Today has been one of those special weather days here in Gainesville, with the sky completely overcast, the temperatures hovering around 60, a strong wind circulating around, and the impression that it is always on the verge of raining without ever doing so. In other words, my kind of day!
No, I am not a "bright sunshine" kind of guy. I like the kind of brooding, dark weather that often befits my personality. So today rocked! It also reminded me of last Christmas, which experienced the same outside gloom the entire day with the cloud cover so thick that the night began to befall the area in mid-afternoon. I would know, since I was out running 20 miles in it! The main difference between then and now is that on Christmas it did finally let loose and rain (right at the end of my run).
Alas today, with its exquisite weather, would not see me performing a long run: I did that yesterday and now space them at least two days apart. I did run 1.34 miles, though (two laps around my block). Afterward, I just had to stand out in the backyard for a spell and let the weather overcome me, it was so wonderful...
Maybe tomorrow will see more of the same. But my experience tells me that this sort of weather pattern is fleeting. We'll probably either get rain or the clouds will abate. Right now, though, it's a little after nine at night and the weather is still the same as it has been all day...
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
British Online Spy Contest
A couple of days ago, I was watching CNN and saw a news story that I had some trouble believing. But no, it had to be true: British intelligence was holding an online contest to see who could decipher a difficult code on their website. Those with winning solutions received a prize: a job interview to become a career spy for the Crown!
So let's suppose that I am from any nation on Earth besides Great Britain. That most likely means that my country has its own intelligence/spy network at work and would love to infiltrate Britain's network, even if we were allies. So my country, most probably with more advanced technology and methods of cracking codes than do ordinary, individual citizens, solves the puzzle and has one of its agents stationed within Britain submit the winning solution. Presto, a mole served to order!
But wait, maybe that's what the smart guys in British intelligence are thinking and they are using this "contest" to filter out potential double agents. But...
Maybe those countries who would use this contest to plant moles see through this and will deliberately use people who can give misinformation to the British. But then again...
Maybe the British know that those countries will do this and they want to throw them off the trail of their real intelligence schemes...
Well, I suppose this could go on indefinitely. But I think I've already cracked their online code. You see, I have my own source of code deciphering material, delivered by a mysterious short, bespectacled operator going by the tag "Ralphie".
The solution is: "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!"
O.K. Brits, I'm ready: sign me up!
So let's suppose that I am from any nation on Earth besides Great Britain. That most likely means that my country has its own intelligence/spy network at work and would love to infiltrate Britain's network, even if we were allies. So my country, most probably with more advanced technology and methods of cracking codes than do ordinary, individual citizens, solves the puzzle and has one of its agents stationed within Britain submit the winning solution. Presto, a mole served to order!
But wait, maybe that's what the smart guys in British intelligence are thinking and they are using this "contest" to filter out potential double agents. But...
Maybe those countries who would use this contest to plant moles see through this and will deliberately use people who can give misinformation to the British. But then again...
Maybe the British know that those countries will do this and they want to throw them off the trail of their real intelligence schemes...
Well, I suppose this could go on indefinitely. But I think I've already cracked their online code. You see, I have my own source of code deciphering material, delivered by a mysterious short, bespectacled operator going by the tag "Ralphie".
The solution is: "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!"
O.K. Brits, I'm ready: sign me up!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Weis Leaves UF, No Big Loss
Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, whose much-heralded presence in his first year on the job produced one of the worst offensive seasons that Gator fans have seen in recent decades, has decided to leave UF to become head coach at Kansas after stating just a few days earlier that he would stay at Florida for several years. Apparently, that school's athletic director decided that he wanted what Mr. Weis brought to Florida: a completely uninspired, lackluster offense and a leader whose words they can't believe. Good luck, if that's what they want out there; it's just one more item I can add to my long list of reasons I never want to move to an already lackluster state. On the other hand, my current governor, teabagger and suspected space alien Rick Scott (who has yet to produce any official, stamped, signed, and dated document specifically stating that he was born within our Solar System), is doing all that he can to make Florida as equally unattractive to live in...
Florida is now looking for a replacement for offensive coordinator. They need someone who will be able to salvage the ongoing recruiting season, which doesn't seem to be going very well at the moment with highly-sought-after prospects signing on with other schools. But then again, the current Gator team is largely made up of what sports analysts had regarded in the past as some of the nation's top recruiting classes. Still, they'd better hurry up, hire someone, and get the new o.c. on the road to add some more Gators! Oh, and how about adding a little razzle-dazzle to Florida's offense for a change?
And by the way, let's do something about getting ourselves some size and talent on the offensive line! It was downright embarrassing to see the Gators being pushed around on the line of scrimmage this year, game after game after game, sometimes against just average opponents...
Florida is now looking for a replacement for offensive coordinator. They need someone who will be able to salvage the ongoing recruiting season, which doesn't seem to be going very well at the moment with highly-sought-after prospects signing on with other schools. But then again, the current Gator team is largely made up of what sports analysts had regarded in the past as some of the nation's top recruiting classes. Still, they'd better hurry up, hire someone, and get the new o.c. on the road to add some more Gators! Oh, and how about adding a little razzle-dazzle to Florida's offense for a change?
And by the way, let's do something about getting ourselves some size and talent on the offensive line! It was downright embarrassing to see the Gators being pushed around on the line of scrimmage this year, game after game after game, sometimes against just average opponents...
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Twelve Eight...Then and Now
Today marks the anniversary of the shooting death of John Lennon in 1980 at the hands of a lunatic at the entrance to the former Beatles' home, the Dakota Apartments in Manhattan just across from Central Park. He was only forty and had just begun to renew his musical career with a double album release, a team effort with his wife Yoko Ono. The assassin, whose name does not merit mention, supposedly believed that he was compelled to shoot Lennon for being an impostor of sorts, in conflict with his own inner mental model that he somehow took for real. And that's all I have to say about that.
I had just come back from having a pleasant meal at IHOP in south Gainesville and quickly tuned my tiny black and white TV on to ABC to watch the tail end of the Monday Night Football game featuring "my" Miami Dolphins, struggling through a rebuilding year and trying to ruin the playoff hopes of their divisional rival New England. Which they accomplished, booting the game-winning field goal at the tail end of the game, to loud cheers from the home Miami crowd. But I quickly learned with that good news that something very bad had happened: John Lennon had just been shot. It wasn't long before his death was reported, and soon after the game (then) ABC correspondent Geraldo Rivera was given free rein to discuss the matter, especially in the context of the friendship he had developed with the Lennons.
When someone dies, like Lennon in 1980, there is no next year, no 1981. For him, the universe has been extinguished while, from the viewpoint of the rest of the universe, the converse is true. The question I have may sound a bit silly, but I think it is pertinent nevertheless: is there such a thing as 1980? That year (well, most of it) contained within it the life essence of John Lennon, walking and breathing on Earth. Yes, that sweeping line of the "now" that separates past from future is currently 31 years down the road. But does that "now" determine reality in and of itself?
