Weird Colorado

Here is a bar in Glenwood Springs Colorado named after Doc Holliday the famous gunfighter. Unfortunately no sound effects along with the shooting.


Here are some other oddball sights... in the upper left - EVERYTHING apparently costs more in Aspen - even their water (poor Boulder, CO). In the upper right - aliens have commandeered the house out in the sticks outside Crested Butte - although I'll bet that alien is disguised as a dirty hippie in there if you look really close. In the middle left - the "Love Shack" is right in down town Crested Butte and it even has a web site right here; might be fun some time (and well located). I don't know exactly what the "pig truck" is trying to accomplish in Leadville, but am mildly amused by the handicapped sticker on this monster(ish) truck. On the lower left - they are very particular about their altitude in Leadville, noting that it is TWO miles high as far as liquor goes (the mile high baseball field in Denver has a line in the upper deck indicating there mere one mile status). And finally, in the lower left, that species known as the coug*r (don't want the traffic) await Kevin Costner's band in Aspen... I didn't even know he played (hasn't had a movie hit in a long time).

Cross posted in Chicago Boyz

Welcome To The Wonderful World of Blogging

A blog I read on a fairly regular basis had a very strange quote on it the other day. I won't repeat it word for word to avoid any searches, but the gist of the quote was that this person needed a break from blogging. One main reason was to take care of other pressing business.

OK, I understand this perfectly. On this blog you will see one of us authors disappear for a week or two at a time for vacation, because we are busy, or for whatever other reason. What the heck - we aren't getting paid for this.

However, the main reason the author seemed to need a break was that this person didn't like it when simple, stupid posts had a large trail of comments, but posts that took a lot of time, research and emotion dumped into them would have two comments.

I had to laugh. But I was a bit perplexed. This particular blogger was one that I considered pretty sharp and talented. Maybe just talented.

I can't count the number of times that I have done hours and hours of research on a post, only to get one or two comments.

Conversely, I did a stupid post on my shaved head that got picked up by a couple of large blogs for whatever reason, and to this day (several years later) we still get traffic from it. I call them Br1tney posts. Br1tney posts ALWAYS get more comments than Einstein posts. Unless you are some sort of established political blogger or hot shot journalist that has a blog, your comments will usually be limited - unless you are talking about Br1tney (some people call it cat blogging).

When blogging on an amateur level, i.e. not for money, every post you put up should be for one reason and one reason only. To further yourself. Anything else you get is just gravy.

And in the end, we are all sort of working on our best buggy whips. I really don't think I see blogs even around in 5-10 years.

Texas And London

I am a subscriber and a regular reader of the Economist despite their maddening tendency to recommend US presidential candidates that are left-leaning. The Economist is very useful on business and international issues and their US focused articles sometimes have a candor and simplicity that is lacking elsewhere.

A recent cover story titled "America's Future - California v. Texas" described the falling fortunes of virtually bankrupt and high-tax California against the high flying economy of Texas. In typical Economist style, there is a one-page editorial type summary of the article in the front of the magazine and then two special sections on California and Texas, respectively.

One critical element of the story, however, is mentioned nowhere in The Economist's article - that is of personal freedom vs. state control.

London, as anyone who has visited recently will tell you, is completely blanketed with security cameras. Virtually the entire city is under surveillance. At the same time, London has completely disarmed its residents of any firearms. Even the police, for the most part, are unarmed (although they do have heavily armed police at the airport and on call for other types of engagements). And building anything in London is difficult and slow, with myriad restrictions; notably they limit the heights of buildings and also require extensive open spaces outside the cities. London also has a famous congestion tax, which hits all drivers who enter the city limits and is managed through a vast system of security cameras, as well.

It isn't fair to say that everyone in London is behind all of this; but these facts are generally accepted by the populace and aren't likely to be changed any time soon.

The Economist basically reflects many of these views; they support free markets but with a huge dosage of state control. They have limited use for other types of freedom, such as the right to bear arms, or to live your life in private, or to drive where you please without paying inordinate taxes.

In these items they can feel a similar kinship with the liberals that run California. California has implemented their own "green" policies and controls on businesses where ever possible. Gun control and limits on ability to build or expand properties (except those that they already own, of course), are their stock in trade. California has high taxes (like London) and is marked as the least favorable business climate in America. Unions are viewed positively overall (or at least accepted) among the California liberal elite as well as London.

The interesting thing is that as The Economist looks to Texas, they miss out on the larger context of what "freedom" means. While London has no guns, Texas has essentially empowered their own citizens and businesses to arm themselves. When I lived in Houston about a decade ago, not only was concealed carry widespread, most larger businesses (pretty much every large grocery store or big restaurant) had an armed security guard at the door. Other laws, including "stand your ground" have been implemented in Texas in one of the most liberal senses in the US. A local bank near where I lived had a guard who was lauded because he saw robbers (guys wearing masks) coming up towards the bank and he shot them in the driveway before they even entered the bank. There were so many stories like this down in Houston that I don't even think they all made the paper - most of what I heard came from friends or colleagues.

In addition, Houston had no zoning whatsoever when I lived there. Near my apartment was a home for the blind, a large factory, and other buildings inter spaced together. Not far from our apartment was a 60+ story skyscraper, sitting virtually alone in a business neighborhood. Zoning in other parts of Texas was limited, as well.

Since there were no unions in the construction trades (that I was aware of), buildings were put up in an unimaginable time. In the mid-1990's I saw a PF Chang's on Westheimer Road built in what seemed to be just DAYS - they put up spotlights and worked around the clock - it was amazing. One week I left to travel and it was a parking lot and I came back a week later and the exterior was largely completed.

Texas has always leveraged its energy resources - laws are friendly to drilling and oil and natural gas are a backbone of the economy. California, by contrast, does all it can to ensure that no one drills offshore or otherwise extracts or transports energy in the state. Texas also "walled off" their electric grid from the rest of the US and worked to ensure that there was adequate capacity, while California failed to invest and actively tried to shutter key electric plants (such as their nuclear plants).

I think that there is a lot more to the changing of the guard in America's economy from California to Texas than The Economist understands - they ought to move down to Texas for a few years and get a first-hand education. Freedom includes the right to bear arms, a lack of unions, and a general freedom to improve your property without intrusive state control. Also note that freedom includes a limited role for the state, and California has the highest personal income taxes in the nation while Texas has no income tax.

It is hard to believe that they wrote these articles without highlighting these key differences as to why California was declining and Texas rising - they mentioned demography (net inflows and outflows of residents) - but they didn't discuss the CAUSE of the demographic changes, which include:

- high taxes vs. low taxes
- minimize energy use vs. leverage existing resources
- heavy business regulation vs. light business regulation (unions, zoning)
- limited rights to bear arms vs. highly armed populace

The Economist should open their eyes to the full picture of what works and what doesn't. A heavy handed state drives away new business and entrepreneurial leaders, and unions and government squeeze the rest until it all falls apart.

