Cronulla, Dunningham Park (Theme Day: Paths and Passages)

This path through Dunningham Park at Cronulla, is the gateway to the beach at North Cronulla.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants of this theme day

Cockatoo Island

Cockatoo Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbour, located at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers. The island was originally heavily timbered in red gums which attracted many sulphur-crested cockatoos. This view is from the northern suburb of Woolwich.

How Banks are Magic

Doug Henning Greets You.

Ok, finally, how banks are magic.

If you remember, I said that a bank has to have on hand 10% of the money that it's been given. The other 90%, it can play with.

So, let's follow the money for a second. I deposit $100. The bank then takes $90 of that and gives to someone else -- Jorge -- as a loan. Jorge's trying to do some work on his house. So he takes that $90 and spends it at Home Depot.

Now -- and it'll get fuzzy here, so stay with me -- that $90 ends up going to help pay the payroll of the people who work at Home Depot. Or it goes in the boss' pocket. Or it's reinvested in the Home Depot, which means it's given to still other people as Home Depot spends the money. The point is -- that $90 ends up in the hands of other people.

And eventually, they -- whoever they are -- put that money in their bank. So the $90 that the bank could be spend is now back in the banking system's hands.

Following the rule we set up at the start -- the system has to hold onto 10%, i.e. $9 of that deposited cash. But the other $81, it can loan out.

So we started with $100. And off of that $100, the banking system gets to make loans of not just $90, but $81, and then 90% of that, $73, 90% of that, $65, etc. -- $58, $52, $47, $42, $38, $34, $31, $28, $25, $22, $20, $18, $16, $14, $13, $12, $11, $10 and even smaller amounts -- altogether, more than $800.

POOF! Instant money!

How Does a Bank Work? (Pt 2)

George Bailey is about to have a very bad day.

When was the last time you watched "It's a Wonderful Life"? If it was recently maybe you remember that while the main story is all about George Bailey discovering how much the world would change without him, the underlying conflict is all about banks. George runs a bank, the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan; it was his father and Uncle Billy's business. And it's always just barely scraping by. Meantime, Old Man Potter's got a bank, too, it's the big bank in town, and it has long had its eye set on Bailey Building and Loan.

And early on, before Uncle Billy loses $8000 and drives George to the point of wanting to kill himself -- what the heck was with Uncle Billy, anyway? -- Bailey Brothers' experiences a run on the bank. That is, everyone comes at the same time to get their money out.

Now, if a bank were like a piggy bank, or like a set of safety deposit boxes, this wouldn't be a problem, would it? Because all the money would always be there. But again, banks don't work that way. In fact, by law (set by the Federal Reserve) a bank only has to have 10% of its deposited funds on hand at any time. The rest, it's free to invest, loan out, etc.

Now, I'm guessing -- but I don't know -- if I'm a small bank, PROBABLY I'm going to have more of that money on hand, because it would take a lot less to cause "a situation". Not a run, necessarily, but some uncomfortable moments.

Of course, if and when that were to happen, a bank could call another bank, get a very short term loan to get it through the day, the week, etc.



Many businesses in fact traffic every day in these sorts of loans, called commercial paper, with an exchange of billions of dollars happening. A major part of the problem post-Lehman Brothers has been that this market has dried up. That is, banks have become very unwilling to shell out these sorts of loans to one another and to other businesses, because no one has been confident that these loans -- which like I said are usually standard, no risk loans -- will be paid off. For this reason, some people talk about a liquidity crisis -- that is to say, business don't have the cash (that's the "liquid") which they need just to pay the staff and keep the doors open.

But that's a story for another day... Back to runs: during the Great Depression, there were runs on banks. People literally could not get their money out of their bank. Talk about blowing a hole in your vision of reality. In the wake of that event, in the Banking Act of 1933, the U.S. goverment created the FDIC -- the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which guarantees any money put into any bank, up to $100,000. Which covers a lot of us. (The federal government wasn't the first to experiment with insuring bank deposits; in fact, New York state had been insuring certain deposits as early as 1829. They've always been precocious.)


