College Sports Rules, Enforcement Fall Short

I don't particularly agree with the way that college athletics sets and enforces its rules for schools, student athletes, and their supporters in the community. Not only are the rules unfair in and of themselves, but they are also enforced in an almost arbitrary and retroactive manner.

Considering the enormous amount of revenue that major college sports like football and basketball generate for their school, community businesses, and the local and national media, combined with the hefty salaries given to coaches and athletic directors, it is unbelievably outrageous to me, in this day and age, for the athletes who are actually playing the sports to be prohibited from receiving any money or material compensation for their efforts. No, they aren't being forced into playing, the way that ancient slaves were conscripted into being gladiators. And yes, most of them receive academic scholarships, something that carries with it some financial value and at least the hope of a better future after leaving college. But that simply isn't good enough, considering the enormous amount of economic value that these players generate. They should all be paid, above and beyond any scholarships. After all, very few of them are going to be paid professional players after leaving college, so this is their chance in life to use their enormous athletic talents to set up a future for themselves.

I also have problems with the way that some colleges are allowed to violate the standing rules willy-nilly until, after several years of this, a big scandal erupts and penalties are retroactively imposed, including title and game forfeitures. A couple of years ago this happened with Southern Cal, and now the University of Miami is being rocked with a scandal for improperly paying as many as 70 of its players from 2002-2010. In 2003, Florida played UM, no doubt against some of these players. Having built up a 33-10 lead, though, Florida fell to a furious Miami comeback and lost 38-33. This loss in a nationally televised game also did enormous damage to Ron Zook's reputation as an effective coach for Florida. Now if some of Miami's players had been played in violation of the same rules that Florida had to abide by, shouldn't that game be forfeited? I think so, but only if Florida also gets credited with a win. And Zook should also get credit for a career head coaching victory. Unfortunately, when these retroactive forfeitures are imposed, they are only against the offending school and don't help those schools they victimized by their violations. This to me is wrong of the rule enforcers.

Of course, it also gets a bit problematic to go too far into retroactively altering the outcomes of games and seasons, anyway. The argument could be made that, as is the case in pro football, all game and season outcomes should be final and any needed penalties would affect the future, not rewrite the past. After all, fans want to believe that the game that they just invested time and possible expense to watch, either at the stadium or through TV, is significant, not some cloudy thing that can be tweaked around sometime in the future. On the other hand, maybe this is just what these people need: a wake-up call to reality, to just get up and do something productive instead of wallowing in vicarious passivity!

Finished Reading The Magician King

Well, I just completed reading Lev Grossman's novel The Magician King (while sleepily sitting and waiting for my hot water heater to be replaced). Good story, good characters, good ending. If you read The Magicians and liked it, then you will definitely enjoy this sequel. And future offerings in this series, which as far as I am concerned is welcome to go on indefinitely...

While reading these books, one needs to get over the fact that Grossman's fantasy structures are lifted rather deliberately and openly from other famous works. The main source is C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. In both Narnia and Fillory, the magical fantasy land of Grossman, there are:

--Talking animals
--Humans from Earth ruling as 2 kings and 2 queens
--A white stag to be hunted
--A middle land between worlds
--An island-hopping voyage on the eastern sea
--Severe time-discrepancies between Earth and the fantasy land for visitors
--Human visitors summoned in different ways to the fantasy land for special quests

Besides C.S. Lewis, Stephen King is apparently a source for Grossman's series as well, with his Dark Tower and Talisman (in collaboration with Peter Straub) stories employing special doors and windows from one world to another. Philip Pullman, another fantasy writer that Lev Grossman reminds me of, also employs this device in the His Dark Materials series.

So if you're just looking to read some new original material just for the sake of the fantasy, you might be disappointed with The Magician King and its predecessor. But it was the intensive character development and the author's ability to flood the reader with countless cultural associations that won me over. And make me look forward impatiently to the next installment, even though the book I have just read hasn't even been out for a month!

I did something after finishing The Magician King that I should have been doing after reading other stories: I wrote down a very general outline of the characters and plot and filed it away, so that when I eventually pick up the next book in the series I'll be able to refresh my memory without having to reread anything...

Garage Cleaning Day

This is a post that I would expect to encounter on somebody's Facebook page. I have spent most of today clearing and cleaning out my garage, where my ancient hot water heater sprang a leak and flooded the floor. Tomorrow morning it will be replaced, but before that happens I had to clear the area of all the stacked up junk that has been accumulating. It hasn't been much fun, but hopefully the end result will be an uncluttered garage that I will do a better job maintaining in the future.

Unfortunately, this room has traditionally been the "room of requirement" (if you ever read or watched Harry Potter) where people in my family have habitually put stuff that they didn't want to throw away but also didn't want to keep in the main part of the house. In other words, we tend to hoard. So keeping this area from deteriorating again will require a concerted team effort from all, with me probably having to be hawkish with the others about piling things up there...

My new slogan: THROWING AWAY IS O.K.!

Books I'm Reading Now

I am currently in the process of reading four books: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, The First World War by John Keegan, and The Magicians (a reread) and The Magician King, both by Lev Grossman with the latter being the sequel to the former. My focus is on Grossman's novels and may be just as well, for I am having an awful time forming any kind of sympathetic bond with Ludlum's protagonist Jason Bourne so far. Then again, I'm not too crazy about Quentin Coldwater, the "hero" in the Magicians series. On many levels I have difficulty forming any feelings of empathy with this character. As for World War I, the book I'm reading about it is also a reread for me: it is a very good account of this terrible conflict, especially regarding the forces that led up to it.

I have been surprised by author Grossman's shift in emphasis in The Magician King, which actually was just released earlier this month. Although Quentin is still the main character, another character, Julia, who was given very little attention in the initial story, has now become a very integral part of the series. Quentin and Julia are both endowed with the talent of being able to draw upon magical forces, but they differ as to how the magical establishment treated them. Quentin was allowed to attend a special school of magic and given special benefits from it while Julia was rejected by the same institution and left bewildered and troubled on her own, trying to cope with her magical abilities in a world that denied their existence. Julia, it turns out, is a totally cool person in my estimation and has some life experiences that I can relate to strongly (although magic ain't one of 'em, bro'). An example:

Once Julia was exploring the Internet to find kindred spirits, i.e. people who could relate to her thinking. This seemed like an impossible task for she felt that no one on Earth seemed to understand her or even remotely think like her. But she managed to stumble upon an intricate, difficult test that eventually led her to be accepted into a small and anonymous private circle on the Net with other people who shared enough of her perspective to give her some sense of social stability, a very welcome break from her longstanding feeling of complete alienation. Now that's something that I would like...and have yet to find for myself!

When I first read The Magicians, I had no idea it was just the first in a series. With The Magician King, I now wonder how many volumes Lev Grossman is planning to take this story! I admire his writing style, which in a good way reminds me of how Stephen King also has an uncanny ability to get into the minds of his characters and express how they feel...

Self-Service Grocery Scanning

I noticed something unsettling during my visit to Lexington, Kentucky a couple of weeks ago. There was a Meijers superstore conveniently located right across the street from our hotel, so we decided to go there and stock up on our groceries for the stay. When we finished loading up our cart and walked up to the check-out lines, we noticed that most of them were self-service, with no cashier. The customers in these lines simply did pretty much what the paid cashiers do, which was to scan their own items and pass them down the conveyor belt for bagging (which more often than not the customer also had to do). There was a menu on the screen for items without scanning codes such as produce or bakery items, instructing the customers to key in special codes or click on designated places on the screen. Once I learned the system, it was much easier and faster for me to "self-scan". The few lines remaining with human cashiers were always hopelessly long and I learned to avoid them, which was probably the intent of the corporate bigwigs who also probably want to eventually eliminate the remaining cashier jobs as well.

I discussed this phenomenon with others and found out that this do-it-yourself scanning is pervasive in Lexington stores. I know that it is going on in Gainesville as well, but on a much smaller scale in places like Home Depot, which offers a self-service checkout option. But so far Publix, the predominant grocer in north Florida, has yet to institute it, preferring instead the friendly interaction of cashiers and baggers with the paying customers. But I suppose it is only a matter of time before "self-scanning" takes over Gainesville retail stores too, much in the same way that self-service gasoline pumping replaced the (sometimes) friendly service station attendant in the early 1970's.

Although I liked the speed at which I could go through the check-out line while scanning my purchases myself, I also noticed on a couple of trips to Meijers that I completed the entire process through the store without talking to anyone. That's just a little too creepy to somebody like me who is used to being doted upon by the fine employees at Publix.

I am sure that Meijers could have chosen to employ more cashiers and open up more lines, which would have made them more attractive for me to go through. But they might argue that this would force them to raise their prices. Besides, they were apparently just following the general practice of pushing self-service checkout that seems to rule this part of the country. But I decry this trend that seems to involve saving expense by eliminating jobs that REAL PEOPLE had made a living from. This sort of thing, though, is going on everywhere and has been for a long, long time actually. I remember my mother talking to me about her job back in the 1940's as an operator for the phone company, a very common job back then. Find me an operator now, but also tell me how bringing them back would improve the telephone industry or my service. And the US Postal Service has gone through stages over the years with its mail processing, going from manual sorting to mechanized sorting to barcode and optical character reading by scanning. This has drastically reduced the number of people needed to sort the nation's mail.

