In December I continued with more extensive running, amassing a total for the month of 315 miles. My longest single run was the 13.1 miles I covered in the Starlight Half-Marathon in Palm Coast on the evening of December 20...half of it in total darkness (only aided by a flashlight). Unlike the previous two months, I tended to be consistent from day to day with my daily running mileage, so my one-day high mileage, spread out over several runs, was only 14.4 miles. I ran on every day of the month.
I feel that my endurance level has markedly improved over the past few months, and I had energy to spare at the end of the half-marathon race. That's good news, for next month will be the time for the Ocala Half-Marathon on the 25th. I'm not sure I'll be running in any other races in January, but I definitely want to return to the rolling hills south of Ocala's Paddock Mall for the third time in five years...
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Personal Top Ten Favorite Songs of 2014
Well, another year has gone by and it's time for me to review my favorite songs of 2014. Being an enthusiast for alternative rock music, it came as a very pleasant surprise a few months ago to discover that two local stations, Gainesville's WHHZ/100. 5 ("The Buzz") and Jacksonville's WXXJ/102.9 have changed their programming format to feature "my" kind of music. Since then I've been accumulating a few personal favorites that they play periodically. Most of these are current hits, but a few, like Florence + the Machine's Dog Days Are Over, have been around a few years. But you'll notice that this song is still on my list of favorites from 2014. Earlier this year I purchased Beck's latest CD Morning Phase and discovered a track, titled Blackbird Chain, which I regarded as my favorite song of 2014 for the first half of the year. But when those two radio stations kicked in, a flood of other songs joined it on the "list". Ultimately, it came down to five songs I liked the most...each of which has a distinctive sound, style and message from the others. After giving it all due consideration, though, I have to pick the Foo Fighters' new hit Something From Nothing as my "song of the year" for 2014. It reminds me a lot of the style of my favorite grunge band, Soundgarden, while at the same time gradually builds up in intensity and complexity much the same way that Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven did. But the other tunes on the list are great, too.
Here's my list of personal favorite songs of 2014, with the artist mentioned in brackets:
1 Something From Nothing..... [Foo Fighters]
2 Dog Days are Over..... [Florence + the Machine]
3 Take Me to Church...... [Hozier]
4 I Will Wait...... [Mumford and Sons]
5 Come With Me Now...... [The Kongos]
6 Dangerous..... [Big Data]
7 Train Wreck 1979...... [Death From Above 1979]
8 Come a Little Bit Closer..... [Cage the Elephant]
9 Blackbird Chain..... [Beck]
10 The Walker..... [Fitz and the Tantrums]
Here's my list of personal favorite songs of 2014, with the artist mentioned in brackets:
1 Something From Nothing..... [Foo Fighters]
2 Dog Days are Over..... [Florence + the Machine]
3 Take Me to Church...... [Hozier]
4 I Will Wait...... [Mumford and Sons]
5 Come With Me Now...... [The Kongos]
6 Dangerous..... [Big Data]
7 Train Wreck 1979...... [Death From Above 1979]
8 Come a Little Bit Closer..... [Cage the Elephant]
9 Blackbird Chain..... [Beck]
10 The Walker..... [Fitz and the Tantrums]
Monday, December 29, 2014
Narratives, Police, Michael Brown, Eric Garner
It's hard to contest the testimony of many African-American men who claim to be repeatedly profiled by the police because of the color of their skin...I tend to believe these accounts. The problem with proving this is that, in the justice system, things are done on a case-by-case basis and each specific case can be depicted by law enforcement in some way to exonerate officers even when they do profile blacks. Another contention is that police are more brutal and use more deadly force in their interactions with black suspects...once again when investigations follow the result is often a flood of mitigating evidence letting the officers off the hook (hence recent grand jury refusals to prosecute police). But the police are there to protect people and have to go into areas when called to respond to crimes and complaints. In such cases, the officer may be white and the suspect may be black,...that isn't profiling, the cop is just doing his or her job. In the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson this past August, that is what happened when a response to a call about a convenience store robbery and the suspect's subsequent stroll down the center of a street led to a police-suspect confrontation that culminated in the suspect being shot down dead. Many witnesses were there, and depending on which version you might choose to fit your own narrative about the police, Michael Brown was shot either while attacking or rushing the policeman or he had his hands up and was moving away when killed. I have a couple of questions, though, for those subscribing to the two diametrically-opposed narratives about this tragic incident...
For those, like Al Sharpton, who have made this crime-response case a matter of race and Michael Brown some kind of civil rights hero, quick to insert this case into their narrative that blacks can't get a fair shake in the justice system, I would like to ask why do this when the situation does not indicate profiling, but rather an officer doing his duty to protect the public from crime and criminals. As for those who seem to think that the police are grand, unimpeachable heroes themselves and subscribe to the narrative that they, like combat soldiers in occupied lands, are under continual attack and have to respond in self-defense, my response to this narrative is that yes, if the police see themselves like that, I can see how they would respond with larger than necessary force. But they are NOT soldiers in enemy land. This is America, and at last report, we're not a police state or occupied territory. I ask myself why is it so many times, with all of the arms training that the police are supposed to possess, that I keeping seeing reports of policemen gunning down suspects to death when they should have been perfectly capable of incapacitating them by shooting them in less vital areas? There is another case recently of a boy playing with a harmless cap gun shot to death like this...
Lending more credence to the profiling narrative is the case of Eric Garner, a black man who was approached by a group of police in Staten Island, New York while standing unarmed in front of a shop on the sidewalk. Accused of selling tax-free cigarettes, not exactly a felony, when he asked the police to leave him alone they jumped him, pulled him down to the ground by his neck and sat on his chest...he died soon thereafter of a heart attack. This case tends to support another negative narrative about the police, which is that they tend to be more confrontational and treat civilians with more brutality when in groups than when alone. That old video of the Rodney King beatings comes to mind. It seems that aggression begets more aggression.
We all have our own experiences dealing with the police. For the most part, they have done well by me, although I believe I was treated unfairly in a couple of cases...one a speed trap situation and the other a setup by several police to ensnare drivers who didn't subscribe to their strict (and to me, extreme) interpretation of a recently-enacted state law about moving over a lane to accommodate roadside emergency vehicles. But I realize, quite unlike a large segment of the population, that it pays to be polite and cooperative with them, even in situations where I feel persecuted. There seems, in my opinion, to be a serious gulf between civilians and police, both in how civilians expect the police to act toward them and in how the police expect civilians to act toward them. Both sides need a crash course in decorum, politeness, and restraint...on a mass scale.
