--It looks as if our soon-to-be president Barack Obama plans an ambitious public works program as soon as he is sworn in. As a matter of fact, this sounds as if it will dominate the news during the first few months of his administration. But the details are fuzzy, and we'll have to see how this promising story develops.
--I'm excited about the prospects for Caroline Kennedy replacing Hillary Clinton as New York Senator when the latter becomes secretary of state. Will it happen? I think yes, and she will make her presence felt in that body!
--Now that it's almost universally accepted that we are in a recession, I'm beginning to hear opinion makers stating that we're slipping into a depression. I'm no economist, but my experience has been that the last thing in a recession to recover is unemployment. Just because we're hearing reports of layoffs in many places does not necessarily mean that the recession is worsening. Retroactive analyses of the previous two recessions revealed that they had both essentially ended several months before the press reported on any recovery (I'm referring to the recessions in 1991 and 2000).
--The University of Florida football team won the Southeastern Conference championship and a place in the National Championship game with a tough 31-20 win over Alabama on Saturday. The Gators will play Oklahoma, who have made a point of running the score up on their opponents during the past few games.
--The NFL Miami Dolphins continued their incredibly turnaround this year with a 16-3 crushing of their divisional rival Buffalo yesterday. Miami is now tied with the Jets and the Patriots atop the AFC East Division with an 8-5 record. Still, they will probably need to win all of their remaining three regular season games in order to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
--Not exactly a general news story, but I decided to forgo the December 7th 5-kilometer running race that I had previously planned to run in. Instead, I intend to run longer in practice and begin to specialize in longer races, from 10-K to half-marathons. Gainesville will have a 15K race in January and a half-marathon in February. My goal is to enter each race and simply finish them successfully.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Jeb Bush
When Jeb Bush first ran for Florida governor in 1994, he was riding the crest of anti-Democratic sentiment that carried the Republicans to power in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives that year. The only problem was that he was up against a popular incumbent governor in Lawton Chiles (“Walkin’ Lawton”). Simultaneously, Jeb’s brother, George W. Bush, was engaged in his own effort to unseat feisty, popular Texas governor Ann Richards. When the votes were counted on election night in November 1994, George W. had eked out a razor thin victory over Richards while Jeb had suffered a razor-thin defeat to Chiles, delaying his political career a crucial four years. So a relatively tiny amount of votes in these two states determined that it would be “Dubya”, not Jeb Bush, running for president in 2000. Jeb Bush did try again for governor in 1998, successfully defeating Buddy McKay in the election. He was a very popular governor in this increasingly Republican state, serving two full terms. In his campaign literature, his name was spelled with an exclamation point (JEB!), so I’ve made a running (and quickly pretty stale) joke of shouting out his name when referring to him in conversation. If people didn’t already think I was weird, that probably did the trick.
The supreme irony about Jeb Bush as it concerns me is that I voted for him when he lost in ‘94 and voted against him when he won in ‘98 and ‘02.
Even though Jeb Bush was a Republican with a clear GOP majority in the state senate and house, he was often at odds with these bodies, especially regarding their propensity to overspend. He was also a very competent leader in time of emergency, having guided Florida through several hurricane preparations and recoveries during his tenure as governor. He is fluent in Spanish, and would often hold press conferences where he would rattle off a speech and answer questions in Spanish. Which naturally makes a lot of sense in such a heavily Latino state as Florida.
I recognize that Jeb Bush was an effective governor in some ways, but I think that he was way over the top with his policy of keeping taxes so low that the state continually ranked near the bottom of the country with its public education system. Also, he was one of the culprits who interfered with the judiciary in the Terry Schiavo case, pushing through a bill design solely to overrule judicial rulings for this one single case (later the Senate’s majority leader Bill Frist would do the same on a national level).
Now Jeb Bush says he’s interested in running for the Senate in 2010. I say he’s a shoo-in if he does decide to run. I’ve always felt that Jeb Bush was a more intelligent, articulate, serious, and competent politician than his brother and father “W” and “HW” respectively. Who knows what would have happened had a few votes changed around in 1994?
It will be interesting, if and when Jeb Bush does start his “career” as U.S. senator, to see how long he will stay there before he takes the plunge and runs for president. You know that’s coming, sooner or later. Later, I’m hoping! Even though the country seems to be down on the Bush name, it’s also true that politics runs in cycles. Even if Barack Obama enjoys a successful and popular two-term presidency, conditions may be ripe for a more mature, seasoned Jeb Bush to make a successful run in 2016. Just spare me the exclamation point, please!
The supreme irony about Jeb Bush as it concerns me is that I voted for him when he lost in ‘94 and voted against him when he won in ‘98 and ‘02.
Even though Jeb Bush was a Republican with a clear GOP majority in the state senate and house, he was often at odds with these bodies, especially regarding their propensity to overspend. He was also a very competent leader in time of emergency, having guided Florida through several hurricane preparations and recoveries during his tenure as governor. He is fluent in Spanish, and would often hold press conferences where he would rattle off a speech and answer questions in Spanish. Which naturally makes a lot of sense in such a heavily Latino state as Florida.
I recognize that Jeb Bush was an effective governor in some ways, but I think that he was way over the top with his policy of keeping taxes so low that the state continually ranked near the bottom of the country with its public education system. Also, he was one of the culprits who interfered with the judiciary in the Terry Schiavo case, pushing through a bill design solely to overrule judicial rulings for this one single case (later the Senate’s majority leader Bill Frist would do the same on a national level).
Now Jeb Bush says he’s interested in running for the Senate in 2010. I say he’s a shoo-in if he does decide to run. I’ve always felt that Jeb Bush was a more intelligent, articulate, serious, and competent politician than his brother and father “W” and “HW” respectively. Who knows what would have happened had a few votes changed around in 1994?
It will be interesting, if and when Jeb Bush does start his “career” as U.S. senator, to see how long he will stay there before he takes the plunge and runs for president. You know that’s coming, sooner or later. Later, I’m hoping! Even though the country seems to be down on the Bush name, it’s also true that politics runs in cycles. Even if Barack Obama enjoys a successful and popular two-term presidency, conditions may be ripe for a more mature, seasoned Jeb Bush to make a successful run in 2016. Just spare me the exclamation point, please!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Who’s Happy?
“He’s dead, Captain. He died of too much happiness.” Thus said Dr. McCoy to Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series episode titled I, Mudd (I probably missed a word or two with my faulty memory). Sounds nonsensical, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it was meant to be nonsensical (see this relatively inferior episode to find out why, although you may discover that you just wasted an hour of your precious life). But I think I may, too, have just heard a little “serious” nonsense on the subject of happiness.
On National Public Radio's news show this morning was a segment about a study done to determine what kinds of people were the happiest. Using questionnaire results spanning nearly twenty years in people’s lives, the researchers concluded that social networking played an important role. Those in the center of social networks supposedly tended to be happier than those on the fringes. And happiness was defined by the researchers by certain possible answers on the questionnaire.
Broadly speaking (that’s how the radio reporter termed it), those in the center of social networks were more likely to catch “happiness waves” (I’m not kidding) as they swept through the network than those on its edges. The reporter then posed the question: wouldn’t those in the center of social networks be equally more susceptible to “unhappiness waves”? The answer given astounded me: no, because unhappiness spreads at a slower, SEVEN PERCENT less rate than does happiness. Now how did they pull that number out of the hat?!
I’m not against people speculating on subjective concepts like happiness and spreading their opinions around. After all, I do that sort of thing on this blog. But please don’t dress it all up with scientific, academic trappings and present it as some kind of objective truth! I could have just as easily assigned my own felt “happiness” weights to the different questions on their questionnaire, based on my own subjective values.
Everyone’s different, and happiness is not something at all quantifiable or even open to objective research. Going back to Star Trek (this time the beginning of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, a good movie), a recuperating Mr. Spock is on his home planet of Vulcan. He is recovering his memory and is being reeducated. A specially programmed computer exhaustively tests him on his knowledge and skills in the sciences. Then it poses a question that totally stumps the “objective” Spock: “How do you feel?”
On National Public Radio's news show this morning was a segment about a study done to determine what kinds of people were the happiest. Using questionnaire results spanning nearly twenty years in people’s lives, the researchers concluded that social networking played an important role. Those in the center of social networks supposedly tended to be happier than those on the fringes. And happiness was defined by the researchers by certain possible answers on the questionnaire.
