Napping

Backyard Comfort

In my last post, I wrote about the squirrels in my neighborhood. I was bumming over the lack of respect offered lesser creatures. And I was writing about how wonderful it is to see wildlife juxtaposed to concrete and asphalt. It was a coincidence that just as I was writing about squirrels, my sister was sending me pictures of wildlife in her backyard. As you can see, she’s got serious wildlife in her neighborhood – nobody running this guy down.

Somehow, Saturday afternoon – glassy-on-the glide at Ellgrass Reef and few guys on the rotation, summer south swell, and the sun felt good. Looking up the Point, a thousand black dots like some kind of digital pic gone awry. But at the reef – it was a different world. After a clean session, I went to the beach to take in the big picture. I set my LB down, elevated off the sand – the nose on part of the reef and the tail on a piece of driftwood – deck facing down. I sat up against the cliff and enjoyed the view – it was beautiful. I was in a daze watching sets, people going back and forth, and then shock! As I scanned the scene, my eyes stopped in horror. There was some kid using by board as a bridge between the beach and the rock that the nose of my board was resting on. My gosh – words couldn’t get out of my mouth fast enough – my voice sounded more like a bark. The child, and the rest of his family looked at me like I was a complete idiot – like, ‘what’s the big deal.” Foolishly, I tried to explain that the child was essentially grinding my life into the dust. They just stared at me – I think they were a little scared. For my part, I rinsed my board, checked for damage, and bailed before someone else decided to use my board for some alternate purpose.

Monday and  the surf was small – but the glide was fun. Similarly, the market did the glide, and pearled up to its jaw. Where did the money go? Treasuries. Downgraded- but still a safe haven. I want to look back to the Corpgov, the more Republi-than-Crat plan to privatize Social Security. The idea was to shift all that Social Security cash to Wall Street. But check it out – just like today, when the market crashes and your privatized Social Security account gets ready to crash along with it, your fund manager will look to protect your money – and buy Treasuries. The same Treasuries your Social Security funds are invested in right now. The difference – the private sector management of your Social Security funds will cost you the fees and transaction costs necessary for the management firm to show a profit.

Our news of the S&P downgrade states, “The credit rating agency said it was cutting the country’s top AAA rating by one notch to AA-plus because the deficit reduction plan passed by Congress did not go far enough to stabilize the country’s debt situation.” However, the report from the S&P that heralded the downgrade said, “The political brinkmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America’s governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed.” It’s true that the debt situation isn’t the target. We’ve had debt ever since we’ve had war – and we’ve always been good for it – because we agreed that it mattered – that we were responsible (which of course conflicts with our irresponsible lust of war). If the people who are our government create instability, are ineffective, and unpredictable – then how can our debt be anything but risky. It’s not the debt plan; it’s our own shitty government. If our government can’t make the right decisions, with all our resources at its disposal – who would want to invest? – Hence, the downgrade. If you need more proof regarding our lack of decision-making – S&P goes on; “It appears that for now, new revenues have dropped down on the menu of policy options… Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012, remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues.” And if our own media outlets can’t tell the story, how is the decision making going to change?  Maybe the downgrade won’t amount to much – the message?

“It can be very profitable indeed for the big Wall Street banks, but the purpose of the near-zero interest rates was supposed to be to get banks to lend again. Instead, they are, indeed, paying “outrageous bonuses to their top executives;” using the money to engage in the same sort of unregulated speculation that nearly brought down the economy in 2008; buying up smaller banks; or investing this virtually interest-free money in risk-free government bonds, on which taxpayers are paying 2.5 percent interest (more for longer-term securities).” Imagine, you barrow money at near zero interest, and then invest the money at 2.5 percent – a net of over 2 percent.

Here’s a positive outlook: “What’s happening across the world is an attempt by the financial sector to really make its move and say this is their opportunity for a power grab. And they’re creating this artificial crisis as an opportunity to carve up the public domain and to give themselves enough money. They’re taking the money and running, because they know that unemployment is going up. The game is over. They know that. And the only question is, how much can they take, how fast?”

Sustainable – Workers have never claimed such a paltry share of real national income growth. Economists at Northeastern University in Boston recently found corporate profits captured 88 percent of income growth between the second quarter of 2009 and the fourth quarter of 2010. Workers’ take? Slightly more than 1 percent. Trickle down? I think not. More like trickle out.

I’ve spoke about how government subsidies to poor and low-wage workers are actually subsidies for corporations – the corporations take the difference of their low-wage employment and lack of health care, and their tax loopholes (i.e., lack of tax revenue – corporate subsidies) and call it profit. Meanwhile the government picks up the slack so that low-wage workers can eat, have water to drink, have a home, and energy. Here’s some insight – “many Wal-Mart employees depend on some kind of government program to supplement their low wages and pathetically inadequate health insurance, which most people can’t afford anyway.” “…the Wal-Mart people, asked to see whether anybody here might be eligible for TANF, for example, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, because they’re kind of depending on that government – those government supplements to keep people going.” The quotes are from author Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.

In theory a big tax increase would suffice to close the gap, but in a competitive economy where a hedge fund and its managers can move to Singapore or Switzerland and a factory can move to Mexico or China, there probably is no way to raise rates without strangling whatever growth has been forecast.

Wow! Watch Out Sarah

Where's Ted?

Since I was able to pick the paper up out of the drive way by Wednesday, I figured it was time to back into the water. I surfed the LB glide Thursday through Sunday, mostly at Tiburones. Today was spent at work with liberal stretching throughout the day, but no surf – a day of rest. But there were waves! And where’s Ted?

The Washington drama is over for the time being, but Corpgov never rests – in fact, there are signs that Corpgov made all this happen to help the push toward complete and total “pay to play” citizenship. I can’t help but think it will have to go all the way to the end before getting back to the beginning. History does repeat itself – like some kind of group karma and rebirth – remember the industrial revolution? If not, don’t worry about brushing up on history – it may just play itself out again with a few modifications.

