Happy New Year: Just Roll With It

(David Moyers art)

I've often made New Year's resolutions--you know, the usual goals to spend less, lose weight, read more books, etc.--but that list is predicated upon the New Year being "normal." Sometimes events take charge--a death in the family, a corporate layoff, a house fire, getting a scholarship at a top college, winning the lottery (good things happen too)--that upend all the priorities.

In 2024 I had to learn once again that nature and other people had far more to say about how the year went than me, myself, and I.

In the New Year stuff will happen, so just roll with it.

Bottom Story of the Day

Magnus Carlsen's illegal pants (x/twitter)

One of the best chess players in the world was banned from a tournament for refusing to switch out his pair of jeans:

five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen arrived at the upscale Cipriani Wall Street, host of this year’s World Rapid Chess Championship, wearing something organizers considered utterly inappropriate. He was sporting a pair of jeans.

To FIDE, the game’s world governing body, this was as unacceptable as moving a pawn three spaces.

Denim, FIDE said, is “explicitly prohibited under longstanding regulations for this event” and promptly fined Carlsen, one of the greatest chess players of all time, $200 for his infraction. When the chief arbiter requested that Carlsen change his clothes, he declined to do so. And as a result, the 34-year-old grandmaster from Norway wasn’t assigned a match in the following round. It was chess’s equivalent of a one-game suspension.

Carlsen responded by quitting the tournament altogether—and then pulling out of the World Blitz Chess Championship, too.

“At that point, it became a bit of a matter of principle for me,” he said in an interview on his Take Take Take chess platform. “I’m too old at this point to care too much.”

Carlsen added that he’d been returning from a lunch meeting and barely had time to go back to his room, where he put on a shirt and jacket. He even threw on a different, dressier pair of shoes. But once the arbiter warned him about changing his trousers, Carlsen decided he’d had enough. Instead of arguing about pants, he figured he might as well spend his New Year’s somewhere warmer than freezing New York.

There are some people who are bigger than their sport. Tiger Woods, at his peak, was bigger than golf. Magnus Carlsen is bigger than chess. FIDE would be wise to consider that power dynamic when it seeks to assert its authority over a trivial matter like wearing blue jeans.

Santa Cruz Wharf

Debris from the partial collapse (CBS/YouTube)

The Santa Cruz Wharf experienced a partial collapse after being buffeted by large waves on December 23rd. Repairs had been planned since 2014 but were stymied by environmentalists to protect seagulls (who are not endangered): [bold added]

Strict permitting requirements and lengthy litigation by environmental activists have stalled efforts to fortify the pier that could have helped it withstand the storm, current and former city officials say.

At the center of the delays: seagulls.

It was for the benefit of the western gull, commonly known as the seagull, that the city of Santa Cruz delayed the most critical part of the repair work, installing new timber piles — the columns that hold up the wharf — until September, because gulls and another bird, the pigeon guillemot, make their nests in the wharf’s wooden beams.

The protections for the birds are imposed by the state Coastal Commission, from which the city must obtain a permit before it can do repairs. Most major construction — including replacing the piles — must take place between September and March to avoid the nesting season.

“Our work window is a very narrow six months over the winter time when we tend to have storms and big waves,” said Tony Elliott, director of Parks and Recreation, which oversees the wharf. “The wharf is a 110-year-old structure, and it requires a lot of work. … It takes more than six months out of the year to maintain it effectively.”

Neither the western gull nor the pigeon guillemot are endangered species, yet the Coastal Commission says federal and state laws protect their nesting areas.

One can see thousands of seagulls in San Francisco and down the Peninsula in Foster City. They swoop into the stands at the end of Giants games, looking for scraps. They are ubiquitous, far from endangered, and, frankly, hazardous to human and animal health. Somehow I think the seagulls will adapt if they couldn't nest at the Santa Cruz Wharf over several summers.

The blame for the wharf collapse rests squarely on the shoulders of the California Coastal Commission, which refused to modify its protection of the nesting areas of a species called by many as flying rats.

James Earl Carter, Jr. (1924-2024)

Former President Jimmy Carter, 100, has died:

The 39th president’s sole term in office was marred by a listless economy and stubborn inflation, squabbles within his party, gridlock in Congress and the seizure of American hostages in Iran. Considered a long-shot Democratic candidate when he announced his bid, Carter would broker a historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt and set in motion other changes that would dominate global politics in subsequent years.

Many of the achievements for which he was recognized came after he left office in January 1981. He was the most active former president in modern U.S. history, gaining renown for work over four decades monitoring elections around the world, fighting neglected diseases, working to raise living standards for the poor and advocating for human rights. He did much of this work through the Carter Center, the humanitarian nonprofit he founded with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, in 1982.