Now... runs on banks and "It's a Wonderful Life" both lead into the flip side of all this banking material. I don't know about you, but when I put money in the bank I don't think of it as having a social function. But it does. My money isn't just used to make the bank money; it enables other people to buy their first house (or their second or their third), to send their kids to school, to make it through a rough patch. Without knowing it, we're all wonderfully interdependent and supporting one another.

Jimmy Stewart puts it a lot better than I can. Someone says, I'll take mine now. And he says, "Aw, no," (can't you hear him?):

Aw, no, you're thinking of this place all wrong. It's not as if I had the money back in a safe. The money's not here. Well, your money's in Joe's house, that's right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house and Miss Macklin's house. And a hundred others. You're lending them the money to build, and then they're going to pay that back to you as best they can. What are you going to do, foreclose on them?

Here's that scene in full:



Clearly our banks today could use a lot more George Baileys at the helm.

I've got one last point -- "How Banks are Magic" -- but I'll save it for next week.

In the meantime, here's a very funny bank commercial:

Siimple ways to be thrifty....

I have often been asked about ways to be thrifty and I thought I would post a list of ways that I have found to be thrifty and were others can comment on ways they find to be thrifty.

1. Plan meals for the full week or two weeks By limiting grocery store visits it saves you money as you don't pick up any extras that you don't really need.
   
2. Cash only! I find this an amazing way to save not only because you are not using credit or debit cards but cash only really makes you think before you make your purchase. Not to mention banking fees your saving.
   
3. Buy gifts ahead of time I find buying items at the end of season and clearance prices saves a bundle.
4. Make gifts this is better than buying on clearance make the gifts yourself.
5. Use the Library This is our biggest saver we are all big readers in our house not only that we borrow dvds for free from the library and we get them for a week. You can put them on hold right online and they will email you or call you when you want to pick up that specific book or dvd.
6. Crockpot cooking I find if I cook anything in my crockpot no matter the meat it comes out so tender.
7. Clip coupons local stores are running coupons a lot and you can also find them at your local walmart right on the shelves.
8. Go thrift shopping or yard saling one of my favourite things to do in the nice weather is yard sale. We have picked up some great items over the years.
9. Consignment clothing we have a local consignment store in town that I take my daughters clothing to and I get money back in return. Win win both ways. I usually find great deals there also.
10. Buy in bulk and freeze this works great during meat and frozen veggie sales
11. cook from scratch we have started making all our own buns and breads as well as other items at a fraction of the cost of store bought. It tastes better too.
12. Enjoy free activities like walking, hiking and biking.
13. Stay organized this saves you from buying things you already have so you are not buying things at full price.
14. Cash in on reward points for us here Shoppers Drug Mart is great for giving rewards points back in money. They have certain times when you redeem you get more than usual too.

Please share with me any thrifty tips that you may have... share away...

Thoughts on coupon clipping...

Many people have told me that clipping coupons is not something worth while here in Canada because we don't really get any here. Well to my surprise I decided to start collecting them in November and let me tell you the amount I have saved is unbelievable. I am making a spread sheet of how much I have saved so far this year to see how much I actually am saving as well as posting all my finds using coupons and I will start posting where I got the coupons from.

I have found save.ca to be a wonderful site for coupons. I go on all the time to request coupons for things we always buy. Then I watch for sales on the items and get the items for really good prices. I tend to stock up on certain items that we go through a lot so that allows me to just hit the sales with the coupons as I usually have a surplus. I will also say that I have been doing this only since December let's say and I already have a stocked cupboard on most health and beauty type products.

Enough babbling... time to show you all some tips...One of the biggest tips I can give is... Smart Canucks this site is beyond amazing... the deals and things people work out are terrific. I love it there.

Rushcutters Bay

These yachts moored in Rushcutters Bay are some that you might see out on Sydney Harbour. This was a perfect sunny day to go cruising on the harbour. The blocks of flats in the background are at Darling Point.