Back in the neighborhood, I’ve noticed people are in a hurry. Late? 40 MPH to the stop sign 50 yards away, fuck that stop sign anyway, driving through crosswalks while folks are trying to negotiate their way across, and what about the parallel parking at 65 MPH – just a plain lack of courtesy. A loss of that community I mentioned in my last post. it’s actually an age-old problem – In the 1950′s, Goofy tried to set us striaght in Motormania. Well, it’s one thing when it’s man v man or woman v woman or man v woman or etc, but it’s another when the local wildlife must suffer. Yesterday, as I was driving up the street, I noticed a squirrel running across the street – I didn’t have to slam on the brakes – I slowed a little – you notice more when you’re not in a rush. Anyway, I stopped to watch – fascinated at the sight of the squirrel carrying it’s young – some kind of moving day. The squirrels in our neighborhood are getting ready to harvest the walnuts growing on the few remaining trees that line the street or hang over from adjacent backyards. It was cool – a nature moment framed in pavement. Later that day, I was on my way home from the surf, near where I first saw the squirrel carrying its young. On the side of the street, I saw a lone squirrel on its hind legs peering over the roadway. There in front of me, in the middle of the road,  was the squirrel I saw earlier, and its young – rundown. I live on a small street – no need to drive so fast you can’t stop for squirrels in the street. Dude seriously -  late? What kind of asshole?

I want to realize brotherhood or identity not merely with the beings called human, but I want to realize identity with all life, even with such things as crawl upon earth. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

Lines

A south swell started showing Thursday, July 7, 2011. The way the wave model had it building, it was destined to be another weekend south swell – unfuckingbelieveable. I watched the ocean and caught the first of the swell on Thursday night – surfing from about 7:30 pm to dark. The surf averaged waist to chest high – I started at Second Bowl and ended at Eelgrass Reef. It was fun on the LB glide. I repeated the effort on Friday night, this time on the SB. The surf was pushing to headhigh/overhead. Surfed with Tony (surfboard designer and style master), couple of local boyz, and a couple of foamballers who had no idea about the reef. Sure enough, by Saturday a great south was hitting the Point. I checked it twice – once in the early afternoon – it was packed – I mean like atoms in a crystal matrix. The second time I checked it, the high tide had its grip on things. I didn’t surf on Saturday – I let it go and went to San Juan Batista to enjoy some history. Today – I surfed five at Second Bowl – I love a south at Eelgrass – but it was way too overrun for me to consider it – I watched it for a while – great sets, but madness. No matter – First Bowl and Second Bowl had great shape – and there were a ton of waves. As I write, I have watched the swell pick up on the buoys – right now at 3.2 feet from 190 at 17 seconds. Maybe this swell will tail into the week and we can get some homegrown surf.

It’s Monday, and the weekend crowd was gone. Still a lot of folks out, but there were plenty of waves. Surfed Tiburones – overhead to head-high and pretty good shape – better shape than my lower back is in right now. The buoys show the swell at 3.9 feet from 200 at 17 seconds – wow! The question is – will my back hold up tomorrow? Its Tuesday – my back says no and the surf is great – 3.3 feet from 195 at 14 seconds. OMG!!!! Yes, it’s Wednesday – Dan was driving past the house and witnessed my feeble attempt to pick up the paper – he was laughing, pulled up, and said, ”your back?” Was it that apparent? Doctor Dan gave me some tips and commiserated with my condition – then, being the gentleman, told me, “it’s smaller today.” Buoys show 4.2 feet from 185 at 17 seconds – it’s been above 3 feet from the south since Saturday – Please oh back-god – forgive me – give me back a modicum of movement – please!!!!! As the title says – a week of solid south.

After the surf, I came home and channel surfed awhile. I came across a suit and tie at the podium yanking about how the middle-class are just a bunch of complainers – heck, they already got too much as it is. Entitlement – this coming from a millionaire suit and tie that is in political charge. Entitlement – An entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation. Now, look at your pay stub – notice that you are diverting some of your hard earned wages to Medicare and Social Security. You have been doing so since your first $3.75/hour-job. Yes, programs were set up by legislation that you pay into in order to receive health insurance and a pension when you are no longer fit to work. Some try to convince the public that these programs are benefits or entitlements, but in fact, they are nothing different than the health insurance and retirement investments that operate in the private sector – its public versus private sector. A key aspect of the public sector programs is that they really work for those who make the average wage in the US. Let’s do a little mind experiment and consider how things would work without the programs. You’re an low-wage to average-wage earner, you’ve worked hard for 20 to 30 years, and your services are no longer needed, or maybe you just can’t physically do what the job demands. Unlike many in your income bracket, you were lucky enough to have health insurance through work, and you even diverted funds to a retirement account; however, in doing so, it has been difficult to make ends meet. So, maybe you didn’t go to the physician for checkups, and maybe the food you ate wasn’t the healthiest – but as the congress is fond of saying, you had to cut costs and live within your means. Okay, so now you’re out of work and looking to live on your retirement savings. Oops! Market falls, sell short, what? Fees, underperforming stocks, low interest rates, sorry. Well, you still have some money in the bank; you’ll just have to cut costs – again. Oh, by the way, your health insurance rates went up again, even though you are using the health insurance exchange, so, you reduce your coverage – whatever that means. Of course, as you travel this road, you find there are many among you. Well, you understand there may be a job opening at the Yogurtorium in the mall. Seems like something you can do, and even if you are taking away work from the youth ranks (another part of the story not developed here), you need the money – food prices are going up, as are the prices for water and heat – and you still have a mortgage since you had to barrow money for that shoulder surgery.

