Musings on Technology, PR, Politics and Spirit

8 Benefits of Health Care Reform

2009-08-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

If you've ever been denied coverage for a medical procedure (I have) by an insurance company, you'll be very hopeful about the improvements being offered by the Obama administration as part of their health care reform agenda.

Lets cut through the noise, disinformation and thuggery being paid for by the Insurance industry and orchestrated by their lobbyists and PR firms. These guys are going to lose and pay for it if they continue their despicable behavior.

8 ways health care and insurance reform will provide security and stability to those with or without coverage:

Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Get more details at Whitehouse.gov.

Putting the Sahara Desert to Work

2009-06-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

Using 0.3% of the Sahara Desert as a concentrating solar plant would provide all Europe w/ clean renewable energy. http://htxt.it/5TjV

Today's Artists Bow to Michael Jackson

2009-06-28T21:43:00.001-07:00

Watching BET Music Awards Tribute to Michael Jackson. Today's artists bow to Michael Jackson: innovative entertainer, angel & gifted soul.

Tribute To Michael Jackson

2009-06-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

The 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson passed today. Our dear Michael is today dancing with the angels, free of the shackles of human life, and divinely blessed by the millions upon millions of people whose lives he enriched through music, dance and joyous self-offering. Do you think his Soul is shining? Do you think he's getting a hero's welcome in Heaven? I can feel it.

Here's a moving tribute by Deepak Chopra.

"...when the shock subsides and a thousand public voices recount Michael's brilliant, joyous, embattled, enigmatic, bizarre trajectory, I hope the word "joyous" is the one that will rise from the ashes and shine as he once did."

Andy Ostroy wrote: "Now that he's gone, the appreciation of his gigantic talent, and the tremendous impact it's had on pop culture, inspiring everyone from Justin Timberlake and Usher to Chris Brown and Madonna, has really hit home."

Jon Pareles' appraisal of Michael's life in the NY TIMES is worth a read..

And finally to Michael..."We are the World" - a landmark humanitarian effort from the mid-80s!

"If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change." - Michael Jackson

Iran Revealed

2009-06-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

My takeaway from the Iranian election:

The theocratic regime in Iran is ugly, indeed. The idea that an unelected religious goon can steal an election and run his a Nation through brutal force has a short life. It's very likely that the current Iranian leadership will, over time, be ousted and imprisoned. Obama has it right: "No iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to peaceful protests of justice. Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history."

And if anyone thought the current Iranian government can be trusted to pursue a peaceful nuclear program or be honest partners, they just blew their covers big time.

The people of Iran, on the other hand, appear to have conducted themselves with incredible dignity. From peaceful protests to individuals who intervened to save the lives of police who happened to get caught up in the throng of protesters, to innocent people shot down because they were in the streets expressing their right to dissent, the Iranian people deserve their rightful voice in governance, and an honest election. Why the Supreme Leader ran a sham election we will never know.

While the force of Iranian police and Basij will increasingly curtail public dissent, this is an on-going story. A new government will eventually emerge through the rubble of the current, decaying Iranian leadership. Stay tuned.

NASA AMES...Getting Mooned Again

2009-06-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

I remember joyfully when Mom used to let me cut school for NASA launches and re-entries. Had I had more of a mathematical and scientific personality vs a creative, ADD mentality, I might have become a pilot or astronaut.

I have spent the majority of this great life exploring inner space through meditation and that's been about the best thing I've done so far.

Still, I'm still really excited that NASA's Ames facility in Silicon Valley is managing the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission. This is a pretty cool effort to help determine if there is water hidden in the permanently dark craters of one of the moon's poles.

NASA plans to crash a vehicle into the moon's south pole and fly a partner craft through the huge plume created by the crash to analyze it for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and earth-based instruments also will study the plume, which scientists expect to be larger than 200 metric tons.

If there are substantial amounts of water ice there, it could be used by astronauts to make rocket fuel when they later visit the moon. The $79 million crash is expected to take place this month.

I'm all for going to the moon and Mars while dealing with all the other financial and social exigencies on earth. Space exploration has, in past, challenged America to brilliant innovation, and resulted in all kinds of new products and services.

