My plan to train daily by doing runs and elliptical cross-trainer workouts on alternate days has now reached the two-week mark without any signs that my body is suffering from overstrain. My knees seem fine (which was my main concern about overrunning). Yes, my muscles feel a little sore, but that's actually something I expected as a sign of working hard. My main problem continues to be the stifling heat and humidity here in northern Florida. The mornings are so humid that I have to wait until around noon to run, and by then the temperature has soared. Sometimes I have no other option than to go to the YMCA and run on their treadmill, which I did today in the middle of a welcome strong rainstorm.
Next week I plan to practice my swimming form while staying at a hotel in Lexington, Kentucky. The two targeted strokes are freestyle and breaststroke. I think I "jumped the gun" a little earlier this year by trying to do too much with relatively poor form, especially since I have a lot of work to do with my breathing. After all of the kiddies start back with their school classes in a couple of weeks, the YMCA pool should be more available for practice as well.
Right now, though, my main physical problem is this heartburn I've incurred eating batter-fried onions during my lunch earlier today at Chili's restaurant with Melissa and Will. There are some foods that I'm just going to have to completely stay away from, and deep-fried foods are at the top of the list. When am I ever going to learn: I already knew they were bad for me and I ate them anyway...
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Unwinding After Work at Archer Road Starbucks
I am currently sitting in the Archer Road Starbucks near SW 34th Street in Gainesville, right after getting off a little early from work in the evening. Open until midnight seven days a week, it is a very noisy place right now, with many international students from the University of Florida hanging out here. The police will be by as well a little later. Not that there will be any anticipated trouble: they come for the free coffee Starbucks offers them. So there's quite a mix in this place, and I am probably the only one here with a full-time regular job outside law enforcement. Besides the Starbucks employees, that is. As for the noise, I can only say that I'm grateful for these earplugs I'm wearing!
Usually at this time of day I am not all that sharp with my thinking. When I do come here for some late-night coffee and study, I usually end up doing something rote and easy, like working on my Chinese character notebook. But I haven't written a blog article yet today, so...
It's interesting how much this area has changed over the years. The building that houses this Starbucks also has Moe's, Panera, and Coldstone Creamery. It was built on the site originally (at least when I first came here in 1977) occupied by a Sambo's restaurant, one of those great old 24-hour chains. We still have a couple of these relics in Perkins and the Clock Restaurant. IHOP used to be 24 hours but now their hours are unpredictable. Steak n' Shake has a couple of all-night establishments in town. And there's still Waffle House, although the one I used to frequent on SW 13th Street (US 441) has been shut down for years.
Behind Sambo's used to be a rather large strip mall with a Winn Dixie in its center. Now that's been completely torn down and replaced with a Kohl's department store. The large field across Archer Road from where I'm sitting and from where I once observed Halley's Comet through my binoculars in late 1985, has been completely filled in for decades, with Wal-Mart, Lowes, a larger movie theater, and many shops and restaurants. I suppose, though, that as long as I no longer live in this now-congested zone, that's O.K.: there are a lot of choices of places to go around here, especially if I'm hungry!
Well, I'm nearing the end of my drink and this article as well. Hopefully, I'll have something more substantial to offer tomorrow! Then again, maybe I won't. Time to go home anyhow...
Usually at this time of day I am not all that sharp with my thinking. When I do come here for some late-night coffee and study, I usually end up doing something rote and easy, like working on my Chinese character notebook. But I haven't written a blog article yet today, so...
It's interesting how much this area has changed over the years. The building that houses this Starbucks also has Moe's, Panera, and Coldstone Creamery. It was built on the site originally (at least when I first came here in 1977) occupied by a Sambo's restaurant, one of those great old 24-hour chains. We still have a couple of these relics in Perkins and the Clock Restaurant. IHOP used to be 24 hours but now their hours are unpredictable. Steak n' Shake has a couple of all-night establishments in town. And there's still Waffle House, although the one I used to frequent on SW 13th Street (US 441) has been shut down for years.
Behind Sambo's used to be a rather large strip mall with a Winn Dixie in its center. Now that's been completely torn down and replaced with a Kohl's department store. The large field across Archer Road from where I'm sitting and from where I once observed Halley's Comet through my binoculars in late 1985, has been completely filled in for decades, with Wal-Mart, Lowes, a larger movie theater, and many shops and restaurants. I suppose, though, that as long as I no longer live in this now-congested zone, that's O.K.: there are a lot of choices of places to go around here, especially if I'm hungry!
Well, I'm nearing the end of my drink and this article as well. Hopefully, I'll have something more substantial to offer tomorrow! Then again, maybe I won't. Time to go home anyhow...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Pigskin Pontifications
To show that I'm a good sport about pro football (and the sport in general) after the way that the public was manipulated up to the last minute in collective bargaining negotiations, here are some (sometimes) disconnected comments...
--In my old high school during the early 1970's, going out for the football team was almost regarded by a lot of the boys as a rite of passage into manhood. Now if you were a little kid, it was generally understood, though, if you didn't try out. But when one these small-framers went out for football conditioning in the 9th grade, he became an instant celebrity/hero for several weeks. Funny though, he kind of "faded" away from the sports scene quickly after that experience...
--In the 10th grade, my history teacher stunned our class when he went off on a long rant against football one day. He correctly noted the very high injury rate in the sport and how it isn't rare for some injuries to plague people for the remainder of their lives. And some injuries paralyze, even kill...
--Toward the end of my track team season in the 11th grade (early spring 1973), we were outside at our track doing our track "stuff". At the same time, the next year's varsity football team was undergoing conditioning training. The coach was a complete hard-ass (and a few other things that are unprintable) who insisted on very tough discipline and even tougher, aggressive, heavy-hitting workouts. I would be in the locker room after practice when some of these players would come in and be so worked up after conditioning that they would go around trying to pick fights with anyone they saw. Later that fall, this "tough" team went 0-9-1 with a large percentage of the starters out due to season-ending injuries. That genius coach didn't return the following year...
--I still have issues with Tim Tebow on the sideline at the end of Florida's SEC championship game against Alabama, crying his head off because they were losing (badly) to the eventual national champions for that season. To me this was and is poor sportsmanship. When you lose, you man up and congratulate the winner with your head held high...
--I was reading today's sports section in my local paper where an article rated and analyzed some of the college quarterbacks in the state of Florida this season. Among them was the University of Florida's John Brantley, who as the article pointed out, needed to stop locking his gaze on the receiver he planned to throw to. When a passer does this, he is telling the opposing defense whom to cover and also frees players covering other receivers to go after the quarterback. I see quarterbacks doing this in pro ball as well, and I can't for the life of me figure out why they never made the effort to overcome this glaring handicap in their game. Let's see if John has what it takes...
--The Miami Dolphins acquired running back Reggie Bush from New Orleans to try to revamp their hurting running game. Now they need to find a good quarterback to add to that mix, someone like Denver's Kyle Orton, for example...
--Speaking of Orton, he is currently being mentioned as a trading possibility. That the Broncos refer to him as the "incumbent starter" sounds like a very weak endorsement of his status. But he is a very smart passer and would be a tremendous asset to the Dolphins or any team he ends up with. I personally can't believe that Denver would trade him away when their backup quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn have yet to show their versatility in the position that the game demands over a season at this level of competition. Tebow does have that short-yardage running angle to his game, but his playing experience as a starter last year happened when the season was for all practical purposes over, with the Broncos deep in last place and the pressure off Tebow. When the pressure's on, what will happen? Pro football can be a pretty unforgiving business, and past successes are quickly forgotten. It's "what have you done lately", taken to extremes...
--In my old high school during the early 1970's, going out for the football team was almost regarded by a lot of the boys as a rite of passage into manhood. Now if you were a little kid, it was generally understood, though, if you didn't try out. But when one these small-framers went out for football conditioning in the 9th grade, he became an instant celebrity/hero for several weeks. Funny though, he kind of "faded" away from the sports scene quickly after that experience...
--In the 10th grade, my history teacher stunned our class when he went off on a long rant against football one day. He correctly noted the very high injury rate in the sport and how it isn't rare for some injuries to plague people for the remainder of their lives. And some injuries paralyze, even kill...
