I am very disgusted with the way the CEOs of the very companies that were bailed out with government funds have given themselves billions of dollars of bonuses out of that bailout money. There should have been oversight with these funds. Paulson just handed it out wholesale with little or no oversight. Some firms cannot even say where the money has gone. All we do know is that the banks are not making loans. So the reason for the bailout hasn't worked.
The CEO bonuses are unethical and downright criminal. Bonuses should be rewards paid for good productive work. If these people had done good productive work, their companies wouldn't have failed and needed the bailout.
I agree no CEO should be making more than the president, who makes $400,000 a year. Who on earth needs more than that anyhow?
This is borrowed money. Furthermore our children and grandchildren will be repaying these loans. After all of our allies loaned as much as they could, we started borrowing from Red China. We will be very lucky if China doesn't decide to call in their loans. China is one of the very few countries that actually has savings. Here in America, we have been living on borrowed money for years. Not just the government and businesses but also families live on credit card debt and buy things they cannot afford on credit.
I want to know of just one individual family that has been helped by this bailout. Banks and big business have received billions in assistance but individuals continue to suffer as layoffs continue and unemployment runs out..
The entire problem with capitalism is the unfairness of the compensation. It is, as I have said before, greed driven. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the middle class disappears.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Saving Paradise
A friend and I went to Tulsa recently for a Minister’s Week conference sponsored by the Disciples of Christ and heard Rita Nakashima Brock speak about her new book written with Rebecca Ann Parker. It is called “Saving Paradise”.
Art historians had told them there was no art depicting the crucifixion for a thousand years after Jesus died. They did not believe that was true so they embarked on a five year research trip to the Mediterranean to find whether such a thing actually was so. They were aware that most people of that early age were illiterate and could neither read nor write so all they knew about their Christian heritage was learned from the church leaders and from the art depicted in the churches.
So the pair began in Rome and descended into the catacombs to check the oldest Christian art to be found. There were many scenes painted on the cave walls depicting Jesus in life and at his work of healing and preaching, but none of a crucified Jesus. Next they traveled to the St. Sabina church, where they had heard there might be a crucifix scene. There they found the image of Jesus between two others but they were not on crosses. Their hands were nailed to blocks of wood and they were alive and wide awake. This Jesus depicted victory over death. Finally they traveled to Turkey where there were the crumbling remains of ninth to eleventh century monasteries. They failed to find even one dead Jesus. In the sixth century St. Apollinare Nuovo Church they found the earliest surviving story of the life of Jesus. They examined twenty six panels but found no crucified Jesus.
They found no crucifixions in any of Ravenna’s early churches. The death of Jesus, it seemed, was not a key to meaning, not an image of devotion, not a ritual symbol of faith for the early Christians who worshipped among the church’s glittering mosaics.
So what was the theme of all that early Christian art? It was paradise. Not an otherworldly paradise at all. It was a paradise of this world. Paradise, in this world, they realized was the dominant image of early Christian statuary. Life in this world was the place of salvation. Spiritual disciplines were the key to being at home in the world of paradise. Christians understood that they failed often to live as they should but their failures were not a sign of paradise lost but a sign of their failure to live ethically in it.
As I listened to her lectures, I realized that not much has changed in our failure to live ethically in our world. We all still struggle with that. Our world could still be a paradise if we could all only win that struggle with ourselves. If we were to put our emphasis on living life well in this world, loving one another, winning peace peacefully and working through our differences in the way Jesus taught, paradise would be saved.
Art historians had told them there was no art depicting the crucifixion for a thousand years after Jesus died. They did not believe that was true so they embarked on a five year research trip to the Mediterranean to find whether such a thing actually was so. They were aware that most people of that early age were illiterate and could neither read nor write so all they knew about their Christian heritage was learned from the church leaders and from the art depicted in the churches.
