Chasing the Blues

Co2 Readings Hitting Critical Mass

The most important, and ominous, story appeared inside The AJC today, not on on the front page as the article's significance warranted. Scientists have found that the carbon dioxide level in the Arctic's atmosphere has reached 400 parts per millon. That level, the highest in centuries, will soon be measured across the Earth.

Scientists have said the critical point of no return for irrevocable climate change is 450 parts per million. The 400 level has been reached sooner than expected. The Arctic reading is more irrefutable scientific evidence that human activity is causing the buildup of Co2 in the atmosphere, leading to warming and permanent environmental changes.

In the last presidential election, the reality of climate change was widely accepted. In President George W. Bush's presidency, Republicans as well as Democrats called for climate change action, supporting cap and trade legislation. In this electon, climate change is not mentioned except for Republicans claiming that climate change is a hoax. Republicans who once accepted the scientific truth have joined the deniers.

Each day, cars and businesses spew more Co2 into the already overloaded atmosphere. The denial and inaction bring the world closer to crisis. The crucial 450 reading is not far away.  

Times-Picayune Retreats

The big news of Thursday was that the New Orleans Times-Picayune will cut back its print edition to three days a week. The New York Times thought the story worthy of the front page. The newspaper's arc from horrible rag to Pulitzer-winning newspaper, community hero during Katrina and now diminished publication continues, with the next step presumably no print edition at all, with just a web site. The move will also result in an undisclosed number of staff layoffs.

The Newhouse family's Advance Publications also announced a similar reduction at papers in Mobile, Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala. These are the type of midsized towns where daily newspapers were believed to have continued strength, unlike major metro areas like Philadelphia and Chicago. The Newhouses a few years ago halted print publication all together in Ann Arbor, Mich., a college town that would supposedly be a strong newspaper market. Perhaps the only future for print newspapers are suburban shoppers or small town weeklies.

Even when the Picayune was horrible, it always captured the local flavor of New Orleans with local columnists and features. News was another story, as if the paper like the city it served lacked a serious work ethic. Then the paper stirred itself with a strong series on the endangered oceans and Louisiana's coastal disappearance, before serving as the major information source during the Katrina flooding. The newspaper in the early days of the Katrina disaster was able to play its role because of its web site, with the print side out of operation. Now, the web site will be the sole source of information four days a week. The Picayune will publish on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday come this fall, not even giving Monday print coverage of Saints games.

Before the paper's renaissance, the Newhouse family was notorious for milking profits without putting adequate resources into the newspaper, and longtime Picayune watchers will wonder if they are crying wolf here and cutting back out of greed. Still, the Picayune's print circulation has plunged from 260,000 to 130,000 since Katrina, reflecting a similar drop in the city's population, although that is coming back.

The NYT article claimed that the Picayune is a fixture at New Orleans barbershops and coffeeshops. Readers there would have helped the paper by actually buying it.

Vanity Fair Exploits Marilyn Monroe; Facebook Falters

It's reprehensible for Vanity Fair to run nude photos of Marilyn Monroe, a seriously disturbed, long-dead woman. At least when the magazine runs soft-porn photos of today's starlets, it's with their consent. ...Justice rules after all, in Facebook's apparent Wall Street flop. As a writer in Wall Street Journal said today, Facebook really adds nothing valuable to the economy, unlike Google, Microsoft and Apple. ...Miami's coach figures out that to win, Lebron James should take about every shot. ... Gee, I wanted to stop watching the NBA playoffs, but that Lakers-Thunder series is great. It really might be one of those changing of the guard moments, from Kobe to Kevin... I know little about Bain Capital and private equity funds, but I agree with Newark Mayor Corey Booker and the New York Times' David Brooks that the Obama ad about Mitt Romney's former company is off-base. The American steel industry was pretty much dead before Bain tried to salvage that highlighted company. ...Is Bubba Watson ever going to play golf again? He's played in one tournament since the Masters. I understand him wanting to spend time with his family, but the Open is fast upon us. The Open, at San Francisco's Olympic, should be a truly open one, with guys like Watson, Matt Kuchar and now Jason Dufner having strong seasons, along with old warrior Phil Mickelsen. Of course, the media will still buzz around Tiger Woods. ...The SEC's known for football, but what about it's golf prowess? Watson's a Georgia Dawg, and Dufner, winner of two tournaments this year including last week's Byron Nelson, an Auburn Tiger. And, the ACC is also strong, with Georgia Tech's Kuchar winning the Players.