Enchiladas Sauce recipe

On Sunday before church Martha was discussing enchiladas sauce and let us know about a wonderful and easy recipe that she got from Margaret (also from our church) and how she would never use store bought again. Not to mention the price of store bought... so here is the recipe...

Enchiladas Sauce

6 cups water
6 tbsp. chili powder
6 tbsp. paprika
chop onion fine (one)

1. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour
2. thicken with cornstarch to desired consistency

* the can be frozen to use at a later time or stored in the fridge for a month

How Does a Bank Work? (Pt 1)

I never took an economics class in high school or college. I was an English major; I know more about haikus than balance sheets. And these days it really shows. Since the financial crisis hit, I feel like I've been listening to stories in a language I don't understand at all.

Eventually, and in very small chunks, I've been trying to learn something about this foreign country of finance and interest rates and hedge funds. So from time to time I thought I’d do some posts on what I’ve been thinking about and learning, even if my understanding is a wee bit child-like.

Today, the first of two parts on banks. My question: How does a bank work?

I have tended to think of banks as like piggy banks. I put my money there, it sits there until I come for it.



Of course, somehow, magically, it gains money just by being there. Apparently dollars are like bunny rabbits.

Except they’re not. And if banks were just giving us this extra money, they’d be losing money. A bank is not a charity, it’s a business. Even if it’s community organized and focused, it still has an aim at making money.

So how does that happen? It turns out, by moving money around. The truth of the matter is when we go to the bank, we are not making a deposit. We are making a loan. We loan the bank our money, giving them the right to play with it for a little while, with the guarantee that we’ll get it back. And they promise to pay us back interest, on top of that. It's just like any other loan, except really, really flexible. I can go and get my money back anytime I want.

And the bank takes that money we loan them, and they add it to what they’re getting from lots of other people, and then they invest it in something like Treasury bonds, which is guaranteed to pay out, and normally with a rate of interest higher than they said they’d give us.

And they also loan our money out to people, and demand from them a rate of interest higher than what they said they’d pay us. And the rate of interest depends on the risk involved. The higher the risk, the more the bank makes you pay up front each month. (Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. One of the crazy parts of the subprime mortgage crisis is that banks were loaning money even when the risk was too great, or without even assessing what the risk was. You could get a loan without proving you could pay it back, or without even proving you had a job.)

In any case, multiply the loans, and the length of time they take to pay back, and boing, a bank can make lots of money.

And on top of that they charge us fees for activities that don’t cost them much of anything and aren’t really that inconvenient but which we’re willing to pay. It might be nickels and dimes, but it adds up.


Can you remember a time before ATM fees?

Tomorrow -- trust, Jimmy Stewart, magically multiplying money and banks as a means by which we help each other.

But in the meantime, this thought: I don't know about you, but I find it somehow empowering to realize the relationship between me and a bank is not one-way. They may give me a place to put my money, a variety of ways of making money on that money, and a variety of means to access it; they may be able to offer me additional help if and when I need it.

But when I work with them, not only to make a deposit but even to seek a loan, I'm doing them a favor, too.

Probably that's obvious to most of you. But it's pretty exciting for this English major.

Cheer the budding bloggers!

I have been training a few people at my blogging academy. The group consists of a professor of English, an electrical engineer, a medical transcriptionist, a software engineer and an online chemistry teacher.

Everyone displays a special skill but all of them are good at writing. I am fortunate to train them and it is a pleasure watching the budding of future pro-bloggers.

If only I have more time, I would love to pass on more in depth knowledge about the complete nuances of blogging.

The recent blog posts of the English professor are simply marvelous. (is it the correct adjective professor?). I request you to read her blog post titled, "Daddy, check in". What an apt title!

The blog post by the electrical engineer on the negative sides of using mobile phone is very well written.

The comments of the online teacher are always meaningful. She finds great pictures for blog posts.
The picture here is for our 'burning desire'.