--Toward the end of my track team season in the 11th grade (early spring 1973), we were outside at our track doing our track "stuff". At the same time, the next year's varsity football team was undergoing conditioning training. The coach was a complete hard-ass (and a few other things that are unprintable) who insisted on very tough discipline and even tougher, aggressive, heavy-hitting workouts. I would be in the locker room after practice when some of these players would come in and be so worked up after conditioning that they would go around trying to pick fights with anyone they saw. Later that fall, this "tough" team went 0-9-1 with a large percentage of the starters out due to season-ending injuries. That genius coach didn't return the following year...
--I still have issues with Tim Tebow on the sideline at the end of Florida's SEC championship game against Alabama, crying his head off because they were losing (badly) to the eventual national champions for that season. To me this was and is poor sportsmanship. When you lose, you man up and congratulate the winner with your head held high...
--I was reading today's sports section in my local paper where an article rated and analyzed some of the college quarterbacks in the state of Florida this season. Among them was the University of Florida's John Brantley, who as the article pointed out, needed to stop locking his gaze on the receiver he planned to throw to. When a passer does this, he is telling the opposing defense whom to cover and also frees players covering other receivers to go after the quarterback. I see quarterbacks doing this in pro ball as well, and I can't for the life of me figure out why they never made the effort to overcome this glaring handicap in their game. Let's see if John has what it takes...
--The Miami Dolphins acquired running back Reggie Bush from New Orleans to try to revamp their hurting running game. Now they need to find a good quarterback to add to that mix, someone like Denver's Kyle Orton, for example...
--Speaking of Orton, he is currently being mentioned as a trading possibility. That the Broncos refer to him as the "incumbent starter" sounds like a very weak endorsement of his status. But he is a very smart passer and would be a tremendous asset to the Dolphins or any team he ends up with. I personally can't believe that Denver would trade him away when their backup quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn have yet to show their versatility in the position that the game demands over a season at this level of competition. Tebow does have that short-yardage running angle to his game, but his playing experience as a starter last year happened when the season was for all practical purposes over, with the Broncos deep in last place and the pressure off Tebow. When the pressure's on, what will happen? Pro football can be a pretty unforgiving business, and past successes are quickly forgotten. It's "what have you done lately", taken to extremes...
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Future Manned Asteroid Mission Iffy
So the next major task for NASA in the development of manned space exploration is to successfully send astronauts to an asteroid (and, I presume, safely back to Earth). By 2025. By presidential order. Some like this idea in that it would be more of an intermediate step to a future longer trip to Mars and would give NASA, scientists, and engineers the opportunity to develop the kind of long-term life-sustaining technology for deep space travel. Detractors of the plan say that the low-gravity moon would have been a much better location to establish a base and an optimal platform to launch later deep space flights. That idea, generated by our previous president George W. Bush, was cancelled by our current president Barack Obama, who stated that we didn't need to go to the moon because we've "already been there". And hence HIS presidential order to go to an asteroid (pick an asteroid, any asteroid) by 2025.
But what makes Barack Obama so much higher, mightier, and more authoritative in his orders and decisions regarding space exploration than George W. Bush? And what's keeping his successor to the presidency, possibly Mitt Romney, from canceling HIS agenda and laying out a new one (or nothing at all)?
Obama erred badly, in my opinion, by scrapping Bush's plan to return to the moon. For one, it has created a completely avoidable brain drain of talented scientists and engineers who see our space priorities unsupported by the government. Why hang around if you're not wanted, and why embark on a long-term, intricate, and very demanding project when some politician down the line can just arbitrarily cancel it with some flippant language? I wouldn't blame anyone for not sticking around...
But supposing, against my suspicions, that Obama's successors stick with his space exploration agenda and actually support an asteroid mission to its completion, I'm all aboard with it. But the problem is, how will anyone know for sure that succeeding presidents WILL support the mission? After all, THIS president completely rejected the previous one's proposed mission! For some reason, Obama decided to maintain close continuity with Bush's war efforts but rip apart his predecessor's worthy goals for space exploration.
Like I said, I think Obama messed up on this one...
But what makes Barack Obama so much higher, mightier, and more authoritative in his orders and decisions regarding space exploration than George W. Bush? And what's keeping his successor to the presidency, possibly Mitt Romney, from canceling HIS agenda and laying out a new one (or nothing at all)?
Obama erred badly, in my opinion, by scrapping Bush's plan to return to the moon. For one, it has created a completely avoidable brain drain of talented scientists and engineers who see our space priorities unsupported by the government. Why hang around if you're not wanted, and why embark on a long-term, intricate, and very demanding project when some politician down the line can just arbitrarily cancel it with some flippant language? I wouldn't blame anyone for not sticking around...
But supposing, against my suspicions, that Obama's successors stick with his space exploration agenda and actually support an asteroid mission to its completion, I'm all aboard with it. But the problem is, how will anyone know for sure that succeeding presidents WILL support the mission? After all, THIS president completely rejected the previous one's proposed mission! For some reason, Obama decided to maintain close continuity with Bush's war efforts but rip apart his predecessor's worthy goals for space exploration.
Like I said, I think Obama messed up on this one...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Orlando International Airport Visit
On a recent trip to Orlando International Airport, I found myself sitting, waiting in the food court area in the "unsecured" zone of the terminal. On "my" side was a McDonalds; I later found out that the preferred Burger King was the reward on the "other side" for those who had to submit to the indignity and hassle of security searches.
But still, I was looking forward, just before 7 AM, to getting one of my favorites: a McGriddle breakfast sandwich. And although the service left a lot to be desired, I was happy with the eventual result. My son, who accompanied me on the trip (with my wife and daughter, who were on the "Burger King" side), celebrated our breakfast with me by walking across the court and enjoying a couple of Krispy Kreme doughnuts as well. As we sat there facing a huge cylindrical fish tank in our comfortable chairs, I noticed someone apparently sleeping nearby. I told Will I was going to shut my own eyes for a few minutes, too. And then I thought that finally, here is a public place where they don't mind people just loitering around and even sleeping. Then reality hit me: I'm paying a buck every half hour for parking, up to a $17 maximum bill per day I'm here. So just sitting here I'm paying the airport for "loitering" and "sleeping". Heck, for that price they should give me a small room as well!
Will and I later walked around the shops surrounding the food court. Aside from the bookstores and newsstands (reading material always somehow seems more interesting in airports), we visited their Universal Studios and Disney stores. Apparently, they are there for folks who had just attended these parks and needed mementos before boarding their return flights home (there was a Sea World store as well). I felt pleasant vibes just walking around in them. Part of this was the merchandise, part was the professional, friendly employees working there. Universal's store was the more interesting of the two: half of it was completely devoted to Harry Potter merchandise, almost complete with even Tri-Wizard Cups and Monster Books. I say "almost complete" because I sadly saw no Sorting Hats. But then I thought, the airlines probably don't want anyone bringing onto a plane a hat that they can draw a sword from!
Eventually, my daughter left on her flight to her destination (where we plan to join her in a couple of weeks via the highway) and Melissa came back to our "Mac" side. And off we went, homeward bound.
Waking up at three in the morning to catch an early flight from an airport more than a hundred miles away completely threw off my sleep patterns and sense of time. Fortunately, I had the rest of the day off and slept until late in the afternoon. Let's see, I think I've gotten myself back in sync now. Well, kind of...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Impasse Resolved, Impasses Continued
So it looks as if we are actually going to have NFL football this year after all, with a new ten-year deal between the owners and players just having been sealed. Whoopee! Now those football gamblers can lose even more money while fantasy players and spectator sports addicts don't have to get a life, after all...for at least ten more years, that is. Well...at least for the fall and early winter, until they wake up and realize that they won't have any pro basketball. And once again, I get to squirm as my pathetic Miami Dolphins get their ever-suffering fans' hopes up about a playoff run and then fall flat on their faces...
The National Basketball Association may still cancel their upcoming season, anyway. The fact that many of their star players have already signed up with overseas teams in other leagues points to this possibility. Oh well...