But you live in America, and you’ve pulled yourself up by your bootstraps. Then something in the fragile chain of existence breaks. Any number of things can go wrong – use your imagination. You apply for food stamps and you go to the hospital emergency room. You miss a few days of work at your part-time job, you can’t afford to get across town – as I said, use your imagination. The church tries to help, and there are some scant county services. The church, food stamps, county services, emergency room – all federal assistance – some need to make a profit while other try to profit in heaven. And the house is cold. One point here in our no entitlements world – the federal government is subsidizing the church, food stamps (farmers), county, healthcare – etc. And the federal government does this as part of their revenue (taxes, national resources, etc) expenditure – revenue which is at the lowest level in decades – and is being driven lower by tax breaks and loopholes for those persons and corporations who have enough money to pay for favors, withstand economic downturns, have the inside advantage with respect to investments, have the best health care, eat well, and probably have a less stressful existence. Also consider that these federal subsides take the place of employers paying higher wages so that working people can afford investments, health care, healthy living, and energy. Federal subsidies in lieu of higher wages assure greater profits for advantaged people (investment value) and corporations. Profits that come in two ways – less taxes = higher profits and lower wages = higher profits.

So, back to our hard working, bootstrapping American. Wait, breaking news that effects the outcome of this mind experiment – A new report released by Brown University has estimated the true cost of the U.S. wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan will end up costing approximately $4 trillion – far more than the Bush or Obama administrations have acknowledged. So, corporations and advantaged persons continue to enjoy federal subsidies (but call it subsides for the poor, low-wage earners, and average-wage earners), and the wars must be paid for. Okay, back to our hard working, bootstrapping American.

It is inevitable – life takes its toll. More visits to the emergency room, medication supplied at the emergency room, hard work but low self-esteem – for a person who has given so much to the community, food stamps, cold nights, and – well, use your imagination. Also use your imagination to consider this mind experiment only concerns one person – multiply this story by millions. Well, the politicians will continue to say taxes can’t be raised, otherwise the job-creators will not create jobs – in fact, the Yogertorium might close – and with the high costs of war and protecting the nation, more cuts in spending for social programs will be required, Yes, there will be education cuts, cuts in the arts, cuts in healthcare subsidies – it’s not hard to imagine the standard fare will be much like it is now. Our bootstrapper is pushed further and further into a life subsidized by the federal government – more dependent on revenue collected through tax and resource exchange. Here the bootstrapper sits and wonders how he gave the best years of his life to the community and feels embarrassed that he/she lives on. Meanwhile, the suits and ties continue to bicker about health care mandates, abortion, intelligent design, same sex marriage, and deregulation. No social security program, no Medicare, all the remainder of the bootstrappers wealth spent in the private sector where profits need only apply – remember – profits are even being made from the exchange of food stamps, or visits to the emergency room, or medications – federal reimbursements to the private sector using revenue from our taxes and resources – money not spent by the advantaged and corporations – protecting and increasing their wealth. Somewhere, even with the cuts in federal spending, the decreases in taxes, the lack of social security, the lack of Medicare, the federal government will be short. Not enough revenue to balance war, national security, and wealth protection, and provide the hidden subsidies for continued use of the emergency room, emergency room medication, reimbursements and tax breaks to church programs, food stamps, heating oil, infrastructure, and all else I am not even considering. No social security, no Medicare, and the federal government will still be stuck with trying to provide for a large sector of the population because wealth has been accumulated with the few – the bootstrapper at $7.25/hour (that is if the minimum wage is not repealed) and the executives of the parent company that owns Yogertorium getting millions. I’m not sure how many bootstrappers will have to go destitute – I don’t know the end of this mind experiment – except an undignified death. I do know people’s dignity will step in at some point. At some point the propaganda will not square with what’s on the dinner table or at the emergency room. The federal government can only cut so much before revenue must be considered – social security and Medicare not withstanding. Now, how does this story fit with the mission statement for the country – We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. My point is that with or without Medicare and Social Security – the country will be faced with taking care of the poor, low-wage earner, and average-wage earner – it’s the essence of justice, domestic tranquility, general welfare, and the blessings of liberty – community. If the private sector won’t deal with it – and they won’t without a profit motive – then the public sector will have to. People cannot be turned away from the emergency room. If the private sector won’t deal with it – and they won’t increase wages or more fairly distribute the wealth and value generated by the workers and other lower echelon employees – then the public sector is going have to step in – food, water, housing, energy. So, how’s it going to work?

It will end where it began – community. Lose all the notions of socialism, capitalism, every man for himself, religionisms, whateverisms – empty the box, pose the right questions. Look back to our ancestors for answers, look sideways to other nations and cultures for answers, and look forward for answers. Community – the advantaged persons and corporations don’t live without community – nor do the poor, low-wage earners or the average folk.

Final Word: If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. -Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate (1879-1955)

View From the Cabana

The weekend of July 4, 2011 – Man-o-man – what a popular destination SC has become. Not much surf, but plenty of takers. Even still, some of the boyz, including the Mayor, said they got some fun ones Saturday morning. I missed out, but had a fun trip to SFO – dropped Gmar off for Argentina – and then on to the City for what’s up. The Fourth weekend is behind us and summer is in full swing. Sounds like Penguin is already on top of keeping a balance between stuff and living. He’s off to Hawaii, and maybe parts beyond –and it doesn’t sound like making money is the sole reason for the pathway he and his are on. Same with Legend. And there are others. Nike 6.0 is really not the righteous path – but the propaganda is thick and mind numbing. Internet swell about four days away! Land of the Free and Home of the Brave – free to get as much stuff as possible, and brave enough not to give a shit about the consequences. Of course nothing is free, and only the brave seem to understand that.