And we must redirect the innovation driving America's weapons industry into clean tech, space tech and other more peaceful manifestations of science.

Follow LCROSS on Twitter.

Iranian policeman beaten by rioters, saved by bystanders

2009-06-15T13:54:00.001-07:00

Amazing video of Iranian motorcycle policeman riding into a crowd, and randomly beating people with clubs. Then two of them are captured by the crowd, and local citizens save them from a beating and give them water.

This is a revolution...and we're watching it live on Twitter.

View stunning images here.

Narada Michael Walden's Let the Sunshine In: Light Descended

2009-05-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Many of you know through my Tweets and Facebook entries that I attended and have been supporting my friend Narada Michael Walden and his Let the Sunshine In Benefit which took place on Memorial Day evening.

Narada asked me right after his incredible show, "What was the highlight, what was the best part for me?" I was speechless, and I felt somewhat incomplete having failed in a moment to find and express words. The reality is I was overwelmed by the greatness and goodness of the evening. There were so MANY highlights. Now I am ready to attempt to answer that question.

Let the Sunshine In
10+ standing ovations.
The Olympics of Music, with every artist breaking a world record.
Perfect string and horn arrangements as Narada recreated and brought to life so many hits from five decades with the original artists who peformed them.
The house band: has any one stage featured better?
The backup singers: sheer brilliance under Claytoven Richardson's leadership.
The production: Narada's impeccable, tasteful and pristine imprint on everything.
The Love: we all felt it coming from Narada's Sunlit Heart.
Christopher Rodriguez in the house - we send him our love.

Nothing in my life has matched my experience of Let the Sunshine In, the benefit concert staged by the great record producer Narada Michael Walden for Christopher Rodriguez, a young Oakland boy paralyzed by a stray bullet in a senseless and random act of gun violence. It was a night I will always remember and cherish.

Why was it amazing? Simple: Narada is a consummate perfectionist who has realized Music at a very sublime level. He is like a High Priest, a Guru, and it's no surprise that he has been the force behind more than 50 hit records that have enriched the lives hundreds of millions of people around the world….recorded by the likes of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand and many others. With three Grammys and an Emmy and recognition as a Top 10 Record Producer of All Time by Billboard Magazine -- it is Narada's spirituality-infused life that makes his work important now and forever.

Narada knows how to make great musicians and great music sound better. He knows how to connect music, spirit and audiences. He knows how to put it all together. And the performance on May 25th was powered by a giant engine:

A 16 piece backup band with the likes of Chuck Leavell, keyboardist with the Rolling Stones, Jim Horn, one of the most influential horn arrangers in pop music, and the great keyboardist Frank Martin, who partnered with Narada on the music that was performed. Two bassists, three guitarists, four keyboardists, two percussionists, six horn players (including my friend Premik Russell Tubbs), and it goes on and on.

Minna Choi's 60-member Magik*Magik Orchestra backed up the artists with a gorgeous palette of texture and color, and featured exceptional students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music led by Maestro Michael Morgan, musical director of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra.

And a production team with pros like Merl Saunders Jr., Tim Jahnigen, Vadim Canby and Kimrea who made everything work for the audience and featured artists:

Sting, who sang several of his brilliant songs, including Fields of Gold and joined in a joyous operatic duet with the incomparable mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade.

Madame von Stade, who performed a breathtaking version of Ave Maria. I loved her beautiful spirit and grace.

The great Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis who performed many Fifth Dimension hits, including Up, Up and Away (a song they wrote), Hair, and One Less Bell to Answer. I grew up influenced by the awesome musicality of the Fifth Dimension so hearing Marilyn and Billy brought back a special magic.

Chris Botti and the incredible violinist Lucia Micarelli surprised us with a duet that touched the Gates of Heaven.

We were graced by the great R&B legend Gerald Alston of the Manhattans who performed Shining Star. And by the contemporary jazz acoustic guitarist Earl Klugh who elevated us to a serene place with his classic performance of Living Inside Your Love.