It's hard to see the recently resolved impasse in the NFL without comparing it to the debt ceiling impasse in our federal government. The main difference between the two processes, as I see it, is that in football, both sides were eager for a resolution but serious about their own priorities being incorporated into the deal. With the debt ceiling, though, a huge swath of our Republican representatives DON'T WANT the debt ceiling raised and see ANY compromise deal that allows it as a betrayal. I can sit back and blame those politicians, I suppose. But, in the final analysis, it was the foolish American people who put them into office in the first place, either by swallowing the tea party bull in the last congressional election or by staying away from the polls when they could have voted for others with more reasonable agendas.
The National Basketball Association may still cancel their upcoming season, anyway. The fact that many of their star players have already signed up with overseas teams in other leagues points to this possibility. Oh well...
It's hard to see the recently resolved impasse in the NFL without comparing it to the debt ceiling impasse in our federal government. The main difference between the two processes, as I see it, is that in football, both sides were eager for a resolution but serious about their own priorities being incorporated into the deal. With the debt ceiling, though, a huge swath of our Republican representatives DON'T WANT the debt ceiling raised and see ANY compromise deal that allows it as a betrayal. I can sit back and blame those politicians, I suppose. But, in the final analysis, it was the foolish American people who put them into office in the first place, either by swallowing the tea party bull in the last congressional election or by staying away from the polls when they could have voted for others with more reasonable agendas.
Monday, July 25, 2011
You WILL Do Business Downtown!
There is a controversy of sorts lately in Gainesville about the plan to eliminate all free public parking in the downtown area. The city government wants visitors to the area to shell out money to use the public parking garages specially built for them. This plan is in addition to decisions made in the past to limit road lanes of the main thoroughfares of University Avenue and Main Street to one going each way, in order to somehow make the area more attractive to potential paying customers of its businesses.
None of these decisions has any impact on what I do, as I have long forgone any hope of successfully going downtown to do business there. For one, there isn't any place I would want to go other than the library's main branch and a couple of coffee shops. And I can get whatever I want from that library by placing a hold online and having it delivered to my nearby, albeit smaller Millhopper branch. As for the coffee, well, one place (Maude's) is easy to get in and out of with a private parking lot, but their fare is overpriced and I resent the snooty unfriendliness I have repeatedly encountered behind the counter. The Starbucks across the street from it is O.K., I suppose, assuming I can find a parking spot (which I hardly ever can). But why bother anyway, with all of the Starbucks stores available elsewhere in town. The other businesses downtown tend to gravitate toward highbrow, expensive restaurants and night clubs, neither of which I care much about.
I, personally, am nobody special regarding my business preferences, which is actually the whole point: I think others are like me in that they see very little downtown that would draw them there to spend their money. In other words, regarding the local government's failed efforts to stimulate business by restricting access to traffic and parking: it's the businesses, stupid!
Of course, they could pass a law similar to the new national health care law: an individual mandate decreeing that anyone living in Gainesville spend X amount of dollars annually on its cruddy downtown businesses or face a fine! But, y'know, although I wrote the above suggestion tongue-in-cheek, I wonder whether some of my local politicos might not think it would actually be a good idea. Scary, but it would fit with the mindset behind the restricted traffic lanes and the elimination of free parking...
None of these decisions has any impact on what I do, as I have long forgone any hope of successfully going downtown to do business there. For one, there isn't any place I would want to go other than the library's main branch and a couple of coffee shops. And I can get whatever I want from that library by placing a hold online and having it delivered to my nearby, albeit smaller Millhopper branch. As for the coffee, well, one place (Maude's) is easy to get in and out of with a private parking lot, but their fare is overpriced and I resent the snooty unfriendliness I have repeatedly encountered behind the counter. The Starbucks across the street from it is O.K., I suppose, assuming I can find a parking spot (which I hardly ever can). But why bother anyway, with all of the Starbucks stores available elsewhere in town. The other businesses downtown tend to gravitate toward highbrow, expensive restaurants and night clubs, neither of which I care much about.
I, personally, am nobody special regarding my business preferences, which is actually the whole point: I think others are like me in that they see very little downtown that would draw them there to spend their money. In other words, regarding the local government's failed efforts to stimulate business by restricting access to traffic and parking: it's the businesses, stupid!
Of course, they could pass a law similar to the new national health care law: an individual mandate decreeing that anyone living in Gainesville spend X amount of dollars annually on its cruddy downtown businesses or face a fine! But, y'know, although I wrote the above suggestion tongue-in-cheek, I wonder whether some of my local politicos might not think it would actually be a good idea. Scary, but it would fit with the mindset behind the restricted traffic lanes and the elimination of free parking...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Baseball Standings Flaw in "WC" Column
In Major League Baseball, the post-season playoffs to determine the championship involves eight teams: the three divisional winners from each league along with the second-place team from each league with the best regular season win-loss record (designated as the wild card team). In the American League (from this morning's paper), Boston is leading the East at 61-37, Detroit is leading the Central at 53-47, and Texas is leading the West at 58-43. The best second-place team so far is the East's New York Yankees, with a 58-40 mark. For the sake of this article, I'll leave out the National League except to say that "my" Atlanta Braves would be a wild card team were the season to end today...
In the newspaper sports section standings, they have traditionally listed how many "games behind" each team is from the divisional leader, in the column designated "GB". For example, at 58-40, the Yanks are three games behind Boston's 61-37. But lately they've added a new column next to "GB": "WC", or "wild card". This tells how many games behind the current wild leader a team is in the regular season so far. So for example, Central's second place team Cleveland, at 51-47, is seven games behind New York for the wild card spot. This is interesting in that they are only one game behind Detroit for first place in their own division! Now, this is all well and fine until the printed standings show how far behind divisional-leader Detroit is in the wild card race: zero games!
Wait a minute, in strict terms of their regular season records, Central's Detroit, at 53-47, is six games behind East's New York's 58-40. Just because the Tigers happen to be leading their division RIGHT NOW doesn't alter this fact. Detroit could lose their next two games and suddenly find themselves in second place. And then the paper would list THEM as being substantially behind in the wild card race and new leader Cleveland as being zero games behind.
The point to all this is that those devising this "WC" column in the baseball standings would be better informing their readers were they to list how many (if any) games behind the current wild card team each divisional leader was, instead of showing a "-" indicating "zero games behind". For some divisions are simply stronger than others, and in those weak divisions the races can be tight with no room in the playoffs for finishing second. A reader would want to know how far out of the wild card race their team would be were they to slip out of their weak division's lead.
Of course, with me this is all beside the point: I don't need the WC column any more than I do the GB column: just looking at the teams' win-loss records tells me all I want to know. But some folks, I understand, aren't all that quick with numbers...
In the newspaper sports section standings, they have traditionally listed how many "games behind" each team is from the divisional leader, in the column designated "GB". For example, at 58-40, the Yanks are three games behind Boston's 61-37. But lately they've added a new column next to "GB": "WC", or "wild card". This tells how many games behind the current wild leader a team is in the regular season so far. So for example, Central's second place team Cleveland, at 51-47, is seven games behind New York for the wild card spot. This is interesting in that they are only one game behind Detroit for first place in their own division! Now, this is all well and fine until the printed standings show how far behind divisional-leader Detroit is in the wild card race: zero games!
Wait a minute, in strict terms of their regular season records, Central's Detroit, at 53-47, is six games behind East's New York's 58-40. Just because the Tigers happen to be leading their division RIGHT NOW doesn't alter this fact. Detroit could lose their next two games and suddenly find themselves in second place. And then the paper would list THEM as being substantially behind in the wild card race and new leader Cleveland as being zero games behind.
The point to all this is that those devising this "WC" column in the baseball standings would be better informing their readers were they to list how many (if any) games behind the current wild card team each divisional leader was, instead of showing a "-" indicating "zero games behind". For some divisions are simply stronger than others, and in those weak divisions the races can be tight with no room in the playoffs for finishing second. A reader would want to know how far out of the wild card race their team would be were they to slip out of their weak division's lead.