I have seen few issues like this in which opinions are so polarized and impassioned. Not being black myself, I am not free to agree or disagree with the claim of police profiling from personal experience. But my personal concerns about the police are real, too. Although I do appreciate their valor and the important role they play in protecting us, especially from criminals, at the same time I tend to be very wary of them, even when I'm around them in Starbucks (where they gather for the free coffee) and I need to oh-so slowly reach down into my pocket for something like a pen or cellphone...
For those, like Al Sharpton, who have made this crime-response case a matter of race and Michael Brown some kind of civil rights hero, quick to insert this case into their narrative that blacks can't get a fair shake in the justice system, I would like to ask why do this when the situation does not indicate profiling, but rather an officer doing his duty to protect the public from crime and criminals. As for those who seem to think that the police are grand, unimpeachable heroes themselves and subscribe to the narrative that they, like combat soldiers in occupied lands, are under continual attack and have to respond in self-defense, my response to this narrative is that yes, if the police see themselves like that, I can see how they would respond with larger than necessary force. But they are NOT soldiers in enemy land. This is America, and at last report, we're not a police state or occupied territory. I ask myself why is it so many times, with all of the arms training that the police are supposed to possess, that I keeping seeing reports of policemen gunning down suspects to death when they should have been perfectly capable of incapacitating them by shooting them in less vital areas? There is another case recently of a boy playing with a harmless cap gun shot to death like this...
Lending more credence to the profiling narrative is the case of Eric Garner, a black man who was approached by a group of police in Staten Island, New York while standing unarmed in front of a shop on the sidewalk. Accused of selling tax-free cigarettes, not exactly a felony, when he asked the police to leave him alone they jumped him, pulled him down to the ground by his neck and sat on his chest...he died soon thereafter of a heart attack. This case tends to support another negative narrative about the police, which is that they tend to be more confrontational and treat civilians with more brutality when in groups than when alone. That old video of the Rodney King beatings comes to mind. It seems that aggression begets more aggression.
We all have our own experiences dealing with the police. For the most part, they have done well by me, although I believe I was treated unfairly in a couple of cases...one a speed trap situation and the other a setup by several police to ensnare drivers who didn't subscribe to their strict (and to me, extreme) interpretation of a recently-enacted state law about moving over a lane to accommodate roadside emergency vehicles. But I realize, quite unlike a large segment of the population, that it pays to be polite and cooperative with them, even in situations where I feel persecuted. There seems, in my opinion, to be a serious gulf between civilians and police, both in how civilians expect the police to act toward them and in how the police expect civilians to act toward them. Both sides need a crash course in decorum, politeness, and restraint...on a mass scale.
I have seen few issues like this in which opinions are so polarized and impassioned. Not being black myself, I am not free to agree or disagree with the claim of police profiling from personal experience. But my personal concerns about the police are real, too. Although I do appreciate their valor and the important role they play in protecting us, especially from criminals, at the same time I tend to be very wary of them, even when I'm around them in Starbucks (where they gather for the free coffee) and I need to oh-so slowly reach down into my pocket for something like a pen or cellphone...
Sunday, December 28, 2014
At Least the Ravens and Seahawks Made the NFL Playoffs This Year
After the failure of the teams I usually root for in the National Football League (Miami, New York Giants, Tampa Bay, and Jacksonville) to make the playoffs this year, I was left with Seattle and Baltimore to cheer on. Since the Seahawks had already made the playoffs and are playing for a good playoff position this weekend, this left the Ravens as the uncertain playoff possibility. They had to beat Cleveland today, which they finally managed to do, coming from behind to win 20-10. But the Ravens still depended on Kansas City beating San Diego, a game I watched this afternoon and which the Chiefs won 19-7. So Baltimore is in as a wild-card team and Seattle, depending on how they do in their final regular season game, can run the range from home field throughout the playoffs to a wild card team playing an extra game, with all of them on the road.
As for the pitiful Dolphins, I predicted they would blow one of their last two games and finish another non-winning season at 8-8. Sure enough, even playing at home against the cellar-dwelling Jets, Miami just couldn't hold on to a 24-14 lead and folded up (or choked, depending on what vocabulary you want to use), giving New York the last 23 points en route to a 37-24 drubbing. Makes it awfully hard to want to follow a team lacking spirit like this year after year...
As for the pitiful Dolphins, I predicted they would blow one of their last two games and finish another non-winning season at 8-8. Sure enough, even playing at home against the cellar-dwelling Jets, Miami just couldn't hold on to a 24-14 lead and folded up (or choked, depending on what vocabulary you want to use), giving New York the last 23 points en route to a 37-24 drubbing. Makes it awfully hard to want to follow a team lacking spirit like this year after year...
Saturday, December 27, 2014
The News and Subjective Narratives
I've been a little remiss on this blog lately when it comes to commenting on the ongoing news stories. Since I'm going to weigh in with my own opinion about each of them (but not today), most likely some of my readers will have a different point of view. Some of the differences will be due to either my own ignorance regarding the objective facts or to that of the reader, but I imagine that most of the disagreement in analysis will come down to the differences in subjective narratives between us. So what exactly is a subjective narrative, anyway?
Before I get into subjective narratives, let's look at some of the ongoing news stories before us;
The police killing unarmed black people in Ferguson, Missouri and New York...and then getting exonerated by grand juries.
Sony hacked ostensibly for the current comedy film The Interview, apparently because it offended the North Korean leader.
The Democratic-controlled US Senate releases revealing documents about "enhanced" interrogation methods used on suspected terrorists.
The now-discredited story about rape at a University of Virginia fraternity.
Another fallen celebrity, this time Bill Cosby, and public reaction.
In each of the above examples, it is possible to take the "facts" revealed by the news outlets and selectively insert them into one's own narratives about an "umbrella" principle.
I have my own opinions and "narratives" about the above topics, and plan to lay them out in future blog entries. The important thing to remember, though, is that as members of the public at-large, we are limited by the amount of accurate knowledge available to us concerning the above stories. Instead, it is a much easier burden on our thinking to latch on to a narrative that we hear on TV or radio, or from a friend, co-worker, or family member. As humans with a social nature built within us, it can be quite exhilarating to be united in a cause revolving around a narrative that tends to be passionate in its appeal and expression. Sometimes, such narratives are justified when the underlying pertinent facts eventually come out. But often, the opposite happens as well and there is something of a letdown, with many left with a "rush-to-judgment" feeling. I'm not a news junkie who is glued to news sources and opinion pages. Still, it's not difficult to come away with definite opinions about the stories before us. And maybe, just maybe, some of these opinions of mine won't square with your own narratives. A subjective narrative incorporates within it any "possible", even dubious, information that supports it while ignoring or dismissing any facts that would diminish or contradict it. Let's see how this works regarding the current news. Stay tuned...
