October 2009 Archives

I've known Brad and his beautiful, lovely wife for several years--all the way back to Atlanta before their son was even born. I knew about Big Brothers Big Sisters working with children across the country. I knew Brad was a "Big," as they are called, at some point when we all lived in Atlanta.

Things I didn't know:

• Los Angeles serves 1,500 "Littles" through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire organization.
  
• Walt Disney was one of the founders of the organization, and LA seems to have a deep, rich and long-standing commitment to this organization.
  
• Brad is chair of the finance committee for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.
  

• Staying at a private residence in Cabo San Lucas (a $12,000 value)
• a his/her watch set (valued at over $13,000) donated by Tiffany & Co.
• a week-long stay for 4 families at the Amangani Villa in Jackson Hole (valued at over $25,000)
  
• a week on Rick Caruso's yacht (staff included) in the Caribbean (bids beginning at $150,000)
  
• a week on Rick Caruso's yacht (staff included) in the Mediterranean

I have no idea why I am so irritable. I've been in this state ever since the wind storm exploded my allergies. Additionally, I'm making a huge number of typographical errors--consistently leaving letters out of words. I'm so totally over it! I'm also wondering if it's because I've been taking vastly more insulin.

But this post is not about the horrid, irritable mood I'm in. This post is about my recent implementation of the Medtronic Paradigm Real-Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring System with my MiniMed insulin pump.

I tried it for a whole week. I'm over it. I stopped using it today.

My objective was to have continuous information about my BG (blood glucose) level, test my BG less but be better informed. The continuous glucose monitor (CGM) did not accomplish that for me.

Things I liked:

• The sensor's transmitter looked cute and had a cleverly designed charger.
• The sensor provided a graph, with trend information, about my BG.

• I had to test my BG far more often than I had been testing it.
• The new sensor that communicated wirelessly with the pump seemed to require constant attention: asking me to calibrate the sensor with another finger stick, notifying me my BG was out of range, telling me the sensor signal was weak, that there was a calibration error, that I would need to calibrate in 30 minutes, that my BG was high, that my BG was low, et. al.
• The sensor seemed to require attention at the most inconvenient times possible: test your BG for calibration now. But you're not supposed to test during or immediately after eating, exercising, or while your BG is changing significantly. Well, hell, it seemed to always know when that was or at 2:00AM when I'm sleeping, waking me up. This would have become a nightmare when I'm working.
• It requires a finger stick. No other testing location is acceptable. I stopped using my fingers years ago because it turns them black and blue and hurts like hell. I use my arm or thigh for BG monitoring. Those areas produce error readings when calibrating the sensor.
• The needle that inserts the wires into your body that read the BG level from the passing electrical charge in the interstitial tissue appears enormous. The nurse who trained me suggested I deaden the area before inserting it. And yes. Even after a cold compress, it was a very, very significant stick, dare I say "stab."
• Inserting the wire into my body for the sensor seemed very cumbersome and unnatural to me. Maybe I would have gotten better at it in time, but I felt as though I was fumbling with it every time.
• The transmitter had to be taped on for it to stay and not get pulled. I have a hairy stomach. This was problematic when I replaced the sensor.
• The damn sensor pulled out from the skin before it needed to be replaced. This happened with two sensors. They are ludicrously expensive to have them pull out and therefore need early replacement! One pulled out on the first day, even after being completely taped down. This is actually what served as the straw that broke the camel's back! The tape on the backside of the sensor itself did not hold it down to my skin. I didn't want an infection at the area where the wires went into my body.

The extra information that I learned from using the sensor: my BG skyrockets when I eat anything! It would go from 120 to 260 and be rising by 4 every 5 minutes. So, what would I do? I would take extra insulin. In this week, I gained 2 pounds! Gaining 2 pounds in one week is astounding to me! I already feel fat. Now I feel like a cow!

And worse yet, the insulin works so slowly, I would have to take about 80 units to achieve a result. Often, once the insulin began to work, within 30 minutes, my BG was low. Yet my body seemed to require such an absurd amount to even begin to impact the BG levels. This seemed very odd to me.

So, I gained weight. I'm not sure I really impacted my BG levels in any meaningful, sustained way and actually think I did not. I turned my fingers black and blue. I spent $130 out of pocket for medical supplies (the cost of the transmitter and one month's sensors).

