Growing Old, or Simply Growing Older

Is Age simply a Number?

The headline read “Percy reaches 102”. For all we knew they might have been talking about his cricket score. The picture showed three people standing, a young girl, and to her left a mature gentleman of about 70, and to his left a younger man. The man in the middle was Percy who had celebrated his 102nd birthday with a conventional party that included dancing, in which he took part.

His name is Percy Miller, who was born in Plymouth, England in 1907. In that same year Katherine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, and John Wayne were also born. They have all passed on, as we are all aware.

The National Union of Women’s Sufferage Societies held their first ever major march, that was dubbed The March in the Mud. Maria Montessori opened her first Montessori School in Rome promoting her own brand of teaching that has endured unto today.

Of special interest is the fact that 1907 in America, and to a lesser degree around the world was a period of great economic uncertainty. In fact, in the United States it was called “The Panic of 1907”. It started with an earthquake in San Francisco that went on to shake the entire U.S. economy and its effect was felt around the world. The cast of characters was the same, being the banks and Wall Street.

For those being born today we should take particular note of the fact that for so many people the actuarial life expectancy tables have so often been proved wrong. In the case of our Percy, when he was born it was expected that he would live to a ripe old age of 47, the same age in Bermuda when I was born in 1939. I don’t know about Percy, but I took it seriously and hurried out of school and got married at a criminally young age and brought our two children into the world by the time we were eighteen.

The Costa Blanca News reported some startling facts about Percy Miller. He was married to Joyce, his wife of 56 years and they had two children and four grandchildren. He lives independently with the help of family and friends. He loves to dance although it’s not likely for him to dance with women of his own age group, as there are none. He was still playing cricket at age 70, which is no big deal. I’m 70 and I can do that…badly. However, at age 90 he abselled down a cliff, something I’m not likely to ever do, except by accident, and something else that I definitely won’t be doing is walking from Jalon to Parcent, an inland route of 5.4 kilometres to celebrate his 100th birthday.

He was asked the inevitable question, to what do you owe your long life? His response was that he always has a glass of orange juice in the morning and a glass of wine at night. Rumour had it that he drank a bottle of whisky a day, and it was wondered what his doctor thought. He denied the rumour, but in any event his doctor is dead, so he can jolly well do as he pleases.

To that question I would have answered for him that he owes his long life to luck….very good luck for having outlived all his friends and enemies. First thing to do to live long is to avoid the Army, Navy and Air Force. They say that if you join up with them you can be all that you can be. I’ve always interpreted that as being dead. Luck was on his side in those cases, keeping him safely sidelined.

He has lived through all manner of crisis’, and even a period of virtual world peace, except for local conflict. For those of us I hope we have the opportunity to live to celebrate our 100th birthdays, just to see how this crazy out-of-control world turns out. However living to such an age also infers quality of life, and if we get to emulate Percy by retaining our motor functions and capabilities we will be very lucky.

The thing to remember is that as we are living longer it might be a good idea to take good care of ourselves. For instance, how wonderful do you think it might be to do as Percy did and Drive his Own Car to the photo shoot! Now that’s a life well worth having lived. Don’t you think?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Big Bang Noise of Peace!

Have a NiceDay!

I give as an example the activities of children playing in a seperate room from yourself, who then suddenly go quiet. You will rush into the room to see what’s the matter.
Now you know exactly what I mean by silence producing sometimes the loudest noise of all.

I have written before of my obnoxious neighbours who start with their noisy lifestyle from the moment they awaken. Sometimes the sun has not arisen and we can hear them screaming at one another. Periodically, all is absolutely quiet at their house and that leads me to look over the balcony to see if they have all (hopefully) died.

You will no doubt have your own examples of having been startled by sudden silence. My favourite story is that of the barking dog who carried on non-stop because he didn’t like being tethered on a chain. When a complaint was made to the owners they suggested that if the dog’s barking disagreed with the neighbours they simply should not listen to it.

That sounds to me like the same choice that people who live alongside a busy road have. The sound of traffic will be constant, so you have to learn to block it out. But what if the road were suddenly closed, how then would the residents cope with so much silence? Would they be put constantly on edge fearing the return of the roar at any minute? I presume they would enjoy their moment of peace so much that the coming loss of it will be unbearable.

Such was the case of Peace, in the sense of war and peace. I do recall only one temporary period of time during which the world was all but completely at peace. With the exception of a few very local disputes there were no major threats hanging over our existence. The Cold War had ended, The Berlin Wall came down, the major powers were talking, and the Pentagon was asking whether they should be developing major weapons of destruction.

Russia and The United States were destroying their own missiles, and the entire world exhaled. In a U.S. Senate session the question was asked that if the U.S. continued to stockpile warheads, against whom might they one day have to be launched. What enemies did America have? The answer came back, that America didn’t have any such enemies at that time.

That was one of those perfect day type situations. You know the type I mean where the temperature is perfect for the beach and the picnic. There’s not a cloud in the sky and life is beautiful and lazy and grand. Anything at all can shatter that fragile picture, and when it does it will come as a surprise.

Well, the picture did shatter, and the image was so long ago, that by comparison with all the bad things that are happening and that have happened since, it seems that we never did have such a wonderful interlude. Part of the actual noise that broke the peace was 9/11, and I wonder how many people looked at that with a sense of outrageous normality. The real noise had returned so it was now O.K. to breath regularly. We knew the peace was all just an illusion.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

World Financial Crisis Solved

World Financial Crisis Solved ! Wall Street off the hook.

You’ve all seen the e-mail making the rounds with the above title. I really enjoyed it because it all seemed so simple. In case you haven’t actually seen it this is what it says: To fix America’s economic problems government should not give so much money to the banks, who seem to be putting it into their pockets in the form of what they call a bonus, instead government should do the following:

There are about forty million people over 50 in the work force. Government should pay each person $1 million in severance pay to take early retirement. That would create 40 million jobs.
Those people must buy a new American car. That would fix the American auto industry.
They must either buy a new house or pay off their mortgage. That would solve the housing crisis.
If more money is required have all members in Congress and their constituents actually pay their income taxes.

Sounds great! What’s right about it, and what’s wrong with it.
Firstly, as always, the devil is in the details.

Take those 40 million people who are now struggling to save up for their retirement and to pay off their mortgages. A windfall of one million dollars in most cases would go a long way to resolving their concerns. Once they have retired, hopefully some of that money could go towards starting their own business that could become an employer. Of course, there will be some people who would actually lose money by taking the million, but overall, it would probably meet with favour by a majority.

The American auto industry is perhaps the largest employer, so to increase demand for their products by 40 million units would in itself put a great many people back to work. Of course, many of those same workers would have been beneficiaries of the payout, so younger people would go into their vacant jobs. So far, so good!

Those forty million people would have to buy a house or retire their mortgages. For many people this would be a reprieve from near death as they are losing their homes because they have lost their job. This solution would bring lots of new workers into the market to meet the demand. Even those people who have a home that is paid for would be required to buy a new home, so presumably they could do so, then later when the country is stable they could sell it in the normal manner.

These steps seem solid to me, except that America’s unemployed number far fewer than 40 million. To make up the additional workers needed America could always bring in Mexicans, who are going to come anyway.

Hopefully, such a programme would address the toxic assets on the books of the lending institutions, but if it did the question then becomes whether the bankers will go back to their old habits and give too much credit too freely, in the interest of their bonus’.