What do you think?
I had just come back from having a pleasant meal at IHOP in south Gainesville and quickly tuned my tiny black and white TV on to ABC to watch the tail end of the Monday Night Football game featuring "my" Miami Dolphins, struggling through a rebuilding year and trying to ruin the playoff hopes of their divisional rival New England. Which they accomplished, booting the game-winning field goal at the tail end of the game, to loud cheers from the home Miami crowd. But I quickly learned with that good news that something very bad had happened: John Lennon had just been shot. It wasn't long before his death was reported, and soon after the game (then) ABC correspondent Geraldo Rivera was given free rein to discuss the matter, especially in the context of the friendship he had developed with the Lennons.
When someone dies, like Lennon in 1980, there is no next year, no 1981. For him, the universe has been extinguished while, from the viewpoint of the rest of the universe, the converse is true. The question I have may sound a bit silly, but I think it is pertinent nevertheless: is there such a thing as 1980? That year (well, most of it) contained within it the life essence of John Lennon, walking and breathing on Earth. Yes, that sweeping line of the "now" that separates past from future is currently 31 years down the road. But does that "now" determine reality in and of itself?
What do you think?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Twelve Seven
Seventy years ago, on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise aerial attack on the American fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, precipitating the U.S. entrance into World War II. This conflict had been going on for two years in the West, with Nazi Germany and fascist Italy pitted against the Allies (the national composition of which kept changing due to invasion and occupation). But truth be told, for all practical purposes, this horrible conflict that took so many lives began in 1931 with Japan's invasion of China.
For ten years before the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan, then ruled by a totalitarian military dictatorship that imposed the harsh Bushido nationalist doctrine on its population, brutalized the Chinese people as it enacted its own "Lebensraum" policy long before Hitler invaded Eastern Europe. In fact, the brutality of the Nanking occupation was so severe that the Nazi German officials stationed there were reportedly horrified enough to allow fleeing Chinese sanctuary in their embassy. But I'm not trying to rip on the Japanese here...
The fact is that countries like Japan and Germany epitomize high civilization for me. As does my good ol' U.S.A....and that has me worrying a bit.
A totalitarian society practices strict control of its population through a secret police network, informants, and harsh punishment of any perceived "deviants" from the state's line. But history has shown us in a frightening way how the perception of economic prosperity as well as the notion that outside enemies are threatening the country can lead its people not only to rationalize the plight they are experiencing under their ever-diminishing liberties, but also to fully embrace their oppressive government's policies, even if they lead to war and genocide.
So here we are in America, worrying about our precious economy. We see all these enemies out there trying to undermine us and we think that we need a strong leader who will lay the law down to those other countries. And what about the moral decay that is weakening us within? We need the government to pass laws which restrict immoral behavior among the population so that we can be internally stronger. And let's also fully support the state and whatever police tactics it employs to squelch constitutionally-protected peaceful dissent, because we all know how those good-for-nothing protesters are just trying to undermine us. Well, at least SOME of us want that, judging by the crowd reactions at some of these debates that have been going on lately.
I think that the lesson most commonly taught about Pearl Harbor is to not let your guard down about your enemies. But while taking care not to let that happen, let's make sure that we don't become the enemy ourselves. Prosperity is the great justifier: be careful not to relinquish your precious rights to the state for its sake, and don't rationalize the state's behavior based on your own economic well-being: your great civilized country could turn into something very ugly...
For ten years before the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan, then ruled by a totalitarian military dictatorship that imposed the harsh Bushido nationalist doctrine on its population, brutalized the Chinese people as it enacted its own "Lebensraum" policy long before Hitler invaded Eastern Europe. In fact, the brutality of the Nanking occupation was so severe that the Nazi German officials stationed there were reportedly horrified enough to allow fleeing Chinese sanctuary in their embassy. But I'm not trying to rip on the Japanese here...
The fact is that countries like Japan and Germany epitomize high civilization for me. As does my good ol' U.S.A....and that has me worrying a bit.
A totalitarian society practices strict control of its population through a secret police network, informants, and harsh punishment of any perceived "deviants" from the state's line. But history has shown us in a frightening way how the perception of economic prosperity as well as the notion that outside enemies are threatening the country can lead its people not only to rationalize the plight they are experiencing under their ever-diminishing liberties, but also to fully embrace their oppressive government's policies, even if they lead to war and genocide.
So here we are in America, worrying about our precious economy. We see all these enemies out there trying to undermine us and we think that we need a strong leader who will lay the law down to those other countries. And what about the moral decay that is weakening us within? We need the government to pass laws which restrict immoral behavior among the population so that we can be internally stronger. And let's also fully support the state and whatever police tactics it employs to squelch constitutionally-protected peaceful dissent, because we all know how those good-for-nothing protesters are just trying to undermine us. Well, at least SOME of us want that, judging by the crowd reactions at some of these debates that have been going on lately.
I think that the lesson most commonly taught about Pearl Harbor is to not let your guard down about your enemies. But while taking care not to let that happen, let's make sure that we don't become the enemy ourselves. Prosperity is the great justifier: be careful not to relinquish your precious rights to the state for its sake, and don't rationalize the state's behavior based on your own economic well-being: your great civilized country could turn into something very ugly...
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Lord of the Rings: Added Scenes
The other day I was watching Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on one of the Encore channels. I expected a repeat viewing of a movie I have seen so many times that I can predict what the characters are about to say. But this time around, things were different: they had added many new scenes to the movie.
The part where, at Isengard, the hobbits Merry and Pippin are reunited with the rest of the "fellowship" (sans Frodo, Sam, and Boromir) is rather puzzling in the original movie. After dominating Gandalf and terrorizing the surrounding people in the first two movies with his massive army of orcs, the wizard Saruman is reduced to residing hidden in his tower, without any real power left. That is, according to a terse statement that Gandalf makes. Then, mysteriously and without explanation, after safely in Saruman's possession within the tower for the first two movies, the black palantir (a magical psychic transmission ball) appears to Pippin at the bottom of the water just outside. I found this sequence frustrating and unsatisfactory in the original movie. But the revised version I saw the other night tied up all the loose ends and nicely cleaned up the story. I wondered to myself why they didn't include this in the original.
Other scenes were added as well: some were clearly superfluous to the story, such as the drinking contest between Legolas and Gimli. Others were important, such as what happened right after Aragorn made his enlistment pitch to the army of the dead. Or the time that Frodo and Sam were in Mordor and were forced to march for a time with Sauron's orc army. These scenes were exciting, making me wonder why they were left out of the movie.
I bought the DVD set for Lord of the Rings a few years ago and now feel a bit ripped off, knowing that I am missing all of those extra scenes. But this reinsertion of scenes into established movies has been going on for quite some time. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Godfather, and the Harry Potter flicks have all undergone this process, making their presentation on TV always a question of whether it's the old movie or the "new, improved" version.