The concept is good. I really like it. But... The application needs significant improvements before it will work for my life style. I want my diabetes management to be less intrusive and more effective, not, as was the case with the sensors, more intrusive with no improvement in outcomes for me.

Maybe this will work for others. Regrettably, it didn't work for me. I would have continued to work with it, but I am unwilling to have to stab myself more often with that large needle and waste sensors because they do not remain affixed to my body the way they should.

In attempting to resolve this issue with Apple, about which I previously posted, I called FedEx back. I can understand the FedEx policy about not allowing me to change a shipping address since I wasn't the shipper, Apple was. That makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is Apple's inaccessibility surrounding correcting shipping issues in a timely manner.

I called FedEx, wondering how I would correct the problem with the package sitting on the door stoop of an empty house in Buckhead. FedEx provided a reasonable solution: call them back tomorrow, once they actually have the physical package. (At the present moment only a shipping label has been generated by Apple and FedEx has not taken procession of the package.) FedEx will then stop the package from shipping to Atlanta. Once Apple gets around to responding to the online request to correct the shipping address (hopefully within 2 business days as their website says), FedEx will ship it to the corrected mailing address Apple provides.

Three cheers for real customer service: FedEx! FedEx provides their customers with real human beings in real time providing real solutions to real problems. What a novel idea that should be the standard for all business practice!

Apple has moved off into some virtualized online world of maximized profits and minimized real time contact with actual human beings posing real problems that require resolutions in a timely manner. Interesting that Apple is posting record profits as they dump on their customers like this.

Apple: Finger wagging!
FedEx: Yeah!

I don't want to hear any more about the high value Apple places on the customer experience.

I ordered holiday cards from iPhoto. They were accidentally shipped to the Atlanta address, which has been sold and is currently vacant. Great. I'll just call FedEx and have the order re-routed.

FedEx will not reroute an Apple order, only Apple can do that. But Apple no longer has live human beings resolving issues over the phone.

You call Apple only to be told you can not talk to a real person to solve the problem. You must submit an online request. Someone should reply to your online request within 2 business days.

Well, within two business days the order will be sitting on an empty house's doorstep. What then?!

This is a rotten customer experience that could have been completely averted had they had live customer service! Instead, treat yourself to "I'm an automated voice recognition system that can understand complete sentences. How may I help you?"

The answer: they can't.

They already have your money. Why should they care about anything but cost reduction!

Sounds like Microsoft to me!

**Update**

And when Apple did get around to replying to my request, they said they would correct the error with my shipping address "this one time only."  O for god's sake!  Both tedious and petulant!  Oops!  Apple then only corrected one of the two address errors.  So holiday cards are soaking in the Atlanta rains on an empty stoop, and Apple ended up having to reprint the order at no charge to me.  So, in the end, their lack of a quality customer experience cost them more money than it would have if they had simply corrected the issue with real time phone support for customer service.  <rolling my eyes>

A couple of nights ago, a ferocious wind storm came through (a weather front without rain). I was walking along the sidewalk in Culver City, heading to meet friends for dinner at Fraiche, one of the many delightful little restaurants in downtown Culver City.

The wind was so fierce, debris was blowing into my hair and into my eyes. I've never experienced anything quite so irritating.

The weather became much cooler--dropping maybe as much as 20º. During the night the wind from the ocean was so strong I closed up the house. But too late.

As it so seldom rains, the pollens and dust permeated the air, filled the house, and have sent my sinuses into a belligerent rage. My allergies have been out of control ever since--nose bleeds, burning eyes, burning sinuses, et. al.

Deliver me!

Halloween will be a little out of control around here. The iron front door already lends itself to something of a haunted house. Here's a little preview.

At the front door (Click to enlarge)

And a wonderful Halloween animation will be playing in the lower front window of the house. Here is a shot of what it looks like "behind the scenes."

I took several head shot portraits over to a framing shop in Culver City to be framed for various people. This particular framing store was the closest one recommended by my fellow Yelp! users. They have a huge selection of frames and framing options. I was impressed.

The two twenty-something guys working with me were very helpful. As we were working our way through the portraits, we came upon (last in the stack) this one of me. The conversation then went like this:

"Whoa! Man, that's you!"
"Well, yes."
"Are you all like actors? Have I seen any of your movies? Is it about to come out?"
"No. No. We're not actors--just ordinary, day-to-day people."
"What photographer shot these?"
"I did."
"Get out of here. So you must be a professional photographer?"
"No..."
"Where did you have these printed?"
"I printed them myself."
"Awe. Come on man. For real?"
"Yes, I really printed them myself."
"OK then, what printer did you use?"
"The Epson Stylus Pro 3800. I really like it."
"Man, I so want that printer. I've had my eye on it at Fry's. Where did you get it? Who makes this canvas? These are just so totally professional."

