Yoga... not Berra or Yoda, but Yoga, as in Tibet. *Namaste.

Tibetan singing bowl

So I'm recently into Yoga... and what took me so long? No, I do not expect to ever be lythe and smooth, I just don't bend in all those places, but I am finding a peaceful place to gently get the most out of my aging body and feel richer in doing so.

A Tibetan singing bowl sets the tone as it vibrates when struck or 'sounded' to produce a rich, bright, clear lasting tone. The soothing sound is said to promote healing relaxation and offer powerful healing properties. And if your mind is open, it does.

Singing bowls are used for many purposes including stress reduction and pain relief, harmonizing the cells and balancing the body's energy system... one way to say "Slow down, there is something good happening here." 

And, if you are so inclined to let it happen, a deep physical ease passes through your body as you inhale deeply through your nose and s-l-o-w-l-y exhale through your mouth, letting your shoulders sink as if a balloon inside you first expands and slowly deflates. It does induce a deep sense of relaxation and a clear headedness that takes you to a new contemplative level.

My daughter suggested, that as I sit in my car before I turn the key in the ignition, I stop and complete one or more deep breaths... slowly inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. It is the perfect way to set your mood for one of our greatest regular stress events, driving. I highly recommend you try it and see for yourself what an extra 45 seconds or so can do for your inner self.

And as you finish your yoga session, you lie on your mat and totally relax your mind and body for a contemplated few minutes before the teacher bids you "Namaste." And you responding in kind

*Namaste literally means "I bow to the divine in you," a sign of peace spoken with a slight bow, hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. It is a Sanskrit phrase of respect, typically used at the end of a yoga session by your teacher to say 'Goodbye." 

May I suggest Dan Harris' book Ten Percent Happier, a terrific intro to your inner world, the well-told hows and whys of mindfulness based on his disbelieving investigation as a newsman to a confirmed advocate who proved it works big time for him.

Is Scrooge McDuck the richest in the world or is it Mr. Burns or Jeff Bezos or Richie Rich or Bill Gates or Bruce Wayne or... ?

Funny you should ask. Latest count says the title goes to Scrooge McDuck. And in this era of believing everything we read, it is the fictional billionaires that give Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates a good run for their money.

Here's that eye-popping list compiled by MetaballsStudio of those who made their fortunes in books, movies, television and comic strips... and yes, it does include Christian Grey. It's no small wonder why Ana took great pains on the 'poor man' to help him work things out.

The Top 15... and bear in mind, Scrooge's fortune is in 1947 dollars and gold:

• Jay Gatsby: $1 billion (The Great Gatsby)
• Lady Mary Crawley: $1.1 billion (Downton Abbey)
• Mr. Monopoly: $1.2 billion (Board Game. He made his money in real estate)
• Lara Croft: $1.3 billion (Tomb Raider)
• Walden Schmidt: $1.3 billion (Two and a Half Men replacing Charlie Harper)
• C. Montgomery Burns: $1.5 billion (Homer Simpson's boss)
• Tywin Lannister: $1.8 billion (Game of Thrones)
• Christian Grey: $2.2 billion (50 Shades of Grey)
• Richie Rich: $5.8 billion ( 1953 comic book... world's richest kid)
• Bruce Wayne: $9.2 billion (Batman's alter ego)
• Charles Foster Kane: $11.2 billion (1941 Oscar winning movie. Do you know Rosebud?)
• Tony Stark: $12.4 billion (Iron Man's alter ego in Avengers movies)
• Carlisle Cullen: $46 billion (Vampire in The Twilight Series... his is blood money)
• Smaug: $54 billion (Fearsome dragon in The Hobbit. Proves any dragon can get rich.)
• Scrooge McDuck: $65.4 billion (Uncle of Donald and his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie)

Point of reference: Jeff Bezos used to be the world's richest at about $186 billion but his recent divorce took $760 billion or so putting his ex-wife in the chase, so those fictional billionaires still have some chasing to do. 

