Tomorrow afternoon we'll have the big early season game in college football between Alabama and Texas A&M. Although these two teams are both in the Southeastern Conference, of which Florida is also a member, this game's outcome doesn't affect the Gator's prospects for the conference title since neither is in their division. So on that score I'm neutral about who I would prefer to win this game. Each team, however, resonates negatively with me on account of a particular member on each side: Texas A&M's quarterback Johnny Manziel and Alabama's head coach Nick Saban. Were either team to be playing against a different one and not each other (except for SEC Eastern Division foes like Georgia or South Carolina), I would be vehemently rooting for their opponent with nearly the same fervor that I root for Florida when they play. That being what it is, when game time comes around this Saturday afternoon, I will be figuratively holding my nose and picking one side: and there's really only one side, as I see it...
Nick Saban, after leaving the NFL's Miami Dolphins in a wreck after he abandoned them in mid-contract for fame and fortune at Alabama, has had a very successful run at for the last few years, even winning three of the last four national championships. His Crimson Tide defeated Florida in the SEC championship game in 2009, while in 2011 his defense went after and INJURED then-starting quarterback John Brantley early in a regular season contest between the two. What they did to our quarterback reminded me of what happened in the national championship game for the 2009 season when they knocked Colt McCoy, their opponent's (Texas) quarterback, out of the game with an injury through an excessive hit. This seems to be Saban's strategy: if you think there's a chance you might not beat your opponent in a fair contest, then get dirty. So although I dislike the impetuous, arrogant quarterback for Texas A&M, for tomorrow at least I'll be pulling quite vociferously for "Johnny Football" and his Aggies. Besides, Florida is off this Saturday, so I can devote my full attention to this Western Division contest.
I wrote in an article last year that I had forgiven Saban for betraying the Dolphins when he left them like that at the end of the 2006 season. But feelings still sadly linger, and the man's ongoing gruff arrogance doesn't help things. I think he is suffering from a "God" complex and yes, regards himself as one of the truly "good people of the world" (see article a couple of days ago), a mega-legend in his own mind. A nice, humiliating loss tomorrow just might do him some good with his delusions. See, I'm really "pro-Saban" after all!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Jets-Pats Game Tonight
Tonight there's a NFL game pitting the New England Patriots against the New York Jets. These two teams, it is said, may be the most bitter rivals in football, at least on the professional level. They're the two teams in the AFC East that have had the most success in recent years (although the Patriots have come to dominate this division). The Jets-Pats feud is part of the New York-Boston collective sports rivalry that flows over into baseball, basketball, and hockey. The Jets successfully accused New England, back in 2007, of illegally videotaping opposing teams' signal calling to help themselves with play strategies: the Patriots reacted to this by indignantly going (almost) all the way to an undefeated season, ironically falling to another New York team, the Giants, in one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history (and one of my favorite Super Bowls). No there's no love lost between these two cities in the realm of sports. But there's more...
New England is a tightly controlled, disciplined organization that keeps to itself and makes a great emphasis on letting its performance on the field speak for itself. The New York Jets, on the other hand, starting with their head coach and filtering down through their player roster, are brash and outspoken, openly derisive of other teams and quick to criticize each other in the media. One of their assistant coaches even once stuck his leg out and tripped up a Miami player who was running down the sidelines in a game a few years ago. So these two franchises, apart from not liking each other, have two completely different ways of running things. Seems like the Patriots have the upper hand here, as they win...and win...and win.
But there is one factor that, in my mind at least, unites these two: they are divisional rivals of "my" team, the Miami Dolphins. I want BOTH to lose on any given game day, and it distresses me to know that, since they are playing each other, somebody's going to win. But at least, excepting a highly improbable tie score, that also means there's going to be a loser as well.
It bothered me last Sunday that the Jets were able to capitalize on Tampa Bay mistakes and upset the Buc 18-17...although in retrospect the outcome may not be remembered as an upset: I'm not too optimistic about Tampa Bay's prospects this year. New England edged out the other divisional rival, Buffalo, as well. But the main thing is that the Dolphins won their game. Ultimately, that's how it will play out for me this year: Miami has to keep winning...especially in those crucial head-to-head matchups against New England, New York, and Buffalo, each of whom the Dolphins play twice. Once that starts to happen consistently, maybe the Pats and Jets will loosen their death grip on each other and start to throw a little hate in Miami's direction...
New England is a tightly controlled, disciplined organization that keeps to itself and makes a great emphasis on letting its performance on the field speak for itself. The New York Jets, on the other hand, starting with their head coach and filtering down through their player roster, are brash and outspoken, openly derisive of other teams and quick to criticize each other in the media. One of their assistant coaches even once stuck his leg out and tripped up a Miami player who was running down the sidelines in a game a few years ago. So these two franchises, apart from not liking each other, have two completely different ways of running things. Seems like the Patriots have the upper hand here, as they win...and win...and win.
But there is one factor that, in my mind at least, unites these two: they are divisional rivals of "my" team, the Miami Dolphins. I want BOTH to lose on any given game day, and it distresses me to know that, since they are playing each other, somebody's going to win. But at least, excepting a highly improbable tie score, that also means there's going to be a loser as well.
It bothered me last Sunday that the Jets were able to capitalize on Tampa Bay mistakes and upset the Buc 18-17...although in retrospect the outcome may not be remembered as an upset: I'm not too optimistic about Tampa Bay's prospects this year. New England edged out the other divisional rival, Buffalo, as well. But the main thing is that the Dolphins won their game. Ultimately, that's how it will play out for me this year: Miami has to keep winning...especially in those crucial head-to-head matchups against New England, New York, and Buffalo, each of whom the Dolphins play twice. Once that starts to happen consistently, maybe the Pats and Jets will loosen their death grip on each other and start to throw a little hate in Miami's direction...
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
9/11 and the Good People of the World
I suppose a great percentage of the articles being put on the blogs, at least in this country, make some reference to the 9/11 attack in 2001. There many different angles to analyzing this tragedy. One is to examine how people can be so convinced of their own goodness and virtue that they can inflict untold suffering on others without any since of guilt or remorse for them. "The good people of the world", as I like to refer to them, are actually the most evil and dangerous because their own personal sense of self-righteous piety about themselves and the ideologies that prop them up rob them of the important virtues of self-examination and self-criticism. To these people, the words "compromise" and "tolerance" are profanities, because employing them just might give them a more compassionate and empathetic perspective on others over whom they are so desperate to feel superior.
When I see TV shows replaying the 9/11 events that focus on the terrorists, they are typified by a smug arrogance that they are the "good people"...and as such any other (inferior) people don't matter, even to the extent that their very lives don't matter. But the 9/11 terrorists are just one chilling example of "good people of the world" running rampant on everyone else. More on these "good people of the world" later...
When I see TV shows replaying the 9/11 events that focus on the terrorists, they are typified by a smug arrogance that they are the "good people"...and as such any other (inferior) people don't matter, even to the extent that their very lives don't matter. But the 9/11 terrorists are just one chilling example of "good people of the world" running rampant on everyone else. More on these "good people of the world" later...
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Where Are the Hurricanes?
We were supposed to have all of these tropical cyclones forming out in the open Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean this hurricane season of 2013. Instead, the opposite has happened: very few storms, and when they do form they are soon ripped apart by shearing winds in their paths. Not that I'm complaining, though: I was here in 2004 when Florida was blasted by four powerful hurricanes and affected by the weather in three of them...with the last coming too close to home.
It's kind of exciting when a hurricane is approaching and the so-called experts have its trajectory coming close to where you live. Not only does the whole surrounding social fabric change to become hurricane-oriented, but the immediate weather changes as well, with strange greenness in the air, unpredictably shifting strong winds, and horizontal freakish sporadic rain bursts. That's the interesting part.
The tedious part, though, is when the brunt of the storm passes over and causes often long-term power outages, local flooding, and downed trees. Not fun. When this happens, you go outside and there's a lot of debris lying around, businesses are often closed, and your freedom of movement is often restricted by the flooding and road closures. And then there's the prospect of having to deal with your own property damage. No, not fun.
So no, I'm not at all disappointed in this year's squelched hurricane season, for whatever the cause (although it bothers me that the meteorologists were so far off in their predictions). Sure, when I used to go to school as a kid, it would have been great to get some days off because of a hurricane. But from 1962 to 1974, I remember only a brief time in 1964 when classes were cancelled due to Hurricane Cleo (I lived then near Miami). I think that Betsy in 1965 happened in August just before the school year, and then year after year came without any hurricane striking (or even threatening to strike) south Florida. After '74, who cares, I had already finished high school...
Let's see now, it's almost mid-September and we're only to the "G" storm...and it's floundering around Bermuda. Ho-hum...
It's kind of exciting when a hurricane is approaching and the so-called experts have its trajectory coming close to where you live. Not only does the whole surrounding social fabric change to become hurricane-oriented, but the immediate weather changes as well, with strange greenness in the air, unpredictably shifting strong winds, and horizontal freakish sporadic rain bursts. That's the interesting part.
The tedious part, though, is when the brunt of the storm passes over and causes often long-term power outages, local flooding, and downed trees. Not fun. When this happens, you go outside and there's a lot of debris lying around, businesses are often closed, and your freedom of movement is often restricted by the flooding and road closures. And then there's the prospect of having to deal with your own property damage. No, not fun.
So no, I'm not at all disappointed in this year's squelched hurricane season, for whatever the cause (although it bothers me that the meteorologists were so far off in their predictions). Sure, when I used to go to school as a kid, it would have been great to get some days off because of a hurricane. But from 1962 to 1974, I remember only a brief time in 1964 when classes were cancelled due to Hurricane Cleo (I lived then near Miami). I think that Betsy in 1965 happened in August just before the school year, and then year after year came without any hurricane striking (or even threatening to strike) south Florida. After '74, who cares, I had already finished high school...
Let's see now, it's almost mid-September and we're only to the "G" storm...and it's floundering around Bermuda. Ho-hum...
Monday, September 9, 2013
Good Game, Bad Game
Looking back on what has transpired in football this past weekend, I'm generally pleased, the overwhelming reason being that the Miami Dolphins won their season opener over Cleveland. This was a team that Miami needed to defeat in their quest to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008. There will be plenty of more difficult opponents later, and I don't expect the Dolphins to handle all of them. So the strategy, as far as I am concerned, is to first do well inside their own division, garnering a 4-2 or 5-1 record there, and then beat the weaker teams elsewhere on the schedule. So far, so good...they're undefeated...watch out '72 Dolphins (at least until NEXT weekend)!!
On the down side, the University of Florida Gators, in spite of controlling the total offensive yardage, line of scrimmage, and game clock for their game down in Miami against the Hurricanes, still managed to turn the ball over in crucial "red zone" situations enough times to lose 21-16. The final score should have been Gators 37-14. I don't think there's anything that frustrates me more in a game than when my team consistently turns the ball over...except perhaps for supposedly skillful receivers who suddenly are incapable of catching a football when it is lobbed over in their direction. So Florida is 1-1...well, we all knew anyway that the "regular season" in a sense truly starts with their conference schedule. But Tennessee, their opening opponent in the Southeastern Conference in a couple of weeks, is probably just as good as Miami. Well, this comes, I suppose, with supporting a team: you're happy when they win and suffer when they lose. Still, should Florida figure out how not to turn the ball over willy-nilly, especially when they are about to score, they should do well in conference play...although at this stage of the year I can't imagine them ever winning the SEC championship, much less winning their division within it...
As for the rest of the football action, I only marginally care who wins or loses. No, I dislike AFC East rivals to the Dolphins and usually root against them...and yes, I usually root for the other Florida teams Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. And I still pull for the New York Giants consistently. In none of these areas was there cause for much elation, though, as the Jags, Bucs, and Giants all lost and the AFC East did pretty well, the only loser (Buffalo) losing out to divisional rival New England. But that's all right, as long as Miami does me well...
On the down side, the University of Florida Gators, in spite of controlling the total offensive yardage, line of scrimmage, and game clock for their game down in Miami against the Hurricanes, still managed to turn the ball over in crucial "red zone" situations enough times to lose 21-16. The final score should have been Gators 37-14. I don't think there's anything that frustrates me more in a game than when my team consistently turns the ball over...except perhaps for supposedly skillful receivers who suddenly are incapable of catching a football when it is lobbed over in their direction. So Florida is 1-1...well, we all knew anyway that the "regular season" in a sense truly starts with their conference schedule. But Tennessee, their opening opponent in the Southeastern Conference in a couple of weeks, is probably just as good as Miami. Well, this comes, I suppose, with supporting a team: you're happy when they win and suffer when they lose. Still, should Florida figure out how not to turn the ball over willy-nilly, especially when they are about to score, they should do well in conference play...although at this stage of the year I can't imagine them ever winning the SEC championship, much less winning their division within it...
As for the rest of the football action, I only marginally care who wins or loses. No, I dislike AFC East rivals to the Dolphins and usually root against them...and yes, I usually root for the other Florida teams Jacksonville and Tampa Bay. And I still pull for the New York Giants consistently. In none of these areas was there cause for much elation, though, as the Jags, Bucs, and Giants all lost and the AFC East did pretty well, the only loser (Buffalo) losing out to divisional rival New England. But that's all right, as long as Miami does me well...
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Follow-Up on Tebow Follow-Up
The other day I wrote how Tim Tebow needed to broaden his goals for the future regarding his participation in the National Football League as a player. The simple, if sad, fact is that teams across the league do not want to use him as a quarterback. Period. But he is a good runner. If you just take this year's preseason stats with the Patriots, he amassed 91 yards on 16 carries...that's not half bad: we're talking 5.7 yards/carry, and that's as a quarterback! I've long thought of Tebow as a good straight-ahead, bulldog sort of runner on the order of Larry Csonka, and this isn't some flight of imaginative speculation on my part. In college as a freshman, this was HIS ROLE as backup quarterback under coach Urban Meyer: come in on third or fourth downs with short yardage to go and pick up the first down, preferably by running. He was wildly successful at this and contributed greatly to Florida's national championship that year (in 2006). Then, the following year as starting quarterback he garnered the Heisman Trophy and I suppose that went to his head.