Maybe he was preparing me for the cost of the framing. Maybe he really thought the portraits were "all that." At any rate, for my first try, having someone say nice things about the portraits was affirming. :o)

I've always liked CNN. It was a better news organization when Ted Turner owned it. But lately I've been blasting it as the Crime News Network because they seem to spend so little money reporting actual news and doing investigative journalism. Rather, they report the national crime blotter.

Sadly, they are now paying the price for their lack of journalism. And to be beaten by the tawdry likes of Bill O'Reilly?! Has CNN no shame?!

CNN, which invented the cable news network more than two decades ago, will hit a new competitive low with its prime-time programs in October, finishing fourth - and last - among the cable news networks with the audience that all the networks rely on for their advertising.

link: CNN Drops to Last Place Among Cable News Networks - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com

I just discovered Mike Todd's blog a couple of days ago when I posted about his insights into Capitalism and Christianity. I really don't know much about Mike's thinking, but in just a couple of days he has stated things that really resonate with me!

From where I sit, this quotation is so totally on the mark. It's much too easy to talk. Few people bother live what they say they believe. That's much harder to do.

"We must move from a belief-based religion to a practice-based religion, or little will change. We will merely continue to argue about what we are supposed to believe and who the unbelievers are."

(Richard Rohr, The Naked Truth, p. 108)

link: Waving or Drowning?: We Must Move

Oddly enough, this info graphic came through on my professional Twitter feed today. And yes, I really laughed out loud at the simply stated fact of the matter.

Everyone grieved the death of the Polaroid Instamatic. Well, grieve no more!

Books are the new internet. Mustaches are hip. The 1990's are "vintage." And analog is the new digital. The future is now. Er, the past future is now? Something like that.

Introducing The *new* Fuji Instax Mini, a generational twist on 'yer Dad's old Land Cam. We like to think of it as Polaroid's little brother. A lively whipper snapper doing his own thing in a new age of instant film.

link: Photojojo - Fuji Instax Instant Camera

The old Polaroid is seen on the left, the Fuji Instax on the right. The later produces credit card-sized instant prints. Now, how cute is that?!

I make the plea to return to small business models using anti-trust laws. This may be a less efficient business model, but it provides critically needed employment (jobs) and a social net that tends more to local people instead of just share holders.

A senior administration official said on Sunday that after extensive consultations with Treasury Department officials, Representative Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would introduce legislation as early as this week. The measure would make it easier for the government to seize control of troubled financial institutions, throw out management, wipe out the shareholders and change the terms of existing loans held by the institution.

link: Trying to Rein In 'Too Big to Fail' Institutions - NYTimes.com

According to the Audit Bureau of Circultations:

average daily circulation dropped 10.6 percent in the April-September period from the same six-month span in 2008. That was greater than the 7.1 percent decline in the October 2008-March 2009 period and the 4.6 percent drop in the April-September period of 2008.

Newspaper circulation down 10.6 percent // Current

And for a detailed graph of the circulation statistics of major US newspapers over the past 20 years, click here. It's horrifying!

Well, allow me to tell you why...

• It costs a fortune to deliver a physical paper to your doorstep. Remember the milkman? Print newspaper is going to the same resting place.
  
• Just yesterday I was lamenting that the LA Times is easily only 20% news copy and 80% advertising. What a foolish strategy. Nearly everyone has trained their eye to not even see the annoying noise on the page as they search for content.
  
• From an ecological viewpoint, the print paper is a tremendous waist of natural resources. I frankly have no desire to receive the LA Time any more. I throw out (recycle) a huge amount of paper trash every week. What's the point? Why not save that entire workflow of waisted resources?!

The print paper is no longer a sustainable business model. Adding more advertising to make up for the lowered cost of advertising only increases my desire to see no advertising at all and makes me want to cease the print paper from arriving at my house entirely. I don't subscribe to the paper to see advertising. At 80% advertising, why do I subscribe to the paper at all?

Where's the phone!