I read or heard somewhere that good jobs in America are plentiful but aren't being filled because the people themselves are either unqualified or incapable of filling them. Personally, I think that there is a bigger underlying problem involving the relative lack of employment these days: the glaring need to reinstitute the concept of apprenticing in all of the fields and businesses employing skilled labor and adapt it to the modern world. Because unskilled labor seems to be going, going, gone and, frankly, colleges don't seem to be adequately filling the need for training skilled labor to meet the marketplace's demands...

News and Comments

Some news commentary...

--Perhaps my comments yesterday about Hurricane Irene being "forgettable" are a little premature: maybe for the state of Florida it will be, but those northeastern states that will undergo flooding, wind damage, and widespread and possibly lengthy power outages will probably remember it. Then again, people these days don't seem to put much stock in holding on to memories. Still, the storm will be more severe because of a cold front stalling out over the northeast, drawing Irene toward it in a merger of two completely nasty weather systems reminiscent of Agnes in 1972. So the forecast track of Irene, which had been gradually moving eastward, is now moving westward, projecting its center to pass over the most densely populated part of the northeast, including New York City...

--Five months and reportedly more than 700 NATO bombing sorties over Libya later, It looks as if the rebels are finally going to wrest control of the northern African giant oil-producer from terrorist-sponsoring dictator Gadhafi (or is it Kaddafy, or Qaddafi, every news network seems to have a different spelling). Two reactions from me: (1) I agree with John McCain's assessment: it's good that the jerk is finally being deposed, but it could have been done back in March with prompt action on the part of Obama instead of him dawdling around for weeks while the rebels were put so far on the defensive that they were in danger of being completely overrun. And (2): Notice that Syria, not known for its oil exports, has a despot who is cruelly massacring his own rebelling population wholesale, and no one is lifting a hand to stop him. Except to impose that meaningless face-saving ploy of "sanctions"...

--The Gainesville City Commission backed down from their plan to eliminate free parking downtown after widespread criticism over the proposal. It still doesn't change anything for me since I have little reason to go there anyway (no attractive businesses). Except, that is, for the possibility of jury duty, in which case my parking is paid for anyway...

--Cofounder and CEO of Apple, Inc Steve Jobs is resigning his post at the top of the trailblazing computer company due to health concerns. He is staying on in a less taxing position in more of an advisory role. I don't see this affecting Apple's products, at least for the near future...

--Open since 1976, the Gainesville Albertsons grocery store on NW 13th Street is closing after 35 years of business. Earlier a popular 24-hour place for college students to go shopping late at night, "Skaggs" (as it was called way back when the name used to be Skaggs-Albertsons) had been situated in the middle of a popular all-night zone that had in the past included another grocer, two all-night restaurants, a doughnut shop, and a 24-hour pharmacy. All of these businesses are gone now, and the general area will be further depleted of stores when the adjacent Wal-Mart closes soon. Sad, maybe they should pay customers to park there in that entrepreneurial black hole; I rarely go there for anything anymore...

--After the final scrimmage before the season begins September 3, University of Florida football coach Will Muschamp expressed great disappointment at his team's performance and stated that no starting job is secured by any player. Of course, the first two "real" games are the real scrimmages as UF traditionally faces pushover smaller schools in its first couple of games before the season "really" begins against Tennessee in mid-September...

Another Scary, Forgettable Hurricane

Not that I'm complaining, but once again, like a repelling magnet, another enormous, powerful hurricane is being deflected away from the Florida coast. This one is called "Irene" and, after successive trajectories over the past few days keep placing it slightly more east, now they have it barely touching upon the U.S. mainland at places like Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and coastal New England. The storm's maximum sustained winds around its eye keep increasing, at this writing being 115 mph. It is still only in the middle of the Bahamas and is moving pretty slowly right now. A meteorologist on The Weather Channel pointed out that even without a direct hit, Irene could be one of the most devastating storms to hit the northeastern U.S. in decades due to its large size. But if it keeps tracking eastward, weakens and shrinks as hurricanes inevitably do when they reach colder waters up north, and speeds up on its course (another likely occurrence), this dire prediction may also come to naught. Hopefully. Right now I'm a little more concerned for the folks in far eastern North Carolina than I am for points further up north. Still, states all up the eastern coast from North Carolina to Maine (and Canada beyond) need to take necessary hurricane preparations to help avert any disaster scenario.

When I was a kid in south Florida, I was always fervently hoping for hurricanes to hit us and consequently give me some time off from school, which I generally hated. Alas, after Betsy hit in 1965 no large storm hit the area throughout my primary and secondary "career". After I "retired", David scared a lot of people in 1979 and Andrew devastated the area in 1992. But by that time in my life I was hoping for those storms to miss...

It will be interesting, after all of the modifications in Irene's projected path, to see where it actually goes and how hard its fury affects the closest states as it passes by. Of course, those living right on the coast will have to evacuate to avoid storm surge. Still,I predict and hope that there will just be some minor-to-moderate wind damage, little flooding, and heavy rains for a few hours and then those conditions will subside. But then again, I'm not a meteorologist; the damned hurricane could fool everyone and start tracking more to the west, anyway...

Finished Reading Twilight Saga

I just finished reading Breaking Dawn, the final book in Stephenie Meyer's four-volume vampire romance The Twilight Saga. I'm glad I persevered to the end, for I left the oft rocky reading experience with an overall positive impression. What initially bothered me about Twilight, especially the same-titled first book, was the attitude of its protagonist Bella Swan. And if you can't relate in some way to the main character, it can sometimes be a chore to keep reading. So there have been times when I would just put a book down and not get back to it for weeks. But with Breaking Dawn, everything came together well and I found myself much more in sync with the characters, even Bella.

It's very hard for me to describe how this series develops without giving away the story, and I don't want to do that. But I think it is already common knowledge that the drama centers around teenager Bella Swan's love for fellow student, vampire Edward Cullen, and how this completely disrupts the lives of those around her in the setting, a northwestern peninsular Washington state community called Forks (which really exists). Meyer, like J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series, created an entire special world within the supernatural realm, with its own special rules. And like Rowling, Meyer succeeded in creating durable, compelling, and unforgettable characters. Bella, Edward, Jacob, Alice, Carlisle... these are names that will stick with me for a long time just as Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Severus have. Or Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, Gimli, etc, for that matter...

I have yet to watch a Twilight movie, and I understand that the final installment of Breaking Dawn is in the works for release in two parts: November this year and then a year later. Maybe now that I've read the books, I'll enjoy these movies. Maybe not, but I suppose I won't know until I try, right?

Rick Perry, You're No Ronald Reagan

I always liked Ronald Reagan, even when I voted against him in 1984 (I supported his initial election in 1980 although I didn't make it to the polls that year). Agree or disagree with his viewpoints or political philosophy, I greatly respected his oratory skill and his capacity to not only convey a sense that he wanted to unify the country behind him, with the greater national welfare being his aim, but also to bear that out in his public service. In other words, Ronald Reagan was no phony. And quite unlike the latest pretender to his legacy, Texas governor and presidential wannabe Rick Perry, Reagan was civil and respectful to his political opponents. Perry, by contrast, delights in accusing those whose policies he disagrees with of "treason" or of not loving America.

Do you want to know how bad Rick Perry is? Even respected conservative Texans like President George W. Bush and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison can't stand him. But because he knows how to play the cameras onstage, there seems to be a groundswell of momentum within the once-honorable Republican Party to hoist him onward to nomination in 2012. Damn. I've always said that whoever serves as president deserves a modicum of respect, if only for the sake of the important office they hold. A Perry presidency might well put a strain on that notion for me.

I have voted for Republicans in past elections (Dole in 1996 and Bush in 2000 when he presented himself as more of a centrist who could work with the Democrats). So I am one of those voters out there whom the Republican Party should be courting for support. I wanted more than anything to arrive at the 2012 presidential election in November with a difficult time deciding between President Obama and a worthy GOP challenger, someone like Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman (whom Dubya is currently supporting). Instead, though, it looks like we're in for a complete bozo like Perry. I use "bozo" to avoid using the long list of unprintable designations that would more accurately convey my impressions of this malevolent clown.

Then again, what am I thinking? It's still only August 2011, and I think at least Mitt Romney can get in there and get that nomination. The funny thing is that conservative talk show hosts like Laura Ingraham were extolling him in 2008 while blasting the eventual nominee John McCain. Now the same dude that the right wing preferred three years ago is apparently too "liberal" now. No, Romney hasn't changed: the Republican Party itself has shifted way over to the extreme right.

Say it ain't so, party of Lincoln!

Pro-Life Billboards

You can't drive for very long down the open Interstate Highway System without coming across one of the myriad billboards urging pregnant women not to get abortions. The message is usually targeted at those who have just discovered their condition and are uncertain as to what to do, usually in the very first few weeks of pregnancy. The strategy of many who put out these billboard ads is to convince the women that what they are carrying is a fully-developed human being, often by pointing out that the heart is already beating. As I drive past sign after tedious sign, it starts to bother me a bit: I dislike them as much as I dislike all those billboards proclaiming some strip joint or adult triple-X store down the road. However...

In spite of the fact that I dislike these anti-abortion signs cluttering up my drive, I actually support the fact that they are a legitimate expression of an important debate about the rights of the unborn vs. the rights of women to make their own reproductive decisions about their own bodies. The debate takes place in the context of abortions being legal nationwide due to the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling. If they weren't, there wouldn't be the need for those signs: it wouldn't be a matter of persuasion but rather a matter of reporting lawbreakers to the authorities. Unfortunately, I think that those behind these billboards would like nothing more than to end the debate by simply criminalizing any reproductive choice that they disagree with.

