California Free Press

Review of Peter Sprague Concert at Athenaeum Studio 2-26-06

Last night guitarist Peter Sprague performed at the Athenaeum Studio in a two guitar format featuring Howard Alden on 7 string guitar. On bass and drums, respectively, were staunch allies Bob Magnusson and Jim Plank. The set started with the Harold Arlen tune, "My Shining Hour" from the movie "The Sky's the Limit." In my opinion tune selection is half the battle, and Peter did a magnificent job in selecting the tunes that were played this evening. You can't beat The Great American Songbook especially when augmented with Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, and the selection of tunes this night was wonderful and covered all the bases. For this alone the concert was first rate, top notch, 5 stars. But then the playing was pretty spectacular too!

Howard Alden was sitting in for Mundell Lowe, the great guitarist, who couldn't make it on account of illness. Mundell was one of the Mississppi contingent of be-boppers who along with Mose Allison ("I'm sitting down here on Parchmon Farm") migrated to New York City and absorbed the lessons of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the aftermath of WW II. Mundell was musical director of the Monterey Jazz Festival for many years, a fact that the concert notes failed to mention. He was one of the first to have an integrated group, a fact worthy of note for a southern musician. As a friend of Mundell's, I wish him a speedy recovery.

What a joy it was to be introduced to the music of Howard Alden! The two guitarists were a contrast, but complemented each other well. Howard has a more traditional, focused jazz oriented sound than does Peter maybe as a result of moving to New York City as a young man, while Peter embodies and encapsulates the southern California, Del Mar surf's up sound with hints of Eastern mysticism, incense and candles. His sound is spacier and less hard edge. He's not totally in LaLa land, however, as he can dig in if he wants to. So it was a contrast between the Big Apple sound and the Del Mar surf sound. Both are equally valid. Peter loves the Spanish sounds -  the sambas, flamencos and bossa novas and that was reflected in the 3 Antonio Carlos Jobim tunes - Desafinado, Wave and Felicidad. Another remarkable composer and wise tune selections.

Howard has studied with 7 string guitarist George Van Eps, and his solo turn demonstrated how the low A string can give the guitar a fuller lower register. Both guitarists were relaxed and enjoying themselves and each other's playing. Some of the other great tunes and composers featured were "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," by Cole Porter, "Prelude to a Kiss," by Duke Ellington, "It Could Happen to You," by Jimmy Van Heusen, "You Don't Know What Love Is," by Don Raye and "It's You or No One," by Jules Styne. The latter two aren't as well known as the others, but what wonderful music! Bassist Bob Magnusson played the melody arco on "You Don't Know..." His playing is simply superb. One of the few bassists that can carry the melody, and also play Charlie Parker inspired solos, the group interaction among the three string players was the highlight of the evening. The group was at it's best when the bass was an equal partner with the guitars which tended to be more the case as the evening progressed.

Drummer Jim Plank, unfortunately, played a more Connie Kaye-ish role as strict timekeeper. He's been a fixture on the jazz and symphony scene for many years. Although he had some good solo spots, he was not fully integrated into the group sound. The essence of unobtrusiveness, I think Jim needs to be more aggressive and use the sticks more. Somehow the brushes didn't get the job done. He could have been more interactive without overpowering the room. And although I'm no expert on drum kits, the sound of his set-up didn't really turn me on. If I closed my eyes and just listened to the drums, it sounded like a businessman's bounce. Maybe that's what playing with the symphony too long does to you. I don't know.

It made my evening when they played Charlie Parker's "Bloomdido," with a remarkable introduction. In general, great interplay between the guitarists throughout. They had a great groove on "You'd Be So Nice..." and a great sound on "You Don't Know...," the high points of the concert for me. All in all one of the best nights out for music in a long time. I can't stress enough how much I appreciated the tune selection. Great artists know this is half the battle. Mercifully, there were no originals, not that Peter isn't a good composer which he is, but when you are dealing with the likes of Ellington, Jobim, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Charlie Parker and Jimmy Van Heusen, it's pretty hard to come up with a topper!

It's Morning in America!

As Dubai Ports World puts a hold on its acquisition of contracts to manage 6 US ports in order to buy time for Bob Dole to lobby in its favor, inside information has it that Dole will produce an infomercial designed to placate the fears of the American public or in other words to sell Dubai Ports to the American public much in the same way that soap is sold or the Bush Presidency is sold for that matter. They are trying to capture the essence and the spirit of President Reagan's successful "Morning in America" selling job...er... campaign. They are doing the shooting at the Port of Newark with big container ships in the background and stevedores running around as busy as bees.

Bob Dole: Put those yellow and orange filters on the cameras. I want this to look like those "Morning in America" commercials you guys shot for Ronald Reagan. Man, were they effective! You know, I want to get that 'amber waves of grain feeling in there.'

As a container ship softly blows its horn in the background, a paid actor dressed as a burly stevedore replete with hardhat, a big brown mustache and a friendly smile, steps into the camera's field of view.

Bob Dole: Take one. Morning in America redux. Roll 'em!

Actor: Hello, my name is Mahmoud and I'm...

Bob Dole: Cut! Cut! What's with the name 'Mahmoud.'

Actor: Well, I'm Arabic, and that's my name.

Bob Dole: Well, couldn't you call yourself Paul or something more American sounding. Let's try that again. OK. Morning in America redux. Take 2. Roll 'em!

Actor: Hi, my name's Paul, and I'm here to tell you that I'm proud to work for a company like Dubai Ports. You know you have nothing to fear from Dubai Ports. We unload cargo from all over the world. You know even though I'm an Arab..

Bob Dole: Cut! Cut! You know that doesn't sound good. Couldn't we say something easier on the ears?

Actor: I could say I'm Arabic.

Bob Dole: No, that's too fricative. We need something more...sibilant. From now on you're Arabian as in Arabian Nights.

Actor: I like that. Reminds me of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

Bob Dole: Yeah, right. OK actors take your places. Morning in America redux. Take 3. Roll 'em

Actor: Hello there. My name is Paul and I'm here to tell you that working for Dubai Ports...well, all's I can tell you is that Dubai Ports has been very, very, very good to me. Here at the Port of Newark, for example, we are busy all night unloading Chinese container ships with the latest Barbie dolls and cell phones. While you Americans are sleeping soundly in your beds, there are no worries, because here at Dubai Ports we take your security very, very, very seriously. Even though I'm Arabian - you know, "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves"- Ha. Ha. Ha. These are very good children's stories. I know they warmed the cockle's of my son's heart. He came to America on a student visa. I'm so proud of him. While he was earning his degree in Electrical Engineering, he even took flying lessons on the side. And...