I've avoided shooting people (with a camera or anything else, for that matter) because I don't want to make people feel uncomfortable--who is he? Why is he taking my picture. (My trip to Japan was very much the exception as the people there love being photographed!) But lately, I've been dabbling more with portraits, especially learning to retouch them.

I was recently asked by a friend to retouch a picture, from their work, of four co-workers. I was specifically asked to "make me look thin." Not only can I now, I also tackled a couple of other people in the picture: a new dad who hasn't slept since the baby was born now looks fully rested, and a person who said he had put on a few pounds after a recent trip to Japan lost them much faster. Actually, they shot the picture of themselves on a recent business trip to Japan. I was amazed at how successfully I can manage digital transformation in a photograph. I would share the picture here, but I haven't asked them if I could.

So I'll share a picture of Steve, since he said he didn't mind. I both shot and edited the photo. The glasses posed an interesting challenge as the refraction from the lens significantly indented the face by the left eye. Fixed.

While I still have lots to learn, this is actually rather fun. Printed on matted fine art paper, the pictures look rather amazing.

I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to savor the sunsets on the Pacific Ocean with some degree of regularity. The rhythmic roar of the surf, the gentle breeze, the cool almost chilly breeze, the vastness of energy continuously greeting the land are all such a balancing force in human affairs.

I frequently see a couple, probably retired, sitting on the balcony of their small ocean-front home watching the sunset. Tonight, the minute the sun was beneath the horizon, they went inside. Then, there are many, many, many ocean front homes with televisions blaring football games to addicted fans as the beauty of nature goes quietly into the night. I just don't understand the latter.

Also, Manhattan Beach has apparently commissioned a number of new sculptures throughout the city. I really like them. I just noticed this one tonight. It gives me the impression of the seagulls in flight.

So little news exists on cable. So little journalism exists in any medium. I worry about the immediate future.

That Rupert Murdoch may tilt the news rightward more for commercial than ideological reasons is beside the point. What matters is the way that Fox's model has invaded the bloodstream of the American media. By showing that ideologically distorted news can drive ratings, Ailes has provoked his rivals at CNN and MSNBC to develop a variety of populist and ideological takes on the news. In this way, Fox hasn't just corrupted its own coverage. Its example has made all of cable news unpleasant and unreliable.

link: Why Fox News is Un-American // Current

Don't you just hate it when this happens?!

Capitalism is based on a system of enlightened self-interest. The Gospel of Jesus is based on a system of enlightened other-interest. As such, they are diametrically opposed, and more than likely incompatible.

link: Waving or Drowning?: Capitalism, or... What Derivatives Would Jesus Buy?

In the "Just for Fun" department, I shot this picture yesterday and then retouched it, removing almost every single wrinkle and blemish I have. Then I even did the digital facial: a nip here, a tuck there, some blur here, a lift here, here, and here... Ah. Youth!

It's amazing how different one can look. Perhaps I should do the before and after, but that would scare small children and family pets. However, Halloween is just around the corner!

I took my money out of WaMu when it bellied up and was taken over by a bank that then had to receive bailout money. I wasn't fearful I would lose my money; I was outraged at banking mismanagement, abuse, greed, and more! Years ago I went to a single credit card with no fees that automatically pays itself off every month without my doing anything. More and more I avoid big box corporations for local businesses. I blog non-stop about this disgusting mess we're in. And I walk or cycle along the ocean every chance I get to stay sane.

But Michael's right. There are other things on this list I need to start doing--regularly!

FIVE THINGS WE DEMAND THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS DO IMMEDIATELY:

1. Declare a moratorium on all home evictions.
2. Congress must join the civilized world and expand Medicare For All Americans.
3. Demand publicly-funded elections and a prohibition on elected officials leaving office and becoming lobbyists.
4. Each of the 50 states must create a state-owned public bank like they have in North Dakota.
5. Save this fragile planet and declare that all the energy resources above and beneath the ground are owned collectively by all of us--just like they do it in Sarah Palin's socialist Alaska*.

FIVE THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT LISTEN TO US:

1. Each of us must get into the daily habit of taking 5 minutes to make four brief calls: One to the President (202-456-1414), one to your Congressperson (202-224-3121) and one to each of your two Senators (202-224-3121). To find out who represents you, click here. Take just one minute on each of these calls to let them know how you expect them to vote on a particular issue. ... Trust me, they will listen. If you have another five minutes, click here to send them each an email.
2. Take over your local Democratic Party.
3. Recruit someone to run for office who can win in your local elections next year -- or, better yet, consider running for office yourself!
4. Show up. Picket the local branch of a big bank that took the bailout money. Hold vigils and marches. Consider civil disobedience. Those town hall meetings are open to you, too (and there's more of us than there are of them!). Make some noise, have some fun, get on the local news. Place "Capitalism Did This" signs on empty foreclosed homes, closed down businesses, crumbling schools and infrastructure. (You can download them from my website.)
5. Start your own media. You.