Facebook Goes Public

Facebook with its IPO Friday takes the stage as the latest Internet-era company to defy grafity. Already GM is pulling its ads from the social media site, whose money-making ability appears out of balance with its exorbitant suggested stock price.

The Wall Street Journal's excellent, if at times inscrutable, Holman Jenkins pointed to Facebook's problem: Ads cluttering the site will take away from its spontaneity and personal appeal. The best path for the company would be to partner with other media companies; Jenkins points to the Washington Post, an old-line media firm with whom Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has built ties.

On the eve of its IPO, Facebook's value looks inflated, more the product of hype and buzz than the reality of its ability to make profits. Facebook is good for "friends" to share the trivia of their lives, but Twitter has proven itself a better site for instant sigificant news. With GM pulling its paid ads in favor of remaining on the site with free marketing material, Facebook's appeal as an adverising medum is also under question. As Jenkins points out, Facebook after its IPO will have to build true equity as a media property. If not, Facebook, like an old cartoon character. will find itself hanging off the cliff in midair and sinking.

 

 

 

 

 

f

Monday Morning March

Jamie Dimon sounds like the Wizard of Oz after the curtain was pulled away.  Discussions of credit default swaps and derivatives, as with explanations of the theory of relativity, I can follow for a while, but then they sound like Professor Irwin Corey's old routines. ...Too bad that Kevin Na endured such heckling at the Players' Championship and its notoriously rowdy fans, but his endless waggles had me yelling at the TV to just hit the ball. ...Good to see Matt Kuchar overcome his rep as a big money winner who cannot win championships...NBC kept hyping the 17th island hole, claiming that it's constantly on the players' minds. The goofy-golf hole has to be the most overrated in the game....If "Mad Men" is supposed to be so authentic, why haven't the men and women's hairstyles and clothing changed? I assume the show is supposed to have moved to about 1966, when the Beatles-style natural look came in for men, and women moved toward less restrictive clothing. All of the Mad Men still have their hair slicked back, and the women seem to be stuck in 1961. ...Jon Hamm's wooden acting seems more annoying this year. ...Please end the fat Betty storyline.

The Saints, and Saint Tebow

A lovely winter Saturday, waiting to see if the Saints can whip the 49ers. After the LSU BCS debacle, I would love the healing of a Saints win. As usual, the Saints-49ers game holds SEC ties, with Ole Miss' Patrick Willis leading the '49er defense. I remember him almost single handedly beating LSU on a game I heard over the crackling radio signal from WWL. Only a four or five years ago, unlike today, every game wasn't televised.

After the Saints, I won't be able to hold myself away from watching Tim Tebow and the Broncos take on the Patriots. Saint Tim vs. cool Tim a week after Saint Tim vs. Randy Ben. Now Tebow's really receiving the big media attention, with a front page feature Saturday by The New York Times' Dan Barry and a sidebar by Richard Sandimor, and pieces in the Wall Street Journal.

Funny, Barry used a Jim Thorpe reference about Tom Brady, when I see Tebow as a throwback to the old NFL guys of the 1920s. The way he plunges forward, not sliding to the ground to avoid being hit like other NFL qbs (such as Brady) brings to mind Bronco Nagurski. The kid had some pretty good throws against the Steelers, and it looks as if the Broncos have come up with some plays going left to help him with his southpaw throws. Tebow also reminds me of old guys like Billy Kilmer and Bobby Layne who weren't the greatest passers in the world but just knew how to win. 