Of course, with me this is all beside the point: I don't need the WC column any more than I do the GB column: just looking at the teams' win-loss records tells me all I want to know. But some folks, I understand, aren't all that quick with numbers...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Sports Illustrated Women's World Cup Cover
Perhaps, if you have been following sports lately (or even just the news), you might have become aware that in international soccer, women on various national teams have been playing for their version of the World Cup. The American team looked to capture the title, but were surprised by Japan in the final, with the game decided in a shoot-out after a 2-2 tie in regulation. So Japan is the women's soccer World Cup champion for the next four years! Congratulations to them, right? I say so and think their players deserve international sports fame, in the same way that the stars of the U.S. team enjoyed renown after their own Cup title a few years ago. Only one problem, though...
I was glancing at the cover of our premier popular sports weekly magazine Sports Illustrated, which reported on the Women's World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan. Expecting to see triumphant Japanese players, I was surprised to instead see a doleful-looking American player. But wait, why should I be surprised at this: look at how obsessively nationalistic our media is about the Olympics. No matter what was happening and who was actually winning the events, the coverage was all about the Americans.
I am trying to get inside the mind of the editor of Sports Illustrated and determine the decision-making process for the cover. That the World Cup was THE event to picture for this particular issue was self-evident. If I had been the editor, I would have beforehand told my staff to run the best picture epitomizing the winning team, making it as emotionally compelling as possible. Instead, the editor apparently directed the staff to show the American side only, win-or-lose, with that emotionally-compelling angle reserved for them alone.
Whatever happened to sportsmanship, when the losing side would congratulate the champs and then discretely step into the background and accord the winners their moment of glory? Besides, I remember how people a couple of years ago were falling all over themselves about how great it was for the disaster-stricken city of New Orleans that their Saints won the Super Bowl. Why can't this feeling be transferred across our national borders to our friends in Japan, which has certainly suffered (and is continuing to suffer) its undue share of calamity and heartbreak?
I was glancing at the cover of our premier popular sports weekly magazine Sports Illustrated, which reported on the Women's World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan. Expecting to see triumphant Japanese players, I was surprised to instead see a doleful-looking American player. But wait, why should I be surprised at this: look at how obsessively nationalistic our media is about the Olympics. No matter what was happening and who was actually winning the events, the coverage was all about the Americans.
I am trying to get inside the mind of the editor of Sports Illustrated and determine the decision-making process for the cover. That the World Cup was THE event to picture for this particular issue was self-evident. If I had been the editor, I would have beforehand told my staff to run the best picture epitomizing the winning team, making it as emotionally compelling as possible. Instead, the editor apparently directed the staff to show the American side only, win-or-lose, with that emotionally-compelling angle reserved for them alone.
Whatever happened to sportsmanship, when the losing side would congratulate the champs and then discretely step into the background and accord the winners their moment of glory? Besides, I remember how people a couple of years ago were falling all over themselves about how great it was for the disaster-stricken city of New Orleans that their Saints won the Super Bowl. Why can't this feeling be transferred across our national borders to our friends in Japan, which has certainly suffered (and is continuing to suffer) its undue share of calamity and heartbreak?
Friday, July 22, 2011
Hot Florida Cooler Than Up North
I was running late this morning around my neighborhood in the summer heat and humidity, intending to complete my "standard" 7.18 mile course. I had to cut it short at 5.69 miles because, although the TV local weather channel had the temperature and humidity at manageable 87-degree, 67% levels, it seemed much, much more humid, closer to 80%. Well, I thought, that's Florida in the summer: I guess I got what I deserved deciding to continue living here. And then I turned on the news.
The reigning news story at the moment is the extreme heat wave crisis affecting much of the country NORTH of me. It is hitting the New York City area especially hard, with their power grid being taxed to the breaking point due to the high demand for air conditioning. And for those who decide to go to the beach and get in the water to cool off? Forget it: warnings are out there now about the presence of waste in the offshore water.
No, knowing how bad it is elsewhere still doesn't make it pleasant here. But I've seen this sort of phenomenon before, when excruciating conditions would affect places known more for their cooler conditions. What makes Florida an attractive place over others, though, is its wintertime weather conditions.
During the winter, it can get pretty cold here at times. But it is almost always a DRY cold, without the annoying and dangerous sleet and snowstorms that my friends living further up north (and hopefully not baking in the current heat) have to contend with. Still, there is that other place...
I have checked out the Pacific coastal northwest and have concluded that this is the ideal weather place to live. Never too hot, never too cold. Yes, Coos Bay in southwestern coastal Oregon, where track legend Steve Prefontaine grew up and went to school, sounds like the perfect spot. Well, maybe until that future offshore earthquake sends a tsunami ashore and wipes the town off the map!
...Maybe I should instead just "count my blessings" and appreciate the good things about northern Florida while realizing that every place has its down-side.
The reigning news story at the moment is the extreme heat wave crisis affecting much of the country NORTH of me. It is hitting the New York City area especially hard, with their power grid being taxed to the breaking point due to the high demand for air conditioning. And for those who decide to go to the beach and get in the water to cool off? Forget it: warnings are out there now about the presence of waste in the offshore water.
No, knowing how bad it is elsewhere still doesn't make it pleasant here. But I've seen this sort of phenomenon before, when excruciating conditions would affect places known more for their cooler conditions. What makes Florida an attractive place over others, though, is its wintertime weather conditions.
During the winter, it can get pretty cold here at times. But it is almost always a DRY cold, without the annoying and dangerous sleet and snowstorms that my friends living further up north (and hopefully not baking in the current heat) have to contend with. Still, there is that other place...
I have checked out the Pacific coastal northwest and have concluded that this is the ideal weather place to live. Never too hot, never too cold. Yes, Coos Bay in southwestern coastal Oregon, where track legend Steve Prefontaine grew up and went to school, sounds like the perfect spot. Well, maybe until that future offshore earthquake sends a tsunami ashore and wipes the town off the map!
...Maybe I should instead just "count my blessings" and appreciate the good things about northern Florida while realizing that every place has its down-side.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Lexington Trip Upcoming
A few days into August I will be traveling with my family to Lexington, Kentucky to visit relatives on Melissa's side of the family. She has gone there three times so far while I have been there just once (and briefly at that). We plan to drive our Toyota Sienna minivan on the Interstate there, which means that we will be going the length of Georgia (passing through Atlanta) and then crossing eastern Tennessee (and Knoxville) before finishing in eastern Kentucky. I look forward to both the ride and the stay. During our visit we will be staying at a Lexington hotel, one with a swimming pool that I plan to put to great use practicing my swimming form. I haven't figured out which places in the area I want to explore, but of course the University of Kentucky is a big attraction. I'll have to visit my local AAA office to pick up some brochures as well as explore the Internet. Maybe I can find some blogs about Lexington and vicinity!
Unlike our New York City visit last year, this trip we will be spending some time with relatives. That's cool: family matters, not just sightseeing! But I'd like to balance the two just the same...
I am in no way a travel addict like some others I know who are pretty jaded about hopping on a plane to go just about anywhere (and seem to have an endless source of money to fund their trips). For one, just getting in the car and driving ANYWHERE out of town is something of an event for me. So a trip to a relatively distant location (for me) is pretty major. Still, were it not for the extended family living there, I seriously doubt that I would even be remotely interested in singling out Lexington for a visit!
Not that I am trying to insult the good city and people of Lexington, Kentucky. After all, I can't understand why anyone would ever want to visit my home city of Gainesville, Florida unless there were a special event (like a football game or concert) or friends and/or relatives lived here. But perhaps I should just make an effort to see what kind of fun I can have in this university town to the north! Who knows, I may be pleasantly surprised. And I also may be able to crank out a few blog articles about my visit as well!
Unlike our New York City visit last year, this trip we will be spending some time with relatives. That's cool: family matters, not just sightseeing! But I'd like to balance the two just the same...
I am in no way a travel addict like some others I know who are pretty jaded about hopping on a plane to go just about anywhere (and seem to have an endless source of money to fund their trips). For one, just getting in the car and driving ANYWHERE out of town is something of an event for me. So a trip to a relatively distant location (for me) is pretty major. Still, were it not for the extended family living there, I seriously doubt that I would even be remotely interested in singling out Lexington for a visit!