So the pair began in Rome and descended into the catacombs to check the oldest Christian art to be found. There were many scenes painted on the cave walls depicting Jesus in life and at his work of healing and preaching, but none of a crucified Jesus. Next they traveled to the St. Sabina church, where they had heard there might be a crucifix scene. There they found the image of Jesus between two others but they were not on crosses. Their hands were nailed to blocks of wood and they were alive and wide awake. This Jesus depicted victory over death. Finally they traveled to Turkey where there were the crumbling remains of ninth to eleventh century monasteries. They failed to find even one dead Jesus. In the sixth century St. Apollinare Nuovo Church they found the earliest surviving story of the life of Jesus. They examined twenty six panels but found no crucified Jesus.
They found no crucifixions in any of Ravenna’s early churches. The death of Jesus, it seemed, was not a key to meaning, not an image of devotion, not a ritual symbol of faith for the early Christians who worshipped among the church’s glittering mosaics.
So what was the theme of all that early Christian art? It was paradise. Not an otherworldly paradise at all. It was a paradise of this world. Paradise, in this world, they realized was the dominant image of early Christian statuary. Life in this world was the place of salvation. Spiritual disciplines were the key to being at home in the world of paradise. Christians understood that they failed often to live as they should but their failures were not a sign of paradise lost but a sign of their failure to live ethically in it.
As I listened to her lectures, I realized that not much has changed in our failure to live ethically in our world. We all still struggle with that. Our world could still be a paradise if we could all only win that struggle with ourselves. If we were to put our emphasis on living life well in this world, loving one another, winning peace peacefully and working through our differences in the way Jesus taught, paradise would be saved.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Big Thaw
Yesterday there was a coating of ice on everything here. I called and changed my appointment to later in the day and just stayed in all morning. Then about 11:00 it began to thaw and we went on up to Independence and took our daughter to lunch. Afterward Bob went to Wal Mart and refilled his prescription and I got my hair done. Then we came back home and stayed in the rest of the day.
I worked on the schedule and folders for the abstracts and bios for the symposium all morning and again in the afternoon. I am nearly finished. I just need two more bios.
Last night we watched PBS when they reviewed the old comedy shows. They sure don't make comedy like they used to. Comedians were actually funny twenty to forty years ago. The last funny comedians I have seen were Seinfeld and Frazier. What passes for comedy any more is just ignorance.
Today, and the rest of the week is supposed to finish the thaw. I am so glad. Slinky needs the walk and so does Bob. Bob's glucose was 165 yesterday. That's what happens when all he does is sit in a chair all day.
I worked on the schedule and folders for the abstracts and bios for the symposium all morning and again in the afternoon. I am nearly finished. I just need two more bios.
Last night we watched PBS when they reviewed the old comedy shows. They sure don't make comedy like they used to. Comedians were actually funny twenty to forty years ago. The last funny comedians I have seen were Seinfeld and Frazier. What passes for comedy any more is just ignorance.
Today, and the rest of the week is supposed to finish the thaw. I am so glad. Slinky needs the walk and so does Bob. Bob's glucose was 165 yesterday. That's what happens when all he does is sit in a chair all day.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Ice and a Dental Appointment
I braved the ice this morning to go in to town for my semi-annual dental appointment. I had my teeth cleaned and examined. The dentist is dying to replace my old fillings with crowns but I can't see it. They aren't leaking and crowns cost a fortune. The last time I had a crown prep, the dentist accidentally got into the nerve. That called for a root canal and the new crown. Then the root canal blew up and I had to go see an endadontist who came to Bartlesville from Tulsa. He said there was only a 30% chance we could save the tooth. I was committed so I went ahead with the procedure. A month later it developed an abscess.
The dentist gave me an antibiotic and the abscess cleared up so I could have the extraction. A month later, I went in to have it done but the abscess had not returned. I chose to cancel. I did not want to lose another tooth. As a teenager, I had lost two, one second molar and one first molar. I had the first molar bridged when I was grown and married.
The dentist warned me that not extracting an abscessed tooth could injure my heart as the infection poured into the blood stream but by this time there was no abscess so I chose to take a chance. That has been ten years ago and the abscess has never returned. I still have the tooth.