Broadly speaking (that’s how the radio reporter termed it), those in the center of social networks were more likely to catch “happiness waves” (I’m not kidding) as they swept through the network than those on its edges. The reporter then posed the question: wouldn’t those in the center of social networks be equally more susceptible to “unhappiness waves”? The answer given astounded me: no, because unhappiness spreads at a slower, SEVEN PERCENT less rate than does happiness. Now how did they pull that number out of the hat?!
I’m not against people speculating on subjective concepts like happiness and spreading their opinions around. After all, I do that sort of thing on this blog. But please don’t dress it all up with scientific, academic trappings and present it as some kind of objective truth! I could have just as easily assigned my own felt “happiness” weights to the different questions on their questionnaire, based on my own subjective values.
Everyone’s different, and happiness is not something at all quantifiable or even open to objective research. Going back to Star Trek (this time the beginning of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, a good movie), a recuperating Mr. Spock is on his home planet of Vulcan. He is recovering his memory and is being reeducated. A specially programmed computer exhaustively tests him on his knowledge and skills in the sciences. Then it poses a question that totally stumps the “objective” Spock: “How do you feel?”
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Holiday Parcel Processing
When I watch television and continually hear about how badly the economy is doing and then go to work at the post office, I suffer from a deep sense of “disconnect”. For I am one of those people who process the Priority Mail packages that go out from the Gainesville area to all parts of the country (and world). And this holiday season promises to be just as big in the post office as before. Starting this week, we’ll see the volume of parcels dramatically rise, with my section of the processing taking “Priority”. During the next three weeks, there will be plenty of overtime, new temporary workers hired, no annual leave approved, a shortage of working space (because of all the parcels), and plenty of work to do!
There will most like arrive the time, as it usually happens with me each December when the parcel volume gets to seem overwhelming and I will once again begin to echo the immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge: “Christmas? Bah, humbug!” But this annual exercise in work-overload is, of course, ultimately good for the U.S. Postal Service and for me as an employee, for it brings in much needed revenue. And it puts our economic picture in a more realistic perspective for me as well. Maybe the economy is running a little slower, but it is definitely still running!
There will most like arrive the time, as it usually happens with me each December when the parcel volume gets to seem overwhelming and I will once again begin to echo the immortal words of Ebenezer Scrooge: “Christmas? Bah, humbug!” But this annual exercise in work-overload is, of course, ultimately good for the U.S. Postal Service and for me as an employee, for it brings in much needed revenue. And it puts our economic picture in a more realistic perspective for me as well. Maybe the economy is running a little slower, but it is definitely still running!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
AIDS Awareness
A couple of days ago, the planetary (and solar) statues of Gainesville’s Eighth Avenue Solar Walk were draped over in black. The reason: the annual observance of A Day Without Art, held on December 1 and designed to increase awareness of AIDS as an ongoing problem.
After the initial publicity and mass fear of the eighties, when some even termed AIDS as a species-threatening disease, those suffering with this terrible, terminal affliction are now suffering a different kind of fate in our society: compartmentalization. It seems that, as long as something “different” isn’t regarded as a general threat any more, than it becomes categorized, shelved, and pushed off to the side, at least as far as public attention is concerned. People are still coming down with AIDS, but most of us feel that it, unlike cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, is “someone else’s disease”. And quite a few still hold on to the notion that since AIDS is “preventable”, then those suffering from it deserved what they got!
If there is anything we should have learned over the past few decades, it is that most of the major diseases we suffer are largely preventable. Including the aforementioned “big three” of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. But although people can take measures to reduce their risks, they still can succumb to them. Just ask those who knew and loved comedian Andy Kaufman, who died of lung cancer although he was always a non-smoker.
Prevention has always been an important element in the campaign to prevent AIDS. But like with other ailments, treatment of the already-afflicted is also very important. The latest advances in AIDS medical treatments are usually too expensive for the patients to afford, especially for those in the poor African nations where it is epidemic. So it requires a sense of altruism and generosity on the part of society as a whole to help its less fortunate members in this regard.
To this end, I salute the current president George W. Bush for his administration’s emphasis on global AIDS funding. He was recently honored for this at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in Colorado, with others like U2’s Bono and Britain’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair weighing in their praise for Bush. Hopefully, he and his wife Laura will continue this humanitarian effort after leaving office next year.
After the initial publicity and mass fear of the eighties, when some even termed AIDS as a species-threatening disease, those suffering with this terrible, terminal affliction are now suffering a different kind of fate in our society: compartmentalization. It seems that, as long as something “different” isn’t regarded as a general threat any more, than it becomes categorized, shelved, and pushed off to the side, at least as far as public attention is concerned. People are still coming down with AIDS, but most of us feel that it, unlike cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, is “someone else’s disease”. And quite a few still hold on to the notion that since AIDS is “preventable”, then those suffering from it deserved what they got!
If there is anything we should have learned over the past few decades, it is that most of the major diseases we suffer are largely preventable. Including the aforementioned “big three” of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. But although people can take measures to reduce their risks, they still can succumb to them. Just ask those who knew and loved comedian Andy Kaufman, who died of lung cancer although he was always a non-smoker.
Prevention has always been an important element in the campaign to prevent AIDS. But like with other ailments, treatment of the already-afflicted is also very important. The latest advances in AIDS medical treatments are usually too expensive for the patients to afford, especially for those in the poor African nations where it is epidemic. So it requires a sense of altruism and generosity on the part of society as a whole to help its less fortunate members in this regard.
To this end, I salute the current president George W. Bush for his administration’s emphasis on global AIDS funding. He was recently honored for this at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in Colorado, with others like U2’s Bono and Britain’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair weighing in their praise for Bush. Hopefully, he and his wife Laura will continue this humanitarian effort after leaving office next year.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
800 KHZ
In late 1967, I had just begun the sixth grade at my school in Davie (near Hollywood, south Florida). Although I was a very fast runner and was generally healthy then, I had a tendency to get sick as well. I spent a good deal of time at the beginning of that school year at home bedridden, recuperating from illness.
It’s no fun being stuck in bed like that. But I had a radio I could fiddle around with. During the daytime, I noticed that I could pick up AM radio stations that I thought were relatively far away (like in West Palm Beach or Belle Glade). But when nighttime came, this revelation exploded into wonder when I found I could listen to stations hundreds of miles away like 1110/WBT/Charlotte, 750/WSB/Atlanta, 650/WSM/Nashville, and 770/WABC/New York. One of my favorite local stations, 790/WFUN, was difficult to pick up at night. One night I thought I was tuned in to it, but I was picking up a very strong signal. And they were broadcasting religious Christian programming. At the intermission, station ID was given: Trans World Radio, broadcasting from the island of Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles (in the southern Caribbean). That was my first English-language foreign radio station (there were “tons” of powerful Spanish-language Cuban stations I could hear around the clock), and to this date it remains my favorite (although I have difficulty picking it up here in Gainesville).
Trans World Radio would broadcast on 800 kHz as station PJB with a booming, overpowering 500,000 watt signal. By contrast, American AM stations can only broadcast on certain frequencies with a maximum 50,000 watts. I never heard this station identify itself by its call letters on the air, but a station directory nevertheless gave them as being PJB. Later I discovered that this station also served as a relay station for Radio Nederland, playing shows in the early evening in Dutch and English (and, if memory serves me correctly, in Spanish). My favorite show of Radio Nederland, as I remember it, was The Happy Station. There was also Spanish-language religious programming just before and after the English bloc of religious shows, which would begin at 9 p.m..
Back then, the Christianity on those radio programs was a gentler brand, emphasizing God’s love and mercy while avoiding the strident, overbearing, and heavily political tone that today’s radio gurus tend to use. My favorite programs were Back to the Bible and Music and You. Back in 1967-69, Back to the Bible had a very pleasant-sounding host who presented the inherently very confusing Gospel message in such a way that made me WANT to believe it. But I was more captivated by the tone of his presentation than by its contents. And the traditional music was so soothing. Ditto, musically speaking, for the late evening program Music and You, which was a Trans World Radio production.
By contrast, the “teacher” in today’s version of Back to the Bible seems has, to me, a pedantic, overbearing style that is grating to my spirit. Sometimes I want to just kick the radio when I hear him speak!
Eventually, in 1969, I wrote a reception report to this station and received a souvenir QSL card(verification from the station that I heard it) in response. It was my first QSL card.