The major problem with this idea is that it feel socialist, and in America that just does not sell. You can “give” as much money to the banks as you wish, and not all will be recovered. We speak of giving, but government thinks in terms of investment, however a lot of money will be lost in the process. The other thing that’s wrong is that 40 million times one million dollars is so much money my calculator has just had a heart attack.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Modern Day Super Hero?

A New kind of Super Hero


They say that the President of the United States is the most powerful man on earth. Some people would choose to debate this, but there is no doubt that whatever he or she decides to do does have an effect on just about the whole world, so that is a lot of power. However, it’s not simply a case of having the power, but how it is used that is important.

I finally got around to watching the film “Hancock” starring Will Smith. This is a very unusual role for him as he acts out the part of Super Hero, a different kind of Superman. He has a definite public relations problem in the film, but it got me to thinking about super heroes, and what we expect from them.

Essentially, we expect our ideal hero to be on the side of good. They are supposed to be a part of the solution, coming to the rescue in the nick of time. No challenge is too great, or too small, and everybody looks up to them. Most of our super heroes exists only in our imagination, however President Obama is very real, and so far he seems to be filling out the criteria very well.

He has taken on an impossible task, that of putting the U.S. economy back on the tracks after a derailment unlike at any other time in history, and that would most likely lead to putting things right with the rest of the world. He has taken some bold steps to turn things around. The U.S. was in very bad shape when he stepped into office on January 20th, 2009. President George W. Bush drew the short end of the stick. It was on his watch that 9/11 happened, and when the result of too much easy credit came home to roost.

I thought that he, together with Dick Cheney as Vice-President, and Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defence responded quite rationally by striking back at the sponsors of the 9/11 atrocity in Afghanistan. However, they then went a step too far by attacking Iraq on a pretext, and that led to a great deal of criticism worldwide, and America’s image fell off a cliff.

Following President Obama’s G-20 involvement and stops throughout Europe a poll was conducted among foreigners asking whether his performance had caused them to revise their opinion favourably towards the United States, and a staggering 91% said yes. This is no small achievement and bodes well for the future.

President Obama has gone on to tackle the thorny issue of Cuba, a thorn in the side of the U.S. for over 50 years. No other president would even touch the subject, but just a little loosening of the icy grip has brought forth from the Castro brothers the surprising statement that they are prepared to talk, and everything is on the table. At the least Cuba has been a perpetual embarrassment to the U.S. so to bring about a warming of relations would be a welcome thing. After all there are very real people who have been suffering as a result of the intransigence of the leaders.

Then came the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, and Mr. Big Mouth, Hugo Chavez, who is on record as having said that he thought President Obama was stupid was overheard now to say that he would welcome a friendship between himself and Mr. Obama.

So far, so good!

This is the kind of real super hero we can all believe in. I’m sure that even those people who still can’t digest the fact that he is their president are probably pausing to reflect on the reasons they hate him so much, and are finding that the list is shrinking.

So, as goes the President so goes the country, and in effect the entire world. At least everybody is talking, except that lone wolf in North Korea, but hopefully he will come around. His people are dying to have him get on board the Joy Express.

I wish President Obama continued success, and very small and inconsequential errors because he does not walk on water. Let’s stay tuned for the second 100 days.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Times in which we Live

Over a recent span of time I have become engrossed in survivability in times of war and peace. One thing rings very clear in my mind, and it is this: we are all products of our time. Our experience will de dictated by those times, and in spite of our individual ambitions it will be the circumstances into which we are born that will ultimately determine the degree of quality, and to a large measure the quantity of the life that we will lead.

This was not always obvious to me, although I was born in 1939, a time of war for the western world. From my earliest memories I have lived in a period of rising expectations, a very privileged position to have had.

I began kindergarten at age five. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force occupied their bases on my island. It was from these personnel that I first tasted chewing gum and chocolate, and I was told tales of life in America. The war ended and the government decided to develop tourism to Bermuda as its main economic pillar.

As U.S. dollars continued to roll into our economy the value of our little piece of real estate in the Atlantic began to grow and the benefit was felt throughout the entire island.
I never had to serve in the armed forces, and nothing arose to disturb my progress in realising my own ambitions. My life has been my own to live as I have seen fit, and I am the only person responsible for my success in life, or otherwise.

Living in Spain in my retirement has brought all this home to me as I continue to research the history of this country. Any country that has been through a civil war, (in my opinion the very worst kind of war there is), has a very special challenge placed upon its future. Fundamentally, this country went to the polls and elected a government in a spirit of democracy, and that led to more trouble than anyone could have predicted. For many people it led to their very own deaths.

There are certain issues that can erupt within society that draw clear lines with no room for fence sitting. You either support the present government or you don’t. You either support the death penalty or you don’t. The issue of slavery brought a nation to clash against itself and its wounds are still somewhat raw all these years later.

We have avoided war in most cases of disagreement because we have matured as humankind. We have seen how ugly war is and we would rather avoid sinking into that particular hell. However, in some cases as individuals we are simply drawn into conflict, and that is where luck comes into play.

For me, I am very lucky to have been born in Bermuda. My forbearers moved from America to Barbados, and then to Bermuda. Had I been born in America my life’s experience would have been very different. I sat on the sidelines and watched Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr lead the fight for my human rights. I also sat on the sidelines as Barack Obama fought gallantly to move America forward by a quantum step to realise Dr. King’s dream. Had I grown up in America I would have been in the thick of battle, and I would not have had a choice.

Our son has to cope in times of growing hardship and grave social danger. The very large question that is unanswered at the moment is whether there is a wall into which he will slam that will turn his life into a living hell. Our hope for him is that he will always have options for growth and happiness, and that he will have the wisdom to make the right choices. Far too many young people squander their choices until they find it’s too late to recover, and that they are the authors of their own misfortune.

The other big negative is that we should expect to see stress related illness affect more young people than ever. We already have seen a dramatic rise in murders committed by the very young.

In the times in which we are now living, being young might just be the greatest weight of all to bear.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

One Solo Crane

Lonely Crane

Once upon a time, not very long ago our skyline was a very busy place. One could have turned 360 degrees and everywhere you would have seen construction cranes dotting the horizon. You could have been forgiven for thinking that they were tv antennas. Here in Spain, as a measure of how hard the economy has fallen our skyline is all but bereft of the familiar sight of those giants standing watch over us.

The building boom that began ahead of the change to the euro gathered pace and had the beneficial effect of taking all those unemployed people off the streets. Spain had never been so safe for instead of breaking into homes men have had legitimate work.

Then, a little Building Society in England when bust, leaving depositors lining up at its doors demanding their money. Little did anyone know that that was the thin edge of the wedge. Bankers have been quick to point fingers at the United States, declaring that the problems started there. Certainly the scope of the crisis there is enormous, but how did it involve institutions around the world?

The construction industry was the engine that drove Spain hard. Spaniards came to realize benefits they could not have dreamed of. Suddenly everyone was driving a top of the line car, with summer and winter homes. The top jobs were reserved for locals, and the ladies were turned out in only the best.

Pop! Bang!! Boom!!!

That was the sound the Spanish balloon made as it burst, making for the worst statistic within Europe. So far, four million are out of work. Many foreigners who came to get a piece of the pie have simply returned home. However, those illegal would-be immigrants still come in droves hoping against hope that Spain holds a better life them. A few do succeed and the word gets back home and that brings even more to place an ever-heavier burden on social services. Somehow the word needs to get to Africa that there really isn’t anything better here for them. The special shame is that so many lose their lives along the way in vain.