The Journal even had a thumb-sucker about whether Tim's wins are divinely inspired. That seems ridiculous, but who knows? In most cases, I would be put off by someone who makes as big a show of religion as Tebow does, but I find his "Tebowing" and praise of Jesus something new and different. It looks like honest emotion, something all too rare in America these days. With all of his modesty and affirmation of his virginity, Tebow does endorse Jockey shorts. I was amused to see that Jockey has posted a photo of Tebow on its web site, wearing Jockeys with no shirt. Hmmm, there is something gay about the way Tim talks. And what's with that beard?

Along with old-time NFL players from the Red Grange era, Tebow recalls a much older tradition, the medieval virtuous knight. His popularity/notoriety proves the power of even ancient cultural icons.

The NFL always succeeds in capturing the public's imagination. Major League baseball and the NBA can't ever find anything as dramatic and controversial as Tebow. God might not be backing the Broncs, but the NfL surely may be. If the Broncos win tonight, will we start to suspect that the games are rigged to get Tebow to the Super Bowl? I generally eschew conspiracy theory thinking, but sometimes I wonder. Just imagine the Saints vs. the Saint. 

Saints and Tigers Head for Football Top

I'm amazed by Drew Brees and the Saints, their offensive machine even more efficient than when they won the Super Bowl. The Saints got screwed on the seeding, and so face a daunting patch to headed back to the Super Bowl, having to travel to San Francisco and then probably Green Bay, but this is the most proficient offense in the history of football. Watching the Saints, I wonder if I'm in some kind of childhood dream, especially since I remember the old, goofy Saints, a standing joke. 

New Orleans is known for great creativity, in food and music, but the Saints are a different kind of success for which the old city has never been known. Cuisine, jazz, blues and rap are associated with decadence, while pro football success is tied to discipline, business, purpose, teamwork, etc. So, Brees and the Saints bring a different model for the city.

Meanwhile, the LSU Tigers prepare for the national championship. I'm glad the Tigers are enjoying such success in football, but it breaks my heart that the university's academic purpose is severely wounded by budget cuts by the inexplicably popular Bobby Jindal. I love the Southern Review and LSU Press as much as the football team.

One amusing item I saw on Facebook: The Roosevelt Hotel now has a drink for the Honey Badger, LSU's flamboyant defensive back. Seeing the menu raised memories of Huey Long, who loved LSU and strove to make it a great institution, unlike today's short-sited, tax-averse governor. 

Recently, I read a piece by Tom Friedman in the Times about how America's future depends on cities with great universities, a vibrant, creative population and innovatative busineses. Baton Rouge could be a city like that, and has been at fleeting moments, but LSU and Louisiana's capital city has often been crippled by short-sighted, corrupt politics and a provincial, uncommitted population. 

 

Christmas Decorations Show Excess

This Christmas decorations appear more garish in my neighborhood this year. A few years ago, a number of ranch houses around the block were bulldozed for the construction of McMansions, and these are now covered with strands of hideous lights. The lights glow with a neutral beige color; the platinum-tinted color of money and bad taste. On a walk the other night, I was cheered at one of these homes to see a solitary, well-lit tree in the window and no other decorations.

Of course, we have not yet even put up our decorations, and as usuual I am entertaining the notion of not even laying out the few strands of lights that I usually place upon our front hedge. Out of town last weekend for a wedding in New York, we have not even put up our Christmas tree.

Years ago, when I passed the condominium community on my nightly walks, I was happy to see in one modest home old-fashioned candles aglow in the windows. I remembered similar decorations from my childhood. They were cheap electric plastic candles that one could buy at what used to be called 5 and dime stores. They had a small, orange molded flame that came alive when one plugged in the cord. For some reason, this cheap, tawdry gesture at Christmas cheer at the condo filled me with happiness. Alas, they disappeared years ago, and now the beige color of the small candles' base grows grotesque writ large in huge strands of gilded lights.

The purpose of such excess mocks the generous Christmas spirit and calls attention to the homeowner, emblazoning to all who pass, "see how rich and wonderful am I?" Give me a single Christmas candle, shining from a window.