What is interesting to me is that the extra scene in Return of the King with Saruman, while making the story more sensible, actually makes a complete break with J.R.R. Tolkien's writing. In the book, Saruman and Grima escape to foment trouble in the Shire, which the four returning hobbits have to deal with near the ending. In the movie, the Shire residents are blissfully ignorant of all the tumultuous events that had just transpired around them, regarding the returning hobbit heroes with apathy, even a little disdain.
I welcome the new scenes: actually, I'd like to see a whole lot more...
The part where, at Isengard, the hobbits Merry and Pippin are reunited with the rest of the "fellowship" (sans Frodo, Sam, and Boromir) is rather puzzling in the original movie. After dominating Gandalf and terrorizing the surrounding people in the first two movies with his massive army of orcs, the wizard Saruman is reduced to residing hidden in his tower, without any real power left. That is, according to a terse statement that Gandalf makes. Then, mysteriously and without explanation, after safely in Saruman's possession within the tower for the first two movies, the black palantir (a magical psychic transmission ball) appears to Pippin at the bottom of the water just outside. I found this sequence frustrating and unsatisfactory in the original movie. But the revised version I saw the other night tied up all the loose ends and nicely cleaned up the story. I wondered to myself why they didn't include this in the original.
Other scenes were added as well: some were clearly superfluous to the story, such as the drinking contest between Legolas and Gimli. Others were important, such as what happened right after Aragorn made his enlistment pitch to the army of the dead. Or the time that Frodo and Sam were in Mordor and were forced to march for a time with Sauron's orc army. These scenes were exciting, making me wonder why they were left out of the movie.
I bought the DVD set for Lord of the Rings a few years ago and now feel a bit ripped off, knowing that I am missing all of those extra scenes. But this reinsertion of scenes into established movies has been going on for quite some time. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Godfather, and the Harry Potter flicks have all undergone this process, making their presentation on TV always a question of whether it's the old movie or the "new, improved" version.
What is interesting to me is that the extra scene in Return of the King with Saruman, while making the story more sensible, actually makes a complete break with J.R.R. Tolkien's writing. In the book, Saruman and Grima escape to foment trouble in the Shire, which the four returning hobbits have to deal with near the ending. In the movie, the Shire residents are blissfully ignorant of all the tumultuous events that had just transpired around them, regarding the returning hobbit heroes with apathy, even a little disdain.
I welcome the new scenes: actually, I'd like to see a whole lot more...
Monday, December 5, 2011
Recovery Day
Today was one of those days that my tired body just took over and told me to step back and take it easy. Fortunately, I was off from work and could afford to do this. After dropping off my daughter at school in the morning and then sitting at the nearby Starbucks in a near-stupor for about an hour, I went home to prepare for a good, long run. Only that never happened: I went back to bed and slept a few more hours. When I awoke, I realized that this was just going to be a "recovery" day for me.
With an expected intense day of work tomorrow due to the holiday season rush, I am glad I am taking this time to rest. Who knows, I may even take it easier on my running for another day...
With an expected intense day of work tomorrow due to the holiday season rush, I am glad I am taking this time to rest. Who knows, I may even take it easier on my running for another day...
Sunday, December 4, 2011
December Mail Rush Upon Me Again
Well, the year has once again come around full circle and here I am in early December, a postal processing employee during the intensely busy Christmas season. I expect a very busy three weeks ahead of me as we are inundated with a seemingly endless amount of parcels to sort and send to their appropriate destinations. For I operate one of the parcel sorting machines at my local plant, along with my crew of eight other workers and a supporting cast of help from other parts of the facility.
Unfortunately, with the (what I consider very ill-advised) decision by upper-level postal management to move outgoing mail processing from Gainesville to Jacksonville after December, this is probably the last great Christmas mail rush I will be working. Unless, of course, I become one of those who end up excessed to Jacksonville or Tampa a few months from now as ALL of Gainesville's mail processing operations are transferred to those two cities.
There is a lot of uncertainty regarding where I will be working in the future, and what I will be doing. But whatever happens, I will still be a proud employee of a quality organization: the United States Postal Service, as well as an even prouder member, in my 25th year, of the best labor union in the nation: the American Postal Workers Union.
Since I may be working a lot of overtime (and sleeping overtime the following day), this blog may suffer a bit in the form of gaps. But rest assured, "constant reader" (with a tip of my hat to the great Stephen King), I'm keepin' the faith here: just you keep reading my drivel, O.K.?
Even if you just hit my blog and casually read it, go ahead and anonymously leave a comment (as long as it's not spam), especially if you have a criticism...
Unfortunately, with the (what I consider very ill-advised) decision by upper-level postal management to move outgoing mail processing from Gainesville to Jacksonville after December, this is probably the last great Christmas mail rush I will be working. Unless, of course, I become one of those who end up excessed to Jacksonville or Tampa a few months from now as ALL of Gainesville's mail processing operations are transferred to those two cities.
There is a lot of uncertainty regarding where I will be working in the future, and what I will be doing. But whatever happens, I will still be a proud employee of a quality organization: the United States Postal Service, as well as an even prouder member, in my 25th year, of the best labor union in the nation: the American Postal Workers Union.
Since I may be working a lot of overtime (and sleeping overtime the following day), this blog may suffer a bit in the form of gaps. But rest assured, "constant reader" (with a tip of my hat to the great Stephen King), I'm keepin' the faith here: just you keep reading my drivel, O.K.?
Even if you just hit my blog and casually read it, go ahead and anonymously leave a comment (as long as it's not spam), especially if you have a criticism...
Saturday, December 3, 2011
LSU-Alabama Title Pairing Not Right
Now that LSU has beaten Georgia for the Southeastern Conference championship this year in college football, that leaves, in all probability, two SEC schools to play for the national championship: LSU and Alabama. These two teams already played each other just a month ago, with LSU prevailing 9-6 in overtime. But one might say that, just because they were from the same conference (even the same division within that conference) and already played each other, that doesn't matter since they are the two best teams in the country (according to the determining BCS ranking system). So these two, from a six-team division within a conference, have been determined to be the best two teams in the country. Why?
The Southeastern Conference has distinguished itself in the previous six years by winning every one of those national championships. But the deciding championship game that each of the SEC teams won in those years was against a school from another part of the country. The fact that the other SEC schools, apart from chiefly small colleges, dominated the schedules of LSU and Alabama, means that there is not, in my opinion, a sufficiently strong enough point of reference to automatically lift the SEC high above all of the other conferences in stature and give Alabama, the team that lost to LSU, a shot at the title.
I would much rather see a team like Oklahoma State play LSU than Alabama. The BCS system in college football is an abysmal failure. It needs not just reform: it needs to be completely overturned in favor of a nationwide playoff system.