Now, a little more about real money from a blog post I wrote six years ago that is even truer today.

Money, Money, Money...

ABBA: Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorg

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
Aha-ahaaa
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world


 ABBA had a ton of hits from the mid '70s to the late '90s. Its songs are the heart of the popular musical, Mama Mia. But perhaps no ABBA song has more relevance than its 1976 recording of  Money, Money, Money.

Maybe you've seen this story: 85 of the world's richest billionaires are as wealthy as the poorest 3.5 billion people in the world!

Forbes Magazine tells us there are l,426 billionaires in the world today. So minus the 85 super wealthiest, there are 1,341 'poorer' billionaires (not counting Scrooge McDuck or Richie Rich) on the outside looking in. How's it feel, you guys, to be poorer?

Bill & Melinda Gates with Warren Buffett

Now before you get the wrong idea, I really like the rich... and so should you. Even if, in our lesser status we are envious, make fun of them or notice a few may be jerks and worse, a world without rich couldn't work. I think that's been tried. Most rich have earned their fortunes by creating opportunities and providing services for others... and many are dramatically benevolent.

Not only have Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett already committed more than half of their billions through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, they have gotten 102 other 'very rich' to sign The Giving Pledge agreeing to do likewise. And they continually work to recruit others like themselves. Take a look... the Giving Pledge makes very interesting reading. 

Bill Gates once said he and his wife plan to leave their children a very small  (but still not bad) inheritance of their mega billions with the remainder to be used for continuing benevolence. These actions represent just some of the good that money can do.

And no, they and all their pals cannot solve all the world's unbalance. They have done, and will continue to do great things for humankind. Yet, there remain many, many below the poverty line that struggle mightily. These include the new poor--"not only  those laid-off blue collar workers but also downsized tech workers, managers, lawyers and other once-comfortable professionals," says The Atlantic. "Poverty is not a character failing or a lack of motivation. Poverty is a shortage of money... (which) arises largely from inadequate wages."

It is ironic though, that professional athletes in many sports regularly sign million-dollar contracts and in most states, the highest paid state employee is a football or basketball coach, yet a teacher often cannot make a wage great enough to support a family. And no, it is not the athlete's or coach's fault to take what is there but our misguided judgement of value to benefit which has deep roots. Give the rich their due, but money cannot buy everything... and it certainly cannot buy poverty.

The fact is, the spread between rich and poor is widening and the middle class is 'middling' at best and fading fast. The greatest benefit of a robust... or any economy, goes to the wealthy as did the mega-majority of benefits from the Trump tax cuts. It's expensive to be poor because a far great percentage of all dollars goes to just trying to get by... and sometimes, even with help, that is not enough. Poverty is a hole without luxury, opportunity or an easy out.

I hope and pray that those with the power to move mountains get on this case. Trickle down doesn't really trickle too far or too fast, it seems.

RANT FOR TODAY: Just how safe are our school buses... and do we really care? You might be very surprised.

Can you make this out? It's a shot of a school bus with 28 students on board, hit and upended in Ohio. Watching the bus video of this accident is pretty violent as students are knocked out of their seats and upended against the sides and roof of the bus. Fortunately this time, there were only minor injuries for the students and driver.  

Only 6 states in the United States mandate seat belts for school buses: California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Texas. There are 32 states and Puerto Rico who have been considering it since 2007 and 12 that act like they don't care.

However, if you try the 'no seat belt' thing in your car, you will get a ticket, no questions asked. In fact, seat belts are required in most every vehicle on the road... except school buses. Why? Seat belts save lives.

According to the American School Bus Council, "Every year, hundreds of thousands of school buses transport more than 25 million children to and from school. That number represents about 50 percent of the K-12 population."

"School buses travel approximately 5.7 billion miles annually and are designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in avoiding crashes and preventing injury. In fact, school buses are the safest mode of transportation for children to get to and from school. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on average only six student passengers die in school bus crashes each year, compared to approximately 2,000 children who are killed in motor vehicle crashes annually."

