From Bush to the Jonas Brothers

I've been trying to decide who trashed the United State's economy. Through many hours of cogitating I think I've finally reached a verdict. After watching a total of 3 minutes of the American Music Awards, my conclusion on who has damaged the United State's economy is not George Bush, it's the Jonas Brothers. For those of you who know me, know that my alter ego is Erik Wayne (or Erik Watkins, depending on how you know me), lead singer of The Erik Wayne Campaign and later resurrected as The Campaign, and I believe that there is a correlation between popular music and the state of the nation. The more talent that the popular musicians have, the brighter our futures are. At this point in time I think it's safe to say that there is a dark cloud over the nation in the form of the Jonas Brothers, Miley Sirius, and every rapper out there except for Kanye West. Now you might say that it's a stretch that I blame everything on some teenagers who don't even know what the WSJ is (no offense to Sarah Palin). Here's my rationale: I believe music is a society's unifying factor which can right evil within it's leaders. When music stops unifying the masses to take action (a la RATM or Pearl Jam) and keep the government leaders honest, things are run amuck (a la the last 8 years and our pop stars from the last 8 years, you know they're not doing anything positive). People who have the power of the microphone and the crowds need to speak up and step into the leadership roles which they have put themselves in. Workaday citizens used to look up to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Led Zepplin, James Taylor, Elton John, among others, to use their talent and expression for the betterment of society. We have done such a disservice to ourselves by promoting the Jonas Brothers and Miley to these high powered positions. Musicians like Bruce Springstein made a living representing the blue-collar worker and maintaining solace in hard times. Unfortunately there are few in the industry which do this, one being Kanye West. He's the only one who's not afraid to speak his mind, to say what he believes is right. The real danger is in not saying anything at all. I applaud John Legend for being passionate and active about helping our soldiers, U2 (though not a huge fan) for doing wonders in Africa, and Coldplay for doing whatever it is that they do (though it may be a PR stunt, not sure yet, at least they make it look like they're doing something). People used to ask me where the name of our band came from. Well, now you know, I'm revealing it right here, right now. The Campaign and The Erik Wayne Campaign is passionate about taking the music industry back to it's roots, back to when the songs meant something, back to when the musicians stood for a cause (I think there was a handful of times which TEWC actually got paid vs. playing for the fun of it, or charity), back to when the performers had talent (not technologically adjusted vocals and backing instrument tracks played from .mp3s - which by the way are terrible quality audio formats). The Erik Wayne Campaign will continue to write and perform songs as long as I'm alive because, "I refuse not to be heard, (from a new song by TEWC)." So batten down the hatches and lock up the coffers until talent and activism return to the popular music scene. There's a hunger for it, someone just needs to step into the position, TEWC? - Possibly. Oh, by the way, I blame George Bush for allowing popular music to become what it has, shit.

If you ask, yes I intentionally misspelled Miley's name, and if you don't know what WSJ, Pearl Jam or RATM is, please write a comment so that I can publicly chastise you for being clueless.

Vocabulary word of the Week: laconic
I’m a musician but not a laconic speaker, yet. This statement is also true.

One Lesson

Knowing when to worry and when to not. I’ve learned valuable lessons over my years of experience in my professional life, through booming times, and current bust times. I work in the land/construction/development design world. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that you aren’t going to change a company. In other words, find a company that does what you want to do and that you think is going to give you opportunity to grow. For instance, if you are a Landscape Architect and you want to design golf courses, don’t go to work for a company that does housing development thinking that they’ll get work. Or, if you want to work internationally, work for a company that already has international projects. They must have a history of the types of projects, not ‘one on the way.’ I spent 3 years at a company that I thought was going to break onto the international scene but never did. I was wondering if they were just blowing smoke up my ass to get me to work there.