The pro-choice/pro-life debate will still continue in our country regardless of the law. But I would rather the debate be one of persuasion out in the fresh, open air of free speech rather than with the hard edge of coercion and the need to take the conversation "underground". Unfortunately, the political trends in the U.S. seem to be moving in the latter direction.

In a perfect world, there would be no unwelcome pregnancies and therefore no abortions done on an elective basis. Going to term with a pregnancy completely transforms the biochemistry within a woman and exposes her to numerous risks, including the possibility of death. I know: this almost happened within my own family! To make an edict FORCING a woman to undergo this from the very early stages of pregnancy seems barbaric and should have no place within a civilized society. And it becomes worse than barbaric when those behind this deny any collective social responsibility to help care for that woman and her child after birth.

Oppressive Humidity Lingers

Last Sunday morning I had a horrible run and recovery in Hollywood, Florida. The humidity and temperature were both in the low-to-mid 80's, a very unfriendly environment to try to run any appreciable distance. Just standing outside under these conditions can be oppressive. A half hour ago I checked the temperature and humidity: the same hot, heavy blanket of air outside, back here in Gainesville. And it still hasn't changed much by now, either. I don't know why conditions are so humid when last year at this time of the day the sun had dried the air considerably (while heating up). I am used to very humid early mornings, but always by 10 it had dipped to under 70%. I can't wait for the afternoon to run as I have a job to report to. Oh well, I guess it's going to be the treadmill for a while...

Haven't Forgotten About Blog

Unfortunately, I have been a little remiss lately in the blog entry department. Hopefully, though, things will pick up again and I'll be showering the blogosphere with all sorts of articles, some of which may actually be interesting or pertinent. I suppose that everyone's life takes turns every now and then that temporarily lead them away from the things they enjoy doing. With me, writing is a fun activity that I'd like to do more than just putting out blog articles. Unfortunately, I haven't allowed myself to give it a higher priority in my daily walk through life. Maybe it's about time I did, though...

In any event, I haven't forgotten about this blog and still want to get back to daily entries. I just need to give the activity a time and place to accomplish this consistently.

'Bucks and 'Boks

A funny thing happened throughout my ten-day vacation. Although I had anticipated going to various Starbucks stores while traveling around the southeastern U.S., it turned out that I went to none of them, inadvertently avoiding this brand. Not that I avoided coffee: I probably drank as much of it as I usually do, but at hotels, restaurants, and relatives' homes instead. The Starbucks stores always seemed to either be in another part of town, an inconvenient location, or absent altogether. It wasn't until yesterday afternoon just before work, when I went to Gainesville's Oaks Mall to buy a new pair of Reebok running shoes, that I finally resumed the Starbucks habit.

Yes, it is a pleasant experience to sit down in a cool, air-conditioned Starbucks with its background music and customer chatter, alternately typing away on my keyboard and sipping a strong coffee of theirs. Yesterday doing this helped to put my mind back into "routine" mode, preparing me better for the week ahead. And although I think that it's probably healthy to take occasional vacations and break that routine, I tend to feel more comfortable and empowered when I have a more structured schedule. And familiar coffee shops to frequent!

Speaking of the running shoes, I purchased a pair that seems nearly identical to the ones that served me so well for more than a year. I'm looking forward to breaking them in, starting with just wearing them to work for a couple of weeks. I think I'll save my old pair of Reeboks for running in the rain or on the beach...

Hike to Natural Bridge, Kentucky

Last Monday I hiked up to the top of Natural Bridge, a large sandstone formation in eastern Kentucky on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. Accompanying me were my children Rebecca and Will. The hike was between 2-3 miles long, but was pretty steep climbing at times. But not, I understand, as steep as the original trail to the summit, which was only .75 miles long! There were other, longer trails crisscrossing the park; the map that the park provided of the different trails was unreadable, looking more like a little kid's scribbling than a usable trail map.

Along the climb we would stop every few minutes or so for rest and some water. It was hot, but we had helpful tree cover shading us from the sun. Upon reaching the top, though, we were exposed to the hot summer sun which beat down on us mercilessly as we stood there looking down from the Natural Bridge at the landscape below. Melissa, who had taken the sky lift ride up ahead of us (with some Kentucky relatives), rode back down on it again, this time with all of us together.

We were planning to go to the neighboring Red River Gorge and try out "zip-lining", but an approaching huge severe thunderstorm stretching all the way back to Lexington canceled that plan. Still, the Natural Bridge hike and sky lift ride back down were fun experiences.

I enjoy hiking like this and could have gone much further. But when you're with a group, you have to stick together and look out for anyone who may be reacting to the hike unfavorably. And sometimes that means that you have to curtail a hike or slow it down. But that's the way it should be...

Foolish Hollywood Run in Humidity

Yesterday I was down in Hollywood, Florida visiting my father. I decided to go on a run around my childhood neighborhood, something that I had never felt comfortable doing before. The running course was easy enough to devise: I planned it looking at my cellphone map of the area while at a turnpike rest stop on the way. Still, without using my MapMyRun application, I wouldn't know the exact distance I covered until I got back to Gainesville.

I made an enormous, stupid mistake by choosing the morning hours to do my run. The temperature ranged from 80 to 83 degrees, an acceptable range. But I allowed myself to run with the humidity an unbearable 82-85%. Very foolish. I finished my 4.14 mile run in 38:08, but my recovery was difficult. The humidity caused excessive sweating and cramping, and I couldn't hold down the G2 drink I had consumed during the run to rehydrate myself. Eventually I improved, but I was still more tired than usual throughout the day. I had better not try running under hot, excessively humid conditions anymore!

Still, having said that, I also am happy to report that I enjoyed the actual run through my old neighborhood...well, maybe not so happy: the humidity was starting to get to me badly there at the end. And although I have run much further recently in Gainesville, Sunday morning's run was the longest distance I had covered in south Florida since 1976. I think that my future trips to Hollywood will feature the same general running course, but under vastly different weather conditions. I doubt that I would have had any problem yesterday had I done what I do in Gainesville: wait for the humidity to inevitably drop over the course of the morning...

Japanese, Lexington, Television

One of the surprises I experienced while visiting Lexington, Kentucky last week was the presence there of a substantial Japanese minority. For whatever reason, perhaps a nearby Japanese auto plant...whatever...I saw (and heard) quite a few Japanese people around in public (and I have a degree of familiarity with the language). At my hotel, one channel was exclusively devoted to Japanese-language programming. A weekly Japanese-language business newspaper was available as well in the lobby. Strangely to me (from Florida), there was no attempt to cater to Spanish-speaking visitors as there were no Spanish TV channels or Spanish newspapers (at least in my hotel). This in spite of the fact that I heard Spanish spoken around me in public.

My son, who had visited Japan during the summer of 2010, kept the TV pretty much on that Japanese channel in the hotel. Mornings were devoted to children's programming, once again making it seem that all those little children on the shows were such geniuses to be able to speak such a difficult language as Japanese so effortlessly. Later in the morning, the programming shifted to a more adult focus: a panel discussion of people sitting around reading and analyzing haiku poetry! It remotely reminded me of the oft-interesting Book TV shows presented on C-Span during the weekend, but that is just about the only thing on my sorry television channel lineup that can claim to have literature-friendly content. Later in the day, the Japanese station presented cartoons, business discussion, news, and entertainment shows.

A few years ago there was a TV channel called "AZN" that presented shows in various East Asian languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese. I used to watch it a lot, especially the morning news shows in Chinese and Vietnamese. Alas, though, they went out of business, leaving me to have to resort to Univision to get some linguistic diversity out of my hometown television.

I wish that cable television companies would try to supply major population centers with at least one channel devoted to programming in each of the major world languages. Especially in places with large universities that enroll many international students. In Gainesville, we have very sizeable Chinese and Indian communities. Let's at least get Chinese and Hindi channels!

Travel, Constraints

I'm sitting here in a Forsyth, Georgia hotel on this Friday morning. My family and I are on our way back home from visiting relatives in Lexington, Kentucky. Yesterday was a pretty intensive driving day, and part of today will involve a considerable amount as well. But I don't mind the driving, and Melissa has shared the chores.

No, I have to admit it, I just don't care that much for travel. I know some are crazy about it, but I would much rather just stick to my daily routine. I think one major reason for my lack of enthusiasm for going places is that my travel itinerary almost always has a particular agenda, and the people I travel with have their own priorities for the trip that require a degree of negotiation in the limited time (and expense) available.

Take this Lexington trip, for example. I love Melissa's relatives there and enjoyed visiting them. But I also wanted to go see Frankfort, the state capital, just a few miles down the road. I wanted to walk around the University of Kentucky campus. There was a park down the road featuring a cave. These are just a few of the places I wanted to visit but couldn't due to the constraints that my family role imposed on me.

I did go visit the Natural Bridge east of Lexington and hiked the 2+ miles to the top with my "kids" Will and Rebecca, and that was a lot of fun. There was some shopping and eating out. We did manage to drive through downtown Lexington and past the nearby UK campus just before leaving. At the hotel, I did get some swimming and running in to keep my fitness "continuity" going. And yes, spending time in the company of others was pretty cool, too.

I'm looking forward to getting back home to Gainesville later today. Then tomorrow I plan to embark on a trip to Hollywood in south Florida to visit my father for a couple of days. Another trip with possibilities that won't be realized because of the constraints...