So many others joined, like Mandolin jazz/bluegrass fusion virtuoso Dave “Dawg” Grisman, singer Lisa Fischer, the incomparable Mary Wilson, and Dale “Satchmo” Powers, who invoked the great Louis Armstrong in a performance of What a Wonderful World. With Narada leading the way, the performers just kept hitting the home runs and the audience was overjoyed and overwhelmed.

And the great Bobby Weir and friends jammed it out and lit up Davies Symphony Hall.

So there were superbly great performances. Why was this a significant event? It all starts with Narada Michael Walden.

We met in 1973. I was an aspiring guitarist and Narada an extraordinary drummer. He joined the path of Guru Sri Chinmoy along with Mahavishnu John McLauglin and learned meditation, and I joined a year later at Narada's invitation. In those days Narada was washing dishes, giving drum lessons and developing his career. His humble beginnings were short-lived, however. For he soon joined the Mahavishnu Orchestra, met Jeff Beck, recorded with Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and Jeff Beck, launched a solo recording career, launched a production career, and 11 years later, earned a Grammy as Producer of the Year. Along the way he catapulted the careers of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, relaunched Aretha Franklin's career, and recorded over 50 hit records for many of the artists who appeared at the concert, including Shanice and Tevin Campbell.

In his life he has collaborated with a who’s who in music because if you're a really great musician, you probably want to know or work with Narada Michael Walden. Because music always sounds better when Narada is involved.

Narada is aware of Perfection and it's an intuitive thing. He knows what music can be and should be, and he takes us there. That is a rare place where goodness and greatness meet together with the penultimate peak of musical satisfaction. That's where Narada lives all the time, which is why so many people like me and the more than 150 people who made this show happen - were deeply grateful to support his work.

So history was made on May 25th in San Francisco at Let the Sunshine In. We were witness to something sublime, soulful, and spiritual. We heard great music and felt Narada 's humility, Narada's love, Narada's ability to bring Heaven down to earth. And being the giant and generous Soul he is, we all had a chance to participate as performers, as volunteers, and as audience members. We sang Give Peace a Chance and Let the Sunshine In. We were one soulful love fest for sure.

Welcome to the great Song of Love that is Narada's life. Welcome to the great Spirit who we know as Narada Michael Walden.

We join with Narada in supporting Christopher Rodriguez and the idea that music can inspire youth and should be part of their lives.

And we celebrate the great work of the Narada Michael Walden Foundation. I say, "Rock on!"

Meet the Real President During Bush 43: Dick

2009-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Want to wake up to a nightmare? We're back in the days of darkness with dickhead Dick Cheney, the lawless thug who slept during the first 7 months of the Bush Administration and then ransacked the Constitution for the next 7 years. Cheney gave a speech today defending the great work of Bush Administration which he apparently led while the young Bush 43 slept, watched sports and read the Cliff Notes.

Keith Olbermann speaks for me and a majority of the Nation.

SF MusicTech Summit Hits The Spot

2009-05-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Fourth time's a charm? Maybe. The 2009 SF MusicTech Summit really hit the spot this year. Organizers Brian and Shoshana Zisk brought together a who's who of music industry executives, managers, musicians, promoters and lawyers, to discuss the current state of the industry and how it should move forward. Topics covered included technology - tools artists and labels can use for marketing, promotion and measurement, and monetization - new models and legal issues related to how music will be delivered and paid for in the future.

There has never been more opportunity for musicians to take control of their careers. Recording and career promoting technologies are now in the hands of the artist rather than the record label. At the same time, there is lots of competition out there among artists. Someone in the band also needs to wear the hat of a 'creative director' for it's often superlative creative marketing across new platforms (i.e. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) that helps gain attention for an artist and his/her music and can make the difference and help elevate music among its intended audiences.

There was a terrific mid-day performance by songwriter/singer Matt Morris, whose new album is produced by Justin Timberlake. My friend and triple-Grammy winning record producer / hit-maker Narada Michael Walden showed up at the post-conference reception to promote Let The Sunshine In, a benefit concert taking place on May 25th in San Francisco, featuring Sting, Earl Klugh, Bob Weir, Dave Grisman, and many others.