FIVE THINGS WE SHOULD DO TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS MESS:

1. Take your money out of your bank if it took bailout money and place it in a locally-owned bank or, preferably, a credit union.
2. Get rid of all your credit cards but one -- the kind where you have to pay up at the end of the month or you lose your card.
3. Do not invest in the stock market.
4. Unionize your workplace so that you and your coworkers have a say in how your business is run.
5. Take care of yourself and your family.

Yours, Michael Moore

link: Michael Moore: My Action Plan: 15 Things Every American Can Do Right Now

* Yeah, isn't it ironic that Alaska really is the most socialist state in the union!!! (For those that don't know, in Alaska you have no taxes and the state sends every resident a check every year from the oil revenue!)

For some time now I've thought the insurance industry was a corrupt monopoly that needed to go to the woodshed. Maybe that time has come!

Democrats launched a drive at both ends of the Capitol on Wednesday to strip the insurance industry of its decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws, part of an increasingly bare-knuckled struggle over landmark health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama.

If enacted, the change would put an end to "price-fixing, bid-rigging and market allocation in the health and medical malpractice" insurance areas, said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy said he would seek a vote on the plan when the Senate debates health care legislation in the next few weeks.

Leahy made his comments at the same time the House Judiciary Committee voted 20-9 to end an industry exemption that dates to 1945. Three Republicans supported the move.

Senior Democratic officials said the leadership was inclined to incorporate the measure into the broader health care bill expected to be brought to the floor for a vote within a few weeks. No final decision has been made, they added.

together, the actions reflect the fury Democrats have shown in response to recent insurance industry attempts to influence the shape of legislation. The events occurred less than a week after the insurers' trade association issued a report saying a measure that cleared the Senate Finance Committee would produce sharp increases in premiums for millions who currently have insurance. end of excerpt Source: MSNBC

link: Dems aim to strip insurers' antitrust protections // Current

I've been dabbling with fine art printing lately using my new Epson Stylus Pro 3800 which will print borderless on 17" x 22" paper.

First, the printer is not your typical inkjet, just-click-print printer. You have to pay some attention to paper type (and Epson makes some gorgeous papers!), paper thickness, color profiles, rendering intent, print resolution, and such to get an optimized print.

But the prints look amazing! Naturally, it helps to have glorious subject matter to print! (I was just havin' some fun with the self portrait which has very interesting results on premium matte paper.)

Printer Rating: Tim Likes!

You can not imagine my delight:  the new Crème de La Crêpe restaurant has now opened in Manhattan Beach. Their food is authentic French cuisine and utterly divine.

Toward the end of a perfect meal: a crepe with white wine sauce (an elixir from the gods) and a Nutella, banana, strawberries, creme crepe dessert, the person sitting across the table from me made the most jarring, unexpected, loud sound combination of a mouth-wide-open burp and a hiccup.

The entire restaurant paused for a moment of stunned, jaw-dropped bewilderment at what had just been unleashed on humanity. Personally, I lay prostrate on the floor, arm extended straight up with a single condemnatory finger pointing across the table.

Now I can not be seen in town for weeks!

The company, based in Cupertino, Calif., continued to post strong gains in the computer segment while its rivals are still struggling to recover from the recession's impact on consumer spending. Apple said it sold 3.05 million Macs in the quarter, up about 17 percent from the 2.6 million it sold in the same quarter last year.

link: Apple's Profits Rise 47 Percent on Strong Mac Sales - NYTimes.com

He just needs to stand up to these thieves, bullies, and greedy thugs more often!

"This is the unsustainable path we're on, and it's the path the insurers want to keep us on. In fact, the insurance industry is rolling out the big guns and breaking open their massive war chest - to marshal their forces for one last fight to save the status quo. They're filling the airwaves with deceptive and dishonest ads. They're flooding Capitol Hill with lobbyists and campaign contributions. And they're funding studies designed to mislead the American people. [...]