It’s the week of transition from June to July 2011 – and we just had a rainstorm that rivals anything we have during the winter. The south swell is nearly gone; I saw it out with an LB glide this afternoon. We are now entering a wave deficit period, and accordingly, we must adopt a program of wave austerity. What this means is a cut in the number of waves each of us may enjoy. We cannot raise the wave number unless we use artificial wave technology, wake surf, or surf standing waves; and given our locality, these possibilities seem far-fetched. Forces beyond our control create waves, a force majeure; therefore, wave deficits are inevitable. These deficits are exacerbated when waves are available because waves are not distributed uniformly – the wave rich get richer while the wave poor get poorer. When we must adopt wave austerity, some are hit much harder than others. As Bill Gates said, “nothing is fair.” On the other hand, we are a community. So remember, when the next wave surplus shows have a conscious and let some waves slide to the poor amongst us.

Last Weekend in June 2011 – great south swell, great weather, and a great migration of humanity to the coast. Ten wave sets, average chest to head high with some overhead siblings. I surfed Segundo Bol using short bursts to get in quick and leave. The surf was good – really good – but, the weekend was packed with all manner of being. 200 to 500 feet of LB at Tiburones – no joke. The buoys suggest the swell will be with use during the week, we shall see. Many of us have noted the time of day or season is not a factor anymore – announce a swell on the Internet and they will come.

On the subject of Stuff – “No one can predict the future looking at past data. If you do believe that the past shows you a pattern, then low interest rates means you should buy stocks. We are in a low interest rate environment now. What will happen? Consumers will do anything to buy more stuff, more food, more entertainment, more comfort, more energy, more cars, more luxury, more health care, worldwide. I have seen this myself and therefore do not care what is happening day to day. There are 5 billion people who still need to buy an Apple product, but they all want one. Every government on earth wants to build some highways and needs Caterpillar equipment. Everyone on earth wants to eat more and so Dupont, Monsanto, John Deere will be sold. Everyone takes viagra if they can afford it, Pfizer. Look outside the American ghettos and see rampant consumerism. Get your piece of the action with stocks. Bonds are OK too, Vanguard, T.Rowe Price, etc have good deals. Have fun.” Got this off a financial post – this is what the folks with financial ambitions think. This is what happiness is. Happy thoughts. Unfuckingbelieveable. Do you want more stuff? I’m torn – what a struggle. More stuff will not make me anymore happier than I am – but I’m always up for a new board, wetsuit, or electronic gadget – but at what cost – real cost? And do I want to participate in the scheme espoused by the financial wizard quoted above? I’m kinda sick of it all. And where does it end?

I heard an interesting twist coming from the cable industry. A report from their annual industry meeting had the cable moguls and executives wondering about their biggest problem, and it wasn’t pirating or the Internet. The cable industry is worried consumers will not have the money to purchase their product – oh drat! Will Corpgov have to increase wages just so the populace will be able to afford cable? Without cable, there would be a serious gap in the propaganda pipeline, and where would that leave Corpgov? A restless populace? Naw – how about more consumer debt? Yea – that’s it. That way the populace can buy cable without an increase in wages and Corpgov wins in two ways – one, profits maintained by keeping wages low, and two, profits are increased by raking in interest and fees. Of course, Corpgov will have to subsidize cable for poor folks, but that’s okay because the cable pipeline will be maintained (advertising and Corpgov control) and wages don’t have to be increased. Yes, disguised corporate welfare – subsidizes poor folks and keeps wages low – and profits high. It’s a win-win deal for Corpgov.

And how about all the environmental degradation and unsustainable practices inferred by the financial diatribe – “Consumers will do anything to buy more stuff, more food, more entertainment, more comfort, more energy, more cars, more luxury, more health care, worldwide.” Anything? Like destroy the earth? Okay.

Paul Gilding wrote: “the consumer-driven growth model is broken an we have to move to a more happiness-driven growth model, based on people working less and owning less.” I endorse the notion – fits right in with the surf session – less schools and Nike.

Where the South Swell Hits

It’s the third week of June and summer is on. Just my observation, but it seems our town has become a very popular summer destination. During the week, the surf was small with a mix of wind swell and small long-wait south. I rode the LB mostly – on-the-glide. I tried the fish, but by the time I had a couple waves, the crowd got so thick it was futile. No matter – the days have been sunny and beautiful. Back to the summer visitors – one afternoon surf found some guy swimming around the lineup at Tiburones. So, he was out for a swim, Speedo and swim cap. The tide was pushing up, and the guy finally realized his child was getting nervous as the water closed in on his little stretch of beach. Apparently, some good-natured surfer helped the boy around the corner and moved pop’s stuff nearer to the cliff. We watched from the lineup as the guy stroked in to his stuff. Next thing we know, the guy’s on the beach going ballistic. Then, he started going ballistic on the boy. It was pretty harsh. We sat in the lineup and speculated as to what had happened – wallet carried away by the surf? Lost in sand? Sure enough, in between bouts of ballistic behavior, the guy was sifting through the sand looking for something. On the way up the beach, Steve asked the guy what happened. With the tide coming in, the guy left his car key – a Lexus key valued at $1,000 – on the beach while he took a swim and his son played in the sand. Looking for a way out – the guy tried to suggest the surfer who moved his stuff was to blame. Our vote – inexperience followed by pushing blame to anyone involved, including the young boy.

The title – weekends only – it’s Friday and what do you know – south swell started pushing in. Actually, it started showing Thursday, but mostly good for the glide. Thursday was the start of the internet swell and the crowds turned out first thing in the morning. Today – the masses were firmly entrenched. Today was boardable. I surfed Tibutones and got a few fun ones, but it was a lot of work. On one wave, I thought it might be fun to stuff into the foam ball – a little body wash. I was confident I could come out of the stall _ my mistake. Essentially, I had to swim the entire cove to retrieve my board. Back to the title – weekends only. In the past I thought it was just cruel coincidence – flat all week and then a swell for the weekend – access for everybody. Now I am sure south swells are weekends only. Surf school – all the fucking time – taking over where we found ourselves by ourselves.