The dentist gave me an antibiotic and the abscess cleared up so I could have the extraction. A month later, I went in to have it done but the abscess had not returned. I chose to cancel. I did not want to lose another tooth. As a teenager, I had lost two, one second molar and one first molar. I had the first molar bridged when I was grown and married.
The dentist warned me that not extracting an abscessed tooth could injure my heart as the infection poured into the blood stream but by this time there was no abscess so I chose to take a chance. That has been ten years ago and the abscess has never returned. I still have the tooth.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Ice Storm Forecast
We are forecast an ice storm today. I dread such a forecast because we may have power lines down and outages. If that happens, we may have to go to a Red Cross shelter until the power is back on. I am hoping it will not develop. We had hoped to meet Gay and Tony tomorrow for lunch. And, of course, we have Slinky to worry about too. I don't know what we would do with him if we lose power.
The ice storm is supposed to add snow tomorrow. That is also a dangerous forecast. This is Kansas and small towns generally do not have the resources to clear snow over ice. We may be inside for awhile.
I will keep everyone advised if I still have the internet later on today and tonight. As we all know, the forecast does not always develop.
The ice storm is supposed to add snow tomorrow. That is also a dangerous forecast. This is Kansas and small towns generally do not have the resources to clear snow over ice. We may be inside for awhile.
I will keep everyone advised if I still have the internet later on today and tonight. As we all know, the forecast does not always develop.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Scrapbooking
I stayed home on Saturday since it turned cold and I wanted to keep Slinky in the house. Bob attended a very good Red Cross class in Bartlesville. Halfway through the morning though Slinky was begging to go out and lay in the sun next to the back of the house. It wasn't too much over 20 degrees and I wasn't all that wild about letting him do that. But he insisted.
So, I spent the morning catching up both my 2008 scrapbook and Leslie's new home scrapbook. I will not make up any more scrapbooks since I have no place to store them. The table with the shelf under it in the spare bedroom is completely full.
After a quick lunch I went to the market and bought the groceries we will need for the next week. Scott is planning to come next weekend so I will cook a little heavier. I also need to plan some lo-cal desserts, if there are such things. He is trying to lose weight and I would like to limit my winter gain as much as possible.
Last evening we went to Sirloin Stockade and I had a very good chicken fried steak and Bob had a medium sirloin which was also very good. Then we watched TV when we could find something to watch. We have basic basic and there is very little worth watching on those 17 channels.
Today we will go the church and afterward to the Methodist Church for a fund raiser soup dinner. Judy invited us and also our daughter and son-in-law. Leslie says she wants to go. Karan and Bobby will be there since Bobby belongs to that church.
Then this afternoon, I will do my cards/letters and we will stay home this evening and watch Sixty Minutes. I can count on my fingers the TV shows we watch because TV is so bad anymore. All these realty shows are simply the network's way of eliminating cost. They also eliminate watchers that way. I haven't seen a good comedy since Seinfeld and Frazier went off the air.
So, I spent the morning catching up both my 2008 scrapbook and Leslie's new home scrapbook. I will not make up any more scrapbooks since I have no place to store them. The table with the shelf under it in the spare bedroom is completely full.
After a quick lunch I went to the market and bought the groceries we will need for the next week. Scott is planning to come next weekend so I will cook a little heavier. I also need to plan some lo-cal desserts, if there are such things. He is trying to lose weight and I would like to limit my winter gain as much as possible.
Last evening we went to Sirloin Stockade and I had a very good chicken fried steak and Bob had a medium sirloin which was also very good. Then we watched TV when we could find something to watch. We have basic basic and there is very little worth watching on those 17 channels.
Today we will go the church and afterward to the Methodist Church for a fund raiser soup dinner. Judy invited us and also our daughter and son-in-law. Leslie says she wants to go. Karan and Bobby will be there since Bobby belongs to that church.
Then this afternoon, I will do my cards/letters and we will stay home this evening and watch Sixty Minutes. I can count on my fingers the TV shows we watch because TV is so bad anymore. All these realty shows are simply the network's way of eliminating cost. They also eliminate watchers that way. I haven't seen a good comedy since Seinfeld and Frazier went off the air.
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