As I write this the downward spiral continues at an increasing pace. The knock-on effect is taking its toll as one after another companies are forced to close. One way we know when things are on an upward spiral is by seeing the new shops and restaurants and bars that open offering new and exotic experiences. Fancy design furniture shops; travel agencies send people farther afield, and fashions soar in their imagination. Those things are gone now, or well on their way out.

I passed a young woman sitting on a doorstep recently. I have never seen such despair up close as she showed me. She looked up and our eyes met and I was shaken by what I saw. I have no real idea of what her problem was. It need not have been money, or even the effects of illegal drugs, I only know that I have been seriously affected. I think she was saying with her eyes that she wanted to die, there and then.

It’s very difficult to say how long these sad times might last. There is so much over inventory in ready-to-move-in houses that have absolutely no buyers, and the promise of possible buyers recedes with every new person laid off. Now would perhaps be a good time for young people to consider joining the military, and the government might consider an aggressive programme of road and bridge building. The traditional cornerstones of the economy are in serious trouble, and the day that they emerge into the light will probably be a long way into the future.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

More Bad News

Crimes against all the women of the World

Last week I wrote about Josef Fritzl, the monster of Austria, who dislikes being thought of as a monster for having enslaved his daughter for 24 years and keeping her as his sex slave. You will recall that he fathered 7 children with her, against her will. It seems that although I said that I was disgusted by his actions, I neglected to say how ashamed that made me feel as a man, that one of of "us" could be so low. Well, unfortunately, even before the ink had dried I got another chance to express my revulsion and to make up for my omission.

Austria may be glad to have some company in its misery, but Colombia, South America, have now reported that they have arrested their own monster for allegedly sexually abusing his daughter over a very long time, and in the process he has fathered eight children with her. The daughter is now 35 years of age, and her oldest child is 19, a shared fact with the Fritzl case.

The man, speaking in his own defence, said that the woman is not his biological daughter, but rather he and his now deceased wife adopted her. His daughter is adamant that he is her biological father.

Let me be clear: whether adopted or biological, there is no difference in so far as this crime is concerned. It is heinous and beyond the acceptable or understandable actions of man. The man who molests his own children is scum. He gives up his right to call himself a man, because other men cannot understand him, nor apologise for him. Indeed, he can no longer say that he is a decent human being. He moves down beyond the bottom dwellers. He cannot say that he lives with them because they have done nothing to be linked with him.

These kinds of actions, no matter how many more come to the surface, are so far outside respectable human behaviour that the individuals who commit them deserve our absolute scorn.

Much time and angst has been spent in trying to come up with an appropriate form of punishment/treatment to deal with these cretins. When last I wrote I said that I simply did not know what was the correct thing to do. Well, I now have a better idea.

Most men are motivated by our sexual urges. That’s how we are wired. We work hard to impress the women we find attractive, and all our efforts drive us to sexually mate with the women we find who inspire us. The kids and the mortgage and stressful job come as a surprise. I’m assuming that these men who take their daughters do so because of an inability to find satisfaction elsewhere. Should that be the case I have to assume there will be other cases in the future.

Rape, imprisonment, abduction, already have their punishment guidelines. What we need to do is beef up the response to this sort of incest. I am certain that within the boundaries of decent society’s conscience we can tolerate treating the attacker by having his penis reduced to a mere stump so that it can no longer be used for penetration purposes. Such an operation can be carried out with all proper conditions, and most likely doctors would not have a problem with it. After all, it does not contravene the Hippocratic oath to do no harm, as the doctor will be safeguarding society and the individual himself.

I also believe that the men themselves would possibility agree to such a procedure. The one thing that is apparent is that when found out these men go into a super sense of shame. We saw how Josef Fritzl hid his face, even though it was already so well known. Some people who commit certain types of crime actually hope to be caught and stopped.

And now, a word to the women of the world: The vast majority of men are decent people who are as outraged as you must be by the telling of these tales. We do not understand such individuals who commit such outrage against women, nor can we condone in any way their actions. We find ourselves constrained by the natural justice guidelines, beyond which we will not go. This is not a time to lose faith and to think that the world is going to end in a cesspool of depravity because all the men have gone mad. However, what this does tell us is that there are a few men who are capable of taking their sickness into new frontiers. There would be nothing wrong with bearing that in mind and acting accordingly.

What do you think?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

I am Not a Monster

Beautiful Salzburg, Austria

Josef Fritzl does not like being described as a Monster. You will recall that he is the “gentleman” from Austria who took his own daughter hostage and enslaved her as his sex object. He held her against her will for 24 long years in a downstairs sealed apartment where he fathered seven children with her.

One of the children needed urgent medical care at an early age, however he was adamant that there would be no medical intervention, so the child died. For this he was charged with murder.

Because of the nature of the offences allegedly committed he was further charged with numerous acts of rape, too numerous to count, and with incest.

Perhaps Mr. Fritzl is correct, the word monster does seem tame under the circumstances.

In my opinion, for any father to have sexual relations with his own child is to qualify him as a monster of the highest degree. I cannot even imagine what goes through a person’s mind to make him think that would be justified. For any female to experience being treated with such disdain and disrespect is not something that any man can imagine, even those who commit the offence. The exception to this is when it’s a man on the receiving end from another man.

When the aggressor is her own father, the one person upon whom she is supposed to be able to count on for protection, she surely must believe that this world is putrid beyond belief.

There are some other elements to this story that are even more important. I wonder what was in the mind of Mrs. Fritzl. Oh yes! There is a Mrs. Fritzl. As widely reported, her name is Rosemarie and she is approximately 69 years of age. She lived in the upstairs part of the very same house under which her daughter was being held for all those years. She was told by her husband that their daughter had run away from home and joined a cult. Then he showed up with three of his children/grandchildren for her to care for, explaining that they were her daughter’s for whom the daughter could not care for.

In researching this story, incredibly other media have printed the names of all the players. I disapprove of that. I think that it is insensitive to the burden that the children/grandchildren already have to bear, so I will refrain from doing so.

Many people absolutely refuse to believe that the wife had no idea of what was going on. However, it should be borne in mind that he did not intend that she know. The bunker itself was actually under the backyard, rather directly below the house, so the sounds of crying children were adequately muffled.

His daughter was 19 when he lured her into what was to become her home for the next 24 years. She is now 42 and very deeply troubled. I try to imagine what his rape of her was like that first time, and my mind shuts down. I just can’t go there. And all those subsequent times when he entered the bunker for sex. I can hear her pleading “Daddy, please, not again!”

The ages of the children are as follows: Girl, 19, boy, 18, girl, 16, girl, 14, boy, 12, boy, 5. Three of the children had never seen daylight since they were born.

There are two things that disturbs me about the children: How will they cope, especially since everybody in Austria knows who they are, and they all bear this man’s evil seed. I suppose that they could be given social counselling and transferred to another country and given new identities, but there is still the matter of the evil seed that they carry, and they will all know about how they came into the world. How does one rise above such a horrific beginning?

Fritzl was once an honourable man in the eyes of those who knew him, but now that the truth is out he felt the need to hide his face. I imagine that one of the worst punishments for anyone to suffer is to lose their honour. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

So, Herr Fritzl, you may not think you’re a monster but in the eyes of the world you are the ultimate monster. As for me, all I know is that you thoroughly disgust me. Your crimes are against humankind because they are crimes against your own family. I have no idea as to what would be the proper punishment for you within the law. I note that there is a suggestion that you be jailed for the rest of your miserable life, and that you be given treatment. This outraged me until I remembered that treatment can take many forms.