Bob Dole: Cut! Cut! Cut! We don't want to mention anything about flying lessons, you idiot. Cut that out. OK, now. Continue. Morning in America redux. Take 4. Roll 'em.

Actor: Yes, I'm so proud of my son. In addition to Arabic, he speaks fluent English and Chinese. I do too! We need to speak Arabic to our managers here at Dubai World and Chinese to all the ship captains that dock here. Pretty soon English will probably not any longer be the chief international language. Ha. Ha.

Bob Dole: Cut! Cut! Hey don't be suggesting that Chinese and Arabic are going to become the major international languages. This infomercial is supposed to calm the fears of the American people, not exacerbate them. Now let's start again. Morning in America redux. Take 5. Roll 'em.

Actor: Well, you are probably asking yourself 'why is an Arabian such as me from the United Arab Emirates working as a stevedore at the Port of Newark?' That is a good question. But it's thanks to your wonderful President, Mr. George Bush. Praise Allah. He wants to be fair to all countries, to all peoples. He doesn't want to discriminate, bless his heart. So when Dubai Ports World offered to take over port management in 6 American cities, George Bush was all for it in the name of fairness, in the name of non-discrimination etc. etc. Naturally, the nice folks at the Longshoreman's Union also were very kind and non-discriminating. So when I applied for a job here, they treated me like they would anyone else whether from England or Germany or Ireland. They took me in. Yes, I did offer to work for less than minimum wage, but after all, I am doing what your President has called "those jobs Americans don't want to do." So while we are busy doing those jobs Americans don't want to do, you can be out shopping at Wal-Mart buying all the Chinese trinkets and toys I was busily unloading last night as you soundly slept (music wells here) secure in the knowledge that no terrorists were entering your port system. I, Paul, will see to that. No terrorist will get by me! You can rest assured. I will see to that.

And in addition to all the Chinese manufactures we unload here, we also unload shipments of Viagra for Bob Dole. Where would Bob Dole be without Viagra.

Bob Dole: Cut! Cut! Cut! I don't think we need to tell them about Viagra.

Actor: Yes, Mr. Dole but didn't you do some Viagra commercials.

Bob Dole: Yes, but we don't need any 'crosstalk,' if you get my drift. This is an infomercial to reassure the American people that they have nothing to fear by a bunch of Arabs running our ports. This has nothing to do with Viagra. Besides we don't want the American people to know that Viagra is produced overseas by Chinese workers receiving third world wages when they have to pay first world prices.

Actor: Well, they could buy directly from the Chinese and save...

Bob Dole: That wouldn't be ethical! The drug companies wouldn't be able to make a profit,  and then where would we be? Besides if the American people purchased directly from overseas, they might get inferior merchandise. They might get something that would cause them harm instead of a hard-on. When they purchase directly from an American drug company, they know they are getting merchandise that's approved by the FDA.

Actor: Yes, but isn't it the same merchandise?

Bob Dole: You ask too many questions. Let's get on with this infomercial. Morning in America redux. Take 6. Roll 'em.

Actor: Hi, this is Paul again. You know you Americans have nothing to fear. Yes, I'm not an American citizen, but I have a green card. I'm here legally doing a job no American wants to do. And when my job is finished, unlike the students on student visas that stayed on illegally in this country, I will return to my home country. If I was British or French would you deny me a job as a stevedore? No, I don't think so. That's why you Americans are so reasonable and compassionate. I know President Bush is a compassionate conservative.

And you know the Coast Guard has the ultimate responsibility for protecting your ports. You can rest assured with them on the job. And you know the Coast Guard is very fair and compassionate. They would not try to keep out my brother Ahmed just because he is a Muslim. Why he's an American citizen for crying out loud. He's serving his country,... nobly I might add. Don't think he believes all that crap he hears on a daily basis in the mosque. He's no more affected by that than you Americans are by all the violence you see on TV. He's a mature person that Ahmed!

So in conclusion, I want to assure all Americans that you have nothing to fear from Dubai Ports World, Arabian stevedores or Muslims in the Coast Guard. We are all here to help and serve. Just read your children to sleep from a chapter of Arabian Nights. (Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is my favorite) And all will be well! (Big Smile. The music wells.) And just remember folks, when it's Morning in America, it's midnight in Iraq!

Bob Dole: Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut!

Actor: Praise Allah.

The Dumbest Thing Yet: Turning Our Ports Over to UAE

How could President Bush be so adamant in his desire to turn over the management of 6 American ports to the United Arab Emirates? Two of the 9/11 hijackers hailed from there. The country is not a democracy. It's run by the royal family. Shipments of nuclear components to Iran and Korea have been made from there. Bush has said, if there was one iota of danger in this, the process would not go forward. Well, here's one iota: are they going to do thorough background checks on all their employees to guarantee that none of them are terrorists? Do we know what their background checking process is? How do we know that one or more employees will not become terrorists? And since they will not show the US Government any of their records, we'll never know.

Bush said: "I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company. I am trying to conduct foreign policy now by saying to the people of the world, `We'll treat you fairly.'" Why shouldn't a country that harbors terrorists, doesn't recognize the right of Israel to exist, transshipped nuclear materials to Iran and North Korea, wouldn't let us track Bin Laden's financial transactions be held to a higher standard? Furthermore, why shouldn't an American company control American ports?

This from Randi Rhodes: "In approving the $6.8 billion purchase, the administration chose not to require state-owned Dubai Ports World to keep copies of its business records on U.S. soil, where they would be subject to orders by American courts. It also did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate requests by the government.

"Outside legal experts said such obligations are routinely attached to U.S. approvals of foreign sales in other industries."

Rep. Peter King of New York, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said:  "There is a very serious question as to why the records are not going to be maintained on American soil subject to American jurisdiction."

Dubai Ports is not just a private company headquartered in the UAE. It is wholly owned by the UAE. Why would Bush, who has never vetoed anything, rise to issuing his first veto in 6 years in order to make sure that a country that produced 2 of the 9/11 hijackers would control our ports? Oh, but he said, the Coast Guard would still be in charge of security. As it is now only 1 out of 20 cargo containers that come through our ports is inspected. That would give the Coast Guard odds of 1 in 20 that they would be able to catch the nuclear components being smuggled in. Worse than that, the odds of detection go down precipitously for subsequent shipments. Remember they only have to not get caught once. We have to be right every time. So why even put the Coast Guard in that no win position?