Later I discovered, that when PJB went off the air late at night, two other powerful stations from more distant lands would surface: rocker CKLW in Windsor, Ontario and XELO (later XEROK) in Chihuahua, Mexico. Usually I got XELO, which then in the late sixties broadcast in English. I especially enjoyed their endearing show titled Record Roost in which listeners’ requests were played, accompanied by a cast of on-air characters and special-effects talking animals. Lots of fun! In early 1970, I wrote a reception report to them as well (including in it a song request for Aquarius by the Fifth Dimension). The “QSL” card I received really didn’t verify that I had heard them, but I treated it as such anyway. And it showed the Record Roost cast! Did they ever play my song? Who knows, but I still felt like I was a part of "the family" anyway.
Up here in Gainesville, I would have thought that it wouldn’t be all that difficult to hear Trans World Radio on 800 kHz, but it is. Usually 800 kHz just sounds completely muddled on my radio, and that’s a shame. I wish they would bring back the peaceful tone they used to have on some of those old Christian shows. A gentle, caring voice and some beautiful music are what I need to soothe my sometimes troubled soul, not ridiculously convoluted doctrine barked out in a manner similar to the teacher in Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall!
Oh, one other thing: the lead-in theme music for the Radio Nederland relay station segment was a beautiful Caribbean-style instrumental piece dominated by a flute and an acoustic guitar. I never was able to identify it and continue to keep looking for what this "mystery piece" was.
It’s no fun being stuck in bed like that. But I had a radio I could fiddle around with. During the daytime, I noticed that I could pick up AM radio stations that I thought were relatively far away (like in West Palm Beach or Belle Glade). But when nighttime came, this revelation exploded into wonder when I found I could listen to stations hundreds of miles away like 1110/WBT/Charlotte, 750/WSB/Atlanta, 650/WSM/Nashville, and 770/WABC/New York. One of my favorite local stations, 790/WFUN, was difficult to pick up at night. One night I thought I was tuned in to it, but I was picking up a very strong signal. And they were broadcasting religious Christian programming. At the intermission, station ID was given: Trans World Radio, broadcasting from the island of Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles (in the southern Caribbean). That was my first English-language foreign radio station (there were “tons” of powerful Spanish-language Cuban stations I could hear around the clock), and to this date it remains my favorite (although I have difficulty picking it up here in Gainesville).
Trans World Radio would broadcast on 800 kHz as station PJB with a booming, overpowering 500,000 watt signal. By contrast, American AM stations can only broadcast on certain frequencies with a maximum 50,000 watts. I never heard this station identify itself by its call letters on the air, but a station directory nevertheless gave them as being PJB. Later I discovered that this station also served as a relay station for Radio Nederland, playing shows in the early evening in Dutch and English (and, if memory serves me correctly, in Spanish). My favorite show of Radio Nederland, as I remember it, was The Happy Station. There was also Spanish-language religious programming just before and after the English bloc of religious shows, which would begin at 9 p.m..
Back then, the Christianity on those radio programs was a gentler brand, emphasizing God’s love and mercy while avoiding the strident, overbearing, and heavily political tone that today’s radio gurus tend to use. My favorite programs were Back to the Bible and Music and You. Back in 1967-69, Back to the Bible had a very pleasant-sounding host who presented the inherently very confusing Gospel message in such a way that made me WANT to believe it. But I was more captivated by the tone of his presentation than by its contents. And the traditional music was so soothing. Ditto, musically speaking, for the late evening program Music and You, which was a Trans World Radio production.
By contrast, the “teacher” in today’s version of Back to the Bible seems has, to me, a pedantic, overbearing style that is grating to my spirit. Sometimes I want to just kick the radio when I hear him speak!
Eventually, in 1969, I wrote a reception report to this station and received a souvenir QSL card(verification from the station that I heard it) in response. It was my first QSL card.
Later I discovered, that when PJB went off the air late at night, two other powerful stations from more distant lands would surface: rocker CKLW in Windsor, Ontario and XELO (later XEROK) in Chihuahua, Mexico. Usually I got XELO, which then in the late sixties broadcast in English. I especially enjoyed their endearing show titled Record Roost in which listeners’ requests were played, accompanied by a cast of on-air characters and special-effects talking animals. Lots of fun! In early 1970, I wrote a reception report to them as well (including in it a song request for Aquarius by the Fifth Dimension). The “QSL” card I received really didn’t verify that I had heard them, but I treated it as such anyway. And it showed the Record Roost cast! Did they ever play my song? Who knows, but I still felt like I was a part of "the family" anyway.
Up here in Gainesville, I would have thought that it wouldn’t be all that difficult to hear Trans World Radio on 800 kHz, but it is. Usually 800 kHz just sounds completely muddled on my radio, and that’s a shame. I wish they would bring back the peaceful tone they used to have on some of those old Christian shows. A gentle, caring voice and some beautiful music are what I need to soothe my sometimes troubled soul, not ridiculously convoluted doctrine barked out in a manner similar to the teacher in Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall!
Oh, one other thing: the lead-in theme music for the Radio Nederland relay station segment was a beautiful Caribbean-style instrumental piece dominated by a flute and an acoustic guitar. I never was able to identify it and continue to keep looking for what this "mystery piece" was.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday Newsbreak: 12/1
--Terrorists attacked the western Indian city of Mumbai this past week, causing many casualties and great loss of life. It is still early in the investigation to affix precise responsibility for the attack, but at this writing it looks as if the terrorists operated out of Pakistan. That country’s government is obviously afraid of the terrorist presence there and seems neither capable of squashing it themselves nor effectively cooperating with foreign governments (such as the U.S.) who have the means to accomplish this. I wonder how Obama will handle this friendly government which is nonetheless harboring our greatest enemies?
--The insanity called Black Friday, where shoppers across the country line up before dawn to rush into stores the day after Thanksgiving to purchase Christmas gifts at big discounts, reached a new low on New York’s Long Island when a mob rushing the entrance at a Wal-Mart there trampled to death one of the employees. I never have understood Black Friday shoppers. Nor do I understand why stores participate in this lunacy. Hopefully, we’ll see more moderation in this spectacle next year as a result of this tragedy. But I’m not counting on it.
--With sadness, I note the passing of a good, decent man: Dr. James A. Himes, who was the Dean of Students at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine as well as a co-owner of the local Cathay Tea House restaurant when I knew him in the 1980s. He was in his late eighties and had been fighting cancer. Dr. Himes was a kind, considerate man whose passing will be mourned by many who loved and respected him. Including me.
--The stage is now set in college football for the exciting showdown between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for the Southeastern Conference championship. The winner of next Saturday’s game will most likely play Oklahoma for the national championship in Miami. The Gators finally seem to be taking my advice (I’m sure they’re all reading this blog) and have begun to have some fun playing the game!
--The 2008 hurricane season officially ended yesterday. From my place in north-central Florida, only tropical storm Fay had a direct effect here, with its eye passing directly over us. Gustav scared quite a few in Louisiana while revealing John McCain as an unstable candidate. Cuba was rocked with three hurricanes and suffered much loss. Ike hit Texas in the Galveston area and Hanna traveled up the U.S. east coast. We got through the letter “P” this year, although there’s still a chance for more storms in December.
--The insanity called Black Friday, where shoppers across the country line up before dawn to rush into stores the day after Thanksgiving to purchase Christmas gifts at big discounts, reached a new low on New York’s Long Island when a mob rushing the entrance at a Wal-Mart there trampled to death one of the employees. I never have understood Black Friday shoppers. Nor do I understand why stores participate in this lunacy. Hopefully, we’ll see more moderation in this spectacle next year as a result of this tragedy. But I’m not counting on it.
--With sadness, I note the passing of a good, decent man: Dr. James A. Himes, who was the Dean of Students at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine as well as a co-owner of the local Cathay Tea House restaurant when I knew him in the 1980s. He was in his late eighties and had been fighting cancer. Dr. Himes was a kind, considerate man whose passing will be mourned by many who loved and respected him. Including me.
--The stage is now set in college football for the exciting showdown between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for the Southeastern Conference championship. The winner of next Saturday’s game will most likely play Oklahoma for the national championship in Miami. The Gators finally seem to be taking my advice (I’m sure they’re all reading this blog) and have begun to have some fun playing the game!
--The 2008 hurricane season officially ended yesterday. From my place in north-central Florida, only tropical storm Fay had a direct effect here, with its eye passing directly over us. Gustav scared quite a few in Louisiana while revealing John McCain as an unstable candidate. Cuba was rocked with three hurricanes and suffered much loss. Ike hit Texas in the Galveston area and Hanna traveled up the U.S. east coast. We got through the letter “P” this year, although there’s still a chance for more storms in December.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Being Right Vs. Engendering Good Will
One of the toughest things I’ve had to learn in life is when to take a stand on issues that I know I am right about against others who are equally convinced of their own views. Take, for example, the folks I know in the evangelistic community who entertain rigid views about subjects like evolution, certain hot-button social issues, and the literal interpretation of the Bible. I doubt that my take on any of these subjects, if loudly expressed, would change any of the minds of those who disagree with me. But some of those holding differing opinions on these subjects tend to invest a great deal of emotional capital in their viewpoints and regard those differing with them as either being deluded at best, or as adversaries at worst. Whenever I come across one of these people and they bring up one of these subjects, I try my hardest to deflect the topic to another “safer” area. Now is that a reasonable course of action for me to take?