Not that I am trying to insult the good city and people of Lexington, Kentucky. After all, I can't understand why anyone would ever want to visit my home city of Gainesville, Florida unless there were a special event (like a football game or concert) or friends and/or relatives lived here. But perhaps I should just make an effort to see what kind of fun I can have in this university town to the north! Who knows, I may be pleasantly surprised. And I also may be able to crank out a few blog articles about my visit as well!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
My New Running Training Regimen
As part of my never-ending struggle to find some kind of effective-but-survivable running training regimen during the hot and humid north Florida summer months, I have hit upon a new strategy that shows some promise of success after four days. It came about after I had run for five consecutive days last week and was beginning to feel some knee pain again.
Being concerned about being sidelined from running again for weeks due to injury, I decided to lay off any activity for a couple of days. Then, Sunday afternoon I went to my YMCA's workout room and used their elliptical cross-trainer machine for 44 minutes. Only I began to do it differently this time: instead of using the handles that I could swing back and forth with my arms, I held on to the stationary handles and made my legs completely power the exercise. It was a more intense workout and closely resembled running in many ways. It also worked out supporting leg muscles not normally used much during running, which should help to forestall future injuries. And of course, the elliptical cross-trainer is a "non-impact" workout, with no jarring of joints that running produces.
So then I decided to alternate elliptical workouts with outdoor running workouts. Monday I ran my neighborhood course of 7.18 miles relatively quickly with no pain. Tuesday I was back on the elliptical for 46 minutes. And this morning I ran my 7.18 course even faster, with the temperature being 85-89 degrees.
So now I get a daily intensive workout to my legs but also get a break on alternate days from both the summer heat and the pounding that running produces on them. I wonder whether this will be "the way" to get through the summer with my running from now on!
Notice that I didn't mention anything about swimming. I simply don't have the confidence that I will have space to swim in at my YMCA pool when I get there. But the water at my YMCA's pool sure does look inviting when I am in the workout room, facing it...
Being concerned about being sidelined from running again for weeks due to injury, I decided to lay off any activity for a couple of days. Then, Sunday afternoon I went to my YMCA's workout room and used their elliptical cross-trainer machine for 44 minutes. Only I began to do it differently this time: instead of using the handles that I could swing back and forth with my arms, I held on to the stationary handles and made my legs completely power the exercise. It was a more intense workout and closely resembled running in many ways. It also worked out supporting leg muscles not normally used much during running, which should help to forestall future injuries. And of course, the elliptical cross-trainer is a "non-impact" workout, with no jarring of joints that running produces.
So then I decided to alternate elliptical workouts with outdoor running workouts. Monday I ran my neighborhood course of 7.18 miles relatively quickly with no pain. Tuesday I was back on the elliptical for 46 minutes. And this morning I ran my 7.18 course even faster, with the temperature being 85-89 degrees.
So now I get a daily intensive workout to my legs but also get a break on alternate days from both the summer heat and the pounding that running produces on them. I wonder whether this will be "the way" to get through the summer with my running from now on!
Notice that I didn't mention anything about swimming. I simply don't have the confidence that I will have space to swim in at my YMCA pool when I get there. But the water at my YMCA's pool sure does look inviting when I am in the workout room, facing it...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Deathly Hallows Part 2: My Reaction
Yesterday afternoon I saw the final (I think) Harry Potter movie The Deathly Hallows Part 2. Already knowing how it would essentially turn out, I was interested in seeing the cinematic presentation as well as how the movie diverged from the book.
For the most part, the movie dovetailed quite well with the written account, although there were a few "forks" taken. And I understand why these happened: it was much the same way that those making Lord of the Rings into film changed the plot progression around to draw the main characters together in climactic scenes and to achieve the greatest dramatic effect. The Rings filmmakers changed Tolkien's written story way too much, though, but the Potter folks were much better at staying true to Rowling's writing. So I'm not at all unhappy with the movie.
Alan Rickman was very, very impressive with his final role as Severus Snape, the former Dark Arts professor who always seemed to have it in for Harry. In The Deathly Hallows he has been installed by the archvillain Voldemort to be the Hogwarts School of Wizardry's headmaster, succeeding beloved Albus Dumbledore. But as author J.K. Rowling has shown a penchant for in her writing, not all is as it seems. And this final installment shows both Snape and Dumbledore to be much more complex (and therefore real) than they had been painted to be. And I liked that.
I recommend the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, but only to those who have kept up with the story. If you haven't, you would be completely lost in the middle of the fast-paced action and would miss out on the significance of many background, transient events that would be meaningful only for those "in the know".
Now it's on to the other movie: Winnie the Pooh. I don't know how many people want to accompany me to see this one, though...
For the most part, the movie dovetailed quite well with the written account, although there were a few "forks" taken. And I understand why these happened: it was much the same way that those making Lord of the Rings into film changed the plot progression around to draw the main characters together in climactic scenes and to achieve the greatest dramatic effect. The Rings filmmakers changed Tolkien's written story way too much, though, but the Potter folks were much better at staying true to Rowling's writing. So I'm not at all unhappy with the movie.
Alan Rickman was very, very impressive with his final role as Severus Snape, the former Dark Arts professor who always seemed to have it in for Harry. In The Deathly Hallows he has been installed by the archvillain Voldemort to be the Hogwarts School of Wizardry's headmaster, succeeding beloved Albus Dumbledore. But as author J.K. Rowling has shown a penchant for in her writing, not all is as it seems. And this final installment shows both Snape and Dumbledore to be much more complex (and therefore real) than they had been painted to be. And I liked that.
I recommend the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, but only to those who have kept up with the story. If you haven't, you would be completely lost in the middle of the fast-paced action and would miss out on the significance of many background, transient events that would be meaningful only for those "in the know".
Now it's on to the other movie: Winnie the Pooh. I don't know how many people want to accompany me to see this one, though...
Monday, July 18, 2011
Hey, NFL and NBA: Go Cancel Yourselves!
It looks as if major professional sports in America has become so financially successful, so engorged on money, that it has collectively decided to implode on itself. The National Football League appears to be headed straight toward the cancellation of the 2011 season because of unrestrained greed on the part of both management and labor. And the National Basketball Association appears willing and ready to follow suit with a lockout already in place heralding its own impending season cancellation a few months later. NBA stars are already signing up to play for different countries' teams overseas in anticipation of this. The football players might have liked to be able to do the same, but...well, they just don't PLAY American football overseas!
I can see how no pro pigskins or hoops might bother a lot of people, and not just those who like to gamble on sports or play the fantasy versions. The franchises whose teams won't be playing won't also be paying supporting workers. Neither will those working in the stadiums and arenas have their usual seasonal employment. And surrounding local businesses will suffer greatly as well, especially the hotel and restaurant industry. But me, well...
I like to watch pro football and basketball if it happens to be on TV and I have nothing else to do. But I don't spend very much time or effort thinking about these sports on other days of the week. Besides, I'll still have college football and basketball to focus on should I suddenly feel a spectator sports obsession overtake me. As for those who are obsessed with following the pro leagues, they probably need to "get a life" anyway, an opportunity that the impending season cancellations just might provide for them.
No, I'm quite all right with there being no NFL or NBA seasons this year. Or next year. Or the following year. Etcetera. Hey, NFL and NBA: cancel yourselves forever, see if I care!
I can see how no pro pigskins or hoops might bother a lot of people, and not just those who like to gamble on sports or play the fantasy versions. The franchises whose teams won't be playing won't also be paying supporting workers. Neither will those working in the stadiums and arenas have their usual seasonal employment. And surrounding local businesses will suffer greatly as well, especially the hotel and restaurant industry. But me, well...
I like to watch pro football and basketball if it happens to be on TV and I have nothing else to do. But I don't spend very much time or effort thinking about these sports on other days of the week. Besides, I'll still have college football and basketball to focus on should I suddenly feel a spectator sports obsession overtake me. As for those who are obsessed with following the pro leagues, they probably need to "get a life" anyway, an opportunity that the impending season cancellations just might provide for them.