The Southeastern Conference has distinguished itself in the previous six years by winning every one of those national championships. But the deciding championship game that each of the SEC teams won in those years was against a school from another part of the country. The fact that the other SEC schools, apart from chiefly small colleges, dominated the schedules of LSU and Alabama, means that there is not, in my opinion, a sufficiently strong enough point of reference to automatically lift the SEC high above all of the other conferences in stature and give Alabama, the team that lost to LSU, a shot at the title.
I would much rather see a team like Oklahoma State play LSU than Alabama. The BCS system in college football is an abysmal failure. It needs not just reform: it needs to be completely overturned in favor of a nationwide playoff system.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Stealth Spam Comments
Since you are obviously currently reading this blog, you are probably doing everything you can right now to keep yourself from becoming completely overcome by its dazzling, profound wit and wisdom. Seriously though, to be perfectly truthful about it, I don't promote this blog on the Internet and not that many people read it. Maybe they like it, maybe they don't: I don't know since few of them leave comments. Of the ones that do, though, I appreciate those comments whether they agree or disagree with me. Well....except for one type of "comment", that is...
Blogger, the Google blog publisher under which I write this blog, has a spam comment feature that keeps a lot of that unwelcome stuff from ever bothering me. Unfortunately, some of those out there promoting their own little businesses on the Internet have recognized that their free-advertising-via-comments is being cut down by spam-filters, so they adapted to this by actually leaving terse, bland, and unspecific pseudo-comments. With their business websites accessible through their "names" they used as submitters. Such was the case, among way too many I have been getting, with the phony comment for my "Two Bumper Stickers" article the other day. The writer wrote a broken tweet-length sentence saying that my bumper sticker article was nice and thanks for sharing it. Just enough to pass through a spam filter. No way am I going to publish it as a comment. And his name referred back to a business, naturally.
Once again, I strongly welcome comments. As a rule of thumb, though, just make sure that (1) you address specific things I wrote within the article and (2) don't advertise your business through your comment.
I don't think that's asking too much.
Blogger, the Google blog publisher under which I write this blog, has a spam comment feature that keeps a lot of that unwelcome stuff from ever bothering me. Unfortunately, some of those out there promoting their own little businesses on the Internet have recognized that their free-advertising-via-comments is being cut down by spam-filters, so they adapted to this by actually leaving terse, bland, and unspecific pseudo-comments. With their business websites accessible through their "names" they used as submitters. Such was the case, among way too many I have been getting, with the phony comment for my "Two Bumper Stickers" article the other day. The writer wrote a broken tweet-length sentence saying that my bumper sticker article was nice and thanks for sharing it. Just enough to pass through a spam filter. No way am I going to publish it as a comment. And his name referred back to a business, naturally.
Once again, I strongly welcome comments. As a rule of thumb, though, just make sure that (1) you address specific things I wrote within the article and (2) don't advertise your business through your comment.
I don't think that's asking too much.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Unit 3 Arabic Vocabulary
Once again, this is from Teach Yourself Arabic by Jack Smart and Frances Altorfer. The pages where the new words are mark after each initial word for a new page.
أين...ayna.....where, 55
عن إذنك...:an idhn-ik.....excuse me (to a woman), 56
إنجلترا...ingiltarra.....England
عمان...:ammaan.....Amman
أردني...urduni.....Jordanian
إنجليزي...ingliizi.....English
مع الأسف...ma:a l-asaf.....I'm sorry
لا...laa.....not
فقط...faqaT.....only
العلربية...al-:arabiyyah.....Arabic, the Arabic language, 57
بطلاقة...bi-Talaaqah.....fluently
قليلة...qaliilah.....a little, few (fem.)
ما عملك؟...maa :amal-ik.....what do you do? (to a woman)
جامعة لندن...jaami:at landan.....University of London
طبيب...Tabiib.....doctor
طالب...Taalib.....student, 58
مدرس...mudarris.....teacher
مهندس...muhandis.....engineer
مدير...mudiir.....manager
رئيس...ra'iis.....boss
متحف, متاحف...matHaf, mataaHif.....museum, 59
كثيرة...kathiirah.....many, much (fem.)
جسر, جسور...jisr, jusuur.....bridge
محل, محلات...maHall, maHallaat.....shop, store
جامعة...jaami:ah.....university
وسط...wasT.....middle
غرفة...ghurfah.....room, 63
أتكلم...atakallam.....I speak
تتكلم...tatakallam.....you speak (masc.)
تتكلمين...tatakallamiin.....you speak (fem.)
يتكلم...yatakallam.....he speaks
تتكلم...tatakallam.....she speaks
مكتوم...maktuum.....concealed, 64
مكتوب...maktuub.....written
مسموح...masmuuH.....permitted
ممنوع...mamnuu:.....forbidden
مبصوط...mabSuuT.....contented, happy
مفروض...mafruuDH.....necessary, obligatory
أية...ayya.....which (fem.), 66
قليلا...qaliilan.....slightly, a bit
مشهور...mashhuur.....famous, 67
صيدلية, ات...Saydaliyyah, -aat.....pharmacy
سعيد...sa:iid.....happy, joyful
أين...ayna.....where, 55
عن إذنك...:an idhn-ik.....excuse me (to a woman), 56
إنجلترا...ingiltarra.....England
عمان...:ammaan.....Amman
أردني...urduni.....Jordanian
إنجليزي...ingliizi.....English
مع الأسف...ma:a l-asaf.....I'm sorry
لا...laa.....not
فقط...faqaT.....only
العلربية...al-:arabiyyah.....Arabic, the Arabic language, 57
بطلاقة...bi-Talaaqah.....fluently
قليلة...qaliilah.....a little, few (fem.)
ما عملك؟...maa :amal-ik.....what do you do? (to a woman)
جامعة لندن...jaami:at landan.....University of London
طبيب...Tabiib.....doctor
طالب...Taalib.....student, 58
مدرس...mudarris.....teacher
مهندس...muhandis.....engineer
مدير...mudiir.....manager
رئيس...ra'iis.....boss
متحف, متاحف...matHaf, mataaHif.....museum, 59
كثيرة...kathiirah.....many, much (fem.)
جسر, جسور...jisr, jusuur.....bridge
محل, محلات...maHall, maHallaat.....shop, store
جامعة...jaami:ah.....university
وسط...wasT.....middle
غرفة...ghurfah.....room, 63
أتكلم...atakallam.....I speak
تتكلم...tatakallam.....you speak (masc.)
تتكلمين...tatakallamiin.....you speak (fem.)
