The End of the American Century: CEO Pay and the Bailout

The End of the American Century: CEO Pay and the Bailout

In the 1950s, big-company CEOs in the U.S. earned about fifty times the pay of an average worker. Even then, that ratio was very high compared to other countries. But since then, CEO pay in the U.S. has skyrocketed in comparison to average salaries.By 1990, average CEO pay was about 100 times the average worker’s salary, and by 2000, it was more than 500 times that of the average worker.

These benefit packages are far out of line with those in other wealthy countries.

In 2004, the New York Times reported comparative ratios of CEO pay to employee averages. In Japan, CEOs earned about ten times that of the average employee. In Germany, the ratio was 11 to 1, in the UK 25 to 1, and in the United States, 531 to 1! It is difficult to see how American companies can justify these huge executive compensations when these other countries, which much smaller CEO pay, have generally managed faster economic growth, greater productivity increases, and greater gains in their stock markets.

CEO pay is another glaring example of how far out of kilter the U.S.economy is, how eroded is the sense of fairness in this country, and how out of sync the U.S. is with the rest of the world. It is yet another example of The End of the American Century.

Legion of Honor

Beautiful day to check out da Vinci drawings at the Legion of Honor.

Special Day

Phanny gets to ride in the Audi.

2008-1991=17th Anniversary

I don't think my palate is near sophisticated enough for this stuff.

"A big, ripe, dark, and intense style yet it offers enough finesse and
grace to keep in balance. Offers ripe cherry, currant, and meaty edge
on the finish, where the oak kicks in. "

Not Topless

Taz has taken his perch. Our tree has been topped. Now, I need to get
motivated and do something about the emptiness below!

Ready!

It's beginning...

...to look a lot like Christmas (at least in Chicago). I sure hope I
can make it home tonight!

Brrrrr

See that number in the bottom right hand corner?

Man have we been spoiled.

Fitting Right In!

Introducing Bridgett!


"Little B" and Phanny taking a break from their keep-away game for a picture. Phanny has been great. Plays nice and lets Bridgett win despite her obvious size disadvantage. I can't believe the stuffed squirrel hasn't been, uh...unstuffed.

Making themselves at home on the sofa with Opa.

Terror on a Layover (Not Me)

The following is an excerpt of a blog entry by a Northwest Airlines pilot on a layover in India during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Several NWA and Delta crews, along with a number of international carrier crews, were on normally scheduled layovers when the attacks occurred. Nearly all international airline crews stay at the Oberi-Trident Hotel in Mumbai. The terrorists targeted "Westerners" (Americans and Europeans) and the Oberi Hotel was a primary target. This is one U.S. crewmember's account -- the content is graphic:

Dateline Mumbai: I was lucky. Just two hours separated me from a life altering event.
Yes I was there. My flight was on approach to BOM when the first terrorist attacks took place. Our ETA to the Oberi/Trident hotel was about 90mins later. The outbound crew was scheduled to be in the lobby about 20mins after the first attack at the hotel (10:30pm).

My crew spent 6 hrs on the aircraft before being relocated to one of the airport hotels. In retrospect, NWA should have gotten us there immediately. We were the crew who would fly out of BOM. Being off duty on the aircraft is not resting, and I correctly guestimated how most of the decision process was going to play out over the next 12 hrs. We were eating into what would be a 48 hr period with (in my case) just 4 hrs of sleep. I thought my day couldn't get much worse.

At this moment, I'm on a flight from BOM-AMS. My crewmembers are all safe, and we have nine of eleven of the crew who were at the Oberi/Trident. Sadly, a pilot and FA are still at the Oberi, holed up in their rooms. NWA hired two different civilian extraction teams to get them out of the hotel safely ... you know, expats - challenge/response passwords & all that James Bond stuff .. That may have worked initially; but the hotel was locked down by the local military (to the exclusion of those rescue teams) and that simply provided the terrorists time to reorganize, take hostages, and prepare for a long standoff. 

Flashback to Oberi hotel. Some stories from that unfortunate crew follow: (Apparently, a well built hotel muffles sound more than you might think ) A F/A exits the elevator in the lobby of the Trident. The terrorists (probably) just gunned their way through the lobby, into a connecting hallway to the Oberi (their primary target). Bodies and pools of blood everywhere. The two girls at the front desk, Bellman, and Doorman all killed in the initial attack. All other people in the lobby were either shot/killed or helped the injured out of the hotel. The F/A returned to his room then followed a housecleaner out through a (sort of) hidden stairway into the relative safety of the street. I later found out the hotel manager, who lives in the hotel with his wife and children, were all killed in the initial attack. That may point to an "insider" helping the terrorists.