“Jimmy Carter will probably not go down in American history as the most effective president. But he is certainly the best ex-president the country ever had,” said Gunnar Berge of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in his 2002 speech presenting Carter with the peace prize.

Because of the Iran hostage crisis and moribund economy during his term, Jimmy Carter's Presidency is poorly regarded. But there were some positives:

But he had some notable successes in foreign affairs, including the Camp David Accords. Signed with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, they reshaped the Middle East by bringing a lasting peace to two hostile nations. And domestically, the president was able to push deregulation of airlines, railroads and other industries. He signed a law establishing the Energy Department to regulate existing sources of energy and fund research into new sources and other technologies.

If there's one thing that I remember about President Carter, it's his outspoken Christianity. He was mocked by the Eastern cognoscenti for the Playboy "lust in my heart" interview:

"I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times."

In his defense he wasn't saying anything that most red-blooded American males didn't identify with, but back in the '70's one just didn't talk about such things in public. To his secular supporters he had committed an unforced error by bringing up one of the central struggles of being an evangelical Christian---that God judges men not by their actions but by what is in their hearts:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.---Matthew 5:27

Jimmy Carter spent his post-Presidency showing everyone what it was like to walk the walk over more than four decades. He and Rosalynn lived humbly in Plains, GA and gave generously of their time and money to philanthropic endeavors.

IMHO, Jimmy Carter's failures provide the answer to a question that journalists liked to ask during the recent Presidential campaign: "How can Christians vote for a rapist, serial liar, and convicted felon?" The answer is obvious: we elected a saint once before, and look where that got us. R.I.P.

Fish Story

Thomas Czernik with his 6-ft catch (Luong/WSJ)

Warm-water fish are showing up in New England waters, which would probably have gone unremarked except these fish include the giant tarpon:

Now tarpon—nicknamed the Silver King after its majestic size and shimmering silver color—are surfacing in New England waters. The warm water trophy fish, which can grow to eight feet, weigh 280 pounds and live for 50 years, are prized by anglers who primarily fish for them in Florida.

The massive prehistoric fish has been shocking Northeast anglers, who are normally looking for striped bass, fluke, bluefish and the occasional shark. Scientists and marine biologists are mystified.

When confronting an invasive species, the first question should be: are tarpon good to eat? Unfortunately, no. Per Google AI:

No, tarpon are generally not considered good to eat because their flesh is full of small, hard-to-remove bones, making them more trouble than they're worth, and most people choose to catch and release them as a sport fish instead of eating them.

A giant fish filled with small bones, Tarpon are sport fish that are usually tossed back. Look for their presence to grow in the North Atlantic.

Spam

Costco's semi-annual spam sale used to occur like clockwork in March and September. COVID caused Costco and Hormel to suspend the sales for 3 years, and they resumed in 2022 .

However, the timing is less predictable. The most recent markdown was in August, and another started yesterday.

How will I know when to borrow my neighbor's pick-up truck?

Property for the People

Federal land in Utah (Peery/AP/WSJ)

One of the first moves that a financially distressed company makes is to sell off unproductive assets to pay down its debt. Economist Thomas Sowell says that strategy should apply to the Federal government, which is not realizing revenue from its vast landholdings:

Some of that land—such as military bases—is used to house the government’s own operations. But the great majority of that land is not.

The rest of this government-owned land is so vast that there is little to compare it with—except whole countries. And not small countries like Belgium or Portugal. The amount of land owned by the National Park Service alone is larger than Italy. The land owned by the Fish and Wildlife Service is larger than Germany. The land owned by the Forest Service is larger than Britain and Spain combined. The land owned by the Bureau of Land Management is larger than Japan, North Korea, South Korea and the Philippines combined.

The idea of selling huge amounts of government-owned land is not new. Before the federal income tax was created in the early 20th century, land sales were sometimes a significant source of federal government income in the preceding two centuries. The prospect of large-scale land sales was considered during the Reagan administration, but the political opposition was too strong.

As of 2015, government-owned lands were valued at $1.8 trillion by the Commerce Department.

$1.8 trillion, even if adjusted higher from 2015 to current dollars, will hardly put a dent in the national debt of $36 trillion. However, it would be a mistake to limit the financial analysis of government assets to market values equivalent to undeveloped land.

Once these assets are sold, no longer will they be drains on the Treasury for their maintenance and security but contributing value to the economy as sites for residences and businesses. And with future positive contributions come future taxes.

