Thoughts

One thing that has amused -- but not surprised -- me about the arctic blast (in addition to the global warming stuff) is how often the weather people were wrong...I mean, it snowed all day yesterday, and everyone said it would taper off.  Thursday they were sort of right -- it snowed a lot -- but it seemed we got a hell of a lot more than expected.  Oi, oi, oi.  And the furnace runs...

Anyways, stayed up last night to watch "Five Easy Pieces."  I wouldn't the movie was good, but it was interesting...Jack Nicholson is one hell of an actor; you could see it in this one.  You could also say that at least.  I also watched "Out of the Furnace" a couple of days ago...again....not that good, but interesting.

Book Two of the Powell series arrived, and well, it is a real joy to behold.  I finished up "Vow of Silence" two days ago; it is about the abuse scandal/Fr. Maciel/the Legion of Christ.  And, mainly, it discusses how internal secrecy is paralyzing the Vatican...makes some good points.  The person who gave it to me told me that when he was a kid, he would hear how they went after the priests in Spain, Mexico, etc., and that he could never believe it...now, of course, he can.  The sad thing in, he is sort of right.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article3801317.html
This election result surprised me.  But I think it also speaks to a larger point; there is this tremendous American way of NOT wanting to pay for things -- at least their true cost.  But I also think that people are beginning to say...whoa, we can't pay anymore.  They vote down levies and such, and then the governments start cutting...but no one ever seems to say "Gee, maybe there is a smarter way to do things."  In the business world, of course, people find ways to make it happen -- work more for less, cross-train, cut benefits, etc...but around here, of course, you're locked in by contracts and such.  But no one seems to want to apply some of the solutions from the private sector to the public one; that, I think, is going to slowly change...