Cross posted at Chicago Boyz

Camp Hale Colorado

Recently I was in Colorado and drove past what was "Camp Hale", which is where the US 10th Mountain division trained during WW2. There are a few nice historical signs on the site for those that don't know the history of this division, which fought in Alaska (when it landed on an island recently evacuated by the Japanese) and Italy during WW2. Here is an excellent chronology of the division in WW2. On page 30 of that PDF, you can see the casualty figures for the 10th Mountain Division - over 25% of the division's men (including replacements) became casualties during the late 1944-early 1945 battles in Italy.





There were 4 plaques by the side of the road - here were the first 2, one with training and one with their WW2 activities in Italy.

It is hard to imagine today that once this base housed almost 16,000 fighting men. Today there is only a lush valley with a few trailers and odds and ends remaining. Apparently there was an effort to remove unexploded ordinance in 2003.



The area in Colorado where the 10th Mountain division trained seems kind of remote even today. It must have been difficult to build and re-supply this many men in the dead of winter with pre-interstate travel in Colorado in that mountainous area. The logistical achievements of WW2 were immense... and to think nowadays we can't site a road or power line without going through a thousand hoops and taking a decade to do so.

Cross Posted at Chicago Boyz

PBR in Colorado

You can tell you are getting older when you can't understand what the "young kids" are doing these days. About 5 or so years ago, when I noticed a resurgence in just-out-of-college age folks drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon out of cans, I had one of those moments.

For some reason PBR was KING in many areas of Colorado on a recent trip. It was everywhere. Here in Leadville at least they got the price point right... you may have a vile metallic taste in your mouth and a dire headache the next day (or even immediately while you drink it) but at least you aren't paying a lot for that muffler, so to speak.

Hunting For A Dog

.
The point in life has come again for me to hunt for a new dog and that’s not an easy thing to do right now. I am a dog person and being without one leaves a big hole here in the old country bunker.

My best friend and gun dog Speck passed away on June 2. She was my third bird dog so when I say she was a very special dog it’s from years of experience. For another dog to take the place of that kind of exceptional companion takes time because she is one hard act to follow. Just any dog won’t do. The first thing that needs to be dismissed in my mind is the desire to replicate Speck. As much as I would like a duplicate of her that would be asking for the impossible.

Here's Speck on point, backed up by two outstanding English Pointers


This past week the wife told me that living without having a dog in the home was getting old. She was the reason I have not started seriously looking for another dog. She had to be ready because Speck’s passing hit her especially hard. At first we thought it might be best to get a different dog in the sporting breed category. I prefer sporting dogs to all others and have my reasons.

We thought that having another English Setter may bring too many thoughts of Speck so we considered Brittany Spaniels. They’re cute, cuddly, friendly and will hunt their brains out all day long. Many non-hunters asked if Speck was a Brittany due to her orange and white coat. I also like English Pointers (look like setters but with very short hair) and German Shorthair Pointers (similar to English but much larger) because I have hunted over them many times and they are both outstanding breeds. But she doesn’t like short hair dogs.

Our dog must be a dual purpose pet, it has to be a cuddly and affectionate house pet and a hard nosed bird dog too. Many say you can’t have both but my last two setters proved that to be wrong. She told me last week that she’s ready for another dog so it's time to get started.

My friend and hunting buddy Scott recently purchased an English Setter because he was so impressed with Speck. He gave me the name of the breeder who lives about 25 miles south of Valpo. I had no idea a good breeder lived that close so I called him last week and made a date to visit on Friday afternoon.


His farm is at about the same latitude as our farm. The terrain looked familiar as we up drove to his place which was settled in the woods at the end of a long gravel path off the main country road. Scott was correct, Bob was a very serious breeder of champion setters judging by the looks of his layout. Sitting on 120 acres the farmhouse was new-ish and very clean. The outbuildings and barns were well-kept and the grounds were well groomed. Much of it was fenced in because he also breeds horses and uses them with his dogs to compete in national field trials. He even raises game birds used for dog training. It felt as if I were on a Texas ranch or an Alabama plantation. But I was at home, here in Indiana.

People who think of English Setters think of the bench variety as seen in AKC competitions. These are called the Laverack variety. They are larger, have thick long coats and long noses. They’re beautiful animals but not too bright when it comes to sniffing game birds. Besides, combing burrs out of a long hair dog would be a huge pain. The bird dog variety often referred to as a Llewellin style has been bred through careful selective breeding for their smaller, more muscular bodies, shorter hair and sharp sense of smell. English Setters come in mostly white, like Speck, or a combination of white and orange, white and black along with white, orange and black which are called tri-color. My first setter Mookie was a tri-color setter.

This is Buddy, Bob's #1 stud dog.


Bob’s dogs were unusual to me. I haven’t seen many setters that were about ½ orange and ½ white, some appeared to be jumbo Brittany’s. His kennels were clean and the dogs were feisty. Beyond the color of the coat I could see Speck in the face and eyes of these dogs especially the few that were white.

Being in a clean barn with tack and saddles neatly arranged and organized also said a lot about Bob and his commitment. I’ve been to breeders where the strong stench of urine and piles of crap alone chased me away quickly.


He introduced me to the dogs, there were about sixteen of them. He told me a story about each one and before I knew it 30 minutes had passed. Bob trapped a few quail, placed them into a pouch and took me to a field with Buddy, his #1 stud dog. It was so impressive to me being with a true professional dog handler and a dog that was a textbook field champion.

He asked what I expected in a setter and listened intently as I described my expectations as we walked along a dense summertime prairie thicket in full bloom. Buddy staunchly pointed a quail and as Bob kicked it into the air Buddy may as well have been a statue, waiting patiently for Bob’s command to break with a bird in the air. They call this being “staunch on point” and it’s such a beautiful thing to see.


When we parted Bob explained that he breeds once and maybe twice per year. This is definitely not a "puppy mill". But he had a friend about 20 miles south who had a litter “on the ground” with his female and Buddy as the stud. They are three weeks old and in another two weeks we may head out there with Bob to take a look. Bob said he would pick the best female for me.

I may have a new companion by the end of summer but if not so be it. I won’t hurry an important decision like this. It's not the same as buying anew car.

It bothers me when I see people buy a dog having no idea what to do with it. Soon the dog will become a nusance to them because it chews furniture, bites the kids, craps on the carpet and won’t obey worth a sh!t. Some buy expensive exotic breeds because they happen to be trendy and are looking for a conversation piece, an accessory. Others go to the pound or shelter and adopt mutts. I personally have no problem with either type of dog but I have some real problems with people.

Sooner or later people who don’t know what to do with a dog will give them up because the dog becomes too inconvenient for their precious lifestyle. The dog goes to the shelter and if not adopted we know what happens, it’s just so sad.

I can’t say enough about obedience training. If done properly on a daily basis the first year of work will yield a lifetime of pleasant companionship. The methods are uncomfortable for many and the time involved may eat into personal leisure hours but it is well worth it. I’ve done it and I know. What sickens me is the person who has no patience and abuses the dog. I would do unmentionable things to someone like that.

If you decide to purchase or adopt a pet know what you’re getting into and make the time to train it. If you don’t have the time take a pass on the dog and buy a cat or a hamster. Set up an aquarium or a birdcage if you want a conversation piece or a fashion accessory but please don’t own a dog.

