President Joe Biden is Riding High

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech was a success in ways that he could not have predicted. Republicans were laid bare as a noisy group with no plans for making the country a better place.

CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: “Oh, absolutely. I mean, they literally played into his hands. You know, I don’t know if the people of the White House as they were drafting it at Camp David this weekend envisioned that happening the way it did, but it played out perfectly. And you know, I’m looking back at the end of that whole sequence where he was engaging back and forth with the Republicans, he said, so tonight, let’s all agree to stand up for seniors.” And everyone did standup. That settled the talk of some Republicans wanting to dismantle Social Security and Medicare.

Republican lawmakers defied House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s call for civility and interrupted Biden’s speech several times. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called Biden a “liar” and other Republicans shouted “border”— a reference to their claim that Biden hasn’t done enough to stop illegal immigration.

A Whopping 72 Percent Approved of Biden Speech — Including 43% of Republicans.

Was this a start of a 2024 presidential campaign or does this mean his next two years as president will enable him to leave office with a smile on his face?

Is NORAD really doing its job?

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. Aerospace warning includes the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.

So how did a Chinese balloon the size of three buses end up flying from Alaska to Canada and then across the United States? Is NORAD really doing its job? There were many uninhabited places that the balloon could be shot down in Alaska and the North West Territories of Canada. So arguing that they did not want harm coming to populations does not hold water.

The Sunday morning news shows had guests that gave politically motivated commentaries. Of course the Democrats defended the actions of the Administration and GOP guests attacked. No surprise. Sadly no one provided real answers.

Update on February 6, 2023 is horrifying.

“Every day as a NORAD commander, it’s my responsibility to detect threats to North America. I will tell you that we did not detect those threats,” Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command said when asked about the three other balloons.

“And that’s a domain awareness gap that we have to figure out, but I don’t want to go into further detail.”

U.S. Economy is Doing Great!

America’s employers added a stunning 517,000 jobs in January, a surprisingly strong gain in the face of the Federal Reserve’s higher interest rates. Given that employers added less than 300,000 new jobs in each of the past three months and the Federal Reserve has increased borrowing costs for the past year the January jobs report is astonishing.

After reaching a horrifying rate of 8.5% in March of 2022, the inflation rate was down to 6,5% this past December.

So with jobs plentiful, employers offering higher pay, and inflation declining is this economy in trouble?

The answer is an emphatic NO.

GOP removes Rep. Ilhan Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee

Citing her comments on Israel and Jews the Republican-led House Thursday voted along party lines to remove Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over previous comments she had made.

Born in Somalia, Omar fled the country’s civil war when she was eight. The family spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before arriving in the United States, according to her congressional biography. In 1997, she moved to Minneapolis with her family, living in the city that she now represents in Congress. Omar is a Muslim. She has been a fierce critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and routinely questions U.S. aid to Israel.

Omar faced criticism in 2019 from both sides of the aisle for comments she made during a town hall and for controversial Twitter replies.

During the town hall event, Omar suggested Israel demands “allegiance” from American lawmakers, adding that “a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituents, a lot of our allies, (think) that everything we say about Israel (is) anti-Semitic because we are Muslim.”

If it was up to me I would expel her from the House of Representatives along with others who have made racist remarks. Omar was just re-elected and so her constituents want her to continue serving. This is how democracy functions.

GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser. Greense was re-elected too.

Sadly Omar’s hate is no joke.

Who wants to be a Senator from California?

California Senator Dianne Feinstein is 89 years old. Her term in office ends in two years. From all appearances she looks frail. The picture above was taken October 14, 2020 when she questioned Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett. There are multiple reports about her ability to remember who she had just spoken to. The position of Senate president pro tempore is a position almost always given to the senior senator of the majority political party. That person would be Senator Dianne Feinstein. In an opportunity to become Senate president pro tempore, a position laid out by the Constitution to chair the Senate when the vice president is not present Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Democrats he won’t nominate Sen. Dianne Feinstein due to her mental acuity.

Feinstein has refused to say whether she will run for re-election. As many believe she will not run there is a growing list of well known congressional representatives who have declared their intention to run for the Senate seat. With the overwhelming Democratic registration in California the winner is almost certain to be a Democrat.

As of this date four well known liberal Democrats have announced their intention to run for the Senate seat. All four hold similar positions on most issues. Barbara Lee, Katy Porter, a rising star in the party who has notched close victories in competitive Orange County, Ro Khanna of Fremont, and now Adam Schiff representing Burbank and Glendale. Lee’s reputation is as the lone vote in Congress against the Afghanistan war in 2001.

So the question is how can these people run against each other when they have the same views on most topics? They all hold similar objectives. More gun control, eliminating the use of gas and oil, abortion access wherever you live, immigration reform are some of the topics they most likely will say are important and need new legislation.

They are left with just a few things. Name calling. Sewing petty doubts about their opponent’s loyalty to liberal ideas. The campaign is going to be very nasty.

Why all the Rain in a La Niña winter?

The forecast in October by the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service, indicated the odds were stacked against the Golden State: a rare third year of La Niña was expected. And California had already recorded its three driest years in the historical record.

