Russian Escape

Mixed Media, 3 -D/ 26” x 38” / $ 650
In Russia, the wealthy escape to luxurious homes on the Volga River known as Dachas on. During the communist revolution, Dachas were converted to vacation homes for workers but they have again resurfaced for the elite as exemplified by this seven-figure houseboat on the Volga and a restored traditional wood house in Plyos.

The Best of Times, The Worst of TImes

Fact Checking – In a late December interview with Prince Harry of England, President Obama touted that this is the best of times to be alive. He said that the world is more tolerant, less violent, and that people are healthier, subjects I touched upon in last week’s newsletter. I continue his optimistic statement this week by considering wealth, education, and what might be meant by being more sophisticated.

Part II

Is the world wealthier? When I hear that the world’s eight richest people collectively have the same amount of wealth as the poorest 50 percent of the world, I wonder if dangerous problems lie ahead due to the concentration of wealth among a few. Though the world as a whole might be wealthier, most people do not benefit from this boom. The bottom half struggles to survive. It is grotesque that a handful of rich people are equivalent to 3.6 billion souls living in poverty.

Bill Gates is one of many who echo Obama, agreeing that economic indicators show the world getting wealthier. Yet, when you probe further, he also says that inequality does not matter, which seems to me to be quite a bizarre assessment. The World Bank certainly does not agree with him for it reports that, “No country has successfully developed beyond middle-income status while retaining a very high level of inequality in income or consumption.” In general, those nations with great inequality have higher murder rates and lower life expectancy.

Poverty is defined as a lack of resources needed for a decent life – food and water, housing and energy, healthcare, education, and employment. It is about not having power and being unable to improve your situation. The world’s poverty line is set at $ 2.50 per day and the number of people living below that line increased by 15 percent between 1981 and 2005. So, no. . . the poor are not getting wealthier.

Not only do a handful of billionaires make an extraordinary amount of money, they employ most people. Home Depot’s Bernard Macus and Arthur Blank have over 385,000 employees, Warren Buffet at Berkshire Hathaway, 331,000, Frederick Smith of Fedex, over 400,000, and Peter Buck of Subway over 450,000. If Sam Walton of Wal-Mart were still around he would be credited with 2.3 million jobs. The number of those employed by the world’s 1,645 billionaires (according to Forbes) continues to grow. Don’t think for a minute that wealthy, mostly men, do not control our lives, for they do.

For example, government is influenced by their excessive wealth, for billionaires have the funds to lobby for tax benefits for themselves while making sure that needed government revenues will come from their employee’s taxes. US Tax Code as passed, is designed to permanently benefit corporations and protect the personal savings of the wealthiest but benefits for the middle class are set to expire in five years.

Last year’s stock market went up up by 19 percent. With a simple call to a broker, a billion dollar investment tied to an index fund returned $190,000 million. It is difficult for anyone to spend that much money for groceries, entertainment, cars or housing, so what happens to excessive gains? Will this windfall be plowed back into the economy? Will salaries increase so that those with more modest salaries also benefit?

To answer these questions we need to look at whether Reagan’s trickle-down economics could work under the right circumstances. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum response is, “Trickle. Shmickle. You don’t need a Ph.D. in economics to see that something’s wrong with trickle-down theory. If it were true, inequality would be self-limiting. As soon as the rich started getting richer, wealth would cascade like the Niagara down to the benighted lower classes. Instead, the gap between rich and poor keeps growing.”

The International Monetary Fund concurs that trickle down economics backfires. It isn’t long before policies get instituted that hurt growth. The upper echelon pushes for deregulation of the financial system and puts the middle class at risk. Conflicts become more prevalent, social trust diminishes, and cohesion dissolves. Reasons are well documented as to why policy makers should pay more attention to low wage earners than the wealthy. When the bottom 20 percent of a nation’s population increases its share of national income, stronger growth follows on average within five years.

Among wealthier countries world-wide, poverty has risen since the 1990s. As the ranks of the poor grew, the rich get richer. In our own country, since 2000, the share of middle-class families has shriveled in all 50 states. The United States is an example of runaway inequality. Last November, Bank of America Merrill Lynch surveyed the CEOs of major corporations about how they would invest their foreign-held profits if they brought them back to the states. The majority said funds would be used for debt repayment, share repurchase, and mergers and acquisitions before capital spending. Few businesses planned to increase investments in areas that will benefit middle class Americans, concluded a Wall Street Journal article.