Do you know the different names of the Passion Flower? I thank the medical transcriptionist for this wonderful information.

Give them a plug please. Thank you!

Market City, Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year coincided with Australa Day this year, which meant there was a fusion of culture and celebrations at some events. Market City is a shopping centre above Paddy's Markets at Haymarket, near Chinatown. It was decorated with lots of red and gold decorations, inluding a Wishing Tree in the centre court and lanterns hung above.

Rockdale, fire station

Rockdale Fire Station, built in 1938 in the art deco style, is located in Bay Street in the southern suburb of Rockdale. It replaced the fire station on the corner of Princes Highway and Bay Street established in 1897. This fire station closed in July 2006 when the Rockdale Fire Brigade moved to the new Arncliffe Fire Station.

OUCH.

A Challenging Critique of American society...

"Hear You've Been Robbed. Can I Bring You a Pie?"

New York Times columnist Dan Barry had a great column yesterday about a recent bank robbery in the small town of Carleton, Nebraska (above).

Here in Carleton, the standard greeting — “Keeping out of trouble?” — gleans a “Yep” or a “Nope,” both equally reassuring to its population of about 136. But this man stepped up to the counter, with its rack of candy canes and clear view of the silvery vault open in trust, and greeted the teller with: Give me your money.

The salutation received a classic Carleton response, something along the lines of: Are you serious?

The typical East Coast media take on ...well, on most of everywhere else, but certainly rural America.. plays on the "simplicity" (read: stupidity) of the people. So you might imagine an article like this ends up reading like some Midwestern version of "Northern Exposure".


Hey. Welcome to Middle America. Cool.

But this piece, about life in this small town and the "chubby-fingered" stranger who robbed the bank, is a great little gem. Barry is on a three-year stint writing stories about different places in the U.S. If you're interested in his overall project, you can see where he's been and access those stories here.

When the Star in the Sky is Gone...

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

Howard Thurman

Rockdale houses

This Federation Queen Anne home with woodwork in the Art Nouveau style is located in Watkin Street, in the southern suburb of Rockdale.

Walmart deals today....

I can't begin to tell you all how excited I am today about the deals I got at Walmart. It even made my husband smile. I also had a wonderful cashier at Walmart.

Kelloggs cocoa krispie straws... reg 2.97 sale 1.47 coupon 0.75off paid $0.72
Glade wisp flameless candle reg. 9.98 coupon 1 FREE paid $0.00
Glade scented oil plugins reg. 5.87 coupon 1 FREE paid $0.00
Olay body wash reg. 4.97 *PM 3.99 (x3) coupon $10off paid $2.97
Dove body wash reg. 4.72 (x2) coupon B1G1 paid $4.72
Pantene reg. 3.00 (x2) coupon 2.50(when buy 2) paid $3.50

regular price total... 49.17
sale price total... 44.73
coupon total... 33.82
Total paid... 11.91

I plan on using the glade candle products as gifts coming up when I do some gift baskets up. I really can't believe how much I saved today... I also have more lists and coupons to use at other stores we shop at if we are near them this week. I am not going to go out of my way to get the deals... I figure if I am in the area doing something else than I can stop in otherwise I would be wasting my gas getting the deals.

*PM = price matched

Aussie Aussie Aussie! OY OY OY!

Hi I'm Kevin Rudd, and I'd like to be your prime minister.

Today, January 26th, is Australia Day, one of the two really major holidays that Australia celebrates. 221 years ago today, the "First Fleet" of British ships carrying convicts and soldiers arrived in Sydney Harbor to begin the British penal colony there. They arrived from halfway around the globe without having lost a single ship, an astonishing accomplishment.