Entropy-Challenged Me

I admit it: I am an entropy-challenged person. Fighting increasing disorder and uncleanliness around my home seems to be an insurmountable task. My yard is a travesty of weeds, ants, molehills, and overgrown trees, vines, bushes, and grass. It seems that everywhere I look around me, something is in a state of disrepair. It is a struggle to keep the cars in good working order. Even my clothes not only seem to be becoming more and more tattered, but also from time to time some of them mysteriously disappear, I suspect into the midst of the disorder around me. Yes, losing things is another symptom of being entropy-challenged.

When I visit a friend's house, I usually get taken aback at the extraordinary level of cleanliness and tidiness of the place. I can't imagine the owners doing much of anything with their lives besides being in a constant state of cleaning and repairing. Yet I know that these people are also active in other areas of their lives. They are just more effective in fighting the entropy around them.

I suppose the most dangerous form of entropy is the breakdown of one's own body through disease. At my age (54), I need to at least put my efforts into caring for my health, be it through better eating, better hygiene, or seeking necessary medical procedures and regular examinations.

I think that, as long as I can keep my health going strong, I can put up with a "reasonable" level of disorder around me. But I'd like to get better at keeping things clean, in a state of good repair, and enjoy a relatively uncluttered home environment.

Easier "written" than done, though...

Super-Aging Presidents

I don't understand why anyone would want to be president of the United States. The act of serving seems to have an accelerating affect on the aging process. Sometimes with past presidents like Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, or George H.W. Bush, the effect wasn't as noticeable because they (fortunately for themselves) lost their re-election campaigns (or with Ford, his "first" election campaign). But for those (un)lucky dogs who, like Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, made it past one term, all appeared much older and more haggard after completing their tenures than at their start. And now we come to our current president Barack Obama.

I was recently looking at the CNN website, which featured Obama's changing, aging appearance after only two and a half years in office. He really does look as if the job is getting to him. That's sad, because I genuinely like the guy and believe that he is trying to the best of his ability to serve the American people responsibly. Instead of showing the respect that the president's office demands, though, his political opponents have resorted to personal vilification campaigns against him while holding the American people hostage to their narrow, extremist ideological agenda. It seems that no matter what our president does nowadays, somebody from one side or another (or as is usually the case, both) is severely critical of him.

I have my own criticisms of some of President Obama's decisions, which I have clearly expressed in earlier articles here. But as was the case with President Bush in his own time before him (and whom I came to politically oppose), I recognize the fact that at this time in history in the year 2011, Barack Obama is my president and I support my president's efforts on behalf of our country, regardless of which political philosophy he subscribes to. Now come election time, I'll naturally vote for the candidate whose views and plans appeal more to me. But I think one thing that wears on this president more than others is the fact that his opponents seem to personally loathe him, and that they have treated him as an enemy ever since he took the presidential oath. I find that to be distinctly unamerican and unpatriotic. Respect the office of president by showing respect to its current occupant; you can still vote him out in 2012 if you want! Frankly, that may just be the best thing for Mr. Obama that could happen (but not necessarily for the rest of the country)...

Unbearable Heat and Humidity

When I walked out of my workplace late last night (just a couple of hours ago) it felt as if I were on another planet, with the extreme heat and humidity present. The instant I stepped outside, my glasses fogged up. These conditions are worse than I usually find midday in the hot August summer. But then I remembered that the temperature approached 100 earlier today.

Others can worry about the economy; my concern is this killer mass heat wave affecting half the country. And no relief is in sight. In fact, meteorologists are now predicting even hotter conditions in the next few days as Tropical Storm Emily passes eastern Florida in the Atlantic and draws some of that overheated air in over us from the west.

I vividly remember (and actually own) that great old Twilight Zone episode titled Midnight Sun. In it, the Earth had altered its orbit to cause it to approach the Sun. Temperatures soared, and the global population tried to make it to the poles where conditions were still tolerable. Still, everyone knew that it was just a matter of time before the heat would overcome the entire planet. Incredibly, my wife Melissa, who has recently taken up knitting (and is quite good at it) has been making winter scarfs for everybody. Ha, as if it will ever get cold again!

I think that we seem to be in a social climate when it is somehow politically incorrect to attribute record hot conditions and extremely aberrant weather to global warming. But I'm going to say it anyway: it's global warming!

But this year's unpleasant summer is distinguishable from last year's also unpleasant summer in another respect. Yes, the temperatures are higher. But what is really getting to me is the excessively high humidity as well. If the temperature gets into the nineties, than the humidity needs to drop below fifty for conditions to be bearable. But it ain't happenin', folks...and the nighttime, with steambath conditions of 80-plus degrees and 80-plus percent humidity, is harder to withstand than the day!

I remember once watching an interview on C-Span featuring a scientist who denied global warming. He said that instead of trying to bring the (supposedly) rising temperatures under control through sound environmental policy, we should instead step up production of air conditioners and distribute them globally. And yes, he said this with a straight face. Well, dude, I'm placing my order now for a half-dozen!

Coming Vacation, Anticipated Blog Gaps

I'll be going on vacation soon, and for this blog that means a bit of uncertainty for the next couple of weeks. If I have access to a computer I may submit some short articles here and there, but for the most part I anticipate some gaps for a few days. I'm looking forward both to the vacation and resuming this blog afterward.

Debt Ceiling Raised; The Adapting Society

The national debt ceiling was raised yesterday, with the politicians now preparing themselves for more important things: namely, their own vacations! And I will be embarking in a few days on mine as well. But unlike many of my compatriots, I have not been spending the last few days agonizing over whether we will fall into economic calamity or how terrible the terms of any deal would be to appease the extremists in the Republican Party (who seem to think, apparently with some justification now, that they hold the reins of power in our country). Truth be told, we all have to deal with the parameters, boundaries, and rules of things as they exist in the present. Sometimes economic conditions are expansive and broadening in nature, and sometimes, like now (unless you are rich), they shrink and narrow. And as a species, you can't beat the ability of humans to adapt. Sometimes this is good during periods of adversity. Sometimes, though, with prosperity the reverse is true.

I have noticed, as our society has become so much more fast-paced with the Internet and cellphone technology and the accompanying social networking and texting, people have become less and less patient. They expect, it seems, instant gratification on just about every level. And with this impatience has come an incredible shortening of the average attention span. Along with, it seems, a loss of historical memory. Which maybe goes to explain why a state like Florida can vote for a liberal Democrat as president and two years later vote in extreme conservative teabaggers for senator and governor. Or how nobody seems to remember that it was a Democratic president who last (repeatedly) balanced the federal budget while his Republican successor, with the repeated blessings of the GOP in Congress, sent the deficit spiraling out of control.

So maybe as the government scales back on its programs and spending, there will be a lot of initial shock and pain. But as I said, people tend to adapt to whatever is out there, and this may be an instance of that. The downside is that when you are always adapting to new things going on around you, for better or for worse, that means that you are in a state of passive reaction instead of actively engaging in the process of creating better foundational conditions. But I think that those in the latter category are relatively few in number compared to our predominant "adapting society", with its concomitant lack of attention span and memory.

Cryptograms and Discouragement

From time to time, I like to engage in the game of solving cryptograms. In case you might not know what I'm talking about, a cryptogram is a puzzle usually containing a sentence or long phrase in which each alphabetical letter is arbitrarily replaced by another in a one-to-one, unique fashion. Hence "A" may be signified, for example, by "Q" in every word displayed (and by no other letter). Knowing how words tend to be structured with suffixes and conjugations, knowing the short words, knowing consonant clusters and vowel combinations, and using relative frequency of letters to your advantage are all paramount in being able to solve a particular puzzle. But even after considering everything, sometimes a little old-fashioned guesswork is needed as well.

In almost every cryptogram I've successfully completed, I have come to a point in the solution process when, although I know some of the letters, it looks as if there is no way that they could fit and form actual words. This is what I call "the crisis" and often immediately precedes a breakthrough that quickly develops and cascades to the final, solved message.

I think it works that way, too, with a lot of things, not just cryptograms. You work hard at something, maybe improving some. But your progress just isn't satisfactory and it looks as if you have reached a plateau beyond which the only apparent direction is either stagnation or decline. This is also a "crisis", which I call the "crisis of confidence". And sometimes it happens just before a major breakthrough, which is often triggered by something that at the time seems insignificant.

I guess what I'm trying to convey in all of this is that, if you're going to embark on an endeavor of any sort, try to enjoy the process itself and don't be discouraged by those inevitable times when all of your travail seems to be for nought. Victory may instead be just around the corner!

And here, for your amusement, discouragement, and eventual victory, is my own cryptogram...

R ZRPB VK AGOJA MCZPQJQCD GEECDCU J UJRAK ODKQLGNDJV RMPLCJU GE LBJL HGDRMN ZGDU PCJDB QTSSAC GE LBCRDP.

Third Reich Documentary on The History Channel

Yesterday afternoon, while unsuccessfully trying to digest my exercise in culinary overindulgence (heartburn after eating deep-fried food at a restaurant), I sat back in my comfy recliner and began to surf channels on my TV. Nothing, nothing, ... wait, what was that? Yes, unbelievably the History Channel was showing a program out of line with their usual line-up: an actual show about history. They were showing a four-hour-long video record of the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, presented mainly in the form of home movies made chiefly by Germans living through the time. It wasn't directed at the political and military events, leaders, and decisions, but rather at how the people living through this strange and brutal period of history reacted and adapted to it. I had seen this presentation in fragments before on TV, but was mesmerized by how quickly people will change their sense of values, ideology and humanity based on fear of retribution, the desire to conform, and the feeling that prosperity is the great justifier of everything. And just how easy it is to quickly make a scapegoat out of a demographic group with all of the above factors in play...