Yes, school buses are designed for safety. They are bigger, taller vehicles than most other non-truck vehicles. But those comparisons are far from 'apples to apples There are more cars on the road by far, driven more miles, often by less skilled drivers on all kinds of roads and highways, 24/7. The typical school year is about 200 days compared to 365 total days of the year, And the comparison contrasts only half of that bus-riding population vs. the total number of school age children.

And while even one death is a tragedy, the bus number, lower than I would have guessed, relates only to deaths, not a plethora (use that word in a sentence and get a prize) of other possible injuries such as broken bones, chipped or knocked-out teeth, whiplash, concussions, etc.

It's all about money and priorities. Seat belts do make school buses more costly, even to modify, with a need to justify 'the why' to local funding agencies and taxpayers. Less deaths is a biased justification.

Now comes my rant: I guess I'm just upset in general as to how we treat our teachers and students,  their education, their school lives and safety needs that are our responsibility. Few professions are as vital as teaching, no group more critical for it's needs than our students--our tomorrow. Our world is betting on this

In my state, North Carolina is ranked 39th in the Unites States in teacher pay, averaging $53,600. North Carolina's republican heavy congress proposed a 3.5 percent increase over two years. The democratic governor wants 9.1 percent over two years--both figures without a tax increase. We still do not have a current budget and are at an impasse. Meanwhile, the teachers--80 percent of them from counties that are below the state average--are restlessly, caught in political limbo and desperately waiting. The legislators' proposal includes nothing for teacher supplies, which are expected. The Governor's budget includes such funds additionally to the teachers' salary.

North Carolina mandates a balanced budget. It accepts no federal medical aid assistance for the Affordable Care Act. Both budget proposal meet state budget constraints. Yet, we can't seem to want to spend money for teachers and education, or accept Federal insurance aid these struggling just to get by.

Gladly, they don't make foam figures shouting "We're # 39th!"
Where would we get that many fingers?

So how are we doing as a country? The latest finding from the Pew Research Center have the U.S. in 38th place out of 71 countries when it comes to math scores and 24th place when it comes to science.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of that study is just how far the we have fallen in the international rankings. In 1990, the we were sixth in the world for its levels of education-- 21 spots ahead of where we are now.

Teachers need to be paid in step with their value to the education of our young people... and those students need an environment to learn that takes into account concerns, resources and opportunities.
Educators are not million dollar pro athletes... they are better than that. Educators should be our heroes... because they are. We just act like we don't believe it.

So that's my rambling rant for today. Tomorrow, laughs and candy, I promise.

Monopoly money is not chump change... but I'll tell you what is. "Danger, danger Will Robinson."

Monopoly is a fun (or not) board game that remains inflation-proof. Almost all of the Monopoly dollars are in ones, fives, tens and twenties... which today will buy you a small bag of groceries in some cases and not enough lottery tickets in every case. A fancy Monopoly hotel on Park Place is an outstanding value at a mere mere $200!

I seem to be king of Orient and Baltic Avenues... the Monopoly slums, thanks to my special dice throwing talent, honed by hours of practice and playing Bunco.

I'm also good at Go Directly to Jail, much to the delight of grandchildren. But I'm best at Income Tax and Luxury Tax. I usually end up owing everyone else. But hey, it's only Monopoly money, right?

Lucky I'm not the United States. (Oh, I am... and so are you.) By 2030, says the Congressional Budget Office, "the projected federal debt held by the public (us) will exceed $31 trillion, or about 98 percent of the forecast size of our economy." This fiscal year our debt will exceed $1 trillion--26% more than budgeted--and continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Why, you may ask. Say the non political government overseers, "When the government cuts taxes and keeps spending money, it builds up debt. And the United States has become a  textbook example. Blame low interest rates, as well as Mr. Trump's 2017 tax cuts, and increased government spending."

Do you have any idea of how much $1 trillion is? It is $999 billion, 999 million, 999 thousand, 999 hundred, 99 dollars and 99 cents...plus a penny. Written it is $1,000,000,000,000... or, as I like to say, chump change.