"It's smoke and mirrors. It's bogus. And it's all too familiar. Every time we get close to passing reform, the insurance companies produce these phony studies as a prescription and say, "Take one of these, and call us in a decade." Well, not this time. The fact is, the insurance industry is making this last-ditch effort to stop reform even as costs continue to rise and our health care dollars continue to be poured into their profits, bonuses, and administrative costs that do nothing to make us healthy - that often actually go toward figuring out how to avoid covering people. And they're earning these profits and bonuses while enjoying a privileged exception from our anti-trust laws, a matter that Congress is rightfully reviewing."

link: Obama rips health insurance lobby as 'deceptive,' 'dishonest,' 'bogus.' // Current

Everyone knows I'm a technology addict. Therapy would be far less expensive.

So I have purchased a new Withings scale in the hopes it will motivate me to eat more healthfully and exercise more often. (Since I've added the insulin pump, my A1C is in the normal range, but I have gained 20 pounds over the past 3 years and just feel fat.)

The scale measures your weight and your BMI. It tells me how many pounds of my weight are fat. (Dreadful) It sends my weight to my online profile and my iPhone so I can see a graph of how well I am proceeding to my goal. I could even share my graph here on timtyson.us, but... well, how to say this succinctly... not a chance in hell!

Actually, though I really want to lose 20 pounds, I'm just barely outside a normal weight (a mere 2 pounds) for my height, and my fat mass is within the normal for my height range. I suppose the reason I'm not happy with my weight is that my lean body mass is near the bottom of normal for my weight. So I need to have more of my weight be muscle mass instead of fat.

The new scale looks very sleek and works amazingly. I stand on it for about 10 seconds and get a digital readout of total weight, lean mass weight, fat mass weight, and BMI. Within a minute the data is on my iPhone and online profile. Very cool.

I must confess to being among the first to purchase the new scale in the United States. Withings has been selling them abroad for some time now and just opened up the US market.

Scale Rating: Tim Likes!

The impact of sound on people. Interesting and short TED talk by Julian Treasure.

The storm has passed, meaning we had a slow steady rain here all day. It was wonderful. I so miss the long, dark rainy days of the southeast!

At sunset I went to the Pacific and shot these two little videos with my iPhone. You can't tell how dark and thick the clouds were, or how interesting the fog was. But it was still great fun! Very few surfers as the waves were extreme for these parts! The currents around the pier had also washed away the beach in a most unusual way.

"For the first time in more than 35 years, the U.S. military has met all of its annual recruiting goals, as hundreds of thousands of young people have enlisted despite the near-certainty that they will go to war.

link: Military reports historic recruiting success // Current
Image: by BL1961 @ Flickr

Each of these keyboard shortcuts works with the [Command] + [Shift] keys:

• K - Network
• C - Computer
  
• A - Applications
• H - Home
  
• D - Desktop
• O - Documents folder
• U - Utilities

And, for the record, I knew Desktop, Applications, and Utilities but have always wanted one for Documents! Having one for the computer hard drive is also nice!

Photo credit: alcomm @ Flickr

I am delighted to report that United Airlines lost a whopping 21% last quarter! I couldn't be happier after the way they treated me: charging me more for my bag to return home than they charged for the entire ticket. I swore then, and I have gone out of my way to keep this promise, I will never fly on United again--even when it has been less convenient for me.

The US airlines that created the largest, most redonkulous and abusive fees this year lost the most money last quarter. Airlines with low or no fees lost the least.

link: Airlines that charge fees lost more money than airlines that didn't - Boing Boing

But I'll tell you a few other reasons why the airlines are bleeding revenue. Have you flown lately? Flying is nothing short of misery, literal, true misery.

• The seats are so jammed in close to one another seating is actually unsafe in my opinion.
  
• The flights are consistently overbooked making every single seat occupied.
  
• The airlines still run horrible delays even with far fewer flights.
  
• Advertisements abound--even on the tray tabletops on some airlines.
  
• Going through security is frequently absurdly time consuming and demeaning. I've seen literally hundreds of passengers in one line when the airport had the equipment for 6 lines! This week they repeatedly yell at everyone to put their shoes in the tray. Next week they yell at everyone to take their shoes out of the tray and place them on the belt.
  
• And then, let's talk about badly behaved children who are too young to even be on the plane...
  

Meet Owen, and yes, that's his real name.