No, I'm quite all right with there being no NFL or NBA seasons this year. Or next year. Or the following year. Etcetera. Hey, NFL and NBA: cancel yourselves forever, see if I care!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Medical Common Sense and Professional Pretense
A couple of times a week I go down to one of my favorite Chinese eateries in Gainesville (usually either China 88 on NW 16th Boulevard or First Wok on SW 34th Street near my workplace) and enjoy a small bowl of their excellent hot and sour soup. Each restaurant has a small counter in the dining area on which they provide free reading material for the customers. One of these publications that they both display, slanted heavily toward new age beliefs, is titled Natural Awakenings.
The other day I was swilling my soup and looking through Natural Awakenings when I came across an article giving what looked like authoritative medical information about how disturbances in one part of the body can cause health problems affecting other parts or the body as a whole. Seeing how I already knew this (doesn't pretty much everyone?), I was still interested in the topic. I know how a localized infection can cause widespread inflammatory and even flu-like symptoms from an almost-devastating illness I incurred at the very end of 1979 that was caused by a simple skin infection. So I wanted to check out what this piece had to say about the topic.
The article was titled "Blocks to Healing: The Problem of the Chronic Dominant Focus/Foci". Huh, say that again? ...and then I realized that I was about to be treated to something I have recognized in other areas: someone has either invented or adopted a different set of vocabulary to designate concepts that could be explained more simply. To further confirm this tendency for complexity on the author's part, I glanced at his name:
Dr. Michael Badanek, DC, BS, CNS, DABCN, DM(P), NMD, MD, MD(MA), MD(h)
I mean, this is obviously one completely together, cool dude: not only is he a lot of unfathomable things of which the letters give scant clues, but he is also an MD, plus extra MD's with parenthetical MA's and h's! Wow, an "unlettered", ordinary layman like me had better swallow everything he writes uncritically because of the alphabet soup trailing his name...
After hemming and hawing through the article discussing arcane concepts like "interference fields" and "dominant focus", the lettered author finally gets to the point in the article's final, relatively small paragraph: those suffering from undiagnosed chronic conditions should seek a qualified health care professional for evaluation and treatment.
Why couldn't he have said that to begin with and leave out the gobbledegook? Then again, why couldn't anyone say that without trying to impress the reader with their professional titles? I mean, isn't this just simple common sense?
However, perhaps I'm being a little unfair to the DC-BS-CNS-DABCN-DM(P)-NMD-MD-MD(MA)-MD(p). He did point to some specific areas in the body that he believed could be responsible for generalized malaise: appendix scars, root canals, sinuses, and the prostrate were given as possible "root" causes. Maybe, armed with these possibilities, someone who feels chronically bad can go to their doctor, (or DC, BS, CNS, ...) armed with a shopping list of possible causes, and tell that health care provider to "find it"! But this sounds unpractical in today's health care insurance environment, when it is still sometimes very difficult to get insurance companies to even cover medically-necessary diagnostic testing based on very specific symptoms. What the author is proposing amounts to more or less a potentially very expensive fishing expedition throughout the body by the medical profession for some small "disturbance", be it an infection, scar, or something else. Maybe as diagnostic technology becomes more advanced, this might become more feasible and affordable. But not as things stand right now!
The other day I was swilling my soup and looking through Natural Awakenings when I came across an article giving what looked like authoritative medical information about how disturbances in one part of the body can cause health problems affecting other parts or the body as a whole. Seeing how I already knew this (doesn't pretty much everyone?), I was still interested in the topic. I know how a localized infection can cause widespread inflammatory and even flu-like symptoms from an almost-devastating illness I incurred at the very end of 1979 that was caused by a simple skin infection. So I wanted to check out what this piece had to say about the topic.
The article was titled "Blocks to Healing: The Problem of the Chronic Dominant Focus/Foci". Huh, say that again? ...and then I realized that I was about to be treated to something I have recognized in other areas: someone has either invented or adopted a different set of vocabulary to designate concepts that could be explained more simply. To further confirm this tendency for complexity on the author's part, I glanced at his name:
Dr. Michael Badanek, DC, BS, CNS, DABCN, DM(P), NMD, MD, MD(MA), MD(h)
I mean, this is obviously one completely together, cool dude: not only is he a lot of unfathomable things of which the letters give scant clues, but he is also an MD, plus extra MD's with parenthetical MA's and h's! Wow, an "unlettered", ordinary layman like me had better swallow everything he writes uncritically because of the alphabet soup trailing his name...
After hemming and hawing through the article discussing arcane concepts like "interference fields" and "dominant focus", the lettered author finally gets to the point in the article's final, relatively small paragraph: those suffering from undiagnosed chronic conditions should seek a qualified health care professional for evaluation and treatment.
Why couldn't he have said that to begin with and leave out the gobbledegook? Then again, why couldn't anyone say that without trying to impress the reader with their professional titles? I mean, isn't this just simple common sense?
However, perhaps I'm being a little unfair to the DC-BS-CNS-DABCN-DM(P)-NMD-MD-MD(MA)-MD(p). He did point to some specific areas in the body that he believed could be responsible for generalized malaise: appendix scars, root canals, sinuses, and the prostrate were given as possible "root" causes. Maybe, armed with these possibilities, someone who feels chronically bad can go to their doctor, (or DC, BS, CNS, ...) armed with a shopping list of possible causes, and tell that health care provider to "find it"! But this sounds unpractical in today's health care insurance environment, when it is still sometimes very difficult to get insurance companies to even cover medically-necessary diagnostic testing based on very specific symptoms. What the author is proposing amounts to more or less a potentially very expensive fishing expedition throughout the body by the medical profession for some small "disturbance", be it an infection, scar, or something else. Maybe as diagnostic technology becomes more advanced, this might become more feasible and affordable. But not as things stand right now!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Eleven Eleven
I think we've all had a little fun with numbers since the commencement of the new millennium. Every year there is a special date that runs the same across the board: 01/01/01, 02/02/02, and so on. Yippee, looks like I might make it all the way to 11/11/11! And then it will be 12/12/12 the following year. Subsequent fun will depend on adding extra months to 2013 and beyond. After 2030 or 2031 (depending on how long the extra months are), days would have to be added to the months to continue the merriment.
But back to "eleven eleven"...
The combination of the numbers 11 & 11 seems to have taken on some kind of mystical, superstitious importance over the past few years. George Noory, the conspiracist believe-anything-that's-loony talk radio host of late night's Coast-to-Coast AM, has repeatedly hammered home his experiences of impulsively looking at clocks when it is 11:11, as if this carried some kind of supernatural or paranormal significance. As for me, this phenomenon happens a lot, too. But truth but told, I never noticed it until I had heard Noory and others refer to it. Then my mind programmed itself to respond at the appropriate moment, in the same way that I have an uncanny ability, after sleeping for hours, to suddenly jump out of bed wide awake seconds before my wake-up alarm goes off. So there's nothing unusual about this for me. And since others are human like me and share similar physiologies, they probably also have allowed themselves to be conditioned by others to look out for this time of day, at least subconsciously. Nothing mysterious or supernatural about that...
But this apparently won't stop some from trying to capitalize on 11-11, or I should say, 11/11/11. A group calling itself "One Breath One World" is staging on that date, apparently in Orlando, a stadium event grouping together 20,000 like-minded believers in this kind of numerology to try to create a miracle, for the sake of the planet, world peace, enlightenment, and all of those other cozy-sounding new age ideals. And how are they to accomplish this? At the signal, everyone is to breathe in unison! And that will change everything. But first, these miracle workers need to get online and purchase their tickets...
I'm not sure this won't possibly come back to bite these gullible do-gooders in the ass, though. I remember a science fiction short story by Orson Scott Card titled Deep Breathing Exercises. The premise expressed in this interesting tale was that, when people were grouped together in a setting in which they were about to collectively perish due to a calamity, they inexplicably began inhaling and exhaling in total unison. So maybe if you're of the gullible type who believes, as George Noory claims to believe, that there are no such things as coincidences, then you just might consider NOT hanging around Orlando on "miracle day" 11/11/11!