If I had dreamed from childhood of being a star actor in films, I would naturally also have dreamed of playing the lead roles in them. But as I grew up and MATURED, I could still dream of stardom but realize that the overwhelming drive was to act, to be actively employed in the industry I had become so enamored with in my younger years. Only a prima donna diva would say at the outset of their career that they would only work for anyone making a movie if they were given top billing from the getgo. Yet this is essentially what Tebow is saying, as reports arise that, after he was cut from New England, another team approached him interested more in his running talents. But he apparently declined them, still insisting on that "top billing".
This all gives me the impression that Tim Tebow doesn't really love football or want to make a positive contribution to a team, but rather is irrevocably smitten with the allure of personal stardom and media attention as the top dog quarterback...and nothing else will do. Good luck with THAT, Tim...I'm outta here!
If I had dreamed from childhood of being a star actor in films, I would naturally also have dreamed of playing the lead roles in them. But as I grew up and MATURED, I could still dream of stardom but realize that the overwhelming drive was to act, to be actively employed in the industry I had become so enamored with in my younger years. Only a prima donna diva would say at the outset of their career that they would only work for anyone making a movie if they were given top billing from the getgo. Yet this is essentially what Tebow is saying, as reports arise that, after he was cut from New England, another team approached him interested more in his running talents. But he apparently declined them, still insisting on that "top billing".
This all gives me the impression that Tim Tebow doesn't really love football or want to make a positive contribution to a team, but rather is irrevocably smitten with the allure of personal stardom and media attention as the top dog quarterback...and nothing else will do. Good luck with THAT, Tim...I'm outta here!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Vicarious Planetary Thrill Rides in Planetarium
It's been years since I've ridden a roller coaster, or any other theme park ride for that matter. I miss those experiences, but not the lengthy travel times to and from the parks, not to mention the tedious, long lines for different rides once I manage to finally get inside a park. But earlier this afternoon, I managed to get back at least of little of those old thrills without the long travel, long lines...or even the expense. How? I paid a visit to my local Santa Fe College planetarium, where they were presenting a show titled SpacePark360: Geodesium Edition. It consisted of a set of nine imaginary thrill rides, one on each of the major planets (or one of their moons) starting with Mercury and going further out, with an extra one on "the way back" on Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. Some of the rides were swinging rides, other were "twisters", and the best were roller coasters. Nine pretty cool rides set on exotic worlds. Most of the planets and moons depicted as sites for the rides were interesting, although Venus and Jupiter were mostly a bunch of clouds...while Earth's rocket launch pad setting, coupled with the limited ride, wasn't very impressive. But the scenes depicted for Mercury, Mars, Saturn (from Titan), Uranus (from its ring system), Neptune, (from Triton), and that finale on Io were vivid and memorable. James Albury was there at the planetarium again, narrating the show...and he took my money at the entrance as well, automatically giving me the "senior" discount. Oh well.
I suppose that this vicarious thrill ride experience is probably going to be the way to go for me in the foreseeable future. The roller coaster on Neptune's moon Triton was a hanging coaster very similar to Montu at Busch Gardens, which incidentally is my favorite roller coaster ride of all time (I've ridden it 26 times, I believe). The others were more like that same park's Kumba coaster, also an old favorite. I wasn't as happy with the non-coaster rides, although the opening one on Mercury reminded me of Pharaoh's Fury at Valdosta's Wild Adventures (I've ridden that one 27 times). At the close of the show, Mr. Albury hinted that the company that produced this show is soon coming out with a sequel: I can hardly wait!!!
I suppose that this vicarious thrill ride experience is probably going to be the way to go for me in the foreseeable future. The roller coaster on Neptune's moon Triton was a hanging coaster very similar to Montu at Busch Gardens, which incidentally is my favorite roller coaster ride of all time (I've ridden it 26 times, I believe). The others were more like that same park's Kumba coaster, also an old favorite. I wasn't as happy with the non-coaster rides, although the opening one on Mercury reminded me of Pharaoh's Fury at Valdosta's Wild Adventures (I've ridden that one 27 times). At the close of the show, Mr. Albury hinted that the company that produced this show is soon coming out with a sequel: I can hardly wait!!!
Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart
I'd like to take this opportunity to tell my beautiful wife Melissa how much I love and appreciate her, and that I wish her a wonderful 27-year anniversary. I love you!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Obama vs. Syria: Blocs in Congress
In President Obama's current campaign to get Congress to approve of his use of military force against the Syrian government on the pretext that they are engaged in chemical warfare, I discern various blocs within the Senate and House of Representatives that have their own peculiar motivations regarding how they would vote. Here's how I see it...
OBAMA & MILITARY ACTION: PRO
Democrats: (1) More conservative, pro-military Democrats who traditionally vote for these types of resolutions and have vested political interests in funding the military-industrial complex, either because their states and districts contain military bases or ports or various companies are there that do contract work for the military.
Democrats: (2) More liberal democrats who are siding with the president because, well, they're Democrats and Obama's a Democrat...were Romney in there as president saying the same thing this group would probably oppose him.
Republicans: (1) War hawks like Senators McCain and Graham, who never saw an opportunity for war they didn't want us to jump into, support Obama on this...while criticizing him for delaying action and limiting it...as well as those GOP members of Congress who, like the Democrats, have military bases/ports and/or contract companies in their states/districts.
Republicans: (2) Establishment leaders who are consistent in supporting the national defense establishment and the military.
OBAMA & MILITARY ACTION: CON
Democrats & Pro-Democrat Independents: Those who are traditionally skeptical about the value of military intervention and would oppose this proposed action regardless who was president.
Republicans: (1) Politicians who would support a Republican president like Bush but will flip-flop just because Obama's in there and they want to oppose him on EVERYTHING.
Republicans: (2) Chiefly within the tea party bloc, these only want military action if it specifically and narrowly is warranted for ONLY the national interests of the United States. This includes those with a libertarian philosophy like Senator Rand.
Republicans: (3) Establishment pro-war politicians who are afraid of tea party opposition in their own party's primary elections.
From Both Parties: (1) Those who think that there isn't enough clear information to warrant military intervention.
From Both Parties: (2) Those who think that we're supporting the wrong side and that the rebels are infiltrated with Al-Qaeda, our true enemy.
*****
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
OBAMA & MILITARY ACTION: PRO
Democrats: (1) More conservative, pro-military Democrats who traditionally vote for these types of resolutions and have vested political interests in funding the military-industrial complex, either because their states and districts contain military bases or ports or various companies are there that do contract work for the military.
Democrats: (2) More liberal democrats who are siding with the president because, well, they're Democrats and Obama's a Democrat...were Romney in there as president saying the same thing this group would probably oppose him.
Republicans: (1) War hawks like Senators McCain and Graham, who never saw an opportunity for war they didn't want us to jump into, support Obama on this...while criticizing him for delaying action and limiting it...as well as those GOP members of Congress who, like the Democrats, have military bases/ports and/or contract companies in their states/districts.
Republicans: (2) Establishment leaders who are consistent in supporting the national defense establishment and the military.
OBAMA & MILITARY ACTION: CON
Democrats & Pro-Democrat Independents: Those who are traditionally skeptical about the value of military intervention and would oppose this proposed action regardless who was president.
Republicans: (1) Politicians who would support a Republican president like Bush but will flip-flop just because Obama's in there and they want to oppose him on EVERYTHING.
Republicans: (2) Chiefly within the tea party bloc, these only want military action if it specifically and narrowly is warranted for ONLY the national interests of the United States. This includes those with a libertarian philosophy like Senator Rand.
Republicans: (3) Establishment pro-war politicians who are afraid of tea party opposition in their own party's primary elections.
From Both Parties: (1) Those who think that there isn't enough clear information to warrant military intervention.
From Both Parties: (2) Those who think that we're supporting the wrong side and that the rebels are infiltrated with Al-Qaeda, our true enemy.
*****
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Anger at Departed Football Coaches
In the football realm, sometimes fans can get more than a little hot under the collar when their team's head coach leaves them for "greener pastures", especially when the result seems to be the collapse of their own team. Yet the reality doesn't always conform to this formula. Nick Saban did ruin the Miami Dolphins following his two-year stint there after he insisted on and received essentially complete managerial control over the team's personnel and operations and then suddenly abandoned his commitment to them to accept wealth and fame at the University of Alabama. Dolphins fans, including me, felt betrayed and angry at him for his actions...although truth be told, I have greater axes to grind about injustices in my life than with this sort of vicarious grievance. On the other hand, Saban had angered LSU fans just a couple of years earlier when he left them to coach for the Dolphins. But there are a couple of important differences with LSU: he had brought them a national championship during his tenure there and he left the team essentially intact and strong...and they won two more championships under his successor Les Miles after he left. But now I hear that LSU fans are angry because he left Miami to work for their divisional rival Alabama. Well, Florida coach Steve Spurrier, who brought the school unprecedented gridiron success during his 12-year coaching era, has continued to enjoy enduring good feelings in the community not only after he left the Gators to try NFL coaching, but even after he got a job coaching OUR divisional rival South Carolina. That's all good and fine, but what I don't get is the animosity around Gainesville directed at former coach Urban Meyer.
All Urban Meyer did during his six-year run at UF was to win TWO national championships and give the school a very strong edge in recruitment nationwide over others. Toward the end of his time here, he had some undisclosed personal health issues that interfered with his final season. After leaving Florida, Meyer evidently was able enough to handle those personal issues and, after a brief time as a competent television sports analyst, was ready to take on the Ohio State head coaching position when it became available (because of scandal that sacked the previous coach). Last year was his first season and he was very successful, taking his team to a 12-0 record in the face of probation that eliminated them from national championship consideration or a bowl game appearance. I never heard anyone talk about how we're hoping that Urban does well in his new job and how we appreciate what he accomplished at Florida. But I'll go ahead and say it, anyway. I am glad that Urban Meyer is prospering in his new role at Ohio State. I wish him success there, but since his school has such a powderpuff schedule this year and they could be rivals in the BCS determination as to who gets to eventually play for the national championship, I'm rooting for his team to unexpectedly lose at least a couple of games for the sake of improving Florida's very real prospects this year. Nothing personal, Urban, but football is football: I'm rooting against Spurrier's team, too...
All Urban Meyer did during his six-year run at UF was to win TWO national championships and give the school a very strong edge in recruitment nationwide over others. Toward the end of his time here, he had some undisclosed personal health issues that interfered with his final season. After leaving Florida, Meyer evidently was able enough to handle those personal issues and, after a brief time as a competent television sports analyst, was ready to take on the Ohio State head coaching position when it became available (because of scandal that sacked the previous coach). Last year was his first season and he was very successful, taking his team to a 12-0 record in the face of probation that eliminated them from national championship consideration or a bowl game appearance. I never heard anyone talk about how we're hoping that Urban does well in his new job and how we appreciate what he accomplished at Florida. But I'll go ahead and say it, anyway. I am glad that Urban Meyer is prospering in his new role at Ohio State. I wish him success there, but since his school has such a powderpuff schedule this year and they could be rivals in the BCS determination as to who gets to eventually play for the national championship, I'm rooting for his team to unexpectedly lose at least a couple of games for the sake of improving Florida's very real prospects this year. Nothing personal, Urban, but football is football: I'm rooting against Spurrier's team, too...
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Broncos-Ravens Mark 2013 NFL Regular Season Debut
As I retreat from having to deal with the looming "limited" war with Syria and the strange, unsettling political alliances being forged between left and right to oppose (or support) it, I find myself this afternoon with an easy topic about which to write: tonight begins the regular season in the National Football League! We're getting a head start on the weekend action on Thursday, and with a great pairing: the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens against the Denver Broncos, a team and franchise that has rattled me a bit during the last couple of years.
Baltimore has lost several starters due to retirement, including their standout linebacker Ray Lewis. But they seem to be on the right track with their lineup, and it makes me wonder why other franchises flounder around for years, seeming to be in a perpetual rebuilding process from one disappointing season to the next (I'm thinking chiefly about the Miami Dolphins, but there are plenty of other examples). I tend to root for the Ravens, largely in gratitude for the fact that in 2007, when the lowly Dolphins were 0-14 with two weeks to go to a winless season, they had the presence of mind to play each other with Baltimore bowing in defeat...to my enduring gratitude. Of course, the same team was a major thorn in Miami's side the following year when they beat them twice, including Miami's improbable first and only playoff game that year. Still, I have a warm spot in my heart for Baltimore. I can't say the same about Denver...
Being a Gator fan in the 1990's when Peyton Manning was the quarterback for conference divisional rival Tennessee, I got sick of Manning getting all of the accolades in spite of the fact that he never could beat us. But he was good, real GOOD...and I might have gone over to his side had he not joined up with a team in the NFL that true Dolphins fans despise: the Colts. Still, he moved on to Denver, and as a Dolphin fan I have no trouble with that franchise. What I DO have a problem with is how they used Tim Tebow to reestablish a winning tradition during the 2011 season...and then unceremoniously dumped him immediately afterward in favor of King Peyton. Then they swaggered around acting like they might as well just cancel the 2012 season and crown themselves champion! What really happened was different, though: the Broncos under Manning were good enough to win their division again and make the playoffs (as Tebow did with them the previous season). But a funny thing happened on their way to Super Bowl glory: "my" Baltimore Ravens tripped them up!
I won't be able to watch much of tonight's game as I have to go to work...but I know who I'm supporting: Baltimore!
And sure...I'll tune in from time to time on the "other" channels to see how we're sinking into war once again as the war drums intensify like some impending Jumanji game...
Baltimore has lost several starters due to retirement, including their standout linebacker Ray Lewis. But they seem to be on the right track with their lineup, and it makes me wonder why other franchises flounder around for years, seeming to be in a perpetual rebuilding process from one disappointing season to the next (I'm thinking chiefly about the Miami Dolphins, but there are plenty of other examples). I tend to root for the Ravens, largely in gratitude for the fact that in 2007, when the lowly Dolphins were 0-14 with two weeks to go to a winless season, they had the presence of mind to play each other with Baltimore bowing in defeat...to my enduring gratitude. Of course, the same team was a major thorn in Miami's side the following year when they beat them twice, including Miami's improbable first and only playoff game that year. Still, I have a warm spot in my heart for Baltimore. I can't say the same about Denver...