As we boarded the flight, Owen, who was probably between two and three years of age, was being held by his mother in the seat across the aisle and immediately behind me. He distinguished himself immediately. His mother couldn't keep him in her lap. Owen was screaming. He wanted to roam around I guess. His screaming grew louder and became unbearable.

The pilot refused to take off with the child in such an unruly state, so the stewardess came back and told the mother that the father had to come up and trade seats with her to keep their little precious under control, or we would just sit on the runway.

The father took the child, and all hell broke loose!! Owen began screaming louder than any child I've ever heard. Now, he wanted his mother. He screamed and screamed at the top of his lungs. He was spitting, gurgling, and sputtering mucous everywhere. He was kicking and twisting violently, literally non-stop. The man seated in front of Owen had to lean forward with his earphones on blasting music so loudly into his ears I could hear it across the aisle when Owen was forced to breathe. The stewardess said nothing to him probably thinking if he turned the music off, he would turn around and kill Owen behind him.

Owen's mother, seated somewhere in the back, began singing, as loudly as she could, in the hopes Owen would hear her (absolutely impossible), "Itsy Bitsy Spider" while the the child raged uncontrollably. The child screamed non-stop for over 30 minutes as loudly as he could--so loudly that he was losing his voice. His muscular father strained to keep the child in his arms. He was constantly kicking the seat of the man in front of him.

By this point, I was so angry, along with the other passengers, I was ready to take my phone out and shoot a video of this unimaginable scene--when, to everyone's horror, Owen defecated in his pants. The thick, inescapable smell permeated the entire plane. If the use of electronic devices had been permitted at the time this was going on, you would be watching a video of this outgrageous situation.

The tension on the plane was so thick you could touch it. Everyone was stone silent except for "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and Owen's incessant gurgling and wailing.

When we reached 10,000 feet, the stewardess came back and told the father that this could not continue. I was shocked that Owen hadn't completely exhausted himself by now and collapsed. But he was going strong. I've seen very badly behaved children in my day, but I've never seen anything like this.

The stewardess suggested the mother take her daughter's place next to the father and hold Owen to see if this would calm him. The stewardess had to place herself between me and the father when he stood up with Owen to keep me from being kicked by the child.

When his mother took him, he finally collapsed in exhaustion. No one can offer me an excuse I will accept for this situation. It is completely, and in every way one can imagine, inexcusable. I was so angry about this situation, I had to wait over a week to publish this. Prior to today I was unwilling to sanitize the words I used to describe Owen.

So why are the airlines bleeding revenue? Few transportation experiences are as miserable. People are simply avoiding the horrid misery.

Just a few weeks ago, I blogged again about my trip to Norway.

I wonder if previous generations of Americans feel the way I increasingly feel about the United States. I don't much like living here. This isn't the nation of my youth. More and more we allow the bullies, the thugs, the thieves to run rife in the media as if they speak for us all. We allow businesses to become "too big to fail" and play the labeling game with anyone who thinks people matter more than corporations.

Certainly my standard of living is not as high as my father's was.

The Norwegians have such a sensible world view. So do the Canadians. Well, the peoples of so many countries seem to better understand what matters than my fellow Americans.

The annual United Nations human development index, released today, names Norway the best country in which to live. The list of 182 countries is based on 2007 statistics on life expectancy, literacy, school enrollment, gross domestic product, and other criteria.

The top ten countries listed on the index are: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan.

The United States ranks 13th, down one spot from last year.

link: The Best Countries to Live In – Neatorama

Apparently we are to get rain tonight with really heavy rain from a storm coming off of the Pacific tomorrow. This is an astounding thought!

Today has been heavily overcast. No, this isn't just chitchat about the weather. This is a breaking news event!

Update: So tonight, walking along the beach, I shot these two pictures. The clarity of the bay area was astounding! You could clearly see the island of Catalina (top photo), which is usually completely invisible in the ocean air, or, at best, only faintly outlined. Malibu, at the north end of the bay, was also clearly visible. I could even see the Santa Monica ferris wheel--a first!

Click each photo to see a larger version. (The color in these photos is not altered.)

Facing the south bay with the island of Catalina in the distance

Facing the north bay with Malibu in the distance (same lifeguard station as above)

I think Halloween will be particularly ghoulish this year here at the house.  The testing last night went well.  More to follow...

I loved this card! The message reads: Happy Halloween, old fart!

