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9 . 1 8 . 0 8 The markets have been in turmoil this week, the two biggest drops in the DOW since 9-11 for the most part coinciding with massive, unprecedented bailouts of major investment banks and companies tied to mortgages and other debt securities. You know its bad when you can hear the water cooler talk, especially the older co-workers talk about huge losses on the year to their retirement accounts. There is a somber, anomic mood overall, a sort of helplessness, much like there is nothing that can be done. The younger folks on the other hand, so far have been largely silent, maybe due to the confidence that they all have many years ahead to make up for the losses. Maybe because many of us don't have much of a stake in the market yet, or another possibility is that much like the rest of the country right now, we have no assets at all and are drowning in debt. All of this brings to mind some of the tax and policy goals that I'm covering in my ERISA class. One of the flawed assumptions of many of the polices and incentives these retirement plans is that the bull market would continue indefinitely, giving ample gains betting the rate of inflation. Like any economic argument, there is a tipping point, at which the economic incentives of a policy will shift and have a minimal, or even discouraging affect. It very well could be that we are witnessing a shift in financial realities for our generation. The concepts of finance, retirement and investments may be headed towards a different mindset overall. If so, the policies should adjust accordingly to fit the new realities. Been having a a recurring dream lately about riding a train, I'm headed either to or from work. Sometimes the train is crowded, other times there is an old friend, often its someone that I was once close with but lost touch over the years. The one recurring detail however has been that I overshoot my destination and get off onto the platform and have to double back and wait for the train going in the opposite direction. The most recent one I run into a friend on the platform who convinces me to go to a nearby izakaya instead of heading to my original destination. It's a refreshing change of pace, whenI realize that despite passing through the station on the train many times before, I've never actually stopped to get off and look around. The izakaya itself is located on the side of a busy street, inside a sort of shopping arcade near the station. When we get there my friend starts talking to the waitress in Japanese, and despite my limited proficiency, for some reason I am able to understand almost all of it. The dream ends there after we've placed our order. 9 . 1 6 . 0 8 So for almost a month now on this new lifestyle change and I've been eating a lot of okinawan sweet potato, tofu, brown rice, seaweed, miso, and a lot of steamed vegetables from our neighborhood farmer's market. I've pretty much cut out everything fried, dairy, and cow-based. There have been stretches of days now that I don't even eat meat, and when I do, its fish, or a very small amount of steamed pork. Meat has now become more of a condiment than a main dish for me, something that I never thought I'd ever do, being that I've always been a big meat eater. I've also always been a little irritated at the smugness of people who like to broadcast that they are are "vegetarian" or "vegan" as if its for some social cause. I say you do it for personal or health reasons, more power to you, but just don't do it to show off like a pompous ass. Almost within a week I started noticing some pretty dramatic changes in my overall well-being. I feel even more rested even with my 4-5 hours average sleep. I feel more alert and not as groggy overall at night in my classes. I even find that I've been able to concentrate better too - makes me wonder if I could've improved by grades more if I had started on this journey earlier in 2005? 2002? 1997? Another thing I noticed was that the the numbness in my jaw from my dental work this past summer has gone away almost instantly since the change in my diet. After about a month I've dropped about 6 pounds, almost just from changing my diet alone, without much additional hours spent in the gym. The scary thing is that even with my current weight, I'm still about 15 or so pounds lighter than I was when I first moved out here to DC back in 2004. Once I moved I hit the gym pretty hard and over a year I lost about 35 pounds, thinking that I would benefit from getting back into fighting shape for the rigors of law school. And I was right more or less, seeing that I've gained roughly half of it back after 3 years of school. Right now my goal is to keep up with the current rate of exercise and diet, and get myself in as good a shape as possible to take up some jiu-jitsu, or some other martial arts again. I have an old shoulder injury that I re-aggravated, but otherwise my strength is still there. I do have to remind myself sometimes that I'm training for life now, not a season of matches. Kind of a reminder that I'm getting older. A ironic twist in all of this is that when I first come out to DC I purchashed this large bamboo steamer thinking that I would be making wonton, gyoza and dumplings, but never really gotten around to it so it was in the corner collecting dust. For a few years now we've been trying unsuccessfully to get rid of it by trying to unload it onto friends, but as it turned out, ever since coming back from Hawaii this August, it ended up becoming the most used kitchen utensil we have right now. Another sign that I'm getting older - Hana noted the other day that a lot of our friends are getting married, or getting engaged lately. It seems like we have showers and wedding trips to plan ahead for at least the next year or so. Of my old group of friends back home, only a handful of us have gotten hitched so far, and at least one of them was probably one of the last we all would've thought have been one of the first. I hear through the grapevine that at least one of my ex-girlfriends is not only hitched, but already a happy and proud mom now. I'm glad I don't have that kind of pressure from my folks yet. One step at a time. 9 . 1 5 . 