I may have learned this lesson too well. So well that I now don’t believe that companies are able to change. In a world driven by technology, you must be willing to accept change because the rate that the business environment is changing, you will need to stay abreast of current policies and procedures. I am a strong believer in career phases. Phase 1 you learn everything you can, Phase 2 you learn what’s good and what’s bad, Phase 3 you find the right company which provides you opportunity, Phase 4 you build your vault of works, Phase 5 you become selective and work on projects you feel warrant your abilities, Phase 5 you retire. Or something to that effect. I’m in between Phase 2 and Phase 3 right now. Being between Phases is no fun, and I’ve lost a lot of ambition because of it. I am a patient person and I know that that ambition will return, I’m just in no hurry and can enjoy life while I wait. I guess it’s a sign of maturity. Generation X is much different than previous generations because we all have ADD. If we don’t get the opportunity now and see change by 5p.m. this evening, we’re already looking to see who else is hiring and checking our options. I’m guilty of this, but I’ve become much more patient in recent years. How does this all relate to not worrying? I’ve learned as part of the purgatory between phases not to worry about things you have no control over. When Wall Street learns this lesson, they too will see things return to normalcy.

Vocabulary word of the Week: polemicist
I’m studying to get into a program which would make me a better polemicist and then ultimately a lawyer. This is a true statement.

Signs.

Enjoy a few of my favorite signs collected from various countries. 

With all the attention paid to drawing the big dog, why is the little dog look like a bunch of boxes and triangles put together? Did they run out of time? (Hungary)

This sign is just before a curve in the road. What was so perilous around the corner, I never found out... (Bangkok, Thailand)

Why do the little girls have SUCH big bows? They look more like propellors or those hats wi

th the spinning thing on top. I do enjoy the fact that the man has a hat on. (Czech Republic)

In any language, this makes perfect sense. (Switzerland)

Anecdotal Blog a Day Late

Ok, so I'm a day late. The last two days on Wall Street have been mind boggling. Beginning with yesterday, Hank Paulson the Secretary of the Treasury decides that he doesn't want to use the $700 billion Bailout Package (renamed to the less insulting TARP). During his speech in which he broke the news that he was changing gears on the bailout package he cracked more one-liners than Mitch Hedberg. Are you kidding me? You've just admitted to the world that when you adamently pushed for the bailout package, you didn't know what you were talking about. I told you I knew the plan as it was, wouldn't work. Now his antidote is to purchase preferred stock as a way to infuse money into the banks. Too bad he's burned through almost half the money already. The result of the change of pace by Paulson was a big down day on Wall Street. I think fear finally set in on the street. Today, HUGE up day, let me repeat myself, HUGE. I don’t know the specifics but almost 1,000 point swing in the last hour of trading to end up 6.67%. If we would have seen a +6.67% day a year and a half ago people would have been very worried and confused. Now, we’re just relieved to see some green. I bought some GE last week, the dividend was approved by the board and is safe through 2009, which means if we have somewhat of a recovery in 2009 the dividend will not be cut in the near future. Other stocks that piqued my interest: PFE (Pfizer drug company), MO (Altria), and VZ (Verizon). . . all are looking very strong with very attractive dividends which I believe are fairly stable.

As bad as the banking sector is right now, it is still the best business to be in because the government will always bail you out, and you will always get your end of the year bonus. Want to know how the banks justify giving bonuses (their excuse this week)? They're latest claim is that the money was already set aside and allocated for end of the year bonuses, and that they need the money from the government to run day-to-day services. Anyone else see a problem with that?

In the spirit of my anecdotal blog I’m going to revel in Barack’s win and call him the Honorable Politician of the Week. . . again.

Monday Morning Back-up Quarterback

Who's excited for the 49ers to face the Cardinals tonight? Anyone? Seriously, somebody has to be excited... Really? No one?

Oh well. Let's talk about the rest of the league, starting with my favorite inconsistent team:

The Bears lose to the Titans in a frustrating game. So why is it that every time I watch the Bears on TV, they frustrate me? If they lost in a way that was less maddening, I swear I could deal with it. However, the Titans (who totally rely on the run) had 20 total rushing yards. 20! Yet Kerry Collins had 289 yards passing. Compare that to the 251 total yards the Bears earned on offense and you have a terrible football game. With Brian Griese throwing for over 400 yards against the Bears defense, and now Kerry Collins throwing for an effective 289 yesterday, the Bears have officially allowed two members of AARP to look like young Joe Montanas.