The center’s seasonal forecast for December, January and February said there were equal chances of a dry or wet season in Northern California. But for Southern California, the agency reported there was a 33% to 50% chance of below-normal precipitation.

Every California state water agency and every local water agency were preparing for another winter of drought.

Then the surprise started at the beginning of December 2022. Rain storm after rain storm hit Southen California.

How could that happen when this season was a predicted La Niña winter?

The meteorologists (climate scientists) provide us with an exclamation. One meteorologist who has warned against putting too many eggs in the La Niña basket is Jan Null, a former lead forecaster for the National Weather Service. In late 2020, as La Niña was developing, he tweeted of the phenomenon: “What does it mean for California and U.S. rainfall? Almost anything!”

So while La Niña and El Niño do factor into Southern California weather, another phenomenon known as the Madden-Julian Oscillation can affect whether storms hit. And instead of being forecast months in advance, they can be predicted only weeks ahead of time.

The Madden-Julian Oscillation — or MJO — is separate from La Niña and El Niño. It’s another way of predicting rain and it provides an excuse for incorrect forecasting.

1997-1998 was a year when the El Niño was accurately predicted (48.3 inches) and that started my collection of rain at my home. What I learned is that the average amount to rain is not a guide to how much rain will fall in any given year. Last year the total rain was just of 6 inches. This year the rainy season is only half completed and the rain received is approaching 16 inches.

Technology Effecting Everyday Life

More than three dozen Regal movie theaters, including a total of three in Los Angeles and Orange counties, will be closing as the chain’s parent company winds its way through bankruptcy.

The causes should be obvious. I have a 55 inch flatscreen television with an excellent sound system that has the capability of streaming movies from Disney, Paramount, Universal, and others. The cost is relatively low. I can stop the movie if I need to use the bathroom or get a snack from the kitchen. On top of that there is no potential for contracting COVID or other communicable diseases.

Phonograph records, eight track tapes, and CDs are all part of the past. Despite a recent surge in popularity of vinyl and record players, music streaming continues to be king. A wide variety of subscription-based music streaming services now grant access to millions of songs that you can access on any device you own. Spotify is the most popular streaming platform in the world, with 350 million users and 150 million subscribers.

Satellite radio means broadcasts through a satellite that ensures you can always hear the broadcast as you drive from Los Angeles to Chicago. It’s not just in your car. The SXM App delivers the ultimate SiriusXM experience including ad-free music, plus live sports, original talk shows where ever you are. I’m hooked.

Smart speakers are a 21st century tool that is part of the advance of technology that is called AI (artificial intelligence). The speakers have a microphone that hears what you are saying. The unit can play music, podcasts, news and radio, just with a simple voice request. This is just the beginning of even more advanced robotics. As I am writing this article WordPress is suggesting my next words.

The AMC DINE-IN Topanga 12 just opened June 2, 2022. I can’t understand the decision building a new theater when there is a shrinking number of theater goers. They are appealing to the same people who love phonograph records.

I admit playing the music I love on CDs. I must be part of that dying breed too.

Amazon still enjoys something of a first-mover advantage with its voice-controlled digital assistant, Alexa. That means you’ll find a robust selection of third-party tasks—or “skills,” in Amazon Alexa parlance—that the speaker can perform and a wide array of devices that work with Alexa-powered smart speakers. I’m thinking about trying this AI machine.

Cactus House

Every time I go to a Gelson’s market in Calabasas, which isn’t very often, I pass a cactus garden and walled house and yard. In August 2020 I finally took my camera and stopped to walk through the garden and photograph it and the gated entrance. Now a local newspaper had called it the “Cactus House.” The paper reported that The house features four bedrooms and four baths in 4,667 square feet. The walled compound also has two decks overlooking a koi pond and
pool.

The view as you drive by.

After you have driven by the entrance to the walled compound is on a side road that is not easily seen. I took a total of 14 pictures of the cactus and palm garden along with the entrance.

The property is estimated by Zillow at just over $2 million and is not for sale now. Photos were taken in 2020.

Macy’s is the Icon of America

Macy’s has appeared in more than 50 movies and television shows. The store’s debut was in 1906 in the film The Kleptomaniac. Since then, it has appeared in many movies like Auntie Mame (1958), Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Sweet Charity (1969), and more recently Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Shark Tale (2004) and King Kong (2005). Finally, it is probably most famous for its role in the holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

Macy’s Harold Square has achieved fame in the TV world as well. Well known shows like The Wonder Years, Who’s the Boss, Seinfeld, Friends, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, The Biggest Loser, and Project Runway.

Macy’s is also featured in Kanye West’s US version of his music video for the song “Heard ‘Em Say.” Nearly the entire video was filmed inside Macy’s Herald Square. It features West and three children playing inside a closed Macy’s at night.

More than just a retail store, Macy’s has truly become an icon of Manhattan, and even of the United States. This is one shopping spot that cannot be missed during your visit to New York City.

To catch a glimpse of Macy’s hop on our NYC TV & Movie Tour or Holiday Lights & Movie Sites Tour.