The tax plan that passed in December has winners and losers. The winners are Real estate and other pass through companies, energy drillers, sports team owners, major corporations, tax lawyers, those who don’t want to pay for health insurance, those who will now inherit up to $11 million tax free. The Losers are commuters, residents of high-tax states like New York, New Jersey, and California, and everyone who will now have to contribute to interest payments for a higher budget deficit. 50 Percent of Americans will see their taxes increase after 2025 and 13 million will lose health insurance. Too bad I am not a real estate billionaire like our president, for if I were, I might have had champagne to welcome in the New Year.

Are the People of the World Better Educated? Once more we have to ask ourselves, better educated than when? If we consider primitive societies where learning was passed down from parent to child and tribal member to youth, all children were educated in survival skills. In Egypt, Greece and Rome centers of learning existed since 3,500-3,000 BCE, though the opportunity for literacy were only available to a privileged male elite. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that book production increased yet it still took centuries for literacy to become universal. Middle class children who were not farmers, were taught by parental example or in the trades in multi-year apprenticeship programs.

If we consider the last two centuries, when literacy became important, then yes, according to the dozens of articles I read, rates have risen globally. Increases are primarily due to enrollment in primary education though in sub-Saharan Africa many countries lag behind with literacy rates below 50 percent of youth. A growing body of research suggests that better education is associated with higher individual income and long-term economic growth. Throughout the world here are large generational gaps, for younger generations are progressively better educated than older ones. In the United States, even low-wage earners are better educated than they were in 1979. For example, in 1979, 39.5 percent had not gone to high school while in 2011 only 19.8 percent had not attended.

It is interesting to note that according the Economist, Immigrants to America are better educated than ever before. Half of all legal migrants have college degrees contrary to the popular belief that they are low-skilled. There is growing interest in the House of Representatives in having a points-based immigration system similar to that of Canada and Australia that gives priority to migrants with degrees, work experience, and fluency in English rather than to families as is the case in America today.

Is the world more sophisticated? I have not the slightest idea and am not sure what President Obama had in mind when he said it was.. What do you think?

Please comment below on my blog site.It will be interesting to hear your comments about these last two newsletters.

Art is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com

References:

1. Elliott,L. 2017. World’s eight richest people have same Wealth as poorest 50%. The Guardian. retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jan/16/worlds-eight-richest-people-have-same-wealth-as-poorest-50

2. Social Justice Website. 2017. Myth #1: The Poor are Getting Richer. Social Justice Now. retrieved from http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/myth-1-poor-are-getting-richer

3 . Blankfqld,K. 2016. The American Billionaires Behind the Most Jobs. Forbes. retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerenblankfeld/2016/10/18/american-billionaires-behind-the-most-jobs/#5b03e27c693f

4. Coy, P. 2017. The Best Way to Spur Growth?Help the Poor, Not the Rich. Bloomberg Business Week. retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-30/the-best-way-to-spur-growth-help-the-poor-not-the-rich

5. Picchi,A. 2015. Is Trickle-down Economics to Blame for Inequality? Money Watch. retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-failure-of-trickle-down-economics/

6. Boak, J. 2017. A look at some winners and losers under the GOP tax plan. ABC News, retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/winners-losers-gop-tax-plan-51903730

7. Roser,M and Ortiz-Ospina,E. 2017, Global Rise of Education. Our World in Data. retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/global-rise-of-education

8. Economist. 2017. Immigrants to America are better educated than ever before, The Economist Print Edition. United States. retrieved from https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21723108-far-being-low-skilled-half-all-legal-migrants-have-college-degrees-immigrants

Surf’s up

Who knows what a rising sea will portend?
Acrylic on Canvas/ 48” by 36” / $ 600

Preparing your Body for Emergencies

Over the past six months, one disaster story after another was the featured news story. These tragedies brought to light how important it is to be prepared for emergency situations. Agencies like FEMA advise us to have certain supplies on hand, where to go for shelter, and how to get in touch with love ones. They suggest shuttering windows and moving to safe quarters in case of a hurricane and to move to a storm shelter or small interior room to avoid being hurt by a tornado. If caught in a fire we are told to crawl on the grain and not to reenter the house to retrieve something. With earthquakes, sirens will sound and we are to stay away from windows and hide under a table to avoid falling debris. And in case of a tsunami or flash flood, take off immediately to higher ground.

In my earthquake prone part of the country, we are instructed to keep 14 gallons of water on hand per person which is difficult to store to do. And so the list goes on for we know that life is not always fair and unexpected events can come tumbling our way.