When I first arrived in Australia a year ago, I assumed the holiday also represented Australian independence, but in point of fact to date Australia remains a commonwealth of Great Britain. While the head of government is the elected Prime Minister (currently Kevin Rudd (above), also known as K-Rudd), Australia's head of state is actually the Queen, represented in Australia by an appointed Governor-General. By law, the Governor-General can intervene in government, reject bills passed by Parliament or in certain cases appoint the Prime Minister. In point of fact, the appointment of a Governor-General is done by the government and approved by the Queen, and the Governor-General almost never intervenes in the affairs of the government.

A wild and crazy exception: In 1975 Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the government of Gough (pronunciation: think "cough") Whitlam and installed Brendan, er... Malcolm Fraser, leader of the Opposition, as Prime Minister, after Opposition forces in the upper house of government, the Senate, prevented the Gough government from having access to the revenues from taxation, thus keeping the government from functioning.

Sir John Kerr. Not just anyone can pull off that haircut.

An American analogy: the Clinton-House Republican showdown in early 1995; Clinton wouldn't sign Republican spending bills, so Republicans retaliate by refusing to authorize temporary spending bills for the government, partially shutting it down. Ah yes, those halycon days of our youth.

Now add a higher authority who fires Clinton and installs Newt Gingrich as president. That's about what happened.

Was it constitutional? For the most part, yes; the Governor General seems to have the right in certain circumstances to intervene, and the impasse between the Whitlam government and the Opposition was very significant. But it created quite a mess of its own. In the aftermath, an election was called, the Fraser government won and the Gough government was ousted. But Kerr was not forgiven, either; for many years after he left the job of Governor-General in 1977, he faced demonstrations, harrassment, even threats to his life. Some of his closest friends never spoke to him again. Suffice it to say, no Governor-General has intervened in this way again.

In 1999 the country voted whether or not to become a republic; the referendum failed. But it's suspected that many who voted against the measure did so because they did not approve of the model of government being put forth, namely that the head of state would be appointed by Parliament, rather than directly elected by the people. And 45% in fact voted to become a republic. Anything but a clear-cut decision, though "monarchists" (as they call themselves) have presented it that way since.

At this point Americans pretty much take our form of government for granted (although the Electoral College is hardly anyone's favorite bit since 2000). But in Australia, the question of whether it would be better to have a popularly elected president remains an open one; so, too, does the issue of a Bill of Rights -- the country doesn't currently have one, and many, including Sydney archbishop Cardinal George Pell, oppose it, on the grounds that it's unnecessary given the current protections of law, and that it would be used to enshrine certain ideological/left-leaning values (such as protections for gay men and women). Australian Jesuit lawyer, Fr. Frank Brennan, SJ, is currently heading up a federal committee to consider the question. Even the relative powers and responsibilities of the states and the federal government is a topic reconsidered with some regularity. It's all very interesting.



A year ago today I was on this beach (below), just getting to know my tertian mates. (sigh) A couple photos for today from those days gone by.

Obama's People

If you hadn't seen it already, the New York Times Magazine recently ran this great set of photographs of Obama's staff and support system. There are some really great photos (including the one above). Check it out.

You click to grow a tree!

It is not necessary that you are an American or Canadian to be concerned about the ecology in the Niagara region. The world population is seriously trying to help restore the eco balance of the Niagara. They are committed to growing more trees there.

What is expected of you?
Just click on the link provided at Land care Niagara

When you click on the link, the next page says thanks and and shown the sponsors of this Niagara Natural Heritage Corridor Program.








Please click only once in 24 hours and forward this blog post to your friends. Be sure to bookmark this iny one of your favorite social bookmarks.

Hyde Park, Australia Day 2009

Australia Day is Australia's national day which is celebrated on the 26th January. This date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. The city is often decorated with flags for various celebrations and events. For Austalia Day this year, eye-catching red, blue and white flags have been displayed throughout the city. These are located on Elizabeth Street at Hyde Park, beside the war memorial.

Menu Planning Monday - January 26th

Be sure to check out orgjunkie.org for more menu planning ideas. It is always a great way to start off your week. Helps get things in order for the week ahead.