Dogs deserve time, care and affection and in turn they give much more back. Dogs will talk to you with their eyes, ears, facial expressions and body language. In my case, my dogs help put meat on the table and I love them to pieces for it.

Dogs are not for selfish people.
.

Dark Arts For Good Guys

My daily routine is pretty simple. I go to work, I come home - with some gym time thrown in there a few times a week.

The most dangerous thing I do is drive. I also like to enjoy the occasional cocktail in a social setting. My days of hanging out in bars late at night are mostly done, so the danger in that activity is extremely limited.

Next to driving, biking on narrow roads in the woods of Wisconsin is a relatively dangerous thing to do, compared with sitting on the sofa watching TV. It does get a bit hairy sometimes when you are cresting a hill and a car is coming over at the same time - they typically don't see you so well.

I would say that biking on roads is more dangerous than my Muay Thai experiences. I haven't had a serous crash yet on the bike (knock on wood) but wiping out on the bike on a downhill going 30 or 35 mph will hurt if it happens to me someday.

In all, I exist in a pretty safe place. This isn't a reason to be complacent, but in general I don't have too much to worry about.

But many parts of the world are different, and the things there operate much differently than things do here.

To that end, James turned me onto a blog that gives you some great advice on how and what to do in certain situations. Straight Forward in a Crooked World has had three parts so far on the "Dark Arts for Good Guys". We have already had Bribery parts one and two and we are now onto Flight and Fight. I highly recommend this blog and this series in particular. Much of this information applies to the US as well.

Disclaimer - I don't know the guy who is writing at SFIACW so can't vouch for him. But the advice sure sounds like it is written by someone who knows what he is talking about.

Just Another Day at the Office

Wowsers was last night a long one at the gym.

I got there at 5.30 and ran our best fighter through five 5 minute rounds of pads. If you have never held pads for that long, it was tiring. He is in training for a BIG fight coming up in several weeks. Our fighter class is typically from 8-9, but he has been coming in early since he just had a kid. I was happy to help him get his work in so he could get out of the gym and home to his new baby. One of the higher ups in the gym pulled me aside and thanked me profusely not only for the work I have done with him, but all of the work I have been doing in general. It was a good feeling.

After that I did our strength training. Then was my normal MT class. We are doing some advanced flying techniques, and BOY do I suck at them. I really will need to work on them a bit before class in the future.

Then while the instructor was doing a demo he got a bit lazy and kicked me in the chest. I was holding the pads correctly, but his kick was low and slid under them (we were demonstrating a jumping thai kick) and crashed into me. It took my wind for a minute or two. The instructor realized what he did immediately and apologized. It reminded me what lunatics the guys who get into the ring and do this stuff for a living really are.

A bit later in class, I was holding the pads for what we call an "excecute kick". This kick is where you take a full step to the right or left and try to bury it into the opponents thigh. You hold for the kick by holding the pads behind you, right around your butt. The kick should come in an up to down arc, as if attacking the thigh. Well, my pal did this execute kick with everything he had right into the small of my back. I had to take another moment. He also apologized profusely.

So after all of this, I ran the fighters class as we are down an instructor. The owner of the gym thanked me profusely again. I was sore but happy. I don't get paid anything but the satisfaction of great workouts and being able to help the gym. And seeing my fighters win.

But MAN will I need the Advil today. Oh well, nobody ever said that MT was a non contact sport.

On the bright side, my sparring went extremely well yesterday.

IF You Can’t Say Anything Good…

.
…don’t say anything at all.

So here goes.

I do not agree with this man whatsoever. But one thing I like, and IT IS ONLY ONE THING PERIOD.

We both like the Chicago White Sox.


Tonight The One Who Must Be Obeyed threw out the first pitch in the MLB All-Star Game wearing a White Sox warm-up jacket. B.O. is a southpaw. Who knew?

Oh well. Polyticks makes strange bedbugs.
.

ATC, Getting Things Done

Usually Carl is the one with the interesting energy posts, most of which are about the doom and gloom that is going to befall us here in the US since we, in general, are not creating any new plants, nor upgrading our transmission system. I should start off by saying that I am no expert in this field, just a reporter on events.

I have noted in the past that here in Wisconsin I believe that things are better than in most places. The reason I say that is because of companies like ATC.

After five years, ATC has finally been granted permission for a new transmission line across Dane County, following the Beltline route.

For those that don't know, Dane county is the home to Madison, and the beltline is the major east-west highway that crosses it. I don't know how ATC keeps getting things done, but they simply do. All across the state of Wisconsin they are able to get their transmission projects through. They must have the determination and courage of a pitbull. I don't have the stones to go up against the boatloads of enviro types here in super liberal Madison, much less in more remote areas. I just couldn't stand the heartburn. I am sure that the enviros took some hide out of ATC along the way with lawyer fees, but ATC must have thought that it was worth it. The line will be 32 miles long, and is a 345k variety.

From the pamphlet:

The line will be above ground, and as part of the approval, the PSC [Public Service Commission] required the use of shorter poles near the UW Arboretum, required a crossing to the north side of the Beltline near High Point Road, and alternate pole designs and additional landscaping near the Odana Hills Golf Course to minimize the line's visual impact.

That is probably the tip of the iceburg as far as the concessions ATC had to make, but the process has begun and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

As you can see from their website, ATC has a lot of projects going on right now, completed and in the works.

Transmission is an extremely part of our energy needs for the future, and I hope more companies like ATC can start to make headway against those who would try to choke the US off of cheap, plentiful energy.

Cross posted at ChicagoBoyz.

Madtown Throwdown Trials

Click any photo for larger.

The Madtown Throwdown is a series of MMA events that has been held in Madison for quite some time now. They do it about every three months or so.

In addition to this, they have begun some smaller events. This one was called "Trials". There were 9 fights scheduled, and there ended up being 8 total. It never fails, someone always is a no show.

This fight was originally scheduled to be held in Columbus, WI. For reasons unknown to me, it got moved to the CC Riders Motorcycle Club here in Madison. More on that in a minute.

This was my first experience "cornering". For those who don't know, I got to help out one of our fighters in the pre fight prep and walk down with him to the corner of the ring. It was a really cool experience.

Here are a bunch of fighters in what I believe is a storage room at the CC Riders clubhouse. You can see the guys getting their hands taped.
This is usually a family blog, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of this sign in the storage room.

The venue was outside, and it was a glorious evening. I thanked a bunch of the bikers for hosting the event.

They had a bar set up outside serving beer and other refreshments to the crowd.

It was a small crowd, I would guess 500 at the most. A bunch of military were there so that was cool too.

Our guy won in convincing fashion.

I really liked the amount of respect the fighters showed to each other - even though everyone shared the same locker room there weren't any puffed chests or anything like that. Most of them were talking to each other and joshing around after they had just fought. I did see one bit of poor sportsmanship after one fight, but I guess that is to be expected. Always one bad apple.

One thing I have never seen before - I saw a fighter walking around outside having a smoke before his fight. He was not in tip top shape, to say the least.