Though we are unable to control everything in our environment we can certainly take precautionary steps. Yet, there is a subject, that is not mentioned in emergency response documents, and that is how to prepare your body and mind to face such tragedies. They speak of supplies to have on hand and places to go for shelter but don’t advise us as to what physical abilities are minimally needed to live through a catastrophe.

I was proud of my granddaughter who survived the volley of fire that recently rained down in a Las Vegas concert. Though standing up front, excellent survivor instincts and a well tuned body saved her life. With the first shots she ducked and then, when there was a lull, with one boot on and another off, she took off over the bloody floor towards an exit. Her reflexes were swift and her thinking clear as her limbic system (fight and flight) provided her the necessary energy to find safety.

As we prepare our homes for emergencies it makes sense to also train our bodies in order to react quickly and purposefully. With a bit of advice from Anita Stark, my exercise trainer, I offer a few basic suggestions.

Learn to calm your mind. This skill is the most important one to mention. When trauma strikes, blood pressure tends to rise along with adrenaline bursts which have a way of producing a frantic go-go reaction that may not be helpful. Both body and mind need to be sharp enough to navigate through the event. Mediation, mindfulness, and yoga are practices that focus on calmness. These trainings involve learning to breath deeply in from the nose to clear the mind and exhaling all air out through the mouth before taking action. When a tree landed on my house and shook the foundation, shattering glass and sending objects flying, I felt my heart pounding while my adrenaline went sky high. I had to speak to myself saying, “Marilynne you are a meditator, use your training,” and immediately started doing well practiced breathing exercises. Within one minute I became calm and able to proceed with damage control.

b) Be sure you can get up quickly from the ground. Sit in different positions then rise in a spiral motion using all four corners of your body so that it is comfortable and easy to do. Lie flat on the floor and roll over on all four sides of your body before rising. Emergencies often involve being able to be mobile on three planes—high, middle, and low. If the ground is shaking and objects are flying, you may need to protect your head by turning it face down under a chair or table before you get up to exit the building.

c) Practice moving on your stomach in a creeping army type crawl and then on you knees like a baby. A smoke filled house requires you to stay low to the ground to avoid lung damage. Having the ability to propel yourself forward in this manner might save your life.

d) Challenge your balance. While cooking or brushing your teeth stand on one leg and then the other. Once you can do that with ease, swing the elevated leg in different directions until you can maintain balance. Try balance activities wearing shoes and again while barefoot. Both ways give you different challenges which will be an aide if you need to climb over fallen objects without falling.

e) Move around your home without wearing shoes. In an emergency there is no time to find them. Let you feet become sensitized, for they are like hands that touch the earth. Walk outside on uneven ground, on a trail or over land scattered with rubble. Step over branches and get used to uneven concrete. This is a good practice for many types of disasters or visits to third world countries. Ecuador’s sidewalks had indentations, uplifted sections, uncovered holes, and driveway protrusions. I fell flat on my face the first day I was there because I looked up at falling telephone wires instead of down. I assure you I did not make the same mistake twice.

f) Learn to sink and pivot your body quickly (keeps your joints mobile). Try sprinting a few steps, pivot and change direction. Look around and be prepared to move in the direction of your stare. A friend of mine was in an explosion in an accelerator at Harvard. He immediately moved away from the sound and ran to the exit. And though he suffered some burns on his back, the damage was not as severe as it was for those who froze and looked to see what happened before moving.

g) Walk quickly through your house and out the door. Try doing it again in the dark. Sensitize yourself to move without light in a small space, like your bathroom, before tackling the stairs or a large room. In a smoke filled building or in a nighttime event it may be difficult to see before you.

h) Add strength to your hands and arms so you can carry, push, and lift a small child to safety. When thrown from a raft while in the Amazon, I was caught in a whirlpool two feet under the surface. Though I did not panic for I knew I had the strength to push myself up, I struggled to aid my rescuer. Instructed to grab cleats on the back of his kayak, my arms were weak and I wondered if I could hold on long enough to be taken to safety. I survived unscathed but started lifting weights as soon as I returned home.

i). If you want to be able to help others, learn CPR. I unexpectedly had to help a man who’s heart stopped beating at a trade show in New York. His booth had fallen on him the previous day leaving him a bit shaky. We were talking when his eyes turned up and he slumped to the floor. A crowd formed around him and I shouted, “Does anyone know CPR?” I was very uncomfortable when no one stepped forward but felt compelled to get down and use my limited skills to compress his chest slowly and rhythmically. After about four minutes, with sudden energy that burst explosively in the middle of my hands, his heart started to beat again. It is an amazing feeling to save a life. Though I never thought I would use the training, I was so happy that I had been taught CPR.