I don't believe in either scenario. But if people are looking for miracles, they need to look within themselves and recognize their amazing human capacity for change. These 20,000 will already be interested in miraculous change: now if they can only see that, by taking each day they live and treating the people they encounter with more compassion and respect than they did the previous day, there is the possibility of a miracle of sorts coming about after all. For human behavior is infectious: others copy successful models of behavior that they observe and internalize them to become a new part of their own personalities. A truly "kinder, gentler" society (without the political overtones) would be a miracle, and one accomplished without the need for pretense about supernatural forces causing it.
And without the need to buy a ticket!
But back to "eleven eleven"...
The combination of the numbers 11 & 11 seems to have taken on some kind of mystical, superstitious importance over the past few years. George Noory, the conspiracist believe-anything-that's-loony talk radio host of late night's Coast-to-Coast AM, has repeatedly hammered home his experiences of impulsively looking at clocks when it is 11:11, as if this carried some kind of supernatural or paranormal significance. As for me, this phenomenon happens a lot, too. But truth but told, I never noticed it until I had heard Noory and others refer to it. Then my mind programmed itself to respond at the appropriate moment, in the same way that I have an uncanny ability, after sleeping for hours, to suddenly jump out of bed wide awake seconds before my wake-up alarm goes off. So there's nothing unusual about this for me. And since others are human like me and share similar physiologies, they probably also have allowed themselves to be conditioned by others to look out for this time of day, at least subconsciously. Nothing mysterious or supernatural about that...
But this apparently won't stop some from trying to capitalize on 11-11, or I should say, 11/11/11. A group calling itself "One Breath One World" is staging on that date, apparently in Orlando, a stadium event grouping together 20,000 like-minded believers in this kind of numerology to try to create a miracle, for the sake of the planet, world peace, enlightenment, and all of those other cozy-sounding new age ideals. And how are they to accomplish this? At the signal, everyone is to breathe in unison! And that will change everything. But first, these miracle workers need to get online and purchase their tickets...
I'm not sure this won't possibly come back to bite these gullible do-gooders in the ass, though. I remember a science fiction short story by Orson Scott Card titled Deep Breathing Exercises. The premise expressed in this interesting tale was that, when people were grouped together in a setting in which they were about to collectively perish due to a calamity, they inexplicably began inhaling and exhaling in total unison. So maybe if you're of the gullible type who believes, as George Noory claims to believe, that there are no such things as coincidences, then you just might consider NOT hanging around Orlando on "miracle day" 11/11/11!
I don't believe in either scenario. But if people are looking for miracles, they need to look within themselves and recognize their amazing human capacity for change. These 20,000 will already be interested in miraculous change: now if they can only see that, by taking each day they live and treating the people they encounter with more compassion and respect than they did the previous day, there is the possibility of a miracle of sorts coming about after all. For human behavior is infectious: others copy successful models of behavior that they observe and internalize them to become a new part of their own personalities. A truly "kinder, gentler" society (without the political overtones) would be a miracle, and one accomplished without the need for pretense about supernatural forces causing it.
And without the need to buy a ticket!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Long-Awaited Fantasy Film Released Today
Well, today is the long-anticipated cinematic opening release of a movie that I am truly looking forward to seeing. A movie based on a very popular book series with unforgettable, compelling characters and a strong appeal to the imagination. Of course the movie I'm referring to is nothing other than... Winnie the Pooh!
With all due respects to the hairy pottery-maker, I have come to miss the great Disney cartoon animated version of A.A. Milne's classic Winnie the Pooh, including both the feature films and the television series. The other "Pooh programs" that Disney has put out, in my opinion, have been cheap imitations (although the classic cartoons were themselves a bit divergent from Milne's books).
From what I've read about this new movie, the stories were derived from Milne's original tales. That's good, because frankly some of the last few movies they made, which were original stories, were a bit too sappy and maudlin for me. Let's get back to the fun stuff!
And oh yeah, I'm also interested in Harry and Hermione and Ron and Severus and so on. But I read the final book in the Potter series long ago and know what's going to happen. The only mysteries left are how the movie will present the last half of The Deathly Hallows, which scenes they will add, and which scenes from the book they will omit (probably to my great consternation). And I am especially curious as to whether they include the book's epilogue at the movie's end (and how they present it if they do).
It sure would be nice for Disney or some other channel to air those great old Winnie the Pooh half-hour episodes again, at least for a little while. They have a subtly humorous aspect to a lot of their stories that can resonate with adults, and the characters are great archetypes of general human personalities. As for Harry Potter, it seems that I can hardly turn on my TV anymore and surf through the channels without spotting one of the movies.
I plan to go watch both of these escapist fantasy flicks. Hopefully the new Pooh movie will return to the spirit and mood of the TV series and the first two movies...
With all due respects to the hairy pottery-maker, I have come to miss the great Disney cartoon animated version of A.A. Milne's classic Winnie the Pooh, including both the feature films and the television series. The other "Pooh programs" that Disney has put out, in my opinion, have been cheap imitations (although the classic cartoons were themselves a bit divergent from Milne's books).
From what I've read about this new movie, the stories were derived from Milne's original tales. That's good, because frankly some of the last few movies they made, which were original stories, were a bit too sappy and maudlin for me. Let's get back to the fun stuff!
And oh yeah, I'm also interested in Harry and Hermione and Ron and Severus and so on. But I read the final book in the Potter series long ago and know what's going to happen. The only mysteries left are how the movie will present the last half of The Deathly Hallows, which scenes they will add, and which scenes from the book they will omit (probably to my great consternation). And I am especially curious as to whether they include the book's epilogue at the movie's end (and how they present it if they do).
It sure would be nice for Disney or some other channel to air those great old Winnie the Pooh half-hour episodes again, at least for a little while. They have a subtly humorous aspect to a lot of their stories that can resonate with adults, and the characters are great archetypes of general human personalities. As for Harry Potter, it seems that I can hardly turn on my TV anymore and surf through the channels without spotting one of the movies.
I plan to go watch both of these escapist fantasy flicks. Hopefully the new Pooh movie will return to the spirit and mood of the TV series and the first two movies...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Debt Ceiling Crisis
I have been following the standoff going on in our national government regarding the debt ceiling crisis with increasing dismay. It looks like a completely unnecessary disaster in the making, with one side, President Obama and the Democrats, stepping up to the table willing to make compromises for the better good of the nation, while the Republicans on the other side are playing petty politics, sucking up to extremists in the right-wing talk show media, and refusing to budge on anything.
Yes, we have a problem with our national debt. When Democratic president Bill Clinton left office in January 2001 we had reached a point, though, when we were working on reducing it by having a string of annual surpluses. Then Republican George W. Bush stepped into the office and immediately began preaching that the government was holding the [rich] people's money and that they could do better things with it. And so began the shortfall of our revenue necessary to fund the government and keep it from having to borrow money from abroad to stay afloat. The 9/11 terrorist attacks, enhanced nationwide security efforts, and our subsequent incursion into Afghanistan to weed out Al-Qaeda and drive out their Taliban sponsors from power understandably involved increased spending and a higher deficit. But Bush's inexplicable decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and stage a massive military occupation for years hence broke the budget, with nary a Republican cry of protest. In fact, they voted en masse, including folks like congressional leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, to lift the debt ceiling 19 times during Bush's two terms in office. But the moment a Democrat stepped in, even in the midst of an economic calamity unseen since the Great Depression, those same Republicans suddenly became budget hawks, treating federal spending as anathema now that it was largely in the hands of the hated Democrats.
I don't know how this crisis will play itself out or who will gain politically from it. Common sense would have told me that the contrived tea party crap that has been going on for the last couple of years would have fallen flat and that the Republicans would have been punished, not rewarded, at the polls for their intransigence in opposing practically everything that President Obama was trying to do for the country. In fact, several of their prominent members, including Senator McConnell, had publicly stated that their primary goal was to make our president a failure! And yet my fellow citizens, in their infinite foolishness, collectively gave those Republicans control of the U.S. House of Representatives, a net gain of six Senate seats, and a net gain of several state governorships (and, very sadly, a teabagger as governor in my home state of Florida).
