Buy A Bailout Bond

Congress has just tentatively agreed to 'bailout' Wall Street from years of reckless lending with a $700 billion package.
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According to the Federal Reserve Chairman and the Secretary of the Treasury, a failure to immediately shore up the finances of decapitalized banks will inevitably lead to either a financial panic or possibly a depression.
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As a result of widespread fear of an economic meltdown, the House and Senate appear to have endorsed the proposal of transferring nearly a trillion dollars from US taxpayers to several faltering financial houses in New York. The logical question floating through conversations across America, 'Why should we bailout the very people who pilfered and nearly destroyed the economy?', is a legitimate one. Due to the climate of fear, Congress seems to have hastily accepted the bailout proposal without serious consideration of a viable and more equitable alternative. In order to produce a fairer solution to the financial morass, a fine place to begin would be to review the creative genius of a former Treasury Secretary.
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William Gibbs McAdoo (1863-1941) was born in the middle of the Civil War in the Confederate state of Georgia. After finishing high school, he graduated from the University of Tennessee and subsequently became a successful lawyer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A happy marriage to Sarah Fleming, which produced four daughters and three sons, balanced his professional life.
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The year 1912 proved fateful for both American history and William on a personal level. His wife of 27 years died, and he left a lucrative business career to join the presidential campaign of New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson. When Wilson defeated the incumbent William Howard Taft, the renegade Bull Moose Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt and the fiery socialist Eugene Debs for election, he named McAdoo Secretary of the Treasury. By far, it was the best cabinet choice Wilson made.
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In two years, McAdoo moulded the newly created Federal Reserve System into the nation's most powerful and authoritative lending institution, and his productive achievements were once again rewarded with romantic love in a second marriage to Eleanor Wilson - the president's daughter.
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The Genius of William Gibbs McAdoo
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By the autumn of 1914, Europe had entered into a cataclysmic tragedy. In order to gear up for war against Germany, France and Britain were planning to divest their holdings from America and convert the liquid assets into gold to fund their military campaigns. If the Wilson administration had allowed London and Paris to sell off their American securities, the United States would have unquestionably faced a catastrophic deterioration of its economy. As a debtor nation, the US could ill afford to lose two of its most significant financial investors.
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What to do? McAdoo had two relatively simple yet brilliant ideas. First, he ordered the American stock exchange shut down for four months to prevent the allies from liquidating their holdings. Consequently, France and Britain essentially had to finance the war on an American promissory note.
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Secondly and perhaps more importantly, McAdoo advanced four US bond issues between April 1917 and September 1918 to pay for American and Allied cause. These securities, popularly known as 'Liberty Bonds', were issued in various denominations and offered a return of the principal with interest between 3.5 and 4.5%. Charlie Chaplin, Al Jolson and Douglas Fairbanks were among several silver screen stars to promote the bonds with the slogan 'If you can't enlist, invest. Buy a liberty bond!' Its patriotic appeal was staggeringly successful. At the end of the $30 billion conflict (US cost), Americans had financed more than half the amount ($17 billion) with Liberty Bonds. Everybody won. The American people made approximately 4% on their investment, the US military operated with sound financial backing and Europe retained its lucrative American securities as well.
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The current 'Bailout' package, whereby US taxpayers simply cover the egregious losses from unscrupulous Wall Street financiers, has not been voted on yet, and Americans ought to consider the merits of loaning Wall Street the money to recover rather than writing a blank check without expectation of anything in return. 'Bailout Bonds', issued along the lines of Liberty Bonds, would not only ameliorate the prospect of a financial crisis but would also force Wall Street to be strictly accountable in using the funds - since every dime would be paid back with interest to the US government. The government, in turn, would then pay off bailout bondholders. Once again, everyone wins.
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Should Wall Street return to its predatory ways again in the future and compromise the economic security of the United States for its own collective cupidity, the Secretary of the Treasury will be justified in taking a cue from William Gibbs McAdoo and closing down the stock exchange - perhaps once and for all.
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J Roquen

Strong Hearts vegan cafe

Photo yoinked from the Post-Standard

If you've been to the Hard Times Cafe in Minneapolis, then you'll feel at home in Syracuse's Strong Hearts Cafe. The menu is all-vegan and even though I am not a vegan, (not even a particularly strict vegetarian) I'd recommend the food here to anyone who enjoys food.