Before I get into subjective narratives, let's look at some of the ongoing news stories before us;
The police killing unarmed black people in Ferguson, Missouri and New York...and then getting exonerated by grand juries.
Sony hacked ostensibly for the current comedy film The Interview, apparently because it offended the North Korean leader.
The Democratic-controlled US Senate releases revealing documents about "enhanced" interrogation methods used on suspected terrorists.
The now-discredited story about rape at a University of Virginia fraternity.
Another fallen celebrity, this time Bill Cosby, and public reaction.
In each of the above examples, it is possible to take the "facts" revealed by the news outlets and selectively insert them into one's own narratives about an "umbrella" principle.
I have my own opinions and "narratives" about the above topics, and plan to lay them out in future blog entries. The important thing to remember, though, is that as members of the public at-large, we are limited by the amount of accurate knowledge available to us concerning the above stories. Instead, it is a much easier burden on our thinking to latch on to a narrative that we hear on TV or radio, or from a friend, co-worker, or family member. As humans with a social nature built within us, it can be quite exhilarating to be united in a cause revolving around a narrative that tends to be passionate in its appeal and expression. Sometimes, such narratives are justified when the underlying pertinent facts eventually come out. But often, the opposite happens as well and there is something of a letdown, with many left with a "rush-to-judgment" feeling. I'm not a news junkie who is glued to news sources and opinion pages. Still, it's not difficult to come away with definite opinions about the stories before us. And maybe, just maybe, some of these opinions of mine won't square with your own narratives. A subjective narrative incorporates within it any "possible", even dubious, information that supports it while ignoring or dismissing any facts that would diminish or contradict it. Let's see how this works regarding the current news. Stay tuned...
Friday, December 26, 2014
Gainesville's Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon Proves Elusive
After my adventure in Palm Coast's Starlight Half-Marathon this past Saturday, I was looking forward to another edition of Gainesville's Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon, which had been scheduled (on the Florida Track Club website) for January 1, 2015. Usually this race had been held in November, and I ran it in 2010 and 2011. I liked the fact that in this race (and unlike much of the Starlight race) it would be in the daylight and I would be able to see where I'm going...and the paved Hawthorne Trail on which it is run stretches for miles in the woods southeast of Gainesville, far away from any traffic. Tonight I was planning to register for it online, but unfortunately this race was removed from the Florida Track Club calendar. I saw elsewhere that it had been scheduled for January 15, 2015 (as well as another site that had it scheduled for October 25, two months ago)...but when it came to discovering any solid information about the race, all I got was a brief mention in the FTC December newsletter exhorting us to look forward to this race "in the fall"...implying, it seems, that for this year we can just forget about it. That's sad...but I can still run on my own and train for the next half-marathon, which for me is the Ocala Half-Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, January 25...
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Christmas Greetings and Movies
Merry Christmas to everyone! Last night we sat, after returning home from the Christmas Eve service at our church, and watched one of Melissa's favorite Christmas movies, the funny and sweet Elf. As for my own favorite Christmas movie, it's The Polar Express and although there have been a few showings already on TV, I've only managed to get in a few glimpses so far this season. But they usually keep showing it from time to time in the days following Christmas, so I'm sure that I'll get to watch it again all the way through at some time. And of course, there is A Christmas Story, being shown repeatedly on two stations this year: TNT and TBS. As well as gazillions of other Christmas movies on many channels...
There are the movies about Christmas, and there are the movies that are released on Christmas, not necessarily with any other connection to the holiday season. This year I see two standouts: The Imitation Game and Unbroken. The Imitation Game concerns the breaking of the German Enigma code during World War II with the crucial help of mathematician AlanTuring, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Unbroken is a biographical account of American athlete and war hero Louis Zamperini, who after appearing in the Olympics endured brutal treatment as a prisoner of war under the Japanese following an ordeal of several weeks floating adrift in the Pacific after his plane was shot down, again during World War II. I'd like to see both of these, especially The Imitation Game...
There are the movies about Christmas, and there are the movies that are released on Christmas, not necessarily with any other connection to the holiday season. This year I see two standouts: The Imitation Game and Unbroken. The Imitation Game concerns the breaking of the German Enigma code during World War II with the crucial help of mathematician AlanTuring, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Unbroken is a biographical account of American athlete and war hero Louis Zamperini, who after appearing in the Olympics endured brutal treatment as a prisoner of war under the Japanese following an ordeal of several weeks floating adrift in the Pacific after his plane was shot down, again during World War II. I'd like to see both of these, especially The Imitation Game...
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Ran Palm Coast's Starlight Half-Marathon Yesterday
Yesterday (Saturday) Melissa and I traveled eastward a few miles to Palm Coast to participate in our respective races...I ran the half-marathon and she walked the 5K event. Anticipating a downtown setting with cheering onlookers, I was surprised by the race location, which was in an isolated area south of the main city by several miles. Other than a movie theater and an adjacent Christmas park display (much like the duck pond at Gainesville's NFR Hospital), there were just open fields and many walkways...not exactly civilization as I was expecting it. For the races, which were started five minutes apart, the website had originally stated that the half-marathon runners would go first, followed by the 5K five minutes later. But the event organizers abruptly reversed the order before the race, causing a lot of confusion among the runner/walkers, including Melissa and me. But the races got off all right in the end, and we were on our way...
The starting times were at 6 and 6:05 PM, and we were already cautioned to carry flashlights or headlights with us to light up the nighttime paths...which they warned had "spots" of darkness. That had to be the understatement of the century, for fully half of my half-marathon race was spent in pitch blackness on an isolated paved trail with only my flashlight providing any visual aid. On top of that, the humidity was awful (temperature was moderate in the 60's) with it starting to rain at various times in the race. My throat/esophagus had been irritating me of late, and unfortunately whenever I downed some water or Gatorade it would send me into fits of coughing...so I dispensed with any rehydration for most of the run. Also, at about the 4-mile mark I began to experience a light stomach ache...but fortunately, that let up after about a mile. Then, toward the end of my journey through darkness, around the 9-mile mark, the arch in my left foot began to ache...making me wonder whether I'd even be able to finish the race. However, after about a couple of miles of this, once I was back out "in the light" and could see where I was going, I was able to speed up and run like I was accustomed. This made the foot-ache completely disappear and I haven't felt any pain since. A little past the 12-mile mark, I had a big scare when I misjudged the distance between the curb I was running off of and the pavement, causing me to go several strides in a near-horizontal position while I desperately floundered with my arms to maintain my balance and avoid a bad fall. When I was finally able to straighten back up, I marveled at my own sense of balance through the ordeal and finished the race without further mishap.