This actually comes as no surprise given the fact that the Bush Administration is in charge. What have they done to secure our borders? The borders are as porous as ever. All kinds of contraband and persons are smuggled in every day. It's almost as if Bush was hoping for another terrorist attack. And why not? The aftermath of 9/11 was the high point of his administration. His poll numbers were at an all-time high. The country rallied around him as he stood tall in the saddle. It was his time of glory. Since then, the glory has departed. Everything Bush has done from trying to dismantle social security, to invading Iraq, to running up huge budget deficits, to the Medicare Part D drug plan, to his response to Katrina, to his failure to capture Bin Laden, has been a miserable failure. If there were to be another 9/11 style attack, the country would rally around Bush again, his poll numbers would go up and he would be in his glory again. No wonder he has left so many loopholes in our security. Chemical plants, for instance. The border and ports could be secured very easily with available technology. Why haven't they been?

There is the smell of money in this Dubai Ports deal. The close ties between the Bushies and Arab sheiks, caliphs, emirs and sultans are legendary. These are the same emirs who gave sanctuary to Bin Laden who was hosted in the UAE, the same ones that recognized the Taliban (one of only 3 countries to do so.) And why did the Bush Administration load up a plane with Bin Laden relatives immediately after 9/11 and fly them out of the country without even questioning them? And then there's the Carlyle Group from which George Bush, the father, is making billions from the War on Terrorism. Even as the planes smashed into the WTC George Herbert Walker Bush was meeting with Osama Bin Laden's brother at the Carlyle Group. Quote from the website- the Bush- Saudi Connection: "It’s passing strange that even as the hijacked planes smashed into the World Trade Center, the Carlyle Group was holding its annual investor conference. Shafig Bin Laden, brother of Osama Bin Laden, attended."

Not to mention that the Helmsley building located at 230 Park Ave in NYC (atop Grand Central Station) is owned by the UAE. The building was bought in 2005 for $705 million by the royal family of Dubai. So an Arab owned building sits atop the busiest subway and train terminal in the world. Right in the heart of New York City! Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?

Treasury Secretary John Snow, the chairman of CFUS (the Committee on Financial Investment in the US) approved the deal. Formerly CEO of CSX Corp., a freight rail company that sold its global port assets a year after he left to join the Bush administration. Who was the lucky buyer? Why it was Dubai Ports World, which put up $1.15 billion in that deal. Snow, reportedly, netted millions himself. It seems that Snow, who chairs the committee that makes the decisions on this sort of thing, has extensive connections to Dubai Ports and stands to enrich himself and his cronies by accepting this deal. That's why it must go through despite the fact that the Dubai banking system refuses to track Bin Laden's accounts, was the source of much of the funding for the 9/11 hijackers, refuses to recognize Israel etc.

But that's not all. David Sanborn, a former Employee of Snow's at CSX, oversaw the sale of CSX port assets to Dubai Ports, then went to work for Dubai Ports and recently accepted a job in the Bush Administration as Assistant Secretary of Transportation - Maritime Administration. Talk about your cronyism! Who needs outside lobbyists when you have a lobbyist right inside the Bush Administration? A mole so to speak representing the interests of Dubai Ports and those who will profit from this deal namely Snow and Sanborn themselves!

Meanwhile, trafficking in child slavery goes unabated in the United Arab Emirates. Boys as young as 4 are abducted and forced to become camel jockeys. And this is the country we are about to turn over management of our ports to, a country that still harbors terrorists, refuses to recognize the existence of Israel, has no elections, refuses to open the records of its banking system so we can track Bin Laden, home of 2 of the 9/11 hijackers and on and on. As Maureen Dowd writing in the New York Times said: "What kind of empire are we if we have to outsource our coastline to a group of sheiks who don't recognize Israel, in a country where money was laundered for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks?" Good luck, America!

Qualcomm: What's in a Name?

Qualcomm is a San Diego based corporation that does very fine work in the cell phone world. It's a Fortune 500 company, and I'm sure they have a lot of very smart people running the company and a lot of very fine  people working there. Their record of quarterly profits is admirable; so much so that they find themselves in the enviable position, quite often, of having to pooh-pooh their own profit reports something like this. "Well, even though we exceeded Wall Street analysts' expectations this quarter, don't expect us to keep this up. We'll probably do really lousy next quarter!" This is called lowering expectations. If the analysts got really excited and expected Qualcomm to do great things in the next quarter and then they fell short, that would be really bad for their stock. People would probably dump it if it didn't live up to expectations, and that would be really, really bad!

However, I have a problem with 'Qualcomm,' the name. It's just too obvious: Quality Communications.  Duhhh! How banal! How mundane! It's also a little too long. Too many m's. It's obvious they didn't have a naming expert like me come up with that one! Actually, Qualco would have been better. Shakespeare said, "What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." True, but actually there's a lot in a name. Certain sounds and certain words or word fragments connote certain things either pleasant or not so pleasant. Consider the words 'smegma' and 'maggot. Would you want a rose called by either of these names? "Oh, come here, Honey, and smell this wonderful smegma." How poetic!

Instead,  Qualcomm should have hired me to come up with a name that connoted pleasant associations having to do with their primary field of interest: cell phones. How about this: Celerity Corporation? The dictionary definition of celerity is rapidity of motion or action." It connotes speed, a very cool thing in any name, and cell phones - Cell-erity. Or it could even be called the Cellerity Corporation Even better. Also variations on this theme would work such as Celeritas Corporation or Cellarium Corporation with connotations of solarium as well. Solarium connotes the sun, always a good connotation. How about Celereal or Cellereal? A little too much like cereal, maybe.

Taking a different tack, consider the word 'accelerate,' related to celerity to be sure. How about the Accell Corporation? Unfortunately, other entities have seen the beauty in these names and taken them for their own operations, but they don't include major corporations. I'm sure Qualcomm could have had them if they wanted. Here's another one: Cellebrium. This connotes something really brainy as well as cell phones. However, it sounds a little like a drug or a cereal. Then there's variations on the word 'cerebral.'  Celebreal Corporation. Sounds a bit mysterious. That's OK. Or take variations on the word 'alacrity.' Alacrity means "promptness of response, cheerful readiness." What could be better than that? How about Cellacrity Corporation?