A really great experience and one I hope I can repeat soon.

A Tale of Two Players

2009 stats:

Player 1:
70 games played
33 runs scored
2 home runs
15 rbi
.281 batting average
.354 on base percentage
fielding percentage .986 career
2009 salary: $1 million

Player 2:
77 games played
47 runs scored
14 home runs
32 rbi
.231 batting average
.294 on base percentage
Fielding percentage .970 career
2009 salary: $17 million

So who is the better player?

Lets break it down a bit further into intangibles. I have seen player one hustle every single play he has been involved in. He storms into second to break up double plays. He turns a double play playing second base better than most. Each and every at bat he works the count. On top of all of this he is an old man.
I have seen player two about a half dozen times this year. He routinely misplays balls in the outfield. He stikes out all the time. I once saw him this year literally quit running going from first to second to avoid breaking up the double play. This was unfortunate as the third baseman dropped the ball, but still threw to second for the force out. This is a pattern I have seen with this player over the years.

So now for the reveal:

Player 2: Alfonso Soriano
Player 1: Craig Counsell

I swear to god I would rather have hard nosed, gritty player like Counsell that hustles every play than a showboat like Soriano who strikes out all the time and doesn't try his hardest - offense be damned. And look at that salary difference! Nice value, Cubs.

I am going to the Brewer game today, hope Craig is in the lineup. He is my favorite player in the big leagues right now.

How I Got My Glock Back

.
Don’t ever do this, kids.

Last December I went duck hunting in southwestern Illinois. My Glock 22 was loaded and in the armrest compartment where it is on every trip. I could care less if my Indiana CCW permit is void in states I pass through and Illinois is one.

Anyone who has read any of my writings on guns knows I am not a collector, fancier or expert on guns especially handguns. I don't pretend to be a know-it-all as some gun bloggers do. I shoot for fun and practice. I hunt a lot and have the right to self protection. My guns get used and I don't care if they get scratched or the wood gets nicked. My guns are tools and I only own as many as I need.

On the final day of our stay I showed the Glock to my buddy Nestor. He asked if he could give it a few pops since he lives on a farm with nobody nearby, so I said sure. He has many fine handguns in his vault but never even touched a Glock. He explained that he thought they were ugly, plastic, and just wasn’t interested in them at all. We were called in for breakfast so I set it on a high shelf in his barn.

After a classic country breakfast with our wives we said goodbye and ventured on back to the free world of Indiana with plenty of duck meat in the cooler. Once past Springfield I realized we never shot it and it was probably still on the shelf in his barn. A quick phone call confirmed it was still on his shelf. Sh!tdamn!

I told him to have fun with it and he said he would. I explained to him that a Glock has no mechanical safety, knowing he never shot one before. With a round in the chamber it’s hot. That was news to him.

The next day I inquired on how to ship a firearm. This was new to me since I never purchased a firearm that had to be shipped. Legally, I was told by my local gunshop, it must be shipped overnight FedEx from one FFL to another FFL. It would cost upwards of $150. Fonk that. I do have a backup.

After another phone call he promised to bring it with him on a goose trip south of Joliet in January. We would meet up and he would give me the gun. The trip was cancelled.

Well last week he called to tell me his daughter was traveling to Chicago for the weekend and she could meet me near where I-80 and I-55 meet. Yesterday I drove to an undisclosed location where I got my Glock back. There was no problem with his daughter carrying it. She hunts goose, duck and deer and knows her way with weapons. When she handed me the bag with the gun I asked if it was loaded. She said, “of course not, my FOID card expired and I forgot to renew it”.

I’m sure what we did was illegal in the People’s Republic of Illinois. I believe with oppressive Illinois laws if she was caught with it the police would have taken her in, confiscated my gun and she would have paid one hefty fine. Oh well. at least it’s back in time for Gunstock, the annual LITGM firearm meetup.

One last note. Nestor liked shooting my Glock 22 in .40 cal so much he went out and bought one for himself. He now prefers shooting it to his other favorite handguns, one of which is that widely worshiped, mighty John Moses Browning 1911 in .45 ACP. So there ‘ya go!

That’s almost as unlikely as a PC slave buying a Mac. Welcome to simple, easy-to-use modern technology bud!
.

Rainbow Over Trump

Yesterday there was an amazing sight... a rainbow directly over Trump Tower. I could even see the entire rainbow from my balcony. I made a movie out of it because I couldn't get the rainbow in a single photo from end to end.

New Fighters

We seem to have a bumper crop of new fighters at the gym. As always I am there to help.

Speaking of, I have a reward of sorts coming. One of the best fighters at the gym has an MMA fight this Saturday night. He asked me to be part of his crew. I will be one of the guys who gets to walk to the ring with him, and will help out cornering. More than likely I will be the one who carries the water, towels and stuff, but I was honestly pleased that he asked me. I have trained this guy on the pads pretty strenuously for the past several months and this was his way of thanking me. I am totally stoked as I have never been ringside for a fight, and can't wait to hear the leather snapping into the flesh and bones of the poor opponent. The concensus in the gym is that this one doesn't go past one round.

But back to the new guys. There are a lot of guys training at the gym for some fights in September - our gym usually does what is called a "12 week camp" for most fights. Some of the new guys look pretty good, some look not so good. All are a bit out of shape and need a lot of work. We will get them in order, of that I am confident.

The first few rounds of training, we did some basic drills. We are still teaching the new guys how to hit pads, and what drills we like to put them through. After that there was sparring. Pretty ugly stuff. But they are new and I remembered how I looked when I was sparring early on. Timid. No self confidence. Afraid to unleash my techniques. Scared. Tight.

I couldn't take it any more and told them that they each had to go a round with me, and the others had to watch and learn. And learn they did. The new fighters were presented with a blizzard of punches and kicks from me. One of the larger guys thought he could throw me to the ground in the clinch, but my strength training paid off and he quikly found out that the clinch was "my house". The new fighters all tired toward the end of the round and then I picked up the pace.

It was a good exercise for them. They don't know yet how to be confident in their abilities. They need to get off on their angles; just walking forward and putting out techniques is so 70's.

All the time I was very encouraging and pumping them up on the good things that they did. And they did some good things. But they have a long way to go. I can't wait to see them in 12 weeks for their fights.

I told them last night that they will hate me in training, but love me when it is time for the fight. And that is true.

Chicago River Revitalized

One civic renovation project that I wholeheartedly support is cleaning up the Chicago River. The Chicago River runs right through downtown, and in fact the "River" in "River North" means, obviously, that we live north of the Chicago River.

I didn't live in Chicago decades ago but apparently the Chicago River used to be in terrible shape. Famously, the flow of the Chicago River was reversed so that foul water was pushed away from Lake Michigan (where it impacted the water supply) and down towards... well... St. Louis. Wikipedia has a nice page on the Chicago River, along with information about all the bridges that line the river and of course the St. Patrick's Day tradition of dyeing it green.


Colorful kayaks are a common sight on the River, when it isn't frozen, of course.