And I haven't even gotten to Sexy Rexy. I think I've been his biggest Bear fan supporter throughout the years. Guess what Rex? I'm off the bandwagon. I may have jumped off after your wagon began it's decent down a canyon, but at least I'm not hitting the ground with you. Rex looked good in the first drive, the proceeded to throw for no passing yards for the rest of the first half. Just terrible.

As far as the Titans go, I'm going to have to cheer for them to go undefeated now because I still hate the 1972 Dolphins. Especially Mercury Morris. When is that guy going to rear his ugly face on TV. Shove it Mercury. An 8-8 team today would destroy your Dolphins and their 13-0 regular season record (16-0 total.)

PS: Jevon Kearse's 9-0 jersey thing was pretty funny. Even I can appreciate that.

Giants are the team to beat in the NFC East - Thank goodness I'm not an Eagles fan as well. There's another frustrating team to watch. Donovan McNabb never seems to get the job done.
Whether he is losing NFC Championship games, throwing up in a huddle during the Super Bowl, or allowing his team to flounder in mediocrity- McNabb just doesn't seem like the championship caliber quarterback people once thought he could be.

The Raiders are going to get their NFL team status taken away. Seriously, they are that bad.

Other notes: Patriots are still pretty good without Tom Brady, the Lions are AWFUL, I can't believe the Colts beat the Steelers at home, the NFC North is lucky the NFC West exists, and the Jets are overrated.

It's also good to have the NBA back, except the Cavs have already proven that they are way better than the Bulls, and with the trade of Allen Iverson to the Pistons, the Bulls have no shot in that division this year. It's exciting to see Derrick Rose out there, but it is a buzz kill to know your team is an 8 seed at best. Oh well, let me sooth myself with memories of 6 championships from the 1990s.

Wining and Biking

In honor of the recent election, and our first African-American President, Barack Obama, today's travel adventure will take us to Africa. No, I haven't been to Kenya, but I have been to South Africa ! Your travel tip for the week is: If you're going to go wine tasting - try to find one that allows you to bike!

I enjoy visiting the various wineries around the world, but I can only taste a few before I'm done - so the mix of wine tasting and then biking allows me to taste at one stop, burn off the alcohol while biking and then taste a few more and not end up intoxicated by the end! (If that's your goal - then you can always ride in the van that follows all the bikers). A bonus is that the general terrain for wineries includes gentle rolling hills so you can get in a good workout and not have to work too hard. If you ever need to stop, the van in right there behind you. The scenery around most wine regions is beautiful, lush and provides a lovely backdrop to enjoy while moving slowly on a bike, instead of zooming by in a car. Biking really gives you a feel of the land and a greater appreciation for it. However, if you go to Japan, Coco Farm & Winery sounds like an awesome place to visit (and has a great story you can read about on their site), but it's not so great to bike since the vineyards are on hills that average a slope of 36 degrees! (aka: super steep).

Here are few photos of my adventures to Fairview Winery, Mont Rochelle and Middelvlei Estate.

Delicious wines and even better cheeses at Fairview!

Mont Rochelle is the first (of two) black African owned winery in South Africa.






Meddelvlei has huge dogs, miniature horses, donkeys, pigs, goats, tortoises - and my favorite because I didn't expect them - wallabies!!!

President Barack Obama

I write my blogs as they come to me and aren’t necessarily written on the Wednesday that I post them. Right now I sit here anxiously awaiting precincts to close and the media to report the winners. At the moment Kentucky went McCain (surprise), and Vermont went Obama. About 5 minutes ago it ran across my mind that McCain could actually win but I still feel deeply that the media is making this race closer than it really is so that their ratings are higher. I want to step aside for one quick moment and address my reasoning for the historic voter turnout. If there’s one thing that everyone in the United States can agree on, President Bush has motivated citizens to get out and vote. I honestly think G-Dub did a better job than anyone (including P-Diddy), at getting people to vote. Thank you.