Third Reich: the Rise and Third Reich: the Fall reminded me of the film adaptation of Günter Grass's novel The Tin Drum, which depicted the same era (and the attitudes of ordinary people) through the eyes of a boy who reacted to the duplicity and phoniness of the adults around him by willing himself not to grow.

One thing about Third Reich: the Fall that WAS somewhat new to me was at the very end, when it was mentioned that millions of Germans died of starvation and disease AFTER the war had ended. I hadn't been aware of this and need to investigate this disturbing allegation further...

If you can hack your way through The History Channel's sordid schedule, past either non-historical or non-reality-based shows like Ancient Aliens, Pawn Stars, Ice Road Truckers, and Swamp People, you might just luck out and come up with a gem like the important documentary Third Reich. Please watch it if you have the chance. It carries some somber lessons and warnings for today in America, I'm afraid. Especially how suddenly a society can transform itself from something benign to something very, very hideous...

Recent Running, Future Swimming, and Deep-Fried Onions

My plan to train daily by doing runs and elliptical cross-trainer workouts on alternate days has now reached the two-week mark without any signs that my body is suffering from overstrain. My knees seem fine (which was my main concern about overrunning). Yes, my muscles feel a little sore, but that's actually something I expected as a sign of working hard. My main problem continues to be the stifling heat and humidity here in northern Florida. The mornings are so humid that I have to wait until around noon to run, and by then the temperature has soared. Sometimes I have no other option than to go to the YMCA and run on their treadmill, which I did today in the middle of a welcome strong rainstorm.

Next week I plan to practice my swimming form while staying at a hotel in Lexington, Kentucky. The two targeted strokes are freestyle and breaststroke. I think I "jumped the gun" a little earlier this year by trying to do too much with relatively poor form, especially since I have a lot of work to do with my breathing. After all of the kiddies start back with their school classes in a couple of weeks, the YMCA pool should be more available for practice as well.

Right now, though, my main physical problem is this heartburn I've incurred eating batter-fried onions during my lunch earlier today at Chili's restaurant with Melissa and Will. There are some foods that I'm just going to have to completely stay away from, and deep-fried foods are at the top of the list. When am I ever going to learn: I already knew they were bad for me and I ate them anyway...

Unwinding After Work at Archer Road Starbucks

I am currently sitting in the Archer Road Starbucks near SW 34th Street in Gainesville, right after getting off a little early from work in the evening. Open until midnight seven days a week, it is a very noisy place right now, with many international students from the University of Florida hanging out here. The police will be by as well a little later. Not that there will be any anticipated trouble: they come for the free coffee Starbucks offers them. So there's quite a mix in this place, and I am probably the only one here with a full-time regular job outside law enforcement. Besides the Starbucks employees, that is. As for the noise, I can only say that I'm grateful for these earplugs I'm wearing!

Usually at this time of day I am not all that sharp with my thinking. When I do come here for some late-night coffee and study, I usually end up doing something rote and easy, like working on my Chinese character notebook. But I haven't written a blog article yet today, so...

It's interesting how much this area has changed over the years. The building that houses this Starbucks also has Moe's, Panera, and Coldstone Creamery. It was built on the site originally (at least when I first came here in 1977) occupied by a Sambo's restaurant, one of those great old 24-hour chains. We still have a couple of these relics in Perkins and the Clock Restaurant. IHOP used to be 24 hours but now their hours are unpredictable. Steak n' Shake has a couple of all-night establishments in town. And there's still Waffle House, although the one I used to frequent on SW 13th Street (US 441) has been shut down for years.

Behind Sambo's used to be a rather large strip mall with a Winn Dixie in its center. Now that's been completely torn down and replaced with a Kohl's department store. The large field across Archer Road from where I'm sitting and from where I once observed Halley's Comet through my binoculars in late 1985, has been completely filled in for decades, with Wal-Mart, Lowes, a larger movie theater, and many shops and restaurants. I suppose, though, that as long as I no longer live in this now-congested zone, that's O.K.: there are a lot of choices of places to go around here, especially if I'm hungry!

Well, I'm nearing the end of my drink and this article as well. Hopefully, I'll have something more substantial to offer tomorrow! Then again, maybe I won't. Time to go home anyhow...

Pigskin Pontifications

To show that I'm a good sport about pro football (and the sport in general) after the way that the public was manipulated up to the last minute in collective bargaining negotiations, here are some (sometimes) disconnected comments...

--In my old high school during the early 1970's, going out for the football team was almost regarded by a lot of the boys as a rite of passage into manhood. Now if you were a little kid, it was generally understood, though, if you didn't try out. But when one these small-framers went out for football conditioning in the 9th grade, he became an instant celebrity/hero for several weeks. Funny though, he kind of "faded" away from the sports scene quickly after that experience...

--In the 10th grade, my history teacher stunned our class when he went off on a long rant against football one day. He correctly noted the very high injury rate in the sport and how it isn't rare for some injuries to plague people for the remainder of their lives. And some injuries paralyze, even kill...

--Toward the end of my track team season in the 11th grade (early spring 1973), we were outside at our track doing our track "stuff". At the same time, the next year's varsity football team was undergoing conditioning training. The coach was a complete hard-ass (and a few other things that are unprintable) who insisted on very tough discipline and even tougher, aggressive, heavy-hitting workouts. I would be in the locker room after practice when some of these players would come in and be so worked up after conditioning that they would go around trying to pick fights with anyone they saw. Later that fall, this "tough" team went 0-9-1 with a large percentage of the starters out due to season-ending injuries. That genius coach didn't return the following year...

--I still have issues with Tim Tebow on the sideline at the end of Florida's SEC championship game against Alabama, crying his head off because they were losing (badly) to the eventual national champions for that season. To me this was and is poor sportsmanship. When you lose, you man up and congratulate the winner with your head held high...

--I was reading today's sports section in my local paper where an article rated and analyzed some of the college quarterbacks in the state of Florida this season. Among them was the University of Florida's John Brantley, who as the article pointed out, needed to stop locking his gaze on the receiver he planned to throw to. When a passer does this, he is telling the opposing defense whom to cover and also frees players covering other receivers to go after the quarterback. I see quarterbacks doing this in pro ball as well, and I can't for the life of me figure out why they never made the effort to overcome this glaring handicap in their game. Let's see if John has what it takes...

--The Miami Dolphins acquired running back Reggie Bush from New Orleans to try to revamp their hurting running game. Now they need to find a good quarterback to add to that mix, someone like Denver's Kyle Orton, for example...

--Speaking of Orton, he is currently being mentioned as a trading possibility. That the Broncos refer to him as the "incumbent starter" sounds like a very weak endorsement of his status. But he is a very smart passer and would be a tremendous asset to the Dolphins or any team he ends up with. I personally can't believe that Denver would trade him away when their backup quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn have yet to show their versatility in the position that the game demands over a season at this level of competition. Tebow does have that short-yardage running angle to his game, but his playing experience as a starter last year happened when the season was for all practical purposes over, with the Broncos deep in last place and the pressure off Tebow. When the pressure's on, what will happen? Pro football can be a pretty unforgiving business, and past successes are quickly forgotten. It's "what have you done lately", taken to extremes...

Future Manned Asteroid Mission Iffy

So the next major task for NASA in the development of manned space exploration is to successfully send astronauts to an asteroid (and, I presume, safely back to Earth). By 2025. By presidential order. Some like this idea in that it would be more of an intermediate step to a future longer trip to Mars and would give NASA, scientists, and engineers the opportunity to develop the kind of long-term life-sustaining technology for deep space travel. Detractors of the plan say that the low-gravity moon would have been a much better location to establish a base and an optimal platform to launch later deep space flights. That idea, generated by our previous president George W. Bush, was cancelled by our current president Barack Obama, who stated that we didn't need to go to the moon because we've "already been there". And hence HIS presidential order to go to an asteroid (pick an asteroid, any asteroid) by 2025.

But what makes Barack Obama so much higher, mightier, and more authoritative in his orders and decisions regarding space exploration than George W. Bush? And what's keeping his successor to the presidency, possibly Mitt Romney, from canceling HIS agenda and laying out a new one (or nothing at all)?

Obama erred badly, in my opinion, by scrapping Bush's plan to return to the moon. For one, it has created a completely avoidable brain drain of talented scientists and engineers who see our space priorities unsupported by the government. Why hang around if you're not wanted, and why embark on a long-term, intricate, and very demanding project when some politician down the line can just arbitrarily cancel it with some flippant language? I wouldn't blame anyone for not sticking around...

But supposing, against my suspicions, that Obama's successors stick with his space exploration agenda and actually support an asteroid mission to its completion, I'm all aboard with it. But the problem is, how will anyone know for sure that succeeding presidents WILL support the mission? After all, THIS president completely rejected the previous one's proposed mission! For some reason, Obama decided to maintain close continuity with Bush's war efforts but rip apart his predecessor's worthy goals for space exploration.

Like I said, I think Obama messed up on this one...