Here is a photo I caught recently of a wedding party that took a photo by the abandoned bridge (in the perpetual "up" position) on the Kinzie bridge. They probably had their reception at the East Bank Club which is only a block or so away (I don't think that the bride walked that far in her dress).

Finally - here is something odd. A "fish hotel". I saw this near a bridge and down by the waterline and had no idea of what it was. A guy seemed to be "sweeping" the water near the edge. I looked online and it provides sanctuary for fish - here is a link to an interesting web site describing the function, which apparently has been going on for several years, since this site references 2006.

Realism on Alternative Energy - Wind Power

Today Reuters posted a story called "Pickens backs off wind farm project"

Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens has called off plans to build the world's biggest wind farm in the Texas Panhandle, the Wall Street Journal said.

Pickens said the wind farm project was scuttled partly because of the lack of adequate transmission lines to carry the electricity from remote locations to cities, according to the paper.

The oil tycoon had hoped to build new transmission lines but could not secure financing, the paper said.

This paper neatly summarizes the impossible economics for most of these large scale alternative energy projects, focusing on areas that aren't usually covered well by the media or academics.

One of the favorite alternative energy projects involve wind energy, basically giant windmills / turbines that generate electricity when the wind blows. Wind energy viability is determined by a lot of factors, including:

1. how much the wind blows, or more accurately, how "steadily" the wind blows at a relatively high rate of speed
2. cost of the turbines / windmills
3. reliability of the turbines / windmills (one of the major manufacturers out of India has been recalling and having issues with the blades)
4. ability to find permits to site the blades (famously the Kennedy's are blocking them for damaging the "view" off their compound on the East coast)
5. amount of subsidy that the state power commission / Federal government is providing for the energy (else they generally aren't financially viable)
6. access to transmission lines to bring the electricity back to the urban areas that are most likely to utilize this electricity
7. access to funding (debt and equity) that allows the developer to build and secure the land, materials and equipment to complete the job

Of all these items, people tend to focus on items 1-4 above, with some understanding that without 5 (subsidies or requirements to "source" a certain percentage of generation alternatively), it isn't going to just happen.

However, #6 and #7 are actually the biggest bottlenecks right now, and tied to long term items that the state, local and Federal authorities are doing the least about.

Item 6 - I would view our transmission grid the same way that you'd view the layout of factories during communism; based on a blueprint of assumptions from a methodology long since passed by. Back in the days when you could actually BUILD a transmission line, before you had to snake it around every coyote, plant, and sign of human habitation, the lines were built to connect the power sources at the time (hydro, coal, nuclear) with the population centers and large industrial areas at the time. Basically, we are talking about the 60's and the early 70's. This grid is what it is - in some places it makes a lot of sense, in some places (like near high growth areas in Nevada and California) it makes little sense - but you need to understand that it simply can't be "fixed" by a policy paper or by throwing a few billion dollars at it here and there - it would take a major project, on the order of construction of the original interstate highway system, to fundamentally "fix" the grid to map it today where the people, industry and power sources of the FUTURE will lie, and require massive amounts of political will to fight NIMBY's every step of the way to make it happen. Basically, this means we have what we have and, with only minor changes and upgrades along existing "rights of way", it isn't changing.

Item 7- access to funding for transmission is VERY difficult, for a host of complex reasons. Basically the underlying financial support network for many types of projects was taken away by "deregulation" (I use the words in quotes because it wasn't deregulated, just regulated differently), where utilities in MOST areas could recover these types of infrastructure costs in the "base" rates charged to customers. Today generation has been mostly deregulated (meaning no one is building anything except for "toy" alternative projects and gas-fired peak plants) and the local distribution company (which is saddled with buying power and makes little money in the best of times) has to front the bill for transmission. Building transmission is a lonely business - it costs billions, and all it does is lower the price of power to the end customer and can reap a "toll" along the way between the generation site and the power user. Back in the old days, utilities would invest in transmission because it is critical to reliability and allowed them to expand their revenue base, but today these super high risk investments, which face fanatical opposition from local residents, are generally beyond the pale.

Pickens basically gave up because #6 and #7 were not viable.

Reality is going to hit all of the alternative energy concepts, sooner or later.

Cross posted at Chicago Boyz

Single Family Mansion

An interesting pastime of mine is walking past the various real estate signs in my neighborhood watching them "one up" each other. Here is something even I saw that struck my eye for a condominium development - a single family "mansion".


Here is an example of a single family mansion (that is part of a condo development) in River North. You can see a building that looks like a two flat on top of the parking lot in this building, about 10 stories or so off the ground.

That would be ODD to live there. You would go into a condominium entrance, get on an elevator, get off, and go into your "house"? Who are your neighbors? It just seems like a really strange idea. Why wouldn't you just buy a mansion "on the ground?"

The Very Best Burgers On The Grill

.
Everything I grilled and BBQ’d last weekend went far beyond my expectations and those of my guests. What stood out most were the humble burgers.


Burgers on the grill can be tricky. I have experimented with every suggestion that has come along from mixing spices and vegetables in the meat to grinding my own cuts to using butcher shop "gourmet" patties formed from steak tips to adding bacon, andouille sausage or even extra pork fat. Results were mixed.

Through trial and error I found it best to leave the lid off and grill them over open hot coals since covering the grill was guaranteed to overcook them. I would flip them only after juice oozed out the top of the raw side. After flipping I would wait for the ooze again and remove them from the heat and quickly serve and eat. This is grilling, not BBQing and burgers must be closely watched and coddled. The results were always a guess.

There were times when the meat was dry and hard to swallow, other times the center was raw. About 50% of the time they came out perfect. That’s a ratio that’s unacceptable to me even if the meat is cheap. My goal is 100% outstanding meals each and every time. My guess would be I am at about 90% there, not bad but not good enough.

Being a subscriber to Cook’s Illustrated I remembered a past issue with a recipe for well-done burgers. Of course it was dismissed by me even if Cook’s published it. Well-done? HA! From the bible of outstanding homemade cuisine? Well-done meat?

Undercooked ground beef can be dangerous, I know. Been taking my chances for years without incident. But due to my inquisitive food nature this well-done burger recipe deserved a shot

The Cook’s article by Matthew Card claims, “the reason a medium-well to well-done burger becomes dry and tough is because collagen, a protein in muscle fiber, seizes when heated beyond 130 degrees, squeezes the meat tissue, causing it to expel it’s juices.”

With pork and fowl brining is the best way to keep meat moist and tender, brining beef does not work the same. What to do to avoid eating a hockey puck on a bun? Card had the solution. Add bread and milk. Yep, bread and milk. Sounds like meatloaf.

But wait, there’s more! Here’s what to do for outstanding, beefy-flavored burgers that turn out delicious. I know, I overcooked them according to directions and they were by far the best burgers I ever made.

Take a slice of plain white bread and cut into ½” squares discarding the crust. add 2T milk, ¾ t salt, ¾ t pepper, one clove chopped garlic and 2 t Worcestershire sauce. Mash all ingredients with a fork.