There are many times when there is a good south in the water, but it’s either too steep or blown down by the wind. So, we see nothing but the occasional stray. Similar factors dampen the south swell up and down the coast, like islands or exposure. But there is one jewel where these factors don’t hold sway – pictured.

Back in Time: It’s June 14, 2011 – a full moon this evening; a beautiful evening – a night to celebrate life, and thereby death. So I write to celebrate the life of Bill Grace. I didn’t know him in his prime, but he showed me who he was through stories and photos, and through the way he approached life as an old timer. He was the surfer we should all to aspire too. Every day before dinner at the senior center, he would drive his small red truck to the Hook to check the surf. I would try and be there to say hi, and catch a story or two – I think he looked forward to it too. It was a time he could hook up with the crew – from the youngest to the oldest – and even if he didn’t actually know some kid or another – just being there made him a part of it. I could see the stoke in his eyes – especially when he spoke about the heyday of surfing in Santa Cruz. As the days went by, I could see it was only a matter of time before he would loose his license – his way to the beach. And so it was. Bill spoke about the camaraderie back in the day – it’s hard today – very hard, but we must try – to respect those who went before us.

Second week in June – A fun south swell started Tuesday, and I checked in early with the LB glide Tuesday night. Scott and his crew were out – seriously, every time Scott is out, it seems like there are five new guys with him. Things got better on Wednesday as the swell picked up. Thursday saw the swell continue, and on Friday, while the Internet portion of the swell was gone, the leftovers made for a fun day. The swell got a few feet overhead; I surfed the Cave during the whole affair. The crowds got thick, but there were some seams where I was able to score a couple. The Left appears to have a strong following this year, and at on point there were at least eight guys going west. The LB-SB tension wasn’t too bad, but the Mayor and I did have to re-educate a new LB entry that was a little too amped. We refer to him as Malibu – but maybe Long John is more appropriate. Anyway, we ended-up retrieving each other’s boards and coming to an understanding – for now. Beach time during the swell wasn’t bad either as the show at Disneylands was spiked with some great surfers. J.Collins warped through several sets grabbing air, throwing tail slides, and just generally ripping with style. Austin was another stand out – unreal entertainment – 360-air, 20-yard floater; square top-to-bottom turns; and the Second Bowl tube. The sun was warm and the beach was ours.

Last week, CorpGov announced 54,000 new jobs were created during the previous month; and guess what, 25,000 were literally McDonald’s jobs.

Last Word: In order to survive, we steal, lie, forge, fuck, hide and deal. JA 1969

June 2011 Low Pressure

Storm posted up for the weekend – which was quite an anomaly for June. And check the satellite pics – this storm would look more at home in the Gulf of Alaska. Any case, the storm stripped the surf so that it was nothing but victory at sea. Today, the ocean was back in shape, but the leftover wind swell just didn’t look that inviting – although there were plenty of takers.

Steve Looking Up

Surfed south at Tiburones – It was fun, if a little windy. As expected, the shenanigans are ramping up – ill mannered LB-off-the-tail idiots, a new crop of kids, newcomers taking off on the left – going right (there’s no left here!), it’s a beginner-spot-I-graduated-from-surf-school, and the regular crew just trying to get by. Yes, school’s out, it’s summer, and the living is easy. A second day of Sharks was still fun – a bit small at waist to shoulder high – looooong waits. The kids were having a blast on the left. They were yelling and screaming, giving each other shit, and apparently holding a contest amongst themselves. I’m not sure, something about completing a 360-rail-gab or another. Anyway, it was fun. Then, next thing I knew, two LBoys paddled out, and in no time, one of the unknown LBoys started screaming at the other – shenanigans. It was fucking waist high! So to pass the time, one of the crew treated me to a story of further mayhem that concerned an LBoy, a boarder, and disparaging words concerning the boarder’s mother – who left the world when the poor boy was twelve. Seems there are some working to bring it lower – evermore lower – new lows. On the bright side, looks like Steve’s got a nice one.

South showing on the buoys tonight – May 31, 2011, Harvest Platform is showing a swell at 3.1 feet from 175 at 20 seconds. The swell is showing on buoys up the coast at 2.8 feet from 185 at 20 seconds – the right size, but a bit steep for Tiburones. Of course, I am hopeful the swell direction will slip into la Ventana de Tiburones as the swell evolves.

Memorial Day: In 1865, freedmen (freed -enslaved Africans) exhumed the bodies of 257 Union soldiers from a mass grave at Washington Race Course and reinterred them in individual graves – “Martyrs of the Race Course”. The site had been used as a temporary Confederate prison camp for captured Union soldiers. The freedmen built a fence around the graveyard with an entry arch and declared it a Union graveyard. On May 1, 1865, a crowd of up to 10,000, mainly black residents, including 2,800 children, proceeded to the location for events that included sermons, singing, and a picnic on the grounds, thereby creating the first Decoration Day-type or Memorial Day celebration.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said traders James Dyer of Oklahoma’s Parnon Energy, and Nick Wildgoose of Europe-based Arcadia Energy, amassed large physical positions at a key U.S. trading hub to create the impression of tight supplies that would boost oil prices. Later they dumped those barrels back onto the market, causing prices to crash and racking up profits from short positions they had accrued in futures markets, the suit said. “Defendants conducted a manipulative cycle, driving the price of WTI (crude) to artificial highs and then back down, to make unlawful profits,” the lawsuit filed in New York said. Of course, this is no different than what Goldman did with mortgage-related securities – sold them to the bitter end while at the same time betting they would crash making money cheating up front and then betting the cheating would be found out – Of course, it’s typically not against the law – just morally corrupt. But, if you can get away with it – indeed, seems to be a cornerstone of business – cheat, greed, insensitivity and selfishness, and a good measure of deceit – over and over again. So – we trust the insurance corporations (cheat, greed, insensitivity and selfishness, and a good measure of deceit) for our health care? It’s unbridled capitalism (the invisible hand of cheat, greed, insensitivity and selfishness, and a good measure of deceit) or bust? So – Medicare would remain unchanged for those 55 or older, including the millions who now receive health care under the program. Anyone younger would be required to obtain coverage from a private insurer (cheat, greed, insensitivity and selfishness, and a good measure of deceit), with the government providing a subsidy to cover part of the cost of premiums.