My final time for the 13.1 mile run was 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 30 seconds. I finished 4th out of 8 in my age group (55-59). Melissa also completed her walk and made me proud! After it all, they provided some food and drink for all us participants. Overall, it was a good experience...but I still think the organizers misled us about how overwhelmingly dark conditions would be as well as the fact that the race was far, far away from the business area of Palm Coast (we were actually running through a swamp at one point). As for my own running, I was astonished with my time at the end, although I had finished several half-marathons in the past with better times. The reason I thought I had run slower than I did was that I had to be very careful with my footing for about half the race because of the darkness...I'm sure I would have broken 2 hours had I been able to better see where I was going...
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Just Finished Reading Shadowplay by Tad Williams
Continuing along with Tad Williams' four-part fantasy series Shadowmarch, I just finished reading book #2, titled Shadowplay. It continues the various narratives of its characters, focusing on twin teenage nobles Prince Barrick and Princess Briony as they struggle to survive and deal with their own personal trials. The background story, that of a war between the gods reminiscent of Greek or Hindu mythology with accompanying conflicts between various races of people in the world, is gradually revealed through cryptic chapter-heading "quotes" from old religious scriptures. With this Williams presents a two-fold mystery: one, what actually happens to the protagonists as the story unfolds, and, two, the ultimate explanation of all the weird manifestations plaguing the world and poor Barrick, who miserably suffers from terrible nightmares and seems to have had a mysterious quest implanted in his mind from the enemy Qar leader. The author also widely spreads out the narrative, and there are many story lines going on at the same time...a little hard to keep up with them all, sad to say.
Shadowplay, unlike a lot of other books within series, has no noticeable ending and as such is hard for me to regard as a separate entity. Instead, all of the various subplots just trail off, presumably to be resumed at the start of the third book. By contrast, take a series like Harry Potter that, while moving to an eventual resolution that happens at the end of book #7, still has distinct stories for each memorable book. Not with Shadowplay, though. I think this works against the reader being able to remember the story when they finally do get around to starting the next book in the series. Also, all of this arcane mythology from chapter to chapter doesn't help things, either. Still, since one of the saving graces of this series is that it comprises only four books, I've already reached the halfway point and expect the author to begin to work to tie everything back together in the last two volumes...he has quite a task ahead of him if he wishes to be successful!
Shadowplay, unlike a lot of other books within series, has no noticeable ending and as such is hard for me to regard as a separate entity. Instead, all of the various subplots just trail off, presumably to be resumed at the start of the third book. By contrast, take a series like Harry Potter that, while moving to an eventual resolution that happens at the end of book #7, still has distinct stories for each memorable book. Not with Shadowplay, though. I think this works against the reader being able to remember the story when they finally do get around to starting the next book in the series. Also, all of this arcane mythology from chapter to chapter doesn't help things, either. Still, since one of the saving graces of this series is that it comprises only four books, I've already reached the halfway point and expect the author to begin to work to tie everything back together in the last two volumes...he has quite a task ahead of him if he wishes to be successful!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Signed Up to Run Saturday's Half-Marathon in Palm Coast
Well, I finally got around to registering for another half-marathon running race, this one for the Starlight Half-Marathon in Palm Coast, Florida (between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach). Both this race and the accompanying 5K walk/run, in which Melissa will be participating, are to take place at 6 in the evening. So it will all happen after sunset...but then again, I'm informed that Palm Coast will be very decorated for Christmas and that the course will be pretty interesting. Still, since it will be nighttime, we as entrants are each required to carry either a headlight or flashlight...no problem.
I feel very confident about finishing this upcoming race, which with Melissa along reminds me a bit of that cool Orange Blossom Classic dual race we did in Tavares back in March, 2013. Should be a great adventure...
I feel very confident about finishing this upcoming race, which with Melissa along reminds me a bit of that cool Orange Blossom Classic dual race we did in Tavares back in March, 2013. Should be a great adventure...
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Miami Dolphins Let Me Down Once Again With Year-End Choke
In the NFL, with today's 41-13 blowout loss to divisional rival New England, the Miami Dolphins, which I had been following and rooting for since 1968 (their third year in existence), have once again demonstrated that when the chips are down late in the season, they consistently opt for mediocrity. Two weeks ago they were in the driver's seat for a wild card slot in the playoffs, but let themselves get beaten badly by Baltimore at home. Now, with just two games left in the regular season, I'm seeing them again finishing at 8-8...certain that they'll blow at least one more game against their final two opponents Minnesota and the Jets. Late in the 2013 regular season, the Dolphins were also in a a very advantageous position for the playoffs at 8-6, with them only having to win one out of their last two games (against inferior teams) to make the playoffs. But they choked then, too, being beaten resoundingly in both games. These past two years were supposed to be the start of a new, winning era in Miami Dolphins football, with them breaking through and making the playoffs...even possibly challenging to go to the Super Bowl. Well, guess what? They're not going anywhere for a while. I probably should come to grips with the fact that this franchise simply does not have a winner's attitude and that I'm wasting my support for them...but most likely I'll foolishly go back to cheering them on next year in an unfounded hope for their improbable success.
Now that Miami is "out" for all practical purposes, I can go back to what I do around this time every year, which is look for other teams in the league to follow into the playoffs. Let's see, the other two Florida teams are awful and the New York Giants are having a miserable season. So of the teams who are in the playoff hunt right now, I'll probably stick with Seattle in the National Conference and pull for Baltimore in the American...
Friday, December 12, 2014
Fantasy Series I've Been Reading Over the Last Few Years
Here is a list of the fantasy series I've been reading over the past few years, with them ranked in order from my top favorite to least favorite. And...yes, although I'm in my fifties (late fifties now), I do occasionally like to pick up a "young adult" series and read it. Sometimes I find them better written and more profound than the more "mature" series. Following each title is the author [in brackets], followed by my reading progress with each series. Also, I deliberately left out The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins), Divergent (by Veronica Roth), and Otherland (by Tad Williams) because I felt that these very worthy series belonged better in the science fiction genre...