Being a Gator fan in the 1990's when Peyton Manning was the quarterback for conference divisional rival Tennessee, I got sick of Manning getting all of the accolades in spite of the fact that he never could beat us. But he was good, real GOOD...and I might have gone over to his side had he not joined up with a team in the NFL that true Dolphins fans despise: the Colts. Still, he moved on to Denver, and as a Dolphin fan I have no trouble with that franchise. What I DO have a problem with is how they used Tim Tebow to reestablish a winning tradition during the 2011 season...and then unceremoniously dumped him immediately afterward in favor of King Peyton. Then they swaggered around acting like they might as well just cancel the 2012 season and crown themselves champion! What really happened was different, though: the Broncos under Manning were good enough to win their division again and make the playoffs (as Tebow did with them the previous season). But a funny thing happened on their way to Super Bowl glory: "my" Baltimore Ravens tripped them up!
I won't be able to watch much of tonight's game as I have to go to work...but I know who I'm supporting: Baltimore!
And sure...I'll tune in from time to time on the "other" channels to see how we're sinking into war once again as the war drums intensify like some impending Jumanji game...
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Obama Push for Syria Strike
The push to give President Obama the political backing he wants to attack Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons on its own people during its civil war is now going on full swing. I haven't been ignoring this important issue, but have been hesitant to write about it for a couple of reasons. One, I don't know all the facts; in a situation like this I'm left depending on the words of those in authority who have access to information, much of it classified, that I am not privy to. This is similar to the time leading up to George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq more than ten years ago, when as it turned out that the needed information was indeed there...it just wasn't true! Two, although arguments have been made that not striking Syria will discredit U.S. efforts to dissuade Iran from developing nuclear weapon capability and will embolden terrorists who would then see us as weak, I could counter-argue that by attacking Syria we would be strengthening terrorists within that country's borders who would then become our de facto allies (and later attack us). No, I don't see Syria as directly threatening us, and in this I am astonished (and more than a little disturbed) to find myself siding with far-right tea party politicians, the most notorious of them being Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. That in itself is enough to make me want to turn my head from this issue and think of something else (like football or the weather)...
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
College Football 2013 Season Begins
The first weekend in the college football season has passed, with the usual assortment of mainly lopsided matchups topped off with a few meaningful contests. And a couple of those games pitting major schools against small ones turned meaningful, too, when they resulted in upsets. Here's my take on the games that interested me.
Ohio State won their mismatch 40-20 while Oregon ran the score up on their itsy-bitsy opponent 66-3...so naturally the latter passed the former in the polls without either really being tested on a major level. The Florida Gators were a rare team in the Southeastern Conference in that they scheduled a relatively minor school, Toledo, for their opener. They prevailed yawningly (but soundly) 24-6. Because Florida's game plan doesn't exactly light up the stadium (or the TV) with passing fireworks, though, the poll voters tend to punish them. So despite their win, they dropped in the polls from #10 to #12, even staying behind divisional rival Georgia, a loser in an exciting season opener against Clemson. Alabama, although challenged for much of their game by Virginia Tech, ended it by pulling away and making the score look like a rout. Florida State, Miami, and Louisville all were impressive in their openers, while LSU won a high-scoring game against TCU.
People can go on all they want to about how great a quarterback that prima donna diva Johnny Manziel (of Texas A&M) is, but I can't see how he is better than ANY of the following: Clemson's Tajh Boyd, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, or Florida State's freshman sensation Jameis Winston...all putting on impressive performances in their respective season openers. I can't see how any of these schools' fans would ever wish they had Johnny Headcase instead of the stars they are blessed with...
My Florida Gators will be playing down in south Florida against Miami next week. I expect them to grind out a win in that game as well, but I wouldn't expect them to be heavily featured on ESPN for spectacular highlights, though...
My favorite games to watch were the opener between North Dakota State and Kansas State and Georgia vs. Clemson. Kansas State found themselves upset as the Bison came from ten points behind in the second half and consumed most of the fourth quarter in a masterful drive that both put them finally ahead and gave the Wildcats little time to come back. As for Georgia-Clemson, I was intrigued by Clemson's home opening tradition of busing their team around the stadium to its entrance at the top of a hill...and then rushing en masse onto the field. The only problem with this traditional pregame ritual was that it was so hot and humid at that time that everyone, including the coaches, were sweating buckets before the game even began!
Ohio State won their mismatch 40-20 while Oregon ran the score up on their itsy-bitsy opponent 66-3...so naturally the latter passed the former in the polls without either really being tested on a major level. The Florida Gators were a rare team in the Southeastern Conference in that they scheduled a relatively minor school, Toledo, for their opener. They prevailed yawningly (but soundly) 24-6. Because Florida's game plan doesn't exactly light up the stadium (or the TV) with passing fireworks, though, the poll voters tend to punish them. So despite their win, they dropped in the polls from #10 to #12, even staying behind divisional rival Georgia, a loser in an exciting season opener against Clemson. Alabama, although challenged for much of their game by Virginia Tech, ended it by pulling away and making the score look like a rout. Florida State, Miami, and Louisville all were impressive in their openers, while LSU won a high-scoring game against TCU.
People can go on all they want to about how great a quarterback that prima donna diva Johnny Manziel (of Texas A&M) is, but I can't see how he is better than ANY of the following: Clemson's Tajh Boyd, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, or Florida State's freshman sensation Jameis Winston...all putting on impressive performances in their respective season openers. I can't see how any of these schools' fans would ever wish they had Johnny Headcase instead of the stars they are blessed with...
My Florida Gators will be playing down in south Florida against Miami next week. I expect them to grind out a win in that game as well, but I wouldn't expect them to be heavily featured on ESPN for spectacular highlights, though...
My favorite games to watch were the opener between North Dakota State and Kansas State and Georgia vs. Clemson. Kansas State found themselves upset as the Bison came from ten points behind in the second half and consumed most of the fourth quarter in a masterful drive that both put them finally ahead and gave the Wildcats little time to come back. As for Georgia-Clemson, I was intrigued by Clemson's home opening tradition of busing their team around the stadium to its entrance at the top of a hill...and then rushing en masse onto the field. The only problem with this traditional pregame ritual was that it was so hot and humid at that time that everyone, including the coaches, were sweating buckets before the game even began!
Monday, September 2, 2013
Tebow Released, Needs Goal Adjustment
Tim Tebow, after the last exhibition game of the preseason, was released by the New England Patriots and can now be a free agent. He thanked that franchise for giving him an opportunity there and still claims to be relentless about becoming an NFL quarterback. I don't think Tebow is quite mentally in the place he needs to be in order to fulfill that stated lifelong dream to be an NFL quarterback. In the first place, the former Florida Gator Heisman Trophy winner has already BEEN an NFL quarterback, leading his team to the playoffs (and a playoff victory) back in 2011. It's like me saying that I want to be a marathon runner and, having successfully finished a marathon, feeling at least that bit of personal satisfaction at having accomplished this. Tim Tebow doesn't seem to look at it this way at all, though...and that is one of the problems I think that causes other teams in the league to want to avoid taking any chance in picking him up. As far as he is concerned, he has a one-track mind on the subject: become a regular starting quarterback for a team...and any deviation from that isn't acceptable AT ALL to him. Given his obvious glaring shortcomings at reading defenses and passing accurately, I would have thought this gifted athlete, who is much more than a competent rusher on offense, would be more realistic with his goals and broaden them to become a regular starting PLAYER in the NFL...or even a nonstarter who is frequently used. That would give other teams the flexibility that they would like to have to insert him into different offensive schemes and allow him to be the asset to them that he is quite capable of being. But maybe it's going to take Mr. Tebow hitting rock bottom as the prospects for NFL this season completely dry up before he swallows what is clearly an enormous pride about himself and adjusts his goals. He has certainly already had ample opportunity to improve upon his quarterbacking skills over the last three years and with expert instruction, but to little avail...
This may be an shining, if bitter, example of what Clint Eastwood's Harry Callahan character repeatedly said in the movie Magnum Force: "A man's GOT to know his own limitations". We all have our own particular limitations, don't we, and we aren't suffering from a negative or defeatist self-image if we simply recognize them and work around them. Tim Tebow, as I have stated a few days ago, is an asset to the NFL. He has a great, clean image as a role model, he is a positive encourager for others, he generates interest and excitement for the game, he rises up to pressure in close games as a clutch performer, and he is one heck of a runner. If he were only to recognize where he IS good at and sell himself on that, I think he'd be doing a lot a better...
This may be an shining, if bitter, example of what Clint Eastwood's Harry Callahan character repeatedly said in the movie Magnum Force: "A man's GOT to know his own limitations". We all have our own particular limitations, don't we, and we aren't suffering from a negative or defeatist self-image if we simply recognize them and work around them. Tim Tebow, as I have stated a few days ago, is an asset to the NFL. He has a great, clean image as a role model, he is a positive encourager for others, he generates interest and excitement for the game, he rises up to pressure in close games as a clutch performer, and he is one heck of a runner. If he were only to recognize where he IS good at and sell himself on that, I think he'd be doing a lot a better...
Follow-Up on Nova
The Delphinus nova discovered a few days ago has dwindled down in magnitude to the point where it can no longer be seen by the naked eye...at least by MY naked eye here within the city. On a number of nights when it was brighter I walked outside to view it, only to be confronted by a sky filled with clouds. Only one night was there a clear sky, but unfortunately I was then in too much of a hurry to get somewhere to stop and take an unhurried look. The nova never did get to be very bright against the backdrop of stars and at its brightest would have appeared as a faint connecting star between the already-faint tiny constellations of Sagitta and Delphinus. Still, I regret having missed out on seeing it. I suppose, if I want to, I can take out my binoculars in the next night or two and compare my observations of the section it's in with a detailed star map, but I'm not all that enthusiastic about finding a point that doesn't fit on a map and then automatically proclaiming it to be that nova...
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Slow Down, You Talk Too Fast
I'm sitting in this Starbucks, see, huddled off in a back corner, wondering whether I'm beginning to go senile at this relatively young age of (nearly) 57. It started on my drive down here when, literally out of the blue, it began to ran. Sure, there were some puffy clouds to be seen around, but nothing to indicate any impending precipitation. Still, it looked as if my original idea of sitting in the wide-open outdoors to drink my coffee and study (including writing this blog article) would be for naught. And the prospects for finding a seat ANYWHERE inside this Starbucks likewise dimmed with the freshly falling rain, as it is a popular hangout in this part of town and is usually filled to capacity on Sunday afternoons. I nevertheless pulled into the parking lot: who knows, I might find a spot anyway. And as I said, I did...in an obscure corner of the java joint.
So anyway, I'm sitting here, writing out some foreign language sentences for practice, which is something I do as a daily routine. The rest of the place is packed with customers, some of whom are studying by themselves (or pretending to do so) and some of whom are engaging in sociable conversations. As I sit here studying OTHER languages, an eerie feeling begins to creep up on me: everyone else around me is speaking English, but at the fast rate that they are speaking, their words are almost incomprehensible to me...almost as if they were speaking an exotic tongue.
I've long had a block when it came to picking up and understanding normal conversation when I hear it in other languages...even those languages that I have studied and can comprehend when it is spoken in a more formal setting on radio and TV news broadcasts. It's almost as if, regardless of whatever language they are speaking, the talkers are in a completely different gear of communication from anything else. And now, today, the same troubling feeling started coming to me as others were SPEAKING ENGLISH so fast in conversation that I could scarcely make out their words. Then a universal principle hit me...
It seems that in nervous social conversation, people regardless of their culture or language tend to talk at a breakneck pace, almost seemingly necessitating a psychic link among themselves from them to understand what each other are saying. The speed of speech can get very, very fast...to the point sometimes that a native language can sound foreign. That's a little scary for me...
Then again, there is possibly a more mundane, reasonable interpretation for all this. When people are conversing in person, a great portion of the communication that is going on between them is unspoken but rather revealed through facial expressions, gestures, and body language. As a matter of fact, I wonder sometimes if these aren't the main elements in the communication and not the actual words. In any event, when I'm sitting there with my back to others, I'm not picking up on these integral elements of the interactions between these people and, quite possibly, this may make their spoken language less clear as a result...
So anyway, I'm sitting here, writing out some foreign language sentences for practice, which is something I do as a daily routine. The rest of the place is packed with customers, some of whom are studying by themselves (or pretending to do so) and some of whom are engaging in sociable conversations. As I sit here studying OTHER languages, an eerie feeling begins to creep up on me: everyone else around me is speaking English, but at the fast rate that they are speaking, their words are almost incomprehensible to me...almost as if they were speaking an exotic tongue.
I've long had a block when it came to picking up and understanding normal conversation when I hear it in other languages...even those languages that I have studied and can comprehend when it is spoken in a more formal setting on radio and TV news broadcasts. It's almost as if, regardless of whatever language they are speaking, the talkers are in a completely different gear of communication from anything else. And now, today, the same troubling feeling started coming to me as others were SPEAKING ENGLISH so fast in conversation that I could scarcely make out their words. Then a universal principle hit me...
It seems that in nervous social conversation, people regardless of their culture or language tend to talk at a breakneck pace, almost seemingly necessitating a psychic link among themselves from them to understand what each other are saying. The speed of speech can get very, very fast...to the point sometimes that a native language can sound foreign. That's a little scary for me...
Then again, there is possibly a more mundane, reasonable interpretation for all this. When people are conversing in person, a great portion of the communication that is going on between them is unspoken but rather revealed through facial expressions, gestures, and body language. As a matter of fact, I wonder sometimes if these aren't the main elements in the communication and not the actual words. In any event, when I'm sitting there with my back to others, I'm not picking up on these integral elements of the interactions between these people and, quite possibly, this may make their spoken language less clear as a result...
Saturday, August 31, 2013
My August 2013 Running Report
In August I continued increasing my running mileage, amassing a total of 132.6 miles. The longest run was for 10 miles, and I ran on 30 out of the month's 31 days. Back in May I wouldn't have thought this possible, what with the plantar fasciitis in my right foot causing pain in the heel and arch. But I have been careful to wear snug-fitting shoes with thick soles, and have faithfully done daily stretching exercises to help alleviate the problem. The result has been that this condition no longer limits me with my running. Still, I am right now a bit overweight and as such am not running as well as I could were I to weigh, more optimally, about 15-20 pounds less.