0 8 Reading up on pictures and reports from the aftermath of the hurricane that hit SE Texas this past weekend. It's amazing at how much damage the storm surge did to taking out entire towns along the coast. One section of Galveston looked like a bomb went off, with just vertical wooden planks standing up, everything else is pretty much swept away. Been listening to some independent radio lately, its always interesting to get alternative viewpoints aside from the corporate news sources. One troubling story came up that there are several hundred emergency first responders and national guard operating in Houston without adequate supplies for themselves. When I first heard it I didn't want to believe it, I mean what's the point of deploying people to a disaster zone to help others when the first responders don't even have enough food and supplies themselves. I guess there is some truth to the original report, as the AP reported it a few days later. A lot of people not currently in the affected areas have been quick to lash out at those that stayed put, often citing the fact that the government would have to send in people to rescue those that stayed put. But if really looking to recent history as a guide, I can't say that I would be in a rush to head out either. Apparently there were a large number of people who decided to shelter in place citing the last big storm when a large number of people died while trying to evacuate. Given the choice of dying in my car idling on a highway or at home, well I think I might opt to take my chances at home. All in all, it is fortunate that the human and financial toll doesn't seem that it will be nearly as bad as hurricane Katrina. There was another story on TV about gas stations in Houston running out of gasoline, there were lines of cars and trucks, some of them with people pushing them along since they had already been running on fumes. One lady was so desperate that she had brought plastic milk bottles. There were also a lot of angry people trying to get ahead in the line, you could see the tempers flaring, and this is just the day after the storm. Have to wonder what would happen if the shortages continue days and then weeks. It makes me wonder sometimes how adequately prepared any of us are to deal with a disaster and carry on with society. I remember talking to an old co-worker a while back who was working for probation/parole on Kauai when during hurricane Iniki. She basically had to track down all of her guys while the island without the aid of modern communication, or even reliable transportation along clear roads. She was communicating with the police department by two-way radio, and had use of 4X4 vehicle. I give her credit for keeping her sense of duty amid the chaos, although I kind of wonder whether any of the inmates were thinking about committing crimes the day after the storm hit. Events like these serve as a reminder to my own preparations for a natural or man-made disaster. Call it the old scout in me, but I've made it a point to make some kind of preparation, although its a modest effort overall. Over the years I've accumulated a small cache of supplies, a good supply of canned goods here and there, cooking oil, non-perishable grains (rice, beans, lentils) a butane stove and extra fuel, freeze dried camping food, candles, batteries, a few MREs, and a handful of stack-able water cans. Most recently I've added a KAIO shortwave radio equipped with 4 sources of power (AC, batteries, hand-crank, solar). Depending on the prognosis of the disaster when it hit, at least these supplies could last a couple of weeks, maybe longer with rationing. 9 . 1 3 . 0 8 Its 2AM and Hurricane Ike is battling down on Houston, Galveston, Texas - hope everyone that chose to shelter in place is riding things out ok. Growing up in Hawaii I've been conditioned to have a deep respect and fear for mother nature and all of its fury. I've had my fair share of hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis (well no actual tsunamis, but warnings, anyway), and flash flooding. I've also spent my fair share of time in the ocean, riding out riptides, and occasionally eating it on the bigger wave that came out of nowhere. It's lickings like these that bring a pretty quick slap to the head at how weak and insignificant humans are compared to the elements. This all explains in part why I get a twisted kick at watching all those foolish reporters on TV getting whipped around by the wind and rain. Go inside already you idiots before something heavy and sharp comes flying into your face. 9 . 1 2 . 0 8 So a few weeks ago I mentioned some blood tests from my trip back home as being kind of a wake-up call. Despite feeling fine and in good shape overall, I found out that some of my blood chemistry was off quite a bit from the normal ranges. They were off enough to cause my folks to sit me down the evening before I was heading back to DC to tell me that I need to slow down a bit with everything and take better care of my health. I think the stress, lack of sleep, (and oh did I mention stress?) of work and night school for the past 3 years has been taking its toll. The fact of the matter is that I've been pretty much running on empty since August, 2005 and in some sense I'm amazed that I haven't lost my mind with all the side adventures and challenges that have come up along the way. The test results were really a second warning. The first warning was earlier this summer when I got my teeth checked out. After not having a single cavity my entire life, my first real cavities ended up being pretty bad requiring some drilling and more drilling, and more filling than I had ever imagined. Bottom line I decided that it was time for a big change in diet, exercise, and overall lifestyle, and it was to start that evening. I've been approaching this all in that I need to get myself back into competitive shape and weight again, going all the way back to freshman year at Madison when I walked on the Badger wrestling team. Which basically means a pretty strict diet, a stricter workout schedule, and making it a point to get more regular hours of sleep during the week instead of burning the midnight oil. I was always a night person in college, studying the library, or heading out, now I'm waking up early to read my cases and even catch the first train to work a few times a week. In doing this I've taken the approach of eating a diet that is more close to my genetic predispositions, that is an Okinawan, pre-Hawaiian Plate Lunch diet. This means eating like a poor peasant in southern Japan, China, or Okinawa would eat at least 100 years ago. The reality is that they didn't eat much meat at all aside from fish, and maybe some chicken, pork once in a while if it was prepared in a way that would keep for long periods of time. My ancestors probably never ate red meat, and they didn't have access to large quantities of oil to deep fry things. They were most likely working in the fields and expending a lot of calories in the process. This is a pretty important point for not only Hawaiians, and even Mainlanders alike, the reality is a lot of food that we buy in the grocery stores and in restaurants isn't fit for consumption. What we now see as normal, everyday American food isn't meant to be consumed at all, according to our genes. We've all been conditioned about eating the "American" way as if it is a sign of prosperity, wealth, or accomplishment when we should really just be true to ourselves and listen to what our bodies are telling us. All the while I've been coming across sobering reports on the state of public health back home, talking about the rise of type 2 (adult onset) diabetes being rampant in Hawaii, especially among Native Hawaiians. Researchers and Doctors are baffled by the fact that the Hawaiians used to be a very lean and fit population, that is, until the overthrow of the monarchy, and the annexation of Hawaii to the United States. Kind of another wake-up nudge to me to keep up with my new health and diet plan. 9 . 