It's chump change to us because we are the chumps allowing this to happen. It is us that pays the interest--estimated at $600 billion this fiscal year--which doesn't pay down a penny of the debt--and eventually, the whole banana is ours too. The interest due this year is comparable to our military budget which is larger than the military budgets of the next seven largest countries, dwarfing China, the second largest.

Amazing, isn't it?

The interest alone should be paying for a dramatically needed infrastructure repair and upgrade of our roads, bridges, the grid and all those needs we take for granted. It should be allowing us to get a serious jump on the life or death global warming catastrophe that is on us. It should go to every phase of education and preparation for a very current need and different future. It should allow for all, almost any health system that works across the board. It could (insert your own pet project here).

As the richest and most blessed country in the world, we should do better for everyone... much more than just the very wealthy. So trickle down, you guys if that's how it's supposed to work. Good luck with that.

The biggest reason for the jump in deficit spending this year and continuing are the 2017 tax cuts that were promised "to pay for themselves." In this very first full year, tax payments have fallen $400 billion short of projections. More than that, federal government spending is growing twice as fast as its revenues.

Almost every serious economist agrees that the growing deficit is unsustainable.

Regarding the highly touted tax cuts, the average American benefit is estimated at a very modest $1,000/year, which may help keep abreast with inflation but hardly anything else.  But for the  billionaires, it works DRAMATICALLY better. The gap between US and THEM is wider than it has
ever been and broadening every year.  One of the richest men in the world, Warren Buffet, noted a few years back that he pays less taxes as a percentage of his income than does his secretary.

Is that how this whole thing should be going down? If so, then, like the Titanic, we all go down--the rich and poor--with the few scragglers left in a 'survival of the fittest' mode. 

Er, excuse me now, it's my turn in Monopoly and my kids, who I love dearly, are beating the pants off me. Thankfully, this is not real life... or is it?

Ed. note: In our 2016 elections, CNN's recap showed only 57 % of us that believed voting was important.

• Clinton received 65,853,516 votes. 
• Trump received 62,984.825. 
• Nobody:120,000,000 +/- did not vote. 

With our lives, our children's lives, our health, our economy, our world on the line, surely we can...we must do better in 2020. We don't have much time left... and I don't mean time before elections, I mean time before we start falling off the non recoverable edge, if we are not already there.

Anyone who chooses not to vote for any reason,  casts a ballot for their least desirable/most disliked candidate. That's like staying on board the Titanic because your side is not sinking.

Klutzes of the world, UNTIE! Er, I mean unite.

My klutz heroes, Laurel and Hardy

Klutz: A clumsy, awkward person.

The Japanese seem to have a remedy in their concept of Ikkai ichi douse... doing one thing at a time. In Tokyo, eating and walking is a faux pas. For me it is walking and chewing gum. Simplicity of life is its goal... and that's not a bad thing.

Speaking from my well earned handyman experience, I know that if I tackle a project, the fast way is the slowest and the slow way is always the surest and fastest.

I once found my wife's engagement ring that had inadvertently fallen down the bathroom sink drain. How could that happen, you ask? Well, it was a very small diamond. But like a good husband, after calming and assuring her, that it would be OK because I (yes me) will simply disassemble the plumbing and save the day... and her diamond ring.

Se gave me a robust and sincere hug and kiss, as I was, in fact, her hero, her knight in shining armor.

And I did... in slightly less than all afternoon of sweat and cuss-filled hours.

After I reassembled the sink and cleaned up the mess of water, clogged hair and guck on the floor, I picked up my enormous array of tools, extra nuts and bolts, hammer (you gotta have a hammer) and dirty rags I called her in to marvel at my vast handy-man talent... and to kiss her besmudged, sweaty hero after present the missing enormous 1/8th carat ring.

The she asked quite innocently, "Why are your knuckles bleeding and what is this silver bracelet-like thing over here in the corner?"