I still intend to run a couple of half-marathon races here in Gainesville this fall, the first to take place on September 28. I deeply wish that the weather will have cooled down a bit by that time. This must be the most unpleasantly hot and humid summer I've experienced in recent memory...
I still intend to run a couple of half-marathon races here in Gainesville this fall, the first to take place on September 28. I deeply wish that the weather will have cooled down a bit by that time. This must be the most unpleasantly hot and humid summer I've experienced in recent memory...
Friday, August 30, 2013
Standing, Codependency, and Personal Responsibility
I've recently had two situations cropping up in the workplace (where I work is immaterial to this discussion) when questions of mandated overtime and off/day staffing came into play. In one instance, I (and others) were told to stay late a couple of hours overtime one morning...something that annoyed me when it happened but in the long run was beneficial due to the extra money coming in to me. A co-worker also having to put in the extra time decided that we should see a union steward the next day because a different crew on another shift was unjustly being deprived of the overtime that they had signed up for (unlike us). I ignored this proposal, because I didn't feel that I was the aggrieved party. Maybe I was a little annoyed at the overtime, but it's hard to feel the "victim" in a situation when people are essentially throwing money at me. No, the potentially aggrieved party were the other workers who had sought out the overtime and didn't get it. They were the ones with "standing" in this circumstance, not me. Simply informing them what happened was enough...they could then decide for themselves what, if anything, to do about it if they wished.
Similarly, the duty schedule for this weekend's Labor Day holiday was posted a few days ago. One co-worker was incorrectly scheduled in for two days while I got both of my desired days off. Once again, someone else had "standing" to address the problem with management, not me. She didn't, though, and I thus have a long weekend coming up.
In order to avoid codependent behavior, I have to take different situations concerning others and determine, if a possible injustice has occurred, how much it actually negatively affects me...or whether someone else adversely affected wants me to take responsibility to fixing "their" problem for them. A codependent personality will habitually take on the burden of fixing others' problems for them, instead of expecting them to speak for themselves, as they should...
Standing is an important legal concept in our system of justice. Appeals are often thrown out of court by judges because the party filing them doesn't have a direct relationship to the cases involved. Standing is established when a party to a case can demonstrate how it legitimately affects them. But standing is a more universal principle that ultimately demands that we individually demonstrate responsibility for handling our own affairs without passively always expecting others to take them up for us...
Similarly, the duty schedule for this weekend's Labor Day holiday was posted a few days ago. One co-worker was incorrectly scheduled in for two days while I got both of my desired days off. Once again, someone else had "standing" to address the problem with management, not me. She didn't, though, and I thus have a long weekend coming up.
In order to avoid codependent behavior, I have to take different situations concerning others and determine, if a possible injustice has occurred, how much it actually negatively affects me...or whether someone else adversely affected wants me to take responsibility to fixing "their" problem for them. A codependent personality will habitually take on the burden of fixing others' problems for them, instead of expecting them to speak for themselves, as they should...
Standing is an important legal concept in our system of justice. Appeals are often thrown out of court by judges because the party filing them doesn't have a direct relationship to the cases involved. Standing is established when a party to a case can demonstrate how it legitimately affects them. But standing is a more universal principle that ultimately demands that we individually demonstrate responsibility for handling our own affairs without passively always expecting others to take them up for us...
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Tim Tebow an Asset to NFL Football
In spite of the fact that I am a long-time Gainesville resident and root for my University of Florida Gators team, I am not exactly what you might call a fan of Tim Tebow...at least not to the extent that many others are. Not that I have anything personally against the man, you see. As far as I can tell, there aren't enough people in professional football with the kind of character and positive attitude that he consistently displays, and often under very stressful circumstances. And I agree with the bigshot highly-played professional media sports analysts who point out his deficiencies in the quarterback position. Slowness in reading opposing defenses on the field and often wild inaccuracy in passing are probably Tebow's two main, glaring faults. I've heard some critics also say that his footing and arm motions aren't up to par with other quarterbacks in the National Football League. Maybe that's all true, but I do know one thing about him that others seem determined to overlook: Tim Tebow is a winner.
Football is a team sport and involves players combining their own particular skills in concert with each other to achieve victory. Tim Tebow is an exhorter and somehow gets his teammates on the field together playing with fervency and a belief that they will prevail. In 2011, the only year he was allowed to consistently start as quarterback, he led his Denver Broncos from their division's cellar to its championship...and then defeated defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs. Then a few weeks later he was summarily traded away to the Jets, who subsequently squandered their investment and then let him go. Now he's with New England and he may or may not make the final team roster at the end of the exhibition season. His passing statistics have never been good, but he is a clutch player who takes charge in close games and pulls out improbable win after win. He is more a throwback to the old days of football that allowed for more of a diversity in talents. I remember the 1969 Minnesota Vikings who had as quarterback an incredibly erratic passer in Joe Capp: all they did that year was go to the Super Bowl! But Tebow has an added threat to defenses that his critics sell him short on: he is a strong, punishing runner who reminds me of the Miami Dolphin great Larry Csonka.
I remember one game last year when Tebow, while playing for the Jets at home, was sent in for a play and burst through the opposing defense, gaining a swath of yardage and putting his team on the verge of a touchdown. Right after the play, he was on fire with enthusiasm, pumping up and exciting the entire stadium in the process. Then he was promptly removed to the sidelines, starting QB Mark Sanchez came back in, and the drive completely fizzled out...not to mention the enthusiasm of the stadium fans.
That's not how you handle an asset like Tim Tebow.
Football is a team sport and involves players combining their own particular skills in concert with each other to achieve victory. Tim Tebow is an exhorter and somehow gets his teammates on the field together playing with fervency and a belief that they will prevail. In 2011, the only year he was allowed to consistently start as quarterback, he led his Denver Broncos from their division's cellar to its championship...and then defeated defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs. Then a few weeks later he was summarily traded away to the Jets, who subsequently squandered their investment and then let him go. Now he's with New England and he may or may not make the final team roster at the end of the exhibition season. His passing statistics have never been good, but he is a clutch player who takes charge in close games and pulls out improbable win after win. He is more a throwback to the old days of football that allowed for more of a diversity in talents. I remember the 1969 Minnesota Vikings who had as quarterback an incredibly erratic passer in Joe Capp: all they did that year was go to the Super Bowl! But Tebow has an added threat to defenses that his critics sell him short on: he is a strong, punishing runner who reminds me of the Miami Dolphin great Larry Csonka.
I remember one game last year when Tebow, while playing for the Jets at home, was sent in for a play and burst through the opposing defense, gaining a swath of yardage and putting his team on the verge of a touchdown. Right after the play, he was on fire with enthusiasm, pumping up and exciting the entire stadium in the process. Then he was promptly removed to the sidelines, starting QB Mark Sanchez came back in, and the drive completely fizzled out...not to mention the enthusiasm of the stadium fans.
That's not how you handle an asset like Tim Tebow.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Not a "Rookie" Mistake
In the last exhibition game that they played, which was against the cross-town rival New York Giants, the New York Jets were still struggling with their quarterback lineup. Not exactly inspiring the greatest confidence in the world, their quarterback for the past few years, Mark Sanchez, had a good enough preseason for coach Rex Ryan to announce him as the starter for this upcoming regular season. Rookie Geno Smith, who many had touted as being the better quarterback, didn't do so well and was regulated to backup. Sanchez played the first part of the Giants game while Smith came in later for the second half. The Jets found themselves up 14-13 when they got the ball deep in their own territory, by their own goal line. Smith went back to pass and, scrambling in the backfield, inadvertently stepped out of the back of his own end zone, causing a safety and giving the Giants a 15-14 lead. Coach Ryan was evidently so miffed at this that he took Smith out of the game on the next series and put in his starter Sanchez...who subsequently suffered a shoulder injury in this essentially meaningless game. Ryan came under a lot of criticism for his decision to play Sanchez, but to me saying and doing boneheaded things is what this dude is all about. What bothered me about it all is what a (probably well-paid) football analyst on TV said about Geno Smith's safety: he called it a "rookie mistake".
I don't know how to play rugby, folks. I'm sure the rules are such that if I were out on the field during a game, I would be lost as to what I should be doing. But even with my profound ignorance about this sport, I already know, without having ever played it for even a minute, that I probably don't want to step out of bounds around my own goal while holding the ball. Geno Smith was the class of the high school football world as a quarterback, which enabled him to attend a major college like West Virginia, where he succeeded so well that he was drafted as a top prospect into the National Football League. After all these years of him practically living football, I think that he already knew that you don't step out of your own end zone holding the football! He just made a mistake...don't we all from time to time. But it had nothing to do with being a "rookie": they have end zones even in neighborhood sandlot games that little kids play!
It's true that as one progresses within a sport to a more advanced level, the tempo picks up and the strategies are more complicated, putting additional mental stress on the player. But when a player who happens to be a freshman in college or a first-year rookie in the pros makes an error, it is often a simple lapse of judgement or perception and has nothing to do with lack of experience. For announcers and analysts to throw out the "rookie/freshman mistake" line in these instances just makes me want to groan (and change the channel)...
I don't know how to play rugby, folks. I'm sure the rules are such that if I were out on the field during a game, I would be lost as to what I should be doing. But even with my profound ignorance about this sport, I already know, without having ever played it for even a minute, that I probably don't want to step out of bounds around my own goal while holding the ball. Geno Smith was the class of the high school football world as a quarterback, which enabled him to attend a major college like West Virginia, where he succeeded so well that he was drafted as a top prospect into the National Football League. After all these years of him practically living football, I think that he already knew that you don't step out of your own end zone holding the football! He just made a mistake...don't we all from time to time. But it had nothing to do with being a "rookie": they have end zones even in neighborhood sandlot games that little kids play!
It's true that as one progresses within a sport to a more advanced level, the tempo picks up and the strategies are more complicated, putting additional mental stress on the player. But when a player who happens to be a freshman in college or a first-year rookie in the pros makes an error, it is often a simple lapse of judgement or perception and has nothing to do with lack of experience. For announcers and analysts to throw out the "rookie/freshman mistake" line in these instances just makes me want to groan (and change the channel)...
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Return to Outdoor Writing
It's been a while since I sat down outside to do some blog writing. Either I write something on my laptop at home (at the dining room table) or I go inside a comfortable-but-noisy coffee shop. Back in 2007 when I began this blog, I would be in the habit of writing blog articles after stopping off at one of two local Starbucks on the way to my work shift, which then began at 3:30 PM. The typically hot weather wasn't so pleasant, but it seemed that my ability to drum up topics and expound upon them was enhanced more with outdoor writing.
Maybe, especially with my old home town of Gainesville once again packed with tens of thousands of college students, I'll just forgo the indoors and hang out outside, where more seating is usually (but not always) available. That certainly was the case for me today. Besides, we're now nearing the end of August and cooler times, hopefully, are just around the corner...
Maybe, especially with my old home town of Gainesville once again packed with tens of thousands of college students, I'll just forgo the indoors and hang out outside, where more seating is usually (but not always) available. That certainly was the case for me today. Besides, we're now nearing the end of August and cooler times, hopefully, are just around the corner...
Monday, August 26, 2013
Finally Finished Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Terry Goodkind's books dominate the shelves in the fantasy section of bookstores. His Sword of Truth series is his trademark achievement, spanning twelve (or more?) volumes, periodically putting him at the top of the bestseller list and no doubt making him a very rich man. Yet when I recently got on the Internet and checked out a list of the top 25 fantasy series (George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire at the top of it), Goodkind's presence was nowhere seen...not even among the supplementary "honorable mention" list. I myself had a bit of difficulty last year with the first book, Wizard's First Rule, getting through a few hundred pages (it is gigantic) and finally putting it down in frustration. Not only did I discover that I felt an irrational aversion to this fantasy world of magic and swords (and the accompanying gore and violence), but I also experienced the same feeling that I had when reading Christopher Paolini's Eragon series: both authors probed the thoughts and intentions of their characters far too much instead of letting each story's actions and dialogue reveal their personalities as the plot progressed. This, to me, took away some of the natural mystery and suspense that could have sustained me as a reader. However, with Goodkind at least (Paolini is FAR too ponderous), I decided to give him another chance. So I went back to Wizard's First Rule and read the whole damned thing from beginning to end. And a funny thing happened: I began to like it!
It isn't quite so clear at the beginning of Wizard's First Rule, but as I read through it, I came to feel that Terry Goodkind is doing more than just spinning a yarn set in an imaginary fantasy setting. He is also laying out a philosophy for living that involves people taking responsibility for themselves while redefining the notions of what truly constitutes compassion, and how important the method is to achieving one's means. These are significant, heady topics, and Goodkind delves into them...at least in the first book. I'm getting myself ready now for the second in the series, titled Stone of Tears... Oh by the way, I read up on Goodkind and he appears to be a follower of Ayn Rand's objectivism philosophy. How that point of view is reflected in his writings should prove interesting to discover as I read on.
As for the title Wizard's First Rule, what does it mean? Simply that, in the pantheon of rules that the wizards of Goodkind's imaginary realm have listed, there stands one principle high above the others: people are stupid and will believe whatever they WANT to believe, regardless of the facts! You know what, that sounds like MY first rule as well!
It isn't quite so clear at the beginning of Wizard's First Rule, but as I read through it, I came to feel that Terry Goodkind is doing more than just spinning a yarn set in an imaginary fantasy setting. He is also laying out a philosophy for living that involves people taking responsibility for themselves while redefining the notions of what truly constitutes compassion, and how important the method is to achieving one's means. These are significant, heady topics, and Goodkind delves into them...at least in the first book. I'm getting myself ready now for the second in the series, titled Stone of Tears... Oh by the way, I read up on Goodkind and he appears to be a follower of Ayn Rand's objectivism philosophy. How that point of view is reflected in his writings should prove interesting to discover as I read on.
As for the title Wizard's First Rule, what does it mean? Simply that, in the pantheon of rules that the wizards of Goodkind's imaginary realm have listed, there stands one principle high above the others: people are stupid and will believe whatever they WANT to believe, regardless of the facts! You know what, that sounds like MY first rule as well!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Visible Nova in Delphinus Detected
Late yesterday afternoon I attended my third planetarium show at the facility in Santa Fe College, here in Gainesville. Once again James Albury hosted the event, which featured a movie adapted for domed theaters about black holes...narrated by Lian Neeson. It was O.K., I suppose, although I've gotten more information and enlightenment on the subject from watching Science Channel shows like Wormhole. Still, I enjoyed the experience of going inside the planetarium, sitting down in a comfortable chair, and digging the surroundings. And at the conclusion of the program, Mr. Albury once again gave a synopsis of the night sky for this time of year...and with a special addition.