My first meal was the faux-meat "chicken" salad sandwich. After one bite, I vowed to return for every meal until my flight back to Minneapolis. That didn't quite happen, but I still managed to sample a sizable chunk of the menu during my stay in Salt City.

I had french toast in the morning, but you could order it any time, since they serve breakfast all day. It was thick slices of chewy bread topped with fresh bananas. Best french toast I've ever had. The mocha was only okay, but it did its job waking me up. Later I tried the scramble, a mix of breakfast vegetables and spicy tofu. It was good, although I was hoping for something more like the hearty Hard Times scramble that includes potatoes and feeds a family of four.

My other lunch options were the Seitan sandwich and grilled cheese. I ordered the Seitan "loaded" with their full complement of vegetable toppings, and it was so big they gave me a fork to eat it. Yummy. I had a "duh" moment with the grilled cheese, wondering why it didn't melt and it tasted funny. Because it's not real cheese, dummy!

Best of all are the signature milkshakes named after heroes like Rosa Parks and Malcolm X. I had the Earth Crisis (chocolate and peanut butter) and Bobby Sands (mint chocolate chip). How do they make such delicious, creamy shakes without milk? It must be one of their secret vegan special powers.


By the time I left, I was sort of a regular, and everyone recognized me. On my last day in town I talked with owners Joel Capolongo and Nick Ryan about how they started such an awesome cafe. I mostly asked Joel things that he already talked about in this article. The really amazing thing is that they opened the place this year, and every month have more and more customers. I promised I would tell everyone about it, although it might be a long time (if ever) before I would be able to come back.

"We'll be here," said Joel.

Daddy Drinks: Syracuse Beers

I don't travel much for my job, but I recently visited Syracuse. When I'm out of town I love to try new things. Lucky me, this city was chock-a-block with local brew pubs.

On my first night here, I visited the Armory Square district, where there are two microbreweries in one city block. Empire Brewing Company is a very contemporary bar & grill. The dinner menu boasts that they support local food producers, which endears them to me. I had a pint of delicious Amber Ale and chased it down with thick-cut fries.

Syracuse Suds Factory occupies the other side of the building. They had a more sports-bar vibe and their Amber wasn't nearly as good. Across the street at the Blue Tusk, I ordered a pint of IPA (ImPaled Ale) from Middle Ages, touted as a traditional, British style "real ale". Very hoppy and malty. I preferred the more conservative Syracuse Pale Ale.

Finally, down the way in Cooperstown, NY, you've got Brewery Ommegang. I tried a bottle of their Ommegang Witte, a traditional Belgian-style wheat ale. It may be the best-smelling beer I've ever had, and it was certainly tasty, to boot. If I had known that New York was such a paradise for beer aficionados, I would have gone sooner! As it is, I think a return trip is in my future.