After all, the entire United States west of the Mississippi was once as useless as Federal land is today. If Federal lands were to be used to their full potential, who knows what marvels may ensue?

There's Gold in Them Thar Buckets

(AP 2008 photo)

A Christmas surprise in a Salvation Army bucket:

An anonymous donor dropped a rare gold coin into a red kettle operated by the Napa Salvation Army on Saturday.

Volunteers discovered the 1-ounce South African Krugerrand gold coin while counting donations after a day of bell ringing at Napa’s Bel Aire Plaza, Larry Carmichael, a corps officer of the Salvation Army of Napa, told the Chronicle on Sunday.

“This is not a coin you carry in your pocket to toss anywhere,” Carmichael said. “Whoever had it was intentional about where they were donating it.”

...The organization’s annual red kettle donation campaign, which started at the Oakland Ferry Landing in 1891, collects millions of dollars nationally to fund its holiday meals program. In Napa, donations also fund a culinary arts training program, music classes for children and housing grants for more than 100 local families.

What I like about this story is that the donor wanted anonymity (and didn't even want to document the donation for the IRS!). Yes, he or she could have private, practical reasons, but I like to think that this was the motivation:

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.----Matthew 6:1-4

The spot price of gold is about $2,630 per ounce, and the value of a 1-oz. Krugerrand tracks spot gold closely.

Merry Christmas!

Songs of the Season

(Reprised):

In the late 1990's my former employer could draw on a talent pool of more than 200 financial professionals to put together a decent holiday choir. The grainy video (VHS tape) and monaural audio won't attract any hits today, but Christmas is a time of nostalgic sentimentality...



Note: here are parts Two, and Three.

Part Four is below:



Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow...

But the fates do not allow. As this year has reminded us, Our time together is fleeting, gone in the wink of an eye. Like the ghostly watchers in Grover's Corners, we have an eternity to mull the regrets of moments unappreciated until too late.

Use It or Lose It

Looking healthy (medium.com)

U.S. researchers found that (pre-GPS) professional drivers had a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease: [bold added]

A new study found that U.S. taxi and ambulance drivers had the lowest percentage of deaths attributed to Alzheimer’s disease among more than 400 occupations. The drivers mostly worked before GPS navigation systems were widely used.

The researchers hypothesize that taxi and ambulance drivers could have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s because they are constantly using navigational and spatial processing, says Dr. Anupam Jena, a professor of health at Harvard Medical School and associate physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and senior author of the study.

Those on-the-fly decisions about how to get from point A to point B when a road is closed or blocked may protect the drivers’ cognitive abilities, the researchers speculate.

“They’re making decisions literally every few seconds about where to go, where to turn,” says Jena. “The way that your brain is used over the course of your career or the course of your life might impact the likelihood that someone develops dementia.”

The research supports other evidence that education and brain stimulation may help to at least delay symptoms of Alzheimer’s. An earlier study concluded that dementia risk was lower among people with cognitively stimulating jobs compared with those whose jobs were more repetitive, according to the 2021 research in the journal BMJ that looked at the occupations of more than 100,000 people across multiple studies...

A well-known 2000 study found that London cabdrivers had an enlarged part of their hippocampus. That section of the brain plays an important role in many cognitive functions, including spatial and navigational memory. The hippocampus is typically among the first parts of the brain that Alzheimer’s affects, which is why trouble with navigation and remembering directions is often an early symptom, says Wolk.

The theory goes that the brain, like muscle, grows stronger and bigger with use and makes individuals more resistant to the maladies of aging. (Earlier this year we had commented on the hypothesis that the human brain had been shrinking over millennia because more of its functions have been off-loaded to technology.)

Whether true or not, it can't hurt to use our brains more, especially now that there are many enjoyable (puzzles, education, social interactions) activities to choose from. And certain professions--like taxi and delivery-truck driving--allow one to earn a living and keep one's brain healthier for longer.

The Cards Are Mailed

We finished signing and addressing the Christmas cards and will drop them off at the Post Office this afternoon. Most of the addressees will receive them after Christmas, but at least the postmark will verify that we got them out before Wednesday.

I still have some business forms to be filed with California before year end and some donations to be reviewed (we're itemizing in 2024), but the holiday to-do list is nearly checked off and, at the risk of jinxing it, the signs point to a Happy Holiday week.

The Jesus Look

Bob Sagers, cheesemonger, models as Jesus (Raff/WSJ)

Pictures of baby Jesus are common during this time of the year. Utahans take it a step further:

Models who look like Jesus are in high demand in Utah. That’s because for a growing number of people in the state, a picture isn’t complete without Him. They are hiring Jesus look-alikes for family portraits and wedding announcements. Models are showing up to walk with a newly engaged couple through a field, play with young children in the Bonneville Salt Flats, and cram in with the family for the annual Christmas card...