Our host announced that a few days ago, a nova explosion was detected in the constellation Delphinus, located a little northeast of Aquila. The star, which was originally "seen" at magnitude +17, much too dim for the naked eye, suddenly brightened to where it is, at last report, +4.9...not exactly bright against the background of stars but still visible to the naked eye and certainly detectable to one (like myself) who is very familiar with the normal star patterns of that region of the sky. Last night I went out to see it, but as luck would have it, the sky was overcast...as it currently is today so far. Later this evening I'll go check it out, if the clouds have cleared out...
Our host announced that a few days ago, a nova explosion was detected in the constellation Delphinus, located a little northeast of Aquila. The star, which was originally "seen" at magnitude +17, much too dim for the naked eye, suddenly brightened to where it is, at last report, +4.9...not exactly bright against the background of stars but still visible to the naked eye and certainly detectable to one (like myself) who is very familiar with the normal star patterns of that region of the sky. Last night I went out to see it, but as luck would have it, the sky was overcast...as it currently is today so far. Later this evening I'll go check it out, if the clouds have cleared out...
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Snowball Earth, Among Other Prehistoric Disasters
I've always been interested in the origins and development of the Earth, both in its geological context and in that of the evolution of life. I am also a subscriber to Netflix, at least the streaming Netflix which much too often comes up severely lacking with its offerings of movies and shows. This time around, though, I found on it a four-part television series titled Prehistoric Disasters that explored the Earth's distant past through four key disasters that struck it over the eons.
The four "disasters" were the formation of the Moon through the collision between early Earth and a minor planet, the 25-million year long lapse into a completely ice-packed "snowball" status covering the entire globe some 650 million years ago, the eruption of a supervolcano in what is now Siberia causing a chain of events leading to excessive global warming and mass extinctions 250 million years ago, and the hypothesized collision of an asteroid with Earth about 63 million years ago causing the end of the age of the dinosaurs. I was especially interested in that strange "snowball Earth"...
Earth throughout its span of existence has gone through an extensive cycle of ice ages, when ice glaciers would flow far south of the polar regions and into more normally temperate climate zones. But 650 million years ago the ice passed a threshold of latitude and went on to cover the planet with ice, and very thick ice at that (several hundred meters). The cause: depletion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to loss of this gas as it combined with solid material through excessive weathering from the then-single, huge continental mass lying on the equator and then settled on the sea bottom, far away from the atmosphere. The advance of the ice sped up the process of global cooling because the ice's reflectivity of sunlight was much higher than the liquid ocean's, sending the sun's heat back out into space instead of absorbing it into the Earth. Life at that time, for billions of years ongoing as a matter of fact, was composed of unicellular organisms, mainly bacteria. Nearly all of the species died out, leaving only those few that could adapt through evolution. After the ice cover eventually receded from the heat generated by massive volcanic eruptions 25 million years later, life began evolving rapidly into more complex forms...but only after the "snowball" period.
By all accounts, the "snowball" period in our planet's past was a singular, nonrepeating event. That bothers me a little and keeps me from completely accepting it, even though there seems to be empirical evidence that it occurred. I would have expected at least of handful of other "snowballs", too, in the records. But if it was truly the only time that Earth was completely encased in thick, thick ice...and for millions of years at that, then to me this has to be the most incredible period of its past.
The four "disasters" were the formation of the Moon through the collision between early Earth and a minor planet, the 25-million year long lapse into a completely ice-packed "snowball" status covering the entire globe some 650 million years ago, the eruption of a supervolcano in what is now Siberia causing a chain of events leading to excessive global warming and mass extinctions 250 million years ago, and the hypothesized collision of an asteroid with Earth about 63 million years ago causing the end of the age of the dinosaurs. I was especially interested in that strange "snowball Earth"...
Earth throughout its span of existence has gone through an extensive cycle of ice ages, when ice glaciers would flow far south of the polar regions and into more normally temperate climate zones. But 650 million years ago the ice passed a threshold of latitude and went on to cover the planet with ice, and very thick ice at that (several hundred meters). The cause: depletion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to loss of this gas as it combined with solid material through excessive weathering from the then-single, huge continental mass lying on the equator and then settled on the sea bottom, far away from the atmosphere. The advance of the ice sped up the process of global cooling because the ice's reflectivity of sunlight was much higher than the liquid ocean's, sending the sun's heat back out into space instead of absorbing it into the Earth. Life at that time, for billions of years ongoing as a matter of fact, was composed of unicellular organisms, mainly bacteria. Nearly all of the species died out, leaving only those few that could adapt through evolution. After the ice cover eventually receded from the heat generated by massive volcanic eruptions 25 million years later, life began evolving rapidly into more complex forms...but only after the "snowball" period.
By all accounts, the "snowball" period in our planet's past was a singular, nonrepeating event. That bothers me a little and keeps me from completely accepting it, even though there seems to be empirical evidence that it occurred. I would have expected at least of handful of other "snowballs", too, in the records. But if it was truly the only time that Earth was completely encased in thick, thick ice...and for millions of years at that, then to me this has to be the most incredible period of its past.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Three Old Miami Dolphins Shun President
This past Tuesday the President received the 1972 Miami Dolphins team at the White House East Room as they together celebrated forty years of being the only team to go completely undefeated in a National Football League season...throughout that year's regular season, divisional and conference playoffs, and culminating with a Super Bowl victory. Hall of Fame Dolphin greats Bob Griese, Larry Little, and Larry Csonka were among those there, as well as legendary coach Don Shula. The current Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross footed the bill to bring them to Washington, which I thought was a nice gesture on his part. But three of those '72 Dolphins players spurned the event because they said they were politically opposed to the sitting President. Jim Langer, Bob Kuechenberg, and Manny Fernandez not only didn't attend, but they had to throw in some political trash talk into something that was a nonpolitical visit to their elected Head of State. It could have been Republican President Romney instead of Democratic President Obama for all the difference it makes: in my opinion these three players, who obviously were under no compulsion from any one side to attend, are lacking in basic civics education and appreciation. We live in a representative democracy, and as such, will sometimes collectively elect people into leadership positions with whom we, as individuals, have political differences. Still, we should respect the PROCESS and the POSITION to honor the results of those elections and thereby respect whoever happens to be holding office at a particular time. I wonder, had Romney been in there and held this commemoration, whether some of the more liberal members of that '72 Dolphins team would have shunned him. There's no way of knowing for sure, but if that had happened it would have been just as wrong as what these three did. For the record, by the way, owner Ross happens to be a proud Republican who clearly gets it when it comes to truly appreciating what it means to live in a democratic republic...as well as being a class act. Too bad that some don't...
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Football Teams I'm Rooting For and Against
I can't tell you which teams will be the best in professional and college football this 2013 season, but I still have my own favorites...some of them will undoubtedly flop! I decided to pick at least one team from each NFL division and one from the major NCAA conferences to cheer for and boo against, and here they are:
NFL: AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST
Cheer: Miami Dolphins, of course
Boo: New England Patriots
SOUTH
Cheer: Jacksonville Jaguars
Boo: Houston Texans
NORTH
Cheer: Baltimore Ravens
Boo: Pittsburgh Steelers
WEST
Cheer: Kansas City Chiefs
Boo: Denver Broncos
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EAST
Cheer: New York Giants
Boo: Dallas Cowboys
SOUTH
Cheer: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Boo: New Orleans Saints
NORTH
Cheer: Chicago Bears
Boo: Detroit Lions
WEST
Cheer: Seattle Seahawks
Boo: St. Louis Rams
NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SEC CONFERENCE
EAST
Cheer: Florida Gators
Boo: Georgia Bulldogs
WEST
Cheer: LSU Tigers
Boo: Alabama Crimson Tide
BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Cheer: Michigan State Spartans
Boo: Ohio State Buckeyes
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Cheer: Kansas State Wildcats
Boo: Oklahoma Sooners
PAC 12 CONFERENCE
Cheer: Oregon Ducks
Boo: USC Condoms
Oh, and I need to mention independent Notre Dame, a team that I traditionally root against. I will be booing them again this year...
NFL: AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST
Cheer: Miami Dolphins, of course
Boo: New England Patriots
SOUTH
Cheer: Jacksonville Jaguars
Boo: Houston Texans
NORTH
Cheer: Baltimore Ravens
Boo: Pittsburgh Steelers
WEST
Cheer: Kansas City Chiefs
Boo: Denver Broncos
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EAST
Cheer: New York Giants
Boo: Dallas Cowboys
SOUTH
Cheer: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Boo: New Orleans Saints
NORTH
Cheer: Chicago Bears
Boo: Detroit Lions
WEST
Cheer: Seattle Seahawks
Boo: St. Louis Rams
NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SEC CONFERENCE
EAST
Cheer: Florida Gators
Boo: Georgia Bulldogs
WEST
Cheer: LSU Tigers
Boo: Alabama Crimson Tide
BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Cheer: Michigan State Spartans
Boo: Ohio State Buckeyes
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Cheer: Kansas State Wildcats
Boo: Oklahoma Sooners
PAC 12 CONFERENCE
Cheer: Oregon Ducks
Boo: USC Condoms
Oh, and I need to mention independent Notre Dame, a team that I traditionally root against. I will be booing them again this year...
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
TV Science Shows: More Math, Please
I appreciate much of the science programming I see on television when it is available. I especially like shows about cosmology, physics, and astronomy. Usually it is the Science Channel that provides this programming. Shows like Wormhole and Wonders of the Universe are great, and anything narrated by Morgan Freeman (admittedly NOT a scientist) or physicists Michio Kaku and Brian Cox are interesting to watch. I like the popularization of cutting edge scientific research, and wish there was more programming available like this. But although I enjoy the intriguing material that is presented, I feel that there is still a massive cognitive gulf between professional scientists and the lay observer. The chief cause of this gulf is the massive difference in mastery of the mathematics necessary to fully understand much of the theory and method.
Unfortunately, mathematics in itself isn't that glamorous. But if more complex and advanced mathematics are introduced and explained in combination with various discoveries and theories, I believe that many viewers, myself included, would be able to catch on and more fully appreciate not only the exciting scientific advances that are going on today, but also better grasp some of the limitations and disagreements that cause scientists within a particular field to go down divergent paths with their theories and speculation.
In no field is the need for a deeper understanding of underlying mathematics more felt than in physics, especially that which is concerned about the origin and nature of our universe. For one physicist to enumerate more than ten dimensions (string theory) while another reduces everything to just one dimension makes me scratch my head in frustration. I'd like a little more in-depth probing of their thought processes than just see them sitting around throwing out their ideas, which may or may not be sufficiently backed up by empirical research or mathematically reasoned theory...
Unfortunately, mathematics in itself isn't that glamorous. But if more complex and advanced mathematics are introduced and explained in combination with various discoveries and theories, I believe that many viewers, myself included, would be able to catch on and more fully appreciate not only the exciting scientific advances that are going on today, but also better grasp some of the limitations and disagreements that cause scientists within a particular field to go down divergent paths with their theories and speculation.
In no field is the need for a deeper understanding of underlying mathematics more felt than in physics, especially that which is concerned about the origin and nature of our universe. For one physicist to enumerate more than ten dimensions (string theory) while another reduces everything to just one dimension makes me scratch my head in frustration. I'd like a little more in-depth probing of their thought processes than just see them sitting around throwing out their ideas, which may or may not be sufficiently backed up by empirical research or mathematically reasoned theory...
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Upcoming Running Race Prospects for Me
I thought it might be a good idea for me to list the upcoming running races that I have an interest in entering. I'll stay away from most of them, I'm sure...not because I physically can't handle the race load, but rather because these events cost some money. A little spent here and there is reasonable, but there is something to be said against overdoing it, too. The locations are all Gainesville unless otherwise specified...
August 23 (Friday)...Fit2Run Cross Country Challenge (10K event) (off West Newberry Road)
September 28 (Saturday)...chORD Half-Marathon (on UF campus)
October 5 (Saturday)...Jacksonville Marine Corps Half-Marathon
October 20 (Sunday)...Running for the Bay Half-Marathon (in Apalachicola)
October 27 (Sunday)...Light House Loop Half-Marathon (in Port Orange)
November 9 (Saturday)...InnerAct Alliance Half-Marathon (in Lakeland)
November 16 (Saturday)...Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon (on Hawthorne Trail)
December 14 (Saturday)...Season of Hope 15K (on Hawthorne Trail)
December 29 (Sunday)...Jacksonville Bank Half-Marathon
2014: January 19 (Sunday)...Ocala Half-Marathon
February 16 (Sunday)...FivePoints Half-Marathon
I'm sure other races will sprout up from time to time, and Florida is full of half-marathons during the winter months. But at least through February next year, the preceding pool of races offer me the best choices. There are four half-marathons that I definitely want to run: chORD on September 28, Tom Walker Memorial on November 16, Ocala on January 19, and FivePoints on February 16. Also, it would be cool to fit in a race that involved a little travel. That Jacksonville race on December 29 may be a stretch, but I've never run there before...
August 23 (Friday)...Fit2Run Cross Country Challenge (10K event) (off West Newberry Road)
September 28 (Saturday)...chORD Half-Marathon (on UF campus)
October 5 (Saturday)...Jacksonville Marine Corps Half-Marathon
October 20 (Sunday)...Running for the Bay Half-Marathon (in Apalachicola)
October 27 (Sunday)...Light House Loop Half-Marathon (in Port Orange)
November 9 (Saturday)...InnerAct Alliance Half-Marathon (in Lakeland)
November 16 (Saturday)...Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon (on Hawthorne Trail)
December 14 (Saturday)...Season of Hope 15K (on Hawthorne Trail)
December 29 (Sunday)...Jacksonville Bank Half-Marathon
2014: January 19 (Sunday)...Ocala Half-Marathon
February 16 (Sunday)...FivePoints Half-Marathon
I'm sure other races will sprout up from time to time, and Florida is full of half-marathons during the winter months. But at least through February next year, the preceding pool of races offer me the best choices. There are four half-marathons that I definitely want to run: chORD on September 28, Tom Walker Memorial on November 16, Ocala on January 19, and FivePoints on February 16. Also, it would be cool to fit in a race that involved a little travel. That Jacksonville race on December 29 may be a stretch, but I've never run there before...
