Sunday Morning Coming Down

Between 1870 and 1900 about 15,000 Icelanders resettled in North America. It was a huge blow for a nation of only 70.000 people. Many of the emigrants were escaping the volcanic eruption of Askja in 1875. In 2011, more than 94,000 people of Icelandic descent lived in Canada. The map shows how people who have an Icelandic background are distributed in North America.

Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson presented the government’s 2015 budget bill when parliament reconvened after the summer break on Tuesday. The lower VAT rate will increase from 7 to 12 percent while the higher VAT rate will decrease from 25.5 to 24 percent at the end of the year. At the same time, general excise tax will be suspended and child benefits will increase by 13 percent to offset the rise in food prices due to an increase in VAT. The suspension of general excise tax means that the price of sugary foods, beverages, building supplies, spare parts for cars, larger home appliances and other electronic devices will drop. This year’s budget is expected to have a surplus of ISK 4.1 billion (USD 34.5 million, EUR 26.6 million),  ruv.is  reports. The State Treasury’s total expected revenue is ISK 644.5 billion while expected expenditure is ISK 640.5 billion. Both the expected revenue and expenditure is ISK 30 billion higher than forecast in the last budget. ...

This piece isn't intended to be a hatchet job on the President. It's just that his visit this afternoon might make the traffic a whole lot crazier than usual.  The President is making a visit to the "Hurricane Center at FIU.  The visit is the official reason he is going to land at MIA. Hurricane season starts officially on June 1st.  Given the bad weather in Houston and vicinity I hope he makes a stop in that neighborhood asap. Maybe slightly unconsciously I am reading the book: "Five Days At Memorial" which is about a disaster within a disaster after Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans. The other driving force for the visit is to raise money for some democrats by attending a couple of events in Coconut Grove, a neighborhood in Miami, which has some very, very fancy houses and like just about every other place in Miami, some very poor folks that live on the edge of poverty while within a short walk of a beautiful bay front. I visit the poor side of town regul...

The Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 last night thanks to a walk off double courtesy of Addison Russell in the ninth. It was also a face off between Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant. Harper's home run was a wind aided fly ball that made it to left center. Initially he probably thought it was going to be just a long fly ball that was going to be caught on the warning track. The bat flip looked more angry than an in your face preliminary to a stroll around the bases. Bryant's blast was a monster, which according to reports was 477 feet long and rattled off the new left field score board. Not only was it the longest home run hit it Wrigley this year, it tied the score in the 8th and set up Addison Russell for his game winner in the 9th. I think even Sox fans would have called the game a good win for the North Siders.

Sometimes there is stuff on the net that is worth repeating: I am thankful for small mercies. I compared notes with one of my friends who expects everything of the universe and is disappointed when anything is less than the best, and I found that I begin at the other extreme, expecting nothing, and am always full of thanks for moderate goods.

David Beckham has been sniffing around Miami for a venue for an MLS soccer franchise. Beckham has an option for a new franchise that is deeply discounted as a sweetener for his time in service with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham for all his charisma has had some problems finding a site for a stadium for his team. Possible sites at Dodge Island, near the Miami International Airport, Downtown Miami, F.I.U., and Miami Marlins Park have been considered and found lacking because of opposition by the local residents, cost, and location. The stars seem to be aligning for a new shot at a combination soccer/college football stadium in the neighborhood where the old Orange Bowl was and very near the Miami Marlins Park. The outgoing UM President Donna Shalala wants to partner up with Beckham's football folks and even the Miami Dade County Mayor seems interested because the UM will contribute serious money to the project. (At least that is the current rumor.) The "Orange Bowl...

I've been through PT three times. After hip replacement, lower back issues, and now with shoulder issues.  One of the kind nurses at the rehab facility recovering after getting a new hip suggested I take the pain medication before the exercises.  Very good advice.  Rather than being miserable while doing what you need to do to get better, take advantage of whatever pain medication they might prescribe. Being a child of the late 60's and 70's addiction is one of the last things you should worry about. Range of motion, getting stronger and doing the exercises that the trainer suggests is more important than any other issues you might have. Eventually they will want to know how much progress you are making. This where Dr. House comes in. They probably already think you are lying anyway, but if it didn't hurt, you could walk up a few flights of stairs why would you spend time and money doing stuff you could do at home. Make the folks that have been working with you feel...

These days you can sample your news from a bunch of sources.  A FB post can turn into daily notices from the Chicago Tribune. Similarly, you can get your sports from The Guardian in London. The local news can come in hard copy, delivered to your door, and you can always recycle magazines from UU congregation members who drop off old copies of TIME, The Economist, and other more esoteric publications. Yesterday, I looked through some old pictures regarding the history of Bensenville, IL. The pictures were part of the suburban section that included Elmhurst, IL. The railroad, the Airport, Fires and other things. A history lesson in twenty five pictures. This morning, the AC had cycled off and on a few times before I hit on an e-mail from the Tribune regarding Kris Bryant's new apartment. May 20, 2015 and it's 40 degrees in Chicago. I'm not sure which is bigger news.