~ Monday ~

breakfast - bran muffins and yogurt

lunch - Soup, apple slices
snack - snack mix (cheerios, shreddies, pretzels mix)

supper - chicken meat pies, fries and salad

~ Tuesday ~

breakfast - bagels and yogurt

lunch - leftovers
snack - organic animal crackers

supper - meatloaf, HM mac n' cheese, HM buns

~ Wednesday ~

breakfast - english muffins and fresh fruit

lunch - grilled cheese, apple slices, yogurt
snack - yogurt

supper - turkey breast, mixed veggies, mashed potatoes, coleslaw

~Thursday ~

breakfast - oatmeal and fresh fruit

lunch - cheese, ham, pears
snack - organic teddy bear crackers

supper - Italian Bacon Drumettes, rice, peas

~ Friday ~

breakfast - bagels and yogurt

lunch - leftovers
snack - yogurt

supper - pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, mixed veggies

~ Saturday ~

breakfast - waffles

lunch - HM Mac n' Cheese
snack - cereal snack mix

supper - spare ribs, rice, beans

~ Sunday ~

breakfast - muffins/bagels

lunch - Soup
snack - yogurt

supper - enchiladas, garden salad

North Strathfield, Australia the movie

'Australia' is the epic movie that was released in November, directed by Baz Luhrmann. The movie stars well known Australian actors Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and newcomer, young Brandon Walters, who practically steals the movie. David Wenham, Bryan Brown and David Gulpilil are also in the cast. This week, 'Australia' became the third biggest Australian movie in Australian box-office history. A huge billboard advertising the film sits in a prominent position at North Strathfield, in between the M4 Motorway and Parramatta Road.

Studio After Challenge #1 complete

okay this was done a while ago... but I just took the pictures off my camera the other day. I am doing this challenge through my local scrapbook store... Cut N Paste they do it at the beginning of every year and it is a great way to get everything in your room organized.

Look at my nice clean desk.... thanks for the desk Heather!!!! it works perfect in my space and will be getting lots of use.

More baking today...

I love trying new recipes out.... today is English Muffins and Bagels as well I plan on making Almond Coconut Granola as this would go great with the yogurt I made earlier this week. Oh yummy!!!!! My mouth is already watering for it.

I want to thank everyone for all their frugal ideas... I am trying to implement all of them into our lives. A special thank you to Marianne on the blessing she gave us today just by the way of passing on information. Thanks so much!

I a trying to figure out what to make to take to potluck on Sunday.... hmmmm for the life of me I am just drawing a blank as to what to make. I am sure I will come up with something shortly.

Almond Coconut Granola

A crunchy almond coconut homemade breakfast cereal; this granola is delicious with raisins, dates, or chopped fresh fruit

Yield: 26 cups

Ingredients:

16 cups quick oats
4 cups coconut
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups oil
2 cups water
1 cup honey
1 cup brown sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon almond extract

Instructions:

1. Mix oats, coconut, cornmeal, and almonds in large bowl.

2. In aother bowl or blender, mix remaing ingredients. (I use the blender.)

3. Combine all and stir well. Spread onto two greased baking sheets or in a large baking dish.

4. Bake at 200 degrees for 4-6 hours (or overnight) or until granola is dried and lightly browned. Stir once during baking.

5. Allow granola to cool, and store in an airtight container. Serve with raisins, dates, or chopped fresh fruit.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-6 hours or overnight

Campsie, Australia map

We're counting down to the Australia Day public holiday on Monday, which makes this weekend, a long weekend. I thought I'd post an interesting display with an Australian theme that I found in Campsie. It's a map of Australia (left) made up of many pieces, which I think is supposed to symbolise all the different people from all the different countries around the world, that have come to Australia and helped create this great nation. It's quite suitably placed in Campsie, which is a very multicultural south-west suburb. It's located opposite the council chambers for the City of Canterbury, on the side of the Orion Function Centre (right), previously the Orion Theatre, an art-deco cinema on Beamish Street.

I'm Up in the Gym Just Working on My Fitness!