Monday, August 19, 2013
Good Ten-Mile Run Today
This afternoon I woke up (I work the graveyard shift) and felt a little out of sorts, but I resolved to go out anyway and try to run a bit. It being in the oppressively hot 90's outdoors, I decided to go down to my local gym and run the treadmill. First I was going to run 3-4 miles, but as I went along I kept going. And going. And going! After a while, I realized that this was going to be a very good, long run...so why not go for 10 miles? And that I did, at my usual pace and accomplishing it in 89 minutes 48 seconds. I feel great right now, a few hours after the run. And that includes my right foot, which had been giving me some problems going back to March.
Ten miles is the furthest I've run since the 13.1 I did in the Orange Blossom Half-Marathon in Tavares, Florida back in March. And unless I am actually running in an official half-marathon race, ten miles is my preset maximum for a run. So I feel I'm ready for next month's half-marathon at the University of Florida. I know this run I did today was a treadmill run and not a road run, but I am not going outside to do any long runs until the temperature comes down a bit...
Ten miles is the furthest I've run since the 13.1 I did in the Orange Blossom Half-Marathon in Tavares, Florida back in March. And unless I am actually running in an official half-marathon race, ten miles is my preset maximum for a run. So I feel I'm ready for next month's half-marathon at the University of Florida. I know this run I did today was a treadmill run and not a road run, but I am not going outside to do any long runs until the temperature comes down a bit...
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Paynes Prairie, South of Gainesville
When I first moved to Gainesville in 1977, and for years afterward, the grassland area south of town known as Paynes Prairie was always striking when I passed across it, either on US 441 or I-75. In this part of Florida trees dominate, but in Paynes Prairie they clear away and one can see far off into the distance. In this sense it reminds me of South Florida, where I grew up. About a century ago, it was the bottom of a shallow lake called Lake Alachua. But when there is a heavy rainfall season, it once again becomes essentially a very marshy lake. Alligators abound here, and there is a bison herd. There is a state park here, as well as a park for University of Florida staff, faculty, and students at adjacent Lake Wauberg.
The grasslands are probably still around, but probably somewhere off from the two aforementioned through-roads. From where we passed through, all I can see now are low-lying bushes...not as spectacular of a view as I was used to behold. There is a pier running east into the prairie off US 441 northbound side, close to the northern end, where visitors can walk safely "into" Paynes Prairie and stand at its end, which is an observation platform. I think this might be a good place to go star-gazing sometime.
Here are a couple of not-so-revealing shots of Paynes Prairie taken from I-75 while I was riding (not driving) on it the other day...
The grasslands are probably still around, but probably somewhere off from the two aforementioned through-roads. From where we passed through, all I can see now are low-lying bushes...not as spectacular of a view as I was used to behold. There is a pier running east into the prairie off US 441 northbound side, close to the northern end, where visitors can walk safely "into" Paynes Prairie and stand at its end, which is an observation platform. I think this might be a good place to go star-gazing sometime.
Here are a couple of not-so-revealing shots of Paynes Prairie taken from I-75 while I was riding (not driving) on it the other day...
Saturday, August 17, 2013
McDonald's Sign: Thirty Minute Sitting Limit
We were coming back yesterday to Gainesville from Lakeland when we pulled into a McDonald's off I-75 in Dade City. It was one of the friendliest McDonald's I've ever been to and the service was excellent. There was only one problem with the place as I saw it: there was a prominent sign there telling customers to limit their visits there to thirty minutes. Longer than that they considered as "loitering". I've seen this sort of sign at the McDonald's in Gainesville which is on US 441 a block from the University of Florida campus. What gives here? Isn't that sign something of an affront, essentially telling customers to pay up and then get lost?
My instincts tell me that, as long as you are continually getting up and buying stuff from time to time, these McDonald's managers wouldn't care if you stayed there the whole day. After all, they try to bring in longer-staying customers with their free Wi-Fi and the espresso coffee drinks they offer, obviously wanting to siphon off some of those free-spending Starbucks customers (who tend to stay glued to their seats for long stretches). The problem I see that probably prompted the signs is twofold: sometimes people will wander into an establishment like a McDonald's just for a place to sit...many of these may be homeless. That probably applies more to the Gainesville location than to the one in Dade City. Also, students tend to camp out with their laptops and books and monopolize seats for hours...and some of them have the nerve to not even buy anything! I often go out to places to study, and I usually take well over thirty minutes there. But if I'm done with what I had initially purchased and it looks as if I may need to stay there a little longer, I'll make a point of going back up to the counter and buying something else. That I thinks soothes the worries of anyone working there who thinks that I am trying to take advantage of their seating hospitality. After all, they're in it to make money and have a right to ensure good available seating for paying customers...
My instincts tell me that, as long as you are continually getting up and buying stuff from time to time, these McDonald's managers wouldn't care if you stayed there the whole day. After all, they try to bring in longer-staying customers with their free Wi-Fi and the espresso coffee drinks they offer, obviously wanting to siphon off some of those free-spending Starbucks customers (who tend to stay glued to their seats for long stretches). The problem I see that probably prompted the signs is twofold: sometimes people will wander into an establishment like a McDonald's just for a place to sit...many of these may be homeless. That probably applies more to the Gainesville location than to the one in Dade City. Also, students tend to camp out with their laptops and books and monopolize seats for hours...and some of them have the nerve to not even buy anything! I often go out to places to study, and I usually take well over thirty minutes there. But if I'm done with what I had initially purchased and it looks as if I may need to stay there a little longer, I'll make a point of going back up to the counter and buying something else. That I thinks soothes the worries of anyone working there who thinks that I am trying to take advantage of their seating hospitality. After all, they're in it to make money and have a right to ensure good available seating for paying customers...
Friday, August 16, 2013
They're He-e-re!
Earlier this afternoon I was riding south on Interstate 75, which skirts the western end of Gainesville. I got on it at Exit 390, which was the furthest north exit for my home town. I passed Exit 387, which connects with Newberry Road and the Oaks Mall areas. Then, less than three minutes later was Exit 384, which leads to Archer Road and the region of student apartments and condos. Its northbound exit was so backed up that there was stopped traffic going well into the interstate lane. It had begun: the annual return of University of Florida students by the thousands!
I'm sure this new collection of students will seem even younger than the previous ones (funny how that works). Most of them will be confined more or less to the University campus, their own apartments/dorms/condos, and the surrounding shopping areas. But when it comes to going to Starbucks again, I know I'll have an almost impossible task of finding indoor seating...because they'll be he-e-re, too!
I'm sure this new collection of students will seem even younger than the previous ones (funny how that works). Most of them will be confined more or less to the University campus, their own apartments/dorms/condos, and the surrounding shopping areas. But when it comes to going to Starbucks again, I know I'll have an almost impossible task of finding indoor seating...because they'll be he-e-re, too!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Egyptian Violence Dismaying
Like many other people, I am very dismayed at what is happening in Egypt, with the elected Muslim Brotherhood overthrown by the military and massive violence intensifying between protesters and the police/army, resulting in many deaths and injuries. Each side accuses the other of provoking the violence, and nobody is backing down. And with such a conflict, there are inevitably scapegoats that are wrongly blamed for the situation. Christian churches are being attacked and destroyed, and the old standbys of Israel and its American ally are once again also being used as scapegoats to foment agitation and hatred against us.
It's true that the Muslim Brotherhood was democratically elected, but I have a problem with newly elected parties and/or individuals in countries without democratic traditions immediately taking actions after taking office to enact laws restricting or even outlawing political opposition. It is a widespread problem. I remember Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe doing this as well as Russia's Vladimir Putin and Venezuela's late Hugo Chavez. Apparently the (former) president Mohamed Morsi was trying to consolidate his power this way as well, and it didn't sit well with the military.
The Muslim Brotherhood is not going away, and the government's actions against it may officially marginalize it and its members while making it more radical and violent. On the other hand, there is a sizable portion of Egypt's voting population that supported this organization in the last election, and whatever prompted them to give them their support needs to be taken into account by whatever party that holds the reins of political power...
It's true that the Muslim Brotherhood was democratically elected, but I have a problem with newly elected parties and/or individuals in countries without democratic traditions immediately taking actions after taking office to enact laws restricting or even outlawing political opposition. It is a widespread problem. I remember Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe doing this as well as Russia's Vladimir Putin and Venezuela's late Hugo Chavez. Apparently the (former) president Mohamed Morsi was trying to consolidate his power this way as well, and it didn't sit well with the military.
The Muslim Brotherhood is not going away, and the government's actions against it may officially marginalize it and its members while making it more radical and violent. On the other hand, there is a sizable portion of Egypt's voting population that supported this organization in the last election, and whatever prompted them to give them their support needs to be taken into account by whatever party that holds the reins of political power...
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Entering Local Population Congestation Zone
The summer still technically has more than a month to go, and certainly the oppressive heat and humidity that typifies it where I live is going to linger for a considerable time as well. But in one important sense, for me, summer in one of its more positive manifestations is about to crash down to a merciless, bitter end...starting around now and then dramatically spiking in effect next Wednesday. School is starting again.
No, I am not attending any school right now. And I'm not driving either of my children to school in the morning or picking them up in the afternoon. Those days are done, although who knows whether or not I'll someday decide to "go back" to enter a graduate level program. The main effect of school returning will be the overwhelming congestion on two fronts: the return of University of Florida students by the tens of thousands as well as the return of public school, with its rush hours and buses stopping everywhere in the middle of the road. Santa Fe College in the northwestern corner of town contributes a lot to the crowded streets as well.
With both UF and public schools, I particularly feel the congestion nowadays with my current work schedule as I leave my workplace at 7:30 AM and drive up a street, first passing through intense university student traffic in the southwestern part of town and then past schools and residential areas clogged up with buses and parents-with-kids (and slowdown school zones). So next Wednesday it will begin anew...
There is another aggravation associated with the resumption of school, and it involves mainly the returning University and Santa Fe College students. They tend to take all of the seats at the various Starbucks and other coffee houses in town, often camping out for hours there and sometimes not even buying anything. Of course, there is a place that these students tend to overlook: McDonald's, which always seems to have plenty of seating and provides good-tasting, less expensive coffee anyway. They also tend to steer clear of doughnut shops, which are more the habitats of gabby seniors. Looks like I might as well start with these places if I want some assurance of seating when I go out to study...
No, I am not attending any school right now. And I'm not driving either of my children to school in the morning or picking them up in the afternoon. Those days are done, although who knows whether or not I'll someday decide to "go back" to enter a graduate level program. The main effect of school returning will be the overwhelming congestion on two fronts: the return of University of Florida students by the tens of thousands as well as the return of public school, with its rush hours and buses stopping everywhere in the middle of the road. Santa Fe College in the northwestern corner of town contributes a lot to the crowded streets as well.
With both UF and public schools, I particularly feel the congestion nowadays with my current work schedule as I leave my workplace at 7:30 AM and drive up a street, first passing through intense university student traffic in the southwestern part of town and then past schools and residential areas clogged up with buses and parents-with-kids (and slowdown school zones). So next Wednesday it will begin anew...
There is another aggravation associated with the resumption of school, and it involves mainly the returning University and Santa Fe College students. They tend to take all of the seats at the various Starbucks and other coffee houses in town, often camping out for hours there and sometimes not even buying anything. Of course, there is a place that these students tend to overlook: McDonald's, which always seems to have plenty of seating and provides good-tasting, less expensive coffee anyway. They also tend to steer clear of doughnut shops, which are more the habitats of gabby seniors. Looks like I might as well start with these places if I want some assurance of seating when I go out to study...
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Convention Center Enormous, Want to Run in It
Monday, August 12, 2013
Summer Heat So Stifling, Alerts Issued
I just saw a weather alert for northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia, and I'm not surprised. It was to warn people of excessive heat. No kidding. I had just been to my local gym (Gainesville Health and Fitness Center) and run 6.2 miles on the treadmill without any problem in the air-conditioned environment there. But after the run, when I stepped out of the place to walk the few yards outside to my car, I thought this heat is almost unbearable, just being out in it for a couple of minutes. I managed to get the car slightly cooled down on the drive home, but once again, after I parked and got out to walk the few feet to my front door, the heat was hard to withstand. The temperatures are in the mid to upper 90's but the heat index has it around 104-105 degrees.
It has been a while since I have run any appreciable distance outside, on the road like I used to so much in the past. The night is awful, too. When I drove to work at a little past ten last night, the temperature was 82...and the humidity was stifling. When I went out of my workplace building on my lunch break at 5 AM, it felt like a blanket covering everything outside, the air felt so heavy. Yuck!
It has been a while since I have run any appreciable distance outside, on the road like I used to so much in the past. The night is awful, too. When I drove to work at a little past ten last night, the temperature was 82...and the humidity was stifling. When I went out of my workplace building on my lunch break at 5 AM, it felt like a blanket covering everything outside, the air felt so heavy. Yuck!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Planetarium and Perseids
Friday afternoon I woke up with a sense of purpose. This time around I wouldn't forget the weekly planetarium show that Santa Fe College put on Friday evenings. There were two shows, the first at 7 PM a look at the sky and interesting features and the second, at 9, more or less a light show done to the tune of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album. I chose the former, going there again with Melissa. James Albury of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium was there again as well, presenting the show. He reiterated some things from our visit there three weeks ago and showed where the planets and moon would be seen for the next few days (Venus and Moon were close to each other in the early evening sky Friday tonight). Albury had also brought in for display a 75-pound meteorite, composed of iron and nickel...and very magnetic...and very dense and heavy. Melissa got a photo of it, as well as one of the facility's two projectors, this one the simpler non-digital model that Albury used for Friday's show. The digital projector, he told me after the show, had the ability to show the movements of stars against the sky's background over spans of hundreds and thousands of years. But for Friday we stuck with the analog one.