A male Chinese F/A was trying to escape the hotel following a hotel employee through a different pitch black service stairway. He opened a door to a short hallway leading into the lobby. Shell casings and damage littered the floor. He started into the lobby and came face to face with one of the armed terrorists. Fortunately, he was not in uniform, and wearing a European style black leather jacket. He didn't fit the victim profile. He turned around, back through the hallway and got out alive.

Another F/A goes to the elevator to head down to the lobby. Doors open and the interior of the car was splattered in blood. She returned to her room and got a few other F/A's and left that floor via the emergency exit. Once out on the exposed outer stairway, the fire door locked behind them. If they ran into trouble down below, without another exit strategy, they'd be truly screwed. Near the bottom, they heard a lot of commotion beyond a set of double doors. They were potentially stuck in a real bad situation. They backed up a bit, laid down and played possum (wouldn't have worked - no blood). A few minutes later a police team came up to their position and escorted them to the relative safety of a nearby parking garage.

That crew eventually spent about 9 hrs on an ascending ramp at a concrete parking structure about two blocks from the hotel. The F/O on the scene separated that crew from perhaps 300 other confused civilians. Automatic weapon fire and hand grenade explosions permeated the restless night. They were able to keep in touch with NWA security via an international cell phone. They got on a charter bus about 9 am, and were transported to the hotel where my crew was located.

I'm now in AMS. I'll be on a flight to civilization in another 3 hrs. The two crewmembers stuck in the BOM hotel are OK, but still waiting to be rescued along with Lufthansa and Air France crews. The above was a quick summary of what happened last night. I could get into a Lot more detail. But right now, there's a shower with my name in it.

Happy Birthday

Celebrating the 233rd birthday of the United States Marines Corps!

Phanny Gets a Sister!

We haven't gotten her yet but Bassett Rescue approved our application and we should get Bridgett some time in the next week!

Phanny is goofy

Day 8 - PM drive

After tea it was back in the trucks for the evening game drive.

Not too far outside the camp our tracker, the guy who sits on the seat mounted on the hood of the truck, saw these tracks on the road.

The cats were out.

It wasn't long before the radio came alive.

A leopard had been found and it wasn't either of the ones we had seen the previous evening.

But, there were already three trucks on site so we would have to wait. Abel put our name on the list and when someone else left we would get to go see.

While we were waiting we drove around looking for more game.

I saw something move a ways off. It looked like impala running. Abel sped down the road and turned in their direction. The tracker directed him off the road. They had been running from something. They apparently have very keen senses.

Then the tracker saw it. A solitary cheetah ahead in the brush.

We drove right up next to it. He was no longer hunting...it was obvious by the size of his belly he had gotten his fill.

We followed the cheetah as he walked along marking his territory. Perfectly content and not the least bit concerned about the humans. Then our opportunity came to visit the leopard. We guided another truck to the cheetah so they could follow it and keep tabs on his location.


The leopard was perched in a tree.

We hadn't been told it was sitting with its kill.

We pulled right up underneath it. The others could not get this close because the leopard was on Djuma property and on Djuma property only Djuma trucks can leave the road.

This was another young female. She caught herself a duiker and pulled it up into the tree to keep the scavengers (and other cats) from fighting her for it.

She must have expended a great deal of energy chasing this antelope down.

It wasn't long after we arrived, as the sun was setting, that she curled up with her kill and took a little nap.

An amazing sight to see.

Later we watched as she plucked the hair from the duiker in preparation for tearing into it and having a little meal.

Unfortunately we were already late for our evening meal...again.

So, we left her to enjoy her evening in the tree, certain we would see her in exactly the same place the next morning.

Oh yeah, we also saw some giraffe and a bush baby this evening.

Djuma Bush Lodge

One of the rooms.

I think there were 8 of them.

Each has a bed with mosquito net, full bath, a/c and heat.

Very comfortable.

The main lodge.

Inside was the bar, dining room, tea room, a couple patios for viewing of the water hole and tucked in behind it was the pool.

It was a little cool so none of us went in the pool but it was a nice setting and we enjoyed reading, sunning and even had lunch out there one day.

This is Abel. He was our guide.

Abel was from the local area.

Djuma puts a lot of value on the locals and provides more than just jobs.

The school in Abel's village was built with funds provided by the Djuma Lodge...another good reason to support this wonderful establishment.

Day 8 - Mid-day

After the morning drive we would return to the lodge for breakfast at around 930.

It was always an incredible spread of fruits and yogurt and cheese and cereal and bread and eggs and bacon and sausage and juices.

After breakfast was free time. Maybe a nature walk or nap or reading until lunch at 1pm.

This was our room.

It's not a very good picture but you get the idea...it was nice.

We often had visitors come to our cabins.



This is a Nyala.

They liked to hang out in the camp.

They were a little skitterish but it didn't stop them from coming in and grazing on the plants.

An afternoon by the pool, reading and relaxing and enjoying the warm sun.

It was chilly in the mornings and evenings so it felt really good to peel off a layer and absorb sun rays by the pool.
A bush buck that wandered into the camp.

After lunch and before the evening game drive was tea and cake.

No wonder I put on 15 pounds in 15 days!

Day 8 - AM pt 2

On the way to see the buffalo we also saw these guys and a couple of their girlfriends.

These are Kudu. Sometimes called the Grey Ghost of Africa.

They really blend in well and have an uncanny ability to disappear in just a few meters.

Their horns are amazing.

But not as amazing as the horns on the buffalo.

These old guys are crazy looking with these huge head pieces.

We saw an entire herd of buffalo and got there just in time as they crossed the property line. Later we would see more, but not this many in one place.

After they got across the road our guides broke out tea and coffee and snacks. They certainly did take good care of us.

Back in the trucks for some more viewing.

We saw a troop of baboon.

We watched as they posted sentinels to watch us.

The young were latched on to their mother's underside as they made their way across the field.

We saw way too many birds to list them all or post their pictures.

We saw more giraffe and zebra and steenbok and rhino and dwarf mongoose and bush buck.

On the way into the camp we saw these water buck grazing in the field.

The first day we saw several male water buck laying in the brush but this was the first good look we got of a female.

It wouldn't be the last.

Day 8 - Morning Drive

So we loaded up the truck and we moved...at 6am!

It was a rude awakening at 0530 when the knock on the door came.

"Good morning"

They don't stop until you get out of bed and come to the door to get your biscuits. I can't remember what they are called, starts with an r, but they are hard as a rock until you dip them into your tea or coffee and they become edible.

Our first full day. I was very excited. I'm not sure I slept much. I remember being awake thinking of that Disney commercial "we can't sleep, we're too excited".
We had hardly even left the lodge grounds when we saw our first elephant.

Not just one either. There was a whole family.

Magnificent creatures. What they can do with their trunks is incredible.

We watched as they would use their trunks and tusks to break branches, or trees, and eat the soft limbs. Occasionally they would hold a tree while they kicked at the base to uproot it. It was amazing to watch an animal so massive be so exact and delicate in its motions.
Next, we went to the hyena den.

Abel knew exactly where they would be.

They were a lot of fun. The family interaction was intriguing.

Apparently one female has a litter at a time but all the females help raise the young. The pups were not the least bit afraid of us.

We watched as the older males returned to the den after a night of hunting. They had a ritual they performed when returning and greeting the "den mother".

While we were watching the hyena we got a call that the buffalo were on the move and were leaving the property. If we didn't hurry we might not get to see them.

On the way we got to see this little guy. He is a vervet monkey. Several of them hang out around the lodge and occasionally we would see them out in the bush.

Day 7 - First Night Drive

After our Sundowner we took off to find the creatures of the night.

It wasn't long before we got a call from one of the other groups that they had found a leopard.

Man was I excited.

How close could we get before it would run?

Was it hunting?

I was not at all prepared for what we were about to see.

As we approached the location our guide, Abel, took off into the brush. We were running over small trees. We could see the other vehicles across the field. They were also treking through the brush.

Then we saw it. A solitary leopard, a 3 year old male, intent on something, paying absolutely no attention to us what so ever.

As we looked out ahead we saw what he saw...a steenbok.

He was hunting!

The other trucks left...it was just us.

His prey sat still, he approached. Not to interfere, we turned off our spotlight and sat quietly, waiting, wondering if we would hear the cry of the steenbok or would it be quick enough to elude the leopard?

We heard movement. But, there was no scream or roar or anything.

We turned the light back on. The leopard had moved, the steenbok was gone.

We picked up the leopard again 30-40 meters away...how had it moved so far so fast without making any noise.

It was not the same young male, it was his mother.

Then we saw the two of them but they didn't get within 10m of each other. As a matter of fact, as we sat and watched, the mother put on an incredible display of purring and panting and growling.

Our guide explained to us that the mother was warning her cub to stay away.

They were not hunting together.

Actually, the cub hadn't known she was following him while he hunted.

Her growling was a warning to him to stay away from her.

According to Abel, she was likely in heat and would be followed by older male leopards trying to mate with her. If they found the cub nearby, they would kill it.

WOW...what a first night!

Though I was a little sad we hadn't seen an elephant I knew we would. And, there are some people who never get to see a leopard. That is why they are one of the Big 5.

Lion
Leopard
Elephant
Rhino
Buffalo

We were late for dinner. Not one of us cared the least bit. Eat or watch this, easy choice.

Day 7 - To Djuma / First Game Drive

So, now for the real fun.

Not that Cape Town isn't cool, but it is not why I went to Africa!

Early get up and off to the Cape Town airport for our flight to Nelsprut from where we would hop on a 12 seat Cessna and fly directly to Kruger Game Preserve.

Everything went pretty well except the weather in Nelsprut was bad enough that the little guys weren't flying. So, on to a bus and about 2 or 3 hours later we were driving into the land where the wild things are.

I don't have the pictures but on the way in our first sighting was of a warthog...or maybe the impala were first...I'm not sure, but the warthog was cool. I see deer all the time.

Of course later I learned that they aren't deer, they are antelope. And oh are there antelope.

When we arrived at Djuma Bush Lodge we were given a quick "safety" brief, you know, things like:
Don't walk around at night unescorted.
Take your malaria pills and use the mosquito nets.
Don't stand up in the Land Cruisers.
Don't feed the animals.
Don't stick your head in a lion's mouth.

Then we were shown to our rooms. Each couple had a nice little cottage with all the amenities of home.

A quick lunch since we were late and the sun was going down and off on a game drive. 12 of us, so 6 to a vehicle. Djuma has their own property that butts up against that of other lodges. None are fenced so that the animals have the freedom to roam. One of the really cool thing about Djuma is that they can drive off the road and follow or seek out the animals. This proved to be very important as we hunted down the elusive lions and cheetah and leopards.

Right outside the camp we ran into this big fella.

This is a white rhino. I know it's black but the color has nothing to do with it.

White is actually supposed to be wide. These guys have wider mouths, or broad upper lips, unlike the black rhino which have a narrow upper lip.

Yeah, you get close enough to check out their lips.

An easier was to tell from a distance is that white rhino shepard their young out in front and the young of black rhinos fall in behind. Interesting huh?

The zebra, and that's with a soft e not a hard e, were just hanging out, chowing down.

We would end up seeing them almost every day. But, it wasn't until we got to Chobe that we would see a herd of hundreds grazing in the open plains.

Ahead of myself again.

We almost didn't see the giraffe.

I never would have thought their camaflouge would work so well.

As you can tell it was starting to get dark though and things were getting harder to pick out.

But, as the sun went down we were introduced to a new and nightly custom.

The SUNDOWNER.

I've started practicing the tradition at home now as well...except when I'm on call...which is all the time...except tonight!

Anyway, we park in some place with a great view, watch the sun go down, relax, and enjoy a tasty beverage of our choosing. They don't bring out a complete bar so you have to put your order in ahead of time. My drink was gin and tonic (to fight off malaria). By the end of the trip I had converted several others as well. Leigh chose the vodka tonic. She's not a big gin fan.

After the sundowner it was back to the game drive. But, this time with the help of a million candle power spot light.

Nights are cat time and I couldn't wait. I love big cats!

Day 6 - Kirstenbosch

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.


The origin of the name Kirstenbosch is uncertain, a number of families with the name Kirsten lived in the vicinity and some how the area became known as Kirstenbosch (Kirsten's Forest).


Really it doesn't matter, the cool thing is that Kirsten is my sister's name...the one I got the wedding cup for...the one that got married in France on 20 September!

See...cool, huh.

Kirstenbosch is famous for its protea.

But, it is also famous for the Mandela Gold Birds of Paradise.

This is a special variant to the typical Bird of Paradise and created for Nelson Mandela.

The "plumes" are yellow instead of the typical orange.






After visiting the gardens and having lunch at the Gold Museum...great lunch (just one more meal that helped add FIFTEEN pounds to my waistline in only fifteen days) we had a little city tour.

One of the stops was The Castle of Good Hope which is right across the street from this building...City Hall.

The patio (hmmm...porch, deck, lanai, sticky outy thing) is where Nelson Mandela stood when he gave his famous speech after being released from prison on 11 February 1990, after 27 years.