No one can afford to be a couch potato and ignore preparing for an emergency. We can become better able to react effectively when there is chaos and confusion. Fortunately, an added benefit is that the suggested exercises are good for your health. So—if you have not been inclined to do so in the past or have just became lazy as you aged, stop procrastinating, get on board and build body and mind so you will be able to confront events that life has a way of throwing when least expected..

Spring has Sprung
40” by 20” / acrylic on Canvas, $499
I don’t know who wrote this version of Spring has Sprung but I remember it well from childhood.
Spring has Sprung, The grass is Riz, I wonder where my jacket is?

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

When I was a child I lived in Philadelphia where baseball was king. After work, Dad would gather my sister, brothers, and me, for a game of catch on the side lawn. Family picnics and summer camps always included a baseball game. And though I threw like a girl, which isn’t saying much,I was not a bad batter and was a middle pick when captains selected players.

On weekends Dad took us the see the winning Phillies and the declining Philadelphia Athletics (As). Dad had grown up with the Athletics, one of baseball’s two original teams, and was loyal to them until they moved. Men like Yogi Berra, Stan the Man Musial, Mickey Mantle, and Jacki Robinson were household names. When Robin Roberts helped the Phillies win the pennant in 1950 my friends and I were glued to the radio.

I remember ball park excursions and how dozens of kids were gathered outside to see if a home run ball would come whizzing over the wall so they could trade it in for admittance. Once inside the park we sang the national anthem and shouted with mounting excitement the moment, the announcer said “play ball.” A bag of peanuts, cracker jacks with its hidden toy, the taste of a hot dog smothered with mustard, a soft drink, and an occasional stomach ache adds to my memories. I also think of the time we forgot where we parked the car and took an hour to walk up and and down nearby streets before it was located.

In those days, attending major league games was in the reach of everyone. It was not, as it is today, a pastime of the wealthy. Two weeks ago, I found it difficult to believe a friend who told me he thought of going to the opening game in Seattle and paying $300 for a ticket. How many people have that much disposable income?

I decided to explore the cost of attending a typical game and find out if the price is still within the reach of most people. I learned that the average cost for bleacher seats for two people across all 30 major league teams is $ 77.92. If you add parking $16-$ 25, two hot dogs, $8.73, and $11.89 for two beers or drinks, it will cost a minimum of $ 114.54. Most fans consume more than one hot dog and buy a program and occasional souvenir. Attending games in older stadiums such as Fenway Park in Boston or Wrigley Field in Chicago may add $110 to the bill.
In 1950,Dad paid $ 1.59 for a ticket to the Phillies and even taking into account inflation, the price was reasonable. Over the years much has changed to make the average family unable to attend and cheer their heroes. No longer is baseball a way to escape misery as many did during the depression.

In order to understand how the game has changed, let’s consider the how the cost of financing a team escalated. The New York Knickerbockers was given the first hurdle in 1885 when asked to pay rent. It wasn’t long before franchise owners started paying good players “under the table” in order to keep them loyal. Revenue to pay expenses was primarily generated from tickets sales, but that changed over time because of radio, television, and print media.

My father told me that in the1940s his entire family sat in the living room listening to radio sports casters stirring imaginations with lively accountings. When television and print media took over, fans could see for themselves what was occurring and it want to attend live games. And as they came, so did licensed memorabilia. Money wise owners granted rights to show games on television and received money from advertisers to use their team brand.

Until the early 1950s Major Baseball League (MLB ) was composed of 16 teams in 10 cities, none west of St. Louis. Beginning in the late 60s, 14 franchises were added until the American and National leagues reached15 teams each (one is Canadian). With growth, new stadiums were constructed, and again attendance soared by 44%. Teams were bought and sold, and some business savvy owners moved their purchases to markets with a larger population. As the game continued to gain in popularity, players become more expensive to recruit and keep. In 2016, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers was paid $34.5 million. The best athletes were turned into heroes by the media which attracted more fans willing to pay higher prices for admission.

The cost of owning a team appears to have no end as expenses continue to rise. In 2010, the Yankees generated $325 million in ticket revenues, giving them a profit of over $ 100 million. But, since teams now engage in revenue sharing as a way of improving competitiveness, the Yankees had to pay out $75 million for distribution to teams in smaller markets. Stadium expenses, staffing, and pre-game entertainment add to the expenses that owners pass on to fans.