Orlando International Airport Visit

On a recent trip to Orlando International Airport, I found myself sitting, waiting in the food court area in the "unsecured" zone of the terminal. On "my" side was a McDonalds; I later found out that the preferred Burger King was the reward on the "other side" for those who had to submit to the indignity and hassle of security searches.

But still, I was looking forward, just before 7 AM, to getting one of my favorites: a McGriddle breakfast sandwich. And although the service left a lot to be desired, I was happy with the eventual result. My son, who accompanied me on the trip (with my wife and daughter, who were on the "Burger King" side), celebrated our breakfast with me by walking across the court and enjoying a couple of Krispy Kreme doughnuts as well. As we sat there facing a huge cylindrical fish tank in our comfortable chairs, I noticed someone apparently sleeping nearby. I told Will I was going to shut my own eyes for a few minutes, too. And then I thought that finally, here is a public place where they don't mind people just loitering around and even sleeping. Then reality hit me: I'm paying a buck every half hour for parking, up to a $17 maximum bill per day I'm here. So just sitting here I'm paying the airport for "loitering" and "sleeping". Heck, for that price they should give me a small room as well!

Will and I later walked around the shops surrounding the food court. Aside from the bookstores and newsstands (reading material always somehow seems more interesting in airports), we visited their Universal Studios and Disney stores. Apparently, they are there for folks who had just attended these parks and needed mementos before boarding their return flights home (there was a Sea World store as well). I felt pleasant vibes just walking around in them. Part of this was the merchandise, part was the professional, friendly employees working there. Universal's store was the more interesting of the two: half of it was completely devoted to Harry Potter merchandise, almost complete with even Tri-Wizard Cups and Monster Books. I say "almost complete" because I sadly saw no Sorting Hats. But then I thought, the airlines probably don't want anyone bringing onto a plane a hat that they can draw a sword from!

Eventually, my daughter left on her flight to her destination (where we plan to join her in a couple of weeks via the highway) and Melissa came back to our "Mac" side. And off we went, homeward bound.

Waking up at three in the morning to catch an early flight from an airport more than a hundred miles away completely threw off my sleep patterns and sense of time. Fortunately, I had the rest of the day off and slept until late in the afternoon. Let's see, I think I've gotten myself back in sync now. Well, kind of...

Impasse Resolved, Impasses Continued

So it looks as if we are actually going to have NFL football this year after all, with a new ten-year deal between the owners and players just having been sealed. Whoopee! Now those football gamblers can lose even more money while fantasy players and spectator sports addicts don't have to get a life, after all...for at least ten more years, that is. Well...at least for the fall and early winter, until they wake up and realize that they won't have any pro basketball. And once again, I get to squirm as my pathetic Miami Dolphins get their ever-suffering fans' hopes up about a playoff run and then fall flat on their faces...

The National Basketball Association may still cancel their upcoming season, anyway. The fact that many of their star players have already signed up with overseas teams in other leagues points to this possibility. Oh well...

It's hard to see the recently resolved impasse in the NFL without comparing it to the debt ceiling impasse in our federal government. The main difference between the two processes, as I see it, is that in football, both sides were eager for a resolution but serious about their own priorities being incorporated into the deal. With the debt ceiling, though, a huge swath of our Republican representatives DON'T WANT the debt ceiling raised and see ANY compromise deal that allows it as a betrayal. I can sit back and blame those politicians, I suppose. But, in the final analysis, it was the foolish American people who put them into office in the first place, either by swallowing the tea party bull in the last congressional election or by staying away from the polls when they could have voted for others with more reasonable agendas.

You WILL Do Business Downtown!

There is a controversy of sorts lately in Gainesville about the plan to eliminate all free public parking in the downtown area. The city government wants visitors to the area to shell out money to use the public parking garages specially built for them. This plan is in addition to decisions made in the past to limit road lanes of the main thoroughfares of University Avenue and Main Street to one going each way, in order to somehow make the area more attractive to potential paying customers of its businesses.

None of these decisions has any impact on what I do, as I have long forgone any hope of successfully going downtown to do business there. For one, there isn't any place I would want to go other than the library's main branch and a couple of coffee shops. And I can get whatever I want from that library by placing a hold online and having it delivered to my nearby, albeit smaller Millhopper branch. As for the coffee, well, one place (Maude's) is easy to get in and out of with a private parking lot, but their fare is overpriced and I resent the snooty unfriendliness I have repeatedly encountered behind the counter. The Starbucks across the street from it is O.K., I suppose, assuming I can find a parking spot (which I hardly ever can). But why bother anyway, with all of the Starbucks stores available elsewhere in town. The other businesses downtown tend to gravitate toward highbrow, expensive restaurants and night clubs, neither of which I care much about.

I, personally, am nobody special regarding my business preferences, which is actually the whole point: I think others are like me in that they see very little downtown that would draw them there to spend their money. In other words, regarding the local government's failed efforts to stimulate business by restricting access to traffic and parking: it's the businesses, stupid!

Of course, they could pass a law similar to the new national health care law: an individual mandate decreeing that anyone living in Gainesville spend X amount of dollars annually on its cruddy downtown businesses or face a fine! But, y'know, although I wrote the above suggestion tongue-in-cheek, I wonder whether some of my local politicos might not think it would actually be a good idea. Scary, but it would fit with the mindset behind the restricted traffic lanes and the elimination of free parking...

Baseball Standings Flaw in "WC" Column

In Major League Baseball, the post-season playoffs to determine the championship involves eight teams: the three divisional winners from each league along with the second-place team from each league with the best regular season win-loss record (designated as the wild card team). In the American League (from this morning's paper), Boston is leading the East at 61-37, Detroit is leading the Central at 53-47, and Texas is leading the West at 58-43. The best second-place team so far is the East's New York Yankees, with a 58-40 mark. For the sake of this article, I'll leave out the National League except to say that "my" Atlanta Braves would be a wild card team were the season to end today...

In the newspaper sports section standings, they have traditionally listed how many "games behind" each team is from the divisional leader, in the column designated "GB". For example, at 58-40, the Yanks are three games behind Boston's 61-37. But lately they've added a new column next to "GB": "WC", or "wild card". This tells how many games behind the current wild leader a team is in the regular season so far. So for example, Central's second place team Cleveland, at 51-47, is seven games behind New York for the wild card spot. This is interesting in that they are only one game behind Detroit for first place in their own division! Now, this is all well and fine until the printed standings show how far behind divisional-leader Detroit is in the wild card race: zero games!

Wait a minute, in strict terms of their regular season records, Central's Detroit, at 53-47, is six games behind East's New York's 58-40. Just because the Tigers happen to be leading their division RIGHT NOW doesn't alter this fact. Detroit could lose their next two games and suddenly find themselves in second place. And then the paper would list THEM as being substantially behind in the wild card race and new leader Cleveland as being zero games behind.

The point to all this is that those devising this "WC" column in the baseball standings would be better informing their readers were they to list how many (if any) games behind the current wild card team each divisional leader was, instead of showing a "-" indicating "zero games behind". For some divisions are simply stronger than others, and in those weak divisions the races can be tight with no room in the playoffs for finishing second. A reader would want to know how far out of the wild card race their team would be were they to slip out of their weak division's lead.

Of course, with me this is all beside the point: I don't need the WC column any more than I do the GB column: just looking at the teams' win-loss records tells me all I want to know. But some folks, I understand, aren't all that quick with numbers...

Sports Illustrated Women's World Cup Cover

Perhaps, if you have been following sports lately (or even just the news), you might have become aware that in international soccer, women on various national teams have been playing for their version of the World Cup. The American team looked to capture the title, but were surprised by Japan in the final, with the game decided in a shoot-out after a 2-2 tie in regulation. So Japan is the women's soccer World Cup champion for the next four years! Congratulations to them, right? I say so and think their players deserve international sports fame, in the same way that the stars of the U.S. team enjoyed renown after their own Cup title a few years ago. Only one problem, though...

I was glancing at the cover of our premier popular sports weekly magazine Sports Illustrated, which reported on the Women's World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan. Expecting to see triumphant Japanese players, I was surprised to instead see a doleful-looking American player. But wait, why should I be surprised at this: look at how obsessively nationalistic our media is about the Olympics. No matter what was happening and who was actually winning the events, the coverage was all about the Americans.

I am trying to get inside the mind of the editor of Sports Illustrated and determine the decision-making process for the cover. That the World Cup was THE event to picture for this particular issue was self-evident. If I had been the editor, I would have beforehand told my staff to run the best picture epitomizing the winning team, making it as emotionally compelling as possible. Instead, the editor apparently directed the staff to show the American side only, win-or-lose, with that emotionally-compelling angle reserved for them alone.

Whatever happened to sportsmanship, when the losing side would congratulate the champs and then discretely step into the background and accord the winners their moment of glory? Besides, I remember how people a couple of years ago were falling all over themselves about how great it was for the disaster-stricken city of New Orleans that their Saints won the Super Bowl. Why can't this feeling be transferred across our national borders to our friends in Japan, which has certainly suffered (and is continuing to suffer) its undue share of calamity and heartbreak?

Hot Florida Cooler Than Up North

I was running late this morning around my neighborhood in the summer heat and humidity, intending to complete my "standard" 7.18 mile course. I had to cut it short at 5.69 miles because, although the TV local weather channel had the temperature and humidity at manageable 87-degree, 67% levels, it seemed much, much more humid, closer to 80%. Well, I thought, that's Florida in the summer: I guess I got what I deserved deciding to continue living here. And then I turned on the news.