And there’s more – in the face of the suit claiming market manipulation of oil prices, the EPA’s Jackson stated problems of high oil prices are controlled by global supply and demand and can fluctuate with little control from the U.S.

“Warren, a Harvard law professor who previously served as a watchdog for the government’s $700 billion financial system bailout, has run into strong opposition from Republicans, who say she would be too confrontational with the financial industry.” You’re fucking kidding me, the financial industry just got done destroying millions of people – again – cheat, greed, insensitivity and selfishness, and a good measure of deceit – read the The People vs. Goldman Sachs | Rolling Stone Politics story – are we hostages to these corporations? Guess so.

Everyone is paying for health care – every penny of the healthcare dollar is coming from Americans. Right now we’re paying—60 percent of it is financed through taxes, 20 percent out of pocket, and 20 percent for private insurance premiums. That’s all coming from us. We either give up higher wages, or we pay higher prices for goods, or we give up paving our roads. All of those things go into financing the healthcare system now.

I’ve heard plenty of Republicrates say that the “Ryan Budget” is the only budget on the table – and if you don’t like it, provide one, or lets play negotiation. Of course there is an alternative, but its been hidden from the public. It’s the “peoples budget”

While China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, foreign countries actually hold only about 28 percent of the $14 trillion debt. The latest Treasury bulletin shows that the biggest holder is the U.S. government itself (i.e., Social Security and Medicare), while U.S. pension funds, mutual funds, insurance companies and state and local governments hold almost as much as foreign investors.

Last Word: What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

In Between Days

The upwelling was in full force the last couple of days, and as expected, so was the wind. Still, I surfed wind swell at Segundo Bol – real small with long-cold waits, Segundo Bol and BolPrimero with a small south mixed with windswell, and, today, even smaller south swell at Segundo Bol and BolPrimero. At least the sun was out. The usual talk circulated in the water – and my favorite – “heard a swell is due in a few days…”

Friday and Saturday surfed the glide at TIburones and the Cave. Saturday was a beautiful day with large clouds hanging over the bay – and you could see all the way down the Salinas Valley. The surf scraped the reef, jacking little walls that were perfect for nose riding. Amazingly, I was the only one partaking in the splendor. Of course, Second Bowl was packed. No matter.

We have so much stuff – and we want more. I mean everything around us screams – MORE STUFF. Daydream about stuff. More later, but now the breaking news….Starting today, May 18, 2011, an internet swell arrived. Although the ocean hasn’t cooperated just yet, there was a chest high wind swell out of the west, and the buoys are showing a significant swell from 180 posting up. This evening, the Point Conception buoy is showing 3 feet from 180 at 20 seconds – this swell is sure to push and run from 20 seconds to 14 seconds for a few days. I start the swell story with a quip regarding the internet swell because I was surprised by how crowded the lineup was on a mediocre wind swell. Tomorrow will be another day – a day that promises south swell. And so it has. The south showed, maxing out at about 5 feet at 17 from 180. Tiburones was at it’s best, and even with the internet crowd stacking, it was fun. By Saturday, the swell had abated a bit, but still some good sets. Check Kane and some of the other boyz at Drain Pipe.

I understand a new study estimates nearly 44 million Americans would lose health insurance over the next decade if the House Republican budget plan were to become law. So, if these folks don’t have health insurance, does that mean the cost just disappears? More shell game – these folks will still require and get health care, but delivery will be at the hospital – the most expensive result for most needs. And, the public will still pay – way more than necessary. Instead of a transparent system under which we all know the costs, services are efficiently provided, costs are negotiated by the largest possible group of consumers, and burden is knowingly shared by all, we will have a system under which we pay inflated bills that reflect hidden costs for unnecessary hospital visits by folks who do not have insurance, hidden costs associated with health problems that could have been addressed with preventive care or earlier visits to a physician, costs for advertising, costs for over-paid executives who provide zero value to health outcomes, costs for corporate lawyers who limit liability, costs for lobbyists, bank costs for health saving accounts, and all costs related to a health industrial complex that has no competition nor need to negotiate with consumers. It’s okay – isn’t it?

Ranch Wave

Surfed knee-high south/wind swell mix over the last two days – a must given the weather and overall beautiful conditions. I tried a friend’s hull on the first day out and focused my attention on inside Second Bowl, where the swell lines piled up at the higher tide and created some fun little ramps with push. During the session I decided hulls are not for me – just not enough feedback off the fins, bottom, and rails. It seemed to me the wave was riding me versus I was riding the wave – a little more passive and not as much control. Anyway, it was good for the experience. Took the Phalsa out on the second day and was rewarded with what pleases me – a good board that works with me to do what I want. The last few days have been abuzz with Osama’s death. I didn’t feel the passion I saw in other parts of the country – but I’m still a student of life and death. What really caught my attention was the story of the man’s 19-year old son, who was caught walking down the stairs as the SEAL team made their rounds. He was shot. When you’re growing up, there are always a few kids at school, or in the neighborhood, who you envy for one reason or the other. You come to wonder at the life they have, the things they have, the wealth they have, or the places they go. You daydream about what it would be like if you were born into that family. How lucky those kids are – right place at the right time. Thinking back, I can’t recall a time when I was glad not to be that kid. Maybe I just purged those bad thoughts from my mind. I’m like that. Now, I’m thinking about what all the kids thought about Osama’s son who was just killed. Trippin’ down the stairs, maybe heading for some food – food is on your mind quite a bit when you are 19 – I know from current experience. Anyway, trippin’ down the stairs and……..It wasn’t his fault- right place at the right time – nor do I blame the soldiers – they had no other choice in the situation – it wasn’t a Hollywood movie – yet. It just happened – it makes me wonder.