I know that I will probably never find another soul on this planet who is in complete agreement with me on everything. If I did, I probably wouldn’t want to hang around that person anyway. But then again, people do tend to hang on to their pet opinions with great emotional tenacity and can get upset when confronted by someone who disagrees with them.
We in the West tend to think of ourselves as more direct communicators, as opposed to Eastern traditions of face-saving and indirect communication. But take a look at any one of the old Andy Griffith shows where Sheriff Taylor is continually faced with the question I have posed: when to take a stand on something because he knows he’s right, and when to “let it go” for the sake of preserving a relationship (usually with his bumbling deputy Barney Fife). In spite of what you may generally see in the media, be it fiction or news/talk shows, our social lives are full of this dilemma.
As an American, it is important for me to lay out where I stand on issues that matter the most for me. I can use various indirect methods to do this, one of them being this blog. I can write letters to “official” people in positions of authority such as local, state, or national representatives, religious and business leaders, or anyone else whose position properly places them at the receiving end of correspondence directly related to the field that they are in charge of. I can also comment on issues by writing to any media outlet I choose as well. These are all relatively indirect venues of expressing my opinions. Even if one of those folks who knows me and disagrees with me reads my opposing opinion, they will not feel the immediate threat to their constitution that head-on expression would cause. Even demonstrating in public is, to me, more indirect a method of expression than a personal debate with another.
I would like to think that people could overcome their sometimes extreme personal attachments to their cherished viewpoints to be able to have reasonable discussions with others without feeling slighted or causing insult to their “opponents”. But people are people, and I’m also not above feeling miffed when someone directly contradicts me.
Of course, I also recognize, more and more as I grow older, that it’s important for others to know that if they want to have a positive, friendly relationship with me, they’re going to have to expect to hear my honest opinion about different things. And respect my differing view (and me) without having to agree with it. There is still that “Sheriff Taylor” within me, though. For although I’m now more likely to state my differing opinions to others, I’m still wise enough to know when not to raise “sacred cow” topics when in the midst of “true believers” of those “sacred cows”.
I know that I will probably never find another soul on this planet who is in complete agreement with me on everything. If I did, I probably wouldn’t want to hang around that person anyway. But then again, people do tend to hang on to their pet opinions with great emotional tenacity and can get upset when confronted by someone who disagrees with them.
We in the West tend to think of ourselves as more direct communicators, as opposed to Eastern traditions of face-saving and indirect communication. But take a look at any one of the old Andy Griffith shows where Sheriff Taylor is continually faced with the question I have posed: when to take a stand on something because he knows he’s right, and when to “let it go” for the sake of preserving a relationship (usually with his bumbling deputy Barney Fife). In spite of what you may generally see in the media, be it fiction or news/talk shows, our social lives are full of this dilemma.
As an American, it is important for me to lay out where I stand on issues that matter the most for me. I can use various indirect methods to do this, one of them being this blog. I can write letters to “official” people in positions of authority such as local, state, or national representatives, religious and business leaders, or anyone else whose position properly places them at the receiving end of correspondence directly related to the field that they are in charge of. I can also comment on issues by writing to any media outlet I choose as well. These are all relatively indirect venues of expressing my opinions. Even if one of those folks who knows me and disagrees with me reads my opposing opinion, they will not feel the immediate threat to their constitution that head-on expression would cause. Even demonstrating in public is, to me, more indirect a method of expression than a personal debate with another.
I would like to think that people could overcome their sometimes extreme personal attachments to their cherished viewpoints to be able to have reasonable discussions with others without feeling slighted or causing insult to their “opponents”. But people are people, and I’m also not above feeling miffed when someone directly contradicts me.
Of course, I also recognize, more and more as I grow older, that it’s important for others to know that if they want to have a positive, friendly relationship with me, they’re going to have to expect to hear my honest opinion about different things. And respect my differing view (and me) without having to agree with it. There is still that “Sheriff Taylor” within me, though. For although I’m now more likely to state my differing opinions to others, I’m still wise enough to know when not to raise “sacred cow” topics when in the midst of “true believers” of those “sacred cows”.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Who’s the President?
Back in late November 2000, the controversy was swirling across the nation about whether George W. Bush or Al Gore won the Florida vote, which ultimately would decide the winner of that year’s presidential election. All sorts of legal actions and recounts were underway, and the media was full of images of officials carefully examining ballots for “hanging chads” and the like. Both Bush and Gore were assembling tentative cabinets and staff in anticipation of things falling their way in the end. All across the country, people were emotionally taking sides, either for Bush or for Gore. In this setting, I was going through the drive-through at my local Checkers fast-food place when the worker there, with whom I had talked before, posed me the “$60,000 question”: “So who’s the president?” To which I immediately replied (disregarding his intended meaning), “Why Bill Clinton, of course!”
As we go through the transition period between current president George W. Bush and president-elect Barack Obama, it would be a good idea to keep in mind that it is Bush, not Obama, who is now president. Whatever Obama does will matter on 1/20/09 and beyond. Until then, he is just the president-in-waiting. Naturally, Obama is the big figure in the news as he puts together and announces his staff and cabinet. Speculation is running rampant among the media’s talking heads about which directions he will take the economy and our foreign policy in. But right now it is still the Bush Show regarding the presidency.
It’s important to keep this in mind, for in the past we’ve experienced important events happening in this grey zone between a new president’s election and his inauguration. In 1992, outgoing president George H.W. Bush decided to send marines into Somalia on a “humanitarian” mission which, by the time that incoming president Bill Clinton inherited it, had morphed into a dangerous combat adventure. In 1980-81, the release for the Iran hostages was successfully negotiated between Carter’s defeat at the hands of Reagan in that year’s election and the latter’s inauguration. In 1960, the Bay of Pigs invasion designed to overthrow Castro’s leftist Cuban regime was designed and finalized in the last months of the Eisenhower administration. Incoming president John Kennedy did sign on to the invasion, but it was not of his making. And the most infamous example of this was the period of time in 1860-1861 between Abraham Lincoln’s election and his inauguration when most of the soon-to-be Confederate states seceded from the United States under the ineffective watch of failure-president James Buchanan. It was Buchanan, who had earlier derived much of his political support from the South, who utterly failed to keep the union together during this period when he could have exerted his presidential influence on those disaffected states.
There’s still a lot that can happen in America and the rest of the world before Obama steps in, and it will be Bush, not Obama, who will have the authority and ultimate responsibility for how our government behaves. Bush is already leaving horrendous messes in the Middle East and the economy for Obama to try to fix. Hopefully, he won’t do something during his final days in office to further complicate Obama’s new presidency.
As we go through the transition period between current president George W. Bush and president-elect Barack Obama, it would be a good idea to keep in mind that it is Bush, not Obama, who is now president. Whatever Obama does will matter on 1/20/09 and beyond. Until then, he is just the president-in-waiting. Naturally, Obama is the big figure in the news as he puts together and announces his staff and cabinet. Speculation is running rampant among the media’s talking heads about which directions he will take the economy and our foreign policy in. But right now it is still the Bush Show regarding the presidency.
It’s important to keep this in mind, for in the past we’ve experienced important events happening in this grey zone between a new president’s election and his inauguration. In 1992, outgoing president George H.W. Bush decided to send marines into Somalia on a “humanitarian” mission which, by the time that incoming president Bill Clinton inherited it, had morphed into a dangerous combat adventure. In 1980-81, the release for the Iran hostages was successfully negotiated between Carter’s defeat at the hands of Reagan in that year’s election and the latter’s inauguration. In 1960, the Bay of Pigs invasion designed to overthrow Castro’s leftist Cuban regime was designed and finalized in the last months of the Eisenhower administration. Incoming president John Kennedy did sign on to the invasion, but it was not of his making. And the most infamous example of this was the period of time in 1860-1861 between Abraham Lincoln’s election and his inauguration when most of the soon-to-be Confederate states seceded from the United States under the ineffective watch of failure-president James Buchanan. It was Buchanan, who had earlier derived much of his political support from the South, who utterly failed to keep the union together during this period when he could have exerted his presidential influence on those disaffected states.