This year's' event was standing room only...and I suggested to Brian that it might be time for a larger venue. One more thing...there was nobody on the floor I met who was bummed out about the economy. People were excited and optimistic.

(PIC: Narada Michael Walden, Matt Morris, S. Neil Vineberg)

Bill Clinton Named UN Special Envoy to Haiti

2009-05-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

According to CNN, former U.S. President Bill Clinton will be named UN Special Envoy to Haiti. Having spent six years as a staff member at UNICEF and another ten years as a consultant to several United Nations agencies, this upcoming appointment gives me a feeling of delight.

It is a brilliant recognition of the extraordinary achievements of the President Clinton both during his presidency and beyond. It banks on his ability to uplift the welfare of the Haitian people in sustainable ways.

Bill Clinton as UN Envoy will add prestige to the UN and the Clinton himself. So whose idea was this? Bill Clinton, The UN, Hillary, or the Obama administration? Perhaps all.

Let All Investigations Begin

2009-05-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Newt Gingrich is calling for an investigation of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Lets agree to allow it, and lets also proceed with the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate Bush, Cheney and anyone involved with torture and breaking the law.

In spite of Obama wanting to look forward rather than backwards, I'm saying an investigation of the Bush Administration is going to happen. The media is starting to put together the missing links. Cheney is speaking way too much. And it's gonna get ugly because coming to terms with one of the most corrupt administrations since Nixon won't be fun.

According to CNN, Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff for then-Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote that the Bush interrogation program began in April and May of 2002, and Cheney's team kept an eye on questioning. "Its principal priority for intelligence was not aimed at preempting another terrorist attack on the U.S. but discovering a smoking gun linking Iraq and al Qaeda," Wilkerson wrote in The Washington Note, an online political journal.

This is worse than Watergate and Cheney is looking a lot like Nixon. Bush, who has remained strangely quiet likely under advice of his lawyer, is looking like a poor dupe who allowed this insanity to move forward thinking he would be remembered as an heroic president. Instead, Bush is the misguided and naive zealot who bought into and condoned a deception that led us into Iraq under a false pretense.

It's very possible that as these investigations proceed forward, many Bushies will end up in prison. And if that happens, you are going to see open political warfare in America between the Democrats and the far right (Republicans). Very sad, but I say let the chips fall as they may. This is a cleansing that America needs to go through. And if it's any consolation, all these Bushies will be hiring big time lawyers and that will bankrupt many of them.

Appoint a Special Prosecutor

2009-05-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

I agree with Jonathan Turley, a professor of law at The George Washington University.

It's time to appoint a special prosecutor to examine the lead up to the Iraq War and the allegations of torture conducted and condoned by the Bush Administration.

An independent prosecutor will have the authority and time-frame for determining if laws were broken and by whom. He will have full subpoena power to call everyone from presidents to members of congress to the CIA, to military to contracted staff. There can be appropriate protections in place to conceal the identities of CIA operatives, as needed.

I just feel this is the only way to put this sad episode behind us because members of Congress are turning the discussion of torture into PR event with one side accusing the other of wrong doing. Partisan politics will get us no closer to figuring out what happened and how to prevent it from occurring future.

It's not going to be fun for anyone. But we are a country governed by the rule of law. Lets let an independent prosecutor carry the ball and make the appropriate determinations.

Narada Michael Walden on His Upcoming Benefit with Sting

2009-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

On May 25th, 2009, my dear friend Narada Michael Walden will produce a concert at Louise M Davies Symphony Hall to benefit young Christopher Rodriguez, who at age 10, was disabled by a stray bullet while at his piano lesson in Oakland early this year. The Concert will feature Sting, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis of 5th Dimension Fame, Mary Wilson, Earl Klugh, David Grisman, Bob Weir, Gerald Alston of the Manhattans, Lisa Fisher,Tevin Campbell, Shanice Wilson, Jeanie Tracy, Ralphe Armstrong, Dale "Satchmo" Powers, the Narada Band, an orchestra of students from The San Francisco Conservatory of Music conducted by Michael Morgan of the Oakland East Bay Symphony along with many other suprise performers. It will be a night to remember. The biggest show San Francisco has seen in years!