يتكلم...yatakallam.....he speaks
تتكلم...tatakallam.....she speaks
مكتوم...maktuum.....concealed, 64
مكتوب...maktuub.....written
مسموح...masmuuH.....permitted
ممنوع...mamnuu:.....forbidden
مبصوط...mabSuuT.....contented, happy
مفروض...mafruuDH.....necessary, obligatory
أية...ayya.....which (fem.), 66
قليلا...qaliilan.....slightly, a bit
مشهور...mashhuur.....famous, 67
صيدلية, ات...Saydaliyyah, -aat.....pharmacy
سعيد...sa:iid.....happy, joyful
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Urban Meyer Takes On Ohio State Coaching Job
At the close of his valiant and pressure-packed attempt at the national title for the 2009 college football season, University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer suddenly announced his resignation, for undisclosed medical reasons. A little while later, he changed his mind: he would return for 2010, but allow an assistant coach to temporarily take over the head coaching role until the fall. But still, a few months later, Meyer couldn't hold himself back and once again took charge of spring practice. The following 2010 season, though, saw him play a much more passive, seemingly detached role on the sidelines; the Gators also suffered through a lackluster, disappointing season. Coincidence? Maybe, but Meyer resigned for good at the end of that season.
Now, after a year away from coaching, and working as a very good and respected ESPN football analyst, Urban Meyer is once again diving head first into a challenging, high-stress coaching position, this time taking over scandal-riddled Ohio State. Meyer is from Ohio and once served as an assistant coach at Ohio State. Still, I have heard some unhappy rumblings around me here in Gainesville from UF fans who think that he somehow betrayed the Gators by going over to Ohio State. I beg to disagree, but am still a little worried, although not at all surprised, by our esteemed former coach's decision.
I don't have the slightest doubt that Urban Meyer suffered some sort of serious medical condition aggravated by his Type-A "alpha male" personality that seeks out stressful situations as challenges to be conquered. The fact that he first resigned late in 2009, then decided to came back to coach in the fall, and then couldn't wait to do that before jumping back into the fray during the spring, shows me that he is suffering from an inner conflict between his competitive nature and his better health interests. And now he has done it again: since the Florida job is taken by Will Muschamp, Meyer can't go back. Besides, he saw the unexpected opportunity to coach in his old place in his old home state and took it. When Meyer finally did resign from Florida for good, there was no hint that the Ohio State program was running headlong into a scandal and that its longtime coach would be terminated. So this is no "Nick Saban" scenario: unlike Saban, who deserted one team after only two years (without accomplishing anything for it and leaving it in complete disarray) for another the next year, Meyer gave the University of Florida two national championships and a close run for a third while serving for six years. His departure was for health reasons, which is why I'm a little worried about his new job.
The fans in Columbus are just as rabid for their Buckeyes as is the Gator "Nation" for their team. Urban Meyer is once again jumping into a situation with this Ohio State job, this time for six years, that may well tear him apart. Maybe I'm wrong and that the pressure won't get to him and destroy his health. I hope so, but for his sake (and that of his family) I wish he had stayed in broadcasting. As far as the University of Florida is concerned, though, he has absolutely nothing to apologize for.
I wish Urban Meyer the best in his new job and his life. Not that I intend to start rooting for Ohio State anytime soon..
Now, after a year away from coaching, and working as a very good and respected ESPN football analyst, Urban Meyer is once again diving head first into a challenging, high-stress coaching position, this time taking over scandal-riddled Ohio State. Meyer is from Ohio and once served as an assistant coach at Ohio State. Still, I have heard some unhappy rumblings around me here in Gainesville from UF fans who think that he somehow betrayed the Gators by going over to Ohio State. I beg to disagree, but am still a little worried, although not at all surprised, by our esteemed former coach's decision.
I don't have the slightest doubt that Urban Meyer suffered some sort of serious medical condition aggravated by his Type-A "alpha male" personality that seeks out stressful situations as challenges to be conquered. The fact that he first resigned late in 2009, then decided to came back to coach in the fall, and then couldn't wait to do that before jumping back into the fray during the spring, shows me that he is suffering from an inner conflict between his competitive nature and his better health interests. And now he has done it again: since the Florida job is taken by Will Muschamp, Meyer can't go back. Besides, he saw the unexpected opportunity to coach in his old place in his old home state and took it. When Meyer finally did resign from Florida for good, there was no hint that the Ohio State program was running headlong into a scandal and that its longtime coach would be terminated. So this is no "Nick Saban" scenario: unlike Saban, who deserted one team after only two years (without accomplishing anything for it and leaving it in complete disarray) for another the next year, Meyer gave the University of Florida two national championships and a close run for a third while serving for six years. His departure was for health reasons, which is why I'm a little worried about his new job.
The fans in Columbus are just as rabid for their Buckeyes as is the Gator "Nation" for their team. Urban Meyer is once again jumping into a situation with this Ohio State job, this time for six years, that may well tear him apart. Maybe I'm wrong and that the pressure won't get to him and destroy his health. I hope so, but for his sake (and that of his family) I wish he had stayed in broadcasting. As far as the University of Florida is concerned, though, he has absolutely nothing to apologize for.
I wish Urban Meyer the best in his new job and his life. Not that I intend to start rooting for Ohio State anytime soon..
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Precious Rings and Cellphones
One of the Encore channels was showing the Lord of the Rings trilogy the other day. I've seen it many times before, but always enjoy repeat viewings. Tolkien's story is full of insights and lessons about human nature and society, and I usually pick up something new each time I watch it. This time was no exception.
The whole premise of Lord of the Rings is that, in the distant past on Middle Earth, different sets of rings were forged and presented as gifts of power to the leaders of the men, elves, and dwarfs. Unknown to them in their utter attachment to these rings, which they wore and treasured, was the fact that the dark lord Sauron had forged a separate ring that bound all who wore the others under his power and control. The result was the ascendency of Sauron to power and war against the peoples of Middle Earth.
I can't help thinking that, with today's increasingly compact and Internet-fast cellphones, something similar is going on. Like Tolkien's rings, their possessors tend to be almost fanatically attached to them; they really represent in some ways their "precious". And it does seem that these little gadgets provide their owners with a lot of power, don't they? But...
It seems that, with each new advent in information technology comes a corresponding decrease in personal privacy. For not only is it much easier to pick up signals from portable devices and hack personal information from them, but simply transacting any kind of business on them seems to be fed into various data banks that build up dossiers on the users. But there is something, in my opinion, even more foreboding than this...
My particular phone has a feature whereby all of the individual phone locations within my plan (with me there are four) can be pinpointed and revealed through GPS (presumably as long as the phone is "on"). This phone-locating service is supposedly a purely elective option available only to the subscriber, but my suspicious nature just can't keep me from wondering whether other parties have access to this information besides me. You can see, can't you, how much concentrated power could arise if some one party knew the exact whereabouts of everyone? Especially if the people didn't know this? Coupled with the increasing ability to launch precision remote-control military attacks, this could make that party almost invulnerable and all-powerful. Remind you yet of Sauron?