1 The Magicians [Lev Grossman] finished trilogy recently
2 The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings [J.R.R. Tolkien] finished both long ago
3 Harry Potter [J.K. Rowling] finished series long ago
4 Mistborn [Brandon Sanderson] 1 trilogy finished, 1 book finished in 2nd trilogy, awaiting next installment
5 His Dark Materials [Philip Pullman] finished trilogy
6 The Dark Tower [Stephen King] finished 7-part series long ago
7 The Chronicles of Narnia [C.S. Lewis] finished 7-part series long ago
8 A Song of Ice and Fire [George R.R. Martin] 5 books finished, awaiting next installment
9 The Dagger and the Coin [Daniel Abraham] 1 book finished, 3 more already published, ongoing series
10 Shadowmarch [Tad Williams] 1 book finished, 1 currently being read in 4-part series (tetralogy)
11 The Sword of Truth [Terry Goodkind] 11 books finished, 0 to go (but author has started new series with same characters)
12 Bartimaeus [Jonathan Stroud] finished trilogy, but now fourth book out
13 Twilight [Stephanie Meyer] finished 4-part series long ago
14 Percy Jackson and the Olympians [Rick Riordan] finished 5-part series long ago
15 Inheritance [Christopher Paolini] finished 4-part series
16 The Wheel of Time [Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson] 6 books finished, 8 to go
I've written reviews on this blog for the great majority of these series, which you're welcome to read. Just copy and paste the title of the series you're interested in to the search window present in the upper left corner on my blog page...
1 The Magicians [Lev Grossman] finished trilogy recently
2 The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings [J.R.R. Tolkien] finished both long ago
3 Harry Potter [J.K. Rowling] finished series long ago
4 Mistborn [Brandon Sanderson] 1 trilogy finished, 1 book finished in 2nd trilogy, awaiting next installment
5 His Dark Materials [Philip Pullman] finished trilogy
6 The Dark Tower [Stephen King] finished 7-part series long ago
7 The Chronicles of Narnia [C.S. Lewis] finished 7-part series long ago
8 A Song of Ice and Fire [George R.R. Martin] 5 books finished, awaiting next installment
9 The Dagger and the Coin [Daniel Abraham] 1 book finished, 3 more already published, ongoing series
10 Shadowmarch [Tad Williams] 1 book finished, 1 currently being read in 4-part series (tetralogy)
11 The Sword of Truth [Terry Goodkind] 11 books finished, 0 to go (but author has started new series with same characters)
12 Bartimaeus [Jonathan Stroud] finished trilogy, but now fourth book out
13 Twilight [Stephanie Meyer] finished 4-part series long ago
14 Percy Jackson and the Olympians [Rick Riordan] finished 5-part series long ago
15 Inheritance [Christopher Paolini] finished 4-part series
16 The Wheel of Time [Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson] 6 books finished, 8 to go
I've written reviews on this blog for the great majority of these series, which you're welcome to read. Just copy and paste the title of the series you're interested in to the search window present in the upper left corner on my blog page...
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Soccer: Mexican Finale Correction and the Offside Penalty
I'd like to make a correction to my posting this past Monday about the Mexican Liga MX soccer playoff finals for the Apertura split season. At the article's end, I had speculated that the Tigres of UANL could conceivably win the championship without a victory in a single game (they've advanced to the finals after four straight ties), but the format in the finals is different from the earlier rounds, something of which I was unaware. True, there are two games involved between the finalists América and Tigres (game #1 tonight and game #2 on Sunday), with the aggregate goal total for both determining the champion. But should a tie in total goals result at the end of regular play in the second game, there will be overtime and then a possible penalty kick shootout, much like it is in the knockout rounds of the World Cup. So Tigres will definitely have to win at least ONE game to become champion!
That's one rule I think I've got right, finally. Another one is the offside rule in soccer: many times I would see an attacking player close to the goal receive a pass from behind, apparently in an offside position, and go on to score a goal. Later I found out that it is that player's position at the moment when the pass is kicked, not when he (or she) receives it, that determines whether the attacker is offside or not. So the receiver of the pass in those instances that were actually legal were in the proper position as the pass was released to them...and then they ran ahead of the other defenders as they received it...
Now I'm trying to understand ice hockey's version of the offside penalty (as well as icing). I think I have it down to the requirement, when an attacker skates across the blue line with the puck into the opponent's defensive zone, that there can't be any teammates already there. Now that I intellectually know the rule, though, I'd like to see it applied in action...meaning I'll just have to sit down and try to follow a hockey game (good luck with that)...
By the way, you can see the Liga MX Aperatura season finals tonight and Sunday on TV by watching Univision Deportes (in Gainesville it's on Cox Cable Channel 410)...
That's one rule I think I've got right, finally. Another one is the offside rule in soccer: many times I would see an attacking player close to the goal receive a pass from behind, apparently in an offside position, and go on to score a goal. Later I found out that it is that player's position at the moment when the pass is kicked, not when he (or she) receives it, that determines whether the attacker is offside or not. So the receiver of the pass in those instances that were actually legal were in the proper position as the pass was released to them...and then they ran ahead of the other defenders as they received it...
Now I'm trying to understand ice hockey's version of the offside penalty (as well as icing). I think I have it down to the requirement, when an attacker skates across the blue line with the puck into the opponent's defensive zone, that there can't be any teammates already there. Now that I intellectually know the rule, though, I'd like to see it applied in action...meaning I'll just have to sit down and try to follow a hockey game (good luck with that)...
By the way, you can see the Liga MX Aperatura season finals tonight and Sunday on TV by watching Univision Deportes (in Gainesville it's on Cox Cable Channel 410)...
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Just Finished Reading JD Robb's Thankless in Death
Back in October a few weeks ago, my home county of Alachua, Florida held its twice-a-year Friends of the Library book sale here in Gainesville. Sometimes I go to this event and sometimes I don't. I went there this time around, looking for cheap paperback novels that weren't all tied into a series. Among the books, I discovered one by J.D. Robb titled Thankless in Death. Reading the cover, it didn't give a sign that this was part of a multi-volume series, so I paid the fifty cents and bought it. Later, though, when I opened it and began to read, I discovered that, although the story in itself didn't directly hinge on earlier ones, it was still part of a very long (more than forty books) string of books featuring the same lead characters...the "in Death" series. In this regard it reminded me of Sue Grafton's "A,B,C, etc. is For" series, where the protagonists stay the same from book to book but their lives and relationships develop.
With the "in Death" series of Robb, incidentally a pseudonym for Nora Roberts, the real author, the setting is a future (year 2060) New York City (Manhattan) and the main characters are police captain Eve Dallas, her immediate co-workers, and her husband Roarke, an Irish orphaned genius who became a super-wealthy builder in America. Being set in the future a few decades, the vocabulary of speech has changed a little and it sometimes took me a little bit of effort to figure what they were talking about. Also, there are innovations like servant robots (that can go out in town and buy stuff and bring it back) and a universal food/beverage device/system called "Autochef". But besides this, what this series is about, as exemplified by the novel I read, is a police detective working hard to catch really very nasty, bad people....and you can infer from the series title that it focuses on the crime of murder. Also, the employment climate of the future is one of great opportunity for women, for many of them figure heavily in the police force and story.