Intel knew what they were doing when they came up with the name "celeron" for one of their chips. It connotes speed, the very thing they would like their chip to be noted for. There are some companies whose names have nothing to do with their product line like the Cubic Corporation in San Diego. Then there's even a copycat Conic Corporation. There's no Spheric Corporation or Tetrahedronic or Octagonic Corporation. Why?? By the way, Cellonics would be a good name. Carrying this a bit further, how about the name Cellineal Corporation? Cellanial Corporation connotes the word cranial which connotes brainy which is good although there is a slight connotation of 'anal' which is bad. How about Cellubrious? Not bad. Close to salubrious from the Latin - healthy, safe - and meaning "promoting health and well-being." A perfect connotation.

I could go on and on. But there's no need to. They're stuck with the name 'Qualcomm.' They're never going to change it. And we're stuck with Qualcomm Stadium since they gave $17 million to the city of San Diego for the naming rights. How dreadful! Look at all the stadia that are named after corporations with dreadful names! We have here in San Diego the IPayOne Sports Arena. I Pay One!! It shouldn't be allowed. How disgusting and vulgar! How trite! It's a travesty of the English language, it is. And then the problems with Enron Stadium. They've finally renamed it Minute Maid Field! Finally, we have (in other parts of the country) Alltel Stadium, Bank of America Stadium, Invesco Field, Heinz Field, Lincoln Financial Field, Quest Field and FedEx Field. What next? Wal-Mart Stadium? Even Kick Ass Field would be better than these corporate names. How about Trash Talk Stadium or UpUrButt Field? Oh well. There's nothing I can do about it. Money talks, and if some city wants to name their stadium after the Smegma Corporation, there's nothing I can do about it!

Edward Hopper: Nighthawks

Edward Hopper is my favorite American artist. This picture, Nighthawks, is his most famous painting. Typically, Hopper's paintings depict loneliness and alienation. The settings are very spare. There is no merchandise in the shop windows, for example. In some of his paintings there are no people on the streets. If there are people such as a man and a woman, they are usually not relating to each other. One of Hopper's paintings of a house was used as a model for the haunted house in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, Psycho.

Hopper was born in the small Hudson River town of Nyack, New York State, on 22 July 1882. He studied art and commercial illustration in New York City. He made several trips to Paris and other parts of Europe which didn't seem to make much of an impression on him. The picture that seems to have impressed him most was Rembrandt's <i>The Night Watch</i> (in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). Hopper settled in Greenwich Village, which was to be his base for the rest of his life, and in 1923 he renewed his friendship with a neighbor, Jo Nivison, whom he had known when they were fellow students. She was now forty; Hopper was forty-two. In the following year they married.

I told my friends, Jim and Carol, to look like the figures in Nighthawks, that is lonely and isolated. They did a pretty good job. The lady behind the counter going about her business is perfect as a replacement for the counterman in the original painting. Even the salt and pepper shakers and sugar jars on the counter are true to the original work while the absence of customers except for them adds to the feeling of isolation.

Hopper became a pictorial poet who recorded the starkness and vastness of America. Sometimes he expressed aspects of this in traditional guise, as, for example, in his pictures of  lighthouses and harsh New England landscapes; sometimes New York was his context, with eloquent cityscapes, often showing deserted streets at night. Some paintings, such as his celebrated image of a gas-station, "Gas" (1940), even have elements which anticipate Pop Art. Hopper once said: "To me the most important thing is the sense of going on. You know how beautiful things are when you're traveling."

He died in 1967, isolated if not forgotten, and Jo Hopper died ten months later. His true importance has only been fully realized in the years since his death

Review of Rob Thorsen Quartet at Lyceum Theatre 2/13/06

The Rob Thorsen Quartet played to an overflowing crowd thanks partly at least to the fact that Rob's daughter's school class was in attendance. This mini-concert presented by the Athenaeum was, unfortunately, the only jazz concert in the series. With Gilbert Castellanos on trumpet, Mike Wofford on piano, Duncan Moore on drums and Rob on bass, the group performed a variety of everything from jazz standards to World Music. The musicianship in general was exquisite and impeccable.

Starting off with Duke Ellington's "Purple Gazelle," a rarely heard Ellington tune, Castellanos mainly carried the ball. His tone is wonderful especially in the low and middle registers. It's refreshing to hear a trumpeter who's not limited to playing above middle C. Castellanos has studied all the jazz masters like Clifford Brown, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie and it shows in his playing. He's well versed in the styles of the great players who have preceded him. He also has a nice bag of tricks such as squeeze tones and trills which he deploys more or less as the situation arises so that they fit naturally into his solos. A very creative player, his playing is getting more relaxed as he matures. His sense of time is almost too perfect which indicates that he must practice a lot with a metronome. It would be nice to hear him loosen up his time sense in his playing although not in his head. A looser sense of time does not have to be sloppy. And I'm not talking about swinging here. Even swinging eighth notes can be metronomic. Odd placements of accents and rhythmic figures as well as a sense of pulsation can open up the time feel of a solo.

"Jitterbug Waltz" featured a nice duet arrangement between piano and bass. Although Mike Wofford's solos were pretty short throughout in the interests of time(the concert only lasted an hour), Mike is the epitome of impeccability. In addition to that, Mike does another thing that I admire very much in a jazz musician. He's adventurous. When you combine those two qualities in one musician you have something very special indeed. Most musicians usually veer toward one pole or the other, but Mike seems to encompass them both.

"Would you?", a Thorsen original,  was based on Dizzy Gillespie's tune "Woody 'N You." Dizzy used to base his tunes on the chord changes of other popular tunes, but it escapes me what "Woody 'N You" is based on. Rob's arrangement based on a Chinese folk tune, "In Xinjiang  Time," had a very complex time signature. There were some nice piano and bass vamps providing a background for Duncan Moore's drums. Duncan always sounds good in any context. He's a great section man and can stretch out when given a chance. Not just a "tinky boom" accompanist, as musicians such as Paul Desmond (see sidebar) used to favor, he's always doing something interesting behind the soloist.

Rob Thorsen is a consummate musician. He arranges, he composes, he presents, he promotes. His arrangements feature the bass in unusual and pleasant ways. As a soloist he's fleet of finger and has a bag of "special effects" that tend to liven up any concert. I've heard Rob in a lot of "restrained" settings, such as this one where there were a lot of "young ears" to relate to, but he also can stretch out given the right venue.

Although they didn't have time to finish the concert, Gilbert did a nice version of Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now," a very pretty ballad and a nice substitute for the overworked "Body and Soul," proving once again that the melody played straight by a trumpeter with a nice tone is half the battle, something that trumpeters such as Jack Sheldon always do in concert.