UNITED WOMEN

UNITED MEN

September 22: Day One, Year Zero

This print is of Robespierre (1758-1794), the French Revolutionary, being executed at the tender age of 36. Less than two years beforehand, the Committee of Public Safety (the base from which Robespierre ascended to power) had issued decrees against vestiges of the former monarchy and waged war against internal and external enemies (i.e. the Austrian monarchy). The leaders of the movement to reorder society, however, turned on each other, and France began to slide into anarchy prior to the rise of Napoleon.
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While assembling for a National Convention on 21 September 1792 to abolish the monarchy, the revolutionaries did something quite unique. They proclaimed the next day, 22 September, as the first day of Year One. In their view, the time preceding the French Revolution, particularly man's subservience to the Church and the monarchical State, was an era of ignorance and needed to be erased. It was the dawn of a new age of 'liberty, equality and fraternity'. Rather than in kings, nobles and clergymen, power would lie with the people.
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Starting life over, whether on an national scale or individual one, is a common psychological phenomenon found across time and culture.
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Although Columbus discovered America in 1492 and Europeans made a permanent colony at Jamestown (Virginia) in 1607, the starting point of American history is universally placed on 4 July 1776 - where a group of revolutionaries proclaimed a new era in human relations and inspired the French to overthrow their oppressive monarchy thirteen years later (1789). Hence, American Independence Day similarly functions as a declaration of a Year Zero or a Year One.
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When infused with a destructive ideological worldview, the temptation to begin history anew can be catastrophic.
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In February 1917, the Russian people collectively overthrew the monarchy. Six months later in October, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin and his extremist band of followers, seized power and created a one-party communist state in order to 'end history' and launch a socialist 'workers paradise' from Year One. Over the next seventy-four years, Soviet leaders employed brutal tactics against the population, including severe repression, famine and exile, to remain in power to achieve their Utopian objectives.
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Even more horrifying was the rise of Pol Pot in Cambodia on 17 April 1975. As a fanatically devoted communist, his ambition to initiate a 'Year Zero', in which society was to be purged of all 'bourgeois' elements (education, employment, wearing glasses etc.), was realized with forced evacuations of cities, mass torture and the execution of more than 1.7 Cambodians.
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While altering the timetables of history can be an enlightened achievement (i.e. the American Revolution) or a detrimental experiment (i.e. Cambodia), the decision to break with the past on a personal level is usually quite healthy and rewarding.
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In 1932, a revolutionary book entitled, Life Begins at 40, changed societal conceptions of the aging process. Rather than a final barrier on a slippery slope toward gray hair, limited mobility and quasi-usefulness, age 40 could be seen as a new beginning with maturity, wisdom, life experience and a little more money. Walter Pitkin, the author who also wrote A Short Introduction to the History of Human Stupidity, was advancing the notion that life contained numerous starting points and that age 40 was a significant time of renewal on a different scale.
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As life expectancy now hovers around 78 for men and 85 for women in many industrialized countries, 40 is now younger than ever before - as is 50 and 60.
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It has been said that 'old age is always 15 years older' than our current age. At age 17, a 32 year-old person seems 'old' to many teenagers. Similarly, a 62 year-old individual may look back at age 47 as being relatively young.
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Failure is an inescapable part of living. Rather than succumb to regrets of the past, each and every person ought to summon the courage to declare a 'Year Zero' or 'Year One' at some point and attempt to engage life for the present and the future. Radical changes are not necessary, but a new appreciation of life and others is required.
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J Roquen