Thankless in Death is a crime novel in a series of crime novels...in retrospect it might have been better to start with the first book in order to better follow the character development from book to book. Then again, I can't see myself following this series through more than forty books. It's a pretty standard "catch the bad guy" detective story, once you factor out the futuristic gimmickry. Not that I particularly disliked it, mind you, but I was left feeling that there was little in what protagonist Eve Dallas did that distinguished her as a memorable character...and that's an important consideration for me as a potentially repeat reader...
With the "in Death" series of Robb, incidentally a pseudonym for Nora Roberts, the real author, the setting is a future (year 2060) New York City (Manhattan) and the main characters are police captain Eve Dallas, her immediate co-workers, and her husband Roarke, an Irish orphaned genius who became a super-wealthy builder in America. Being set in the future a few decades, the vocabulary of speech has changed a little and it sometimes took me a little bit of effort to figure what they were talking about. Also, there are innovations like servant robots (that can go out in town and buy stuff and bring it back) and a universal food/beverage device/system called "Autochef". But besides this, what this series is about, as exemplified by the novel I read, is a police detective working hard to catch really very nasty, bad people....and you can infer from the series title that it focuses on the crime of murder. Also, the employment climate of the future is one of great opportunity for women, for many of them figure heavily in the police force and story.
Thankless in Death is a crime novel in a series of crime novels...in retrospect it might have been better to start with the first book in order to better follow the character development from book to book. Then again, I can't see myself following this series through more than forty books. It's a pretty standard "catch the bad guy" detective story, once you factor out the futuristic gimmickry. Not that I particularly disliked it, mind you, but I was left feeling that there was little in what protagonist Eve Dallas did that distinguished her as a memorable character...and that's an important consideration for me as a potentially repeat reader...
Monday, December 8, 2014
Mexican Soccer: Tigres Advance in Playoffs Without Any Wins in Four Games
The premier Mexican professional soccer league, Liga MX, has finished the first half (the "Apertura") of its split 2014-15 regular season and the playoffs ("Liguilla") has already undergone two rounds with the initial eight teams whittled down to just two: América (based in Mexico City) and Tigres of UANL, one of the two Monterrey teams in the league. América, the top-seeded team from the regualar season, has advanced in the playoffs the traditional way, mainly by winning. This may sound like an obvious fact: how else would a team advance past its opponents? Fancy you should ask that, for the Tigres represent an interesting case.
The UANL Tigres were seeded at #2, just behind América...so for the first two rounds, they were seeded higher than each of their opponents, Pachuca and Toluca. This is crucial, because in the Liguilla, each round consists of two games between the same teams, with each game played at the other's stadium. Whoever wins the aggregate goal total for the two games advances, which is pretty self-evident. It gets a little strange, however, when the total is tied. The first "tiebreaker" in such a case gives the team that scored the most "away" goals the series. But if the total is still the same, then tiebreaker #2 kicks in: the higher-seeded team advances. In the first round, each game saw Pachuca and Tigres drawing at 1-1, so Tigres advanced solely on the basis of their higher seeding. In the next, semifinal round, Tigres played Toluca...and both games were scoreless. Once again, Tigres advanced just because they were seeded higher. And now, having played in these playoffs with ZERO victories to their credit so far in the first four games, Tigres has reached the finals! But now they'd better get serious and score some goals, for they'll probably have to win at least one game to beat higher-seeded América. Still, should both games end in draws and Tigres scores more "away" goals, they could conceivably win the Liguilla, and thus the Apertura championship, with not even one victory throughout the entire playoffs!
The UANL Tigres were seeded at #2, just behind América...so for the first two rounds, they were seeded higher than each of their opponents, Pachuca and Toluca. This is crucial, because in the Liguilla, each round consists of two games between the same teams, with each game played at the other's stadium. Whoever wins the aggregate goal total for the two games advances, which is pretty self-evident. It gets a little strange, however, when the total is tied. The first "tiebreaker" in such a case gives the team that scored the most "away" goals the series. But if the total is still the same, then tiebreaker #2 kicks in: the higher-seeded team advances. In the first round, each game saw Pachuca and Tigres drawing at 1-1, so Tigres advanced solely on the basis of their higher seeding. In the next, semifinal round, Tigres played Toluca...and both games were scoreless. Once again, Tigres advanced just because they were seeded higher. And now, having played in these playoffs with ZERO victories to their credit so far in the first four games, Tigres has reached the finals! But now they'd better get serious and score some goals, for they'll probably have to win at least one game to beat higher-seeded América. Still, should both games end in draws and Tigres scores more "away" goals, they could conceivably win the Liguilla, and thus the Apertura championship, with not even one victory throughout the entire playoffs!
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Football Playoff Committee Picks Best Four Teams, But Process Flawed
The college football playoff selection committee, composed of thirteen supposed "experts" in the sport, have made their decision on which teams are in...and which are out...for this year's inaugural major college football national championship playoffs. As it incredibly turns out, the four teams I thought merited inclusion got in...but the process leading to this outcome was dismaying. For one, I don't for the life of me understand why somebody with no football background like Condoleezza Rice was put on this committee other than that it was a cynical political choice. If they had wanted a woman to be on it, there are many, many women out there much more knowledgeable and qualified in the sport. That being what it was, though, I don't know how Ms. Rice voted; for all I know, she and I saw things eye-to-eye. But what really bothered me about this committee was the whimsical, lackadaisical way in which they would elevate and demote teams over the weeks leading up to this final selection...in particular regarding Florida State (FSU) and Texas Christian University (TCU). Even though FSU went the entire year undefeated and is the defending national champion, this committee, just the week before today's final vote, had lowered them to 4th in the rankings and placed TCU, which had already lost (to Baylor) this year, ahead of them. Then this past Saturday, the Seminoles squeaked by 37-35 in their conference championship game and the Horned Frogs (of TCU) clobbered their conference opponent Iowa State 55-3. In the meantime, Ohio State, which had been #5 the week before, demonstrated their worth to be in the playoffs by annihilating ranked Wisconsin 59-0 in their conference championship game...and with only their third-string quarterback, a truly impressive performance. So Texas Christian once again fell behind Florida State, and also Ohio State, leaving them out of the playoffs. But wait, Baylor jumped ahead of them, too! So as far as TCU is concerned, they're in one week at #3, win their scheduled conference regular season game in a big rout, and then find themselves knocked down to #6! Well, from my point of view, TCU never should have been ranked that high to begin with (and should have also always been behind Baylor, who had beaten them)...and letting them jump ahead of FSU was pure nonsense! I actually was beginning to wonder to myself whether this committee wasn't going to exclude the undefeated national champions from the playoffs as well. They may have come up with the correct final lineup, but the weekly committee-generated rankings leading up to this result have left me feeling very little confidence in the committee format. I was left with the impression, right or wrong, that the committee members were full of themselves and their "power". Instead, I would have preferred that college football had retained the previous BCS ranking system and simply extended it from two to four teams for the playoffs. Now we're going to have to wonder every year who's playing favorites or promoting special agendas...