I mentioned earlier that Kent and I were going to try to work out and eat healthier this year. I know TONS of people say this..... but I am really doing it! So here is my update:

Three weeks ago I started going to a 5:15 AM cardio and weight lifting class that meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then, my mother-in-law signed us both up for a bootcamp that meets at 5:15 AM on Tuesday and Thursdays, that started this week. So I am learning to get up early... really, really early - like 4:45 AM. For those of you that struggle with getting up early here are some benefits that I have discoverd:

1.) I feel energized the whole day.
2.) I eat healthier during the day because I want my work out to count for something (not equal out something, i.e. candy, cookies, chips)
3.) I don't have to worry about working out after work - because I already did!
4.) I get to work MUCH earlier because I take a shower at the gym.
5.) I am saving money by showering at the gym and using their water :)
6.) My jeans are much looser....YES!

I'm sure I will find many more reasons to work out BEFORE work. I have always LOVED sleeping in and staying up late, but I'm a working girl now and I have to get back in shape. So this early morning thing is really working for me!

Blogging the Inauguration: Images I'll Remember

Just outside Dupont Circle.


I walked behind this couple on Monday. The Bunny People.


Partying at the Washington Monument with 10000 total strangers. (Click for big.)


Crowds.


I don't know why, exactly, but I love this shot of someone trying to take a photo of Obama.


Massive lines. (Click for broader view.)


The back of the U.S. Capitol.


One family's well wishes.


Barack taking the oath, with Michelle right there.


I was really there!


Once again...buh-bye.

Also, this sign I saw in a store window -- "Inauguration Special: Curry & Rice!"

I've posted my inauguration day coverage in 4 posts below (with the farthest from the top being the first). Sorry it took me a couple of days!

Blogging the Inauguration: The Address

Obama speaks. It begins far lighter on rhetoric than I expected. Starts with the now common refrain, things are going to be tough. Ugh. I know, but I could recite the section in my sleep. I wonder early on if this is going to sound more like a State of the Union, or something Clintonian. I hope not.

***

Obama begins talking about hope, and gains his footing. "We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history." Amen to that, brother.

***

A passage about the cynics who doubt that big things can be done sounds like a bit of a straw man to me. Not that they're not out there, but just doesn't seem to capture the moment right.

But the transition leads to some classic Obama redefinitions of oppositions -- it's not whether government is big or small but whether it works; it's not whether the market is good or bad but whether it helps people. "The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross National Product, but on the reach of our prosperity."

And last: "We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." Oh, snap!

***

Because it's so cold, everyone has their gloves on. So instead of clapping, when people are happy you hear lots of very muffled thump-thump-thumps. Feels like I'm in a Monty Python sketch.

***

Obama's best section, and best received, addresses the world in its various forms, guided by the principle that our authority derives from "the justness of our cause, the force of our example."

Makes the remarkable comment that the corrupt and oppressive nations of the world are "on the wrong side of history" but says "we will extend our hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." Also manages to challenge terrorists without making it sound like we're gonna have a showdown tonight at the OK Corral. This is indeed a new era.

***

Last section. Obama seems to get more animated than usual. Feels like he's trying to rouse us from a deep sleep. Manages to describe the present as akin to "a deep winter", "icy currents" and a coming "storm", and yet energize the audience. How did he do that?

***

All in all, not his best rhetorical speech, but many significant passages that well capture many Americans' vision of our nation. In some ways as much a speech for the world as for our country.

***
Jon Stewart had a very funny comparison that night of Obama's speech with the language of Bush.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Blogging the Inauguration: The Ceremony Wraps Up

As soon as Obama finishes speaking, people begin leaving. Seriously, it looks like the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. I can't even see or hear poet Elizabeth Alexander at times through the dispersing crowds. But the text is a gem.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air,
any thing can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,

praise song for walking forward in that light.

***

A last prayer, from the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery. He looks old, his voice is weak, and he speaks in rhyme. "God of our weary years, God of our silent tears." Poignant, but what is this, "Horton Hears a Who"?