Even though there was a standing room only crowd, I can't say the concert was sold out because it was free. All in all a pleasant way to spend the lunch hour. The Athenaeum does a good job providing much of the cultural backbone of music and art in San Diego.

Age at Morena Vista Apartments

All amenities are provided at this latest, most up-to-date, state of the art retirement home. Here we don't mince words. Here you can age gracefully or otherwise. We're not going to tell you how to live your life. You can eat anything you want since the latest study shows that reducing your consumption of fat will do nothing to lengthen your life. So pizza, hot dogs, french fries - why not enjoy them all? The Federal study, costing $415 million, has proven that there's no increased risk of heart attack, cancer or stroke in post-menopausal women no matter how many fats you consume! (As a caveat, the same may not hold true, however, for post-womenopausal men!)

We're calling for all you guys in New York City to come out here and enjoy our beautiful weather, and we promise to make you feel right at home.  We have Brooklyn Pizza, Bronx Pizza even Queens Pizza (no pun intended). In addition to that we have Brooklyn hot dogs, Bronx hot dogs etc. etc. You get the idea. All you folks from Chicago will enjoy our Chicago Pizza, and denizens of Philadelphia will not have to go without their Philly cheese steak sandwiches!

Our wonderful recreation directors, Rob O' Tussin and Kay O' Pectate, will put you through your paces in order to work off all those extra calories the Federal Government says it's now alright to consume. And just think - they were about to put sanctions on McDonald's until this study came out. The folks at McDonald's are heaving a huge sigh of relief. Forget about the salad bar and Lean Cuisine. The stock at Krispy Kreme just hit a new high! So super size me!

Now our wonderful facility is located right next to the Marina trolley stop. You don't even need a car to get anywhere. The senior rate for a transit pass is only $15.00 a month. Hop aboard the trolley and in one or two stops you can be at Fashion Valley or Mission Valley shopping centers or Old Town. Shopping, restaurants, cultural attractions are only minutes away. Or hop on over to the Mission Valley YMCA. It's within walking distance. There you can Aquasize till your heart's content or acquire a personal trainer.

Here at Morena Vista we have dances every Saturday night under the direction of our social director, Arthur Ritis. Our resident medical staff including renowned Dr. Paul Patate will be there to attend to your every medical need. Sal Hepatica and Ginger Vitus head up our housekeeping staff. Finally, Cy Attica and Sigmund Oscopy provide handyman and concierge services, respectively.

And in the lounge our friendly bartenders, Luke O'Treines and Sue DaFed, will never tell you: "Last call for alcohol." Instead it's "Last call for Cepacol!"

So come age with us! You won't regret it. Don't pass up this opportunity to live and age in beautiful San Diego. Here at Morena Vista we don't mince words. So you can forget the 'ageing gracefully' crap.

Review of Mike Wofford's Lecture Demo at San Diego Museum of Art

Last night the Mike Wofford Trio gave an educational lecture demonstration at the San Diego Museum of Art. This was the first in a planned series where jazz musicians explain the art form and, in addition to playing, tell about what they are doing. I suspect that most musicians would rather just play than talk about their craft. However, Mike on piano along with Luther Hayes on bass and Duncan Moore on drums, did an admirable job talking about different facets of jazz and even taking questions from the audience.

The dilemma they faced is a little like the bricklayer who was asked to give a lecture about the art of bricklaying. Surveying the audience he thought about whether there were any advanced bricklayers present or whether most of them didn't know what mortar was. He thought about whether he should try to encapsulate the whole history of bricklaying, whether he should talk about the various styles and types of brick or whether he should talk about all the great brick buildings of the world. Finally he said, "I just try to lay 'em in a straight line," and sat down.

Mike and the trio offered much more in the way of explanation than that! They worked over the "I Got Rhythm" changes in various styles from simple to complex including a modal version, and gave Duke Ellington's "C Jam Blues" the same treatment with the final very impressive version played free. Questions from the audience brought out the interesting fact that there was, however, some premeditation to the music that sounded totally spontaneous and free. Also that the musicians'  time sense was so advanced that they could drop all the basic elements of melody, harmony and rhythm and still stay together as long as everyone still knew where "one" was. And that "one" was not the first beat of each bar but the first beat of the entire form whether 32 bars or a 12 bar blues!

It makes sense that, as long as everyone knows where they are time-wise, the group sounds coherent and cohesive, but, once you lose that time coherence, you just have mass chaos. So time is the most fundamental musical value. However, even if you lose that time coherence, it can be gotten back just by the leader playing a few bars of melody or other reference points so that "one" can be reestablished. It won't be the same "one" as the original "one" but that is a matter only philosophers would fret about.

Mike and the group shared their other musical values with us as well such as tolerance of virtually any style from the Yellowjackets to Cecil Taylor. One got the impression that they had taken them all seriously and learned from all of them. There is a rich and diverse history and many colorful characters to learn from. Fortunately, today there is also a wealth of educational materials available from play-along records in every conceivable style to a voluminous libary of books on improvisation. Also recent technolgy advances in recording have made it possible for every musician to have their own recording studio and produce their own CDs. Musicians need not even record together as a group but instead can email their parts to a central location for the final mix-down and mastering. A lot of them are also marketing their own works on the internet.

Luther explained with a grin that he was the foundation of the band and rightfully so since he plays all the roots of the chords while the piano player plays the "pretty notes." Duncan explained how the bass player and the drummer "lock on" to each other to lay down a cohesive foundation. It would have been nice if they could have elaborated more, but there were time constraints.

It's always  a problem in a limited amount of time to give an introductory lecture about jazz. Jazz history goes back over a hundred years now, most of it recorded, so there is a substantial legacy to talk about. One senses that Mike had some anxiety about fitting it all in. He said he didn't want to sound like a lecture for Jazz 101, and this is good because, while anyone could give a Jazz 101 lecture, what I wanted to hear was Mike's personal insight and relationship with jazz. Still I think he tried to cover too much. He could just as well have skipped "I Got Rhythm" and given the whole presentation on the blues which after all is the foundation for both jazz and rock and roll. Undoubtedly, more money has been made off the blues than any other musical form and it all started very simply in a field somewhere probably 200 years ago with an honest expression, a repeat and then the denouement: "Feelin' tomorrow like I feel today. I said feelin' tomorrow like I feel today. I'm gonna pack my things and make my getaway." The 12 bar blues form with 3 four bar sections and 3 chords arose from that or a similar lament and was based on the African- American experience. The development could proceed from Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey down to the harmonic dexterity and adventurousness of Art Tatum and to the chord-change-every-beat blues of Charlie Parker. It all comes from that original holler.