Check out Sheryl Breuker's podcast with Narada where he talks about his musical history, how we met in the mid 70s and how his career took off in the 80s and 90s. And watch the video below for more info on the Let The Sunshine In benefit concert.

Swine Flu Prevention Tip: Avoid This

2009-05-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Genius

2009-05-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

Today David Broder opined in his NY Times piece, Genius, The Modern View, that "the key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft."

I think he's partially right. Take Beethoven, Mozart, Einstein, John McLaughlin, Paul McCartney and Tiger Woods. They practiced a lot. But they also had two other important qualities: capacity (intelligence) and destiny.

Capacity is a prerequisite to greatness. Without capacity, no amount of practice will suffice. If, on the other hand, it is your destiny to be a Beethoven, Tiger Woods, Paul McCartney, or Barack Obama, there will be a spark in your soul. It will cause you to long for something. It will drive a vision within. It will energise your soul's deepest awareness. It will guide your search.

So I fundamentally disagree with Broder about divine spark. You gotta have it. Spark enables a search for our destined goal that practice then helps unfold.

Divine spark is a 'light' I've seen in the eyes of some truly great ones I've personally met, like Mikhail Gorbachev, Muhammad Ali, Mother Theresa, Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Bruce Springsteen, Clarence Clemons, Joanne Woodward, John McLaughlin, Eddie Murphy, and Ringo Starr. And in two very close friends Narada Michael Walden, a true musical and soulful genius of the first order and Ashrita Furman, a deeply soulful, spiritual and powerful seeker and holder of the most Guinness World Records. There is a divine spark in each that drives their greatness and goodness. I feel it and I know it myself.

Practice helped make these folks great for sure. But the spark was there to fire up the search they were destined to - each in his or her own way - and the greatness that unfolded through their lives.

My guru Sri Chinmoy was tapped into divine Spark's Source in such a conscious way that those around Sri Chinmoy - who also resonated with him - could feel it, too. My own understanding of genius comes touching the divine Spark in Sri Chinmoy's life and teachings, in the soulful time I spent with him for three decades, and in the quietude of my own reflection.

And I can remember during an interview with Dr. Amritananda Russell Barber when Sri Chinmoy was asked the question: what makes great people great? He offered that God chose them to play their respective roles...and by realizing the greatness of their lives, they had each fulfilled their unique destiny.

What is the greatness and genius of your life? And will the rest of your life be average or memorable? Stay tuned....

Pirate Prison

2009-05-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

What is the point of thwarting a hijacking of a tanker by pirates off the Somali coast and then releasing them so they can try again tomorrow?

The Huffington Post reports: Special forces on a Portuguese warship seized explosives from suspected Somali pirates after thwarting an attack on an oil tanker but later freed the 19 men. Hours later and hundreds of miles away, another band of pirates hijacked a cargo ship.

19 men? OK. Many nations are spending millions of dollars running warships aimed at interdicting pirates and protecting commerce in the waters off Aden and Somalia. When these forces catch hijackers in process, what do they do? The Portuguese and Canadians release them.

That is insane. Is there no international law against which these men can be held? What's the point of catching them if you then enable them for another day?

Right now piracy pays pretty well, and there's little risk. What we know is these guys are becoming more sophisticated and shipping companies are willing to pay ransom.

So how do we turn this piracy business into a lose-lose for them?

Here is the CIA playbook on Somalia:
1. Appoint Dick Cheney as a special envoy to Somalia. Give him free reign.
2. Get Sylvester Stallone to lead a team of warriors to take out the nucleus of the piracy operation.
3. Install and empower a powerful War Lord to command order among the lawless by any and all means.

The common sense solution - development - seems to be a difficult one. Somalia lacks a credible government and an economy and this piracy thing seems to be working. But where do you store tens of millions of dollars in ransom once it's paid? Do the pirates have credit cards or accounts at Citibank? Do we have any pirate spies infiltrating the operation?

This whole piracy thing defies logic. Still, there has to be a solution. How about a setting up a United Nations Pirate Prison? Or appointing Vladimir Putin as UN Special Piracy Czar? I vote for Putin.