On its face Austria is a place of breathtaking beauty and culture. Everything seems to be in place, and it seems to work like the finest clock. However, Austria needs to look inwards and ask itself whether it is reasonable that it gave to the world, apart from Josef Fritzl, Wolfgang Priklopil who abducted Natascha Kampusch whom he held for eight years, but not always underground or even indoors; and it also gave us as its president Kurt Waldheim, a “former” nazi. He also served for five years as UN Secretary-General. (I can hear your breath stop.)

The worst thing to date that Austria has given to the world is one of its sons, Adolf Hitler. For this it should forever be in an apologetic state to all of humankind. Were it not for the fact that it also gave us Arnold Schwarzenegger we might have a totally dismal view of this country.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Australia

Australia-The Land Down Under

It’s an amazing thing that in spite of the fact that Australia is so large we could fit all of Europe within it, and still have space left over, I hardly know anything about it. However, lately news from Australia seems to be a regular feature. I have always regarded that country in the same sense as the downstairs neighbours. You know they are there, but they can be ignored.

As a young person the only thing I knew about the country was that they would not admit any people of colour. A government minister from my country who was black, had to attend a Commonwealth conference that was held in Australia. In order for him to be admitted he was given a certificate naming him as an “Honorary White”. He was mortified, and he used his time for speech to castigate the government for their policies.

From my viewpoint at that time, I considered that any country that was that stupid was probably also very dangerous. I resolved that they would never have to worry about me coming to visit. That was a long time ago. Since then, my wife, who is British with a sister living in Australia, took our son for a visit so that he could make his acquaintance with his cousins. He fell in love with the place, and now, two years later, at the age of 18, he has gone back on his own accord for a year’s work/study. He could not have chosen a more event filled year to be there.

There have been killer floods in the north, out of control fires in Victoria, (that is located to the north of Melbourne;) and a typhoon that has ravaged the east coast. I have always had the impression that the country was a very dangerous place. There are creatures on the loose that can rip a man to shreds. Those are the women of Australia, commonly known as Sheila’s. The animals are even more vicious.

I was very touched by the dramatic impact of the fires that took the lives of some 200 persons and destroyed so much property. To be told that some of those fires were deliberately set out of mischief is a body blow that is felt from even this distance.

I must admit that I have mellowed somewhat as the country has changed a great deal. However, I would really have to be desperate to go there. Our son booked his own flight and bought his own ticket. We live in Spain and I thought he would fly to London, then on to Australia across Africa with perhaps a stop-over in Indonesia. He chose to fly London direct to Los Angeles, then direct to Sydney, before changing planes to fly to Melbourne. That was the long way round, although cheaper. He sat on airplanes for more than thirty hours, plus he had waiting times of another ten hours. Only a young person with stamina could do that. As I say, I would have to really be desperate to go there via any route.

As far as I can tell, Australia is a dream world for a student taking a gap year for adventure. He has gone there for the purpose of developing his independence, so we are not getting blow-by-blow accounts of his trials and tribulations, but we do understand that he is fully engaged and enjoying the experience. We believe that he is meeting up with other young people who are backpacking and that he is learning a great deal from the university of life.

The world has changed so much and continues to do so before our eyes. To be young, free and adventurous in this age must be a wonderful thing. As for me, my sense of “get up and go” has long gone.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Lowest of the Low

I have been following a case through the courts that is especially instructive as to the depths one person can sink in their inhumanity to man. This is not an example from a war torn area. Places like Germany, the United States, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eastern Europe, Iraq, and various other parts of Africa are replete with examples of how depraved humans can be, but this is a story from a wealthy country at peace.

The facts are as follows: A distinguished gentlemen has lived to reach the age of 100, while maintaining his independence. However, his ability to get around on his own was diminishing, and his capability of looking after himself really required that he be given some help. An agency was contracted to send a caregiver. They chose a 47-year-old female who held herself out as a family person and a devout Christian.

She began her care of the gentleman, but after only a few months it was noticed that his spending habits had altered. He had been receiving a pension of $1,400 per month, against which he spent $1,300. However, he had a savings account of $110,000 that he was not touching. Perhaps he should have been finding the odd thing or two to amuse himself, but as he had outlived all his friends and relatives, except one, who lived in another country, he had no-one to share his life with.

A neighbour noticed that the caregiver had moved in with her client, bringing her family with her. The elderly gentleman had been moved from the part of the house that he loved, the part with the view of the sea, and was placed in a small room at the back of the house.

A brand new car appeared at the house, and on the surface he appeared to be reasonably happy. He did not complain when the relative called to check on him, however, the neighbour sensed that something was awry. A call was placed to the relative suggesting that they might like to look into the current state of affairs.

What that investigation uncovered was the following: The caregiver soon discovered that the old man had a very healthy balance at the bank, so she convinced her client that it would be cheaper for him to hire her direct. She resigned from the agency, thereby excluding them from monitoring her activities; then she convinced him to give her Power-of-Attorney, although she was neither an attorney nor a blood relative.

Armed with that document she completely took over his life. She told him what he could or could not do. She made him give up his preferred space in the house, and she spent his money as though it were her own for personal things for herself and her family. When she was caught his account had been depleted by $90,000.

Adjectives fail me. I can only say that a special place is reserved for this woman and her husband in hell. To steal from someone such as this gentleman is to show such utter disrespect to all seniors, and in particular to herself. I’m thinking of appropriate names for her, but I will keep them to myself. You can think of your own list.

As disturbing as the actions of this very depraved person are, I am upset with others who should have stood up for the gentleman. Firstly, the Agency who sent the caregiver must have seen that her resignation meant that a private deal had been struck between their client and the caregiver. That is one of the fundamental protections that they must surely be responsible to guard against. In my opinion, they should be held responsible for his losses.

Secondly, she applied a Power-of-Attorney over the assets of someone for whom she had no basis to be granted such power. Perhaps were she his next-of-kin a good case might have been made, but under those circumstances it would have been far better for his attorney to have held that power so that any requests for disbursements could have been monitored. Instead, the law firm actually complied. They did not have to do so. Instead, if he insisted they could have referred the matter to the department of Social Services.

Finally, when a citizen reaches a certain age, I always thought that the Department of Social Services takes a particular interest in their welfare. It seems to me that they should look into the living structure of such senior citizens to ensure that they are not being taken advantage of by the unscrupulous. Apparently this is not happening.

There were three hurdles to the caregiver being able to abuse her client. She crossed them all without any problem. They are all in one way or another in the business of providing care to the community, especially those who are not able to fend for themselves adequately. They all failed miserably! May the caregiver rot in hell!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Bad Decisions

I have been watching a series by National Geographic that recreates the consequences of bad decisions taken by individuals. The individuals themselves usually relate the stories, so we can say that they are lucky to have survived their own stupidity to talk about it.

It never fails to amaze me that we do things that we realize at the time are stupid and harmful to ourselves, but we do them anyway. I have done my fair share of stupid things, (nothing actually illegal) and as I view such stories I have to say I’m very glad it wasn’t me who was the subject of the presentation.

Usually the events involve the police, customs, or rescue services, or all of the above. I am moved to write this as I hope it might help some young person. The latest story involved a young man in Miami (USA) who fell in love with a cute young girl of seventeen who said that she was married and the victim of an abusive husband. She approached our young man in a tearful state bearing a cut lip, saying that her husband had beaten her. She was never going to go back to him, but she had no idea where she was going to stay.