It’s flat – but the days are beautiful. I hung around the house, did some gardening, some garden art, played music, listened to music, and just daydreamed. Just a thought – are work credits and other tax breaks for low-wage earners corporate welfare? Those low wage earners would not be able to make it without tax breaks, health care subsidies, food stamps, and the like – and, corporations don’t have to pay the difference. Wages stay low and profits stay high. Without welfare to the low wage earners – they wouldn’t be able to make it, wouldn’t have money to spend, and wouldn’t be productive – hence, no consumers, low productivity, and social unrest. Also, there wouldn’t be a host of folks to go into debt. Pay just enough to get into debt and leave the rest to government programs. Looks like corporations and lenders come out on top.

Former Senator Bob Kerrey, referring to Rick Santorum, once memorably said, “Santorum? Is that the Latin for asshole?”

Surfed yesterday and got some fun Tiburones with an early south swell – waist to chest high, northwest wind, and the typical wait. So, I thought maybe we might have more of the same, or a bit smaller, on Friday. Got back from work and checked the surf on the way home. Looked like there was still some swell, but nothing special. I grabbed my stuff and went to JTH. Looked okay, and then a set – south had picked up. I bolted down to Tiburones and paddled into some gems. And the swell picked up throughout the session. This evening the buoys show 2.7 feet at 17 seconds from 190 to 2.5 feet at 14 seconds from 205. Watching the buoys – now it’s 3.1 feet at 14 second from 215. What will tomorrow bring? More south swell – in fact, surfed south swell through the weekend and Monday too. Surf at Tiburones was chest high with head high sets up until Sunday – Monday was clean waist to chest high. Today – wind swell dominated with the occasional small south set – I sat it out and rested.

Just a thought – regarding climate change, I’ve heard skeptics – those who say climate change is debatable, and if it is occurring, technology will same the day, Curiously, these same folks have ties to powers who are just fine with things as they are – oil and gas industry and all things related. These same powers are also pushing hard for deficit reduction under a menu of actions that pretty much attach the ball and chain to the greater population. What is interesting is that when it comes to climate change, the power brokers claim technology will save us (consideration of the greater ecology is not evident), but when it comes to deficit reduction – innovation and technology – booms of industry and business – jobs and government revenue – are not even in the discussion. Somehow, while I think deficit reduction is important, it seems the power brokers are using deficit reduction as an excuse to rearrange the social landscape to something more aligned with their vision.

I’m still in Colorado, and what do I spy – the buoys are showing a south swell just in time for Spring Break. As I sit thousands of miles from the ocean, I see the swell is 2.8 feet from 190 at 17 seconds. Those numbers are music to my ears – but I am separated from the symphony. Tomorrow I head home – and possibly, I’ll be in the water by the afternoon. New figures show the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the developed world, while ranking ninth worst in social spending. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States imprisons 760 of every 100,000 citizens, more than five times the OECD average.

Last Word: We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same. -Carlos Castenada, mystic and author (1925-1998)

Wood Beard

The River

Natural Gas Drilling

Two weeks ago, the surf started off strong. More recently, the crew has been relegated to under performing wind swell. At its best, the  buoy showed swell at 9.8 feet from 290 at 17 seconds and 1.8 feet from 215 at 17 seconds. I surfed Tiburones early in the swell push, and Segundo Bol during the waning days. The swell was really fun, and heading into last weekend, the swell push continued. I surfed through the weekend – sampling Segundo Bol on a very chilly Friday evening and Tibrounes on Saturday – then off to Colorado. My trip went by way of Carmel Valley, and while driving out of town and through the Salinas Valley, I noticed some graffiti – rough – but interesting. Latin gang one-upmanship, initials of ownership, and scrawl is the usual fare, but at two locations, with similar cursive paintmanship, was: Unicorns are Real and Money is Everything. I don’t know – just struck me as different. Metaphoric and sarcastic. Bookends – and what’s in between? Surfing definitely involves some Unicorns and, for most of us, money isn’t everything. But looking around, Unicorns are dead – or at least being stalked and mangled, and money is everything. For surfing, the intersection is best illustrated by Nike 6.0 – whatever that means. Well, it’s up to you – got to make a living, don’t want to sell out, but……

I’m in Parachute, Colorado – a boom town that is experiencing its second natural gas drilling and production boom – mostly production. During the week – lots of trucks and able bodied men. It’s like watching an ant hill – the definition of human industriousness. Dirt, grading, digging, gravel mining, moving water, pumping, dehydration, compression, trains, big trucks, little trucks, welding, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona….The weekend is here, and now there are signs of family life. As if hidden in the mines, the women and children have appeared after a week’s labor digging out treasure. I get the impression that after it’s all said and done, the town will be back to some indigenous townsfolk and all the ants will swarm to the next natural resource boom. A tsunami economy. Passing time, I hiked around the Colorado River. I saw Osprey in action, Blue Heron, and plenty of geese. Out on the ranch, I saw deer, elk, and a couple of Eagles; and spent some time collecting weathered bones. On one venture, I stopped to ask a youngster who was fishing what kind of fish he was catching. He told me he didn’t know, which I found hard to believe because he looked like he was between 12 and 14 years old. Anyway, just as he finished with his answer, he hooked-on. I watched him fight the fish with light tackle and land it on the shore. He quickly picked the fish up and began trying to dislodge the hook. He had caught a nice Rainbow Trout, about 12 inches long, and I told him so. Well, he struggled with the treble hook, and with a quick wiggle, the fish left his grasp and slid down toward his crouched legs. I was afraid he was going to pick up some of that treble hook, so I lent a hand. I pulled the hook, and the lad eased the fish back into the water. He gently stroked the fish, allowing it to regain some oxygen, and then let it slip out of his hands. The fish looked no worse for wear, and took off. The boy turned to me and said, “Thanks mister.” Never heard anyone, let alone a boy call me “mister” – dude, yes – kook, yes – “mister”, no.