NY TIMES: Transcendence-Race Inspired by Sri Chinmoy

2009-05-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

The New York Times blog today featured runners in a multi-day race inspired by my Guru Sri Chinmoy who believed that sports can be a powerful means of unlocking personal capacity. Over the years, Sri Chinmoy and his students have organized countless running races and triathlons, including a 3,100 mile race and this week's Self-Trancendence Six and Ten Day Races where ultra-distance runners can clock over 90 miles a day, generally averaging 50 to 70 miles every 24 hours. Props to my friend Viddyut Ballmer, a violinist I perform with in the Bay Area, who is running sixth among men in the Six Day Race.

I am personally not built for the ultra-distance format; running around a loop was never my cup of tea. Still, I did engage the concept of 'Trancendence' daily but my explorations were in expanding the physical scale, size and scope of projects and programs. In particular, I applied Sri Chinmoy's teachings to creating and organizing the world largest relay run for peace (now named World Harmony Run), in my work for clients at my public relations firm, and in my own music with friends like Viddyut. And I wrote about expanding personal capacity in this prior post.

The idea that we can achieve unbelieveable results if we simply believe it and do it is fundamental to many belief systems, including The Law of Attraction and The Secret, both of which reinorce a belief system that Sri Chinmoy enabled in me and for which I'm profoundly grateful.

And I admire all the 80 or so runners - many of my friends actually - who are out there to experience, know and live the Infinite and unlimited Bliss called Transcendence. Sri Chinmoy's Spirit and Joy are living through the experience of these runners who remind us that everything is possible if we simply go forward and believe in infinite possibilities.

Read more.

Reigning in Credit Card Companies and How They Gouge Consumers

2009-05-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Ever missed a payment on your credit card? I rarely do, but many hard working families are struggling to make ends meet. Some are relying on credit cards to feed their families and cover rent.

Credit card companies successfully lure in customers with zero or low interest deals and then, once you've accrued thousands of dollars in credit, your interest rates rise either by default or penalty. If you're late on just one payment either through error or circumstance, you're completely screwed forever because your penalty is often an interest rate rise of 10-30 per cent. That is how credit card companies gouge consumers. Lure them in and soak them for every dollar they can

Those days are over...well they will be as of July 2010. The Obama Administration and the House have approved The Credit Card Bill of Rights - legislation that will eliminate sudden increases in interest rates and late fees, prohibit so-called double-cycle billing and retroactive rate hikes and would prevent companies from giving credit cards to anyone under 18.

This is a good deal. Except the bill should take effect immediately and I hope the Senate pushes the implementation date forward. July 2010 is too long to wait - especially if you're facing down 27% interest in a credit card balance of $12,000 a year.

TESLA Model S: Reserve Yours Today

2009-05-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Tesla: the only electric car that operates like a high performance car, had its debut with David Letterman. The Tesla Model S goes for $49,900 and you can reserve yours today for delivery in 2011. It runs over 300 miles on a 45 minute charge, and goes 0-60 in 5.6 seconds. And there are some federal and, in some parts of the country, state tax incentives for owners of alternative fuel vehicles like Tesla.

I remember when I felt helplessly surrendered to the reality of the Bush/Cheney administration as they destroyed the nation and decimated the Constitution.

With the Obama team, we are liberated. I get a similar feeling with Tesla in terms of the enslavement we have to have to gas. Tesla means no more gas!

So where can I plug it in for a recharge? That's the next challenge: charging stations. Stay tuned on this one. I like Tesla.

A Very Competent White House: I Agree

2009-05-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Assessing Obama's first 100 days is David Brooks: "This has been a very, very competent White House... They've negotiated a lot of tricky issues... in a sophisticated way. They've corrected for some mistakes."

A far cry from the Bush White House - a bunch of incompetent fools - in retrospect.

Read Bob Burnett's great piece in the Huffington Post.

Flu Viris: Overkill or Prudence

2009-04-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Why are we taking the H1N1 Flu Virus so seriously? Why is it the story of the moment?

Well, in Mexico where this appears virus was born, the number of confirmed swine flu deaths increased to 12 today, from eight yesterday, with 270 confirmed cases of human infection. Those are scary numbers especially for a disease with no cure.