I'm going to try to make at least a monthly habit of dropping by the planetarium to see what's going on. This month, of course...and the reason for the meteorite...was August's Perseid meteor shower, which I was just outside observing (at 3 in the morning). The peak observing nights would have been tomorrow, but I'll be at work then. In any event, I stood out there in my freshly mowed back yard under ideal cloudless conditions eyeballing the constellation Perseus for a good twenty-to-twenty-five minutes. For my trouble I saw one clear meteor, a pretty bright and very brief streak of light left of Perseus in the vacant part of the sky between Perseus and Polaris known as the constellation Camelopardalis. That was at 3:18. Well, that's one more meteor than I believe I've ever seen with this, the supposedly biggest meteor shower of the year...
I'm going to try to make at least a monthly habit of dropping by the planetarium to see what's going on. This month, of course...and the reason for the meteorite...was August's Perseid meteor shower, which I was just outside observing (at 3 in the morning). The peak observing nights would have been tomorrow, but I'll be at work then. In any event, I stood out there in my freshly mowed back yard under ideal cloudless conditions eyeballing the constellation Perseus for a good twenty-to-twenty-five minutes. For my trouble I saw one clear meteor, a pretty bright and very brief streak of light left of Perseus in the vacant part of the sky between Perseus and Polaris known as the constellation Camelopardalis. That was at 3:18. Well, that's one more meteor than I believe I've ever seen with this, the supposedly biggest meteor shower of the year...
Saturday, August 10, 2013
More Running Mileage, But Avoid Summer Heat
Earlier today I woke up as usual in the afternoon and tried to figure out the best way to get my running in. The weather was very hot and not conducive to this kind of exertion, although in the past I wouldn't have had second thoughts about running in it, even for long distances. But now is now, and instead Inwent to my local gym to run in air conditioning. Later, though, I did mow my back yard in the 95-degree heat. It seems that my run didn't tire me out at all, but that lawn mowing exhausted me terribly.
In the last two days I have run 7.6 and 6.7 miles, quite an uptake in the mileage. The right foot doesn't seem to be causing me problems like it used to, but still I have to consider the rest of my body and how it responds to a higher, level of training. No sense in overdoing it...
In the last two days I have run 7.6 and 6.7 miles, quite an uptake in the mileage. The right foot doesn't seem to be causing me problems like it used to, but still I have to consider the rest of my body and how it responds to a higher, level of training. No sense in overdoing it...
Friday, August 9, 2013
Obama Petulantly Snubs Putin
As the G-20 gathering in Saint Petersburg, Russia approaches next month, President Obama has regrettably taken a page from counterproductive actions that previous administrations have adopted. He has canceled a planned summit meeting with Russia's president Vladimir Putin, immediately on the heels of that country's granting of temporary asylum to turncoat/whistleblower (depending on your point of view) Edward Snowden. Obama mentioned other issues beside the Snowden asylum, such as stringent new Russian anti-gay laws passed under the pretext of protecting children. But the obvious factor tipping the scales in favor of shunning this important country's leader was the asylum.
One of the worst human rights violators in recent memory, China under Mao Zedong, had shut itself off from the West (and even the fellow Communist Soviet bloc for that matter) in the 1960's. But American president Richard Nixon, seeing the bigger picture, sent his envoy Henry Kissinger there in 1969 to open up relations between the two nations. And this was in the middle of their Cultural Revolution, which makes any human rights issues going on right now in Russia seem trivial by comparison. On the other extreme, President Carter in 1979 declared that the U.S. would boycott the Summer Olympics the following year in Moscow as a knee-jerk protest reaction to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. That accomplished nothing besides punishing American athletes whose window of opportunity to achieve international recognition within their often-obscure sports came and went. The USSR stayed in Afghanistan throughout the 1980's. Maybe in retrospect they should have remained there. Then, just a few years ago, the Dubya-Bush administration openly snubbed Iran's asinine former president Ahmadinejad, even going so far as the president's wife Laura Bush turning away from him when he was physically close by just to avoid acknowledging his existence. Obama was going to change all that, though, with the philosophy that it was better to engage with your adversary than to cut off direct communications. I remember him back when he shook the hand of Venezuela's controversial president, the late Hugo Chavez, early in his first term. Unfortunately, Obama seems to have forgotten his principle of engagement and reverted to petulant (and silly) Carter and Dubya shunning behavior...
It might be said that Obama can talk with Putin anytime he wants, or vice versa, just by picking up the phone, and that the canceled summit meeting was just a public relations/political show. If so, then why not cancel the entire G-20 summit as well? Isn't all of it essentially just a lot of political posturing to prop up the regimes of the various countries involved by making their flawed leaders appear to be effective international statesmen? What a joke...
One of the worst human rights violators in recent memory, China under Mao Zedong, had shut itself off from the West (and even the fellow Communist Soviet bloc for that matter) in the 1960's. But American president Richard Nixon, seeing the bigger picture, sent his envoy Henry Kissinger there in 1969 to open up relations between the two nations. And this was in the middle of their Cultural Revolution, which makes any human rights issues going on right now in Russia seem trivial by comparison. On the other extreme, President Carter in 1979 declared that the U.S. would boycott the Summer Olympics the following year in Moscow as a knee-jerk protest reaction to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. That accomplished nothing besides punishing American athletes whose window of opportunity to achieve international recognition within their often-obscure sports came and went. The USSR stayed in Afghanistan throughout the 1980's. Maybe in retrospect they should have remained there. Then, just a few years ago, the Dubya-Bush administration openly snubbed Iran's asinine former president Ahmadinejad, even going so far as the president's wife Laura Bush turning away from him when he was physically close by just to avoid acknowledging his existence. Obama was going to change all that, though, with the philosophy that it was better to engage with your adversary than to cut off direct communications. I remember him back when he shook the hand of Venezuela's controversial president, the late Hugo Chavez, early in his first term. Unfortunately, Obama seems to have forgotten his principle of engagement and reverted to petulant (and silly) Carter and Dubya shunning behavior...
It might be said that Obama can talk with Putin anytime he wants, or vice versa, just by picking up the phone, and that the canceled summit meeting was just a public relations/political show. If so, then why not cancel the entire G-20 summit as well? Isn't all of it essentially just a lot of political posturing to prop up the regimes of the various countries involved by making their flawed leaders appear to be effective international statesmen? What a joke...
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Denomination Rumination
Earlier this week I attended the annual convention of a major Pentecostal Christian denomination. Religion was not the direct reason for my attendance...but it does figure into things to a degree. I'm not Pentecostal, either, but that wasn't necessarily a major factor in my reactions to the event. Apart from being amazed at the vastness of the convention hall we went to (Orange County Convention Center West), I experienced being inundated by the sheer number and intensity of humanity around me. I also ran into some notions about "real" Christianity that I've experienced in the past, not just from this denomination either...
The preeminent message of this convention was BELIEVE...in Jesus Christ of course...and you will be saved and live eternally in his presence. I dig it...this is the essence of Christianity as I see it. But then I had to be inundated by loud, loud, LOUD services that seemed more bent on piercing my eardrums than getting the message across or worshiping God. This denomination openly distinguishes itself as being a living church...as opposed to all those other "dead" churches out there. Apparently, extreme loudness is a prerequisite to being "alive" here. It made me wish for a return to the monastic system when monks took oaths of silence for long stretches of time. Also, being expected to stand up for very long periods in cramped quarters during the praise worship just made my legs ache badly (and I'm a runner!). But see, that's "living" and I guess "sitting" and worshiping that way would be "dead". So the events already were getting under my skin and actually interfering, not helping, me to get into a more spiritual mental framework. But their beliefs, as well as the beliefs of many denominations and churches are such that they demand for a large mass of believing people to cram physically together in a space in order to enhance the presence of the Lord...talk about worshiping according to a formula.
The main focus of this denomination is missionary work, and although America-birthed, it now has many more members in other countries than it does domestically. I am on board with religions being allowed and welcome to advertise and promote themselves through missionary work, although truth be told, I don't notice people in Christian-based Western societies showing that much openness to Islam or Eastern faiths expanding their numbers among THEM.
I have a different kind of issue with all that I've heard, though, and it concerns not just this denomination but others as well. I happen to believe that one of the main problems facing our society in America these days is not workaholics overdoing it trying to materially better themselves, but on the contrary more and more people, especially the young, living in an economically dependent state and doing little or nothing to sustain themselves through work (which is Biblically important, according to the Apostle Paul) and rejecting employment opportunities when they do surface because they don't dovetail with their interests. But when I hear testimonies, I get the message that somehow if you're a responsible, mature person who goes to work, earns your money, provides a home for yourself and your family, and occasionally likes to enjoy some recreation, then that's idolatry...worshipping the all-mighty dollar...and that you're going nowhere with your life. I see all these young people growing up and being shunted off to Bible colleges...and then going into voluntary missionary work that depends on sponsorships from others. I don't suppose that this is necessarily a bad thing in itself...please try to understand...I just resent the judgement I feel marginalizes ME as I responsibly live my own working life...which actually tangibly contributes to the functioning of my own society! But the mindset I detected at this convention is that unless you're doing something that has "Jesus" openly and clearly stamped all over it, then you're just wasting your life, spinning your wheels in the fallen secular world and in doing so denying the Lord.
One more thing: I am tired of denominations rolling out the number figures and computing the number of "Christians" in a given area by reciting their own membership numbers there. In the early 1990's I ran across a Southern Baptist brochure calling for outreach in my own home state of Florida, where there were reported to be (then) nine million lost souls. In other words, nine million unbelievers... as well as Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and any other non-Southern Baptist professing Christians. Talk about living in a bubble. This denomination in their big convention did something very similar, equating their worldwide membership with the number of people saved through Jesus.
It sounds like I'm coming down heavily on this particular denomination, but I'm not. I'm happy that these people feel joy and purpose in their lives. They stand for virtuous behavior and are against crime and sexual and drug abuse. God bless them all. I'd just like someone out there who is a Christian big-shot to accept me the way I am without regarding me as someone who needs to be changed...
The preeminent message of this convention was BELIEVE...in Jesus Christ of course...and you will be saved and live eternally in his presence. I dig it...this is the essence of Christianity as I see it. But then I had to be inundated by loud, loud, LOUD services that seemed more bent on piercing my eardrums than getting the message across or worshiping God. This denomination openly distinguishes itself as being a living church...as opposed to all those other "dead" churches out there. Apparently, extreme loudness is a prerequisite to being "alive" here. It made me wish for a return to the monastic system when monks took oaths of silence for long stretches of time. Also, being expected to stand up for very long periods in cramped quarters during the praise worship just made my legs ache badly (and I'm a runner!). But see, that's "living" and I guess "sitting" and worshiping that way would be "dead". So the events already were getting under my skin and actually interfering, not helping, me to get into a more spiritual mental framework. But their beliefs, as well as the beliefs of many denominations and churches are such that they demand for a large mass of believing people to cram physically together in a space in order to enhance the presence of the Lord...talk about worshiping according to a formula.
The main focus of this denomination is missionary work, and although America-birthed, it now has many more members in other countries than it does domestically. I am on board with religions being allowed and welcome to advertise and promote themselves through missionary work, although truth be told, I don't notice people in Christian-based Western societies showing that much openness to Islam or Eastern faiths expanding their numbers among THEM.
I have a different kind of issue with all that I've heard, though, and it concerns not just this denomination but others as well. I happen to believe that one of the main problems facing our society in America these days is not workaholics overdoing it trying to materially better themselves, but on the contrary more and more people, especially the young, living in an economically dependent state and doing little or nothing to sustain themselves through work (which is Biblically important, according to the Apostle Paul) and rejecting employment opportunities when they do surface because they don't dovetail with their interests. But when I hear testimonies, I get the message that somehow if you're a responsible, mature person who goes to work, earns your money, provides a home for yourself and your family, and occasionally likes to enjoy some recreation, then that's idolatry...worshipping the all-mighty dollar...and that you're going nowhere with your life. I see all these young people growing up and being shunted off to Bible colleges...and then going into voluntary missionary work that depends on sponsorships from others. I don't suppose that this is necessarily a bad thing in itself...please try to understand...I just resent the judgement I feel marginalizes ME as I responsibly live my own working life...which actually tangibly contributes to the functioning of my own society! But the mindset I detected at this convention is that unless you're doing something that has "Jesus" openly and clearly stamped all over it, then you're just wasting your life, spinning your wheels in the fallen secular world and in doing so denying the Lord.
One more thing: I am tired of denominations rolling out the number figures and computing the number of "Christians" in a given area by reciting their own membership numbers there. In the early 1990's I ran across a Southern Baptist brochure calling for outreach in my own home state of Florida, where there were reported to be (then) nine million lost souls. In other words, nine million unbelievers... as well as Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and any other non-Southern Baptist professing Christians. Talk about living in a bubble. This denomination in their big convention did something very similar, equating their worldwide membership with the number of people saved through Jesus.
It sounds like I'm coming down heavily on this particular denomination, but I'm not. I'm happy that these people feel joy and purpose in their lives. They stand for virtuous behavior and are against crime and sexual and drug abuse. God bless them all. I'd just like someone out there who is a Christian big-shot to accept me the way I am without regarding me as someone who needs to be changed...
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Nix the Regret, Take Responsibility for the Present
I think one of the biggest delusions that some people hold onto in their lives is that their opportunities have passed them by. Often people will look back on their adolescent and early adult years and harp with intense regret on decisions they made then that they now believe cut them off forever from attaining their dreams, especially in the area of careers. But in truth, opportunities abound throughout one's lifetime for returning to those dreams; but it does take a personal transformation of a radical nature for many of these to see themselves as empowered and responsible for their own destinies and to behave in a positive and proactive way, rather than with the passive, critical, and reactive mindset that they have deeply become habituated to.
In fact, it makes no difference whether one got it "right" from the beginning, had great early success, or had personal obstacles to their ambitions. It's a universal characteristic of a viable, individual, sentient being that when things aren't working out the way we want, then we, as personally responsible individuals, have to figure out how to change our situations for the better and then act on them. Over and over and over again, throughout our lives! And the best time to realize that is RIGHT NOW...
In fact, it makes no difference whether one got it "right" from the beginning, had great early success, or had personal obstacles to their ambitions. It's a universal characteristic of a viable, individual, sentient being that when things aren't working out the way we want, then we, as personally responsible individuals, have to figure out how to change our situations for the better and then act on them. Over and over and over again, throughout our lives! And the best time to realize that is RIGHT NOW...