There’s still a lot that can happen in America and the rest of the world before Obama steps in, and it will be Bush, not Obama, who will have the authority and ultimate responsibility for how our government behaves. Bush is already leaving horrendous messes in the Middle East and the economy for Obama to try to fix. Hopefully, he won’t do something during his final days in office to further complicate Obama’s new presidency.
Friday, November 28, 2008
My Personal Blog Observations
From time to time I browse around the Web to see what others are doing with their blogs. And I’ve come away, naturally, with a few observations that I would like to make now:
--There are very few people whom I personally know who actually write a blog. I’m not counting Facebook, which is something that I’m not quite sure what to do with. You would think, for example, from all of the “smarties” I went to school with, at least a few of them would avail themselves of this totally free opportunity to express themselves. Especially all of those great speakers and writers. I’m admittedly a very insulated, introverted soul and I’M doing it. Why aren’t some of these hams I’ve known from the past writing blogs as well?
--I see other blogs holding something called “carnivals” that are topically-based collections of selected articles from various blogs that the one holding the “carnival” regards as standing out in quality or significance. Why can’t I do the same, only just make my periodic “carnival” based on articles that I personally deem to personally noteworthy?
--Google’s Blogger is loaded with different features. One allows the blogger to post advertising according to his/her blog’s topics and interests, with the blogger having right of refusal (I think). Supposedly, if a reader then clicks on an ad that the blog carries, money will be transferred to the blogger’s account. But the way I see it, I’m already getting a great financial deal with being able to transmit my thoughts to the world through Blogger! This blog is one thing in the world that’s truly under my control. Why allow other parties into it to dilute (or even pervert) my message just for the pittance of a little money?
--I appreciate Blogger for offering the writer the opportunity to switch from one language to another, at least as far as Blogger-supplied text is concerned. But I want to be able to directly compose on my blog using Cyrillic and Chinese scripts without going through the painstaking process of using outside templates (which has been hampering me so far in this endeavor). Why couldn’t Blogger supply these different fonts for writers to compose their text with? Or does this question reveal my ignorance of how fonts work in the cyber world?
--And about Facebook: I went and got a Facebook account. So far I have three “friends” on it. O.K. I see pictures of their “friends” and read what they are writing back and forth with my “friends”. And I can write little messages to my “friends” and post pictures on their pages. This all strikes me as being rather transitory and “chatty”, not something that suits me at all. If I have something to write, you may have noticed on this blog (and on yours if I’ve left comments on it) that I tend to get a bit wordy in my writing. Nothing inherently wrong with being terse; it’s just not my bag!
--I’ve heard that there are millions upon millions of bloggers out there. But what constitutes a blog, and how can I access blogs that reflect my interests in any sort of deliberative, organized way? The blog directories I’ve seen so far are pathetically inadequate and limited.
Well, all in all my blog experience has been positive, and I plan to continue writing indefinitely. But it would improve my experience to see some of the aforementioned issues resolved in a positive way. At least I know I can start my own “carnival”!
--There are very few people whom I personally know who actually write a blog. I’m not counting Facebook, which is something that I’m not quite sure what to do with. You would think, for example, from all of the “smarties” I went to school with, at least a few of them would avail themselves of this totally free opportunity to express themselves. Especially all of those great speakers and writers. I’m admittedly a very insulated, introverted soul and I’M doing it. Why aren’t some of these hams I’ve known from the past writing blogs as well?
--I see other blogs holding something called “carnivals” that are topically-based collections of selected articles from various blogs that the one holding the “carnival” regards as standing out in quality or significance. Why can’t I do the same, only just make my periodic “carnival” based on articles that I personally deem to personally noteworthy?
--Google’s Blogger is loaded with different features. One allows the blogger to post advertising according to his/her blog’s topics and interests, with the blogger having right of refusal (I think). Supposedly, if a reader then clicks on an ad that the blog carries, money will be transferred to the blogger’s account. But the way I see it, I’m already getting a great financial deal with being able to transmit my thoughts to the world through Blogger! This blog is one thing in the world that’s truly under my control. Why allow other parties into it to dilute (or even pervert) my message just for the pittance of a little money?
--I appreciate Blogger for offering the writer the opportunity to switch from one language to another, at least as far as Blogger-supplied text is concerned. But I want to be able to directly compose on my blog using Cyrillic and Chinese scripts without going through the painstaking process of using outside templates (which has been hampering me so far in this endeavor). Why couldn’t Blogger supply these different fonts for writers to compose their text with? Or does this question reveal my ignorance of how fonts work in the cyber world?
--And about Facebook: I went and got a Facebook account. So far I have three “friends” on it. O.K. I see pictures of their “friends” and read what they are writing back and forth with my “friends”. And I can write little messages to my “friends” and post pictures on their pages. This all strikes me as being rather transitory and “chatty”, not something that suits me at all. If I have something to write, you may have noticed on this blog (and on yours if I’ve left comments on it) that I tend to get a bit wordy in my writing. Nothing inherently wrong with being terse; it’s just not my bag!
--I’ve heard that there are millions upon millions of bloggers out there. But what constitutes a blog, and how can I access blogs that reflect my interests in any sort of deliberative, organized way? The blog directories I’ve seen so far are pathetically inadequate and limited.
Well, all in all my blog experience has been positive, and I plan to continue writing indefinitely. But it would improve my experience to see some of the aforementioned issues resolved in a positive way. At least I know I can start my own “carnival”!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Enjoying Thanksgiving
I had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving at home with my family today. My son Will joined us, coming home from college for a few days’ break. And my brother-in-law visited us for Thanksgiving dinner, too. This year, I didn’t have to go to work, so I’m at the dining room table typing this out in the evening. Earlier, I ran about 1.5 miles as darkness descended on us after the ever-earlier twilight. My wife Melissa planned and prepared our wonderful meal, with courses of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, “green fluff” (a pistachio/pineapple/whipped cream dessert), deviled eggs, olives, rolls, macaroni and cheese, and pecan pie. I watched some football as well on TV.
Thanksgiving, of course, is more than stuffing oneself with food, football, and bringing family together for a while. It is also a time to reflect on the different things to be thankful for. Sure, we’re living in dangerous times, and the economy is unstable. But when hasn’t that been the case? I live in a country that peacefully and orderly allows its people to change governments through elections, and I’m grateful for the recent election and its results. I am thankful to have a good job with benefits that allow my family and me to enjoy affordable, comprehensive medical care. And to live in a time when the advances in that field show so much hope. And I am thankful to be able to freely express my thoughts on this blog! It is quite a liberating experience. If you’re a reader and don’t yet have your own blog, you are missing out on something that you could be thankful for as well! It’s free, so sign up and get in on the fun!
Thanksgiving, of course, is more than stuffing oneself with food, football, and bringing family together for a while. It is also a time to reflect on the different things to be thankful for. Sure, we’re living in dangerous times, and the economy is unstable. But when hasn’t that been the case? I live in a country that peacefully and orderly allows its people to change governments through elections, and I’m grateful for the recent election and its results. I am thankful to have a good job with benefits that allow my family and me to enjoy affordable, comprehensive medical care. And to live in a time when the advances in that field show so much hope. And I am thankful to be able to freely express my thoughts on this blog! It is quite a liberating experience. If you’re a reader and don’t yet have your own blog, you are missing out on something that you could be thankful for as well! It’s free, so sign up and get in on the fun!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Window-Shopping Rocks!
This past Sunday I spent a little while walking through the Oaks Mall here in Gainesville with my thirteen-year old daughter. Except for the coffee drinks we picked up at the Starbucks there, we went on the trip determined just to look around, and not to spend any money. And it’s amazing how enjoyable a “shopping” trip can be when you know that you aren’t going to buy anything!
First of all, I must note that, as the case is with other malls, the Oaks Mall has changed over the years. At the front entrance, there used to be a Morrison’s Cafeteria (now a clothing store) and a Nero’s Italian restaurant (moved to about a mile from my home). Nearby was a pet store. When the pet store disappeared, I was initially disappointed. But now that I know something about the “breeding factories” that are set up for supplying pet stores with animals, I’m kind of glad it’s gone. Oaks also used to have a B. Dalton bookstore as well as a cool Disney store (one of my favorites at the mall). And one of the “happening” places to be used to be the Oaks Theatre on the eastern side of the mall. That’s gone, although there’s still the Oaks Plaza theatre at an adjacent shopping plaza. I used to buy my flavored coffee at one of two Barnies coffee shops there. I still don’t know why Starbucks won’t sell flavored-roasted coffee. The food court they have now represents a great improvement in the mall.