Take 1 ½ lb. ground beef (I used 85% lean ground round) and break it up into small pieces over bread mush and mix together. Form patties (I prefer ½ lb. monster patties).


Pile coals on one side of the grill leaving a section of no coals, the cool side. Grill over hot coals for about 4 minutes, flip and wait 4 minutes more. While the onions grilled and the buns toasted I placed the patties over the cool side of the grill for another three minutes.

My daughter, who is more of a food perfectionist than I am, said these were very juicy and beefy flavored. She gave me four stars.

I suggest you give this method a try. It’s simple and doesn’t take a lot of prep. There is no way you would know the bread/milk/spice mixture was added.

Beef. The original red meat.
.

"Green" parking structure

I was walking down the street and noticed that someone was building a parking structure in River North. This is a great idea since the congestion here is unimaginable for those who don't live in a big city and over the years the ground level lots that used to provide for parking overflow (and the valets for late night dinners) have mostly been chewed up to make room for more large buildings. New condos generally build parking in for their tenants and if they have significant retail space (such as our local Jewel or Bed Bath and Beyond) they will have additional public parking.

One interesting thing I noted was that this parking structure was calling itself "green". This made me chuckle a bit because usually nothing associated with autos is considered "green". Here is a link to a web site that describes how they are calling it green, and I guess there is some substance to it - they are putting wind turbines on the roof to provide power and doing some other elements to reduce power consumption, along with a plug in for electric cars (should they arrive). I also noted that they were sourcing materials locally to reduce the amount of long-haul driving to bring the materials onsite.

I will say that this seems to have more substance than the "green" condos I saw in bucktown.

36 Hours In Madison

I see that the NYT (boy do I hate linking them, but it is an interesting article) spent 36 hours in Madison. I haven't done a good fisking in a long time, so here goes. My thoughts will be in italics after each activity. First off, I am happy they came when the weather was nice. Any time from November to May is usually too crappy to have much fun.

Friday
3 p.m.

1) GLIMPSE OF GRIDIRON
University of Wisconsin football inspires obsession in Madison, and even in much of the off-season, you can share a little of the excitement with a tour of Camp Randall Stadium (1440 Monroe Street; 608-263-5645; www.uwbadgers.com/facilities). Walk on the field, glance inside the locker rooms, check out a luxury box and pose with a statue of the former coach Barry Alvarez. The free tours are normally for groups of 10 to 75 people, but individuals can latch on with a scheduled group; check for availability at least two weeks in advance. There are no tours from mid-November through late Apirl, and dates are limited during the football season.

This is interesting if you have never seen the inside of a stadium before. If you are not interested in sports, there are a ton of better things you could spend your time on. By the way, the statue of King Barry is outside of the stadium, so if you really need your photo with it, that can be done without going on the tour.

5 p.m.

2) BEER OR BOTANY?
Drink in views of Lake Mendota, one of the lakes that give Madison its miles of waterfront, along with your pint at the Memorial Union Terrace at the University of Wisconsin (800 Langdon Street; 608-265-3000; www.union.wisc.edu/terrace), an outdoor four-tiered space with candy-colored chairs, a lakefront path and live music in the warm months. Or for quieter outdoor relaxation, try the Allen Centennial Gardens (620 Babcock Drive; www.horticulture.wisc.edu/allencentennialgardens), 2.5 acres surrounding a Victorian building. Stroll Allen’s 29 gardens from a path lined with day lilies by the dozens to a French garden where the shrubs are trimmed in the shape of fleurs-de-lis.

Well, I have never been to that Allen Centennial Gardens, but it sounds neat. I have spent a lot of time on the terrace drinking beer, and I will tell you that it is one of the best places to have a beer in the universe. Skip the garden, and relax on the terrace.

7 p.m.

3) PRAIRIE PROVISIONS
Madison’s growing culinary scene pulls diners in two very different directions: far from the prairie with dozens of ethnic restaurants and right back to it with an emphasis on the bounty of Wisconsin’s farms. Harvest (21 North Pinckney Street; 608-255-6075; http://www.harvest-restaurant.com/) offers sophisticated seasonal dishes and an extensive wine list in a soothing setting of soft lighting and buttery yellow walls. Try the porcini-salt-rub angus tenderloin with celeriac purée ($36) or the house-made tagliatelle ($18).

Harvest was a very good choice, I can't say a bad thing about it.

9:30 p.m.

4) WORLDLY REFRESHMENT
Restaurant Magnus (120 East Wilson Street, 608-258-8787; http://www.restaurantmagnus.com/) has a cocktail menu that spans the world, from the Viking, a tincture of port, vodka and Giffard Blackberry Liquor ($7.95) that pays homage to the Caipirinha ($6.50), the national cocktail of Brazil. The cuisine is Scandinavian, and live music, mostly jazz, plays weeknights at 7 or 8, weekends at 9:30.

The last time I ate at Magnus was probably five years ago. It was incredibly loud in there and this is NOT a cheap date. The food was marginal but the noise was insane. I don't know if it is because of the way the place is laid out or what. I haven't been back since. Maybe I should give it another try. The jazz bands they have are pretty cool, if that is your thing.

Saturday
9 a.m.

5) BIKING AMONG BADGERS
Centered on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona and surrounded by conservation land, Madison is a haven for outdoors types and one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country. For some easy exploring, join the Madison biking crowd by picking up a rental at Machinery Row Bicycles (601 Williamson Street; 608-442-5974; http://www.machineryrowbicycles.com/; $20 a day), which sits on the bike path around Monona. Ride around the lake or head over to the 1,260-acre University of Wisconsin Arboretum (1207 Seminole Highway; 608-263-7888; http://www.uwarboretum.org/).

A great activity. I have written extensively about how Madison and Wisconsin are biking meccas. But I have one issue with the above "bike path around Monona". They are talking about LAKE Monona, and the bike path does NOT go all the way around it. There is only path around about a quarter of the lake, from the southwest to the north. The rest you would need a pretty good internal compass since it is all side streets. But there are plenty of paths that hook up to the lake paths that are there. It is a popular thing to run or bike around Lake Monona and I have done it many times.

1 p.m.
6) THE ARCHITECT
These days Wisconsin wants you to know it was the first and favorite home of Frank Lloyd Wright, though in his lifetime the state wasn’t so sure. Wright’s vision for a sprawling civic center was rejected in 1938 by one planning-commission vote and though it later won approval, remained unbuilt. In the 1990s, Wright’s design was resurrected, and Madison built Monona Terrace (1 John Nolen Drive; 608-261-4000; http://www.mononaterrace.com/), a community and convention center, with a terrace that curves along the lake. Its open design and tinted windows reflect the water below, and its roof garden and cafe offer the city’s best water view. One-hour tours begin daily at 1 p.m. and are $3; $2 for students. One group in Madison that did appreciate Wright in his lifetime was the congregation that hired him to design the Unitarian Meeting House (900 University Bay Drive; 608-233-9774; http://www.fusmadison.org/), completed in 1951. It was built with native limestone, copper and glass. Tours, with a suggested donation of $5 to $10, are on weekdays and Sundays, but gawking from the outside is free anytime. It’s unmistakable, with a dramatic triangle roof. The building itself is a triangle, symbolizing hands clasped in prayer.