I would venture a guess that most in the audience were fairly sophisticated and knowledgeable jazz aficionados judging by the age group of most of the attendees. Why not ask the audience a few questions like 1) how long have you been listening to jazz?; 2) how many CDs or records in your jazz collection? That way the Museum will have a general idea of where to pitch future programs. For the presenting artist, here are a few tips:

1) Take a facet of jazz and deal with it in depth; don't spread yourself too thin.

2) Tell us your musical values (which the Mike Wofford Trio did very well).

3) Give us some insight into the art of improvisation which is what jazz is all about. (They  did that also).

4) Help us to understand your motivation and your development as a jazz player and composer.

Finally, it can't be overstated that educational programs such as this are invaluable adjuncts to the concert or listening experience per se. Wynton Marsalis is doing a similar thing weekly on XM radio. Although as Mike emphasized "you can appreciate great music without understanding it technically," still the more the audience and the general public understand what's going on in the minds of the musicians, the more they will appreciate the music. Hopefully, this series will continue.

Marx, Einstein and Goethe

What do Marx, Einstein and Goethe have in common? They were all born in Germany. I was traveling on the Deutches Bahn across the lower part of Germany from Munich to Freibourg following the Danube River to its source. Part of my trip was a pilgrimage to the birthplaces of my heroes Marx and Einstein. Einstein was born in Ulm and I was eager to see how Ulm had honored their "homey," one of the greatest thinkers the human race has produced.

I got off the train at Ulm and headed for the Information Center. Almost every town in Europe has one, and they are very helpful pointing out local points of interest. I was told there was no "Einstein house." The house where he was born had been torn down, no doubt by the Nazis. There were just 2 monuments to Einstein and that was it. I got directions and set out to find the first one, a 3D sculpture version of the famous picture of Einstein sticking out his tongue. After some searching I found it. It was OK but it was just sitting there by the side of some building. There was no information about Einstein or anything.

The second monument was near the train station, and I frantically searched for it since my departing train was almost due. Finally, I found it - a nondescript, graffiti-covered obelisk in a dimly lit, underground walkway. One had to search to even find the name "Einstein" anywhere on it. What a disgrace! I boarded my train and continued on my way passing the source of the Danube, but I don't remember where.

After a sojourn in the Black Forest, I continued by train with my Deutches Bahn Rail Pass up the Rhine to Koblenz. From there I headed up the Moselle River with my destination being Trier, the birthplace of Karl Marx. I wondered if his birthplace had honored him any more than Ulm had honored Einstein. I got off the train to take a detour to Burg Eltz, a castle that had been in the same family for 800 years and had not been destroyed by Allied bombers during World War 2 because they couldn't find it, so deep in the forest was it hidden. This was highly recommended by Rick Steeves, my travel guru. I always tried to l"ive like a local" as he recommended even to the point of not booking any advance reservations on this trip, a practice I lived to regret when I got to Berlin.

Burg Eltz was a pleasant 45 minute hike through the forest, and I took a tour through the castle. Unfortunately, there was no English tour, and my rudimentary German was hardly sufficient to understand anything our tour guide had to say. The Germans seemed to eat it up though as they paid rapt attention laughing frequently. It seems that opening castles like these up to tourists is the only way families can afford to keep them since the upkeep is tremendous. It was neat to see a bunch of German families relaxing on the veranda after the tour, drinking beer and gazing out over the serene forest. I wanted to join them, but I needed to get to Trier in time to get a hotel room for the night.

Trier had been a Roman town, and there were Roman ruins around the town. I stayed by Porto Negro, the Black Gate, which was part of the ruins. Everywhere I went the first thing I did in the morning was go for a swim in the local municipal pool. Usually the pools were very nice. I remember the one in Rothenburg was outstanding as was the one in Trier. After breakfast I proceeded to explore the town. There was a Karl Marx house, the house where Marx grew up, a middle class burgher's house, naturally. For some reason I didn't get to go in. Maybe it wasn't open that day. There was a Karl Marx Haus bus stop, a Karl Marx Big and Tall men's clothing store and a Karl Marx Kebap house. I was very impressed! They even had a poster of Marx at the local Information Center. I think there was even a local beer called Karl Marx. I came to the conclusion that the most you could aspire to even if you were the most famous person in the whole world was to have a beer named after you. It seemed that way all over Europe.

Leaving Trier I headed for Erfurt, formerly in East Germany, and also Weimar and the Wartburg Castle where Luther supposedly threw his ink pot at the devil. Erfurt was interesting. This former Communist stronghold had some residential streets where the houses were worthy of Beverly Hills. Who used to live here I wondered? I thought everybody lived in huge grey apartment blocks. Evidently not everybody. Finally, I realized that these mansions must have been occupied by Communist Party officials. At least somebody was living well under Communism.

My goal from Erfurt was to hike the Goethe Wanderweg, a hiking trail in the Thuringian mountains where Goethe used to hike and go to find peace and quiet to write his books. I found that Goethe was the real German hero far surpassing Einstein and Marx. There were Goethe monuments and Goethe houses everywhere. Goethe had written "The Sorrows of Young Werther," about a young man much like Holden Caulfield in "The Catcher in the Rye." In fact "Sorrows" was a sort of German "Catcher."

I took the train out of Erfurt heading for some little town where the trail head was located. As typical for my travels in Germany and elsewhere, I could not find the trail head. Sometimes I spent hours looking for a monument or some point of interest that sounded like a really big deal in the guide book. Usually the locals had never heard of it and could have cared less. So much for living like a local!

Finally, I asked a man working in his garden, "Wo ist die Goethe Wanderweg?" He very kindly pointed it out to me. It was a very unobtrusive entrance I must say. I had built it up in my mind to the point where I expected flashing neon lights indicating the start of this historic trail. Finally, however, I was on my way. Soon I found that the trail was indeed very well marked. There were multiple signs pointing directions at every crossroad. I checked out the tree house where Goethe loved to write, the party house where he loved to party etc. etc. As I hiked further, I noticed that the trail started to narrow. All of a sudden there were no more signs and no more German tourists. I was glad that I had refilled my water jug at that last rest stop although the barman seemed to have a difficult time understanding why anyone would be drinking water. It commenced to get darker and darker as I hiked further into the Thuringer Wald. I was lost, lost in a German forest, not speaking very much German and needing to get to the next town to catch the train back to the quarters in Erfurt I was renting from a private family whom I never saw the whole three days I stayed there.