So please forgive me this near-paranoid rant. After all, this is America and something like that could never happen here, only in some made-up fantasy land like Middle Earth...or could it?
The whole premise of Lord of the Rings is that, in the distant past on Middle Earth, different sets of rings were forged and presented as gifts of power to the leaders of the men, elves, and dwarfs. Unknown to them in their utter attachment to these rings, which they wore and treasured, was the fact that the dark lord Sauron had forged a separate ring that bound all who wore the others under his power and control. The result was the ascendency of Sauron to power and war against the peoples of Middle Earth.
I can't help thinking that, with today's increasingly compact and Internet-fast cellphones, something similar is going on. Like Tolkien's rings, their possessors tend to be almost fanatically attached to them; they really represent in some ways their "precious". And it does seem that these little gadgets provide their owners with a lot of power, don't they? But...
It seems that, with each new advent in information technology comes a corresponding decrease in personal privacy. For not only is it much easier to pick up signals from portable devices and hack personal information from them, but simply transacting any kind of business on them seems to be fed into various data banks that build up dossiers on the users. But there is something, in my opinion, even more foreboding than this...
My particular phone has a feature whereby all of the individual phone locations within my plan (with me there are four) can be pinpointed and revealed through GPS (presumably as long as the phone is "on"). This phone-locating service is supposedly a purely elective option available only to the subscriber, but my suspicious nature just can't keep me from wondering whether other parties have access to this information besides me. You can see, can't you, how much concentrated power could arise if some one party knew the exact whereabouts of everyone? Especially if the people didn't know this? Coupled with the increasing ability to launch precision remote-control military attacks, this could make that party almost invulnerable and all-powerful. Remind you yet of Sauron?
So please forgive me this near-paranoid rant. After all, this is America and something like that could never happen here, only in some made-up fantasy land like Middle Earth...or could it?
Monday, November 28, 2011
Change WRUF-FM's Format
Chuck Woods, a University of Florida journalism graduate and retired faculty member, has written an article appearing in today's Gainesville Sun editorial section. In it, he decries the decision that the School of Journalism made last year to switch UF's powerful 100,000 watt radio station, WRUF-FM, from a rock format to country and western music. The intention was to increase the station's ratings, but as Woods points out, there is more to this than ratings: the community's interests should have been taken into account.
Gainesville is a college town, with a high demand among its population for fine arts programming. Indeed, Woods reports that in Tallahassee and Tampa, the state universities there that own two FM stations (like UF) devote one to Public Radio news/talk and the other to fine arts. But not here in Gainesville!
It's bad enough that I am stuck with a U.S. representative, based in Ocala, who is an arch-conservative and consistently votes against the interests and desires of most of the Gainesville residents who were gerrymandered into his district by a Republican-dominated state legislature a few years ago. Now my local Gainesville radio station has been "gerrymandered" as well to serve a particular cultural demand that is already being met by two powerful Ocala stations.
As a matter of fact, as Chuck Woods reports, the predicted boost in ratings didn't happen, instead going down from #7 to #10 in the area market. So it turns out that NOTHING positive came out of this programming switch.
I agree with the writer that WRUF-FM is in dire need of a format change, and his suggestion that it be to fine arts is something that, if implemented, might well herald my return to listening to broadcast radio on a regular basis.
Gainesville is a college town, with a high demand among its population for fine arts programming. Indeed, Woods reports that in Tallahassee and Tampa, the state universities there that own two FM stations (like UF) devote one to Public Radio news/talk and the other to fine arts. But not here in Gainesville!
It's bad enough that I am stuck with a U.S. representative, based in Ocala, who is an arch-conservative and consistently votes against the interests and desires of most of the Gainesville residents who were gerrymandered into his district by a Republican-dominated state legislature a few years ago. Now my local Gainesville radio station has been "gerrymandered" as well to serve a particular cultural demand that is already being met by two powerful Ocala stations.
As a matter of fact, as Chuck Woods reports, the predicted boost in ratings didn't happen, instead going down from #7 to #10 in the area market. So it turns out that NOTHING positive came out of this programming switch.
I agree with the writer that WRUF-FM is in dire need of a format change, and his suggestion that it be to fine arts is something that, if implemented, might well herald my return to listening to broadcast radio on a regular basis.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Two Bumper Stickers
The other day I was behind two different cars with interesting bumper stickers on them. One featured a stereotypical image of Jesus looking kind of hippie-ish on the left, with the accompanying message declaring, "Change you can believe in". The other's words were pretty blunt, too: "I'm in the NRA...and I vote". So why would I think these two bumper stickers are interesting?
Well, we all know (that is, those few remaining of us with attention spans worth mentioning) that Barack Obama ran under a banner of "change" throughout his successful 2008 presidential campaign. And most of the evangelical right-wing Christian community fervently voted against him in that election. So the "Jesus" bumper sticker was a nifty blending of politics and religion, implying not-so-subtly that Obama, that Democrat, is a false "changer". This dovetails nicely with the Republican Rich People's Party's strategy, which aims to add to its base support group of 1% of the population by pushing hot-button issues among the electorate. The proud possessor of this bumper sticker most likely believes that it's the Republican Jesus Party. As for the other sticker...
I'm not exactly sure whom that pro-NRA message was for, unless its owner thinks that politicians are always driving close behind. But truth be told, I am NOT an National Rifle Association member...and I vote, too! What this gun-o-phile probably is saying with this message is that he or she places this issue way above all others as far as a motivating voting issue. Once again, no doubt this individual would see the GOP as something different from its core agenda, which is to further the interests of the already very wealthy and powerful at the expense of everyone else. But you know, instead, it's the Republican Gun Party, as far as this person is concerned.
I have heard the various arguments for the pro-gun viewpoint, and they always come back to the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment as the end to all discussions on the subject, with the inexorable conclusion that gun ownership should be universally available and unrestricted. Only one problem, though...I have read the Second Amendment many times: what exactly is it that these people don't understand about the words "well-regulated"?
It wouldn't surprise me if the GOP didn't play a role in putting out either or both of these bumper stickers. That's because the only way that they can survive as a viable, popular party is to push issues that arouse fear and suspicion among the population. The Democrats are thus portrayed as the party of anti-Christian values and will take away your guns, so vote for the Republican {Rich People's} Jesus Gun Party...
Well, we all know (that is, those few remaining of us with attention spans worth mentioning) that Barack Obama ran under a banner of "change" throughout his successful 2008 presidential campaign. And most of the evangelical right-wing Christian community fervently voted against him in that election. So the "Jesus" bumper sticker was a nifty blending of politics and religion, implying not-so-subtly that Obama, that Democrat, is a false "changer". This dovetails nicely with the Republican Rich People's Party's strategy, which aims to add to its base support group of 1% of the population by pushing hot-button issues among the electorate. The proud possessor of this bumper sticker most likely believes that it's the Republican Jesus Party. As for the other sticker...