Can't argue with this. You can find many examples of Wright's work in and around Madison. I might suggest a nice drive to Spring Green and Taliesin as well. As far as the Unitarian meeting house in concerned, I waltzed in there one day and asked permission to take some photos and the people there were happy to let me. I posted many of these in February 2005.

3 p.m.

7) MAKE MINE CHEESY
The Old Fashioned (23 North Pinckney Street; 608-310-4545; http://www.theoldfashioned.com/), serves the food that “makes Wisconsin so Wisconsin,” so it’s no surprise that an entire section of the menu is devoted to cheese. The bar and restaurant is reminiscent of a late-19th-century saloon filled with Grandma’s antiques, but with a hipster flare. The cheese curds ($6.95) are a must for sampling, as is the spicy bloody mary ($7), which is served with at least three seasonal garnishes — one drink was festooned with a brussels sprout, a radish and an onion.

Can't comment on this one, never been there.

8 p.m.

8) ANDES EXPRESS
The Inka Heritage (602 South Park Street; 608-310-4282; http://www.inkaheritagerestaurant.com/) is one of the brighter spots on the city’s culinary scene, and it’s not just because of its fluorescent walls and lively art. Diners are transported to Peru via dishes like fire-roasted beef heart ($8) and fried yuca ($6). The sweet milk jam ($6), made with cinnamon and port wine, is a sinfully sweet way to end the meal.

Funny they mention this, my wife and I ate here just a few weeks ago and it was outstanding. We did have the beef heart for the appetizer and it was fabulous. The place is a bit spartan, but if you don't mind that, go for it. Cheesy music on in the background too.

10:30 p.m.

9) SWING TIME
Madison is a late-night kind of town, especially for fans of live music. Check out a show at the High Noon Saloon (701A East Washington Avenue; 608-268-1122; http://www.high-noon.com/), a large Western-tinged club with a balcony for catbird views of bands. The club opened in 2004 and is operated by the former owner of Madison’s well-known O’Cayz Corral, which was destroyed by fire in 2001.

Great place to see a band, as Carl will attest. This is where we saw the most important band in the world, The Electric Six, last fall.

10 a.m.

10) DOUBLE COMFORT SCORE
Any restaurant that spells out its name in large Scrabble tiles near the front door is bound to have a funky-nerdy-vibe. Lazy Jane’s Cafe and Bakery (1358 Williamson Street; 608-257-5263) becomes crowded and loud but exudes the coziness that comes with a lazy Sunday poring over the newspaper or catching up with an old friend. The food is similarly comfortable, with scones, grilled cheese sandwiches and a seitan scramble, filled with peppers ($6.50), onions and mushrooms and good enough to impress an avowed meat eater.

Never been there. But it would be good to get a little flavor of Willie Street before you leave. It is a pretty "eclectic" place, where many washed out hippies live, and you will see other strange sights as well.

11:30 a.m.

11) PADDLE OR SHOP
Lakes Monona and Mendota are usually the first choices for fun on the water in Madison, but Lake Wingra, tucked south of the university arboretum and the Henry Vilas Zoo, is also an option. Rent a canoe, kayak, rowboat or paddle boat at Wingra Boats (824 Knickerbocker Street; 608-233-5332; http://www.wingraboats.com/; starting at $12 an hour). Or for something landbound and livelier, stay downtown and stroll State Street, which links the Capitol with the university. It’s a pedestrian thoroughfare brimming with boutiques, restaurants, museums and bars. Many shops are open by noon on Sundays. Check out Anthology (No. 218; 608-204-2644; http://www.anthology.typepad.com/), a whimsical boutique filled with colorful crafts; the Soap Opera (No. 319; 800-251-7627; http://www.thesoapopera.com/), a fragrant repository of soaps, lotions and potions; and B-Side Records (No. 436; 608-255-1977; http://www.b-sidemadison.com/), a trove of vintage vinyl and CDs, and a showcase for many of the city’s bands.

If I had my choice I would pick the canoeing. Lake Wingra is pretty beautiful and very small. Our family has enjoyed canoeing there many times. State Street has a bunch of shops with stuff you really can find in a lot of other places.

In general, I think the NYT did a pretty good job. Of course, living here for 15 years now there are some things I would substitute, but you could certainly do worse in 36 hours here. Whatever you do, DO NOT come here in the dead of winter, unless you have some strange fascination with feeling what a -50 wind chill feels like.

Your (Wasted) Federal Tax Dollars At Work

One of the most basic concepts in real estate is TIMING. There is a time to buy properties (when the costs are low) and a time to sell properties (when the prices are high). This is such a basic concept that even a third grader could recite it.

How you can tell the difference between how the GOVERNMENT operates (with your tax dollars at risk) and how an INDIVIDUAL would choose, if it were their own money? Here is a classic example.

The old US post office in Chicago is a giant structure rising over I-290 (the main highway into the city coming in from the East) that has been abandoned since 1995, when a new post office was built.

While the Chicago real estate market absolutely boomed through the period from perhaps 2000 through the 2007-8 crash, the US government was unable to execute a deal of any sort. There were various plans to do so, but they didn't reach a deal, and anyone who knows a government bureaucrat knows it is better to be "safe than sorry". If the terms weren't perfect and there was some controversy, just let it lapse, and who cares, your pay is the same, either way.

So here we are - in mid 2009 - when the commercial real estate market is at an absolute and total nadir. I am not a real estate expert but I would have to say that it is the worst market, timing wise, in my entire lifetime.

So NOW, in the worst market in decades, perhaps since the Great Depression, the US Government is choosing to auction off this post office building. Here is a link to the auction site. The suggested minimum bid is $300,000, when they were entertaining offers as high as $300 million per this Chicago Tribune article that were never consummated.

While I don't know what they will get for the building (the auction is in late August) anyone with even the most basic sense of the real estate market will tell you that they are executing this auction at the worst time possible.

Ask yourself this question - will the government hold anyone accountable for the lost taxpayer revenues between what the building WOULD have reaped had they been able to sell it ANYTIME between 1995 and the real estate crash? Of course not. They don't actually care enough about your dollars to judge performance on that basis.

And this is why putting more assets and activities in the hands of the US government will inevitably lead to waste and lost opportunities on an ever grander scale.

Cross posted at Chicago Boyz

Health Care and Static Analysis

PANAMA AND ESCAPING HIGH US COSTS

One element that is generally not well considered in our health care debate is the fact that individuals will react (over time) to market signals and attempt to make rational financial decisions. A recent article from Business Week called "Panama - It's the New Florida" with the tag line

Quality health care and low costs are luring lots of U.S. professionals

is useful to provide some background on this issue.

This article uses hyperbole - the total population of Panama is a bit over 3 million and U.S. residents are a small fraction of that total, while Florida has a population of 18 million - but the thinking is spot on, long term.

They mention a US citizen who has Parkinson's disease and says

Researching rates in Seattle, she found that nurses run $25 an hour. In Panama City, where she has lived since 2007, they cost $25 a day.