Dog Days Keep Barking

The PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club shows again how that once maligned, fourth-sister major, is gaining ground each year. The U.S. Open,with Congressional disgracefully weak this year, has been in freefall for at least a decade. First, the USGA folks killed the excitement with the unplayably hard courses, then swung too much the other way...The Tiger Woods-Rocco Mediate playoff in 2008 was the last memorable open.... Once the PGA had inferior courses, but now the Atlanta Athletics Club proved a much more challenging championship test than Congressional. ...The USGA held the open once at the AAC, then never again, while the PGA has held four championships there. What doesn't the USGA come back?

...Gee, hooked on the Braves again. The Giants-Braves series was a good one. Any lover of good pitching feels sympathy with Tim Lincecum, who has received no runs at all in 10 games this year. He must feel like a great football defense that keeps seeing its quarterback throw interceptions. ..Baseball, at least in the National League, has really shifted to a pitching-dominated game in which one or two runs is usually good enough to win. Baseball dinosaurs like me might like it, but pitching duels likely bore the videogame generation. No doubt baseball can be a tedious event; the other day I grew irritated when a pitcher kept looking around at a baserunner, etc. A football team would have run three plays and an NBA team scored three goals in the time it took him to at last throw a pitch.

..I'm beginning to warm up to Freddi Gonzales as manager, but I still find his batting order screwy. I like Brian McCann, and he's a good hitter, but I don't see him as No. 3. And, while Constanza's been a spark, I'd like to see Heyward playing everyday, no matter how badly he's been going.

...The GOP is screaming about Obama vacationing in Martha's Vineyard. He would be much closer to the people if only he had his own ranch in Texas. ...Government can't create jobs, the conservatives say. The old Tammany Hall Tweed gang, as well as Southern populists like Huey Long, did pretty well in crearing jobs. 

August, the Dog Days, or is that old man wolf howling at the door?

Another long assumed certainty crumbles: the U.S. no longer has a AAA credit rating. Chatterers on CNN say don't worry, it really means nothing. The Wizard of Oz scenario once more; pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Nothing better to do while waiting for the Apocalypse and or the start of college football season than to deeply engage with the Braves. Now they are playing at the Mets' Citi field. Although the Mets are severely diminished, another victim of the financial crash except for the splendid Reyes, the Braves playing there always seems more like real baseball than when they're playing against a team like the Arizona Diamondbacks, which could disappear tomorrow and I wouldn't care. New York among other things means baseball to me. 

Of course, watching the Braves on TV pushes my tolerance for the cornball announcer Chip Caray, who shows little of the talent for low-rent humor of his dad, Skip, or his grandad, Harry. Recently, I escaped Chip by listening to the Braves on the radio with Don Sutton and whoever his partner is. Sutton and pal give more insightful analysis and a more pointed, adult humor. But, I like to watch on TV. Perhaps I'll turn down the sound and listen to the radio.

Last night, the Braves at last bested the Mets behind Dan Uggla's amazing revival. The Braves broke through when the Mets removed their young knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, one of the traditionalists who wears his uniform trousers above his stockings. Watching Dickey's knuckleballs, I wanted the pitch to be banned, like the spitball. Although I loved Phil Niekro, and even Hoyt Wilhelm, the knuckleball seems bogus, based on trickery more than skill. Dickey appears to be an OK guy, a bit nervous, but I say throw the slider, the fastball, the curve or get out of the game. Ban the knuckleball!

Even my TV viewing's lost, after the end of "Treme." I watched the three episodes of a strange little show on PBS, "Zen," which starred Rufus Sewell as a detective in Rome. I liked the depiction of the ancient, corrupt Italian city, and a luscious Italian actress who after making it as a Bond girl to Daniel Craig now does three-episode Masterpiece series shows. I'm unable to get back to "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Entourage," both of which I've already buried. 

So, after long days of eyeball-searing work, I ruin the old orbs even further with reading. Faulkner's "The Hamlet," a long tome on World War I, books on Huey Long, Jonathan Yardley, the New Yorker, Commonweal, the Kenyon Review, the New York Review of Books, The New York Times. At times, I'll sit down and play the piano, lately I've been practicing on "Rally Round the Flag Boys."