The Rant: I was listening to interviews regarding taxes and listened with amazement as one contributor suggested that tax subsidies – i.e. work credits – were just a transfer of wealth from productive people to low-wage earners. What are productive people relative to low-wage earners? Upper management at McDonalds – are they productive, whereas hourly workers at the counter are, are what? Yes, it is likely the hourly worker qualifies for work credit – just to keep another $400. Nevertheless, does this categorization based on wages somehow imply one group is productive while the other is not? WTF kind of arrogance is out there. Is the entity financing construction of a building more productive than the laborers building it?

Yea! Worldwide military spending edged up in 2010 to a record $1.6 trillion

Joseph Stiglitz: “..much of the wealth of this one percent comes not from hard work, not from innovation, but from good investments in Washington, investing in political capital. And you saw that in the financial sector, where they first got deregulation, and they got a massive bailout. But it’s true in lots of other areas. A lot of the natural resource companies—mining, oil—get access to natural resources that are in public lands at a discount price. So, if you can buy—if you can get access to these resources at a very low price, sell them at a high price, you make a lot of money. It’s actually like money being stolen from the public.” And; “One is that a successful economy requires collective action. There are lots of things we have to do together. We have to have infrastructure. We have to have an educated population. If you have a divided society, you start worrying more—if you’re in the wealthy and you have an electorate system that can use your wealth to affect the politics, you say, “I’d rather have a small government that isn’t able to redistribute money, take money away from me. I don’t need public schools; I have private money. I don’t need public parks; I have private—you know, my large land.” What you have then is an erosion of the kind of collective action, and that makes a society less efficient, less productive. And you see that already happening. We are competing in education with countries in Asia that were much poorer than we were not that long ago. And the second one is that obviously a house divided can’t stand, that you start getting tensions, you start not paying attention to the things that make us cohesive as a nation. And that’s what you’re seeing in Wisconsin. And you also see that in the budget messages that are coming across, saying, “OK, we’re going to cut back on healthcare for aged and for the poor, but we’re not going to do anything about overall healthcare costs.” What does that mean? It means that if you’re going to cut back on health expenditures for the aged and the poor, and you’re going to let health costs continue to rise, that says rationing. They’re not going to be able to get healthcare. Already, we spend more money with poor health outcomes than those in other countries in the advanced industrial world. And it’s going to get worse as the poor and the elderly can’t get access to healthcare.”

If we decided that we want to destroy every national park and coastal region, we may be able to increase production by 1.0-1.5 million barrels a day in 5-10 years. At the high end, this would be a bit less than 2 percent of world supply. Given normal assumptions about how demand responds to price, we would be very lucky to see a 6 percent decline in the price of oil. This means that in the most optimistic “drill everywhere” scenario we would save less than 20 cents from our $4 a gallon gas. What is unsaid in this analysis is externalities. Pesky considerations such as the cost in losing every national park and coastal region, the cost on the ecology, the cost on the social fabric, and the cost in raw materials and natural resources to name a few. So, we may save 20 cents using traditional economic analyses; however, the real truth is it would likely cost way more than $4 per gallon gasoline.

Recent judgments have solidified the concept that corporations are treated as individuals under the law and constitution. You cannot stand in the way of their first amendment right to free speech – i.e., buying elections. But when it comes to paying taxes like the rest of us peons – no fucking way. Get this – G.E. skirted paying, any taxes on $5.1 billion in profits in 2010–in addition to claiming a $3.2 billion tax credit. Indeed, there’s mounting evidence the government is failing to collect taxes from wealthy individuals and corporations – no way. Dude, seriously. And how are some of these profits reinvested? First amendment rights baby! Status quo! But wait, there’s more! Exxon Mobil made $19 billion in profits in 2009, paid no federal income taxes, and received a $156 million rebate from the IRS; Bank of America received a $1.9 billion tax refund from the IRS last year, even though it made $4.4 billion in profits and was handed a nearly $1 trillion bailout by taxpayers; Chevron received a $19 million refund from the IRS last year after taking in $10 billion in profits in 2009; Boeing received a $30 billion contract from the Pentagon and a $124 million refund from the IRS last year; Citigroup made more than $4 billion in profits last year and paid no federal income taxes—it also received a $2.5 trillion taxpayer bailout.

Lat Word: A mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outline and covering up all the details. The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink. In our age there is no such thing as “keeping out of politics”. All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer. -George Orwell, writer (1903-1950)

The Picture Speaks

Einstein showed us that time and space are relative given one’s view point. The moving train experiment is always used to pave the way for our understanding. But no matter what imaginary train you are riding, no matter what your frame of reference, it seems there are always markers that anchor space time – constants – like the speed of light. I never really paid much attention to her, maybe the folks did, but today I realized that Elizabeth Taylor was such an anchor. Of course younger people won’t see it that way, but it’s about frame of reference. I didn’t see all her movies, and her history is on the peripheral of my experience, but I will never forget her straight-up beauty, her eyes, the way she spoke, and her character. Mix in love affairs, several marriages, and AIDS advocacy when the word was not spoken. A movie star. Time moves on, but there are mileposts we pass on the way.