Though ticket prices have escalated, it is the add-ons that have really made a difference to the wallets of the average attendee. Fans eventually got used to paying for everything sold in the park. They pay to watch batting practice in the spring, for pre game entertainment, and $11 for a beer. Those watching at home, pay an average of $ 67 per month for cable TV.

Strange as it sounds talented athletes have negatively affected the excitement fans get from watching them play. Strikeouts have increased, base and home runs decreased, and scores are lower, making the game less lively for many. Playoffs stretch into late fall, with the World Series starting in October. The 162 games played throughout the spring and summer have less meaning for those waiting for the final competition.

Attendees are older and overwhelmingly composed of white men (70% —the TV audience is older than that of any other major sport. To the concern of many, the number of kids playing baseball has steadily declined over the past two decades.
One problem is that attending a game has increased from two to a six hour commitment which does not attract busy millennials. The game is longer, in part, because pitchers are changed more frequently and because of extensive pre-game activities. For example, the St Louis Cardinals have a Pregame Party that starts 2 1/2 hours before the game and features a DJ or live music that lasts until the first pitch. A full buffet and bar are included, requiring an additional fee.

One reason MLB attendance has been relatively steady over the years is that our country’s population continues to increase. There were 180 million people in the United States in 1960 and this month, April, 2017, there are over 326 million.

Though baseball attendance peaked in 2007, it has not yet recovered, producing inklings of concern for the faithful. In 2016, MLB it was again down slightly from the previous year, the third decline of the last three years. Attendance continues to fall at Little League and College World Series events. Optimists, believe expansion is inevitable but say that it will occur internationally rather than locally.

I wonder what will happen if ticket prices continue to climb, making them unaffordable to the average fan? Will it die does not attract more young people? A friend complained that the expansion to 30 franchises in the 70s and 80s diluted the talent pool, but others discount his opinion as players are recruited from Asia and Latin America. I am not sure that fans have the same passion for foreign born players as they did for home grown ones.

What do fans do who want to keep the sport alive? Dads who grew up with the game, face problems of whether to attend with their family. Since the average cost for four is $305, should Dad go alone or save so the family can attend one game a year? Should he take the children to a B team instead? Baseball is not as much fun to watch on television when you are by yourself. Do you think Dads will get their children to turn off the computer and bond by joining them for the game? Given two parent workers, is it possible to allocate time for a daily catch?

Some children do become involved in little league. However, that is a financial burden for low income families, for they need to purchase bats, gloves, helmets, shoes and perhaps private lessons. I can imagine how astronomical the costs are for my neighbor whose son travels with a team. Kids from single family homes have an especially difficult time joining a team. According to a recent study at the University of Nebraska, “95 percent of all college baseball players come from two parent homes.”

Baseball is still considered the nation’s national sport despite the fact that football games have higher TV ratings, stronger attendance, and revenue. Baseball maintains its position as America’s pastime because it has a broader reach into society. It manages to keep a local following while football’s is national. I hope it stays that way. Paying $700 for a ticket to Hamilton or $500 for the opera is just plain over the top. Let’s hope that baseball doesn’t become equally insensitive. Shouldn’t the average family be able to rally around at least one professional sport with ticket prices within their reach?

References:
Aumack, Ray The Economics of Baseball, 2012, http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/21/by-the-numbers-the-economics-of-baseball/

Tuttle, Brad, 9 Reasons It’s Hard to be a Baseball Fan Today, Money Magazine, 2015,
http://time.com/money/3772690/baseball-losing-fan-interest/

Hudgens, Laura Hanby, The decline of Baseball and Why it Matters, Huffpost, 2016,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-hanby-hudgens/the-decline-of-baseball-a_b_9630782.html

Dodd, Mike, MLB expansion effects still felt 50 years later around the leagues, USA Today, 2011, https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2011-04-07-angels-baseball-expansion_N.htm

Lindholm, Scott, Major League attendance trends, past, present, and future, SB nation, 2014, http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2014/2/10/5390172/major-league-attendance-trends-1950-2013

Barra, Allen, Sorry, NFL: Baseball is Still America’s Pastime, The Atlantic, 2013, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/10/sorry-nfl-baseball-is-still-americas-pastime/280985/

Official site of the St. Louis Cardinals – Pre Game show, 2017, http://m.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/info/pregame
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I look forward to you comments.

Art is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com