The reigning news story at the moment is the extreme heat wave crisis affecting much of the country NORTH of me. It is hitting the New York City area especially hard, with their power grid being taxed to the breaking point due to the high demand for air conditioning. And for those who decide to go to the beach and get in the water to cool off? Forget it: warnings are out there now about the presence of waste in the offshore water.

No, knowing how bad it is elsewhere still doesn't make it pleasant here. But I've seen this sort of phenomenon before, when excruciating conditions would affect places known more for their cooler conditions. What makes Florida an attractive place over others, though, is its wintertime weather conditions.

During the winter, it can get pretty cold here at times. But it is almost always a DRY cold, without the annoying and dangerous sleet and snowstorms that my friends living further up north (and hopefully not baking in the current heat) have to contend with. Still, there is that other place...

I have checked out the Pacific coastal northwest and have concluded that this is the ideal weather place to live. Never too hot, never too cold. Yes, Coos Bay in southwestern coastal Oregon, where track legend Steve Prefontaine grew up and went to school, sounds like the perfect spot. Well, maybe until that future offshore earthquake sends a tsunami ashore and wipes the town off the map!

...Maybe I should instead just "count my blessings" and appreciate the good things about northern Florida while realizing that every place has its down-side.

Lexington Trip Upcoming

A few days into August I will be traveling with my family to Lexington, Kentucky to visit relatives on Melissa's side of the family. She has gone there three times so far while I have been there just once (and briefly at that). We plan to drive our Toyota Sienna minivan on the Interstate there, which means that we will be going the length of Georgia (passing through Atlanta) and then crossing eastern Tennessee (and Knoxville) before finishing in eastern Kentucky. I look forward to both the ride and the stay. During our visit we will be staying at a Lexington hotel, one with a swimming pool that I plan to put to great use practicing my swimming form. I haven't figured out which places in the area I want to explore, but of course the University of Kentucky is a big attraction. I'll have to visit my local AAA office to pick up some brochures as well as explore the Internet. Maybe I can find some blogs about Lexington and vicinity!

Unlike our New York City visit last year, this trip we will be spending some time with relatives. That's cool: family matters, not just sightseeing! But I'd like to balance the two just the same...

I am in no way a travel addict like some others I know who are pretty jaded about hopping on a plane to go just about anywhere (and seem to have an endless source of money to fund their trips). For one, just getting in the car and driving ANYWHERE out of town is something of an event for me. So a trip to a relatively distant location (for me) is pretty major. Still, were it not for the extended family living there, I seriously doubt that I would even be remotely interested in singling out Lexington for a visit!

Not that I am trying to insult the good city and people of Lexington, Kentucky. After all, I can't understand why anyone would ever want to visit my home city of Gainesville, Florida unless there were a special event (like a football game or concert) or friends and/or relatives lived here. But perhaps I should just make an effort to see what kind of fun I can have in this university town to the north! Who knows, I may be pleasantly surprised. And I also may be able to crank out a few blog articles about my visit as well!

My New Running Training Regimen

As part of my never-ending struggle to find some kind of effective-but-survivable running training regimen during the hot and humid north Florida summer months, I have hit upon a new strategy that shows some promise of success after four days. It came about after I had run for five consecutive days last week and was beginning to feel some knee pain again.

Being concerned about being sidelined from running again for weeks due to injury, I decided to lay off any activity for a couple of days. Then, Sunday afternoon I went to my YMCA's workout room and used their elliptical cross-trainer machine for 44 minutes. Only I began to do it differently this time: instead of using the handles that I could swing back and forth with my arms, I held on to the stationary handles and made my legs completely power the exercise. It was a more intense workout and closely resembled running in many ways. It also worked out supporting leg muscles not normally used much during running, which should help to forestall future injuries. And of course, the elliptical cross-trainer is a "non-impact" workout, with no jarring of joints that running produces.

So then I decided to alternate elliptical workouts with outdoor running workouts. Monday I ran my neighborhood course of 7.18 miles relatively quickly with no pain. Tuesday I was back on the elliptical for 46 minutes. And this morning I ran my 7.18 course even faster, with the temperature being 85-89 degrees.

So now I get a daily intensive workout to my legs but also get a break on alternate days from both the summer heat and the pounding that running produces on them. I wonder whether this will be "the way" to get through the summer with my running from now on!

Notice that I didn't mention anything about swimming. I simply don't have the confidence that I will have space to swim in at my YMCA pool when I get there. But the water at my YMCA's pool sure does look inviting when I am in the workout room, facing it...

Deathly Hallows Part 2: My Reaction

Yesterday afternoon I saw the final (I think) Harry Potter movie The Deathly Hallows Part 2. Already knowing how it would essentially turn out, I was interested in seeing the cinematic presentation as well as how the movie diverged from the book.

For the most part, the movie dovetailed quite well with the written account, although there were a few "forks" taken. And I understand why these happened: it was much the same way that those making Lord of the Rings into film changed the plot progression around to draw the main characters together in climactic scenes and to achieve the greatest dramatic effect. The Rings filmmakers changed Tolkien's written story way too much, though, but the Potter folks were much better at staying true to Rowling's writing. So I'm not at all unhappy with the movie.

Alan Rickman was very, very impressive with his final role as Severus Snape, the former Dark Arts professor who always seemed to have it in for Harry. In The Deathly Hallows he has been installed by the archvillain Voldemort to be the Hogwarts School of Wizardry's headmaster, succeeding beloved Albus Dumbledore. But as author J.K. Rowling has shown a penchant for in her writing, not all is as it seems. And this final installment shows both Snape and Dumbledore to be much more complex (and therefore real) than they had been painted to be. And I liked that.

I recommend the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, but only to those who have kept up with the story. If you haven't, you would be completely lost in the middle of the fast-paced action and would miss out on the significance of many background, transient events that would be meaningful only for those "in the know".

Now it's on to the other movie: Winnie the Pooh. I don't know how many people want to accompany me to see this one, though...

Hey, NFL and NBA: Go Cancel Yourselves!

It looks as if major professional sports in America has become so financially successful, so engorged on money, that it has collectively decided to implode on itself. The National Football League appears to be headed straight toward the cancellation of the 2011 season because of unrestrained greed on the part of both management and labor. And the National Basketball Association appears willing and ready to follow suit with a lockout already in place heralding its own impending season cancellation a few months later. NBA stars are already signing up to play for different countries' teams overseas in anticipation of this. The football players might have liked to be able to do the same, but...well, they just don't PLAY American football overseas!

I can see how no pro pigskins or hoops might bother a lot of people, and not just those who like to gamble on sports or play the fantasy versions. The franchises whose teams won't be playing won't also be paying supporting workers. Neither will those working in the stadiums and arenas have their usual seasonal employment. And surrounding local businesses will suffer greatly as well, especially the hotel and restaurant industry. But me, well...

I like to watch pro football and basketball if it happens to be on TV and I have nothing else to do. But I don't spend very much time or effort thinking about these sports on other days of the week. Besides, I'll still have college football and basketball to focus on should I suddenly feel a spectator sports obsession overtake me. As for those who are obsessed with following the pro leagues, they probably need to "get a life" anyway, an opportunity that the impending season cancellations just might provide for them.

No, I'm quite all right with there being no NFL or NBA seasons this year. Or next year. Or the following year. Etcetera. Hey, NFL and NBA: cancel yourselves forever, see if I care!

Medical Common Sense and Professional Pretense

A couple of times a week I go down to one of my favorite Chinese eateries in Gainesville (usually either China 88 on NW 16th Boulevard or First Wok on SW 34th Street near my workplace) and enjoy a small bowl of their excellent hot and sour soup. Each restaurant has a small counter in the dining area on which they provide free reading material for the customers. One of these publications that they both display, slanted heavily toward new age beliefs, is titled Natural Awakenings.

The other day I was swilling my soup and looking through Natural Awakenings when I came across an article giving what looked like authoritative medical information about how disturbances in one part of the body can cause health problems affecting other parts or the body as a whole. Seeing how I already knew this (doesn't pretty much everyone?), I was still interested in the topic. I know how a localized infection can cause widespread inflammatory and even flu-like symptoms from an almost-devastating illness I incurred at the very end of 1979 that was caused by a simple skin infection. So I wanted to check out what this piece had to say about the topic.

The article was titled "Blocks to Healing: The Problem of the Chronic Dominant Focus/Foci". Huh, say that again? ...and then I realized that I was about to be treated to something I have recognized in other areas: someone has either invented or adopted a different set of vocabulary to designate concepts that could be explained more simply. To further confirm this tendency for complexity on the author's part, I glanced at his name:

Dr. Michael Badanek, DC, BS, CNS, DABCN, DM(P), NMD, MD, MD(MA), MD(h)

I mean, this is obviously one completely together, cool dude: not only is he a lot of unfathomable things of which the letters give scant clues, but he is also an MD, plus extra MD's with parenthetical MA's and h's! Wow, an "unlettered", ordinary layman like me had better swallow everything he writes uncritically because of the alphabet soup trailing his name...

After hemming and hawing through the article discussing arcane concepts like "interference fields" and "dominant focus", the lettered author finally gets to the point in the article's final, relatively small paragraph: those suffering from undiagnosed chronic conditions should seek a qualified health care professional for evaluation and treatment.