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Just Finished Reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
If Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights shows the dark side of the lives of rural landed English families in the late 18th century, then Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, which I just read, represents the light. Austen also injects a great deal of humor into this story, especially coming from its chief protagonist Elizabeth "Lizzy" Bennet. Lizzy is the second oldest of five sisters in a family having no male heirs...a problem in that the archaic laws of that time "entail" an estate in such a case to the ownership of a more distant male relative upon the father's death (the mother has no inheritance rights, apparently). Mrs. Bennet, the mother, is continually trying, with a marked lack of subtlety (to the constant consternation and embarrassment of Lizzy), to marry them off to suitably wealthy young men. However, one young man, Mr. Darcy, who is the friend of a Mr. Bingley (who likes the eldest sister Jane) quickly incurs the wrath of both Mrs. Bennet and Lizzy through his prideful, arrogant behavior before them. Because of this and other "information" about him that Lizzy picks up from others, she forms what turns out to be a prejudicial judgment against his character. The story, in general, concerns how the two...Darcy with his pride and Elizabeth with her prejudice (hence the novel's title), are able to eventually remove the obstructing filters from themselves and finally see each other for what they really are. Without trying to give away the ending, I suppose from this you might easily surmise the outcome. After all, I've already said that this is no "dark" story!
The developing relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy dominates Pride and Prejudice, but what happens with the rest of the sisters figures into the story as well. Still, it all comes back to the two main characters.
Having been made into movie and serial TV shows, I was tempted to first "watch" Pride and Prejudice before reading it. But now that I have read it, I'm looking forward to seeing how it is depicted on the screen. For one thing, I like to notice the discrepancies between book and film. For another, I like to see how much (or little) my imagination painted a picture of the settings and characters in my own mind just from reading the book. Still another thing I like to see is how the tone of the screen presentation resembles the book's...or is it vastly different...
The developing relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy dominates Pride and Prejudice, but what happens with the rest of the sisters figures into the story as well. Still, it all comes back to the two main characters.
Having been made into movie and serial TV shows, I was tempted to first "watch" Pride and Prejudice before reading it. But now that I have read it, I'm looking forward to seeing how it is depicted on the screen. For one thing, I like to notice the discrepancies between book and film. For another, I like to see how much (or little) my imagination painted a picture of the settings and characters in my own mind just from reading the book. Still another thing I like to see is how the tone of the screen presentation resembles the book's...or is it vastly different...
Gators' New Coach Jim McElwain Looks Like a Good Fit
It looks as if the University of Florida, through their athletic director Jeremy Foley, has made a good decision in the selection and hiring of their next head football coach: Jim McElwain. McElwain was offensive coordinator in Alabama under Nick Saban during their earlier two national championship seasons in 2009 and 2011 (including when he broke Tim Tebow's heart by beating the then-undefeated, #1 ranked Gators in 2009's SEC championship game). Having played in college himself as quarterback, he reminds me a little of a former UF coaching great: Steve Spurrier (although the latter achieved much more renown for his passing abilities). And McElwain, unlike his relatively unsuccessful predecessors Ron Zook and Will Muschamp...and like his resoundingly successful predecessors Spurrier and Urban Meyer, has amassed experience as the head coach of a college team, in his case at Colorado State. He also was very successful in his short tenure there, turning around a habitually losing team into a winner.
I've heard it said that with Zook and Muschamp, they were considered "players'" coaches who were beloved by the team. In fact, I believe at least a couple of the Florida underclassmen players under Muschamp have expressed their decision to leave the team were Muschamp fired...even before they knew of his replacement. As a fan, I would rather have the Gators with a coach who emphasizes discipline and holds accountable the kind of sloppy play, with the fumbles, missed blocks and tackles, dropped passes, and very untimely, foolish penalties that epitomized Florida during the Zook and Muschamp eras. I doubt that this school will have any trouble attracting top talent during the recruiting season, but they will need someone who is able and willing to mold them together into a winning unit. And McElwain, I believe, seems like a good fit...
I've heard it said that with Zook and Muschamp, they were considered "players'" coaches who were beloved by the team. In fact, I believe at least a couple of the Florida underclassmen players under Muschamp have expressed their decision to leave the team were Muschamp fired...even before they knew of his replacement. As a fan, I would rather have the Gators with a coach who emphasizes discipline and holds accountable the kind of sloppy play, with the fumbles, missed blocks and tackles, dropped passes, and very untimely, foolish penalties that epitomized Florida during the Zook and Muschamp eras. I doubt that this school will have any trouble attracting top talent during the recruiting season, but they will need someone who is able and willing to mold them together into a winning unit. And McElwain, I believe, seems like a good fit...
Friday, December 5, 2014
Good Eleven Mile Run Today
Today I had a solid run of eleven miles, which I ended at that distance not because I was too tired to go on, but rather because I had other things to do. Still, this represents my longest single run since my Orange Blossom Half-Marathon in Tavares back in March, 2013...just before plantar fasciitis in my right foot "kicked" in. Well, my feet now seem to be "hanging" in there O.K. so far, so I suppose I'll continue to press the mileage back up to a level that I feel reflects better on my identity as a runner.
In spite of my increasing mileage, I have not returned to my old pattern of running around designated courses on my neighborhood streets (and in nearby locations on longer runs). Instead, I have marked off a running path in my rather sizable backyard and spend my longer runs there. It's certainly not as interesting as road running, but at the same time I have quick access to the conveniences of home and can still listen to my MP3 player while running. If there's rain in the forecast or it's already begun to drizzle, I can still go running until the rainfall gets too strong...and then step back into the house. Also, in my backyard I feel much safer about running in the nighttime, something that I never felt at ease doing on the streets...for a couple of reasons: drivers tend not to see runners (or pedestrians in general, for that matter) and differences in the terrain may be harder to spot at night. Still, I think that it would be a good idea to go back out on my old neighborhood courses every now and then...in the daytime in good weather, of course...