I may have said this before but, if you think that the United States is in dire straights here’s why you need(ed) to vote for Obama. The more important race here is whether the Democrats can obtain 60 seats in the Senate. If they have majority, they can override any attempts to filibuster, therefore making it easier for them to pass legislation and help the country recover from the depths of dredgery (I just made up that word, so what). If the Democrats hold 60 seats in the Senate and McCain wins, he win undoubtedly be a lame duck president, unable to accomplish anything. That’s my quick anecdote of the situation. I think I heard it may take some time to get the final results on the Senate vote count.

Abomination is the best description I have for the bonus receiving bankers. Here’s why, and I think it’s a pretty damn good argument. . . Their argument for giving bonuses (after receiving assistance from government funds), “We need to give them bonuses to retain the best and brightest workers, or we may lose them to hedge funds and other private equity.”
My argument for “No Bonuses!” . . . Aren’t the “best and brightest” the ones who got the banking system in this dilemma in the first place??? Who are they kidding? If they want to leave and go work for a hedge fund, FINE! I say, go, be free, work for a hedge fund. If the hedge fund has any brains they won’t hire any of these bozos. Frustration, abomination, atrocity, criminal. . . how else can I describe it?

In honor of the elections this week I will not be having a Disgraced Politician of the week. I will be having the Honorable Politician of the week, and that is going to go to our next president. The precincts are still reporting at the time I write this so I will update it as I learn the news. (2 hours later) I think McCain is relieved that he was not voted the next President. At the moment the Democrats are 1 seat from having the all important 60, and they already control the House. If it’s change that the United States wanted, it’s change they’re going to get.

Honorable Politician of the week:
President Barack Obama

Election Day Trend

Well, I know I missed the boat yesterday, but I literally worked 7am-9pm so hopefully I can be forgiven. But here's a quick stat that is pretty crazy:

For each of the last 17 elections, when the Washington Redskins win their last home game before the election the incumbent party will retain their seat in the White House. If they lose, the incumbent party will also find their way out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So if you were watching Monday Night Football last night, you saw the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Redskins and you already know that Barack Obama will be our next President. It should be interesting to see if this trend holds up.

Go out and vote- it really can make a difference.

The green fairy

For Halloween I dressed up as a fairy. In honor of fairies, today's travel blog (which is becoming more of a weekend blog than a Friday blog) is on the green fairy - aka: absinthe, and one country in which it was easily procured by a traveling companion - Budapest, Hungary. While this capital is called Budapest, it's really two cities joined together. On one side of the river is the city Buda and on the other side is Pest. Connecting the two cities are a couple of lovely bridges, my favorite being the chain bridge, which does, in fact, look like a huge bicycle chain! On the day we were there, it was a special celebrations with balloons strung up along the length of the bridge, street performers, puppets, music and all around festivities. Once crossed the river from Buda into Pest (or was it Pest into Buda) then we climbed some big hills and visited ornate palaces and castles. I highly recommend cruising the streets here, blending into the townspeople and escaping the general backpacker's circuit of Europe. I did find some amazing travelers here and ended up staying in Budapest longer than planned, but overall, I saw fewer tourist here than in other parts of Europe.

Once we had cruised around Budapest for a bit, my friends and I set off for Revfulop and Lake Balaton, in search of a lively place for a party. Somehow we ended up in a cute small town that had only three restaurants. All pizzerias. We had a lovely relaxing time, but if you're looking for a wild night, I'd recommend you go elsewhere. If you're looking for absinthe, anywhere in Hungary will do. But now, a few years after I was there, it appears that absinthe is available in many more locations - though word on the streets is that its composition is not the same as it was in past years and won't make you go crazy. But don't take my word for it, take a bottle, add some sugar, light it up and decide for yourself!