication to helping those suffering from opioid addiction...an echo from the White House's agenda.  This is the same governor who has had major budget deficits in years and years of past passed State budgets...defunding everything from the State's pension system to our transportation system which repeatedly fails basic safety standards.  This year, Colorado pulled in $200 million in tax revenues from the sales of marijuana.  Now, I know that sales from recreational use differ considerably from sales for medical uses, but revenue is revenue.

The long and the short of it is, if our elected officials really want to improve our societal state of being, reducing dependency on potentially addictive drugs, and filling gaps in the State's mismanaged finances, maybe they should be pouring our funds efforts into the declassifying and decriminalization of marijuana and, for the first time, studying it's true potential effects on our economy and societal health, instead of blindly decrying its evils...from the line at a Cinnabon on Route 95.

I won't dictate to you about your recreational habit, if don't dictate mine.  Mostly, because yours is literally killing you, and mine...well, not so much.