"Oh, that?" I answered incredulously, "it's just an extra part. We didn't need it."

Then she had the nerve to test the sink and fawcet.

"Is it supposed to leak like a sieve," she asked., not without a hint of doubt.

"I'm pretty sure that will go away when we use the sink for a while."

My entirely understandable omission was fixed in just the rest of the day. I finally wrapped up at around 1 a.m. No kiss, no nothing but a steadily breathing wife who had already been asleep for two hours.

I can usually fix any car if I can figure out how to raise the hood and find the master "on-off" switch. I even changed my car's oil once (only once) and almost had it right, except that I forgot to put screw the drain cap back on before I poured in the new oil. I did notice something amiss when my feet started to slip on the pavement beneath the car. Fresh oil will do that to you.

I'm the guy who only reads instructions after I've put together a Christmas bike with the handle bars on backwards or puts regular gasoline in a diesel car (but luckily realizes the mistake before the 1/2 gallon mark and recovers from a major expense).

Now I'm going to share a story that makes me cry every time I read it. It is "THE DAY I FIXED SOMETHING!" Share my humble joy of man vs machine... with man (me) victorious. Wrote this 11 years ago... one of my rare fixer hero stuff!

The day I fixed something

We all remember where we were when we heard first reports on 9/11. We remember our first kiss, the moment we proposed to our spouse, the birth of our children, everything special to us... we remember. Well, chalk up another for me.

I will always remember today... the day I fixed something. No, I really did. Honest.

I've been known to be... er, a little unmechanical. I know there is something under that hood in front of the car but I'll be darned if I know what it is. I think it is a big on/off switch that makes the car go, or something like that. I have the perfect tool when an appliance breaks. It is called a telephone.

Sure, I'm handy with my more conventional tools. I do own two of them... a screwdriver that has a reversible tip so I have can do two kinds of screws, a straight one and one that looks like an asterisk... and a squeezer-thing that also serves as my nail pounder. I have a friend who has over 1,000 tools. Are there really 1,000 things to do with them?

But today... ah, today, I am a fixer person. When I checked out our small RV for an upcoming trip, I noted that the outlets did not work... or at least, when I plugged something in, it did not go. So I called the RV factory and reported this. The guy there, thinking I was someone of fixer talent, told me to check the circuit breaker. "The WHAT?" He directed me to a picture in our manual. See? That's what it looked like. I didn't know what it did... however, that didn't matter.

The problem was, he told me after having me perform a few tests (is standing on one's head with a finger in one's ear a regular circuit breaker test or not?), the circuit breaker was broken... it didn't break circuits. I guess it is not broken if it breaks other things. (I'm thinking, who's kidding who?) So he told me how to take it out and where to go buy a new one for only $38 dollars. Now I know it's a joke... but I did it anyhow.

Then, AFTER TURNING OFF THE POWER, he warned me... guess he didn't want an electrocution on his conscience... pull the old one out and put the new one in... being extra cautious to connect all the wires on the new one just like they were on the old one, even though sorting out a plate of spaghetti would have been easier.

Skeptically, I did this, thinking they are all having a good laugh at the RV factory. It took only seven hours... then I turned the power on again and plugged the toaster in. IT WORKED! I DID IT! I FIXED IT ALL BY MYSELF... with his insignificant help, of course.

When I ran home to tell my wife, she was justifiably proud of me... but said she really didn't want all that toast.

My fixer confidence is at an all-time high. So for my birthday, I want 998 more tools and a tool belt to hold them all, just in case I need to have them with me. I want safety goggles and steel toed shoes. I want a real worker-man's hard hat and a plaid shirt and jeans that show the crack of my butt when I bend over. I guess you could say I am hooked now that I know how easy this stuff is.

Note to other fixer-guys... your secret is out. What you do is nothing, do you hear...NOTHING. Next time something breaks, give me a call... I will be driving the truck that says on its side, Jerry, The Home Repair Guy... no job too big or small. And when I bend over, watch out... I'm smokin'.