Our hero came to the rescue by offering to let her stay with him. It developed that she was a cocaine addict who always had enough for herself and a friend or two. (Clue No. 1.)

He fell madly in love with her and eventually she said that she had been made an offer to fly to Mexico to bring back cocaine for a price, but she needed someone to come with her to watch her back. He said no way, but eventually he agreed with the stipulation that he will not carry any drugs himself.

Once they arrived they were met by their contacts who restricted their movements and ensured that they were dependent on their hosts for money and accommodation. Then, in a surprise move the hosts said that they wanted the girl to leave a couple of days ahead of him to limit suspicion. (Clue No. 2.)

Along the way she was seen to speak with certain people with more familiarity than that of complete strangers, and that did puzzle him a bit. (Clue No. 3.)

She left but didn’t call him when she got back to the United States. The drug dealers suddenly came to his room in a very angry mood demanding to know where she was. They say that she took off without the drugs, so he will have to take the drugs himself. He very reluctantly does so, and the last security officer he had to pass discovered that he was carrying contraband and he was arrested.

I have worked as a customs agent with the specific task of busting drug runners. I want to offer a bit of advice to any person who might be thinking about doing something as stupid as smuggling drugs.

“The thing that you are now getting around to thinking of doing is something that professional drugs agents have been stopping for a long time.”

In the case of the young man in our story, he was set-up from the start. The girl was paid to recruit naive young men into doing her bidding through getting them to fall in love with her. He should have paid attention to the fact that she always had a stock of cocaine. Where did it come from? How did she afford it?
Based on that fact alone he needed to shake her free. She was trouble with a capital “T”.

He resisted going to Mexico to take part in a smuggling operation because he knew it was a crazy and self-destructive thing to do. So, why did he do it?

He should have paid particular attention to the people whom she had out of earshot conversations with in a familiar manner. Although she said that she had never done anything like that which they were engaged in, she clearly had travelled this route before.

A person who agrees to take drugs through customs is called a mule. Another name for a mule is an ass, a name that is well deserved. I will not betray my oath of office by divulging the specifics of a custom officer’s training, but here are some common sense thoughts. An experienced customs officer can spot a mule from the moment he steps into the airport or dock, or crossing. The suspect might give himself/herself away by nerves and sweat, or be super cool. More than once people have been busted because the officer asked a question, received an answer, paused to consider what was said and asked again.

In the case we are considering our traveller did not even have a carry-on suitcase. The dealers taped six kilos of cocaine to his body so he even had some difficulty in walking. What’s more, they drove him to the airport and dropped him off in plain sight of the departure desks. From the moment he stepped out of that car he was a marked man.

He got through the previous security checks because officials were probably playing a little game with him. They let him get deep within the network so that he felt he could relax, and then they sprung their trap.

While telling his tale he completely missed two points: One, he said again and again, that if only the officer hadn’t actually touched him gently on his back to assist him along he would have gotten away with it. He seemed to think that the officer’s touch was accidental. It wasn’t! Trust me. Secondly, he refused to believe that his girlfriend had betrayed him. He said “There was no way she would have done such a thing!”

Oh Yeah?

He was sentenced to eight years in a very dirty Mexican prison. Anybody still think it might be worth it to smuggle drugs?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Black & White

I am in the process of reading President Barack Obama’s first book, “Dreams from my Father” which relates to his early life. He was born in Hawaii of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya. He spent a large part of his early years in Hawaii and in Indonesia, before moving to New York as a young idealized man. Finally he settled in Chicago.

I found it quite interesting to note that his journey of self discovery involved, more or less the same confusion of a young black man whose both parents were black. My reasoning is that if one of your parents is white, and you have white relatives, why would you go through a process of demonising white people if your relatives were kind to you?

I think that many people no longer even know what the difference between being a Negro is and what being black is. What is the difference between being a Caucasian or being a White person? I believe that most people think it’s the same thing, but I beg to differ.

The dictionary says that to be Caucasian is to be a part of the White or light-skinned division of mankind. In other words, of the Caucasian tribe. According to Wikipedia, the name appears to have been developed by a German scientist and classical anthropologist, Johann Freidrich Blumenbach, around 1800. He based the name on the people from the Caucasus region of Russia, including Georgia, because he deemed these people to represent the archetype of the race.

The Nazis took the whole concept to an even higher and ridiculous level insisting that having fair skin was not enough. You had to conform to definite measurements to be accepted into the club. Generally, in very early times it might be said that whites came from the northern hemisphere, and other races from the more sunny south.

It is not my intention to go too deeply into the subject, but the thing that is evident upon just scratching the surface is that this is a very thorny matter. However, what is not debated is that Caucasians and Negroes fundamentally differ in our approach to life. This is as it is supposed to be, and our challenge is to get along and succeed in spite of our differences.

The Wikipedia definition of Negro is to be of Black ancestry. In the languages of Spanish and Portuguese Negro means black. However, until the early to mid sixties the race was described as Negro or, in polite circles, “Coloured.” Then came the struggle for civil rights and we began to hear the term Black used in various connotations. There was “Black Power”, and “Black Rights”, and “Black People.” Because of the circumstances of its introduction into common language I believe it represents an attitude rather than a colour.

You could not say that you were Negro, and not Black without drawing down upon you the most severe condemnation. Even to day, in certain highly militant circles you cannot belong and express an admiration for things outside the circle’s approved list.

As a development in the right direction, if you don’t wish to be seen as a black man, or as a polite descriptive usage you are allowed the use of “African-whatever”. President Obama, who apparently some people still seem to think is Irish, (O’Bama), is described as America’s first African-American president. That was a very important step for America to take as they have broken the sacred mould of “white and male” as president in favour of simply the best person available.

If we accept that black and white represent attitudes, it can then follow that there will be people who can hold black attitudes while being Caucasian, and vice-versa. Who says that we have to remain absolutely within the club in which we were born. To be able to move about and to contribute to and take from other cultures is how we grow and live life to the full.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Too Much!

Greed is not Good!

I have an idea of how the United States, and the entire capitalist world has come to get itself into so much trouble. That doesn’t mean that I also have the solution to our problems. Far from it! If my theory of where things went so wrong is correct, making things go right will not be easy or instant.

I can sum it up in two words: Too Much!

I can tell my side of the story in five million words or just a few. I elect to take the latter approach, although the situation is as complex as it is simple. I will use just one bank as an example.

There was a time when our bank held few assets, say, 10 million dollars. Their customers asked them to invest their savings with the dual mandates of conserving the capital and providing a reasonable rate of interest. The bank said that it could do that, and it did because it could find enough blue chip companies to invest in.

Through its success more people came to trust it and its assets grew to more than 100 million dollars. As well, some of the bank’s customers asked for part of their money to be invested in safe situations, and part could go into something called “venture capital” where the returns could be much greater, but also the risks would have to be greater.

The bank had to enter into an investment market that was risky where the swings were wild in order to go after big gains. The more success they had the more money they were given to produce results. It is a truism that if we commit $1,000 to a new idea that pays off well we wish we had put $1,000,000 into it. So, the second time we get serious and the bank is given ever more money to manage. Now, finding the hot items that come up winners begins to get difficult.

This is the culture of greed, and as Gordon Greco said, “Greed is Good!” Not! Greed is what brought more than three million customers to Bernard Madoff and that let him alledgely swindle them of more than 50 billion dollars. It is said that he made-off with all that money by engaging in one of the oldest con games known to man. In among his distinguished clients are a long list of bankers who bloody well should have known better.