Glass (Steagal) Houses

Wall Street does not have a mere headache - it has a severe migraine. Tens of billions of dollars of assets have either been lost or seized by the US government in an effort to prevent a further erosion of the entire banking system. While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two titans in the finance industry largely unknown to most Americans prior to their catastrophic failures last week, received federal protection, Lehman Brothers, a banking house that survived the Civil War and the Great Depression, collapsed after a long and distinguished history. The investment firm AIG was granted a life-saving loan from the US government days later to remain afloat. What caused this crisis?
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Although it may be trite and banal, the phrase 'History repeats itself' is an accurate answer. In order to appreciate the parallel between 1929 and 2008, it will be necessary to recall the progression of events from the Hoover-Roosevelt era.
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The 'Roaring Twenties', presided over by the notoriously reticent Calvin Coolidge, may have been the greatest period of economic expansion in American history. After financing WWI on Liberty Loans, whereby an average citizen could buy a US bond and expect repayment of 4% annually until the retirement of the debt by the Treasury, returning soldiers, who were anxious to start families and buy homes and modern appliances, desired a life of comfort after surviving rat-infested trenches and the cruelties of war. Mass production and higher wages were the order of the day by the middle of the decade, and American consumers seemed to have an insatiable appetite for goods and services. As the economic outlook of the future appeared limitless, more and more people began investing money into the stock market, and many got rich in only a few months as the market climbed on the strength of the economy.
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By 1927, speculative fever was entering its highest pitch. In order to attract more investment, brokers began allowing individuals to buy stocks with only 10% down. Hence, if the price of a stock was $100 per share, one could buy a share for only $10 up front or 10 shares for $100 up front. Since stock prices only increased, conventional wisdom believed, buying stock on 'margin' (10% down) would pay for itself. For a time, it worked brilliantly. Many investors, who bought on 'margin', were able to pay the balance and make a considerable profit due to an appreciation of their stock. In 1927 and 1928, investors borrowed $4.0 billion and $6.4 billion respectively from brokers to finance their stock purchases. Unfortunately, overproduction and underconsumption caught up with the scheme, and the bubble burst in October 1929. In short, Americans were collectively in debt and possessed no more money to buy the commodities financed by Wall Street. The heyday of buying stocks cheaply on 'margins' was followed by 'margin calls'.
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After buying 100 shares of stock worth $100 per share on a 10% margin ($1000), an investor, once again, expected to be able to pay off the $9000 loan to his or her broker from the increase in value of the stock. When stocks crashed, however, banks demanded immediate payback of their loans (to give to their depositors during 'runs' on the bank) from brokers. The brokers, however, were broke (all of their money was loaned out to clients), so they demanded repayment of their loans from 'margin' investors. Hence, a person who bought $10,000 worth of stock for $1,000 (10% margin) was not only liable to repay the $1,000 down-payment but also the balance of $9,000. The $9,000 had been created from nothing - unbacked by silver or gold, and no one, neither the banks nor the brokers or investors had the capability of repaying the mounting debts. As a result of the high risk racket, a nation was brought to its knees by avarice and unscrupulous financing programs.
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Upon entering the White House, Franklin Roosevelt's first stated priority was to reopen the banks and put the American financial house on solid ground. In his famous first '100 Days', a period of legislative activity unrivaled by any administration or Congress in American history, Virginia Senator Carter Glass and Alabama Congressman Henry Steagall introduced legislation to divorce investment and commercial banking in order to stop financial institutions from colluding and using their capital to recklessly invest in high-risk ventures. Furthermore, the bill created the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation (FDIC) which protected the assets of depositors in the case of financial mismanagement by banks. From 16 June 1933 to 11 November 1999, the Glass-Steagall Act successfully regulated the behavior of banks and guided the American economy through several periods of economic expansion (the 1950s, 1983-89, 1993-2001).
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On 12 November 1999, the Glass-Steagall Act was repealed after two decades and $300 million spent on lobbying for its demise from special interest groups in the form of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. This new legislation ended many of the key regulations of Glass-Steagall and allowed complex mergers and billion dollar transactions to take place between a variety of financial institutions without governmental scrutiny. As a result of a lack of transparency, a new generation of speculators returned and loaned money on high interest rates to a new generation of reckless spenders, and the seeds of another banking crisis were sown at the end of the 20th century.
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Greed is a fundamental component of the human condition. When left unchecked by conscience or law, history tends repeat itself rather unkindly.
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J Roquen

After a successful New York and London show United Models gets ready for Milan and Paris.

Roll

Uglydog and the Vampire Roll, originally uploaded by fuzzirella

Our baby can roll. I propped her up in the crib with her fists under her head, and she heaved herself over onto her back. She smiled victoriously.

It took me a moment to realize the import of what she had done. When I turned her over to try again, she started to complain. That was very inconsiderate of me. She went through all that work to learn a new maneuver, and once she had achieved her goal, I just reached down and undid it.

So that's one more skill to check off the list. Now, if only I could teach her how to rock.

Morning's Here

Hey, get into gear! It's a beautiful morning! Sometimes we need a reminder to celebrate the simple things in life. Not everyone likes to get out of bed in the morning, but I'm grateful for every day I'm alive.

Morning's here
The morning's here
Sunshine is here
The sky is clear
The morning's here