So I can't control how other people will react to what's going on. But it sure would be nice for the politicians to stop acting like marionette puppets and begin to work for the interests of the people they were elected to serve. And that means ALL the people!
Yes, we have a problem with our national debt. When Democratic president Bill Clinton left office in January 2001 we had reached a point, though, when we were working on reducing it by having a string of annual surpluses. Then Republican George W. Bush stepped into the office and immediately began preaching that the government was holding the [rich] people's money and that they could do better things with it. And so began the shortfall of our revenue necessary to fund the government and keep it from having to borrow money from abroad to stay afloat. The 9/11 terrorist attacks, enhanced nationwide security efforts, and our subsequent incursion into Afghanistan to weed out Al-Qaeda and drive out their Taliban sponsors from power understandably involved increased spending and a higher deficit. But Bush's inexplicable decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and stage a massive military occupation for years hence broke the budget, with nary a Republican cry of protest. In fact, they voted en masse, including folks like congressional leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, to lift the debt ceiling 19 times during Bush's two terms in office. But the moment a Democrat stepped in, even in the midst of an economic calamity unseen since the Great Depression, those same Republicans suddenly became budget hawks, treating federal spending as anathema now that it was largely in the hands of the hated Democrats.
I don't know how this crisis will play itself out or who will gain politically from it. Common sense would have told me that the contrived tea party crap that has been going on for the last couple of years would have fallen flat and that the Republicans would have been punished, not rewarded, at the polls for their intransigence in opposing practically everything that President Obama was trying to do for the country. In fact, several of their prominent members, including Senator McConnell, had publicly stated that their primary goal was to make our president a failure! And yet my fellow citizens, in their infinite foolishness, collectively gave those Republicans control of the U.S. House of Representatives, a net gain of six Senate seats, and a net gain of several state governorships (and, very sadly, a teabagger as governor in my home state of Florida).
So I can't control how other people will react to what's going on. But it sure would be nice for the politicians to stop acting like marionette puppets and begin to work for the interests of the people they were elected to serve. And that means ALL the people!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Comparing My Blog to Others is Pointless
When connecting to a blog that is part of the Blogger network, the user can hit a tab at the screentop titled "Next Blog" and view other blogs, usually grouped with a similar theme (I keep coming up with running and biking blogs). I do this from time to time and invariably come away from the experience with an embarrassing sense of my own blog's inferiority to most others. But...
I know that this self-judgement is really unduly harsh and that I should lighten up a bit on myself. This blog of mine is well-defined and deliberately limited. I'm not going for a dazzling visual display. I am not trying to promote what a cool dude I am or what an extravagant, exciting life I'm leading (which is good, because neither applies to me). Nor am I hawking my professional expertise in an effort to attract business and income (in fact, for discretion's sake I deliberately tend to shield my professional life from this blog). And I am not blogging in connection with any particular interests in order to increase my standing among others sharing those same interests. As a matter of fact, if anything, my relative lack of expertise about anything I discuss here should make others feel pretty good about their own expertise by comparison!
And comparison is really what this is all about. What I need to do instead is keep myself focused on my primary purpose here, which is to use this blog as a personal writing discipline. I don't need a lot of people patting me on my back, but a little interaction in the form of comments (including anonymous comments) is always welcome and appreciated!
Not that there won't be times when I get a little technical and write about topics that are of a more esoteric nature. But generally speaking, my format here is intended to more closely resemble what regular newspaper columnists do: pick a topic and expound on it to a reasonable extent in a way that is easy to read and understand, agree or disagree with the message. And like newspapers, which feature columns of different types (political, sports, "living", humor, entertainment), my articles try to capture the same sense of expression. I hope at least some of that intended expression reaches you, my valued reader!
I know that this self-judgement is really unduly harsh and that I should lighten up a bit on myself. This blog of mine is well-defined and deliberately limited. I'm not going for a dazzling visual display. I am not trying to promote what a cool dude I am or what an extravagant, exciting life I'm leading (which is good, because neither applies to me). Nor am I hawking my professional expertise in an effort to attract business and income (in fact, for discretion's sake I deliberately tend to shield my professional life from this blog). And I am not blogging in connection with any particular interests in order to increase my standing among others sharing those same interests. As a matter of fact, if anything, my relative lack of expertise about anything I discuss here should make others feel pretty good about their own expertise by comparison!
And comparison is really what this is all about. What I need to do instead is keep myself focused on my primary purpose here, which is to use this blog as a personal writing discipline. I don't need a lot of people patting me on my back, but a little interaction in the form of comments (including anonymous comments) is always welcome and appreciated!
Not that there won't be times when I get a little technical and write about topics that are of a more esoteric nature. But generally speaking, my format here is intended to more closely resemble what regular newspaper columnists do: pick a topic and expound on it to a reasonable extent in a way that is easy to read and understand, agree or disagree with the message. And like newspapers, which feature columns of different types (political, sports, "living", humor, entertainment), my articles try to capture the same sense of expression. I hope at least some of that intended expression reaches you, my valued reader!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
More on My Running Now, Then, and the Near Future
One important difference between this year and 2010 concerning my running is that, after that January 23 Ocala Marathon that I hobbled to the finish line in, I haven't entered any public races. Last year by this time I had run several races: LifeSouth Half Marathon, the Climb for Cancer 15K Run, and several 5Ks. I reached the point where I did not enjoy five kilometer (3.1 miles) races for various reasons. And longer races were few and far between. Besides, for much of the beginning of the year I was recovering from a leg injury and didn't want to aggravate it.
So now here I am in the middle of July, with no races set ahead of me to run. Sure, there's that Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon that is held in November and which I ran in last year (and enjoyed), but at least in the Gainesville vicinity there is nothing else longer than those annoying 5K races. I am thinking, though, about trying to get over to Apalachicola (Florida) and run in their half-marathon in late October. But I'll need to get the day before the race off from work to swing this, not yet a done deal.
I am still wary of running full marathons. Frankly, I don't see the extra benefit that running 26.2 miles carries over sticking with the 13.1 mile half-marathon distance. 13.1 miles is in itself quite a chore to carry out and requires a good deal of training. Besides, just about every marathon event I see out there has an accompanying half-marathon, usually with the same starting times (and less expensive entry fees). Also, there are several half-marathon races without accompanying marathons, that Tom Walker Memorial event a good example.
So maybe now that I seem to be injury-free, I might just sit down at my computer and check out the upcoming cooler months for opportunities to participate in half-marathons. Of course, money doesn't grow on trees (at least for me) and I probably won't be hopping on any planes soon for distant events. But any place in the southeastern U.S. holding a half-marathon should be fair game...as long as I can get time off from work, that is. And December, due to the nature of my job, is problematic in that although it has a great selection of races in my area, I am also very, very busy then at my job with slim prospects of getting extra time off.
So now here I am in the middle of July, with no races set ahead of me to run. Sure, there's that Tom Walker Memorial Half-Marathon that is held in November and which I ran in last year (and enjoyed), but at least in the Gainesville vicinity there is nothing else longer than those annoying 5K races. I am thinking, though, about trying to get over to Apalachicola (Florida) and run in their half-marathon in late October. But I'll need to get the day before the race off from work to swing this, not yet a done deal.
I am still wary of running full marathons. Frankly, I don't see the extra benefit that running 26.2 miles carries over sticking with the 13.1 mile half-marathon distance. 13.1 miles is in itself quite a chore to carry out and requires a good deal of training. Besides, just about every marathon event I see out there has an accompanying half-marathon, usually with the same starting times (and less expensive entry fees). Also, there are several half-marathon races without accompanying marathons, that Tom Walker Memorial event a good example.
So maybe now that I seem to be injury-free, I might just sit down at my computer and check out the upcoming cooler months for opportunities to participate in half-marathons. Of course, money doesn't grow on trees (at least for me) and I probably won't be hopping on any planes soon for distant events. But any place in the southeastern U.S. holding a half-marathon should be fair game...as long as I can get time off from work, that is. And December, due to the nature of my job, is problematic in that although it has a great selection of races in my area, I am also very, very busy then at my job with slim prospects of getting extra time off.
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