My daughter and I looked through several stores, especially those specializing in video games, shoes, hats, media, and sporting apparel. We browsed through Radio Shack (I saw a nifty, very comfortable-looking radio/headset that could plug into an MP3 player as well). We also checked out the Walden bookstore two doors down. Featured were Stephenie Meyer’s four books of her Twilight series (which I began reading yesterday). The movie Twilight just came out, and it is a major hit (especially with girls). The novel, presented in the first person by the protagonist, is very enjoyable reading so far, although I can see why it might appeal more to a girl than a boy.
One thing really stood out at the mall: there weren’t very many people there! To steal a line from Ross Perot, I think a heard a “great sucking sound” of penny-pinching shoppers flying over to the east side of town to the new, much cheaper Wal-Mart Supercenter! And regarding the above title...no, we weren't peering at rocks through windows!
First of all, I must note that, as the case is with other malls, the Oaks Mall has changed over the years. At the front entrance, there used to be a Morrison’s Cafeteria (now a clothing store) and a Nero’s Italian restaurant (moved to about a mile from my home). Nearby was a pet store. When the pet store disappeared, I was initially disappointed. But now that I know something about the “breeding factories” that are set up for supplying pet stores with animals, I’m kind of glad it’s gone. Oaks also used to have a B. Dalton bookstore as well as a cool Disney store (one of my favorites at the mall). And one of the “happening” places to be used to be the Oaks Theatre on the eastern side of the mall. That’s gone, although there’s still the Oaks Plaza theatre at an adjacent shopping plaza. I used to buy my flavored coffee at one of two Barnies coffee shops there. I still don’t know why Starbucks won’t sell flavored-roasted coffee. The food court they have now represents a great improvement in the mall.
My daughter and I looked through several stores, especially those specializing in video games, shoes, hats, media, and sporting apparel. We browsed through Radio Shack (I saw a nifty, very comfortable-looking radio/headset that could plug into an MP3 player as well). We also checked out the Walden bookstore two doors down. Featured were Stephenie Meyer’s four books of her Twilight series (which I began reading yesterday). The movie Twilight just came out, and it is a major hit (especially with girls). The novel, presented in the first person by the protagonist, is very enjoyable reading so far, although I can see why it might appeal more to a girl than a boy.
One thing really stood out at the mall: there weren’t very many people there! To steal a line from Ross Perot, I think a heard a “great sucking sound” of penny-pinching shoppers flying over to the east side of town to the new, much cheaper Wal-Mart Supercenter! And regarding the above title...no, we weren't peering at rocks through windows!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Fixed Rope
I am not a mountaineer. I’m not even a (plastic) rock climber. The closest I ever came to mountain climbing was in my imagination at age 12, when I read the short novel Banner in the Sky (adapted as a Disney movie with the title Third Man on the Mountain). That was back when my seventh-grade English teachers were doing a shtick on the theme of “The Noble Quest“, and climbing mountains seemed right up there at the “summit” of the Quest Scale (along with running marathons and running for president). But I was listening a few weeks ago on National Public Radio about a climber’s “quest” to climb Mount Everest and discovered a phenomenon that I believes cheapens this concept: the fixed rope.
Back in the old days of climbing mountains, climbers tended to work in teams and did everything from scratch. One of the important jobs in climbing a mountain was to get ahead of the rest of the team and fix a rope, on which everyone else could secure themselves and use to climb the mountain. This very important task was usually something done by professional climbers, and in the Himalayas the local Sherpas often performed it. Once somebody installed the fixed rope, the rest of the climb went much more smoothly. It is a very important element of any quest to scale a peak.
But nowadays climbers often used the fixed rope that previous groups installed. To me, while this may (or may not) contribute to safety, it also detracts from the whole idea of the difficult “quest” and makes the whole project a little less than totally legitimate and complete.
The NPR piece on mountain climbing wasn’t really about the concept of “the fixed rope” per se. No, what made it stand out to me was the way it was reported. You would have thought that the rope had always been there from the beginning, something providentially hanging down from the sky, inseparable from the mountain! But mountain climbing isn’t the only area that I see this sort of thing.
When Lance Armstrong was doing his seven-year stint as the Tour de France champion, there would often be TV segments showing his training routine. He’d be in a sports/science lab on an elaborate bicycle apparatus, with his body all patched and connected to devices measuring his functions during his workout. Every motion on the bicycle would send out data to a computer which would in turn analyze his training performance and then give feedback to make him ride more efficiently. A far cry from just going out on the open road and training, wouldn’t you say? And people will still compare his racing times to previous riders who had nothing resembling these hi-tech “fixed ropes” to aid them.
Instead of using standardized equipment, professional golfers, bowlers, and tennis players use specially engineered balls, clubs, rackets, and (with bowlers) gloves and wrist supports designed to optimize their performances. Since these sports are all about out-competing one another, wouldn’t it make more sense to level the field by standardizing everything and eliminating performance-enhancing “crutches”?
And how about the sonar that some fishermen use to guide their boats in search of fish or the ridiculous sighting aids that shooters or archers use for killing their prey? What kind of sport or accomplishment is that?
Possibly the most obscene twist to this concept is the report during the campaign season that Alaska governor Sarah Palin would shoot moose from the relatively safe vantage point of an airplane overhead. Even if you are a hunter, how can you come away with anything less than disgust for such a cowardly and cruel “sport” done this way? But later, of course, Sarah is proudly standing over the corpse of the murdered animal, looking as if she had done it all on the ground and as if the moose ever had a prayer of surviving the ordeal.
If I’m going to climb a mountain, I’m going all out for having a secure, fixed rope already in place for me. Later I’ll carefully omit that and any other “aids” from my “quest narrative”, making it look as if I really went out there, faced the danger, and conquered the elements. Yessiree-bob, that’s what I’m gonna do. No Captain Kirk climbing the vertical face of a mountain with just his hands and feet for me! (See Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
Back in the old days of climbing mountains, climbers tended to work in teams and did everything from scratch. One of the important jobs in climbing a mountain was to get ahead of the rest of the team and fix a rope, on which everyone else could secure themselves and use to climb the mountain. This very important task was usually something done by professional climbers, and in the Himalayas the local Sherpas often performed it. Once somebody installed the fixed rope, the rest of the climb went much more smoothly. It is a very important element of any quest to scale a peak.
But nowadays climbers often used the fixed rope that previous groups installed. To me, while this may (or may not) contribute to safety, it also detracts from the whole idea of the difficult “quest” and makes the whole project a little less than totally legitimate and complete.
The NPR piece on mountain climbing wasn’t really about the concept of “the fixed rope” per se. No, what made it stand out to me was the way it was reported. You would have thought that the rope had always been there from the beginning, something providentially hanging down from the sky, inseparable from the mountain! But mountain climbing isn’t the only area that I see this sort of thing.
When Lance Armstrong was doing his seven-year stint as the Tour de France champion, there would often be TV segments showing his training routine. He’d be in a sports/science lab on an elaborate bicycle apparatus, with his body all patched and connected to devices measuring his functions during his workout. Every motion on the bicycle would send out data to a computer which would in turn analyze his training performance and then give feedback to make him ride more efficiently. A far cry from just going out on the open road and training, wouldn’t you say? And people will still compare his racing times to previous riders who had nothing resembling these hi-tech “fixed ropes” to aid them.
Instead of using standardized equipment, professional golfers, bowlers, and tennis players use specially engineered balls, clubs, rackets, and (with bowlers) gloves and wrist supports designed to optimize their performances. Since these sports are all about out-competing one another, wouldn’t it make more sense to level the field by standardizing everything and eliminating performance-enhancing “crutches”?
And how about the sonar that some fishermen use to guide their boats in search of fish or the ridiculous sighting aids that shooters or archers use for killing their prey? What kind of sport or accomplishment is that?
Possibly the most obscene twist to this concept is the report during the campaign season that Alaska governor Sarah Palin would shoot moose from the relatively safe vantage point of an airplane overhead. Even if you are a hunter, how can you come away with anything less than disgust for such a cowardly and cruel “sport” done this way? But later, of course, Sarah is proudly standing over the corpse of the murdered animal, looking as if she had done it all on the ground and as if the moose ever had a prayer of surviving the ordeal.