Get into gear
Breakfast is near
The dark of night has disappeared

Haiti: Devastated Beauty

Haiti is a nation founded on greatness. After being a French colony for decades, an inspiring leader emerged to throw off its yoke of oppression and indignity in the person of Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803). Most of the island's inhabitants are likely familiar with the story of their independence.
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Despite past injustices, Toussaint decided to support the French Revolution against its many European enemies. Besides, slavery had been abolished through a revolutionary decree issued in 1794. In 1801, Toussaint conquered neighboring Santo Domingo from Spain and installed himself as a virtual dictator of Hispanola (the whole island comprising modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic). After antagonizing French property-owners, Napoleon launched a costly invasion in 1802. His general, Charles LeClerc, succeeded in battling Toussaint to a stalemate subsequent to losing a significant number of soldiers to disease. In a treaty signed after the fighting ended, France declared slavery forever abolished on the island in exchange for Toussaint's departure from power. He died a year later from pneumonia.
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Since their glorious tale of independence, the first black liberation from white colonial rule in the world, Haitian politics has been wracked by violence, assassination, graft and foreign intervention. Horrified by the anarchy in Port-au-Prince and deeply suspicious of European imperial meddling in the Western Hemisphere (particularly Germany), Woodrow Wilson deployed US marines to Haiti in 1915 to bring about a semblance of order. When the Americans finally departed 19 years later in 1934, Haiti had progressed little as a stable nation-state. A cautionary tale for Iraq and Afghanistan? Perhaps.
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Now, Haiti is attempting to recover from yet another hurricane. Hundreds of people are dead and more than 100,000 are without shelter. Indeed, some of the poorest people in the world just got poorer. Squalor and hopelessness is king in Haiti. Life expectancy is a mere 53 years old, and 380,000 people or 5% of the population lives with HIV (as of 2000). Economically, the country is marching backward. In 1975, its GDP per capita was $500 a year. By 1998, it was $370. Hence, most Haitians eek out an existence on less than $2 a day.
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What can be done? First, the US needs to address Haiti in the broader context of its own security. If America fails to engage the island with political leadership and greater economic and technical assistance, then Haiti may gravitate toward the petro-dollars of Venezuela or the succumb to the designs of Chinese businessmen. A substantial US investment in the long-term development of Haiti would not only create a new trading partner and market for American goods but also serve as a beacon of American generosity and good will.
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For the sake of Haiti, the world should press Washington to look at the devastated beauty in its own backyard. If the United States acts accordingly, the legacy of Toussaint Ouverture will not have been squandered.
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J Roquen

Hands

You Have to Make it Fall, originally uploaded by B Tal

Our daughter is on the cusp of an exciting discovery: her hands. Ashley is learning how to grab. She hasn't grasped anything on purpose, yet, although she is clutching at things more and more.

She doesn't quite have the depth perception, the fine motor skills. But she is determined. You can see the purpose in her eyes. She reaches out, arms trembling, growing steadier every day.

Sure, today she's just grabbing stuff, but there's so much potential in those tiny hands! One day she could be using her hands to sign treaties, perform surgery, throw a touchdown pass, or flip the switch on the LHC. And I get to be here when it all begins.

Daddy Drinks: Bittered Gin Sling

Blues, originally uploaded by matthew paul

The sling's origins are linked with the invention of the "cock-tail" itself. At the dawn of the 19th century, the two were practically synonymous. The earliest known definition of a cocktail gives a vague description of a mixed drink (liquor, sugar, water, bitters) and notes that "it is vulgarly called a bittered sling."

It has managed to become one of my favorite drinks, despite the fact that I normally don't care for gin (a Gimlet being the other notable exception to the rule). Here's my go-to recipe for this classic cocktail:

1.5 oz gin
0.75 oz sweet vermouth or sherry
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz simple syrup
dash or two of Angostura bitters
Soda water

Shake all but the soda water with ice, strain into a tumbler or highball over ice, top with soda, and garnish with a lemon peel.

Harvest

Harvest (Summer Memories), originally uploaded by ToniVC

Fall is here in Minnesota. I'm going to skip past the denial stage this year and jump straight into happy acceptance. Autumn means apple pies and long motorcycle rides. It's also the season to reap what we've sown in our backyard garden.

Our tomato crop was iffy. Earlier in the summer, they made some tomatoes that were half-ripe, half-black-and-shriveled. Now they're cranking out big red fruit. Even the little plants, that we put in to replace the early casualties, are new growing tiny green tomatoes.

It has been the year of the cucumber, although I'm experimenting with new plants. Cukes have been growing all summer, and showing no signs of slowing. Strawberries sent out shoots but no fruit (or what they made was eaten before I could pick it). I planted a single spinach just for fun. Mostly I'm excited about our cantaloupes. We should get at least three ripe melons off the vine. It's been a good year.

Shots

[a b s o l u t] b o k e h, originally uploaded by claude...

Ashley had her 2-month checkup and the first round of vaccinations. She was very brave. After the initial shock, she calmed right down. The great news is she looks healthy and everything is where it should be.

She has been talking a lot recently. Her favorite thing is to lie in her crib and make noises at the animals on her mobile. A typical conversation starter in our house: "the music on her mobile is much better than the music on her swing."