I'm not exactly sure whom that pro-NRA message was for, unless its owner thinks that politicians are always driving close behind. But truth be told, I am NOT an National Rifle Association member...and I vote, too! What this gun-o-phile probably is saying with this message is that he or she places this issue way above all others as far as a motivating voting issue. Once again, no doubt this individual would see the GOP as something different from its core agenda, which is to further the interests of the already very wealthy and powerful at the expense of everyone else. But you know, instead, it's the Republican Gun Party, as far as this person is concerned.
I have heard the various arguments for the pro-gun viewpoint, and they always come back to the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment as the end to all discussions on the subject, with the inexorable conclusion that gun ownership should be universally available and unrestricted. Only one problem, though...I have read the Second Amendment many times: what exactly is it that these people don't understand about the words "well-regulated"?
It wouldn't surprise me if the GOP didn't play a role in putting out either or both of these bumper stickers. That's because the only way that they can survive as a viable, popular party is to push issues that arouse fear and suspicion among the population. The Democrats are thus portrayed as the party of anti-Christian values and will take away your guns, so vote for the Republican {Rich People's} Jesus Gun Party...
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Entering Jax Half-Marathon in December
This year, starting with my recent Tom Walker Memorial race, I decided to try and run in a half-marathon race each month, from November to February. November's race is behind me, January will have me entering the Ocala Half-Marathon, February I'll enter the FivePoints Half-Marathon in Gainesville, and December...what about December, anyway?
Owing to my work situation (December is the busiest month of the year at the post office, with plenty of overtime to deal with), I can't exactly plan on going anywhere far from home to run a half-marathon race. And since I won't be able to get Saturdays off for the duration of the month, I am limited to Sunday races relatively close to home. So after looking at my options, I have decided to run in the December 18th Jacksonville Bank Half-Marathon. It isn't too far away, and although I will have worked the night before, I don't anticipate having to stay late at work on Saturday.
Still, I will be facing a bit of driving after not very much sleep, and then a 13.1 mile run starting early in the morning. And who knows what the weather will be like...
Well, nobody said it would always be easy!
Owing to my work situation (December is the busiest month of the year at the post office, with plenty of overtime to deal with), I can't exactly plan on going anywhere far from home to run a half-marathon race. And since I won't be able to get Saturdays off for the duration of the month, I am limited to Sunday races relatively close to home. So after looking at my options, I have decided to run in the December 18th Jacksonville Bank Half-Marathon. It isn't too far away, and although I will have worked the night before, I don't anticipate having to stay late at work on Saturday.
Still, I will be facing a bit of driving after not very much sleep, and then a 13.1 mile run starting early in the morning. And who knows what the weather will be like...
Well, nobody said it would always be easy!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Being Offended
A few weeks ago, while playing Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos, a Detroit Lions defensive player sacked the popular quarterback. Immediately following this play, the Lion knelt down on one knee facing Tebow, still on the ground, mocking his habit of doing this as a short prayer on the sideline. Tebow reacted later to what I consider to have been very offensive behavior by saying that they were just having some fun and that it wasn't any big deal. On the other hand, Tebow has shown a knee-jerk tendency in the past to act offended at the treatment of his coaches or teammates by someone in the press. So there always seems to be something that will set somebody off, although it may not be the most apparent.
I myself can relate to Tebow taking up offense on behalf of others, most recently regarding what I see as egregiously hateful and racist treatment of my president and, worse, his wife and children. The other day, acting as First Lady, Michelle Obama was introduced at a NASCAR event and was roundly booed by many in the crowd. Why? For being the spouse of someone they politically opposed? Rush Limbaugh then seized upon this story and said on his radio show that the NASCAR fans had it right: they were booing Michelle for being too "uppity". Racism if I ever heard it.
Personally, though, there is one thing above all others that truly offends me. I know that others may rudely and even crudely express something derogatory about my appearance, behavior, or opinions. To me, I try not to take it too personally, although I have been accused in the past of being a little bit too touchy about such things. But there is one thing that I will take up the banner of personal offense in a heartbeat and not let it go: when someone denies my own reality.
When I tell someone that I saw something with my own eyes and they refuse to believe me, I am offended. When someone at work says that I am missing a certain placard, I respond to them that not only do I have it, but I just posted it, and they look at me like I'm crazy, I am offended. And when I tell a friend that not only did I hear on the radio a specific story of common interest, but that I also read it in the newspaper...and he refuses to believe me until he consults with someone else...I am offended. And sadly, I suppose, these offenses tend to stick with me.
No, I don't get offended like all of those pious, self-righteous religious people who take to the streets and riot if any of their religious symbols are improperly presented in the media ANYWHERE in the world (or even on the Moon or Mars, I suppose) according to THEIR dictates. But denying my own stated experience (which includes my own very personal, vivid childhood memories) probably stirs up as much anger within me as does any offense that another decides to take up for any other reason...
And you know what, I have absolutely no inclination to change: if someone doesn't believe what I say I DIRECTLY EXPERIENCED, then they need to discretely keep it to themselves...and out of my face!
I myself can relate to Tebow taking up offense on behalf of others, most recently regarding what I see as egregiously hateful and racist treatment of my president and, worse, his wife and children. The other day, acting as First Lady, Michelle Obama was introduced at a NASCAR event and was roundly booed by many in the crowd. Why? For being the spouse of someone they politically opposed? Rush Limbaugh then seized upon this story and said on his radio show that the NASCAR fans had it right: they were booing Michelle for being too "uppity". Racism if I ever heard it.
Personally, though, there is one thing above all others that truly offends me. I know that others may rudely and even crudely express something derogatory about my appearance, behavior, or opinions. To me, I try not to take it too personally, although I have been accused in the past of being a little bit too touchy about such things. But there is one thing that I will take up the banner of personal offense in a heartbeat and not let it go: when someone denies my own reality.
When I tell someone that I saw something with my own eyes and they refuse to believe me, I am offended. When someone at work says that I am missing a certain placard, I respond to them that not only do I have it, but I just posted it, and they look at me like I'm crazy, I am offended. And when I tell a friend that not only did I hear on the radio a specific story of common interest, but that I also read it in the newspaper...and he refuses to believe me until he consults with someone else...I am offended. And sadly, I suppose, these offenses tend to stick with me.
No, I don't get offended like all of those pious, self-righteous religious people who take to the streets and riot if any of their religious symbols are improperly presented in the media ANYWHERE in the world (or even on the Moon or Mars, I suppose) according to THEIR dictates. But denying my own stated experience (which includes my own very personal, vivid childhood memories) probably stirs up as much anger within me as does any offense that another decides to take up for any other reason...
And you know what, I have absolutely no inclination to change: if someone doesn't believe what I say I DIRECTLY EXPERIENCED, then they need to discretely keep it to themselves...and out of my face!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Football, Food, Movie Marathons
So being the homebody couch potato that I tend to personify on my days off, here I am at home on this Thanksgiving holiday, musing about what lies ahead for me on this day. And giving thanks, of course, that today I am off from work!