At last I came upon a woodcutter's cottage. I kid you not. There were three German woodcutters deep in the forest. I asked them for directions, but they just sort of waved me on as if they didn't want to be bothered. I did finally luck out and get to the train station just in time to catch the last train back to Erfurt.

In Weimar I searched in vain for the Goethe house while the locals were having a street fair eating wurst and drinking beer. They knew nothing and could have cared less about the Goethe house. I also searched in vain for the famous statue of Goethe and Schiller arm in arm (which was nice because they hated each other) in front of the Deutches Natonalische Teater or something like that. Finally, I gave up and in my frustration decided to down a few cold ones myself. I walked up to a tent and drank a few, got into a conversation with the bartender who spoke pretty good English and had been to California. He said he had been on the freeways there and the drivers were all "Assels." I couldn't have agreed more. In my stupor I headed back to the train station only to have the serendipity of stumbling on the famous statue of Goethe and Schiller hugging each other. My day was...complete. I retired to my bedroom in the private house and watched German television.

Heading for Berlin, I had some difficulty finding a hotel room because I didn't have an advance reservation. I had learned my lesson. I had taken this "living like a local" stuff too far. Finally, I found one for which I paid the most money for the worst dump of my trip. I learned my lesson. It took me 3 days to find a suitable swimming pool. Finally, I found the Sports Scwimme Halle a place where you could really swim laps. Like most European locker rooms, you put a coin in the locker, extracted the key and pinned the key on you while you swam. When you came back to the locker and inserted the key, the lock opened and you got your coin back. I hadn't had any trouble with this arrangement before, but today after enjoying a nice swim in a pool that seemingly had no bottom, I noticed my key missing. Oh no, I thought. Here I am in a foreign country, barely speaking the language, dripping wet and all my ID, my wallet, my passport, my money, everything that I own, practically, is locked up in a German locker, and I've lost my key!

Finally, I summoned up all the German I knew and went up to the locker room attendant. "Ich habe mein schlussel verloren," I said looking helpless and forlorn. He was very nice and without much adieu opened the locker for me. Needless to say I was relieved!

Outsourcing and Self-Employment

It comes as no surprise to most people that a large number of American jobs are being "outsourced" to workers in other countries who will do the same jobs for less money than American workers. These are mainly high tech jobs that can be done by telecommuting. That is to say via the internet, computers, phones, faxes and emails. Computers and communication technology are such that these jobs don't have to be done in any specific location so Corporations, naturally, always looking to increase the bottom line, will avail themselves of the cheapest possible labor even if and especially if that labor is overseas. For jobs in this country, there is an equivalent solution: let them be done by illegal immigrants who will work more cheaply than American citizens. So you have both the jobs that "Americans don't want to do" and jobs "Americans want to do very much" being done by the cheapest possible labor whether the labor is imported or the jobs are exported.

While it is understandable that Corporations will look for the cheapest labor source in order to minimize expenditures and maximize profits, what is not understandable is why the American people are continually fed a line of bullshit about this situation. Senators and Congressmen are calling for "more science and engineering graduates" lest we fall behind in science and engineering. What difference does it make if "we" fall behind in these fields? Corporations will find these skills elsewhere in the world. Is there some commitment to American college graduates that there will always be jobs available for them? Hardly. Why should American citizens feel it's patriotic to become scientists and engineers in order that "we" don't fall behind? Do Corporations feel a sense of obligation or patriotism to hire Americans. Hardly.

Americans need to put their own interests first just as the Corporations do. That means don't put all your eggs in the basket of the job market. Always have a fall back position of self-employment. After all, they can't outsource your job if you're self-employed! Whatever credentials and licenses you get whether from college or from the state should represent your ability to hang out your own shingle and be in business for yourself. Then if you choose to take a job with a company, it isn't your only choice. You can always tell them to "take this job and shove it" and go into business for yourself. You are not dependent on the job market.

In fact I think that the only way to put yourself on the same footing with an employer is not to be an employee! Be a contract worker instead. Then you aren't subject to the whims of your boss! Your only commitment is to fulfill the terms of a contract that you entered into willingly. Suddenly you have your freedom of speech back. If you want to tell somebody to take a hike, you can as long as you fulfill the terms of your contract. They can't outsource a contract, but they can sure outsource a job. With a job your employer has control. You, as the employee, are powerless. If you're self-employed, you're independent. You're in charge of your own life and that's the way it should be. Why spend umpteen years in the educational system only to find your job outsourced and you still have to pay off a hundred thousand dollars in student loans?

If they want you bad enough, let them come to you. Meanwhile you've got your own business and your own clients or customers. There are certain occupations that lend themselves to self-employment more than others do. Take engineering, for example, a field I know something about having 3 degrees and having worked in the field. If you're a civil engineer, sure it isn't rocket science, but you can always hang out your own shingle and design septic systems for $3000. a pop. Of course the computer is going to do all the work and spit out the plans. On the other hand, if you're an electronics engineer or a computer scientist, what value does your degree grant you as someone who is self-employed. Basically nothing. You could be a computer consultant, but you don't need a degree to do that. The degree per se only grants you the right to put your future welfare into the hands of a corporation as an employee and as a ticket of admission to the field. You could save yourself a lot of money by just learning computers inside and out and starting your own business. If you hung out your shingle as a computer scientist with a BS degree, who would your clients be? In general the higher the tech, the less chances for self-employment. You want something that is stable and has been around for thousands of years.

Like the law, for example. You can always hang out your own shingle with that credential. All you have to do is pass the bar exam. Abraham Lincoln did it by studying on his own without even going to college. That's the way it should be. College is a waste of money. Information is readily available both on the internet and in libraries. MIT even offers their courses online for free. When are people going to learn that the Big Daddy, paternalistic Corporations that give them "benefits" like health care and pensions aren't like that any more. You can buy your own benefits. You can buy your own health care policy like other self-employed people do. You can buy your own pension like other self-employed people do.

Another thing: if you're self-employed, nobody tells you when you "have to" retire. The decision is entirely up to you. If you enjoy what you're doing and like the money you're making, you can continue working indefinitely. If you're a high tech engineer, you're deadwood by the time you're 35 in the eyes of most Corporations.