If I’m going to climb a mountain, I’m going all out for having a secure, fixed rope already in place for me. Later I’ll carefully omit that and any other “aids” from my “quest narrative”, making it look as if I really went out there, faced the danger, and conquered the elements. Yessiree-bob, that’s what I’m gonna do. No Captain Kirk climbing the vertical face of a mountain with just his hands and feet for me! (See Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Monday Newsbreak: 11-24
--Lionel Beehner and Vikram J. Singh, in an article written for the Los Angeles Times, pointed out that the current Bush administration has weighed too heavily on personal relationships and feelings between the president and other world leaders to guide his foreign policy. Once Bush had bonded with a leader, that person could then do no wrong. Cited as examples are Putin, Musharraf, Karzai, and Saakashvili. Conversely, if a foreign leader, like Chavez or Ahmadinejad, was hard for Bush to get along with, then our relations with there countries suffered disproportionately. That’s no way to conduct a foreign policy. Beehner and Singh are urging incoming president Obama to depersonalize foreign policy and make it a matter of our national interests, not personalities. I agree.
--President-elect Obama is moving quickly to establish his Cabinet. Hillary Clinton, I feel, will be a great secretary of state. She just needs a little training on how to lie more effectively, that’s all. Bill Richardson and Tom Daschle in the Cabinet? All right!
--In one year, my Alachua County public schools have nearly halved their drop-out rate from 6.6 % to 3.6 %. This is indicative of a general trend I see around here of the public schools taking a keener interest in the welfare of its students. Bravo!
--Snus, a type of smokeless tobacco developed in Sweden which the user can swallow instead of spitting out, has hit the markets in America. Camel is marketing this product. The Associated Press reports that Snus has been banned in every European country except for Sweden because it contains carcinogens. It’s obviously an attempt by Camel to keep nicotine addiction alive and well here in the United States by making its usage more convenient and socially acceptable (no outdoor smoking breaks, no smoke, and no messy spitting-out).
--It looks as if the college football national championship picture has narrowed itself down to only two conferences that “matter”: the Southeastern, with Alabama and Florida, and the Big Twelve, with Texas and Oklahoma. I keep hearing that the SEC winner will play the Big Twelve winner in the title game. But the polls indicate another possibly that everyone seems to be ignoring: An unimpressive Florida victory over Alabama in the SEC title game may pit Oklahoma against Texas in a rematch for the national championship game. Those two schools are already ranked ahead of Florida in the BCS poll.
--President-elect Obama is moving quickly to establish his Cabinet. Hillary Clinton, I feel, will be a great secretary of state. She just needs a little training on how to lie more effectively, that’s all. Bill Richardson and Tom Daschle in the Cabinet? All right!
--In one year, my Alachua County public schools have nearly halved their drop-out rate from 6.6 % to 3.6 %. This is indicative of a general trend I see around here of the public schools taking a keener interest in the welfare of its students. Bravo!
--Snus, a type of smokeless tobacco developed in Sweden which the user can swallow instead of spitting out, has hit the markets in America. Camel is marketing this product. The Associated Press reports that Snus has been banned in every European country except for Sweden because it contains carcinogens. It’s obviously an attempt by Camel to keep nicotine addiction alive and well here in the United States by making its usage more convenient and socially acceptable (no outdoor smoking breaks, no smoke, and no messy spitting-out).
--It looks as if the college football national championship picture has narrowed itself down to only two conferences that “matter”: the Southeastern, with Alabama and Florida, and the Big Twelve, with Texas and Oklahoma. I keep hearing that the SEC winner will play the Big Twelve winner in the title game. But the polls indicate another possibly that everyone seems to be ignoring: An unimpressive Florida victory over Alabama in the SEC title game may pit Oklahoma against Texas in a rematch for the national championship game. Those two schools are already ranked ahead of Florida in the BCS poll.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wassiyé
Here is a song and video by the very talented Mali artist Habib Koité and his accompanying group Bamada. The song is titled Wassiyé. I loved the music and the performance. I hope you do, too.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Maybe I’m Just Being Naïve, But…
I consider the nations of Latin America that have such a wide gulf between the minority of the population belonging to wealthy, landed traditional ruling classes who have had the power of the police and army behind them and the large majorities of the population who are relatively very poor and lacking in the basics of what we here in America take for granted as being rights: clean water, sanitation, health care, freedom of speech, due process, equality under the law, and the ability to make a living wage, among other things. I consider these nations and wonder what my own country has against the people in these lands getting a fair shake.
The United States has long held that the people in any particular country should have the right to freely elect their leaders. This is called representative democracy. But ever since the Latin American countries became independent from Spain and Portugal in the nineteenth century, democracy has been both restricted and intermittent. The “uneducated” masses have, until recently, been shut out of the governing process in many countries and, even when there has been the presence of elections, the military has too often stepped in to overthrow the elected officials, usually in the name of “fighting corruption”. If America were to stand true to its principles, then it should rejoice, in my opinion, in what is happening in several countries down south. For the people at-large there have risen up, gone to the ballot box, and elected individuals who truly represent them and their interests. I’m speaking of countries like Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
The U.S. government has long expressed the fear of leftist regimes spreading throughout Latin America by the type of guerilla warfare inspired by Castro’s success in Cuba during the 1950s. But what has happened there instead are peaceful and free elections leading to leftist governments.I understand that some of the leaders of these countries (especially Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales) have been very vocal in their denunciation of America’s national leaders and their foreign policy regarding their individual nations and the region as a whole. But we need to rise above the rhetoric and realize that it is in the interests of the world’s welfare as a whole for the poor to be respected and for their welfare to improve. If these leaders are working to help their people with their lives, then we should show respect and appreciation to them for that.
I feel fortunate to have been born and raised in the United States. I could have been a poor Bolivian peasant or a destitute Brazilian slum-dweller, with little or no opportunity to move upward in society or improve the economic status of myself or my family. Let’s all show some magnanimity and goodwill toward those new, more representative governments south of us as they seriously work to advance the interests of their own people, even if these interests sometimes don’t coincide with our own.
The United States has long held that the people in any particular country should have the right to freely elect their leaders. This is called representative democracy. But ever since the Latin American countries became independent from Spain and Portugal in the nineteenth century, democracy has been both restricted and intermittent. The “uneducated” masses have, until recently, been shut out of the governing process in many countries and, even when there has been the presence of elections, the military has too often stepped in to overthrow the elected officials, usually in the name of “fighting corruption”. If America were to stand true to its principles, then it should rejoice, in my opinion, in what is happening in several countries down south. For the people at-large there have risen up, gone to the ballot box, and elected individuals who truly represent them and their interests. I’m speaking of countries like Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
The U.S. government has long expressed the fear of leftist regimes spreading throughout Latin America by the type of guerilla warfare inspired by Castro’s success in Cuba during the 1950s. But what has happened there instead are peaceful and free elections leading to leftist governments.I understand that some of the leaders of these countries (especially Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales) have been very vocal in their denunciation of America’s national leaders and their foreign policy regarding their individual nations and the region as a whole. But we need to rise above the rhetoric and realize that it is in the interests of the world’s welfare as a whole for the poor to be respected and for their welfare to improve. If these leaders are working to help their people with their lives, then we should show respect and appreciation to them for that.
I feel fortunate to have been born and raised in the United States. I could have been a poor Bolivian peasant or a destitute Brazilian slum-dweller, with little or no opportunity to move upward in society or improve the economic status of myself or my family. Let’s all show some magnanimity and goodwill toward those new, more representative governments south of us as they seriously work to advance the interests of their own people, even if these interests sometimes don’t coincide with our own.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The “What If” Fallacy
I belong to a union at my work place. Each month, my union local holds a meeting for officers, stewards, and any members who would like to attend. Normally, few people attend these meetings (I used to but they were so boring that I just wanted to pull all the hair out of my head). They want to encourage a large attendance, so as an incentive, they hold a drawing each meeting. Any attending member (there are 300+ members) stands an equal chance of winning the prize, which increases each month if not won. Currently, I believe the drawing prize stands at $250.
In order to further motivate members to attend meetings, my union decided to print out the name of the member that was drawn, whether or not they were present to win the prize, and display it on the bulletin board at work for everyone to see. The reasoning for this is obvious: if member “Sally G” had shown up, she would have won the prize, and how oh-so-foolish she was not to attend! So don’t look foolish like Sally G! Attend meetings!
But if member Sally G, who now feels thoroughly humiliated and angry that the union plastered her name on the bulletin board, had actually attended the meeting, would she have still won the drawing? Even if she hadn’t been an active participant and only said “hi” to a few people and sat down in the back, that would have been enough of a chain of events to completely alter the actions of those in the union hall. And by the time that the drawing was held, someone else’s name would doubtless have been picked. And Sally G also doubtless would have said to herself “These meetings are a waste of my time” and someone else would have been singled out for non-attendance.