In the USA we have 109 confirmed cases in 11 states with one unfortunate death, according to the daily tracking of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

So, the World Health Organization, the CDC and the White House, have done the needful. They have given adequate attention to the problem as a way of preventing the uncontrolled spread of the H1N1 virus. Obama even requested $1.5 billion in funds and put a bunch of pandemic management protocols into place to position Tamiflu and make it available to states as needed. And several US governors have already declared health emergencies as a way of activiting additional personnel and other resources. More than 300 schools are closed in the USA until we get a handle on the virus. President Obama even opened his news conference last night with preventive measures for families.

Why? Because this virus has already killed too many people and there's no cure. Makes sense to me because I've got a cold which a friend spread to me, and I'm trying hard not to spread it to anyone else.

Still, this is such a big story. Why? Simple: The 24 hour cable news channels are a giant amplification system for sensational stories like this. They turn the stories into a mystery and conduct endless interviews with health officials seeking to understand the problem, and analyze the responses by government leaders. Some networks even fan fear as a way of selling their coverage. And with 24 hours to fill on so many cable channels, Fox, CNBC, CNN, and MSNBC need lots of stories. So there's a bit of overkill on the flu story, agreed.

I'd still much prefer an over-reactive government going to war on a flu virus vs. bombing the hell out of Iraq. Obama and team have their priorities in order on this one.

We Must Investigate Bush/Cheney

2009-04-29T19:18:00.000-07:00

I think Congress or some body of government must investigate the Bush Administration's arrogant use of executive power and war crimes. I don't buy the argument that we cannot survive it. We need to cleanse the system of the kinds of corruption that enabled the Bush/Cheney crowd to pull a coup, fake the evidence for war, torture, and enrich their Enron, Halliburton, Oil Company, and Blackwater pals.

I definitely agree with John Nichols who wrote in The Nation:

On the matter of presidential accountability, the House has been less than it should be ever since. The chamber that refused to hold Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and their henchmen to account for Iran/Contra abuses--and that took impeachment "off the table" even after revelations that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had committed acts that former White House legal counsel John Dean identified as "worse than Watergate"--has remained a bystander as successive presidents have engaged in ever more sinister abuses of authority.

Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Constitution subcommittee, who has long urged Congress to get more serious about checking and balancing executive excess, is now rightly arguing that evidence of the Bush administration's complicity in torture must be addressed. "Horrible abuses were committed in the name of the American people, and we cannot look the other way or just 'move on,'" he says. But Congress must also confront its own complicity: members must recognize that their repeated refusals to address abuses by sitting and former presidents have facilitated a breakdown in the constitutional order.

From Senator Robert Byrd: Our Obligation to Investigate

G.E.’s Breakthrough Can Put 100 DVDs on a Disc

2009-04-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Trends to watch: batteries becoming stronger, more elaborate and available in rechargeable formats. And data storage: GE has invented a holographic storage format that can store 100 DVDs on one disc. Wow!

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Coryell, Mouzon and DeFrancesco

2009-04-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

I think back to the superb trios and a few bands that I've heard in concert and a few amazing concerts come to mind: pianist Bill Evans in NYC with Paul Motian (drums) and Scott LaFaro (bass), guitarist Jimi Hendrix with Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Noel Redding (bass), ensembles like guitarist John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra, the Beatles, any ensemble with Pat Metheny, and the list goes on.

I recently heard an amazing trio that blew my mind so much that I caught all 4 of their performances at Yoshi's in San Francisco. The group was Larry Coryell (guitar), Joey DeFrancesco (organ) and Alfonse Mouzon (drums).

My connect to Larry goes back to the 70s. Larry was one of my fave guitarists, and among a few musicians who gave birth to jazz/rock fusion. What I did not know the late 60s was Larry was a devotee of my Guru Sri Chinmoy. Larry also was a mentor to John McLaughlin who also became devotee, and came to great fame as the leader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a name given to him by Guru Sri Chinmoy.

This summer Coryell may tour with Joey and Alfonse. Catch it if you can!!!