Well why, then, do we hear those suppliant cries for more engineers and more scientists lest we fall behind the rest of the world. Because the Corporations want a large labor pool to choose from. The larger the labor pool, by the law of supply and demand, the cheaper will be the wages they have to pay. but this is not quite logical either. They can always find cheaper labor elsewhere in the developing world. The trick is every American should think of themselves as a business and not an employee or a worker. Put yourself first like the Corporations do. Ask yourself not what is good for America, but what is good for your own bottom line. Then you will ask yourself the following question: what lines of work can't be outsourced and can't be done by cheap illegal immigrant labor? Those are the lines of work and credentials to pursue. Then get those credentials in the cheapest possible way. A law degree is a law degree. Why go to Harvard when you can get one over the internet that allows you to hang out the same shingle with your name on it.

The business of America is business as someone once famously said. Treat your work life as a business. Don't think of yourself as an employee. If you become one, have a fall back self-employment position. You are the CEO of your own life!

The Greater the Need, the Higher the Price

The law of supply and demand is much more general than what you might have learned in Econ 101. In fact it applies to just about any transaction between 2 or more human beings. Traditionally, it applies to the buyers and sellers of a product or service as follows. As the price of a product goes up, the demand for it goes down and vice versa. The more sellers there are, the more competition there is for buyers, and we would expect the price to go down and vice versa. If demand is low, the price should fall and, if demand is high, the price should rise. We see this in an extreme situation before or after a natural disaster when supply is low, demand is high and prices go sky high for certain products. This is also known as price gouging although there is no law against it in most states or at the Federal level. It is simply a function of an extreme case of the law of supply and demand.

A Service Example

Let us say I'm a window cleaner, and customers call and ask for an estimate on each job. After obtaining the relevant information, I quote them a price and they either say "Yea" or "Ney." How does the law of supply and demand affect this transaction?

1) Demand is seasonal so as the demand for my services increases during the summer months, my prices go up. Why? Because I can afford to lose some customers and still have plenty of work. Therefore, I select out the highest paying ones since the supply of my time and energy is limited.

2) If I am almost fully booked, I will estimate higher. Why? Again my time and energy is limited. I don't want to overwork. Therefore, after a certain amount of bookings, it's not worth taking an additional job unless I get more money for it. By the same token, if I'm desperate and need the money, I can't afford to have a customer go elsewhere so I will bid low hoping to secure that customer.

3) If I lose too many jobs that I want, I'm going to lower my bids or estimates. If I am getting more work than I need, I'm going to raise my bids or estimates so as to maximize my income based on the work week I want to put in.

Sex and the Law of supply and Demand

Sex is a transaction between 2 human beings. How is it affected by the law of supply and demand? Well, the person who wants it more has to be willing to put more into it than the person who wants it less. This also is known as courtship. It also accounts for prostitution. Young men in general want sex more than young women. So they put more into it in the sense of paying for the wining and dining. The woman views the situation in terms of how much is this guy willing to give and is it worth it to me to do this transaction based on what I'm getting. This is why rich guys tend to get  beautiful women.

With prostitution the financial transaction is obvious. Since there aren't many  women willing to pay for sex, it's obvious that men want sex more than women.

In fact a generalization of the law of supply and demand could be stated as follows: in any transaction between 2 people, the one who wants the transaction less controls the transaction. Since young women want sex less than young men, they are in control of the transaction. Even in an economic transaction, if the seller desperately needs to sell, the buyer is in control. This is known as a buyer's market. And vice versa.

An interesting point is how do dowrys fit into this analysis? The woman's family is paying the man extra in order to get him to take the woman as his bride. Doesn't this contradict the sexual transaction described earlier? Well, no, because this is really a family to family transaction and not strictly a sexual transaction. The bride's family wants their daughter to marry into the groom's family. Presumably the groom will be providing her a living for the rest of her life, and, in order to motivate the groom to take the bride, a dowry is provided. Presumably, the uglier the bride, the bigger the dowry would have to be as an inducement.

In the western world the prospective bride is really in control since, as an inducement to marry him, the groom offers her a diamond ring. Obviously the man wants the woman more than she wants him or else no financial inducements as in courtship and wedding rings would be necessary.

Since in general men's sexual energy wanes as they get older and women's waxes, the transactional situation changes between older people. Women sometimes take over the courting role especially with younger men. Older men tend to gain control in the relationship as  women want sex more than they do.

So the law of supply and demand is a force of nature applying to any human transaction. Even children make bargains like: I'll let you play with my toy if you do this or that for me. Although the law of supply and demand is natural, we might ask is it ethical? Is it ethical that the person who needs something less is in control of the transaction with a person who needs something more? Shouldn't the neediest person be served rather than the interests of the person who could care less?

That's why institutions exist, supposedly: to mitigate the inherent unfairness and inhumanity of the law of supply and demand.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Finally!! Democracy has come to the Middle East. Hamas has been democratically elected to become the government of Palestine. Why isn't everybody celebrating - particularly the Bush administration which has been so fervent in its quest to bring democracy to the Middle East? Why? Because the wrong party was democratically elected. That's why. Democracy has a way of doing that. Before Bush is done bringing democracy to the Middle East, we will have a Shiite controlled (they're the majority after all) government in Iraq aligned with Iran. Oh, the irony of it. Bush delivers the Middle East into the hands of extremists in the name of democracy! There's this little thing about majority rule that goes along with democracy. And guess what? The majority of people in the Middle East are poor, ignorant, religious fundamentalists and extremists. Maybe those Saudi princes knew something Bush didn't know after all.

Democratically elected governments will not necessarily be aligned with US interests. Oh, irony of ironies. Maybe Bush shouldn't try so hard bringing democracy. A few well placed dictators in the pocket of the US keeping the oil spigots flowing would actually be preferable to those rabble oriented democratic governments. The Founding Fathers didn't trust the rabble after all. That's why they made the US a republic and not a democracy. And the Republicans, of all people, should know that! But Bush and his high flown rhetoric. Now we're committed to a policy which is not in US interests which is exactly what "democracy in the Middle East" is all about. And to think we're throwing $200 billion per year down the drain and an untold countless number of lives to do it!

The problem with democracy is exactly that it's rule by the majority. The majority often are not right. The majority often are stupid. There was a headline in a British paper after Bush was re-elected: "How could 259 million people be so stupid?" A majority of the American people elected and then re-elected Bush. It just goes to show the failings of democracy.

Would a system such as Preferensism do any better? Not necessarily. Any social system that is democratically based will reflect the will of the majority. If they are a bunch of selfish, corrupt, greedy bastards, the best social system in the world won't be any better and probably far worse than a benign dictatorship. There's something to be said for the philosopher king. Where is Louis XIV and Henry VIII when we need them? For more on Preferensism see my website Social Choice and Beyond.