The house is currently permeated by the heavenly aromatic mixture of cooking foods, with serving time set around 1:30 this afternoon. Among the many items I am anticipating are turkey, stuffing (an all-time favorite), and pumpkin pie. Oh, and there are few things that surpass Melissa's home-made macaroni and cheese. And after the meal, a prolonged period of sleepiness, I am sure, highlighted by falling into a snooze in front of the television.
Television will be featuring the usual complement of football games and movie marathons. The Dallas Cowboys will be playing their traditional Thanksgiving afternoon game, and today it will be special: a rematch of the incredible 1993 turkey-day battle against the Miami Dolphins, which the latter won by virtue of a freak play at the very end. This year Miami, although pretty much out of the playoff running, has been surging of late. As has Dallas, so this game promises to be very entertaining (especially if you follow either team). Still, should things turn boring here, there are also a couple of interesting (to me) movie marathons going on as well.
The Sci-Fi Channel is running James Bond movies all day long while AMC is showing The Godfather Parts I and II (and not that disappointing Part III). Not that I plan to just sit there glued to my chair: my family is planning a trip to the movie theater, although we haven't yet finalized what we will watch there.
Before all of this, though, in just a few minutes, I will be going out on a neighborhood run. The weather is finally cooperating, with the humidity below 60% and the temperature in the mid-sixties.
Well, I guess I'll be off and running: Happy Thanksgiving!
The house is currently permeated by the heavenly aromatic mixture of cooking foods, with serving time set around 1:30 this afternoon. Among the many items I am anticipating are turkey, stuffing (an all-time favorite), and pumpkin pie. Oh, and there are few things that surpass Melissa's home-made macaroni and cheese. And after the meal, a prolonged period of sleepiness, I am sure, highlighted by falling into a snooze in front of the television.
Television will be featuring the usual complement of football games and movie marathons. The Dallas Cowboys will be playing their traditional Thanksgiving afternoon game, and today it will be special: a rematch of the incredible 1993 turkey-day battle against the Miami Dolphins, which the latter won by virtue of a freak play at the very end. This year Miami, although pretty much out of the playoff running, has been surging of late. As has Dallas, so this game promises to be very entertaining (especially if you follow either team). Still, should things turn boring here, there are also a couple of interesting (to me) movie marathons going on as well.
The Sci-Fi Channel is running James Bond movies all day long while AMC is showing The Godfather Parts I and II (and not that disappointing Part III). Not that I plan to just sit there glued to my chair: my family is planning a trip to the movie theater, although we haven't yet finalized what we will watch there.
Before all of this, though, in just a few minutes, I will be going out on a neighborhood run. The weather is finally cooperating, with the humidity below 60% and the temperature in the mid-sixties.
Well, I guess I'll be off and running: Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Heat and Humidity Still Impedes Running
The last few days have seen me either curtailing my road running distance in my training sessions or fleeing to the air-conditioned sanctuary of my YMCA treadmill, all due to the unseasonably hot and humid weather we have been suffering through here in Gainesville. Supposedly, after the "cold" front passes through later today, it will get a bit cooler, possibly even dipping down into the upper forties with daytime highs in the mid-to-upper seventies. Still, that's better than what I have been experiencing recently. Sunday's conditions forced me to the treadmill, on which I ran 9.3 miles. Monday I ran a couple of laps around my block (1.34 miles) and was sweating profusely in the 87% humidity. Yesterday, initially intending to run seven miles, I felt the need to shorten it to five because of the stifling moisture permeating the air. And today I only made it once around the block (.67 mile), hoping for better conditions tomorrow.
We'll see how things go tomorrow on Thanksgiving. I expect a good, relatively lengthy run, with the only serious limiting factor being the danger of stuffing myself with too much food beforehand. Still, since I'm off from work tomorrow, I can wait for a while to do my running after what promises to be a very large meal...
We'll see how things go tomorrow on Thanksgiving. I expect a good, relatively lengthy run, with the only serious limiting factor being the danger of stuffing myself with too much food beforehand. Still, since I'm off from work tomorrow, I can wait for a while to do my running after what promises to be a very large meal...
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Eleven Twenty-Two
Today marks one of those sadly-increasing dates, like 4/4, 9/11, 12/7, and 12/8, that represent tragic events. Of course, today is the 48th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas. Many people think of this as a pivotal moment in our history: too many important things happened differently under the subsequent Johnson administration, some good and some very, very bad. The worst of the bad was the massive military escalation in Vietnam even after intelligence reports clearly indicated that this strategy wouldn't work. I can't imagine Kennedy making the same stubborn, bone-headed and callous decisions that LBJ did: it just wasn't a part of his character. Also, I wonder whether we would have abandoned our Apollo/Moon landing program prematurely had JFK stayed in office for two whole terms, as he was clearly headed for an easy reelection in 1964. With no Vietnam to burden a second term, the political resurrection of Richard Nixon in 1968 becomes a major question as well. And although Johnson was lukewarm to Apollo, Nixon was outright hostile to it, being the one who was instrumental in curtailing the missions and leaving us in low-Earth-orbit ever since (actually, we've now regressed so badly that we can't even do that anymore).
On the bright side (if you can imagine a bright side to a horrible act of cruel violence like an assassination), Lyndon Johnson, with his experience twisting arms as Senate Majority Leader, was able to get a torrent of progressive legislation quickly passed upon entering office. This included landmark bills like the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and Medicare. Had Kennedy been able to stay in as president, this legislation probably would have dragged on for years, being impeded in large part by boll-weevil southern conservative Democrats sitting on the bills while sitting as committee chairmen. On the other hand, perhaps the racial unrest that rose up under Johnson wouldn't have materialized under Kennedy; at least JFK may have been able to handle it better, who knows...
The feeling that history turned in a big way on Kennedy's murder has inspired Stephen King to write a novel about it, soon to be released. I may not be able to wait for the library this time to check it out: to the bookstore I say!
On the bright side (if you can imagine a bright side to a horrible act of cruel violence like an assassination), Lyndon Johnson, with his experience twisting arms as Senate Majority Leader, was able to get a torrent of progressive legislation quickly passed upon entering office. This included landmark bills like the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and Medicare. Had Kennedy been able to stay in as president, this legislation probably would have dragged on for years, being impeded in large part by boll-weevil southern conservative Democrats sitting on the bills while sitting as committee chairmen. On the other hand, perhaps the racial unrest that rose up under Johnson wouldn't have materialized under Kennedy; at least JFK may have been able to handle it better, who knows...
The feeling that history turned in a big way on Kennedy's murder has inspired Stephen King to write a novel about it, soon to be released. I may not be able to wait for the library this time to check it out: to the bookstore I say!
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