Plus, who’s to say that someone may not have caused an accident with Sally G on the way to the meeting. There are also remote odds for that happening as well, but it is still almost like taking a drawing each time you go out on the open road. Plus, Sally’s presence at the meeting would have meant her absence in wherever she would have been, and that may have a probability of something bad happening as well.
But the main point is that you cannot surgically and retroactively insert yourself or another into a past situation and then ignore the effects that the new presence would cause on the chain of events. There was a very disturbing but profound Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled Tapestry. In it Captain Picard, regretting the folly of his youth, wishes that he could go back to a specific point in his past and rectify a reckless decision he once made that got him into a fight and caused him to lose his heart (he “now” uses an artificial one). His “friend” Q pops in on the scene and shows him what would have happened had his wish been granted. It would have completely changed his life to something Picard abhorred. So he came to peace with his past decisions, even the "wrong" ones, and went on with his life (and his artificial heart).
There's nothing wrong with wanting to increase attendance. Just try to be a little more reasonable and respectful of those whose attendance you yearn for!
In order to further motivate members to attend meetings, my union decided to print out the name of the member that was drawn, whether or not they were present to win the prize, and display it on the bulletin board at work for everyone to see. The reasoning for this is obvious: if member “Sally G” had shown up, she would have won the prize, and how oh-so-foolish she was not to attend! So don’t look foolish like Sally G! Attend meetings!
But if member Sally G, who now feels thoroughly humiliated and angry that the union plastered her name on the bulletin board, had actually attended the meeting, would she have still won the drawing? Even if she hadn’t been an active participant and only said “hi” to a few people and sat down in the back, that would have been enough of a chain of events to completely alter the actions of those in the union hall. And by the time that the drawing was held, someone else’s name would doubtless have been picked. And Sally G also doubtless would have said to herself “These meetings are a waste of my time” and someone else would have been singled out for non-attendance.
Plus, who’s to say that someone may not have caused an accident with Sally G on the way to the meeting. There are also remote odds for that happening as well, but it is still almost like taking a drawing each time you go out on the open road. Plus, Sally’s presence at the meeting would have meant her absence in wherever she would have been, and that may have a probability of something bad happening as well.
But the main point is that you cannot surgically and retroactively insert yourself or another into a past situation and then ignore the effects that the new presence would cause on the chain of events. There was a very disturbing but profound Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled Tapestry. In it Captain Picard, regretting the folly of his youth, wishes that he could go back to a specific point in his past and rectify a reckless decision he once made that got him into a fight and caused him to lose his heart (he “now” uses an artificial one). His “friend” Q pops in on the scene and shows him what would have happened had his wish been granted. It would have completely changed his life to something Picard abhorred. So he came to peace with his past decisions, even the "wrong" ones, and went on with his life (and his artificial heart).
There's nothing wrong with wanting to increase attendance. Just try to be a little more reasonable and respectful of those whose attendance you yearn for!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Dolphins and Patriots Showdown
What a difference a year can make! In the National Football League this time last year, after ten regular-season games, the New England Patriots were undefeated at 10-0 while the Miami Dolphins were a pathetic mirror image at 0-10. Speculation was running rampant on whether the Pats would finish the regular season undefeated (which they did) or whether the Fins would finish without a win (they did win one game near the end). New England did go on to lose to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl (yippee!), but Miami had a lot of changes to make. They brought in veteran, former Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells as executive vice-president, and he went about rebuilding the team. Head coach Cam Cameron was replaced with Tony Sparano, and several trades were made (as well as some crucial draft picks). One of Miami’s acquisitions was Jet quarterback Chad Pennington, who had experienced problems regaining his old form following injuries.
This year, we’re at the same point in the season and the two teams are tied in their division at 6-4. And they’re playing each other this Sunday! Miami stunned the football world a few weeks ago by demolishing the Patriots 38-13 on the road in Foxboro, Massachusetts. A late November game at home should be to the Dolphins’ advantage. New England has been handicapped this season with future Hall-of-Fame and NFL record-holder quarterback Tom Brady being out for the season with an injury. And Pennington has stayed healthy and effective for Miami, as have their two star running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.
Miami is in the thick of a playoff hunt for the first time since 2003. I think I am now ready to forgive former coach Nick Saban for deserting them for the Alabama coaching job now. Especially if this turnaround for the Dolphins holds and endures for the next few years. That upcoming Dolphins-Patriots game stands to be a classic!
This year, we’re at the same point in the season and the two teams are tied in their division at 6-4. And they’re playing each other this Sunday! Miami stunned the football world a few weeks ago by demolishing the Patriots 38-13 on the road in Foxboro, Massachusetts. A late November game at home should be to the Dolphins’ advantage. New England has been handicapped this season with future Hall-of-Fame and NFL record-holder quarterback Tom Brady being out for the season with an injury. And Pennington has stayed healthy and effective for Miami, as have their two star running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.
Miami is in the thick of a playoff hunt for the first time since 2003. I think I am now ready to forgive former coach Nick Saban for deserting them for the Alabama coaching job now. Especially if this turnaround for the Dolphins holds and endures for the next few years. That upcoming Dolphins-Patriots game stands to be a classic!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Scholastic Cyber-Priesthood
I just had a very unsettling personal experience. Relatively late in my life, but recent enough to be clear in my memory, I graduated from the University of Florida in December, 2002. To take the remaining few classes needed for my degree, I extensively used the UF Library West and its academic journals. Even by this time, some of the journals I needed articles from were on-line and restricted to those with the needed passwords and accounts (i.e. authorized scholars and students). But I could still freely access their valuable microform collection of newspapers that went back into the nineteenth century by simply finding the spool I was looking for, loading it into one of the simple machines provided in the microform room, and viewing it.
Since 2002, Library West was completely rebuilt and redesigned to be more compatible with our digital era. This past Monday evening, I went there for the first time since its recent reopening. And got thoroughly blasted with culture shock. Every student there, I mean EVERY student, had a laptop with them and was doing their work on it. That in itself was a major change in the span of six years for me. But the most unsettling and disturbing thing was that I could no longer access the microform collection since the machines were all now computerized and demanded user IDs and passwords. Except for one dilapidated old machine, the type of which I had never used and I would have had to stand at.
Digitalizing of our academic knowledge should be a liberating, not restricting experience. But nowadays, it seems that one either needs permission from the uppity muckity-mucks in academia or has to be willing to pay through the nose just for being able to read current academic journals or research microforms. Sure, I’m a UF alumnus and I can apply for the privilege of checking out books (for a fee) from UF libraries. And maybe with this I’ll be able to access the microforms as well. But before, I could just have walked in and viewed them “for free” (although my tax dollars are supporting UF) and now I need to apply for someone’s permission.
This reeks of academic elitism in its worst form. In the Old Testament accounts of the Israelites, their priests, and the tabernacle, only the high priests were granted access to the inner chambers of the tabernacle. In like manner, the state of our academics is becoming such that the general population is not only suffering from a vast gap of understanding and knowledge between them and the learned: they are now being physically denied access to that knowledge! This must change!
Since 2002, Library West was completely rebuilt and redesigned to be more compatible with our digital era. This past Monday evening, I went there for the first time since its recent reopening. And got thoroughly blasted with culture shock. Every student there, I mean EVERY student, had a laptop with them and was doing their work on it. That in itself was a major change in the span of six years for me. But the most unsettling and disturbing thing was that I could no longer access the microform collection since the machines were all now computerized and demanded user IDs and passwords. Except for one dilapidated old machine, the type of which I had never used and I would have had to stand at.
Digitalizing of our academic knowledge should be a liberating, not restricting experience. But nowadays, it seems that one either needs permission from the uppity muckity-mucks in academia or has to be willing to pay through the nose just for being able to read current academic journals or research microforms. Sure, I’m a UF alumnus and I can apply for the privilege of checking out books (for a fee) from UF libraries. And maybe with this I’ll be able to access the microforms as well. But before, I could just have walked in and viewed them “for free” (although my tax dollars are supporting UF) and now I need to apply for someone’s permission.
This reeks of academic elitism in its worst form. In the Old Testament accounts of the Israelites, their priests, and the tabernacle, only the high priests were granted access to the inner chambers of the tabernacle. In like manner, the state of our academics is becoming such that the general population is not only suffering from a vast gap of understanding and knowledge between them and the learned: they are now being physically denied access to that knowledge! This must change!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Short Break
I'm going to take a short break from this blog, hoping to resume later this week. Please feel free to browse through the archives and comment on any article that you want.
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