What I noticed.this past week..

As I write this, it is a Monday night, the Monday night before the
last of the primaries. We have finally gotten to the end point of
one part of the Democratic process. I imagine - on some level -
both Clinton and Obama are relieved. This has been going on, it
seems, as long as I've been alive. Not true but it IS hard to
find a time you cannot remember hearing about the campaign. By
the time most folks read this, the writing on the Democratic wall
should be pretty clear.

Finally.

I noticed this week that American deaths in Iraq are at their
lowest level since sometime before. I might be in a minority here
but I would like to know how many Iraqis died too. It would help
us keep a perspective on events over there.

Yves Saint Laurent died in Paris. Sarkozy stated Saint Laurent
raised couture "to the rank of art". He did influence almost
every aspect of fashion during his long career. Until I read
obituaries, I had forgotten he had invented the pants suit. If I
wore a hat, I would tip it for him.

Bo Diddley also passed away; I recall it took me a long time to
realize there really was a Bo Diddley and that he wasn't a
character in someone's novel. Play on, Mr. Diddley, wherever we
go when we go.

There was a huge fire at NBC Universal. Preliminarily, it is
believed it was an accident. "New York" burned down and will be
rebuilt in all likelihood. The Town Square from "Back to the
Future" also was lost and I feel nostalgic for some reason about
this.

The space shuttle linked with the Space Station, not a moment too
soon. This feat of engineering that services a rotating crew and
which, like Topsy, keeps growing, has only one toilet! What were
they thinking? They'd never have plumbing problems? That two
people might not want to relieve themselves at the same time? My
experience with software engineers has taught me that mechanical
minds often lose track of human needs. They didn't even have
spare parts for it, which is why Discovery's arrival is so
timely.

In the world of the absolutely important, it appears that ET, that
venerable news organization, may have had it wrong when they
announced that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were the proud parents
of twins. All the world of celebrity watchers went atwitter over
this and the reputation of ET will probably be tarnished.
Personally, I'll never trust them again.

I also found it remarkable that in this world, Yahoo found this
story to be its most importatnt story. Surely something else is a
bit more important than these two fabulously beautiful people
having children? Guess not.

In financial circles it seems that there is now a great deal of
debate about whether Bernanke is doing the right thing with low
interest rates after being lauded so loudly a few months ago when
his movement to lower them was widely seen as a major support in
the dyke which was holding back the waters of financial chaos.
Now the fear is that inflation will be the dangerous player in the
pack. People are pointing to the 1970's with its stagflation and
saying: this time will be like that time. I don't think it really
will. I don't see the next President needing to hand out pins
saying: WIN [whip inflation now; remember?]. We are in a time of
complex difficulties with our markets and our financial systems.
It isn't like any other time and to treat it as such would be a
mistake. Watch inflation, watch the markets, and watch as the
world is changing to a whole new and different set of dilemmas.

It has been a week of many events yet none seem to shake the
earth. Myanmar and China are still reeling from natural
disasters. Iraq slugs along. Oil continues to seek new heights.
We continue to learn how to live with $4 a gallon gasoline. In
other words, it's been a week not like any other week but a week
in which our world continued to tick, and there is a lot to say
for that. At least we're here.