In spite of my increasing mileage, I have not returned to my old pattern of running around designated courses on my neighborhood streets (and in nearby locations on longer runs). Instead, I have marked off a running path in my rather sizable backyard and spend my longer runs there. It's certainly not as interesting as road running, but at the same time I have quick access to the conveniences of home and can still listen to my MP3 player while running. If there's rain in the forecast or it's already begun to drizzle, I can still go running until the rainfall gets too strong...and then step back into the house. Also, in my backyard I feel much safer about running in the nighttime, something that I never felt at ease doing on the streets...for a couple of reasons: drivers tend not to see runners (or pedestrians in general, for that matter) and differences in the terrain may be harder to spot at night. Still, I think that it would be a good idea to go back out on my old neighborhood courses every now and then...in the daytime in good weather, of course...
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Just Finished Reading George Orwell's 1984
Nineteen Eighty-Four. which I just finished reading, was probably English writer George Orwell's most well-known novel, with many of its concepts and sayings in common use today ("Big brother is watching you", "Thought police", "War is peace", etc.). It was first published in 1948, just a couple of years before its author's death. Orwell was strongly aware of his era's rise of totalitarian governments and studied the tactics of political control used over the people in Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. And much of the material in the book, about the future totalitarian society of the mega-nation Oceania, appears to come straight out of these regimes' policies...as expressed through the words and actions of the "Party" that dominate every aspect of life. But Nineteen Eighty-Four goes much further to display a society that has refined its totalitarianism to the point that even facial expressions are captured and analyzed through pervasive surveillance, even in people's homes. People who diverge from the Party line in any way are subject to arrest, disappearance, and then any vestige of them ever having existed erased from the records. And those who personally knew anyone so eliminated must also speak and act as well as if they had never existed, lest they themselves be subject to "discipline".
Nineteen Eighty-Four's protagonist is Winston Smith, a low-level Party functionary employed in the Ministry of Truth, which like many other departments performs work in direct contradiction to its title. His job is to take whatever the Party position currently is on any matter, be it war, economics...or the "disappeared", and revise all historical records and books to reflect that change...retroactively. So Oceania, which had recently been allied with mega-nation Eurasia, is suddenly at war against it and Winston has to work feverishly with his colleagues to revise all records to show that Oceania has ALWAYS been at war with Eurasia. For to reveal any change in policy would mean that the Party was fallible, and that wouldn't do.
Nineteen Eighty-Four introduces several concepts pertaining to the Party's all-oppressive control of society, including Newspeak, doublethink, and thoughtcrime. The language is continually being revised in order to reduce the number of words needed for expression...along with any usage that could express criminalized concepts like "liberty", "equality", or "democracy". Winston's journey through this story is based on his doubts about the society he lives in and his desire to find others sharing his skepticism who are willing to oppose it. To this end he meets and forms a romantic relationship with a young woman named Julia and comes under the leadership of a higher Party member named O'Brien. It is the interplay between these three characters that drives the book's story to its rather sobering end...
There are many elements to Nineteen Eighty-Four that I could discuss: a couple of them, the rewriting of history to suit the Party's current position and the selective framing of narratives, accepting only the information that supports their policies and eliminating any that runs against them, demonstrate the Party line that truth is not objective, based on facts, but rather subjective, originating in the mind...and that the only valid truth is in the Party's mind. Today we don't live here in a totalitarian society, but it struck me as I was reading Nineteen Eighty-Four that in the past few decades, many people have freely come to embrace this subjective outlook on reality...especially when you see the different social, political and religious camps out there, each with their own "facts" and histories. Unlike with Nineteen Eighty-Four, you're free to join up with whichever group you choose, but once you're in you're expected to embrace their "reality"...
Nineteen Eighty-Four's protagonist is Winston Smith, a low-level Party functionary employed in the Ministry of Truth, which like many other departments performs work in direct contradiction to its title. His job is to take whatever the Party position currently is on any matter, be it war, economics...or the "disappeared", and revise all historical records and books to reflect that change...retroactively. So Oceania, which had recently been allied with mega-nation Eurasia, is suddenly at war against it and Winston has to work feverishly with his colleagues to revise all records to show that Oceania has ALWAYS been at war with Eurasia. For to reveal any change in policy would mean that the Party was fallible, and that wouldn't do.
Nineteen Eighty-Four introduces several concepts pertaining to the Party's all-oppressive control of society, including Newspeak, doublethink, and thoughtcrime. The language is continually being revised in order to reduce the number of words needed for expression...along with any usage that could express criminalized concepts like "liberty", "equality", or "democracy". Winston's journey through this story is based on his doubts about the society he lives in and his desire to find others sharing his skepticism who are willing to oppose it. To this end he meets and forms a romantic relationship with a young woman named Julia and comes under the leadership of a higher Party member named O'Brien. It is the interplay between these three characters that drives the book's story to its rather sobering end...
There are many elements to Nineteen Eighty-Four that I could discuss: a couple of them, the rewriting of history to suit the Party's current position and the selective framing of narratives, accepting only the information that supports their policies and eliminating any that runs against them, demonstrate the Party line that truth is not objective, based on facts, but rather subjective, originating in the mind...and that the only valid truth is in the Party's mind. Today we don't live here in a totalitarian society, but it struck me as I was reading Nineteen Eighty-Four that in the past few decades, many people have freely come to embrace this subjective outlook on reality...especially when you see the different social, political and religious camps out there, each with their own "facts" and histories. Unlike with Nineteen Eighty-Four, you're free to join up with whichever group you choose, but once you're in you're expected to embrace their "reality"...
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Miami Dolphins Thick in Playoff Hunt
Well, there are only four games left in the National Football League sixteen-game regular season and, incredibly, the Miami Dolphins are thick in the playoff hunt with a 7-5 record. Were the season to end today, they would actually be in the playoffs, winning the tiebreakers with the several other 7-5 teams in the American Conference. This is a team that, if anything, should have a better record...with them losing three close games late in the fourth quarter this year against playoff-caliber teams (Green Bay, Detroit, and Denver). And they've already beaten New England in their first contest! However, the return match with the Patriots will be a road game. Still, there is a scenario here that, should New England lose this week's road game against the very capable San Diego Chargers and Miami win their final four games, the Dolphins would be AFC East Division champions, with even a shot at a first round bye in the playoffs. Well, I can dream, can't I?
Miami's remaining games are against Baltimore, New England, Minnesota, and New York (Jets). All are important, but this coming weekend's game against the Ravens is crucial, seeing that both teams have identical 7-5 records. Fortunately, the Dolphins will be playing them at home, where they will also be when they face the Vikings and Jets...
Miami's remaining games are against Baltimore, New England, Minnesota, and New York (Jets). All are important, but this coming weekend's game against the Ravens is crucial, seeing that both teams have identical 7-5 records. Fortunately, the Dolphins will be playing them at home, where they will also be when they face the Vikings and Jets...
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