Why couldn't he have said that to begin with and leave out the gobbledegook? Then again, why couldn't anyone say that without trying to impress the reader with their professional titles? I mean, isn't this just simple common sense?

However, perhaps I'm being a little unfair to the DC-BS-CNS-DABCN-DM(P)-NMD-MD-MD(MA)-MD(p). He did point to some specific areas in the body that he believed could be responsible for generalized malaise: appendix scars, root canals, sinuses, and the prostrate were given as possible "root" causes. Maybe, armed with these possibilities, someone who feels chronically bad can go to their doctor, (or DC, BS, CNS, ...) armed with a shopping list of possible causes, and tell that health care provider to "find it"! But this sounds unpractical in today's health care insurance environment, when it is still sometimes very difficult to get insurance companies to even cover medically-necessary diagnostic testing based on very specific symptoms. What the author is proposing amounts to more or less a potentially very expensive fishing expedition throughout the body by the medical profession for some small "disturbance", be it an infection, scar, or something else. Maybe as diagnostic technology becomes more advanced, this might become more feasible and affordable. But not as things stand right now!

Eleven Eleven

I think we've all had a little fun with numbers since the commencement of the new millennium. Every year there is a special date that runs the same across the board: 01/01/01, 02/02/02, and so on. Yippee, looks like I might make it all the way to 11/11/11! And then it will be 12/12/12 the following year. Subsequent fun will depend on adding extra months to 2013 and beyond. After 2030 or 2031 (depending on how long the extra months are), days would have to be added to the months to continue the merriment.

But back to "eleven eleven"...

The combination of the numbers 11 & 11 seems to have taken on some kind of mystical, superstitious importance over the past few years. George Noory, the conspiracist believe-anything-that's-loony talk radio host of late night's Coast-to-Coast AM, has repeatedly hammered home his experiences of impulsively looking at clocks when it is 11:11, as if this carried some kind of supernatural or paranormal significance. As for me, this phenomenon happens a lot, too. But truth but told, I never noticed it until I had heard Noory and others refer to it. Then my mind programmed itself to respond at the appropriate moment, in the same way that I have an uncanny ability, after sleeping for hours, to suddenly jump out of bed wide awake seconds before my wake-up alarm goes off. So there's nothing unusual about this for me. And since others are human like me and share similar physiologies, they probably also have allowed themselves to be conditioned by others to look out for this time of day, at least subconsciously. Nothing mysterious or supernatural about that...

But this apparently won't stop some from trying to capitalize on 11-11, or I should say, 11/11/11. A group calling itself "One Breath One World" is staging on that date, apparently in Orlando, a stadium event grouping together 20,000 like-minded believers in this kind of numerology to try to create a miracle, for the sake of the planet, world peace, enlightenment, and all of those other cozy-sounding new age ideals. And how are they to accomplish this? At the signal, everyone is to breathe in unison! And that will change everything. But first, these miracle workers need to get online and purchase their tickets...

I'm not sure this won't possibly come back to bite these gullible do-gooders in the ass, though. I remember a science fiction short story by Orson Scott Card titled Deep Breathing Exercises. The premise expressed in this interesting tale was that, when people were grouped together in a setting in which they were about to collectively perish due to a calamity, they inexplicably began inhaling and exhaling in total unison. So maybe if you're of the gullible type who believes, as George Noory claims to believe, that there are no such things as coincidences, then you just might consider NOT hanging around Orlando on "miracle day" 11/11/11!

I don't believe in either scenario. But if people are looking for miracles, they need to look within themselves and recognize their amazing human capacity for change. These 20,000 will already be interested in miraculous change: now if they can only see that, by taking each day they live and treating the people they encounter with more compassion and respect than they did the previous day, there is the possibility of a miracle of sorts coming about after all. For human behavior is infectious: others copy successful models of behavior that they observe and internalize them to become a new part of their own personalities. A truly "kinder, gentler" society (without the political overtones) would be a miracle, and one accomplished without the need for pretense about supernatural forces causing it.

And without the need to buy a ticket!

Long-Awaited Fantasy Film Released Today

Well, today is the long-anticipated cinematic opening release of a movie that I am truly looking forward to seeing. A movie based on a very popular book series with unforgettable, compelling characters and a strong appeal to the imagination. Of course the movie I'm referring to is nothing other than... Winnie the Pooh!

With all due respects to the hairy pottery-maker, I have come to miss the great Disney cartoon animated version of A.A. Milne's classic Winnie the Pooh, including both the feature films and the television series. The other "Pooh programs" that Disney has put out, in my opinion, have been cheap imitations (although the classic cartoons were themselves a bit divergent from Milne's books).

From what I've read about this new movie, the stories were derived from Milne's original tales. That's good, because frankly some of the last few movies they made, which were original stories, were a bit too sappy and maudlin for me. Let's get back to the fun stuff!

And oh yeah, I'm also interested in Harry and Hermione and Ron and Severus and so on. But I read the final book in the Potter series long ago and know what's going to happen. The only mysteries left are how the movie will present the last half of The Deathly Hallows, which scenes they will add, and which scenes from the book they will omit (probably to my great consternation). And I am especially curious as to whether they include the book's epilogue at the movie's end (and how they present it if they do).

It sure would be nice for Disney or some other channel to air those great old Winnie the Pooh half-hour episodes again, at least for a little while. They have a subtly humorous aspect to a lot of their stories that can resonate with adults, and the characters are great archetypes of general human personalities. As for Harry Potter, it seems that I can hardly turn on my TV anymore and surf through the channels without spotting one of the movies.

I plan to go watch both of these escapist fantasy flicks. Hopefully the new Pooh movie will return to the spirit and mood of the TV series and the first two movies...

Debt Ceiling Crisis

I have been following the standoff going on in our national government regarding the debt ceiling crisis with increasing dismay. It looks like a completely unnecessary disaster in the making, with one side, President Obama and the Democrats, stepping up to the table willing to make compromises for the better good of the nation, while the Republicans on the other side are playing petty politics, sucking up to extremists in the right-wing talk show media, and refusing to budge on anything.

Yes, we have a problem with our national debt. When Democratic president Bill Clinton left office in January 2001 we had reached a point, though, when we were working on reducing it by having a string of annual surpluses. Then Republican George W. Bush stepped into the office and immediately began preaching that the government was holding the [rich] people's money and that they could do better things with it. And so began the shortfall of our revenue necessary to fund the government and keep it from having to borrow money from abroad to stay afloat. The 9/11 terrorist attacks, enhanced nationwide security efforts, and our subsequent incursion into Afghanistan to weed out Al-Qaeda and drive out their Taliban sponsors from power understandably involved increased spending and a higher deficit. But Bush's inexplicable decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and stage a massive military occupation for years hence broke the budget, with nary a Republican cry of protest. In fact, they voted en masse, including folks like congressional leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, to lift the debt ceiling 19 times during Bush's two terms in office. But the moment a Democrat stepped in, even in the midst of an economic calamity unseen since the Great Depression, those same Republicans suddenly became budget hawks, treating federal spending as anathema now that it was largely in the hands of the hated Democrats.

I don't know how this crisis will play itself out or who will gain politically from it. Common sense would have told me that the contrived tea party crap that has been going on for the last couple of years would have fallen flat and that the Republicans would have been punished, not rewarded, at the polls for their intransigence in opposing practically everything that President Obama was trying to do for the country. In fact, several of their prominent members, including Senator McConnell, had publicly stated that their primary goal was to make our president a failure! And yet my fellow citizens, in their infinite foolishness, collectively gave those Republicans control of the U.S. House of Representatives, a net gain of six Senate seats, and a net gain of several state governorships (and, very sadly, a teabagger as governor in my home state of Florida).

So I can't control how other people will react to what's going on. But it sure would be nice for the politicians to stop acting like marionette puppets and begin to work for the interests of the people they were elected to serve. And that means ALL the people!

Comparing My Blog to Others is Pointless

When connecting to a blog that is part of the Blogger network, the user can hit a tab at the screentop titled "Next Blog" and view other blogs, usually grouped with a similar theme (I keep coming up with running and biking blogs). I do this from time to time and invariably come away from the experience with an embarrassing sense of my own blog's inferiority to most others. But...

I know that this self-judgement is really unduly harsh and that I should lighten up a bit on myself. This blog of mine is well-defined and deliberately limited. I'm not going for a dazzling visual display. I am not trying to promote what a cool dude I am or what an extravagant, exciting life I'm leading (which is good, because neither applies to me). Nor am I hawking my professional expertise in an effort to attract business and income (in fact, for discretion's sake I deliberately tend to shield my professional life from this blog). And I am not blogging in connection with any particular interests in order to increase my standing among others sharing those same interests. As a matter of fact, if anything, my relative lack of expertise about anything I discuss here should make others feel pretty good about their own expertise by comparison!

And comparison is really what this is all about. What I need to do instead is keep myself focused on my primary purpose here, which is to use this blog as a personal writing discipline. I don't need a lot of people patting me on my back, but a little interaction in the form of comments (including anonymous comments) is always welcome and appreciated!

Not that there won't be times when I get a little technical and write about topics that are of a more esoteric nature. But generally speaking, my format here is intended to more closely resemble what regular newspaper columnists do: pick a topic and expound on it to a reasonable extent in a way that is easy to read and understand, agree or disagree with the message. And like newspapers, which feature columns of different types (political, sports, "living", humor, entertainment), my articles try to capture the same sense of expression. I hope at least some of that intended expression reaches you, my valued reader!