He quickly becomes the fan favorite, calling the Obama girls "our little angelics" and offering a great rhyming ending that plays on each racial group in the United States. He even had us shouting Amen.



We love him.

***

The inauguration ends with the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. I realize it's the first time in about six years that I have been asked to sing the song without feeling as though it's been coopted by a certain ideology. For the first time in a long time, I sing along.

***

The event over, people swarm forward to take photographs, and then follow the herd. As we leave the Capitol area, a whisper moves through the crowd, and people began to stop and look back. On the jumbotron, George and Laura Bush are getting into the helicopter.

People stop to look.

Within moments, the helicopter flies directly overhead. Ecstatic waving and cheering. It's hard to believe, but they're really gone.

Uh...buh-bye.

***

On the way home, my heat pads suddenly got so hot, I had to get them away from my skin.

It had only taken four hours.

But then again, if there was a moral to the day, from the early morning line to the President's speech to the helicopter departure, it was that good things take time.

So as I walked home I just tried to savor that moment of midwinter heat.

Blogging the Inauguration: Notes from the Ceremony

The view from my seat.

So, the seat is great. I'm probably 50 yards from Obama, et al. I couldn't actually make them out; even people who had a straight on view said they could only barely make them out. But it's very cool.

***

Various luminaries appear on the jumbotron. Colin Powell gets cheers. George H.W. Bush looks old. John McCain talks to a very tall man. Joe Lieberman is heartily jeered, and at some length. There is clearly no love lost for Joe.

Michelle Obama looks amazing.
Wow.

The girls are beautiful. Dick Cheney is in a wheelchair. Someone mentions Dr. Strangelove.

And then they take him away -- all I can think of is oh my god, even now he's going to his secret hideout. Let it go already.

***

The presidential motorcade comes into view. The lady next to me comments, "Wow, it looks like just a row of hearses." I think about moving.

The motorcade coming into view behind us.

***

George W. Bush appears for the first time. A strained, mixed reaction. Quite a few boos, but that reaction is clearly not well received by the group. The preferred response seems to be a silent civility.

The crowds behind entertain themselves with rounds of "Nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, hey-hey-hey, goodbye." I feel like I'm at a White Sox game.

***

The announcer asks the crowd to please be seated. Those standing jeer loudly. Everyone laughs.

***

Barack Obama appears onscreen, walking slowly out to meet us. At times he looks as though he is about to receive some very bad news. He stops on the stairs and takes a very deep breath before proceeding.

He emerges. Crowd goes wild.

***

The ceremony begins. Aretha Franklin reminds everyone why she is the Queen of Soul. Many tears.



***

Rick Warren gets really worked up. He also offers some nice prayers. My favorite: "Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity."

***

Vice Presidential oath of office. Biden punches "So help me God."



***

Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and some other guy play a song composed for the occasion by John Williams. It has a very poignant, almost funereal introduction -- touches something deep. Hints of the old American Shaker song, "Simple Gifts" emerge.

And then suddenly the song collapses into merry rounds of the Shaker song. All I can think is "Dance, dance, wherever you may be." Seems to kill the mood.

***

Watching the oath. (Click to see the bigger view.)

Presidential Oath. Obama stutters at one point: apparently, the Chief Justice has the text wrong. [He has actually corrected the grammar of the piece -- where it said "to faithfully execute", splitting the infinitive, he has moved "faithfully" to the end of the sentence.] I wonder if it's still valid, or whether it could be grounds for annulment later. I've had too much exposure to canon law.

At this of all times, the mind wanders. Wouldn't it be nice if you could annul a president?

The cynic within reminds me, it's called a general election. 2004, everybody, where were you?

[Note: Two days later, Roberts and Obama redid the oath of office in a private ceremony. The prior had been completely valid, but they did it to quell any anxieties. Obama said after, "You know, the problem is, now we have to have 12 more inaugural balls."]