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Cool Disney Promo Video in Orlando
In the hotel I am currently staying at in Orlando, Channel 42 has instantly become my favorite...and all it does it play the same short program repeatedly. But the subject and tone of this program has great appeal: an introduction to Walt Disney World for visiting tourists.
No, this time around I'm not visiting Walt Disney World. But I have some pretty vivid memories of past visits, starting back in 1973 with my sister and some of her friends and progressing through the years to times with my adult family. Looking back, it's been a while since my last visit, back in 2004. Since that time, according to this little TV show, the Magic Kingdom added a New Fanatasyland section while the MGM Studios Park name was changed to Hollywood Studios. And it looks as if that Downtown Disney section has grown, although I've never visited it.
But aside from the positive vibes I got from the announcer as she presented the different attractions (and going on many of the rides), I got a kick out of reliving some of those experiences in the parks I enjoyed. Like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom and the Tower of Terror and Rock & Roller Coaster in "Hollywood" Studios. Plus, I was reminded of other rides that the video didn't show, like those cool ones at Epcot (especially the ride inside the big golf ball) and the Blizzard Beach superslides...
No, this time around I'm not visiting Walt Disney World. But I have some pretty vivid memories of past visits, starting back in 1973 with my sister and some of her friends and progressing through the years to times with my adult family. Looking back, it's been a while since my last visit, back in 2004. Since that time, according to this little TV show, the Magic Kingdom added a New Fanatasyland section while the MGM Studios Park name was changed to Hollywood Studios. And it looks as if that Downtown Disney section has grown, although I've never visited it.
But aside from the positive vibes I got from the announcer as she presented the different attractions (and going on many of the rides), I got a kick out of reliving some of those experiences in the parks I enjoyed. Like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom and the Tower of Terror and Rock & Roller Coaster in "Hollywood" Studios. Plus, I was reminded of other rides that the video didn't show, like those cool ones at Epcot (especially the ride inside the big golf ball) and the Blizzard Beach superslides...
Monday, August 5, 2013
Dolphins Exhibition Loss Disappointing
I know it's just an exhibition game, with no bearing on the official standings or playoff status. And it's the FIRST exhibition game of the season at that, so the fact that the Miami Dolphins lost this game last night to the Dallas Cowboys shouldn't be that big. But as I sat there I could tell that Miami has an very long way to go before it can boast of being a playoff-calibre team. The final score was close, 24-20...but I want them to be successful and that means WIN GAMES, dang it. And I also want them to show off their improvement to the nation, so this being a nationally televised game didn't help, either.
But still we're dealing with a team that wasn't completely out there on the field, either. Many players are trying to make the squad and the coaching staff has to have them out there to see who's best qualified...not just to start, but also to be on the bench ready to fill in when events demand. So the regular starters weren't always out there (but neither were Dallas' either).
In 2007, the year the Dolphins went 1-15, they had a pretty good exhibition season, and hopes were up that this would translate into regular season success. It didn't...and I have to realize that it's best to wait and evaluate this year's Miami team on how it does when the games actually do count...
But still we're dealing with a team that wasn't completely out there on the field, either. Many players are trying to make the squad and the coaching staff has to have them out there to see who's best qualified...not just to start, but also to be on the bench ready to fill in when events demand. So the regular starters weren't always out there (but neither were Dallas' either).
In 2007, the year the Dolphins went 1-15, they had a pretty good exhibition season, and hopes were up that this would translate into regular season success. It didn't...and I have to realize that it's best to wait and evaluate this year's Miami team on how it does when the games actually do count...
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Zimmerman/Martin Case Examined
It's been a little while since the verdict was read that acquitted George Zimmerman of the murder of Trayvon Martin, so now I think enough time has passed for me to stand back and look at this case. Some observations...
--Many, especially on the political left like Al Sharpton, framed this entire case almost solely in terms of race. Trayvon was racially profiled and followed like a crime suspect when he was just legitimately and purposefully walking down the street, minding his own business. I happen to agree with Sharpton to the degree that Zimmerman appeared to presume guilt upon Martin largely from his race (that's called prejudice, by the way). But the problem here is larger...
--I've gone running around my own neighborhood, and I'm not black. No, I'm just some small middle-aged dumpy looking white dude with jogging threads...no hoodies are involved. Yet I have experienced on a number of occasions the eerie, creepy feeling of seeing vehicles slowing down when they approach me and then linger around, often for several minutes, as I run down the road. Maybe they're not all neighborhood vigilantes like George Zimmerman, but it scares me a little to think that people safely locked in their own enclosed motor vehicles, possibly if not probably armed, would view a vulnerable pedestrian such as myself to present any kind of danger. To me, a legitimate neighborhood patrol would make a priority of challenging strange vehicles instead of relatively helpless people walking (or running) down the street. But in any case, this problem isn't completely about race, although I'll be quick to admit that blacks have a much tougher time with this unwarranted scrutiny and suspicion.
--After the trial, a panelist guy on Fox's The Five show...the obnoxious and utterly humorless one sitting in the middle, angrily stressed that the trial had nothing to do with the Florida 2006 Stand Your Ground law. But the fact is that the instruction that the judge gave the jury was directly from this law, which gave so much latitude to the defendant that all that was needed for a not guilty verdict was that he "felt" at some point like his life was in danger. I wonder whether Martin would have been accorded the same latitude under the legal system as Zimmerman had he prevailed in the struggle and Zimmerman perished...
--This entire tragedy would have been avoided if an armed man, George Zimmerman, had decided to follow police instructions and not stalked Trayvon Martin in his vehicle...and then not gotten out and approached his imagined adversary with the full knowledge that he himself was carrying a loaded, lethal weapon. Zimmerman completely provoked the confrontation, but the trial seemed to stress only the final fight between the two...
--I guess from the above that you can tell I'm not a big George Zimmerman fan. But here is when I have to scratch my head at my own country's system of justice. Or should I say, two systems. A lot of people in the U.S. were outraged when Amanda Knox, who had been tried and convicted of murder in Italy but later released to return here after that conviction was overturned, was recently accused again of the same crime...something that other countries do but not the United States, with our prohibition against "double jeopardy". But that's not entirely accurate, since in America one can be acquitted of a crime within the criminal system but still possibly have to undergo another trial in the civil courts: O.J. Simpson is a case in point. And I think that Zimmerman will probably be subjected to a similar ordeal, which is a boon to lawyers but makes little sense to me.
Well, maybe I didn't get around to saying everything I felt about this case, but I think I got in the major stuff...
--Many, especially on the political left like Al Sharpton, framed this entire case almost solely in terms of race. Trayvon was racially profiled and followed like a crime suspect when he was just legitimately and purposefully walking down the street, minding his own business. I happen to agree with Sharpton to the degree that Zimmerman appeared to presume guilt upon Martin largely from his race (that's called prejudice, by the way). But the problem here is larger...
--I've gone running around my own neighborhood, and I'm not black. No, I'm just some small middle-aged dumpy looking white dude with jogging threads...no hoodies are involved. Yet I have experienced on a number of occasions the eerie, creepy feeling of seeing vehicles slowing down when they approach me and then linger around, often for several minutes, as I run down the road. Maybe they're not all neighborhood vigilantes like George Zimmerman, but it scares me a little to think that people safely locked in their own enclosed motor vehicles, possibly if not probably armed, would view a vulnerable pedestrian such as myself to present any kind of danger. To me, a legitimate neighborhood patrol would make a priority of challenging strange vehicles instead of relatively helpless people walking (or running) down the street. But in any case, this problem isn't completely about race, although I'll be quick to admit that blacks have a much tougher time with this unwarranted scrutiny and suspicion.
--After the trial, a panelist guy on Fox's The Five show...the obnoxious and utterly humorless one sitting in the middle, angrily stressed that the trial had nothing to do with the Florida 2006 Stand Your Ground law. But the fact is that the instruction that the judge gave the jury was directly from this law, which gave so much latitude to the defendant that all that was needed for a not guilty verdict was that he "felt" at some point like his life was in danger. I wonder whether Martin would have been accorded the same latitude under the legal system as Zimmerman had he prevailed in the struggle and Zimmerman perished...
--This entire tragedy would have been avoided if an armed man, George Zimmerman, had decided to follow police instructions and not stalked Trayvon Martin in his vehicle...and then not gotten out and approached his imagined adversary with the full knowledge that he himself was carrying a loaded, lethal weapon. Zimmerman completely provoked the confrontation, but the trial seemed to stress only the final fight between the two...
--I guess from the above that you can tell I'm not a big George Zimmerman fan. But here is when I have to scratch my head at my own country's system of justice. Or should I say, two systems. A lot of people in the U.S. were outraged when Amanda Knox, who had been tried and convicted of murder in Italy but later released to return here after that conviction was overturned, was recently accused again of the same crime...something that other countries do but not the United States, with our prohibition against "double jeopardy". But that's not entirely accurate, since in America one can be acquitted of a crime within the criminal system but still possibly have to undergo another trial in the civil courts: O.J. Simpson is a case in point. And I think that Zimmerman will probably be subjected to a similar ordeal, which is a boon to lawyers but makes little sense to me.
Well, maybe I didn't get around to saying everything I felt about this case, but I think I got in the major stuff...
Saturday, August 3, 2013
7.3 Mile Run
Today I managed a 7.3 mile run, another step in my attempt to return to half-marathon form. It's a delicate balancing act with me not wanting to put too much stress on my right foot, as well as taking care to avoid the worst of this oppressively hot and humid summer we've been experiencing in northern Florida. Could I have run further than I did today? Probably, but as I said, there's little point in overdoing it to the point when I am forced to take more time off from running and then getting out of shape...
Follow-Up on Yesterday's Gutfeld Article
Yesterday I wrote how I missed the admittedly flawed (who isn't) but very talented Greg Gutfeld on Fox News Channel's The Five afternoon program. And he was absent on it today as well, as I quickly checked and just as quickly changed channels. But the reason he wasn't on it yesterday may well have to do with the fact that just a few hours later he guest hosted The O'Reilly Factor, in my opinion far out-performing that show's title "character" (whom Al Franken deemed to be a "lying, blotchy bully"). The question I have is whether Gutfeld will be on his own Red Eye show at 11 tonight...
Friday, August 2, 2013
Gutfeld Missed on The Five
After sleeping well into the afternoon today (I work the graveyard shift, so this is normal), I brewed myself a tasty cup of caramel drizzle coffee on my Keurig, sat down to finish my Times Square jigsaw puzzle, and turned the TV on Fox News to watch The Five. A show like The Five, which on this "fair and balanced" channel consists of, naturally, five panelists, four of whom are ardent conservatives and one lukewarm moderate/liberal, normally would antagonize me to no end. But I have found myself gravitating toward one of those right wing panelists: the very talented Greg Gutfeld. In spite of his extreme partisanship against President Obama (whom I happily voted for twice) and Democrats in general, this guy is quite entertaining and witty. Unfortunately, the rest of the panel stinks to high heaven (including its sorry excuse of a "liberal"). Today, the stench was unbearable as Gutfeld was absent, replaced by an equally conservative dude displaying no discernible personality. Time to change the channel, which I did.
Greg Gutfeld is better on his other show on Fox, titled Red Eye, which he more or less controls and has guests that meld better into his style (like the comical Bill Schultz, for example). The political atmosphere is still typically Fox right-wing Demophobic, but I get it and don't take things personally in spite of disagreeing with many of the opinions dominating it. But Gutfeld wisely knows that at some point you just have to step back and laugh, something that far too many folks in the business on both sides of the political spectrum don't seem to be capable of grasping.
Maybe Greg's on vacation, he had a schedule conflict...or just wanted to take the day off. In any event, I'm off myself tonight from work, so I think I'll check to see if Red Eye is on and if he's on it...
Greg Gutfeld is better on his other show on Fox, titled Red Eye, which he more or less controls and has guests that meld better into his style (like the comical Bill Schultz, for example). The political atmosphere is still typically Fox right-wing Demophobic, but I get it and don't take things personally in spite of disagreeing with many of the opinions dominating it. But Gutfeld wisely knows that at some point you just have to step back and laugh, something that far too many folks in the business on both sides of the political spectrum don't seem to be capable of grasping.
Maybe Greg's on vacation, he had a schedule conflict...or just wanted to take the day off. In any event, I'm off myself tonight from work, so I think I'll check to see if Red Eye is on and if he's on it...
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Adjusting My Reading Priorities
I've mentioned before on this blog that I am currently in the process of reading George R.R. Martin's fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice. I just finished book #1, title A Game of Thrones, and am now well into the second, A Clash of Kings. Knowing that five books have been published in this series, I wanted to "catch up" by reading through them all expediently. Now, though, I have second thoughts...
Martin's acclaimed series is a little like Stephen King's Dark Tower series in that both authors have taken their sweet little time in writing and publishing the next installment (although King did finish the last three volumes of his series in a two-year flurry of writing). With A Song of Fire and Ice, here is Martin's timetable so far:
A Game of Thrones: 1996
A Clash of Kings: 1999
A Storm of Swords: 2000
A Feast for Crows: 2005
A Dance with Dragons: 2011
The sixth volume is supposedly to come out in 2014; who knows when the seventh and final volume will eventually be released. The bottom line on this is that there is no point with me rushing through the first five volumes only to wait a long time for the remainder. Better it would be, I think, for me to take my own sweet time reading the series!
So instead of daily reading I'm going to read Martin twice a week...and use the other days to embark on new reading adventures!
Martin's acclaimed series is a little like Stephen King's Dark Tower series in that both authors have taken their sweet little time in writing and publishing the next installment (although King did finish the last three volumes of his series in a two-year flurry of writing). With A Song of Fire and Ice, here is Martin's timetable so far:
A Game of Thrones: 1996
A Clash of Kings: 1999
A Storm of Swords: 2000
A Feast for Crows: 2005
A Dance with Dragons: 2011
The sixth volume is supposedly to come out in 2014; who knows when the seventh and final volume will eventually be released. The bottom line on this is that there is no point with me rushing through the first five volumes only to wait a long time for the remainder. Better it would be, I think, for me to take my own sweet time reading the series!
So instead of daily reading I'm going to read Martin twice a week...and use the other days to embark on new reading adventures!
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