Throughout the years, I've alluded to the improbable collusion of the conservative church movement of my childhood and the economy of greed and the "it's all about me" unfettered capitalism that has broken the back of my country. But Michael's letter makes some excellent points that I would hope cause those of faith to pause and reflect on the serious breach between what we say we believe and what we do in our lives.

I've frequently heard, "WWJD?" But, what is the answer to that question? For real this time...

Friends,

I'd like to have a word with those of you who call yourselves Christians (Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Bill Maherists, etc. can read along, too, as much of what I have to say, I'm sure, can be applied to your own spiritual/ethical values).

In my new film I speak for the first time in one of my movies about my own spiritual beliefs. I have always believed that one's religious leanings are deeply personal and should be kept private. After all, we've heard enough yammerin' in the past three decades about how one should "behave," and I have to say I'm pretty burned out on pieties and platitudes considering we are a violent nation that invades other countries and punishes our own for having the audacity to fall on hard times.

I'm also against any proselytizing; I certainly don't want you to join anything I belong to. Also, as a Catholic, I have much to say about the Church as an institution, but I'll leave that for another day (or movie).

Amidst all the Wall Street bad guys and corrupt members of Congress exposed in Capitalism: A Love Story, I pose a simple question in the movie: "Is capitalism a sin?" I go on to ask, "Would Jesus be a capitalist?" Would he belong to a hedge fund? Would he sell short? Would he approve of a system that has allowed the richest 1 percent to have more financial wealth than the 95 percent under them combined?

I have come to believe that there is no getting around the fact that capitalism is opposite everything that Jesus (and Moses and Mohammed and Buddha) taught. All the great religions are clear about one thing: It is evil to take the majority of the pie and leave what's left for everyone to fight over. Jesus said that the rich man would have a very hard time getting into heaven. He told us that we had to be our brother's and sister's keepers and that the riches that did exist were to be divided fairly. He said that if you failed to house the homeless and feed the hungry, you'd have a hard time finding the pin code to the pearly gates.

I guess that's bad news for us Americans. Here's how we define "Blessed Are the Poor": We now have the highest unemployment rate since 1983. There's a foreclosure filing once every 7.5 seconds. 14,000 people every day lose their health insurance.

At the same time, Wall Street bankers ("Blessed Are the Wealthy"?) are amassing more and more loot -- and they do their best to pay little or no income tax (last year Goldman Sachs' tax rate was a mere 1 percent!). Would Jesus approve of this? If not, why do we let such an evil system continue? It doesn't seem you can call yourself a Capitalist and a Christian -- because you cannot love your money and love your neighbor when you are denying your neighbor the ability to see a doctor just so you can have a better bottom line. That's called "immoral" -- and you are committing a sin when you benefit at the expense of others.

When you are in church this morning, please think about this. I am asking you to allow your "better angels" to come forward. And if you are among the millions of Americans who are struggling to make it from week to week, please know that I promise to do what I can to stop this evil -- and I hope you'll join me in not giving up until everyone has a seat at the table.

Thanks for listening. I'm off to Mass in a few hours. I'll be sure to ask the priest if he thinks J.C. deals in derivatives or credit default swaps. I mean, after all, he must've been good at math. How else did he divide up two loaves of bread and five pieces of fish equally amongst 5,000 people? Either he was the first socialist or his disciples were really bad at packing lunch. Or both.

Yours,
Michael Moore

[From Michael Moore: For Those of You on Your Way to Church This Morning...]

With the economic downturn and all, this was cute. I had no idea sandwiches were that inexpensive!

The Sandwich Calculator

I've been consumed by lust ever since I was at university and had the opportunity to practice on the Bӧsendorfer 290 Imperial Grand, you know, the one with 97 keys keys instead of the standard 88. I spent about 6 hours a day with my love. Words can not express the depths of intimacy!

I've wanted one ever since. But they, like the objects of all lust, are unspeakably expensive, and I but a lowly civil servant. It was never meant to be. Or so I thought.

Through a twist of good fortune, my Bӧsendorfer 290 Imperial Grand was delivered here to the house yesterday! The richness of the tone! The deep, full-bodied resonance! The capacity to craft the finest and most delicate nuance!

But don't read, have a listen for yourself!

I must confess to having a difficult time deciding between the Bӧsendorfer 290 Imperial Grand, the Steinway and the Yamaha, so I decided to get all three as a set. Ahhh! Bliss.

Photo credit: Bass by High End Piano Guy @ Flickr