Hard to believe she's already two--in fact almost three--months old. On the other hand, it feels like she has been in our lives for a long time. How quickly a big change can become the new normal.

My shaving ritual

Gillette British Super-Speed, originally uploaded by Oldstyleshaving

I fill a small ceramic bowl with hot water and set it in the sink. After my shower, I dump out the water, squirt in a dollop of shaving cream and whip up a warm lather. I massage that into my face with a nice badger-hair brush. Then, I pick up my vintage Gillette Super Speed and start shaving.

I'm working my way through a sample pack of blades: first Gillette (which worked fine), then Derby (not so good) and now Bic. My technique is improving. Still, I usually do a final pass with the electric to clean up my problem areas. After sealing my cuts with a styptic pen, there's a cold rinse, then the cool relief of the aftershave balm.

Shaving with a double-edge razor is twenty minutes of Zen in the morning. I have a long way to go on my pursuit of a perfect shave, but that's okay. The important thing is to enjoy each step of the journey.

Cameron Moir for AVEDA

UNITED MODEL MANAGEMENT NEW FACE Chrystal Holgate

UNITED MODEL MANAGEMENT NEW FACE Catia

UNITED MODEL MANAGEMENT NEW FACE Cameron Moir

Routine

Routine Action, originally uploaded by @lex Roxy

More prompt than an insomniac rooster, Lola continues to wake me up before dawn. I'm not upset about it any more, though. Instead of trying to teach our old dog new tricks, I have incorporated our early rising into a new morning ritual.

We go out, she does her business, we come in and she eats breakfast. Then she goes back to sleep and I take a shower & shave. This is where I get creative. To my wife's dismay, I have picked up another new hobby, with all the attendant accessories. I set aside my practical, functional electric shaver, in favor of a 1940's Gillette safety razor.

Yes, my friends, I have entered the wonderful world of traditional wetshaving. It's a manly routine that is simultaneously bracing, relaxing, challenging, and enjoyable (except when I cut myself, which isn't very pleasant). End result: when I'm standing in the back yard at 5:30 in the morning, instead of wishing I were back in bed, I'm looking forward to the morning shave. That's a much better way to start the day.

(No) Honor (In) Killing

Two happy teenage girls riding in car. They exude youth, hope and promise for the future. Their names, Amina (18) and Sarah (17), are still largely unknown despite receiving a few days of international media coverage a few months ago.
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On New Year's Day 2008, they were murdered by their father. The reason? Amina and Sarah were discovered to have been spending time with non-Muslim boys. According to reports, Yasir Abdel Said, the father, had been subjecting his daughters to physical and sexual abuse for years. Yet, the girls managed to become productive students and popular with classmates in school.
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Beyond a mere heinous crime, the motive and the location of the murder is significant. It is widely suspected that Yasir Abdel Said considered his unspeakable actions justified to preserve the 'honor' of his family. In the view of some fanatical Muslims, women, who refuse to obey their male superiors (fathers and husbands), seek non-Muslim male companionship and become immersed in Western culture. In doing so, they are said to lose their dignity, bring shame on the family and deserve the punishment of death. Consider the potential dark ramifications of the following Koranic verse (4:34):
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'Men are the maintainers of women...good women are therefore obedient; and (as to) those on whose part you feel desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in sleeping places and beat them'
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If he was motivated from a sense of being disgraced by his daughters, Yasir committed an 'honor killing' - not somewhere in the Muslim world as would be expected - but in Texas. Rather than a native stain of misogyny, this one appears to have been ideologically imported from the 7th century sands of Arabia.
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Authorities in Pakistan are currently investigating the horrific murders of five young women several weeks ago in the province of Baluchistan. When three of them approached a civil court to wed men of their own choosing rather than submit to arranged marriages, they were kidnapped, transported to a remote location, shot and buried alive. Apparently, the other two women were considered accomplices in the 'dishonor'. In face of a public outcry against the crime, a provincial official stated, 'These are centuries old traditions and I will continue to defend them'. Needless to say, the official is a man.
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'Honor Killing' is a global phenomenon, and violence against women remains a constituent part of many societies. By raising public awareness through education and conducting relentless campaigns for women's rights across the world, this shameful scourge, similar to slavery and racism, can be placed on a road to extinction.
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J Roquen