Now, let’s switch to the bank’s mortgage market. It does a moderate business in lending money to well vetted borrowers. Along comes a builder and asks that the bank back it in a small building programme. The project gets completed and the builder sells all the properties thereby returning five dollars for every dollar borrowed. So, the builder now wants to enter into a project that is massive and the bank is keen to back them. They repeat the first example, and everyone is happy.

Everybody also gets greedy, and they go again with a project that is huge and not well thought through. When it comes time to sell the units they find that well qualified buyers are few and far between, so they start to go out on the margins to pick up people who just might be able to handle a mortgage, and they give them a bigger mortgage than they should. The stage is set for an unavoidable collapse. When the collapse comes everybody is surprised, except the people who were active in promoting the disaster, but who enjoyed lots of commissions and bonuses along the way.

Ever heard of a 100% mortgage? This is where the buyers have no money at all to buy a home, so all concerned engineer the situation so that the bank gives the buyers all the money they need to sign on the dotted line. How do they do it? The bank’s assessor goes out to view the property, and if the buyer and seller have agreed on 100, the assessor increases the value to 120 and the bank then takes off the 20 as it’s margin of safety and gives 100. The hope is that the market will continue to rise and the buyer will pay on time, and all will be well.

What has happened is that we have built too much real estate inventory for which there are no buyers. The building boom has had to stop, and the person paying the mortgage has lost his job, and the bank has had to foreclose on a property whose value has fallen like a lead weight, and the bank has had to show losses which are then reflected in the value of it’s stock price, and the bank is unable to pay out money demanded by it’s savers who no longer have jobs and are consequently not able to pay any of their bills, etc, etc, etc.

We started with just one bank, but it’s easy to see how interlocked everything is, and the global financial system rises together and it falls together. No business or country is an island in the financial sense.

We have tried to do too much in too short a period of time. Now we see millions upon millions of people around the world losing their jobs with no prospects of finding anything other than whatever their governments can do to put them back to work. Government funded emergency jobs are intended as short-term opportunities. The private sector is where careers are made and entrepreneurship can flourish. This will be very difficult to accomplish.

The alarming thing about all of this is that the experts are suggesting that the answer to an economic comeback is more of the same.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Happiest Couple in the World

Miguel and Maria

Miguel and Maria are our neighbours. He is a giant of a man, and Maria is as tiny as a fairy. She once had hair so long that it draped almost to the ground. As a result of living side by side with them, my family and I are all the more blessed. We may try to carefully pick the people alongside whom we live and interact on a daily basis, but sometimes it doesn’t quite work out. Of our four closest neighbours three range from good to very excellent. It’s best I make no comment regarding the fourth.

We have had the good fortune to observe, without being deliberate or intrusive a match apparently made in heaven between Miguel and Maria, for these two wonderful people personify the dream that we all have at the beginning of our marriages, that of having a special someone to spend the rest of our lives with; someone to grow old with in a life marked by peace, love and harmony.

I’m sure you have your own candidates to wear the title that I have given this piece. In our world of serial marriages or no-marriages, it’s important to look for examples of how it’s supposed to be. That is why I want to tell the story of this lovely couple because it is a good news story, one to lift our spirits, and it celebrates Saint Valentine’s Day so well.

Miguel and Maria have been married for 41 years, having tied the knot in 1968. Their story began in a time when Spain was a whole world apart from what it has become in these modern times.

Miguel was born in 1945 in a pueblo called Benelup Casas Vieja, located inland in the general vicinity of Cadiz on the South Coast of Spain. These were the days during the dictatorship and times were very hard indeed. Miguel remembers mostly the ever-present hunger and fear. It was hard to know which was worse. Those were the days where if you let slip the wrong word they would come for you and you were taken away and never heard from again. It was also a time when old scores were settled even though a person might have been entirely loyal to the government.

Sometimes the government agents didn’t even bother to take those chosen away, as in the time the soldiers came to his village and lined up a group of men who were suspected of being Communists. They were herded into a clearing and summarily shot to death, then set ablaze with petrol poured over their bodies.

Living conditions were not unlike those in Northern Africa. Houses were built in the round from clay and roofed with thatched grass. Naturally, all industry was agriculture based, but in spite of growing food the distribution was strictly controlled and that often led to the very people who grew the food being denied sufficient to feed their own families.

1960 was to be a turning point for both Miguel and Maria. That was the year that they met in the town of Manises, Valencia. Fate had brought Maria from Andalucia, and Miguel from Cadiz, and they have hardly been apart ever since. Somehow, they manage to share in most activities of every day and maintain a relationship that is evidently first and foremost, friends and soul mates.

Saint Valentine, the Patron Saint of all lovers, must surely have had in mind these two lovely people as examples for young folk to follow. They are proof that it is possible to make a success of marriage, and that the fairy tale of "happy ever after" can be true.

It is important to keep uppermost in one’s mind the fact that nothing comes easy, and if it’s something of great worth, it will require tenacity, determination to make it work, and the realization that life together is about sometimes giving and sometimes getting.

One more thing: we must first accept the fact that our family deserve our utmost respect. Seems like a simple enough statement, but how many of us accept that as fact? Respect, and loyalty among the family is the cement that bonds us together. Add genuine love to that and a promise not to provoke or hit, and all the elements will be in place for a long life together.


Happy St. Valentine’s Day, Everyone!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Theft on Wall Street ?

Rewarding Incompetence?


Many banks, both traditional and investment found themselves in a great deal of trouble to the extent that if the US Government had not come forth with a whole lot of money to bail them out, they would have become bankrupt. Then, it was discovered that at the end of the year the executives awarded themselves and their staffs some 18 billion dollars in bonuses.

CNN asked their viewers whether they thought that this was correct, or whether these bonus payments must be returned? That opened a floodgate of responses and among them there was not one "No" to be found.

President Obama upon hearing the news said that he thought the practise was “shameful!”

“Bonus: An unsought or extra benefit. A seasonal gratuity to employees beyond their normal pay. An extra dividend or issue paid to the shareholders of a company. A distribution of profits to holders of an insurance policy. Bonus: a good thing.”

Those are the descriptions of a bonus given by the Oxford Dictionary.

In my working lifetime I have been a recipient of the year-end bonus at Christmas that was well appreciated. It happened only in those years where we exceeded profit projections and was given as a part of the extra profit and an incentive for us to repeat our performance the following year. In those years where we came in on profit target, or below expectations there was no bonus, for there was no basis on which to award one. We all understood!

So, considering that the 18 billion dollars was given out by companies that were about to fall off the edge into bankruptcy begs the question: how can a bonus be justified? Especially in the light of those companies receiving taxpayer’s dollars to fund such preposterous spending, it seems to me that quite possibly a crime of theft may have been committed.

One CEO of a bank is reputed to have said that if he doesn’t pay his best people well they will leave. He seems to be talking about the very people who got his bank into the mess that it’s in, so not only should they leave, they should be fired! They certainly should not be rewarded.

If President Obama has said that in his opinion what has taken place is shameful, we can be sure that he is directing the Justice Department to look into whether it was also illegal. What America needs is for everyone to be at the head of the line pulling one way to get itself out of the mire that it is in. The example of some people doing things that are counterproductive is like having them on the opposite side pulling backwards, and that simply just cannot be tolerated. What a tough job the President has taken on!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Waiting to be Fired

Waiting to be Fired

I am a retired person who wonders what life for me would be like were I gainfully employed. How would I feel if my work was in an industry that was susceptible to recessionary or depressionary forces? Being retired doesn’t make me exempt. If anything it’s probably a worse situation because I am at an age which is beyond me being hired even if there was work.