1 0 . 0 8 Several years ago I had become a regular viewer of C-Span's Washington Journal broadcast early in the morning. I enjoyed the objective and scaled down format, introducing a few guests on a few particular issues, with the host offering minimal commentary and leaving most of the time to fielding phone calls from the public which the guest would have a chance to respond. Every once in a while a sitting member of congress would appear as a guest on the show, and engage in a dialogue with the viewing audience, so to speak. I would usually take note of the members that I found were on point with my own personal views, and made a mental note to look out for later mention of them on particular issues, news, or legislation. One of the members whose name I jotted down was Representative Ron Paul of Texas. For a while now I've been following the Ron Paul movement or "revolution", that was initially sparked by his once improbable presidential campaign. Over the past year there have been several strong showings in the primary debates and record breaking internet money bombs. Despite not winning any primaries or caucuses outright, he placed strong 2nd in a few states and always managed to sneak in the discussion, although it was mostly online, on blogs and on youtube postings. The mainstream media really seemed to want to keep their distance. On so many different levels he seemed to be speaking the unpopular, non-conventional points of view, which if you took the time to think about them, and then actually do some independent research, you would probably come to the realization that he was consistently speaking the truth, or at least raising very important issues and just asking questions that go to the heart of our nation's future. Something that you might actually appreciate in a president. The appeal of this new political movement, or whatever exactly is taking form now, really points to the principle of liberty that throughout history has resonated in the American persona and collective strength of the nation. It goes beyond just being pro-constitution and pro-limited government, it also goes right to the concept of self-determination and ability to live your life the way you want to, with the only limits being when your actions infringe on the ability of another citizen to exercise their liberty as well. This is a message that is seen across all segments of the political spectrum, liberal, conservative, right, left, moderate, radical, and across all political parties. But maybe most importantly, this message of liberty is what Ron Paul pushed to the forefront of the debate is so universal that it has the potential to carry on well after he is gone out of the political landscape. The liberty message is something that resonates quite a deal in me, it always has, be in my personal views on many areas of life. just this past year has been a sort of awakening of sorts to how much of a role this very old concept plays out, perhaps more importantly today than every before in the country's history. In considering the concept of liberty, it is important to consider that in recent years talking about liberty has been branded "out of touch" with the mainstream political parties, almost like how "liberal" became a bad word. The other messages that I hear resonating from the campaign trail now that the nominees have been determined has been "Change" and "Yes we Can" "Security" and more recently, "Country First" - both of which may sound on the surface, or on a big banner being waived at a convention hall, but when dig deeper they end up being empty. Change is a good thing, but only if what is coming along is an improvement from the status quo. Optimism and self-confidence is also a positive message, but only if it is rooted in reality that we posses the ability and to actually evoke real change. Security of a nation is a good thing, but it should be rooted in on objective intelligence on real, credible threats, and should never be pursued at the expense of liberty. "Country First" is one that especially worries me because it encourages us to stop asking questions, and basically not think anymore. The campaign itself came to an end with a counter rally in Minneapolis, across the river from the RNC was being held last week. The stated purpose of the rally was to first to celebrate all of the support from his 2008 presidential campaign, and to officially kick off his new Campaign for Liberty. Despite fielding a pretty impressive audience both in person (18,000 in person) and online (84,000 via the internet worldwide), both him and his supporters continue to be ridiculed in the mainstream media being out of touch, or holding radical ideas, despite the fact that just about every one of his ideas and issues that he raised during the debates which were labeled as extreme have been vindicated more or less by the current events around us. The ongoing conflicts in the middle east, continued attacks to civil liberties, personal privacy and private property, ballooning federal budgets and deficits, inflationary monetary policy, and the ongoing turmoil on the financial and housing markets coinciding with unprecedented corporate bailouts by the government - all of these should raise the possibility that he was sounding the alarm bell for a long time, and the American people were distracted by fancy slogans and party affiliations to notice. There is supposed to be an announcement this morning to be made, apparently with some of the minor party candidates appearing as well. Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Bob Barr, all with a lot of speculation to what exactly it is, or means. |