Finding a model can be difficult. Areas of Utah with high concentrations of Mormons—who also call themselves Latter-day Saints or LDS—tend to lack potential Jesus doppelgängers. Some men who work or volunteer for the church, one of the state’s largest employers, are required to shave every day and keep their hair short.

I doubt that historically accurate representations of Jesus are what is being demanded. The WSJ interviews of Jesus models indicate that customers think that He looks like a healthy white American male with a beard. Oh, well, give the customers what they want; their hearts seem to be in the right place,

Much More Than Dates

Back in the '50's perishable Christmas gifts were rare. Air shipments were not available to the hoi polloi, and refrigeration was prohibitively expensive. When California relatives did send food to our Hawaiian household, it was usually in the form of dried dates, which I did enjoy.

In recent years most of the holiday food shipments (meats, cheeses, fresh fruits) we've received require refrigeration. This year my brother, who lives in Orange County, mailed us a package of California dried fruits. I'll savor them with my morning coffee, thinking of the dates I delighted in a lifetime ago.

Manifest Destiny

(From Cambridge dictionary)

There's an irritating self-help phrase that thankfully one doesn't see much of anymore--"controlling your own destiny" (by definition you cannot change your destiny/fate)--but the sentiment, however awkwardly stated, is clear: achieving one's goal requires planning and execution and now many people add something else, manifesting.

Visualizing the success you want to achieve, or manifesting, took off this year.

Go online, and seemingly everyone is making vision boards, writing down their goals repeatedly and saying them aloud like a mantra.

Singer Dua Lipa swore by it to achieve big goals, and Cambridge Dictionary named “manifest” its word of the year. In the first eight months of 2024, there were more than 130,000 searches for it on the dictionary’s website. On TikTok, the hashtag #manifesting has 1.6 million posts and #manifestation has 6.5 million.

Some psychologists say its current meaning, which involves visualizations and affirmations to make something happen, can be traced to the bestselling 2006 book “The Secret.” Its recent resurgence reflects a desire for people to exert control over their lives, even when the outcome might be largely out of their hands...

Successful people have long worked to visualize the outcome they wanted or repeated positive phrases to achieve a goal. But recently, as more people have taken it on, they say they have learned a key lesson: If you don’t couple manifesting with action, it can be a waste.

What distinguises manifesting is the picturing of the goal before one plans and executes. Your humble blogger didn't do much visualization during his productive years and undoubtedly could have accomplished more than he did. But he...I...ended up happy in ways that I did not envision. Manifesting can help, but it isn't for everybody, especially if life is more journey than goal.

Squirrelly Behavior

Vole aka "meadow mouse" (Sonja Wild/UC Davis/SFGate)

Aa a beginning grade school reader in the 1950's my first reading material was the classic Golden Books. I moved on to the "Mother West Wind" series by Thornton W. Burgess (1874-1965), who populated the Green Meadows with over a dozen animal characters. My favorite was Danny Meadow Mouse, who frolicked with Jerry Muskrat, old Mr. Toad, Jimmy Skunk, and Chatterer the Squirrel.

A recent discovery revealed that Thornton W. Burgess' Green Meadows is red in tooth and claw, and we're not even talking about predators like coyotes and cougars: [bold added]

Squirrel eating vole (Sonja Wild/UC Davis/SFGate)

In June 2024, Jennifer E. Smith of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire received a disturbing report from her research team conducting fieldwork at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County. It’s a sprawling expanse of grasslands and oak woodlands known for scenic trails, views of Mount Diablo and a thriving bird-watching scene. However, Smith’s students had documented something far more unsettling than a rare bird or damage on a trail: an unsettling description of a California ground squirrel actively hunting, killing and ripping apart the bodies of tiny California voles...

For squirrels observed consuming their kills immediately rather than carrying the carcass back to a den, the behavior followed a grimly methodical pattern. In every case, the squirrels “first removed the head of the vole” before pulling meat from the torso. They then “stripped fur from each of the body parts” before devouring the exposed flesh, organs and even cartilage, behavior that was reminiscent of a more seasoned predator.

The scientists speculate that a spike in the vole population induced the squirrels to switch to an easier, abundant source of protein. What was remarkable was how quickly the mainly granivorous ("relying primarily on seeds, grains and vegetation") squirrels became skilled predators.

Danny Meadow Mouse needs to be more careful about who he hangs out with.