The Downtown Development Authority and the Homeless Trust are at odds about the "homeless" still living on the street in Miami. Shelters are closed during the day and while the number of homeless folks is down to more manageable numbers, there are issues about sanitation.  An "objective" study about feces and urine is front and center. The obvious solution is more public toilet facilities. The devil is in the details regarding who should foot the bill and design issues so the facilities don't become mini crack houses and or mini hotels. Best practices out there anybody?

A guy from The Guardian said it best for a rather illogical situation.  "When it comes the Marlins, you fire the manager because you can't fire the owner".  Good luck Dan Jennings, the Marlin's new manager and the club's former GM.

It's his race to win.  A cynic might he is the best of a poor lot.  An optimist might say he has done it in everywhere under good and bad conditions and hopefully the last race didn't take too much out of him. It's a little early to tell but there don't seem to be any new shooters for the Belmont Stakes, only a few others that skipped the Preakness and will run with relatively fresh legs against American Pharoah.

The Junior Senator from Florida has liquidated about $68,000 in retirement accounts according to reports from the Associated Press. This is not the kind of financial advice a 43 year old would probably receive with kids to put through college, cash in the bank, a good salary, outside income, a wife that is gainfully employed and participation in two generous pension plans. The most logical answer is that Senator Rubio in spite or because of his humble upbringing is feeling some financial pressure that any wannabe with some conflicting goals in politics, finances, and lifestyle experience. Maybe he has a hot tip. This is one thing I'm sure that will get some attention as his presidential ambitions unfold. History has a tendency to be repeated and Senator Rubio's financial past has been interesting.

I have a really hard time believing that a $75,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation slipped George Stephanopoulos' mind or any other person that isn't on the Forbes List. I think he has the right to donate money to any foundation he wants to but it does sort of raise a few issues about paying for an interview and all sorts of other issues about "pay to play". Brian Williams gets suspended without pay for six month for embellishing some eleven or more stories he covered over his years at NBC. What's ABC going to do about this lack of candor.

Jimmy Buffet made a splash at yesterday's UM Commencement Ceremony. Flip flops, shorts and had the deal been held outside in days prior to the Bank United Center he might have been wearing shades, which he used anyway because he forgot his readers, or so he is quoted. I'm a big fan of Buffet, I've bought almost all his albums in vinyl and a digital collection as well. I've been to one of his concerts at the Marine Stadium on a sailboat to the best of my recollection, that was a long time ago and I might have had a few adult beverages, so my recollections are sketchy, or maybe I just saw a concert of his on the Country Music Channel. The Miami Herald who no longer has an editorial page had UM's Commencement on the front page above the fold. Buffet has a good reputation in the environmental community, does good works, donates money to good causes and is a worthy person to be honored by the UM. I'm sure more than a few of the class of 2015 were not wearing su...

About ten years ago the labor market participation rate was approximately 66%. This month the DOL reported the labor market participation rate has dropped to 62.7%. Various reasons are given for the lower participation rate. Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age, the job market for the long term unemployed is still weak, some folks are staying in school or returning to school, maybe women are not entering the labor market in the numbers previously encountered, there has been an increase in the number of folks going on disability and there are probably some that are working for cash and not being counted properly. All of the above are true. How stuff gets counted is problematic. While the Department of Labor does a pretty admirable job of giving us statistics, stuff gets in the way. . The unemployment rate is the percentage of people in the labor force who are jobless, looking for a job, and available for work. The U-6 measure of labor under utilization, which decreased from 12....

Never saw a dog memorialized in the Obit Section of the Miami Herald before.  I realize pets are part of the family and if their passing is put in the paper to let other friends and family know, who am I to judge. Recently attended a wedding where some of the music played prior to the ceremony wasn't very traditional. The ceremony was shorter than I've ever been to but the party. food, music and dancing was festive without getting out of hand. Just getting older, I guess. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". I wonder who picked that gem.

The guy has a right to be peeved. Somebody forgot to put the amputated leg in the incinerator. The man found out about the incident when homicide detectives knocked on his door and asked him why his leg was found at a waste management facility with the man's name tag still attached. When the time comes I'm planning cremation and among the cremains they will find a metal hip which has served me well so far.  I hope the rest of the operation went ok.  I'm reminded of what Paul Newman did with Henry Fonda's arm in the movie, "Sometimes A Great Notion".

The "Run for the Roses", "The Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sport", "The Triple Crown" or "Decadent and Depraved", the Kentucky Derby is going to happen. I think the crowd is going to be huge, hammered, and happy because Bob Baffert will win with one of his horses unless he has bad racing luck.  Dortmund and American Pharoah will be crowd favorites and for the first time in a while I think a favorite will win. As always lots of really good horses and if you could figure out a bet using Pletcher and Baffert horses you will have almost all of the likely suspects and cash a pretty good ticket with the pools being huge.