I imagine that were I an employee of any one of the industries at risk, and that includes most, I would find it very difficult to concentrate on my work. Most people give in to temptation and mortgage their future paycheques because that is how we live. The stress levels among employees must be sky high, and that does nothing to improve job performance.

I was seriously affected by the very recent news story of a couple in America who both worked at an hospital, and were both laid off. They had a family of five children, and I suppose they had completely run out of money and hope. The man first shot his wife as she slept, then systemically went to each child and shot him or her dead, and then turned the gun on himself.

That’s not the first time in recent memory that has happened, and unfortunately I think it will happen in the future many times. In America, where guns are so easily obtainable, and in these impossible times it really is a very easy way out. A final solution! As I write this I am getting goose bumps, but I really do think that it will be part of the cost of the disaster that the American economy is going through.

I am a professional accountant, and in that capacity I worked as a manager of proprietry insurance companies. My clients were Fortune 500 companies and the work we did for them was vital in controlling their losses, so I think perhaps I may have been secure for some time to come. Some businesses are recessionary proof, such as undertakers, doctors and other branches of the medical world, and insurance, among others.

What happens in times like these, which are unprecedented? Firstly, it seems that every company of substance are announcing layoffs by the thousands. In America, during the last three or four months of 2008 layoffs totalling more than 2.6 million were announced. That means major companies, so we have to guesstimate a number in addition to those for small companies that have gone out of business. And it continues in the present! These are not just numbers. They are the loss of dreams, ambitions, hope, and of course, private education, homes, cars, etc.

If you are enrolled in a social insurance programme that pays loss of job benefits for a period that will give you a cushion while you frantically search for something else. However, when all around you are downsizing the sense of depression and outright fear must be overwhelming.

There are some people who actually try to live within their means. By that I mean that if they don’t have the cash for it, they don’t buy it. Businesses think that this is a ridiculous way to conduct one’s affairs. We get credit cards filling our mailboxes, and all sorts of tempting offers to go into debt. Business needs for us to spend today and not worry about the long-term, because in the long-term we are all dead. It’s that type of thinking that has got the world in so much ca-ca.

The banks are saying that they cannot loan any more money. Well, that’s the way we have been doing business and without credit we all go back to basics. Can we do that? Haven’t we come too far to go back? The talk is about re-building, but on what basis. We surely can’t re-build on the same sandy patch as we did before. Our house will simply fall down again. So, what’s the answer?

The cold hard situation is that no-one knows anything, and that’s enough to chill me to the bone. So, those who opt to take the, admittedly cold hard way out just won’t be around to see how it all turns out. Personally, I’d like to live to be one hundred, or at least long enough to see whether President Barack Obama can make any difference at all. I know that he is determined to do so, but remember, no-one knows anything!


Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

President Barack Obama

President Barak Obama


On January 20th, 2009, white people and black people, and all shades in between celebrated the very same thing in the inauguration of President-elect Obama: they celebrated the coming of age of America. By electing someone other than a white male, the way is now clear to choose the best talent for the job, whether that person be male or female.

The day was brilliant and went without a hitch. We all held our breath that it wouldn’t be interrupted by someone trying to do something idiotic. President Obama was elected as America’s first African-American commander-in-chief. That fact brought to The Washington Mall a record number of people, especially black people, to see for themselves the modern miracle of his inauguration.

The ceremony was perfect; the weather cooperated, and no-one interfered with the historic event. Hundreds of millions of people around the world stopped what they were doing and watched. The inauguration of President Mandela in South Africa was as monumental, but I believe that event did not command as many people to listen in absolute silence to President Mandela’s every word as they did to President Obama. Had a pin dropped it would have clanged as loudly as a bell.

Some people later said that they were disappointed in the speech as it did not soar for them in its rhetoric. Perhaps they were expecting show business rather than hard reality. The fact is that the speech had within it everything that should have been there, even some things that had to be hard for President Bush to bear.

In his vow he pledged to uphold the Constitution of the United States. That Constitution states that “all men are created equal”, but then also says that a black man shall be considered three fifth’s of a white man. The Constitution is wrong, has always been wrong on that point, and no longer can be considered an authority on the subject. It raises the question “what else is wrong with the American Constitution?

As wonderful as the ceremony was, all of that happened yesterday. Today, he is now simply Mr. President, and it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get on with a very daunting task. He starts with a positive rating of about 80%, which means that he has both Democratic and Republican support. That is unprecedented.

However, within America there is a school of thought that what is happening is a travesty. They believe that only a white male has the right to lead the country. Those people are both stupid and dangerous. They are also unaware, to use President Obama’s own words, “that the ground has shifted under their feet”. America has moved on, as it must because the world has changed and the task at hand is to recreate America and the world. Nothing works any more as it’s supposed to, and no-one knows anything for sure. So those people who find themselves having a problem getting their head around a black man in the president’s office need to realise it is they who have a very big problem.




We have all seen what America is capable of doing to their presidents, and it is for that reason most people couldn’t be drafted into the Oval Office. However, the Obamas are very special people. They have to be extraordinary just to have made it to where they are. I have no doubt that the Obama administration will be dogged with hard luck and some errors, but these will come about mainly due to circumstances. What we do know is that President Obama can be counted on to make very good decisions. His judgement is clear and concise and will be the thing that will be the difference between disaster or success.
Everyone agrees that his plate is overfull with a very long list of misery. His task is impossible, but the way to take on such an overwhelming challenge is by putting one foot ahead of the other and by keeping that positive mindset that says “Yes we can!”

I am not a fan of former President Bush, although I do commend him for being so generous in the transition by going over and beyond the call of duty. The other thing that he did was to set the scene so that even small gains on President Obama’s part will stand out in exaggerated fashion. Unfortunately, some things happened on his watch that are simply not his fault, but they will taint even further his track record of not much of anything of value to be judged by history.

Now it’s up to America’s security forces to protect the president as he goes about his daily business. He and his family must be kept safe as he tries to re-build America. He is America’s Great Black Hope, and many people say he is their only hope.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Obama Time!

As I write this the date is Sunday, 18th January 2009. I am reminded that this is the month in which America honours the man who had a dream that one day America would no longer judge a person by the content of their skin colour, but rather by the content of their character. I am not a person who believes in coincidences. I believe that there is more order and pre-determination in our world than may seem. When significant things come together to form what most people consider a coincidence, I call those things synchronicity.

So it will be that we honour the Late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, the great activist for civil rights, on January 19th, followed by the inauguration as the 44th President of The United States of America of Barack Hussein Obama, “the skinny kid with the funny sounding name” as he likes to put it. On that day the Dream that millions of people around the world took as their own will come true.

Please do not bother me with telephone calls. Let no one try to sell me anything, or ask me anything, or break my concentration on Tuesday the 20th as I watch transfixed in front of my television set. I don’t suppose I need worry as I will be among the billions of people around the world doing the same thing. Just remember, Valencia, Spain is six hours ahead of Washington D.C.

For me there will be the normal hope that the new person will bring significant change for the better to the table. I am neither Democrat nor Republican, but the fact is that as goes America, so goes Europe. So, I naturally wish President Obama all the very best.


Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Planning

While driving the AP-7 together with my wife, the thought occurred to me that in the event that we became involved in a fatal crash we had completely failed to give our son even one clue as to what to do after the police had delivered the news. So, I made a New Year’s resolution to write down for him the steps that he could take, and where to find things. Now that I have completed that list I would like to encourage each and everyone to do something similar.

As an exercise, whenever you see news footage of someone lying under the golden shroud in a scene on the highway, pause a moment to wonder what effect that will have on the family. We may not be able to control what happens to us, however there are some things that we can do to mitigate the effects of tragedy

To get you started the sort of things that your survivors will need to know go something. like this:

Who do I need to contact with this information? Ideally, there should be only one person per country that you can rely on to inform all relatives.
Who do I contact with this information in this country? Other than the obvious concerning disposal of remains, what companies and individuals must you contact?
How to go about cancelling accounts and realizing assets and settling amounts due to various creditors, including the government agencies.
Where are files and information to be found? This is not a time for a treasure hunt. There is quite enough stress already in your next of kin’s life. This part of the process should be made as simple as possible.
What about life insurance policies? Help with information as to where you have such assets would be most appreciated at this time. Otherwise, a trawl of every life insurance company in the world may be the only way to avoid leaving money on the table.
Where is your Will kept? It is so important to have a Spanish Will to cover your Spanish assets. Property held in other countries can be covered under Wills pertinent to those countries, but to die without a properly executed Will is to die In testate. That is a complicating factor that is not a very good thing.

As I got to thinking about the matter my mind got to wandering and I thought about those people who hide assets for the sake of tax evasion. Money in numbered accounts and tax havens may all be very well as long as the individual is able to access it during his lifetime, but when he dies, as he surely will do, after a reasonable period of time it must become the property of the bank. Whatever was held from the government becomes lost to the family plus more on top. In the end that becomes a fruitless exercise. Best just to pay the tax when due.

I do applaud the firms that sell burial plans because it does get us thinking about the end game. I’m taking the idea of planning to the ultimate degree until your estate is completely settled. Some people have even planned their own funereal program, including the songs to be sung. That’s fine with me, although I can choose the songs for you, but other things are strictly your provinces.

Finally, when going through with this we have to be realistic. We must consider that the chances that our information will be needed will be something near 100%. Therefore we do need to be thorough, and above all we need to be current. In undertaking such a task we can always be comforted in the belief that while the information will be used one day, that day may be a long way into the future.

Have a long, happy, healthy and prosperous life!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Goodbye 2008 ! (and Good Riddance!)

In all my years there has not been another year like 2008. I began that year with the wish to all that 2008 be Great. Of course, I meant that in every positive way, but instead it turned out to be a great year for everything negative.

Now let’s be clear on one thing. This is not a personal rant. My family and I ended the year in plus territory. We did have our problems along the way, but on balance I can say that for us it was not a bad year overall. However, too many people around us had it tough. Far too many people lost their jobs, their homes, their money, their pensions, their hope, and their lives. I’m talking about complete and utter strangers to me whose pain I feel. The news got so difficult to watch that I simply had to take a holiday from watching it.

There has been one thing after another that made my mouth drop ever lower and my eyes pop even wider. I said that it was as though these are the final days of civilisation. But, here we are in the early days of 2009. Normally we celebrate in hope that things will be better than the last year, but really, do we have any reason to hope and expect that this New Year will be any better. I think that it will probably get worse before it gets better. It’s a question of the bottom. When will it be reached? What major earth-shaking development is just waiting around the corner to shake the world to its core? Everything is suspect and no-one knows anything.

Fundamentally, we have all been reduced to a position whereby our long-term financial plan is a ticket on the lottery. If you win the lottery your problems will then commence in earnest. I have been reading about Bernard Madoff, whom I like to think of as Made-off with the money, and others who stand accused of defrauding people out of very large individual sums of money. The claims to which they were seduced are so outrageous I am shaking my head in wonder as to how they could have been so stupid. We are talking about very intelligent people who amassed large wealth only to give it to shamans. I’m fixated on this as perhaps a sign of the times, a form of desperation.

When looked at as a worldwide event I seriously do wonder whether the world can lose its mind. It appears that way.

Although 2009 will have to bear some of the problems that it has inherited from 2008, it will also be a year of opportunity. The new Obama Administration will be seen in a very positive light for the advancements that it makes, and there is plenty of scope for that. In the areas where things continue to slide it will be understood for a short while that it’s not their fault, but then, people will start to grow impatient. Just fix it! That will be the new order of the day. In many ways I see President Obama in the same way that we saw Will Smith in “Independence Day.” That was not a good position to be in.

So, I end this admittedly dismal blog on as optimistic a note as I can. Take care of your health. If you can maintain good health throughout the coming year you will be doing about as good as you can. You might like to stop smoking and to be cautious about what you take into your bodily system.

I would also like to borrow from the late President John F. Kennedy when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!”
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Don’t Feel like Singing Christmas Carols

2008 has been a truly Crap year! Far too many people lost their money; their pensions; their jobs; their homes; their futures; their families; their hope; and their very lives. About the only encouraging thing that has happened in my view is that George W. Bush is getting ready to move from The White House, and America grew up to shed the old mandate that only a white male could lead as president.

Barak Obama is the president-elect. It could have been Hillary Clinton. If you’re a U.S. Democrat you will no doubt have hope that the incoming president will do a much better job than the outgoing one. But, he is but a person. He might make some mistakes that turn out to be costly, or he might prove to be the best thing since peanut butter and jam. We’ll just have to wait and see.

How could 2008 have gone so terribly wrong, and will it drag down 2009 as well? So far I am one of the lucky ones. I’m retired but not immune to economic troubles. I have a mortgage and a pension, and given that whole countries have been on the edge of bankruptcy, anything is possible.

This is the Christmas shopping season and we are seeing sales that would have followed Christmas day precede the event. I also have observed shoppers looking among the bargain discount stores for items and asking that they be gift-wrapped. Times are tough indeed. I was born during a time when consumers were subject to rationing and all manner of deprivation. For me, life from my earliest recollections has been one of rising expectations. Suddenly, I get to witness first-hand the effect of what happens when the sky falls.

There was the case in the United States of Enron, also known as the crooked E, and the effects from that upon shareholders and employees that were so diabolical as to defy description. The disgraced chairman did the only honourable thing and fell on his sword. That company’s experience was so horrible that we all walked around with our mouths wide open and bug-eyed. Before that there was the collapse of Baring Bros caused by the actions of one man, and more importantly the non-actions of a whole directorate. We thought that was awful. Then came the tightening of credit, followed by the credit squeeze, followed by the credit crunch and toxic assets. This time the entire world was caught up in the mess and it continues till today.

What the hell ca we expect from tomorrow? We watch a parade of companies and countries looking to be bailed out from the mess that highly paid and respected money managers have created. The former chairman of The Federal Reserve in the United States came forward to say it’s as though he knows nothing. Well, the fact is that nobody really knows anything. Management techniques that once worked have gone out the window. Worthless! It’s a new game now. We now know how the Communists must have felt upon realising that their experiment no longer works either

So, when my wife asked me to go carolling I declined. I am never in the mood to do that, but this year singing Christmas carols and wishing everyone to have a Merry Christmas seems so very hollow.

So, the best that I can do is to wish everyone good luck, and above all good health. The chips are falling where they may and life will produce some disappointments. Our challenge is to accept such disappointments with more grace.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael .