Mindfulness

Noontime, Piccadilly Circus

It' is cold and grey in London. Yep, February. And March. And April . . . The British cheer themselves up with red buses, red poste boxes and red phone booths. I like this about Britain.

I spend the afternoon at Oxford with Willem who, as we know, runs The Oxford Mindfulness Center "that works with partners around the world to prevent depression and enhance human potential through the therapeutic use of mindfulness."  Think meditation meets mind control.

Mindfulness is getting a lot of attention these days too.  The UK, for instance, wrote 47m prescriptions for anti-depressant drugs in 2011 - as popular as M&Ms.  OMC research shows that mindfulness reduces the recurrence rate of of depression by 50% over 12 months in patients with three or more previous episodes of depressions. In other words, mindfulness is as effective as the drugs without the side effects. 

It is all very Northern Californian ish.

On The UK Deficit

The IMF thinks that the UK will have the largest budget deficit, excluding the effects of the economic cycle, in Europe in 2015 putting Britain's finances in worse shape, in this regard, than Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece or Spain. Among the major developed nations only Japan is running a bigger deficit than the UK.

So far, the public sector deficit has not deterred investors from buying UK govt bonds, which have soared to record levels, buoyed by low inflation and a perception that the UK is a safe haven underpinned by an aggressive deficit reduction programme. Since the financial crisis, the UK has effected the seventh-largest fiscal consolidation among 31 advanced economies tracked by the IMF. 

The success of the reduction programme has, however, been blunted by a lopsided economic recovery with falling wages and lower-than expected tax revenues.

The remaining consolidation will therefore likely come in the next parliament via spending cuts. The IFS estimates that public spending, as a share of national income, may fall to its lowest level since 1948 resulting in 900,000 public-sector job losses reducing the government workforce to its lowest point since 1971 (Deloittes).

Enter the May elections: to reach its targets, Conservatives would cut spending by 6.7% from 2015 to 2019; Labour could hit its less demanding goals by cutting 1.4%. According to the Financial Times, this implies that, by 2019-20, Labour will spend £27 billion a year more than the Conservatives.

Get out the vote.

Taking Care Of Business

Richmond Gate, Richmond Park

Eitan and I bachelors since Thursday as Sonnet and Madeleine in Portland, Oregon, for the opening of The Italians.  We keep it together, going to a pub for dinner last night, staying up late watching TV. Sleeping in. Usual stuff.

Eitan runs the Surrey League Division 1 cross country race, placing 9th out of 29 in a competitive race.  He is glad it's over.

Adventure, Stage Two

Tom's Cafe

I say a momentary good-bye to our dear friends Cindy and Scott, who I first met via the Brown community (Scott on the Board of Trustees and friends with Ira Magaziner who created Brown's "new curriculum).  They arrived in London same time as us, 1997, as Scott opened the law offices of Brown Rudnick.  

Scott and I share a liberal agenda and stories of Providence. He is on the museum acquisition committee of the Rhode Island School of Design where my sister spent a semester in college - I sent Scott a paper Katie wrote on the museum in .. 1987. He turned sixty when I turned 40 and we had a 100 celebration.  Cindy and I share gossips about Brown interviews and London celebrities and today we chuckle over the evening we sat next to Sean Connery and his wife at a Knightsbridge restaurant.

Scott and Cindy returning to Boston for their new careers and next adventures. A small project is the ancient school in Newport, RI, that Scott is turning into their next home. With basketball courts. It will engage him for a while.

Eitan thrilled to be in Tom's Kitchen in Chelsea famous, dear reader, in "Made In Chelsea."

Madeleine Teenager

Madeleine turns 13.

We could not be more proud of this confident, intelligent young woman who has grown up before our very eyes. From the minute she was born, an intense one hour delivery, I knew we had something special: Madeleine was all in from her first loud cry "I'm here, take notice!"

Madeleine's fearlessness evident from the early days when we worried about her trust in strangers, who she approached with a scratchy "hola" or "hello, mister." Her tree-climbing often found me exasperated at the school entrance trying to coach her down from 20 feet. And then there were the battles to get her to wear a dress to a wedding or some party - no way. Not even a lifetime of no-television could budge her.

Madeleine for a long while was a tom-boy happily digging holes in the backyard with her (mainly) boy friends, looking for worms or burying treasures. She was fascinated by bugs which she examined under the microscope. Her love for stuffed animals ("buddies) transferred to fish, hamsters, turtles and, of course, Rusty who she battled for for two years to bring home. How could I say no?

Since secondary school, Madeleine has blossomed into a committed student with top marks in all subjects and rave reviews from her teachers who appreciate her enthusiasm and fast-hand for the question or answer. We are delighted with her friends who are often the class eccentrics ("the cool of the uncool") interested in drama and theatre and sport. She has thrown herself into running and has demonstrated talent on the track and cross-country piste. She attends drama class Saturday mornings. She dreams of California and, like me, is a dreamer.

Some years ago I recall peaking out a window to observe a ring of teenagers. Madeleine, age 8: "I don't wanna be a teenager Dad!" And now she is. And it is glorious.

A Beautiful River

The tide is out

It is a cold morning and I cross the Waterloo Bridge from Waterloo station heading to Sommerset House where it all began: This is where the Courtauld Art Institute located. 

Beneath me, the River Thames flows East as the tide goes out, towards the North Sea. From now, low tide, the water will rise as much as 23 feet during high tide. 

London is uniquely intertwined with the river, similar to San Francisco and the bay: It is unimaginable to consider one without the other. Human habitation dates back to neolithic times; Julius Caesar was here in 54 BC. And of course Shakespeare.

The Thames tidal flow makes it both interesting and rejuvenating - it charges the city (for some, south of the river a no-go area; East London the new hot spot while the Isle of Dogs equals Canary Wharf) and sweeps away, at least spiritually, London's cares (no longer sewage, fortunately). 

Final 8

Hampton "A" Squad. Photo from Mark Boyle

In an exciting day of football action, Eitan's Hampton Under-14s "A" squad take on Bishop Stortford High from Hertfordshire which is somewhere north of London (I'm in Amsterdam for meetings never to be recalled on my deathbed). This the Final Eight of the English Schools FA Cup (the "ESFA Cup") for all independent and states schools in the country or 610 teams.

The boys have won ten games to get here and are fired up: they win 5-2 in a game, Eitan says, much more competitive then the score. Shaun-Chris the game's star (black kid in middle) who scores four goals. Eitan plays "holding mid-field" and disrupts the action with searing tackles.

Eitan notes that at this level Hampton playing schools associated with the professional football academies - Bishop a feeder for Tottenham Hot Spurs.

Next step: the Final Four.

Eitan flops on the couch, homework done, for some well deserved TV.

It's Snow

False dawn

Madeleine gets her wish - snow! Somehow it is nicer when the sun is up. Of course this means the trains are late and traffic piles up. Planes delayed. By 10AM it's slush.

The kids have discovered eBay and Eitan makes 40 bob (split 50:50 with Dad) selling one of Dad's shirts, never worn by Dad due to some fancy stitching that does not go with Dad's style. Now the kids go through their rooms, attic and garage to convert lost treasures into cold hard cash. They cooperate, agreeing to split any proceeds (after I take my cut). We discuss whether it is right to sell Madeleine's "buddies" instead of donating the stuffed animals to charity. She has turned ruthless. Capitalism in its most naked form.

More Debt

No. 31

According to a recent report from the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), the ratio of global debt, excluding financial institutions, now stands about 210% of global GDP, up from 175% on the eve of the financial crisis. The CEPR report's title, "Deleveraging? What Deleveraging?" captures its key finding. It could have also been, "What, me worry?"  How daja vu.

Here is what President Hoover's Treasury Secretary, Andrew Mellon, advocated: 

"Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate farmers, liquidate real estate... it will purge the rottenness out of the system. High costs of living and high living will come down. People will work harder, live a more moral life. Values will be adjusted, and enterprising people will pick up from less competent people."

Party Talk

Auntie Katie's Xmas Slippers 

Sonnet and I pick up Madeleine from a Saturday night party. 

Me: "What did you guys talk about?"
Madeleine: "Nothing."
Me: "Nothing? So what did you do all night ?"
Madeleine: "I don't know. Stood around and pretended we knew each other."
Sonnet: "You must have talked about something."
Me: "Seriously. How about school? Or the weather?"
Madeleine: "Kids don't do small talk, Dad."

Math Is Fun!

Fibonacci is everywhere

Prof Golé warms up the Smith crowd with an overview of phyllotaxis which is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem - Phyllotactic spirals form a distinctive class of patterns in nature. We are enthused. From there we hit the Fibonacci numbers (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ... add the last two to get the next, just make sure you start at 0) and the Golden Rule (Divide two lines where the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part). Then we nail patterns from accretion. The crowd goes wild ! We are on our feet pumping fists like it's the Super Bowl !!

An interesting observation, being in an audience of mainly women, is how supportive the sisterhood is of each other. Speaker makes bad joke, everyone laughs.

Smith Annual Dinner

Sonnet at Paradise Pond, Smith College, 2013

Sonnet and I join Nita and Alain for the Smith College annual dinner at the Sloane Club. The guest speaker, Christophe Golé, a French mathematician and professor at Smith, whose interests are in the theory of dynamical systems as it applies to Hamiltonian systems and Mathematical Biology. (Dynamical systems, dear reader, is the mathematical theory that studies time evolution of systems. They have been used to model many systems from physics, economics, biology etc. The theory's claim to fame is to be the proper setting to the mathematical notion of chaos). I already look forward to Eric's commentary. 

Prior to dinner I chat with a tall blonde, Smith class of '11, with an alluring smile and brimming with confidence. 23 years old. I start to get some swagger until she informs me she "does" algorithms for Google. Hmmm, good to know I now have nothing to say to young people. Sonnet chides me anyway: "you needn't have to do that anymore." Am I relieved by this?

Eitan: "What band is this?"

Me: " 'War On Drugs'. You're mom and I are going to their concert in March. Want to join us?"

Eitan: "I'm OK."

Dramz

Eitan is Caesar

Eitan enjoys school drama and may sit the drama exam for GCSEs next year. Sonnet and I think he would enjoy it but for now his third elective is French. He has stage presence.

I return to London on the over-nighter saying good-bye to Thierry who is on his way to Paris then Milan for the weekend. We cover a lot of ground, he and I. My flight a short five hours putting me into T5 Friday morning 4:50AM and dark, dark, dark. I arrive home to a few groggy hugs and Sonnet in action: she keeps a sharp schedule. Soon it is just me and the dog so I head for work.

Madeleine (6:25AM): "Dad, it's you."

Mobius Strip

Eric gleefully describes his scarf which is also a mobius strip which has a mathematical property of having a non-orientable surface: "You can splice two together and get a klein bottle" he points out. (A klein bottle, dear reader, is a two-dimensional manifold against which a system for determining a normal vector cannot be consistently defined). Like father, like son.

Eric and I have breakfast and catch each other up on various activities: Ben is somehow a Jr in college and contemplating an engineering PhD; Jonah is committed to drama and Isabel is evolving. It's about growing up.

Cricket Rocketeers

Here is another classic from Todd - us launching "The Payloader" which had a clear compartment where Todd and I stuffed bugs and other things. It's the same rocket I recently fired with Johnny.  Note the hand crafted launch pad. The photo taken in 1978 in the parking lot of Golden Gate Fields race track. It was a family affair - Katie and Leslie cower behind the Dodge Swinger.

Power Tower

Central Park

The Solow Building at 9 West 57 Street is buyout central with Apollo, Silver Lake and Highland Capital located here. On the 42nd top floor, where my meeting takes place, is the grand daddy of them all: Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts Co which has completed $400 billion of deal making since the 70s. This is the view when you're king of the hill.

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the London Marathon, a distance I never conquered nor will ever run again. In 1998, at my running prime, I finished London in 3:11 yet had to walk the last two miles. Paula Radcliffe, who I have followed since 1997 when I saw her win a winter road-race bobbing her head all the way, will make the London Marathon her last competitive race come April.

New York Shuts Down

Penn Station

"The Storm Of The Century" arrives on the Eastern Seaboard just in time to cancel a bunch of meetings that have taken several months to set up. Oh well, snow day ! Mayor de Blasio tells us to stay inside, orders all cars off the street from 11PM (that's never happened before) and closes the subway for only the 3rd time in the city's history (interestingly Sonnet and I in Manhattan the first time January 8, 1996). Schools shut and flights cancelled. New York settles in for a good old time.

During the Blizzard of 1996, Sonnet and I walked from our Riverside Drive apartment to the newly opened gourmet Fairway grocery store beneath the Riverside Drive overpass. Not a soul to be seen. We bought a bunch of live lobsters and white wine and walked home through two feet of snow for a saintly evening.

One ton of street salt is $58, up 30% from last year.

Uptown

Harlem Ride

Katie and I head to Harlem for brunch at celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson's comfort food joint "The Red Rooster" (we have Caribbean bacon, stewed beans, haitian piklitz and egg. Plus collard greens and grits, of course) followed by a walk along Lenox Avenue to Central Park. A large group of cyclists catch our attention - a memorial, we are told.

Katie takes a photo of a women's clothing shop which advertises "real clothes for real sizes" only to be accosted by the owner who asks Katie to erase the image. I think uh-oh but instead Katie has a long talk with Sister Sylvia who is angered by out-of-towners snapping photos and exploiting Harlem. She notes a recent documentary shot in her neighbourhood and showing in Paris without the permission of those filmed. She and Katie bond and I am very impressed as my instinct would have been just about the opposite to Katie's.

Guggenheim

I wake up early Sunday in Manhattan and, feeling disoriented from jet lag and lack of sleep, do what I always do in these circumstances: put on my running shoes and hit the road. In this case, it is a short hop from the Four Seasons to Central Park where I am greeted by 1000s of runners completing a half-marathon. I love the company which inspires me to go for a full loop, which passes in a New York minute. This is my second favourites place to run after Tilden Park.

From the Guggenheim website (abbreviated):
In June 1943, Frank Lloyd Wright received a letter from Hilla Rebay, the art advisor to Solomon R. Guggenheim, asking the architect to design a new building to house Guggenheim's four-year-old Museum of Non-Objective Painting. The project evolved into a complex struggle pitting the architect against his clients, city officials, the art world, and public opinion. Both Guggenheim and Wright would die before the building's 1959 completion.

Wright made no secret of his disenchantment with Guggenheim's choice of New York for his museum: "I can think of several more desirable places in the world to build his great museum," Wright wrote in 1949 to Arthur Holden, "but we will have to try New York." To Wright, the city was overbuilt, overpopulated, and lacked architectural merit.

Still, he proceeded with his client's wishes, considering locations on 36th Street, 54th Street, and Park Avenue (all in Manhattan), as well as in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, before settling on the present site on Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th Streets. Its proximity to Central Park was key: the museum is an embodiment of Wright's attempts to render the inherent plasticity of organic forms in architecture.

KKH Re Union

Jackie, Ray and Katie

The KKH reunions at Ray's house in Brooklyn and we are greeted by Ray in his salwar kameez and Afghani hats, which he hands out to the men. This is only the second time we have been together as a group since August 1997. All are assembled, missing only Sonnet, and include Ray, Tom, Sharon, Joanna, Katie, me and - of course - Munir.

The route, on the Pakistani side, commenced at Taxila City (40km from Islamabad and Rawalpindi) to Abbottabad, where Bin Laden killed. I had forgotten that we lunched not far from his mansion, which was located on the KKH at the intersection of the road leading to the military academy. From there is was Chatter Plain near Basham (famous for its gun trade) then Kohistan, "the mountain district."

Munir tells the story of Yakub Shaw and the Punjabi wrestler.

One night, in Kashgar, Yakub was at a restaurant with the famous Punjabi wrestler who was with his entourage of ten men. After a loud evening, the Punjabi wrestler departed without paying his our his entourage's bill. Yakub overheard the proprietor complaining about the Pakastanis and the trouble they caused. He said, "No. Do not complain about the Pakistanis.  I am Pakistani." Then he paid their bill and then went immediately to the hotel room of the Punjabi wrestler. He entered the room with force and locked the door behind him from the inside.  From outside, people heard a terrible noise and banging. After 30 minutes, Yaqub opened the door. The Punjabi wrestler was on the floor where he had received a terrible beating [Munir indicates Yaqub washing his hands of the whole affair as he walks by the entourage].