Going overseas for medical work has a long tradition; generally it was the wealthy from Middle Eastern countries who came to Europe or the USA to receive advanced treatments. In recent years citizens of many nations featuring socialized medicine such as Canada travel overseas or to the United States to bypass waiting lists for critical procedures.

COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE

The most likely individuals to leave based on economics are those who retire early (like those in the article) and are ineligible for Medicare, which starts at 65. According to this survey (which is quite interesting, I recommend you click through and read it) - here are some numbers based on 2006 premiums and the survey was published in December, 2007:

- the average cost for a family aged 55-59 is $7881 / year
- the average cost for a family aged 60-64 is $9201 / year

HOWEVER, the average policy cost varies significantly, by state. The study doesn't break out what a family policy for ages 55-59 or 60-64 would be in a high cost state, so I am going to "guesstimate".

The average policy cost overall for a family is $5799 / year (across all age ranges). The lowest state is about 50% of the total (it was Wisconsin), and even throwing out Massachusetts (which had a change in 2007) the next highest was New York at about 250% of the average.

Thus if you extrapolate your age AND the fact that you come from a high cost state, you can figure the following:

- the average cost for a family aged 55-59 could be as high as $20,000 / year
- the average cost for a family aged 60-65 could be as high as $23,000 / year

Let's say you retire at 55 and are in good health and live in New York, where the weather is crappy and the cost of living is high (since I live in Chicago and the weather is even crappier, I can say that). If you are in decent health, why pay $20,000 / year when you could go away and "pay as you go" somewhere like Panama where they have decent health care options. Once you are over 65 and your health starts declining (and getting more expensive), you could always move back to the US and get on Medicare at which point you won't care much about the costs.

IMPACT OF BEHAVIOR ON FINANCIAL VIABILITY

For any kind of "all-in" group health insurance scheme to work financially, there has to be subsidization of the poor from the wealthy. The system needs the high earners to contribute more than they consume, especially if they are relatively healthy and thus not consuming expensive services.

However, these high income professionals who are NOT utilizing health benefits to an excessive degree would be ABSOLUTELY the ones most likely to look for alternatives to avoid being a captive individual subsidizing the system. This Panama article, while it does not focus on health care exclusively, is pointing out exactly those most likely to leave.

As for the tax impact, at a high level if you are self-employed you can deduct your health insurance premiums against your gross income (which reduces it effectively by your overall tax rate, say 30%) but if you are not self employed then you can only deduct it to the extent that it exceeds 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

Thus estimates that show the US health care costs (and revenues) and neglect to take into account that the most mobile and wealthy citizens have CHOICES of where to live will not predict accurately what will in fact happen.

While US citizens may not typically migrate overseas, this is an established solution to high taxes in other countries. The UK, for instance, has always had a large population outflow of retirees, especially to Spain. Much of this is due to the fact that UK taxes are punishing (and the weather isn't so great) and UK citizens are adventurous enough to leave the country of their birth in order to take improve their standard of living.

Countries outside the US also will respond to these opportunities. Panama and Costa Rica are attempting to be more friendly to US retirees because they know that they represent an opportunity for their economy. If health care can be brought up somewhere close to US standards (basically by walling off poorer locals or migrants) for at least preventative and maintenance care (if not for high tech procedures) then they will be able to draw in those individuals who can bring their wealth overseas and also bask in the beautiful weather and scenery.

I remember when I was traveling in Australia once and sitting on a plane next to an elderly gentleman and he looked over at me and asked me if I was emigrating. I honestly was taken aback - I had never thought about moving overseas. Perhaps the US citizenry will start taking a wider view of living outside of the USA if taxes and regulations become too punishing.

Cross posted at Chicago Boyz

Big Flags and the 4th in Chicago

For the 4th of July Macy's (formerly Marshall Fields) puts a gigantic US flag in the lobby of their down town store. Here is a picture looking up from the main lobby.



And here is a picture looking down from one of the upper floors.



The Wrigley building had a giant flag on the side, too - you can see it adjacent to the Trump Tower. Maybe the Donald will want to put the greatest flag ever on the side of HIS building someday!

Oh Boy! A Whole Weekend Of Grilling...

.
The 4th of July is my favorite holiday of all!



Most of my IED's will be reserved for detonation Saturday night.

Think I will kick this thing off tonight with the simple burgers on the grill.



No Lizzard Kings, just a homemade Burger Kings tonight. Tomorrow, who knows?
.

The Face of Stupidity

At various times I have written about the "science" of project management, which claims vast increases in productivity and its new roots (mainly from the 1950's) but in fact compares unfavorably against many historical projects, such as this post on a railway built in Skagway, Alaska in a rapid fashion in a brutal climate over 100 years ago. This isn't to say that project management isn't important, or that it shouldn't be viewed as a critical skill set, but just to say that a proper historical perspective shows that project management has been around forever in various guises, even without mumbo-jumbo technical jargon created expressly for the field.

A recent article, with published photo, in the "PM Network", showed the extreme limits of someone swallowing the methodology hook, line and sinker. I kept the caption with the photo but here is the text:

Companies want specific industry or technical experience rather than project management experience, which surprises me.

Let's think about this astonishing statement, for a minute. When a company is hiring a candidate for projects, and they have multiple candidates to choose from (which is pretty much the norm with today's economy), why WOULDN'T they look for someone from their industry (say, energy), with a specific technical capability (perhaps engineering), along with project management experience.

Project management expertise is mostly a social skill (ability to communicate, lead) along with some tools (planning diagrams, checklists, budgets, and an overall plan) that can be picked up and refined over the years. However, specific industry skills often take years or decades to hone, and technical expertise is often acquired through college or through dedicated programs with direct experience.

The fact that this project manager felt he could just walk in the door at a company and pick up their entire industry and the technical nature of the project as an afterthought is just striking. This shows how desperate companies must have been for talent during the booming economic years - because this model of hiring and planning is clearly less efficient than finding someone with project management expertise AND technical and industry skills appropriate to the job.

I am not trying to "pick on" this guy - many people are out of work today through no fault of their own and the job market now is extremely difficult, or nearly even frozen. I am just surprised that he would say out loud that he is SURPRISED that companies would look for a candidate who had deeper and more relevant expertise and wasn't just a "generic" project manager.

Maybe "the face of stupidity" is too harsh, but at least "the face of naivete" or perhaps "a clear sign at how desperate managers were to hire staff in the last economic boom".

Cross posted at Chicago Boyz

More River North By Night

I took some advice and hooked up my gorilla tripod to the deck and was able to take this great photo of the Sears Tower (I'm not going to call it Willis Tower) decked out in 4th of July colors with the moon overhead. Looks good!



For a recent cubs game a blimp was hovering low over River North... I tried to get decent photos to no avail so just took a brief movie on my camera.

Just Because I Like It

Milo put a link to this photo up over at James's place. Click for bigger. Don't know if it is real or not, but I love it and think it quite appropriate for a great looking weekend for grilling. Annie probably won't find it as funneh as me, but there is always a spare veggie kabob on the side of the grill for her.